A Glimmer of Hope

Some hardy tulips are trying to come up in front of the barn.

I hope, I hope this is a sign that spring really is coming this year

Easter Bunny Replaced by Turkey?

It wasn't the Easter Bunny that came around our house this morning, but a turkey. Uncle Wal apparently spotted this bold bird behind Gram's windows. He then chomped down two cloves of garlic from the microwave (a health benefit thing for him) and went out in search of the turkey. Unclear what he planned to do if he found the bird? I thought garlic was only for vampires.

Today's Column--Holding Onto the Baby Curls

By Lara Bricker
March 21, 2008 6:00 AM
Admit it, we all love it when out in public someone stops to admire our little toddler, you know how cute they are?
Lately though, it's gone something like this:
Isn't she a beautiful little girl, random person on the street, in the store, at the post office remarks.
I know, I know, Willie's hair is long. But he has the most beautiful curls. I can't stand the thought of cutting them. And so I haven't. I think he looks like a boy, albeit a surfer dude, free spirit, hippie like boy. It fits his personality. But, it's amazing that just the presence of long hair can cause the random person to think he's a girl. And yet the blue, tan, truck or train covered clothing he's wearing with this long hair means nothing?
Come on, my hubby told me when I brought this up, kids dress in everything these days. Girls wear blue too.
And boys have long hair, I responded.
Just take a look at a smattering of celebrity children, who have been in the news for their curls and long flowing hair. Cindy Crawford's son Presley reportedly likes his long hair. In surfing the Net I found a whole blog (www.celebrity-babies.com) where people were discussing Presley's long blond locks. A blog comment from "Posh Fan" takes offense with those who think Presley, who is 7½, should cut his hair. Posh Fan rambles on about how Presley "makes it work" with the long hair because it "seems to go perfectly with his features."
This boy hair blogging authority does not think that Kate Hudson's son Ryder's long locks have the same appeal. Kate recently told Ellen Degeneres that her son also likes his long locks "He won't let me cut it. I said "We're gonna have to cut your hair.. And he goes "yeah mom, I want a mohawk." Which brings up yet another celebrity child hair style, Angelina Jolie's son Maddox who does have a mohawk. And then there's Celine Dion's son Rene Charles, whose hair actually disturbed me a little bit it was so long and flowing (kind of like his mother's..). But Celine won't cut Rene's hair either. She says he'll make the call about when to cut his locks of love.
And so I return to thinking about Willie's hair. Unlike the celebrity line-up, it's not because he doesn't want his hair cut that I leave it long. It's because in addition to being so adorable, it means that he's not a little baby anymore. Lest you think I'm becoming one of those mothers who's going to turn their little son into a bona fide mommy's boy — I'm not. But I just can't bring myself to cut the hair. When people tell me to cut the hair, it becomes even worse. One woman was quite judgmental as she shook her head at me and essentially ordered me to cut his hair.
Just a little bit longer, I say.
As all of his baby boy peers have haircuts that look like they cost $40 apiece and should be on the cover of a baby magazine, I want to hold on to the innocence of that first hair growing in. Those first curls forming. The way those curls really show off after he has a bath. I mean why are we all in such a rush to make our little ones grow up so fast? Once we cut his hair, I feel like he'll be marching around biding his time until he goes off to preschool and kindergarten. I know, I know babies grow up. They become little boys, older boys, and soon pre-teen boys who are playing spin the bottle at some kid's birthday party. It all happens so fast.
So what's wrong with holding onto the little boy innocence, those delicate curls just a little bit longer? For me, nothing at all. Maybe he'll even get his own hair blog some day.

Hard to Turn off the Reporter in Me...

There's a fire out on Colcord Pond off Epping Road. I am thinking of when I used to run out in the middle of the night to cover fires, accidents, etc. Now I'm stuck at home listening to the scanner, trying to piece together what's happening... Hard be nosey and domestic at the same time isn't it?

Wine Tasting? How About Tea Instead?

My shoulders have been on fire lately....too much typing and bending over. Or perhaps carrying a heavy toddler? Anyway, I stopped down at White Lily Teas http://www.whitelilyteas.com/ today for a $1 per minute shoulder massage. Rebecca the owner was there and boy does she give a mean massage. Awesome.
They are also now having a few special events:
Tea Tasting Night
White Lily Teas will be hosting a Tea Tasting Night in our Yoga room the first Friday of every month from 5pm to 7pm. Please join Rebecca for free samples of tea each month. This is a great opportunity to learn about what kinds of tea & herbs we offer here at White Lily Teas and discuss their uses in our daily lives.
Calming & Comfort Herbal Tea Class
Friday, March 28th 5:30-7:00PM
In this interactive & fun class we will discuss the uses & benefits of Valerian Root, Skullcap, Chamomile, Peppermint & Lemon Balm. Students will blend their own custom tea blend to take home and receive a detailed handout on the class.Registration advised
Limit 10 people$20

And the Rat Came Back the Very Next Day

The rat came back, he just wouldn't stay away. (Remember this nice little camp song?) The 2 rats I found in Penny's water bucket are apparently not alone. Feel like you're in an alien movie? They're out there..watching you with their little red eyes. Kenny found 2 more in the garbage can. Dead as well. Thought they no doubt filled their tummies before they realized they couldn't get out of their little prison cell. Kenny believes they are nesting under some of the horse blankets in the barn. I'm afraid to even lift the blanket up. I have a horror movie in my head where I lift it up and rats jump on me and eat my face off.

And so I turn to the Internet. Get a barn owl, one site advised me. Hmm, yeah like that sounds easy...NOT quite. Eliminate the source of food, which in this case would be the garbage pails. This is also tough. It used to be up by the house. This is when a mouse/rat/rodent climbed into grammy's car and took up residence, requiring a massive trip to the auto repair place and a complete clean out. Poison? No. We have a cat. A trap? Well, then what do we do with them? Maybe we can take them over to the Raynes Farm Barn. Should it catch and burn down (thanks to lack of a fire alarm), they'll be toast too. Brilliant. I knew there was a reason that warrant article failed.

The Show Hits the Road

Thusday, 7 p.m. at the Harvey Mitchell Memorial Library in Epping. I'll be having a book talk. I hope someone comes so that I don't have to eat cookies and moose cheese alone...