the birds

We came across a large flock of pigeons as we walked to a neighborhood shop...

Beka wanted a picture, but as she got closer, the birds would fly. We left before we had too many visions of The Birds.

it works

A momentary brief interuption from only picture and captions for Beka's lesson of the day:
The smoke detector does still work even though the green light (that we thought meant it was on) is off.

Why, Beka, how do you know this?

Funny you ask. I came home to have some soup for lunch and thought, "Oh, how tasty, I'll have a piece of Texas toast too." However, the soup was almost warm so I then thought, "What's an easier way than using the oven? They say not to use the microwave, but give instructions for a grill... Wouldn't a fry pan work?"

So I got out the freshly washed fry pan and puts in the frozen chunk of bread, butter and garlic over medium heat. After a minute, I suddenly realized, "Whoops, I should have flipped it." So I do, only to discover one blackened side.

"Oh well," I thought. "It is just a smokey flavor. That's typical for split pea soup" and I promised myself to take better care on the flip side (ha).

Mere seconds later, the smoke alarm without the illuminated green light starts beeping. Frazzled and frantic, I first think to move the fry pan to the back burner. However, one part of my mind said, "you should have heat under that..." So as my right hand moved the pan back, my left hand turned on the burner.

"S#$%! F*@&!" her rational brain started screaming. I turned off both burners and grabed the oven mitt — the closest and most reliable wind maker. On my way out of the kitchen to the smoke alarm, the part of my brain that turned on the back burner turned off the kitchen light (because obviously smoke dissipates in the dark). Frantically, I start waving at the smoke detector, pulling out the table chair to stand on while waving at the smoke alarm until it finally stops it's incessant call.

I waved at it for a few moments longer to ensure that it is not going to start up again. When I climbed off her precarious perch on the chair, I noticed that Pushkin is wide eyed and cowering next to the couch and Eva is now absent. After squeeking for her and peaking around, Eva is finally found, also cowering, but under the bed.

Now we're not sure what was more scary to them: the alarm, or Beka frantically and non-sensically running around turning things off and on for the mere 20 seconds that all this probably lasted...

anne lamott

One of Beka's favorite authors was doing a reading/discussion/signing tonight in Union Square's Barnes and Noble.

So of course we went. And she was lovely.

She said things like, "Long term relationships are like pouring miracle grow on your personal defects."
And when describing the extravagant hotel room, "I have limited needs. Except emotional."
And (for Beka's Mom), when asked about her recent adventures she briefly talked about traveling to Africa saying, "I don't believe in flying." And continuing to tell how she asked for traveling mercies for her return flight only to be told, "By the time you get on the plane it's too late for prayer. It is time for serenity and surrender."


So then we waited in line to get two copies of her first novel signed; One for Beka and one for Becky because both of us love that book so much.

lighter load

Eva enjoyed watching the birds eat a couple of pieces of stale bread that Doug put out for them and went from window to window growling and tense when she saw another cat outside the window...

(She's the toughest watch kittie around.)
Even more exciting is that our little chubbers and tubbers are losing weight because they can be more active here... and active they are.

snow and soup

Today we got 6+ inches of snow. By the afternoon is was all slush and wet again...
So Beka made some soup...



And strawberry smores for desert... a true culinary feat.



Also, since Doug got the wireless up and running here, maybe posts will be more frequent again... Assuming we do anything worth taking pictures of...

pictures without people

As requested by many of you... here (finally) are some pictures of the new apartment without people. Here goes the grand tour...

First, the foyer.
To the left, the hall. To the right, the kitchen.

The kitchen. I took this from the living room through our passthrough.

Living room...

Living room/dining room...

















Bathroom...






Hallway. We painted it a midnight blue and then added little bronze stars. We put paper in the light to make it look like the moon. :)




New and improved bed (i.e. there is space on both sides, we don't have to climb over each other to get in or out...)

New Dresser and Wardrobe...


Beka's new desk...




We really, really like it here -- it seems to get better and better by the day.

So the offer is wide open now... come visit us! We're planning more get-togethers for all you folks in the city. As for the rest of you, take a plane, train, or automobile -- we'd love to have you. :)

art

Beka is taking a class at Teacher's College this semester and has been doing art with the mediums that children would be using.

This is "Something you like doing with a friend".
And then we had to make a person or animal stick puppet for homework.

Here's the notorious e-v-a.

(Don't knock it... this is a nice change from the thesis...)

total eclipse of the...

...moon, of course.

There was a lunar eclipse that we caught from outside our building. The pictures are pretty crappy, but it was pretty cool.

kari's movie

Kari made us a video from the party...

Thank You Kari!!

housewarming

kitties

Audrey wanted to play with the kitties while she was here this weekend. This usually meant finding all the toy mice and putting them in front of whichever cat she could find. She was doing it here as Eva tried to slip herself under the island...

And Becky found a video called "Pushkin" about a cat named Pushkin...

haircut

Pep: "I now declare Doug's haircut done"
Doug: "Okay"

No, we didn't leave it like this.

valentines day

Doug brought Beka daisies.
Beka got tulips...
...and an Iris plant for Doug.

(Which didn't even show the blooms when she bought it and there seems to be a new flower every time we look at it)
We took time for a nicer dinner...
...and some classy "wine".