This is my 200th post…do I have anything earth-shattering to report? No. A profile of an extremely interesting person? No. Great news? Not really. What I’ve got is another collection of random things:
1. Dread of Deer. About three weeks ago, we looked out the window into the back yard, and discovered with dismay that the deer have learned that they are capable of jumping the fence! Unless I can think of a plan to keep them out, gardening this year is going to be a dangerous thing…I’ve been so obsessed that I actually dreamed that we had three baby deer in our living room (I let them out the back door)…
"Are you lookin' at me? Because I'll totally snort at you if you come any closer! It's way more fun on this side of the fence!" (photo by Anna)
2. Discriminating Darlin’. My granddaughter, Elise, is almost 19 months old, and has recently learned how to count to 10…sort of. She starts at “3” because she feels that “1” and “2” are too trivial to bother with!
3. Doh! Every morning as we’re on our way into town to the bookstore, we listen to the CBC News World Report at 7 p.m., which is usually hosted by Peter Armstrong. When talking about the ongoing issues in Ivory Coast, the illustrious anchorman reported that the militants were “fighting definitely”. Um…I think “defiantly” is what your copywriter meant, Peter. While we’re at it, can we talk about your improper pronunciation of potash (“pott-ish”), Afghanistan (“aff-gan-i-stun“), and Pakistan (“pack-i-stun“)? Wrong, wrong, wrong!
4. Decisions and Debates. Speaking of CBC, they’ve been promoting a nifty new “tool” on their website which is supposed to help decide which tool party leader to vote for in our upcoming federal election on May 2nd. I used the Vote Compass, and was not at all surprised that I lean left on both economic and social issues. I still don’t know who I’m going to support…all the candidates have not been announced in our riding yet. The lone female, Green Party candidate, Elizabeth May, is fighting for the right to be included in the leaders’ debate…I hope she succeeds!
The Candidates..."Eeny, Meeny, Miny, Moe, and Curly" (photo from workliveplaycafe.com)
5. Dunce. Yesterday afternoon, I received this e-mail from my daughter’s high school, I have copied it verbatim, except to remove the principal’s name and change his initial, to protect the idiot innocent:
Good afternoon all,
This is Mr. B. calling to inform you that the school recieved a threatening phone call today. Although it turned out to be a crank call, we took it very serious placed the school into a lockdown. The police were called and very quickly resolved the problem.
I also want to tell you that this is the week of our musical and the tickets are going fast. If you are thinking of attending, you better pick up your tickets at the office or get them at the door.
Thats it for now,
Mr. B.
Hmmm…97 words…three grammatical/spelling errors that I can spot immediately. My daughter tells me the students refer to the author as “Slow Marvin” (not his real name), and that he doesn’t actually teach any classes (what a relief!). I’m so glad that the school took the threat “serious”…I wish they were as serious about grammar. “Now Mr. B…please don this dunce cap and go sit in the corner!”
This isn't "Slow Marvin"...(photo from businessinsider.com)
6. Deliciousness. A random Herding Cats post wouldn’t be complete without food! Feast your eyes on these photos of Jim’s banana bread (we have to hide the banana bread bananas from my dad, or he’ll eat them!), and my cornbread-topped chili!
Jim's banana bread: regular, flax, and chocolate chip
Chili topped with cornbread...yummy!
You can do this chili yourself: Make your regular chili, and then put it into a casserole. Mix up some cornbread batter and pour it over the top of the chili. Bake it in the oven until the cornbread is done. Instant deliciousness!
Thanks for coming over to celebrate my 200th post…I sincerely hope that none of the stuff you’ve learned here keeps you awake this evening…
Herding Cats in Hammond River 