My Little Rockstar

The Intarnets Police contacted me and told me that if I went one more day without posting, I would have to change my online name from wordygirl to "Quiet McNeverPosts". So here I am.

Here is a video of Gwen playing with the "Li'l Rockstar Stacker" that her Gramma Karen and Grandpa Keith bought her for Christmas. This is the toy I mentioned in her last newsletter as being something that scared her for a long, long time but she is now just enjoying it.

The video is long, but I didn't want to cut it because I think it shows a lot of brilliant little behaviours on Gwen's part. I don't know if the brilliance is visible to a neutral third party, but anyway, here it is - you be the judge. (Only, you know, not too judgy.)

Rhymes with SHUSH

Gwen has had a nasty bum rash for about three weeks. We have tried EVERYTHING to get rid of it. Let me sum this up for you:

Me, May 6: It can't be thrush.
Me, May 9: It's not thrush.
Me, May 15: No, it's not thrush.
Me, May 20: It's definitely not thrush.
Me: May 24: At least it's not thrush.
Me, May 28: It looks nothing at all like thrush.
Dr, May 29: It's thrush.

Sigh.

The Fresh Air Fund

It's a stunningly gorgeous day here on Vancouver Island.

I got an email today from Sara Wilson at the Fresh Air Fund. I had never heard of this organization but I went to check it out. They are a non-profit society that arranges free two-week vacations for underprivileged inner-city kids, vacations where they stay with a host family and experience things they might never get to otherwise: beach-swimming, tree-climbing, horse-riding, campfire-singing. General outside-the-house-existing. Things that I am fond of.

Sara's email told me that from now until June 30th, every dollar given will be matched by a group of generous donors. So if I give $5, it will magically turn into ten. I like that kind of math.

Anyway, being nostalgic for the summer vacations of my own youth, I've put a banner up on the sidebar. I think kids need to play outside - it's good for our souls. It makes me sad to think of how many kids don't get to do that. If you can help by throwing a few bucks their way, that's great; especially if you manage to do it by June 30th, when your few bucks will magically multiply. Also, go check out the Fresh Air site and re-post a link or banner to your own blog or even on Facebook. Let's get this viral marketing thing working in our favour, hey?

What's Cookin, Good Lookin?

There was a flurry of activity in my kitchen this evening. I made two batches of peanut butter marshmallow squares, which are one of my very favourite treats in the world and I have never ever ever looked up the recipe for them until now, ON PURPOSE because now that I know how to make them - and ESPECIALLY now that I know there are only FOUR ingredients - my waistline may never be the same. I'm pretty sure I could eat an entire pan of these things. It's not the marshmallows that do it for me; I don't care for them raw or roasted (Aha! Another reason camping doesn't interest me). In rice krispie treats, well, I'll have one if they're on offer, but I don't go zany for them like certain husbands do. But the peanut butter, ohhhh my the peanut butter. Peanut butter is one of those things that I usually don't even keep in the house, because if I do I will find myself eating a large spoonful of it as a mid-afternoon snack.

Anyway, I made two pans of these but neither one is for me. One is for a potluck on Sunday and one is for a friend who just lost a family member and thus needs a pan of goodies (and a lasagne I had in my freezer). These things will be finding their way to her doorstep tomorrow.

I also made some roasted sweet potatoes, to give Gwen an alternative to the frozen Green Giant vegetables we've been foisting on her lately. I found a great recipe that called for dipping the potato wedges first in beaten egg, then in a mixture of spices (bread crumbs, Italian seasoning, parmesan cheese). But it didn't quite work out as planned. Does this ever happen to anyone else? The first third of the pan gets covered in spices nice and evenly, then the second third is kind of lumpy and uneven, and then the last third doesn't get any spices at all because by this time the spices are just sticking together with the egg in silly little clumps and ignoring the potatoes altogether. I'm sure they will still taste good, because hey, they are still sweet potatoes, but there must be a better method of achieveing this. Any master chefs out there want to fill me in?

Camping - I Don't Get It

It's officially summer, and people are out camping. It's a tradition in BC to spend the first long weekend of the year - Victoria Day, May 20th - camping. It's never appealed to me, and certainly not this year when we didn't get a decent day of sun until about halfway through the week following the holiday.

Nevertheless, there's a lot of hype around camping, and so I have been trying my best to figure out what the appeal is. Because as it says in the title, I don't get it. Here's what I've figured out so far.

1. Theory: Camping is a good chance to get out in nature. Agreed! If you live in a city and the only green you see is bordering your office building's entryways, then camping is a great chance to see some lovely foliage. My objection: I don't feel a lack of green in my life. I live in a medium-sized city right on the coast, and I see lots of nature, not to mention the ocean, every single day. I am not aching for fresh air.

2. Theory: You can go swimming! Again, if you live somewhere far away from lakes, oceans, and rivers, and need to drive for a few hours to find some, camping nearby might be a good idea. My objection: I can go swimming in a lake, an ocean, or a river, anytime I want. But I don't, because I'm afraid of sharks. Shut up.

3. Theory: You can sit around outside all day! I have this lovely green place with comfy lawn chairs and a picnic table where I can do just that, and it could not possibly be more close to hand. I call it my yard.

4. Theory: Camping is a fun opportunity to get a little drunk with your friends, because no one has to drive home. I don't drink, so I really can't see the appeal of this one.

5. Theory: You can get away from it all! Most of my "all" I am pretty fond of. That's why I keep it nearby.

Mostly, to me, camping just seems like a lot of work: packing up everything you need (shelter, food, drink, entertainment, furniture), driving in a cramped car to your campsite, unpacking everything and setting it all up, then spending two days and nights scratching in the dirt, fighting off insects, and listening to the drunken yahoos in the site next to you. Then you pack up everything again - except now everything is wet and/or dirty and/or smelly - and head home, sunburnt and exhausted. And THEN you spend another two days cleaning and scrubbing everything down. And people find this relaxing?

(It's just occurred to me that the pioneers of yore would probably think that our custom of going out and "roughing it" for a few days, when we don't have to, is utterly ridiculous and possibly a sign of mental illness.)

I really do want to understand camping. If you enjoy camping, please tell me why. What am I missing?