All Too Real

"It was, perhaps, the ultimate cultural rebuke, a reminder from the heavens that maybe we should not have been fixating on the man who publicly humiliated his wife and seemingly took for granted all that has been given him. Because right there in front of us was the man who was shuttling his wife to cancer treatments and handling a pain that is all too real to so many."

Lynn Zinser, "Mickelson Writes His Own Masters Script." The New York Times, April 12, 2010. Link.

A Troll Bridge

Getting to see the Fremont Troll was especially exciting for Imogen because The Three Billy Goats Gruff is one of her favorite stories

Her Pink Period

A Breast of Politics

"Nursing mothers will now get additional support, thanks to page 1239 of the health care bill that President Obama recently signed into law. It requires employers to provide 'a place, other than a bathroom, that is shielded from view and free from intrusion from co-workers and the public, which may be used by an employee to express breast milk.' Only companies with less than 50 employees can claim it's an undue hardship."

-CNN.com

Le Hero!

A French tourist who rescued a toddler who fell into New York's East River says he didn't think twice about diving in to save the girl.

Two-year-old Bridget Sheridan fell off a gangplank at the South Street Seaport museum Saturday. Her father, David Anderson, says she slipped through guardrails when he averted his eyes to adjust his camera.

Julien Duret, of Lyon, France, jumped into the water. Anderson followed closely behind. Duret scooped up the girl and gave her to her father.

The New York Daily News says the 29-year-old tourist got in a cab after the rescue. Duret says he doesn't think he's a hero and that anyone would do the same thing.

Anderson says his daughter was unhurt. He says he feels guilty about momentarily taking his eyes off her.

-The Associated Press (with information from Daily News)

Photo: STAN HONDA / AFP/GETTY IMAGES

A Stone's Throw

Lake Crescent

Sunday

Stand Up

While she was dying eggs with her cousins, Imogen set up a "stand" for dying rocks. Although we didn't actually try dying rocks that day, it does sound worth a try!

As we were leaving, Imogen said to her cousins, "Um, guys, can you please tell your 'fodder' to not take down my stand?"

Life is Not Linear

"Children do not share your priorities about schedules, clean houses, and building for the future. They want to play and are most concerned about the next five minutes. They want your attention and approval. They want to experience a sense that you actually enjoy them. It's easier to do that if you stop worrying so much about what they are going to be like when they grow up. Life is not linear. Your children will change in dramatic and unpredictable ways as they mature into adults."

Kalman M. Heller, Ph.D.

Egging

A Serious Matter

“I do not believe that the accident of birth makes people sisters and brothers. It makes them siblings. Gives them mutuality of parentage. Sisterhood and brotherhood are conditions people have to work at. It's a serious matter. You compromise, you give, you take, you stand firm, and you're relentless...And it is an investment. Sisterhood means if you happen to be in Burma and I happen to be in San Diego and I'm married to someone who is very jealous and you're married to somebody who is very possessive, if you call me in the middle of the night, I have to come.”

-Maya Angelou

Birth of a Nation

In 2008 United States births declined in rate and numbers for women of all ages, except those over 40, for whom it rose.

USA Today

It Was All Gravy

Today Marks
Three Years of Pure Gravy

"It was all gravy, every minute of it." -Raymond Carver

Imogen at 11 mos. with the late, loved Giacomo

"A Profound Difference"

"The lives of nearly 900 babies would be saved each year, along with billions of dollars, if 90 percent of U.S. women breast-fed their babies for the first six months of life."

Lindsey Tanner. "Study: Breast-feeding would save lives, money."  The Associated Press. Web. April 5, 2010. Link.

A Short Time Ago

Immy with Princess Leia hair

Tuesday

Make a Difference

"There is no act
that is too small
to make a difference."
-Geoffrey Canada, Social Activist and Educator, Harlem Children's Zone

Poetry of the Foot

Toddler Dance Party
Port Angeles Library
Sat. May 1, 10:30 am
1-4 years

"A Really Fantastic City"

A couple days ago Seattle's July 4th Lake Union fireworks show was cancelled, sparking a grassroots donation effort that saved the show.

Read how it happened.

Source: The Seattle Times

Immy and the Little Lamb

Imogen wants me to make this cake for her fourth birthday in late May (with either pink velvet or chocolate). She really likes the "mushrooms."

Cake: Parents Magazine, April 2007

Beachcombing

Hollywood Beach

Port Angeles, Sunday

Wide-Eyed Wanderer

Little River Trail

Olympic Peninsula, Sunday

Pause to Wonder

"I'm digging to China."

-Imogen

Tuna Pot

Imogen:
"When a man's an empty kettle
He should be on his mettle
And yet I'm 'tuna pot'" [torn apart]

From "If I Only Had a Heart," sung by Jack Haley. The Wizard of Oz.

Photo: oz.wikia.com

Breastmilk is my Superpower

Imogen was talking about superheroes in the car this morning.

Me: Are you a superhero?

Imogen: No.

Me: Am I a superhero?

Imogen: You're a superhero nursing one.

Sea Change

This Evening

Port Angeles Boat Haven

The Coming of Spring

Watercolor by Imogen

Meet Alicia

Imogen has an imaginary friend. Her name is Alicia and her experiences are mostly parallel with Imogen's. She came into our lives about six months ago. Immy says Alicia is her sister, but she has different parents and a lot of siblings (usually six or 10). Sometimes Alicia is six years old and sometimes she's 16. Occasionally, she's "grown up," but Immy's a little confused about how old that is. She insists Alicia is not imaginary or invisible, but we don't have to set a place for her at the table either. Earlier this week, Imogen told me that Alicia lost a tooth and the tooth fairy took it and left her a Barack Obama coin in its place.

The Wikipedia article on imaginary friends says they often act as a guardian or protector. I listen to what Imogen says about Alicia for insight into her emotional world.

It's a Pattern

This morning Imogen's "Teacher Ginny" told me that some of Immy's clothes patterns remind her of Kaffe Fassett's environments.

Photo: Art for Housewives

She Stands Up

"She stands up for her rights."
-"Teacher Susan" on Imogen

Women's Life

Gloria Steinem:

"I look 20 years forward and think I probably won't be here and I find that shocking. I am trying my best...to use my time better. Because, the truth is, I think I am immortal and thinking you are immortal causes you to plan poorly."

At nearly 76, the long-time New York City resident looks youthful and says she is "just as energetic" as she has always been in her travels advocating for women and other causes. -Reuters

(The best quote in the article: "If men got rewarded for the amount of nudity and sexuality that women do, men would be nude and sexual too, trust me.")

Thought for Food

"We need you not just to tweak around the edges, but to entirely rethink the products that you're offering, the information that you provide about these products and how you market those products to our children.

We can build shiny new supermarkets on every block, but we need those supermarkets to actually provide healthy options at prices people can afford. And we can insist that our schools serve better food, but we need to actually produce that food. And we can give parents all the information in the world, but they still won't have time to untangle labels filled with 10-syllable words or do long division with these portion sizes. And that's really where you come in.

This isn't about finding creative ways to market products as healthy. As you know, it's about producing products that actually are healthy -- products that can help shape the health habits of an entire generation.

If there is anyone here who can sell food to our kids, it's you. You know what gets their attention. You know what makes that lasting impression. You know what gets them to drive their parents crazy in the grocery store. And I'm here today to ask you to use that knowledge and that power to our kids' advantage."

-Michelle Obama, speaking to the Grocery Manufacturers Association on Tuesday (The Washington Post)

Pretty Cool

"We both have dresses on today. I feel pretty in my dress. Do you feel pretty in your dress?"

-Me to Immy

"I feel pretty in my whole body."

-Immy

The Abundance We've Created

"Okay, let's not be so scared of the abundance we've created."

-Kelly Cutrone

You Put a Spell on Me

Building Blocks

"My hands are tools, right?" -Imogen

What I Want For Her

“Everything I do, I do for Ava. I want Ava to have the best life I can give her. I want my daughter’s thoughts to be her thoughts. I want her feelings to be her feelings. I want Ava to be creative and I want her to trust and listen to herself. That means I want my daughter to be autonomous. I want her to be the empowered young woman. That’s what I want for her.”

-Kelly Cutrone

Photo: Fashionologie.com

Landscapes of a Western Mind

Crescent Bay, Strait of Juan de Fuca

 

Near to the Edge

Hollywood Beach, Port Angeles

Ballet of the Sidewalks

Downtown Port Angeles

Mo'Natural

"What would happen to actresses in a world where they had more natural figures and didn't shave their legs?"

-Academy Awards Press Reporter to Mo'Nique

"They would win Oscars."
-Academy Award Winner Mo'Nique

Photo: Los Angeles Times

Jump on Board

Add your voice to the Ferry Riders' Opinion Group.

Photo: Washington State Transportation Commission