I'm training myself to run - without walking in between - for a full three miles. But I wasn't doing well enough on my own. So a while back, I got an app for my phone that said it would help me do this. Once it downloaded, I laced up my hot-pink-and-black sneaks, plugged in my headphones, started my tunes, fired up the app, and out the door I went.
I ran when it said ran. I walked when it said walk. After a couple of weeks, the walks were shorter, the runs were longer, and things were going well. Then one day, about half-way through the session, it told me to run...
...right as I got to the base of a short-but-steep hill.
Of course.
But run it said, so run I did.
The next morning, Her Highness, My Big Toe rather painfully let me know she had taken entirely too much abuse from that hill. After watching me limp around for a week, my husband C put his own (uninjured) foot down. So I went to see the doctor. X-rays were taken, a referral was made, and then, the verdict was in: I have Turf Toe.
AKA: Her Highness, My Injured Big Toe.
Which means: No Running For Me.
For a while, anyway.
But now, after three weeks of not being able to do much, the doctor raised my toe's rank to Her Highness, My Injured-But-Healing Big Toe, and said I can try biking - if I take it easy.
So I tried that today.
And it was anything but.
See, I thought I would try the local park trail, which is less hilly than my neighborhood. But I'd need to drive to get to it. Which meant getting my bike into my truck. Shouldn't be a problem, right? So I unlatched the front half of the truck bed cover, lowered the lift gate, held up the bed extender cage with one arm, lifted up my ancient-and-therefore-heavy mountain bike with the other, and shoved-scooted-squeezed it underneath the cage and into truck bed. All that was left was to lower the cage back down, and then shut the cover. Except that the bike stretched out underneath the cage. So it wouldn't lower. Which meant the cover wouldn't shut.
Fine, I figured. I'll just take out the cage. But to remove the cage, it has to be all the way down. Which meant I would have to take the bike back out. Well. After all it took for me to get that thing in there, taking it back out was just plain NGH (Not Gonna Happen).
So, several finagles later, I found a way to get the bike wedged in so I could lower the cage. Success!
Until the cover wouldn't close, because the handlebars stuck up too far.
Of course.
By this time, I was sure my struggles had made an entertaining spectacle for the neighbors, and I was tempted to just shut my garage door and call it a day. But, I had put too much effort into it to quit now. So, I left the cover as it was, grabbed some bungee cords and strapped it down as best I could, fired up the truck, and away I went to the park trail.
I was pleased to discover that getting the bike out of the truck was a decidedly easier process. Once the bike was out, I unhooked the bungee cords, flipped the extender cage in, slammed the tailgate shut, and then swung the truck bed cover over to drop it closed.
Only, it didn't close.
Of course.
See, one of the latches flipped closed before it was supposed to. So one side was latched properly, and one wasn't latched at all, which meant the whole cover was stuck halfway closed and halfway not. And no matter how much I pulled and pried and jimmied, it would not for the life of it come unstuck. Which meant I had no way to get my bike back home. And I hadn't even gotten to ride it yet.
By now, I was blaming Her Highness, My Injured-But-Healing Big Toe for all the trouble she was causing. I wouldn't even be in this mess if she hadn't up and decided to go on strike.
So I did the only thing I could do: I turned my back on that flippin' truck cover, and I strapped on my bike helmet, and I got me my bike ride. Darn it.
But, like Her Highness, My Injured-But-Healing Big Toe, I couldn't ignore that stuck truck cover for long. So when my ride was done, I tried again - and failed again - to fix the cover.
Since the bike Would Not Even Remotely Fit in the cab of the truck (despite much seat-folding and bike wrestling and even a not-well-thought-out attempt to remove one bike wheel), I had to open the back end of the truck cover and lift the ancient-and-therefore-heavy mountain bike up over my head and drop said bike down in the back end of the truck bed.
It didn't fit there, either.
Of course.
The best I could do was to have most of the bike in the back part of the truck bed, with one bike tire hanging over the side. By then I was so tired of trying to fix things, I just left it that way and drove home. And if the bike fell out on the way, well, I wasn't sure I cared.
But it didn't fall out, so I guess I'll keep it a while longer.
And that stuck truck cover? Well, I did a little web search, and found a message board with a suggested fix. It said: Sit on the cover. Then turn the key and the latch will release. I laughed out loud. But then I tried it.
And it worked!
Which I hope Her Highness, My Injured-But-Healing Big Toe will be doing very soon.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
Prepare Yourselves, Because April 24th is Pigs in a Blanket Day! And That Can Only Mean One Thing...
...storytime may be a bit more exciting than usual this evening...
Friday, March 9, 2012
Johnny Appleseed Day Will Be Here Soon...Or Not So Soon
But, there are others who insist that Johnny Appleseed Day is instead celebrated on March 11th, on account of that's the date of his exit from this world. However, since his death date was never formally recorded, there is some dispute as to its accuracy, as some place his death date at March 18. Sources do agree, though, on his death year: 1845.
I say we celebrate Johnny Appleseed Day here at Bugs and Bunnies on March 11, for two reasons. One: it gives me something to write about this week. And two: the apples Johnny is said to have planted in his travels all those years ago were of the tart green variety (known as Rambo, for the inquisitive among us).
So, green apples; along with March being the month where Spring comes into its own, and all the plant shoots are coming up a lovely young green; along with March being the month of St. Patrick's Day, which is known for lots and lots of green with its shamrocks and wee folk and connection with Ireland and all...well, isn't the March date kind of a no-brainer?It is for me, so let's begin:
Most folks know the general story of Johnny Appleseed, so how about we talk about some of the lesser-known stuff? (If you are not all that familiar with Mr. John Chapman, who literally became a legend in his own time, then clicking on any of the sources listed at the end of this article will catch you up nicely.)
- From the time he set out on his apple-tree-planting journey, John Chapman, who was by 1806 known as "Johnny Appleseed," remained a wanderer the rest of his life.
- Johnny first got his apple seeds from cider mills as he passed through eastern Pennsylvania. The mills gave away the seeds for free, as they were considered leftovers from the apple crushing process.
- Johnny was a vegetarian, favored sleeping outdoors, and avoided towns and settlements. He wore a sackcloth or coffee sack, with cut-out holes for head, arms, and legs. He never wore shoes. Some accounts say he used a tin pot for a hat, but others say he carried the usual woodsman's tools of the time: rifle, tomahawk, knife, and the like. He had dark hair that came to his shoulders, and bright blue eyes, and a wiry frame.
- In addition to apple trees, he planted medicinal plants, and traded them with the Native Americans he met in his travels.
- Despite Johnny's unorthodox-for-a-settler ways - he was described in most accounts of the time as "eccentric" - he was welcomed into homes wherever he went, and people were pleased to see him.
- He planted over 100,000 square miles of apple nurseries, some of which are well-documented and still exist.
And here are some interesting tidbits about the apples themselves, or rather, their image at one time and subsequent rebranding. According to The Straight Dope:
- In the 1700's and 1800's, most apples were grown in order to make hard cider. The process of making the cider resulted in a drink roughly half the strength of wine, but it could be made stronger with a few tweaks.
- Then in the early 1900's came the Women's Christian Temperance Union and the Prohibition movement, and the growing influence of each caused apple growers to fear a dip in sales. So, they changed promotional tactics.
- Using the late 1800's adage, "An apple a day keeps the doctor away" as their new ad slogan, apple growers successfully changed public perception of the apple from alcoholic drink ingredient to healthy and wholesome food choice.
* * *
Sources:
Websites:
Johnny Appleseed Day - Gone-Ta-Pott.com (site no longer available - but it was a fun resource while it was up!)
Johnny Appleseed - Apple Appetite.com (site no longer available - but it was a fun resource while it was up!)
Johnny Appleseed - Cleveland.about.com (site no longer available - but it was a fun resource while it was up!)
What's the Story with Johnny Appleseed - The Straight Dope.com
Children's Book:
The Real Johnny Appleseed, by Laurie Lawlor; wood engravings by Mary Thompson. Published by Albert Whitman and Company, 1995. Ages 9 and up.
ISBN: 0-8075-6909-7
Friday, February 17, 2012
Who Shall I Be Day is February 17th
Every once in a while, Handsome Boy and Lovely Girl ask me some variation of "Who Shall I Be?" as they make their way in this world.
They wonder: Who will I be when I grow up?
They wonder: Who am I now?
They wonder: Should I try to be like everyone else?
They wonder: If I am different, is there something wrong with me?
Each time they ask, they speak in different ways.
Each time they ask, they use different words.
Each time they ask, they are feeling many different emotions.
Yet no matter how they choose to ask it, the core question remains:
And when they come to me, the very first words that come to my heart are the words of someone else. They are simple, those words. But they are powerful. And they have stuck with me from the very first time I read them, many years ago.
They wonder: Who will I be when I grow up?
They wonder: Who am I now?
They wonder: Should I try to be like everyone else?
They wonder: If I am different, is there something wrong with me?
Each time they ask, they speak in different ways.
Each time they ask, they use different words.
Each time they ask, they are feeling many different emotions.
Yet no matter how they choose to ask it, the core question remains:
Who shall I be?
And when they come to me, the very first words that come to my heart are the words of someone else. They are simple, those words. But they are powerful. And they have stuck with me from the very first time I read them, many years ago.
So when my kiddos come to me and ask some variation of:
Who shall I be?
I always start with:
Be who you are...
Sunday, January 1, 2012
First Foray into Digidrawing
I'm teaching myself how to use the digital drawing tablet Santa left under my tree this year. Two days and a fair amount of hair-pulling-out later, along with a maddening program crash that cost me three-fourths of a near-finished design and forced a do-over, here's what I have to show for it (besides a new-found, life-saving, and near-constant habit of hitting command+s):
Friday, November 4, 2011
Book Review: Fish, by Gregory Mone
"Yes, of course."
"No," Uncle Gerry said, pausing. "This is very important."
"I understand," Fish said.
"You will deliver this to the Mary, a passenger ship docked in the harbor, bound for America. You will deliver it, specifically, to a certain Reginald Swift, who will be sailing on that ship."
"Yes."
"He is an uncommonly small man with uncommonly large eyeglasses. Aged about thirty years, a good few less than your father and myself. He is expecting you."
Summary: Maurice "Fish" Reidy is eleven years old when Shamrock dies. Without their horse, the family can't afford to feed itself, let alone farm their land. Someone has to go into the city to work and send money home. Since Fish is the worst at farming, it's agreed he should be the one to go.
His father arranges for Fish to work for his uncle as a courier. When Fish is entrusted with a mysterious package of coins, he's robbed before he can make the delivery. He tracks down the thief amongst a bunch of pirates, aboard their ship, the Scurvy Mistress. Determined to get that package back and to its rightful recipient, Fish sneaks aboard and joins the pirate crew. He soon learns the coins are more than what they seem, and some of the crew are not as loyal as they'd have their captain believe.
As the Scurvy Mistress sets sail, Fish finds himself on an adventure he never saw coming, with friends he never imagined making. It's a journey that promises to change his life - and that of his family - forever.
For Teachers and Librarians:
Fish has all the action and excitement your reluctant readers are drawn to. It has all the complex twists and turns your stronger readers crave. And? It has pirates. And treasure. And mystery. And did I mention pirates?
So beyond being a great story your students will not be able to put down, how can you use this book in your classrooms? Under the umbrella of a full Pirate Unit, there is a treasure chest full of activities and mini-units you can choose from. Create an activity to compare and contrast the life of a farmer with the life of a pirate, or a sailor, or both. That will nicely set up a research activity on the life of a pirate: superstitions of pirates, swimming abilities (or not), ship's politics, the running of a pirate ship (jobs aboard ship, procedures followed), pirate's code, pirate-speak, etc. Present a mini-unit on types of ships used by pirates, and their pursuers: sloop, galleon, caravel, frigate, man-o-war, merchant, schooner, brigantine.
Sneak in some more history by having your students research real pirates from history. Let them work in groups and creatively present their findings. Your kids will have great fun with a mapping mini-unit: land maps, treasure maps, sea maps. (You can probably sneak in a literary map, or a character map here, too.) How about a code activity: creating them, then seeing if their classmates can crack them? And just for fun, try a pirate name activity. Have your kids create a chart of the pirate characters from the book, and why they have those names. Then let them create their own pirate names, with explanations, to use for an entire Pirate Day in the classroom.
This is by no means the bottom of that treasure chest. What gems can you come up with?
For Parents, Grandparents and Caregivers:
Fish is a book your kiddos will love to read. And so will you. It has pirates! It has treasure! It has action! It has intrigue! Scurvy pirates with odd names and even odder reasons for those names! It is an adventure from start to finish, and along the way, your kids will learn a little bit about ships, and pirate life, and family, and friendship, and loyalty, and being true to yourself. Read it aloud together, or each of you read it on your own, or a little of both. You'll be glad you did.
For the Kids:
Fish is a book about a boy from a farming family. Though Fish is no good with dirt, it turns out he's pretty good with water. When the family horse dies, Fish is sent to the city to earn money to send home. He becomes a courier, delivering important packages for his Uncle Gerry. One day, he's given a package of mysterious coins to deliver, but they're stolen from him. Fish tracks the thief to a pirate ship. That package must get to the right recipient, so Fish does the only thing he can think of to get it back - he sneaks aboard and joins the pirate crew. But how can a boy who, as author Gregory Mone says, "loves to swim and hates to fight," survive on a pirate ship?
For Everyone Else:
Fish is fast-paced and action-packed. It has humor, and fact, and a great story. Plus? It has pirates. What more could you ask for?
Wrapping Up:
Fish is not your average pirate tale. Find. Read. Enjoy.
Title: Fish
Author: Gregory Mone
Cover Artist: Jake Parker
Pages: 246
Reading Level: 8 and up
Publisher and Date: Scholastic, Inc., January 2011
Edition: First Scholastic paperback printing
Language: English
Published In: United States
Price: $4.99
ISBN: 978-0-545-33335-1
Author Spotlight: Gregory Mone
Now, Gregory Mone is a novelist for both kids and adults, a magazine writer, a science journalist, and a speaker. He has written two novels for adults, as well as many magazine articles on a wide variety of topics, including: artificial intelligence, robots, physics, biology, Irish mythology, and cartoons.
His first novel for kids, Fish, was published by Scholastic Press in 2010. His second, Dangerous Waters: An Adventure on the Titanic, is scheduled for release in March, 2012, from Roaring Brook.
Born on Long Island, New York, into "an Irish-American family of swimmers and storytellers," Gregory Mone now lives in Massachusetts with his wife, two daughters, and one son.
Sources:
Gregory Mone blog: About page
Fish: About the Author - Official site for the book, Fish, by Gregory Mone
In Print: Fish by Greg Mone is a great catch, by CK Wolfson
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