News From Klamath Falls

Home Sweet Home

2008-10-24T20:55:00.002-07:00

It's 8:56, and I am back from a two-day conference in Springfield. The girls are sleeping, the cats are sleeping, and Jeff is reading a book. It's quiet except for the occasional whoops of excitement from Modoc Field (K.U. is having their homecoming game). I'm relaxing on the couch. Life is good.
-- Amy

Read this now

2008-10-22T20:55:00.000-07:00

The Savvy, The Extreme, and the Idealist

Fwd: Re: Please Forward!!!!!

2008-09-24T09:31:00.003-07:00

Hi all,

Are you tired of getting messages like this that contain no facts? Me
too. Here is a link to a column by George Will, one of the most
conservative and level headed syndicated columnists in the country.

The column starts with a comparison between John McCain and the Queen
of Hearts from "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland".

I found it very interesting.

I cam upon this column through The Savvy, The Extreme & The Idealist
blog.

Happy Trails.

-Jeff

P.S. Send this to all of your friends and your wildest wishes will come true.

First day of School

2008-09-03T09:37:00.003-07:00

Well, Zoe is off to her her first day of school.

We got her all dressed, Zia all dressed, everyone's hair in a quail-tail, packed up the school supplies, took the checkbook to pay for hot lunch, then walked over to Roosevelt Elementary.

All the kids were lining up outside. Mrs. Williams's class stood closest to the entry gate. We got Zoe squared away.

She marched off with her classmates and Zia and I came home. I didn't know whether I would cry or throw-up all the way home (luckily, there was not throwing-up).

I'm so proud.

-Jeff

2008-08-01T08:08:00.002-07:00

What a nerd! I'm going to blog about another blog post: I am now officially a Community Blogger for OregonLive.com, the Oregonian's website.

Check out my first post here.

-Jeff

Science Camp, Day 3

2008-07-16T14:15:00.012-07:00

Today was self portrait day for Zoe. They drew chalk drawings outside (picture coming tomorrow) as well as a pencil drawing and a marker drawing. Note the chin in the picture on the left, and the full set of teeth (missing two) and all the fingers in the drawing on the right.

After, we played in ScienceWorks for about 45 minutes. She rode the exercise bicycle to power a train.

She played with the ball tower (I would like to play with this, but there are strict height rules).

She played with bubbles, though the bubble mix wasn't perfect today: they popped too quickly.

She pulled herself up in the chair (illustrating block and tackles) (blocks and tackles?)

Then we had some lunch before heading back to Nana's. Then Costco and the Library.

While Zoe was at camp, I rode from Ashland to Central Point on the wonderful Bear Creek Greenway. There is only one road crossing (at a light at Barnett Rd. in Medford) in the whole twenty miles. The path is in pretty good shape, baring a few roots poking up the pavement. All in all a great ride.

Day 2, Science Camp

2008-07-15T16:45:00.006-07:00

Today, Zoe and I got up at 6:40am ("I'm done sleeping, dad"). At 8:15, we took off, stopped by Les Schwab to drop off a tire for repair (had to be replaced).

Zoe drew a picture of Meowmee (Mimi's cat) (legs and tail to follow), and drew and painted pictures of flowers.

After I dropped off Zoe, I put the bike together and headed up Dead Indian Memorial Road.

&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/ride/united-states/or/ashland/357406168"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Dead Indian Memorial Hill Climb&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;br/&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;a href="http://www.mapmyride.com/find-ride/united-states/or/ashland"&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;Find more Bike Rides in Ashland, Oregon&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;lt;/a&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;gt;
I only stopped once, right near the bottom to adjust my rear derailleur. It was hard and long. DIMR has been a goal for a long time. Also, I saw a rattlesnake.

Here are two pictures from yesterday:

-Jeff

First day of Science Camp

2008-07-14T13:57:00.002-07:00

Today was the first day of Science Camp for Zoe, Our Big Colorful World, at ScienceWorks in Ashland.

From Zoe:

First I made a kitty out of markers. The other kids were good at watercolors. We drawed outside, a landscape. We painted. We painted our landscape. Then we had snacks. Lots of other kids had different things. We put our snacks away.

I think that they also played with some of the exhibits. At noon, I picked her up and we went to eat.

Meanwhile:

I had planned to simply tootle around Ashland, but those plans were put on hold as Zoe had thrown up in the car on the way over (we had a discussion about how next time, Zoe could say that she wasn't feeling well and I would pull the car over to let her vomit outside). I swung by Bi-Mart and bought some clean-up supplies. I scrubbed and scrapped, then doused everything with anti-stink liquid. It worked pretty well, but I still have to scrub the seat and floor one more time.

After I felt that the best job I could do was done, I parked back at ScienceWorks and hopped on the bike and went to Cycle Sport bicycle shop to get a new pair of tires that Hutch's failed to get in in time for us to leave. I'm not bitter, really, I'm not.

I rode over to Litha Park to have a drink of Lithia water, then up to the end of the road (at least where the dirt starts).

I then found the Bear Creek Greenway and headed north. I decided to ride until my mileage reached 10. Well, I am glad that I did because I saw an otter! I had a hard time wrapping my mind around what I was seeing as it ran right across the bike path!

For lunch, we went to the Standing Stone Brewpub and sat at a table for two. Zoe had turkey dogs and I had the buffalo burger.

Goals

2008-06-13T10:28:00.003-07:00

I just ran with the girls. We went for 34 minutes; that's a ten minute walk to warm up, then 3 x 4 minute runs and one 3 minute run for a total of 15 minutes. That is almost quadruple the time that I was running four weeks ago! Knock on wood, my foot may be healing up.

When I run well, then I start to dream. So, here are my goals, exercise-wise anyway:

1. Continue to build back my running form, slowly.

2. Lose 5lbs. by the end of June, and fifteen by the end of the summer. Target weight: 150lbs.

3. Train for the Pioneer Run 5k. Goal time: 19 minutes, a 47 second lifetime PR.

4. Following the 5k, start a marathon training plan.

5. Run the Eugene Marathon (which should be) the first weekend in May.

A Hike at the Wingwatchers Trail

2008-06-11T13:54:00.007-07:00

This morning, Zoe, Zia and I walked (and ran a bit) downtown to hike along the Wingwatchers Trail that traverses part of the west side of Lake Euwana.

We saw many birds, including both Clark's and western grebes, a Forster's tern, yellow-headed blackbirds, among many others.

We also saw ten western pond turtles, sunning themselves on various logs in three different ponds. The girls were very excited to get to the "turtle pond" and kept asking me, "Is this the turtle pond? What about this one?"

The weather was nice, warmish with a little breeze, and a good walk was had by all.

Howl in April

2008-06-08T21:40:00.006-07:00

If you are ever taking the Isaac Asimov's SuperQuiz on the Seattle Times website (which we do every week or so, because we are nerds), sometimes you will come across a question that involves a poet. And then you will use Google and Wikipedia to clarify the answer and your guesses. And then you will discover...

...that you can read sections from T. S. Eliot's The Wasteland interspersed with excerpts from Allen Ginsberg's Howl and it will sound as if a single, angry poet was writing.

APRIL is the cruellest month, breeding

Lilacs out of the dead land, mixing

Memory and desire, stirring

Dull roots with spring rain.

Winter kept us warm, covering

Earth in forgetful snow, feeding

A little life with dried tubers.

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by
madness, starving hysterical naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn
looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly
connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night,

What are the roots that clutch, what branches grow
Out of this stony rubbish? Son of man,
You cannot say, or guess, for you know only
A heap of broken images, where the sun beats,
And the dead tree gives no shelter, the cricket no relief,
And the dry stone no sound of water. ...etc. Drink a glass of wine or two and try it yourself with a loved one. They are both beautiful, long, angry poems, and have a shockingly similar meter (at least in their first sections). Really, someone should do a performance art piece with the two of them read together. Perhaps a third or a fourth poem as well? What else fits? Why did I not take more classes in college so I would know this? -A

Poor Fergus

2008-05-28T10:00:00.001-07:00

Here is our poor stupid cat who gets into too many fights. Then the vet
has to shave his head and put in drain tubes.

He is pretty tired, but feeling better than last night.

Snowing!?

2008-04-29T20:01:00.001-07:00

C'mon! April 29th and it is snowing all day!?

Even I am tired of snow.

Pippen

2008-03-19T13:03:00.001-07:00

Here is our new cat Pippen. He and Fergus are starting to get along.
This morning, they ate side-by-side, and there was hardly any growling
or hissing.

Tooth Fairy

2008-02-27T09:13:00.001-08:00

The tooth fairy brought Zoe three quarters, two dimes and five pennies.

Also, the tooth fairy told me that (more than likely) her tooth came out naturally, and had nothing to do with the chin bonk.

Lost Tooth!

2008-02-26T12:43:00.001-08:00

Zoe lost her first tooth today. We are not quite sure how it happened.
I noticed that it was missing when we were eating lunch, taking
pictures of her sandwich sculptures. I found it under a chair in the
living room.

She bonked her chin on the end table yesterday, and I suspect that that
loosened it up, or maybe it came out right then. It looks fine and she
doesn't have any pain.

Winter Pictures

2008-02-08T08:44:00.000-08:00

Hi all,

I thought that I would quickly post some pictures of all the snow and
ice that we have been having. Yesterday it warmed up and turned much of
the snow to slush: driving was a challenge, to say the least.

Sometimes...

2008-01-15T17:31:00.001-08:00

This is exactly how I feel. Zoe and Zia are playing the piano. We are
listening to the radio on the computer, I am thinking about
woodworking, and cooking, and good news, no one (so far) has gone
crazy. Someday it will be quiet again.

-J

Trial post picture

2008-01-06T22:54:00.001-08:00

This has been seen before by some of you. But, if you click on the photo, you can print it at Leo's (our local camera shop) and have it sent t you.

-J

Tweak

2008-01-06T21:54:00.000-08:00

Dear god!

Please come over and have an espresso: I tweaked the blog to be more espresso colored (It isn't perfect, but we are working on it).

Mmmm espresso.

Happy New Year and New Blog!

2008-01-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

Happy 2008 everyone!

We changed the template for this blog, and have added a new blog called Read read read at hsjazzreads.blogspot.com (see the link in the sidebar as well). It is going to serve as a book list for what we read this year, with some mini-reviews. The three of us that read chapter books (Zia doesn't quite have the patience yet) will be posting when we finish books.

Also, if the comics are too small, click on them to enlarge. If they are still too small, email us and we will try to get out something bigger.

Everyone LOVES Espresso!

2007-12-24T14:57:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween!

2007-11-01T13:04:00.001-07:00

Well, the girls really liked Halloween this year. Zia wasn't even skeptical of all the trick-or-treaters who came to our door. And, though she wasn't quite sure what was going on, she really enjoyed trick-or-treating herself.

Pumpkin carving, too, was a great hit.

Happy Halloween.

Is My Child a Vampire?

2007-10-11T13:31:00.000-07:00

Has your youngest child ever bitten your eldest child?

Isn't that special?

Winter is Here?

2007-10-04T08:00:00.001-07:00

Well, it is snowing at our house this morning. It is sticking to the
cars, but not much else.

Zia and I went out to take a look (Zoe is still sleeping). She was
fascinated, but we got cold pretty quickly since we are not used to it
(plus the house is nice and geothermally toasty).

Garden Journal

2007-09-29T14:43:00.000-07:00

Garden Journal

June 4, 2007
We expanded the garden area using fence boards and metal fence posts. Now it is 10’ 3”x 6’ 9”. I added probably ten wheel barrow loads of mostly finished compost and dug it in pretty well. We have been pulling out twigs and spruce cones for the last week.

Yesterday I transplanted a pumpkin start from the compost pile to the garden (it has tertiary leaves).

Today, we planted a row of Parisian Market carrots, and a row of purple carrots. Also, we put a red potato in the ground that had sprouted during the winter while in the dining room. We cut it in half for two potato plants.

Turned the compost yesterday.

Talked to two Master Gardeners at the Extension Office today. They recommend planting carrots at pretty much any time; when carrots are planted late, they can over winter and be ready in early summer; lettuce and spinach as soon as you can work the soil in the spring, and in mid August for late harvest; to trap earwigs, use cooking oil and soy sauce with some water in traps or tuna cans; use row covers to keep tomatoes warm which should either be planted very deep, or laid on their sides to encourage more root growth; zucchini will also need to be covered.

We will see.

June 9

Bought 4 brocoflower, 4 savoy cabbage, 5 tomatoes (Early Girl, Sweet 100 cherry, Lemon Boy, Big Beef, Sweet Chelsea cherries), and space miser zucchini from Lisky’s. Planted all of them around mid day also planting a pumpkin from the compost pile, and thinning some volunteers that were worked in with the compost.

Watered for about 25 minutes.

September 29

Picked tomatoes 7 1/2 pounds of green and pulled plants. Had a heavy frost last night, down to 25 in the morning. All the gourd and pumpkin plants are wilted. Brocoflower, cabbage, arugula are looking good. Also harvested three potatoes, and one zucchini (not three potato plants, but three potatoes total and one zucc total this year).

Amy is making pickled green tomatoes, green tomato pie and green tomato chutney.

Zoe and I picked the pears, not getting as many as I thought we would: the young robins, however, really like us.

As far as the tomatoes went: Amy liked the flavor of the Sweet Chelsea, but they were too big to be bite size; I liked the Sweet 100s, and so did the girls; the Lemon Boy did not do well. We had three ripen, but they didn't really look good, brown spots, etc.; the Big Beef were successful and pretty tasty as were the Early Girl.

My thoughts for next year: two Big Beef, two Sweet 100s, two Early Girls, and one or to experiments.

A few weeks ago, we planted arugula, basil, and lettuce. The basil and lettuce either were eaten immediately, or never germinated. The arugula is about 1 1/2 - 2” tall.

A Poem by Zoe

2007-09-19T15:30:00.001-07:00

Little One Went Out to Play

Little One went out to play.
What did she see on this sunny day?
A bee, that is what she saw:
bzzz, bzzz, bzzz
What did she see next?
What did she see next?
A fox, that is what she saw next.
A bee and a fox went out to play:
bzzz, bzzz, bzzz.
Bee and a fox and Ron went out to play
what did they see?
what did they see?
They saw Big Ron,
that is what they saw.

by Zoe

Tule Lake, Butte Valley Fair

2007-09-08T20:50:00.000-07:00

Well, we had a pretty good day: Nana (my mom) spent the night last night. We had dinner with Monte and Debbie (Papa Murphy's). Then this morning, we got ourselves going at 8:45 and headed to the Klamath Grill. After a delicious (though not spectacularly nutritious) breakfast, we headed to the Y soccer fields. We had pictures today and I am happy to say that our team was very organized and it took no time at all to get our pictures taken.

The flip side, is that if you get in and get out with pictures, then you have 45 minutes until your game starts. The kids did well entertaining themselves kicking goals in the big goal posts. We worried a little about them wearing themselves out before the game even started, but they were fine.

The game went well. We don't really keep score, but...out team won. We have a pretty old team (mostly four year olds, and one who will turn five in three weeks. Let me tell you, there is a huge difference between three and four year olds when it comes to soccer. Let's say that we feel fortunate to be on the winning side, but expect that any day, we will be crushed.

After soccer, we high-tailed it home to get Zia to bed (her usual nap time is around 11:45)

She slept for about an hour, which is about an hour less than she usually sleeps. So, we got Zoe up from her lie-down, loaded up after some snacks, and headed to the Tule Lake Fair.

We had a great time at the fair. Zoe was nothing but great, never negative in the least. Zia loved everything: at first she was hesitant about the animals, but after a bit, wanted nothing more than to go from goat to goat to sheep to pig and pet them all. Both of them were very cute.

There was a great kids section at the fair this year: kids could pump water, dig for potatoes, make butter, milk a model cow, play in corn-sand and generally have a good time being kids and learning about agriculture. We really liked that part, but then we are nerds who like to learn stuff.

After looking at all the animals and most of the exhibits, we drove back toward Klamath Falls, on the way stopping at the Polar Bear in Merril to have an ice cream cone. We sat at a picnic table under the enormous American flag and had a great time eating, vanilla, chocolate and swirl ice cream cones. We stopped by Grocery Outlet to pick up some dinner (and many other assorted goodies) then, well fed, put the girls down for their long winter (late summer) nap.

All in all, a very good day.

Pictures to follow.

In Medford

2007-08-11T16:05:00.001-07:00

Hello all,

We are in Medford enjoying a couple (three) days with my mom. The girls are wild and Zoe, with Zia's help, spilled tomatoes all over the carpet. We are watching "A League of Their Own" and drinking some Henry's.

I know that this a pretty lame post, but better this than nothing(?)

Love to all,

Jeff, Amy, Zoe and Zia

Bird Walk

2007-06-05T12:10:00.001-07:00

Zoe, Zia and I went for a walk down at the Lake Euwana Wing Watcher's
Trail. We saw:

Mallards
Feral geese with goslings
Canada geese with goslings
Ring-billed gull
Canvasbacks
Forester's tern
Yellow-headed blackbird
Red-winged blackbird
Brown-headed cowbird
Marsh wren
White pelicans
House sparrow
Double-crested cormorant
Bald eagle
Gadwall
Black-crowned night heron
Egret (snowy, I am pretty sure, but it was flying away from us)
Tree swallow
Cliff swallow
Coot
(Heard) Virginia Rail

Western pond turtle (I am pretty sure)

Yellow-bellied marmot

Go to the Macauly Library to hear them all

Any Other Weekday

2007-04-03T22:06:00.000-07:00

Trycycling

2007-04-02T22:01:00.000-07:00

Take that, Jeff Hawkins! I have posted way more than once.

Kennedy and Zoe

2007-04-01T17:12:00.000-07:00

Comics are fun.

Here's a Quick Comic

2007-03-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

Having not posted for so long, I thought that I would post a comic page with pictures from long ago.

2006-09-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the first Cross Country meet of the year for Mazama
(actually, all the teams in the Basin, I think). The kids look pretty
good, though I can't imagine that we are going to do really well in
this new conference. Zoe came with me, while Zia stayed home with Amy.
I think that Zoe had a good time, I know that I did, though it is hard
not knowing the kids names, and I feel bad yelling out "Go Mazama"
instead of giving specific instructions to specific kids. I will learn
their names, it will just take some time.

I'm trying to think of what else we did yesterday. We ran some errands
out to the Credit Union to cash some checks, then we took the scenic
route home because the intersection at Washburn and S. 6th is closed
for six weeks. It is a lot farther than you would think to drive from
the CU to the Southside Bypass back to downtown via Greensprings. I
keep being a little skeptical about the whole intersection being
closed: can it really all be closed? We haven't driven to it to see,
but I suspect that it is, which makes getting to Bi-Mart very difficult
(there are no roads to Washburn from the west south of S. 6th St. So,
we have to drive down Altamont. Anyway, this talk of construction is
getting boring.

This morning, Zoe got up at 6:30 and said that she didn't want to go
back to bed. That was fine, but usually she gets up between 8:30 and
9:00 and so we spent an extra two hours together this morning. It all
went well, though I began to tire at the library. Everyone was really
good, but by the time we left, Zia was getting tired and we had about
forty pounds of books (it's hard to say no to a kid when she picks out
her own book). Story Time was good and the craft today was tie-dyed
shirts. The library had shirts leftover from last year so we spread
them out on a table, placed random pieces of tissue paper on them, then
soaked the tissue paper. When it was all good and wet, we rolled the
shirt up and gave it a good twist. The shirt looks pretty good, though
not as good as it would have if we had done actual tie-dye. Of course,
this was way less messy.

Lunch with Amy again, then we drove out to Western Tool Supply to see
about a new pair of nail nippers for horseshoeing: They had a pair!
Papa will be so surprised. And, bonus, we won't pinch our hands in the
handles every tenth nail!

Thursday

2006-09-07T10:48:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Monte and I went out to shoe horses. It went really well. We
did resets on two horses --I pulled all the shoes-- then new shoes for
a third and a trim for the fourth. I cleaned up everything, though the
fourth horse was quite annoying as it kept taking its feet off the
stand. That is the most shoeing that I have done yet, and I really felt
pretty good. I was getting a little frustrated by the end, but if we
had had another horse to do, I feel like I could have done it.

As for the rest of the day, we had lunch late (because of the school's
schedule), but that worked out fine because Zia slept for three hours
in the morning (she is sleeping now, and has been for an hour and a
half). It worried me that I was going to be alone with both girls after
Amy went back to school, but so far (knock on wood) everything has been
going well. I think that it helps that we have worked out a schedule
for the mornings:

Amy wakes Zia (if necessary) just before seven and feeds her;
We say good by, then play either on the floor or in a chair, or in the
exersaucer until Zoe gets up;
Zoe and Zia and I play or I get a few chores done;
Zoe has breakfast;
Zia has a bath in the sink;
We sit on the couch and read a story --this morning it was "A Stick A
Stone and A Bone" by Sandy Bacon Harding (thanks Nana)-- until Zia gets
sleepy (and/or cranky) then she has a nap.

After lunch yesterday, we went to the playground and Zoe swung, then
played a bit on the equipment, then ran around in the grass until she
was dizzy...then she ran around some more.

Zia's awake, so as soon as Zoe's video is over, we will go run some
errands, then meet up with Amy for lunch

It's Like Baby Chess

2006-09-07T07:56:00.000-07:00

Zia contemplates her next move

Second day back

2006-09-06T10:37:00.000-07:00

Amy had a pretty good day, I think, with only the 7th graders to ease
everyone back into the swing of things.

Zoe, Zia, and I had a good day as well. Zia took as nice long nap in
the morning (as she is doing now). Zoe and I watched some videos, read
some books, and did some chores around the house. Just before lunch we
went down to the Used Bread Store to get some bread for sandwiches.
Well, we parked in front of the store on the street (usually we park in
the lot but it was busy). I turned around to unbuckle Zoe and BAM! the
pickup in front of us backed into us. We were a little shaken, but
overall fine. No one was hurt, not even the car.

After lunch of peanut butter and jelly sandwiches at Ponderosa with
Amy, the three of us drove out to Dick Howard's to get some tasty
potato sausages (we ate them for dinner with grilled zucchini and oven
fried sweet potatoes). Then to Sherm's to do some grocery shopping.
That all went well, but the girls were getting tired so we loaded up
and headed home.

Zoe lay down for her rest (she rarely sleeps at nap-time anymore). Zia
struggled a little more trying to stay awake, as she usually does (this
morning, however, she was so tired by 8:50AM, that I simply swaddled
her, then lay her in her crib). She woke up three more times before
finally getting some sound sleep. Of course that didn't last too long
because we had to go get her fed. I dropped her and the car off with
Amy, then Zoe and I rode out to Cross Country with Randy. It was the
first time that I have been out when most of the kids were there (about
20 yesterday).

I am looking forward to XC, but I won't be as involved this year
because of our new little Zia and also, I am taking time to learn
horseshoeing from Amy's dad. He has worked on horses for almost 30
years. I wouldn't say that it is fun, but it is rewarding to get dirty
and use my muscles. We are scheduled to do two shoeings and two trims
this afternoon.

After practice we had our dinner, then put the girls to bed. For our
evening's entertainment, we watched Buffy the Vampire Slayer --we have
it on loan from the library. It's not high literature, but is surely is
compelling.

Some Summertime Pictures

2006-09-06T10:00:00.000-07:00

Camping at Harris Beach State Park

Oma and the Girls

Camping with Ryan, Michelle, Kennedy, and Paisley at Cascara State Park on Fall Creek Reservoir

Zoe and Zia

Zoe and Mimi at the Klamath County Fair

First day of school

2006-09-05T09:53:00.000-07:00

Today is the first day of school with kids for Amy. Zoe and I are
downstairs watching a video and Zia is having a nice long morning nap
(more than an hour so far). I racked the beer (it will be ready in a
couple of days, if anyone is interested) and watered the outside
plants, which have done really well this year: we picked up a canna
lilly in Salem last Spring and it has grown and even flowered! We tried
once before to raise a canna and it really did not work.

Not too much other news. I will try to put up some pictures soon,
though no guarantees.

Take care everyone.

Three More Pictures (At Zoe's Request)

2006-07-18T18:39:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it? Two posts in one day.

;-)

Some Quick Pictures

2006-07-18T18:22:00.000-07:00

Hi all,

We are having a great summer. We went camping a couple of weeks ago. It was the first time with the two girls. We had a lot of fun! We went to Newport and stayed at Beverly Beach State Park. It was wonderful.

Here are some pictures of the tide pools, and a picture of Zia playing with one of her toys. She can swat the paddles to make it sing a song!

Love to all,

JAZZ

Zia Mariposa Hill Sparks

2006-05-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

On Friday May 12, we welcomed the latest member of the Hill Sparks clan into the world. She was born at 8:38 PM, weighed 8 lbs. 2 oz. and was 21 1/4 inches long.

Amy was in labor for fifteen hours, but only had to push for 13 minutes, which was very exciting for everyone, and happy for her.

Zoe has been a great big sister so far, checking her pulse with her stethoscope, and keeping track of when she eats.

Zia Mariposa Hill Sparks

The Happy Family

Grandmas and the new baby

Grandparents and big sister

New Parents again

We feel so lucky.

Love to all,

Jeff, Amy, Zoe, and Zia

Long Time No Post

2006-03-02T09:10:00.000-08:00

Hi everyone. It has been a long time since I put up anything. I don't
know if it is because I don't have much to say, am too lazy, or too
busy. Probably a combination of all three.

We are doing well here, though everyone has a cold: Amy just got over
it, Zoe is on the mend and I am in the throes. There are plenty of
runny, sneezy noses, sore throats and coughing around our house.
Hopefully soon we will be over it.

Yesterday Zoe and I went to Medford to have lunch with Nana. We ate at
Rooster's again. I had chicken strips and Zoe had peanut butter and
jelly sandwich, with fruit on the side. We had a great time having
lunch with Nana. Also, we stopped by Costco for some groceries (mostly
fruits and vegetables) and also a shoe store, looking for some racing
shoes (no luck).

Other news around here: we installed natural gas in the house and so
now have a new gas stove and also a gas barbecue; we will never run out
of propane in the middle of cooking dinner again. Speaking of that,
maybe Zoe and I will go get some sausages: iron and zinc help a cold,
right?

I have been running quite a bit lately, and am having a good time of
it. No injuries (knock on wood) even though I have been running five
days a week, and sometimes pretty hard running at that. A week and a
half ago (the 19th of February), I raced for the first time since the
middle of September: the Winter Wings 5K out at Miller Island wildlife
area. The course is a double out and back on flat roads. I ran 20:38,
placing second overall (there were about 8 runners total). The winner,
jumped out to an insurmountable lead after the first hundred meters (he
is a local high school runner, one of the best in the basin).

As for plans, we are looking forward to heading north for Spring Break,
visiting friends in the Hood River area, and the new baby who will be
along in only two months: that is soon! We don't have nearly the
worries nor trepidation that we felt when expecting Zoe: it seems like
just another person arriving soon. But then when we stop and really
think about, we can feel the butterflies in the stomach. It will be a
change, but certainly not as big a change as when we got Zoe.

Take care everyone.

Brewing Day

2006-01-25T13:06:00.000-08:00

IPA

7lbs. Light malt extract
1 1/2 lbs. 80L Crystal
1 lb. Victory malt
2 oz. Nugget, 13.6% all the way from the grain sparge
2 oz Nugget, 60 minutes
2 oz Willamette, 4.5%, 30 minutes
1 oz. Goldings, 4%, 10 minutes
1 oz. Goldings, during cooling
Irish Ale yeast, #1084

Half the brewpot was full of hops after the sparge. It should be nice
and hoppy. My goal, I finally realized yesterday, is to fill the
kegs...all of them. We are planning on cheating a little, though,
because we are going to fill two of them with water in case of
emergency.

Next on the list is another lager, possibly our first 10 gallon all
grain batch, if we have the time this weekend.

Also in the works is the very dangerous idea of putting a strong beer
in a keg, and the not so dangerous idea of putting up a Marzen for
Oktoberfest. As we get closer to summer, we will put together a Wit, or
maybe just a Wheat, and some other, more perishable beers.

Cheers!

Ah, Winter Days

2006-01-23T11:43:00.000-08:00

Zoe is taking to skiing like nobody's business. She is quickly learning to pick her toes to keep the toe of the ski out of the snow. And she understands that it is easiest to ski in the tracks that her dad makes for her.

We went over to Mimi and Papa's on Saturday and all headed out to the pasture to do a little tootling along. I set down a track of about 200m round trip. Amy and I made some circuits while Mimi, Papa, and Zoe played in the snow. Zoe loves to eat snow, though (hopefully) the novelty is wearing off. We did get her mittens on her hands, so that made it harder for her to pick it up.

We tried to get her to slide a little bit on a steeper place, but she didn't get the hang of it: so far, she is a flatland skier. But that will come. She really is making great progress for a 2 1/2 year old.

After Zoe tired of skiing (twenty minutes or so) she and her grandparents rolled some snowballs in the back yard and made a snowman. After, we warmed up with hot chocolate and tea.

Zoe and I are going to go shopping for a sled today so that we can make a pulk so that when she gets tired of skiing, I can load her in and then get in a workout.

New Skier!

2006-01-19T15:34:00.000-08:00

Zoe and I went skiing today! It was so much fun. Unluckily I didn't get
any pictures because I didn't know if she would like it or not. She
liked it quite a lot. We skied down the median and back. Mostly she was
interested in eating the snow.

Yea!

Dinner With Friends

2006-01-19T10:32:00.000-08:00

Yesterday, Zoe and I made a busy day. We invited Randy, Sandy, Robert and Isaac over for dinner and decided on lasagne and homemade bread. Then I thought, for dessert, we should have cookies. And, since I took the malt extract out of the refrigerator on Saturday, I had to make beer (our first since Amy became pregnant).

We started off by steeping the grains, then making the cookies. Then we mixed up the bread dough in the Kitchenaid. Then, downstairs we went to cook the beer. It is a German style lager with Willamette hops (we will see how that goes). As far as cooking the wort, all went well.

Here's the recipe:

7lbs. light malt extract
1lb. Munich malt, 11L
1/2lb Caramel malt, 135L
1/2lb Carafoam malt, 2.3L
4 oz Cascade hops, 6%, put into the wort from the first sparge.
Bavarian Lager Yeast, Wyeast #2206

Zoe had a little lie-down and so did I, after lunch. Then we put together the tomato sauce for the lasagne. Then we shoveled off the driveway and the sidewalk. My back has been hurting since Christmas, and you would think that shoveling snow would make it worse, but it doesn't. All the while that I shoveled, my back felt fine. Later, I had a consult with Amy about it and we determined that probably I had hurt my ribs on that side...while sleeping in different beds over the break! How old am I that I injure myself while sleeping?

After shoveling, we put the bread in the oven and it turned out really quite well. Then we put together the lasagne, then got the table ready for dinner. We had a great time with Randy and Sandy. Zoe, Isaac, and Robert played well together. For some reason, Zoe felt that the need to do a lot of whispering. It was kind of strange, but not too. She also led Isaac and Robert around by the hand much of the night. All the kids were quite cute.

Braided Bread (adapted from The Complete book of Breads by Bernard Clayton Jr.)

Mix together in large bowl:
3c. whole wheat flour
2c. white flour
1/4c. wheat germ
2T. sugar
2t. salt
1/3c. dry milk

Form a well in the center and add:
1 1/4c. warm water.

Pour in one packet of yeast and let re-hydrate for 5-10 minutes.

Stir together and add:
2 slightly beaten eggs, room temperature
1 stick (1/2c) butter, room temperature
1/2c spent grains (homebrewing option)

knead; add water or flour until dough is the right consistency.

rise, then cut into six equal parts.

roll three parts into snakes 14-16 inches long.
braid three snakes, starting in middle and working first to one end, then the other.

place on cookie sheet, or perforated French loaf pans.

Bake at 375 for 35-40 minute on cookie sheets or 20-25 on French loaf pans

Makes two loaves.

Cheers!

Case Closed (Ironically, the Picture Shows it Open)

2006-01-12T09:24:00.000-08:00

Well, things are going well for us here. Zoe and I have been watching birds at least once a day for the past week and are looking forward to going upstairs, sitting on the futon couch and seeing who is in the backyard this morning. One bird of note that we have seen twice is what we believe to be a male house finch mutant that has white where it should have red or orange. I will take up the camera today (if I can remember) to see if I can get a picture of it

At the right, Zoe is giving Maria a nap. The picture above, by the way, is Zoe with her new tool set. It stays in the shop, and here is why: One day, Amy, Zoe, and I were talking about what you do with tools that she has in her tool box. We told her to ask before she hits anything with the hammer. So, her first question of things that she could hit was "Can I hit the wall?" "No," was our reply. Then she thought for a moment and asked, "Can I hit the windows?" It was at that point that we decided that the new tools, which are real tools scaled down to a kids size, would stay in the shop. She likes to use them when she comes in to help me out as I am working on whatever it is that I am working on.

Speaking of that, Currently, I took two days off, and now plan to return to work. I just finished a case for a client (the picture at the bottom). She will use it for heirloom jewelry. It turned out pretty well, and I finished it blazingly fast for me: I got the order at the Holiday Bazaar, and delivered it on the 10th of January. Plus, during most of December, I was working on the benches for Randy and Sandy. So, there you go.

On another, note, I am readingThe History of the World in Six Glasses by Tom Standage (can you guess what they are?) So far, it has been pretty good, though not brilliant. I feel like it is something that I could write, on a subject that I could write on. And speaking of writing on beer (glass number one) it is just about time for us to brew our first batch in quite a long time (no drinking because of pregnancy, of course). If there are any requests for summer brews, let me know.

Happy Monday

2006-01-09T08:22:00.000-08:00

We had a nice weekend, and are sad to see that it has ended. Amy cooked sticky buns yesterday, and man were they good. The dough had just the right amount of moisture, not too dry, but not doughy either. They were good.

Zoe had a cough all weekend, but, luckily, last night she slept like a log (and so did we). Today she is quite chipper, though she does have a little snot still. I am feeling much better as well, so there you go. Also, last night, Zoe slept all night in panties and jammies, no diaper. We forgot to bring one to Mimi and Papa's house last night so after her bath, they simply put her in panties and we went home. On the way, Zoe informed us that she did not want to wear a diaper to bed. She has been dry for a number of days (five?) and so we decided that we would let her sleep like a big girl. She was dry again this morning and so we embark on four months of no diapers used in the house.

I'm not sure that I am looking forward to changing diapers all the time again. We are starting to look forward to having the new baby around. I have felt it move a couple of times, and it kicks Amy all the time. Soon, Zoe will be able to feel it too. Then all we have to do is wait for the big day. It feels like it will be a big change to our lives, but not nearly so big as the change that we experienced when we had Zoe. I wonder what the new one will be like? What will it look like? Will it like to crawl and be on its tummy? We will have to see.

Finally, I thought that I would include a picture of Zoe at her first Christmas. She is so small!

Take care everyone.

Jeff Has a cold (so does Zoe)

2006-01-06T16:46:00.000-08:00

Well, we are sick. It really isn't too bad, but keeping a two and a
half year old happy and entertained when you yourself are tired and
stuffy is a lot of work. I didn't sleep well last night: we went to bed
too late (we were watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer), then Zoe woke up
around five coughing. I wish that I could get by on less sleep, but if
I don't get a solid five hours, and then three more to boot, then I am
tired and cranky. I am looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow morning,
then having some delicious Klamath Grill breakfast.

Today we went down to Story Time at the library. The best part, I
think, is that we didn't have any fines! Last time we went, we returned
two books that had been misplaced: $4.80 each. We wondered how much the
books had cost originally, as the were just board books. Today, we
heard some good stories, sang some good songs, then painted some foam
rubber mittens with finger paint. Zoe mostly was interested in what
everyone else was doing, rather than making her own project look its
best. It turned out well, anyway. Then we met Spiderman (who happened
to be about three and a half). He brought us some books, then Zoe
picked some out, then we came on home.

Nap time has turned into sitting in her bed and playing with her
stuffed animals, which is frustrating when you are trying to have a
nap. I ended up laying down and periodically telling her to lay back
down. Finally I said that she could get up and we went downstairs to
watch a video about eagles. When her mom got home, she said that she
was scared, and when I went to go upstairs to greet Amy, she started
crying. Luckily, that didn't last too long. Right now, they are sitting
on the couch reading about reptiles and amphibians.

Cheers!

Another entry!

2006-01-05T13:26:00.000-08:00

This morning, Zoe, Uncle T and I went down to the Daily Bagel (a local coffee shop that features...bagels). We had a great time. Zoe had a cheese bagel with egg, ham, and swiss cheese (her choice). I had a double cappuccino and a strawberry pastry. Uncle T had a bagel with salmon and onions and a cup of coffee, which also sounded pretty good. If ever you are in Klamath Falls and are in need of a cup, I highly recommend the Daily Bagel (and so does Zoe).

When we returned home, after watching a couple of videos, we went out to feed the birds. In the bag of quail food, we found a mouse! It was very cute, and after chasing it around the inside of the bag (I don't know how long it had been in there, but it seemed quite plump), I caught it by the tail and we had a look. After thoroughly inspecting it, we released it into the compost area where it could eat scraps and find a safe sleeping place. (Probably it will end up back in the bag of bird food!)

Take care everyone.

P.S. I'd like to again suggest that you start a blog so that I can read about you!

A Great Holiday Season

2006-01-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

Grandma Campbell, Amy, and Travis on Christmas Eve

Happy New Year, everyone!

So far this year has been pretty good for us, though it is only a few days old. Our holiday season made us smile, as we visited old friends, gave and received some wonderful presents, ate some great food, and spent some quality time with loved ones. We are sad that it is over, but looking forward to having a great new year. Who knows what surprises we will encounter when we enter the world of "true parents" with the addition of a second child. I wonder what Zoe will think. When we talk about her new brother or sister, I can just see the wheels turning in her wonderful brain.

Mara and Jeff in Corvallis

I'll tell you about our holiday season in no particular order starting with our trip to the north. After spending Christmas Eve with Amy's parents, then Christmas Day and two nights with Jeff's parents, we drove up to Corvallis to spend some time with Alex, Mara, and Liam. On the way, we found out what traveling with a potty trained girlie was all about: we stopped four times to go potty. We didn't regret the stoppages, but we did have to learn a new way of traveling. It will take longer to get places, but that's okay.

Grandpa Gary reading to Liam and Zoe

In Corvallis, we meant to spend only one night, then drive up to Salem and stay with Ryan, Michele, Kennedy, and Paisley. Unluckily, Ryan came down with a cold, and so, instead of exposing a two year old, and a pregnant mother to it, we stayed two nights with Mara and Alex. Serendipitously, Gary and Irene (Mara's parents) were planning on coming down on later in the week. Mara talked them into coming a day early, so we were able to play Euchre (the best card game ever invented) (and if you don't believe me, it is because, you need to come to our house and try it out).

All in all, it was a very good visit, though Zoe was a bit afraid of Liam, who is much louder and full of energy. Thank you, Mara, Alex, and Liam for having us.

Zoe opening up her new doll, Sara

Christmas Eve, we spent in our usual way: Broccoli, potato soup, opening presents, and spending the night with Monte and Debbie. We had a great time, Zoe especially. She really likes opening presents, and liked helping everyone else as much as opening her own.

Zoe sharing her crafts with Nana

Christmas Day we spent with Jeff's mom. We had dinner at Aunt Vicki's house, with Great Grandpa Bill, Vicki, Eric, Dave, Becky, Doug, Andrea, Cameron, Brandy, her fiance Brian, Kathleen, Eric's mom, and Nana. It was good food and good company. Thank you for a delicious, fun time, everyone.

Zoe with her new kitchen and her new haircut

Lastly, Zoe started the new year with a new kitchen, and a new hair cut. It really makes her look more grown up. Mimi (Debbie) and Amy cut it while Zoe watched "The Doodlebops". She didn't squirm at all. I don't think that she really understood what happened until it was over (if she understood it then). The real test may be the next time that we try to clip it.

That's about it. I suppose that I could post my resolutions: It boils down to eat more healthily, work harder, and have more fun. Pretty easy, right?

Have a great year and check back often: I am making updating the blog part of my resolutions.

2005-12-09T08:38:00.000-08:00

Hello all.

I have been so busy that I have not had a chance to write, neither here, nor anymore on the novel. We went to the Christmas Bazaar at the Fairgrounds last weekend. We sold some stuff and handed out many cards. It was a good experience and we think that we are going to try again next year, and maybe in the summer at the Farmer's Market. We will see how it goes.

The house is decked out for the holidays. I think that this is my favorite time of year. I love the carols, the lights, the smells, the giddy anticipation of much loot! Actually, the loot part takes a back seat to watching Zoe open her presents. Speaking of Zoe, she is playing/hauling around the xylophone and singing the ABC song, while wearing my Birkenstocks.

Yesterday was the Snowflake parade. We didn't go. We had plans for me to run, and Zoe to ride in one of the snow-blowers from the base, but none of the worked out. So, we had Monte, Debbie, and Travis over for sausages, and french fries. Mmm. It was pretty good. We then watched the first part of "Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer". It got too late, and one of us got tired and had to go to bed.

All in all, things are going well here. Things are getting done, and we are almost ready for Christmas. Have a happy holiday and a great, lovely, and joyous time of it.

Working Hard

2005-11-15T08:06:00.000-08:00

Hello all. We are doing well here in K-Falls. Both Amy and I are working hard on our novels. Take a look, if you haven't already.

Also today, Randy, Isaac, Zoe, and I went down to the Daily Bagel. We had some coffee and pastries. It is always nice to sit down there and enjoy a cup of coffee.

We are going to be in a craft show! It will be at the fair grounds on the 3rd and 4th of December. I am working hard on that, and on Randy and Sandy's benches, and a screen door for another client, and we are trying to get the gas installed. Plus running and writing: I am busy! Not too busy to post on my blog, it would seem. Great. Now I have guilt that I am not in the shop. I will head there shortly.

Did I say we are also getting ready for Thanksgiving? We sent out invitations this morning. If you didn't get one, its because we forgot! If we missed anyone and you would like to come, we would like to have you. Just let us know. And, if you are coming from out of town, we have places to sleep.

Finally, I added AWADs A Word A Day and Quote a day on the sidebar. Some people have had to scroll all the way to the bottom of the blog in order to see the sidebar items. If they don't appear at the top, then look for them at the bottom.

Take care everyone. I'm going to get to work.

Snowy day

2005-11-07T21:49:00.000-08:00

We woke up to more snow. It is so nice. Then it snowed all day. It was pretty wet, so not much accumliated, but now that it has cooled off, it is still snowing and no we have about three inches. I like it. Oh no! I just remembered that our sled is over at Mimi and Papa's house so we can't go sledding tomorrow.

The novel is going well.

First Snow

2005-11-03T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well, winter is upon us: this morning as we arose and Amy started to get dressed, she exclaimed: "It snowed last night!" I stared out the window, shocked and excited. I think that I love winter, but fall is my favorite season because of the anticipation of winter (the fall colors are nice, too). Not too long now and we can go skiing. We have to find (or make) a pair of skis for Zoe, and build our pulk (a sled that she can sit on and that I can pull behind while I ski). It used to be downhill skiing, but now we are cross country skiers all the way. In the old days (specifically the high school days) I would get out my skis try them on in the living room on the carpet, then tune them up and have them ready to go by the end of September. These days I eagerly await the first storm up on the pass. We don't need a lot of snow before we can get out and enjoy the cold: it only takes six inches and we can go all day)

On other fronts, running is going well. Yesterday, Zoe and I ran down to Shasta and back, about four and a half miles. Today we are running out to Mimi and Papa's. Zoe will stay with Papa and then I will run home, stopping off at KU for a few pick-ups on the track.

Writing is going well. 4000 words in two days is quite a lot and a bit of a shock to the system. Amy and I were talking after our writing session that in some ways it would be better if it were National Novel Writing Two Months. Writing would become more of a habit and less of a mad dash once a year. A thousand words a day seems much more manageable. I suppose that if I can just take a couple of days off after November is over, and then set a goal of writing or re-writing then I could do it, just like running. We'll see.

Cheers!

All Saints Day

2005-11-01T08:09:00.000-08:00

Happy All Saints Day, everyone. Halloween was a great success, at least Zoe didn't cry when she had to go and trick-or-treat. She made a wonderful Fairy Princess with her hat from Ashland, her dress from Erika's wedding, and her wand from her dad's lathe.

Last year, she would jump at the chance to hand out candy, but this year she wasn't as sure. I think that she thought too much about it: it was something to be pondered, not jumped into with both feet. As for the Trick-Or-Treating part, I took her out to Mima's work (Mazama High School) where she was showed off for awhile, then over to Oma's house for a fruit roll-up and some candy, then to the library for a goody bag. When they arrived back at our house (with Papa) Amy and I took Zoe to the neighbors for a little more candy. It went pretty well, though usually she forgot to say "Trick or Treat". She did remember to say "Thank You", though, so that was good.

For dinner we had Pumpkin Tureen (cheesey, oniony, goodness baked in a whole pumpkin, a volunteer that grew up at our place), and pop-overs. It was very festive, and very tasty.

Today begins the first day of the rest of our novels: NaNoWriMo is upon us. This evening we will start the writing: 1600 words a night. It is easier than you think, and if you have any inclination at all, you should give it a try. The trick is to just start typing and not even think about what you are writing. I am going to try to upload each day's writing on the Words blog (link at right). I will check it for spelling, but don't expect perfect grammar!

Wish us luck.

Our Week So Far

2005-10-20T09:05:00.000-07:00

We ended (or started, depending on your perspective) our week as we often do at the Klamath Grill. We sure enjoy going down to see all the people and have some good greasy food. Usually I have the chicken fried steak, Zoe has pancakes and eggs, and Amy has either biscuits and gravy or pancakes, or an omelet. If you haven't been, you should go. The staff is friendly and the prices are right.
Monday we had dinner with Bill, Vanessa, and William. We cooked soup and home made bread, Challah, made with lots of butter and eggs. Mmm, it is so good and rich.

Tuesday Zoe and I did not go over the hill for vegetables because the season is over. We were a little lost the whole day, not knowing exactly what to do with ourselves. Wednesday I didn't feel that great. I am wore out from not getting as many calories since Amy became pregnant: no beer for anyone, just to be fair, you know. So, I took a nap and ate much food (not at the same time). Today I feel better.

Also, I made a spoon and a box on the lathe.

Cheers!

The Saga of Scarecrow

2005-10-15T07:03:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time it was Library Day. On Library Day, Jeff and his lovely daughter Zoe would go to the Klamath Country Library, Klamath Falls City Branch, and hear stories and sing songs at Story Time. Also, they would do crafts (not "craps" as Zoe would say; finally her dad convinced her that it is "crafts"; "Not crap," she would later say, "crafts." Finally, her dad would think).

The Ides of October had fallen, and the library summoned. On this day they sang "Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes (Knees, and Toes)", and "Old MacDonald (Had a Farm)". Also they heard stories about scaredy cats, farm animals and falling leaves. The craft, most difficult craft ever, was to be scarecrows. After an admonition from the librarian that Zoe should be doing the (most difficult) craft (ever), her dad finished. It stood five inches at the shoulder, then straw hat looking more like a sombrero. They carefully carried it around the library while collecting videos and books. The spoke to a reference librarian, a rare occurrence, because they could not find anything on plumbing natural gas.

Finally, natural gas bookless, they left.

Upon exiting the library they found that the wind stormed from the south, across Lake Euwana. Man did it stink. Autumn leaves swirled with dust and weed seeds as they carefully put the scarecrow in the stroller. They made their way to one planning department, and then another before securing a permit to install a gas line in the house, and made their way home.

When they arrived home, the scarecrow was missing.

Zoe's dad thought that he would not say anything in the vain hope that she would not notice. But, as the reference librarian had left a message saying that she had found a book, he decided that they would return to the library and secure another craft packet. Before they left, they read a story about going to camp. Along the way back to the library, they stopped and searched for the missing scarecrow, but without luck. The librarians were happy to provide another scarecrow craft packet. The book about gas line plumbing was retrieved and, as they made their way home, Zoe's dad dreaded the thought of making another scarecrow. They returned home, had lunch, and tackled the craft. It proved easier the second time around.

On an unrelated note, see the picture above at right of Nana and Zoe reading last weekend.

New Shoes

2005-10-14T08:32:00.000-07:00

I bought new shoes! I am excited to have something different. I had been running on Brooks Adrenaline for a number of years (almost since the day that we moved to Klamath Falls). But the latest edition, 5, just really didn't do it for me. They broke down way too fast and never felt that good. So, I did some shopping around town and finally found the Saucony Regulate at Big 5. I didn't know anything about them, but they felt good on my feet, they seem like they will wear for a long time, and they were on sale. I have run on them twice and think that they may be my new shoe. I am going to buy another pair today, if they still have any in my size out at Big 5.

Speaking of running, yesterday we had a great workout at Moore Park. We warmed up, then did a pyramid: 30 seconds, 45, 60, 90, 60, 45, 30, then three steep hills at 20 seconds each. My legs were pretty much like jelly when we were done. Zoe didn't get to go for this run, though I couldn't have pushed her up the hill anyway. Instead, she spent the afternoon with Papa.

Tomorrow we will be in Ashland for the State of Jefferson Cross Country Meet

Days Behind on Posting

2005-10-12T08:02:00.000-07:00

I am days behind on posting. Hopefully I can catch up in one day and then tomorrow (or this evening) I can stay caught up. I am going to start with today and work back:

Today, Zoe and I are having a pretty good day. We are watching a Tingo video. It is just over and now we will get some food. Some days Zoe talks me into watching more than one video, but usually that ends in a cranky, hungry girlie. Uh oh, now she has talked me into doing a little reading in a Let's Learn Japanese Picture Dictionary.

Good news everyone: she has eaten and is no longer being cranky.

Yesterday we went over the hill for the last delivery of vegetables. We are a little sad, but we will be able to clean the fridge finally (in a few weeks, anyway). And we are looking forward to eating up our Halloween decorations (squash and pumpkins).

Monday, Zoe had a cold and we spent much time watching videos. In the afternoon, I had an appointment with a nice lady who needs a new screen door for her house. It is made of oak, which is pretty exciting, and she wants it done right, which is even more exciting. My only worry is finishing as usually when I finish something it is for inside use, or we slap on a coat of paint.

Sunday we went to the Harvest Gathering out at the Whistling Duck Farm. It was fun, though we didn't stay as long as we might have since it took place all the way over in Ruch (west of Medford) and we needed to get home at a reasonable hour. We brought chocolate chip cookies. Zoe had a grand time touring the fields, she even ate a couple of strawberries.

On the way to the Harvest Gathering, we stopped in Ruch and had breakfast (second breakfast, really) at the Magnolia Grill. We will definitely go again. It is a nice drive out past Jacksonville and the food is tasty.

Saturday, we drove to Medford, picked up my mom and headed to the Chieftain Invitational Cross Country meet. We enjoyed ourselves, but the kids were not spectacular. That is okay, we are making progress (though there were not a whole bunch of PRs this day). We will see what happens at district (in three weeks).

That's about it. Whew. All caught up for now.

Library Day

2005-10-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Friday, as usual, was story time at the library. We really like library day, and the more we go, the more Zoe participates. She is doing hand motions and calling out when questions are asked. And, it is good for her to interact with kids. She doesn't get much of that (I am a little worried about sending her off to preschool next year).

We made a spider for our craft. Our stroies were mostly about spiders, and we sang about the Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. The librarian had a puppet that actually swallowed things. It was kind of disgusting, actally. Back to the project. We taped legs on the back, and the eyes on the front. Lastly we tied the string on so that we can hang it up for Halloween. I tried to let Zoe do most of the work, only directing a little, and helping with the glue.

Create Your Own Blog!

2005-10-07T09:00:00.000-07:00

I would like to formally encourage any and all of you to create a blog. It is so easy, and then I can read about your lives as well. When I created this blog, it took only about ten minutes and I had my very first post posted. All you have to do is go to Blogger.com, explore in the "What's a Blog?" area, or go directly to "Create a Blog in 3 Easy Steps". Or click on the "Get your own Blog" button at the top of the page.

Yesterday the kids ran a pretty good workout: 9x400m at pace, then 3x300m cut-downs. I didn't run because of an ongoing groin injury (so frustrating).

Tuesday we went to Pasta Piatti in Ashland. While you are there be sure to try the Ravioli Di Zucca; it is amazing.

Great Run

2005-10-06T07:33:00.000-07:00

We had a great run yesterday. Zoe and I went out with the Mazama cross country team and we ran up to the Shasta Hill on the east side of town. Zoe and I ran the hill once (I should have made some of the kids push her), and then ran back to the school with Randy and Steven (a senior). On the way back, there was a little consternation because Randy was taking a turn pushing Zoe. When Zoe realized this, it made her cry. We had hugs, and she said that I was sweatty; then everything was okay again.

Have a great day, all.

Big News

2005-10-04T08:15:00.000-07:00

Hello everyone! I am so excited and proud to announce that we are having another baby (one just wasn't enough!) Amy is just about two months along, the due date is May 12th, and, more good news, Amy has accrued exactly enough sick leave to take her to the end of the school year.

Zoe also is excited to have a sibling. She says that she wants a sister. The whole process boggles her mind, every now and then: we will say something like, "The baby is in mommy's tummy," and she will stare off into space for a moment, trying to work that all out. She is so cute (and we say that way too much, but it is true).

In other news, I started a Blog recently, as you can see. I try to post each day, but sometimes, especially on the weekends, I get a little lax. So check back often.

Yesterday, I started a purely writing blog called "Words". The link is at the right, if you are interested.

We are doing well down Klamath way. I am so happy this morning to be sharing this news with you all. Come and see us sometime, or we will come and see you when we get a chance.

Love to all,
Jeff, Amy, and Zoe

P.S. You can leave a comment by clicking on the "Comments" button just below. You will have to type in some funny looking letters before your comment will be accepted (just follow the instructions). This is because of "comment spam" (and I think that you can figure out what that means). Cheers!

A Good Weekend

2005-10-03T09:40:00.000-07:00

We had a pretty good weekend. I didn't go to the Cross Counrty Meet in Albany, and am a little sad because the kids did so well. Good job everyone.

On Friday, Zoe and I went to Story Time at the library. We were joined by Randy, Isaac, and Isaac's cousin, Brandon. We heard some great stories about fall, and wind, then made leaf pictures. Unluckily it was about one day too early for real leaves, so the kids had to do with cloth leaves and tissue paper. Even so, we had a good time pasting. Zoe chose the "pink" (red) acorn.

We caught up on our sleep this weekend, which was really nice. And both days, I did some woodworking. The benches are on the way, Randy and Sandy. They should weigh just under a ton each as they are made of hard maple which is quite heavy, and, as you might guess, hard.

Zoe got some new gloves; she can even put them on herself. We had gone to Rite Aid for vitamins and a stereo cable. While there we noticed the glove rack had been put out. Well, why not shop for some gloves? I thought. We will need some soon, and the ones that she has are too small. Well, one of the first that I saw, were these blue ones with pictures of the Disney Princesses on them. Zoe, of course, loved them right away. I then found some mittens that are waterproof; they looked pretty warm. Zoe was unconvinced, however that we should get them. I assured her that we could get the princess gloves also, but the waterproof ones were a no-go.

Saturday evening, Zoe, Mima and Papa, found some leaves that had fallen over night and so made them into an authentic Fall-Leaf-Picture. I think that it looks pretty good.

On Sunday, after working on the benches, while Zoe and Amy drove, I ran to the Hill's. It rained a bit, and the wind blew, but overall, I had a good time. The fire in the earth stove warmed me up when I got there, and then we all shared a relaxing afternoon while catching the last half of The Fifth Element on TV.

Watch this space tomorrow for a big announcement. Until then, cheers!

Done Painting the House, Finally

2005-09-29T13:23:00.000-07:00

Randy prepping the final side

We are done painting the house, finally. It was a three year Odyssey, but, with Randy's help and motivation, we finally have finished with it.

This morning, I put the last coat of paint on the east side windows and trim. It was a strange feeling to step off the ladder knowing that I could wash my brush and then be done, not having to worry about not having the trim painted.

Hopefully it will be done until we die: we painted with Sherwin Williams Duration, which has a lifetime guarantee. We will see.

As a celebration, Randy, Isaac, Zoe, and I went down to the Daily Bagel for coffee and bagel sandwiches. Thanks Randy for all your help.

Another Tuesday Trip Over the Hill

2005-09-28T07:38:00.000-07:00

Tuesdays are vegetable days and also lunch days with Nana. Yesterday we met Nana at Si Casa Flores on Barnett in Medford for some delicious Mexican food. I had Chile Verde, Nana had an enchilada and a tamale, and Zoe had a quesidilla which she took apart and then reformed into a burrito with chicken, rice and beans.

The food was pretty good, and Zoe got a baloon.

We picked up vegitables from Mary and Vince in Ashland, then headed back over the hill. The drive was fine, and Zoe slept right through unloading, and didn't wake until we arrived at Mazama for cross country.

Yesterday's workout was a good one: 2x800m, 4x400m, 5x300m cut-downs, and then a cool down as long as four miles. I didn't run as I had Zoe and still a sore shoulder. The kids, however, did pretty well (for the most part).

The Lone Pine

2005-09-27T07:55:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we ran up to the Lone Pine on top of Hogsback Mountain just east of Klamath Falls with the cross country team. When I say we, I don't mean Zoe and I but the other coaches. Man, could you imagine running up a rocky dirt trail that is like climbing stair sometimes pushing a girlie? I told Amy in the morning that I could tie the stroller to my waist and pull her up...maybe I will try that some other day.

I made up in about 30 minutes. My calves were like rocks, but not the good kind, and my thighs hurt quite a bit, but overall it was a good experience. About half the kids made it to the top. Four of them didn't make it because they took the wrong trail (luckily they weren't lost for too long) and the rest just didn't have it. The view was great, something that I don't see that often now that we have Zoe. Soon, she will be strong enough to climb high with me and we will share those views.

Pictures that I couldn't upload eariler today

2005-09-26T12:35:00.000-07:00

Zoe on Papahorse

Zoe spelled out her name (almost) by herself

Relaxing in the autum grass

Happy Monday

2005-09-26T09:01:00.000-07:00

Happy Monday! We had a good weekend, though it was much too short. On Saturday morning, I awoke at 5:15 so that I could go to Eugene for the Northwest Classic xc race. We had a good day and many good performances, with most everyone having PRs. There was one incident that took away from the experience: one of our runners was hit on the head while he was (grrr) wrestling. We took him to the medical tent and had him checked out. The trainer said that he probably had a minor concussion and that we needed to look after him for the rest of the day. He felt much better by the time that we left for home and by the time that we got back to Klamath he seemed pretty normal (as normal as can be expected, anyway).

The funniest part about the whole thing is that when we came back to where our kids were sitting, telling them what the trainer had said, two of the kids were wrestling, again! I couldn't believe it. Not ten minutes before a kid had been bopped on the head hard enought to warrent a trip to the first aid station and here they were wrestling again! I was just a bit angry and told them to stop.

Yesterday, Sunday, was pretty uneventful. We spent the first part of the day at home, Amy resting, mostly. Then we went to Amy's parents for the afternoon, and dinner. Amy has traded all day sickness for all day fatigue. hopefully that will go away soon.

Well, Blogger.com is having problems uploading pictures this morning, so I will try again later.

First appointment with Rebecca

2005-09-23T13:15:00.000-07:00

We slept in today, because Amy had her first appointment with Rebecca, our midwife. It went well, though it took awhile to get everything done; partially that was because it was the first visit and so there were many questions about personal and family health histories. Zoe went too, and she enjoyed herself, though she wanted to join the conversation sometimes when we were trying to listen to what Rebecca or Tara (her assistant) were trying to tell us. That was okay, though, I think that it helped her to understand what is happening to the family. Speaking of the family, Amy and I were talking last night about when we go to Alaska (not next summer but sometime in the not too distant future) with the "kids". Aaaaaah! In less than eight months, we are not only going to have a kid, we are going to have kids!

Rain is falling today. Really, we don't mind it too much, though the temperature is hovering around 40, which is a little cold this early in the year. Randy and I hadn't planned on doing any painting today, so that works out fine.

Zoe and I did, however, make it to the library...in the car. Everywhere she goes, she is recognized: one of the librarians knows her from the summer reading program (actually I think that many know her from the summer reading program), and also happens to have a daughter in one of Amy's classes. Today, we heard four stories, mostly relating to apples (though one was about farmyard animals) and then we made prints with cut apples. It was quite fun, and made me think about composition, as the picture is basically an abstract. The paint that we used stuck to our fingers, but when we rubbed it with a damp cloth, came off in little chunks.

No XC practice today, but a big meet tomorrow in Eugene.

I almost forgot, I put a link to Vanessa's Blog in the links list as well. Enjoy.

A good day so far.

2005-09-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

So far today, we have been having a good day. Randy and I finished painting the north side of the house. The only think left is the east side: predicted finish date, next week sometime.

Zoe is laying in bed, but not sleeping. I will have to get her up soon.

My shoulder hurts a bit, probably from climbing around on ladders. It sure is healing fast, though. I am glad, because it is no fun having a hurt shoulder. Yesterday, I ran with the kids at xc, but couldn't go as far as I wanted because of the pain. It hurt on both the forward and back arm swing.

Zoe informs me that it is "time to get up," so I had better go get her. She still hasn't discovered that she can get out of bed on her own. Shhh, don't tell her.

It really was a long day

2005-09-21T09:17:00.000-07:00

Boy! Yesterday was long, long, long. It started off on the wrong foot, when Zoe couldn't articulate why she didn't want to wear pants. We had five minutes of whining, arguing, and crying that she didn't want to wear pants or her Elmo shirt. Finally, we figured out that she wanted to wear her dog dress. My goodness.

Then yesterday's blog didn't want to upload right, and that made me cranky. Then Zoe didn't want to eat her oatmeal. I left her to it, and when I came back after five minutes she had eaten half a bite (the other half was smeared on the table). I couldn't get into the truck with her and drive to Medford if she hadn't eaten anything! I almost lost it at that time, but then thought, "Hey, maybe she wants some toast". She did! So, toast it was.

We loaded up and the ride over was fairly pleasant. Zoe mostly read her books. We met my mom at her work and she introduced us around. Zoe got a sucker (a cherry tootsie pop) and we shook many hands. Everyone thought that she was cute with her quail tail.

We had lunch at Rooster's, which, as Zoe will tell you, is decorated with many roosters. The food was pretty good, especially the cinnamon roll. When we go there next, we will be sure to have cinnamon rolls, again.

After lunch Zoe and I drove to Ashland to pick up the vegetables. Vince was a little late in getting back, but not too late. We loaded up (I was careful about my shoulder, which is doing quite well, by-the-way), then headed back over the hill. The drive home went quickly, and Zoe, even though she reassured me many times that she was "not tired" fell asleep not long after we got to the summit on Dead Indian Rd. ("Not tired. Not tired," she said. "Can you think happy thoughts?" I said. "Not tired, not tired," she assured me. "What about sand?" "...At the beach...zzzzzzzzz.")

That would have made a full day, but it was not over by a long shot. Zoe slept while I unloaded vegetables, and then loaded up the computer and printer. We had about five minutes at home and then we drove to Mazama for the big Mud Run. We arrived just as the first race started. We set up the computer, then watched the finish of the first race. Then we went to work. Zoe helped me score the first two races (she also watched the runners out the door) then her Mima picked her up and took her home.

The rest of the meet went pretty well, though one school, who shall remain nameless, couldn't seem to get their scoring envelopes to me, so that delayed the whole process. And even though outside showers were provided there was still much mud in the hallways and the locker rooms. I don't know what the solution might be to mud everywhere except to close off the locker rooms altogether.

Finally I made it back to the Hill House for dinner of hamburgers, pickled beets, and potato chips. Travis is leaving for SOU on Thursday, and since he has to work his final day at Walmart today, we had dinner with him. Good luck Travis!

We made it home and put Zoe to bed, then watched a bit of the Lord of the Rings before falling asleep ourselves.

Race Today

2005-09-20T09:08:00.000-07:00

Today is the annual Mazama Mud Run. The mud pit is deeper than last year, and we are having an open race, so it should be interesting. Also, the course is only two miles long instead of 5000m. Somehow, we need to have more mud, and even a couple more mud pits. Unluckily, I don't think that the grounds crew wants us digging up the soccer field.

Also today, Zoe and I go to Ashland to get vegetables. It is going to be a long day indeed.

Yesterday was pretty normal. My shoulder seems to be healing quite nicely. I haven't had it in the sling (except for about 30 minutes on Sunday evening), and it does sometimes feel a little creepy, but it is much less stiff and sore than it has been in the past. I worry that maybe it will be looser because of this, but really, it seems to be healing more quickly.

On another note, the other day I finished "Peter Pan" by J.M. Barrie. Everyone knows the story of Peter Pan and the Lost Boys, but I don't think that very many people actually read the book these days. I highly recommend it. It is an easy quick read and well worth your time.

Cheers!

The Long Prefontaine Weekend

2005-09-19T09:57:00.000-07:00

This weekend was the big trip for the Mazama Cross Country Team (and many other high school teams in the area): the Prefontaine Memorial Run in Coos Bay.

Friday:

We left after school. Randy and I got started a little late getting to the car rental place because we couldn't find Marvin at Mazama (he is the head coach and had the check for the vans). But we made up time at the rental agency when we breezed through the rental process. Marvin headed back to Mazama to round up the troops, while Randy and I took care of our kids, he picking up his babysitter and I dropping Zoe off with Amy at ponderosa.

I picked Randy up at his house, he had left his van back at the rental agency while driving Isaac around. We found when we returned that he could not open the passenger side door from the inside. Not a big deal, but we wanted to be sure that they knew that there was a problem so that we didn't get charged for it.

We loaded everyone up and headed west. The trip was uneventful except for the near accident that we were in. A semi slowed almost to a stop in front of about six cars (three of which were in our caravan). I was driving the last car. The car behind us slowed and was fine until the car behind it slammed into it, pushing it off the road with a bang. It wasn't a big accident but it was a bit scary and surely would have ended our trip had we been hit.

We arrived in Coos Bay Fire Station (they are nice enough to host us in their weight room/meeting room each year) just after 9, got our sleeping areas set up, went to the store for some junk food, then settled in for a movie and went to sleep.

Saturday:

We awoke around 7, the kids included, which was quite odd; usually, they sleep until eight or nine. The race started at ten. I went for a 15 minute walk, then a 30 minute jog to get warmed up. I tried to go a different way than I have gone before and found that there are about five thrift stores in a five block radius in downtown Coos Bay. I was scoping them out because I had forgotten my book and so wanted to find a place to buy a new one. I had to wait until after the race as they were closed until 9:30 or ten (plus, I had left my wallet back at the fire station).

The race went better than I had expected. I was almost three minutes faster on the way back in than on the way out. I was timed in 45:32, not my fastest but much better than the sub 48 that I was hoping for.

After (most) everyone finished, we made our way back to the fire station for showers, then a walk through the street fair where we had oriental noodles, teriyaki beef on a stick, and fudge. We also watched a bit of the parade, and went to one of the thrift stores to finally get my book. I picked up four: "LaBrava" by Elmore Leonard, "Eight Great Comedies", "The sinners" by W. Somerset Maughm, and "Nice New Neighbors" by Franz Brandenberg (for Zoe). Then we went to the beach.

We played tackle football, I made it for about half an hour before I dislocated my left shoulder for the fourth time (in 15 years). Luckily, I had read of a technique where sitting on the ground you lace your fingers across the opposite side knee, relax and gently pull. It popped back in on the third try. It wasn't as bad as sometimes, but it is quite tender today.

After the beach, we picked up some pizzas, and ate them back at the firehouse while watching the duck game. We put on a movie, "Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade" and I was asleep by 8:45.

Sunday:

We got off early (these kids like to get up!) and then were home by 2:30. I had Marvin drop me off at the Hill house, where we had dinner, then home for early bed again: All that travel, running, and chaperoning (sp?) wears a guy out.

Did a lot of Paint Work, Yesterday

2005-09-15T07:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Randy (Bailey) and Isaac came over and we scraped and scraped and scraped the north side of our trim. He is helping me to finally finish the painting of our trim that we started three summers ago (including this one). The end is in sight and we are very grateful for Randy's motivation.

In the afternoon Zoe came to cross country with me. I pushed her in the jogging stroller out toward Highway 39 on the OC&E Bike Path. I noticed that she had been quiet for some time. I assumed that she was engrossed in her book ("My first ABC Book"), but when I checked on her at the turnaround point, I found that she snoozed soundly, head lolling to the right. We ran back and she awoke when I stopped at the school for a drink of water.

While Zoe and I ran and snoozed by ourselves, the cross country kids ran their pre-race warm-up. When we returned, they seemed warm, but it is always hard to tell what they actually did. Maybe we should make them take their heart rate and then we can see where they really are as far as a warm up goes. It is so important to be ready to race when the gun goes off, and not expect to get warm on the course.

Today they are going to the Pre-district Meet at Lake Selmac, hosted by Illinois Valley. Good luck everyone.

Tuesdays are Vegetable Days

2005-09-14T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, Zoe and I went over the hill to pick up, and deliver back to Klamath Falls, vegetables for our CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) Whistling Duck. We trade a weekly share of vegetables for delivering 23 shares to Klamath ten times in the summer season (we also delivered in the winter season for the first time last year).

In our box this week: butter lettuce; mesclun (mixed salad greens); three large beets with beautiful beet greens attached; zucchini; cucumbers; pears; an onion; spinach; basil; and tomatoes. Mmm, they are so good and tasty (and organic). If you live near a CSA, I highly recommend looking into becoming a member.

Also while over the hill we had lunch with Nana (my mom, Linda) at No Ho's, a Hawaiian restaurant on Main St. in Medford. Man was it good. I had teriyaki pork and Nana had teriyaki chicken. Zoe, ate about a cup and a half of sticky rice. The portions were huge, and delicious, and by the time we left, the place was packed -if you go, go early (they open at 11am).

Nana is doing well, getting used to her new job at Moss Adams, and making friends of her co-workers.

Right now, Zoe and I are finishing up "Baby Galileo" learning about the planets, stars, galaxies, etc.

Have a great day all.

Getting a profile photo

2005-09-13T08:28:00.000-07:00

First post via email

2005-09-13T07:58:00.000-07:00

Let's try posting via email!

Have a great day all.

Jeff and Zoe at cousin Dena's wedding.

2005-09-12T10:48:00.000-07:00

First Post

2005-09-12T10:28:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone! I am joining the ranks of bloggers. Hopefully this will be a little easier than the failed attempt to maintain a website. They say that I will be able to upload photos as well as post text.

We are doing well here in Klamath Falls. It has turned cold, cold, cold. Zoe and I fired up the geothermal this morning, with only one tiny catastrophe: one of the air release valves didn't get closed all the way when I moved on to the next. Warm water on old wood floors has a very distinctive smell.

Cheers!