Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Of Posters and Cats

Tig by Teckelcar
Tig, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
I should have been baking today, instead I bummed around Richmond with Meryl and mounted three of posters on foam board.

Meryl has written a book, Darkness Rising (oh look the Kindle version is on sale), and it's a pretty darn good one. Head on over to her writing blog to get the full details, I can't do it justice and it is always better to get information directly from the source. Anyhoodle she has self published and had posters made up of the very striking cover. Her plan is use them as promotional materials and needed a few of them to be mounted.

up by Teckelcar
up, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
This is where I come in.

I'm not an arts and crafts person. I usually dread those sort of activities. For the most part I find craft projects to be boring and pointless. That said I am good at doing them since I am good at seeing how things go together. So sticking posters on foam boards is my kind of project, I get to put something together that will ultimately be useful. I get set up in the garage with a card table, exacto knife, t-square, spray adhesive, foam board, and of course the poster.

admiring by Teckelcar
admiring, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Once I was all done we brought in the finished project and admired them for a while. Tig was intrigued by the whole thing and checked out the posters as well. He was not the most cooperative of models, but we were able to get a few good pictures of him with one of the posters.

Monday, April 29, 2013

Juggle & Cut

A short documentary by Caleb Slain about how one man keeps his creativity alive after a profoundly life altering accident. I found this over at Short of the Week.
Juggle & Cut from Caleb Slain on Vimeo.

Sunday, April 28, 2013

Genius

Genius by Teckelcar
Genius, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Max has to take a boat load of medicines everyday. Most are daily , but there are exceptions. He really tries to be responsible for his meds and for the most part he is successful. It's the oddballs that throw him off, in particular the one he takes Monday, Wednesday, an Friday.

After one of our many, "I'm not sure if I have, or oops I took it" conversations I decided tit was high time do something to help him. Namely a pill organizer. We could load it up each week and he would be good to go.

I don't know why I hadn't thought of this before. My mother has had one for years and years, so it's not a new idea. It has been wonderful for Max. He knows exactly what to take and can see if he has. So far he only has to worry about his medicines at bedtime, but it would be easy enough to get one for both morning and night. This will also be helpful when we travel.

It is a great thing when you can find an easy and inexpensive solution to a big problem.

Friday, April 26, 2013

Busy Bee

Busy Bee by Teckelcar
Busy Bee, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
The bees have been all over the wisteria blooms in our backyard. Bumbling from bloom to bloom they make quite a racket, a low buzz can be heard when you step outside and off the deck.

The bees are so intent on their task at hand, collecting nectar, they never really noticed me nor my camera. I was able to pretty much shove my camera in their direction and snap away.

Silly old bees.

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Lady Slipper

lady Slipper by Teckelcar
lady Slipper, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
I found this little beauty while escorting Rebecca to her soccer practice on Tuesday. It was right the edge of the path worn down down by those of us in the know of the shortcut along the football field and the drainage ditch to the far field. I'm amazed that it hadn't been trampled or picked by some wayward toddler.

Rebecca never noticed it, she was focused on getting to the field. I, however, stopped to admire this rare sight and, obviously, take pictures. I hope to survives a bit longer, it would be nice to have more growing along the path and in the woods.

It goes to show that if you keep your eyes open there is almost always something new to see.

Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Artist of the Week: Helpful

Helpful by Teckelcar
Helpful, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
It's that time of year again when I vacuum the crab apple tree and Nate by dint of his helpfulness is this week's artist.

Nate had been bugging me to clear out the tent caterpillars in my beloved  crab apple tree. I've been putting it off until the flowers were past their prime and no longer attracting bees and yellow jackets. Tree vacuuming is not high precision work and I don't want to risk getting myself stung by an irate insect.

Sunday was the day and Nate wanted to help. I got him all set and let him have at it. He did a great job, by climbing the tree he was able to get to quite a few spots that I could not reach. He found the whole process very entertaining and is more than happy to tackle this job again. It looks like I have an eager assistant.

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Two Viewpoints

wisteria and graffiti by Teckelcar
wisteria and graffiti, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
During my Richmond ramble on Sunday I found a rather interesting wall. My initial view was of the side facing the alley and opposite a local church's parking structure, The wall was notable for the wisteria tumbling over in mad confusion and the graffiti.

For the most part Richmond has a decided lack in imaginative graffiti, one of the few notable exceptions is super mouse (whom I'm happy to report is still there along with blue cat). This wall has an interesting picture along with the more run of the mil tagging. The wild abundance of wisteria provides a nice counterpoint to the rather battered urban setting.

wisteria refined by Teckelcar
wisteria refined, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Then I got to see the other side of the wall.

It is neatly painted white with numbers for each of the parking spaces that abut the wall. Even the wisteria seems more restrained, it is merely draped across the top of the wall. No wild profusion of plant life on this side.

It is the same wall, but with two differing sides. This was another good find along with the pink snow.

Monday, April 22, 2013

The Elaborate End of Robert Ebb

A prank that goes horribly wrong in a delightful b-movie style. I love the monster in this short.

The elaborate end of Robert Ebb from Robert Ebb on Vimeo.

Sunday, April 21, 2013

Pink Snow

pink snow by Teckelcar
pink snow, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Today was my turn to drive the car pool to Richmond and I decided to bring my camera along and do a bit of a walk about. I'm so glad I did.

Being a sunny day I walked to a nearby market to pick up a few items. I then headed back to where the children were and continued on to do a bit of sight seeing. The fan is a lovely area in Richmond with a character all of its own. City living, but on a personal, more intimate scale.

As I turned the corner to go down one of my favorite residential streets my eyes were greeted with the sight of pink snow. For short stretches drifts of pink petals from the trees thickly covered the sidewalks. I was delighted by the sight and pleased that I had my camera with me.

petals on the steps by Teckelcar
petals on the steps, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
I thought it was so beautiful I did a little detour with the kids as we walked back to the car, they were duly impressed by the masses of petals on the ground. Just as were we approaching the area where the petals were the thickest we noticed the owner was out on his stoop, the same one pictured here. I got this shot the first time I went by. The kids were a bit spooked by his presence, but I smiled and told him how beautiful his pink snow was. He smiled back and said we ere welcome to take some, in fact all of it if we want.

Once again it was very worth my while to bring my camera and have a look around.

Friday, April 19, 2013

Spring Hath Sprung

Spring Hath Sprung by Teckelcar
Spring Hath Sprung, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
I forget over the winter how pretty it is around here in the spring. I took this picture Tuesday and since then the trees and bushes have become even greener. I mowed the lawn for second time and we didn't seven make a week.

Winter is well and truly over.

The downside of all this renewed growth is pollen. It is horrible right now. Huge clouds of the stuff roll across the land like a yellow fog-bank. A few days I didn't realize I was driving through such a cloud and thought my windshield and/or glasses were in desperate need of cleaning. It was quite a shock when I broke through into clear air.

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Looking For More

John by Teckelcar
John, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
I'm a bit frustrated now. The picture group I had been a part of has changed to the point that I no longer want to participate. It is all facebook dependent and I end up missing posts. It was far better when it was Flickr group, I could easily find the challenges and the pictures. Now I have wade through many layers of pages to find anything out.

So for now I'll just pick out my favorite picture of the week and post it here.

I took this one of John on Tuesday. I dropped my camera in my pocket as I headed out the door for the morning walk. It was a pretty nice day and I felt like taking pictures. I did a short detour to the ponds edge, I wanted to see what the dogs' reactions would be. Both were not terribly interested in the water, but up on the dock John came to attention when he saw a duck paddling along. Fortunately the duck was swimming away otherwise I think John might have tried to catch it.

I think it is a fantastic shot of John. He is naturally stacked himself in a lovely show pose, I could never get him to look that good in the show ring. Apparently I needed to bring a duck along and have it waddle out at opportune moments. Somehow I don't think that would go over to well with the other exhibitors.

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Artist of the Week: Fabulous Hats

Rebecca by Teckelcar
Rebecca, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
This week's artist is a rather camera wary Rebecca.

She didn't want her picture taken and kept hiding under the blanket. I took a picture of her feet and at that point she decided it was better to cooperate. After I took the picture posted here Rebecca commandeered my camera and got some absurd pictures of her two middle brothers.

Nate and Max had no problem hamming it up for the camera. As for the art, well it doesn't have any opinion about photography, yea or nay.

coach horses by Teckelcar
coach horses, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Well maybe neigh, since it is a couple of hats for horses.

The cast iron coach and horses was one of my childhood toys. I had completely forgotten about it until I pulled it out of a box my mom had in storage. Much to Rebecca's delight I passed it on to her. There was a second human figure, the horses' driver, but I'm not sure where he is now.

Anyway Rebecca is rather fond of the set and this week she decided that the horses could use some head-wear.

Fabulous Hats by Teckelcar
Fabulous Hats, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Very fabulous head-wear.

Rebecca went all out, from brims to feathers. She even did the detailing on the feathers so that you would know exactly what you are looking at. I don't know what day she created the hats, just one day I saw them.

It's Rebecca's version of yarn bombing, but with clay and I love it.

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Baking With Julia- Madeleines

Madeleines by Teckelcar
Madeleines, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Woo hoo! I'm back on schedule!

This week's baking challenge from "Baking with Julia" is madeleines. For the full recipe head on over to Counter Dog, Katie will give you the recipe with pictures.

Technically I made ladyfingers, not madeleines. I don't have the pan and I have no great need to buy one. Conversely my ladyfingers don't look like ladyfingers either. I didn't feel like making the tradition finger shaped cookie and decided to use a really big star tip and do a sort of free hand madeleine piping. The earlier cookies came out better, probably because the batter was beginning to break down in the bag from the pressure and the warmth of my hands on the piping bag.

Anyhoodle, the cookies came out quite well. They are a bit on the dry side, but this recipe seemed to be geared towards a dunkable creation. I liked it and it was a very quick treat to knock out, I got the whole thing done in under an hour. As for making them again, I don't know. Maybe if I make a trifle and want to use home made ladyfingers.

Monday, April 15, 2013

Sunday, April 14, 2013

It's A Dog's Life

Dell by Teckelcar
Dell, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Dell has such a hard life. Not counting the large dog bed in the den, he is limited to one piece of furniture. It's a wicker loveseat that we acquired from my father-in-law's house. The house had been sold and he had a fair amount of extraneous furniture that we were welcome to take.

The love seat is relatively low to the ground, just right for short legged dogs. The original cushions had been ruined by sun and cats, so we make due with cushions we can find in big box stores. The top cushion in the picture is supposed to be for the back, but the red boys prefer them stacked. Either way it's pretty comfortable.

Just ask Dell.

Friday, April 12, 2013

Baking With Julia- Rustic Potato Loaves

Rustic Potato Loaf by Teckelcar
Rustic Potato Loaf, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
The Rustic Potato Loaves were actually from last week over at Baking with Julia, however with it still (barely) being Passover I elected to give a miss until this week. For the full recipe head on over to Simply Sweet and see what Dawn cooked up.

It is an easy bread to make, though you really do need a stand mixer to do it. I'm sure the 11 (!) minutes of beating by hand or a hand mixer would get very old, very fast. Apart from being sticky and my apparent inability to make a torpedo shape loaf, it was one of the easiest breads to bake so far. It has a nice chewy crust and a pleasant tang from the potatoes.

We had this instead of challah tonight and the loaf was quickly devoured. Rebecca didn't care for it, but Jacob was ecstatic. He loves potato bread and is very happy boy. This is definitely a keeper.

Thursday, April 11, 2013

Random Texts

text by Teckelcar
text, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Not quite a year ago I entered the modern era of cell phones. No longer do I have a simple phone to make calls and take rather bad pictures, now I have a smart phone plus an inexpensive data plan that gives me unlimited texts and streaming (go Virgin mobile and dump your contract).

I very rarely get wrong numbers, mostly they are from a little league coach from a neighboring county. He somehow mixed up a number and ended up with phone. Texts are also very rarely not for me, the one notable exception being the series featured here.

I tried to inform the sender that I wasn't her baby daddy and from there it got even funnier. The whole idea of me, a middle aged woman, being a baby daddy, is to me beyond hilarious.

I haven't heard from her since.

Tuesday, April 09, 2013

Go Big

Big  Sexy by Teckelcar
Big Sexy, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Or go home.

I spotted this car while out shopping today. The whole thing, from the mismatched door, the completely unaligned door molding, and to the "Big Sexy" on prominent display, was too good to not photograph.

So here I am sharing with the world the "Big Sexy."

Why this happened I'll never know and honestly I don't want to.

Monday, April 08, 2013

My Oh My

A wonderful song and video by Macklemore and Ryan Lewis that shows the passion that baseball can inspire.


Sunday, April 07, 2013

Soccer

soccer by Teckelcar
soccer, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
It was a gorgeous day, temperatures in the low 70s and a brisk breeze. A good day to air out the house and play soccer.

Rebecca had one of her rare Sunday games. The girls did a great job, far better than the tie scored shows. Between endless rain flooding the fields and an intervening spring break, they hadn't practiced for weeks. Heck even their previous game was cancelled. They did look a bit slow, but few weeks of our normal training schedule should whip them into shape.

I have been enjoying our leisurely spring break. but it will be nice to get back into our regular routines.

Friday, April 05, 2013

My New Friend

Bob by Teckelcar
Bob, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
This is my new friend. I met him at the gaming shop where Max plays Magic the Gathering.

Neither Larry or I play the game,  it was something he learned from a friend. We found a gaming shop, FTW Games, that has Magic tourneys most Fridays and take turns driving Max and sitting around while he plays. It is not terribly close to home, but has a really nice crowd and the owners are very friendly.

The first time I went I met my new friend whom I christened Bob. Bob just quietly stands in the corner, probably looking for droids. Fortunately my droid  based phone is not the one he is looking for and I can text friends and goof off to my heart's content. Along with a book, I am able to entertain myself for the four hours I'm there. Too bad Bob is just a shell of a man and as a result not one for conversation.

I just wish I had a better seat than the hard wooden stool that is in Bob's corner.

Thursday, April 04, 2013

Spring Break

The kids are off on spring break this week and we haven't done much of anything apart from going to services. Well Jake has gone off to look at colleges with Larry, but the rest of us have been bumming around the house.

And you know it has been nice. We can stay up late, sleep in, and today I got to do a pajama day, something I only do if deathly ill.

 I felt a wee twinge of guilt when a friend posted on Facebook the things she has done with her kids, but then again we are all happy to be doing nothing for a change. We have busy days and it's nice just to check out for a bit. It's called break for a reason.

Wednesday, April 03, 2013

Artist of the Week: Golden City

Max by Teckelcar
Max, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
First off, no we did not get more snow. The picture is from back in January and I just plain like it. The weather has been far more seasonally appropriate and I think it's pretty safe to say that winter is really and truly over. Although I was able to pull a minor prank on Rebecca Monday when a gust of wind blew white petals towards us as we ere driving along. As we drove through the swirl of white I said "What it's snowing again?!" and for a brief moment I had Rebecca thinking it was snowing.

Anyhoodle, snowy picture aside, this week's art by Max is not snow based.

Max sunset by Teckelcar
Max sunset, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
A couple of weeks ago was the annual "do a craft with your parent/guardian" at Sunday school. The kids have fun and it's a way for the parents to meet each other. He have made things from illuminated manuscripts, challah covers, to candle stick holders. This time around we would be making "The Golden City" aka Jerusalem at sunset.

The blocks of stone used used to build the walls of Jerusalem have a golden glow when the light of the setting sun strikes them. Thus Jerusalem is nicknamed the Golden City.

We were given a blank sheet of paper with the instructions to color it like the sky at sunset. Then we were to cut out three layers of the city that were printed on various colored papers. Then he picture was to be decorated using glitter and glue.

Max was less than thrilled with the coloring, cutting, and pasting. He does not enjoy crafts. The highly structured aspect of crafting goes against his grain. He likes to do things his own way with full freedom of expression. So it was a slog getting through the first parts of the project. Max, however, perked right up when he got to the glue and glitter. It was strongly suggested that the layers be outlined with the glue and glitter, but thankfully not required. So Max went to town, filling the sky with glitter.

The end result was rather pleasing and Max was vry happy that he got to express himself.

Tuesday, April 02, 2013

John the Viking

John the viking by Teckelcar
John the viking, a photo by Teckelcar on Flickr.
Poor John, he puts up with all sorts of shenanigans.

We can dress him up with hats, paint his nails, and balance a pair of glasses on the big snoot of his. He calmly sits there as you mess around and then take a picture. Sometimes he even seems to enjoy it. On more than one occasion I have seen him happy to be wearing a cape.

He's such a silly dog.

Monday, April 01, 2013

Snail!

Love this song from ASHELLNATION via the Pet Collective.

Honestly, it's better than the original.