2010-09-26 No Problem. Climb On.

OK, so the bad news is my SD card has given out and all I have is my cell phone to take pictures with. I ordered a couple of new ones so I have backups.

The good news is that the first picture is a classic. It's a crappy camera on these Blackberries, but I had to capture this. (He had major red-eye, so I tried to clean that up with some software, but now he looks like an alien...I know, I know!)


Pippin had been playing with a bone, when he flipped it over my leg and it sat on the bed between my knees. I felt his tension as he realized it was no longer in his possession. First, I felt one paw, then another, then he leant his whole body on my back as he stared at his bone.

Finally, with a lot of slow balanced steps, he literally climbed up on my back, sitting on a back and butt to stare down at his bone, trying to determine how he was going to get at it. This made my shake with laughter, which of course made him wobble as hat sat on top of me.

He's only ever done this one other time, and my friend was able to grab a photo.

He finally got off, jumped over my legs and got the object of his affections back. Thank you, cell phone camera.

2010-09-25 Zen Garden Construction

Well, it's a volunteer-heavy week. Yesterday, I worked on one charity and now on another. Today, we're creating a zen garden for an organization that the Junior League supports.


Locally, our League started a nature center back in the 60s, in order to provide education to children in schools regarding the natural environment of this area. We spun it off into its own non-profit and today it's a Nature Center and Planetarium. Occasionally, we go back and do little projects for them...the zen garden was so that the center could provide meditation classes in a natural environment.

OK, to be frank: this sh*t was HARD!

You have no idea how may tree roots had to be hacked up to create the new plantings and install the fountains. Oy! I was exhausted. Ended up coming home, showering, and taking a nap.

2010-09-24 It's All for the Kids

So, I accepted a volunteer position as president of a local children's charity board. I've been on the board about 5 years and this year they asked me to be president. I was not sure if I wanted to do this...in some ways I take the responsibility seriously, and I do feel sort of young to be asked to do this, but I guess by this time, I'm one of the people who has served longest on the board, and some part of my skill-set has been useful to the organization.

Today I was inaugurated as president, in front of all these people!


We had our annual meeting and awards, and we also culminated our Infant Mortality Awareness Month activity, which included a pinwheel garden to represent babies who died in our service area.


We had a wonderful speaker who discussed her experience with her son, who died of SIDS. She kicked off an awesome campaign to teach people to put infants to sleep on their back. It's a onesie that you put on the baby with "This Side Up" on the belly area. Every baby born in a birthing hospital this year will receive one courtesy of our organization.