46 degrees

evolution

2008-07-07T16:39:00.004-04:00

My five-year old daughter heard mention of evolution in kindergarten this spring. After school she excitedly said, "Mumma, did you know that we used to be monkeys?"

I said "Yes, I did. But that was a long time ago."

She agreed, "Yeah, I don't even remember when I was a monkey." And she seemed quite sad about this.

So I added, "Well, it was a really, really, REALLY long time ago. You couldn't remember."

She thought about that and understood, and added, "So only grandma remembers when she was a monkey."

old ironsides

2008-07-06T21:19:00.007-04:00

Every 4th of July, "Old Ironsides" - the USS Constitution - is dragged out into Boston Harbor and turned, like a mattress, so that it will wear evenly on both of those impenetrable sides. Not only is the ship an amazing piece of US naval history, but the "turning" itself is quite an event, including fire boats spouting water and a cannon salute from a naval vessel.

This year, I had a fantastic view of the turnaround area in Boston Harbor from a park across the bay looking picturesquely back at the cityscape and with the naval ship, cannons loaded, docked just off to my left.

But Old Ironsides never came out into the harbor. She stayed hugging the shore, barely viewable through my camera's zoom. "What happened?" I asked a fellow Bostonian, who was confirming the altered course and the disappointing results.

"Cheney was aboard."

dog whisperer

2008-07-06T20:21:00.010-04:00

I don't need a Dog Whisperer. My dog is freakin' fantastic. She is cute as a button, so well-trained (because someone else trained her), and is thrilled to see me every time I come down the stairs. She and I have never had a single argument. I have zero complaints.

Now, what I do need is a "Mother Whisperer."