Frosty the Electrician

Recently we have had this annoying little problem.  Water has been dripping from our freezer down into our refrigerator, and creating little puddles on shelves and inside bins.  It's even more entertaining when it refreezes and we have to chip ice off things.  Some foods don't like being in puddles, and spoil more quickly.  For instance, cucumbers get all mushy and gross.  Bleah.

Tonight, hubby took all of the food out of the freezer, with help from Son #2, to see whether he could find the drainage tube and see what was going on.  Sure enough, it was frozen solid.  He had the boy bring the hair dryer out of the bathroom to try to heat the tube...not good enough.  Finally they brought up the vacuum cleaner (we have a central vacuum system, which my friend T calls a 30 foot anaconda) and that did the trick.  We're going to see what happens over the next day or so.  No idea how old this fridge/freezer combo is; it was here almost nine years ago when we bought the house.  Wish us luck.

Enjoy the photos.  Note that the electrician does not have plumber's crack, or even electrician's crack.   :-)

World Before Swine

My seven year old was all excited because he was supposed to go to Schneider Children's Hospital for a health fair tomorrow (second grade trip).  This is the place that receives the afghans that Mommy and her friends at work make; they go to the children who receive treatments there, for cuddling and warmth.  But the trip was cancelled because some of the Long Island swine flu patients are being treated there.

A high school chum is coming in from Tucson to spend a few days here, including a lovely dinner with a dozen or so classmates on Saturday.  She's being warned by some people that maybe it isn't a good idea, but luckily she is in the health care industry and receives to-the-minute CDC info -- so can make her own informed decision.  However, I thought she had a good point with a comment she made yesterday:  she was just as afraid to venture into her local Wal-Mart.  

When my kids were in day care (through preschool age) they used to get all the germs because the kids were always in close quarters with bodily fluids mixing.  I guess some of the high school students are now at the age where they are again in the habit of being in close quarters with bodily fluids mixing...my oldest is not yet thirteen and girls are still yucky so I suppose we're safe as far as that goes.  

I have reminded the kids to stay away from anyone who is coughing, sneezing, or looks very pale or feverish...and to wash their own hands more often.  Apart from this, we're not at the point where we should put our lives on hold because of the swine flu.  At least I hope we aren't.

Aaaah...Spring!

Friday night I was out late with my best bud from childhood, her beau, and another childhood bud of ours...not like me at all to roll in at 12:30AM.  Last night I was out 'til 11:30 because the kids and I saw their cousin in the Suffolk Community College adaptation of Julius Caesar (she played a conspirator...go figure...heh heh).  Another late night, uncharacteristically.  So today, after I made the kids lunch, what I really wanted to do was take a nap.  But then I thought...why waste the most beautiful day we have had on Long Island this season?  So instead of taking a nap, I decided to take a walk.

Son #2, who is trying to nurture his health plan, opted to skip the first part of the Ranger game and come along with me.  (This turned out to be a good decision since they didn't win.)  We walked all the way over to the golf course, and took the road that runs through the middle of it.   When we'd almost reached the far end of the course, my son wanted to take the underground tunnel to get to the other side, just because, so we did that.  On the way back, we met five horseback riders...does that process release endorphins?  They were all very friendly!  My son was excited too because he found two golf balls...one white, one pink.  

We took the long way home, around the other side of the neighborhood, staying out an hour and a half.  Even I felt slightly sweaty, which says something about the intensity of the sun.  I was pretty tired while preparing dinner (meatballs, garlic mashed potatoes, and a casserole of spinach, rice, and cheese which was a new recipe I'd seen in Newsday).  I feel OK now but I just know I'll crash hard later!  So worth it, though, and I'd like to wish my best pal (who returned to Baltimore yesterday) a very happy birthday.  Hugs!

Necessary Risks

Son #1 was required to sign up for Google Docs by his English teacher, which necessitated his having his own email address.  I cloned him one from our optonline account this morning, under the condition that his dad and I know the password so we can check on things from time to time.  Friends of ours who have older kids have recommended this, as it's worked for them, and I've also read articles and blogs on parenting that say the same thing.  The first email he sent from his new account was to Mom, and it said "bite me."  Sigh, off we go into the wild blue yonder.  

Whole Hearted

OK so I'm a week behind on my Newsday cryptoquotes...we don't get the paper regularly except on Sunday so what can I say?  This is from last Thursday, which was my mother's birthday.

"I don't do things half-heartedly.  Because I know if I do, then I can expect half-hearted results."

Michael Jordan

Being a linguistics geek, I loved it that this short quote used 23 of the 26 letters...and I don't play sports, so I can't exactly understand the full context for myself.  But I do identify with it in terms of my emotions.  I have sometimes been hurt by loving people with my whole heart, but I have also gained rich rewards and fine memories from deep relationships.  

The quote also reminds me of the lyrics of the oldie "All the Way."  Who knows where the road will lead us -- only a fool would say -- but if you'll let me love you, it's for sure I'm gonna love you all the way.

Economics, When You're Ten

I had about five minutes to sit and chill with the kids this morning before taking Son #3 to the before school care center.  Son #2 was next to me on the couch, watching the local news, and the Economy In Crisis segment began.  Within seconds, the questions began.

"What's a stock market?"

"What are layoffs?"

"Why are business owners cutting jobs?  Shouldn't they be putting more people back to work?  How can they be so mean?"

I started to answer some of this, but how much could I do in a few minutes?  And how do I make a ten year old understand, when I don't have the best global understanding myself?  When I first became a parent, I was petrified about whether I had the skills to take care of an infant 24/7.  I didn't even conceive of this.  Oh, man.

Living Dangerously

When kids get older (say, double digits) parties can't just be running around for a little while and eating pizza and ice cream.  They have to have some organized activity.  Last year Son #1 did laser tag, and the year before that he went to Hit Kingdom for some dodge ball and crab soccer...of course this was followed by pizza and ice cream.  Son #2 has done bowling and slot car racing.  This year we had to have something different, and we have his 11th birthday coming up in a few weeks.  He had seen an advertisement for an archery place in Hicksville, so we went to check it out.

Each kid gets about 15-20 minutes of instruction, with dedicated professionals, before the whole group is allowed to begin shooting arrows at the bull's eye targets from a distance of five feet.  They allow ages eight and up because experience shows that they can usually listen and maintain focus in a safety conscious way.  The owner of the place confided to me that they've never had an accident during a kid's party, but there's no reason to want ours to be the first.  A bonus:  the Carvel near the archery place makes cakes with bull's eye decorations, and they deliver.  So we booked it.

I commented about this in my Facebook status and got a whole slew of entertaining feedback.  Various friends wanted to know whether we would also be going to the rifle range or sky diving.  One was kind enough to send me a graphic of a kid with an arrow through his head.  Another tried to tell me that everything would be OK as long as I didn't have my son place an apple on top of his noggin, a la the legend of William Tell.  Yet another said she'd be very happy to accompany us bungee jumping, as long as there would indeed be pizza and cake afterwards.

The clincher came yesterday.  We were all in the living room with the TV on, and a commercial for the archery place aired.  Naturally, Son #2 was excited.  Guess what the very next commercial advertised?  A fencing academy.  My son's Cheshire Cat grin spread across his face.  My parting shot?  "I didn't hear them mention birthday parties."  Whew.   

Wisdom from The Babe

Timely inclusion of this Cryptoquote in yesterday's Newsday.  The arrival of baseball season never fails to bring a smile to my face.  This bit of perspective did too.

"Every strike brings me closer to the next home run."   Babe Ruth

Where Are the Laughs, Folks?

After dinner, hubby took the kids for ices, and I went over to the library to get a supply of books.  I still have the rest of the week to steal some extra moments to enjoy reading, since the Three Amigos are on spring break until Monday.  One of the books I chose was George Burns' 100 Years, 100 Stories, and I immediately dove into it when I got home.  I grew up loving Burns' charming style of comedy.

Around 9:45, I finished the book and was helping Son #1 do a literary analysis of a favorite song lyric as part of his English homework (Jonathan Larson's "Seasons of Love" from his musical Rent).  About five minutes later, hubby came into the living room amid the din of computer generated music and battle noises coming from the Wii, and announced that bedtime had been slipping throughout the school vacation...true, I had let the kids stay up until 11:00 last night because I was Facebook chatting with their cousin...now what was it the night before, hmm?  Anyway, it's really supposed to be 10:00, which is their normal Friday and Saturday bedtime.  

So hubby wanted them to begin cleaning up all of their activities and belongings, so they could get to bed on time for once.  He punctuated the end of his rant by bellowing, "Now get to bed already!"  Son #3, glancing at the Cablevision box which said 9:59, cried petulantly, "But it's not 10:00 yet!"  I barely was able to suppress my laughter, and the other two kids were in the same boat, so they climbed on the couch with me, across the room from their brother (whom they knew was about to get the backlash).  

So Dad said, "Oh, so you think it's funny to mock me?  OK, you go to bed at 8:00 tomorrow night!"  Hearing the loud objections of the little guy, we could no longer contain ourselves, and the peanut gallery exploded into giggles.  Well, Dad went right down the line, with the other two monkeys.  "OK, you go to bed at 8:00 tomorrow night too!  And you!"  He still had the telltale finger of fate extended when he looked at me.  Then he paused, and I caught a twinkle in his eye.  "You too, 8:00 bedtime!"   Of course I was roaring so loudly at this point that any hope of seriousness was long gone.  Just to keep some modicum of authority, he strode out of the room with a flourish.

We who remained eyeballed each other quickly.  Before I ushered them off to bed, I couldn't resist telling the kids the one story from the book that I enjoyed the most.  George Burns explained that several of the Rat Pack and their chums had helped Sammy Davis Jr. along with his solo career, and that when Sammy became famous he began to accrue clothes and jewelry -- and also started golf lessons.  When Burns caught wind of Davis' interest in golf, he invited him to his country club to play a round.  Before they teed off, Burns asked Davis what kind of handicap he had.  " 'The biggest,' Sammy replied.  'I'm a black, one-eyed Jew.' "

Good night, folks!

Quote about Education

Kind of ironic that I should come across this during the children's spring break from school, but this was yesterday's Cryptoquote in Newsday:  

"To throw obstacles in the way of a complete education is like putting out the eyes."  

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

A bit of a graphic image, but I certainly can't argue with the concept.  

Resident Shiksa Strikes Again

By now you're used to my poking fun at myself, aren't you?

Having married into a Jewish family 15 years ago, and having been raised on Long Island spending Passover, Rosh Hashanah, Hanukkah, etc. in friends' homes, I had no trouble agreeing to keep Jewish customs in our home since hubby feels more passionate about his religious upbringing.  My kids are lucky since they get both Christmas and Hanukkah in December, and they get the Italian "eve" feast at my aunt and uncle's house which is to die for.

I began with a pile of Xerox copies of my mother-in-law's holiday recipes.  They tasted good in her dining room, before she moved to Florida.  In my kitchen, I found that we had to use half or a quarter of the fat content of some recipes to achieve a healthy balance (e.g. noodle pudding is no longer swimming in a sea of oil).  I also bought what is now my Bible for such occasions:  Faye Levy's International Jewish Cookbook.  I have kept my pledge of trying one new recipe each holiday.

Last night, after cleaning up an Italian dinner of macaroni and meatballs, I got to work on this year's Passover feast.  I had pre-chopped some almonds, pecans, and pine nuts for the charoset.  Combined with fruit juice, sugar, and cinnamon, it is a very tasty symbol of the mortar between the bricks that the enslaved Jews used to do Pharoah's building in Egypt.  Son #1 gave thumbs up when he smelled the combined flavors.  It'll taste even better tonight (Passover officially begins at sundown).  I also made a sweet potato kugel (casserole) which included shredded apple and pear, a small amount of matzo meal and a generous sprinkling of cinnamon.  Matzo ball batter was prepared (secret to fluffiness is the seltzer in my mother-in-law's old fashioned recipe) and veggies were chopped for the soup.  

The new recipe this time was a pan of brownies with matzo cake meal substituted for flour (about 2/3 of the amount).  Brownies don't call for very much flour so I figured I'd give it a go.  Not bad.  OK so I filched a small piece as I was cutting them up and putting them away.  That's how I know they came out decent.  Is that such a crime?

Hubby will be starting the turkey this afternoon while I'm still at work, so it has a few hours to cook up just right.  We read from the children's Haggadah (story of Passover) to make the seder fun and exciting for everyone, including us kids in our forties and my mother, who can't get enough of my matzo ball soup.  (Neat, eh?)  

Happy Passover to those who celebrate it.  I don't normally do a big Easter meal, but I wish success to those of my friends and family who will be making Easter feasts!

Driver Education

I definitely got more than I bargained for when I signed up to take the Defensive Driving class at our local high school, through their continuing education program.  I just finished the second half last night (two three-hour chunks of time).  The sessions were led by a retired police officer whose father and brothers were also officers, and whose son is a firefighter.  There were only a few other people in the class, and one of them works for the military and is also a volunteer firefighter.  We had some real eye opening personal accounts, given in between the standard dry course material.  Topics included:  federal vs. local law enforcement jurisdiction; what happens if you receive a federal traffic ticket; how "red light" cameras work; current strategies for deploying traffic cameras locally (including EZPass); why you should not fight a traffic ticket received via camera technology; tales of pedestrians, bicycles, and vehicles ignoring railroad crossing gates; types of lighting on emergency vehicles; and what to do (and not to do) when a police officer pulls you over.  

Quite the education!  Now I shall have to remember to smile for the camera...

Mortality

There has been a flurry of activity among my high school classmates over the past several days, both on email and Facebook.  We lost two people in our graduating class this week, one to heart failure and one to liver failure.  However old I feel when trying to keep up with the kids (on ice skates, or elsewhere) it doesn't seem right that our class of 1982 should begin to have deaths from these kinds of physical ailments.  (Now you know how old I am, for sure...)  The few others who've passed on have been victims of accidents or congenital defects.

We only get this one body, and I'm resigned to being in the stage of life that I know I must take care of it.  Heck, I've even been putting special high mileage motor oil in the mini van for the past two years...148K miles and counting!  Even after I went on my big diet after freshman year of college, I still ate whatever I felt like eating as long as the calories added up.  Ice cream for dinner was AOK.  Breakfast being the biggest meal of the day, it was all right if I had some kind of pastry.  Since I'm a cheese junkie, many days I would be eating a bagel with cheese for lunch...muenster, american, provolone, cheddar, whatever.  Sigh, those days are over.

No more regular milk or even 2%.  Oatmeal for breakfast at least every other day.  Not much cheese at all for lunch now...WAAH!...and let's see whether my semi-high cholesterol count will be coming down anytime soon.  Years ago I thumbed my nose at most veggies but my family will tell you (with tones of disgust) that I often forget about the meat at dinner time and fill my plate with butternut squash or something equally healthy. 

Will any of this help me live longer, to be more of a burden to my kids and grandkids?   :-)

I suppose time will tell...