Two Stories

Hola!

OK, now I need to tell you the “Awwww….” part of the story, from last week’s depressing library fines episode (check previous blog post).

STORY #1: LIBRARY SACRIFICES

AFTER Teresa gets out the calculator and figures out that from our overdue pile of books, we owe the library $26 and some-odd cents, my mini-tirade makes it unmistakably clear that I am not a happy camper. I remove myself from the room and go up to my room, to read on my bed, to distract myself, or whatever.

When I come out, Teresa (10 yrs. old) of her own accord, has collected money from her spending stash, and she has also gone to David (12) and Kara (8) and asked them for donations. She presents me with enough money to cover the fines.

Speechless, I take the money and set it aside. Frank comes in and asks, “You’re not really going to make them pay the fine, are you?” I tell him I hadn’t thought about it yet, but now that I was thinking about it, I never had actually told them this was THEIR responsibility. I just always check the calendar, plan a library trip, and we turn in the books. So, no, I would not make them pay this time.

But isn’t it cool that they were willing to?

STORY #2: CAUSING A COMMOTION

Yesterday we went to the California Science Center (check David’s blog), a huge hands-on museum in L.A. with lots of fun experiments! There is a bicycle on a high-wire that you can pay $2 to ride. You get strapped into the bike, and ride it out over their atrium, so you are actually 3 stories up. People-watching goes on from the ground floor up to the bike, as well as from the 3rd floor railings looking down. There is a net just 5 feet underneath the bike. We let Teresa do it. (Not the other two, since Kara is too short, and David is not wearing the required tennis shoes…)

Teresa rides out to the middle, and of course, what happens…her shoe comes off, in a kind of slow motion, landing gracefully in the net under the bike. Initially she thinks the shoe now belongs to the museum…it is a little unnerving for her to contemplate walking around the rest of the day lop-sided.

But the man brings her back to the side, gets on his radio and asks for someone to come get the shoe out of the net. The comical part is watching their process of forming the rescue. From the top of the atrium, where we are waiting, we can see the employees below, talking on THEIR radios. Then there are 4 of them together, conferencing gravely, looking up at the Serious Situation, and conferencing some more. Then one goes to the desk and takes a Very Important Phone Call. Then one lady from the Conferencing Group stands blocking and waving people away from walking exactly below the net with the shoe in it. The Expert Man With The Fishing Hook comes up and gets on the bike. (Quite a crowd is on the ground floor looking up, now…) The Expert Man With The Fishing Hook rides out and carefully fishes for the shoe. He misses a couple of times. The mesmerized crowd holds its collective breath. Oh, there, he’s got it! Rousing applause and whooping from all levels.

At bedtime, I ask Teresa what was her favorite part of the day. “Losing my shoe on the bike ride,” she says. I chuckle and ask why.

“Because it caused a commotion.”

Books, Beaches, Kamikazi Surfers

Hi!

Well, today is May 18…NOT May 10. How, exactly, do I know that? Teresa gets home from church and asks, “Mom, when are our library books due?”

I tell her that I think it’s around May 24, I looked last week and that’s what the receipts said.

“Well, remember, Mom, we got a bunch from the Newbury Park branch, then a few days later we went to the Main library for me, to get the ones I wanted for reading points at school.” Hmmmm.

I look at the receipts, and sure enough, there is the group I was looking at (due this coming week), and then there is another group of receipts behind that, that were all due…May 10.

You have to understand: this is a BIG DEAL for me. I have worked SO hard, over the years, to refine our library system! I am SO CAREFUL! This is very hard for me to take…Teresa goes to get the calculator. We owe $25.60. Sigh.


On a happier note, Frank has been here this weekend! It has been a scorcher: temps in the 90’s and just over 100 inland, so our reply yesterday was…to go to the beach! It’s around 20 degrees cooler there, breezy, and of course the water is freezing. It makes a world of difference with the wetsuits, though, so Frank and I take the boogie boards out. If you can get through the first 5 minutes, while your bare feet go numb, the rest of you actually adjusts.

The biggest challenge, I think, is the surfers. Now, to help you understand…GOOD surfers are not dangerous. Maybe to themselves, I guess, if they take on waves that are just too big. But the REALLY dangerous ones are the “Almost-Good” surfers. They are good enough to stand up and stay on the board, but not quite good enough to steer or dodge the people around them.

We float in the water with various other surfers, waiting for a wave. A wave comes, and if another surfer is only 20 feet away from you and they catch it first, there’s no telling where they’re going with it. Sometimes they whiz by and only miss you by inches.

I have my eye on a particularly big guy…he has an athletic build so he’s not fat, but he probably weighs 225 lbs. He can stand up on the board and ride it, but he has no control whatsoever and I’ve watched him “Almost Nail” other people a time or two. I am quick to envision myself getting mowed over by his speedy board, and he wouldn’t even notice. I signal to Frank a little ways off and point to this guy: “I’m afraid of him.” Frank nods in agreement.

Beach highlights this time include: digging in the sand, collecting man-eating-sized seaweed, and of course Teresa finds a dog whose owner is more than happy to let her exercise with him. The ocean is a never-ending source of natural entertainment for the kids, and therapy for me. We should definitely come here more often.

Pancake Mistake

Hola!

Tomorrow is Mother's Day. This afternoon I walk into a beautifully clean office, (downstairs at home), with lots of floor space and cleared-off desk space! I ooohh and aahh, and find out that Kara (8 years old) did that for me, for Mother's Day.

After I thank her profusely and give her a big hug, I cautiously ask, "Where are all the papers that were on the desk?" She smiles and points to a stack of papers on a bookshelf. Whew! I heave a sigh of relief. "That's just the right thing to do with all those papers, Kara," I assure her.

I am informed at breakfast that I have MESSED UP, by making pancakes for breakfast. See, tomorrow, the KIDS were going to make me pancakes. (It takes me approximately 5 seconds to think of a DIFFERENT breakfast they can make tomorrow. I am very resourceful...that's what mothers do.)

Happy Day tomorrow...Kari

Airplanes, Argentina, Art

Hola, and Happy May!

We are having a happy weekend, with Frank “visiting” for a couple of days. He returned from Argentina & Brazil safely, and has a “long layover” in California “on his way back” to Boston.

LAST spring, Frank and I went to Buenos Aires, Argentina, and last week he browsed some of the same markets and museums that we went to last year. Here is an optical illusion Dot Painting from one of the museums. If you stare at it, the dots seem to move...

The second is of Frank standing in front of a HUGE sculpture of Brazilian explorers. These men were responsible for the founding of the country. (BTW, the explorers themselves were NOT that BIG…see, with sculptures, you can carve people a lot bigger than they actually were in real life…)David helped with the Youth Yard Sale on Saturday. This was to earn money for camps they’ll attend this summer. The kids collected donated items from congregation members, and one family said they could have the yard sale at their house. So bright and early last Saturday (5:30 a.m.—wow!), they all went to set up and price things, and spent the morning selling.

Teresa went to a "sleepover" Friday night, where the 10 of them pretended they would sleep in the family camper/RV, parked in front of the house! (Sounded to me like a perfect answer to not having basements out here: Send them to the camper!) She is definitely sleep-deprived, but had a good time.

And Kara has been working on her front teeth…one is definitely more loose than the other, but they’ll probably both be gone at the same time for a little while.

Hope your transition into May was a good one. Love, Kari