Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Hillary and Claire Pick some Berries. Yo.

Hillary and Claire went to pick some strawberries at a local farm this morning and Hillary wanted to blog about it so here it is the first blog of hopefully many from Hillary:

This morning Claire and I ventured out to a berry farm here in Chapel Hill to pick strawberries. Though apparently there are several in the area, we went to the Waller family farm http://www.wallerfamilyfarm.com. You can buy pre-picked strawberries by the quart or by the gallon or you can pick them yourself for $1.45 a lb. Of course, the reason you drive out there is for the exquisite taste of fresh strawberries that you have picked yourself (yes, they do taste better)-- so you pick them. We got our mud shoes on (there has been a lot of rain here lately) and ventured out for a real agricultural experience. It was soo fun! It totally reminded me of home. It reminded me of all those mornings out picking beans in the garden. The bending over for long periods of time and checking under the leaves to make sure you haven’t missed any. Thank you mom and dad for having a garden when we were young! Those are such great memories, and we cultivated more than vegetables in our backyard. It was good honest hard work, and delicious food too!

I’m really glad I went. It was therapeutic. Especially in all the hustle and bustle, all the stress and hurry of modern life, it felt great to get back to the land. I know that’s cliché, but it’s still true. Sure, it was only for 20 minutes or so, but it was really fun. And yes, I am aware that my experience was very tailored to the benefits of that lifestyle, but I came away a believer. It was so free and easy out there. Just you, the plants and the dirt ---and the dirt doesn’t judge.

Needless to say, I got carried away. In all those bean-picking years, I have really perfected my technique and in 20 minutes I had picked a quarter of a row (they were long rows) and a little over 5 lbs. for our small family. We’ll likely be having a lot of smoothies to use them all. 

Claire was excited about being there for the “berries”, but wasn’t too keen on actually helping pick them, so I picked and she put them in the box. I briefly considered requiring her help in the picking, but she is still probably too young for that. Besides, I didn’t mind. I was having a ball.

Below is a picture of Claire and our haul. Hope everyone out there is doing great!

(This is Claire.)(No that is not Hillary's butt ...'er I mean "bum" in the background)

Sunday, April 24, 2011

So we did a little Easter egg hunt with Claire yesterday you can see some clips below. But what I didn’t get in the clips are some of Claire’s best quotes from the week. So let me share them with you in the form of a short Easter Day Three Act Play.

Disclaimer: The events in the following are loosely interpreted from my memory. Some happened exactly as written. Some are a blending of multiple experiences. Others are laced with pure fiction to help give the quotes background. All of Claire’s words are exact and all quotes from me and Hillary are also exact (at least according to my memory). I am doing this as sort of a writing exercise, you know for that book I’m going to write sometime in the undefined future.


Act the First. In this one the conversation happened as written but the events surrounding it are blurred in my memory so I’ve inserted the conversation into a real occurrence but separate event...


Claire wakes up. Claire comes into our room and does her ritual “happy time” morning dance. She calls the morning “Happy Time” I have no idea why she does this but she does. Anyway, Hillary tells her to go to the bathroom (she still forgets in the morning to go because she is so excited about “Happy Time” that she just can’t think about anything else…and yes I am being serious). Claire exits.

Claire returns after about 10 secs. (absolutely no way she went to the bathroom in that amount of time) Hillary says: “did you go?”

Claire: “yep.”

Hillary: “I don’t think you went are you sure?”

Claire: “Cross my heart?”

Hillary: “What?”

Claire: “Cross my heart”

Hillary: “Where did you learn that? Who said that?”

Claire: “Claire did”

Hillary (slightly exasperated): “I know, but who said it before you?” Did dad say it?

Claire (also slightly exasperated): “No, just Claire.”

Hillary (now, fully exasperated): But where did you hear it? Did one of the kids at the park say it?

Claire (also now, fully exasperated): No just me.

Hillary (extremely exasperated): No, you didn’t make it up, you heard it somewhere, where was it?

Claire (also, extremely exasperated): NO, JUST ME.

At this point I enter the quickly escalating conversation:

Will (beyond exasperated): It’s from Robin Hood. You know when they shoot the arrow over the wall and the little rabbits and turtle are going to get it and the rabbit says you have to take an oath not to tell and goes “spiders, snakes and a lizards tongue cross my heart and hope to die, if I tattle I’ll die till I’m dead” and then the little turtle says “but I don’t want to die..”

Silence.

Claire and Hillary look at me.

Faint tinkling sound like a tiny brook or stream.

Claire: “I need to go potty.”


Act the Second. Hillary, Claire and Will are in the front room. Will is eating breakfast at the table; Claire is frolicking in the front room chasing the sunlight, exuding a sort of empyreal exuberance of which only a three year old experiencing her “Happy Time” in the morning is capable.


Hillary: Claire are you ready for Easter?

Claire: Yes!

Hillary: Should we look for some Easter eggs?

Claire: No bones about it.

Hillary: What?

Claire: Mom, just no bones about it.

Hillary: Where do you get this stuff kiddo?

Claire: There’s just no bones mom.

Will: Yeah, no bones about it mom, let’s just look for some Easter Eggs.

They look for eggs.


Act the Third. The next day. Claire wakes up. Enter Claire into Will and Hillary’s room to do her ritual morning “Happy Time” dance. Will groans and pretends he is still asleep.


Claire: “Good morning everybody. It’s happy time!”

Hillary: “Good morning Claire!”

Claire: “Mommydaddy (said as one word) are you awake?”

Hillary: “Yep. Are you ready for breakfast?”

Will: (no response)

Claire: Is daddy awake?

Hillary: Not yet.

Claire (in lowered whispered voice): Mommy’s just awake but Daddy’s just grouchy.

Hillary: Yep.

Claire: Can I have treats for brefest?

Hillary: How about oatmeal.

Exit Hillary and Claire.

Enter Hillary and Claire into kitchen/front room. Claire has a blow of oatmeal in front of her and is singing to/ eating her breakfast.

Hillary: Finish your oatmeal. I’m going to take a shower. Stay here until you are done.

Exit Hillary. Shower water starts in the background.

Claire puts down her spoon. Looks around. Climbs down out of her chair at the table. Cautiously glances down the hall to where the bathroom door and Will and Hillary’s bedroom door is. She enters the kitchen quietly. Deftly climbs the cupboards with practiced easy onto the counter top. Crosses over the stove, climbs on top of the microwave and reaches her Easter basket filled with candy filled eggs on top of the refrigerator. Quickly and quietly retraces her steps and sits on the couch in the front room to enjoy her spoils.

Stop Shower water.

Enter Hillary.

Claire blissfully eating jellybeans: Hi Mom!

Hillary (somewhat impressed by Claire’s tenacity and resourcefulness): UH,Hi Claire. What do you think you are doing?

Enter Will quietly in the background. Looking grouchy.

Claire (matter of factly): Just eating treats.

Hillary: Sheesh kid. You are a candyaholic.

Calire: No, just a treataholic.

Hillary: No bones about it Claire.

Will (from the kitchen): No bones about it.

Claire (to Hillary): Hey, where did you learn that from?

Hillary (laughing): Magic School Bus.

Claire (to Will): Hey, dad, who told you that?

Will: Claire did!

Claire: No just Robin Hood.

Curtain.

Notes on historical accuracy. The first act is already explained in the body. The second act happened exactly as written. The third act is actually two separate events that did happen on the same day but not right after each other. The morning is exactly correct up to the conversation between Claire and Hillary starting with you’re a candyaholic. This conversation happened exactly as written but it actually occurred later in the afternoon after lunch rather than after breakfast.


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

New Website Project

Well after shutting down the furniture website I took a few months off from e-commerce website building. But I have started working on a new project the past month and finally have a landing page up and running. It is a motorsports accessories e-store. Why motorsports? well that is just the way it worked out. Anyway here is the link if you feel like checking it out www.cycleandsledshop.com

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Claire's 3rd Birthday

Claire turned three on Friday! Mostly all I have to say about that is wow! Time flies. We had a pretty fun day. Hillary took the day off form school, (she only has one class on Fridays anyway) and we went and just had some fun.

Here are some vids from the Claire extravaganza.


This is from the Life and Science museum in Durham

Also from the Life and Science. Claire notices at the end that I am recording her and trys to take the camera....


This is inside the North Gate mall. She loves this mall...for obvious reasons.


Also inside the North Gate mall. You can't see it in the video very well. Because I'm a lousy camera man but she has the cutest/shyest smile and way in this one.


Blowing out the candles.