The garden's in: tomatoes, peppers, carrots, pumpkins, squash, beets, broccoli, spinach, chard and assorted herbs, plus heirloom gourds. I'm heavily invested in the pumpkins, a variety called Big Moon that can grow to 200 lbs. My goal is for Ruby & Shep to have one 30 pounder apiece to carve/make pies on their birthday, as well as one insanely large heap of pumpkin that passersby will want to photograph with their kids in the foreground. Probably entirely unrealistic but what the hey. These are heavy feeders however and will need more than rain and sun to reach anything near prize-winning size. Fish emulsion anyone? Below, one week's harvest from last year's garden.
Beacon finally has its new administrator. Meredith Robson doesn't live in town and has no history here, which feels sort of ominous to me though maybe it shouldn't. Her predecessor Joe Braun was a divisive personality who got things done but made enemies and alienated citizens along the way. People seem to feel Braun was the real mayor of Beacon during much of the Clara-Lou Gould era.
Braun's ouster and Robson's hire were direct results of Steve Gold's decisive mayoral victory. During his campaign Gold was pretty clear that Braun's removal would be the first order of business for his administration. Braun saved him the trouble and quit.
What's that you say, you've never listened to WFMU? Fie on you and your Jack FM station! Even your local NPR affiliate, all due respect, I still say fie on it.
Let me sum it up: WFMU is freeform radio, the tagline goes, the way it oughta be. It's that rare combination in radio: a broadcaster that's grown its audience (It's now streamed globally) without shedding its local identity, it's completely DJ centric values or its heart-felt scrappiness. If you wish for the continuance of original (and good) musical expression, you should be listening to WFMU. And if you like what you hear, you should give them some money, since the pledge drive is happening right now. I give $75 a year and it really is the gift that keeps on giving.
spilled on the road: 40,000 heads, feet and other chicken parts
Animal byproducts on the highway in Texarkana:
Bi-state police have shut down a section of eastbound Interstate 30 in Texarkana, AR, due to a spill of chicken parts. They say a truck carrying a load of about 40,000 heads, feet and other body parts from dead chickens overturned near the seven mile marker some time before 3:30 a. m. Tuesday. The contents spilled all over the east side of the highway.
We're moving into this period with Ruby & Shep, I can feel it, where learning gets to be an active process for all of us. No longer a byproduct of merely existing, which is what the baby through toddler years are mostly about (Goodnight Moon and swimming lessons notwithstanding), but a conscious approach that requires some tactical awareness on the part of grown-ups. An approach that can be fucked up. Scary.
So I was interested to discover (via Ze Frank) research published in Scientific American suggesting parents should focus on praising their child's hard work rather than her inate abilities. No shocker there. Kids succeed most who focus on challenges, not obstacles, and who don't fear failure or looking stupid. (The Secret to Raising Smart Kids)
I like to think we teach R & S to value self-sufficiency and process rather than talent and outcome. But there's always the question of whether you're doing enough.
Like all three-year-olds, these two are frequently overcome by seemingly insurmountable difficulties. Like all three year olds, they don't like being pushed into a task. And like all three year olds, they're completely elated when they really nail something new. It's wonderful to be along for that ride, but more, it's a huge responsibility. Suddenly I feel the need to learn as much as I can about learning. So I'm starting to read the research and watch the videos. Speaking of which, here's a phenomenal one, also via Ze Frank:
The speaker is Ken Robinson, creativity expert, who among other great anecdotes tells the story of a little girl in a drawing lesson.
J bought me this ceramic paper cup replica at Past Perfect in Williamsburg (They're also available at WeAreHappytoServeYou.com). The plastic slice of cake is from a set of 80 pieces of fake food given to Ruby & Shep by their great Aunt Kathy and family in California.
