Food and determination

It's been a great season for sweet corn, and we've had it several times. Evie knows corn is yummy. Today we came home with several ears, and she looked interested in helping with the shucking duties. Grabbing her first ear, she tried biting into an unshucked ear. It was not yummy, so she stopped. Then stared it down. You could just see the little wheels turning inside her head. There was yummy stuff to be had here, perhaps it's just a matter of determination. So, with visions of sweet corn, she took a huge bite out of the side and kept going until there was finally recognition that you just can't chomp into corn like an apple.

That's our girl, she know what she likes and is going to need something significant to deter her.

Next up was snack time. Some animal crackers, cheese, bread and a few Teddy Grahams for dessert. She ate and drank till she was full, and clearly indicated her fullness by pushing away her plate and cup, then pushing away from the table and starting to work on the safety belt on the highchair (again, wheels turning - I WILL figure out how to get out of this thing myself). That is when this full, content child saw the donut holes on the counter. A baby Homer Simpson has nothing on Evie. The best description I can give is "grinning, gaping maw". It looked like she instantly developed the snake talent of unhinging her lower jaw to enable her mouth to open as wide as her head to accept the entire package at once. This was done with an expression of pure joy, finger pointing at the sweet treat, and a clear audible indication that a direct order was being issued. It was so cute that she earned herself a donut hole. She is just scary-good at parental manipulation already. We're in so much trouble.

Book club

OK, I had the best of intentions when I posted a couple of recommendations last October. Lots of reading and lots of reviews were all to be posted, I'd be the next Oprah. Well, at least I read a few non-programming and non-financial books since then.

Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid by Jimmy Carter

Certain people in power fancy themselves as experts on the Middle East because they have a world view of pre-emptive warfare and submitting populations to their will by the barrel of a gun. But there are thousands of years of history to respect if you really want to understand what's actually going on. Carter does an excellent job of reviewing history for those of us that need additional education. Then he relates his extensive experience to give you a real sense of hope that there are approaches other than war, occupation and oppression. Carter took a lot of heat from the mainstream media for writing this book because it does not tow the line that everything Israel does is always correct. What the critics never discuss, of course, is that Carter is accurate and brutally fair to all sides. The book is excellent, and is founded in the reality of our day, not political ideology.

Where Have All the Leaders Gone? by Lee Iacocca

Written in that Iacocca style, it's a quick read, but don't pick it up if you think there's nothing to be outraged about with the current "leadership" we have in this country. Lee is straight to the point. Good book.


Currently being read, depending on mood and location:

101 Ways to Be a Special Dad by Vicki Lansky
Lots of cute stuff, and enough ideas to ignore the ones you don't like.

Does Anything Eat Wasps? by NewScientist
Fun read, and again there's lots of stuff so skip over the stuff you find uninteresting.

Our Endangered Values by Jimmy Carter
His "Palestine" book was so good that I needed to read more Carter. Only partway into this, and my impression is already extremely positive.

It's about time, more pix!

3 months worth of pictures were just uploaded, starting here.
Same old password, enjoy!



Evie is now a champ at walking. Quite stable, and she can pick the giant duck up and walk with it. Of course, it makes a great airbag, too.