Wednesday, June 15, 2011

Playing Poohsticks

"Pooh had just come to the bridge; and not looking where he was going, he tripped over something, and the fir-cone jerked out of his paw into the river. 'Bother,' said Pooh, as it floated slowly under the bridge, and he went back to get another fir-cone which had a rhyme to it. But then he thought that he would just look at the river instead, because it was a peaceful sort of day, so he lay down and looked at it, and it slipped slowly away beneath him, and suddenly, there was his fir-cone slipping away too.

'That's funny,' said Pooh. 'I dropped it on the other side,' said Pooh, 'and it came out on this side! I wonder if it would do it again?' And he went back for some more fir-cones. It did. It kept on doing it. Then he dropped two in at once, and leant over the bridge to see which of them would come out first; and one of them did; but as they were both the same size, he didn't know if it was the one which he wanted to win, or the other one. So the next time he dropped one big one and one little one, and the big one came out first, which was what he had said it would do, and the little one came out last, which was what he had said it would do, so he had won twice ... and when he went home for tea, he had won thirty-six and lost twenty-eight, which meant that he was - that he had - well, you take twenty-eight from thirty-six, and that's what he was. Instead of the other way round.

And that was the beginning of the game called Poohsticks, which Pooh invented, and which he and his friends used to play on the edge of the Forest. But they played with sticks instead of fir-cones, because they were easier to mark."

--A A Milne, The House at Pooh Corner



Everytime we walk around the lake, we have to stop and play Poohsticks.






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Spring in Minnesota


Oh, how I adore spring. Everything is green and vibrant. Flowers are blooming, and the smell when it's raining? Divine. And winter is still months away.

We have really been enjoying a path through the woods very near our house which has been preserved because of a creek that flows through the area. I love the feeling of an alternate world, seemingly so far away from the suburbs, that is just outside my front door. It's like a secret place, which few people visit, and where signs of civilizations are rare. Mr T has been my partner in exploration.

This is a conversation we had on this path. The context was what we would do if we needed the bathroom when we were on the trail.

Me: "Did you know that astronauts can't take all the water that they need for a trip into space, and so they have a machine that can convert pee into water to drink?"

T (with a twinkle in his eye): "That is so gross...but so awesome at the same time!"

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Thursday, June 09, 2011

Schizophrenic Weather

Monday and Tuesday this week were HOT. Very hot for the Twin Cities. It seemed like our lawn went from lush green to seared brown overnight. The high here on Tuesday was 103. That is the hottest day in the Twin Cities in 23 years! Today, it's chilly out--53 degrees. I chose a dress and sandals, and when walking in to work realized that I had underdressed. Luckily, I had a hoodie in the trunk. I'm sure I'll be wearing it all day.

Weird. Very weird weather.
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