Dancing, and weird garden problems

Annika's dance recital was last Saturday. The picture pretty much says it all.

In bizarre garden news:

First, the normal stuff: We are making a good effort, I think. Things are growing well, despite the fact that we've replaced some of the tomato plants twice after the cutworms ate them. We resorted to chemicals. In addition, we've put up strings to keep us and the girls from walking on the plants, we're watering well and Lisa's weeding frequently. Fortunately, we're pretty far from the woods, so we don't have many worries about critters getting in the garden. One of our neighbors has seen deer tracks in her garden.

Then the bizarre stuff: I came home today, and two neighbor girls met me in the garage, almost anxious to talk to me (which is not normal). They informed me that today we had cows - cows! - in our garden. COWS!! Sure enough, there were deep hoofprints all over the garden, and near the swingset. Somehow, they didn't do too much damage, although they apparently tried to eat some strawberries. There's a pasture with cows about a quarter mile from our house. They got out. I wish I could've seen it.

How do you prepare for cows in your garden?

A and A

Amazingly enough, the girls continue to grow. We had them in matching dresses last Sunday, but it was impossible to get them in a decent picture together, which is why there are two pictures here. Annika finished a great year of preschool and gets to be a kindergardener next year at Millbrook. Her dance recital is tonight, and maybe I'll get a picture up from that soon. It's nice to have some warm weather so the girls can play outside.
Speaking of the outdoors, here are the recent highlights: today Annika found a snapping turtle in the yard, about a foot or more long. There's a killdeer nest in our neighbor's garden that we keep tabs on. I saw a pileated woodpecker across the street for sure (it's bigger than a crow). Our garden is doing pretty well, although we already replaced the tomato plants once, and the second set aren't doing so well either (cutworms). Our sunflowers are sprouting like mad, as is the lettuce, whose seeds we got from Rebecca (thanks!). I planted almost 150 annuals last weekend, and put some zinnias around the house today. It's all good out there.

Deee-Troit Baaaaase-Ballllllll!!!!

1984 was a big year for me. I turned 9 that year, not long after my lil' brother Greg was born, but more importantly (sorry Greg), not long after the Detroit Tigers won the World Series. That's a real impressionable age, and that victory still stands as one of the most significant non-religious and non-family-related events of my life. I checked the box scores in the paper everyday, and Kirk Gibson was my favorite player.

Since then, the Tigers have only made the playoffs once, in 1987, and haven't had a winning record since 1993. BUT NOW, in 2006, after a quarter of the season has gone, the Tigers have the best record in baseball, at 31-14. Are they for real? We'll see! If the Tigers made the playoffs and the Yankees didn't, I couldn't be happier.

I'll be wearing my Tigers hat a bit more proudly this summer. If you see me wearing it, though, notice how grimy and gross it is - that's a result of wearing it a lot before this spring, even when Detroit was stinking up the ballpark. Go Tigers!

I'm a dork, but it's OK

Having reached the age of 30, I find myself enjoying things that sound sort of old and farty, like birdwatching and gardening (I'd like to call it landscaping, since that sounds more manly, but I mostly like the planting and nurturing part of it - what a sensitive nerd). It's like all my interests are maturing - I still enjoy a good rock 'n roll song, but from a more thoughtful and academic perspective. I never much cared for some music that had a history of popularity, from Guns n' Roses and Nirvana to Elton John and Billy Joel, but now I pretty well appreciate their greatness.

On the "birding" front: we have multiple bird feeders on our deck, each serving a particular purpose, and it has made our backyard a busy place. Here's the birds we've seen just in the last month or so:

Goldfinch
House Finch
White-Breasted Nuthatch
Hairy Woodpecker
Downy Woodpecker
Red-Bellied Woodpecker
Cardinal
Mourning Dove
Baltimore Oriole
Ruby-Throated Hummingbird
Grackle
European Starling (dirty, pesty invasive species)
Chickadee
Tree Swallow
Canada Goose
Sandhill Crane (not at the feeders)
Robin
Cowbird
Chipping Sparrow
House Sparrow
Rose-Breasted Grosbeak
Red-Winged Blackbird (or as Annika used to say, the Bling-Bling Blackbird)
Killdeer
White-Crowned Sparrow
Tufted Titmouse
Eastern Bluebird

There's probably a Wood Duck that lives across the street from us in a marshy area, and in our general area I've seen Blue Jays, Wild Turkeys, Great Blue Herons, Turkey Vultures, a small raptor that I think is a Northern Harrier, and Pheasants, along with common Mallard Ducks, Crows, and Seagulls (by the landfill). I thought I saw a Pileated Woodpecker across the street too, and my neighbor said he saw a Bald Eagle sitting in a tree in the same marshy area. The Dark-Eyed Juncos and the Tree Sparrows are only around during the winter.

So, not only do I enjoy it, but I document some of it like a junior ornithologist. Nerds 4evah!

Movie Reviews

Because you value my opinion (right?):

Lisa and I watched the Passion of the Christ last night. We borrowed it from our neighbors about a year ago, so it was time. Overall, very well done, but brutal to watch. Some strange stuff, though (spoilers ho!): Was Mary Magdalene the nearly-stoned prostitute? Satan's, um, baby? What? Did demon kids really chase Judas? In the end, these give me Harry Potter syndrome: after seeing a movie based on a book, I feel the need to read the book to see what "really" happened (and in the case of HP, to read the whole series again).

Other movies, in brief, from the last few months:

Charlie & the Chocolate Factory - good weird fun. I do like Johnny Depp, even more so knowing that he can do Willy Wonka and Cap'n Jack Sparrow.

Emma - nice romantic comedy. Nothing super special, but well done.

John Q. - Again, nothing special, but it does make you think a little bit about our screwed-up health care system.

Kill Bill Volumes 1 and 2 - surprisingly, two very different movies, but both spectacular in their own ways. I think I prefer Volume 1. They just ooze with Quentin Tarantino style.

Ocean's 12 - alright already. Fine, but getting a little ridiculous with that many characters. I can't believe they're making Ocean's 13.

War of the Worlds - pretty good. As a father of daughters, I could feel myself getting anxious whenever Tom Cruise got separated from Dakota Fanning. The minivan-jacking scene is a good example, as Tom argues with the crowd while someone else gets in the driver's seat - my inner monologue was nothing but "Getyourdaughtergetyourdaughtergetyourdaughter."

That's all I can think of. Yay for May!

Birthday 5

As of last Friday, we are now the proud parents of a 5-year-old (and given that we'll hit our 10th anniversary this summer, we've now been married longer with kids than without). On Annika's birthday we went on a preschool field trip to the Critter Barn, where the kids got to pet and hold all sorts of animals. In the afternoon we spent some time on the playground at Millbrook, where the birthday girl grew a static afro on the slide (see below). It was a beautiful day, so we had some ice cream cones before heading home and opening presents, and then had McDonald's at the park for supper. Overall, she's had a wonderful birthday weekend, and it won't be over until next weekend when she has her "Fancy Nancy" birthday party with girls from school and church.

We had a wonderful Easter today. Annika danced in church and did great (she was the youngest one up there!). Grandma and Grandpa D and Greg and Katelyn came to see her. Abby had a typical pretty 21-month-old day, although it did feature more pastel M & M's than normal (and she thanks Grandma D for them).

My Expensive Beer

On Saturday I went to one of the mot wonderful places in West Michigan - Siciliano's Market, which has the best selection of good beer, home-brewing supplies, cigars, pipe tobacco, tea, etc. I was there with brother Greg and together we bought a case of beer. One beer I didn't see there was Founder's Breakfast Stout, which is an inky blank, thick brew that features the flavors of oatmeal, coffee, and chocolate, among other things. Also not present was Founder's Kentucky Breakfast Stout, which is very similar to the regular version but aged in old Kentucky bourbon barrels for even more flavor. The local beer scene is currently abuzz about this concoction. However, I forgot to mention the 56 bottles that I returned when paying for our beer, so I didn't get my deposit money and subsequently went back to get it. While there I happened to mention the KBS to one of the employees, and she said they had it hiding in back to be sold only when customers request it, or else it would be gone in a flash. After deciding not to get a bottle, I changed my mind, and bought one, setting a new personal record for most expensive bottle of beer I've ever purchased: $4.49 (for one bottle!). That's not much for the hardcore beer fan, but it is for me. It better be good.