And today, our dear old aloof it's-not-that-I don't-like-you-it's-that-I-don't-care-about-you cat turned 17. She's getting old. 

 
 
 Thursday, March 4, 2010
   "$1,407.00"
   Yesterday, my little Toy(ota) truck was in the shop because it needed a bunch of work before getting inspected. It got a new exhaust system, a new catalytic converter, 2 new rear tires, a tune up, oil change, and a couple of little things fixed, too.
   However, because they had to clear some computer codes in the process, they recommended that I drive it for a week before taking it in for inspection because evidently it sometimes takes a while for the codes to reset. But, since my old sticker had expired already, I didn't have much choice but to take it in and drive with a REJECTED sticker (in this state, you can do that for 15 days in most cases). But the good news is that it passed without any trouble at all. YAY!
   However, when I mentioned on my Facebook Fan Page that all told it cost me $1,407, that entry generated more response than anything else I've ever posted there. I guess Pain in the Pocketbook really touches a nerve around here! 

 

 

 Sunday, March 7, 2010
   "Toys on Stage"
   For maybe the 7th or 8th or maybe even 9th year in a row, I've been in charge of the childcare program at the Green Fields Market annual meeting.
   Actually, I should probably say Franklin Community Cooperative --- their official incorporated name --- because about a year ago, Green Fields Market (which is, of course, in Greenfield MA) bought McCusker's Market in Shelburne Falls MA, so it's not just the Greenfield store's annual meeting, it's for both stores. So:

   For maybe the 7th or 8th or maybe even 9th year in a row, I've been in charge of the childcare program at the Franklin Community Coop's annual meeting. Like last year, this year's meeting was held in the Buckland-Shelburne Community Center in Shelburne Falls MA.
   The village of Shelburne Falls is somewhat unusual as villages go in that not only does it straddle the Deerfield River, but it also straddles the Buckland/Shelburne town line... it's actually in two towns! (It's also home of the wonderful and unique in the entire world Bridge of Flowers, which spans the river between the two.)
   So, the Buckland-Shelburne Community Center has two large rooms (both of which have stages!) and a full kitchen, so it's an excellent place for a food coop to have it's meeting. Before they bought McCusker's, the meetings were always in these little cramped spaces in Greenfield, none of which really had enough room for what the coop wanted to do at it's meetings, so it's wonderful that there's now an appropriate space available.

   So... as I was about to say before all the asides: they set up the meeting in one room and the food and children's program in the other. First we greet; then we eat; and then we meet. So my space during the greet and eat parts is the low stage in the front room. It's got two steps up to it all the way across the front, so it's very easily accessible but also has very clear boundaries. I bring a whole bunch of stuff left over from my family day care days and set up all the toys on the stage. Hence "Toys on Stage".
   Each year, I don't know what's going to get used and what isn't. Some stuff always gets used: my big yellow metal Tonka dump truck, the Giant Tinkertoys, the kitchen set, the cardboard blocks, the dress-up hats, the art supplies. Last year, the books I brought were very popular, but this year not a single book got opened. Last year, there were a boodle of tweens who were very interested in all the board games and card games I brought, but this year: nada. And so it goes.
   But my favorite part this year was 11-year-old Aden who sat next to me at the game table pretty much the entire time he was there and tried to tackle every single strategy challenge item that I brought, the classic Ball in the Cup being a prime example. Now I have a lot of these strategy things, and brought at least a dozen of them. The ones that simply required physical skill (like the Ball in the Cup), Aden got right away, but the ones that had multiple levels of difficulty, he started at the hardest level every time and was, of course completely stymied each time,  too!
   But then I handed him my Jacob's Revenge Bottle Puzzle, and he was hooked for the rest of the evening. All you have to do is make the ball touch the cork It's the most devious, elegant, frustrating, and oh such a simple solution puzzle I've ever seen... it's just that most people just plain can't come up with the answer. And with more than an hour of trying, Aden didn't either. But we sure had a FUN time together while he was working on it, though!