Baseball Glove Warning Tag?

"Placing your Wilson Ball Glove in the microwave or oven Will damage the glove and is Not recommended."

Pardon me if I sound presumptuous, but isn't this common sense? I wonder how many lawsuits Wilson had to prompt this warning. I feel so naive. I had no idea that there are people who try to bake their baseball gloves. 

Darn, what am I to do now? No microwave or oven use? I'm not sure if it will fit in my toaster ~ but I'll try! ;-)

Never A Dull Moment!

Working as a school librarian is wonderful! I am fortunate enough to see every student at one time or another. Most of them I see on a weekly basis. I help the 4th-8th graders find research material and good "pleasure reading" books. Before the K-3rd graders check-out their "new" books, I read them a story. I use story time as an opportunity to help them make connections between what I have read and occurrences in the world. Last winter I read a cute story about a mama grizzly and her cub. Prior the the story I placed a post-it high on the wall to show them the average height of a male grizzly. It was amazing seeing their little eyes staring 9 feet up toward the ceiling. When I read a Native American tale last spring, it gave me the opportunity to bring in a basket and doll that I had made from tule reeds. I cut some fresh reeds so they could see, feel, and compare between the fresh and dried plant. I also brought photos of a trip that my grandson and I had taken to the Maidu Center in Roseville. I had some great step-by-step pictures of a docent starting a fire from friction and soaproot plant. This week our story included a little lamb and I shared some sheered wool for them to feel. I know that many of these children may not have the opportunity to experience much of nature, so I try to bring it to them.

Are you wondering what on earth this above paragraph has to do with the gecko? I began this post intending to share a cute story, but decided to give you a little background information. Okay, I got a little carried away. Now for the gecko story. Last fall I had just read to a class of kindergartners. It was near Thanksgiving and I asked them to raise their hand if they wanted to share something they were thankful for. Twenty little hands shot up. They shared things such as ~ family, toys, pets, and food. As I neared the end of the group a little boy said, "Geico." I thought I heard him incorrectly so I asked him to repeat himself. Once again, and very seriously, he said, "Geico." It took all I had to keep a straight face while thanking him for sharing. I later whispered to the teacher, "I was pretty thankful for Geico myself when I was rear-ended a few years back." I have no idea what prompted his comment, but I smile to this day just thinking back on it. Out of the mouth of babes, as the saying goes. ;-)

I will share some of these "gems" from time to time. Hopefully you will enjoy them as much as I do.

My Favorite Season Begins Today!

"Delicious autumn! My very soul is wedded to it, and if I were a bird I would fly about the earth seeking the successive autumns." ~George Eliot

Alien Invasion

When this picture was taken, my grandson Issac was barely able to walk. His speech was a mixture of real words and baby babbling. Fast forward 5 years. That "little" guy is now in first grade and has a wonderful vocabulary that often amazes me.

He and I enjoy going on little trips. Yesterday we went to the local children's theater and saw a great play! Part of our time together is spent in the car as we travel from place to place. A couple years ago, my car suddenly became a spaceship. Each time we would prepare to leave Issac would say, "Blast off Grammy." He wasn't satisfied with me saying okay and then doing nothing. How can a spaceship blast off without making any adjustments to the instrument panel? So, our tradition began. My defroster button soon became our turbo boosters. I occasionally had to make other adjustments per the pilot’s instructions as we neared various planets.

About a year ago, the old space ship was scrapped for an intergalactic transport vehicle. It may look like an ordinary Camry, but believe me, it has super powers. Yesterday we were fighting off aliens. "6088" of them to be exact. They are pretty clever those aliens. No matter which buttons I pushed, we just couldn't rid ourselves of them. Have you ever tried driving down Interstate 80 while being pursued by 6088 creatures? It's pretty tricky. Fortunately my trusty captain was able to call out orders from his carseat in the back of the vehicle. One of his first orders was, "Step on it Grammy!" I must admit that the comment caused me to burst into laughter. I had to collect myself quickly, since fighting off aliens is certainly no laughing matter. Just as we neared our destination, I was able to hand the captain the item that I believe saved us from our demise…... the invisible shield tool. (Aka tire pressure gauge) With that, we were safe and sound.

I treasure my times with Issac. Experience tells me that my little captain will one day be grown and my car will be just that..... a car. My soul aches at the thought. I use that ache as my reminder to stay focused on the "now" and savor every special moment.

Self-Induced Chaos

On Sunday mornings I'm a phone volunteer for the Wildlife Care Association. I call each hour to pick-up messages then return calls to assist people who have found orphaned or injured wildlife. It is difficult doing this away from home via cell phone because there are times when I need to access wildlife information from my computer. So ....... Sundays until 1:00 p.m. I stay put.

Being one who likes to make good use of my time, I do the weekly laundry between calls. I also do a bit of cleaning and water the garden. I decided this week that each Sunday I could also use this time to try new recipes. I found one for oatmeal butterscotch cookies that sounded interesting and I actually had all the ingredients on hand!

Well, I must say that my multi-tasking skills aren't quite what they were when my children were young. Timers have become my Sunday morning partners. I set a timer to check WCA phone messages each hour, a timer for the laundry, a timer to move the hose in the garden, and a timer for the cookies (which kept ringing every 8 to 10 minutes). Whenever a buzzer sounded I wasn't sure which way to turn. In addition, I was getting pretty hungry smelling those cookies baking, so lunch preparation got thrown into the mix. (figuratively speaking) Remember the Lucy and Ethel "Chocolate Factory" episode, where the conveyer belt kept spitting out the candy faster and faster? I could relate, although the pace wasn't quite as fast.

I must say that even though it was a bit crazy, for the most part, it all worked out well. A few young birds and a pair of baby squirrels were taken to the Wildlife Care Facility, the laundry was washed and put away, the cookies came out very nicely, plus I had a yummy lunch. Even more amazing was the fact that I didn't put the laundry in the oven or the cookies in the dryer. Of course not you say? Well......... I found my phone in the refrigerator recently. Old age, or too much multi-tasking? I vote for multi-tasking! I'm way too young to be old. Besides, I believe I read once that phones need a good chill every now and then. Must make the batteries last longer. ;-)