30 September 2014

Rosie Invents the Crab Dance

As we were leaving Ecola Park, Meara and I lagged well behind Gus and Rosie.


As we got closer we thought they had stopped to wait for us.


Then it appeared they were dancing.


Rosie showed us what they were looking at.


And then she showed us how to walk like a crab.



29 September 2014

Oregon Coast

When Gus, Meara, Rosie and I went to the beach for Rosie's 3rd birthday, we stayed in a lovely house in Seaside Oregon.  The beach in Seaside was not very different than the beaches in Cape Cod Massachusetts.

Rosie Seaside 2014
Gus & friend Cape Cod 1985
















Before going back to Portland, we drove about 20 minutes down the coast to Ecola State Park.  It was there that I found a very different coast than any I have been to on the East Coast.







We got to the beach just after low tide so we explored the tide pools and all of the wonderful creatures that attach themselves to rocks and wait patiently for high tide.







22 September 2014

Happy Banned Book Week

Banned Book Week is my favorite week to celebrate. Please, check any of the numerous lists of banned books, choose one you don't have and buy it.  

This list is one of many on the Banned Book website.  These lists are a great source for finding your next book to read -- any time, not just this week.

100 most frequently challenged books: 1990–1999

  1. Scary Stories (series), by Alvin Schwartz
  2. Daddy’s Roommate, by Michael Willhoite
  3. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, by Maya Angelou
  4. The Chocolate War, by Robert Cormier
  5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain
  6. Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck
  7. Forever, by Judy Blume
  8. Bridge to Terabithia, by Katherine Paterson
  9. Heather Has Two Mommies, by Leslea Newman
  10. The Catcher in the Rye, by J.D. Salinger
  11. The Giver, by Lois Lowry
  12. My Brother Sam is Dead, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier
  13. It’s Perfectly Normal, by Robie Harris
  14. Alice (series), by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor
  15. Goosebumps (series), by R.L. Stine
  16. A Day No Pigs Would Die, by Robert Newton Peck
  17. The Color Purple, by Alice Walker
  18. Sex, by Madonna
  19. Earth’s Children (series), by Jean M. Auel
  20. The Great Gilly Hopkins, by Katherine Paterson
  21. In the Night Kitchen, by Maurice Sendak
  22. The Witches, by Roald Dahl
  23. A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
  24. The New Joy of Gay Sex, by Charles Silverstein
  25. Go Ask Alice, by Anonymous
  26. The Goats, by Brock Cole
  27. The Stupids (series), by Harry Allard
  28. Anastasia Krupnik (series), by Lois Lowry
  29. Final Exit, by Derek Humphry
  30. Blubber, by Judy Blume
  31. Halloween ABC, by Eve Merriam
  32. Julie of the Wolves, by Jean Craighead George
  33. Kaffir Boy, by Mark Mathabane
  34. The Bluest Eye, by Toni Morrison
  35. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Girls: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Daughters, by Lynda Madaras
  36. Fallen Angels, by Walter Dean Myers
  37. The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
  38. The Outsiders, by S.E. Hinton
  39. The Pigman, by Paul Zindel
  40. To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee
  41. We All Fall Down, by Robert Cormier
  42. Deenie, by Judy Blume
  43. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes
  44. Annie on My Mind, by Nancy Garden
  45. Beloved, by Toni Morrison
  46. The Boy Who Lost His Face, by Louis Sachar
  47. Cross Your Fingers, Spit in Your Hat, by Alvin Schwartz
  48. Harry Potter (series), by J.K. Rowling
  49. Cujo, by Stephen King
  50. James and the Giant Peach, by Roald Dahl
  51. A Light in the Attic, by Shel Silverstein
  52. Ordinary People, by Judith Guest
  53. American Psycho, by Bret Easton Ellis
  54. Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
  55. Sleeping Beauty Trilogy, by A.N. Roquelaure (Anne Rice)
  56. Bumps in the Night, by Harry Allard
  57. Asking About Sex and Growing Up, by Joanna Cole
  58. What’s Happening to my Body? Book for Boys: A Growing-Up Guide for Parents & Sons, by Lynda Madaras
  59. The Anarchist Cookbook, by William Powell
  60. Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret, by Judy Blume
  61. Boys and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
  62. Crazy Lady, by Jane Conly
  63. Athletic Shorts, by Chris Crutcher
  64. Killing Mr. Griffin, by Lois Duncan
  65. Fade, by Robert Cormier
  66. Guess What?, by Mem Fox
  67. Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
  68. Lord of the Flies, by William Golding
  69. Native Son, by Richard Wright
  70. Women on Top: How Real Life Has Changed Women’s Fantasies, by Nancy Friday
  71. Curses, Hexes and Spells, by Daniel Cohen
  72. On My Honor, by Marion Dane Bauer
  73. The House of Spirits, by Isabel Allende
  74. Jack, by A.M. Homes
  75. Arizona Kid, by Ron Koertge
  76. Family Secrets, by Norma Klein
  77. Mommy Laid an Egg, by Babette Cole
  78. Bless Me, Ultima, by Rudolfo A. Anaya
  79. Where Did I Come From?, by Peter Mayle
  80. The Face on the Milk Carton, by Caroline Cooney
  81. Carrie, by Stephen King
  82. The Dead Zone, by Stephen King
  83. The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain
  84. Song of Solomon, by Toni Morrison
  85. Always Running, by Luis Rodriguez
  86. Private Parts, by Howard Stern
  87. Where’s Waldo?, by Martin Hanford
  88. Summer of My German Soldier, by Bette Greene
  89. Tiger Eyes, by Judy Blume
  90. Little Black Sambo, by Helen Bannerman
  91. Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett
  92. Running Loose, by Chris Crutcher
  93. Sex Education, by Jenny Davis
  94. Jumper, by Steven Gould
  95. Christine, by Stephen King
  96. The Drowning of Stephen Jones, by Bette Greene
  97. That Was Then, This is Now, by S.E. Hinton
  98. Girls and Sex, by Wardell Pomeroy
  99. The Wish Giver, by Bill Brittain
  100. Jump Ship to Freedom, by James Lincoln Collier and Christopher Collier

07 September 2014

Rosie Turns 3, Part 3

After Rosie's birthday bagels at the beach house, we walked the promenade to the center of town.



There was a small aquarium on the promenade.

 Rosie got to feed the baby seal.

Octopus!

After the aquarium we all needed some fresh air.


The first thing we found when we got to town was a carousel.





01 September 2014

Dog Day

Today is Dog Day.  Dog Day was established when Bear was born on September 1,1995.  At the time we had Oppey,  Buddy & Jezebel - Bear was the last in that long line of great Labs.  Rather than celebrating so many birthdays I declared September 1st as Dog Day.  The celebration has continued throughout the years, even after the incredibly sad loss of Bear (http://ddramblings.blogspot.com/2012/03/sad-anniversary.html).  It has become less a birthday celebration and more a day to honor all dogs and the place they share in our lives.  In spite of the name, the day is also for cats, indeed any pet, because they are all members of our families, and they all give us great joy and comfort.

Dog Day is a celebration so I will  remember Bear and Buddy and Oppey and Jezzie and Blackie the Brown Dog with love and gratitude for all they have given me.  And my beautiful Lucy who is still with me, will have the traditional dish of venison and all the cookies she wants.

So in honor of Bear, and in honor of all our fur-friends past and present, please celebrate a very happy Dog Day.