Cats for Christmas Cheer

My daughter and her husband and baby have moved back in with her in-laws. It's a long story, but they worked a rent free deal since both Kate and Jon are full time students again. Kate had two cats, Jade and Beetle, and Jordan just loves the cats, especially Jade. Jade has been very tolerant of Jordan's rough handling, and in fact, there is a lot of mutual love and affection between the two. Check out this picture, taken back in the summer, that I titled "Loving Jade". At any rate, Jon's father is deathly allergic to cats, so to keep the kitties happy, and to make sure Jordan doesn't lose Jade prematurely, I now have two cats.

At first they were both outside, then they were both inside,and now Beetle is outside(by his own choice) and Jade is inside. I'm allergic to cats, too, but my allergies present as nasal congestion and general itchiness. It has been a week, and while I've had some symptoms, it is far less than what I would have expected, so I am keeping my fingers crossed that we can continue to keep Jade in the house. Beetle is a little Romeo, very affectionate and playful. You can tell that he is a younger cat. He's very pretty for a tomcat. I took a picture of them in the cat carrier the night they arrived, just before we let them out. Of course, I also took some pictures today as Jordan got to play with Jade for the first time in over a week-since they moved. She was so happy to see her "Dade"! Seeing that smile makes any allergy worries melt away. It may have been the best present she got-and it is one that money had nothing to do with. By the way, that's my son in law, Jon, who I think misses Jade almost as much as Jordan does.

We are trying to rename Beetle, and have been calling him Tiger, Tigger, and the mutant moniker of Tiger Beetle. He is apparently living under the house, again, by his choice. He ran through my legs two nights ago and bolted out of the door. He will let you catch him and pet him, but the minute you head for the house, he's down and gone in a flash. I actually think it will be good to have both an indoor cat and and outdoor cat. Not only are they good for killing mice, but I hear cats are great against scorpions and snakes, too. I just hope that Beetle will be able to outrun Hobo, the cat killing German Shepherd across the road.

First frost and freeze

Tonight we should have our first frost and freeze, and tomorrow we should have a hard freeze. I usually subtract 5 degrees from the predicted Calhoun temps for planning. We haven't gone below 45 yet, and suddenly we are looking at 31 or 32 for tonight and 26 or 27 tomorrow. We skipped the low 40's and thirties altogether!

I just came in from picking the last of the beans and tomatoes. I kept about 4 tomato plants alive and kicking until frost, bringing in the first, and last, green tomatoes just now. I got enough Kentucky Wonder pole beans for a meal. Those beans have been producing since the first week of June! A Wonder indeed!

I wish I had a few more weeks for okra as the plants still have flowers and plenty of life even at 7 feet tall. I'll use up the last peppers with tacos and beans tonight, and I might make some fresh salsa with the last tomatoes. It's all good. I finally grew enough beans to freeze and it should last until next summer...I hope. I'm going to leave the remaining butternuts out there for tonight, and bring them in tomorrow. I've never left anything out after frost, so this is a bit scary for me. I usually use squashes and never have any left to leave out, but this year, I have over 30 pounds of squash in storage already, so the remaining 10 pounds or so is an experiment that should be successful since most folks do leave the squashes until after the first frost.

I still have a 32 ft row of peas, half English and half snow peas, but neither is doing well. I've harvested some English peas, but the snow peas are slow. I have some kale to try, and a few plants of collards, cabbage, broccoli, and yes, Brussels sprouts, but nothing is even close to being ready. I may lose most of it after this weekend.

The springs are still running in the garden making it a mucky mess, and a new one made a small sinkhole(about fist sized) less than a foot away from my Mars Seedless grapevine that is 2 years old. Either those grapes will be extra juicy or the vine will be diseased and die. Time will tell. Anyway, I've been moving the carpet strips around just to be able to walk enough to harvest the beans and such. The amount of water we have this year is amazing.

I also stripped the leaves of my Malabar spinach vine, pulled two radishes, and stripped the leaves of a lemon verbena. All the porch and deck plants are in the greenhouse and ready for winter.

I split a fresh load of dry wood this morning, and we currently have the first fire of the season in the woodstove. My daughter and granddaughter are visiting. Life is good.

Future Shock or Just Getting Old

Alvin Toffler, in Future Shock, predicted this would happen, but he didn't tell me that I would feel old and worry about having early onset Alzheimers. You see, I'm having trouble keeping up with technology. I know I am not alone, but I feel alone. At some point in life, I must have decided to turn my back on it and I just haven't kept up with things. For example, I have no clue what Blue Ray is, or what 3G or 4G means. I don't suppose I'll ever own a cell phone, um, Blackberry or iPhone. I've never texted anything, never received a text. I've never surfed the internet on anything but my desktop computer, never had a laptop even. Never had a Mac or an Apple...brother in law partitioned a drive for me and I had Linux at one time, but there just weren't any apps for it back then, so I went back to Windows. It takes more than 7 minutes for my Facebook home page to load, and I can't chat from it. Point is, even my experience on popular sites like Facebook is not what others experience. I can't watch video - no YouTube. I don't have a web cam for Skype. I'm really not even sure how that works, or if it would even work, connecting as slow as I do. No iPod, no Mp3 music or podcasts, never done it because of my connection speed. It is getting to the point where I almost can't get updates for the programs I have. These companies forget that dialup users have a hard time downloading a 15 meg update. I just got a Windows update. Even leaving the computer online all night long, it took all day yesterday and last night and this morning...24 hours..I have no idea of how large the update was, but whatever. 18 kbps download speed....Woohoo!

Long ago, I stopped looking at vehicles. I couldn't tell the difference between a Honda or Chevy. All the cars kind of look the same to me. People say, "I saw you on such and such road and waved-didn't you see me?" Of course, I don't look at other cars, just the road, so I never see anyone. I'm really nearsighted, which also plays a part in not noticing friends or family in oncoming cars. If I do make them out in passing, it is too late to wave, so people think I'm snobby or angry.

I'm out of it in more ways, too. Just for kicks, I googled the Billboard top 100 and top 50 singles. Out of 150 entries, I recognized 28 artists(some duplicated like the Black Eyed Peas) and two songs (Boom Boom Pow, Kiss A Girl). This poor showing from someone who used to know even the most obscure group on the top 100. When and how did this happen? I swore to myself when I was 15 that I would NEVER ignore pop music-that if nothing else, I would at least know the most popular artists and songs, the top 40, etc.

At my last job, I worked with this boy genius kid who knew more about Excel and spreadsheets in general than anyone I've ever known. Today's 20 something kids have been taught about these useful programs and software apps in school, whereas, my generation was forced to learn on our own. It is no wonder that people my age can't find a job. We are dinosaurs. I'm a chemist, but even the periodic table is different now than it was when I was in school. Experimental physics and polymer chemistry has changed everything in industry and manufacturing. When I was in school, polymer chemistry was a chapter or two in your Organic Chemistry class. Now, you can major in polymer chemistry.

I kept my granddaughter on a recent Saturday. I used to think that I would have a lot to offer her in the way of knowledge and wisdom. I did graduate college with a 3.94/4.0 GPA. I consider myself intelligent, and yet, I wonder if my knowledge will be relevant by the time Jordan is old enough to understand things. Will she appreciate Nature, or will she become a city girl who would rather be shopping at the local mall? Will she care about what I think if, in her eyes, I am old and irrelevant and not 'with it'? Already, my advice to my daughter concerning finances doesn't make sense as I write checks and keep paper records and she banks and pays bills electronically. Will Jordan even want to visit me here, where there are bugs and mosquitoes? What do I have to offer? Will she be so bored she hates the place when she can't get her Tweets or Texts?

In a homesteading, subsistence lifestyle, one doesn't have a need to watch anything on Blue Ray. One doesn't really even need television. It is optional. My field peas don't need a podcast, and I can hear the rooster at 4 in the morning just fine without 4G. Still, I wonder.

Future Shock was written in 1970, I believe, but it is very relevant today. It is worth reading if you have never read it, and worth a reread if it has been a while since you did. If you are like me, you have forgotten a lot.

Survival of the Sickest: Part I

My daughter Kate has similar tastes in books as I do. We like non-fiction, but it needs an edge so it is not too dry of a read. This time, Kate has loaned me a 2007 book by Dr. Sharon Moalem, called Survival of the Sickest. It is a good read, but then again, I like things like this-hypotheses that make sense, have some scientific evidence to support them, but are not totally proven or accepted as fact. To me, this is the fun of science-it is the big 'What If' that allows you to wonder about coincidences and explore connections between seemingly odd things. I believe that there are no coincidences in life, and I believe that all things are connected.

"DNA isn't destiny, it's history", writes Moalem, and that quote reminds me of a conversation I had a while back with my friend James, who is oft irritated by those who use genetic predisposition as an excuse for continuing unhealthy behaviors and lifestyles. Moalem's quote is important to remember. We have to study history so as not to repeat it, but just because history tends to repeat itself doesn't mean that the future is locked in. When it comes to disease, there are so many variables and triggers that it is possible to be predisposed to a disease and have a high probability of contracting it, but never actually contracting it because one lived a life avoiding the potential or known genetic triggers, like smoking or eating a diet low in fiber, etc. Later in the book, when discussing epigenetics, Moalem writes "DNA is destiny--until you get out the old methyl Magic Marker and start rewriting it." You see, it is actually possible to change your DNA by your actions. What you do can initiate certain genes, formerly thought of as junk DNA, now thought of as jumping genes, to fasttrack mutations and speed up evolution. So yeah, Lamarckian was correct after all and the concept of jumping genes, while not fully understood, can explain things like why a small percentage of Australian Shepherds are now being born with naturally docked tails, and why some lizards are born with larger bodies and tails if the mother smells a certain snake while she is pregnant, versus a small bodied lizard if no danger is sensed. Scariest of all, is that my smoking habit may have switched on cancer genes for my daughter AND granddaughter, even if they never smoke. Get this: since I smoked when I was pregnant with my daughter, and she was born with every egg she will have, essentially, my cells passed epigenetic signals to my granddaughter while she was still an egg in my daughter's ovary, while my daughter was still a fetus inside of me. This stuff is wild, and it goes to show that Heinlein was right and the universe is not just stranger than we imagine, it is stranger than we can imagine.

At any rate, the book is about history, genetics, and human evolution, and it is fascinating. He starts off by talking about the disease called hemochromatosis then moves on to diabetes, then blood lipids. I took notes because I am increasing suffering from CRS, a middle age affliction known colloquially as Can't Remember Sh*t. I won't spoil the entire book, but in this post, I do want to talk about his first talking point-the relationship between iron and disease and how that may have helped mankind survive.

Hemochromatosis is a disease where the body locks up and stores iron. Yes, iron is a good thing, but too much iron can cause organ damage. The body has chelators, proteins which lock up iron, and they are very important in the immune response. Egg white, albumin, is full of chelators, as is breast milk. Bacteria multiply unimpeded in iron rich environments, so if you can bind up iron, as chelators do, you can starve bacteria and allow the immune system's other defenses to work.

Bubonic plague affects lymphatic system, causing glands to swell and even rupture through the skin...survival rate is 33% Airborne plague has a survival rate of 10% Those that survived the plague probably had hemochromatosis, a disease where chelating agents lock up iron in the body making it inaccessible to bacteria or were anemic. Today, the hemochromatosis mutation is seen in those whose ancestors came from Western Europe. The downside is that the disease can eventually kill people by the organ damage the iron causes, but because the body's iron is locked away, bacteria starve. The same type of effects are seen in populations that are anemic, like Somali nomads who were exposed to TB, malaria, brucellosis and other diseases, yet did not become sick. In the old days, bloodletting may have helped those with hemochromatosis. It would reduce the iron load. In modern times,people with this disease often give blood more than others. It literally, physically, makes them feel good.

This idea about iron and bacteria requires more study by me. Moalem mentioned what he called the Geritol Solution to Global warming. There was an experiment in 1995 near the Galapagos Islands where massive quantities of iron were dumped into the clear blue(basically barren) ocean. The result was that there was an increased phytoplankton growth and the ocean turned green with life. The plankton and bacteria feasted on the iron, and in doing so, sucked carbon dioxide right out of the atmosphere. I'd like to read more about this, but it sure makes me like the idea of ships as artificial reefs a lot more than I did at one time.

I'll make a few more blog entries on this book, but as a teaser, here's a couple of things you might find interesting:

ACHOO syndrome: Autosomal dominant Compelling Heliopthalmic Outburst syndrome is uncontrollable sneezing when someone is exposed to light after being in the dark...response is a leftover immune response from the days when people lived in caves, and upon emerging into the sunlight, cleared their nasal passages of molds, microbes, etc. that they might have picked up in the cave.

Most adults are lactose intolerance because after a child is weaned, their bodies no longer produce the enzyme that breaks down lactose. People who are descended from tribal or farming communities where animal milk is regularly consumed perhaps have a mutation that allowed continued lactase production after weaning, and therefore would not be lactose intolerant.

Family fun

Today was a great family day. My folks came over to visit and they brought these really cool springy lawn chairs that will be great for sky watching, satellite hunting, and meteor showers. When you lay back in them, they bounce a bit and it feels like you are floating. My daughter and granddaughter also came over and we went to a local recreational area known as The Pocket. It is(DUH)a pocket gap on Horn Mountain, just over the ridge to the north of my house. It is located about 10 miles away by road, yet only a bit over a mile as the crow flies. The Forest service has created a campground and a day use picnic park around the creek and springs area. The creek is cold and the spring water is freezing. At any rate, I'm sure that this rec area was created by the CCC back in the 1930's as the rock work has that CCC character to it. The creek has been artificially widened to about 15 feet, and there is a mortared stone wall as the bank wall. There are steps down into the creeks at various places, and in no area is the water deeper than one foot. The water is clear and cold, the creek bed is small pebbles. All of this makes for a wonderful playground for kids, and adults can sit on the side and soak their achy feet in the ice cold water or even sit down in the creek if the day is hot enough. A lot of hikers come through this area, and the creek is a popular place for them, too. Older kids run around with nets looking for chub and minnows, the younger ones just splash around. It is a cool and relaxing place to be in summer. I just did a websearch looking for pictures, and I found this page, with one picture of the creek where we sat and played; it seems my CCC assumption was correct.

http://www.forestcamping.com/dow/suzi/articles/notable/pocket.htm

Jordan had a good time, I think, although at first I think she was a bit unsure of the icy spring water. After a few minutes, I realized that the creek was a lot warmer than the spring, and after we moved over to the creek to play, she relaxed and started jabbering with the other kids. Later, after we returned home, I took more than a few pictures of her in her new pajamas playing on the new deck chairs.

To top off the night, after everyone left, my son called. I had not heard from him in a couple of months, so it was really good to hear his voice.

All in all, today was one of those days that will stand out in my memory.

Horsing Around with Jordan

I kept my granddaughter last night and today. My daughter is on vacation she and her husband were exploring various museums and historical sites locally, sites that would not interest Jordan, so it was my privilege to spoil and love my special grandbaby. She is like the world's best drug in that no matter how you truly feel, physically, she can erase pain and bring smiles and light into your life.
We are experiencing what is called Blackberry Winter here in Northwest Georgia, it is the last attempt by Old Man Winter to have his way. It is usually in May, like now, when the blackberry bushes are in full bloom. They say the cold snap makes the berries sweeter, too. At any rate, it was in the 40's here, and very windy, not the best day for exploring on the farm, but I have made a pact with myself that I will do something special with her on every visit, something she can't do with her parents or other grandparents due to their location. I could show her my garden, take a long nature walk, or let her express her love for horses. Today, it was the latter. After breakfast, Jordan stood at the kitchen window calling to the horses in the pasture. She stood transfixed for over 5 minutes, only distracted by a chipmunk that ran across the deck right in front of her. So in the afternoon, when it was warmer, my best friend Ava came down and the three of us went out to the pasture to let Jordan love on the horses-and Jack, the donkey. She gets a little horse time whenever she comes, and has never shown fear of them. She loves animals, large and small.(She's going to the Atlanta Zoo tomorrow!) Right now, Jordan looks very much like my son-in-law, Jon, but she has Katie's independent personality, physical prowess, and love for animals.
Ava's horses love Jordan, too. They are all great horses with gentle and loving personalities. I could not ask for better pasture tenants. Joe is the dark colored horse. He is normally a gentle sweetheart, but today he was playful and kept wanting to taste her jeans. Jordan of course just laughed with delight, so he is still a sweetheart in her eyes, . Dallas is the light colored horse, a beautiful boy who is normally mischievous, almost bratty, but today expressed the more mature, gentle and little-girl-loving side of his personality. Jack was Jack, fairly non-expressive, but he never misses out on a chance for a bit of rubbing. There is something about Jack that people love...he so unassuming and sweet. The other horse, Rebel, didn't interact much with Jordan today. Maybe next time.
Usually, we hold her when we are in close quarters with the boys, but she wanted down to explore on her own and the boys were being very good. I've titled these shots, from top to bottom, Jordan loves Jack, Jack come Back, Dallas kisses, Horsey Love x 2, and my favorite, Horse Whispering... Jordan is now 18 months old.

To Fail is Funny

I am oft accused of being too serious and not smiling enough. That's the Finn in me, I'm sure. Finns are often described as dour, serious, boring folks. My family has been trying to help me overcome this affliction, and my daughter has introduced me to a website called Failblog.Org. (http://failblog.org/) Trust me, it's funny. The blog consists of a pictures that are funny or ironic, and the subject matter is further divided into categories like Lolcats, Loldogs, LolCelebs, Look-Alikes, Engrish, etc. Now, I'm a dog person, but the Lolcats page is really funny. Engrish is always worth a chuckle, too, the Harei Davehong Motorcycled/Harley Davidson Motorcycles belt buckle image from this post came from this page: http://engrishfunny.com/page/3/
You can even set the site to show only G-rated material so hopefully you will smile and not take offense. By far though, in my opinion, the Fail pictures and video are the best.
You may get plenty of laughter in your day, but I generally don't. TV sitcoms almost never make me laugh-I find them stupid for the most part and I really dislike the slapstick in some programs. I've always liked more intelligent humor, and there is a good bit of that on Failblog. Laughter is good medicine for whatever ails you. The brain releases endorphins which kill pain and bring about feelings of well-being. A good laugh can make you forget all about how badly your feet hurt or how sore your back is. I believe that laughing as stress relief is just as important as exercise and diet for overall good health, as it certainly must boost the immune system. Laughter may very well be the best medicine, as the Reader's Digest suggested.
So check out the Failblog. If you know of other similar sites, let me know. I need the laughs. I suppose Youtube fills this void for some folks, but I'm on dialup so images are better than video.

Asparagus Love

My asparagus bed is starting to wane in production for this year. The spears are starting to get skinny now. When I planted it, 10 years ago(this image is from 2000, before I harvested anything), I was the only one in my family that ate asparagus. I believe I planted about 10-12 crowns originally, thinking that would be enough for just me. I honestly can't remember how many I planted, but my bed is right at 4x12, I think Now, my entire family has learned to love asparagus and I need to plant more. I want to mention this here in case someone else might be also thinking about planting asparagus.
I originally had no idea of how much to plant. I never gave it much thought. Now, I realize that I like about a dozen spears per serving, larger would be better, but a dozen spears will do. If I planted a dozen crown, and each crown produced a spear, that would give one person one meal. A few days later, I could have another serving. However, all crowns don't produce spears at the same rate. some crowns skip a day or produce pencil size crowns whereas some crowns produce large fat spears and grow very quickly. I think to figure out how much you need to plant, you first decide your portion size...for Portion size in number of spears = number of crowns, approximately x the number of people x frequency of eating asparagus per week.

I am getting two servings per week plus a few stragglers that I add to my salads(raw). For us, that is only enough to whet our appetize for more.

So, for Skyguy, my daughter Katie, and me, let's say 15 spears per serving x 3 people = 45 crowns. 45 crowns x 2 meals a week= 90 crowns Straggler spears can go into salad, and I now have a pickled asparagus recipe if I get tired of grilled asparagus or raw spears in salads. I think I would like to grow about 50% more than I think I will need because I'd like to try new recipes, like this soup:

Cream of Asparagus Soup
Take leftover asparagus stalks(assuming you have removed the spear head for another recipe or for salad) and cut off the tough, wood ends. Peel spear with vegetable peeler to remove the tough outer layer. Steam stalks until soft then puree in a blender with a bit of water to make a runny paste. For each cup of puree, add 1 cup of milk to which 2 TBSP of flour has been mixed in well, and then 1 cup of cream. Add 1 TBSP of butter, salt and pepper, and heat soup until the flour begins to thicken the soup.


So I have come to the conclusion that I need at least 90 crowns for the three of us, but that is just the base, minimum number of crowns. I'm thinking that having 135 crowns should give us plenty of asparagus to grill and roast fresh, eat in salads, make asparagus soup, and some to give as gifts and some to pickle.

So the next problem is determining where I would put 135 crowns of asparagus! Originally I spaced my crowns as recommended, giving them room to expand, but I think I may have given them too much space. I planted them 12" apart in two rows, about 30" between rows. But even after ten years, they have not filled in the interim space. I get multiple spears, but the crowns are not even close to being crowded. I'm considering all options, but keep coming back to a wood sided raised bed like I had before. If I made a bed that was 3x50, that would give me 150 sf, a bit more than the minimum 1 sf need per crown. OR, I could make four box-style raised beds 1.5 ft wide x 25 feet long. I could put them around the garden next to the chicken moat, or create a large square, or make chevrons with the boxes that divert water from all the springs to the sides of the garden. That might be the answer. I'll think on it. Buying 135 crowns of asparagus won't be cheap, so I will have time to think while I save up. I will attempt to collect and harvest seed later in the season. Obviously, growing my own 1 year crowns to transplant will the the least expensive route, IF I can do it.

Version 2.0

This past weekend I kept my wonderful granddaughter, Jordan. I've been calling her JRose for anonymity, but really now, how much anonymity does a one year old need? Her name is Jordan Rose, and we call her Jordan, or Princess Jordan. She is one special kid-a gift. This post, however, is about her mother, my daughter Kate-my original 'Gift', because I sometimes worry that Kate questions her place in my heart. I now shower so much attention on Jordan-I just want Kate to know that I love her, too, more than ever in fact. My daughter is so special to me and so close to my heart that I often have trouble expressing how I feel about her, even though I talk to her almost every day and see her at least once a month.

I was adopted, and until Kate was born, I had no blood relatives. When the doctor laid her on my stomach, I broke down in tears, because there before me, was a part of me, my own blood relative. As I looked at her, checking her hands, feet, eyes, skin, nose, etc., I saw myself and I knew it was not a dream. Even though I now have quite a few blood relatives, my Katie was the first known to me, and the emotion that evokes, even today, almost 24 years later, is magical.

As a baby, she was difficult, not because she was bad or unhealthy, but because she was independent and intelligent. I'm pretty smart, but this kid sent me to the library for advice on what I needed to do-how I needed to parent. I had no clue as to how to react to a child that seemingly did not want my help or nurturing-a 7 month old that walked, a one year old that spoke in complete sentences, usually, "I want that" or "I can do it". I learned that I was misinterpreting her, and it wasn't a rejection of me at all. It took me years to develop independence and self confidence, yet my daughter was born with it. I finally understood that her 'difficult' nature was really a gift, and that it would serve her well as an adult, and that I should take a supporting role and not a controlling role. That was easier said than done, but somehow she made out of diapers without suffering from Shaken Baby Syndrome.

As she grew into a little girl, she simply became smarter and even more independent. It took me less than a week to completely potty train her. She learned to read on her own. She wanted to fix her own lunches. She was a little spitfire and as her personality emerged, I could see that she was just like me. She was stubborn, she was determined, she was energetic, and she was curious. She was a sponge that absorbed life and every ounce of knowledge it provided. In school, she was a teacher's dream; they loved her. She behaved well, she participated in class, she tested well. She learned to play the game. Of course I supplemented her curiosity at home, teaching her everything I could think of, but really, things just came naturally to Kate. She excelled at everything she tried, whether it was playing the saxophone, softball, or painting and sculpting. She was a straight A student who only got in any kind of trouble once, and then even her teachers stood up for her turning the incident into a warning and a learning experience. She learned how to turn something negative into something positive.

Since she left home for college and then marriage, she has continued to grow and mature into a wonderful human being. She has worked since she was 15, first as a restaurant server while in school, and now she is veterinary technician at a upscale animal hospital in a nearby town. She's always loved animals and the biological sciences, so veterinary medicine is a natural fit. She's followed her passion, and she has a promising career ahead. She's always reading about some bizarre zoonotic disease or parasite, always going to conferences and seminars to further her education, and most importantly, she has a great work ethic and truly cares about both the animals she treats as well as the clients.

There are so many great things about Kate. She is beautiful, as you can see, but she is beautiful on the inside, too. She can do minor household repairs. She's not afraid of getting dirty. She is a loyal friend. She gives to her community. She's funny and has a great sense of humor. She's a good mother. She has integrity, is honest, and she's a lot more mature at 23 than I was. She has stood up to me, her husband, and her family on more than one occasion when we were out of line or when she knew she was right. She is her own person. The best part is that my daughter, Kate the Great, is also my friend. We used to butt heads a lot because we've always been very much alike in the way we think, and that often caused problems. Neither of us would give an inch. But now, things are different because she is no longer my responsibility, I don't have to win an argument or be right all the time, so I can finally enjoy her and watch the seeds of all those 'difficult' traits bloom and fruit. For better or for worse, the apple did not fall far from the tree. She is just a later, more improved, version of me. I love you Katie.

This little Princess stole my heart

Yeah, it's corny and sappy, but whatever.
I become a blubbering idiot around her.
Here's a poem I cranked out a few minutes ago:

My Little JRose

With her smiles and giggles and angelic blue eyes
She spreads light and happiness from her half pint size
To all those around her, she is honey-a rose bud
A golden sweet treasure to savor and love.

She's our little thrill-seeker, she loves to be scared,
She likes watching Nature, and no creature is spared.
Animals amaze her, and the fish are her friends,
She talks to them, feeds them, the fun never ends.

Tears rarely befall her, she's a stranger to none
She's is a life-giving drug, she shines like the sun.
We call her our princess, she rules all our hearts
She takes my soul with her, when we are apart

She's the best thing that's happened to me in a while
When I think of my JRose, I could never not smile.

It would be wrong not to mention my daughter and son,
They created this wonder, this sweet honey bun.
My son in law Jon is a father with heart,
The primary caregiver, she gets a great head start.

My daughter works hard, sometimes 6 days a week,
but she makes time for JRose, which is no small feat.
Both parents are wonderful, a balance is made,
And JRose is now poised to take the world's stage.
She has the world at her fingertips,
She breaks walls with her smile,
The future is wide open for this wonderful child.
And maybe just maybe, her grandma's there too,
To spoil her and teach her to swim and canoe,
To garden and sing for the joy of the song,
To dance like the wind when there's no one else home.
So Katie and Jon have a magical child,
A princess for fairy tales, for adventures gone wild.