Lost Harry Potter #6

N has been borrowing my Harry Potter books for the past couple years. Many months ago, we discovered he couldn't find Book #6. I have decided to re-read 5, 6, and 7. I've only read 5 twice and 6 and 7 once. I only read six once because it was so awful and Harry was so whiney. After Book 6, I remember thinking when the rumors were coming out that it might be Harry who is killed in Book 7, "Good Riddance."

(Ms. Rowling allowed Harry to grow up and get over himself by Book 7, and it was a fantastic book where it didn't drag on too much. Losing Harry would have been a great disappointment.)

Anyway, I picked the last three books to read over because I've read one through four so many times. I told N he needed to search his room and locates #6 by the time I finish #5 or let me know now so I can order another one. He told me not to order one yet; he'd find it.

*****

I took N and J to get a haircut Sunday after church. I brought #5 to read. While I was waiting, I noticed a Harry Potter book under the counter. I asked them who was reading it. They told me no one; that it had been left there. I couldn't quite make out which one it was, so I had N take a look. He knew from the purple, dust-jacketless cover that it was #6.

We got to talking, and he said the ribbon on the bookmark in it looked like the ribbon on his Christmas ornament he made in second grade. I wondered if it was, and asked the ladies if the book had been there a long time. It had. We opened it, and sure enough, there was N's Christmas tree ornament with the word "NICK" written on it.

I guess N left my book behind months and months ago when he got a haircut and forgot that was the last place he saw it.

So I got my book back without having to buy another one, and I got it back before I finished #5.

Happy Thanksgiving!

It's Thanksgiving evening. I'm rather tired. K has diarrhea. She developed it yesterday evening. I was up four times in the night. Mr. K took one time. We still don't have it under control. I am dreading having my sleep interrupted again. It was so horrid last time I had a newborn. I am far to old to have my sleep disturbed like this.

Poor K has tummy cramps, too. I got her a hot water bottle. We keep refilling it to keep it warm for her. I am hoping no one else comes down with this. At least everyone else is old enough to wipe his own butt, though, so I shouldn't need to get up at night unless I am he.

I went to the drug store today and got some Immodium for K. I'm having to scale the dose down for her since at her age, she's in the "ask a doctor" category. I was surprised at how many people were at the drug store since it is a holiday.

Nick and I spent some time this evening working on a Cub Scout menu planning activity he has to do. Mr. K entertained K so I could do that. Otherwise, K has been clinging to me every chance she can.

Originally I had hoped to get up around 4:30 a.m. and hit some of the really good sales, but with my lack of sleep, I don't expect to at all. I almost always plan to hit some of the stores when they open on Black Friday, but so far I never have. I'm always too tired to leave my nice, warm bed.

Thanksgiving is tomorrow

We'll be baking pies tonight. I'll make a cherry pie and Mr. K will handle the pumpkin pie. We'll cheat and use refrigerated crust, which is no where near as good as homemade but so much easier.

We haven't quite decided yet if we'll have venison or a turkey breast for tomorrow's dinner. Whichever I don't cook tomorrow will be for Thursday's dinner.

I have frozen dinner rolls to reheat in the oven, a box of turkey-flavored Stove Top Stuffing, and canned cranberry sauce. I think my mom might be appalled, but she won't be here for dinner.

Beet Leaves

Riannon, this one's for you.


I thinned my beets yesterday and carefully washed the "greens." I put them in a bowl, added a little Italian vinaigrette dressing, and called it a salad. Normally I would have mixed them with other greens, but this was all I had. It was pretty good.

My greens are red because I'm growing a type of beet called "bull's blood." The red leaves look pretty in the winter here. I seldom actually get any beets, but I enjoy the greens. They add color to the yard when things get bleak.

None

This is a picture of a dandelion I saw growing among the fallen leaves of my Japanese maple. After taking its picture, I picked it and fed it to our bunny Spunky. He was delighted to have the treat.

Our yard is pretty much a muddy mess after all the rain we had last week. Our power went out on Thursday evening because a tree fell over some power lines and across the road just down the road from us. It took out our phone after the battery backup died becasue we got fiber optic phone when we switched to fiber optic Internet. I miss the good old copper-line telephone service. Our power came back on Friday afternoon.

J and I went fishing for a while this afternoon. We didn't catch anything worth keeping, but it was fun.

Pretty Peacock

We went to a park today. I was very lucky. A lot of the animals came close enough to me for me to get good photos. Unfortunately, the day was overcast, and the flash didn't light most things up enough. I lightened this guy up just a bit with Picasa. I don't think I've ever been quite this close to a peacock before for enought time to take pictures.

We also saw goats, chickens, rabbits, pigs, sheep, a horse, buffalo, otters, gray foxes, vultures, an eagle, hawks, a bobcat, owls, deer, and bears.

We did this in the afternoon. In the morning, I had a Cub Scout thing to do with the assistant cubmaster. Our pack needed to recharter, and I had to come along because I had to write the check. This year I am the pack's treasurer.

I sort of have a headache. I'm looking forward to getting a bath and going to bed.

Mr. K turned 39!

It is Mr. K's birthday today. We got him a polyurethane broadhead target to use for archery, a book, and a weird metal triangle called a plate vise.

Yes, I am older than Mr. K. It doesn't seem like it until one considers that Ronald Reagan was President when I started college, and George Bush (#1) was President when I finished. When Mr. K started college, George Bush was President, and when he graduated, Bill Clinton was President. I am two grades ahead of Mr. K (but only one year older) because his mom held him back from kindergarten the year he could have started it.


We had dinner at Captain D's, and now Mr. K is ill. He gets ill almost every time he goes out to eat. We don't know what it is that sets him off, but it pretty much happens at any restaurant except fast food hamburgers. You would think that he'd get ill more often from my cooking.

We spent a good bit of the day over at Mr. T's. His friend Fred came over with a pellet gun and a guitar, and we brought over our pellet gun and a bow and arrows and spent a lot of time target practicing. I plinked a few cans, myself. I seem to shoot better since my vision improved.

Testing a picture

This is a test post to see if the old picture of N shows up. I'm having no luck getting it to Flickr.