Green Machine

No, you crazy kids, I'm not talking about this:

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I'm talking about the Blogwagon being a Green Machine! What do you think? Minty fresh? I kind of like it, but knowing me, I'm sure I'll get sick of it eventually and change it. I really wanted a three column layout and this one was OK, so I went with it. I welcome your thoughts...whether it makes you green with envy, green at the gills, or just feeling like the Incredible Hulk threw up all over the blog.

Signs 'o Summer

 So, I really really wanted stone ducklings in my yard (like "Make Way for Ducklings" on the Boston Common), but all I could find was this one lonely duck at my local Building 19 (I refuse to pay a lot of money for anything going in my yard!)

Hard to see, but this is our long-awaited bird feeder. John wants to be able to sit at the dining room table and watch all sorts of colorful birds flock to our feeder. So far we're just trying to fend off squirrels.

Our new umbrella, which thanks to matchy matchy sense of decor matches our house.

And lastly...

This has been our major project this summer thus far:

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Again, we didn't want to spend a huge amount of money or have to hire someone to put in a concrete/cement/brick walkway, but I really hated the fact that there was no path to our front door. So, we found these paving stones at Home Depot and I think it came out rather nicely! (Big thanks to my Uncle John & Aunt Carol for the Home Depot Housewarming gift card!)



Snapple "Real Fact" #855

This one was in the cap of my Raspberry Iced Tea today and made me think of my parents and my friend Rachel:

Oregon has more ghost towns than any other U.S. state.

Spooky.

Per Travel Oregon (link here), there are officially 18 on the map. Who knew? Just make sure that if you go in, that you come out...(unlike this melancholy visitor...)

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Aaron *Bleeping* Boone WHO?

I just finished reading Knuckler: My Life with Baseball's Most Confounding Pitch by Tim Wakefield.

In case I haven't made it clear, I'm a huge Boston Red Sox fan. I also tend to cheer for the underdogs or the undervalued in the sports world. Hence, I'm a huge Tim Wakefield fan. He's 44 years old (making him the oldest active player in Major League Baseball) and he's been with the Red Sox for the past 16 years. Yes, I said 16. When I see professional athletes like LeBron James making a three-ring circus out of choosing to play for another team, I am so thankful that someone like Wakefield is on the team I cheer for. Tim's taken hometown discounts and stayed with the Sox -- for better or worse....and there's definitely been plenty of "worse."

As the name of the book says, Wakefield's signature pitch is the knuckleball. He's one of only a few throughout history that have made it their life's work to understand and attempt to master the knuckleball. For those who aren't baseball fans, you might be saying, "The knuckleball just sounds like another pitch to me." It's another pitch, but in its own league. Once it leaves the pitcher's grip, it's anyone's best guess as to where it will end up. This has made Wakefield's job of being a professional athlete even more difficult than it already is.

Go back in time to the late night of October 16th, 2003 and the early morning hours of October 17, 2003 in the Bronx. It's game 7 of the American League Championship Series (ALCS) between the dreaded Yankees and the Red Sox. Pedro Martinez, Boston's ace, was pitching against the former Sox ace Roger Clemens. Could there be a more apropos match up?

Clemens got knocked out of the game early.

Martinez threw over 100 pitches late into the game.

Red Sox were winning into the 8th.

Sox manager Grady Little decides to leave Martinez in the game.

Guess what happened next?

You got it -- Yankees tied it up.

We go to the 10th inning still tied. Tim Wakefield, the elder statesman enters the game. He pitches a scoreless tenth. He comes back out for the 11th. I remember it like it was yesterday. It happened so fast...Aaron *Bleeping* Boone steps to the plate for the Yankees and hits a towering homerun off of Wakefield.

Game over.

Season over.

Can you imagine the pressure, grief, anguish, anger that Wakefield felt? He cried. He had let his team down. He had let his manager down. He had let himself down. He had let Red Sox Nation down. Would he go down in Red Sox history as the latest Bill Buckner?

No -- he wouldn't. Why? Because Tim Wakefield is one of the most lovable, genuine, caring, selfless individuals. THIS is why I love Tim Wakefield:

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This picture sums up Wakefield. Often stepping away from the spotlight to let others shine, but always steadfast in the background, doing what matters. Working hard everyday and keeping it "real" no matter what knuckleballs life throws at him.

Thanks Tim.

Stanley's Back in Town

39 years later and the Stanley Cup is back in Boston! The playoffs were a bumpy ride, but Boston prevailed, mostly thanks to the stellar goaltending by Tim Thomas.

As usual, Boston does things differently and a good old parade just wouldn't do. A rolling rally on duck boats for the champs! We got up early (7am) on a Saturday morning and trekked into Boston to see the Stanley and the champs.

Even though we left early, we were still pretty far back from the actual street, so pictures aren't as close up as I'd hoped they'd be. Who cares, though? I can check it off of my bucket list!

WANTED: Smallish Metal Fish Wall Sculpture

You probably know the whole thing about shopping at places like T.J. Maxx/Marshall's/HomeGoods...if you see something you like, you.must.buy.it.then. If you don't, it will more than likely be gone when you come back. (Because, as we all know, they only have one of everything you like!)

I've been collecting things/ideas for when the master bathroom gets redone and the shower becomes functional. Here's a post from way back showing the minor progress that was made.

We've figured out that the bathroom will be in taupe/brownish family. The walls will be Parisian Taupe by Behr and we've seen some brownish mosaic tiles we like for the floor. While perusing HomeGoods a while ago, I found this and immediately thought of the master bathroom (don't mind the fact that it's on the messy bed):

However, my mental measurement tools are not too sharp. This is TOO big for the only wall it can go on in the master bath (above the toilet). Boo hoo.

I'm REALLY bummed because the shells/beads/whatchamaclits ont the fish are the exact browns we're going for. I've scoured eBay and nothing close. I always keep my eyes open in HomeGoods and nothing close. Anyone seen anything remotely close???? I'd be eternally grateful...and you'd even get a mention in this lil' ole blog.

The Height of Canine Cuisine

My little doodlebugger Max turned 10 on June 3rd. (Isn't he cute?)

When we took him to Puppy Kindergarten back in the day, they gave out a recipe for Salmon Brownies. Yes, you heard that correctly -- Salmon Brownies. I made them shortly thereafter and he LOVED them.

So, it's become somewhat of a tradition that I make them for him on his birthday. (Yes, he's a spoiled puppy and yes, I'm totally one of "those" dog parents.)

In case you feel so inclined to treat your dog to a delicacy AND at the same time stink your house up, here's the recipe. Sorry for the crappy scan. (Click on to make larger and actually be able to read.)

Tip: Use a larger pan and spread them out fairly thin -- they freeze much better.

Bark appetit!