kmbrknits

Yesterday I got a short but sweet visit from my friend Cherub, the only person I still know from elementary school. It was kinda trippy, but really fun. We haven't seen each other in 10 years or so, so there’s the “gee, I hope I’m/She’s not too different.” We weren’t. We look exactly like we’re still in 5th grade, don’t you think?

Sysguy is now a year older and better. Here he is celebrating the fact that he can still blow out all the candles.

And then Thing 2 got a “SuperCougar” award at the school. This award is given to practically everyone, so as a parent, I can’t work up a lot of enthusiasm, but the kids really get a thrill out of winning something. I just like his teacher, the little Indian lady. She’s a hoot.

Thing 2 turned 8 on Sunday. Hard to imagine, but there it is. We celebrated at the nexus of 8 year-old fabulousness: Legoland. The Things can hardly believe their luck to live where it is possible to go somewhere so incredible in just two hours!!

We arrived a bit early, after a quick breakfast and opening presents, treasure hunt included. We sprinted to the back of the park just as the motorway was opening up. The Things managed to get several ride turns in before a line formed and waiting was required. It was awesome.

Can you tell that the “people” and the (fully operational) stoplights are made of legos? Too cute. There was a ringmaster sort of fellow in the middle of “town” who tried to keep the drivers in line and explain the rules of the road on the fly, sort of like herding cats, where cats don’t all know right from left. At one point, during a crash, he announced a “sigalert,” which is an LA traffic radio-ism for somebody screwed up on the freeway and is now blocking traffic. We were amused.
Unlike the stinky lawn mower engines at Disneyland, these little cars were not on a rail to guide them, and they are all electric. Practically everything at Legoland is. I’m sure its one of the advantages of a newer park, but still, it was much more pleasant. And quieter!

Next, we moseyed through a couple of not terribly photogenic rides, to come upon the boat ride. The lego people are really crazy with the letting kids actually steer stuff. There were continuous clusterf**ks along the channel as the kids attempted to figure out the delayed reaction of the rudders and rammed into things and each other. It was hilarious, unless you were waiting in line for a boat.
Here is Thing 2 checking out a lego diver at one of the many interest points along the way:

We took a boat ride around a lagoon that had various famous buildings and skylines around it, averaging about 150,000 legos for each tableau. Jeepers.

This one is for Uncle Paco:

After lunch, we went on the Aquaraiders ride:

Had a photo with a bionicle:

Found out that Thing 1 was having an unpleasant reaction to his chicken pox booster:

Took pictures with some old friends on the way out:

Legoland closes at 6pm, which is kinda ridiculous, but at least we don’t have to eat dinner in there. We ate at a nearby restaurant, with Thing 2 repeatedly requesting we keep his birthday a secret in case the crazy waitstaff were to come over and humiliate him in that way that they do. His secret was safe with us.
We got home at 10pm, with exactly enough energy to spare for Cake! and singing. And collapse. This is what the end of the first day of 8 looked like:

Here is Thing 2 with some presents: Fluffy the dino and a really great puzzle.

And that, was that!

Well, after several years of negotiations, our new ceiling fans are in process! For Mother’s Day this year I got 3 ceiling fans, and one installation. Two to follow in the (hopefully) not-too-distant future. Here it is, the first ceiling fan in our house. Its in the Things room, for various tactical reasons that shall remain secret. The light works up, down or both, as seen here. The fins generate hurricane-like breezes. The switch, it is near the door we actually use. It is good.

This weekend was the debut of Thing 2 showing an interest in making Sunday breakfast. If we play our cards right, in another year or so we won’t have to cook any breakfasts ever!! Thing 1 will occasionally rise early enough to make himself (and sometimes his brother) eggs and toast, wash the pan and empty the dishwasher. Its incredible, I know! He still forgets to wear socks, change his underwear, or do his homework though, so its not like our work here is done.

Here is Thing 2 in action Sunday (dig the bedhead):

In other news, I did get some knitting done recently, and start new bits. I finally finished the last of the spec scarves, which I won’t show because I am sick to death of them. Currently I have just finished a frothy scarf in some leftover blue kidsilk haze I had lying around. It was a diversion from the other.

On the needles I’ve got a quick White Lies design freebie, the Shapely Tee, in Plymouth royal bamboo (smaller swatch). Its lovely to knit, I’m hoping it will breathe well when I visit humidity this summer—its my first bamboo object. I picked it up at a steal at the crack shack Wondermom uses for quilting bits in IL. The brown/blue swatch is for a cover on a couple of kitchen chairs. Its Patons poodle, which I bought because I lost my mind for the colors in spite of the fact that it has the texture of a 70‘s toilet seat cover. It’s kitschy, but it will still keep my butt from sticking to the chair this summer, which is all I require of it. The Pooch felts a bit, with trace quantities of wool in the blend, so its nice and cushy.

I’m finally starting on the giant bird of paradise trim. I had to start the cuts with a hand saw, which was slow going. Once I had an in though, I used the electric sword trimmer, and that made relatively quick work of giving the thing a haircut. I assigned the Things to putting the fronds into the greenwaste bin. You may not know this, but that is exactly like being asked to dig a quarry. Just ask them.

While they were (nominally) picking things up, I took a pick axe to the root skirt. Yow, that is some serious work, that I am going to be doing in tiny baby steps. Jeepers that stuff is tough!! Sysguy thinks I can forgo that part, but I know that if I don’t dig up the corms on the outside, in about three weeks there will be new fronds shooting up from them, mostly beheaded ones, too, because they were in transit when I did the cutting. So the thing will come back faster, and look like merde while its doing it. This way, the bush will stay trim and narrow for at least a year or so. I like to think doing this myself is cheaper than the gym.

This is me doing some hand trimming:

Here is Sysguy trying to cajole the Things along. Notice it is much later in the day. There was a lot of goldbricking going on:

More California gardener. Here are updates to what I did last month. So far, I’ve only lost 1 helichrysum, because I let it dry out too many times before I stuck it in a temporary spot. Ergh.

Back semicircle outside the door: You can see the tomatoes have taken right off. I think this area is doing so well because I amended it with some old miracle grow potting soil I had in the backyard. It looked like crap, but apparently it still had oomph.

Dirt lozenge on the back patio: The santa barbara daisies are doing their thing. The BoP is entering its dormant phase here pretty soon, so it won’t change much for a while. Palm tree. Is what it is.

Under the lemon tree, back yard: three of the lavender are coming right back, two appear to have kicked it. I think I’ll put in kangaroo paws. I put in 4 lambs ears under the tree. I know they like sun, but there are limits. The rose bushes on either side of the door seem pretty happy, they have even had a couple of blooms already. The aloe at the base of one is blooming its underwhelming flower. Sysguy likes them, else I would just cut them off.

Front sittin‘ parlor: Coleus are growing slowly. I’m thinking of putting some miracle grow on them. I need to keep on the snail situation. Snails in the desert. Its just wrong. The spring hill geranium things are nonexistent on one side, and still miniscule on the other. The fern(s) are thrilled to be in a pot though. I got some of those glass ball things to fill in with watering on days I forget. That seems to be saving my ass.

Front triangle by the driveway: Everything is doing well! I had to spray the scabiosa with some systemic bug killer, aphids were sucking the life out of every millimeter of stem, it was sad. They have recovered brilliantly though! I’m thinking perhaps too much purple in this area. Eh, something will die, or I'll find a fill-in. I like the way the groundcover is going great guns!

Desert spot near the fireplace: Haven’t got to this yet, despite my good intentions. I did plant some things in the front there as a temporary measure to keep them alive till they go to their real homes.

Orange tree mess: Yuk. This is for during the big BoP. I’m going to move the bush with the pink flowers (rock rose) over in front of the fireplace and totally delete the artemesia/dusty miller. I’m dusty millered out. If you don’t stay on them here, they get ugly yellow flowers that need constant trimming. Clearly, I haven’t, mine are all tall and woody.
My intention is to surround the clementine orange tree with a semicircle of statice, and to clear out everything else that is competing with the tree. There are a lot of really annoying bulbs in there that need to go.