Ballard Bound

BIG HAIRY DEAL: A little before 8 this morning, I told CJ to hit the showers. He marched into the bathroom and just as quickly came back out.

"There's a Daddy Longlegs in the shower," he reported.

I assured him that Daddy Longlegs are harmless, and told him we could scoop the spider out and take it outside, no problem. I fetched a paper plate from the kitchen to help with the task and went and peered into the tub.

Heart jumps to throat. "Um, that's no Daddy Longlegs!" I practically screeched, for in the tub was a big, brown, hairy legged spider the size of my hand. Eep!

Normally, I'm a live and let live, all god's creatures kind of person when it comes to bugs, but this thing looked like it could eat my face. So guess who got the day's first shower?

Bugger didn't go down without a fight, and once I finally got it to fit down the drain tube, I pushed the stopper down (due to visions of it returning/seeking revenge, like in the movies).

The kids showered upstairs today, and the stopper is still down.

REALLY GOOD SHOW: Here it is, mid-August, and we FINALLY made it to our very first Seattle Public Libraries Summer Children's Reading Program event. I am mad at myself that we've missed out on so much entertainment already this summer, but sure am happy we made it today.

The show, at the Ballard branch of the library, was a one-hour performance by The Harmonica Pocket, which today was a band of two, Keeth Monta Apgar and Nala Walla. It was entertaining from the first second, when they entered the performance space pretending to play instruments and talk, though they made not a sound. The kids (SRO crowd) found this HILARIOUS, let me tell you.

Sorry no pictures or video, but the performers prohibited it. You can get a good sense of them and what they are about on their Web site (http://www.harmonicapocket.com/). They're on Facebook and MySpace too, of course.

The audience was rapt for the entire 60 minutes, and the big people enjoyed it too. There were songs about ladybugs and big trees. There was a highly entertaining musical story about Diaper Man and his sidekick Nincompoop. I think a high point for parents in the crowd was when the band segued from a song about a little baby into a sweet cover of GnR's "Sweet Child o' Mine."

After the show, we walked kitty corner to a park in Ballard that features small fountains. The kids got good and wet. We ventured to the skate/bike bowl on the west end of the park. There, the kids were truly impressed by the two-wheeled gymnastics guys were executing on their bikes. Some of them were catching some pretty big air.ALWAYS A CRITIC: Another day, another movie. This afternoon's show was "Who Framed Roger Rabbit?" Not sure how he came to know of its existence, but a couple of months ago, CJ asked if he could see the movie. So, we ordered it from the library and yesterday it was finally our turn to check out the DVD.

I have to tell you, I am not a fan of that movie. I just couldn't get down with the cartoon animated characters interacting with gritty "real" world characters. But CJ and Annabelle both seemed to enjoy it. In fact, afterward CJ said, "That was a GREAT movie!" That was quite the contrast to his review of "Cowboys & Aliens," which he saw in the theater yesterday. He declared that flick "the worst movie I've ever seen, with the only upside being the actor who plays Indiana Jones is in it."

CARDBOARD HEAVEN: We got a couple of big cardboard boxes thanks to some early Christmas shopping I did (I swear, I could take care of my whole Xmas list on Thinkgeek.com). Annabelle was thrilled to see the boxes and pondered what, exactly, to do with them. "This would make a MUCH better coffin than the last box I used," she observed.
She started taking on the bigger-than-her box with kiddie scissors and soon needed help. She knew a knife was necessary, and figured that meant she'd have to turn her creation over to me. I told her that I thought she was ready to wield her own knife, if she promised to be careful.

She was excited but a bit trepidatious, which I appreciated. We went over safety rules and off she went - and it went well.MR. FIX IT: CJ came in from an outdoor play session today and said he needed scissors to fix a problem. He grabbed them and I followed him - to the screen door. Turns out he'd noticed a pokey-outy wire he thought looked dangerous and needed trimming.I really appreciated that a) he noticed the problem and b) that he took it upon himself to fix it.

GOODBYE, KITTY: Here yesterday, gone today - such was the fate of the Nyan Cats the kids made.