The Big Melt

DRIPPY: The good news is, the Mariners Moose is no longer covered in ice and snow. He is now a slushy, drippy mess, like the major arterials around town. The side roads are still treacherous. More rain and a wee bit warmer temperatures are promised for this weekend, which should bring some respite from the freezing stuff, but an unwelcome byproduct will be some flooding.

We ventured out today. I think we spent more time knocking snow and ice off the car than we did running our errands.

BOOKISH: Knowing we had a library due date to contend with, we spent the morning cleaning and organizing the book shelves in the living room and a bookcase in the kids' bedroom. We found lots of read books to return and several unread titles to devour.

And so, we four (counting Kirby) hunkered down on the couch and read down the stack for a bit.

One book we read was "The Watertower," by Gary Crew. The story was about two boys who go for a swim in the murky, dilapidated water tower. It was dark and weird - two characteristics I would usually embrace - but for whatever reason, in this instance we all found it just, well, dark and weird and off putting. The kids didn't like the book at all.

Next up was "Mail Harry to the Moon." It was about a boy non-plussed with his newish baby brother Harry's existence. Spoiler alert: The narrator changed his mind about his younger sibling. It was a nice enough book, but a bit young for CeeJ and Bee.

"Drummer Boy" by Ann Turner was a fictional account about a 13-year-old who joined the Union Army in the Civil War. The book featured really great illustrations by Mark Hess and an engaging, first-person narration. A historical note at the end said about 40,000 boys from age 9 to 17 enlisted as drummer boys or buglers during the war. We also learned that drummer boys were used to relay officers' orders to troops in the field when distance or conditions didn't allow verbal instruction. Recommended reading.

"The Toll-Bridge Troll" by Patricia Rae Wolff was a fun read about a school boy who had to cross a bridge every day on his way to school. Since he couldn't or didn't want to pay the toll, every morning, he had to think up ways to trick the troll (riddles figured heavily into this equation). Eventually, the troll figured if you can't beat 'em, join 'em and decides to go to school with the boy. Kimberly Bulcken Root draws a nice troll, BTW.

Our favorite book in the stack was "Home Run," written by Robert Burleigh with wonderful illustrations by Mike Wimmer. Along with colorful prose on each page sharing some of the Sultan of Swat's story and game day heroics, there was a baseball card inset featuring factoids about Ruth. One of the more interesting things we learned was that perhaps the number one reason Ruth hit soooooo many more home runs than other batters of the time is because the others choked up on their bats considerably, trying to swat or slap the ball, or "hit 'em where they ain't," as Wee Willie Keeler would say.

A 1921 photo from the Library of Congress collection (Digital ID  LC-DIG-ggbain-32385)

REPRIEVE: Unfortunately, there's no rush on us getting the SpaceX model rocket done for a Feb. 7 launch day since it isn't happening. The launch has been pushed back indefinitely.

According to reports, engineers need time to complete additional hardware and software testing in the wake of a recent simulation (presumably a simulation that didn't go too well, eh?). As things stand now, it's not expected to fly before late March and it could slip into April, depending on other launches scheduled for the Air Force Eastern Range. Stay tuned. 

POINT TO PONDER: First thing this morning I saw a Tweet reading, "Be humble for you are made of earth. Be noble for you are made of stars." It made me stop and think - and Google. ;) From what I could find, it's a Serbian proverb.