WINING & WINNING: Today was chock full o' pre-Thanksgiving to do list items. We had several things to make, and one of them required a half cup of white wine. Seahawks fan that I am, I decided it needed to be the bottle in Annabelle's hand above.
Poor decision. I should have picked one with a screw top. For, you see, as I was pulling the cork out of the "12th Blend," our one and only wine opener broke. The corkscrew part snapped clean off. Meanwhile, the recipe I needed it for was ready to go in the oven - except for that darn wine.
Hearing my dilemma, Annabelle sprang into action. In other words, she hit the Google, looking for ways to open a wine bottle without a legit opener. There are So Many Suggestions out there, ranging from ridiculous (a shoestring) to downright dangerous (a sword).
We tried a number of things, starting with the push-the-cork-down-into-the-bottle-with-a-toothbrush suggestion.
Either our muscles or our toothbrush or both weren't strong enough. It didn't work for us.
Next up, we tried placing the bottom of the bottle in a shoe and smacking it on the wall. I think I've seen Alton Brown to this, and if it works for him, it should work for us, right? Well no, not so much. On to the next attempt.
We tried a corn cob holder. Didn't work. We tried using a bicycle pump. We finally got the needle down into the cork and pumped and pumped, but the cork didn't budge and I was afraid the bottle was going to explode, so we quit that.
Undeterred, Annabelle kept reading ideas. I vetoed all the ones involving a knife, but when she mentioned using a knife sharpener, my ears perked up. I knew I had one in the drawer, and certainly that steel rod was tougher than a toothbrush.
It took just seconds to achieve sweet, sweet victory!
CJ helped out in the kitchen today, too. Here is is (complete with onion goggles!) helping with some mincing.
BUSY DINOS: Thankfully, the dinosaurs managed to round up a turkey last night, so now we won't have to go without on Thanksgiving.
The night before, they enjoyed a bedtime story about dinosaurs, of course.
And this weekend, they tried to help Christian build a computer.
CENTERED: We had occasion to head to Seattle Center this afternoon to attend a play at Seattle Children's Theatre. While there, we checked out the seasonal sights. The Space Needle was shrouded by clouds and trees from our vista today.
We enjoyed looking at the lovely Winterfest model train scene inside the Armory at Seattle Center.
Ironically, the only thing that was missing was the train, which wasn't running today when we were there.
From the Armory, we made our way over to the theater, where we thoroughly enjoyed the performance of "Dick Whittington and His Cat." Stay tuned for reviews tomorrow.
PARSLEY, SAGE, ROSEMARY AND THYME: We're pretty much in full-on Thanksgiving mode. We're looking forward to a houseful on Thursday - and the Seahawks are playing to boot - w00t!
Tonight we prepped the turkey, sliding sage under its skin and rubbing its in and outside with kosher salt to cure it. We baked some turkey (shaped not flavored!) cookies, and will decorate those tomorrow, plus a couple other things on the 'to do list'
While working, I asked Christian to cue up "Scarborough Fair" by Simon & Garfunkel, given the herbs we were working with. Annabelle asked about the origins of the song. I used to play it all the time on the piano and sing it, but I never wondered about its origin. Go figure.
Anyway, we Googled it. Fascinating story, really. "Scarborough Fair" is an old English ballad about the Yorkshire town Scarborough. Its roots trace back to the 1600s, if not further.
The common theme in the versions of the song is someone listing a series of impossible tasks a lover dictates as conditions for him to take his former love back (for instance, washing a shirt in a dry well, or sewing a garment with no seams). So interesting! Glad Annabelle asked!
BLOWING THEIR TOPS: After doing some math, the kids tackled a "Time for Kids" magazine about volcanoes. Local hothead Mt. St. Helens was a big star. Per the TFK article, Mt. St. Helens is gearing up for another eruption, though scientists don't know if it's imminent or years and years down the road. Only time will tell. Reading the story, I guess I'm in a small percentage of people who has actually been rained down upon by volcanic ash and lived to tell about it. :)
FISH FACE: Every once in awhile, we come across a story that really hammers home the fact that there is so much still to explore here at home.
For instance, on Monday, November 17, news from the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute captured the fancy of the Internet with photos of the super-scary-scifi-looking deep sea anglerfish they photographed 1,900 feet below the ocean surface.
Apparently, their video of this creature is unprecedented. The female has a 'fishing pole' to act as a lure, with a spotlight atop it. Fascinating, really.
http://youtu.be/VqPMP9X-89o
You can read more on the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute's Web site has more information http://www.mbari.org/
DAWG DAY: Saturday night, we headed for Husky Stadium to watch UW take on Oregon State University. The kids hadn't been to a football game in a couple of years, so it was extra fun for them.
We arrived via bus about an hour before kickoff. The stadium was practically empty, presumably everyone else was out tailgating.
It was the Huskies' last home game this year, and so it was time to say goodbye and thank you to the seniors in the football and band programs.
Our seats were in the very top row of the south side of the stadium, which gave us a nice view of the city lights and the whole field.
We liked the clever way they 'raised' the flag before kickoff.
The Dawgs emerged from the tunnel, ready to play.
The game was entertaining, and, mercifully, the Huskies won this one. Wins have been hard to come by this season.
The halftime show had a "Wizard of Oz" theme.
I love "The Wizard of Oz" and the Huskies marching band, but I can say unequivocally that the halftime show was my least favorite I've ever seen them perform. I found it awkward, in parts. Many parts. But what do I know?
BASICALLY: CJ has been dabbling a little in Basic programming thanks to the Petit Computer program we downloaded on his Nintendo 3DS last week. "I am satisfied with that purchase," says CJ.
DINOS: The dinosaurs' antics continued this weekend. Saturday morning they tried to make some of the faux cookie dough the kids love for breakfast.
The next night, they went after an annoying, over-sized pickle, much to CJ's delight.
MEANWHILE, IN KAZAKHSTAN: On Sunday, just moments before the Seahawks' kick off, we tuned in to NASA TV to watch a Soyuz TMA-15M rocket launch from the Baikonur Cosmodrome.
Image Credit: NASA/Aubrey Gemignani
On board were Expedition 42 Soyuz Commander Anton Shkaplerov of the Russian Federal Space Agency (Roscosmos), Flight Engineer Terry Virts of NASA, and Flight Engineer Samantha Cristoforetti of the European Space Agency (ESA). The three will spend five and a half months on the the International Space Station.
GARDEN START: Though the vast majority of this year's gardening is now history, this weekend, the kids got a jump start on next spring by planting a couple of daffodil bulbs.
We're sure looking forward to their debut in a few months!
QUEEN FOR A DAY: This evening, we went up to Lynnwood to see "Queen Rock Montreal," a special, one-night only event. It was fun, three generations of us sitting there watching Freddie, Roger, Brian and John make musical magic. So much talent, and so sad that Freddie has been gone 23 years today.
Long live the Queen.
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