I love everything about this picture

Just my dad and me

I have spent a fair amount of time not watching TV with Clara, as per the respected recommendation of the American Academy of Pediatrics. Nevertheless, both Clara and Jeremy have enjoyed taking in a few minutes of football over the last two Saturdays. Although we never seem to be able to watch any of our three former or current university teams play, Jeremy always manages to snag bits and pieces of the day's "it" games.

Her hair was as yellow as yellow yarn...

We were trying to picture Clara with hair. What do you think?

Personal libraries are the new bomb shelters

The past few weeks have seen quite a bit of media scuttlebutt about the sad state of reading in America. Basically, we Americans are barely literate, if you count reading actual books as a measure of literacy. Which I kind of do, since I really enjoy reading actual books. (Of course, if you are doing other kinds of reading, like magazines, newspapers, etc., I think that should count for something, although I don't think the Surveyors of American Literacy took that into account.) At any event, I came across two new sources on this subject today: first, an article exploring why women read more than men (the mirror neurons being my favorite theory); second, the second half of today's Diane Rehm show, wherein the participants discussed American reading habits in terms of best-seller lists. Intriguing stuff, I declare. (For those of you who, like me, respect Diane Rehm's fight against her vocal afflictions but nevertheless do not necessarily relish hearing her actual voice, you will be relieved to know that she had a guest host today.)

I guess the heart of the issue is that people who love to read are gravely concerned that up and coming generations seem to take little pleasure in books. If young people don't like to read and would rather spend the bulk of their time on the computer or phone or playing video games, where does that leave book lovers a generation from now? This has no doubt been a concern for many generations, but I have to imagine that the other-than-reading alternatives are now more pervasive and powerful than they have ever been. Thus, I am thinking about stockpiling books so that when the publishing industry implodes and Apple takes over the world (perish the thought) at least I will still have something to do.

The Great New York State Fair

This year, the fair's motto was "Gotta Be There," which I find unfortunate on many levels. Nevertheless, we had a rockin' good time and hope to be around for at least one more walk up the Midway next summer. Incidentally--and our friends Matt and Ericka should appreciate this--we were sorely tempted to stop in for a peek of the woman with the snake body. Fortunately, said friends told us that while this may sound mysterious, grotesque, and compelling, this woman is apparently nothing more than a real woman whose real body is hidden behind a curtain and who has a rubber snake attached to her neck. Thanks, Matt and Ericka, for helping us to see the truth without spending our money! I am still curious, however, about the world's smallest pony. That might have been worth two dollars...


Ready to go! She can tell something really special is about to happen.

Getting ready to stroll the Midway and scrupulously avoid the Carnies.

"Seriously, though. What is that?"

Admiring the butter sculpture. Mmmm....butter....

I guess she stands up now.

After dropping the laundry basket by the door the other day, I went back to the bathroom to grab the detergent and returned to find Clara as you see her here. This is now one of her skills, although it's still in development.

In other news, Clara cut her first tooth (top right) and took her first trip to the Great New York State Fair (pictures forthcoming!).

Adieu to Summer, Take I

We have a few events planned between now and Labor Day to help us bid farewell to another summer in Syracuse. This morning Clara and I went with friends to Jamesville Beach for a dip. I thought the water was still somewhat chilly for this late in the summer, but Clara loved it. What a lovely way to spend a hot August day!

Job News

Last Friday night I was sitting on the couch, crocheting, in my nightgown, when I received an unexpected phone call from the English Department Chair at Onondaga Community College, who phoned to offer me a job teaching a section of Freshman Composition this fall. (I applied to teach about six weeks ago, and figured that since I hadn't heard back nothing was going to happen. Apparently I just needed to be patient!) I went in today to get officially hired, and she actually offered me two sections of English 103. And the best part is, as an adjunct I'm not even required to hold office hours! What a boon! (When I taught at Montana State, I sat at my little desk for hours and over two semesters had maybe three students visit.)

I'll be teaching Tuesdays and Thursdays in the mornings, will probably be gone for about three and a half hours, and Jeremy has arranged his schedule so he can be with Clara. It's a win-win-win situation for us, and I feel truly blessed. We'll see how I feel when I get my first batch of papers to grade...

Ithaca

We heeded the call of our inner rovers to get out of Syracuse and spent a fun day in Ithaca, land of the burned-out hippies. It was a great trip (if you know what I mean). This was actually our first day trip in quite a while, and we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. The weather was ideal with temperatures in the high 60s (yes--in August!). Clara was quite taken with everything she saw, and the change of scenery and crowds of new faces ensured that she was pleasant and lovely the whole time we were gone.

Here are Clara and Jeremy in our attempt for a cute father-daughter portrait near the Ithaca Commons. Clara did not want to look at the camera!














Snacktime is always an adventure with CB. Here she is at Cornell University digging for Oaties, as we call them.



Clara and Jeremy in front of the Cornell bell tower.


On the bridge over one of Ithaca's famed gorges ("Ithaca is gorges," after all).



Climbing back up to the road with Daddy. Clara is so excited, as you can tell by the blurry smudges that are her rapidly moving hands.


The fam.


Overlooking an offshoot of Cayuga Lake. A perfect end to an ideal day.

Autumn in August

Those of you who know me well know how much I love the fall. I take after my mom in this way (Jeremy likes to tease us for our love of "The Harvest"). While August 16 is perhaps a bit early still to think about autumn, Clara and I nevertheless decided to hitch our hopes to the nearest wagon and drive out to apple country to see what we could see. We were not disappointed! Although the trees are as lush and green as ever, the apples are starting to ripen! We picked up our first peck of the season: five pounds of Paula Reds, fresh from the trees behind the farm stand. Oh, how I love the taste of a freshly picked apple. If I could wax poetic, I would. Speaking of wax, did you know there is NO WAX on a freshly picked apple? Just dirt and deliciousness--just how God intended.

I should stop before I get carried away.

As if the day wasn't magical enough with the apples, my second surprise of the day was when Jeremy came home with a pristine copy of Joan Didion's The Year of Magical Thinking, which I have long wanted to read and which was waiting, full of kismet, next to the recycling bins near our apartment. This day was meant for me! Has there ever been a happier girl?

Still Hungry?

This picture kind of makes me lose my appetite, but Clara certainly seems to be enjoying herself. We'll call this an ill-fated attempt at self-feeding-turned-finger-painting. She has an artistic soul.

Who Needs Baby Einstein?

Everytime I think I should be providing Clara with more deliberate mothering to better enrich her developing mind, I just stop for a moment to recognize that she manages pretty well for herself. As you can see from the following pictures, she is practically a prodigy. Especially if intelligence is gained through putting everything into one's mouth, which I think it must be.