Weekend Update

We saw WALL-E and Iron Man over the weekend. WALL-E was cute, but from the reviews I had seen, I was expecting more. I cannot believe they still make movies like Iron Man- it was and over-the-top sexist, American, male-fantasy flick. Robert Downey, Jr. is very entertaining to watch, however, and I went home with AC/DC songs stuck in my head.

After the news last night, Kevin and I stumbled upon an airing of the first episode of Saturday Night Live from 1975. George Carlin hosted and they were replaying it in honor of his passing, I suppose. It was fascinating and entertaining. The subject matter of several segments showed that some things never change. There were sketches about gun control and gay marriage- ripped from the headlines today, and 33 years ago. The young Chevy Chase, Dan Ackroyd, John Belushi, and Andy Kaufman were super funny- I think I have only ever seen Jim Carrey's imitation of Kaufman. There was a 'Muppet' segment with weird puppet characters, and we instantly recognized the voices of Jim Hensen and Frank Oz. We were blown away by an accoustic performance by Janice Ian of 'At Seventeen', and shocked and riveted by the performance of Billy Preston- total black, disco, pop tunes with clothes to match. Actually we noticed that Kevin's dad had the same hairdo at the time. Sadly, I don't have photos for proof. I can only find Billy Preston photos with a huge afro, but I can probably mine a photo of Carl from his house to post. I'll work on it.

Yesterday, I awoke to the sight of deer tracks through my garden beds and the tops of several plants chewed off. I tidied everything up and found no more damage this morning.
The cherries are turning a beautiful blush color as they begin to ripen, the apples are getting bigger, and the plums have a pale blue cast that hints at the purple to come.
Some of my veg seem to be growing well, some not- especially not the herbs. I think there will be good crops of tomatoes and green beans. I am not sure about the corn and pumpkins. Perhaps I am impatient, but I was expecting more growth by now. The corn will definitely not be 'knee high by the 4th of July'. I am thinking that some of things I tried to grow from seed will probably be thrown out and replaced by nursery plants unless they show remarkably more vigor by the weekend.
Just in case anyone was wondering, I am NOT growing zucchini, but if you are, I would be happy to send you a Zucchini "mock" Raspberry Jam recipe. It is a classic recipe containing zucchini and jello- Utah staples.

Teen summer

It really feels like summer-temps in the 90's F, rumbles of afternoon thunder, and hazy skies. The girls are dividing their time between friends and work-Coral at IKEA, India at babysitting jobs. Coral is driving back and forth with Kaitlyn to her parents' time-share in Park City this week in between work shifts. India is hanging out with friends at the pool and at home. Of course, guys are in the picture. Brock, yes the same one, is ever-present with India. Kevin is slipping-he let her go to the gym with him and his mother. The heat must have blinded him to the 'parent sponsored date'. Steven has redeemed himself in Coral's eyes to the extent that she has gone out with him a few times, but Woody & Gary are in the picture, too. The girls are wearing pretty, bright colors and big chunky jewelry and seeing all the current movies. It seems like the perfect teen summer...

I just finished The Age of Innocence for book club tonight. I cried at the end, but then couldn't figure out why. Newland Archer is naive and lacks understanding- basically, he's selfish and stupid. These qualities don't usually pull at my heart strings. I suppose it is Edith Wharton herself that has touched me emotionally. She paints an intense picture of the tension between the limitations a social order imposes and the value to society that it imparts. Her descriptions of the physical aspects of life in 1870's New York City are carefully drawn to function as important elements of symbolism and plot rather than as background scenery. Amazing.

Fencing with Sergei

Niall is fencing for 2 1/2 hours every afternoon this week. The first day was a shock to his system. Sergei is nothing like the parent volunteer coaches he has had for soccer, t-ball, and basketball- he is a bit more Eastern European/Soviet bloc in his approach. It was a bit intense the first day, but he loved the second day. The class is made up of 3 beginners and 3 competitive students. Niall is two years younger than the next youngest student. I am excited and I hope he wants to continue.

As I drove home at nearly midnight, the moon was rising above the Eastern end of Traverse Mountain where I live- nearly over Corner Canyon. At one day past the full moon, it was a beautiful sight.
I am exhausted after a full day of Youth Conference. We had a great day and I left all the youth- including my two girls- and their leaders going to bed in the Olympic dormitories at the University of Utah. However, we had 3 boys from our ward get sent home this evening for skipping an activity to play frisbee in the park. Many leaders were very emotional and upset to have the day end on a sour note. Several youth did not understand the level of emotion displayed. I was thinking as I drove home about the story Elder Uchtdorf told in April about the airplane flying just 2 degrees off its intended course by accident. The plane flew into the side of a mountain. I have knowledge of a number of very serious problems going on with some of the teenagers of my acquaintance. Perhaps the emotion we feel when they casually disregard safety guidelines stems from the fear that disregarding other important guidelines may lead to devastating, destructive experiences for them.

Highlights from our family vacation- hey, at least it's not home movies

When we arrived at the Larsen's, all the boys were wearing orange-














The Mission District in San Francisco-










The beach-

The annual Scottish Festival and Highland games, held annually near our home, features a tent called "Slay the Giant". Grown men dress up in armor and sword fight with young children. There are stated rules- any body part touched by your opponent is unusable-, and unstated rules-the younger the child, the easier it is to "Slay the Giant".


Above, Niall is engaged in mortal combat.




Leith has just vanquished his enemy!



A crowd of Grandparent types drew as the boys fought the giants, and cheers went up at their victories.



We enjoy the festival immensely. It attracts a diverse crowd-Mormon genealogy/family history buffs of all ages, renaissance fair types, young men wearing cheap kilts with t-shirts and shopping for large knives, swords, and battle axes, pagan/druid wannabees, bagpipe aficionados in expensive kilts- all carrying around refillable root beer bottles since there is no alcohol.
There are, of course, Pipe bands marching around performing and competing as well as dancers. But, the Celtic bands are the featured entertainers at the evening concerts. I really enjoy the traditional/folk acts, but the headliners and real crowd pleasers are the more intense Molly's Revenge "Born of the timeless tradition of the all-night music session, Molly’s Revenge is a dynamic, acoustic Celtic band known for its unique and infectious on-stage enthusiasm. The classic combination of bagpipes, whistle, fiddle, and song — set against a backdrop of guitar, bouzouki, and mandola accompaniment — guarantee an enjoyable experience for all fans of Scottish and Irish music."- http://www.mollysrevenge.com/
and the Wicked Tinkers -TRIBAL CELTIC BAGPIPES, DRUMS, DIDGERIDOOS & BRONZE AGE IRISH HORN
http://www.wickedtinkers.com/
I think the Wicked Tinkers got their name because 'Big Hairy Men Wearing Kilts and Beating Drums and Playing Pipes of all Descriptions in a Very Aggressive Manner' must have already been taken. Watching and listening to them is quite an experience. I really like Molly's Revenge.
The sporting competitions seem to have originally been 'based on a dare', which is how Mike Myers' character describes Scottish food in the movie So I Married an Ax Murderer.

We stayed up late last night to watch the Detroit Red Wings lose to the Pittsburgh Penguins in triple overtime.
Lame.
It was a great game with everything that makes hockey entertaining- nail biting suspense, violence, a supernaturally amazing performance by the Penguins goalkeeper, and octopi landing on the ice. For an explanation of this last item, see
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Legend_of_the_Octopus
The Red Wings have two more chances to wrap up the series. Kevin has a Hostess bet riding on the outcome. He could taste the orange cupcakes in his mouth last night right before they tied it up and we settled in for a long night of suspense and then disappointment. Maybe Wednesday will bring a better result, but I don't see how it could be a more exciting game.