Madeline Ebert

Madeline is now just barely old enough to summarize the plots of movies that she enjoys. This is fun for me because when she goes to the cinema with her Dad she can come home and give me a brief review over dinner that evening. She's really quite good. Her most recent:

Finding Nemo -- "a fish who gets lost."

Ratatouille -- "a rat who can cook."

101 Dalmations -- "puppies who get lost."

Wall-E -- {blank stare -- blinking}

Bambi -- "a classic bildungsroman that utilizes anthropomorphism in a sylvatic setting to reinforce basic themes of man's cruel indifference towards nature. Duh."

I love this kid.

Three Little Piggies in the Ladies Room

Took Madeline to see the latest Disney/Pixar flick, Wall-E. (Answer: no -- it's actually dark and depressing -- and way too political for kids. I thought it would be cute little slapstick robots spinning, blinking and beeping while spewing about clever dialouge. At the outside, I assumed that the political commentary would be kept to Marx Brothers level -- more the along the lines of "Duck Soup" or the "Mouse that Roared" -- anti-war messages wrapped up in goofiness, song and dance. Nope. Just dark brown post-apocalyptic misery. Awful. Though the opening short, "Presto" as always with Pixar, is *great*).

Madeline, however, did like the cute robot:



Now, back to our story.

Afterwards, we ducked into the theater lavatory. While I was busy digging in my purse, Madeline dashed into a cubicle and locked the door.

Me (admittedly laughing): Okay, Okay -- very funny -- let me in.

Madeline (giggling): Not by the hair of my chinny chin chin.

Unbelievable. Children's stories: fear them.

The Baby Wrens Have Hatched!!

Mike just called to inform me that all three baby wrens have hatched!! Yay!!

I asked him to take pictures, but every time we get within a few steps of the nest, mommy wren flies away -- which the babies don't like (and, accordingly to Mike, leaves them looking a bit cold). So probably no photos today; but soon!!

Yay Spring!!!

xoxo, Rabbit

Miss You, Part 2

It's wonderful to be home again. Madeline is getting funnier every day. She tells amazing jokes and just learned a new song about killer robots from Venus. The strawberries in our garden are nearly ripe and the blueberries are getting close. It's cool, sunny, peaceful and uncrowded; but I still miss all of you back in LA. Painfully so.

So thanks to the whole gang for a truly wonderful weekend. And just to spark some cozy memories from very long ago (well, for most of you anyway), here's the "Love You" video that I think we all first shared back on Valentine's Day 2001 (has it really been that long?) It always makes me think of you people and it always makes me smile. Anyway -- to everyone who helped to make my weekend special: Love you. See you again soon.

Spring Comes to Madeline's Woods

Maddie and I ran out into the woods this morning because we heard a woodpecker nearby and wanted to find it. He was loud -- I think he actually had a chainsaw -- and we finally spotted him at the edge of Madeline's woods. Unfortunately, he was too fast and furious to photograph, but we did catch some other highlights of the morning visit:

First, the most perfect little wren's nest ever!! Can you believe how perfectly round it is? And this photo truly doesn't do it justice. The little eggs are perfect ovals -- cream colored with tiny brown specks. They looks like chocolate eggs in a child's Easter basket! Yesterday, there was only one tiny egg -- today: three!!

Once those eggs hatch, they will feast on these -- by mid-summer, these will be wild blackberries! Yum! Again, for reasons that aren't clear to me, these are considered a "pest" on the island. A giant plot by the anti-pie and cobbler lobby, I think.



After finishing in the woods, we went to check on the garden. After weeks of cool weather, it is finally taking hold! The strawberry patch (usually our biggest producer) is getting off the ground and the tomatoes are coming along as well. Yay!!

Lack of imagination

Our weather is getting screwy, bordering on scary. I'm not talking about any topic of even minor controversy; I'm just stating observable facts. The Midwest has been getting floodier and floodier, with seemingly no end in sight. At the same time, these thunderstorms are spinning off tornadoes nearly every day. As the older levees around it fail, Cedar Rapids is moving rapidly in the direction of New Orleans circa 2005. And all the responsible government officials ever manage to cough up by way of excuse for failing to adequately protect the city's homes, offices and hospital is that "no one could have imagined" a storm of this size. Really?

Who are all of these designers and engineers with such an alarming lack of imagination? It would seem obvious that a levee isn't built solely to protect the city during times of normal rainfall. If doesn't even do that, then that would be obvious negligence. No, the real test of a wall built to hold back a raging river is how that sucker holds when it rains very very hard over an extended period of time. That's the whole deal. So if it can't withstand that test -- what was the point?

Beautiful Pest

This golden gem is called Scotch Broom. In springtime, it covers the island like a bright fluffy blanket of sunshine. I find it charming, but the locals consider it a plague. Apparently, it's a pushy non-native flower that shoves aside existing species to spread its yellow hegemony. So every year hordes of islanders spend hours pulling the stuff -- but to no avail. Every spring, the island has an even more intense saffron hue than the last.

Which makes me wonder: why do they fight the system? It's just a flower. It's not going to steal your job or beat your children. Clearly, the broom was born to rule. I say love the yellow - don't hate! And then get on with your life. Am I missing something here?

Where in the World is Mighty Hare?

Visiting the only state in the union that boasts the following: 1) giant statue of Paul Bunyan with Babe the Big Blue Ox; 2) World's Largest Ball of Twine assembled by one man;
and 3) the beautiful Crystal Collection Reindeer Farm.

If you guessed the great state of Minnesota, drop me a line and I'll send you a free bucket of lutefisk.

And while on previous trips I have visited all of the charming spots listed above, this outing was set aside for the wedding of my beloved nephew, Jeff, to his high school sweetheart, Jenna -- in their very cute hometown, White Bear Lake. (Can you think of a more perfect name for a Minnesota town?!) A fabulous time was had by all.

Bonus note: While we were there, Al Franken finally wrapped up his party's nomination for his U.S. Senate run in Minnesota -- so he will be taking on Norm Coleman in November for the right to hold Paul Wellstone's old seat. Now THAT will be a fun race!!

Now Available in Orca-Vision!

Had a dream last night that I was rowing out to Blakely Rock -- a beautiful spot that I have rowed to a few times with friends. It's a bit of a distance from the entrance to Blakely harbor, and beyond my usual comfort zone in terms of distance from shore, but always worth the effort (when the tide is calm) because of the beautiful wildlife we spot -- primarily seals and bald eagles.

In my dream, though, I was rowing alone and saw an Orca breaching in the distance, past the rock. With each breach, he got closer and closer to my kayak until he finally swam up right beside it and poked his nose up just beside me, as though he were more a curious puppy or porpoise rather than a creature that has been given the moniker "killer whale." It was so beautiful, that I reached over to pet it's nose. Sounds impossible, right? Then I found this picture!! Maybe dreams can come true. (Okay -- probably no petting involved -- but amazing how close a kayak can get!)

Seattle Sweetness

Friends and relatives often ask me which Seattle highlights they shouldn't miss. The Space Needle? Fun, but crowded -- and the view is definitely a let-down when it's cloudy. Pike's Place Market? Only if you like having strange men throw smelly fish at you. I find that unnerving.

Thankfully, there are numerous less-well-advertised alternatives. The first one I want to highlight should be the first stop of any tourist's day -- Top Pot Doughnuts. (It's charming logo photographed here with bonus footage of the Seattle monorail in the background). A warm and welcoming spot -- bursting with books, music and cozy corners to snuggle in on a rainy day. But, above all, the place features the kind of doughnuts you just don't find too often in our mixed-up, high-tech, mass-produced feedbag culture -- warm, sweet and hand-forged. A truly comforting start to the day.

America's Best Doughnuts.