Snow day #4

Kind of surprised we had this one. We got about 5 inches of snow. And it was WET. And HEAVY. It sucked. We were supposed to get a bunch of icing and sleet, but--and this might come as a surprise--the weatheridiots screwed up again. Off with their heads, I say.

But a good day at home with the family, and an "extended" vacation on this, one of the busiest weeks of the year for me--winter carnival concluded with the Sadie Hawkins dance my advisee class is putting on come Friday.

Callum--pardon the cliche--really REALLY loves music. He is always playing his trumpet or guitar along with the music we have on. And, this time, he decided to craft his own drum set. His pig stool is his seat, and he has an upside down chair, a set of bongos, and a pot. Cool Three distinct sounds and textures. Kid's got creativity.

And he loves helping to cook dinner each night. He made some "alphabet soup," where he took all the magnetic letters off the fridge, and then 'sauteed' them in a saucepan. Here, they are ready for you!

And here's a haunting picture of Maira, blowing her famous spit bubbles. I can see a lot of Lynne in this picture actually. And I can see some of my sister too. What do you think? One thing I do know: She has very pretty eyes....
Papa, this is what Callum was building this morning when he was 'talking' to you. A "house" with a HUUUUUUUUUGE (his words) CHIMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMNEY!!!!! There is a chicken on the roof, along with Muriel (again, his words) and Dave (who is riding his 'bike.').
March sucks, and tomorrow I will explore why.

Arkansas

Is just the state "Kansas" with an "ar" in front of it. Did you ever think about that? Does it blow your mind? Do people ever mispronounce it by saying it phonetically--ending it with having it sound like "sass?" And why am I spending any amount of time thinking about Arkansas?

I ran 9 miles this morning and my body is TIRED. All over. Physically and emotionally. I tend to think a lot while I run, even WITH the music. That whole "Arkansas" thing came to me while I was running. Why? How does our brain work? I wonder about Callum's brain all the time (I WILL wonder about Maira's eventually, but right now it has but two functions). What causes Callum to do the funny rhymes he does....what motivates him to remember things from weeks or months ago? How do we make connections, and how do things pop in our heads.

Nannie does yoga each week now, and in a way I miss doing it as much as I used to when I lived in NH. Amanda and I would go three times a week to Dover Yoga Studio before all the rich liberal hippies moved in and jacked the membership price up. During "chavassanah" (I have no IDEA if I am spelling this right) we would all lie down on our mats, wear lavender scented eye pillows, and just focus on the NOW, letting thoughts come as they would. Mostly I would fall asleep. But sometimes I would wander aimlessly to things that made me nervous--images of zebras, stallions, dumptrucks, and slingshots would permeate through my head. The brain is a weird thing.

But Amanda and I got to snowshoe together today, and that made by brain happy. I really missed my dad and sister coming up. And, sandwiched between a storm yesterday--and another one tomorrow--we needed to get out of the house and get outside. We had 'breakfast for dinner' at Lynne and George's, and then Callum and Maira played nice while Amanda and I snuck off down the tote roads to the snowmobile trail for about a half hour of shoeing. We saw three snowmobiles, and got to smell that amazing two stroke oil smell. Seriously....I love it. And then we headed back. It is SO beautiful out there. I have NO IDEA why people who get to LIVE THERE never take advantage of it (hint hint....okay....go back to your Art Bell now....haha)

Snowstorm #34

Not that I'm complaining or anything....I love it. We are supposed to get 10-14 inches with this storm. The wind is really picking up right now....and it is still snowing pretty hard at 745 (the current tiempo). I love the snow...dont get me wrong....but, alas, this storm has foiled my dad and sister's fifth attempt at coming up to meet their new granddaughter and niece, respectively. It is frustrating all around.

Another thing that has me (okay...I will admit it) longing for spring just a LITTLE is the fact that Callum has taken two bike rides in the past two days....I have not gotten on mine...I just follow him around as he rides. Yesterday, when Dave and Muriel were over, we all took a walk/ride around the neighborhood. And this morning, at 730, knowing full well we would be INSIDE all day due to the storm, I took Callum outside and had him ride, run, climb, and do whatever he could to burn some energy. So I'm looking forward to running NOT on ice, riding on smooth roads (cuz there are lots of those in Maine....), paddling swift rivers, and reeling in countless fish with Callum Stus.

Here is a new series I have started reading--imbued by THE WIND IN THE WILLOWS, which I just finished. So....I am kind of on an "animal" kick. When you get past the idea that you are reading about mice who fight with swords and stuff, it is actually a great story with great writing.

And here is "Callum's Catch"--two yellow perch and four pickerel that we brought home the other day. Currently, the are cleaned and packed in the freezer, along with the smelts from the other night. The smelts I am going to smoke in the Weber....but I think, upon the recommendation of Dr. Art Carrano, I will use the fish pictured below to make a stock/chowder item.

Hamilton Pond Ice Fishing

A great February vacation thus far. On Sunday, we headed over to Jon and Kelsey's for dinner and MASK re-runs on VHS. Then, on Monday, we took a trip to Disgusta to go to Sam's Club before I met Art and Brad at Worthings for some smelting. Hey, by the way, here's a funny MAINE saying: When guys (or girls) in Maine have good luck with something (fishing, the lottery, hunting, gas mileage, you name it....) they use the expression "we're gonna get into it tonight..." Smelting was fast and active at first, and then it slowed down to a rate just a wee bit higher than Rush Libaugh's brain activity. So this guy comes by our shack to see how we are doing, and he says 'Jeesh....quick catchin' at first....I said to my buddy WHOA WE'RE GONNA GET INTO IT TONIGHT BOYS!"

Yesterday, the Goldsmiths met Art, Brad, Siena, Caden, and Mia at Hamilton Pond in Belgrade for a coupe of hours of afternoon ice fishing. Callum LOVED it. And I mean that. He is a natural. I cant wait to go back during open water season with my canoe....very steady action, with lots of tenacious little perch and pickerel...

Mia and Callum explore some of the day's catch on the ice. Callum wasted NO TIME going over to a pickerel, saying OOOH.....LOOK AT DAT BIG FISH!.....and then picking it up....


Callum's official "first catch." I had just set this trap, when about 3 minutes later we had a flag. I told Callum that, being how it was his first ice fishing catch, he had to kiss the fish. Which he did. And then Mia did. And then everyone kissed everyone. Except for Art. He puts up a lot of walls.
Here's me reeling in that WHOPPER! I called for a gaff, but no one heard me.... (but look at Callum transfixed by this process.....)
taking turns holding the fish after I reeled it in...the sun was beautiful, but the wind was pretty intense....we lasted about two hours or so on the ice....then Callum and Mia just wanted to climb the big cliff hill coming out of the pond....
Fantastic fishing buddies (and men). Brad and Art. Art, being that 76% of his lunacy comes from spending 30 years in the Navy, spares no expense in making fun of my earring. So do yourselves a favor and blow this picture up and look at Art's homage to me. Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery....

Meanderings 64-It has been a while

1. There arent a lot of children's books written about spiders, and I have decided that this is simply because it is very difficult to make a spider web look 'homey' in any way, shape, or form. At some point, in every 'animal story,' the animals must go home--to a cozy den under a tree, or a sentimentally decorated cave, or a cute little bird house. All spider's have are webs. And webs are always exposed, airy, and static looking. Try: You cannot make a spider's web look cute. And this is why kids grow up fearing spiders.

2. I'd like to buy some ketchup that ISNT 'grade A fancy' for the simple reason that life is too short, and I'd really like to live dangerously. Can you buy un-fancy ketchup anywhere? If grade A exists, then there must be others. What would it look like? Does it have lumps? Dust? Frayed edges? What inherently makes it not "fancy?"

3. On Facebook, in order to list your relationship status in public, it first has to be 'confirmed' by the other recipient. For example, I sent a 'married' request to Amanda, which she then had to confirm so that my profile would list that I am 'married' to Sally Piles Goldsmith. Some of the superlatives you can put are "married," "widdowed," "divorced," "single," "in a relationship," and "its complicated." In order for it to say "its complicated with Amanda Goldsmith" on my profile page, Amanda would first have to confirm it. Well, my thinking is, if you get the other person to "confirm" that you are indeed 'complicated,' then you should keep your head up, because both of you agree on something, and good communication, as everyone knows, is the first step to a healthy relationship. So there morons: Facebook just trapped you in your web of lies!

4. Number 3 was way more complicated to explain than I thought it would be. I fear my joke may have been lost

5. When people want to show you how serious they are about something they are cooking for you, they put the moniker "dinner" at the end. Usually, this means that whatever they are cooking isnt very good, and they know that, and they want to compensate for its crappiness by tricking you into believing you are getting something good. For example, look at a box of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese. It doesnt just say "Kraft Macaroni and Cheese;" it says Kraft Macaroni and Cheese DINNER. What makes this a DINNER? What the heck? As far as I can see, I am getting processed orange cheese powder and dehydrated noodles. I am the one who has to add the freakin milk, butter, etc. Where do they come in with the whole 'dinner' thing. Is there a roll or some green beans in the box that I am missing? And what if I want to eat this for lunch? Man!
This came up because the other day at school, listed on the white board while I was on cafe duty, read "pork and potato dinner." And I wondered: Why did they feel the need to write 'dinner?' Are we too obtuse to realize, on our own, that pork and potatoes sounds pretty good? Is a pork and potato DINNER somehow better than pork and potatoes, just? Its these little things that keep me a) up all night and b) unable to have healthy relationships with people.

6. True story: Waterville has a lot of taxi cab businesses for all the morons who lost their licenses due to DUIs and still need to get to Hannaford to buy Allens Coffee Brandy with their foodstamps. ANYWAY...driving by "Elite Livery" the other day, I noticed, in the parking lot, three signs that read "customer parking only." Does anyone see the humor in this? "Hey guys....I'm here! Now can I have a ride?" Is it being repetitive to ask the obvious question: If you can drive to a taxi business, why do you need a taxi?

7. Its funny how most stories that start with "Hey, did you hear about...." rely on the TELLER of the story being almost 100 PERCENT sure that the RECIPIENT of the story has NOT, in fact, 'heard about' whatever it is. Do you understand what I mean? No one ever says 'yes' to this question, because the "rules" prohibit you from doing so; when someone says "hey did you hear about the guy...." you dont even get a chance to say yes or no, because the speaker keeps going as if your answer doesnt matter anyway. So lets just cut the extra wording so I have time to hear your lame story and get home and creep on facebook......

Some other things from the museum of which I wrote about yesterday when I wrote another blog about the children's museum in Bangor

Siena, Maira, and Sasha hang out and wait for their 'order' in the restaurant, while Mia brings her sister and mom an appetizer of smelts tempura with broiled brolios and minty sour pickle sauce....

Callum, seeking the more traditional route, settled on a sparsely cheesed pizza for him and his mummy....I love the faces these two are making right now!
Hard at work again: Callum and Maya are bogged down with orders. Running a restaurant is tough!!
My favorite picture: The Bangor museum, I guess, has room dedicated to Maine children's books including GOODNIGHT MOON, MISS RUMPHIUS, KEEP THE LIGHTS BURNING, ABBY, and, of course, my (and Callum's) personal favorite, BURT DOW: DEEP WATER MAN.. Callum has always loved this book, and so have I. I bought it on one of my sailing trips out of Camden, and I always looked forward to reading it my children. Lucky for me, this is one of Callum's all time favorites, about Burt Dow, his friend the Giggling Gull, his trusty old boat the Tidely Idely, and an uneventful day where he became swallowed by a whale and decided to paint the stomach pink. And such and such. I NEED to go see this boat. It is a legend in my mind. You should read the book.

Bangor Children's Museum Part I

No blog in a while I realize.....for some reason, our computer doesnt like the photos we try to load from our new camera. Oh well. Even these five took about a half hour to load.

Amanda should be writing this blog, because she was there. But she is at Hannaford, buying me a treat. And milk.

Last Thursday, Amanda, Sasha, Amy, Heidi, and all the kids went to the Bangor Children's Museum for a day of fun. I love Bangor, and it is definitely my favorite "city" in Maine. I just really hate Portland and just about everything there. It is a boring ride, it is in the 'fake Maine,' and its really foofy there. Bangor is where it is at. Also, there is Dysart's.

Callum had a blast.....actually, that is an understatement. I can't wait to go too!

Here he is driving a tractor trailer from the Cole's Transportation Museum--this must be on "loan."

And then he got to drive a "Big BOATTTT!!!" as he put it. I admire the focused look on his face. He knows what he is doing. Maybe he will sit astern in the Old Town this summer??
Pickin' up chicks in his vintage 'Vespa' scooter....he's so cool that he drives it with no hands while Mia sits behind him!
Amanda said the hilight of his day (well, there were two) was the 'Italian restaurant' they had. Callum, Mia, and Maya were hard at work preparing 'lunch' for their parents. Callum really loves to cook, and most nights he drags his pig stool from Nannie over to the counter to see what I am up to. He likes to stir. .And every night in the bath he "cooks the water," as he says. The REAL hilight of the day, according to Amanda (and everyone else who went) was the room with all the musical instruments! I guess that when he walked into this room, his face just LIT UP with excitement. I think this kid is going to be VERY musical. There are no pictures of this because the camera battery had died at this point....


A lady at the museum was talking to the kids about Kimono Dragons (lizards) or something like that. I love this picture because, well, look at Callum and how attentive he is being. Look at all the kids, for that matter! I love the passion little kids have for learning about the world around them....I love how they want to 'soak up' all this knowledge....

The woods are lovely, dark, and deep

but I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep.....

I love Robert Frost. Do you? I do love getting out into the woods whenever possible. Training for my half marathon keeps me on the roads most of the time, and time when I would otherwise get on the trails is now (and quite happily might add) dedicated to building lego towers, wrestling, and holding fussy eight week olds. That, coupled with the fact that my cross country ski broke (the binding came right off on a New Years day ski and hard fall down a steep hill). Thus, I need to skis, since the binding are un-repairable. And since we arent really getting too much snow this winter, I dont know if it is worth 180 bucks. Right.

I did get onto the snowmobile trails that lace throughout the Fairfield countryside. I did this on Friday afternoon, while Amanda and the kids were over BaBa's house for his birthday. Our town is a big snowmobiling town, offering fantastic trails that sort of act as a "gateway" for the hardcore sledding of The Forks, Jackman, and ultimately Canada. So, if Jackman is heroin, I guess Fairfield is the marijuana. Right.

My little jaunt was after a beautiful snowfall the Wednesday before, and subfreezing temps kept everything looking just the way God intended. Beautiful. Blow the picture up to see just how wonderfully the local snowmobile clubs groom these trails. Impeccable.

I love going way into the woods and wondering where the heck I am in relation to civilization and other houses. I love being on the trail, in the middle of nowhere, and suddenly hearing a distant hum as snowmobiles spin on their way to pass you. Then, they finally come into sight, and it is quite a surreal experience--here you are, in the most tranquil woods, and you've been "found." I love it when the pass me; they are always so courteous. And, although I hate just about everything in the world to do with motors of any kind, inhaling the strong, heavy smell of the two-stroke oil they leave behind in the air is a smell I rate number three, after chimney smoke and fresh brewed coffee.

Sometimes you are on these serpentine and narrow trails throughout the woods, when, suddenly, things open up to these expansive, windy fields...what are they when there is no snow?
I saw five sleds out on the trails while I snowshoed. Everyone was friendly except this one lady on a sled. She kind of glared at me. But the people in her party seemed happy enough to see me. This lady looked like Jaba the Hut (that isnt even a fat joke....I mean, she was fat, but she SERIOUSLY looked like Jaba). Right. You see cute little signs like these all throughout the trails. Some are warnings, some direct you over bridges, some give directions, and some tell your horoscope. No.
This is one of those photos that definitely doesnt capture the beauty of what it REALLY looked like--nearing the end of the trail by Fairfield Center, you come to a clearing and you catch a glimpse of the Fairfield Methodist Church in the distance. Dad, if you are reading this, blow up the picture and you can see a hill off on the horizon. Over to the left of that hill is where the "Apple Farm" is. You remember that place, right?
A funny pine tree that looks like it is a "condominium" of sorts for woodpeckers....
I am glad Callum seems to love snowshoeing as much as we do. Amanda took him today, in fact--they went over to the Quarry Rd in Waterville. We are supposed to get four or so more inches tonight into tomorrow. So perhaps a fresh walk is in order?

Baptism take 2

A "family picture" of those at the church for Maira's baptism. This is also a good look at the altar of our church.....Grandpop is fearing someone with a slingshot taking aim at his front-parts....

I should mention that Maira is wearing a special Christening gown made by Lynne and the late Grandmom. Amanda (and Jon, too) wore this for her baptism. And now Maira wears it!

I love this photo, and I made it my Facebook profile picture-of-the-week. Callum and Maira love their Ba-Ba
Jon and Kelsey with Maira.....
Callum and Mia--Brad and Sasha's daughter. They are special friends. If you recall, they had a similar picture taken together on Easter Sunday this past year.....it was also on the blog....(oh, and Callum wouldnt be caught dead without Harold the Helicopter!
And, finally, a look at our full-house after church when we had family and Fitzy's back to our house to celebrate. I made hot roast beef sandwiches (braised and boiled a round roast and made a good au jus as well!). BaBa made coleslaw, and we had potato salad. George put together a nice cheese tray, and Sahsa made delicious cupcakes that complimented the cake Amanda made very well!

The Baptism of Maira Elizabeth Goldsmith

My computer is giving me a hard time. I will have to post more pictures later.

On Sunday, January 30, Maira was baptized in the Holy Spirit at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection. Brad and Sasha Fitzpatrick bestowed upon us the honor of being her godparents. In our church, baptisms are always part of the whole divine service--they arent done on-their-own on Saturdays and such like the Catholic Church sometimes does it. Everything is fully integrated into the service so Maira can be "reintroduced" to the parish after she "dies to sin" through baptism.

Immediately upon receiving the water, a up-until-then placid Maira became incensed with frustration. This led to crying, which continued throughout the pictures, throughout the car ride home, and throughout the first 15 minutes of getting out of her car seat. Very upset.

Here, Pastor Nielsen introduces her to the parish as a child of God.

And then he gives her back to me so I can bring her back to sit with us (I thought keeping her might be part of the deal, but oh well....haha)
This photograph is hilarious. Amanda looks like she is off on her own, and that the picture is really just supposed to be Pastor, Callum, Maira, and me. What is wrong Amanda??
A nice picture of the parents and godparents, Brad and Sasha.

More to come soon....