Esquire Coffinberry's Great-Grand-Niece

Safeway's donuts ("D'uts" at our house, ever since Son One was 2 and couldn't say donuts right) are a wonderful blessing to Saturday mornings, at $2.99 for a box of 14. Combine with chocolate milk, and you're ready to work all day. Buzz-buzz. So, the vinyl went down yesterday, and wall-paper went up in the masterbath this afternoon. All is finished in the kids' bathroom except for the installation of the plumbing, which will happen Monday AM. Son Two has been tasked to repair the burst pipe in the sprinkler-system. He dug it all up earlier this week, and is on his third iteration of trying to build a leakless repair. There is something to be said for patience. Spouse dearest is taking a break from trying to fix what got broke when he was re-routing the wireless system in the house (what should have taken 10 minutes ended up taking him 4 hours); so he's finishing up the last two chapters of HP6. The Laundry Queen (who shall remain anonymous today) did...

I've been thinking about this (and re-read the part with Slughorn), and whether Harry could be himself a Horcrux. I also considered the Priori Incantum spell we observed at the end of book 4. Here's what we know: 1. That EVERY murder rips a piece of the soul from the murderer. (note to self... did Snape save Harry from ripping his own soul at the time of the attack on Draco and again the attacks on Snape?) 2. The effect of the Horcrux is to capture this bit of torn soul and preserve it, tie it to earth (as opposed, I suppose, to allowing it to descend into Hell or ascend into Heaven), for later reclamation. 3. The soul-bit is preserved in a tangible thing... we know it was preserved in the Ring and in the Diary, we suspect also the Locket and Nagini (didn't Voldemort meet up with Nagini AFTER the Prof. Quirrell disaster?). We know from the Diary that the soul-bits thus preserved contain sufficient personality to take independent action when given the opportunity. (questio...

Of Raspberry Jam. It was a lovely cool evening, and I picked two quarts of berries off the bushes in the yard... mashed 'em up, set 'em in the 'fridge overnight. And thanks to the lovely cool morning, was able to cook 'em with 7 cups of sugar (!) and a box of pectin. Run 'em through the canner and Voila! Jam! A little bit of summer saved for the winter. *** The first tomato is ripe today. *** In other news, the wall-paper is down in the master bath and up in the dining room. Got the ceiling in the other bath painted last night, and the contractor has the tub surround tiled at last (that was a problem in its own self, but I won't go into it.)

The one photo available so far at KMGH.com ( http://images.ibsys.com/2005/0726/4768250_200X150.jpg ) only makes it worse... the council flag visible at lower right seems to have the abbreviation for Wyoming in the middle, and the one for Longs Peak Council would read CO-WY-NE... I don't have any boys at Jambo, but I do know many adult leaders who have gone, and one of my son's best friends is out there. What is going on out at APHill!??? *** UPDATE The leaders involved were from Troop 711 out of Alaska. This is so very sad.

Glory be! It is pouring! And it is delightfully cool! Hallelujah!

When I was a teen, way back during the 'recession' of the late '70s/early '80s, when Jake Butcher ravished the State of Tennessee with the S&L collapse, our family existed on a little farm way back in the hills, complete with two-seater outhouse and outdoor hose shower. Being city folk really (ok, my mom was raised on a farm, but my step-dad certainly wasn't), we were rather inept in our attempt at living off the land. Anyway, we experimented with raising poultry (chickens are dumb... they all run into one corner of the barn during thunderstorms, and only the top layer survive - and besides, when you miss lopping their heads off, the results aren't pretty), turkeys (they attacked arriving visitors' tires), goats (curiosity killed the goat when he tried to follow someone into the truck and got the door slammed on his neck for his trouble), and bunnies (my little sisters put the kybosh on that dinner menu option). We also raised a couple o'pigs. I don...

Hey y'all, don't miss the Boulder County Fair Parade, tomorrow (Saturday) at 10:00 AM, downtown Longmont! Arrive early and sit in the shade...

I was talking about HP&theHBP with my husband this morning when I realized... with all the folks in western countries so desperate to find out how book 7 comes out, somebody had BETTER keep J. K. Rowling safe from the terrorists!

It was the farthest I've ever driven without switching off with somebody. The teens from the 9 Longmont congregations of our church are participating in a Pioneer Trek this weekend. This means dressing up in mid-19th century clothing (which is why the very first thing I did this summer- before the remodeling - was sewing... authentic shirts for my two boys), packing minimal necessities, and pulling their own handcarts and gear along the historic trail just west of Devil's Gate. I was one of the drivers this morning... I think there was something like 20 or 25 Minivans and SUVs in our caravan, quite a little convoy. Up I-25 to I-80 to Rawlins, then up US 287 to WYO-220, then 17 more miles. 4 1/4 hours up with 6 teens (my oldest riding shot-gun, doing the naviguessing). Then 4 1/4 hours back all by myself. It was a lovely day for a drive. Hooray for my CB radio to keep me company. Also finished listening to all my LEEWS tapes. I guess I'll know in January if listening thereun...

Just got an email notification... I got a parking permit for lot 402! (as a commuter, that really matters!)

The vinyl installers arrived today. They walked in, pulled up the carpet, and walked out (charging me a trip charge at that), saying "no can do." The subfloor was rotted away. I have to replace it. All the way under the tub. So, now we add a bathroom remodel to the saga... and the vinyl and carpet have to wait two weeks. On another topic, this morning Grandpa went on his way to wherever it is he is going next. His stay was remarkably short; already the children miss him greatly.

Darn it! Where is book Seven! Will I finish Law School before I can lay my hands on it??? Grr....

I ended up buying two... one for us, and one for Grandpa to take with him when he goes. So far, Son Two has finished the book. Son One, who got the book second at around 2:30 this afternoon, is cloistered in his room, at about page 275 and cruising. Grandpa is to about 117. I, having had to sneak opportunities when others were not thereof occupied, am only to page 168. That second chapter grabs you, and you just can't put it down, know what I mean? I'm usually a straight-through front-to-back reader, but not this time, I don't get the luxury. So for the first time, I've been forced to savor the thrill of not-knowing-what-comes-next.

He left his diabetic supplies at the previous place of staying? Two days with no insulin... no wonder he was getting lost and his car kept breaking down. So, he got in at two this AM. At the moment, my husband has taken him up to the VA hospital in Cheyenne (the Denver one was so overloaded, the wouldn't even return a phone call until next Monday), hoping to finagle some stuff until the goods can be shipped here. The fun never ends. As for me, I'm picking wallpaper. Looking at the wallpaper books at my desk, rather than in Home Depot, is quite nice. Ordered drapes from J.C.Penney earlier. Later tonight, maybe I'll get to move my kitchen back into its proper place. And of course, the kids haven't let me forget... Waldenbooks at the mall has an item for me to pick up, first thing tomorrow morning. So, any bets on just WHO is the Half-blood Prince?

Staying up late into the night last night, the rooms were taped, the ceilings in all the remaining rooms were painted (popcorn ceilings should be a sin), and the two children's bedrooms each got a coat of primer. Rising early, my husband helped me get the finish coats on the two rooms before I ran off to swim lessons and he ran off to a meeting (Son Three passed Level 5: woo-hah! and Daughter One and Only jumped off the three-meter board and swam back to the wall all by herself for the first time!). After Karate and lunch, we peeled the tape, moved furniture back (but didn't unbox any books or toys... in anticipation of the carpet's arrival next week), and lugged four nasty ancient twin-size mattresses to the dump. Then to Sam's, where four nice new Serta mattresses fit neatly into the back of the pick-up truck. While in the checkout line, my husband rang my cell: Dad's broke down in Julesburg (this after breaking down in Des Moines, Lincoln, and North Platte alrea...

We're sitting around, eating delicious grilled catfish out in the backyard, the tent set up for the kids to sleep in because their rooms are torn apart, the kitchen utterly disconnected, living with just the two bathroom sinks for sanitation and paint-brush cleaning, when the phone rang. "Hello?" "You'll arrive Thursday? That's wonderful. We'll see you then." My husband turns to me... "My dad's coming for a visit Thursday." Yup, it figures. Delighted to see him, but the worst possible timing. So, hurry hurry hurry let's get the paint on the walls and ceilings, folks!

In four hours, the kitchen contractor will arrive, and the major aspect of the remodelling will commence. My oldest is eager for his assigned task of cooking for the family using the dutch oven. He fell in love with this manner of food preparation while at Scout camp earlier this summer, and so is tickled to get a week of opportunities for practice. Swim lessons continue; fortunately, the weather and water have come up to temp, making it a much more pleasant experience. Son Three is developing his Butterfly and Breaststroke; he is aiming at becoming a lifeguard himself some day (about 4 more years); Daughter One and Only has at last become a swimmer, having mastered treading water in the deep end late last week, hurrah! Daughter One and Only sat on the couch yesterday beside the pile of perused periodical (otherwise known as the Daily Times-Call) and observed "It's time to go shopping for back-to-school stuff, Mom." Indeed. There is deep inside me that little girl excitem...

The discussion of what factors might be considered in CU's Predictive Index got me thinking of this poem I memorized in my childhood: This bathroom cost a lotta money, Shore set me back a heap o' dough. You may think it kinda funny, But pleeze folks, Pay as you go! 5 cents. A plaque sporting these words (with a slot for the nickel) were right at a new-reader's eye level, beside the toilet-roll dispenser, in my grandparents' bathroom. I read them every time I was in there, and wondered if I needed to put a nickel in myself. It was a humorous gift from one of my aunts, to celebrate the addition - at last! - of real indoor plumbing in my grandparents house, the year I was born. My grandparents raised five children in that farmhouse, but not until all were grown and gone could they afford to put in a bathroom. My aunts told stories of washing hair in the kitchen sink (which got its water from the rain-catching cistern - precious drinking water came from well, pumped once a ...

1. Longmont's fireworks didn't disappoint. No skeeters, either. Just a glorious evening, with a glorious sunset, and a glorious show. I love this place. 2. The new all-plastic UNO H2O cards are very cool. Impervious to sunscreen and soda spilling children, they shuffle amazingly well too. We played three long rounds of UNO, three loud rounds of Pit, and an unscored endless round of Apples-to-Apples to pass the time waiting for the fireworks. Also went through two bags of Mother's Cookies (the assorted kind, where the frosted animals and chocolate-filled-chocolate ones go first), five pounds of cherries, four pounds of Tillamook Colby Jack, a super-size bag of crunchy Chee-tos, and lots of water. Mmmm.... 3. Always bring your own rolls of toilet paper. Simplest way to be a hero that I know of. 4. The Magic Erasing Pad by 3M is a marvelous wonder. It cleans walls - using only water - like I never imagined possible! 5. Sears might sell range hoods, but they don't sell t...

A friend called tonight, asking for help to find elusive information in an online genealogy database. She had looked and looked (her husband, an IT professional, looked and looked too), and could not find it, though she just knew it should be there. I logged into that same database, and promptly found the item in question. So I walked her through the algorithm I used. Aha! she said. How do you do that? Uh, gee. I don't know. I've just played around in these databases so much that I know what's in them, how they work, what questions get what kinds of answers. I know when to switch from one database to the other to follow a hot lead, from one service to the other, to keep multiple windows open and follow trails until they meet up or end. Here's what I hope... that this skill has portability, that Lexis/Nexus and Westlaw will work in roughly the same way. I like looking for things (information things, not missing keys and eyeglasses). I hope looking for law things will b...