Crouton Pie

Readiation Detector

Bronson and the Biohazard Team set up their science fair display in the multi-purpose room this morning.  They all wore their team t-shirts, which are white with black radiation symbols and biohazard symbols drawn on with Sharpie pens.  They also they each wore radiation symbol temporary tattoos on their forearms.  Plutonium Blonde had added an extra touch: black nail polish. 

Unfortunately, the printed guide to exhibits lists their project as a Readiation Detector.  Bronson said he is going to make a poster of a library symbol with a slash through it just to make things clear, but I warned him that it might make it look like they are against reading!

The Stella Rondo Memorial Lab Animal Science Fair always takes place on Memorial Day weekend, the perfect time, since Little League and Bobby Sox don't schedule games for this weekend; the scouts don't schedule camping trips; and  while we are remembering war veterans it is a perfect time to remember animals who have died for the advancement of science.  The whole family can't wait to attend the fair tonight! 

Plutonium Blonde

Bronson has had such a wonderful time on the Biohazard Team, I think he's actually disappointed that yesterday they finished their science fair project!  As you may have guessed, when we found out that the team was going to build a Geiger counter, and then test everyday items for traces of radiation, Purcell agreed that it would be not only educational but safe.  He even helped them add a safety awareness component to the project!

The group includes four boys and one girl, who they call Plutonium Blonde.  Bronson says that's what everyone calls her because she likes to blow things up.  She's a slender girl with long blonde hair, who usually wears faded oversized t-shirts and leggings.  Bronson reports that she and her father recently built a model rocket that they engineered to automatically blow up at its maximum height.  He seemed impressed, but mystified.  "Mom, why would you work so hard on a rocket, then blow it up?"  When I didn't reply right away, he supplied his own answer: "It must be a girl thing."

Pink and grey

I forgot to mention Purcell's Mother's Day gift to me.  As usual, he got me a grey sweater and pink scarf.  My wonderful husband knows this is the perfect gift, and that I can never have too many.  They are perfect for committee meetings, taking the kids to school, and so much more.  Particularly if you are known for running around the neighborhood at six a.m. in faded old sweats while playing a Taiko drum, you should take advantage of a grey sweater and pink scarf as the perfect antidote.  Put them on after your shower, and go out and be seen. They are the fashion equivalent of little notebooks--something to keep you sane and organized.  No matter how crazy the rest of your day, you can't go too far off wearing pink and grey. 

Ask me about my canine aromatherapist

By the way, Mothers Day was lovely.  Leila and Poncho got me a wonderful t-shirt that says "Ask Me About My Canine Aromatherapist," which I have worn every day this week for my run with Leila.

Bronson has been busy getting ready for the science fair and with a new hobby, rocketry (more on that later), but he found time to make me a lovely card written on a real snakeskin!  He made the letters dot by dot, using a Sharpie to fill in the indentations made by the scales.  Hailey and Amber brought me breakfast in bed.  Hailey had helped Amber string a necklace of Cheerios, Froot Loops, mini bagels and mini donuts, which I wore like an Elizabethan ruff during my morning run, nibbling as I went.  Surely this should become a trend for car commuters as well, as it would allow plenty of calorie intake with no hands off the wheel except to rotate the necklace. 

Women who run with greyhounds

Hard to believe I haven't posted anything in so long, but I couldn't resist signing up at the last minute for the SoundsAlive! Marathon.  This is a fabulous run from our valley over the hills to the ocean, with live musical accompaniment provided along the entire route.  It's combined with the Gore Vidal Fun Run, a race that's advertised as being for everyone who does not fit the cultural stereotype of a runner.

I couldn't decide whether to do the Fun Run or help provide musical accompaniment on the marathon route, so I decided to do both.  (I'm sure I will look more like a runner than some of the G.V. Fun Run participants, but since at my age it's my very first race, I think it's where I belong.)  My dear rescued greyhound Leila and I are keeping a lovely early morning running schedule for training, and two nights a week I practice with my new drumming group, Wasabi Taiko. 

When I realized that the runners in the Fun Run do not receive musical accompaniment, I decided to practice playing my drum while running.  Even if it's just one lone Taiko drum, I will be able to provide some encouragement to the runners near me.  Then I'll join Wasabi Taiko on the marathon route.  (Although musicians line the entire route, the Taiko drums take the grueling uphill sections.)

The training is now going so well that I actually have extra time and energy!  Unfortunately, that was not the case when I first started out.  The secret that most people don't realize is the power of musical accompaniment.  You would not believe the difference since I started playing my drum as I run.  At first this really spooked Leila, our sensitive dog.   But at the suggestion of our canine aromatherapist I squirted my drum with essence of peanut butter, and she has been thrilled to run beside me ever since!