Mike Snopes

Now that we have all come to trust and love snopes so well, it is horrifying HORRIFYING to think what will become of us when deceivers begin telling us that something is true because they verified it on snopes . . . when in reality . . . they did not. Soon people will have to look up on snopes whether or not it is true that something was looked up on snopes! Bedlam!

What is most terrifying is that just such deception has already begun . . . and it has begun in my very own home. And, it has begun with the least likely of suspects -- my own HUSBAND! Why is he an unlikely suspect? Because, as those of you who know him well already know, he is an honest honest man. He is also quite a clever fellow though, and apparently, on occasion, his cleverness wins out over strict truthfulness.

I've mentioned before that I love the Lark Rise to Candleford BBC series. I have only seen season one -- which was played (and then replayed) on our local public broadcasting station. I sent an email to several of my Lark Rise loving sister-in-laws the other day telling them that we were doomed to never ever see season two.

Then, to my joy, both my sister-in-law (Marnie) and I got replies to emails we'd sent to our local station telling us that they would be playing season two this January.

Mike saw these emails going back and forth and decided to send a reply out to us of his own devising.

Here it is:

I looked this issue up on snopes.com and unfortunately it is only a myth.  I'm sorry to be the one to break the bad news.  This is what it said:
 
"Snopes is dedicated to finding the truth on the internet and beyond.  Recently we checked into the potential airing of season two of the period piece 'Larkrise to Candleford.'  This rumor has been circulating the internet for several weeks.  We contacted KUED to see if and when the second season would air.  KUED told us that they were about to issue a press release on this same subject.  According to their spokesperson, a young woman, known around the workplace for her distinctive dresses, romantic notions, and afternoon teas, caused thousands of emails to be sent to KUED executives praising the show and calling for more episodes.  The woman allegedly sent the emails from multiple international computer networks making the emails appear to come from thousands of purported Larkrise fans all with distinct IP addresses.  Luckily, KUED's IT department was able to catch on to the scheme before the season aired.  Interestingly enough, the IT department was able to determine that there are in fact only 17 fans of the show, so the upcoming season was quickly cancelled.  According to police, when the woman was captured she faintly sighed and then proceeded to faint."

Only 17 fans?? Oh, honey. How you mock. I do love that this "young woman" he invented was "known around the workplace for her distinctive dresses, romantic notions, and afternoon teas."

My Little Photographer

I was quite surprised when so many of you asked who on earth snapped that picture of me asleep on the couch awhile back. I was surprised because in our house, it is not only not surprising, but expected that roughly one million random photos will end up on your photo card -- photos you never took. Daisy took that particular picture (the one of me sleeping), but it is our Goldie who is a picture taking fanatic. Seriously. Soon we may have to send her to group therapy where she will have to stand and say, "My name is Goldie . . . and I . . . am a camera addict." Every single thing, happening, or time is an occasion for pictures to be taken. The other day I was walking in behind her (after picking her up from school), when I noticed she had left her backpack sitting right on the porch. I was just about to call her to come get it when she bounced back out the door -- camera in hand -- apparently she had left it there on purpose -- seeing a perfect photo op. Silly girl. Here is a SMALL sampling of some of the photos I have found on our camera in the past week or so. You can play a little game if you like -- trying to find things like: our Yahtzee game, Goldie's self photos, Abe running away from Goldie and the camera, etc.

Household Chatter

The other night Mike was telling me that I was a good wife -- that I do so much around here, etc. "Then you even write nice posts about me," he added.

"All those nice posts should be about you," he said, "I'm going to change them all to you. . . . How you had so much fun on the pheasant hunt, how you have such a lovely hair color, how you used to spit up so much and now you are getting better, how you wore so many cute costumes for Halloween."

I haven't actually posted about all those things, but I like that he wasn't necessarily going to go so far as to compose a whole new post about me -- he was just going to give me a little more glory by putting me in place of every person my posts have ever been about.

Also, sometimes when I hear things in my house, it feels kind of like I am waking up from a fuzzy dream. Like on Sunday morning when Abe asked me if he could have some of the chocolate chips in the cupboard. I told him he could, but that they were the kind he didn't like (semi-sweet). Next thing I hear is Mike in the kitchen telling Abe something about how he is going to plant the chocolate chips, and Abe is playing along by asking if they will grow into a chocolate tree, and Mike is telling him that they will grow into pineapples, which are even tastier than chocolate chips. Which is actually kind of funny if you'd been there the night before when Mike was insisting Abe eat the pineapple on his ham and pineapple pizza, and Abe was refusing.

Lastly, two cute things from Penny:

1. Goldie was crying about something the other day and Penny seemed concerned. "Don't worry, Goldie," she soothed, "We can go to Christmas."

2. Today, she said to me, "Mom, could you turn the sun off now? 'Cause I'm burning!" It is nice that she sees me as the all powerful center of the Universe. Sadly, this was probably only the tip of the iceberg when it comes to all the inadequacies she will eventually discover in me. How well I remember once telling my two year old Abe, "I don't know," to a question, only to get his frustrated moan of, "but you and dad know EVERYTHING!" If only they didn't have to discover just how human we parents are.

The Pheasant Hunt

The only hunt Mike really likes to participate in anymore is the pheasant hunt. It has happy memories for him, and he likes tramping around early in the morning on his dad's land in the late Fall weather. I don't think he even cares if he gets a pheasant.

It has happy memories for me as well because I still recall driving up there on a cool Fall morning when we were engaged to meet him after the pheasant hunt. Our wedding was just a little way off. He had left me his cool truck to drive up -- which was exciting for me because it made me happy that he wanted me to use his things -- that he was excited for his things to become mine and mine his, etc. I met up with him near his grandma Emma's, and we went for lunch at her house. We had homemade bread and stew that his aunt Sarah had made and his little cousin's 4H chili.

Here is a picture of Mike that same year with his dad and brothers as well as two cousins. They were up working on a fence on his dad's land. (My Mike is the third one in from the right).

And here is Mike after the pheasant hunt the following year looking rugged and handsome.

Anyway, he is up pheasant hunting this very morning. Last night he said to me, "Don't worry, honey. I'll bring home a Thanksgiving feast!"

I told him that would be great if he could manage to shoot a giant turkey for us.

At which point he informed me that it wasn't turkey hunting season so he'd be carted right off to jail, but I think that if you see a huge turkey strutting by this close to Thanksgiving you are pretty much obliged to shoot it for your dinner. Aren't you? Only I wouldn't want it to be some strange wild type of turkey. Oh no. I'd want it to look just how we all think turkeys should look -- which is something like this:And even though no turkey has ever ever looked like that. I know that you all feel, as I do, that they should.

Daisy's Hair

I have to say that I think my little Daisy girl has the most gorgeous hair color in all of the world. Seriously. Don't you think women would pay big bucks to get it to come out exactly this color at a salon? Especially when the sun is shining off of it. So lovely.