Hello Huskies :})

On Thursday, the seventh grade had a visit from two huskies and their owner. They live in Michigan, I think. They compete in a small dog race similar to the Iditarod. Thursday was a preview of our IDU (Interdisciplinary Unit). We Have an IDU every year - an entire week where every class spends time on a common subject.







This year we will be building our own sleds, and then we will race around the block. During the race we stop for pit-stops to see if the "dogs" are ok,(the dogs are actually seventh grade students)and to answer trivia questions. The dogs came to our school so we could see how they pulled the sled so we could get an idea how we will. The owner had two dogs, a boy and a girl. The girl's name is Mandy, the lighter one, and the boy's name is Cruiser, the darker one. So far, our team has figured out our blue prints and I've been selected to be the musher (I'm the lightest of the group, so no running for me =D. We have almost attached our wheels and everyone, but me has seen the trail. During the IDU week we go to our 1st period class (Tech)8th period class (Gym)and our foreign language which is my 4th period (Italian). So far, I love this IDU. Too bad I have to miss Tuesday for an Italian field trip (but at least my Papa gets to come!).

This Friday, the 29th, is the day of the race. Stop back here this weekend and I'll tell you what happened.

~ Mason

Nice Day for a Walk - Finally!

The sky is clear and blue. The sun is shining brightly. The temperature is about 25 degrees (where is that little degree symbol on a keyboard anyway?) - by recent standards, this is a perfect day to get outside.



With Daisy leading the way, we meandered through the Thatcher Woods Forest Preserve located a few blocks from our house. The whole time, we kept hearing loud popping and cracking noises. No hunting is allowed out here - but it wasn't gunfire, it was the sound of the ice sheets cracking from thawing out.



The river was flowing, but there was still a lot of ice everywhere.



Have a great weekend.

~ Max

Ultimate Egg Salad Sandwich

Jenny and I used to eat egg salad sandwiches about twice every month, I've had maybe 2 since she died - and today, for some strange reason, I had this unbearable craving for one.

In the past, whenever I hard-boiled the eggs, they would end up rubbery and get that gray ring around the yolk - yep, overcooked. Jenny taught me the proper way to hard boil an egg, and I've never forgotten.

First, cover the bottom of the pan with one layer of eggs (or as few as one, but what's the point in that??), then cover the eggs with cold water - there should be about an inch of water above the tops of the eggs. Bring the water to a boil, on medium to high heat - uncovered. Once the water boils, remove the pan from the heat and move it to a cold burner or counter top and cover the pan. Set the timer for 14 minutes for large eggs (12 for medium and 16 for extra large). Once the time is up, run cold water over the eggs while they are still in the pan for at least two minutes to stop the cooking process. Crack and peel the eggs to eat (I'm sure you knew that, but hey - you never know who reads these things =D)

Now, for the Ultimate Egg Salad Sandwich.


Two hard-boiled eggs (done to perfection;-)
Tablespoon of Hellman's Lime Mayo
Teaspoon of brown mustard
Two green onions, finely chopped
Garlic salt
Black pepper
Combine ingredients in a bowl

Two slices of bacon
One slice of sharp cheddar cheese
Two slices of bread, toasted (my favorite is Brownberry Healthnut)

Enjoy, it's Delicious =D.

~ Max

No School - President's Day

Mason and I decided to venture outdoors on her day off from school. Not such a great idea, the high reached 14 degrees :P We made the most of it by checking out a new driving range that opened up. There are only three like it in the country.


Top Golf USA has found a way to use microchip technology for golf. Each golf ball that you get from the dispenser has a microchip that identifies the ball as "yours", so when you hit it to a target, it registers back at a computer terminal your points, yardage and displays how far you were from the intended target. They even have leagues for this - my prediction, this will evolve into something everyone can enjoy, much like bowling or darts. Top Golf will let you use clubs from their inventory, so even someone who doesn't own clubs can play (like renting bowling shoes and balls) - this could sweep the nation, but will only be found in populous places.


The "suites" are heated and they have a full menu and bar, so should be great for parties too. Why didn't I think of this???

~ Max (trying to stay warm and not depressed).

Breakfast at Mother's Day

Sunday we went to a restaurant called Mother's Day for breakfast. I ordered a Belgian Eskimo Waffle and hot chocolate and papa had bicuits & gravy.


The waffle was huge! I thought the food was good, but the service wasn't. It took a long time to be greeted, even though several people walked by us while we "waited to be seated". The room wasn't completely full, there were several empty tables. Papa's coffee cup was empty for most of breakfast too.

Overall I would give this a 6.5 out of 10.
~ Mason

Happy Valentine's Day

Mason and I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day.

Whoooaaaa! Ouch!

Tonight the snow started to come down just in time for the drive home. I handled the treacherous traffic with no problems, but when it comes to walking, er...um, that's a different story.

It was about time to leave for Mason's dance class, so I decided to go start the car and let it warm up a bit. There was some new snow - and that is really slippery when it's covering a thin layer of ice that had accumulated on the last step on the front porch (how? I have no idea, since it didn't get over 10*F today). After I got over the shock and the pain in my butt, I realized my watch was no longer on my wrist - I found it, a little worse for wear, on a pile of snow.


The watch must have caught the edge of the step and the weight and force of my fall, slid the watch up my wrist - removing a little skin along the way - before the band couldn't take it anymore. Oh, well - I haven't written anything on the blog in a while...


Sure will be glad when Spring gets here.

~ Max

Another 6-12" ?????

I can't take it! This is getting way out of hand. What in the world am I doing still living on the frozen tundra? Oh, I remember - I have a daughter, who I love very, very much. She has "roots" here, friends, family; and this is home.


We are supposed to get another big snow storm tonight, so far it's just rain and sleet, but they (crazy weather people) tell us it should dump another 6" to 12" (how much room for error do they need? well, around the Great Lakes they need a lot of room for error - it's not Hawaii people!)it all depends on how fast the temperature drops.

Just in 2008, we've gotten about 16" of snow so far - just the other night we added about 3 inches to the already 7 inches left from the weekend before. Then the rain came today and melted about half of it, so even if we get the low end of the projection, we'll have about 10 inches of cover - great for skiing and sledding, not great for anything else!

Oh to be here - someday. This picture was taken by one of our friends on Flickr, Michelle. She takes some amazing photos and she said it would be ok if I "borrowed" it.

Sailboat at Ios Port Greece

I Now Know Where She Gets It

Of course, I've always had some idea.



Not sure if it's learned or if it's hereditary, but it's clearly obvious.

~Max

Snow Day

The phone rang at 6 o'clock this morning. That's odd, Jenny's dad calls at 6:30 - on the dot. When I answered it, I heard a recording by someone at the school district letting everyone know that school had been cancelled due to snow. We got about 7 or 8 inches. In our 9+ years here, school has only been cancelled one other time. It's a small community and most of the kids live within 10 blocks of the school - but it would have been very hard for teachers to drive to school.

So, I worked from home today and Mason hung out. I'll be a lot happier when this winter is over - really sick of it!

~ Max