Too Close for Comfort

Nkorho Bush Lodge
I keep an eye on the live cam at the Nkorho Bush Lodge in Africa (www.africam.com/wildlife/nkorho_pan_webcam).  Normally, one can see the animals visiting the oasis from a distance.
As I write this, I'm looking at five adult giraffe, two or three baby giraffe and a handful of zebra.

A normal view from the oasis.

Tonight, an elephant decided to turn the tables and took a close look at the camera.







Perhaps he/she thought we'd be in focus if it got closer.

Why Moms Have Gray Hair

My son went to the Bahamas for a fishing trip.  From all reports, and pictures, it would appear that it was a fun, successful trip.
He sent along 18 pictures, many of them beautiful views of the local color.
One, in particular, of Eric diving for conch.

The pictures truly told the story of the trip.
Doesn't Eric look happy with that conch in his hand.  It became part of their dinner later in the day.

Then, the kicker.
In the same water where Eric went diving for the conch, he takes and sends this picture.

He tagged it as 'shark'!
My son is diving in the same water where sharks are circling. 
This is why Moms never know what is going on until after it is over.

Family Quirks

In the past few weeks I have lost three relatives.  The most recent, my cousin, Bev.  Bev started me on my ten year journey into our fraternal grandmother's family tree.  It is a fascinating and often frustrating exercise.  Bev, for whatever reason, went to the old cemetery in Elba.  She found the graves of our first ancestors to settle in Genesee County in 1811.She arrived on my doorstep one morning with her notes, left them with me and enjoyed watching me struggle with putting the pieces together for years.
I'd call her with updates when I would find an interesting tidbit. 
Bev lost her husband a year ago.  She has a wonderful family who will need our prayers as they gather the strength to deal with her sudden passing.
I'll miss her.
Another cousin, Pauline, also passed.  Pauline was 104.  She never married, lived in the same house her entire life, and loved cats.  Pauline's mother was my maternal grandfather's sister. 
Which brings us to my cousin, Minnie.  Minnie's father and my maternal great grandfather were brothers.  Their house was across from my cousin Pauline's.
....and therein lies the story of a family quirk (one of many).
My sister and I were on the phone early this morning.  I mentioned that Minnie had passed. 
She wasn't sure who that cousin was, so I automatically said, "you know, from across the street."
My sister chuckled.  My aunt had explained it the same way.
That brought back a memory of my mother saying the same thing about the family "across the street".
Now, my sister is much younger than I.  Saying 'across the street' had no real reference for her. 
"Across what street?".
My great grandfather and his brother purchased houses across from each other.  Since thier last names were the same, and their children's names were almost identical to my great grandparents' children, it was common to explain who you were talking about by their location.
In our case, and most likely in their's too, when talking about a Tony, James, Mary, Vincent, Minnie, etc., if you weren't talking about your own, you qualified it by saying, "you know, the one across the street.".
So, today, my sister got a little lesson in family folklore and another family quirk.

4th of July

We are having a picnic later today.   A pot luck picnic, where all the neighbors will bring their prize winning salads, baked beans, and desserts.  A true slice of Americana.   The Summer Diner and The Snack Shop are providing the hot dogs, condiments, paper goods and beverages. 
My contribution will be baked beans.  They are in the slow cooker as I write this.  I'm not sure if they would win any prizes at a county fair, but I did taste them and they are good.  My father always put a few hot peppers in his baked beans.  They gave the dish a little heat, not a lot, but a lot of flavor.  I did the same.
My uncle played in a marching band, so did my grandfather and three of my boys (my daughter was in color guard).  Last night, I found one one of my favorite marches, National Eblem.
As you listen to the march, imagine our Batavia Concert Band coming down Main St.  They always started this march just before they had to make the turn onto Harvester Avenue and the cemetery for the Memorial Day parade.  About a quarter of the way into it, they would start their turn.  We always watched the parade from that corner.  Soon, the entire band would complete the turn and start down Harvester.  The music still loud enough to hear, but somewhat muffled since they had their backs to us now.
They would end the National Eblem March just as they got to the memorial where the morning ceremonies would take place.
The National Eblem March, to me, is one of the most patriotic pieces of music I know.
Wishing you all a safe and happy 4th.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U40OIESDwlU&feature=player_detailpage

The Freezer Has Arrived & Case Dismissed

Just in time for the sweltering days of summer (when we aren't dripping from the constant rain), our freezer arrived.
http://bataviablogmistress.blogspot.com/2011/04/new-projects-at-400-towers.html
I don't believe it will fit in the space I hoped would be it's home.  There doesn't appear to be enough clearance on all sides to facilitate proper air flow, so it will have a home around the corner. 
That is a minor inconvenience considering that we now have a place to store ice cream. 
"Around the corner" means in the fitness room open to the residents, guests, and others who roam the halls in the dark of night, 24/7.  So, that means figuring a way to secure it when the shop is closed. 
I suggested a lock, but shop and stock felt that a lock might compromise the warranty. 
He wants a band around it with a sturdy lock - I envision that as some sort of freezer chastity belt. 
I'm sure within the next few days a solution will come forth.
In the meantime, we are employing a leap of faith that no one will take off with our stash of ice cream.

On a happy note,this somewhat chilly day, my friend Chris who was arrested for making a phone call for no legitimate purpose can finally breathe a sigh of relief.

Chris' case was dismissed today. It was a long time coming, but all who know him, knew that it was a bogus charge.

http://thebatavian.com/howard-owens/breaking-harassment-charge-against-chris-charvella-dismissed/26768


http://bataviablogmistress.blogspot.com/2011/06/from-making-phone-call-for-no.html

Is it Friday yet?

This was a hectic week, so hectic I'm not sure where the time went.  The days sped by like a runaway locomotive.
Monday's breakfast went without a hitch.  Gert's scrambled eggs are popular and bring people back week after week.  The tropical fruit breakfast bake was well received, but the surprise star was the impromptu compote made from the leftover fruit.  I just wanted to use it up, so I placed the fruit in the processor and pulsed it a few times.  The folks loved it on their toast.  Who knew?
The arts and crafts group met on Monday afternoon and I finally brought down the supplies I had locked away.  Several members are making up prototype teddy bears; one decided to make baby blocks; and a few others took on more projects.
With our Wii guy in Texas, I have the responsibility to get the Wii up and running in the evening.  I did that on Monday night and let them play until 11pm.  Sadly, this lady was way too tired to sit up while they played until the wee hours of the morning.  Wii and I went to bed at 11.
Worked in the shop on Tuesday and Wednesday.  On Wednesday night I made my spaghetti sauce and meatballs for Thursday's lunch. 
We had no idea who, if any, would show up for Thursday's lunch since at 5pm, Care-A-Van would be here to host their annual picnic for the residents.  One of my helpers suggested I cancel the lunch, but I hesitated doing that.  We are advertised as having a lunch and I felt we should keep to our promise.
As it turned out, we had almost 30 for lunch.  Care-A-Van served 60 at the picnic.  Between us, we fed the multitudes. 
Today!  I did paperwork all morning.  The newsletter is finished and put to bed.  The first two pages had to be edited due to late breaking news.  I completed the list of volunteers to make sure that all are recognized at the Residents picnic on July 17.  The poster for the 4th of July Pot Luck Picnic is done and up.  I worked the shop from Noon to 3.
My weekend plans were changed at the last minute which resulted in a mad dash to do laundry. 
Stafford's carnival is this weekend.  I'm going to miss it. 
For all the dads reading this, an early happy fathers' day. Hope you all get to do fun things this weekend.

Who Are You?

I often wonder who is checking on my site.  The report only tells me the country (and, in the US, the city or town). 
In many cases, I can figure it out by those who come in through Facebook.  These are people who are my FB friends. 
Sometimes, when it shows that the person came from another site, I won't know who it is, but I know we share common interests.
Quite often someone just stumbles on it while searching for something else.  I'm sure they don't plan to stop in Genesee Co.
A visitor from Darien Center, right here in Genesee Co. has me stumped.  Whomever it is doesn't come from FB; and they aren't just 'searching'.  They are looking for "bataviablogmistress", so they must know who I am.  I can count on one hand the number of people I know from that end of the county. 
So, it becomes a puzzle to be solved. 
What I know:
The person is either an early riser or works nights. 

The visits come at the ungodly hour between 4 and 5am. 
Could it be a dairy farmer having their early morning coffee before milking?  Do I know any dairy farmers in Darien Center?

Could it be someone who works nights and spends their lunch break on their laptop?  Do I know anyone from there who works nights?

Maybe, it is just someone who - like me - has a hard time sleeping through the night and uses that time to check out different sites.  That is a strong possibility. 

For example, I know someone who just bought a car.  There is a problem with the a/c, so this morning - very early this morning - on a hunch - I looked up adjusting a/c for that class vehicle.  The first site I found described the problem to a T, the a/c is pushing out frigid air on the passenger side, but not on the driver side.  The solutions ranged from an easy fix, reconnect a sensor under the hood, to the very expensive replace the a/c programmer.  Between the easy fix and the expensive replacement of the unit was a detailed explanation describing how a tech could remove the dash and repair the problem.  Knowing this would help someone when the vehicle is brought in for repair.  An informed consumer thing.

I hope it helps.

Anyway, whomever you are in Darien Center, please say 'hi, that early morning person is me' the next time we meet. 
My top countries with hits of twenty or more?
United States, Slovenia, Germany, Canada, United Kingdom, Vietnam, Russia, France, Denmark, Netherlands.
I had a person from the UK read about beef on weck.  She watched the Charlie the Butcher video and commented that she wasn't sure about the safety of the sandwich - or Charlie for that matter.  Why was he wearing a hard hat to make a sandwich?  Good question.

My friend, Jane, in Australia teases me about some of my menu items for The Summer Diner.  They are foreign to her, even with her American son in law helping to describe them.  The most recent was the "slider". 

Have a wonderful Sunday :)