My Name is Kris and I Blah-g

As I was sitting here at my computer, I heard Michaela’s anxious voice in the hallway. She was talking to my sister and I could hear her in an excited tone, “I think one of my fish had a baby!” Of course I had to go see this for myself and sure enough there was a tiny white fish with HUGE eyes hanging out in the tank. Michaela was gleeful. It is indeed exciting. But I’ve been through this before. Her cousin Matt had fish when he was little and that fish also had babies…LOTS of them and by morning those babies were ALL gone…a feast for the grown up fish. I broke that fact to Michaela and told her to prepare herself. She looked at her bigger fish and with a stern voice told them to NOT eat the baby. If only it were that simple.About an hour later Michaela excitedly told me that there were TWO babies. And upon further inspection, sure enough…there were two. But who was the mom? Michaela has 3 fish. One we have had for quite a while. The other two we purchased about a month or so ago. So to see babies, it is surprising. But Google is my friend. One of the fish is a Dalmation Molly and I was fairly certain that Mollies have live babies…and after further investigation I found out that they do. The other fish we call Mickey because of the Mickey Mouse shape on its tail. I have since learned that those are called Platys and they TOO have live babies…oh boy. Each can give birth to 20-60 babies at a time. And the likelihood of them eating their young is high. Bummer. Michaela of course would like me to save the babies but in my ignorance and with this late hour, I just know there is no way. It will have to wait until morning.One of the interesting facts I learned tonight about these fish is that Platys can “hang on” to sperm and “impregnate themselves” for several months after the deed is done. They don’t need a male fish around at all. So we could be looking at more babies in the future if this holds true..If Mickey 3 (that’s her name and yeah, she’s our 3rd Mickey fish) keeps knocking herself up, we may have to get her a tank of her own!

Fall is always a magical time of year for me. I love the colors and the smells. The crisp air in the mornings and warmth in the afternoons are just a reminder of how nature can have it all at times. In some ways I wish that there were only two seasons – Spring and Fall. They seem to be the shortest and perhaps that is why I appreciate them most. Once they’re here, they’re gone. This fall, I am sad to say, I am NOT that excited about because it means winter is not too far behind! We had a pretty wet spring. It seemed as if winter would never end and when Spring technically got here, it wasn’t warm. It felt like summer barely got here and then we were thinking of back to school. Thankfully, we have had quite a few events to welcome in the new season – namely the birth of two new babies! Babies are wonderful! And these two are no exception! I could probably spend hours photographing them, trying to get that perfect picture. But I’ll settle for the couple I got here. In addition to these awesome babies, we have had some great fall color to enjoy. I’ve started a Fall Picture gallery. In it are a few pictures I’ve taken so far. Okay so technically, the ones with me in it I did NOT take. Dad did..but I did the fancy schmancy stuff in photoshop. And thanks to my wireless camera remote, I managed to take the family group shot. So, here they are. As more are taken, I’ll share them here. Click on the thumbnails to enlarge.

I haven’t written for a while. I guess I just haven’t had a lot to say lately. I suppose I could wax sarcastic all day long about the farce that is the inauguration of Obama. I just am too disgusted to say anything other than (1) they are spending an obscene amount of money that in this current time is wreckless and unnecessary, (2) Obama isn’t Lincoln and never will be. The comparisons should just stop now and maybe we can revisit this in oh… another 4 or 8 years when he’s out of there to see if he’s worthy of such a comparison. (3) All of this adulation is reminiscent of idol worship and that is alarming to me. The guy hasn’t done anything yet to make the lives better for anyone and he’s seen as a god. I am keeping my distance big time and I shall remain skeptical of his every move. I don’t trust the guy. Not one bit. There is only one God and he ain’t Him. (4) His wife-beaters show through his dress shirts which just look tacky to me and well, he needs to grow some dreads…If he wants to have the cool factor, he may as well look the part. I dunno…all this week has been a build up and it’s just so full of hype and in a way it’s kinda good that the expectations are so high. He’s got a lot to live up to. I am not sure he’s capable.So, other than trying to ignore the inauguration, I have been putting my attention elsewhere. I was in a dilemma yesterday watching the NFL playoffs because the Cardinals won (dang it) and the Ravens made a comeback that nearly won them the game. I was trying to figure out if my dislike to Kurt Warner was more than my dislike for the Ravens. How would I be able to watch the Superbowl?? Luckily the Steelers came through for me and I won’t have to worry about that. It’d be a shame to miss the Superbowl….unless I was in Disneyland and then all bets are off. So, yeah..I’m kicking around the idea of going to the Mouse House before my trip to Disney World. WHY? Um…because I can? How about that? We’ll see though…no plans have been made because there is a lot going on these days.In two weeks my niece gets married. She is in the final moments of freak out and rightfully so. I remember what it’s like to be the bride. It wasn’t that long ago. And as she is making these plans and all the newness of her relationship with her intended is making me feel…I dunno what the word is. I don’t feel sad. I don’t feel upset. I wouldn’t say it’s jealousy or envy although, I DO admire her relationship. I see the love there and I remember what it was like. I wouldn’t go so far as to say it puts a thump in my throat but it gives me pause to reflect on how things are right now. My other niece (her sister) just announced that she is pregnant and due in early September. This is most excellent news too. Aside from a wedding, the birth of a child is the most exciting news yet. What a wonderful 9 months she has ahead of her. How thrilling for her daughter to become a big sister. And yet, again I reflect…. It’s not easy to be in your 30s and feel like the old aunt who has been there done that and has had her turn. I should still be in the game and yet I’ve been benched – not because I can no longer play but because half of my team has left the game and I can’t play it alone. I suppose MAYBE it’d be easier to accept if I was 15 or 20 years older. It’d still be painful but at least some of what would never be wouldn’t have been possible anyway. What holds it together for me right now is a 6 year old who reminds me daily that I was once the anxious bride who had her day much like my niece will have her’s and that same 6 year old once gave me a thrilling 9 months, too. I am blessed that I played the game at all. I suppose it’s just half time for me right now. I just hope there’s some good commercials because it’s gonna be a long one…