tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-45834789918612934112024-03-13T12:55:36.394-07:00The Stone RabbitThe name of "The Stone Rabbit" comes from a little stone rabbit we were given in Senegal. We had recently arrived with our 10 week old son to our new home and decided to take a walk along the beach road near our house. We came upon a man at a little stand at the side of the road selling small stone statues. He gave us this little stone rabbit as a welcome gift to our baby boy to his country. It has seen better days, but still travels with us to each new place.The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.comBlogger159125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-20678681368947956112022-09-15T16:53:00.003-07:002022-09-15T16:58:21.545-07:00TransitionsA week before Thanksgiving last year, our new college freshman called from school to tell us something. “Mom and Dad, I am going to start using they/them pronouns.” A few minutes later into the conversation, we were told, “Actually, my goal is eventually to start using she/her pronouns.” We were shocked; we didn’t see it coming; we had no idea. Yes, at times through the years, we thought perhaps The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-21245549483838910282022-02-21T10:32:00.003-08:002022-02-21T11:47:50.411-08:00History matters!Over winter break, our oldest child was driving past the gas station when a pick-up with a trailer pulled out. The pick-up displayed a flag with profanity against a politician, which is bad enough. Even scarier, the pick-up also displayed a swastika. Unfortunately, we have seen an increase in such displays in our hometown. As a non-Anglican, non-Christian family, we find it downright scary! The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-18469109773657278242022-02-21T10:24:00.001-08:002022-02-21T10:34:40.219-08:00Here We GoI stopped using the blog for a very long time, but thinking this may in fact be the better venue for thoughts on the world around us. We are no longer with the US State Department, retired to our home state, our oldest in college, and our youngest in high school. Both my spouse and I are working for our state government, me part-time, him full-time. After years of moving every The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-66100218540517396092017-03-05T20:34:00.001-08:002018-05-17T08:52:18.634-07:00We are AmericanSo, yesterday, an American boy (same boy who has been sending him "Romans") told my oldest son "sometimes I forget you are an American because our beliefs are so different." My son replied, "that is the point of America, we each have the freedom to our own beliefs." Among many other things, the boy insists that supporting our President is our duty as an American, which to him means we are not to The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-39848312121503708272017-01-16T21:47:00.002-08:002022-02-21T11:16:42.137-08:00FaithI know I am talking about religion a lot lately. It is because I am being confronted by just how pervasive evangelical Young Earth Creationism (YEC) is around me. I have never been in a community before where such beliefs were so insidious. It is the cause of much cognitive dissonance for me as I interact and befriend those who seem like good, nice people and then find my oldest child and I are The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-85015027192397342122016-11-11T06:08:00.005-08:002022-02-21T10:54:30.777-08:00I cannot hide from it any longerI grew up in a very liberal Democrat family. My parents were raised in middle-class (mom) and upper-middle-class (dad) suburban homes. They were both spoiled by their parents. As a married couple, they were a disaster, always taking risks that they could not afford to take. Often we were on food stamps and ended up evicted more times than I can count. I blamed the safety nets and the bail-outs (The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-80279406461692055062016-11-08T21:03:00.005-08:002016-11-08T21:10:17.258-08:00Are we the fringe?We have friends, wonderful beautiful friends, on both sides of the aisle. I have never and never will allow political differences to determine my friendships. If we divide ourselves based on such things how do we ever hope to come together to find common ground and find solutions. I believe that, more often than not, we want a similar ultimate outcome, a better and brighter future and healthier The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-76468221107729993292016-01-01T09:37:00.003-08:002017-02-10T23:12:11.830-08:00A new year ahead, an update and a look forwardThe year ahead promises many changes. Some much sooner than others.
My old (pre Foreign Service) firm recently offered me some work, as a contractor on an ongoing basis. I would work from home, so the job can move with me. And, I can work as many or as few hours as I want per week. I will be sent a list of things needing to be done and will let them know what I can do each week. This will The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-44568204798296015622015-12-17T05:22:00.002-08:002022-02-21T12:01:00.329-08:00Selfishness or love or bothOur beautiful old girl is at least 15 years old. We believe she is part Belgian Malinois (shepherd) and part Portuguese Podengo. We found her on the streets of Portugal in 2001 during our second tour with the State Department. Since that day, she has followed me around like a little kid follows her mommy. And, when I had my oldest child (who is now in jr. high), she followed him around like a The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-69010625604518350092015-09-15T18:25:00.001-07:002015-09-15T19:10:49.431-07:00Dolphins?We live one block from a large beautiful bay. In our neighborhood, there is a tiny beach on the bay. We often walk to the beach to watch the sunset and sailboats; it is just so beautiful. Sometimes, we even see dolphins!About a month ago, we bought some highly rated inflatable kayaks. We are here only one more year and decided spending the money on two pvc two-person kayaks was too expensive, butThe Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-56157756124816595892015-08-12T07:44:00.001-07:002015-08-12T10:25:35.006-07:00We are not a Christian nation.I recently joined a friend's conversation about whether or not America is a Christian nation. He had one responder with whom I began a bit of a debate. I don't know what possessed me really. I guess when it comes to this issue, I must admit it is one very personal to me having grown-up as a religious minority in our country, having my kids grow-up as religious minorities, and my husband as well The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-66640836343959320122015-08-05T09:57:00.003-07:002015-08-05T11:28:35.022-07:00Not Mutually ExclusiveMy outrage over Cecil the Lion's death is not because an animal was hunted in and of itself. I am not a hunter and never will be. But, I can certainly understand the hunting for food as part of an organized season to cull the overpopulation of a species that would otherwise die of starvation and/or disease due to this overpopulation. I may even be able to understand hunting to protect hearth and The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-5732960262655938902015-07-22T11:41:00.003-07:002022-02-21T11:21:44.313-08:00A family weddingLast weekend I went to the wedding of one of my cousins. His Mom, D, has been like a big sister to me for so many years. She was there for me when my Dad died when my Mom died she came thousands of miles to help me sort through it all, and when I was going through some pretty difficult times just a few years ago, she was the only person in the world with whom I felt safe to confide in so The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-6294884361155867872015-02-09T09:06:00.002-08:002022-02-21T12:05:38.573-08:00A beautiful dayYesterday, we had the most beautiful day together as a family. I wasn't expecting our day to turn out to be one of those days made for memories, but it somehow turned into just that kind of day.
The cub scouts had tickets for a hockey game and ice skating, for which we bought tickets weeks ago. The boys have Hebrew lessons Sunday mornings, and the game was about an hour away from where they haveThe Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-65371802704921953202015-01-03T14:27:00.001-08:002015-12-17T05:36:52.051-08:00Worrying about the old girlSophie is now at least 14 years old. She is our dog; the dog we found on the streets of Portugal back in December 2001. Based on the cleanliness of her teeth, the vet thought she was around a year old. She was pregnant when we found her, though we did not know it at the time because she was mostly just skin and bones. Something about her sad desperate eyes just drew me in and I just couldn't turnThe Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-43048580172128076382014-12-18T17:51:00.003-08:002022-02-21T12:22:38.861-08:00End-of-the-season flashbackTonight at the dinner table, we were discussing the word "bitch," enlightening the boys to the fact that not only is it a bad word that somehow they already know, but it does have a much more straightforward and appropriate meaning, female dog. This came up, of course, after my husband spelled out b-i-t-c-h when our dog, Sophie, tried stealing food off of the counter. "Yes, dear husband, so very The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-21367450643749784422014-12-13T13:05:00.001-08:002014-12-19T17:09:56.407-08:00Easy BBQ Chicken QuartersLove this:
I just set the oven to 200 F. Put a dry rub on frozen chicken quarters and let them cook for 4 hours. About 15 minutes before they are done, heat up the grill on medium. Then turn it to low, slather BBQ sauce on the chicken quarters put them on the grill for 3 minutes per side and voila, fall of the bone BBQ chicken. If not frozen, same thing, less time (2.5 hours does the job). The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-57046956404265278492014-11-05T15:16:00.000-08:002014-11-06T16:54:53.202-08:00Getting back on the exercise bandwagon, or not. . .So, today was the day. I was going to go to the pool and swim some laps. Just 30 minutes, nothing grand, but get back into the swing of things. My waterproof iPod shuffle was charged, my Zoomer fins, kick-board, towel and change of clothes were (and still are) packed, and I was ready to go.
I get to the outdoor heated pool and guess what, there was a huge group of seniors in the pool with their The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-17912386447993559392014-10-29T11:23:00.002-07:002014-10-29T11:24:45.165-07:00Helicopter propeller disengagedLearning to turn off the propeller. In reality, I give my guys a lot of leeway, but when something is bothering them it is very hard for this Mom to not just swoop in and fix it.
I recently got some great advice, talk to them about their feelings, don't ask a lot "what's up" questions, but focus on mirroring back what they say and exploring their feelings. When I really think about it, I know I The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-31303760061985335902014-10-27T04:31:00.001-07:002014-10-27T05:26:55.295-07:00Turtle season
It must be turtle season here, as we had yet another turtle in our driveway this morning, luckily this time not injured.
Yesterday, we found the turtle above in our front walk, crushed by something. We are thinking it was likely a car, but do worry that our dog may have also had a paw in it.
We rushed him over to the wildlife refuge where they took the turtle right in. Hope s/he heals The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-40158401414200755572014-10-04T18:46:00.000-07:002014-10-05T17:38:47.658-07:00Yom KippurIt has been an exceptionally difficult fast this year. There are many things for which we ask forgiveness, especially not performing all the mitzvahs when we could (those we know and those we don't). So, may all the suffering of this fast cleanse our souls and may every next year, we do better than we did the year before.
Now, let's eat!
The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-43238529426169374542014-09-28T17:06:00.001-07:002014-09-28T17:06:09.904-07:00It really does workSo, tonight we tried the method of shucking corn that I did not believe was real, but it is. You just cook the corn in its husk in the microwave (two ears for five minutes), take the corn out of the microwave and cut about an inch off of the stem end (the end that does not have the silk hanging out), then from the silk end just push and slide the ear right out of the husk. It comes out almost The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-5832520697859180672014-09-24T08:04:00.002-07:002014-09-24T08:04:48.780-07:00Captain Underpants, what the heck?I was just reading about Captain Underpants topping the "list of most frequently challenged books." What the heck?!
I credit Captain Underpants with getting my oldest child interested in reading. He started reading Captain Underpants in first grade. He loved Captain Underpants, as well as The Magic Tree House series, and then he moved on. Second grade was the Diary of a Wimpy Kid series. The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-3644399737926821802014-09-20T15:17:00.001-07:002014-09-20T15:20:50.797-07:00We all have somethingI was thinking today about how we have so many different friends, from all over the world, with different education levels, religions, orientations, ethnicities, shapes, sizes, conditions, situations and on and on. And, you know, it occurred to me, we all have something. We all have something that makes us unique, different, special, maybe even insecure from time-to-time. But, we really shouldn'tThe Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4583478991861293411.post-58387542370901088662014-09-18T10:58:00.004-07:002014-09-18T12:39:34.082-07:00That is a whole lot of produceOh man, that's a whole lot of produce. So, I spent the $106 for the large box of produce. It is locally sourced, organic, 9-11 different types, in-season, more veggies than fruit and I pick it up at the local drop-off point. Turns out the large box is actually two medium boxes, so I got double of everything essentially. At first when I saw this I thought, "oh shit, how will I use this all." But, The Stone Rabbithttp://www.blogger.com/profile/08147763692430539012noreply@blogger.com1