Bug's Log

Here are gathered tidbits of family news and recent changes to the Krutulis Family website.

• Friday, December 2, 2005

  Christmas is coming! We picked out our tree yesterday at the Optimists' lot. (You guys have the best trees, Tom!)

  
  

  The children are having fun decorating. With the lake frozen over and a beautiful layer of snow on the ground, we are definitely in the Christmas spirit.

• Tuesday, November 29, 2005

  Who needs electricity?

  
  

  We returned home last evening to discover that the power was out. An automobile accident had knocked out a transformer.

  After eating a make-do dinner, we gathered around the fire to read. Henry, playing his new birthday harmonica, added to the pioneer spirit.

• Wednesday, November 23, 2005

  Snow!

  
  

  The strong south wind brought snow this morning. Henry finished his breakfast in record time, suited up and was out the door to do his happy dance.

  
  

  And Emma made a new friend.

• Friday, November 18, 2005

  Black Belts!

  
  

  Congratulations to the newest first and second degree black belts in West Lafayette! They have all worked very hard to achieve their new rank and we are very proud of them!

• Thursday, November 17, 2005
  
  

  The cold air blew across the prairie Tuesday night delivering temperatures in the teens. The wind was intense and a little scary, but this morning's sunrise over the partially frozen lake reminded us that every season has its own special beauty here.

• Friday, November 11, 2005

  Code Warriors

  
  

  Kira and Max are spending the day learning HTML. Their petition to suspend other school work for the day was granted. Code Poet Dad could hardly refuse such a request. You can check out the results of Kira's day of coding by surfing on over to her web site. AND Max's work can be found here.

  Happy Veteran's Day to all the Gensic and Krutulis Vets! Thanks for your service defending this great country of ours.

• Sunday, November 6, 2005

  Pop-Pop and Grandma arrived today bearing an heirloom birthday present for Kira

  
  

  Pop-Pop built this beautiful dresser using some of the oak that Joe and I salvaged from Pete's Bar before it was demolished. It will be a family treasure for generations.

  Thanks, Pop-Pop!

• Tuesday, November 2, 2005

  Mmmmmmmmm! Exotic tea!

  
  

  My family knows how to spoil me with simple pleasures. For my birthday this year I received a beautiful teapot and a different green tea from each of them. They know what I like!

• Friday, October 28, 2005

  We haven't been walking this week. We're still recovering from our trip to Florida. The drive home included about three hours through the northern radius of hurricane Wilma early Monday morning.

  We had a wonderful time with with Computer-Cabana Boy, Dr. Texas Girl and their Black Belt Blondes. We look forward to more fun times exploring the swamps, swimming in the pool, and sharing great food and conversation. By the way--see if you can find the Krutulis children "hidden" in their blog!

• Thursday, October 13, 2005

  Broadband has arrived in the Boondocks.

  Just when we were about to give up on the possibility of having high-speed internet connectivity here at Bug's Bog, our desires have been met.

  
  

  Thank goodness for prairie sky scrapers! The antenna is on this one, which is about 2.5 miles from our house.

• Monday, October 10, 2005

  Thanks, Mark! Thanks, Jack!

  Ben came back from Fort Wayne this weekend bearing gifts. Mark sent a cast-iron pot-hanger for cooking over our fire pit. He bought it at the Johnny Appleseed Festival. We can't wait to get a good pot of soup cooking--but first we have to find just the right pot.

  
  

  Jack sent us a peck of these gorgeous peppers. Actually, it wasn't quite a peck. I think a few got skimmed off the top at the transfer station (Mark's house.) Everything is taxed! That's okay. We have already been cooking with them and they are now cleaned and in the freezer waiting for winter meals.

• Sunday, October 9, 2005

  Happy 30th, Preety!

  It's been a three day stay-at-home weekend for us--no driving. I've made a dozen loaves of bread (potato, onion/fontina, and cinnamon raisin), two pizzas and two different soups (six bean and beer/cheese.) We've been eating like royalty.

  And to ensure that we don't balloon like royalty, we set--and met--fitness goals for ourselves. I walked 20 miles this weekend and Joe rode 80. He's more than ready for next weekend's Hilly Hundred.

• Thursday, September 22, 2005

  Tonight we had another successful testing. Henry is now a camo belt, Emma and I are blue decided and Kira and Max had their last interim test before the big black belt test coming up in November.

  
  

  My friend Zouq came to see us test. I met Zouq while I was working at the library. He was a math professor at the University of Virginia before retiring to West Lafayette. Lucky for me he has a soft spot for tall librarians who practice martial arts. Lucky for him I have a soft spot for cute mathematicians who like Middle Eastern food and home-baked bread.

  Best of luck with your move to sunny Arizona, Zouq. I hope the librarians are nice to you in Phoenix. If they're not, just let me know. I'm pretty sure I can beat them up for you.

• Wednesday, September 21, 2005

  This is Buddy the Labradorgi. He's a cute little guy--a black lab in a corgi body.

  
  

  His mom is Wallis the Corgi and his dad is Forest, the black lab that we saved from the neighbor's culvert. See the August 28, 2004, log entry.

  There always seems to be one dog drama after another around here--and we don't even own a dog. We do enjoy having them around to go on our walks with us each day. I love it when they are waiting for me at the bridge--and I always feel a little guilty if I'm late like I was this morning. Watching them leap straight up in the air in the bean fields, kick up pheasants or chase deer always makes me smile. Maybe someday we'll have a dog of our own. Right now we don't need one--we have the neighbor's three.

• Saturday, September 17, 2005

  Today we participated in a tournament in Valparaiso. As usual, we had a blast.

  Emma set the bar high early in the morning when she took first place in both forms and sparring in her ring. Emma didn't actually spar her opponents--she took them both out with three quick two-point head kicks each. Henry took first place in his Tiny Tiger ring for "paying attention." Once again, he was commended for his focus.

  Max took first in forms and second in sparring. He looked really good. Kira took second in forms and third in sparring. She was a little disappointed, but she was up against her nemesis--a girl who's short on sportsmanship and long on viciousness. "Evil Girl" was beaten by a first-time competitor who was a nervous wreck, but a natural sparrer. Kira is wise enough to appreciate that justice can be served up in many ways.

  And in the Old Lady Blue Belt Ring, I had my strongest form ever and earned first place for it. It wasn't an immediate win, though. I tied for first initially and had to do my form a second time. I actually like when I have to do it again because all of my initial stress is gone and I can focus better. I lost my first sparring round when time ran out at 3-2. We were so closely matched that we continuously blocked each other's best attempts to score. It was exhausting.

  We all finished up the day by falling asleep before nine o'clock--a well-earned sleep.

• Friday, September 16, 2005

  Triskaidek-girl-ophobia: Fear of the knowledge that you are old enough to have a thirteen-year-old daughter.

  There is no denying that we have a teen-aged girl in our house. If the phone is busy, try calling back later. And I mean much later! Between the calls and the IMs, our major link to the rest of society gets plenty of use.

  At least I take heart that Kira and her friends are all prolific writers and self-proclaimed grammar geeks. They do occasionally enter what I call The Like Zone, which I allege is a technique for keeping parents from listening too closely to conversations. Whether or not this is true, it appears that they can enter and exit The Like Zone at will. They are all extremely smart and motivated girls. They are also all highly ranked in Taekwondo, so we parents don't worry much about teen-aged boys. Right now the girls don't appear to be too interested. Boys harsh their buzz. w00t!

• Friday, September 9, 2005

  Henry and Emma are making Molasses cookies this afternoon.

  
  

  It smells good in here!

• Wednesday, September 7, 2005

  Kira's page has been updated.

• Tuesday, September 6, 2005
  
  

  Sunrise on my morning walk.

• Sunday, September 4, 2005

  I'm ranked first in sparring! I suppose it's worth the major bruises I suffered in the last tournament. My legs are finally healing and I have shin guards to wear--just in time. We have two tournaments coming up this month.

• Saturday, September 3, 2005

  We bought a DVD collection of classic Warner Brothers cartoons this past week. You should hear Henry belly-laugh as he watches Sylvester and Tweetie doing their thing. Elmer Fudd singing opera can also make him laugh until he can hardly breathe. It's good to know that their humor is fresh for yet another generation of children.

• Wednesday, August 31, 2005

  I walked 70.5 miles this month. I know this because I have finally begun to keep track of my early morning walks. Joe has been keeping track all year, but I hadn't been disciplined enough to do it before now. Joe walked 116.75 miles this month and has accumulated 783 miles toward his goal of walking 1000 miles in 2005. I wish I had started counting in January.

  I also wish I had been keeping track of the wonderful soups we have been making in this L'anno della Nostra Minestra. I don't want to turn this into a blog about soups, but I also regret that I haven't kept a record. I suppose there's no time like the present to begin--especially after this week's creamy (dairy-free!) sweet corn chowder, fresh-from-the-garden tomato bisque and Turkish bean & potato.

• Tuesday, August 30, 2005

  It's a good thing that we like tomatoes.

  We have picked enough to can 12 quarts so far, plus shared delicious meals of fresh tomato bisque, bruschetta, pepperonata, and other yummy treats. More than a bushel-full have been passed out to friends and family members. Although nothing compares with garden-fresh tomatoes, our home-canned goodies will be a great addition to winter meals.

• Friday, August 26, 2005

  Fickle Friend

  It appears that I still have a problem when it comes to dealing with the snakes that share our property. This afternoon I went out to the garden to pick tomatoes and came face to face with a large snake who was happily sunning himself. He looked a lot like the the snake that we have seen on the rock pile on the opposite side of the house. I have not been able to identify Rock Pile Snake, but his markings are very similar to a copperhead. Rock Pile Snake does have round pupils, which I am told means he is harmless. When I tried to scoot Garden Snake away, he coiled up and flared his head--also characteristic of a copperhead. I yelled, "We are not friends!" and retreated to the shed to get a hoe. I had no intention of getting close enough to to check his pupils!

  After beating the poor creature to death and carrying him down the road a bit I noticed Jack out front with his golf cart, working on his gate. I asked him to please come and identify the now dead snake for me. He chuckled when he said that it was a bull snake. He told me a story about when he was eight years old and received a whipping after killing a bull snake that had been living in their corn crib. He had thought his father would be proud of him.

  Jack still doesn't like snakes, but he doesn't go out of his way to kill them. Apparently bull snakes are among the more useful country critters when it comes to keeping rodents under control. I don't know if the bull snake had been feeding on the large population of undesirable moles on the property, but the next time I see a one I'll just say hi.

  Joe brought this little guy home from Martinsville.

  

  As you can see, we got along just fine. I didn't kill him. I let him go down by the lake.

• Thursday, August 25, 2005

  Henry is doing very well following his adenoidectomy this morning. He was a brave little man cub during all the pre-operative stress. The doctor had told him that he could have a milkshake after it was all finished. When he finally came out of the anesthesia enough to be coherent, he informed me that he would rather have a Slurpee than a milkshake.

  We have a long family history of Slurpees after surgeries--and just about any other time we are in need of a cold, sweet brain freeze! It was after Kira's first palate reconstruction surgery that we started drinking them. Her surgeon told us they would feel good to her. After Max's sinus surgeries he also was soothed by 7-Eleven's over-the-counter wonder drug.

  We don't have 7-Eleven stores where we live now, but Speedway finally offers caffeine-free frozen drinks. And when we were in Detroit a few weeks ago, we made up for lost time with daily (sometimes twice-daily) trips to our old neighborhood "8-Twelve" for our favorite family treat.

• Saturday, August 13, 2005

  Yeay, George!

• Thursday, August 4, 2005

  This is Tongue. He and his girlfriend Lick frequent the nightly bug smorgasbord on our kitchen window.

  

  They used to hang out on the garage windows, but apparently found that the food is better on this side of the house.

• Wednesday, August 3, 2005

  A pair of wrens has moved into an ornamental bird house that I placed on the deck railing just outside the kitchen window. I put the house out thinking that it would simply look cute. I never imagined that it would be occupied. It was only out for a few days when we started noticing the tell-tale twigs and weeds that indicated someone was remodeling and planning to move in.

  

  We still aren't certain which of the wrens has been doing all the work and which sits on top of the house warbling. They are great neighbors; they eat bugs around the deck and when the windows are open, their song fills our house.

• Tuesday, August 2, 2005

  The tomato god is smiling down upon us this summer. Our plants are thick with gorgeous fruit. It's all still fairly green, but a few of my heirloom tomatoes are beginning to pink up. They all look healthy--and none had to tread water this year since the lake stayed where it belongs.

• Saturday, July 16, 2005

  Congratulations to Sam and Jessica Von Gensic!

  The reception was held at the Fort Wayne Women's Club, where Joe and I celebrated both our wedding and reception nearly 17 years ago. It's still a lovely place to hold important events. Sam's creative video productions made it a unique and memorable event.

  Uncle Mike was up to his usual tricks--teasing the kids and inciting trouble. Perhaps he thought the Krutulis kids were too straight-laced to play along when he offered $20 to the first one who would stick a hand in the chocolate fountain. Kira didn't hesitate; her hand went right in.

  

  It crossed my mind that it would be quite enjoyable to put my whole head in the fountain if such things weren't seriously frowned upon. That, however, would only promote me from Weird Aunt to Complete Freak.

• Friday, July 15, 2005

  While Kira and Max enjoyed day camp at Wolf Park this week, Emma, Henry and I have been hanging out together. Today we went to see "Madagascar." Prior to the movie, the theater runs commercials for local businesses. One ad was for a second-hand sporting good store where a father and son looked over the equipment while the announcer talked about all the different gear they sold. When the announcer said golf in a list of the different types of sporting goods, Henry laughed out loud and said, "HA! Golf isn't a sport!" My sentiments exactly!

• Thursday, July 14, 2005

  This afternoon, Emma and Henry were playing a 20-questions style game they called "Person, Place, Thing, or Musical." At one point, Henry got irritated with Emma and told her to quit always making him guess which musical she was thinking of.

• Tuesday, July 12, 2005

  Kira and I worked a little more on her website today. We spent some time on the style sheet and index page. Keep an eye on Kiwibug--it's going to be fantastic.

• Sunday, July 10, 2005

  We had another fun evening with friends yesterday. This time we shared dinner, hiking and games at their grandparents' family farm on Wildcat Creek east of town. What an absolutely gorgeous piece of property!

  After dinner the children all went for a walk in the corn. We grown ups thought we knew exactly where they were, but when the dads yelled and no one answered, the moms were called into action to drive down the long farm lane and honk horns to flush out the "Children of the Corn." They were fine. It's just difficult to hear the frantic yells of a parent when the wind is blowing through the fields (and there are teen-aged girls gabbing their way through the rows.)

  Battle Ground sweet corn was the focal point of the evening's menu. We were shocked when we discovered that Buck Creek Boy and Dr. Texas Girl had never eaten it roasted before! They learned that sweet corn can be sweeter yet. Grandpa Gensic didn't call them "roasting ears" for nothing!

  We played a late-night game of Gestures, in which Max was forced to pantomime "snowflake obsidian" compliments of Emma Xaxamaziah's creativity.

  We are definitely going to miss them when they move away later this month, but we're happy to have made such good friends back home again in Indiana.

• Friday, July 8, 2005

  How to have a fun evening with Ben:

  • Show him Max's first DVD production.
  • Tease him mercilessly (Henry.)
  • Test his stomach by watching Maize eat a hopper.
  • Make him take the stern for a canoe trip around the lake.
  • Tease him mercilessly (Henry.)
  • Take him for a 10 mile bike ride on the prairie dirt roads.
  • Let him take a few shots with the bow and arrow and try to kill the orc.
  • Tease him mercilessly (Henry.)
  • Feed him beer and gourmet sausage cooked over a bonfire.
  • Top him off with S'mores.
  • Try to figure out how someone who looks like an uncle can possibly be a cousin (Henry.)
  • Tease him mercilessly (Henry.)
  • Watch the sliver of a moon follow Venus into the western corn.
  • Sit around the fire reciting poetry, spotting satellites and stargazing.
  • Look forward to many more evenings together now that he is teaching at Purdue.
• Thursday, July 7, 2005

  Henry sure can work a room full of little old ladies! Yesteday we moved Grandma into her new home at St. Anne's. There's nothing like a four-year-old boy to promote a little activity in a nursing home. The ladies all wanted to hug him and rub his fuzzy head. He just played along at first--and then he got chatty and starting working his audience! He spelled his name for them and explained who he was named after, held their arthritic hands and hugged them. He even initiated a conversation with one lady about how much he liked her slippers. It was adorable and heart-warming.

  Grandma seems to be much more content in her new home. She is familiar with St. Anne's since she has visited friends there in the past and that seems to help her relax. Emma, Henry and I were able to decorate with many more personal effects than she had before, so she seems to feel more ownership of the space. I look forward to taking the kids to spend time with her there. I know they will make more than one grandma's face light up during our visit.

• Monday, July 4, 2005

  Happy Independence Day! We celebrated here at Bug's Bog by having the Fabulous Baker Girls over for food and fun. A storm blew in just as Joe was bringing the last group of kids off the lake in the canoe, so we sat for a time watching a couple of episodes from the first season of Bewitched we recently bought on DVD. Where did fun television shows like that go?

  The rain cleared up in time for us to all go out and celebrate with our Legal-in-Indiana fireworks. You may not be allowed to shoot anything into the air or make big booms here in the Hoosier state, but evidently you can induce seizures or blind someone with "Lightning Flashes" and burst eardrums with something called a "Piccolo Pete." Julie reported at one point that when she went into the bathroom, she couldn't even see herself in the mirror for all the spots that were fried into her retinas. Fun stuff for the Fourth of July!

• Sunday, July 3, 2005

  The line between pets and vermin in our house is becoming increasingly blurry. Once again, Kira completed an extensive research project and convinced us that a rat would be the perfect pet. I was once a mom who swore that there would be no rodents in our house. Two hamsters later, we now have a very fine rat named "Pantoufle" living here at Bug's Bog. He is named after Anouk's imaginary pet kangaroo in "Chocolat." He's actually a very nice pet and I have learned to keep the image of the harbor rats we used to see in Baltimore out of my mind when I look at him. I think of him as a very small dog. He's affectionate and smart and seems to adore Kira -- then again, she feeds him.

  We also now own a very pretty corn snake named Maize Our good friends are moving to Florida this month and could not take her. If I hadn't witnessed how docile she was with kids at their house I would never have considered taking her. I call her "Therapy" because she is helping me get over my extreme dislike of snakes. Maize is penance for all of the snakes I have beaten to death in my life. I'm getting better with her. And secretly I love being considered a "Cool Mom" for allowing these pets.

• Monday, June 27, 2005

  Boy, are our legs sore! The kids and I spent last week at Tae Kwon Do camp. I was the camp "Mom" and Henry was my helper while Emma, Max and Kira were campers. We had a goal of 2000 kicks for the week, which we easily exceded. My leg muscles are still burning.

  Kira and Max weren't just ordinary campers. They actually helped develop two out of the three forms we learned and were tested on at the end of the week. They demonstrated incredible leadership even with a couple of difficult kids in the mix of participants.

  
  Still Standing After All Those Kicks

  Henry proved to have the patience and endurance of a child far older than his four and a half years. With the exception of a very long (and much deserved) nap one afternoon, he kept up with everyone during workouts--kick for kick and move for move. He took his job as helper very seriously and impressed the heck out of the instructors. He even tested for and earned a new belt at the end of the week. Kira and Max are getting very close to their goals, as they earned their recommended black belts. Emma and I now sport our first decided rank, which is purple. Henry is a proud little yellow belt.

  The best part of the whole week was having the kids tell me how happy they were that I was there to share their time at camp with them. In our experience, "quantity time" is the key to "quality time".

• Sunday, June 19, 2005

  Happy Father's Day to Joe! What a great day it has been. We took our first trip to Portland Arch Nature Preserve in Fountain County. It was a great hike with the kids and the perfect place for everyone to study mosses, ferns, lichens and liverworts. The rock formations are amazing.

  We lunched on the shore of the Wabash River and then returned home via back roads in Fountain and Warren Counties. Emma and Henry talked us into a late afternoon canoe ride all the way around the lake. I know Joe enjoyed his day as much as we did.

• Friday, June 17, 2005

  Two summers ago we borrowed a canoe, but returned it when the weather turned cold. The inflatable kayaks and canoe are nice for the kids, but not great for the grown ups who wish to cruise the lake.

  So with Father's Day approaching, the kids and I purchased a new Old Town canoe. Emma and Henry can go out on the lake with us now. Henry particularly loves being out on the water.

  I can't wait until the first time we're out to watch the sunset over the house.

• Sunday, June 12, 2005

  There were five additional children sleeping over last night. It's the first time we've had such a party here at Bug's Bog. After an evening of boating, fishing and general merriment around the fire until about midnight, we went inside and the party really got started. There was an early morning Oreo binge, after which Emma and her friend passed out face down in the living room. The Three Blonde Mice and the Red Rat scurried about upstairs until dad made them be quiet at 6:00 am.

  They all went home after a zombie breakfast. I'm sure that there are a lot of children sleeping this afternoon so if you drive through West Lafayette, try to be a little quiet, okay?

• Monday, June 6, 2005

  The fire pit was put to good use this past weekend. Friday night was our very first ceremonial burning here at Bug's Bog as a friend turned her promotion papers to ash. She is moving on to full professorship at another university. We stayed out by the fire until after midnight chatting and star-gazing.

  The fishing was good on Saturday. The Baker girls and Krutulis kids collectively caught 18 fish--including the first large mouth bass we've seen in the lake. We didn't cook or eat any of them. S'mores are our kind of campfire food.

• Friday, June 3, 2005

  I used to dread sparring. I couldn't imagine myself doing it. I was happy to be taking classes with little kids and simply didn't have the confidence to take on the grown ups. No, I wasn't fighting with little kids! At the earlier belt levels, no one is required to spar.

  I was scared to death at the first tournament when I was required to spar. After losing in my very first round, another woman in my ring said something that changed my outlook almost immediately. She told me that I had the longest legs in the entire ring and if I could learn to use them, I would be hard to beat. After a few more lessons, I took second place in my next tournament--and it came down to the final point. I had scored 14 out of a total of 15 points in my match. Suddenly something that I was afraid to even try became a challenge that I actually enjoy.

  I'm having a great time in the adult classes now. I no longer feel as though I can't keep up. And there's nothing like hearing that chant rise from the crowd . . . ."Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom! Mom!" Okay, so maybe some of them are chanting for their own mom. My own little bunch of groupies have inspired me to do things I never thought I could do. They make me feel like a real champion.

• Thursday, June 2, 2005

  It's a rainy day at the bog. It was supposed to be deck-sealing day but secretly we're all happy to have our first real summer day when we can all lie around and read until it's time to go to Tae Kwon Do. Kira and Max are spending the summer working through the Indiana State recommended reading list for middle schoolers. All four kids are participating in the summer reading program at our local library--not that we ever need any incentives for reading here at Bug's Bog! Reading is a pleasure that we all enjoy on a daily basis. There's definitely something special about reading on a rainy summer day, though. Don't you think?

• Tuesday, May 31, 2005

  Swab the deck, me 'ardies! The children and I spent a total of seven hours today cleaning the decks here at Bug's Bog to prepare them for sealing. Part of the decks don't see much sun, so they weren't a pretty sight. Kira and Max worked like slaves scrubbing away the lichens on the railings. Joe wanted to keep the lichens, but he'll have to settle for the millions remaining on the trees.

  Emma and Henry pitched in as well. They were upset when they had to be inside while I sprayed the cleaner. They were set free to scrub again when the rinsing began. Everyone was proud of their work at the end of the day--and even reported that they had fun. My happy little pirate crew!

• Monday, May 30, 2005

  We wandered Indiana this weekend. Sunday we headed northeast to visit Grandma Gensic. We stopped along the way at our new favorite place to eat: Pizza Junction Cafe in Huntington. It's in one of the old depots and we get a kick out of watching the trains speed past us as we eat. We ate outside this time, so if the engineers got a quick peek at our pizza as they flew by, I'm sure they were as jealous of us as Joe was of them for being on the train.

  Grandma is doing much better in her new home. She is walking without pain and was doing well enough for us to take her out to Zesto. She would have preferred a sundae at Atz's but, unfortunately, the only one left is on the far side of town from where she lives.

  Then is was down I-69 for the first time in years. Joe and I used to make that trip a lot when he was in Detroit and I was still in Bloomington.

  We spent the night and all day Monday at Grandma and Pop-Pop's house. The kids had a great time playing with Jake and Rachel and we all enjoyed the waning pollen season in the beautiful gardens and in the awesome screened porch chatting with everyone.

  We drove home to Bug's Bog into the prairie sunset, which was a fitting end to our trip.

• Saturday, May 28, 2005

  Max and Joe helped tear out about eight hundred square feet of raised deck in the new Black Belt Academy today. Max is an amazing kid. He put in a full day's work with four grown men and never complained. I think they both enjoyed the destruction.

• Friday, May 27, 2005

  The gardens look great. Almost everything is planted. There are still some annuals waiting to be put in their new home in the terraces below the decks, but they will have to wait until the decks are cleaned and sealed.

  I have 11 tomato plants, ten peppers, green and purple beans, red, white and sweet potatoes, three different onions, eggplants, spinach, radishes, carrots, assorted herbs and many, many different flowers. I still need to get the squash and corn planted (and soon!)

• Thursday, May 26, 2005

  Anastasia will finally be working out with the grown ups! Tonight was Tae Kwon Do testing. Henry was double promoted in his Tiny Tigers class. It pays to be able to stand still and do what you are told when you are only four years old. Emma and mom are now purple belts. Kira and Max are red decided. The next test for them is recommended black belt.

• Monday, May 23, 2005

  One thousand square feet. That's how much garden space Joe terraced for me this Spring. The onions and potatoes are thriving; the flowers are growing; and there is much more to be planted. Today I put in three tomatoes, two pepper plants and two eggplants.

  The prairie wind is really blowing. The greenhouse-pampered plants will have to learn to tolerate it.

• Saturday, May 21, 2005

  Oh frabjous day! Joe is able to get outside again. Allergy season is nearly over. The cottonwoods are snowing so much that Kira has been seen contemplating how to spin the fiber into something knittable.

  It has been the perfect day to hang out in the garden, dig, build, weed and plant.

• Friday, April 1, 2005

  I have it on good authority (an old farm wife who must remain anonymous because I never did ask her name) that April Fool's Day is the perfect day for planting onions and potatoes. And so they are in the ground. No joke.

• Thursday, March 31, 2005

  The Krutulis Taekwondo Team is one step closer to their goal. Kira and Max earned their red belts and are less than a year away from their black belt test. Emma and Anastasia are now green belts and Tiny Tiger Henry earned a white belt with a black stripe.

• Wednesday, March 30, 2005

  The only thing funnier than a three-year-old boy is a four-year-old boy.

  Henry spent some time today playing with two wooden stools, turning them into everything from a submarine to a rocket ship to a rodeo horse. I told him, "Wow, Henry! That's very creative!" He responded nonchalantly, "Yeah. I'm a genius and I have lots of ideas in my brain."

  While snuggling, he commented on my wedding ring and the fact that someday he'd be able to wear one. I told him that when he was grown up he'd have his own snuggly wife and they would have little Snuggle Buddies just like him. His first response was, "Yeah, but she'll have to drive herself to the hospital." A bit confused, I asked him what he meant by that. He clarified, "Ladies have to go to the hospital to have babies and I don't know how to drive!"

• Sunday, March 27, 2005

  The Easter Bunny hid eggs here at Bug's Bog again this year. E.B. understands the potential (and has past experience with) problems having children of widely differing ages hunting for the same eggs. The Krutulis kids now each get specific colors of eggs to hunt, hidden with age and height in mind.

  When it came down to the most difficult hiding places this year, however, the hunt took an unexpected twist. Who could have imagined that E.B. would hide eggs 25 feet up in the cottonwoods? Emma and Henry, that's who! E.B. now has a new perspective on hiding eggs, which will lead to a few fun changes for next year's hunt.

  Check out the changes in Kira's page.

• Saturday, March 26, 2005

  If my 38-year-old self went back in time to tell my 28-year-old self that in ten years I would be suiting up in protective gear (including drool-enhancing mouth guard) and sparring with other middle-aged moms, I would have laughed at me and said, "Are you nuts? Have you forgotten how easily you bruise?"

  Today was my fifth Taekwondo tournament, but the first at which I had to spar. I didn't win, but at least I scored a couple of times. Don't anticipate any photos or streaming video. Everyone was watching Kira's ring at the same time I was competing, so there is no permanent record (thank heavens).

  The children once again performed very well. Max and Emma both brought home 1st place trophies for their forms, Kira took a 2nd in forms and 3rd in weapons. Max also took 3rd in sparring. Emma, in her easy-breezy style, took another 1st in weapons with a form she created the day before the tournament.

• Thursday, March 23, 2005

  In less than a week's time, Max read the first five books in D.J. MacHale's Pendragon Series. It's a great thing to find a good book. A good series is even more wonderful.

  Max is looking forward to July 1 release of Pendragon book number six The Rivers of Zadaa a bit more than he is the July 16 release of Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince--but not as much as he's looking forward to the August 1 release of Eldest, book two of Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Series.

  The success of Paolini's first book, Eragon, brought a lot of positive attention to home schoolers. He has inspired many young writers, including a couple who will be spending even more time this summer reading and writing here at Bug's Bog.

• Monday, March 21, 2005

  This morning we watched a ringed kingfisher sitting on the old dock supports, drying his feathers in the sun. It is the first time we've seen a kingfisher at Bug's Bog. The lake is probably too murky for these diving birds.

  The season's first bald eagle also visited us today. Kira was lucky enough to see his dive. The rest of us watched him flying away with his wriggling catch.

• Sunday, March 20, 2005

  When you imagine a fire on the prairie, the first thing that comes to mind may be Ma and Pa racing to save the barn. Actually, fire was frequently used by the settlers (and the Indians) to clear the land.

  Ma and Pa Krutulis set a controlled fire today to burn off the choking vegetation along the shore of the lake. The excessive flooding last year made it impossible to manage until now. We like having a wild area along the shore to discourage young children from getting too close to the water--and to offer some protection from erosion. The heavy grasses had encroached too far into the yard for Anastasia's liking, however, and fire was the best way to clear the way for better plantings.

  We hope that this Spring won't bring another flood. We have big plans for our prairie landscape.

• Wednesday, March 16, 2005

  Anastasia returned home from Fort Wayne late last evening to a celebration -- the first bonfire of the season. The sky was clear so we could see that Orion is still our nighttime guardian. We'll miss him in the coming summer nights, but we look forward to watching Cygnus fly along the Milky Way.

• Saturday, March 12, 2005

  A new gem: Henry woke up this morning being snuggled close by mom. He opened one eye, looked over at me smiling sleepily and said, "You really love me!"

  We've made a few updates to The Krutulis Family web site. Check out Emma's Page and Anastasia's Kids Page. More changes are in the works. We'll keep you posted.

• Saturday, March 5, 2005

  A Gem from Henry, frustrated as he struggled to put his pants on: "I keep stepping on my leg sleeve!"

• Monday, February 28, 2005

  Happy Birthday, Grandma K! We hope you are enjoying your day in sunny Florida. We're thinking of you as we listen to the wind howl and watch the snow fall here on the prairie.

• Thursday, February 24, 2005

  Yesterday the children and I were in Fort Wayne to wish Grandma Gensic a happy 75th birthday. We took her for a walk. Grandma was the Diamond Girl in our family parade, and Henry insisted on being the tuba player. Purdue has the Golden Girl and the Silver Twins--we showed them!

  Today would have been Grandpa Gensic's 80th birthday. I'm sure that if he had lived to see this day, he would be as humble about it as he was concerning every other accomplishment in his life. We miss him.

• Tuesday, February 22, 2005

  Driving along HWY 24 just east of Logansport this afternoon, we saw nine hawks on one side of the highway within the span of a mile. There were others scattered across the countryside, but I don't think we've ever seen so many in such a small area.

• Saturday, February 20, 2005

  While standing outside the library earlier this week we saw a flock (a sedge) of sandhill cranes flying north over the Wabash River. They make such an ethereal sound. It seems early, but apparently Spring is on its way. Kira joked that it was a good thing this wasn't a flock (a mustering) of storks or there would be a baby boom coming!

• Friday, February 19, 2005

  Henry came in and curled up with mom this morning as the sun was beginning to rise over the lake. I cuddled him close and told him "You are such a good snuggler, Henry!" He replied a la Tigger: "Snuggling is what Snuggle Buddies do best!"

• Thursday, February 18, 2005

  It's official. Henry is a Tiny Tiger. He's more than a little bit proud to wear his uniform around. He had a big head start with all the time he has spent patiently watching his siblings (and mom) practice Taekwondo. He received his uniform just in time to be in the family photo taken for the school poster.

• Wednesday, February 16, 2005

  During last week's warm spell, we watched the ice on the lake break up, blow to the east side of the lake with the strong west wind and, finally, melt. The "Canadian Armada" has been floating just off our shore for several days. Even the presense of the neighbor dogs doesn't seem to disturb them.

  We're not sure why the geese have taken up positions so close to human life given all the wild areas on the lake. Perhaps our house gives them shelter from the wind. Or maybe they just want to listen to mom read aloud from "The Queen of Republics" about the American Revolutionary War.

• Tuesday, February 15, 2005

  Much has changed here at Bug's Bog and much remains the same. Joe is off doing battle with immortal corporate dragons, and the children and I are keeping the home fires burning.

  So keep an eye on the web pages as we update them to reflect our current activities.

2005 Log Archive

2003-2004 Log Archive