Kudos for the Peninsula School District and Galaxy Theatre:

As I was driving to work this morning, I was pleasantly surprised while listening to the local radio broadcast of NPR. The Peninsula School District and our local Galaxy Theatre was given their own featured article of good news. If you're interested, you can listen for a short time to the audiocast here.

Key Peninsula Middle School, one five middle schools that received national honors last year for their outstanding science program, is once again highlighted. As reported by the Peninsula Gateway newspaper in a December article, science teacher Kareen Borders has taken the required assignment on space and brought it to life by opening the world of space travel and habitation for her students and others in the district in a real-time way and garnered the nod of “isn’t that cool” from our local media.

It has been a year since the grand opening of Galaxy Theatre. Their promise that in addition to featured movies and concerts offered, their commitment to the community that they joined has been astounding and very much real. You may know about their Monday Matinees—an opportunity to view the classics like “Some Like It Hot” and “the Good, The Bad and the Ugly” for $2.00. And afterward you can also go home feeling good to know that the proceeds are donated to the Peninsula School District. Did you also know in the current glaring economic spotlight highlighting “there is no free lunch” there is free Monday night Football at Galaxy?

The partnerships that we develop between local businesses that support and strengthen our community has been tremendous and uplifting to see. After reporting the depressing story of the Microsoft lay offs and the removal of the WASL program that our state has dropped untold millions into developing and implementing, I salute the individuals that make connecting young minds to real world developments. Not to be trite, but these chlidren truely are our future.

Posted on Craigslist Today:

~~Bella found her companion~~

(Waunaville)
Reply to: comm-780344459@craigslist.org

Date: 2008, August 2

I'm telling you, personal ads on Craigslist is the way to go! For those of you wondering, Bella our black cat found her companion. Milo, the 9 week old orange tabby terror, moved in with our family last week. Many thanks to Erica who saw our personal add and gave us a call. She and her boyfriend drove over to visit us and meet the characters in our house.

Fortunately, she liked what she saw and now Milo is a happy addition to our crew. Predictably, now that she has another cat in the house now, Bella is not to sure she wants to share us. She's playing the aloof, disgruntled queen to perfection.

Tucker the family dog thinks its great to have someone to play with, however, and to see them tussle and race around the house together is a treat. I'm surprised that our youngish border collie cross is so patient and kind to him. It has been a win-win solution for us all here.

Thanks for the happy ending, Craigslist crew!

Jude, now called Milo, chills out

It's never easy to lose a family member. When it is a relative, you receive support, condolences and the space you need to recover.

When the loss is a pet, the non-animal lovers around you will shrug and remind you that there are plenty more where the last one came from. Non-animal lovers don't understand that pets are more than animals. They are right about the needs of millions of animals up for adoption, of course, but replacing a member of the family is a more difficult process.

Animal lovers are in staunch agreement, and will listen to your stories with sympathy--briefly--before they share the latest antics of their own beloved pet.

Maui, a short haired calico lived a long and healthy life as a spayed barn kitty and passed away at the ripe old age of 18, two years ago. Her mom, Rosie, was a pregnant stray that wandered onto the property at about 18 months old, and was a little runty thing, but resilient. My folks had her spayed and kept her kitten, Maui as company for her.

When her mom went to kitty heaven after a long happy life, Maui's life became more difficult but she learned to navigate the dangers of coyotes, raccoons, neighborhood dogs and the horses that lived in and around the barn. The barn is on my parent's property, and as my hubby and older daughter is very allergic to cats, the only indoor cats we had were the stuffed toys that the girls had to make due with.

To replace Maui, my parents, "gifted" my girls with two kittens to be barn kitties. I had a very long list of why I was opposed to barn kittens. The first being that 8 week old kittens are in no way ready to face the wide world of the outdoors on their own. And how long do you think it took for those kittens to move indoors and become a part of our lives? Right. About two weeks.

So Marco and his sister Bella became family as new additions to replace Maui, and brought their energy and enthusiasm to our household. In the case of Marco, we only had the adventurer for a little over a year. We lost him to coyotes last week and it breaks my heart. My husband didn't cry when his father passed away, but had tears in his eyes when he came back from burying Marco. Keely sobbed. Cassie is devistated. Bella wanders the garden and calls for him. And I try to come to terms with the loss by checking the pet section of Craigslist. But Marco was unique and he is missed.

Thanks for brightening our lives for a while Marco. You were truely great.

The neighboring town of Gig Harbor's summer activities are in full swing. The weather has settled into the comfortable 75 - 85 degree range and sundown isn't until 9:00 pm. The concert in the park series has been fun and now the movies in the park series is off as well. Want to join us? Bring a blanket and a chair! Stake out your spot as these are popular events. We'll leave the Waunadog at home....

I am surprised...wait, no that's not it...ambivalent about the recent graffiti that appeared in Wauna. As I was crossing the bridge into Waunaland, I noticed the following sign had been modified:

Sadly, my first thought was that it was a tribute to ME and my great blog. HA! (Some of you might remember that I go by "Mara" as well as "Waunalifegal". Really.) Then I gave it a little more thought.

Wait. What would the average paramecium-brained tagster find funny about spray painting the word "Marra" (Obviously spelled wrong if they were referring to me) above the word "Wauna". It took me a few more bridge crossings to get the pun. I never even gave a thought to the fact that some might take this whole Wauna thought towards the pharmaceutical end of things. Color me naive.

So here's some trivia for you nasty little pranksters, "In September 14, 1889, 'Wauna' was chosen as the new plat name by an early post mistress, Mary Frances White, for a Native American term for 'mighty water', rather than the original plat name of 'Springfield' because of all the other Springfields to be found in Washington State."

Go Mary Frances! I'll bet you money that she, unlike other more recent KP natives, never dabbled in pharmaceuticals!

It has been a half of a year since I've last posted. If you have missed me, I'm terribly sorry. If you haven't noticed, I'm even more sorry! >_<

I have been moonlighting as a gym supervisor on Saturdays for the last two years, and I'm embarrassed to admit that I am heavier than I have ever been when not pregnant. Wow. I can't believe I'm admitting that online.

Here's the trick. If I have accountability, I might stick with it longer than if I didn't acknowledge these last two points. I now want to pick a number and see if I can be lower than that next Saturday.

Here's the number: 2. I'll update that number next Saturday.

Until then, I'll write about things un-fitness related.

Wow. I've managed to let a whole month slide by without a post or three. So sorry all of you people who might even care to check in with me once in a blue moon.

(....crickets chirping in the background....)

Ahem. Well since I don't have anything deep and meaningful to post today, I thought I'd add an assignment my ten year-old turned in last month:

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My New Years Resolution

I have made three New Years Resolutions for 2008. One helps me to be a better person, that is my personal resolution. My second is about what I should do to be a better family member. The third is about what I should not do at school.

My personal resolutions is about eating the gross healthy things that my parents force-feed me. I'm ten now, so they just need to give me the evil eye to make me eat stuff.

Oh yah, my "New Years Resolution" (Phony voice) for my family is remembering my manners. I'm very bad about interrupting, and I eat with my fingers. I get in trouble all the time for that.

Last but not least, my "School Resolution" (Strange voice again)...speaking of voices, I'm a little talkster myself. Talking and humming and making weird noises are things I do all the time. I get in trouble. I'll try to stop, I promise.

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May our problems in life be that simple and easy to solve!

It's the day after Christmas, I'm at work whilst my family plays at home, and I think I'm coming down with a cold. How's that for a fitting end to the Christmas season?

On the upside, it really did snow on Christmas Day! We were driving to points South to spend time with sister #1 and sister #2 and their families, and low, the rain became colder and didst appear to thicken. And suddenly it appeared unto us the wetness on the windsheild became a host of white flakes apparently saying, "Drive not too quickly, nor tarry too long in one spot, for families of young children wait with dearling noses pressed upon the window panes for your jolly red wagon to appear upon the horizon".

Okay. I've gotten my stories crossed. But I do drive a red wagon, and it did snow, and the kids were waiting for us to get there to open gifts! And it was the perfect snow. Pretty to see falling, settled on lawns and trees, but did not build up on the route returning home. Perfect!