Oil Monitor

Sorry for the two week absence. I was crazy busy with homeschooling and church, not to mention some gigantic home organization tasks (the results of which will probably show up on Gooseberry Lane in the next few days). But now I’m back…and ready to keep tabs on the price of crude oil; hence, the addition of the oil monitor in the sidebar.

Being an economics major, I am curious to see exactly when the price of a barrel of crude oil will hit $100. The market has been creeping toward this century mark for a while now, but doesn’t ever quite break through (not that I want it too). Oil-Price.net, where I found the crude oil dashboard, has a one-year forecast price of $122/barrel, as of today. The market believes the price will eventually push above $100/barrel. Some economists believe it will go even higher. As a consumer, I just get to wait for the proverbial price shoe to drop, all the while paying $40-$50 each time I fill my Subaru and attempting to make each tank last 7-10 days. I met the former limit last week. Ten days may elude me, what with commutes to music lessons and performances. I am up for the challenge, though.

The home heating oil season is also upon my family. The furnace has been on in the mornings for 2-3 weeks now. A few of the chillier days had it up and running throughout the entire day. Currently, the thermostat is set at 68º F during the day and 65º F at night. Being programmable, it shifts between the settings without much ado. It did, however, lose its mind this morning, heating the house to 70º F at 3:00 AM. I know this because I was too warm and woke my husband to check the furnace. Much to my chagrin, I may be shopping at Home Depot or Lowe’s this evening, if the thermostat has truly “given up the ghost.” Oh well, better a new thermostat than an out-of-control, oil hungry furnace.

So, how is your family coping with the high price of gas and oil? How many tanks of gas do you use per week? Have you changed your habits in order to conserve energy this winter? I am curious to hear what others are doing to address this issue.

About the Resident Duck

In an effort to declutter the sidebar of my blog, I have summarized the personal information that used to reside there. It will now be available through a link, instead of as a long list.

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Despite what the personal information listed below may say about me, I am nothing more than an ordinary middle-aged woman who enjoys interacting with people, especially to learn and to teach. I tend to put the needs of others before my own and that of my house. I hate chores and housekeeping but, when push comes to shove, I will eventually pick up my abode and wash my clothes. I also dislike exercise, although I will eventually do something (like walk or ride a stationary bike) because I know it is good for me. Still, I would much rather read a book, visit a museum, watch a movie, eat at a restaurant, or spend time with family and friends. I love peanut butter and onion rings and the gingerbread cakes from Colonial Williamsburg. My favorite holiday is Christmas, which (in my opinion) should extend from Halloween to Twelfth Night. My greatest joy is my child and my greatest challenge is prayer. I love the Triune God of confessional Christianity and am grateful that He has blessed me with such an abundant life.

My blog was inspired by a little-known children’s book titled Gooseberry Lane by Bethany Tudor. Two characters from that story, Samuel and Samantha Plush Duck, travel the lane in search of a new home after their cardboard box house melts in a rainstorm. Along the way, they meet Gweek, Mr. Owl, a woodpecker, and some chipmunks, new friends who assist them in their efforts to rebuild their life. I feel like those ducks sometimes --- a lot of the time, actually --- challenged by the unexpected events that have arisen over the years and the daily tasks of life that pressure us all. Yet, with the help of God, my family, my friends, my neighbors, and (occasionally) some hired hands, I manage, at least, to tread water.

My formal education
- Graduate Fairmont Senior High School
- B.A. Political Science from Mankato State University
- B.A. Economics from Mankato State University
- Law school coursework at University of San Diego
- MBA coursework at various institutions

My life roles
- Mother to Katherine the Great
- Stay-at-home mom
- Handbell choir parent/groupie
- Homeschool educator
- Coordinator of homeschool support group
- Wife to King Richard III
- Spouse of cancer survivor
- Retired Navy wife
- Manager of small household
- Family chauffeur et valet
- Owner of three cats & a cockatiel
- Daughter to one surviving parent & one who resides in heaven
- Friend to a chosen few
- Practicing Christian
- Sometimes Sunday School teacher

Other personal descriptors
- Lifelong learner
- Native Minnesotan
- New England transplant
- Bibliophile
- Movie lover
- Music lover
- Puttering pianist
- Former harpist
- Aspiring handbell ringer
- History buff
- Genealogical hobbyist
- Cycling fan
- Very late Baby Boomer/Very early Gen Xer

Last, but not least, I provide the genealogical surnames of my family for the benefit of other genealogy fans who may surf by my blog: Becker, Behrens, Bohlman, Breece, Conner, Cook, Forsythe, Franck, Henkel, Jastram, King, McKenzie, Nimz, Raddue, Schuldt, Stolte, Studer, Wiedow.

And my real name? Michele King

Holiday Countdown Corrected

Hopefully, the recent mistakes in the Holiday Countdown escaped notice; if not, rest assured the errors have now been corrected. Please note, the days of Lent do not include Sundays, a phenomenon which may be partly responsible for my error. So we are now in the fifth week of Lent. After today, only one weekly church service remains before Holy Week. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly the festival season of the church year passes. Have a great Wednesday.

The Amazing Zacchini

My friend, Koalagirl15, has three living children, two girls and a boy. The boy is her oldest. He is two years younger than Katherine the Great, but is easily eight inches taller with a shoe size double my own. If he hasn’t hit six feet in height yet, I imagine he will before summer. Besides being remarkable for his height, he is remarkable as a magician. He makes balloon animals, does strolling magic, performs card tricks, and more. Known to all as The Amazing Zacchini, he recently started both a blog and a website. I am writing this blurb today to feature the latter, as I just added it to “MyArtist Friends & Business Folk” in the sidebar. If you are in need of a magician for your next event or fundraiser, please visit his website, give him a call, or drop him a line at zach@zachivins.com. I am sure he would appreciate your consideration.

Podcasts Are Coming!

A few months back, I discovered “podcasts,” those Internet media files that seem to be popping up all over the web. Some of them are free, while others require a paid subscription. Some are quite intriguing and educational; others, due to their questionable content, should be avoided like the plague. I am currently in the process of learning how to add these novel little gems to Gooseberry Lane, so watch the sidebar for new additions in the coming weeks. It may take me a while to figure this out, so please be patient as I increase my computer skills. Thank you.

Podcasts added thus far:
- The Lutheran Hour
- Grammar Girl
- Mr. Manners

For a more complete explanation of podcasts, their history, and a technical explanation of how they work, check out this article on Wikipedia.

New Posts on Ducky Persuasions

For anyone who may be interested, I recently posted two new articles on the other blog that I keep for more opinionated compositions. Ducky Persuasions can be reached anytime by visiting the "Gooseberry Blogs" section of the sidebar here at Gooseberry Lane. The two new articles are:

Hope is a Strategy, Mrs. Clinton
What Happened to Representation?

Bible Quiz Removed

Much to my dismay, I am unable to continue the Bible Quiz postings at this time. If you would like to continue taking the Scripture knowledge tests on your own, I recommend purchasing the book, Bible I.Q.: 1000 Questions to Rate Your Scriptural Savvy by Rayburn Ray, from Amazon.com or Barbour Publishing. Sorry for any inconvenience.

More Giggles

Ok, personal confession: I love the funny pages. When I was a kid my mother would read them aloud to me and we would have some great laughs together. Sometimes we would laugh so hard we would cry. Since I don’t have my mother close by to share laughs with on a daily basis, creating my own “funny pages” to share with friends is the next best thing. The newest additions to the Gooseberry Giggle Garden, then, are Baby Blues and the Family Circus. Brief descriptions follow. Happy reading!

Baby Blues
First appearing in 1990, this comic strip chronicles the trials of the MacPhersons, first-time parents facing the typical challenges of parenthood: temper tantrums, dirty diapers, teething pains and more. Written by parents Rick Kirkman and Jerry Scott, the strip won “Best Comic Strip of the Year” in 1995.

Family Circus
The most widely syndicated comic strip in the world, each cartoon is drawn within a circle to illustrate the intimacy of the family members. Drawn by Bill Keane, the children in the strip are based on his own offspring. In fact, the character of Billy is modeled after Keane’s son, Glen, who is now a prominent animator for the Walt Disney Company. To reach the daily cartoon on the Family Circle website, click first on “FILES” and then on “Daily Cartoon.” Sorry for the maze, but the website address doesn’t link specific pages externally.

Just a note: These comics abide by the King Features archive rules, meaning only those panels that are 2-4 weeks old are available online. For the latest strips, it is still necessary to consult an actual newspaper.

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Fall has arrived, at least in my neck of the woods, and that means football. To keep up on the news of my favorite teams and those of my close friends, I’ve added a “Sports Center” to the sidebar menu. There you will find the Minnesota Vikings (my team), the New England Patriots (locals), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (in honor of my friend Sandi). You will find a link to the Discovery Channel cycling team as well, even though cycling season is winding down, but I digress…

So why only these three franchises? Well, in reverse order, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team to watch, at least according to Sandi. A few years back her husband subscribed to NFL Sunday Ticket as a Christmas gift for his lovely mate because she is so into both college and professional football; and being a native of Pittsburgh, the Steelers are and always will be HER team.

Being a transplant to southern New England from the Midwest, I have to follow the Patriots in order to be even remotely conversational with my neighbors this time of year. It seems that people around here are either Yankees fans, Red Sox fans, or Patriots fans. A girl has to fit in somehow. **Sigh**

And then we come to the Vikings. Ah, the Vikings. After the last couple of years, what with the antics of Randy Moss and the whole “sex boat scandal” of last season, I should have written them off as a lost cause. I guess I have too many fond memories of their former years when Bud Grant was coach and Fran Tarkenton had just retired as quarterback, making way for the likes of Tommy Kramer and Wade Wilson. I also have fond memories of watching the team practice at Blakeslee Field and dine in the cafeteria of Gage Towers, the campus residence hall reserved for the Vikings players and staff on the grounds of my alma mater, Minnesota State University, during their summer training camp.

Whatever the reason for including the team in my sidebar menu, the Vikings are off to a good start this year --- two wins and one loss so far --- and, like most Minnesotans, I’m praying for that elusive Super Bowl win.

Sidebar Additions

Inspired by Smart Mom, I added some new links to the sidebar here on Gooseberry Lane. Actually, I added two entire categories of links: MyTunes and Plush Duck Entertainment. The former is a list of music that I am listening to in my car. The latter is a list of theaters and concert halls that I frequent for various events.

I also added two new cartoons to the Giggle Garden: Frank & Ernest and Mother Goose and Grimm. These have been favorites for many years, though not always available in my local paper. Now that I discovered them online, I can enjoy them every day, and share them with you as well. Happy reading!

Changes in the Giggle Garden

After a week or so with the original Giggle Garden blossoms, I feel a change is in order. Get Fuzzy is being replaced by Soup to Nutz. Even though the former strip is a consistent source of discussion for my daughter and her friend in California, I just don’t find it that amusing. On the other hand, I think Soup to Nutz is hilarious. Maybe I like the perspective of the children in the latter comic. Maybe I relate to it more because I am a parent. I can’t really put my finger on the reason. I just find the new strip more appealing. I hope you enjoy it as well. LOL! :)

Flowers in the Giggle Garden

I thought I would provide a summary of each comic strip in the Gooseberry Giggle Garden for those who may not be familiar with them. These informational tidbits were obtained from two sources: www.creators.com and www.comics.com. Both sites are chock full of funnies that will keep you laughing for hours should the Gooseberry Giggles fail in that regard. Believe me when I say that these summaries do not do justice to the humor and artistry of the strips they describe. Read them for yourself and keep on smiling!

B.C.
Inspired by the caveman gags of the day and the suggestion of a friend, Johnny Hart created the prehistoric characters in this beloved comic strip to poke fun at the shortcomings of modern man. First published in 1958, B.C. has delighted readers ever since.

Committed
First appearing in 1991, this strip comments on the realities of modern life: the pitfalls of being a working parent, the child as ruler of the home, and the disaster that is housekeeping. Not necessarily applicable to homeschoolers, but the perspective on children is priceless. Written and drawn by Michael Fry, the main characters are Liz the mother, Joe the father, Tracy the eldest child, and Zelda the baby (who reminds me a bit of Jack-Jack, the superhero baby from Pixar's The Incredibles).

Get Fuzzy
A glimpse of single life with pets, this panel tells the story of Rob Wilco, an ad executive who lives with Bucky the cat and Satchel the dog. Together, this madcap trio copes with the ups and downs of modern life and all that it entails. Written and drawn by Darby Conley. This strip is a favorite of my daughter and her friend who lives in CA.

Kit ‘n’ Carlyle
The brainchild of Larry Wright, this comic panel is about an adorable cat named Carlyle who lives with Kit, a single working woman (not to worry, the strip is about the cat, not the woman). Carlyle is a conglomeration of many cats that Mr. Wright has owned over the years, and his understanding of the feline mind is clearly present in each drawing. My husband and I began reading this strip when we lived in San Diego, CA. We like it so much that we named our first cat Carlyle and our newest cat Kit.

Wizard of Id
In 1950, Johnny Hart, the creator of BC (mentioned above), entered a high school art contest that was being judged by artist Brant Parker. Mr. Parker was so impressed with Hart’s work that he requested a meeting with him. That was the beginning of the wonderful partnership behind this comic strip about a short monarch who rules his kingdom with the help of an often-inept magician.