yet another sign of spring...

Garbage Puff begged us to take him to the Woodland Tulip Festival this past weekend.



Actually about 95% of the tulips had not yet opened, so it was a bit more like the Woodland Stem Festival... but the ones that were in bloom were very pretty.

Garbage Puff in California

As I mentioned in my last post, Garbage Puff has gotten to be a bit of a camera hog. You'll see what I mean if you watch his slide-show video...



In case you (*gasp!*) don't want to play the video, here's one of the included slides to give you a rough idea. (Click on the photo to enlarge.)

a quick check in...

Another borrowed laptop; another short post!

Yesterday we went to The Happiest Place on Earth (aka The Walkingest Place on Earth). Above is a picture of Offsprings #1&2 with Garbage Puff (who managed to work his way into lots of pictures. He is getting a little obnoxious about it actually.)

Tonight we are heading into LA to see the play Frost Nixon (on which the film was based). Then tomorrow it's Disneyland, Part II and back home to cooler temps and rain.

state department update

As we all know, during the recent diplomatic trip to East Asia with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, Garbage Puff dropped the ball. He was more interested in hitting the tourist spots than taking care of business. Thankfully he appears to be more on task on this latest trip. Here Clinton and Puff are meeting with Egyptian Prime Minster Ahmed Nazif and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit before a conference on rebuilding the Gaza Strip. I like the way Hillary and Garbage Puff both have on their 'game faces'.

understated...

My grandmother (my personal hero) had many qualities I admired. She was unfailingly kind and even-tempered. She always took a stand on ethical issues and stated her opinions in a low-key way. Actually, I think she mastered the art of the understatement, but she always got her point across.

So I couldn't help but smile and think of my grandma when I recently heard Hillary issue a warning to the North Koreans. She said, "The possible missile launch that North Korea is talking about would be very unhelpful..."
I love that -- very unhelpful. Clear message; no saber rattling.

Here's the youtube clip:



But speaking of unhelpful... I am a bit embarrassed to report on Garbage Puff's job performance. You probably noticed he was nowhere to be seen on the clip. He was late for the press conference because he was hitting the tourist traps. Here he is seen trying on some Kim Jong-il souvenir glasses:

we're in good hands

For those of you who have been wondering what Garbage Puff has been up to...



That's right. He has been training for a high level State Department job. In fact, he will be joining Hillary Clinton as she sets off today on her first foreign trip as Secretary of State. Clinton and Puff will be visiting four Asian capitals and will attend talks on the economic crisis, climate change, and the North Korean nuclear threat. The picture above is of Hillary briefing the press on the crucial role Garbage Puff will play during the eight-day mission.

I don't know about you, but I'm feeling a renewed sense of optimism.

this just in...

Garbage Puff spotted in California.

He fancies the palm trees.

the hedgehog and the garbage puff

Between CE classes, I finished The Elegance of the Hedgehog, a novel by Muriel Barbery (translated from French to English by Alison Anderson).

The book is about Renée, a 54-year-old woman who has been the concierge of a small apartment building in Paris for 27 years. While she plays the part of a not-too-bright, lower-social-class concierge, she is actually very intelligent and has extensively studied philosophy and art on her own. She prefers to keep her intellectual life hidden from the residents, and works hard at maintaining her facade.

Alternating with Renée's observations and philosophical thoughts are those of Paloma, a 12-year-old who lives with her family in the apartment building. Like Renée, Paloma has constructed a facade. She is brilliant but pretends to be just average. Since she is unable to find meaning in life, she plans to commit suicide on her 13th birthday, and set the apartment on fire for good measure.

A new resident, Kakuro Ozu, moves into the apartment building and through him the lives of Renée and Paloma begin to overlap...
(Cue dramatic music.)

Great book! One thing I really liked was the idea that people are often not what they appear to be on the surface. This has certainly been my experience with many of my patients. I'm thinking of one who looks like a typical "Joe Six Pack" guy (to use the term of the month!) whose "hobby" is to fly his plane for medical missions. And there's a non-assuming elderly woman who, as it turns out, spends about half of the year in Switzerland where she sings in a musical ensemble. So yep, I'd agree with that 'more than meets the eye' idea.

There is a lot of depth to the book (especially with its focus on philosophy) -- and I'd highly recommend it.

While I was finishing the novel between classes, Garbage Puff was over in the exhibit hall checking out the lastest in equipment.

garbage puff stows away!

I had not intended to take Garbage Puff along to the continuing education conference in Portland (seriously!), but I opened up my purse and there he was!

Poor G.P. has had a difficult time staying awake during the classes.



But he has enjoyed the food. Here he is during dinner at Jake's on Thursday night and lunch at the conference today. (I'm not sure why people keep staring at him when he poses for pictures...)



During a break between classes today, Garbage Puff caught some rays outside the Oregon Convention Center (where the conference is being held). He really liked being part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. statue.



He seems to think the girl's hand was made just for him.



Garbage Puff is going to get ready for bed soon. More classes etc. tomorrow!

on the road with garbage puff

This weekend Garbage Puff helped move Offspring #2's things into his new apartment. Since Offspring #2 had some big things to move up to college (e.g. a recliner from his grandma, etc.) we opted for a small U-Haul instead of our trusty Honda van. Garbage Puff offered to drive, but he had a little trouble reaching the gas pedal...



In spite of not being able to help with the driving, Garbage Puff was a lot of help moving the heavy things. In fact, while Offspring #2 was relaxing in his recliner (as seen here) Garbage Puff was huffing and puffing, lifting the mattress off the moving truck.



So we thought Garbage Puff deserved a little ice cream when we were done. Here he is enjoying some Apricot Ice at Mallard's with Offspring #1 and her boyfriend Doug.

a pictorial look at garbage puff's friday...

Hubby, the Dust Bunnies, and I decided to take Amtrak to Portland yesterday to celebrate our summer birthdays. (The Dust Bunnies are on the right.) Imagine our surprise when Garbage Puff popped up!



He insisted on purchasing a ticket and coming along...



When actually on board, Garbage Puff was somewhat apprehensive, but felt a bit better after perusing the safety brochure.



He felt even better after arriving in Portland and having lunch at Kells Irish Pub. (He reports that the Reuben was delicious.)



There were a few tense moments at Powell's bookstore when Garbage Puff was lost. It turns out he was in the children's section, glued to the Raggedy Ann and Andy books. I suppose he felt a certain kinship...



It was a scorcher of a day in Portland (temps in the 90's), and Garbage Puff kept begging on the return ride to get a margarita when we got back to Longview. I finally relented, although I probably shouldn't reward that begging type of behavior.

the continuing adventures of garbage puff...

Garbage Puff was spotted at The Little Cheerful for brunch today. Here he is perusing the menu. (By the way, he ended up ordering the portobello mushroom omelet.)


Garbage Puff especially liked this cartoon in the menu. He thought it was funny in an existential sort of way.

garbage puff

Offspring #1 purchased a basic (yet nice) sewing machine earlier this summer. She inherited some sewing genes from her great-grandmother. I must be a 'carrier', but sadly the genes did not express themselves in me. (It took me an entire semester in a high school 'home economics' class to sew a pocket on a skirt. But let's not dwell on that.)

Anyway... on my recent visit to Bellingham, Offspring #1 gave me a cute little creature she had made and named "Garbage Puff". I decided he is just the right size to take along on outings, so from time to time I'll post where he's been.

This morning he went on a bike ride around the lake with Hubby and me.

Poor Garbage Puff waited at Nutty McSquirrel's house, but Nutty was a no show.