Sunday Reflections 3/11/2012

I didn't attend the caucauses here in Colorado.  I know.  I know Mitt Romney fans.  I should have.  I am a shame to the political process.  If others, like me, had gone it just may have made a difference.  I read an article the other day that ended with a quote from Milton Friedman that I like.  It makes me desire to be more politically active than I currently am.  It makes me want to attend the caucaus and not forget about it next time there is one so I will share it.  "A society that puts equality before freedom will get neither.  A society that puts freedom before equality will get a high degree of both."  It was a great article which really put in perspective why you can't put equality before freedom especially when it comes to economic matters.  You should read it.  Here's the link:  http://www.freedompolitics.com/articles/inequality-3278-income-equality.html.

Two Mondays ago (I'm backtracking here since I didn't write last Sunday) Ben and Riley had set up a fort in our basement.  They thought it was so neat that they wanted to sleep in it.  I worried that if they slept in it that night they would be too tired for school the next day.  So I made a deal with them that they could keep it up for the week and sleep in it Thursday night because they didn't have any school the following day.  The evening of the said sleep-over in the fort they were as excited as if we were going to take them camping, let them fish, feed them a great dinner of roasted hot dogs followed by smores and then allow them to sleep in their own tent.  They ran downstairs and set up their bedding.  Within moments they were both peacefully sleeping making my earlier week's worries that they would stay up all night unfounded.  I guess you only stay up all night if the person sleeping with you doesn't normally share the same bedroom.  Before I retired to bed myself, I descended the stairs to accompany Riley to the bathroom (he still has trouble making through the night if I don't take him).  I hadn't seen the fort, but the scene that greeted me made me laugh.  They had created a tent with the trampoline net that we don't use (to me it looked like mosquito netting) and had somehow drug in their mattresses, their stuffed animals and their blankets.  Now if I can only find the pictures to justify me telling this at all (Yes, I did take pictures).  With the way I write only a picture will do it justice and make you chuckle a little too.  Yeah!  I found them!!!!!!

The next morning they ran upstairs, huge grins on their faces and said, "Thanks Mom!  That was great."  I couldn't help but think, "What was great?  You both fell asleep within 5 minutes and are up here as soon as you awoke."  But who am I to burst their bubble?  Instead I replied, "You're welcome.  That was an AMAZING fort you built.  I'm glad you had so much fun."

While we were in Cody last weekend Red ran away.  Well, he didn't really run away he went exploring and explored himself onto a trail close by that people run on.  Some "NICE" people (that just can't let exploring dogs well enough alone) picked him up and brought him home.  This was Sunday afternoon.  We received three frantic calls on our home phone from them.  Our first mistake with Red should be noted here:  we should have put Brad's cell on his ID tag.  Had we done that we would have received the first call and contacted some friends to go and pick him up.  However, we didn't do that.  We put our home phone on his collar.  From her tone I could almost hear the chaos Red must have been creating as Red is not an indoor dog and people that pick up poor little doggies are usually the type that think it's cruel to leave an animal outside.  The third call (this was three hours after the first call) they informed us since we hadn't called back (mind you we were in the car on our way home) they were taking him to the Humane Society.  The fourth call was from the Humane Society informing us that they had our dog.  We got home at 7 PM (three hours after the last call from the nice doggy lovers).  Jordan was frantic.  Monday morning I called the humane society to find out that our dog would cost us over $150 to retrieve.  There was a fee for initially being impounded (it didn't matter that they didn't pick him up), a fee for licensing him (unknown to me until that day you have to license your pets in Colorado due to state law), a fee for vaccinating him (it doesn't matter that he was vaccinated since we didn't have him licensed), a fee for staying overnight, and on and on and on.  No mercy was shown and Brad didn't feel we should pay the fee since this is the 2nd time in a month that we know of where Red has run off and been picked up by some doggy lover.  The first time I was home and able to come and get him right away.  He is a coonhound.  He loves to hunt.  He chases scents.  Brad's argument to me was what happens next time Red runs off?  There will be no fees for the vaccination and license (because we'll have paid that and they'll have his shots on record) but the impounding fee will be higher because it is his second visit and the other fees will still be there.  We do not own the property, I cannot build a fence to contain him and even if I did he would escape (Red is a digger).  So after many tears, which were shed by the whole family including Brad (and Brad never cries...it's hard to see your kids crushed), we decided that Dad was right and we couldn't get Red.  We haven't signed over ownership yet so he will be up for adoption in a few days from now.  Hopefully a loving family will adopt him.  He is such a cute dog.  Just writing this is making me a little weepy.  I know my family is laughing at me, they know how much I don't like animals, but really he was Jordan's best friend.  That, along with the possibility of moving the kids again, just disheartens me.

On a brighter note we inherited a trampoline and have been enjoying spring like temperatures (50's and 60's).  My kids love it.  For Jacob it is his first trampoline and he goes and jumps whenever the opportunity presents itself.  I'm am told his jumping resembles the movements of a jackhammer.  Trampolines are the best, aren't they?

And as a perk for those of you who read my blog I'm going to include the recipe for the best baked chicken I have ever tasted.  It's better than rotisserie chicken you buy in the store and almost as easy (easier if you have to count the trip to the store, especially with children).  Every mother should have this.  Here it is.

Sticky Chicken: (I usually buy a bigger chicken and double the rub recipe)

1 3 lb. chicken

2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. paprika

3/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. onion powder

1/2 tsp. thyme

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/4 t garlic powder

1 onion quartered (optional)

Wash chicken and dry well inside and out.  In small bowl, mix the seven seasonings.  Rub mixture well into body cavity and all over the outside.  Loosen skin and rub over meat (this part is kind of gross, just be sure to wash your hands well after).  Stuff quartered onion in cavity.  Put in sealable plastic bag and let sit for 4 to 5 hours or overnight (or 1 hour if you forget to do this early like me, it still turns out).  Roast UNCOVERED at 250 for 5 hours.