Recently, our cat Tino was checking out a plastic storage container. He propped his front paws on the lip and stood on his back legs so he could peer inside. The empty box suddenly flipped over on top of him just as I walked in the room with my camera. He wasn’t hurt, just confused and embarrassed.
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Images Copyright 2009 by Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family
Summer events:
 Jessica is home |
 Resurrection lilies |
 Scarf Sunday |
My daughter Jessica had a successful summer being the web intern for the World Organization for Human Rights USA in Washington, D.C. She also worked in a bike shop.
This is the season for roses, resurrection lilies, yarrow, cactus and other heat-loving plants to bloom in my garden.
St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church sent a hundred campers off to Camp Oskie (which for that week becomes Camp St. Andrew’s) at the Lair of the Golden Bear, the University of California at Berkeley Alumni family camp in Pinecrest, California. On Scarf Sunday, everyone comes to church to show off their new St. Andrew’s Camp scarves, tell camp stories, and sing. This year’s theme was Safari so the altar was flanked by a life-sized cardboard tiger and lion. Leopard print was the fashion for the day.
Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family, News & Reviews
 Two new cockatiels |
 Two new cockatiels |
 New cage |
 John and new cockatiels |
After our beloved 15-year-old pet Princess Birdie died earlier this summer, we started working with Mickaboo to adopt two cockatiels. Mickaboo is an all-volunteer organization in the San Francisco Bay Area dedicated to rescuing companion birds who have been neglected, abused, injured or surrendered. Or, as their home page says, they are “bird-loving people who want to change the world – one bird at a time.”
After sending-in-the-application and going-to-the-class and being-interviewed-by-phone and being-visited-at-home, Mickaboo approved us to adopt. As a result of what we learned during this extensive pre-adoption process, we bought a bigger bird cage, better bird toys, and different food. We then sent emails to several Mickaboo homes fostering cockatiel pairs to find out about their birds. Last weekend, we went to San Francisco to visit two birds we saw on Mickaboo’s web site and we fell in love. Our two new guys are great singers of duets and will be named Simon & Garfunkel. We are very excited that they will be coming home soon!
Filed under Home & Family
About six months ago, my husband, John Plocher carved me a cactus valentine. He got the idea from a cactus we saw at Poot’s House of Cactus in Ripon, California. Our carved cactus is one of the many huge prickly pear Opuntia or nopales paddle cactuses in our yard. Before our neighborhood of houses was built in Willow Glen, local historians tell us that there was a chicken farm and a prickly pear cactus farm on the land.
John says he was inspired to take a knife to the cactus by it poking him one too many times while he was working in the garage. I admit I did not notice
his creation until he pointed it out but it makes a funny addition and does not bother the cactus.
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Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family
My husband, John Plocher, and Paul and I traveled to Loon Lake, Wisconsin, last week to celebrate John’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. We spent the week on a variety of boats and enjoying family in the 75-year-old cottage. There were 9 grandchildren (ages 17 to 3: Micah, Paul, Nathaniel, Gabriel, Leah, Malachai, Zacharias, Isaiah, and Mashayla) who chased caterpillars and crawdads, went fishing with Grandpa, played cards and boardgames and went swimming as often as possible. We missed my daughter Jessica who has an internship this summer in Washington, D.C. The grownups cooked and cleaned, fixed up the cottage, and drove the boats. John and I paddled the canoe from Loon Lake, through a beaver dam, across Washington Lake, to Shawano Lake and back.
This year on Osprey Island in the middle of Loon Lake were one nesting pair of Loons, two pair of Ospreys, and one pair of Bald Eagles plus a blue heron, mallard ducks, and uncountable songbirds. The loons sang to us all night.
Presenting the Silver Tray |
. | Proud Mom, 3 Sons |
50th Anniversary Cake |
. | White water lily |
Naomi and grandkids in the lake |
. | Loon Lake Sunset |
John playing |
. | Micah with John’s hat |
Paul tubing behind the speedboat |
. | Grandkids in a row |
Bald Eagle with 2 babies in nest |
. | Loon Lake Cottage |
Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson and John Plocher
Filed under Home & Family
Our 15-year-old Cockatiel “Princess Birdie” has been very ill recently. She had a bacterial and fungal infection and spent several days in the For the Birds hospital:
Our family learned how to give medicine and nursing to a creature the size of my hand. She also has new perches for her cages (one in the kitchen and the other in my office) and new food. Birdie is now feeling much better.
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Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family
My 16-year-old son Paul has had a rough year. Our family’s continuing medical adventure began when Paul started having chronic and severe headaches in January. We have spent the last six months with Pediatricians, Neurologists, Neurosurgeons, Pain Specialists, Psychologists and Psychiatrists, Occupational and Physical Therapists, and Nurse practitioners. Recently, Paul has benefited from Chiropractic care in addition to the medicines provided by the Pain Management Clinic at Packard Children’s Hospital.
Yesterday was Paul’s last day at the Packard Hospital School. He is now a Senior in High School and is looking forward to going back to Paly in September. The Hospital School has a good art, theater, and science program for its patient students. Here is Paul with some of his recent art:
| punched out sun face masks
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elements drawing
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wire and bead fish
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Some of Paul’s art from earlier this year:
| three ceramic mugs
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ceramic leaf tray
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carved head
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Images Copyright 2009 Katy Dickinson
Filed under Home & Family
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