Time is running out to vote for the “New Seven Wonders of the World.” Looking at the list makes me wonder what is the definition of a “wonder of the world.” For example, Easter Island and Stonehenge seem to be categorically different from the Eiffel Tower or the Statue of Liberty. But is that just because they’re shrouded by mystery and the mists of time? We don’t know how those big heads were carved, but perhaps to the people who created them, it was a big “ho hum, yet another feat of modern engineering” moment. I recently heard a radio piece about this, and some detractors fear it might serve to ‘ruin’ any natural wonders that might win, if they attract big onslaughts of tourists. And now that I’ve gone through the process of voting, and have seen all the options for “get news about New 7 Wonders toys / t-shirts / products / tours!” I can see their point. But at the same time, I figure I can’t complain too loud or long about the final result if I don’t at least submit my choices…

In other news, today is the last day to provide input into the so-called “citizen’s” petition that would change, among many other things, the formulation of chocolate. The thing that most annoys me is that it was proposed by a bunch of grocery manufacturers and interest groups. Why was it submitted as a “citizen’s” petition? Perhaps because the FDA can act much more quickly, and with less oversight, on such items. See more at this NYTimes Op-Ed piece, or earlier coverage at Candy Blog. Guittard has provided a template that you can use to submit comments to the FDA, but June 25th [the date of this posting] is the last day.

This is currently my favorite way to prepare snow peas or sugar snap peas. It’s based on a recipe in From Asparagus to Zucchini, originally credited to MACSAC.

Sesame Snow Peas
1 pound snow peas
1 1/2 tsp sesame seeds
2 tsp toasted sesame oil

Steam peas over simmering water until bright and crisp-tender, 1-2 minutes. Cool under running cold water. Drain well and let stand to dry. Toss with remaining ingredients. Makes 4 servings.

The original recipe includes 1/4 red bell pepper, cut into thin matchsticks, added at the “remaining ingredients” stage. Bell peppers are not in season here - especially NOT peppers fully red ripe! - so I’ve been leaving it out.

We’ve been seeing this mark on the side of our neighbor’s house in the mornings. We think they’re marked for an alien invasion and/or abduction. And I should know, I grew up in Roswell! (and watched most of Season 1 on DVD…)

Okay, if you must know, it’s a reflection off the latch of our bathroom window. But this window was installed two years ago, and this is the first year we’ve seen the mark. It must mean something!!

P.S. Don’t you just love that “visitors welcome” logo at the official Roswell page? When I was growing up, their most innovative campaign was “Retire in Roswell” with nary a UFO in sight. And they wondered why so many kids were itching to leave? Obviously, the “cool cities” concept had not yet been dreamed up!

I’ve been tagged by Deb V to give you eight random facts about me…I have to post these rules before I give you the facts.

• Each player starts with eight random facts/habits about themselves.
• People who are tagged need to write their own blog about their eight things and post these rules.
  
• At the end of your blog, you need to choose eight people to get tagged and list their names.
  
• Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them they’re tagged, and to read your blog.

So here we go, eight random things (with a bonus feature of being numerically relevant to their placement in this list!):

1. The number one reason people find my blog (via search engines) is because I’m allergic to avocadoes.
2. My alma mater is playing in the College World Series again this year. UMich - the university from which I got my Ph.D. - knocked off #1 ranked Vanderbilt in a regional game, but lost to defending champs Oregon State on the road to Omaha. That’s 2 universities with connections to the College World Series.
3. I have degrees from 3 universities: Rice, University of Maryland - College Park, University of Michigan. I joked that I should make the rounds of U of Ms, but not even I could stay in school that long!!
4. I have to share a bathroom with 4 male humans. Can I win an award for this? If not now, how about when 3 of those male creatures are teenagers?
5. My family of 5 is leaving for Costa Rica next week. We’re going to help build a playground for a Habitat community in San Ramón. Hopefully it will be easy to avoid avocados!
6. We have 3 nieces on my side of the family, and 3 nephews on my husband’s side (which is how this qualifies as my entry for 6). A long time ago, I used the term “niephlings” as a gender-neutral term for nieces and nephews (combining niece, nephew, sibling). One of the radio shows that used to be on our NPR station had a segment where they were trying to get people to make up “missing words”. I sent this one in, and was called to be interviewed on air about it - and while on the phone they told me that someone else submitted the same word! I missed the show that weekend and have never been able to track down my segment, so I don’t know how I sounded, or if they determined who should get credit for “inventing” niephling. But I do know that the Oxford English Dictionary has not come calling.
7. We just finished raising 7 toads from tadpoles. They were collected from a construction-related pond at a city park. I’ve been meaning to blog about it, but haven’t gotten around to it yet, so this will do for now - take a look at my tadpole set on Flickr.
8. It’s been 8 days since Deb tagged me with this meme!

Now I tag: Michele T, Susan E, Ruth, Johnna, Jane Doe, and any Tom, Dick, or Harriet who happens to read this and is inspired to play along.

I recently came across this picture of T-boy on his first birthday. He’s watching C-boy manipulate a new bath toy birthday present. It’s an otherwise unremarkable photo, except I realized that he makes that exact same expression now, 3 years later, when he’s concentrating or when he’s expressing displeasure with someone.

Now I need to go back and look at baby pictures of Z-boy and C-boy, to see if I can see similar expressions that have lasted through the years!

I grew up in New Mexico, in the desert on a high plateau in the southeastern corner. About every five years or so, we would drive out to Missouri to visit my mother’s brother. I remember stopping at A & W Drive-Ins and having a baby bear burger with a frosty mug of rootbeer. I remember my dad complaining “I can’t see the scenery for all these trees!” and me replying, in that sing-song ‘parents are so dense’ voice of a child, “but daaaadddd, the trees are the scenery!” (For what it’s worth, now that i live in Michigan and visit New Mexico, I understand what he meant!) I remember that I usually got a case of strep throat, and it was blamed on the window unit A/C (we had swamp coolers in New Mexico, evaporative cooling works when the humidity is so low!).

But most of all, I remember the fireflies. They were so magical since we didn’t have them back home. They became for me a symbol of summer in the midwest.

fireflies in the forest, photo from wikimedia commons

They’re still a sign of summer, for me, but fireflies also evoke a different memory for me now. One evening in 2000, I went into labor while at a free outdoor concert, and I remember seeing the first fireflies of the season as we walked back to the car. My little “June Bug” became a “Lightning Bug” at that point. It was June 21st, the first official day of summer, so in my mind, fireflies shouldn’t show up until the first day of summer.

We made an exception this year, since they decided to show up on June 15th. The boys stayed up extra late, running around the neighborhood with friends, trying to catch fireflies. Last day of school, first day of fireflies - what’s not to celebrate? Happy summer, even if the official calendar says we have 5 or 6 more days of spring to go yet!

• According to America in So Many Words, as conveyed by answers.com, “lightning bugs” is more commonly used in the US than “fireflies.” Go figure!

Firefly is the older, British, and more literary term, but it has lost its glow to the homegrown lightning bug in nearly every corner of the present-day United States, except the Pacific Coast and the far north.

• The Wisconsin DNR provides info for kids about fireflies, including an experiment of sorts.
• howstuffworks provides a scientific explanation of bioluminescence.
• And for tech geeks, here’s a networked nightlight based on fireflies.