ELLIOTT'S FIRST SHOT AT PLAYING GOALIE

HE MAKES MULTIPLE SAVES!

Pine Tree Press | Sports Page

The big, heavy, need-a-parent-to-carry, equipment bag filled with the goalie equipment has been circulating around the Blue Team players. If a player wants to try goal, no problem, there is a complete set of goalie equipment to borrow. Elliott took up the challenge and the bag was brought home to the Place Under The Pine.

It only took approximately a half hour of struggling to get him suited up. After he did some jumping around making imaginary diving saves he was all ready to make this video promoting his upcoming game...

Game day was exciting. After squeezing on his jersey and doing up the last buckles on his helmet he stood with his team watching the Zamboni finish clearing the ice. He was jostled and pushed by his teammates until he was at the front of the line - b/c one of the customs in this hockey subculture we are learning about is that the goalie always hits the ice first.
It did not take long, only one fall, before he got his skates under him and looked as steady as he always does. Similarly, in net he took a little time to get his bearings set and learn the ups and downs of going up and down on his pads. A half hour later he looked like a veteran goalie, which was a good thing because that is when the game started.
With his team and his fans behind him he took to the ice and headed for his net...

In a quick after game interview in the locker room Elliott commented on his game. "Did you see at the end? I made four saves in a row! Wasn't I awesome."
Spoken like a true athlete. Focus on the positive is what we say around here.

Kingston | 12:12

GARDEN 2015 - UPDATE 1

FROZEN - Not just a great movie, but, a garden as well.

Pine Tree Press | Garden Update

As expected the garden is frozen solid. The only sign of life, or previous life, is the broken down stems from the brussels sprouts plants - which are surprisingly still a vibrant green colour. With the daily temperatures hovering at around frostbite-in-one-minute levels there is no hope of anything growing. However, the recent cold snap has the citizens of the PUTP longing for the warm days of summer and the fresh things from the garden. This has inspired both a planning session for the 2015 garden and the analysis of the 2014 garden.

One sad looking brussels sprout plant

Still colourful...and possibly edible

These brussels sprouts have been put in the deep freeze

 

2014 Analysis

A first for the Place Under The Pines - a December harvest! Over two cups of brussels sprouts were picked off the still standing plants in early December. They were roasted up and eaten for dinner.

The brussels sprouts were one of the few plants to have any success this year. However, their total production did not get anywhere near expectations. Overcrowding is suspected to be the main cause of this underproductivity.

Two major stories tell how the 2014 garden did. 1) The Raspberry BOOM 2) The Zucchini ZOOM

2014 - BY THE NUMBERS

Raspberries: 13 - 42

As shown by the chart to the left, the production of raspberries skyrocketed (for lack of a better word), from 13 cups in 2013 to 42 cups in 2014.

An increase was expected due to the addition of some new canes, but, nothing this large. Based on previous years, this particular type of raspberry plant seems to peak in its third year. 2015 is the third year for a majority of the new plants, which has experts suggesting an even bigger haul this summer.

Zuchinni:  26 - 0

The truly tragic garden story of 2014 was the zucchini. Last year a record of 26 good sized zuch's were harvested. This year - zero (see chart to the left).
This is an unheard of number, where even five years ago when garden knowledge and plant care was very, very low, zuch's sometimes seemed to be the only thing that would grow.
Overcrowding was ruled as the problem. The 2014 garden was crammed past capacity as gardeners 'pushed the boundry' of recommended spacing between plants. Zucchini require space and sunlight. Both of which were restricted due to overplanting. One lone straggler flowered, but, the fruit rotted soon after as it pushed up against the boards boxing in the garden. 

The rest of the garden did produce at median to poor levels. Tomatoes were late this year and hit by frost, the early lettuce was delicious but it bolted quickly, beans grew but were not in high demand by many of the citizens, the eggplant died, and the strawberries grew very well but were tasteless and mealy. Again, the suspicion is that overcrowding and possibly poor soil conditions are to blame.

The plan for 2015 is to significantly scale back on the number of plants to prevent any overcrowding. Additional fertilizers, compost, and any manure that can be obtained will be added to the soil.

Suggestions for 2015 plants include:

• Carrots

That is it for suggestions so far. Feel free to send suggestions the Ministry of Urban Agriculture or comment below.

Hoping for more scenes like this next fall.

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/13635251/?claim=hgmbj6tgz2r">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

OSKIE TURNS TWO - A HOCKEY BIRTHDAY!

OSCAR 2

Pine Tree Post | Birthday Page

The Boys both had birthdays last week. As you may know, they were both born in January, separated by only one day. This makes one hectic week for birthday parties.

OSKIE

Up first was Oskie. He turned the ripe age of 2 this year.

Here he is nursing for the last time before he turns the big 2.

For his birthday party he opted for a hockey theme. "Hockey" is the most used word in his vocabulary. So, without fail, when asked what kind of birthday party he would like his answer was "hockey".
A pack of his little friends were invited over to celebrate and play games.

Friday morning: the Place Under The Pine was decked out with lots of hockey decor...

The Score Board with symbolic numbers.

A string of hockey cards.

The Stanley Cup

Happy B-day sign with an ice rink background

Here they are playing a hockey version of pin-the-tail-on-the-donkey. This version is put-the-equipment-on-the-hockey-player.

This game was lovingly made, by the hands of Oskie's mother, out of felt. Felt is the ideal material for this game and for this age group. Paper would be crumpled, ripped, and eaten. Metal would scar both the wall and the child. Also, felt will cling to other felt pieces, eliminating the need for a pin, nail, thumbtack, or other such device. As any parent will tell you, it is not a good idea to give pins, nails, thumbtacks or similar devices to two year old children.

Cake was enjoyed by all. As any parent will tell you, two year old children love cake so much they want to spread it across their face and absorb it into the skin.

Oskie has come a long way in his second year. From this...

January 2014 - 1 year old

to this...

January 2015 - 2 years old

Happy Birthday little guy.

COOKING WITH OLIVIA

OLIVIA SHOWS US HOW TO COOK PERFECT PEROGIES!

Pine Tree Press | Cooking

Cooking is an art. It takes years to master. That is why the Place Under the Pine likes to start 'em early and encourages the young folks to join in whenever there is some baking or cooking going on. This hands on experience builds cooking confidence, and in the case of Lolli, the confidence to take on the challenge of cooking perogies. And, not just any ol' perogies, but, Perfect Perogies. Let's see how she does...

Cooking With Olivia - Perfect Perogies - 2015 Episode 1

The feedback on Lolli's Perfect Perogies was all positive. Combined with the sour cream, right from the container, the entire batch was eaten up. This has encouraged Lolli to continue working on the fine art of cooking.

Stay tuned for more episodes of Cooking With Olivia, and the spin off show Bringing The Heat With Elliott.

ARE YOUR KIDS DOUBLE AGENT SPIES TOO?!

MYSTERY PACKAGE FOUND UNDER CHRISTMAS TREE

Pine Tree Press | Secret Page

There have been suspicious activities going on around the PUTP over the past few months. There have been secret meetings, code words, complex knocking patterns on doors, papers intricately folded up and put into pockets, and also the building of a secret-spy-for (just out of eyesight when the Parents looks out the front door).

Things became stranger just before Christmas when a mystery package, labelled TOP SECRET, with no return address was found under the Christmas tree!

The TOP SECRET mystery package

With strong reservations the package was allowed to be opened. The contents were shocking...

"Authorized eyes only"

Suspicious paraphernalia

"Micro Spy Kit Delta" & Walkie-talkies!

The package contained:

• Magnifying glasses
• Mini spy sized notepads
• Fingerprint kit
• Invisible ink
• Date stamp
• Top Secret labels
• Micro Spy Kit Delta - night vision telescope, hear-through-wall device, motion detecting alarm
• Walkie-talkies

It appears there can only be one reasonable explanation - the children of the PUTPs are undercover double agent spies!? That would provide an explanation to the strange behaviour and the mysterious package.

This just goes to show that you may not really know anyone - including your kids! If it can happen here it can happen anywhere. 

Be vigilant people or your kids could be a dark cape wearing spy...

In the PUTP spies wear garbage bags and hockey gloves

Kingston | 4:35

WHAT DO YOU DO IF YOUR LITTLE BOY WANTS AN AMERICAN GIRL DOLL FOR XMAS?

DOLL CONVERSION

Pine Tree Post | Craft / DIY

The letters that left the Place Under the Pine this year addressed to Santa were, as usual, short and sweet. However, Elli's was especially small with only one request - a boy doll with clothes. (Translation: An American Girl style 18 inch doll. Boy. Light Hair. Possibly wearing a retro Edmonton Oilers Hockey jersey with number 99 on the back).
Unfortunately, American Girl, Our Generation, Journey Girl...all of the poplular brands of 18 inch dolls do not have a boy version. And, even Santa does not stock a boy doll like this.

So, what do you do if your kid wants a boy doll?

You get the scissors out and use your creative juices to whip up a replacement.

Black Friday, the Parents of the PUTP were seen hitting the Target in Watertown (USA) in search of a doll that either looked like Elli or looked 'boyish'. Shannon, an Our Generations doll, that has a face resembling Elli's and came in a camping set (which meant it was not dressed in a gown and adorned with high heeled shoes and jewellery) hit the spot. She came in cargo type pants and had some camping equipment too.
The Parents were also seen going through the big bins of other doll outfits, pulling up things like a bowling set and any others that came with unisex clothing.

"Shannon" - pre-transformation

A few nights later Jen was seen with the hair cutting kit. This is not an uncommon sight as she cuts the hair of every other citizen in the PUTP. The peculiar thing was her 'client' - a long haired 18'' doll!

After much cutting, recutting, then cutting again, "Shannon" had a new hairdo. Paired with a sporty jacket and some blue runners she passed for a little boy - luckily these dolls are not anatomically correct :)

The surfer boy look

The doll was then placed back in the package, wrapped, and put under the Christmas tree. Another overachieving present by the PUTP's best parents!

He looks like a camper to me!

"Shannon" has been well played with since the unwrapping on Christmas day. The doll has been renamed "Ben" and has been towed along on many adventures - to the arena, to the grandparent's. A visitor to the PUTP may hear the name Ben so often they may believe there is another child living there.
Ben has also been well supplied with homemade clothes, store bought clothes, skates, furniture...almost anything a doll could need.

Elli feeds Ben a snack

 

A pantless Ben walks up the stairs

One parent from the PUTP found it odd that finding a boy version of the extremely popular 18 inch dolls was so hard. He was inspired to write an open letter to the manufacturers of these dolls.

Dear Doll Makers,

This year for Christmas my little guy asked for a doll, such as the ones you make. However, he requested a doll that was a boy. I was disappointed to find out that no such doll exists. I find this unacceptable on many levels and am left wondering why on earth would you not make a boy version?

I am going to be presumptuous and guess that you will answer - we do not make boy dolls because the market for such a doll is not there.

I know we are not the only family in search of a boy doll. This segment of the market may not be near as big as the girl, but, it is there. And, as a niche type market you may be able to produce a smaller number of boy dolls and offset the loss in producing this limited amount by charging more and not selling them in the same manner, but instead, for eg making them available online only. I am certain you could find an alternative.

I do not usually get worked up about age old debates but this has gotten me all riled up. This whole situation only emphasizes the continuing gentrification of toys, ie Dolls are pink and only for girls, Superheros are blue and only for boys. It may be social pressure, but, it is also a toy manufacturing phenomenon. In the end it is you, the toy makers, who end up picking what gets made.

Where does the idea of being a good corporate citizen fit in here?

Play is a chance for kids to explore their world. Children can use toys to play out and practice scenarios they may encounter in life. Is it a good idea to exclude boys from the world of dolls? How are boys supposed to practice being a parent? Carting their doll around, thinking about how they would take care of another person, is a skill everyone should know. It not only makes society a better place, but, fulfills the idea of manhood too (the ability to provide and take care of one's family). Dolls are for boys too! In my mind, not making a boy doll is somehow unethical, it is not being a good corporate citizen, it is bad for society as a whole. We need to change the attitude towards 'boy' toys and 'girl' toys and I think some of the responsibility lies with you.

Sincerely, 

The PUTP's best Dad

2014 YEAR IN REVIEW

THANK YOU READERS

A heartfelt thanks to all the readers out there who make my stats spike and share this special place in our lives...our little online place.

I made a video showing highlights of the year.

If you are having trouble, here is link right to the youtube site - click here - it is seven minutes long, so settle in.

In case you are interested in those stat that tingle my hear - last year there were about 4,000 pageviews (I heard that! Most of them were not me!).

The most popular posts:

1) The Fairy House
2) Apple Picking
3) Hockey Card Craft

Thanks again for visiting. Looking forward to sharing more of our life in 2015!

Matty