An enigma...

As most people know, my guilty pleasure is books. Picture books, novels, comic books, cook books, biographies--most any kind of book, really. The smell of the paper and the thrill of knowledge yet to be gained brings an indescribable giddiness to me. For the record, I know I'm a nerd. Also for the record, I am proud of it.

Accordingly, no one will be surprised to hear that I wound up at Barnes and Noble this morning buying a book. I wandered through the aisles for the better part of an hour, making a list of books I'd like to get from the library and those to keep my eye out for at book sales. I had a little birthday money to spend, and I decided to treat myself to a book unlike any that I currently own. It's called, The Big Book of Riddles, Puzzles, and Enigmas. I bought it because I thought it would be a good end of class activity for my students, but I am finding that I am intrigued by it. I love testing my logic skills and bending my brain. To help you join in the fun, here's an enigma from the book.

WOLF, GOAT, and CABBAGE

Accompanied by a wolf, a goat, and a cabbage, you must cross a river to get home. Unfortunately, you have a tiny boat which only permits you to transport a single load at a time. Therefore, during each trip, you must leave two unguarded on the riverbank while making the crossing. How will you manage to get all of them safely across, without one of them being eaten (the wolf will eat the goat, and the goat will eat the cabbage)?

Can you figure it out?

A LONG ROAD...but worth the newfound sleep

Last week, I bought a new bed! I had forgotten how wonderful it feels to lay down on a soft bed and relax into the comfort of a warm down comforter. Why, you may ask, did I buy a new bed? Well, let me tell you the story...

Back in June, my roommate began to get some weird bites on her arms and legs. After several weeks and a lot of searching on the internet, the diagnosis was BED BUGS. Yes, those still exist. I thought they were a thing of nursery rhymes and cliche proverbs, but, no, they're real. Apparently they've made a comeback in the last decade or so. Seriously, someone should tell them that, like the 80s, they should NOT resurface.

Bed bugs are not fun creatures, if you haven't guessed yet. They are small, good at hiding, migrate from one bed to another (lucky me!), and give lots of itchy bites (I counted about 40 from one night).

Anyway, to make a long story short, after four months, many hours of cleaning, and two exterminator visits, we decided to throw away our beds. It was actually a very liberating experience. See how happy I am?

For the next month, I slept on an air mattress, which was fine but not a good solution long term. I just didn't want to buy a new mattress just to have it infected as well. Finally, I went to RC Willey's Outlet and bought a bed. I have had it for a whole week now, and I love it! Here's the new bed.

You can't tell how comfy it is in the picture, but if you ever want to come sit on it, I think you'll agree that few beds are better (or maybe I'm just easy to please after an air mattress).

So, I have henceforth banished the "don't let the bed bugs bite" proverb, and I'm putting this new one up for approval:

"A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor's book." ~Irish Proverb

HALLOWEEN!!!

I thought I'd post some pictures of the fun my friends and I had for Halloween this year.

At FHE on Monday, we carved pumpkins. This is by far my favorite part of Halloween. I spent the better part of an hour carving, and I love the happy, goofy face I ended up with. All of Halloween should be this harmless-looking. Don't you think?
Now, I have a confession. I don't actually like Halloween much. I mean, I like carving pumpkins and candy, but I could do without the rest. I don't like scary movies, haunted houses, or trying to come up with a clever costume. Still, this Halloween I was pretty proud of what I came up with for a costume. In the great movie, It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown, Lucy says, "A person should always choose a costume that is in direct contrast to her own personality." How did I do?
I decided that as much fun as it was to be Luna Lovegood, I should not go blonde permanently. I thought Amy made a cute Alice, Danielle was a rowdy cowgirl, Emily was a roaring flapper, and Brenda was a creepy dental assistant. I think the most fun part of the evening was the process of getting dressed and taking pictures. What great friends!