Sarah Palin experiment - a berrylicious walk with Kalib and his dad
Sunday, August 2, 2009 at 10:33PM ;)
The experiment:
Typically, the number of visitors to this site drops off come Saturday and Sunday, but this weekend something curious happened: for no reason that I could think of, the number of visitors actually rose. It did not reach the stupendous levels (for me) that it did for two days running when I posted the Barrow baby contest, but, none-the-less, it showed a healthy increase over what it had been and certainly over the typical weekend.
I was curious as to why, and so did some back-tracking and discovered that some blogs that link to me (most notably the Immoral Minority) had stories that Sarah Palin and husband Todd are about to divorce (denied by Palin's spokeswoman).
And then, last night, the word "Palin" was in my headline.
I figured that these two factors led to the increase.
So, other than what I have stated above, this blog post has nothing to do with Sarah Palin. It is merely an experiment to see what kind of numbers I will get by including her name in the post headline. This is a one-time experiment. I will not do it again. Nor is Sarah Palin about to become a regular topic of this blog, even though it is obvious to me that my really-pretty-small audience could be significantly larger if I were to run a few Sarah Palin stories every week, perhaps every day.
If she stays in Wasilla, or even Alaska, it is almost inevitable that our paths will cross somewhere and then I will probably get a picture and post it with a few words, but, otherwise, this blog has other concerns and I will leave her to the other bloggers.
;)
The walk.
It began in our front yard, where Kalib observed as his parents engaged in a lovey-dovey wrestling match. Shortly thereafter, Kalib found a mushroom.
He did not try to eat it and if he would have, I would not have let him.
;)
Lavina stayed home, just in case Margie would need some help. Jacob took off walking. Fearing that he was about to be left behind, Kalib came running after. I followed with my camera.
;)
Eventually, Kalib wound up on his father's shoulders.
;)
By and by, he was transferred to Muzzy's back. It was sweet.
;)
Muzzy galloped up the embankment, bucking Kalib from his back. Tenaciously, Kalib kept hold of the reins.
;)
There were berries to eat - raspberries, blueberries and currants. There were cranberries, too, but they were not yet ready to be picked.
;)
By the time we reached a hill that we had to descend, Kalib was walking again. Two trails went down that hill - one off at an angle with a more gentle slope, the other straight down, at a steep slope. Jacob tried to lead Kalib down the gentle slope, but he refused to go that way. He insisted upon going down the steep slope, so Jacob got in front of him and gave him his hands.
;)
Fireweed grew in abundance at the bottom, so Jacob and Kalib plunged in. There were many honey bees flying about in those flowers, plus bumble bees and yellow jackets. When a yellow jacket alit on a blossom right in front of Kalib, Jacob warned him to leave it alone.
But, as you can see, Kalib reached out with both hands. Fortunately, he did not get stung.
;)
And then we found more berries.
;)
Now we are on the last stretch, coming through the marsh towards home.
;)
Even though we are now within three hundred yards of the house, it will take Kalib and Jacob more than an hour to reach it. I grew worried about Margie and so, right after I took the following picture, hurried back to our bedroom, leaving the father and son to enjoy the delights of so beautiful a day alone together.
;)
Jacob and Kalib, picking berries. "It was a berrylicious walk," Jacob said.
Reader Comments (5)
I visit every time you have a new post. And yes, your blog was a "gift" from other bloggers when I first started wondering about who the new VP nominee was (seems like a long time ago now). Thank you for having a blog where you share so much. I enjoy your blog and I enjoy your photos and I enjoy your stories. I love kids and dogs and people. I am not one of the "new" visitors, however. Sounds like your wife is doing better now. Good!
Hahaha! Come on, you're cheating here, both "Palin" and pictures of Kalib - a double whammy!
But seriously, you could do a whole "Palin" series called "Is This the Lake she Threw her Wedding Ring In?" and then just take pictures of lakes and the wildlife around them. (More laughter from me.)
But super seriously, have nothing to do with that woman, nothing.
Ha, ha, is right! I MISSED what you posted yesterday about the Qiviter, but I admit to being lured whenever you mention that adorable Kalib.
So now I'll read both days' posts and enjoy the pictures...
Came for the Palin poop, now hooked for the adorable Kalib - the former makes me scowl, the latter makes me smile. Guess I will be back! You have a beautiful family Bill.
The mushroom Kalib has picked looks from here -- I'm in California -- like a boletus, one of the good ones. But you are right, unless you are used to picking them, you should not eat them.