News from the trenches...

Curling iron
Emily had her first encounter with a curling iron yesterday. Unfortunately, the curling iron won. She brushed her arm against it while I was putting on mascara. She was pretty tough, though and cried for less than 20 seconds. She's got a nice little mark to show for it. :o(

Bathtub battles
After a 5-day strike I finally got Emily to sit down in her bathwater last night. I filled the tub extra full and kind of tricked her. She then had fun playing in the water for 20 minutes. She especially enjoyed "swimming" on her tummy and experimenting with sticking her tongue and/or face in the water. :o)

Pumpkins
I've lost hope of harvesting any actual pumpkins from my experimental patch this year. A couple weeks ago the one vine with a pumpkin growing on it succumbed to powdery mildew disease and completely dried up along with at least one other vine. After my revelation about gendered pumpkin flowers I have not notice any blooming "females" and therefore, do not have any new pumpkins pollinated and started. By now it is too late to hope for anything this season. However, I do not count it a total loss. Through the hands-on experience and ongoing web research I have learned a lot about the art/science of growing pumpkins. I'm excited to try again next year with my new found knowledge and strategies. :o)