This blog has moved

This blog is now located at http://samfosteriam-rl.blogspot.com/.

Note from the future: 2020/09/15: It was at samfosteriam-rl.blogspot.com, now its back at sam-i-am.com/blog.

Knock, knock..

Aidan: Knock knock.
Dad: Who's there?
Aidan: Banana.
Dad: Banana who?
Aidan: Banana dont be sad there's no need to cry.

Cassidy: Knock knock whos there.
Dad: ?
Dad: ??

More poop news

Why does it take poop to stir me to blogging? Cassidy - barely 18 months - has been interested in the potty for a few weeks now. She has peed on the potty but its hard to tell if it was dumb luck or any kind of intention on her part. Tonight there was no mistaking it. She was in the bath and indicated she wanted out. She sat straight down and began making unmistakable noises.

Consider yourselves lucky I've not started using my flickr account :)

Electoral breath-holding

Its coming up to 9pm here on election day in the US, central time. As of now things dont look good for intelligent life.

What am I missing? I just can't fathom millions of people thinking that having another 4 years of George W Bush as president would be a good thing. I'm watching these projected results and one by one states are swinging to Bush. Can there really be that many idiots in this country?

Cassidy's teeth

Kelley reports that Cassidy apparently chewed off the corner of a tupperware lid, while rumaging in the cabinet we had left open for her. Intervention was necessary, choking was avoided. But what is with these kids? With Aidan we had a trip to the emergency room when he bit off a piece of the wooden spoon we'd given him to play with. If tupperware and wooden spoons aren't safe playthings for a sub-1yr old, what is?

More chicken sagas: The Piper story

Well, maybe 3 months ago our Buff-Orpington went broody. After letting her sit a couple of weeks, we went ahead and got 3 chicklets and snuck them under her one night. She adopted them straightaway and was doing a fine job. But as time went by the little corner we'd fenced off for them in the big coop was obviously becoming a strain, so we let them out to see if she'd really fend off the other hens and look out for her kids (she had formerly been vying for top hen, and was still one of the biggest)

Not a chance. Within a couple of days she'd basically given up the mother thing and was just hanging out with the big girls, leaving the former bottom-of-the-pecking-order hen to terrorize the chicks. It wasn't pretty, and the smallest - Phoebe, the pretty Gold-Laced Wyandotte - was getting hurt.

We took them out and put them back in the brooder cage, putting them in the garage at night to keep them warm (they were still getting their full feathers in). This went on for about a week, until Sunday night when we forgot to bring them in.

The brooder cage is about 2foot square, with maybe 1x2 in. wire mesh. But being chickens, they chose not to perch on the branch we'd placed in the middle, but huddle instead in the corner. That must have been how the racoon found them, and with nothing better to do that night he managed to get all of one chick (Pheobe) through the mesh, and a substantial chunk out of another (Piper).

Kelley discovered the grizzly scene the next morning. 2 feet lay by the cage, and inside, Piper (Rhode Island) was dragging her left wing. I disposed of the remains and we discussed Piper's condition. All the advice we had said just leave her be, she would make it or not. However we did contact a vet that treated "exotics" who would see her...

As of today, Piper is doing well. She ended up having the wing amputated, and is adjusting well. She is our "gold-plated" hen, who even if she lays her entire life will not pay off the vets bill. But these are pets, not a business, so we swallow hard, and go on. I'm glad for her sake - and her remaining clutch-mate Prudence (another Rhode Island) - who would have had a miserable time off it on her own.

Some Aidan Photos

• Doing a little dancing
• Aidan with his mom
• Drinking
• Lots to say...
• Sometimes its too much
• Looking a little pensive
• Looking a lot tired

Welcome Aidan Foster-Green

Aidan was born at ~11am this morning! This makes me a father, Kelley a mother and a quartet of happy grandparents. Keep an eye on his page for more details.

Congratulations to Me

After a paper wedding earlier in the day, Kelley and I got engaged. There's a nice symmetry about this somehow. We'll be getting married a year from today.

One Year

Wow. Kelley and I first got together this time last year. These are good times.

this is me...	and this is kelley

We Just Moved

Kelley and I are now in a bigger and better place in Berkeley. Aidan is doing well... keep an eye on his web page as december approaches (like the baby, the site is in progress).

Relocating Again!

Kelley, Aidan and I are taking ourselves down to Austin Texas, where we've bought a house and a new life beckons. See my contact page for the new address.

I'll still be working for frogdesign - same job new people.

Sam-I-Am.com got hacked

(Not really.) I've restored the home page, but here's how it was

Server Transition

Sam-I-Am.com has made the move over to a new server. This should have been transparent, but if you see broken links, can't contact the server, have email to me bounce back etc. hang on a day or so from now and let me know if it doesn't get fixed. You can reach me at [my work address] meantime.