Tiny corns

Earlier I reported that we had one ear of corn...I was slightly wrong...there were a few more...tiny...corn..

 They don't look so bad, in with the cucumbers...I mean, those are big cucumbers, right?

 And big cherry tomatoes, right?

Well, no...but they were tasty.

The garden is starting to wind down--a few more cucumber blossoms, some kale, carrots, potatoes, tomatoes and peppers still to harvest.  There are a couple more apples--no peaches or cherries this year, but we've picked about five apples of various kinds.  And it looks like the asparagus will be great next summer.  I need to take a look and see if we have more onions and garlic and start getting everything tucked in for the winter.  Today I bought a butternut squash at the grocery strode...I felt a little guilt that I wasn't going to the Farmer's Market, but it was quicker to just get it there...hopefully one night this week we'll have butternut  squash soup...yum!

What I'm reading, Blog Edition

There are several blogs that I read once in awhile--some I get a daily or weekly digest and that is all I ever read, others I go to and binge read, some I read the first line and that's it.
I ran across this one earlier this week and want to share it with all of you:

Petals of Joy: Why God Whispers


Wow!  She nailed that...what a way to put everything in perspective and remind me to "press in" this week.

Things to do in Denver Part I

Some friends from out of state are coming for a visit later this fall and asked for some ideas of things to do with their young kids--I am going to chat with them, too, but thought it might make a "fun" post I've talked about some of these places before, but here is the "whole list" in one place... "things to do in the Denver area" with (or without) little children....  A lot are mentioned in The Preschooler's Guide to Denver, a book that we have used a lot more since the kids started school than before.  Whenever I can I've included a link to the location's official website.

Children's Museum-I hate to start with this one, because it is one of my least favorites (sorry museum fans).  I was "spoiled" by growing up near the fantastic Indianapolis Children's Museum, so the Denver Children's Museum has always seemed small and over-priced.  We have spent some fun afternoons there--mainly rainy or cold days when we've been cooped up too long.  It does have a some great play areas for younger kids-it is aimed at the 3-5 year old crowd is my opinion and anyone older or younger isn't thrilled..but it is ok if the weather has been stinky for a long time.  And it is a good "go-to" for little kids and grandparents--lots of things to play with.

Aquarium-I haven't been to the aquarium since around the time it opened and we had free passes.  It is supposed to be great...it is funny to think of going to an aquarium in Denver though.  And again (I'm cheap) but it has always seemed pricey.

Museum of Nature and Science I do love this place--lots of stuff for kids to do and entertaining for the adults too.  Has an IMAX theater.  It is pretty similar to Nature and Science Museums in other cities...I can't think of anything that makes it drastically better or worse than any other Nature and Science Museum.  Entrance prices also seem about the same as other cities.

Zoo When we lived in Denver proper we had a zoo membership and would "pop over" for a couple hours on a Sunday afternoon. it is a nice zoo, lots of buildings with indoor exhibits so you can escape from the rain/snow/heat. We used to be famous for our polar bear cubs, but it seems like we haven't had any in awhile--but there are snow leopard cubs!  Here, too, there is an entrance fee, but it is never surprisingly high and (at least used to be) lower in the winter months.

Denver Botanic Gardens-Right now the Gardens are hosting a Chihuly exhibit and they have added a "kids discovery area".  It has always been a nice place to go play.  I think there are discounted tickets available through King Soopers sometimes.  It has a few indoors areas as well to escape the sun/rain/snow.

Lowry Beer Garden-Why might you ask, is a Beer Garden on a "kids's list"?  Great question...Here's my answer.  This place is situated right next door to the Wings Over the Rockies Museum and has a fantastic outdoor patio as well as a great indoor area.  Tasty food...and...a box of toys/games for the kids.  Granted, my kids are older, but they spent several happy afternoons playing Apples to Apples with my co-workers while I snacked on "half price food for teachers" during happy hour . I once fed the kids and I dinner for $12.  $12.  Not kidding.

Wings Over the Rockies-A very miniature version of the Air and Space Museum, has a fee, but often there are discount tickets online or in the kiosk at hotels.

Wildlife Experience-One of my favorite museums ever.  There is an area where you "walk through several climate zones" and along the way get snowed on as well as see lots of taxidermied animals.  That section alone is worth the price to me.  It also has an IMAX and a fun kids discovery area.

Butterfly Pavilion-Haven't been there in years, it was lovely, especially since when I went I had free tickets.

Westlands Park--Great park, no where to go inside, of course, but fantastic if the weather is decent (which, let's face it, it is a great deal of the time in Denver).  Has an observation tower, nature walks, and several fantastic playgrounds/play areas designed for kids of different ages and abilities.

Littleton Historical Museum--They advertise that they are "always free", but I would pay to visit.  A small, traditional, museum and several restored historic buildings.  Chickens, ducks, cows, sheep...lots of space to run and things to explore.  Special events throughout the year-we were there last spring on "Cow" day--we sampled homemade cheese, butter, and ice cream and heard about ice houses.

Hudson Gardens-Another smaller botanic garden.  During the summer they charge a fee, but in the winter I don't believe that they do. Lots of fun places to explore here, too--a hobbit hole is one of my favorites.  On special weekends there is a large outdoor model train area.

Belleview Park-We've only been to this one a few times--they have a great train to ride on (for a fee, I think) and lots of other "park" things.

Tiny Town-One of my favorites when the kids were toddling--this is a whole village (outdoors) of tiny houses and other buildings. There is a train to ride here, too.  I remember thinking the price was reasonable...I'm sure all that info is on their website.  They may close for the winter as well....but winter is kind of fluid here in the land of 340 sunshiney
 days.

Red Rocks-Free, including a small "museum".  Worth it to let kids run up and down all those stairs and perform on the same stage that the Beatles did.  Lots of hiking trails, too.

Colorado Railroad Museum-I know I've been here, but not for a long time.  I have a coffee mug from there!  The Boy reports "it was fun and Grandude bought my ticket".  So there you go.  As I remember, it has a lot of real trains that kids can tour and sometimes there are train rides

Airplane restaurant--This place, and the  next four, are all technically in the Colorado Springs area...which isn't super far from our house, but would be a hike if one was coming from downtown Denver (of course, some of the list above are a hike for us!).  I have mixed feelings about this place and always tell the folks we take that I have mixed feelings.  No one has ever been disappointed though (or at least they didn't tell me so).  The food is so-so most visits (it is attached to a Ramada Inn, I think), but if you call ahead or get lucky you can actually eat in a real airplane.  Even if you have to sit in the restaurant, there is a ton of airplane memorabilia to look at and kids are encouraged to visit the cockpit and rear bay of the airplane to explore.  Lots of great photo ops!

Air Force Academy-A very nice (free) visitor's center.  You will have to show your driver's license or other ID at the gate, but don't have to have a reservation to go in.  Most days you can take a short walk to the Air Force Chapel (down a paved trail with lots of things to look at).  A fun (usually short) stop on the way to or from somewhere else.

Olympic Training Center-Another free visitor's center.  The last time we were there they were remodeling (again).  Usually there are lots of hands on things to do and tours of the grounds are given.

Garden of the Gods-Very pretty to walk or drive.  Free entry, parking can be a pain if it is a nice day.  There is a nice visitor's center, too, mostly a gift shop, but a few things to look at/touch for the kids.

Santa Train-We haven't done the Santa train, but did take the cog railway in the summer.  The Santa train sounds very fun and we've been told that tickets "sell out fast".  Make sure to stop in Manitou Springs on your way to or from the train and try some of the water from the town's springs (the springs are free, just bring your own cup). With older kids they can pick up a map and lead you on a scavenger hunt as well as a taste test.

Bonus Link to "Best Hikes for Kids and Families" We've done a lot of these--downtown Golden is fun as well as the one to "the castle"

I'm also a fan of our public libraries--no matter what part of the "Denver Area" you are in ,there is probably a great library with a children's area, many including a"play room".  Phillip Miller (in Castle Rock), Castlewood (Centennial), and Schlessman (Denver) are some of my favorites.

Hey, Coloradans...what else should I add?

End of summer adventures with the family

Since IM didn't get to go with us to Michigan, we've tried to take a few day trips on weekends this fall.  A couple weeks ago (maybe it was even Labor Day weekend?) we decided to go to the Art Festival in Manitou Springs for the day.  We never actually made it to the actual festival...but we had a lot of fun in the Springs...here's our travel log with commentary, of course!

This is what happened when IM said--"hey, have we ever gone up that street before?"  And by up, he meant up...yes, that is The Girl huffing and puffing in the background.

This building says "old depot".  Interesting.  It looks like it is an apartment building now.

 As seen on Zillow....IM is intrigued by this house.  I am not, as it has no off street parking and is on a giant hill...but it is surprisingly larger than it looks!

What would a visit to Manitou Springs be without some spring water?  Actually The Boy was sticky for some reason(who knows) and this was a convenient place to clean up

Look!  A snowman in August!  This was entertaining...and a little hot when touched.

Again...these two will pose with anything.  I mean, what is this?  Sculpture, a bike rack?

Ah, the "I can't find my keys" gag.  Never gets old.  Luckily (for him) they were in his pocket all along.

The Other Village

Ok, yes, that one...So IM and I saw "The Sixth Sense" when it was in theaters (clearly  before children) and loved it...so we went to see "Unbreakable" and it was, um, not so good.  We actually had free tickets to see Unbreakable and won a hat and other bling...back when we could go to movie premiers late at night without falling asleep in the theater (I've fallen asleep in a theater..."Horton Hears a Who" really needs more action...Sigh.)  "Signs" was ok, but not necessarily great...I think we rented it (from a "movie rental store"...giggle...) So, when "The Village" came out, I don't think we saw it in the theater, I think we waited until it was "on video" (DVD, I'm sure...really) and rented it.  I thought it must have come out a long time ago...like the 90's, but surprise...it came out in 2004, the year The Boy was born.  Hmm...that was a long time ago...but not like 20 years, only 10.

I remember sitting through the movie, not liking it at all...ugh..it was horrible...then there is that turning point (no spoilers) and I said, "What?  No Way!!!! Oooh....that was cool!"

I try to remember that moment every time I'm slogging through some point in my life when I just can't see anything good coming.  Not necessarily a low or bad point...just that mind-numbing, daily life thing...I know that if I look God will put one of those, "What! How cool!" moments in my life--a sunset, the beautiful flowers in the yard, a sunrise on the way to work, a visit from a former student, a hug from my kids...those everyday turning points that can make all the difference.  Enjoy looking for those little blessings today!

A Ranch sunset from earlier this summer...ahhh.

The Village

No, no, not that M Night Shyamalan movie, although that would make a great post later... (Movies I hated for most of the movie then loved afterwards?  Movies that weren't quite as good as the director's first try?)

No, I'm taking about Hillary Clinton's Village---the one from the late 1990's, that according to her it takes to raise a child.  Her book (and speeches from that era) always leave me conflicted, because although I disagree with many of her beliefs and stands, the older my kids get, the more I think she could be right on this Village thing.

In the past couple weeks, through a comedy of chaos, I've had to text friends more than once to save my you-know-what. Here's an example...the other night, I somehow ran over a large drill bit (not kidding) and shredded my tire (back passenger side, in case you were wondering) as I hurried to pick up the kids, run them home to change clothes, eat dinner and go to Cub Scouts.  Acura roadside service and the Acura dealer couldn't have been nicer--navigating the tire warranty for me and putting me in a loaner when they couldn't get the new tire until the next morning. IM was tied up in meetings and other things, so he couldn't get away to get the kids. While I waited in the Acura waiting room, I texted friend #1...."If you haven't picked up your kids at school yet, can you please take The Boy a pair of shorts?" (He needed them for a Cub Scout activity, she did) then friend #2 "Can you walk the kids from after school care in the cafeteria to the multipurpose room?  The after school lady won't let them go by themselves..."  (She did).  A couple days later I was again stuck (figuratively this time?) when I had to teach until 3:00 and The Girl had to be somewhere for cross country practice...enter friend #3, who took my child to school and had her husband return The Girl to after school care.  Needless to say, without my Village I would have had to take time off work or the kids would have to miss things...whew...Thanks, Village...I owe you (all) one (or more....)!

My Life as a Carny

Me, possibly the summer
I was a Carny...

This week was homecoming at the high school, and as usual there was a theme with "dress up" days.  This year's theme was "Under the Big Top" and the daily dress ups were "Stripes and Suspenders", "Tasty Tuesday" (wear bright and festive candy colors),"Mirror, Mirror (Twins)", "Carny Day" (dress like someone who you would see at a carnival), Blue and Green Spirit Day (our colors are blue and green).  As always, some of the kids' (and staff's) outfits were interesting.  My favorite day this time was Carny Day.  I wore my own clothes and was able to say (with an almost straight face)..."Well, when I was a Carny,  I just wore my own clothes".  Priceless reactions...

See, the story as I remember it, is that for some reason when I was in high school the "carnival" came to town (for the 4-H Fair, of course) and was short-handed.  No, I have no idea how that happens.  I suppose the other possibility is that the town and the carnival had some kind of agreement about hiring a certain number of local people?  Or some local club or organization volunteered? Who knows... the end result is that for a couple nights I sold tickets to the rides inside a cute little booth.  He, he...allowing me to use "I was a Carny" as a truth when we play "Two truths and a lie" at the beginning of the school year.

"Would you like to buy some carnival tickets?"

What I read in August

It's amazing to realize that at the beginning of August I was still in Michigan on vacation and that now it seems like we've been back in "the real world" forever.  Now that we are back to driving to and from school and other activities we are listening to books on CD more again (plus what we listened to on the way home from Michigan) and (surprise, surprise) I actually read a few books--some even after school started.  Perhaps I need structure in my life to make me read.

1.  From the Mixed Up Files of Mrs. Basil E Frankweiler (E.L. Konigsburg)--We listened to this in the car during our return trip from Michigan.  It took several hours (days?) to convince The Girl to listen, but once she found out one of the main characters shares her name she decided to listen.  The story follows a twelve year old girl and her 9 year old brother (coincidence?) when they decide to run  away from home and camp out in the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  It is set in the 1960's, so it doesn't seem possible now...but their adventures are still fun.
2.  Harry Potter 3 Again, listened to in the car--it is now "burned" into my car's hard drive so we can listen over and over and over and over....
3.  In the Nick of Time (Deborah Truscott)  Sequel to a free book...I decided since it was $2.99 and I was on vacation, why not?  It was entertaining--about a woman and her husband who accidentally time travel and, of course, save the world, and so on and so forth.  Worth the $2.99 since I was on vacation...maybe wouldn't have been worth it otherwise.
4.  Shadow of Death (Debbie Viguie) Book #9 in the Psalm 23 Mystery series.  If you follow the series, you'll have to read it...Not up to the standard of her first couple books in the series, still entertaining because I want to know what will happen next.  The author says the next book will be out next month, in time for Halloween, so we'll see...
5.  Never coming Back (Tim Weaver) Surprisingly good--I think I saw it in the Sunday magazine or Reader's Digest--turns out it is the 3rd (4th?) book in a series about a detective--well written, interesting. A couple of predictable plot twists, but some unexpected moments, too.  I'm looking forward to finding copies of the earlier and next books in the series.
6.  The Hundred Year House (Rebecca Makkai) Again, came from some "read this book list".  It was ok..interesting to read because it was written in three sections--one present day, one 1950's, one 1930's.  The sections built on each other, but were arranged in the book backwards--so I had the urge to re-read each previous section after the last, to make it all fit better in my head, but I didn't like the characters enough to really do it.
7.  The Westing Game (Ellen Raskin)  One of my favorite books as a kid--found it on CD and made the kids listen to it with me...and they loved it!  Part mystery, part soap opera--entertaining book.

We also started the newest 39 Clues (well, the newest on CD), but we aren't done yet because we've had one car in the shop, so we have been carpooling...and what's his name doesn't like to listen to books in the car.  (Sorry, Mr. Ranch/IM, we have to find you a new name that works...)

Additions to Mackinac Island Blog!

After my Mackinac blogs my mom sent me some additional info--maybe I should have her read my blogs before they go live (but, gee, then I'd have to get them done in time for her to consult...hmm..probably not going to happen)

So the mystery of this picture has been solved--we are in Grandpa's carriage--apparently walked up to the Grand Hotel to see my Grandparents and it was pouring down rain, so he gave us a lift to the dock on the way to pick up someone and take them to the Grand.  The Grand's doorman even open the door for us.  She pointed out you can see Grandpa in his yellow rain slicker outside the front window!

And here's mom's quote on the rain suit... (Mom, I hope it's ok to quote you!)  "A side light on the yellow rain suit-----he always carried one with him whenever he was driving---between rain showers he often took off the jacket but left on the pants so he was ready for the next rain shower quickly......thus sometimes the pants wore out quicker than the jackets and we were sometimes had the jackets from worn out pants....and love them for camping.  He also said the pants added extra warmth early and late in the season.............he used to begin and end the season wearing long/insulated underwear (bottoms & tops) under his uniforms/clothes especially when driving the tours because it was cold sitting up-front in the wind."

Mom also reminded me that Mrs. Hart from Hart's Haven was a teacher at the Mackinac Island school and that my folks enjoyed hearing about year-round life on the Island from them.

Mom also said maybe she would find some more classic Island pictures--maybe I'll make her my guest blogger for a family history post!

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Back in the day...

So recently Buzzfeed posted this article:  15 Things We Did At School That Future Students Will Never Understand.  Yes, I have a love of Buzzfeed that is ridiculous, because most of the time I argue with the computer while reading the article...but usually I have to give them credit for at least being funny.  Ok, this was funny, but I'd like to submit some corrections or additions...here we go...

Ok, let me address these by number--you may want to open up the article in another window so you can see the original post, too...he, he, he..

1.  Copy notes from an overhead projector--ok, I'm all for technology, but we still have an overhead projector in one of my classrooms.  I co-teach with a guy who has taught for 27 years and still has overheads that could possibly be that old.  He whips out the projector a few times a month.  And I giggle.  I prefer a doc cam--which, of course has exactly the same issues as an overhead..."Miss!  Your hand is covering #3!!"....and are very popular, so difficult to have in my classroom every day, so I occasionally wish for an overhead of my own instead of a shared doc cam...

2.  Secretly pass notes in class--ok, this doesn't happen as much any more in the high school, most text each other...but I still occasionally find a treasure on my floor.

3.  Write on the Chalkboard with real live chalk--ok, this doesn't happen either...I think we have replaced all the chalkboards with White (Wipe?) boards at my school...I don't know which is "worse" though...chalk dust or marker smell...and we still write "Save" and the janitor (or the teacher/s we share classrooms with) still erase...eesh.

4. Make textbook covers out of paper grocery bags....um, never did it?  This is a foreign concept to me...my kids use store-bought stretchy covers...

5.  Tear off the edges of dot matrix paper--yeah, that was oddly satisfying...and doesn't happen.  But there are still paper stringly things on note book paper...that are left on the floor and stick to the carpet. Blah.

6.  Check out library books with the due date stamped in the back...Um...I think my school still does this...last week I checked out a portable DVD player and it had one of those date stamp things on it and the librarian stamped the due date (shoot...it is 3 days overdue...do you suppose they are going to charge me?)

7.  Watch educational programming supported by viewers like us---um, we don't use VCR's...but we stream PBS videos...not sure why they think this went away...maybe just the VCR part?  But the kids still yell "we passed this part...fast forward...go back..." on a streaming video.  Oh, and my co-teacher from #1 still has a VCR/DVD in his classroom...and has shown VHS tapes (I mean, really, how much has the Civil War changed?)  Although I keep telling him that almost everything we show is on YouTube now...

8.Sharpen pencils by hand...um...ok teacher friends, someone better comment on  these, because I'm beginning to feel like maybe my school is stuck in the dark ages or something...we still have hand sharpeners on the wall by the door in every classroom.  Some of us have electric sharpeners, too...but I like the hand sharpeners best, usually...Someone keeps "stealing" the covers though, so in a bunch of the rooms the trashcan is now under the sharpener to catch the shreddings.

9.  Carry around giant five-subject and binders--this didn't go away either...ok, they don't look like the one in the picture, but just yesterday one of my students unzipped his giant Trapper Keeper (really) to show me his assignment.

10.  Sell magazines door to door--no, now they sell "Spirit Cards" and food items, that are more expensive and they don't win prizes.

11.Be Mom to buy Goosebumps and Animorphs at the book fair--?  Still have book fairs, my 9 year old still begs me to buy Goosebumps...ummmm...Still get and buy book orders...

12.  Save our work onto 1.44 MB floppy disks---he, he, he...ok, this doesn't happen...it was harder to misplace a floppy than it is to misplace a flash drive though!

13.  Learn to type from memorizing nonsensical mnemonics--it is too bad we don't do this...no one knows how to type and it is assumed that everyone can...bring back typing class!!!!

14.  Look up words on an electronic spell checker--nope, don't do this either, although one of these spell checkers pops up every so often in one of my classes--the week that all the laptops are checked out and the district wants to hand a kid with an IEP "something".  I just hand them my laptop at that point...I never could work those Franklin spell checkers!

15.  Lose an ox while fording the river..No, now "everyone" plays Smurf Village.  I miss Oregon Trail...at least it required planing?  Or not...

A house full of mysteries

So here's what I found when I came downstairs this morning:

 What, you may ask, is that?  Well, it appears to be a Chick Fil A straw, half unwrapped, in the middle of the (very dirty) kitchen floor.  Weird.  Ok...I'll just throw that away and go get some food for the cats.

 Yes, the bin for the pet food is next to the kitty litter.  Don't judge me. Um, but what is going on here? Why are both kitty litter lids half off?  Geez...were the dogs down here last night or something?

 Ok...a random pony tail holder in the mudroom...maybe it was in The Girl's pocket and fell out?

 Ah, nope...mystery solved, right next to the dish of cat food that looks like someone flicked all the broken pieces out of the bowl...see it?  A small, green, catnip leaf...ALICE!
Apparently Alice had a little catnip last night and went a little crazy...

Nice.  Ok, cat...go chase the dog some more or something.

Mmmmm....and other stuff...

On the "good news front", the corn from the garden was really yummy this year.  The bad news?  There seems to be only one ear.  Tonight we cut it into fourths and we each had a tiny, yummy bit of corn. IM says that next summer the garden "needs more sheep poo compost".  Sure.  Whatever...

The tomatoes are starting to be ready and the cucumbers, carrots,  and peppers continue to grow.  Today I harvested the smaller bucket of potatoes--I wasn't thrilled with the harvest...not many potatoes...but the soil was really wet, and I think they like drier soil...maybe next year we'll have to put the buckets further from the sprinkler.  I have high hopes for the big bucket though...high hopes...I'll just keep singing the "Potatoes in a Bucket" song....

Other than last weekend's pickles I haven't frozen or canned much either--
Kind of makes me sad when I see Zucchini being used for games like "toss the zucchini" and "zucchini car crash" on facebook...I want to say, "no, no! Freeze it!  Dry it!  It will be good in the winter!!!! Give it to the food bank....Ack!  Stop playing with your food!"


Also this weekend, IM started using some of the pallets from our landscaping projects (to make room for more pallets next summer when we "do" the side yard?).  This buffet/bar is his first creation--he says it "sucked up a lot of paint-he had to go back to the store to get more...the next pallet project will probably be a freestanding flower box thing....something to cover up the electrical box in the "secret garden" because we moved the bistro set (keep reading).  The problems with the pallets are 1. They are not made of good wood (duh?) , so they are super splintery and it is possible to get "death splinters"  (not kidding) 2.  It is super challenging to break them apart, due to the crazy spiral nails (yes, we know, use a "all saw") 3.  They suck paint...4.  They are crazy heavy. But it was fun to make something out of them that is useful...now we have to find a way to create a custom screen (like at an old drive up window) for that window, so we can just pass things out from the kitchen and still keep the cat in and the bugs out.



While The Boy sold Cub Scout popcorn at King Soopers (want to buy some?) for four (yes, four) hours, I browsed the "clearance" plants--found a strawberry plant in a hanging basket for $2 and a big basket of mums for $5.  The mums are particularly awesome, because they are identical (except for more dead blossoms) to the $17 baskets of mums...score!  A little pruning by me and my bargain basket is ready for the new patio.



 The new patio, with the clearance mums, basket of strawberries (hidden behind bistro set) and the old bistro set (from our first Denver apartment...awwww)

The yard is looking pretty good!  My hummingbird friend has been at the feeder a lot lately--he is a pretty little guy--I hope he has his winter plans ready, we hear it may be snowy this year (blah).  The tarp is left from painting the buffet/bar and harvesting the potatoes...it is back in the garage now

 These are some of the wildflower mix that IM spent all summer telling me were weeds--don't they look pretty?  I mean, they might be weeds, but they are pretty weeds!  And now that they have flowers, there is a good chance that I was right and they are really the wildflower mix that I think I planted!

 Ack!  The catnip has spread to the flower boxes...it is taking over....

 The last three pictures aren't very clear, I was laughing so hard I didn't get good pictures.  A couple weeks ago our pets, the dynamic quadruplets, managed to rip the screen door again.  Fan.tas.tic.  So, we tried to fix it and realized that the screen needs to be re-done, and that just wasn't going to happen this weekend...so we put a baby gate across it.  Indy, the wonder dog, went outside, and apparently we weren't moving fast enough to let her in...so she used her little velociraptor claw, moved the screen, pushed the gate over, and came in.  Liberty, of course, could not figure out how she did it, and stood by the door, waiting to be let in (ironic, since she is the one that broke the screen in the first place) while Alice The Cat hovered behind the curtain, preparing to make a fast break..

By the time I finished laughing, these two had flopped down (notice the identical poses) to contemplate their next foray into chaos.

Never a dull moment around here.

Surprises are funny

While we were on vacation, my mom and The Boy walked down to the dumpster to drop off some trash.  When mom opened the dumpster lid, a squirrel jumped out--right over her shoulder, and ran off.  I wish there was video of it...I'm sure it was really only funny if you were "there"...Mom said the funniest part was the look on The Boy's face...kind of like..."ummmm, should I laugh or scream?".  For days we had to reenact the event every time we walked by the dumpster.  I suppose it was made especially funny because there is a dumpster scene in the book "Masters of Disaster"  (Gary Paulsen...I'm not kidding...read it...even better, get a hold of the recorded version, the reader is a hoot!).

The Boy, reenacting the squirrel surprise, while my dad looks on and the rest of us giggle hysterically.

That song stuck in my head..

I get songs stuck in my head all the time--random songs, for no particular reason...the other day "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" was on an endless loop.  In August. The only thing that removed it was The Boy singing Veggie Tales' "Monkey Song". Great.

Every year when we go back to school (and a lot of Sunday nights) I have a song from the Mickey Mouse Club stuck in my head.  Mickey Mouse from the 1950's (60's?) folks, not the 90's..eesh.  I had a record (in fact, I still have it).  The song is from one of the skits--about a summer camp (dude ranch?) that two characters went to and it sums up the whole summer in five and a half minutes.  Specifically, I have the last verse stuck in my head, "Back home to school and scattered farm...." It's kind of like my "time to make the donuts".  It has a nice little "yippee, eye..." chorus that is somewhat motivating (or mind-numbing?) early in the morning.  If you have five minutes and thirty seconds to watch the whole (politically incorrect) youtube film and listen to the song, here it is...if you only want to hear the part that makes me crazy, fast forward to about 4:15.  Enjoy....now I must go listen to "It's a Small World"...or something...

When the sign isn't clear...

The state park we stayed at has a pretty extensive trail system--well marked, nice to walk on.  Most of the trails we remembered at least partially from trips in the 70's and 80's, but a couple times we wanted to check one of these handy "you are here" signs to figure out if we were going the right way or to the location we wanted to go to.

So, if you saw this sign, what would you think your present location was?  Please say, "4", because that's what I thought for days.  I was always very confused though, because when I referred to the map (see below) we were never at #4.  Ah...um, turns out that all the signs are alike and what is different are the numbered plates above and below the "you are here".  Ah.  So, we were actually at location 9 in this case.  Oh...That makes so much more sense.  I was feeling very thoughtful after I realized my mistake and how often in life I think I'm at one place and then someone points out something and I think..."oh, dear, I don't have a clue what I'm doing or where I'm going...."  So this crazy sign is a little like the Bible...once I knew how to read it, I was just fine.  I guess it it is a good reminder to slow down and watch for God's signposts and stop trying to find my own way without paying attention to what is really going on!