Every weekday morning, I take my dd to her friend's house, and they drive in to school together. A few houses down, a gentleman waits in front of his home for the local transit. I assume he is on his way to work. The gentleman seems nice enough-older than myself, not especially tall.
I know it's early in the morning, but I still try to give a friendly wave as I pass by. However, every time, the man shuns my attempts. He pulls his hat down over his eyes, or covers his face with his hands. I find it so frustrating; I just want to say hi.
After some months of this, I mention the problem to dd, and point out the man to her when I drop her off at her friend's home. DD replied, "Oh, that's Butch. Look, he's waving to all the cars."
I feel bouyed by this observation, and this time, I make sure to give him a big wave and smile as I pass by. Only to be greeted by a quick lowering of the bill of his hat, and a ducking of the head. Complete disappointment once again.
I wonder if he is special needs, and is uncomfortable with such attention. Perhaps he was only waving at the cars traveling in the other direction, that were further away from him. I don't know, it's so frustrating.
The only thing I can do is pray for him, and hope he knows the love His Savior has for him, and that some random lady that drives by most every weekday has noticed him, and cares deeply for him. Maybe one day he'll see my smile.
God bless
Chela
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
Monday, November 7, 2011
my crazy daughter
My dd is 17 years old.
She's an honor student.
She's near the top of her class.
She just found out that girls have kidneys too.
God bless the friend who had to tell her this today.
At age 16, she discovered that grasshoppers eat grass.
She thought they ate aphids.
Perhaps I have failed somewhere as a parent.
Chela
She's an honor student.
She's near the top of her class.
She just found out that girls have kidneys too.
God bless the friend who had to tell her this today.
At age 16, she discovered that grasshoppers eat grass.
She thought they ate aphids.
Perhaps I have failed somewhere as a parent.
Chela
Saturday, November 5, 2011
The Cat that Saved a Ferret
Hershey was a pretty kitty that lived in a nice home with a family and lots of other animal friends. She had 3 other cats to play with, and two dogs she liked to boss around. Her favorite friends were two ferrets named Allie and Daisy. Allie and Daisy loved to play, and roughhouse, and tease each other and the cats.
Hershey thought it was amazing that her friends liked to play as much as she did! They'd hide in the ferret gym and pop out like jack in the boxes, they'd steal toys from around the house, and hide them in the cabinets. They loved to hide under the couch or the fridge, and pop out at Hershey. The three of them loved playing together all day long.
One day, Allie and Daisy were playing in the house, when they found a hole in the wall. Holes were mysterious and alluring to a couple of mischievous ferrets. They simply must be thoroughly checked out and investigated. Hershey told the girls to check it out, and get back to her about what they saw, for the hole was too small for a kitty to fit through, but perfect for a ferret.
After a while, Daisy came back, and said the hole didn't hold any food, but it was pretty interesting back there anyway. There weren't any trolls or monsters, and it was a good hiding place for hide and seek. Allie had decided to stick around and check things out some more.
Sometime later, the people started to worry about where Allie was. They had found Daisy puttering around, but no Allie. They looked everywhere, but couldn't find her. They forgot to check the hole in the wall. More time passed, and Hershey thought she had better start looking for Allie. It had been way too long since she had gone into the hole.
Hershey sat listening very quietly at the hole, and heard some scratching sounds. Fortunately, just then, Mommy came by and noticed Hershey. 'So that's where Allie is!" She exclaimed. All of the people came to the hole,and called and squeaked, but Allie would not come out.
Finally, Mommy went around to the other side, and opened the wall to get to the hole. Poor Allie was trapped! She had her neck caught between two pipes, and couldn't get free! It took some thinking, and some frantic praying, but finally Allie was loose. Thank goodness, she had been stuck far too long. It was scary and dark in there. Allie was beginning to lose hope that anyone would come.
After some cuddling, and checking over, Mommy determined that Allie was okay. She looked lovingly at Hershey, and gave her a sincere thank you for saving her little friend's life. I think she also gave her a yummy treat. Then they sealed the hole. And that is how the cat saved a ferret.
****It would have probably been hours before we realized Allie was back there. We asked Reno if she was in there, but he said no. Hershey truly saved Allie's life.****
Thursday, October 27, 2011
This dd of mine
It's after 10 at night, and I feel my bed calling to me from the other end of the house. My daughter is up, finishing up her project for French, and talking to her boyfriend on the phone. She ate a snack size Snickers bar, which has her bouncing off the walls. Plus her birthday (17) is tomorrow, so she is doubly excited.
She went into her room to charge her phone, and was sitting on her bed. She then asked me if she could go jump on my bed, because hers is too short. I declined the request, I like my bed the way it is. I told her to go tuck into bed just now, as I think perhaps, (very likely) she is overtired, and this is contributing to her running and jumping all over the house. Just not on my bed.
DD reminds me so much of a toddler sometimes, with her ridiculous behavior. Then I have to see the young lady she has become, who has a deep love for Jesus, that she shares shamelessly with others. A beautiful woman who cares so much for other people, and often puts them first. She is quite independent, and very intelligent. Most of the time. There are those moments, though, when she asks to jump on the bed, or has a meltdown over chapstick. I love this kid. Happy Birthday dd!
Chela
She went into her room to charge her phone, and was sitting on her bed. She then asked me if she could go jump on my bed, because hers is too short. I declined the request, I like my bed the way it is. I told her to go tuck into bed just now, as I think perhaps, (very likely) she is overtired, and this is contributing to her running and jumping all over the house. Just not on my bed.
DD reminds me so much of a toddler sometimes, with her ridiculous behavior. Then I have to see the young lady she has become, who has a deep love for Jesus, that she shares shamelessly with others. A beautiful woman who cares so much for other people, and often puts them first. She is quite independent, and very intelligent. Most of the time. There are those moments, though, when she asks to jump on the bed, or has a meltdown over chapstick. I love this kid. Happy Birthday dd!
Chela
Wednesday, October 26, 2011
spelling lessons
Today, dd (17) was at the table, and I was sitting here at the computer. Here is the conversation that ensued:
DD: how do you spell 'professor'?
Me: p-r-o-f-e-s-s-o-r
DD: I thought it was one 'f' and two 'ss'.
Me: that's what I said, isn't it? One 'f' and two 'ss'. My dad was a professor in his working years. I better know how to spell it!
DD: I can't remember if it's 'or' or 'ar'
Me: 'or', dd.
DD: no, Mom, in FRENCH!!
Me: you're on your own there, my high school didn't offer French!
DD: how do you spell 'professor'?
Me: p-r-o-f-e-s-s-o-r
DD: I thought it was one 'f' and two 'ss'.
Me: that's what I said, isn't it? One 'f' and two 'ss'. My dad was a professor in his working years. I better know how to spell it!
DD: I can't remember if it's 'or' or 'ar'
Me: 'or', dd.
DD: no, Mom, in FRENCH!!
Me: you're on your own there, my high school didn't offer French!
Thursday, October 20, 2011
I love ferrets!
We were gifted with two ferrets in early September, Allie and Daisy. We are thoroughly enjoying them. I always warn prospective ferret owners that these little carpet sharks can and will get into anything. Cupboards, drawers, potted plants, refrigerators, anything. Plus they can climb really well, which adds to their devilry. Tonight, I had my back turned for a few minutes, then turned around to find this in my kitchen.
I do love ferrets. I love their creativity, their trouble-making, and just how cute they are. Ferrets definitely keep me on my toes, more than any other pet.
God Bless,
Chela
I do love ferrets. I love their creativity, their trouble-making, and just how cute they are. Ferrets definitely keep me on my toes, more than any other pet.
God Bless,
Chela
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Fall Festival
Today was the Fall festival at our local state park. The park is wonderful enough without the fanfare and fun, but it definitely adds a big spark when they have entertainment, food, vendors, food, and things such as that.
I decided it would be great to take our pup Sweet Pea with us. What was I thinking? Fresh out of the truck, she somehow manages to unhook her leash, and she is gone! There are people driving around, tractors hauling big trailers to ferry guests down to the activities. Thanks to a lot of heavy duty praying, and some quick kids, we soon caught her, and she didn't come loose the rest of the day.
First, we headed down to the ampitheater, where dd was dancing. She, and all the girls, put on a very nice show. Hats off to everyone there. Then we moseyed around, looking at all the things on display. They had some neat exhibits, including spinning, tanning, blacksmithing, ax throwing, primitive weapons,fire trucks,and antique tractors to name just a few.
There were plenty of booths to buy things, food of course number one. We were going to get tornado potatoes, but it turns out they weren't available. Something about the machine didn't arrive with all the pieces.
I ended up getting sweet potato fries, (yummy!) and the boys chose burgers. Dh ate gator on a stick. I didn't try it, but the boys said it was quite tasteless. It looked like poor quality chicken to me. I would love to try making sweet potato fries at home, but they are so hard to slice. It doesn't seem to be worth it, unless you have a fancy machine to do that part for you.
Ds found a booth where they were selling jewelry, and found himself a nice wolf necklace. In my opinion, he made a very nice choice. A beautiful necklace, and a good price.
We were walking down by the water, when ds pointed out a wasp. It was riding on a spider, in the water,propelling with his wings like a boat motor. No, I wasn't drunk, on drugs, or dreaming. This wasp was really doing this. He zipped along on his own little jet ski. We just couldn't believe it, and he hauled along for a good long ways along the shore.
Researching this, I believe it was a spider wasp. They catch spiders, and inject a paralyzing venom. It doesn't kill the spider, just immobilizes it. Then it lays an egg on the spider. When the larvae hatch, they eat the spider alive. None of what I read mentions the spider jet ski though.
We almost got to take our dog out on the pontoon boat. They were giving tours of the lake, and it looked like a lot of fun. We could have brought Sweet Pea, but the boys told the ranger she couldn't swim, so they wouldn't let her. Bummer. Ds did ride though, and he had a very nice time.
The high school show choir performed in the afternoon, and we sat down to watch their show. I think they did a very nice job. It was very well choreographed, and very clean dancing. They sang older songs, not the new stuff, it was really refreshing. I asked dd why she hasn't gone out for show choir, as she loves singing and dancing. She replied she isn't really into doing them together, and doesn't have the vocal range she'd need. DD is so confident in life, about almost everything. Except her singing. Which is really good, by the way.
We were just about to leave, when we found out about the booth for the aquarium. We snuck over there, and looked at the King snake they had out on display. He was a good sized snake. Kings are the good guys-they eat rattlers and copperheads. So let them live! They also had an alligator on display. He was much bigger than the ones the zoo uses in education. When they get to that size, they are put on exhibit in the zoo.
So we had a wonderful day today. Got some time out of the house, saw several friends at the park, and enjoyed all the exhibits. Someone in particular was exhausted at the end of the day. This is what happens if you take the dog to a fall festival. The other pic is ds' necklace.
Chela
I decided it would be great to take our pup Sweet Pea with us. What was I thinking? Fresh out of the truck, she somehow manages to unhook her leash, and she is gone! There are people driving around, tractors hauling big trailers to ferry guests down to the activities. Thanks to a lot of heavy duty praying, and some quick kids, we soon caught her, and she didn't come loose the rest of the day.
First, we headed down to the ampitheater, where dd was dancing. She, and all the girls, put on a very nice show. Hats off to everyone there. Then we moseyed around, looking at all the things on display. They had some neat exhibits, including spinning, tanning, blacksmithing, ax throwing, primitive weapons,fire trucks,and antique tractors to name just a few.
There were plenty of booths to buy things, food of course number one. We were going to get tornado potatoes, but it turns out they weren't available. Something about the machine didn't arrive with all the pieces.
I ended up getting sweet potato fries, (yummy!) and the boys chose burgers. Dh ate gator on a stick. I didn't try it, but the boys said it was quite tasteless. It looked like poor quality chicken to me. I would love to try making sweet potato fries at home, but they are so hard to slice. It doesn't seem to be worth it, unless you have a fancy machine to do that part for you.
Ds found a booth where they were selling jewelry, and found himself a nice wolf necklace. In my opinion, he made a very nice choice. A beautiful necklace, and a good price.
We were walking down by the water, when ds pointed out a wasp. It was riding on a spider, in the water,propelling with his wings like a boat motor. No, I wasn't drunk, on drugs, or dreaming. This wasp was really doing this. He zipped along on his own little jet ski. We just couldn't believe it, and he hauled along for a good long ways along the shore.
Researching this, I believe it was a spider wasp. They catch spiders, and inject a paralyzing venom. It doesn't kill the spider, just immobilizes it. Then it lays an egg on the spider. When the larvae hatch, they eat the spider alive. None of what I read mentions the spider jet ski though.
We almost got to take our dog out on the pontoon boat. They were giving tours of the lake, and it looked like a lot of fun. We could have brought Sweet Pea, but the boys told the ranger she couldn't swim, so they wouldn't let her. Bummer. Ds did ride though, and he had a very nice time.
The high school show choir performed in the afternoon, and we sat down to watch their show. I think they did a very nice job. It was very well choreographed, and very clean dancing. They sang older songs, not the new stuff, it was really refreshing. I asked dd why she hasn't gone out for show choir, as she loves singing and dancing. She replied she isn't really into doing them together, and doesn't have the vocal range she'd need. DD is so confident in life, about almost everything. Except her singing. Which is really good, by the way.
We were just about to leave, when we found out about the booth for the aquarium. We snuck over there, and looked at the King snake they had out on display. He was a good sized snake. Kings are the good guys-they eat rattlers and copperheads. So let them live! They also had an alligator on display. He was much bigger than the ones the zoo uses in education. When they get to that size, they are put on exhibit in the zoo.
So we had a wonderful day today. Got some time out of the house, saw several friends at the park, and enjoyed all the exhibits. Someone in particular was exhausted at the end of the day. This is what happens if you take the dog to a fall festival. The other pic is ds' necklace.
Chela
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
zoo trip
Here are a couple of pictures from my trip to the zoo today. Only a few actually came out of all the ones I took, but I think they are really cute.
The little critter on the rock is a meerkat. They are from Africa, and live in colonies. They have long burrows under the ground for safety and nesting. They have a fairly complex society with many jobs, such as babysitter,and sentry(who sits on termite mounds and watches for enemies). They have a different call for a land predator, or an aerial predator. The one in my pic is upset because of the backhoe being used near their exhibit. He relaxed a few minutes later.
The Serval was so relaxed next to the fence, I had to take his picture. He gave me a silent meow when I walked up to him. A warning, or a hello? Servals are also from Africa. They are extremely agile, and can jump 10' straight up in the air to catch a bird. They are hunted for their pelts, which are then sold as cheetah cub pelts. However, they are not cheetahs.
Bison of course are American animals. They used to inhabit much of N. America, but now are confined to protected areas. A bull may weigh over a ton, a cow half as much. They are our heaviest land animal. They can run 30 mph.
Hope you enjoy a little trip to the zoo!
Chela
The little critter on the rock is a meerkat. They are from Africa, and live in colonies. They have long burrows under the ground for safety and nesting. They have a fairly complex society with many jobs, such as babysitter,and sentry(who sits on termite mounds and watches for enemies). They have a different call for a land predator, or an aerial predator. The one in my pic is upset because of the backhoe being used near their exhibit. He relaxed a few minutes later.
The Serval was so relaxed next to the fence, I had to take his picture. He gave me a silent meow when I walked up to him. A warning, or a hello? Servals are also from Africa. They are extremely agile, and can jump 10' straight up in the air to catch a bird. They are hunted for their pelts, which are then sold as cheetah cub pelts. However, they are not cheetahs.
Bison of course are American animals. They used to inhabit much of N. America, but now are confined to protected areas. A bull may weigh over a ton, a cow half as much. They are our heaviest land animal. They can run 30 mph.
Hope you enjoy a little trip to the zoo!
Chela
Saturday, October 1, 2011
Deep Sea Fishing
Let's see where to start this...we had visitors the middle of September, and thoroughly enjoyed them. My dad and sister came out to visit us, and go to FL for some deep sea fishing. I promise next time to be more organized, and avoid what turned out to be quite a comedy of errors. Although it didn't seem to be comedy at the time, that's for sure.
Our company arrived on Friday evening, and we were all packed to head to the beach. Then we find out our hotel has cancelled our reservation. Great. Okay, let's just stay here for the weekend then. We can go to the winery, paddle boating to look for alligators, to the pumpkin patch for honey, lots of things around here.
We call the charter boat company, and they say no way, you can't cancel. We need 18 people to take the boat out, (our group was less than 18 people, but the biggest group going) we'll charge you anyway. So in the car we go, and off to FL.
It was late when we arrived, and more hotel headaches of which I will spare you the details. By the time we finally got settled, it was about 1am. We did end up in a nice hotel with adjoining rooms, which was really nice to get. Off to dreamland, to enjoy visions of dolphins and big fish on our hooks.
Up again early that morning, 5am. We rush through breakfast, and haul tail over to the dock to catch our boat. We arrive a few minutes early of our 7:30am show time. See the tumbleweeds, hear the crickets? Yeah, there is no-one there. No other passengers; there should be 12 other people showing up now. No crew readying the boat.
We call, and it turns out, that although we can't cancel on them, they sure can cancel on us. And they did. Great, thanks. After all we've gone through for this trip, now the main event is cancelled. After some discussion, we decided to split up, and mosey on the docks, see if any other boats would be interested in taking us out.
I had the boys with me, and although we didn't see anyone else, we did find an interesting form of advertisement. One captain thought it would bring in customers to throw dead sharks on the dock behind his boat. Um, I don't believe in killing what you don't eat, so to waste those beautiful animals is not going to get my business.
By the time we rejoined, the other group had us a boat, and a crew. We would be going out on the Barracuda at 11am. This gave us time to stock up on provisions, and maybe get a bite to eat if we needed it.
We had a wonderful time on the ocean. The crew was so nice to us, and so friendly. They allowed us to be as "hands on" as we wanted, such as baiting our own hooks, etc. The deck hand talked to us about the fish we were catching, interesting stories about other fishing boats, just a nice guy all around.
The first two fish we caught were Bonita. They are really pretty fish, silver with rainbow colors on them. Then we got to our fishing spot, and started pulling in snapper. They are so pretty! Big red fish, little teeth in their mouths. Then ds got something big on his line. It took a lot of work, and several people helping for him to land his big prize. At one point, ds was getting really discouraged, and I leaned up and whispered "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13. Shortly after that, ds had his fish! A 15 lb grouper!
I don't know if I've ever seen ds smile the way he did with that fish. He was so proud of himself!! We took several pictures of ds and his fish. He caught the biggest one of the day. That just completely made the fishing trip for ds. If he caught nothing else, (and he did), it would have been enough. I am so grateful he caught it. Maybe later on in life, when things get tough, he can think back, and say, 'I can do this, I landed that grouper!.'
We saw hundreds and hundreds of huge jellyfish. They were everywhere, and I was so worried we would catch one. Imagine a Christmas turkey or goose, or ham. Then imagine how big the platter would be to serve it to your guests. That's how big the jellyfish were. They were everywhere! I sure wouldn't want to jump in and swim at that point.
We had our lines in the water, and suddenly noticed this thing swimming around them that looked like a little shark! We were close, it was a ramora, which is a smaller fish that attaches itself to the shark, and feeds on it's scraps. My sister moved her pole over next to mine, in hopes that one of us would catch him. He finally took my bait, and I had him hooked.
The deckhand showed us the suction plate on top of the fish's head. It made him look upside down. If you put your hand flat on it, the fish would stick to your hand. After we all tried, it, the guy stuck the fish to the side of the boat. He said it would stay there until we got back to the dock if we let it. We released him though. Then he stuck around and stole everyone's bait!
DD caught a snapper, and after admiring it, and getting pictures, she let it go. Unfortunately, the experience had been really rough on him, and he wasn't doing so well back in the water. He laid on the top of the water until a dolphin snuck in and gobbled him up. Oops.
The dolphins were amazing though. There was a pod of five, most of which were mommas and babies. Baby dolphins are adorable, by the way. A miniature replica of their parents. They killed the fishing, but we sure enjoyed watching them for a while. A dolphin cruise, and fishing trip in one!
Ds caught a trigger fish, he was pretty proud of his catch. Trigger fish have two sets of dorsal fins. They can make on erect, and the other one flat, then vise versa. This makes it incredibly difficult for predators to pull them out of holes, or swallow them.
All too soon it was time to head back to shore. The boys were done fishing by this time, but I could have stayed out for hours more. We had a truly wonderful time catching fish, watching dolphins, and admiring the jelly fish. Oh, and I learned something else out there. Sunglasses cut the glare on the water, making it much easier to see what is down below. A great argument for Transitions lenses.
We headed back to our hotel, then went to dinner. It turns out that the first charter cancelling on us was a blessing in disguise. I love when God does that! You can look back and say, "Thank you! I didn't realize it at the time, but now I see what you were doing!" If we had gone on the first charter, we'd have been out on the water with 12 other people, for 8 hours, with no food or water. I'm afraid we'd have been miserable. As it was, we were the only people out there, (6 of us), and we had food and water. A much more pleasant trip, and only 4 hours.
The next morning, we were trying to figure out what to do with our day. We decided to go to the beach, although this one was about an hour away. We went to one of our favorite dept stores, and browsed around. They sell beach supplies, clothing, shoes, swimsuits, toys, hermit crabs, shells, decorations, etc etc. LOL It's a huge store. Things had improved a lot since the last time I was there, which was a good thing.
The beach was a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed the sand bar, where you could be really far out, and still in shallow water. We found a lot of little shells as well. The birds were a lot of fun to watch as they hunted for food along the shore.
Thank You Jesus for such a wonderfully fun trip. Thank You for changing our plans for the better, and for all the fish we caught. We had a great time catching up, and catching fish. The dolpins were amazing, too. And thank You for ds' grouper. I love You! Amen.
Our company arrived on Friday evening, and we were all packed to head to the beach. Then we find out our hotel has cancelled our reservation. Great. Okay, let's just stay here for the weekend then. We can go to the winery, paddle boating to look for alligators, to the pumpkin patch for honey, lots of things around here.
We call the charter boat company, and they say no way, you can't cancel. We need 18 people to take the boat out, (our group was less than 18 people, but the biggest group going) we'll charge you anyway. So in the car we go, and off to FL.
It was late when we arrived, and more hotel headaches of which I will spare you the details. By the time we finally got settled, it was about 1am. We did end up in a nice hotel with adjoining rooms, which was really nice to get. Off to dreamland, to enjoy visions of dolphins and big fish on our hooks.
Up again early that morning, 5am. We rush through breakfast, and haul tail over to the dock to catch our boat. We arrive a few minutes early of our 7:30am show time. See the tumbleweeds, hear the crickets? Yeah, there is no-one there. No other passengers; there should be 12 other people showing up now. No crew readying the boat.
We call, and it turns out, that although we can't cancel on them, they sure can cancel on us. And they did. Great, thanks. After all we've gone through for this trip, now the main event is cancelled. After some discussion, we decided to split up, and mosey on the docks, see if any other boats would be interested in taking us out.
I had the boys with me, and although we didn't see anyone else, we did find an interesting form of advertisement. One captain thought it would bring in customers to throw dead sharks on the dock behind his boat. Um, I don't believe in killing what you don't eat, so to waste those beautiful animals is not going to get my business.
By the time we rejoined, the other group had us a boat, and a crew. We would be going out on the Barracuda at 11am. This gave us time to stock up on provisions, and maybe get a bite to eat if we needed it.
We had a wonderful time on the ocean. The crew was so nice to us, and so friendly. They allowed us to be as "hands on" as we wanted, such as baiting our own hooks, etc. The deck hand talked to us about the fish we were catching, interesting stories about other fishing boats, just a nice guy all around.
The first two fish we caught were Bonita. They are really pretty fish, silver with rainbow colors on them. Then we got to our fishing spot, and started pulling in snapper. They are so pretty! Big red fish, little teeth in their mouths. Then ds got something big on his line. It took a lot of work, and several people helping for him to land his big prize. At one point, ds was getting really discouraged, and I leaned up and whispered "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phil 4:13. Shortly after that, ds had his fish! A 15 lb grouper!
I don't know if I've ever seen ds smile the way he did with that fish. He was so proud of himself!! We took several pictures of ds and his fish. He caught the biggest one of the day. That just completely made the fishing trip for ds. If he caught nothing else, (and he did), it would have been enough. I am so grateful he caught it. Maybe later on in life, when things get tough, he can think back, and say, 'I can do this, I landed that grouper!.'
We saw hundreds and hundreds of huge jellyfish. They were everywhere, and I was so worried we would catch one. Imagine a Christmas turkey or goose, or ham. Then imagine how big the platter would be to serve it to your guests. That's how big the jellyfish were. They were everywhere! I sure wouldn't want to jump in and swim at that point.
We had our lines in the water, and suddenly noticed this thing swimming around them that looked like a little shark! We were close, it was a ramora, which is a smaller fish that attaches itself to the shark, and feeds on it's scraps. My sister moved her pole over next to mine, in hopes that one of us would catch him. He finally took my bait, and I had him hooked.
The deckhand showed us the suction plate on top of the fish's head. It made him look upside down. If you put your hand flat on it, the fish would stick to your hand. After we all tried, it, the guy stuck the fish to the side of the boat. He said it would stay there until we got back to the dock if we let it. We released him though. Then he stuck around and stole everyone's bait!
DD caught a snapper, and after admiring it, and getting pictures, she let it go. Unfortunately, the experience had been really rough on him, and he wasn't doing so well back in the water. He laid on the top of the water until a dolphin snuck in and gobbled him up. Oops.
The dolphins were amazing though. There was a pod of five, most of which were mommas and babies. Baby dolphins are adorable, by the way. A miniature replica of their parents. They killed the fishing, but we sure enjoyed watching them for a while. A dolphin cruise, and fishing trip in one!
Ds caught a trigger fish, he was pretty proud of his catch. Trigger fish have two sets of dorsal fins. They can make on erect, and the other one flat, then vise versa. This makes it incredibly difficult for predators to pull them out of holes, or swallow them.
All too soon it was time to head back to shore. The boys were done fishing by this time, but I could have stayed out for hours more. We had a truly wonderful time catching fish, watching dolphins, and admiring the jelly fish. Oh, and I learned something else out there. Sunglasses cut the glare on the water, making it much easier to see what is down below. A great argument for Transitions lenses.
We headed back to our hotel, then went to dinner. It turns out that the first charter cancelling on us was a blessing in disguise. I love when God does that! You can look back and say, "Thank you! I didn't realize it at the time, but now I see what you were doing!" If we had gone on the first charter, we'd have been out on the water with 12 other people, for 8 hours, with no food or water. I'm afraid we'd have been miserable. As it was, we were the only people out there, (6 of us), and we had food and water. A much more pleasant trip, and only 4 hours.
The next morning, we were trying to figure out what to do with our day. We decided to go to the beach, although this one was about an hour away. We went to one of our favorite dept stores, and browsed around. They sell beach supplies, clothing, shoes, swimsuits, toys, hermit crabs, shells, decorations, etc etc. LOL It's a huge store. Things had improved a lot since the last time I was there, which was a good thing.
The beach was a lot of fun. Everyone enjoyed the sand bar, where you could be really far out, and still in shallow water. We found a lot of little shells as well. The birds were a lot of fun to watch as they hunted for food along the shore.
Thank You Jesus for such a wonderfully fun trip. Thank You for changing our plans for the better, and for all the fish we caught. We had a great time catching up, and catching fish. The dolpins were amazing, too. And thank You for ds' grouper. I love You! Amen.
Thursday, September 15, 2011
The Creation
My daughter found this at her school, and thought I would enjoy it. I do, and decided to post it here. Very nicely done.
THE CREATION
by: James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)
AND God stepped out on space,
And He looked around and said,
"I'm lonely --
I'll make me a world."
And far as the eye of God could see
Darkness covered everything,
Blacker than a hundred midnights
Down in a cypress swamp.
Then God smiled,
And the light broke,
And the darkness rolled up on one side,
And the light stood shining on the other,
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God reached out and took the light in His hands,
And God rolled the light around in His hands
Until He made the sun;
And He set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.
And the light that was left from making the sun
God gathered it up in a shining ball
And flung it against the darkness,
Spangling the night with the moon and stars.
Then down between
The darkness and the light
He hurled the world;
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God himself stepped down --
And the sun was on His right hand,
And the moon was on His left;
The stars were clustered about His head,
And the earth was under His feet.
And God walked, and where He trod
His footsteps hollowed the valleys out
And bulged the mountains up.
Then He stopped and looked and saw
That the earth was hot and barren.
So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas;
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed;
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled;
And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.
Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,
The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared,
And curled itself around His shoulder.
Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said, "Bring forth! Bring forth!"
And quicker than God could drop His hand.
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God walked around,
And God looked around
On all that He had made.
He looked at His sun,
And He looked at His moon,
And He looked at His little stars;
He looked on His world
With all its living things,
And God said, "I'm lonely still."
Then God sat down
On the side of a hill where He could think;
By a deep, wide river He sat down;
With His head in His hands,
God thought and thought,
Till He thought, "I'll make me a man!"
Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled Him down;
And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand;
This Great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
"The Creation" is reprinted from The Book of American Negro Poetry. Ed. James Weldon Johnson. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1922.
THE CREATION
by: James Weldon Johnson (1871-1938)
AND God stepped out on space,
And He looked around and said,
"I'm lonely --
I'll make me a world."
And far as the eye of God could see
Darkness covered everything,
Blacker than a hundred midnights
Down in a cypress swamp.
Then God smiled,
And the light broke,
And the darkness rolled up on one side,
And the light stood shining on the other,
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God reached out and took the light in His hands,
And God rolled the light around in His hands
Until He made the sun;
And He set that sun a-blazing in the heavens.
And the light that was left from making the sun
God gathered it up in a shining ball
And flung it against the darkness,
Spangling the night with the moon and stars.
Then down between
The darkness and the light
He hurled the world;
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God himself stepped down --
And the sun was on His right hand,
And the moon was on His left;
The stars were clustered about His head,
And the earth was under His feet.
And God walked, and where He trod
His footsteps hollowed the valleys out
And bulged the mountains up.
Then He stopped and looked and saw
That the earth was hot and barren.
So God stepped over to the edge of the world
And He spat out the seven seas;
He batted His eyes, and the lightnings flashed;
He clapped His hands, and the thunders rolled;
And the waters above the earth came down,
The cooling waters came down.
Then the green grass sprouted,
And the little red flowers blossomed,
The pine tree pointed his finger to the sky,
And the oak spread out his arms,
The lakes cuddled down in the hollows of the ground,
And the rivers ran down to the sea;
And God smiled again,
And the rainbow appeared,
And curled itself around His shoulder.
Then God raised His arm and He waved His hand
Over the sea and over the land,
And He said, "Bring forth! Bring forth!"
And quicker than God could drop His hand.
Fishes and fowls
And beasts and birds
Swam the rivers and the seas,
Roamed the forests and the woods,
And split the air with their wings.
And God said, "That's good!"
Then God walked around,
And God looked around
On all that He had made.
He looked at His sun,
And He looked at His moon,
And He looked at His little stars;
He looked on His world
With all its living things,
And God said, "I'm lonely still."
Then God sat down
On the side of a hill where He could think;
By a deep, wide river He sat down;
With His head in His hands,
God thought and thought,
Till He thought, "I'll make me a man!"
Up from the bed of the river
God scooped the clay;
And by the bank of the river
He kneeled Him down;
And there the great God Almighty
Who lit the sun and fixed it in the sky,
Who flung the stars to the most far corner of the night,
Who rounded the earth in the middle of His hand;
This Great God,
Like a mammy bending over her baby,
Kneeled down in the dust
Toiling over a lump of clay
Till He shaped it in His own image;
Then into it He blew the breath of life,
And man became a living soul.
Amen. Amen.
"The Creation" is reprinted from The Book of American Negro Poetry. Ed. James Weldon Johnson. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Co., 1922.
Tuesday, August 30, 2011
Did you hear about...
I think I originally heard a version of this on the radio, and it has really stuck with me. It has a good message. So credit to whomever came up with it first.
You know that lady at church, June, the one who is always giving out the refreshments after service. I've heard she leaves her home, and sees another man nearly every day. Her children are left home alone for long stretches of time. You know she is married to Dave, that guy that plays the sax in the choir. For shame!
That paragraph paints a pretty sad picture of June. Her reputation is pretty much down the drain with that information floating around. She and Dave could both lose their good standing in the church if the elders found out about this.
What if I told you the man she visits almost every night is her father, who is terminally ill? And that her children are teenagers, who are perfectly capable of looking after themselves for a few hours. That changes things, doesn't it? Do you look differently at June now, when she hands you a cookie after service, or offers you a sign of peace?
How are we talking about the people in our daily lives? Are we giving the whole story when we speak of them, or half truths meant to tear other people down? In Scripture, the Lord tells us to "Therefore encourage one another, and build each other up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Speak of things that build our neighbors up, and encourage them. People will remember how you made them feel above all else, so speak in a way that leaves people smiling when they have been in your presence. Speak highly of others, even when you are not in their presence. You never know the burden another person is carrying in his heart.
I think my daughter says it best, "Don't be talkin' bout folks!"
God bless!
Chela
You know that lady at church, June, the one who is always giving out the refreshments after service. I've heard she leaves her home, and sees another man nearly every day. Her children are left home alone for long stretches of time. You know she is married to Dave, that guy that plays the sax in the choir. For shame!
That paragraph paints a pretty sad picture of June. Her reputation is pretty much down the drain with that information floating around. She and Dave could both lose their good standing in the church if the elders found out about this.
What if I told you the man she visits almost every night is her father, who is terminally ill? And that her children are teenagers, who are perfectly capable of looking after themselves for a few hours. That changes things, doesn't it? Do you look differently at June now, when she hands you a cookie after service, or offers you a sign of peace?
How are we talking about the people in our daily lives? Are we giving the whole story when we speak of them, or half truths meant to tear other people down? In Scripture, the Lord tells us to "Therefore encourage one another, and build each other up, just as you are doing." 1 Thessalonians 5:11
Speak of things that build our neighbors up, and encourage them. People will remember how you made them feel above all else, so speak in a way that leaves people smiling when they have been in your presence. Speak highly of others, even when you are not in their presence. You never know the burden another person is carrying in his heart.
I think my daughter says it best, "Don't be talkin' bout folks!"
God bless!
Chela
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Faker
Friday morning, I was looking at my fish tank, and noticed my snail was missing. My huge yellow snail that college kid had given me as a gift. Looking closer, I found him laying on his side behind our shipwreck ornament.
Darn it, my snail died. What kind of pet owner am I that I can't even keep a snail alive. I need to just give up and keep plastic plants from now on. All day I felt sick about this deceased snail. To make matters worse, just the night before, the kids and I had been watching the fish, and my youngest had mentioned wanting to name the snail. After all, the plecostomus is Stanley. Now I have to tell the kids he died. Great, some pet owner I am.
Shortly before going to pick up ds from school, I decided to check on the snail one more time, just to be sure before I broke the news. I hadn't dealt with removing him just yet. To my surprise, the snail is happily sliding up the side of the tank, very much alive. He's lucky I don't turn him into escargot for his little stunt.
He earned himself a name after all for that stunt...Faker.
God bless
Chela
Darn it, my snail died. What kind of pet owner am I that I can't even keep a snail alive. I need to just give up and keep plastic plants from now on. All day I felt sick about this deceased snail. To make matters worse, just the night before, the kids and I had been watching the fish, and my youngest had mentioned wanting to name the snail. After all, the plecostomus is Stanley. Now I have to tell the kids he died. Great, some pet owner I am.
Shortly before going to pick up ds from school, I decided to check on the snail one more time, just to be sure before I broke the news. I hadn't dealt with removing him just yet. To my surprise, the snail is happily sliding up the side of the tank, very much alive. He's lucky I don't turn him into escargot for his little stunt.
He earned himself a name after all for that stunt...Faker.
God bless
Chela
Monday, August 15, 2011
I am more...
You'll never amount to anything. You're a failure. You're so stupid. You're a loser, what a waste of space. You'll never be able to go water skiing. What an idiot..
Stop right there. I am none of those things. I am a child of the living God. Jesus bought me with His blood on the Cross of Calvary. He promises me a mansion in Heaven with Him. A mansion!! I love the house we live in now, but it's a bit cramped, and we are really rubbing elbows. I get a mansion?!! And I don't have to clean it!
He also promises me a table of plenty, dining with Him in Paradise! What a promise! He offers me a seat at the table with Him. My face shining, as much food as I want. He doesn't want me to cower at the sides, scrounging for scraps.
Jesus also promises me I can do anything. Jesus tells me in Phil 4:3 that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do ANYTHING through Jesus. I can rise above those who tell me I can't, that I am not strong enough, or good enough. Jesus will see me through it all. He believes in me, and knows I can achieve great things in life. He wants me to be happy, and to shine as a light for Him.
Jesus also has great plans for me in life. When he knit me in my mother's womb, he already had my life planned out. In Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus tells me, "For I have great plans for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jesus has my life in His hands! He has planned for my future, and they are good plans that will not fail.
I have nothing to worry about, no reason to feel ashamed in my life. Jesus loves me, and cares for me every day. What if I never learn to water ski? I'm not worried. One day Jesus will show me how to walk on water.
Chela
Stop right there. I am none of those things. I am a child of the living God. Jesus bought me with His blood on the Cross of Calvary. He promises me a mansion in Heaven with Him. A mansion!! I love the house we live in now, but it's a bit cramped, and we are really rubbing elbows. I get a mansion?!! And I don't have to clean it!
He also promises me a table of plenty, dining with Him in Paradise! What a promise! He offers me a seat at the table with Him. My face shining, as much food as I want. He doesn't want me to cower at the sides, scrounging for scraps.
Jesus also promises me I can do anything. Jesus tells me in Phil 4:3 that I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me. I can do ANYTHING through Jesus. I can rise above those who tell me I can't, that I am not strong enough, or good enough. Jesus will see me through it all. He believes in me, and knows I can achieve great things in life. He wants me to be happy, and to shine as a light for Him.
Jesus also has great plans for me in life. When he knit me in my mother's womb, he already had my life planned out. In Jeremiah 29:11, Jesus tells me, "For I have great plans for you, says the Lord, plans to prosper and not harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." Jesus has my life in His hands! He has planned for my future, and they are good plans that will not fail.
I have nothing to worry about, no reason to feel ashamed in my life. Jesus loves me, and cares for me every day. What if I never learn to water ski? I'm not worried. One day Jesus will show me how to walk on water.
Chela
Monday, August 8, 2011
I thought it was funny!
It was about 10:30pm last night, and everyone was tucked into bed, dreaming about our wonderful weekend at the beach. I couldn't sleep, and kept hearing a strange noise. It sounded like a kitten, and I thought maybe our little Hershey was trapped in a room or something. I decided to get up and account for all the cats.
Julie was on my pillow, so I knew it wasn't her. My bedroom window is prime real estate, looking out over the pool, so I assumed someone would be on the sill. It was really dark as I reached my hand over to feel for a kitty.
Sure enough, there was a cat there! Bear jumped up and came flying out of the window, and tore across my dresser. With enough noise to awaken the neighborhood, he continued on flying out of my room, across the hallway, and into ds' room. Unfortunately, he made enough noise to wake dh, who surely thought the world had ended.
I quickly explained it was just the cat, trying not to laugh too loudly. I gave that up entirely when I had to tell ds why the cat had run into his room with the hounds of on his tail. Certainly I used up another of Bear's 9 lives when I touched him in that window sill. I'm not sure why I scared him so badly, I guess he thought everyone was asleep, so it must be a big monster after him. Poor guy.
Everyone else was quiet and accounted for that evening. I think it was the quail I was hearing after all. I kept chuckling about the whole thing until I fell asleep. I'm so glad animals are quick to forgive, or I might not be around to write this to you.
Chela
Julie was on my pillow, so I knew it wasn't her. My bedroom window is prime real estate, looking out over the pool, so I assumed someone would be on the sill. It was really dark as I reached my hand over to feel for a kitty.
Sure enough, there was a cat there! Bear jumped up and came flying out of the window, and tore across my dresser. With enough noise to awaken the neighborhood, he continued on flying out of my room, across the hallway, and into ds' room. Unfortunately, he made enough noise to wake dh, who surely thought the world had ended.
I quickly explained it was just the cat, trying not to laugh too loudly. I gave that up entirely when I had to tell ds why the cat had run into his room with the hounds of
Everyone else was quiet and accounted for that evening. I think it was the quail I was hearing after all. I kept chuckling about the whole thing until I fell asleep. I'm so glad animals are quick to forgive, or I might not be around to write this to you.
Chela
Thursday, August 4, 2011
How They Grow
Last night, I was brushing my teeth when I suddenly remembered something my youngest ds had said many years ago. We were sitting in the car, waiting on a particularly long train when ds said,
"It would take a lot of pounders to pound that train."
Now it would make more sense if you knew that "pounders" back then were tape measures! Ds said they told you how many "pounds" something was. Cut the guy some slack, he was only 3 years old!
His real fascination at that age was a tire pressure gauge. He found them fascinating, and brought one to every show and tell at preschool. We'd frequently check the tire pressure on the van when I picked him up after school. This led to quite often getting asked if we had a flat tire. LOL
Ds is now 13, and growing like crazy. He's hit quite a growth spurt this summer, and is shooting up like bamboo. I've also noticed he is getting broad through the chest and shoulders. He's definitely not a little kid anymore. Ds was complaining during the summer that he had outgrown his shoes. I told him that we'd get him some when school started, as he only wore them once a week anyway, to church.
Poor kid wasn't kidding about the shoes. Dh took him to the shoe store, and ds had grown two shoe sizes. I should have seen it coming, all the food he inhales these days has to be going somewhere.
Ds already has his future planned out. He wants to go to DeVry and learn to design video games like his older brother. He's definitely heading to the right field, computers are taking off these days, and it seems video games are as well. At least at my house they are! On the first day of school this year, he had to write where he wanted to go to college, and what he wanted to do for a living. He of course said DeVry. No one knew where the college was located, except for ds.
Thank You Father for the gift of this young man who has gone from talking of pounding trains to planning out his future. He's a clown, a child with a great heart, and a good head on his shoulders. At least most of the time. He's also the worst bedtime staller I've ever met. I love him dearly, Father, and thank You so very much for the gift of him. Please watch over him, and guide him in Your ways. Amen.
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3
"It would take a lot of pounders to pound that train."
Now it would make more sense if you knew that "pounders" back then were tape measures! Ds said they told you how many "pounds" something was. Cut the guy some slack, he was only 3 years old!
His real fascination at that age was a tire pressure gauge. He found them fascinating, and brought one to every show and tell at preschool. We'd frequently check the tire pressure on the van when I picked him up after school. This led to quite often getting asked if we had a flat tire. LOL
Ds is now 13, and growing like crazy. He's hit quite a growth spurt this summer, and is shooting up like bamboo. I've also noticed he is getting broad through the chest and shoulders. He's definitely not a little kid anymore. Ds was complaining during the summer that he had outgrown his shoes. I told him that we'd get him some when school started, as he only wore them once a week anyway, to church.
Poor kid wasn't kidding about the shoes. Dh took him to the shoe store, and ds had grown two shoe sizes. I should have seen it coming, all the food he inhales these days has to be going somewhere.
Ds already has his future planned out. He wants to go to DeVry and learn to design video games like his older brother. He's definitely heading to the right field, computers are taking off these days, and it seems video games are as well. At least at my house they are! On the first day of school this year, he had to write where he wanted to go to college, and what he wanted to do for a living. He of course said DeVry. No one knew where the college was located, except for ds.
Thank You Father for the gift of this young man who has gone from talking of pounding trains to planning out his future. He's a clown, a child with a great heart, and a good head on his shoulders. At least most of the time. He's also the worst bedtime staller I've ever met. I love him dearly, Father, and thank You so very much for the gift of him. Please watch over him, and guide him in Your ways. Amen.
Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. Psalm 127:3
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Saturday
My mom once told me that all the emails I sent her titled, "Saturday", always start with the words, "I'm so exhausted". Once again, that has proven itself true. It has also been a rather interesting day, one that has me feeling very accomplished.
I had an outreach with the zoo that had me leaving the house quite early this morning. I arrived at the college where the event was to be held, and settled in. I always enjoy working with the other docents, it's fun to chat with them during slow times, and it's nice to have someone reach over with a paper towel and clean mess off your leg, or gently say, "actually, that animal is from Africa, not Europe." Hey, no one's perfect!
The day wore on, we had an ongoing flow of people coming by, enough to keep it interesting without getting overwhelming. I decided it would be fun to hold the hedgehog-harmless enough, right? It's just a hedgehog. So I don the heavy gloves, and scoop up Harley. It's fun to show people how they roll up in prickle balls, and become impenetrable. Harley would also peek his cute little face out between my fingers like he was shy.
I'd had him for a while, and Harley was resting in my lap. Nothing big going on, I was just relaxing, listening to everyone talk. All the sudden, Harley latches on to my wrist, and won't let go! Let me tell you, hedgehogs have 36 very sharp teeth, and bites HURT!
When a hedgehog feels threatened, they will "pop" up in the air to give a predator of mouthful of prickles. Harley kept popping with his teeth firmly embedded in my wrist. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes. The worst thing is that there were 4 other volunteers there, (and one with more experience than me), and no-one knew how to detach this thing from my arm.
I thought maybe if I put him back in the carrier, he'd let go. But someone had come by and put 4 bbq plates on the carrier, so that was out. The only thing I could think of was to rush him over to the water fountain, and douse him in it. A guest followed me over and hit the button for me. (very hard to do when your hands are tied up with hedgehogs. Hips don't work well.)
Harley released the second that cold water hit him. Relief! My wrist had multiple teeth marks where he had bitten me, in an area about the size of a quarter. It hurt so much, but no blood drawn. After putting Harley in jail, (his carrier), I sat down, and said, "There goes having a hedgehog for a pet! One volunteer later said she would have dropped him. I guarantee, if I had tried to drop Harley, he would have been hanging from my wrist by his teeth.
When I told my boss about the bite, I told him nothing unusual had happened, he was resting one minute, and bit me the next. Mr. H said, "Welcome to hedgehogs." Nope, not having one as a pet. EVER. I'll stick with ferrets, and guinea pigs. They are more my style.
After the zoo, ( I got 6 hours today!) I met up with my dh for a fun evening out. Okay, well it was nothing glamorous, he'd been driving, and I'd been holding animals for the zoo, but we had fun together. We ran a couple of errands, and grabbed a bite to eat.
Then we went home, and had a nice time talking about everything on the way. We got home, and the house was so hot. Not what we wanted after a long hot day at work. Time to clean the a/c unit. Actually, cleaning the coils isn't too much work, it's putting it back together that's the hassle. I think it took longer than cleaning the whole thing.
Our last chore for the day, and by now it was about 8:30pm. We needed to repair our pool gate. Sometime back, a dog had broken through the lattice, and broke a big hole in it. Eventually, the bottom of the gate had broken off completely. Not only was this a hazard for neighborhood children, it wouldn't confine the dog either. So after a bit of trimming and nailing, we have a strong new gate. Just in time for my niece's visit next week with her little ones. I'm so excited! Plus, we have a fenced in area to let the dogs run. Thank you honey!
By this point, dh and I were hot, tired, sweaty, and covered in bug bites. I told him we should strip down and jump in the pool. He started in the house for towels, and I said, no, just get in the pool. What a refreshing treat after so much work, and such a long day. Of course the kids thought we were crazy, ( or something), but who cares. Nothing beats relaxing in your pool after a day of hard work.
At this point, after all the hard work we've put into our pool, I think it must be full of Holy water, as we have sure cleaned the h*ll out of it~ Have a great evening!
Chela
I had an outreach with the zoo that had me leaving the house quite early this morning. I arrived at the college where the event was to be held, and settled in. I always enjoy working with the other docents, it's fun to chat with them during slow times, and it's nice to have someone reach over with a paper towel and clean mess off your leg, or gently say, "actually, that animal is from Africa, not Europe." Hey, no one's perfect!
The day wore on, we had an ongoing flow of people coming by, enough to keep it interesting without getting overwhelming. I decided it would be fun to hold the hedgehog-harmless enough, right? It's just a hedgehog. So I don the heavy gloves, and scoop up Harley. It's fun to show people how they roll up in prickle balls, and become impenetrable. Harley would also peek his cute little face out between my fingers like he was shy.
I'd had him for a while, and Harley was resting in my lap. Nothing big going on, I was just relaxing, listening to everyone talk. All the sudden, Harley latches on to my wrist, and won't let go! Let me tell you, hedgehogs have 36 very sharp teeth, and bites HURT!
When a hedgehog feels threatened, they will "pop" up in the air to give a predator of mouthful of prickles. Harley kept popping with his teeth firmly embedded in my wrist. It was enough to bring tears to my eyes. The worst thing is that there were 4 other volunteers there, (and one with more experience than me), and no-one knew how to detach this thing from my arm.
I thought maybe if I put him back in the carrier, he'd let go. But someone had come by and put 4 bbq plates on the carrier, so that was out. The only thing I could think of was to rush him over to the water fountain, and douse him in it. A guest followed me over and hit the button for me. (very hard to do when your hands are tied up with hedgehogs. Hips don't work well.)
Harley released the second that cold water hit him. Relief! My wrist had multiple teeth marks where he had bitten me, in an area about the size of a quarter. It hurt so much, but no blood drawn. After putting Harley in jail, (his carrier), I sat down, and said, "There goes having a hedgehog for a pet! One volunteer later said she would have dropped him. I guarantee, if I had tried to drop Harley, he would have been hanging from my wrist by his teeth.
When I told my boss about the bite, I told him nothing unusual had happened, he was resting one minute, and bit me the next. Mr. H said, "Welcome to hedgehogs." Nope, not having one as a pet. EVER. I'll stick with ferrets, and guinea pigs. They are more my style.
After the zoo, ( I got 6 hours today!) I met up with my dh for a fun evening out. Okay, well it was nothing glamorous, he'd been driving, and I'd been holding animals for the zoo, but we had fun together. We ran a couple of errands, and grabbed a bite to eat.
Then we went home, and had a nice time talking about everything on the way. We got home, and the house was so hot. Not what we wanted after a long hot day at work. Time to clean the a/c unit. Actually, cleaning the coils isn't too much work, it's putting it back together that's the hassle. I think it took longer than cleaning the whole thing.
Our last chore for the day, and by now it was about 8:30pm. We needed to repair our pool gate. Sometime back, a dog had broken through the lattice, and broke a big hole in it. Eventually, the bottom of the gate had broken off completely. Not only was this a hazard for neighborhood children, it wouldn't confine the dog either. So after a bit of trimming and nailing, we have a strong new gate. Just in time for my niece's visit next week with her little ones. I'm so excited! Plus, we have a fenced in area to let the dogs run. Thank you honey!
By this point, dh and I were hot, tired, sweaty, and covered in bug bites. I told him we should strip down and jump in the pool. He started in the house for towels, and I said, no, just get in the pool. What a refreshing treat after so much work, and such a long day. Of course the kids thought we were crazy, ( or something), but who cares. Nothing beats relaxing in your pool after a day of hard work.
At this point, after all the hard work we've put into our pool, I think it must be full of Holy water, as we have sure cleaned the h*ll out of it~ Have a great evening!
Chela
Friday, July 1, 2011
Allison the Sad Chicken
Allison was a beautiful chicken that lived on a happy farm in a lush countryside in the Midwest. Allison loved her happy farm. She had lots of other chicken friends, and the farmer took great care of them. There was lots of green grass, and trees for shade. In the distance there were grand snow-capped mountains.
Allison should have been really happy, and usually she was. One thing bothered her though. When the other hens preened their feathers, they would lay down nice and smooth. The farmer would run his hands down the chickens’ backs, and comment what pretty feathers they had. However, no matter how much Allison preened, her feathers refused to lay flat. They poked out, and curled, and refused to mind Allison’s beak.
Poor Allison felt so very ashamed of her feathers. She often hid in the barn, under the hayloft where no one could see her. She would sit and wonder why her feathers weren’t as pretty as the other hens. Why didn’t her feathers look like Stacy’s, or Fern’s, or Heather’s? The other girls tried to be nice, and say they liked the way her feathers looked, but it didn’t help how Allison felt.
When the hens went out to sit in the sun, and gaze at the mountains, Allison stayed in the barn. When farmer John threw treats out for his chickens, Allison didn’t feel like joining them. Sometimes she’d talk to the other hens when they came in the barn to sit on eggs, but mostly she just kept to herself.
One day, Allison noticed a big trailer in front of the barn. What was Farmer John doing? There was a lot of commotion while something huge came out of the back of the trailer. Allison fluttered up to the top of the stall door and had a look. What was that big thing? Suddenly, a big neigh sounded in the barn!
“Meet Kate everyone! “Farmer John proudly proclaimed to all of us. By now all the animals had crowded around the barn to see what was going on. “Kate is a draft horse! She is going to be helping me in the fields, to harvest crops for your food.” He continued.
The animals were amazed at how beautiful Kate was. Her beautiful white coat glistened in the afternoon sun. Her hooves were huge! They were the size of the tray Farmer put out full of food for the chickens. Kate was so tall! She looked as tall as the tallest trees in the yard.
“Hello everyone “said Kate. “I am so happy to be here. This looks like a really nice farm, and the mountains are so majestic. Farmer John and I will get a lot of work done in the fields to bring everyone good food to eat. Then in the evenings, we can sit together and talk over dinner.”
Farmer John went inside to eat dinner while the animals got acquainted. Kate wandered the barn yard, and talked to all the animals. She met the sheep, the goats, the cows, and the geese. Of course she met all the chickens. They were worried about her big hooves of course, but Kate set them at ease.
“Don’t worry, ladies. I am very careful of my feet. I will set them down gently, and feel for feathers before I drop my hoof. You are my friends, and I don’t want to hurt you.”
After looking around the farm, Kate wandered back in to the barn. She went to eat some yummy hay the farmer had set out. When she grabbed a mouthful, she startled Allison, who had fallen asleep in the hay!
“Oh my goodness!” exclaimed Kate in surprise.” I didn’t see you there, I’m so sorry. I just wanted to get something to eat.”
“It’s okay; I guess I fell asleep here. I watched you arrive, and was just amazed at how pretty you were. And well, how big you were. By the way, I’m Allison.” She commented to her new friend.
“May I ask,” Kate inquired, “why aren’t you out in the barn yard with the other hens? They found some great food out there.”
“Yeah, I know. It’s just...” Tears welled up in Allison’s eyes. “Well, my feathers aren’t as pretty as the other hens. They don’t mind my beak, and poke up everywhere. I try and try, but they just curl everywhere. I’m not pretty.”
“Oh Allison, Honey, you are a very beautiful hen.” Consoled Kate
“I am?” asked Allison
“Oh yes, Allison, you are beautiful. Your feathers are so curly and cute. They have personality! You have curly feathers because you are a sizzle chicken. God made their feathers to curl, not lay flat. He must like curly feathers, on the farm where I was born; there are lots of chickens like you. The farmer, Luke, loves them. He calls them his curly girls.” Kate explained.
As they were talking, Farmer John walked up to the barn.
“Hi Kate, I see you have found a new friend in the barnyard.” He commented happily. “What a pretty hen! I haven’t seen you around much. Where have you been hiding? I love your curly feathers; they don’t look anything like the other ladies. You should come out of the barn more often; your feathers are much too pretty to hide.”
From then on, Kate helped the farmer in the fields, and Allison joined all the hens in the warm sun and lush grass, and proudly admired the mountains. She often thanked Jesus for her beautiful curly feathers.
Chela
Friday, June 17, 2011
Bullfrog Revisited
College kid caught the bullfrog!! I can't believe he did it. He is so fast, I guess years of skateboarding have given him good reflexes. We had been out cleaning the pool, vacuuming and scooping out leaves and such.
Dh had scooped up a net-full of leaves, and when he dumped it, out hopped this big black thing right towards him! The poor guy was too startled to do anything, (and no-one else was anywhere near close enough) so back in the murky water went our bullfrog.
We decided to call it quits a while later, due to dwindling daylight, and lightning. We poured in 6 jugs of chlorine, then college kid resumed trimming bushes. We noticed the frog popping up frequently, I assume to try and get out of the chemicals. College kid noted his movement, and waited like a hungry heron with his 10' pool pole and net. Up came frogger, and down came net! We had us a bullfrog!!
College kid immediately dunked him in some fresh water to remove the chlorine. He was so gentle with his little buddy. I noticed frogger wasn't black like I thought, more like a dark green. (similar to an alligator, actually) His belly is such a pretty mottled grey. He wasn't nearly as heavy as I expected either. He was really calm as we held him and admired his beauty. Doing some research, we've learned that bullfrogs are the largest frogs in N. America. They can eat birds, snakes, and other frogs. Our little buddy was 11" long, stretched out.
It was late by this point, so we had to decide what to do with the guy for the night. A ten gallon aquarium wasn't going to work, and everyone nixed the idea of the bathtub. So we put him in a large dog crate with as much water as it would hold. (a surprising amount)
This afternoon, we took him to the lake and released him. He'll have lots of friends, food, and natural vegetation. Perhaps he will contribute to future generations of froggers. It's a bittersweet time for me. I'm glad he's out of the pool. I didn't mind him, wasn't afraid or anything. But the chemicals we have to dump in there aren't good for him. So I'm glad he's away from that. But I miss him, miss looking out my bedroom window to see him sitting in the skimmer, or on the top step of the ladder. I miss wondering when the next time is he'll pop up to see us.
Still, it's for the best. He is a wild animal, and needs to be in his natural environment. Best of luck out there, Frogger. Thank you for all the fun, excitement, and stories you gave us.
God Bless,
Chela
Sunday, June 12, 2011
Music
This is one of the neatest things I have ever seen. At first glance, it looks like a simple cabinet, perhaps from a grocery store. Nothing fancy there. However, if curiosity gets the better of you, and you put your hand in the empty space inside it, it plays music! So what can this be?
An Infrared Harp! It has infrared light beams running up and down across the harp. When your interrupt the beam, the computer senses this and causes music to play. Of course infrared light is not visible to humans, so we see an empty cabinet. There are high and low notes to play with as well. I couldn't stay away from this at the science museum, it was my absolute favorite thing ever!
Chela
Thursday, June 9, 2011
Ferrets
Someone on an internet forum asked why they shouldn't get a ferret. I did my best to talk them out of it. I just wanted to let the poster know what they were getting into!
ferrets, ferrets, ferrets. I don't even know where to start. They steal things. Lots of things, and stash them in your furniture. Things like coins, keys, leather, FOOD!! Ours was very much into stealing food, crackers, cookies, pop tarts, an entire sleeve of them. Oatmeal cream pies, you name it, she stole it. A friend of mine had 7, and would take them to work with him. They put their heads together, and stole 10 York Peppermint patties from the counter, and stashed them under the couch.
Ferrets can get into ANYTHING! Like potted plants? Forget it! They can climb up to them, and will dig all the dirt out all over the floor. Like your cupboards and drawers neat and tidy? What if you opened your silverware drawer to find a sleeping ferret? Like to sleep? If your ferret hides so well you can't find her, (even my dog was fooled quite a few times), she will want to play at 3 am. Nothing like waking up to a ferret nose in your ear.
They can easily slip out the door, and go un-noticed for hours. It's a lot of work and stress trying to find a ferret outside. They require a lot of people time, especially if you only get one. Our ferret quickly learned that the ferret war dance gained her fruit loops. She was always attacking our feet. If you get multiple ferrets, they put their little weasel heads together, and cause double the mischief. They also only have two speeds-full steam ahead, and sleep. Full steam ahead? They don't want to be held, there is trouble to be had!
But mostly, they will steal your heart, and never give it back. They simply don't live long enough.
ferrets, ferrets, ferrets. I don't even know where to start. They steal things. Lots of things, and stash them in your furniture. Things like coins, keys, leather, FOOD!! Ours was very much into stealing food, crackers, cookies, pop tarts, an entire sleeve of them. Oatmeal cream pies, you name it, she stole it. A friend of mine had 7, and would take them to work with him. They put their heads together, and stole 10 York Peppermint patties from the counter, and stashed them under the couch.
Ferrets can get into ANYTHING! Like potted plants? Forget it! They can climb up to them, and will dig all the dirt out all over the floor. Like your cupboards and drawers neat and tidy? What if you opened your silverware drawer to find a sleeping ferret? Like to sleep? If your ferret hides so well you can't find her, (even my dog was fooled quite a few times), she will want to play at 3 am. Nothing like waking up to a ferret nose in your ear.
They can easily slip out the door, and go un-noticed for hours. It's a lot of work and stress trying to find a ferret outside. They require a lot of people time, especially if you only get one. Our ferret quickly learned that the ferret war dance gained her fruit loops. She was always attacking our feet. If you get multiple ferrets, they put their little weasel heads together, and cause double the mischief. They also only have two speeds-full steam ahead, and sleep. Full steam ahead? They don't want to be held, there is trouble to be had!
But mostly, they will steal your heart, and never give it back. They simply don't live long enough.
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
Remembering a great rooster
Most people have the same reaction when you mention a rooster. They think they are mean, dirty, noisy little devils that will attack you with no warning. I felt the same way, until I met Goober. We saved him from an untimely death after he trespassed to scratch up a flower bed. We almost didn't keep him, we didn't need another rooster! But keep him we did, and never regretted it.
Roosters will dip their wings to court a hen. They dip a wing, and dance for her. It's quite an impressive sight, unless you're the object of a rooster's affection. The next step he'll take is to start spurring you, and that hurts! Almost every rooster I've ever met has eventually dipped his wing at me. I've been spurred more times than I like to count. But Goober never dipped his wing to a person. He never thought about doing a courting dance to us, and he never spurred. Even young children, who roosters see as easy targets, never had to worry about him.
We got to the point where we stopped worrying about Goober, and really trusted him. He was just amazing. There was frequent conversation regarding Goober, and his personality. We were so lucky he was gentle, because he was so big!
If you can imagine this beautiful red rooster wandering around the farm yard, grumbling up a storm. And grumble he did! About everything! He wanted corn, he wanted his girls, he liked to grumble! It was a delightful part of his personality.
I'd like to say Goober loved us, but it may have been that we were keepers of the kibble. Goober always met us at the gate, and followed us around as we did our chores. He loved his corn, and his sunflower seeds. Around food came his only aggressive tendencies. He'd get along okay with his buddy Flyer, but would chase him away from the food. He wasn't aggressive towards us with his food, though.
When we let the hens out to free-range in the yard, Goober would get so excited! He would do his happy dance, and dip his wing to all the ladies. He watched over them so well. Any predators flew over, and he would issue a warning growl to tell the hens to take cover. If there was a disturbance in the yard, Goober would run over to see what was going on, and if it needed his assistance. He didn't miss anything.
Goober's hens lived in a separate coop with their own roosters. We let the hens out during the day, and put them back up at night. Goober slept in a separate area. We'd call all the hens in, and Goober would come in with them. He didn't want us to see him, so he'd hide in the cabinet in the pen. As big as Goober was, it wasn't hard to see him, really, but he always tried. When we shooed him out, he'd grumble all the way.
Goober was definitely one in a million as far as roosters go. I don't think I'll ever meet one as gentle and as full of personality as he was. I'll never forget running my fingers through his tail feathers, watching him free range in the yard with his hens, or hearing him grumble. Your spirit will live on, Goober, thank you for taking care of us. We'll miss you.
Roosters will dip their wings to court a hen. They dip a wing, and dance for her. It's quite an impressive sight, unless you're the object of a rooster's affection. The next step he'll take is to start spurring you, and that hurts! Almost every rooster I've ever met has eventually dipped his wing at me. I've been spurred more times than I like to count. But Goober never dipped his wing to a person. He never thought about doing a courting dance to us, and he never spurred. Even young children, who roosters see as easy targets, never had to worry about him.
We got to the point where we stopped worrying about Goober, and really trusted him. He was just amazing. There was frequent conversation regarding Goober, and his personality. We were so lucky he was gentle, because he was so big!
If you can imagine this beautiful red rooster wandering around the farm yard, grumbling up a storm. And grumble he did! About everything! He wanted corn, he wanted his girls, he liked to grumble! It was a delightful part of his personality.
I'd like to say Goober loved us, but it may have been that we were keepers of the kibble. Goober always met us at the gate, and followed us around as we did our chores. He loved his corn, and his sunflower seeds. Around food came his only aggressive tendencies. He'd get along okay with his buddy Flyer, but would chase him away from the food. He wasn't aggressive towards us with his food, though.
When we let the hens out to free-range in the yard, Goober would get so excited! He would do his happy dance, and dip his wing to all the ladies. He watched over them so well. Any predators flew over, and he would issue a warning growl to tell the hens to take cover. If there was a disturbance in the yard, Goober would run over to see what was going on, and if it needed his assistance. He didn't miss anything.
Goober's hens lived in a separate coop with their own roosters. We let the hens out during the day, and put them back up at night. Goober slept in a separate area. We'd call all the hens in, and Goober would come in with them. He didn't want us to see him, so he'd hide in the cabinet in the pen. As big as Goober was, it wasn't hard to see him, really, but he always tried. When we shooed him out, he'd grumble all the way.
Goober was definitely one in a million as far as roosters go. I don't think I'll ever meet one as gentle and as full of personality as he was. I'll never forget running my fingers through his tail feathers, watching him free range in the yard with his hens, or hearing him grumble. Your spirit will live on, Goober, thank you for taking care of us. We'll miss you.
Saturday, May 28, 2011
The Princess and the Frog
A little bit of background before I tell you my story. We've been having a lot of problems with our pool that last year or so. One thing after another keeps breaking on the pump, which prevents us from running the filter. As a result, our pool currently looks like Shrek's swamp. This weekend we are, again, going to buy another part and get it cleaned up for the summer.
Yesterday, my daughter decided she would at least skim the leaves off the top of the pool, and maybe some off the bottom if she could get them. I warned her repeatedly about the large bullfrog that has taken up residence in the deep end. DD brushed me off, telling me she wasn't afraid of frogs, it wasn't a problem, etc.
Well, she decided to clean out the skimmer, scoop out the leaves and stuff that have collected in there. What I didn't tell her, because she had already blown me off so much, was that the bullfrog was most likely in that skimmer. Especially since she hadn't seen him yet with her netting the pool.
DD is happily scooping out leaves and debris when suddenly the water starts churning, and dd screams like a little girl.
"It kicked my hand! It touched me, it kicked my hand!"
This turned into a complete meltdown over the grievous insult of this thing touching her. At this point, she still didn't know the seriousness of the situation. She had no idea how big this thing was!
So after a couple of minutes, dd collects herself, and gets back to scooping. I am quite proud of her for this. A lot of people would have given up at the first touch. She starts scooping, and the water is churning again.
Out of the skimmer climbs this ENORMOUS bullfrog! He gets his bulk out of the skimmer, hops across the bit of pool deck, and plops back in the water. DD and I were just too shocked to even try and catch him.
I keep thinking about how much worse the situation would have been if it had been Dh cleaning the skimmer. My daughter had a scoop, but Dh just puts his hand straight into the hole to grab the basket. If that frog had touched him, he'd have thought it was a snake, and had a heart attack. He'd also NEVER do that again. LOL
Happy Memorial Day!
Chela
Yesterday, my daughter decided she would at least skim the leaves off the top of the pool, and maybe some off the bottom if she could get them. I warned her repeatedly about the large bullfrog that has taken up residence in the deep end. DD brushed me off, telling me she wasn't afraid of frogs, it wasn't a problem, etc.
Well, she decided to clean out the skimmer, scoop out the leaves and stuff that have collected in there. What I didn't tell her, because she had already blown me off so much, was that the bullfrog was most likely in that skimmer. Especially since she hadn't seen him yet with her netting the pool.
DD is happily scooping out leaves and debris when suddenly the water starts churning, and dd screams like a little girl.
"It kicked my hand! It touched me, it kicked my hand!"
This turned into a complete meltdown over the grievous insult of this thing touching her. At this point, she still didn't know the seriousness of the situation. She had no idea how big this thing was!
So after a couple of minutes, dd collects herself, and gets back to scooping. I am quite proud of her for this. A lot of people would have given up at the first touch. She starts scooping, and the water is churning again.
Out of the skimmer climbs this ENORMOUS bullfrog! He gets his bulk out of the skimmer, hops across the bit of pool deck, and plops back in the water. DD and I were just too shocked to even try and catch him.
I keep thinking about how much worse the situation would have been if it had been Dh cleaning the skimmer. My daughter had a scoop, but Dh just puts his hand straight into the hole to grab the basket. If that frog had touched him, he'd have thought it was a snake, and had a heart attack. He'd also NEVER do that again. LOL
Happy Memorial Day!
Chela
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
The turtle...or the dog
I was driving down the highway today with my daughter, and noticed a turtle in the road. Of course, I didn't want him to get hit by a car, so I pulled over to move him out of danger. It took me a bit to stop, so I had to jog back a ways to get to the little guy.
Except after just a few steps,a snarling, angry dog came charging out of a driveway, not in the least amused with my intrusion on his territory. As I headed back to the car, the dog retreated to his home. That left me with a dilemma. Do I risk the dog again to rescue this turtle, or just let it be?
I thought maybe if I turned the car around, I could drive to the turtle and save him that way. But he was still awfully close to the dog. In the end, the dog won, and I drove on. Hope the little guy made it across without incident. Sorry buddy, but I couldn't get chewed up by a dog in the middle of nowhere to save you.
Chela
Except after just a few steps,a snarling, angry dog came charging out of a driveway, not in the least amused with my intrusion on his territory. As I headed back to the car, the dog retreated to his home. That left me with a dilemma. Do I risk the dog again to rescue this turtle, or just let it be?
I thought maybe if I turned the car around, I could drive to the turtle and save him that way. But he was still awfully close to the dog. In the end, the dog won, and I drove on. Hope the little guy made it across without incident. Sorry buddy, but I couldn't get chewed up by a dog in the middle of nowhere to save you.
Chela
Monday, May 16, 2011
random pictures
Hello! Rather than email out all these pictures, I thought you might enjoy seeing them on my blog. Plus, I think it will be easier this way. 
This is Chehaw Charlie, the biggest alligator in our zoo's collection. He rules the roost, and gets all the girls. The distance between an alligator's nose and eyes in inches is his length in feet. This is a BIG alligator!! About 14-15 feet. The picture doesn't show it, but his jowls are massive! Truly impressive.
These are my ducklings. Well, actually my friend's ducklings now. I bought them for her, but then fell in love and kept them for a while. Until I learned that ducklings are the messiest animals on the earth. Then I gave them to my friend. They are so cute though!!
I made this wreath, using coffee filters that I dyed with food coloring. It took forever, but I eventually got all the filters dried and attached. I hung it on my door, and within a week, had a birds nest in it. :0)
This is Chehaw Charlie, the biggest alligator in our zoo's collection. He rules the roost, and gets all the girls. The distance between an alligator's nose and eyes in inches is his length in feet. This is a BIG alligator!! About 14-15 feet. The picture doesn't show it, but his jowls are massive! Truly impressive.
These are my ducklings. Well, actually my friend's ducklings now. I bought them for her, but then fell in love and kept them for a while. Until I learned that ducklings are the messiest animals on the earth. Then I gave them to my friend. They are so cute though!!
I made this wreath, using coffee filters that I dyed with food coloring. It took forever, but I eventually got all the filters dried and attached. I hung it on my door, and within a week, had a birds nest in it. :0)
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
May
Wishing everyone a wonderful month of May! May has blossomed unseasonably cool here, and today it was chilly by 5pm. I'm sure it will warm up soon enough, though, and this cool weather will be but a distant memory.
I'm hoping we can get our pool cleaned out soon. The kids only have 2.5 weeks of school left, and I would like to have something for them to do during the day. I can't believe how fast the school year has flown by. Summer already!!
This year I have a college graduation to attend, and hopefully a GED graduation as well. My kids sure are growing up on me.
Have a great month of May, and don't forget the sunblock when you're out on the boat for May day, Cinco de Mayo, and Memorial day!!
Chela
I'm hoping we can get our pool cleaned out soon. The kids only have 2.5 weeks of school left, and I would like to have something for them to do during the day. I can't believe how fast the school year has flown by. Summer already!!
This year I have a college graduation to attend, and hopefully a GED graduation as well. My kids sure are growing up on me.
Have a great month of May, and don't forget the sunblock when you're out on the boat for May day, Cinco de Mayo, and Memorial day!!
Chela
Sunday, April 24, 2011
He is Risen
Christ is risen from the dead, trampled over death by death. Come awake come awake, come and rise up from the grave. He's alive, He's alive!!
In Matthew 17:22-23, Jesus tells His disciples, The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised up on the third day."
I'm sure the disciples were baffled by Jesus' prediction. How can He be killed? Much less rise up on the third day. After all, death is final, no coming back from that. Why would men kill Jesus? How can He predict His death?
In Matthew 16:22, after Jesus predicts His upcoming passion, Peter replies to Him, "God forbid, Lord. No such thing shall ever happen to You." I'm sure this was the general consensus of the rest of the disciples,barring Judas.
His death on the Cross did happen, and with it brought us the promise of eternal life in Heaven with Him. Eternal life! Jesus told the thief on Cross, "Amen,I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:43
What a promise! To be with Jesus in Paradise! What a treasure it must be, more than we can even imagine. There is still the matter of Him rising up on the third day. Really? That sounds pretty far-fetched.
In Luke 24:2-3, Scripture says, "They found the stone rolled away from the tomb: but when they entered, they did not find His body." That would be quite puzzling. Where was His body? Was it stolen?
Moving along to verse 5 and 6, we read, ".....Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen, like He said."
How convincing was that? Okay, you had two men who appeared to be angels telling you Jesus was risen, but....that is awfully hard to believe. After all, you saw Him die on theCross just 3 days ago. Later that day, Jesus appeared to two disciples as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus. When He broke bread with them, they believed. He also appeared to them in Jerusalem.
What can you do then but believe? Jesus died on the Cross, but now He was alive,and standing before you. He's alive, He's alive! Jesus trampled death by death, come awake come awake, come and rise up from the grave. HE'S ALIVE!! Happy Easter!!
What an amazing gift we have been given. Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.
Chela
In Matthew 17:22-23, Jesus tells His disciples, The Son of Man is to be handed over to men, and they will kill him, and he will be raised up on the third day."
I'm sure the disciples were baffled by Jesus' prediction. How can He be killed? Much less rise up on the third day. After all, death is final, no coming back from that. Why would men kill Jesus? How can He predict His death?
In Matthew 16:22, after Jesus predicts His upcoming passion, Peter replies to Him, "God forbid, Lord. No such thing shall ever happen to You." I'm sure this was the general consensus of the rest of the disciples,barring Judas.
His death on the Cross did happen, and with it brought us the promise of eternal life in Heaven with Him. Eternal life! Jesus told the thief on Cross, "Amen,I say to you, today you will be with Me in Paradise." Luke 23:43
What a promise! To be with Jesus in Paradise! What a treasure it must be, more than we can even imagine. There is still the matter of Him rising up on the third day. Really? That sounds pretty far-fetched.
In Luke 24:2-3, Scripture says, "They found the stone rolled away from the tomb: but when they entered, they did not find His body." That would be quite puzzling. Where was His body? Was it stolen?
Moving along to verse 5 and 6, we read, ".....Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, He is risen, like He said."
How convincing was that? Okay, you had two men who appeared to be angels telling you Jesus was risen, but....that is awfully hard to believe. After all, you saw Him die on theCross just 3 days ago. Later that day, Jesus appeared to two disciples as they walked from Jerusalem to Emmaus. When He broke bread with them, they believed. He also appeared to them in Jerusalem.
What can you do then but believe? Jesus died on the Cross, but now He was alive,and standing before you. He's alive, He's alive! Jesus trampled death by death, come awake come awake, come and rise up from the grave. HE'S ALIVE!! Happy Easter!!
What an amazing gift we have been given. Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.
Chela
Friday, April 22, 2011
Easter Story
Farmer John was a kindly farmer. He had a bunch of farm animals out in the country. There was Hazel the cow, Jill and Belle, the goats, Lilly the sheep, and a bunch of chickens. All of the animals got along just fine, and spent their days eating the sweet green grass in the big pasture. All of the animals except for the red rooster, Flyer. While all the other chickens quietly ate their corn, Flyer would shove the hens around, and scold Farmer John. When the hens wandered off to lay eggs, Flyer would stomp the eggs, and break them. Farmer John would try to milk Hazel, and Flyer would pull her tail. When it was bedtime, and the hens went to bed, Flyer would shove them off the roost.
Everyone was getting tired of Flyer's antics. One day, Farmer John told the animals he was going to send Flyer away to live somewhere else. He was tired of the scolding, broken eggs, and sleepy hens. Everyone was so happy! "Send Flyer away, and we can all be happy again!" Said the goats, as Flyer ate the oats Farmer John had set out for them.
Then to everyone's surprise, the old rooster, Jack, came up and said, "What Flyer has done is wrong. No matter what I've told him, he won't listen. But don't send him away. I will take his punishment, and I will leave in his place."
"Why would you do this?" asked Lilly the sheep. "You have done nothing wrong. You didn't shove the hens, scold Farmer John, break eggs, or pull Hazel's tail. You don't steal food from the goats. We love having you around, you are such a gentle rooster."
Jack simply said, "It must be done."
Farmer John was very sad, because he loved Jack the rooster. He watched over all the hens, and was friends with everyone. Jack loved to sit in the green grass with the hens while they ate.
Then one of the hens came forward. She said, "I understand why Jack has to leave. I, too, am sad, but I understand. Let me explain. A long time ago, the world was in sin. Everyone acted like Flyer, they had turned away from the right way. The Father saw all that was going on, and felt very sad. He knew the punishment for sin was for us to die. But He wanted us to live. So the Father sent His only Son, Jesus, to teach us the right way to live. He wanted us to live the right way, to love Him above all else. He also wanted us to love each other, and not do mean things like Flyer does.
After Jesus taught us all this, he died on the cross for our sins. He took all our sins, and died on the cross as punishment for us! He loves us so much! After three days, He rose again! He took death away, so we can live in Heaven with Him forever! All you have to do is love Jesus with all your heart, all your soul, and all of your mind. After that, the rest comes easy. We celebrate the Resurrection on Easter. It's such a beautiful holiday, as if Jesus is saying, "don't worry, I still love you!"
Everyone was getting tired of Flyer's antics. One day, Farmer John told the animals he was going to send Flyer away to live somewhere else. He was tired of the scolding, broken eggs, and sleepy hens. Everyone was so happy! "Send Flyer away, and we can all be happy again!" Said the goats, as Flyer ate the oats Farmer John had set out for them.
Then to everyone's surprise, the old rooster, Jack, came up and said, "What Flyer has done is wrong. No matter what I've told him, he won't listen. But don't send him away. I will take his punishment, and I will leave in his place."
"Why would you do this?" asked Lilly the sheep. "You have done nothing wrong. You didn't shove the hens, scold Farmer John, break eggs, or pull Hazel's tail. You don't steal food from the goats. We love having you around, you are such a gentle rooster."
Jack simply said, "It must be done."
Farmer John was very sad, because he loved Jack the rooster. He watched over all the hens, and was friends with everyone. Jack loved to sit in the green grass with the hens while they ate.
Then one of the hens came forward. She said, "I understand why Jack has to leave. I, too, am sad, but I understand. Let me explain. A long time ago, the world was in sin. Everyone acted like Flyer, they had turned away from the right way. The Father saw all that was going on, and felt very sad. He knew the punishment for sin was for us to die. But He wanted us to live. So the Father sent His only Son, Jesus, to teach us the right way to live. He wanted us to live the right way, to love Him above all else. He also wanted us to love each other, and not do mean things like Flyer does.
After Jesus taught us all this, he died on the cross for our sins. He took all our sins, and died on the cross as punishment for us! He loves us so much! After three days, He rose again! He took death away, so we can live in Heaven with Him forever! All you have to do is love Jesus with all your heart, all your soul, and all of your mind. After that, the rest comes easy. We celebrate the Resurrection on Easter. It's such a beautiful holiday, as if Jesus is saying, "don't worry, I still love you!"
Friday, April 8, 2011
Letter to Reno the dog
I solemnly swear that I am not taking you outside at 2:30 AM in the rain, or drizzlies after the rain, to eat dead grass from the yard. You are allowed to wake me up during the night only in case of EMERGENCY!
This means, you have to go out and immediately tend to business...you know what I mean. Another reasonable reason to wake me up is if someone is here. That would be an emergency, I'm sure. Lastly, if something is wrong in the house, like a fire, or a very sick family member.
Nowhere in the above rules does it say you may wake me up at 2:30 AM so you can go outside and eat grass. Dead grass at that! And just because you asked this morning, NO I won't FEED you at 2:30 AM! Breakfast is at 7:15 am with dinner at 6pm. Exceptions may be made if I have an opportunity to sleep in. 2:30 AM is not one of those exceptions.
Thank you
Mom
This means, you have to go out and immediately tend to business...you know what I mean. Another reasonable reason to wake me up is if someone is here. That would be an emergency, I'm sure. Lastly, if something is wrong in the house, like a fire, or a very sick family member.
Nowhere in the above rules does it say you may wake me up at 2:30 AM so you can go outside and eat grass. Dead grass at that! And just because you asked this morning, NO I won't FEED you at 2:30 AM! Breakfast is at 7:15 am with dinner at 6pm. Exceptions may be made if I have an opportunity to sleep in. 2:30 AM is not one of those exceptions.
Thank you
Mom
Saturday, March 19, 2011
Remembering Swiper
We had no idea what we were getting ourselves into the day we decided to bring home a ferret. I should have known when the lanky fur ball bit my nose in the pet store's parking lot.
Still, we carried on, and welcomed nature's slinky into our home. Little did we know that ferrets get into stuff, and steal stuff, and worm their way so thoroughly into your heart. We named our ferret Swiper after the fox on the television show Dora. The fox always stole stuff, and Dora would have to connive a way to get the item back. At least she did. Swiper would steal stuff, and we'd never see it again.
The first thing she stole was a quarter, and stashed it under the chair in the living room. Then she discovered food. People had good food, and a lot of it could be stashed away for later. Things like oatmeal cream pies, crackers, pop tarts, and fruit loops, which she stashed behind the refrigerator. She also loved chocolate milk, and she'd be in your cup before you could say Nesquick.
Swiper would also play with the kids when they sat down with their toys. She loved to dig in the basket of army men. I don't know what she was digging for though, exactly. One time the boys caught her heading into my room with a bag of Leggos.
One day I'd left each of my children a wrapped oatmeal cream pie as a treat before I headed out to work. Sometime later, my daughter called me and asked if she could have another pie, as hers was missing. Months later, I found it next to my bed when Swiper had done some housekeeping.
Swiper was really interactive with our family. She enjoyed spending time with us, and getting into the middle of whatever we were doing. She especially loved to attack our feet so we would giver her fruit loops, her favorite treat.
Ferrets have two speeds-full steam ahead and sleep. They play hard, and they sleep hard. When Swiper would tire, she would find a warm place and curl up to sleep. Often times, she'd curl up in a dresser drawer, but she also found comfort in our beds. That would lead to quickly hopping up when you sat on the bed and discovered a warm little lump. She'd also sleep in our linen closet. Occasionally she'd curl up in a kitchen drawer. How could it be comfortable to sleep in measuring cups and utensils?
Our dog Reno became very adept at finding Swiper when she did this. We liked to put her up before we left, and when we retired at night. Unfortunately, sometimes she hid so well Reno couldn't find her. Then, Swiper would wake up about 3 am, and expect us to play! She'd lick our ears, and stick her whiskers in our noses.
Our son Matt would hold her on his shoulder, and talk to her while they walked around the house. I'd go over and we'd touch noses while he had her. One time I did this, and she sneezed in my face.
Swiper was a darling, and a pet like no other. I'll never forget her, she taught us so much. Most of all, never underestimate a ferret. Miss you sweetie, thank you for all the years of love, friendship, and laughter you gave us. Sleep well Swiper, we love you.
Chela
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Gotcha!
I was sitting on the couch earlier, watching a movie with my kids. It wasn't too scary, but had parts where things jumped out at you suddenly. I'm sitting on the couch, on the edge of my seat watching this, and suddenly feel tap tap tap on my leg. Talk about wanting to jump off of the couch! My cat Taco wanted to sit on my lap, but I was covered with a blanket, and she couldn't see where my legs were exactly. She was testing the waters, so to speak. Either that or she thought it would be funny to scare mommy. Probably the latter.
Tuesday, February 22, 2011
Recently, I was listening to the radio, and they were having an "impossible trivia" contest. The question was, 90% of Americans did not do this last year. Hmmm....There were many great guesses, such as exercising, or going camping. However these weren't the right answers, and the contest went on for some time. I was thinking writing a letter, with a pen and paper, because no one does that anymore. Well, I do sometimes, as some of my family is not technologically connected.
The answer was read a book! I find it astonishing that no one curls up with a novel at night before bed, or totes a book along to fill the time in waiting rooms at the doctor or dmv office. My mom always has a book along for those types of situations.
I've been on quite a book binge the past couple of months. I'm currently on my....3, 4, 7th book. It's like a disease perhaps, but I can't wait to open a new book, and see what adventure lies between the covers. Where do I get to journey to this time?
The past couple of months, I've been in the Deep South of America in the early 1900's, learning about the horrors of racism, and lynchings. I've criss-crossed the country following a brutal serial killer. Then to Nigeria, learning about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of great brutality. I traveled all over Europe, following the journey of the Shroud of Turin, and to Sweden, and Australia to find someone who didn't want to be found. I've been to Montana, tracking a deranged man with his eye set on the curator of a wildlife sanctuary. Currently, I'm in Washington DC, tracking a huge mess of a scandal that threatens the White House and everyone's good standing.
Characters in a book become friends, family while you share their stories. You cringe, celebrate, cry, and hope with them. You miss them when you're through, their lives put carefully back on the shelf for next time. A life without books? I just couldn't imagine...
Books cited here: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Steig Larsson, The Shroud Harold Robbins, Deeper than the Dead Tami Hoag, Alex Cross's Trial James Patterson, Little Bee Chris Cleave, I, Alex Cross, James Patterson, Black Hills Nora Roberts.
The answer was read a book! I find it astonishing that no one curls up with a novel at night before bed, or totes a book along to fill the time in waiting rooms at the doctor or dmv office. My mom always has a book along for those types of situations.
I've been on quite a book binge the past couple of months. I'm currently on my....3, 4, 7th book. It's like a disease perhaps, but I can't wait to open a new book, and see what adventure lies between the covers. Where do I get to journey to this time?
The past couple of months, I've been in the Deep South of America in the early 1900's, learning about the horrors of racism, and lynchings. I've criss-crossed the country following a brutal serial killer. Then to Nigeria, learning about the triumph of the human spirit in the face of great brutality. I traveled all over Europe, following the journey of the Shroud of Turin, and to Sweden, and Australia to find someone who didn't want to be found. I've been to Montana, tracking a deranged man with his eye set on the curator of a wildlife sanctuary. Currently, I'm in Washington DC, tracking a huge mess of a scandal that threatens the White House and everyone's good standing.
Characters in a book become friends, family while you share their stories. You cringe, celebrate, cry, and hope with them. You miss them when you're through, their lives put carefully back on the shelf for next time. A life without books? I just couldn't imagine...
Books cited here: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Steig Larsson, The Shroud Harold Robbins, Deeper than the Dead Tami Hoag, Alex Cross's Trial James Patterson, Little Bee Chris Cleave, I, Alex Cross, James Patterson, Black Hills Nora Roberts.
Sunday, February 13, 2011
Remembering...
I cried my heart out tonight for a young man I have never met. My husband sat on the couch and held me while the tears flowed unchecked. My daughter lost a friend tonight, a young man of 16 who she met at a youth event with her church. I may have never met him, but I know he was taken from his loved ones way too soon. My heart breaks for his family tonight.
He was active in his church, and planned on going on a mission trip this summer to Zambia. From what I have learned about him, it seems he was close with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My daughter said he was crazy, and a lot of fun to be around, and that he was an awesome Christian.
Events like these also lead me to think of those around me, and how much I love them. It might sound cliche, but I hope they know how much I love them. Perhaps I'll try and spend more time with those important people in my life, send a few more emails, make a few more phone calls. I'm also going to cover my children in prayer, that the Lord spread His wings over them.
I love You Jesus, please welcome Thomas with open arms, and send peace and comfort to his family.
Amen
He was active in his church, and planned on going on a mission trip this summer to Zambia. From what I have learned about him, it seems he was close with his Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. My daughter said he was crazy, and a lot of fun to be around, and that he was an awesome Christian.
Events like these also lead me to think of those around me, and how much I love them. It might sound cliche, but I hope they know how much I love them. Perhaps I'll try and spend more time with those important people in my life, send a few more emails, make a few more phone calls. I'm also going to cover my children in prayer, that the Lord spread His wings over them.
I love You Jesus, please welcome Thomas with open arms, and send peace and comfort to his family.
Amen
Sunday, January 16, 2011
The kids have had field days all week, to celebrate the last days of school. So instead of work, they wander in and out of the classrooms playing games, buying snacks, and watching movies.
I've been at the school every day this week with either Angie or Josh celebrating field day with them. Well today, Angie asked me to spend an hour with her. I got there around 11, and we were hanging out in the classroom. The kids started talking about lunch, and Angie got up to check the menu. Hot dogs were on the docket, so she asked me to take her to McDonald's for lunch.
We told her teacher we'd be back after lunch, and left.
After lunch Angie talked me into letting her skip out the rest of the school day. We ended up at Kolomoki going paddle boating. It was such a pretty day, and the water was so calm and nice.
Walking from the truck to the boat, we were watching the red winged blackbirds nesting. We saw one chick resting his beak on the rim of the gourd. The parents were very busy bringing food and water to the nest.
We found our boat, and got comfortable in it. We had been given a key, but the boat was simply tied, so we didn't need it. The next 20 mins or so were spent just lazily paddling along, enjoying some peace and quiet. It was nice to spend some alone time with Angie and talk. Also to relax-this week has been hectic and crazy.
All was quiet and still when suddenly a big hawk flew right in front of us and tried to catch a fish. The fish jumped, but I think the hawk missed it. Awesome-right in front of us.
We noticed that the storm clouds that had been behind us seemed to be following the boat. It blocked the sun, and cooled things off for us. We kept paddling along, looking for critters and talking.
Then we noticed it was getting really dark above us, and the wind was picking up. The previously calm lake was getting rougher. We thought about it a minute, and decided to head back to the dock. We were quite a ways away from it.
As we paddled back, the wind picked up even more, and it started to sprinkle. Everything progressed quickly from there, until it was pouring rain and gusting wind. The lake had moved from small ripples to good sized swells. We were going against the current, and it was nearly impossible to pedal. In the midst of all this, an alligator jumps out of the water right in front of us. I think Angie and I about wet our pants.
Alligator disappears, but it starts to thunder and lightning. (only me, I swear, only I would get into these messes). Angie is scared to death, we can barely get the boat to move, paddling as hard as we can. Now we're soaked to the skin. We could actually see the lightning-ground lightning we call it-ahead of us. Straight lines right to the ground. Booming thunder. And to think it was sunny and blue just 30 minutes ago. The only thing that got us through that was praying to God and asking Him to keep us safe. We prayed and sang praise songs all the way back.
We finally get the boat back to the dock, and parked. I tie the boat as best I can, and we run for the truck. Which of course is locked. I did have the key, it just took an extra minute to get in.
We sat in the truck for a long time calming down and thanking God we got thru it all okay. Also telling Him we'd never skip school to go paddleboating again.
We drove back to the museum to drop off the lifejackets and key. They invited us to stay for a while until the storm blew over. We walked around looking at the things on display.
Then we sat in the rocking chairs and talked. Angie was really scared out there-to the point of shaking. She finally started to calm down and relax in the museum. Poor girl, I didn't intend for it to happen that way. When she started flipping cartwheels, I knew she was okay.
The storm moved on, and bright sunny skies returned. The whole storm probably lasted an hour tops. We headed back to the school to pick up Matt, Josh, and Angie's stuff. It hadn't rained a drop at the school. Talk about isolated thunderstorms.
We sheepishly returned to Angie's classroom, and decided there was nothing to do but tell the truth. It's not like she was missing anything anyway. We walked up, and her teacher met us, saying, "That was an awfully long lunch hour missy! Leave at 11:30, and get back at 2:55." She was lighthearted and all about it. :0) Everyone was amazed when we told them our story.
So the moral of the story is, don't skip school. And if you do, don't go paddleboating. If you must, take the Lord along. And before you tell me to check the weather next time, I did. It was only a 20 percent chance of rain. We also learned that in times of great trial, cling to God, and just keep praying.
I've been at the school every day this week with either Angie or Josh celebrating field day with them. Well today, Angie asked me to spend an hour with her. I got there around 11, and we were hanging out in the classroom. The kids started talking about lunch, and Angie got up to check the menu. Hot dogs were on the docket, so she asked me to take her to McDonald's for lunch.
We told her teacher we'd be back after lunch, and left.
After lunch Angie talked me into letting her skip out the rest of the school day. We ended up at Kolomoki going paddle boating. It was such a pretty day, and the water was so calm and nice.
Walking from the truck to the boat, we were watching the red winged blackbirds nesting. We saw one chick resting his beak on the rim of the gourd. The parents were very busy bringing food and water to the nest.
We found our boat, and got comfortable in it. We had been given a key, but the boat was simply tied, so we didn't need it. The next 20 mins or so were spent just lazily paddling along, enjoying some peace and quiet. It was nice to spend some alone time with Angie and talk. Also to relax-this week has been hectic and crazy.
All was quiet and still when suddenly a big hawk flew right in front of us and tried to catch a fish. The fish jumped, but I think the hawk missed it. Awesome-right in front of us.
We noticed that the storm clouds that had been behind us seemed to be following the boat. It blocked the sun, and cooled things off for us. We kept paddling along, looking for critters and talking.
Then we noticed it was getting really dark above us, and the wind was picking up. The previously calm lake was getting rougher. We thought about it a minute, and decided to head back to the dock. We were quite a ways away from it.
As we paddled back, the wind picked up even more, and it started to sprinkle. Everything progressed quickly from there, until it was pouring rain and gusting wind. The lake had moved from small ripples to good sized swells. We were going against the current, and it was nearly impossible to pedal. In the midst of all this, an alligator jumps out of the water right in front of us. I think Angie and I about wet our pants.
Alligator disappears, but it starts to thunder and lightning. (only me, I swear, only I would get into these messes). Angie is scared to death, we can barely get the boat to move, paddling as hard as we can. Now we're soaked to the skin. We could actually see the lightning-ground lightning we call it-ahead of us. Straight lines right to the ground. Booming thunder. And to think it was sunny and blue just 30 minutes ago. The only thing that got us through that was praying to God and asking Him to keep us safe. We prayed and sang praise songs all the way back.
We finally get the boat back to the dock, and parked. I tie the boat as best I can, and we run for the truck. Which of course is locked. I did have the key, it just took an extra minute to get in.
We sat in the truck for a long time calming down and thanking God we got thru it all okay. Also telling Him we'd never skip school to go paddleboating again.
We drove back to the museum to drop off the lifejackets and key. They invited us to stay for a while until the storm blew over. We walked around looking at the things on display.
Then we sat in the rocking chairs and talked. Angie was really scared out there-to the point of shaking. She finally started to calm down and relax in the museum. Poor girl, I didn't intend for it to happen that way. When she started flipping cartwheels, I knew she was okay.
The storm moved on, and bright sunny skies returned. The whole storm probably lasted an hour tops. We headed back to the school to pick up Matt, Josh, and Angie's stuff. It hadn't rained a drop at the school. Talk about isolated thunderstorms.
We sheepishly returned to Angie's classroom, and decided there was nothing to do but tell the truth. It's not like she was missing anything anyway. We walked up, and her teacher met us, saying, "That was an awfully long lunch hour missy! Leave at 11:30, and get back at 2:55." She was lighthearted and all about it. :0) Everyone was amazed when we told them our story.
So the moral of the story is, don't skip school. And if you do, don't go paddleboating. If you must, take the Lord along. And before you tell me to check the weather next time, I did. It was only a 20 percent chance of rain. We also learned that in times of great trial, cling to God, and just keep praying.
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Good Morning
I was reading an internet forum the other day, and the question had been posted, What do you do when you first wake up in the morning? The first reply was, " I grab a diet Coke and get online."
Really? You have no other obligations in the morning? This just baffles me, as my morning routine is crazy no matter what day it is. Here is an example of a usual weekday morning:
6:30am wake up
bathroom
take dogs out for business
make sure kids #1 and #2 are up and getting ready for school
snack money, find coats/shoes/etc
6:55 leave for the bus stop
7:15 home from bus stop, feed dogs, outside cats, and guinea pig
get a shower/dressed
7:45 get kid #3 up and make sure he gets dressed and ready for school
make kid breakfast and a lunch for school
8:15 take kid #3 to school
8:40 home again. Now maybe I can spend some time online.
On the internet first thing in the morning? Maybe someday!
Really? You have no other obligations in the morning? This just baffles me, as my morning routine is crazy no matter what day it is. Here is an example of a usual weekday morning:
6:30am wake up
bathroom
take dogs out for business
make sure kids #1 and #2 are up and getting ready for school
snack money, find coats/shoes/etc
6:55 leave for the bus stop
7:15 home from bus stop, feed dogs, outside cats, and guinea pig
get a shower/dressed
7:45 get kid #3 up and make sure he gets dressed and ready for school
make kid breakfast and a lunch for school
8:15 take kid #3 to school
8:40 home again. Now maybe I can spend some time online.
On the internet first thing in the morning? Maybe someday!
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