Sound the Trumpeter!

I had to drive down to Bellingham last week. As I went over the lake I noticed dozens and dozens of the most beautiful white birds. I thought they were domestic geese until I saw an article in the paper. They were trumpeter swans.

There are a lot of pretty birds here. When I was walking the dogs one day a huge crane flew up out of the creek as we passed. It can just a few feel from us and must have had a 6' wingspan. Skeeter still looks for the crane every time I walk her there.

Dizzy Dog

We are easily entertained...

What a Beautiful Sunset

I took Jeremy to the fruit stand this afternoon for some apples and to see what else they had. On the way home, there was the most beautiful sunset. The sun was huge and bright orange. The surrounding sky was a gorgeous orange as well.

Jeremy commented on the sunset, and I commented on how pretty it was. Giggling, he replied, "It looks like the sun vomited all over!"

Dork. I blame it on the Beggs side.

Boys!

Today I decided I'd better vacuum. Skeeter sheds way worse than Caleb ever did, and I think I'm allergic to her. I notice when I don't' vacuum as often as I should, my allergies act up a lot. So today I vacuumed the house, except for the boy areas -- their bedrooms and the hidden room. After all, if I can't take a step in a room, I can't vacuum it! When the boys got home from school, I told them they had to clean up.

Jeremy was so sweet. He suggested I should just take it easy for the rest of the day. He had a bit smile on his face and patted me on the back as he said it. He said he was concerned for me since I have a laryngitis. NOT!!! LOL

Pets

So this is how the last 24 hours on the pet front have gone:

--Skeeter pooped in Josh's room. Nothing new about her going in the house on occasion. She just picked Josh's room last night. He had a come-apart and wanted me to shampoo the rug despite it being very solid waste and easily taken care of. hee hee

--One of the gerbils died. It was very hard on Jeremy since he had been attacked by the other gerbil when I was in Iowa. Apparently there was a lot of blood and drama. It also brought back feelings of Caleb for Jeremy. He and Mike buried the little guy this afternoon. He has been laid to rest in the front yard so Skeeter doesn't dig him up in the back and create more drama.

--When I walked the dogs this morning, we were greeted by two huge rotties on the loose. They were really well behaved and stayed when I told them to. My dogs, on the other hand, were going ballistic. Skeeter really, really wanted to play and Scruffy really, really wanted them to go away from his territory. A neighbor called the police and the escapees were hauled off. Apparently they killed her rabbit last night and was worried about my dogs. Oh -- and Skeeter escaped from the back yard and ran over to "help" when the police were trying to catch the dogs.

--I got a call from the vet about an accidental double payment I'd done on Caleb's bill. It was the first time I could talk to them because I always cry when I think of the vet's office. (I always made Mike deal with them.) I held it together until I was off the phone. It's really dumb to miss a dog this much for this long.

I guess the pros out wiegh the cons, though. What would life be with out pets?

How Shocking!

Man finds the limit to defending his political signs
Jay Price, Staff Writer

CHAPEL HILL - After Shawn Turschak saw two sets of McCain-Palin signs disappear from his yard within hours of being planted, he took steps to protect the latest pair.
On Monday, he ran wires from his house and hooked the signs into a power source for an electric pet fence. Then he mounted a surveillance camera in a nearby tree and wired it to a digital recorder.

Tuesday afternoon, the camera saw this: A neighbor trotting up with an Obama-Biden sign, grabbing a handful of volts as he touched a McCain-Palin sign, then fleeing at top 9-year-old boy speed.

A few minutes later, the boy's father, Andrew Noble, was at Turschak's door, demanding an explanation from Turschak's 13-year-old daughter, who called her parents on the phone to say a man was yelling at her. Both families agree on one aspect of the exchange, that Noble chastised her for "electrocuting" his son, then left.

The Turschaks hurried home and received another visitor: an Orange County sheriff's deputy.

Campaign signs are vandalized or stolen so often that many people don't report it, and, when they do, law officers often don't investigate.

This time was different.

The corner of the Turschak's yard where the signs are posted is a prominent point in the Oak Crest subdivision just south of Chapel Hill, so the homeowners association maintains it.

It's far enough from the Turschaks' home that it's not obviously part of their yard, and the boy's mother, Johanna Gisladottir, said she and many neighbors thought it was community property. They were troubled, she said, that someone had apparently claimed the corner on behalf of the Republican Party.

Her son, whom she declined to name, took the Obama sign to the corner on his own, she said, after being inspired by a discussion she had with a neighbor about adding one to the mix.

"I don't know what his intention was when he ran out, or I would not have allowed him to leave," Gisladottir said. "I honestly don't think he had a concrete plan."

Noble told an investigator that the boy had been trying to pull up the McCain sign so that he could see how it was constructed, a spokesman for the Sheriff's Department said Wednesday.

The video, Turschak said, makes clear that the boy was planning to switch the signs, which are essentially sheathes that slip over metal framework. The boy had only brought the Democratic sheath, not the legs.

Not all the thefts, Turschak said, could have been caused by a misunderstanding about the land. One sign had been beside his driveway, and a next-door neighbor lost a McCain sign, too.

Turschak, who has a degree in electrical engineering, said he tested the shock on himself while wiring the signs, and did so again while a reporter watched Wednesday, touching both signs repeatedly without flinching. Under each was a yellow sign warning that they were electrified.

Turschak , it turns out, isn't a member of Orange County's perennially embattled Republicans, who are outnumbered nearly 3 to 1 by Democrats. He's registered as an unaffiliated voter and said he doesn't agree fully with either party.

"This isn't about politics," he said. "This is about my right to protect my property and my ability to display my beliefs."

Capt. James Nida of the Sheriff's Department talked to both families Wednesday. Nida, who as a child experienced the charms of electric fences, didn't feel the need to test Turschak's signs.

"Been there, done that," he said.

Sheriff Lindy Pendergrass said he doesn't plan to file charges. The deputy who investigated Tuesday said the pet-fence setup probably was legal, Turschak said, but perhaps more trouble than it was worth. Turschak said Wednesday morning that he would pull the plug on the signs. The camera, though, stayed.

And Wednesday afternoon while the Turschaks were at a daughter's soccer game, it captured an angry-looking woman striding up.

"We got home and both signs were gone," he said. "Broad daylight."

____________
The most shocking thing about this story? The parents of the little theif. They'll have lots of fun with him when he's a teen.

Sniff, sniff!

The Spider

Well, no one has posted a cool spider picture lately, so I thought I would. This was a gigantic garden spider outside Mom and Larry's door. For some reason when the kids came and started banging the door constantly, it moved. Go figure! If you really want to be grossed out, click on the picture.

Goings on...

Well, today I got the kids off to school, walked the dogs and went with Mike to eat breakfast with some parishioners. Breakfast was nice. After eating the husband showed off the antique cars and trucks he refurbishes. They were cool. He had a Model-T and an old pickup where the bed was made of wooden slats. He also had a truck from the 40's that he drives all over town. It was fun.

I found out at church that the schools only hire people they know (poops!), so I went into Starbucks today to see about a job there. No openings, but she wanted me to fill out an application in case one comes up. I asked if they have a lot of turnover, and she said not. That is good in that it must be a good place to work, but bad for me wanting a job yesterday. It really irks me when I have to fill out an application where they ask for a bunch of information, but don't provide enough space to write it. They do have an application online, but you can't fill it in before printing it out. Bummer. Maybe something will come up in the local paper's classifieds this week.

Skeeter seems to be house trained now. Whew! Long walks, dog treats and lots of praise do wonders. Now when Skeeter takes care of business, Scruffy looks at me expecting a treat. I had to explain this morning that we don't use bribery forever. Scruffy just stared blankly at me. This week's goal (besides teaching Skeeter not to jump or chew socks) is to get Skeeter crate trained. She has discovered her beagle's bay while in the crate. I figured if I'm going to Iowa for a week, she better get accustomed to the crate now. She will have to be in it when no one is home. Silly dog has chewed through too many cords to have freedom.

Skeeter

Skeeter is doing really well. She slept through the night and did her business outside. Now we just have to conquer walking on the leash and coming when called.

Scruffy and the Horses

When I took Scruffy for his walk this morning, we passed a pasture with two horses. Normally the horses are at the far end of the pasture, but today they were very close to the fence. Scruffy was so funny. He stopped. He looked. He analyzed. He decided that caution was in order. He took a step on the sidewalk. He paused. All was safe. He took another step. Still safe, but he'd better not bark at this big animal. He took another step. So did a horse. This went on for a few steps until Scruffy decided it would be in his best interest to move on down the street.

Oh, My

The new pup will be a challenge. She has so many bad habits. Her crate was full of feces and urine this morning. I'm hoping that was from the anesthesia. I've taken her out several times, but she has yet to go outside. She has absolutely no house manners and has never been on a leash. I'm finding she responds better to Scruffy's old harness than her leash. Giving her her ear medicine (four drops in each ear twice a day) is a nightmare. I'm sure she was an outside dog as that is where she is most comfortable.

That being said, she really has a very, very sweet personality. I put an old bathmat by her crate while cleaning it. She went right to it to lay down and is being good as gold. Hopefully she will go potty on a walk or outside soon so I can lavish praise on her.


***********************
Update: She really is a sweetie. She has started following me around in the house. She does love it outside, though. She is out laying in the yard now. I think the coolness of the ground is soothing to her stitches since she isn't scratching out there. As long as she doesn't get the stitches dirty, I think she'll be ok.

Name the Dog

Well, we went to the pound a got a new puppy.

So far, I want to name her Skeeter (Sam's suggestion), Mike wants Hermione, Jeremy wants Luna, and Josh wants Skid Mark. Needless to say, Josh isn't getting his way!

Now I'm sure you realize that Skeeter is the best name. :^) Rita Skeeter was the snoopy and highly energized reporter in the Harry Potter Books. Beagles are highly inquisitive and Jack Russells are hyper. Perfect name!!

You can vote for your favorite on the poll to the right.

Politics

It is really sorry the way the media is treating Sarah Palin. I really don't think a man would be subject to this. I really feel sorry for her daughter. Can you imagine being 17, pregnant, and the main topic of conversation in the U.S.? And her husband was picked up for DUI in his early 20's! Wasn't that about how old Obama was when he smoked pot? Not that there is a double standard or media bias. Of course not!

As I was watching the convention last night, I was impressed by Fred Thompson's take on the election. After all, it's all about moose and swamps.

Are we Dutch???

Christy and Dad in the mall.

The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat

So, I'm up WAY too late. I'm trying to get a cover letter, resume, and application together. I've done the dumb online application about three or four times because it keeps crashing my computer. After I've spent hours on it. Do you have any idea how many schools I've been to? Too many. But that's another story.

While hunting down all the required information, I've been watching some of the Olympics. Although it is awe inspiring to watch all these young athletes, the thing that strikes me most is the awarding of the medals. During the competitions we see "The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat". For example, when Michael Phelps won a relay, he was all about the "Thrill of Victory" as his testosterone levels alone could win a gold medal! (I think all the other men competing against him have thrown in the towel and are thrilled to get the silver.) The "Agony of Defeat" is evident in the faces of many of the Chinese or old Iron Curtain countries' athletes who don't win. I feel for them. Winning is so important to their countries, they seem to take it much worse than our athletes.

I think the thing that makes the most impact on me isn't the displays of "The Thrill of Victory, The Agony of Defeat". It is the look on the medalists faces as they stand to hear their national anthem played. The look on their faces says it all.

So now I'm experiencing the thrill of victory because I have finally beat the online application at it's own game. Woo hoo! Or maybe I'm just feeling fried since it's 1:33 a.m.

He was the best dog...

Caleb was a wonderful dog. He was my faithful companion. He was always at my side. Even when I went to the bathroom, I'd see his hair sticking under the door as he waited for me to come out. Silly boy. It just won't be the same without him.

He was so sweet today. I know he felt lousey and wanted to come home. He just couldn't get up the energy to stand up. He kept giving me doggie hugs.

I kept his collar and a lock of his hair. Silly, I guess. But after all, he was my dog, my fatihful companion.

45 Life Lessons

This was written By Regina Brett The Plain Dealer, Cleveland , Ohio --

To celebrate growing older, I once wrote the 45 lessons life taught me.
It is the most-requested column I've ever written. My odometer rolls
Over to 70 in August, so here goes.
1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.
2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.
3. Life is too short to waste time hating anyone.
4. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does.
5. Pay off your credit cards every month.
6. You don't have to win every argument. Agree to disagree.
7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.
8. It's OK to get angry with God. He can take it.
9. Save for retirement starting with your first paycheck.
10. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.
11. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.
12. It's OK to let your children see you cry.
13. Don't compare your life to others'. You have no idea what their journey is all about.
14. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it.
15. Everything can change in the blink of an eye. But don't worry; God never blinks.
16. Life is too short for long pity parties. Get busy living, or get busy dying.
17. You can get through anything if you stay put in today.
18. A writer writes. If you want to be a writer, write.
19. It's never too late to have a happy childhood. But the second one is up to you and no one else.
20. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.
21. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.
22. Over prepare, then go with the flow.
23. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.
24. The most important sex organ is the brain.
25. No one is in charge of your happiness except you.
26. Frame every so-called disaster with these words: "In five years, will this matter?"
27. Always choose life.
28. Forgive everyone everything.
29. What other people think of you is none of your business.
30. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.
31. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.
32. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends will. Stay in touch.
33. Believe in miracles.
34. God loves you because of who God is, not because of anything you did or didn't do.
35. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.
36. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.
37. Your children get only one childhood. Make it memorable.
38. Read the Psalms. They cover every human emotion.
39. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere.
40. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd Grab ours back.
41. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.
42. Get rid of anything that isn't useful, beautiful or joyful.
43. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.
44. Envy is a waste of time. You already have all you need.
45. The best is yet to come.
46. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.
47. Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.
48. If you don't ask, you don't get.
49. Yield.
50. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

Paris for President!

See more Paris Hilton videos at Funny or Die

The Great Obama

The Trailer...It's Finally Here!

On the Rebound

Before we moved, we (o.k. I) thought seriously about having Caleb put down. He would often fall down and not be able to get up and he slept a lot -- even for a dog. The vet told me to give him fish oil pills. They seemed to help a bit, but not much. The poor guy got pretty bad this spring, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Sniff, sniff. Someone at church told me to try glucosamine tablets. I decided to give it a try. The bottle said it would take a few weeks to kick in.

I almost gave up hope and thought about finding a vet up here to have him put down. Then I noticed some improvement. He started walking further and easier on our walks and wasn't sleeping so much. He seems to be improveing daily. Now he will even put Scruffy in his place again. (Scruffy had been making a bid for alpha dog.) The only downside is he barks like mad again when someone comes to the door. Now if I can only get him to use the doggie door....

Back Online

Well, we finally got the phone, internet and tv hooked up this week. Yea!!!! All that was left was to hook up the router for wireless access. It should have been quite simple to set up. But naturally it wasn't. After hours trying to get it to work on my own and hours on the phone with Sam, we finally got a pro in. Naturally being the cheapskate that I am, I didn't want to pay someone to do a "simple" job. After all, I reasoned, if Christy could do it, so could I. (No sibling rivalry here! hee hee) Mike's computer wouldn't work at church, so he called a repair guy. It was a quick, simple fix, so Mike brought him over to the house. He had the computers all on a secure network in less than five minutes. Sigh.

I can only console myself with the knowledge it is all Comcast's fault. They set up their modems so they will only connect to the first thing they are hooked up to -- the computer. So when I hooked it to the router, it wouldn't work. The repair guy reset the modem and we were up and running. One has to wonder why the Comcast guy didn't bother to tell me that when he saw the router on the computer. Do you think it has to do with the fact that they will set it up for you for a rather substantial fee? ;^)

Moving thoughts

Well, we finally got moved. I really hate moving. I hate packing. And then it never all fits in the truck, so we have to do two trips. Good grief. It's time to purge!!! I'm not sure that I like unpacking any more than packing. You have to find places for all the JUNK you moved. Sigh. That's what I get for living in a family where half the members are pack rats.

On the upside, the new parsonage is very nice. I have a crafting area, Mike has his drums set up, and the kitchen actually holds all my stuff with room to spare. The biggest plus is that the windows open!!!! Woo hoo!

Four more days until I have internet, tv and phone service. Thank-goodness for libraries, DVDs and cell phones. (Why do spell checks always want to capitalize "internet"?)

Wouldn't You Know It

We have had our typical Northwest spring. The weather has been nice and cool. Jackets have been necessary in the mornings and Jeremy is still living in sweats. So now that I am down to crunch time on packing it is going to get up into the 90's and will probably break some records. Oh, the joy!!!

The good news is that I should get the kitchen and dining room today -- hopefully this morning. I've told the boys their rooms have to be done before they go to the lock-in at church tonight. My biggest challenge will be the laundry room, a.k.a. the dumping room.

If all goes according to plan, we will have everything packed up Monday. That will leave me Tuesday to do some cleaning, take the beds apart, etc. Of course, it never goes according to plan, but I guess we'll get moved in the end.

House Hunting

So, I was sitting on the couch
"working" on the computer (i.e. not packing) when my attention was drawn to the door. At first I thought hummingbirds had come to get nectar from the flowers hanging on the wall outside. The two plant holders are faux birdhouses, complete with a holes for the doors. These two cute little birds had flown up to investigate, one to each house. They had seemingly found the perfect houses. Beautiful flowers camoflauged the doors and the houses looked quite roomy. There was just one snag. The holes were blocked by the wall behind them. Once they found out they coudn't get in their door, they switched houses to test the other. Too cute!

A couple more weeks...

Just a couple weeks until we move. Did I mention I hate moving? Well, actually, what I hate is the process of moving -- packing, getting the truck, people to help, and unpacking. I love living in different places. In fact, when I live somewhere more than three years, I get itchy feet and am ready to move on. It is fun living in different places. Each place has it's unique qualities. Lynden will be interesting since it is a Dutch town and is so close to Canada.

I've only been to Canada once. We took a road trip just so I could say I've been there. It could be interesting taking the boys over the boarder. I'll have to take their birth certificates and proof of citizenship papers. Mike still has his passport. I think I'll get the special Washington State drivers licence that allows us to cross the boarder without a passport.

But that is a few weeks away. Now I have to pack. These five years in Fircrest have the longest I lived on one house since I graduated from high school. It will be harder to leave here than some other places I've lived. We've been here long enough to make good friends. But life marches on. :^)

Weird News, Good News, Bad News, Good News

The District Superintendent met with the Staff Parish Relations Committee last night to introduce the incoming pastor. Apparently the pastor is a Korean man with a very heavy accent. He is presently serving just a couple miles from here at a church with about 25 people. They have yet to appoint someone to his church. I don't know why they don't make it a two point charge. Most conference will not appoint a pastor to a church within driving distance to their old church so that the parishioners won't follow them. It is an interesting appointment, to say the least.

The good news is that according to the DS, Mike is getting a raise at the new church. Whew!! I'm sure it won't be much, but it surely beats a drop in pay! Hopefully it will be enough to cover our insurance.

The bad news is that the conference is giving us a whopping $1,000 to move. My friend, Charlee, got estimates for a local move and it was $2,000-3,000. Mike isn't supposed to do any lifting, so this makes things interesting. We will have to do the U-Haul for sure. Last night I thought of a couple people we could probably hire to help us. With any luck they have a couple of friends who can help, too.

The final good news is that Mike's latest blood tests shows his cholesterol and triglyceride numbers are all back in the normal range. Yea!!! So if his high blood pressure doesn't get to him, he may survive the stress.

Teresa Goes to Camp

So, we had family camp today at Camp Indianola. It is a beautiful place on the Sound. The boys spent most of their time on the big swing. (See posts below.) I don't think Josh even got down to the beach.

When I go to camp, I make a big impression. The first year I went I was on the beach when all of the sudden a large stream of water came up out of the ground and soaked me. It scared the hooey out of me, and I screamed. Everyone thought it was hilarious. The source of the water was a gooey duck. Gooey ducks are the grossest and ugliest creatures you can imagine. As I told a friend today, they are proof that God as a sense of humour. They are enormous clams that borrow down in the sand and if you step on or near their hole, they squirt you. It's kind of fun to make them squirt -- as long as you know it's coming.

This year some of the kids found a dead mouse near the fire pit. We were standing around talking after making s'mores and someone mentioned the dead mouse. I realized it had been right around where we were standing, so we all looked around for it. I was standing on it. GROSS!!! Of course I had shoes on with treads on the soles. Thank-goodness it was long dead and not a juicy critter. Later the camp cat came around and searched the area. I'm sure he is the one that put the rodent there.

The Big Swing

We went to family camp today. The boys had a blast on the big swing...

Jeremy's turn

This one was good, too....

My Favorite American Idol Song of the Night

Well, the one where the comedians sang back up was funny, but I really liked this.

It Will Be an Interesting Time

Mike was told a couple of weeks ago he was going to be moved. He had no say in the matter. Last week the conference office called to get the contact information for the person at church who would tell everyone Mike would be leaving. They wanted to email the letter to be read at church. Mike pointed out they had not contacted the appropriate committee yet, so they would not be aware of the impending move. To make a long story short, the district superintendent came to meet with the committee that evening. They have no idea who will be placed here. The meeting didn't go well. I'm told she was made well aware of their displeasure. She went off to confer with the bishop who in the end decided the move was on and the announcement was to be made. The church refused to make it.

Church Council met last night and the matter was discussed. It seems that the conference is required to confer with the church and the pastor before making any moves. They did not. The church sent a letter of complaint not only to the district superintendent and the regional bishop, but to the entire Council of Bishops. The today the church contacted one of the leaders of the conservative movement within the national church. It seems our little church may well be at the center of a national incident.

A True Hero

I was reading on the internet about the death of a woman, Irena Sendler, who saved 2,500 Jewish children during WWII. It is a fascinating story. She lost the 2007 Nobel Peace Prize to Al Gore. There's a puzzler for you.

The Sound of Silence

I am here in my house. Alone. No one else is here. It is quiet. No Josh to make irritating noises to see how long it takes me to yell at him -- I mean nicely ask him to quit making obnoxious sounds. No Jeremy to talk incessantly. No Mike wondering why we don't have a certain food item in the house that he hasn't wanted for months, yet wants now.

Oh, rats. I should have known it was too good to last. Caleb just saw someone walking down the other side of the street on the far end of the block. Scruffy feels the need to join in on the barking. Looks like they are scaring the the dangerous trespassers away, though. They are now walking away from the house. Mission accomplished.

The Nap

The boys had a lock-in at church last night. Naturally, they got very little sleep. This afternoon I told them they had to take a break from tv and computer games. I was nice enough to give them a 15-minute warning so they could wrap things up, but Jeremy was not happy to hear this. I left the room and come back in five minutes to find him fast asleep. Now this is a bit of a minor miracle. Jeremy does not under any circumstances whatsoever nap. Ever. He has been like that most of his life.

After about an hour, he rolled off the couch. He stumbled into the kitchen. He came right back in the living room and sat beside me on the other couch. He was very upset and told me he didn’t want to make any tea. Confused, I asked him if he wanted to drink tea. He replied that he didn’t want to make ME any tea. Now I was really confused and wanted to know why he thought I wanted tea. It seems he had a dream that I had told him to go make me some tea. Apparently he was sleep walking. Too funny.

Unsobby Coffee

A couple of months ago McDonald's came out with a fancy line of coffee. They wanted to compete with Starbucks. Being the birthplace of Starbucks, it definitely caught the attention of the local media who immediate got a coffee connoisseur to test the java from the two companies. McDonald's won. I've been thinking I should try it, so when I got a coupon in the paper I decided to give it a go. It is pretty good.

Click on the title above for your own coupon. :^)

Life In a Northern Town

Just because I like it...

I thought Mike's fine was bad....

Mike got had to pay mega bucks for parking in a no parking zone at a Seattle hospital a while back. The truck got towed and he had to pay a ticket on top of that. I thought that was bad until I saw this....

Blog Guy, I’ve read that America’s big cities are running out of parking places. I know you travel the world. Are other cities trying anything new?
You bet. Berlin is looking at so-called “momentum parking.” You leave your car, and a huge crane hoists it up 500 feet, then lets it go. The impact buries it several feet down, thus taking up far less room than an ordinary space.
I don’t believe that. You’re just making up stuff to go with stupid pictures again.
I’m serious! It’s happening in ‘Potsdamer Platz,’ which is German for “My car went platz!!” You can look it up.

Ok. It's really "unidentified artwork" but it was funny.

Momsense

If you are a mom, you know you've done this. If you have a mom you've heard it!




What about dads, you ask? Well Anita has done one for them, too!



by Anita Renfroe

The Refrigerator

We have a refrigerator sitting in our basement that Mike’s parents bought before Mike was born. We used it to keep milk, pop, veggies, etc. in so the kitchen refrigerator wouldn’t be so crowded after trips to Costco. It gave up the ghost last winter. It’s amazing that it lasted over forty years. I feel kind of bad to be taking it off to the dump today. It seems like it should go to the Museum of They Don’t Build Them Like They Used To.

How to cope with stress

Fill out your tax form using Roman numerals.

Why?

Apparently the hot new sport is extreme ironing. You take an iron and ironing board on vacation with you and photograph yourself ironing. Why??? I do my best to never iron at home. Why would I want to do that on vacation?

Harry Potter Puppet Pals

You must check this out! (Joshua says to be sure to tell you he is the one who showed it to me.)



Then check out this version:

Snow: Day 3

Here we are at the end of March. The first day of spring has come and gone. The cherry trees are in bloom. Spring flowers are in bloom. Trees are budding. Snow if falling for the third day. So far we've only gotten trace amounts, but you never know -- it's starting to stick.

The Blarney Stone

The Blarney Stone is a block of bluestone built into the battlements of Blarney Castle, Blarney near Cork, Ireland. According to legend, kissing the stone endows the kisser with the gift of gab (great eloquence or skill at flattery). The stone was set into a tower of the castle in 1446. The castle is a popular tourist site in Ireland, attracting visitors from all over the world to kiss the Stone and tour the castle and its charming gardens. (You can see the stone in the picture between the green on the vertical bars.)

When we lived in England, we took a trip with Mike’s parents to Ireland and were able to go see the Blarney Stone. It was not at all glamourous and was extremely difficult to get to. You have to lay down on your back and lean over the edge of the castle ruins to kiss it. Jerry actually kissed it, which was no easy feat.

The locals do have a secret surrounding the stone. Since all the tourists kiss it, they urinate on it. :^)

You Will Never Be Sorry

YOU WILL NEVER BE SORRY
...for thinking before acting
...for hearing before judging
...for forgiving your enemies
...for being candid and frank
...for helping a fallen brother
...for being honest in business
...for thinking before speaking
...for being loyal to your church
...for standing by your principles
...for closing your ears to gossip
...for bridling a slanderous tongue
...for harboring pure thoughts
...for sympathizing with the afflicted
...for being courteous and kind to all.

It's Just Wrong!

I paid over $35 to fill my gas tank today. It was only 9 gallons for goodness sake. I'm so glad I don't have the minivan anymore. I guess I should find comfort in the fact that the moose don't have to walk under any more pipelines in Alaska.

Josh's Tae Kwon Do Testing

Here is Josh (in the middle) showing his kicks before the black belts.

Orange Belt for Josh!

Joshua got his orange belt in Tae Kwon Do today. Since he changed belt colors, he got to break a board by kicking it.

Mom, Please Don't Make Me Eat Candy!!!!

ThiS post will explain a lot about Jeremy. Before you read on, keep in mind this is the kid who loves Hot Tamale candies and how has to be limited to three apples a day or I'd go broke.

Jeremy lost a tooth and can't eat apples because it made his mouth bleed. Since I had a boat load of apples on the kitchen table, I decided to make the candied apple rings my Grandma Crouse used to make. I got some red hots and made the delectable fruit. Jeremy flat out refused to try it. He said (and I quote), "Mom, please don't make me eat candy!!!!"

Joshua, on the other hand, tried it pretended to gag just to get under my skin. Woe is me!

Fly Me to the Moon

There is a total eclipse of the moon tonight. These are unusual occurrences, and because of our rainy weather, are even more exceptional in Fircrest. However tonight we have a great view of the eclipse right out our front door.

I have a secret ambition to travel into space. I would love to go to the moon. It doesn’t look like it will happen in my lifetime, though. I told Jeremy he might have to bury me there. He looked at me like I was absolutely crazy. Go figure. I asked him why he didn’t want to bury me on the moon. I was really rather touched, thinking he wanted to go visit my grave or something. Turns out he doesn’t want to go to the moon. Sigh. I told him he could just send me up with someone else.

Josh Has Heart

Today I took the boys to the University of Washington to a bioengineering workshop. It was pretty cool. They showed us what they use for hip, knee, and finger joint replacements, as well as heart valves and stints. They even showed us the catheter used to place stints. Then they got to dissect a sheep's heart. Jeremy didn't have fun with that. The teacher asked him if she needed to bring him the trashcan. He was pretty green. Josh loved it until she showed him how to stick her finger through the heart's chamber, and the valve to come up on the outside of the heart. He turned even greener! He soon overcame it, though and was putting his finger through!

Who Says You Can't Get Good Service Anymore?

I was cleaning my carpets one day and noticed I was trailing a stream of water. My clean water tank was cracked. I ignored my dirty carpets as long as I could. The stains didn't show up that badly, after all.

Then along came Caleb. When I called to let him in the other day, he didn't come. That means he found something good to eat around the corner. I'm sure the neighbors threw a steak over the fence. (I prefer to ignore the fact that he likes to catch birds to eat.) He came in the house, walked in the living room and threw up something very dark. Right in the middle of the floor. Goober.

I now had no choice but to find a new tank for the carpet cleaner. I looked on the Hoover site and could not find the correct model number for a replacement, so I emailed them to find out the information. I was blown over by their response:

We will be happy to ship a replacement tank to your address as a customer courtesy.

I am getting a $40 tank for free! I've had the machine for years, so I never expected this. Hurray for Hoover!

So Proud...

I’m just so proud of the boys. After months, no years, of bickering and fighting, they spent the evening getting together! They are collaborating on a book. They are writing, not just any old book, but A Book of Proverbs. What more could a mom want????

Here are some of the proverbs they have penned:

• You are but a drop of urine in the bladder of life.
• You are but a maggot in this crap we call life.
• You are but a drizzly, chunky piece of vomit in the bucket of life.
• You are but an odd smell in the manure farm of life
• You are but the black center of the bird crap of life.
• You are but a thread in the dirty underwear of life.

I blame it on the Beggs side of the family.

It happened

Josh is 3/4 of an inch taller than Mike.

The Cake

Joshua had his birthday party this weekend. He decided he wanted a homemade chocolate cake filled with mint chocolate chip ice cream. The day before the party I went to Costco. They had a yummy chocolate caked filled with fudge and covered with the dark chocolate icing and chocolate shavings. I called him up to tell him about it. No go. He still wanted a homemade cake. I walked around Coscto and saw the cheesecakes. I called Josh up again to tempt him with the delious, yet no-work-for-Mom cheesecake. No go. Sigh. I might as well give up. I went to the store and picked up a cake mix, ice cream and Cool Whip (for frosting).

When I got home I dug out my fancy-smancy dome cake pan and baked the cake. So far so good. It even came loose from the cake pan. I softened the ice cream and put it in the hollow of the cake, then put on the top, which would soon become the bottom. Back to the freezer to refreeze the ice cream. When it was time to serve it, I iced it with the Cool Whip. All were duly impressed, including myself. It really wasn’t all that hard to do. I might have to do it more often.

Joshua turned 14 today. Or yesterday on British time. He was such a good baby. Now I'm contemplating Mark Twain's advice on teens. Does anyone have a spare rain barrel? hee hee

This, That, and the Other

The day before Mike got the second round of stents, he had to go to the cardiologist. He told us Mike has to eat fish three times a week. Not just any fish. It has to be ocean fish that is rich in omega 3 fatty acids. Not just any ocean fish rich in omega 3 fatty acids, either. It has to be from the real ocean, not farm raised. My grocery bill just shot through the roof. Thank goodness for Costco!

Joshua is going to be 14 this week. They say surly teenagers are nature’s way of ensuring that we push them out of the nest. He did apologize for something today. I about died of shock. There may be hope yet....

I have too much to do and not enough time to do it. Hmmm. What I need is a vacation! When we got home from the doctor’s one day we found a gift certificate for the hotel and spa at Snoqualmie Falls. http://www.salishlodge.com/ The note didn’t say who gave it. How kind was that? It will be fun, but I think I want to do that later when the snow starts to thaw. Then the water fall will be spectacular this year with all the snow they’ve been getting in the mountains! I'm going to try the $75 breakfast.

How Weird Is This??

Mike, as you know, entered the hospital on Monday to have a stent placed. I was checking my email tonight and a friend sent me a message saying that the local paper has the obituary of a man named Michael Beggs. (Click on the title to see it.) Her husband thought it was Mike. I bet the church will be getting a lot of phone calls.

Captain Jack Sparrow Burglar

So, I have been having a pity party today. Silly, but true. Then I watched the news tonight and perked right up. This idiot tried to break into a coffee shop a few miles from here. The owner put the surveillancetape on youtube with some great commentary. Click on the title above for a laugh.

The owener posted this on youtube:
Yes, Captain Jack has given himself up and is in custody. The suspect walked in to the Tacoma Police Station and turned himself in and admitted he was the person in the video. He added he does not remember committing the crime because of his intoxication that night. Oh...he also said that he suffered a dislocated knee when he kicked the back door the last time. :)

Too Hot, Too Cold, or Just Right?

So, Mike is now trying to watch what he eats. It is a bit rough going at the moment. He talks about cheese a lot. That seems to be his most difficult sacrifice. We need to get an appointment with the dietitian so we can find out exactly what he should and shouldn’t eat. He is trying though. He actually tasted oatmeal today. It was probably the first time he did since graduating from oatmeal baby cereal. I bought the good stuff from the store yesterday. Not the nasty, vile instant oatmeal in packages or even Quaker’s Old Fashioned Oats. I went to the health food section and bought Scottish Oats. Those are delicious. I made them with cinnamon and a touch of brown sugar. Mike came into the room and I held out a spoon to him. He ignored it. I persisted. So did he. I said, “Taste it.” He said “Not now.” I said, “Yes, now.” He took the spoon. He looked at it. He put it in his mouth. He got a nasty look on his face before the porridge even hit his tongue. He then said, “It’s mushy.” Then a mildly surprised look crossed his face. “It’s not bad,” he pounced. “I taste cinnamon and brown sugar.” An extremely shocked looked crossed my face. I had no clue he had ever tasted brown sugar, much less cinnamon. Althought it wasn't "just right", there may be hope.

Wanna see some elves?

Click on the title above.

To Work or Not to Work: That Is the Question!

I've been asked to apply for a preschool assistant teacher job 3 afternoons a week. I really don't want to take it, but probably should. I substituted a couple of days this week and things went well at home with the boys. We just did the stuff they needed help with first and they worked on their own in the afternoon.

There were some cute kids in the class, but a couple are real stinkers. One is a little girl who looks angelic, but isn't. None of the other kids will play with her. It's sad, really. The other is a little boy who is still in a pull-up. I don't know why they let him in the class as he should be potty trained. He could be, but he is as stubborn as the day is long. I told him he has ants in his pants. He didn't know what to think about that!

Before and After

Scruffy just got a hair cut. I think he is really cute when he has long hair, but when the black rugs in the kitchen turn white, it's time for a trim. :^)

Mmmm

Tonight we had Thanksgiving Dinner at the church. Our church takes turns hosting homeless families and this was our week. My friend Charlee signed up to do the meal tonight and asked if I would help. Charlee and her husband made the most delicious turkey on the BBQ. It was so good. She also made chestnut and sausage stuffing to die for. All I had to do was bring rolls and mashed potatoes. It was an excellent meal. I can’t remember the last traditional Thanksgiving meal I’ve had.

The homeless kids were a real eye-opener for the boys. The youngest was 11 and he had some mental/emotional issues. His sister was loud, obnoxious, and had all the teen-age boys but one at her beck and call. Her mother was totally clueless about how to control her children. It was sad. The boy who stayed away from the girl had a wise grandma keeping an eye on him. The other boys’ mother seemed blind to the fact that if someone didn’t intervene, she would soon be a grandma. And unless they did a DNA test no one would know which of her three sons the father was.

It made me wonder how the homeless kids I worked with in Dallas are doing. They would all be grown up by now. Some of them had wonderful parents and were homeless because of circumstances. I always hoped they would make it.

At any rate, I believe the boys now see that they have many things for which they can give thanks.

Frick and Frack

So, it is almost Christmas. The ONLY thing Leta likes for Christmas are pictures of the boys. Since they don’t go to school, I have to haul them to Penney’s Portrait Studio to get school pictures. Jeremy had his done yesterday. The photographer fell in love with him and commented that he was her easiest shoot that day. It was really hard to pick the picture because they were all so good.

Today I took in Josh. Last year I made him wear something nice and made sure his hair looked good. He was really grumpy as a result and his picture reflected it. This year I left everything up to him. I refused to look at him before he left. My only condition was that he couldn’t wear the t-shirt Mike’s dad got him that says, “I don’t give a…” and has a picture of a rat sitting on a donkey. Oh – and he had the hood of his hoodie over his head so I couldn’t see his hair anyway. So we get to the studio and I look at his hair. Dandruff and oil. Sigh. So I made him comb out the dandruff. When we got into the studio he absolutely refused to smile. He bit his lip to stop smiling because the photographer was making him crack up. The rat. When she finally got all his pictures done, another lady showed them to us to so we choose what we wanted. Usually they try to get you to buy a whole bunch. These were so bad, the lady just sold us the package and let us go. We hopefully found one that will work.

The Battle Over the Hair

It would seem that at some time or another in every family with boys there will be a battle over hair. Should it be long or should it be short? It inevitably will come down to a battle of the wills. Today I took matters into my own hands. I put it in a pony tale to keep it out of his eyes. It was the only way if it wasn’t going to be cut. There was much yelling and screaming, but I prevailed.

Do We Have a Scrooge In the Family???

Inquiring minds want to know. (See poll)

A Time To Give Thanks

When I was growing up, Thanks-giving was my favorite time of the year. I loved the meal, and it didn't hurt that my birthday was always around then. Alas, I have grown up and things have changed. My beloved traditional Thanksgiving meal has turned to a meal of ham and cornbread stuffing. It would seem that not everyone likes turkey and good old bread stuffing, and I am low man on the totem pole. So, I compromise and make a traditional meal the weekend before or after Thanksgiving. As for my birthday, Jeremy is generally the only one around here who remembers it. That may not be such a bad thing...

The Big Emergency

I was fast asleep last night when Caleb’s barking woke me up. He was barking like he does when he is shut up in the bedroom without me. I turned on the light so he could see I was there, but he continued barking urgently. So, thinking something must be wrong, I got out of be and he tore out of the room to the living room. The big emergency? Mike was eating a midnight snack of pizza without him. I was not amused at either of them.

Caleb’s Woes

Caleb gave me a right scare today. Jeremy was in the kitchen doing his work and told me Caleb couldn’t get up. He couldn’t get his back legs under him. Since he could move both legs I told Jeremy his leg probably fell asleep and he’d be ok. Naturally I started thinking if he didn’t move in a couple minutes, we’d have to go to the vet. Of course I then started thinking worse case scenarios like having to put him down. What do you do with a dog that can’t walk? Then I panicked and called Mike to come home right away and help me get him to a vet. Now this is Halloween and the church sent out thousands of fliers to school children about the Harvest Festival at church tonight. Three hours before it starts isn’t a good time for him to leave church, but he did. :^) Naturally as soon as I got off the phone, Caleb stood up pretty as you please and acted like nothing bad had happened. Go figure.

That Dog!!!!

Last night I had a couple members of my stamping club over to make a small Christmas album. One of the ladies, Charlee, a friend of mine, just thinks Scruffy hung the moon. She lets him out of the kitchen every time she comes over. Last night I decided that I might as well give him his freedom before she got there since he has been so good lately. Naturally when they arrived his shot out the front door. They called and he actually came back. Then we were standing in a group looking at some photos Charlee brought. Then Charlee noticed a WET MARK going all the way from the computer in the dinning room to the kitchen door. Oh, yeah. He also walked over Charlee’s foot while peeing!!!!! Dumb dog!!! Can you believe she still likes him?????

Trying To Be Good...

I'm

trying to be good. There is a really cool binding machine called Bind-It-All that, amazingly enough, binds stuff. It punches the holes in whatever you want – paper, cardstock, even cd’s – then puts a wire binding on them. How cool is that!!! Imagine all the neat stuff I could make with it! Unfortunately for me, it is $60, so I’m trying to be good. Really. I am.

A PRE-SCHOOL TEST

Which way is the bus traveling? To the left or to the right? Can't make up your mind? Look carefully at the picture again.? Still don't know? Pre-schoolers all over the United States were shown this picture asked the same question. 90% of the pre-schoolers gave this answer. "The bus is traveling to the left." When asked, "Why do you think the bus is traveling to the left?" They answered: "Because you can't see the door to get on th e bus."

Duh!

I'm one of the 55. Are You?

fi yuo cna raed tihs, yuo hvae a sgtrane mnid too. Cna yuo raed tihs? Olny 55 plepoe out of 100 can.i cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it dseno't mtaetr in waht oerdr the ltteres in a wrod are, the olny iproamtnt tihng is taht the frsit and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it whotuit a pboerlm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Azanmig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt ! if you can raed tihs forwrad it.

Maybe that's why I can't spell! ;^)

Holy Crap!

Seattle thieves swipe truck, toilet-shaped soapbox racer
05:16 PM PDT on Sunday, October 7, 2007
Associated Press
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Thieves who took a truck in Seattle may have looked a little flushed when they found out what was in the back: a 7-foot-high, 7-foot-long soapbox racer shaped like a toilet.
Five friends built the racer in Colorado Springs for the Red Bull soapbox race in Seattle in late September. It was stolen when the truck it was sitting in was swiped from their hotel parking lot late last month.
Neither the truck nor the toilet-shaped racer have been found.
"We're laughing about it," soapbox driver Tom Valentine said Friday. He just wishes he could've seen the thieves' faces when they opened the back of the truck.
"My guess is (they said), 'Oh, crap, it's a giant toilet."' The soapbox car didn't win any races but was second in the people's choice competition.

HOLD THE PRESSES!!! They just reported on the news it's been found! We can all sleep now.

Rain, Rain Go Away

After a sunny fall, the rains have arrived. It isn’t too bad – there is a mix of sun and rain. It was really strange today. The sun was shinning in the yard, but the clouds just to the east were really dark and menacing. If I lived in the Midwest, I would have checked the tv for tornado watches. We are supposed to have a major windstorm tomorrow. All the beautiful fall leaves will be a thing of the past. Hopefully we won’t have the power outages we had last year.

Vote Now!

I can only assume that no one reads my blog since no one voted on my poll. Sigh. (Imagine the sounds of mournful violins playing in the background.)

Bureaucracy

I got a newsletter for the boys’ supervising teacher yesterday. In it we were told that by some extremely intelligent law, we are not allowed to use the boys’ real names in our emails back and forth. Therefore, they will be known as Je and Jo. Don’t you just love how your tax dollars are being spent?

Where, Oh, Where Has My Little Dog Gone????

We had supper tonight and then I let Scruffy loose. He headed straight for Mike, of course, so I didn’t pay attention to him. Later Mike and Josh left for a church meeting and Tae Kwon Do. After I while I noticed that I only had one dog under my feet and asked Jeremy where Scruffy was. We looked all over the house to no avail. I went to the front door thinking perhaps he had snuck out with Mike and Josh. I yelled for him and we thought we heard his tags rattle. The stinker was trapped under the lazy boy! He had been there for at least half an hour before we even noticed he wasn’t around. He must not have minded because he didn't whine. Thank goodness nothing was under there to hurt him!!

The Blue Mouse

Jeremy and I went to the Blue Mouse Theater tonight to see a second run of Harry Potter. The Blue Mouse is the oldest theater in Washington. It has been restored to it’s art deco glory. (Click on title if you want all the details on the theater.)

It's Nice to Keep in Touch. Isn't It???

I left the house today. All by myself. I had to go to Target to get a hair drier. (Mike used mine to dry off Scruffy and some how broke it. But that’s another story.) The first forty-five minutes or so at Target went really well. Then I got the first call. Jeremy wanted Easy Mac for lunch but didn’t want to go into the basement to get it in case there was a spider. I told him to either get it himself or wait until I got home. I was good for another half hour or so. Then I got the second call. Sigh. Same song, same verse. I gave the same reply, adding that I’d be home in a few minutes. I moseyed my way to the checkout. As I was in the process of paying, the phone rang AGAIN!!! Being a nice customer, I ignored it. Finally, it quit ringing, only to start up right away. Sigh. I ignored it until I was done paying at which point I returned the call. I would be right home, I said. I got into the car and pulled out of the parking lot. Guess what??? Yep. Another call. At least that time it was Josh.

The Big Bang

I went to the store today. It was at typical rainy fall day in Tacoma. While I was there the lights flickered. I just figured lightening hit somewhere – a rare occurrence, but it happens.

When I got home the boys got all excited because the lights flickered and they heard a big bang when I was gone and thought someone was trying to break into the house. Now every time I leave the house they call every five minutes unless I threaten their lives. I was amazed that I received no calls today – the one time they should have! Go figure.

Joshua turned on the tv after I arrived. There was a huge explosion at a foundry two or three miles from here. Amazing. Check out the size of the building and trees compared to the explosion.

Spiders, Spiders Everywhere!

Christy has been writing on her blog about her new roommates – spiders! Today Jeremy decided to take a Starbucks cup he’d been saving in the car for a week and actually throw it away. I was gob smacked, but quite pleased. All of the sudden I heard him screaming bloody murder and he ran and got in the car, slamming the door behind him! A spider had crawled on his hand! I honestly have never seen him so freaked before. As I backed out of the garage and looked at the garbage can. It was a big, nasty, multicolored spider. I would have freaked, too. Of course, I would have feaked at a tiny spider! ;^)

RATS!!!

We have a pear tree in the back yard. It bears so many pears that I think the branches will break off. The pears aren’t edible, though. They are covered with black spots. Yuck. Since the branches are so heavy and the tree is touching the house, I asked the trustees to have the tree pruned this fall. I also want it off the house because when we moved in, there was a rat in the attic. The exterminator said it probably got into the house by climbing the tree and accessing the attic that way. Nasty, nasty. The good news is that they caught the critter. The trustees decided that the problem was solved and asked the exterminator to remove the traps. I can’t confess to being ecstatic about that decision.

Joshua had a panic attack the other night after bedtime and said a rat ran across his room. I pretty much thought it was his imagination and said so. But then I decided it would be the perfect opportunity to nag – I mean – enlighten him on the evils of sneaking food into his room and hiding the leftovers because he was to lazy to dispose of them properly. Naturally, Mike, being a typical male, piped up and said he’d been hearing the pitter-patter of little feet in the walls and attic. Gee thanks. That’ll get Josh back to sleep right away!

Yesterday Caleb darted out into the garage after me. I was just getting something from the car, but Caleb had great hopes for a car ride. His hopes were dashed, but not for long. He found a tasty morsel to eat in the garage. I had no idea what he found, and he wasn’t going to give me a chance to find out what it was. That was really strange because he will generally let me take food from him. (The only other time he ever acted that way with me was when he caught a bird in the yard and had a tasty snack.) I came to the conclusion that he would just have to suffer the consequences of his gluttony. Or rather, I would when he got sick on my cream colored carpet. He dropped whatever it was on the floor ever so briefly. It looked like raw meat. I didn’t want to think about it. So I didn’t.

When I got up this morning, I decided to eat some breakfast. I went to the pantry to get some cereal. I glanced down on the floor and saw something that looked really nasty. No – it couldn’t be!!! A rodent dropping!!!!!!!!!!! Just one. Time to call the exterminator.

Whew!

Well, both boys have finally been enrolled in the virtual academy. No more having to make up math and writing assignments! We still haven't received their books, but we can do some of the courses online. We have been doing that in attempt to catch up a bit to where they should be. Jeremy did two week's worth of math in one day. He wanted to -- I wasn't being mean. It was all review for him. I finally had to force him to quit! I didn't have that issue with Josh! ;^)

From One Kid to Another....

The boys did the summer reading program at the library this year. When they complete 25 hours of readying, they earn several prizes. The big prize is a trip to the zoo. Joshua was determined to be bored, but when we got to the petting zoo at the end, he actually enjoyed it!!

Old Growth Tree

This is a section of Douglas fir at the Pacific Science Center. If you click on the picture, you can see a larger view of it. The middle of the log dates it’s beginnings to 1331 A.D. The other makers point out:
1492 – Discovery of America
1776 -- Independence Day
1851 – Founding of Seattle
1901 – First Water from Cedar River delivered to
Tree Cut in 1962

Why Don't Grandmas Look Like Grandmas?

Grandma 

My cousin Jenny just sent me pictures of her oldest child’s first day of school. Among those photos was a picture of Isabel with both of her grandmothers. Have you ever noticed that grandmas don’t look like grandmas anymore? Where has all the gray hair gone? Did their children not give them gray hair? How about those wrinkles derived through years of character development? And my goodness! I can’t imagine either of my grandmas donning a pair of blue jeans. I wonder, do they still make oatmeal-raisin cookies?

Boys Will Be Boys

The boys had a friend spend the night last night. Because his parents both work, he will be here until suppertime. The friend is a very nice boy. However last night, after spending a few minutes on the computer in the dining room while they were in the living room, I decided it was in my best interests to go down stairs – as far away from the noise as I could get. It wasn’t much better this morning. I’m trying my best to be on a different floor than they are. I also decided that it was in my best interests to be nowhere near them while they were eating. If you could call it eating. I think inhaling is a better word for how they consume food. In order to pry them off the GameCube, I told them they could have a cupcake or two. They decided to have a contest to see which of them could shove them in their mouths the first. Let your imagination run wild. It was even worse.

Hot, Hot, Hot, Hot, Hot!!

It is just WAY to hot!!!

Oh, the Places I've Gone!

I was browsing around some other blogs and found this cool site that will show you on a map all the states you’ve gone to. This is my map. I've been to the states in red. Ok -- so the only time I went to New York was to fly into JFK and take a bus to LaGuardia. (It was totally boring and I never even had a glimpse of the Statue of Liberty.) And the only time I was in Florida was to fly into Jacksonville and drive up to Georgia. I was there!

I would really love to go out East and see some of the Revolutionary War and Civil War sites. One day….

If you want to see where you have been, click on the title above.

Mount St. Helens

Sam has business in Seattle next week so he decided to come up and visit for a few days this week. On Saturday we went to Mount St. Helens with one of co-workers. Unfortunately, while we were able to see most of the mountain, clouds covered most of the crater. It was fun to go through the information centers again, but it was much more exciting the first time I went up and saw the steam plume!

(Click on the title above to see a live picture of the volcano!)

The Finch Saga Continues

I never realized how smart birds are. The finches had two more babies a while back. About three weeks ago I decided it was time for the babies to live in their own cage because they were in the teenage phase of their lives. I always know when this happens because it sounds like WWIII broke out. The babies and parents constantly fight and make a horrible racket.

In order to separate the birds, I always put two cages together so they can go back and forth for a couple of days and get accustomed to their new home. However this time was different than before. The parents, especially the dad, got extremely agitated. Then I noticed that the parents NEVER let the babies enter the second cage alone. They could be alone in the main cage, but not the second cage where I have always put the babies. The mother also abandoned her nest full of new eggs to help protect her babies. One day I saw the babies in the second cage and got up to see if I could separate them before they started moving around. The father saw me get up and sped into the second cage faster than I have ever seen him fly. He deliberately kept me from separating them. So much for being a bird brain – mine are smart!

A Taxing Week

Well, it is that time of year again. Taxes. Sigh. On Monday I decided I’d better get with it and get them done. The boys were in school and I wasn’t working, so it should have been a simple. But naturally it wasn’t. After working on it for eight hours and visiting the online help section of my tax program, I had to throw in the towel. The next day I found a tax preparation place that claimed to know how to do clergy taxes. Although doubtful, I made an appointment for Wednesday.

Mike was suffering from the delusion that I would go to the appointment on my own. Silly man. My taxes are easy. His are hard. He could just go suffer along with me. It wasn’t MY fault it was Holy Week! Ok, maybe it was at least in part because I left them for so long. It took both tax workers and me to figure it out, but we finally did it. Whew!

I’m all for a flat tax. If 10% is good enough for God, it should be good enough for Congress!