I don’t believe I have ever claimed to be a “nature-girl”.  I think I’ve said my idea of “roughing it” is no room service.  I think I’ve stated this numerous times in my life….

Today it was proven, my kids -  are NOT “nature-kids”…. at least not when it comes to ticks.

We are on vacation for the next week.  We have no schedules, no time-tables, nothing… Decided that we would go geo-caching.  So Mr. Incredible got the GPS set up, and I got the water-bottles and we changed into our “geo-caching clothes”… (long pants, shoes with socks, hats, sun-glasses… you know the drill).

Drove to destination #1 – and started walking… and the GPS stopped working.  Not sure if it was the GPS unit itself, or a battery issue, but either way -without the GPS – can’t geo-cache.  Decided to keep walking the trail, and just enjoy the afternoon.  And then Pan spotted a tick on his arm.    Flicked it off, and kept walking… and then there were four on Mr. Incredible’s pant leg – flicked those off as well.  At that point we decided to turn around and go home.

Once we were back to the truck – we did a quick once over, checking for ticks.  Found a few and then got in the truck to head home.

We get into town – when a scream, as if she was being murdered comes from the back seat.

Pan:  Tink there’s a tick on your shirt.

Tink:  Ahhhhhhh – get it off, get it off.

Pan:  Daaad, pull over, pull over.

Tink:  I don’t want to die….  screammmmmmm

Mr Incredible and I were trying soooo hard not to laugh out loud.

**Note – I know that lyme disease is a serious thing – the ticks that were on us, were your common wood ticks, not deer ticks.   And we carefully inspected everyone to make sure we were in the “clear” when we got home.

Starting to plan our vacation to the cities…. okay, so it’s been planned, but nothing finalized.

So we booked the hotel.

and now we are looking for “things” to do…. as in cool, yet afforadable things to do.

Going to a baseball game.  I remember my first baseball game, I went with my Godfather and his family.   I was 10.  Had a blast.

And that’s all that is planned….

so I better start paying attention to Mr. Incredible – and get a few things scheduled!

On Wednesday  Tink and I went to the High School gym – where she stood in line to be paired up with a graduating senior.  The Kindergartners escort the seniors to the front of the gym for baccalaureate – then they walk to the back of the gym, and the kindergarten parents leave…  She thought it was awesome….

I don’t know any graduating seniors this year – so we didn’t request to be paired up with anyone.  If you have a babysitter, a family friend, or relative that is graduating, you can request to have your little be paired up with them… otherwise it is boy/girl….

***Photo removed***

She couldn’t remember his name,  and she didn’t want to ask him again, because she was afraid he wouldn’t like her if she talked too much.  He was nice, but she thought he was nervous, because he kept kneeling down to see if she was okay, and making sure she wasn’t scared. She figures he must be a big brother, because he acted like one.

She said for having long legs he walked slow.  (they were supposed to walk slow, the K’ers were practically making it a sprint!)

The kindergarten teachers had told the younger students that the older students were nervous, and if the Kindergarteners could be brave and show them how to walk to the front of the gym – that would be great!  Of course all of them did awesome…

Here is a scary thought – or maybe a good thought – we have more kids in kindergarten than we do graduating seniors.  Perhaps enrollment will start to climb again?  One could hope!

And as the group of kindergarten parents sat in the back of the gym watching our babies, escorting an older generations’ babies to the front of the gym…someone said what we all were thinking…

“In 12 years, the roles will be reversed – your child will be escorted by someone else’s kindergartner….”

“In 12 years, I hope to be sitting in the chairs, and not on these bleachers.”

“In 12 years, maybe there will be an auditorium”

“In 12 years, I don’t care where we are – I just hope my little one graduates….”

and we all smiled…. because 12 years is a long way time away….

12 years is over a decade, and time can’t really go THAT fast….

can it?

when you are busy making other plans….

Isn’t that how the saying goes?  I *think* that’s how it goes.

and life is happening.  Work is amazingly busy and stressful.  I’m sure in a few months it will be better.    and amazingly the kids have needs that need to be met, and I have to get up out of bed every day…. I don’t always want to, but do I get up – might as well, as I’m not sleeping worth a darn.  Sleep would be so welcomed…  oh welll….

Today my parents stopped by on their way home from my sisters.  Mr Incredible made some baby back ribs and had a great lunch.  They brought some fresh rhubarb, and I made a pie and it turned out pretty well. 

They also brought some plants from my sisters, and we planted them throughout the back yard…. looks great!

now it’s time to find a basketball for Tinks… big puppy dog eyes, with raindrop size tear drops are rolling down her face, because

“no one cares that I can’t find my ball”….

the sad thing is, it’s not that we don’t care  it’s that she knows she is supposed to put things away, when she is done playing with them.

This is the crabapple tree out my kitchen window in our side yard… I love it.  Mainly because it blocks my view of the neighbors yard, and all I see is the tree.  It’s not that I don’t like my neighbors, it’s just that you can take a farm girl off the farm, and move her to town, but she’ll still want the acreage of the farm and the closest neighbor to be 1/2 mile away… she’s silly that way!

This is our backyard…. the lower right is the flower bed that we made this past weekend  You can see the kids swingset (or at least the slide) – which has seen better days, but our kids are getting older, and pretty soon it will be gone.  The grape vine is the border of the backyard, and the shed – perhaps you’ve heard the stories of building the darn thing… if you haven’t – well – just know it was a major PIA.  The lilac bushes are the boarder to the left.  I love how green our lawn looks, and how Mr. Incredible keeps it looking so nice.    Please comment on how there are no dandelions – he’ll be sooo appreciative!

and truth be told, we bought the house for the backyard.  There is nothing fancy or wonderful about our home, except that it is ours.  and Mr. I likes homes built in the 60’s (back when they used real wood… argh, argh, argh…)  And besides if we bought a new home – what we would do on weekends?    We love our DIY’s weekends… or at least that is what we tell ourselves…..

so there you have it…. small town Gotham City living.  Nothing fancy, but quiet, peaceful, a place for the kids to play, neighborhood kids that zip in and out of the backyard, and laughter that can be heard throughout the neighborhood, from a game of kick the can, or tag, or just swinging on the swings…. I am lucky.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the Mommies out there!  I bet you were just dying to know what we did for Mother’s Day.

Not only will I tell you – I’ll show you!  This is the before.  See the pretty blue pots?  Notice they are empty.  See that grass above the retaining wall?  Note that it’s a real PIA to mow, as in has to be done with weedeater – why?  Because the mower is too heavy to be that close to the wall.  Yeah, so let’s solve this problem….

Step 1 – should be for a person to pick up the phone and hire this done.  Because unless you are in shape (and while round is a shape – it’s not the shape I’m referring to – got it?)  this is not a job for the out-of-shape people I am.  But we did it ourselves, because I’m FRUGAL.  and why pay someone to get their hands dirty -when Mr. Incredible can get his hands dirty for free.    First had to get rid of all that sod.  Started turning it over by hand… and then decided to rent a roto-tiller…. good choice.  But wow…. arms are sore.

Should be noted – just barely under the sod is limestone.  The limestone had to be broken up and picked out…. they make a heavy bar for that.  Mr. Incredible is very good at busting out limestone.   Then we put down fabric, and I planted the flowers – I have a rose bush,  coleus, stonecrop “John Creech” – will have a pink flower, Sprengeri Fern, and Vinca Vines.  I’m hoping that the place we purchased them from know what they are talking about – they had them marked as perinnals…. and my sister who is a goddess when it comes to gardening and gardens, said… uhm – not so much. Oh well… live and learn.    We’ll see what happens… maybe I’ll get lucky and they’ll come back, and this black thumb of mine will have disappeared.

Looks pretty good – don’t you think?    The yellow buck on the step – full of little bits of limestone.  The blue pots – have peonies in them… Red, White and Blue.  What I need to take a picture of is our flowering crab apple tree just off the kitchen – it’s is covered in blooms and just beautiful.

All in all – I had a great Mother’s Day.   I like being outside, when the weather  is like it was today.  Just perfect.  Now to weed the front yards flower beds, and move some rock around…. what?  Move rock… you know it.  Not tomorrow though… tomorrow is going to be a tough day for me…. work kinda sucks while we are going through this change…. it will be fine when we are done, I just hope that the board is smart enough to realize that they have excellent staff… and we can get them through this, they just have to have faith in us.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mommies today!

“I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I’m not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant.”

Robert McCloskey

yep, that’s how my day went.

How was yours?

Today was a pretty good day- I slept most of Saturday away.  I went to be bed Friday at about 9 pm – and was dead to the world until about 8:30.  Mr. Incredible had some projects he was working on with friends, and was gone until about 2:30.  The kids and I had refrigerator review for lunch, and just were kinda vegging in the living room for most of the morning, I took a nap (or two).  And Saturday afternoon we were pretty lazy… lately I need lazy.

Today, that was a different story….

Garage cleaned, junk loaded into trailer and ready for the dump.  Pop cans are ready for the redemption center, the snow blower has been moved to the shed, and the summer time items are out and ready for summer…. leaves have been pulled out of window wells, aways from the side of the house out of rocks etc…. Mr. I patched some of the cement hoping the patch works, at least until next year…

While getting leaves away from the house I discovered a nest of baby rabbits, scared the heck out of me – I thought it was a nest of moles.  Last year we found a nest of baby moles in the window well – I’m not good with rodents.  I prefer that they be no where near me, my property, and well…. I have a strong dislike for them…. I wanted the rabbits re-located, and was out voted – they remained, the leaves around them remained, and I’m guessing they will chew through the phone wire and cause Mr. I to be pissed off in a few days – but the rabbits stayed.

Since the trailer was full of items for the dump, and the back of my truck is full of cans, we burned the leaves… and now hours later, the fire pit in the back yard is still smoldering…

I’m hoping that work goes well tomorrow… I am hoping the higher ups make their decisions and it goes quickly… quick would be best, kinda like a band-aid just rip it off and be done… I want to know who, what, how and most importantly – WHEN… I’ve discovered I don’t mind change, but knowing change is coming, not knowing what it is, how it will affect me or my family… now that is bunk.

I should be in bed, it’s almost one.

I have to be at work tomorrow to attend a conference in the middle of the state, so I can hear how these changes are going to affect us, or might affect us, because each office will not be the same, each office will have different people deciding what is best for them…and they may or may not take into consideration our opinions… most likely they will not.

Ever been in a situation where they pretend to want your input, but in reality – the decisions were already made, and it’s actually a waste of everyone’s time for them to go through the motions of listening to what you have to say?  yeah, that’s how I feel.

I can’t sleep – my head is spinning – I can’t grasp how incredibly difficult this change is going to be, what it will mean for my office, and my co-workers.

I can’t change any of it.  I sorta feel like the world is moving in slow motion, and you can see the train getting ready to hit the car that is stalled on the tracks, but I can’t move fast enough to open the door and pull the person inside out.  I almost get my hand on the door and bam! the train hits, and I’m knocked on my assets…. it’s kinda like that…  only this hit is much worse than we anticipated.  We never thought it would be this bad… never.

My worrying, isn’t going to make it better.  My stressing over it?  Not going to make it better.

I can’t control any of it.

I can control how I respond… and that is it….

Sleep…that might be a good thing.