Yes, it's been quiet around the blog the last few weeks.
First of all, it's been a crazy couple of weeks. The kids have dance, camp, swim lessons, puppet practice, play practice, violin, baby sitting, 4H, library classes and other things I'm sure my addled brain has forgotten. On top of that, I've been working every day. Between 8am and 8pm, I'm pretty much either in a car working or heading to an event, or else at that event. It is exhausting! Especially for me, the one who needs the downtime and the naps and the rest. Did I mention naps? Yeah, I love those. Haven't gotten any lately. Well, unless you count the 5 min where I fell asleep in the library waiting for Sandis to get out of her class. The one where Stella woke me up. Why? Because, "Mommy, you fell asleep!" Yep, doesn't count.
But, also, I am reflecting on how lucky I am to be in this position. You see, on June 14th, my nephew was hit by a car while riding a lawn tractor. He is in critical condition, in a medically induced coma. While I've been going through a hellish few weeks, it is nothing compared to what my BIL, SIL and niece are dealing with. Their son/brother has an uncertain future and they can only wait and pray and learn what they can from doctors.
It always amazes me how the world doesn't stop when things like this happen. I keep thinking that we shouldn't have to do anything other than work on making everything better for my nephew. I shouldn't be working. Or taking kids to swim lessons. And other people certainly shouldn't be celebrating their happiness. This horrible thing has happened, don't they know that?!
I wake every morning thinking of my nephew. He is my last thought before falling asleep. I think of him often during the day. The baby boy who was so excited to receive a toothbrush for Christmas - he ripped open the package and started brushing immediately. The toddler who dragged our dog around for a week (don't worry, it was Nikki the Basset hound, she LOVED it, probably more than he did.) The young man who just made Eagle Scout. The geeky kid who was obsessed with computer keyboards. Another Walter family member who enjoyed watching Monty Python and the Princess Bride.
I'm sure I'll be back to posting all the inane things my kids say and do. My petty rants. My musings on life. But for now, it all seems to pale in comparison to the heath crisis of my nephew.
It may be quiet here for awhile.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/natewalter
BC (Before Children,) Brian swore that his children would never play soccer. The game was too popular among kids who didn't even care about the World Cup on TV. Who would play a game and then not care about that same game? Plus, people were always whining about how their kids played soccer on Saturday and that was in competition with their attending Ram football games. And, of course there's always the, "the game is boring" defense.
Enter a 6 year old Sandis. She ran all the Healthy Kids runs and for a prize, received a gift card to Dick's Sporting Goods. With shining eyes fixed upon her prize, she announced, "I want to buy a soccer ball with my card!"
"Really," I asked, "do you want to play soccer?" A resounding, "yes!" No idea why or how she came up with the idea. She didn't know anyone who played, had never tried it out in the backyard, but she wanted to play.
That next spring, she became a soccer player. She hasn't missed a spring or fall season since, even doing a couple camps, several tournaments and a 3v3 league. She has no interest in any other sport. Doesn't care to take music lessons of any kind. Just playing soccer is enough.
And guess what? Brian doesn't care. He does tease her that other sports are better, to which she responds that they are NOT, but he is just glad she's found a sport she likes. It keeps her somewhat active, gives her a team of girls to hang with, and something she loves. What more could a dad want?
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| Not shy when going for the ball, unlike when speaking to people she doesn't know well. |
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| She really has enjoyed playing goalie the last few seasons. They rotate at the position, so she's one of several goalies. |
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| Going after the ball to take it away from the opponent, her favorite part. |
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| At the year-end party everyone received new soccer balls and signed each others. |
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Did you know that clicking is scientifically proven* to be good for your health and well-being? True**! And you can vote for me and my blog by clicking! Coincidence***? Improve your health today by clicking here. Or here. And once again here. Just for good measure, click here. Your body will thank you later****!
Fine print
* - not even scientifically studied. If it has been, I have not read about it.
** - not true
*** - totally NOT a coincidence
**** - your body won't care at all. Thanks will not be forthcoming.
The other day, I had a most unusual awakening. First, I was woken up numerous times on the couch by dogs. Why was I on the couch? Because Stella "couldn't sleep" in her bed and decided sleeping underneath me would be better. It worked for her. Not so much for me, I moved.
But, sadly that's not the unusual part. No, for my final awakening of the morning, I got a jar of nondescript green sludge in my face. The child holding said jar was asking to put it in the oven. Wait, what?
You see, it's a 4H experiment. For Veterinary Science. She has many, many jars with a cup of either rabbit pellet food or hay in them. Then she adds water to half of them. Then they sit around the house. Some open, some closed. Some with water, some without. Some in the refrigerator, some on the table. This particular one needed to be kept at 80 degrees so could she put it in the oven?
No. Um, the oven doesn't even have an 80 degree setting, why didn't she wait until mid-day when it actually was 80 degrees outside? Because, muth-er (word indicated intense disappointment in and stupidity of person at whom it is directed,) it needs to be 80 degrees for two weeks.
Two weeks. She wants to put a jar of mushy rabbit food in the oven for two weeks.
She was sorely disappointed that I didn't have a method for her to accomplish this temperature stability for her experiment. And she was even more disappointed when I asked why she was wasting such large quantities of rabbit food. I had ruined the experiment. Now she knew the outcome! You mean you didn't figure out that dumping water onto rabbit food would spoil it?
sigh
Just think, only six more experiments to go.
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Did you know that clicking is scientifically proven* to be good for your health and well-being? True**! And you can vote for me and my blog by clicking! Coincidence***? Improve your health today by clicking here. Or here. And once again here. Just for good measure, click here. Your body will thank you later****!
Fine print
* - not even scientifically studied. If it has been, I have not read about it.
** - not true
*** - totally NOT a coincidence
**** - your body won't care at all. Thanks will not be forthcoming.
We've had our chickens for almost a year now. I can now completely comprehend the hilarity of the "Henny Penny the sky is falling" story. A chicken would totally think the sky was falling if something fell on its head. She would half fly, half run around the yard, cackling and clucking about the end of the world. I'm not sure she would remember long enough to engage other species in her "the world is ending" quest, but surely she could get her sisters involved. Because if one chicken is scared of something, the rest are bound to be freaked out too. Survival mechanism, I'm sure. Also, damn funny to watch. If you are in desperate need of a laugh, you've got to see a stampede of chickens across the yard.
This lack of bravery on the part of chickens is why it strikes me as particularly funny when people post on Craigslist about "Chicken Coups" for sale. A chicken could not possible lead up a coup. The thought of chickens revolting against anything is just ludicrous. A loud noise, a shadow, a hard rain drop simulating the sky falling would send them into a tizzy. They would be less imposing than the British knights facing the French in the Holy Grail.
Brian thinks that maybe if you had enough chickens, they could overwhelm you with sheer numbers. I have been in a Tyson barn of 10,000 chickens. You would need a lot more than that. A lot.
And who would want to buy a chicken coup? Most people want chickens for their eggs. Some for meat. A few for random reasons like they are nice ambiance or what have you. None of those reasons seems compatible with a revolt.
So who is buying these chicken coups?
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Did you know that clicking is scientifically proven* to be good for your health and well-being? True**! And you can vote for me and my blog by clicking! Coincidence***? Improve your health today by clicking here. Or here. And once again here. Just for good measure, click here. Your body will thank you later****!
Fine print
* - not even scientifically studied. If it has been, I have not read about it.
** - not true
*** - totally NOT a coincidence
**** - your body won't care at all. Thanks will not be forthcoming.
Last summer I decided I wanted rabbits. After much debate, and after talking to our friend Sue, we decided on Palominos. Palominos are a pretty, golden rabbit that are also friendly and calm. And big because they are meat rabbits. Now some may not like the idea of eating bunnies, but think about 1) if you aren't vegetarian, well, this is humanely raised meat. 2) I couldn't see breeding a slew of pets that had no homes, that seemed irresponsible.
In any case, our two does have been good mothers with large litters so we have lots of bunnies now. . Currently 18 and expecting another litter any day. Here is our journey, in pictures:
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| Naked baby bunnies, Day 1 (Harn's babies) |
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| Nine days old, look, there's some fur! (Wenet's babies) |
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| A bit cuter at 11 days, fur AND eyes open (Harn's baby) |
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| 19 days, the peak of cuteness (Harn's baby) |
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| Wenet and some of her many babies who are 5.5 wks |
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| The does at 9.5 weeks old. Weighed in at 3.2 lbs last Wednesday (Harn's babies) |
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| Some of the bucks chillin', 9.5 wks old.(Harn's babies) |
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| The does in their hutch (Harn's babies) |
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| And the bucks in theirs.(Harn's babies) |
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| New rabbit shed for the 6-hole cage. |
That's all so far. Now to wait for Harn's latest litter (any day) and Wenet's in a couple weeks. Then we have to choose the best of them for the Fair.
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Did you know that clicking is scientifically proven* to be good for your health and well-being? True**! And you can vote for me and my blog by clicking! Coincidence***? Improve your health today by clicking here. Or here. And once again here. Just for good measure, click here. Your body will thank you later****!
Fine print
* - not even scientifically studied. If it has been, I have not read about it.
** - not true
*** - totally NOT a coincidence
**** - your body won't care at all. Thanks will not be forthcoming.
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| This is where the photo came from. http://www.king.com/games/puzzle-games/candy-crush You should not go there, to facebook or to the app store or you too will be addicted to those little hot dogs and tear drops and whathaveyou. |
Dear Candy Crush,
I understand the need to explain how to play your little game, even though it is pretty self-evident. However, after failing (thanks for the banner stating that I failed, I couldn't figure that out on my own,) multiple times at the same level, telling me cheerily to, "clear all the jellies!" is really just taunting. And taunting is not nice. Didn't your parents teach you better than that?
Shawn (who is ever so glad that this is the worst thing to happen today.)
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Did you know that clicking is scientifically proven* to be good for your health and well-being? True**! And you can vote for me and my blog by clicking! Coincidence***? Improve your health today by clicking here. Or here. And once again here. Just for good measure, click here. Your body will thank you later****!
Fine print
* - not even scientifically studied. If it has been, I have not read about it.
** - not true
*** - totally NOT a coincidence
**** - your body won't care at all. Thanks will not be forthcoming.
Ever have one of those lives? You know the kind, you have to run here and run there and work and come home and take the kids somewhere but oh wait, the thing for the kids has changed. Oh and school work and testing, you have to test your kids. Except you don't but you do because they don't want to have to talk to someone they don't know. And then there's an emergency. Not yours but it affects you anyway. And then there's that other stuff you have to do like clean the house. And take showers. And get dressed. And feed yourself.
Fuck, life is just too long and busy.
Luckily it slows down, just a bit, for the next couple of days. I might get to sleep in. Or take a nap. Or drink myself into oblivion. Ok, not that last one, but maybe some of the sleep stuff can happen. That would be nice, right?
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Did you know that clicking is scientifically proven* to be good for your health and well-being? True**! And you can vote for me and my blog by clicking! Coincidence***? Improve your health today by clicking here. Or here. And once again here. Just for good measure, click here. Your body will thank you later****!
Fine print
* - not even scientifically studied. If it has been, I have not read about it.
** - not true
*** - totally NOT a coincidence
**** - your body won't care at all. Thanks will not be forthcoming.