Y’all are my witnesses

Lest we get a nasty-gram from the city because our "grass" is approaching the 8" limit, this is why we aren't mowing.

It looks like the field in front of the chapel at Camp Lambec in early summer- like a mirror with grass poking out of it.

The "creek"/drainage ditch out back. Below, Amur honeysuckle have taken over what's left of our drowned pine trees. Apparently it's like candy or soda pop for birds; they love it but there's not much nutritional value to it. And it SPREADS. There's also black raspberry canes in there. Last year a smart robin built a nest in that mess and had protection AND a food source at hand. This year we have one who has built her nest on top of our deck light, so we've been scaring the bejeezus out of each other on a regular basis. She hasn't figured out that if she'd stay PUT instead of flapping away at breakneck speed when we're right beside her that everyone would be happier!

This is part of the drainage ditch we dug ourselves to get standing water from part of the swamp that borders our property to the above drainage canal. It's only a few inches deep, but I can't even tell you the satisfaction I get when I schlep out there and see water running through it and down the side of the ditch! *squelch squelch squelch*

 

Camo

Methinks this child assumes if he color coordinates with the Old Lady Room that I might not notice he's on a device...

definitely a "nothing to see here" vibe goin' on.

 

With a little help from Mortimer

This is the "garden" behind our garage. The yellow circle highlights some Creeping Charlie, which is a gorgeous, spreading ground cover with purple flowers that the bees all seem to love. It creeps EVERYWHERE, sending out runners, then suddenly I have huge clumps of it and I feel guilty yanking it out because the bees are clearly working it and then I feel terrible. Plus, it's pretty! We have it instead of actual grass (which is a pain in the you know what anyway, in my opinion) in many places.

The pink circles are my lupine, and mine does bloom pink, though the park down the road has zillions of blue ones so I might have to do a seed exchange so we can have both. I'm so excited that it is also spreading. YAY!

The purple circle is dandelions, WHICH ARE FLOWERS.

The blue circle is violets, which also show up on their own and are beautiful and peaceful and I love them and I don't care that they're uninvited and also seem to be spreading. 

The white circle is morning glories, which again, big surprise, I encourage and love and can't wait to have everywhere. 

The red circle is apparently wild garlic mustard (according to my plant identification app) and why we have patches of it in the garden and out front can only be explained by the word "wild". I have no idea. Wasps and ants seem to like the tiny blossoms. I think I remember reading it's edible but please don't try it without confirmation!

Oh, and if I remember correctly, Mortimer was the name of Bill Cosby's squeaky marker back when he was on TV. That's the mental sound I heard when I was making the circles, so I threw that out there for anyone who'd appreciate it. 

How does YOUR garden grow? No judgment from me!

 

Like any good Midwesterner

i can't help it. i'm a sucker for pretty, interesting light. so the other night i was outside taking photos and the tornado siren goes off. well, everyone knows that's when midwesterners head out to the front porch to see what's going on instead of heading to the basement! we didn't have any action but, if you can, help out the folks in michigan or other states who did see action- way more than they wanted to, unfortunately.

the web above has nothing to do with dangerous weather, but damon and i observed it earlier in the week because of all the moisture and dandelion seeds it had accumulated. we'd laughed about how the poor weaver probably went out first thing in the morning, delightedly rubbing its front legs together, preparing to examine the bountiful catch, only to realize they were dandelion seeds bouncing around in the breeze. that has to be so frustrating. "dangit!"

 i love the light below. i never get tired of sun on green.

 

Yes, my children; more sunrise pictures

Because I just can't help myself! Could you?!

 

"'The time has come,' the Walrus said, To talk of many things:"

 "Of shoes- and ships- and sealing-wax- 

of cabbages- and kings-

and why the sea is boiling hot-

and whether pigs have wings.'"

So says Lewis carroll's "The walrus and the carpenter" which actually does not occur in his "Alice in wonderland" despite being in the animated disney version, which is also why it took me awhile to find it because i was looking in the wrong place. i digress. this isn't about me.

these are the words that have been banging around in my head for a long time. somehow, and i blame may for being the craziest month, i never posted about thing one's birthday last year. or the year before. i don't know how that happened as i know i have photos that were supposed to go on here of the cakes and the smiles and the sunglasses and and... heck! i'm so sorry. my deepest apologies. 

so, thing one, the one who made me a mama, whew. 

how can you be 21 and legal now? 

you came out hollering and the nurse said, "wooooooweeeeeeeeeeee, do you have a temper! where did you get that!?" dada and i looked at each other and shrugged. no idea. but i'm glad for it, because you were a tiny puddin'pop, small and mighty. you turned into someone who knows how to stand up for yourself and others, who gets fired up when people are treated badly, who drags others to get the help they need. i know you say you're not the mom friend, but you kind of are. we are proud of you.

we love your art, especially now that you don't draw on the walls (as much) and we see the joy it brings you when you get it right. we love that you sing along in the car on road trips. we love that you empty the dishwasher unasked. we love that you get excited about skull shaped ice cubes. okay, everyone in the family loves those, but it doesn't negate the fact that we like that it tickles you. we love, and are constantly surprised, when we turn around and you've snuck up right behind us. we love that you are an individual and that you don't merge just to do what everyone else is doing and we love love love that you don't follow along with others' dumb choices "just because we're adults and we can." so proud. you have no idea. nooooo idea!

we love that you're learning to cook and that you're getting better at cleaning up afterwards. we love your patience with these awful dogs. we love your zero tolerance of siblings in your room but the fact that you'll still share the twizzlers. we love that you dive in to help, whether it's hauling puppies down a hall for a stranger or ninja-ing food pantry items around with pap. thank you for being kind and respectful, especially with those who you can tell are having issues, whatever they  may be. you are a treasure and a delight. we love being your parents. thanks for blessing us.

happeeeeeeeeeeeeeee birffffdaaaaaaaaaaaay toooooooo yooooouuuuuuuuuuuu!

She said, he heard…

 “Thing Two, get your laundry out of the dryer and put it away.”

That’s different than, “get your laundry out of the dryer and imprison it in the guest room…”

"It's my SONG!"

 I suppose some backstory is appreciated if not required for this post. Growing up, I feel like music was playing more often than not. My parents had a record player and the corresponding albums. One of my weekly chores was to dust the downstairs. I wasn't a fan A) being allergic to dust and B) because my parents had ... ornate? complicated? annoying lamps with glass bumps all over them and metallic swirls and man, those babies could be called the original Dustcatchers. Anyway, dusting is a chore I simply couldn't abide performing without music, so every Saturday morning I'd play ABBA, Mary Poppins, Godspell, Oliver, the Muppets Christmas album or what have you. My brother and I got really good at recognizing when it was going to skip and being in ready position to head that off. Generally lots of musicals to help me tackle all our bookshelves. 

At some point I acquired a small boombox. Bright blue and yellow with *gasp* a cassette player! Wheeee! So then it was Jive Soweto, Three Dog Night, Billy Joel, the Cure Mixed Up, Led Zeppelin IV (Zoso), and so on. Also listened to when I did the dishes, which was regularly as my brother did the floors because we hated doing the opposite chore. 

My Dad listened to classical, my Mom listened to jazz. I have a very fond memory of sitting in their yellow kitchen with my friend Joe who stopped her to ask what tape she was playing. It was Chick Corea and we sat in silence to listen. He was amazed, and I'd taken it for granted that everyone grew up listening to everything. My brother loved the Beatles and told me once that he really wasn't a big fan of female singers. I was a bit offended, but in looking at the following list of songs that come on Pandora and I squeal, "it's my SONG!" he may have a point. The station I've named Iko Iko that is one of my all time favorite stations played these songs while I kept a list so I could share:

1. The Dixie Cups- Iko Iko (hence the station's name)

2. The Tokens- Wimoweh!!!

3. Michael Franti- Good Day for a Good Day

4. Bobby McFerrin- Don't Worry, Be Happy

5. Tim Tim- Rum'n'cocacola

6. John Mellencamp- Hurts So Good

7. Bobby Day- Little Bitty Pretty One

8. Men At Work- Down Under

9. Tracy Chapman- Give Me One Reason

10. Bill Withers- Lean on Me

11. Chuck Berry- You Never Can Tell

12. Paul Simon- the Obvious Child

13. The Proclaimers- I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)

14. Eurythmics, Annie Lennox & Dave Stewart- Sweet Dreams (Are Made of This)

15. Harry Belafonte- Angelina

It got to the point where I was trying to predict what would be played next. Some other regulars are Jimmy Buffett, Caro Emerald, Jim Croce, Gordon Lightfoot. 

Other "very favorites" would be: 

Cecilia by Simon & Garfunkel

Brown Eyed Girl by Ka'au Crater Boys

The Sound of Silence by Disturbed

Jump In the Line by Da Vinci's Notebook

Personal Jesus by Depeche Mode

Tainted Love by Soft Cell

(here comes "Come on, Eileen" by Dexys Midnight Runners as I'm typing, and I can hear my menfolk joining in from the other room)

Nadine (and Maybellene as well) by Chuck Berry

Mary Lou by Ronnie Hawkins

I've always had a soft spot for "oldies", even pestering my boss at my old Wendy's job to please, please, please change the station to oldies because if I have to hear Paula Cole one more time someone is gonna get hurt. Oldies are bouncy and short and fun and make you want to dance. 

Should I be worried that so many of these are about cheating or sketchy lovers? *giggle* Cecilia, Tainted Love, Nadine, Maybellene, Mary Lou, Sundown by Gordon Lightfoot, 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover by Paul Simon, haha. Goodness. I'm sensing a trend. 

Another huge favorite genre has been sea shanties. If you're looking for some good ones besides the Wellermen, I recommend Nathan Evans, Sail North, and Home Free. But man, if you only have time for one, don't miss this one:

And TURN IT UP

If the artist's percussion and/or bass isn't felt in my sternum, I'm not convinced they're doing it right. We've turned that song up as far as it will let us, sat on the kitchen counter, and felt it vibrate all through our bodies. Incredible. Disturbed's cover of "The Sound of Silence" is similar in my mind- I'm so impressed by his control and power. 

Anyway, I tell the kids regularly that they're going to have to play this station for my funeral reception/wake/whatever. They may not all be appropriate, but they'll be bouncy and fun and people will be singing along! What more could I ask? 😁"It's my song!"

Senior shenaniganery

Thing Two had an opportunity to be part of a K-12 special day in which he got to be the Angel of Death from Exodus. He was absolutely delighted and took his role seriously, even unintentionally frightening some of my preschoolers though our room had nothing to do with the special event.  Here he is at home whilst perfecting his costume.

Above, getting "leaves" prepared for the burning bushes the small kids would create. Older grades got to "make their own plague."

Below, he got a fog machine owned by one of his teachers to work again. I'd say he was a little bit crushed when he was told he wouldn't get to use it at the special event, but I had warned him it might be a possibility.  Either way, he was psyched that he got it to work.

And look, here he is in his natural environment, surrounded by gadgets, snacks, and yellow!

 

Will scavenge for treats

Tradition around here dictates that Easter baskets are hunted for by being given clues. At least if you're still of age, that is. This year we enlisted Pap to do the clues himself and they came home by courier (Thing One, who'd finished an extended visit). He did an outstanding job, ranging all over, inside and outdoors. Thing Three was delighted!

One in the mailbox out front, one in the tractor out back

One in the decade-ish old lean-to built by Thing One probably our first year here

One on the playhouse roof and one in the terrarium in Thing One's room. I should probably explain that the TP was a welcome home prank and that the bedroom is not normally decorated as such...

Haha, and in the STINKY pond still awaiting the most unpleasant task of leaf removal

Thing One cackling upon the realization that one of the clues was tucked near Triskal's ashes so that "she could be part of the fun."

On the grill on the deck and one on Bosley Underfoot

Basket acquired and devoured within three days. Glad we can keep our dentist in business. 😬

 

Turkey trot

Last week whilst we awaited his bus, Liam and I heard turkeys in the field across the street. We spotted at least two deer over there as well. He boarded the bus and I came inside to get ready to head to preschool.

When I went back out to leave for school, this bunch of turkeys was courting a female on the far side of my car. They puffed up even more when they saw me and I told the lady, "take your menfolk and get outta here!" They gobbled at me and I told them to not talk to me like that. Dada watched and said one of them chased my car as I pulled out.

Dada and I walked back down the driveway and heard this one up in the tree later that evening.  Crazy wildlife around here!

 

It's a wee bit wet

 

Our "leak" is turning into a channel and more storms are predicted for tonight- yippieeeeee!