Another post of Random

 Dada hit yet another auction, this time with Thing Two, and brought home at least three boxes of books. Now we get to sort what we want to keep, will actually use, will never use, what goes to the used bookstore for book credit, and so on!

One of Thing Two's science experiments isn't going as planned. The Dixie cup on the left has three bean seeds. The Dixie cup on the right has 15 bean seeds. The glass jar in the middle holds a few but aren't part of the experiment. 

He's supposed to find out what happens when seeds are overcrowded. I told him to just look at our garden for an example of overcrowding. None of his initial three beans have even come up, three of the 15 showed up, and the ones who don't matter are thriving. Beans.

I was killing some time last week when I saw these lovely colors together and had to take pictures!

Being in a college town, you end up with lots of coffee shops. This is one of our favorites. The week before, Thing Three had beaten Thing Two who proceeded to shellac him this time!

These next two shots were taken at the bus stop first thing in the morning. Well, first thing for some people. Right around 7 AM. Some of us had already been up for hours. It's so dark!

It's rare to see this kid conked out like this. He's always in motion, but he sure had a great nap this weekend!

Tis the season for shepherd's pie!

Have a terrific week!

#Inktober kickoff

 Clearly I'm going to have to remember to press harder so these show up better. I've decided to go themeless this year (usually I stick with fairies when I attempt Inktober) and I'm not penciling anything, just doing straight-up ink. Hence the lightness and hesitation, haha! Here are the first six. Feel free to click on them to see them larger. The prompt is on each.

Dada-ism

I forget what I was teasing him about, but I mentioned an expanding waistline. He fired back: 

What waistline? I have more of a hemisphere.

Recent Liamisms

 I braided Liam's hair the other day and a few minutes later he mentioned his ears were cold. I mused, "hmm, you need a ..." and mimed a headband over my ears. I realized I had a hat from the days when I used to have a ponytail to stick through it, so I dug it out and tossed it to him. With glee, his braid popped through and he declared, "this is my hat now!"

***

As I reminded Liam that when one puts the dogs away for the night one also needs to lock the back door, he quips, "Everything was okay, right? We're in the middle of the woods. Nobody is going to come here." 

I wasn't really expecting any repartee as I thought I was just imparting information, so I stumbled along with a "you don't want the fairies to come and steal you away."

Bewildered, he replies, "What kind of advantage would that give them?"

***

We have fruit flies, again, this time because of the tomatoes from the garden, not bananas. And Liam has bean seeds sprouting for his science class; he's supposed to be experimenting with overcrowding (ahem, just look outside at the garden and don't do that) and he said a cloud of them emerged when he watered the seeds this morning, much to his disgust.

The other day I overheard, "DIE! *whack* DIE! *crash* DIE! *slam*" This pattern repeated about nine times, along with various mutterings. I called in, "okay, Coach Hedge," which is a Percy Jackson reference to a satyr who thinks he's invincible. 

Liam exclaims, "Jeez! That was the Buggernaut! *whack* HahahahaHAAAAA, two down!"

As if any of you are wondering why we can't have nice things...

***

Dada and I snuck out for a coffee date earlier this week and then ran an errand or two. I told him I hadn't left a note for Liam saying where we were headed. When we pulled back into the driveway, Liam was strolling out, in his pajamas and bathrobe as usual. He opened my car door, leaned in, and quoted, "Beds empty, car gone, no note!" We both completely cracked up as that's one of our favorite Harry Potter quotes when Molly Weasley goes off on her sons. Not only did he have it fresh in his head to say, he had written it on post it notes and stuck them to the front door. This kid is a piece of work. Pretty fond of him. You can't have him, fairies, he's ours.

Eggs, eggs, eggs, eggs, or a perspective lesson

 I've talked about this before; a creative writing teacher of mine once said that writers need to write every day. If you can't think of anything to write, just describe what you had for breakfast. She said sooner or later something would break through the eggs. Now that I think about it, by "break through" did she mean something would hatch out of the eggs? Hmm. That's kind of a nice image. All this time, over 20 years' worth, I was thinking scrambled eggs- the only kind I like- not still intact ones. Ha! Guess I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer or the brightest crayon in the box. I usually get there eventually. Teehee.

At any rate, initially I thought that I didn't have much to say today. Upon further reflection, I realize that I have many much thanks to give. My brother, sister-in-law, and cousin on Dada's side have all come through Hurricane Ian with the vast majority of their possessions and their health, which is miraculous in and of itself. People, Florida, Cuba, and Puerto Rico are going to need more than your thoughts and prayers. Do some homework. Google "how to help Hurricane Ian victims" to get yourself started, find someone with boots on the ground, and donate some of your excess to help those who've lost everything. Or half their things. Or their roof. Doesn't matter. Bust out those checkbooks or the "text to give" or use your extra vacation days to travel there, roll up your sleeves, and pass out water or pick up sticks. Do something! 

I'm thankful for hot, running water and lights that come on when I flip a switch. Magic! Some people are doing without those simplest things. I'm thankful for the load of firewood we had delivered so that on these pretty but damp fall days we can dry out the house a little more and be cheered by the fire as well. I'm thankful for the contents inside the side-by-side fridge I despise and complain about because it's so narrow it's like playing Tetris every time I get groceries, but when I flip the picture, I can see how blessed I am that I have choices of what to eat and that I didn't have to hunt it or process it myself!

I'm thankful for the education my kiddos are getting, that one of them has a field trip this week, and that it is supposed to be 70 degrees for said field trip! I am not really looking forward to the wet, muddy laundry after the river field trip, but I am very thankful that I don't have to haul it all to a river myself to wash it or spread it on a hot rock to dry. And that I don't have to haul water daily for cooking or washing. Wow. Though I would have great muscles, I suppose! And I can see how the time with my fellow female water haulers would be precious time together...

I'm thankful that my hubby is working from home and that we can take walks together most days which helps us stay on the same page as well as giving me a chance to make sure he notices all the beautiful wildflowers or clouds or insects or whatever happens to catch my eye, too. Squirrel!

Speaking of squirrels (which equates randomness in my head for those of you who missed that connection- it's not your fault. My brain doesn't work in steps like a geometry proof- it's all spiderwebs because everything connects to everything else for me.) Where was I? 

Boy, that train of thought didn't just leave the station... it is gone. *sighs, puts head down on folded arms on computer table, wracks brains, considers squirrels*

It's back! #Inktober 2022 is going on now! Click here if you're curious! I'd like y'all to hold me accountable because I think it'd be a fun commitment and no, I haven't started yet and yes, it's October 3rd already. It's okay! Just stay on me to post them.

Another fun commitment might be to begin or restart a gratitude journal or list. Or three things you're thankful for each day on a post it on the mirror. Or just one thing, even if it's that you are physically able to get out of bed. Coffee can be your one thing. Not for every single day, unless it tops your list of more than one thing. Get creative. You can share your list or don't. Keeping track just for you is okay! I know, I know, Thanksgiving is not this month, and around here we are fervent about Halloween happening before the Christmas stuff comes out and all that, but it's nicer to go into the season of thanks with a thankful spirit all warmed up and stretched and ready to go. Yes, fall allergies are a thing, but enjoy the pretty leaves that are starting to turn. Yes, it's getting colder, but enjoy adding that extra soft hoodie or those thick socks to your wardrobe. Yes to coffee, hot tea, hot cider and hot cocoa. And yes to whipped cream and marshmallows. You think you're going to live forever? Dump that stuff on there. You're worth it. 

Now that you're properly situated, go be someone's sunshine!

Yes, more nature photos

 I know. My apologies. But the light has changed so much already and sunlight on leaves is too lovely to not soak up. I wish I could have gotten some shots of the gorgeous sky tonight; alas, I was driving and that's frowned upon. These are all from Sunday evening around 7ish.

Three shed pictures in a row because I couldn't decide which angle I liked with the sun on the leaves or the sun on the clouds so I just had to keep them all to show you.

White cabbage moths hiding in the flowers.

The "garden"... oh dear. Let's not talk about it.

Yay, wildflowers!

I liked the shot above because of the red apples, but even more so the sun hitting the top of the pine tree. The color doesn't look like it should be pine needles, but I promise you they are!

The Stickman cometh and other stories

The firstborn and I did a roadtrip last weekend in Ori, our white Accord. When we got to my parents' house, we noticed there was definitely an odd, unpleasant smell. My first thought was the toadstools blooming in my parents' yard. Thing One claimed to have smelled it at home, so we had to rule that out. Well, PaPa to the rescue and the debut of my attempt to add a "movie" via Blogger:

Yes, one very dead, stinky squirrel crossed state lines with us. Here's hoping we're not in trouble for transporting the body. 

We let Dada know we were there safe and mentioned dead squirrel. He informed us that his truck, Argus, had some warning lights appear on the dash. Upon further inspection, he had a squirrel nest inside his hood. The truck is now in the shop to see just how many Shenanigans those squirrels were up to.

This is probably where I should mention that Pepe, our Pilot, has rather extensive rust issues happening on the frame of his underside, courtesy of the salty brine used all winter on the roads around here. We've been joking about Pepe needing a buttlift wherein they will remove all that stuff from underneath and assess just how bad the damage is and what else needs done. Alas, that isn't scheduled to happen until December, what with supply chain issues, vacations, and everything else in Life. So we are trying to keep Pepe sort of grounded, for local runs only. 

Well.

Not to take away from Hurricane Ian and all the impending mess he's sure to cause; we had storms of our own here on Saturday night into Sunday morning. Around 4:30 in the morning, the firstborn hears two loud WHUMPS outside. Being a huge Person of Interest fan with Jim Caviezel and Michael Emerson, the first thought was, "that sounded like a person falling onto something!" 

What I heard was Bosley, barking at Honey, who'd obviously heard the WHUMPS and who was attempting to climb over his crate to investigate. Or hide. Or who knows. I'd already been up from 11:50-2:15 with that dog, trying to keep her quiet and calm through a previous storm that night. Let's just say I wasn't thrilled to be awake again already.

So we go out to investigate. The lights directly above the dash are on, even when we lock and unlock the car using the fob. This is what we saw (though my pictures are obviously taken later in the day and not in the dark of 4 something AM):

The Stickman cometh. Or falleth. Or leapeth. Or something.

Poor Ori! So not his month. A dead squirrel under his hood and a tree limb out to get him. So now I'm on the phone with our insurance carrier who is laughing with me because Pepe "caught" a fly ball this summer from a little league game and had his windshield replaced as well!

In case you're wondering, because I'm sure some of you are (and some of you think it's ridiculous to name vehicles but whatever), Ori started off as Olaf (the snowman in "Frozen") because he is white. The firstborn decided, since he parks between Pepe the Pilot who is black and Argus the tank truck who is also black, that they all make an Oreo and rechristened him Ori. Argus has a half circle of rivets all along his... um... whatever the piece is that goes over the wheels to cover them. Fender? I know nothing about cars. Anyway, the firstborn was big into Greek mythology and all things Percy Jackson for awhile so christened the truck Argus because Argus in mythology is covered in eyes. He's the head of security in the Percy Jackson series. Makes sense to me.

Anyway, Grandmama is here and can help with our nutty running around in her vehicle, from which we have already chased several squirrels bent on mischief-making. I'm kind of afraid to accept the offer of the replacement vehicle lest we return it along with a tribe of squirrels!

 

An example of me using quotes in real life

 Last night I set one of the two alarm clocks in the boys' bedroom for 7:00 AM. This would be for the middle child. The youngest is already headed for the bus at 7 AM and thus would not need a 7 AM alarm. Said youngest has been a nomad sleeper again lately anyway, only spending maybe two nights since school has started in his actual bunk. How he squashes himself into an armchair all night is beyond me, but whatever floats his boat. 

At any rate, I pop the youngest onto the bus despite the fog (no delay again, everything on time, thank you, Jesus) and begin the next stage of the one morning a week that the middle child has to be presentable (read: not in pajamas) and on time. In a different town. On a foggy morning. All of you just realized, "she will need to leave early today. Good thing she set that alarm, since by now we all know the middle child has one speed. Slow."

As they say in "The Princess Bride", "you'd like to think that, wouldn't you?!"

Hair In His Face doesn't emerge from the bedroom for decidedly past 7 AM. I notice that he has, in fact, packed up most of his supplies for the day the night before, good job, but hasn't begun breakfast or the making of his lunch yet. He's finally moving, which is a good sign, but it's at Turtle Speed One. 

We have to go, we have to go, we have to go. I text one of my besties about his pokiness and she teases back, "but he still has half an hour, mom." Thank goodness for friends who talk me down.

I ask him what the heck happened to his alarm. When it goes off, he needs to get up. He blinks at me, then informs me that he turned it off last night when he went to bed. He thought his brother had turned it on and he wasn't having anything to do with that. Meanwhile, his brother, as I've said, hasn't been sleeping in that room NOR would a 7 AM alarm have done him a lick of good because he's already out the door by then!

"Oh. Whatever," says the child with the death wish. 

"Must restrain Fist of Death," as they say in "Dilbert."

We finally gather everything he needs for his day after more chivvying. This includes his shoelaces, separate from his shoes. Over the weekend he participated in a stargazing event in which he rambled through some poison ivy. After researching how to get the oils off shoes, I cleaned them and hoped for the best. I washed his shoelaces with Dawn and hung them to dry, then tossed them to him yesterday along with his shoes, thinking that they would be taken care of. 

 "Fool of a Took," as they say in The Lord of the Rings trilogy.

He sheepishly grabs his shoes and laces and everything else and trundles out into the car in his slippers. Does he even have his water bottle? At this point, do I even care?

We head out into the fog, a handful of minutes later than my personal "we should be on the road at the latest by X" preference. We make it almost to an adorable village between where we live and where we're going, when I see not only some sort of road closure sign but the addition of emergency vehicles, lights flashing, backing up. I fortunately have enough time and distance to make a right turn and detour around the "fun and games" as they say in "Father Goose."

As I approach the left turn we need to make, a garbage truck beats me to the street, which we then will have to follow. Are you even kidding me?! All the while I'm teasing Hair In His Face about timing and being almost 17 is old enough to know how to lace shoes (because twice he said, "Oh no" and began laughing) and about the very beauty of alarm clocks is that your mother doesn't have to roust you out of bed and so forth. 

I (safely) maneuver around the garbage truck and a semi that is parked along the side of the road and am a little farther north when yet another construction vehicle pulls out in front of me. This one has a sign stenciled on the back, "DO NOT PUSH." Muttering snide comments about pushing, we keep going. A mourning dove lands on the road in front of us. "Bird, I would rethink that decision!" This sends Hair In His Face into more laughter. 

We are about a traffic light away from our destination while I'm musing out loud if it's possible to strangle someone with their own hair and leave them in a field somewhere while he is laughing about wanting to give me a Monster Truck just so I can drive over all the people who refuse to use their turn signals or toss their cigarette butts out their window and we're cracking up about insurance guys looking in dismay at a field of cars that were all destroyed by my Monster Truck while I remind him it's a good thing we have family friends who love him and stick up for him which is why he's still alive...

He arrived at 9 AM on the dot and his teacher has since sent me photos of him working, so I'll just chalk this up as another successful school run. Now I just need to decide if I want to claim him at the end of the day... 

Send Mary Contrary ASAP

In case any of you were wondering "how does her garden grow?" I can assure you that it's growing. The garden jungle is doing just fine, so much so that when I enter I breathe, "ohhhhh myyyy gosh" because it's completely ridiculous. The red currant (teeny weeny tomatoes) seeds that I ran out of last year didn't affect things at all because they're growing everywhere and dropping all over so I'm going to have them for years to come. 

The basil have gone crazy and are pretty much a solid row of bushes. I've already deheaded the seeds twice but they are completely unfazed and just keep going.

And for whatever reason, we have ridiculous amounts of wild onion? Garlic? Something? But the bees absolutely love the flowers! These have taken over the "courtyard" and are also hanging out in the garden, as you can see. I counted at least two wasps, multiple honeybees, and several other bees in just this clump. You might be able to see some of them if you click on the picture. 

I need to make soup, again. Anyone like tomato basil? I have enough to make a cauldron of it...

 

Yes, more flora phone photos

Another misty morning today. Road visibility seemed to be okay but the woods are all hiding, haha.

Driveway detritus

Tuesday morning had fun, watercolor-ish clouds in front of more solid ones in the distance. 

Above, my leggy mums are starting to bud. Below, the buckeye trees are convinced it is already autumn. Lots of their leaves have jumped already, and we can hear buckeyes and walnuts pinging off the driveway, the trailer, the roof. Pretty much any tree that can make a mess, we've gone some. Oak, buckeye, various pines, walnut, locust, you name it. 

Good morning, moon.

There I go not focusing again. These pictures, below, are from Monday's run.

Not a fabulous picture, but the cheerful yellow of the tall flowers against the green of the soybeans and the blue and white of the sky with the blue and white of the blue weed and Queen Anne's lace in the foreground... perfection. I'm sure Dada is getting tired of me pointing it out on every walk, but it's so vibrant and balanced and lovely that I don't want anyone to miss it!

 

Pray for teachers. The struggle is real.

 

Paging Weird Al

I'm sure some of you remember the hit "The Thunder Rolls" by Garth Brooks that was big in the early 90's. 

I had an unfortunate accident with my pumpkin roll this morning. I was carrying it upstairs, balanced on top of Beowulf (which I don't like any better than I did in high school, incidentally), my wallet [as today is picture day for Damon and I forgot to send the form in with him so I had to do it online. Who schedules picture day on a Monday, anyway?], my new reading glasses, and my coffee mug (which thankfully has a lid or goodness knows what would have happened). I should probably explain that we've gotten a new laptop (yay, and there was much rejoicing) and I'm keeping it upstairs in the nook we call the sitting room. It's the same spot where I do yoga in the morning, so now you have that picture in your head. There are slightly fewer distractions up there which is good for blogging and Stuff I'm Supposed To Get Done, but also bad because I don't have everything in the world at my fingertips, like scrap paper, for instance.

 We can pause here for a moment of lament. For my pumpkin roll, not for my lack of Stuff. 

I thought, "I need Weird Al to come up with a parody of that song. He can describe how addicting pumpkin rolls are, how quickly they're devoured once they're brought home, how excited everyone is to see them in the stores at the end of summer (it is not yet fall, people!)...

Oy, pumpkin rolls..."  🎵🎵🎵

Don't mind me. I'm here singing sad country songs to myself.

 

Squirrel!

 

Part of the reason I'm an inconsistent (at best) runner is that I'm much more interested in the sky, the flowers, the birds, the butterflies, the chalk art on the sidewalk, pretty much anything other than important things like gait or breathing. If by some miracle I do end up in a good rhythm, I'll inevitably find something remarkable (to me) to stop and take a picture of. These were taken September 2nd or 3rd.

Yeah, hair smashed and sweaty from my baseball cap. Just keepin' it real, lest y'all think I have it all together. *Cue hilarious laughter*