I love Little Kids

Luke, our nephew, came for a hike with us last weekend.  I am SO entertained by the sayings that come out of his little 7-year-old mouth!  This was a hike on a preserve where there are also mountain bike riders as well as people on horseback pounding the trails with us pedestrians.  Nora and Luke were hiking a bit ahead of my husband and I, when we noticed that they stopped and were analyzing something on the trail that lay between them.  As we approached, we saw the it was horse poop.  I asked, “What in the world is that?”  Luke answered right away, “It’s poop from a cow.”  We have never seen cows on the hills behind our house!  Ever!  And we’ve seen the horses getting in and out of their trailers at the trail head.  It made me laugh.  Obviously a city-fied boy…. once you’ve seen a cow pie, you could hardly mistake them for horse droppings!

A half hour later, we had come to a T in the path and turned west, having never gone that way previously.  My husband suggested that we take a picture of the trail map (from the trail head) when we get back so we could figure out where we had hiked.  I remarked that the trails are probably on a state website and we could just look them up on the computer.  Luke chimed in stating the obvious that I had obviously missed, “Auntie Linda, there aren’t any computers out here!”  As if to say DUH!

Last year when Luke was in kindergarten, every time I saw him I would ask him if he went to school that day (even on holidays and weekends.)  Did his teacher show up?  Did she teach him anything he didn’t already know?  And I tried with great effort to get him to raise his hand in class and ask, “When are you going to teach me something I don’t already know.”  I coached him.  I prodded.  I modeled. But he never asked.  Smart kid.

Eventful Night

Not only did I drag my sweet husband to the farmer’s market to buy organic veggies tonight, but he also went with me to Game Stop for a nephew’s birthday gift and to Best Buy for my non-working computer AND to Borders book store for wandering.  Great night!

So, we had a no-plastic-spending rule in effect this week (you know, just to see if we can live like the Amish)… so I found a bag of quarters in one of my other purses and emptied a piggy bank and came up with $32 for the Farmer’s Market!  Every single vender was thrilled with my change!  Oh, and the haul was good…. cherry tomatoes, Roma tomatoes on the vine, zucchini, squash, green onions, sweet peppers, cukes and local honey!  Sweet!  Literally!  Makes me look forward to lunch tomorrow!  I’m hoping the local honey helps my sinus situation.

Next stop: Best Buy!  We bought my laptop there in October… yes, only seven months ago.  Last week when I was not feeling well and needed a romantic movie night… right in the middle of the movie the computer just up and quit.  Gave up the ghost.  Dead as a door nail, and we all know how dead door nails are!  It was plugged in and everything…. no, there was not tornadic activity to warrant an extra surge of unwanted power.  It just quit.  Made me mad.  Larisa was not nearly as mad, as she does her now-very-overdue algebra on the laptop….. ’nuff said.  So I take it to the Geek Squad at BB… and the guy plugs it in and it works.  Makes me look like a complete lame brain.  Anyway, algebra, here we come!  No money spent.  Good.

Next stop: Game Stop!  Seems my nephew needed a DS Lite Transformers Starter Kit for his birthday… you know, the one with the stylus that transforms into a monster.  It’s good to be specific, then you don’t get things you don’t want like roses dipped in liquid gold, but I digress to a topic worthy of an entire ungrateful blog.  So, on my third visit to gaming stores, I FINALLY locate said Transformers Starter Kit!  Bingo!  I need to mail that tomorrow for it to make it in time!  I like being the Auntie that buys the cool toys!  I’m cool.  See.

Last stop: Borders! Does it make me a nerd that I L-O-V-E that store? It has books in every single one of my interest categories!  (Albeit only two less-than-average adoption books, but they made up for it in gardening.) And my interests are vast!  I limited myself to a single volume that was drastically on sale… $24.99 down to $5.99… minus my 20% teacher’s discount… $5.23… and I had enough quarters left over to pay without plastic! So proud of myself.  But I lingered long in the gardening/back-to-basics section.  There is a book titled something like Grow All Your Food in Your Backyard, or some such likeness.  I want that book…. bad.  It rates right up there with Back to the Basics and The Encyclopedia of Country Living.  I could take either of those books and go live out in the country and be jes’ fine!  Bee raisin’, log house buildin’, soap makin’, gardenin’, chicken raisin’, it’s all right up my alley.  Yep, my sister will think I’m a nerd again this Christmas when she reads my Wish List!

See!  A great night!

?#21 from My Sister’s Jar

Haven’t pulled a question out of the jar for a spell.  Thought I’d give it a whirl.

Tell about your most loved, prized possession.

Nothing came to mind right away…. then several things came to mind, but which is the MOST loved?  I’m not sure.  Here’s the top three of my most loved, prized possessions:

1.  My wedding ring.  It’s a sentimental thing.  It’s a reminder of all the better and worse times we’ve gone through over 22 years and that we’re committed to stay together.  I think I would still pick the same setting too.  I didn’t pick this one, but I told Rick that I liked marquis shaped diamonds… and he took it from there.  He done good.

2.  The Family Bible.  (Stop rolling your eyes, Christy.)  I’m the ONLY family-tree-loving member of my generation.  If it weren’t for an historian in each generation, how would the family saga live on?  The old, brown Bible was purchased in Oregon City when my great great Grandparents came across the Oregon trail.  It has several marriages and births written in it, as well as locks of hair (that’s kind of gross), and newspaper clippings.  It’s a cool piece of our family history…. from Dad’s side of the family.  (Katelyn, I’ll keep it for you, Honey.)

3.  My scrapbooks.  What more needs to be said about this one?  They are the current family history done with creative flair and thousands of dollars and hours.  We don’t get them out enough.  I keep most of them in a cabinet away from the dust, but when they do see the sunshine, all the family pours over them like it was the first time.  Makes me happy.

That’s it.  A ring and some old books.  What is your most loved, prized possession?

I’m Back on Top

After yesterday’s depressing (or pressurized) blog, I wanted to report on my state of health, so as not to have you worrying at my expense.  It’s at 9 out of 10 today.  Hooray.  10 out of 10 would be better, but I’m not one to complain… well, yesterday I was, but that’s entirely different.

Got laundry going.  Taught Ancient History.  Dishwasher is going.  Took a shower.  Made a trip to the library. I even made my bed.  Things are looking up. Praise God!

Change of subject:  I have the cutest nieces and nephews in the whole world.  I’ve been all the way on the other side of the world too, so I speak with authority on this subject.  Here is my just-turned-four-year-old nephew, dressed as a ninja for his birthday party.  Yes, those are nunchucks… but they are made of foam.  He is highly entertaining even without the costume and extremely intelligent… we come from the same gene pool.  :o)

Funny thing about nephews and nieces, you see your siblings in them.  This is my brother’s youngest son and he looks exactly like my brother… maybe even a bit cuter.  My eldest son has many of my brother’s physical traits as well… his build, hair color and the shape of his feet and toe nails.  Genetics are a weird deal. 

To give equal time to my sister’s kids, here they are… Children of the Corn:

Darling!  Each one.  Thanks for letting me pull out the Auntie card today.  I’m thankful to live near family and we always have lots of laughs when we’re together.