Anniversary Date

My hubby and I went out today to celebrate our anniversary (which is tomorrow). We can't go to celebrate tomorrow, because I have a doctor's appointment....my first not-pregnancy-related checkup since I was about 6 or 7. Seriously, I DO NOT like going to the doctor! lol

We went out to eat first, then to the bank and the library....everything normal, routine....but, at the library I picked up our local newspaper and read some, and something piqued my interest. (Piqued, NOT PEAKED, mind you, like the author of the newspaper article I was reading had it written) It was an article which mentioned a flood from 32years ago, and it had a picture. I've looked everywhere I could think of for a picture of it...no one seems to have any. Anyway, I thought maybe the newspaper office might have some pictures of it which I could look at. So, Daddy and I walked down to the newspaper office and asked. They were very gracious, but didn't own the picture, it was a photo of a photo the TVA has in a file. So it's inaccessible, and the picture in the paper was a photo of a photo of a photo, and you can't really make out any details in it. I had a great-uncle in the area it was taken...in the original you might be able to make out his house. I'd love to be able to see if you can! Anyway, Daddy got in a completely unrelated conversation with the reporter we were talking to...that was fun...and it was something unusual and different for us. (I'm talking about this the same way I'd tell our squirrels about our day...they didn't go with us, and they're not home yet, and I'm missing them, apparently. lol)

Anyway, we bought a paper from them, then went over to do some shopping we needed to do....all the pet food ran out at the same time for once!...and Daddy started taking side-roads. He'd say, "I wonder what's up this way?" and off we'd go. We discovered a rock quarry...HUGE and SO cool, and I saw a beaver...my first live, in-the-wild spotting of a beaver!, and dreadfully, a lawnmower on fire! The lawnmower owner (I hope...it would be even worse to burn up a borrowed lawnmower!...) was spraying it with a small fire-extinguisher, but it quickly grew too big, so he pushed it into the sidewalk and went inside the house...I hoped he was gone to call the fire department, but he might have just gone to let it finish burning.

Such odd and *different* occurrences today.....and I didn't have my camera with me! I told Daddy I've learned my lesson...from now on I will take my camera EVERYWHERE! lol

Mushrooming

We went out mushroom-hunting today, but it was a bit early. I found six, but four were too small to pick, so I only brought home two, and Daddy found one. Just a small taste for each of us, but SO tasty! lol

It's a bit chilly and windy out today, I've enjoyed being inside most of the day, out of the wind. We went to my mom's house to clean for her, because she left on vacation this morning and was in a hurry and left a mess. We got it cleaned up, then Daddy and Anna went to look for more old bottles, while I stayed inside and did laundry.

Anna found another deer skull...we have five now, on a shelf in our living room. The new one is green...an odd addition. lol She says she's also got an opossum's jawbone to add to our collection. Lucky us. ; )

My Day...Following Spring Through the Woods

We spent the day outside...at least, when it wasn't raining on us. I LOVE LOVE LOVE the colors in the pictures I took today! I am completely smitten by the greens! lol

Especially this green.....and PINK! I LOVES me some pink!

This is my garden so far. These are radishes....

and these tiny shoots are spinach....I think. lol They're in a row, anyway, so I assume they're the spinach. ; )

I'm BACK!

And I hadn't even realized I'd been away so long! Life happened...it DOES that, y'know?

While I was away doing my substitute-teaching bit (last post) Anna came down with strep throat, so I was off the computer for a few days with her, then, just as she got better, I came down with the MOST dreadful EVER sinus infection. (I think there was a bit of walking pneumonia tossed in there just-for-fun, too.) It seems like any time I get the least little bit of a cold now it wants to go up and crawl into my sinus' and fester there. BLEAH!

Daddy had the van tore apart, and so we were riding around with wet nastiness from the road blowing in on us, we went to the food pantry and spend about 6 hours cleaning and organizing, and I was apparently run-down to begin with. I got sick, then I got sicker, then I felt a little better and went to visit my mom, then I was sick and sicker again, then Daddy made me go to the doctor...first visit in 9 years!...and the doctor gave me antibiotics, and now I'm all better, except for a little phlegm I won't disgust you with. lol

We've been staying close to home....I've hardly left the house since my doctor visit, because the trip made me SO sick I've had a hard time facing the van again. But yesterday I needed a laundry bag and initiated a trip...so I knew I was better! lol

It's been SO beautiful here lately. Warm, in the 70's, and lovely bright sunshine. I spent most of my recuperation time on the porch with Oscar, reading magazines. My magazine rack is starting to look like a half-plucked chicken. lol

My kids have discovered the thrills of....digging through trash piles. ; ) We live in my DH's grandmother's house, and way-back-when they simply threw their trash into the back yard and buried it. Emma found a quarter last night, and a lovely juice glass, and Anna found a little bowl that matched the glass, and they've found bottles galore, including an ink bottle, full of ink! Anna found that one...she's thrilled beyond words with it. ; ) Daddy and Anna were outside...I am not joking, and I wish I was...until 3:00 last night! I shudder to think of the hole they've got back there! lol I went to bed at 1, and went outside and asked Anna if she didn't want to come in, and I'd tuck her up, but she wanted to dig (she and Daddy HATE for the other to be digging without them! FOMS. lol) I pocketed the marble they had found (I collect them) and came in, and went on to bed. This morning Daddy was in bed with me, and Anna was crashed on a chair in the living room, so I asked Daddy what time they got in, and 3:00!!! When Anna woke up I helped her get into bed, thinking she would sleep longer, but she was awake and started reading instead.

Saturday we celebrated Spring by spending the day in the woods. Daddy discovered an old house-site, and Anna dug up two quartz crystals. Emma found more Indian artifacts, and I napped on a blanket in the sun. lol

Sunday Anna and I spent the day sitting with Daddy while he dug for "treasure" with his metal detector, and Oscar dug up an Indian arrow point.....a bird point, I believe. I told Daddy archaeological digs must be catching. lol I framed it for him...his first "find"! ; ) Emma spent the day with Daddy's mother, and they have plans for spring-cleaning next weekend.

Today is rainy, but a nice warm rain, so I don't mind. We're working on a "nature-museum" shelf in the living room, and I need to go fish out some things for it. (Daddy put some new shelves up yesterday, and I thought it was time we used one for all the *nature* stuff we collect. Anna has her deer skulls on the top shelf, and it adds a very macabre element to our living room. lol

3-10-09

I did a bit of substitute teaching today...an odd experience, I must say! lol I spent my downtime reading Growing Without Schooling....and wondering why people choose school. ; ) The language lesson was adding adjectives and adverbs to make writing more interesting...I couldn't resist telling them eventually they will be told to take out extra adjectives and adverbs to make their writing more concise. : P

I was called about teaching last night about 9:30, Anna started saying her throat hurt about 10:00, and by eleven-thirty she was sick enough I wished I could call and tell them I couldn't make it, but by then it was too late to call anyone, and I had to be there at 8:20 this morning, so no time to call then, either. DH cancelled his plans, though, and stayed home with Anna, then took her to the doctor when I thought it might be strep throat. (It is.)

It is SUCH a lovely day...it was a shame to spend it inside a school! ; ) When I got home I went outside and planted spinach and radishes. BEAUTIFUL, beautiful day!

AND...I saw cedar waxwings!!! I've ALWAYS wanted to see some...they're such lovely birds, one of the prettiest, I think....but I've never seen any around here. On the way home from school there were three or four in a bush beside the road! It really was worth it, going to school, just to see that!

A Ponder...

Why is it if I read a thousand books and watch a thousand documentaries people will still think I don't know anything, but if I read the 6 books someone else decrees necessary and get a piece of paper stating I've graduated people will call it an education and believe me when I claim to know something?

This is Funny...

Last night we were talking...

Emma: "I can't lie, my conscience bothers me."

Anna: "I can lie. I don't have a conscience."

Me: "What have you lied about?"

Anna: "Nothing. I haven't had a chance yet."

LOL!!!

03-06-09

First thing this morning we went to a used book sale. Anna found a couple books and slithered in behind a table to read in peace. ; ) Then we went to a park, where she couldn't resist the "No Sitting" sign.

She also found this BIG fish....I should have used a picture with her in it to compare sizes. It was WAY bigger than my foot. The end of it has been eaten....we thought the birds might have been picking at it.

Anna also found a crayfish.

AND, farther down the road we came across this old mill. I haven't looked it up online yet, to see if I can find info about the age and all, but the sign said the original mill (obviously not this building) was built in 1775. Daddy is *really* wanting to try out his metal detector there. ; )

A Phenomenal Day!

We went out today...Daddy wanted to do some metal-detecting, so we went to an old house site, and he searched for a while.

This is the view to the north of where we were.


Emma dressed up so I could make some pictures she could send to her pen-pals.

She wanted a picture of her with her little sister to send, too. ; )

And we were SO scared by this opossum! He came up the road just as the girls were coming down the road. They jumped over the bank and ran...well, Anna ran, Emma rolled down the bank. He *followed* them, coming to within about 10 feet of us, before turning back and then Daddy threw a rock and splashed water on it and it went on up the road.

Further up the road there's a house with lots of cats, and when we passed it the opossum was out in front eating cat food with a cat. I suppose it's a pet...but still scary when you're not sure and thinking of rabies. ; )

'Twas an awesome day, though...Daddy found three pocketknives, a penny, some sort of copper tag, and a spoon. He likes those kinds of things. ; )

Anna found another deer skull (she seems to have some sort of radar), and she and Emma climbed to the top of the waterfall.

I, of course, got to take lots of pictures with my new camera...I LOVES IT!