Not for the Faint of Heart

I grew up a farm girl, thus have a love/intrigue for all things nature.

So this weekend, out at Nana and Papa's farm, when a Diamondback snake swam up to me with an enormous Catfish in its jaws, I did what any country girl with a Canon Rebel around her neck would do... snapped a buncha pictures.... and did not shriek one time. Even when I realized that my seven year old son was in a low rider paddle boat just feet from this sight.... I held it all together.

The Pioneer Woman ain't got nothing on me!

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Top Ten Pics of Our Two Thousand Ten

~Ellie performing in Babes in Toyland~

~The possum and her babies on our back fence~~Luke and his faux hawk~

~Farm dog~ ~OKC Memorial~

~Rope swing in Kerrville, Texas~~Sunset on the farm~

~Falling in love with Football~

~Our Angel Ida~~We Love Wilson~

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What's Wrong With This Picture?

Isn't the human supposed to have her head on the pillow, not the dog.........

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Something Gross but Amazing in My Backyard

I looked outside the other morning about 6:50 AM. I saw something strange on our back fence and squealed loud enough to wake up Tom and Luke and make them run down the stairs. I could see that it was a possum, but I thought to be out in the sunlight and to be scaling our fence so slowly, it must have been sick. My first thought was that she had the mange. Isn't that weird. Isn't that just for dogs?
But as my whole family peered out our sliding glass door, we noticed other tiny sets of eyes and feet... 7 of them to be exact. Six on her back and one that had fallen in our backyard.
We sat there in awe as we watched a mother in distress muster every bit of courage she had to continue tiptoeing down the fence through the neighborhood. We were a concern to her, but not as big a concern as the dog on the other side of the fence or her little baby who was calling out to her in obvious panic. Her biggest difficulty though, was making her way across a 1/2 inch wide fence top, while her babies were literally dripping down her sides. My best guess is that she tried to move the youngens while it was still dark, but the task took longer than she estimated and she got caught as the sun came up.... exposed and scared, though not daunted from the task that lie ahead of her.
If you look closely at this picture, you can clearly see two baby faces, but she also has one on her neck and two hanging very low, one on her front leg, the other on her rear end. Not sure where the other one is hiding...
I normally would be totally grossed out at the site of this rodent-looking animal, but to see her vying for survival with all her might along with the sight of those little baby opossum, I have to say it was pretty amazing. I didn't want to get a gun and shoot her, though I may have second thoughts when we have a dozen possums rummaging through our trash!

Post Note: After I left for school that morning, Ellie and Luke watched as the baby made his way from the ground to the top of the fence and down the way to his mother who had only moved about 30 feet down the fence in the span of nearly an hour.

I did a little fact-finding on the opossum, and if you are interested, here are some gross but amazing things I never knew about possums....

• Opossums are the only marsupial native to North America.
• Opossums are excellent climbers using their hands, feet and tail to grasp.
• They mate once a year, but have two litters: one in spring and one in late summer - the theory is the 2nd pregnancy is delayed.
• Newborn babies are the size of a bumblebee.
• Gestation period is a very fast 13 days
• As many as 25 babies are born and make their way into the pouch
• The first 13 babies that attach to a nipple survive - mama can only accommodate 13 babies in her pouch
• Babies spend two months in the pouch continuing their development
• Once out of the pouch, babies ride on top of mom, hanging onto her fur
• Opossums are immune to rattle snake venom, rabies and distemper
• While "playing possum," they emit a smelly substance from their anal gland which smells like rotten meat. This makes the opossum appear to be a rotting carcass and most predators will not eat him.
• Opossums have a peaceful nature and will avoid confrontations, but they will bite if provoked as a defensive
• They have 52 teeth - more than any other mammal in North America

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Blogging and other Things on My Heart

How I do love to blog.

I look at it as something I do for myself.
Like taking a hot bath.
Or getting a pedicure.

That's how much I love it.

It's my opportunity to express myself, record my memories and be creative all in one.

I get to write poems, (try to) be funny and extract those emotions that are running rampant inside my heart.

One other bonus: your comments! I love reading them. They make my day sometimes. Did you know that?

I also love, love, love to read your blogs. I'd like to name all my favorite blogs here, but I don't want to leave anyone out... because your words really make a difference!

They influence me.
They make me laugh.
They make me think.
Your blogs are truly wonderful and delightful.
They inspire me in many different ways.

I have this habit of thinking in terms of blog posts. I'm sitting there actually experiencing a moment, thinking... boy, I'm gonna have to blog this. Sometimes, the title jumps right into my head at the very moment.

For instance, today, I was itching to get to the computer to blog about this picture... My wild child daughter decorated herself with a fancy mustache, unibrow and chest hair. Don't ask me where she gets this stuff.



I also have wanted for a long time to share with you about our two aquatic pets: a red eared slider turtle and a catfish. I mean, who has a pet catfish? We even have a stocking for him. I also wanted to tell you that I try to be real careful in the mornings not to wake turtle up. If I come in to the laundry room (where he stays), and I can see he's all tucked up into his shell, I just cannot turn on the light and jolt him into his 10 gallon aquarium of reality. I mean, that's not how the sun comes out, instantaneously, and I guess out of respect for mother nature, I try to tread lightly around turtle in the mornings.

I'd love to tell you that a week ago, I was running up to my sister's door (it was COLD!) and tripped and fell HARD knee-first on the edge of her concrete step. I don't think my knee will ever be the same, but what is really bothering me is that I put a hole in the one pair of skinny jeans I have. Ok, I am not skinny; however, they are the closest thing to a skinny jean I will ever have... they look good tucked into boots and with my BFL diet, I was actually feeling semi-cute in them... and then, the only pair of true designer jeans I own... ripped. I have seen pics of celebrities in ripped jeans, but I guarantee you they paid money for special rips. Sigh.

I'd like to share with you that we're having a rough basketball season. It hasn't been this rough in quite a few years. I guess that's something to be thankful for -that our last few seasons have been good ones-, but it is H.A.R.D. to watch your husband and his players lose game after game. It's difficult to listen to his voice on the phone when we just got whipped and he won't say it... but I know that all he wants is to come home and see his family. It makes me anxious when we start losing so much, but ironically, it's the one thing that consistently gets me on my knees - right where God wants me.

Which brings me to my last point. As much as I love blogging -and tend to obsess-, I am going to take a bit of a break. I am feeling in my heart that as much as I love it (and it's ok to love it!), I need to take a step back from it and focus on the One who makes it All Possible.

I wonder (because of YOUR blog posts)... am I truly helping my children focus on the REAL meaning of CHRISTmas? Am I giving them opportunities to serve others? Am I spending enough time with my King? That's what I'm going to focus my heart upon right now - the birth of Christ - my Father, King, Savior, Protector, Rock. Have a peaceful, relaxing, lovely and wonderful Christmas!!!

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Caverns and Ants and Bats, Oh My!

After our lovely trip to visit my dear friend, Kerry, in Thomas, I meandered up north a couple hours on some old country roads to meet my sister Kim and my cousin Ronda.

Destination: Selman, Oklahoma.
Purpose: See the 1 million+ bats perform their nightly exit from their resting cave

Note: This was NOT my idea. My cousin Ronda got it going, and apparently has a fascination with the event. My sister is a scientest at heart and bought right into it. Me? I guess I caved in to Bat Pressure.

But first, we had time to visit Alabaster Caverns.
I have visited other caves before, but the kids have never witnessed the underground magnificence of God's hand. Or felt the cool 58 degree cave temperatures! (It was 101 outside!) Even Luke had to duck.After the cave tour, we went to an ampitheather to hear an exciting rendition of "Echolocation." What I would do to have video posted of that one. It was cringingly funny. Anyway, poor Luke was watching the show while standing on the entrance hole to a red ant colony. Once we discovered what was happening, his jeans and shoes were crawling with the large insects. I screamed "STOMP Luke, STOMP!" But he got bit twice, once on the ankle and once on the neck. As you can see, it almost ruined our night. He was pretty upset. Here is where we waited for the bats. And waited. And waited. Finally, they came. They came in what is called columns.
And more columns. And more. 1 hour of this. I'm serious.
We could hear their wings fluttering above us in a dull buzzing sound. It was amazing. I'm convinced that everything God does, he does in the most amazing ways. Out of the ordinary. Spectacular.
Luke was feeling much better by this time. The bats got him over the ants. And then we crawled our creepy little selves into our hotel rooms. That night, Ellie dreamed about snakes.

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Our Daughter... the Dog Handler?

Well, thanks to Cousin Kim, we found out about a class for "junior handlers." There is a whole different culture of people out there who breed dogs, train dogs, and show dogs (Ever seen Best in Show?) and we got our first official taste of it. I have to admit that the dogs are really cute and that Ellie is SO in her element, it's not even funny. But wow, that is a lot of time to spend with a dog on a dog and for a dog. I guess you dog lovers out there say, uhhh.. yeah, and we love every minute of it, so get over it! Ok, I will try, but the dog handlers are so serious and competive that they will hide their dog treats in get this... their mouths! See below as one handler slips a cookie in her cheek for later. Why, you ask? To save the time of digging in the pocket and to provide more instantaneous gratification for the dog who may in turn look perkier and win the coveted 1st prize! Obvious question: when will little rookie Ellie learn to perfect such a sacrificial and selfless dog handling skill? Answer: she popped the doggie doobie in her mouth immediately. Yuuuummmmmy! Here is another dog handling skill she learned: leading the dog.and here is cousin Ana leading her little dog, Hazel.
So now I come to my favorite part of dog handling: photography. I know these are not fabulous pictures by any stretch. HOWEVER, I was quite excited as I recognized EWWW, a flash in this circumstance (dark building, no natural light, funky and reflective dog eyes) would be disastrous. See below. BLECH. So I snapped my ISO all the way to 1600, put white balance on "tungsten" (what a weird word) and worked with my camera until my shutter speed was about 1/200. I have no idea if that is right or not, professionally speaking, but look at Ellie's dog Walker. Are his eyes not amazing? I got that because I did NOT have a flash on! Woo Hoo! I never thought it could be done in such poor lighting. (patting self on back) Overall, it was a fun experience for our little dog lover, and we will see where God leads her next.

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There's A New Rae in Town

Ida Hope Rae-Rae to be Exact - Nana and Papa's new little Yorkshire terrier. Is she not the cutest 4 1/2 pound thing you have ever seen? They're going to call her Hope Rae, and I'm a little annoyed that now even the DOG can get in the Rae picture and I....... I am left out!!!! And as you can see below, Cosmo is pretty annoyed himself. You wouldn't think that a 12 year old 15 pound male would be intimidated by a 5 month old 4 pound baby puppy. But... Cosmo... he's been known to be spooked by leaves before. We'll see if he gets used to his new cousin. :)

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So Doggone Cute!

The unthinkable has happened: Kim's family has become..... a DOG family! She always firmly said, "Oh we won't get a dog until the girls are older, blah, blah blah," but today, she called, and said.... "you'll never guess what I just bought!!! And it's POTTY TRAINED!" Well, meet Tate, the newest addition to Kim's family. Isn't he absolutely adorable???

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Na Na Na Na

Na Na Na Na, Hey Hey, Goodbye!

Oh, did I really give this post such an obvious title? And let on that I am secretly (or not so secretly) jumping up and down that our venture into guinea pig care is now O-V-E-R? Well, it all began very sweetly. We all were intrigued with these creatures (Edward -pictured- and his buddy Marvin). They were so cuddly and had a place of honor in Ellie's room. But then, they got demoted, because they kept waking her up at night wanting FOOD more FOOD. Poor critters, I think that's the only brain cell they have... one that tells them "I need food." The demotion landed them in the kids' bathroom. Still, not bad living if you're a guinea pig. We can handle it. After all, these are God's handiwork. Made. for. us. to. care. for. But they sure poop a lot. And stink. Oh, they stink. Let's see how they fare in the garage. Surely they can survive out there. They do: those hardy little fellas. But I deal daily with guinea-pig-guilt. Strangely, no one else seems to care, much less feel guilt. Why, when I have 299 other things to think about, am I agonizing over these nervous, little, wide-eyed, animals? Well, my parents raised what seems like hundreds of animals during my childhood. Can I not handle a dog and two guinea pigs? Well, it seems like God is saying, "Let me help you out with this one." Or maybe Marvin and Edward were desperately praying to be rescued. Or maybe it was the prayers of the family who wanted a new guinea pig to replace another one that had recently died. Whatever it was, when the call came... out of the blue... the answer was, "yes, Marvin and Edward would love a new home." And since the Princess of Hearts had recently read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, (thanks, Chere) she could see the value of being loved... by someone new. Her exact words were, "It's time for Marvin and Edward to go." And on Saturday, they went with a new family, a family who seems intent on loving them. I breathed a sigh of relief, and then Ellie asked, "When can I get a crab?"

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Free the Frogs

Is this not one of the cutest creatures that our Lord in Heaven has made? A tiny little green jewel put in our garden to eat those pesky mosquitos... a hopping wonder. Remember, our family loves frogs. In fact, growing up, I was a collector of frogs. At one time, my collection of ceramic, yarn and shell frogs numbered well over 100. And Kermit has always been quite dear to my heart. Why am I posting about this? Well, I have a certain, unnamed "friend" with the initials of NW who lives in Florida who is MURDERING these precious hoppers left and right. Using such outrageous weapons as Raid, PhoneBooks, and Umbrellas, this woman has taken the lives of several frogs, many who certainly have families back at the swamp, probably wives and several children. Join with me in my crusade to have this woman stopped, so she will get the message to FREE THE FROGS!!!!!!

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Boy Time

Today, I took Luke and his friend Seth to the Oklahoma Aquarium. They LOVED the fish, turtles and other amazing sea life. More than that, I think they loved their "boy time." Both of the boys have 2 sisters, so it is a rare occasion for them to just have time free of girls!!! Here they are giving their "mean looks."

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