Better Lock Your Car at the Little League Game!

You may have done it years ago. Heck, you might even still do it nowadays, depending on where you live. I'm talking about leaving your car doors unlocked. I don't do it, haven't for years because I don't want some lunatic waiting in the backseat when I hop in the car. That's just me and my overactive imagination, though.

Lots of people in small communities still don't lock their doors, but I have one or two unexpected reasons why that should change.

Here's one of the reasons:

Yep, that's just Kate. She's harmless. The other reason is her friend, C. They're both harmless, funny little 8 year olds. They don't care what the inside of your car looks like, they don't want to swipe your electronics, and as far as I know, neither one knows how to hotwire a vehicle. . . but you still might want to lock your car doors at the Little League game, if only to save these two a little embarrassment.

Last night, K and C were playing while their brothers were on the Little League field playing baseball. (Damiansville won, by the way! Go, D-ville!) K had me unlock our van so she could get her water bottle, show C a toy, put away her scooter, yada, yada, yada. Much to her dismay, I wouldn't let them stay in the van and locked it after they got out.

A little while later, I'm checking on these two, and they are telling me that C's mom got a new phone! They are amazed at this new information! I act appropriately impressed. They go to the bleachers to tell C's mom that they like her new phone.




C's mom is a little puzzled and says, "Why do you think I have a new phone?"

The girls say, "We saw it! It was in the car! We couldn't get it to turn on, though!"

C's mom asks the girls which car they mean.

The girls point to a silver SUV.

C's mom smiles and says, "That's not our car. Our car is parked on the other end of the lot."



Hee hee. . . there were a few embarrassed giggles :-)

Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaa-POW! Pink!

That's some pink, huh? Someone asked me the other day whether or not I'd found any surprises in the yard this first spring. The answer is yes! I knew there were rosebushes scattered in the landscaping, but I didn't know they would be full of these burst-of-sensation pink blooms. Of course, the other big surprise was the snakes, but I'm slowly warming up to that reality. . . I say "slowly" because I had rubber bands around the bottom of my jeans legs for a few afternoons after I almost stepped on that snake down by the garden. I say "slowly" because a tiny garter snake slithered across the edge of the baseball field last night and I didn't scream. I happily scrambled up into the top row of the bleachers to watch Katie's game, instead of sitting down in the grass where I'd have a great view BUT I didn't scream and run from the snake. Progress, progress, ya know?

I'd entertain you more with my backyard stories, but the darn writing muse has been on strike. Seems she'd rather read a book or lounge in the sunshine (when we have it) than sit at the computer feeding words into my brain. I just wanted to check in, let you know I am alive (and well, and having a pretty darn good time enjoying all the spring surprises in the yard, even the lake that now exists on top of my fledgling garden), and say a big THANK YOU to Juls, who obviously has more faith in my writing than I do right now :-)

Toodles for now. . . Catch ya soon. . . You know there's bound to be a story in this whole "she's attempting to garden but she can't even keep a cactus alive" episode of my life!

Clara-Greer-O-Pedia

Oh, sure, you've got your Britannica's, your Wiki's, and your assorted almanacs and such, but I have my mom. Have you ever stopped to think how much information we glean from our mothers? Have you ever contemplated how much you know because your mother knew it before you did and passed it along to you?

Well, I'm that's what I'm doing today. I'm giving you a list of things Mother has taught me or shown me by example or would willingly provide the secrets if asked. You know, sometimes it's hard to remember exactly where you picked up information, but even when my mom is not the only source, she is a reliable and trusted source. . . you could say it's her word that solidifies a subject. So, here you go, a random list (random because I know there are so many things and that I'll forget some) of random things (random because I'm not even going to try to organize these for you, whether it be by subject or by time when I learned them) I know because of Mother:

• to blow a bubble with chewing gum, you have to flatten the wad of gum against your teeth and then blow
• you need to fluff a feather bed every day
• tomato plants will put down roots anywhere the stem happens to touch the ground
  
• cake flour makes a difference in the finished cake
• German Chocolate Cake is a family favorite for good reason and I can bake it myself
• if you don't have a candy thermometer, it's okay-- just use a small bowl of cold water and drop candy in it until it reaches the soft ball stage
• family ties are important-- from grandparents to aunts and uncles to cousins and cousins' kids
• don't let dogs and cats in the house (and of course, I had to test this by having dogs in my house soon as I was a grownup; FYI it's a big job to keep dog hair from covering every surface in the house, and I finally decided outdoor pets are best for me)
• go outside every day-- you'll feel better
• a sharp hoe is the most valuable gardening tool
• keep your hands on the steering wheel
• the eyes of the seed potatoes better be pointed upward before you cover them with dirt
• some families were too poor for Santa to visit when my mom was little
• when I was 6, this important information about Santa tipped me off to the secret of Santa
• now that I am 44, this important information reminds me to have compassion and understanding instead of jumping to conclusions
• spraying the tile floors with Pledge so we can "skate" in our socks is something I will never, ever, do again
• strawberry freezer jam is incredibly delicious
• if you purchase rotten fruit at Sam's, they'll give you double your money back
• don't run around the store/restaurant/anyplace like a chicken with its head cut off
• buttermilk is good. . .blech! yuck! sorry, Mother, can't get this one!
• if your children are being too quiet, something is going on and you'd better check it out

That last one reminded me that my own two have been a little too quiet for the last few minutes, so I'd better do some investigating. Before I go, let me just say HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY TO MY MOM! I LOVE YOU!

'Cause That's Just How This Cat Rolls

Can't beat morning sunshine!

Go ahead! Get out in that sunshine, and bask in the warmth!
Happy Tuesday!

Is Monday "Wash Day" at Your House?

Here's a scene from The Fort, that awesome place hidden away right here in Clinton County. This guy has really done a terrific job recreating scenes in the log cabins he's moved to the site. It was certainly interesting to see the kids' reactions to everything. It was also informative. Now, I realize how much my own kids don't know about the way life used to be. Everyday history, that's what you could call it, and that's what kids don't know that they don't know.

The elderly residents of a nursing home where I worked in the early 1990's taught me a few things about everyday history, and those tidbits of information came in handy while we were touring the cabins at The Fort. (Of course, my mom gets lots of credit for telling us about a lot of these things when we were young, and that's probably the same for you if you are anywhere near 35 years old.) One thing that the nursing home residents taught me was that each day of the week had a special purpose:


Sunday was a day of worship and rest.
Monday was laundry day.
Tuesday was ironing day.
Wednesday was ________?____________.
Thursday was _______?___________.
Friday was baking day (not sure about this one, either).
Saturday was bath day (and something else, too).

Would you look at that? I can't even remember the order, or all the chores, past Tuesday. I might not even have that right, but ironing day did have to come after laundry day. There was a reason behind each day's order, too. You wanted to do the baking on a certain day so you'd be prepared for visitors and for Sunday dinners.

Okay, that's it for my memory cells today. What about you? Can you fill in and/or rearrange any of the blanks in the schedule? Do you remember any tidbits your own parents or grandparents might have shared with you?

Save an Oak for May Day

The Rottens have had their moments lately, namely arguing and fighting about everything under the sun. *That* is another post, all by itself, don't ya know. What I like is that there are moments when they band together to defend a cause. Yesterday, it was Saving the Oak Tree from the Galls. We are so lucky to have two large oak trees in the backyard, but both of them are covered with twig and leaf galls. The kids have gotten the idea that the trees must be saved from the galls, and they have been removing as many affected leaves as they can reach. Luckily, these particular galls won't kill the trees. . . and double the luck, the kids can't reach enough leaves to pull off so many that the trees will be hurt!

I don't think James and Kate realized yesterday was May Day, but I think their timing was beautiful :-)

Hey, You! Yeah, You with the Camera!

Barb J. invited us to an amazing place last night. It's called The Fort, and it has reconstructed log cabins, stone walls, bridges, and even a jail. Without a doubt, you know I had to take more pictures than this, but this sheep came up to me when I was taking pictures of all the "lawnmowers." It (call me crazy, but I'm not asking a strange sheep to hold still while I check out whether it is a "he" or a "she") started walking toward me with a purpose. It came closer and closer. Definitely, this critter knows a sucker when it sees one. Instead of keeping up with everyone else, and trust me, the kids were moving a mile per minute, I stood there scratching this critter's noggin.
More pictures to come. . . have a terrific Saturday!