Joe's 4th Birthday

Joe at Bat

This kid's hand-eye coordination is amazing. He just turned four today. Way too much talent for t-ball. I think we'll have to wait until he can join a pitch league. He hit some pretty serious line drives before we started filming (of course). Too bad the video doesn't really catch how good some of the hits were.

Listening In

Fin and Joe are in bed, talking...

Joe- If our baby dies, we will be sad, right?
Fin- You mean Zivah?
Joe- Yeah. We might be sad...

I can't remember exactly what he said after that, but the gist of it was that we would have to bury her, then we might find her again if life was breathed back into her. Then Finley and Joe agreed that they would try to keep her safe so that she wouldn't die.

Later, Joe talked about how if some one threw his bike into outer space, we'd have to get him a new bike, like a Grave Digger (monster truck) or other monster truck bike, and then he'd try the new bike out.

Uncertainty

I am sitting in the shade of the garage, thanks to the convenience of the new laptop we bought with a portion of our tax refund. Joe is around the corner in the garden, racing his toy construction equipment through the dirt in order to kick up dust. Dust is apparently evidence of lightning speed. Fin and Z are harassing Jane in a pen set up so that the rabbit can attempt to enjoy dining on some spring grass. The presence of the girls makes that difficult (for the rabbit).

I have been fighting a vague feeling of depression and psychosis related to 'the plan'. Nobody came to look at the house last weekend, and no one has come so far this week. I know this market is just plain crazy, and there might be a surge of potential home buyers in the next month trying to take advantage of the tax credit before it expires, but I was hoping we would have had a relatively quick sale. I am really, really, really tired of making beds in the morning.

On top of all this, I am nearly finished with Omnivore's Dilemma, which has heightened even more my desire for a big, fat, functional garden and a few chickens. Then I walk outside and see my shrunken garden and the half-arsed (pardon the language) raised beds I made too big just to use up some lumber, all of which I did with the intent to make our yard less overwhelming to buyers. I had pulled the floor out of the compost bin to allow the worms better access to the compost, but neglected to build the divider that I really wanted to separate one year's compost from another... all because I wasn't sure we would be here for another summer. I am learning lessons here.

A few weeks ago, I was walking through the library. They had tables set out in the foyer with books relating to different themes on each one. One table had gardening books, among them was Five Acres and Independence, one of the books I bought over a year ago to educate myself on rural, self-sustained living. Not exactly a gardening book. I want to take it as a small sign from God not to lose hope.

One evening, I was talking to an old acquaintance who used to live on an small acreage. They moved back into town because his wife didn't like the isolation. I told him I thought I could handle it, but wasn't too sure. He said, 'If you get energized by looking up at the stars at night or taking a walk in the woods...' The next night, I was out in the back yard, staring up at clouds moving above the treetops, and for a few seconds, it almost felt like I was alone with nature and the presence of God pressing around me. It was something I hadn't felt for a long time. And then the drone of a plane and the thumps of a neighbor's stereo interrupted the moment.

So I've been thinking about quantum mechanic's uncertainty principle today. You can't know everything about a particle's position and its momentum (speed and direction). It's one or the other or only a little bit of both. And that's where I'm at with 'the plan': We are here, and I don't know exactly where we are going or how fast.

Big E for Effort

This morning:
Found Finley attempting to change a very, very odoriferous, nasty diaper of Zivah's. While Zivah patiently followed all Finley's directions, Finley had carefully removed the old diaper, wiped most (but not all) of the old poo away, disposed of everything in its proper place, and was about to fasten the new diaper in place.

Zivah noticed that our rabbit was out of food, pulled the feed bucket out, and had removed the lid before I got there to assist. After I opened up the hutch and took the food bowl out, Z snatched it away from me as soon as there was food in it and, spilling only a trivial amount, put the bowl back in the cage. Meanwhile, in her sweet voice, she talked semi-intelligibly to Jane, "Hi bunny..."

What rhymes with cat?

Hat, of course.

The assignment was for Finley to come up with a rhyming word, then draw a picture of the word... So the next couple of answers Finley wrote and drew caught me by surprise:
What rhymes with pan? Tan. (picture of red-skinned person)
What about bug? Slug.
And my favorite...
Frog? Fog. (and the box to draw in was scribbled grey)

Now, is it just because I'm her mother that I think she is a little bit brilliant and thinks differently than most, or is it just that she hasn't learned to think inside a box like the rest of us older folks?

How's this for crazy-cute? I was thrilled when I found out Z could finally wear these old cargo pants of Joe's... even more thrilled when she pointed at them and said 'pretty' the first time I put them on her.

Joe's Haircut

Joe was starting to get a hint of a mullet, so it was time for a haircut. Instead of just buzzing it, I left some choppy length on top this time. A bit fuzzy in places. I need some industrial clippers for his thick hair...

One Of My Favorites:

Praise to the Lord, the Almighty, the King of creation!
O my soul, praise him, for he is thy health and salvation!
All ye who hear,
now to his temple draw near;
praise him in glad adoration.

Praise to the Lord, who over all things so wondrously reigneth,
shelters thee under his wings, yea, so gently sustaineth!
Hast thou not seen
how thy desires ever have been
granted in what he ordaineth?

Praise to the Lord, who doth prosper thy work and defend thee;
surely his goodness and mercy here daily attend thee.
Ponder anew
what the Almighty can do,
if with his love he befriend thee.

Praise to the Lord, O let all that is in me adore him!
All that hath life and breath, come now with praises before him.
Let the amen
sound from his people again,
gladly for aye we adore him.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Words: Joachim Neander (1650-1680), 1680
trans. Catherine Winkworth (1827-1878), 1863

What Joe Is Doing Today

Slingshot practice with paper ball ammo.

Another Finley Work of Art

Since I seem to have a compulsion toward symmetry and balance, this one really caught my attention.

Weekend Update

Friday, we drove out to see a property I had been obsessing about. It has been on the market for quite a while, and the price had dropped from 140k to 99k. They were marketing it as a 'hunter's paradise' with 30 acres of woods, close proximity to a lake, and an old rustic cabin. I was dreaming about the place at night and waking in the wee hours thinking about it. I was losing sleep and needed to get it out of my head. So we went to see it. The drive off the interstate took us on winding back roads where the gullies were littered with trash the locals were too busy to take to a dump. The 'neighborhood' was an confused mix of little brick homes and trailers. A road finally turned into the driveway of the property in question, and everything looked smaller and more cramped than the photos had promised. Across the road was the nice view of the neighbor's truck collection. I am no longer obsessing.

Saturday, we had two showings, so we took the kids out for doughnuts. I didn't realize how expensive they were these days. We need to get a better game plan on for weekend showings. Every time, we end up spending money on something to keep us occupied.

Sunday we drove out see a property Chris was interested in. It was a foreclosure that I was sure wouldn't last on the market long enough for us to buy. The drive was pleasant, the 'neighborhood' nicer and more consistent, probably due to the fact that this was quality land. There were hay fields, a few corn fields, and lots of cattle. Of course, that threw me into a rather dark mood, as I looked out at the calves nursing and could only think of the tortured lives they would live on some feed lot in just a few months. There were people looking at the property when we got there. We came away realizing that there really isn't any sense looking until we have a buyer, and that we really don't want to be that far away from Nashville.

Sunday afternoon, I sat at Mike and Jenny's and soaked up some sun while the Fin and Joe played with the cousins. Sunday evening, a 50th birthday party for a good friend that ended in Z screaming and crying at the top of her lungs because I was tired of walking with her up and down the stairs... Ah, the tantrum phase.

Monday, I spent exercising my weeding muscles and working on my farmer's tan. We are going to the beach this summer, and I plan on looking as ridiculous as possible in my bathing suit. Chris weeded the garden and found a brocolli sprout that had survived the winter, so he replanted it in a more appropriate place. I have seedings started in our neighbor's makeshift greenhouse: some lettuce, broccoli, tomatoes, and herbs. I can't bear the thought of doing nothing, so if it looks like the house isn't selling anytime soon, I will have something to plant. If it does sell, at least I'll have a start for the new garden.

So much for the outdoor fun. Rain is slated for the rest of the week.

Zivah apparently preparing for an audition with the Blue Man Group.

Me (pointing to a puddle on the driveway): Where did this water come from?
Joe: My [actual term for the part of the body from which urine flows].

Finley's Forum

I hope you will like this picture. It is me, a cowgirl, and the wolf is bothering my horse. And I shooted the wolf. My horse is black in the picture. The pink x is just for a little decoration on the picture.