Lament of sorts...

I'm letting Finley watch Sesame Street while I poke around on the net. (Spare me the criticism, o ye anti-tv-ists. Sometimes a mom needs a break.)

Anyway, Sesame Street had Maya Angelou on as a guest. She has one of those great, deep voices, and carries herself with such grace and strength, it can give you chills, even if she is playing patty-cake with Elmo.

She performed in Nashville sometime last week, and I didn't go.
I should have.

The Finished Playset (for now)

Our wonderful neighbor has some grandkids that could use something to play on while at 'Papa Joe's,' so he decided to pitch in some funds to help finish the playset. He is also very happy that he doesn't have to mow and weed eat around the thing.

































We finally finished Saturday evening, and have spent the rest of the holiday weekend watching lots of kids test it out. I am now sporting a fairly good (farmer's) tan.

You Think You Know A Person...

Well, in this case it isn't a person. It is a plant.



When I was a kid, we used to go visit an older couple that lived in rural Nebraska named Joe and Dorothy Bowman. I loved to visit them. Not only were they wonderful, kind folks, but their little ranch was a fun place to be. They raised birds. Not little birds, but peacocks and other crazy-feathered birds. Joe always gave us a tour, telling us about the birds and helping us gather up feathers. They also had cattle, and during my cow-obsession phase, I was allowed to wander into one of their fields and snap some photos of a calf. They had a sun porch that was loaded with cactus and other plants.



I don't know if it was the Bowman place that got me interested in cactii, but during one visit, Dorothy loaded me up with cuttings from her plants. One of these she said was a peanut cactus, but her pots looked like massive heads of dreadlocks that grew to the floor. I was excited to get a start of it.



Fifteen years later, I still have a couple of pots of peanut cactii, though mine are not nearly as glorious as hers. Not having an all-season, sunny room to keep them in, the abuse from moving them twice a year keeps them from growing so long. Yesterday, I walked out onto our back porch and caught a glimpse of a rich red-orange. To my utter amazement, these plants that have been just a bunch of little fuzzy-green fingers for years on end had put out several beautiful blossoms!



I guess sometimes, God prepares the most wonderful things to be reavealed in the most unexpected of places.

Progress

Joe has had a faucet for a nose the past few days, so we skipped church.
Instead, we let the snot crust all over his face while we continued work on the tower.

We managed to build the roof and not lose track of either Joe or Finley. Don't ask me how.

Now all we need are some railings, a ladder, and slide to finish off the tower part...

All in a Saturday's Work

Friday, I started to take down the old, sickly apple tree that stood in the way of our kids' future playset. Chris took a pile of legally acquired copper wire to remelt and came home with over $200 to start our project. Saturday, the rest of the tree came down, and we started building.

The word 'playset' doesn't seem to do justice to our vision of what we want to build. Maybe 'fort with swings and other accoutrements.'

Chris shoveled cement to hold it in place... as if it will ever move.

Decking of the tower complete.

Joe is a little upset that we don't have it finished.
Maybe if we get the roof on tomorrow, he'll be happier.