Visit an old post

I was going through some old posts, trying to tag them with appropriate labels, when I came across this old post: 

 lifeatgoodnessgrowsfarm.blogspot.com/2008/06/rodent-saga-tail-from-last-summer.html

It is from last June and is just one example of the funny and tragic things that happen to ME around here at Goodness Grows Farm.

Where do I start??

I got home last night from another little mini-vaca to my hometown.  It was a nice and relaxing time.  I got to hang out with my mom and my baby sister for a while and then Erik joined us Thursday night for a truck pull and a relaxing weekend.  Erik was a "sweetie pie" and used my Papa's tractor to pull out six crazy-big and ugly shrubs from my mom's landscape.  He also knocked down three pine trees and two tall arbor vitae that were hogging up the landscape.  I had a moment of panic when Erik started pulling out shrubs because we had discussed the process very late the night before and apparently had cross-communicated and he started ripping out the wrong ones.  Which, was a blessing in disguise because my mom wanted them out anyway.  Poor Maisey, the family border collie, no longer has her hide-away, but the landscape is clearer and much prettier.However, now that I am home, I look around and see a host of things that need to be done within a limited time frame.  It is Farm Show week here in Butler, and you faithful follwers (all three of you) of my post, remember what Farm Show Week means 'round these here parts.  So, I've had a few hours here at the house to clean up stuff, get organized and next I'm onto making lists for all the things I need to get done this week.  I may need to borrow Walker's new notebook I've got so many lists to make!

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by all of the mundane household stuff I need to do, so in accordance with family tradition, I procrastinated and I started looking through some pictures that I took over the weekend, justifying my procrastination by saying I HAVE to get these

 photos uploaded in case for some reason the card would become compromised and I would lose the photos of Baby Brett's 1 year pictures.  Thank you, Scott Kelby for even putting into mymind that a compact flash could become compromised.  I'm sure it is true, it is just not something I ever thought of by myself.   I've been studying Scott Kelby's photography books lately in order to improve my craft.  (not so much evidenced by the following photos, but I will explain in captions under the photos).

Anyway, I keep procrastinating and right now I'm going to stop.  I will tend to the tasks at hand, but not before I share some photos from the weekend. 

Around sunset Wednesday night, we were headed out to get some ice cream.  As we walked toward the car, down in the field below my mom's house were these deer.  A beautiful doe and her two fawns.  The fawns are pretty evident in this picture, but the doe is in there too - she's got her head down to the right of the fawn on the left.  You can barely see the brown of her back as she is moving through the brush.  They were closer, but as my hoodlum children lumbered out to the minivan they scared mama deer and the fawns quickly followed her for safetys sake.

When we got home from getting ice cream, these magnificent beauties were in the field as well.  Luckily, I still had my zoom lens on my camera and I propped my elbows up in the window of my van and tried to take these shots.  You don't realize how fast the sun is setting until you try to take pictures with a zoom lens at dusk!  These three bucks were not startled at all by our presence - they were in the mood for some good grazing.
The sun was setting fast and I tried to get as many shots as I could of these three bucks, but the lighting was just not working.  Plus, it was pretty far away and my lens worked as hard as it could to get the shots, but they all ended up pretty blurry.  But at least I had proof that three - at least six point bucks were in my moms field.  
I love it when they look up at  you like this.  They weren't scared at all.  Just slightly annoyed that I was making noises at them to try to get them to all look up at me.  They never did though - it was as if they had a pact that they would take turns checking out the area for danger.  

Finally, my most breathtaking capture of the night.  This happened just as the sun was setting. The older one folded the baby into her arms and they looked out into the distance of the field.  The golden glow of the sun lit up the sky around them and kissed the tops of their heads.  How very precious.

My baby sister and my baby boy.  There is nothing more satisfying in the world than seeing someone you love with all your heart loving your child with all their heart.  

I am blessed!

Housework, schmousework!

It's matin' season 'round these here parts

This here goat is Thunder.  He's new to Goodness Grows Farm.  He's got one job to do and that's to make dirty backs.

Seems he's been doin' his job. 

You might think I'm being facetious, but I'm not.   Beginning in July, we separated the does and some went with Ranger and some went with Thunder to begin the mating season.  This summer has been ideal for the goats as the temperatures have been so mild.  In hotter summers, the billy goats really have no desire (literally) to service the ladies in their care.  They get hot, tired and listless and the last thing on their minds is servicing a herd.  That is why last year instead of having 25 babies born in January, we had 25 babies born in April - it was just too darn hot for our billy.  Thunder here is taking to his job with GUSTO.  Ranger hasn't been persuaded to perform so much, but he's a late bloomer, so we'll depend on him to catch any of the ladies that may have missed their time with Thunder.  

A few Sunday's ago, Thunder and his does happened to escape their pasture and were grazing in the yard.  I started taking pictures of them from the deck because part of Thunder's herd are does that still have kids.  We don't wean our kids from the does at a certain date.  We believe that these babies need and deserve their mama's milk for as long as possible.  It has been our experience that having that milk helps grow stronger and healthier goats.  So, we send Mama & baby together to the "billy pens."  Then we watch for dirty backs.  

This poor doe was just not going to escape from Thunder's attention.  She was one of the few without a dirty back that day.  She kept running from him and he just kept a followin' her.  Round and round they went.

Up on top of Erik's trailer where most of the babies chose to doze as the sun set behind the trees.  I'm betting the wood on the trailer was nice and warm and made them feel real sleepy because they didn't stir an inch.  Which is funny because that doe and billy kept tearing up one side and down the other of that trailer.  It had to have been quite disruptive to the little kids on there.  But bellies full of milk and a sunny day kept them quiet.

Down off the trailer and through the grass . . .

Nothing thrills a farmer more than to see a herd sire performing his mating ritual and Erik couldn't have been happier over these photos.  And Thunder was performing with gusto.  A male goat, like most males, has a set of "moves" he uses to persuade the ladies to choose him.  The most obnoxious is peeing on himself - his beard to be precise.  I won't go into lengthy detail about how that happens, but it does.  And it causes a billy goat to stink to high heaven.  

I took most of these photos using my zoom lens.  For those of you familiar w/ our place, I was literally just steps from our back deck and I could smell Thunder even though he was at our garden.  I'd guess that's a good 100 feet or so.  And he smelled STRONG!  The rest of the mating rituals performed by the billy goat have to do with making these faces, sticking out his tongue and making a spitting/snorting noise as he chases down his lady.  

He was so excited to chase his ladies and prove his manhood!  This poor lady wasn't as excited about his romantic gestures.  But she could have just been leading him on.  The does aren't as easy to read until, well, the actual moment.  Not so different from the human race, I guess.  

All in all, if we go by dirty backs, we're going to have quite a successful kidding season this year. 

Thanks, Thunder.  We appreciate your help.

Idlewild Trip 2

This past week, Erik surprised us and took us on a trip to Idlewild.  We got there just as the park opened, and we headed straight for the kiddie rides.  First stop - a trolley type car that all three could ride.  We were off to a good start.

Next, Walker asked to ride the bumper cars.  Do you see all of the other kids riding too? His precise reason for wanting to ride them at this point, despite protests from me and Erik?  

He didn't want to BUMP INTO ANYONE!

I'm not sure of the philosophy of that one, but if that's what made him happy we let him do it!
Poor Willie was not old enough to ride many rides by himself or even with Walker as a companion.  The Bumper cars was one of those rides.  Doesn't he look so pathetic and adorable as he stands on his tip-toes to watch "brubby."  Don't you just want to scoop him up and make the ride attendants let him ride too?  This boy keeps me on my toes.
Walker & Will get to ride on the airplanes,
the vintage cars and
the flying dragons.
Here is what Maggie did while the boys went on all of these rides.  She heard us say something about swimming and she is waiting to go swimming.  Fun will not commence until we are swimming.  She will not eat, she will not drink, but more importantly, she will not have any kid of fun, thank you very much, unless we go swimming.  We practically dragged her onto the Mr. Roger's trolley into the land of make-believe, and the train.  She only went with us because Momma & Daddy were riding those rides too and she didn't want to be left behind.
Walker and Will drove the grand prix.
Willie gets a kiss on the train ride around the park.
To end the adventure, Maggie & Walker did ride the carousel.  

Maggie finally conceded and did one final ride - but only because we went to the "soak zone" and played in the pool.  Did I mention that the pool was freezing cold - the kind of cold that takes your breath away and you wade through the water gasping and yelling at the same time, "ugh, ah, ugh, ah, ugh, ah!" because the water is so cold it is slowly freezing your blood and you lose all ability to function until A) you submerge your entire body and start swi

mming or B) get out of the water, wrap yourself in a huge beach towel, and sit shivering until the ice crystals break and blood circulation returns to normal.  

How my itty-bitty children that have like less than 10% body fat managed to play in that frigid water all afternoon is beyond me.  I do know we had to force them from the water park because their lips and fingers were turning blue and they were starting to look like extra's from the "Night of the Living Dead" movie.  A final ride, some cotton candy and the day was complete.  We were so busy we never even made it to Storybook Forrest.  Maybe next year.

This and that

I spent a few days in my hometown last week and had a photo session with  my three and my niece and nephew.  Nana was in need of new photos of the kids and that Sunday was an overcast w/ some sun day - perfect for outdoor photos.

One of the highlights of being at Nana's is riding in the golf cart.  We won't go into the fact that the big boys are no longer allowed to drive the golf cart with assistance from adults.  A mishap between Nana & Chris changed that rule forever.  Well, until the boys are 7 at least.  Nana is driving and Aunt Lara is the passenger.  She pulled up her hood in an attempt to give me a "white backdrop."  Aunt 'Ara is goofy.  She had gone to a wedding the night before.  I'm not entirely sure she was thinking clearly.  I believe at some point in the review of these photos, one of my smart mouth sisters commented that the kids look like the Von Trapp children in their uniforms on their way to sing for the Nazi's.  Har - har har - very funny.  It was probably one of my sisters who doesn't have kids.  Wait until they have offspring and I start making fun of them.  

Here the kids are at Papa's gazebo.  My Papa does a beautiful job of keeping the farm picturesque.  If I lived closer, I'd be doing photo shoots there all the time.  The kids had a hard time with what to do with their hands.  Will and Olivia kept doing whatever Aunt Ara did with her hands, so if she stuck bunny ears behind my head, they put their hands in the air.  So we told them to put their hands in their pockets.  Will looks good, but Olivia couldn't fit her hands in her pockets.  Pool Liv.  She has a tough time with her extremities.  
Here are the kids at the barn on the hay.  Walker and Chris look posed - I did not ask them to do this, nor did my art directors, Nana & Aunt Ara.  I think Walker & Chris look like that movie ad for "Stepbrothers."  Will could not resist and had to mimic Aunt Ara again.  Watch out, Aunt Ara - when your kids are getting their portraits done, I'm going to put my finger up my nose and get them to mimic me!  

This was a fun shot of them all running down towards the pond - except they ran the wrong way and the pond is not in the shot.  Just the houses below and the ugly power lines.
I liked this one of the kids at the pond with their reflections on the water.

All in all, it was a fun and fast couple hours and the kids did great.  Our only melt downs came from Walker, so the day was very successful!

Opposites attract

So I have a firm belief in the "opposites attract" theory.  I have no empirical evidence of this, just a gut feeling based on my own experience.  Erik & I are opposites in just about everything non-important.  He's a lefty, I'm a righty.  He's got blue-green eyes, I've got brown eyes.  He's lucky . . .I am not.

Erik gets mad at me when I tell him he is "lucky."  I'm not really sure why, because he is the luckiest person I know.  You remember that Seinfeld episode where George's luck gets better, Elaine is the unlucky one, and Jerry always evens out - well, Erik always evens out - in fact, most times, he does better than even out.  It really never fails.  Tonight was no exception.

I am leaving Thursday night after VBS to go to my hometown to visit family.  Since tomorrow will probably be rushed, I thought tonight would be a nice night to grill some steaks, cook up some potatoes, and eat a nice meal with my husband after we put the kids to bed.  On the way to VBS, I stopped at a local grocery store, Friedman's, and picked up two big, juicy steaks.  A nice NY Strip for me and a Delmonico for Erik.  Yes, we have steaks in our freezer, but our steaks weigh in at about 3 ounces - if we are lucky - not exactly what you think of when you are in the mood for a good steak. 

The steaks were beautiful - or so I thought.  I brought them into the church with me during VBS and put them in the fridge there.  Remembered to get them back out and bring them home with me.  Get home, get the kids settled, and as Erik is putting them to bed, I break them out of the cellophane packaging.  I open Erik's and it is thick, firm and has a beautiful of pink marbling.  I open mine, a little giddy with anticipation of how good these steaks will taste and as I remove the cellophane, I notice two odd colored greenish gray spots that I didn't notice in the store because there was a large "USDA CERTIFIED ANGUS" covering them.  As soon as I saw the spots, I knew my dreams of a thick, juicy steak were over.  I put my nose to the steak and sure enough, it was SPOILED!  I could have cried - I was craving a steak all day.  What makes matters worse is that this is the third item I have purchased from that particular store that has spoiled!

I sucked it up, went down to the basement and defrosted a package of our Jersey cow Delmonico's for myself.

Here is the finished meal for Erik.  Erik selected tonight's fine china, by the way.  Doesn't it look so yummy?  Mmmm - and garlic roasted potatoes - it just hit the spot!

Here is my plate.  Yes, those are TWO Delmonico steaks.  They are about 1/4" thick and about the size of a deck of cards.  Usually we joke and say that our Jersey beef could be advertised as "perfectly portioned."  And it really is.  Most nights, this size portion is perfect for our family.  
But tonight I just wanted to cut into a THICK, Juicy, NY Strip.
See how one of my steaks fits on top of Erik's Delmonico?  Ridiculous!
How perfect is this meal?
Erik cuts into his steak . . .
Mmm. . . thick and juicy - and the perfect pink center (sorry for the blur).
Yum!
After discovering my rotten steak, I caved to the defeat and depression and cooked up something else I have been craving.  White cake with whipped white icing and fresh berries.  
Dessert:  It makes everything better.

A perfect summer day at the beach . . .

We spent the most glorious day at the beach Sunday.  That's right - even here in Western Pennsylvania, we are able to enjoy the beach!  Well, the beaches of Lake Erie that is.  

Erik informed me Saturday that he was thinkin' he'd take us all up to Erie for the day on Sunday.  It was supposed to be warm, beautiful and NO humidity.  The perfect summer day.  And it was!

The kids couldn't get over the vastness of the Lake (I admit that sometimes it awes me as well).  To look out across the water and see it meet the horizon - it is just like the "real" beach at the ocean.  So cool.  

You know how we all have an idea of how Heaven will be?  Well, in my imagination, I believe that part of one's experience in Ultimate Knowledge in Heaven will be being able to look back through time and see how things were hundreds and thousands of years ago.  I know, it is silly, but I bring this up because watching the boats on the Lake, explaining to Walker that huge, big ships can navigate this lake to ship supplies and goods across the country made me wonder what early settlers thought when they encountered these Great Lakes where they could not see the other shore.  Were they like, "Man!  There are oceans everywhere?"  or did they realize right away that it was a Lake?  Other things I wondered:

• Who figured out that they could float big ships on the Lakes? Did they start off with small canoes and then upgrade until one got stuck?  How did they know how deep it really was?  
• Did people hang out and enjoy days at the beach then the way we do now?
• How hot must it have been to wear a wool swim suit?  

So, like usual, I digress, but those were interesting questions that I will try to explore with the kids this week.  That's the beauty of having a computer - we can google some of these questions and get some answers!

Here are the photos from our day.  

Walker & Will work on digging a hole.  We tried to fill it up with water but the sand just filtered the water through.  
Erik, who hates hanging out in the sun, was such a good sport.  

Can you tell this guy wears pants year round?  Oh - see that little white patch between his tan arm and his sleeve?  He didn't realize that his shirt had pulled up and that little patch got sunburned.  Poor guy.  That & the tops of his feet.  
Maggie is showing off her her "castle."  I don't know where she learned about sand castles, but she wanted to make one.  Unfortunately, all we had to build it were the 5 gallon buckets Pop got them.  5 gallons of sand is too heavy to turn over in one piece - so we compromised and just piled up sand and she smoothed it all out.  She was happy which is all that mattered.
Maggie & Walker working on their sand projects.
Walker showing off his hole.
Kids playing with Erik in the water.  The water was pretty cold - or maybe I should say the sun wasn't too hot, so the cold water wasn't as refreshing as it could have been.  The kids were shivering every time they went in the water, but those little fishes kept on swimming!
Will got pulled back a little bit in the waves and was taken by surprise.  Can't keep him down though - he popped right back up and kept going.  He really enjoyed crawling around on his belly in the shallow waves.  
All the kids enjoyed belly crawling on the beach.
Maggie & Erik sort through the sand to find sea shells, glass or other beach treasures.  
Swimming like fish!  Walker wanted to know if there were any sharks in the water. 
Walker is digging for treasures too.
Will didn't mind putting his face in the water at all.
Will steals a drink of Daddy's cherry Coke.  
Even on his day off, Erik finds time to get his hands dirty and run the heavy equipment.
Beach toes:  Will
Beach toes: Walker
Beach toes:  Maggie
Will is trying to figure out how to lie back on his elbows like his brother.  He couldn't figure it out for the life of him.  It was hilarious to watch!
After our day in Erie, we headed home to Vacation Bible School.  As we left the church, the sun was setting and it was just too beautiful not to take a picture!  The perfect end to the perfect day.  I taught Walker that old saying about the sky - his version, "Pink sky tonight, sailor's de-night."  Tranlation: "Pink sky at night, sailor's delight."  I couldn't have said it better myself.

Two little girls and a slumber party

Thursday night was "boys" night.  The Schwalm brothers took their boys to the Big Butler Fair t0 watch the truck pulls.  Woo- hoo!  Talk about exciting times.

Maggie had no interest in going and yesterday afternoon, Erik decided Will would be able to go with him and not be too bored and cranky, so that left me alone w/ Maggie for the night.  So, I deviously hatched a plan to invite cousin Taylor to spend the night with us so Maggie would be occupied with a playmate and I could "cut" the playhouse walls and possibly prime them.  

It was a perfect plan.  And it worked!  Maggie and Taylor had the best time playing with each other.  I don't think Maggie has ever had such a long period of girl play in her life.  First on the agenda was a marathon dress-up session.  They had a blast trying on the different princess outfits and sporting these fancy hats.

And the conversations!  Soooo funny!   They played princess dress up and applied about 14 pounds of lip gloss.  Then they headed outside to the sandbox and play kitchen where they played "cake maker." (wonder where they got that idea)  At one point, Maggie said to me, "Momma, pretend Taywor is the big sister and I am the young sister."  

I had so much fun watching these girls play.  It was such a privilege to watch. 

When they finally finished playing, we picked up a pizza and watched Tinkerbell.  Those girls ate EIGHT slices of pizza!  I guess I must have starved them all day!  It was so sweet to watch them wolf down that pizza like ravenous beasts, lips smacking and sauce all over their faces, then 15 minutes later, they were snuggled up under a blanket together, eyes wide in awe of the magic of Tinkerbell - wondering if maybe, just maybe, the movie might have some elements of truth to it after all.  

As the credits of the movie rolled, the girls told me they were ready for bed.  I took them upstairs, tucked them in and threatened them, "No whispering and staying up late telling secrets!  Or I'll have to come up here and you'll be in trouble."  I don't think I even made it to the bottom step before I heard soft snoring coming out of that room.  

Being a Mom - it's the best ever!

Bravery and Fear

Last night we met up with our good friends, the Nichols, to ride the carnival rides at the Big Butler Fair.  The Nichols twins LOVED to ride everything!  They went high in the sky on this ride.Walker did enjoy riding this "roller coaster" with them but . . .

The Schwalm's are not really ride kind of people.  I hate that feeling of my stomach dropping and I get severe motion sickness - defeating just about every rides purpose.  Erik hates waiting in lines in big crowds.  When we hit the fairs and festivals, we usually stick to the animals, free side shows and the food.  It's just more simple that way. 

Will and his girl friend, Ella, were not big enough to ride the rides.  They were both a little miffed that they didn't get free reign of the midway.  Will wandered off once and was then locked into his stroller.  We gave them both a bottle of tea and they were happy.

But, the Nichols had special passes which allowed us to get ride passes for free for Maggie & Walker and since we didn't have to pay, we hit the midway for the rides.  Let me start off by saying that for a traveling carnival - these rides seemed well built and maintained.  I saw none of the built up grease, rusty parts, etc., that I remember seeing in the days of my youth.  

So, last night, our children, given the opportunity to ride all the rides, explored.  Walker remembers doing some of the rides before.  He is not fond of any rides involving heights and dropping.  This includes the long slides.  .  He has not been on a "big" slide since.  And when given the opportunity to do the slides last night, he declined.  This photo is from two years ago.  You can see from his face  how much he liked the slide.  (On a side note, doesn't he look like a chubby little fellow?  And back then we thought he was stick skinny.  Who knew he'd get even skinnier?!)

Maggie did not and she soon learned she does not like the big slides either.

She starts off Ok . . .

But half way through, she realizes she does not like going this fast.  She then gets to the bottom and is not exactly thrilled with the ride.  

She is determined not to cry, but you can see in her face that she wants to.  

"Maggie?  Do you want to do this ride again?

"NO!  I neber want to do dat ride again!  Neber eber!  Can we pwease go wide the horsies?"

Maggie & Walker enjoyed these nice, easy circle rides.  Here they are on the "speed boats." Check out that crazy "fun house" mural.  Not sure who exactly they are trying to attract to this fun house, but I think the murals are crazy, not attractive!  

Noah on the speed boats.

I'm sorry, Will, but you just can't be trusted.  And you don't meet the height requirements for any of the rides.  Next year you can ride.  And next year you will understand what I mean.  I do have a feeling that Will is going to be the Schwalm that will ride the rides!  He is our resident daredevil.  Don't even get me started on him.  I'm seriously considering making him wear a helmet daily.  He considers himself a big kid in a little boy body.  It can be quite scary.

Maggie & Grace on the speedboats.  Grace is practicing her "princess" wave for when they go visit the princesses in Disney World.

Walker enjoys the speed boats too.   Again, see that crazy lady on the fun house mural?  She looks scary to me - not like she's having any fun.  I certainly hope that's not what we look like when we are at the carnival!  

My non-biological first born children

This tall boy in the yellow shirt is my non-biological first born. 

 I met Alex when he was about the size of Maggie, seen to the right of Alex.  He was a beautiful and active preschool fellow.  He was/is smart and knows it.  This led to the occasional confrontation, but, being the wise, practically- perfect- in -every -Mary Poppins -way nanny, I was always able to give him a logical and stimulating reason for why we were doing things : 

 "BECAUSE I SAID SO!"  

I promise his parents were aware that I used that line.  In fact, if I remember correctly, they endorsed it.  

Alex is now a man.  I recently drove my three biological children across the state of Ohio to visit my non-biological first born on the occasion of his graduation party.  Here I am in my early 30s and my non-biological firstborn had the audacity to grow up and graduate high school.  He'll be returning "home" to Pittsburgh at CMU.  I am way too young of a mom to have a child in college.  The sad part of this story is that my parents were not much older than I am now when they took me, their firstborn, to college.  As someone in my early to mid thirties - I can't imagine being my age and taking my child to college.  Some days it seems as if I just finished college myself!  That is ridiculous! 

This taller boy in the white shirt is my non-biological second born, Drew.
Drew was the size of my third born biological child (seen below in a series of shots of Will attempting to slide down the bridge on the min-golf course) when I first met him.  I met Alex and Drew at the daycare Center I had just been hired at my sophomore year of college.  I had originally signed on to this agency to do nanny jobs, but they had asked if I would be interested in keeping some hours at the daycare, and since I wanted extra money, I said "Sure!"  I remember seeing Drew in Miss Jackie's toddler room the first day.  Something about him just drew (no pun intended) me to him.  He was so very shy - really didn't want to have anything to do with me.  I wheedled, cajoled and bribed him with endless rounds of "The Wheels on the Bus" and the "Barney" theme song to like me.  He was just so adorable that I had to be around him.  It probably sounds weird, but looking back now, I know that God's hand was in this attraction to him.  God had a plan for these magnificent boys to be in my life and He led me right to them.

My life was changed entirely by my fondness of this boy - and by his family which unofficially welcomed me into their family - much to the dismay of the father : ) 

I cannot begin to explain the difference these boys made in my life and how much I grew to love them and their family.   I am so privileged to have been a part of their lives.


Now my children have been blessed with getting to know them a bit by our visits with them.  I know I have grown apart from Drew & Alex.  I'm not a part of their every day life anymore like I once was - which is to be expected.  I at least know that they still think of me fondly - andthat my love for them is reciprocated - at least that's my interpretation based on the extra tight squeezes I get when I hug these boys - I mean men - goodbye.  

Parades and Candy. . .

My children love parades.  Not because they are community events in which all ages participate.  Not because you can see the talents and efforts of community groups showcased in one place.  Not even to see the shiny red firetrucks or for the old men in silly hats careening down the street in miniature cars.

My kids love parades for one reason.

Candy.

A few weeks ago, our local town held its annual Firemans Carnival.  One highlight of the week was the Fireman's Parade.  Years ago, this parade boasted that it was the largest fireman's parade in the state.  Having grown up in a similar rural town in the central part of the state, I beg to differ, but I digress . . .

The day of the parade was a dreary one.  It rained off and on all day and it was kind of humid.  About an hour before the parade was to begin, I had doubts about our attendance this year because we had a down pour.  It soon was over and the place started to dry (and heat) up considerably.  As a precaution, I made Erik pack up and haul our Eazy Up tent with us so that if it did rain, we could quickly set up a shelter.  Erik did this for me without any hassle.  I am so grateful for the fact that he rarely hassles me about anything.  

We parked the car in a lot as close to the parade route as we could get and walked our way to the spot our friends had saved.  We spread out our blankets, got out our chairs, snacks and drinks and waited for the local high school marching band to make its way down the street to kick off the parade.  

My children waited in eager anticipation for the firetrucks.  For they know it is the firemen that throw the candy.

Never mind that I have packed them a snack of "trail mix" and some popcorn.  "We want CANDY!"
We will endure watching these silly men dodge in and out in figure eights down the street with bravado so we do not lose our spot to get some candy!
"Go ahead, Mister!  See how close you can get to us.  We're not moving unless you throw us some candy!"
Will sits patiently.  His brother and sister have wisely advised him that people in the parade will throw him candy - for no particular reason - if he sits carefully on the blanket and waits.Soon the children realize that sitting patiently isn't going to cut it.  They see kids across the street getting candy and understand that in order to compete, they are going to have to pull out all the stops.  In a valiant effort to distract the candy throwing firemen from the candy hoarding hoodlums from the opposite side of the street, my children start politely waving and hollering out, "Hi Mr. Fireman!"  DRATS!  it still isn't working.  It is time to get some attention!  As the next fire truck approaches, they stand up and start jumping and waving.  "Hello, Mr. Fireman!  Hello!  Thank you for trying to protect us from fires!"  
"Just let  us dash out onto the street here in front of you, big green fire truck, so we can pick up these fruit flavored tootsie rolls."  

Will collapses in relief!  "SCORE!  The guys in the green fire truck threw us CANDY!!"

and GUM!!!  

The queen of candy takes a moment to enjoy her hard earned lollipop.
Thank heavens for parades.  Where else would I get my stash of bribery candy?  

What kind of Guard Dog is that anyway???

This is our Livestock Guard Dog (LGD) Rocco.  He is a beautiful and grand Great Pyrenese.

"The Great Pyrenees excels at protecting livestock, especially sheep (goats in our case) that are grazing or hanging out in the pasture. It tends to sit around in a comfortable spot and then jump and let out a steady succession of loud, deep, bellowing barks to alert the shepherd to the threat. The dog will then dart to the threatened area and defend its livestock and territorial hegemony. Hesitant to attack and quick to intimidate, this dog is a safe bet when protecting your livestock. Intruders will probably not be maimed or assaulted by this dog.  They're 27 to 32 inches at the withers in males, and they're 25 to 29 inches at the withers for females. Some can reach 40 inches. The tallest dog ever is 42 inches, and so Great Pyrenees is huge! They can weigh up to 100 pounds, the males that is. Females are lightweights at 85 pounds or more. The Great Pyrenees is courageous, cautious, and devoted. It's reserved around visitors, whether they're human or animal visitors. It's wary of new things because it's a guard dog by nature."

I explain all of this because this beautiful, LARGE, supposedly intimidating GUARD dog is afraid of thunderstorms!

In an older post, I displayed pictures of the time Rocco got stuck under my mini van.  We never really understood why he crawled under there but in recent weeks, we have come to realize this big, giant, scary dog hid himself under my mini van in an attempt to hide from the thunder! And it is only getting worse as evidenced by his most recent attempts to find shelter from the thunder.

That's right.  This giant actually clawed his way through the screen door to get into the house. Unfortunately, we were gone the night that this happened or perhaps we would have been able to prevent it.  Now, I have to figure out how to re-screen my french door!

We had on and off storms today and usually I enjoy having the doors and windows open to hear and smell the storms.  It also helps cool the house down.  I no longer can do this as Rocco has busted through and ruined all of the screen doors and Erik showed me the evidence of attempts to claw through the windows in the sunroom.  

He sneaked in twice today and I had to practically drag him out of the house by his fur.  It's not that I don't appreciate house dogs - I just have vivid recall of the time one of our pets brought fleas into the house and how I had horrible bites on my ankles for weeks and all of the cleaning I did and bug bombs we had to set off in the house in order to get rid of them.  It is not fun - and that is why we do not allow the dogs in the house even for a short stint.

I'm just grateful the children are not afraid of the storms.  I told them that my Grammie used to tell me that thunder is just the angels bowling.  They get a kick of of hearing that and never seem to mind the noise.  I wish I just could get Rocco to understand that the thunder won't hurt him because it is just the angels bowling!

The three little snackers

Once upon a time there were three little snackers.  One rainy day, after naptime, their Momma decided to give them a snack.  She got out three little bowls, filled them with nutritious fruit and, as a treat, some organic Bunny Grahams.  

 The first little snacker was the oldest and specially requested blueberries.  His bowl was filled just right.

This little snacker then decided blueberries and Bunny Grahams were not what he wanted and he decided instead to get out crackers.
This little snacker promised his Momma he would eat his blueberries and bunny grahams.  This little snacker lied.

The second little snacker is a sneaky little snacker.  Again, Momma diligently prepared a bowl of fruit and bunny grahams.  As you can see by this bowl, this second little snacker prefers chocolately treats to her yummy nutritious grapes.  Her Momma had to beg, plead and cajole her to eat her yummy, nutritious grapes.

This is the face you get from the second little snacker when you beg, plead and cajole.  The second little snacker also hurridly turned over her bowl to hide the fact that she managed to give the baby snacker all of the grapes she was supposed to eat.The third little snacker is a good little snacker.  He obediently started to eat his nutritious and yummy fruit before he started eating his bunny grahams.  Unfortunately, being an obedient little snacker, he was overwhelmed by the amount of yummy and nutritious fruit his sister was pawning off on him and he never got around to eating his bunny grahams.  This picture is evidence of the third helping of fruit he ate.  First, he ate a bowl of grapes, but he was still hungry, so his Momma asked him if he wanted to eat the blueberries the first little snacker was not eating.  Our good little baby snacker replied, "Uh huh," and shook his head yes.  After eating the blueberries, he found himself left with a bowl full of grapes, which he diligently and obediently ate before eating the chocolately treat.  
What are you eating, third little snacker?  

Another grape.  It's just my size.  

And Momma lived happily ever after because the three little snackers each got the snack they wanted and left the table with their bellies full.  

For now at least.  Momma could swear she just heard one of the little snackers say "I'm hungry." 

The End. 

VFD Water battle

Tonight, the Saxonburg Volunteer Fire Department sponsored a water battle.  For those of you not familiar, this is basically tug of war - except instead of rope, the fireman use the water in their hoses - and instead of tugging, they push.  The object they push is a large red keg suspended in the sky on heavy duty wire.  

The children (and adults) lined the streets to watch the local fire departments battle it out.  It was a gorgeous evening for it and I was so glad I brought my camera to take pictures of the event.  

Here is just a few of my favorite pictures.  If you'd like to see more, check them out at www.flickr.com/photos/jenniferschwalm

How cute are these brothers?  They were so excited to watch - and were hoping to get a little wetter than they did.

I thought this was a cool one of the firemen and the rainbow.
This fireman is charging ahead - he had gotten a good start on pushing that keg to the opposing side.
What is cuter than little girls splashing in the puddles?
Shaking hands after a match.
This guy was ready.  He knew how to handle his hose.  
More kids frolicking in the water.

This guy is in charge of moving the keg into place before each battle.






I love living in a rural area.  Especially this little Saxonburg community.  I wish that we truly had a Saxonburg address so we could officially be affiliated with this fun little community.  There's really nothing better than small town America.  Everyone cheered for their local fire department, there was laughter and a sense of comradarie - these guys not only have to trust their own co-workers, but they know that they can call any one of the seven fire departments there to compete to help them battle a blaze.  People underestimate how much work and sacrifice goes into manning and keeping a volunteer fire department.  In communities such as ours, where you have so much rural land and countryside to deal with, knowing how to fight a fire properly is so important.  And in our little neck of the woods, we rely soley on volunteers to fight those fires.  Kudos to all the volunteer fireman and firewomen out there.  I am very grateful for these rural departments and for their equipment.  And I had a great time watching them battle it out where it didn't really matter.  It was a lot of fun!

Pet Parade 2009

One of the greatest things about living in (or near) a small town is that there are wonderful local carnivals to attend.   The town we are closest to, Saxonburg, is hosting its Volunteer Firemans Carnival this week.  It is tradition to kick off the week with a pet parade.  Erik participated in the pet parades when he was a young boy and I'm carrying on the tradition with my kiddos.  I guess in years past, there were themes for the parade for you to dress up for  - like one year the theme was "great duos" and Erik & his dog dressed up as superheros.  Fun.  There don't seem to be many rules to the parade these days but many folks do still try to come up with fun themes.  

Here is the local High School Marching Band getting ready to lead the parade.  The poor kids are still in school because of the teachers strike from earlier this school year.  They look kind of miserable that they have to participate in an event that is typically the KICK OFF for summer vacation.

Here are a bunch of folks getting their pets pampered and prepped to step out onto Main Street and the awaiting crowds.

More folks lining their pets up.

Here is Miss Maggie May.  She is posing as the Queen of England with her Pembroke Welsh Corgi.  Hank did a great job of staying in the wagon with the Queen.  I even brought the ipod with a trumpet voluntary to enhance the effect, but you couldn't really hear it with my wimpy little TJ Maxx speakers.
Here are the boys.  I had wanted to dress them as the British Royal Guard - I even found Walker a red blazer to wear - but when I showed him the photo, he balked telling me he did not like the hat and he wasn't dressing as one of "those."  Knowing Will undoubtedly would not wear the costume if Walker wasn't (and let's face it, where was I going to find a red 18 month blazer in June?) so I scrapped the Royal Guard idea and had an epiphany in church.  I decided to dress Walker as a chef and we would bring some chickens in a wagon.  Erik thought of the cleaver - I got together the materials to make it and Erik took over - hence the blood on it.  You can't believe the chuckles we got from Walker's "menu" sign.  Walker's dinner specials were:  Roasted Chicken, Chicken Cordon Bleu and Chicken Noodle Soup.  

Willie James was dressed as a hobo.  I thought he would jump at the chance to walk with Chloe but he jumped right into the wagon Walker was pulling and wouldn't get out for anything.  

We had a lot of fun - the kids were so good and so cute, but unfortunately, we didn't win a thing.  I think there should be some rules about winning - for the last few years, the winners were the same people and they don't seem to actually have any children attached to their entries.  

And that folks, is the sad commentary of my life.  I'm actually picking apart the judging of a local pet parade.  It did break my heart a bit when Walker asked, "Momma, did I win anything?"  How long will the, "No, but it was so much fun to dress up and participate" line work?  I think that must be how Oscar nominees feel when they say, "It's a privilege to be nominated." 

I saw some old dance or baton twirling trophies at the thrift store last week when I went looking for Walker's royal guard costume - maybe I'll go buy those up and make my own trophies for my kids.  

But right now, I've got to go drafting plans for next years parade costumes . . . 

This is why I hate to weed.

Because sometimes, creepy, slithery things are hiding under the weed you are reaching your hand in to pull.
This guy didn't jump out at me or strike (thank goodness) but he started to slither under a new weed.
I of course freaked out a bit and ran, but I resisted the urge to tell Erik to kill it.  I calmed down a bit, got my Momma courage up and gathered the kids to show them the snake.  They both thought it was pretty cool.  Walker asked if we would kill it and I told him, "No, because garter snakes are very useful to our gardens and ecosystem." I did not tell him that they are slithery sneaky creatures that I hate!  
'Nuff said!

Needless to say, I am avoiding that part of my work today.  I am focusing instead on planting all of the beautiful peonies and iris that Erik's client, "Aunt Pearl" offered us.  We went to her house last night and boy oh boy do I wish I would have had my camera on  me.  She has beautiful gardens.  Her iris bed at the entrance is AMAZING.  All of these beautiful, tall irises.  The colors she chose are so beautiful - from burgandy to deep purple to yellow - just breathtaking.  And she has little vinettes all over her gardens - an old table with some chairs here, beautiful pineapple urns hidden in spots all over the gardens.  I loved it!  She must have a thing for pineapples, like me.  (I am fond of pineapples because my Grammie was fond of them - she had a gold pineapple pendant that she wore from when she went to Hawaii and she had a crystal pineapple on her table.  She told me that pineapples were a symbol of welcome).

I still remember the day I spotted a beautiful crystal pineapple light fixture at all places, Lowes.  I saw it when we were very early in our relationship and lived in the old townhouse - I loved that crystal pineapple and told Erik I wanted to put one like that in the entry hall of my house some day.  I didn't buy it then b/c I didn't have storage for it.  Then it got clearanced, discontinued and I've never seen another like it.  It has been my mission to find one at every tag sale, estate sale, auction, junk yard, online auction or craigslist!  It is elusive - as if I had imagined that one I saw.   If I ever find one, I'm buying it, no matter the price (well, you all know me - within reason).  There are very few decisions I regret and this is one of them.  

So, maybe I'll find out where Aunt Pearl finds all of her pineapples and go buy me some pineapple urns for my gardens!  Well, not that I have many gardens - I only have the one area landscaped, but someday I'll have more.  

I'm determined I will.

It's on my bucket list.    

Day one/Day 100

This was Walker on his first day of preschool this past September.  He is so excited and ready to go.

This was last Friday - his last "official" day of preschool May 22. 
September 

May
September

May
It amazes me how much my babies have grown in the last 8 months.  Maggie's hair was short - now I can put it in braids - she has become sassier and funnier too. Will wasn't walking, talking or doing much of anything.  8 months later, he's walking, running and doing almost everything his brother and sister are doing.   Let's not even start with Walker.  He's grown leaps and bounds both physically and cognitively.  He amazes me sometimes with what he knows and can do.  He's such a problem solver.  His favorite thing to do is to figure out how to do something.  He is very creative in his problem solving skills.  

Well, as usual the reminiscing is short lived - the natives are restless and demanding a snack.  Sounds about right.

Working the goats

It's spring and that means it's time for vaccinations and worming.  

We started off in the round barn which is basically a greenhouse with plywood sides and a silver tarp top.  It works great as our "mama"barn - unless, of course, we have 25 babies, then we have to switch occupants and make it the "already had babies" barn.  These 13 ladies already had babies or miscarried earlier in the year.  We herd the goats into the barn and try to capture one.  This is why we almost NEVER disbud or dehorn our herd.  We only disbud our baby goats if specifically asked for show purposes (which we are not fans of - let's not get started on encouraging the abnormal grooming of animals for show purposes - an animal has horns and extra fur for a reason.  Disbudding horns, clipping fur and the like seems ridiculous in promoting the natural beauty of an animal - my own personal pet peeve), and even then we charge because it can be a precarious process.  Horns are vital tools in managing our herd.  So, we catch a goat holding its horns and Erik pins it between his legs.  Erik's mom, Shelly, really enjoys helping us, so she gets involved too.  Today, she is in charge of drawing the vaccination syringes.  Erik hollers out the goat tag number to me (the secretary) where I record the vaccinations and worming medication names and doses.  We also record notes on whether that particular doe birthed any kids, how many, colors, any other important information about her and if she birthed females, we record their ear tag numbers too. 

To worm the goats, Erik hangs a bag of worming medication, this time we used Ivermectin, and uses a squirt gun type tool to squirt the medication into the goats mouths.  This is a delicate process as we have to be sure the medication goes down their throats and they don't spit it out on us.  It's a tough job because goats are ruminants which means they have great ability to spit up what they have eaten.  Erik has come out of the barns many a time wearing some wormer.

CAST OF CHARACTERS

This is a granny goat.  She is a good mother and is very inquisitive.

These are some of the Mama's and babies that need to get vaccinated.  This is Tan Gran.  She is a good Mama and almost always has twins.  Last year she gave birth to these twins.  A male and a female.  We kept the female and named her "oreo" because of her black fur w/ white belly.
This year she gave birth to twins again - and twins very similar in color to last years babies.  She gave birth to a reddish brown female w/ a white belly and the twin was another female w/ a reddish- brown head.

Hello goaty!  We haven't found a good name for you yet.
Her daughter from last year, Oreo, had a baby this year too that we call Gobby.  Here is Tan Gran with her daughter from last year, Oreo, and her new babies, yet to be named.  They were all upset after having vaccinations, so they huddled with their mama for comfort.  Oreo and her baby cuddle up with Tan Gran daily. 
Here is Oreo with her daughter, Gobby, and her sisters.  They are a big happy family. 

Here are Dolly and Frank.  They look very similar but are of no relation.  They hang out in the garage waiting for us to finish our work and feed them.  Frank gets very fat in the winter time because he eats too much and will not leave the safety and comfort of the heated garage.  Frank is a reformed house cat.  He is still miffed that I had to kick him out of the house due to my severe cat allergies.  

He's still a sucker for a chin scratch though.

Iffy Thursday

It's an "iffy" day here today.  Sometimes the sun is shining, sometimes it spits rain.  It's a tough day to decide what to do with the kiddos, so we've opted to play inside. 

Will is talking on the telephone.

And shopping at the store Maggie & Walker have created.  He's got his "purse" and a bag to carry his purchases home in.  He is so environmentally friendly.  He has tucked into this purple bag some "bahs"  which translates to balls.  Will loves bouncy balls - he loves to hand them to me to make them bounce and I inevitably bounce them too high.  Today I bounced one into the ceiling fan and almost broke some stuff.  I often am not such a good role model.

Walker and Maggie are playing a combination of store and restaurant.  I asked them if they were playing "Cracker Barrel?"  They didn't understand my question and told me they sold neither crackers nor barrels at their store.  Apparently the way it works is an imaginary customer comes to the store, tells Maggie what he/she wants to buy,  
then Maggie tells Walker to look it up on the computer to see if they have it. 
 Walker then tells Maggie the price, and she conveys the price to the imaginary shopper.  As you can see, it is a family friendly store as Maggie brings her children to work with her and changes them right there in front of the customers.

A good system, I suppose. 

What may be the downfall of their efficiency is that instead of stocking their goods in a mannerly fashion, they just dump it all out on the floor.  They have every item they own crammed into this 6 foot space.  The rest of the house is spotless (well, except for my messes) but they apparently have a "path" through this jumble.  It must be imaginary, just like their customers because I cannot find it.  Good thing we have two entrances to the room or I would be stuck all alone in the other room. 

Wait, why am I doing this if I could be stuck all alone?   

This is the living room that I have designated as the "play room."  We used to have toys in almost every room in the house, then I decided that was too much, so I condensed everything to this room.  Train table, bins of trucks, dolls, etc. all within a pretty open floor plan.  There is a daybed couch that they can sit on and we even have a TV in there for when the adults want to have some peace and quiet. What more could my children want?This is where my children choose to play.  It is a 3x4 foot space in which I have crammed my treadmill.  I also have stuffed some baby toys in this area - it's sort of a storage area for those baby toys I have out for any babies that come to visit us at our house. (Ignore my attempts to hide my treadmill with the token tropical houseplant.)   It is not a big area, it is consumed by the treadmill, yet this area ALWAYS attracts the children and they insist on playing right under my feet.  This area is literally 12 inches from my feet when I am at the desk/computer doing "my" work.  
Here's a wider angle of that area.  As you can see, there is not much room at all to play.  But they love playing there.  Apparently, what makes a good play area is not space - it is proximity to Momma.  Why is it children always want to play under my feet????  Same thing as in the kitchen - while I am cooking, you will invariably find a truck or a baby doll under my feet next to the stove.  
This is a bit of a close up of the toys the children were playing with today.  Seems kind of odd.  A big rig with a trailer - tractor in tow, an upside down truck, a pig, some school papers, a baby stroller and a boat with sea animals.  I find it tremendously funny that the boat is actually on top of the sea creatures.  Clever.

Special thanks to Aunt Ara for providing the sea creatures for the fishing expedition.  

Has anyone ever really found the explanation for why children want to play right under their mother's feet?

I'm sure if I search my psych books, I'll find reasons such as:  The children want to be close to me physically to deepen our connection, etc.  

Part of me thinks it is a form of torture.  Beginning April 1, I become a sandals & flip flops only girl.  This means that while I am in the house, I am barefoot, which in turn means I step on some 99,000 toys in my bare feet a day.  All this hoop-la about the torturous acts being performed during terrorist interrogations has me wondering why they don't just fill a cell with matchbox cars, legos and Barbie shoes, and make the criminal walk across that floor with a blindfold on.  I would confess government secrets in order to get the children to stop leaving those toys under my feet! 

But what matters most is that they are having fun, right?  

Someone tell that to my feet.

I sure hope that a pedicure is in the works for mother's day.