Empty Nest Syndrome

Well, I woke this morning to find that the babies have all left the nest. Here is the most recent picture I took a couple of days ago...I couldn't believe how fast they went from newly-hatched and completely helpless to fully-feathered and ready to go.

The proud parents have been behaving strangely the last day or two - they stayed much closer to the nest than normal and we were able to get very close to them without them taking off. I wondered a couple of times if they were going to launch into the air and start pecking me to protect their nest. Maybe they are just feeling a little perkier now that they don't have 4 infants waking them up at night for feedings? Who knows. But I got some good pictures.


Okay Dad, how's THAT for a freakin' close up? This is actually one of the babies, just starting to explore her ability to jump ship. I snapped this one yesterday, and had hoped that I might be present to witness the little bugger's first attempt at flight today. But, alas, all 4 babies followed Mom and Dad into the wild blue yonder before I got up this morning. *Sigh.*

Guess I will have to go back to blogging about my obnoxious dog and adorable daughters. We have a playdate Thursday at the Lake - I will take the camera!

Electric Slide

We have been going to a local elementary school park in the evenings so that I can walk and the girls can play. It is less than 5 minutes from the house and always deserted. Sometimes Jesse comes with us and I am hoping we can bring Biggie Smalls along one of these days so he can walk with me way over in the grass behind the parking lot.

The slides were like those Eye-of-the-Storm balls - the instant they touched them their hair would stand straight up.
My battery was dying, so this was the last picture I could get! Phooey.
And finally, it never ceases to amaze me how a 140 lb. dog can curl himself into a 12 inch ball like a centipede. He's such a sofa rat.

The babies are here!

How's this for a face that only a mother could love?!

Speaking of Mama, she is never far away, and neither is the Daddy bird, who is red. I don't know what species they are, and they always take off the moment they see me coming, so it isn't easy to get a good look. Dad? Care to take a stab at a little GA bird ID?

These little guys are turning out to be great pets. They cheep when they are hungry or thirsty (which is often,) so Baby has to run down to the garage every couple of hours to feed them and change their water. I love that, because they are so gentle and sweet that she can take care of them by herself, and she is learning a lot about the responsibility that goes with a pet. They love to swim in the pond and follow Baby thru the yard as she walks. If she gets out of sight they stand together, stretch their necks, and start cheeping for her. As soon as she comes back, they waddle right over to her. She loves them, and I think they are rather smitten with her as well.

And finally, the highlight of my day...Rooney discovered my underwear drawer and decided to create another of her famous Mermaid ensembles. She came running into my office wearing a pair of my panties this time as "seashells."

I cracked up, of course, and had to snap some pics. Then I picked her up to kiss her and tell her how cute she was, and as I did, her skirt started to fall off. She said, "MOM!! You're ruining my fin!!" She's 3. When did my baby learn to think abstractly?!

Look up, look down, all around, hey.....

Satellite!


Poor guy. Said goodbye to the twins and the tail on the same day. He looks great with a short tail, but he was so uncomfortable that first night. We both did some crying. It has been about a week now and he is starting to adjust, and seems to be in less pain. That ridiculous collar DOES NOT keep him from licking his tail, and I'm a little concerned that once we remove it he isn't going to leave it alone. But at least he isn't chewing it anymore (it's too short) and hopefully once it's healed that will be the end of the Frankentail.

We rented "Mama's Boy" tonight, which starred the kid from Napoleon Dynamite. Hilarious. Worth two hours. Charlie Wilson's War is still up there, will let you know how that one turns out.

Wild Kingdom

Okay, the last couple of weeks our lives have been very full....of critters. It has been like Noah's Ark around here, and the girls are just loving it.

First, Jesse found a baby cotton-tail bunny in the grass at the rental house. Baby fell instantly in love (the little furball *was* adorable.)

Bunny only stayed with us a couple of days, before making a run for it the first time we put him down on the grass to eat some clover. He was like a tiny furry blur. Baby was DEVASTATED. She cried and cried. :`( Our saving grace has been that there are lots of wild bunnies around here, and when we see one in the backyard we tell her that is the baby bunny's Mommy and he wanted to go home. That has made her feel much better.

Next, since Jesse has installed the Second Coming Spotlight on the frontporch, we have had bugs galore, especially moths, which the girls think are butterflies and love to catch. Check this guy out - he has been coming and going the last few days and always lands in the same spot. The girls call him the Big Green Butterfly and love to look at him through the other side of the bathroom window. Ew.Also on the porch, some birds have decided to build their nest in the wreath on the security door. This picture is about a week old, there are 5 eggs in there now. We are going to have baby birds and the girls can't wait. Every time we come or go they ask if the babies are here yet.

And finally, Jesse brought home two little baby duckies today. Basically, they are about the most adorable things I have ever seen, and this time, we are *all* in love. They follow you around when you walk and love to climb up in your lap to snuggle up and get warm. They are SO soft and OH SO CUTE!! They are quick little buggers too, you have to be careful holding them. They are just a week old, and the guy at the farm supply place said they can go in the pond when they are a month old.
We just have to name them! I think Baby has been calling them Amber and Daniel (I have no idea.) What do you guys think? Romulus and Remus? Bonnie and Clyde? Peking and A La Orange? Rubber and Lame?

Take my dog...please

It's been a while since you-know-who went to the Vet, and it was time to update his shots before we take him in week after next (dun-dun-DUN!!) to have the Blackberries removed.

He is still about 135lbs.

He dragged me all over the Vet office. There was very little I could do. I had him in a fancy Cesar Milan dog collar, and it was useless. I should have kept him in his slider/chain link collar. TOMORROW on the way to church, I am stopping at PetSmart for a PINCH collar. And while we're there, we're asking about obedience training (you know, since I have all this extra time on my hands), because this is ridiculous. We won't ever be able to have him out in public, around new people or other dogs. He's totally out of control and I practically had to WRESTLE him to the ground, where he would stay for about 9/10 of a second and then it was back at the other dog/vet tech/whoever was close by. Ugh.

What. A crummy. Day.

I basically did everything but stand on my head today to get work done before my UPS pickup, and still didn't make it. Had to drive a dozen boxes half an hour across town. Stopped for diapers on the way home - and they forgot to order them this week. They had *2 cases.* So I will have to go back tomorrow, and doubt I have even enough to make all the orders that need to go out tomorrow. Stopped for Burt's Bees at another store - and they haven't ordered them.

I just stood there with my mouth open. I must have asked them to place that order half a dozen times in the last 3 weeks. I am out of those now and will have to buy them retail to hold me over until my regular order comes in. If they manage to place it, that is.

Got home to see that someone wants an order overnighted, but wants it with a larger size diaper than I usually use. I'd love to tell her no, but don't want her to cancel her order. After taking care of a couple of things around the house (feeding the girls, unloading & reloading dishwasher, etc.) it is now about 10:30pm, but I really have no choice (not true, I'm just making more problems for myself at this point.) So I load the girls into the Jeep thinking I will just make a quick run to Ingles for 2 packs of size 2 diapers....

...and get pulled over ****AT THE INGLES STOPLIGHT!!!!**** For expired tags. They are 5 days past their expiration. Did he write me a ticket? What do you think. Did I try to explain that I work 16 hour days and that this just BARELY slipped through the cracks? Do I try to explain that I still have to work until 4 or 5am when I get home and that an $80 ticket is going to completely cancel out this late-night supply run AND probably the whole night's work??!!

No. I don't. Because he didn't ask. He just took his sweet time writing me a ticket, and said, "Sign here." And then, "Drive safe." I found that very irritating, but then, I can't imagine there is anything a policeman could possibly say after writing me a ticket that would sound even remotely sincere. And hey, at least I'm already in the Ingles parking lot, so I may as well finish my errand.

It is now 12:30 and the girls are in bed. I have at least 6 hours worth of work that needs to be done, which will be for nothing. And a very sick feeling in my stomach that things need very much to change.

The Great Pain

I am rushing around tonight trying to get through a checklist of things and out the door for church by 5pm. It is 4:30, and I decide I have time to wash the stinky D-O-G. I had him on the rope in the backyard, which I looped around the boat, then only tied to his collar with a single knot. Well, as I was spraying him with the hose, he kept trying to get away, and the knot came undone.

The instant he realized he was free (and soaking wet) he took off like a Greyhound chasing a bunny - a bunny covered in BBQ sauce.

So I go inside looking for something to tempt him into coming back to me and decide that his usual carrot won't do, because I am pressed for time. So I get a hot dog. And off I go down the street after him. Well, wouldn't you know it, our queer Great Dane is not interested AT ALL. He won't even SNIFF IT. Not organic enough for him, I suppose.

In the meantime I am just falling all over myself trying to grab his collar and waving this hot dog around while he jukes me. I can just HEAR people driving by on the street asking each other, "Did you just see a barefoot lady chasing a wet Great Dane with a hot dog?!"

I finally cornered him and got hold of his collar, and dragged him back home, past one Mom out walking with her one-year-old baby. She saw me, smiled, saw the dog, her eyes got as big as flying saucers and she picked up her baby, AND CROSSED THE STREET!! Good grief. I actually managed to get a shower and get to church on time.

Speaking of church. I. Love. Our. Church. Pastor John can preach circles around anyone else I've ever heard. If you really want to be knocked off your horse, click the link at the right that says "Liberty Church." Toward the bottom left, you can click to Listen to Pastor John's sermons. Choose Audio, then Topical. PICK ANY TOPIC THAT INTERESTS YOU. Throw a dart. You will want to hear more, I promise. They are like Pringles, you can't stop at just one. Come visit us at the first opportunity so you can hear him in person. Move here if that is what it takes!! I love this church - churches like this don't come along every day. I want to be a member for many, many years.

Out, damn carpet, out!

Here's the smell of BEN still! All the steam cleaners of GA cannot sweeten this foul floor!!

You would think a relatively short-haired dog wouldn't shed that much, right? Okay, well, *I* thought that a relatively short-haired dog wouldn't shed that much. I have never seen anything like it. It is like he stumbled into some kind of toxic waste, except, somehow, there is still fur all over his body. It is blowing my mind. His crate has been in the corner of the living room all this time, and I have to pull it out about twice a week and vacuum behind it, and you WOULD NOT believe the hair. Well, I'm sure you know that if there is one thing that is purely impossible to keep clean, it is a carpet. From the moment you first set foot on it, it is never *really* clean again. Ben is very dander-y and well, and dang it, I like a clean house (stop making that face!! I try!!)

Anyway, since we moved into this place I have been dreaming about ripping out the carpet in the living room and office, and blending new hardwood into the existing hardwood entryway. Well, Jesse offered to make it a reality, and I jumped at the chance! So here are some pics of the installation of our new floors, which look great.

The view from the kitchen into the office.

The remnants of the old hardwood (which was glued down with enough adhesive to keep tiles on the space shuttle) on its way out!

Jesse also pulled down the old fireplace facade, which was, in my opinion, an extremely unattractive combination of painted white wood and pinkish tile. Ewww. I *love* the stacked stone, and I have to say, I think he did a pretty incredible job, it looks so beautiful and professional.

Hooray! The new wood making it's way toward the other side of the first floor. He also fixed those loose tiles between the kitchen and the living room.

The Notorious B-I-G, keeping a watchful eye. His pterodactyl talons are already doing a number on the floors, we need to get him a puppy pedicure.

And finally, the NEW view from the kitchen to the office. This was before I mopped for the first time. I couldn't have imagined, and it is difficult to describe, the immense satisfaction of running a sweet-smelling orange oil soaked Swiffer over newly installed hardwood floors, and watching every. last. dog hair. disappear, leaving nothing but the welcome scent of orange hanging in the air, and a slightly timid Great Dane to negotiate the veritable ice-skating rink that he now has to contend with on a daily basis. Every see a dog in a cartoon run in one place for about 10 seconds before he gets traction and moves forward? It's even funnier in real life.

The Little Mermaids

So I'm sitting at my desk, editing some new pictures for the website, and this little voice from around the corner says, "Hey Mom, I'm ARIEL!!" And I look up, and I see this:


My 5 year old in my upside-down bra, and a makeshift tail, which she has constructed from a Christmas skirt and a Steeler dress for the "fin" over her feet. Of course, Rooney then had to jump on the bandwagon too, and it was moments before they had torn paper "flowers" in their hair, and a blue blanket "lagoon" to swim in.
Then they brought me another bra and insisted I join the party, so I am walking around with a bra on top of my shirt. But I will spare you a picture of that. You're welcome.