Faded colors

I noticed our trees started to turn.

 And I noticed my drive to work was getting prettier every day.

 I love to look at a mountain and see a collage.  It makes me think God must love diversity.  That He made all the animals, plants, and people different colors and shapes and sizes for His own pleasure, not just ours or some natural selection requirement.

 Then I come home and breathe in pure joy as I look at what I can call mine.

 What my husband and I have built with our own hands and formed and grown from nothing.  We built all the fences.  We bought all the animals.  We planted all the orchard.  I can say that I've done something.

 And then I can go to my special place where the floor is covered in tall ferns and moss, and the trees surround me like a forest clearing, and I can watch cats and chickens play and see where they've nested in the day while sitting on my special stump in my own back yard.

Thank you God for what You have given me.  We have been truly blessed.

Here's your sign

I have to mention all the stupid people I come across.  

"Your machine printed my photos upside down!"  I turn the photos 180 degrees for her.  "Oh."  A glazed look of bewilderment strikes her face.

"My phone needs a new battery"  "You can't open the package without buying it first."  "Then how do I know if it works?"  "Buy it and try it"  She buys it, I have to install the battery into her cordless house phone....  "There's no dial tone.  It doesn't work."  "You do realize you're too far from home for it to work."  "Oh.  It won't work here?"

"How big is the screen on that 42" inch TV?"

"Will this Windows 7 work on a Dell?"  "What OS do you have?"  "Windows 2000."  "No, this is to upgrade from Windows Vista only."  "Oh.  Well will it work on a Sony?"  "What is your OS on the Sony?"  "Sony" ...  ...   ...  "No...it won't."

"I need a new computer.  My hard drive's full.  I need at least a topabite."

"Do you sell 58k modem cards?"  

"This GPS don't work!  I don't speak Spanish."  He brought back three GPS that hour b/c they "Don't work".(in other words, he couldn't work the thing at ALL!!)

"I bought a new TV there, and now I can't get channel 8!"  "Do you have an antennae?  "You mean I have to get an antennae too?!"

"Do you have the battery for this?"  "No"  "It looks like this."  "We don't have those."  "What if it's blue?"

Cub Scout Growl-Take 2

Remember the tent?

After all the activities of the first blog took place, we kept going to the tent to warm up, because it kept getting colder and colder.  I donned my hat that I knitted a few years ago.  It was more pretty than warm I came to find out.  We ate supper that was provided and then hunted for wood because one of the fathers just HAD to have a fire.  He couldn't get it started.  I finally did (thank you wood stove!).  Like I told him, I can start the stove, I'm just not good at keeping it going.  My husband's the opposite.  Weird.

Anyway, we marched away from the one light-and heat-source in the woods, with no moon in sight (it must have been cloudy) to the camp bon fire thingy.  We met a group going, otherwise we'd still be there at dawn yelling for help to get back home.  (I forgot to pack a flashlight...and a towel...but at least it wasn't the week in girl scout camp when I forgot to pack underwear...that was fun)  I utilized my cell phone for lighting only to find the benches surrounding said bon fire covered in hay.  Dry hay...what were these people thinking.  

Alllllll the way there, I was hoping we could have just stayed lost instead because this one kid was behind us singing the whooooole time, "Where's my momma?  I am sooooo maaaaad.  She was thiiiiiis biiiiig."  By the time we got there, the fire ready benches were a welcome change.  So the leaders sang a bit and talked a bit and then asked if anyone else wanted to.  This kid gets up and sings for us.

"Yesterday I'm walking home from school, walking home from school, walking home from school.  There was momma, and daddy, and brother, and sister-and who knows who else-where's my cousin?  I am soooooo maaaaaad.  He was thiiiiiis big." Holds his fingers up to show an inch.  I hold back tears.  You made one fatal mistake child.  I know what you look like now.  "Where's my momma?  I am sooooo maaaaad.  She was thiiiiiis biiiiig."  Hold hands wide in front of him.  Yeah-real funny kid.  You really know how to get on my good side.

A few more got up and did things, and then the leaders handed out patches to all the boys.  Then they said ,"We have a few extra.  Are there any parents who would like a patch?"  Hey-I EARNED this patch!  So did all the other parents because there was a line to get one.  They must be enjoying themselves as thoroughly as I am, and by the next morning, any who didn't get the patch were kicking themselves I'm sure.

We found our way back to camp more easily than there, mainly because we'd been there before, and warmed at the fire.  Then I went to the bathroom that's never been cleaned, and use by boys, and performed great feats to use it while not touching anything.  A hole in the ground would have been preferable.  But at least I wasn't the next guy that went in.  I warned him the lights were on a timer...he didn't listen...snicker

We went to "bed".  I wore thick pj bottoms, a T-shirt, my hat, my coat, one blanket and one sleeping bag below us, and one blanket and one sleeping bag on us.  Marcus didn't want his toboggan, so I wore it later when he fell asleep.  This tent, I later noticed, was advertised as "well ventilated".....need I say more?

I laid on my left side and held Marcus until I couldn't any more.  Then I laid on my back and found the one rock I inevitably always place my tent upon and held Marcus as long as possible.  Then I rolled to my right and let him shiver until that side goes numb, and my left is ready for more torture.  Meanwhile, a nice cool breeze from the thunderstorm blew through the top of the tent.  We did stay dry.

I also noticed, due to my inability to sleep, that I kept hearing cars driving all night long.  Sure enough, there were far less campers the next morning.  Snicker.  

We packed up, signed out, and got into the car with the heater on full blast.  An hour later, Marcus said he was finally warm enough.  I called home.  Arlis and Dad seemed to find this hilarious and mocked me for two days.  My brother took dad to boy scout campouts, I did not.  I did not think it fair that I should be laughed at as though payback by him when my brother has two daughters and therefore will not encounter this little payback adventure.  But if life were fair....

My son and I got to bond in a wonderful way, and I got a list of stories I have only begun to tell from it.  So all is good. :)  I also got to make my dad cry from laughing...for two days...sigh

Cub Scout Growl

I took Marcus to his first Scout camping trip.  Cute as a button, this Webelo is ready! 

 He was SO excited!  He started packing days ahead, and I was real excited too, as we got to do something together.  Let me say now that he had a great time, we got some things accomplished, and I was very pleased with it all.  Now, on to the fun-

We took a tent.

 Marcus helped set it up.  And then I broke one of the zippers I can only assume was for a power cord-you know, in case your TV needs watching...Fortunately, it didn't leak through.

 Everyone else got to sleep in these things-Many brought a tarp to hang as a curtain.  I was glad for our tent.  They didn't even have mattresses-sheesh!

 After we set up and all, we went onto the activities.  He made a marshmallow gun

 Which he used to shoot me...alot.  And then they went onto the obstacle course with their guns-where a vast amount of marshmallows were sacrificed on pie pans.

 I was real proud of how well he did.

After this, we went onto the BB range.  Here we have groups of 5-10 year olds with BB's and bows and arrows.  It's a wonder there were no fatalities.  He set up his target.

 I was REAL proud of him here, and praised Arlis on his teaching of Marcus how to shoot.  He did everything without any instruction while all the other kids had to have their parents help them...for pretty much everything.  Except for the kid next to Marcus whose grandmother didn't help, and he kept aiming down the shelter at the other kids while he was trying to cock his gun because it was too hard for him to cock.  That was scary. 

He did really well too.  The instructor commented to him privately.  All the other parents claimed the guns were off because if their child couldn't even hit the target it must be the gun.  I laughed inwardly and told Arlis in laughter later on the phone.  (There's two bullseyes) (Allow to me say I am not, nor was I ever laughing at the children.  I was laughing at the parents.  The children did the best they could with what they knew how to do.  And if you look below, you'll see my own not do too well either)

 Now for archery!  He wasn't very good at archery.  The arrow kept falling off the bow.  I kept waiting for him to hit someone with it.

 The instructor had to help him alot.  (maybe his bow was off-ha ha!)

 He did manage to hit the last two on target, and the last one near the center!  So maybe he'll get the hang of it eventually.

Then he got to be part of the color guard

 And take down the American flag.

The rest of the evening will be presented in the next installment-Cub Scout Growl-take 2.

The sick trees

UPDATE:  After research, we now believe this could be the result of hypoxylon canker.  Canker infests stressed oaks, and we had bad droughts for two years in a row.  It attacks VERY quickly, and the tree must immediately be removed as they are no longer strong enough to stand and will fall soon.  It is a fungus that only infects oaks from what I can tell.

Apparently, there have been complaints that I haven't done this in a while.  Cool.  But, allow me to tell you, going back to work has made this difficult.  I am also in the middle of writing a children's book and trying to get it published, so that cuts into what precious time I have left.  

I was afraid I was going to have an awful blog this time, but when I uploaded all the recent pics, I happened to find a few interesting topics.  Cool...again.

We had to recently cut two trees down.  They were sick.  Arlis thinks it's the drought, but I don't know.  I'll let you decide, and if anyone has any knowledge, let me know please.

They're both oaks.

And as you can see, they're leaves are dead long before any other tree's.

They have this weird paper looking layer under the bark which just all fell off all of a sudden.

 It's way too high to be an animal, and the black goo below (near the top) makes me think infection either by disease or bugs.

 I was concerned when I saw all the nails in them.  I wonder if that had anything to do with it? 

 I wouldn't think so as those nails have been there long before we came.

 You can see where it grew around one here.

 It's good we cut them when we did, because as you can see, another year or two (if that) and they wouldn't even be able to be firewood.  We did have a nice lesson in tree rings though.