Favorites of 2012

You know those two roads that diverged in a yellow wood?

It's true.

The one less traveled by has made all the difference.



The Battle

Featured in the "Why it Works" section of the January 2013 issue of CLICK magazine.


Captive

Yes, I am that Mom that rescues a turtle off the highway and tosses it in my son's lap while he squeals like a little girl.


Waiting

My beautiful baby sister and her belly!


Left Behind: First Day of School

Featured on Clickin' Moms blog and facebook wall


Enough Helpers?



Curiosity



What Remains

Featured on Clickin' Moms blog
Best of Show at our local County Fair


Summer Bliss



Childhood Memory



Epic Quest



Solstice

A shiny red thing

A flash of bright red caught my eye through all the weeds.

My first thought: Now what the heck did I leave over by the spinach. My second thought: Wasn't the older brother working with his Daddy out here yesterday? What the heck did he leave out here. Must be a plastic sandbox toy.

He left his ten-inch-long piece of PVC pipe culvert out in the yard last week. Our grass grows freakishly fast. It disappeared underneath the jungle and his Daddy inadvertently blasted it to smithereens when he mowed.

It was not a good day. The older brother mournfully gathered up the plastic shrapnel that remained and left it in a respectful pile by our house. He is not only a plumber. He's also the Road Superintendent of miniature towns built around our yard.

I thought perhaps it was a good lesson though. You know, on leaving things lying about the yard.

And then my dear husband admonished me for abandoning a metal electric fence post in the garden corral. It was on it's side in the grass. The mower actually chewed that thing in half and tossed it aside like a toothpick.

I swear, I did not leave it out there. And for the record... he also mowed off the top of our metal ratchet sprinkler and then questioned the boys as to who broke the dumb thing.

Ah, yes. The shiny red object that caught my eye? It was only this.



Swiss Chard. So beautiful. So tempting to grab a handful and...

I can see them over by the barn. I'm giddy as I look for a poo-and-thistle-free area to flop myself down under our orchard (I'll call it whatever I want, regardless of what it looks like). They eyeball me, weighing whether the lure in my hand is worth the trip across the yard.

I hold my breath... waiting for them to run me over.



Then suddenly, the thundering stampede. They're of one mind, once one of them finally makes the decision. A herd of tiny Tyranasaurus race out of the black entrance of their lair, feet pounding the earth, bodies swaying from side to side.

But they're suspicious. What if I'm trying to poison them!



For your own good, Kim, look away. The last time I did this you said I broke your Chard lovin' heart.



They're hypnotized by the sweet prize. Is this a dream? Is it edible?



The insatiable reptiles rip their meal to shreds. It's a vicious attack, the kind of thing that is fascinating but horrifying to watch. Lightening fast, with precisely aimed strikes.

The Chard has no chance.



For a moment, I imagine them the size of a large carnivorous dinosaur. Pretty sure the T-Rex in Jurassic Park was modeled after a chicken.



Then again, I have small children.

Let's not go there.



KinderGARDENS week 12

Watch your feet

It's best to know the truth when dealing with these nasty creatures.

Really, they're busy plotting against us all. And if you're not careful, those evil tractors will knock you right off your feet while smashing your head.

Yes, smash. Like an egg.


Who knew they could be so disagreeable?

Yet there is more.

When sunbathing on uneven ground, there is only one thing worse than small biting insects.


Yeah, they're sneaky alright, and I don't believe that is an affectionate gesture represented there.

Apparently tractors get real grumpy when they sit around unused for a few days.

You Capture - Feet

Green and yellow

(green and yellow)

(just a little mud)

(recycled, frugal, homemade weight thing)

(just the right size)

(the world is his sandbox)

(and there was much rejoicing!)

A tractor

Have I mentioned we recently bought a tractor?


Well, not that one.

I guess that means we have two, both very fun.

Fritz's new kingdom

So sorry, people! I didn't mean to be mysterious about Fritzy's sudden exile from our little farm. Was it really that much of a cliff-hanger?

A rooster can only have so many chances, you know. And, well, he had more than he deserved.

That full-body aggressive maneuver against my leg the other day was the last straw. Well, not technically. Three shiny new straw bales arrived in my barn today, but you know what I mean.


That's an eight second shot, by the way, so just imagine the kind of light I was dealing with.

All I really know, is that I am rid of my rooster headache.

I had even gone so far as to consider trading my mother for a cat she has been threatening to get rid of for years. He's a very bad cat.

Darn lucky for Fritz, it turned out that a neighbor (in as much as anyone within ten miles of us is a neighbor) wanted him. Not in a pity poor Fritz kind of way either. The kids came with to pick him up, and they were excited. In fact, their Dad said he would likely whack his Leghorn rooster before Fritz, if it came to that (which made me smile). Barred Rock is a great breed. Leghorn, not so much, unless you like high-strung chickens with brains made of fruitcake who aren't amazingly cold-hardy but do lay lots of boring white eggs.

So it was that as the sun set, King Fritz growled as he rode off in a dog kennel, loaded up in the back of a truck. Transportation fitting of his royalty, don't you think?

Curious how things are going at the new place palace?

Here is how it went, as far as I understand the story.

It was evening when he arrived, and Fritz roosted up in the rafters of his new coop. He was on one side, by himself. The Leghorn rooster and all nine hens were squashed together on the other side, as far away from the intruder as they could be. The next morning Fritz and two hens were on the ground, and he was bossing them around, and crowing. Then, apparently there was some fighting between the two roos. Last I heard, the Leghorn spends his time sitting in the corner, and Fritz marches around doing his thing, and acting like he owns the place.

So there you have it. The dude basically walked into his new kingdom and set up his throne.

Looks like it turned out well for everyone, except maybe the Leghorn. That, and my mother, who is still stuck with her cat.

I will be in trouble if I don't announce that things turned out especially well for my husband on Monday. He has been busy leaving wheel tracks like this,


all over the place, as well as odd snow formations.


We have been waiting and waiting, and it finally arrived.