Toady

Well, I was watering last night in the front yard and I splashed a little water in the hole that we flooded the gopher with recently. I looked at the hole next to it and saw a little head pop out. Then another one. At first I thought it was more gophers. Nope. It was our toads. I thought we had only one, however it seems she found a mate. I didn't know they burrow underground and they decided to set up shop in the gophers hole. I had been having a problem with daddy long legs in the front yard and they seem to be all gone. These little guys, or not so little, the female is about four inches long, eat all the bugs. Cool! Too bad they don't eat mice. So, they are harmless as long as we leave them alone and they'll take the place of Hydrex. Cheaper, too. So, we are letting them stay. I did a little research on the toads and they seem okay. Pretty ugly, though! Maybe they will keep the gophers out of those holes!

Oh, and a little information on the story below. Scott figured I copied it from somewhere. No, this is all original Amy. Hope you enjoy it!

Paula and the Angel

Paula and the Angel

Paula was crying. It seemed to her she was always crying now. Nothing ever seemed to go her way. She didn’t know what she was going to do next, but she knew something was going to have to change. She was unhappy at home. Her parents were fighting all the time. She was miserable at school; the other kids picked on her. Boys didn’t like her because she wasn’t pretty or popular and girls made fun of her because she was smart. She just wanted to be left alone.

Paula cried out to God to help her find a way to handle all the things that were making her so upset. She wanted out. She knew that there were only so many options that she had, and she knew that running away from her problems wouldn’t solve anything, it would only make things worse. A girl at her school had run away from home the year before and Paula had heard that she became addicted to drugs and was living in a horrible area with a bunch of other runaways. No, running away would not solve her problems.

So, Paula knelt down next to her bed and put her head in her hands. She prayed that somehow the Lord would help her through this time in her life and help her to get through it. Send me someone, Lord, to help me deal with all of these things. She continued to pray until she fell asleep. Paula awoke with a start. The lamp next to her bed had been the only light on in the room, but somehow, the room was brilliantly lit. As though a bright candle, brighter than any she had ever seen, was somehow lighting up the room. She looked around her and saw a figure, about eight feet tall, with golden hair flowing in loose waves down her back, standing in the middle of the room. Paula sucked in her breath, not wanting to make a noise. But, somehow, she was not afraid. “Could this be my Guardian Angel?” she thought. “I am,” the figure said. “I was sent to you to help and protect you. You are in need of help and I have come to show you the way.” Paula realized the angel had understood her thoughts before she spoke. “Cool,” she thought, “I don’t even have to speak and you can hear me!”

She spoke with the angel, in hushed tones, so as not to wake anyone else in the family. She couldn’t believe she was having a conversation with an angel. The angel introduced herself as Clarice, and explained that she was sent to help Paula, however, that this help was going to be in the way of helping others. Clarice was to take Paula to other places to help those in need. Paula would then realize that in helping others with problems greater than her own, her problems would seem less significant and she would be able to handle them.

Clarice explained that they were going to travel together to a place called Dodoma in Tanzania to help deliver rice and beans to the people there who were starving because of a famine there. “Are you ready?” Clarice asked her. “Yes, I think so.” Paula answered.

The next thing Paula knew, she was in the back of an old truck, lumbering along a dirt road, with Clarice by her side. But not as she had seen her before. The angel was sitting down next to Paula, but Paula could tell she was not as tall as she had been before. Her face still shone brightly, but only in a way of one who has a great secret, a warm wonderful something that they want to share with everyone else, but can’t. Clarice was wearing a soft cotton plaid shirt and blue jeans, neat and tidy, but not extravagant. She had on plain white cotton tennis shoes and her golden locks were pulled back in a pony tail, away from her face. There were other people in the back of the truck, also. An older man, probably a priest, dressed in a black shirt and black pants, with a large cross around his neck. An older woman, dressed in a light cotton dress, buttoned up to her neck, except for the top button. She was smiling and trying to hold her hair back, but the wind was blowing it all over and she was losing the fight. Still, she seemed at peace and happy to be there. Paula then realized that they were sitting between huge white bags. There must have been about 10 or 12 of them and they probably weighed 50-60 pounds each. She realized that they must be filled with food. It didn’t take long to realize, too, that the sun was beating down on them and it was very hot. She went to take off her jacket, then realized she didn’t have one on. The heat was so intense and dry that she yearned for a glass of ice water, however, she realized that would be impossible here. She was already beginning to see that her problems didn’t amount to much. Paula glanced over at Clarice and Clarice nodded, because she knew that Paula was seeing a picture bigger than her own. She understood that Paula was miserable here and felt sorry for the people here. She knew, too, that Paula needed to be here, to see this and to understand what others were suffering.

The truck continued on down the road, seemingly hitting every pothole along the way. Dirt and dust were being kicked up by the tires and it was miserable for all those in the back. But they were on a mission. To bring these desperately needed food supplies to the people here who were starving.

They reached their destination and a man came around to the back of the truck to open it. Paula had not seen this man before. He was very thin, wore a loose fitting linen-type shirt, a medium gray color that almost matched the color of his hair. He was stooped over, seemingly from years of heavy work and yet, he was joyful. Not just content. Not at peace. He was happy. He had a look on his face of one who was truly in love with Christ. Paula realized that when she was a child and had accepted Christ, that her face had shown like that, but that in the last year or two, her smile had faded and she seemed to be trudging along, trying to get by, not thanking God for His blessing and redemption. She found herself staring at this man and he glanced up at her and gave her a big, cheerful smile and she felt even more remorseful than she already did. How could she have forgotten to say thank you to her dear Lord?

They all piled out of the truck and Paula took a look at the people around her. She realized that although she had never been overweight, she felt self-conscious of her weight among these people. Everyone was so thin. The children’s clothes hung on them as though they were on a hanger. Loose fitting dresses on the girls and baggy shorts on the boys. She realized that this food that they were bringing was necessary for their survival.

Clarice grabbed a bag once she got off the back of the truck and dragged it over to where they were all piled up. Paula did the same, though she was rescued by one of the other men, for she could not lift the heavy bag.

People were beginning to gather all around them. They formed a line and were waiting patiently, more patiently, Paula realized, than what she would have been, given the circumstances. The man who had been driving the truck spoke to the people and they brought their bowls over to him and he scooped out rice and beans as the people lined up for it. They all seemed to be saying thank you over and over, grateful for this meager ration that had been brought to them.

“Have I forgotten how fortunate I am? Have I neglected my Lord because of all the other things that have crowded my mind?” Clarice looked over at her. “Yes, you have. But you may make things right with Him now.” Paula bowed her head, ready to pray and thank the Lord for all His blessings, for His compassion and for giving her the opportunity to see that her problems were not insurmountable with His help. As she lifted her head, she realized she was back in her room, with her head on her bed, kneeling on the rug. “Thank you, God, for sending my angel to me and for showing me the things I need to change in my life. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to see all that You are doing and for showing me that You can take care of people in depressed nations and You can take care of me!”

Then she got up, still feeling tired and hot and went downstairs to get herself a tall glass of ice water. As she drank it, she said another prayer. This one for the people in other parts of the world who didn’t have the luxuries she was used to. And she thanked God for all He provides. And she slept better that night than she had ever slept before.

Sick and Tired

I went up Sunday for "a bless". Father Rich prayed for me and said it seemed as though I am trying really hard to be happy. You hit the nail on the head, Father. Well, apart from my trying to save money and having to cook every meal at home (currently over a hot stove), I have been trying to get my house clean. Every time I try to clean something, either the kids need me or they need something to eat, or they just need attention. I have about 200 interruptions per day. At this rate, I might be able to get my house cleaned up in, say, September, 2012. I have been staying at home a lot lately, like Peg, to save money and gas, however, since it has been like in the low 100's here, and I am trying to save money on air conditioning, too, it has been exceptionally hot. So, when it is 80 in the house, you don't feel like cleaning. And the last few days it has been extremely humid, too. So, at least once per day, I stick my head in the freezer to keep cool, with the excuse of trying to find something for dinner in there. Well, it takes a long time to find something in the freezer...

The only saving grace is a gift from a friend. Last night, after sweating over a hot stove making tacos, I climbed in the pool with the girls. Now most of you will be thinking, they don't have a pool. But, alas, thanks to Julie, we do! It is about 8 feet across and two feet deep. Just perfect. Has a pump and everything. Very cool! Literally! The girls have thoroughly enjoyed it! It even came with a floaty thing for Rebekah to sit in and a cover that ties on and won't blow away in our gale force winds. We parked it on the back patio under the patio cover and the girls can go in without getting sunburned. And when we needed to change the water in it, we just dumped it all over the grass, which needed watering anyway. Cool! I went to bed last night feeling very cooled down. It was great. I highly recommend a dip in the pool before going to bed.

Another thing that is causing me angst is my mouse. Or, should I say, mice. They are everywhere. My neighbors have them, too. The neighbor's cat has been catching them in the house, but the cat decided to bring a prize onto their bed and kill it there. At least I don't have them in the house! They ARE in my garage and in my car, in my backyard and in my bbq. They are driving me nuts. I have figured out how to get rid of the gophers, now how do I get rid of the mice? I was driving down the street the other day and I happened to glance on the floor behind the front passenger seat. I saw a mouse run under the seat. I was DRIVING! This is not good! I have no junk in my car. The girls are not allowed to bring stuff in the car. I need to vacuum it again because there is mouse poo in my car. Nice. I don't know how to keep them out of my car. I need to try the peppermint oil. I am going to get some tomorrow. Today. It is two in the morning. We used the bbq the other night and I went back out to make sure it was turned off. Open the lid and a mouse stares up at me. Great. Do you try to incinerate the mouse in the bbq or just let him leave without an incident? I let him leave. What's one more mouse in the scheme of things?

Top Ten Ways To Know You Have a Mouse Problem
10 You find a dead mouse in your car's a/c unit
9 You make noises before going into your garage to scare them away
8 You open your car as loudly as possible so as to scare away the mice.
7 Your car is clean...except for the mouse poo
6 Your car is never clean, except now that you have mice
5 You have a mouse in your car and you don't panic
4 You catch three mice in your garage...without a trap (they all climbed in the trash can voluntarily)
3 Your children are not afraid of mice...and they cheer when you catch one in the glue trap
2 You consider hiring a big mean cat to scare away the mice
1 You spend more time thinking about mice than about gophers

Uggh! I am so sick of this. Last year was the floods, which probably contributed to the mice this year. You know, more vegetation, food, places to hide and have babies. This year is the mice. Are we going to have snakes next year? It feels like the plagues!

Thank you God, for sending mice and not snakes or scorpions. I mean it.

Anyway, I have been trying really hard to be happy amidst all of this. I know God loves me and I have been trying to be faithful and have trust in Him that He will take care of me. Spiritually, financially, emotionally. Listening to Canon Gary was amazing, and eye-opening. I just need to have more faith.

I am also a bit jealous of Scott. Getting to take these courses and learn all this stuff. I see him in church, praising God, lifting his hands. Reckless abandon. How cool! I always feel I have to watch out for the girls, but less so now that Bekah goes in with Grace. Scott is doing very well. He has learned so much. He has so much more faith than I do. Thank you God, that I am married to a rock. He is wonderful and I am so blessed that God chose him as my husband. I would not have made such a good choice. God knew better than I did. I am curious where God will lead our family in the coming years. He has a plan, we just don't know what it is. I love my husband so much and I can't wait to see what God has in store for him.

I am trying to be happy, but it helps to get some of it out here. Thanks for listening. To whom should I make out my check for this session?

Life in the Desert

I wish it was life in the dessert! Oh, well. We caught another one. There seems to be an abundant, never ending supply of gophers here in the desert. Mice too. And of all things, we are going to Chuck E Cheese today. More mice. I spoke with my neighbor the other day and she told me that the elementary school where her son goes just put out poison for the gophers a couple of weeks ago. The kids couldn't go outside for six days. Well, they picked up over seven THOUSAND dead gophers on the lawn at the school. Yeah, thousand. Her son looked outside of his classroom one day and said he could count over a hundred right outside the window. That's a lot of gophers. I guess I am fighting a losing battle. A whole bunch of the bulbs that I planted in the spring have been dug up and eaten. I thought I was victorious again when I caught one in the trap at the beginning of the week. Then I walked out to the slope and found a huge pile of soft dirt and a couple of holes in my lawn. That's where I draw the line. Well, I was watering, so I stuffed the hose in the hole. Instead of bubbling out, it went down. So, I waited. It kept going. So, I waited. It started to finally come out halfway down the slope. As I was pulling the hose out, I looked about halfway down the slope and saw fur. Grey and wet. I yelled to Scott to come out and help me. He ran outside, without shoes on, and brought a shovel with him. I had the hose and kept water on the guy. He was coming straight at me! He was about two feet away when he went sideways on the slope and behind a big flowering bush. He was trying to dig, but I kept the water on him and he was moving really slow. Well, Scott and the shovel came to my rescue. His innerds became outerds, so to speak and the gopher was no more. I guess this will be a continuous battle. Bummer. I will not be able to have bulbs out here. Not until there is more civilization around me. Or maybe just in containers. My calla lilies in the planter are coming up nicely. Of course, they will probably burn up in the heat before they have flowers. Oh, well, such is life in the desert. At least we don't have the quantity of stink bugs that my sister in law has at her house, crawling all over the place. Yuck. We don't have cockroaches out here and we don't have fleas. I haven't seen any scorpions yet and only a few black widows, not like in the valley. But mice and gophers are abundant. No more mice in my car. Good incentive to keep it clean!

I had to juggle activities tomorrow. Possible activities for tomorrow included helping my mother in law's friend Andy pack up his stuff to move, go see my aunt who I haven't seen in almost a year, go cherry picking with Dad, go to a birthday party. Well, we will be going cherry picking EARLY in the morning, like at 8:00, then off to the birthday party. With the kids running around, I would probably be more trouble than help with the move. And thankfully my aunt understands. This is why it is important to look at your calendar before you make plans. I, who never have any plans, made multiple plans on the same day. I am beginning to feel like someone else I know, who can't make any plans until she checks her calendar! Thankfully, I am not that busy. But I do need to check the calendar!

The girls are doing very well. Looking forward to the birthday party. They helped pick out the presents and Jess has been counting the days until it is time to go. She loves parties and being with people. She has had the dress picked out that she is going to wear for a few days already. Rebekah has been building with lego's lately. She built a "robot" and a house. She said she needs more lego's. We have been listening to The Chronicles of Narnia in the car on audio CD's. It is wonderful. And the girls have watched the movie so many times that Rebekah has even memorized the lines. She sat on my lap and looked at me and frowned. "Well, I ain't gonna smell it, if that's what you want!" I burst out laughing and so did she. It was very funny. She's funny without trying to be. I just love my girls.

We are getting ready for Jessica's ballet recital on July 1. She "performed" for us the other night and did the whole thing perfectly. I know because yesterday in her ballet class we got to watch the whole class do it and she was great! Her teacher said she knows the material, she just doesn't listen very well. When I was in grade school, they always told my mom, "Amy is very smart, she just doesn't apply herself." Well, my mom's request that I get a kid just like me, so I know what she went through came true. Jess is a lot like I was. What am I in for? A fun time, I think, she is a joy to be around and always has a smile on her face. She likes to do things for others and she really cares for kids smaller than her. She is always doing something. We just have to channel that. She is already doing chores. It is now her resposibility to vacuum under the kitchen table and take the swiffer mop and mop under the table. She does a great job, too. For a five year old. She misses stuff, but she is learning. Gotta start somewhere. She makes her bed and cleans up the playroom, too, but not consistently. That is what we have to work on. She will get to enjoy her summer and then, in the fall, we will be on a new schedule...School!

Cherries!

Well, I have already gone to two cherry places and the cherries are good! Cherry season officially opens on Saturday the 17th. So, they will be available for at least three weeks after that. We went to one place on Sunday after church to check it out and the cherries were $3/lb. The place I went to today was $2/lb. At Rhodes Ranch today we got bing cherries and they were good, big and sweet. Rebekah and Jessica sat down at the table when we got home and ate cherries. The air was cool at the orchard, a lot of people had light jackets on. Breezy, about 70 degrees. Nice! We only got five pounds of cherries, I picked three and the girls each picked one. But we had fun! It only took about 30-40 minutes. We had fun. They wanted to get more, and so they are looking forward to going again.

What a Day!

Some cute pictures. The girls are just cute all the time and the sunset was absolutely gorgeous on Sunday night. The sheep were out on the field across from our house, you could hear them making sheep noises out there and the sunset was beautiful. This is the view of the sunset we have from our front yard. One good reason we like living where we live.

As far as the gophers go, I caught another one. I have figured out that if I "bait" the traps, they come running. That is, set the trap, put it in the hole and find a half eaten bulb that they have destroyed and put it just outside the trap. Has worked twice now. The dumb gophers are still eating my gladiola plants and I don't think I will get a single flower from them. They are also eating the strawberry plants that are in the ground. And one dared to dig a hole in the grass. That was the last straw. They must die. So, I set the trap, baited it and WHAM! Checked it the next morning and there he was.

Oh, and I had a mouse in my car. The lady at the deli gave Jess and Bekah chocolate ladybugs and I left them in the console between the seats. Got back in the car later and found a scrape in the top of one of them. Okay, throw them away, just in case. Wait, where is the third one? Couldn't find it. Found it yesterday after I opened the door to my car and saw a mouse run under the seat. I think it got in through the heater vents under the seats. Anyway, cleaned out my car, which wasn't very dirty and found the other ladybug, on the floor behind the seats, with all the aluminum foil peeled off and a big chunk of chocolate missing from the top of the ladybug. Dumb mice. They must be female mice. What with the way mice reproduce they are probably all PMSing all the time. They need chocolate, too! I am going to try baiting the traps in the garage with chocolate! One hershey kiss in each trap ought to do it! I'll show them!


I never thought I would see the day that Scott would put a bug outside that was in the house, but he does a lot for his little brown haired girl. She found a little black beetle in the house the other day and decided it was a baby bug and that we needed to take care of it. I finally convinced her to let Daddy put it outside and let it find its family. So, Daddy did the honorable thing, but it took all he had not to squish it. He was good. The next morning the girls were looking out the door to see if it was still there.

At the grocery store last night. Trying to pick what flavor of yogurt the girls would like. Woman standing next to me. Jess stands next to her, (she is on her cell phone), looks at her and says, "Do you know who the devil is?" I wanted to disappear into the floor! Well, luckily, the lady's response was, "Yes, I do, but I also know Jesus!" Thank heaven for small miracles! We had a little discussion about tact. Talk about embarrassing!

Rodents

Websters: belonging or pertaining to the gnawing or nibbling mammals of the order Rodentia, including the mice, squirrels, beavers, etc.

Amy: a group of small pain in the behind critters that mock me continuously, even in death

I don't like them. No, that is too nice. I despise them. I hate them. I want to kill them all. I am not normally a violent person, however rodents bring out the worst in me. And blogland lets me vent. So you have to listen.

It all started as I went to take Jess to ballet today. We were running late, looking for her ballet slippers, which were not where they were supposed to be. So, we piled into the car and backed it out of the driveway, when I noticed an unusually strong stench in my car. I could barely breath and decided that another mouse had gotten into my car and decided to die there. So, put the car in park and proceed to look under all the seats. Nothing. We proceeded to go to ballet. I realized quickly that it was coming through the air condition vents. Turn off the air. Over 90 degrees outside. Turn the air back on. Try not to breathe. Turn the air off. Put the window down. Hot. Noisy. Yucky smell coming from my vents. WHY ME??? I call Dad.

"Something died in my air conditioning in my car."
"Well, it's probably in the air cleaner, so take off the cover and look inside." (He thinks this is easy for everyone!)
Okay, I will have Scott take a look at it when I get home."
Scott arrives at the gas station shortly after I do and I lift the hood and we start to poke around. Don't see the black box that Dad swears is in there.

"Hi, Dad, what are you doing tonight? I will make you dinner...oh, you don't eat dinner, well, how about breakfast? Oh, well, I will look in the engine and call you back when I get home."

So I get home, take apart big parts of my engine that don't look like they should be removable and find a big duct that has a fan at the end of it. Upon closer look, I find a dead mouse in there. So that's the little bugger stinking up my world. Couldn't he die someplace else? Scott gets home as I am donning the gloves to do the extraction and he says, "Let's suck him out", so he gets the shop vac out and sucks up the mouse. Done. I call Dad back. "We got him, the car is rodent-free." "Yeah, I knew that's where he'd be." "Well, Dad, that is why I called you. Thanks."

And I didn't invite the mice. There is nothing in my car except papers. And only a couple of days worth of mail.

And, by the way, there's another gopher.

Worry

Worry. Why do we do it? There are a million things to worry about and we are not supposed to "worry" about any of them. Webster's says, "To torment oneself with or suffer from disturbing thoughts; fret."

So we try not to worry, but when things start to go south, those of us who are prone to worrying start to do it. Then we have to pray to God that He will help us to get through the worry times.

Our house payment is going up $330 per month. Because of the escrow account. Stupid escrow account. And the people who estimated it wrong. They seem to assume that people have an extra few hundred dollars sitting around for just such an occasion. THEY ARE WRONG! So, the worrying sets in. How will we come up with the money, where else can we cut back? The car thing was great, saves a lot of gas, but we didn't find out until after we bought it that the VW takes PREMIUM! and the stupid salespeople didn't tell us that. We went in to the dealership to cut our gas expense and they sell us a car that runs on PREMIUM! So, the savings are not as great as anticipated, but still better than before. So now, we have to come up with more money for our house payment. So, I am lying in bed praying, worrying, "God, please help us, what are we supposed to do?" Please tell me what we should do!"

"HAVEN'T I TAKEN CARE OF YOU SO FAR?"

"Well, yeah, but what are we supposed to do NOW?"

"HAVE FAITH."

Okay, cool. So, now I know not to worry. But I already knew that. I just wasn't doing it. I am still wondering what to do, but I am trying really hard not to worry about it.

I bet God gets frustrated with us when we beg and plead for answers and when He does speak to us, we don't do what He says. No wonder He doesn't speak to us very often.

Hmmm. What next?

The Nethercutt Collection

If you have never been to that big tall building in Sylmar (going north on the 405, just before you get to Roxford, look to your right, big yellow building, can't miss it), you need to go. It was so much fun! I made a reservation for Scott, Dad and myself and secured babysitting with my wonderful friend, Lana. This was for an early father's day present to the two of them. I didn't know if I would be able to get in closer to Father's Day, so I figured I would take what I could get. Well, I had been there about 15 years ago and always wanted to go back. They have done a lot since then. There are over 200 restored cars in the collection, housed in two buildings. You can get very close to the cars, as only about half of them have ropes around them. Bugattis, Duesenbergs, Model T's, Model A's, Rolls Royces, Bentleys, Cadillacs Cunninghams, Cords, Hispano Suizas. Every kind of car you can imagine and some you can't! Electric steam engine cars that used very little gasoline and other things that we think are so "new" and creative, that they came up with 75 years ago. Nothing is new anymore. We spent about two hours looking at all of these, as well as a pullman rail car that was completely restored and a steam engine. They have hood ornaments for cars, a travel trailer from the 1920's, I think. It is so cool! And all this other stuff. My father car lover and husband car lover saw things they had never even heard of, let alone seen! Then we took the tour across the street at the original San Sylmar. Two levels of cars (including a 1933 Duesenberg SJ 20 Grand - one of a kind, because nobody had the "20 Grand" to spend on a car like this at the time) and then a bunch of other stuff. Mrs. Nethercutt's collections are here. More David Winter cottages than you even knew existed. A beautiful doll collection. Hummels. Crystal. Antique Louis the something furniture you can sit on! And the music collection. Oh, the music collection. It was amazing. They have a pipe organ like you have never seen or heard. And this huge organ that they have music concerts on. Several times per year and then they record it on the computer and the organ plays it back exactly the way the original performer did, mistakes and all. They have player pianos that play the paper roll music and a big huge music machine that plays 24 instruments at the same time. And you get to sit down and listen to them play! This is a very entertaining way to spend the day. And best of all,

It Is FREE to get in! You just need to make a reservation!

So, if you want to have a fun day out, go down there and see it. It is so worth the drive!

Water Babies

The girls are in the bathroom every chance they get. No, not like teenagers, who go in the bathroom and lock the door and you don't see them for hours. They go into the bathroom, close the drain and then proceed to "wash" everything in reach. They take out the soap and scrub down the counters. They fill the sink up with water, put everything in it and play. They get water all over the counters, floor, everything. Then Scott and I have to go in there and clean up the mess. Which wouldn't be so bad, except we have the kind of sinks that have the raised edge and you can't just wipe the mess off into the sink. You have to get a towel out and mop it all up. Which is why they have been getting in trouble for this on a daily basis for the last several days. Scott went in the bathroom last night and stood in the doorway. Rebekah opens up the cupboard and stands on the shelf so she can reach the sink. So, Scott is standing there in the doorway looking at her. She looks up at him in the mirror, big brown eyes even bigger than normal. She has the sink partially filled with water and a toy in it. She hits the drain plug on the back of the faucet and says, "I'm not playing in the baffoom." Then proceeds to make a hasty retreat out of the bathroom. He could hardly contain himself. No punishment for the cute little girl with the big brown eyes. Some things you just gotta let go.

Cherry Picking Change

For those of you who work and would like to go cherry picking, bring the kids and a cup of coffee and we will go on Saturday, June 10 instead of Friday, June 9. Plan on being to the area about 9:00am. Let me know if you can make it. Will give more details as we get closer.

Another one bites the dust...

We caught gopher number two yesterday. Yeah for us. I am not normally so ruthless toward God's creatures, and I can see how gophers are good as far as irrigating the soil and such, but I can't help doing the little "I Won" cheer when I catch one. This one started in on my lawn and now I have two holes in my lawn. And I have been working so hard at that! So, he had to go. Set the trap with gloves again and Scott found him yesterday. So the score is Amy 2, Gophers 0. Plus, I don't want gopher snakes or rattlesnakes looking for lunch. Last year a mojave green rattlesnake got in our back yard and bit our then two month old german shepherd puppy. After close to $2000 of treatment, she was fine. The year before, my neighbors caught and killed a mojave green on my slope, right where the gophers are hanging around now. So I don't want to invite any more snakes into my yard.

I think the worst is over and now at least I know how to catch them. Hopefully this is not something that happens every year now. I wonder if they are attracted by all the flowers I worked so hard to plant this year...

Cherry Season

So, cherry season is almost upon us and I have a list of people who want to go cherry picking this year. So I figured I'd put it on here and whoever wants to go with us when we go, can. Cherries should be ready either June 3 or June 10 this year. I will know more the closer we get. As warm as it has been, it just may be June 3. We will probably go on a couple of Fridays. So figure if they are available June 3, then we will go Monday, June 5 and also Fridays June 9, 16 and possibly the 23rd. I will find out soon what day they will open. Most of the places open on the same day. For anyone coming from Santa Clarita, you can take either San Francisquito Cyn and turn right on Elizabeth Lake Road or Bouquet Canyon and turn left on Elizabeth Lake Road and it will take you to 80th Street West, which is where most of the cherry orchards are off of. Except for one BIG new place that is a little further east. There are about 18 cherry orchards, some better than others. The earlier you get there, the cooler it will be. Tennis shoes or hiking boots, clothes you don't mind getting stained, in case they do. And a hat if you think you will need it. Sunscreen if you use it. And some paper bags and possibly a cooler to take your cherries home in. Oh, and cash to buy them with. They are sooooo good, sweet and yummy, you will want to pick a whole bunch! I have a bunch of cherry recipes, too, in case you don't know what to do with them.

If you are interested in going with us, let me know. Or if you want the info on where to go, so you can go on a Saturday or a Sunday, I can provide that to you.

Friends

I have been thinking about my friends lately. My friend in New Jersey - I talked with her the other day. She is thinking about moving to North Carolina. I have known her for 33 years. Wow, that is a long time to know someone considering I am only 29. Yeah. She has three boys, 6 1/2, 3 1/2, almost 2. She's done. She must be a saint! I don't know how she does it! When I speak with her on the phone, it doesn't seem that we haven't talked in ages, it seems as though I talked to her a week ago. She told me that a girl in our high school class died three months ago. Had five kids, four girls one boy ages 12 to 2. Brain tumor. How sad. I haven't been out of high school long enough for people to be dying already! I can't imagine what her kids are going through, though.

Another friend just announced she is pregnant. Eight weeks. I am SOOOOO happy for her, I can't contain myself. She has that "glow". It is not just a myth, people. She is radiantly beautiful. I am sure her husband thinks so as well. And I hope that we grow even closer, as now we will have one more thing in common. What fun!

Another friend is going to have a baby next week. She has been on bed rest because her blood pressure is too high. She, too, looks beautiful. Just totally at peace. She has a six year old son and she is having a baby girl. She wanted a girl. She has bought things for my girls on occasion because she just couldn't put down the cute little pink item. Well, now I have had a chance to buy her a few little pink things! She is a wonderful person and a joy to be with and I am so happy for her that she gets to have another baby.

I have a new friend. Jess and Bekah go to a gymnastics class and one of the mothers I found out lives on the street behind me. In the same house as me! They came to Jess and Bekah's birthday party. She is so nice! One of the nicest people you could meet. I hope that we become better friends.

My very good friend, who helped me with my gophers, took me to the dealership the other day to get the windows tinted, has watched my kids when I am in need and would do anything to help. She is one of the nicest people I know. I enjoy her company immensely and am so glad that we are friends. And she has a great laugh.

My dad is becoming a very good friend. We never spent much time together before, but we see him about once a week now. It is very nice. We can talk and laugh and joke and he is so much more relaxed now than ever before. And we have this gopher thing in common.

My sister-in-law's sister. She is always positive and upbeat. She always has a smile on her face. If you are feeling down, she is the one you want to have around. She has a three year old daughter with white blonde hair and she is so cute. Rebekah's best friend. They have a good time together and so do Mary and I.

My aunt, who reads this blog to get a laugh. So I write, hoping she will. I can't think about her without smiling. She is one of the most generous and genuinely nice people I know and especially since my mom passed away, I have become closer to her and I am glad she is in my life. She is a wonderful person.

There are other people I have become close to lately and I am so thankful that I have these people in my life. Aren't we blessed to have close friends that we can talk to, share with and that understand us? At different times in our lives we become close to different people and sometimes we don't talk to someone for a long time, but friends, unlike relatives, are chosen and they are the people who we spend time with because we want to. You can be yourself with your friends and they still like you! I thank God for all my very good friends.

The Gopher

Okay, apparently what we have here is a pocket gopher. Other people's gophers are huge! This one is slightly larger than a hamster, but not as cute. Not really cute at all, when you get to see it up close, which we did when I pulled out a trap with the little bugger in it. Yeah! I got him! Scott was home that morning and I went out to check the traps. Not expecting to find anything. Well, the trap had been sprung, so I went back in the house and told him to come out and get it, "Cause I think I got a gopher!" So, he comes out and we both got to look at it. "What if it is just knocked unconscious?" So Scott smacks it on the head about five or six times with the big metal thing we had attached to the trap so it wouldn't run away. No, it's dead. But look at those claws and teeth! For such a little guy he had huge claws and teeth. Good thing I didn't have to deal with him while he was alive!

Jess came outside and we showed him to her. She went "Aaaaah!", then took a closer look. She's not afraid of this stuff!

Well, I reset the traps just in case and figured I was done. Then I came inside to announce to the blogging community that we had caught our gopher.

I wasn't. Yesterday I went out there to water and found a new patch of soft dirt. !#@*!@ gophers! Two new holes on the slope. SO, I set the trap in one of these and we'll hope for the best. My gopher troubles are here to stay...but I will get him eventually.

Scott watched a few minutes of Caddyshack last night on TV. It's funny when it is happening to someone else.

Success!

We got one! More later...

Me Vs. Mr. Gopher

Me vs. Mr. Gopher

Well, Mr. Gopher seems to be winning. I haven’t caught a single gopher. I have lots of new holes in my yard, though. I did get one of those sonic things. It beeps every 28 seconds. On Wednesday, Dad and I went to Lowe’s and he and I both got one. $19.95 each. Such a bargain…if it works. Dad has a gopher, too. His showed up about the same time mine did. His driveway circles in front of the house and there is an area in front of it that he has planted lilacs, pine trees, birch trees and flowers. He has bulbs and wildflowers there and he started to water it more lately. Here comes Mr. Gopher! He is happily setting up shop there. Pretty soon he’s going to bring home a wife, have babies and then they will put up the “Santa Stop Here” sign! Where does it all end?

So, Dad and I both got the sonic things and he put mine in before he left on Wednesday. Yesterday morning, I had two new holes on the slope and one next to the fence. He had eaten two gladiolus shoots, about six inches high and the new hole was right next to one of the eaten ones. Little bugger.

I went out yesterday afternoon and discovered that my irises are in bloom. Much more so than the tulips. So far the freesia and irises are doing the best. I have mostly the kind of irises that they put in flower arrangements. Not the big kind. Well, the first to bloom was the typical dark blue, yellow center. Yesterday I found a white with yellow center and a lavender with yellow center. Really pretty! And Mr. Gopher has not touched those. Yeah! Thank heaven for small miracles!

Speaking of miracles, Scott had gotten a ticket a couple of months ago. Running a stop sign and 70 in a 40. Problem is, this time he didn’t do it. He doesn’t run stop signs and he doesn’t go quite that fast. The officer came up behind him with lights flashing, at 4:30am, and Scott speeded up to get over so the maniac behind him flashing his high beams could get by. Well, it was the Sheriff and he pulled him over for speeding. Go figure. So, he paid the fine and pleaded not guilty. His court date was yesterday and we were praying that everything would go well. God listened and the deputy didn’t show up! So the case was dismissed. Yeah! Praise God! We will get the money back and, believe me, it was a lot of money! Thank heaven for big miracles!

So, anyway, we shall see if there is any new gopher activity today. I pulled one of the traps and the other one is still set, but I haven’t caught any gophers. Well, the only good part of that is that I haven’t had to clean out any traps!

Dad hasn’t caught any yet either. He said he set traps, but they haven’t used his either. Well, he was sitting on his front porch yesterday, waiting for UPS to arrive (picture the two old guys from Secondhand Lions – great movie, highly recommend!), when the gopher sticks his head out of the hole! So Dad goes and gets his shotgun and puts some kind of little tiny shot in there and shoots at the gopher. He doesn’t know if he got it or not, but I guess if the gopher doesn’t come back, then he did. So, dad is using the traps, sonic thing and shotgun. I don’t think I put shotgun on my top ten list, but maybe it will end up being up near the top of the list!
See, it is a good thing he lives in the mountains. The city couldn’t handle him! You gotta love a person that goes after a gopher with a shotgun!

My gopher (getting kind of possessive, I know) so far is only interested in destroying my yard. I would love to hire a professional, however, it is not in the budget right now. Unfortunately. I am trying to cut corners everywhere and I can’t spend money to have the little buggers eradicated. Hopefully I don’t regret that one.

The other thing I did on Wednesday was to mow my lawn. I never mowed a lawn before. Dad pulled the spark plug from the lawnmower and it was wet. He held it over the flame on the stove and I guess that dries it out. Well, we got the mower started. Apparently it wasn’t working right when my mother in law had it. They couldn’t get it to stay on. The part that sucks up the grass was blocked and the sparkplug was wet. Anyway, so we got it running and I pushed it around the front yard. It looked so nice! I was so proud of myself! It was hard to do, though. Dad told me at first to go from the bottom of the yard to the top and then we decided side to side would make more sense because it was hard to push from the bottom! Well, I also did the bottom of the slope on the side of the house. That was hard work! I couldn’t do any more. I brought the mower back to the driveway and Dad started the mower up again, I’m not sure why. Well, that is when he realized I hadn’t been holding onto the bar underneath the handle. The one that makes it go forward by itself. I was pushing the entire weight of the mower myself! No wonder I could not also push it sideways on the slope! I sure got my exercise, though! It was much easier to do once he showed me that! Well, I was so tired after mowing that I sat down with a drink and Dad had a beer. I won’t drink the stuff, but it sure seemed like someone ought to have a beer after mowing the lawn. Dad was happy to accommodate me! Good thing he was there!

Can’t wait to see what damage this little guy has caused today. He seems to only work at night. Must be underground during the day. Busy little thing. Go do your digging in someone else’s yard! Can’t you see you aren’t welcome here? Go away! Leave my yard alone. Or I am going to come after your little furry butt!

Oh, yeah and the dried fox urine, apparently they have foxes in cages with a sloped floor and when they urinate, it rolls downhill into this little collection thing and then they bottle it! I guess it crystallizes or something. Thank you, internet!

The dried blood you can get at Lowe's in a like gallon size container. It doesn't say what type of blood it is (type O or AB or just plain old A) or what type of animal it comes from. It does come from Washington State. Really, I am not making this stuff up! Sounds like one of those old gimmicks where the guy sells the elixir from the back of his wagon for like $2 a bottle (such a deal!) and you are stuck with a bottle of stuff that doesn't do anything. What are they called?

Cool Site

WheresGeorge.com
You can put the serial numbers from your money in there and track where it goes around the world (or around town). Pretty cool.

Can't get me down

Rebekah just got up.
"I got mine Elmo and I got mine horsey."
I picked her up and said "And you got your mommy."
She looked at me so matter-of-factly and said, "You are too big for me to hold!"

So, ha on you, stupid gophers. I can still be happy.

Caddyshack Part Two (or *!#*@!* gophers!)

They're mocking me.

Okay, my yard looks like crap. Huge mounds of dirt all over the slope. I went out there this morning to find three new holes. I moved the trap from one place to the other, only to find the little bugger had blocked the hole in front of the trap. So the trap didn't do anything. To make me feel even more frustrated, my friend who came over to help me set the traps set one in her front yard this morning and caught one today. Apparently I have the more intelligent gophers, while hers don't understand that they can circumvent the traps. I put one trap on the slope and then moved it to another location later because there was a fresh hole right next to the chewed-down-to-the-dirt gladiolus. (side note: I thought these things ate the roots. They aren't supposed to eat the plants from the TOP!) Well, he went around the first hole and dug another hole within 4 inches of the first one. WHAT WAS WRONG WITH THE FIRST BLEEPING HOLE? I had taken the trap out of it before he made the new hole!

Went to Lowe's and got a different trap. Couldn't figure out how to use it and it didn't come with instructions.

Hubby came home. Sat down for a while to figure out the trap. No luck. This one didn't come with directions and cost $8 something. The other ones were two for $10, but they don't catch gophers, so what difference does it make. No bargain on either of them. Took it back to Lowe's along with the Castor Oil granules (said for moles, not gophers, so hubby said take it back). SO, now what?

6am - Went out there with Scott at 4:30am. No gophers. Well, they are there, just not in the traps. I must have gophers with PHD's! Two new holes next to the tomato plants. Gonna try flooding them out. Sister in law said that worked for them. Then they sat and waited and popped em with a BB gun. Can't do that. The neighbors would complain. Hmmm. Lady up the street said they used ultrasonic things in the ground and they went away. Yeah, they came to MY house.

This sucks. I am being totally proactive, but they just won't get in the darned traps. Perfectly good holes, and they make new ones next to them! Are they just bored or are they doing it to spite me? So, here is my top ten list of ways to get rid of gophers and, this will change order depending on what ends up working:

10. Dried blood
9. Poison
8. Dried fox urine
7. Castor Oil
6. Stupid trap we couldn't figure out and took back
5. Propane (but how do you get it in there?)
4. Water flood
3. Hose attached to car exhaust pipe and other end in hole
2. Flares
1. Stupid trap we could figure out but doesn't work

How many new holes will there be today? How many plants are eaten today? I need to get more traps. They aren't working. I need a new plan. I am losing sleep at night . Dumb gophers. Smart gophers. Dumb person. Smart person? I will be when I figure it out. Then they'll be sorry...

Beginning to know exactly how Bill Murray felt in CS. This is all-consuming. Don't want to go anywhere in case the trap ends up working. No, I do want to go get more traps and put them in front of every stinking hole they made.

And from what I hear, a lot of people have gopher stories. Feel free to share...