For the blog, not me. I'm not moving. No way! I'd have to pack, I hate packing. Blogs on the other hand, apparently you can push one little import button, and TA DA , new address, same blog!
http://behindthewillows.wordpress.com
I could make up all sorts of reasons why I'm changing, but mostly Sarah told me to... she's bossy like that, you can check her out at http://thinkbigmuch.wordpress.com!
While you are checking out Sarah's page be sure to look at On Tracking Your Favorite Blogs for a tutorial on igoogle and google reader. It sounds scarier than it is. I thought it was, but Sarah told me to start using it so I did, and I love it. Do you see a theme here?
See you on the new page!
Thursday, May 20, 2010
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
The Up Side
Over the past few days I told people that one of the things I have enjoyed about blogging is that it gives me a chance to focus on something positive that happened in the day. Lately Clara has been having some trouble and a little positive focus has made a bit difference!
Today was yet another challenging day because Clara looked like this:
She spiked a fever, didn't nap well, hadn't slept well last night, and didn't want to be put down when she was awake.
But as I went through my day I thought about all the things I could write about that made me smile.
First I found Ivy "reading" out loud to herself:
Next I saw more new leaves on my Tulip tree:
I considered writing a post about laundry. To explain that while I hate doing laundry my favorite part is when it is hanging on the line:
Then I saw Piper NOT causing trouble and remembered that I would like to elaborate on her craftiness one day:
And at the end of the day the sight of broiler chickens on fresh pasture made me smile:
All in all it was a tough day. When Clara needs more attention Ivy gets less, causing her to act up more, and to top it off John got home hours later than normal. But when I returned from moving my chickens, just in time to sit down to dinner John looked at me and said, "You seem happy."
And he was right!
Today was yet another challenging day because Clara looked like this:
She spiked a fever, didn't nap well, hadn't slept well last night, and didn't want to be put down when she was awake.
But as I went through my day I thought about all the things I could write about that made me smile.
First I found Ivy "reading" out loud to herself:
Next I saw more new leaves on my Tulip tree:
I considered writing a post about laundry. To explain that while I hate doing laundry my favorite part is when it is hanging on the line:
Then I saw Piper NOT causing trouble and remembered that I would like to elaborate on her craftiness one day:
And at the end of the day the sight of broiler chickens on fresh pasture made me smile:
All in all it was a tough day. When Clara needs more attention Ivy gets less, causing her to act up more, and to top it off John got home hours later than normal. But when I returned from moving my chickens, just in time to sit down to dinner John looked at me and said, "You seem happy."
And he was right!
Tuesday, May 18, 2010
Reason #56 We Have A Lot of Laundry
I see Ivy come into the house with no underwear on and head to the bathroom.
Ivy: I peed in the dirt. I need to take a bath.
Me: Did you pee in your underwear?
Ivy: No I just peed on my foot. I wiped my foot off with my underwear.
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Sleeping Dogs
Some nights when I'm up after everyone falls asleep I wash eggs, or sweep, or e-mail, or read books, but not tonight. Tonight I'm bothering my sleeping dogs with my camera flash.
These are our dogs.
First we have my dog Piper. If given the option she would really prefer to be sleeping in our bed under the covers. I realize that this is ridiculous given that Piper is a 110 pound dog who can take up more space than I can our our full sized mattress. Which is why most of the time we make her stay downstairs on the couch.
I think Piper snuggles with the elephant she pulls out of the kids toy basket and hangs her feet over the edge of the couch so that she can try and look more pathetic when I walk past on my way upstairs. It doesn't work. The food bowl she is wearing as a hat tonight, that's a new one. I'm not sure what her plan is with that. But Piper is a crafty girl, she's probably up to something.
Storm on the other hand, she's not up to anything.
I'm sorry to report that sleeping upside down on the chair is a normal nighttime occurrence. Of course normal for Storm, isn't necessary, normal.
OK, John will yell at me in the morning if I'm not nice to his dog, SO, truth be told this isn't totally normal. If given the option, Storm would be sleeping upside down in the blue recliner, but there was a toy on it.
These are our dogs.
First we have my dog Piper. If given the option she would really prefer to be sleeping in our bed under the covers. I realize that this is ridiculous given that Piper is a 110 pound dog who can take up more space than I can our our full sized mattress. Which is why most of the time we make her stay downstairs on the couch.
I think Piper snuggles with the elephant she pulls out of the kids toy basket and hangs her feet over the edge of the couch so that she can try and look more pathetic when I walk past on my way upstairs. It doesn't work. The food bowl she is wearing as a hat tonight, that's a new one. I'm not sure what her plan is with that. But Piper is a crafty girl, she's probably up to something.
Storm on the other hand, she's not up to anything.
I'm sorry to report that sleeping upside down on the chair is a normal nighttime occurrence. Of course normal for Storm, isn't necessary, normal.
OK, John will yell at me in the morning if I'm not nice to his dog, SO, truth be told this isn't totally normal. If given the option, Storm would be sleeping upside down in the blue recliner, but there was a toy on it.
Saturday, May 15, 2010
Syttende Mai and The Portage
Last night was the Syttende Mai Canoe Race. It's a short 3.5 mile race into Stoughton with one little portage. That tiny little around a bridge and back into the water portage is by far the most interesting (and in my view completely horrible) part of the entire race!
Before we get into that here are some other facts you might want to know.
-My mom and John have never raced together before.
-Tyler and I have never raced together before.
-John and my Mom were in one boat.
-Tyler and I were in another.
-Tyler has never raced in a canoe before.
-We all paddled together once last Sunday, to teach him how.
-Mom sat with some lead shot in her end of the boat in attempt to trim it out.
-The start is a mass start, first come, first served on good starting spots.
-Always worried we'll get there too late, we outdid ourselves this year with an hour long sit in our chosen good spot.
-The spot was a good one, we were all out in the first pack by the time we got to the first bridge and the river narrowed.
-Tyler and I spun out a boat of guys and sent them into the bushes.
-I maintain that I was going straight and that they got a bit sideways.
-We beat them.
-Tyler had a bit of technical I-don't-really-know-what-I'm-doing-what-did-I-get-myself-into-I'm-not-paddling-quite-right-and-it's-breaking-my-back problems just after that.
-While that was going on I had a bit of I-can't-keep-us-in-time-when-you-can't-decide-how-to-paddle-is-he-going-to-hate-me-at-the-finish problems.
-Those thoughts entered my head when I asked how he was doing and he said "Tired!"
-We were only half way at that point.
-Lily pads have great renewing powers for my brother.
-Out of the lily pads and on our way into town we hit our stride and caught back up to the pack in front.
Then came the portage.
All you have to do is jump out of your boat, pick it up, run around a bridge, put your boat back in the water, jump in, and keep paddling in a quick sprint to the finish.
Our portage:
We hit the shore, getting in the way of another boat that wasn't exiting the water very fast. As planned Tyler hopped out grabbed the canoe and started running with it. I had hopped out and watched Tyler and the canoe run away from me. I'm certain I was running, but I was having a REALLY hard time catching him. I think it was only fear of my boat being dragged across the road that got my legs to sprint enough to catch him and pick the boat up. I managed to hang onto my end of it until just before we got into the water. The bank at that point is pretty steep, Tyler threw his end in and started getting in. No doubt he was assuming that I was doing something with my end. But I wasn't, I was trying to catch up again. Somehow I got into the boat just as Tyler almost tipped it, (not totally his fault note, the part where I was doing nothing with my end) managed to help him get his paddle which was starting to fall into the river and we were off... the next bridge we went under a little boy said "WOW look at all the water in their canoe!" Fortunately after sucking air and wondering how on earth we could possible paddle after running, we stayed in our groove, had a great sprint to the finish, and held off the boats around us. We Sloshed all that water in our boat down the river for an 8th place finish overall and third in the mixed. Not bad for Tyler's first race and our first race together!
John and my Mom's portage:
They hit the bank and jumped out. My mom claims that John forgot the plan was that he was supposed to pick the boat up and run with it and she had to yell at him to get it as it continued to float down the shore without them. John says, he was "just getting my footing". Whatever the holdup, the canoe was snagged and John took off running. My Mom also had a bit of a time catching her canoe and managed to catch it just before the road as well. The difference is she dropped it when she reached the other side. This is reported to have earned her a very dirty look from John. She claims he was pulling her and figured just dragging the canoe would be easier for him. John has no comment. They had a nice smooth entry and a great sprint to the finish in their attempt to catch the first place mixed boat. They couldn't quite do it, but were sixth over all and second in the mixed.
We met up with our cheering section of Grandpa's cousin George and wife Lois, Katie (the best short notice, Help I forgot I have children that need watching! Want to watch a canoe race? friend around) Ivy and Clara. We all celebrated by eating, hot dogs, jumbo hot dogs, brats, pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake, fried cheese curds, lefsa, cotton candy and a walking taco. Did I mention there is a whole Syttende Mai festival in Stoughton? Did I mention all the food stands? Did I mention that it might be the best part of the race?
Today we'll hang up our plaques we won, in the house!
Before we get into that here are some other facts you might want to know.
-My mom and John have never raced together before.
-Tyler and I have never raced together before.
-John and my Mom were in one boat.
-Tyler and I were in another.
-Tyler has never raced in a canoe before.
-We all paddled together once last Sunday, to teach him how.
-Mom sat with some lead shot in her end of the boat in attempt to trim it out.
-The start is a mass start, first come, first served on good starting spots.
-Always worried we'll get there too late, we outdid ourselves this year with an hour long sit in our chosen good spot.
-The spot was a good one, we were all out in the first pack by the time we got to the first bridge and the river narrowed.
-Tyler and I spun out a boat of guys and sent them into the bushes.
-I maintain that I was going straight and that they got a bit sideways.
-We beat them.
-Tyler had a bit of technical I-don't-really-know-what-I'm-doing-what-did-I-get-myself-into-I'm-not-paddling-quite-right-and-it's-breaking-my-back problems just after that.
-While that was going on I had a bit of I-can't-keep-us-in-time-when-you-can't-decide-how-to-paddle-is-he-going-to-hate-me-at-the-finish problems.
-Those thoughts entered my head when I asked how he was doing and he said "Tired!"
-We were only half way at that point.
-Lily pads have great renewing powers for my brother.
-Out of the lily pads and on our way into town we hit our stride and caught back up to the pack in front.
Then came the portage.
All you have to do is jump out of your boat, pick it up, run around a bridge, put your boat back in the water, jump in, and keep paddling in a quick sprint to the finish.
Our portage:
We hit the shore, getting in the way of another boat that wasn't exiting the water very fast. As planned Tyler hopped out grabbed the canoe and started running with it. I had hopped out and watched Tyler and the canoe run away from me. I'm certain I was running, but I was having a REALLY hard time catching him. I think it was only fear of my boat being dragged across the road that got my legs to sprint enough to catch him and pick the boat up. I managed to hang onto my end of it until just before we got into the water. The bank at that point is pretty steep, Tyler threw his end in and started getting in. No doubt he was assuming that I was doing something with my end. But I wasn't, I was trying to catch up again. Somehow I got into the boat just as Tyler almost tipped it, (not totally his fault note, the part where I was doing nothing with my end) managed to help him get his paddle which was starting to fall into the river and we were off... the next bridge we went under a little boy said "WOW look at all the water in their canoe!" Fortunately after sucking air and wondering how on earth we could possible paddle after running, we stayed in our groove, had a great sprint to the finish, and held off the boats around us. We Sloshed all that water in our boat down the river for an 8th place finish overall and third in the mixed. Not bad for Tyler's first race and our first race together!
John and my Mom's portage:
They hit the bank and jumped out. My mom claims that John forgot the plan was that he was supposed to pick the boat up and run with it and she had to yell at him to get it as it continued to float down the shore without them. John says, he was "just getting my footing". Whatever the holdup, the canoe was snagged and John took off running. My Mom also had a bit of a time catching her canoe and managed to catch it just before the road as well. The difference is she dropped it when she reached the other side. This is reported to have earned her a very dirty look from John. She claims he was pulling her and figured just dragging the canoe would be easier for him. John has no comment. They had a nice smooth entry and a great sprint to the finish in their attempt to catch the first place mixed boat. They couldn't quite do it, but were sixth over all and second in the mixed.
We met up with our cheering section of Grandpa's cousin George and wife Lois, Katie (the best short notice, Help I forgot I have children that need watching! Want to watch a canoe race? friend around) Ivy and Clara. We all celebrated by eating, hot dogs, jumbo hot dogs, brats, pulled pork sandwiches, corn on the cob, strawberry shortcake, fried cheese curds, lefsa, cotton candy and a walking taco. Did I mention there is a whole Syttende Mai festival in Stoughton? Did I mention all the food stands? Did I mention that it might be the best part of the race?
Today we'll hang up our plaques we won, in the house!
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Thank Goodness for Sunshine!
After a string of rainy days I was happy to see the sun for a bit this afternoon. I will admit a good part of the reason is that that little voice I keep hearing, went out to play!
-what follows is an actual conversation between Ivy and I recorded for you're pleasure-
Me: Let's go upstairs and put on your pink vest.
Ivy: Hey why you run up the stairs? There used to be a bug here. What pink vest? The pink vest that used to be by the dresser? Hey I don't have any socks on! You get me socks please? I put this on like a jacket? I did it! You zip me up please?
Me: Sure
Ivy: Hey I put on those socks? Look I balancing! You put those socks on for me? Hey where are you going? Hey you stay here and play with me for a couple minutes?
And no I did not stay because, yes that all came out in 45 seconds or less, yes she can talk like that all day, and yes I am so glad the sun is back!
-what follows is an actual conversation between Ivy and I recorded for you're pleasure-
Me: Let's go upstairs and put on your pink vest.
Ivy: Hey why you run up the stairs? There used to be a bug here. What pink vest? The pink vest that used to be by the dresser? Hey I don't have any socks on! You get me socks please? I put this on like a jacket? I did it! You zip me up please?
Me: Sure
Ivy: Hey I put on those socks? Look I balancing! You put those socks on for me? Hey where are you going? Hey you stay here and play with me for a couple minutes?
And no I did not stay because, yes that all came out in 45 seconds or less, yes she can talk like that all day, and yes I am so glad the sun is back!
Monday, May 10, 2010
If/Then
The other day Ivy and I had a conversation that went like this:
Me: If you can put all your clothes away in your dresser, you can have a cookie.
Ivy: That OK Mom, I watch you eat a cookie.
Now you a probably thinking, wow she is clearly bribing her daughter to do things, and it's not even working! But I don't really like to think of many of our conversations as bribes, I like to think of them as those If/Then statements I learned about in high school.
For example:
If you put your clothes away, Then you can have a cookie.
If you brush your teeth, Then I'll read you a book.
If you eat dinner, Then you can have dessert.
If you throw that at me, Then I will take it away.
If you scream in the house, Then I will stuff you in the garbage can.
If you wake your little sister up one more time, Then my head will explode.
Ivy put her clothes away, all by herself, for the first time ever, about fifteen minutes after our conversation. Then she came down stairs and asked for her cookie. I happily handed it over, mentally added one more chores to Ivy's list, and thought about thanking that math teacher in high school. Then I remembered the grade I got in that class, figured I probably have the whole premise of the If/Then statements wrong, that he was one of my least favorite teachers ever, and decided bribery is a fine thing to call it!
Me: If you can put all your clothes away in your dresser, you can have a cookie.
Ivy: That OK Mom, I watch you eat a cookie.
Now you a probably thinking, wow she is clearly bribing her daughter to do things, and it's not even working! But I don't really like to think of many of our conversations as bribes, I like to think of them as those If/Then statements I learned about in high school.For example:
If you put your clothes away, Then you can have a cookie.
If you brush your teeth, Then I'll read you a book.
If you eat dinner, Then you can have dessert.
If you throw that at me, Then I will take it away.
If you scream in the house, Then I will stuff you in the garbage can.
If you wake your little sister up one more time, Then my head will explode.
Ivy put her clothes away, all by herself, for the first time ever, about fifteen minutes after our conversation. Then she came down stairs and asked for her cookie. I happily handed it over, mentally added one more chores to Ivy's list, and thought about thanking that math teacher in high school. Then I remembered the grade I got in that class, figured I probably have the whole premise of the If/Then statements wrong, that he was one of my least favorite teachers ever, and decided bribery is a fine thing to call it!
Sunday, May 9, 2010
Mother's Day
Lately I have been saying that I want to be the Dad. This is a comment I could elaborate on, but for fear of offending some of you (the Dads, sorry John) I'm not going to. I'll know that all the Mom's will know exactly what I mean and the rest of you will just have to use your imagination. I'm sorry about that but I like my husband and I want to keep him. Anyways where was I? Oh yes...
I want to be the Dad.
And that is the great thing about Mother's Day. It's like the Mom's get to be the Dad for a day, with the addition of flowers and chocolate, what could be better?? And again, I could go on and elaborate, but for the sake of my marriage, I'm not going to. I'm just going to say that today was almost (couldn't get John to nurse Clara today no matter what I did) like being the Dad, and it was wonderful.
It was not a picture perfect Mother's Day. I got breakfast in bed, but Ivy started out crying then dried her tears and ate most of my food while she told me what my present was before I opened it. We didn't get to do quite what I had hoped for the day, but we got needed projects done and had some fun too. It was a day of spending time with my family, (including my Mom, Happy Mother's Day Mom!) while dealing with a normal days up's and downs.
The part that made it different - it was almost like I got to be the Dad.
Thank you John for helping make my day special!
I want to be the Dad.
And that is the great thing about Mother's Day. It's like the Mom's get to be the Dad for a day, with the addition of flowers and chocolate, what could be better?? And again, I could go on and elaborate, but for the sake of my marriage, I'm not going to. I'm just going to say that today was almost (couldn't get John to nurse Clara today no matter what I did) like being the Dad, and it was wonderful.
It was not a picture perfect Mother's Day. I got breakfast in bed, but Ivy started out crying then dried her tears and ate most of my food while she told me what my present was before I opened it. We didn't get to do quite what I had hoped for the day, but we got needed projects done and had some fun too. It was a day of spending time with my family, (including my Mom, Happy Mother's Day Mom!) while dealing with a normal days up's and downs.
The part that made it different - it was almost like I got to be the Dad.
Thank you John for helping make my day special!
Saturday, May 8, 2010
Cheers
Say!
I like Diet Coke in a can!
I do! I like it, Sam-I-am!
And I would drink it in a boat.
And I would drink it with a goat...
And I will drink it in the rain.
And in the dark. And on a train.
And in a car. And in a tree.
It is so good, so good, you see!
So I will drink it in a box.
And I will drink it with a fox.
And I will drink it in a house.
And I will drink it with a mouse.
And I will drink it here and there.
Say! I will drink it ANYWHERE!
I do so like
Diet Coke in a can!
Thank you!
Thank you,
Sam-I-am!
I'm addicted. I admit it, but Diet Coke makes my rainy, sleep deprived days better. So I say-
Cheers to Dr. Seuss, Green Eggs and Ham, and the Coca-Cola company!
Thursday, May 6, 2010
New Respect
When I was little I often remember trying to "help" my dad. While I have many memorys of watching dad work in his work shop I also have quite a few of being told he didn't really want my "help" any more. If memory serves those were usually the times he was fixing cars, lawnmowers and the like. At the time I didn't understand what could possibly be unhelpful about my presence.
Today I understand.
Today I put the cutting deck back on the lawn mower. This is something that I'm sure would have taken any of my male relatives 5 minuets tops. It took me about three hours.
Three hours in which-
-I made a makeshift ramp to get the lawnmower out of the barn
-I put kid number two down for a nap
-I tried for way too long to "slide" the stupid thing back under like it says you can do
-I called John to find out that that doesn't really work and that they had to lift the mower off the deck when they took it off
-I made a ramp
-I drove the mower up on the ramp to get the deck under it
-I pulled it back off the ramp and smashed my fingers
-Then enter help of Ivy
-I got handfuls of grass
-I got rocks
-I got a phone
-I got sticks set on my back courtesy of Storm
-I got a pto engager shift thingy smashed into my knee so hard I couldn't feel part of my leg (that wasn't due to the kid or dog, that was just me being a klutz)
-I got a diet coke (I needed a diet coke)
-I called my dad to find out what to do with a random part I couldn't figure out
-I went up to the barn for wire to fix the part
-I was given more grass
-I was given flowers
-I was given a screwdriver (but I asked for that one)
-I got it on!
-I turned it on!
-the belt fell off
-I started putting the belt back on
-Kid two woke up
-I changed a diaper
-I made lunch
-I cleaned up lunch
-I nursed a kid
-I changed another diaper
-I went back with two kids and two dogs in tow
-I got the belt on
-I turned it on
-It worked!
Then we all sat down and made dandelion crowns in the grass, because we only had 20 minutes before nap time.
So today I have a new respect for my Dad's grumpiness when I wanted to help. And all those male relatives of mine who could get the job done in five minuets, I'd like to see them do it in five minuets with "help"!
Today I understand.
Today I put the cutting deck back on the lawn mower. This is something that I'm sure would have taken any of my male relatives 5 minuets tops. It took me about three hours.
Three hours in which-
-I made a makeshift ramp to get the lawnmower out of the barn
-I put kid number two down for a nap
-I tried for way too long to "slide" the stupid thing back under like it says you can do
-I called John to find out that that doesn't really work and that they had to lift the mower off the deck when they took it off
-I made a ramp
-I drove the mower up on the ramp to get the deck under it
-I pulled it back off the ramp and smashed my fingers
-Then enter help of Ivy
-I got handfuls of grass
-I got rocks
-I got a phone
-I got sticks set on my back courtesy of Storm
-I got a pto engager shift thingy smashed into my knee so hard I couldn't feel part of my leg (that wasn't due to the kid or dog, that was just me being a klutz)
-I got a diet coke (I needed a diet coke)
-I called my dad to find out what to do with a random part I couldn't figure out
-I went up to the barn for wire to fix the part
-I was given more grass
-I was given flowers
-I was given a screwdriver (but I asked for that one)
-I got it on!
-I turned it on!
-the belt fell off
-I started putting the belt back on
-Kid two woke up
-I changed a diaper
-I made lunch
-I cleaned up lunch
-I nursed a kid
-I changed another diaper
-I went back with two kids and two dogs in tow
-I got the belt on
-I turned it on
-It worked!
Then we all sat down and made dandelion crowns in the grass, because we only had 20 minutes before nap time.
So today I have a new respect for my Dad's grumpiness when I wanted to help. And all those male relatives of mine who could get the job done in five minuets, I'd like to see them do it in five minuets with "help"!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
crawling?
Hey look at me!
I can crawl like... like...
..like an elephant? a puppy? a kitten?
Ivy says we are gorillias!
I have no idea when or why Clara decided to stop using her knees to crawl, but it's strange...and Ivy is right, it is sort of gorilla like!
I can crawl like... like...
..like an elephant? a puppy? a kitten? 
Ivy says we are gorillias!
I have no idea when or why Clara decided to stop using her knees to crawl, but it's strange...and Ivy is right, it is sort of gorilla like!
Monday, May 3, 2010
What a Weekend!
This past weekend Tyler organized a birthday work weekend for me, and boy did the work get done!
The fencing is done!
The water line got put it!
The fencer got re-housed, buckthorn got pulled out, and the chicken plucker got tested!
On top of that more presents (probably undeserved), picnic tables and tulip trees!
Ivy got butterfly nets, her own table and chairs and, from dumpster diving Susie, a bike!
We had birthday cake, and lots of food!
And most impressively this is the house...
... still standing after leaving Sarah all alone with the kids all weekend!
A huge thanks, to Sue, George, Mom, Dad, Riley, Sarah, Granny, Gramps, John, Jeff and Katie. For the help, the work, the tools, the expertise, the financing, the kid watching, the dumpster diving and cake getting, the food prepping, the cleaning, the soda, beer and turkey(for plucking), the garbage burning, the trenching, the pounding, and all the fun too!
And an extra thanks for Tyler for making it happen, he's the best brother ever!
The fencing is done!
The water line got put it!
The fencer got re-housed, buckthorn got pulled out, and the chicken plucker got tested!
On top of that more presents (probably undeserved), picnic tables and tulip trees!
Ivy got butterfly nets, her own table and chairs and, from dumpster diving Susie, a bike!
We had birthday cake, and lots of food!
And most impressively this is the house...
... still standing after leaving Sarah all alone with the kids all weekend!
A huge thanks, to Sue, George, Mom, Dad, Riley, Sarah, Granny, Gramps, John, Jeff and Katie. For the help, the work, the tools, the expertise, the financing, the kid watching, the dumpster diving and cake getting, the food prepping, the cleaning, the soda, beer and turkey(for plucking), the garbage burning, the trenching, the pounding, and all the fun too!
And an extra thanks for Tyler for making it happen, he's the best brother ever!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Basic Clara Safety Rules
Those of you who have spent some time with Clara know she has a teensy problem with spitting up. Tyler said it best this weekend, and since we always put safety first, here are Tyler's Basic Clara Safety Rules:
1. Treat Clara as if she were loaded.
2. Never allow the mouth to point at anything you are not willing to see destroyed.
3. Be sure of your target and beyond.
Don't let the smiles fool you she is a dangerous weapon!
Thursday, April 29, 2010
Henry the Cat
While we were at the feed mill today Ivy started playing with one of the mill's cats. This started a discussion between the owner and I on how cats have been their most effective form of rodent control, better than poison, which got me thinking of our own rodent problems, and that got me thinking of Henry. 
...Because he was the worlds worst mouser. In addition to being a horrible mouser he also bit, ate everything (and I mean everything, he ate newspaper bedding once), was constantly escaping or getting into places he wasn't supposed to go, and was in general incorrigible. 
His big redeeming factor was that he was great with Ivy. Ivy could do anything to him. The cat that would hiss, spit and bite when you threw him off the counter would let himself be dragged around the house, pet and generally mauled so long as it was done by someone under three feet tall.
It will be two years this summer since we had to put Henry down. My foot has lost the auto blocking reflex I used to have when opening any exterior/pantry door but sometimes, when Fiona runs away from Ivy, I miss him... and then I remember how used to bite my toes under the table! 
Fiona's main expertise is the art of camouflage so now days some visitors don't even realize we have a cat, and as nice as Fiona is she's nothing to talk about, she's got no crazy escapades to tell. Henry, now that was a cat with stories, he must have been trying to pack them all into to his short little life. Here is my favorite of his "I'm the worse mouser in the word" stories.
Henry and the Freezer Mouse
One night when I was home alone and John was working second shift a squeaking noise got me out of bed to investigate. It was of course Henry with a mouse. Part of Henry's completely horrible mousing skills had to do with the fact that he never, ever, in his life killed a mouse, he would sometimes catch them but they always escaped him in the end. So the desired action when he would catch one was to try and take it away and kill it so that it didn't just escape back into the house when he got bored with it. So I got out of bed and found Henry with a very lively mouse. Henry was holding the mouse and growling at it because the mouse was biting him, then Henry would let it go the mouse would try to run away, Henry would catch it... over and over and over. I grabbed a empty coffee can and tried to overturn it on the mouse, I completely failed to catch the mouse, and instead spilled bits of straw and feathers that were in the can (it was my egg collecting bucket) all over the kitchen floor and now Henry knew I was after HIS mouse. We raced around the downstairs of the house until I locked us all in the office. Then Henry and I sat on the floor, him growling at me and giving me the evil eye mouse in mouth, me waiting with my coffee can. Then the mouse bit him again, he dropped it, I tried to catch it with my coffee can, missed and Henry grabbed it again... this went on with slight variations (mostly involving a bookshelf) until I finally caught the mouse. Then I didn't know what to do with it. I had a live mouse under a coffee can what was I thinking?? (I'd like to add here that I was quite pregnant with Ivy at the time so I was probably tired and NOT thinking) It was at this point that I called John at work for advice. His advice, flip it over with a piece of cardboard and shake the mouse into a plastic bag and throw it in the freezer. We had finished off quite a few of Henry's mice by throwing them in the freezer. I know that sounds kind of odd but we also froze and saved mice we caught in traps to give to REGI for the birds there so it's not that odd. So I used a folder to trap the mouse in the can and flipped it over. I didn't hear anything. I had expected to hear some sort of little thud when it hit the bottom of the can. So I slowly peeked in the top, and fast as lightning Henry swooped in and grabbed the mouse back out of the can. So back we went to fighting over the mouse. I finally got it back under the can again. It was then I decided I had had enough. I put three huge books on top of the can, threw the cat out of the office, closed the door, left a note for John to take care of it (it was his *#@ cat after all), and stomped back upstairs past the straw mess on the floor. John came home and dumped the mouse in a plastic bag and put it in the freezer.
The End
Just kidding... Nobody thought about the mouse again until three days later when I went to condense my mouse bags, (alright, fine, having bags of frozen mice is odd but it's for a good cause!) I found the bag that the mouse had been in, with a hole chewed in the corner and no mouse. That started me on the unpleasant task of looking for a dead frozen mouse somewhere in my freezer. Well, I found it quickly, it had been hiding in a plastic bag, and it was defiantly NOT dead and frozen. Quite startled I slammed the freezer door. I'm pretty sure I spent a few minutes wondering how I get myself in these situations and then set a mouse trap in the freezer. Snap traps have always worked better than cats in our house.
The End
Mousing is just the beginning of the Henry stories, there was the chocolate milk, the almost getting flushed down the toilet, the reason he got de-clawed... the list goes on and on. We love Fiona, but she'll never have the tales to tell that Henry did. And perhaps she likes it that way, she is the queen of camo after all.
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