And backpacking!
in no order:
Some are repeats
Foothills Trail thru (88m)
Shenandoah thru-hike (101m)
Cumberland Island (5 nights)
Art Loeb Trail thru (30 very hard miles)
Max Patch to Hot Springs (11ish m) (I have not looked that up and am guessing)
Roan Mountain thru (40m)
JMT, TN version, thru (28m)
At least 5 nights on the Pinhoti, any part
More local:
Walk all the way around Duck River reservoir in one day (21 miles)
end-to-end and back on RM trail in one day (22 miles)
thru on the Fiery Gizzard (13m)
finish the 90 miles of trails at South Cumberland
finish all the labeled trails at Bankhead
hike the new Honeycomb Trail
hike every Land Trust trail
Autumn trip to the Rockies to backpack with Ben
Camp/backpack 50 nights total
Meet 3 new hiking buddies
Take 3 classes: any combo of first aid, wilderness first aid, first responder/rescue, or other outdoor skills
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Showing posts with label planning. Show all posts
Wednesday, January 3, 2018
Wednesday, August 30, 2017
Madness
Yesterday, I had a minor mental snap during which I decided I wanted another baby. I am in recovery now and throwing myself into the only other thing I can think of that would cost thousands of dollars and bring me the near-comparable joy and exhaustion of a baby: Disney World.
Look! I got a Disney countdown timer! LMAO. There's one on my phone as well, assuring me it's only 885 days till our next vacation! I think I'd be in jail less time for writing bad checks.
So, that's February 1, 2020, which is approximate. We are going for 2 weeks and planning to be in the parks 10 days of that. Last time, we were there 2 weeks and in the parks for 8 days of that but we had water park passes as well, which I think we are skipping this time. Only one water park is open at a time in February and it could be chilly! Plus, without Disney Quest, there's not as much pull to get the 'and more' add on. We sure won't be using it for sports related stuff. Zzzzzzz
Have I watched the 2017 planning videos? Yes, yes I have. Do I have my fast pass list made yet? Yes. Do I know what color magic band I will be ordering? Of course. AAA says I can't book until June 2019 because they won't have the 2020 pricing before then. I say pshaw. They will know by the end of next year.
Matt is already being a party pooper saying the kids won't be able to take off work for 2 weeks, but none of them currently even have a job. Jake finally got fed up enough to turn in his notice. He processed out last week. He and Chan have been filling out applications, but no luck yet. He's been looking at renting an apartment with a friend of his and that friend just unexpectedly inherited a small house on the backside of nowhere-it's seriously further away from civilization than we are. I don't know where that puts Jake, perhaps moving out sooner than I envisioned. Or perhaps not at all-I guess it will depend on if there's internet access.
I don't think getting 2 weeks off 2 and a half years from now is our more pressing issue, to be honest.
So much will change in that amount of time and it will pass so much more quickly than will seem possible.
Look! I got a Disney countdown timer! LMAO. There's one on my phone as well, assuring me it's only 885 days till our next vacation! I think I'd be in jail less time for writing bad checks.
So, that's February 1, 2020, which is approximate. We are going for 2 weeks and planning to be in the parks 10 days of that. Last time, we were there 2 weeks and in the parks for 8 days of that but we had water park passes as well, which I think we are skipping this time. Only one water park is open at a time in February and it could be chilly! Plus, without Disney Quest, there's not as much pull to get the 'and more' add on. We sure won't be using it for sports related stuff. Zzzzzzz
Have I watched the 2017 planning videos? Yes, yes I have. Do I have my fast pass list made yet? Yes. Do I know what color magic band I will be ordering? Of course. AAA says I can't book until June 2019 because they won't have the 2020 pricing before then. I say pshaw. They will know by the end of next year.
Matt is already being a party pooper saying the kids won't be able to take off work for 2 weeks, but none of them currently even have a job. Jake finally got fed up enough to turn in his notice. He processed out last week. He and Chan have been filling out applications, but no luck yet. He's been looking at renting an apartment with a friend of his and that friend just unexpectedly inherited a small house on the backside of nowhere-it's seriously further away from civilization than we are. I don't know where that puts Jake, perhaps moving out sooner than I envisioned. Or perhaps not at all-I guess it will depend on if there's internet access.
I don't think getting 2 weeks off 2 and a half years from now is our more pressing issue, to be honest.
So much will change in that amount of time and it will pass so much more quickly than will seem possible.
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
Still Around!
There hasn't been much going on lately.
School-wise, after deciding he was graduating this year, Ben has decided he wants to do one more year after all so he can take a high school level engineering class in September. I can hardly complain, but I will. hahaha! I was done! Now I'm not. Ah well. Complaint over. Maybe he will take the GED and I won't have to do transcripts...I'm NOT doing more field trip planning. I'll just pay the school fees.
Life-wise, Matt is starting a new job after 10 years with his current place. In Huntsville, places will pay a new person more for the same job than someone with the company for years will get paid. They don't blink at the new-hire rate, but will shit a solid brick at the thought of increasing a loyal employee's salary to within even $10k of that amount. In some case, $20k. And we are not talking six figures here, not even close. It's a particular bit of bad business we have seen over and over. He left this company before to make $4k more elsewhere. They countered with a raise of about $2k. Then a year later, offered him a new job making $8k more. I will never understand it, they could have kept him the first time for half that, just-take care of your employees!
The new place SOUNDS amazing. We are losing his Fridays off, which has been harder than I imagined and I knew going in that it was going to hurt. But the insurance is amazing and no more annual blood tests. I don't know what the current insurance changes being voted on might mean for the future, so I am hesitant to celebrate too much. There's a raise, not much, but enough that we can start checking off some boxes on that ever-growing to-do list. They match 401k contributions. That can only help! So there are some good things financially speaking. Personally for Matt, he gets an office with a door. After 2 decades of cubicle town, he has windows! THREE of them. We have already been shopping for seasonal cling film stickers. I bought him some old maps at a used gear outfitters of some of our favorite trails to have framed. They were 40 cents each! One is really cool, it's an old land survey and topo of Tellico Plains. Tellico is the Cherokee word for 'open place where the grass grows'. So, plains. Plains Plains. Maybe they mean balds?
We were headed to the lake today to swim and Chan was driving. She slowed down to let a groundhog get across the road and got rear ended. In my van. Everyone was okay and the other girl had insurance. The van checked out fine structurally at the mechanic's and I took it to the body shop for photos. They can't take it until the 22nd. I told them not to take ANY calls from Beth! She's the reason Nettlevan got totaled! It just has a dent in the lift gate, really. I would hope that by replacing Nettlevan with the EXACT same van a week later, the guys at the shop would realize I am not fooling around about liking my car. hahaha. Dustin said I "would just show up with another piece of sh-I mean Kia Sedona again". I said, "Exactly." Then I tried to kick his shins for smack talking my ride. He moves fast...I really hope there isn't anything wrong with the van that gets found later. I worry about cracked joints or loose hoses or warped frame. Her car was SMASHED. I don't see how it just dented my van a little bit.
Ben has joined in on...a social event. A homeschooled teen thing. When I told him the Bothwells might not be there tomorrow because Inde has the pukes, he said he still wanted to go. That is HUGE. He is worse than I am about avoiding strangers. I think the whole engineering class is going to do some good. Just 2 meetings so far, yesterday was the last one for this school year, hence adding next year back to the agenda, and he's already talking scholarships and college and dual enrollment. Thank goodness, and his brain gets to work. That child loves a problem to physically fix. The first class he joined, he found out they were supposed to have designed and built an egg drop apparatus. He built one on the way down out of plastic drinking straws and duct tape. And it won second place.
Okay, well those are a few of the haps around the castle. I head back to the AT on the 23rd for a few days. So, yay. Get Georgia knocked out at least. I'll take more pics next time, I think I took 11 last time and that includes when Matt came to Neels Gap and we went...hiking. It rained SO much, I can not begin to explain how much I dislike rain while camping.
School-wise, after deciding he was graduating this year, Ben has decided he wants to do one more year after all so he can take a high school level engineering class in September. I can hardly complain, but I will. hahaha! I was done! Now I'm not. Ah well. Complaint over. Maybe he will take the GED and I won't have to do transcripts...I'm NOT doing more field trip planning. I'll just pay the school fees.
Life-wise, Matt is starting a new job after 10 years with his current place. In Huntsville, places will pay a new person more for the same job than someone with the company for years will get paid. They don't blink at the new-hire rate, but will shit a solid brick at the thought of increasing a loyal employee's salary to within even $10k of that amount. In some case, $20k. And we are not talking six figures here, not even close. It's a particular bit of bad business we have seen over and over. He left this company before to make $4k more elsewhere. They countered with a raise of about $2k. Then a year later, offered him a new job making $8k more. I will never understand it, they could have kept him the first time for half that, just-take care of your employees!
The new place SOUNDS amazing. We are losing his Fridays off, which has been harder than I imagined and I knew going in that it was going to hurt. But the insurance is amazing and no more annual blood tests. I don't know what the current insurance changes being voted on might mean for the future, so I am hesitant to celebrate too much. There's a raise, not much, but enough that we can start checking off some boxes on that ever-growing to-do list. They match 401k contributions. That can only help! So there are some good things financially speaking. Personally for Matt, he gets an office with a door. After 2 decades of cubicle town, he has windows! THREE of them. We have already been shopping for seasonal cling film stickers. I bought him some old maps at a used gear outfitters of some of our favorite trails to have framed. They were 40 cents each! One is really cool, it's an old land survey and topo of Tellico Plains. Tellico is the Cherokee word for 'open place where the grass grows'. So, plains. Plains Plains. Maybe they mean balds?
We were headed to the lake today to swim and Chan was driving. She slowed down to let a groundhog get across the road and got rear ended. In my van. Everyone was okay and the other girl had insurance. The van checked out fine structurally at the mechanic's and I took it to the body shop for photos. They can't take it until the 22nd. I told them not to take ANY calls from Beth! She's the reason Nettlevan got totaled! It just has a dent in the lift gate, really. I would hope that by replacing Nettlevan with the EXACT same van a week later, the guys at the shop would realize I am not fooling around about liking my car. hahaha. Dustin said I "would just show up with another piece of sh-I mean Kia Sedona again". I said, "Exactly." Then I tried to kick his shins for smack talking my ride. He moves fast...I really hope there isn't anything wrong with the van that gets found later. I worry about cracked joints or loose hoses or warped frame. Her car was SMASHED. I don't see how it just dented my van a little bit.
Ben has joined in on...a social event. A homeschooled teen thing. When I told him the Bothwells might not be there tomorrow because Inde has the pukes, he said he still wanted to go. That is HUGE. He is worse than I am about avoiding strangers. I think the whole engineering class is going to do some good. Just 2 meetings so far, yesterday was the last one for this school year, hence adding next year back to the agenda, and he's already talking scholarships and college and dual enrollment. Thank goodness, and his brain gets to work. That child loves a problem to physically fix. The first class he joined, he found out they were supposed to have designed and built an egg drop apparatus. He built one on the way down out of plastic drinking straws and duct tape. And it won second place.
Okay, well those are a few of the haps around the castle. I head back to the AT on the 23rd for a few days. So, yay. Get Georgia knocked out at least. I'll take more pics next time, I think I took 11 last time and that includes when Matt came to Neels Gap and we went...hiking. It rained SO much, I can not begin to explain how much I dislike rain while camping.
Thursday, December 15, 2016
Hiking Season
The winter is the best hiking season because you don't get so hot, there are no bugs, fewer snakes, no poison ivy and oak, it rains less often-even if the rains tend to last for days on end when it does rain-and there's usually no burn ban in the winter, so a lunch break campfire is possible. Water is easier to find, the views are wide open, the sky has color, sunrise and sunset are crazy vivid, the clouds are more dramatic and the trails are less busy.
Melissa has latched on to hiking part of the AT next spring and I was all for seeing her off on her crazy early-March plan. Hiking is one thing, camping quite another. Now she's move the date to later in April and well...I'm thinking about it.
I ordered a custom made quilt from Enlightened Equipment that should arrive in late February (done screwing around with cold sleeping issues). I upped my rehab (foot has been really painful of late) and bought Essential Wipes (https://www.essentialwipes.com/). So basically, I am trail ready. hahaha!
I have been walking the 11 miles Richard Martin once a week, or more. Last week I walked it twice.
Yesterday we knocked out 8.5 miles on a 15 mile trail over at Tim's Ford. Melissa had to be home by 4 or we could have done the whole thing time-wise. Not sure energy-wise. Climbs are just harder than flat trail. Karen and I carried 15 pound packs, Melissa planned to and her water bottle leaked and soaked it through. So we kept our spirits up by making fun of her slacker ways. I have been doing the treadmill and the local track some. What I need is our trail to be opened back up! We let the pasture grow over because we were told it would be bushhogged 'in 6 weeks' from that date and here it is...18 weeks later and nothing. Grrr. So that's going to be a full day of solid work to cut the path through those briars again. So far, I have found other places to go just so I can put off the hand shredding.
Tims Ford is on a lake, it's a state park (TN) and it has a long trail that I have never heard of and last year, the rangers built a campsite on it. So we went to check it out. We did not make it to the campsite, despite being a fairly easy trail, the up and down terrain was more taxing than we'd anticipated (especially with a pack on!) and the rocks made us have to watch every step, no one had poles because no one thought ahead...anyway, we got about 4 miles back and had to turn around. The trail is a lollipop trail, one long path in and out with a long loop at the end. We got to just before the loop.
We got back to here, where we started and Melissa and I opted to hike on to the VC and Karen was going to drive around.
That worked out really well because there were 2 swinging bridges on that 1.3 mile stretch and Karen does not like those! Melissa and I do. :)
Melissa has latched on to hiking part of the AT next spring and I was all for seeing her off on her crazy early-March plan. Hiking is one thing, camping quite another. Now she's move the date to later in April and well...I'm thinking about it.
I ordered a custom made quilt from Enlightened Equipment that should arrive in late February (done screwing around with cold sleeping issues). I upped my rehab (foot has been really painful of late) and bought Essential Wipes (https://www.essentialwipes.com/). So basically, I am trail ready. hahaha!
I have been walking the 11 miles Richard Martin once a week, or more. Last week I walked it twice.
Yesterday we knocked out 8.5 miles on a 15 mile trail over at Tim's Ford. Melissa had to be home by 4 or we could have done the whole thing time-wise. Not sure energy-wise. Climbs are just harder than flat trail. Karen and I carried 15 pound packs, Melissa planned to and her water bottle leaked and soaked it through. So we kept our spirits up by making fun of her slacker ways. I have been doing the treadmill and the local track some. What I need is our trail to be opened back up! We let the pasture grow over because we were told it would be bushhogged 'in 6 weeks' from that date and here it is...18 weeks later and nothing. Grrr. So that's going to be a full day of solid work to cut the path through those briars again. So far, I have found other places to go just so I can put off the hand shredding.
Tims Ford is on a lake, it's a state park (TN) and it has a long trail that I have never heard of and last year, the rangers built a campsite on it. So we went to check it out. We did not make it to the campsite, despite being a fairly easy trail, the up and down terrain was more taxing than we'd anticipated (especially with a pack on!) and the rocks made us have to watch every step, no one had poles because no one thought ahead...anyway, we got about 4 miles back and had to turn around. The trail is a lollipop trail, one long path in and out with a long loop at the end. We got to just before the loop.
We got back to here, where we started and Melissa and I opted to hike on to the VC and Karen was going to drive around.
That worked out really well because there were 2 swinging bridges on that 1.3 mile stretch and Karen does not like those! Melissa and I do. :)
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Glorious Rain!
Nothing has happened in days and days, it's been hot and dry and we have had our butts firmly at home. Jake had friends over Sunday and that was fun, if a little noisy. They shot fireworks and Kuma laid in front of my box fan and practiced happy thoughts. On the 4th, Jake and Ben went off to watch the local fireworks with part of the group, oh and they both went to play Pathfinder on Friday. It's been a big weekend for Ben at any rate, Jake is super social and is often off with friends, but Ben has just started joining in on that and I am SO relieved. I like to see the kids interacting.
Ben had this idea for a school setup where the students would study on their own most of the time, but twice a month they would all get together (a small group, maybe 20) and discuss what they have been learning. He thinks summer camp is so popular because it's kids learning and trying things in the woods. Like a tree school. I love that thought, that's what 'school' means, in Greek it was skhole and meant 'leisure time'. It was when people got together and chatted about ideas and things they had learned.
It's rained off and on all day, it's afternoon and still dark and a little cooler out!
Let's see. Due to lack of 2 of the 3 of us having hiking shoes, we did not go off last week as planned.
On Wednesday, Ben and I dropped off Chan in town and then headed to shoe shop IRL as I have sent back ALL the shoes I have bought online. We went to Cabela's because Ben wanted to try to only make one stop, he HATES trying on shoes. So, we hooked up with a nice girl who works there and she ran back and forth getting the shoes we picked from the back. They have a big wall and each shoe has a code, she had a scanner and we'd pick a shoe and she'd get it in our size. They have very few women's shoes compared to men's and only 2 of those were in my size!
I ended up getting Merrell boots, Ben got a pair of boots and some Keen sandals. We also got him a pair of zip off pants and a summer hiking shirt that buttons down. He has about 20 wicking shirts for running, but has recently gotten more into wearing button down shirts instead of tees. They were both OD green, so he looks like a park ranger, which pleased him greatly. He ran our trail in his new sandals and was happy with the fit. Here is a pic of my boot:
 |
| Brindle and eggshell. oooo. |
Last Thursday Karen and I walked 8 miles at the Land Trust. I powered up that hill, I was feeling quite strong and not at all tired at the end of the hike. I think that short jaunt backpacking built up my legs and I have been doing squats every day to keep them little powerhouses. It's not muscle I lack, it's cardio. Climbing hills half kills me because my heart rate gets up. I am contemplating ways to work on that, we lack the floor space for serious cardio workouts so I am thinking about...running on the treadmill.
I had started running and loved it, then ultimately quit because my knees, ankle and bladder were not having it. My joints are in great shape these days, nearly 2 years of serious balance and yoga, cutting out all sodas (they inflame cartilage in some people, apparently me because within 3 days of quitting, I had no stiff hips or shoulders) and taking enough tendon supplements to count as a daily snack, I think I can handle the stress. It's the bladder that will be an issue, though the squats have helped with that, pelvic floor and all. Ah well, here are a couple of Land Trust pics:
Toll Gate trail is like this the whole way down. AVOID! It would not be a bad climb up as it was thankfully not steep, but those shifting rocks, ugh! Go up this one and down Waterline is my suggestion. And look for my hat, I dropped it. :(
hat
This week, we have tentative lake plans. Next week, I am hoping to get in some backpacking with the kids. We have picked a 40 mile trail that stays pretty near water the whole way. There's a waterfall with a swimming hole on a 2.6 mile spur trail, too. If we feel like adding 5 miles to the trip, we may just add another day and do that, too. It's raining like mad in that area this week, so I am hopeful for good water levels. The water it follows is dammed, so I know that at least will have good flow. I don't mind the heat so much if I can float around at some point!
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Home
This is how close that guy on his 4 wheeler was to the house! Who comes that close to a house, sees a mowed path to the gate and thinks, "this is so totally public property, wheee!"?
The north loop is COVERED in poison oak along one stretch. UGH!
I don't know what this is!
squaw root
I walked out to lounge Sunday afternoon. It was lovely!
Matt wandered out to join me!
A tick, they are SO BAD out there, we are thinking about just keeping the trail to the cliff open and letting the rest go for the summer because the poison oak and ticks are both thick.
Murphy Jones has 'hair' and not fur, plus it's white, both are tick magnets. We picked 100 ticks off his 20 pound body 2 weeks ago and he has regular doses of Advantix. the other dogs had 4-5 ticks each, which is WAY more than usual. The ticks were nearly all dead, but still attached. It was bad in a few spots on MurJo, like his little arm pits. He cried and cried and I felt horrible I just did not think about checking them! Now we check him every single time and are usually able to get them off him before they attach. As you can see, the ticks are TINY, it wasn't like he was covered in lumpy black things. :(
Murphy Jones has 'hair' and not fur, plus it's white, both are tick magnets. We picked 100 ticks off his 20 pound body 2 weeks ago and he has regular doses of Advantix. the other dogs had 4-5 ticks each, which is WAY more than usual. The ticks were nearly all dead, but still attached. It was bad in a few spots on MurJo, like his little arm pits. He cried and cried and I felt horrible I just did not think about checking them! Now we check him every single time and are usually able to get them off him before they attach. As you can see, the ticks are TINY, it wasn't like he was covered in lumpy black things. :(
It's summer on the bluff!
I finally got Matt to hang right next to me. WOW, what a ordeal and I am over that little fantasy of cuddling in our pods. He's a bit of a drama queen about hanging the hammock, though I did buy him much easier to use straps.
still not easy enough!
We hung out until sunset
The last of the light hitting the treetops, so pretty!
We have had a gorgeous run of weather. It's been cool, sunny, light breeze. The flowers are amazing, it's rained enough to keep the creeks going but not enough to keep the trails muddy, April has been perfect!
Today I am home on my own. I have been singing, reading, piddling with a few organizing things.
We have a trip coming up in a few weeks, camping in Virginia. Katy is organizing the stay, we just have to show up! Before that is Matt's week off and I am planning a pretty epic-if-short trip. We had planned a backpacking week at Shenandoah and the AT is closed through there due to forest fires. ACK! So time for plan B. But on the super cheap because our original trip was driving there, parking for the week and eating food we already have while sleeping for free every night! At least I can still bring lots of easy to prepare meals!
Today I am home on my own. I have been singing, reading, piddling with a few organizing things.
We have a trip coming up in a few weeks, camping in Virginia. Katy is organizing the stay, we just have to show up! Before that is Matt's week off and I am planning a pretty epic-if-short trip. We had planned a backpacking week at Shenandoah and the AT is closed through there due to forest fires. ACK! So time for plan B. But on the super cheap because our original trip was driving there, parking for the week and eating food we already have while sleeping for free every night! At least I can still bring lots of easy to prepare meals!
Thursday, October 16, 2014
Home Again
Our second week was MUCH drier than the first, we did not have any big park plans, so we just came and went at random almost.
The drive home was uneventful, no cops or flats or smoke billowing from under the hood. All things I am very grateful about.
We got unloaded and unpacked and did laundry most of Saturday, went to Dae's birthday that evening and spent Sunday messing with photos and running local errands.
Ben finally went down with the cold he has been skirting, yesterday was rough on him. I have tried to bolster him with extra vitamins and sleep, last night we went grocery shopping and I brought home lots of nutrient-packed goodies, though he ate the surprise chocolate first. That's actually not a surprise. I fed him hot cereal with muesli and fruit today and he's at his computer doing math with a big bottle of water and a packet of tissues. Tomorrow is a 3 day bike camping trip with his 2 best buddies followed immediately by 2 days of volunteering at the state park with the teen group and then a game day. Then dance class and another birthday party. It's going to be a busy week ahead. Not a great time to be feeling super puny.
The cold is making his voice that one level deeper and he sounds so much like Matt now. It's creepy, really. Matt yelling at Jake to stop cheating on a game, Matt freaking out because a song on the radio has 'booty' in it (Ben is anti-body-anything at the moment) and Matt at 10 in the morning exclaiming the exquisite softness of the new tissues I bought. I guess more surreal than creepy. Plus, I have heard the actual Matt gripe about one nose hole being clogged and one being runny-and the annoyance of the random alternation. I have some of that going on myself, but as long as my lungs stay clear, I can handle a head cold. After last year, I don't want to cough EVER again. There's a life goal. hahaha
The upcoming trip-tomorrow-I have done zero planning for. I need to get the tent ready, find sleeping bags, plan everything out, pack...it all seems so horrible and time consuming. Why can't I just stay in a hotel? Okay, sucking it up and off to pack, I don't think I have ever left it to this late before.
The drive home was uneventful, no cops or flats or smoke billowing from under the hood. All things I am very grateful about.
We got unloaded and unpacked and did laundry most of Saturday, went to Dae's birthday that evening and spent Sunday messing with photos and running local errands.
Ben finally went down with the cold he has been skirting, yesterday was rough on him. I have tried to bolster him with extra vitamins and sleep, last night we went grocery shopping and I brought home lots of nutrient-packed goodies, though he ate the surprise chocolate first. That's actually not a surprise. I fed him hot cereal with muesli and fruit today and he's at his computer doing math with a big bottle of water and a packet of tissues. Tomorrow is a 3 day bike camping trip with his 2 best buddies followed immediately by 2 days of volunteering at the state park with the teen group and then a game day. Then dance class and another birthday party. It's going to be a busy week ahead. Not a great time to be feeling super puny.
The cold is making his voice that one level deeper and he sounds so much like Matt now. It's creepy, really. Matt yelling at Jake to stop cheating on a game, Matt freaking out because a song on the radio has 'booty' in it (Ben is anti-body-anything at the moment) and Matt at 10 in the morning exclaiming the exquisite softness of the new tissues I bought. I guess more surreal than creepy. Plus, I have heard the actual Matt gripe about one nose hole being clogged and one being runny-and the annoyance of the random alternation. I have some of that going on myself, but as long as my lungs stay clear, I can handle a head cold. After last year, I don't want to cough EVER again. There's a life goal. hahaha
The upcoming trip-tomorrow-I have done zero planning for. I need to get the tent ready, find sleeping bags, plan everything out, pack...it all seems so horrible and time consuming. Why can't I just stay in a hotel? Okay, sucking it up and off to pack, I don't think I have ever left it to this late before.
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Friday
The chilly weather knocked out our swimming plans for the second time this month!
We chatted about what to do instead last night and decided to just go to Katy's and make grilled cheese.
Chan was at Brit's house, Ben was already at Katy's and we had been hosting Evan, who's here for a few days now that school is out for him. So we set out a little early to gather Chan on the way and pick up some doodads to share at lunch.
Saw this and wondered briefly if Suzette had bought a truck.
We chatted about what to do instead last night and decided to just go to Katy's and make grilled cheese.
Chan was at Brit's house, Ben was already at Katy's and we had been hosting Evan, who's here for a few days now that school is out for him. So we set out a little early to gather Chan on the way and pick up some doodads to share at lunch.
Saw this and wondered briefly if Suzette had bought a truck.
At Katy's, the kids spent about 4 seconds deciding what to do and then ran around like crazy people all afternoon. I love that they can still be so physical and just PLAY. Katy certainly has the place for active kids. They played on the swing, the zipline, the trampoline, just ran around and played with Mars.
Inde gave me a hat to keep the sun out of my eyes.
We made a ton of grilled cheese sandwiches and had chips, fruit, cookies, La Croix, Caprisun and picked stuff from the yarden to make a big salad and have fresh herbs on our sandwiches. Loads of chatter and mostly laughing our heads off at Bird, who is quite the ham at 21 months. I took pictures, but his mom does not want me to post pics of him or Didda online. Just trust me, he's SO cute.
After lunch, we lounged a bit while the kids ran around and around then Matt, Katy and I went for a walk and Amanda headed back to her neck of the woods to get ready for the weekend. We are all headed off together next week!
Right below Katy's house.
Indian pink
Mint, Monarda family
Resurrection ferns
Don't know. The plant grows like raspberry
That's mostly Virginia creeper, but there were about a zillion poison oak plants in the mix.
I washed everything I had on when we got back, including my shoes.
We had to make tracks back home, our movies were due by 7! I wish there was a drop box, that would make my life so much easier sometimes.
The blue jays were going NUTS attacking Nia and screaming like all get out when we got in. We finally went to see what was going on, Nia was under the pine looking up and they were swooping her like fighter jets. She was sitting ON a baby jay!! She is SO horrible, I mean the worst kind of dog. I have looked out more than once and seen her perched on a cat, it flat on the ground and her rear end squishing it's head. She even drags the cats to where she wants cushion sometimes and THEN sits on them.
Matt took the jay away from her, we thought it was dead and everyone was all teary eyed and then he gathered up the FLAT baby and it became bird shaped again! It was not wet or damaged, she just sat on it-no mauling. I wish I knew why she did that...
I lined a small basket with paper towels and we put the baby in it and wedged it back up in the tree. The parents took over immediately, though they were both livid and tried to kill Cleo when she was making her way to her cat bed in the shed. That poor cat, I am not sure she's had a good day in her whole life.
We have gone to check a couple of times, debating on if we should bring it in. It's COLD out there, under 50, I am not sure the parents will snuggle the baby if there are other babies in a nest elsewhere. I know I will barely sleep, I am afraid to bring it in in case they abandon it totally. I hope it was not shocked too much by our horrible dog, that could kill it, too. It was panting for a while, but was quiet and fluffed up last time we checked. Okay, I can't stand it, I am going back out to check.
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