This is Bailey...

He is visiting us until Tuesday when his loving owners return. I just need to hang our shingle out now and actually make this gig pay! :p I wonder if our dogs ever wonder at the seemingly long string of dogs that have been visiting us lately!

A new friend...

I know - it's pretty hard to keep up with the bicycle comings and goings around here. Trust me, I live here and sometimes I get confused! ;) Rik had been looking for something to replace his mt bike with. He coudn't get exactly what he wanted (no, we're not millionaires yet!), so, he found a great deal on craigslist. He got a bike that had barely been ridden by an older man who hurt himself and couldn't ride it. He brought it home and cleaned it up a bit and he has a winner! Of course, a few days later, there was one that he wanted even more posted on craigslist, but, unfortunately, that was way out of his price range. :( Here it is after it's 1st bath...

Square Foot Gardening...

It's been a long time for this project - believe it or not Rik started building the frame for this back in May! He did a really nice job - it should last a long time! But, then we decided that we were going on vacation, then it was too hot, and a whole list of other reasons why we didn't plant it sooner. Now, I have a few things in there and believe it or not, they are now actually getting new leaves, etc. This photo was taken about 1.5 weeks ago when I actually planted it - it's looking much better now! If you're interested, the square foot gardening website (right here) has lots of helpful hints about this - and - even better - the book is great as well. Wish me luck for getting lots of food this winter! I'm looking forward to some fresh lettuce and broccoli!

Edited to add.... I have planted lettuce (romaine), red cabbage, broccoli, artichokes, and there are a couple of tomatoes - (I know they are going to die any day because it's cooling off!). I am planning on planting spinach in their squares and soon as I can because there is nothing like fresh spinach! Other winter options are peas, carrots, potatoes, and other veggies that need cooler weather to grow. After last winter, I am convinced you haven't lived until you have grown your own broccoli! And, it never froze even though I didn't ever cover it!

Also, for my out of state readers, it's still in the 90's here, I have no worries about anything freezing at the moment. In the very few nights a year here that it does, I just go cover my plants and they are fine. We grow year round here!

Finally, a candidate I can support!

I need to find out where I can get a bumper sticker now!
The best candidate for the job!

In all fairness I have awful pictures too...

This one in fact from this past weekend when Rik and I hiked Mt Wrightson (the tallest peak around here!!!). It was beautiful. There are all these cute little Keebler Cookie looking cottages at the bottom where it would be fun to have a weekend away! We planned to get done early - because we started early - but I'm guessing since it was so steep (very very steep in some places!), we got home about 3 hrs later than planned. Oh well. At the top it was *windy* and *cold*. So, that is why my hair looks the way it does. And I look really geeky holding my granola bar. It makes Rik's pictures below look really nice in comparison! Very neat was the fact you could see out all around in all directions. We really were standing on a point at the top of the world (or at least our world around here!!!_

I had a request to post a couple of pictures...

So, since it was my bishop and all that made the request, I guess I'd better! :) (Sorry Brett, I gotta blame someone!!!)

Here is Rik about 1979 - isn't he the cutest kid? We still have the pinewood derby car!




Then, fast f0rward to about 1987-1990ish...






(I couldn't decide which was the best to show you, so here are quite a few!)

I should be doing about a million other things than scanning old photos - but it's kind of fun to see where Rik's been and what he is today! :)

(Actually - I'm just wondering how many people read this blog - I figure with pictures like this - everyone will be out commenting!!!! :))

New Sunglasses and Dog Toothpaste...

I just had to take a picture of this...

Caitlin had saved her $$ and bought herself a pair of sunglasses - a big deal since they are prescription and all - and the lime green - doesn't that just scream Caitlin???? But, we had Elsie at the vet that week and they mentioned that we should be brushing their teeth once a week. It seemed meant to be after we were at Petco and they had dog toothbrushes on sale for $1.50 (regular $8 - I don't think so!!!). So, Caitlin self elected herself to be our dog tooth brushers - and had to do it in her new sunglasses. The dogs didn't mind too much, the toothpaste says it tastes like peanuts. And, no, I didn't try it to make sure!

Book Project!

After several years of helping kids through book projects, I tend to believe that they are really just a harsh punishment for parents. Too bad they don't warn you about them back in child birth class, but I suppose it's too late for that by that point anyway!


Philip had his first book project of the year coming up. We knew about it, but you never really seem to remember about it until the Monday before the Thursday it is due. He had a list of things he could do to present his book - everything from posters to newspaper articles to Powerpoint slide shows. Being the kind of kid he is, he thought he could get off easily by picking a sculpture of a main character in a book. We went to Michaels and got some actual modeling clay like real sculptors use. He spent quite a bit of time trying to make *something* out of it, only ending up with quite a bit of wet newspaper. Hours of time actually. I was surprised that the clay hadn't dried out. He decided that sculpting wasn't as easy as he thought - but - it was too late to turn back - being the mean mom I am, I had already donated $5 to this project and, darn it, you're going to finish it!!! After he finally buckled down and decided to do it (read it was dinner time and he was hungry and mom said no dinner until you have *something* done), his sculpture came out quite nice. Here is Count Olaf from a Series of Unfortunate Events. He even managed to get an A+ on it!

The sad thing about this whole project? The clay we bought said if you weren't going to fire it, it was good for medium use projects. Well, by the time Philip brought it home the very next day from school, it was really just a pile of Olaf parts. Medium use my foot!