Scribblings from a twenty-year homeschool veteran about homeschooling, life after homeschooling, occasional peeks into the world of writing for children, and the ups and downs of life in general.
Last night we in the Pacific NW had a terrific thunder storm. A real whopper! Well....actually...compared to the Kansas thunder storms I've been in and the No. Carolina storms, ours was....not a whopper after all. But to US, it was so beautiful. And it lasted a long time, too (longer than 10 minutes). There was sheet lightning that lit up the entire eastern sky and zig-zag lightning, and then the wind blew like crazy and the rain began to fall.
But what struck me as funny was the fact that DH, DS, and I all went outside and stood under the eaves to watch it. We couldn't wait to see another lightning bolt! It's funny because I think in the Mid-West when the thunder storms begin, folks head indoors, not outdoors. We so rarely get a thunder storm that everybody goes out to watch it. I know. A little weird. But so was the 95 degree temperatures on Saturday and Sunday. That storm was welcomed and now it's in the 70s. (See my new little widget-temperature-flag in the sidebar).
I was just wishing that the rain that always falls sooner or later around here could fall in California instead, to put out those horrible fires that are everywhere.
(Exercise Challenge Check-in: A good week except F and Sat when I was at the WHO convention. Sunny days, so I even walked today and yesterday with my 7# vest on. 2 miles!)
Friday and Saturday, Marie (Troopers for Christ) and the (WA Homeschool Nations coordinator) headed down to the Puyallup Fairgrounds to man the Old Schoolhouse Magazine's exhibit booth (table). In spite of being in the "outer reaches of space", tucked agains a brick wall that didn't allow the gorgeous banner to stick, it was a super-fun time! I don't know about your neck of the country, but out here, everybody's a "new friend" and eager to share their stories, their opinions, their love of TOS mag, and easy to encourage to "come on over" and chat awhile, sign up for the Homeschool Minute, browse through the sample magazines, and did I mention chat? That's what folks at the WHO (WA homeschool convention) like to do. Sure, we hobnobbed with a few folks Marie and I already knew, but the majority were passersby who were more than happy to turn aside from their "I'm on a curriculum mission" and visit. That's what I loved about the last two days.
True, we were not in the thick of things (the "midway" or "inner circle"), where most of the traffic congregated, but we had a great time, too. Here are a couple of pictures!
Here Marie and I are trying to get the TOS banner to stick to a brick wall. It didn't work. It fell on top of us as soon as we got it hanging. Rough brick walls don't work. The "inner circle" booths have the usual curtain arrangement that one can use hooks to hang the banners.
Doesn't our table look nice? But the wall banner is gone (sadly). Here is Marie waiting for eager convention passersby to come on over for a chat and a chance to win a $50 gift certificate to the TOS Store.
We had a great time, and the vendor across the aisle had bowls of candy available, so I enjoyed a lot of chocolate those 2 days.
OK, all you smartie pants! I'll repost the "mystery" blog:
kkkkk
Yep, that's it. I'd begun a post earlier this morning, but Levi found the keyboard (while I was away), and I caught him banging on it. I grabbed him and we went on a walk to town, but I didn't realize he'd actually posted his entry! I figured it out when I started getting some very odd comments. I deleted it, but now I've decided that Saved Girl is right: Levi is my Guest Blogger today. Here is the translation of his cryptic, "kkkkk" message: "I'm having a great time at Grandma's today. Here's a picture of me lying back, sipping a Capri Sun, and enjoying Grandma's new reading pillow." (Seriously, he found that pillow and helped himself to its plushness.)
In other, less cheery happenings: Mom (me) is on a slight rampage today. Here's the note I taped to my DS's (Ryan's) bedroom door this morning:
Here's the reason why:
Sort of takes your breath away, doesn't it?
He started his full-time job today at the company he's been interning for (and he's not even 17 yet!), but REALLY! A few minutes is all it would take to keep our "non-slob" policy up to date.
News Flash, as of 5:10 p.m. PDT: The room is CLEAN. And he even maintained humor! Hurray!
Well, it rained. Most of the time it was a drizzly rain. Sometimes not so drizzly...but bigger drops! It is a mystery to me why anyone would want to go to a Six Flags/Water Park place in the RAIN. But in spite of it being (supposedly) Home School Day, there were so many school buses in the parking lot it looked like a convention. People everywhere! The rain obviously did not keep them away. It was one of the most crowded "group" days I've ever seen.
Except in the little kids' rides, which were conspicuously empty. Too bad for my DD's family and my DS's family. More than half of the little kids' rides were unattended and thus not operating. In our part of the state, school doesn't get out until the third week (sometimes later) of June, so Wild Waves doesn't have a full crew working for them until later. But that's OK. The weather in June is typically lousy, anyway.
In the Wild Waves section of the park, steam was rising in great swirls from the water slides. We thought about going on them--just to get warm--but my son summed it up: "But you do eventually have to get OUT of the water. Then what?" I shivered and decided no way.
All in all, probably the worst day at this theme park in all my years of going, and I've been going regularly since Kristel was 6 years old and it was just a bunch of funky rides for little kids. (And only $5.00). Now it's about $12.00 and is incredible when the weather's nice. Here are few pictures so you can all feel sorry for our crew, which included the entire family except for the smartest man: my husband. He said, "No way" when we asked if he'd take the day off to go with us.
Standing in line for the scrambler: Chad, Ryan, Joanna (Chad's DW), and baby Levi.
Chad and his DD on the Scrambler. Notice raindrops in the puddles and the long line behind. Crazy!
Kristel's DD, Sean, and two of the boys. One of the little kids' rides that was working.
I went on the Scrambler and then (because it was raining and I was wet anyway) went with Joanna and a couple of grandkids on the Log Ride...I should have known that ride would soak me and everybody else. Brrr.... I stood in line with Chad forEVER to get the front seats in the Timber Hawk--the giant roller coaster. He took a video of our ride from the front seat. If I can get hold of it, I'll post it sometime.
But that's it for now. That's enough. I don't want to be reminded of this day. The good news? There's always next year! The bad news: No sun this week either. I think we're going for a record.
We have an unwelcome guest in our yard. I glanced out the window the other evening and he (she) was poking around our hedge (about 75-100 feet away). As I watched, he lumbered up under the apple tree and started eating....something. I've never seen a raccoon this close. Then, he came within a few feet of my front door and started nosing around the bluebells. What I wanted to bring outside was the .22, but what I ended up bringing outside was the camera. (I've taken the .22 to a coyote before with less than satisfying results.) Read about that here: COYOTES, CHICKENS, and KIDS, Oh My!
Since we now live surrounded by houses rather than cow pastures, it's probably not a good idea to shoot off a gun, anyway.
I am NOT happy about this recent visitor (there goes the garden!). We've dealt with skunks, possums, stray cats, squirrels, and now THIS! Grrrr.....
MindTrap answer below....
Clem and Joe work in a coal mine. At the end of the day, Clem and Joe come out of the mine and bid each other farewell for the night. Clem's face is dirty and Joe's face is clean. As Clem and Joe set out for home, Joe wipes his face and Clem doesn't bother. Since both men appreciate cleanliness, whey doesn't Clem clean his face?
And a hearty congrats to Lyric, who got it right. Which leads me to ask the same question Alizona asked: Do you have this game at home? Do you run to read the back of the card before you post your answer? 'Fess up! The only alternative is that this HSB young person thinks more outside the box than I do. I didn't "get" it. But maybe I can't think outside the box because I never get OUT of the box! I'd rather stay home and blog, babysit, write, or read, or even crochet and knit than go on field trips or even to the store.
OK...I've managed to avoid every germ that flew around our place all winter long. I even missed the BIG flu germ that my son was struck with and ended up in the ER. No colds, no nothing. HOWEVER...it finally struck. A mild cold...no big deal...but a "nighttime coughing" cold. No fun. and just when I've started the Exercise Challenge (see button above). Yesterday (Friday) I walked 2 miles, and like I told Kristy (Passion for Purple), I will no doubt pay for it tonight. But the weather was gorgeous today and I HAD to get out of this house.
In other trivia news, I've really enjoyed creating blog buttons. My author-friend, Lee Roddy (of Grizzly Adams fame and the script for the Jesus movie, as well as countless books for young readers) is finally entering the BLOGGING world. I have been playing around with a couple button ideas to put on my blog so I can link all of you to his blog. Unfortunately, it's not "live" yet, but I think he'll be writing snippets of history about his boyhood during the depression and other MUST-READ posts for all our homeschooled kids. I'll keep you posted. As soon as you see these buttons on my sidebar, you'll know it's time to go over and read his blog and leave a comment!
This is for Lee's Ladd Family Adventures:
And one for his D.J. Dillon Adventures:
Like I said, this is a Saturday "trivia" post.
Tonight my DS was surprised when he heard--coming from the bathtub--his 5-year-old DD reciting the Pledge of Allegiance to her...bath toys?
He asked her for an encore, and here it is. May the United States always be worthy of our allegiance!
I feel like a huge chunk of my life got sucked down a Black Hole the past two weeks (jury duty). It was great fun getting back into "normal" life, and the icy road conditions and couple inches of snow on Monday made me glad I didn't have to try and drive to the bus stop 20 miles away!
Instead, I watched a couple of grandkids, and then 3 more came over to play in the snow (we have an acre of snow and woods and grass). Then Ryan, who didn't go to college because of the treacherous roads, played outside with them for over an hour. It was just a regular day. Nice.
After Ryan came in, the boys stayed out most of the morning. DGD went home after some cocoa and popcorn, and the 3 boys went home an hour later, after cocoa and crackers. It's just so nice to blog about everyday, no-tragedies-anywhere events that I just had to share.
In bloggerland, things are a little crazy, but that's what I get for participating in TWO Bloggy Giveaways--one on my new Andi blog and one on my Writing Workshop blog. And I'm also putting together a book trailer for my friend, Stephanie Reed, whose new historical novel (for kids about the Underground Railroad) is coming out in a couple of months. I've read it, and it is fantastic! Click here if you'd like to see a sneak peek: Light Across the River. You might have to scroll down, because I couldn't find the "permanent" link.
It's been a long time since I played this Tag game. However, since I decided to do the bloggy giveaway on my new blog (click graphic on my sidebar to see the new Circle C Ranch blog...and don't laugh too hard, please!), I thought I'd do the Tag from Dot this morning.
Here are the rules:
1) Link to the person who tagged you: DOT
2) Post these rules on your blog (what you see here are the rules).
3) Share 6 non-important things/habits/quirks (in other words, unusual stuff) about yourself.
4) Tag 6 random people at the end of your post by linking to their blogs.
5) Let each random person know they've been tagged by leaving a comment on their blogs.
OK . . . here are the 6 "quirky" things about me:
1) I've memorized the entire book of James, as well as the book of I Peter, and recited each book (separate times) for church. (While this is not "non-important" it is a little quirky)
2) I play the piano but am terror-stricken about playing in front of others (at church). A definite 9.5 on my stress meter. A great learning-to-set-boundaries challenge. I say "no."
3) The last time I climbed a fir tree to the top I was 42 years old (I wanted to see a better view of the property we were considering buying). We didn't buy it.
4) I've paint-balled with my teen boys. This was not as fun as it sounds. I got hit in a tender spot and then stuffed a pillow under my clothes to avoid repeat hits.
5) I've lived in the same house for 31 years (is this quirky or what?).
6) My married kids both live within a couple blocks of us and of each other. (Now THAT is bizarre)
What a crazy two weeks! It was a stressful jury duty and quite an education. More than once I quietly banged my head against the jury deliberation table when another deadlock gripped our group. We were sort of like the company of Nine in the Lord of the Rings--everyone so different yet united in one cause, the cause of determining the fate of another human being in a high-profile, post 911 border incident involving a U.S. border guard--our first line of defense at the Canada/U.S. border in Blaine, WA. I learned more about marijuana (Did you know "B.C. Bud" means the best pot in the world, and it comes from around Vancouver, B.C.?), how it crosses the border, and what some folks will do to keep from being caught in sordid lifestyles that suck them into turning a blind eye to a prostitute who is smuggling the stuff through inspection. The defendant worked in one of these primary inspection booths and was charged with 5 counts of the law: 1) accepting a bribe (this is a G-rated post so I won't tell you what he was getting for "looking the other way"). 2) conspiracy of theft of honest services (ripping off the government by not doing his job of inspecting), 3) conspiracy to import marijuana, 4) aiding and abetting the importing of same, 5) aiding and abetting importing of oxycodone.
Folks, until you have sat for hours and hours watching a parade of FBI agents, homeland security people, border patrols, and so many other law enforcement officers, you haven't lived! It was like a convention. Add to that the U.S. marshals who "escorted" the (woman--guess who? Yep) witness in her prison garb to be a material witness (hoping for a shorter prison sentence) against the defendant, along with a drug smuggler from the Federal prison (with his US marshals) who added his 2-cent's worth about the whole operation, and it was quite a spectacle.
I won't go into details, but will leave a link at the end for those who are interested in names, etc. I don't want to put the defendant's name on my blog because I don't won't Google getting folks to hit my blog because of his name. I'm not completely unaware of how the internet works.
The deliberation was high-tension, but the group was an amazing bunch! Everyone showed the highest level of professionalism and caring even though, as you will shortly learn, we weren't able to agree on very many counts. The evidence was all circumstantial, but backed up by phone records (pages and pages of cell phone calls from the woman--my comment: "How does she find time to...uh...work when she's on the phone day and night?") And she had some gals working for her, too. Just like the Old West--unbelievable! She lived in Vancouver.
This was a sad story of a young man (with a wife and toddler) making a terribly wrong choice a few years ago (2002) and having his association with people of ill-repute spiral downward until he's part of a conspiracy (does he even know how far he's gone?) to let the gal take drugs through his lane without inspection in exchange for...well, you know.
We were, however, only able to come to a unanimous verdict on the first count: Accepting a bribe. It wasn't until later and I could read the papers that I discovered that THIS was the biggie, so I am glad we found him guilty (I personally thought he was guilty of all but the last count). But personal judgments without supporting evidence "beyond a reasonable doubt" don't work. We acquitted him on conspiring to import marijuana (even though I knew he was doing it), but was he aware of the "conspiracy"? The evidence was shaky. We deadlocked on the other 3 counts. That scared me worse than anything. I feared the judge may breathe fire and tell us to "get back to work!" or fine us for contempt of court or something. This trial was costing thousands and thousands of $$$ and for us not to come to an agreement was enough to make me think about crawling under the table when they came to get us to announce such things to the full courtroom. But I knew there was no back door from the jury room to the street (besides it's on the 14th floor, and they could chase me down before I reached bottom).
I found out it was OK to be deadlocked (whoosh! relief) as long as we all voted unanimously that we're deadlocked. Hmmm. Strange. It was sad. The defendant started crying (Was he crying in relief at being acquitted on a charge and because of our deadlock on the other 3 counts or was he upset about the bribery count?). I now believe he was upset about the bribery count, since I discovered it's a really, really serious thing to accept a bribe if you are protecting the border.
That's the nutshell of how I spent the last two weeks (from dawn to dusk--no lie!) and gave my time to serve my country. It was an amazing experience, and the courts need regular folks like us to determine justice is done. Everybody--even the judge--stood up for us whenever we entered or left the courtroom. The court fed us great lunches and said they'd pay us the next day (send out the checks). When asked, I offered to talk to the prosecution if they have questions about our decisions (now that it's over)
Here is the link to a summary of the case: THE SEATTLE TIMES. The paper got it right for the most part, but I didn't appreciate their opening line. We dismissed that testimony out of hand, considering the source (she'd already lied twice to the grand jury earlier in the year), but of course the papers led off with it.
I am absolutely weary beyond belief! I made bread today, did laundry, and took a walk. That was it. I hope this weekend will revive me for the coming "normal" week.
Standing in line for the scrambler: Chad, Ryan, Joanna (Chad's DW), and baby Levi. 
Chad and his DD on the Scrambler. Notice raindrops in the puddles and the long line behind. Crazy!
Kristel's DD, Sean, and two of the boys. One of the little kids' rides that was working.
May the United States always be worthy of our allegiance!
I learned more about marijuana (Did you know "B.C. Bud" means the best pot in the world, and it comes from around Vancouver, B.C.?), how it crosses the border, and what some folks will do to keep from being caught in sordid lifestyles that suck them into turning a blind eye to a prostitute who is smuggling the stuff through inspection. 
The defendant worked in one of these primary inspection booths and was charged with 5 counts of the law: 1) accepting a bribe (this is a G-rated post so I won't tell you what he was getting for "looking the other way"). 2) conspiracy of theft of honest services (ripping off the government by not doing his job of inspecting), 3) conspiracy to import marijuana, 4) aiding and abetting the importing of same, 5) aiding and abetting importing of oxycodone. 
