Day 418

When I can't figure something out or have a question I seem to come here. Just last week when I couldn't figure out what tree was in the park, I posted the picture on Day 413 and you came through. The tree on that day - the one with all the pods - is a sycamore tree.

Here's another one for this week. Last year on Day 72 I took a picture of a tulip. Now this year I've gone crazy taking pictures of about every kind of tulip I have. All my tulips are multi-colored inside - I have none that are one solid color. So for those who have tulips or know anything about tulips, are all tulips multi-colored or are there tulips that are all one color inside? I usually just buy grab bags without paying much attention.

Guess I got lucky on those cheap grab bags.

Day 417

The cat needs to learn the hot mustard lesson.

When our daughter was little - only 3 or 4 - we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. At that Chinese restaurant we had a little plastic cup of hot mustard sitting on the table. That little girl stuck her finger in the hot mustard. Stuck her finger in it and put that finger in her mouth. You can imagine what happened next, but that experience did teach her a lesson. Hot mustard was something not to mess around with.

Fast forward to the cat.

We've been seeing her go into the neighbor's yard. Every time the cat heads over there I tell her she's asking for trouble but she doesn't seem to listen. She's been jumping their chain link fence and roaming around in there. It's a big enough problem with her hanging out in someone else's yard, but an even bigger problem is that they have dogs. Several dogs. Small and noisy dogs. The cat is smart enough to only go in their yard when the dogs are in the house, but I'm a bit worried for her. If they happen to open the door and let the dogs out when she's in the backyard she's going to be in for some trouble. She climbs paw over paw, using the holes in the fence to get back over. A slow process. If those dogs come out, she's going to need to find a faster way back.

I had to stop watching and worrying. She made me too nervous. The hot mustard is going to get her soon.

I started watching the clouds instead.

Day 416

Busy as a bee. Busy as a beaver. I'm not sure which saying is the most appropriate, but one of them just has to fit. Yesterday and today (and tomorrow as well) are being spent outside prepping for summer.

Prepping the vegetable garden (which now, thanks to my daughter, has old the landscape timbers from the rose garden outlining the vegetable beds)...out come the weeds and the grass, in goes the Miracle-Gro garden soil, with seeds soon to follow.

Prepping the rose garden...clipping back the winter damage, getting rid of the weeds, adding in some fertilizer.

The never-off-my-to-do-list wildflower bed...dig out the daisies that have taken over, get those weeds out, clip out the old dead stuff, put sand in the paths to cut down on the muddy walks.

Tulips, tulips, tulips. Those lovely tulips have sprouted grass all throughout them. Grass that is doggone hard to get up without disrupting the pretty flowers. Patience, patience. And time.

Actually, busy as a wasp seems the best word today.

Day 415

It has been a rough year for the teachers and students at Marsing High School. A small school with large losses.

It started with my husband's mom.

Then it was the English teacher's mom.

Then it was the Science teacher's dad.

Then the school secretary's husband.

A recent graduate.

Another recent graduate.

And just this week a current student.

All during just this school year. All funerals.

When my husband received the call this week all he could say was, We need to get this year over with.

On this day with no school he should be at the funeral right now. A funeral for a 14 year old student. But hubby couldn't do it. Not again.

How do you explain such a rash of heartbreaking losses? It certainly makes everything else seem insignificant.

Day 414

I think our yard has become some sort of a playground this year. Every morning it's either the ducks or the squirrels or the quail or even the pheasant. Every morning some kind of creature is hanging around our yard.

Today we have a chubby Mrs. Quail (or is it a Mr. Quail?) and Mr. Pheasant. I don't know what we're doing to attract all these folks, but I'm not complaining.

Day 413

A little over a month from now hubby will be home for the summer. Last year I had all those days at home, by myself, with no one to talk to and I loved it. This year, even though I'm only working part time I didn't get many of those alone days. With the countdown to hubby being around 24-7 I wonder...how did I spend those few days I had alone this year? Couldn't tell you. How sad is it that I've already been back to work for nine months and never came up with a routine for my days off?

I think that's what happens living a day at a time. No thinking ahead, no planning. The day just happens and before I know it, it's over.

But hubby and I have started settling into a healthier routine. Juice for breakfast, juice for lunch. Walking afterschool. A sensible dinner. Tonight will be scrambled eggs with some vegetables wrapped in a whole wheat tortilla with some fresh homemade salsa.

Speaking of walking, when we're at the park there is this tree I don't get. It has these pods on it. Can anyone help me out on what kind of tree it is?

Day 412

My husband and daughter both wanted to have input in today's picture.

First, the daughter...
When we went to Sisters we left the kitty in the house. Alone. For three nights. Since kitty isn't used to staying home all day and all night in the house all by herself, we asked our daughter to cat sit one night. When our daughter got home and saw the list I left her she had two responses. 1. Mom, you guys spoil her. 2. I'm going to take a picture of that list and you better put it on your blog.

No, I won't put the picture on the blog, but here's what was on the list:

Kitty Schedule

• When you get here, let her out (even if she doesn't want to).
• 9:30-10 PM - let her in, feed her wet food.
• 4AMish - if she cries to go out, let her out.
• 8AMish - bring her in, give her loving, brush her, leave her in.
• Leave bedroom curtain open (she likes to sit there).
• Make sure she has enough food and clean her litterbox before you go.

Yeah, probably spoiled. (Update...I guess little Miss Daughter took her own picture of the list when she was home - and posted it on her Facebook page. Maybe I need to sign up for Facebook and see what else she's taken pictures of.)

Now for hubby's interest in the picture for the day...
When we got in the car in the morning at the hotel, we had raindrops sitting on the sunroof. The first morning I took a picture of the raindrop close up and hubby wanted it to be a mystery picture. I wouldn't do it. The second day we were there we had raindrops again, but this time they were frozen and had ice crystals in them. Again, he wanted it to be another mystery picture.

No need for guessing on mystery pictures. Raindrops on a sunroof. One with ice crystals, one without.