Rainy Day

We had the first rain storm of the season the other day.  Loved it.  Here's J & R looking at worms.

R explores the front yard.

J being chivalrous.

Nice umbrella for J.  Complete with bright pink, rainbows and care bears.  But that story is for a different post.

Flatbread pizzas in Sliver Hut (our backyard playhouse) while the rain was pelting down.  J didn't like the way the trees looked in the dark with their branches blowing in the wild wind.  R didn't like the loud sound of the rain on the tarp roof.  S didn't like the fact that her pizza wasn't quite crispy enough.  K didn't like how crowded the playhouse was.  But other than that,  it was a fun little adventure.

Mama, Do You Love Me?

Bedtime ritual for J usually consists of a countdown of his remaining minutes of play, jammies, teeth and stories.  Last night I also tacked on a few extra minutes of cuddling before ordering him into bed.

Amidst his demands of “Tighter! Tighter!”  I was telling him how much I loved him.

“But what if I threw a shoe at you?”  I would be upset with you, but I’d still love you.

“What if I threw fifty hundred shoes at you?”  Then I would be very mad, and I’d be buried in shoes, but I’d still love you.

“What if I ate up all the food in the world and there was none left for you?”  Then I’d be hungry, but I’d still love you.

“There has to be something that would make you stop!”  Nope.  I will always love you no matter what.

After a few moments of concentrated thought, “What if I ate your whole box of chocolates?”  Well, I’d be sad, you’d be sick, but I would still love you.

Interesting that eating all my chocolates is the very worst thing he could think of doing.

I better keep a close eye on my chocolates . . .

The Extra Mile

On my way to J’s school, there’s a tree whose branches hang down low over the sidewalk.  I always have to duck, while pushing R in the stroller, to make it past the tree.

The other day, a man was standing in his driveway, resting after trimming his bushes.  We said hi.  This is the full extent of our relationship.  I know nothing about him other than where he lives.

On my way home from school, the man was still standing there and watched me as I walked freely under the tree.  It took me a few moments to realize that I no longer needed to duck under the branches.  He had trimmed the tree.

How very nice of him.  There were no demands, no complaints, no home association rules.  Just a man willing to show kindness to a total stranger.

It wasn’t until a few days later that I noticed the rest of the story.  The tree wasn’t on his property.  It belongs to his neighbor.  Hmmmm . . . neighborly kindess . . . going the extra mile . . . I guess it just depends on who you ask.

Shrewd Politics

K is now in her second term as an elected official at her school.  Last year,  she decided to run for Rally Commissioner.  That’s the kid that gets to help plan the school rally’s.  It was also the most popular office.  She ran against 6 other kids.  And lost.

But later in the year, the girl who was elected as Treasurer failed to come to any student council meetings.  So they asked K if she would fill in.  She happily agreed.  The job combined two things she enjoys--math & money.

This year, she decided to skip Rally Commissioner and go straight for Treasurer.  She won the election.  It probably helped that she was an incumbent running without any opposition.  That’s some seriously shrewd politics,  I’d say.

Mixi

Our dog has a new playmate.  We decided to foster through the local shepherd rescue group.

Mixi is a sweet dog with a sad story.  She was found in the backyard of an abandoned home.  She was malnourished,  dehydrated and a mess of tangled fur and nerves.  The tangled fur was fairly easy to sort out,  but she’ll probably be a bit jumpy for the rest of her life.  She must have been badly treated.  She's startled by any loud or unexpected sound,  seems very nervous about seeking affection,  and is thoroughly scared of doors and tools like shovels and brooms.  She probably wouldn’t have even been taken in by the rescue group if she hadn’t tested so well with kids.

When we first brought her home,  she stayed hidden in the bushes,  refusing to come out even if no one was around.  After a while,  she warmed up a bit,  and ventured out.  Now she seems to enjoy playing with our dog and follows him everywhere like, well, a puppy dog.  She’s much less trouble than he is.  She never steals food from the counter,  never jumps on our bed at 6 am,  never goes crazy when she sees a cat.  And she never climbs in our lap when she wants to go for a walk at night.  Who wouldn’t want a dog like that?  But I have caught her a few times trying to sneak off with a sock.  But then,  we have so many of those lying around the house,  she'd be doing me a favor by making them disappear.

Our hope is that once these photos hit the rescue society’s web page,  some kind person will find her face irresistible and want to offer her a permanent home.  And though she may never be a people dog per se, she can at least go to her new home with more confidence in people after having stayed with us for a while.