This and That

It's been a busy week, so far.  Monday I took Bryan to the airport.  We really enjoyed his visit ( first in 2 years), and, considering he's a typical busy teenager and big into sports, I was thrilled I got time with him this summer.  He'll be a senior next year and it will be more difficult to squeeze in time with him!

Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my niece and her little one.  They just moved about 10 minutes away and I got to see the new digs and meet Mr. Mac for the first time.  They had lived in Southlake, not THAT far away, unless you're short on time to even go down the street, as I have been this past year.  The one time I visited her there she was pregnant with the little man!  The drive time to her old house was at least an hour.

The visit was fun (loved the new home) and Mac began to warm up to me by the time I left.  As you can see by the above photo, he had NOT warmed up when this was snapped just before a sleepy baby with a strange person in the house was put down for a nap!  I was laughing, Sandy was laughing and Mac was screaming bloody murder!!!!  For the next HOUR, Sandy and I tried to send this photo to her dad  to surprise him.  It was a riot!  NOTHING was working for us!  Of course, in the end, we succeeded, over and over and over again.  I lost count of how many times I got the photo on my phone and my email.  Nick probably got it just as many time.  Technology  is great until it's not and gets finicky.

Today I decided to mark another clean-out and clean-up item off my to-do list.  I tackled the front living and dining rooms which have needed purging for over a decade!!!  They are the throw-up (keeping the metaphor alive) rooms for seasonal items that don't get up in the attic or other things that need a 'temporary' resting place. 

Well, it took the better part of the day, but I was delighted to finally have it purged and clean!!  The only  HUGE task I've got on tap for the summer is the garage.  I'm already itching to get at it!  Given that my free monthly pick up for bulky items is the last week of the month, I'm not scratching that itch.....yet.

Once Upon A Scoop..

There are certain necessary chores that are less than desirable, especially when done on a daily basis. When there are four furkids in your pack scooping poop is a necessary nasty. However, if embarked upon with the right mindset, this chore can be elevated to a creative endeavor. The result of one such creative endeavor is the unlikely poem below. It also proves that creative energy can be found in the most unexpected places.

Scooping poop
once or twice a day
is a bit like hunting
Easter eggs.
After awhile
you know which dog
laid which egg,
learn which
grassy nest is prime
for a find.
You also learn which
canine culprit snagged
the unexpected prize--
some tasty morsel left
by messy kids, or the
sneaky snag from an uncovered
waste basket.

A less than desirable chore
becomes a quiet time
to muse upon
the less profound,
to turn, perhaps, a
phrase about
the curious comparison
of poop and Easter eggs.

~~Pam Patterson, champion scooper