Second green alien

Only I think this one just hatched. Or shed maybe I guess. It's so pastel in respect to the other one and it's wings were wrapped around it and wet. I'm sure my bug authority will let me know what stage this locust was in. So 2 live locusts in our flower bed this morning with several shedding skins. Do blow up the pics. I think I got some really good ones.

Yes, I know, this wasn't the right topic. Just a picture of Matthew and the illusion of ranching just makes the comments fly off the charts for this blog. But unfortunately we don't have enough ranching material to devote many articles to it. Yet, anyway, if my readers have their way!

Summer is wrapping up for us quickly. We've been down several times a week helping my mom and trying to organize the downstairs of our house better. Wed. we had a 2 guys I didn't know just drive right in and start inspecting the bobcat and trailer the electric company had parked here. When they finally realized I was standing out there staring at them, they told me that they'd just bought it and were looking for another. All I could think was yeah right and called the electric company. They felt it was fishy enough to come move it within 30 mins of my call. So I've done my good deed for the week I think.

Rancher Matthew

The boy and plants

Have you ever wondered what an iris seed pod looks like? No, well, here's a picture of one anyway.
Iris seed pod open. I believe only the golden brown seeds are good.

Potting the seeds. We'll see if I can get them to grow or not. Who knows what they will look like considering they might have cross pollinated. It's kindof fun. I might get the next big thing, although I doubt it!

Walking in puddles left by toys. Or making a Jackson Pollack.

Marigolds. I thought I'd saved seed from a different variety, but this is what I got.

Hibiscus and coleus.

That boy, I don't know if I'll ever get him taught that standing in chairs is not a good idea!

Goofing off with the flowers we picked that day.

Smile!

First tractor ride with Poppa. *photo taken by my Mom

He had so much fun. He just didn't appreciate Mom and I holding him up from getting on with driving the tractor. *photo taken by my Mom


We had a big weekend. Friday Matthew got to take a tractor ride. Dad and I had been moving a pole for the yard light. Saturday Phil, Matthew and I went to a neat zoo of sorts. It is free to enter and the activities that require payment are cheap. He got to pet a goat and a sheep. He thought that was pretty awesome. Sunday we went to the KC Zoo for 3 hours. Man were we pooped after all that walking and heat. But we headed the apartment, ate enough to perk up and drive home yesterday. Matthew decided to be a trouper and only took a 20 min. nap all day.

Thanks for making the giveaway a pretty good success.

*edited to mention: I should have said that this was Matthew's first time to the zoo. He really wanted to see the elephants and lions. A lion was right up next to the glass, all sprawled out like Isabel, so Matthew got a great view. He also enjoyed some birds with a poof of feathers on top of their head and the zebras. In the crocodile house he plastered himself on the window. One crocodile was swimming. When he saw him, he started heading right for him. I said, "I'm going to freak out if that crocodile attacks the window." And right after that, with a foot and half left for the crocodile to go, Matthew decided to jump back. The crocodile stopped and we all hastily left. Disaster averted. I still am wondering what the crocodile would have done. While we were there we saw the sea lions perform. That was pretty cool. It reminded me of the time I went out on Jack's work boat. There were tons of sea lions just hanging on the buoy's. (Jack worked for the city as a captain. He would take scientists out everyday to test the water quality in different locations. I was allowed to tag along. I saw an arena in Mexico from the boat, lots of seaweed, sea lions, beautiful views, and their dock was right next to MTV's Real World house. I was excited about that and took pictures. He and Chris told me that they'd seen his boat go by a couple times during the show. Cool!)

The first About a Bug giveaway

Are you excited?! A real giveaway. And this one is very personal since it's a collection of the majority of pottery I threw or built in the 5 years I took pottery classes. It's too much for me and some of it is down right hideous, if you ask me. But one man's junk is another's treasure. I hate to throw it in the dump, but that's probably where it's headed. Almost all of it is fired in cooking safe glazes. I believe only the raku (all the cracked metallic stuff) is not food safe. My pottery teacher said we could bake with it, I believe. For sure you could drink or eat off it and put it in the dishwasher. I am not asking for a penny, unless someone wants so much shipped it costs me money. Then I'll ask for shipping. I can't go broke for my creative genius. I know what my husband will say. "You have to stop giving your stuff away. Charge for it. At least $5, I beg you." Drumroll please...


All right, now and then this silly program won't load the pictures right. So crink your head to the right and proceed on please. This is the entire group on it's side. All right, I had them in rows. Starting with the back left: 1 porcelian goblet, 5 brown goblets, and 1 covered bowl. The 2 in between the last 2 rows: 2 raku'ed string pots Second to last row: 1 horn, 1 unglazed bowl, 1 green pot, 7 plates, and 1 covered bowl with a flower for a lid. Back middle row: 1 raku bowl-little to no cracking, 1 raku coil pot, 1 piece made of 3 connected pots, 1 cracked raku bowl, 1 sm purple bowl with flower etching, 1 creamer pitcher, and 1 vase shaped like a horseshoe. Front middle row: 1 vase, 1 raku bowl, 1 small heart shaped bowl, 1 slab pot, 1 diamond shaped slab pot with lid, 1 small bowl or cup without handle, and 1 vase. Second to front row: 1 raku bowl, 1 plate, and 4 cups. Front row: 1 egg in 2 pieces, 1 slab pot vase, 1 very cracked raku pot, 1 shallow blue bowl, 1 shallow black bowl, and a sugar bowl with lid. 46 pieces in total.

Another refusing to load right side up. Anyway, here's the first closeup...

2nd...awww, right side up...

3rd...

and finally 4th. And no, my pottery horn does not make a single noise unless you make it.

Here's 2 more I forgot to photograph with the rest. A "sculpture" I had to make for a 3-D design class. The teacher made us make the craziest, most impractical stuff. I worked so hard on it I hate to toss it. And 1 pottery bowl.

Oh for the love of Pete. They keep coming. The stinky part about pottery class was we had a list of stuff we HAD to make and FIRE and GLAZE, whether it was good or not. This is why I have so much stuff. Sigh. So finally another 2 I forgot about...very small vases. You can get 1 flower stem down them (Teehee moment: When I left tonight my Dad wanted to know if I was taking my candlestick holders. Oops, well, if it works for you be my guest!) So if you are interested, be sure to let me know soon by email or comments, because these limited edition About a Bug pottery pieces are destined to leave soon, one way or another.

These 2 are not part of the giveaway, just 2 of the best pieces I managed to make over the 5 years I took pottery.

So if it wasn't obvious enough, Matthew and I went through all the 8 large rubbermaid storage tubs in the basement of my parents house. I had used them as storage for long enough. At least in the basement. Now we aren't going to talk about my timewarp of a room. It's too scary to tackle. Maybe I should let my Dad scoop and toss...No! Scratch that, he'll toss good stuff. My Grandmother Stella's doll is still up there. Anyway, we were gone most of the day. When we pulled in the driveway we were greeted by this. (At least the electric company had stopped earlier in the day and asked. I should have asked for a discount on my next bill for parking services, darn.) It caused great excitement for Matthew.

A plant preview and...

...a Matthew preview. I got some cute pics the other day, but I'll save them for next time. This is the About a Bug giveaway day and I really hope to unload some pottery!

Nature's little beauties

When I feel bad about not contributing more to the financial state of our household, I think about the fact that at least I get to capture a little of God's grace.

The last week in pictures

Daylilies blooming.

Matthew checking out the new truck.

Dad and Matthew with his new truck.

Matthew approves of the bed.

Going for a ride.

Very excited.

Isabelle's favorite sleeping position.

At daddy's this last weekend it got real quiet. When I went in the bedroom this is what I found.

He just loves that Gameboy.

The first cake Matthew and I ever co-decorated. He insisted it be yellow icing and dictated the placement of the bugs.

Happy Birthday Angela! Hope it was a great one!

This bird was very entertaining with all his warbling.

Auntie wrote us a letter and we were very excited about it.

In fact we didn't want to let it go and Scamp started trying to eat it.

2 days before the 4th of July all 5 babies were lined up. After I took the picture they all flew. Notice the nice nest condition.

This is a picture of inside the nest. At the bottom you see the tips of 2 of the 3 eggs within.

Yesterday the demolition crew came in to dismantle the nest. They did not realize there were 3 warm little eggs in it. So after pulling it down, discovering eggs, it was hastily stuck back up. It's not looking so hot now. But that blur of a mother bird flying on the bottom left, insists on raising these eggs into adults. As soon as they fly off, the nest is coming down so we don't have this problem again.

The moon rising.