Ice Skating Mothers

Sore knees and elbows will be coddled today.

You don't often get a good picture of these boys. I had to make them stop and smile. The picture before was lousy.

This kid, however, always hams it up!

Our 4-H club went ice skating yesterday. It was our "fun event" for this month. It seems to have become a tradition for our club. This was either the third or fourth January that we have done it. Just like the August swim party, the kids look forward to it. I was vacillating on whether to skate with them. I enjoy skating, and my back has been in pretty good shape lately, but I was worried about doing something to mess up that condition. So I took the pictures and enjoyed the heat of the concession room instead.

The other mothers had a good time though, and even a dad came to skate. Another dad came too, and we kept each other company in the warmer room.

After skating, we rushed home to feed the animals and get the boys headed off on their "Guys Night Out." I unloaded groceries and then went out in the muddy slop to help feed the goats. It was #2's turn to feed them. I was in a hurry to get to my own meeting, and I told him to run the feed around to me at the fence. I waited and waited, but no kid. I could tell he was saying something from in the feed room, but I couldn't make it out. Finally I went to see what the problem was, and it was a mouse! He had caught a mouse in the sweet feed bin and was trying to hand feed it to the cat. The dog kept trying to get it, so #2 had to keep recatching the mouse to give to the cat. I picked up the cat, put it in the bin with the mouse, and the deed was done. I finished the feeding and was going to say goodbye to the guys when I thought I better ask, "Did you wash your hands?" Of course not. Back in he went.

My meeting was with the 4-H moms talking over 4-H and life in general at Olive Garden. We stayed nearly 3 hours! It is always good to visit, talk, and laugh with them. They get me through the busy days.