#1 does not have a happy personality. He is a happy kid, don't get me wrong, but if something goes wrong he can easily be upset the rest of the day. I used to joke that if he went to the zoo, the circus, and the movies all in one day, but stubbed his toe when he first got out of bed, he would declare it a bad day. He is a pessimist. So yesterday it was surprising and amazing to hear him say, "This has been a great day!" It was about 3:30 pm and we were driving home from a friend's house. He then listed all of the great things that had happened that day; school work was finished, we went out for lunch, bought a new freezer, played at a friend's house, learned some guitar, and now it looks like it will rain (he likes rainy days)! Well let me say, the day only got better! After we got home, I received a call from the 4-H agent that the lost camera had been found! A local gym had taken some kids out, and one of the kids found the camera on the van. We had continued to pray that someone would find it and be touched to do the right thing. Our prayers were answered. There were so many people involved that could have done the wrong thing, but all of them were honest and helpful. Praise the Lord! So #2 is off the hook having to pay for the entire camera, but he is having to pay for the reward we gave the kid who turned it in. However, that is much less than what the camera was costing him. So we went to Red Lobster to celebrate. We had a couple of gift cards left from Christmas presents. My order was taking a long time, and then when it arrived it was the wrong thing and not cooked through. So I sent it back, and it took a long time again. The manager kept coming out to apologize, and so she took mine off the ticket and gave me a $15 certificate to come back. Now that is a great day! ----------- The roosters didn't have a great day. After we got back from Red Lobster, we butchered three roosters. The chicks have outgrown the rabbit hutch and I really needed to let them out, but I wanted rid of the roosters first. I let half of the chicks out and they are so happy to be free. Half of them had grown quite large, and half were stunted to about half the others' sizes. So I am keeping the smaller ones in the hutch for a few more days to let them eat and grow.

I finished up the milking this morning and walked around the side of the barn. I heard a loud electronic buzzing, and it sounded like it was coming from the chickens. The duck was looking right at me and I wondered how he was making that noise. I knew he couldn't be making it, so I kept walking. I thought maybe it was the electric line, and I was getting scared. It really should not make a hum that loud. I kept walking and then realized it was the septic system alarm. It is very loud. Hubby said he had been walking around the house trying to figure out where the hum was coming from. Was it the waxer, the refrigerator, the light, the electrical outlet? He was getting worried thinking there might be an electrical fire in the walls, when I showed up asking how to turn off the alarm. So I called a place to come pump the system. After I gave my address, the lady asked, "Is that this side of the river?" I said, "I don't know. Where are you?" How can I answer a question like that? Do you know how many rivers are in East Carolina? Crazy. -------- Geography co-op was a hit again this week. There are 17 kids involved, and they all had presentations. The students were so patient, and stayed focused for all of it. The region this time was the Middle East. The mother presenting region material was talking about how much petroleum is in the area. She brought a bag with all kind of articles that are petroleum based, to show us that it isn't just gasoline. She had toothpaste, shampoo, soap, combs, toys, eye glasses, and more. I thought for sure the boys would pick up on that and refuse to wash or brush their teeth, but they haven't said anything. However, their dad took them out for dinner Tuesday and asked how co-op went. #2 said, "Eye glasses are made out of petroleum. So you have petroleum, and #1 has petroleum. Petroleum. The new accessory." What a nut.

It rained yesterday. That is a wonderful thing, and everyone was happy. Except the goats. Goats do NOT like to get wet, and rain is their least favorite weather. We may enjoy a rainy day to curl up with a book, but goats don't read and walks in the rain are not romantic when the guy pees on his face. So I went out last evening to milk, and of course three of the goats were in the pen that I needed to milk in. Darkie is probably over 150 pounds, and she was not going to budge. I pulled, I pushed, I yelled, I smacked her with a shovel, but she absolutely refused to leave that pen. It is about 10 steps to the next covered area, so I wasn't asking a lot, but she said no. Hubby came out to tell me goodbye (the guys were going out together), and saw my dilemma. So he pulled and pushed, and finally she came out, running wildly for shelter. That left Sam and Milky Way still in the pen with Faye, who gets milked first. I put a barrel up next to the stanchion so they couldn't get to the feed, and started milking. Milky Way tipped the bucket over and the lid flew off, Sam chewed on my arm, chickens were running everywhere...it was a madhouse! So by the time I got back to the house, my goal of getting to the gym was past my limits. I made some hot tea and stayed in for the night. I had been wanting to watch Obama and McCain be interviewed by Rick Warren, so I watched that online. CNN was the network to carry it. It is in 4 parts if you want to watch. I enjoyed this style so much more than the open debates. It was relaxing, and I felt like I got to know them better. Both men are good speakers and have high ideals. Watch it and see what you think.

One of our televisions broke this week. It was constantly on, and disrupted dinner quite often, so I can't say that I am too upset. Although, the picture was great, and there weren't any abrasive commercials, or words that I would rather not have enter the house. The television was made of spider silk, and the star actor was a huge orb weaver. It had made a web right outside the dining room window. Every time someone walked by, they would comment on the spider or web, what had been caught, what was going on... It was very entertaining. Hubby broke the web down when he noticed a bunch of other spiders in a web just below it. We didn't want to be overrun. We have a lot of that type television around here. The other famous one is the rabbit hutch turned chicken nursery. The chicks are getting big, and need to come out at the end of the week. Kelly and Luke love to watch the chicks; they seem to be counting the days until the chicks are freed. As soon as I open the gate, Kelly runs in and startles all of the chicks. Then she sits and watches, shaking all the while. Another great tv is my bedroom window. It looks out on the barnyard, and we often watch the goat antics from there. It is also great for spying on the kids! Last week we watched #2 staring into a tree looking at birds. So we aren't much for late night tv, or crazy reality shows, but we have the best reality tv right here at home.

Monday starts laundry all over again. I don't do much laundry on the weekends, but save it for the weekdays. #1 washes brights on Mondays, and #2 washes darks on Wednesdays. I do everything else on all of the other days. I thought a list of the things I find in the laundry might be interesting. Some days, oh those glorious days, I get paid to do the laundry. I will find change in the washer, and sometimes even a dollar bill. I think the laundry fairy leaves it for me, and I say thank you every time. Other days it is candy, or just the wrappers. I don't mind finding those, but finding candy and wrappers separately makes a sticky mess. Last week I washed all of the boys' bed things. I found bandaids that day. They were loose, some in the wrappers, and some, would you believe?, attached to the comforter. That was a mess to get off, and the boys noticed the brown stuff stuck to their covers. They didn't say anything more when I told them what it was. Probably the most common thing to find in the laundry here is sharks' teeth. The kids find them everywhere; remember we are near the shore and were once under water a long time ago. Last week when I spring cleaned the pantry/laundry room there were LOTS of shark teeth under the washer and dryer. Today I have only found sand from our beach trip this weekend. I'm off to hang another load, hoping that the fairy has left me a tip!

I raked grass most of the afternoon. The boys came out to start picking up piles when I was about halfway done. At that time there were 35 piles. I imagine there were about 60 total.

We pile the grass behind the barn. This is the pile from the last mowing and this one. It is about 4 feet high. The neighbor was driving by and commented that hay is now $7 a bale. I use it to bed the animals in winter, and to give the goats a little to eat. The kitten was like a kid. He would stare at a pile, then run and jump in just like a kid would jump in leaves. He would even roll around in it. This is just a shot of the chickens. They like to roost in the goat pen. The goats like to hang out in the chicken coop. Weird.

A really nice benefit of the Eastern Carolina area is that you can make the beach a day trip. Our church went yesterday, just for the day, and it was so nice. The weather cooperated with us this time, unlike the rainy day we had in June, and we had about 25 people show up. We took a grill and had a cookout at one of the shelters, and otherwise just enjoyed the ocean and each other. We were still able to get back in time to get some of the work of Saturday done. I was mowing grass until 9 o'clock last night; the mower has headlights. So today, Sunday, I am not going to get to take the sabbath rest that I had hoped. I try not to work on Sunday, but just spend the morning in worship and the afternoon in rest. Perhaps I will worship more in God's creation while I rake the grass. I did manage to lie down for an hour, but the brain didn't stop long. It seems that even if I am not a paid teacher, school stays at the forefront of my mind. ------- Today was #1's first day in the Youth Group at church. There weren't many people there for class, so it wasn't very threatening to him. I had been told that the teacher tries to go easy on the kids when they are new, because they look like a deer in headlights. I told him I didn't think that would happen; I was right. He read and talked as much as anyone. At lunch #1 said they only covered 5 verses. His thoughts? "I never knew you could talk so long about 5 verses!"

Kids are funny. My younger son told me the other day why men wear dark suits. You see girls are too jittery. Makes sense, yes? No, not to me. He said that boys are more calm than girls and so as they get older they like to wear dark colors that are calm. But girls are jittery and so they wear bright, flashy colors. If girls are more jittery than boys, I'm glad I have boys! --------- If Sam was successful this morning, we will be having some kids about mid-January. Mary will be the mother. --------- The Olympics are big in our house. Not so much on my part, but the guys are very interested. Evidently, #1 told his dad all about the women's beach volleyball team, and was absolutely right. I have no idea who anyone is, though I have finally figured out Michael Phelps. #2 was just happy to be allowed to watch some last night. His bedtime punishment had ended.

Sometimes my kids tear my heart out. A couple of weeks ago, #1 said, "How long have we lived here?" "About 4 years," I replied. He responded, "I don't know why, but I feel sad." He was washing dishes, and gave a little sigh. Then today at the pool, he asked, "Is the church about to run out of money?" "Not that I know of." "Will they run out of money soon?" "I hope not. Why do you ask?" "Well, we have been here about four years, and we never live anywhere more than 4 years. Since the last place ran out of money for Dad..." How long as he been thinking about this? The poor little guy; he has such a sensitive heart. I asked him if he wanted to move, and he answered, "No. I never want to move." His face looked so sad and brave at the same time. It makes me tear up even now.

Sunday we were going to take some college girls out for dinner. I told the boys they had two options. They could either go with us, or they could go to another friend's house to swim. If they went with us, however, they needed to not run the conversation. This was to be a time to get to know them. So it would be ok if they talked, but they should ask questions about the girls and be interested in them. #1 said he would go with the swimming option, "I like to talk and I'm afraid I might mess things up for you." Yes indeed, he does like to talk. --------- #2 and his buddy are building a "secret place" in our ditch. They spent all afternoon and evening on it yesterday. They ended up with brier scratches and other scrapes, but had a great time. I think he slept well last night. ------- Today in co-op we are studying the waterways of Asia. The foods we are taking to sample sound interesting (I am trying to be kind and positive here). We are taking sushi from the Sea of Japan, and spaghetti with olives and anchovies from the Black Sea. I heard another mother say they were bringing lamb meatballs in prune soup. hmm. The kids will have to be adventurous today.

The kids are back, and they grew a lot. I guess the cooler air in Boston was good for them. Today we head to the pool with our 4-H club. My "extras" have been around so long, that they feel like part of the club. It should be a fun morning. -------- We have had a few college students at church lately. Last night we took two of them out for dinner. They want to start a Bible study and some fellowship events. It was exciting to talk with them. When we left, I told Hubby it brought back a lot of memories for me, and I realized how much I miss campus ministry. It was also interesting to hear that they wanted to get together on Friday nights. That would explain why Hubby shouldn't be teaching on Fridays and Saturdays. Interesting. -------- I just heard #5 say, "I missed Kelly." I missed his little voice.

I thought it was time to clean house, and that included the blog. I don't normally notice details- just ask my husband who tried to give me directions and I didn't know there was a bank on the corner!- but after a while I like a change. As for cleaning house, I had the boys spring clean their room yesterday. This is always a hard thing for our relationship. I normally end up muttering about brain damaged children by the time it is over. I actually didn't have to help too much, and they finished the job in an acceptable manner. While we were cleaning, I noticed a shoe box under the bed. They are only to have a suitcase and their "treasure box" under their beds. I asked, "What's this?" #1 slowly answered, "A death box." "A what?" I asked, hoping I hadn't heard correctly. "A death box," he replied. "What's a death box?" "It's a Mexican tradition. When something or someone dies, you make a box for them." Now running through my mind is...what died, what have they put in this box, how badly will it smell, when did this happen, how did they get to be MY children? I opened the box, and inside was a drawing of the cat that died. #1 wrote a poem about it and drew a picture of it, so they could remember Winkie. There was also a little note to Kelly from when they thought we would have to get rid of her. I let them keep the box. ------- Geography co-op is always fun. This from a little girl reporting on a food from a desert in Yemen. "We made a yummy desert." She was supposed to say "We made a Yemen dessert." We also learned that the Himalayas rise about 1/2 an inch every year. That means the mountains have grown nearly two feet in my lifetime. That amazes me! ------- I told my husband that I noticed a condom coupon last week in the paper. I said I had never seen that before. He said- with a straight face!- "These are hard times." ------- It is August and we have had the air conditioner off for a week! The cooler weather has been a welcome change. I imagine the air will come back on this week though. ------- I go back to work tomorrow. The extra kids are back and getting ready to head off to a new school year. It seems so odd to me as we have been in school about 7 weeks! ------- #2 did not need pushing to join the swim club. He wants to join. I guess we will be dividing Saturdays soon when soccer starts and #1 does that. Maybe that is why hubby is not to teach this fall.

I spent last weekend finishing reading A Thousand Splendid Suns. I can't say that it was a good book, but it was like a train wreck that you can't look away from. It is about 2 women in Afghanistan during the last 30 years, and how their lives came to intersect. The book deals well with how the lives of women have changed there as the country has gone from a socialist regime to an Islamic guerrilla warfare state. The list of the Taliban "do's and don'ts" is stunning. Here are just a few:

1. All citizens must pray five times a day. If it is prayer time and you are caught doing something other, you will be beaten.
2. All men will grow their beards. The correct length is at least one clenched fist beneath the chin. If you do not abide by this, you will be beaten.
3. Singing is forbidden.
4. Dancing is forbidden.
5. Playing cards, playing chess, gambling, and kite flying are forbidden.
6. Writing books, watching films, and painting pictures are forbidden.
7. If you keep parakeets you will be beaten. Your birds will be killed.
8. If you steal, your hand will be cut off at the wrist. If you steal again, your foot will be cut off.

Attention women: You will stay inside your homes at all times. It is not proper for women to wander aimlessly about the streets. If you go outside, you must be accompanied by a male relative. If you are caught alone on the street, you will be beaten and sent home.

You will not, under any circumstance, show your face. (In the story this included the doctor for the women...while she was doing surgery!) You will cover with burqa when outside. If you do not, you will be severely beaten.

You will not speak unless spoken to. You will not make eye contact with men. You will not laugh in public. If you do, you will be beaten. You will not paint your nails. If you do, you will lose a finger. If you are found guilty of adultery, you will be stoned to death.

I have nothing to say; it speaks for itself.

#1 calls Fridays "flop days." I'm not sure where he got that term, but we are all looking forward to this flop day. School is basically hand activities on Friday...knitting, sewing, cooking, cleaning, a few 4-H projects and putting together a presentation for geography co-op, but they find that fun. Last night #1 came in and asked, "Do we have plans to go anywhere tomorrow?" "No," I emphatically said. "Good," he replied just as emphatically. We are tired of being gone. Swimming lessons finished yesterday, and the boys did well. They passed everything they were supposed to, and I can see an improvement in their strokes. There is a swim club, and #2 might be interested, but I'm not planning to push it. Running around is already making us drag. There are just so many good things to be involved in around here. Art at the University, 4-H, co-ops, speech and debate, theater, sports, and on and on. We just can't do it all. ------------ Yesterday I was milking when I saw Sam spray his face with urine. It is what billies do to attract females. After he did it, he looked at me and pulled his lips back like he was sheepishly smiling, showing his teeth. It was a look of, "Yes, I know I am handsome. But why in the world did I just pee on my face?"

Overall, I think I am a good parent. I try hard anyway. But this week I made a big mistake, and I have kicked myself so hard I am black and blue all over. A few weeks ago we let the boys use their savings to buy a camcorder. We got a really nice one, so that it would hopefully last many years and get them through all of their school projects. One of the projects being worked on was a video documentary of day camps. #2 was going to a 4-H day camp this week and I let him take the camera with him, knowing that it was a safe place for him. Well, he left the camera on the van. I had a friend pick him up after camp since I was going to be at co-op. I didn't ask him for the camera when he came because I had already talked to another kid on the trip, and he said #2 was filming the whole time. So I thought he had it with him. That evening, after VBS, I asked for the camera. That's when the bad news came. So yesterday I called the 4-H office, only to find out they had used a county van for the trip and it was returned. It is also used for the public. So needless to say, the camera is long gone. I reported it to the police, and hopefully if it gets to a pawn shop we will get it back. But mostly I am praying that someone will be touched to do the right thing and turn it back in. In the meantime, #2 has to pay for the whole camera, which means his wages are garnished for the rest of the year. He is also grounded from VBS, and has to go to bed at 8:00 for a week. The anger and frustration are starting to subside, but I will likely be muttering under my breath for a long time.

I was milking this morning when I had a goat land in my lap. Sam, the last of the billies, is now out with the big girls and the little girls are penned up. Sam is small enough to get through the fence where I milk, so he is always in there with me. He really wanted some of the corn this morning, and I was doing all kind of stretches to keep him out of the feed box. He decided to climb the barrel across from the milking stanchion, and look at the world from that angle. He often does that and I didn't think anything of it. All of a sudden, he took one leap, bounded off the ground, and landed in my lap to try and get the feed behind me. We were both surprised; I by his presence, and him by my strength at slapping him off the stanchion. He didn't try it again. ---------- I picked tomatoes last evening and came out with quite a lot, so I will be canning today. Along with school and swimming lessons, dinner guests tonight, and preparing for tomorrow's co-op, it will be a busy day. ---------- I love living here. I have said it many times, I know. But there are about two months when I don't like living here, and that would be July and August. The last couple of days, however, have been a breath of fresh air and a bit of relief from the heat and humidity. Tonight it is to be in the low 60s! I think we will air out the house. I love sleeping with windows open.

I didn't get much out of the goats, but I guess I have to look at it as I don't have to pay for feed for two goats anymore. One sold for $12 and the other $16. There were a lot of hogs there, and a few cattle, so I imagine there wasn't anyone looking for goats. I should try the paper for the others, I think. ----- As we pulled up to the house today, I looked over in the field and saw the new house behind our barn is nearly completed. I complained that they didn't even try to make it pretty, and now we have a big ugly monstrosity behind our barn. #1 asked why was it so ugly, and my husband made some smart remark that I didn't hear. I asked what was said, and #1 told me he thought he had said I have anesthetic value. I wondered what that could mean, except that maybe I put people to sleep. When I came in and got the real quote it was, "Your mother has a different aesthetic value."

Edit for yesterday...the book I am reading is A Thousand Splendid Suns. I read another 12 chapters last night. It is about how women in Afghanistan view what is going on in their country. It starts in the 1970s and I am into the 1990s now. --------- We will be watching the Olympic opening ceremonies tonight. The boys checked out a book at the library on the Olympics, and we are starting our geography co-op on Asia next week. We are getting prepared in our own way for the Olympics. --------- Square dancing was fun. The kids had a hard time understanding what the caller on the cd was saying, but they picked up on the terms quickly. We have two squares going. Somehow I counted wrong when I said 3 squares. -------- I am milking twice a day now. I get about half a gallon a day. Is it worth it? I figure I come out even based on what I spend on feed versus what I save not buying milk. So if you truly want to be breaking even then no it isn't since I don't count labor. Fresh milk is worth it to me though. I am thinking about freezing it, so when the goats are done being milked I will still have some. The other option is to make cheese. Right now I need to can some tomatoes, so cheese making is not looking like it will happen.

Today's wisdom: Never assign more than you are willing to grade. School, along with all of the activities, is taking a lot of my time. I am feeling a little ragged. It couldn't be helped though. Swimming lessons come in two week increments. The lessons are going well. I had to talk to #1 about his attitude, but now he is fine. He didn't want lessons, thinking that he is a great swimmer without lessons. He was wrong, and it didn't go over well. Anyway, yesterday they were practicing treading water with 10 pound bricks. They had to stay up for 30 seconds. #2 couldn't even make 5 seconds! He is so skinny that the brick just pulled him under as soon as he picked it up! He did keep trying though; he is very tenacious. Today we add square dancing to the mix of activities. #1 asked if he could have lessons. We danced at the tavern in VA and he really liked it. I hope he has a good time. We have 3 squares set up; that is 24 children! ----- I took Oreo and Jameson to the stock sale yesterday. I pulled up in the van and asked where I should go because I had two goats to sell. The man looked at me sort of dumbfounded and then looked in the back of the van. He kind of grinned and then directed me. I guess he hadn't heard about the local hillbillies. The sale is today and I won't be there. I hope they sell well. ----- I stayed up late last night and I am sure I will regret it later today, but I couldn't help myself. I was knitting, just a row, when my eyes started crossing. So I went to bed, but decided to read a chapter out of a book a friend loaned me last night at church. It is called Ten Thousand Suns, a novel about Afghanistan. The next thing I knew I was starting chapter 12!!! So I put it down and fell right to sleep.

I had a date with a friend last night. We went to a local used book store that also has a little cafe. We had dinner together and then there was a group meeting there to knit and crochet together. It was a lot of fun, and there was a woman who was able to help me with some trouble spots. I think I will go again sometime. I came home and knitted for another hour! It really helped to get the extra help. Today I am trying to take a couple of goats to the stockyards. I wish we had a truck so I could take Darkie. She is too tall to put in a dog crate in the van. She eats too much though, and causes a lot of trouble with her horns. Plus I have never had her successfully bred. She is a drain, so she has to go. School went much better yesterday. #1 is doing well in math, and science is picking up. He is starting to pick up on how to use the text. #2 was able to focus a little better. He did have to work until 5:00 yesterday. Hope it keeps up.

We started the new math books yesterday as well as adding in some new activities. Swimming lessons started yesterday too. #1 did ok getting through it all, but #2 was still working at 5:00 last night. It wasn't that there was too much for him to do. It was mostly that he thought he had time to take more and longer breaks than he really had. I put on his assignment sheet what all had to be covered and what the extra activities were, but it didn't seem to matter. He enjoys reading and playing. What he did was all great. He read things about weather, and he created several inventions to save the world- in his head of course. He played outside, talked to the animals, ran through the field, visited the neighbor's dogs, and who knows what else. School is not the most important thing to him. -------- We had friends over for dinner last night. They have a 2 1/2 year old son. His mom was giving him some ice cream out of her bowl, and having a hard time doing it, so his dad asked if he wanted to eat with him. The little boy looked at his dad's empty bowl and shook his head no. His dad started scooping ice cream out of the mother's bowl so he could feed the boy, and the boy started eating faster. I guess he thought his dad was taking his ice cream! Funny.

Our animals are all messed up. The duck thinks he is a rooster, and he guards the hens and chases down the rooster. He can even catch the rooster by the tail and bite him. This is a rooster with 2 inch spurs, too! The chickens and dog eat the goats' food, the cats eat the dog's food, the dog eats the cats' food, and the goats stand by the gate hoping I will dump out some human food. Actually all of the animals stay near the fence when they see me walk out with the compost bucket. I used to try to actually compost, but the animals kept getting into it. So now we have a compost bucket that gets fed to the animals. I guess it turns into manure and is then composted, so it all works out in the "end." Sorry about that. ------- You really have to be careful what you say around these children. #2 heard this at the wedding last week and told it to my mother this morning. "The wedding isn't for the bride and groom. It's for the family. The honeymoon is for the bride and groom."

You probably guessed I have been busy or out of town. It is the latter. Hubby's cousin was getting married in Myrtle Beach this week and we went down for a couple of days to be with them. The groom is the cousin. The bride seems to be very flexible and good-natured. The weather for the week was gorgeous, except for the three or so hours of the wedding and reception. It was held on the beach and the wind was so bad we were being sandblasted. Her remark at the reception was, "I don't know why anyone would get married in a building. Everyone should get married outside. This is so much fun!" She won't be disappointed in life with that attitude. The boys and I stayed an extra day with my in-laws and enjoyed the beach and the Dixie Stampede. Then on Thursday they drove us up to Topsail Island to meet our 4-H club for a field trip. We went to a WW2 museum, a turtle rehab hospital, and had time to play on the beach. It always surprises me what was going on in NC during WW2. It's nothing I learned in school, that's for sure. Yesterday the boys and I tried to recover from the trip by picking blueberries. We had tried to go on Monday and the farm was closed. So we headed back yesterday. We picked for about an hour and a half in the morning and then I went back in the evening for an hour and a half. We ended up with 19 1/2 pounds. That should be enough in the freezer to keep us for the year. At a dollar a pound you just can't beat it. Now today the real world sets in. I have to catch up on everything I missed for the week.