And it's not JUST her wardrobe.

I suppose that it is a sorry commentary on my life when I admit how happy I get on Monday mornings because this show is on Monday nights.  

What show makes YOU smile??

(P.S. Here's another thing that makes me smile:

)

FF: Unfortunate Discomforts

It has been an interesting week here in the Flag household.  Why don't I share a few little peeks into it with you?

~I took my daughter to the mall to meet her "friend" who makes my daughter involuntarily smile and blush simultaneously. I also dropped my son off with her.  It seemed like a smart mom thing to do, and he was happy to come home and report everything he saw.

~My friend took a TERRIBLE picture of me.  Terrible.  And then she sent it to me via a cd.  Just so you know, I would not do that to you.

~I have this miserable sun/age spot on my face.  The dermo says she can remove it for $$$$.  Instead she sold me a cream for $$$ which isn't doing much to help.  Then, last Sunday, a friend asked me in a whisper if it was a bruise and did Checkered hit me.  She was serious.  NO!  He did not hit me.

~Another friend noted that I was reading Laura Ingalls Wilder's books (motivated by my night on the prairie, no doubt) and she went and borrowed a copy of Jennifer Weiner's newest book so I would have something "good" to read.  As much as I love Jennifer Weiner's writing, I think I enjoyed the Wilder books just as much.

~Not one.  Not two. But three mosquito bites on my backside this week.  How?!

~And finally.  Don't ever trust me if I say, "I love limes.  Go ahead and take a big taste of one."

Now I need to head out and do some blog hopping.  Why don't you ride with me? 

Never Losing My Cool. Kind of.

(photo courtesy of google)

My teen-aged son has been in the process this summer of acquiring a new voice, and it still surprises me more than I might admit.  The other night his buddy slept over.  When I went to bed, I said good night to those two boys with their still soft faces and frequent little boy silliness.

Then next morning after Checkered went to work and before any of the kids were awake, I took a shower and as I turned the water off, I could just hear the rumble of two men speaking downstairs.  My mind went into immediate panic wondering who the men were and who had let them into the house!! 

I grabbed the nearest clothing, and with wet hair sticking out at all angles, flew rather ungracefully down the stairs where I found my son and his friend talking in their newly deep voices to each other about their video game victories.  How could they be the same two boys I had said good night to a few hours before?    As stealthily as I could manage, I reclimbed the stairs drowning in the embarrassment my shock had caused me (although I am clinging to the belief that they were so engrossed in their conversation that they never noticed my uncoordinated dance down the stairs.)

 Honestly though? As much as I love seeing who my kids are becoming and as fun as it is to see the hints of the adults they will some day be, I'm just a little glad that there are still two other boys living in this house and that they will remain sopranos for a few more years.  Transitions take me a while, you know.

He is Going to Be Such a Good Husband

I have to tell you that I love Michigan Bulb.  I've long-read their catalogues, but this year was the first time I gave in and ordered.  Their service was quick and when my hibiscus refused to grow, their customer support was everything it should have been: professional, kind, and most helpful.  The replacement hibiscus plants have grown quickly and beautifully.

*****

My first-born son is the sweetest teenager on the Earth.  He is the one who offers his grandma his arm when we are visiting and walking to the car.  He is the one who tells me that I look pretty.  He is the one who couldn't think of the single thing to request for his 13th birthday, and never once complained that he was miserably sick on that big day.  He is a thoughtful, gentle boy.

*****

This week-end, he saw some work which needed to be done and he did it.  He fixed the toilet :)  He went grocery shopping with me and carried in and put away all the groceries :)  And he pulled an enormous weed up from the side of the house :)

*****

You already know what this paragraph is going to say?  Right?  Yep.  He pulled up my hibiscus.  Pulled really hard to sever the roots cleanly.  And he is so sweet that he fessed up when he heard us blaming the rabbits.  He was absolutely mortified. 

*****

Do you suppose Michigan Bulb will cover that replacement?

FF: Technical Difficulties

~My son and I spent Thursday afternoon assembling his new bike in an attempt to impress the most mechanical Mr. Checkered.  What did we learn?  That it really is possible to install a tire backward.

~Blogger has begun to hide several of the blogs I thought I was following.  Has it become like Facebook and bloggers are now able to drop me? "That Caution! When she finally gets around to commenting, the comments makes no sense.  I'm kicking her off my followers list!!"

~I don't know how I really feel about the practice of bloggers who are so gracious in replying to every comment.  It's sweet, but I wouldn't feel bereft if they didn't always respond.  How do you feel about that?  Okay, I see you nodding.  Does that mean I should begin to comment on your comments?  I could. Maybe.

~I also need to find some new blogs to read.  Well, they don't really have to be new...just to me.   Got any suggestions?

~After serious thought, I have opted to grade essays the old fashioned way this semester.  I will hold each one, use colorful ink to encourage writing growth, and I will add a sizable comment with each letter grade. Then I forget to wash my hands prior to eating and will give new life any germs living on those essays and my hands.

~My middle son went to a Lego robotics camp this week and had a grand time.  What a bright group of kids!  On the first day I realized there would be significant competition there when I overheard the kids saying things like:

"Of course Alaska's greatest natural resource is..."

"Echo location works really well with these robots"

"I really enjoyed that exhibit at the Henry Ford Museum."

Now this same son moves on to a hunter's safety course.  Honestly?  The attraction of hunting is completely lost on me. (Admit it! That's not where you thought my comment was headed. Did you?)

~I will admit that hunting maybe doesn't belong in a technical post.

~And lastly: justice!  The woman ahead of me in line at the customer service desk yesterday told the clerk her problem, and then took a phone call.  "Oh hi! Nice to hear from you.  Nothing much.  Just at the store...."  Meanwhile, the annoyed clerk immediately stopped working on the woman's issue and said, "Next in line!!"  I was next in line!  When I left, the woman was still chatting, but had begun to look a little confused as to why her problem hadn't been resolved.

Now here are the lunch tables I've chosen to sit at today.  Want me to scooch over so you can join us?

The Exhaustion of School

It is no secret that my youngest child does not love school, and as a result, loses a great deal of sleep during the school year.  But fret not!  He has been making up for all that lost sleep this summer.  Take Monday night for example.

He went to bed at 9 pm and was asleep by 10 pm.  At 2.30 PM the next day, I forced him to awaken and get out of bed.  He drifted downstairs and promptly dozed for another hour in the game room.

Knowing that he is healthy and otherwise nicely active, I am not overly worried about the sleeping.  What does worry me, however, is the math I've been doing.  It appears that when school resumes on September 7, if my child is to get all the sleep he seems to currently need, he is going to have to go to bed before school is dismissed each day.

I'm not really sure how the teacher is going to react to this news.

The Proof is in the Truck

I doubt that you would know that my younger sister and I are related at all if we didn't tell you.

You see, she loves an organized schedule. 
I love to see how the day will evolve all by itself.

She majored in math and chose a math-based profession. 
I majored in words and chose a word-based profession.

She is a talented pianist.
I play enough for me to focus on my real love: singing.

She is right-handed.
I have a mixed-dominance in my handedness.

She reads in bed.
I watch t.v.

She joined a gym.
I drive by one on my way to the Dairy Maid.

But despite these differences, there is one sure way to know that we share DNA.

It's true: we MUST be related after all.

FF: Trying to stop talking. Really.

 have returned.  Did you even notice that I was missing ?? Humor me on that one, okay?

During my hit or miss blogging during the last two weeks,

*I have slept at the bottom of the second largest canyon in the U.S (Palo Duro) and did  not see a snake.

*I realized that even in the cold and rain, Colorado is one gorgeous state, and if I pay to ride the train up to the top of Pikes Peak and the visibility from the top is zero, I can still convince myself that the ride was worth the money. But no, sadly my boys did not see a black bear.

*I didn't buy a University of Wyoming hoodie and that is something I really regret.

*I realized that we did not encounter one mosquito west of the Mississippi (what's that all about???)

*My friend found humor at my expense when I said I couldn't believe how Mt. Rushmore had changed in the last 30 years ( I meant the gift shops, OF COURSE.)  I also learned that some people go to Mt. Rushmore to look at the carvings.  What a mystery that decision is when there are so many great signs there.

*I thought myself very lucky to sleep on the prairie and see shooting stars and maybe a meteor (okay, fine.  I missed the meteor while I talked about the historical significance of the prairie.  My boys, who were not listening to single word, saw the meteor) until 2 AM when the winds decided to BLOW my modern covered wagon about and I was sure Laura Ingalls Wilder and I were about to meet in the heavens somewhere.

*I found all the missing mosquitoes.  It turns out that they live in Minnesota and Wisconsin.

*I also found the Mall of America and learned a lot about how people use elevators.

*We learned that when a campground is rainy, boys will find something to do.  In this case it involved wet underwear and a stick.  Voila!  Underwear ball had now been invented and it doesn't have a single physical connotation.

* And I met Mrs. 4's IRL!!!!  Suffice it to say, she is smart, very pretty, energetic, svelte, and graciously accommodating.  But I guess you already knew that, didn't you?

P.S. Do you know what happens to Checkered's car when his son leaves a milkshake in the backseat and the car sits closed up outside in the 100 degree weather for two weeks?  Let's just say Checkered is now riding in a veritable cloud of ... well ....  let's just say, "Poor, poor Checkered."  I should buy a gas mask for him.










 




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My Companion

"It is advised that any woman attempting to cross Lake Michigan by marine vessel be accompanied by a friend.  Said friend should have the woman's comfort and well being as a chief concern."

So much learning that my brain might explode

We learned a lot yesterday. We learned that Mt.  Rushmore is still as wondrous as it was 30 years ago.  We learned that it is cool to meet someone who was a Driller on the original project. We also learned that he wasn't nearly as nice when we didn't buy his book.

Our learning curve included understanding more about the Crazy Horse monument and the brilliant man who began the project.  It was very cool to be there during a blast.

We unwittingly scheduled our visit to the Black Hills at the beginning of the Sturgis Bike Week.  It's been fun watching the bikes,  and more fun watching the bikers.

Our worst learning experience of this visit was the chuckwagon dinner.  It might have been more affordable to buy our own ranch,  but yippee eye,  my boys would get to eat like cowboys and sing cowboy songs. I should have known the chuckwagon show would be a bust when the cowboys starting singing Eagles music and through in a little Glenn Miller for good measure. You know, just the typical trail music.

Dare we hope for a better experience at the Little House on the Prairie homestead tonight?

And I Don't Even Like Horses

Dear Wyoming,

I love you. Seriously.  With all my heart. I know I married Michigan, and it's been good to me, but I dream about you constantly and what we could be together.  Well, I mean in the summer anyway.  I long for your vastness, your rugged terrain,  your enormous sky.  So I spend my backseat riding time perusing real estate ads and I've learned what I really want is a ranch. That I can't afford one and would have no idea what to do with one notwithstanding, I still dream.  I've even taken to writing our initials on the backs of brochures:  CF + WY.

Yeah,  I've got it bad

Love you!

Caution

PS Don't worry about Checkered finding out about us.  He's lost his heart to a little place called Colorado.

Germs, Fog, and Missing a Hotel

It would be so nice if I could find a blog - posting program for my phone which would allow me to post more than one photo!  Nevertheless,  this photo sums up our day yesterday.  We rode the cog railroad up Pikes Peak and thoroughly enjoyed the ascent. Beautiful.  Fascinating.  Unique. 

Unfortunately,  a major thunderstorm also made the ascent, too, so the visibility was zero from the summit.  We shivered in the 38 degree weather,  and our feverish birthday boy shivered long after we returned to our very chilly campground,

As a gesture of graciousness,  I have offered to let that sick boy sit in the front during our long ride today. I will be a magnificent mother and take the back seat - right between two wild and energy filled siblings.  We shall see what shape I am in by the time we reach Mt.  Rushmore.

We Hope

We hope the rain really has ended.
We hope the temps really do get above 50 today.
We hope to get up Pike's Peak this afternoon.
But most of all, we hope that this boy who turns 13 today, will always know what a gift from God he is.

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