Tiny Bubbles

This is my baby. The one that for nine months in utero made my ribs ache and my stomach nauseous.

This is my baby getting all grown up, which makes the heart under my ribs ache.

This is my baby, learning to scuba dive. The only one in class too young too drive. The thought of her driving makes nauseous too.

This is my baby, who is a certified Jr. Open Water Diver now. The one who can't wait to go to Mexico with her sister and dive way down into the deep blue sea. The one, who in spite of all my efforts, is going to grow up and leave me. 

Her new name is "She Who Swims with Snakes". More on that adventure later. If you'll excuse me, I'll be in the back bawling my eyes out. And bragging about my girls to anyone who'll listen.

Trains on the plains

As part of "summer school," whereby I expose the Whee to as many non-harmful new experiences as I can, she and I took a train to Ft. Worth, because she'd never been on a train before.

Just let me pause a moment to say how much I LOVE trains. The roominess to stretch out, roam around, the nice people, the lack of seatbelts and uptight flight attendants. All the fun of a plane without the TSA pain. The seats are sets of two, not three, so you're never, ever, stuck between that businessman who falls asleep and drools on your shoulder and the lady who gives you seven recaps of her toe fungus treatments.

Yes I know. I am happy being a misanthrope- my luggage tag reads "doesn't travel well with others".

Back to the Whee- she was most enamored of the fact that our train had a cafe car. She could walk around and get snacks without anyone ever turning on a light that said 'fasten seatbelts'.

She pretty much depleted their Dr. Pepper supply. And none of the food was, in her words, "that gross health food stuff."

There's no turbulence on trains. Just a gentle rocking that lulls you to sleep. That's why I like trains. I can sleep while I travel. I have slept while I was driving, but I don't recommend it-I was the driver.

It's also a little nostalgic, gliding into station after station, seeing the inner parts of small towns as you coast by, rather than a blur as you exceed the speed limit on the interstate.

Kudos to the folks at Amtrak, for an excellent way to make a day trip. A-a-a--a-a-ll aboard!

Catching up

I'll get a new post up in a day or two. The last few days have been a whirlwind of snakes, bubbles, tanks, trains, critters, painting and packing. Don't you hate it when people say enigmatic garbage like that?

Here's some idea of my week:

Right now The Whee and I are on an Amtrak train- the Heartland Flyer- to Ft. Worth, where we will eat, make fun of the monkeys in the zoo, climb in the fountains at the Water Garden, hope to not get arrested, and be back for band practice tomorrow!

Summers are for doing things you don't normally do, for new experiences, and for sleeping in. The Whee will say we're two for three.

Fee Free for Summer!

To celebrate the summer solstice on June 21st, The National Park Service will be offering free admission to these parks.  Some people call the summer solstice the first day of summer. If you live in Oklahoma, you know that summer started about a month ago, blazing in at 95 degrees, right after that four-hour spring we had in May.

I think summer starts when I have my first ice cream sandwich of the season.  That was about a month ago too. About a month and 742 ice cream sandwiches ago. I've cut back from last year.

In case you're not sure which National Park you'd like to go see, I've included some pictures of national parks we've visited, and a few helpful tips to aid in your decision.

If you want to see animals bigger than you, try Glacier National Park in Montana.

If you haven't got enough of the heat, Arches National Park in June or July will serve you well for roasting. It's also good if you like being between a rock and a hard place.

If you like a lot of UP, might I suggest Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado? It's a peak experience. 

If you like old, as in really, really, old, Mesa Verde National Park, also in Colorado, is, well, almost as old as dirt.

If you want to get up close and personal with the old stuff, step up to Bandelier National Monument. It adds an aerobic element to your trip. You don't mind really tall ladders, do you?

If you're into big spaces, funny smelling steam, and playing king of the mountain with the natives, Yellowstone National Park in Wyoming is gonna be your favorite watering hole. Only don't drink the water.

If you're into white and bright, how about White Sands National Monument in New Mexico? Get your snowsled out of storage and take your shades. And it's probably hotter than 95 there.

If you're into subtle, try the Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument in Colorado. Most of the fossils are under the surface. You get to see where they're buried.

And if you're hankering to see the most beautiful place on earth, you're back in Glacier National Park. Way, way, waaaaay up on the north side before you slide off into the netherland that is Canada. And it ain't 95 degrees there.  Hands down, this is where I want to spend the rest of my life. Take bear spray.

Happy Trails, and may your adventures give you a chance to park your carcass outside!

Things I love about summer

1. I love rain, and thunderstorms. Listening to the thunder call back and forth across the sky is a great way to go to sleep. I love the intensity and energy of summer storms.

Damage caused by storms- not so much.

2. I love the farmer's market. All those fresh goodies get my creative cooking juices boiling. Except for mustard greens. Greens and I have more of a love/hate relationship. Lettuce is fine, and I can graze my way through acres of fresh spinach, one leaf at a time. But greens are different. They have personalities. I suspect that mustard greens and I don't get along so well because we are too much alike- a bit sharp and bitey. But we're working on it. Small nibbles.

3. I love s'mores. More, more, more S'mores. Nutella/marshmallow fluff S'mores and ice cream. What's not to like about that?

4. I love hanging out with my spawn. This gorgeous, fun, witty creature. My sidekick. My Tonto. My Robin. Until she starts acting like a typical teenager, then I pretend I don't know who she is. I offer money to strangers to babysit. Ok, maybe I'm kidding about that part. Maybe.

     Happy Trails, and may you find adventures you'll love!

Whew!

Well, we've survived yet another storm passing through the plains. A day and half without electricity. Two days without air conditioning. I HAD to eat those two gallons of ice cream before they melted. It was hard, but I sacrifice when it's important. That's just the kinda gal I am.

I'm a real life pioneer woman who can be tough when I need to be, but I think AC is probably the greatest invention of all time, followed closely by the microwave. Cool air when it's 101 outside tends to make my family get along better. Slightly less likely to kill each other. Heat, close proximity, chocolate cravings, and a teenager who can't stop drumming on things tilt things the other way.

Now that the cool breath of life has been restored to our abode, we can concentrate on more important things. The Whee is studying for her scuba class. I'm writing lecture notes for fall classes. Philoboy is finding the 127th way to call a ball player 'out!'  We all have our passions and our duties.

Summer is usually thought of as 'downtime', but in our house it's also planning time. Planning fall gardens. Planning school schedules. Planning Christmas crafts (yes, I'm very serious. Don't judge, I'm not crazy, I just need a lot of lead time). And of course, planning for fall B.O.W. (Becoming an Outdoors Woman) encampment. If you'd like to know more about BOW, read about it here.  I'd love to see all of you gals at the workshops.

But summers not all work and no play. We do leave some time for a slower pace of life, for food on the grill, for reading a magazine in the hammock, which is where I'm headed right now. I leave you with a wonderful picture of peace and reflection, courtesy of my friend Susan Bencke. Think of it as your own little corner of summer.

Grateful

Last night, once again, our area was slammed by a severe storm. Many homes and businesses are still without electricity today, with temperatures of 100+ predicted for the day. Our abode has no AC, but we do have electricity for fans. Many are not so lucky.

When the storm hit, Philoboy was umpiring. As the lightning and thunder approached, the games were called and people sent to their cars. The umpires and other officials were leaving the ballpark when, out of the corner of his eye, Philo thought he saw a tree limb fall behind him. When he looked in front of him, he realized it was no tree at all, but the power pole, with live line still attached.

See the black Honda in front? Yep, that's my beloved. This is how he spent the rest of his evening; pelted by hail, water up to the tailpipe, waiting for utility workers and firefighters to shut off power and move poles so he and the others could get home.

While it was kinda cool to see him on the front page, this is not the kind of fame he's looking for. However, it's way better than the kind of notoriety he would have had if the pole had fallen on the car.

I'm so grateful and relieved that it wasn't any worse, and my thoughts and prayers go out to those who did not fare so well.

Seattle, by The Whee

My sister and I went to Seattle. We both want to live there. I love spending time with my sister, even though she does things like tell me we got on the wrong plane.

We ate breakfast almost every morning at Pike Market. I want to live at Pike Market. It's about a million times bigger and better than our farmer market at home.  I ate doughnuts and peaches. They were sooooo good.

My sissy and I went shopping. We love to shop. Mom says shopping is from the devil.

We went to an aquarium, an art museum, and a music place.  We did a lot of walking.

We went up in the Space needle. It took 82 seconds to get to the top. I wish math class went that fast.

We went whale watching. These are minke whales. Mink coats do not come from minke whales. Neither does mink oil. Baby whales come from minke whales.

I may write another blog. Mom says I have to practice writing and math so my brain doesn't rot.  I think I could practice my math by going shopping.

The Value of out and about

Disclaimer: all photos courtesy of The Whee.

The Whee has finally returned to the nest after two whirlwind weeks of being out and about; first in Seattle with her sister and then at church camp. She came home hoarse, almost voiceless. When I told her she sounded like Marlene Dietrich, she said, "I have no idea who that is, but if you know them I'm sure it's an old person."  Whippersnapper.  Old person, my ***. Wait till she has to change my diapers.

The Whee will be guest blogging about her Seattle travels this week. I can't do it since I have no idea what most of the pictures are, where they were taken, or even why, in some cases. I do know that it was a fabulous experience, she got to spend quality time with her sister, and she saw and did things that will stay with her all her life. And that she needs to close her mouth while she's taking pictures.

I can't begin to fully express the value of travel and seeing new things (but you know I'm going to try, don't you). Just a few of the good things, the important things, the valuable things of seeing new parts of the world:

1. You try new foods. This is good practice in case you are ever a guest in a foreign country and are offered a bowl of something that squirms. The Whee ate some fiddlehead ferns. I applaud her for being open to new experiences. She said it was yucky.

2. Your mother can live vicariously through your trips. Since there are a gazillion places to go in the world, and I won't live long enough to visit them all personally, vicarious travel gets me farther.

3. You become more aware of how other people live. And dress. Not everyone wears camo and workboots the same way...

4. You try new foods. The Whee said this bowl of clam chowder was life changing. "Life-changing" is her sister's term for anything really good. In this case, it really was life-changing. It changed The Whee from starving tween to a tween with a full belly who thinks clams should be served at every meal.

5. You begin to understand that 'alien' is a relative term.  Especially if the alien looks like one of your cousins.

6. You see a different side of the people you travel with. And then wish you hadn't. And then you promise each other that "what happens in Seattle, stays in Seattle."

7. You begin to see how we're all connected, and dependent upon and responsible for one another.  Your universe gets a little bigger.

8. And best of all, you soak in beauty. That's an added value that can't be beat. We can all use a little beauty each day as we pass through this world.

         Happy Trails, and may your adventures be as big as all outdoors!

Get out! Get out!

Saturday, June 11th is National Get Outdoors Day! You can read some great ideas and information HERE!

This whole annual day of getting outdoors was my idea. Seriously, I came up with the whole thing. Ok, maybe I'm not serious about it being my idea, but it's certainly my kind of day.

You don't have to be an avid hunter, a fanatic fisherman, a super shooter, or obsessed boater to enjoy the outdoors. Here's some ideas of ways to enjoy the outdoors.

Camping is excellent.

Day hikes are good.

Bike riding is great.

Chasing your children around outdoors is wonderful and they'll love you for it.

Bird watching is an outdoor activity.

A little paddle does a body good.

Grab a good book and head for the nearest hammock.

Fanatic fisherman are allowed.

Stop and smell the wildflowers.

Go play in the pool, the pond, or even the water hose!

Visit the zoo!

Or make a big bowl of ice cream and sit out on the porch to eat it.

Whatever your outdoor activity might be, it's waiting for you. Go find it! Go!  Hurry!  Go now!