Catch-Up Post

We have been up to all manner of foolishness since my last post.

Last week we had a heavy rain during which a clogged gutter overflowed, and we found out that the back room windows we had installed were never properly caulked in. Ed and I happened to be in the room and I noticed water pouring in through the top of the window and pooling on the newly installed wood window sill. We fixed it.

Saturday, as I was getting ready to read in the living room to the kids, I was startled (okay, horrified) to see a solid river of winged ants swarming out of a crack between the floor boards beside the door and blanketing the floor as they headed for the front window. I yelled for Ed, who rushed to our rescue after a quick detour to the garage to mix up five gallons of pesticide, with which he doused the ants. Ed is not a minimalist when it comes to chemical pest control.

The aliens who abducted T.'s brain a little while back apparently found that they had further need of it. It was missing all last week until Friday.

Friday afternoon, while I was digging up more front yard for my flowers (this is turning out to be a very long job), the kids and Ed found a cat. It was limping up and down outside our back fence, sticking its paw in between the wires and looking pitiful. They called me back to look at it and help figure out what we should "do" with it. My sensible idea that we shouldn't do anything with it was completely ignored. It did appear in need of assistance, being pathetically bony, burr covered, and with an injured back leg, so I found it a cheeseburger, a bowl of milk, and some tuna. Next thing I knew, Ed had gone off to Walmart to buy flea shampoo, so we could bring it in where it would be safe and warm until we could bring it in to see the vet. He returned with cat food, flea drops, flea shampoo, mite drops, brush and comb, food and water bowls, and kitty litter. Unless we should happen to find the owner (and our inquiries so far have not turned one up), I think we have a cat. I've never had a cat, and I wasn't expecting to have one, but this does seem to be a cat of Exceptional Charm. Unless I am mistaking some matted hair for something else, it is a little boy cat, and the children have named it Harry.

The man who did the planetarium show we saw last Wednesday had mentioned a free event at Pilot Mountain State Park where members of an astronomical society bring telescopes up and let the public look through them. Saturday night was one of the three yearly viewings, so we went and looked. It was really pretty neat! There were probably about fifteen big telescopes set up, and a small enough crowd so that there wasn't much wait to look. They had stools and ladders, so that even people of K.'s size could reach the eyepieces. We saw the moon in spectacular detail, and Venus and Saturn very nicely as well. The only part I didn't like was that the kids wanted to walk on the trails before it was dark, and the drop off was absolutely terrifying (I do Not like heights).

Sunday afternoon, we went over to Stone Mountain, as the kids have been eager to show Ed the rock water slide and we finally have warmish weather. There were more people at the park than I've seen there before, but Our pool wasn't crowded. T. found a fish in a little shallow water on the side of the pool which he excitedly insisted that we Had to see -- it was "Huge!" Ed and I were skeptical, but we waded over and, what do you know, it Was a Big trout, over twenty inches long. I thought that there must be something wrong with it, but Ed gave it a poke and it turned around (it was in a narrow area) and swam back into the main pool. T. was quite annoyed with him for not grabbing the fish and pulling it out of the water for our dinner, never mind that we don't have a fishing license and no one except me eats fish. It was very exciting, but the kids weren't eager to slide back into the water knowing that that big fellow was lurking in there. I'm sure they'll get over it.

**The last picture is of K.'s "boo boo" face. She finds this face, with added crocodile tears, very effective on her daddy, but she was just practicing for fun with me.