The Pool - 2008

The new porch has led to a renewed interest in the pool this year. Andrew and I have challenged each other to swim at least five days out of seven this summer, and so far we're both on track. I can put a radio out on the porch, listen to Dave Ramsey's call-in program or maybe Limbaugh, and have that extra entertainment / stimulation / call it what you will that makes repetitious laps not so . . .boring.

Andrew is keeping up the pool this summer. Last night he found a small dead rabbit in the skimmer! One of his buddies thought he saw one under the poolhouse the other night. Now I know the probable reason why my squash and cucumber plants kept disappearing. Three times I set out plants on the edging of the grassy area to the right of the porch, watered them, and then they would be, not wilted, but gone! Unfortunately, now it's about too late to set new ones out. Apparently the rabbit did not care for tomato plants as they are doing just fine. Poor little thing--thinking he was just hopping across to get a snack, and landing in the pool.

I will try to replace this picture soon with a picture of the pool opened, not still covered. It was either a covered pool with the current porch, or an uncovered pool with the old deck. I've not got time right now to go get a picture.

I, Me, My

It is impossible, and even undesirable, to write a personal blog or a personal anything without ever using personal pronouns. However, my father has drilled into his children from childhood that we should be conscious of how often we use these words in correspondence and writing, and should minimize their use--and I have used the concept in teaching English classes as well. Lately I've become conscious of this phenomenon again, partly due to some reading for a study. For example, here is one of the statements in the book:

"I don't know how many times I've repeated the statement I'm about to make, but I'll keep saying it. . ."

Or: (leaving some words out to maintain anonymity)

". . .I realize I am far from the only. . .(10 words). . .Although I would never characterize myself as godly, I will tell you that I loved God. . .(13 words). . .I know plenty of others whom I would not hesitate. . ."

This author desperately needed an editor to cut out what comes across as self-centeredness.

I will be forever grateful to Dad for pointing this out!!

Now anyone who reads this blog will be watching to see how self-centered the author is!

To Expand. . .

To expand and clarify last night's post:

My teenagers love to have friends over. I'm glad that they like to invite people and I'm glad that people apparently like to come. But it's bothered me that so often the only thing they can think of to do is "watch a movie."

"Mom, can we have friends over to watch a movie?"

I'll say. . ."Why don't you play volleyball" or "Why don't you play Taboo" or "Why don't you swim?" But the least common denominator is always. . ."Let's watch a movie."

From what I understand, this is not the only household where that is the norm.

It bothers me on many levels. There is no physical activity involved. There is less opportunity for conversation. There is always the possibility of objectionable materials in today's movies. Their minds are numbing and dumbing down through all this movie watching. It's just such a passive way for friends to be together.

I like a good movie occasionally as much as the next person. (Chick flicks please, no horror or action stuff.) But today's kids (and adults for that matter) are just too used to gluing their faces in front of a screen.

I didn't care for the movie they had rented last night, and spoke up. So that's how the game playing started. And it was fun, and they had a great time. Three cheers for a non-movie night!

Party Time

It does my heart good to see a group of teens/college kids in the big room, eating popcorn, playing the guitar, talking, and playing a game of Scattergories. . .and NOT watching a movie!!!

Yard Sale

The temperature today is 96 degrees. Tomorrow it's supposed to get to 101. And I decided to have a yard sale. Stupidity supreme. I did it because several in the neighborhood were supposed to have sales today and one lady was doing the newspaper ad and putting up signs--a nice savings of time, effort, and trouble. Still not worth it--she didn't put many up and there wasn't much traffic. To top it all off, I only made $42. The only good thing is that my daughter really, really cleaned out. So what if it was at midnight last night--she got rid of a lot of stuff. So when the Haven of Rest truck pulled up to get the rest of the merchandise, I was glad.

A Green Coat

Last night I saw a picture on TV of a little girl swinging in a dark green coat with faux leopard fur around the hood and the cuffs. Boy, did that bring back a memory.

I remember when Mary Lee was about four years old and needed a winter coat. I wanted something nice enough for Sunday but one she could wear to school also. I was looking through the racks at Penney's when--there was her coat. It was beautiful. It was--you guessed it--dark green with faux leopard fur around the hood and cuffs. I fell in love with it on the spot--and then looked at the price tag. $80. Just too much to spend on a coat for a four-year-old; I just couldn't justify it. I reluctantly put the coat back on the rack and left.

Once home I sat down to read the paper, and about halfway through, saw a coupon. For Penney's. For 50% off of any one regularly priced item in the store. $40 I could justify! I flew back to Penney's and got the coat before anyone else could.

Mary Lee wore that coat for three years. She looked adorable in it and it was perfect for South Carolina winters.

After she outgrew it I kept it, waiting for the perfect opportunity to pass it along. Some missionaries to Russia came through asking for warm coats for the children at their orphanage. So that's where the coat ended up. I trust some little girl in Russia--by now probably more than one--has been kept as warm and has enjoyed that coat as much as Mary Lee and her mother did some twelve years ago.

Maybe a little mouse is in the house?

Food is evaporating around my house. Or maybe it's a mouse? Or maybe. . .Andrew is home from college?

Last summer he was still in the thrills of having a paycheck. My offers to pack him a lunch on workdays were met with disdain.

This summer, with gas prices what they are, he's realized that maybe eating Mama's food is a good bit easier on the back pocket than eating out. So. . .he lets me pack him a lunch, he lets me fix him eggs for breakfast before work, he's home for supper just about every night, he gets his snacks from the pantry.

All of which is good for his budgeting process, an area of his life that has not been highly refined up until now. However, it is disastrous on my food budget! That's OK--I'll take that hit to have him at home. I did have to tell him to cut back on the milk. Two weeks ago he/we went through THREE gallons in a week! That had to slow down.

Mary Lee doesn't really eat a whole lot most of the time. Occasionally she goes on a hunger jag and fills up for a few days. But she's gotten very nutritious in her choices. And when it's just her here, we don't really cook too much. Quite a difference from this summer.

Two pretty things

THREE batches of strawberry jam. There are many things I don't do very well at as a housewife and mother, but I do get the jam made every spring! I did all three batches yesterday afternoon/evening, so it was a chore. Mary Lee helped greatly with cleaning the berries.
The previous owner planted this vine behind the mailbox. We don't do anything to it, but it faithfully comes up every spring with beautiful purple flowers. They don't last long, and for the rest of the summer it's just a plain vine, but for the two or three weeks that the flowers bloom, getting the mail each day is a little more interesting than the other months of the year.

Divergent Rosebush

When we moved to this house in 2000, this rosebush was putting out large yellow roses with pinkish tips. I think it was a "Peace" rosebush. I confess to not taking very good care of it over the years. Well, here is what it is doing now. The top is putting out solid yellow tea roses, not very big, and the bottom is putting out these pink flowers which do not look anything like the yellow roses in shape. I've never seen anything like this and can't find anything about it on Google either.

They never cease to amaze. . .

When Andrew came home from college for the summer, I fully expected him to grow his hair out "longish" like he did last summer. So you can imagine my surprise when he came home from the barber on Thursday with this haircut! I have a hunch he is going to try to grow a "soul patch," as knowing him he needs to find some way to be a non-conformist. I'm not complaining. . .

And, since it's Mother's Day, here's a shot of my daughter who now "looks down on me," especially when wearing 3-inch heels for church:

And one of my two children together, who had a lovely card waiting for me this morning--something that is more precious than a gift, especially when I know most of their money is going for GAS.