Bear ye one another's burdens...Galatians 6:2

We are home! The weather was perfect for the church backpack trip.  G walked the entire two miles to the campsite.  Goldilocks was carried most of the way, but she did enjoy getting down and walking with The Man.

She chose her own outfit, by the way.  She convinced someone to put the orange one-piece romper on her when everyone else was getting dressed.  Before long she was back with the denim jumper on asking someone to button it for her.  A few minutes later she returned with a pair of jeans.  I drew the line there.  We are still potty training, and I didn't want too many layers to deal with!

The Man's pack weighed over 70 pounds, but that was before Goldilock's pack was tied on there (G had a backpack, so it was only fair that she also had one).

Not only did G walked the entire way, but he became an expert at pointing out the horse poop along the trail.  In case you are wondering, his pack contained a pillow, a blanket, Curious George, a toothbrush, two pairs of underwear, and a harmonica--all important wilderness essentials!

Don't feel too sorry for The Dog, he practically crawled from the vehicle to the trail head with his pack of dog food.  After showing off his puppy dog eyes, the pack was removed from him and put on Painter, with J carrying the chain for Painter.  The Dog is no dummy. 

Especially since once the dog food was eaten and we were ready to come home, the pockets on the doggie pack were the perfect size to hold the diapers and underwear of Goldilocks that didn't stay dry.

It was a beautiful trip, but I was glad to get home, and Goldilocks is happy to always be within a 10-second sprint of the bathroom.

Am I a dog...1 Samuel 17:43

Dear M,

Hi. How are you? Your mom left the computer on the porch, so I wanted to take this opportunity to say woof. I hope you are having a good time at that place called college. Do they have any dogs there?  If they do, I'm sure they aren't as good as I am.

Guess what?  We're going backpacking today!  I'm not sure why they call it backpacking, because it doesn't have anything to do with my back, and I certainly don't pack anything.

I want to let you know how much you are missed around here.  The other folks still feed me and pat me on the head and stuff.  But it just isn't the same.

Speaking of food...I wonder who will be carrying my food on this backpack trip for me since you aren't here to do it. 

Oh, I have to show you a picture of this ridiculous contraption your mom made.  I have no idea why they buckled it on my back. 

If that wasn't enough, they put a bag of dog food into each pocket.  A LOT of dog food.  Why, it is enough food to last me and that other beast at least two days. As you can probably tell, I was very annoyed that they put that thing on me. I was so glad when they took it off. I hope I never see it again.

Then your mom rigged up some other bag, put a chain in it, and tried to put it on the beast's back.  Of course, he just stood there and refused to move.  Your brothers talked about what they would do if he refused to carry his chain.  Hmmm.  I wonder where he's going to take a chain.

Well, it looks like they are loading up things now. I better go. I need to find out who is carrying my food for me.

Your faithful friend,
The Dog

Poison...James 3:8 (part IV)

Yes, again. Since I had to look back at my blog posts to see when the last time this happened and for med dosages, I thought it would be a good time to update the blog. Eh. We do still have some meds on hand from the last episode a few years ago, but we're contemplating what to do when they run out. Our vet is (surprise!) out of town for the weekend. The Man just got in touch with someone at the hospital who agreed to give him the needed meds, so he is off to get those.

So, update on us: New dog was added to our family the end of June. Weird story since I wasn't even looking to add another responsibility to our full-to-overflowing plates, but I clicked on a link late on a Friday afternoon, and then surfed, and somehow ended up on Petfinder.com. I punched in our zip just for kicks and a dog showed up that I knew needed a home. Any home. Not ours, because, of course, we didn't need another dog. I sent out a plea on facebook for someone to go get the dog. The Man thought it looked like a good dog and told me it was up to me if we got it.
First thing the following Monday morning I called the pound to get more information on the dog. Tuesday afternoon the kids and I went up there just to look. I took the Dog along, too, just in case I wanted to see how they got along. I still wasn't thrilled about getting another pet, but this puppy needed a home.

The lady at the pound said he was a stray that had been there 2 months! She said everyone that came to see him said he was too big, but he was a sweetheart that needed a home. He was a bit bigger than I'd anticipated. I was agreeable to taking him for a trial and the lady said she would waive the adoption fee since she wanted him to get out of the pound.

Since we got him for "free," it didn't hurt quite so bad to stop on our way home to buy a crate, dog dish, leash, collar, and harness. I told myself that even if we didn't end up keeping him, the Dog's 15 year old crate needed to be replaced anyway, so it would be too much of a waste.

The Man laughed at me when we got home. He seemed to recall me telling him in the not so distant past that I didn't want a big dog. OK, so this dog is pretty big. He tipped the scales at nearly 90 pounds. But he is a sweetheart...that runs like a horse...and should have been named something like "Houdini." Instead we named him Painter. No special reason other than it was a name that nobody especially hated, and when he wags his tail (often) he looks like a black dog that dipped his tail in some white paint and spattered it around. J also mentioned something about the amount of drool that comes out of his mouth, but that's kind of gross.

The vet has no clue as to what breed of dog he is. He was advertised as McNab x Hound, but the vet, we, and everyone else agrees that he doesn't have hound in him. The vet said he definitely isn't Chihuahua (hee-hee). The vet guessed that maybe he was McNab x Pyrenees. Possible, but he has short hair. The vet guessed he is probably between 2-3 years old.

I was hoping that he and the Dog would be pals. The Dog is nearly 8 years old, and with all of his poisonings, I don't want to think about his lifespan. The Dog tolerates Painter, but he was quite offended that we didn't ask his opinion before we brought him home. The Dog stayed under the van moping for the first two days after we brought Painter home.

So, a little over a week after we brought Painter home, we left on a 3-week trip. I know...getting a new dog right before a long trip was NOT one of my smarter moments. I marveled at my own stupidity. He did have an excellent dog-sitter while we were gone, and I know he was better off than being caged (or worse!) while we were gone. I don't know how much longer the pound would have kept him!

Our 3-week trip involved leaving home at 7 pm on a Thursday night, driving straight through to arrive in Walla Walla for an 8 am appointment at the college, visiting friends and the Whitman Mission, taking M & J to summer camp, visiting The Man's aunt and uncle, camping in Idaho, back to pick up M & J, camping under the stars in Montana, Little Big Horn, Crazy Horse, Mount Rushmore, Wall Drug, Andrews University in Michigan (and visits with Grandma & Grandpa, aunts, uncles, cousins, and friends), Indiana (another Grandma, Grandpa, aunt, uncles, cousins, and friends), more family in Kentucky, college visit in Tennessee and then we were ready to go home! We left Tennessee on Wednesday morning and drove straight through to the Grand Canyon. We arrived there about 3 pm on Thursday, left at 5, slept about 2 hours at some dinky rest stop between Las Vegas and Reno, and arrived home about 2 pm on Friday. Whew. That last paragraph deserves several blog posts of its own, but considering my blogging habits lately, that will have to do!

Life is too crazy right now to even sort out more blog posts.

I took this video of S yesterday. I dare you to watch it and not smile.

Two are better than one...Ecclesiastes 4:9

Warning: If you are of the camp that believes certain animals are more important than food for a family, just click away from this post. Thank you.

For those of you that have not had the pleasure of meeting a California ground squirrel, you haven't missed much! They are pests. Extreme pests! Just imagine that they are like their cousins, the rats, with bushier tails. They dig under the building foundations and try to destroy whatever else they can. We have to tread carefully out in the field to avoid the burrows.

The Dog usually takes care of the ground squirrels around our property, however he doesn't have ready access to our fenced garden area. The squirrels were "taking care" of our garden this spring until we started keeping a live trap on the compost pile within the fenced garden area. About 2-3 times a day the Dog alerts us to a squirrel in the trap. The trap is moved to an open area and opened, then the Dog does the rest.

This morning the Dog started barking so the boys went to move the trap. There was not one, but two squirrels in the trap. This has happened before, but it is a very rare occurrence. The Dog had to have some help dispatching of those two.

Later in the afternoon the Dog started barking again. This time I needed a picture!
Yes, the Dog is drooling. There were another two!
The second is hard to see in the shadow of the door, but there are two in that trap. It turned into an interesting object lesson for the kids. If you are going to do something that will get you into trouble, it doesn't necessarily help to do it with a friend...well, it may help the predator!

Poison (again)...James 3:8

I've started posts a few times to update y'all on school, but something always interrupts before I hit "Publish." The kids are all tucked in bed now and The Man is on his way home from the hospital with more meds for the Dog, so I have a few minutes now. What? More meds for the Dog? Yes. Again. Grrrr. Of course the vet is out of town, but we still know people. Hopefully the meds he brings home in addition to the stuff we've already given him that was left over from last year will fix him up soon.

School is going okay, I think. M is busy from the time he gets up in the morning until he goes to bed at night. At least it should keep him out of trouble. Those of you that know M personally know that he is the one least likely to get into trouble in the first place. He is doing a lot more this year and we're still not quite sure how all the classes will work out, but we'll keep going a week or two at a time.

J is in 7th this year. He decided he wanted to switch back to Saxon Math this year (from Teaching Textbooks) and is in Algebra 1/2 (pre-algebra). So far he is doing well, although the novelty of the new school year has definitely worn off now. You may read into that statement what you will, but that's all I'm saying about that.

S is in 4th grade. Fortunately he is still an eager learner and can pretty much direct himself with his work.

Sacagawea is enjoying 2nd grade, although she is realizing that it isn't as easy as 1st grade! She still has plenty of time to play with G.

G is into and onto everything. Crawling is still quicker than walking, but he loves to climb! We have to be careful to push the kitchen chairs back under the table all the way, or he climbs right on up.

I hear The Man driving back in, so I need to go help administer more meds!

Began to make excuse...Luke 14:18

I almost stole my last post title for this one...we have been busy...but four months? Yes, it has been nearly four months since my last post. Dreadful. Terrible. I am ashamed. I am so, so, so sorry. Please forgive me.

I really don't have any good excuses, other than my limited computer time has been spent over on Facebook. Most of that is while I'm feeding G, so I really can't type a blog post. I should be doing something else right now, so I'm just going to give really quick updates. Ready?

G: The sweetest baby. Really. He is so intense, and smart, also. No, I'm not biased a bit. Since I've last posted, he started rolling, crawling, got his 2 bottom teeth, standing on his own, and any day now he will start walking. Whew.

We are still waiting for the remainder of his second round of blood tests we had done for allergy testing. He's had a rash for several months, and after ruling out all other factors, we had the blood testing. It turns out he is allergic to a lot of the things that I eat. So, until he quits using me for his main source of nutrition, I'm not eating: soy, wheat, gluten, oats, eggs, cashews, almonds, and peanuts. That's a small list, but I quickly discovered that those items are in almost everything I (used to) eat.

I can have rice, corn, apples, oranges, potatoes, tomatoes, yeast, and cow's milk (although I'm slightly allergic to that!), and black beans. We just found out today about the black beans and we are still waiting for the results for other beans, seeds, and nuts.

Sacajawea has lost her two front teeth and has them mostly grown back in now. She has taken up crochet and will be happy to make a hat for you if you send her the size of your head. Color and style will be her choice!

S is thrilled that we actually TOLD him to dig in the front yard. We've spent the last 6 years telling him not to dig in the yard since he has 50+ other acres in which to dig! He helped dig out around some pipes that needed replacing. He also got braces in April.

J's mouth is now metal-free (for now), including his retainer, since some other teeth grew in. We'll re-evaluate his situation in six months.

The biggest news of our summer is that J made the decision to be baptized. The Man baptized him in the same pond in which M was baptized on July 11 surrounded by friends and family. It was a very special day as G was dedicated the same day.

M is growing taller. He's still working doing lawn care for the same place he worked last summer. I can't believe he'll be in 10th grade this year. We are in the midst of ordering all of our books for the new school year.

The Dog is now living outside. He got sent to the back porch when I was painting the inside of the house. Since then, G's blood test also showed he was allergic to dogs, so...sorry, Dog!

We're in the middle of Financial Peace University at our church. The county fair starts next week and our church will once again have a booth there.

I really hope to get photos up of our summer, but the battery in my camera is dead right now. Hope you all have had a good summer, thanks for being patient waiting for an update from us!

I shall be safe...Psalm 119:117

S bought an add-on for the gerbil cage and an exercise ball for Gerald when we were up in the big city yesterday.
We thought this was the safest way to introduce Gerald to The Dog since The Dog likes disposing of Gerald's distant cousins. The Dog sniffed around the ball for a bit then he tried to pounce on it.
We think it is best if Gerald's future exercise sessions take place while The Dog is outside. Gerald agrees!

Poison...James 3:8

Last evening the Dog stood at the back slider. That was a bit odd since he usually hangs out on the front porch, but we let him inside. He promptly tripped over a cord and headed for his crate. J commented that he looked odd standing in his crate. The Man thought he was walking funny. M headed outside to put the chickens in their coop about 8:30. The Dog wouldn't budge from his crate. That's when we were sure something was wrong, because the Dog basically lives for going with M to care for the chickens.

The Man looked him over and decided that he was showing some of the same symptoms he had a few years ago when the vet diagnosed Strychnine poisoning. The Man called the vet (out of town, please call animal hospital in next state), another vet (nope, won't even look at a dog, only large animals), and the people hospital. In this instance it was a case of what you know AND who you know. It took a few hours to work out the logistics, but by 10:30 The Man was back home with the necessary drugs. It wasn't a moment too soon, for when The Man walked in the front door the Dog bolted out of his crate and had a seizure. I was beginning to wonder if it was really Strychnine again since he hadn't had any seizures, but that erased all doubt.

We dragged the Dog out to the utility room, laid him down on some towels, and got started. M held his back legs while I held his head. The Man tried to find a vein, but his vet skills could use a bit of work. He ended up giving the meds* in muscle, and within five minutes the Dog was completely relaxed. M took him outside on the leash so the Dog could relieve himself** while we moved the Dog's crate to the utility room. We put up a gate so he could spend the night out there.

The Man got up a few times during the night to check on him, and he seems to be ok. I wanted to take him to the vet today to have him looked over since he is due for a rabies shot anyway, but the office said we should wait a few weeks for the rabies if it was Strychnine. We will just keep a close eye on him the next few days.

We do know which neighbor uses the Strychnine. The ground squirrels, etc. are eating it and coming onto our property where they are coming into contact with the Dog (ok, so the Dog is coming into contact with them). We're still trying to figure out how to nicely deal with the neighbor.

The Dog better be grateful for what lengths The Man was willing to go to for him, especially after what the Dog did to The Man's pickup Saturday afternoon. A squirrel decided to hide out in the engine compartment and the Dog tried to retrieve it. Most of the wiring has been repaired, and it is drivable, although The Man said the ABS on one of the wheels isn't currently functional. Bad Dog!

* Since the purpose of this blog is not to dispense veterinary advice, but I know some people will end up here through a search engine while in the same predicament we were in last night, here are the links to the drugs and dosage recommendations we used.
Link #1
Link #2

**When this happened a few years ago, we didn't know what was wrong until The Man got him to the vet. Since he was hot and panting, we had given him a lot of water in the hours until the vet called us back. We didn't realize that he couldn't relieve himself until the vet gave him the meds and he immediately relieved himself right there on the vet's table. This time we were prepared with all the towels, but he obviously hadn't had as much water and was able to wait until he got outside. Good Dog!

Assist her...Romans 16:2

I walked into the kitchen this morning and saw that the breakfast dishes were still on the table.

"Someone needs to come clear the table!" I called.

Immediately 2 pairs of feet came running to do the job. Thanks, but ummm...no!

Dogs eat crumbs...Matthew 15:27

This is what I found when I came into the kitchen yesterday morning...This stuffed doggie used to be M's but it was passed down to the younger kids. I believe its current name is America.

The kids had put America up at the table in a highchair. He even has a few crumbs in front of him to eat. Lucky dog!
As you can see, the kids were quite creative with adjusting the height of the not-too-highchair.

Unfortunately, the Dog doesn't have a problem reaching the table. After I packed up the cookies for the potluck tomorrow, I left a few extra on a tray for our supper...on the table.

A little while ago I heard some suspicious sounds coming from the kitchen. I investigated and found a cookie face down on the floor. Since the Dog was standing there licking it, I decided the evidence was more than circumstantial and sent him to his crate with a stern "Bad Dog!" I didn't really care about the cookie, but he knows better than to take stuff from the counters or table. He's welcome to take any crumbs he can find on the floor. Maybe he thinks that since America is allowed at the table, he is also.

Not a...razor...Judges 16:17

These pictures were taken last Friday night. I'm still insisting that The Man's beard is too rough and sharp, but the Dog doesn't seem to mind.

Two are better than one...Ecclesiates 4:9

Disposing of the trash isn't as simple as it used to be. When we lived in the city we could just run out the door and drag the cans to the street when we would hear the brakes of the trash truck. Now, we can't even hear the truck from the house. We usually take the trash cans down the 1/4 mile driveway to the road the evening before trash pickup.

Trash cans? Check. The Dog? Check.The Dog, always eager to hitch a ride, loves taking the trash to the road. If M is outside, The Dog is usually with him. Whether it is taking care of the chickens, feeding the horse, or just taking the trash to the road, The Dog is right there with M. Actually, The Dog has even been known to wait outside the bathroom door for M.

That's the '83 pickup that we just got back from the mechanic's (we're still waiting for the '76 to be repaired). The squirrel-chewed wiring was fixed and now it is our back-up vehicle when one of the others is taking a rest. It is perfect for hauling wood around the property, taking the trash to the road, and for young men to drive.M is quite proficient at driving around the property. The best part is that he loves taking out the trash now. The truck has a cracked windshield and temperamental turn signals, but M doesn't seem to mind. We'll see if the truck is still functional when M is legal to drive on the open road. Maybe M will even let The Dog ride with him inside the cab.

Down to the floor...Ruth 3:3

Tonight I decided it was my turn to mop the floor. Since the former owner used a walker, there are parallel tracks worn in the finish of the linoleum. Every few months the floor needs more than the kids can handle to clean up those paths.

After I put the kids in bed The Dog hid in his crate. I started cleaning the kitchen/dining area floor about 8:30. Three hours later I was done. Sort of. Vacuuming the floor, mopping the floor, going over the worn spots with a Magic Eraser, and finally a coat of Future.

In the morning I'll move the table to the other end of the room and put some Future in that area. I need to call The Man in the morning before he leaves the ER to ask him to bring some more home from the city. I'm not sure there is enough left in the bottle to finish the area under the table. I've never used Future on this floor before, but the finish is pretty much gone.

The Dog is hiding in his crate. I got one of those combs the other day that is supposed to drastically reduce the amount of hair that he'll shed. I tried it out for a few minutes the other day and he didn't complain about it. He rolled over and let me brush him, but as soon as I paused he ran to his crate and wouldn't (willingly) come out for anything. I put the comb away and spent the day calling him to me and petting him. He is still leary, but he is coming around a bit.

Oh, we got snow today. It's been raining for the past day or so. This morning it turned to light flurries but the temperature was about 34 and nothing was sticking. About 3:00 as we went outside to do some chores I noticed the temperature had dropped to 33. The light flurries turned to near-blizzard conditions. By the time we came inside at 4:00 the snow had stopped and we had over an inch of snow on the ground. It was a lot prettier than the mud!

Off to check if the floor is dry so I can get to the utility room to throw some clothes into the dryer before bed. Good night!

Come with me...2 Kings 10:16

We started back to school yesterday. I need to find more things for A to do during our school time. She quickly finished her things and ran off to play. When she was bored with that she sought out The Dog.

After playing with A for awhile, The Dog retreated to the safety of his crate. The kids are not allowed to bother The Dog when he is in the crate. He spends quite a bit of time out of the crate, but he wants to be alone he heads for the crate.

In between lessons this morning I caught this picture.
A is silently imploring The Dog to come out. Yes, she was still in pajamas. No, I hadn't brushed her hair yet. She is dressed and properly groomed now. Really.

It is raining today. I need to run up to the city today to do some banking, shopping, and browsing at the library. The Man will be home to stay with whichever kids don't wish to go with me.

...that nothing be lost...John 6:12

We're back! Actually we've been back since last Wednesday night, but I'm just now getting around to updating things here. It was quite a busy week. While unloading the van curbside at the airport we discovered that M's carry-on bag was not in the van. I was sure that I packed the bags and placed them by the door for The Man to carry to the van the night before. The Man was sure that he carried all the bags by the door to van. Fortunately it only contained "stuff to do on the plane" things, so he was able to share with the others. From now on I think he will take care of his own bags.

M was a good sport about it and helped me lug all the bags through the line while The Man went to park the van. We filled out all the little paper luggage tags for our checked and carry-on baggage. We had one left over.

It had been three years since the boys had flown (2 for A), so they spent most of the flight becoming reacquainted with the aircraft. While The Man tried to nap, S studied the plane evacuation procedures. He is now able to explain, in great detail, that in the unlikely event that our plane goes down on water we are not to use the back exits. And, you'll be happy to hear, there ARE flotation devices under the seats. S checked.
They had a wonderful time at Grandma & Grandpa's. While there, we were able to spend a few days at a Restoration International family camp, spend time with cousins, aunts & uncles, and visit a children's science museum. That's J and A exploring the 2-story grapevine. Soon it was time to pack up again and return home. S and A followed the flight attendant's instructions and "flapped their wings" to make the plane go faster. She said they were the only two on the plane that followed through. It was because of them that the plane was only 30 minutes late due to headwinds. Really. An airline employee said so, so it must be true. S was so proud.

We didn't get home until 11:30 that night (that's 2:30 a.m. in the time zone we had left). By 11:35 everyone was in bed and sound asleep.

The next day I set out in search of the missing carry-on baggage. I found it packed, in my walk-in closet. It must have walked in there.

***

Q: What do you call a deer head in a paper sack?

A: Carrion (Carry-on) luggage.

***

The dog missed us while we were gone. At least he sure was excited to see us all when we returned. The critter sitter said he was rather ill the day after we left. I didn't get all the details, but I did use my carpet cleaner when we returned. Maybe it had something to do with the deer head he found and consumed the day before we left. Could be.

Your garments did not wear out…Deut. 8:4

Can you read it now? There have been some suggestions that the default typeface was too small, so we’ll try making it a bit bigger.

***

Use #27 for A’s almost out-grown pajamas:

A thought Shue [I've just been informed by A that this is Da, Shue is the girl doll. My apologies to Shue and Da for the mix-up] looked quite handsome in his new clothing. Also, when she holds him up by his head, he seems to be just as tall as she is. How neat!

Use #32 for old socks:

The Dog managed to cut his foot on something. Yes, he has had a rough go of it the past few weeks. In an attempt to keep blood off the carpet, one of A’s old socks was called into action to keep the bandage in place. The Dog didn’t appreciate the kids (and adults) laughing at him as he walked-slipped across the floor so he hid out in his crate until the bleeding subsided.

Do not fear…you are of more value than many sparrows...Luke 12:7

The Dog has had a rough time the past few days. Thursday evening about 8:00 p.m. we noticed he was a bit skittish and walking funny. We decided to let him outside to run around a little bit. While walking down the step from the entry to the main part of the porch he went into a skid and had a seizure. Hmmm. When it was over he was obviously shaken, but he wanted to go inside. A few minutes later he tried to jump on my lap (not allowed, but I was making an exception). He made it to my lap, but had another seizure. He then went and hid in his crate. The Man said it wouldn’t be good if he had another seizure while in the crate, and he dragged him back outside to the porch.

While I stayed with the scared Dog, singing to him about sparrows in between the seizures, The Man was trying to get a hold of the vet and anyone else he knew that might know stuff about dogs. The Man popped outside to say I needed to take his temperature. Huh? Yes, his temperature, with a thermometer, in there…that particular thermometer is now in the doggie drawer.

The Man came out to help do the deed since I was still trying to hold him steady during the seizures and I didn’t want to lose the thermometer in there. Well, losing the thermometer wouldn’t have been a problem, retrieving it might have been.

With a temperature of about 105° we knew he was overheated and suspected heatstroke even though he had plenty of water sources available to him. For the next hour I sat on the front lawn with Dog letting water from the hose cool him off. The Man went to get something to stop the seizures. By the time the Man returned, Dog’s temperature was near normal. After a few shots, the seizures lessened, but Dog was still pretty stiff. The Man carried him to the back porch where it was decided Dog and Man would spend the night.

About 1:00 a.m. the vet finally returned the call (he had been out of cell phone range making a house call). The Man took Dog to the vet’s where the vet immediately diagnosed strychnine poisoning. After some additional IV medication, Dog was finally able to relax.The Man and Boys returned the following morning to bring home a very drowsy Dog. A, still in her pajamas, played nurse.After resting Friday and the weekend he is once again drooling at the squirrels and the rabbits through the slider. He won’t be allowed back outside unattended until we find out which neighbor is not being careful with the strychnine poison. We figure he probably got a squirrel or other rodent after it had been poisoned and traveled unto our property.

Updates from last week:
The child is doing much better. The child is still trying to figure out how Grandma knew who it was…Proverbs 20:11.

I didn’t need the sign. The lawnmower man gave me back a working mower on Thursday. M got the front lawn mowed. The side yard is over a foot tall and being pollinated by a variety of stinging insects. After an application of the baking soda and water to the sting site, the rest of the side yard can wait until an evening when it isn’t raining.