Grandmother's Garden (Sounds like the title of a book) 

Mmm, Toes. 

So, sometimes, when you're crawling under an electric fence, you shouldn't touch it. It hurts. And then you look like this. 

Red-winged Black Bird (no, really?). They have the coolest call. 

This is not a swamp. It is a marsh. A marsh, somehow, sounds more romantical. You ever hear anyone go around saying "I'm so overwhelmed, I'm just marshed." Yeah, I thought so.

This here purty plant is called Skunk Cabbage. You know why? It stinks. 

I don't know why it is that we think that having a boy to hold us will make us feel better about ourselves. Why should a boy get to be in charge of our self-image? Hardly seems fair. But it's really not so easy as "Well then, just don't let it be that way." I hate answers like that. Want to know what a Whitworth answer would be? "Have you been in the Word?" Good gracious.

I'm (almost) perfectly aware that I will still be lonely even when I find love. But I will also have a nice fresh set of problems. Image staring at the same math problem over and over and over for 22 years and never finding the answer. Wouldn't it be refreshing just to have a new problem to look at?

I just want to fight with my husband because it will mean I have a husband to fight with. It's kind of like, you know you're not sick when you wish you were sick so that you could stay home. You know? Then when you're sick you would never have wished for it. But that doesn't seem to stop the wishing for it when you're well.

Does any of this ring true with anyone else or is it just me?

Anyway, I'm going to go look at that same problem for another 22 years...

My First Story Time

I think I'll be a children's librarian. Like in a school. Yeah, that sounds good. Today I did my first story time and it was wonderful! I read four stories to forty second-graders (because they kept asking for more). First I read My Lucky Day by Keiko Kasza. What I love about these kids is that one of them will raise his hand and say "I think that the pig said all those things to get the fox to do those nice things and make him tired so that then he could have all that good stuff and run away." And then three other kids will raise their hands and say the same thing. Then I read Duck on a Bike by David Shannon which was also very popular. I read Stephanie's Ponytail by Robert Munsch and I think that was the best one. I have it practically memorized, which helps. Then, because they begged, I read Diary of a Worm by Cronin (who wrote Click, Clack, Moo). I don't really like that book. I think it's boring, but they wanted it, so whatever. Still, it was so much fun and they had so much fun. And I think that as a school librarian I'd get to read different levels of books as read-alouds. I guess I should research going back to school, though I'm awfully comfortable where I am. My hours did just get re-cut so I'm back at 24... la de da and all that. But just think: If I got a job at Starbucks and worked 8-hr shifts on the days I have off from Children's corner, that would give me another 24 hrs, which would be 48 hrs total per week and give me full benefits from Starbucks. And then I'd have no time for school.
Hmmm.

I don't really have anything to say. I just feel like saying it. I've had a cold for over a week now and I think my ears are going to explode. Snap. Crackle. Pop.
Work is going well. Today was one of my favorite kinds of days. I straightened the store, read for a while, checked in a bunch of books, shelved, read some more, saw Sarah McLachlan (um, yes), put out some new Schleich animals... All in the peace and quiet of working by myself and helping a few customers. I love my job.
This afternoon I read a whole bunch, took two naps, and watched 2 1/2 hrs of TV. I don't like any of the girls on The Bachelor. Just in case anyone wondered.
Mom and Emily came by for about 15 minutes today and saw that I haven't exaggerated one bit when I say how big Fitz is. He weighs 14.8 lbs and is tall and long and wide. He's still a kitten! What am I going to do with this beast? I just pretend that he isn't actually a cat, but some other animal that is naturally larger.

Mostly, I wonder how to go for walks and how to go out and take pictures, how to travel, how to write, what to write about, and just how to make life meaningful. Supposedly, I'm not supposed to stay inside so much. I've always liked it inside though. I guess, if I had company (and that's really the problem right there) I wouldn't mind sitting by some creek somewhere (with not too-tall grass and not too many bugs). As long as I could still just lie there for at least part of the time. I think just lying there is a great gift.

Speaking of having company, though, I don't know about the whole boyfriend/husband thing. I mean, really, who wants to have to be tied down to someone like that? One more person to tell me how to live, too. Sheesh. I went out to dinner with my roommate and her mom the other day after they both had lectures from their husbands. And then they tried to convince me to marry a man that I have about 2% desire to marry in the first place. Right.

Okay, well, I obviously have not had enough reading or sleep for the day, so I'm going to get ready for bed and then read some more. Hopefully since I played with Fitz for 1 1/2 of those 2 1/2 hrs of TV, he'll sleep tonight and I won't have to kick him out of my room.

Well, now wasn't that the most exciting blog ever??

Spring has Sprung! 

A bird's nest. One of three in this particular tree. It looks a bit like a cowpie but I'm not letting that bother me, so neither should you. 

This, as you can see, is a plant. And a very small bit of the Spokane River. 

Okay, so not that I should do this, but I went for a lovely walk today down by the river. You can almost pretend you're in the country. It was like 65 degrees and nice evening light. Mmmmm. 

Have you ever had homemade rhubarb wine? This would be the man who introduced it to me. They don't make it in wooden barrels anymore because they are too hard to clean. They put it in any old bottle they can find, so I have some in my fridge right now labled Sobe Grape Gulp or something like that. I hope noone tries to gulp it. It's alcohol content is like 18%. My eyes about shot out of my head after one sip.

Guess how many chickens they have? 8,000. Only.  

Today I got to meet some Hutterites from a colony in Montana where Gaugie taught. Emily and I joined them for dinner at Grandma's house.  

Aspirin Commercials Give Me Headaches

Today, after I got up anyway, I didn't have a headache. That means my headache only lasted 6 days!

 

Jarrett Dale Beaudry, my newest little cousin. He is one month old. 

Eva somehow got a hold of nearly every cookie so she could eat the frosting. Then I would have to eat the rest of the cookie so she wouldn't throw it away. Mmmmm, cookies. 

McKenzie in her Easter outfit.  

Kody, my personal cuddlebug. He's my cousin Tamara's youngest son. Looks rather elfish, don't you think? 

Grandma and Grandpa Nordhagen. These are the ones who have all the cows.  

My Grandmother turned 80 this last Thursday. 

My cousin Sean is the (very) proud new owner and best friend of Jack. Sean can spin Jack around 8 times before he'll give up that tennis ball. 

In AZ, Jack only has pavement to play on. He loves being back on the grass. It's better for chasing balls and relaxing. 

I never got to say goodbye when Jack moved to Arizona. He's still as cute as ever, and this time I gave him a proper farewell.  

After many months, most of the gang is together again! (We missed you, Mark and Sarah!) Pizza and Pit is our idea of a great party. 

Jack is in town! Must visit...

Due to publishing issues, the last picture was not actually the last cow picture. This is another new calf, about 3x the size of primrose. Her name, for now, is Pete because Em always thinks she's a boy. Poor Pete was very stressed about being caught.