Bits and Pieces

* Last week I witnessed a rescue. Just across the railroad tracks on the other side of the Erie Canal, a white truck was stopped in the middle of the road with several cars waiting behind. Traffic in my lane had also come to a stop. A black man with a shovel, and his white female companion, were scooping a turtle toward the swampy area along the road. I can only assume it was a snapping turtle or they'd have likely picked him up with the hands. Once the creeping reptile was safely on the other side, they hopped back into their truck and we all went our separate ways. I'm guessing several of us were smiling. I know I was.

* Today I got a surprise at work. I opened the refrigerator to take out the milk and was greeted by a blast of warm air and the scent of old hot dogs. You know as well as I do that the interior of a refrigerator is supposed to be cold... Ours was not. I put my hand on one of our milk jugs. It was not cold. In fact, it was quite warm. (blech!) One of our staff ran down the road to Walmart for two more gallons of milk and I took a new package of hot dogs out of the freezer. Pretty much everything in the refrigerator was lost. I saved some fresh carrots and a jar of grape jam. Everything else went into the dumpster. The garbage men don't come until Friday and to tell the truth, I'm a little concerned about those three unopened gallons of milk in there. I might just park as far away from that dumpster as possible for a while.

* I was surprised at work one day last week too, but it was a good surprise. Someone sent me a card with a little gift inside. I haven't a clue where it came from, except that I don't think it was one of my coworkers. It was sent in care of the daycare center. How fun is that? On the way home I bought myself an iced coffee to celebrate. So yummy!

* Tonight I am finding myself tired and achy. Wearing flip flops can make me achy, and spring allergies always make me sleepy. I'm going to bed early again tonight.

(No photos of bulging milk jugs or snapping turtles. Not even a shot of my coffee. Instead a couple of photos from my drive home from the party the other day.)

Waking Up Late (again)

I was tired last night and went upstairs to bed an hour early. I must have needed the extra sleep, but veering from the established routine threw off my sleeping schedule. I woke to use the bathroom earlier than usual (It was 12:30 am.) and likely woke up and went back to sleep again just before my alarm went off. I never heard a thing until Sergio started his car at 6:15 am.

I was jolted awake when I looked at my alarm clock, which is about 12 minutes fast. It read 6:30. I hopped out of bed and grabbed my clothes. There was no time to consider a shower. I didn't have time for that. I washed my face, threw on some deodorant, and grabbed some breakfast. Thankfully, the icy snow that had accumulated on my car over night was not stuck fast to my windshield. I may have actually arrived in the nick of time had it not been for the train ambling down the tracks and across Canandaigua Road at 6:56. I'm not sure what my time card reads, I didn't look, but often the time clock runs slow.

Most of day went fine, aside from Maggie's juicy diaper leaking through her pants and onto the lap of my jeans. It was still early and I decided I was grossed out enough to run out to my car for a clean pair that I keep in case of emergencies. (I have an old bladder...) Being the cook and having defiled clothing just don't go together well. I can handle boogers on my shoulder, but feces on my legs is totally different. Ha ha!

Tonight I came home to chill out and check my computer. What do you know? I had a message on Facebook that I had accidentally left a laughing emoji on a link to an article about the Holocaust. Some people were not happy with me, but both the friend who posted the link and a few others said it was most likely an accident. Oh, dear...

Bits and Pieces

* On Sunday afternoon my older younger sister invited me over for dinner. I was so tired when I arrived that I took a pre-dinner nap. Ha ha! Just curled up on the sofa, put my head on my wadded up jacket, and went to sleep. I felt much better afterward. It's nice visiting someone who loves me enough to let me sleep for a bit. Of course, it helps that I've let her take a nap at my house too.
:0)

* Yesterday was spaghetti and meatball day at work. It's a favorite with the kids. Somehow I managed to sneak in a batch (or two) of applesauce cake for snack too! Smelled yummy at daycare.

* The babies have had colds and runny noses. I was back in the baby room for the evening, tissues in hand, when I noticed Derek was in need. There was a white booger peeking out of his nose. I wiped/grabbed it and was in for a surprise. It was a piece of spaghetti! Well, just a quarter piece. I broke them in quarters before cooking them for the little ones. (So gross! Ha ha!)

* I went to work a half hour early today on dry, clear roads. I drove home this evening through snow and slush. I think "wintry mix" is right! Powdery snow, sleet, freezing rain... I even heard some people got hail. Ah, nothing is unheard of and anything is possible. Can't wait to see what tomorrow morning looks like.

(The photos are old. That's my Number One grandchild a few years back.)

Car Keys Gone AWOL

It was one of those mornings where I seemed to be doing all the usual things, but the clock was ticking faster than normal. I finally hurried out the door with my bags and breakfast only to find my car doors locked and my car key AWOL...

I used the code to open the garage door since the house was locked and the garage was my only way back inside. "My keys must be in my jacket pocket," I thought. I unfolded the stairs to my attic bedroom, climbed up, and looked around for my jacket. It wasn't there. I'd left it on the hook at the bottom of the stairs. Down I went. I folded the steps up again, put my jacket on, and reached into the pocket. My keys weren't there.

I turned a circle or two, checked all my pockets again, and racked my brain. My jeans! I'd changed my jeans! I unfolded the steps once again, climbed up, and found yesterday's trousers. There was the key. Down the steps I went, folding them up as I reached the bottom, and headed out the door to  my waiting bags, breakfast, and still locked car.

I left home later than ever before, drove a tad faster than usual, and arrived at work with a minute to spare because our time clock runs slow. I think it's to keep us from clocking out too soon at the end of the day.

And then... my little friend Parker deposited a portion of his Neocate filled stomach (he has allergies) onto my fresh clean shirt. I was plastered. Ha ha! But I still love him.

(I have no pictures of cars, keys, stairs, or work babies, so you get a few more pictures from my dance through the sunflowers.)

The Babysitter Test.

Do you remember this game?

I am quite accustomed to small children and their messes. In the past seven months I've been drooled on, peed on, spit up on, and boogered. I've had baby poop on my cheek. (Be careful when you smell them.) I've caught a blanket full of puke, and cleaned up utter blow-outs. It's part of the joy of working in the Infant Room. Needless to say I wasn't too concerned about spending the evening with my small grandson.

I cooked his oatmeal, fed him his supper, and we played with some toys. Soon it was bath time. He's over a year so I decided to forgo the baby bath and put him right into the tub. He seemed to like the bath and didn't cry when I washed and rinsed his hair. He looked at his toys and babbled at me. I heard a small noise and thought he  must have passed a bit of gas but didn't see any bubbles... I should have paid a little more attention. Maybe I should have investigated sooner, but other than the little noise there wasn't any sign of trouble. And then I saw it. It was poop.

Even seasoned moms panic a little when there are things floating around the bathtub that shouldn't be there... I mean, it's not like you can just say, "Well, the bath's over now, I'll just get you dressed." Nope. He was contaminated and now the contaminated child had to be removed from the tub and contained, the tub drained and disinfected, the toys bleached, and the boy re-bathed. When I couldn't get the tub drain opened (It has a plug that screws into place... Recall there are "things" in the water I don't want to handle...) I had to let go of the squirming child who then found the toilet lid to be a grand toy. I had to reach into the  poop infested water over and over until I finally got the drain plug loosened. To my initial horror, half the poo went down the drain with the water. Later I was relieved and thankful I was able to wash the rest of it down as well. Then I had to pick up the contaminated child, contaminating myself even further, and find my bottle of bleach with which to disinfect the bathtub so I could re-bathe the boy. We both survived. Putting him to bed was actually more traumatic than the bath. One more Babysitter Test to my account.

Blech

We were off to my niece's graduation party today. It rained and rained. Upon our arrival back at home I found the cause of our poor Oreo's agony. He has an abscess. I will spare you the gory details and just say, "It's gross."

Poop, Poopy Doop and Sofie's Plastic Prison

Poop is not my very favorite thing. It is not the very favorite thing of My Darling, but quite often, in the early morning hours, we find that someone has left us an offering. We are not pleased. Not ever.

Our dear Oreo Cookie is not feeling well at all. Kidney failure can be a long cruel disease. He has been leaving almost nightly "offerings" and they are highly unpleasant. Today he is having a rather difficult time ambulating and I fear his remaining time with us is short. Poor old guy.

Sofie-the-naughty-dog has also fallen into the habit of offering up small stinky gifts when left home alone too often. (Lately she has been left alone too often.) She is now condemned to the Plastic Prison at bedtime. It's a good thing for her that Grandma's Princess Cushion fits so nicely under the laundry basket otherwise it would be a long, cold night on the floor. Thankfully, the Plastic Prison treatment works well and she can be out on patrol during the daytime.

The Scream

Warm water ran down my back as I lathered shampoo through my hair. My eyes were closed as I scrubbed. I leaned back into the stream of warm water to rinse my hair, opened my eyes, and heard a hideous scream escape my own throat. A short, sharp, scream of fright, the kind Mom used to make. The kind I try so hard to avoid making. There, just a few inches from my head was a skinny, long legged spider.

I felt silly for having screamed and the spider, who had just been inches from my head, did his best to climb a wet strand of web to the relative safety of the ceiling. I attempted to keep my eye on the spindly creature who at least twice escaped my field of vision when he again fell toward the warm bath collecting in the tub below.

I couldn't help but think of Mercer Mayer's "Little Critter" and his constant spider companion. I wondered if Mrs. Critter ever screamed at the unexpected company.

Visitng Tim and Other Sundry Stuff

Rachel and I went out to visit Tim this afternoon. In the month since we last visited he has been in and out of the hospital. He must have been pretty sick during that time (He had an e coli infection.) and perhaps our thwarted efforts to visit him were really for the better. He was up and walking today, eager to go out, and looking much thinner than he has in a very long time. If I had to guess, I'd say he's probably lost between 10 and 20 pounds in the past month. That's not all bad, as he has been overweight for several years, but it does verify he was in desperate need of help. I'm so glad he got it. He wasn't especially smiley today, but he did scarf down the snacks Rachel brought along.

Without much thought about it I left my camera home today. Sometimes I feel like a nuisance carrying it around, pointing it at people, and wanting to stop to capture whatever catches my eye. I forgot that it may be another month or so before I'm able to tag along again. I missed a sweet picture of Rachel and Tim walking down the sidewalk from the house to the car hand in hand. Even the aide there at the house remarked on the sweetness of the moment.

The snow is melting rapidly. There is no sign of snowmen in the little cars, just puddles of water left on the seats. The driveway is a patch of icy mud, with spots of cat grossness here and there, and there and here. Old cats and long, frigid, winters with deep, deep snow make for very yucky spring thaws. I'm not sure whether to haul a shovel out of the barn and attempt a cleanup or pray for a driving rain. Honestly, I need both, It's really that bad. (Blech!)

 I left you all hanging yesterday as to my future adventure. That's mostly because I am still digesting the plan myself. When Tim was to be treated with IV antibiotics, the intent was to move him to a bed at a nearby nursing home. Since we'd thought to visit him there, I looked up their website and saw they were scheduling a class for new CNA's. I planned to ask someone about it when we made our visit, but Tim went home on oral antibiotics instead. On Friday morning I picked up the phone and made an inquiry. That afternoon I received a call from the RN overseeing the program. She asked if I'd like to come in for an interview that afternoon. She told me I would know if I'd been chosen by sometime Tuesday. I received that call in the ten minute lull between Ladies' Prayer and our Women's Bible Study. I've scarcely had time to mull things over (which could be a good thing). I'm scrambling to come up with my apparently non-existent vaccination records and tomorrow morning I go for a drug screening. By Monday morning I'll be enrolled in a full fledged 100 hour class and on my way to who knows where...  Mom would be proud.

PS. Pets for your viewing pleasure. ha!

Little Butterball

No, not me. I was referring to the mouse in our cupboard, the one who got into the butter we left out on the counter. (Yes, we do know better...)

Someone has been eating in our kitchen uninvited. We know because, aside from nose prints in the butter,  he left some "surprises" scattered across the counter top and throughout the cabinets where I keep the dishes. Since My Darling captured at least one critter, I decided to get to work cleaning out the cupboard.

I removed all the dishes and cups, every last one, and there were at least a bazillion, and proceeded to wash them by hand. It took F O R E V E R. I have way too many dishes now that most of my kids have grown up and moved out. My thumbs hurt and my shoulders ache, but the cupboard is clean, the dishes have been washed, and the rodent is expired. I hope he didn't have friends.

My Darling bought two Christmas presents that will be keeping me busy learning and trying new things. I have two new lenses for my camera. Now I have a new reason to learn how to use the camera's manual settings and maybe, just maybe, I will be able to catch my bird friends and that little red squirrel who hops about in the weeping birch outside my kitchen window every day. (I took a practice shot. Now all I need is for him to show up and sit in that spot while I'm ready.) If I appear to be missing in action here, I just might be out shooting squirrels.

PS. I couldn't help but think, as I cleaned the cupboard, "out with the old, in with the new."

Hide and Seek

It's been weeks since we moved our refrigerator in search of the foul smell in our kitchen. I looked everywhere but couldn't find any dead rodents. I was distressed about the stench that seemed to come and go but there was little to be done. I consoled myself with the fact that my sniffer is stronger than most folk's.

Today we tossed some saw horses, a couple old doors, and my fold-up table into the back of the little pick-up truck for transport to Bethany's house. She's having a yard sale this week. We unloaded a few boxes into her garage and she proceeded to unfold the fold-up table... "Oh, no!" she exclaimed for there inside the fold-up table was a mouse carcass. "Oh, yeah," she assured me later, "It's old. It's nothing but fur and bones." (Ew... gross.) Looks like he was after that peanut, but never got there...

I'm somewhat relieved that he isn't going to fall out of the table at a family picnic or something.

Mudding

Remember Ben? He got a flat tie on his old Ford truck last Sunday. This Sunday he got his Colorado stuck in the mud out in the orchard. His big brother went to the rescue. I think Dave pulled with a tow rope while Ben pushed and Morgan took the wheel. I'm sure it will be an experience to remember, one they'll talk about for years to come..

He was covered head to toe when he showed up on our back porch. His dad threw him some pajama pants and a t-shirt and he changed in the barn before coming in to take a shower. Good thing he cleans up nice.

The Annual Easter Egg Hunt (or something like that... )

Okay, so it wasn't actually Easter eggs I was looking for in the grass, but it was a hunt. I was hunting dog poop, picking it up with an ash shovel, and dropping it into a plastic bag lined bucket. The hunt is getting harder every year and I'm beginning to wonder why I haven't kept up with this during production. Not only are my eyes not seeing as well as they used to, but the grass is dead and brown, the yard is full of sticks and scattered leaves, and some of the "piles" are more like pancakes. Dog poop really does show up much better on top of snow...

I've come up with a new "law". I call it "Mom's first rule of dog ownership" and it goes like this: "Where there is dog poop, someone will step in it. Sometimes it will be Mom." It was bad enough that I stepped upon a terd on my first morning venture into the yard, but when I went back out to "find" some more, I managed to get some on the bottom of my other shoe. And I was looking for it!

If it's nice out tomorrow, I just may employ some younger, sharper, and "closer to the ground" eyes to help me get the yard cleaned up. And then, I'll need to find an old toothbrush to clean up our shoes. I think maybe I know where My Darling keeps his.

:0)

Full House

The flower pot was full today. In all nine children passed through my doors today. Three were grandchildren, two were school bus kids, and one came late in the day to spend the weekend. In spite of a puking episode (or two), and the time when Hannah was peed on, it was a pretty good day. There is still something about a houseful of little people that is very satisfying, if not exhausting.

There were toys scattered from one end of the house to the other (the sweet child with the pink shirt is a dumper...) from eight o'clock in the morning until mid-afternoon, but we just stepped over and around them. Play food and dishes, Beanie Babies, Fisher-Price people, and books came out to play.

We fed breakfasts, lunches, and one supper. We didn't bother trying to spell names with crackers today, it was enough to search the cupboards for lunch items. Macaroni and cheese, sliced apples, and peanut butter crackers filled the bill.

A few children took naps today, but not all of them. Hannah, who was supposed to babysit tonight, had her plans changed when one small girl's tummy decided to be uncooperative.  Cleaning up a yucky mess is no one's favorite job, but if I think of it as another "Babysitter Test" it somehow becomes a little more tolerable.

The Letter X

I've debated over whether or not to publish this particular post.... Oh, well, here goes.... Plug your nose!

X is for eXcrement, which i would not typically be my first choice for a fun game like ABC Wednesday, but my small, and usually very sweet, grandson provided the perfect opportunity this morning, and since I was struggling to come up with a word for the letter X, I'm taking my chances. Please be kind with comments.

I think perhaps the most scary messes associated with childhood come with hideous smells, gagging, and utter repulsion, but, for the sake of love (and threat of a long jail sentence), we somehow manage to find a way to clean up the mess and go on. We even manage to kiss those sweet faces once again, after being treated with lots of soap and several days time...

My dear daughter found her precious child covered in... um, well,... excrement... this morning. (No, that is NOT chocolate!) I hardly know whether to laugh, or feel terribly sorry for her predicament. I'm absolutely certain she is grateful today for her bathtub, a washing machine, and plenty of soap. Come to think of it, she's probably also thankful for his crib. At least the mess was contained.

I must admit, although my own children never tested me in quite this way, I did have a rather unpleasant experience with this kind of mess a little less than a year ago. One of those not so nice "Babysitter Tests". Ah yes! The wonder of being a child! (And I thought poop floating in the bathwater was disgusting... )

That's about all the eXcitement I can stand for one day.


 For more ABC Wednesday posts, click here.

Vole-y Pole-y

Today was full of children. Bethany had no sooner arrived and set Jake's carseat down in the kitchen, then she started screaming, jumping about, and yelling something about Sofie. Sofie was running excitedly about the kitchen, kind of like she does when she sees a reflection of light flash across the floor. Bethany continued to hop about and Sofie continued to chase something small and furry. The small and furry object attempted to escape through a gap between two adjoining cabinets, but Sofie was quicker. Giving up on escape number one, the hunted made a futile effort to squeeze underneath the refrigerator, but Sofie wouldn't have it. By now the frightened and exhausted creature was letting out squeaks of pain and fright.

I grabbed an empty salad container and lid and scooped the pathetic creature from the floor. Now I had it contained and had to decide what to do with it. I deposited it outside where I am fairly certain it likely perished from it's injuries, at least I hope so. Upon my return to the house I found Sofie looking slightly bewildered as to what had become of her new toy, and Oreo, the sometimes mighty hunter, asleep on the back of the couch.

After a little bit of Google searching I've decided that the small and furry creature, which we originally called a mouse, was none other than a vole, which I have discovered can be extremely prolific and highly destructive when it comes to plants and gardens. "Hey, Oreo! No sleeping on the job!

PS. We are being infested with strange creatures. Rocky and her sister found a roly-poly pill bug on the rug this morning and carried it around in a plastic container for over an hour before I decided to toss it out into the garden.

Ahhhh....

Tired and easily amused, I am posting more of yesterday's kid pictures. Someone (sometimes called "Grandpa" or "Uncle James") told a kid to open his mouth and then looked inside through the magnifying glass. "Eeeewwww!" he said, and so began a new game. I call it "Dentist" but I don't have a clue what the rest of them call it.

I love the finger spread there in the third picture. I wonder if it helps Lucas get his mouth opened any wider?

Adventures in Potty Training

I honestly found it miraculous. Rocky came back from the weekend in underpants and eager to show me what a big girl she really is. For two days we had absolutely no accidents at all and I breathed a sigh of relief, however, as a veteran mom, I know that the job rarely happens without a setback or two of one kind or another, and we hadn't yet had any pooping episodes... until today.

It is a good thing I inherited my father's keen sense of smell because twice this morning I smelled something foul. The first time I was very nice and patiently explained that "poop does not belong in underpants. It belongs in the potty." Then she went and peed in there just to confound me about how to punish or reward her. I decided to be lenient and reward the effort to at least pee where it belonged. The second time I was not quite so nice and let her know I was not pleased with the deposit. No sticker, no MnM's, and no washing of hands under running water. We used hand sanitizer instead. (Hey, some kids just like to play in the water and this was a hint offered me by someone experienced with the woes of toilet training.)

Score today; two for the potty, two for the pants. Hopefully next time the results will be more agreeable.

Update- 12:20 pm  Okay, so perhaps we're having a bit of a relapse today. I suppose I could consider this good in the long run, because I really do know that most kids have one before they are finished training. We had two totally excellent days (hooray!), which made my week a whole lot more tolerable. Must remember to count the blessings. I have baby wipes to clean up messes, a washing machine and drier for wet/soiled clothes, and extra pants and undies for one small child. Yeah, I think I can deal with this.

"FABULOUS"

Today I was informed that "Charlotte's Web" (the book) is 60 years old. Although I was unaware and didn't know to join in the celebration, I do have a very special visitor just outside my back door this year, and being familiar with both Charlotte and Wilbur, I have been very gracious and accommodating in spite of my ignorance concerning this anniversary of theirs.

Just outside my back door is a motion sensitive light that lights up our porch each evening. The light, of course, attracts every manner of insect and this year it also attracted the attention of one very "bright" spider. By day this creepy arachnid finds safety by hiding in a hanging grapevine wreath. By night it finds its fill of insects attracted to the light just above the wreath. Being the soft-hearted type, I have allowed this "small" (and I say that loosely) creature to dwell with us for the season.

I have learned that well fed spiders actually grow, that they can play dead (I thought it was once), and that they are pretty good at the camouflage game.  Back in early September I thought this was a fairly large spider, now it is just plain fat and sassy, and still pretty cool. I think I'll keep it around a little bit longer, maybe it'll scare the goblins away come Halloween.

Well, That Stinks!

Perhaps I should have titled this "Return of the Babysitter Test"...

The day started out alright. I took one child to VBS, and proceeded to clean my kitchen and wash the floor while the remaining child played toys. (Yes, I did remove yesterday's pretty little spider web.) A good floor scrubbing was long overdue and I feel better knowing this task has been accomplished, even if it doesn't last long. After VBS I fed four little ones lunch. Since there were three children playing toys in my living room, I decided to take Rocky upstairs for a nap. She was a little out of sorts and growled at me when I scolded her. I gave her a fresh diaper, turned the air conditioner to low, and left her howling. She eventually settled down and all was quiet. She typically takes a good nap and I knew she needed one today.

The remaining children continued to play and at about 2 pm, after much persistent asking, I filled a tub of water for them to cool off in. A little before three I went up to check on Sleeping Beauty and found her standing in the portacrib wide awake. I turned off the air conditioner which I thought smelled a bit funny and turned my attention to the child. As I lifted her from the crib, I realized the smell was not the contraption in the window, but the mess this sweet darling had left on my walls and all over the netting on the end of the bed.

I can't imagine the look that must have come over my face, but I'm sure it wasn't pretty, and I know my wall wasn't. Said child, now in tears, was put rather abruptly into the tub. Her hands were covered in ... well, ... stink. It was down her legs and she even had a chunk in her hair. Can I tell you I was not one bit happy? I really don't like poop at all and she had deliberately smeared it all over, and not just a little bit. She could have been at this for quite a while. I have never slept her upstairs before and I may never do it again.

Ah well... I am calm now, the crib is clean again (after being put into the bathtub, washed, and bleached), and little mess-maker even went home smiling. She was naked save a diaper, but smiling, and yes, I do still love her.