Our Flowering Garden

Harley, Then & Now

What I've learned in the past seven months:
I have a high tolerance for the dog I love. Even though she recently completed her mission to eat every last wooden spoon in my kitchen, it took forever (it seemed) to potty train her, she has learned to open the gate so she can escape to the neighbor's house, she comes to give kisses every single time she gets a drink of water, and she farts like a rotting corpse. What I love about her is that she likes to watch tv, especially the nature shows. The other day we were watching "life" and she tried to climb through the tv to get at the polar bear. Her type was breed for bear hunting, coincidence? Any time I move to a new room, she will inevidably be found nearby within moments, to include laying down between my legs and the stove while I'm cooking, and on her too-small doggie bed by the computer or the bead table, or sometimes, even waiting outside the bathroom door for me (she has also learned how to open that door, yikes!) She sleeps perfectly quietly in her crate, even letting us sleep in on the weekends, and anytime someone walks into my bedroom in the middle of the night, she loudly sounds the alarm.

How Fast the Trees Leaf!

In just two weeks the trees went from "budding" to "leafed out" as Miah put it. The trees are so thick with leaves we can no longer see the neighbors across the creek, and we feel tucked in and isolated again, just the way I like it!

Spring Pictures

Getting the word out. Please help!

Pictured: Bonnie Posey holding Mason Posey age 1
Jr. Garmon holding Chase Posey age 3 and Jaclyn Posey age 4. All three of the children died in the fire.
Donations for the Garmon family who lost family members and their home in a fire can be made in person at the store or mailed to:

Phillips IGA
P.O. Box 226
Hiseville KY, 42152
Attn: Garmon Family

Family Clothing Sizes

Jr. Garmon, 62,
36x30 pants and extra large shirt, shoe 10

Juanita, 43,
20 pants and extra large shirt, shoe 11

Bonnie, 23,
5-6 pants and medium shirt, shoe 8

Tyler, 17,
34x32 pants and large shirt, shoe 12

Josh, 27,
30x32 pants and medium shirt, shoe 10

Adrian, 1 year old,
3T-4T and size 9 shoe

Tanner, 5 years old, 5T-6T and size 1 shoe

Time Lapse Planting Flowers

The front yard took less time, and you can't really tell what we did, but the kids had a blast doing the crazy poses at the end. See if you can spot their craziness!

Time Lapse Gardening

We thought it might be fun to try out the time lapse feature on my new camera, as well as my new tripod. I love, love, love this. Look closely, because it goes quickly!

Weight Watchers Update

I know, it's way past Tuesday, and I keep forgetting to post updates....But I lost 1.6 lbs this week! It's amazing what loosing almost ten pounds can do to make your clothes fit better!
Meanwhile, I'm using this week's spring break to get caught up on big household chores, the kids have been working their little tails off with me. Today we are planting our garden. Yesterday we turned the dirt over, and paid for it with blisters. We've been doing some major spring cleaning, my favorite of which was finally getting the Harry Potter closet (The closet under the stairs, get it?) cleaned out and organized. The kids rooms are a big project for later today, the front yard got mowed and raked, the kitchen got rearranged and scrubbed from top to bottom, the front room got dusted, polished, and vacuumed, and the art room got a good once over too. This is the main reason that I haven't really been on the computer for the past week. Too busy! I'm off to my favorite store to buy supplies...Lowe's!
On a sadder note...my hometown has had a couple of big losses in the past weeks. I hate not being close enough to be able to do much to help, but please keep these two families in your thoughts, one family loosing everything including family members to a house fire, and the other loosing so many family members in an accident on the highway. I know that small towns are great for many things, and helping during tragedy is one of them. There is nothing like the outpouring of love and help you can be on the receiving end of, like my family was when our house burnt to the ground in 1998. You guys are in my thoughts as I look around my home and appreciate what and who I still have with me.

Savannah River Ecology Laboratory Field Trip

Jeremiah and the bullfrog.
Me and the alligator.
Miah and a corn snake.
Baby gator.
Miah caught a fish!
Baby turtle.
Very small fish, not that you can see them!
Checking traps. We found fish, dragonfly larvae and turtles.
Freshly caught snake!
The lizard lost it's tail while trying to escape. He also has a tiny tick attached to the underside of one arm.
George, the tortoise.
Miah, Ms. Hull, and George.
HUGE pine cones!
Us!
Flying squirrel living in a manmade nesting box. They are free to roam, the box is just so the scientists can study them.
Ms. Hull's class. Miah is holding a snake hook that she got to use to check traps.

Thursday's Thoughts

Today's Thought:

Evil prevails when good men fail to act

Maybe a little dramatic for what I wish to discuss today, but this quote strikes to the heart of the matter. I had to stop off a Wal-Mart today on the way to work. As I was coming out of the store I noticed a female loading groceries into a car near mine. Her hair was done well, and the large diamond earrings looked very nice. The blue-tooth earpiece looked a little tacky, but what really stood out was the winter PT uniform she was almost wearing. I use the term almost because she had neglected to utilize the zipper. I can feel a few of the other NCOs out there cringing with me. I am notorious for being outraged at soldiers who wear their PTs in public. But this female went above and beyond the call of shitbaggery to take the degradation of the soldier ethic to a whole new level. And what did I say to her you ask. Nothing. I gave her a nasty look and muttered under my breath. And for that I am ashamed. I might as well have told her that it was fine with me. If she had been one of my privates, I would have spent a half hour illuminating her of the various regulations she was violating. So what stopped me? I wish I knew. Today I was part of the problem.

No more potato peelers?

Cool idea! Thanks Manny, for the video!