Just Call Me The Goose Wisperer

This is Aflac. After my no-so-great experience with our rooster I was freaked out when the goose would chase me, too. This time I wasn't so naive to believe he wanted to be my friend. But when I was told that if geese are pissed they will hiss, my fear disappeared and I realized his/her warble wasn't him/her yelling at me but trying to communicate....to be my buddy. So I set out to tame this thing. And I am proud to announce I am successfully hand-feeding the little sucker. I went to the yard today and yelled "Aflac" and he/she perked up and came right over. I love this goose. (By the way, does anyone know how to tell if its a boy or a girl?)

The Mighty Road Ranger

This is our trailer. It was given to us a few years ago and we LOVE it. I have a blog friend who's fixing up a trailer, so I thought I'd post pictures of ours. Imagine, if you will, the interior covered in peeling blue wallpaper, the cushions a blue and white stripe, and the curtains a blue floral print. I recovered all the cushions in camo because it hides dirt. Oh, and Doug is a hunter and uses the trailer during hunting season, too. And then I removed the peeling wallpaper and covered the circa-1980's brown flowered wallpaper that was underneath with a calming green and off-white.Above are the bunks that only small children or adults who are not claustrophobic can fit into. And below is the lovely dining area. It also doubles as our redneck spare bedroom when guests come over. Really, the only guests we ever have are my brother and his family, and they've been known to request to stay in the trailer instead of the house. I'm not sure why.....

Maddy's 5th Birthday

Madelyn turned five yesterday. We spent the evening at this great water park in town that we've been hanging out at alot lately. Its a great place to go because I can actually look away and not worry about someone drowning. Madelyn is:
The only brave child of three who will go to the basement alone.
A good little singer and loves to sing her heart out in a high pitched falsetto voice.
Usually the first asleep each night.
The child who sleeps like a ROCK.
Has the will of iron that I'm confident will be used in a great way.....someday.
Learning to ride a bike.
Really excited to lose her first tooth (which isn't even wiggly yet).
The one most likely to climb all over me and cover my face with kisses.
A very good helper.
Sometimes quite the pesky little sister.
Our favorite youngest daughter.

Saturday was the Free Kids Fishing day at the fish hatchery down the road. Some great friends joined us for the adventure.


The fish were definitely biting. The problem was that they kept stealing the bait! We would watch five or six fish come up to the bait, eat it and swim away. It was maddening.


Madelyn was the first to catch a fish. Not everyone caught their limit this year (we could only try for so long) but it was great fun standing on a steep, grassy hillside in the blazing heat, surrounded by half-dead fish and stinky bait, bugs nibbling on my rapidly progressing sunburn. (I was reminded again why I don't fish). I don't get it, really. But its fun to see the excitement on the dads faces the kids' faces when they snag a gill.

My day today.

Every once in awhile I like to give you a glimpse into the daily activities of my incredibly exciting life. Brace yourself.

7 am: Kid ends up in bed. Me not feeling well. Stay in bed pretending to be asleep so maybe I wont have to get up and make breakfast.
8 am: Up out of bed. Feeling a wee bit better. No such luck on getting out of making breakfast. Shower. Dress. Ready for day.
9 ish: Give kids chores - one of which is sorting their laundry. First load of laundry in. Start two sprinklers at various parts of the property. Feed the goose and ducks. Water all the flowers.
9:30: School starts.
9:35: Done with school.
10:00 Fell asleep on couch. Maybe not feeling so well after all.
10:30 Back up. Second load of laundry. Move the water. School resumes. Math, reading and a bit of writing.
11:00 Catch that stupid goose DEVOURING my petunias. Try to coop them back up.
11:20 Still trying to coop those darn birds. Ducks corralled. Goose on the loose.
11:30 Decide I will just kill the goose if it eats my flowers again and leave it unpenned. Move the sprinklers again.
12:00 Lunch. Folding clothes, starting next load of laundry. Go downstairs to start some work for Doug (he's forgotten how to do his own work since I spoil him so much).
12:30 Move the water. Begin cutting material for a project I'm working on.
1:15 All done cutting. Move the water. Fold another load. Start another load.
2:00 Take Ty down the road to meet his friend for a playdate. Fill up the gas tank. Stop at post office. Nothing exciting in the mail.
2:30 Move the water. More laundry.
4:30 Start dinner (and a fine dinner it was). Move the water.
5:30 Dinner done. Hanging out with fam. I think I'm done watering. Start a batch of cookies. Check the towels. Realize I haven't emptied the lint trap this week. Towels still wet and lint trap VERY full.
6:00 Begin cleaning the kids' room. Oh my, this is going to take awhile. Decide to go through toy bins and start throwing stuff away. Take cookies out of oven. Put more in.
7:00 Go pick up Ty.
8:00 Play a little piano just for the heck of it. Cant see the music because I didn't turn on the lights and don't want to interrupt my playing but then decide what's the point anyway.
8:30 Fold more clothes. Last load of laundry in the dryer. The end is near.
8:45 Start Roomba in kitchen and basement (love those things). Check email and blogs.
9:10 Still here. Kids begging me to read a story. Going upstairs now. Still have to fold the towels and put the kids to bed. Great day as the keeper of my home!