Saturday, June 20, 2009

Once Upon a Time...



This is a story about a little Muscovy duck named Ella.





Ella was a very happy little Muscovy duck. She spent all her time with her best friends, Nina, Lena, and Dinah, and their handsome sugar-daddy beau named Elvis. They all got along happily and spent their days finding yummy things to eat in the sunny grass, napping in the shade, and taking baths in the wading pool.




But little Ella had a plan. All she really wanted was to be a Mother Duck. So she found a nice little spot for a nest, and filled it with eggs. She bade farewell to her friends and sat down on her nest to keep it warm and to wait.

She waited.

And waited.

Patiently, she sat on her nest.

Valiantly, she defended her nest from the jealous chickens whose only purpose is to eat and sleep and lay eggs which will never become babies.

Sadly, her nest was frequently disturbed by these mean-spirited chickens. Many times she found a few of her precious eggs had been broken.

Ella was very sad. Thirty-five days is a very long time for a little duck to wait without any reward at the end.

Poor little Ella stayed with her nest, even after all her eggs were gone. She still just wanted to be a Mother Duck.

Next door to her cozy little nest, some young chicks moved in. They cheeped and played in the sunshine. Ella smiled as she watched them play. She noticed that they did not have a mother. The did not have anyone to teach them how to be kind and thoughtful little ducks. She looked at her own empty nest and sighed.

Just then, she felt someone near her!



Why, it was one of the new little chicks!

This little chick seemed very sad without a mother to snuggle with, so Ella decided she would simply have to step in. She would take this little chick in hand and give it a proper upbringing and teach it ducky things so that it would not grow up to be dirty, mean and ill-tempered like the rude chickens that had disturbed her nest. She would supervise the chick at play and make sure that the chick had plenty to eat and learned how to take a bath in the wading pool. She determined to give this little one a proper upbringing.

Little Ella had to adjust her goals when she learned that this chick was no longer a baby, but rather an adolescent who liked to wander and had ideas of her own, but no matter. The child still needed a mother.




Each night as little Ella snuggles her chick under her wing to sleep, she sighs with gratitude and joy. She has finally realized her dream of becoming a mother, and she and her adopted baby have set out to find their "happily ever after...".

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Baby Safe

This is so horrible.

But I just had to laugh.

But it's horrible.

You're been warned.

In Spanish

Jonah just loves Muzzy. He would watch it all day if I let him. What amazes me is how well he understands it. I expected some confusion at not being able to understand the Spanish, but he didn't even miss a beat. He knows the whole story, and talks about the characters and what they do. (When Nathan dug worms for our fishing trip, he named all the worms after Muzzy characters. He got really upset with I pinched El Rey in half to put him on a hook...) And he will randomly use Spanish words that he's picked up.

So, comprehension? Check.

Pronunciation, however? Well... let's just say that Rome wasn't built in a day.


Madd Photog Skillz



I just wanted to take some pictures of my little boy.

Cuz he's sooo cute.

I could just eat him.




But he's also wiggly.




And goofy.




Stand still? How's that?




Smile, you say?




It's all about the blur, folks.




Even when I pin him down.





...or knock him down.



And what the hey is up...



...with your pants, kid?


Tuesday, June 16, 2009

So Lovely, I Can't Not Share

In going through the very large stack of mail that was waiting for me when I got home from my trip "out west", I found a very pleasant surprise. (A dear friend of mine would call it "happy mail!")






Heather in MT, one of the winners in my syrup giveaway, sent a very lovely little note (by actual mail! You know, envelopes, stamps, etc...) on which she hand-painted this lovely little scene.

I immediately recognized it as coming from one of my photographs in a post about cleaning up the yard.





I like the painting far more than the photo.





Watercolor is my greatest love in painting. I love the simple freshness of it and the lovely things the paint does with water. (Sigh... this is making me want to get out my paints again... I have no excuse.)

And this little brush sketch with ink in just the right places is simply adorable!




I absolutely love it, so I just had to share it here!

Monday, June 15, 2009

Fishing 101



When fishing...



...bait your hook well...






...and be patient.




Very patient.


When (and if) you get a nibble...



Reel it slowly...

...caaaaaarefullllly...




And then remove the hook.




And throw it back because it's too small.




Lather, rinse, repeat.



And throw it back because it's too small.

Throw that one back, too.

And that one.




Hold it up for a picture...



But throw it back.

Because it's. too. small.





Did you hear me?

I said it's too small. Throw it back.







And make sure to have a backup plan.


Friday, June 12, 2009

Never Seen Anything Quite Like It...

While I was digging around in the weed patch that is my garden, I came across these sons-a-guns:



Yeah, they really are that big.




I have never seen radishes get that big without going to seed and getting all yucky. In fact, I've never seen them go to seed with roots this big. I've grown this kind before, but I guess they were extra happy this time! (Or maybe it's because I planted them on a root day!) I had seen these out there before I left for Oregon, but they were small, so I left them, figuring that if Nathan didn't find them, they'd be bolted by the time I got home. Wasn't I surprised.



And believe it or not, they're tender and spicy and delicious! Who'd a thunk it?