Beating The Bushes

Over our winter break holiday, we teamed up with three other Moms and five other kids for a big day of adventure. The art association in a neighboring town constructed a walking labyrinth on one of the hiking paths by the Chattahoochee River. Unlike Mr. Jackson's song, it did not get hotter than a hoochie coochie. In fact, it was a little chilly but the sky was clear and the sun was bright.

Note to self: Children are not very conducive to meditative walking.

Note to you: Some mothers are not very conducive to meditative walking.

We left the labyrinth and headed off-road along what is called the We-Wau Foot.

The trail offered many strange and wonderful sights.

There was a lot of unruly underbrush but we beat it back 

then checked for spiders in our hair.

We were going places, people! And then....

I don't know if you've ever seen the evidence but, this is what it looks 

like when the Lord is not willing and the creek does rise.

 

 We were forced to turn back when we reached the busted up bridge.

But you know how that is-when one adventure ends, another begins.

Our next one began in the restroom. 

But that's another story entirely...

The Wind In Africa

 We were at the zoo a little over four hours.

I packed a hearty picnic lunch to save from
paying $7.00 for a bottle of water.

We literally spent just over $20 to gain
admittance for a total of 8 people.

It was a frugal day but as we were leaving,
someone wanted to experience THE WINDS IN AFRICA.

That mofo was $2.00! For some wind!

We gave in, coughed up the dollars and stuffed them all in.

Only problem? Wouldn't take cash.

But it WOULD take a debit or credit card.

In this picture, the kids are persuading Miss Leah to
"just put it in!"

 

I warned her it may be one of those Nigerian bank scams
 but she wouldn't listen.

She put it in.

Hell, YEAH!

It was obviously a very well spent $2.

 Where can I find this much excitement on a daily basis?

Because I'm lookin' for it.

Now, if you will excuse me while I go get the leaf blower.

Too Long At The Fair

Many months ago, we went to the fair.

The children went to ride rides and spend our hard earned money.

And they did.

Below, you will see them braving the most 

disapproving ride attendant ever.

It was their very first roller coaster.

As you can see, they were euphoric.

Euphoric.

While they wallowed in euphoria, I went to see if my painting won the big money. It did not. It won third place. (Yes, the sunset mosaic beside it won 1st in it's class.) I believe it to be some sort of conspiracy against my limited, yet passionate, talent.

And then we ran into someone with whom we are no longer on good terms. Eye contact was avoided while our little kids rode the ride. It was awkward. And sad. 

The kids had fun and I gave it my best shot.

When I got this awesome shot of the demonic clown

 trash receptacle, I knew it was time to go.

This Little Piggy Went To Market

-This post originated 02/22/11 but I was too lazy to find my pictures until today-

We had our wires crossed. I swear it was his manly moontime! We herked and jerked through Monday morning when we both discovered the other wasn't working. Our eyes opened, we leveled our gazes and our faces said, "What! You don't have to work today? What?"

High noon and I heard him mutter something about "....five minutes without someone calling my name...needing me..." and the camel's back split in half. I heard it. SNAP! All at once it was ON.

But I'm not like I once was. I'm older. I'm slower. I learn from every two-hundred and thirty-fifth mistake. So rather than get my feelings hurt, I got even. Getting even is not about taking revenge. It's about equilibrium. And we needed wine. And cheese. And vegetables.

So, I washed, dried and dressed the kids and went off in search of my friend April. I told Joe we were going to the Farmer's Market and not to expect us home any time soon. I did so lovingly. I swear I did.

The GPS is my new best friend. It guides me and I need guidance like nobody's business. We picked April up and headed to Atlanta. We arrived without incident and after reading all the rules and regulations, we entered the building and checked our bags. I immediately broke the rules by taking the two previous photos on my phone. It seemed a ridiculous rule to me and I readily admit to having a wee chip on my shoulder where authority is concerned.

We bought sake, wines, cheeses, oyster mushrooms, lemongrass, banana flower, olive bread, quinoa, steel-cut oats, chorizo and more. We even tasted the best bit of walnut baklava ever. There were animal hearts in buckets and a restaurant serving a lot of things that looked like vomit. And even though it did not turn out to be an open air market, we were enamored of the place and called it a raging success. 

We were back at the house around 8pm and Joe seemed genuinely happy to see us. He looked a bit sheepish when he hugged me and admitted his earlier error of words. But I, of all people, understand how hard it is to live with me and parent our children. So, I warmed the sake, made him a nice dinner and we worked it all out in the end with a bit of stupid sake sex and and a whole lot of love.

I love happy endings.

Don't you?

Slippery Slope

 

The 9th of January found me standing in the grocery store looking for bread. Snowpocalypse 2011 was bearing down upon the Deep South with all it's might and the shelves were spotty. Sleet was falling hard when I left the store. I realized how much I prefer walking bareheaded in sleet rather than rain or snow. Sleet bounces right off the ol' noggin. As the night wore on the sleet turned into rain and the next morning our little place was a solid sheet of ice.

School was canceled and we all huddled together and watched the bizarro ice news.

We didn't go out. It was so cold and so slippery. My knee has been holding it's own lately. I didn't want to tempt fate. We also don't have a proper sled to use on ice.

We sat inside for days. Joe broke free but was forced to turn around half way to work on Wednesday. He finally made it in on Thursday. I had to join the ranks of the working on Friday. The ice break did us no favors. It made busy schedules even busier and fuses even shorter.

Basically, it pushed us to the very limit of human capacity. We have thin blood in the South and a proclivity for irritability. Cabin fever compromised our ability to cope with daily stress. It also made the little children push us right over the precipice. But that is another story...

TCB

Tomorrow will mark our seventh wedding anniversary.

But tonight? 

We're taking care of business.

.

.

.

The show starts at 7.

Coincidence? 

Probably.

.

.

.

We have a table for twelve reserved.

Was this my idea?

Yes. I do love a man with veiny hands.

How Much Is That Ghostie In The Window?