Yay Josh!

Tonight, we took Joshua to his first Hampton Youth Little League trophy night at the ball fields. He was so excited, and a bit nervous, since he had never been to one before. He asked me lots of questions all day, like "Where will I stand and what do I do?" and "What if I drop my trophy?". I could tell the anxiety was getting the best of him when, about a half hour before we left, he said, "Mom, can you just go get the trophy for me?" Poor kid...he's a lot like I used to be. He's come out of his shell immensely since we moved back to South Carolina and he has gotten involved in children's church and the local sports leagues. Nevertheless, he still is a bit shy, which in a way, I am glad. He's such a cutie! (I know, I am a little bias!!) I'll be glad if the shyness stays with him through his teen age years and early twenties. I think that will save us all a lot of heartache. Anyway, all of his anxiety ended after the approximately ten minute "ceremony" was over. He shook hands with his coach correctly, and didn't drop his trophy! The night was a complete success! :)

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight. Schlemeel, schlemazel, hasenfeffer incorporated.

As far back as I can remember, movies and TV have been a part of my life. There is something about going to a theatre or popping in a DVD at home, sitting back, and entering someone else's "world" for two hours that intrigues me, even to this day. Around the holidays, we always loved watching It's a Wonderful Life, How the Grinch Stole Christmas, Charlie Brown Christmas, just to name a few. I remember each Spring, as a child, laying down with our blankets on the living room floor, getting ready for the Sound of Music to begin. There was something about Maria and Georg that drew me in. I credit my Mom for the love of classic musicals...from all the Rodgers and Hammerstein, right down to Shirley Temple and Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. My Dad would barely be able to tolerate these films, as he saw no point to all the singing. "Why can't they just talk?" he would remark at the dinner table...then he would proceed to sing to my Mom "Please pass the butter Barbara". But usually, being the practical man that he was, he would find something to fix in the basement, while the girls would watch, with delight, all the singing and dancing of these amazing movies. Back then, movies had a message, sappy as some of them might have been. Just thinking of the songs..."Climb every mountain, ford every stream, follow every rainbow, 'till you find your dream". Talk about motivation! Even in the weird and wacky world of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, I learned something as a kid that stuck with me; be true, be honest, and everything will turn out for the best in the end. Or in Annie, watching her hold on to the truth that "The sun will come out tomorrow" even if today's forecast is mostly cloudy with a 90% chance of thunderstorms. Movies have been a bit of a hindrance for me, as well. When I was very small, I used to dream about Potsie singing a song to me at Arnold's, and as I got older, I used to actually hold out for my "Prince Charming"...reality check...he didn't have to work...and was handed everything on a silver platter, being the Prince and all...so, of course they lived happily ever after...that is until fair Cindy was moody, the kids came along, and he had to find a real job to pay for soccer cleats, baseball uniforms, and playstations...notice how THAT sequel hasn't hit the box office yet! Also, I have learned that two hours isn't usually enough time to fix the majority of trails and tribulations that come our way in this life...even IF Charles Ingalls could redeem The Prairie in an hour flat! These Happy Days weren't really yours or mine, but we made believe like they were, and enjoyed them nonetheless. All in all, I contribute a lot of who I am to the movies and TV programs of the past (for better or for worse). I also have to say, that there are not too many movies out now that I would go to see, even if they were free, or you were paying me to go. The television leaves a lot to be desired, as well, and currently the only "working" channel in our house is PBS, which can be borderline, at times. A lot has changed since the 70s and 80s. It is really hard to find the same wholesome, positive, uplifting entertainment that I knew as a child. So now that I am a Mom, in our family, we watch many reruns, borrow Aunt Marybeth's vast collection of Little House on the Prairie DVDs, and search high and low for anything that resembles an era, that seems, has been lost forever.

End of the snake saga

On Saturday, we all went over to David's to tidy up the place. Luis was cutting the grass, and the kids and I were tending the animals. I opened the shed door, and found my "friend" again. This time, I was so glad that Luis was there, and I am happy to report that the snake is no more! It took some fancy foot work, and the help of Luis's pole saw, but he was able to cut the monster right in half. (Sorry to all you PETA people, but we had to do what we had to do!) After dividing the snake, Luis brought it out where the boys could take a look at it. Turned out to be one fat rat snake about 5 feet long and about 3 inches in diameter. We were amazed to watch the thing continue to twist and turn (without its head) for about 20 minutes! Jonathan did NOT like the snake, to say the least, and Josh was fascinated, but leery as well (even with no head!) I am just glad it's finally gone...but as long as there are chickens around, I am sure there are more snakes lurking in the shadows. The good news is, David, and Grandma Carmen are coming back next week, so my tour of duty is almost done!!

Shed Update

Just to set the record straight, Luis did earn the title, "Brave and Fearless Leader", as he went over to the shed tonight (armed with our weed eater!). After a long, drawn-out search, the snake was nowhere to be found which leads me to one of two conclusions; Either the snake is deep in the shed, waiting to jump out at me in the the morning, OR she had her fill of eggs and is off to another location for now. Either way, I am steering clear, unless Luis is with me, complete with all necessary lawn equipment!

Ahhhhhhh!!!

Whenever my brother-in-law is out of town, we take care of the "farm" at his house that is just across the dirt road from us. Basically, it involves feeding Blackie, the black lab, and her 5 week old puppies (Shadow and Oreo, recently named by the boys), as well as the number of hens, roosters and ducks that live there also. When David is gone for a long time, we water his fruit trees, plants and rose bushes. With the recent death of my father-in-law, he has been out of the country for about 3 weeks now, and we have been dedicated to keeping everything in order at his house. This morning, after feeding the animals, Jonathan and I headed over to the pump house shed where the hose is connected. I opened the door and banged on the wall just to make some noise in case of an intruder. I made a quick scan, and took a step into the little dark shed. I stopped quickly...I saw movement about a foot away from me. Visible, but hiding under a shovel was the thickest snake I have ever seen up close and personal! I believe the snake was about 2-3 inches thick, and it was growing by the second! My first instinct was to run like the scared chicken that I am. I saw that the snake wasn't leaving, so I called Josh over to see it before we evacuated the premises. We watched as it slithered out of sight, deeper into the shed. I called Luis from my brother-in-law's yard, and informed him of what I saw. I explained to him that I would be relieving myself of my gardening duties as of that moment. Luis, our brave and fearless leader, told me that his brother would have to check it out when he came back from Mexico, and for me to not go in to the shed again. Then, when I told him what color the snake was, he said it was probably a water snake or maybe a cotton mouth. Great. Needless to say, nothing was watered today. Tomorrow's not looking good, either. I guess I better start praying for more rain!