"You Kids...!"

I love Mom. She is so easy to please, and gets excited with the simplest things.  But tell her you've got a secret and she can't hardly stand it. (Personally, I can wait; tell me when you feel like it). So, the other day when I told Mom I had a secret, I was actually telling her for my own enjoyment. It doesn't take much to amuse me either.

The secret I had been holding onto was something recently printed in a book. This something is what Mom had a habit of saying when we were kids. I had the opportunity of submitting Mom's quote a while ago, and it came as a surprise to me when I was informed that it was included in "Mother Knows Better - Sense and Nonsense from American Moms" by Patti Murphy.

Being a young mother Mom had her hands full, and rightfully so. There were five of us kids all born within seven years. We learned to behave, mind our manners and show respect for our elders. However, with five siblings so close in age there were bound to be times when one of us would be pickin' on one of the others, Mom would hear about it, and it was then that Mom would express her now-famous saying.

When I told Mom about the book she had to have it right away. Yesterday she called me to tell me she had received it, and how tickled she was. She informed me that both our names, and her quote are on page 54. Oh, and she plans on carrying the book in her purse. Probably, so she can whip it out and make us kids read it if we get on her nerves again.

"You kids are bound and determined to do everything in your power to irritate me!" - Marilyn O'Dell

I love you, Mom.

5 Things To Do Outside In The Sun*

I know it wasn't anything I said in my last post. Who am I to threaten Mother Nature? I'm just a lowly individual striving to maintain a sense of sanity just slightly above the current water level in my yard.

But I do feel rather empowered today. Could it have anything to do with the massive amounts of sunshine I woke up to at 8am this morning? Well, if so, take that Mother Nature! I will NOT LINGER inside anymore than I have to today, I will FLOURISH in the light reigning on my world and I will RELISH THE SPLENDOR of mud ON MY BOOTS!

There. I feel so much better.

Five things you can do outside in the sun:
1. Go outside
2. Roll around on the ground like there's no tomorrow
3. Pee on what's left of the snow and ice
4. Drape yourself over any inanimate object like a sick, drunken sailor
5. Stand on the highest point on your property with your arms raised high holding a shovel and a rake

* Disclaimer: do not attempt if you are at any acceptable level of sanity. Check with local authorities for any required permits.

Adding Insult to Injury

Alright, I have had about enough! (Gee...that sounded just like my Mom when I was a kid). It's not bad enough that it's been raining the last five days, ol' Mother Nature got bored I guess, and decided to see what else she could dump on us.

I awoke to 2" of teeny, tiny ice pellets on the ground. Not snow. ICE. Not only that, but everything else was covered in a sheet of ice. Good grief! If Mother Nature thinks for one minute I'm going to promise not to go away again in the winter, she's due for a rude awakening. I'll show her! Just give me a sec, I'll think of something...

Broken branches

Maple tree buds weren't even safe