Well, the picture's a little crooked but you get the general idea. We had Mr Martin with his John Deere come over and mow Fletch's pasture for us, the north one. We chose to leave the goat's up high for now but at least get Fletch's down to a decent height. Since Fletch is so small on his lot the thought of him keeping snakes completely at bay was a little ignorant. So, in addition to deciding to add guineas we figured we'd mow since he obviously has more than his ample share to eat.....even when mowed! But, in mowing..............THIS was mowed over. It was the talk of church today and everybody had to come over and take a look at what we mowed over. Once Brad gets home in the morning we're going to go lay him out and measure him...but, to put it mildly, he's not small. The one we saw last fall was still larger than this but this one is definitely worth taking note of. When Mother and Grayson cut the rattles off today it was discovered he was growing yet another one that is not yet seen in the pic......for a total of 7 rattles. They were pretty large and we could hear them blowing in the wind. It had kind of a lonely, eerie, desert sound to it. I would've gotten a close up pic of his head but his neck is what was mowed over so his head suffered a little too. Neighbors could see him dangling from the fence yesterday after Brad and Mr Martin strung him up there so they all came over and had a look.
While Grayson mowed under the swings today, in his snake boots, he saw an 8 ft rat snake slither hurriedly into the goat pasture. So, we do know they're out and on the move in the summer heat. You know, it's kind of like driving in downtown Dallas at night when I'd gaze up and look at all of the glowing lights way up high in the big downtown buildings. I just couldn't ever keep from wondering who exactly was up there, what their life was like and if they were working long hours to escape the misery at home or having secret affairs their families knew nothing about. It always kind of held this sense of a lonely barren life. Well, that same feeling I always had driving downtown at night is now the feeling that accompanies me as I gaze out into our pastures. I look out there and wonder just how many snakes are on the move and where they all slither in their evil, slithery ways and how many are rattling into the lonely, quiet, dark hours......in our very pastures. It always kind of has this sense of some wild evil kind of nightlife. Since snakes are nocturnal and we see as many as we do in the day just exactly how many are out there wondering around in the dark?! But, really.........I don't even want to know that answer or have that knowledge.
And today is Brad's last shift of a 4 in a row Sunday shift schedule. I'm really glad since I hate going to church without him. But, due to yet another promotion, he's back at station 7 that runs about 10-12 calls per shift on the medic so it doesn't necessarily mean he'll be attending church with us in the next few weeks anyway. They run all night and when he comes home all he wants to do is sleep it off.
On a funnier Sunday note, Mother got spontaneously and suddenly roped into the role of permanent piano player. The little 90 yr old lady that has played for so long finally said her hands can't handle it anymore and so the church has been without a pianist for wks now. Once they got wind that I played they've been begging me to. I told them I can't read music and they all way too happily agreed to let me just play by ear. Ummmmmm........no. So, once they figured out I was seriously not taking that on they pounced on Mother as soon as she got moved. Figuring she'd talk to the pastor today about it she arrived only to find that she was indeed playing this morning's hymns. It was pretty funny. So, she took it in stride and played wonderfully compared to how I thought she'd do. I was thoroughly impressed along with the entire rest of the church....who thanked her so many times that it became a bit comical. Now they're begging Brad to be music leader since we don't have one of those either. It's a wide open door in which the opportunity to minister within the church and experience some much needed change is very very needed at this point. I'm not sure he'll ever agree to taking that on but it's still a thought. We have the potential to become the world's next Von Trapp family singers. HA! Our family alone could fill the 10 all too abandoned choir chairs and fill the small little auditorium with songs of all sorts. That just might even cause the next small town revival here. They'd have people coming from all over just to see that! Too funny!
(In honor of all of the stupid people I figured I would post a pic of the triplets in their matching outfits.)
And then yesterday when Mother and I went into town she actually had a 22 or 24 yr old great looking dude at the health food store tell her how good looking she is! I mean, I think she is really pretty but it's really odd to be standing there and having a guy 8 yrs younger than me be telling my own mom she's hot. That's a little odd. The funniest part about it was how he said it! He told her how great looking she is and then told us he wished his dad was single! Ummmm.........so that wouldn't happen to be your own mom he's married to then, right????? Based on that comment I would hopefully assume............no. And then, of course, there's always the oddity of standing there 8 freakin months pregnant with my feelings hurt because I didn't get the compliment. Well, let's backtrack and think about the absurdity in that. I obviously have a 9 yr old boy calling me mom, a 14 month old baby on my hip pulling my hair out and thinking it's funny and then a stomach that is larger than a pregnant elephant's at this point..........and I didn't get my ego pumped by the dude at the health food store. But, in all honesty, it really didn't bring back those awful wretched feelings of rejection like what is forever with me due to the guy on the train to Maine hitting up on her and asking to sit in my seat so he could have time with just Mother. Somehow it seems I was always the one booted out while the others around me got hit on........so the rejection and self esteem issues have taken a few decades to overcome. But, much to my relief, I was able to truly laugh at yesterday's little episode and the absolute craziness of it and not look back. It is really funny. And the thought that I might actually look like that when I'm 60 has me hoping for Brad's sake that I will follow in Mother's footsteps where my genes are concerned. We get asked if we're sisters all the time and 1/2 the time people just assume Grayson, Garrison and Grant are her's and that Evye, Aubrey and Garrett are mine. It's pretty weird. And then people who haven't seen me in a long time usually immediately assume I'm Jackie. I think there is some extent of a family resemblance going on but I don't think we all look so much alike that we need to all get confused as each other or mistaken as sisters when being mother/daughter or that Jackie and I look so much alike at any one point in our lives that we could look like the other. Scott's friends all swear that I am the female version of him since we look so much alike. So, I guess there's some sort of family resemblance going on but somewhere along the way I failed to take note and see it. It's a strange world.
And then, let's see. I wanted to add these pics too. I went in the other afternoon and found Garrison and Grant truly being complete boys. It was naptime but they decided it was time to wrestle. They do this all the time but I finally figured I'd get a picture of it since it's so funny to listen to as they wrestle it out before they finally fall asleep. Grayson walked in and saw how much fun they were having and said longingly, "Man, I wish I had somebody my age to do that with. It must be fun having a twin." I got to thinking about that the rest of the day and how very special it must be to have been given a twin. Not only are they surrounded by brothers and sisters both above and below their age but they have been given a best friend in a twin. How strange it must be to have grown together from the very very beginning and to never have been apart or known life any other way. Even now they won't sleep without the other. They love having everybody around and both play with Aubrey like you would expect closely aged siblings to play but when bedtime falls they are beside themselves if their bed buddy is missing. Their bond is so unique. How incredible it must be to have that in each other. It's absolutely amazing and life changing watching them grow together. We have been so blessed.
And here's some misc fun pics.
(Tigger being mauled to death)
(Garrett deciding he needed a pillow so he stood on it until he ripped the ties from the bumper and got comfy)
(Finally a pic of Grant in his cute little tiny underwear. He finally decided he couldn't pass up football or Spiderman undies so he goes back and forth between those 2 while Garrison remains a devout Diego fan).
0 comments:
Post a Comment