Weekly Photo Challenge: Escape

Weekly Photo Challenge: Escaperoad

Back in February I wrote that the line had been redrawn and that the highway construction on our road would also involve the demolition of our home.

Since then we have had, as expected, many meetings, phone calls, e-mails, appraisals and offers but we are severely lacking in the decision department. As of today, we have 88 days (not that I’m counting or anything) before the DOT buys our and house we need to start deciding.

But, weighing the options of something we never wanted to do in the first place has been hard. Do we buy, build, rent, stay local, move away? We talk ourselves in circles everyday and leave our conversations with a vague feeling of nausea but no closer to a real decision.

Today, after a morning of looking at properties and an afternoon of feeling ill when faced with the options and decisions before us John called me from work and told me we needed to think positive. Then he told me a very long paragraph worth of stuff that he is going to remember when he gets frustrated. It was all nice, happy stuff and I’m sure it will do wonders for him.

As for me, I had spent the afternoon cleaning up cheesy, toddler puke. My attention span is short and I’m much better at, as John would say, “mustering the hate” than thinking up long, flowery, positive statements. I needed something a bit more concise and it didn’t take me long to come up with a nice, short, memorable phrase of my own.

No matter what, we are escaping the road, life will be good.

Not only is the road the source of our current trouble but ever since the first Monday we lived here and the shock I had when the first semi’s started flying by I have hated it. I have hated the cars, the trucks, and the semi’s. I have hated the man with the barking dog that used to go by every day at 3:30, the way we live in the country yet are always on display, the heart stopping feeling of seeing any of our animals out on the road, and the fear that the semi behind us isn’t going to stop and wait as we turn into the driveway- again. I have been mustering the hate for the road for a long time.

So, when I am next faced with the overwhelming decisions before us I believe that I will have no trouble remembering…

No matter what, we are escaping the road, life will be good.

Then John called back and told me a confusing story about a 50$ bills in a urinal and how he should buy me a goat to make the move easier.

Yeah, I didn’t get it either.

But, I’ve always wanted goats and so I’m not questioning it. I just told him a goat always needs a friend and changed my phrase a bit…

No matter what, we are escaping the road and getting goats, life will be great.

Teaching Children

As a parent there are so many, many things we want to teach our children.

There are many more things that we should teach them.

And then there are all the tidbits that we accidentally (and often unfortunately) teach our kids.

Sitting down and putting to much thought into this parental responsibility can become overwhelming.

Personally, I find it helps to remember that so long as you hit upon the basics:

how to care for animals…Jane and chicken

…how to get along with others…Ivy and Clara in crick

…and how to build a good dam…sandles by dam … that they are likely to turn out just fine!

Oh No…

-A lady in the parking lot of our local grocery store walks up to John and the girls.-

Lady -Excuse me sir, is that a Brittany in your front seat?

John – Why yes it is.

Lady – Oh I thought so, they are wonderful dogs!

John – Mam, clearly you don’t know anything about Brittany Spaniels. This is an ill mannered, uncouth, chicken killer.

Lady – Oh I know Brittany’s, I have one. How old is he?

John – Two years.

Lady – Oh no… (looks at girls)… and these are your three girls?

John – Yes mam.

Lady- You must drink.

A Bad Day for the Lawnmower

It was the first mowing of the lawn and, in case you are unaware, I hate mowing the lawn.

After John did the requisite lawnmower maintenance,  (gas, oil, reattaching loose parts, and mouse nest removal) I went to work on the lawn.

I cruised around contemplating if I could not mow the lawn anymore because we might be moving this summer. Failing to come up with a legitimate reason to justify that line of thought I continued unhappily driving in circles.

Until I hit a fence post. (Which, in my defense, was lying flat on the ground under the grass – at least until I mowed over it.)

Then I stopped.

And swore.

And wondered why my list of things I’ve run over includes, wheelbarrows, tractor chains, logs,  dog toys, golf balls, giant holes (that’s really more of a fall into) and now fence posts, (but not dead cats so that’s something).

Then I wondered if in any other household someone with as terrible a record as mine would still be the preferred lawnmower – darn colorblind husband.fence post meets lawnmower blade

So, I removed the offending fence post, got back on and went back to work contemplating ways to avoid mowing.

Suddenly a six inch long, wiggly, black, object flew up in the air and landed on my lap.

After the initial shock, realization settled in.

I stopped.

And swore.

And wondered why I have never replaced my lawn with AstroTurf.

And bemoaned the fact that my least favorite chore now needs to happen on a weekly basis.

And mentally grumbled about a trip to the hardware store.

But then I realized that with one sleeping kid, one about to get on the bus to come home from school, two days of rain in the forecast and a shredded belt,  I had no time to make it to the hardware store. No time to mow any more lawn before the rains came and therefore no point in even attempting the lawn mower fix this afternoon.

It was a bad day for the lawnmower… a bad day for a lawnmower…but, I got to quit mowing for the afternoon.

And, no matter the condition of the lawnmower or how poorly the rest of the day went, I always consider not mowing the lawn to be a positive state of being.

Written in response to Prompts for the Promptless Episode 12 – Silver Linings hosted by Rarasaur.

I liked this prompt ,it is why I blog, to find the silver linings – well, that and to not become a ferret .