a garden that's not all in a row

and there are no cockle shells.

But boy do we have watermelon! 

I've never grown melons before, but it seems to be like pumpkins or zucchini; you plant it, it grows.  The plants have yellow flowers, no fruit yet. 

Then we have some gorgeous eggplant - I would grow this plant even if I didn't like the fruit.

and no garden is complete without zucchini, enough to feed a neighborhood.
I'm making zucchini bread today.

and pumpkins, chard and basil.

I really love our community garden.  Funny thing is most of the folks that have plots there also have gardens at home; they just couldn't resist supporting our community garden. 

Harley is growing, too; and not all in a row either. 

He discovered that he can go up the stairs and drop his ball then chase it - he's now napping from all that self-exercise. 

Tomorrow we leave for St. Louis.  A week with Aunt K and Uncle D; we are all really excited.  Ethan has been packed for a week!

various pics and ponderings

My favorite bumper sticker of the week:

BOOBIES
give your baby the breast

My friends A in TX, and M in WA would like that on their bumpers, I'm just sure of it. 

286. Great Grandmother L.
287. speckled puppy tummy

288.  little E who conquered the dinosaur head and jumped off by herself
289. friends who come for dinner and survive the chaos
290. the completion of painting the boys' rooms and bathroom

We went to the park today, took Harley along to get him used to things like strollers and screaming kids.  Wore him out! 

I have wanted to write about hearts, but just haven't had the words. 
Church on Sunday was about the tendency to have our hands and feet moving, but our heart disengaged.  

But the greatest of these is Love.  You can be top dog, go getter, degreed, PHD'd, and all that, but if you have not Love....

I go through days, maybe even weeks feeling like I've accomplished much, but my heart was not involved; I've been cold, detached, effective yes, but not loving. 

Sometimes loving feels like accepting bad behavior, looking the other way, taking a break from the incessant need to correct and guide and teach. 

I can't afford to take a break and simply love; Good Lord, what might happen!  Ugh, dirty clothes not in the basket, dirty boys with dirty ears, clothes on inside out and backwards, toilets not flushed.  To hell in a handbasket to be sure!

Just let me get them squared away, then I'll take the time to love on them.  I won't be as likely to get jelly in my hair. 

Then on the 28th I opened my daily blog update from Ann at aholyexperience and she had a link for a free Charlotte Mason e-book. 

I like free. 

I like Charlotte Mason's work.  Sweet.   The book is called "A Thinking Love".  I have just begun reading it, but I'm hopeful that it was a timely God sent gift to me and will help me put my heart ahead of my foot and hand action. 

Here is the link so you can have your own bit of free today:
http://simplycharlottemason.com/books/a-thinking-love/

Finding the lines between laying down the line and showing grace or mercy towards my kids is really hard for me. 

It is easier to bark at them, correct them, and get on with things, than to stop and make a decision about correction via punishment or teaching,

or showing them grace in the moment. 

It just seems like it takes so much time!  and I'm busy, you really have no idea.  but then I think about what is the busy?  what do I do each day that is the most important task in my now?   Raising boys.

Harley and I enjoyed walking at the park today.  He's a boy, what is it with me and boys?  He makes me laugh, and that helps me be a little lighter with my two legged boys. 

Each blade of grass is beautiful.

Like my favorite fireworks on the Fourth of July.

Central Texas, June, 100 degrees, cactus two feet away, and mushrooms?  Seriously?

Library books I'm reading:

The Case Against Fluoride by Connett, Beck, and Micklem
I am totally against drugs in drinking water.  Where's the informed consent in that?  and the statistics do not support fluoridated drinking water; in fact the opposite is true.  If you are a fluoride junky, read this book.

Amexica by Vulliamy
The whole United States, Mexico deal fascinates and disgusts me.  This book is specifically about the border land, almost a country in and of itself.  So far this is a well written, sad, enlightening book.  It was completed in 2010 so stats are very current. 

Day of Honey by Ciezadlo
One woman's life in the Middle East from 2003 to 2009. 

The above are non-fiction works. 

The Beauty of Humanity Movement by Camilla Gibb
About contemporary Vietnam

The Help by Stockett
Wow, this book kept me up at night, made me cry; it's rare for a work of fiction to make me cry.  Set in Mississippi in the 1960's, written in multiple voices, from white women and their maidservants.  I just kept counting back the years and thinking how all of that nastiness and hate is not history, it's like it was yesterday.

What were people doing and thinking?  What were my parents doing!  How could educated, Christian, people let that crap go on so long?  Ugh.

It is a really good book.  Be brave and read it.  Consider what is ugly in your community, city, state or country.  What are you going to do about it? 

what comes next in the full life?

I like to be busy, down time usually results in my thoughts turning inward, and dissatisfaction grows. 

I examine and find little faults and connect the dots until the tectonic plates shift and our family gets a momquake;
then of course I feel ridiculous and out of control, and thankless. 

I never want to be thankless.  Even in the darkest, most bitter parts of a life, I want to give thanks.  Nothing good comes from turning blind eyes to the smallest gift, but by counting it all good, we side with Love and that is the best place to be in any circumstance. 

So when life began to feel like routine what did we do?

Adopt a.....puppy!

We are calling him Harley at this point, that may change, we are a flexible family. 

Not sure what his breeding is...I suspect some Great Dane.  His feet are really webbed so may be some lab or other waterdog in him.  A tiny bit of brindle on his face may be boxer?  Don't know.  I'm hoping my good friend L can shed some light on his mixup makeup.  

We got him yesterday and thus far he has been skateboarding, running with T, swimming, and into Petco to pick his own treats.

We have two dogs already.  But Molly is 12ish and that's really old for a big shepherd dog.  Then there is Riley, who's got some dead in his breeding - not much for running, swimming, or catching a Frisbee.   But he's super cute, is he not?

I'm hoping that Harley can keep up with the boys and they will all tire each other out.  Of course I realize how totally stupid this line of thinking is because honestly?  all exercise does is build endurance; it's a vicious cycle!   They will never get tired...that is the price of healthy eating and exercise. 

Our dogs have adjusted well to the pup.  His sharp little milk teeth are annoying to all of us. 

He does not chase the cats. 

He does not see a difference between carpet and grass in terms of his toileting needs.  

Thankfully our first floor is all solid surfacing, easy to clean.  But, the hard wood is slick and he keeps doing the splits which makes him yelp which makes the boys go "ohhh" like a bunch of girls.  They are asking that we carpet the first floor; turning a free mut into a spendy remodel.  Not happening.  For now I put down our "so close to natural it looks real" plastic turf that we use camping, it's the current wrestling mat. 

Classy eh?  It was either that or put something sticky on his feet and that didn't seem healthy!

Gotta go.

How hot is hot?

Three digit temps are pretty hot.  Most folks around here stay home and stay inside this time of the year; it's the off season for camping - that's really funny coming from Washington.

277. triple digit temps
278. a family up for anything
279. friends not afraid of the heat

We went camping this hot weekend.  The Colorado River is not much more than a creek by the time it gets to Central Texas this time of the year, and we've not had rain for weeks.  I love Central Texas, the diversity is fascinating.

280. armadillos - my friend A would totally disagree, that's ok, I find them just so cute
281. skunk stink that walks on by...thank the Lord our dogs did not get sprayed
282. frogs the size of my fingernail

283. boys rounding up carp and scooping them out with their hands

A small troop of The Boy Scouts of America were at the campground; their utility trailer had a nice insignia of BSA etc. on it.  I told Man I want one on our utility trailer, BFF = Big Frickin Family.  Man said no, he is so unreasonable. 

Two other families joined us.  We had a total of 10 kids in our group and 4 dogs, you know that makes for fun! and lots of food, and a bit of noise...

The group elder teen taught some of my kiddos basic guitar skills - he is such an awesome kid (you know I'll say it again, I just love teenagers).

284. guitar teachers

For refreshment we had natural freshwater springs to swim in.

285. clear, fresh, cool water on a 106 degree day

 
The before, followed by the after:

Life around the camp:

Dam it!

EQ's hair is so awesome - Cali surfer dude with Tex cowboy thrown in

The most active Riley ever gets.

Holy Moly, hide your daughters!

The view from our campsite under the willows.

Star spangled weeds.

Yeah, I'm that hot guy on TV, but please, no autographs, I'm on vacation!

The feet tell the real story.

Who doesn't love a sleeping baby? 

 Going, going...

 Gone!

One of the kids, not mine, asked "what's wrong with your dog?"  I explained that he's part dead...she was confused.  Riley is part basset; he walks to retrieve his ball.  Camping whoops his hiney.

Just a few more, I can't help myself....

Have a seat.  Oh but not right there, sorry.

Rockin A Mom - fearless

My eyes,they use to be leetle you know, then I put the antenae in the socket and waa-laa - bubble eyes!  The ladies like em' chew no?

Such a serious bunch of monkeys.

Today is my birthday - dessert for dinner!!!