Rena's First Joke or the Pre-Emergent Comic

3 year old, "Mommy, what color is the sky?"

Me, "Blue."

3 year old, "No, red."

Me, "OK".

3 year old, "Mommy, which way am I pointing?"

Me, "Up."

Sidenote: Ok, I'm not really getting it at this point either and I think it's just random questioning to see if I really am all knowing. Remember, she's three.

3 year old, "Mommy blew up!" laughing at her own joke!

Gee, I can hardly wait for the 'real' knock knock jokes.

nosey neighbors, dogcatchers and the HOA

Last week was not my best week here in Georgia, to say the least. 3 letters from the HOA, 2 citations from the water department, complete with pictures and diagrams, a nasty email from a neighbor and a brewhaha over a neighborhood party involving police left me feeling a little...well a little out of control, I suppose. The HOA is my biggest pet peeve and the brewhaha over the party magnified all that I think is evil about them. The theory is they are good for property values and if everyone keeps their house looking like no one lives there, then everyone is going to want to buy your house. The reality is it often causes speculation about neighbors. Who's turning whom in to the HOA. Who's complaining about whom. What your mulch looks like and when you last watered are frequent conversations.

Anyway, I happen to live in a part of the neighborhood where most everyone is friendly and happy to see each other. We wave and speak and most of us don't really care what each other's lawn looks like. This week, we've been behaving like neighbors, which is what we really want in a neighborhood. For example, my dog got out the other day while I was gone and 2 different neighbors worked together to get him back and fix it so he couldn't get out again. One of my neighbors accidentally made too many pies and brought us one. And I noticed that my neighbors were still home when they shouldn't have been. This made me worry, so I went to check on them. They were alright, but I'm still glad I went to check. If something were to happen to me or my family, I want nosey neighbors. Those that notice something is not quite right and do something about it. Neighborhoods are a great place to live.

Joys of the Frog

I spent part of yesterday morning planting the rest of my very small garden and some left over flowers. It was cooler than it had been in days and I wanted to get as much planted as possible. I have a little plant problem. I want them all, but I don’t have time to plant many! I’ve tried to be very good and not buy a lot at one time. I still have 4 grapevines (2 from last year, 2 from this year) to plant, 2 rhododendrons, 3 hostas, some vine, and a hydrangea. Oh, I also have about 150 various bulbs. I’ve killed off 3 guara plants that, evidently, needed to be watered at least 3 times a day! I’ve started digging holes, but haven’t managed to complete the job. There are areas where the ground is as hard as cement. Seriously.

Anyway, while I was planting my garden, I stumbled upon a little frog. I called Rena over to investigate, and then Rachel and Riley made it past the evil sprinklers to check him out too. While they were all interest, it was in varying degrees. Riley, still traumatized by the sprinklers, was more interested in her milk and sympathy. Rena really liked him and was the only one to actually attempt to touch (pet) him. But the wonder on Rachel’s face says it all. She was mesmerized. I love it. That’s what makes motherhood so great. Seeing that wonder on a small child's face.

The View of the Frog

Ok, there I was, minding my own business, hanging out under a sage plant, when all of a sudden, I was lifted high into the air and then plopped down to the ground again. I attempted an escape, but the store-bought soil made a poor camouflage for this old frog. I used my second best life saving technique…absolute stillness. This seemed to work for awhile, at least on the old lady, but then children showed up. I’d heard about these creatures from my elders. These children seemed to be kinder than most. Only one of them tried to touch me. No one actually attempted a capture, thank goodness! After what seemed like a really long time, they all left and I made an escape onto a watermelon leaf. They’ll never find me here! What’s that? Rain! Thanks goodness, it’s been so long. Wait, it’s gone. Wait it’s back. It’s gone, now back, hey…!