I thought I would take a couple of photos that show what happens when I walk out the back door. The chickens come waddling from all corners of the yard in hopes of some scraps (if I don't bring them anything, they hop up on the picnic table and look for leftover cat food....greedy little things!), the cat comes running to me because he loves me so (okay, maybe it's because he's hoping for some food, too), and Max the dog, well, he is just always looking for a good belly-scratching.
In other news, we gave Jason's room a thorough cleaning this week. We gave clothes and toys to Goodwill, shoes to Haiti, and about a million gum wrappers and a pound of dirt and pretzel crumbs to the garbage can. And if you have ever felt like an inadequate housekeeper, what I am about to tell you will be amazing for your self-esteem. I decided to clean out the top two shelves of Jason's closet, so I could put more stuff up there and get it out from under the bed. Because our house is old and quirky, Jason's closet is narrow and deep, so getting to the shelves involves maneuvering a chair in there, and then holding onto a wooden rod with one hand while using a long yardstick (or broom handle...or arrow) to pull stuff out from the depths. And because I am short, I can't always see what I am bringing out until it falls on my head. First I pulled out some blocks, old matchbox cars, and a bin of dried-up play-doh. But then, I retrieved the object in the very back after much effort. And it was...(this is really embarrassing) a package of pull-ups (yes, the diaper kind). Have I mentioned that Jason is almost THIRTEEN? Wow. Glad those are gone! That could be humiliating if found by someone's junior high buddies.
Last news item - Grace is away this weekend on a mission trip with her youth group. They are in Fresno, and when you are done snickering, let me tell you that Fresno is one tough city. There are some very gnarly parts of town, and that's where the 40-plus kids are. Now I am getting a glimpse of what it's like for the parents of our Cal Poly students when we go off to exotic places like El Salvador and East Asia (and San Diego, and Colorado....). It is a new way of 'trusting God with my kids'. Grace took our camera with her, so some photos are coming shortly, I am sure....
Enjoy the Super Bowl and Valentine's Day and we will be in touch soon with the latest from our little acre!
