Running Man

Nothing's going to stop him.  Residual affects of a broken back... a muscle disorder... nope... nothing.

He could have given up.  He could have said, "The pain is too much... I can't do it."  He could have settled himself on the couch and not tried.  But he didn't.

Everyday, without complaint, he runs and bikes and lifts weights.  Everyday he tries to be a better man.

Now he has a couple of 5 k races under his belt.  And there is no stopping him.  I tried, with no avail, to get him to at least wait the recommended two years until his back is fully fused.  But, now I just wait at the finish line and take photos. 

Thank you Aaron for never giving up.  We are so proud of you!

Canning Days

Canning days are here again.

Today we picked a laundry basket full of green beans.  Traditionally, as we work throughout the garden we take up a collection of things--- besides whatever vegetable that we are picking.  This time, in addition to the green beans, it was a collection of frogs and toads. 

This one was my favorite:

Note that Abram made him, and the other toads, a wonderful habitat out of beet leaves and green beans.

Tipping beans has never been a welcome task of mine.  I always begrudgingly complete this chore.  But, today Abram kept my mom and I busy with chatter about frogs and toads.  We were also surrounded by toads in jars and buckets while we spent hours prepping the beans.

After the other toads were released back to nature, "Jumpy," (pictured above) was taken inside with us.  This is the first year that I have pressure cooked beans with a toad in attendance. 

The sun was starting to set and it was time to free Jumpy.  This was very hard for little brother.

Dad and Abram set off to the garden to return Jumpy to his home.  Upon returning inside, Abram sadly said, "I miss him already."

"It will be alright.  Jumpy will grow big and strong.  Hopefully he will eat some of our potato bugs!" I chimed in.

Then Abram brightened a little, "In six years I'll see him again.  I'll say 'hey Jumpy.' And then he'll say 'hey Abram.'  Oh wait... I forgot to tell him my name!"  It was a serious moment, but Aaron and I could not stop ourselves from laughing. 

This Summer

Summer has flown by.  It's already a third over.  And Little Brother cannot wait to get back to school.  Big brother couldn't care less if school ever came.  I explain to him over and over that school is a privilege... not everyone gets to go to school... not everyone can read.... we are very fortunate.... on and on.  But he never seems to have a change of heart.  He enjoys school as a social gathering--- and not much more.  And really, I think that is OK for a 10 year-old.

This summer has been consumed by family and friends.  I am the type of person who would be elated with laying in our hammock and reading a smutty romance novel on my Nook---one that takes absolutely no brain power and a just a little imagination.  But this summer has been RUN RUN RUN (or DRIVE DRIVE DRIVE.)  Drive to swimming lesson (thank God that's over,) Drive to piano, Drive to tutors and so on.  I am looking forward to Thursday---it's the only day I am staying home this week.  I was worried at the end of last school year because keeping two busy boys occupied is never an easy task.  It is hard to switch from full time school to full time home (almost full time- I do work part time.  But then they go to our neighbors which is also like home.)  But now I am dreading them returning back to school because it will be like a piece of me missing...again.  Now I am rambling... onto our bird mishaps....

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Abram has been patiently waiting for, Cujo, our black chicken (who is a tad bit psychotic--- like something right out of a Stephen King book) to get up off eggs that we have been trying to hatch so we can see if the rooster--- Dr. Evil--- has done his job.  Unfortunately Cujo, being the crazy bird that she is, refused to get off of the nest.  Well, the eggs were three days overdue for hatching. I know very little about chickens, I don't know if eggs go overdue (like humans.)  So, I took the very angry bird off of the eggs, kicked the rooster who was defending his hen, and this is what I found out...

I did not know that a chicken would continue to lay eggs even when she is nesting... or brooding... or whatever they do.  Cujo was sitting on over 20 eggs.  This is not good. 

The second thing that I learned is that the rooster did do his job, but Cujo (being like a character out of a really bad animal horror movie) killed the four chicks that had hatched.  I will not go into details, but it sucked. 

So, we bought an incubator and will try again.  In a little more controlled environment--- without psychotic black chickens.

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So, having lost at least four chicks, Abram's heart was broken.  But, guess was he found in the yard?  Oh, yeah.... a baby bird. 

 Some people have caterpillars in their laundry room.  We have a hideously ugly baby bird.  Abram dug worms for it and caught bugs for it.  The bird was so new that it still needed it's food chopped up and needed to be fed.  We even gave it water through a dropper. 

He talked to that little bird that he was the last bird in the world.  It reminded me of a book I read to him and Noah a million times... "Flap Your Wings," by P.D. Eastman.  Abram would tell the bird to flap his wings--- just like the momma and daddy birds in the book (only they were teaching an alligator to fly, you gotta read the book to appreciate it.)

I could only handle taking care of this baby bird for a day.  It was so noisy and so much work.  The bird ate constantly (just like in the book.)  I give props to bird mommas... they put human mommas to shame. 

Eventually I explained to Abram that we could not keep this bird.  I do not have time to give it the care it needs. 

So, Aaron and Abram meandered through our yard in search of a mother bird.  And they found a Robin's nest with two eggs in it.  Aaron gently placed the bird in there.  Imagine what that momma thought when she got home!  Hopefully, she took as good of care of this baby bird--- as the momma bird in the book took care of her alligator.