Homegrown Thoughts

This was in our local paper yesterday and I thought it was appropriate to share since I’m in a major winter BLAH phase.

10 reasons to appreciate the cold Iowa winter

Here are 10 things to ponder as you shiver through another day in Iowa’s Endless Winter:

1. The good news - no mosquitoes!
2. If you can still see your breath, you haven’t frozen to death.
3. It has never snowed in Iowa in June. That’s only a little more than three months away.
4. You can probably get a good deal on an air conditioner.
5. Nobody cares how funny you look while tiptoeing on an ice-glazed sidewalk, because they are too worried about falling themselves. And big, furry, hairstyle-destroying hats are fashionable.
6. Ice fills the potholes.
7. If the electricity goes out, your frozen foods will likely remain frozen.
8. Scraping an ice-covered windshield makes you feel superior to all those people who wimped out and built garages.
9. The Iowa Cubs home opener is April 3, a mere 41 days away.
10. What? You’d rather be mowing?

Spring, please come soon!!

I was getting a little tired of my previous design and decided I needed to add a touch of spring to my life.  I’m so tired of winter!!  They tell you these templates are ready to go as-is, but that is rarely the case and I’ve spent a good part of my day making changes so it works for me.  Good thing I have some experience in that area.  I’m not totally done yet (am I ever??), but I think it’s looking pretty cool.

I hope everybody enjoys the change!

I keep putting off writing an entry because there’s so much to say. I’ve decided it might be easier to just pour it all out in one post and get it over with.

So, this has been an up and down week and a half or so. We celebrated my younger son’s 7th birthday (7!?!). That’s a bit traumatic for me. He is still 5 in my mind and I can’t seem to get a grip on the fact that my ‘baby’ is growing up so fast. I made him an Oreo birthday cake for his family party and he enjoyed his birthday a lot.

My best friend’s baby was due the same day. Two days after that, she found out that the baby’s heart had stopped beating. We prayed for a miracle, but little Hallel was stillborn 2 days later, on Sunday the 17th. We live in different states and it was almost unbearable for me not to be able to be there for her in person. I cried my tears here, feeling so powerless to do anything helpful. But God has been so amazing in His gentle treatment of her and in sending many tender mercies her way through all of this. And she has been so amazing, making sure I know what’s going on, sending me pictures and helping me feel like I am there, sharing this with her. She is such a testimony to me.

Monday we took my older son to an orthopedic surgeon to look at his legs. He walks on his tip-toes almost all the time and is unable to stand flat on his feet without discomfort. The whole thing was a bit traumatic and scary for him (he is our ultra-sensitive child). He had to have x-rays taken and since there wasn’t anything obvious there, the doctor ordered 2 MRI’s to rule out any more serious neurological or spinal causes. So we have to take my son to his regular doctor on Monday to clear him for sedation and then take him very early on Wednesday for the MRI’s. They prefer not to knock him out completely (and I prefer that too!) but he’s such a nervous child, they may have to if he can’t hold still. 45 minutes is a long time to lay not moving in a big machine! My husband probably can’t stay with us, so I’m praying that I handle things well - and of course that our son comes through with flying colors and that there is nothing ‘major’ going on.

Considering all of this, I thought it wise to reschedule the orthodontist consultation we had scheduled for him the day after the MRI. Poor kid, he’s really getting hammered lately.

And don’t even get me started on the weather. LOL

I’m probably forgetting something, but I think that’s more than enough for tonight.

I don’t know what is wrong with me, but today I decided I want another pet.  Not just any pet…a Robo Hamster.  Never heard of a Robo Hamster?  I hadn’t either until we went to Petco to get some cat food.  Yes, food for the cats we’ve had for less than a year that live with the dog we’ve had for a couple years…apparently I feel the need to add to our menagerie every year or so.  And that’s not even mentioning the freshwater AND saltwater fish we have.

But back to the adorable Robo Hamster.  They were so cute!  So tiny.  Dainty little tails. LOVE THEM.  Here, see for yourself.

See?  Adorable!  And they were maybe 3 inches long.  I just wanted to put them in my pocket and bring them home.  They remind me of miniature chinchillas - another animal I’d love to have but know my husband would never go for.  They don’t have the chinchilla tail but other than that, they look similar to me.

I even went so far as to look at hamster cages, hamster food, hamster hideaways and…get this…there are hamster litter boxes!  Yes, hamsters can be litter trained.  Who knew?

Besides the obvious issues of existing pets, including cats who would see a hamster and think, “Mouse! Must eat!”, there is my little ‘no unneeded purchases’ pact.  And the “Are you crazy?” husband reaction, which I am sure I will get.  I also did some research and apparently these little critters are extremely fast so if they get away from you, you can plan on spending the rest of the day trying to get them caught again.  They are usually not thrilled with being held and it takes quite awhile to tame them.  Although they supposedly don’t bite often, I have seen several reports of biting.  Basically, not a great pet for people who like to hold their pets or don’t want to spend a lot of time taming them…I should cross it off my list right now.  But I still want one!  Or two, actually, because they are social and do better with a pal.  They are very active and fun to watch.

Somebody please bring me to my senses.  Or at least tell me a good kind of hamster to get that is also very cute. I had a teddy bear hamster when I was a kid, maybe I should see if anybody has those available.  Oh wait, I still haven’t cleared this with my dh.  And, seriously, I do NOT see that happening.  *sigh*  What gets into me, anyway?!?