A Day In The Life of Memaw and Pawpaw

Calgon take me away - - way away! Yesterday I was stuck in the house with the kids all day - - fussing and fighting and Pawpaw was at his EECP treatment. All of a sudden the storms came. We had them inside (Cain and Abel) and outside (rain, wind and lightening).

After the winds died down, the storms inside continued until BEDTIME. Pawpaw took Logan to fish at Town Lake, but soon came back blind and having chest pains, flopped on the couch (end of Pawpaw and any help for the day). I did go get the Easter pictures at CVS; by Carina's Beauty Shop to get the hair spray I ordered; to get a tank of gas; by the grocery store and then back home. Logan walked out to the van with me before I left home to do these errands, we had no sooner walked out of the garage, and we heard a "plop", both of us turned and looked back and there was a snake (could have been on my head or his 2 seconds earlier). It had fallen off the garage door. I grabbed a cleaning tool (duster) and tried to move the snake back into the yard to have a look at it, but it was swiveling to the side and sticking its tongue in and out over and over. It swiveled to the large crack in the garage floor caused by last year's drought. Then it disappeared. I think there is probably a mommy and more bros and sisters under there.

I shivered thinking about how close that snake came to falling on my head. Now I look up and down like a bobble head when I come into the garage. However,Logan thought it was neat!!!!

When I returned from all my errands I bathed Logan. Logan came out of the shower with a hair full of shampoo - - did not rinse. Wouldn't get back in the tub so I had to get a little step ladder and have him hold his head over the kitchen sink while I used the sprayer. Then Micah took a shower and washed his hair. He came out of the shower with a hair full of shampoo -- back into the shower he went. When he was getting out he hollered, "Memaw" He sounded hysterical and I went to his rescue. He had turned off the shower head and was attempting to turn the hot water off. I turned it too and it wouldn't fully go off. "Pawpaw" we yelled. He told us to let it go until tomorrow. I did, knowing the hot water heater was running out the propane and running up the water bill.

Before going to bed I carried a glass of red wine to bed with me to drink while I read my book. I was sleepy after reading so sat the wine glass on the window sill and went to sleep. This morning when I woke up the wine glass was covered in "fireants". My good attitude is going fast by now and I'm thinking - - what next?

I soon found out! I was getting ready to take Micah for a scheduled test at Presbyterian and drop off the dog to be groomed. I bathed (Pawpaw got the hot water spigot to turn off last night I just discovered),then opened the drawer to get some underwear and there were 2 eyes looking at me. The eyes had a tail and two little ears and whiskers! HELP! I must call the exterminator. We no longer live in a Habitat for Humanity we live in a Habitat for wild animals who used to live in the empty fields behind us, before all the new homes were built. Pawpaw said, "Everyone has fireants and mice". I said, "Not everyone lives with a bobcat under the porch; fireants coming into the house each summer; mice in the house; snakes in the garage". This near 45 year union may not make it to 45 years.

I'm not even sure CALGON WILL WORK FOR ME THIS TIME...not even Bath and Body Works Sweet Pea Bubble Bath.... Perhaps an exterminator will do the trick!

It's Raining Cats and Frogs!

A wonderful phenomenon has occurred this past week. Micah and his classmates were at recess and found numerous baby frogs. The rain has brought on a natural rain forest in this part of Texas. The classmates and Micah found frogs on the playground near an old building. Micah brought his home. We got out Pawpaw’s fish fryer and put him in there for a swim. Yes, folks, the fish fryer! Don’t worry when you come to a fish fry, the boiling oil will disinfect it. Of course, I’ll wash it in boiling, hot, soapy water too. We placed a rock in the container for our froggy to rest on when it wasn’t swimming.

Before this week, I had not seen a frog in years. They were all over our land when we first moved here 22 years ago, but over the years they all disappeared. Every one of them! When the frogs leave we begin to think there are too many pesticides; too much global warming; whatever. I missed the familiar croaking of the frogs in the night. Every year I looked for frogs, however the search would never turn up the beautiful 4 legged creature that leaped in the grass. NOW, we have frogs. Yeah! Micah wanted to keep this little frog forever…. I asked Micah, “How would you feel if someone took you and your brother and we never saw you again”? He thought about this, but heck they were having so much fun watching froggy swim. I decided to let the boys keep their new pet overnight, but reminded him the frog has to eat. Micah and Logan wanted to know what frogs eat. Micah suggested we pull some grass for him. I said, “No Micah you will have to go find some baby crickets. They can’t eat large crickets and they don’t eat dead crickets, so you and Logan will have to go in search of live baby crickets”. Their eyes became big with worry. The wheels were turning. Out the door Micah went with Logan following behind. They had the little froggy and I guess they were going to let him down to find himself some live baby crickets. In a short time they both came through the front door, “Memaw, we let the little frog go home to his mommy and daddy”. Nothing else was said.

Today they went to my mom’s and she let them go out between rains. They had another frog when I stopped by to pick them up. I let them look at the frog. Mom had fixed it a home in a handled glass, tall enough little froggy couldn't jump out. She put him a snail shell and some grass to make him comfortable and we sat and ate our lunch with the frog’s home as the centerpiece. Micah and Logan looked as though they were watching a television screen as they watched little froggy’s every move. When we finished I asked them if they would return the frog to the ground to go home to its family. Neither spoke. The quietness was deafening. Logan stood up and took the little glass home to the door. Micah said, “I should be the one to let it go home because, after all, it is my frog”. The rain started up again just as Micah took the little frog to the bush and released it to go home. He turned and smiled, rain pouring off his face. He said, “Memaw, little froggy waved goodbye at us”.