Scavenger Hunt

One must, from time to time, attempt things beyond one's capacity. (Renoir)

This week we've been looking for a dead leaf for the Photo Scavenger Hunt. There was a bonus point available if the leaf was three or more colors (besides brown). I'm just lucky to have found a dead leaf!

Actually, this was a recent replacement for one of the trees lost in Hurricane Wilma last October. For some reason, this tree just hasn't done well. Hopefully it will last until the weather warms up again.

#100 completed!

I get to mark off my first task from my list of 101 Things to Do in 1001 Days.

Imagination is the reality of the dreamer. (Scott Ringenbach)

This has always been one of my favorite pictures. I took it a couple of years ago at Myakka River State Park, and it was pure luck that I was able to capture the reflection of the clouds in the lake so beautifully.

Sometimes, whether you deserve it or not, everything just comes together the right way and it turns out to be a wonderful day.

Happy Valentine's Day

I'm not a big fan of Valentine's Day. So each year I try to sneak by without acknowledging the date. And each year my children make sure that I not only celebrate the day, but that I celebrate it with love and joy.

They really are terrific kids!

And if that isn't enough love for me, I found out that not only has Tint offered kind comments to my posts but she has included a mention of me in her own blog!

This is part of the essence of motherhood, watching your kid grown into her own person and not being able to do anything about it.

Otherwise children would be nothing more than pets.
(Heather Armstrong, Dooce - 11/15/05)

Becky is finally feeling confident enough around the gerbil to name him. (It's Austin, in case you're wondering.) PJ has done a great job of gentling the gerbil, getting Austin used to being picked up and held.

What one does is what counts and not what one had the intention of doing.(Pablo Picasso)

By Picasso's standards, not a whole lot counted today. Maybe I'll be better tomorrow.

I can't complain, but sometimes I still do. (Joe Walsh)

I thought I'd share a couple more pictures took on our photo safari Wednesday. While waiting for dinner, we took turns shooting pictures of the same items, seeing what we could come up with. My photo is on the left, Becky's version is on the right.

I'm really tired of being sick. The first couple of days it was just inconvenient. Then I was just too tired to really care. Now I've had enough of the coughing and stuffed sinuses and I'm ready to feel better. I have things that need to be done, and not enough energy to do them. This whiney stage is the worst part of being ill, for me and everyone around me!

A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold. (Ogden Nash)

After spending all day yesterday in bed, I think I'm finally starting to feel better. Now it's Becky's turn to be sick. I wanted her to stay home from school today, but she didn't. (PJ offered to stay home in her place...)

Today's Wild Thing is Dolphantasy by Carla Golembe. I thought it was appropriate, since it is located in front of Columbia Hospital.

The time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time. (Betrand Rusell)

Becky and I went out yesterday afternoon on a brief photo safari. We took several pictures, hoping for a winner for this week's Photo Scavenger Hunt. The challenge was "A Shadow" with a bonus point if it were your own shadow. On the way home, we stopped for dinner. It was pure serindipity that lead to this picture.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Just for fun, below are a couple of the pictures we posed for the hunt:

Humans are the only animals that have children on purpose with the exception of guppies, who like to eat theirs. (P.J. O'Rourke)

Mamacita (with the orange tail) and a possible father guppy.

You can see one of the babies in the bottom left of the picture.

Some of the babies. They're so small!

One of my guppies had babies. This time I was able to save six of them -- I think she might have had more but managed to eat them before I could get them to safety. Even now, while the babies are locked away in a plastic floating nursery, the mama is trying to get into it. Part of me thinks "How horrible!" while the other part nods wisely and thinks, "she's had teenagers already."

The thing that impresses me most about America is the way parents obey their children. (King Edward VIII)

I said no. In fact, I believe my exact words were "No! Never, ever again." And I know this because I said it many times, over the past several months.

Of course, the children still managed to talk me into a fish tank for PJ. But that was supposed to be the end of it. Just a couple of quiet, clean fish swimming in one tank. But nothing else! No talking me around -- it just wouldn't be possible so don't even try.

But then PJ wanted to buy his sister a fish tank for Christmas. And I gave in -- how could I not? After all, I wanted him to learn to be generous and he was offering to pay for the entire thing himself. And it really wasn't fair that he got to have a pet again and she didn't. And since fish really were clean and quiet, I gave in.

I think the battle was lost, though, when I bought the tank for myself. (But I really did like their fish!) And the second tank I set up for myself just confirmed what the kids already knew: mom's a push-over.

But if I didn't have a cold and feel so miserable, I don't think I would have given in today. At least, that's what I'm going to keep telling myself. They struck when I was too weak to resist. And as a result, we have a new member to the family.

Strange how a teapotCan represent at the same timeThe comforts of solitudeAnd the pleasures of company.

[A Zen haiku, translated by Gary Crounse in "Pathways; Restful Meditations."]

This picture is my entry for Week 5 of the Photo Scavenger Hunt. We needed a picture of a teapot, with bonus points if it was short and stout. I had a difficult time deciding which teapot to use, since I own at least eight (and that's not counting the Mrs. Tea!).