Lawn Mowers, Bull Riders and Those behind the mask

The lawn saga continues on and on. I was able to share it with my massage therapist last week during my session. Love those days. But I really loved what she had to say other than the fact that she thought she needed pink underwear like mine since her husband liked pink! Now, for you faint of heart...those of you who are not able to handle the vocabulary of the world, click off now! I would like to share with the rest of you who can handle it, the words of the massage therapist! She worked long and hard on my shoulders. Asked me what I had been doing that made me so tight? Of course....I have been hauling a heavy gas weed eater around. She worked on my lower back. Then she began to work on my rear. She compliments my "pink" and then exclaims: "Trina, for a woman your age, you have, may I say, the tightest ass!" I just about rolled off the table laughing. She repeated the comment when she continued to the other cheek. I laughed again. So, that mower is good for one thing. I may have a tight ass, but she really had to push through the fat to find it. I wish that everyone could see that! But I have a tight tush! And I got it from hard work! (Okay, so she may not have meant it that way, but hey, I am taking it to the max.)
Then for the rest of the massage, I explained to her the landscape and the mower. After talking to some of my neighbors, I have discovered that the previous owner wanted to be a farmer/rancher. Therefore he bought a tractor. He just drove it every three or four months and plowed up the dirt. No disc. No planting of seeds for wheat, maize, cotton, or grass. Just till up the dirt and watch it wash away in the rain. So...now I have 5 acres of land that are uneven, sloped, riveted, sandy, and filled with grass burrs. All because he wanted to be something he wasn't! Hello, Barbie and I are the same age. I would love to look like Barbie. But I don't. I just don't think the rest of Abilene is ready for me to walk around in no bra, painted on underwear, and clothes that are skin tight. I just don't think that would work. I don't have the figure for it. I am thinking that he didn't have the true meaning of the word tractor...well unless he thought his tractor made him sexy. So, I work hard at being Barbie with a real woman's figure!
This brings me to my thoughts as I was riding that tractor for 4 hours yesterday. Something that has been on my for the last few days. Something that hurts others more than it hurts ourself. How many of us pretend to be something we truly aren't. This is one thing I struggle with and try not to do! It is hard sometimes!!! But I want people to love me for me. I love my family...but I don't want people to love me because of them. I want to be loved for me being me. So...yesterday I went to dinner without styling my hair, or applying makeup (of course, I was so tired I couldn't lift my arms up to do any of that!!! I had been holding onto the wheel of a lawnmower). i told the wait person that I was totaly exhausted and sleepy, but I would be a very polite diner. Point is....I didn't cause anyone to pass from this life because I was just me. I didn't get shunned. I was allowed to enter a restaurant and order dinner......without styled hair and makeup!!! And, even though I was totally exhausted, I was still courteous and fun to the wait staff. I was without my mask! It was wonderful!!! As for who I am at home versus school and public life. I try to be an open book. Ask my students.....Ask my kids. I will chew them out in public as well as in private. I will love on them at home as well as in public. The question to myself yesterday during that 4 hours was: When I get my feelings hurt, or am frustrated with someone, or angry with someone, am I hiding behind a mask when I don't step out there and voice my thoughts (not in an ugly way, but even in a kind way?) Is that a mask, or is it just my way of keeping peace among all people?
As for the bull rider in the title? I won't even pretend to be a bull rider, but after 4 hours of a bucking lawn mower, I think 8 seconds would be an easy ride. It's just getting off the bull that would get me!

Front Porch moment

Today's lesson on yard work is small. Pull weeds while it is sprinkling! You can't tell if it is sweat or rain running down your forehead, cleavage and back. However, I do have a question. At the time of the flood, why did the Lord leave us mosquitoes and grassburrs. He could have done away with both, and I would have been okay with that! One would think childbirth, passing kidney and gall stones, and dealing with Social Security is punishment enough.
On a better note!
We are a "Front Porch" family lately. Twice today, my children and I sat on the porch to watch our newest friends........ Tiny, Flower, Mumble, and Spot (the hummingbird clan). Our front porch has also grown to include two baby birds who rest there at night. However, our front porch included some other important friends through out the day who were as mesmerized by our little birds, as we were. Grandad came for a spell; Tony came for supper and sat out to watch, then Ashley and Jordan came calling. Tony just couldn't believe how relaxing and cool these guys are. We visited and watched the birds.
After two days of enjoying these hummingbirds, we decided to check out where they nest and sleep at night. We found a great site to read and enjoyed several videos. We were watching the amazing video where the mother was feeding her two babies. After about day 28 the babies are fairly grown, and the mom is still feeding them a mixture of insects (spiders) and nectar. She does this by sticking her long slender beak down into the mouths of the babies. My daughter without missing a beat said: "That's gotta hurt! That gives a whole new meaning to a nosey mom!" Enough said!
Loving our front porch times!

Lessons in yard work.

I bought this awesome mower last month. Every male within shouting distance of my house (about 5 of them) think I got a steal and did great in purchasing it. I agree! So...with such pride I took off mowing my "Green/Red Acres". I started with the front at about 1:20. It was a pretty wild ride the first round....I had NO idea how to drive that thing, and it was in high gear. I am certain "passerbyers" thought I was hysterical. After that, I moved to the "bar ditch" and then to the east side of the house. That is where I made the startling conclusion....there is not enough money in the world to pay someone to mow from the east back to the rest of the 5 acres. Oh my stars! If your child is asking to go to Six Flags and you have no money....send them to my house. They can mow the law and get the same bone cracking, teeth jarring ride as they would on the roller coaster; and you saved money. Or, if you are wanting to loose weight bring it on. Do you remember the little machine that ladies used to use where they stood up, put this belt around their rear end, turned the button to on, and the belt started shaking their butt? I now own that machine, except that you are seated. And you don't want to stop the mower to take a break because you feel like a pilot starting up or shutting down the airplane. Then there are so many buttons and levers that you have to move just to stop the thing...you keep mowing for 4 1/2 hours straight so all you have is water to drink (a bottle in the cup holder which is deep enough to keep it from bouncing out). Finally, I was majorly concerned that my boobs would be hanging to my ankles by the time I finished bouncing around. Did you know that IF a large object gets stuck in red clay mud, you can't just sit there and rock it out? So...lesson learned. Eat, drink and pee before getting on the machine, and slow down when you see the ripples in the upcoming area. And for the mud...well, let's call it a science experiment.
The next lesson...... I have a beautiful view and am working on having a beautiful front yard. This morning I assigned each child a job to help me with the yard before it began to rain. The son was to rake the rocks out of the yard and the daughter was to hoe the weeds out of the front bed. I was busy raking dirt to put in grass seed, and fertilizing. They both lasted a whole 20 minutes or so. Hello? Who is the old person here? (The same one that by herself climbed to the 1/2 way point at the falls in Colorado....) I also ended up finishing the rocks and had to go fill the culverts that my daughter created. I must say that I taught her to use the hoe correctly, but I think she thought I said "hole".
As for the final lesson in yard work, we experienced it tonight. We sat in the back enjoyed the smell of rain as we admired the green grass and trees and smell of flowers. Then we sat on the front porch, swathed in a cool rainy breeze, looking at the freshly mowed beautiful green weeds and the distant blue hills blanketed in clouds while our three humming birds played at the feeder just two feet from us. Even better.......I sat there tonight in my jammies, drinking coffee and two precious children on either side. Hmmmmm love me some yard work!

Steps....

Today is one of those days that I greet with mixed emotions. It is kin to New Years and Mother's Day. It is great because it is Sunday. Even better today because I sang on the praise team with my dearest friends! However, it is a very, very, very hard time of the year. This year presented me with a first. A first that I felt like I blew until my friends told me that I hadn't really blown it.
You see, I make my children go to the store and pick out all the cards for Grandparent's Day, Birthdays, Valentine's, Mother's Day and Father's Day. They can pick out whatever they want as long as they have read it and tell me what they like about it. My daughter always has a great reason..usually what the card says about the person. My son...well, "I picked this one because one year I made PawPaw a paper tie for Father's Day" or "Grandad loves Mickey Mouse". So me make our trek to the store for our purchases. We are standing with cards in hand ready to move to the register when my son grabs a card and says, "I want to buy this card instead". It was a card with Mowgli and Baloo on it. When opened, it plays the song "I Want to Be Like You" from Jungle Book. That is one of his all time favorite movies. Watched it just last weekend. So I suggested we read what it said before switching out. As soon as I began on the front, my heart sank. It read: "I want to follow you around and do the things you do, AND, Daddy, here's the reason...I want to be like you." Then it plays the song. No sooner than he got to the AND part, he realized what it said. It brought the love of a movie, two characters who rolled, played, worked together and got in trouble together, with the realization that he couldn't buy this card for anyone in the family. He looked up at me and said, "But I love this card". I didn't think before opening my mouth and told him that we could buy it, but the only one that would enjoy listening to his voice and a song from a $7.00 card would be the birds out at the cemetery who listened to it. We loaded into the car and headed for home. I heard no laughing, talking or singing from him on the way home. I looked in the rear view mirror only to see him just sitting there. If you know my son....this is NOT typical of him. I asked if he was okay, and he said he thought he would just take a nap when we got home. (Well, he didn't...too much to play with) I felt so sick for him. This was the first time I ever saw in him the acknowledgement of where we stand in our life as a family. I truly think that it wasn't that he couldn't have the cool card....it was the fact that he couldn't have it because there is no one in our house to call "Daddy".
So...after second service today, my heart was heavy. Not about the sermon thoughts, but the fact that I was going home to two children who heard "Father's Day" several times today, and they both understood what we are missing. I called the house and told them to start lunch without me if need be. I had an errand to run. I went to the same store. Found the card and with the two dollar off coupon from yesterday, purchased the card. You can record a thought before it plays the song. and so I recorded:
"K. May you always follow in both your Daddy Kelly's and your Heavenly Father's steps so that your kids will want to follow in your footsteps and sing...." then it plays...."OOOdo, I want to be like you-oo-oo......
We love you Lord. Thanks for sending our "Daddy" here for a short time, but thank you that he is with you because he chose to walk in your steps!
The card...will be found around bed time.

If you didn't know..

Venus is a planet containing a lot of "assed". Yep, it is on the power point! I don't know whose face was more priceless...my mom or my daughter. BUT...we smiled and said..."really?" So next time someone is being a jerk....send them to Venus!

Is there a comic in the house?

We are watching Last Comic Standing, and I am laughing soooo hard. Not at the comics, but at my son as he laughs out loud. Of course you would have to be here to hear him repeat the funnies. He has us laughing so hard we can't even hear the end of the jokes. His true laughter is infectious. Love nights like tonight....and those nights last week when he was the only comic standing at our house.

Let me share with you the joys of this energetic child.

• We got a pool for his dog. He asked me why there was a warning label on a pool that doesn't hold much water. Next morning in the pool filled with about 3 inches, we found a little mouse floating around (all feet sticking out and tail straight). As he walks by, K. says very matter of fact, "Hmmm, guess he couldn't read the warning label."
• We have enjoyed listening to the radio as we drive across town a gazillion times a day for our camps and work. One of my daughter's favorite songs come on and without missing a beat he sings "She threw up....in the middle of the road. Where the wheat fields grow and the winters cold....An American funny."
• I asked the kids to check the Constable's car next to us to see if it was a friend of ours. My daughter asked what a Constable was and K. replied..... that's the stuff you put on your hamburger. (Okay, you probably had to be there to laugh at that one)
• Friday, one of my favorite Don Williams Songs came on. When it finished, I heard a little voice in the back singing...Living on toes tonight. Living on toes tonight. I told him that was not the words and my daughter said....well it is if you are a chigger!
• Probably one of my favorites....he was in horse camp last week. Not exactly the big cowboy, but he was working hard. He had a dirt ring around his neck that was a sign of where he had probably spent most of the morning. Any way, he is hauling his saddle back to the barn on the 3rd and final day and looks up with that precious dirty fact and asks: "Mom, do you that that S. (his friend) and I can team rope?" Without cracking a smile, I replied.....yes, as soon as you learn to put on a saddle. My thought really was...rope? We haven't even mastered leading the horse to the arena

I love my kids. May not like what they do all the time, but I do love them!!!!

Buy the way......you have to see the commercial where the guy is drunk and his friend asks for the keys....the guys says no and then the friend finds a way to get the keys. I heard it once on TV tonight..........4 times in the living room after it was done and over! Of course...laughter filling the air here.

And the next animal is....

What is up with me and the animals? This time....a turkey. Okay, seriously, the last two times..a turkey. Now, I could use the plural form, but I am not certain if it is the same turkey or not. BUT....If I were a detective on some TV show (that I love to watch on Mon. evening) I would say it was the same one. Both times, she has been standing there in the middle of the road. Instead of taking of and "flying" away, she begins to run. Well, we decided this morning that she runs like a dachshund puppy with longer legs. Not only does she run, but she runs down the middle of the road. Right down the middle of the road...in front of my car. My son decided that she is practicing fleeing from the hunters. My daughter just sits and laughs at the way it runs. I am simply seeing that bird with dressing, cranberry sauce, and some gravy! How did Ms. Noah not see the animals for what they really were? Breakfast, lunch and supper? Oh, and beef jerky is a great snack!