RIP Clarence

Groundhog in My Garden

I thought I had gotten rid of the squirrels in my garden. I was walking through it and noticed that the green beans looked different. Next thing you know a groundhog comes running out of the garden!

I walk over to the peas and green beans and really check it out. Bastard groundhog! Most of the peas are gone and my green beans that had climbed to the top of their poles. Razed. Looks like that fat groundhog was rolling in them and stuffing his face.

I sprinkled Epsom salts around my garden, moved my owls around -- this morning I went out and bought some fox urine spray (the depths have plunged to). It has been raining for most of the day and it is supposed to rain tonight. At $15 a bottle I don't want to go out and spray until the threat of rain has passed.

Now I sit in my house and a sense of unease creeps over me. Is he out there right now, munching away? I get up, check out the garden, sit back down. Then my thoughts wander... now...now is he out there chomping away?

I can see becoming totally psychotic over this....I think I'll go out and check.....

Yo Yo Flag

I joined a "yo yo" swap over at MJF a couple of weeks ago. I had never made a yo yo before in my life. I knew that there were patterns to buy to help with the yo yo making. I went to JoAnns Fabrics - no go, Walmart no go, Michaels - no go and finally AC Moore - no go. I go online and order a few different ones.

Since I am the High Queen of Procrastination I waited for about a week before they were supposed to be mailed out to everyone to start making 72 yo yos. The first few were disasters. I started researching ebay to see if I could buy premade ones to fulfill this swap. But I persevered. I had a few days of subbing (babysitting) and brought them with me.

I actually got the hang of it. I was making them left, right and center. And, quite possibly, it saved many a middle schooler's life, because my hands were busy and they were transfixed by them).

In a few days i got them all done - and mailed them out.

But now I am addicted. I feel I must be making yo yos at all times. It keeps my hands busy, its quick and yes - its fun!

While surfing the net I found pictures of yo yo creations. The picture above is someone else's completed yo yo flag. I took myself to the store today and bought red, white and blue fabric. I am in an Americana patriotic swap and I want to make the yo yo flag for my swap partner.

I think I'll start now.

First Official Day at the Beach

Today Sara Jane and I spent our first official day at the beach. We go to the beach in Ocean Grove and we love it. Last year and this year we bought beach badges so that no matter our financial status - we can always got to the beach.

It started out windy and a little cold this morning. It was about 68 degrees. We ran a few errands for Father's Day and we noticed that it was warming up. We ran home, put on our bathing suits, and to the beach we went!

It was really nice. very hot but a little breeze. We walked down to the water and it felt good. Thing was - no lifeguards on duty. And last week the next town over a teenager got caught in the rip tide and was dragged out to sea. So we weren't taking any chances today.

We only spent about two hours there but it was relaxing. The last day of schools for most places is this Friday. I'm sure that this weekend and next week the guards will be there... can't wait to get my boogie board out!!

S'mores

So my mom and dad have come back from Maine and I am very happy to have them back in NJ. Yesterday was such a yucky overcast day and I really thought it was going to rain in the evening. But it didn't. Which was great for me.

My mom and dad came over. Sara Jane and i had made a fire in the chimnea and we got all of our s'mores stuff ready to go. We had these great flat square marshmallows for toasting. Because they were flat it made it easier to squash them in the graham cracker. We had graham crackers and , of course, Hershey's chocolate bars.

The s'mores were great!

Mail Art for June

Today started off as a not so nice weather day. Sara Jane and I woke up early to go to the flea market at Allaire State Park. We tried to go yesterday but it was cancelled. This morning I got smart and called the number for weather closing before we left for the park.

It was a big disappointment. Only 20 vendors showed up, probably because of the soggy field, and what they had was junk. Really crummy junk. Next weekend Sara Jane and I are going to try to head out to some garage sales and see if we can do any better.

When I came home it was still overcast and I decided to head to the craft room. I make Mail Art for the MJF forum and I volunteered to do two pieces this month. It was nice to sit down nd ust start working. I completed both pieces(they go out in tomorrow's mail) and decided to straighten up. An hour later I was very happy sitting in my neat craft room. I even found some things that I forgot I had!

The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet

I am so excited. I have been looking all over for a hard cover older version of Eleanor Cameron's book "The Wonderful Flight to the Mushroom Planet." Finally I founf an old library copy on sale on E-Bay. It finally came in the mail.

I remember getting this book out of the library at St. Leo's when I was in 4th grade. I remember the sisters that ran the library and how they got to stand behind the big librarian desk and write our names on the card catalogue and stamp the day the book was due on the card.

That library was small and beautiful. All the book shelves and tables were a dark wood and they gleamed and smelled like lemon polish. It was usually the afternoon when we were able to go to the library, so the sun shone in the windows and made it cozy warm.

I remember taking out this book several times. It was wonderful to open the pages and lose myself in that journey to the Mushroom Planet.