Support of My Vanity

This sign hangs in the bathroom of my lovely friend, Linnea.  I think it is absolutely hysterical and completely true.  The men may not find it that entertaining, but the ladies know what I'm talking about. This is why I still wear lipstick to clean a cabin! All the dudes should take note though.  If you buy your lady more pretty sparkly things, she may complain less about her bum.

Oh Deer!

Ever get the feeling you were being watched?

This is at Al & Linnea's house.  They have deer friends that visit often and apparently have a tendency to be Peeping Toms.  Or maybe they aren't happy with their menu at the feeder and this is their dirty look.  They have one doe that isn't very nice and tries to kick the others and keep all the food to herself.  She needs to learn some manners.

This is down at Bill and Nancy's.  They have quite a little herd that visits too.  

Bill said they buy about 100 pounds of corn at a time to feed their deer.  The snow has everything covered and the poor things can't find much to eat out in the woods.  Lucky for them they live at the Angle and are spoiled with quite a few houses that leave feed out for them.

This is a shot from my car of Bill and Nancy's deer.  They ran off a little ways when I walked out the front door of the house, but didn't stay away long.  

This is Bill and Nancy's other pet, Redd.  They have been feeding this little fox for quite some time.  I believe they have even hand-fed it.  Seeing the animals all around like this is one of my favorite things about living up here.  Somehow spotting a deer on the road or watching it walk around right outside the door is still exciting to me. We haven't had any deer at our house for quite awhile, but when we did have them it was so relaxing to just watch them mill around the feeder.  We never have the numbers like the other houses do, I suppose it's too busy around our place. Unfortunately the birds aren't bothered by snowmobiles and loud noises. Lord knows we have a million of those to watch all day, every day.  Day after day.  Maybe I need to put in a call somewhere to request deer instead of birds.  Obviously they mixed up my order.

Minneapolis

Last week Pat had a foot surgery in Minneapolis. So on Wednesday, the kids and I packed up our suitcase and took a roadtrip with her to the big city. Once again Minnesota threw her weather at us and we had heavy fog for the first couple hours of the drive. But this is way better than snow or rain in my opinion. If there is one thing I have learned from living in this state, it is that the weather here will always be a factor. (I think the subject of weather as a conversation filler started in this state because it really is a huge topic and determines your plans for the day.We talk about weather more than we talk about our kids.) When we arrived in Minneapolis Tyson was pretty excited about the big buildings and figured most of them contained fire stations and fire fighters. At one point we were sitting at a red light and he said, "There goes a car. And another. And another. And another. And another...." This was my first clue that we need to get out of the Angle more and expose the children to the real world before they forget what really goes on out there. Pat's brother Chuck and his wife Susan own a beautiful home in Minneapolis and their neighborhood is filled with houses that I could drive around and look at for hours. Older houses with personality and a classy touch. We stayed with them for our 3 night stay, and Pat is still there for her recovery and follow-up appointments. We did all things for the entertainment of the kids. Children's Museum, toy stores, a kid's bookstore with a chicken who resides there and runs free. (No, I did not enjoy the chicken's company. But I am proud to say I wasn't paranoid that he would attack me or panic every time I turned the corner and there he was. I imagined what was going through his mind and I only imagined this: "F@%!@$g kids everywhere."  Sorry, this chicken had a very fowl mouth.) My kids were so over-stimulated at each stop, I thought their little heads might explode from the excitement. Thai food is my all time favorite and I haven't had it since we left Wenatchee in 2011. Chuck took us out for a Valentine's dinner at the most delicious Thai Restaurant ever to cook a noodle. On the way home, the GPS took me on a different route than we had taken on the drive down and we went through an area that looked so much like Washington I thought I might just stop the car and stay there. Pine trees and some actual elevation that looked like you were approaching the mountains. Perfect trip!

 
I forgot my camera and my phone when we went to the Children's Museum.  Luckily Chuck had his iPhone and I was able to get a few shots of the kids.   The first exhibit was Dora and Diego, one of Tyson's current obsessions.  They had a room full of water tables that had fountains and bubbles to play in.  Once again, a total kid pleaser. They also had a whole little town that you could go into and shop at the store or work at the Postal Service.   Andie wasn't quite ready to climb the rockwall, but she liked the look of it.  This place is the mecca of kid's favorites.  Like if I went to the mall and they had all my favorite clothes in exactly the right sizes and they were all free.




I'm not sure if Andie was just thanking Susan for a fun trip and all the great meals here or saying, "Thank you for the best days of my life."