"Nature does not create its beauty in a day. When the seeds are deep in the soil, it is hard for us to imagine the fruits that will someday emerge."
Bill McLaughlin
It has been nice and warm and we are having a very nice time. We did have a set back yesterday when the kids Grandma got admitted to the hospital. We have been able to visit her. She is getting testing done. I hope she can come back to the cabin tomorrow, and enjoy the nice weather before we head home.
Bing has been absolutely thrilled and beside himself with joy!! Puff is enjoying himself too and took a dip in the lake today.
Swimmers itch is in full swing here!! All the kids look like they have the chicken pox.
I have yet to go on a boat ride. I hope it might be tonight.
Well we are all packed and ready to leave. Rick is driving his mom and dad's car and I am driving the truck. We have to finish packing. D has baseball practice and we are off. I hate getting ready to go on such a big trip. More entries to come. K~
Well I really don't know what to say about last nights work experience. It is one for the record books for me. I have to say that it was the loudest, poopiest, frantic, hottest, smelliest, slipperiest, and squishiest experience I have had in a long long long time, or ever. I couldn't help but think "OK, this is God's work". Let me explain....... My evening started out as usual. I started with the swan and ducks outside. I loved how the huge swan honked it's way into the corner. Facing it, it just sat and made grumpy noises. Classic "If I can't see you, you can't see me" hiding.
Then it was off to the bats. They were so crabby and just yelled at me the entire time. Then I took care of the squirrels and chipmunks. The chipmunks were so quick!
During this time was when the call came out for help. They needed help feeding the baby raccoons.
After suiting up in my plastic boot covers, plastic apron, and rubber gloves, I cautiously entered the baby raccoon room.
There were about 40 or more babies raccoons in kennels. Most of them were screaming for food. They had there cute little arms reaching out of the wet dog food coated kennel gates.
After a short lesson on what to do and how to do it, I got to work.
I had to be careful walking on the wet floor. It wasn't just wet, honestly, it was the color of poop brown, which is because, a lot of it was. It was a lovely slurry of water, wet puppy chow and yes, poop. I needed to prepare a baby bottle mixed with a special formula. Then I had to reach inside a kennel and gently grab a baby raccoon by the scruff. As it clung to my arm, I had to help open it's mouth and feed it it's bottle. As it drank, I realized that I was being pawed at by the babies in the kennel below the counter. Their little arms came out and grabbed at me. Next to my head, was another kennel that had 2 babies that screamed loudly about 6 inches from my ear.
The next kennel has 2 babies in it. I had to get both out and put them in a holding box. Try shutting a lid of a box with 2 baby raccoons trying to get out.
Then I needed to work with a kennel that had 3 babies in it. At one point, I had 2 babies in one hand and one in the other.
For someone that can't even pick up dog poop with out gagging, the amount of poop I got near and had to handle, made me just, well, retch.
After peeling off the plastic covering, I left the din and just stood there. I didn't even know what happened. I was wiping what we will call sweat off my face and neck. I was just a stinky mess.
I can't help but think of those volunteers this morning feeding those little guys. I mostly can't believe I want to go and help them.
I have attached a youtube link. Showing a baby raccoon drinking from the bottle. Imagine that times 50.
Who knew a pop can box would inspire me, but that is what is neat about these projects. Anyway, the scan has washed our the color some so it is nicer to see this one in person. I had fun doing it and plan on doing a few more like this one. The 2 lighter greens are a bit closer in color so there is less of a contrast then shown. Anyway. Maybe I will open a mini exhibit in a mini mall some where :-)... K~
Well I am back from work and it was a bit of a nutty night. At the last minute, I was involved with feeding baby woodchucks. They are adorable but have VERY feisty personalities. I was also getting a lot of attitude from the ducks! Erin informed me that maybe one was mad at me because I kept calling him a her. There was this poor pigeon that was literally laying on it's back with it's legs sticking out. It had some kind of spinal paralysis. That was something you don't see everyday. We have a hissing jumping snapping turtle that I needed to tend to, as well as an off balance blue jay. Just another night at work. Last time I saw a snapping turtle having a nebulizer treatment, again, a first. K~
These are studies in color and after images. I got my inspiration from plastic plates at Target. You may have seen them. I loved them and decided to take a break from a complicated image. These were "easy" to do, but very very time consuming. I ran out of the orange with about an inch in the center left to do. And unable to get to the store, I constantly asked Rick to go pick me up 2 X 741, over and over. It got a bit ridiculous. I need to have a practice in patients. I can't seem to wait. K~
Look at S's hands and fingernails. Nice and Clean!
The little riff raff on the sand hill. Looks like a good trip. I missed them, but watching the video of them rolling down the sand hill and then imagining all of us climbing into the tent for a nice long nights "sleep" makes me glad I slept alone this weekend. K~
It was a full day on Friday. We saw 3 wonderful plays with each of our kids in it. It was so neat to see them in the act. Nothing is sweeter then watching your kids perform! Loved it. K~
Yes, I would be the one that still lived on the flat world. I find I don't handle change well, especially change that is this big. Don't be takin my planets!! K~
Actually it was quite uneventful evening as far as incidents. I cleaned the flight room for the Raven. I know I have said this before, but they are very large. It is the beak that is impressive. They are very heavy and eat a very interesting diet. My favorite food prep for the bird was to fill a dog Kong bone with meal worms and 3 dead minnows......Yummy! Then onto the pigeon flight cage. It had about 12 or more pigeons. It can be hard to count them as they fly around and change places. Anyway, there was this pigeon that landed on my shoulder while I was cleaning. It walked a cross to the other shoulder, peck my neck a bit, climbed onto my head, where I then removed it to a branch. It then proceeded to jump down again. This happened several times while I was in there. I just kept it there until I was done. At one point it was resting on my lower back as I was bent over to work on the water dish. I think it liked me.
Then there was the large crabby opossum. He has been there for quite some time. Last week I needed to clean his cage and discovered that this opossum did not have a scruff to grab and help me lift him. I see that babies have one, but adults obviously don't. This guy was just growling at me, mouth open and so super boisterous. I get a bit of a kick out of how crabby he gets. I hope he can go home soon.
I needed to feed the bats too. This time, I got to see the little pink tongue. It was so cute. I tell ya, some are pigs and some are just so shy and don't eat much.
I have wanted to blog this book. Imagine my thoughts as the librarian handed me this book. Unfortunately this is the book I took to New York with me. I was so in awe of the cover, that I had to photograph it. I wonder why I didn't find this beauty on the www. I never did figure out how the chalice was so important is moved to the front cover. Must of had to take a bathroom break during that part of the book and missed it :-) K~
I know that I have blogged this before, but it is worth a second entry. I was going through photos and working on my scrap booking, and these came up. Just think they are once in a lifetime photos. LOVE IT!!! K~
Ok..... Day after Day after Day I clean and then it's dirty, I straighten and then is messy, Over and over again. I am exhausted. SOOOOO....... This is going to be my Summer montra for the kids...... "Work is your new favorite!"
It has been nice and warm and we are having a very nice time. We did have a set back yesterday when the kids Grandma got admitted to the hospital. We have been able to visit her. She is getting testing done. I hope she can come back to the cabin tomorrow, and enjoy the nice weather before we head home. 
Lantana Bloom
Cool truck shot.
I needed to feed the bats too. This time, I got to see the little pink tongue. It was so cute. I tell ya, some are pigs and some are just so shy and don't eat much. 
