Short Timer Blues

We are down to days folks.
Days.

In days the big man will be leaving his sandy and hot habitat and going to a hot humid spot just one step up from Beelzebub's hangout.
After serving penitence there, he'll be back home in the zoo.

Days. Almost enough to count on my fingers.

Sigh

And of course every thing's going to hell in a hand basket while we're waiting on him. I swear....I can get through over 14 months with nary an issue and then I just go to pot during the last few weeks.

Speaking of going to the pot...we're having trouble with ours. Me and the main sewage line are duking it out. Actually, me, the main sewage line, and some Ligustrum bushes are all fighting it out. It seems that the Ligustrum bushes would like sole access to my sewage line for their roots.
I, however, contend that since the Ligustrums aren't paying the mortgage...they can just bite me.
The sewage line is playing both sides of this whole fight but it seems to be cozying up with the bushes at this point.

But I have plans and Mr. Rooter will back me up on them tomorrow when he shows up.
I am very possessive of my waste water removal pipes.
As soon as ZooDad gets home we will settle this once and for all. It would be settled sooner but I can't work the chainsaw. (Nor should I be trusted with one since I cut the TV cable with the hedge trimmers once.)

The upstairs bathtub is trying to get in on the whole "Let's back up the house" plan but I have some heavy duty clog eater in mind for that mischievous piece of fiberglass and pipe. This stuff came in a bottle and double bagged for my protection. The upstairs commode is also mouthing off....but it's days are numbered too.
Quite wisely, the other sinks and toilets are toeing the line and not daring to really step off my path of conformity.
So it could be worse.

The same can not be said for the kitchen sink faucet. After numerous failed attempts to make it an upstanding chrome citizen, it will be evicted by mid-September. I've already informed it of the decision and it hasn't been scared straight yet.

The working/not working sprinkler head has received the same news but it decided that my threat was viable and is now spic-spic-spicing along like it should be. I did have to go out there and taunt it with a replacement head but you know....desperate times, desperate measures.

The mountain laundry continues to grow. Soon I'll be able to host climbs on it. You'll have to bring your own oxygen and guide. And then you'll have to fold a load of two before you can go home.

I'm still painting.
Still. Painting.
Painting.
Still.
I think the fumes are getting to me. Or the heat.
I found myself sucked into a Wagner Power Sprayer commercial. I was actually lusting for a few seconds until I realized that in my hands, it would be like a bad episode of Mythbusters.
(Can these things explode, Hyneman? And would they completely cover the walls with paint if they did. No, Adam. That myth is busted.)
I do have one room completely done...ceiling, trim, walls. And two with trim and ceiling to go. Oh well, it gets done when it gets done.

School is.... going. I guess we're doing well. Matthew didn't cry once today. (New personal record) Jacob is engrossed in Black Horses for the King, which is history reading.
I'm totally working the kids like dogs. (wink)
Jacob re-started Latin again and this time...the time is right. In fact the time is so right that I'm not starting any other children on Latin until they hit sixth grade. Him and the chick on the LC DVD's are enjoying their time together. Plus the boy knows how to find his pronunciation CD, find his CD player, and then find the track he wants to listen too. All without my assistance.
It's a good thing.

Now, I'm off to bed. We have to be at school tomorrow for speech. At 8:30. In the morning. All dressed and everything. And trying not to look like a disgrace to homeschoolers. And hopefully Sam will be in a good mood.
Y'all wish me luck.

The good news is.....tomorrow is just one day closer.
(sigh)
Very soon.

Mango says, "Seriously, Don't mess with me. I mean it. I will gnaw you finger off if you touch me again. And you are not going out this door because I am not moving."

I am still living.

Things are going great here at the zoo. I just haven't had the motivation to blog.
We've had lots going on. I even have pictures.
I'll get back into the swing of things once I get back into the swing of things. (Do you feel like the Alfak duck in the Yogi Berra commercial?)

A funny from today: I tutor 2 different 8th graders from our local PS. One for 2 hours and one for 1 hour. The 1 hour kid brought his math problems and two worksheets from his teacher. (The worksheets were requested by his mom for me to use to work with him. The teacher is great to provide these.)

Anyway...

1 hour kid and I do his homework and he's got negative integers down pat. Then we move on to worksheet #1 which has material that he botched totally earlier in the week. We work on it until the light bulb clicks on. He's got it!
then we move on to the worksheet for tomorrow's work to get him a head start. In no time, he's got it and we fly through the sheet.

We he finished, he looked at the clock and saw that him mom wouldn't be by to pick him up for another 15 minutes. So we go on to the next section to pre-teach that material.
By the time his mom gets to my house, we're done with that material also.

As he packed up his work he remarked, "I just did a whole weeks worth of math in a HOUR! And I understand it. And I did my homework."

I couldn't help but laugh at him.

Total Random Thoughts

For some reason the soundtrack in my head is playing "Dancing Queen."

I am equally as shocked by this as you are. This particular version has an extended play time and is getting on my nerves.
I tried singing "Free Bird" but so far.....no effect. Next thing I know, I'm humming, "Friday night and the lights are low..."
(sigh)

Sam has announced that he no longer wants to be four. Nope. He's "tired of being four." He wants to be six instead.
I guess six is a much more exciting age. You get to sleep on the top bunk. You get to start 1st grade. And you might even get your first loose tooth.
There is some envy here at the Zoo. Can you tell?

I have burned out yet another fish aquarium filter. I have to buy a new one before my Zombie Fish (more on this story later) die....for real.
I'm torn on the idea that dead fish are a bad thing. My fish scare people, including myself. My sister won't even fee the things when she house sits.
So once again, I'm spending fifty bucks on terrifying fish that I don't even like. And they aren't edible. If they, were....I still wouldn't touch them.
Very scary fish.

I'm rereading all my twaddle. Yep. I'm talking about books so simple in thought and premise that I can read them in a single day. This of them as Adult Magic Tree House books. It's quite satisfying in a junk food kind of way.

The Braves are resting tonight. This means I can't fuss at my inappropriate crush boy. I have this thing for Brian McCann, the team catcher.
My friend says that it's fine since I'm not old enough to be his mother.
I'm not. So at least it's not scandalous. It still is inappropriate however since the boy is 23.
The fact that I've thought about this is even more evidence of my questionable character.

I wonder why I can't even type my own name. Seriously.
Most times I have to correct it. I type "Sheola" or my favorite "Sheula" and rarely I get a "Sehila." While all of these seem to be very exotic and exciting names....they are not mine.

My oldest is apparently a finger and toe crossing virtuoso. He's demonstrating this to me as I type this. Oh....he can also form his feet into some very odd fist shape. the boy has some freakish toes.
He didn't inherit them from me. I come from the barely-toed ilk. None of my ancestors can pick up Hot wheel cars and Beanie Babies with our stubby toes.

Oh great....I succeeded at expunging Dancing Queen. I'm now dealing with, "If I leave here tomoroooooooowwww..."
Wonderful.

What's old is new

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIGbhPLZmjY

This link might not be musically clean for kids but the grown ups need to watch the Bob Fosse dancers getting *down* to Walk it Out. The lady with the serious groove is his wife Gwen Fosse.

Who knew that Bob and Gwen would be the influence of Rap/Hip Hop "video girl" dances!

What a riot!

Here's the link for the orignal music.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PFhXyns6vzE&NR=1
It's not nearly as entertaining for some reason.

And the clouds parted and a beam of sunlight poured down on them

It's a sunny day here at the zoo.

Well, as sunny as we can get it anyway.

Things are falling into place around here and it's not all gloom and doom. There's behind the scenes gloom and doom that I can't post publicly about yet. And that's the reason for my overall Eeyore-ness.

But the behind the scenes stuff is lot less gloomier than it has been so...Woohoo for us. I will eventually fill everyone in on what exactly is going on but I have to wait for clearance for ZooDad. I still don't have a long term plan but the very next step is firming up. So at least I know the direction we're going.

All this cryptic talk. Let's just say that my "let's just wing it" gene has been pushed to its tensile strength. At one point it even snapped and we had to do some complicated Boy Scout knots to tie it back together.
But the stress on it has recently reduced a bit and things seem to holding up.

In other news...
We've been spending our days with my newest little great nephew who is down visiting from way out of state. Eli is three months old and just bit over 10 pounds. We've never seen one so small. All mine hit 10 pounds by the end of their first month. (And that includes the one who had to have stomach surgery)
He is such a cutie. I swear, if my niece weren't so attached to him, I'd just claim him as mine and take him home.
It sure makes me want another one and I thought I was over all that.
It makes the boys want another little brother, even Sam.
Andrew has managed to teach Eli his first word, at least that's Andrew's point of view. He was excited because he taught the baby to say "Hey."

See. First word at 3 months. He's a tiny genius.