My Worsssst Nightmare

Tonight, as I innocently browsed Facebook, I saw that my neighbor, sweet Mrs. Miller, posted this
Apparently this is what greeted them when they returned home tonight.

This is not cool.

Of course I know that snakes live here and can be quite prevalent. But, I choose to put this out of my mind. I choose to not think about it therefore, I don't have to freak out about letting Addie crawl around the yard or worry about something dropping from a tree or slithering out from under a plant as I water my flowers and garden.

It is one thing when other people tell me that they have seen snakes in their yards, but yet another when said yard is within shouting distance. And the door this snake is hanging out over is one that I have been in and out of.

Now, if you are from Wewa and are reading this, please don't feel at liberty to tell me that I've probably passed by snakes many times without seeing them in my own yard, that they probably slither their way through my grass as I slumber, that even this particular snake may have been or may even currently be in my yard. I don't want to hear it. I don't want to believe it.

Let me live in my cocoon of disbelief as long as possible. Please.

Today I am thankful that I was not the one who came home to find that snake, or any other snake, over my door.

The Chaney Farm

I'm tackling a project for the summer and so far it looks like this:

The last time I had anything to do with a garden was when I was probably in middle school and my dad gave me a patch of land on the side of the house. Since then, I have been successful in killing or letting more plants die than I care to admit. In fact, once upon a time when I was single and living at home, I was house sitting for married friends of mine around Christmas. One of my responsibilities was simply to water the Christmas tree. You know, that large, green plant smack in the middle of the living room? Well, you can guess that I somehow "forgot" about the tree and when my friends returned home they were greeted by a brown, brittle shell of their former tree.

I've been telling people that my dad had two green thumbs and two green big toes. It's true. He didn't just make things grow - they flourished. I remember people stopping by our house all of the time, asking him about his flowers, commenting on how great they looked. He spent hours outside in the garden, planting flowers, and taking care of them.

He even planted flowers at our house in Illinois and they looked great until our friendly raccoon, a frequent visitor, dug them all up. We continued to replant them until he got the picture, but they just didn't do as well once they were disrupted. I did plant some tulip bulbs the October before we moved and was able to enjoy those for one season, although I had bought the bulbs way early and then frantically planted them in the dark one night once I realized I was at the deadline of bulb planting season. Even still, they bloomed and from what I hear they've continued to bloom since we've moved away.

Taking on this garden is something I really want to do, and I really want it to succeed. I'm even praying over it that something, something will grow from it. Our friend Greg Bozeman came over and tilled three lines of dirt for us and also donated some compost to my effort. Here's what we're growing:

Sunflowers all along the back row for Addie.
Tomatoes and cucumbers on the middle row.
Cantaloupe and carrots on the first row.

The carrots were a last minute decision and, quite frankly, I'm least optimistic about those. I wanted to grow things I knew we would eat (I don't eat straight up tomatoes but Sabian does. I am hoping to make some salsa) and I'm also hoping we grow enough to give some away.

This process is also a test in patience. I'm not a patient person and these plants, much to my dismay, do not grow overnight. You can imagine my delight when I finally saw these this week:



Now, I'm pretty sure that first photo is just grass, but it is evidence that at least something is going right down there. I'm wary to yank it just in case it actually is something. See how much experience I have? The more little sprouts I see, the more I'll know what to pick and what to leave to grow.

It is a relief to see those leaves coming through the ground. I mean, seeds are cheap, but it is nice to know my efforts thus far are not totally in vain. But, when I actually see fruit, I think I'll experience a mixture of joy and fear - Hooray! What the heck do I do with it now? How do I keep it from dying a tragic Christmas tree death? How do I manage to nurture it to my dinner table? Is this process at all a little like having a kid? Maybe that's giving too much weight to it, but you get the picture.

We have also added some flowers and a pot each of cilantro and rosemary to the mix. I'll add those exciting pictures at a later date.

So, if you're interested, I will chronicle my gardening journey and if you're not, you can skip to the super sweet posts about Addie.

We're about to hit week two since I planted the seeds. We'll see what pops up next.

I am thankful for the awesome weather we've been having and for my continued remembrance to water my plants.

Happy Birthday to Sabian!

Sunday, April 18, Sabian turned 31. I've said it before about being in the ministry and having a family birthday that falls on a Sunday. It's no fun. But, that's why you improvise.

The day before Sabian's birthday, which also happens to be my nephew, Christian's, birthday, Addie and I took Sabian out for the day. First we headed to a local (as in, about 30-40 minutes away) park, one we had both passed and been told about. It is called Under the Oaks park and it is literally under the oaks. Well, under trees, anyway. It's pretty cool how the trees make a canopy over the entire park, making it a perfect place to play. It is also on the water, of what body of water I don't know, and has an awesome playground. Addie, of course, took up residence on the swings but I think she'll love going back when she can really play around.

So, we had a picnic, splashed in the water, and had a little fun at the playground.








After the park we headed home so that Addie could catch a nap before the evening adventure. We headed out early to get dinner because our destination was a mystery to Sabian and I wanted to make sure we got in not too long after the restaurant opened. I wasn't sure how busy it would be, nor was I exactly sure where we were going. It had been years since I had eaten at this particular place and Sabian never had, so I was excited to take him there.

We made it to Captain Anderson's in time to get a table with a great view of the water. The restaurant is located on the docks in Panama City Beach so you are able to watch the boats pull in and bring in their catch. We were more preoccupied with making sure broccoli and bread made it into Addie's mouth rather than on the floor, but it was still a nice view. After dinner we took a stroll along the docks to check out the boats and made our way through the crowd of prom goers waiting to board a boat for their dinner cruise.



On Sabian's actual birthday we celebrated with strawberry shortcake, a candle, and some singing. I think Addie thought we were singing for her because she got that embarrassed look on her face she got when we sang to her for her birthday, minus the tears.



I probably say it a lot, but I am thankful for my husband. He does countless seen and unseen things for us and I under appreciate him, but I sure do love him and am thankful for him.

Fish Guts

There's nothing like providing a meal for your family by catching it with your own hands and preparing it at home, fresh out of the water.

So says a boy.

The day before Sabian's birthday our neighbor, Mr. Miller, took Sabian fishing for the day. When Sabian returned home he beamed with pride as he showed off his catch.



Addie and I, of course, were very proud of him and made sure he knew it. I was even happier the next morning after the cooler containing the catch had been removed from my kitchen and replaced with nice, neat ziplocked bags of fish in my freezer, safely out of view and smell.

A couple of nights later Sabian filleted the fish as best as they could be filleted and deboned and this was the end result:

A little oil and some salt and pepper and we had a meal. It was actually pretty good - we're planning on finishing off the rest tomorrow night.

I am thankful for my husband, who had fun preparing us dinner literally from start to finish.

Fish Guts, Seeds & A Birthday...

...this is what we have been up to, and this is what is to come. For now, I'm trying to stick to a before midnight bed time, so I'll just leave you with this teaser and thank you for coming back whenever you do.

Oh, and not to mention, a blue ghost has moved in...

I am thankful for a good weekend.