summer playlist on repeat

"There's nothing to do."

"What are we going to do next?"

"Can we play the Wii?"

"Can we watch TV?"

"I'm hungry."

"I'm bored."

"Do we have to go run errands?"

"Can we go play with ________?"

"Rhett, you're mean!"

"Noah, leave me alone!"

"Mom?!?"

"Aww!"

oh well

...National Pollinator Week is almost over and I am sad to say I really haven't done anything with the boys to help celebrate it. I have reasons though:

1. It is just too hot.

2. We were going to go to the blackberry farm but no blackberries yet. A freeze in April killed all the peaches, so no peach orchard either. Bummer.

3. The farmer's market is during the time they have swimming.

4. Did I mention how hot it is? I did? Well, it is hot enough for me to say it again.

5. The botanical garden is probably even hotter.

6. Our sprinkler system is on the fritz, so I have had to spend my mornings watering the lawn.

Do you really need more reasons?

Even the best laid plans...what is the end of that saying? I don't know...can't think...too hot...

Just in case you missed this:

...In response to my post yesterday:

Someday, historians will be able to tie the invention of t-ball to the start of the decline of western civilization. Baseball is a game of hitting a thrown ball, catching it, and throwing. Two or three years of glorified baby sitting and free snow cones does absolutely nothing as far as learning baseball. So don't worry about it. Just get ready for when try-outs and player drafts take place later when all the non players get culled and start taking flute lessons. -from my dad

Oh and he wrote this too:

not that there's anything wrong with playing the flute.


(Probably because 2 of his daughters played the flute. But honestly, I was not offended. It just made me laugh harder).

i interrupt National Pollinator Week

...for an important post. Or just one for things I would like to get off my chest.

1. Boys. I thought they were supposed to be drama-free. Not like girls. With the mean-spirited "friends", the leaving other kids out, the "I'm better than you are" haughtiness. My boys are the sweetest, friendliest, most loyal friends you could ask for. But unfortunatley, that means they are going to be the ones left out, whether intentional or not. They aren't part of the click because of some reason or another. I realized yesterday, I am going to have to start having more playdates. And I am one who doesn't usually do playdates. But I don't want my kids to feel the way they are feeling.

2. Baseball. Why, oh why, do the youth baseball organizations not have tryouts? Instead they allow teams to be put together by parents and the kids who aren't on a team are "leftovers" and sadly, most of them aren't experienced. Rhett, who has played for 4 years and knows the rules of the game pretty well, just hasn't had any luck with getting on a well-rounded team. I am sad for him because he feels he has to do all the work while playing the game and other teams are filled with star players and it isn't fair because they don't get any better playing teams that have kids that mostly are just now learning to bat. Have I ranted about this before? Sorry if I have, but it just really bothers me!

back to regular scheduled posts....

butterflies

...Today I am showing you pictures of my butterfly garden. I have seen a couple of butterflies here and there and hopefully, later in the summer there will be even more. I also hope it will look even better then.

Butterflies are considered pollinators, although they aren't as efficient as bees. Alas, there population is also declining because of pesticide use, diseases and changing land uses. The US Forest Service International Program is planning on doing something about this, if they haven't already. Parterning with 4-H, Future Farmers of America and Farms Bureaus, they want to restore milkweek and prairie plants around ditches, fields and roads. They are also helping communities in Mexico and helping the younger generation learn conservation practices for pollinators, such as the Monarch Butterfly.

There are all sorts of places that you could buy your own butterfly culture to start your own butterfly habitat, but I don't know if I agree with that. I think just by planting flowers that produce a lot of nectar and not using harmful pesticides will be a way to help, don't you? Butterflies have a way of finding the flowers they need. I also tell the neighbor kids not to catch the butterflies with their fingers (rubs off their magic dust!) and not to pick the flowers.

I plan on taking the boys to the botanical gardens this week and also the blackberry farm, but because of the heat, it may have to wait. (Rhett's heat rash=no fun outside)

Oh and I did find a site where I could buy milkweek seeds. Of course, I couldn't plant them until November, but that is okay. I also found a site where there is a picture of the common milkweed:

the honeybee

(image from National Geographic)

Today is the first day of National Pollinators Week. I promise I will post everyday this week about different pollinators. The first is, of course, the honeybee. The honeybee is the only insect that produces food eaten by humans. The females are the ones who do all the work. They lay the eggs and guides the behavior of the other bees (Queen) and they forage for food, take care of the hive and perform other social functions (workers). The males are called drones and their job is to mate with the queen. After that, they are expelled. Poor males. They don't even have a stinger!

Honey is considered one of the safest foods because most harmful bacteria cannot live in it for any length of time. Of course, if babies under 1 eat honey, it can be fatal. It takes 1000 bees to gather a pound of honey.

Because bees help fertilize many of our amazing foods, such as apples, almonds, blueberries and cherries, their direct value to U.S. agriculture is more than $14 billion dollars (and it could be even more). So it is no wonder why we should be doing everything we can to save these little critters.

Here is a great video on how wild bees can help managed hives and also help pollinate crops.

Here are some ways to help the honeybee:

You could become a beekeeper, but most of the people I know won't go for that. Honestly, neither will I. So, instead plant your garden with bee-friendly plants. Did you know that Willow trees provide bees with a good source of food? They do! You could also encourage local authorities to plant bee-friendly plants in public gardens or spaces.

Buy local honey. Not only will it help with your allergies, it also supports local beekeepers and most likely would be pure and raw. If you don't have access to local honey, I would say just make sure your honey is raw, not just pure. Raw means it is not heated in any way. Heating honey destroys all the good qualities.

Bees are mostly gentle and rarely attack. If you see a swarm, do not spray it with water! Instead call the authorities who probably know what to do. Also, bees do not like the smell of alcohol or the smell of "leather" clothing. They also see dark clothing as a threat. If you see a bee hovering around you, stay calm and don't run away flapping your arms! Just calmly back away, preferably into some shade. They'll soon lose interest.

Have a bee-u-tiful day.

to our Dads

Dear Dads,

Happy Father's Day! We are sorry we aren't in Friona to give you each a hug in person. We are also sorry you won't get a card from us and your gifts won't be arriving on time.

But instead of focusing on what you won't have (us, the card or a gift), let's focus on how lucky we are to have such great fathers in our lives.

My Dad:
The other day Seth said he wanted me to watch him change the oil in my car because he thought I said it would make my dad proud. All I could remember is my dad getting so angry that I couldn't even check the oil in my car (my big brown olds). I tried and tried to get the dipstick back in the place it belonged but just couldn't. Dad was none too happy to have to do it for me (and show me how for the millionth time). So, then I got mad. We stayed mad at each other for a couple of hours. (I promise, it gets better). Then, I remember him getting up, coming into the kitchen where I now was (making a giant cookie for something that doesn't concern us in this story) and asking if he could have a little. I said no. (Well, it was for someone else). But, then I said he could have some of the smaller cookie that I made from leftover batter. He smiled. I smiled. And all the anger melted away. (See, a happy ending). So the point to this story is even though he may be proud if I could change the oil, I don't think it matters (which is good because there is little chance that I will learn, sorry). What matters is that my dad loves me for who I am and is always there for me when I need him. There are times when, as a parent, it will be so difficult to have to show your child something over and over but you do it. Because you know you have to. And Dad, you'll be glad to know that I do know how to check the oil now. I still am better in the kitchen than I'll ever be in a garage but that has got to better anyway. I Love you Dad.

Seth's Dad:
I remember when Seth and I broke up for awhile (way back in high school). Seth's parents stood back and never said much about it. A few months later, we got back together. I was happy. Seth was happy. I didn't realize (until years later) that Seth's dad and mom were happy too. In fact, Seth said that his dad told him that if Seth were to ever let that girl go again, he would kick his butt. The point to this shorter story is that Seth's dad also loves me for who I am.

;)

Just kidding. I mean, I know he loves me and that story is true, but really the point is that Seth's dad let Seth make his own decisions and knew when he should step in and knew when he should stay by the sidelines. That has to be one of the toughest things as a parent. When do we bite our tongues? When do we say something? Sammy knew when to say something at the right time. We were back together and Seth knew it came from love. And luckily, there has been no butt-kicking because almost 11 years later, we are still together. :) We love you Sammy!

Have a wonderful Father's Day.

Love, Seth and Aimee

PS- Rhett and Noah say Happy Grandfather's Day!!