Weekends, How Do I Love Thee

I do love lazy weekends. I forget how much when it's been awhile.

Handy Man was on vacation last week, so he brought the chicken tractor to school and I brought four of the chickens, including Little Red Hen (formerly-Pasty Butt). The day before, I made wheat bread with my students. I got a box of books from the library on chicken stories of all makes and models. Our littlest buddies from pre-school and pre-K came to visit. First I read the story of Little Red Hen, then we shared the wheat bread. Next, the kidlets got to pet Little Red Hen, her reddest self. Lastly, my big kids read books about chickens to the wee ones. It was a big time!

Friday night, Drummer son brought Buttercup for a visit. My, it's been almost a year since her arrival. She is walking and saying lots of words and very curious and busy. Of course we spent time in the swing and she loved How Much is that Doggy in the Window-particularly the "arf, arf," part that made her laugh out loud. She enjoyed visiting the chickie girls and feeding them wool sorrel, the creek, and the grass. As usual, we listened to her Drum Circle CD, and beat and banged on stuff and danced a happy tune. She has absolutely hysterical expressions that are quite entertaining to the Handy Man Pappy and I.

This was supposed to have been a very busy weekend, moving Rae Rae and Michael to their first new home, but closing was post-poned. Handy Man and I headed out early for the Farmer's Market. As wonderful as all that beautiful fresh produce is, it's also great socializing with friends you meet. Then we had breakfast out.

I stopped by a neighborhood yard sale, as my students have dismantled all the printers, jam boxes and telephones available. I snagged a radio clock for a buck. My kids will be thrilled. Who can resist books for a quarter, so I got a sack of those as well. Then I proceeded to sit on the porch and read the afternoon away.

Rae Rae and Michael, all packed up and nowhere to go, decided they might as well do their last laundering at Mom and Dad's and pulled in about 1:30. I pulled out all that fresh produce, including a handful of freshly dug potatoes off the side porch and cooked fried corn, green beans and potatoes and cumcumbers in sweet vinegar.

I so love that my daughter and her new hubby are content to just hang out. They brought their current books, along with one new hubby picked up for the FIL (isn't that so cool) and we just all sat and read until dinner was ready. Well, you know, dinner didn't exactly fix itself, but it was read, check on the corn, read, check on the beans-you get the idea. Dinner was so delicious.

As evening was approaching, Handy Man and I headed out to O'Bannon Woods to visit 1st LT., who had taken Bean and Bugg camping. I took a new book a dear friend bought the poopies, and a kit I picked up at Big Lots for $2 with all need materials to create four little pom-pom woodland critters (seemed appropriate). I think camping is the very bestest of life for little ones. You are expected to be dirty and rambunctious.

Bean wanted to start a little skunk critter right away. For a minute or two, Bugg was happy to watch, but discontentment, at not finding her place at the center of Gramerly's world, set in. We finished the skunk, then Bugg declared that she needed to go to the potty. Of course, I was the only who would work, because she wanted to go in the "girl" one. Off we headed down the lane, Bugg on my hip. I noticed that there wasn't much tinkling in the "girl" potty, for one in such a hurry to head out. Then, on the way back, it was imperative to examine all mosses and lichens and to determine the source of each fallen leaf and to collect a variety of nature. All brown crunchy leaves became instruments of early autumn music. It didn't take long for me to figure out what a clever girl to know exactly how to return to her correct position in my world.

This morning, it's time to clean the hen house. Ahhhhh.
What do you like to do on long weekends?