Art, Cats, Hot Tub, and Skunk

 

We have a new (to us) hot tub!  Obviously there is a story about that!  We bought a little one from Sam's Club last autumn. Since we had never had a hot tub before, we weren't sure if we would use it or enjoy it. Answer was that we loved it.  It is in use almost every day. Given the size of our family, we decided to look into purchasing a bigger, nicer hot tub. This one was for sale about 100 miles from us. Kevin and I drove up, looked it over, and decided to buy it. The previous owner kindly transported it down to us for a reasonable fee.  Then a few neighbors helped Kevin and our big boys get it into our sun room.

It has special electrical needs so that has to be sorted out.

Opal is cute in her box.

Her leg is cute too.

Angela did this.  Like all my daughters, she is a self taught artist. She got interested in paint some time ago and has taught herself how to make amazing pictures.  This is a green gift bag.  I think it is incredible.

Isaac is a big believer in adequate Vitamin D.  Also, Moonbeam likes to sit on him.

Last but not least, let's talk skunks!  There has been a faint whiff of skunk in the air the last week.  Well, sometimes it is more than faint; sometimes it hits us straight in the nostrils and is a most unpleasant experience.  We think a skunk is living under our big deck.

A few days ago, Kevin and I were in the hot tub and I looked out to observe a skunk wandering vaguely around the pool.  I was like, um, Kevin?  Skunk in the pool area.

I mean, what can you do about a skunk?  You scare it and it sprays and you are stinky for weeks!

Then yesterday morning some of the kids were feeling sick so we decided to stay home from church. I got up to find Rose up and raring to go. She wanted to go for a walk out back.  I'm like, cool, good idea.

We were all the way in the back, just starting toward the house, when I heard rustling in a bush very near me.  I expected one of the cats was hanging out and looked over expectantly but...

Dum dum DUM!!!!!

SKUNK!

I am 52 and I don't run very often, but I ran for my life.  Well, I ran to save myself being noxiously odiferous.

"Rose, run, run!!!" I cried.

She did, with enthusiasm. She is young and limber and lithe.

We didn't get sprayed, but it made me less excited about walking our back three acres if I am going to find skunks wandering around like they own the place!

Yesterday Kevin bought mothballs and put them at the entrance holes under our deck. We are hoping that will chase the skunk away.  Skunks supposedly don't like mothballs.

So that's our skunk(s) story.

So far...

Miscellaneous Pictures of Our Family Life

Jet is cute.

Rose and outdoor cats are cute.

Opal is cute.

Rose is cute. Also, this is slime blown up with a straw.  

Opal likes Isaac and Isaac likes Opal.

Impressive, most impressive.

Even bigger!

Miriam and Angela made carrot cupcakes.  Yummy!

Jet likes to suck on Joseph's blanket.

Outdoor art.

Indoor architecture.

Kite flying.

Sarah reading about Israel from our monthly box from Universal Yums, a subscription service.

Outdoor cats cute.

More outdoor art.

 

REALLY Good-bye to the RV

 

So it is on its way out right now!

The truck is not sold. I know what I said in my last post, but the person backed out.  That is a little annoying BUT it is Ok; maybe we will just hang onto it for another month or so.  Our big girls are moving to a new apartment in a month and the truck will make moving them easier.

Kevin is happy to have this done; there is a fair amount of work involved in selling something big.

It is wet and drizzly today. It has been wet a lot.  And it has been cold.  The average temps are down from a normal April.  Yesterday was delightfully warm and sunny but it was also super windy.  I am looking forward to May, when it will definitely be warmish most days.  On the other hand, the chiggers will start hatching (or spawning, or whatever chiggers do) in the hopes of biting me.  So there are nice things about cooler temperatures!

I decided that next week will be a week off from normal school.  The big boys are finishing up their college work, and there is a bunch of stuff that needs done around the house.  Miriam and Angela are very "in" to art, so I have no doubt they will spend hours doing artwork, which is educational as well.

Good-bye!

 To our RV and truck!

Two sets of people came over this morning. The first wanted our truck, and the second our RV.  Money hasn't actually exchanged hands (except for a holding fee for the RV) but both seem serious. So we will soon bid good-bye to both.

I feel a little sad about the RV; it was a place where Kevin and I could sneak away when the kids were younger. But they are older now, and less noisy.  Still plenty noisy at times, but we can tell them to go away and they do!

When we need some time alone, I mean.

One thing I think about often is simplicity. When we own something large, it requires maintenance, it requires insurance, etc.  So the RV takes work.  So does the truck.

Here is something funny about the truck; we have put 500 miles on it in 4 years. WOW!

Naomi even drove it to work for a few months, but work was only a few miles away.

Anyway, this will make our lives less complicated, and we will have money to put in the bank, which is a good thing.