Going camping

The boys and I are going camping for a few days. Drew is finishing up his real estate course and I think it will go better if he doesn't have any distractions. Besides, the weather is beautiful and I know the boys will have a great time exploring. We are just going a few miles away to my brother-in-laws property and Drew can come over in the evening. We have packed up our backpacks with some school books, some good books to read, watercolors, brushes and paper and plenty of good camping food. I'll tell you all about it when we get back. :)

The puppy

Ukiah celebrated his 12th birthday recently. He really enjoys anything that has to do with caves, so for his birthday we went to a fairly remote cave to explore and have a picnic. On the way we saw a tiny puppy dart across the road. We stopped and boys and Dad poured out to try to catch her. She was suspicious and not easy to catch but they succeeded. She was dirty and had patches of fur missing - the missing fur and the pot belly were tell-tale signs of parasites. "Can we keep her just long enough to get her well and then find a good home for her?" I asked. Drew just smiled. We really weren't looking to get another dog. Orphaned and hurting animals seem to find us. :)

We drove to the nearest house to see if maybe she had just wandered away. They said they saw her on the road the night before and almost hit her but had no idea who she could belong to. We came to the conclusion that someone had dropped her off. It was a lesson for all of us just how much God cares for the "little things" in life. The previous night the temperatures had been in the high 50's. The night we found her it went down to freezing. As young and sickly as she was, she wouldn't have made it. We were glad God allowed us to cross paths.

Well, she's been with us for awhile now and with the help of some herbs and a good diet, her health has improved very much. What a delight it must be for little boys to find a puppy - especially if it's your birthday!

Any idea what breed(s) she might be?

Our week

This past week has been interesting. Sunday, the boys and Drew put up the bracing for our long-awaited treehouse.
Monday, the boys found a juvenile male cardinal trapped in our chicken coop. A quick examination revealed that he had broken one of his wings. He is currently residing in our downstairs bathroom. (Least traffic and the most cat-proof) He is eating well and is able to hop up onto a low perch about 12" off the ground. This isn't the first injured bird we have cared for and I'm sure it won't be the last.

Tuesday was fairly uneventful. After we finished up school, I took the boys to the river to catch minnows with their nets. We have a small tiger muskie living in our fish pond and he always seems to be hungry!
Wednesday was the day that I really noticed the daffodils and hyacinths beginning to bloom. Oh they are so beautiful and cheery. :)

We have decided that we would like to take a family trip to the Everglades. The boys found out that the local recycler will pay them for aluminum cans. So, do you know what they are doing?? Collecting cans for our Everglades Fund! Ukiah had already collected cans and scrap metal while cleaning up a property that his uncle recently purchased. He made $9.89. He was amazed and so happy with that check! After school on Thursday found the boys and I out collecting cans.
Friday we took our barrel of cans to the recycler and walked away with $8.25. The boys are loving this. Never mind the gas money we are using driving around for cans ;0...the boys are willing to work and cheerfully contribute to the Everglades Fund. It is cleaning up the area and I think the gas is worth it.

Lastly, we have been busy keeping after a tiny new puppy. We found her on a dirt road in pretty sad shape. But that is a story for my next post.

My prayer

As I have given thought to starting up this blog, I know that I will be tempted to spend too much time here. So my prayer is:

Dear Father in heaven, please guide me as I spend time on the computer. Help me to always glorify you in all that I write. I don't ever want to be found here when I should be spending time with my children or being a helpmeet to my husband. Please whisper in my ear if I should stop and give me the strength to obey. Thank you Lord for being my father. In Jesus name I pray, Amen.