Friday Funny

A father asked his 10-year old son if he knew about the birds and the bees.



'I don't want to know,' the child said, bursting into tears. 'Promise me you won't tell me.'



Confused, the father asked what was wrong.



The boy sobbed, 'When I was six, I got the "There's no Easter Bunny'speech.

At seven, I got the "There's no Tooth Fairy' Speech.

When I was eight, you hit me with the "There's no Santa' speech.



If you're going to tell me that grown-ups don't really get laid, I'll have nothing left to live for.'







Have a wonderful and safe Friday...and if you live in the states.....have a wonderful and safe 4th of July!!!

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

As a parent, your wish is to keep your children happy and healthy. When they are little you protect them from anything that might harm them, either physically, emotionally, or mentally. This is usually very easy to do since you have complete control over their environment. When they start school it becomes harder to protect them. You still have control over their environment to a certain degree, but their world has been opened up to new situations and populations. In the first few years of school you become adept at skirting possible adverse situations and continue to keep your child safe. As the years fly by your child starts making some of their own decisions and choosing their friends and their world opens up even more. You have two choices now as a parent - you can allow them to make some decisions and have your child "own" their decision and any consequences that may incur, or you can choose to continue to try and control your child's environment and consistently struggle with your child in maintaining this control.





We have chosen to allow our new teenager to make some of her own decisions and to take ownership of said decisions. Of course we are very choosy in which decisions are allowed to be hers and our up most desire is to keep her safe. But, she needs to learn how to make decisions and how to learn from her mistakes.





As most of you know, we are sending our children to a "nice Catholic school" and the children in our daughter's class are not so nice, especially to her. Last year was a terrible year for her, and consequently for us. She really struggled socially with the idiots in her class. You know how every class had a kid that gets picked on? Well, that was our daughter last year. Quite frankly, we don't even like most of the kids in her class anyway and would not want her "hanging" out with them. Most of them are headed for trouble. We were contemplating pulling Cassie out of this school and homeschooling her for next year, her 8th grade year. Cassie decided that she did not want to leave the school she has been at since kindergarten, she wants to graduate next year. Her decision, she is owning it, she is at peace with it.


Cassie is a very sweet and sensitive girl and she is very trusting. She doesn't know how to play the stupid "girl" games, and because of these traits, she is an easy target. One girl in particular is her nemesis. She will call Cass and pretend to be her friend and then stab her in the back the next day. We have told Cassie over and over that she is not a true friend...but because she is such a trusting girl and views the world through rose colored glasses, she falls for this girl's false friendliness every time. Sometimes you just need to learn the hard way....



Before we went camping this girl called Cassie and wanted to "hang out". You no longer "play" together when you are 13, just so you know!! This girl came over and we all went swimming for the afternoon. At one point in the afternoon we were outside by the pool and she was in the house by herself (remember this point). When we were done swimming the kids watched a movie and then we all went out for dinner. After dinner we took this girl home.



The next day Cass and I went to the bank to open her first savings account. She has been babysitting and had $160 to deposit in the bank. That is alot of babysitting money, money she earned. At the bank we were dismayed to find $40 missing from her wallet. We immediately went home and searched her room, to no avail. The money was gone....we suspected the "friend".



Cassie called the friend and asked her if "by chance" the money "fell" into her bag. The girl "checked" and said that the money was not in her bag "or in her pants' pocket" (why would she say that???).



I immediately called her mother and explained the situation to her. She told me she would look into it....I have not heard back from her. It has been 3 weeks. The money is gone...we are sure she took it.



A lesson learned, the hard way. Cassie was very upset, of course. We did not want this girl to come over, but Cassie did. We allowed her to make the decision, unfortunately these are difficult consequences to deal with. Surprisingly enough, this girl called again to "hang out". Wisely Cassie told her no. I think she has learned a valuable lesson, I just wish it was easier. My first thought was to give her the $40, but what would she have learned then? I think the more the lesson hurts, the more learning that is obtained. In the next few years she will have many more decisions to make, some will have dire consequences. She will need to know how to deal with the offer of drugs/alcohol, the decision to have sex with her boyfriend, to get in a car with someone who has been drinking....these are life threatening decisions. I hope we are preparing her for these.....I think we are.



Last week she tested for her yellow belt in karate. During the testing and evaluation she broke a board with her fist. We were very proud of her.



Later that night I said to her - "too bad "friend" didn't see you break that board....I bet she would think twice before she stole from you again" - does that make me a bad person for saying that???? Cassie just gave me a sweet little smile.....no....I didn't really feel like a bad person!!!

Fun Monday

The Chaotic Lisa is our most excellent hostess with the mostess this week and here is her assignment:

A quirk is defined as a peculiarity of action, behavior, or personality; mannerism. We are all unique individuals, having quirks that help make us who we are. I would like to know what your quirks are. Confess to one, confess to ten, you decide. Just come back Monday ready to spill the beans, the rest of the world may look at you like you are from Mars, but you‘re among friends here. We won’t laugh, in fact that eccentricity just may endear you to us more.

So, at first I thought I would ask my family to help me with this...but at the moment my husband is kind of irritated with me so I didn't think that was a very good idea. Then I thought I would talk about my husband's quirks because I am kind of irritated with him also...but then I thought that probably wasn't a very good idea either....words said or written cannot be undone!

Now I have to rely on only myself....I thought and thought...and in reality my quirks are not really quirky to me because it is my norm. Other people might think they are quirks though so here is a list of some of them:

*my bed must be made everyday, and the sheet has to be folded down over the blankets....I can't climb in it at night if it isn't just so.

*I can't leave the house if there are dirty dishes in the sink.

*I vacuum the family room every day (we have dogs, cats, and kids and the family room has carpet in it)

*my bedside clock is set 25 minutes ahead of the actual time....I don't know why....every morning I have to calculate back to the actual time in order to ascertain how much time I left to lounge in bed.

That is all I can think of right now...I am sure other people can tell you many more of my quirks!! But enough about me...head on over to Lisa's place to read everyone elses' quirks.

Fun In the Sun

Santa Cruz Beach and Boardwalk is about 40 minutes from the forest and we usually go there for a day when we are camping. This year I think we picked the hottest day of the year to visit the Boardwalk. It was 100 degrees on the beach....it is never that hot there!!! Heat, not withstanding...we had a great time. We played in the ocean for a bit to cool off. This was nice and relaxing until we had to cross the hot sand to reach the boardwalk. I think the sand was about 200 degrees and on little bare feet...not so nice. By the time the mistake was realized, Michael was too far ahead of us and we couldn't help him. All we could do was watch in horror as our little boy ran as fast as he could across the sand screaming at the top of his lungs. I tried my best to catch him, to no avail. By the time I reached him he had reached the boardwalk and was standing there screaming in agony. Fortunately, there are feet washing stations and the cool water worked wonders for him. He did not have any blisters, thankfully, and was able to put his shoes and socks back on. I have never felt so powerless, as a mom, not being able to help my child in his time of need. It was a horrible feeling and I hope to never experience that again. Cassie fared much better. I helped her put her shoes on midway across the desert, so she was fine. After the cool water rinse and an ice cream cone, we were good to go!!
The kids rode lots of rides....some were scary for them.
Some were fun...
The last ride they did was the log ride and the good soaking they received was very refreshing in the 100 degree heat. We were very happy to get back to camp. It was much cooler in the forest...only 90 degrees!! It may seem like a small difference, but the 10 degrees and all the trees made a huge difference!!!

The Fairy Ring

Two years ago our favorite aunt passed away the week before our camping trip to the redwoods. She was 92 years old and an incredible lady. Feisty is a great word to describe her. She was also incredibly generous and kind. Our daughter is named after her, we were very close. We decided to hold a special memorial type service for her during our trip. While hiking we found a Fairy Ring (see previous post if you don't know what this is) and fashioned a cross out of twigs and spanish moss. We placed the cross at the base of the largest tree and had an impromptu memorial service for our special Aunt Evelyn. We decided to visit Aunt Evelyn's Fairy Ring this year.



This is my favorite hike and we now call it the Auntie Evelyn Hike. We hike along this creek and at one point we have to cross it.



The foot bridge is now tied down, but there were years when it was missing and we had to carefully, very carefully cross the creek. The rocks can be very slippery and mossy. This year it was almost too easy with the foot bridge, but as I get older, easier is always better!!





As we are hiking I am keeping a lookout for Auntie Evelyn's Fairy Ring. I knew approximately where it was located, and I knew I would immediately recognize it when I saw it. As usual, when I am hiking in the forest, my mind wanders at times and I was afraid that we might have missed it during one of these periods. Just when I was thinking that that indeed had happened Dave suggested we take a water break. It sounded like a great idea, it was a very hot day. We stopped and I took a look at our surroundings. We were standing right in front of the Fairy Ring. (insert Twilight Zone music here) There was definitely fairies at work because I am sure we would have walked right past it!!!



Cassie fashioned a cross and we placed it in the exact same spot as before. We had a little memorial service for our Aunt Evelyn. We remembered her with smiles on our faces. I also said a little prayer for my friend who passed away in April. The spot is a very spiritual place for me. The whole forest is spiritual for me, but fairy rings in particular are spiritual places for me.

There is something mystical and magical about these fairy rings. I always have spirits, or orbs, in the pictures I take while in the rings. I feel a sense of peace and solitude. All my worries and cares are washed away and the power of the forest soothes my soul. No other place does that for me quite like the forest.
After leaving Auntie Evelyn's Fairy Ring our steps were lighter and our spirits were peaceful. The day was incredibly hot but suddenly a nice cool breeze began. The breeze caressed our bodies and dried our sweat. We felt like Auntie Evelyn and Uncle Dave (her husband) were giving us a hug and sending us their love. We thanked them and continued on our way. We now had a carefree jaunt in our step. The breeze stopped but the lightness in our hearts continued.

A Train Ride Through the Forest

Every year, while camping in the redwoods, we take a steam engine ride through the forest. Each ride, each year we are more enthralled than the previous year. We disembark from the train with a renewed love and respect for the majestic redwoods and for Mother Nature with providing us with such awe inspiring beauty.
This is Dixiana. She is a Shay steam engine and her main purpose is carting millions of people up Bear Mountain. The round trip takes about an hour, but it seems like a lifetime. I feel myself transported back in time, traveling through a virgin forest, seeing nature exactly how Mother Nature intended it to be seen.
This is the view from the train, only the picture does not do it justice. The many shades of green are too numerous to count. The way the sun reflects off the vegetation, a whole new world is opened up. It is a visual orgasm of colors, light and beauty. The forest has not been touched, it a virgin old growth redwood forest. The trees have the right of way, we are only visitors, invited into their home. At one point along the tracks a redwood tree is leaning precariously over the tracks. Every year she leans a bit more and soon the train will not be able to pass. When that happens, they will move the track over, they will not cut the tree down. The tree has the right of way, we must cater to her needs. Wouldn't it be grand if the whole world felt this way towards nature?
As we meandered and chugged our way up the mountain I found myself picturing my surroundings as they looked 200 years ago, before the tracks were laid, before Man set foot in this forest. When the inhabitants of the land were Native Americans, grizzly bears, and wolves. When the land was respected. When what was taken, was taken in need, not greed. I became saddened for our species, and embarrassed to look down and see my white skin. The Native Americans, the grizzly bears, the wolves are gone, extinct. They once roamed this place freely, abundantly. They did not want for food or shelter, the forest provided. Now they are gone and we are in its place. We do not need, but we want, always want. Bigger, better...it is never enough. I am a slave to consumerism as much as my fellow American, don't get me wrong.....but for this moment in time I was transported back to a time when life was simpler, not easier, just simpler.
At the top of the mountain we were able to disembark from the train and had the pleasure of standing in a fairy circle. A Fairy Circle is a ring of redwood trees that appear to be separate trees, but in fact they all share the same root ball complex. A single tree in the center gives root, birth, to a ring of Fairy trees, children. These Fairies may or may not flourish, but no matter...a second, third, or sometimes fourth ring, generation of children, soon are born. In this particular Fairy Ring, the Grandmother is a mere stump now, but her children are alive and well, and flourishing. Look at the picture of my children in the Fairy Ring. See the white spots, or orbs? They are fairies, spirits, visiting with my children. I have numerous pictures of fairies, spirits from this trip. The forest was indeed alive!!

Dixiana is letting off a bit of steam at the end of our journey. Our journey was coming to a close and I was returned to the present. I returned with new respect for the forest, and with hope. Hope that we will all learn to love and respect what our Earth, our Mother Nature provides for us. I hope you enjoyed taking journey with me!!

We're Home!!!

We just spent a glorious 5 days in the above forest!!! Pure heaven....a rejuvenating week for our minds, bodies and spirits.
We celebrated my birthday the first day and I can't think of a better place to celebrate!!

We hugged trees (this is for you Karisma!!), communed with nature, and made the acquaintance of numerous fairies.
We hiked every day and enjoyed every inch of the forest. We also visited other local areas, those will be future posts.

We ended every night with a campfire, stories, and S'mores.....it was very hard to come home today!! I will write more later and share more pictures...