A day on the ranch
 

[FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]Well I thought I would let all of you out there know what happens around here. This is my day Saturday. 0630 A 4 year old awakens me with "what are we gona do today mommy?" (She KNOWS what we are doing every day as she and I talk about it the night before! Sometimes I think its just a quiz to see if I have lost my mind overnight:p) convinced said young lady to lay back down "for awhile" 0700 I am again quized on what we are doing today. Convinced her to climb in bed with me to cuddle for a time. 0730 Nothing doing but we are getting up she is wanting to go visit my daughter-in-law as she know she is babysitting. Convinced her that it was too early, distracted by painting her toenails "popping pink' then had to paint her fingernails, she then noted that I had the WRONG color:eek: painted on my toenails so they were also painted to match hers. 0745 Charging downstairs for breakfast, cereral picked, eaten, still hungry, second bowl of ceraeral (sp) I had a peanutbutter sandwich, she eat 1/2 of mine then drinks a glass of milk. Quized yet again, insists that I text daughter-in-law, (note it is not yet 8am:rolleyes:) Convinced reluctant child to have a shower and get dressed so we would be ready when I do text daughter-in-law. 0830 Child now demanding to know what we are doing today. So being the thoughtful type I ask her what she THINKS we are doing. She then joyfully informs me that we are going to daughter-in-laws to "help her babysit" (Daughter-in-law is watching her 3 month old niece and her 2 year old neice) Conviced (bribed:D) said child that I would text daughter-in law after current cartoon is finished.0900 Child presents me with my cell phone and informs me :cool: that "cartoons are over lets GO" Text daughter-in-law, yes they are up just got done with breakfast and we are welcome to come over any time:yahoo: Charge led by 4 year old out door and onto ATV I am "encouraged" to "hurry up" Down the road we go, cool and damp, drizzeling, half way to daughter-in-laws I am informed that she is cold and to "Hurry up and slow down:confused: Arrive at daughter-in-laws child bales off ATV and races to door, knocks then charges in:D, so we "help babysit" until noon, babe is sleeping and 2 year old is really wanting a nap. So we charge home on ATV. Checked out garden and lawn mower. Then off to the house for lunch. Lunch is minimal for child, she had 2 cinnamin rolls and glass of mild at daughter-in-laws, so I have sandwich. DH shows up and requests lunch. I start cooking his meal and note 4 year old has found her blanky and her thumb and installed herself on DH's lap, she is out cold in 15 min, DH has his lunch and the ladies have a nap for 1 hour. We then must decide what is to me done next. I am voted to mow the lawn with her assistance, that lasts for about 2 rounds she then decides that mud pies must be made for supper. She then agrees to make said pies in one part of the lawn, she is noted to be going in and out of house with a red cup, (dont you know I NEED water to make mud pies mommy?!?!?). She then notes that there is a mud puddle with water on the egde of the yard, now she knows that when I say "you have to stay on the green" that I mean it, so every time I stop for anything (removing boot from under lawn mower x 2 :thud: this curtisy of 2 border collie pups and tall grass) she is demanding that she be allowed to "go get more water". She then notes that there is moved grass on the lawn, this is of course incorperated into her mud pies" Ran out of gas for mower, onto the ATV, search for gas can I purchased for my use for the lawn mover, the tiller, the edger and whatever else I have that needs gas, It is finally located at the other house, and per what is written on the side now has "chainsaw and bushwacker" gas (oil/gas mix) it is full as is the items that use its fuel, sooooo. I find a different jug, fill it with gas, mutter about "men" and head back to the mower. There is a discussion about how long mudpies must be in the sun before they are "done", why the neighbors have a camper and a couple of tents in their yard and other trivia while traveling the 3 miles back. More mudpies are made, more lawn is mowed and more trips are made to the mudhole, noted during one trip she is no longer standing on edge of said "pond' but standing in the middle of it to retrieve her water. Mower quits mowing:mad:, words are muttered, noone can be bothered to come and fix it, am told I "probally just broke a belt" So mud pies are admired, and again the "baking time" is discussed. Then it is "decided" that we must go and check on the river and the fishing ponds. Again onto the ATV across the field, 1 pond checked, noted that the beavers are destroying my shade trees (old large cottonwoods), then back towards the house accross the east field to the road, north on the gravel road, noted "new" ponds along the road, but we cannont "see them good enough" from the road, so we continue to the river bridge, the level of the river is discussed and the fact that is too cold to take a dip is voiced. Then it is noted that gate we need to enter to check on "new ponds" is closed and I cannot open them, child voices discontent at uncles who shut gate. So we head back across the east field in search of an open gate, one is found, medow is noted to be very wet with multiple springs running, finally get through the brush, over a couple of banks and there is one of the "new ponds" comments were made about banks and what should be put in those ponds. We then weave through the willows, the olives and the brush, found a large tub which was comendeered for garden use, potatos were planted in said tub. Then was noted by child that "we are a mess" so off to the house, shower had, clean clothes applied and evening meal consumed. Then her father arrived and took her to his home for the weekend.
And I wonder why I am so tired! [FONT="Comic Sans MS"][SIZE="4"][COLOR="DarkOrchid"]

Splendor
 

Ahhhhh the splendor of the well baked mud pie; but courtesy or our daughter, I learned one must also bring powdered sugar from the house to make the proper mud pie. They must be sweet, you know? Yes, those precious days of wonderful younguns come and go very swiftly and before you know it, they are off to college. WOW how the time flew with our children. At first it seemed we would never get to sleep through the night again with our twins, who came first, of course, and before we know it all four children are out of the school system, one finished with college, another stalled, another serving in the military and married, while our youngest is still trying to sort out the notion of relationships with her boyfriend ["Men!!" I can hear the chorus ringing loudly around the curves of our earth], and to think we ever boasted about the "shot heard 'round the world," when it was really that eons old "Men!" Yup, we do step on our lower lips from time to time as our knuckles drag the ground........:D:D:D:D:D:D

It gives me pleasure Pooh, to think of the times you must have smiled during the day. A good lot I would suppose. Yup.

One of them,
Mark56:grouphug:

Quick questions
 

What's a mud-pie, me thinks it might one of those sloppy mucky things my brother and I used ta make in the fields with grass, tops from nice flowers like the rose trees, marigolds etc then lots more grass with pure mud.... then feed it to the cows? Am i right? Is this what a mud pie is.
Ours was slop though, especially after a downpour and it was always mixed in a bucket and fed to the cows?

Why it had to feed the cows i've no idea, i guess it was because there were cows in the field next to us.

Thanks for telling the story, it's lovely to hear the antics of an early no-school morning with small children in the house and who have no idea of time..... I think i'd like to go back there for a little while but knowing what I know now.

Sinéad

Yes indeed that is a mud pie, however at this home they MUST be baked in the sun until they are deemed "cooked". Only the youngest baker may determine when this has occured. If my younger days my parents had a LARGE number of chickens, if things worked out for us we got to have the eggs which had "leather" shells, we even "cooked" a few of these on the sidewalk for a change in the menu. Never had cows close enough to feed these gourmet delights to but the neighbor kids did have a pet racoon who would slick up our eggs in nothing flat, sometimes even before they were done:eek: (he was a very rude coon). Yes those times were good but am not sure I would return to them....
:hug:z

Hi Pooh,
I guees that makes sense, drying in the sun but unfortunately you'd never get enough hot sun for that in Ireland.
Thanks for the reply, things that children do don't exactly change from one country to another even if they are 4000 miles away!

All the best

Sinéad, xxx :)