Lizards and Lambs

Wednesday morning I walked in the kitchen with plans to start breakfast when my eyes saw a green tail whip around the backside of the coffee maker. I screamed!!! There was a lizard on our kitchen counter! As soon as my heart started beating again I yelled for T (who was off work -thank goodness! - and in the den tickling MW and T3). T and the children came running…finally T caught the thing – but not before it had crawled all over every surface to the right of the sink… MW pleaded for us to let her keep it for a pet (complete with suggestions about how she would brush its teeth) and just as T shoo-ed it out the door…Scout gobbled her up. T followed them out the door and rescued the lizard and put her in the bed of his truck. In spite of a severely mangled leg, Lizzie did survive.

(btw - these pics were taken when the kids "tackled" T and drug him to the ground upon his arrival home from work the night before...)






We spent most of the day out in the yard. T cut more bricks. I cut and blew the front yard and finished painting a newly repaired table and chairs for the playroom. (Our neighbors were tossing them.) I also readied our garden for a fall crop…we’ll see if anything grows! Late in the afternoon we made a trip out of town to a friend’s home for some compost for the garden.

This family is SO COOL! He is a real cowboy and she is an awesome web designer. We’ve collaborated on work a few times…and she has taught me much about the value of my time as a designer and NOT to give it away (which I struggle with.) They are an inspiration to us – a few years ago they were in a nice, large home in the city. They wanted to move out to the country and live on some land. They sold their house and have spent the last eighteen months living in a garage /guest house apartment on their new property. Last Mrs. Cowboy and I talked, they were doing things “Dave’s way.” (AKA living within your means…and that meant living in that tiny garage apartment.) About a month ago they broke ground on their new home. AWESOME! I’m so proud and happy for them! They’ve worked so hard!

When we arrived, Mr. and Mrs. Cowboy dropped everything and gave us a complete tour! They spent hours with us! It was so much fun and we felt so special!

While we were there...
• we got a tour of their new house…in the construction phase
• the kids got to play on their swing sets
• MW and I held a five day old baby lamb (and it’s mama was bleating up a storm)
• T3 sat on a tractor
• we got to see chickens and cows
• MW got an anatomy lesson (oh the things you learn on a farm!)
• I asked about their tomato, I mean, persimmon tree
• Mr. Cowboy caught a green snake and we got to touch it (T3 squeezed it as hard as he could. I had trouble loosening those little fingers!)
• we got six fresh eggs! (MW is obsessed with the green one! She doesn't want me to cook it.)











After touring the animals and “farmland,” we loaded up in the back of Mr. Cowboy’s truck and headed for “the pond.” It was BEAUTIFUL!!! The kids jumped from the bed of the truck and ran like crazy people! We walked around about a quarter of it and then headed off through a clearing which lead to a five hundred foot boardwalk! It was so cool! We walked and walked. Due to a lack of rain, the ground was fairly dry. T3 ran the entire 500 feet! And at the end of the boardwalk was a lookout tower. Their boys referred to it as a “fort.” MW was adamant it was a magical castle. Regardless, it was stinkin’ cool! They had some Adirondack loungers out there…it was awesome! We saw lily pads and tons of wildflowers, a cypress…wow! The kids were wild with excitement and T3 wanted so bad to climb to the top of the “tower.” He wasn’t too fond of hearing “no.”

Oh what fun! Thank you Mr. and Mrs. Cowboy! Thank you for your hospitality and for inspiring us with what one family can do - and with your passion for sustainable farming and agriculture. We had a GREAT time and caught a little of your fever!

So Thursday, with renewed vigor, I planted our fall garden and moved two rosebushes as well as four rosemary plants…we’re lookin’ better! I also fertilized my hydrangeas and I can’t believe how much better they look! I LOVE getting things in shape!