It's Spring Break - Swamp (Mud) Season Begins

On Sunday, following a week of cold and rainy weather, the temperature soared to 85 degrees.

Yes, 85 on an April day in Michigan.

I wore a summer dress and tall heels to church. I was so happy to be in heels and skirts that I didn't even mind how very pale white I am...I hope no one else did either. Last week, I wore a hooded sweater and a scarf and wool socks and two layers to church. Seriously.

When we got home, the boys begged to go play in the swamp. Daddy informed them how cold it would be since it's been 45 degrees or so all week.

They didn't care.

Off they ran as soon as they scarfed down amazing cheeseburgers Hubby grilled for us. I was busy sweeping off a winter's worth of dirt and salt off the front porch and could hear the boys whooping and hollering and laughing in the woods so I grabbed my camera and decided to sneak up on them.

I was very cautiously walking too because you just don't want to see a snake already this season.

And when I arrived at the boys "Swamp"...oh my.

You see, sometimes I wonder if you all think I make up these stories of the boys and the swamp and the mud and the fun they have.

Pictures don't lie.
The boys were THRILLED when after a graduation party they were given the beverage pools. They have been saving them for THIS...the ultimate swamp boat.
I was thrilled I caught S4's pose on camera.
This is their favorite way to spend the day....this was the best day of their spring break, I think.
This is not a swamp monster.

This is S2.

Really, it is. We had to hose him down. Then he took a shower (because I want you to think good thoughts of me, I did not take a picture of the tub afterwards. May I remind you...our only tub/shower.)

This is why I think Tide should pick me to test their detergent. I promise to make sure it works hard.... :)

And......just in case these photos aren't enough for you.....here it the video I took before I ever took a picture with the camera. It's better than anything I could ever try to write for you.

Enjoy.

And feel free to come over and help me clean up from this day.

Sadie Gave Me Poison Ivy....

...or else I think she did.

Here is how it happened.

Jr, who was over tired and didn't appreciate in any way the thought of me putting him down even for a moment, and S4, who had worked hard to make a plow (stick) on his tricycle (he secretly thinks that that his Daddy will find his plow genius and let him help plow tonight) and wanted to show it off, headed out with the dogs and a basket of laundry to hang on the line.

S4 was busy showing off his plow and Jr was busy just experiencing outdoor freedom, when both dogs began to bark. They barked ferociously, and then took off. Not seeing anything out of the ordinary, I figured it must have been a rabbit or something like that. I waited a bit and then called the dogs back. Sadie kept barking fiercely but Josie waddled on back. I finished hanging up the load of clothes and calling Sadie in answer to her barks. ("bark bark" pause "Sadie" pause "bark bark" etc)

I looked at a now happy Jr, a seriously sad his dog was missing S4, a more than fluffy dog who was sitting with her head cocked to me questioningly and sighed deeply. "Okay, let's go."

I lifted Jr to my shoulders where he immediately dug his chubby fingers thru my pony tail causing it to fall into my face and finally settled on hanging onto my ears as I took S4's hand and we followed Josie out to the great nasty, green, slimy swamp.

This swamp is the dividing line on our property. It would take little imagination to see alligators and long black snakes in it. It's just that nasty looking.

On the opposite side of the swamp, the part on our neighbors, was our black German shepherd Sadie barking ferociously at the terrible awful scary creature...our cat. Technically, it's not ours, but Georgia showed up last winter and liked the boys and table scraps they gave her so much she just stuck around. However, after this incident, she may take up residence some where else. I had to sorta chuckle when I thought about her getting all the way across that swamp and up safely in that tree. She musta seemed she had walked on water!

S4 was screaming in his most authoritative voice "Get-over-here-Sadie-and-I'll-give-you-a-bone." When she never even glance his way, he muttered "stinkin' darn dog". (His father taught him how to speak.)

Seeing we were getting no where, I decided to head toward the house again. As I went to turn back, I looked down at my flip flop clad (with pretty NYPD Beet nail polish on my toes) and seen I was standing in the middle of poison ivy.

I groaned aloud.

I had been so worried about Sadie I hadn't paid attention to the undergrowth we were walking on, or what we had to walk through to get out. Poison Ivy everywhere I looked.

For all my life I had never had poison ivy, until S4 was born and then I got a case of it that lasted all summer long. It was miserable. And I have gotten it every year since. Apparently, here on the farm, we grow great poison ivy.

So we headed back, more than fluffy Josie, jabbering away at the disobedience of Sadie S4 whose hand I was holding and clinging to my ears as he sat on my shoulder and my free hand held him there Jr. Really, we must have been a sight.

Just as we got up to the house, Sadie appeared. Soaked. Covered in green slime. A happy look on her face.

As soon as we got in the house, I shucked my jeans off (and desperately prayed no on would stop and need asparagus) and jumped in the tub with S4 to scrub our feet and hands down with Tecnu. I buy Tecnu in the largest quantities I can. I scrubbed and then I scrubbed just to be sure again and doused my flip flops and his crocs too and let them soak for a bit.

So far, no poison ivy. Or Georgia the cat. I'll keep you updated.