Oh What a Beautiful Morning!

Did anyone else wake up on Monday morning, poke their nose outside and decide they just had to spend some time in the sun? Well I did, and it was intensified when I looked around me and saw the deplorable state of my yard, an empty green barrel and the beckoning wall-to-wall blue sky. The words to that old- school song kept going through my head as I worked. (Was it from Oklahoma!?)

Oh what a beautiful morning!
Oh what a beautiful day.
I've got a beautiful feeling
Everything's going my way.

There's a *green sort of haze in the garden
There's a green sort of haze in the garden
The weeds are as high as an elephant's eye
And it looks like they're climbing clear up to the sky!

Reprise Chorus. C'mon, I know you are singing along. (Sorry about changing the words.)

For crying out loud, where did all these weeds come from???? I love the rain and all, but hasn't it been too cold to grow four foot weeds? Apparently not. Seriously, some of them were about as high as my eye, and I'm not even joking. So it is a good thing you couldn't see me hacking and pulling and otherwise making myself ridiculous trying to improve the view from my kitchen window. I completely filled a green barrel (just in time for pick up...wasn't that clever?) And then I sprayed the bajeebers out of the rest of them. You would think I would learn to keep things under control in the winter, but no, sadly I never learn. Another embarrassing side note is that my hamstrings are making me cry when I walk as a result of my weeding extravaganza.

On a happy note, the flowers out front are blooming their hearts out and making me happy every time I see them. I *heart* flowers and digging in the dirt. I'm even going to post a picture of them when I learn how. Hahahahaha. Promises, promises.

The Rest of the Story

A few people have asked me for "the rest of the story" from the tag quote. So I will post the entire poem for you. Here goes. It was from page 123 of Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul.

Smile

She smiled at a sorrowful stranger.
The smile seemed to make him feel better.
He remembered past kindnesses of a friend
and wrote him a thank-you letter.
The friend was so pleased with the thank-you
that he left a large tip after lunch.
The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip,
bet the whole thing on a hunch.
The next day she picked up her winnings,
and gave part to a man on the street.
The man on the street was grateful;
for two days he'd had nothing to eat.
After he finished his dinner,
he left for his small dingy room.
(He didn't know at the moment
that he might be facing his doom.)
On the way he picked up a shivering puppy
and took him home to get warm.
The puppy was very grateful
to be in out of the storm.
That night the house caught on fire.
The puppy barked the alarm.
He barked 'til he woke the whole household
and saved everybody from harm.
One of the boys that he rescued
grew up to be President.
All this because of a simple smile
that hadn't cost him a cent.

Barbara Hauck, age 13

Tag

I got tagged a few days ago by Runningfan. Sorry I'm so lame, but it has been a *busy* week. But I digress. Now for the tag.

Grab the nearest book to you (it must have at least 123 pages.)

Open to page 123.

Go to the 5th sentence and write the next three sentences.

Here ya go:

"The waitress, surprised by the size of the tip, bet the whole thing on a hunch. The next day she picked up her winnings, and gave part to a man on the street. The man on the street was grateful; for two days he'd had nothing to eat."

Would you believe the closest book was Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul? Too bad you didn't get to hear "the rest of the story...."

The Echo Monster

The echo monster sometimes takes up residence in my refrigerator when I don't get to the grocery store to replenish the supply of edible items. Ketchup and mustard, mayo and pickles aren't very fun when we don't have the milk, bread, meat and eggs to accompany them.

Well, today the echo monster moved out of the refrigerator and into the house! For ten wonderful days we have had our beloved daughter and her 3 boys here to share our space. We had to let them go today, and the echo monster is roaming from room to room, missing the life, the energy, and the spontaneous fun that erupts when children are in the house. The toys are lonely, the table deserted. The back yard is empty, the giant frisbee lifeless. It is so quiet. They need the accompanying human touch to make them meaningful.

We miss you!

Hurry back!!!