Berry Time

We made our trip to the strawberry fields today. Obviously the kids had fun, and ate their fair share of berries.

And while we were picking berries, Dad was floating down the North Santiam on his pontoon. He had a great day and brought home this....

Oregon Zoo

Today we had our end of the year field trip to the Oregon Zoo. It had been years since I'd been there. I think the last time was for a friend's wedding reception (yes...the reception was at the zoo!) in 1998, so I was really looking forward to the trip. We had a fabulous day. The weather was perfect, the kids were awesome and it was so nice to be outside instead of in the classroom.

So, here's a few shots of the zoo's inhabitants. They can be very photogenic.

Unexpected Gifts

My upstairs neighbors are moving. Normally, that wouldn't be a big deal since I live in an apartment, and upstairs neighbors can be good or bad. These particular neighbors have been awesome. I hardly even know they live there.

So...they're moving. Which I didn't know until today when she asked if they could use my parking space for the u-haul. No worries. I will be at work all day tomorrow. Works out perfectly for both of us. Not five minutes later, there's a knock at my door. It's upstairs neighbor and adorable baby. "Do you craft?" she asked. "I have some stuff to give away if you want it."

So, I scored this.

New stuff is always inspiration in a box!

Rodeo!

Home from a weekend at the Sisters Rodeo. The weather was sunny. The wind blew like crazy. It snowed while I drove over the pass on Friday. But the rodeo was fun, and it was good to unplug for a couple days.

Waiting for the parade to start.

Wild horse race

Rodeo mares and foals. So darn cute!

Ride em, Cowboy!

The Value of a Day....

So, I heard an interesting tidbit this evening from our school superintendent.

"The average lifespan is 25,000 days." He said.

I did some quick math.

25,000 days translates to about 68.5 years.

I have lived more than half that already. (Hmmm....never quite thought about it that way.)

My parents have lived longer than that.

My great, great, great grandmother (the longest living person on my family tree) lived approximately 37,500 days when she passed away at age 102.

It makes you think about the value of a day.

They're Back!

I'd been wondering if I'd see the ducks this year. This trio first showed up a couple years ago. And today Kit alerted me to their presence outside the back door. I fed them a snack of sourdough bread, and they took a short nap before heading off to their next stop.