Before launching into my tales of our trip to the beach yesterday, a brief little aside. A friend of ours from church was expecting her second child, she was due on my mother’s birthday, the 18th of this month. As often happens, that day came and went and no baby came. However, yesterday morning, she told her husband that she was in labor. He called the neighbor to come get their daughter, and she had the baby. In the bathroom. After about an hour of labor. Wow. Of course, not being prepared for a homebirth, they had to call 911 and be transferred to the hospital. They are doing well and now have quite a story to tell.
Yesterday I got up at 6:00 because I set my alarm the night before. I wanted to be sure to have time to get everything done in the morning because I hate staying up late rushing to get things finished. And I really don’t like soggy sandwiches which we would have had if I’d have made them the night before. I do know quite a few people who make their lunches the day before (Paul being one of them) and sometimes that would be okay but not for sandwiches (although if you like soggy sandwiches, that’s okay). I made pb&j’s for Joseph, Seth, Amena and Nick. I made meat (various lunchmeats mostly) sandwiches for Cedric, Joanna, Laura and me. Paul said he’d make his own.
Backing up just a bit, the dogs got to go out early for their morning walk. In spite of that, there were still a puddle of pee and a pile of poop in the dining room. They were doing so well for so long and for the last week or so there has been something in the dining room every morning. Quite frankly, I don’t like dogs enough to keep cleaning up their messes. I kind of feel the same way about cats and potty boxes. Even if Paul weren’t allergic to cats, we probably wouldn’t have one because I know how children are about cleaning potty boxes. Another quite frankly, people who think cats smell worse than dogs clearly don’t know much about cats. Other than those potty boxes, which only smell bad if not properly and timely scooped, cats are much cleaner than dogs.
We were done walking before 7:00, which is breakfast time for canines. I got ready to milk and did that. For some reason, Snowflake and Goldilocks took their time eating so I was done milking each of them before they were done. Princess, who takes longer to milk than the other two already due to her having larger teats, gobbled her food up which adds to the length of milking because once they’re done eating, they move around more. Yesterday was the largest volume produced in one milking as well which, although nice, means it took longer to accomplish.
While all this is going one, the milking, the sandwich making, the straining of the milk, children are getting up and getting breakfast and getting things ready to go. Paul never did give us a target time for leaving but I thought that it would be nice to leave between 8 and 9. So that is what we were working toward. However, Paul had a hard time getting to sleep the night before. When I woke up at 2:30 to use the bathroom, he still had his light on and was reading. I had a hard time getting back to sleep with the light on but did eventually, waking only briefly when Joseph came in bed with us at about 4:00. Then at 6:00 I was up for good. Anyway, Paul was still sleeping at 7:00. By 8:00 he was awake but in bed reading. It was at that point I said I’d go get Nick and some ice so that we wouldn’t have to go through Gardner (which is to the north and we were headed south). Joanna went with me and we got Nick and stopped at Walmart to get four bags of ice and two things of pink lemonade drink mix (one only makes 8 quarts and our drink cooler is 4 gallons).
When we got back, I mixed up the lemonade and put two bags of ice in with it. I put the other two bags in with the cooler which had Capri Suns I’d frozen, our sandwiches, and some grapes I’d washed and put in another container. Paul had his sandwich made by now so it went in with the rest. Other than that, we had peanut butter and butterscotch cookies, a loaf of zucchini bread and chips. Everything was ready and then some finally by about quarter of ten but Paul hadn’t and hadn’t asked anyone to empty the fuel containers into the van so that had to be done and takes forever. Finally we were on our way about 10:15.
We were probably about halfway when Joanna decided she needed to use a bathroom. That normally wouldn’t be a problem except that most of the rest areas around here no longer have bathrooms. Why? you ask. A good question. It’s because of people who have same sex attractions. If you are a man and are attracted to men or are a woman attracted to women, that’s fine as long as you don’t try to force your lifestyle on me. I don’t think it’s natural but it isn’t my place to judge individuals, so whatever. However, it is because of people like this that these rest areas no longer have restrooms because they used them for picking up partners and USED THE RESTROOMS FOR SEX. I’m sorry, but this is absolutely ridiculous. If you have so little control that you can’t leave for that, you have some serious issues. People sometimes need to use a bathroom for the purposes intended and because of idiots with no self-control, this is not possible.
Anyway, eventually I had to go too, and Paul wasn’t sure which exit to take so he dropped those of us who needed a bathroom and went to find a map. Nick, Cedric, Joseph, Joanna, Amena and I all had to go so Paul only had Laura and Joseph with him. He ended up not getting a map because the people who were working where he went gave good enough directions to get there without.
We went to one beach that looked nice but there was another one about 15 minutes down the road that had a rock jetty out into the water that I thought would be fun for exploring so that’s where we went. It is the Charlestown Breachway and is a Rhode Island State Park. The first one is called Misguamicut State Beach. The only thing that would have been better about that one is that they have fresh water showers for when you’re done which would have been nice because the salt water isn’t the best for bathing. When you dry off you’re all sticky and covered with little granules of salt.
We had fun. There are lots of pictures but I haven’t downloaded them yet. If anything of interest happened that didn’t get captured (I’m thinking Nick on the lounge chair in the surf), I’ll have to write about it but right now, I’m going to take a look. However, since this has turned out to be longer than I thought it might, I will post this first and then pictures.
Have a great day!
I realized after I emailed to Grandma and posted to the blog that I didn’t really say anything about today. Silly me!
Milking this morning was similar to yesterday except Goldilocks ate faster. We got almost a full gallon of milk which is great but I had to consolidate some previous days milk in order to empty a jar to strain into. I got up late this morning (a few minutes after 7:00) and noticed that my back was a bit more stiff than usual (this is a since the accident occurrence—it never bothered me before unless I was pregnant). The dogs and I went for our little walk and I got my wad of clothes out of the van (all we brought in last night were the coolers and ourselves pretty much) so I could finish getting dressed. I got ready for milking which included washing the bucket as no dishes were washed yesterday.
This morning it becomes obvious that we did a good job sunscreening the boys—they have no burns, but not the girls—they all have some. Paul slipped in the rocks (he likes to explore just like the little ones do) and fell on his bum. He figured he’d be a little sore this morning and he is. Funny thing is that he has a bruise on his ankle but not his bum and it doesn’t hurt but around the side of his left leg does. Everyone who did not get a shower last night has now gotten one this morning.
Yesterday before we left, we picked some rosehips. I don’t know what variety of roses grow there but the rosehips are huge! Some of them are as big around as a quarter. We didn’t get that many because the bushes are very thorny and it’s hard to get any that aren’t right along the edge. I think I would like to get some of the bushes. Anyway, rosehips are an excellent source of vitamin C and I would like to try my hand at making rosehip jelly.
Thus far today, in spite of the fact that it is now almost 10:30, we have accomplished little. Paul and Laura didn’t leave for work until after 9:00. We have missionaries for supper today as it is Tuesday. I need to go out and take a look at the garden. Sometime I need to take a shower even though I am among those who had one last night. Joanna works at noon, I think, and needs a ride since sunset is at 7 something and she gets off at 8:15 and isn’t supposed to drive her scooter after sunset.
And now that seems a little better; a little more up to date. Still I hope you have a wonderful day!
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