There is a little water droplet on the tip of each blade of grass.
These make me happy.
Transpiration is the process where plants lose water through pores called stomata. This allows for exchange of gasses needed for photosynthesis and allows water to flow through the plant to distribute nutrients.
Can it be that Paige has been dancing for 7 1/2 years and dance competition is something new to us?
Yes, it can.
Paige was in a dance competition on Saturday. Everything had to be altered: Costume, eye lashes, and hair. I altered some costumes and helped put on fake eyelashes behind stage.
She danced in a tall hotel in Phoenix where no food was allowed and $4 candy bars were sold for those desperate and rich enough. I watched 3 1/2 of hours of dance as I waited for Paige’s numbers. The music beat directly through important neural pathways, leaving me exhausted and weak. I suffered a great deal. I can’t imagine what Paige must have been going through.
Well, the dance team lifted Paige high above their heads and flipped her as planned and she was graceful and she was beautiful. They won second and third place in their division.
I expected to be exposed to Stage Mothers. This put me in great fear. I was so nervous I bought a new purse for courage (and I’m not a purse kind of girl). I walked in confidently with my new bag and a spring blouse, only to be met with
Bedazzled t-shirts.
Mothers weren’t sporting purses! They were sporting “Elite Ballerina Mom” or “Dance Mom” in bling all over their chests. This is not me! I said in my loudest, completely silent voice. Please don’t let this be my fate! I don’t want to be a Stage Mom. No! No! NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!
And then I calmed down. I may not have bling, but I’m the kind of Stage Mom who tells her daughter, “Dance for yourself and your Heavenly Father and find joy. I’ll pray for you!” And, when it’s all over, I’m the Stage Mom who tries to tell everyone they were beautiful. I’m also the kind of Stage Mother who WILL henceforth sneak in snacks (in my spacious new purse). Let’s hope it’s a long time until another competition comes our way.
and
Do you?
It was just digitally restored. The colors are amazing. Somehow you just love the characters. Everyone over the age of 6 liked this movie at our house.
I highly recommend The African Queen.
Daniel received his Webelos rank and religious square knot last night.
I looked over at this little scout shirt during the ceremony and kind of smiled at all the embellishment we place on these uniforms. Each badge and pin earned represents quite a bit of work. It must feel good to be decorated.
I love the ingenuity that Daniel brings to outdoor play. The lizard in the background is not real, but there are many small lizards in our yard. They provide a lot of entertainment as we try to catch them.
It takes two years for an iris to blossom after you transplant. These were a gift from a good friend. A few weeks ago I had a dream that my irises were blossoming ( I also dreamed that Barbra Streisand was my nosy neighbor, looking over the fence at me as I swung around from a vine like Tarzan’s Jane). Today my dream is coming true. The iris part, that is.
Have you been watching The Owl Box? Some folks in San Marcos, CA have placed an owl box in their yard and some owls have nested there. They have a camera on the nest and several eggs have hatched. There is an egg about ready to hatch. It’s like The Truman Show with owls.
This photo was taken in a yard in the middle of the desert. The pavement ended at its gates;
the home was small and there were no fancy cars, just flowers and cactus.
That’s Latin for Arizona’s State motto and it means “God Enriches.”
When I saw these flowers, I felt myself “considering the lilies of the field.” (Matthew 6:28)
I spend a lot of time in great effort trying to make life run smoothly, but the best and most beautiful things in my life
are here because Heavenly Father arrayed them thus.
General Young Women Meeting, 2010
Tonight we learned that deep beauty springs from virtue. We’re in the middle of our own stories, working toward a happily ever after. Our reaction to adversity determines the paths of our lives. We were encouraged to be strong and of good courage.
We saw it here. Watch the “video presentation” if nothing else!
Our photo from last year is here.
Yes, the following post is a little bit grumpy. Despite the flowers, I have to say spring is not my favorite thing. I roll with the seasons, and when the weather is wonky, I am wonky. I am fine, though, and planted wheat grass for Easter time and flowers today. I heard my oldest children play piano at the U of A this morning and that was nice.
Now, for the Angie-rant.
I had a dream of becoming one of those people who had cloth grocery bags but I could never bring myself to plunk down the money to do it. I decided the only way I was going to be ecologically responsible was to ask for Richard to buy them for me. (It’s how things work around here.)
We’ve been using the cloth bags for 3 months. They are so much nicer on your hands. They don’t cut into your flesh as you carry them around. They are stronger than plastic, and you don’t have to find a place to put all those plastic bags. The only downside is they affect the cashier-customer relationship.
I don’t interact with adults very often so when I go to the store, I expect a pleasant reception and maybe a little admiring comment about my little boy’s red hair. When I bring my cloth bags to the store, that’s all the cashier wants to talk about. Sometimes cashiers are noticeably bothered by the hassle. These cashiers alternately purse their lips, sigh audibly, and sometimes complain outright. One store gives me a 5 cent discount per bag. Here, the cashier says to me, “How many?” instead of “Hello, how are you?” I’ve had conversations about their pleasant pastel color, their depth (most cashiers say they are awkward), their strength (young bagging boys will load them so full I can hardly lift them), and oh, lots of other dull things.
Moving on to an equally dull topic, but one that affects my life, let’s talk about recycling.
We live in a town with 3 competing garbage companies. This is good for the prices, but in order to be competitive, our garbage company decided it needed to give us an additional recycling can… no charge! But wait! it’s 12 cubic feet of space that I no longer have in my yard. I crush boxes and milk cartons, I wash out cans and carefully monitor what’s recyclable and not. We went to a presentation about where our recycling items go. We learned that our recyclables aren’t recycled in town; they are SOLD to various recycling companies. That means I am working for the city!! I am sure my things are recycled after being transported by diesel engine across several states. However, I kind of resent the whole process and I’m not certain we come out any better off ecologically.
I’m not a fan of recycling, but I’ll do it. I guess I stand more firmly behind the idea of reusing and reducing. Here’s a photo of Daniel’s science fair project before we pulled off the papers so the board can be reused. I felt very Depression-era as I picked sticky things off two boards for 30 minutes. I didn’t do it for the paper. I did it for the money. That’s $10 I won’t have to spend next year.
And last, if you are still reading, I thank you for your time. I have a beautiful photo to share tomorrow.
Today is the States Presentation Fair at the library. We prepared art and reports about the state of Arizona.
We made a cool map with sculptures.
The 5 Cs of Arizona: Climate, Cotton, Cattle, Citrus, and Copper
Now you know.