I apologize for my absence....

... but my computer really and truly got zapped by lightning last weekend (OK, maybe not really and truly, but something dreadful befell our poor electronic beast, and it just happened to be in the midst of a thunderstorm) and so I've been on hiatus since then. We're borrowing a friend's laptop so my posts for the time being will be but a crude approximation of their former glory... but those of you out there will just have to make do with these paltry crumbs I have to offer. Sorry about that.

We just got back from a visit to Green Gate Farms and though it was a wondrous place with many welcoming people and extremely enjoyable farm animals of the goat, pig, and chicken variety, my kids were in such prickly moods that I'm now grumpy as all get out. So that's what you get when you try to take your kids out on an ultra wholesome excursion.... of course, I joke, I jest, you know how it is with these kids, you win some, you lose some. And Green Gate Farms is really awesome, and they're planning on having these extremely kid friendly Fridays happening from 10-12 with a farmstand and kid music singers and local authors reading their books and maybe some simple friendly 'classes' with the farmer... and then on Saturdays it will be a bit more for the older, school age kids, some more advanced topics. They said last year they did a '5-H' type thing where kids learned how to raise and care for a pig. Oh, and I must say, while we were out observing those hilarious hugely fat laaaaaazy black pigs lying in their mud wallow, these three kids came out to give them some peanuts... one of whom was Avery, the daughter of the farmers, who is 8 years old and just as friendly and chatty as can be, really a brilliant ambassador for the farm (and for the Discovery School, which she attends and which is right across the street). Anyway, it was a very awesome farm. And it had a playhouse and some little trikes... just lovely for chillin' with your little ones.
Of course my grand plan for being so irritated with my kiddos when I returned home was to look at blogs and ignore them while their ire steadily increased. It worked out great. One blogger, Dottie Angel, whom I read occasionally, has set herself the challenge described in the picture... don't worry, it's not like she's all self righteous about it, but humorous and just as curious as us to see if she's able to do it or not. I partially felt like I'd like to jump on board and do the same but then I start thinking of all the little odds and ends that might make the pledge difficult... the pens, cell phones, toothbrushes and lightbulbs that make my world go 'round, and then I wussed out. So, maybe next year. After Tif here has given it a whirl.