Balloons, shopping, Brittany. the farm

Mama has had a lot of fun lately with a party favor she found at the Dollar Store. It is a small balloon sealed in a foil package. It does not look like much, but when it is struck (preferable only one time), the balloon inflates and causes the package to pop loudly as the balloon jets out of the wrapping. Some of the “explosions” are pretty loud. I believe all of the grandchildren of appropriate age have had a chance to experience the balloon release and it has been fun every time. The only caveat is that not all the balloons pop out of the packaging at the same rate. There have been moments of frustration when a delayed release has occurred. Eventually all the balloons appeared – when activated properly. It is amazing that, for as cheaply as these are sold for all the engineering and chemistry that goes into their manufacturing and packaging, that there are very few failures. For the most part, they have provided a fun experience for all participants. Mama even shared them with her Sunday School class.

In Mama’s outing with Grandma and Grandpa yesterday, Mama introduced them to WinCo. That is the new favorite for Grandma and Grandpa. They loved the store: the bulk goods, the prices, the layout, the overwhelming selections of conventional groceries and paper goods. It was a good experience for them. They even declined to go to Kroger’s since they found more than they needed at a better price at WinCo. Mama even found some blocks of cheese for less than 50 cents each. If you are willing to take the time in the bulk goods section there are a wealth of excellent offerings there and you can buy only what you need since it is not prepackaged. We buy our flavored coffees there and many of our condiments. The only caveat is that since things are not prepackaged, we have to find containers for the purchases or use them from the little plastic bags offered. Not a big deal.

No new news from Brittany even though she is doing her best to expedite the delivery. Yesterday, she took a dose of Castor Oil and orange juice to see if that would hurry the process. If not, it will certainly empty her bowels. In light of the pending birth, that is not a bad thing. Mama is still on hot standby as Aubrey frustrates her mommy with a delayed arrival. Meanwhile, Zoe and Sophia are happily oblivious to the pending addition to their family life. That is as it should be. Keeping their little sister safe from their ministrations will be a fulltime job for Brittany once the baby is the focus of the twin’s attention. They will be all kinds of help to mommy.

My prediction is that the two sisters will be a lot like Cori was when Victoria was born – only twice as much so. When Victoria arrived, Cori was always ready to get a diaper or a bottle or anything else Mama needed. She was a “little mommy” from the day we got home with the baby and has been so ever since. I can see Zoe and Sophia adopting that role as well. I do not know the depth of the personalities of the girls, so it may be more one than the other in many areas, but I can see Brittany having to gently turn away all the help she is offered. Spending a good deal of time putting away the excess offerings of helpful items the twins bring to any given situation. As the big sisters grow and learn how to actually help, the help provided will be a wonderful blessing to mommy. It will be fun to watch.

I have a lot of chores set up to do this weekend. None of those chores are big, but all of them need to get done and it will take more than this weekend to address the list. As we move into March – very soon – my travel schedule will keep me away from the farm for three of the four weeks of that month, limiting my ability to take on anything major. But, most importantly for this month I need to get ready for bees. Secondarily, I need to get the garden ready for Mama to plant in my absence. As for the bees, I will only start with the two hives we have ready. I cannot take on anything more than that right now. It will give us a good start without overwhelming us. With the garden, Mama and I are going to use planters or tubs for a lot of the plants. Mostly to protect them from the chickens. What we put in the ground will be protected as best we can from chickens, rabbits, raccoons, opossums, squirrels, wild birds, etc. It is always a challenge.

We do not always succeed but I have high hopes for this year.