For you, Holly

No, I didn't take pictures of the me-gagging/Ana-parading episode last night. I was too busy trying to laugh it off and keep my previous meals contained.

But I DID take pictures of her doing the same thing today!

See how she's entirely unconcerned?

And because she asked me to, I also took a picture of Ana's abstract art.

Seriously. She asked me to take this picture of the head. And the elephant rattle. Holding a carrot. She set the whole thing up.

And then Bekah requested that I take pictures of her modeling her new snow boots.

Nice and shiny.

It's official ... I'm a wuss

So I thought I had a pretty good handle on the whole hunting/dead animals thing (although you wouldn't guess it from a previous post). My husband's a hunter. I get it. He comes from a fairly long line of hunters. They shoot things. Then they hang them up. Then they skin them. Then they cut them up. Then I cook them up. Then we eat them up.

I've never been squeamish when it comes to handling raw meat. I've cubed chicken, sliced ham, flaked crab and pounded pork.

But after tonight's experience, I know I still have a long way to go before I can claim that I'm no pansy.

See, tonight Seth decided to skin and cut up the deer he shot last weekend. And after he got most of the skin off the animal, he needed someone to hold onto the deer's hind legs while he yanked the hide off. He asked me to do it.

I warily approached the deer carcass, trying not to think about it. He asked if I thought I could handle it.

"Sure," I replied. I tried to sound as nonchalant as possible. But as soon as I touched the thing's furry leg, I shuddered and dropped it like it was hot. Seth tried to reassure me that it was okay and I needn't make myself sick, but I told him I could do it with gloves on so I didn't have to feel the thing.

As I retreated to the garage to find my work gloves, Ana followed me in. And she was carrying something. By the antlers.

"You can touch its head, Mama," she said.

Yes, my dear, sweet little three-year-old girl was bravely parading around with dead animal's head that had been hewed off its body only minutes before. And she wasn't wearing any gloves.

It's apparent that I've got a way to go before I'm a true she-woman (like my wee daughter). That's why I'm inside a-typing on the blog while Seth's in the garage slicing and dicing.

Baby carrot

Teehee.

P.S. Would you look at the size of that thing? (The carrot, not the baby.) I'd like to say that it came from our garden, but alas, we had a puny harvest again this year. This veggie behemoth came from the garden of Ted and Lu Berrett, our incredible neighbors.

P.P.S. Isn't Miri's fluff head amazing?

Unexpected

Yesterday morning as I was packing the church bag, I experienced a little pre-Halloween fright. I glanced up from the bag and its contents on the couch to the mirror hanging on the wall and saw this:


But here's the deal: I helped (read: "watched") Seth, his uncle Doug and his dad hang it from the tree the night before. So you think I wouldn't have jumped when I saw it through the back door via the mirror. Guess I'm just a scaredy cat.

Bekahism #34

Bekah: Girls should be fairies. Daddies should be stormtroopers.

Rude

The other day, Seth and I had the pleasure of eating at the Thai House in downtown I.F. 'Twas a delight. The dessert, on the other hand, was less delightful.

In Seth's fortune cookie, he received a typical (confusing and irrelevant) fortune:


I had the misfortune (ha!) of receiving this:


Was the waitress trying to crack a joke about my post-pregnancy pounds?

Magic trick

Now you see them:

Now you don't:

Strange visitor

I was sure it was a skunk.

Bekah had come running inside to report that a strange animal was in our front yard. "I've never seen it before!" she exclaimed. She reported that it was black and white with yellow eyes.

I don't know if it's just the season for skunks or what, but I've seen many squashed specimens on the roadside as of late. And the other day when I was walking Bekah to the bus stop, I smelled the very distinct aroma of the Mephitis mephitis.

We live in a rural area. Our yard borders two fields. We once had a skunk die in our yard (another story for another time). It wouldn't be unheard of to have one of those stinkers slinking about.

So I told the girls to stay inside while I checked out our visitor. I cautiously approached the front corner of our yard. If it was, in fact, a skunk, the last thing I wanted to do was startle it.

Instead of the beady eyes and white stripe I expected to encounter, I saw a fuzzy little black kitten with white spots and, yes, yellow eyes.

As much as I dislike cats, I must say I was relieved. And I didn't feel the least bit worried as I sent the girls out to chase it away.