It's Tyler's birthday!!!

I'm so excited.

I'm more excited than he is, for goodness sake. He doesn't get too worked up over his birthday, seeing how he's had to work every birthday of his for the past nine years. To him, it's just another day.

But not to meeeee!!!

I LOVE birthdays. I always have. I'm going to be the one that makes birthdays special and fun in our house for our kids someday. Tyler will be the old grouch, I'll be the young, fun, vivacious mom that makes tonnes and tonnes of awesome super birthday memories.

Hoh yeah!

Anyways, my sweet hubby is 26 today. And I'm only 21. Be sure to make fun of him next time you see him.

Oh no he dropped the car keys! Oooooopsies.

Happy Birthday Linda!

Well... yesterday.

It's not my fault I didn't post on her actual birthday! We went grocery shopping yesterday, and while we were in S, a MAJOR storm came up out of the West-ish horizon. There was hail, wind, lightning... we ran out of Zehrs, getting pelted by icy pellets and soaked through to the skin by the rain. I was very cold.

When we got home, I put away the groceries and made supper, and by the time I had any time to go on the computer, the storm had arrived. So the computer stayed off.

Then I went to bed. So, Linda's birthday post is a day late.

She is very angry about it, I'm sure.

She's 20 and one day! Hurray!

Love ya Lin.

Even with a sore knee, I still kick butt!

I mowed the lawn today after Tyler got home. Well, I mowed most of the lawn. Tyler started it for me, he went around all the scary parts, like the circumference of trees and the ditch... but I did the rest!

Tyler manned the weedwhacker and did everything that the lawn mower couldn't get to.

It was fun. I've never driven a riding lawn mower before. My brother Matt always did it when I was young, and when Matt moved out, Daniel took over that job. I just never had the opportunity.

I was feeling hesitant as I climbed aboard the noisy, shaky, smelly machine, but once the first big jerk into motion was past, I got the hang of it.

After is was done we came inside and enjoyed the yummy supper that I had put in the oven around noon. I made rib eye steaks, soaked in pineapple juice, with cinnamon and garlic spice on top, surrounded by baby carrots and slices of yam. To add some sweet savoury goodness, I cut up a couple apples and tucked them in around the meat. I threw it all in the oven to bake slowly at 300 degrees all day.

Mmmmm.

I was going to make stir-fried cauliflower to go with it, but since we only got the yard done at 7:00, I opted to boil some corn instead. Oh well.

By the way, just for your information, riding on a shaky lawn mower for a few hours is actually an awesome massage for your butt. I got off and was like, "Yeaaahh."

Waste not!

I am feeling very ashamed right now. Because, I just cleaned out my fridge.

I'm not ashamed that I cleaned it, it's what I found when I cleaned it that's making me cringe. Old, yucky carrots. A container with some leftover canned pineapple that had gone mouldy. Limp celery.

When food goes to waste, I feel awful. I am privileged to live in a country where there is a grocery store in every town, with as much food as you can imagine to select from. Also, I have the means to buy it. I am very blessed. I do not want to squander it, and buy too much for my husband and I to consume. It's almost sinful, I believe.

So I have made a decision. I am not going to buy beyond what Tyler and I can eat. Unless I have a specific meal planned for that particular fresh vegetable or fruit, I won't buy it. I don't want to be pulling mouldy or spoiled food out of my fridge any more.

There is a greenhouse on the same road that the farm Tyler and I work in is located. The man who owns that greenhouse also drives one of the trucks for the farm. I'm going to ask him whether he grows fresh vegetables, or just flowers. If he does have vegetables, I'm going to buy produce from him as long as they're in season. That way, if I want some lettuce or tomatos or whatever on a certain day, I can stop and get it on my way home.

Someday Tyler and I will have a family to feed, and I will have to be even more careful about how I plan our menu. Better to start now, and have some idea what I'm doing, than to all the sudden have a panic moment a few years from now.

Maybe someday I'll have a vegetable garden. My older sisters and their husbands have beautiful gardens, and I do mean beautiful. Also my mom, and my father-in-law have gardens that just POP with abundance. When I feel the need to, I'll dig my hands into the soil and, with God's blessing, have home-grown fresh produce to feed my family with. Until that day comes, I'm happy letting someone else do the work for me. I'll pay them for it.

Anyone for a Witch Hunt?

Because I have GOT to find the witch that has hexed me. It vexes me, how the same thing keeps happening to me over and over. I'm terribly vexed.

I suppose I did it to myself by being too happy about starting exercising again. I was all pumped up, you know, full of enthusiasm and cheer.... Yes, far too happy. Just remember children, be miserable about everything, then no evil thing will take away what you are most happy about. They'll just assume they already finished working on you, and will pass you by for that guy who whistles when he pumps gas. What a weirdo.

My knee got hurt again yesterday. I was feeding sows at work, and there was one meeeean sow who decided that she should push on her feeder really hard just as I was putting it back in. The corner of the feeder struck me on the right side of my knee, very close to my kneecap.

I am a Christian, and I do try not to, but sometimes I swear. It's true. It's a vice that I hate to have, but it's there. No point lying about it, because then I'd be a swearer and a liar. The point is, I swore at that moment. It REAAALLY hurt. Just imagine someone very strong taking a pointy piece of metal and ramming it into your knee as hard as they could. Now wince, with that little sucking in of air that everyone does when they see or imagine something painful. "Oooooooh! Sccchhhhhhh!"

I really shouldn't have said anything about not wanting to be called Hobbles in my last post, because.... I'm Hobbles again. All day today at work it was "Hobbles" this and "Hobbles" that.... terribly irritating. I should've stayed home like I COULD have, with my foot up and ice on my knee. That'd show them. I'm a Fenton now, though, and that means I have to be as stubborn as a mule and soldier on through any injury no matter how grievous. There's money to be made! C'mon!

Anyways, I haven't exercised at all since Monday, and I'm very pouty about it. Hopefully the stupid bruise on my knee will go away soon so I can get back in my new fitness groove. I'm using Arnica gel on it, which helps immensely, but nothing ever heals quite as quickly as you'd like it to.

Well, at least my husband babies me once we get home. He's making supper, he made me tea, and he's going to do the dishes. Aww.... my sweetie.

A new day

My legs are a little bit sore right now.

I started my new exercise schedule today! Tyler and I went biking for half an hour, and then I went for a walk with Brady while he did yard work.

Tyler and I both have come to the realization that we aren't active enough. We have very physical jobs, yes, working in a pig barn, but nothing we do at work gets our heart beating fast (except for weaning... you try to catch hundreds of 20 lb squealing monsters in twenty minutes or less without getting a little out of breath!!). We want to be healthy and conscious of how we treat our bodies, because they are the only bodies we have! We want to be able to run around, chasing after our kids someday, without having heart attacks or strokes.

I, being a girl, am a bit concious of how I look as well. I maintain my weight really well just working in the pig barn, but I have jibbly bits and flabby areas that I don't like on myself. I'd like to look as muscular as I feel, if that makes any sense at all.

So, I bought a new pair of running shoes. Yes, I did. I'm going to start running. I started today, running with Brady for about a minute before I had to stop. I'm just beginning, so of course I'm not very strong yet, but if I am determined enough I will be able to run for 30 minutes straight in a month or two. I'm taking it slow, because my knees are stupid, and I don't want to be called Hobbles again by my mean brother-in-law.

It was actually very relaxing. After we were done, I wandered around the yard for a while, picking wild flowers and just enjoying the fresh air. I had a whole bouquet of beautiful blooms by the time I came inside, and if I turn slightly to the right, I can see them gracing the vase on my table.

I feel a bit sore, but not exhausted. I could go do it again if I wanted to. Which, I don't. I'm going to have a cup of white tea, then I'm going to go to bed.

The Ant-Terminator

He is a funny man. Oldish, with really bad teeth, but nice eyes.

He and his apprentice came to our house today while we were at work. They found EIGHT anthills around our property, probably spinoffs from the one MOTHER anthill that is located between our Weird Trees. Tyler didn't know there were that many, he only found four when he looked.

This, by the way, is one of my Weird Trees. I'll write about them, soon.

The Ant-Terminators didn't negotiate. They did not try to bargain, they did not even attempt to ask the ants to move along. They just put the tube down and blasted them. After seeing the hundreds and hundreds of ants in my kitchen cupboard, I don't think I care about their lack of diplomacy.

After they performed their cruel (but definitely necessary) task, the oldish guy with bad teeth came in to my kitchen to get a cheque. I apparently made quite an impression when I gave him directions to my house yesterday on the phone, because he proceeded to tell me what a nice voice I had, so clear and pretty. He said my voice matched my face, that I was a very pretty woman.

I didn't blush as much as you might think. Working in a bakery when I was 17-18 years old, serving coffee and donuts and lunchtime stuff to oldish men, I heard a lot of compliments about my looks. Some of them more tasteful than others, of course. I learned how to accept a compliment without turning red.

Now Tyler and I have to carry our dogs outside to the dog yard for them to pee, because the ant hills are everywhere, and until a few days have passed, it's safest for them to stay away. I carried Brady the first couple of times, then I told Tyler that he should let me carry the little one. He grunted when he lifted Brady up, she's getting so big!

Hopefully we've seen the last of those ants. I bought myself a new jar of honey, and it's sitting in it's usual place.... I hope free of ant invasions.

Tyler and the dogs and I went to see my little brother play soccer tonight. It's always fun watching kids play sports, because they are so very uncoordinated. They go to kick or hit the ball, and end up throwing the ball at the coach's head, or kicking their teammate, or whatever.

I want to take Brady more places where there are people, because she doesn't get to go see strangers very much, and when she does see them, she gets really excited. She looooves people, and wants to see and greet them all. Which means that I have to have a good grip on her leash so she doesn't get away. If she saw strangers more often, it wouldn't be such a thrill for her, so she would behave better. At least, that is my theory.

Tyler has about six mosquito bites, and I have two on my ankle. That sucks. I probably smucked about ten of them, but two (or an eager one) got through my defenses. Little stinker.

No ants in my house today! They're all going to say "Goodbye, world!" tomorrow, when the Anterminator comes to visit. Bwahahaa. Those six anthills outside are going to be toast.

Ants in my pants!

Literally.

Remember how in my "Eww eww eww" all-about-bugs post, I said there was an ant crawling on my arm when I was doing dishes, and I squished him?

As it turns out, Hiraldo the Ant has a whole lot of cousins. Angry cousins.

Tyler and I came home from work today as usual, and since it was rather late I went to get supper ready.

And saw ants.

MANY ants. Scurrying around on my countertop.

"TYLLLLER!! There's HUNDREDS of ants in here!!!"

I can actually yell pretty loud, you know. I've forgotten that since I moved out of my parent's house and didn't have any siblings to yell at anymore.

I squealed and screeched and squirmed as I smashed and schmucked and smooshed the many many ants all on my countertop. And then, I made the mistake of opening my tea/coffee cupboard. THERE WERE MORE.

Their objective? To steal my honey! There were at least a hundred of them crowded all around my honey, some climbing on top of it, trying to salvage whatever few drippings were on the lid.

Little buggers.

I, of course, nearly fainted when I saw how many there were in the cupboard, but I didn't! I grabbed the RAID, and I laid the SMACKDOWN on their CANDY ASHES!!! HAAAA!!!

Then Tyler and I ran away to the hardware store to get some backup. We got ant killer, and some pest control perimeter thingie that we saw advertised on TV (apparently it has a good reputation for actually working, or so the hardware store lady said).

Armed to the teeth, we came home to do battle. Tyler took the bug spray stuff and went all around the house, while I cleaned off the counter and washed out my cupboard and vacuumed up hundreds of ant bodies. Writhing, wriggling ant bodies. Bwhahehehe.

So now, at 7:00, we are finally getting supper ready. We be hungry.

Sweltering

That is the word of the day, folks. At least for me. If you live in, say, Nunavut, then your word is likely "cold".

I'm not sure I like these very hot summer days. I drank probably 5 litres of water today, trying to replenish what was leaking out of my pores. I've heard a quote that claims that women don't sweat, they glisten. I am here to tell you that is a LIE.

Oh, we sweat. We sweat HUGE.

At least, I do.

I broke out my trusty bandanna today! I wear one in the barn in the summertime, just to stop the torrent of salty wetness from running into my eyeballs. That stings, you know. So now I look like an Aunt Jemima wannabe (at least, Aunt Jemima before the nay-sayers made her take off her righteous bandanna.... with that red bandanna, she was a babe. Now she's just some lady on a syrup bottle.) Only, mine is pink.

How did you spend your hottest day of the year so far? I worked, then came home, and worked some more! I did all my chores that I usually save for weekends, because I'm going to a birthday party tomorrow, and I didn't want to wash my floor or anything on Sunday. Tyler mowed the lawn, so instead of sitting around being all lonely and such I did my dishes, vacuumed and washed my floors, cleaned my bathroom, and put away all my clothes! Plus I moved the bed and vacuumed under it. HUGE dust bunnies under there. Wow.

Then I had a shower, ate a yummy barbecued dinner, and watched TV for a while. Tyler put in the movie "DOOM", which I think is scary, so that is why I'm in here writing a blog instead of sitting in the living room.

Oh, by the way, don't ever wear a skirt outside on a windy day if you live on a busy highway. I totally had a "Marilyn Monroe" moment.... and I wasn't nearly quite so happy and flirtatious about it. It was more like a AHCK NO HOLY @&$#!!!! reaction.

Ewww, eww eww!

I am not a wuss.

BUT, I hate it when bugs crawl on me.

I mean, I don't go crawling all over them! I respect their personal space! I don't invade their bubble, and make them feel all squeamish or make their skin crawl! Okay, they don't have skin, they have exoskeletons... but still!

I got bitten by an anonymous bug today. I don't know what type of bug it was, but it was a type that is capable of biting more than once. I have two bites on my neck, one on my arm, a couple on my back.... I am not very impressed.

Every since I came home from work, I have been having phantom "bug crawling" feelings on my body. I feel itchy on my head, or on my belly, or on my back, and yet when I get Tyler to look, there is no bug. Stupid psyche.

But I'm not all crazy! I was doing up the dishes, and felt a crawl on my arm. I looked, and there was a bug! I squished it, because I thought it was a spider, and then I realized it was an ant. I felt a little sorry for it, but only a little. It invaded my personal space. It had to pay the price.

Brady ate it when it fell on the floor, too. Gross.

On to a completely different topic, Happy Birthday Ava! One year old! So cute!

I need something cold to sip on.

Yeah.... in a nice tall glass, with ice in it, and maybe some fruit like strawberries floating in it....

It's that time of year again! Time for barbequing on the porch with no shoes on, sipping 'spirited' drinks while you flip chicken breasts, listening to the wind rustle through all of the so very green leaves.

I love this time of year. It's perfect. Not too cold, not too hot. Ahh.

Just think, in a couple of weeks, it will be 30 degrees outside, and the masses will be suffering from heatstroke. Don't turn that air conditioning up too high, though! Two degrees less, and the polar bears won't melt.... or whatever.

It's also time for baaaaaseball! Don't tell Ethan, I'm coming to see him play tonight! Hehehehhee! *shifty-eyes*