Chapter 346

National Walk-Around Things Day - April 4th

Yes, I'm running a day behind since Reagan was here last night past publishing time.

Again, it was another slow week. So slow, in fact, that I resorted to riding in our new lawn trailer out to the compost heap where we are retrieving free soil for the new raised garden beds.

We did really well using reclaimed materials for the raised garden beds. The only thing we had to buy was the boards around the top of the beds, mainly to make sure the edges are not exposed so Reagan (Read: Tanya) can't hurt herself.

Reagan was here this weekend and she is starting to get "selective" about her menu. She decided she needed to look for herself that there isn't anything better to eat than what was offered. 

After thorough investigation, Reagan pronounced the freezer to be "cold".

After getting dressed, she went to the backyard where she ended up spending most of her day, to supervise the building of the raised flower beds.

Personal physical inspection was required.

Mowing around the new raised garden beds while Grampa works making bubbles with her little bubble mower.

Reagan did lots of mowing while she was here. I wish we could put a real blade on her mower. As much mowing as she did this weekend, Bob wouldn't have to mow this week at all.

This slide-with-pool-noodle-at-the-dog event ended well with all parties un-impacted by the activity.

As our days get longer, Bob has to manually change the outside lighting timer to match the lengthening daylight. Grampa did not think about his technician in training watching every move he made very closely. The result of this lack of forethought is that our lights were adjusted several times through the day. Not to mention those fun little pieces that come off the clock if they are picked at by little fingers.  Although Grampa fixed the timing of the lights, he will have to find more "timer dogs" now to make the timer work properly again.

More mowing. As you can see the weather is warming up and Reagan has stripped to her shirt and bare feet for the job. Note the bubbles coming from her mower. She chewed through the bubble mix this weekend.

Just like at home, Reagan loves to line stuff up on our window sill. She figured out how to move her stool over to the window seat so she can hop up and play on the cushions. Between the "playroom" and backyard, Reagan was perfectly happy here all day.

We did take a break and go to Reber Ranch a couple of miles from here. I had saw their annual sign announcing

 and thought Reagan would like to see them. She loved visiting the baby chicks. I think she could have watched those chicks all day.

While we were looking at the horses, one owner offered to let Reagan feed her horse some grass. The horse was a beautiful Fresian, a pretty rare horse in this area. They are always black and are a centuries old breed that were sturdy enough to carry heavily armored knights into battle and nimble enough to keep them alive. Although this isn't a picture of the horse that Reagan fed, it looks just like it.

Then we headed home for more mowing. She should have her own old truck full of lawn equipment. She'd make a lot of money. I'm sure that the mowers wouldn't be as much fun if they didn't make bubbles like hers does, however.

Running and mowing at twice the speed and making twice the money!

Grampa is helping Reagan ride her new quad but Reagan doesn't really want to ride, she just wants to coast down the little slope and crash off the bottom of the gate. Over and over. Again and again.

All that mowing makes a girl tired. After a nice long nap, I get super sad eyes for some reason.

She reminded me of a Girard Goodenow pity kitty print I had on
 my bedroom wall when I was a kid.

After Reagan's nap, although it was loudly proclaimed that a snack was due to her, all my suggestions were greeted with a firm "No".  I finally stuck her in the fridge so she could select her own snack. The cheese stick in the drawer to her left that was previously offered finally fell successful victim to her hunger.

After having her snack outside Reagan had a "Popsicle". I made the training Popsicles out of an IKEA mold and bottled water until she gets the hang of keeping a Popsicle under control and off her clothes...and my floor. It turned out the bottled water Popsicles are so hard without the sugar and tap water minerals that she carried it around for about 2 hours before she fell and shattered it off the stick. 

A drink of Grampa's water 

and off to mow again. This time she had her trusty blanket and Popsicle riding posse with her with her (Popsicle in the spare bubble compartment)

A test sit on the tractor was all she wanted. She does not like anything loud right now. That included the train waaaay down in the valley when she heard it's horn.

Summer still life. Her blanket, a cheese package and a Popsicle.

It's hard to believe how far Reagan has come in just a year.

Speaking of hard to believe, Reagan's cousins Carter, and Payton are so big already. Along with their  mom and dad, Kyle and Jenna, they make such a beautiful family. 

Have a good week everyone!