Catch the wild fishes that float through the stream,

How DO you catch a fish?
You start with your grandpa. You may find him up a tree.

Then you must go worm hunting.

And, this is a very serious job.

Then you pack up the boat. Don't drive through the yard if it has been raining for 14 months straight. You might get stuck, and have to use the Gator to help pull you out.

Fishin' and Muddin'.. We must be in Bama.

Next, learn to drive the boat.

Definitely, enjoy yourself.

Sweet talk Grandpa into baiting the hooks.

Which may wear him out.

Try and try..

And, then count your losses and go off to find other adventures. This is a tug boat pushing four barges.

That was waiting to go under this draw bridge after the train passed.

Then head home. No fish, but a great way to enjoy our first sunny day in a while. We SAW big fish jumping, herons, and turtles. We went tubing, drove the boat, and got plenty of sun. Love that Tennessee River.

And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall

Shall we start with hair cuts? How handsome, no?

We figure the grandmas will be happy about it.

And then, let's talk about the RAIN! Days and days and days of rain. My friend says we'll have a nice fall, and Eli said, Oh good, that will help our plants, but my, my, my...

And, then my birthday! So perfect. It all started on Friday night, when I was coming out of a strep induced fog. I heard the boys joyfully in the kitchen making my birthday cheesecake. They were so sweet and chatting and enjoying themselves. I heard Eli say, "I like this house." Me too, bud, me too. Then bright and early with garage sales and birthday cash. I bought a hat from a guy raising money for adoption awareness. Soccer games followed by a nap and then art on the back porch with the family. Evan even joined the relaxation (pictured above). Then came hibachi dinner with the family followed by tequila shots at a bar (without family) which inevitably led to Dylan records in the shed after hours. It was joyful and lovely and fun. I love my family :)

A few science experiments from last week. The first turns pennies green using vinegar. And the second, below blows up a balloon using only vinegar and baking soda. Cool.

And they really make a mess outa you

Tornado?? Robbery?? Nay, just an example of what happens when mom gets slammed in bed for two days with strep throat. I am on the upswing this evening, enough to get up and take pictures of the carnage, but I am sure I will need a nap after all this excitement. Chills, sweats, razor throat, body aches, throbbing head, and general drowsiness making me drool in my sleep and sleep with my mouth wide open...The children have had no field trips or play dates, no science experiments or work book pages, just movies and playing together, a little fast food, left on the counter, and general free reign of the home.. I can't wait until I feel better.

Pack up the meat, sweet, we're headin' out

I almost forgot that the boys also made up a story about the bubbles:

The Magic Bubble
by Ollie and Eli Rayburn

Once upon a time there was a magic bubble. And the magic bubble could go to the end of the world. The bubble comes from bubble juice and the bubble juice comes from the bubble juice box. The bubble juice box is in our yard. And in our yard is Ollie and Eli and Mommy.

How far can the magic bubble go? It can go to the North Pole and back to Tennessee in North America, and even New York.

One day the magic bubble went all the way to the ocean. He saw sharks, but he had a net in his hand and he caught the sharks all in his net and he ate them. Then he turned into a magic shark and he spit out the bubbles. Then he turned back into a bubble then he popped because the other sharks ate him.
The End.

Any minute of the day the bubble could burst

I am really behind, but this is from last week.
We studied wind.
Then made a simple machine that blew bubbles that we chased.
Magical.

Father, who turneth the rivers and streams.

For dinner this evening, I made these babies into a delicious sauce. They came from my garden. I also used zucchini, peppers, and basil from the CSA, and fresh rosemary from my friend Jennifer's. Ollie and I did a little country study about France today, so we had to make a baguette, too. His favorite, and involves only yeast, flour, water, salt , and olive oil, but does require plenty of kneading, punching, and sprinkling.

Plus, look at desert! Yummy, they remind me of my childhood.

Tuesday we went to a great class on the creek where we found: Darters, Chubs, Mosquito fish, and craw fish. Did you know that Otters live on the Stones River!?? I would pee my pants if I saw an otter in the wild around here, but the teacher swore it was so..

This is one of the first field trips I've organized for strangers, but it went really well, and we can't wait to do it again.

Well, it's up in the mornin' tryin' to find a job of work.

I love my job. I awake almost every morning in shear surprise and awe that this is my life.. I teach an English Language Learners class to Spanish speakers at a factory from 7:15 to 8:15 in the morning on Mondays and Wednesdays (which I love) and am home by 9:30 to teach the children.

And though, at one point today, I asked Eli to go wash all of the black marker from his hands as it was a crayola and getting everywhere and he was caught with toothpaste all over his hands instead of soap, we still are pretty calm with one another. Today, we made a sundial, harvested sunflower seeds from our sunflower playhouse, tested and hypothesized about condensation, read and wrote, told stories, read books, and involved the dog and cat in all sorts of scenarios that they barely tolerated...