The dangers of centipedes and avocado seeds

I'm not sure if it is a good thing to feel like you've had a full day, and it is only 10 AM.  Hmmm.  After a horrible day yesterday (I was sick), I wanted to get on the ball and get things done.  It appears that no one else moves unless I give directive....must work on that.  As such we have a wee bit of catching up to do.  The good news is that I was still able to accomplish school yesterday, we just need to get on top of chores.

Knowing that today is supposed to be a scorcher, I got the boys outside fist thing this morning.  We are also expecting strong storms later this afternoon/evening, so I must get those wiggles out :-)  Jonah enjoys riding his bike, and Jed and Aubrey enjoy searching for bugs.  Aubrey's other delight is in torturing holding the kittens.  All the boys took a break from their playing to help me paint our fruit trees.  We are supposed to paint their trunks to protect them from sun scald.  They did a great job helping.

As we headed back inside, Jed brought up his box of bugs.  He put them down on top of another box to save to play with later.  However, his little brother came over and dumped over the box.  Jed reached out to 'save' his bugs, all the while I screamed, "NO!"  Too late.  Earlier, right before going out I spotted a centipede on a couch cushion.  Jed had added that to his bug box.  Normally the boys catch the wee small centipedes by hand (the ones that are only about 1/2- 3/4 inches big), but this was one of big ones, with the obvious pinchers. Well, Jed got bit.  Thankfully it isn't serious.  I put some baking soda paste on it to help with the pain.  Hopefully he learns to be more careful.

After we were inside I sat down for a break.  Although I feel a TON better than yesterday, I'm still recovering.  The boys were soooo sweet.  They each brought in some dandelions to put in a vase for me.  Then they each brought me a snack.  Bananas with chocolate.  While they were coming and going Aubrey came in and exclaimed, "A ball!"  This ball was an avocado seed.  He threw it in the air (just about touching the ceiling).  I told him not to do that, but too late....up in the air and smack in my eye! I wasn't looking up all the way, so I didn't see it coming.  Ouch.  So beware of those avocado seeds, dangerous little things :-).

Below are some pictures of the boys playing in the rain, when the tropical storm passed through, and then the damage it did to our creek.  I had never, NEVER seen our creek so high.  At the height it was at it was more of a raging river!  Everyone wanted to take a look at the high water. (Before we headed out I had no idea it was so bad) We could see from our window that our neighbors dock was totally submerged.  As we went out the girls wanted to see the creek.  I told them they could, but to not go in the water.  Up till this point the highest the water has been was almost to the bottom of our small bridge.  I took the boys to the end of the driveway to see the water covering the neighbors pond.  I had no intention of going down to the creek (this was on Friday when I started to go into my magnesium deficient tailspin).  As I got closer to our neighbors property I see that the water isn't just covering the dock, but is RUSHING over his dock, and road!  His road was in danger of being totally washed out!  I looked off to the side, where the water was coming from.  Normally, if you look close (due to trees and such) you can see our neighbors bridge from where I was standing.  Although you may get a glimpse of his bridge the creek is too shallow to see from where I was standing.  Well, to say that I TOTALLY FREAKED OUT would be an understatement.  Instead of our neighbors bridge, I see this RIVER of RAGING water!!!  It was incredible....in a scary way. I knew that if any one of my girls stepped foot (on purpose, or by accident) in that water they would instantly be carried away and be drowned.  NO JOKE.  I couldn't leave the boys there, nor did I feel I had the time to get them inside.  The noise of the rushing water was too loud for the girls to hear me.  So I told the boys to follow me, and I started going as fast as the boys could go to get to the creek to make sure the girls were NO WHERE NEAR the creek.  My heart was pounding so hard.  On the way down one of the girls was running up.  So I yelled out to her, "STAY AWAY FROM THE WATER!!"  She told me that they were no where near the edge (she was running up to get her camera).  I got down there, and they were all being safe, staying far from the creek.  Phew! 

Our bridge would have been washed away had it not been tied to trees!  It was totally submerged, and six feet further down the creek.  I am guessing the water was a good three feet deep (normally it is only ankle to mid calf deep!).  I measured it the next day, and the water had come 17 feet from it's banks, just on the one side! 

Jonah trying to catch the rain.  We had a lot of laundry do to that day (all the kids love playing in a downpour).

 I took this photo for two reasons.  One, because I was trying to get shots of all the boys playing in the rain.  But two, I had noticed that Jed seemed to be thinning out.  And this photo definitely shows that.  Looking back over the years you can see Jed filling out (in very small ways) and then thinning down.  I can only hope that this is because he grew taller.  I am not allowing myself to measure him until he's been on the higher dose of growth hormones for about 3 months. I don't want to get discouraged seeing him thin out, and it's not because he's grown taller.  Sigh.  Now a few weeks ago he was chowing down all his meals and getting seconds.  I thought I started to notice him filling out, but just as quickly he seemed to loose it all, and now he isn't eating as much.  For any of my other kids I *know* this is normal.  I just wish Jed would fill out a bit more, so that when he does thin out it isn't so bad.  He just looks painfully thin to me in the above picture.  His appetite has been improving a bit, so hopefully he will start to fill back out.  (Excuse his messed up pants, I fixed them right after the photo...he was in a rush to get dressed to play in the downpour.  Never mind he was in no danger of missing out...it downpoured for hours!)

 Aubrey having fun in the rain.

 I was going to edit these to put arrows to point out where the water rose to, but...that would take too long ;-)  If you look on the trunk of the tree with the swing, you can see a bunch of leaves...that would be deposits left from the raging river.  The branch where the swing is tied to was under water.

 Jeremiah surveying the damage.  Notice the sand he is standing on.  That sand belongs *in* the creek.  I took this picture so that the bottom edge of the photo is where the water had come to, which is 17 feet!

 The now messed up bridge.

 You can see one of the ropes that is being stretched to the max.  The ropes held the bridge from landing in our neighbor's pond.  Although, the dock was displaced by about 6 feet.

 Sorry for the blur, must figure out my new camera!  It's driving me crazy trying to get the focus points on my subject.  Anyways, the rock Saoirse is standing next to, which sits half in the creek and half out, was totally submerged in the raging river.

 Boys checking out the creek.  And yes, I know it is silly to be taking so many pictures of our messed up creek.  I realize that many people have been devastated by *real* flooding.  But in our neck of the woods this is amazing stuff.

 Normally, where the girls are standing is just a sand bar.  Jonah was shocked by how deep the water was.

 If you look closely you can see the greens all lying flat and off to the right from the water.  Also, if  you look towards the top of the pic, right above that leaning trunk off to the left, you can see a bunch of sand.  That is sand displaced from the raging river!

 Jonah showing off their picked flowers.  In his right hand are the ones he picked, and in the other, the ones Jed picked.

 Jed showing off in the water.  That rope he is holding on to was under water.  The creek was definitely as high as how tall Jed is.

Sunshine for the soul :-)