Parchment Paths

I just thought I'd pop in and say hello. I'd like to write up two book reviews once I get my thoughts together, but till then I still wanted to update the blog. I had a rather nice day off work despite the dismal weather. Yesterday I was in  shorts and flip flops and today I had to find a sweater.  So, I pursued mostly indoor activities, watching TV, dusting, and of course reading. I settled in with a nice cup of tea and an Agatha Christie book, perfect!

I babysit my niece and nephew quite a bit and I try to come up with fun and creative things to do with them.  They love the show Jake and the Neverland Pirates and absolutely loved the pirate weekend at the Renaissance Faire. After watching this video on You Tube, I got an idea, a pirate treasure hunt! So, after finding the loot around the house, yes, they love pirates so much, they already had fake gold doubloons and my niece has plenty of dress up jewelry.  So, I loaded up the treasure chest and the kids and drove them to the lake.  I then hid the treasure, making sure to mark the buried goods with sticks and stones. I laid out some of the things to save time, they were starting to peek, and then set them loose. It was so much fun! After they found everything, they hid the treasures and had me find them. We just might do it again some time.

I've been trying not to sleep on as late as I usually in order to get more done and today especially I was very glad I did.  My father and I did some work in the yard planting trees and bushes he had ordered from the Arbor Day Foundation.  Reading the handy guide to our baby trees! There they are!       Dad :) After planting, we took a walk to a local church that was hosting a rummage sale.  Aside from the nice walk, I found two book and movie for just 74 cents!  Now, that's what I call a good day!

I took my niece and nephew for a little adventure the other day.  The plan was just a walk a round the lake and a visit to the playground, but it devolved into a trek into the woods to follow the creek to the lake.  We got mud on our shoes and pants; we got stuck on branches, and, in my case, we lost shoes in the mud and got wet socks, but it was very fun. We say geese and ducks and my niece found all sort of wild flowers to pick. Sometimes, you need to veer of the path and get a little dirty.