More Zoo Pics

Binder Park Zoo

The Petting Zoo
Maybe we should get a goat?

Feeding the giraffes was definitely my favorite part.

Jambo! Welcome to Wild Africa

This is the largest tortoise I have ever seen.

Canning

My first attempt at canning...
all by myself...
and they all sealed.

Cindy, because you asked...

Here's the garden view from the road. On the front of the fence are purple morning glories. Last year at this time they covered the whole front of the fence, but I think it's been a little cool for them. Starting from the front are carrots and beets, tomatoes, and then a late planting of beans. The big bushy plants towards the back are potatoes. To the left of the potatoes are a bunch of vines: gourds, pumpkins, squash. I don't think the melon came up. Also mixed in there somewhere are marigolds, kale, dill, cucumbers and zuchinni. From a distance it looks full of plants - you only see the grass problem when you get close. However, with a little rain we will have a great harvest - there are lots of tiny vegetables on the plants right now.

Behind the back fence, between the fence and the barn is a small herb patch and a circle of sunflowers. The sunflowers are supposed to get tied together at the top to make a fort, but I don't think it will work - they aren't getting very tall before they make blossoms. Too dry? Too cool? Who knows.

Rachel's flowers. Again, a little rain would help. This patch was full last year. The fence to the right has two grape vines on it, but it'll be a few years before they make grapes. Directly behind the barn is my raspberry patch, seeded by the birds. The wooden fence on the left hides an old willow stump and the compost pile. It was supposed to have sweet peas and morning glories on it by now. The sweet peas never sprouted, and the the morning glories are really small, so it'll probably be late August before I see any blooms there.

This is Dave's latest expansion on the rock garden. He added the Narnia lamppost and some additional stone. The lamp will be nice in the winter when it gets dark so early. Notice the sunflowers by the window. Those grew from dropped birdseed, and they're taller than the mammoth variety that I planted by the barn. Go figure.

I added this girl and her sweet bunny just because she's cute.
Today the bunny's name is Pepper. I'm told that tomorrow his name will be Flower.
Who knows after that!

Summer Happenings

Washing the Bug

The green bug is in need of minor repairs, so the black one
needed to be cleaned up and put back into service.

Michael caught yet another snake. I don't know why, but we
sure have an abundance of snakes this year.

When there are four kids in the family, they don't get as much one on one attention, but on the other hand, they have a built in cheering section. Rachel can't ride without training wheels yet, but Michael is sure he can teach her.

This is a fun toy the PT girls brought for the day. It's a four-wheeled cart with a joystick, and Sam had a blast toodling around the yard. It's just too bad our yard is bumpy - the cart gets stuck pretty easy.

July

Fifth of July

The kids made their own Fourth of July shirts with glitter, even Sam.
This is one of Sam's crazy hair days too!

You can see Danny's shirt in this picture.

Michael says, "I know how a toasted marshmallow feels...crispy on the outside and soft on the inside."
Moral of this story: When your marshmallow catches fire, don't shake it!

Danny and Peter Cottontail

Standing Dani a.k.a. Sam's Wheels

If you looked carefully in a previous photo, you may have seen part of this contraption. It is officially called a Standing Dani, although around here we call it Sam's Wheels. Basically, it is a wheelchair that he stands up in, and it is customized for his size and scoliosis needs. This photo is of the first time he ever used it, and his eyes lit up when he made the connection that he could move himself.

The Wheels are great for indoor used or outdoor. Sam can push himself inside where the floor is level, but he needs help in the bumpy yard. The guys from the Davis company added the pull handle, which saves my back. Thank you!!

We really like this contraption - it's therapy and mobility put together. It's great for building muscle leg strength, bone density, arm and back muscles, for stretching the hands, and for improving mobility, independence, and motivation. The other kids like it too. Indoors, they pull Sam around the dining room table, while he tells them "stop" and "go." Outdoors, he can be toodled safely all over the yard - it's quite heavy and practically untippable.

This one is on loan to us from the ISD (thanks Kim and Jamie!) but we are working on getting Sam one of his own. The folks in charge say that it usually takes about six months to get one - lots of hoops to jump through - so we are proceeding in that direction now.

Camp 9-1-1

Last weekend Danny attended a 2-day camp called Camp 9-1-1. It was put on by the Reading Emergency Unit, Inc. and sponsored by many businesses and community groups.




The kids learned bike safety, fire safety, CPR, and First Aid. They got to tour several different fire trucks, an ambulance, and the smoke house. They were supposed to see the LifeFlight helicopter, but it got diverted to an emergency, so we'll catch it later over Labor Day.








Kudos to Reading Emergency Unit for a great camp! Danny learned a lot, had a great time, and got some great freebies. The camp was very well organized, focused on the community, and the counselors related well with the kids. Thanks!

Snake Hunter

The Snake Hunter has a new pet...

...that Rachel thinks is so fine...

...but Sam is not convinced.