Ornery Orange

"Dad smells really bad says the orange." - Maddie

I had this picture posted, and Maddie typed that in above for me when I got back to the blog.  I thought it was so funny that I kept it on here!

I'm glad she could see a face in that orange too, and yes, the orange seems to be expressing a bit of discontent at something.  Perhaps it's been handled by Nana too much.  Nana has a habit of grasping the oranges, commenting on their freshness, and then putting them back in the bowl again.  Perhaps this one sees her coming again.  Its face seems to be saying, "Oh no.  I'm going to get squeezed again..."

Okay, let's see.  Today was Saturday.  Let's start with the fun thing - we stopped at a nursery.  Not the kind that looks after children, but rather a place where you can look through plants and buy different ferns, flowers, and so on.  It's this place Mom found online over in Dawsonville, so we drove over there today to check it out, and yes, we picked up some plants to add to our garden area.  We've got more plans of expansion this year, and we'll be taking it all one stop at a time.  Right now, we're putting out a lot of red mulch and moving the large quantity of leaves that fall from the trees.  Soon we'll put out that fairy village again, and after that we'll set up the canopy and the fire pit area once more.  The weather is turning out nice in the day time, as spring has basically had enough of winter's intrusion on its territory.  Of course, with spring comes pollen, and we've been all struggling with that this year.  It's a universal struggle, of course, with all of us coughing, sneezing and sniffing our way through each day, marveling at the layers of yellow suddenly caked on a car that appeared nice and clean just a day before.

We were out shopping today, obviously, and one of our goals was to get more fabric for Roman tunics and capes.  Mom found what she was looking for, so we went over after that to get some leather belts, straps, and accessories at a thrift store.  While I was there, I found a Home Alone board game that looks like fun, and a few vinyl records that I was just thrilled with.  I actually found a copy of Amy Grant's "Straight Ahead" on vinyl in really great condition!  I couldn't wait to get home and play it.  And then play it again!

While Mom was looking around for things, I was with Nana over at a pet store, visiting with all the animals there.  This place is in Dawsonville, and I'm not saying its a zoo, but there were enough animals there to keep us entertained for a time.  We picked up some props for tomorrow's skit:  newspapers.  Also, I was finally able to find Maddie's favorite pizza.  Crazy, right? 

When home, I was writing material for KidPak and for Free Chapel Youth, which is having a "Fun Week" next week.  Maddie will enjoy that - she's going down to a trampoline park and then a huge arcade and fun center, so spring break will be pretty nice for her, rather than just hanging around at home all day.  Of course, she did just get back from Disney World, so we're not feeling too obligated to entertain.  But still, a week of rest and fun will be nice.  I know I'd like something like that!

To that extent, when we got home, Maddie and I played "Battlefront II" again, and keeping that Star Wars theme going, we continued the marathon with "The Last Jedi," which might be our least favorite of the Star Wars movies.  Maddie wasn't enthusiastic about watching this one, but everyone was like, "We have to complete the marathon!  The last few legs of the journey are always the hardest just before the finish line!"  

So today is a day to mark on my personal calendar of goals.  I have finally mastered the Rubik's cube.  It has seemed overwhelming at stages, perhaps something too complicated for my tiny mind to comprehend.  I have come back to it time and again thinking that I can do it all, no problem.  But then time and again, I get lost in this step or that twist or that turn.  Basically, finishing the middle and third layers has always befuddled me.  But as of today, I have memorized the four algorithms for the last layer, and the one algorithm for that middle layer.  Maddie handed me a Rubik's cube, and without consulting a the internet for guides and help, I solved it.  And then she mixed it up and I solved it again.  And again.  I finally did it, and you know something?  Give yourself time, and take it one step at a time, and then you too can master this.  I mean, we're talking forty-something years of believing this was too complex for me to figure.  But figure it I did!  That's all I wanted to say about that.  I'm not going to win any "solve the puzzle first" races, but I can do it without any help, and that Rubik's cube doesn't frighten me anymore!

Moving on:  we read tonight, and we prayed again.  And we got to bed at a reasonable hour.  Tomorrow we're starting a new series at KidPak, and it's going to be Good News!