Hello, Kitties!

This is an introduction to our other farm animals, the cats! Angelo is our first family kitty - we adopted him from the local cat rescue through Petsmart. He's the best kitty and very patient with the boys - lots of purrs even after they chase him around. He has a blue eye and a green eye like Verdi! He's also a wonderful "roacher." No bug spraying for us, Angelo takes care of it the natural way! Lots of little roach body gifts of love left lying around...
























This is the newest addition to the farm "herd" - Piroska! We also found her through the local cat rescue which places cats through Petsmart. Piroska (peer-osh-ka), or Piri, is a cute little bundle of purrs and is about 8 months old. Finally another girl around the place! She appears to be a dwarf - her legs are thick boned and short, and she is small. Evidently (what did we do before google) "Munchkin cats" were originally bred from feral cats found near Monroe, LA - about 2 hours from here. She has the funniest facial expressions - her whiskers stick straight out!
http://www.the-dwarf-cat-association.com/Munchkin.html






















Angelo isn't quite sure he wanted a sister. Ok, I forgot to ask him... There is some hissing and yowling from Angelo, but Piri is all sweetness and play. Right now she's in the laundry room and he's got "his house." We're letting them get adjusted slowly - cats are so complicated. Lajos says "just like women!" Hopefully we'll have a unified cat family in the near future - no kittens, they're both fixed. Piroska is an old Hungarian name - piros = red. Little Red Riding Hood's name was Piroska.

Cultural Lesson of the Day...

... little boy style. A Verdi opera (please note farm dog's name ;) with the gypsy frosting hoards sweeping onto the scene and making it an altogether more beautiful and colorful place.

Happy Birthday, tomorrow, Dad!

Can I blame the boys for this one? Ok, they may have been given a little nudge...

HOPE!

And now, to Slow things Down a bit...

Be Good Tanyas - Human Thing. Possibly one of the most beautiful videos ever.

Happy Weekend Song

Boys and I love to rock out on this one! Galen's got some moves, now!

Oh, Deers!

Seeing deer out my front window (lets not forget back and side windows, shall we) still astounds me. I swear I counted 11 does out there yesterday! At the same time! Sorry, I couldn't get them to scoot together into one shot :(. Our farm dog, Verdi, was unfazed. Evidently he's a wildlife lover. Or maybe he just knows when he's outnumbered...

"I live here ... in Africa!"

Ben with his older and wiser friend, Mikey. Ben has NO idea what an Africa is!

Educational playtime in the local bookstore, Barnes and Noble - heard of it? I think it's "local" to just about anywhere. Also serves Starbucks coffee, which is also local to anywhere and EVERYwhere. Secret about little boys' attraction to Barnes and Noble ... just about every one of them has a Thomas the Train play table in the children's book section. We DID have an impromptu geography lesson thanks to Mikey, and a physiology/anatomy lesson thanks to a book Galen found on the shelf. We learned how what we eat makes poo in your intestines! Hey, you had to learn sometime, didn't you?!

Leapin' Lizards!

This side of the family has blue eye(s.) This is Galen with our guard corgi and chief foot licker, Verdi. Verdi's birthday is about 6 months before Galen's, so these two have grown up together. Verdi has adjusted to living in many different places as we've moved, and several different friends (including Gramma!) have given him a warm place to stay and good fellowship during our moves and travels. Thanks guys! Verdi is now adjusting very well to being the farm dog. He is constantly dragging in new bones he finds in the field. I feel a Science lesson coming on!

For those of you who knew us when, Verdi is a cousin of Henle, my first corgi who helped me through long nights during nursing school and was even in my wedding.





Today was a bright and sunny 70 degrees in Mississippi. Perfect weather for lizard hunting. Ben found this willing participant in a pile of "weaves." We had a little impromptu lesson on animals that molt (lizard friend is not sick, just shedding.)












After the molting lesson, we discussed how lizards are cold-blooded animals. The boys decided that friend lizard would be the warmest - and feel the safest -riding in Galen's hair. Considering the options, I really couldn't argue. Lizard was eventually released to seek his fortune, although Galen bid him a tearful good-bye. I assured him that we would be meeting more of Lizard's family soon!

Bathtime!

This is how we wash kids down on the farm! Good 'ol #3 washtub from the hardware store in our tiny downtown - supporting the local businesses. We have 2 showers, but the boys and Lali were sorely missing a relaxing bath. This beauty fits right in the shower stall! Believe it or not, all 3 of them can fit - Lali does have to hang his legs over the side. SSShhhh - can you keep a secret? Maybe I'll spring for the 33 gal variety for the backyard for Lali's birthday ... I think the whole family could fit in that one!

Happy New Year, Gulyas! - Hungarian lesson #1

For New Years Lali cooked a big pot of vegetarian Gulyas soup (goulash, to many) in the front yard. A "gulya" (goo-yah) is a herd of cows, a "gulyas" (goo-yash) is a cowboy. So we cooked a big pot of cowboy soup in the cowboy way - which, by the way, is why it's called gulyas soup. That's what the cowboys cooked out in the field. I'm sure their's had some good lard and beef ;). Lali is the gulyas master, though - you would never miss the lard!

Booger Boy's 3rd Birthday - Dec 24

If I was my brother, or maybe it wasn't midnight, I would move this pic to the bottom of the post. This was a Christmastime highlight for Ben, walking on the train tracks downtown - his "best fwend" Galen beside him. I won't mention how many times he fell down in those frog boots that are 3 or 4 sizes too big, but he does insist on wearing them quite often. I choose my battles, folks...no bruises that day, at least.

Decorating the train cake with Gramma - more candy than cake. Practicing the candle blowing event. I don't remember either of them actually eating cake, just candy...note to self for next year.

Silly Benny - have I mentioned this boy loves trains? He has the greatest belly laugh...

Ho ho ho...

We had a nice, fairly warm, first Christmas "on the farm." My mom and brother were able to come, and Lajos (who will be called Lali) was able to connnect with Hungarian family (in the middle of their Christmas dinner) by phone - we really need to start using that email camera... We really are a fairly low tech family - there are pluses and minuses to that, I suppose. That said, forgive any formatting errors below!


Boys in the window - art photo ;)
Have I mentioned I'm the only female on "the farm?" Human or otherwise?! I do what I can... By the way, I am kind of a hippie, but the super hairy legs ARE NOT mine! The boys do request regular pedicures, now...

Lovely view of the front pasture/yard - well, and Jonathan (bro), Galen and mom. My poor mom was sick with bronchitis the whole time she was here - our Christmas catch phrase was "cough like a turtle!" - shirt over mouth. Eventually Ben asked, "Mommy - why Gwamma look like a tuhtle?" Guess who's coughing like a tuhtle now? The gift that keeps on giving ;) - sorry mom, you know we'd rather have you here coughing than not at all!

Taking stock of the stocking booty. You can also see just how "cozy" our living room/kitchen/dining room/den is!

MMMMMmmm...candy!

Welcome Friends and Family!

With this blog I do hereby intend to stay better connected with family and friends who are much loved and widely dispersed throughout this country and several others. As a mommy raising 2 little boys and attempting to keep house and home together here on Tulipan farm, I often have trouble putting a complete thought together, much less getting it all the way into the computer, therefore you may see more pictures than prose at times (how do you other bloggers do it - tips appreciated...) Doesn't mean I don't love ya!