The Gift Of Imagination

2 nights ago I did something I believe most parents can relate too. Raise your hand if you ever get the last minute “ I didn’t get my kid enough stuff” anxiety.. I hate it, it goes against everything we believe and live by, but I still get that feeling every year. We do keep it simple at Christmas, alteast compared to a majority of americans, but she does get here share of stuff.
So , 2 nights ago…. I got in my car and drove AN HOUR one way to the store,, and not just any store,, wait for it…………. The corporate monster.. Walmart.
NOW here is where I defend myself
The Defendant calls Jaime Cool to the stand:
Walmart is all we have, literally… If you follow my blog you are familiar with just how removed we are from civilization. To recap: I have to drive 12 miles of gravel to get to a paved rd. after about 40 minutes I hit a town of 500 ( a crossroads with a gas station, a small mountain  school of 300.. k-8) a post office that’s open like 3 hours a day, and a small medical center ( thank god for that) and that’s it… another 10-15 minutes brings me to town. A town of about 18,000.. and we don’t have much in the way of stores.. your fast food restaurants, big lots, a bunch of different grocery stores, and Walmart,, a big ass Walmart….
I am not a regular Walmart shopper, I do go in for thread and fabric from time to time ( as we don’t have a fabric store, that’s 56 miles away, about 1.5 hours) or those things I cant find anywhere else,, a gun , a canoe, a trampoline ( haha, I haven’t bought any of those things, but you get it,, they have everything) . All my food shopping ( what we don’t grow and can,, snacks , sugar , flour, coffee milk etc) is done at Aldo and Big lots, my 2 favorite stores J
Only one problem  Aldi and Biglots, nor any other store in town had one I was looking for
2 specific,, MY LITTLE PONIES..
My daughter has been obsessed with my little ponies for more than a short phase. More like 2 YEARS. She brushes their hair every morning, they go to school with her every day … they have been in the creek , in the dirt, in the bathtub, have eaten dinner with us, gone to town with us,, they are almost family, haha


Ok so here I am 7 o clock at night, and  I Pull in to a SEA OF CARS. Now this is no small parking lot,, and it WAS. FULL.. of last minute crazed Christmas shoppers
“what in the hell am I doing here???” I ask myself. And then I go in..
anndddddd it’s a mad house.. full of people buying stuff..
and here I am buying stuff..
and wondering why Im here buying ….. stuff…..
Ive always enjoyed christmas for the decorating, baking, handmade gifts, making memories…. Yes the stuff has always been part of it,, but not my favorite part..

Straight ahead, to not pass go , do not collect 200 dollars,,, get to the pony aisle STAT!
I get to the pony aisle,,  it looks like a tornado hit the pony aisle.. good lord..
So ok, this should be easy, pick a 2 ponies.. I am pretty sure I stood there for 20 minutes looking.
She really wanted the pony with the beauty shop etc,, but you spend 11.00 more for a bunch of plastic crap that I am just gonna end up stepping on in 24 hours… KEEP IT SIMPLE, I tell myself…
I find 2 ponies ( that she doesn’t have and has asked for)
I head to check out and get the hell outta there, haha,, back to the forest, back to the gravel rd, back to the quiet….

So fastforward to the next day. Norah spent they day outside playing with the chickens..
Chasing them, trapping them,talking to them…. I would peek outside or do my usual “call” to make sure she was ok and still in the yard ( she likes to sneak off into the woods and down to the creek without asking sometimes). I cleaned the house and did inside chores… around late afternoon she called me outside to show me what she had been doing

A sled of water and a chicken fort, of course !

Now this isn't out of the ordinary for Miss Norah. She is always building something outside, creating , using her imagination. But I guess it just struck a chord with me because I was in such a tiz to get her more STUFF 2 nights earlier...

I don't know why I felt compelled to write this. This is  not intended to be a judgmental post, nor is it written to make you feel guilty about all that stuff you bought..

Lets face it,, Our kids will wake up Christmas Morning so excited and tear into all That stuff we bought, there will be smiling, giggling, excitement and memories.. and it makes it all worth it,,,

But don't forget to leave a little room for the best  gift you can give a child........
IMAGINATION

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from our Homestead to yours!!

The Cools

and just like that, Spring has Sprung

 

Getting ready for life in the Fast lane, so to speak, here at our Homestead! It looks like Spring is jusssst about here. Now I am quite sure we will get another frost or 2, and probably one in late April ( Ya know that one that always makes ya freak out, because you have everything planted in the gardens). But for the most part it looks like temps are steadily rising.




The bees are out! and dang happy too! We have been feeding them some pollen substitute . A good source of protein for them before the Alders and Maples bloom( which are in Fact in bloom right now!)

Ive started all of my seeds. Some are being transplanted now, and other have a ways to go before that happens...
A lot of my cool weather crops are going  in now. I have 4 pretty good size gardens, and like to take my time getting stuff in ( instead of doing it all in one day) so I started planting last week and hope to  have all my cool weather plants in , in the next week or so.

Norah has been busy Fishing, Playing in her Tree House, and Bringing insects into the house ( the first sign of spring around here.. hahaa) ..  She even found some Frog eggs in the pond, that we are going to raise up and release, when time :)

It feels good to be outside with hands in the dirt again!

How are Temps In your Neck of the Woods???

Blessings
The Cool Family

The Norah Files; Lucy the Snake

*The Norah Files*  For a couple of years I have been sharing stories via Facebook, on the many adventures of  my curious, nature loving, precocious, 8 year old Daughter.. Whether she is a product of her off grid life and backwoods atmosphere or is just wired this way, let me tell you, she is something else ;) . The response to these stories  has been wonderful, so I have decided to start sharing them here ... enjoy!


Lucy The Snake

Norah now  has  a pet snake, well we have a pet snake.... No, we didn't buy it at the store...
The way this all came to be is funny to say the least.

Let me start by saying that we live and are surrounded by a whole lot of nature.. We are surrounded by National Forest and miles and miles away from any real civilization.  One thing we do have here that we aren't too crazy about are snakes.. and quite a few of them.  Black snakes, water snakes, garter snakes, and yes even Timber Rattlers and Copperheads; and we have seen our share of all of them

What you don't expect or hope to never happen is to have them in your home.


Norah and I were working on her evening fiddle lesson when I heard something hit the ground.. to which Norah Yells " SNAKES.. MOM SNAKES, 2 of them!!!!!"
Of course my first reaction was to get up and move to the other side of the room as quickly as possible.. haha...
I did not see them at first,,,,and wast sure what to expect; huge snakes? poisonous snakes?? then as I got closer,  I saw to little ring neck snakes on my dining room floor.. While Norah was watching them and saying things like "COOL!" and " Can I keep one!?!?!" I was grabbing metal bowls , which were my weapon of choice, in an effort to throw them on top of the snakes and keep them prisoner until my Husband got home..
Welp that didn't work the greatest,, they both slithered out half way,, so I stood on the bowls in an effort to smush them( really I would have just liked to put them outside without hurting them as I realize they are quite harmless, but there was NO way I was letting them get away. I did what I had to do).



Robb returned Home, and removed both injured snakes from the house. Norah's eyes teared up when we told her we had to let them go....

Ughhhh, I dread that pouty face, it gets me every time..
"Ok, you can keep one outside in your Tree House, but the other one we have to let go"


The next morning, Norah woke with her Father , and before me.. She was outside collecting bugs at 7 am for her pet snake. She had found an inchworm, a slug and a cricket,, which she placed neatly in a "bowl".. I worked my way out of bed,, made it about 20 steps before she asked me where she could find some Neosporin or peroxide.. Apparenly I had mad  a pretty good cut on the snake while standing on that metal bowl in an effort to keep him from getting away..

She researched the computer for preferable foods, how to heal a wound, how to build a habitat. and got to work...

So how the next part happened I'm not sure,, I think it went something like.....
"Mom can I bring the snake in the house"
" no"
" come on mom, pleasssssse"
"no! Norah! NO!"
and so on...

and then of course the snake made its way in the house..

Her Name is Lucy and apparently she is our new pet for the time being.....
My only rule is that Lucy is not allowed in her bedroom and I must be able to see the cage at all times ...

Lucy has played an active roll during Norah's Calico Critters pretend play, has listened to many bedtime stories, and even made a trip into town with us ( She had the container , in her purse,, .. don't worry I wasn't surprised as she has stashed  toads in there before..)

so there you have it......

This morning I walked in the house and heard myself utter "good morning Lucy"............So I think I am ok with her , for now.. as long as she stays in her cage...

Norah agreed to let her go as soon as her cut if fully healed...............

Another chapter of the Norah Files comes to an end...............
;)