Day 205/365-Poop, Worms, Ticks, Throw-Up and a Flat Tire

Just so you know,

this picture has NOTHING to do with 

the story following it.

This image was taken at about 9:30 PM

when Brian was burning limbs he had cut

from trees that had those nasty, destructive caterpillars on them.

I was intrigued by the fire,

so I grabbed the camera.

A slow shutter speed makes the ashes have light trails

A faster shutter speed freezes the ashes in mid-air

I had the crappiest day ever the other day.

In the span of three hours

I had an encounter with intestinal worms,

an engorged deer tick the size of a dime,

three bouts of throw up in the car,

and

a flat tire.

I was ready to call the guys in 

the white van to come and take me away.

The intestinal worms are from

our baby kitten, Rontu.

Ladybug ran in after scooping the cat litter

and informed me that there was

"something strange in Rontu's poop."

Being the curious sort,
I got up and looked.

Yup, a live intestinal worm

was flipping and flopping around in the poop,

none too happy that it was

now on the outside of the cat's body.

*shudder*

I took a toothpick, picked up 

 one of the worms and put it in a baggie

so the vet could identify what type of worm it was.

 I then called the vet and immediately

got additional medicine for the

poor kitten

(he had been dewormed unsuccessfully twice already)

*Medical update:  Rontu is still pooping out worms

but at least now they are dead.

Progress.

About 10-15 minutes after the worm incident,

Ladybug ran into my room screaming

her fool head off, crying that she

had found a tick that was "huge"

on her head.

When I asked where it was she 

told me that she "threw it"

because she freaked out.

Great.  

Now I have a HUGE dog tick

creeping around her bedroom.

Off I go to find the offending tick

while Ladybug is still

squealing "ewwwww"

and "Ach!"

and hyperventilating.

I find the engorged tick,

which was, in fact, HUGE

(about the size of a dime

and much fatter)

and add it to the baggie

with the intestinal worm.

Then we watched the worm

and the tick

fight.

Cool.

About an hour later, 

I was on the way back from taking

Ladybug to her horse back riding lessons

when Toddler 1 begins throwing up 

from car sickness.

Since I was on a small country road, there were

no shoulders on the road in which to pull over.

So, as I was finding a space,

T1 continued to throw up.

Three times.

Into my new bag I bought at Blogfest,

which was on the floorboard under T1'a car seat.

And all over herself.

And all over the back of the

seat in front of her.

You get the idea.

I find a gravel parking lot

in which to pull off,

strip T1 down to her undies,

clean up the chunks,

line the car seat with rags,

and off for home we start again.

Until two minutes later when 

my "LOW TIRE PRESSURE" 

light came on.

Seriously?

Kill. me. now.

I put the hazards on and limp home.

I got out of the 

throw up smelling car

to find I had run over a nail 

and now had a flat 

back right tire.

Holy crappy day, Batman.

I am happy to report that 

was, thank the heavens above, 

the last incident of the evening.

God knows what we can handle,

and this was my limit.

My days have been better since,

and as a matter of fact, 

I am blessed enough to be

going to the John Mayer concert 

tonight to hang out with 

the band members again. 

This time, though,
I will be armed with a press pass

and will be allowed to take in my camera!

Woot!

I hope you found some humor in my pain

and some joy in my triumph.

I look forward to 

updating you on how the concert went

sometime tomorrow!

Happy weekend.

xoxo

Day 204/365- Fun With the LensBaby

It's Friday, ya'll!

The other night I was uninspired

to get any 365 shots, 

so I grabbed my Lensbaby

and fooled around with it.

Sorry for the pictures of me,

but at the time,

it was the most convenient subject ;0)

Go for a swing with me! (Toby is looking at me like I am crazy ;0)

All of the images were taken with the

fish eye attachment on the Composer.

Have an awesome weekend!

I am planning on it...

I am getting my hair cut today

and there might be a chance

 I get to go see John Mayer 

and Sean Hurley

again this weekend!)

xoxo

The Last of Blogfest 2010

Before the chaos of dealing with a death in the family,

I promised you all that I would post my last set of images

from Blogfest, 2010.

I hope you enjoy!

Ted and Molly's garden (Owners of the Sea Shanty)

The tranquil view from Ted and Molly's back yard

If there is a kitty around, I will take her picture!

Bloggers at a Blogfest Blogging.  Really?

I felt really out of place without a laptop.

Obviously, I didn't come prepared.

I will be prepared next year!

(Donations are now being accepted

to help me

 purchase a new laptop ;0)

Bloggers, bloggers everywhere!

Sexy Mama Bloggers!

Beautiful Bloggers!

More Gorgeous Bloggers!

The Baroness + CDub + Asthma Girl = a good lookin' crew!

The famous infamous Noe Noe Camper

The ever elegant Baroness

My soul blister, Ree!  Look at the orneriness in those eyes.  Love it!

I am so looking forward to Blogfest next year!

I miss everyone already and hope

someone makes some attempt at a 6 month reunion.

I don't know if I can wait another year!

Day 203/365- Just a Snoozin'

Little Rontu

Our little Rontu is growing

slowly but surely.

While he is still indoors,

he is slowly becoming big enough to 

start venturing outside, 

supervised of course.

He has now explored the garden

and the side yard

and the driveway.

All of these new adventures

have worn the poor little guy out.

His favorite place to sleep 

is on my desk...

of course.

You can see my calendar beneath him.

Indoors he can now

navigate the steps and is

confident in just about every

room of the house.

The problem is that sometimes

we have trouble finding him

when he is sleeping because he

is still so tiny...only 1.25 lbs!

********************

I just wanted to mention that 

I have posted information about

a new Nine Acres Designs photography workshop

that will be taking place next month.

Only 15 participants are allowed

and one spot is already taken.

You can find more information 

at Nine Acres Designs Blog.

Have a wonderful Thursday!

The weekend is just around the corner!

Day 202/365- A Tribute

Today is a sad day.

We will be joining my brother's family

at the memorial service for my 

sister-in-law's father.

Soriano Santome was an amazing man

who was kind, smart, and helpful

to all who knew him.

He was multi-lingual 

and loved serving his community

as a court translator.

He was also a merchant marine

when he was a younger man.

He lived a full life full of 

adventure and love.

He was the center of the family...

His absence in their life

will be sorely felt.

Once again I am asking 

for you to keep my extended family in your prayers

on this difficult day.

Please pray for:

Olga, Michelle's mother,

Michelle, my sister-in-law,

Sam, Michelle's brother and his family,

John, my brother,

Ryan, my nephew,

Kyleigh, my niece.

They will need all of the 

help, support, love and prayers 

they can get.

I have turned off comments just for today.

Take the time it would have taken

to write a comment

and send a quick thought their way.

Thank you to all

in advance

for your thoughts and prayers.

See you tomorrow.

Day 201/365- Tervis Tumblers

First, I would like to thank everyone

for all of the kind comments left yesterday 

when you all heard the sad news of my 

sister in law's father passing away Sunday evening.

It is comforting to know that

my brother's family is in your thoughts and prayers.

Please continue to think of them as they

adjust to the new reality of living without 

a very important person in their life.

I know today's image is not exciting,

but I had to take a picture of my new favorite 

drinking cups.

I had not heard of Tervis Tumblers

until last month when my husband's company

had a golf outing and gave away these tumblers 

to their clients.

I was so impressed with the cup

that I ordered two for my father

and two more for me.

I ordered the pretty fiesta prints

you see in the background.

And THEN I went to Blogfest and guess what they had there?

Yes, Tervis Tumblers!

They were customized and on the back

it had "Blogfest 2010 Mathews, VA"

and the beautiful seagull image on the front.

And then I was reading the flyer for 

Bed Bath And Beyond

and saw they had Tervis Tumblers

featuring initials.

In the span of one month

I was overwhelmed by the amount of Tervis Tumblers

I encountered.

The product is amazing...it keeps cold things cold

and hot things hot.

It does not sweat.

It has a life time guarantee

and is dishwasher safe.

Here is the link to their website

if you want to check them out.

I have received no payment or incentive

from Tervis Tumbler for this post.

I just like what I like and 

want to pass on information about

good products when I find them.

Hugs,

Tracey

Day 200/365- Just a Strollin'

Toby, our Tennessee Walker

I am not in the mood to write today.
My sister in law's father passed away suddenly last night.
My brother and his family are devastated.
Please pray for the peace and comfort
for their family
during this difficult time.

Until later my friends,
xoxo

Day 199/365- FYI Mathews

Are you sick of me blogging about Mathews County yet?

I hope not, because I still have some images 

to share with you.
I hope you don't mind!

While on our way to CBW's house,
our home base for Blogfest,
we had to make an emergency stop.
I am not at liberty to discuss the
exact reason for the stop,
but let's just say a member of our
particular group was in need of a pit stop
sooner rather than later.

Luckily for me
I had my camera when CBW pulled over
at this beautiful abandoned house
that belonged to a friend of hers.

Have I mentioned I love old homes?
Oh, that's right, I did.
In the last three posts, at least.
Sorry to be so repetitive ;0)

The bench above will be added to my Resting Places collection.

I took a peek in one of the out buildings on the property
and found this tricycle.
So poignant.  Things forgotten.

My favorite scene, though was this back porch.
I want that back porch.
I want to hang my clothes on that clothes line.
If I could have a mover pick this house up
and bring it to my property here on
These Nine Acres,
I would.

Don't get me wrong,
I love my house.
But this house is what dreams are made of for me.

I have one more set of Blogfest Pictures to share with you.
It might go up tomorrow if I get a chance.
It will show you some of the beautiful
sights and faces I had the pleasure
of seeing/meeting during this wonderful weekend.

Until tomorrow, then my friends,
Traceyxoxo

P.S.  If you like this post, or any other other post here,
please feel free to click the "Like" button to share it with 
your friends on Facebook.  
I always love having new visitors 
and that is an easy way to spread the love.
Thanks! 

Historical Places- Gwynn's Island

Having already told you about

the privilege of seeing a wonderful 

historical family home in

Virgina during Blogfest, 

It is time to describe a bit more of our trip.

I had the pleasure of taking a trip over to 

Gwynn's Island, 

across this bridge,

and visiting some very interesting places.

The first was the historical church

where the African American population

of Gwynn's Island used to attend.
Apparently, most of the African American population
was chased off of Gwynn's Island
many years ago when there was
a fight over a rape...
or something like that.
Again, I was a poor student
when remembering the details.
(Sorry!)

It has since been taken over by a private owner

and turned into a workshop/storage space.

I loved the "Don't Even Think of Parking Here" sign

posted by the front entrance.  

The church was located off a long gravel road

that sees slim amounts of traffic.

Seriously, who would park there?

While walking around the exterior of the building,
I was in my zone
(thus missing the historical tidbits about the building)
checking out all of the
peeling paint and the
texture of the worn wood.
I came across that ladder above and couldn't
resist the POP of red...

I just love peeling paint,
don't you?

Here, take a closer look:

So much fun to photograph!

After leaving this fascinating building,
(and barely avoiding being run over by our overzealous tour guide)
we moved on to the home
of one of the senior citizens
living on Gwynn's Island,
Miss Pookie.
Miss Pookie, was so gracious to take the time
to show us some highlights of the beautiful island
including this church,
her current home,
and the home in which she was born.
I regret not taking photos
at Miss Pookie's current home,
but did get several from the
gorgeous waterfront home where she was born.

This was the back porch,
facing the open water.
It soothes me just looking at it
and remembering the peaceful surroundings.
Well, if 17 women weren't walking around laughing,
that is.

I could live my life right there on that porch
and never regret missing a single thing.

I found this birdhouse while walking
from the back porch toward the water.
A treasure!

Check out this shoreline.
Just beautiful.
In my next life, I must live next to the water.
This area
has so many things to offer.
I hated to leave, truly.

I want to say a HUGE thank you
to Miss Pookie,
the cutest tour guide EVER,
for taking the time out of your day
to show us around.

xoxo

Day 198/365- Ready to Sail

This beautiful scene

is brought to you from my last day

at Blogfest in Mathews, Virginia.

Seriously, who would not kill

to live in this beautiful waterfront home?

I know I would.

The water has mysterious 

and mystical calming powers.

At least for me it does.

I bet the people who live there 

don't need Xanax,

Ativan, Lexipro, Prozac, or any other 

anxiety/depression drugs.

They've got the water.

Today Ladybug is going to be in her first parade.

She will be riding in a wagon

and throwing out candy to the crowd

as part of the crew there to support

the barn where she takes riding lessons.

I, of course, will have the camera.

Ty went to work with Brian yesterday.

It was great to see him excited about

a day of hard work.

A thirteen year old boy usually is not 

too excited about having to work for eight hours.

He was given the responsibility of packing

the contents of file cabinets for the big

office moving day that is coming up soon.

Brian will be able to save 20 minutes each day

in commute times since the office

is moving to a building closer to our home.

I will be posting more pictures from

Blogfest later today, so be sure

and check those out.

I have so much to share that I have to

post several times a day!

Right now I am off to buy groceries,

one of my most hated jobs.

I always put it off

because I hate spending money.

I also hate the whole ridiculous process of 

putting things in a cart,

taking them out at the cash register,

putting them back in the cart after bagging,

taking them out again to put in the car,

taking them out at home,

unpacking them,

and then putting them away.

I hate mundane things.

*focus on the water in this picture and all the hate will melt away*

Till later, my dear friends,

xoxo

As Promised, More Pictures from Blogfest

Because I am such a dork

and I am not a very good listener

when I have my camera out and I 

am overwhelmed with thoughts in my head 

of shots to take, 

I don't have very many details 

about this property.

I tend to shut down my auditory system

when searching and planning photos.

I do know, however,  that this property belongs to the family of

one of the Virginia Blogfest hostesses,

Big Hair Envy.

I also know we left Mathews County and went

a county over to get here, 

but,

being geographically challenged the way that I am,

I could not tell you which direction I traveled

or which county we were in.

I am sure Kate would know, though.

She was our tried and true navigator.

Diane would know too,

because she isn't dumb like me.

BHE's great grandfather owned this property a long time ago

(aren't you glad I am so specific?)

and it still remains in her family today.

It has a beautifully weathered barn that still stands proudly 

next to the house.

At some point, there were two horses stalled here,

Wind Song and Scout.

They are since long gone,

but their names still remain

marking the space they called home.

I wish I had a picture of the outside 

of the house, but I don't.

It is a beautiful house,

well loved and aged.

The picture below is of the covered porch 

that extends off from the kitchen door

through which I entered this treasure.

And this is the amazing sight I saw

as I walked through that door

into the sunny, yellow kitchen.

I almost cried.

How gorgeous is this space?

t

It was so strange,

it was like the family just disappeared.

There were still

cups in the cabinet,

dishes in the sink,

food items and 

other sundries in the pantry,

and other things that just seemed like

they had not been touched or moved

in a generation.

Even the kitchen door had the valence

still gracing the interior.

How cute is the red with the yellow?

So cheery.

Can you tell how warm and comforting

this space

must have been to the family

who was lucky enough to live here?

The chair in the middle of the kitchen

did catch me off guard.  

I wonder what it was doing there?

I took its picture because

this chair has a hundred stories 

in it, I am sure.

I will add the image below to my

"Resting Places" series

I am working on.

As I turned to leave the kitchen area,

and move on to the next room

the details of the doors and 

door handles struck me.

Modern homes don't have this

much care in the details and it is a shame.

Look at those key holes! 

In what I assumed would have been the 

living room or parlor,

I found another fine subject for my

"Resting Places" series.

This chair was in remarkable 

condition considering the surroundings.

This ironing board

still rested against the wall,

waiting to be useful again.

Personally, I would have left 

it behind too.

I am not one for ironing much.

Leaving this area, I turned and went up this beautiful staircase

to the bedroom above.

Imagine my surprise when I saw

there was still a bed there.

Don't you wonder whose hands

built this bed?

Don't you want to know if anyone

was born or died in this bed?

It is all so fascinating.

On the back of the bedroom door

there were even hangers still there.

What a beautiful mess.

I don't have a picture of it

because it had to be 

110 degrees on the top floor of that house,

and I was melting into a pool of butter,

but there was also a closet in the bedroom.

I was brave enough to open it and

inside were clothes that had been left behind.

One particular piece, 

a woolen blazer,

caught my attention and curiosity.

If I had more time and felt like

I was not intruding,

I would have liked to go through 

the pockets to see if there 

were any mementos left

from an era gone by...

a train ticket,

a theatre stub,

a handkerchief,

something...

On my way back down the steps to exit

this house,

 I saw this light fixture.

Look at the details!

My heart was heavy

when it was time to leave this place.

I knew I would probably never be back.

I felt such a kinship to this place

that it was like I was leaving a friend

I had just found again.

I can't explain the pull 

this place had on me.

Perhaps it was similar to 

the feeling I got when I would 

visit my grandparents in their

old home.

Perhaps it was the hospitality I felt

from the long ago souls

that used to occupy this house.

Whatever it was,

I loved it and didn't want to leave it.

I hope you enjoyed 

this part of your tour.

Believe it or not, 

I still have other pictures to share

from other stops we made that day.

Yeah, Blogfest was THAT GOOD.

xoxo