Day 21 - Three gifts white
Let me tell you about my morning. As you know, I am not the morning person in the family.
Hold up, let's start over. Trees. I love a good tree. Don't you? I think part of my love comes from my dad being in forestry and instilling a love for nature into me and my brother.
Last night at church I learned that the forestry commission was giving away free trees. Trees, plural. You could get 25 pine trees if you wanted, plus fruit trees, a magnolia, and there at least 8 different hardwood trees on the list. You could have 5 of each hardwood if you wanted. Homie don't play! That's more trees than you can shake a stick at! HA! I just went there, yes. Come on, you need a smile!
Our yard is lacking in curb appeal. We haven't been able to do anything with it. The trees wouldn't have been any use to us at the moment. I did type out a quick message to my dad to see if he wanted any trees. He likes to landscape and who can pass up a free tree (or 25)! He let me know he wanted some fruit trees.
I was careful to set my alarm, the kind that gives you a heart attack when it goes off. It's a horrible sound, but I did not want to miss the free trees. Elizabeth woke up a little early and was hungry. This was the bait I needed to get her in the car, promising McDonalds. Or as she calls it Old McDonald.
We arrived at the forestry commission a little before 8:00. Apparently, everyone needs free trees. I parked on the side of the road - I mean, I parked on the side of Daytona 500 racetrack, all the while murmuring about standing outside in the 36 degree weather with my sleeping toddler and yelling at the cars flying down the road and wondering aloud why so many people had to come so early. I bundled Elizabeth up like a snow bunny and marched ourselves through the grass. I got closer and people were looking, probably thinking why did that insane woman bring a baby to stand out in the cold. Too bad I couldn't get any sympathy, no one let me break in front of them.
A few minutes later, an elderly walked up and said words to me that I could not understand. I finished messaging Brent so he could come get Elizabeth and she said them again. This time I was pretty sure she had just said hello in Chinese along with another sentence. I was a little dumbfounded as to why in the world she thought I spoke Chinese. Then she asked, "Does she speak Chinese?". Who? What? Oh! Elizabeth! HA! I laughed on the inside. On the oustide, I said, "No, she's from Peru." To which the woman immediately started talking to Elizabeth in Spanish. Who is this lady?!?! And why does she think Elizabeth is just going to start speaking to her?! I wasn't in the best of moods, but I mustered up my self-control and did not say "seriously? how old does she look?" "We didn't just get of the boat!"
Thankfully, Brent arrived a few minutes later to wisk Elizabeth away to warmer places and I chatted with the lady for a few minutes. She turned out to pretty interesting. She spent a year in China, teaching and ironically there was another professor there who spoke fluent Spanish, so she learned both languages. (I have yet to figure out why this guy who was fluent in Spanish was teaching in China) She is also a professional story-teller and traveling actor. Interesting. I don't know her name, but I can find her a the library, where she sometimes leads a book club. I think she said this because the group in front of us were discussing their book club. The guy next us mentioned that he had all of the books written by Zane Grey. He was 83 and had been a professor as well. A medical professor and now he helped kids get into med school. I did learn that our state has the least doctors per people. In other words, we need more doctors.
(Are you bored yet?)
We stood in line for an hour. It's amazing how you can talk/listen for an hour to a group of people, but once they get what they came for they drop you like a piece of hot coal. My turn came and the rain was beginning to fall, then the fruit trees were gone. Of course. But I wasn't about to leave without at least one tree. I had to have something to show for my time! So I got five dogwood trees. My dad decided they would wait for the fruit trees later. He and mom have dogwoods already mixed in on their land, so Brent and I are going to get to decorate our yard soon! It will be lovely in a few years.
The rest of the day went along as planned and was quite nice.
My 3 white gifts?
Here they are:
1. Laundry basket - why? It means we have more than enough clothes for our family. Thankfully!
2. White cup - why? We went out to eat and I didn't have to cook dinner.
3. Dogwood trees - well, they will produce white flowers in a few years anyway.
Oh! Here is a bonus for you! A video we found last night on the computer.
Throwback Thursday to summer 2011. Enjoy!
Hold up, let's start over. Trees. I love a good tree. Don't you? I think part of my love comes from my dad being in forestry and instilling a love for nature into me and my brother.
Last night at church I learned that the forestry commission was giving away free trees. Trees, plural. You could get 25 pine trees if you wanted, plus fruit trees, a magnolia, and there at least 8 different hardwood trees on the list. You could have 5 of each hardwood if you wanted. Homie don't play! That's more trees than you can shake a stick at! HA! I just went there, yes. Come on, you need a smile!
Our yard is lacking in curb appeal. We haven't been able to do anything with it. The trees wouldn't have been any use to us at the moment. I did type out a quick message to my dad to see if he wanted any trees. He likes to landscape and who can pass up a free tree (or 25)! He let me know he wanted some fruit trees.
I was careful to set my alarm, the kind that gives you a heart attack when it goes off. It's a horrible sound, but I did not want to miss the free trees. Elizabeth woke up a little early and was hungry. This was the bait I needed to get her in the car, promising McDonalds. Or as she calls it Old McDonald.
We arrived at the forestry commission a little before 8:00. Apparently, everyone needs free trees. I parked on the side of the road - I mean, I parked on the side of Daytona 500 racetrack, all the while murmuring about standing outside in the 36 degree weather with my sleeping toddler and yelling at the cars flying down the road and wondering aloud why so many people had to come so early. I bundled Elizabeth up like a snow bunny and marched ourselves through the grass. I got closer and people were looking, probably thinking why did that insane woman bring a baby to stand out in the cold. Too bad I couldn't get any sympathy, no one let me break in front of them.
A few minutes later, an elderly walked up and said words to me that I could not understand. I finished messaging Brent so he could come get Elizabeth and she said them again. This time I was pretty sure she had just said hello in Chinese along with another sentence. I was a little dumbfounded as to why in the world she thought I spoke Chinese. Then she asked, "Does she speak Chinese?". Who? What? Oh! Elizabeth! HA! I laughed on the inside. On the oustide, I said, "No, she's from Peru." To which the woman immediately started talking to Elizabeth in Spanish. Who is this lady?!?! And why does she think Elizabeth is just going to start speaking to her?! I wasn't in the best of moods, but I mustered up my self-control and did not say "seriously? how old does she look?" "We didn't just get of the boat!"
Thankfully, Brent arrived a few minutes later to wisk Elizabeth away to warmer places and I chatted with the lady for a few minutes. She turned out to pretty interesting. She spent a year in China, teaching and ironically there was another professor there who spoke fluent Spanish, so she learned both languages. (I have yet to figure out why this guy who was fluent in Spanish was teaching in China) She is also a professional story-teller and traveling actor. Interesting. I don't know her name, but I can find her a the library, where she sometimes leads a book club. I think she said this because the group in front of us were discussing their book club. The guy next us mentioned that he had all of the books written by Zane Grey. He was 83 and had been a professor as well. A medical professor and now he helped kids get into med school. I did learn that our state has the least doctors per people. In other words, we need more doctors.
(Are you bored yet?)
We stood in line for an hour. It's amazing how you can talk/listen for an hour to a group of people, but once they get what they came for they drop you like a piece of hot coal. My turn came and the rain was beginning to fall, then the fruit trees were gone. Of course. But I wasn't about to leave without at least one tree. I had to have something to show for my time! So I got five dogwood trees. My dad decided they would wait for the fruit trees later. He and mom have dogwoods already mixed in on their land, so Brent and I are going to get to decorate our yard soon! It will be lovely in a few years.
The rest of the day went along as planned and was quite nice.
My 3 white gifts?
Here they are:
1. Laundry basket - why? It means we have more than enough clothes for our family. Thankfully!
2. White cup - why? We went out to eat and I didn't have to cook dinner.
3. Dogwood trees - well, they will produce white flowers in a few years anyway.
Oh! Here is a bonus for you! A video we found last night on the computer.
Throwback Thursday to summer 2011. Enjoy!
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