A Little of This and a Bit of That. .

I still find it hard to believe that we are already into September. .

where did the summer go??

I am pleased to say. .that with the finish of the 4-H record books and State Fair entries this past week and weekend. .I feel like we are on vacation!

The boys did very well on their exhibits that went for State Fair Judging last Friday. .Devin's Grand Champion Mocha Walnut Brownies earned him a purple ribbon. .the best placing available (to those of you, like my husband, that don't know what that means) and a blue ribbon on his photo of the inside of a rain gauge (interesting ;-) There wasn't even any rain in it. .just two little bugs-as he described it for his grandma so she could find it on her State Fair visit!! Grant's Coconut Banana Bread with Lime Glaze netted a blue ribbon, and his reflection photo of a flower he threw into my pond earned a purple ribbon. Tristan's Cinnamon Sticky Buns placed a red ribbon (though his Biology teacher, who scored a dozen of them from him, said she would have totally given him a blue!!) and his photo of a line up of ring-billed gulls at Grand Lake earned him a blue ribbon!

We found our first egg last week!! Hee, Haw!! Though, I was mildly disappointed that they weren't brown eggs. .Grant brought MY camera to me with the above photo on it. .letting me know that this was totally blog-worthy material!! I had to laugh out loud!! The concept of adding the penny made me realize that they pay attention to a LOT more than I often give them credit for!! (though I have never measured anything next to a penny. .he got that from my dad's mother!!) We are hoping to buy some hens that are already laying eggs from our friends. .to replace the ones we lost when we went through the raccoon raids!! We seem to be predator free now!

We found this little ball of fluff Friday. .and was even able to catch her easily!! She quickly found her way inside with the help of these two munchkins. .and enjoyed some cuddle time with them both!

Also, making my day Friday. .was the sighting of this female ruby-throated hummingbird in the memory garden. Initially, I spotted her dining on the Mexican sunflower. .earning those an automatic space in the garden next year!! But I quickly realized that she was feasting on all the flowers in the memory garden! She has been enjoying the salvia, the catmint, miniature hollyhocks, moonflowers, and even the morning glories! She has NOT, however, been sighted at my hummingbird feeder. .confirming my suspicion that they still prefer to eat from Mother Nature's artwork. .rather than man's!

She's actually quite tame. .or very hungry. .because we can walk fairly close to her without bothering! She seems a little intrigued by the fact that she can't eat the orange pyracanthus berries on this bush, which is just across the sidewalk from the memory garden!

I made my first trek to the drag races Saturday with my crew. It is not a sport that is beloved to me. .but I know Jeremy likes it when I take interest. .

. .and secondly. .

Our 16 year old was chomping at the bit to do a little racing too. .

and Saturday was his debut!!

I'm fairly sure that his great-grandma. .who gave them her old Lincoln towncar. .would be fit to be tied!! They have a class called street legal. .and one can drive any kind of street cars in that class! I've even seen minivans being raced! This type of racing (drag racing) is a little different than one might think. .it's not about who has the fastest car. .it's about who knows what their car can do. .and then making the car do it! The racers each have to "dial-in" a time that they expect their car to go in 1/4 mile. If they go faster than that time. .they lose!! The one that comes the closest without "breaking-out" to the time they dialed in. .Wins!! It takes practice and time to learn how to make those decisions!

Tristan's friend Alex from school also races. .he participates in the high school division. .those kids have big, fast motors in their cars. .faster than the regular street cars.

So to sum up how he did. .I think his little brother Devin put it best. .

He said to me after Tristan's first run of the day. .

"Mom, I thought Tristan was going to suck. .and he did!!"

It will just take time for him to figure out that game, and make it work!

He was excited and he had fun. .and it will be a great hobby for my boys to share with their dad while Cami and I go shopping!!

We weren't finished with the kids' record books yet. .and they were due today. .so along went the books. .the laptop. .and the white out. .so they could work on them between runs Saturday. .No one was very excited that Mom came along. .AND made them do some work!! And Jeremy did mention that it took him 3 times as long to clean out the trailer when we got home, from all the stuff I packed along!! My retort was. ."It's better to have something and NOT need it. .than to need something and NOT have it!"

He just smiled and shook his head!

Thankfully, those books and their recordings of the previous 4-H year--including highlights and all the things they had the opportunity to do and learn--are finished for another year!

Jeremy didn't do so well either on Saturday. .but he is excited for the next one to come along!! He doesn't race much in the summer. .because it is too hot. .many of these guys go so fast that they are required to wear heavy fire-suits and big helmets (Jeremy is one of those guys) and there is no AC in the vehicles. .AND they sit in the staging lanes in racing order for a long time, to facilitate the efficient operation of the whole race, and being that hot isn't a lot of fun for many. Soo, when the weather cools down, he hits it hard until the end of October when the sport ends for the season!

Football season is now in full swing. .as are all the activities that involve everyone's youth group clubs. .Our calendars are booking up fast for the fall!!

The most exciting thing on MY calendar coming up. .is this Sunday. .when I will enjoy the Broadway production of "Lion King" with some of my best girls in Wichita!! My proverbial bucket list includes seeing as many Broadway productions as I can. .And this seems to be a good year for that!! In October. .God willing. .I will go to Oklahoma City with some of my work friends to see Les Miserables, another famous production. .and in April. .West Side Story. .Consequently, the excitement of those trips will make time go even faster than it does!

We're praying for some more rain here this week. .The fall countdown is ON!

Have a great week, and thanks for stopping by this humble little blog!