The First Day of Spring

It has rained and rained and rained all week here. All of the rivers are overflowing and many people living near the rivers had to evacuate. It was very reminiscent of watching what went on in Mobile in the Bayou during Hurricane Katrina.

However, yesterday, the first day of Spring, the sun came out! What a glorious day! I think all the kids in the whole neighbourhood were out riding bikes and playing. I know I was! Actually, my assignment for this week was to find the source of a mysterious stinky odor in the car. But I digress...

Archie's first class at the Zoo took place yesterday morning. It was all about anteaters. The program was nicely done. There were about 10 other kids in the class, and many of them other homeschoolers! They learned different facts about anteaters, the differences between carnivores, herbivores, frugivores, omnivores and insectivores. Then they participated in a demonstration of how the Anteater's sticky tongue works. Then we took a walk to the Anteater exhibit and saw them up close and personal. After that, we went back to the classroom and saw a weird kind of mud frog (I forget now what it was) and the kids got to touch a Brazilian Opossum which resembled a much cuter rat. It eats scorpions, so apparently the Brazilian Opossum would be desirable to let loose in the house if you live in a scorpion area. Right, Laura A.???? Here is a picture of Archie touching the cute rat.

Archie says it felt very soft, like a kitten. After the class we headed to "Old McDonalds" to eat and play for a few minutes. It was crazy busy in there and some lady behind me fussed at me for not moving exactly directly behind the person in front of me. Like the two feet I could've possibly moved would get her eating lunch any faster. I require a reasonable amount of personal space. Not a lot, but a reasonable amount. I don't want to know what kind of shampoo the stranger in front of me uses, because I would be so close I could smell it. I quietly but firmly said "No", at which the lady sighed and was about to argue with me. Fortunately the next register had just opened up and any ensuing confrontation was avoided by my turn to order. The ONLY reason I go to "Old McDonalds" is because Archie has received gift cards. And for some reason, he really, really enjoys it there. It is a rare treat for him. Otherwise, I would avoid it like the plague. Kind of like Walmart. Archie had a blast playing on the playground, and I got a moment to read the paper without interruption. So it turned out okay after all!

After we got home, I set to work on my 'stink assignment' in the car. For the past couple of weeks, there has been a weird odor which has gotten progressively worse, especially since the temperatures have warmed a bit. I emptied everything out of the car sometime last week, but the odor was still there. Phillip spent an enormous amount of time fussing at me about it last weekend...Something I could've eaten in there, why don't I keep it cleaner, etc. He said I had to get the stink out THIS week. So I began to think. Perhaps a banana peel got wedged underneath a floor mat or something. Archie eats a banana when we take Morgan to school in the mornings. So I started taking out the floor mats. When I got to the back seat floor mat, I leaned down. Whaddya know...I found the source of the stink! As it turns out, there was a stinky bag of old car parts Phillip had wedged underneath the back seat. He put them there several months ago and never got them out of the car! Hmmm...I called him at work so I could receive my apology that was due me!

So he tells me that he thought it possibly could be the bag of car parts. And why he didn't man-up and suggest that as a possibility to begin with instead of blaming it on me, I'll never know.

So after finding the smell, I had to get rid of the smell in the carpet. I spent the afternoon cleaning, dusting, vacuuming and wiping down everything in the car. As of my last smell yesterday evening, the odor was gone! The offending bag of car parts are now on the front porch, where I am betting, they will remain for at least a week...maybe more! Perhaps until they rust and become 'one with the porch'.

Archie rode his bike and we took a walk after the stink-demon was exercised from the car. It was such a gorgeous day! When we came home, we saw Archie's friend outside, and met someone else in the neighbourhood who stopped to chat. I just love this neighbourhood! I am so grateful for springtime! The winter, while we've had our pleasant, fun times, has been rather oppressive and I NEED to be outside again!

We are looking forward to our trip to Mobile this weekend because I miss the Azaleas terribly (and our family) and am so looking forward to temps in the 70's!