My Weekend in Photos

Serenity at the end

Found this little guy, and noticed its friend watching from the back with our troupe of hikers

Piece of drift wood. Possibly a soon to be table?

Yes those are lawn mowers...trying to smack into each other

Demolition Derby was smokin'

Fair food topped with a much needed lemonade

Air Striking Nasties

Thinking about going out on another hike this afternoon. This time, solo since the boy is working over time. Side note: The boy wasn't suppose to work over time this evening when plans to hike were roughly drawn, but he volunteered anyway. Overtime is good though, more money I suppose, so not too disappointed.

Anyway, with it being a couple days into summer, the nasties are out in full force in the forest. You know, the gnats, flies, and the king of cooties, the MISQUITO! How irritating is it to hear that high pitch buzzing in your ear. It's almost like a terrible horror movie. You know the bad guy is out there somewhere, but you don't know where, till it's too late, STAB! In this case, stabbed by a needle like mouth.

Here's a green, chemical free bug repellent that works like a charm from bugs, not scary movie mad men.

2 table spoons of witch hazel
10 or so drops of Dr. Bronner's Castile Almond.

Mix it in a glass phial or something like.
Shake it up. It will bubble a bit, then calm down.
Wipe it all over your bare parts. I use my hands and just scoop up the solution and rub in.

Enjoy the freedom of nasty, itching bug bites.

Spring into Action

Yesterday was just such a beautiful day, that I absolutely couldn't waste it on staying inside for any of it. I did sleep in though, and it was a much needed sleep.

The boy and I drove around the many neighborhoods of Columbus looking for potential homes, and stopped in to our first Open House. Prior to this excursion, I googled 'Going to your first open house'. After reading a few articles, this is what I got from it, and put into practice:

• Treat Open Houses as if your visiting a new friends home
• Knock, or ring the doorbell before entering
• Wipe your shoes on the (hopefully present) welcome mat
• Greet the Realtor--she/he will then give you goodies and flyers about the house
• Feel free to wander around and look, It's what your there for
• Be nebby--look in closets and behind washer and dryers, this could possibly be your home
• Don't be too nebby--sometimes the owners still live in the houses, so while you're checking out the linen closet, you don't have to check out their towels and soaps.
• Compliments and Criticisms--I found it easier for me to remember homes when I said these out loud "Oh man, it has natural lighting' or "I can smell dog poop in the wind" Just don't over do your compliments and criticisms
• Ask questions! That's why the Realtor is there
• Be sure to thank the Realtor before you leave for their time

After about 5 houses, in 2 hours, the temperature started heating up. I could peel away my overcoat and enjoy the sun more directly. I still wore a long sleeved tee due to the Spring breeze. Still having a good portion of the day, me and the boy drove over to the State Park and did some hiking/geo caching. We bought some water and cliff bars, and brought our phones and cameras, but then had nowhere to put all this. Crafty me, I converted my sweatshirt into an over the shoulder sack. It worked wonders, and didn't get in the way of me walking. We found a little geo cache on our hike. We had nothing to trade, other than our thoughts on the day. We walked in the park for a good 2-3 hours, then decided to follow the sun and head home.

After all the good clean air, and the much need hike in nature, I fixed the boy and I a hearty meal of junk food. Chip dip, buffalo chicken wings, and philly cheese steak sliders. Mmm artificial and very non healthy goodness. Good thing this isn't a habbit!