We have ducklings!

Momma duck, who always builds her nest in the same spot in the flower bed near the front door, had a whole lotta eggs hatch a couple days ago, and they're already gone, swimming out in the lake behind our house.

For Sonja

Why do robins sing in December?
Long before the Springtime is due?
And even though it's snowing, violets are growing
I Know Why and so do you
Why do breezes sigh ev'ry ev'ning
Whispering your name as they do?
And why have I the feeling stars are on my ceiling?
I Know Why and so do you
When you smile at me
I hear gypsy violins
When you dance with me
I'm in heaven when the music begins
I can see the sun when it's raining
Hiding ev'ry cloud from my view
And why do I see rainbows when you're in my arms?
I Know Why and so do you
I Know Why and so do you

Survival of Total Eclipse '17

So, we headed north on Saturday morning in A'Viking, and made it to our hotel in Hardeeville at about 7:30 pm. It wasn't a bad drive at all. The Tesla is smooth as silk!

Sunday, we decided to hit the flea market on the off chance we might find a little treasure to resell. It was hot, though--probably about 100 degrees, and we were all sweating buckets after about an hour or so. But we tried to go through as much as we could, and James found the awesome deal of the day. This is an antique paper scroll. We aren't sure where it was made, but it appears to have been hand-wrought. It is silver all the way through (not silver-plated). It has hand-carved beads for a kind of handle. 

Mr. South Carolina had picked it up when he bid on a storage unit. I don't think he really knew what it was. James haggled him down from fifteen to twelve dollars or something like that. The next day, we went into an antique store after the eclipse and showed it to the proprietor, who recognized what it was, confirmed it was antique, and worth a lot more than $12. She said not to clean the tarnish off--the older it looks the better it'll sell, I guess.

I saw this vintage sign, too:

After the flea market, we headed to the beautiful and cozy little old quarter of Savannah. But now it was raining, so we ran into a restaurant to eat before heading to Encryption Escape on Franklin Square. We escaped from that escape room, but had so much fun we signed up for the next available game, which was about two hours from when we finished the first one. So we wandered through Savannah, looking in all the quaint little shops. Also, bought candy. Lots of candy. 

This old blue eyed nag looked so sad to be out in the rain. I pet her for a few minutes before heeding Joe and James's calls to "come on." I didn't tell her I wished she could be running in some sun-soaked, grassy field of freedom, but I think she already knows. That's why she looked so sad.

Near Franklin Square, I wondered who this old footprint belonged to. Maybe a cartoon character. 

And I couldn't resist putting on this hat in a gift shop and taking a quick selfie with James. I'm NOT a Trump supporter, and I already think America, even with President Chaotic Idiocy, (that's his name--look Trump up in the dictionary and that's what you'll read) is inherently great, and will only be greater when our current POTUS is gone. 

We walked by this interesting old house:

Anyway, we escaped the second escape room, too. We're probably pros, by now. 

The next morning, we woke up early and decided to head to Columbia for the eclipse, since Charleston was expected to be very overcast. The TV was telling us to head inland for the best view. So, we plotted out course according to the charging needs of the Tesla, and it told us we should stop at the Santee, SC, charging station. 

So, we did, and discovered upon arrival there was a whole BATTALION of Tesla's there. 

As Tesla's began arriving to charge, someone discovered that because we were on the leeward side of Lake Marion, our location would be prime for viewing the eclipse. Being so close to the lake would supposedly hold off the clouds that were forming all around us. 

Joe sorta wanted to continue on, because of what the TV reporters had said, but James and I had a feeling we should stay at the Tesla Tailgate party that was continuing to build. The longer we stayed, the more the sky cleared.

This is the cloudiest we got at Santee:

And wow, are we glad we stayed! As the eclipse started, there wasn't a cloud around to mar the spectacle. 

Here's James picking up a traffic cone and claiming it was a telescope:

Here's Apollo, a giant dog I fell in love with:

My pics and videos don't even come close to doing the eclipse justice. It looked just like the professional photographs --100% totality, where the moon edges her way across the sun's face until you see the "marriage"-- the "diamond ring," -- which signals you can take your glasses off. Then all you can see is a huge black disc surrounded by a coronal halo made from the stuff of science fiction dreams. It was amazing, phenomenal, and totally awe-inspiring. 

This is how it looked to us:

And this is how it looked to the iPhone:

Here's how pre-totality looked to our iPhones (mine and Joe's):

Here's how pre-totality looked on the iPhone without the solar filter:

Here are a few YouTube videos of the event. At times, everything is upside down, because I laid flat on the grass and put the phone on my stomach to film, and when I picked the phone up, I suppose it was upside down. And some of the good stuff is right as I end the video. I guess I was too excited to pay much attention to the camera. Lol...

We are so glad we didn't continue to Columbia, because one of my friends from high school was there and he said all he saw was clouds. 

Here we are with our fashionable sunglasses:

And apparently Judge Marilyn Milian from The People's Court was very near our location in Santee. I didn't find out til after the event, but man, was I bummed I didn't meet her. I've wanted to meet her for years. She reminds me of me sometimes. Here's the Twitter pic she posted:

After the eclipse was over, we went to the antique store I mentioned above. James and Joe waited patiently for me to go through tons of comics, many Golden Age. I may email the owner and see if we can make a deal on the ones I didn't buy right then. I did buy one that I could guarantee a large profit on, though. 

This also caught my eye, and even though I wanted it very badly, I refrained from buying it. 

And then Satan, who must've felt eclipse witnessers were entirely too happy with God's splendor, decided to get revenge with one of his best tricks--traffic.

So, we drove 100 miles at 0 mph. How long do you think it took us to get back to our hotel in Hardeeville? If you answered, "Forever," you're correct. 

Anyway, we had a great trip (despite eclipse day traffic), and it was totally worth it! Can't wait for the next one in 2024!

And now, a special post...

I just realized I never posted the story of the day James proposed to me in a very special spot in Brown's Park! Silly me!

As we woke up, shared the best breakfast ever, and began that special day, I had no idea of the awesomeness to come. The whole day was magical. Like a big bowl of soup followed by three scoops of ice cream is like salvation when you have a scratchy sore throat.

As we drove toward Brown's Park, we chatted about how wonderful our relationship was and how great it was to get away from the bumbling dumb gorillas everyday life places at our doorsteps. We also recounted some amusing adventures from our last Fennboree.

James also told me that we were going to Brown's Park so we could put his solve to rest. Of course, I was good with that, because I didn't think the treasure was there. Lol. One thing I love about our relationship is how comfortable we are in sharing everything with each other.

But there WAS treasure there. :)

And all along the way, too...as we were traveling past towns that looked like they were made of paper, and then along the ridge, a herd of wild horses caught our eye, and we stopped. I tentatively walked up to the grazing horses, scared I might spook them.

It was incredible...they grazed silently against a background no movie can imitate. Being there, seeing this...was so awesome, so incredibly inspiring...you know that feeling when you just want to look and look and look and brand something into your mind forever? Yeah, it was like that.

James stayed a little behind and watched, then videoed some interaction. The horses weren't scared of me, and one was especially curious, approaching slowly while taking little snack-bites of grass along the way. When he was only a few feet away, he started nodding his head at me. He, or she, did that for a while, and I think James videoed it. It was really an awesome interaction, and I felt like I made a new friend. Only me wearing my rainbow sparkly socks could've made that moment better. Good thing I didn't have a scary new haircut. Lol.

When it was time to move on, I did so a little reluctantly. I grew up riding horses, and standing in the midst of such graceful and majestic animals brought back some fond memories.

At Brown's Park, James described some of what we'd see, and we found the slightly overgrown dirt road without difficulty. We stopped, and James said he wanted to explain his solve on camera. He made sure I was in the exact right spot and told me to start filming...and you all can see what happened from there on YouTube. Here it is in case you haven't seen it:

I was laughing, and crying, and just so...speechless with emotion. And then when I found out Forrest had known about it and sent us the signed book that James magically took the ring from, it was just...just the most amazing day ever.

He was so deeply Fearless as he proposed--it almost made me cry. A blimp couldn't have displayed the love I felt for him at that moment. Not even a blueberry-colored blimp!

I still have a hard time describing how I felt. Lol. Maybe a little like the happiest little berry in a field full of unicorns and sparkles and laughter. I swear, if there were any snakes around, I would've fed them!

That spot near the Spitzy Marsh (it's much more beautiful than it's name implies), with Diamond Mountain standing as silent witness in the distance, will always be a very special place.

Standing there, just engaged to the most wonderful man, overlooking the river, listening to the musical chirping of birds on the crisp breeze was exhilarating and humbling. It will be James's and my spot forever.

We kissed there, and he said my lips tasted better than the sweetest honey. His did too. It was like a bonus prize of a fireworks booby trap that I thoroughly enjoyed getting caught in.

And there's a spot where we buried something for someone to find maybe a thousand years from now...

Wow, all this happy reminiscing about one of the best days of my life has me behind schedule. Tomorrow, we're off to SC for some magic!

Preparing for Once in a Lifetime

Well, all of Joe's teacher's gave Joe the okay to miss school for a couple days next week, so we'll be A'Viking it to Charleston, SC, tomorrow for a weekend of antiquing, eclipsing, and fun.

We celebrated James's birthday Wednesday with two cakes-- a cookie cake I decorated with a Seahawk-colored Tesla, and an ice cream cake. For dinner, he wanted BBQ chicken on the grill, so I made that for dinner. It was delicious.

Here's the Seahawks painting so far. I want it to be a little more abstract and stylized. When I draw, I'm pretty good at looking at something and copying it, but I'm not as good at bringing pictures I see in my mind to canvas. So, with this one, I looked at a Seahawks logo, drew it, then purposely messed it up to make it my own. Hopefully, it'll look okay when it's done.

I just discovered Galkyd, so my next painting will take advantage of that. I would love to get better at art, but the talent probably will never be there. It's fun, though, so I'll keep doing it. 

I also have some ideas for some folk art funny stuff, so I'll try to make time for those, too.

I'm almost done organizing and unpacking boxes. I think there might be only one or two boxes to go.

I put up more things on eBay yesterday. If you all get the chance, check it out. You can check out the listing for my Sharp etching HERE.  If you go to the page, you click on "Follow this Seller" to see things as I list them. I have everything-- gold earrings, a Sloane painting, a rare Sharp etching that F mentions in his book, The Whoop of the Dance and Beat of the Drum (he once owned the etching then donated it to the BB Center of the West),  a George Dabich drawing once owned by Fenn Galleries, a rare Invicta meteorite watch, and a whole buncha other little stuff. I hope to add a few listings every day. I'll have china, some collectibles from Asia, some pewter stuff, and maybe some quirky paintings online soon.

Anyway, it's time to get moving and check out an estate sale.

Here's a little Freya lore for your Friday:

Freya, the Goddess of Love and Beauty, was given a special kingdom called Folk Meadow. In this beautiful place was the Hall of Many Seats, where she received half of those slain in battle. The other half were transported to Odin in Valhalla.

Freya is depicted as having blue eyes and golden hair, and often as wearing a robe of feathers, which enabled her to fly through the air like a bird.

The goddess married Odur, who was probably Odin under another name. At some point, Odur left Freya and traveled over the world, which left Freya broken-hearted. Her tears fell among the rocks and were transmuted into gold. Other tears that fell into the sea were transformed into amber.

Eventually, Freya couldn't handle her anguish any longer and set out to find Odin. She found "The Wanderer," in the sunny land to the south, and she beat him to a pulp (kidding--I made that part up). They were actually overjoyed to see each other, and the flowers in the field rejoiced  as the lovers embraced.  As they strolled through the field, hand in hand, the frost and ice fled before them. As each foot left the ground, green grass sprung up as if to reach out for just a touch of the god's heel.

So Happy Friday! :)

Shooting for the Stars

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE BEST EVER! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JAMES! I'm looking forward to celebrating with you this weekend in Charleston!!!

I'm going to try to get a lot accomplished today as I wait for Joe to get home from his first day at Palmetto Ridge High School. Hopefully, their mascot doesn't represent the overall disposition of it's faculty and student body:

It's a nice, newer school, and although it's large, it's laid out in a way that makes classes easy to find.

I'm not sure about their football record, but the field is pretty sweet:

Anyway, I'm going to try to list more stuff on eBay, and some smaller things I want to get rid of on a different sale site.

The other day, James noticed some cool stuff put on the curbs by some neighbors. We found an old wooden gun case in excellent shape, and a couple of nice chairs. I couldn't imagine why anyone would want to get rid of them, so we snagged them up. Curb picking is sorta fun. I also found a cool light stand that I can make into a very cool Dragon Age-type staff. James and I want to do Halloween this year, but we haven't decided between Steampunk or Dragon Age/Viking. We'll start working on that as soon as school gets going and I fall into a routine.

My Dragon Age costume might look like one of these:

Yeah, those would be cool. Here's the mage's staff we grabbed in our curbside "garbage" scavenging. James said he could insert a crystal that lights up. And I'll wrap the grip with black leather.

Oh, by the way,"other ones," I was sitting in the chair next to him. After one pic, he asked me to "come closer." Lol. Once again, making assumptions without knowing the facts or the whole story. SMH.

And the WSJ guy is writing a BOOK, not an article. Lol...that takes time.

Also, we did not bid, even once, on the dog money. LOL LOL. :)

Presby, you must have some strange obsession with me. I mean, Rooster tried to start a chase related topic, but once again, YOU divert the thread to me. People are starting to think that I'm all you think about.

For the record, we have not asked F to endorse our business. I have never claimed our business will be a success. I am fully aware of the work involved in making a business successful. I have an EXCELLENT work ethic, as both the AF and my former employer can attest. I am going to give it my best shot, and learn along the way. I have never claimed I will be as successful as F, although I will definitely try.

It would be great if people started to see the "other ones" get their facts straight.

Peacing Out

Well, school starts tomorrow, and we are registering Joe for school today. WE just got his school records yesterday at 2:30 and we raced down to the centralized registration location, and we were the last in line before a guy locked the door behind us. We heard him say there was still a four to five hour wait. Joe and I looked at each other and shook our heads. The guy told me that the secret was getting to the place an hour early, and then we would be first in line. So, that's why I'm up so early today. :)

We went to GoodWill yesterday (yes, we sometimes shop at GoodWill, and ours is really nice). Joe and I both got some really nice stuff. After registration today, we'll stop at Wal Mart for the ungodly amount of school supplies he will need.

Yesterday was busy all around. The day before, our upstairs AC went out again. We were dreading it would be the compressor, but it wasn't, and the AC guy had it cooling again within an hour. Then the usual early afternoon storm rolled in and knocked out power until 3:00, so I couldn't get online to print shipping labels for some stuff I sold. 

A scam artist (more like a scam bumbler) from Nigeria tried to scam-buy a watch and actually somehow got my phone number and TEXTED me that PayPal had approved his payment. Well, I've heard of some scams involving texts-- if you answer them, you end up with a thousand dollar phone bill. So, I communicated solely through eBay, much to the scammers chagrin.

The scammer then emailed some fake Paypal approval messages. I seriously laughed out loud when I saw them:

After checking PayPal just in case somehow this was legit and confirming it wasn't, I sent this email to the buyer:

Then I reported the buyer, and soon after, received this response:

Yes, I see where I shouldn't have communicated with the "buyer," but I didn't know not to until after I got this e-mail. So, lesson learned for the next time. 

This morning, Joe and I made it to registration and only waited about a half hour. Then we went to his school and got him into AP courses, and possibly the Cambridge University Program that's supposedly equivalent to IB. The guidance counselor said some universities in the US don't accept the Cambridge courses, so for right now, until we know more about it, he chose a full schedule of AP courses, mostly history and science. 

And tonight, I booked a hotel near Charleston, SC for the weekend plus Monday night, so we can watch the eclipse at the scene. The weather for viewing the eclipse (as of now) is supposed to be best in the Southeast. So that should be a fun trip! 

I'm nervous, as all moms are, about the first day of school tomorrow, especially in a new school. I'll be glad when Joe gets home and reports a good first day. As far as clubs this year, he wants to join Model UN and Mock Trial, and possibly Debate. For his scholarship resume, he wants to do his community service hours at the zoo. That will be pretty awesome. I will probably volunteer at his school this year as a "Club Mom." It was fun last year. 

Anyway, I started this post this morning, and now it's already time for a bath...so, goodnight, y'all. 

Sweet dreams filled with Unicorns, Vikings, and Red Hearts.