Raccoon skeleton

Just a lot of staying in the moment and preparing for Cliff's return. We have been busy and finally went down to see our horse friend yesterday. On the way down the grassy, tree-lined trail we saw the skeletal remains of our deceased raccoon we found a few weeks or less ago. We brought the skeleton back to the house. My sister's husband was outside when we returned and he suggested we put it in a fire ant bed to get the tiny bits of meat cleaned off. In about a week we will try to sterilize it. This is all new to us, so it should be a neat experiment. We are very excited about it and all natural the learning involved. The decaying process and seeing some of the other creatures involved in this process has been interesting.

We did some experiments week using some ideas we got from "Back Yard Science," a library book we have had a few weeks. We made a bird house using an empty, plastic carton and hung it in a back yard tree. So far no birds have taken refuge there. Another thing we did was made a bird bath using some unused plant pots. It is a little flimsy, but it works. We did a few other things and are always making new discoveries every day.

Last week Holden got a Rescue Pet at Walmart (I know WALMART?). It is a stuffed, toy dog that doesn't do anything, but it gains him access to an on-line site for kids called "My Epets." Both boys have really enjoyed the games and other features involved. Holden is getting very comfortable with using the computer and getting around on this site. He writes down numbers to show me how many points he has (if I am not able to stop what I am doing and look at it myself) and plays games for credits to go toward virtual things to buy for his pet and on-line home. I have fun watching both boys learn new things and get excited about life.

The days go very quickly!!! If we are not playing with neighborhood friends, cooking, cleaning, or hanging out with family, we are probably outside or asleep.

(See the four leaf clover Holden found?. I was impressed! I couldn't find one.)