Birdy bird birdy

Growing up my grandfather was bound to a wheelchair, a car accident as a young adult and there he was spending the rest of his life sitting.  He made the most of it I suppose and kept himself involved in various wheelchair sports, landed himself in the Wheelchair Basketball Hall of Fame.  But by the time I was around and old enough to remember a good deal of his time ended with him in his bed....directly next to his bed was a giant picture window and right outside of that window was home to bird feeders.  I don't know how many but it was a bunch and my grandparents kept them filled all year battled with squirrels and other pesky little things eating up all the seeds.   Consequently I feel a little drawn to birds...I have feeders here but I keep them filled about 3 time a year, I try!  
Except I  have what seems to be an affinity for random bird incidents.  However they aren't sweet birds chirping at me or showing up nearby at random times....they involve death and poop and wtf just happened moments.  This morning I took the kids to school got home and decided to fill up the baby pool for the little ones and have some outside play today...did some piddling around in the yard.  Ran my hand thru my hair and discovered something dry and crusty...I knew it was bird shit and yep a quick glance it sure was.  Who knows how long it was there....Hardy har birds hardy har...Not the first time they have gotten me either.  Pretty sure this makes #3.  Also pretty sure I heard them in the trees cackling.   In TN we had a dying turkey mysteriously end up in our 6 foot fenced yard best guess after inspecting around was that the darn thing flew up over our fence and slammed itself into the side of our house.  Dunno why it did that but poor thing kicked the bucket.  Slammed a pigeon into my windshield driving 70 mph down the interstate as the poor thing desperately tried to fly faster than my car in the pouring rain in the fast lane...basically I was stuck and his butt slammed into my window.  Slaughtered a duck while, again, cruising down a road in the pouring rain didn't see it until it was too late and klonk clanked his head and sent feathers flying.  Whoops.  Watched many a hawk swoop in and snag a pour tiny critter right out of the grass.  We have had birds in the garage and birds in the house.
You know it may be Mother Nature in general...found a snake in my bathroom when it fell.out.at.my.feet.  I died a little there.  Discovered a chipmunk in the laundry basket AFTER I picked up the clothes and it fell out--thankfully back into the basket.  As a kid I managed to step in cow poop waiting for the bus and then sat on my foot...had to call home for new clothes as I was covered in manure.  Come up on deer at various startling moments.  Had a snake slither between my feet while standing in a pile of leaves...on the edge of a cliff.  Basically I think I have a mark on me and these little critters like to just keep me on my toes.   It's ok I will keep on keeping on with my Snow White self....or wait...I don't think that's quite right either.

Back to school

Wednesday marked the first day back to school for 5 of the kiddos....the 2018/2019 school year is off and running.   We have 2 in high school, 1 in middle, and 2 in elementary.  Anna will start a little MDO type program at the end of the month....I am excited for her, she will love it once she gets over the initial "shock" of it all!  And she may surprise me and do just fine...I was certain Nolan was going to struggle when he started and he didn't shed a tear.
It's currently nap time around here and I am at my desk....avoiding cleaning it and enjoying the peace and quiet.  It's been raining for a few days now and the sun is slowly starting to peek back out.  I am day dreaming the day when we can do all the things we have been need/wanting to do to the house...all the houses.  Our first house we had all the grandiose plans and instead just threw in the towel and moved...the 2nd house was new and I don't suppose we had too many ideas that we would have ever finished instead we (read *I*) rearranged bedrooms every few months and called it a day.  Basically much of the same here...it's rotating bedrooms around here trying to find the best configuration, the best use of space....we are at a good spot now...I THINK.  But as with any house after 8 years of living here and nearly 30 years of being built it needs a fair amount of TLC that a coat of paint won't help.   We are able to DIY a good portion but are about at our limit with it.  And my antsy self is tapping my foot and trying to not look at it...afterall money does not grow on trees and with 6 kiddos and one income it's a little trickier to come by the extra needed.   So patience is a virtue I am trying to snag....sigh.  Patience.  Always patience.
Speaking of antsy...after 16+ years of being a stay at home mom...home maker...I am exactly that ANTSY.  I am over the laundry folding, dusting, butt wiping, snot cleaning, food making, toilet cleaning, organizing, picker upping...all the live long day.  Now I certainly know that that's the territory with being a parent...home or not home.  But certainly is less of it when one is not home all day every day.  So while I have a few more years before this youngest little person is off to school full time...my mind is spinning and pondering out ideas with what I plan to do with myself...I wouldn't trade these last two years with her...I have really been grateful and thankful to have been able to spend the time home with them.  It is truly what I wanted to do...be with them, have fun with them.  I certainly had and have other aspirations with my life other than "just being a mom" but top up on that list was exactly that.   One day I sure hope these little boogers appreciate it all...right now not so much but maybe eventually.  As my brain melts away and turns to mush...I spend half my days wandering around trying to figure out what to do with myself, knowing I can't really start too many or too much of a project because..Kids.  I keep my nephews during the week so my flexibility right now is greatly limited...also damnit I don't want to clean shit all darn day either.  LAME.  Our washing machine is on it's last leg for some reason so the highlight of my day is when it completes a load without a snag.  Party time people...party time.  But the sun is shining and so are these little people.
My 20 year high school reunion is tonight, something I will NOT be attending.  I don't have overly fond memories of high school...I don't know why really...but other than a small handful of folks I am pretty good to just not.  I was just there...another face in the crowd, I had a small group of friends and a few I was closer with as the years went but none I have stayed in touch really other than social media...but does that really count?  I was a good girl and then for a hot minute or 4 I wasn't...graduated hung over as shit and blah is how it ended.  Truth be told it makes me sad...I remember people and events but then many are just faces and I am scratching my head wondering how I can't remember names and places and events.  High school is a funny time...and I was just....there.  I hope my kids have fonder memories and happier times...I try not to be too crotchety about it to them, high school for some is the best but no not this girl.  So I am good...to stay right here.  I like here much better.
Also holy shit...20 years...and yet I still feel like this is all make believe and I am really just a 16 year old kid.  Life goes...life just goes.