Happy and Sad Summer Days

 Hamlet:
Alas, poor Yorick! I knew him, Horatio, a fellow of infinite jest, of most excellent fancy. He hath bore me on his back a thousand times, and now how abhorr'd in my imagination it is! 

(Dad is great givin' us a skull to play.... to the tune of "Dad is great givin' us chocolate cake" Bill Cosby)

 In the attempt to keep mud and grass out of the pool we spread a few rocks around.

 It took about 2-1/2 days to fill it up.

 For the first time I am going to have to consider sunscreen for some faces.  Normally we don't do sunscreen (go ahead and gasp) but with all this water, I'm considering...

 Only at our pool will you find it's very own electricity system.  Truly, it has its very own solar panels and batteries to store the excess.  Runs the pump.

 I came in from harvesting weeds to hear this unbelievable racket. I was told it was "To beat the band".  The littles had made up their own band and were making any amount of racket.  I will admit it definitely was to beat the band.

 Drat, I wish you could see her adorable baby blues.

 Tis the season for popsicles.... and icees.

 And lots of food coloring. I know there was a day I would have never in a million years bought something with RED food coloring. I shudder to imagine what is happening to their innerds....

 Worse yet.... the baby got one.  Go ahead, email me an article about the dangers of icees for babies.

 This is the last time Poppy has been in the pool.... she's banned from pools and popsicles til she is potty trained. Go ahead and send me an email about how she is likely to be damaged for life by this.  I think she is my most stubborn child, she clearly doesn't want to use the potty.... she says so herself.

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Good Bye Guiseppe

 Guiseppe was born 3 months before Sam.  So he's been our door mat for 16 years.  This day (Wednesday the 13th) he just didn't look well at all.

 He was a well-loved dog.  He was the off-spring of the puppy Aragorn had given me for my birthday just before we got married.  That poor dog, Copernicus, was run over by a cattle truck in our driveway at the old house.  Anyway,  Frodo, who was never a dog lover (rather a cat lover), faithfully nursed our poor dog in his last hours and was there for his last breath. 

 Um... excuse me, but is that my red tablecloth?
Oh yes, but it had some holes in it.

He died right next to where he always stood and barked whenever I drove in the driveway. He was very helpful in letting me know when I had arrived.

I had one child weeping at my side and Pippin poking at the dog saying, "But I just want to play with the dead dog" (with the tone of "I've alllllways wanted to play with a dead dog... please???"

 Packing the pup into the herse-of-sorts

 And the first funeral procession began

 I don't know how a nakee tot got loose.

 We needed to stop the procession because it gets to be hard work pushing a wheelbarrow with a flat tire.  Notice that Pippin is carrying "the rock". This was to be the headstone. 

 Changing of the carts.

 A plot was finally decided upon.

 Frodo started to try and dig a hole, however it's much easier to dig a hole in the movies than it is in real-life.  So we waited until Sam got home from work to dig up the grave with a digger.

 So that evening the 2nd procession began.

 Good by Guiseppe

 Let me just say that this is how these 2 rascals came to rosary one night.

It just seemed rather unconducive to prayer, but for some reason they needed to experience a mohawk.  I'm glad they got it out of the system before the family Rosary.