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Hello blog readers. I hope you are well and enjoying the Summer Season.   Our Summer has been busy with a beach trip with the Airstream, a camping trip, and visiting local attractions. On the days we are home and inside due to a much-needed rest day, I like to have a stash of new things the kids can enjoy.   We reviewed a bunch of new toys this Summer, starting with a science kit from Smithsonian. I like anything Smithsonian. My parents used to load up the family station wagon with my sister, brother, and I and head to the Smithsonian for breakfast, yep breakfast. It was a member perk. We rarely stayed to wander about the Institute because my mom was on a shopping mission to the greater Washington D.C. area best in clothing shopping, so now I can kind of re-live my childhood. The Smithsonian Mars Dig Science Kit  we opened up on one of those days the humidity was high, and the temperature was way over my comfort zone.  I give the Smithsonian Mars...

How fun is this movie for Summer time! I love the movie theater in the Summer. It's super cold, the aroma of popcorn and sugar fill the air of the theater and the noise of patrons finding the best seat in the house.  quick synopsis on WHERE THE CRAWDADS SING and official video: From the best-selling novel comes a captivating mystery: Where the Crawdads Sing   tells the story of Kya, an abandoned girl who raised herself to adulthood in the dangerous marshlands of North Carolina. For years, rumors of the “Marsh Girl” haunted Barkley Cove, isolating the sharp and resilient Kya from her community. Drawn to two young men from town, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world; but when one of them is found dead, she is immediately cast by the community as the main suspect. As the case unfolds, the verdict as to what actually happened becomes increasingly unclear, threatening to reveal the many secrets that lay within the marsh . official trailer 2  novel by Delia Owens. The...

The merry month of May is here. Why is May merry? I'm not sure, but I'd say because the day has more sunshine hours and the flowers that are blooming now are so nice from the Winter days inside. Open the windows! With warmer weather I see the teams out on the field playing baseball, soccer, and people walking or running through neighborhoods and parks. The first thing I do after a walk is kick off my shoes as I walk in the door. I won't come back to those shoes until the next time I go for a walk or bike ride. Depending on the weather, a shower might be in order after a walk. Whatever sport or activity you participate in, Arm & Hammer now has a New Sport Collection. Let's get back to the shoes I kicked off... NEW  Arm & Hammer Sport Gear & Shoe Refresher Spray contains Baking Soda. You know the stuff that absorbs odors. What is nice about the Sport Gear & Shoe Refresher Spray is that it also has odor neutralizing ingredients to absorb sweat & mois...

Here we are in Easter Week. Springtime bulbs are emerging from the cold winter ground and showing us the gorgeous colors of yellow, pink, purple, and white against the backdrop of trees getting ready to bloom. Soon after Easter is another holiday. Mother's Day is Sunday May 8, 2022. Mark your calendar.  Mother's Day is always on a Sunday, just like Easter is always on a Sunday. As far at the numerical date, I have to consult a calendar! Mother's Day also is the day the danger of frost has passed and the planting of blooming plants, garden vegetables, and perennials is safe.  I'm not sure the significance of these two events being on the same day is about, but I think the gardeners of the country do!  This week I'm setting my sights on cleaning the house, grocery shopping and getting ready for Easter Sunday. It's also a good week to get ideas going for Mother's Day gifts.  A HEART'S LANDSCAPE An Invitation to the Garden  of Moments  is a beautiful book b...

  Happy April is here. Spring is here. The outdoor life is here. Every morning I look out the window and I see the grass is growing more each day. This is our first Spring Season in our new home. We had a new house built on many acres and along with the many acres are all kinds of living creatures I hope to avoid as the cold leaves the forest floor.  We moved into the house in the cold days of Winter. I was glad to not see creatures of the ground as they were hibernating. At least I hope they were. That grass I see growing also has Poison Ivy, Oak, and Sumac in its environment.  I know what Poison Ivy looks like-well really, I don't because get the plants mixed up. As far as Oak and Sumac I need to consult a poisonous plant book. Who has time for that! I'll be stocking up on Cutter Poison  Ivy Wipes this season. I think any time of year is open for poisonous plant. The plant oil could just be there in any season. Be prepared with on-the-go...

The Tiger Rising comes to digital release on February 8, 2022. Based on The New York Times best-selling book by Kate DiCamillo. The film is based in rural Northern Florida. I never thought of Florida as rural or even having a Northern part, it just all seems South to me. But, then Florida is full of nature in the water and woodland.  In this story, there is a tiger living in a cage behind a cute retro looking motel in Florida where 12 year old Rob Horton and his Dad live.  My first thought was ok, where did this tiger come from, does someone care for the animal, and why is the tiger in a cage? I wouldn't feel safe if the tiger was roaming the streets of my town, but I also would feel sad the tiger was in a cage, all alone in the forest. Rob's mother passed away from an illness and he and his father have moved into the motel as their home. His father seems to keep his son at arms length in sharing any emotion at all. Rob of  course misses his mother, but he and...