Crumpled Home

The good news is that November is over (and we’re exhausted). The bad news is that December is on the way, which is sure to be even busier!

This month we survived a bout of the plague, and went to the city to learn some new skills for Heritage Days. Dad got even older than he used to be and now he’s even older. We built our own shelter and enjoyed a terrific Thanksgiving dinner.

RJ suffered from a horrible bout of chicken pox for a day, but awoke the next morning completely spot free with no symptoms! Vaccine FTW!

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In October, we drove south to Eagle Bay with some friends for a few days, and north to Gingin for a weekend with Grammy and Poppa. RJ had his first t-ball game and… his team won! In the middle of all of this (and the Royal Show AND Halloween) we somehow found the time to visit Scitech with some friends to see some of their new exhibits. Wow! We need a break!

We took a trip down to Eagle Bay and had a great time in the water. It's a lot easier to do now that the weather's warming up!

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LR: Do cats need to eat anything except meat?

Mom: Well, they’re obligate carnivores, which means they have to eat some meat to survive. They can’t process plants and get all the nutrients they need that way.

(RJ suddenly joins the conversation, hijacks it, and manages to drive it into the sun)

RJ: (speaking a mile a minute) Cats are carnivores. But do you know what? Dogs are carnivores too. They LOVE meat. They’ll eat meat all the time. Our dog, Scarlet? She loves to eat meat. She even loves hunting, especially around Easter time… She hunts rabbits.

We’ve looked, but we can’t find this one anywhere.

Click to enlarge.

(RJ runs in from outside)

RJ: It’s not good, Dad! Our family has some BIG problems.

Dad: What do you mean?

RJ: Well, I tried to lay the cat down in the dog’s bed.

Dad: No luck?

RJ: She just wont stay in there. She does NOT like it.

Dad: Maybe it’s the smell or something. Weird.

RJ: Yeah! And when I put her in, the dog started freaking out and got out of the bed too! Our family does NOT get along.

June flew past in a hurry. The kids put together an impromptu magic show one morning, and LR played piano for a huge crowd. RJ flew and continued to be full of surprises. We spent an evening outside taking German lessons in the dark, and the kids channelled their inner zombies while discovering where all their good ideas come from.

RJ took flying lessons at one of his friend's birthday parties. That trampoline practice came in handy!

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(extremely excited about a new idea)

RJ: … it’s just like the rice we found growing in Bali, except with the grass and leaf bits taken off and we could plant it in our own garden and have small fields in there, some with rice and some with wheat and some with alfalfa and we could collect it up each year and gather it into big bales and we could have Scarlet carry it around on her back, she’s super strong you know, like one of those animals… called… what are they called again?

Dad: Umm… I’m not sure exactly what you’re talking about…

RJ: You know! Those animals! The ones that carry stuff!

Dad: Animals? That carry stuff?

RJ: Yeah! Hay dogs! That’s it! She could be our hay dog and carry it all around for us and then we could sell it to people at the market!

(while eating breakfast)

RJ: Scarlet’s feet are clicking… Click click click.

Dad: Is that a problem?

RJ: Yes. It reminds me of giant spiders walking around the house… Giant spiders that eat people.

Dad: Maybe we could train one. We could have it as a pet!

RJ: No. That’s not a good idea.

Dad: Why not?

RJ: Because Grammy doesn’t mind little spiders, but she would be scared of a giant spider and she would freak out.

Dad: Fair enough. Can’t say I’d blame her.

We took a quick trip up to Gingin over the weekend and discovered that some of the trees had fruit on them. We also drove around the farm, stopping at the big pit for an explore. On the way back, we scouted for bones in the fields and discovered a complete fox skeleton, with teeth and everything else intact!

Foxxy made the rounds at the kids’ schools for show-and-tell, and was a big hit!

LR is fully loaded up with mandarines from the citrus trees.

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(during breakfast)

RJ: Braaaaains…. Braaaains… I … need … brains…

Dad: Have you checked your sister? She might have some to spare.

RJ: (turning to LR) Braaaains?

LR: Sorry RJ. I need all my brains.

RJ: Braaaains…

Dad: How about the dog? Actually, forget that. She doesn’t have any brains.

LR: (protesting) Yes she does!!!

RJ: Braaaains…

Mum: Here you go RJ. Porridge for us, and a big fresh bowl of brains for you.

RJ: Thank you mummie zombie.

Mum: You’re welcome little zombie.