Attention Family & Friends, let the fundraisers begin!!!

This is my favorite time of year. The kids are back to school. My house stays nice and clean. Autumn is just around the corner. AND, the VERY BEST PART, every school, sport and scout group is selling something!

Sale #1

If any of my family and friends would like to order Dutch Gardens flower bulbs, then give me a call or send me an email! You can see the choices online and I need the money by Sept 10. Morgan's class gets half of all sales, this will help pay for their field trips this year. The bulbs will be delivered in early October.

These bulbs are 100% guaranteed. They will arrive just in time for their correct planting times. The bulbs are between $10 & $20. I checked the growing zones for Susanville, and all the bulbs will are marked as in our zone. Check them out here: http://www.flowerpowerfundraising.com/products.asp

Sale #2

The Girl Scout Fall Fundraiser will be going on soon, probably near the end of September or early October. Last year we sold candy, nuts, and magazines. More info TBA. I know you all need candy, magazines, and nuts, so don't be shy! They make great Christmas gifts!! LOL I hate fundraisers, but the money for the kids is always nice.

Sale #3 I need a vacation, please feel free to donate. I will accept any amount, lol. I can wish right!!??

Missed the eclipse....

I didn't get up to see the eclipse. I was having difficulties with the right camera settings. So I was lazy and stayed in bed, lol. If anyone saw it, leave a message and tell me what I missed!

Skunked at 1 am!!!!!!!!!

His eyes still hurt. Poor puppy! This is just after his 2nd bath.

My pup is so pathetic! He wanted me to hold him, but I was trying to take the pictures, lol. Poor doggie.

My eyes are still puffy!!!

My sweet little Boston Terrier, Zito, is like my 3rd child, lol. He just turned one year old at the start of August. He loves when I baby him!!! I think that has led to him being so pathetic when he thinks he is in trouble, or has done something, etc. He scoots low to the ground and usually rolls over on his back and puts his paws in the air, he is not an alpha male! Tonight hubby and I were watching something on the Discovery Channel. Maybe it was the History Channel, I am not sure. I was dozing off and Zito kept wanting to go out back. It was getting to be an annoyance, either stay inside or stay outside. He is worse then the kids, lol. I should have realized he was up to something. At 1 am I opened the door and realized he was hurt. His eyes were closed tightly and he was pawing furiously at his face. SKUNKED!!!!!

I ran him to the shower. OMG, the smell was horrible. The skunk sprayed Zito's face and chest. It was DISGUSTING!!! After being washed (baking soda and dawn dish washing detergent) and rinsed off a few times, I got most of the smell off. Around his eyes smells horrible. I was careful of his eyes, but its just not taking the smell away. I tried baking soda and lemon juice. The smell is still there, but the baking soda and lemon juice had a fun reaction when mixed. (Totally off-topic) I can't wait to show Jack tomorrow when he wakes up. He wants to be an 'experiment man' when he grows up, lol. He will be VERY impressed with the bubbling action of the lemon juice and baking soda. Anyway........

My entire house smells horrible right now. We left the back windows and doors closed, but opened up everything else. My hubby set up fans, and has the air freshener going at all times, lol. Still, the smell lingers........its so gross. I can't sleep now! I am wide awake and 'enjoying' the discovery channel. I use that term loosely, lol. My hubby and the discovery channel!!

I hope the smell on Zito's face wears off soon, poor dog. Hopefully he will remember this and leave skunks alone. That is a long shot but you never know!

**Update** Zito's eyes aren't swollen anymore. He is feeling better but still smells like skunk. Luckily its not very strong. I wrapped him in an old towel and have been holding him. He loves the attention. Now off to bed. I hope I can sleep with the skunk smell, its not nice!

August 28, 2007 Lunar Eclipse

http://www.smm.org/buzz/image/august_28_2007_lunar_eclipse

Check this out! The west coast should have a great view of the eclipse! I am now reading about how to take photos of this. Ugh ya, not sure if I can or not, lol. I am not sure if my skills are up to par! For anyone interested, check this tutorial out:

http://www.eclipse-chasers.com/eclphot.htm

Susanville Air Show

We attended the Susanville Air Show on Saturday. Its a small town event and we enjoyed it. The CDF helicopter was taking off and landing, which was pretty cool. They also filled up the giant bucket under the helicopter and dropped it on the field near the crowd to demonstrate how they help put out fires. The kids loved seeing that.

http://www.susanvillestuff.com/airport.html

Hobo Camp

The river reflection caught the rocky mountainside that supports highway 36 west out of town.

Hobo Camp is located on the Bizz Johnson Trail and is a favorite spot for my kids. We like to walk on the bike trail and check out the swim areas near the pedestrian bridge over the river. There are many little trails and we have fun exploring them. Last week we were at Hobo Camp near sunset. I had to snap these fast. The kids were eager to throw rocks in the river and ruin the reflection, lol. They just don't appreciate a good photo op!!!!!

http://www.bizzjohnsontrail.com/

Sunset from Inspiration Point

This 'Big Truck' photo is for my 5 year old. He wanted me to photograph every semi, garbage truck, bus, and any other large vehicle driving up Main Street. This truck was 'Really super awesome' according to my son. Gotta love little boys and their fascination with anything that moves.

I was hoping the hazy smoke from a fire west on Highway 32 would lead to a spectacular sunset. I was wrong, but the view from Inspiration Point is awesome. I had never been there before and was pretty impressed by the view. These photos were taken on two separate nights during last week.

Gardening

My garden didn't get to far this year. My hubby built 3 nice garden beds. Unfortunately, that was as far as our vegetable garden went this year. We have sunflowers, nasturtium, and phlox all over, but no veggies. My friend, Denise, has a great garden. Her veggies are growing like crazy. The kids and I were with her recently and I took a few photos. The Diamond Mountians are the background of the corn row, its a great view!

August is here..........

Susan River

Susan River

Morning Sky

The Elks Lodge at the top of town on Main Street.

Can you believe that September is just around the corner? Where did the summer go? So far August has been mild, thank goodness. This week its supposed to be in the cool 80s, well, cooler then usual. This morning I decided to go take some photos at sunrise. I have to admit its been awhile since I have actually been outside for a sunrise, I am usually laying in bed 'hoping' the kids will sleep a little longer, lol. They are my early risers!

**Take a jacket to see the sunrise around Susanville!!!**

I was FREEZING this morning. It was 48 degrees and WINDY! It was too windy for photos, I was having issues even with my tri-pod set up. It didn't help that I was freezing too! Enjoy!