MORE Competition

What the heck! Are they trying to put me out of business????

McDs has added a new feature to their drive-in window. This little contraption wasn't there at 6 AM this morning, or at least I didn't notice it (still a little dark at that time). By 9 AM it had magically appeared at my local walk-thru. Now who had this brilliant idea? This particular collection point is not one of the more lucrative spots so I doubt that it will effect my totals all that much. Time will tell.

Money Walker, have you noticed any of these in the south? As of this afternoon when I went grocery shopping the other local McDs doesn't have one..... yet.

$3.26 and another debit card to return

The competition

Picking up coins and objects is something I learned from my father. He would bring the car to a screeching halt for just about anything that he saw in the road, especially tools. Mom claims that he stopped the car on a Los Angeles freeway once to retrieve a screwdriver and nearly got both of them killed in the process.

Found objects are nothing new to me. About eight years ago I found a woman's wedding ring in a downtown gutter. It was a beautiful solitaire setting and the stone was nearly a carat. The local Lost and Found ads produced nothing for weeks. The ring was examined by numerous jewelers, all with differing opinions as to the authenticity of the stone. Some said real diamond, others said fine quality fake. But the setting was definitely gold. (In the end it was determined to be a CZ, at which time Zeus informed me that if the jewelers couldn't tell the difference by looking through a loupe then he had purchased his last diamond.)

Serious numismatising began five years ago. While I was out walking I would pick up curbside coins and bring them home to Zeus. We called them his Lucky Pennies. For Father's Day Eris made him a personalized jar to collect them for a rainy day. As my ralking became more frequent the skill of numismatising became more of an art. (That's right, an art!)

Just as my father taught me about street finds I'm finding that my children and grandchildren are also becoming quite adept at spotting round, shiny objects. When Little and Littlest were very small I would point out a coin to them and they would scamper to pick it up. They were easily convinced to put it in my left pocket (the "lucky penny pocket") or to proudly give it to Grandpa when they got back to the house.

Those days are past. No way will they give up a found coin. Worse than that, they are RUTHLESS when it comes to spotting and pocketing. Those who were once my trainees of numismatising have now become my competition.

(The photo above was taken last week after our Gateway trip. The empty hand belongs to Jubee, who has not fully embraced the concept of numismatising.)

Oh, it makes a grandmother smile! And to all the rest of you who proudly boast of your exciting finds, congratulations! It makes my heart sing!

$1.46

Spot the body

Let's play the game "What's wrong with this picture"?

Last week while we were at the big aquatic center I handed Jubee my camera (yeah, the BIG camera) so I could play on the waterslide with the kids. Later that evening as I was going through the shots I came across this one. The image below is the same one, just cropped in very closely.

Who says we don't keep a close eye on the kids? And just so you know, that is Mr. Eris, Jr. under the water and he is alive and still swimming.

$2.10

and a Walmart gas card, unfortunately with a $0 balance. Oh well, I was hopeful.

English Assignments

What a busy long weekend! The English Clan visited with us for four days. We packed in lots of activities during that time. It's always fun to visit with them.


Yesterday Muriel went shopping with Eris while Matt indulged in a couple more rounds of disc golf. I took the three older kids to explore the Nature Center and then on to the train station where they were able to crawl all over the old engines and cabooses. Hey, I didn't know that old cabooses were made out of wood! It was a very enjoyable afternoon.


Last night little Cameron and The Princess stayed with Zeus and me while all the older kids and parents went to a baseball game. These two little ones were a delight to watch as they played together. However, the Princess wasn't too sure about this "new guy" crowding in on her "grandpa time".

The house is eerily quiet today. Thanks for coming and we'll see you soon after No. 5 shows up!

$2.01

A note to Muriel: I promise to make up for the forgotten chocolate-covered jelly rings next time I see you!

Bathing suits and babies

Anticipation. Smiles. Backaches. Wonderment. Nature. Swollen feet. One boy. One girl.

September!

Getting out of town... again

Yesterday Zeus and I loaded five kids on Frontrunner again and traveled to the Big City for some fun. Jubee and K joined us this time which made Mr. Eris, Jr a much happier camper. Salt Lake City is undergoing some massive construction work right in the heart of the city. While Zeus went to the bookstore the rest of us wandered down Main Street where we all were amazed at the huge holes in the ground that were being filled will high-rise office buildings, shopping centers and condos.

Then it was back to the Gateway Center for some fun in the sun at the fountain. It wasn't as hot or as crowded as the last time we went down and the kids were soon soaked to the bone. After an ice cream treat we boarded the trains again for the pleasant return trip.

A few more photos are posted at the Shooting Blog. Thanks to the five for a splashing good time!

$2.16 plus a lost driver's license and debit card

plus

$.21 that Zeus brought back from his Oregon/California trip last week

A response to Eris' comment: Yes, she joined us for the last half of our excursion. As always, her presence was delightful! The photo below shows how she spends her daily commute on the train, except when she is sleeping, which she did for a good portion of the ride home!

Go-aheads!

When I was young girl they were known as thongs. Obviously, the noun thong has taken on a different meaning. They are also called sandals, rubbers, shower shoes and most commonly, flip flops.

Except at our house. About three years ago there was a lively discussion between Zeus and Little Ms. Eris. He had asked her to get her "go-aheads" on and she insisted that was incorrect, they were called flip flops. (Can you imagine Little arguing with anyone?) Zeus looked at her and explained that they were called "go-aheads" because you can only go forward in them, not backwards. She was puzzled. He then challenged her to walk backwards in her go-aheads. Two steps in reverse and she was out of them. Zeus won that one!

Last week while we were all at the baseball game I looked down at the feet of Little and Littlest. There were four dirty little feet propped up on the chair clad in four mismatched go-aheads. They didn't care and neither did anyone else.

This image tells much about our carefree summers.

$2.45 3/4 plus a wrench