Snapshots: Patriotic Photos

Happy Fourth! There actually isn't anything particularly patriotic about these snapshots. Other than the fact that they're pictures of Life in These United States, since that's where we live.

Anyway.

We got a lot of rain last week. A little over three inches, as a matter of fact. This is very exciting, although it does make it kind of hard to dry laundry. And there is always more laundry to be done during rainy periods, thanks to all the mud. And all the children who like to play in the mud.

I did manage to get eight hours or so of dry-enough weather to get laundry dry.

Well, it did get completely soaked during a heavy cloudburst in the afternoon, but it dried the next day.

While I hang laundry, Poppy practices on her balance beam.

Old oilfield pipe is probably the closest she'll ever get to a gymnastics lesson.

When the rain stopped and the sun came out, we all went outside. Unfortunately, we weren't the only ones getting out into the sun.

Not Howard. At least, according to A.

I came within about two feet of that bull snake and would have stepped on it if I hadn't seen it just in time while I was on my way to the garden.

I retreated, giving it time to slither away, and then continued into the garden, where I saw . . .

A literal serpent in the garden. (Also not Howard.)

I do not appreciate having that jolt of snake-inspired adrenaline twice in the span of about three minutes. Although, as A. pointed out, we may have a lot of bull snakes around, but we haven't had any gophers, rattlesnakes, or rats lately. So I guess the bull snakes can stay.

I went to the dentist on Thursday and stopped in at a dollar store for a new bathmat. On my way to the cash register, I saw a mug that amused me so much I actually bought it:

No one else seemed to find it as funny as I did, but I still laugh internally whenever I imagine Samson's hedonistic pleasure when he manages to get through a gate to eat previously unreachable weeds.

And there you have it! My life, snapshotted.