Monday blues...

A few weeks ago, while on "vacation" I had mentioned we took the older two grandkids to a Natural History Museum. Parts of it they enjoyed, parts they found boring; at almost 8 and almost 6 I can understand that...

One part they didn't like was when I asked what they thought of their cousins. There was a display of the entire human genome transposed with that of chimpanzees; it took up an "L" shaped wall that would probably be at least 6 feet by 12 feet. The differences were highlighted, and though it would have been easy to miscount with all the other distractions, I only found 10. I couldn't have missed more than a few...

So I took a photo of my cousins and I-



When I turned around Dottie was trying to help Talia look through the vertical scope on one of the displays-



so I went over and knelt on one leg so she could stand on it instead of Dottie trying to hold her.

For years now this museum has had a display that shows something of the real world in real time; the kids were impressed with this one!




We showed them that the bees are so smart that the ones that are carrying pollen back to the hive walk on the bottom and one side of the tube, and the ones going back out walk on the top and the other side. If only humans were as courteous on the road!



I should have probably tried for a better close-up of the hive, but keeping an eye on which child was doing what and where was about all the 2 of us could handle!

One of the floors displays snakes and some of the other "critters" native to our state. The kids are still talking about the snakes. By the time we finished that last floor, Dottie and I both were about walked out; Talia needed to "go", so I sat down on the steps while Dillon was looking over the rail at one of the fossils he found so boring earlier-




Little did I know when I tripped the shutter, lol! So I'm being a bit vague about the name of the museum, just in case, though I'm sure they must expect this to a certain extent!

We got Bill moved out of his (thank goodness) walkout basement apartment and into the 3rd story one they were moving into. We're very glad the fridge, washer and dryer came with it, as getting their treadmill and excercise bike, along with a full length sofa, queen size bed, and two computer desks were enough big things to deal with for us older folks! Her Dad came and helped, and I'll be forever grateful, as it was raining off and on, 90, and the humidity was terrible! They didn't have power until today, so the only A/C was in our trucks as we made trips back and forth, and in the old apartment as we were loading up. The staircase was narrow enough that the bed and the couch had to be passed over the rail at the top of each set of steps because it wouldn't make the corner. The treadmill we would get to the top and then lean it to shorten it enough to go around the rail, but it's a heavy commercial one. I thought it might kill us before we got it there!

We started at 8 and got the small chest freezer moved to my sisters so it could plug back in, then got their bed moved before the rain started or her Dad got there. Though it was a queen, it isn't a top dollar one so Bill, Laura and I could handle it before her Dad got there. Laura had worked the night before, so she was already exhausted, and after the last of the big things were moved her Dad took the things they weren't taking (dining room set and tables) with him and headed home. Laura went to my sisters to sleep, and Dottie, Bill and I made the last half dozen trips with clothes and smaller things.

By 8 when we made the last trips up the steps it was getting too dark to see in the apartment, Bill was exhausted and Dottie and I were pretty wiped out as well. We went and bought them some cleaning supplies and left them at the old place and they were going back to clean this morning; I spackled nail holes and then we ferried Bill and his car to my sister's house to sleep a few hours before Laura woke up and they went back to clean. She was planning on getting up at 3AM, as she also had class today and they were trying to catch the utiliities people at their new apartment as well.

We got home a bit after 9, got Dottie through the shower and started the laundry she needed for today, then I ran through before the washing machine hit the first rinse. By the time we ate it was 10; Dottie went to get up to put her plate in the sink and her replacement knee wasn't very happy...by the time she felt like moving again it was a bit after 12 and she went to bed. I kept our laundry running until 4:30AM.

She was up at 8 to go to work, I slept 'til a bit after 1 and have been running laundry since. Now it's time to start getting ready for my shift...hopefully less than 9.8 like they his us with last Monday!

Hope the weekend was kind to you all and that the photos bring a smile or two to lighten those "Monday blues"...

alan