Sunset & RAIN !!! And a Rant

Yes today we have RAIN !!  Yesterday Peanut and her friend were swimming in the pool.  Today we wake up to rain.  I LOVE it.  

This is my hybrid Tea rose called Perfect Moment.

It is a gaudy rose but it sure does grab your attention in the garden.

So I decided to add some blue to my sky in the sunset painting. At first I hated it and was kicking myself for destroying my pretty sunset. But I let it dry for a day and went back and softened the cobalt blue and the alizarin crimson. I like it now. I think the blue in the sky works to show why the water has blue. It is reflecting the sky.  Yeah for taking a risk.

Now I have to have a rant. Ready? Here goes.

So I pick Peanut up from school and we head over to the public library. This is a newly built library and has a lot of things there for kids to learn. They have live critters in tanks (fish-tanks) like snakes, lizards, guinea pigs, bugs, birds and fish.

They also have a round table that has a fake tree growing up through the center and on this table are 4 stations of computers.

So when the kids want to use the computers they have to ask the lady at the desk to put in the password.  Peanut came up to me and asked to use the computer. I said sure, go ask the lady or man to put in the password. So she went and did that.

I was about 7 yards from this computer station at a table. I had my knitting bag and my huge sweater spread out, yarn and needles. My purse and a stack of books that Peanut picked to check out.  So then Peanut comes up to me and says," you have to sit with me or I can't use the computer."  I said, "What?"  She said that I had to be next to her in order to use the computer.  So I went up to the desk and waited for the lady to look up.  I said that my child was at the computer and I have all my knitting spread out over there (pointed finger) and I can see her very clearly. She said that I had to sit next to Peanut.  I said "why? I can see her." She said that sometimes kids poke pencils at the screen.  I said, "my child is 8 years old and has no pencil."  The lady said "It is policy that parents sit with the child."  

I looked at the kids around this part of the library and at the computers. The average was 3 to 4 years old.  I argued a little more. The lady said that I could go sit on the chairs next to the computers.  I just walked away really mad at how stupid it all was.

So here is what I figured out.  If I am next to my child I will parent her. If I am 7 yards away I will let her do whatever she wants to do.  Next to her I will tell her to stop poking the monitor with her imaginary pencil. Seven yards away I will let her poke the screen to her hearts content.  I guess we parents stop doing our job if we are any distance from our kid.

Do any of you remember when your mom would take you to the library?  My mom would drive up, drop us off and she would go grocery shopping and then come pick us up an hour later.  Or she would go into the adult section while me and Susan would go to the kids section.  Or at the mall, my mom would drop us off to Walk the Topanga Plaza in Woodland Hills and to shop with our allowance. 

Sometimes we would go ice skating there while she did her shopping. But we were left on our own.  I think it helps kids learn to be responsible and think for themselves because they don't have a parent hanging over them saying, "don't do that , go here, blah blah blah"

My mom trusted us. We wanted to make her proud. We were good girls.

I liked having the freedom that she allowed us. I know that I was a very shy girl and I would act different when adults were watching me. I mean I was very silly with my friends but I was more quiet around adults. 

Ok, end of rant.  I need to see another pic of my roses to calm me down.

This is another pic of Perfect Moment that I took this morning.

While I was out taking photos I snapped one of The Prince. He is a David Austin english rose.  His fragrance is so yummy.

Today The Prince is a little deeper pink than this color. It is a deep magenta. It depends on the heat of the weather. 

But on cool days like today the fragrance is so strong. 

When I moved to this house I wanted to plant the strongly fragrant roses at the entry way of my house. So everyone has to pass this rose on the way to the front door.  Mmmmmmmmmm

Today is the last day of school.  It is a min. day. Then we have 2 months of summer vacation. Peanut is so excited.  I am happy to have a break in the routine. I am hoping for a great third grade when school begins in the fall.

Rant #2

Now here is something to think about.  A few days ago I got in my mail a letter for my son.  He has lived in Idaho since March 2007. Yes that is 3 years.

So more than 2 years ago a jury summons came and I fill in the section that he moved with his new address. I sent it back to the courts.

Well this weekend another jury summons came. It was RED and it said that since he had not responded to past summons' that he had no more excuses and he would be in contempt of court with the threat of jail.

So I call the phone number on the summons.  I have to go through ten min. of voice message. No way to get a live person till you listen to this whole thing.

So I get the live person. She was nice.  I told her that I had sent in the change of address over 2 years ago. She said it goes off of his drivers license. I said but he got an Idaho drivers license right away in 2007. She said, did Idaho's DMV send his Calif. license back to us?  I didn't know. She said that when it is time to renew the Calif. license then he will be off the jury mailing list.  In the meantime just put "Not at this Address" on the summons and send it back. So why did they have that section on the other jury summons for when you move out of the county or state?

Oh brother. Who knew?  I have a big problem with stupid rules that just give us citizens the run around. (Library rules included)

Something to know about Carol. Things that bug her: 1. stupid rules 2. packaging

Things that calm me? 1. Bible 2. my kitties 3. knitting  4. painting 5. gardening 6. family (not in any order)

Breakfast is always good with a friend.

Now go smell your roses!