A Little Lesson on Viscosity

We had a fun little at home science lesson the other day. Handsome went to the store on the way home and picked up several containers of corn starch. No, I did not make 25 batches of pudding when he came home. We did that fun little experiment of corn starch and water. You know, the one where you mix them together and you have a sort-of liquid/sort-of solid. The kids had a blast. Poking, pushing, stirring, pouring, and in general making a huge mess. If any of you have not ever done this, you should. Pour a bit of water into a large bowl, add corn starch until the water cannot hold any more, and play! The really fun thing about this is that corn starch and water, when together, make what is referred to as a non-newtonian fluid. It is a fluid that under certain circumstances doesn't keep properties of a liquid and turns into a semi-solid. A fluid that changes its viscosity (look that up). At times it acts as a fluid and allows items to pass through it without much resistance. Such as when you place a coin on the top and it quickly is lost to the depths of the bowl. Other times the mixture acts as a solid. When trying to move the liquid quickly or trying to push an item through it, the fluid solidifies and does not allow the object to pass. In other-words, it's a ton of fun for small children and adults alike to play with. You can scoop some up into your hand and it is like holding a handful of mud; slippery, gooey, sticky, and it doesn't stay in your hand, it runs out. Or you can poke at it with some force and be totally fascinated when the fluid stops your finger time and time again. So there you go: a fun science experiment with a non-newtonian fluid that changes its viscosity (say that five times fast!). Have fun!!

My New Backyard

They're coming to take me away, Hee Hee!

They're coming to take me away, Ho Ho!

To the Funny Farm

Where people weave little baskets and twiddle their toes.

When boy meets donkey.

Ppppplllllhhhhh!

Is wishing for a normal day a bad thing? If so, I'm a bad person. Of course, with Mr O and Peaches, no day is normal. Each day is new and different with new adventures and new problems. Is it too much to want the expected now and again? Can I just have one day? Just one?

Scaly Feathers

So for the first time ever we went through the butterfly house. The kids were absolutely fascinated! The butterflies sure were beautiful.

April Fool!

To make my trip into town much more fun, we woke up to this. Now as many of you know, I live in an area that gets little to no snow. Seriously. A measly half inch is enough to put most drivers in the area into a tizzy. The number of car wrecks increases hugely with a small amount of snow. Because here, you get those who know how to drive in snow, and those who decidedly do not. Those who know how to drive in the snow use more caution, feather their brakes, and don't stomp on the gas. Those drivers who do not know how...try to drive like they do any other day or else drive 20 miles an hour, on the highway. Oh, and to top it off, the people who know how to drive are outnumbered 25 to 1 in this town. And I have to drive today, on the road, with all those people. Ugh. Yes, I know. There was only half an inch to begin with, and it is melting as I type this. But don't think for a second that it will stop people from freaking out and driving as described above. Because there WAS snow!

Sometimes, the Beatles are Right

A farm is a good thing. For everyone. Seeing animals. Loving animals. Just spending time taking care of something that can't talk back. There is a beauty, a love, that is always there with animals. They cannot tell you what they want. They cannot tell you when you've done something wrong. All they can do is take it, some with more grace than others. The farm is a place where speech isn't really necessary. All you need is a big heart and lots of patience. Animals respond to love. They all do. They are like children, just needing affection. We took several hours and spent the time loving on animals. There were the puppies to begin with. Only two are left (the rest have been sold), but oh what precious little bundles of fur they are! Wiggling with delight at the smallest touch. Squirming into our laps if we sat down. Licking any piece of exposed skin to death. Those little guys know how to love unconditionally. Once the puppies were worn out (temporarily at least), we moved on to the larger guys. The donkeys came up to say hello. Jesus (Hay-suse) putting his ever patient head down to the level of Peaches so she could give him love. He held his head there until she moved on, he is always patient with children. He loves adults too, but has a special affinity with kids. Jesus and Daisy moved on to graze on more of the tender shoots of grass that are beginning to show, and so we meandered on our way to the barn. Magic whinnied a hello, but wouldn't come in for a rub. Hobbs, Flicka, and Ditto (the big horses) all gathered around for a round of rubs, pats, and snuffles. Gwen was a huge favorite with them, Hobbs on one side and Flicka on the other. She patted and rubbed and loved them until they were done. And then, as we moved back toward the gate, they followed for a few paces as if to say "we're not done yet, come back and finish, please." Ducking through the gate, we went and spent some time with the new guys. Two baby miniature ponies. Ohhhh Soooo Cute! They are still incredibly skittish, but getting better since Miss A has been working so hard at just getting them acclimated to people. She is an amazing woman. These ponies are both just over a year old, and had never been really handled by people before coming to live with Miss A. For that reason, they are very cautious, but so sweet. We petted and brushed and loved on them for quite some time. Letting them become accustomed to us and the knowledge that we won't ever hurt them. Once they decided to move on, we slipped through another gate and got the big ponies. Oliver and Roy. We took them for a drive. Hitching them up and driving around the less busy streets of our small town. Wow! Those are some high-stepping ponies! They were chomping at the bits once their tack was in place. And once we got going, they didn't want to stop. Gwen did an amazing job driving. You never would have known it was her first time in a cart. She was awsome! The ponies kept going for nearly 45 minutes. By then, they were a bit sweaty, and ready to turn in. We put the tack back away, brushed them down, and noticed that it was time for dinner. Wow! Time sure does fly!