Visiting libraries and visiting Grammies

Our County that we live in has this awesome program called Inter-library loan system. If you need a certain book and your particular library doesn't have it you can request it from any of the other libraries in our county and it will be delivered to your library to pick up in a few days, all free of charge!  I take advantage of this privilege very frequently and really appreciate it greatly! The past year of so I keep seeing the name of this one library that intrigues me and also noticed that most of the books we get from that library are some of our favorites.  So last Thursday I was looking for some books on pheasant hunting and fly fishing (for Chase) and the books that popped up were at that library again. I wondered aloud what that library is and Chase heard me and came over to look over my shoulder as I looked it up.  Shut's environmental Library is in Lancaster Central Park in a 1880's farm house, right next to an environmental educational center.

Of course Chase said, "Can we go there mom? Can we go? Can we??"  He might have just wanted to get out of the rest of the school day but we had already accomplished quite a bit so I was game.  We piled into the car, punched it into the GPS and headed down to check it out.  The library itself was super cute and we wanted to check out all the books they had!  We made due with just the ones we could carry out to our car ;P  

The librarian was very nice and helpful too and was talking to Chase about gutting and skinning deer and fishing, etc.  I asked her some questions about the park and she gave me a map and said there is a road that you can drive all the way around the park on.  So we found that road and then stopped at the entrance to a native plant trail with wildflower meadow, sounds right up my alley!  Sadly we didn't have time that afternoon to hike the trail (even though nothing is blooming right now I still wanted to check it out)

But we did manage a couple pictures in this big white pine!  It made the kids smell good and also miss our pines at the old house.

All the books we got from the Environmental Library:

We'll have to make another trip down there some time soon.  Maybe once I whittle down my giant stack of "want-to-reads":

Chase found a fly tying book at the library and had to try making one right away with some of the deer fur he had saved from the deer he shot!

The next day my mom came up for a visit and stayed overnight.  She got here kind of late so we didn't have time to go on a hike like I had hoped but we played games all night and that was a lot of fun too.

I am so thankful that we have a guest room now and she is able to spend the night with us!  The kids love when she comes up and so do Ricky and I  :)

Saturday was rainy so we just puttered around the house, played more games and then went out to a coffee shop for a little while.

The kids had Nutella hot chocolates with homemade marshmallows on top, wow!

My mom left straight from the coffee shop to head home and I rushed Chase back home so he could leave with Ricky to his hockey game in Newark, Delaware!  The girls and I stayed home to take care of the animals in the evening.  Katy decided to make a little reading nook in the living room behind my recliner.

I guess it's just for her because she's the only one who can fit in that little rocking chair 😄
The next day the sun came out and I felt like it had been so long since I had seen it I had to take a picture.

I am now teaching the 6th graders at church so I went to Sunday School to teach them and then went over to Chase's second game for the weekend in Lancaster.  Ricky doesn't look very happy in this picture but they won 11-0!

This is what happens when I ask him to smile 😂

It was a beautiful day all day and I spent most of it sitting on the porch in the sun, soaking it in and reading, it was glorious.
This week I am taking Honey to the trainer and I'm very excited. I've still been working with her.  We had a set back the other day but she's doing better and listening better now. I guess she was just "testing" me the other day.  I put her vest on her when it's time for a training session so she knows it's time to work and hunt when she has that on.

My pretty girl: