Babysitting and… Sammy can swim!
Wednesday and Thursday I got to babysit my neighbor's granddaughter, Mckayla (she's seven) again, though for the first time this year. 
Wednesday she wasn't supposed to go outside (her grandmother says she's "sensitive" to bug bites, but I think it's only that she (Mckayla) won't quit scratching at them), but Thursday she was allowed to go out, providing we put some bug spray on her. (And, if I understood right, I'm supposed to be babysitting her on Tuesdays (ahem, providing I don't have a dentist appointment!), Wednesdays, and Thursdays for 2 weeks or so (maybe more, maybe less, who knows! )
Dad picked up a pond net last time in town, and I've been using that to catch me some tadpoles in the pond, and I even caught several of those little tiny turtles! 
Of course, I had a hard time doing it, because if you make a sudden move those things dive right back under and you have to be quick to snatch them, but I managed to grab a couple!
I have no idea what kind of turtle it is, but it sure is pretty!
Oh yeah, talking about the pond reminds me of what happened down there this morning! I was sitting at one end of "the plank" (the board that goes across the pond) and Martha, Adam, and Sammy (guineas) were walking across it, heading toward the other side.
Well, Adam decided that Sam was going to slow, and he wanted to get past him and hurry over. What does he do? He plowed right into Sam, knocking him entirely off the plank, and continued walking to the other side. They were right in the middle of the pond, so when Sammy fell off, he took a dunking, and his skinny little neck and head were the only things sticking out of the water – until the rest of him popped up and started floating!
After a second of floating there, he started swimming towards the bank, got up and hopped back onto the plank and started back across (after shaking his feathers to get all the water off!). I was so surprised! He could actually swim! I'd never seen that happen before.. LOL!
Haha! that is so funny about the guineas =D. Adam needs to learn some manners lol!
My sister is sensitive to bugs outside too, and she scratches (ALOT) maybe she is really just scratching too much, I know that is what my sister does lol.
I always love reading about your funny stories =P
Have a Blessed Day,
Oriana
.-= Oriana´s most recent blog entry – CHICKEN? (it is really a chick) =-.
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Adam is mannerless, methinks.
Sammy, on the other hand, is usually quite a gentleman. 
Yeah, Mckayla's scabs itch, so she scratches them open again (and the process continually repeats) until they get infected and her grandmother takes her to the doctor. When I'm babysitting her, I have to keep reminding her not to scratch them, so that they'll heal.
Thanks for commenting, Oriana!
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These tiny turtles are really cute! How do they feel? Not as slimy as frogs?
I didn't know either that guineas could swim, I'm surprised to learn this!
Good luck with the babysitting job!
Jessica
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They're not slimy! They feel like … well, a turtle!
When I first swipe them up, I get a lot of mud and leaves in the net too, so they're covered with mud. I have to hold the turtle in one hand and empty the net with the other, then put the turtle back in the net and dunk him a few times in the pond to wash him off. 
Then he looks like a turtle instead of a muddy clump!
I knew chickens could float fine (I used to give my rooster baths in the summertime, LOL!) but I'd never seen a chicken or a guinea actually swim! I wonder if Sammy had been pushed off before, because he wasn't really shook up by being dunked in the pond (like I would've been!
).
~ Lacy
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Hey Lacy!!
I'm Jillian from Priceless Purity. I just wanted to stop by and introduce myself….:-).
You're a very relaxed and articulate writer and your blog is a joy to read!! Keep up the great work – I'll be coming by here again soon!
God bless,
~Jillian
P.S. if you ever wanna e-mail me please do! Also you can keep up with me here: http://www.twitter.com/jillyanne
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Hi Lacy, Thank you for stopping by and becoming a follower.
Your guinea story reminds me of the time I found one of our guineas floating, to all appearances dead, in a large rain barrel. He must have thought the top was on and flew up and IN. I scooped him out and was very surprised to find him still breathing, just barely. I hung him upside down for a minute and patted his chest, then left him for dead. A few hours later he was up and walking around with the others! We were shocked. They are pretty hardy birds.
Leah
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I am always amazed at what a beautiful place you live in! The Lord has really blessed you with a lovely home. I love being outdoors too but I live in a very built-up residential area and though there are nice country walks nearby, they are hard for me to get to with no car! That said, there are certainly no baby turtles near me
I love babysitting! There is one family at church I regularly babysit for, an 8 year old girl, a 5 year old boy and a 1 year old boy. One night when I was putting the 5 year old to bed and the 8 year old was downstairs, I told the 5 year old to be as quiet as possible so as not to wake the baby up. The baby wakes up even though the 5 year old tries his best to move quietly, and I go to the cot (crib) to check on the baby (the baby sleeps in the same room as the 5 year old). Instead of crying, the baby is stood up laughing at me! I got him off to sleep eventually, but it was a very funny thing
There will be a new baby at our church in the springtime, I discovered on Wednesday – I am very excited, and I'm hoping to knit something nice!
Jade
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