The bonuses of being landlubbers

There are many benefits to being back on land. Three right off the type of my head: Mr. Washer, Mrs. Dryer, Sir Dishwasher. Oh how I missed modern day appliances. I have a real laundry room. In case that isn't clear, let me restate it: An entire room. Devoted to laundry. The machines don't take quarters. No strangers are washing their underwear in them. Oh yeah.

Biggest bonus: Clio. When the decision to move back to the house was final, I decided we should get a tortoise. Not a turtle, but a tortoise, something that would get huge and eat entire heads of lettuce in one sitting and follow us around the house. Something that wouldn't live in a tank of water and spend the winter hibernating. I wanted a sturdy brute of a tortoise. The real deal. In teeny tiny baby form.

Everything good is mail ordered

CLIO!

Peek-a-boo

Piglet

Old Lady and a baby

Clio is a redfoot tortoise. She'll get between 14-16 inches long. Right now she's about three inches. She requires multiple heat and UV lights which we never would've had the power to run on a boat. Score one for landlubbering!

Gymnastics

Aspen tree high bar 

Kiddo is a gymnast. He never had room to practice on the boat so when we moved into the house we decided not to get any furniture. He has rings, a trampoline and tumbling mats in the living room where normal people would put a couch. There's a high bar installed between two dying Aspen trees out back. Score two for landlubbering!

Homeschool chemistry. Or, the art of making beer.

Homeschool journaling. Or, the art of being awesome.

Beer. And a full-sized refrigerator to store it in. Score three for landlubbering!

flowers in my flower bed

Love my pretty flowers and dirty hands.

Sea glass stepping stones made from sea glass collected on sailing trips around Boston Harbor Island.

broken dishes sea glass

My Vanderwulf Pine. Planted in hopes that it will grow like a sonofabitch and block my annoying neighbors. Grow tree, grow!

Vanderwulf covered in an early snow.

My helper

I love growing things. We grow lettuce and hibiscus indoors for the tortoise. Kiddo keeps a pot of sunflowers. We have a big flower bed out front and garden areas out back. One day we went to Lowes and noticed a swarm of butterflies, moths and bees buzzing around a display of plants. They were butterfly bushes and without even thinking we immediately bought two. We got them home and realized we didn't really have a place to plant them. No matter. We'll just dig up a hunk of lawn. We planted those bushes right in the grass and immediately the winged creatures came out of nowhere for a visit. The bushes will come back every year. We lost some grass but gained a hundred butterflies. Score four for landlubbering!