Winning The Pinterest Battle

Fossils, Fossils, Fossils!

by Karen Ekstrom

It’s a funny story with great photos!

I wanted to go shopping. I needed a new centerpiece for my dining room table. Mine looked old and unexciting, especially after yesterday. My nemesis, the perfect Laura Lee, posted a picture of her new, fabulous Waterford crystal candlesticks and matching vase on Pinterest. In the blurb, she said her husband promised to fill the vase with roses, every week for the next year.

Gag me.

Okay, to be truthful, the whole thing filled me with jealousy. Not that Waterford really worked at the ranch. I needed something cooler and more ranch-y. And cheaper.

So, I really needed to shop.

But, I didn’t think that Barrett and Jake would go for it. Six-year-old boys made lousy shoppers and I’d committed to babysit. And, they were already whining about being bored.

I groaned and cast a glance out the window. Cloudy, grey skies and cold, leafless trees greeted me. Perfect shopping weather.

But hope springs eternal.

“Y’all want to go to the mall?” I asked brightly.

“Boring.” The boys responded in unison.

Typical.

Oh well.

“We could go exploring?” I said.

“There’s nothing to explore.”

“What do you boys mean?” I whirled around and blurted out, “This is a ranch. You’ve got miles to explore. Adventures to be had. Treasures to be found.”

“Treasure?” Both boys perked up.

“Sure. Don’t you know…” I leaned down and whispered. “You’re walking on the ocean floor?”

“No we’re not.”

“Oh yes, you are, and I can prove it.”

Minutes later, I had both boys loaded into the mule. (an off-road vehicle, like a jeep but smaller) We took off. Ready to explore the creek beds.

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Even I was excited.

We found our first fossil, a small shell, within seconds. After we all admired it, I stuffed it in my pocket.

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Thirty minutes later, we had three big piles of fossils, about 15 feet apart, marking our path as we worked our way along the creek.

Even I thought the fossils were cool.

Real Cool.

That’s when my warped Martha Stewart gene kicked in.

“Boys, how about I pay you ten cents a piece for every fossil that you find, that I like?”

“Sure.” They raced off, with millions of dollars dancing before their eyes.

Now, look at my fossil centerpiece. It’s way better than Laura Lee’s. And it cost me… less than $15.00.

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Bwaahaahaahaa!!!

Look what I did with my leftovers!

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