Snow in the Yard

Hey y'all...we gots SNOW!

Before the pictures, Ma has travelin' prayer requests: Sharon and Kendra are driving back out to Indiana, and part of Illinois is under a winter storm warning.

Also, Loren is going up to Mayo for his annual week-long checkup. Shouldn't be too bad a drive, weather-wise, but he's plumb tuckered out from putting on yet more snow tires. We are all hoping and praying for another zero rejection biopsy.

Thanks for the prayers :-)

Now, on to the white stuff:

We don't often get snowfall in Iowa that isn't blown into the next county by vicious winds...
...but this morning we woke up to great beauty :-)

Unfortunately, instead of the predicted 1-2 inches, it was more like 2-4, and so Loren had to go out before church and put on the snow tires, quick :-(

We were just a little late for Sunday School, heh, heh.

Even the bird feeder got plastered.


My beautiful little poplar...
...it lost a coupla more branches this year, including the top leader...*sigh*...it'll be a miracle if that thing survives intact enough to keep.

The kids went out after lunch to play. Not quite sure what they're doing here...
...ah, the snow glinting off the rolled up wire fence...the pristine glow of a freshly covered burn pile. Another warm, winter fuzzy.

Geometric snow art, made by the Heavenly Father.

 

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Bum-mer

I just came home from cleaning the church, and following my weekly ritual, went to cross off one more square on the 56-square paper I made up last January....

...and realized I missed the last one for Novemeber 29, so I still have 9 more weeks to go, instead of my anticipated 8.

Oh well.
 

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The Holiday Report

If you ever wonder why Ma comes across with mostly trivial and unimportant stuff on this blog, it's because the world is pretty horrid place.

That's why I find the following link so enjoyable.

My kids and I have often commented on the various ties worn by Brian Williams on the The Nightly News. Well folks...now there is a blog devoted entirely to commentary on the ties!

It's a dream come true, I tell ya :-) Here's where to go for the tie lowdown. The background color is purple, because--as we've noticed in our home--Brian often wears that cravat color, considered the "power color of ties."

One more thing: November 29th is Square Dance Day.

Carpe Squarem, everyone!
_____________

In other news, I have finished the rough draft on half of our family for the annual Christmas letter. Going rather well, so far. Once I get into this project, I really enjoy myself. Kinda cathartic, in a get-back-at-my-family sorta way.

Not that I would say anything hurtful, naturally.

On a totally unrelated note, certain people could afford to be a little nicer to Ma during this whole writing-the-Christmas-letter time frame. Unsolicited gifts and out-and-out bribes would be entirely appropriate.

I'm just sayin'....
 

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What I am Thankful For

We had our usual good time yesterday, despite the turkey not being done (Liar-of-a-pop-up-timer!).

Of course, I didn't find that out until I'd put the rolls in to bake and then started trying to cut up the bird, but by then I figured out it wasn't done and I still had to leave the rolls in--at another temperature.

And then I pulled out the rolls and put the turkey back in, changing the temperature.

And THEN I realized I hadn't left the rolls in for long enough, and so I had to put THEM back in, after I got out the turkey.

And THANKFULLY, I'd had another plastic cooking bag left over from last year, since I'd already sliced the first bag to ribbons before I figured out it wasn't done.

So this is all pretty stupid and trivial, I KNOW, but everyone was a good sport, and they didn't even figure out that I'd planned it that way so that the "noon" meal would be so late I wouldn't have to think about supper :-D

NOW, here's something to REALLY BE THANKFUL FOR:

Ardith was in a car accident on Wednesday morning, which I found out about on Thursday when she rolled into the drive with a different vehicle.

She wasn't overtly hurt, though she does seem to have some whiplash, now. Another driver either ran a stop sign or didn't see Ardith's car before pulling out and hitting the right front section.

Ardith's car is in the shop and she has a loaner-rental.

Praise the Lord for watching over her!
____________________

The rest of the day is gonna be low-key. Sew up a tractor pillow or two and start on the Christmas letter.
 

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Is the weekend over, yet?

I was shocked when I got back from ditch digging yesterday afternoon and saw what had happened in the little boys' room.

It was CLEAN! I'd given them the task of cleaning while I was outside, and I had moderate hopes that things would look slightly better...

But when followed an anxious-to-show-Mommy-Nolan up the stairs, I was flabbergasted.

It was absolutely spiff.

They'd folded up clothes and put them away (instead of their usual trick of throwing them all in the dirty wash) and they'd cleaned out the closet and even swept the whole room!

Wow, I can't tell you how great that made me feel. Mucho huggos were given-o.

So, when Nolan decided to dump out his birthday present WORLD PUZZLE on the floor at 8:00 last night, I didn't quite have the heart to say "No." (I'd already used that word for several other requests, earlier)

We all got started (Carolyn Ethan, Nolan, Trevor and moi) and finished it up this morning...
Ah, only 4 pieces missing! Pretty decent, for Goodwill.

Lucky for Nolan he has a math test and will still be able to get through his school today.

I'm such a softy.
_______________

In other news: you can rinse your work clothes, wash them in hot water and add two softner sheets to the dryer, but they will still give off a faint "odor de stinko."

In other words, I smell like a sewer.
 

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The Greywater Express...

...or how to work yourself sick, in two easy lessons.

We have this ditch, see?
(By the way...most of that dark dirt on the left was dug and hoisted up by Ma)

It is the greywater or sullage drain. There's a mysterious pipe that collects all the water from the sinks, tubs and washing machine, and empties out into the ditch.

And..... the partly decomposed waste from the underground septic tank outlet. sniff, sniff???

So, periodically, this place has to be dug out...
...so the lovely water continues to flow, as opposed to backing up into our basement.

Loren was working on this for several days, and he got a nice long narrow trench redug,
and had started widening the drainage ditch, but it was terribly exhausting work, plus...other small things started going wrong, like the well pump fritzing and the furnace caputzing.

First I volunteered Derek, but then we thought maybe that wouldn't be a good idea, with his heart. I do remember the cardiologist saying that Derek isn't supposed to do anything above moderate exercise.

Looks like MA TO THE RESCUE!

This is usually a sign of real desperation.

My first stint was on Saturday afternoon. I worked for close to 3 hours and finally had to quit due to fatigue, the onset of darkness and the shovel handle becoming so slimed I couldn't hold it.

That work was brutal, I'm tellin' ya! Ma hasn't looked that bad since the birth of Nolan, when a certain daughter gazed at me in shock and remarked, "Mommy, you look so old!"

Anyway, my hands had become ham-fisted paws, which made it a little hard to play the piano in church the next morning, but I stumbled through it. (pretty much like usual, ha, ha)

I was sitting there and it was an effort to just--sit--there. It was almost an effort to breathe. And that's when I thought, "This must be how Loren feels, some of the time."

Two naps, interspersed with turkey, gravy and stuffing preparation, and it was time for the Thanksgiving Dinner, and yes, I'm afraid my tiredness, plus Loren's not feeling well added up to us leaving early.

Today I was determined to get out there and finish the job, and she's done! I will say this, though...I did not have kind thoughts running through my mind while I was digging this fence post out that was laying smack across the waterway.


But it only took an hour or so, and this time I didn't slip and bruise the side of my left foot :-)

Don't it look purty?

Now all we have to do is stock it with bass and bluegill.

The hands still smell like sludge, though, so once again, I'll have to pull out the lemon juice and toothbrush and start scrubbin' away.

Feels great on those blisters and chapped skin splits.

And I did my best on these ditch pictures. The subject matter has only so many aesthetically pleasing points, dontcha know :-D
 

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Days of Yore in '94

There's nothing like a few kids in church, sprinkled 'round the manger scene. This picture was taken while they were singing.

That little angel-doll in front of the hay rack is Melinda, 2 years and a month old.
Behind the manger, calmly picking his nose is Derek, a shepherd of low degree.

Then there are the two angels (Jamie and Britney--for my kids' memory), and be-HIND them is another little angel on a riser...Kendra, 5 1/2.

Moving on to the holy family, Ardith is the young mother, at 11 1/2. Luke Stockeland was Joseph, with his brother, John, standing shepherdishly behind. Also back there, looking straight at the camera is another flock-watcher...Jason, who was turning 7 in a coupla days.

I remember the tall angel-lass (Aaron/Erin) and her family, but not their last name. Seated in the blue robe on the left, was Sharon, 9 1/2 and always ready to do whatever was asked of her, even if it meant cross-gender dressing compensating for a lack of angel costumes.

Here we have a picture taken at the back of the church, close to that same time frame.
In front is Derek, looking typically combative and argumentative. He was a handful, let me tell you, but at that time, Loren still had the strength to keep after him while I held down the baby front.

Speaking of which, that is quite obviously Carolyn, around 3 to 4 weeks old. Melinda looks a little sleepy, but she was evidently aware enough to know that if she just held onto the baby's hand, she'd get to see Mommy pretty soon.

In back is Jason, already practicing his vacant computer screen stare. To the left of the plant--whose name I don't recall-- is Kendra, looking a bit skeptical, with Sharon behind her and once again, willing to fill in wherever necessary, even if it means getting part of your head blocked out by a younger sister.

Ardith has a nice happy smile on her face, having long since resigned herself to sharing the-attentions-of-Mommy with an the ever increasing hordes. She was a pretty good sport.
________________

That's today's edition of the jog down memory lane.

Tune in next time, when we find out what a little cardiac arrest can do to a family.
 

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'Nuther Good Day

Be-CAUSE...

• I went shopping
  
• NO ONE MADE TROUBLE AT HOME while I went shopping
  
• Got me a turkey. Ethan pleaded for the 21-pounder, but I sensibly stuck with the 15-pound bird.
  
• Found out you CAN drive down the road with only 8 pounds of air in your tire
  
• Ma stopped and found an air hose and got the lady to make a call when it didn't work...and then filled up the tire :-) I always knew I was mechanically inclined.
  
• Found the heating company--even though they are identity-sign-challenged--and picked up the pipe insulation, and didn't even faint despite dead animal-odor beside building
  
• Remembered to stop at pharmacy for Derek's heart medication (yes, Son, you can live another day!)
  
• Drove home without crashing
  
• Did a quick clean of the fridge before putting food away
  
• Make crackerjack soup out of turkey leftovers
  
• Ordered Christmas photo cards online from Wal-Mart (now I can start fabricating stuff for the letter)
  
• I get to crawl between flannel sheets, tonight :-D
  

It really doesn't take that much to make me happy.
 

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Church Thanksgiving Dinner 2008

I'll start right off by admitting that we did not stay for the whole shindig, this year.

We had a rough week, due to loss of heat, loss of water, loss of heat-again, and digging ditches (I'll post more about that, later). Suffice it to say that neither Ma or Pa Hoyt were up to staying for the testimonies and communion, after the meal. It's always a rewarding time, but it's also very long, and Loren had to lie down right after the meal....anyways, we felt it best to go home early. Loren spent the rest of the evening in bed.

But here's a quickie look at things...as always, click on pictures to enlarge.

Some of the Hoyt kids gather round the table. Epigastric expectations are running high. Ethan kills time by examining the holiday napkins to see if they are made in China.


New dad, Caleb, with new baby, Ty Jackson.


Jon Yost....and look who flew in from California...Allison ! She'll be here through next Sunday, so my girls-from-Grace can see her :-)
Ma is sorry for the redeye. Picasa never takes it out for me...

The fellowship hall is abuzz with activity


There's Ma's favorite HAPPY photographer :-D Just had to show off Liz's new 'do.'


Women were seen scurrying about the food tables....
...Ma saw men bringing in dishes and pots, too, but did not take pictures, even though it was a clear violation of Titus 2. It would not be my place, after all, to bring exhortation upon the menfolk.

Trevor demonstrates his ability to chew food while facing opposite the table.


Nolan pulls off the "trying to appear casual but in reality greatly desiring to have his picture taken" look.


Ma will post more "oldies but goodies" pictures, either today or tomorrow. In the meantime, Loren and I head our separate procurement ways: he, to get a much needed pressure tank, and moi, to gather groceries.
 

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Kid Art and a Crazy Plant

Things are semi-normal, here at the big house. Ma's done with another week of cleaning the church...*checks off square on paper hanging from desk*....only 9 more to go! We are into the single digits, folks!

Loren is keeping a close eye on his "baby," the heat pump, in-between getting lots of rest.

There's a dusting of snow on the ground, but I don't wanna talk about that...

Time for a little "Arte de Nolan."

Completed last Sunday, at church.
He and Trevor got new little notebooks, and naturally, Nolan chose to draw on the last page, as noted by the "160" at the bottom, left corner.

Harvest season having ended, it is no surprise that farm machines still loom large in the minds of little boys. Here's a typical scenario...
...which Nolan gave to Trevor. Then the little bunny found out how to spell those all important words, "Can I have this for my birthday" and conveniently taped it to the stairway door, where I'll only see it about 30 times per day.

(I told you, Trevor...learn to say your 'R's', and it's yours)

On a completely different tack, I have this philodendron in a hanging basket beside my desk. It is notable for several reason,

1) I haven't killed it, yet,
2) It actually looks decent, for the most part, and
3)....
...it has now put out adventitious roots.

I noticed the leaves were slipping behind the curtain, so I thought I'd just pull them back....except....the plant is sorta stuck to the wall.

Ummmm....should I be nervous?
 

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Back in the Land of the Living....

...almost.

We have heat!

We have water!

I've had a bath!

Last night's dishes have been done!

Laundry's awashin'.

But Loren's been all tuckered out over these past fretful days and he's going to need some time to feel normal, again. Please pray for him, won't you? Ma would certainly appreciate it.


Here's a Picasa story of today's happenings.

Well repair and Heat pump hookup

If it needs more editing, I'll take care of it, later.

The kids are buggin' me to read....

G'night.
 

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At least we still have electricity

The well pump is shot.

We just had it replaced in 2006, but the warranty only ran for one year, so....

:-(

Loren figures that since we need a new well pump, and the new heat pump will be using lotsa water, we may as well get a larger well pump to take care of all that beautiful H2O.

"Joe the Pumpers" are in the area and may be over later this morning. They'll yank the well and check out the pump.

This afternoon, "Joe the Heaters" are coming to turn on the largish heat pump, which basically cannot work without water, so....

It's possible that the inside-the-house pump bladder gave out, and that's what was making the well run so often, which may have worn out the down-in-the-ground well pump, prematurely.

That makes only three things, either broken or unworkable.

ARE WE HAVIN' FUN, YET?

Ethan proposed a day off from school, wherein he would gladly draw off and haul water from the water heaters in the basement, permitting the rest of us refined folks to flush the toilets.

Yeah. Nice try, Ethan :-D

Ma will surely be making a run into town for drinking water and disposable stuffs.

In the meantime: Can this family be fixed for Thanksgiving?

Stay tuned...
 

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"Hep Us Make It....Thru the Naht"

As in, the furnace does not work again. But hey, all we have to do is get through the night and its windchill of 1 degree.

The space heaters are being apportioned, even as we speak. But the hot water is a 'no go' at the moment, because Loren was working on something and now with this new "crisis"....no hot soak in the tub for Ma.

Kinda wish I'd remembered to take a bath, yesterday, but that was the one day out of the year I got so busy I forgot, and now it could be a cold time, in the ol' town, tonight.

So glad we have an electric blanket that still works at 25%. And flannel sheets! Love the flannel sheets.

It's fun time at the Hoyts, fer sure.

Loren is just wearing himself out, running up and down the stairs (well, he can't run, but you know what I mean) and trying to make sure we're all taken care of for the night. Can't wait till this is over.

Tomorrow afternoon we are supposed to be operational, heat pump-wise. As long as there isn't some fire, somewhere. The head guy of the heating company is also the fire chief at a local town.

This presents several interesting possibilities...

Stay tuned, folks.
 

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The New Niece

Here she is, folks....Megan Leigh Futch
Born late in the evening on Sunday, the 16th, Megan weighed in at 7 pounds and 10 ounces.

Here's Megan with her mother, Austelle....
....oldest of Stan's kids (see old Hoyt picture, two posts below).

Austelle, Rob and big sis, Katie, live down south...somewhere....in Georgia.

____________

On the furnace front, the guys came before Loren got back from Latimer (naturally), which set up an interesting cell phone situation.

They replaced the board for the fan, which was conking out...sometimes with spectacular noises. We were hoping it would hold on for just--a--little--more...

But instead, we required a service call the day before they were to start up our new heat-pump-of-awesomeness.

Life's funny, that way.
 

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We are (NOT) havin' some fun, now!

Or why it will be a multi-post day.

SO,

*deep breath*

we woke up to find water on the basement floor due to the fact that the gas furnace--which we are having to run because our old heat pump busted last winter and our new mother-of-all-heat-pumps isn't QUITE ready to be started...

*needs new paragraph to stop run-on sentence*

The furnace overheated because the decrepit-fan-of-idiocy wouldn't turn on, and steam built up and blew the end off a pipe (I think) and water spewed out on the basement floor, BUT, it wasn't as bad as it COULD have been, since Loren had taken the cap off the drain.

*large breath*

HOWEVER, we've called the heating peoples and we are their third stop on their emergency list!

And that will give Loren time to run over to Latimer and look at a pump part--as in well pump--since that is showing signs of going CAPUT, and I will remain here, holding down the home front and waiting on a call from Menard's concerning a new bladder for me....oh WAIT, I mean a new bladder for the PUMP, of course, and if it's under a certain price I can give the OK to order it.

But other than that, it just a matter of doing the normal schooling and staying warm by the space heaters and being pretty sure that the house won't blow up because Loren turned off the furnace.

*sneeze*

I think.
___________

There will definitely be pictures of the new little niece, later, as we've just received photos by emailish magic.


New nieces are always nice, ya know.

And now that I'm done mopping and blogging, you'll have to pardon me while I go eat breakfast.
 

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Speaking of Reunions...

..got me thinking of a picture that was sent out to the Hoyt clan last week.


This is Loren's family, ('68 or '69) when they lived in Hartville, Ohio, during some of his dad's teaching days.

From left, alternating back to front...

Stan - second oldest, computer job, church elder, excellent photographer
Galen - (in front) fifth child, deceased in 2003 from a sudden cardiac event. Galen was good at lots of things, (repairing vehicles, lawn mowers, etc), active in his church and worked at an oil refinery at the time of his death.
Lowell - passed away in 2007, history of strokes and heart problems
Lola - passed away in 1983, history of heart problems and blood disease
Bruce - oldest, pastor in New Zealand, computer-type person, amateur astronomer
Nelda - only sister! fourth child, teacher/mom/school administrator person. Plays organ in her church.
Sherwood - (in front) youngest, computer programmer. Active in church and built bookcase held together by wooden pegs!
Loren - third oldest, has taught in college, Fed Ex Dude, mad scientist who drives wife crazy in his spare time. Nearly deceased from cardiac arrest in '95, numerous "episodes" in following 11 years, heart transplant in 2004
Mark - next to youngest, school administrator and teacher, extreme bookworm, received implantable defibrillator in 2004, shocked numerous times in spring of 2008

Everyone in the above picture has (or had) some heart irregularity, ranging from a mild murmur, to sustained irregularity, to....

Also, there was another boy born between Bruce and Stan, Steven, who died within his first year.

So that's the crew! Kinda depressing, in a way, but they have a long history of being smart cookies and raising godly children, taking into consideration that the jury is still out on the younger ones...
 

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"MEH--MREES...."

"....how that SONG just makes me gag...."

We got a coupla oldies but goodies, today.

This one goes back to the first (and only) reunion at our new house in Indiana, late summer of '86.

Loren is holding Ardith and sporting his secret-agent transition lenses, while I'm holding Sharon and wearing an outfit I'd made, back in the days when I was a good little homemaker.

I'm not sure why we offered to have the reunion at our house. It had just been finished and Loren worked like a crazy man to put up temporary walls in the basement so different families could have the privilege of sleeping on cement floors.

Poor Sherwood had to sleep in the laundry room. Ah...those were the days.

I think that picture was taken after arriving home from Sunday morning church, and I must say, those girls of mine look none too spiritual. The heat probably got to 'em.

And those flowers in the background...pathetic! They hardly grew.

I know SO much more about plants, now. I can easily get them twice that big before I kill them, these days.

Fast forward to 1994 and our first fall in Iowa. (you can take that any way you please)
Sharon and Ardith, 9 and 11, with Melinda-the-little-Dutch-girl, in the chair.

Those "big" glasses sure were the cat's pajamas, no?

I'd post more, but Loren and one of "The Heating Guys" are in the basement doing some final work on the massive-industrial-sized-heat-pump-monstrosity, and I have to take Derek in for his pro-time this morning, and Mr. Frey came over to do some plowin', and quite possibly...later...I can even get some school outta Nolan and Trevor.

The country life is just so peaceful, dontcha know...
 

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False Alarm

Ma is snoozing, her feet almost warm and her self almost asleep. Suddenly her semi-cozy reverie is shattered by...

"Ow. OW. Ow, ow, ow, ow, OW!"

"NO--LAN!!" I shout, rushing into the little boys' bedroom and hoping to avert imminent bloodshed.

"What?" he asks, holding up a Lego guy. "We were just doing a story..."

"Oh. Sorry. Go back to playing..."

(I am SO getting too old for this)
 

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Ma's Newsy (Iowa) Nuggets, and More

Before we start, kudos to el husbando for fixing my monitor! Sure, it was just a matter of pushing some buttons, but hey...I didn't know how to do it, and now I don't get seasick looking at el screeno.

It's an all-Iowa newsness, this mornin', because we can.

First off, did you know the turkey getting pardoned this year at the White House comes from the li'l ol' Hawkeye state? (Hmmmm....just discovered I've been spelling 'li'l' wrong, all these years. Can't understand why no one brought that to my attention...)

But back to that 45 pound bird, congratulations to Paul and Mary Hill, of Ellsworth. Besides, a bird that size wouldn't fit in one of those oven bags, anyway.
______________

U of I Hospitals performed the first hybrid heart surgery on a baby in Iowa. You can read about it, here.

Our family knows, from experience, there are goodsome cardiac people in Iowa City.
______________

And then there's this: Iowa Boy Scouts have made the top 10 inspiring stories on Beliefnet.com. Check out the site to read/listen about these troopers, as well as the other nominees.

You can vote for whomever you think the most inspiring, up through December 5. Winner to be announced, Dec. 10.
______________

Now for the "more." Ma, being so terribly domestic and all, will now share a recipe!

I got it several years ago from Loren's sister, Nelda. It's a tasty coffee mix, suitable for slurping at home or giving as gifts to people in need of caffeine.

The recipe actually calls for decaf coffee, but I used regular. I've already had two cups this morning and boy, am I feelin' perky!

There's an added bonus of cocoa in the mix, so I'm hoping to get my chocolate fix without eating so many Dove's. Hey...it almost 9 and I haven't even had ONE, yet :-)

Coffee Mix

3 c. creamer
3 c. sugar
1 1/2 c. instant coffee (decaf--so...d'you know decaf STILL has some "caf" in it?)
1 1/2 c. cocoa powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg

Mix well. Add a rounded coffee-measure (2 T. & 1 t.) to a mug of hot water.

*above amount fills nicely 2 13-oz coffee cans

Have a MA-valous day.
 

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I thought it would be nice to post something slightly more uplifting than a dead squirrel, as inspiring as the latter might be.

Took this on the way home from shopping. I can't get the full effect of this picture, however, since at some point during my awayness, the-boy-of-naughtiness who-shall-remain-un-named-but-whom-everyone-knows, took his magnets to my monitor and now there are psychedelic swirls mucking up the screen.

Maybe the Lord will return, tomorrow...
 

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Another Squirrel Bites the Dust

{Warning: if you're a squirrel-lover, you may want to skip this...post contains picture of formerly-living, tree-hopping rodent, with an extra bushy tail}

Today's post comes to you courtesy of two different people....first of all, Ma has a new grand niece! And we've been told pictures are coming! So there will definitely be a picture post!

But since we didn't even know she was expecting until we got the birth announcement, I'm thinkin' the pictures may not come right away, and I have time for this squirrel-thing, for which I have Janet Hennegar, at church, to thank.

I'm tellin' ya, Janet just made everything worthwhile in church, yesterday.

First of all, I took part of the prelude too fast and hit a wrong note at the end, but I can get over that. Really.

Secondly, I got roped into cooking one of the (donated) turkeys for the Thanksgiving Dinner at church next Sunday night, but I can get over that, even though it means taking all the meat off the bones and making stuffing AND GRAVY, and Gwen--who is also bringing a Turkey--figures that between the two of us, we're cooking half the meal, and yet, we shall remain our humble and unbitter selves, throughout it all.

So it was just the nicest thing when Janet came up to me with pictures of an unfortunate squirrel, and gave me the chance of a lifetime, to post about her experience, since she's having trouble with her computer and pictures, right now.

So here's the scoop!

Back on the 6th of November, the power went out to her house...possibly the entire block. Yes, TRUCKS had to be called!


See that thing up there, all popped-off and hanging down?
What on earth could have caused that?

Alas.
Did a nice number on the tail, too.

And you know those nifty streaks you see down a tree that's been hit by lightning?
Nice close-up, Janet! You could be a Life photographer, fer sure.

Iowa. It's the happenin' place to be.
 

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Hot off the Press

Mostly for my family's benefit. Loren and Ethan didn't attend, due to Ethan having a cold. And my older ones may want a looksee, also.

Excuse some of the dark photos, the lighting was subdued where I was sitting.

Bronz and Edith's Wedding

 

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Give the People What They Want

Today, we delve even further back into the dark photo files of Ma.

As in, TWENTY YEARS.

And who are these winsome lassies of the loch?
Yes, none other than Ardith and Sharon, summer of '87, when they were 4 and 2.

See the french braids? And on the right, neat pony tails?

That was back in the days when I used to fix their hair every morning....when I was a good mom and wanted everyone to know it.

Speaking of bed hair....this is one of my favorites. It's got "monitor background" written all over it. Possibly fall, of '84? But those eyes....
'Tis Ardith :-) She had just woken up from her nap. This picture also dates us, since it was taken before they had those warnings about too many pillows or soft things in the baby's bed.

Towards the end of the kids, I tried to comply. I remember a newborn, probably Ethan, and meticulously laying him on his back beside me in our bed, one afternoon. (I know, I know...that's another law we transgressed)

ANY-way, I woke up an hour later, absolutely refreshed, having slept for that long a stretch....because the kid had rolled over to his stomach where he actually fell asleep for more than 5 minutes.

Another piece of pricelessness :-D
Notice the happenin' eye-wear on Sharon and Ardith? We were always on the cusp of fashion, or as far as the cast-offs and garage sale buys would allow us.

I've gotten more garbage bags full of clothes that someone was taking to Goodwill, over the years...

Again, summer of 1987. We have a similar picture in an album, only Loren has his eyes open. He looks almost old enough for high school, here...

Ma has OODLES more pictures. Enough to last for a very, very long time, depending on various blackmailing secenarios.

In the meantime, those of us who aren't sick will be attending the Weikert/Helmke wedding after lunch, so I may have pictures of a more current nature, a little later.
 

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Glimpses of the Past

{warning: non-graphic retelling of birth, after last picture. It's really not a big deal, just thought I'd mention it}

Today's walk down memory lane is brought to you by Trevor, and his sudden wish to do his math workbook, "by himself."

Oh hey, that's fine with ME. Free time fer Ma! Free time fer Ma!

(O-laaayyy, O-lay O-lay O-laaaaaayyys....tastes gooo...tastes goooo")

Yeah, sorry...that commercial is getting burned into my brain.

Anyhows, I promised pictures from Carolyn's birth, and pictures we have! Don't worry, nothing gory.

This was probably within an hour of the birth. That's Jason, on the left...
...and Ardith in the back with her arm around Melinda, who had just lost "head cheese" status.

The younger ones are looking to the side, where the midwife was probably checking the placenta or something. You know kids....baby--placenta...it's all pretty much the same.

I see that Ardith is the only one looking at her chère maman. Bonus points for Ardith :-)

Oh hey...notice my glam fingernails? That was during my "let's-try-to-pretend-we're-a-girly-female" period.

I am SO past that.

This is sorta the same, but with 3 1/2-year-old Derek giving Carolyn the once-over.
Even back then he was finding imperfections in everything.

If you didn't realize it by now, Carolyn was born at home, or in truth, our rental trailer, which was a reasonable facsimile. All the children were home births, but we won't get into that right now.

ANYWAY, the best part of this particular birth was that we proved ourselves right and the midwife, wrong.

She and her helper--both of whom I never used for another birth--had been hesitant to acquiesce to our request, that of breaking my waters so we could be assured they would actually be on hand for the birth. (this all stems from Ardith's birth, when the waters broke spontaneously and she arrived 5 minutes after the midwife....it kind of spooked us for life)

The other factor concerning Carolyn was that she was already one week overdue, and Melinda's birthday was in 2 days, PLUS the midterm election (Clinton's first term) was the following day.

Any ANYway, they had tried all kinds of "natural" means to induce labor, but to coin a phrase, "Just not feelin' it." Finally, FINALLY, they agreed to break the waters, and Carolyn popped out 40 minutes later :-)

"Popped out" is not (much) an exaggeration. That crazy midwife had me laying on my left side to "get things goin'" and then she came up with this brim-full glass of apple juice, wanting me to drink it, no doubt. Except, I felt like throwing up...I didn't, but that signaled....the PUSHING STAGE!

Ha. THEN things started jumpin'! They dragged me offa da couch and threw some chux pads on the floor and were literally ripping to shreds certain garments that might possibly stand in the way of observing the baby arrival.

Ah, sweet revenge :-D

Ended up being one of the easiest births, ever. And then they had the nerve to tell me I'd probably been in labor all day and wasn't aware of it.

Oh yeah. After six kids, I'm not gonna know when I'm in labor, hee, hee.

Now, as I've already said, the next day was the election, and I REALLY WANTED TO VOTE!

This same midwife gave me careful and detailed instructions of how she would allow me to vote, but only if I PROMISED that I wouldn't step up into a vehicle that was more than 8 inches off the ground, to which I solemnly agreed. (she must have been worried about our Suburban)

I felt great the next day, and we lived right in the downtown area, so....I just walked to the polling station :-D

Ma wins, again.
 

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Whining and Old Pics

Am I too old to have a wisdom tooth come in? No one ever talked about getting them out, but most of the right side of my face hurts. Should be interesting to see if this makes my already recrooked-previously-straightened teeth get even worse.

Mowed for the last time this year, I hope! Today was supposed to be a "warm" 50 degrees, and Loren wanted me to run the tank dry on my final lawn mowing. So I filled up the tank and started in before the promised rain arrived.

Got all the side yard I'd wanted done, so headed for the front ditch. With that finished, it started to sprinkle but the mower was still running....

Kept going and going...("when is this thing gonna stop?") and then realized I was VERY close to getting the entire front lawn mowed, far above my expectations.

It died.

I thought about adding a little more gas and just finishing up that 15-minute stretch, even though the grass was hardly tall enough to justify the work.

Temps were 50, it was sprinkling and the wind was 10 mph.

"Nope. Just not feelin' it."

So I quit like the good little slacker, I am.
_________________

On to more old pictures.

'94, at the rental trail in Dumont Iowa, our first residence in the Hawkeye state.
Derek, 3, and Melinda, 18 months. They've both calmed down, since then.

That same spring/summer of 94, soon after we left Indiana. From left to right, sitting on the church steps...

...Melinda, Kendra-5, Jason-6 1/2, Sharon-9, Ardith-11.

Next trip down nostalgia lane...a newly minted Baby Carolyn.
 

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Quotes

(just this morning, after figuring out a math poser from Derek, in about 2 seconds, followed by Ma saying, "OK, I'm expecting a substantial academic scholarship oughtta you, young lady.")

Carolyn:  "I never asked to be brilliant."
______________

(Entire family driving through Hampton, after flu shots)

Carolyn:   "Are you allowed to ride a bike on the sidewalk?"

Ma:  "It probably depends on the individual town."

Ethan:   "Of course you can ride on the sidewalk!"

Carolyn:  "No....they're called side-walks, not side-rides!"
______________

(another day, driving kids to Hampton library)

Trevor:  (pointing toward Baptist church, across from hospital) "Nolan, theh-oh's wheh-oh you got yoh leg fixed.."

Ma:  "No, that's a church. He got his broken leg fixed at the clinic, across the street (pointing)."

Nolan:  "Besides, you can't get your leg fixed at a church."

Trevor (undaunted)  "You could if it was a spesh-oh chuhch."
 

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Medicine Cabinet, Take 2

(and call me in the morning....HA, HA, HA, HA...)

Ok. 'Nuff of that.

Ma reached the second level in her continuing game, Clean Out the Medicine Cupboard.

Would you believe I found THREE MORE THERMOMETERS? But only one was a rectal. I have no idea why I have that many. Honestly, I only used the rectal type once, on a little kid who'd had a febrile seizure. The nurse told me "that" method was more accurate. But basically, I think people gave them to me for gifts...not unlike the scented candles I've often received.

What did I throw out?

-old nitro pills from '99 (guess Loren won't be needing those...)
-old Amoxicillin, from '01 when Jason has his wisdom teeth pulled (I suppose Google's going to report me to the docs now, since I had to 'google' the name to check spelling)
-3 empty canisters of Advair, from Melinda's misdiagnosed days (continued "Grr's" to Dr. D.)
-"several" bottles of weight-reduction herbs, slightly or never used....*sigh*....
-syrup of ipecac, never used, and now they DON'T recommend using it

I also rediscovered this......which I believe might belong to a Hoyt cousin.

I have vague recollections of confiscating this after it was found in the grubby paws of one of my boys.

Or, it might have been left here when relatives visited. Does this look familiar to anyone??

But getting back to vast amounts of outdated pharmaceuticals (hey, I spelled that right the first time. Yay for Ma!), I did my duty and flushed them all down the toilet. Well, except for the leftover Hydrocodone from Derek's teeth yankin'...you never know when something like that might come in handy....MWAH, HAH, HAH!

ANY-way, Loren, who was working on pipes down in el basemento, heard the pills come rattling down the pipes. He thought one of the kids was flushing beads down the toilet, though, it apparently did not concern him enough to check on it :-D

Any-ANY-way, I've now been informed that, "We don't know how those pills will react in the septic tank..."

Perhaps a huge fireball around 1 or 2 am?

*grins*

On another note, there has been VAST interest in the old picture I posted. I had two whole comments and traffic about doubled on the stat-counter (which is not all that much, but still...)

So I've rounded up several more. Some with Ardith and some with other young-and-cute kiddie types.

Stay tuned.
 

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Sweet Sixteen

High time we got Melinda's birthday up on the blog! She turned sixteen this past Sunday. All gifts followed a botanical theme.

(you could have been a trombone player, Melinda :-)
A pumpkin pie, made from her Amish Pie Pumpkin that was still in the freezer from last season. Melinda made this and the entire meal, though I did get to whip the cream. She choose an oatmeal crust from my Amish cookbook.

Ooooo, a gift from Trevor.
An American Idol plastic singing apparition, from a long-ago McDonald's kids' meal :-D

This was a big package, and the others were WAITING to see what it would be...
...a plant holder! (sorry guys, nothing for you to play with)


A guidebook on Natural Gardening.



Emily Dickinson Poems
(I'm trying to broaden Melinda's non-fiction horizons. Besides, most of the poems are about nature)

Almanac and Pest Control Primer

I'm not sure why Nolan looks so excited for all the presents. Just living vicariously, I guess.

For her meal, Melinda chose a lentil dish, cooked with onions and bay leaf, served over rice. Also, cut up apples from our trees. She wanted to cook everything, so I got off pretty easy.

This birthday meal far and away gets the "most economical" award.
 

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