Got Virii?

Yes.

Approximately five of eight are feeling fell, with Trevor being the latest casualty.

When both parents are sick on Saturday, chances of the family attending church are quite slim.

SO GLAD I don't have to clean today! That would have been misery. Even typing is tiring.
_________________

Time for a brief update on The Long Road Back To Ma:

I've lost another 1.5 pounds, which makes a total of 4.5 pounds lost in 3 weeks :-)

Hurray for MA!

Now, it's back to the couch with C.S. Lewis.
 

Tweet

End of an Era

Ok...maybe that's a little dramatic :-)

But I just returned home from my very last stint of church cleaning. Here's a look at Washington Reformed Church, as it appeared on Wednesday's morning of frosty goodness.


Of course it was a little sad.

The last time sweeping.

The last time wiping off tables in the basement.

The last time slurping bugs out of window sills.

As I turned off the sweeper (for the last time) and rolled up the cord, a wave of nostalgia washed over me....I gave a gentle caress to the door frame of the Sunday school room ...

Who am I KIDDING?

I was grinning the entire last 30 minutes :-D Sorry if that seems callous, but I've been looking forward to this day for literally years, and I'm gonna enjoy it, baby!

Or I would, except my throat is scratchy, my nose is sniffly and I have the urge to cough...

Good thing I got the work outta the way today, for tomorrow I could be feeling pretty punk.

Loren has felt fairly rotten all day. Derek feels better but he doesn't sound better. Ethan seems a tad improved, though he had strange sounds in his lungs this morning.

Even though it doesn't quite seem like party-time, I know I'll enjoy my new found freedom. Particularly when the end of next week rolls around and I don't have to mentally plan that into ye olde schedule :-)

The Supper Report: last night's wing-and-a-prayer supper turned out OK. One or two people actually said they liked it. (it was rather dry) And several people said nothing at all but ate some, so they get points for not complaining :-)

Tonight's fare? Old Fashioned Bean Soup

-bag of navy beans (stick in crockpot--cover in 1.5 inches of water--in morning, on 'low')

After lunch, add:

-2 or 3 chicken bullion cubes (purists will want to use real chicken stock. Purists are always trying to show off, that way)
-chopped up carrots, celery and ham--I use turkey ham
-salt and pepper

If you're lucky, you'll have two young ladies in the family who can make fresh bread, which goes rather nicely with the soup. As does applesauce that you made last fall and can pull out of the freezer.

There ya go. Aren't I all homespun and housewiferly?

(that was your humor for the day)
 

Tweet

Ma's Literary Corner

I've commenced Surprised by Joy, by C.S. Lewis. It's in a volume including four books, entitled, Beloved Works of C.S. Lewis. Only 23 pages into it and already I'm hooked.

Here are separate parts from the same paragraph, concerning Lewis's father and his choice of a school for his sons:

"....surviving correspondence shows that he had considered many other schools before fixing on Oldies's; and I know him well enough to be sure that in such a matter he would never have been guided by his first thoughts (which would probably have been right) nor even by his twenty-first (which would at least have been explicable). Beyond doubt he would have prolonged deliberation till his hundred-and-first; and they would be infallibly and invincibly wrong. That is what always happens to the deliberations of a simple man who thinks he is a subtle one....

...at any rate, my brother and I certainly did not succeed in impressing the truth on our father's mind. For one thing (and this will become clearer in the sequel) he was a man not easily informed. His mind was too active to be an accurate receiver. What he thought he had heard was never exactly what you had said. We did not even try very hard."

C.S. Lewis, The Beloved Works of C.S. Lewis--Surprised by Joy, (New York: Inspirational Press, originally printed 1986), p. 18
 

Tweet

"What's for supper?"

At one time I used to write my supper intentions on a white board in the kitchen, to forestall going berserko when 4 people in a row asked that same question.

However, my kitchen scheme doesn't include room for a white board at the moment, which gives me the freedom to be rather creative, or as I like to think of it, "slack off."

Now, in the interest of saving money, I try not to fix a meal with meat, two days in a row. At least, not a lot of meat.

Last night we had a casserole that included a whole pound of hamburger, so tonight calls for something a little less carnivorous.

Glancing at the counter, I see some leftover biscuits from two days ago. I see a partial container of rice that didn't get put away after lunch. I'm thinking about eggs and cheese and even a little baloney, which I acquired quite cheap, last week.

Baloney isn't technically meat, but some of the kids THINK it is, which I'll use to my advantage.

I'm calling it, Baloney Breakfast Casserole Avec Leftovers.

What's the worst that can happen...most of them hate it?

Been there.

Done that.

Don't care.

(if they're nice to me, I'll put a few chunks of turkey ham in tomorrow's bean soup)
 

Tweet

Yep

Sometimes you just hafta plow through.

Take my little poplar, fer instance...
...lost branches from past ice storms and marauding boys. Yet it still looks beautiful.

I'm counting on that being the case with life, even though parts of today weren't very pretty.

After a stupendous day of school breakthroughs yesterday, we've gone back to the usual struggles today. If I could make yesterday 'usual' and today 'uncommon,' I could see the light at the end of the tunnel, but hey...only five more years until they'll be doing most of their work independently! (and that's the optimistic outlook)

So, when Trevor goes off to college I'll officially retire at the spry young age of 62.
_________

Loren is now joining the sickie ranks, which includes Ethan, who woke up with a croupy cough, and Derek, who spent a miserable night.

(if I didn't have Andrea Bocelli to keep me company once in a while I'd go nuts. Of course, playing that CD so often drives everyone else nuts, but I don't see how that's my problem. And anyway, I've got Trevor humming "Pour mon âme" so, you know...)

What we need is something funny/endearing! I'll share a couple of oldies and goodies I got in an email from Dave W. in Florida.

The question, "What is Love?" was asked of 4-8-year-olds. Here are a few replies:

Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.'

Karl - age 5

I know my older sister loves me because she gives me all her old clothes and has to go out and buy new ones.'

Lauren - age 4

The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife.

Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there.

When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said,

'Nothing, I just helped him cry'

 

Tweet

My Day

I feel just like Eleanor Roosevelt, except she was better looking.

Got up this mornin' and there was beautiful hoarfrost on the trees...


...and pretty much everything else.


I wondered why my face and hands were getting so cold, then I went inside, checked the weather site and found out it was -3 with a windchill of -16.

This rabbit needs to stop dragging his feet between hops.


Well, enough of that. Had to go out and shoot a few, since it was so beautiful and my camera can only take outside pictures, now. Don't know what I'll do for Trevor's birthday next month...
__________

What a great day (for the most part). Nolan was like a new kid! He did his math in a timely manner and got most of his reading comprehension questions correct.

Then Trevor did some credible reading in his....reading. He's even starting to draw out the "R" sound a little bit, making a definite effort to say it more correctly.

Other stuffs done:

--2 miles on the treadmill
--six loads of laundry, including putting clean sheets back on two large beds
--extra load of dishes due to cleaning up a few things
--made a hot supper which almost everyone appreciated, including homemade brownies
--grocery shopping

The most satisfying of that last excursion was the egg procurement. Large eggs were on sale, 25 cents off, per carton. Except, there were no large eggs in the egg section. There were EXTRA large eggs, but I didn't WANT extra large eggs. I didn't want to PAY for extra large eggs. However, sitting on the floor was a big cardboard box, taped shut, labeled "Large Eggs."

Ma looked around and....NO ONE seemed inclined to unpack los eggos. So I took matters into my own paws, ripped off the packing tape and helped myself to six cartons. Too bad Kendra wasn't there....I definitely missed out on a chance for her mortification.

Yes, the only thing sadder than old ladies helping out the stock boys is thinking they need to write about it, later.
 

Tweet

"Look Ma, No Cavities!"

I don't know how we did it but we came away free and clear from the dentist office. Cavity-wise, that is.

Maybe those doom-and-gloomers are right...maybe the end of the world IS near.

At least I'll have decent teeth to enjoy it.

There are two persons who have to brush better, but really, this is the second or third check-up in a row whereby no one needs to return. A cause for celebration!

Naturally, we went right out and bought some snacks to eat on the way home. String cheese, because we're just that health conscious, and cookies, because we don't want to make other people feel bad by appearing perfect.

However, once you've had your teeth worked over, the joy of eating takes a back seat to the soreness and ache by polishing our pearly whites to a new luster of yellow (we're not known for gleaming whiteness, but we all have nice personalities).

Before arriving home, I stopped and bought a copy of THE ACKLEY WORLD JOURNAL, hoping against hope that Kendra's being named to the dean's list might be mentioned, but alas, not yet.

(that's one dollar, so far, Kendra...not that I'm keeping track, or anything)

Upon opening the door to the house and distributing the new toothbrushes, it occurred to Nolan that he was not allowed to pick out a toy this time around, which gave us all opportunity to comment on how he must be growing up.

These spoken words of affirmation did little to ease his loss of cheap, breakable toyage, just as his reaction did not particularly exhibit signs of the maturation process at work.

But I still think there is hope for the future and take comfort in the knowledge that we have no cavities.
 

Tweet

Dear Ma,

My daughter attends a small Christian college in the Midwest. She has really been studying hard and last fall she made the Dean's list (I taught her everything she knows). She told me that today the school paper came out in which they had posted the Dean's list and to her surprise, her name was not on it! I just know there has to be some mistake, since my husband and I got a very OFFICIAL letter of congratulations wherein the provost of the college sent his personal good wishes and even though he didn't address this specifically, I'm good at reading between the lines and I couldn't help but notice that he was also acknowledging the fact that I had taught her everything she knows.

Anyways, do you think we should threaten to withhold some of our contributions to the school? Even if we don't actually give money--and I'm not saying we don't--wouldn't it be good to stand up for what is right and just? Isn't this what they are talking about when people use the phrase, "Speaking Sorta Truth to Power?"

I surely would not want to over react--goodness knows I almost never do--but I can't help but be afraid that my little girl could be emotionally scarred by this whole experience, so much so that she could even fall prey to a Twinkie attack and wind up discovered in an out-of-the-way library carrel, her head slumped on the desk top, her lips slightly cyanotic and fake cream filling on her fingernails...

It could happen!

What do you think I should do? And, what in the world is a Provost??

signed,

Hey, I'd like to remain "Anonymous" (except I'm somewhere in Iowa, out on a lonely farmhouse where my husband is driving me nuts banging a hammer in the basement)

Dear Hey Nonny Nonny,

This is very sad. I can't remember when I have been so moved by a letter from someone who has been so obviously wronged and is in danger of falling into the deep pit of parental despair.

Never mind the daughter, it is YOU I am worried about. College students are young and they are very.....what's that word people are always using about little kids when they don't care about them they go through hard times....oh yes, RESILIENT. I'm sure she is.

But YOU, my dear...oh it makes me weep. How well I know that you sit in your isolated old house in the country, counting down the days until you hear from your children who are away from home, only to receive the tragic news that you daughter, having done a very credible job in her studies, has been slighted in such a way, which taken to its extremes of extrapolation, has denied you the pleasure of bragging to your neighbors, relatives and most of all, people that you don't like that much but really wish to impress.

It is grievous. But here is what you should do: find some nice Christian bookstore--or website--where you can buy a small pan of (pretend) burning coals. Send it anonymously to the parties responsible for this oversight. They will be very puzzled, but they can't help but notice the symbolic nature of the gift, unless they have neglected to study those sections of their Bibles pertaining to the treatment of enemies.

It will serve the purpose of driving them crazy, which is so much more rewarding then just getting a simple apology and/or correction for their omission. Plus, you will not actually be complaining in person, so that will get you bonus humility points with The Man Upstairs.

Yes, that is what I would do. As to the meaning of the word, "Provost," I was never really sure, but I think it might be one of those words that came into being accidentally, when someone sneezed.

Best wishes my Dear, and stay humble,

like Ma
 

Tweet

Another Monday

This week officially marks the halfway point of our school year. It cannot end too soon, as far as I'm concerned. But it also has to end on a good note. So there's no time for burnout by Ma nor students (there is no truth to the rumor that I've made a cross-off sheet counting down the days until Trevor goes to college).

I've received the practice test booklet for the fourth grade Iowa Test of Basic Skills that I ordered. I figure by doing 4 pages per day I can get ne'er-do-well Nolan through it before testing, the middle of March. That kid is gonna do better on testing this year and that's THAT.

If I can just read to him more, it would help his vocabulary. But I can't reward him with that when he wastes time staring off into space instead of finishing his math.

I don't suppose the Iowa Department of Education cares that the first five kids got academic scholarships.
___________

Continuing on our journey down The Long, Long Road Back to Ma, I stepped on the scale this morning and have lost another pound :-)

That makes a 3 pounds lost in the last week and a half. The first time I stepped on the scale this morning it was actually down another half pound, but then I had one of those funny ideas pop in my head, "Ma, what if you were mistaken and reversed two of the numbers....better check again." So I did, and that's when it read half a pound higher, so I stopped. That stupid scale is not gonna get the better of me!

Staying off the bagels and chips has been good. And I didn't even have to tie myself to the mast, like Ulysses. (well, maybe just one day...)

This week I'll try to increase my daily exercise--4 miles already this morning--and eat more power oatmeal breakfasts.
____________

Guess that's enough whining/reporting for now. Other people have it worse, and that reminds me...

...thank you for continued prayers for Aaron Severs and his family.
 

Tweet

A Prayer Request....

...I have.

Aaron Severs grew up in a family that has been very dear to our family, here in Iowa.

When we were coming out to visit from Indiana, the Severs' had us over to their farm for a cookout. This family has also hosted many a homeschooling hayride, over the years, until health matters in their family prohibited this, and many other activities.

The Severs have had many, MANY health concerns:

Ella, the oldest, has recurring problems stemming from past mercury poisoning. She often has bouts where she cannot keep food down.

Laura, next eldest, suffered a hard blow to the body back in the 90's that now manifests itself in fibromyalgia. She struggles with severe pain (among other things) on a daily basis.

The youngest, Alina, also has health problems, one of the most recent being a severe concussion, experienced....a couple years ago, I think. But there are other health issue she has to bear, as well.

The mom, Dee, also struggles with many health problems, one of the main ones being a back that can go out at any time. But Dee has put up with quite a bit, not the least of which has been taking care of various sickies over the years.

Doug is the dad and I've put in a request for him in the past. He's the one who grew up with the crippling effects of polio, and then had heart problems that became so severe that he needed bypass surgery last year. Doug is actually doing better now, than most of them...

And so we come to Aaron.
Some may remember him from a picture taken at a wedding last November. They live near Iowa City.

We learned in church this morning that Aaron has just been diagnosed with Lyme Disease in his brain. His health has deteriorated rapidly over the past week.

An MRI is planned for in which they will also search for things like Huntington's and MS. Not a very pretty picture.

Aaron and Kelly have a lovely 2-year-old daughter, Susanna. I think she is healthy :-) Kelly, his wife and the oldest daughter of missionaries in Africa, is not so strong, health-wise, and needs help in caring for Aaron.

At ANY rate, you will never find a family--I'm speaking of all the Severs--who have undergone more health trials, or who have exhibited such determined faith in God's goodness.

Please pray for Aaron Severs.
 

Tweet

 

 

Tweet

One More WEEK!!

I don't mean to sound too gleeful about being almost done with the janitor job, but....WWHHHHHEEEEEEEEEE.

Just for fun, I did a couple of extras today: cleaning bugs out of some lights and wiping off the dust on several high surfaces that no one ever sees.

I also found a couple places that el sonno has missed. Too late to change his dusting ways now, and I guess I should have been checking up on him more...

My only regret is that the flash got killed on my camera, nixing my great plans for pictures of the Church Janitor Olympics. Ah well, in this case, the world's loss could be a good thing.

Now, don't worry about the lost income, folks. Ma has plenty of opportunities, even in this troubled economy.

First of all, I figure that with my 8 years of janitorial experience, I can offer up my services as a paid consultant to any number of organizations.

And not just in one area....it's time to dream big, people!

The company (or administration) that hires me will be getting expertise not only in your typical areas of sweeping, pulling fingernail clippings out of the carpet and unsticking chewed gum from the bottom of a trash can liner so you don't have to use a new bag, BUT, I can also offer additional advice gleaned over the years, such as wearing gloves to vacuum until the metal wand that's been stored in the freezing janitor's closet warms up enough so that it doesn't make your arthritic knuckles ache.

However, THAT'S NOT ALL, oh no. In addition, I present credentials not found in just any ol' (sweeper) bag lady:

1) Varicose veins--I can empathize with the vein-challenged of the world, providing a voice for the unheard aching legs 'round the globe. I'll lobby medical insurance companies to cover laser surgery.

2) Cloth diaper expertise--true, this is from my past, but I still hold the harrowing memories of rinsing out cloth poop-receptacles and then trying to rid my hands of the smell. Surely this experience can be of use to some psychiatrist.

3) Conventional technology--things like dial telephones, real ovens (not microwaves) and typing essays without texting or using the word "awesome." While some of these could fall under the category of nostalgia, I feel it's important that future generations do not forget what people my age put up with so they can play mindless computer games all day.

So that's one avenue. The other is closer to home...out in the breezeway, actually.

I've discovered a real bonanza of potential mouse corpses. Having set a couple of traps out there and then forgotten about them, I checked yesterday and found two traps quite sprung on mice that were quite dead.

I immediately removed the unfortunate vermin and reset them, to have them fill up again, before late afternoon.

Since yesterday I have personally been responsible for the death of 6 mice. One trap is set close enough to an exterior leaky door, that the bodies freeze to the metal whapper, making it difficult to extricate, but hey....NO ONE EVER SAID LIFE (or death) WOULD BE EASY.

(and incidentally, when a mouse freezes, it's eyeballs turn from inky black to icy white. Quite sensational from a special effects viewpoint....*makes note to contact Stephen Spielberg*...)

All that remains is to find a market for these gray-furred squeakers. If someone wants them alive, I'd be willing to procure live traps, as long as I'm assured they won't be released in the state of Iowa.

I'm thinkin' a few pet boa constrictors would be very appreciative. Just a little food for thought, if anyone harboring exotic pets is listening.

So there ya have it. Lot's of exciting opportunities ahead, it's only a matter of channeling my unique talents in the right direction.
 

Tweet

Ma's Newsy Nuggets

First, a glimpse of our morning commute:
It's blowin' that stuff all over the place, and the gravel roads will probably drift shut in places, soon.

Derek and I made it home OK, though we had a bit of drift-kalumphing.

And after getting careful instructions (from Covenant, in Waterloo) to go to the West Campus and not the main hospital in Mason City, naturally, it turned out to be the hospital, in the end.

But we had a nice tour of the West campus, dontcha know.
_____________

In the news: when the going gets tough, we women will prevail. Too bad about those male brains...
__________________

Of a more arresting nature, throwing snowballs can land you in the hoosegow. Tsk, tsk.
__________________

And in a part of Iowa I won't mention, a woman has been arrested for not returning a library book that was checked out in April of 2008. I'm sure you can find it yourself, if you try, but I'm not including the link because the lady's picture is up and everything. ("Book 'em, Danno!") I mean really....

I gotta say, OUR librarians are much more reasonable.
__________________

Finally, just in case you thought googling was a harmless past time, someone has figured up the carbon cost, thereof.

Let's all get together, forgo a google or two, and send the savings to that poor lady mentioned above.

Some things just defy imagination.
 

Tweet

As the sky turns from misty black to sombre blue....

...I am thinking of my 2nd oldest daughter, slaving away in her cubicle at work.

I too, have a cubicle. It's called the bathroom.

In it I have spent many a happy moment, reading books, separated from the outside world inside my home by a door. A door that almost closes.

This morning I finished another chapter of Angela's Ashes, and I revel in the fact that we actually have indoor bathrooms with toilets that flush, as long as the electricity doesn't go out, which Frank McCourt didn't have, either.

Most of the house is still asleep. I listen to the quiet swish of the dishwasher I have only just started this morning because El Dereko did not put in soap after he did the "quick rinse," last night.

The "quick rinse" is another hardship that must be performed, since the dishwasher rarely gets it right without. This opens the door to forgetting to open the door to put in the soap and run it through the normal cycle.

But again, I don't mind, because people during the depression and the war did not have dishwashers. Some of them didn't even have food.

So it's back to my "Mom's Best Frosted Wheat-fuls" cereal, with the cheery yellow box that shows pictures of eco-friendly windmills. Windmills that could take out a bird or two, but then there would be less to knock down planes and that brings us back to the sky...

...which is now light enough to be cloudy.
 

Tweet

Good Day...

...it has been. Though I wouldn't have necessarily said that from the start....because, IT HAD JUST STARTED....HA HA HA HA HA.

(don't mind me. It has been a good day, in part because I've tried very hard to ignore certain annoyances)

Good for getting the groceries and sticking terriaki chicken in the crockpot. YUM!

Good for coming home and playing Andrea Bocelli loud enough to drown out someone's blaring call-in talk show.

Good (and warm enough) for kids to play outside...


...and just hang 'round.


Good for walking down the road to snap a barn...


...or walking back to catch a drift.



(the reach of Ma's shadow is looooong)


The following Trevorism was witnessed and scribed by Carolyn:

"Look! Dead gwass! Now spwing is goin' to be hewoh will-wy soon! I can howdwy wait for SPWING!!"

Oh yes, 'tis good :-)
______________

In other news, Loren took Derek in for his monthly protime and when they called back with the results, Derek got to talk to the wonderful Dr. L! Very good. People brought the incident of last week to the doc's attention.

Derek's to go to Mason City tomorrow to get another Holter monitor. For some REASON, he is wanted to report at 8:45, which means leaving at 7:30, which means getting up around 6:15. I looked at Loren and he looked at me and I had a pretty good idea just "who" might be getting up that early.

Then the furnace people called, saying they were stopping by at 9 tomorrow. That clinched it. We can't have some idiot woman here when the furnace guys come. You can quiz me about chocolate or math facts, but please, PLEASE don't ask me anything about furnaces.

It's still good, however. Especially if you go back 6 tracks on your Andrea Bocelli CD and play songs a second time :-D
 

Tweet

Appropriate Poetry

Ma received this from "the other Nancy," my cousin-in-law :-)

Quite apt for the current situation:

Twas the month after Christmas, and all through the house
Nothing would fit me, not even a blouse.
The cookies I'd nibbled, the eggnog I'd taste
All the holiday parties had gone to my waist.
When I got on the scales there arose such a number!
When I walked to the store (less a walk than a lumber).
I'd remember the marvelous meals I'd prepared;
The gravies and sauces and beef nicely rared,
The wine and the rum balls, the bread and the cheese
And the way I'd never said, "No thank you, please."
As I dressed myself in my husband's old shirt
And prepared once again to do battle with dirt--
I said to myself, as I only can "You can't spend a winter
disguised as a man!"

So-away with the last of the sour cream dip,
Get rid of the fruit cake, every cracker and chip
Every last bit of food that I like must be banished
"Till all the additional ounces have vanished.
I won't have a cookie-not even a lick.
I'll want only to chew on a long celery stick.
I won't have hot biscuits, or corn bread, or pie,
I'll munch on a carrot and quietly cry.
I'm hungry, I'm lonesome, and life is a bore---
But isn't that what January is for?
Unable to giggle, no longer a riot.
Happy New Year to all and to all a good diet!

 

Tweet

Hangin' in there

I have an update on Jo Craig, who was having her foot checked for a blood clot at the end of last week....she came home and was doing better and went to church on Sunday. Now her foot is giving her trouble again so she'll be going back to the doctor, today. She thanks folks for their prayers.
_____________

On our sickie front, this weird virus just sorta drifts in and out. Some are still having headaches and recurring nausea (it can't be carbon monoxide poisoning because 1) not everyone has the symptoms and 2) the house leaks fairly well). Even I--blessed with an iron stomach--was feeling queasy 'round bedtime, but that could fit in nicely with my plans to lose weight.

Speaking of which...

Ma put in 2 miles on the treadmill this morning and it felt really great! (wasn't queasy at the time) I was only going for 1.5, but by the time I'd cycled back and forth between my gradients, it was so close to 1.5 that I decided to go fer the big 2.0.

I like to warm up, then go to 2 incline, than 0, then 3 incline, then 0, etc. until I get through number 6 incline. After that I just go level and gradually pick up speed until 4.1 or so. Loren doesn't let us run on the treadmill any more since it's hard on the motor.

SO, I've made it through 4 days without bagels, and now I'm gonna implement my "No chip" rule. Maybe I'll even start munching on carrot sticks, who knows?

Certain peoples keep harping on this being the end times, and when Ma selects rabbit food of her own volition, you do have to wonder...
 

Tweet

Of New Presidents and Potatoes

I'm not trying to be disrespectful, it just so happens that on this day of the presidential inaugural, we also bought potatoes...and you know Ma can't pass up a good alliterative opportunity.

Not a lot of school got done, as we were watching much of the Washington D.C. events on TV. It's history and I figure it helps us all to process the change of administrations.

Ethan mentioned that at 11 years of age, George W. Bush was the only president he'd ever known. I contemplated reminiscing on my many years of experience and trying to impress them with all the presidents I recall, but then they might have asked me if I remembered Teddy Roosevelt and since that could have incited violence I decided to remain my usual, humble self.

The best part of the parade--which barely got started before stations began cutting back to local programming, was Al Roker. We usually watch NBC...I mean come on....Michael Beschloss is just so DREAMY, historianically speaking.

But anyways, Al Roker had been standing at the side of the route, hoping and hoping to get a chance to speak to President Obama, and the first couple did indeed get out of the limo to walk for a bit at that section. Al called out, "Mr. President...Mr. President!....(didn't catch everything) to which came the reply, "It's very warm!" or something like that.

Al Roker milked that for all it was worth, to the amusement and applause of his colleagues in the booth.

Well, WE were all laughing...I guess you had to be there.

The Potato Report: Loren had to run to town and made the mistake of asking me if I needed anything, hee, hee.

I gave him the assignment of "Milk" and "Potatoes."

"What kind of potatoes?"

Well, how do you explain the intricacies of potato selection to mere males? Buying really cheap potatoes can actually be worse than buying none at all.

In the end, Loren came home with a good buy AND a good quality product.

He did so well, in fact, that I may even consider assigning him food procurement chores of greater responsibility, such as canned goods or possibly even cold cereal. They say people in their elder years can maintain good brain function by learning new skills.

*smiles sweetly*

Speaking of Loren, he received his cholesterol report back from Mayo. It was 171, which is even better than the 182 he had in early December. Due primarily to my lean cooking the three nights pre-test, no doubt.

Let's all give a great big YAHOO :-D

OOoooo, that reminds me...must remember to get more eggs...
 

Tweet

Tractor to the Rescue!

Ma was out busting her elbows for the second time this morning--not that I mind, since there are calories that need burning--when Dawson Ackerman drove up the road, on his way to clear out the church.

I heard the tractor slowing, slowing....and I thought--in between panting for breath--"Yep...if he asks whether I want a plow-out I am gonna say 'YES!'"

And so he got to work :-)


In no time at all he had just about blown through the "Tracy Cut" I'd been inching up towards....


Young lads o' the house were excited...aye !


Then he came up to the garage-front and significantly widened matters.


Ma watched from the stoop


Yessiree....looks like a clear path to die Straße!


The highest part of the drift comes up to Ma's shoulder...
...so ye olde elbowes are eternally grateful :-)

Thank you, Mr. Ackerman
 

Tweet

Returns

First off, everyone's back where they're supposed to be.

Sharon and Kendra pulled into Warsaw around 2:00am, and Loren and Ethan got home about 12:40...at least, that's when Loren walked into the bedroom and woke me up.

It went something like this:
1) both parties leave around 4pm, Sharon from Warsaw and Loren, Kendra and Ethan from our house
2) hit icy roads around Cedar Rapids
3) start seeing cars in the ditch
4) see semi in ditch, traffic has slowed, considerably
5) hit patch of ice and almost go in the ditch
6) contemplate going back home
7) have Sharon keep driving across Illinois to meet closer to state line
8) slow traffic
9) in all, see about 15 cars and 3 semis in ditch
10) finally make transfer just over Iowa state line
11) stop on way home to eat, battery dead and hunt around for someone with cables to jump start the Lincoln of unreliability
12) 12:30, drive into garage, shut off car, try to start--just for fun--battery dead
13) come up to bedroom all excited about adventures while wife pretends to be interested

At any rate, everyone's safe. But I just gotta say, if more people would listen to their mamans and wives, there would be less war, less cars in the ditch, and folks wouldn't get home at unearthly hours.
_______________

Oh hey, the mighty DRIFTBUSTER came through, this morning :-)
Really...they are just so very, very cool.

Plow, baby, PLOW!


For a minute I thought he'd been swallowed up in the snow...
...but I guess he's just over the hill :-D

Looks like I'll have to dig out the front of the driveway, but that's ok. As for the drifted-over parts, I've now made my way down from the garage and around the curve...I'm right up against the Tracy cut.

Oh, and I got on the scales this morning and I've lost 2 pounds! Giving up bagels seems to have paid off.

Now, I have more snow (and hopefully more pounds) to get rid of...
 

Tweet

The Sunday of Snowdrifts,

or YOU TOO, CAN HAVE FUN IN THE COUNTRY.

It took us two tries at vehicles and two tries at routes, but we made it to church this morning, only 15 minutes late for Sunday School.

The gravel roads don't show up on the "Road Conditions" map, but let me tell you, they were a mess!

Looking north, you can see how the wind had drifted large fingers across, from west to east.
It's possible to get around on the right, or small side, but really, that section of drift on the left needs the V-shaped plow.

The road to the south was no better, with drifts going on into infinity.
These pictures were taken after we brought the mini-van back from our first attempt. We had turned east at Washington reformed church, but it soon became apparent that no plows had traversed this section. We only had two miles until the blacktop, but when we encountered a drift nearly to the vehicle's hood, Loren backed up to the crossroad and started north. This looked slightly more passable, but then Loren realized the minivan was leaking antifreeze, so we returned home.

Moby Dick, the large white 15-passenger van, miraculously started, and though we only had 4 kids with us--3 were home sick--we were able to travel north for several miles, before hitting another blacktop.

I'm pretty sure the only reason we got that far was because a farmer had made his way through the section north of the WRC.

About 15 minutes after returning from church, the plows finally went through. Ha.
______________

There's been a little change in plans for getting Kendra back to Grace. Originally, Loren was to drive her back tomorrow, but Sharon volunteered to meet him halfway--in Illinois--and then both could be to their prospective destinations by midnight, instead of Loren having to stay over and come back on Tuesday.

It mattered not that Ma, in her inimitable premonitionary way commented, "I have a bad feeling about this..."

It mattered not that Kendra, who had put off packing until later, suddenly had 40 minutes in which to gather her stuffs.

Kendra even brought up the fact that we'd told people at church she was leaving on Monday, so they wouldn't be praying until tomorrow...

The wheels of, "Let's get this over with, today!" had begun to grind, however, and there was no stopping them. Kendra could help Loren drive, and he'd take Ethan along to help him stay awake on the return trip (Ethan can talk the ear off a mule).

They left shortly after 4:00. Not long ago (5:45) I received a call..."Mommy? Have you heard anything on the news about bad roads? We ran into a patch of ice and have passed a LOT of cars in the ditch..."

*pause*

(so much for Kendra helping Loren drive. He won't let anyone touch the wheel if there's the slightest hint of dicey roads)

"You tell Daddy that I TOLD HIM I HAD A BAD FEELING ABOUT THIS."

Small comfort.

Ma would appreciate your prayers on their behalf.
 

Tweet

 

 

Tweet

Saturday Snow Blow

Well folks, she be blowin' out thar.

The wind speed is 31 mph, sustained. Good thing the temp has gone up to 26 degrees, causing some of the snow to get warm enough to make it less easy to blow around. Barely.

Still, as I drove home the last time from cleaning the church, Ma was bucking the drifts in the zippy-red-car-of-ka-LUMPH-iness. Quite fun really, but if this drift...
..had been much farther north, I might not have made it to the driveway.

I'm quite sure many of the gravel roads are becoming nearly impassible.

Where are the weather advisories? Where is the Iowa National Guard?

WHERE IS MY CHOCOLATE?!

It was even snowing inside the church!
(I know this is a bum picture, but my flash doesn't work and possibly loose, flabby cheek jowls were slapping the camera...I don't know.

Still, that triangular-shaped white thing left of center is a mound of snow that came in through a vent on the roof, and found its way down....down....down to the basement ladies bathroom, settling on the window ledge.

Using my laser-like brain to assess the situation, I said to Carolyn and Ethan, "Well, I guess we'd better clean that up..."

(you learn to make these life and death decisions, after being a janitor for 8 years)

At any rate, the wind be howlin', and the snow...she be a goin' sideways...ARRRRGH, laddies!

An' it don't show no signs uh lettin' up, nyther...
 

Tweet

Inside the box

For the consummate nerd, life is a never ending science fair.

Loren is fixing up a heating device for the addition. It utilizes a component that was taken out of the gas furnace.

There's still life in them thar whachamacallits.

In other news, Ma took extreme action and stepped on the scales, this morning. WHEE Doggies! Springs were flyin' all over the place, a sound like thunder rumbled o'er the room and I thought there was a gasping voice that might have said, "Get off....GET OFF !"

Ma has gone and done it, now. Set new records for non-pregnant corpulence.

So I made a few changes: extra half mile on the treadmill and power oatmeal for breakfast.

Gone are the buttered bagels, whose siren call has been faithfully answered, lo these past 3 months.

"Chocolate doesn't' taste good....chips are bad!" is the mantra I must repeat.

But mostly, I just have to ignore the things and people that have been stressing me out.

I hope no one suffers unduly :-D
 

Tweet

How do :-)

Ma has been off to the big city, shopping with la Kendra, most of the day.

We found many things worth purchasing, and possibly even left enough money for Loren to return Kendra to school via car. If not, she may have to walk.

But before I get wrapped up in our acquisitions, Ma has a few prayer requests:

1) Jo Craig, who lives a short six miles down our road, was taken to the hospital to check for a blood clot in her leg. I just got home and read it a few minutes ago, so I don't know any more details...

2) Derek feels better from his sickness, but his heart is still not right. It isn't as bad as Wednesday and Thursday, but it's definitely not right. If I don't hear back from his own doctor--who returns next week--I'll be giving his office a ring.
___________________

It's really quite amazing that Kendra--a college student--is still not able to read the signs at the resale shop that say, "Please do not take carts into the dressing room."

What's even more amazing, is that she could even get the cart--loaded with tremendous amounts of clothing--INTO the dressing room, approximately the size of half a closet.

However, she was so embarrassed after I brought this to her attention (not to mention the cobwebs growing on my cart from waiting so long) that I decided not to make a big deal of this little faux pas.

It was more of a faux peu, anyway.

We managed to use half the budget at Wal*Mart, where things like shampoo, laundry detergent and chocolate WILL add up.

After that it was on to our ritual meal at Arby's, where we replaced calories from the first two ventures and built up our strength for the Goodwill SUPER store!

Kendra made the fatal mistake of heading for clothing first, leaving me to get through half the books before she realized her error. I may be old, but I still know where my priorities are!

After I'd looked around pretty much to my content, I left Kendra under what sounded like a mound of clothes in the dressing room (this one was larger) and went off to procure foodstuffs for the kid peoples at home.

I must say, it felt pretty good to come away spending less than usual. There's no telling what people could save at the grocery store if only they wouldn't splurge on luxuries such as milk, meat and eggs (speaking of which, I can finally feed Loren real food, since he went in for his cholesterol test this morning).

Returning to Goodwill, I found Kendra still in the dressing room, though she assured me she had not been in there the entire time I was gone (yeah, right)

When check-out time FINALLY came, the two of us managed to single-handedly shut down the cash register at one end of the store. This came about due to trying to split the bill between our two debit/credit cards.

Apparently they are not set up to do this. Apparently you can only perform this accounting feat if you are splitting up two cash payments.

But apparently they have wonderfully nice people working there, for they did an impressive accounting activity that, while taking time, worked out all the details, and I'm pretty sure no one will be going to jail.

And one more thing...Ma purchased a dress for 5 dollars. This dress still had the original tags on it, from Younkers. I...like....NEVER buy stuff there! The original price was $78.00, but the best part--besides being a rather attractive color and style, is that it is four sizes too small, giving me grand incentive to lose weight.

I expect to be wearing it sometime in May.

Theoretically I could goof off for a coupla more weeks, but I plan to get serious when Loren leaves on Monday, or whenever my potato chips run out....whichever comes last.
 

Tweet

One Cool Dude

 

Chesley B. Sullenberger III

Pilot.

Hero.
 

Tweet

The Cold, Sickie, and Furnace Report

Early this morning, around 3:30 am, our temperature got down to 22 degrees below zero. And with a wind speed of 17 mph, the wind-chill was -49.

As in....real, real close to -50.

Now, normally I wouldn't be up at that hour, just to check on the temperature. It takes a lot to get me out from between my flannel sheets and electric blanket. However, since el hubbo and I awoke approximately around the same time to cold air, he determined the heat had shut off...and as long as he was getting up, I didn't want to miss out on the fun.

Here's what happened:

It got SOOOOOOO cold, that our auxiliary heat--called a 'heat strip'--tried to come on, but it drew so much power that it threw all the breakers on the main breaker box.

This shut down a vast number of things, including the heat pump (but not the electric blanket, or maybe we would have woken up sooner....)

So down we traipsed to the basement, where Loren got 'er goin' again, and then decided to turn on the gas furnace to get the heat back up, more quickly.

About this same time, Melinda came downstairs, saying she'd heard two loud booming sounds, that seemed to come from the attic. I thought it was probably due to the cold, but being non-scientifically-minded I didn't know how to explain this very well, and "I think it's just the cold weather," didn't seem to allay her curiosity/alarm.

As Loren said it wouldn't hurt for someone to go up in the attic and check, Ma donned her slippers, found a dim flashlight and headed to the upper regions of civilization.

You know, it is VERY VERY COLD, in the attic! I waved the flashlight around for a bit, looking...looking, and finding nothing out of order--except for all those boxes I'd messed up. It's barely possible that my search was hastened by not wishing to come to an untimely end in a frigid attic, frozen underneath fallen crossbeams from the 1920's. It just doesn't sound romantic enough.

I'd prefer a demise under house parts from the antebellum years, at least.

By this time, Carolyn was awake, wondering why the door to the attic was open. She too had heard the loud booms and wondered if the end of time was imminent.

At any rate, we all got back to sleep, well...maybe not Loren, but it took a very long time to get warm under the covers, again.

Contractions due to extreme cold was the final explanation given to the kids for the noises.

Loren spent all morning putting in a new cable from the heat strip to a different breaker box, so that it won't flip everything off, again.

The Sickie Report: Carolyn and Nolan are feeling much better. Now Derek seems to be ailing from this strange virus. That might be what made his heart go wonky...which is still doing funny things but is somewhat regular, for the moment.

Anybody else had a funny sickness that involves headache and nausea? Sore throat for a couple. No actual upchucking--so far. Loren must have had it too, for his stomach was funny and he had a headache.

At least we can get out of here now, if we need to. Ethan and I braved the cold, yesterday, to clear in front of the garage, just enough to back a car out and turn it toward the yard.

This morning I knocked myself out clearing a path through three drifts, so that we can exit out across the grass.

There is an unbelievable drift in the driveway, but we can tackle that later, when the weather moderates.

As of this moment, it is sunny, with a temp of -12, wind speed of 14 mph and wind chill of -34.

In other words, conditions in the channel are quite cold but not insurmountable.
 

Tweet

Attention

 
The windchill is now -41.

That is all.
 

Tweet

Ooops

Well, I don't often admit this, but ever so infrequently, I make mistakes.

I KNOW...it IS hard to believe!

However, I am not afraid to mention these small aberrations, particularly when nestled between adamant proclamations that this type of happenstance does not---often---happen.

But just so's people won't be overly discouraged by thinking, "Why is Ma always so perfect? And why can't I be more like her?" I submit the following:

I was scrounging through the freezer, looking for some long-lost chicken broth. (Loren's going in for a cholesterol check tomorrow, and I've been whipping up the low fat meals for THREE WHOLE DAYS, now. It's not terribly relevant, but everyone should have a piece of my agony, I always say...)

ANY-way, I plunked the large ice cream container of what I thought was broth into the microwave and when I brought it out and took off the lid, what did I behold but the leftover Turkish Delight from Jason's birthday...

OOOOPS!

Enh. It's probably still ok. I put it back in the freezer, waiting for that time when all other food in the house has been depleted and we're down to gnawing on old beef bones and weeds from the garden. I figure that will happen "one o' these days." Sooner, if there's a mid-trib rapture...
_______________

On a slightly more serious note, Derek's had some extra heart activity, starting over the weekend.

Then today, he actually went into a-fib. So I thought, "Ok, here we go...the end of the road to pacemaker implantation is upon us."

I managed to scrounge up the number for peds cardiology at Iowa Children's hospital and they seemed sorta excited to hear from me. ("Oh boy...fresh meat!")

After they consulted with peoples, they called me back with definite intentions to set up a cardioversion (Derek's regular electrophysiologist was out of town). "Whoa, whoa, whoa," I thought, and requested waiting until the wonderful Dr. L. came back. This necessitated more consulting, and another call-back.

By the time they called back the second time, 90 minutes had passed since Derek had gone into a-fib and he started having a few normal beats and then converted back to sinus rhythm on his own.

This was all a little embarrassing to explain, but in reality, I'd just wanted to alert them to what was happening...get it on record, etc.

Not even sure we could get OUT of the driveway, except for using the zippy-red-car-of-leakiness. Most unfun in which to drive down to Iowa City.

(Hel-lo, people...there's a wind-chill warning and we live 2.5 hours away!)

But as I said, 'tis all moot, since he flipped back to normal.

That's my boy, Derek!

Guess now they understand why we don't rush down at the first fibrillation. I somewhat regret calling in the first place.

Two mistakes in one day...*sigh*...hard to believe, I know.
 

Tweet

Adventures With Ma in the Cold, Cold Yard of Death

Another night, another snowstorm in America's heartland.

Ma went to her computer and after careful triangulatory calculations involving area snow totals and the higher echelons of math, our incredibly brainy matron came to the conclusion that between 7 and 7.5 inches had "fallen" overnight.

Slightly more than the projected 2-5.

Taking into consideration the winds, some of the snow undoubtedly blew in from South Dakota.

Donning enormous amounts of snow gear, Ma and her son prepare to experience the harsh Iowan elements...
...the symbolic shadows of the the porch railing proclaim that they are veritable prisoners...

Ah, the drive directly in front of the garage...
...the garage with not one, not two, but three bay door areas that will need clearing.

Our orange jumpsuit clad Ma proceeds around the back of the garage...
The land would seem a sea of snow, with cruel but beautiful waves rolling on and on, to the horizon.

She makes her perilous way to the front yard, and then the road, looking back down the driveway...
...but....but...where IS the driveway?

With her trusty, wooden assistant in hand, our brave reporter-of-nature's-wrath inserts the yardstick-of-measure...
...hmmm, 27 inches. It is not a pretty sight.

*shudders*

Even the blue-van-of-oldness seems to mock her, with it's crafty, cat-like eyes.


Her double-gloved fingers hurting so much that she begins to feel nauseous, our Ma-of-stupidity-who-has-stayed-out-too-long takes one more picture of the snowed-in drive...
...given time and warmer temperatures, she knows it could be cleared by Ma and kid-power.

However, given the harsh temperatures predicted for three days, our humble Ma comes to the conclusion that she may indeed have to swallow her pride and ask one of the nice farmers for help...

And that's all,

of Adventures With Ma

in the Cold, Cold Yard of Death
 

Tweet

In Between Storms

Had to hit the road and do a few errands, one of which involved refilling Derek's coumadin Rx. It runs out tonight so I figured I'd better hop to it. The zippy red car is parked close enough to the driveway's end that there was no problem getting out.

The roads were fine, though there are a few high banks on the gravel running east and west...
It's not completely over to one side, but the plows and road graders have done a good job, with all these storms.

I decided we'd just wait until the next one blows over before starting on the driveway. The wind might just come from the opposite direction and blow all of yesterday's snow drifts away, heh, heh.

Well....it COULD happen.

Off to video land. Two kids lying ill on the couches, so it's time for a little cartoon therapy.
 

Tweet

The Storm Report

Welcome to sunny Iowa. The 14mph winds have caused the -15 degree temperature to plummet to a -38 windchill.

It's COLD, baby!

However, I don't believe conditions got quite as blizzardly as expected, last night. We could still see the lights of the church and our neighbors.

Technically, a blizzard occurs if the winds are 35mph or more and visibility falls to 1/4 mile or less, for 3 or more hours.

The winds got up to 32 mph in Ackley, though I did not check every half hour. Our road doesn't look too bad, from what little I could see.

Still, there will be sizable quantities of snow to be moved in the driveway.

Here's in front of the garage...not too bad, really.


Unfortunately, winds were from a direction (southeast) that we normally throw the snow, because USUALLY stormy winds blow from northwest.

Both large vans, parked in the driveway, made perfect snow fences, causing snow to fall in the drive.
This yardstick measures just under 2 feet, though I can't be sure...I was not taking much time at all as my fingers began to hurt very soon after taking off the glove.

Here's the larger drift, which measures 26 inches.
Do you see the angle of darker snow moving up from the bottom left to top right? That's the basic outline of the drive, which curves around to the left and goes up to the garage.

All that brighter white stuff will have to go. We can't even start on it though, until after lunch, when the wind is supposed to die down and the temperature rise to a balmy 2 degrees. Perhaps we'll get lucky and hit 4 or maybe even 5.

There's another Alberta Clipper coming through tonight, with 2-5 inches of snow, more wind, and colder cold.

Ackley has canceled school for today and tomorrow's prospects don't look promising.

GOOD THING WE HOMESCHOOL AND NEVER CATCH A BREAK HAVE TO QUIT!

Oh sure, it is pretty...
...it's also pretty brutal.
____________

In other news, Nolan seems to be getting a cold, and Loren's stomach is bothering him so it looks to be a fun week.
 

Tweet

But at least I have my sanity

We have here the reenactment of a crime scene.
I had to move it to better lighting since my flash no longer works, but I think you get the idea....part of my snake plant on the floor...a nice clean cut...no effort to conceal the evidence.

It's a cry for help, really. It's saying, "Mommy? My name is Nolan and I want to buy you a new houseplant."

Alright then, Nolan. I'll be sure and look for something really expensive.

Good grief. It's not like Nolan and Trevor hadn't done that very same thing a couple of years ago. What is it about boys that makes them want to destroy things? And are these really the people who should be running the world?

___________________

But speaking of bright, young collegiates, Kendra received all A's for the fall semester, with two of the courses having 'chemestry' as part of their name. What can I say? I taught the girl everything she knows.

It is interesting to note that barely two days after Kendra arrived home for Christmas break, we had our first blizzard.

Fast forward 4 weeks....Kendra returns to Grace soon, and yet another blizzard is in the offing.

A coincidence? I think not.

It is already starting to snow...
...with winds scheduled to whip up this afternoon. The barometer reads 29.55 and winds are are 19mph.

Ma is SOOOOoo glad she did the Monday shopping on Saturday!

We have enough milk, eggs and cocoa to ride out any storm, as long as it doesn't last more than a couple days and we don't lose power.

Whether there is enough ibuprofen and acetaminophen to combat ongoing headaches, remains to be seen...
 

Tweet

 

 

Tweet

Is it Spring, yet?

No.

This is evident because:

1) We had 3 more inches of snow over the past two days. With some wind. Very fun to shovel when there are inches of solid ice underneath. I did the whole driveway this morning...took me a good 1 1/2 hours. That's the last time I do that without stopping...my head and neck still feel funny.

Loren had the kids shovel out the yard, this afternoon. Yes, I said YARD. A pathway, really, through the yard. It's for exiting the property going forward.That way you don't have to back out of the garage and back around the curve and back out the rest of the driveway, narrowly missing the large white van by only inches. (the important thing to remember is that the van was missed...)

2) More snow is on the way, for Monday and Tuesday. This prompted Ma to do her grocery shopping today, instead of the usual Monday. We were practically out of eggs and milk, anyway. I worked that in after the shoveling and the 1.5 hours of church work (only three more weeks to go!). Then I came home and took a nap until 5pm.

3) It is going to get cold. Very, VERY cold. Nearly cold enough to make me move my computer station--via unhooking my laptop--to the living room. Except, I just cleaned off my desk, so it seems like a tragic waste. The real question here: why don't builders install rollers under houses? Then we could just rotate this baby and I'd be on the warm side of the house fer winter.
___________________

In other news, Loren has been working on his fantastical recycled heat-pump-to-warm-the-garage. She's all done (I think) and I'll reporting on that next week. WITH PICTURES.

When he first got 'er goin' Loren said it might take a bit to see if it worked, as she had "air in the lines." (I feel your pain, little heat pump...it's the same with me after eating rich food...")

But he fiddled with a part, or attached a stronger water pump...or something, and it started pouring out heat, causing much jubilation on Loren's part.

For my part, I spend my last days--before the diet starts--experimenting with new chip flavors. Did you know that Pringles has come out with a Honey Mustard variety? It's for a limited time only and sorta yummy. I found them last week at our Wal-Mart, but this week I went with "Dutch Crunch Jalapeño & Cheddar Kettle Chips."

It was on sale so I figured providence constrained me. And the accent mark made it seem more sophisticated.

Now I've heard Old Dutch brand has a Ketchup variety, but I'm having a hard time picturing that as part of my aesthetic world view.

I would certainly have to make that a matter of prayer before giving it a taste test.
 

Tweet

People You Should Know

As Ma was warming up between ye olde flannele sheetes last evening, the 10 o'clock news burbled along until my attention was drawn to a promo...

KWWL has a feature at 6 o'clock on Monday nights--which I never see--called "Someone You Should Know."

Not sure why there was a rehash last night, but Ma is most glad she caught it!

The Johnson Family Strings attend our church, and they were last Monday's feature. Here's the story....click on the video at the right, to replay the segment.

The Johnsons also have their own website and I'm thinkin' that mighta just gone up recently.
________________

In other news, we've had a fairly productive week around here.

1) Ma got her hair cut, immediately erasing 1.7 years from her face.

2) Ordered tickets for the Derek lad and moi...we are going to the BIG CITY to hear Cantus, the end of March. WOOHOO!

3) Got back into the school routine

4) Discovered the place the younger kids have been testing will be charging thirty dollars per student this year, so Ma is arranging for the old method of going in to the local school. Nerve wracking for the kids, but cheaper for me. (except for the gas used in traveling for five days to a school 20 minutes away)

5) Loren has been working like crazy on a system to heat the garage. It involves our old heat pump, mind altering adhesives and approximately 3 miles of PVC pipe. (in any group of 10 males, 8 will develop into a mad scientist-type personality. And then there are people like Loren, who absorbed those leftover 2 mad scientist personalities floating around in thin air. From several different groups)

6) I fixed my computer! It wasn't allowing me to save documents I was writing, which would have made it hard to send a best-selling manuscript (haven't written one, yet) to my book editor (don't have one), thus depriving the family (got that) of oodles of money (uh....no). When my computer froze, I had to restart it and PRESTO, I could "save as" again. Hey....that counts as "fixing," doesn't it?

TODAY: Well, now that I've finally stopped Trevor and Nolan from giggling uncontrollably instead of doing their math, I'm off to clean my desk...which is right here, basically.
 

Tweet

Where Past and Future Meet

Fear not...no near death experiences for today's post :-)

When we used to live in Indiana, there was a picture that somehow took my fancy. Painted by an American Artist, Winslow Homer, it was entitled "Girl and Laurel."

There's no telling why a person is struck by one image or another, but this work always seemed so very beautiful to me. But back then I was rather more sensible and frugal than now. The thought of buying something just for the joy of gazing at it seemed pretty frivolous, particularly when one could instead buy meat for supper.

I forgot all about that odd obsession. Things such as figuring out the ins and outs of homeschooling, and babies arriving every other year took precedence.

Roughly 23 years have passed, until I wandered into my local Goodwill store last summer.

I often head first to the book section, but was distracted by a large picture sitting against the wall.

You don't often see large framed copies of paintings in Goodwill--other than someone's jigsaw puzzle or a paint by number horror--so I picked it up, just out of curiosity.

It looked vaguely familiar and a search for the signature revealed...Homer...Homer...that name rang a bell....where had I heard that before?

Scales fell from my eyes and I went a little weak in the knees.

It cost all of 11 dollars...


Right now it is stuck behind a stack of clothes in our bedroom, but eventually it will be on the wall it leans against in the picture above.

Currently that is the little boys' room. But come fall, when Derek leaves for college, I'll move Trevor and Nolan over with Ethan.

Then...THEN will things be afoot!

It will start with scraping the ceiling and walls and painting everything...even the ugly dark brown floor. Out shall go the dressers painted in pastels for babies, now gone. Tractor pillows and yes, even Pooky Bear shall be banished.

Instead, a large overstuffed chair, the bed angled from a corner, a lamp and bookshelves. THE PICTURE hung on the wall. Other artists too shall enter, but they will not be allowed the same backdrop as THE PICTURE.

In name, a guest room, but basically it will be my little retreat. A place--other than the bathroom--where I can close the door and read in peace.

A place to have a quiet snore to myself.

After all, if a snore falls alone, is it even heard?
 

Tweet