Clint had oral surgery Wednesday. Talk about trauma. This guy hates bodily invasion of any kind. He won't go to the Doctor or Dentist unless he absolutely has to. This time was one of those. He has a prosthetic front tooth that had come loose, and he went in to get it recommended. Instead, they found a crack in the root that was causing infection, and said the root would have to be removed and replaced with a steel implant set into his jawbone, which will then have to heal for 6 months before they can put in a new tooth. So this was step one, removal of the root and installation of the implant. They did icky things like cut a piece of the roof of his mouth off to use as a cover over the site of the root removal.
Poor guy. His gums, mouth, teeth, sinuses, and head all hurt. The dentist said everyone was different, and he could not say whether Clint would be able to work the next day. After half a day in bed, he tried going fishing, figuring it was less taxing that work, and came home sicker than ever with a thumping headache. Today he tried working, same thing happened. He can't eat much, can't smile. I can't believe the surgeon did not prepare him better for how out of commission he was going to be. Clint hates the fact that he's gets to pay $3000 for the privilege of receiving this torture.
Friday, April 30, 2004
Garden's Done
We finished planting our tomatos and herbs today. It looks wonderful. It's satisfying to see the results of our efforts in a neat, well tended bed.
Tuesday, April 27, 2004
Gardening
I've been avoiding my yard for a year now. Ever since I watched the bobcat destroy the plantings I spent years nurturing. The plantings that were finally lush and mature. The backhoe chewed up the lawn, leaving pocked and pitted ground everywhere. It's pointless to even throw out grass seed when the ground is so rough. Oh, and the backhoe destroyed the UG sprinklers Clint finally installed after years of hand watering, moving hoses, and watching my plants die from the heat. So what would be the point in planting anything new, when I will be practically hauling buckets by hand to get it all watered?!
I used to spend hours and hours out in the yard, fighting the weeds, struggling to realize this vision I had of a lush and inviting landscape. Now it looks like an armpit. So, I try not to go outside unless it's to get in the car and go someplace else.
But something in the weather made me feel hopeful again. I decided maybe I could just try something small. Just a little corner for some herbs and tomato plants (I had herbs, lots of them. Sigh.) I bought 4 tomato plants, 20 herbs(I love fresh herbs, and they're so forgiving of heat and drought, too), and enough annuals for the girls to fill a couple of pots each, as a kind of belated Earth Day project. They love gardening. At least the planting part.
After helping the girls plant their pots, we went to work on my little herb garden. I immediately lost two helpers. Gillian and Tamzin dug out the little plastic kiddie pool so they could play in the water. I helped them find soap and scrub brushes to get it cleaned up after a winter in storage, then went back to digging my little garden.
Envision my yard as 1/3 of an acre of bare dirt, knee high weeds, and construction rubble. And here I am, trying to prep a 4 foot square section for beautification. And it takes FOREVER because there is devil grass EVERYWHERE, and it has to be hoed, hacked, dug, and clawed out of the ground. It' s exhausting. Gardening is hard work. I'm ages away from the fun part, at this point. So it's no surprise that I lost a third helper. After hauling a couple of loads of rocks in the wagon Rhiannon went to play on the tramp.
Shelby and I kept plugging away. Shelby's been asking to plant a vegetable garden for ages. I just didn't know where to put it. It got so hot we finally had to quit. Maybe today we can finish digging devil grass and put our babies in the ground. Then we just have to figure out how we're going to water them.
I used to spend hours and hours out in the yard, fighting the weeds, struggling to realize this vision I had of a lush and inviting landscape. Now it looks like an armpit. So, I try not to go outside unless it's to get in the car and go someplace else.
But something in the weather made me feel hopeful again. I decided maybe I could just try something small. Just a little corner for some herbs and tomato plants (I had herbs, lots of them. Sigh.) I bought 4 tomato plants, 20 herbs(I love fresh herbs, and they're so forgiving of heat and drought, too), and enough annuals for the girls to fill a couple of pots each, as a kind of belated Earth Day project. They love gardening. At least the planting part.
After helping the girls plant their pots, we went to work on my little herb garden. I immediately lost two helpers. Gillian and Tamzin dug out the little plastic kiddie pool so they could play in the water. I helped them find soap and scrub brushes to get it cleaned up after a winter in storage, then went back to digging my little garden.
Envision my yard as 1/3 of an acre of bare dirt, knee high weeds, and construction rubble. And here I am, trying to prep a 4 foot square section for beautification. And it takes FOREVER because there is devil grass EVERYWHERE, and it has to be hoed, hacked, dug, and clawed out of the ground. It' s exhausting. Gardening is hard work. I'm ages away from the fun part, at this point. So it's no surprise that I lost a third helper. After hauling a couple of loads of rocks in the wagon Rhiannon went to play on the tramp.
Shelby and I kept plugging away. Shelby's been asking to plant a vegetable garden for ages. I just didn't know where to put it. It got so hot we finally had to quit. Maybe today we can finish digging devil grass and put our babies in the ground. Then we just have to figure out how we're going to water them.
Laying Hardwood
Our latest remodel project is laying our wood floors (yipee!!) Not having flooring has been my primary excuse for not having a big housewarming bash. (something I'm hoping to do very soon!)
It took us forever to decide between hardwood and laminate flooring. Well, it took Clint forever to decide(He wanted tile, but he's not the one who has to stand on it for hours every day. No thank you!) I would LOVE hardwood, but voted for laminate because it's cheaper and easier to install. I figure I've used up my "honey-do"s for the next decade or so, and didn't have the heart to insist on something so pricey and TOUGH to do. But, in the end, my terrific hubby decided only the real thing would do, even if he has to work like a dog to install it.
So we've been installing hardwood for the last two weeks. It goes very slowly, since the boards are only 2 1/2 inches wide, and each one has to be pounded in with a mallet. I'm the assistant, in charge of laying paper, stocking boards, and keeping the area cleaned up. It's a wimpy job; I spend too much time standing around. I know Clint thinks I'm helping, since he doesn't have to deal with laying out the boards, but I'd feel more helpful if I could actually hammer the boards in. I did try, but apparently I'm just too weak! Clint thinks he's turning into Thor with all the slegdehammering he's doing driving those nails in.
Now if we can just finish and get a sealer on it before we spill something on it and ruin it forever. We're working on it about 3 hours each evening, but sometimes get bogged down on small but essential details. Last night it took Clint all evening to develop a plan for the grade change that will happen between the entry tiles and the wood floor. He cut, planed, and sanded a transitional piece that will work perfectly. Tonight we should be able to make huge progress now that this hurdle is behind us!
It took us forever to decide between hardwood and laminate flooring. Well, it took Clint forever to decide(He wanted tile, but he's not the one who has to stand on it for hours every day. No thank you!) I would LOVE hardwood, but voted for laminate because it's cheaper and easier to install. I figure I've used up my "honey-do"s for the next decade or so, and didn't have the heart to insist on something so pricey and TOUGH to do. But, in the end, my terrific hubby decided only the real thing would do, even if he has to work like a dog to install it.
So we've been installing hardwood for the last two weeks. It goes very slowly, since the boards are only 2 1/2 inches wide, and each one has to be pounded in with a mallet. I'm the assistant, in charge of laying paper, stocking boards, and keeping the area cleaned up. It's a wimpy job; I spend too much time standing around. I know Clint thinks I'm helping, since he doesn't have to deal with laying out the boards, but I'd feel more helpful if I could actually hammer the boards in. I did try, but apparently I'm just too weak! Clint thinks he's turning into Thor with all the slegdehammering he's doing driving those nails in.
Now if we can just finish and get a sealer on it before we spill something on it and ruin it forever. We're working on it about 3 hours each evening, but sometimes get bogged down on small but essential details. Last night it took Clint all evening to develop a plan for the grade change that will happen between the entry tiles and the wood floor. He cut, planed, and sanded a transitional piece that will work perfectly. Tonight we should be able to make huge progress now that this hurdle is behind us!
Saturday, April 24, 2004
Quarantined!
I've got a houseful of sick kids! After almost a week of off and on sore throats and stuffy noses(I thought it was hay fever), Shelby and Gillian developed a full blown fever, aches, ear pain and swolen glands illness. Tamzin has it too, minus the fever and aches. Shelby and Gillian spent most of the day in bed.
We have our share of colds, but rarely does it hit this hard. Today they are up and about, but still weak and congested. I'm concerned about keeping the congestion down so that ear or chest infections don't develop. I don't usually worry about that kind of thing, but this virus looks like it's not going to give up without a fight.
Rhiannon is happy as a clam that she's not also sick. Normally she gets every illness we are exposed to, and is the one who is the most ill. I think she may have already had it, since she had a cold over Easter weekend.
At least it's happening all at once, instead of one child at a time.
We have our share of colds, but rarely does it hit this hard. Today they are up and about, but still weak and congested. I'm concerned about keeping the congestion down so that ear or chest infections don't develop. I don't usually worry about that kind of thing, but this virus looks like it's not going to give up without a fight.
Rhiannon is happy as a clam that she's not also sick. Normally she gets every illness we are exposed to, and is the one who is the most ill. I think she may have already had it, since she had a cold over Easter weekend.
At least it's happening all at once, instead of one child at a time.
Monday, April 19, 2004
Cougars & Hunters & Bears, Oh my!
For the first time, we had Easter somewhere other than here at home. I'm so glad we got to egg hunt somewhere other than our own backyard, which looks like a cross between Lil Abner's dogpatch and a construction site. We hid 205 eggs in the woods around the cabin...it was very fun hunting those eggs! Hiding places are much different in the woods than they are here in shrub-steppe land!
We went on several hikes while we were there. That's always the highlight of trips to the cabin...wandering around in the woods. We saw plenty of evidence of deer and elk. We even came across an elk carcass. At the time we supposed it had been hit by a car and dragged itself off, only to be later scavenged by coyotes (the carcass was in pieces). But Clint later discovered from the local store owner that there are two cougars thought to have dens in the immediate vicinity. Kind of made my blood run cold to think we were just downwind of a cougar den...and the remnants of a previous kill. Apparently the forestry service is "watching" the den.
Then we had a bit of excitement when Rhiannon and Tamzin came back screaming from a walk just a short distance from the cabin with reports of having sighted a bear. Only Rhiannon saw it, but when she said "Look, a bear!" Tamzin turned and ran pell mell back to the cabin, screaming all the way. Clint and his brother went immediately to investigate, but were unable to find any trace of a bear. However, they took the precaution of taking all the cabin's garbage down to the disposal station in the nearest town, just in case the smell had been attracting visitors.
Why did the cabin have so much pungent garbage, you ask? Apparently the power went out, and had been out for perhaps a week or more before our arrival. Fortunately, they were able to get the lines repaired by that evening. So my father-in-law and brother-in-law, as first to arrive at the cabin, got to clean two fridge/freezers of all the yucky spoiled frozen fish, shrimp, meat, and other spoiled foods that were co-mingling in a smelly "soup". This was all tossed into garbage bags and left in the garage (we always cart the garbage away with us when we leave).
Papa Jo and Uncle Rob left the cabin four meals earlier than planned. So, I , as cook and menu planner for this weekend, had WAY TOO MUCH FOOD. Clint's male relatives can put away a lot of food. No bagel breakfasts for these boys. Every meal has to have at least 4 items, and it all has to be substantial. We're still eating food I had planned for the cabin. And, I couldn't leave any there. Had to bring it all home again, since Clint was worried the power would go out again.
This year I made an Easter Basket for Clint. I've never done that before. I'd forgotten how fun it could be to do mushy romantic things for your hubby. Clint hasn't a romantic bone in his body. Well, maybe he does, but his idea of romance is very...primitive. So, I gave up doing romantic things for him long ago, because I decided he just couldn't appreciate it. I'm not sure what inspired me to do the basket, but it was fun. We've been getting along so well these days, I guess I just couldn't resist doing something special. I filled it with treats I know he likes...sunflower seeds, beef jerkey, cashew nuts, potato chips, and trail mix with lots of tropical dried fruits. And he so didn't expect it that the girls had to point out to him that the basket sitting untouched at his spot was for HIM! He didn't say much about it, but I think he liked it, because he's eating all the goodies...Maybe it's true what they say about the way to a man's heart.
And what about the hunter? Well, my brother Chris and I took a hike together Easter morning while the girls played with their Easter stuff and Clint napped. It was a bit creepy, I'll admit, going hiking with the thought of a bear and two cougars lurking about. But we pushed onward at a fast clip, looking for an old log bridge we had hiked to once before. We were surprised to come upon an old man with two kids, all with rifles slung over their shoulders. Apparently they had been target practicing in the woods a short distance from the road.
Chris and I agreed, as we continued our hike, that the "hunters" frightened us far more than the possibility of cougars or bears. We walked loudly, though, to give wild things plenty of opportunity to run away...just in case.
We went on several hikes while we were there. That's always the highlight of trips to the cabin...wandering around in the woods. We saw plenty of evidence of deer and elk. We even came across an elk carcass. At the time we supposed it had been hit by a car and dragged itself off, only to be later scavenged by coyotes (the carcass was in pieces). But Clint later discovered from the local store owner that there are two cougars thought to have dens in the immediate vicinity. Kind of made my blood run cold to think we were just downwind of a cougar den...and the remnants of a previous kill. Apparently the forestry service is "watching" the den.
Then we had a bit of excitement when Rhiannon and Tamzin came back screaming from a walk just a short distance from the cabin with reports of having sighted a bear. Only Rhiannon saw it, but when she said "Look, a bear!" Tamzin turned and ran pell mell back to the cabin, screaming all the way. Clint and his brother went immediately to investigate, but were unable to find any trace of a bear. However, they took the precaution of taking all the cabin's garbage down to the disposal station in the nearest town, just in case the smell had been attracting visitors.
Why did the cabin have so much pungent garbage, you ask? Apparently the power went out, and had been out for perhaps a week or more before our arrival. Fortunately, they were able to get the lines repaired by that evening. So my father-in-law and brother-in-law, as first to arrive at the cabin, got to clean two fridge/freezers of all the yucky spoiled frozen fish, shrimp, meat, and other spoiled foods that were co-mingling in a smelly "soup". This was all tossed into garbage bags and left in the garage (we always cart the garbage away with us when we leave).
Papa Jo and Uncle Rob left the cabin four meals earlier than planned. So, I , as cook and menu planner for this weekend, had WAY TOO MUCH FOOD. Clint's male relatives can put away a lot of food. No bagel breakfasts for these boys. Every meal has to have at least 4 items, and it all has to be substantial. We're still eating food I had planned for the cabin. And, I couldn't leave any there. Had to bring it all home again, since Clint was worried the power would go out again.
This year I made an Easter Basket for Clint. I've never done that before. I'd forgotten how fun it could be to do mushy romantic things for your hubby. Clint hasn't a romantic bone in his body. Well, maybe he does, but his idea of romance is very...primitive. So, I gave up doing romantic things for him long ago, because I decided he just couldn't appreciate it. I'm not sure what inspired me to do the basket, but it was fun. We've been getting along so well these days, I guess I just couldn't resist doing something special. I filled it with treats I know he likes...sunflower seeds, beef jerkey, cashew nuts, potato chips, and trail mix with lots of tropical dried fruits. And he so didn't expect it that the girls had to point out to him that the basket sitting untouched at his spot was for HIM! He didn't say much about it, but I think he liked it, because he's eating all the goodies...Maybe it's true what they say about the way to a man's heart.
And what about the hunter? Well, my brother Chris and I took a hike together Easter morning while the girls played with their Easter stuff and Clint napped. It was a bit creepy, I'll admit, going hiking with the thought of a bear and two cougars lurking about. But we pushed onward at a fast clip, looking for an old log bridge we had hiked to once before. We were surprised to come upon an old man with two kids, all with rifles slung over their shoulders. Apparently they had been target practicing in the woods a short distance from the road.
Chris and I agreed, as we continued our hike, that the "hunters" frightened us far more than the possibility of cougars or bears. We walked loudly, though, to give wild things plenty of opportunity to run away...just in case.
Fit at 40
My goal was to lose 15 pounds and get into shape for my 40th birthday. I know this sounds dumb, but I thought I wouldn't mind wearing a Bikini one more year. I had almost reached my goal when the dread Easter weekend hit. Way too much food, way too many sweets, way too many leftovers. So I'm back to where I was two months ago...7 pounds from my goal weight and definitely not of the right shape to wear a bikini. Of course, no diet can give me breasts, something I have very little of, partly due to genetics, partly due to age, partly due to nursing more or less continuously for 10 years of my life.
On the bright side, I'm definitely fit! I'm running 4 to 5 miles three times a week, working out with weights, and feeling strong. And while the Easter weekend (and since then) has been very junky, in general I'm eating much better than before. Baby steps...
On the bright side, I'm definitely fit! I'm running 4 to 5 miles three times a week, working out with weights, and feeling strong. And while the Easter weekend (and since then) has been very junky, in general I'm eating much better than before. Baby steps...
Where have I been?
I can't believe its been almost three weeks since I've posted to my Blog. Honestly, I just haven't had anything to say. I've been busy, but somehow everything I've been doing seems to boring to post!
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