Thanksgiving was perfect. Relaxed and laid back. No company, just Clint and the kids and I. Clint, Rhiannon and I spent the morning cooking companionably, while the other girls played GameCube together.
An early dinner, a meal of all the traditional favorites, voted on by the family so that everyone got to have what they most wanted. Turkey, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry apple stuffing, rolls, fresh green beans with bacon, sweet potato casserole, fruit salad, pumpkin pie and dutch apple pie.
A game of Apples to Apples over dessert, followed by a family movie and an afternoon doze. Who could ask for anything more?
Sunday, November 26, 2006
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
November's Project
As if I don't already have enough to do, I made a promise to "make over" Rhiannon's bedroom for her next birthday. I know she would let me put if off if I said I was just too busy, but I figured I just needed to get it over with, or it would be yet another project hanging over my head.
Painting paneling is soooo much work. It takes 3 coats of primer to cover the wood stain, then 2 coats of the color coat. Plus, the ceiling hasn't been painted in 45 years or so, so it takes several coats to cover that as well. To do a truly good job, the base trim has to be removed and painted separately, then replaced. Then there is the edge trim that hides the panel edges at corners and ceiling. Plus, you can't forget the closet, which has to be completely dismantled to really get in there and cover all the surfaces.
On the positive side...it's done! She is now moved back in to her very pink bedroom. I wish I could say the job is over. But painting is just the beginning of a room "makeover". Next we painted her dresser and hanging shelves, purchased and installed a closet organizer, spent several days sorting through her old stuff, deciding what to keep and what was not "new room worthy", and finally, set out shopping for bedding and accessories. Here we have run into a snag; the style of bedding she wants is nowhere to be found. We will have to either figure something else out, or (horrors) sew it ourselves.
To make things even more challenging, Rhiannon and I often butt heads about the best way to do things, or what we think will look or work the best. So while in theory I believe that it's her room, and she should be able to do what she likes with it, in practice I'm only willing to shell out the big bucks for something I also feel comfortable with, which means I get lots of unhappy vibes from a diva who feels I'm messing with her groove. Ouch.
It's tough to take after working so hard painting a bedroom, while my bulbs languish in the laundry room because I don't have time to plant them.
Painting paneling is soooo much work. It takes 3 coats of primer to cover the wood stain, then 2 coats of the color coat. Plus, the ceiling hasn't been painted in 45 years or so, so it takes several coats to cover that as well. To do a truly good job, the base trim has to be removed and painted separately, then replaced. Then there is the edge trim that hides the panel edges at corners and ceiling. Plus, you can't forget the closet, which has to be completely dismantled to really get in there and cover all the surfaces.
On the positive side...it's done! She is now moved back in to her very pink bedroom. I wish I could say the job is over. But painting is just the beginning of a room "makeover". Next we painted her dresser and hanging shelves, purchased and installed a closet organizer, spent several days sorting through her old stuff, deciding what to keep and what was not "new room worthy", and finally, set out shopping for bedding and accessories. Here we have run into a snag; the style of bedding she wants is nowhere to be found. We will have to either figure something else out, or (horrors) sew it ourselves.
To make things even more challenging, Rhiannon and I often butt heads about the best way to do things, or what we think will look or work the best. So while in theory I believe that it's her room, and she should be able to do what she likes with it, in practice I'm only willing to shell out the big bucks for something I also feel comfortable with, which means I get lots of unhappy vibes from a diva who feels I'm messing with her groove. Ouch.
It's tough to take after working so hard painting a bedroom, while my bulbs languish in the laundry room because I don't have time to plant them.
Monday, November 20, 2006
Pastry Chef
More goodies baked by Rhiannon.
This time she made homemade cream puffs. Sooo Yummy!
Baking has become the activity of choice for this girl when she's bored.
It makes keeping to a low fat/sweet lifestyle challenging. It's hard to eat just one!
Saturday, November 04, 2006
Truffles
Thursday was an in and out day for me. One child to the dentist, another to dance class, another to driving lessons.Somehow, in my absence, my resident chef and truffle fairy, Rhiannon, managed to make chocolate-covered, coffee liqueur-flavored truffles. The process involved a number of stages of cooking and cooling, yet she managed to keep it all a secret until the moment when I walked into my bedroom to find a wrapped box of the little delights waiting for me, with a note that said I'm the sweetest mom around.
Of course, moments before, I was telling them, in an irritated tone, how uncool it was that they all kept looking at me, whispering, and giggling. I felt like I was in high school. Then I found the box, and the note, and I cried. I so rarely feel really appreciated, even though I know they all do, that I was just overwhelmed, especially since I had not been at my most loving.
The truffles were amazing and delicious. I can't believe Rhiannon whipped them up by herself. She is so confident and adventurous with her cooking, it amazes me. Tonight she made a cheese souffle for dinner. I've been meaning to make a cheese souffle for 12 years, and still haven't gotten around to it. She's got talent.
Halloween with Friends
I am so lucky to have such a cool bunch of people to hang out with on Halloween. It's more fun every year! I enjoy Halloween as much now as I did when I was a kid. The creative costumes, the spooky houses with elaborate and scary decorations, walking around the neighborhood after dark, warming up afterwards with hot apple cider and conversation...what's not to like?Oh, and just check out the spoils of the evening. It's enough to open up a candy store!
Friday, October 27, 2006
Gutted
This is it. A bathroom remodel in progress. Things are going great.
The plumbers have "roughed in" the plumbing and installed the tub/shower. The electricians have re-wired the wiring. I ordered the vanity cabinets, which came in today. The drywallers are scheduled for Monday, and Clint tells me they will not only drywall, tape, and texture, but also paint. I thought that job would belong to yours truly! I tried to talk him out of it, but he says he just wants to get it done, and that they will be faster.
After that, Clint will install the cabinets. I need to buy light fixtures, a sink and faucets for the sink and tub this weekend(and pick out a paint color...lavender, maybe?). Then, finally, the electrician and plumber will come back to install fixtures, and we will be done!
UPDATE: As of 11/3 we are drywalled, taped, textured and primered. Now it's just paint, cabinets and fixtures, and decorating!!!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
Hand Sewing
I spent Saturday sewing a mermaid costume for Tamzin...by hand.
First, I couldn't find a patttern that looked like what we wanted. We were trying to avoid the typical shell bra with nude fabric over the belly (like Ariel) look, but couldn't find a pattern for anything different. I envisioned a long slinky dress with a flared hem. I had some cool knit fabric with sequins that I got as a selvage end on discount years ago(thinking it would be perfect for a mermaid costume). So I laid Tamzin down on the fabric, guessed on the shape, and started cutting. It's a simple sheath style dress, but my tempermental sewing machine has always resisted knits, and it absolutely refused to sew on the sequined fabric. After 30 minutes of struggling to get it to work, I remembered a bird costume I sewed some years back out of the same type of fabric. I ended up sewing it by hand, because the machine wouldn't work.
So, I pulled out the needle and thread, asked Tamzin to read to me while I sewed, and started stitching.
It wasn't too bad...if I'd been around back when everything was sewn by had, it probably would have been one of those jobs I would enjoy. I'm happy with the costume; it looks just like I'd hoped it would. It probably took me 4-5 hours to put it together, maybe twice as long as it would have taken with the machine. It's not very durable, though. If she is rough on it, it will not hold up well. As long as it makes it past Halloween...
First, I couldn't find a patttern that looked like what we wanted. We were trying to avoid the typical shell bra with nude fabric over the belly (like Ariel) look, but couldn't find a pattern for anything different. I envisioned a long slinky dress with a flared hem. I had some cool knit fabric with sequins that I got as a selvage end on discount years ago(thinking it would be perfect for a mermaid costume). So I laid Tamzin down on the fabric, guessed on the shape, and started cutting. It's a simple sheath style dress, but my tempermental sewing machine has always resisted knits, and it absolutely refused to sew on the sequined fabric. After 30 minutes of struggling to get it to work, I remembered a bird costume I sewed some years back out of the same type of fabric. I ended up sewing it by hand, because the machine wouldn't work.
So, I pulled out the needle and thread, asked Tamzin to read to me while I sewed, and started stitching.
It wasn't too bad...if I'd been around back when everything was sewn by had, it probably would have been one of those jobs I would enjoy. I'm happy with the costume; it looks just like I'd hoped it would. It probably took me 4-5 hours to put it together, maybe twice as long as it would have taken with the machine. It's not very durable, though. If she is rough on it, it will not hold up well. As long as it makes it past Halloween...
Sunday, October 15, 2006
Project Progress
Clearly I don't pay enough attention to my sidebar. I guess I'm not paying that much attention to my blog in general these days.
Anyway, I took a look and...my how things have changed!
My house is now painted! Woot! It happened last month, while I was trekking back and forth to Puyallup with Rhiannon. It took 12 months and half a dozen discussions to make the phone call to a painter, and 2 days to prep and paint the house. Clint thinks I should be more appreciative of a task completed, and all he accomplished(he didn't actually do any painting; he just made the phone call), but I would have loved to have eliminated the waiting and reminding part. OK, I admit, he probably made more like 5 or 6 phone calls. You know, getting two bids, then discussing the bid, then arranging the date to paint. I still think it could have happened sooner. I know, I'm so ungrateful. I admit if I'd wanted it done so badly, I should have made the calls myself. But he's the one with the contractor contacts and the right lingo for getting a good deal.
The house looks great, but the kids are unimpressed. They can't believe I really paint our house boring BROWN. It's actually a lovely shade of tan, and I like it.
Now we are making progress on another sidebar oldie, remodeling the downstairs bathroom. Clint tore out all the old drywall and jackhammered a portion of the floor tile to reveal an old drain that we will be using when we install the bathtub. I've ordered cabinets so we will finally have a place to put towels and toothbrushes (after all the plumbing is done, of course). Now we just need to schedule the plumber & electrician. Clint is supposed to be making the calls...
Saturday, October 14, 2006
Driving Lessons
It's pretty weird sitting in the passenger seat while your child is in the driver's seat. It's amazing how grown up she looks.
I don't really feel qualified to teach someone to drive. It's pretty hard to explain how to think about a dozen different --- but equally important --- things, all at the same time. I'm trying to keep myself from explaining too much, since that seems to be my normal pattern. But then it will seem like I'm not explaining enough, which is definitely not good.
When I enrolled her in Driving School, I figured there was plenty of time to get out on the road driving, a little at a time. But she has to take 4 drives with the instructor, and she wanted to get some time in on the road before getting in the car with him.
I'm awfully proud of her for being so determined and sticking it out, even though I suspect at times she's not enjoying it (I hated Driver's Ed in school, and ended up not getting my license until I was 18 because driving was too intimidating). I don't want her to feel forced into it, though I think it will make dance classes and CBC easier next year.
My hope is that if we start early, she will have so much practice that she won't feel so uncomfortable a year from now.
I don't really feel qualified to teach someone to drive. It's pretty hard to explain how to think about a dozen different --- but equally important --- things, all at the same time. I'm trying to keep myself from explaining too much, since that seems to be my normal pattern. But then it will seem like I'm not explaining enough, which is definitely not good.
When I enrolled her in Driving School, I figured there was plenty of time to get out on the road driving, a little at a time. But she has to take 4 drives with the instructor, and she wanted to get some time in on the road before getting in the car with him.
I'm awfully proud of her for being so determined and sticking it out, even though I suspect at times she's not enjoying it (I hated Driver's Ed in school, and ended up not getting my license until I was 18 because driving was too intimidating). I don't want her to feel forced into it, though I think it will make dance classes and CBC easier next year.
My hope is that if we start early, she will have so much practice that she won't feel so uncomfortable a year from now.
Friday, October 06, 2006
I really miss Munchkin. I have bad dreams that wake me up thinking about her. I know I just have to let go, but I worry about her. Is someone taking care of her? Does she miss us? Is she scared or confused? Does she wonder why we haven't come to rescue her?
I think if she had been hit or taken by a coyote, we would have found a sign of it. We've searched the area and the roadsides several times. She had never wandered beyond our mailbox or our across-the-field neighbor's place, so it's hard to imagine she would have done so this time. We discovered she was missing within 2 hours; how far could she have gone unless someone picked her up? There were no stray Schnauzers taken to Pet Emergency Services, which is what would have happened if she'd been hit and someone had tried to get her to a vet on a Saturday evening. There were no found ads posted in the paper. No one has answered our posters or ads.
I don't bring her up to the kids, but all three of the younger girls have had nightmares or trouble sleeping because they feel sad and wish she were back home with us. It's hard.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Neah Bay
(This post is from August 11...I stuck it in drafts and never got back to it...how lame is that?!).We had a great time on our vacation at Neah Bay. We did lots of fishing for Sea Bass and other assorted fish. The limit there is 10 fish per person per day, so a family our size can stock up an enormous supply. We brought home about 60-75 pounds of fillets. Each morning at about 5:30, we boated out to sea to take advantage of the early morning bite
Rhiannon got seasick the first day, and stayed at camp with extended family after that. I did fine the first few days, but got seasick on the third day. I managed to keep fishing, but decided to sleep in the last two mornings and let others do the fishing. Shelby and Gillian were into the fishing...they kept Clint so busy netting their fish, he had a hard time keeping his own pole in the water!
The weather was quite cool (55-65), but we packed accordingly so it wasn't bad. Now that we're back in the heat, I kinda miss the cold!
The kids all loved exploring the tidepools and rock climbing near the shore. We had some great finds, like a purple starfish in the process of consuming a mussel. Tamzin and her younger cousins spent hours playing in the sand. She and Gillian played in the water all day too, in spite of a water temp of about 49-55 degrees. Clint and I got to go kayaking a few times, which was my favorite part of the trip. It's a great way to sightsee, and thrilling to be on the (almost) open ocean.
We also visited a Makah Indian Museum, and took a hike through the forest to the "most northwest point of the Continental US". It was so beautiful, but I didn't get any pictures, because I left my camera behind at camp :(
The best news about the trip is that I managed to keep up my running schedule, only missing one day. I've never been able to keep up an exercise routine while on vacation before, so I'm pretty excited. It was fun running in a new place; I did some exploring, got some private time, and got to see Neah Bay from a different view.
Wednesday, September 20, 2006
How I Spent My Summer, by A Busy Mom
I've had "blog" on my list of things to do for ages. I've composed many mental blog posts, but life has been too crazy to even read my favorite blogs or keep up with my email.
Where have I been?
August
week one Trip to Neah Bay with Clint's family. It was fun. Was so proud to have kept up my running schedule even while vacationing. Have an unfinished draft blog post about the trip.
week two A frantic week helping Gillian and Rhiannon finish their Fashion Revue dresses for the Saturday judging. Barely finished in time.
week three An equally hectic week preparing for fair; taking/mounting photos, purchasing supplies, framing art, baking clay, experimenting with baked goods recipes, designing posters, washing birds, and creating a theme, decorations and posters for our poultry display. Oh, and planning and setting up a fairground campsite.
week four Fair. Driving back and forth to the fairgrounds twice a day for animal care and participation in events. Late evenings and very early mornings. Sleep deprived, busy, but enjoying the music, the kids activities, and the family time. At this point, my running schedule failed, my one regret. I just couldn't figure out how to fit it into such long days.
week five Clean up all the fallout from fair. Clean the trashed house. Take kids on a two day family vacation to Silverwood and Boulder Beach...without Clint, who had to work at the last minute. No time to run.
September
week one Start our homeschool schedule. Discover Gillian and Tamzin will not rest until they can go to public school. Enroll them. Buy supplies. Figure out a new routine. Send them to school for two days. Help them over the hard parts. Start dance classes. Then Tamzin and Gillian want to quit school. Help Rhiannon make a few improvements on her FR dress. Pack. Take Shelby and Rhiannon to Puyallup so Rhiannon can participate in Fashion Revue at the State Level, for which she qualified. Munchkin disappeared from our house while we were gone. Clint feels terrible. Gillian is positive she put Muchkin in the house before they left to go to dinner, but when they returned two hours later, she was gone. She has been left outside accidentally one or twice before, and has never wandered off before. Still no time to run.
week two Create and hang posters all over Benton City and the surrounding area offering a reward for Munckin's return. Clean house because the physical clutter, coupled with the mental clutter, is stressing me out. If one goes away, maybe the other will be more manageable. Call the paper to post an ad for Munchkin. Disenroll G & T from school. First full week of dance classes, so I get to see if offering two classes a week to each child is manageable. Shelby starts driving lessons, in Richland. Gillian has decided to continue Art class at the public school, so I drive her back and forth 4 days. Take Rhiannon and Gillian to sleepovers. Spend a glorious Friday afternoon hanging out with Tamzin while I do errands. Buy her a scooter(she's wanted one since April...we're going to split the cost). Look forward to having the weekend off, then discover Tamzin performs at Sausagefest Saturday. Take Tamzin to practice 8:30 am Saturday. Go to Animal Shelter to look for Munchkin. Sausagefest Saturday night. Shelby and Gillian stayed home because they were worn out from such a busy week and didn't want to go. I'm worn out too, but I went anyway. Never found time to run.
Where have I been?
August
week one Trip to Neah Bay with Clint's family. It was fun. Was so proud to have kept up my running schedule even while vacationing. Have an unfinished draft blog post about the trip.
week two A frantic week helping Gillian and Rhiannon finish their Fashion Revue dresses for the Saturday judging. Barely finished in time.
week three An equally hectic week preparing for fair; taking/mounting photos, purchasing supplies, framing art, baking clay, experimenting with baked goods recipes, designing posters, washing birds, and creating a theme, decorations and posters for our poultry display. Oh, and planning and setting up a fairground campsite.
week four Fair. Driving back and forth to the fairgrounds twice a day for animal care and participation in events. Late evenings and very early mornings. Sleep deprived, busy, but enjoying the music, the kids activities, and the family time. At this point, my running schedule failed, my one regret. I just couldn't figure out how to fit it into such long days.
week five Clean up all the fallout from fair. Clean the trashed house. Take kids on a two day family vacation to Silverwood and Boulder Beach...without Clint, who had to work at the last minute. No time to run.
September
week one Start our homeschool schedule. Discover Gillian and Tamzin will not rest until they can go to public school. Enroll them. Buy supplies. Figure out a new routine. Send them to school for two days. Help them over the hard parts. Start dance classes. Then Tamzin and Gillian want to quit school. Help Rhiannon make a few improvements on her FR dress. Pack. Take Shelby and Rhiannon to Puyallup so Rhiannon can participate in Fashion Revue at the State Level, for which she qualified. Munchkin disappeared from our house while we were gone. Clint feels terrible. Gillian is positive she put Muchkin in the house before they left to go to dinner, but when they returned two hours later, she was gone. She has been left outside accidentally one or twice before, and has never wandered off before. Still no time to run.
week two Create and hang posters all over Benton City and the surrounding area offering a reward for Munckin's return. Clean house because the physical clutter, coupled with the mental clutter, is stressing me out. If one goes away, maybe the other will be more manageable. Call the paper to post an ad for Munchkin. Disenroll G & T from school. First full week of dance classes, so I get to see if offering two classes a week to each child is manageable. Shelby starts driving lessons, in Richland. Gillian has decided to continue Art class at the public school, so I drive her back and forth 4 days. Take Rhiannon and Gillian to sleepovers. Spend a glorious Friday afternoon hanging out with Tamzin while I do errands. Buy her a scooter(she's wanted one since April...we're going to split the cost). Look forward to having the weekend off, then discover Tamzin performs at Sausagefest Saturday. Take Tamzin to practice 8:30 am Saturday. Go to Animal Shelter to look for Munchkin. Sausagefest Saturday night. Shelby and Gillian stayed home because they were worn out from such a busy week and didn't want to go. I'm worn out too, but I went anyway. Never found time to run.
Monday, July 31, 2006
On Vacation
Why is packing so difficult?
We are leaving for Neah Bay in the morning, and it seems like we've been packing continuously for 2 days now. There is just so much to remember.
To make it more challenging, I feel driven to get things as cleaned up as possible so I won't have to come home to a mess. Things look great, but it's late, and I'm tired, and I still have a couple of things to do...
We are leaving for Neah Bay in the morning, and it seems like we've been packing continuously for 2 days now. There is just so much to remember.
To make it more challenging, I feel driven to get things as cleaned up as possible so I won't have to come home to a mess. Things look great, but it's late, and I'm tired, and I still have a couple of things to do...
Just a Little Farther
Today on my long run I made it to Smitty's Conoco on Bombing Range Road & back. I'm not even sure how far it is; I need to check it. I was scheduled to do 8 miles, but had hoped to do 12. I've been so curious to know if I could make the half marathon distance, which is 13.1 miles. I had 12 figured at Candy Mountain Estates, but things were going well, and I could see the Conoco sign, and it seemed so close, so I decided to go for it.
I was pretty tired the last 2 or 3 miles, but I think I may have run about 13 1/2! Yeah! That means I could survive a half marathon, even though I am slow.
I was pretty tired the last 2 or 3 miles, but I think I may have run about 13 1/2! Yeah! That means I could survive a half marathon, even though I am slow.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Birthday Tubing
Shelby's birthday is Tuesday. Instead of a party, she asked it we could all go tubing on the river. I feel a little gilty that we do this type of activity so infrequently that she chose this as a birthday activity instead of dinner out, or a movie, but still, it was a great choice.
I've been spending what little free time I have helping Rhiannon and Gillian with Fashion Revue, so I told Clint I was worried about putting everything together for a day on the river. He said he would be in charge.
I gotta say, having someone else take care of the details sure adds to the fun factor of an event for me! Clint decided we needed a new tube, did some comparison shopping, and brought home a giant thing that is designed to hold two (we found it could comfortably hold three while tubing, even more for just floating around). He prepped the coolers, the kids, blankets, chairs, umbrella, tarp, got the gas, blew up the float and planned the picnic foods (to be purchased at FM on the way to the boat launch).
All I did was grab the sunscreen and towels and put on my swimsuit. I was so relaxed and laid back. Clint was a little more bossy and serious. Maybe that's why I tend to be bossy and serious. It's a byproduct of being in charge.
We had an awesome time. The float was a blast and when we weren't "tubing" the kids loved exploring on the beach, wading and playing on the float.
I'd love to be like those families that go out on the river every weekend. After all, it's right there. But with fair and our camping trip around the corner, I guess we're lucky to have made it out at all. Thanks to Shelby!
Marathon
A few weeks ago, while out for my run, I was stopped by a couple of other runners who asked me if I am a marathon runner. I guess they've seen me out running before, and are training for the upcoming Portland Marathon. They encouraged me to give it a try.
At first, I didn't give it much thought. It was flattering to have someone ask me that (I don't know why). I'm just running because it's the cheapest, most efficient, and fastest calorie burning activity I know of, and I'm trying to get into shape!
I had been gradually lengthening my runs, mostly because I found it enjoyable enough that I didn't mind running a little longer, and hey, longer means more calories burned, right? But I never had any end in mind but fitness.
But for some reason those ladies stuck in my mind. I did a web search on marathon running, and even got a bunch of books from the library on the subject. I've found the reading fascinating, and have gotten some of my own running questions answered about how other people run.
So I started following a marathon training schedule a couple of weeks ago. I don't really know why. I figured I'd stick with it until the runs got so long they were either boring, or my feet hurt, or I just plain didn't like it. I'm sure I can't keep it up for long, because every year I run for about 6 months, and then life gets busy and I give it up.
But I've run 5 days a week instead of 3 for two weeks now, and today I ran 10 miles! I can hardly believe it myself. Last week my big day was 7 1/2. I had never gone farther than 5 1/2 miles before, and usually run 4-5. It took two hours, and my legs were feeling pretty heavy the last couple of miles.
I can't imagine going much farther than that. I was ready to be done by the time I saw my driveway again. It's been fun experimenting to see what my body can handle, but I don't think there's a marathon in my future. 26 miles is too far for me.
At first, I didn't give it much thought. It was flattering to have someone ask me that (I don't know why). I'm just running because it's the cheapest, most efficient, and fastest calorie burning activity I know of, and I'm trying to get into shape!
I had been gradually lengthening my runs, mostly because I found it enjoyable enough that I didn't mind running a little longer, and hey, longer means more calories burned, right? But I never had any end in mind but fitness.
But for some reason those ladies stuck in my mind. I did a web search on marathon running, and even got a bunch of books from the library on the subject. I've found the reading fascinating, and have gotten some of my own running questions answered about how other people run.
So I started following a marathon training schedule a couple of weeks ago. I don't really know why. I figured I'd stick with it until the runs got so long they were either boring, or my feet hurt, or I just plain didn't like it. I'm sure I can't keep it up for long, because every year I run for about 6 months, and then life gets busy and I give it up.
But I've run 5 days a week instead of 3 for two weeks now, and today I ran 10 miles! I can hardly believe it myself. Last week my big day was 7 1/2. I had never gone farther than 5 1/2 miles before, and usually run 4-5. It took two hours, and my legs were feeling pretty heavy the last couple of miles.
I can't imagine going much farther than that. I was ready to be done by the time I saw my driveway again. It's been fun experimenting to see what my body can handle, but I don't think there's a marathon in my future. 26 miles is too far for me.
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
Yard Sale
I've been wanting to have a yard sale all summer. I've had some stuff I desperately wanted to get rid of, but felt at least some of it was worth too much to give to the Good Will. Clint was reluctant; he thought it would be too much work. Well, so did I, but I wanted to get rid of that stuff!
I'm really happy with how things turned out. We made $190! We sold the saddle & tack for the horse Shelby got rid of about 5 years ago (yeah!). Shelby got the cash for that. Clint sold his old lumber rack...one fewer item junking up our field (yeah!). We sold the Little Tikes play structure & slide that's been way too small for anyone to use in years (yeah!). And lots more of the same kind of thing...stuff we haven't needed for ages.
We gave the kids the money for the stuff that was theirs individually, and yet we still had enough money left over from the sale of community items to take us all to Pirates of the Carribean.
One great thing about a yard sale is it gets the kids thinking about what they are ready to get rid of. After the sale, even if it didn't sell, they are still ready to let most fo their stuff go. I was able to take a carload of 15 boxes & bags of stuff to the Good Will after the sale. We've got the truck loaded up and ready to take another trip. Maybe soon I will never see that ugly old orange chair again.
Thursday, June 29, 2006
Ssssss
I ran over a rattlesnake.
I was out for my run, wearing my dark sunglasses, so I didn't even realize a snake was right in front of me until I was only a step away. Propelled by my forward momentum, it was just easier to keep running. I've never had a fear of snakes, and we've found so many bull snakes on our property, it never occured to me to be cautious. It didn't move as a ran over it, so I slowed and turned around, lifting my sunglasses to get a better look. Is it dead, or was it only a stick?, I thought as I took a step towards it.
He lifted his head in caution as I stepped his way, and without my sunglasses I got a good look at his unmistakable, triangular viper head. What a shock! Fortunately, he was only interested in getting away from me, and when I moved no closer, he went on his way, off the road and into the brush.
Just today I got an email regarding a child bitten by a rattlesnake at Crow Butte, complete with photos. Boy, talk about a nasty injury. I feel pretty lucky now, since I stepped within 3-4 inches of, and right over, his tail.
I was out for my run, wearing my dark sunglasses, so I didn't even realize a snake was right in front of me until I was only a step away. Propelled by my forward momentum, it was just easier to keep running. I've never had a fear of snakes, and we've found so many bull snakes on our property, it never occured to me to be cautious. It didn't move as a ran over it, so I slowed and turned around, lifting my sunglasses to get a better look. Is it dead, or was it only a stick?, I thought as I took a step towards it.
He lifted his head in caution as I stepped his way, and without my sunglasses I got a good look at his unmistakable, triangular viper head. What a shock! Fortunately, he was only interested in getting away from me, and when I moved no closer, he went on his way, off the road and into the brush.
Just today I got an email regarding a child bitten by a rattlesnake at Crow Butte, complete with photos. Boy, talk about a nasty injury. I feel pretty lucky now, since I stepped within 3-4 inches of, and right over, his tail.
Gardening Frenzy
It's so hard to spend only a few hours in the garden. I always find so many things I want to work on. I so rarely get a chance to work out there, and it feels so good to be outside!
Sunday, after a 6 mile run, I stayed outside to putter in the garden while I was cooling off. I never stopped. 10 hours later, I was wiped out, but happy. So what if I felt like I had been run over, or was 80 years old?! So what if my body ached from head to toe from digging, dragging, bending and weeding?!! I had finished all the gardening "wish I could do"s that I could think of, and was happy.
I admit it, I'm carried away. I think I might be taking the garden too far. I've extended so far beyond the sprinklers Clint installed for me that I'm back to dragging hoses and worrying about remembering to water before my plants get killed by the heat. And I'm playing with a number of new species for me; that can be tricky because they may need to be moved a time or two before I find the spot in the garden that they like best. And my family keeps bugging me about the poppies. Yes, they are a dishevelled mess, and cover the pathway so it's impassable. I don't care. I like being able to look at them from my bathroom window.
Maybe it's ok to be carried away. It sure makes me happy to see what I've grown. I think the birds like it, too.
Sunday, after a 6 mile run, I stayed outside to putter in the garden while I was cooling off. I never stopped. 10 hours later, I was wiped out, but happy. So what if I felt like I had been run over, or was 80 years old?! So what if my body ached from head to toe from digging, dragging, bending and weeding?!! I had finished all the gardening "wish I could do"s that I could think of, and was happy.
I admit it, I'm carried away. I think I might be taking the garden too far. I've extended so far beyond the sprinklers Clint installed for me that I'm back to dragging hoses and worrying about remembering to water before my plants get killed by the heat. And I'm playing with a number of new species for me; that can be tricky because they may need to be moved a time or two before I find the spot in the garden that they like best. And my family keeps bugging me about the poppies. Yes, they are a dishevelled mess, and cover the pathway so it's impassable. I don't care. I like being able to look at them from my bathroom window.
Maybe it's ok to be carried away. It sure makes me happy to see what I've grown. I think the birds like it, too.
Movie Mania
I couldn't resist the free month of video rentals, so I decided to give Netflix a try. I was skeptical. When I want to watch a movie, I don't want to have to wait around for it, and who wants to hassle with dropping them in the mail, postage paid envelope or not?
I was wrong. We've had such fun developing our queues and rating movies to see what recommendations will pop up. In fact, we've had too much fun. Trying to watch a movie a couple of times a week was getting way too challenging for me. After the trial month was over, I failed to change the membership in time, and so we paid for a second month at the 3 movies at at a time rate. This worked well for us, since Shelby, Rhiannon and I each had a queue and particular movies we were interested in watching. And it's a great deal, working out to about a dollar per movie if we return the movies promptly.
This month we stepped our membership down to the 2 movies at a time rate, and will alternate who gets to choose the movie. Shelby is on an anime' kick, and is watching as many as she can, since they can be hard to come by at the library or the video store. Rhiannon likes contemporary comedies as well as an interesting mix of other genres.
Some of my favorites of the last two months were; The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, Zathura, Fahrenheit 9/11, The Family Stone, and Tea with Mussolini. Now that Cint is back I will try to find movies we can watch together; next we will check out the new Harrison Ford movie Firewall, and after that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, both of which were recommended by my brother.
I was wrong. We've had such fun developing our queues and rating movies to see what recommendations will pop up. In fact, we've had too much fun. Trying to watch a movie a couple of times a week was getting way too challenging for me. After the trial month was over, I failed to change the membership in time, and so we paid for a second month at the 3 movies at at a time rate. This worked well for us, since Shelby, Rhiannon and I each had a queue and particular movies we were interested in watching. And it's a great deal, working out to about a dollar per movie if we return the movies promptly.
This month we stepped our membership down to the 2 movies at a time rate, and will alternate who gets to choose the movie. Shelby is on an anime' kick, and is watching as many as she can, since they can be hard to come by at the library or the video store. Rhiannon likes contemporary comedies as well as an interesting mix of other genres.
Some of my favorites of the last two months were; The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio, Zathura, Fahrenheit 9/11, The Family Stone, and Tea with Mussolini. Now that Cint is back I will try to find movies we can watch together; next we will check out the new Harrison Ford movie Firewall, and after that Kiss Kiss, Bang Bang, both of which were recommended by my brother.
Tuesday, June 13, 2006
On to New York
Clint is off on his last tournament of the season (at least for this circuit). This time he's going to New York. The tough part of it is that his truck and boat are still in storage down in Nashville. He will have to fly to Nashville, pick up his boat, and take the 1ooo mile, 22 hour drive to Lake Champlain. Talk about brutal.
Luckily, he's managed to talk a friend into taking the trip with him, so he's going to have company on the drive, and someone to prefish with prior to the tournament. After the tournament is over, they will make the 2,000 mile drive home.
In retrospect, having my husband gone for close to 3 months of the last 6 has not been so bad. We worked harder at being together when he was home, and I got to do things I normally wouldn't have had a chance to so while he was gone.
The hardest part has been that he has not done well in the circuit, which means that financially we will be spending the next year or two paying off the expenses of the trips. It must be incredibly disappointing for him, since his purpose in going was to make money doing something he loves, not create debt that he will have to work harder doing something he doesn't like to pay for.
It's not over yet, though. He still could bring home a paycheck on this last tournament. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
Luckily, he's managed to talk a friend into taking the trip with him, so he's going to have company on the drive, and someone to prefish with prior to the tournament. After the tournament is over, they will make the 2,000 mile drive home.
In retrospect, having my husband gone for close to 3 months of the last 6 has not been so bad. We worked harder at being together when he was home, and I got to do things I normally wouldn't have had a chance to so while he was gone.
The hardest part has been that he has not done well in the circuit, which means that financially we will be spending the next year or two paying off the expenses of the trips. It must be incredibly disappointing for him, since his purpose in going was to make money doing something he loves, not create debt that he will have to work harder doing something he doesn't like to pay for.
It's not over yet, though. He still could bring home a paycheck on this last tournament. I'll be keeping my fingers crossed.
Wednesday, June 07, 2006
Secret Garden
I love having the opportunity to see other gardeners' gardens. It helps me with my own gardening to see what someone else has tried, what combinations look good together, what plants they have been successful with, and how they put it all together.
The Secret Garden Tour comes to the Tri-Cities once a year. ACT puts it on as a fundraiser, so the tickets aren't cheap. But it's a great way to see how other gardeners in our area garden.
This year I volunteered as a garden sitter, taking tickets and answering questions at one of the featured gardens. I did get some good ideas, at all of the gardens. I also came away with renewed confidence in my own garden, which doesn't look too bad, even compared to these "choice" gardens, at least to me.
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
ipod, sprinklers, & curtains
I never blogged about some of my recent acquisitions. While my friends do the compact, or work on minimizing their "stuff", I just keep on acquiring.
For Mothers Day, I bought myself an Ipod. I've been spending my time figuring out, playing with, and loading songs onto the thing. I do that more than I actually use it to listen!
Clint has been hard at work in most of his free time getting sprinklers set up in my garden. I was so busy bumming because he wouldn't start on the front yard, which needs excavation, that I failed to notice how much work he was putting in to my garden space. As I grow my garden, he has been right behind me, adding sprinklers to make watering a breeze.
The biggest suprise is that he says he enjoys it. A year ago he said, "I'm glad you like your garden, just don't expect me to work in it with you." It didn't bother me; I knew he meant I couldn't expect him to be on hand to do the hard stuff just because I wanted it done. After all, it is my thing, not his. And yet, that's exactly what he's been doing. Half my garden now gets watered with the turn of a valve.
My other recent acquisition is new curtains. I've been wanting to get curtains for my bare windows for years. For a while the minimalist look was great, but I wanted to warm up the space a little, and privacy is nice, too. I chose a claret ret velvet, and I love it; usually I get frozen with these types of decisions because I worry so much about making a mistake, and then spending the next 10 years looking at something I hate. But I think I did good this time; I really like them.
For Mothers Day, I bought myself an Ipod. I've been spending my time figuring out, playing with, and loading songs onto the thing. I do that more than I actually use it to listen!
Clint has been hard at work in most of his free time getting sprinklers set up in my garden. I was so busy bumming because he wouldn't start on the front yard, which needs excavation, that I failed to notice how much work he was putting in to my garden space. As I grow my garden, he has been right behind me, adding sprinklers to make watering a breeze.
The biggest suprise is that he says he enjoys it. A year ago he said, "I'm glad you like your garden, just don't expect me to work in it with you." It didn't bother me; I knew he meant I couldn't expect him to be on hand to do the hard stuff just because I wanted it done. After all, it is my thing, not his. And yet, that's exactly what he's been doing. Half my garden now gets watered with the turn of a valve.
My other recent acquisition is new curtains. I've been wanting to get curtains for my bare windows for years. For a while the minimalist look was great, but I wanted to warm up the space a little, and privacy is nice, too. I chose a claret ret velvet, and I love it; usually I get frozen with these types of decisions because I worry so much about making a mistake, and then spending the next 10 years looking at something I hate. But I think I did good this time; I really like them.
Thursday, May 25, 2006
Sometimes Busy is OK
I hate being too busy. I try so hard to keep from overbooking myself. But sometimes, if you don't say yes, a wonderful opportunity might pass you by. If I were better at going with the flow I could make it through the busy times more peacefully. I get stressed when it's busy, I admit it.
Our Memorial Day weekend plans were relatively relaxed. A BBQ at a friend's house on Monday, and an optional dance rehearsal Saturday morning (that I figured we could easily miss). But after some discussion with my husband on the possibility of holding a garage sale Saturday morning or attending a neighborhood campout Friday, I discovered he was worried about and/or feeling the urge to check on things at the cabin.
I suggested we forget the garage sale, and take a trip to the cabin. As long as we left after the dance rehearsal(I was informed by by kids that they strongly preferred to go), and got home in time for Monday's BBQ, it could work. It's only a two day trip, but sometimes those are easier to do, since not so much packing or food planning is involved. He was hesitant to agree to the idea. I think he was worried I was scheduling things too tight, and when I get stressed my family can't bear to be around me. I can't promise that packing & preparing while taking kids back & forth to town for rehearsals won't be stressful. But our weekends are booked for the next 5 weeks, so there really isn't going to be a better time.
Once we get to the cabin, we'll be doing nothing but relaxing. Clint can check on all the things he was worried about, and make sure the cabin is ship-shape. We can do some hiking and exploring with the kids, maybe some biking on the back roads, and I can even sneak in some reading. It sounds pretty good to me!
I need to learn that sometimes busy is OK, too.
Our Memorial Day weekend plans were relatively relaxed. A BBQ at a friend's house on Monday, and an optional dance rehearsal Saturday morning (that I figured we could easily miss). But after some discussion with my husband on the possibility of holding a garage sale Saturday morning or attending a neighborhood campout Friday, I discovered he was worried about and/or feeling the urge to check on things at the cabin.
I suggested we forget the garage sale, and take a trip to the cabin. As long as we left after the dance rehearsal(I was informed by by kids that they strongly preferred to go), and got home in time for Monday's BBQ, it could work. It's only a two day trip, but sometimes those are easier to do, since not so much packing or food planning is involved. He was hesitant to agree to the idea. I think he was worried I was scheduling things too tight, and when I get stressed my family can't bear to be around me. I can't promise that packing & preparing while taking kids back & forth to town for rehearsals won't be stressful. But our weekends are booked for the next 5 weeks, so there really isn't going to be a better time.
Once we get to the cabin, we'll be doing nothing but relaxing. Clint can check on all the things he was worried about, and make sure the cabin is ship-shape. We can do some hiking and exploring with the kids, maybe some biking on the back roads, and I can even sneak in some reading. It sounds pretty good to me!
I need to learn that sometimes busy is OK, too.
Owl Pellets & Dissection
I just got my order from Home Science Tools. We are back on track now for dissection with a new batch of specimens.
I ordered a How to Dissect manual this time, and spent the afternoon reading up on earthworm dissection details. I'm a little nervous about the earthworm dissection. I remember doing it in high school and finding it really boring, mostly because it was so small that it was hard to cut accurately, or to see what I was supposed to see. The manual gave lots of great info; let's hope the real thing will be as interesting to the kids. Of course, it's optional for them; they don't have to participate if they don't want to, so I suppose it could just be Shelby and I figuring the whole thing out.
I ordered a few owl pellets, too. Owls swallow their prey whole, and then regurgitate the bones, teeth and fur as a pellet. Owl pellet dissection is a great way to study the eating habits of birds of prey. It is also a great lesson in skeletal anatomy, since you can piece together and identify the entire skeleton of one or more small creatures.
I'm so glad we're finally getting around to some of these projects. We've been talking about dissection since last summer. I wish I could be a little quicker at responding to my kids' interests. With this kind of a track record, I'll be lucky if they even have the same interest by the time I get around to indulging it! I'll have to work on that.
I ordered a How to Dissect manual this time, and spent the afternoon reading up on earthworm dissection details. I'm a little nervous about the earthworm dissection. I remember doing it in high school and finding it really boring, mostly because it was so small that it was hard to cut accurately, or to see what I was supposed to see. The manual gave lots of great info; let's hope the real thing will be as interesting to the kids. Of course, it's optional for them; they don't have to participate if they don't want to, so I suppose it could just be Shelby and I figuring the whole thing out.
I ordered a few owl pellets, too. Owls swallow their prey whole, and then regurgitate the bones, teeth and fur as a pellet. Owl pellet dissection is a great way to study the eating habits of birds of prey. It is also a great lesson in skeletal anatomy, since you can piece together and identify the entire skeleton of one or more small creatures.
I'm so glad we're finally getting around to some of these projects. We've been talking about dissection since last summer. I wish I could be a little quicker at responding to my kids' interests. With this kind of a track record, I'll be lucky if they even have the same interest by the time I get around to indulging it! I'll have to work on that.
Monday, May 15, 2006
A Perfect Day
I think I had the best Mother's Day ever!
I spent the morning gardening. While I didn't get to everything I had hoped to accomplish, I'm happy I got to spend 4 hours in my garden. While I was planting, Clint was rototilling more garden space, so now I have even more garden to play in! He also fine tuned the sprinkler system he has been working on, so the sprinklers are much more effective now.
I thought it would be fun to take a bike ride on Mother's Day. We are definitely not on the Compact; we had to buy two new bicycles to go for a ride. Clint found a great deal on a pair of adult Schwinn touring/trail bikes, and we gave them to Shelby and Rhiannon right before our ride. They were so excited, especially Rhiannon. She was trying to be enthusiastic about going on a family bike ride, but was dreading it because her bike so small and uncomfortable for her. So small, in fact, that we passed it down to Tamzin. Shelby's old bike went to Gillian. Since Shelby and Rhiannon's old bikes had been used only rarely, they look like new, so everyone was happy.
I came up with the idea of a bike ride because Tamzin has been teaching herself to ride without training wheels this month, a true accomplishment on our bumpy, uneven gravel parking area. Unfortunately, she left the bike out, and I ran over it with my 'Burb. We discussed repairing it, but since we knew ultimately we needed a bigger bike for Shelby, it seemed logical to have each girl move up a bike. When Clint and I lined up all the bikes to assess the situation, we realized that Shelby's old bike would still be small for Rhiannon, and it would not be long before we would have to think about a new one for her as well. So when he found a great deal, we decided to get two.
With two new bikes and four happy kids, we were off to Chamna Natural Preserve for a ride. It took two gas guzzling vehicles to get us there, one for the bikes and one for the kids, so it wasn't a low consumption day by any means, but then, few days with a family of six are, I suppose.
What a great place Chamna is! I can't believe I haven't been there before. We rode around on some of the hiking trails first, but that was rough for Tamzin. Then we checked out the biking trail. We didn't go far, because Tamzin was hot and tired by then, and getting a little frustrated with the hills. But the older girls were in heaven! They raced up and down the hills, over and over again. They had no idea bike riding could be so fun. In all the years that they've ridden, they've never had the opportunity to experience that feeling of freedom and speed on a bike. In our location, riding on the road is unsafe for younger kids. They've always been confined to the yard, so they've never experienced a "wind in your hair" kind of ride.
Because we weren't sure what to expect at Chamna, we had agreed that if it was not suitable for riding, we would pack the bikes up and drive to Howard Amon, where we knew the trails would be great for a ride. So after playing on the hills a bit, we headed to the park. Of course, we were all hot by then, so stopping at Atomic Ale for cold beer and root beer floats seemed like the perfect cool down treat. After that, it was off to the park.
Howard Amon was a perfect place to ride. The trail was so flat and smooth that Tamzin was riding like a pro in no time. The older girls loved it because they could ride on ahead and then circle back and join us again, or stop and rest and wait for us to catch up. There were lots of other residents out enjoying they day, and most smiled and expressed a greeting, which made the ride even more fun. We stopped to play on the play equipment and examine the progress of the new rock climbing feature, and then we headed to Pizza Hut for a cheap and easy Book It coupon dinner. No prep time, no dishes.
We got home just before dark. I had just enough time to more one more plant before putting the kids to bed. A perfect day.
Oh, but boy, is my butt sore!
I spent the morning gardening. While I didn't get to everything I had hoped to accomplish, I'm happy I got to spend 4 hours in my garden. While I was planting, Clint was rototilling more garden space, so now I have even more garden to play in! He also fine tuned the sprinkler system he has been working on, so the sprinklers are much more effective now.
I thought it would be fun to take a bike ride on Mother's Day. We are definitely not on the Compact; we had to buy two new bicycles to go for a ride. Clint found a great deal on a pair of adult Schwinn touring/trail bikes, and we gave them to Shelby and Rhiannon right before our ride. They were so excited, especially Rhiannon. She was trying to be enthusiastic about going on a family bike ride, but was dreading it because her bike so small and uncomfortable for her. So small, in fact, that we passed it down to Tamzin. Shelby's old bike went to Gillian. Since Shelby and Rhiannon's old bikes had been used only rarely, they look like new, so everyone was happy.
I came up with the idea of a bike ride because Tamzin has been teaching herself to ride without training wheels this month, a true accomplishment on our bumpy, uneven gravel parking area. Unfortunately, she left the bike out, and I ran over it with my 'Burb. We discussed repairing it, but since we knew ultimately we needed a bigger bike for Shelby, it seemed logical to have each girl move up a bike. When Clint and I lined up all the bikes to assess the situation, we realized that Shelby's old bike would still be small for Rhiannon, and it would not be long before we would have to think about a new one for her as well. So when he found a great deal, we decided to get two.
With two new bikes and four happy kids, we were off to Chamna Natural Preserve for a ride. It took two gas guzzling vehicles to get us there, one for the bikes and one for the kids, so it wasn't a low consumption day by any means, but then, few days with a family of six are, I suppose.
What a great place Chamna is! I can't believe I haven't been there before. We rode around on some of the hiking trails first, but that was rough for Tamzin. Then we checked out the biking trail. We didn't go far, because Tamzin was hot and tired by then, and getting a little frustrated with the hills. But the older girls were in heaven! They raced up and down the hills, over and over again. They had no idea bike riding could be so fun. In all the years that they've ridden, they've never had the opportunity to experience that feeling of freedom and speed on a bike. In our location, riding on the road is unsafe for younger kids. They've always been confined to the yard, so they've never experienced a "wind in your hair" kind of ride.
Because we weren't sure what to expect at Chamna, we had agreed that if it was not suitable for riding, we would pack the bikes up and drive to Howard Amon, where we knew the trails would be great for a ride. So after playing on the hills a bit, we headed to the park. Of course, we were all hot by then, so stopping at Atomic Ale for cold beer and root beer floats seemed like the perfect cool down treat. After that, it was off to the park.
Howard Amon was a perfect place to ride. The trail was so flat and smooth that Tamzin was riding like a pro in no time. The older girls loved it because they could ride on ahead and then circle back and join us again, or stop and rest and wait for us to catch up. There were lots of other residents out enjoying they day, and most smiled and expressed a greeting, which made the ride even more fun. We stopped to play on the play equipment and examine the progress of the new rock climbing feature, and then we headed to Pizza Hut for a cheap and easy Book It coupon dinner. No prep time, no dishes.
We got home just before dark. I had just enough time to more one more plant before putting the kids to bed. A perfect day.
Oh, but boy, is my butt sore!
Thursday, May 11, 2006
One Less Want
There's a lot to be said for delayed gratification. I've been wanting a notebook computer for over a year now. It would be so convenient to be able to do my office work while I'm waiting for the kids at all of their various classes. Multi-tasking, you know. Can't waste a single moment.
I guess being constantly behind and overwhelmed got me thinking this way.
But I'm not quite so behind these days, and I have to say, it's awfully nice to just sit and read, or take care of an errand or two, on my "chauffeuring" days. Buying a notebook computer would make me feel like I had to choose work over reading a book, the way I do most of the time at home. I don't think it's worth it.
I feel like I've just saved a thousand dollars.
But I still want an Ipod.
I guess being constantly behind and overwhelmed got me thinking this way.
But I'm not quite so behind these days, and I have to say, it's awfully nice to just sit and read, or take care of an errand or two, on my "chauffeuring" days. Buying a notebook computer would make me feel like I had to choose work over reading a book, the way I do most of the time at home. I don't think it's worth it.
I feel like I've just saved a thousand dollars.
But I still want an Ipod.
Monday, May 08, 2006
Here Piggy Piggy!
I bought a specimen set last fall. Shelby is studying Biology, and we thought a "lab" in dissection would be interesting. You can buy lots of different creatures, preserved in formaldehyde and then sealed in plastic. They are cheaper if you buy a set, instead of purchasing individual specimens. It makes sense, too, because a well rounded dissection study would include multiple classes of creatures. The set we picked out had around 10 specimens, and included a worm, a clam, a frog, a small fish, and a fetal pig. We were most excited about the pig, although we took a good look at the sample pig photo online to make sure we wouldn't be too squeamish to handle it when the time came.
We were a little disappointed when the specimens came. The bag was quite small for so many specimens, and while the plastic was clear, there was an opaque layer between the specimens and the plastic, so we could only prod the bag lightly and try to envision the contents. Opening the bag was out of the question, because we were in the middle of other projects we needed to finish before moving on to dissection.
The instructions said the specimens would keep up to a year in their plastic packaging, and even longer if frozen, so I didn't worry too much about not being able to get to it right away. Then life got busy, and we got sidetracked, and the dissections never happened.
The other day I realized we finally have the time to work on the dissections, and went to find the specimens, but they weren't there. They sat on the floor of my office for 6 months, until one day I started thinking I should find a better place to keep them.
Unfortunately, I have no idea what better place I decided upon. All logical guesses have been dead ends. I've searched my office, cleaned both freezers and my closet, still no pig. Where in the world would I have decided was a good place to keep specimens? Because while I clearly remember thinking about moving them---on several occasions---I simply cannot remember actually doing anything with them!
I can always order a new set. They weren't that expensive. But I hate the thought of coming across the old set later, when I'm not expecting it. So much for my organizational skills.
We were a little disappointed when the specimens came. The bag was quite small for so many specimens, and while the plastic was clear, there was an opaque layer between the specimens and the plastic, so we could only prod the bag lightly and try to envision the contents. Opening the bag was out of the question, because we were in the middle of other projects we needed to finish before moving on to dissection.
The instructions said the specimens would keep up to a year in their plastic packaging, and even longer if frozen, so I didn't worry too much about not being able to get to it right away. Then life got busy, and we got sidetracked, and the dissections never happened.
The other day I realized we finally have the time to work on the dissections, and went to find the specimens, but they weren't there. They sat on the floor of my office for 6 months, until one day I started thinking I should find a better place to keep them.
Unfortunately, I have no idea what better place I decided upon. All logical guesses have been dead ends. I've searched my office, cleaned both freezers and my closet, still no pig. Where in the world would I have decided was a good place to keep specimens? Because while I clearly remember thinking about moving them---on several occasions---I simply cannot remember actually doing anything with them!
I can always order a new set. They weren't that expensive. But I hate the thought of coming across the old set later, when I'm not expecting it. So much for my organizational skills.
Tuesday, May 02, 2006
In My Garden
I love my garden. It makes me feel good just to be out in the sun, and fresh air, with my hands in the soil.I confess I don't plant only natives, nor do I limit myself to drought tolerant plants. I just plant anything I can find, and am attracted to, that can take the heat, cold and aridity of this climate.
I love to nuture perennials and watch them grow to overtake their space, until they can be divided to make even more plants, that I can plant in new places in my garden. I enjoy moving and replanting whenever a specimen seems to be telling me it would be happier in another part of the garden. I love crawling around on my hands and knees pulling out the weeds and saying hello at eye level to the plants.
I love to listen to the birds and other outdoor sounds. I love to watch the robins who follow me so closely as I garden, and the quail who scold me from a distance. Sometimes I put on my Shuffle and sing out loud myself as I build paths or spread mulch. I have to make myself come in at the end of a gardening day. Dinner is always late. I can't let myself garden every day, or I would never get anything else done. Maybe I'm compulsive, but once I'm out there, I just want to keep working.
Thursday, April 27, 2006
"Draft"
I developed the habit a while back of starting a thought on blogger and putting it in draft to finish up later. Now I realize I never did anything with those posts. Ooops. I'm going to publish them to my blog now, but they may not seem that relevant anymore. Oh well.
Blog Block
I feel like I've forgotten how to blog. I find myself thinking about my blog at odd moments of the day, wondering if what I'm doing would be blog worthy. But even when I find something worth mentioning, I can't seem to find the words to set it down. Is this blog-block?!
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
Crooked Cat
After suffering a serious respiratory illness, Midnight, aka "Wheezer" now views life at a somewhat cockeyed angle. The illness probably resulted from a secondary bacterial infection stemming from a chronic viral respiratory condition. He had a tendency to sneeze and sniffle from the very beginning, but I couldn't afford vet bills for what seemed to be a mild chronic condition, so I just ignored it. It didn't seem to bother him, and I figured it would get better. I even thought it might be allergies.When he got the secondary infection, we thought he was going to die. He lost his equilibrium, couldn't walk, and would fall to the floor in a splayed fashion every time he sneezed. The vet eliminated feline leukemia as a possibility. After a few weeks of antibiotics he was able to walk, but his abilities had been much reduced. He was disoriented and lacked balance, although the vet said there was no evidence of hearing loss. The vet was willing to do as much testing as I wanted to pay for in an attempt to identify the virus, but couldn't offer a cure. We opted for a 6 week round of antibiotics, and hoping for the best.
Today Midnight is a very contented cat. He is warm and affectionate, and seems quite happy. He still sneezes, wheezes and coughs, but he doesn't appear troubled by his disability. His balance has continued to improve over time; he'll attempt a jump after viewing things with his angled stare. I guess, in the end, there's nothing wrong with seeing the world from a crooked point of view.
Old Faithful Geyser
After my Dad died, we spent a few quiet days in my hometown.My mom arranged a great place for us to stay in a friend's remodeled barn loft apartment. It was so comfortable, and so removed from everything we had been going through (we had been caring for my dad at his home, an hour's drive from where I grew up).
While in Calistoga, we did touristy things like wander the tourist shops, picnic with brie, bread and home bottled wine, and visit the Sharpsteen Museum, a place I had loved since I was a kid.
The kids really wanted to see the Old Faithful Geyser of California. I had never been there, although it was minutes from my childhood home, and I had probably ridden by the place on my bike hundreds of times (you can't see they geyser from the outside).
It was tourist trap expensive, and somewhat hokey, too, but still worthwhile for me, since it's a piece of the past of the place I called home. The kids enjoyed it, too. It erupts like clockwork every 25 minutes or so, and went off shortly after we arrived. It's an interesting and impressive geothermal phenomenon; they had posted little informational tidbits around the site telling about the history of the place, which has always been privately owned and exploited as a tourist attration. I loved the old photos of turn-of-the-century visitors.
Now I have a yen to visit the big Old Faithful, in Yellowstone.
Saturday, April 08, 2006
Side Trip
On our way home from the zoo, we had a little car trouble. The result: an extra day of vacation while we waited for the 'burb to be repaired. Total cost: $850 for the fuel pump, plus the cost of a motel stay and meals out for another day.
On the bright side, we got to spend an enjoyable family afternoon exploring the falls near our breakdown. They were breathtaking. It's amazing how we can put off visiting some of the sights so close to home.
Ferry Ride
We took the ferry on our recent trip to visit Clint's dad. We had such a great time! The weather was brisk, but not unpleasant, although no one could stay out on deck for long. The ferry moves along at a fast clip, creating a strong, chilly wind. The force of the wind makes walking on deck an effort. At first it was a little frightening, so we explored the rest of the ferry, bought cocoa and coffee from their cafeteria-style snack bar, and watched our passage from the safety of a booth. But eventually, curiosity and a sense of adventure won out; there was nothing left to do but brave the elements. The views were breathtaking, the trip relaxing.Clint's dad lives so close to Seattle! Not counting the ferry ride, he's within 5 miles of the wharf, and we can take the ferry from his side over for free. We're already planning our next trip! We always have such a great time when we travel; we should do it more often.
Wednesday, April 05, 2006
Excuses, excuses
Sorry for the long absence.
I've attempted to blog several times, but something always seems to come up. I wanted to show off some of the great pictures we had of our most recent family vacation, and I ran into problems uploading photos. Another day, I had lots to say, but no time to blog. Then, I had time to blog and couldn't figure out what it was I had planned to say.
Oh, and did I mention the dog ate my blog[homework]?!
I don't have any time to blog today, or much to say. But I guess I can at least say that much!
I've attempted to blog several times, but something always seems to come up. I wanted to show off some of the great pictures we had of our most recent family vacation, and I ran into problems uploading photos. Another day, I had lots to say, but no time to blog. Then, I had time to blog and couldn't figure out what it was I had planned to say.
Oh, and did I mention the dog ate my blog[homework]?!
I don't have any time to blog today, or much to say. But I guess I can at least say that much!
Friday, February 24, 2006
Jinx
I've been afraid to post that I'm feeling better because I don't want to "jinx" it!
I did go to the doctor, on headache day 15. He was very thorough, asked lots of questions, but ultimately could not give a definite diagnosis. One of the most gratifying aspects of the visit was the lack of focus on stress as a possible cause of the condition. I guess I feared it was really all my fault, and that if I could just relax enough I would be fine. But all he asked was "Has your level of stressed changed recently?" Great question! Because I would say that my level of stress is regularly moderate to high, but it never gave me a 15 day headache before!!
So the doc gave me two samples of a migrane pill called imitrin(although he agreed it was not technically a migrane), with instructions to take one, followed by the second if the headache wan't gone two hours later. If that didn't do it, he would refer me to a neurologist for further testing. The pill worked (but was nothing to mess with...side effects include heart attack and death, and the insert says not to take more than four per month). I felt great all day. Then, 10 hours later, I got a whopping headache...in a different part of my head. I think it was a "rebound headache" from the medication, something I've been reading about on the internet. The next morning my origial headache was gone, but I still felt twinges of pain now and then from this other headache. By the end of the day, I was achy and congested. I had a cold.
We went to the cabin for the weekend, and I curled up in a corner with my tissues and read 250 pages of The Historian, a great read, by the way. I'll take a little head cold any day over a mild but never ending headache. In comparison to the last two weeks, I felt great! Then, yesterday, I woke up with a headache. I was so depressed I could hardly function. The thought of the headache coming back is just unbearable. I decided to take some sinus medication for it. After all, I'm still at the tail end of this cold. It took care of it right away, and this morning I woke up feeling great.
I've always found people who talk about nothing but their health condition so irritating. Don't they realize that at some point it becomes old news, and they are hard to be around because of their inability to focus on anything else? And now look what I've become. I've also never understood that very irritating comment that comes after you finish sharing the ups and downs of your life "Well, at least you have your health". To me this comment seems to say "As long as you're healthy, your life's ups and downs are trivial, so quit complaining."
I may still have a hard time being patient around someone who talks of nothing but their health, but at least I'll understand it a little bit better. I guess there's something to be said for walking a mile in someone's shoes.
I did go to the doctor, on headache day 15. He was very thorough, asked lots of questions, but ultimately could not give a definite diagnosis. One of the most gratifying aspects of the visit was the lack of focus on stress as a possible cause of the condition. I guess I feared it was really all my fault, and that if I could just relax enough I would be fine. But all he asked was "Has your level of stressed changed recently?" Great question! Because I would say that my level of stress is regularly moderate to high, but it never gave me a 15 day headache before!!
So the doc gave me two samples of a migrane pill called imitrin(although he agreed it was not technically a migrane), with instructions to take one, followed by the second if the headache wan't gone two hours later. If that didn't do it, he would refer me to a neurologist for further testing. The pill worked (but was nothing to mess with...side effects include heart attack and death, and the insert says not to take more than four per month). I felt great all day. Then, 10 hours later, I got a whopping headache...in a different part of my head. I think it was a "rebound headache" from the medication, something I've been reading about on the internet. The next morning my origial headache was gone, but I still felt twinges of pain now and then from this other headache. By the end of the day, I was achy and congested. I had a cold.
We went to the cabin for the weekend, and I curled up in a corner with my tissues and read 250 pages of The Historian, a great read, by the way. I'll take a little head cold any day over a mild but never ending headache. In comparison to the last two weeks, I felt great! Then, yesterday, I woke up with a headache. I was so depressed I could hardly function. The thought of the headache coming back is just unbearable. I decided to take some sinus medication for it. After all, I'm still at the tail end of this cold. It took care of it right away, and this morning I woke up feeling great.
I've always found people who talk about nothing but their health condition so irritating. Don't they realize that at some point it becomes old news, and they are hard to be around because of their inability to focus on anything else? And now look what I've become. I've also never understood that very irritating comment that comes after you finish sharing the ups and downs of your life "Well, at least you have your health". To me this comment seems to say "As long as you're healthy, your life's ups and downs are trivial, so quit complaining."
I may still have a hard time being patient around someone who talks of nothing but their health, but at least I'll understand it a little bit better. I guess there's something to be said for walking a mile in someone's shoes.
Sunday, February 12, 2006
Same Old...
I still have a headache. It's been so many days in a row now, I've stopped counting. I've tried every remedy, but nothing is working. Some days it's better, but I either wake up with it, or it starts to come on at some point during the day. If I stay in bed, it helps, but I can't do that forever.
At this point, I don't know what else to do except learn to live with it. The hardest part is that the constant ache makes me feel grumpy, and I feel really bad for my kids. I'm trying to behave normally, but I know I'm not always successful.
At this point, I don't know what else to do except learn to live with it. The hardest part is that the constant ache makes me feel grumpy, and I feel really bad for my kids. I'm trying to behave normally, but I know I'm not always successful.
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Headache Day 5
It started as a mild headache on Tuesday morning, and kind of came and went throughout the day. It was never severe, so I just chalked it up to lack of sleep and figured it would be gone in the morning. Wednesday and Thursday are my crazy days, and again the headache came and went. I decided stress and busyness were contributing factors, and figured it would go away when things slowed down.
Friday included three separate trips to town, with office work sandwiched in between, as I tried to catch up on urgent paperwork that I'd gotten behind on during the week. Usually Fridays are relaxing days for me, but with Clint out of town I have business responsibilities. Friday night, by the time I dropped kids off at their activity and headed to "mom's night out", my head was aching. Still, sometimes there would be minutes where the ache seemed to disappear altogether. I headed straight to bed when I got home, determined that a good night's rest would take care of the problem. Saturday it was still there, but mild enough to ignore. But after two more trips to town chauffeuring kids and handling business stuff, and 3 hours of errands to kill time between child pick up and business, my head hurt ferociously. I went to bed even earlier than the night before. I'd found that when I'm resting in bed, my head doesn't hurt at all.
This morning I arose sooo carefully, hoping the ache wouldn't start, but it hit again as soon as I was up and around. I desperately needed to work on paperwork this weekend, but office work is tough with a splitting headache. So I resorted to codeine. Up until now, I'd been sticking to ibuprofen, without success. The codeine made me so nauseous I ended up back in bed, and spent a nauseating but pain free couple of hours watching TV. This afternoon, holding my head gingerly and walking carefully, figuring if I avoided any sudden movements I could keep the thing from coming back, I headed to the office to work on the finances. My head is pounding now. No suprise though. The taxes would've given me a headache anyway, so it's just as well.
I'm not sure what it's going to take to get rid of this headache.
Friday included three separate trips to town, with office work sandwiched in between, as I tried to catch up on urgent paperwork that I'd gotten behind on during the week. Usually Fridays are relaxing days for me, but with Clint out of town I have business responsibilities. Friday night, by the time I dropped kids off at their activity and headed to "mom's night out", my head was aching. Still, sometimes there would be minutes where the ache seemed to disappear altogether. I headed straight to bed when I got home, determined that a good night's rest would take care of the problem. Saturday it was still there, but mild enough to ignore. But after two more trips to town chauffeuring kids and handling business stuff, and 3 hours of errands to kill time between child pick up and business, my head hurt ferociously. I went to bed even earlier than the night before. I'd found that when I'm resting in bed, my head doesn't hurt at all.
This morning I arose sooo carefully, hoping the ache wouldn't start, but it hit again as soon as I was up and around. I desperately needed to work on paperwork this weekend, but office work is tough with a splitting headache. So I resorted to codeine. Up until now, I'd been sticking to ibuprofen, without success. The codeine made me so nauseous I ended up back in bed, and spent a nauseating but pain free couple of hours watching TV. This afternoon, holding my head gingerly and walking carefully, figuring if I avoided any sudden movements I could keep the thing from coming back, I headed to the office to work on the finances. My head is pounding now. No suprise though. The taxes would've given me a headache anyway, so it's just as well.
I'm not sure what it's going to take to get rid of this headache.
Sunday, January 22, 2006
New Year's Resolutions
This is not something I do every year. But I want to make some changes, and it just happens to be the beginning to the year, so...why not?!
1. Tell My Kids How Much I Love Them Every Day
2. Greet My Husband With a Smile and a Kiss Every Day
3. Cut Back on Lectures & Advice; Try to Replace them with Listening
4. Cultivate a Sense of Gratitude for All That I Have
5. Eliminate Negativity and Replace it with a Positive Attitude
6. Take Time to Meditating in the Mornings
7. Resume my 3x Weekly Running Schedule ~ Get into Shape!
8. Cook Healthy Dinners for my Family ~ without Complaining
9. Limit Alcohol Intake to Special Occasions
10. Limit TV to 5 Hours A Week (there's too much else I want to do!)
and finally...because I think it will help with some of my other goals...
11. Work to Find a Better Balance Between Self & Family
1. Tell My Kids How Much I Love Them Every Day
2. Greet My Husband With a Smile and a Kiss Every Day
3. Cut Back on Lectures & Advice; Try to Replace them with Listening
4. Cultivate a Sense of Gratitude for All That I Have
5. Eliminate Negativity and Replace it with a Positive Attitude
6. Take Time to Meditating in the Mornings
7. Resume my 3x Weekly Running Schedule ~ Get into Shape!
8. Cook Healthy Dinners for my Family ~ without Complaining
9. Limit Alcohol Intake to Special Occasions
10. Limit TV to 5 Hours A Week (there's too much else I want to do!)
and finally...because I think it will help with some of my other goals...
11. Work to Find a Better Balance Between Self & Family
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
A Rose by any other name...
Clint brought me flowers just after the New Year. What a shock! This man (usually)hasn't got a romantic bone in his body!
I confess, I've been hinting for about a year that a romantic gesture of any kind on his part would be warmly recieved. I hate to be an insecure wreck, but after this many years of marriage, life can be so routine that sometimes I wonder whether there's any spark of romantic love left. I'm not turning up my nose at the love we do share, but sometimes a bit of passionate infatuation would not be amiss from time to time.
Of course, as Clint has pointed out to me, a man is not likely to offer a romantic gesture after it's been "suggested" to him. Ater all, that would spoil the spontenaity, and therefore the romance, of such a gesture, he argues. Note that in the previous 12 years, I never made any such suggestion, hinted or not, and netted a total of one bouquet. Not that I think flowers are the end-all of romantic gestures. I can think of lots of things that could be far more original and meaningful. It's just the idea that your special someone thinks of you with affection, even when you're not there, and does something about it (even if it's the classic flowers) that makes it special.
Gratifying as the flowers are, my cynical self notices that they arrive two weeks before the beginning of Clint's 6 month venture into an East Coast tournament circuit, which will involve him being away 2-3 weeks every month until June. Is it possible that he's hoping to garner a little good will?
Whether there is a bit of truth to this or not, the two of us have been getting along great. I think he's happy becuase he's heading off on a new venture; I'm in a good mood because he's in a good mood, and maybe too because I'm hopeful for a better few months to come than the last few have been.
I loved the flowers, whatever the reason. Hopefully I conveyed my appreciation adequately! Clint is gone now, in Florida fishing on Lake Okeechobee with the aligators. Maybe when he gets back I will surprise him with a romantic gesture of my own. Hmmmm...
Monday, January 16, 2006
The Snowman Cometh
While Lisa & Jackie created virtual snowmen Shelby, Rhiannon, and Clint toiled away at a life-sized model. I thought the similarity between virtual and actual was remarkable.
Sunday, January 15, 2006
Home Sweet Home
I never realized how forested my home was until I moved here to the desert northwest. I eventually came to appreciate the beauty of this area, and I stopped missing the green of home.
But during those weeks back home during my dad's illness, I was confronted with the incredible beauty of my childhood home.
This backwoods road is where I used to wander as a child when I wanted to be alone. I used to meander off into the woods and play games of pretend for hours.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
New Year's Day
A snowy dawn on New Year's morning.
It was so beautiful.
I love being in the mountains in the snow.
What a perfect way to start the New Year.
Monday, January 09, 2006
What I Did This Weekend
I had an unfortunate run-in with a windstorm and my garage door on Saturday night. This is the same door whose claim to fame is shattering Gillian's thumb two years ago. This time, my finger was the casualty. A sudden fierce gust of wind slammed the door on the last three fingers of my right hand. It ripped the nail of my middle finger out--intact---, lacerated the nail bed beneath, and folded the tip of my finger back to expose the bone, which was crushed at the tip. Nice, huh?!
Did I mention we were in the middle of fighting a would-be chimney fire when all this occured? So I waited, finger in ice water, for Clint to get the chimney problem under control, called my brothrr over to watch the kids...and make sure the fire stayed out, and headed to emergency, a place I vowed never to return to. I had to face the fact that my finger would need a repair job beyond that of self care.
Kadlec did a great job, and they were very nice (my only other ER experience was at KGH...they were not nice). They removed the part of the nail that was still attached, and then reinserted it to act as a protector for my nail bed until it starts to heal. They sewed up my fingertip, and I was good to go. The doctor says I will lose the nail, it will take about a year to grow a new one in fully, and he can't say if it will grow normally...it may not. I'm just glad I've got my whole finger.
Today at my followup I got to see it agin. It's a little Frankensteinish, but I can live with it. The follow up Doc saw no signs of infection (they had expressed concern over the possibility of infection to the bone), so I'm happy.
I wanted to come home and get back to life as normal. I've got too much to do to be laying around. But the pain pills made me so nauseous I spent half the day in bed, and then when I feeling returned to my finger, the throbbing kept me from wanting to move much at all! Now, 48 hours after the injury, I'm able to do a little typing without too much discomfort. Yeah!!! I'm back on my blog!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
