September:
Maggie encountered a virus the first week of school. She starts to cough, and the coughing causes asthma problems, which results in more coughing, which exacerbates the asthma, and thus goes the cycle. So she coughed her way through the month, missing most choir practices, a few church services, and several days of school.
Maggie applied for a part-time fast-food job not far from the house. It seemed that they were interested in finding a spot for her. Because they had just hired lots of newbies, they said they wanted to hold off for Mag until the end of October. So she'll need to be getting in contact with them again soon.
Gary and I attended the symposium at the St Louis seminary. Topic was catechesis, and we at CCA have some familiarity with the subject. It took a huge amount of work to prepare for the trip. Deacon had a truck when he went on trips; we have a compact car. Deacon usually had several tables; we had one 6' table. Gary wanted a brochure to hand out. There was a lot of rethinking of how the CCA could be represented. Then there was the loading, the trip, and the unpacking. The trip consumed much of my September.
October:
Gary's dad died. He had been failing slowly over the last year. But as he quit eating, he became much weaker. (Or maybe it's the weakness which makes a person quit eating?) When Gary visited early in September, his dad was already becoming disinterested in this life. When we visited as we traveled to St Louis, we figured he couldn't continue very long as he was. He is baptized, and we were thankful that the pastor could be with him as he lay dying. (Dad's kids were called and told, "Come now," but the distance meant that they didn't make it in time for a final goodbye.)
Most of the grandkids were able to attend the funeral. There's that weird thing about funerals: in the midst of mourning, there's the joy of family togetherness and fun.
About a week after we returned from the funeral, we headed out for a beautiful drive to Minnesota, enjoying the fall colors. We attended a most-awesome wedding and saw loads of friends. And we visited with Paul, Mandy, and baby Henry (who seems to remember me ... and like me ... even though this was only the fifth time I'd seen him). Paul told us how his new job is going and helped us understand the pattern of his [somewhat odd] work schedule.
The secretary at church is currently out on medical leave. Several of us are dividing up her responsibilities, taking different days to man the office. I have bulletin-prep day. Add to that the other projects (secretarial, CCA, and my usual volunteer tasks) and I've been volunteering at church about 30 hours a week since we returned from St Louis. No wonder the house is messy, the grass long, and the garage not yet ready for winter. A few of the big pressing projects are now completed. So things should be less stressful starting next week.
Maggie and I took one day this week to tackle some projects. She cleaned bathrooms and living room and washed some windows. I vacuumed the car, washed all the window-screens, and scrubbed the eaves which were starting to mildew. Sore muscles the next day. But boy, it feels good to start catching up on some of those projects that have been delayed since my hospitalization over two years ago. I have my fingers crossed, hoping we can finish up the most critical pre-winter outdoor jobs this weekend.
Showing posts with label family life. Show all posts
Showing posts with label family life. Show all posts
Friday, October 21, 2016
Monday, June 27, 2016
So Many Changes
This early part of summer has brought loads of changes to our family.
In addition to the some out-of-state trips and some local events that take a lot of work, as well as the usual housework and yardwork:
Daughter-in-law Olivia started working at church as part-time secretary for the summer and prepping for her first teaching job in fall.
Son Andrew began a full-time job at the large teaching hospital in our area. He's on the post-surgery floor. He's far enough along in training that this weekend he began his overnight shifts.
Son Paul and daughter-in-law Mandy had baby Henry arrive. Mandy is currently home with Henry instead of at work.
Son-in-law Matt is finishing his fellowship at the large teaching hospital and is starting a new job in Illinois. He and Rachel and Lizzy are moving there this week.
I finally retired-all-the-way from my job at the bank. I am working on some publishing duties for CCA instead of just my copy-editing.
Maggie is on summer break from her volunteer-job at school, which re-configures our days significantly because I'm not chauffeuring her twice daily.
Gary still has his full-time day-job, but at church he is taking over the position of CCA administrator.
Out of twelve adults, half of us have had job changes this month.
In addition to that, three of our kids have moved out of apartments into houses in the last seven months, and another is looking to move soon.
No wonder I feel like I can't keep up with what's what.
In addition to the some out-of-state trips and some local events that take a lot of work, as well as the usual housework and yardwork:
Daughter-in-law Olivia started working at church as part-time secretary for the summer and prepping for her first teaching job in fall.
Son Andrew began a full-time job at the large teaching hospital in our area. He's on the post-surgery floor. He's far enough along in training that this weekend he began his overnight shifts.
Son Paul and daughter-in-law Mandy had baby Henry arrive. Mandy is currently home with Henry instead of at work.
Son-in-law Matt is finishing his fellowship at the large teaching hospital and is starting a new job in Illinois. He and Rachel and Lizzy are moving there this week.
I finally retired-all-the-way from my job at the bank. I am working on some publishing duties for CCA instead of just my copy-editing.
Maggie is on summer break from her volunteer-job at school, which re-configures our days significantly because I'm not chauffeuring her twice daily.
Gary still has his full-time day-job, but at church he is taking over the position of CCA administrator.
Out of twelve adults, half of us have had job changes this month.
In addition to that, three of our kids have moved out of apartments into houses in the last seven months, and another is looking to move soon.
No wonder I feel like I can't keep up with what's what.
Saturday, June 18, 2016
Rest Day
Today is a day of doing nothing.
Usually I'm not good at that. Today we're all wiped out enough that we're managing loads of Nothing.
Two weeks ago we enjoyed a week-long family reunion. It's a lot of work to go away. But we love seeing the extended family. And the resort we use is simple, relatively inexpensive, and low-key. But it's clean, on a lake, with a pool, and awesome hosts/owners. Weather was perfect.
After re-entry to Real Life and recuperating from our rest [??], we headed off the next weekend to meet baby Henry and rejoice in his baptism-day. Oh, right, it was nice to see my son and daughter-in-law too.
In the days before and after baptism-weekend, I packed up supplies for the CCA symposium and the CCA sales booth. (Oh, man, my muscles aren't what they used to be. I am weak and pokey. But, hey, it was possible to do the work.)
The last few days involved early mornings and late nights and physical labor. And lots of time on my feet. And chances to visit with friends ... though never enough time for all the people I want to see. The topic for symposium was about keeping our children in the faith, and comfort for us when our loved ones stray. It was helpful and encouraging.
But today is nothing. Sudokus. Lightweight movies. Sitting around. I probably should mop and do laundry and start some pickles. Nothing big. Just a little catching up. But if I don't do it, I will still be satisfied. There are three more big events coming up in the next few weeks, so a day of sloth is probably healthful right now.
Usually I'm not good at that. Today we're all wiped out enough that we're managing loads of Nothing.
Two weeks ago we enjoyed a week-long family reunion. It's a lot of work to go away. But we love seeing the extended family. And the resort we use is simple, relatively inexpensive, and low-key. But it's clean, on a lake, with a pool, and awesome hosts/owners. Weather was perfect.
After re-entry to Real Life and recuperating from our rest [??], we headed off the next weekend to meet baby Henry and rejoice in his baptism-day. Oh, right, it was nice to see my son and daughter-in-law too.
In the days before and after baptism-weekend, I packed up supplies for the CCA symposium and the CCA sales booth. (Oh, man, my muscles aren't what they used to be. I am weak and pokey. But, hey, it was possible to do the work.)
The last few days involved early mornings and late nights and physical labor. And lots of time on my feet. And chances to visit with friends ... though never enough time for all the people I want to see. The topic for symposium was about keeping our children in the faith, and comfort for us when our loved ones stray. It was helpful and encouraging.
But today is nothing. Sudokus. Lightweight movies. Sitting around. I probably should mop and do laundry and start some pickles. Nothing big. Just a little catching up. But if I don't do it, I will still be satisfied. There are three more big events coming up in the next few weeks, so a day of sloth is probably healthful right now.
Wednesday, August 19, 2015
This Is "Retirement"?
Yesterday was the first day I Should Have Been At Work, but wasn't. (No, I haven't fully quit yet. I'm still taking some short shifts until they replace at least one of the open positions at my branch.)
Such conflicting emotions!
Instead of doing one of a gazillion things on my After-I-Quit-Work to-do list, I spent the day with my daughter and newborn granddaughter. Rachel ended up in the emergency room this weekend. The surgeons removed a troublesome organ. They sent her home on narcotics. I spent a couple of days there, taking care of things that she simply couldn't. While running some errands Tuesday morning, I wondered about certain customers, whether they'd come in yet. I wondered how my co-workers were keeping up with the work, whether it was a busy day or a boring day, wondered who was subbing for me, etc. And that's when it hit me. Tuesday would have been loads easier physically and mentally if I had been at work instead of tending to family needs. And yet ... working Tuesday would have been awful as my mind and heart would have been preoccupied with my babies and grandbabies, wanting to be there to help but unable.
Today I planned to spend a shorter amount of time with Rachel and Lizzy. Instead the day was spent helping Katie get her car functional again.
Nature abhors a vacuum.
See what price my daughters pay when I make a "vacuum" of my calendar? (Well. Okay. Not a vacuum. But cleared out a little bit.) It makes me wonder if I should protect my kids by going back to work!
Rachel says God had it all worked out. She had a tiny baby ... and that baby is big enough to be safe/healthy but small enough to be carried by post-surgery mommy. Rachel had been over-producing milk, so there was plenty in the freezer for Baby to live on while Mommy couldn't feed her. And Nanna didn't have to be at work and could be butting in, soaking up some baby-snuggles between washing dishes and stuff like that. I guess, if you're going to toss an emergency surgery into life, this probably was a darn-tootin' easy way to go about it.
Such conflicting emotions!
Instead of doing one of a gazillion things on my After-I-Quit-Work to-do list, I spent the day with my daughter and newborn granddaughter. Rachel ended up in the emergency room this weekend. The surgeons removed a troublesome organ. They sent her home on narcotics. I spent a couple of days there, taking care of things that she simply couldn't. While running some errands Tuesday morning, I wondered about certain customers, whether they'd come in yet. I wondered how my co-workers were keeping up with the work, whether it was a busy day or a boring day, wondered who was subbing for me, etc. And that's when it hit me. Tuesday would have been loads easier physically and mentally if I had been at work instead of tending to family needs. And yet ... working Tuesday would have been awful as my mind and heart would have been preoccupied with my babies and grandbabies, wanting to be there to help but unable.
Today I planned to spend a shorter amount of time with Rachel and Lizzy. Instead the day was spent helping Katie get her car functional again.
Nature abhors a vacuum.
See what price my daughters pay when I make a "vacuum" of my calendar? (Well. Okay. Not a vacuum. But cleared out a little bit.) It makes me wonder if I should protect my kids by going back to work!
Rachel says God had it all worked out. She had a tiny baby ... and that baby is big enough to be safe/healthy but small enough to be carried by post-surgery mommy. Rachel had been over-producing milk, so there was plenty in the freezer for Baby to live on while Mommy couldn't feed her. And Nanna didn't have to be at work and could be butting in, soaking up some baby-snuggles between washing dishes and stuff like that. I guess, if you're going to toss an emergency surgery into life, this probably was a darn-tootin' easy way to go about it.
Sunday, June 21, 2015
Update
Lovely, amazing, beautiful wedding yesterday. We've known the groom since he was 1, and the bride since she was about 4-5. So good to go to a wedding where they are firmly committed to Christ's being the center of their marriage.
Cherry pie in the oven baking. The cherry tree is loaded with beautiful fruit. I don't know if it was that the weather was just right this year, or if the tree's flourishing was due to my lack ofmangling pruning the last two springs.
Gary is still doing ALL the mowing. He does not permit me to help. I am spoiled. Also, Maggie and Katie seem to be accomplishing any housecleaning that happens around here.
I gave up on the garden. I planted some lettuce and almost none of it came up. I've harvested almost none of the strawberries -- Gary, Maggie, Katie, and the kids have done whatever picking has happened. Not all the raspberries have been pruned and weeded. Grape-vine shoots and tendrils look nice but need to be tied to their supports. I guess we'll be buying tomatoes from the farmers' markets this year. The garden spot is covered with dead leaves, a little hay, and the kitchen scraps for composting. This is the seventh year of the garden. We'll call it our "fallow year" and just pretend like we planned it this way all along. Yup. Sure. Absolutely.
This year's catechetical symposium had a smaller attendance than usual. But the topic was good.
Took a trip down to my hometown to start helping with cleaning out my mom's house. Between the travel, the late nights, and the simple physical work of going through drawers and closets and carrying things and walking back and forth, it took a week and a half of recuperating before I could do anything more than lie around (when I wasn't at work). I was even too tired to read. My appetite went away, and I still haven't cooked a real meal since before that trip. I fear that I'm not going to have the strength to do what I should in this project.
What is it with all the rashes this past year? It seems like, if somebody merely looks at me cross-eyed, I'll develop another rash. Well, no, it's not people looking at me; it's plants getting anywhere near me. Thus the disincentive to be putzing in the garden very often.
I heard two different conversations at the wedding yesterday from young unmarried men. You know what they each want in a wife? Number 1 requirement: a woman. What a different world it is today that this would even be mentioned in a joking way.
One of the gals at work just had her baby, and the two college-aged gals are doing temporary internships (thus limiting their hours available for work). I hope my hours get shuffled a bit for the next few weeks so that I can fill in holes instead of working my usual hours. Thing is, I'm still under doctor's limitations on how many hours per week I may work -- that will keep me from overdoing.
I've got some editing to do, so all the rest of my to-do list for church tasks is getting ignored.
I tried going back to Curves to "exercise" -- with a very slow and easy trial of getting back to some physical activity. That was right before we went on the trip to Illinois, so I haven't been about to go back to Curves again.
It happened again today: I decided that no matter what went undone, I had to call Mom because it's been so long since I talked to her. And then I realized ... no, I wouldn't be calling Mom. I wonder how long it will take before I quit forgetting.
Cherry pie in the oven baking. The cherry tree is loaded with beautiful fruit. I don't know if it was that the weather was just right this year, or if the tree's flourishing was due to my lack of
Gary is still doing ALL the mowing. He does not permit me to help. I am spoiled. Also, Maggie and Katie seem to be accomplishing any housecleaning that happens around here.
I gave up on the garden. I planted some lettuce and almost none of it came up. I've harvested almost none of the strawberries -- Gary, Maggie, Katie, and the kids have done whatever picking has happened. Not all the raspberries have been pruned and weeded. Grape-vine shoots and tendrils look nice but need to be tied to their supports. I guess we'll be buying tomatoes from the farmers' markets this year. The garden spot is covered with dead leaves, a little hay, and the kitchen scraps for composting. This is the seventh year of the garden. We'll call it our "fallow year" and just pretend like we planned it this way all along. Yup. Sure. Absolutely.
This year's catechetical symposium had a smaller attendance than usual. But the topic was good.
Took a trip down to my hometown to start helping with cleaning out my mom's house. Between the travel, the late nights, and the simple physical work of going through drawers and closets and carrying things and walking back and forth, it took a week and a half of recuperating before I could do anything more than lie around (when I wasn't at work). I was even too tired to read. My appetite went away, and I still haven't cooked a real meal since before that trip. I fear that I'm not going to have the strength to do what I should in this project.
What is it with all the rashes this past year? It seems like, if somebody merely looks at me cross-eyed, I'll develop another rash. Well, no, it's not people looking at me; it's plants getting anywhere near me. Thus the disincentive to be putzing in the garden very often.
I heard two different conversations at the wedding yesterday from young unmarried men. You know what they each want in a wife? Number 1 requirement: a woman. What a different world it is today that this would even be mentioned in a joking way.
One of the gals at work just had her baby, and the two college-aged gals are doing temporary internships (thus limiting their hours available for work). I hope my hours get shuffled a bit for the next few weeks so that I can fill in holes instead of working my usual hours. Thing is, I'm still under doctor's limitations on how many hours per week I may work -- that will keep me from overdoing.
I've got some editing to do, so all the rest of my to-do list for church tasks is getting ignored.
I tried going back to Curves to "exercise" -- with a very slow and easy trial of getting back to some physical activity. That was right before we went on the trip to Illinois, so I haven't been about to go back to Curves again.
It happened again today: I decided that no matter what went undone, I had to call Mom because it's been so long since I talked to her. And then I realized ... no, I wouldn't be calling Mom. I wonder how long it will take before I quit forgetting.
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Boring Old Update
No matter how much vacuuming and dusting we do, it's never done. One of the cats is shedding abominably. I keep wishing I were heartless enough to shave her bald.
This coming week: church every single day! This is the week I live for.
The just-past week: Besides work, we
a) celebrated a birthday by seeing Cinderella in the theatre. It was amazing! We also ate walleye and french fries at Culver's. Mmmmm.
b) dealt with a pair of broken glasses that were less than two months old. The frames must have been defective. But it took three trips to a nearby city and a phone call to the national headquarters before we could resolve who was paying for the replacement.
c) one day of errands with ELEVEN stops: drop off a kid; bank; courthouse; liquor store; grocery storre; Target; Best Buy; Aldi; another bank; another grocery store; and a stop at church. Almost 3 1/2 hours, but boy oh boy, it wiped me out.
d) filled out legal paperwork ... and wondered why I had to get it off the internet ... because the snail-mail forms never showed up in our mailbox. So where are those snail-mail forms with name and address and birthdate and other bits of personal information?
Last week:
A humongous mess as I took over the whole choir room at church to divide up the files I've been sorting since September. I finally arrived at the point where I couldn't thin and rearrange any more, not until I got everything out at once and reshuffled. It exhausted my mind and my body, but now I can return to working on small portions of the project in reasonably-sized doses.
What else?
Mom moved into a assisted-living/nursing home arrangement. She loves the place.
I worked on the strawberry bed before the weather turned icy again. I have no clue whatsoever how we're going to handle the garden space, plants, compost, brush, etc. Lack of time and energy means reducing the amount of work/commitments I make. And I'm not good at backing out of things I think are important.
Maggie's been continuing to work out and her weight/size are stable. I however have been eating too much chocolate.
Gary got a few new teeth and is adjusting to them.
I'm almost done with the new Mitford book. I love Mitford. Part of me wants to just start reading the series over again right away. But I'm going to stick with my reading plan and fit in a few other things first. Honestly, though, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself going back to At Home in Mitford soon.
Now, to make some bread, clean some floors, and finish Mitford ... bye-bye.
This coming week: church every single day! This is the week I live for.
The just-past week: Besides work, we
a) celebrated a birthday by seeing Cinderella in the theatre. It was amazing! We also ate walleye and french fries at Culver's. Mmmmm.
b) dealt with a pair of broken glasses that were less than two months old. The frames must have been defective. But it took three trips to a nearby city and a phone call to the national headquarters before we could resolve who was paying for the replacement.
c) one day of errands with ELEVEN stops: drop off a kid; bank; courthouse; liquor store; grocery storre; Target; Best Buy; Aldi; another bank; another grocery store; and a stop at church. Almost 3 1/2 hours, but boy oh boy, it wiped me out.
d) filled out legal paperwork ... and wondered why I had to get it off the internet ... because the snail-mail forms never showed up in our mailbox. So where are those snail-mail forms with name and address and birthdate and other bits of personal information?
Last week:
A humongous mess as I took over the whole choir room at church to divide up the files I've been sorting since September. I finally arrived at the point where I couldn't thin and rearrange any more, not until I got everything out at once and reshuffled. It exhausted my mind and my body, but now I can return to working on small portions of the project in reasonably-sized doses.
What else?
Mom moved into a assisted-living/nursing home arrangement. She loves the place.
I worked on the strawberry bed before the weather turned icy again. I have no clue whatsoever how we're going to handle the garden space, plants, compost, brush, etc. Lack of time and energy means reducing the amount of work/commitments I make. And I'm not good at backing out of things I think are important.
Maggie's been continuing to work out and her weight/size are stable. I however have been eating too much chocolate.
Gary got a few new teeth and is adjusting to them.
I'm almost done with the new Mitford book. I love Mitford. Part of me wants to just start reading the series over again right away. But I'm going to stick with my reading plan and fit in a few other things first. Honestly, though, I wouldn't be surprised to find myself going back to At Home in Mitford soon.
Now, to make some bread, clean some floors, and finish Mitford ... bye-bye.
Saturday, December 20, 2014
Helpful Girls
I need to watch my whining around my daughters. I express any dissatisfaction over what needs to be accomplished and how unable I am ... and somebody shows up to tackle projects.
On the one hand, I feel guilty.
On the other hand, I feel oh-so-relieved and grateful!
On the one hand, I feel guilty.
On the other hand, I feel oh-so-relieved and grateful!
Thursday, November 13, 2014
Update
I put my good mittens (the most-excellent ones that Dad bought for Mom) into the car. They feel fantastic when the steering wheel is so cold.
Upon the girls' encouragement, I trimmed about an inch of hair off the very middle back of my neck, to even out the look of the short hair. It does look better now.
Katie cleaned house here last week. Gary did loads of raking over the weekend but didn't have time to get rid of the leaves. Today Katie finished raking and dragging leaves over to the garden. Wow! What a relief that that's done!
I cleaned out the gutters last weekend. Funny, for some reason, we didn't get to it last spring. There were a few teeny-tiny maples that had sprung up from spring's helicopters. Whew! I'm glad we didn't leave them there longer -- I hate seeing maples grow out of people's gutters.
Coat needs to go to the dry-cleaner too. Still covered with last winter's road-salt. Funny, for some reason, I didn't get that chore done in May either.
Chicken soup is my friend.
Proud, proud, proud of Katie for getting involved with village politics, where a bunch of regular folks are calling out the shenanigans of the village leaders. She's been to some public meetings, talked, and is circulating petitions. Proud of her! And proud of the 100-or-so other folks in the village who are also fed up with government spending and subterfuge.
Upon a friend's reminder of what fish oil can do for joints and nerves, I have been diligently working to remember (and oh!, it's hard to remember) to consume fish oil daily. I've also been pretty good recently about remembering mypond scum vitamins. Arachnoiditis has noticeably improved. I begin to tentatively hope that maybe, someday, I will actually "get back to normal." Maybe.
The computer mouse has been acting up recently. It's annoying, but I haven't done anything to fix it yet. (What's up with that laziness?!) Yesterday, the Blue Screen Of Death swooped upon us. The computer tried its self-repair thingy, and then we attempted going back to a restore-point. I'm scared that pretty soon it's going to keel over and die-beyond-resuscitation. But Gary did get the machine turned on last night, and I backed up photos, documents, bookmarks, and email. That's the critical stuff.
I'm sorting and cleaning out files at church. Today I think I finished the Scaer files for already-published and yet-to-be-published volumes.
a) There's so much stuff I want to nab, curl up with on the couch, and read.
b) Combine several different editors on the same project, and a variety of different concepts for organizational themes, and it turned out there was LOTS of duplicate material. The boxes are nicely thinned now without any articles being eliminated. Yee haw -- all the highs of clutter-dumping with none of the worry of "What if I need it later?"
Upon the girls' encouragement, I trimmed about an inch of hair off the very middle back of my neck, to even out the look of the short hair. It does look better now.
Katie cleaned house here last week. Gary did loads of raking over the weekend but didn't have time to get rid of the leaves. Today Katie finished raking and dragging leaves over to the garden. Wow! What a relief that that's done!
I cleaned out the gutters last weekend. Funny, for some reason, we didn't get to it last spring. There were a few teeny-tiny maples that had sprung up from spring's helicopters. Whew! I'm glad we didn't leave them there longer -- I hate seeing maples grow out of people's gutters.
Coat needs to go to the dry-cleaner too. Still covered with last winter's road-salt. Funny, for some reason, I didn't get that chore done in May either.
Chicken soup is my friend.
Proud, proud, proud of Katie for getting involved with village politics, where a bunch of regular folks are calling out the shenanigans of the village leaders. She's been to some public meetings, talked, and is circulating petitions. Proud of her! And proud of the 100-or-so other folks in the village who are also fed up with government spending and subterfuge.
Upon a friend's reminder of what fish oil can do for joints and nerves, I have been diligently working to remember (and oh!, it's hard to remember) to consume fish oil daily. I've also been pretty good recently about remembering my
The computer mouse has been acting up recently. It's annoying, but I haven't done anything to fix it yet. (What's up with that laziness?!) Yesterday, the Blue Screen Of Death swooped upon us. The computer tried its self-repair thingy, and then we attempted going back to a restore-point. I'm scared that pretty soon it's going to keel over and die-beyond-resuscitation. But Gary did get the machine turned on last night, and I backed up photos, documents, bookmarks, and email. That's the critical stuff.
I'm sorting and cleaning out files at church. Today I think I finished the Scaer files for already-published and yet-to-be-published volumes.
a) There's so much stuff I want to nab, curl up with on the couch, and read.
b) Combine several different editors on the same project, and a variety of different concepts for organizational themes, and it turned out there was LOTS of duplicate material. The boxes are nicely thinned now without any articles being eliminated. Yee haw -- all the highs of clutter-dumping with none of the worry of "What if I need it later?"
Friday, November 07, 2014
Anniversary
Fun evening out tonight at the Cafe Bavaria.
A couple of weeks ago, Gary said he wanted to take us out this Friday evening to celebrate. "Celebrate what?" An anniversary.
Hmmm. Not our wedding. Not our kids' weddings. Not our parents' weddings.
No birthdays either.
I was stymied.
He finally asked, "What happened six months ago?" He said it was time to celebrate.
Andrew and Olivia and Maggie and Gary and I went out for a fabulous-tasting dinner, visiting, and lots of laughs. (And a little post-election cheering.) I got my first look at their very cute apartment! It was one of those evenings that you wish could happen more often (and are grateful for the gifts that made such a fun and extravagant evening possible).
And you know what else?
It's really really nice that my family wants to celebrate that I'm still here. It makes a person feel all warm and fuzzy and loved!
A couple of weeks ago, Gary said he wanted to take us out this Friday evening to celebrate. "Celebrate what?" An anniversary.
Hmmm. Not our wedding. Not our kids' weddings. Not our parents' weddings.
No birthdays either.
I was stymied.
He finally asked, "What happened six months ago?" He said it was time to celebrate.
Andrew and Olivia and Maggie and Gary and I went out for a fabulous-tasting dinner, visiting, and lots of laughs. (And a little post-election cheering.) I got my first look at their very cute apartment! It was one of those evenings that you wish could happen more often (and are grateful for the gifts that made such a fun and extravagant evening possible).
And you know what else?
It's really really nice that my family wants to celebrate that I'm still here. It makes a person feel all warm and fuzzy and loved!
Tuesday, October 14, 2014
Update
Gary worked on the garage floor, cleaning it, filling in the rotting cement so that it just begins to smooth out a bit, and painting the floor. A few more years of diligent upkeep and we might remedy the pitiful state the floor was in when we bought the house. It looks SO much better already.
Can't seem to get the house cleaned. Garden isn't put to bed either.
Maggie and I keep plugging away at some schoolwork. I haven't gotten her to a second volunteer-job yet, though, which was high on the priority-list for this school year.
I was ill last week. Now that I'm off the antibiotics, I suspect the problem may be returning. I'm trying to do everything I can to fight it. But I suspect my immune system is more compromised than I thought. It may be a long, vitamin-C-filled, achy, garlicky, lazy winter. It's so hard to know when you should plow stolidly ahead and when you should cry "uncle" and just stop and rest.
Everybody thinks I've recovered better than I have. I hate saying "no," especially when I want to assist with the projects that need to be done. I guess I'm faking Adequacy well enough that people expect me to be back to normal.
Three new babies this week for friends. And an engagement. And a friend released from the hospital. So much happy news out there!
Now that sunset is earlier, the huge glass windows at work have become mirror-like at the end of the day. I didn't realize until yesterday how much I'd been avoiding looking in mirrors. So many people have complimented my short haircut. I've been told that it's chic, trendy, cute, becoming, and a bevy of other nice adjectives. Nevertheless, I still don't like it. But that's been okay because I seldom see myself. Now at work, I can't avoid facing up to my super-short haircut.
I started watching the series "Doc Martin." LUVving it! Thanks to Lora for recommending it!
Right now I'm reading a biography of a guy who suffered a brain injury and became a synesthete. For some reason, the book is beginning to creep me out. I can't figure out why, but it really bothers me that he insists there is no such thing as a circle; he sees everything as angles, squares, triangles. He pretty much sees everything as pixelated. And I believe there are circles. It seems theological to me, and I can't pin down why. I'm glad Maggie and I are still enjoying the joy of Anne books, and that I'm still not done with the Mitford books. Katie suggested that I'm spoiled by the lovely books and don't have patience with most of what's available these days. She's right.
One of those serendipitous homeschooling things: Maggie and I have a few different things going for school right now that hit on worldviews and how macro-evolution has affected so much in academia. We keep bumping into the same thing from different perspectives. That probably adds to my impatience with waste-o-time books and movies. There's so much in the world that is good and beautiful -- let's enjoy them instead of [ahem] facing reality.
Signed,
the ostrich
Can't seem to get the house cleaned. Garden isn't put to bed either.
Maggie and I keep plugging away at some schoolwork. I haven't gotten her to a second volunteer-job yet, though, which was high on the priority-list for this school year.
I was ill last week. Now that I'm off the antibiotics, I suspect the problem may be returning. I'm trying to do everything I can to fight it. But I suspect my immune system is more compromised than I thought. It may be a long, vitamin-C-filled, achy, garlicky, lazy winter. It's so hard to know when you should plow stolidly ahead and when you should cry "uncle" and just stop and rest.
Everybody thinks I've recovered better than I have. I hate saying "no," especially when I want to assist with the projects that need to be done. I guess I'm faking Adequacy well enough that people expect me to be back to normal.
Three new babies this week for friends. And an engagement. And a friend released from the hospital. So much happy news out there!
Now that sunset is earlier, the huge glass windows at work have become mirror-like at the end of the day. I didn't realize until yesterday how much I'd been avoiding looking in mirrors. So many people have complimented my short haircut. I've been told that it's chic, trendy, cute, becoming, and a bevy of other nice adjectives. Nevertheless, I still don't like it. But that's been okay because I seldom see myself. Now at work, I can't avoid facing up to my super-short haircut.
I started watching the series "Doc Martin." LUVving it! Thanks to Lora for recommending it!
Right now I'm reading a biography of a guy who suffered a brain injury and became a synesthete. For some reason, the book is beginning to creep me out. I can't figure out why, but it really bothers me that he insists there is no such thing as a circle; he sees everything as angles, squares, triangles. He pretty much sees everything as pixelated. And I believe there are circles. It seems theological to me, and I can't pin down why. I'm glad Maggie and I are still enjoying the joy of Anne books, and that I'm still not done with the Mitford books. Katie suggested that I'm spoiled by the lovely books and don't have patience with most of what's available these days. She's right.
One of those serendipitous homeschooling things: Maggie and I have a few different things going for school right now that hit on worldviews and how macro-evolution has affected so much in academia. We keep bumping into the same thing from different perspectives. That probably adds to my impatience with waste-o-time books and movies. There's so much in the world that is good and beautiful -- let's enjoy them instead of [ahem] facing reality.
Signed,
the ostrich
Tuesday, September 09, 2014
Pictures of the Grown-Ups Around Here
Rachel has an
Philip knew there would be a surprised and happy face, so he asked me to make sure to bring the camera to capture The Look. (Most of the photos didn't turn out. Too much blurring from the jumping up and down and squealing.)
I'm now at 18 weeks of hair growth. My hair is long enough now to usually look like
a) a 7-yr-old boy's "rooster look" or
b) a mohawk
Therefore, it is usually hidden.
Today it curled fairly nicely. Except for those blasted "Sally Brown flips" over my ears. If my hair would do this most of the time, I think I could give up on the babushkas and hats.
A friend was taking pictures of other people at church, when Gary butted in and heckled her to snap one of him. Man, it turned out nice!
Saturday, September 06, 2014
Recent Events
Desiring to be free of care&upkeep on the deck, we got a bid on a patio instead. Even with Gary doing all the work to dismantle the deck, the bid was eye-popping. So it's time to wash and seal the deck. The weather has not been cooperating: too much rain. Because we must utilize the days when there's no rain forecast, Gary finally consented to allow me to do some of the painting. He is building the deck's fence on his own, though.
Because both our workplaces were closed for Labor Day, we took the opportunity to visit our parents. Drove there one day, visited his dad, drove to my mom's, visited there, and returned the next day.
This week was also our chance to use free tickets to see a Cardinals/Brewers game. I couldn't deny my Cardinal fan the chance to attend the game. We only stayed for part of it, though. I am pokey. And Gary didn't want me getting run over as people exited at the end of the game.
Choir started again this week.
We've been trying to reestablish school routine for Maggie, including her return to Curves. (I'm not ready for that yet.)
Abundant rains have meant more lawn-mowing than usual. Gary has not allowed me to help with that yet.
This weekend we are attending an "ends-in-zero" birthday party of a dear friend. While in that part of town, we will finally (after 3 months!) get the chance to see Rachel and Matt's apartment.
Our plumbing/septic failed. Plumber was here and could not fix the problem. We can take water in, but it has to be carried out of the house. No toilets. The plumber said we wouldn't have to go to a hotel -- implying that any sane person would. I hope this can be repaired Monday ... and not Friday or the following week or whatever. When the repairs are done, that's when we get to clean up sewer-water and sanitize toys and floors and walls and bathtub and shower. Ick.
And next week I extend my "mini-days" (4-hour shifts) at work to "shortened days" (that is, 7-hour shifts).
I was supposed to talk to the library's volunteer coordinator next week about setting up some opportunities for Maggie. Lack of plumbing, though, puts volunteering-arrangements on the back burner. Top priority is being available to the repairmen.
I haven't baked bread in a couple of weeks.
I have done no house-cleaning.
The garden is sorely neglected.
So much happened this week that I'm trying hard now to do nothing.
Because both our workplaces were closed for Labor Day, we took the opportunity to visit our parents. Drove there one day, visited his dad, drove to my mom's, visited there, and returned the next day.
This week was also our chance to use free tickets to see a Cardinals/Brewers game. I couldn't deny my Cardinal fan the chance to attend the game. We only stayed for part of it, though. I am pokey. And Gary didn't want me getting run over as people exited at the end of the game.
Choir started again this week.
We've been trying to reestablish school routine for Maggie, including her return to Curves. (I'm not ready for that yet.)
Abundant rains have meant more lawn-mowing than usual. Gary has not allowed me to help with that yet.
This weekend we are attending an "ends-in-zero" birthday party of a dear friend. While in that part of town, we will finally (after 3 months!) get the chance to see Rachel and Matt's apartment.
Our plumbing/septic failed. Plumber was here and could not fix the problem. We can take water in, but it has to be carried out of the house. No toilets. The plumber said we wouldn't have to go to a hotel -- implying that any sane person would. I hope this can be repaired Monday ... and not Friday or the following week or whatever. When the repairs are done, that's when we get to clean up sewer-water and sanitize toys and floors and walls and bathtub and shower. Ick.
And next week I extend my "mini-days" (4-hour shifts) at work to "shortened days" (that is, 7-hour shifts).
I was supposed to talk to the library's volunteer coordinator next week about setting up some opportunities for Maggie. Lack of plumbing, though, puts volunteering-arrangements on the back burner. Top priority is being available to the repairmen.
I haven't baked bread in a couple of weeks.
I have done no house-cleaning.
The garden is sorely neglected.
So much happened this week that I'm trying hard now to do nothing.
Monday, August 11, 2014
Weekend
Andrew, Olivia, Katie, and the kids came over Saturday afternoon to hang out. We cooked many batches of homemade French fries; I wanted to use up any potatoes from the garden which looked blemished so that the rest of them would store well.
Then Katie took Zoe to pick up her new glasses. It sounds like the child still needs to get used to them; the world looks completely different for her.
Gary, Maggie, Katie, and the kids had gone to "Heritage Days" on Saturday morning. On Sunday afternoon Gary and Maggie visited again with some friends from church. Katie said the fake-surgery on the battlefield was portrayed so well that she felt a little sick to her stomach.
Gary said that the girls especially enjoyed the tent with old-timey games.
I was struggling with headache over the weekend. I didn't get much accomplished (other than French fries) on Saturday. Sunday I tried to order photos from Shutterfly and it just wouldn't work for me. Not a good first impression of their website! Eventually I hit the couch and spent the rest of the day watching television to make myself rest.
We found two good movies. On the same day. Hooray! "Breaking Away" is set in the late 70's in Bloomington, Indiana. Nice story about the relationship between the townies and the college kids. The other movie was about Queen Victoria after her husband died: "Mrs Brown."
Poison-ivy rash is worse again today. I think I'm going to have to clean the couch AGAIN. Seriously? How long is it going to take to solve this?
I was struggling with headache over the weekend. I didn't get much accomplished (other than French fries) on Saturday. Sunday I tried to order photos from Shutterfly and it just wouldn't work for me. Not a good first impression of their website! Eventually I hit the couch and spent the rest of the day watching television to make myself rest.
We found two good movies. On the same day. Hooray! "Breaking Away" is set in the late 70's in Bloomington, Indiana. Nice story about the relationship between the townies and the college kids. The other movie was about Queen Victoria after her husband died: "Mrs Brown."
Poison-ivy rash is worse again today. I think I'm going to have to clean the couch AGAIN. Seriously? How long is it going to take to solve this?
Sunday, August 03, 2014
Empty Nesting
I miss Andrew.
No, I'm not sitting around pining for him, wishing he hadn't gotten married and moved out. By "missing him" I mean that I keep forgetting that he doesn't live here.
We're ready to go to bed. It's a night Andrew is scheduled to work. Better unlock the porch door and turn on the light so that he can come through the door easily in half an hour, after we're asleep. Whoops -- no! -- he's not coming home here.
Last Tuesday morning, only two leftover sandwiches remained from the wedding. Maggie asks, "Mom, shall I leave one of these for your lunch?" "No, I had one for breakfast already. But you shouldn't eat them both. Leave one for your brother." "Uh, Mom ... he doesn't live here any more. He's not going to be around to eat the sandwich." Oh. Yes. That would be true. Hmm.
I need an errand run (and I am still on the post-seizure driving-ban). That's okay: I can ask Andrew to pick something up for me later in the day. Oops. Wait. He's not here running his own errands and thus able to slip in an extra stop for me.
I awake in the morning and see that Maggie's bedroom door is standing wide open. Her bed is neatly made. Andrew's bedroom door is closed; he must still be asleep. I can't find Maggie anywhere in the house. Eventually I realize that Andrew's bedroom is now Maggie's bedroom, and she is still in bed, behind that closed door.
How long until I stop being surprised that Andrew doesn't live here any more?
No, I'm not sitting around pining for him, wishing he hadn't gotten married and moved out. By "missing him" I mean that I keep forgetting that he doesn't live here.
We're ready to go to bed. It's a night Andrew is scheduled to work. Better unlock the porch door and turn on the light so that he can come through the door easily in half an hour, after we're asleep. Whoops -- no! -- he's not coming home here.
Last Tuesday morning, only two leftover sandwiches remained from the wedding. Maggie asks, "Mom, shall I leave one of these for your lunch?" "No, I had one for breakfast already. But you shouldn't eat them both. Leave one for your brother." "Uh, Mom ... he doesn't live here any more. He's not going to be around to eat the sandwich." Oh. Yes. That would be true. Hmm.
I need an errand run (and I am still on the post-seizure driving-ban). That's okay: I can ask Andrew to pick something up for me later in the day. Oops. Wait. He's not here running his own errands and thus able to slip in an extra stop for me.
I awake in the morning and see that Maggie's bedroom door is standing wide open. Her bed is neatly made. Andrew's bedroom door is closed; he must still be asleep. I can't find Maggie anywhere in the house. Eventually I realize that Andrew's bedroom is now Maggie's bedroom, and she is still in bed, behind that closed door.
How long until I stop being surprised that Andrew doesn't live here any more?
And by the way, do you realize how little food
is required for only three people? Freeeaky!!
How little cooking; how few dishes; how little
laundry? It seems unreal.
How little cooking; how few dishes; how little
laundry? It seems unreal.
Friday, August 01, 2014
A Few Non-Wedding Pictures
 |
| grandkids |
 | |
| Matt and Rachel |
 |
| Rachel at a friend's wedding |
 |
| Philip on his trip to Puerto Rico |
 |
| Andrew's Rosie-kitty (who still lives with us) |
Sunday, July 27, 2014
My Daughters
 |
| Rachel, Katie, Olivia, Maggie, Mandy |
Aren't they beautiful?!!!!
A lot happening this week, some wonderful and some nasty:
broken plumbing,
returning to my job,
yardwork,
kitty's serious illness,
a kid's moving out,
company,
a humongous case of chiggers,
and a kid's wedding.
I should post more pictures when I get a chance to see them.
Tuesday, July 08, 2014
Happy Picutres
These pictures from the fund-raising auction in February were finally downloaded off the camera. Rachel, Matt, and Maggie with his mom in the top photo, and then with me in the bottom photo.
It was a fun day with superb company!
Wednesday, February 26, 2014
Family
Our friend, Rachel-the-Most-Excellent-Photographer, came over to take some pictures of our family when Paul and Mandy were here to visit last month.
Monday, January 06, 2014
just as Christ also loved the Church
How does a person vow to "suffer all, even death" rather than fall away from Christ, and then not even be able to "suffer" waking up to go to church the week after his confirmation vow.
Similarly, if a guy is going to vow to love his wife, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her (Eph 5:25), it seems like he should be working on making-the-bed and picking-up-the-dirty-clothes if that is what makes his wife happy. If he can't sacrifice himself to take out the trash for her, then how will he sacrifice himself when it's a much weightier matter?
We're willing to make big promises ... but then we show our true colors in the smaller, relatively inconsequential things.
Similarly, if a guy is going to vow to love his wife, just as Christ also loved the Church and gave Himself for her (Eph 5:25), it seems like he should be working on making-the-bed and picking-up-the-dirty-clothes if that is what makes his wife happy. If he can't sacrifice himself to take out the trash for her, then how will he sacrifice himself when it's a much weightier matter?
We're willing to make big promises ... but then we show our true colors in the smaller, relatively inconsequential things.
Saturday, January 04, 2014
Boring Things
This afternoon we attended a most lovely wedding at church. You sit and listen to the Bible readings and the hymns and the sermon and the canticles. And you rejoice for the couple and for what God has given.
And then I came home and found Glenda's Christmas letter in the mail. It was full of "boring" stuff: kids getting glasses, books they're reading, studying, going to work, ... all the normal stuff of everyday life. All those happy things of "a quiet and peaceable life." Combine that with Robin & Fritz's wedding, and her letter made me cry happy tears. That boring life -- that quiet and peaceable life -- that's what I want for all my loved ones.
And then I came home and found Glenda's Christmas letter in the mail. It was full of "boring" stuff: kids getting glasses, books they're reading, studying, going to work, ... all the normal stuff of everyday life. All those happy things of "a quiet and peaceable life." Combine that with Robin & Fritz's wedding, and her letter made me cry happy tears. That boring life -- that quiet and peaceable life -- that's what I want for all my loved ones.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
