This week has been a little crazy, maybe a lot crazy. Some of it is good and right and I am giddy about it. Some of it makes me tear up.
On the family front, we began the week by going to Amy's wedding. I am always a bit teary at weddings, but this one was magical. I was so happy watching them be happy and felt so blessed that they let us come and watch those moments. My own family began being sucked into the mad ride of wedding preparations this week as things begin to move forward for my brother's wedding. Bell was presented with a flower girl dress and there is much talk of the where and when and how when I am at my folks. Sometime this weekend, I should probably take Bell shoe shopping while there are still white dress shoes to be had. By the time September gets here I will be plotting days off to help with the doings.
On the home and animal front things aren't so giddy. At the beginning of the week, it became apparent that our dog Huxley was not co-existing peacefully with my in-laws. Let me go back a step and say that I have always felt that when we take an animal, it is ours. We have never dumped a pet. We have never given one away except for the offspring of strays who show up pregnant. We don't leave them at the Humane Society. Our pets aren't spoiled with a seat at the table, but they are ours and taken care of. But now we are sending Huxley away.
He was dumped a year and a half ago and we kept him. Sometimes he is infuriating when he barks in the night or rolls in maure for third day in a row. But he is still ours, with his own bed in our room and his own stuffed animal. Rubilee is getting to be unsteady on her feet and she is still trying to stay active and at least check her flowers and water them herself. Hux gets to playing and rolls into her. He doesn't mind her and is too rowdy. She is afraid of his antics and it makes her nervous. If she falls, at 84, well . . . I see broken hips and an end to this current fragile existence she and Harold have carved out. I can't be here 24 hours a day and I can't lock the dog in a cage. I can't stomach the thought of her being hurt either, so he is going to live with Jack's nephew's in-laws. They want him, even after being told of his faults and they are animal lovers. I feel irresponsible and traitorous. I feel guilty, but I can't choose an animal over a person's well-being. Maybe this new home will be a better match for Hux. Maybe. Maybe.
I don't know what the new week will bring. Hux's new owners will come for him tomorrow. Jack is going away for a few days to work. Rubilee is not feeling well. The grasshoppers and chiggers refuse to be defeated. Shoe shopping needs to happen. It promises to be another full week.
Friday, June 28, 2013
Sunday, June 23, 2013
Country Mouse
It is a slow morning on our little hill this morning. We have lots going in the afternoon, but this morning is quiet. We both slept well, despite a dog who barked in the night, a kitten who cooed like a pigeon in our ears, and those vague worries when our child is not home but sleeping at Grandma's.
Today and yesterday started off cool and I had my coffee on the porch. Yesterday, I watched the sun rise over the lake. Today, I was a little slower in getting up and settled for communing with a busy woodpecker. I knew the cool would be fleeting, so yard work followed.
I have been thinking of city people and country people lately. Most of my town friends don't need three hours on a riding lawn mower and an hour with a push mower to get their yard mowed. It doesn't take an hour just to water raised beds and baby trees. They don't drive thirty minutes to get a loaf of bread or forty five to find a Walmart. Their dogs don't routinely show up covered in horse manure or dead animals. Sound like a hassle? Yeah, maybe.
But I also have country friends who, like me, wouldn't trade this life for a big fancy house in town. We like watching the sunrise over our pastures and lakes. We like being able to be free from constraints. If we wanted to shoot a gun or lie in the sun naked, we could. We can go to the back door at ten at night and holler for the dogs, knowing we aren't bothering anyone. If we waste our well water on trees, well, it was our well water and who cares if it wasn't an even numbered day. We even like mowing and watering before 8 in the morning. There is just something sublime about early mornings in the country.
Today will be busy. We have a wedding to attend and a child to collect. I am sure there are plenty of chores still to do, but for now . . . A little more coffee will do.
Today and yesterday started off cool and I had my coffee on the porch. Yesterday, I watched the sun rise over the lake. Today, I was a little slower in getting up and settled for communing with a busy woodpecker. I knew the cool would be fleeting, so yard work followed.
I have been thinking of city people and country people lately. Most of my town friends don't need three hours on a riding lawn mower and an hour with a push mower to get their yard mowed. It doesn't take an hour just to water raised beds and baby trees. They don't drive thirty minutes to get a loaf of bread or forty five to find a Walmart. Their dogs don't routinely show up covered in horse manure or dead animals. Sound like a hassle? Yeah, maybe.
But I also have country friends who, like me, wouldn't trade this life for a big fancy house in town. We like watching the sunrise over our pastures and lakes. We like being able to be free from constraints. If we wanted to shoot a gun or lie in the sun naked, we could. We can go to the back door at ten at night and holler for the dogs, knowing we aren't bothering anyone. If we waste our well water on trees, well, it was our well water and who cares if it wasn't an even numbered day. We even like mowing and watering before 8 in the morning. There is just something sublime about early mornings in the country.
Today will be busy. We have a wedding to attend and a child to collect. I am sure there are plenty of chores still to do, but for now . . . A little more coffee will do.
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Joyful Father
When I was first pregnant with Bell, I couldn't believe how excited Jack was. My excitement was mixed with trepidation, but Jack just seemed so pleased. I had worried that he would be displeased, but he just bounced when he walked. He spent his evenings rubbing my belly and reading to us or singing to her.
When Bell was born, Jack bonded with her first. She was a c-section baby and I was just so groggy for so long. The first night he couldn't see her breathe in the bassinet, so he put her on his chest and that is how they slept the first few nights.
Things haven't changed much. She is a daddy's girl if there ever was one. If she has a bad dream, she is snugged up with him the rest of the night. If she has a scrape, he is the doc. If she needs a sounding board for a new somg, he is the first audience. Whether she needs a comforter or an exploring buddy, he is it.
Jack is an amazing father. I watch the way he loves our child, whether it is indulging a whim or whether it is firmly holding her accountable for her behavior, and I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving. So many parents see their children as an inconvenience, but not him. He is a joyful father.
Right now he is also a tired father who seems to be asleep because he worked far into the night or he is off on a job. Friday was his day home. Instead of doing his own thing and even though he had worked until 2:30 in the morning, he took us to the pool because a little girl had been waiting all week to show him her skill on the diving board. Yesterday, he headed out for his 4 days away. I know he would much rather play the role of starving artist or work in a theater for little pay, but he knows that little girls are expensive, from their health insurance down to their predilection to nice shoes and owning a tribe of animals.
I am thankful that I have a husband who cares enough about our stability to take a job that really isn't his dream job and that takes him from home so much. There have been other seasons of our lives when the right choice for the time was to take a low paying job to be able to be home more. I am thankful that he tries to adapt to what we need most at the time.
Jack Dear gives so much of himself to us - even though he won't be around or even see this post for a few days, I know I am blessed in having him for my parter in life and father of my child. I cannot ask for more than this kind, loving, passionate, and faithful man that we have.
When Bell was born, Jack bonded with her first. She was a c-section baby and I was just so groggy for so long. The first night he couldn't see her breathe in the bassinet, so he put her on his chest and that is how they slept the first few nights.
Things haven't changed much. She is a daddy's girl if there ever was one. If she has a bad dream, she is snugged up with him the rest of the night. If she has a scrape, he is the doc. If she needs a sounding board for a new somg, he is the first audience. Whether she needs a comforter or an exploring buddy, he is it.
Jack is an amazing father. I watch the way he loves our child, whether it is indulging a whim or whether it is firmly holding her accountable for her behavior, and I am overwhelmed with thanksgiving. So many parents see their children as an inconvenience, but not him. He is a joyful father.
Right now he is also a tired father who seems to be asleep because he worked far into the night or he is off on a job. Friday was his day home. Instead of doing his own thing and even though he had worked until 2:30 in the morning, he took us to the pool because a little girl had been waiting all week to show him her skill on the diving board. Yesterday, he headed out for his 4 days away. I know he would much rather play the role of starving artist or work in a theater for little pay, but he knows that little girls are expensive, from their health insurance down to their predilection to nice shoes and owning a tribe of animals.
I am thankful that I have a husband who cares enough about our stability to take a job that really isn't his dream job and that takes him from home so much. There have been other seasons of our lives when the right choice for the time was to take a low paying job to be able to be home more. I am thankful that he tries to adapt to what we need most at the time.
Jack Dear gives so much of himself to us - even though he won't be around or even see this post for a few days, I know I am blessed in having him for my parter in life and father of my child. I cannot ask for more than this kind, loving, passionate, and faithful man that we have.
Sunday, June 9, 2013
Slow, Soft Morning of Just Us
Normally, Sunday mornings find us on our way to church and then sometimes on our way to my family's house for lunch and visiting.
Not so this week. I really, really hate to miss church. More so than usual, I find a need to be there and soak up the Word and the encouragement that comes with joining with our body of believers. However, we needed some family time. Last week Jack was sick all week and still managed to work some and then we had my sister's graduation thing. This week, Jack worked days the first half of the week in Duncan so he was home at night, but then he was totally gone the last part of the week. Bell does fine when he is only gone one night, but this time it almost three days and she was sure missing her poppa. I might have missed him a little too. Okay, there is no "might" to it. Who knows if this will be his only day off so we are going to just be home bodies today, puttering and enjoying each other.
I have some outside projects planned, namely getting the big mower going and hauling off some junk out of the shed, both of which require Jack Dear's help. I am going to try my hand at homemade pasta this morning. My KA stand mixer came with a rebate for a free pasta roller and cutter which arrived Thursday and it is just begging to be tried out. All of my Saxon phonics books arrived yesterday and I need to figure out what parts of it we can/should get done this summer. I really need to do some reading of my own for a workshop I will go to in a month.
For now, before the chores start, I feel soft and slow. It was a clean sheet, curl up together sort of beginning with good coffe and conversation while we let Bell sleep in. Avery the pup is giving a stuffed mouse a working over and the cat is being bossy. There is even homemade cheese and cherry Danish for breakfast. We don't get these sorts of mornings often and we mean to enjoy this one.
Enjoy your Sunday - spend it well.
Not so this week. I really, really hate to miss church. More so than usual, I find a need to be there and soak up the Word and the encouragement that comes with joining with our body of believers. However, we needed some family time. Last week Jack was sick all week and still managed to work some and then we had my sister's graduation thing. This week, Jack worked days the first half of the week in Duncan so he was home at night, but then he was totally gone the last part of the week. Bell does fine when he is only gone one night, but this time it almost three days and she was sure missing her poppa. I might have missed him a little too. Okay, there is no "might" to it. Who knows if this will be his only day off so we are going to just be home bodies today, puttering and enjoying each other.
I have some outside projects planned, namely getting the big mower going and hauling off some junk out of the shed, both of which require Jack Dear's help. I am going to try my hand at homemade pasta this morning. My KA stand mixer came with a rebate for a free pasta roller and cutter which arrived Thursday and it is just begging to be tried out. All of my Saxon phonics books arrived yesterday and I need to figure out what parts of it we can/should get done this summer. I really need to do some reading of my own for a workshop I will go to in a month.
For now, before the chores start, I feel soft and slow. It was a clean sheet, curl up together sort of beginning with good coffe and conversation while we let Bell sleep in. Avery the pup is giving a stuffed mouse a working over and the cat is being bossy. There is even homemade cheese and cherry Danish for breakfast. We don't get these sorts of mornings often and we mean to enjoy this one.
Enjoy your Sunday - spend it well.
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Cicadas? No Thanks, We Already Have Grasshoppers
Farming and gardening is such a gamble. It's all about the weather and bugs. Either we have too late of a frost or not enough rain. There are not enough bees or we are being devoured by some pestilence.
Yes, I said pestilence and it feels Biblical in size. We are being devoured by grasshoppers. Last week we began seeing the tiniest grasshoppers I have ever seen. Every step we take through the yard is preceded by a veritable wave of half-inch long grasshoppers. This creates a disgusting problem for sandal and flip flop wearers. I do not like having sticky hopper glue between my shoe and me, and right now it is a reality every time we go out. I have taken to wearing tennis shoes or walking in a strange, stiff gait that keeps my foot pressed against my flip flop at all times.
When we came home from my mom's Sunday, I discovered that in one day they had eaten in entirety five feet each of lettuce, kale, spinach, and carrots, 5 peppers, three squash, and a row of sunflowers. There was serious damage to the hollyhocks, tomatoes, and beans. They had just found the flowers and some of the tiger lillies had so many bugs that the plants were invisible.
Organic gardeners, this is where you stop reading. I put on the old clothes and mixed up seven spray. I cut the broccoli that was ready and the little bit of greens still there. This was beyond any nice measure I had. Either I got out the big guns or there would be no garden at all, so after I gathered what was ready to eat, I sprayed. I sprayed the baby trees, the flowers, the garden, the asparagus - it all was being attacked. It just is awful to spray this stuff on my garden, but it was the choice I made.
I hope the rain last night and tonight will drown the little buggers. In the meantime, I ended the day on a hopeful note. The green beans are too far gone to make so I planted pumpkins in their patch.
Yes, I said pestilence and it feels Biblical in size. We are being devoured by grasshoppers. Last week we began seeing the tiniest grasshoppers I have ever seen. Every step we take through the yard is preceded by a veritable wave of half-inch long grasshoppers. This creates a disgusting problem for sandal and flip flop wearers. I do not like having sticky hopper glue between my shoe and me, and right now it is a reality every time we go out. I have taken to wearing tennis shoes or walking in a strange, stiff gait that keeps my foot pressed against my flip flop at all times.
When we came home from my mom's Sunday, I discovered that in one day they had eaten in entirety five feet each of lettuce, kale, spinach, and carrots, 5 peppers, three squash, and a row of sunflowers. There was serious damage to the hollyhocks, tomatoes, and beans. They had just found the flowers and some of the tiger lillies had so many bugs that the plants were invisible.
Organic gardeners, this is where you stop reading. I put on the old clothes and mixed up seven spray. I cut the broccoli that was ready and the little bit of greens still there. This was beyond any nice measure I had. Either I got out the big guns or there would be no garden at all, so after I gathered what was ready to eat, I sprayed. I sprayed the baby trees, the flowers, the garden, the asparagus - it all was being attacked. It just is awful to spray this stuff on my garden, but it was the choice I made.
I hope the rain last night and tonight will drown the little buggers. In the meantime, I ended the day on a hopeful note. The green beans are too far gone to make so I planted pumpkins in their patch.
Janky Old Hand
This is not my usual post at all, but it is the thing that concumed my morning. A lot of you know I have been dealing with carpal tunnel like symptoms in my right hand for the past year. After wearing a brace and trying steroid shots in my wrist, I finally saw a surgeon this spring. He sent me to have the nerves in my hand and arm mapped last week and then this morning I went back to consult with the surgeon.
I do not in fact have carpal tunnel, at least not according to the nerve mapping, unless it is such an early and mild case that it is not showing up on the test. That sounds good, right? Instead, I have a nerve that is pinched at my ulna. This is a little more complicated than the wrist thing. The pain in my wrist may or may not be related, but certainly all the numbness is. The surgeon felt like dealing with the elbow would most likely also fix the ache in my wrist.
My options were to do nothing, try an oral steroid and prescription strength anti-inflammatory, or open up my elbow and move the nerve over.
Obviously, do nothing is the cheap route, but I am not sure how often I am going to get Jack to scrub the shower for me . . . or truly how much I want to keep writing and typing and driving with a numb hand.
The surgery option is expensive and it means wearing a cast afterward for a few weeks and making Jack take a day off work, not to mention the joy of surgery and moving a nerve.
So, that leaves us with meds, which I will go the pharmacy to pick up today. I am also going to do a stretch that might help open up the area around my ulna. Most of all, I think I am praying for healing. Our God is mighty and merciful and I believe that he can heal all things. I know this is an inconvenience and nothing more. It certainly is not a tragedy, but I think we are allowed to ask for help in the small trials as well as the big ones.
Anyway, I am going to pray, stretch, and get some medications and then go back to the doc in a few weeks to consult again.
I do not in fact have carpal tunnel, at least not according to the nerve mapping, unless it is such an early and mild case that it is not showing up on the test. That sounds good, right? Instead, I have a nerve that is pinched at my ulna. This is a little more complicated than the wrist thing. The pain in my wrist may or may not be related, but certainly all the numbness is. The surgeon felt like dealing with the elbow would most likely also fix the ache in my wrist.
My options were to do nothing, try an oral steroid and prescription strength anti-inflammatory, or open up my elbow and move the nerve over.
Obviously, do nothing is the cheap route, but I am not sure how often I am going to get Jack to scrub the shower for me . . . or truly how much I want to keep writing and typing and driving with a numb hand.
The surgery option is expensive and it means wearing a cast afterward for a few weeks and making Jack take a day off work, not to mention the joy of surgery and moving a nerve.
So, that leaves us with meds, which I will go the pharmacy to pick up today. I am also going to do a stretch that might help open up the area around my ulna. Most of all, I think I am praying for healing. Our God is mighty and merciful and I believe that he can heal all things. I know this is an inconvenience and nothing more. It certainly is not a tragedy, but I think we are allowed to ask for help in the small trials as well as the big ones.
Anyway, I am going to pray, stretch, and get some medications and then go back to the doc in a few weeks to consult again.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Weekend Possibilities
Jack worked far into the night and then pulled a 12 hour day yesterday. The good news is that he is supposed to be off until Sunday evening. He needs some time to recover from being sick the first half of the week - he picked up a bit of flu or perhaps a virus last weekend and just had a rough week of it. It is hard to tell because he hasn't been smoking and he always gets sick right after he quits. Whatever the cause, he doesn't handle fever well. Bell has had a cold for a week, but doesn't seem to feel that bad - just tired. She started out plugged up but now has just coughed and coughed And coughed. I have checked her oxygen levels and they are good ( Harold has one of those nifty devices that reads your finger), but she was running a bit warm yesterday. Maybe a good night's sleep and a slow morning will cure them. I really hate to give her an antibiotic since Jack seemed to get over his okay.
I really hope they feel new by this afternoon. I have a Bountiful Basket to pick up in the morning, but this evening my folks are a having a huge gathering at their house for my little sis's graduation party. Mom said she thought there would be a crowd over, our family plus friends from the church who are more than friends, who are almost family. People who have watched Rachel grow up and who grew up with her. Old and young, but family all the same. There will be cousins for Bell to play with (and hopefully not fuss with), food on the grill, visiting and laughing, probably volleyball or horse riding or something for the young folks.
It is an 1 1/2 hour drove for us down and since we would just repeat the drive Sunday morning for church (yes, we still go to our old church), we might stay at my grandparents' cabin since they aren't down right now. It would let us go to bed at a decent hour and let my croupy family rest in a little more peace than if we took over the loft at my Mom's. Avery the puppy will go since she is too small to stay out at night without being coyote snacks.
As much as I want to go and let Bell play with the other kids and let us have some fellowship time, we will just have to play it by ear. I think Jack is over the hump, but Bell is a little iffy. She is still coughing this morning.
I really hope they feel new by this afternoon. I have a Bountiful Basket to pick up in the morning, but this evening my folks are a having a huge gathering at their house for my little sis's graduation party. Mom said she thought there would be a crowd over, our family plus friends from the church who are more than friends, who are almost family. People who have watched Rachel grow up and who grew up with her. Old and young, but family all the same. There will be cousins for Bell to play with (and hopefully not fuss with), food on the grill, visiting and laughing, probably volleyball or horse riding or something for the young folks.
It is an 1 1/2 hour drove for us down and since we would just repeat the drive Sunday morning for church (yes, we still go to our old church), we might stay at my grandparents' cabin since they aren't down right now. It would let us go to bed at a decent hour and let my croupy family rest in a little more peace than if we took over the loft at my Mom's. Avery the puppy will go since she is too small to stay out at night without being coyote snacks.
As much as I want to go and let Bell play with the other kids and let us have some fellowship time, we will just have to play it by ear. I think Jack is over the hump, but Bell is a little iffy. She is still coughing this morning.
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