Stream of babble...

If you are a blogspot person, did you know there's a new layout thingy to use?  Don't ask me how I found it, but it's got some different features.  Haven't used a one yet, but will look into it sometime.  I did try for a more 'summery' look though.  Some new templates to choose from.

Summer 'vacation' is a myth for mom's.  At least in this house.  We have three very social children that feel their little beings will wilt up and pass on if they don't have a 'plan' or a friend over.  This area is blessed with kids our kids' ages.  And so they had someone different here nearly every day last week (or we went somewhere).  They do rally to get their jobs done so they can have 'fun'.  And really, that's what summer is about when you're a kid in this age group.  Sunshine.  A few balls or bubbles.  Swimming.  Popsicles.  And finish it all off with some good ghost in the graveyard.

After a nice meal out with some friends and my parents last night, our son asks, 'why are the burgers so small lately?'.  Um.  They're not.  You just have a bigger empty space to fill.  And I realize it is just starting with him.  Yow!

But it's quiet.  About 20 years ago when I was single, I was alone a lot.   Then love struck and I wanted to be with the Chairman.  Then when he was gone to work and I was home from my p.t. job it was quiet and I didn't like it.  So Lincoln joined us.  That very sweet golden retriever was a joy.  But I still yearned for the pitter pat of little feet.  And they came... soon six feet were pattering.  And it was rarely quiet.  Once in awhile I would let my mind wander (easy to do if you're me) and would picture myself completely alone on a beach in a hammock with 80 degree weather and a light breeze.  Alone.  So moments like this when I am alone are nice.  One is with a set of grandparents.  The other two are at a fun summer school thing.  Just for awhile.  Then I miss them.  My family.  And the noise is nice again.

Mira was alarmed in our mtg. yesterday.  You see one of the men in our mtg. was using a pen in his bible!  It seemed so very naughty and shocking so she wrote me a note about it.  I'm not sure what she wanted me to do about it.  But I told her it was ok as long as it was his own bible and not someone else's.

The weather looks just ideal this week.  We've had rain.  Lots of thunderstorms.  Like nearly every night.  And it is lush and green with full ponds.  I love it.  I could live in a swamp.  And now sunshine is in store.

Will put up a few pictures of the yard... just so I remember if nothing else.  The gopher was lying by the feeder feeling a bit blick.  So the kids went out and fed him some grass.  Loved him up.  Then T. shot him in the head when it was all over.  Major ick.  But he was sick.

An old geezer...

I had six kids in the car with me the other day. One of them pipes up from the back (not mine) and says, "I've got a question for you". Sure. Fire away. I think my coach said a swear word when he was talking to us. Um. Well, there are five other people listening to us right now. What does it start with? A "G". I'll spell it for you (four of the other five could spell). G-E-E-Z-E-R. I snicker. Snort. Geezer? Yeah, is that a swear word? No, not by my standards. Well what is it? It's a term for an old person. An old geezer. Not a sweet, really old person like (I name someone he knows). But a sorta-old person that's well, unique and has sometimes funny ideas. Lets see... I'm trying to figure out someone we both know that wouldn't be insulting. But before I do, he speaks up and says, 'like you?'. NO!

Tenacious Tuesday

Not sure why I chose that adjective. But I like the definition. Holding together firmly. Stubborn. Cohesive. We'll see what shakes out as my fingers type some words. In the throes of summer. With three young people in the house, I find it completely amazing how many times the back door slams shut on a given day. Why are they coming in again? Why did they leave? I'm not sure they could even answer that question. And the honeymoon is over. Not ours. We're sometimes in wedded bliss going on 16 years. I'm talking about Trevor and Mira. They couldn't have been happier to see each other after an 8 day break. All day Sunday was sublime. Peaceful play. Talking. Enjoying each other. And then Monday came. Whooo-eee! I won't go beyond that word. Thinking about kindness though. It goes a long way. Today at the local beach one mom had a word or two with another. Then it escalated. Not loud, just somewhat unkind words about how one mother was parenting. The other one responded with some not-so-nice words and their small children were watching. Listening. And after it was all said and done, neither mother was the more happy. I think turning the other cheek (pun intended) would have been more satisfying. But human nature doesn't want to. And what a storm it was last night! The thunder seemed to hit right when the lightening was and wowser. Poor Lisi who isn't nervous during storms just stared at me thinking her life was over. Really, dogs don't understand things much. And so they stand and stare at the one they trust the most hoping for answers. Could I also mention our house is for sale? Well actually not this house. The one we left two years ago. A job change merited the need to go. But! The pictures on-line are fascinating. And humbling. Funny how they can make the same walls look so different. And in some of the cases, look better than how we had it. Imagine! Think I got one bread recipe nailed for my Bosch. Did a few loaves plus a big cinnamon thing and let me tell you, they're gone. I feel particularly lucky as I haven't been able to do strawberry jam this year. But I have a mom. A loving mom. Who thinks about the needs of others. And she realized based on my schedule and a trip in the timeframe, I wasn't able to get jam done. So she did it for me!!! How great is that? I think she deserves a bit of reward for her efforts (well dad's too... he helped pick and stem). Suggestions? And speaking of parents. We had both sets here for Father's Day and Trevor's birthday. And do you know what? They really like each other. For real. We are very, very lucky for our situation. Parents that let us live our lives, parents that have things they enjoy doing, and parents that love us and others. Pretty neat.

But now it's hot in here. Like humid and hot and another storm is coming tonight. We live in the tropics these days. Rain by night. Hot sun by day. Ahhhh. Summer!

Father's Day

The Chairman and his children. I could wax on about how great of a dad he is. But I'll just let this moment of this morning tell the story. They love their dad. He returns the love. Pretty neat, eh?

Happy #10!

Ten years old. Our 2000 baby. He was simply a gift. Still is.

His qualities: lover of fishing and

hunting

airsoft guns, sports of any kind,

helping out others,

caring for younger or less-privileged,

and most importantly, bugging the sisters he's sandwiched between.

He's been missing from our house for 8 very long days. It was quieter. Actually quite boring at times. You don't realize how much you miss someone until they're gone.

And today we celebrate him. We celebrate this milestone of hitting double digits. And we again give thanks for him, a son. A perfect gift that keeps on giving.

Happy Birthday T!

She calls Kentucky home...

My sweet niece that is. And that is where her heart is. We're sorry it is so far, but she's blooming where planted. She's cooking like a pro. Helping others without reserve.

I drove every last mile to the bluegrass state. My much older sister was the co-pilot. She offered twice to drive. I kept driving and she kept co-piloting and it worked well. Our only stop on the way down was approximately 13 minutes in one town. That was it. Pedal to the metal it was. But don't let the older folks like my sister fool you. You know how they say it's the 'younger generation' that's so into technology? Well this much older sister of mine has her thumb on the pulse of many. Her phone chirped countless times with new wonderful text messages from friends and family. I think mine beeped maybe 3 times. Hmmm.

Ahhh Kentucky. You think of bluegrass. We saw a lot of the floral and fauna of the area. B-U-T-ful to say the least. I love green and green it is. Blue hydrangeas love the area and I love blue hydrangeas.

Then you think of horses. Ironically, the only horses I saw was the backside of two in a horse trailer careening down the interstate at approximately 65 mph (we passed them like they were standing still... well not quite, but almost). We went to a huge race track thingy. Lots and lots of stables. But not even a horse pile to give evidence that there are horses. Must not be the time of year for them. Or moreso, we weren't at the right place. But that's ok!

We were recipients of warm hospitality. The warmth came easy. It was 92 with high humidity. Just the way I like it. The people in general were lovely. The people we 'know' were beyond lovely.

At mile 480 today after I left my much older sister off and I was 'done' driving. But I had to keep on keeping on in order to get home to the Chairman who missed me and I him, the charmed dog who thumps her tail right now at mere sight of me, and our home and gardens - not to mention some weeds that felt it was their opportunity to grow quickly.

And now we still miss our dear boy. Comfort is given with his e-mails that come with just a few words which I read over and over. Today's was his birthday cake request for Sunday (his exact words)"vinnila anglel food cake with raspberries and whip cream". Eagles were spotted. Yesterday his count of loons was at 13. He's thriving. Enjoying it all. And not missing us apparently. The 'mommy' in me feels a teensy-weensy bit sorry. The mother in me is content that he's becoming his own person. And I'll soon need to let go... and if I do with kindness and encouragement, he'll return to visit. To share. And to love.

So that's it for now! Just some Thursday's thoughts. I'll post some pictures of the aforementioned lovely niece, but for now, the 1000 words will have to do.

Thursday's (random) Thoughts

So they left. For just 1/2 day. Seems kinda goofy really. Like babysitting. They brought the entire contents of their desks home yesterday. The mudroom is FULL of papers, things, miscellaneous garbage treasures to keep. Until I find them some day and throw them away. Remember I don't like clutter? Still holds true. Looked at their 1st day of school picture. And the one from this morning. They change in just 9 months. We don't see it, but time has its way of causing growth and change. Sometimes I want to freeze moments. But we can't. We can only try to record a memory on a memory chip and hold the thought in our heart. I think that's schmaltzy enough.

I hurt. Like a lot. Like it feels like I was in a mild car accident. When the dogs leveled me a knee level, I fell hard on my left side with my arm outstretched (according to two young female eyewitnesses). I think I wrenched my shoulder or something. But I won't go see the chiro until the swelling goes down a bit. I think a massage might be in order before long too.

But I'm making bread! A lot of bread. With my new Bosch. I like familiar. So this new glossy machine honestly scared the willies out of me. But I've done three different batches of recipes and all turned out. So! It's a winner! And six loaves at a time isn't anything to sneeze at either. I could do even more at a time too! One thing I was completely unaware is that you eliminate one full rise. So you can have bread start to finish in about one hour! Weird, eh?

The nest has eggs again on the front wreath. I think I mentioned knocking the first nest down after the babies flew the coop. But two days later I heard the familiar sounds of very happy house finches and they were again building. Last peek I saw two small white eggs and two bigger ones with brown speckles. What's that mean? It looks like different birds laid them. Did some mom decide she'd rather have Mrs. House Finch raise her babies and not her? Sounds like Horton Hatches the Egg if you ask me.

I'm still feeling melancholy about son #1 heading far away. You see ever since our babies came I've been a sometimes too protective mother bear. Sure they could go to this or that friend's house. For a night. Or Grandpa or Grandma's. But after two days, I'm ready to see them. Our children. Fights and all. This time aforementioned son is leaving for 8 days. Makes my throat feel all full and my tummy squeezy. My baby boy. Gone this long. He'll have a very good time. But I know there'll be a sad moment or two and I won't be there to cheer him up. To tell him to just go eat something. Or to go to bed and then it'll feel better. So he'll survive (and probably thrive). And I will too. But already I can't wait until he gets back home and he hasn't left yet.

We had some special visitors here. A couple good Scrabble games. And good visits around the table. We are fortunate to have them. And fortunate for a plan for them to stay with us. They are more 'ours' when it is this way. And because I have some in the family that are doing the same, it feels like it is something I can do for 'them' when I do something for 'these'.

The family posted is from CO. Many of you would know them. The Mr. of the family is really family... I've known him almost all my life. He is the twin of my sister-in-law. The Mrs. has become a friend after they married. Our children are stepping stones between each other. And it was nice to have them here - head wound and all. The boy with glasses looks no worse for the wear does he?

This is enough! Happy summer vacation!

And down she went...

The big lady that is. You thought you heard the last of me. I know the big lady that yells but loves me anyway would prefer it that way. No stories = good behavior right? Well sure. But that's not interesting.

Today was a bit on the dull side for me. You see there are some special people in our house right now and so I'm mostly banished to the back yard. I just don't get why I have to stand out on the deck looking in when they're eating all that good-smelling food. And the big lady mutters something about me tracking dirt in the house. So it was boooooring today. The big lady and the little girl here (that loves me!) took me for a delightful walk tonight. Then it got boring again until after they ate their supper (with me again looking in from the outside... sigh). But then! The big lady who I dearly love even though she yells came out. She raked some grass the mower left behind and was working in her garden. And look! Here comes my friend Phoenix and her big guy! You see Phoenix is a dog just like me and we love to see each other nearly nightly when she goes by on her walks. Her big guy leans over and lets her loose from that dreadful leash. And then! We tore around like ninnies for a moment and then CRASH! Right into the big lady that yells! It was horrible. Neither of us thought about her standing there and we took her out like nothing. Shoes were flying and then I heard an 'oof' and then a moan and saw her body splayed out on the grass. I was expecting some shrieking in anger but there was only silence. I trotted over and tried to cheer her up with a lick, but she swatted at my head (imagine!). And then she sloooowly got up and said something about hearing bones crackle like at the kyropractor or however you spell that word. The big guy that came with Phoenix was standing there and apologizing for our behavior. Kind as she is, the big lady said to not worry about it.

But now she is walking slowly like something hurts. And she said something about needing an appointment to crack it back where it belongs. But more importantly, she still hasn't yelled at me. I feel bad. No wait a minute. I don't. I'm a dog. I don't even remember this story. We live in the present. So I better quit now since I don't remember what I'm talking about.

Mostly Monday

And maybe a few comments about another day. Just fired up the new Bosch Universal Mixer for the first time. Scares the willies out of me... something new you know. Will take awhile to get 'comfortable' with it. But it is lovely. Sound. Handles a lot. I can tell. But I need recipes. I threw in a variation of the Chairman's Bread recipe. But want others too if you've got 'em. Still not sure if I want to do the blender. Is it worth it?

Had our company from a couple states away. Three nice boys. Although one had a run to the urgent care after deciding his foot wanted to be in the front bike tire and then his body wanted to catapult over the handlebars. It could have been worse. But the blood gushing down his back made me nigh unto faint. Off to urgent care and he came back with a staple or two and a meek smile to show he was ok. (whew!).

And a graduation picnic for three local graduates. Nice kids they are... I'm quite impressed. But the parents are my age or younger. Times like that make me realize we are 'older parents' as we have some years before we are the ones stirring the pulled pork at the picnic.

I thought we did enough for nature. A successful raising up of five house finches on our front door. I removed the old nest, cleaned off the bird doo and wandered off. Then Saturday I hear the unmistakable flutter again. And they were back (assuming it is the same mom and dad) for round two. Another nest is now sitting there waiting for eggs. I haven't the heart to tear it down, but it is silly that our front door is a nursery. I frantically intercept people when they come so they can come in the side door. Hope no one is offended!

And after a frantic towel/sheet washing, we welcomed two special guests here in time for supper last night. Both carry the same name. We're happy they're here. Although I have to scratch my head to figure out what lunch will be.... that's usually the biggest challenge.

Better go see if the bread is rising.... and say all for now. Will post some pictures in a bit.

Company!

And lots of it! But we kinda like it that way. Niece S. brought her gigantic version of a golden retriever for a visit. Except for some time in the screen porch, the dogs spent their time wrestling themselves into a stupor in the back yard. Now we have a lovely family of five here from CO. I'm kinda-sorta related to them. Through marriage. But they feel like they really-truly are family since I've known the Mr. all of my life.

Today R. had a presentation to give on the state of... South Dakota! It was a random fluke that she actually got SD! But I was happy nonetheless.

The babies left. Baby birds that is. Yesterday they were here. Today they are gone. So I cleaned the 'recycled worms' off the front door. It wasn't as bad as I anticipated.

And so I must go and enjoy the weekend! I'm certain I will!

Anything but mundane...

Just a stream of thoughts. We have to get the prairie dog habitat done tonight. It's been sitting here for several weeks... the sheet saying what to do. I never did this big of a project when I was in 2nd grade! T. keeps begging for a new airsoft pistol or rifle (how in the world should I know the difference?). He keeps leaving lots of pictures of different guns on the computer for me to look at. Not such subtle hints. His birthday is in just a few weeks. He's most likely heading to Canada to fish for 8 days very soon. I can hardly stand the thought of him gone that long. But he's with people we trust doing something he's wanted to do for a very long time. Fish! For a week. With friends. I'll miss him desperately. Even the dirty socks on the floor (or not). Can't believe we're down to just 7 1/2 days of school left. Wow this year went fast. My bread machine is dying. I never used it once for baking... just mixing dough. But now after 10 years of overuse it is begging to be shot and put in the landfill. So... do I get the Bosch I always wanted? Or should I just get another bread machine for dough. Hmmm. The Chairman will say do whatever I think is best. Just as long as the bread/rolls/pizza dough doesn't stop coming out of the oven. Lisi has a belly ache. It's all her fault. You see the new bag of dog food was too tempting. I wasn't privy to the naughtiness until this morning. She didn't seem very interested in breakfast (huge warning sign). Then I see the new bag of food has an opening at the top that looks like a head was poked into it at one time and the food level is just beyond nose reach at one spot. Stoopid. But her favorite guy-dog is coming today! They'll have ridiculous amounts of fun. But... we're getting mulch delivered as well. The equation of two wrestling dogs and one huge pile of mulch doesn't equal peace and tranquility. But first I must fold a lot of laundry. And put away the granola just out of the oven. And stick the cinnamon rolls into the oven. Company is coming from afar tomorrow night! This one has all boys, so ours will think it's mighty neat having a bunch of guys here. That means a lot of dirty socks! :-) This is enough.