Random Rambling

Well, Wednesday is almost history. Sort of. The 5:30 pm news is about to come on – in my world, the day is nearly done.

Younger daughter and I were just talking on the phone about it being nearly time for school to start.......and at least one of the grandsons slept until 4 pm yesterday. I used to make the kids get into “school zone” for a week or two prior to school starting – get up at the time you'll get up for school, go to bed at school time. Did it work? Not particularly – but I tried! This one is going to regret mixing up his days and nights when school starts!

I enjoy my quiet little world. It's so much different from the days when my kids were still at home. Older daughter and hubby went on the cruise last week, and we kept their kids. Now, he's back at work and she's busy with pre-school-year meetings as a fifth grade teacher. That's plus the running with the kids and their activities.

Younger daughter and her hubby are frantically getting ready for a nine-day trip to Seattle for a big bi-annual conference for their professional fraternity. They fly out Friday morning, so they're pretty much in that last-minute frantic mode. One's a planner, one's a procrastinator. You can imagine what that's like!

Son is working six days a week. Normally, he'd get two days off a week, but they seem to have an issue at his work keeping a full staff – so the mid-management level (son) ends up picking up the slack when they are short handed. At some points this year, he's worked 13 straight days between days off. On Super Bowl Sunday, he was playing basketball in his driveway with his 14-year-old son and son's friends. He rolled his ankle and ended up being on crutches and off work for over three weeks. Goodbye, 2013 vacation!!

Here at our quiet little home, it's just pretty routine day in and day out. We like that. We have a leisurely early morning, do our daily podcasts, then go walk. Activities between then and lunch vary from day to day, depending on what household chores need to be done. Now, once lunch is over and I watch “The Chew” (I've become addicted to that show!), I'm getting on my computer for an hour or so with my new online class. It got a lot more in-depth today, so I need to amp up my attention level!

My biggest challenge this week is deciding what food to fix for this weekend's family reunion. Mom and her first cousins (on my grandmother's side of the family) have congregated every August since 1954 for a reunion. It's great. There were originally 26 first cousins. Many of them are gone now, but the remaining ones enjoy this annual get together. These active cousins, with the exception of small few, are in their 80's and 90's. The three that live in western Kansas don't get back often – two of them were in attendance last year. There are some other states represented out of the family of 12 children who plan their yearly get-together to coincide with the reunion. I hear some of them will be here this year.

There aren't a lot in my generation who still attend, but it's always nice to see them. I don't know if we'll be able to keep this reunion going once the generation ahead of me is gone or not. But it's always good to see each other once a year – even for those of us who live near each other! It's amazing how busy we all get that even living within 20-30 miles of each other, we don't see one another other than this once a year!

I about have my menu planned – and that's good! That gives me time to get to the store on Friday or Saturday and get everything made. For those coming to the family reunion – bon appetit!

Back To School - At Home!

We made a major step last week in our “kinder, gentler unemployment” - we transitioned from our original unemployment to Tier 1 of the extension. We no longer need to report in person every four weeks at the Career Center. I will miss that a bit, because a friend from high school works there. But it will be nice to not be locked into those 60-mile round trips. We are subject to a slight penalty – there will be two weeks that our payment will be deducted from our total available funds, but we won't actually receive the payment......something to do with federal funding. Yay, politics. (Insert extreme sarcasm here.)

Speaking of politics, I'm soon going to schooled in the mechanics of Health Care Reform. I have an individual health care policy that's been grandfathered in........but the cost is rising, and I had to sign a waiver of coverage on pre-existing conditions when I started the policy. Once my insurance agent gets schooled in the changes and feels like he understands them, we'll go over what might be available that would eliminate those pre-existing conditions. I don't know what's worse.....again, dealing with the politics....or getting older and having to worry about these things!

I started a new personal challenge today. I've always been disappointed that I was only able to attend college for two years, but that's the way life went. Now that I have time – and now that technology makes studying online possible – I thought it was time to check into the possibility. And guess what I found! Thanks in part to “Oprah” magazine, I found a website that offers free online college courses – it's called Coursera and was started by Stanford University. Perfect!

Now I have the opportunity, in the comfort of home, to take online courses from 53 different colleges and universities worldwide and not worry about the cost. I checked the website out and decided to start with a six-week course on Social Psychology. The first week's lectures have been posted, and I spent an hour this afternoon listening to them.

I have a ways to go – my “sitter” couldn't really take more than an hour, but I'm sure we'll get a bit more used to it! I'm anxious to see how this works out. There are not grades, but I have the possibility of earning a Certificate of Completion. Hubby says he'll buy frames for the certificates!

I'm hoping that the “school/learning” section of my brain isn't worn out and dusty! I think introducing some new concepts will be interesting. I've talked before about my small high school not having the staff to offer a really diverse list of courses. When I went to college, I got a two-year degree that required a very intensive course of study that didn't allow for many courses outside that major. So I missed participating in what I consider some of the normal elective courses – including psychology. This course I've signed up for isn't a clinical type of psychology study. It's more figuring out the psychology of day-to-day life and our perceptions of and interactions with the people we are with.

I'll be checking out other courses offered at this site. I want to take something offered from Stanford, just to be able to say I took a Stanford course........same with Yale and Princeton! We'll see if I get this pulled off or not. If it doesn't go well, I'll check to see if they have any courses on Dr. Seuss. I should be able to handle that, after last week with the four-year-old!

Vacay Recap

What a day! It's in the upper 60's out there, with a nice gentle rain. Amazing for the end of July. We were badly in need of the rain, so it's especially nice that it's coming down gently. It's soaking in well.

After a very quiet weekend, we're starting to get back to normal. The kids were actually able to get off their cruise ship in the 'first wave', then drove almost all the way home from Galveston before a major stop (supper at Ottawa, KS, about 9 pm), so they arrived home in Grain Valley about 10:30 Thursday evening. They crashed in the basement..........first, because we were in their bed, and second so Miss 4-year-old didn't wake them up before they were ready on Friday. They were so glad to be home and so anxious to see her that they were up ahead of her. Both kids were happy to see Mom and Dad!

We so enjoyed our time with the grandkids last week – in fact, I emailed son and asked if he and daughter-in-law could please go somewhere so we could stay with their kids!! Unfortunately, he used up all of his 2013 vacation time nursing an injured ankle in February.

We had good times with the 14-year-old and were glad to be able to take him out to lunch Thursday while the 4-year-old was at Day Care. It was a nice quiet day at the house for us, and we did well with the two-hour turnaround between Day Care and dance class. Daughter had left me a book, so I had a marathon reading session that day to finish it, since I knew they were on their way home! I read through dance class, and only had 20 pages to finish up after everyone else went to bed (much of which I had already read, since I'm one of those horrible people who check out the ending after reading the first chapter or two!).

Speaking of horrible, the 4-year-old hates baths. I don't know why, she loves her little pool. But I had been warned. And she informed me that she was having “the most horrible bath ever” when I had her in the tub. I agreed with her that it was “the most horrible bath ever”. I'm proud of myself that I didn't cry along with her!!!

We got out of everyone's hair Friday morning so they could get unpacked and laundry started. We enjoyed going by the big Walmart in Blue Springs to buy groceries, then went by IHOP for a late breakfast. I was glad we did that – I found a couple of daughter's things still in my purse while we were there! We go within blocks of their home leaving KC anyway, so it was no chore to drop them by. I called and told her we missed the kids and were stopping by to see them! She thought I'd lost my mind (she was right) until I explained what I'd found.

We were home – home, sweet home! - shortly after one Friday afternoon. It seemed very quiet......but it was a nice change of pace to have one relatively simple TV with only one main remote (yes, there are two others, but only hubby uses them). And the house seemed so reasonable in size! The kids have such a wonderfully nice home......but there's a fair bit of square footage there. It seemed like a really long trek from one side of the house to the other after keeping up with the 4-year-old all day!

I'm sure everyone's been there, but you know how good it feels to get home and rest in your own bed. We had slept pretty well while we were away.......well, except for the first night when I couldn't get the TV in the bedroom turned off and we spent the night with it on (dratted technology!). But it felt so good to settle down in our own bed Friday night.

We were tired – we're glad to be home – but we're already anxious for the next time we get to spoil some or all of the grandkids!

Homage to Balki

I haven't done Balki's Dance Of Joy (Bronson Pinchot - "Perfect Strangers") for many years, but I have been known to do it. When my kids were in school, it happened yearly in the latter half of August. It was nice to not have to worry what they were doing at home while I was at work!

But this morning, for the first time in a long time (my youngest one graduated high school in 2000), I did the Dance Of Joy......and I think Hubby probably joined me, at least in spirit.

Today, as I sit in the quiet house and relax, a few guilt feelings slip in......Am I a terrible grandmother? We've been taking care of two of the grandkids this week while their parents are on a cruise. The fourteen-year-old has been fine. He mostly stays in his lower level paradise, where he has his own bedroom, bathroom, and TV with gaming system. We envy him.

The four-year-old went to Day Care today - hence, THE DANCE OF JOY!!!!! (Also, hence the envy for the 14-year-old......we'd join him, except going up and down the stairs is hard on us!) I made sure the day care teacher had my cell number, just in case.....however, I told her I might not pick up!! She laughed - they knew we had the four-year-old this week.

Don't get me wrong - she's a wonderful child........a wonderful child who's 4, who has a vivid imagination, and who goes non-stop. One of her favorite games seems to be "pretend like nobody else is talking". I've resorted to counting when she's pushed that one too far.

The really fun part has been watching her bond with Grandpa. They've liked each other from the beginning, but she's just not had the bonding opportunity. Yesterday, she wouldn't leave his side. He took her for a bike ride - walking beside while she rode her little bike with training wheels on the neighborhood sidewalks. He pushed her on the swing.......amazing how she knew how to swing herself last summer but doesn't remember how this week! He also twirled her on the swing - did what he eloquently called "the twist of death" with the swing, then let it go so she twirled back around. It was a mild afternoon, so she spent at least an hour and a half in her pool. It wasn't as much fun when both of us objected to being shot with a water pistol.

This child has had a massive amount of hair since she was born. It's been cut a few times, and still it's almost down to her waist. I've kept the de-tangler handy. Today is Water Day at day care, so she got to go in her swimsuit. Silly me, I thought her hair should be up so it wouldn't be in her face (also so I didn't have to deal with that this evening, when there are a short two hours between day care and dance class). However, I was quickly informed that "I look cute with my hair down". So, the hair is down.  Hopefully the dance teachers don't care if her hair's perfect, as long as it's "up".

Have I mentioned my problems with the technology? There are high def TV's in this house, with a DVR network. Hmmm. The first night we were here, I managed to screw up two tv's. Hubby fixed the one in our bedroom, and grandson did what he could with the one in the living room. We still can't access the network, though, with all the recorded shows. Which is all the four-year-old wants to watch. Every day has started with "I want to watch Max and Ruby". "We can't." "Whyyyyyy?" "Because Grandma messed up the TV...you'll have to wait until Daddy comes home." There's nothing like technology to make a grown person feel stupid.

Don't get me wrong - this has been a wonderful week and a great time with the kids. But we both know when we limp back into our own quiet little house on Saturday, it may takes us days before we feel normal again! And it will be so quiet, not hearing anyone say, "But I don't WANT to"!! Maybe I'll say that to hubby a few times, so he doesn't miss the four-year-old too much!!! ;)

Babysitters And Other Thoughts

I would tell you how hot it is today, but I think I've really exhausted that subject for awhile. Instead, let's go with this – it's Friday!!! Yay! Friday!

Before we go any further, let me just tell you that older daughter and her hubby left this morning to go on a cruise. For a couple of days, hubby's mom has their two kids – as of Sunday, it's our turn to have them. For a week. So if I don't get around to writing any blogs next week, please understand – I'll be held hostage by a 4-year-old whirlwind and her 14-year-old brother! We're really looking forward to the time with them, but I'm sure it'll be different from our normal day-to-day activities!

I decided I'd feel better today if I got all my instructions for next week consolidated – my kids are so much like me! Older daughter emailed me a three-page document on the details of the kids' normal days. Beyond that, there were five emails between when I touched base with her Wednesday night around 8 and yesterday morning. Add to that numerous text messages last night, and I felt better after going through everything piece by piece and getting all notes together. I feel ready to handle things.

My parents didn't really believe in “babysitters” when I was a kid. One fall, I have vague memories of Dad working for the State Highway Department on a temp job that overlapped with Mom's job. A few years when I was small, she did seasonal work in the fall at a toy factory in Braymer. For a few weeks, our good neighbors up the hill babysat me during the day.

I wasn't very old, but I had been going to their house since I was born – they were my stand-in grandparents. They had no children or grandchildren of their own, and it wasn't very far up the hill to their house. In fact, that was where I went when I ran away from home. I was as comfortable at their house as I was my own. Legend has it that one day that fall they were headed to town for groceries, through the gravel roads. At a four-way intersection in the country, where you could see a long way in every direction, the husband went through the intersection only to have me inform him that I believed S-T-O-P spelled “stop”.

My paternal grandfather lived in Bogard as far back as I can remember. My paternal grandmother, though, lived in Independence until I was 12 or so. Also, my maternal grandparents lived in Jefferson City until I was 12. I didn't see any of them often, so having the substitute grandparents up the hill was really nice. And it was comforting having them as babysitters for that short amount of time, even though I can barely remember it.

The only other time I remember having a “babysitter” was, I believe, my Mom's 15^th high school reunion. They left me with her cousin, who lived half a mile down the road, for the evening. What a wonderful time! I visited with these cousins all the time – but during the day they were as busy as you might imagine for a farm family with seven kids. But on a Saturday night, all the chores were done and everyone was available for playing outside all evening. I had a blast. I often wished Mom and Dad would leave me more – especially if I could spend the time at that house!

In late fall of my senior year of high school, a cousin on my Dad's side of the family had a horrific car wreck. It really changed the course of the entire family. He was in ICU at Menorah Hospital in KC for weeks, then transferred to University of Missouri Hospital in Columbia until mid July. His brother stayed at his side in the hospital for a long time. My folks took me to stay with his wife and kids for the next night. That wasn't really babysitting – unless you figure we may have been babysitting each other! No one wanted either of us to be alone. That was a really long night. We weren't sure when the phone might ring with bad news, so it was really hard to go to sleep. We sat up until very late watching TV, then slept very sporadically.

When my kids came along, I didn't use babysitters regularly when they were small. But I was all too glad to have an occasional break away from them! I think it did us all good.

Heat, Cold, & Misc.

Have you ever noticed how good it makes you feel to do something good for someone? I'm sure you have – but like me, you may need to be reminded of that occasionally. I was in a position to do something to help out a good friend today. It took very little time and effort on my part, but due to her current physical condition I was able to be a big help to her. I'm so glad I had the time to help her out. It energized me for the rest of the day!

It's still hot and dry here. My cousin, who lives seven miles north, got a nice shower of .2” rain last night. We didn't get a drop. I watered everything today, but we're at that point the sun is beating down so hard it's burning up the plants. Watering the soil isn't doing a lot of good.

The weather forecast is on TV right now – I see that we're categorized as “moderately dry” currently, but Western Kansas is categorized as “severe to exceptional drought”. I have cousins in Southwest Kansas, and they've told me for a couple of years how dry it's been. In fact, the cousin who's my age and is a wheat farmer recently walked away from an amazing wreck, due in part to the weather. I've talked about the Kansas wind – as his sister said when she emailed me photos, as much as they complain about the wind it does keep the air stirred up so they have visibility. Toward the end of wheat harvest, my cousin was heading in with a load of wheat – there was no wind, and dust was hanging in the air to the point he didn't see a semi ahead of him slow and signal for a turn. He saw the semi just in time to veer left – it took two tow trucks to pull the two trucks apart. It he hadn't seen the semi in time to veer, we would be telling a very different story. It still amazes me that he walked away.

The weatherman now says we have the possibility of 2-3” rain in the next week......I think I'd believe him more if it was an 80-90% chance rather than 30%! I've lived in the Midwest too long to get wound up over 30%.

It's amazing how the different parts of the country are – well – different. When I lived in northern Oregon, houses didn't have basements due to the high water table. Most of the homes I lived in out there didn't have window screens – I told my folks that really all we had were mosquitoes, and they were big enough to open the front door and walk in! That really took some getting used to. There was no air conditioning because it didn't get hot enough for that.

Kansas, Iowa (both places), and eastern Indiana weren't as different. In fact, when we were in eastern Indiana I realized we were on the same weather “line” as here – so if I was wondering about our weather, I would check in with Mom to see what we could look for a couple of days down the road.

When my kids were in school, I found myself reminding them that there was no such thing as “early out” from school because the temps were too high when I was in school. We just pushed the windows to the top and dealt with it. It was nice when there was a class in one of the two basement rooms in our school. Now, it's not unusual for schools to dismiss early when it's hot.

It seems, too, like there are more snow days than when I was in school. Maybe I just notice it more. It's certainly advertised more than it was in the “olden days”! We listened for the breaks on the radio to find out if school was closed – but we still had to scramble to get ready for the bus “just in case”.

Now, when snow days are called, the teachers are contacted by text or email and even our small school here will have its school closure on the Kansas City TV stations. With the radio stations having active websites, you don't have to wait for a newscast or for the School Closings list to scroll across the TV screen......just hop on the trusty internet and check it out. Really, it's so much more efficient than my school days when I was often up, dressed, and ready to go out the door to catch the bus before we would get word that school was closed.

I must be hot – I certainly did a smooth transition from being to hot to talking about snow closings! Happy Thursday!

Heat, Rain & Air Conditioning

We had another hot day here in the Midwest. Younger daughter drove through a brief rainstorm going home from work – she said her car thermometer dropped ten degrees with that rain, so I'm hoping maybe some of that will come this direction! Not only could we use a break in the temps, we could certainly use the moisture. After heavy rains for a while this spring, we've had hardly any moisture in July.

We installed a new air conditioner in our house last summer. It was such an upgrade from the older one that had been here for “goodness knows how many” years. We have a remote control, it's digital, and it cycles rather than staying on nonstop like the old one. I used that old one very little when it was just me in the house.

When hubby and I married, he had just started working for a radio group in Fort Dodge, Iowa – about an hour and a half north of Des Moines. For many reasons, we decided that I would stay here in our home in Carrollton, and we saw each other on the weekends. This was our M-O for a little over five years. Son was here with me the first year, then he moved to Warrensburg.

That old air conditioner was noisy, it stayed on nonstop, it was definitely not energy efficient and therefore expensive to use, and I just didn't really care for it. I'd grown up without air conditioning, and there were several different times in my adult life I didn't have air conditioning. So I left it off except when hubby was home for the weekend. I was perfectly fine making do with fans. In fact, after working in air conditioning all day (and usually being cold), I was glad to come home and spend time outside.

When hubby moved back home to work in 2007, we used the air conditioner so much more. And, sadly, we paid for that privilege in the hot summer weather. I'm so glad we have this newer unit – it's almost paid for itself in the first year we've had it in energy savings.

Like many people in my age group, I was an adult before I lived in a home with air conditioning. I think I was in an apartment in Wichita, Kansas, the first time I had it. Of course, in Wichita, you needed it! I can remember many an evening getting off work at five and going outside to 105 degree heat with a hot wind blowing. Ugh! It was always windy in Wichita.

After Wichita, I lived in northern Oregon for six years. You didn't need air conditioning there. In fact, it was rarely hot enough to need a fan. That was nice......I remember moving there in August of 1976 – everyone in Oregon was running around in tank tops and shorts, while I was bundled up. The air there felt SO different from that hot wind in Wichita! On my first trip to the Pacific Ocean soon after moving, I remember having on jeans, a heavy sweatshirt, tennies and heavy socks – while the locals were in swimsuits and playing in the water. The ocean water off the coast of northern Oregon is 55 degrees.....cold enough that the fishing boats don't bother to stock life vests!

I enjoy hotter weather, so much more than cold weather! But hubby is realizing this year, with both of us being home together, that I'm almost as quick as he is to turn on the air conditioning during this hot weather.......so much different from those years when I was in the a/c all through the work day and ready for a break when I got home!

Here's hoping that all of you in the summer heat have adequate coolness!

Busy Days

Another hot day in the Midwest. In fact, it was hot enough today that we did our walk at the inside walking track. At 9:30 this morning it was already too hot to try to walk outside. It might have been okay, since the walking trail in the park is along a creek. But we didn't want to start walking and then realize it was too hot.

We finished our walk and I started my daily chores. My container gardening project hasn't been a rousing success, but I did pull the beets today. We had only about seven small beets each, but they were SO good! We're having a few cherry tomatoes. There's one pepper on that plant, but it has a spot on it – so we'll see it if gets big enough to eat or not. There are three regular tomatoes, one has already rotted on the vine as it ripened. Maybe it's the hot sun, but the blossoms on all the plants are drying out and dropping off instead of making veggies.......that includes the zucchini plant. It survived its early attack by the starlings and has had stellar blossoms. But no zucchini. We had one nice mess of peas earlier in the summer. I'm struggling with the idea of having someone till up part of our back yard next summer so I can actually plant veggies. I can't decide if I want to make that kind of commitment or not.

It's a really busy time of the year for most people. Younger daughter and son-in-law are frantically prepping for a national conference in Seattle in a few days. They're at that point of feeling like they're not ready yet with all their presentations, etc. I know the pre-event shopping is done – now they need to get the organization position campaigns nailed down, presentations finished, etc. Some posters have been printed and delivered; some still need to arrive. I feel good knowing they have some down time scheduled before the conference, including celebrating their seventh wedding anniversary tomorrow.

Older daughter has already started her pre-school-year meetings. It seems to early for that! Plus, she and her hubby are prepping to leave the end of this week on a Gulf of Mexico cruise as a belated celebration of their 15^th wedding anniversary. Since we have their kids for next week, I need to touch base with her tomorrow night on last-minute instructions, etc. I'm sure she's starting to feel frantically overwhelmed.

Son keeps working six days a week – they can't seem to keep a full staff at his work. Daughter-in-law, as a mental health counselor, is on call 24/7. With two active kids to keep up with, they're always busy. Plus, it seems like if anything is going to happen, it happens to them (within the last week, a dead alternator which drained the battery, resulting in a tow bill and eight hours of recharging the battery – plus a flat tire on Sunday morning when he needed to go to work), so there's never a dull moment at that house.

I have a really close relationship with all the kids, and I'm glad they all feel comfortable calling me frequently. I enjoy all our talks. I'm so glad I can be here for them, whether they need to vent, or whether they need a cheerleader.

But I must say, I'm at the point that I'm glad it's them and not me! Some days it makes me tired just hearing them talk about what they have coming up in the next few days – when you add in the active kids for two of them, it's even busier. I'm glad I can hear about what's going on and just relax in the comfort of our living room. I've spent enough time participating!

Pump Or Faucet

We haven't had a lot of rain lately, so I've been watering my flowers and plants. It's relatively simple this year, compared to other years, because we splurged last fall and had an outdoor faucet put in. Instead of bringing the watering can to the kitchen sink and filling it, I can fill it outside – or, if I feel really adventurous, I can unwind the garden hose and water directly from the hose! That outside faucet is a wonderful addition to our house. Hubby's also enjoyed being able to mix up his weed spray outside, too.

When I was growing up on the farm, watering was a whole different issue. We didn't have running water – we had a pump at the edge of the yard. We were fortunate that our well was spring fed......I remember some summers when other families with regular wells had to have water hauled in (at a cost) to fill their wells when we were short on moisture. We didn't have to deal with that.

Mom did our laundry on Mondays and Fridays. During the summer, I had the dubious pleasure of pumping and carrying water to the house to fill the wringer washer and also the rinse tub. That effort wasn't wasted, though. Once all the laundry was hung on the line to dry, the remainder of all that water was put to use. Rinse water was emptied by the bucket and poured over the flowers, which was all the extra watering they received. The sudsy wash water was used to mop the floors and then the front porch.

Sometimes when it was very dry, we would pump water to water the garden plants. Usually, they were just out of luck if it didn't rain. Dry happened.......just like snow happened in the wintertime, or other times too much rain. It was the country, you just dealt with it and went on.

Sometimes during dry periods, we would have to pump water for the cows. We had a couple of ponds on the farm, as well as a meandering creek. But when it was really hot and dry, the cows didn't have much available water. There was a watering tank in the barn lot, just across the fence from the well. There was a long water pipe that we could hook over the pump and then pump water for the cows. It was good exercise – but what a wonderful cold drink you could get from that well after pumping all that water!

At other times during summers when we had plenty of rain, I was known to use that watering tank as a place to climb in and cool off. It was great, and I was never bothered by the cows (or vice versa).

The watering tank served us well until I was around 21 and accidentally shot it with a .22 rifle while target practicing! For some reason, Dad wasn't too happy with me.

I enjoy reminiscing about growing up on the farm. It's such a different world than where I live now! But even with all the memories, I'd never trade my running water for that pump!

Too Soon For School

We had another beautiful day. The nice thing about July is that if it's a dry month (which this one has been), you can often really beat the heat by doing outside work early in the morning. Today, for instance, we mowed our yard shortly after 7:30. It felt good to get outside and get that done. The grass hadn't grown extremely high, but after two weeks it was looking pretty ragged. So we mowed early, then showered and did our podcasts. We weren't too far behind our normal time frame. We took a walk in the park, made a stop at the grocery store, and enjoyed the Mexican restaurant for lunch. I had a lot of other chores to do, but I'm sure they'll still be here tomorrow!! :)

It's hard to realize that July is nearly half over. For those with kids – hang in there, you're halfway to a new school year and the little darlings getting out of your hair again! For the teachers – hang in there, you'll be fine in the new school year, even if you haven't accomplished everything you intended during summer break and it even though it's almost time for those pre-school meetings to start. For the kids – hang in there, you still have half your summer left – enjoy it!

Many years ago, when I first moved to Oregon, one of my co-workers lived in a year-round school district. At that time, I really hadn't heard of that and didn't realize there were schools that did that. However, this co-worker and his family liked it.......the kids would attend school for three months, then have one month off. This allowed them to have off-season family vacations and do things when prices were cheaper than in the summer and the lines weren't so long. When I became a parent, I thought this sounded like a good way to go – it certainly would end that end-of-summer whining of “I don't have anything to do”!

We get so used to things we're used to, like a “regular” school year, that it's sometimes hard to grasp the positives in a different situation. When I first heard of the year-round school, I thought it was a horrid idea. Yet, after hearing it explained by that co-workers so long ago, it sounded more like a good idea. I remember when a family from my school moved temporarily to California one school year, they wrote back to their schoolmates about the school districts being so crowded that they had half-day school........it seems like the morning session started around 6 am or shortly after, and ran until around noon. They ran half the students in the morning sessions, and half in the afternoon session. I was only in third grade or so at that time, so really couldn't wrap my head around that concept. It was just too foreign.

Of course, my “reality” of school wasn't what a lot of people would understand, either. In my elementary years, we had three school buses but ran five bus routes – two of the buses ran double routes. So when school was over for the day, I had time to kill after school. We would walk downtown (a whopping three blocks from the school) and get some candy, come back and in warm weather play on the playground until the bus came for our route, or in colder weather play in the gym. A teacher would be on duty and let us know when our bus came, and we would finally head home. Later on, they switched us around, so we had time to run downtown before school while the second route kids were being picked up. The third bus, with only one route, had a very large area of real estate to cover........but there was the little store in Mandeville, where the kids on that bus could get off and shop while the bus ran a small loop around Mandeville. It worked for everyone. We all got our “junk food fix” on a daily basis!

I still get excited when it's back-to-school time. I'm kind of a school geek, and I enjoy checking out the school supplies on sale. For the first time ever, I may go through that sale this year without buying anything – we're so stocked up on notebooks, pens, pencils, etc., and I can't think of anything I'll need to buy. It kind of makes me sad.

Yummm!

For everyone familiar with the lore of Carrollton – let me give you a tease by telling you I had a chocolate malt from Dari Maid this afternoon. It was just as good as ever!

Most small towns have a favorite hangout, and Carrollton is no different. Back in the early 50's, a two-business complex was started in the south end of town.......Burger Bar and Dari Maid. It was a great hangout for everyone, and the south end of the local cruise route.

These two little buildings, sitting on the banks of Wakenda Creek, were popular with all ages. There was no going inside and eating, and there were no carhops. Dari Maid seemed a little larger inside than Burger Bar – but not by much. Patrons ate in their cars.

Dari Maid was what it sounds like – “the” place to get ice cream, drinks, etc. Until recently, it closed during the winter. But it was known far and wide for its ice cream creations and especially malts. They were so thick, it took a bit for you to let them melt enough to go through the straw. So thick, so rich – back in the day, they came in two sizes. But it was a hardy person who could get through a large!! I made the mistake one time of ordering a large and sharing it with younger daughter......I think we both had upset stomachs by the time we gave in and decided the malt had conquered us, rather than the other way around!

The Burger Bar was where you went for burgers, hot dogs – and they were locally famous for their Beef Burgers, a seasoned loose meat sandwich. When I was a child, their menu wasn't terribly diverse....just the burgers, dogs, beef burgers, maybe a tenderloin. And french fries. There was one person working inside that magical little building, so the menu couldn't be very large.

Both businesses were manned mostly by two older ladies, one for each building. Dari Maid was more known for hiring younger people to work. In the summer, it was not unusual to have two people on duty. We normally went to eat on Saturday mornings after we finished our weekly shopping, so I didn't really see who else worked in Burger Bar.

By the time the kids and I moved back here in the late fall of 1993, things had changed a bit. Burger Bar had expanded some so there was inside seating – maybe six or seven booths. So eating inside was an option, instead of eating outside in your car. Their menu had also expanded a lot.

Since the businesses sat on the banks of Wakenda Creek, adverse weather has sometimes forced a closing – the Flood of 1993 closed them for some time – water (marked on one of the inside beams) inside the Burger Bar was probably four feet deep.

The biggest change came about a year and a half ago, when the original Dari Maid was torn down and a new, all-inclusive building was built on that site......raised up a bit, to help with that flooding problem. Once the new building was open – complete with plenty of seating, a drive-up window, and new equipment – they started tearing down the old Burger Bar building. But they only got so far when the owner simply couldn't continue – when they got back to the original tiny Burger Bar, with the menu painted on the side of the building (and still there!), she stopped. It's still sitting there as they decide what to do with it – a wonderful piece of history from my childhood!

It's amazing on summer weekend afternoons to drive by Burger Bar/Dari Maid and see the crowds – it seems everyone who comes into town for vacations, reunions, etc., has to make a stop at Dari Maid for ice cream. It's a great place to renew acquaintances. And everything tastes just like you remember it.......or maybe even better!

Homage to Tony Bennett

It's the end of another wonderful day, and we're watching the evening news. The lead story was more news about the Asiana Airline crash last weekend at San Francisco International Airport. While the crash is a horrible thing, I have to admit to enjoying seeing all the footage of SFO.

Hubby was born in San Francisco and grew up in Palo Alto. In November, 2000, I made my first trip to the Bay Area and completely fell in love with the area. I've been lucky – every trip I've made out there has been in marvelous weather!

On my first trip out with hubby (who wasn't “hubby” yet then), our flight landed at SFO about 1pm on a beautiful, sunny November day. His mom and stepdad picked us up at the airport, then took me on a wonderful tour of the City.

Even though I took a mountain of photos, I can't possibly remember everything we saw. We went to the Financial District, where hubby's stepdad had worked as an accountant. We went by the Embarcadero, Fisherman's Wharf, the Giants' baseball field down on the waterfront, Chinatown, Ghirardelli Square.....the afternoon was absolutely wonderful and unforgettable. Hubby treated all of us to dinner at Scoma's restaurant down on the waterfront – he'd warned me ahead of time to not even look at the prices on the menu! His mom, bless her, settled on an appetizer plate of calamari for dinner......his stepdad ordered a full meal! We figured he'd been waiting years for this opportunity! The evening tour ended with finding the first house in the City they'd lived in as a family – what a wonderful moment to share with them!

Over the years, we've had several other wonderful trips to the Bay Area. We visited Napa and saw some of the major wineries. We took the ferry trip across the Bay from Vallejo to the Downtown Ferry Building. We've driven past The Presidio and Golden Gate Park, prior to eating on the coast.

My mother-in-law was always good for a good shopping trip on every visit. One of the most fun shopping trips followed our skipping out on a lecture at the Senior Center that she thought was on French art – it turned out to be on the infrastructure of 18^th century Paris – it got old really fast seeing drawings of the French sewer systems!!!

My in-law's condo in Palo Alto was a great place to visit. They were very near the CalTrain line, and we could hear the commuter trains going through town........those that run between San Jose and downtown San Francisco. On one trip, we took the commute train to downtown and did a walking tour of downtown.....lunch in Chinatown (albeit at a McDonald's!), the Market District, Borders Bookstore's flagship store, FAO Schwartz......it was a fun day!

They were also very near Stanford University. Hubby's stepdad, brother, and sister all graduated from there, and his mom took adult classes and volunteered at the museum. What fun for this little Midwestern farm gal to actually walk on the Stanford campus!! It's just as gorgeous as it seems on TV. I've enjoyed several trips to the campus.

I've enjoyed a November trip to the coast, including a hike to see the sea lions. We've visited the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and had outdoor lunch next to a park holding a jazz festival. The in-laws have retired to Southern Oregon, hubby's little sis has retired there as well, and there's no one left on the Bay.......but I think it's still safe to say I've left part of my heart in San Francisco!

Technology - 'Nuff Said!

Has anyone besides me noticed it's hot out there? My goodness, it truly has turned to summer! Yesterday all day it was the type of hot, humid day that made you feel like you could slice the humidity with a knife! Today found us with bright, hot sunshine. In fact, we had a quick rain shower early this morning....while the sun was shining brightly. After all the rain we had during the springtime, it's been in short supply the past few weeks. It's been almost two weeks since we mowed our yard.

We're reaching a milestone of sorts with our unemployment.......our base time of unemployment has come to an end and we are in the process of filing for the 20-week extension. I think once we get past the frustration of getting a real person on the phone, things should go smoothly. It's a bureaucratic maze, but I'm glad we're able to navigate it.

Yesterday evening turned into a time I wanted to pull my hair out. A bit before 6, I logged onto my computer and turned on the printer so I could print off a couple of cover letters for my required weekly resumes. I planned to do that and then get to my blog. The best laid plans of mice and men, as they say!!!

I sent the first set of letters to the printer, and nothing happened. I tried again, and still nothing. I turned the printer off and back on, then unplugged it. Still nothing. I took occasional breaks – I grabbed supper, then a bit later washed up the dishes. Around those breaks, I kept trying to figure out what was going on.

I uninstalled and then re-installed the printer on the computer. I turned the printer off and back on again........multiple times. I finally gave up, wrote and published the blog without recording it – I was much too frustrated at that point to try recording!

Finally a few minutes before 8, after pulling the file on the printer and checking through the manual......troubleshooting on the computer.....and considering just curling up in a little ball and crying!!........in frustration I rebooted the computer. As soon as it came back on, I heard the printer kick in. By the time I walked to the printer, which is in a different room, there was paper everywhere! (Even though our printer is on the desk, it tend to spit paper off the desk and onto the floor.) By then I had sent a dozen or so print commands....all of which the printer fulfilled once I'd rebooted the computer. I have plenty of scratch paper now! I also was able to put this week's resumes in the mail today.

Sunday night just before midnight, our electricity burped off for two minutes. Since everything worked fine on Friday evening, we figure that electricity interruption must have been the cause of the problem.

Most of the time, I embrace technology. But there are times I miss the old Royal manual typewriters from my high school typing class!!! Last night was one of those times!!....but you notice I'm back with the technology tonight.

Nature's Renewal

We were watching a TV show Saturday night that showed a mama dog with a new litter of puppies. The sight of that triggered a childhood memory of all the new farm and wild babies that come in the springtime.
Mostly, it triggered a memory of one spring when my pet dog gave birth to a litter of puppies underneath my bedroom.

Our farmhouse was on what was probably a concrete block foundation on three sides, but the front of the house was completely open underneath. Eventually, Dad boarded up that front, underneath the porch, to help with warmth in the winter. But for years, that open space was such fun. I played underneath the front porch during the summer because it was cooler. It was also a wonderful place to make mud pies!

But this particular year, the space back underneath the house became a puppy nursery. We knew it was time for the puppies, and we could tell that they had probably arrived. We just weren't sure where mama had stashed them. As they got to be a few days old, that mystery was solved when I woke up early in the morning to the sounds of puppies whining. At first it was sweet. Then, it just got annoying. Those puppies had a much earlier wake-up time than I would have chosen! I can remember threatening to crawl back underneath the house to move the puppies to a new home. But I chickened out as I thought about the possibility of snakes.

It wasn't all that long before mama brought the puppies out to us. It just seemed like an eternity! There were either five or six puppies in that litter, so that was a lot of noise!

Another year, my spring was disrupted by a nest full of baby birds. Our house was heated with a wood stove, and we actually had two chimneys. Since we closed off our north rooms during the winter, the chimney that sat between my bedroom and the living room wasn't used. Even though the chimney top was supposed to be covered, something jostled the cover off. And the bottom of that chimney became a wonderful place for a bird's nest.

Again, these babies had an earlier wake-up time than I did! I sleepily staggered into the kitchen and complained (probably long and loud!) to Mom and Dad. I remember Dad bringing the stepladder into the living room and taking the chimney cover off so he could carefully remove the next and take it outside. Ah, spring!

Yet another springtime found me becoming mother to a baby rabbit. Dad found it somewhere in the pasture and brought it to the house. This wasn't the first baby bunny he had brought in, and by then I had a routine. I dug out a little plastic bottle from my doll supplies. Next, I made a 50/50 mixture of cow's milk and water, with a little sugar added, all heated up a bit on the stove. Bunnies seemed to love it - they just never stayed with me long. Except this one. This bunny perked up and thrived.

I fixed him a box in the corner of the kitchen, and he became part of the family. He would get up with Dad in the morning, and Dad would feed him puffed wheat cereal by hand. When Mom would start her morning cleaning, the rabbit would play a game with her. Mom hated mice, and baby rabbits don't look too much different from mice.....especially when they scamper out from under furniture. So the rabbit would go ahead of Mom, hide under the furniture, and then run out when she would swipe under the furniture with the dust mop. He seemed to enjoy it.

Sometimes in the evening he would jump on my bed, which was next to a west window, and race back and forth on my bed in the evening sun. Then he could come jump on my lap and snuggle with me while we watched TV. We were at the point of wondering how we were going to get him released into the wild when my cat solved that problem. The kitchen door didn't latch one morning and swung open enough for the cat to get at the furry little critter he had been watching for so many weeks. The bunny had a sunset burial down by the creek.

I never get tired of watching for baby calves and horses in the springtime - it's a wonderful reminder of nature's renewal.

Fourth Festivities

This would be one of those “what day is it?” days.......a holiday on a Thursday means a Friday just kind of hanging out there by itself. My sympathies to those whose bosses made them work today.

I hope everyone had a good Fourth of July holiday. We had a good day......we took a nice walk in the morning, grabbed some items at the grocery store, and that was pretty much the extent of things! We listened to the community and neighborhood fireworks while attempting to sleep last night. I know – we're just too exciting for words!

Facebook this morning held photos of my adorable cute-as-a-pixy sister-in-law hula hooping during the Fourth festivities in Ashland, Oregon. I applaud her – she looked like she still had her childhood hula hoop form!

Back in the “olden days”, I could hula hoop with the best of them. I had two hula hoops – a regular size one, and a smaller one to be twirled on the arm or the ankle. I never got the hang of the ankle twirl, but I was great with my arm. Somewhere there are photos of those hula hoops, hung in an evergreen tree in the yard. It seemed like a handy place to keep them!

Fourth of July was such fun when I was a kid. I didn't ever have a ton of fireworks, but I enjoyed what I had. Dad always lit the firecrackers – I wasn't really allowed to touch them, unless I was allowed to separate them so they could be lit one at a time. We didn't light the whole pack – that would have just exploded and been over. The key to a frugal Fourth was to do one firework at a time. Occasionally, when I wanted to be radical, I would have a lighted sparkler in each hand. Those little sparks stung when they hit!

For daytime hours, there would be the “snakes”.......again, I don't remember being allowed to light them. They were little “pucks” that snaked out ash when they were lit. There were also the ball-shaped fireworks that popped when they struck a hard surface. Our best crop on the farm was always rocks....so there was no shortage of hard surfaces to throw them against!

Once dark came, it was time for the sparklers. They must have been really inexpensive, because there always seemed to be quite a few. Sometimes we would stick a few in the grass and light them all at once to resemble mini-fountains. My favorite thing to do, though, was to light one at a time and swirl them through the air, leaving intricate smoke patterns. At some point, I would see if I could write with the smoke. I was easily amused as a child.

Fourth of July was one of those rare times we would make that twenty-mile trek to town when it wasn't shopping day. There was an annual fireworks display at the park, and the park would always be full. We would get there early to get a decent parking spot, then visit with people as we waited for dark to come and the fireworks to start. It was always fun to see what new aerial explosives there were. The lighting of an American flag made of fireworks signaled the ending of the evening. The fireworks smell would stay with us most of the way home.

We don't stay up for the fireworks now......maybe one of these days we'll get used to staying up later!! There were so many years of super-early mornings for work, which led to early bedtimes. But we didn't totally miss our fireworks yesterday........we made a point of watching “A Capitol Fourth” on PBS. It was a great show, a spectacular fireworks display, and I could watch it in my jammies!

Smile & Show Your Pearlie Whites!

Today was another Family Dental Day. I trudged to the other side of town.....well, I drove......though very, very slowly......to the dentist's office. I'd had a call about ten days ago that a cavity had been spotted on my x-rays. Since I didn't know where in my mouth the cavity was, or what parts would be numbed to fill the cavity, hubby and I decided he would just do a jazz podcast this morning. We didn't want to commit ourselves to doing the Big Band show podcast when we didn't know if I would be able to talk when I got home.

I was completely delighted to have the dentist look at my mouth and tell me I didn't actually have a cavity. Of course, that meant instead he intimated that my mouth is aging along with the rest of me. But since that meant no needles, I was okay with the “aging” knowledge! The aging process going on inside my mouth is resulting in more of my teeth being exposed – and what showed as a cavity on the x-ray was actually a spot where the root of the tooth had started being exposed. He did put a bonding over the spot – basically, a filling without having to drill – hence, no needles necessary! I was home within half an hour, in a much happier mood than when I left.

Since I was home so soon and able to talk, we decided to go ahead with our regular podcasts. It was fun getting those done this morning. I tried a new recipe for chicken at lunch time, and it was a great success. We enjoyed our walk at the park this afternoon.

Our little four-year-old whirlwind, unfortunately, did not have a positive experience with her dental appointment this morning. For starters, she absolutely hates going to the dentist. Even though they have a TV mounted on the ceiling and she gets to choose what she watches, she still wasn't appreciative of her experience. Secondly, she hates loud noises. So her stress level skyrocketed when they cleaned her teeth with the power tool. From what I was hearing from her mom on the phone, I'm not sure there was a really positive bedside manner from the dentist seeing her today. Her appointment took most of the morning.

On top of all that, the poor kid's mom (that would be my older daughter) was told the Whirlwind has two cavities that need attention. At the point of the phone call I received this afternoon, I think Mom's stress level was higher than the Whirlwind's. The consensus at the dental office is that, given the Whirlwind's anxiety level, they need to put her under in order to deal with the cavities. That would mean just one trip to the dentist's office......and no danger of anyone (Whirlwind or dental people) being injured with a sharp instrument combined with a stressed-out four-year-old.

Logically, we know that's the best way to do it – but it's scary to knowingly have a four-year-old put under for a procedure. I was so glad that I was here when my daughter called and I had all the time in the world to talk with her. And she mentioned how nice it was to have me available when she needed me, instead of having to wait until I got home from work. You know, being available when the kids or grandkids (or hubby, or mom) need me is worth more than all the paychecks I've ever earned!

Expressions of Love

I had the opportunity this morning to take Mom to the store so she could buy ingredients to make a salad for a funeral meal tomorrow. I don't know if the tradition of providing food to the bereaved is particular to certain parts of the country or if it's honored everywhere, but it's such a visible sign of love!

When I grew up on the farm, it was everyone's habit to make sure they had supplies on hand to throw together a meal at short notice......whether it was for unexpected company or for a family who lost a loved one. I've written before about our living twenty miles from town and only shopping once a week. Imagine, now, the dead of winter. Everyone made sure they were well stocked with groceries in case of a prolonged snow or ice storm, in the event you couldn't get anywhere for awhile. A well-stocked pantry was the norm.

As soon as news of a death scattered throughout the neighborhood, food was being made. We didn't wait until the day of the funeral – there was often a hot meal waiting on the table when the family returned from making arrangements at the funeral home. No one locked their doors, so there was easy access to the kitchens.

When I was a child, the families would often gather at the home of the surviving spouse or the oldest child during the days before the funeral service. I remember so well when my grandfather passed away and we were all gathering at my uncle's house. For those days, we spent very little time at home – Mom and Dad would run home in the evening just long enough to milk the cow. At 13, I was old enough to be left at my uncle's house – my 14-year-old cousin and I spent a lot of quality time those days with his one-year-old niece.

As other relatives came for visitation at the funeral home or the funeral, more and more food arrived. My aunt's good friend and neighbor was there to help serve the food and wash up the dishes so the family didn't have to deal with it much. I remember so clearly her cutting her hand on a broken glass the day of the funeral.

Three months later, when we lost my other grandfather, the gathering was at our house. There weren't as many family members involved, so Mom and I were able to handle the serving and cleaning. But, oh! the food – and everyone sends their best dishes. I think it really did help us get over that feeling of “I don't really want to eat”.

I'm not sure if as much food is taken to the homes these days. Generally a more organized meal will be served to the family before or after the funeral services. Churches often have a committee of ladies who handle organizing the meal and contacting people for their contributions. All in all, it's probably easier on everyone to have the meal at a church or community building rather than in the home.

It was such a different world when I was a kid – word would spread throughout a community quickly, even though many people didn't have a phone yet. Everyone was ready and willing to pitch in during times of difficulty. Houses weren't locked, so neighbors could always go in and help out. Sometimes I wonder if the world has really changed so much – or if I changed due to moving around so much during my early adult life and not making any close ties with the communities where I lived.

Vegas & Weddings

Listening to the weather news about the intense heat in Las Vegas brings back memories of seven years ago. The year 2006 was “The Year Of The Vegas Wedding” for our family. We were there not once, but twice, for offspring weddings.

Our first trip was in July for my younger daughter's wedding, and it was hot that year, too. We flew out of Kansas City International Airport on a Sunday morning, arriving midday at McCarron Airport in Vegas. There were five of us on that flight, and we were fortunate that one in the group had a relative with a limo – so we arrived at The Excalibur in great style......though hubby has learned over the years that his 6' 3” frame isn't exactly made for limo comfort!

Most of the wedding group arrived that Sunday, though the bride and groom and a few others had arrived on Saturday. Hubby's younger daughter and her boyfriend drove out from L.A. and met us there as well. That evening was especially memorable because the boyfriend loaded hubby, my mom, and me in his car and took us up The Strip just at dusk, when all the city lights were coming on. It was a spectacular sight.

We parked and went inside the then-new Wynn Hotel – I knew I was out of my league when we walked past the Ferrari store inside the hotel. We stopped later at The Bellagio, but we didn't get to see the water show. The wind had picked up enough that it wasn't feasible for the show to go on. (When we got back home, within a week, there was a special about it on The Travel Channel – so I feel like I saw it in person!)

The next morning Mom and I decided to take a walk, and we walked from The Excalibur down to the Bellagio – a good hike, especially when the heat was climbing past 100. Hubby had lived and worked in Vegas for three years earlier in his career, so he had warned me about the heat. Luckily, there are some more mundane businesses along The Strip – on our walk back, I ducked into a Walgreens and bought bottles of water for both of us and made Mom drink hers. Once she got the water into her, she realized that she did need it.

That beautiful wedding went well and we enjoyed ourselves – and we got to witness Rich's younger daughter get engaged while we were there as well......I had suspected that might be why her boyfriend wanted to join us in Vegas. What we didn't realize at the time was that we'd be back in Vegas in exactly five months for their wedding.

December is a much more moderate month to be in Vegas. Hubby and I naturally had our winter coats with us – but I don't think either of us used our coats while we were there. The daytime temps were around 60, so we were very comfortable without a wrap – while the group from L.A. was freezing!

The December wedding was held at Little Chapel of the West, the original Vegas wedding chapel. It's a quaint little spot and was just perfect for that wedding. Hubby and I flew out by ourselves and used a cab to get to The Orleans, a nice smaller casino/hotel about a mile off The Strip. That atmosphere was more our speed! I missed the shopping that had been available at The Excalibur, but there was better eating at The Orleans!

We haven't been back to Vegas since. The family gatherings since then have been at other places. Four years ago we joined hubby's family in Medford, Oregon (where his folks live) to celebrate his Mom's 85^th birthday and his Mom and Stepdad's 60^th wedding anniversary. Two years ago found us in Menlo Park, California (the Bay Area) for his stepdad's 90^th birthday celebration. Next year will be his Mom's 90^th birthday, so we'll see if we have any more adventures in our future!