Sunrise and Socks

Another week has gone by and I am feeling the desire to blog.  

I really like the part about sitting down.

I don't think it would be very convenient to blog standing up, unless you had one of those tall bar things, which I don't.  

ANYWAY,

I've had a busy week.  Of course, I have no clue what I did Friday because it's been five days already.  I could get up and look at my calendar or my 'to-do' list in my binder but then I wouldn't be sitting down anymore.  I don't have very many pictures either.  I tried to take sunrise photos with each of my three cameras and if I didn't get the color right, I got fuzz, so I gave up and went looking for an earlier photo to put in my '52 lists' journal.  

(The list for that week was beautiful things)

Maybe I did that on Friday.  

(Checking on the computer here....)

Nope, Wednesday and here it is.

I guess one of them turned out.  I wonder which camera it was.

We've had some really gorgeous days so I decided it was time to sweep the leaves off the deck and the patio and retire most of the flowers on the deck.  It took me two hours to sweep, gather and dump  leaves, and dump dirt from the flower pots. I also hung out a load of sheets and cut down the morning glory vine.  

I was SO tired the rest of the day I didn't do much of anything except I persuaded Jim to walk around our circle at dusk. I can't decide whether I need to do more work to gain more strength, eat more carefully, or resign myself to the fact that I'm not up to what I used to be.  

  My walking has improved, I can walk a mile in good time without feeling like I'm going to die coming up our last little hill.  I sure can't swing out in full speed like I could once upon a time. I go lickity-split for a little way and then it has to be slow and steady.  

So, to put the 'let's work more and see what happens' to the test, I made a batch of tomato soup on Monday.  I got 19 pints, but since the canner holds 9 at a time so we ate the 19th for supper.  

Or part of it anyway.  I cooked up some hamburger and using a small amount of tomato soup and a half pound of hamburger I made a huge amount of Bean Burger Bake, which isn't baked at all even though mom's recipe says to and she never did and I don't either.

We ate half of it on Tuesday and we are going to eat the other half tomorrow.  

I was so glad to have it ready to eat for supper on Tuesday since it was a VERY LONG DAY.  Leaving at 6:30 in the morning isn't a real hardship since I'm a morning person.

(At 9:00 at night the future looks very bleak, but at 6:00 am, I'm ready to conquer the world.)

Lorene had something extra going on so I was prepared for a little longer day, however, at 2:50 it hit me, "When does Zane get out of school? If it's 3:00, we need to get moving."  After a hurried call and finding we had until 3:30 and she would be home in time, I relaxed until I got a text at 3:14, "I won't be there after all."  I went into high gear, and "okay, boys, shoes on, let's go, chop, chop".  It only takes two minutes to drive to the school but on any given day I have boys who routinely disappear, or won't put on their socks, can't find their shoes, have no idea where they possibly could be or have a tantrum instead of getting ready to walk out the door, so extra time in a good thing.  

I hardly finished my pronouncement and there were two boys on the floor getting shoes on, (we didn't worry about socks), and they are ready to go out the door in two minutes.  Hmm, 3:16 and school doesn't get out until 3:30.

"Can we bring our tablets?","Yes."  We arrive at school at 3:20, (I drove slowly).  Christian's table ran out of battery (is that the right term in the 21st century) so I gave him my phone to take pictures.  I now have about 25 photos of his feet.  

At 3:35, Zane came cheerfully out of school and loaded up, we went home and Lorene was there!

I gathered up my stuff in a hurry and left.  

4:00, in Kearney, still had some errands to do and a little shopping.  At 5, I drove into my garage, dumped all my stuff on the table, and collapsed on the sofa with a bowl of ice cream.  When Jim came in and hour later I was still there with no desire to get up, so he mowed, and I felt sufficiently motivated to heat up said Bean Burger whatever and went to bed, after cleaning up all dirty dishes, pouring boiling water down the sinks, and then vinegar in hopes of reducing the fruit fly population.  

I'm not sure it's helping since there was a cloud above the sink again. I washed with great diligence all the counters, got rid of all wet cloths, took out the trash, dried all the extra dishes and am preparing my boiling water for this evening's attempt.  

Tomorrow, I'm thinking about more tomato soup, or Friday, or sometime.  

Looks like my kids didn't like socks either. 

I never could get Lorene to keep shoes on her feet, so I finally said, "If you are going to run around without shoes, take off your socks!!"  She didn't die even if she was out in all weathers unshod. 

The only other photos I took this week are of Christian.  I was going for a really happy smile, but I had to settle for these half smiles instead.  I intended to get some of Barry, but about then he came up with a grasshopper in the BBQ tongs, and I was ready to go inside.  

Until next week then.  

A Listing Sort of Week

When I think about starting another post in this weekly blog, I look to see what photos I've taken this week.  I see this week it mostly outside ones.  

I have a "52 lists for the year" journal that Lynette gave me for my birthday.  I don't always make the list because, well, I don't make play lists to listen to with my non-existent desire to have one, for example.  I despise ear buds.  

So, I always find something to say on the subject and since I'm not being tested or judged on how well I follow the instructions on each page to the letter, I don't really care if there is a list there or not.

I'm enjoying the opportunity to write about different subjects.  

One of the lists was favorite things about fall, so I took my camera out on my (nearly) daily walk and took a few photos.  

My favorite thing about October is its "bright blue weather."

I notice in spring we tend to get those bright blue skies as well, so I'm assuming it has something to do with the angle of the sun at that time of year, since we live in an area where the sun varies its place in the sky in wide sweeps in the course of the years.  

So, before I go on with some of the more exhausting events of the week, here are the photos.

I'm taking it easy today and I'm enjoying it.  I've been so busy since the beginning of September that I don't know whether I'm coming or going and have been feeling the effects of it.  

(Mostly exhaustion)

Friday, Jim and I went up to 'the farm' to cut wood.  I didn't walk that day because I thought I would get more than enough exercise, putting some wood chunks in the pickup.  I did. Way too much and I had to sit and watch the rest of the time.  I don't like to sit around and watch someone else work, but sometimes I have to, whether I like it or not.  

Saturday we attended the funeral of a very dear aunt.  She was always young at heart, and loved to play with her nieces and nephews.  I would like to do some sort of a tribute and find photos, but I haven't done it yet.  I've been busy and tired.

Sunday we had company.  We took Lynette's future in-laws out to dinner (at noon) because after being gone all day with a 3 hour drive to the funeral and back, when Lynette said, "I forgot to tell you, we need some dinner", only she probably said lunch. I really tried to get the breakfast, dinner, supper idea ingrained in my kids, but it didn't work.  

They are all the 'breakfast, lunch and dinner' kind.  Sigh.

I think we would have been better off if we could have stayed with Lorene's idea when we was about three years old, 'breakfast, first eat and second eat.'

So, there wasn't any dinner at our house, so we went out.  We needed to have a celebratory dinner anyway for Lynette's 21st birthday.  

The rest of the day would have been fine and not stressful with time to rest, except I got a bladder infection and had to go into the Quick Care Clinic and be miserable for the rest of the day.  

Monday... Normal stuff, only a lot of it.  I should have done some laundry already, there were errands to run and a trip to look at Bridal gowns.  I had an appointment with my oncologist in the afternoon and I remembered when it was about time to go to check and see if the chest x-ray he ordered had been sent over from my clinic to his.  

"No."  ARRGH

That x-ray was taken a week ahead so this wouldn't happen.  I specifically told the x-ray nurses what was supposed to happen to it, and "oh, yes, we'll take care of it."  

They didn't.

Anyway, after the oncology appt, I stopped in at the clinic to check the status, and they "were working on it".  I got the call yesterday that my x-ray was fine, so I'm assuming the x-ray and the oncologist finally met up.   And there is a puddle of water on the floor.

And I forgot to do payroll.  Fortunately, it doesn't really need to be finished until 5 pm on Tuesday, but an extra day is a good thing.

Tuesday...Jim had a physical and I went to knitting group. It's fall break for Lorene so no boys this week.  I was making a nice supper when ....where is all this water coming from?  I emptied the cupboard under the sink; the the drain is leaking.  I mopped the floor and cleaned out under the sink (good chance to get it clean, plenty of water), and put a bucket under there.  I don't know what Jim had planned for the evening, but it turned out to be, fix the pipe under the sink.   

Wednesday...I had a physical and mentioned the x-ray business and obviously there had been a bit of a flap going on over the deal, because my doctor said he told his nurses anyway, what protocol with

x-rays need to be and hopefully we won't have this kind of kerfluffle again.  

That word is really supposed to be kerfuffle, (no L).  Sad, I like my way. 

Then as I was having a leisurely look-see through Menards, I got a call, "company's coming for supper", and no birthday cake made.  So, I worked like crazy all afternoon, cooking squash to run through the seive, making birthday cake, getting supper and dumping one of the cakes, not quite done, all over the oven floor and into the 'pots and pans' drawer.  

Sigh again.  

I'm taking it easy today.  

Yesterday's sunrise. 

I have run on quite long enough in this blog. 

I wonder if you can see that little curl of hair poking out from behind my ear? (left side of photo)

That represents how long it has been since I've had surgery on any ear.

YAY!!!

Happy Birthday to my baby.   

“October’s Bright Blue Weather”

O suns and skies and clouds of June,
And flowers of June together,
Ye cannot rival for one hour
October’s bright blue weather;

When loud the bumble-bee makes haste,
Belated, thriftless vagrant,
And Golden-Rod is dying fast,
And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

When Gentians roll their fringes tight
To save them for the morning,
And chestnuts fall from satin burrs
Without a sound of warning;

When on the ground red apples lie
In piles like jewels shining,
And redder still on old stone walls
Are leaves of woodbine twining;

When all the lovely wayside things
Their white-winged seeds are sowing,
And in the fields, still green and fair,
Late aftermaths are growing;

When springs run low, and on the brooks,
In idle golden freighting,
Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush
Of woods, for winter waiting;

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,
By twos and twos together,
And count like misers, hour by hour,
October’s bright blue weather.

O suns and skies and flowers of June,
Count all your boasts together,
Love loveth best of all the year
October’s bright blue weather.

Helen Hunt Jackson

Twenty-One Years

I have so many things I want to blog about and I just can't keep up.  

We brought Jim's sister home with us and while we had a most enjoyable week, 

it was one of the busiest.  

She stopped over for a week before heading north for another week and then she flies off into the wide blue yonder to the east coast.  

Twenty-one years ago she took, what we thought then, was a giant leap away. 

And now she is taking a gianter one.

Twenty-one years ago I had a preemie and was fighting to feed her.  

Today she is in her first year of nursing school.

A lot happened in those 21 years. 

That baby grew and thrived.  She rolled over, crawled, walked, talked, ran.

She went to kindergarten.  She was afraid when the towers fell.

She finished elementary school and went to middle school.

She made friends and went on trips.  

She learned taekwondo.  She learned to break boards.

She played outside, she played in.  

She skied and she snowboarded.

She swam, she biked, she read. 

She did chores and raised calves. 

She went to high school and tried theater.

She learned to drive and got a job.

She had friends that were like family.

She learned to cook and clean and wash clothes. 

She learned to study and get good grades.

She's in college now, and she's engaged.  

She's gone from a 3# 13 oz. baby to an adult.

In 21 years.  

It doesn't seem so long at first thought, but...

Think of all the things that were done, thought, felt, and spoken in those years. 

They were good years;

those years my kids were growing up.

The best years of my life. 

Okay, that's one off my list. 

Anyway, this week we went up to the farm where Jim grew up to look around and remember. 

Then we had a family dinner to make new memories.  

Papa and Paislee 

Paislee with a Gramma knitted blanket 

Aunties 

Great Auntie  

It's not often I get a photo with all my kids, all smiling.  

All looking different directions. 

Quite good photo, since three little boys were involved. 

October 6, 2016

Four years ago today, I had my last chemo treatment.  

All these four years my hair has been growing except for the little patch behind my left ear that has been cut twice for surgery back there.  That piece is only about 2" long and annoyingly long enough to stick out from behind my ear and not tuck up nicely into my French roll. 

4 years

3 years

2 years

1 year

That one year photo was part of my monthly hair blogs and before I had the idea of showing the length.  You can get the idea.  It wasn't much below my collar.

Smart?--Not!

It's resting hour at this household and I decided I'd spend the time blogging.  

I got my list of things I wanted to mention, and then went looking for the camera that went with us on our trip in which we were gone for four very special days.
On that camera was a picture of Jim and I and I can't remember what else, but I can't find the camera.  It's not in my purse, it's not in the pocket of my coat where it was for several days and the last place in my memory.

If something is not where it belongs, I cannot remember anything else about it.  No going back step by step is helping here.  There is a very small chance that it is still in the car.  I'm going to be very sad if it is gone for good.  It has been my 'go to' camera for motion photos.  None of my other cameras are good for motion.  

I do have a new phone *gasp* don't faint on me here.  It has a decent camera, but I don't know how good, I haven't tried it, and I do like something I can hold in my hands to click, not these flat things that I'm more likely to drop than get a good photo.

The reason for the new phone, is a story, if not for another day, at least later in this blog. 

For this blog I want to remember:

Tuesdays with the boys, getting ready for school, breakfast and lunch for Zane, play dough with Christian, laughing hysterically over sticky monkeys that don't stick to the walls after all, finding shoes for the second school run of the day, tea parties with two little boys for their snack, chasing little yellow butterflies on sunny days, trampolines filled with little balls,  Frozen puzzles, and more Frozen puzzles and cheerful clean clothes, 'putter awayers.'

Little boys hands fluttering goodbye through the open window as they drive away.

A slender golden moon rising as we leave on our trip, and the pale white crescent at sunset on the way home.

Sunny fall days meeting old friends and new and enjoying spiritual refreshment. 

I don't have very many new photos and that isn't entirely due to the missing camera.  I've been busy.

I made this sweater.  This is the first time in a while that I've knitted a wearable garment. Anytime I make anything with sleeves, the sleeves don't work.  This was knitted all in one piece.

Now I want to make another.  This is a bit big.  

Political statement for the year.

Borrowed from my daughter.  Those boys love to play with these beads.

And saving the best for last.

I have the cutest granddaughter ever!!

And now, the phone story.

I have a very real love/hate relationship with my cell phone.  I don't like to spend money and I don't like to waste time and I don't like to learn new things, so I've been holding back on getting a new phone, knowing it would have to be the 'smart' kind.  

I liked my old phone.  I could drop it on the concrete once a month, and it didn't phase it.  However, it wasn't receiving emails properly all the time, the keypad wouldn't always respond correctly and I knew it's days were numbered.  

So, when I left it at the Hardee's where we had lunch on the first day of our trip, I resigned myself to the fact that my absent-mindedness must come to an end.  I would have to join the crowd of smarties with a new phone that is more easily ruined and I must keep track of it.  

If we would have gone back the same way we came, we could have picked it up, but we didn't.

So, after enjoying nearly a week with no phone, here it is.