February Hair...

And a Whole Lot of Other Things

I haven't blogged very much this month.  I wonder if anyone noticed?  

I've been doing other things.  My project list for the new year included getting all of Lynette's pictures in scrapbooks.  So, I have been putting all my time and energy into getting that done.  When I got current on her books, I finished Nathan's.  Now I am working on getting my book current.  I am on a roll, and can't think of anything else.  

I am posting a few photos so you know what I've been doing.  

But, first, February hair!!

It is finally long enough to put up in this half-braid thingy, thanks to my daughter.

This is a quick job, and I have since learned to do it myself.  

I love to have her do it, though.

Side View 

And now, the length. 

Projects, all involving photos. 

Other Projects

Another Afghan 

and Barry.

Actually, it is Jim's project he is playing with, that is conduit for the garage.

Day by Day--January

I had the big idea this year to remember my days.  After living through so many months dealing with the after effects of cancer I wanted my experience to make a difference.  

And it has.

But not as much as I would like.  

I don't know what I expected.  It is hard to have lofty thoughts and high ideals when you still have to slog through normal life.  Organizing, washing, cooking cleaning still have to be done.   I thought I would have more energy by now.  It is discouraging to come to the end of the day and the thought of having to carry the step stool to put something away feels like too much.  

What I wanted was to notice as I go through life, to pay attention to the good things and the good people that are sharing it with me.  It seemed like last year just went by too fast, and I remember so little of it.  

So, I set myself a project.

To remember the days.

Every day has a story. 

December
29. My new camera has a pretty good zoom.  That's about the only thing you can say for it however.
30. We visited Jim's sister in Wisconsin.
31. Zane is 5.
January
 1.  Happy New Year, 2014!
 2.  We enjoy puzzles in the winter time.  My folks were here over New Year's, and we did two 1000 piece puzzles.
 3.  Zane built this house/castle from our blocks. I was impressed by his absolute symmetry.  It was also my daughter's birthday and anniversary, but they went out to eat and I forgot to take her picture.
 4.  We enjoy our fireplace.  This much wood will last a couple of weeks.
 5.  Jim enjoys our fireplace, too.
 6.  Sunrise off the deck, almost 8:00.
 7.  Very Old John Deere Catalog, 1928.  
 8.  First measurable snow of the year, and the winter, too, I think.
 9.  Frost is beautiful on the pines on the north side of our property.
10. My Barry boy has beautiful eyelashes.  I was babysitting while my daughter was registering for classes at community college. Her first steps toward a nursing degree.
11. A good friend turns 50.
12. My amaryllis given by a very dear friend, Gertrud, has THREE blossom stalks.  Unheard of in my experience.
13.  A perfect ice cream cone, and I did it myself.
14. The blossoms are breaking.  There are FIVE blooms on the first stalk.
15. Sunrise a little earlier now.
16. Birthday celebrations with another good friend.  
17. My grandboy Christian wearing a pink romper that his great-grandfather wore.  Christian is 8 mos, yesterday, great-grandpa is 78.
18. Two blooming stalks.
19. I'm starting another afghan. I love blue.
20. I love to write letters, another goal for the year is to send more letters.  
21. Chocolate chip, cookies, my all time favorite, BC.  Now, I've discovered that dipping them in cocoa makes them easy for me to eat, and they are my favorite again.
22. This is in tribute of our Aunt Inez.  One year ago today she was buried.  She loved babies the best.  She was so thrilled to hold this Barry boy, since he was born in her town.
23. Blood oranges...want some?
24. As fully bloomed as that amaryllis is going to get.  The first blossom was fading as the thirteenth was opening.
25. I had an absolute panic this day.  I couldn't find my camera card anywhere.  Someone says, "Could it be in the laptop?" "Oh."
26. January hair.
27. Sunrise, 10 minutes earlier by now.
28. I just love this painting by Lynette.  It lives in my kitchen.
29. Sunrise again, this time with a new moon.  The picture is amazing in a larger size. It is really been cold to go out and take these photos.
30. Credit cards...gone.
31. More snow!! The start of a 4-inch two day snow fall.  The snow is so pretty falling against the red of the barn.
February
  1. Valentine tea, one of my favorite social events of the year.  It brings food, friends and card making together under one roof,  but not mine.

I wanted this to be ready to post closer to the end of January, but since I somehow spilled water on my keyboard, it has had to wait--about three weeks.  I still don't know how the water and the keyboard ended up in the same place.  It was the only time in my life I remembered not to carry the water the the laptop at the same time.  Sigh.

January Hair

This is a hair post and some other things post.  

Here I am in my bed, where I spent so much of my time after surgery and treatment.  The other part of my time was spent on our new couch, and that was it.  

My daughter took this photo, I was trying to get my new camera to flash, but that is another story for another day, and she managed it.  She has the same camera.  I was going to zoom in and use it for my January hair, but I was pleased with the way my corner looked.  It's where I am every night, wrapped in my shawl on cold ones with my lamp going to aid my aging eyes and the book I relax with.  I was in bed early.  Jim had been called out and I had a big day.  My bed is where I go when I'm not going to do anything more that day except decompress.  

Here's my better hair photo.  I couldn't resist the matching colors.  

And the back, and a glimpse in my china cupboard and the glassware I like.  

This is a pretty late January hair, but the photo was taken earlier, but I had an accident with my laptop that involved water.  It is still in the shop, but the hard drive seems to be in order so all is not lost and we are hopeful that it can be repaired.  

I do have another computer, but I don't like it as well for ease of use.   

Our 25th Anniversary

I know these photos are over a year and a half old.  I want to post them because I like them.   

We celebrated our 25th anniversary with my coming home from the hospital after surgery for the now famous sinus tumor.  We had thought about doing something special to celebrate that year.  And if special means something out of the ordinary, we did that.  

My friend Raimie kindly offered us a photo shoot for that year, and we squeaked it in when I was recovered from surgery enough to stand up for a while and before treatment started.  

So, thanks to her, we have some nice photos of us "BC" and our place. 

Thank you, dear friend.

December Hair

As would be fairly obvious to those who know me, I am not at home.  We took a visit to see Jim's sister in Wisconsin, and I would like to put those photos on the blog, but not in a hair post.  So, you will just have to wait.  

I chose a back photo this time so you can see how long my hair is getting.  You can also see one of the problems I have with doing anything with it.  My hair has always been thinner and shorter on one side than the other and I am not sure if this is normal to what my hair used to be, or if it is radiation damage on that side.  Radiation is hard on hair follicles and I was warned that permanent hair loss was a very real possibility.  This disparity in length won't be a problem later, after while, SOMETIME.  

So, most of the time I just let it go and ignore the way it looks.  You know what somebody said, "I just lost my hair and can't do a thing with it."

It looks pretty good here.  It's all in the way you point the camera.  

Looking Back to November Hair

Parts of me feel like I should be blogging oftener, but as I made this blog primarily for me, I just haven't felt like it, so I didn't.  The end of the year is a busy time with holidays, finishing up yearly office work, the end of school and special visits with special people.  I just didn't feel up to it.  I have most of my photos on my old computer where I am going through and sorting and printing them for a book for Lynette, but I spend most of my time on the laptop, and I need to do some different things.  Like start keeping 2014 photos on that computer. 

When I am busy I get too tired, and I don't get a lot of things done except sit on the couch and knit.  Blogging takes mind energy to sort and upload photos, and it just didn't get done.  

ANYWHO!!

Here is a bit from November.  I hope to get caught up, but January is a busy month, too.  

November Hair

A lovely surprise limited edition print by Paul Sloan searched for by my daughter and paid for by my husband because I loved it on our Oregon trip. 

A photograph of the print itself.  It is a lovely thing, hanging now in my living room over a choice display of books.

Which I am now thinking it would be a lovely photo to post but it would mean getting up, finding the camera, taking the photo, downloading it to the computer, uploading it to blogger, so I'm not going to do it.  I'm tired.  This week I have been to Wisconsin, attended a birthday party, have company and the boys were here today.  

Grandkids in November

Since Zane has gone to school, (Pre-K), Barry, who is a "one word man" at the moment and gets the message across very well, actually, copies Zane in nearly everything he does.  

At our house the other day, Zane was lining up toy trees so Barry wanted to also.  Of course, that causes some difficulties since Zane isn't the best at sharing, but after a division of trees Barry lined his up and begins to count, "one, four, fifteen...". He knows now that you use those words when you line things up and point.  He knows when people ask, "what color is this?", you use other words, like blue or green.  He knows these other shapes, where Zane says, "ABCEFG...", that he should say, "ABC, ABC, ABC,". 

The things a second child learns, and so soon!

Barry at just two is at the toddler stage.  It's so cute to watch this age grow and learn, to get command over themselves and the language.  Of course, that command come with so much, "no", "me do it", and "me too", that needs guided into proper channels all the while the parent or grandparent goes berserk listening to the constant willful demands.

Zane is loving school, one of four in his class.  He gets breakfast and lunch, has learned to say and recognize his letters and numbers.  He has learned a myriad of action songs and loves to perform.  

I love these boys.  They are a trial sometimes, being too active and too smart for their own good. 

We can't forget Christian who at 5 months is hitching himself along with elbows and toes.  He's a fast traveler, albeit unconventional, getting where he wants to go, either right over the other boys' toys to get what he wants.  Then if he can hold it, it goes right into his mouth.  

Barry with Croca-dilly

Papa and the boys.

Zane at his Veteran's Day program convulsed the audience by speaking into the microphone as he walked by. Everyone else who took part in the program behaved conventionally.   

Old Stories

I visited an old lady in the nursing home today.  She is 94 years old and didn't want to end up there, but she needs to heal, and there is no one to look after her at home.  She was good to me when I was in college, so I went to see her.

She is very deaf, so the best thing to do is get her to do the talking.  I know enough about her life to know questions to ask.

So, she talked.  She told me about her early days of marriage when her husband was in the service. She told me about her first job, a quarter a night for staying with an old neighbor lady, and bringing that quarter home to her folks.  She told about what living was like as a child with 10 kids at home and when her mother died and the youngest was 9.  She told me when her father changed jobs from a mechanic that worked until late at night to painting at the hospital, that her two oldest brothers worked out for farmers early, of losing their house in the country and finding friends that had a place in town for them.

She told about learning to play on an old pump organ, (she never had lessons), about dressing chickens, about the hard couple of days of canning beef after butchering, how her mother wanted 300 quarts of tomatoes in the cellar.

She remembered how one of her brothers liked flowers from a tot, and ran a florist shop all his days.

She loved to visit one grandma more than the other because one was "clean", and the other full of fun.  She was happy when they got their Maytag, and happier when they got a two-tub model.  It was nice not to wash with a board.  She remembered a long full day's washing with 6 beds, and always someone in diapers.

She remembered those early days when they went to meetings in the schoolhouse and found something more important than anything else, even though sometimes it meant a 4 mile walk one way on Sundays.

She laughed, I laughed.  She told me she's had a good life.

When she started to tell the same stories again, it was time to go.  It was an hour well spent.  Those days so long ago are gone, the children of this day can't understand them.  I feel a bridge between, remembering fresh chickens for dinner and the old wringer washer my grandma used when I was a child.

When asked how she likes it there, she says, "I haven't been here long enough."

What is next in her story?  Who knows? But she is making the best of it at the moment.  A good lesson for all of us to learn.

October Hair

Here it is again, time for the hair of the month.  I decided to comb my bangs down over my forehead so I could see how long they were getting.  It really makes my little old lady hair, don't you think?

Too bad I didn't think about wearing something classier than my jammies and robe.  

You know, if you remember to keep your chin up when someone takes your picture, the wrinkles on your neck don't look so bad.  

My Husband is Nuts...

...about tractors,

old tractors,

to be exact, old John Deere tractors.

Especially this one, which is like the first brand new tractor his father bought.

Sadly, his wife is rather nuts, too.  She likes them as well, and didn't have any fits when he bought it without telling her. 

We were in luck, the price was right.  

So, here it is.  It needs work, but that will come. 

Not this year, maybe not even next year. 

But, sometime, it will be bright green again.