Homebodies

We've had a week of unusual activity and none of us seem to like it much. Monday, Steven had his first orchestra concert of the school year. The fourth graders from three different schools in the district performed with the high school orchestra. It was done at the hs auditorium and was fun to watch, but Steven had some difficulty in that the bridge of his violin broke before the concert and he had to perform with a borrowed, larger violin and a borrowed bow. He wasn't happy guy. At least the music store will replace the violin with no charge. On Tuesday, we went to the annual Boy Scout cake auction. The theme was the Olympics. We went a little outside the box and called ours "Chicken Diving" for obvious reasons. It was well received and made $18 for the pack. On Wednesday, Sylvie had her weekly middle school youth church and Steven and I had to go and shop for new boots for him. Apparently, his feet are growing (excuse the pun) by leaps and bounds. He had to have a new pair 2 1/2 sizes larger than the pair I bought just last year!! Consequently, he got new tennies too. Tonight, I have to work from 7-11pm and Jeff has an orientation at church to join the tech team. All of us have commented at least once this week how little home time we've had and that we don't care for evening life to be this busy. I think we'd all better get used to it. I don't see that life with a teen and a preteen will probably be getting slower in the future! People out there with more than two kids, how do you handle it all? I'm happy to take any and all advice. Anne

Marco's Voice

My sister’s dog died yesterday. It was sudden and very sad. The loss of a loved one is never easy and some may think it strange to mourn an animal, but humans are made to love. I believe God, in His wisdom, gave us animals to share our vast stores of love with. Margaret and her family certainly did that with Marco. One of the best and most interesting things that they shared with Marco was his voice. I don’t know if many dogs do this, but he talked. They heard his voice and gave us his words and his accent. It was something that became very much a part of their family life. Marco spoke, the same as any of the rest of them. He had opinions, complaints, love words and nicknames for them. He even was occasionally included on cards to others, usually with his name and a small drawing of a dog’s head with its tongue hanging out and the words “Lit, lit” next to it. I'll miss that little dog head on my cards. I’ll miss how he said, “Modwod(Margaret), Marster(Master), lit(lick),wid(really) and pint(pink).” His lexicon even contributed to my own family’s vocabulary at times, but not often, as it seemed silly to voice someone who was not there at the time. It’s hard to describe Marco’s voice if you haven’t heard it. It had a certain babyish quality without the highness usually associated with a baby voice. The low voice made sense, he was a big dog. His k’s were all t’s(see pint). The voice fit a large furry lover. I think, of all the things to miss about him, we'll miss his voice the most.

Bike Riding

I have a new bike. I saw these bikes out in Colorado when we were there in June. The brand is Electra and the model is Hawaii. It looks like something out of the 40's or 50's with fenders and big fat whitewall tires. There are flowers on the frame, seat and even the tires! I saw the first one locked to a post outside a shop in Durango. I think it was pink. Sylvie and I both admired it. Then, it seemed, every time we turned around, there it was again, in another color. Sylvie was particularly good at seeing them and the phrase, "Look mom, there's another one!" rang out frequently. We saw them in orange and blue and yellow. This seemed to be the "It" bike of Durango and every woman we saw riding them was cool by association. When we got home, this bike kept calling to me. I looked them up on the internet and kept looking. I finally went to a bike store to see one in person. They had an orange one from last year, but wouldn't you know it, all that hesitation meant that they had sold it...two days before I got there. I went home a bit dejected. I talked about it over dinner thinking talking was as far as it would go. After all, my old bike, even at age 14, was still good. Jeff, after hearing me talk about it all through the meal, said, "Think of it as an anniversary gift from me. Go get it." (Isn't he the sweetest thing?) I sat there for minute in disbelief, finally saying, "Really?" Then, getting the nod, I wasted no time getting back to the bike store to order one of my own! The result is the beautiful green bike you can see in the picture. I lurve it! I feel like a French girl riding to the market. I am on it most every day and biking about four miles. Sylvie and I did do six miles one day to the local library, but four is the norm. I find I have to force myself to rest every few days as my knees aren't up to the exertional challenge yet...bummer. I have found a circle route through a park that I really enjoy. There is a place on the route that goes through the woods and over a short wooden bridge. The path has a spot that reminds me so much of biking in the airport woods as a kid. It is cool and piney and I feel about 10 when I'm there. The sense of nostalgia is poignant. I hope my legs will soon strengthen enough to allow daily rides without pain, but I will still ride even if I have to hurt, just because it is so fun! Take a look at www.electrabikes.com for more cool bikes if you like what you see. Anne

You Lookin' at Me???

I am thrilled and a bit taken aback by my weight loss progress. To date, I have lost 53 pounds since last August (35 since March). I am now into size 10! I think they must have changed the sizes since the last time I was this weight (back in 1992), because I wasn't wearing 10's then, unless it was a rare, "big 10", and I was 18 pounds lighter then! I am still thrilled by the idea of 10, though. I bought a new shirt over the weekend (it is a medium), and it makes ME look tiny! TINY??? ME??? That is a word I never thought I would associate with myself. It's kind of weird. Thanks to all of you whom have been so supportive. Anne

Things that Break

A few weeks ago, I was putting away clean dishes, including my small pyrex casserole dish. Ray and Linda gave us a set of several pyrex dishes when we got married 20 years ago. I loved them and I used them all the time. When I put the smaller dish into the larger, the larger one shattered like a car windshield that had been hit with a brick. It just fell apart into a million pieces on the shelf. It was startling, sudden and a bit sad. A few pieces spit out of the cabinet onto the floor, but most of them just flattened. There was no fixing it. The fixer in me was flummoxed. All I could do was reach into the dark cabinet with a small whisk broom and sweep the bits and pieces into a dust pan and throw it away, then go out and get a new one.
Just a couple of days later, I heard from my brother that he and his wife are getting a divorce. It is amicable and both are in agreement that they just don't love each other anymore. This shattering of a marriage is less sudden, but no less startling or sad. They will hopefully be happier as individuals, but certainly any divorce has ripple effects that no one can predict. There must always be some ambivalence at the breaking of a life lived together, even for a short time. Some things just cannot be put back together, no matter how hard you may want to try. Some things are not your business to even try to fix, no matter how much you may want to. With my brother and his wife, all I can do is pray and help with practical things when asked. The fixer in me is flummoxed again. I can't do it, no one can, and that is the saddest part of all.

Have Your Cake and Eat it Too

I was just sitting thinking about that phrase. The idea of having something and eating it, but still having it. The thought that you could eat or use something without sacrificing it. I was thinking about it not so much in the philosophical sense as is the actual physical, eating, sense. I was actually wishing for a never ending chocolate chip cookie, or maybe a never ending pizza slice. Did you ever wish for something like that? Something you could eat, that would maybe change into another thing you could eat, without having to get up and get it, would never make you feel full and gross, never make you fat? The penultimate lazy man's foodstuff? I get like this sometimes when I am craving something, but not really hungry. I don't even know what it is I'm craving, because when I actually start mentally listing things I could eat, I don't want them: crackers? nope, candy? nope, cheese, chips, chili, chimichangas? nope, nope, nope, nope! Somebody help me! What is this mysterious food I am craving? Will I have to settle for "eating around a craving" for the next few days until I discover what it is I actually want? Like Templeton, the rat at the fair, eating a bit of everything? The thought of it makes me a little bit sick...and full.

Colorado, Fortunately....Unfortunately

Fortunately, we took a trip to Colorado, unfortunately, the train through Iowa was flooded out and couldn't run. Fortunately, we could drive to Omaha and catch a bus to Denver to start our trip, unfortunately, our tickets were incorrect. Fortunately, the agent in Omaha was very helpful and quickly changed the tickets and issued us a refund, unfortunatley, the bus was crowded and two ladies sat behind me and Sylvie (and talked very loudly from 2 to 3am!) and sleep was next to impossible. Fortunately, our rental car was a van that held all of us and our luggage easily, unfortunately, Jeff decided to add two more activities to the first driving day and it became very long! Fortunately, Colorado National Monument was beautiful and well worth the detour, unfortunately, Grand Mesa was something of a disappointment, but we did find a small gallery and winery shop at the end of it and bought a bottle of wine. Fortunately, our cabin and campground were just great! Fortunately, Mesa Verde was really awe-inspiring and very interesting to visit, unfortunately, Kenny wasn't able to make the climbs up and down with us. Fortunately, we booked the Durango and Silverton narrow gauge railroad trip way in advance and got to make that trip, unfortunately, Silverton wasn't all it was cracked up to be and Sylvie cried at lunch because the restaurant was, "ugly and tacky! sob sob sob!" Fortunately, even the "tacky" souvenir shops were fun an we found some good stuff. Fortunately, Sylvie and I got to go on a two hour horse-back ride up in the mountains and saw divine scenery, unfortunatley, 2 hours on a horse??? I had pains in areas of my body that I didn't even know could hurt(my kidneys hurt for two days)!! Fortunately, we drove to Four Corners and got to stand at the junction of four states, unfortunately it was a big concrete slab in the middle of nowhere that took 2 hours to get to! Fortunately, the car made the trek through the mountains without issues and we got back to Grand Junction in one piece, unfortunately, the train was still not running through Iowa, waaaah! Fortunately, the ticket agent was able to correct things and give us a refund, unfortunately, it wasn't as much as we expected and we still had to ride the bus back to Omaha. Fortunately, the train to Denver arrived in Grand Junction right on time, unfortunately, we had to wait for a couple of repair crews to clear the tracks and it made us an hour late! Fortunately, we got lunch in the dining car with our first class accomodation, unfortunately, they didn't serve dinner due to the lack of time, so despite not getting into Denver until 8:30pm, we had no dinner!:( Fortunately, we were off the train fast and arrived first at the bus, unfortunately, the bus driver tried to close the door on us and told us we couldn't get on yet as they didn't have the "express vs. local" situation figured out yet. Fortunately, there was to be an Amtrak person there to help figure things out, unfortunately, there wasn't one and noone showed up until I went into the station 45 minutes later and talked to the agent in the ticket window! Fortunately, she came out and sorted it out, unfortunately, there wasn't anyone that needed to get off the bus before Omaha and so they could have just let us on the busses and driven all of us there in the first place! DUUHHHH...... Fortunatley, the bus was a bit more comfortable than the one we rode last week, unfortunately, the driver never introduced himself or made any announcements for bathroom breaks or anything! Fortunately, there were more empty seats on this bus, unfortunately, I was on the opposite side of the bus from my family and I had a panic attack (from fatigue and lack of food) and feared that their side of the bus would be sheared off in a wreck and I would lose them all and the kids also cried due to hunger and I felt like the worst mom ever. Fortunately, we got out of Denver quickly and were soon on the highway, unfortunately, we got diverted off the highway by a police car surrounded by flares and the bus driver had no clue what to do! Fortunately, he was able to call the other driver and get back on the highway after about 20 minutes. Fortunately, the kids were able to get some sleep and the bus arrived on time to Omaha, unfortunately, this time there was an old couple behind us and the man was nearly deaf and he shouted a lot all night. Fortunately, our car was still in the parking lot with all of its tires and gas, unfortunately, there had been a wind storm in Omaha that night and half of the town was without power. Fortunately, Jeff felt ok to drive, unfortunately, we couldn't find a good restaurant, the one we stopped at said it was an Embers, but it was a dump and smelled like pee, so we left. Fortunately, we found a McDonald's a few miles down the highway. Fortunately, I fell asleep in the van and Jeff made awesome time to Des Moines, unfortunately, when I took over the driving there was a huge rain shower! Fortunately, we were able to drive out of it and make it home around 3:15pm! Home never felt so good! Back to regular life. Anne