Knitters Greenhouse

quilt and sewing projects

2009-02-18T19:10:00.010-05:00

I've been sewing. Now I have packed up all my equipment and have these finished projects:

I call this one, "RED baby blanket". I embroidered the little doggy figures onto the stripes and machine quilted in wavy lines. The entire thing is cotton flannel.

This one is, "Kikar Rag Quilt," - see the little cars?

Next is a simple, single-layer fleece, edged with satin blanket binding.

I tried a new pattern: Attic Windows, and I backed it with "minky" - which I love using. I used cotton flannel for the batting, making it a nice weight with the minky.

Not everything is for the new baby in the family. I made this for Arya. Made of corduroy that I got on clearance, and I made size 1/2, lengthening it a bit. Arya is almost 3.

Boltz sibling dance

2009-01-06T21:21:00.002-05:00

My kids danced at Phil's wedding, and he brought in his new wife, Emily, at the end. Here you have their own version of "Total eclipse of the heart." There's Karen Karki, Phil Boltz, Liz Boltz Ranfeld, and Sara Meyers, and at the end, the star of the night, Emily Sanders Boltz.

new blog

2009-01-03T22:16:00.002-05:00

On this blog, which was primarily for my family, I have in the past two years or so, had more than one inquiry about my and Ray's personal life. Up until recently, when Ray officially came out, there was no need to say anything publicly. I have now gone more public, in an effort to provide support to other people in similar situations as me. The new blog is here:

http://myheartgoesout-carol.blogspot.com

He's back!

2008-09-09T20:21:00.003-04:00

Lance Armstrong is coming back to race in pro cycling! It excites me, and Liz asked if I'd bought a ticket to France yet. Sure, I should never even consider returning to France. BUT, if you asked me if it would be thrilling to cheer for him one more time, then, yes, yes, yes.

Now, who would I really want to win the 2009 TdF? Hard call, but it would be Floyd Landis! Here is a picture of our banner from 2006.

Otherwise...

2008-09-08T14:40:00.003-04:00

Conversation between Arya, Karen, and me, in my car, on the way to meet Sara at the Daleville McDonalds. Here's the story:

Karen bought a used puzzle at a rummage sale, and Arya carried it into the house. The pieces fell on their front deck, and one of the pieces fell right through the gap in the boards. Gone. Too bad.

I told Karen about deck in Florida, the one on the main floor. Since the house is on pilings, it's up high, and there is a screen right under the boards. You can see things that we've dropped for years, but they are unreachable. One of the things is a kitchen knife.

Arya heard us and said: Knifes are for cutting things.
Me: Yes, that's right.
Arya: But not for cutting pets.
(she has a video about pets, and she had brought along two "pets" - a stuffed dog and a stuffed cat.)
Me: Yes, that's right, not for cutting pets.
Arya: Otherwise, we'd have to eat them.

Hot dog!

2008-05-27T12:05:00.004-04:00

Our neighbor's garage has an room above it with a window that overlooks my back yard, the patio, and the pool. Sometimes the 18-year-old practices his music up there, and I hear his drums and the guitars rocking away. It makes a nice addition to my music exposure. However, the recent exposure was something that surprised me.

About 8:45 as Karen and Rajeev were inside the house searching frantically for their car keys, I was watching Arya and checking my plants on and around the patio. Suddenly I heard, "Oh, ****!" and I looked toward the voice, which came from the neighbor's garage window. I saw an alarmed "zip" of pants, and various, loud, embarrassed expletives. I began to laugh, since I realized someone (this person) had been pee-ing out the 2nd floor window.

My house EASILY views all the the back of this garage. I have a deep property, and I live in a rural neighborhood. It's not city, but we ARE outside plenty. It is not at all private enough, nor was it dark enough to think that pissing off the back of a garage would not be seen.

Fortunately for MY memory bank, I saw nothing. But I sure wanted that young man to THINK I did. When I heard him say, "I guess that wasn't a very good idea," I replied, "No, not a good idea," saying it plenty loud enough for him to hear, and chuckling to myself. I brought Karen and Rajeev to look and I pointed up to the window and laughed when I said to them, "I saw NOTHING!" That made it even funnier. But don't tell that kid!

Service

2008-05-01T16:23:00.004-04:00

This week I participated at the United Methodist 2008 General Conference in Ft. Worth, Texas. A combination of medical issues have put me in a "rest mode," causing me to leave for home a couple of days early. Since then, I've tried to catch up with the events taking place. In my searches for relevant blogs, I came across this video, and it sums what I think about as I go about life. It means a lot to me to become a caring person, and I think we all need to "Get Service."

Here is the video:

Twinkle, twinkle, Little Star

2008-04-30T20:28:00.002-04:00

I've been starting Arya on the piano with a little Suzuki. Whether or not it "takes" will be seen, but she loves to play (pound). The current goal is not to pound!

Earthquake!

2008-04-18T13:02:00.002-04:00

At 5:39 I was comfortably sleeping on my stomach until I thought someone was making a lot of noise entering the room. I startled, called out, and then just stood up and turned on the light. Lots of possibilities ran through my mind: tornado? a train in my room? and then, EARTHQUAKE? And I stood there until everything stopped moving, and even the small ornament hanging and swinging, finally stopped.

Never have I felt that before, and am glad that there was no reason to think it might happen again. Sometimes there are reports of quakes in other areas of the midwest, but I'd never felt one before. The news started reporting that there are no casualties, not much damage, and we have a lot to be thankful for, I guess.

Sometimes these things just happen, right?

German French American and Irish

2008-03-17T10:46:00.002-04:00

Irish Soda Bread

Combine: 1 c. vacuum packed wheat germ
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 c. unbleached flour
1/2 c. sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
Cut in with a fork, 1/2 c. butter
Add 1 cup buttermilk, mixing lightly with a fork.
Knead on floured surface briefly (about a minute or less)
Turn dough into greased (or Pam-sprayed) loaf pan.
Bake @ 425* for an hour, or until center of bread tests "done."

Happy Valentines Day

2008-02-14T09:00:00.004-05:00

...from Mandy Pa"pink"in

aka RHB

Smothers bro at Walmart

2008-02-06T13:16:00.000-05:00

Near my home there are lots of Walmarts - there's the one that makes me crazy in the parking lot, the one that makes me hate checking out, and then there are ones that are just handy. Then there's this other one - a fancy Walmart. Ever been in one of those? My sister took me to one on the way to New Braunfels when I visited her, and she said, "this is the nicest Walmart EVER!"

I had to agree that sometimes Walmarts have different levels. I don't know how they do this, but maybe it's wider aisles and better lighting. One like that near here is up in Nokomis on the way to Sarasota. It's got great landscaping, no blaring signs nearby, and the general area is upscale. I suppose they have strict zoning codes that keeps the area like that, as well as the fact that there are gated neighborhoods everywhere along that stretch of road.

With all this in mind, it was still somewhat of a surprise when last fall I "saw someone." I KNEW this person was a celebrity - kind of like when I spotted Samuel Jackson in a Chicago department store and I got the stare that said, "I know you've spotted me, but please don't stare." There's just that certain "look," of a celebrity, where the face is familiar but just can't be placed. That's how I felt when I saw this...guy. But he was so "out"-standing - he had an expensive-looking Hawaiian shirt, and cologne that I could smell even at the end of that wide aisle where he and his lady-friend/wife were looking at rugs. In the fancy-shmancy Walmart.

"Call Liz," I thought - because she always knows everyone. But I didn't have anything to go by - and I kept thinking this guy was from way back...maybe Love Boat of something. At least that time frame - LLOOOONNNNGGG Ago. Liz wasn't much help - but she said, "just memorize that face you saw. It will come to you."

Sunday morning I opened the magazine section of the Sarasota paper. On one of the first inside pages, there was this big photo - and an ad for Koval & Koval Dentistry. There, smiling, was the man I had seen: Dick Smothers!

Turns out Dick lives in Sarasota, got his teeth done, and shops at the nice Walmart.

More wildlife

2008-01-30T10:17:00.001-05:00

What is this bird? I've seen this kind twice recently.

butterfly quilt

2008-01-30T09:59:00.001-05:00

I sent this off to Martha yesterday, having finally finished it.

Cowries and Snakes

2008-01-21T09:33:00.000-05:00

Our friends, Tim & Cindy, who visited from Indiana didn't get to have as warm a vacation as I had hoped, but there was an occasional break in the clouds. It was enough to cast a shadow once in a while, lay by the pool and relax, and to walk on the beach while wearing our COATS! It was also enough to bring out this lovely creature (some might disagree) who slithered across the road in front of my golf cart:

You can guage the size of this guy by checking out the electrical box in the 2nd shot. I tried to get a video but was too awed by seeing the thing.

This morning was to be an especially low tide (tomorrow is the full moon) so even though it was in the 40s when I woke up, and despite my lingering (and leaving) cold, I layered my clothes and walked to the beach. Surprisingly there were not many shells - at least not up to my collection standards - and I mainly walked and was enjoying the beautiful morning.

A Minnesota couple were at the north end of the island, and I was more interested in chatting with them than the shells. Nice folks, and they were finding cool shells. I took a turn from the high tide line of shells toward the water's edge - and WOW! Right there was this beautiful COWRIE SHELL! The Minnesota people had been there since SUN UP! And they had not seen this amazing shell. I was so excited! Oh wow! Oh wow! I showed them, they were impressed. I was thrilled.

This is the 2nd time I've found a cowrie - totally surprised both times - and in almost the exact same spot. This one today is slightly smaller but in better condition than the one I found last year. It is definitely going in the glass case.

"American Jezebel: The Uncommon Life of Anne Hutchinson, the Woman Who Defied the Puritans"

2008-01-07T10:52:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite shops is the Goodwill Store. The fun finds there are toys, wine glasses, dishes, books, and a potty chair. Florida Goodwill stores are amazing, a fact I discovered years ago when we searched for cheap, overseas travel clothes (that qualified for downright ugly, too). I think they are so good down here in Florida because of the shifting population (transient) and perhaps because older people typically get rid of their stuff when they move, or, since they are older, die. (Just our observation - I have no proof, but eventually older people do that.) All their stuff ends up at Goodwill.

Last year I found a recommended book, "The Good Book," by Gomes. I was so glad to read some thoughtful insight into church history and current interpretation, and I was also glad that I only paid ten cents for the book.

A few weekends ago I went to the Bargain Barn, which is the bin section of stuff that didn't sell fast enough in the regular Goodwill store. I picked up the book titled, "American Jezebel," and took it home.

I love reading history books, and early American history, including the colonial era float my boat. This book really shows just how oppressed women were in colonial days, and I wouldn't want to live in those times. Here are starters:

I read how Anne had 14 children who lived to adulthood, and she had more who died before reaching that point.

Anne and women of her time had no voice in affairs of church or state. NONE! Also, they were not recognized as education-worthy. (See above for the importance of women.)

No rights for women's property ownership or inheritance.

"There was and is no written account of most women's lives then, save their birth, marriage, and death dates," - page 116

Anne, specifically, was convicted and IMPRISONED because she led women's meetings that were also attended by men, and she opposed the local church and their ministers. She was convicted for what she thought about and for what she spoke about to the women in the community. Until her public trial, which was judged by an all-men council, she had not spoken publicly about her beliefs, and it was at that point that she was convicted and later sentenced to prison!

Then Governor Winthrop (1637) opposed a written code for law. Instead he brought charges, then that set a precedent and served as law. (I don't know what this system is called.)

Can you imagine living in a community like that?

We currently have the primaries for the 2008 Presidential election going on, and the growing support for Huckabee actually scares me. I don't want a fundamentalist preacher heading our government. I don't want anyone like him speaking for me, a college graduated, Christian woman who has gained, by written law, the rights to work, live, own property, marry who I want, and decide if I will have babies. (Well, I'm a little too old for that, but it's only been in the past 100 years that birth control has been available to women. Considering I'm 55, that is just two times the years of my life.) I don't want Pat Robertson (or others like him) setting up a theocracy for our country, based on how he believes it was intended. (The signers of the Constitution had even changed from the Puritan era of Massachusetts.)

(I don't necessarily think Huckabee would go back to colonial rule of law - but I do disagree with the fundamentalist view that a Bible-based theocracy would be ideal.)

I'm still reading about Anne Hutchinson's life, and I doubt I'd want to hang out with her for very long. She had a very different life than mine. But I applaud her for all that she stood up for and for all the words that have been recorded of her life.

Grand-offspring, cuter than ever.

2007-11-01T23:23:00.000-04:00

I want to plaster this cute video all over the internet. My darling little granddaughter, more precious than any other grandmother's grand-offspring, is smart, cute, adorable, and sweet. Here she is, dancing in her hula skirt:

And here she is in her Elmo suit:
(Well, it will have to come later. Blogger won't load the picture.)

So many ads, so little diversity

2007-11-01T23:04:00.000-04:00

Although it is unusual for me to post news other than what relates to my family, I found an interesting youtube video when I was searching for information on the possibility of a media writers strike. Even though today was very exciting when I got a call from "The Late Show with David Letterman," the fact that Ray and I have TICKETS to go to the show, (along with two Broadway shows!) that very show is one that may be affected if there is a writers strike. ouch. What will that mean? I don't know. I just hope there is a show on Monday night because we get to go!

Following some links, I saw the following: an entertaining excerpt from testimony given a year ago by Patric Verrone at an FCC hearing on media consolidation.

It makes you think about how we get our information and entertainment - a mere SIX corporations to take all that ad money, and crank out what they call a "homogenized" product. How can that possibly be a good thing?

a picture worth 1000 words

2007-10-19T10:26:00.000-04:00

I felt a little embarrassed about posting such a nothing entry yesterday. THEN, I got a tip that our grand-daughter got some new photos made at this site.
The site is http://stacyandmary.typepad.com/

The previews of this photo session are amazingly cute! Here is a sample:

I think that photography is an art, but it also requires that you treat your subjects courteously and with respect. A photographer should also be able to handle the business side of his or her work, deliver work as promised and according to contract and agreements that have been made.

Unfortunately we are still having problems with the photographer that we used for Sara's wedding. The wedding was mid-June and we still don't have the orderable prints (his contract indicated we'd have them in 60 days or we would deserve a refund). It has been frustrating, and I'm reminded that until we have these, it would not be in our best interest to complain too loudly and strongly, especially on the internet.

and what's my point?

2007-10-18T23:17:00.000-04:00

The sky reddened at the end of the day, and now days are ending about 7:00 p.m. I always remember the saying: "Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. Red sky at night, sailors delight." It works pretty well, since most days have been clear lately.

I changed a flight to visit Indiana - It isn't the state I miss, it is my kids! I'm now a card-carrying Floridian, ready to vote in the next primary! I still need to get the car insured and tag it down here, and will get that done before next week is out.

The point of this post: things are slow in Florida.

pink jacket, revised

2007-10-10T00:31:00.000-04:00

I did re-do the jacket. It only makes sense to do it right. Taking out tight stitches is annoying if not frustrating, but I did it. Btw, those words were Arya's first 4-word sentence: I did it, Mommy. She was talking about going potty :-)

Here she is in her pink jacket.

Junonia entry #2

2007-10-06T18:56:00.001-04:00

When I went back and read some of the old entries, I wanted to add this photograph of a junonia. No, the shelling hasn't been very good, but the beach is great early in the morning. Plus, another good thing is that we are more than halfway through hurricane season. That is a relief for both coasts, and all the way across the Gulf to Texas! Happy Birthday, Donna!

will have to hang from roof...

2007-10-06T18:48:00.000-04:00

I have had this happen, which makes the warning from Engrish.com all the more funny.

Sewn together, rip out, re-sew

2007-09-15T10:56:00.000-04:00

I hate when I make mistakes sewing, and I hate re-sewing those mistakes, but I have thought of a way to repair a little jacket I made. I finished a pink corduroy jacket a couple days ago. Then I realized the mistake I made: I had three things cut, and used the wrong piece for the "fly" on the jacket front. It is hard and not flexible, so I thought maybe it wouldn't get buttoned often. Just today I thought of a way to change the fly - I can use the co-ordinated lining material for the fly (there's no more of the main pink corduroy). I have already used the co-ordinate for the cuff on the overalls - the place where the piece that I used for the fly. It means I have to rip apart several tight seams, carefully cut a new piece to fit, then re-insert the new piece. I really don't want to do it, but it will bug me until I do.

Here is the jacket

It would be so much easier and more fun to just start a new baby quilt, or the pattern I bought to make for someone who has a birthday (in Oct.) coming.

I really, really hate to fix sewing mistakes.

Love remains

2007-09-08T13:33:00.000-04:00

I heard a song today, "Love Remains," from Colin Raye's CD, "I think about you." I found this youtube video which is kind of cheesy, but the song speaks volumes.

Mary Saunders

2007-09-08T13:14:00.000-04:00

I just finished reading a book about a real girl, Mary Saunders. Partly true, the story is fictionalized, but told in the setting like things were in the 18th century. There are several women's voices heard in the book, and it brings to mind the fact that we live such a changed version of life than have the women who came before us.

The story is Mary's short life that included poverty, ambition, rape, prostitution, redemption, domestic service, a short glimpse of romance, and then destruction and murder. Sounds depressing, doesn't it? I found the book in the reception office, and I picked it up on a whim. Who knew I'd get so into the story? Wow - it drew me in and I couldn't stop reading it.

From Mary's mother to her benefactor, to the small-town seamstress that gives Mary a second chance, I couldn't help contrasting their lives with my own and other women of the Western World today. What we owe these predecessors is hard to know. The fact that SO MANY have paved the way for me to have the rights I have today - to NOT live in poverty, to NOT have to be satisfied with a particular "station in life," to NOT have to be a 2nd class (or lower) citizen just because I'm female - it all makes me so aware and grateful to all of them.

Title of the book: Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue

more Floyd Landis

2007-08-20T23:11:00.000-04:00

Read this. I still am hoping he can race in 2008, and YES, I'll go. You bet I will!

disappearing dog bowl

2007-08-14T23:20:00.001-04:00

Here's the thing - I went to feed our golden retrievers tonight, only to find just one bowl. Now, the two bowls are always in the garage. A week ago we had a rummage sale, and the tables and boxes are still there. It is a regular maze to get to the dog food area, and where the heck is the 2nd bowl? The dogs NEVER carry out their bowls, but perhaps they went dog-crazy and drug it to the yard.
Daylight will have to come before I go looking for it - and I imagine it will be out in the "place" where they always take their favorite bones...and sticks...and old frisbees, and stuff. I was talking to my sister on a cell phone, so it was particularly frustrating to be zipping through the rummage maze, holding a normal conversation, looking for the bowls, getting around the dogs, and tipping up the almost empty bag of food into the one bowl.

Meanwhile, dinner with the newlyweds was great. Thanks, kids, for sharing.

reeling with more cycling news

2007-07-25T21:44:00.000-04:00

Wow. What else can be said? Not only has Vinokourov been removed yesterday after failing a blood test, but now, Rabobank has eliminated the Maillot Jaune, Michael Rasmussen, from the Tour de France. The news reports say that "the chicken," not only missed drug tests, he has now reportedly been not, as he said, in Mexico. Rather he was spotted in Italy on the days in question.

C'mon, guys. How can we, how can I be a fan - when all these questions swirl? What's a fan to say to all the finger-pointers? I still don't hate the sport by any means. I still will watch. BUT what a demoralizer for everyone! What will be the reaction of the other cyclists? How will Bob Roll, Phil Liggett, and Paul Sherwin spin this? I mean, the TdF has lost the yellow jersey in the final week of the race!

Teach your children well

2007-07-21T11:31:00.000-04:00

The following is a disturbing video from youtube. A few days ago I was at Meijer, standing in the check-out line. A young mom and her toddler were in front of me, and the child wanted the "Dips" or some kind of packaged ice cream, and the top flew off of the box. The mom grabbed the box, and the little girl cried, loudly. She'd already been fussy, but this made her really upset. I tried to lessen the tension by saying, "oh, that happened to me with my blueberries a while ago," and "blah..blah...my grand-daughter is about her age..." It didn't help at all. The mom, being obviously stressed, popped her HARD. I was disturbed, especially because I'd been told the little one was the same age as Arya, 16 months.

It all makes me wonder: What kind of mom was I for my kids? So many times I yelled at my kids when their only transgression was that it was late, my house was a mess, or I got frustated and tired. I even hit them, but never in public. It wasn't beating - but it was wrong. (That time when Philip's nose started bleeding is another story...)

I pray for those busy parents of little ones these days. It seems like there are ever more reasons for them to be too busy, too stressed, and too tired, just like I was. I want to think of effective ways to lend a hand so violence is not used to control children. Even more so, what are the things I am teaching through my "grown-up" actions?

Arya plays in the puddle

2007-07-21T01:38:00.000-04:00

A couple of days ago, I took Arya out to try out her new "Elmo" stroller, and it was just about 30 minutes after a rain. Besides just pushing and being pushed in the stroller, which she LOVED, she was having fun stomping in the puddles. Even though I knew Karen was taking her to a short photo shoot (Karen's shoot of a class) shortly, I let Arya splash and splash, knowing she was getting her shoes a bit wet. It wasn't going too badly until she decided to SIT DOWN in the water. Being the grandma who thinks almost EVERYTHING Arya does is cute and funny, I decided to remove her clothes and let her have fun. Of course that meant that I'd have to stay with her another hour while Karen did the photo shoot. Such is the price I pay to be a grandma.

I was trying to send the video from my camera phone, but it doesn't seem to go through. Meanwhile, I'll use this video that Karen took in May.

I'm hoping for Levi to win TdF

2007-07-18T23:01:00.000-04:00

Liz has thrown in for Cadel Evans to win the TdF, but I'm hoping for Levi Leipheimer to show some dominance in the Pyrenees and go on to take the GC win. It's not an educated guess, just a guess that he can still make progress in those mountains.

I also see that another of our favorites, Dave Zabriske, continues to "stay on his bike"* and I'm proud of all his work for Team CSC. Peace, Dave.

*quote stolen from Floyd at the Wheaton Borders 7/9/07

Why I started and continue to blog

2007-07-17T23:23:00.000-04:00

Several years ago (1998-99) our son, Phil, left home for a year-long internship with a youth ministry that we were involved with and supported in many ways. During that year he told us about his "blog," which was my first real exposure to them. I could read what he was thinking, as well as link to the blogs of his friends. I got to know his friends this way, and it was a fun connection to his life away from home.

Our daughter, Liz, has a regular blog that she's written for several years. She's the prolific writer in our family. Although she doesn't treat her blog as a private journal, sometimes she relates the day's events. Other times she takes positions on important issues, or rants of how she is offended by rude people, or how much she loves pro cycling.

A while back, I started my own blog, and it was mostly to keep up with my kids who wrote and recorded their thoughts and the events in their lives. I never intended to be a sounding board of my personal life to those who have no connection to my life. Although I write on the internet, I do this to talk about things that are important to me, not to invade others' lives or try to hurt them.

Through the years, I've read other blogs, and like I have mentioned, it has helped me to learn about people and what others think. Many of the things I read are very personal, while others are political or commentaries on life in general. The most interesting ones were the ones that revealed inner thoughts. Sometimes I have commented on others blogs, sometimes I've e-mailed directly.

Concerning my family, I am married to a man I have loved for many years. He has been a follower of Christ, as have I, for all of our adult lives. I am proud to say that all of our kids are intelligent, thinking Christians, who care deeply about their faith and their fellow believers. When others have invaded our lives with rumors, we have always seen fit to ignore them and turned to one another and to God. I will not discontinue my entries (even though I sometimes lag a bit and don't write!) or try to hide anything about my life. I'll just blog.

had my face "threaded"

2007-07-10T23:26:00.000-04:00

Yup - here is a post about an old-fashioned Asian process for hair removal, threading. Last month before her wedding, Sara had her eyebrows shaped by an Indian woman at a kiosk in the mall. She was so pleased and I decided to try it. Dang it hurts! At the same time, it effectively gets rid of those nasty, hard hairs that grow on the chin of every 50-something woman I know. Another positive: cheap! ($10.00 for upper lip and chin).

I'm not really obsessed...but...

2007-07-10T23:14:00.001-04:00

There is really no need to re-invent the wheel on this, but we had so much fun going up to Chicago for a Floyd Landis book-signing, that I will just link to Liz, where she has written the whole story. She does a good job of not making us sound like crazed fans, however, it really is just too hard to describe how important it has been to me to go experience fan-fun at the Tour de France and cheering for our favorite cyclist, Floyd.

We also thought it was pretty cool to be included in the photos on cyclingnews, so be sure to follow all the links.

Floyd still makes me smile

2007-05-31T09:03:00.000-04:00

What a good post from a girl I don't know What a wonderful attitude, and so well expressed.

Needless to say, I also admire Floyd Landis. When I read Trust but Verify there is a so much to read and link to, and there is a lot of technical information, articles to read and opinions to sort.

Meanwhile when I remember the last two summers in France, I have the most remarkable memories! When I link to sites that reference Floyd, I remember our painted umbrella that said, "Go FLOYD." When I see the schedule for this year's Tour and other big bike races, I still wish I could go again. NOTHING will replace what a great time we had, our support for Floyd, and it will ALWAYS be a reason for us to smile.

Happy Mother's Day - to my mom

2007-05-13T09:07:00.000-04:00

I went to the cemetery this past week to put flowers on my mom's grave. I always like to have something there by Mother's Day, to show that someone remembers the person that was Mildred Anne Rinehart Brammer. She was my mom, and I loved her.

When I think of my mom, I don't always remember her like she was when she was sick with Parkinson's. I try not to recall those times when I would try to explain something, and she'd wave her hand and say, "That doesn't make sense..." or, in some other way let me know she wasn't even trying to follow what I was describing. In those times, I decided to turn away from her in a sense, and I closed off parts of my world to her. It was not a good thing to do, but I did.

Instead, what I like to remember is how her eyes used to light up when I shared something...something she loved, like how I planted a garden...that I wanted to can vegetables with her, or go pick apples at the orchard. She always spotted trees in stranger's yards, and she'd say, "I bet they aren't even going to pick those. Do you think WE could?" "MOM! We can't do that!" I bet we could have. She always wanted to make use of things, and she couldn't see letting good apples (you could insert: pears, cherries, grapes) go to waste.

Oh yes, and the berries! In late June, she would always get excited when the wild raspberries came ripe. She told me that HER mom used to can raspberries, and as a child, she'd eat those berries with fresh cream and sugar. It was one of her favorite things. Even in her late 70s, when her hands shook and she was kind of wobbly from the disease, she'd get her straw hat, wear long jeans, put on the white gloves with the fingers cut off, spray with OFF, and take off to the "woods" with her bucket to pick all those "free" black raspberries. Never mind that she sometimes got chiggers, or poison ivy, or made her arms bloody with brier scratches, she had those berries to make her DELICIOUS pies! Her eyes really lit up when you ate a piece, and praised the juicy wonderfulness and the best pie crust in the world!

Mom's garden, a huge garden, every year produced green beans, tomatoes, cauliflower, sweet corn, cucumbers, green peppers, GIANT PUMPKINS, yellow squash, and the ever-hated zucchini. Mom turned zucchini into her own taco casserole, bread, and even chocolate cake. At the end of every summer, Mom had jars and jars of beautiful vegetables, relish, and as it became popular, she made salsas. Her freezer never was empty, because she filled that, too. She was proud of her work, her thriftiness, and that God had blessed her another year.

Mom loved going to the Delaware County Fair! From the time we were little, she always took us to see the horses, the cows, sheep, rabbits and the rest of the 4-H animals. We'd have to go through the vegetable displays too, which seemed to take forever, but we'd be there all day, and it was usually "Children's day," or "Firemen's Day," (our dad was a city fireman) so we could ride all the rides for a cheap price. We'd always get one of her favorites, a chocolate malt from the Matthews Lion's Club booth. One year, her name even got called on the final night of the annual fair, for the grand prize, and if she had GONE that night, she'd have won a new car. For some reason, that night she was lured somewhere else, and it was required that you be in attendance in order to win. But her eyes would light just telling the story of when she almost won.

Making cinnamon sticky rolls was also one of her "specialities." The secret, well, I'm not sure since mine don't always turn out as good as hers were, is corn syrup in the bottom of the pan. I guess I need some more experience, but Mom practiced good and hard on hers, and they were the BEST! Cinnabons just don't match what my mom could make.

When I used to take my kids to her house - that made her eyes light up. She'd greet them at the door, hold her arms open wide, and scoop them up with so much love. She kept fun toys, bought mostly from rummage sales, or her collection of rocks from all the state parks she'd ever been to, for all the kids to play with. Mom often made either pie, cookies, or those amazing sticky rolls or some other goodie, and she'd feed us all. She even taught whoever of the kids would pay attention how to roll the dough out, and she took pride when Sara learned to knead it. (The other kids probably learned too, but Sara just told me about it recently when SHE made sticky rolls for her fiance', Landon.)

Fishing - yes, another one of Mom's passions - that would make her light up. Whether it was in the Mississinewa River, on St. Joseph Island, or Prairie Creek Reservoir, Mom LOVED to fish. Whether she was in the surf of South Padre Island, from a pontoon or a boat, from a pier, or from the shore, she LOVED it. I can't say that I ever really loved to fish, but Mom convinced us to take her on one of her last "good" days in June of 2001, and although I wasn't too happy to be doing it, but we went fishing.
I can't tell you how much I wished I had enjoyed that day more, but the pictures that Liz took that day tell it all - Mom's eyes were fully LIT UP.

Mother's Day. I don't have my mom here to give a card or a gift any more. She has been gone for six Mother's Days. I can't tell her, except to hope she hears me, how much I loved her. In case I didn't make it clear, Mom, you make my eyes light up remembering everything you did, everything you loved, and that you loved me. I love you too, Mom. Happy Mother's Day.

Gardening begins early

2007-05-02T21:23:00.000-04:00

Here in Indiana, the traditional last day of frost is May 15. I'm taking a chance by planting annuals, but it seems like it will stay warm enough. I have done some transplanting of sedum, rudbeckia, yellow primroses (from Aunt June), and some other perennials that I don't know the names. I separated and moved some creeping phlox, and planted seeds in my raised beds (spinach, arugula, basil, carrots), and some romaine plants. In the last couple days I bought 3 flats of purple and white petunia (I love the smell of the purple ones), allysum, and some new guinea impatiens, fuschia, and a little white flower that looks like lobelia, but it's something else. I got most of the petunias and allysum in the beds and fertilized. I am looking EVERYWHERE to find the right color of geraniums. My favorite are the deep coral ones, and I have yet to find them.

Check in a couple of weeks and see if I have pictures.

Dad gets his shoulder repaired - the 2nd one - and it gets coverage in the IndyStar

2007-05-02T20:42:00.000-04:00

My brave dad has just had his 5th joint replacement surgery. He had two knee replacements about 15 years ago, and when the left one required a replacement of the replacement, he forged ahead and got it done last summer.

When the pain in his shoulder reached epic proportions, he sought a newly-approved procedure: reverse total shoulder replacement. He had this done in 2004 and it was very successful to restore movement and he was relieved of the constant pain.

Now, at age 86, he has just undergone the LEFT shoulder surgery, again the same procedure he had on the right shoulder 3 years ago. I was concerned for him, but he has come through it successfully, and it was covered by the Indianapolis paper.

recalling alp d'Huez

2007-04-29T23:01:00.000-04:00

Last summer Liz, Sara, and I got to go to The Tour de France, following it throughout the country of France as well as a day in Luxembourg. Being obviously Americans with our flag, and later the umbrella to show support of Floyd Landis, we were interviewed by several reporters. About an hour ago, I was bored so I googled my own name. ha! Look what I came up with!

Since I'm showing off, here's a youtube video of when we were in Paris. I did NOT post this video but I really liked being in it. That is me with the American flag.

And since I'm at it...here are photos of when we got autographs from George Hincapie. (I was holding the flag.)

The one to the left is from "GETTY IMAGES." And here is what we took.

Lion brand yard - big disappointment

2007-04-28T10:03:00.000-04:00

I made the afghan here by using a Lion Brand pattern, and I spent 100s of dollars buying their own brand-name yard. I spent hours making it, and I gave it to my daughter and son-in-law for a wedding gift. I intended it to be a special keepsake, and it was also made to be used. When I gave it to her it was beautiful! I was so pleased with it.

By using the afghan, (spreading on the couch, covering with it, etc.) it soon began to have "extra" yarn that was stretching into long loops. I contacted Lion brand and asked for help. They told me it is "the nature of the chenille" and to "knit from the other end of the skein." What? After all my work, to find that it is EXPECTED? To find that it is the nature of the product? To find that I should have started from the other end, and this would have solved it? That is crazy, and after only a couple of years, the beautiful afghan is ruined. I'm throwing it away.

Arya visits Grandma's garden

2007-04-22T00:25:00.000-04:00

Yesterday Arya came while Karen shot photos out of town. I let her play with my shells and rocks, which I keep in small wooden, blue-painted bowls with lids. She didn't quite understand shells versus rocks, but she did understand that they made cool sounds when she dropped them into the boxes.

We went outside in the stroller over to find Great-grandpa Joe, and had to keep looking until we found him in the barn. Then I let her walk and walk and walk until she was actually tired. She may have eaten some grape hyacinths while I ran inside to get the camera.

Landon - competing for Mr. Ball State

2007-04-20T23:38:00.000-04:00

No kidding, I know this guy, Austin Dossey. He really does look like this. Even more, uh, frightening, is that I saw him - I went to the body-building contest where Landon was competing in the same event, although Landon was in a different category.

I have to say it was pretty fun and quite amazing to see these guys prance around in their skimpy Speedos, posing for the crowd, and looking like professionals, not the students of Ball State University. I met up with Sara, Amanda Boozier, Tony Bell, Karen and Rajeev, along with Arya. There was even a competition for Ms. Ball State, and the girls were amazing examples of fitness! Too bad that I never worked hard enough to look anything like any of those girls. Here's Austin's final routine where he posed with the eventual runner-up, in the "pose-off."

To think I'd BE at this event, well, I'll just say I wanted to attend in order to show support for Landon. Yes, it was bit of a stretch to be at a flesh competition, but I was truly proud of Landon for how dedicated he was to this contest. I wish him the best of luck when he goes on the today to his 2nd and final contest (so he says. I think he will do it again!) Here's a sample of Landon (4th from the right) and the other competitors.

And here's a video of Landon from youtube...

proud of Liz

2007-04-19T17:55:00.000-04:00

Being proud of your kids is nothing new, especially for me. I have four WONDERFUL kids: Karen, Phil, Liz, and Sara. This week I am telling everyone how proud I am of Liz, who works at Cornerstone Center for the Arts, in Muncie. Serving as the assistant for the Education Director, she launched an idea for an Art Show. She's been sharing with me all of her plans for a couple of months now, and last night it all came together.

The StarPress had an article, so I'll just link to that: http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704190331

Then there is the list of the winners of the juried art show:
http://www.thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007704190348

Plus, there is the photo gallery, posted by Liz, I think: http://search.thestarpress.com/sp?p=/photogallery/index&keywords=cornerstone+art&photo=1&name=cornerstone+art

Needless to say, I enjoyed it totally, what with Liz doing the planning, raising funds, arranging, hosting, advertising, and ALL. I got to be there with her, which not all of the family could do, so I was grateful for that. Karen was a featured artist, and also led some workshops for high schoolers, and her work was displayed. Wow, what talented kids!

Well, now I have to switch gears. I am off to the "Mr. Ball State" contest, where Sara's fiance' is competing! Art and bodybuilding, yeah, that goes together! (Pic to follow!)

2007-04-16T23:37:00.000-04:00

I bought a little device to be able to use my memory stick. Now this blog is subject to all my vast technical talent. whah-lah!

Here is Arya, on Sara's birthday, and Liz got her to laugh.

Opening the pool can't be far off

2007-04-15T22:24:00.000-04:00

Spring means its time to open the pool. Because I have a lot of trees in my yard, there are bushels of leaves and all kinds of sticks in the water on the top of my pool cover. Our 12-year-old neighbor even told me today that there is a dead animal in there too. He said it was a rat; I'm guessing it is a squirrel. I hooked up a pump and hose, plugged it to an extension cord, and made sure the hose-water isn't washing out the side of the hill. So start the summer jobs of yardwork.

Not that I mind - I actually look forward to being outside more and doing physical work. It gets somewhat exciting that I am soon going to plant seeds, buy annuals, and spread a little mulch. Ray mulched for me last spring, and I am not going to re-do everywhere this year. I have bought a few seeds: carrot, basil, spinach, arugula. These are for my raised beds, but since we still had SNOW this morning, I don't think it is quite time. There are blooming dandelions, though, so it is getting close to time to spray Round-up. I think there is some comparison about lilac blooms and when to plant, but I have to see exactly what that time is supposed to mark.

A couple weeks ago there were daffodils opening, hyacinths, and I even saw a redbud turning, uh, purple. Then the freeze hit and temps fell to below freezing for several days. It looked like all the flowers were ruined! But, as April will, it got warmer, warm enough for later daffodils to still turn yellow, stand up and shout: It's SPRING! Now, even though we got snow today, and I don't know when we've had it this late, the day turned warmer and I even got to push Arya around in a stroller. Around 5:00 it wasn't a bad time to do that little job around the pool (but then I couldn't find the dead animal) and roll out the trash cans for my house and for Dad.

It's all enough to point to a wonderful change of seasons (sounds like a song!). Come Spring!

Another wedding to plan!

2007-04-09T09:21:00.000-04:00

We have another upcoming wedding, and the planning is going forward. Three of our four kids will soon be married! People ask me if it is hard. Yes, but it is worth it!

With Karen and Rajeev's wedding (wedding #1 in Jan. 2004) I found that she was overwhelmed with work and making the plans without a lot of time. She had definite ideas and wanted to carry out everything herself. With work, living on her own, writing a new website for her dad, and working with in-laws who had other traditions, she had everything stacked up to make her life crazy. Every time she was stressed I stepped in and asked, "Do you need help?" And then I came out a hero.

Liz's and Ben's wedding (#2 - last November 11) was right at the time when her dad and I were emptying a warehouse and closing the offices of a business. That alone took about two months and I had little time for the final arrangements. Liz had a sick groom for the final month. As much as I wanted to do for her, she had her mind and heart set on making all the details work, and she did a masterful job at getting things accomplished.

Both of those were wonderful events for all of our family, and they were sweet, beautiful weddings.

Now it is time for Sara's long-awaited wedding. She is marrying her high-school sweetheart, Landon. They've dated since they were juniors in H.S., and I think she has wanted to marry him for most of that time. She's whizzed through college in only 3 years, and she's worked part-time in an office on campus, as well as other part-time jobs (Bath and Body Works, summer mowing). They've been engaged the longest of any of my girls (since last spring) and the planning has been more drawn-out. Still, there are decisions about music, decorating, timing of the last few days, showers, and working around everyone's schedule. We always intend it to capture the love that demands all this work, and we hope to have fun doing it.

Now we're in the last 10 weeks so the planning is getting intense. No more time for waiting 'til later, no more putting off of anything! Today we pick up her self-designed invitations, and they will go out very soon. This week we have accomplished a LOT since it was Sara's spring break. She has SIX weeks more until graduation, and time will go fast.

Friends ask if it helps to have done a wedding before, and YES, this does help. None of the weddings are the same, but each of my kids are great to work with, and we've had fun in all the planning. It's a great feeling when you get to the final few days and it is all your own hard work that has come together to have a fun party, gather with family and friends, and join two people who love one another. We look around and say, "We planned this." Ray and I are so happy to have all of our wonderful kids, their loving spouses, and many happy years to come.

Easter grass

2007-04-07T19:55:00.000-04:00

Today I shopped for Easter grass. Granted, all my "kids" are over 21, and I have just one granddaughter, Arya, who is 1. She is too young to even know what grass is, much less the shredded plastic we call, "Easter grass." And I suppose there will come a time when I no longer fill baskets for everyone, but it's tradition and I'll continue to follow through with it. Today I had to find Easter grass.

So, yes, I said that Easter grass is shredded plastic, but it's not that simple any more. I've also seen crimped paper that's called Easter grass. You can use tissue paper, and I've been known to save the cellophane kind from year to year, but sometime in the past year I got bold and threw it all away, meaning today, at the last minute, I had to go buy new plastic Easter grass. It was nowhere - not in the cheap kind I wanted. Target had a BUNCH of Easter grass, and it was all WOOD! Granted no one was buying it, and the cheap stuff was nowhere to be found.

It reminded me of when I was a little girl, and my mom told us that they had Easter baskets, but they didn't use store-bought grass, but REAL, spring-green, growing GRASS! This had sounded like such a fun idea that my siblings and I went out and filled our traditional, kept-every-year kind of Easter baskets. Unfortunately, in the morning it melted all of our sugar eggs - I guess Mom only had boiled eggs that didn't melt in the natural grass!

This year, our Easter bunny will have to use what I could find, which was the crimped paper from the gift-wrap section.

April 5, 2007

2007-04-05T22:44:00.000-04:00

How does one go about making a new friend?

In the world prior to blogging, it would take personal introductions, then get-togethers, social gatherings, and spending time to become acquainted with a new friend. If I think back ten or fifteen years ago, say, early '90s, when my oldest was still in high school, when I didn't own a computer, how would I ever have known that through blogs and e-mail, that I would become acquainted with others that would actually change my outlook, my life?

Does that make sense? In the past two years, I've read stories and posts and profiles and blog entries, seen pictures, copied quotes and I've identified with people outside of my circle of friends. I have become acquainted with new people - and I love it! People who have put themselves out there for me to know, and yet, until now, I had never personally met one particular person whom I now consider a friend. Let me tell you how this came to be...

Yesterday all of my girls and I traveled about an hour away to Earlham College. We'd come to watch the one-man performance that portrayed personal experiences of living in an ex-gay ministry. This performance revealed many true-to-life happenings, some of which were humorous to laughing out loud funny, as well as the heartbreak felt by those who try and inevitably cannot, change through any means, their sexual identity/orientation. By taking on various characters, Peterson Toscano also shared the hope - the hope and the inspiration - to bring love and light to those around us. This includes our gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender friends and family, so that they too can live and feel that God is love, extended to all of us, and that we all may share in that love.

It is for sharing this light with me that I sincerely thank my friend, Peterson. All this is pretty heavy revelation, and it all started with websites, links and a blog. Thanks, Peterson, for all you've done to share the Light.

Thanks too for the hug.

Sara - like she won the lottery, but different

2007-04-03T21:53:00.000-04:00

You may remember that I have posted before about Sara and dentistry? (see Dec.7, 2006) It happens that I've already begun with a new dentist and I recently had a new crown, first the temp, and yesterday, the permanent. I needed my regular cleaning (I've always preached 6-month cleanings/check-ups) and there was an opening today. As I scheduled that, I asked about an unusual "thing" in Sara's mouth...

A while back Sara told me if felt like she was getting a new tooth. "No," I told her, "you've had your wisdom teeth out. That's all there are." But yesterday she insisted, "Mom, feel this! It feels like I have a new tooth - and it is through the gum." So, like feeling inside a baby's mouth, I stuck in my finger. "Sara, that is a tooth."

So, I asked the dental hygenist, "Can a person get another molar after the wisdom teeth are removed?" And she answered, "No." Then Dr. Tom stuck his head in the room, and he said it might be, "a part of a bone, or a fraction of the tooth that broke off." And they made room for Sara to come with me.

Upon x-ray, Dr. Tom had a new diagnosis: Sara has another upper molar - a "#4 molar." And not only that, she has one on each side. He said he has seen it, but it is rare. Kind of like winning the lottery. ha!

Google and wikipedia both have some information, but it's mostly case studies and case histories that are pretty boring to read. The condition is called supernumerary molars - with statistics that are around 1% of the population having some, and the fourth molars are the 2nd most frequently-occurring supernumerary teeth (so, around 1% have some type of extra teeth, and Sara's kind are more rare than say, other extra types). Not only does she have ONE, she has TWO! Aside from this, Dr. Tom said, "She really does have beautiful teeth."

Too bad she didn't win the lottery. I've already paid to have the wisdom teeth out, now there are two more!

Cowrie shell

2007-02-15T10:02:00.000-05:00

Sometimes when I least expect it, something shows up that makes hope arise. I know it is rather shallow and even a bit supersticious, but when I find a shell that makes me glad and excited, it is like a little sign from Heaven. Not good theology, but a blessing.

I can't believe I found this today! There was nothing along the front of the island, even though I was up at 7, and it was low tide, and an especially low tide, too. I walked along the front and picked up some junk shells. It was a beautiful morning and later it got cloudy, but when the sun first came up it was beautiful. So I was just walking and there wasn't anyone else out there. Down by Stump Pass there still looked like nothing, then I came across a short line of shells, up along the high tide line.

First I found a nice small red tulip, which was good. I liked it, put it in my pocket. Then, right at my left was this amazing shell...it is called a cowrie. The other day I found a baby one about 1/2" long. That was unusual. THIS is practically unheard of! The reason I say practically is because Sharky/Dewey found one once, but his was broken on the top. After I came off the beach I had to show it to someone, so I went down to see my friend, Barbara. She was impressed and was so glad I shared it with her. Wow.

I wish you all (all those masses who read this blog!) could see my shell, so I'll show it here. Enjoy it with me.

Blizzard there, Sun here

2007-02-13T22:36:00.000-05:00

Here's a link to photos from Muncie: http://thestarpress.com/apps/pbcs.dll/frontpage

Meanwhile, it looked like this when I looked out the window today:

Florida fleece

2007-02-12T17:17:00.000-05:00

Another project that I did last night while I watched the Grammys. I think this warmth will need to be sent to Indiana where all the snow is predicted.

Confetti quilt

2007-02-09T12:31:00.000-05:00

Newly finished project:

I used a pattern from the book, "Super Simple Fat Quarter Quilts," by Lynda Milligan & Nancy Smith.

no snow at Palm Island

2007-02-08T21:10:00.000-05:00

I called Phil today to ask if Columbus, Ohio, got any snow. Liz told me that they had 6 inches in Muncie, so I was curious if it was widespread. Phil asked one of the guys in the office how much was reported, "12 inches!"

Wow - I hated to tell him I was sitting by a swimming pool, having dipped in the water just prior to making my call. By the time we talked for a while I had to put the phone in my other hand, since in the crease of my elbow, sweat was dripping off both sides of my arm. Gee - I really hated to tell him THAT!

I've also discovered a friend next door in Pat. She and her husband, Richard, are here and we have gotten to be friends. It's sure nice to become better acquainted after owning this place all these years.

The pile of shells is growing, not by huge leaps, but there are lots of shells to pick through.

I watched a movie tonight, more of a documentary: Frisbee, the life and death of a hippie preacher. It captured the Jesus Movement of the late 60s and early 70s, and told the story Lonnie Frisbee, and how he is remembered. So many times there is history that we forget if it isn't recorded. I'm glad someone recorded this life. It seems Frisbee was instrumental in starting and growing both Calvary Chapel and the Vineyard Churches, yet has been ignored due to the fact that he was gay and died tragically of AIDS.

Colts win Super Bowl 2007! Peyton Manning is MVP!

2007-02-05T10:55:00.000-05:00

We watched the Colts play in the Super Bowl down here in Florida. Well, we watched it on TV. I was one of the 1000s who got a new TV in the last month, which made it really nice to watch the game, even though the cameras often showed rain on the lenses and got fogged with condensation. We didn't buy the TV for the game, but because I "needed" it. Still, it was a good step to take advantage of the sales and be able to see the game in HDTV.

It was great to be watching "our" team on all the pre-game shows, and it was fun to be seeing Peyton Manning perform as he should, playing well in a tough game for a championship. Later he'd be named the MVP - yay, Peyton. And I liked seeing Tony Dungy win with his characteristic class and quality leadership. I kept saying that it was just amazing for it to be "our" team from Indianapolis. But the most amazing thing is that my good friend, Tim Morris, was right there alongside Peyton when he won...

Now, just for the record, it must be noted that usually the grocery stores and Wal-mart have delicious, tempting desserts when party-time is near. I have to say that the cupcakes with blue icing for the Colts or the green/orange mess (what are their colors?) that were for the Bears were absolutely the most distasteful array of desserts EVER. Why would anyone want to eat those? I even commented to a fellow customer that said desserts looked terrible, and she agreed. I bet there's a big table of 75% off, day-old sweets in most of those bakery departments. I only wish I'd have taken a picture of them so I could show how awful they were.

Sunray venus, lion's paw

2007-02-05T10:47:00.000-05:00

Here are two shells I've found in the past week. The one on the left is a sunray venus, and the one on the right is a lion's paw.

Having a shell of a good day.

2007-02-03T11:55:00.000-05:00

We've had some good winds along with good tides, and I want to share some photos of the shells I've found. I didn't do too many analogies or seek much meaning in my shell-search. I just have enjoyed the rain, the change in the shore, and mostly, the SHELLS. I found several lightning whelks, and other colorful, even if they are common, shells. Aren't they gorgeous?

Double-booking and Forgetfulness,: I need a personal manager

2007-01-10T08:52:00.000-05:00

Sometimes it seems I need a personal manager. I forget things...regularly.

I would like to believe that this is a temporary quirk of mine or a result of some stress (who, me?)or even age-related loss of memory, but I have to admit that this has been true since I was very young. I can remember sitting in my 5th grade class (no, I don't mean I was teaching. It was when I was a 5th grader). Once again I had forgotten to bring along some required note or assignment that was out of the ordinary. I'd been reminded again to bring it. I sat there in my little desk
...and I wondered if I would ever be able to do the right thing and remember my notes, permission slips, list of things to do, etc., etc. Fortunately, my teacher, Mrs. Gerhardt, liked me. She was kind of mean to the kids that she didn't like.

Sometimes this forgetfulness continues and I make two plans for the same date/time. Even this week I asked the kids over for dinner on Monday, the same time I suggested that my friend, Karen, and I go to dinner. This gets me in binds! I had to change plans, backtrack, and re-group because of my double-booking.

Last night when we DID have dinner here (with MY Karen, not my friend, Karen) I was trying to recall what I did on Sunday.
Karen said, "you were in Anderson."
me, "oh, yeah ... But what was I doing in Anderson?"
Karen, "You got the dogs groomed."
"yeah. Thanks."

I guess yesterday that Karen was my was my personal manager.

Because I DO need help, I depend on my calendar. I learned to do that when all the kids had so many activities. Now, I just have to remember to look at the calendar.

summary of 2006

2006-12-30T12:34:00.000-05:00

Summary of the year 2006

January - I traveled to Nagercoil, India (state of Tamil Nadu) with students from Taylor University. Working with local Christians, we worked to build the foundation of a center to train local women to be seamstresses. The students (about 15 of them) performed songs, skits, puppet shows, and did this all to present the Gospel. We mostly were at schools, a few churches, and some local sites. My goal was to take these students, keep them healthy, and hope they came away from India loving the people they met. I also hoped for positive connections that will last a long time - friendships being the most important souvenir to take away with each of us.

One of the sites was on a beach where the tsunami hit one year before. The government has set up some sort of housing, mostly made of corrugated metal. I was told that the people don't have sanitary facilities, clean running water, or medical help. It was getting dark when we arrived, so it was hard to see. I had a couple of little girls to take me around - there was one light along the beach, but it was DARK as you navigated through the "alleys."

I am not good at describing any of this, but at each site, people gathered for singing, dancing and watching. WE were the show! I remember the faces, the tea, the gifts, and the wonderful outpouring of hospitality - thanks, Marty, Prabha and Nilo, Joseph, Pastor Joseph, Mrs. Joseph and family, Dipti and Andi, and to all my team.

February - Florida, at the condo. I started sewing and made rag quilts, finished a baby afghan. My friend, Laurie, came to visit. It was a relaxing time.

March - I returned home to wait for Arya to come! She was born March 24 at about 5 p.m. Ray was here and we all waited where Karen preferred us to be: the waiting room! No problem, as we have had plenty of time with her since she and Rajeev welcomed little Arya Caroline into the world. :-)

I also came home to a lot of work at the office. It's not possible to do everything away from home, so I made plans for assessments and I listed the office for sale - at a higher price than it was assessed. My realtor said it might sit there for 2-3 years, but I knew I couldn't "give" it away.

April - Easter at my Dad's house (next door to me!) My daughter, Liz, figured out a complicated Egg Hung game for all the grown children. Each team of two people contributed $2 and were assigned a team color. The teams hid a dozen eggs, all different colors. They made up clues using visuals cut from magazines, which they gave to the other teams, about where they hid the eggs. Then with a time limit imposed, the teams had clues to find all of the eggs that matched the team color. They could use all of the two houses (mine and Dad's) whose lots combine to be about 6 acres, some of it wooded. I've never seen adults look so hard for dozens of colored boiled eggs! The winning team won the pot of $20!

May - Indy Mini-marathon! Ray came to town for the big plan for engagements: Sara and Landon, Ben and Liz. Rajeev, Sara and Landon all completed the race. In the afternoon at Ray's hotel room, we babysat for the first time while Karen and Rajeev did a photo shoot. Landon's plan was a surprise to Sara and he presented her with a question and a ring. Ben sat and talked to us about his desire to marry Liz. (Son) Phil came to support them all - and in the evening we all gathered for dinner with Landon's family to congratulate and celebrate the engagement of Landon and Sara. By the end of the month, Ben had proposed to Liz - and we got to start planning TWO weddings in the upcoming year!

Here are Landon and Sara right after they finished the race!

June - I again went to Florida to enjoy the beach and the sun. It's quiet down there in June. Ray came over for his birthday and we went to Busch Gardens for the first time. Toward the end of the month we started wedding plans for both of the girls' weddings. Liz and Ben set their date for November, Sara and Landon's for June 2007. Liz ordered her dress and we found sites for the ceremonies and the receptions. woo-hoo!

JULY - Tour de France! Liz has a way of describing our travels better than I can. See her blog entries in July 2006: http://www.elijabet.blogspot.com

Traveling with my girls Liz and Sara was wonderful. Even with Sara having to do online schoolwork (so she can graduate in only 3 years), we managed to see the Cathedral at Strasbourg, (one of many that we saw), the Fort of the Dukes at Guise, Mont St. Michelle on the northern coast, the Eiffel Tower, Alp d'Huez, the beach at Bretignolles/Brem sur Mer, and, of course, cyclists of the Tour de France every day! (I just keep wondering why more girls/women don't hang out to see guys in tight pants!)

Here is a picture of Floyd Landis on the first Time Trial, which was in Strasbourg.

August - Wedding plans went into high gear! I asked everyone to gather for a BARN PARTY to clean up and throw away all the junk they'd been storing in our pole barn. I anticipated a time when we might need the space if we sold the office. Who knew it would be so soon?

September - I started getting offers for the office/building/property! By the middle of the month I had an agreed-upon offer. It just had to be approved by a local congregation, which was to vote on Oct. 1. That done, I left again for the condo. I switched into high gear to make quilts for two grandbabies of my friends. Wondered sometimes, "why did I think I could make a quilt?" By the end of the month I learned what a "fussy cut" was and the quilts were really, if I do say so myself, beautiful.
October - While Ray kept saying, "There's not that much stuff..." I kept looking at it all, wondering where we were going to put all the sound, lights, furniture, records (documents),inventory, and all the rest. I discovered the use of DUMPSTERS. I forget how many we filled. Thanks to family: Ruth, Estel, Bill, Tammy, Jade, Sara, Landon, Karen, Rajeev, and more; and to friends: Barak, Mariah, Austin. To all of you who helped int he next two months (until Thanksgiving), I say a huge Thank You.

November - We had a WEDDING! Ben and Liz, Congratulations!

December - Finally finished with all the work of the office, Liz's and Ben's wedding, Thanksgiving, and a trip to Iowa for another reception (put on by Ben's family), we settled in to Christmas. I finally got a digital camera so I don't have to depend on other's photos!

I've actually described events here, with little attention to emotions. It's been a year of change, where I've moved toward living with the hand I'm dealt. I've learned so much from so many people that I've never met, but I've read your many of your blogs, others who have written books. Thanks to all of you who reveal your thoughts, your lives, your hurt and your hope. God bless us.

Our favorite dentist

2006-12-07T22:47:00.000-05:00

Through my childhood, I had a LOT of cavities, and got a LOT of fillings. I always had shots of novacaine (which I hated) and drilling (which I dreaded) and it hurt and I hated it. My fears and dread of dentistry have never fully been overcome, but one dentist's office has made a positive impact in my life and the lives of my kids.

When I was a small child, I went to a mean dentist, who I will call Dr. XYZ. The first time I was in his chair I wet my pants I was so scared. I was probably 4 or 5? He used clamps and screw-on fasteners to keep my mouth open, and I was scared. I wanted my mom, but she wasn't allowed in the room. I remember feeling intimidated and had to pee so bad, but couldn't ask to get down from the chair, and I lost it. No one from the office ever confronted my mom and it was never mentioned, and I kept going to that same dentist, even though a couple years later he SLAPPED my sister for not sitting still. This guy should NOT have been a children's dentist!

When I was 14, I became too old for the children's dentist, so my mom took me to a new one, Dr. Donald Jennings. Since I spent years dreading going to see Dr. XYZ every six months, I didn't know what to expect. Dr. Jennings was my Mom's and Dad's dentist, and he wasn't so bad. He cleaned my teeth, treated me well, and he would always ask about Mom and Dad, or one of my brothers or my sister, who also saw him for dental work. In all the years that I saw Dr. Jennings, I never once even came close to wetting my pants in his office.

As my kids each became 4 or 5, they each started seeing Dr. Jennings for check-ups and cleanings. Even when it was hard financially, we always took them in. They hardly EVER had any cavities! Through braces, cleanings, fillings, and capsand crowns, Dr. Jennings was our family dentist.

Sara, 20, is a whole ten years younger than my oldest, Karen, and Sara longed to start her visits way before she got to go for her first appointment. She wanted to go, but always had to wait while the older kids saw the Dr. Finally, about the time she began kindergarten, Sara finally got to go to Dr. Jennings for a check-up the first time. She sat still - no accidents (and no reason to be afraid, either). She had no cavities, and she got her free toothbrush. And Dr. Jennings, through the years, would almost always say, "Sara, you've done a good job. No cavities."

At Dr. Jennings' office you could look overhead while in the chair, where there would always be a new poster with some funny saying. On the walls of Dr. Jennings office, original poems were framed - words he wrote to his grandchildren. And there were always pictures of trips taken with the nursing and office staff: hot-air balloon rides, dental outreaches to needy patients, and complimentary letters from youngsters who came to "tour" the dentist office.

Some time ago, I realized that I had been seeing Dr. Jennings for over 35 years! and then it was 36, 37, and now...40 years - longer than any other medical professional in my whole life! Last Saturday, I got a letter, and it says that Dr. Jennings has sold his practice and is retiring. The first person I called was Sara. "What? Who will I go to? Where will I get my toothbrushes? Where will I ever find another dentist that is also a poet?"

I don't know, Sara. There aren't many like him. Thanks, Dr. Jennings, for all the good years.

What happened to Fall?

2006-11-30T23:05:00.000-05:00

It's finally done: the warehouse and the office are no longer ours, and we have moved or thrown away ALL the stuff. Ray worked tiredly (as opposed to tirelessly) since about the 2nd week of October. We had help from family and friends, and we could not have done it without them. I know Ray lost weight, and may have built muscle. He's not so sure, he just knows he hurts all over.

The new owners are the ECI church that had met at the Horizon Center for the past 7-8 years. They are happy to have a permanent meeting place. We are happy to be relieved of all the responsibility, plus the fact that it will be used by a church. People ask me how they are going to use the buildings, and I am not completely sure. They still own land a mile from our (former) property, and for the time being they will be having Sunday services in the large warehouse, with offices and Sunday school classes in the front/office building.

We are relieved of having employees, taxes, insurance, utility bills, and maintenance of it all. I don't have to spray the parking lot with Round-up any more. Sara doesn't have to mow. I don't have to pull weeds or pick up trash in the yard. Plus, the work of selling the equipment is done (mostly) although at some point I'll have to have a big garage sale. There is a ton of stuff still stored in a unit, but basically, the biggest part of it all is behind us.

Somehow in all of this move, we even got Ben and Liz married! It was the EASY (and FUN) part of all of our work! It deserves more of an entry, so maybe I'll get to that. It's just hard to realize that tomorrow is DECEMBER, and I wonder, "What happened to Fall?"

Little Arya

2006-11-30T22:51:00.000-05:00

Last March, Arya was born to my daughter, Karen. She's grown a lot since then, and she's beginning to stand on her own already! Once in a while I babysit for her and it's so much fun. Here is a new photo of her, just so I can brag about how cute she is :-)

Breaking in to Sam's Club after hours

2006-10-19T21:28:00.000-04:00

Okay, this was a mistake, but I have to relate it. Since we are ordering flowers from Sam's Club, Liz and I wanted to get some samples and practice with the gerbera daisies from the floral dept. A couple of weeks ago, I was in Indy, but it was close to 8:30 p.m., and it was too late. Exactly the following night, Liz and I were both in Indy, and we were there in time to go inside.

At the desk I needed to get a temporary card, and while we were there, I switched some things to get Liz a member's card as well. While we were there at the front desk, I mentioned that I'd been there too late the night before. The attendant said, "Well, you have a business card, so you could have come until 10:00" "Oh, that would have really helped me, but I never knew that before." We continued the conversation about it all, and Liz and I both understood that I could come until 10 at NIGHT.

Last Saturday night Ray and I had dinner with our friend, Greg, and after we finished I told Ray that I needed to stop at Sam's to pick up some of these sample flowers. He said, "Isn't it too late?" and I told him the whole story about having a business card.

We rolled into the parking lot, and we did notice that there were only about 3 cars in the entire lot. "Gee," I thought, "not many take advantage of these later hours." I checked the sign on which were written the instructions for business members to use the EXIT doors during the extended hours.

I parked near those doors and walked up to them. Ray waited in the car. The doors being closed, I just pressed them open and walked inside. Usually there is a door greeter to check your member card, which I was holding in my hand (that temp. card from before that didn't have my photo). No one there. No one anywhere. I walked on to the floral area.

I did pass a few "civilian-looking" folks, and I took them for being customers, and thought I wasn't totally alone. I saw so many interesting things that I wanted to take my time, but with it being late, I figured I'd better hurry. I examined all the flowers, found the right ones, walked around and around the display, and finally picked four bouquets of g. daisies, some fern leaves, and some orange spikey ones for splash. I headed to the registers, and along the way I heard a funny-sounding announcement for "everyone...go home!" I thought it was odd, so I hurried.

hmmm...all the registers said, "CLOSED" - and I began to see people...heading from the employee area. They paid NO ATTENTION to me. I stood there with all these bouquets...and I spoke to someone who looked approachable.

"Ummm...excuse me? Are there any registers open?"

And this lady looked at me and said, "No. We are closed. We closed about an hour ago."

"Well, what should I do with these?"

"Just lay them down..." And then she asked, "How did you get in here?"

"I just opened the Exit doors and walked inside."

And she let me know that Sam's Club ALWAYS closes at 8:30 - ALWAYS. She told all the other employees who were smoking outside that I walked in, thought that I could shop until 10.

Then I looked at the sign, and actually READ what it said. "Business members may shop extended hours until 10 A.M." Something like that.

And that's how I broke in to Sam's Club. I always say that if you act like you know where you are going they won't stop you. I guess it's true.

My Grandmothers

2006-09-20T22:20:00.000-04:00

Today I got to read a blog about a Norwegian grandma, and I thought of my own grandmas. I'll write about them...

Grandma Riney: Her real name was Carrie Melissa Stover Rinehart. She was my mom's mom, and from the time I can remember she was in a wheelchair. She'd had strokes which left her paralyzed on her right side. Even so, she did cross-stitch with her non-dominant left hand and I have two of those stitched items.

My earliest memories of Grandma Riney are of her and me playing on her wheelchair. I'd make little animal sounds, like kittens or puppies. Then we'd pretend to find the hidden animals, and I'd hop off to find them. When I "found" this lost kitty or puppy, I'd bring it to Grandma and tuck it into her lap shawl. We'd make sure it was going to stay, then I'd wheel her along until I heard another animal. That lap shawl got very full before we'd quit.

so I found out something else

2006-08-18T10:24:00.000-04:00

I should have noticed, but I didn't, that one of the guys riding his bike beside Lance Armstrong on Alpe d'Huez, was Jake Gyllenhall. Guess I was too stuck looking at Lance.

The day I said hi to Lance Armstrong.

2006-07-20T17:37:00.000-04:00

Today is Wednesday, July 19th. Yesterday we (Liz, Sara, and I) had just settled in to our very nice hotel in Grenoble, France. It was such a relief, since we had spent Monday night on Alpe d’Huez. We went up on Monday, as early as we could, and found a “spot” around noon. We were camped for the next 28-30 hours just above turn 9 on the way to the top.

During the day, we made friends with our “neighbors,” like the Dutch family of three who spoke just a bit of English. We made acquaintance with two men from England, who spoke English with such a heavy accent that I had to ask them more than once to repeat themselves. We invited an Australian girl to put her things down and hang out at our spot -- which she and another friend of hers did for the entire time.

Going past our place on the road on Monday afternoon were LOTS of cyclists, those who wanted to make the same climb that the pros were going to make on Tuesday. I know it is fierce work for anyone, pros or amateurs alike. Liz and I had walked down to turn 12, and then we walked back up, and that made us hot and sweaty, and I knew it was very, very hard. I have asked cyclists if it helps to be cheered, encouraged, even by strangers like myself, and most say, “yes.” For that reason, when I had time to kill, I watched the cyclists come past me. I’d tell them, “Allez, allez!” or “Keep going! You’re doing great!” I heard plenty of thank yous, MERCIS, and just plain, “Thanks!” I felt like it was encouraging, and I liked doing it.

There is something that we’ve seen over here, too, that is a hot weather cooler: canned water! It is a refreshing spray, and it costs about 6 euros for a can of water. Amazing that people will not only buy bottled water, but now they will buy it in aerosol.

So, we had been asking if cyclists wanted a spray, and we got plenty of YESSES! Because of the cost, we decided to hold off spraying them all, and Liz and Sara went to sit down. (Sara probably went off to study -- she does that all the time!) And then, I recognized a Discovery jersey, along with two other riders. I watched as they came up the hill toward me. I just figured I’d cheer them like I’d been doing. Then, as they got near me, I suddenly saw a familiar face! It was LANCE ARMSTRONG! Seeing him approaching me, right in front of me, I didn’t think anything, except to say, quite naturally and casually, “Hi, Lance.” And then, he said, “Hi.” And he proceeded up the mountain.

Amazing! The girls even heard me and then him with this very common interaction -- not even that, actually -- but just a greeting. But there had been NO ONE who had said he would be coming up the mountain on a bike. He was scheduled to be in Gap, but we had left before the announced time so that we could find our spot. NO ONE was saying, “Hey, there’s LANCE!” And I had just seen him. Yes, I was starstruck -- but not struck dumb. I spoke, I was stunned afterward! Wow -- how cool!

FLOYD LANDIS

2006-06-19T17:42:00.000-04:00

I just read an article that got me so pumped that I have to make an entry on here. This is the subject:

FLOYD LANDIS - TOUR DE FRANCE - HE COULD TAKE THE PODIUM and WE ARE GOING!

The article was in OUTSIDE magazine, it was about Floyd, and we have been a fan of his for the past two years (Liz can claim longer than this.) I have been lucky enough to see the Tour in 2004 and 2005. My one regret is that for one reason or another, I have never been on the Champs Ellyses to SEE an American stand and hear the national anthem played for him. THIS year, we (Sara, Liz, and I) will be there, and this could be it!

Last year we (Liz and I) watched as Floyd rode at the heel of Lance Armstrong. We knew there was intense rivalry, and time after time we saw George Hincapie, Lance Armstrong, Jan Ullrich, and Floyd riding side-by-side. Up the steep mountains, the leaders of the race were tightly climbing. The photos were amazing, the memories embedded in our minds. Now, we just want Floyd to excel even more!

This year Lance is retired. Yes, there are other favorites (Jan Ullrich, Ivan Basso) but Liz and I are firm believers and cheerers-on for Floyd. He's amazingly strong in mind, physique, training and strategy. They say he has "it."

If ANYONE reads this, watch the news and info on Floyd Landis' progress. I simply want to say that I am a fan, I believe he can win the Tour, and I hope he does. I hope you can say, "I read it could happen when I read Carol's blog."

I'll be there to watch, Floyd. See you there!

My baby is having a baby

2006-03-19T12:50:00.000-05:00

Okay, she is 30 years old, but she is having a baby SOON! Yesterday was her due date, and considering that Karen is known to sometimes be late, we are saying that "little Anita," is taking her time, just like her mommy.

The idea that soon I'll be able to HOLD this little baby, well, I am trying to just wait patiently. Not easy, but at least it isn't me who is pregnant.

Karen has done so well. She hasn't gained a lot of weight, just right. She is healthy, she looks GREAT, and she is tired of having a constant backache. She doesn't complain, and she has accomplished so much. Until last week she has worked full-time for RBMI, shipped plenty of yarn through e-bay and she has decorated the baby's room. I wish I had a photo! The room is painted green and yellow, and I made coordinating bumper pad, dust ruffle, window shades and drawer covers for a changing table. All the tiny clothes are washed and waiting. There are plenty of diapers and blankets. (There's been some teasing that this baby will be the warmest baby in Delaware County, thanks to Grandma Carol.) Karen and Rajeev have taken all the prep classes, read all the info, and made their "birth plan." Even cute pictures have been posted on Liz's site of how cute Karen looks, http://elijabet.blogspot.com and how Daddy Rajeev is happily looking forward to "Anita's" arrival. http://elijabet.blogspot.com/

We are ready! Baby, COME!

Lisa Mooneyhan, Albany, Indiana

2005-09-19T01:02:00.000-04:00

Lisa Mooneyhan is the best neighbor EVER! I want to say that clearly and loudly. Anyone who ever wanted to be a wonderful friend should take lessons from her. She loves people through and through. I feel lucky to have her as my friend.

Lisa has two great kids, Mariah, and Barak, and her husband, Tim is her loving husband.

I want to say that Lisa Mooneyhan makes a great walking partner, caring friend, and she gives encouragement when I really need it. Thanks, Lisa.

Leaves and hickory nuts

2005-09-04T22:47:00.000-04:00

Summer is over. Leaves and hickory nuts are starting to collect in corners of my patio and front porch. Spiders and their webs are everywhere. In one more month I'll have more work to do than I can achieve myself. The thought of so many leaves and cleaning out the landscape beds is overwhelming.

It's been a bittersweet summer. Liz and I went to France, and my memories of that country and our time at the Tour de France are wonderful, fun, amazing. We watched our favorite cyclists like Lance Armstrong, Floyd Landis, Dave Zabriske, even Jan Ullrich. We stayed in wonderful little hotels, ate local food, met neat people. Some of them even spoke English! We listened to our selection of two CDs, the Killers and Keane. Our small manual transmission cars were cute, and it made me want a Mini-Cooper.

Meanwhile, back in Albany, USA, I am now working full-time! What a switch. There is nothing wonderful about mentioning it, but it takes a lot of effort to be there, figure what to do, and make sure we pay all the bills and correctly reconcile the checks on Quickbooks - ahh!

So, changes, changes, changes. I'd rather be in France but ya gotta live in REALITY. Woo-hoo!

I'm Aunty Carol

2005-05-10T18:19:00.000-04:00

I read a neat post about a young man who has been asked to be a godfather to a new baby. He was likening it to being a "dad," or an "uncle." What a neat thing to be requested of someone. No one ever asked that of me, maybe because most Protestants don't do anything that official.

I'm "Mom" to four wonderful kids. We always assumed and later put into writing that "Aunt Tammy" would raise our kids if anything awful happened to both of us. Tammy is Ray's younger sister who never had kids. She's fun, she's a teacher, we love her, she's a loving, balanced person, plus, she was close to the kids as they grew up. All of those are pretty good recommendations to take your place if you die. Now my kids are all over 18, so we no longer would need any parents to take our places.

Besides being "Mom", I also have relationships with a wide range of other kids who sometimes call me "Mama Boltz." I guess that is okay, but my favorite title came when I visited and spent time in Bangladesh at the Home of Hope Children's Home. Later my title was extended to back home for my nieces and nephews. But first, let me tell you how I got the name, "Aunty Carol."

Over there, in Asia, the languages account for every relationship by a certain positional name: elder sister, younger sister, elder brother, younger brother; Aunts and Uncles are designated by father's brother, father's sister (and different names if tell if each one is the elder or younger), mother's sister, mother's brother, and on and on. I can only remember some of the titles, so I didn't try to include them. The words are like, "Didi," for older sister, "Baba" for older brother, "babu" for little boy, get the idea? So, since in English this isn't accounted for, all you get is the title of "Aunty" or "Uncle," and it can refer to any generational, parent-like relationship.

I liked this easy naming system. When I spent time with the Home of Hope kids, either playing, reading, watching kids do hindi dances, singing, and such, they would call, "Aunty, come," or "Aunty, watch." They'd take my hand, lead me around, fight over who got to walk beside me. They each would show me their drawings, things they could do, and all kinds of things children do to share a part of "them." I LOVED it! I was their "Aunty" - meaning any older, mother-like adult woman. I was part of the family to kids who had no parents living with them. It was love, shared so easily that they called me "Aunty."

Knowing that this was the cultural way things are done, when I communicated with my sponsored kids from India, I called myself "Aunty Carol." One young boy, Noor, picked that up and always writes to me by that title. I can only hope that he has a family feeling toward me, since I feel he's a kind of "nephew," and I hope with encouragement he'll succeed in school and in life.

I have brothers and sisters who have children, grown-up ones, and I am to these grown-ups, their "Aunty." When they were little, I was busy with my own kids, and probably wasn't that good of an aunt. I regret that.

When my niece, Carrie, had each of her two little girls, Lilly and Marian, I also became "Aunty Carol" to them. I love hearing them say it, and I love it that they like me! The little one is only about 18 months old. I get to see her later this month, when her "Uncle Nik" graduates from high school.

I haven't got to be around Nik much since he lives in Texas and lives with his dad. I see Nik only occasionally when I make trips to see my baby sister, Donna. When Nik was little, I felt so close to him - he'd take my hand, I'd buy him cheeseburgers at McDonald's, and I got to watch him run around on the McDonald's playground. For the last several years when I've visited my sister, he hasn't always been around very much. I miss him.

Pretty soon, on May 26, Nik will be graduating from high school. Donna tells me it will be an emotion-packed night, so I'm to be prepared. Little do Donna or my nephew know how proud I am of "little Nik." He's all grown up and it doesn't matter to me that his pants sag, he shaves only part of his head, or that he has a pierced tongue. :-) I just hope he'll still hold my hand, walk beside me and maybe let his Aunty Carol buy him a cheeseburger.

Linda and Carol ROCK

2005-04-26T20:25:00.000-04:00

Today my good friend, Linda Rees, called me unexpectedly, to meet her at the Muncie Mall. Wow! What a way to get out of cleaning the basement today. (I say every day that I'm going down there. I don't.)

She had errands, I had nothing to do but follow her. We were returning stuff from as long ago as last August, but no matter, the fun was yet to come.

"Sure, Carol," said Linda, "we can look in Lane Bryant." Little did we expect such laughing and fun. What, you ask, were we doing? We were trying on the bras.

PLUS I HAD COUPONS! Between all of our purchases, we were very happy to get a jacket for me, 6 bras (read: Grandma's sleeze-fest in cleavage), PJ sets for both of us, and more COUPONS - good for after May 20! All this and we were SAVING money. Forget the idea that if it isn't in your pocket it isn't really SAVED. Oh, well, we sure had fun. And a 2nd dual shopping day is planned so we can use the coupon in the future.

Lunch was at the swingin' MCL cafeteria! Wow, we were really happenin' now. Now, if we could only find us a nice RED HAT and a PURPLE jacket! RHS - here we come!

Nashville trip

2005-04-20T01:52:00.000-04:00

It had to happen eventually, but Ray was going to make it last forever. I had to tell Rachel that she was no longer going to have a job. It was awful. I will always do what I have to do, but this was bad. She's been a good, faithful employee, and she's a friend. Now, the time has come, through no fault of her own, to have to leave our employment.

Ray did e-mail her about 3 1/2 weeks ago. Then, exactly 3 weeks ago, I made the call - and yesterday, Karen and I went to Nashville to bring home the files and "stuff." Not a fun trip. I wanted to do something nice at the end, so I looked up a Nashville spa, and I bought her a nice "you're fired" gift. Now she can go, pick out products or spa/facial/manicure treatments, and maybe not hate us.

Rachel and her husband, Joe, (see band: Mitch McVicker) had all the boxes and the files sitting outside their house. (She'd been working from her home.) We packed the Suburban, with everything fitting perfectly. I don't think we could have fit even one more box. We went inside, went over details, instructions, etc. We said our good-byes, and, with the hope that we'll keep in touch, Karen and I pulled out of the drive for the long drive back to Indiana.

Now, for the funny part of the story. I didn't sleep well last night - who knows why. So, sometime about 6, I thought I heard Karen get up to use the toilet. I heard the sound of water hitting water, you know the sound, right? Like p-----. But the p----- sound went on...and on...and on... and then some more...on...and on... I thought, "how can she be p----- THAT much?" Finally, I asked, "Hey Karen, is that you going to the bathroom?" "No, Mom. I thought that was YOU." "What???" and we both jumped from bed to see what was going on in the bathroom.

The ceiling was p-----! There was water coming straight into the toilet from above. And there was water also pouring into the bathtub, through a vent in the ceiling. I called the front office, and told them they had a leak. We closed the door to the bathroom, and tried again to sleep. No luck. Just about when I was drifting off again, the water started pouring into the toilet. Nothing like the sound of water to disturb sleep!

So there we were - couldn't sleep, couldn't use the toilet, couldn't take a shower!

I called the desk again, not really to complain, but to let them know the leak from above was AWFUL. They immediately offered to move us, to bring a key, and we didn't have to move all our stuff. We took what we'd need to shower, but didn't bother to get everything. AND - they gave us half off the room! And luckily, we didn't get wet!

Maybe - Tour de France

2005-04-15T11:46:00.000-04:00

I'm looking at ways to escape this summer to the Tour de France. There has to be a way to go cheap! I'm looking, looking, looking, for a way to take Liz, who is graduating from college. This will probably be the last race for Lance Armstrong, trying for his 7th Tour win, and I got to go last year.

So, there are choices of how to do this: 1) go with a group, or 2) do a "self-guided" trip. #1 would mean things are planned out for us, and you have to go with their flow. #2 would mean that we could explore - or we could possibly get lost, not speak the language, and drop off the face of the earth.

I'm thinking of doing #2. Comments?

http://www.adventurestofrance.com/TourdeFrance.shtml
http://www.customgetaways.com/2005_itinerary_self_guided_Pyrenees.htm
http://www.letour.fr/
http://www.elijabet.blogspot.com

p.s. Liz - could you please help me add the links for this?

shoulder pain

2005-04-12T14:37:00.000-04:00

Pain in my shoulder blade, meaning I should have gone easy when I was working hard for the first time this spring. It aches sometimes, catches sometimes, and gives me a general pain if I turn wrong. It hurts at night when I sleep on that side. I know it will go away if I take Ibuprophen and rest it. It's mainly bothersome, and I don't want special attention. I'm not complaining, but if you'd just rub my back and sympathize. And don't make me drain wet leaves from the pool cover.

Keeping track of my work

2005-04-06T12:12:00.000-04:00

I want to write all the things I've accomplished in the two wonderful spring days so far this week:

1-cleaned the garage (swept) Didn't find the sump pump there, which I needed to pump water off the pool cover. Cleaned cat area (yuck), threw away old junk and made the garage look decent.

2-found the sump pump that Ray bought when we had the leaky basement. It was in the barn. I figured how to use it, hooked it to a hose and began pumping off water from the pool cover. This all involved many, many trips to and from to get tools and stuff.

3-used pool cover water, through the hose, to water my geraniums in the greenhouse. Ha-ha, to Doug Spence, who told me I couldn't save them over the winter! I also saved a big barrel of this nice rain water for use to water plants later.

4-cut LOTS of pampas grass type stuff, chopped it with clippers, hauled it to the woods. I hate that grass.

5-cut off roses and got cut with thorns.

6-broke off mums, which are beginning to sprout.

7-raked beds, being careful not to break off the blooming daffodils.

8-spread as much as I had of PREEN & GREEN - (a pre-emergent) until I ran out. I have to buy more. Last year, and in years past, I have had the lawn service to this.

8-worked on plants in the greenhouse. These plants have some dead leaves and blooms that had to be deadheaded. (removed, for those who would have to look up that meaning)

9-picked up a LOT of sticks from everywhere in the yard.

10-dipped leaves from the pool cover - and there is much more of this to do.

Just to confirm this fact: I've been workin' hard! But there is so much more to do! There are so many leaves down near the basement entry, in the beds, and I need HELP. At least we have another sunny, warm day.

Indiana SPRING means work!

2005-04-04T18:23:00.000-04:00

I'm back in Indiana, and it is SPRING! Spring means there is a lot of work to do! There is garage cleaning, sticks to pick up from the ice storm, plants to chop off (roses, mums, grasses), leaves to remove from landscape beds. As an inexperienced greenhouse worker, I went out there and watered all the plants. Most of them have survived the winter and all the dried-up leaves need to be culled. Since I was galavanting in Florida, I really neglected the plants and have to catch up with this spring season. I was also very surprised at how hot it was inside the greenhouse, so I opened the windows and doors to cool it.

It's exciting to see all the new bulbs that have come up all over the yard, and all the returning ones too. All the mums are sprouting, the lilacs are budding, and the forsythia is beginning to sprout too. Mostly now there are just daffodils and the beginning of hyacinths. Crocus are about gone and I missed them.

Seeing all I have to do is daunting, but since I need to keep busy, I really do not have to look for anything - it's all right in front of me. And I haven't mentioned all that needs to be done INSIDE the house. OUTSIDE in the sunshine is much better for working.

I also want to see my new great-nephew, Tristan! I hear he is a cutie - and a VERY LONG BABY! Courtney, I can't wait to hold him!

perfect junonia

2005-03-25T12:40:00.000-05:00

I've been in Florida for most of January, February and March. I sort of planned it, but then I just stayed because it was easy. I love it here - the long walks on Palm Island beach, the sun, and especially, THE SHELLS.

Shells are another interest of mine. I gather them, not really in an orderly collection, but I fill glass jars, baskets, boxes, and big shells, with shells. I have gotten rather picky, always looking for colorful, shiny, rare ones. But I also enjoy the pieces of the big ones, the rare ones, the ones that "would have been so perfect."

My life isn't perfect. I liken it to the shells. I recently read a little gift book, entitled, "My beautiful broken shell." It was an analogy of how God looks at our lives, how we learn from God. I try not to be overly spiritual about my shell-hunting, finding, and beach-walking, but I do draw little lessons that feel like I'm at least learning something as I go. Before my friend, Paula, showed me her little book about the shell, I had already had one lesson that especially felt like it was "for me." I had shared the story with her, and she shared the book with me. My lesson went like this....

A junonia is a special deep water shell that rarely washes onto the beach. It is a shell that will complete the collection for any true sheller, or make an impressive addition to whatever shells you have. Everyone who's been looking for a long time will know the shell if you mention it, but few have been lucky enough to find "the perfect junonia."

A Florida fighting conch is MUCH more common - they come a wide range of colors, conditions, from perfect reds, yellows, purplish, browns, striped, solids, sharp-topped, to worn and rounded. There are so many on the beach that often I just don't pick them up. I have hundreds, and they fill a jar easily. I just don't need any more.

One week after a recent storm, the shells were so good, I told my family it was like being in a dream where you just keep finding treasure or money or something with real value! I don't think my shells would make me rich, but I feel rich to just be able to have them. For at least two mornings, I brought home buckets of my favorite tulips, olives, cones, nutmegs, worm shells, shark's eyes, even a lion's paw, on and on! It was fantastic shelling, but I didn't, I hadn't found a perfect junonia. I just kept going out every morning with the idea, "okay, God, I'm here to find my junonia."

One big pile was just layered with shells, deeply stacked on one another - and not white, washed-out clam shells, but good Florida conchs and such. I looked at a plain, beautiful conch, and thought, "pick up that one." Oh, I really don't need that shell - I have so many like that, it is so much like the hundreds of others. But I felt again, "pick up that one." And I actually chuckled, thinking, "so God, if I pick up that one, are you going to lead me to my perfect junonia?" And that's when I really felt like it wasn't silly anymore, but God was saying to me, "I'm always leading you to your perfect junonia."

No matter where I am, what I'm going through, God is leading me. It may be that I'm sorting through the broken shells, the sunbleached shells, the half-shells that "would have been so beautiful" but it is in the midst of my search that God is there for me, walking me through the brokeness of shells, and I wouldn't give up that experience for anything.

about the knitting...and the yarn

2004-11-19T11:38:00.000-05:00

This subject should be addressed, since I included it in my blog name. It could be called a passion, but my kids call it an obsession. I think it is somewhere in between those two things.

I LOVE the textures of yarn, ribbon, even heavy threads, anything stringy enough to be wrapped around a knitting needle or a crochet hook. It may be the "hook" that gets me most involved. I like the loops, the repetition, the pattern of the yarn as it makes "things." I like to try out new yarn, new patterns. If I don't like it, I like to quit and move on to something that pleases me more. Sometimes, just sometimes, I may have gotten a bit carried away with buying the yarn, then I find I don't like it as well, and it sits - and sits. And it fills up bags, boxes, storage containers, bigger bags, boxes, baskets, and eventually rooms. So it may appear that I have enough, or at least, a lot. But really the only important yarn is the yarn I have in my hands. The other stuff has to wait their turn.

This week, my dad told me that an aunt of mine asked for my mom's old yarn. (not a close aunt, not my mom's sister) My mom managed to collect quite a stash of her own, and Mom passed away 3 years ago. Dad gave me this yarn, and I've stored all but one plastic box of it in my house in the "yarn room". I was so glad that he asked me about the remaining box, as he was going to give it to Aunt Louise. I had to tell Dad that I feel rather protective of this old yarn, that I do want it. In that box there at his house, there's part of a sweater I made in the 6th grade! I could not give that up, especially since Mom saved it all those years! There's also a "granny square" afghan that had to be made by my Grandma Carrie. And part of a rose colored afghan - like the others that Mom DID complete. No, DON'T give the yarn to my Aunt! And I don't care if I never get to it - I just want it. I just may find the pieces from that unfinished sweater and put it together - after all, Lilly is already a size 4T or so. She might fit it ...in a few years.

Love and Christmas lights

2004-11-18T19:31:00.000-05:00

What is love?

When you've been married almost 30 years, there are certain things that just blow me away. The assembling of a greenhouse, as mentioned, is a way. Then, to put up Christmas lights in the shape of a huge Christmast tree, from the topmost part of the roof, well, that really does it.

I'd heard on the radio about a contest the radio station was having. Now we aren't entering the contest, but I called husband Ray from my cell phone, mentioning that it was a nice warm day and, "Why couldn't we put the lights up this afternoon?" Ray, being the busy sort, asked, "Why would I want to do that?" So, I dropped it.

I worked for daughter Karen at her kiosk in the mall, and then I shopped a bit. I got home at 5 p.m., and who was up on the roof? My wonderful husband. When I asked him what he was doing, he said, "Well, you asked me to do it."

What a guy.

my own playhouse

2004-11-15T16:35:00.000-05:00

Yep, I got a greenhouse. My own little home in the backyard. We got it almost level, set on the stone, and it will probably be finalized in a day or two. I can't believe I can start my own geraniums, store my plants for the winter, and look out and just SEE it from my kitchen window. Thanks, Ray. And thanks, too, to Phil, Tammy, my dad, Joe, and to Liz, Jeremy, and the tree-cutters, who made more sun shine through. Tammy said, "not many of my friends get to say they spent the weekend shoveling almost 3 tons of stone." Well, I better go help do some more of just that - we got three more tons today and it's just waiting to be around the outside of that cute little greenhouse! Woo-hoo!