Things I'm Grateful For

I have been too negative lately, so I need to write about some of the big and small things I'm thankful for.

my wonderful, loving, supportive and wise Husband

my basil plant, alive and well this year in the garden box

my children are all happy to go to school

properly functioning major and minor appliances

good health for me and my family

good books to read

compassion from kind friends

love and support from sisters and sisters-in-law

Cheeseball's choice to get baptized

Cheeseball and T-Bone's wonderful friendship

time with Goose in the morning

Beulah's dedication to excellence in her schoolwork

forgiveness for my mistakes

Janey's enthusiasm for life's experiences

the freedom to enjoy yummy food without guilt

the beautiful world I can see around me

happy memories of fun times

safe and healthy vacations

consulting work from former employers

raspberries growing

knowledge of God and Jesus Christ and an awareness of their love for me

good examples

afternoon naps

generous donations others make to DI

fabulous pregnancies and safe deliveries

listening to my kids play piano

people who teach my children

supportive and wonderful parents

cool mornings

the hope of an even better future

all those people who have prayed for me and my family

I could and should go on but I have piles on laundry that need my attention.

If a Stevedore Knew Petrarch. . . .

So I downloaded an app for my ipad; the NY Times crossword puzzle. I've solved two puzzles so far, needing help about four dozen times. It's amazing to me how many things I have no idea about--sports figures, rivers in Europe, battles that happened 500 years ago. And it's also amazing what you can learn about with Wikipedia in a matter of seconds. It is a little scary how much time I can spend on a puzzle, but then I rationalize that learning something new can't be all that bad.

First Day of School

Well, catching 1 out of 3 buses on time might not be the worst record ever, but it certainly isn't the best. I don't like the first day of school. I don't like Back to School with it's endless disclosure forms and permission forms and petitions for money, and I don't like that my free time doesn't coincide with when my kids' teachers need classroom help. Growl. At least my children are all happy to go; that's really the most important thing.

Sir Paul

A few weeks ago I gave Beulah an early birthday present of two tickets to Paul McCartney's concert. She has been a big Beatle's fan for a few years (even going so far as to call one of her online avatars "Beatles Babe"). She agonized over who to invite but in the end she brought me, which, of course, is what I was hoping for.

We got there in plenty of time, despite my stressing about being stuck in traffic. We found our seats at the rear of the stadium (not the very worst seats but most were better than ours) and then we waited. When the fog machines started to blow out electric blue air we screamed and then he came out on stage! It was amazing! He performed a bunch of songs in the beginning that I was not familiar with but over the course of the evening he hit my two favorite Beatles songs--"Let It Be" and "Hey Jude" and many other wonderful songs that people have loved for decades. The coolest part of the night was "Live and Let Die" with the fireworks blazing--I screamed myself hoarse! I loved when he invited the audience to sing along with "Hey Jude" and "Oh Bla De"; there I was, singing along with Paul McCartney! I think my favorite song of the might was, "And I Love Her." "Blackbird" was also perfect. His voice stayed true through all the dozens of songs and his energy was great. He looked so happy to be there and he created such a positive atmosphere for all the people there of all ages. Beulah was thrilled when he gave a tribute to George Harrison (he's her favorite Beatle) and I think she had fun. I have been to many rock concerts--most of them almost 20 years ago. But this might have been the best.

Thanks for taking me, BG. I love you!

Father, Can You Get Your Little Butt in Your Swimming Suit?

What is up with Goose calling me and Husband "Mother" and "Father" lately? She is so funny to talk with right now.
On another note, I felt invincible as I was running down a hill this morning, almost like I could keep running forever. Then as I started running up the opposite hill, I thought that it was a good thing I was close to home. True to form, I am the slowest runner in the world.
Last week T-Bone discovered that the two asparagus crowns we'd planted next to his garden spot had finally sent up something green. It was a wonderful surprise. In the spring, I had bought six asparagus crowns and then planted them and so far the ones that T-Bone spotted are the only ones that have produced.
Cheeseball found a Harry Potter Uno game in mint condition at DI. He has been fun to play with.
Beulah has finally discovered the joy of gardening.
Janey is still the reigning Cheese Queen amongst her friends.
Oh, last week we celebrated the 4th of July on the 3rd and 5th. The family, burgers and fireworks on the 3rd were wonderful and the parade on the 5th was fun. The most incredible thing to me about the weekend was how comfortable the temperatures were. I can't remember the last time I felt a cool breeze on the 4th, but the whole weekend was absolutely beautiful. It has been the prettiest summer since we've been in Utah, with all the spring rain we've had. The mountains still look green.

Dead, Dead, Dead

Well we came home from a very relaxing and enjoyable trip in Phoenix to meat juices seeping out from the refrigerator and spilling onto the floor. Right before our trip, we noticed that our fridge wasn't working. We called the repairman and he checked all the connections and got it working again. But he wasn't convinced that there wasn't some other problem. We put all the frozen food that we could into the garage refrigerator, but it couldn't all fit in. So we left a few things in our kitchen fridge, crossed our fingers, and left for several days.

The rest, as they say, is history.

We have decided that we will pay to repair it again, rather than buy a new one our move in our garage fridge (it has broken shelves in the freezer, so things tend to slide and fall out.)

Also, Beulah's guinea pig Sarah died the day after we returned. Who knows why? Beulah keeps checking the online classifieds to get another one but I am hoping she'll drop the idea.

My kitchen basil, which was pathetic at it's best moment, seems mostly dead. One sad little stalk has four tiny leaves that aren't all shriveled up.

But on a happy note, our flowers are all still alive and blooming (and this after they survived a snow storm!) Our garden areas are overgrown with weeds--I don't think it's ever been worse and I've sprayed Round-Up 3 times this spring, at least--but our tomatoes and peppers are still alive and some other plants are popping up. Let's just hope we can distinguish between the seedlings and the weeds.

The weather in Phoenix was hot, but not too bad. All we did was swim and fish and make one 40 minute trip to the 99 cent store. On the way down, we stopped at Goblin Valley for a couple of hours and saw some amazing sandstone structures.

Yesterday the kids had their piano recital. It was nice; it would have been even better if everyone had practiced their songs in the days before the recital but our being away from the piano made that impossible. I am grateful for the efforts that they all make in practicing. It's nice to have music around.

Now I have to make good on my promise to get a summer membership at the rec center so we can go swimming.

Some Things a Mother Doesn't Know

Goose is very interested in death lately. Her curiosity runs the gamut from what happens to our skeletons as they decompose to what happens to our bones when they're resurrected. Today she asked me if there were toothbrushes in Heaven. Umm. I have no idea. We'll have perfect teeth, right, and we'll be able to eat, right? Will there not be bacteria to form plaque and bad breath or will our mouths be be impervious to said bacteria? These are things that I don't know. I also don't know if there will be potties in Heaven, another question Goose had for me last week.

Beulah questioned me about evolution today, telling me that her teacher told her there was more evidence for evolution than there was about the Holocaust. First of all, I told her that the term "evolution" was inadequate. Obviously, we see evidence of biological genetic change all over the place. But as for Evolution meaning humans descending from apes, I challenge any scientist to produce a homo erectus that can tell us about his daily life in a cave with his clan versus finding a survivor from a concentration camp who can tell about living under the Nazis.