Obligatory, Late, and Final Dogwood Report

This year's photo of my Dogwood tree's blossoms is ten days later than usual for a couple of reasons. Spring is about two weeks later than usual and my enthusiasm is waning. But, here it is:

I had the tree severely pruned last fall, all the lower branches which were beginning to obstruct the walkway have been removed, so the tree now has a taller, thinner aspect than a typical dogwood. Here's a link to last year's picture taken ten days earlier. Notice in last year's April 18 picture the tree is already in leaf. This year, ten days later, the leaves are just beginning to appear. It's been a long snowy winter for this part of the country.

My enthusiasm is waning because in my heart, we have moved back to California.  We will be leaving on June 20, nine weeks from tomorrow. Logan will be travelling to Europe June 2-16 and as soon as he returns, catches his breath, and does his laundry, we'll be on the road. So much to do before that time! So much stuff to sort through and get rid of. So much packing and planning. So much overwhelm!

Logan has started a regimen of walking to build up his endurance for the trip. He is very determined to be able to participate fully. I'm excited for him. I think he has my wanderlust. While he's gone, I plan a quick trip to Charleston, South Carolina. South Caroline is the only state I haven't visited, so I want to check off one more item on my bucket list. Tomorrow evening I'm checking off another item. I'll report more on that next time.

Annual Report

November 8 is picture day for the dogwood. The two pictures above were taken today. The one below is from last year. The light was much better for this year's shot, but I also think the tree is prettier than it has ever been. For earlier years, see last year's blog entry. The tree is getting a little big for the spot where it is planted. It's time for me to move so I don't have to face any hard decisions regarding its future.

And sew on. I finished this quilt a couple of weeks ago after nearly four years of off and on work on it. The piecing is elaborate, but the quilting is amazing. It was quilted by the talented long-arm quilter, Ivyonn Galloway. I tried to get a picture of the whole quilt in one frame, but it's too big for anyplace in the house. When I took it outside and laid it down on the driveway, the wind kept picking it up.

Inside the outer plain border is a pieced border of flowers and baskets.

Further in is a border of loosely attached triangles, not quite prairie points, but something like them. Inside the triangles is a stepped checkerboard surrounding the inner pieced sampler blocks (below). The rest of the pictures are intended to show the quilting detail. Click on the photos to get a larger view and see the stitching more clearly.

I really like this beige tonal king-sized quilt, but although I stitched the blocks together, I have no real artistic ownership. The fabric choices, the design, and the gorgeous quilting were all the work of others. My contribution is no more significant than a careful paint-by-the-numbers rendition. I feel more deeply attached to quilts  I have a greater artistic investment in. I think that's why I like the scrappy quilts best. I make them up as I go along. And I have so many scraps!

Autumn in the Ozarks

On Friday, November 1, I at last took the drive along the back way to Eureka Springs. I've been trying to get around to it since early this summer when I went to the Opera in the Ozarks and noticed several spots which were photo ops in the waiting. Fall colors were peaking last week and I knew if I didn't hurry, all I would see is gray, wintry vistas. Autumn in the Ozarks is splendid. Not to be compared with New England's display of homogeneous forests that set hillsides ablaze, the Ozark color is more of a calico variety due to the mixed nature of the hardwood forests. Breathtaking in their own right, but difficult to capture with a camera. You've just got to be there. 

The view above is approaching a bridge crossing Table Rock Lake. I stopped at a wide spot to take a picture and came face to face with a sign that said, No Trespassing, No Exit, No Turn Around. Sorry, I didn't mean to cause trouble, but I did either have to turn around or stay there forever. So scofflaw that I am, I put the car in reverse, turned around, and crossed the bridge.

 This building is on the bluff overlooking the lake just beyond the bridge. I'm not sure what it is, some kind of commercial enterprise, but I couldn't read the sign. It has a magnificent view of the lake, but I was unable to capture both the building and the view without getting out of my car. It did make me remember one of my father's tired old jokes: "People who live in glass houses should undress in the basement." Sad to say, the neighbor of this building is a ticky-tacky settlement of mobile homes of the type all to familiar on the shores of the lakes of the region.

 A bit further along my route, near Blue Eye, Missouri, I was astounded to come upon this development -- the last hurrah of Jim Bakker (of Tammy Faye Bakker fame). He is apparently still holding forth on TV, although I'm not sure if he has an audience, and I certainly hope he doesn't have any pledges. The whole thing is just creepy and pathetic. I followed the road into the mostly undeveloped development until I reached it's terminus.

 The buildings in this congregation outnumber the people I saw that day. It has sort of a ghost town feel. Some of you will remember Sam's Town in Cameron Park just before it was bulldozed. I was immediately reminded of it.

 Leaving Jim's Town, I proceeded toward Eureka Springs and continued to enjoy the splendors of the countryside, until, Eureka!

I at last arrived in Eureka Springs. I ate a hasty lunch at McDonald's without leaving my car and headed for home by way of Berryville.  

At home, I put the finishing touches on my latest quilt, "Stash Hash," a 56" x 64" patchwork of 2,688 pieces.

Table for One

 My idea of a perfect birthday lunch if my perfect family and perfect friends aren't around: Fresh Dungeness crab shipped from Oregon, fresh sour dough bread from BreadSmith (SF sourdough is better, but not practical and BreadSmith isn't bad), fresh asparagus (unfortunately waterlogged because I let it sit too long in a cooling bath of water), mayonnaise for the crab and asparagus, a glass of Panilonco's Chardonnay/Viognier from Chile, and something good to read on my Kindle (West With the Night by Beryl Markham). It was lovely.

Another birthday treat, the Dogwood is finally coming reluctantly into bloom. The weather is crazier than ever this spring. Three days this week I have run both the air conditioner and the heater. The temperature fluctuates 40 degrees -- 82 yesterday and now at 4 PM it is 42.

 And a little something to spruce up the driveway -- a newish car. This is a 2009 Suzuki Grand Vitari and so far, I really love it. I found nearly all the controls and really like the comfort of it.

Beautiful flowers from my beautiful daughter arrived this morning. They are very fresh and just coming into bloom, so I should be able to enjoy them for a week.

 Friend Andra brought me this cake and although I haven't cut into it, I did locate a couple of large crumbs and a glob of frosting and I can guarantee it is delicious!

I haven't changed much, the years have been kind to me, just as my friends and family have been.

Springtime in the Ozarks

I can finally admit to myself why I love snowy days. It's because everything just stops for a little while. Suddenly, there is nothing I have to do. School is cancelled, travel is unwise. Best thing to do is hunker down, read, sew, plan cozy meals with the food already on hand, and drink a warm beverage. Oh wait, I've just described a typical day for me. But I enjoy it most when it appears to be the wisest course of (non)action.

A couple of things are different about this snowy day picture from my front porch. My car is sitting in the driveway. That's because Logan's new car is sitting in the garage. I'll post a picture of him sitting behind the wheel once he has his license and it's all official.

The other thing that is different is that my neighbor across the street has not shoveled her driveway. It worries me. She must be ill or out of town. She has never before missed an opportunity to scoop up the snow into neat little windrows along the edge of the lawn, getting out very early so she can get it done before it melts lest she be left with nothing to scoop.

Buying Thyme

I needed some thyme. I had decided to make 40 Cloves of Garlic roasted chicken for dinner and the recipe said to lay fresh thyme over the chicken. Simple enough, the car was in the garage, it was early in the day, I'd just run to the grocery store get some thyme and while I was at it, I would go into Springfield to my favorite store for produce and load up on some fresh veggies.
On the way to the store, I had to stop for a "wide load" exiting the freeway. A huge (maybe 40 foot long and seriously more than one lane wide) beautiful boat was in tow. This was not a "let's go wakeboarding on Table Rock Lake boat." This was a "let's go to the ocean because I've never been to Bora Bora in October" boat. And it had taken the off ramp to Ozark which is 1,000 miles from the ocean.
I had to see where it was going, so I made a U-turn and fell in behind the trailing escort car. The leading pilot car cleared the road and I joined the caravan, meandering over back roads (NN for you locals) and back to the highway some miles later (Highway 60, eastbound). I gave up, its destination would remain a mystery.

But boats! The sight and thought of boats inspired a revery of good times we had on our boat. Outstanding in my memory was an autumn day when we all decided to play hooky from our daily routines. We kept the kids out of school, called in sick to work, and headed for the river. We traveled down the Sacramento River with the boys either on wakeboards or in tubes the whole way. It was a glorious day, just like the recent autumn day when I followed the boat in tow.
Autumn! I drifted back to the present and looked around at the glorious fall color. I wandered and wondered over more back roads taking in the splendor of it all and then headed for home.

And I forgot all about buying thyme.

What To Do?

 My back porch thermometer read 104 degrees when I left home to go grocery shopping. I took a small detour through the neighborhood, looking for houses new on the market so I can both evaluate my asking price and keep tabs on smaller houses I might consider as our next home. Driving down a nearby street, I saw an old woman sitting at the curb in the heat of the sun. It just didn't look right to me, so I stopped and asked if she needed help. And she said yes. She may have been hard of hearing, confused either by the sun or dementia, or maybe not fluent in English, but she seemed unable to put together a sentence to explain what was wrong. She appeared to be about 80 (I took her to be several years older than me) and reasonably healthy. She was carrying a sweater, a carefully folded blanket, some mail, and a wallet. When I asked her if she could stand up, she said, no. Did she want help standing? Yes. I got her to her feet, but she didn't seem to want to walk. She pointed to the nearest house when I asked where she lived, but said no when I asked if anyone was at home. I didn't have my cell phone with me, so I couldn't call for help.

Another car pulled up with a woman and a child in a car seat. We decided she would go knock on the door of the nearby house. A man answered and said yes, it was his mother. We got her into the car and drove her a couple of hundred feet to the house and her son took her in. I hope she's OK. I hope her son realized she might be dehydrated and got her to drink plenty of water. I hope they get an ID bracelet for her.

So many thoughts:

• If I had my cell phone, I might have called 911. Then they would have incurred a bunch of medical expense and fuss and bother.
• Maybe I should have called 911, maybe she did need medical attention.
• Why was she carrying a blanket, her wallet, the mail?
• Was she going to be safe at home?
• Did I do the right thing? Should I have done more? Should I respect her privacy? Should I follow up?
• I must never go out without my phone again!
• It could have been me -- in fact, it was me, in a way, when I fell in April. 
• I should have an ID bracelet.

Summertime in the Ozarks

 

Same dog, same day.

 

 The dogwood is glorious -- a full three weeks earlier than any previous year. The tips of the blossoms are just starting to turn brown, it's just about finished for this year.

And the cows have already begun using the ponds as wading pools. Notice not quite every tree is in leaf, but it is very green. A late frost would be devastating. Here's hoping it doesn't snow on the dogwood this year! Roses are blooming, dandelions have already gone to seed, yellow oak pollen sifts over every car left outside for a couple of hours, and kleenex sales are up. 

Big important news! Ben has been accepted to GLADE (Green Leadership Academy for Diverse Ecosystems). What that means is that he gets to spend a week at the Missouri State University Field Station at Bull Shoals Lake working on habitat restoration and preservation. He labored all last week over his application, essay, and project proposal and learned yesterday he has been accepted in the program as one of 16 high schools kids from Southwest Misssouri. Here's the text of the letter of recommendation from a former teacher (actually librarian):

  I am writing to highly recommend Ben Maples for the GLADE 2012 session.  

Ben is exactly the kind of candidate I believe is a great fit for the environmental features of the academy.  As a young man he has planned for quite some time to pursue a career in entomology and already has a great appreciation for the subtle changes in environment and the impact that will have on future generations.

Ben is a very quiet, introspective young man.  He excels in many areas but particularly loves not only his “bugs” but high school band as well.  He has excelled in the high school band program developing leadership qualities in this program.

Ben has a gentle spirit and is very kind.  He shows kindness in many ways, especially to his grandmother, who is his primary caregiver.  It gives me hope the future generation is both caring and compassionate.

I have seen many young people pass through my life as a school librarian.  Ben is one of the outstanding ones, who will make a difference in this world.  I am proud to highly recommend Ben to an outstanding program which will help on his journey toward making a difference in the world.

 

Season Finale

In the middle of this picture, the red-headed section leader of the front line plays his part on the vibes. Because I was at ground level when I took the picture, you can't see the drum line carrying on behind the keyboards. It was a good show, but not their best -- wait till next year!

Saturday's show was the season finale and regional championship competition. Drum corps' from all over Missouri and parts of Kansas descended on our little town and left behind several thousand dollars to sweeten the coffers of the Ozark High School Band and to fund much of next year's activities. This one day effort sure beats selling Christmas wrap and frozen cookie dough! And it was very well executed thanks to some great parent and student volunteers.

With Winter Drum Line and Speech and Debate season at a close, my taxi service goes into semi-retirement. The trio of activities demanding after-hours practice remaining on the calendar -- off-season football training, the spring Chorale Concert, and Woodwind Symphony (Ben plays tympani) -- have yet to wrap-up, but for the most part we have begun the long gradual slide into summer. Then we'll launch into band and football camps and summer school. Hopefully, by then we'll have a second car.

Today's gorgeous weather means I have to make a trip to Lowes' for weed killer. Everything green thing in the Ozarks has erupted during the past couple of weeks of warm and wet weather. Mowing season is back with us, bird nests are all over the place, and the bugs have returned. Ben hates the mowing and weed-killing -- he sees it as the destruction of insect habitat. I like it for the same reason!

ZZZZZzzzzzzz

Have you ever seen an Ambien tablet? They are very tiny and horror stories abound about what happens when some people take them. I think I get it now. I don't have a horror story, but I did take ONE HALF of one of those tiny little time bombs last night.

I spent the night at Cox hospital for a sleep study to determine whether my apnea warrants a CPAP breathing device. Since my sleep pattern typically involves two or three hours of wakeful time in the middle of the night, the good doctor thought it best if I take a sleeping tablet. I was reticent, I know that many drugs behave strangely in my body, or rather my body behaves strangely while hosting certain drugs, but I went ahead. I had no problem falling asleep even though a couple dozen wires were attached to various party of my body. I had no problem staying asleep. I had no problem demonstrating sleep apnea. I had no problem falling back asleep after they hooked up the C-PAP gizmo. Waking up was a challenge.

I drove myself home, kind of wondering whether or not I was road-ready, but made it safely, probably because there was so little traffic at 6:30. I finished my cup of very strong coffee and then lay down for a little rest. I woke up at 11:00, still groggy, feeling very hungover, and unwilling to venture out onto the roads. If I could figure out how to safely dispose of the remaining half tablet, I'd get rid of it. No more for me!

As I write this, the wind has picked up and the threatened storm is moving in. Five to eight inches of rain and possible tornadoes are forecast for the next couple of days. This very early and beautiful spring, has pushed the redbud and dogwood into bloom. I hope this storm doesn't take the buds off, here's my dogwood nearly a month ahead of schedule.

 Well, I think I'll go have another cup of coffee and a little nap.

What's New

For tonight's dinner shredded kale and sliced leeks will be stirred into fried potatoes and sausage. That will leave the sweet potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes, spaghetti squash, baby salad greens, spinach and onions for later in the week. I really love planning meals around the weekly CSA harvest, but I suspect this may be our last season as members. I have to drive round trip 50 miles to pick up the vegetables each week and soon a year round farmer's market will be opening at about half the distance. Fortunately, I expect my favorite farmers (Curtis and Sarah Millsap) will be participating in the new market -- don't know for sure, haven't checked it out with them, but I'm jumping to that conclusion based on press coverage about the new market involving some of the Millsap kin.  

Please note the new and enhanced setting for my vegetable photo. I replaced my old kitchen table and six chairs with this smaller table and four chairs. Our dear departed pet, Cinder (AKA Chainsaw) had gnawed on the legs and seat of each of the old chairs and every time I looked at them, I got mad all over again. So, the new arrangement accommodates my notion of downsizing, extinguishes my anger, and provides a back drop for my handiwork -- the table runner, place mates and napkins which I'll use for the month leading up to St. Patrick's Day. I'm just finishing a set that will take us from March 17th through Easter. If I can keep the momentum going I'll finish up next spring with twelve different table top ensembles. We'll see.

In weather news, we came safely through last night's dramatic storm. Tornado damage occurred just 30 miles to the south (Branson) and 30 miles north (south of Buffalo). The boys spent the night sleeping on the floor of the torndado shelter while I risked sleeping in the bed in the adjoining room. (It's a basement room and the bed is below ground level, so I feel fairly safe and very comfortable.) I got out of bed about one A.M. and very unsafely watched the storm from a window. The lightning was amazing with magnificent branching seemingly over the neighbor's house and so close together you could read by it.

Long Dry Spell

Winter arrived this weekend. No snow, but temperatures fell to the single digit range with wind chills below zero. Maybe snow on Monday and I'm ready for it. I've got a full larder, full Kindle, and nowhere  to go for a couple of days. Let it snow! Besides, I need something to take a picture of. The kids won't let me take pictures of them anymore and how many photos of food and quilts does anyone want to see?

As I sit here at my computer, Ben is playing marimba in the Winter Drum line competition at Kickapoo High School in Springfield. They performed a "parent preview" last night and the enthusiasm of both the kids and the instructors was palpable. This entirely extra-curricular activity calls for a high degree of commitment from both the kids and the instructors and it shows! I'm eager to hear what the judges think.  

And Logan is off debating at Glendale, a different Springfield high school. I like these semi-local events because they tend to get home at a fairly decent hour. Until we get another car, I'm still the late night bus driver, and frankly, it detracts from my enjoyment of a glass of wine in the evening. Can't have the wine and stay awake till midnight (and drive safely).

Preparations for putting my house on the market are in full swing. I will soon be faced with moving from 4,500 to around 1,500 square feet. A lot of stuff has got to go. I'm hoping my family will come and haul away what they want and then I'm going to have a mammoth garage sale. I'm ready to unload antiques, heirlooms, newish furniture, and all kinds of junk. Come and get it! I'm serious. 

Most of my health concerns/issues seem to be under control. I got a good report from the cardiologist about my echocardiogram and my blood pressure is well under control with a change in medication. The irregular heartbeats appear to be benign. I still have a sleep study in March to see if I need a C-Pap machine. It's very expensive to learn all of this, even with Medicare and a supplemental insurance. All this to make sure I'm healthy enough for a second knee surgery. My current thinking is that I'll do it sometime this fall -- after the Golden Girls Reunion.

Five of us who were high school friends plan to gather this September on the Mendocino Coast at the Little River Inn. Another of our classmates owns and is retired from operating the Inn, so we will also get to visit with him and his wife. We all live in different states and haven't seen each other in years, but I know we are going to have a great time and will have no trouble picking up where we left off. This notion has already been a year in the talking/planning stage, but we are now at the point of actually booking reservations. I do believe it's going to happen. And, I'll have something to take pictures of!

Ramble and Rant

A tiny dusting of snow fell last night, not even enough for pictures. Fearlessly, I drove Logan to school this morning for his 6 A.M. weight training class. Normally I freak out if there is even a hint of the possibility of slick, icy roads, but this morning I packed the car with blankets, a two week supply of food and water, a change of clothes, several flashlights, a fully-charged cell phone, a full tank of gas, two teen-aged boys, and outfitted in arctic gear, I bravely traveled three miles round trip to school. And survived! And the Martin Luther King holiday seems secure. The holiday is rarely observed here because it is typically our first snow makeup day. But, so far, we really haven't had any snow. I'm hoping for a mild winter with no snow days so school will be out for the summer early enough for us to get to Massachusetts for Nichole's graduation, if she's able to pull it off. She's had trouble scheduling her last two required classes. I'm hoping she's able to work it out somehow!

Logan takes a weight training class three days a week and attends  brutal off-season football training two afternoons a week -- he is so buff. He also is becoming even more interested in debate. They've had one tournament already this year and there's a lot more on the calendar. On his own initiative, he watched the Republican candidates debate and was keenly observant. I love watching the boys develop their own interests and forge their unique paths.

Ben has been spending extra time practicing music -- he stays after school most afternoons to put in time on the marimba and is getting quite good. He also loves choral singing, but is very shy about solo work. He is looking forward to participating in Eric Whitacre's Virtual Choir 3.0. I have instructions to be out of the house with Logan while he is recording his contribution. He also spends time at math club and with the National Honor Society. You know these interests are their own and not pushed by me -- math and debate are about as far as you can get from any of my strengths or interests. Once again, I'm truly grateful for teachers who encourage and give hours of their time, clearly out of love and dedication, because there's not much money in it!

I continue to spend my time reading and quilting, and lately, attending to health maintenance issues. I'm finding that as I age it takes more and more "routine" screenings just to know that I'm OK. Bone density, mammo, EKG, carotid artery ultrasound, etc., etc., ad nauseum. And of course, it's all different doctors, different days, and different sets of the same form to fill out. Right now I'm wearing a halter monitor to validate that my benign palpitations are indeed benign. I'm hoping it picked up a blip when I was on the phone explaining to the insurance company that their system was screwed up, that in fact, my statin drug is covered under the plan. It took 37 minutes, 36 of them on hold or negotiating a phone tree, to get them to see things my way. The user end -- the social cost -- of these aggravations is never factored in when they set them up.

I like phones less and less every day. I no longer use or answer my house phone. The batteries are all dead on the hand sets and I have to access it from the console. I have no interest in replacing it. Before long, I will have it disconnected. I am finally coming to love my mobile phone(s). It allows me to be in touch with the kids wherever they are -- texting is terrific for that. I'm not crazy about talking on the phone. With my hearing loss, I struggle to hear, so  I much prefer face-to-face, email, facebook messages, or texting. All of these occur at the convenience of both parties, not dictated by the one who does the dialing. There are a couple of exceptions -- I do like appointment reminders and I love getting calls from my far-away friends and relatives. I love caller ID and never answer calls I suspect are from telemarketers. This communication evolution is fascinating to me -- newspapers and mail are nearly obsolete, even regular e-mail is showing signs of waning, while "social media" and texting surge. I suppose we will have implanted communication devices before long.

Let It Snow

I was surprised to awaken to this first dusting of snow -- and I love it! I am shocked that my neighbor hasn't shoveled her driveway yet, in fact, I don't see any tire marks on it either, maybe they are out of town. I hope they are well. Normally she would clear her driveway and create neat little snow banks on either side by this time on a snowy day.

School is in session, but I have declared a personal snow day. After a very busy day yesterday, I'm happy to sit back and pick at the housework today. I love days when I'm home alone and just drift from reading a few pages to sorting a pile of laundry, sewing a few stitches, and straightening up a room. I will go out later this afternoon to mail Kathy and Rick's quilts and even later to attend the high school's winter concert featuring Ben on Glockenspiel. He's excited about it and so am I.

Yesterday I taught a complicated quilting technique to one of my quilting clubs. I confused several people and a few caught on, so I guess that's OK. I learned a lot about how to teach a quilting technique and think I will do much better next time.

After our Christmas pot luck luncheon, I picked up the boys at school for Logan's dental appointment and Ben's eye exam. Logan had a couple of cavities, the first in his permanent teeth (boo hoo) which he will get filled after his braces are removed later this month (yay!). Ben's eyes are unchanged and he didn't need new glasses -- no out-of-pocket cost, all covered by insurance (which is an out-of-pocket cost the first of each month!).

Same Time This Year

2008

                                            2009                                                       2010

2011

Same tree, same day, different years. All these photos were taken on November 8 -- and so different each year. I'm still trying to learn the weather patterns and to read the seasons here, but I don't think it's possible. I do know our glorious fall is at an end. Today's storm will bring down many of the remaining leaves and winter will be upon us.

This morning when Oreo went outside, she found the cold, windy, wet weather not at all to her liking, so she turned right around and came back in. She immediately went out the other door and seemed quite surprised to find the weather just as nasty.

More Dumb Luck

Ben and I drove to Jefferson City after he got home from school yesterday. We arrived at the Doubletree Inn Just at six o'clock and had a wonderful meal in the Penthouse restaurant. It made me realize how long it has been since I've been anywhere at all (a couple of years actually).
And I enjoyed every minute and every morsel! I've been concerned about how my new knee would travel, but I was quite comfortable the whole way, driving and all.


I dropped Ben off for his morning of test taking and did a little exploring. At 8:00 in the morning, the light was perfect for these pictures of the capitol building (front side above, and the back is below). No one was there, it was quiet, still , and breathtakingly beautiful. I was a little concerned about muggers or bad guys, but it was so gorgeous, I decided to risk it.


A view across the "Wide Missouri" from the back side of the capitol.

After checking out of my hotel room, I realized I had forgotten my Kindle. I had to return to look for it, but didn't find it. However, I did find some other important articles I had left behind. As I returned to the car, I waged an internal debate over whether I should replace my lost reader with the same basic model, or if I should upgrade to something snazzier. I got my answer when I found the "lost" Kindle in my purse. Had I not thought it was lost, I would never had returned to the room and all the other stuff would have been left behind. Talk about dumb luck!

Ben completed the test and we headed back to Springfield for him to join his band for the competition at Missouri State. We expected he would miss the preliminaries, but arrive in time for the finals. We got there just as they were lining up for the preliminaries. He jumped into his uniform and marched off. Dumb luck!

I Must Be Someplace Else; It Doesn't Get This Hot Here

At 6:00 P.M.!!! It was so hot at 6:00 A.M. Ben voluntarily put on shorts instead of jeans for the first time this summer (in Missouri, that is -- I sent shorts with him to California, did he wear them?) He did wear them in Florida this past May. This has been the hottest summer within memory for many locals I've asked. Records are being broken and I worry about pets and people without a/c.

Ben has band camp this week -- they gather at 8:00 A.M. and go till 8:30 P.M., with 3-1/2 hours of break time for lunch and dinner. They are supposed to practice marching in the morning and in the evening, but only when the heat index on the field is at some pre-determined acceptable level. Bet they won't be marching this evening!

Logan has just been hanging out at home; it's too hot to shoot hoops with his friend next door. Maybe they will go to the pool this evening, if the water is not too warm!
I saw a scissortailed flycatcher this morning while driving Ben to band. Apparently they are common to this area, but I had never noticed one before. At first, I thought the bird was carrying something, but then realized that all was part of the bird. Very pretty. There are lots of wonderful birds in this area, many of which I cannot identify because they are new to me.

Milling Around

You know that awkward in-between time -- something just ended, something is going to start, but for now all you can do is walk in circles. That's how I feel.

Yesterday a monster tornado hit Joplin, just 70 miles away. I don't know anyone directly affected, but it's hard not to feel it in the gut when it could easily have been us, not them. Wanting to help, but not being able to do anything, is frustrating. We scraped together and donated all our coins -- a significant pile because I habitually stick them away and we just had a moderately successful garage sale and raked in lots of coin from items priced at 25 cents.

Thursday a disaster relief team from our church will go to Joplin to start moving and removing debris. Logan will go with them while Ben is in Florida with the band. Next week they can both work with the team. Summer school starts June 1, so they won't be able to make many trips, but at least it's something. I can imagine the work will continue for quite a while.

I wander in circles in anticipation of surgery. Today I attend my total joint replacement class and learned lots of gory details about the process and the recovery. I do feel enlightened and not as frightened as I was yesterday. But, I can't wait to have it behind me!

Gotta go -- feel the need to pace in circles.

Blackberry Winter in the Ozarks

Today is nearly as cold as a summer's day in San Francisco (apologies to Mark Twain or whoever was supposed to have said; "the coldest winter I ever spent was a summer in San Francisco").
Everyone who stopped in at our garage sale this morning had something to say about the weather, but one woman offered that it was "Blackberry Winter." I had never heard the expression which I learned refers to a mid-May cold snap after the blackberries have bloomed. So, today the heater is blasting, earlier this week it was the A/C. Doesn't seem like it is ever just right.
My new camera takes much better pictures than the i-phone, I'm sure you'll agree. This picture shows the portion of the quilt I have finished quilting. Here's a progress report: Approximately 30% done, 1,500 feet of thread, 150,000 stitches, and 600 hours spent hand quilting.
Grandson Robby sent me a beautiful piece of his original art work which had been printed on a piece of white fabric. I quilted it and framed it so I could easily show it off. Looks like fish swimming through kelp to me; I wonder what Robby thinks.


Ben is through performing and receiving awards for this school year except for the coup de grâce - the band trip to Florida and a performance at Disney World. I've never been to Disney World (neither have Ben or Logan). I wish we could all go! Logan's award assembly and 8th grade celebrations are scheduled for all of next week. Look for better pictures with the new camera.


By the way, I forgot to post books I read in April:
Great Expectations: Charles Dickens -- this one is a little bit different, not quite such dramatic changes in fortune as Oliver Twist or David Copperfield, and a lot more symbolism. I liked it.

The Fiery Cross: Diana Gabaldon -- not quite as much sex and violence and a lot more early American history.

Bastard Out of Carolina: Dorothy Allison -- not sure whether the Bastard is the illegitimate girl, or her abusive step-father. Sad tale of Southern White Trash featuring a girl called Bone. This story evokes another of poor white folk: Winter's Bone by Daniel Woodrell in the telling of hard-scrabble lives that hit below the poverty belt.

Pi R Square

In deference to the house math geeks, National Pi Day (3.14), and the grandfather who belabors the "Pi are round" joke, I made an apple pie this afternoon. We have yet to dig into it, but once the crust is cracked, I'm sure it won't last long.

Today is the first day of spring break and we are celebrating by spring house cleaning. At least I talk about it -- haven't done much yet. However, I did let the boys know that we would be cleaning house this week. This afternoon on the way home from the dentist, I learned that Logan shampooed the carpet in his bedroom and the carpet in the play room -- WITHOUT BEING ASKED!!!!! A few hours later, I found myself yelling at him for his sloppy research skills in conjunction with a science project. When I stood back and realized I was yelling at the same kid who had shampooed carpets unbidden, I felt awful. I know it is my job to patiently teach him those skills (research and carpet cleaning!), but in the moment, I forget. Somehow, I expect B and L to have absorbed everything I have tried to teach all the children who came my way before they appeared on the scene.

Both boys had dental checkups today and both came away with perfect results. Logan has been struggling with gingivitis exacerbated by his braces, but today, the hygienist reported great improvement. I'm delighted -- we had been threatened with aborting the orthodontic process -- but now, all is good. (And I yelled at him for sloppy research practices -- I feel sooooo bad.)

Today it snowed (on the dogwood that is struggling to break into leaf) -- so spring is on its way!
There are hundred of buds on my dogwood this year and I can't wait to see it in bloom -- should happen on my birthday.