I'm Baaaack.... but changed the name and created a new address:
Postcards From the Ridge
http://www.postcardsfromtheridge.blogspot.com/
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Monday, September 7, 2009
It's Not Over, til it's Over....
Okay, Okay... I'll do a WEEKLY blog! So many wrote in saying how much they enjoyed the blog, I guess I shouldn't quit - and just be thankful there are those who find our lives interesting.
I might start with a new blog address, but I'll post it here. Look for weekly "articles" to come out on Saturdays....
I've always wanted to have a weekly column, so maybe this is IT. Erma Bombeck has yet to be replaced. I loved her stuff. But maybe I won't be so funny.... we'll see.
Thanks for the encouragement!
I might start with a new blog address, but I'll post it here. Look for weekly "articles" to come out on Saturdays....
I've always wanted to have a weekly column, so maybe this is IT. Erma Bombeck has yet to be replaced. I loved her stuff. But maybe I won't be so funny.... we'll see.
Thanks for the encouragement!
Friday, September 4, 2009
Time to Call it Quits
Now, I think, life is getting too boring to even write about. I’m thinking it’s time to quit the blog on a daily basis. I may update it if something spectacular happens but I can’t see that our lives in America are all that interesting. Today, for example, included things like, taking the car in for repair, getting one of our vacant apartments rented (woo hoo), taking Kory to get a laser treatment on his back, cleaning house and dropping Kaleb off for a sleepover. It’s not much to work with to make an interesting read. Life is going to get so routine and FULL after Labor Day, I think now will be a good time to call it quits.
I know there are several people still reading the blog everyday, and I love that – but I also hate to be a bore. Maybe I’ll post stories I’ve written from time to time, who knows…. But all good things must come to an end. Thanks for being so supportive, faithful and interested. I promise, if I publish a book from this blog, to give everyone one of my dedicated readers an autographed first edition copy, along with a big hug and a kiss. Honestly, if I didn’t know people were reading it, I wouldn’t have kept it going the whole year. So a big heartfelt thanks from me to you.
When Kaleb was three month’s old, I started hand writing in a journal for him. I wrote down all that he had done in his first three months, and then I wrote everyday after that, all he did and said that day. I only quit doing it last year when we moved to Norway when it took so much time writing the blog, that I couldn’t keep up with the hand writing in the journal, too. I’ve filled sixteen of those books about Kaleb’s life so far, and I still have a few blank ones in inventory that are waiting for me to fill, so now is a good time to get back to that routine.
I’m going to print out all the pages I’ve written for the blog and put those in a book for Kaleb, as well. I’m not even sure he will be interested in reading all the documentation on his life, but maybe one day his kids or wife might (assuming they materialize). I wrote things down about his life for several reasons. I had a lot of questions about my childhood and my parents as I was growing up, and the only answer I ever got was, “I don’t know.” Whether that was the truth, or whether the truth was not to be repeated, I really don’t know, but I do know I hated that answer and I never want to give it to Kaleb. Because I was 41 when I gave birth to him, I was worried by the time he was old enough to ask questions, old age might have set in enough that I really wouldn’t remember the answers to things, so if all his days were written down, then he could read all about it himself. That was the main reason. But also, as I’ve come to realize, there are two sides to every story. Kaleb might remember things one way, but at least the way I saw situations will be represented by my writings in his journals. And lastly, maybe there will be forgiveness in my writing. If he sees that he wasn’t always such a peach, and he reads about the struggles I had with him, he might just be more forgiving of me as he ages, if indeed he harbors any bitterness or resentment by then. (Often I ask him if I’ve done anything that he needs to forgive me for, and he claims just as often, there is nothing, so I hope that is the case. But it doesn’t hurt to cover all bases.) So my writing is self serving, on all sides. I do love to write, and I especially love it when I know people enjoy reading what I write. But now I’m thinking there’s not that much happening that would compel anyone to want to read all about it anymore.
This weekend we have company coming; next week school starts. Kory is getting better every day and able to stand for longer periods of time. I’ve got the scheduler out and our days are filling up with commitments, appointments, schooling and normal life stuff. If I were a better writer, I might be able to make something of all that, but I’m not very creative that way. So for now, this is good-bye. I’m not sure what I will fill my late nights with, but I’m sure I’ll find something. I have closets to clean, photos to sort, e-mails to purge and prayers to pray. Thanks for being there.
(The photo today is a picture of me that a friend took for my college graduation from Pomona College in 1982. I love it more than any others I’ve taken. A woman in my Norwegian class asked me to post “old” photos of me on Facebook because she said she suspected I “used to be HOT.” That’s just how I feel about my writing now.)
I know there are several people still reading the blog everyday, and I love that – but I also hate to be a bore. Maybe I’ll post stories I’ve written from time to time, who knows…. But all good things must come to an end. Thanks for being so supportive, faithful and interested. I promise, if I publish a book from this blog, to give everyone one of my dedicated readers an autographed first edition copy, along with a big hug and a kiss. Honestly, if I didn’t know people were reading it, I wouldn’t have kept it going the whole year. So a big heartfelt thanks from me to you.
When Kaleb was three month’s old, I started hand writing in a journal for him. I wrote down all that he had done in his first three months, and then I wrote everyday after that, all he did and said that day. I only quit doing it last year when we moved to Norway when it took so much time writing the blog, that I couldn’t keep up with the hand writing in the journal, too. I’ve filled sixteen of those books about Kaleb’s life so far, and I still have a few blank ones in inventory that are waiting for me to fill, so now is a good time to get back to that routine.
I’m going to print out all the pages I’ve written for the blog and put those in a book for Kaleb, as well. I’m not even sure he will be interested in reading all the documentation on his life, but maybe one day his kids or wife might (assuming they materialize). I wrote things down about his life for several reasons. I had a lot of questions about my childhood and my parents as I was growing up, and the only answer I ever got was, “I don’t know.” Whether that was the truth, or whether the truth was not to be repeated, I really don’t know, but I do know I hated that answer and I never want to give it to Kaleb. Because I was 41 when I gave birth to him, I was worried by the time he was old enough to ask questions, old age might have set in enough that I really wouldn’t remember the answers to things, so if all his days were written down, then he could read all about it himself. That was the main reason. But also, as I’ve come to realize, there are two sides to every story. Kaleb might remember things one way, but at least the way I saw situations will be represented by my writings in his journals. And lastly, maybe there will be forgiveness in my writing. If he sees that he wasn’t always such a peach, and he reads about the struggles I had with him, he might just be more forgiving of me as he ages, if indeed he harbors any bitterness or resentment by then. (Often I ask him if I’ve done anything that he needs to forgive me for, and he claims just as often, there is nothing, so I hope that is the case. But it doesn’t hurt to cover all bases.) So my writing is self serving, on all sides. I do love to write, and I especially love it when I know people enjoy reading what I write. But now I’m thinking there’s not that much happening that would compel anyone to want to read all about it anymore.
This weekend we have company coming; next week school starts. Kory is getting better every day and able to stand for longer periods of time. I’ve got the scheduler out and our days are filling up with commitments, appointments, schooling and normal life stuff. If I were a better writer, I might be able to make something of all that, but I’m not very creative that way. So for now, this is good-bye. I’m not sure what I will fill my late nights with, but I’m sure I’ll find something. I have closets to clean, photos to sort, e-mails to purge and prayers to pray. Thanks for being there.
(The photo today is a picture of me that a friend took for my college graduation from Pomona College in 1982. I love it more than any others I’ve taken. A woman in my Norwegian class asked me to post “old” photos of me on Facebook because she said she suspected I “used to be HOT.” That’s just how I feel about my writing now.)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Takin' Care o' Business
I was up before the sun this morning so I had time for a cup of coffee before we headed down to Seattle for the day. I had an appointment with our accountant to turn over all the numbers so he can file our tax return for 2008. Now I just wait until he waves his magic wand and tells me the outcome. I used to be able to file our taxes, but they just get more and more complicated every year and I finally gave up. I hate that I’m not smart enough to do them anymore, or perhaps, not motivated enough to try and make sense out of all the rules. Either way, I don’t like it. Thank God I’m done with it for now anyway.Kory needed to come along today because his front tooth came loose again and the dentist that made that tooth is in Seattle. He rearranged some other appointments to fit Kory in once I explained he can’t drive himself down there and today was the only day that worked for me. I so appreciate good customer service. He didn’t even charge to refit the tooth. I hate the thought of living with a toothless Hillbilly, even though all my father’s family were from the Ozarks in southern Missouri. Just cuz I’m half Hillbilly doesn’t mean I want to be married to one.
For the first time since we’ve been back in Seattle, we stopped by our apartment building on Greenwood Ave. (see photo). We had friends managing it for us while we were gone and it seems they did a better job than we did at maintaining things. The place looks incredible. We also have an on-site manager and the one we had when we left town moved to Texas so we asked another tenant if she’d be our new caretaker and thankfully she agreed. We discovered today she has an obsessive compulsive cleaning disorder because all she does each and every day is sweep and vacuum and dust and pick up things and trim bushes and make that property sparkle. Both Kory and I were in awe of the condition of everything when we got there. We’ve never kept it so nice. What a HUGE blessing that is to have her in charge. All we expect is the hallways and stairs to be vacuumed once a week, and litter picked up outside, but we got way more than that. Hallelujah!
Kory and I went to Home Depot to buy a few hot water tanks while we were there. Some retired plumber neighbor guy Kory knows will replace them for us, so that takes a load off Kory and saved us a little money. Kory’s now got his own to-do list to tackle once he gets back on his feet, but he thinks of it all as his hobby. Fixing things is what he loves to do so I guess owning an 11-unit apartment building is just the ticket. I still think we should sell it, especially since we have plenty “to do” at our house. (We’ve lived here ten years now and there are still things not done that should have been done before we moved in.) Kory believes in the ancient Chinese proverb that says, “House done when man die.”
Kaleb came along for the ride today, armed with a pile of books. He didn’t make a peep all day. I took him shopping while Kory was at the dentist, but he didn’t find anything he wanted to buy, surprisingly enough (probably because he was going to spend his own money.) It was also weird to see that he’s moved beyond toys now and passed up all the toy aisles to head straight for electronics. (I do hope this means we can now purge a few toys in the basement.) We also stopped off at the library and got more books. It’s not uncommon to check out a hundred books a week for this kid. He can read about 700 words a minute (maybe more). He read one of the Harry Potter books that had over 700 pages, in just a day. He said that’s what he liked least about living in Norway – not having access to so many books.
On the way home we stopped by our beloved Grammy J’s to have dinner with her. (She used to be my Bible study teacher many years ago and she adopted us as her family and has taken on the role of Grandmother to Kaleb.) She just got out of rehab with a broken leg so we brought Chinese food over and waited out rush traffic. It was good to see her again but she’s not her perky self, so that was hard to take. I don’t do well seeing people I love in pain. I’ve had my share of it for a while. But God is faithful and He promises in the Bible, He will work ALL things together for the good. Sometimes it just takes a while to recognize the good.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Neighbors Helping Neighbors
I was still sipping my morning cup of coffee when our (almost) neighbor and friend, Willie Schaub called. He said he was going to the dump and wondered if we had anything he could take for us. Unbelievable. That was one item on my to-do list I wasn’t too sure I’d get around to doing anytime soon. Kory always goes to the dump and I don’t even really know the process. I told Willie we had six full cans of garbage and he said he had room for them all (we don't have garbage service). What an incredible blessing that was! I got to cross something off my list and I didn’t even have to do it. Hallelujah! The to-do list dominates my time these days but I’m now down to the final TEN things. Woo-hoo! The whole list has had to do with “resettling.” I do have a new to-do list started, but that’s just normal life for me and I’m now free enough to do things that aren’t even on my list. That's such a good feeling.
Kory got the new pump working and installed in the pond today, so that’s a load off his mind. He also hooked up the new BBQ regulator so that’s now off the disabled list and we had Bar-b-qued chicken for dinner tonight. Life is returning to normal. He watched several movies today too so he's still taking it easy.
When we were at the library yesterday, Kaleb saw a sign for the “reading to dogs” program I believe someone here in Washington State started. Basically anyone with a mild mannered dog can get them certified to be part of the program. The owner takes their dog to the local library and kids sit for ten or fifteen minutes and read out loud to the dog. There is no judgment, no correction, no snickers. (Our local library even scheduled the times when the library is officially closed so there are no distractions.) The dog just sits patiently and listens to the kids reading. It’s a great way to improve their out loud reading skills and even though Kaleb doesn’t really need help in that department, he couldn’t resist signing up – especially since he knows the dog. (He had been a “Dog of the Week” in Kaleb’s “Weekly Puppy” newspaper.) So this morning I took him to the LaConner Library and he sat with Lucas and read him the first chapter of "McGrowl" – one of Kaleb’s favorite dog books. Kaleb owns that entire "McGrowl" series and has read it five times. He sat on the floor with Lucas and scratched his head as he read. It was pretty sweet. Then later Lucas laid down behind him and put his paw up on Kaleb’s back (see photo – it looks like he either fell over laughing or is just giving Kaleb a little back support – either way – I thought it was pretty cute.) I was watching and listening the whole time. Kaleb read a few sentences then he’d look at the dog and keep on “reading” word for word – several of the next sentences. It wasn’t like he was reading ahead and just finishing up the sentence, he was quoting the book word for word without even looking – like an entire paragraph’s worth. I asked him about it later and he said he’s read the book so many times he has it memorized. That kind of stuff just freaks me out, but the dog didn’t seem to mind. (It’s been a long while since he’s read that book, too. Weird.)
I had my share of freak-outs with technology today. The wireless network I installed bites. I had the modem downstairs where it got the best signal, but about every hour I’d have to go down and reboot it because the signal would drop. I finally got fed up and moved it upstairs where I can see if it’s working or not and then I just hardwired it to my office computer as the wireless system isn’t going to cut it. The signal is obviously affected by the weather, too, as the fog was pretty thick this morning and I couldn’t get on the internet until the fog lifted around noon. I hate my dependency on computers. And the repair shop called today to say the only way to get my laptop back up and running is to format the hard drive. Lovely. Just lovely.
Our dear neighbor Priscilla had surgery yesterday so I made enough dinner to take some over to her and her husband and son. It felt good to be out from under all the pressure so I could do something to help someone other than Kory or Kaleb. I still haven’t unpacked all my clothes or brought up all of Kory’s clothes from the basement (item #2 on the list), but I’m working on it. Each day is full of new possibilities and I’m just thankful I’m alive and well and able to still get stuff done. Hallelujah!
Kory got the new pump working and installed in the pond today, so that’s a load off his mind. He also hooked up the new BBQ regulator so that’s now off the disabled list and we had Bar-b-qued chicken for dinner tonight. Life is returning to normal. He watched several movies today too so he's still taking it easy.
When we were at the library yesterday, Kaleb saw a sign for the “reading to dogs” program I believe someone here in Washington State started. Basically anyone with a mild mannered dog can get them certified to be part of the program. The owner takes their dog to the local library and kids sit for ten or fifteen minutes and read out loud to the dog. There is no judgment, no correction, no snickers. (Our local library even scheduled the times when the library is officially closed so there are no distractions.) The dog just sits patiently and listens to the kids reading. It’s a great way to improve their out loud reading skills and even though Kaleb doesn’t really need help in that department, he couldn’t resist signing up – especially since he knows the dog. (He had been a “Dog of the Week” in Kaleb’s “Weekly Puppy” newspaper.) So this morning I took him to the LaConner Library and he sat with Lucas and read him the first chapter of "McGrowl" – one of Kaleb’s favorite dog books. Kaleb owns that entire "McGrowl" series and has read it five times. He sat on the floor with Lucas and scratched his head as he read. It was pretty sweet. Then later Lucas laid down behind him and put his paw up on Kaleb’s back (see photo – it looks like he either fell over laughing or is just giving Kaleb a little back support – either way – I thought it was pretty cute.) I was watching and listening the whole time. Kaleb read a few sentences then he’d look at the dog and keep on “reading” word for word – several of the next sentences. It wasn’t like he was reading ahead and just finishing up the sentence, he was quoting the book word for word without even looking – like an entire paragraph’s worth. I asked him about it later and he said he’s read the book so many times he has it memorized. That kind of stuff just freaks me out, but the dog didn’t seem to mind. (It’s been a long while since he’s read that book, too. Weird.)
I had my share of freak-outs with technology today. The wireless network I installed bites. I had the modem downstairs where it got the best signal, but about every hour I’d have to go down and reboot it because the signal would drop. I finally got fed up and moved it upstairs where I can see if it’s working or not and then I just hardwired it to my office computer as the wireless system isn’t going to cut it. The signal is obviously affected by the weather, too, as the fog was pretty thick this morning and I couldn’t get on the internet until the fog lifted around noon. I hate my dependency on computers. And the repair shop called today to say the only way to get my laptop back up and running is to format the hard drive. Lovely. Just lovely.
Our dear neighbor Priscilla had surgery yesterday so I made enough dinner to take some over to her and her husband and son. It felt good to be out from under all the pressure so I could do something to help someone other than Kory or Kaleb. I still haven’t unpacked all my clothes or brought up all of Kory’s clothes from the basement (item #2 on the list), but I’m working on it. Each day is full of new possibilities and I’m just thankful I’m alive and well and able to still get stuff done. Hallelujah!
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Out From Under a Cloud
I only focused on completing more of my to-do list today. I don’t even feel that triumphant because most things I only did half way, or in the process of doing them, I added several more things to my list. Will it ever end? But I did take time to make a few calls to friends to see how they are doing. That’s a sure sign the pressure is off and I’m getting back to normal. (The photo today is of the black cloud I’ve been under – tee hee – it’s actually just this morning’s fog lifting over the valley as seen from our deck.)
We all packed up and went in to town today because Kory had an appointment with the chiropractor to have a laser treatment on his back. I guess the FDA approved this method of “speed healing” five years ago. It has to do with the wave length of healthy cells being one length, and injured ones being another. The doctor shoots a red laser light at the injured area, set at the same wave length as healthy cells and somehow the laser tricks the cells into thinking they are healthy, so they heal faster. It sounds a little hocus pocus to me, but people I know have used it and swear by it. The chiropractor said it’s good on broken bones, torn ligaments, injured muscles and it works incredibly well on burns. So it must be the new “wave” in healing. (ha ha.) I hope it helps Kory because September is going to be a long month if he’s just lying around asking me to bring him food everyday. At least the treatment isn’t expensive ($25), but he’ll need it three times a week to really get things moving in the right direction. He REALLY needs to get up off that couch. Today he started freaking out about teaching Kaleb art. He had so much time to think about things he started over-analyzing what he should do with the one hour of art each week. I should have video recorded him and played it back. I don’t even think he would have understood what he was saying. All Kaleb wants to do is get better at sketching, and the way Kory was carrying on it was like they were going to have to figure out how to fly to Mars. Weird. That man needs a project!
The main reason we ALL went into town was to stop and get our passports. The temporary ones we have are only good until October. We all have to be together to order Kaleb’s passport, and wouldn’t you know, I left the photos at home. I had to remember to bring so many things with me for all the stops I was going to make, and I remembered the passports, but not the photos. I hate when I do stuff like that, but it’s getting more frequent, so I better get used to it.
I actually brought up a few boxes of clothes from the basement today, but they are just sitting in our bedroom, looking for a home. I almost don’t want to fill the closets back up again as it’s so nice they are empty and don’t fight me every time I try to close the door. I need to purge. I did manage to get all my magnets back up on the refrigerator today though so that was something special (ha.) That’s my only art form – deciding which magnets should be next to each other. I hate a white refrigerator door. Now mine is cluttered once again and it’s feeling more and more like we are settling back in.
Most of the kids around here started back to school today. We aren’t starting full-time for a few weeks but we had a few trial runs today. I had Kaleb take an Algebra test just to see if he remembered anything. He didn’t. We need to back track a little so he remembers some of the basic rules. He said it’s because his “brain has been under a lot of stress lately, with the Chicken Pox and all…”. Yeah, right. I think he’ll be doing a little review every day until his brain stops stressing and the light bulb turns on again. I also took him to the library to check out some books. I wanted him to remember the “high” he used to get from reading books before the Nintendo came into his life. My plan worked. He has had his nose in a book all afternoon and evening. At least he hasn’t forgotten how to read.
I bit the bullet and bought a planning/scheduler book today. For some reason, I didn’t need one in Norway. Our lives were pretty simple and routine and there weren’t that many things to keep track of, but now I’ll go crazy without one. I can’t decide one thing without first checking the calendar. I wonder how I got so many things done when I was working full-time? Oh yeah, I was younger then.
We all packed up and went in to town today because Kory had an appointment with the chiropractor to have a laser treatment on his back. I guess the FDA approved this method of “speed healing” five years ago. It has to do with the wave length of healthy cells being one length, and injured ones being another. The doctor shoots a red laser light at the injured area, set at the same wave length as healthy cells and somehow the laser tricks the cells into thinking they are healthy, so they heal faster. It sounds a little hocus pocus to me, but people I know have used it and swear by it. The chiropractor said it’s good on broken bones, torn ligaments, injured muscles and it works incredibly well on burns. So it must be the new “wave” in healing. (ha ha.) I hope it helps Kory because September is going to be a long month if he’s just lying around asking me to bring him food everyday. At least the treatment isn’t expensive ($25), but he’ll need it three times a week to really get things moving in the right direction. He REALLY needs to get up off that couch. Today he started freaking out about teaching Kaleb art. He had so much time to think about things he started over-analyzing what he should do with the one hour of art each week. I should have video recorded him and played it back. I don’t even think he would have understood what he was saying. All Kaleb wants to do is get better at sketching, and the way Kory was carrying on it was like they were going to have to figure out how to fly to Mars. Weird. That man needs a project!
The main reason we ALL went into town was to stop and get our passports. The temporary ones we have are only good until October. We all have to be together to order Kaleb’s passport, and wouldn’t you know, I left the photos at home. I had to remember to bring so many things with me for all the stops I was going to make, and I remembered the passports, but not the photos. I hate when I do stuff like that, but it’s getting more frequent, so I better get used to it.
I actually brought up a few boxes of clothes from the basement today, but they are just sitting in our bedroom, looking for a home. I almost don’t want to fill the closets back up again as it’s so nice they are empty and don’t fight me every time I try to close the door. I need to purge. I did manage to get all my magnets back up on the refrigerator today though so that was something special (ha.) That’s my only art form – deciding which magnets should be next to each other. I hate a white refrigerator door. Now mine is cluttered once again and it’s feeling more and more like we are settling back in.
Most of the kids around here started back to school today. We aren’t starting full-time for a few weeks but we had a few trial runs today. I had Kaleb take an Algebra test just to see if he remembered anything. He didn’t. We need to back track a little so he remembers some of the basic rules. He said it’s because his “brain has been under a lot of stress lately, with the Chicken Pox and all…”. Yeah, right. I think he’ll be doing a little review every day until his brain stops stressing and the light bulb turns on again. I also took him to the library to check out some books. I wanted him to remember the “high” he used to get from reading books before the Nintendo came into his life. My plan worked. He has had his nose in a book all afternoon and evening. At least he hasn’t forgotten how to read.
I bit the bullet and bought a planning/scheduler book today. For some reason, I didn’t need one in Norway. Our lives were pretty simple and routine and there weren’t that many things to keep track of, but now I’ll go crazy without one. I can’t decide one thing without first checking the calendar. I wonder how I got so many things done when I was working full-time? Oh yeah, I was younger then.
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