Beginning of the end... of the first week

 School, day 5.
My mornings have been starting with laughter.
As soon as Sam is out the door, Aurora wants my attention. Never mind that Tom is still here, some days. She comes in and chatters at me in doggy words. I swear, she can almost say her name!
"Au rooo rah" will be part of the string of little yips, barks, and whines. She nibbles at me, paws me, and "talks". It doesn't matter if I am in bed or out. (It also doesn't matter what TIME it is. So far as I can tell, what matters is that Sam has driven away.)

We have quite a curriculum this year. Mostly Sonlight, with Saxon Math, and Pace Spelling. Grammar Ace; Duo Lingo Japanese; a basic sign language course, and on-line Mandolin lessons.  We have American Heritage Girls starting weekly in September. I had thought I could come out less expensive on Sonlight's heavily literatured History curriculum- which is the backbone of their program- by purchasing the readers second hand. This didn't work out so well for the teacher's manual! The copy I got was 20 years old. The readers I had already purchased from the current book list didn't match up. So I now have the brand new teacher's guide on its way. I also discovered that the Sonlight Language Arts course had its OWN list of readers, in addition to the History readers. Our school days look to be VERY full.

My friend Lori and I are already working on a Homeschool group. It has fallen together more by accident than design. Our first gathering will be at Lori's on Sept. 8th. We look to have a diverse age group, so hope all the personalities will mesh well. Lori and I met at our library's summer reading program about three years ago, and were both on the library's original Homeschool group planning panel.

Aside from learning I was NOT completely prepared for our first week back to school, things have gone fairly well. No outright tantrums on either part. I was having a personal meltdown yesterday when trying to deal with the USPS website to file a damage claim... and Nickole wisely decided it was a good time for her to go outside and save her questions for later. (Seriously?... you have < TWO minutes before the USPS claims page decides you are dormant and logs you off? I was scanning documents to upload to their site. It logged me off, NOT saving any of the information I had already entered! I had to start over THREE times before I found the SAVE button, which does save your work, but puts you back to the log in page every time. At least I wasn't starting from scratch every time afterwards!)

I am mixing up what subject we start with each day. We don't do every subject every day. But we will probably do SOME subjects every day.
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Still having to can tomatoes at least every other day. I began drying peppers yesterday- four full trays.
Today will be tomatoes again.
Lori and I hope to get together next week and make tamales. I have a huge pork roast that needs to be used.
This day to day dull routine of dealing with school, garden, and home are what I have been missing.

First Day of School 2021 Style. (Par for the Year)

 Yesterday was our first day back to school. We hadn't actually intended to take the summer off.
But we start the new year with high hopes.
Nickole and Tom had eye doctor appointments. After last year's fiasco, my appointment is well after theirs (though I did go in last month for a medical related eye issue). They took Nickole's height (63.5 inches) and weight (101.2 lbs)... so we have those measurements on our first day of school!
(She is officially taller than me, as is Tyrel).

Monday is our Errand Day. After the eye Doc (Nickole got good reports), we got groceries. Came home, put things away.
Nickole started the day with mandolin practice. We are staring with just 20 minutes per day to build her fingers back up... she's not opened the mandolin case  since April or May.
She worked on Life of Fred (Fractions). Handwriting... and then we opened the Sonlight Language Arts program.
I thought I was prepared. I have ordered and picked up all of the Sonlight's readers in the curriculum. Some were still on their way, but all the ones we needed were here.
Or not.
I couldn't find the first book we were to start with. I scanned the list from the LA program.
I don't have a single one of the books on this list. Not a single one! I had ordered from the HISTORY list. My History teacher's manual hasn't yet arrived.
Back to the computer... and fresh orders to Once Upon A Time Bookstore over in Tontitown, then Amazon for the ones OUaT didn't have. (OUaT's order can be picked up this afternoon!)
All the books are now ordered. The core Sonlight LA program may be a few days behind the rest of our subjects. My small bookshelf is completely loaded up with readers.
I ordered the "Four Day per Week" program, knowing how hectic Monday's are around here. This is giving us leeway to stay on track, as I intend to school five days a week... but I know we have extracurricular activities that cut into the curriculum time. As long as we can complete the four days a week during any seven day period at a time... we are on track!
Yesterday had me busy, busy, busy. I had tomatoes and other garden produce to deal with, as well as school and errands. I decided on lasagna for supper... using slices of zucchini as lasagna noodles. I peeled the zucchini, sliced them with the mandoline (the tool, not the instrument!) and... where the heck do you put squash to weep when your kitchen is the size of a match box, and every available counter/ table is covered in stacked boxes of tomatoes or appliances for dealing with produce? I opened the oven and covered the oven racks with clean kitchen towels. I spread the squash slices on the towels, salted them down, and left them to cry about their fate.
On to the tomatoes. Sort the ripest from the boxes... cut out stems and bad spots. Into the Vitamix to chop/ puree. I poured part into my stainless steel pot, and part into one of my antique glass kitchen bowls. The pot was turning to spaghetti sauce, the bowl into salsa.
I made a beautiful bowl of salsa.
"Someone" put it away in the fridge when asked to. Unfortunately, the 10" across the top bowl was shoved onto a 4" open space on the fridge shelf, pushing in against several cartons of milks. The door of the fridge was closed, to hold the bowl on the shelf. As anyone might reasonably expect... the  moment the door was opened, the milk cartons had opportunity to regain their shape, and gave the precariously balanced bowl of salsa a good shove.
You know, Gravity works.
EVERY TIME!
The bowl toppled off the shelf, did a flip (of COURSE it DID!) and showered me from kneecaps to sneakers in fresh salsa... which spread rapidly across the narrow band of floor and into the AC vent... and back beneath the fridge. (Thankfully, my bowl did not break.)
Bad words, ugly works came from somewhere. Most likely me.
(In the wide world of words, I doubt most people would consider anything I uttered as more than a mild almost bad word. I believe I shouted "FECAL MATTER!")
Dear Mr C came to investigate... and help with the clean up. The salsa was scooped into a dustpan and then into the trash. (Hindsight, it OUGHT to have gone to the compost). The vent cover was removed and scrubbed. The salsa in the vent and under the fridge wiped up. This led to the horrors of accumulated dust bunnies on the refrigerator coils, and deep into the floor vents.  The fridge coil cover had to be scrubbed. The area was vacuumed, mopped, scrubbed.... the newly generated load of laundry started; and THEN I got to go back to working on the produce.
Once the spaghetti sauce was cooked, I browned ground beef and added enough sauce to it for the lasagna. The rest, I canned... using my reusable canning lids! (Only three quarts worth).
The lasagna was good, though I wasn't really happy with how it cooked in the air fryer. (I was trying not to heat the kitchen up too much).

Today is a fresh day. I will try to report on a more frequent basis.

Sometimes I just have to write

 I have opened the Blog any number of times this summer, and just sat here.
Here's to another try.
Since Stephen was killed in May, I have posted once.
I can't say any of us have come to any sort of handle on his death. Just stumbling along, day by day as more and more Feces goes on. I have described it as not so much waiting for another shoe to drop, as it has been being underfoot a platoon of combat boots on the feet of Irish River Dancers in a competition.

Basic recap of the last 10 months:

6 deaths in the immediate family circle
4 cancers (Two are terminal)
3 with heart issues (defibrillator, pacemaker, bypasses & congestive heart failure)
3 with liver issues (counted one in death, one in terminal cancer already)
6 broken bones
2 severe lacerations
2 car accidents
Beloved House sold

We also had a joyful wedding... but the bride has been unable to immigrate due to Covid closures. I don't even know which list to put this on... the Happiness List, or Not Happy list!

*************
I have spent so much time away from 'home' this year, it takes me a bit to figure out where I am when I awaken in the night.
Mr C has held down the fort while I have tried to help out with the grandkids in Texas; first in the aftermath of Stephen's death, and second; so that Paula could go with Ben for cancer treatments.

Becky and Stephen had planned to take their kids to the ocean this summer. I went with her instead, as the kids (including Nickole) got a first look at the ocean in the Gulf.

**********
I've got our homeschool plans laid out for Nickole. This year, I am trying the Sonlight curriculum. I figure I am playing to her strengths... she loves to read, and Sonlight has a strong focus of learning through literature. She needs repetitive math, so we will use Saxon Math. She tested into level 7/6, which I am very pleased with. She's been working hard on Math. Saxon is very repetitive.

My friend Lori and I are discussing various field trips, and I may join her in another homeschool group nearby.
*******

Meanwhile... I'm coming late into the garden. After today's harvest, we MIGHT have enough Okra to eat some as a side dish to a meal. Tom canned green beans and made pickles while I was gone in July. He froze tomatoes, which I am just almost caught up with canning. (The frozen ones, NOT the forty or so lbs. ripening on the table from the past couple of days.
Something has been chewing into and ruining the ripening tomatoes, so we have been forced to pick the moment a tomato starts to show any color at all. They sit in boxes on the table to be used as they ripen. The trouble with picking 15 lbs of tomatoes every day is 1) running out of room for them to ripen, and 2) having more ripe tomatoes than one can use in a day.
So I will be canning the fresh ones as they ripen.... just not today.
**********

The house has been getting the best of me. Looking at what I admire about other people's homes... lack of clutter. I must divest our house of clutter. THAT will take awhile. It took years to get this way, it will take time to get to where it should be.
That's all for now.
May your day be blessed, and you find Good Things to think on.

Not Blog Fodder

 On the evening of May 10, 2021, tragedy struck very close to home.

My son-in-law, a  Sheriff Deputy Sargent in Texas, was shot and killed. Another young officer and good friend of my SIL Stephen was also killed. An animal control officer was critically wounded.
People hear about these things happening.. It always seemed to be a big city problem, not a small Texas town issue.
We have found it can happen anywhere. It can happen for the STUPIDEST of 'reasons'.
Stephen went out on a dog bite call.
The vicious dogs ran into someone's yard.
The guy didn't want the officers in his yard- even to get dogs that were running around biting people. (It was not the first time these dogs had bitten people.) The dogs did not even belong to this guy.

I'm about to get back on my Social Media Soapbox.

My daughter was getting condolence calls and texts before she had even been notified that her husband had been shot.
She was convinced the people posting on Facebook and sending her texts were making assumptions- because certainly she would be told before  news like this hit Facebook.
It takes time to drive to her house. Of all the horrible, horrible ways to learn something you never wanted to know... being told on Facebook or via text message is the worst.

Before a person goes spreading news... Maybe give the Family a chance to learn of it through proper channels. Let them tell the people who need to know before rushing in to spread the word.
The day of Instant Communication needs PEOPLE to engage their brains and give consideration to those affected by the News they are relaying.

There are two young widows. Six fatherless children. Grieving parents. The media hoopla is moving on. Widows, parents, children are learning how to continue on with gaping holes in their hearts.

Please continue to lift the families of Stephen Jones and Samuel Leonard in your prayers.

A Difficult GoodBye

 In looking at the date, it's hard to realize it's been more than 4 weeks since my beautiful Mother in Love left this realm for the next.

None of the Shoulda, Coulda, Wouldas make any difference at all now. There are layers of grief and anger. Bickering and name calling. It's so, so sad.

Arlene and I were close. By default, I was her favorite Daughter-in-Law. (Bob's been divorced for years!)
I was looking forward to her coming to stay with us.

She bore six children, four girls and two boys. The eldest was Joni. Joni was a beautiful little girl that suffered from seizures, and passed away when she was five years old. Arlene and I talked about losing children. Joni passed when Tom was two,  Angie was three and a half. She didn't have time to process her loss- the chaos of life propelled her forward.

Arlene was 87 years old. She told me many stories of her growing up. She was a handful, as the youngest girl. (She had two younger brothers- one passed away at 7 years old, of something that could of been cured with antibiotics. Antibiotics hit the market some six months later.)
Arlie was a beauty. Vain, by her own admission... she didn't like to see age on her face.
She was strong, and opinionated. Always caring, she was often exasperated at the behavior of her children. "I just birthed them, and did my best. I can't help how they've turned out," she would say as political arguments broke out at the picnic table on her deck. But she loved them all dearly.

Arlene always had a song. From silly little ditties like "She has freckles on her BUT she's pretty!", to old commercials, or classic songs from other eras.
She set an example for me, as a grandmother, to get the cousins together and do fun things with them while they visited. From visits to the beach at Lake Logan, trips to the zoo, the Firemen Festival, or the Pumpkin Show; to visiting state parks and hiking, or simply playing Scrabble around the dining room table... she made memories with the grandchildren. She attended ball games, and traveled hundreds of miles to watch stage performances. She was a regular at the ball games, school events, and GrandParent days of her local grandchildren.

On April 17, two days after Arlie would of turned 88, there will be a graveside memorial service in Raymond Ohio. It will be followed by a Celebration of  Life at the Raymond Community Center.

I  am struggling with grief. As a Christian, I know where Arlene is now. She's beyond our sorrow, renewed in her youth, all cares of this world left behind. We should be happy when our beloved have moved on. Grief is for those who remain here. We miss the place that belonged to those who have left us behind. I don't think it is wrong to mourn our losses.

As Time Goes By....

 It has been 40 full days since my beautiful MIL was remanded to the medical community. Initially, we were told her surgery went well. Apparently, it's what we don't know that gets us.
They completely removed the hip prosthesis. We have (much later) been told that lack of a hip joint is, in itself, debilitatingly painful. The rehab hospital increased her pain medications, as she was screaming in pain.
Once she was over CV19, MIL got pneumonia. For the past month, she has subsisted on sips of water, and an occasional bite of applesauce. Over this past weekend, she was moved to Hospice care. Arlene's health has declined like a rocket sled. Last week, she was given "maybe 2 days" to live.
We have been, like most of the country, locked in to a major weather system. There has been no let up in the waves of cold, snow, and ice since we were told that Arlene will NOT be coming home. Tom's siblings have been to see her, as often as they can.
With a favorable turn in the weather, maybe Tom will be able to make the trip to see her.
My heart holds on to hope. 

Meanwhile, "back at the ranch"... Tom suffered an episode with his  posterior. Our ten minute Doctor Go expertise would say that he had a  Superior Cluneal Nerve entrapment. (We use DuckDuckGo, rather than a more common search engine). The ER Docs believe either this was correct, or he has a bulging disk. He was given several shots and sent home. I had to brave the storm and go back out for the prescription medications, as the pharmacy was three hours from opening when he was released. My white knuckled drive home from the ER was compounded by Tom's pain. The return trip... well. Oklahoma and Arkansas are SOUTHERN states. Quite unprepared for blizzard conditions. The snow and wind had hit in earnest as we had driven home.
I made it back to the pharmacy, discovering I'd left my gloves at home. The entrance I parked closer to, nearest the pharmacy, was now barricaded off. I slipped and shivered my way to the opposite end of the store. I got to the pharmacy... and their "drop off" window was closed. It was half an hour past its opening time. A manager sat behind the counter...  I was informed that the store had suffered a broken water main, and the pharmacy would be closed for the next week. (I burst into tears.) I slipped and slid my way across town to a smaller pharmacy... where the pharmacist jumped through hoops to get the prescriptions transferred. Trust me on this... you don't want to need medication on a Sunday, in a small town coated in ice as the worst storm of this century hits. I made it back home, drugs in hand.
I am so very grateful that Sam had stayed up during the midnight watch with Tom, allowing me a couple of hours of sleep, however fitful they were. I used his All Wheel Drive Subaru both trips to town... and stayed on the road when others failed. (I stayed on where the suggestion of road appeared to be! There was NO visible road.)
Eventually, the steroids reduced the swelling that was trapping the nerve bundle, and Tom was able to move without so much pain.
The snows came. They stopped. They came again. And yet, again. We are entered into the third week of below zero temperatures. (It was -20 two mornings ago. That was NOT counting wind chill.) The snow has been powder sugar fine. We "Only" got about 8" on level surfaces, once the wind quit. Deep drifts. Tom missed one day of work. Sam's boss called them off for 4 1/2 days. During this week, our bathtub drain froze. Tom discovered that it has one place where the drain slopes UP and not down. This caused an ice dam. The TV went out, and our secondary refrigerator failed. But, we have had electricity, and propane, so our house has been warm and we have had water. There are millions without, across the country.
Aurora LOVES the snow. We let her out to 'take care of business', and she doesn't want to come back inside. Jaffa, on the other hand, has dragged his blanket over near the heater, and stays curled up inside of it. He is as "over" the pretty white stuff as I am!

Ai Yi Yi

 Arlene's surgery went well last Thursday. We received word that the surgical team was done with her. She was being released into a rehab facility to regain mobility... supposedly as of today.
We have not heard whether she is actually going to be transferred there today or not... as she tested positive for CV19 last night.

Prayers are appreciated!

Last Friday, with the Third Try Being the Charm... Nickole had the Herbst device installed. It came complete with a voice activated lisp. Eating anything takes 5x longer than it used to... and she has never been a quick eater.

Mr C has started a keto diet. I had been cooking more low calorie meals recently, and was starting to lose some weight. He figures keto will have him shedding lbs. in no time. Thankfully,  I have the Trim Healthy Mama cookbooks. I can make "s" meals, which are pretty well keto.
   Last night I did a deconstructed cabbage roll for supper. Tonight- fish, asparagus, and more salad. The salad is a maybe, if I don't go with  the fish served with sesame seed crust over a bed of wilted spinach and sauteed cherry tomatoes.

Deja Vu ...

 Hello, Faithful Friends!
This  is what was going on a year ago, give or take a week. ( Air cleared ).
Arlene is once again in the hospital with hip problems. They started a surgery Monday (the 11th) and had to close her right back up, due to excessive bleeding. Further investigation, the artificial hip is broken, and pieces have migrated into a conjunction of blood vessels, causing at least some degree of internal bleeding. Once again, there is an elevated degree of infection.
After further testing and a discussion among doctors, the surgery is rescheduled for Thursday, the 14th. They intend to replace the prosthesis. Afterward will be another stint in rehab.

So meanwhile, back at the (not quite a) ranch, my sweet wonderful children and husband intend to prepare a place for Arlene. (A small guesthouse, where she can have her own space, yet be around family and make sure her needs are met.) She had seemed to like the idea, though had not committed to coming before this unexpected hospitalization. Now, she has little choice, which does make me sad. In our discussions over the last few weeks, she had said she KNOWS she can no longer live on her own. Those who might have chosen to stay with her made other decisions. She adamantly does NOT want to go into assisted living, or into a nursing home. (The stint in rehab isn't negotiable!) She needs to keep her two older cats.
  SO! Once she's on the road to recovering, our place will become a whirlwind of preparation. We are discussing putting in a pre-built shell (outer walls, subflooring, & roof, windows, and door(s); and finishing it into a "Granny Pad".
I have several ideas...
*putting the kitty box in an enclosed cupboard/ vanity in the bathroom- it will reduce litter on the floors, thereby reducing slip hazards.
*A step-in shower, floor level, with handrails.
*A tall toilet, with a warm water bidet. (If we are fitting the place out from scratch, running the hot water line a couple more feet should NOT be a problem.) (And handrails!) That should give her a lot more privacy/ autonomy.
*a 'mini-split' HVAC
*She won't need a huge kitchen, but I figure a small fridge, microwave, and induction burner should be included. Unless I am mistaken about induction burners, it would be the safest option out there.
*ramps
*an outdoor sitting area where she can have her picnic table that Jack built for her.

On flooring, I have been looking into the best options for seniors to "age in place". Ben and I discussed the plank flooring, but with an additional layer of the padded underlay.
We really need to make it handicapped accessible, even if she's NOT completely handicapped.
Down the road, the place can be a guest cottage.
While the Granny Pad is under construction, I may need to go stay in her home with her, on a short term basis. (This means Nickole as well!)
I'd like to get starts of all her beautiful flowers, and plant them around the house here. (I have no idea if one can propagate rhododendron... she's got a treasured one in her front yard).

I know I don't have a lot of regular readers, but I would appreciate any input as to things I may need to take into consideration in moving her 800+ miles across country.
I know we will need to set up new doctors, banks, possibly her insurance may change.
Mostly, please keep her in your prayers.

Martha, Martha, Martha

 My last post was way back in October... and here we are on the eve of a brand new year.
Once again, I have no 'resolutions'.

What I do have is fretfulness.
What do we do when we don't know WHAT to do, and there seems to be no ready solution?
  I was in the shower after emailing a friend. I outlined my stress and worries to her. As I washed,  Martha came to mind. The Martha of the Bible. She was busy making things happen. Sometimes, she got exasperated when others did their own thing, instead of pitching in to help.
Showering, I was convinced that there really aren't enough people who set aside what THEY would rather be doing, to make sure that other people get the care they need.
I was looking up what we know about Martha in the Bible. Was she too busy "doing" to sit and listen to Jesus? Perhaps we we have more scriptures regarding Martha than we do Mary. We know Mary sat and listened to Jesus. Martha served. Maybe she really wanted to sit and listen as well... but someone has to cook the food, wash the dishes, chase the children. Martha stood guard between the chaos of life, and this allowed Mary the opportunity of sitting at Jesus feet. Jesus didn't rebuke Martha for getting things done, He simply told her that her sister had chosen the better option.

I wonder what happened next. Did Martha take a seat?

Here I am fretting over things that need to be done. Things out of my personal power to control. I was told, we will need to pray about what to do. I AM praying. (How can I pray and fret at the same time?)

"We will do something when we hear from The Lord. HE will tell us what to do."
(Yes! but Lord, You know You are going to have to be incredibly plain spoken on what we need to DO. Otherwise, we sit and do nothing... because some of us can't hear You unless You shout. And send a notarized, certified letter with explicit instructions.)

It's the end of October. What a ride.

 Things have been awful, crazy. 

And not in the light hearted "awfully crazy" turn of phrase.

On the 3rd, Tom's nephew Luke was admitted to ICU with acute liver failure.
On the 4th (highlight!) My mom's birthday, and a cyber-reunion of the Taylor Family.
On the 5th, Nickole and I had our teeth cleaned. She had a cavity that needed to be filled before she could get a dental device installed.
October 6th, Nickole had a tooth filled.
The 7th, Benjamin's Birthday! (highlight!) Nickole had an orthodontist appointment to install spacers for her device.
Oct 9th,  I met Nickole's mom & Poppo Glen, so that Nickole could spend Fall Break with them. Glen wasn't feeling well, and they were going straight to his doctor's appointment. Daniel came up to our house, enroute to get his new puppy, Dante. Dakota Rose (3.3) rode up with Dan, to go to Ohio with Tom and I.
Daniel and Sam took us out to supper at The Wooden Spoon . While there, we got the call, Glen had been admitted to the hospital with Covid19.
Oct. 10th, we headed to Ohio in two vehicles. Dan and I branched off near Indianapolis, and headed to Michigan That State Up North

to get his puppy. We stayed at a motel for the night, and picked up Dante the next morning. (an adventure in itself!) Tom and Dakota continued on to Arlene's. Luke had been released from the hospital into Home Hospice care.
Dan, Dante, and a homesick Dakota headed back to Texas. They didn't get far before Dan's truck developed trouble and they returned to Arlene's.

Getting them back to Texas had its challenges. Dan used our vehicle while his truck went into the shop. The initial problem was fixed. But then something else happened, and then another thing, and then another... It was crazy. Like the truck was determined we should stay in Ohio.

So, Dan used our vehicle to return to Arkansas. I rode along with them, and flew back to Ohio on the 15th. 

That night, Luke passed away. He'd returned to the hospital by ambulance that morning.
Two of Tom's sisters came to Arlene's for the day on the 16th.
One sister let the family know she has terminal cancer.

My 60th birthday was the 20th. No cake, no fanfare. We ordered take-out pizza for supper.
Somewhere in here, we got the call that Glen had taken a turn for the worse.
I think it was the 21st, we learned that Glynna had CV19, as a result of having been caring for Glen before they knew why he was so sick. Nickole's quarantine was extended. Then, either the 21st or 22nd, Poppo Glen passed away.
Friday the 23rd (may have dates wrong) Glynna was hospitalized with pneumonia in addition to the CV19.
Sunday the 25th, Tom and I set off for home.
Dear sweet Sam had put up much needed, begged for, overdue lighting in our bathrooms while we were gone!
We spent Monday cleaning.  Glynna was released from the hospital.
Today is Tuesday... and it's "winter". Cold, raining. Freezing rain over where Nickole is still quarantined, So we still can't go get her. We had intended for her to get to stay until her Poppo's funeral, but we have so much to get done!
We still need to swap vehicles with Dan. The dogs need to be taken to caregivers for our Peru trip. There is shopping to be completed and SO MUCH STUFF.
Please keep our family in your prayers. Thank you!

September Wings

 If ever a month has flown, it has been this one!
The garden is on its last leg. Flowers have been dead-headed for seed. One okra plant was designated for seed, and several of the pods on it are near to bursting. A few straggly tomatoes are slowly ripening their last fruits. The deer re-discovered the green beans and okra, as Aurora became an Inside Dog. Tom is currently harvesting seed from his cover crop of buckwheat.
Next weekend is my Mom's birthday! (You still have time to get cards into the mail!)

Also, it will be the Taylor Family Reunion. This year, due to Covid19, we are having it via "Zoom". (Sunday, October 4th from 2-4 PM. Contact me if you need details to attend!)

October promises to be every bit as action packed as September has been. Between school, dental & orthodontic appointments, in-state and out of state travel, preparations for Tommy's November wedding in Peru, I need a pocket planner to keep up! In addition to Mom's birthday, Benjamin will be 32. Kimber turns 11, and I will be 60. Chris will have been locked up for 11 years.

The weather has been perfect for the last couple of weeks, already starting to feel like Fall.

 

Suddenly, it's mid-September

School got off to such a great start last month. Then, travel happened. Not that travel isn't educational.

I had the opportunity to see Grandson 1.3. Having missed out on having "Camp CowGranny" this year, I asked Mr C to take an extra day off work. We had planned to pick up 1.3 at my niece's house in Lawton, and travel on down to the Texas kids' homes. I had thought 1.3 and 3.1 would have such a great time together! 3.2 was SO looking forward to seeing 2.1. But, 2.1 asked to stay at her Mom and Poppo's house.
This ended up having its good and bad points.
Our plan was to leave the dogs outside when we departed on Friday morning. Sam would feed them when he got home from Jonesboro that night. But on Thursday, we learned Sam wouldn't be home until Saturday, and we dare not leave the dogs out, alone, that long. The dogs would have to come with us!
We took the truck (which seats 3 uncomfortably!), with the dogs in crates in the back. Mr C fretted terribly, so we stopped and put the dogs into the cab with us... three humans and two dogs in a space designed for two!
We stopped to drop 2.1 off. Nobody was home. 2.1 called, as no one was responding to OUR calls. 2.1 informed us that her Mom and Poppo were in OKC! We'd driven through there more than an hour before. We were NOT pleased to hear that. We were informed they were on their way back, and we could leave 2.1 alone at the house. Except 2.1 had loudly declared this... and the two sketchy looking guys roofing the house across the street took interest.
Nope- NOT leaving her alone. I said we should go get lunch, as we needed to eat, and it would fill time. We headed to town... and got a call from "Poppo". He was at his house now, where were we? Seems 2.1 can't just give a message.  She interpreted it. NOBODY said her Poppo and Mom were in OKC. She was told they were "at the hospital", and on their way home. The LOCAL hospital 10 miles up the road.
We wrongly assumed Mom was in the house when we left, having been to the ER and dismissed. We learned as we returned Monday, Mom had been hospitalized all weekend with diabetic ketoacidosis. 2.1 never even got to see her.
We took off and got 1.3 picked up, and made it to the Snanjlo area by 8PM. It was a great visit, with all but three of the grands.

Upon our return on Monday, we were asked if we could sell one of our vehicles to Tommy. It was agreed.
Hurricane Laura was just making landfall, and we were expecting torrential rains, so the delivery of the vehicle was to be the next week.  2.1 and I headed down on Tuesday, with the intention of seeing my folks in East Texas Tuesday evening, and heading on to Dallas on Wednesday. The "plan" was to go to church with Tommy on Wednesday night, and then fly home Thursday morning. This plan was defeated when the car had problems on the way down. I stayed Wednesday at my folks house, and took the car in to have the "code" checked. A bad spark plug! Mr C and Ralph deemed it OK to drive home for repairs on Friday.

Mr C got it tuned up, a whole new set of sparkies! The following week, I set out directly for Dallas on Friday. We had a lovely visit with Tommy. He took us to the airport Saturday morning. (This made three trips to Texas in three weeks time!)
Oh,  2.1 came home with a runny nose and a bad cough from her visit with Poppo. I treated it as allergies, since mine had also flared. We were dueling snot faucets all week. On the Friday after we got back from Snanjlo, she awakened with a terrible sore throat. Looking at the back of her throat- white blisters. I figured "strep". Strep isn't anything to mess around with. I took her to the doctor. She was tested for strep. "NEGATIVE!".... so they decided to check for COVID19, "just in case", as Poppo had taken her to a street carnival. The swab was taken, and we were sent home to quarantine until we got the results. This was also negative. Since she hadn't felt well all week, we didn't do any school.

Meanwhile, our garden has been going full tilt. Last year, it was pretty well "done" by the first week in August. Here we are in the middle of September, and I am still canning stuff at least every other day. I had told Mr C back in the Spring, the garden would surely be done before we were to head to Peru for Tommy's wedding. Seems that may be true, but only because CV19 postponed the wedding! (Now scheduled for Nov.)

I have to make another trip to Texas before the Peru trip. And Tom rescheduled his vacation, so we will also get a chance to go see his Mom. We now have THREE trips on the agenda. It's great that we ARE homeschooling. We can take school with us when we need to, or work school around our trips.

Also on the home front, Mr C and Sam got the front porch power washed and resealed. It looks great.
Our poultry was re-homed.
Aurora became an "inside" dog while visiting her Uncle Becky. She's a big dog for being in a small house! While she hasn't had any accidents inside, she doesn't quite understand why she can't chew the walls, carpeting, or furniture. We are going to have to repair and paint the hallway where she's torn off chunks of wall paper and chewed the trim to splinters. One morning, I heard her gnawing on something that sounded decidedly plastic. I asked her, "WHAT have you GOT?"
Aurora immediately stretched her long nose over the evidence. I repeated, "What do you have there?"
She stuck her paw up under her nose, and dragged the object back under her chest. She gives me the innocent, "What? Who? ME? I don't have anything!" doggy grin. I moved her over. She had Nickole's favorite goggles! (In fairness, Nickole HAD left them out on her floor, despite having been told to put her toys away! Fair game!)

Thanks for reading!

August & Back to School

 It's not quite mid- August. We are getting a later start at back-to-school than I had intended. I had hoped for the last week of July, but we will just press on from here.
I am already suffering curriculum set-backs. The "Good and Beautiful" History kit is still on back order- and when Tom cleared the history on the computer, my link to my paid downloads disappeared. The company auto-replied in email, they can't even get to my email to read for a number of days.

This year, Nickole is studying Astronomy, and Chemistry. (Today, we built a Robot from a kit, just for fun!)

 We are supposed to do US History, whenever our kit eventually gets here. For Math, I am trying "Life of Fred", and supplementing with Khan Academy. Khan Academy is also what we are doing for Language Arts, at the moment. We have Home Economics. I'm very disappointed in the course I bought, but can use it as a starting point. (It's Nutrition section uses things like bullion cubes... when I can teach her to make a stupid-easy bone broth that is FAR better for ones health!) We have Geography, and Geography through Art. I hope the two play nicely together! We are continuing our Atlas Adventures from last semester. We are continuing to read- Nickole is a voracious "listener"- she goes through audio books at a crazy pace. I do require actual READING, and we continue to go to the library. My friend Lori and I plan to do many field trips, though Lori isn't starting school until after Labor Day. Field trips and extracurricular classes are a challenge, due to Covid19 restrictions.

The garden is finally taking off. It was quite late in getting started, as the cool, wet weather hung on well into June. Last year, most of my canning was over with by the end of July. This year, I didn't get enough to even begin canning until this month (August).

I've been doing a few jars of green beans, and a few jars of tomatoes several times a week. A recent visit to my folks in Texas gave me a good start on pickles. I guess I should say 'traditional' pickles! I already have a cupboard full of Squickles. That's what I decided to call squash pickles!
The zucchini seems to be dying off at last. We have had squash relish, squash casserole, grilled squash, roasted squash, fried squash, sauteed squash, squash 'fries', Granny's Garden Veggie Saute (featuring squash), spiral zoodles, fried spiral zoodles, squash bread, squash as lasagna noodles ... I am sure I am leaving some uses out. The yellow squash has got a second wind.
We have done jellies and jams. Strawberry, blackberry, plum, mixed berry, peach... and I am only just getting enough peppers to consider jalapeno jelly.
The okra is finally giving us a few shy pods per day. The first batch of corn was the WORST corn I have ever tasted. Hopefully, this second batch will be better. We shall soon know!

The trip to my folks was fun. It had to be short, due to the garden needing care. I met Becky and her kids there. We made a couple hundred tamales with Grandma Rose!

That's all for today! Thanks for reading!