It was a bright spot…

 …in the day. Literally.

After spending at least five hours today learning about and comparing insurance plans for Joe (and eventually signing up for one), and getting him a new cell phone and switching his old number over… (Why does this all sound so much easier than it was?!)…while at the same time keeping M on a somewhat even keel and dealing with the regular dramas and responsibilities of the day… I was exhausted. 

The kids and I had planned to take the dogs for an easy hike on a nearby trail that we’d never explored, but those plans went out the window and we spent that time sitting in a cell phone store instead.

It was not a good day.

The sun was already starting to go down, but I suggested we take the poor neglected dogs just down to the park in town for a quick walk before bringing burgers home for dinner. 

The Christmas lights were still up at the park, including on one of our favorite trees…

 

…this huge old cottonwood, totally decked out in lights. 🥰

It truly was the bright spot in an otherwise long, frustrating, day.

I’m so glad we took that short little walk. 

Task Force

 We worked at the Task Force this morning. We’ve been there about 4.5 years, except for the 9 months we didn’t work during the early part of the pandemic. We always work in the store or in the sorting room (there are others who work in the offices helping to screen and counsel clients), and some days are super busy, others are slow, but by the end of our shift we always feel good…There is a community among the volunteers that is really special, I feel fortunate that we are able to be part of it.

A few pictures I took this morning…

As donations come in, they are date checked and sorted here ^^, into boxes that are dated and stored here…

We also get donations of fresh produce (during the summer) from the master gardeners in our community. These donations are washed and sorted at this outside sink before being brought directly into the store  (R frequently does this job😉).

The store is set up just like a small grocery store, and the clients are able to ”purchase” their groceries using points they are given. The number of points they can spend is based on the number of people in their household. 

That cart just coming into the picture above is loaded with donations from Panera Bread. Various stores and restaurants donate to the Task Force.. 

We worked mostly in the store this morning. Stocking shelves, checking dates, etc.

Here is Rhianna, hard at work stocking…

M loves going to Task Force but honestly, doesn’t get much work done. He visits with the clients and other volunteers, and usually works only when we are working together and I can keep him focused… Luckily, he is a popular guy there are they don’t mind that he’s not the hardest worker! 😂

the day that never ends... (but eventually did)

When M was little he loved to watch "Lambchop" with Shari Lewis. I have no idea why he loved that show so much. I remember it being around when I was a kid, and it seemed really dated by the time M was watching... but he loved and and wanted to watch it every day.

I didn't.

I especially disliked the song they ended the show with... "The Song That Doesn't End" Each and every time I heard that song it got stuck in my head. That insipid song tortured me...

Just in case you aren't familiar with it, here's a clip... (misery loves company you know..)

Yesterday was the real life version of the song that doesn't end... only it was the day that didn't end... it "just goes on and on my friend". Yesterday just went on and on and on and on and on. I'd decided to schedule a bunch of doctor's appointments on one day, rather than spreading them out over several days... I thought it made sense to get them over with all at once.

It probably did make sense... they're done and out of the way now... but it was a looooooooong day... it just went on and on.

The day started with M's steroid injection. It was done at a surgical center, and was as quick and easy as something like that can be. (We're still waiting to see how much it's going to help, he should be getting good pain relief by the end of the week.) We celebrated it being OVER with Krispy Kreme donuts.... Mmmm. Then back to Parker, where I had an appointment to get a couple of old silver fillings replaced, and a months overdue mammogram. Along the way we stopped at the bank, then picked up M's new (to him) computer... (his old one, a freeby from the thrift store, finally gave up the ghost) shopped at Costco, made an emergency run to Petsmart for hamster medicine for my youngest grandson's pet, and finally made it home, for good, around 5:00... just in time to cook dinner and collapse.

R went to bed last night praying for an ice storm.

I was praying for a blizzard.

Either of which would have kept us home today.

We did wake up to a light dust of snow in the air, barely sticking to the ground, and no ice at all...





Despite the lack of major weather events, it looks like today will be a much easier day... a uke lesson for R this morning, and her new karate class this afternoon. I think I can manage that...

scenes of a morning...

Quiet week here... The calendar is (very deliberately) empty and the days seem to have a better flow to them... not as frenetic as some of the busy weeks lately have seemed.

I took the camera with me as I headed out this morning to do the barn work so I could catch a little of the wonderful ordinariness of the day.

Out the door... sun isn't quite up yet... I love the silhouettes of the trees on the horizon.



Tucker, waiting patiently at the gate... wondering why I'm standing there with a shiny, beeping, scary thing instead of feeding him.



Murphy, who has no patience for photos before breakfast, gets his breakfast before photos... because he doesn't have the patience of a donkey.... and will paw the ground obsessively until he's fed!

Yes, he has me trained.



Pumpkin patch, half tilled, looking ahead to next spring's planting... the old holey water troughs are going to be repurposed as "raised beds" among the lower growing pumpkins.



A nest in the smoke tree, hidden by leaves until now...



The first chicken out of the coop in the morning... it's Lili, of course... the hen who's always sure (comically sure) she's starving and the other hens are getting more than she is.



Then back inside to the blazing woodstove (blazing to burn off the creosote from having the fire banked through the night)....



...and today's project. The dining room chair that broke a few months ago. I've put off fixing it because I was hoping (and still hope) to be able to fix it without tearing off the rush seat I put on just a year ago or so...



I've taken it apart and hope to use wood glue, and a little of that oak dowel, to repair it so I can put it back together.



Wishing you a wonderfully ordinary day to enjoy the beauty of the season...

the end is in sight...

The end of a super busy week, that is.

It's been one of those weeks that somehow ended up involving way more running around than works for us...

Here's a what this week's craziness looked like:

Monday (our quietest day): Home Depot trip for a little project I was working on for M, lunch out, shop for K's birthday then home and school time. The donkey farrier (yes we have two now, one for each equine!) came at dinner time to trim Tucker's hooves and freaked out about a crack R had found in one of Murphy's hooves.



Before it got too dark we pulled out the duct tape and vet wrap to make the big guy a lovely do-it-yourself boot.




Tuesday: Worked on M's project in the morning, then a quick (?!) trip to the DMV to get M a new state ID card.  (His had expired over a year ago, and he needed a current one...) An hour and a half wait and $11. got him a new ID card, then another quick (?!) stop at the Post Office to mail K's birthday gifts to Ghana. By the time we left the P.O. the afternoon was over, and we only had time for a quick (for real this time) dinner at home before the kid's RCC meeting.

Wednesday: R's uke lesson in the park in the morning, then lunch, school time, working on M's project and grocery shopping. It was back to town in the evening for the kid's RCC book club.

Thursday: Early morning doctor appointment for R, then home, lunch and leaving again to work at the thrift store... then home, dinner and leaving again for game night at the rec center. (M's project didn't get worked on and he let me know... all day long... that I wasn't working on it!)

Friday: Another early morning doctor appointment (for M this time), but first we had to lead Murphy out to the driveway, unwrap his hoof, and send pictures of the crack to his farrier. I sent a few photos, wrapped the hoof back up again, but then the farrier texted asking for one more photo. Unwrap, take picture, rewrap... run the horse to the barn, run the kids out the door to the doctor. One more stop at Home Depot for M's project, then home, school time, and finally finishing up M's little project.

Whew, I'm glad this week is almost over... Tomorrow is EARLY morning bowling, then picking up S for the weekend, shopping for the homecoming dance, and the St Joseph community get-together in the evening... I'll be wiped out by bedtime!

Want to see the project I made for M? (If you've read this far you deserve to!)

I made him a little drop down desk, from an old drawer, for his laptop.



M's room is small (no really - it's small) but he's wanted a desk for his laptop. I hated taking up prime real estate in there with a desk that would only become (another) catchall... So I made one that takes up no floor space, and will fold up out of the way when it's not being used.

(The front of the drawer is at the top, I added a couple of 1x3's to the sides to build them out to match the old shelf I used as the fold down part of the desk. I also added a 1x2 across the top back, inside, to better hold the weight when attached to the wall. There are no "before" photos since I literally made it up as I went along and had no idea it would ever turn into anything!)

 

This was my favorite kind of project, made from nothing but scrap wood...the only things I had to buy were the latch, hinges and chain. (How lovely after approximately 47 trips to Home Depot buying wood for the shed!)

Next week looks to be calmer than this week... thank goodness. I could use some time at home to get things caught up!

The car is packed, filled up, and ready to go.

The cooler is packed with snacks and drinks.

We're on our way to Nebraska to do a little family visiting...

We were going to be on our way to Nebraska bright and early this morning... but M was up sick all night (gastroparesis) and the trip has been delayed.

I'm hoping we can still see these buttes soon...



See you next week!

busy morning...

No time to blog this morning...

...the phone has been ringing off the hook. I listed the Kia for sale yesterday.



It took about four hours to clean it up and make it beautiful...




... but the hard work paid off and it's sold!!






Hurray!

Now I need to run the money down to the bank, and cross that job off my to-do list...

A two Dr Pepper sort of day...

I don't drink coffee, and have never built up much tolerance for caffeine. A little caffeine goes a long way with me, and just a little more can keep me awake half the night... body tired, but thoughts buzzing with grand projects and inspirations...

So I limit myself to one soda (Dr Pepper!) a day. I only drink more if I think it's the only way I'm going to have the energy to make it through the day.

Today is likely to be a two Dr Pepper day.

I should have saved myself the trouble of getting ready for bed last night... tracking down sleep ended up being mostly an exercise in frustration.

I had a hard time getting to sleep because I was thinking about the car we're buying today. I'm definitely taking the road less traveled in buying this car... Instead of buying the newest car we can afford (never a new car, always a cross-your-fingers-and-hope-for-the-best used one) I'm buying an older car. On purpose. And hope I'm not throwing money away or buying trouble...

So I had a hard time getting to sleep... wondering if I was making the right decision.

Shortly after I fell asleep... M woke me up, feeling sick. I got him a Tums, sent him back to bed and (using my used car buying strategy) crossed my fingers and hoped for the best.

An hour later he was up again, stomach unhappy... threatening to erupt.

False alarm... back to bed... sleep a little more.

An hour or so later... M is up again... truly sick this time. His stomach rejects every single thing he's put in it...

He's been up two of the last three night vomiting... his gastroparesis is seriously not happy right now. Today will be a challenge of convincing him to eat lightly, to not overload his angry stomach... even while he angrily insists he's fine now... and hungry.

His stomach finally starting to settle....M showers... better, but still calling out how bad he feels, needing reassurance that he's ok. Then, freshly clean and back to bed, M goes back to sleep while I scrub and sanitize the bathroom...

As I get in bed and try again to sleep I hear the first birds chirping outside the bedroom window and realize that morning is almost here.

It's the beginning of a two Dr Pepper sort of day...

a practically perfect day...

Yesterday was one of those days I wish I could preserve somehow and replay again from time to time...

It was not an exciting day... we just stayed home... but it was nice and restful (at least mentally!).

The morning started with the guy who hauls away our manure coming out and hauling the manure and....drumroll please... pulling the last of the metal chain link fence posts out and drilling the holes for the new fence around the pumpkin patch!



The very very good news is he didn't hit any part of our septic system with the drilling... whew! The other good news is that we are ready to start setting the new fence posts.



By the time he left it was lunch time (we eat early) and so we ate and then I headed back outside and cleaned up the mess from the hole drilling (broken concrete, the old metal fence posts, etc) and started moving the landscaping timbers from what had been the west side of the pumpkin patch to a spot a few feet east of it. It will be the "curb" protecting the new fence from people bumping into it as they pull in to park. Once the fence is up on that side I'll landscape the strip between the timbers and the fence with the same cobblestone I used next to the driveway...



It took an hour and half but I got the timbers moved and another tiny piece of this project was done!

See the timbers kind of half buried along the right side of the pumpkin patch?



Now they are on the other side, and actually serving some purpose!

We did school next, and R was on top of things. She tends to be either "hot" or "cold" when it comes to academics... sometimes she learns and remembers well, other times... not so much. Yesterday she was amazing and felt so good about herself when she pretty quickly mastered a new concept in math.

Michael also got school done, but he's been having a lot of trouble lately keeping his thoughts organized... he was settled and happy though, which is huge.

We got done in time for me to make a nice dinner (rather than a quick thrown together one!) and we worked outside a little more after dinner while we waited for someone from my freecycle group to pick up the chain link fencing that had been along one side of the pumpkin patch. (Check another job off the list!)

It was getting dark by the time we came in, but I had time to read to the kids before they went to bed (our read aloud right now is "Gathering Blue" by Lois Lowry) and even managed to help Joe figure something out on his computer before I called it a day.

I just love relaxed, productive days like yesterday...

morning barn chores...

Each of my days starts exactly the same way... in the barn doing the morning barn chores.  It makes me happy to start each day with my "boys" Murphy and Tucker, we have nice little talks in the morning and I never get tired of the rich warm barn sights, sounds, and smells.

Here is a peak into my morning...

Murphy waiting at the gate... as soon as he sees me he starts pawing the ground to make sure there is NO doubt in my mind that he is hungry... No matter how early I go out to feed, in his mind I'm always "late". :)



With his ground pawing message delivered, he heads towards the barn... sure that I will follow and feed him. Tucker usually hangs around a little longer being sociable... but then he too heads towards the barn.



More ground pawing, this time in his stall... This morning, when I didn't feed Murphy right away, and took some pictures instead, he started  moving his hay bucket from side to side with his head, banging the big empty bucket on the stall walls. He communicates quite well despite his lack of words...



The ground pawing, hay bucket rattling and banging both stop the instant the first flake of hay lands in Murphy's feeder... He's happy now, I've done my job (and I'm free to go, thankyouverymuch!).



Tucker's hay gets tossed into the feeder in his stall next, but he waits... I'm acting differently this morning... I'm taking pictures. Tucker doesn't like "different". He waits outside, looking away from me and the different thing I'm doing but with his ears pointed towards me... he's not looking at me but he's acutely aware of what I'm doing. Just a moment after I took this picture he looked back over his shoulder at me... unable to look away any longer, too curious about what I might be doing with the strange little flashing box I brought to the barn.





A look back at the barn. I love the way the warm light makes the barn glow in the dim early morning...



Next I fill the water troughs... Tucker also stays well clear of that process, he hates water and would rather go hungry than chance getting wet. Murphy, on the other hand, lets nothing keep him from his breakfast....





By the time I'm closing up the barn, Murphy has already scattered his hay looking for and gobbling down the "best" parts... Tucker's hay is still untouched, and if he doesn't hurry Murphy will (after eating all of the "best" parts of his own hay) head next door to Tucker's stall and eat the best parts of his.



Morning work done, I head back to the house... As soon as I start walking back, Tucker heads into his stall to finally eat his breakfast. Such a creature of habit, he always takes that first bite of hay then turns around and stands in the stall door, looking out while he chews. (Surveying "his" pasture... he's all about keeping track of everything that happens there.) I knew if I waited by the fence he would look out...

It didn't take long.



I love early mornings... it's so beautiful outside and is such a blessing to have the grounding of taking care of the animals each day, keeping me in tune to their wants and needs, their gentle strength, the quirkiness of their personalities, the way they live entirely in the moment. They waste no energy in worrying about what's going to happen tomorrow, or even 10 minutes from now. They both just trust that hay will land in their feeder, water will be refilled, and they will be taken care of.

It kind of puts things into perspective... you know?

shopping day

Yesterday seemed to be "food day" around here... The kids (and Joe) are still loving the homemade waffles I've been making with my new waffle iron, so I made a triple batch of waffles this morning... that should be enough to last them several days.

Then the kids and I headed out to do the monthly shopping. Because we are on a limited budget (I don't work outside the home, and our income has done down a bit over the past couple of years... even though expenses keep going up), but the kids just keep getting bigger and eating more... and M needs more "expensive" foods now because of his GI problems, I've had to carefully plan for our food expenses.

So I do a "BIG" shopping trip once a month. Before I go, I plan a month's worth of meals, adding any ingredients I don't already have to my shopping list, and look through the Costco ad for any coupons for things on my list. I mostly just shop the warehouse stores... I start at Sam's Club and get all I can there, then Costco for anything I can't get at Sam's, and finally stop at the super Wal-Mart for the few things I can't buy at Sam's or Costco, or things I just need a little of.

I try to keep my pantries well stocked with the basics... I buy very little prepared foods, instead I stock up on the raw ingredients I need to make, from scratch, whatever we want. The kids love macaroni and cheese so I always have elbow noodles and cheese around to make some for a quick lunch, and I keep turkey pepperoni and mozzarella cheese in the freezer for pizza  (it only takes a minute to mix up some bread dough and set it to rise for the crust). They love frozen burritos, so I keep a big bag of pinto beans in the basement and make my own... I use the pressure cooker to cook the beans,  sometimes I add meat to the burritos, and sometimes they are just beans, cheese, peppers and rice (it's a great way to use up leftover spanish rice). The kids love them... and they are so much healthier for them than the frozen ones.  Burritos are another thing I make a BIG batch of, then freeze to heat up later for a quick easy lunch.

I don't buy much beef or pork, this month I bought 5 lbs of hamburger for the month, and a small package of pork...but we do eat a lot of chicken breasts, and I plan at least one or two meatless meals each week.

I buy LOTS of produce... We can go through 30 lbs of potatoes in a month, and I stock up on carrots, celery, peppers, lettuce, and fruit. I also stock up on frozen veggies and fruits... for the end of the month, when the fresh produce is gone. I still have a lot of home canned and frozen food the I put up last summer, and I almost never buy tomatoes, pickles, green beans, or anything that I grow... instead I try to put up enough to last us through the year.

Usually, about half way through the month, I'll have to stop at Sam's or Costco and pick up milk, or fruit, and sometimes bread... but I try stop as seldom as possible.  The more I run in for "just one thing" the more I come out with a half dozen things! ;)

So yesterday was shopping day... We got ALL the shopping done (filling the back end of the car twice!) and got everything home and unloaded. I still have a lot to put away, but the freezers are full, and the kids are loving having so many choices again. (By the end of the month, eating is getting pretty boring... since all the "good" stuff gets eaten fairly quickly!)

Shopping day ended with a simple dinner of hamburgers, a big salad and green beans. We totally decked out the burgers with all the fixin's (all that fresh produce.. you know) and even added some guacamole on top just because it sounded sooooo good.

I love having the pantries full... it can snow all it wants, or M can have one of those miserable rough spells, and I don't have to stress about not being able to get to the store. It's a good feeling... kind of the same feeling I get when I buy the year's worth of hay each summer and have it stacked in the barn. The feeling that everything we need is here...

the day in pictures...

I felt like taking pictures today for some reason, and ended up taking a bunch of quick snapshots throughout the day...

The day started overcast and the wind blew cold and rain our way for most of the morning...

While the kids ate lunch, I read and researched the election issues and completed my mail-in ballot. After lunch I explained the ballot to M and he voted for the first time... What a milestone!

M's voting is forcing me to be a more informed and responsible voter. I had to really learn about the issues this time, so I could explain them to M in a way he could understand...

Later, while we did school in the classroom, Cody set a sleepy trap for us on the stairs...

He was easy to see from the bottom of the stairs, but not so easy from the top... luckily no one accidentally stepped on him coming down the stairs.

The mail truck drove my driveway while we were doing school also...  with a package for me from my sister!

I think my new little pilgrims will live here until Thanksgiving, and then they'll move to the table.

My sister knows Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.

Thank you Jackie, what a lovely surprise...I'll give you a call, probably tomorrow :)

The last chore each day is to feed the dogs. Emma gets to eat without "doing" anything for her food (because she's so old... there are certain benefits that come with age, you know...). But Quin and Cody have to do something for their dinner... usually a down/stay with their food bowls right in from of them... food they can't eat until I say it's ok.

Quin makes me laugh each time he has to do this... every muscle tense, his body is on the floor but he's in no way relaxed... he's so tight he's almost quivering. His eyes follow my every move, my every breath... his whole body ready to spring for the food the instant he hears the release word.

Cody, on the other hand, isn't as focused as Quin... He pretty much just lays there and waits.. figuring, I'm sure, that I won't let him starve.

Dogs are fed and let outside one last time... all that's left is one more cup of tea to finish up the day.

~picture post~

I always have good intentions of taking lots of pictures... of both special occasions and ordinary days... but unfortunately, I'm terrible at remembering the camera and often forget to take any at all.

This morning I was doing school with M... (he was working on an especially hard subject... can you tell?)



... while R groomed Murphy...



... and the day was just so pretty I decided to run and get the camera and take some pictures.

Nothing terribly exciting went on today... but I took pictures anyway (making up for all the times I forgot to take any?)

So anyway, the day started with R working outside and M working inside...

Cody was stressed in the extreme that R was so far away from him...



...he stood on the front deck, whining and crying for his "girl".



M finished up school...



... while R was still hard at work with Murphy. (She had already gotten her school done...)



Once school was done we headed down to the riding stable... I love the drive down there, it's always so beautiful.

See Pikes Peak in the distance?



R rode outside, while M rode inside, in the arena.



Aren't these little ones too cute? (And doesn't the horse look HUGE?) They are the children, 4 and 6 years old, of R's riding instructor...



It was a perfect day for riding, R kept saying "this feels wonderful!".



After lessons were over, it was off to the optical store to order M's new glasses... (and a quick trip to E's house while we were waiting for the glasses to be made)



I was pleasantly surprised when they said the glasses would be done in an hour, that's so much better than the week we had to wait last time he needed new glasses.

Here they are... he can see again!



I slaved away over a hot stove for hours making a healthy, balanced, dinner for my family...



... then we enjoyed our read-aloud book and headed for bed.