Yello!

“My roommate got a pet elephant. Then it got lost. It’s in the apartment somewhere.”

“I installed a skylight in my apartment… The people who live above me are furious!”

Quotes by Stephen Wright

We didn’t run across any elephants and we didn’t install any skylights, but Kalie and I had a great time yesterday as we invaded Jesse’s apartment when he was at work to give his living space a little facelift.  We discussed his preferences and got his permission before we started, but we were on our own yesterday for the entire day as we reorganized and redocorated his Haymarket loft.  It was our own little version of the popular television show, “While You Were Out”.  We went a bit over budget, but Jesse didn’t seem to mind much when he saw the results last night.  Our major purchases were an area rug, a futon cover, a ladder-style bookshelf, red wicker baskets, plants and a blue Betta fish that we think he should name “Ol Yellar” or “Red” or something like that!  We pretty much gave every area of the apartment some attention, but the photos below show a before and after of just the living room.  (We left the maze of eletrical cords attached to the entertainment center for Jesse to sort out so we wouldn’t accidently unplug something vital!) It was a lot of fun!  Now if I could just talk someone into coming to my house to do the same thing! 

Family faces are magic mirrors.  Looking at people who belong to us, we see the past, present, and future.  ~Gail Lumet Buckle

Ok, so this post is about our week-end trip to the above mentioned places (the mice part I’ll explain later!).  Five of us ventured back east for the long holiday week-end for the main purpose of visiting my Uncle Johnnie.  He’s eighty-seven and my mother’s only sibling.  He is a real gem - they just don’t make ‘em like my Uncle Johnnie any more.  He is still very sharp - able to navigate a car around the area where he lives in southern Maryland and maintain the home he built himself years ago (he cut the trees down himself and hauled them into a mill in town to make them into the lumber he used to build his home).  We enjoyed our visit, even though it was only a couple of days - it was great to see him and his friend Kitty.  He reminds me a lot of my mom.  I wish we lived closer so we could see him more often.

While in Maryland we had the most fantastic seafood at the Captain’s Table (http://massarosrestaurants.com/captainstable/ )  and Catamarans Restaurant (http://www.catamarans-restaurant.com/ ), both located in nearby Solomans Island along the Patuxent River in Maryland.  We also drove over to Piney Point, MD to spend a little time on the beach and see the old lighthouse.  While there I had to admonish Francis to follow the sign that read “no crabbing!” 

Before going down to Maryland, we spent July 4th at the Smithsonian’s Folk Festival and Washington’s Independence Day parade.  Along with tens or perhaps hundred’s of thousands of others, we braved the warm, humid, and sometimes rainy weather to take in as many of the events as we could manage.  The evening was spent sitting on the steps of the capitol for the hour-long “A Capitol Fourth” concert (http://www.pbs.org/capitolfourth/ ) broadcast by PBS listening to Huey Lewis and the News, Taylor Hicks, and Jerry Lee Lewis followed by some pretty big fireworks. Although some of the Smithsonian buildings were closed, we did get to visit the new National Museum of the American Indian, the Air and Space Museum, Union Station, and the National World War II memorial (http://www.wwiimemorial.com/ ). 

And now for the part about the mouse!  As we waited a few hours in the Ronald Reagan National Airport for our rain-delayed flight, we were startled when Kalie alerted us to the fact that a mouse was just standing on the floor right in front of us near our carry-on luggage.  It wasn’t moving or causing any problems, but it still was a bit unnerving just having it stand there looking at us.  I went up to the airline desk to let them know that a mouse was standing guard in their waiting area, but the man in charge just sort of shuddered and said he couldn’t do anything about it because he had a fear of mice!  So I went over to where Francis was standing visiting with an old college acquaintance and told him about the mouse and then went looking for an airport maintainance worker to see if they’d have a solution to the mouse problem.  And that’s when my fearless husband decided to take matters into his own hands (umm, I mean feet, I guess).  He considered picking it up by the tail to dispose of it, but the prospect of many people screaming in an airport if he did that caused him to go to Plan B. He just walked over to the mouse, stepped on it and kicked it into the corner in one smooth move… but much to both the dismay and delight of interested onlookers!    He was proclaimed a hero by the airline desk attendant who was afraid of mice and the offensive mouse was still belly-up in the corner as we finally boarded the plane.

I think dogs are the most amazing creatures; they give unconditional love. For me they are the role model for being alive. ~Gilda Radner

Our farm dog recently had an unfortunate injury to his paw that led us to make a sort of funny analogy. Nearly two weeks ago, Turner - our Border Collie/German Shepard mixed farm dog - somehow managed to cut the pad on his front left paw on some ice or something around the farm. He is Francis’ right hand man, helping to guard the cattle from going out the gate when Francis feeds them and just making sure all the animals stay in their rightful places around the farm. We consulted the vet and were advised that stitches probably would not successfully help the cut to heal, but rather the foot should be bandaged to help Turner remember to stay off it and let the wound heal itself. So Francis played doctor and fixed Turner up with a bandage covered by a sock and wrapped with heavy tape. Turner has been slowed somewhat but is getting around pretty good using only three legs. Much of the time, though, he has taken to staying on our back porch resting in warmer surroundings. Although his bandage has been removed, it still is tender enough that he avoids walking on it. Yesterday, Francis and Jesse were out in the pickup tending to a cow that was having problems calving. On their way back to the farm they decided to buzz on by in the pickup down to the sandpit to check things out there. Turner’s habit (when he’s well) is to follow the pickup when it goes south because that usually means Francis is checking on cattle or doing something that Turner can help with. Soon after the guys got to the sandpit (about 1/2 mile from our farm) they were surprised to see that Turner had followed them, running on his three legs, just so he could be there with them in case they needed his help. When Francis told me this story, I had to admire Turner’s love and devotion to think that he would want to be there so badly he would run so far, all hobbled by his injury. I asked Francis if he was on crutches and saw me driving by… would he also run 1/2 mile in such a condition just to be with me or to see if I needed his help??? I guess you probably know what the answer was! So when you hear the saying about a dog being a man’s best friend… you know, it’s probably true!

Christmas, my child, is love in action. … Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas. ~Dale Evans Rogers

Christmas has come and gone at our house with much anticipated cards and letters from friends and family, the usual good food to eat and holiday gatherings. I surprised some with unexpected gifts and was surprised with some pretty cool gifts too. It’s been great having the kids home for various lengths of time over the holidays. We had a white Christmas and continue to get a bit more snow about every other day. If it warmed up enough to take the bike out that would be OK with me, but I don’t expect that to happen anytime soon. I took a couple of cute pictures of the animals over the holidays - Mika, as “Santa Paws”, in the Mrs. Claus outfit that Kalie got her and Jenna’s kitten, Boots, as he snuggled up under the Christmas tree. The stockings photo shows the Christmas stockings I made for the newlyweds and their pets. Merry Christmas to everyone and Happy New Year too!

To the outside world we all grow old.  But not to brothers and sisters.  We know each other as we always were.  We know each other’s hearts.  We share private family jokes.  We remember family feuds and secrets, family griefs and joys.  We live outside the touch of time.  ~Clara Ortega

The two distinguished gentlemen I am standing with in the photo below are two of my big brothers, Glenn and Bill.  When I was growing up, my family consisted of three older brothers, an older sister, and a younger brother (who passed away as a three-day old infant due to a lung condition called hyland membrane). Yesterday I had the pleasure of seeing two of my big brothers at a family wedding in Lincoln. So I decided I would include a post on this blog about them and some of the stuff I remember from my point of view. (One thing I have learned is that one person’s recollection of a time or event will nearly always vary drastically from another person’s memory just because of their personal perspective on the situation.) Since these two brothers are 12 and 10 years older than I am, my memories of them at home are from the viewpoint of a small child. I’m sure I probably bugged them a lot, like little sisters would, and most definitely was spoiled. Glenn was the one who would sometimes help get me ready to go someplace by brushing my hair, etc. And, I’m pretty sure, he once got a ticket when he got caught driving me the four country miles to grandma’s house when he was only 14. Glenn was always teasing and and fun to be around. Once he slipped a mouse into his lunch pail to surprise mom when she opened it after he got home. Bill was home for a couple of years longer than Glenn and I remember him helping me with my 4-H projects like photography and the calves. He also surprised me one time with a black bunny that was my pet (until our black cat found it!). I think I may have sat on Bill’s lap in the driver’s seat of the car a time or two to steer while we drove (slowly) the last 1/4 mile in the country to our house and I think I remember something about heading right toward the windmill until he moved the steering wheel in the right direction. After they both grew up, got married, and had homes of their own, it was always fun to visit - there were lots of fun times spent with my small nieces and nephews who are now all grown up too! I actually lived with Bill and Edith for a few months while I did my student teaching at Millard and then later for a couple of months before my wedding. One funny episode (now as I look back) was when Bill and I got into my car in his driveway and I backed directly into his little VW that was parked behind me and both of us were completely surprised that it was there. I’ve traveled to Europe with both of them: with Bill in 1971 along with the school group he was sponsoring as a young teacher to 6 European countries and with Glenn in 2003 along with friends and family to Ireland, Wales, England and France. They, along with my other brother and sister, were there as we struggled with the illnesses and loss of our parents and to form a different type of relationship as adult siblings. Now we see each other at family events like graduations and weddings and also make a point to spend time together. I’ve got new memories of recent events that make me smile - like driving his fishing boat in Alaska and later getting stuck in the sand on the beach in Glenn’s pick-up and taking in a Husker football game with Bill. One good thing about being a little sister is that you will ALWAYS have big brothers - no matter how old you get!

It was a beautiful fall week-end to venture out to visit the kids in Rapid City. We also took a Saturday morning drive over to Devil’s Tower just north of Sundance, WY. The fall leaves were in full color and we had a great time!

My new puppy. I’m thinking of calling her Mika. Any housebreaking tips?

Here’s a picture of my first “real quilt” that I just finished. The pattern was called Simply Hearts. It’s for Jenna from fabric she chose about 2 years ago. It didn’t take me 2 years to make it, but it probably took about 1 1/2 years to get around to it. Actually it was pretty fun and I’m kind of anxious to start on a second one - not this summer though! Even though I’d made a couple of small quilts before that were tied, this was the first that was actually quilted over the entire surface of the quilt. With extra fabric, I decided to make a pillow too.