any better feeling than waking up on a snowy school day, and having Mom tell us "go back to sleep, no school today." Yes!
Tomorrow is like that for me - except for the go back to bed part. I will need to get up, but will work at home (Joan's home anyway). I'm really lucky I can do that. I've got a magic fob (it looks like a keychain, but has a button to push that reveals a code I need to enter) that allows me to get into the Citrix program which opens up the DNR files for me remotely.
It's as if I have a golden ticket - ala Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Remember that movie? My Aunt Jean, a third grade teacher for 30 years in ritzy Cherry Creek near Denver, gave me that book when I was in, well third grade. I took it to school and the teacher read it to the class. I is one of my favorite childhood books - I loved the illustrations.
Charlie finds the golden ticket in his candy bar. The chocolate sounded so delicious. The descriptions of the other characters - Charlies poor family - complete with 4 grandparents in one bed. The other kids who found golden tickets - Augustus Gloop, Veruca Salt, Mike the TV kid, hmm am I missing anyone? And who could forget the oompa loompas and their curious ditties?
Amy and I went to see the new version of the movie with Johnny Depp. But I must say I prefer Gene Wilder. Hope you stay warm and dry tomorrow!
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Monday, December 7, 2009
Crappy weather driving
I drove to DM this a.m. after breakfast with the Homegirls. It started snowing last night right when Deb, Bobbie, Pat and I finished up the Christmas Home Tour, benefiting the Rural Iowa Women's Shelter. Before that, Debbie and I attended the "Joyful Noise" Christmas Concert to help get us in the mood. For Christmas...
The concert was very good. My favorite parts were the violin guy and the pianist. A Mom and daughter - the Bevings sang a duet that was quite nice. Hmmm why didn't they ask Amy and me to do one? Haha.
So after this a.m.'s S&K pancake, I went back home to check on the roads on TV. Took off about quarter to 8, and didn't get to work until 9:30 a.m. Took the long way - thru Winterset cuz the ditches are deep going the north. Just the first of many trips to come on less than perfect roads.
Last winter, my first day of work was on a stormy icy one. And the trip home that night was not fun either - my windshield had iced up.
I used to be oblivious when it came to driving in bad weather. Until my sophomore year of college when Vic and I drove back to Ames after spring break. I had a 1977 Chevy Monza - hatchback rear wheel drive with no weight in the back. I was tooling along north of Ankeny - it had been snowing for a while, when I hit black ice - and fishtailed for quite a ways and then ditched it, nearly rolling in the snow filled ditch.
Then Vicki and I watched 4 other cars hit that same icy spot and go in the ditch, 2 after hitting each other. Lucky for me a tow truck came by shortly. That trip in the ditch gave me a healthy (or paranoid) respect for bad weather driving. Pablo and I avoid it when we can. I'm glad I am comfy enough in my job now and can telecommute. Lucky me! Bring it on Old Man Winter.
The concert was very good. My favorite parts were the violin guy and the pianist. A Mom and daughter - the Bevings sang a duet that was quite nice. Hmmm why didn't they ask Amy and me to do one? Haha.
So after this a.m.'s S&K pancake, I went back home to check on the roads on TV. Took off about quarter to 8, and didn't get to work until 9:30 a.m. Took the long way - thru Winterset cuz the ditches are deep going the north. Just the first of many trips to come on less than perfect roads.
Last winter, my first day of work was on a stormy icy one. And the trip home that night was not fun either - my windshield had iced up.
I used to be oblivious when it came to driving in bad weather. Until my sophomore year of college when Vic and I drove back to Ames after spring break. I had a 1977 Chevy Monza - hatchback rear wheel drive with no weight in the back. I was tooling along north of Ankeny - it had been snowing for a while, when I hit black ice - and fishtailed for quite a ways and then ditched it, nearly rolling in the snow filled ditch.
Then Vicki and I watched 4 other cars hit that same icy spot and go in the ditch, 2 after hitting each other. Lucky for me a tow truck came by shortly. That trip in the ditch gave me a healthy (or paranoid) respect for bad weather driving. Pablo and I avoid it when we can. I'm glad I am comfy enough in my job now and can telecommute. Lucky me! Bring it on Old Man Winter.
Saturday, December 5, 2009
Marriage
Elizabeth Weil, in her Motherlode column, in the New York Times, says in her December 1 column on marriage,
"I've never believed you just married one day at the altar or the justice of the peace. I believe you become married - truly married - over time through road rage incidents and pre-colonoscopy enemas, and all the large and small moments that you never expected to happen and certainly didn't plan to endure."
True words, those. Some couples today, in my view, spend more time thinking about the wedding day than the marriage. So it should be no surprise when, a few years later the marriage is kaput!
My sis Cindo had a girl in her high school class whom all the class called Veil because her goal was to get married. Nothing beyond that. I don't know if she was successful at that or not.
In college, my friends and I knew a gal named Jolene - we called her "the Big O". No, not because of that. Because she was so organized! Vic and I met Jolene and a nice group of girls our sophomore year. Vic and I wanted to go skiing over spring break, but none of our friends were on board with that plan. We wanted to go with a group.
So we plucked a sign of the 'vator wall in Maple Hall, the dorm where we lived. (that's elevator for you who don't speak 70's college lingo). The sign said girls were looking for people to share a condo for skiing in Breckenridge, CO. Perfect! Vicki called the number on the sign and we met and started making plans - Jolene, Terry, Sherry, Cindy & Deb were 1st floor gals. Jane Ertl also joined the group - not sure where she lived. We lived on 6th so it wasn't a long walk to start planning. The Big O true to her soon to be nickname - yep Vic and I dubbed her "O" had the trip planned down to who brought carrots.
The trip was a start of a long friendship with those ladies. The next year, our junior year, we all ended up living at 230 Campus Ave. - that group lived in the 200's (along with the group containing Pablo whom I met later that fall. The Big 4 (Vic, Jane, Sal, Les) lived in the 400's.
As we got to know Jolene, we realized that she was really at ISU for an MRS. degree. Ha - that is the tired old cliche about someone going to college to find a man. She was studying elementary education, and nope she didn't find Mr. Wonderful in college. I think she scared all the guys away - much like Veil, when she went on date 1 with a guy, she would mentally be picking out her wedding colors and how she'd decorate her bathroom in the fam home.
I'm sad to say I lost track of the Big O. She moved to Colorado and taught kindergarten. I think she ended up getting married. She did organize purchase of wedding gifts for many of our friends in those post college years - lasagna pans. Oh, lasagna was her signature meal - the one she invited Mr. Wonderful over for after date 1, while she was planning the wedding.
I hope you found your dream Jolene. And all you wedding planners out there - plan beyond the table decorations, the DRESS, readings, reception and even the honeymoon.
Paul and I have helped with our church's marriage ministry for the past 17 years or so. (I think we're out now, thanks to the new priest and my letter to the editor supporting gay marriage). We met with couples several times prior to marriage, to go over marriage stuff - financial, problems solving, family, money, parenting. Stuff couples need to talk about.
I'd like to say Pablo and I were totally prepared for marriage 27 years ago when we got hitched. Not so much. But we had gone through a weekend retreat the church required. Relationships change through the years - and I'm fortunate ours has successfully transitioned along through the bumps and peaks - and valleys, of life.
"I've never believed you just married one day at the altar or the justice of the peace. I believe you become married - truly married - over time through road rage incidents and pre-colonoscopy enemas, and all the large and small moments that you never expected to happen and certainly didn't plan to endure."
True words, those. Some couples today, in my view, spend more time thinking about the wedding day than the marriage. So it should be no surprise when, a few years later the marriage is kaput!
My sis Cindo had a girl in her high school class whom all the class called Veil because her goal was to get married. Nothing beyond that. I don't know if she was successful at that or not.
In college, my friends and I knew a gal named Jolene - we called her "the Big O". No, not because of that. Because she was so organized! Vic and I met Jolene and a nice group of girls our sophomore year. Vic and I wanted to go skiing over spring break, but none of our friends were on board with that plan. We wanted to go with a group.
So we plucked a sign of the 'vator wall in Maple Hall, the dorm where we lived. (that's elevator for you who don't speak 70's college lingo). The sign said girls were looking for people to share a condo for skiing in Breckenridge, CO. Perfect! Vicki called the number on the sign and we met and started making plans - Jolene, Terry, Sherry, Cindy & Deb were 1st floor gals. Jane Ertl also joined the group - not sure where she lived. We lived on 6th so it wasn't a long walk to start planning. The Big O true to her soon to be nickname - yep Vic and I dubbed her "O" had the trip planned down to who brought carrots.
The trip was a start of a long friendship with those ladies. The next year, our junior year, we all ended up living at 230 Campus Ave. - that group lived in the 200's (along with the group containing Pablo whom I met later that fall. The Big 4 (Vic, Jane, Sal, Les) lived in the 400's.
As we got to know Jolene, we realized that she was really at ISU for an MRS. degree. Ha - that is the tired old cliche about someone going to college to find a man. She was studying elementary education, and nope she didn't find Mr. Wonderful in college. I think she scared all the guys away - much like Veil, when she went on date 1 with a guy, she would mentally be picking out her wedding colors and how she'd decorate her bathroom in the fam home.
I'm sad to say I lost track of the Big O. She moved to Colorado and taught kindergarten. I think she ended up getting married. She did organize purchase of wedding gifts for many of our friends in those post college years - lasagna pans. Oh, lasagna was her signature meal - the one she invited Mr. Wonderful over for after date 1, while she was planning the wedding.
I hope you found your dream Jolene. And all you wedding planners out there - plan beyond the table decorations, the DRESS, readings, reception and even the honeymoon.
Paul and I have helped with our church's marriage ministry for the past 17 years or so. (I think we're out now, thanks to the new priest and my letter to the editor supporting gay marriage). We met with couples several times prior to marriage, to go over marriage stuff - financial, problems solving, family, money, parenting. Stuff couples need to talk about.
I'd like to say Pablo and I were totally prepared for marriage 27 years ago when we got hitched. Not so much. But we had gone through a weekend retreat the church required. Relationships change through the years - and I'm fortunate ours has successfully transitioned along through the bumps and peaks - and valleys, of life.
Puttin' up the tree
Mom in front of an early tree - in later years she got her trees from Earl May, who flocked them for us. And us - the early years when we put the tree downstairs at our first house. 'Lil Amy and Jud. Me in my cowboy sweather.
It's a monumental task each year. I don't know why. Does it have something to do with the fact that just after I put up the tree in 1991, Patrick was born and the month plummeted into despair and disbelief? Likely.
Or perhaps I've just turned into someone jaded towards the commercialism of Christmas. No matter what, the cause, both Paul and I are Scrooges when it comes to Christmas and the associated pageantry. The lights (his job) and the tree (my job after he brings it up from the basement - talked him into a fake one a couple years ago).
But once I get going - opening up the ornament boxes, pulling out the ornaments, I get in the spirit. It's a walk down memory lane. Starting with the ornaments that used to be on our tree when I was growing up. And the little decorations mom would put around with "angel hair". That fiberglass stuff that's now probably banned from existence due to health hazards.
We had a gingerbread house that she would get out each year. It looked so scrumptious to my little eyes. My God, it was probably stale as hell, but it represented the fantasy of Christmas to me.
The crystal ornaments I got when in Scandinavia with Mom in 1983 - the she bought over there are now mine too. Then we have the ornaments we've gotten since the kids were born. "Baby's first Christmas" We got a lot of those for Amy since she was born in October. Jud - January- none. The ornaments they made in school - some out of Popsicle sticks with their little pre-school pics in them. The Patrick ornaments - we got a beautiful hand-painted angel from the tree at Methodist when Patrick was there.
So it's a labor of love? of tradition? hmmm not sure. But still, even though we won't even be here most of Christmas week, and there won't be many gifts this year - we're going to Vail for Christmas and fingers crossed, to a bowl game after that, as God (and Odie) are my witness, the tree will go up.
Or perhaps I've just turned into someone jaded towards the commercialism of Christmas. No matter what, the cause, both Paul and I are Scrooges when it comes to Christmas and the associated pageantry. The lights (his job) and the tree (my job after he brings it up from the basement - talked him into a fake one a couple years ago).
But once I get going - opening up the ornament boxes, pulling out the ornaments, I get in the spirit. It's a walk down memory lane. Starting with the ornaments that used to be on our tree when I was growing up. And the little decorations mom would put around with "angel hair". That fiberglass stuff that's now probably banned from existence due to health hazards.
We had a gingerbread house that she would get out each year. It looked so scrumptious to my little eyes. My God, it was probably stale as hell, but it represented the fantasy of Christmas to me.
The crystal ornaments I got when in Scandinavia with Mom in 1983 - the she bought over there are now mine too. Then we have the ornaments we've gotten since the kids were born. "Baby's first Christmas" We got a lot of those for Amy since she was born in October. Jud - January- none. The ornaments they made in school - some out of Popsicle sticks with their little pre-school pics in them. The Patrick ornaments - we got a beautiful hand-painted angel from the tree at Methodist when Patrick was there.
So it's a labor of love? of tradition? hmmm not sure. But still, even though we won't even be here most of Christmas week, and there won't be many gifts this year - we're going to Vail for Christmas and fingers crossed, to a bowl game after that, as God (and Odie) are my witness, the tree will go up.
Friday, December 4, 2009
Big Chill
It is the first cold week of the season. The kind of weather that gives me perma-chill feet. Damn bad circulation. Bless the inventor of the electric blanket/bed pad. Fleece and smart wool socks. Hot hands. Heated tile floors.
When I was a kid, I must have had excellent circulation. I remember many hours spent out in the snow and cold - with inferior snowy/cold weather products! We had rubber snow boots that our shoes fit inside. They were very hard to get on, and then you had to fold the rubber top over and slip the little button into the rubber band holder. Our mittens were wool, and got soggy.
We had 3 sleds with metal runners. Flexible Flyer. You could lay on your stomach and steer with your hands - sometimes we even went double decker, stacking on top of each other. Or you could sit up and steer with your feet or with the rope attached to the front/steering apparatus.
We also had a long aluminum toboggan with a green pad on top (otherwise you'd bruise your buns). We'd pile people on that baby too! The only way to steer it was to lean. Not easily done.
There were a number of good sledding hills in Atown. First of all, before we built the deck on our house, the hill out back was a pretty good one! A few times we even slid down it on cardboard when we were little. Steep! But when sledding you had to watch out for the row of bushes along the right side. They were not fun to run into!
The hill by Washington Elementary (that I had to walk across in a skirt to get to the high school, before I got wheels) was awesome! It was a big kid hill, with Buck Creek at the bottom so you had put the brakes on before that. I also had to watch out for Rick (hmmm blanking on the last name) who asked me to go sledding when I was a freshman. He had some other warm up activities in mind. Scary, exciting stuff for a naive frosh. Good thing I had all those layers on!
The Country Club was also the scene of some great sledding parties. We would toss the sleds and saucers (you COULD lose your virginity on those metal saucers and a good snow bump I swear...). Kids would build a "jump" to go over. Each year we hear of sledding tragedies - I'm not always sure how I survived!
Sledding was something Paul and I were able to share with our children when they were growing up. We lived by "Bus Barn Hill" when they were small. Their sleds were a little safer than ours - the saucer was plastic. We had some blow up inner tube type sleds - softer and more fun than metal. Moki the wonder dog liked to run along side and nip at sleds-he popped a couple. Oh well, they were fun while they lasted.
Now that I'm a big girl, snow isn't usually something fun to play in. It's something I dread driving in! And my feet are chilly as I write. Here's to a safe commuting winter, but some beautiful weekend snowfalls. And good snow in the mountains (not on I-70)for Amy and Cindo!
When I was a kid, I must have had excellent circulation. I remember many hours spent out in the snow and cold - with inferior snowy/cold weather products! We had rubber snow boots that our shoes fit inside. They were very hard to get on, and then you had to fold the rubber top over and slip the little button into the rubber band holder. Our mittens were wool, and got soggy.
We had 3 sleds with metal runners. Flexible Flyer. You could lay on your stomach and steer with your hands - sometimes we even went double decker, stacking on top of each other. Or you could sit up and steer with your feet or with the rope attached to the front/steering apparatus.
We also had a long aluminum toboggan with a green pad on top (otherwise you'd bruise your buns). We'd pile people on that baby too! The only way to steer it was to lean. Not easily done.
There were a number of good sledding hills in Atown. First of all, before we built the deck on our house, the hill out back was a pretty good one! A few times we even slid down it on cardboard when we were little. Steep! But when sledding you had to watch out for the row of bushes along the right side. They were not fun to run into!
The hill by Washington Elementary (that I had to walk across in a skirt to get to the high school, before I got wheels) was awesome! It was a big kid hill, with Buck Creek at the bottom so you had put the brakes on before that. I also had to watch out for Rick (hmmm blanking on the last name) who asked me to go sledding when I was a freshman. He had some other warm up activities in mind. Scary, exciting stuff for a naive frosh. Good thing I had all those layers on!
The Country Club was also the scene of some great sledding parties. We would toss the sleds and saucers (you COULD lose your virginity on those metal saucers and a good snow bump I swear...). Kids would build a "jump" to go over. Each year we hear of sledding tragedies - I'm not always sure how I survived!
Sledding was something Paul and I were able to share with our children when they were growing up. We lived by "Bus Barn Hill" when they were small. Their sleds were a little safer than ours - the saucer was plastic. We had some blow up inner tube type sleds - softer and more fun than metal. Moki the wonder dog liked to run along side and nip at sleds-he popped a couple. Oh well, they were fun while they lasted.
Now that I'm a big girl, snow isn't usually something fun to play in. It's something I dread driving in! And my feet are chilly as I write. Here's to a safe commuting winter, but some beautiful weekend snowfalls. And good snow in the mountains (not on I-70)for Amy and Cindo!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Dear Diary
Did you ever have a diary? I did - waaaay back. I think I received it as a birthday gift around 6th grade. I recall it being pink with a little key, that I must not have kept in a safe place, because my sis Betso told me she read it one time.
Argh all my deep dark secrets. (Kind of like this blog) The most posts in my diary from my early teen angst years. Those times of self-loathing. I would rather be 52 than 13! That was rough. I went from being a cool (in my own mind) athletic 12 year old to someone with starter boobs and monthly menses.
I was dragged kicking and screaming into puberty. (quiet kicking and screaming, for the most part in my room to myself because I couldn't talk to anyone about it) My mom wasn't the hold hands sing kumbaya and talk about our feelings with our period kinda gal. She took me to the "movie" we girls had in 5th grade - to learn about periods. None of it made sense to me - why would that happen?
And the emotions and moods that went with that monthly cycle. I wanted nothing to do with pads and tampons. I spent junior high perfecting silent opening of plastic tampon packages in the restroom at school. Heart pounding stress! Especially if the "hoods" (that's you tammy ross and angie ostrander) were in the bathroom smoking.
No diary for me now. Just this Blog. And you have the key...
Argh all my deep dark secrets. (Kind of like this blog) The most posts in my diary from my early teen angst years. Those times of self-loathing. I would rather be 52 than 13! That was rough. I went from being a cool (in my own mind) athletic 12 year old to someone with starter boobs and monthly menses.
I was dragged kicking and screaming into puberty. (quiet kicking and screaming, for the most part in my room to myself because I couldn't talk to anyone about it) My mom wasn't the hold hands sing kumbaya and talk about our feelings with our period kinda gal. She took me to the "movie" we girls had in 5th grade - to learn about periods. None of it made sense to me - why would that happen?
And the emotions and moods that went with that monthly cycle. I wanted nothing to do with pads and tampons. I spent junior high perfecting silent opening of plastic tampon packages in the restroom at school. Heart pounding stress! Especially if the "hoods" (that's you tammy ross and angie ostrander) were in the bathroom smoking.
No diary for me now. Just this Blog. And you have the key...
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Shirt Sleeve weather
Sarah with Baby David taken last summer - bet they've both grown!
December 1 and it's shirt sleeve weather. Love it! It's my niece Sarah's bday - she's 14. So glad my prissy sis Betso and her husband Wayne had a girl. They had three boys prior to Sarah's birth. Twins Paul and Alex (one of them was supposed to be female - they found out just before they were born that they were both boys). Then Eric was born when the twins were 3. Betso Bean loves her boys dearly but she was still hoping for a girl someday. Then on December 1, 1995 Sarah was born.
When Betsy was born, all I had wished for was a baby brother, so I could play with his boy toys. But no, I had a girly girl sis. She loved playing dolls. Her favorite toy was a giant Barbie head - you could do her makeup and hair. (Perhaps I should have dabbled with it a little - then I would actually know how to do makeup now...). "Barbie's Head is Nice and Big the TV commercial said."
After Sarah was born, just for fun B&W popped out one more baby boy, David. He was born the year our Mom died. Betso was 6 months pregnant when we all rushed to Atlantic to be by Mom's side as she succumbed to lung cancer. That baby bump was something for us to look forward to - a new life to come after Mom's death.
But oh how Betsy loves having a girl - to do girl stuff with. I must admit, that even though I'm still a tomboy at heart, I also love having a daughter! (see the blog from a couple weeks ago about the cardinal and testosterone poisoning..) It's fun to have somebody to shop with and to talk about something other than sports.
Tomorrow is a big day. It's the birthday of our baby boy, Patrick George, born 12/2/91 died 12/8/91. He'd be 18 and a senior in high school! What would he be like? Athletic, smart, musical, quiet, outgoing?
When Betsy was born, all I had wished for was a baby brother, so I could play with his boy toys. But no, I had a girly girl sis. She loved playing dolls. Her favorite toy was a giant Barbie head - you could do her makeup and hair. (Perhaps I should have dabbled with it a little - then I would actually know how to do makeup now...). "Barbie's Head is Nice and Big the TV commercial said."
After Sarah was born, just for fun B&W popped out one more baby boy, David. He was born the year our Mom died. Betso was 6 months pregnant when we all rushed to Atlantic to be by Mom's side as she succumbed to lung cancer. That baby bump was something for us to look forward to - a new life to come after Mom's death.
But oh how Betsy loves having a girl - to do girl stuff with. I must admit, that even though I'm still a tomboy at heart, I also love having a daughter! (see the blog from a couple weeks ago about the cardinal and testosterone poisoning..) It's fun to have somebody to shop with and to talk about something other than sports.
Tomorrow is a big day. It's the birthday of our baby boy, Patrick George, born 12/2/91 died 12/8/91. He'd be 18 and a senior in high school! What would he be like? Athletic, smart, musical, quiet, outgoing?
It seems so long ago when we were a part of his short life. He was born with a congenital heart defect - hypoplastic left ventricle. Going through the joy of childbirth and then the tough few days after he crashed and was diagnosed was the toughest time in my life. In many ways it made me the person I am today.
I wouldn't wish the death of a child on anyone, but I wouldn't wish Patrick away to avoid the pain. The first few weeks and months after he died, we were so fortunate to have a friend in Fr. Howard Fitzgerald to walk us through grieving. He truly was a blessing.
It was the early 90's and there was no laptop and no Internet. I had to read books about others who had lost children in order to absorb the experience, to understand it. I learned that men and women deal with grief differently. Often marriages don't survive the loss of a child. It was hard, but we persevered.
Now I have strength stemming from that little guy. And perspective. And empathy. Before Patrick, nothing really bad had ever happened to me before. That experience opened my eyes to to sorrow of loss, and the beauty of the support of family and friends.
Happy Birthday Patrick - we love you always!
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