Mood:  not sure
Topic: Thoughts of the day
I've had the flu since Friday. Husband and the boys went out of town for the weekend and today was very quiet. I spent most of my time dozing on the couch.
I miss the family but it's nice to have a day to myself...just wish it wasn't a sick day.

Topic: Things I'm thankful for
I mentioned in my last post about the robins gathering in large groups before they head south. It's one of my favorite things about this time of year, all the different bird species that prepare for their migration. Like the big group of cedar waxwings, the V's of geese traveling along the river, the ducks make their frenetic way across the sky. I'm not a bird expert but I do love birds and make half-hearted attempts at times to identify birds with the help of my Audobon book.
There is one I'm familiar with, the flicker, and they seem to be fascinated by our roof. Sometimes one will tap on the woodstove pipe and make an incredible racket. They haven't caused any problems though and I never get tired of watching them.
One was even looking into my bedroom window once, should I have reported it? Okay, I think I'll sign off for the day.
Flicker

Mood:  blue
Topic: Thoughts of the day
A very gray, drab day today. I took Koby for a walk this morning and she practiclly pulled my arm out of its socket. The weather doesn't seem to affect her at all but when the sun broke through briefly ,she found a square of sunlight on the floor and layed down on that spot.
Dozens of robins have gathered in the cedar tree in the backyard, I guess they're all getting their travel plans together. Soon they'll be heading south and I'll be raking leaves.
Today has been a little unanchored, I try to get things done but I can't seem to complete them, though I did update my poetry site.
My Lakota card for the day was Crying for a Vision, so maybe I should take my cue from the weather and hunker down a little, take stock and look inward.
Or maybe I'll just have a Snickers bar.

Lakota Sweat Lodge Cards

Looking back and preparing
Topic: humor in strangeplaces
In 1999 my youngest son Pat (then 7 years old) had to have pacemaker surgery. We found out that he had a blocked SA node when he was 4 through pure luck. I'd brought him in for an exam at the office of a friend of ours who was a family practictioner but also worked a lot with cardiology patients. He said Pat's heartbeat was way too slow and we were referred to a pediatric cardiologist and it went on from there.
So in 1999 we went to Seattle along with our other son Tom. When we brought Pat in for the surgery prep and to talk to the surgeon ,Pat was handling it very well. When Pat asked if it would hurt after the surgery the surgeon said it might just feel like a scrape. (The incision was going to be about 3 inches long)
That started Pat on a lengthy question and answer session
What kind of scrape?
Like when you fall off a bike and scrape your knee
A big scrape or a little one?
Well not a very big one.
Pat kept on and on and I could see he was getting upset and I also knew the longer he asked questions he thought maybe he wouldn't have to do this. I was practicaclly in tears myself.
Just then a nurse came in and said Pat had to drink some medicine to help him relax before the surgery. That went smoothly and after the surgeon left we waited for the medicine to take affect a little.
Well, work it did and Pat was soon laughing at everything we said to him and to eachother. When we had to take him in the wheelchair to see the anesthesiologist, Tom said he would push his brother. He pushed Pat very slowly down the hallway, maybe about a twenty foot trip and the entire way Pat was calling out "Wheeee!" and giving a big belly laugh. My husband and I couldn't help but laugh too. I was so relieved that he wasn't nervous anymore.
The anesthesiologist let us stay while he put Pat under and he told Pat a story about a hippopotomus.
Tears were rolling down the faces of my husband and me but my sweet little Pat fell asleep with a smile on his face.
He's doing great now and is will be 13 this month.
Thank God for both of our boys.

Sitting by the Beach
Topic: Thoughts of the day

Just thinking about Rockaway Beach, Oregon where we went this past June. I loved it there and wish I could be there now.

Supply List
Mood:  chillin'
Topic: Thoughts of the day
School starts for my two sons on Tuesday and I just got the list of their class supplies in the mail. Now that one is in 7th grade and the other is a sophomore, I'm pretty experienced with the basics like pencils, pens and paper so I try to always keep these around the house. It seems that as they get older the teachers get less particular with their needs. I remember one year when the list included head phones, small stapler and calculator along with all the basics. Wow, when I look back on my school days it seems like I was really slumming it.
But I think all the teachers have done a terrific job, I don't envy all the hours they have to put in and I know the schools here are terribly underfunded.
So off to the mad dash I go. There are always mixed feelings for me at this time of year. I'm a little thrilled to have some time to myself again,
relieved that I don't have to fight over the computer all day so that I can do my writing in peace. But things will be very quiet here and my boys will be a little bit further in their journey of growing up.

Topic: Thoughts of the day

Another Olympics gone by...
Mood:  not sure
Topic: Thoughts of the day
It seems that as my sons get older (and me too) I look back on things in relation to the age that they are now. My oldest son is 15 and we and my other son Pat have been watching the Olympics quite a bit. I remember very clearly when I was 15, watching the Olympic coverage every night on the T.V. in my parent's bedroom. My Dad didn't like Olympic sports at all. I can remember being caught up in my favorite venue, women's gymnastics and watching Nadia Comaneci getting all those perfect 10's. I had been hoping that Olga Korbut would get the all around gold but after awhile I switched over to Nadia. For two weeks out of that year I watched sports I would never dream of watching, volleyball, diving, swimming, all these sports that bring people together in a fairly peaceful and supportive atmoshere. I think that's the real draw for me and so many other people. Taking a break from the craziness of the world around us and seeing nations who are normally enemies, compete in a healthy way.
So this year my sons and I watched Carly Patterson, Michael Phelps and all the other new names. It was a nice end to a pretty good summer for us.
I pray to God that 28 years from now they'll be looking back at that time in '04 the way I am able to look back now. Thankful that their loved ones are there with them. And I also hope they'll look back without many of the things that I remember.

Summer
Mood:  hungry
Topic: Thoughts of the day
It seems like summer is the season that always stands out in our memories. Now that this one is almost over I wonder how my sons will look back on this one. One thing I'm always grateful for is that they have a fairly stable home and they know that they're loved. They also have the blessing of living in the same town since they were babies and building some close friendships.
The summer that I was 10 was a memorable one, good and bad. We had just moved away from a town my sisters and I loved, to a bigger city. I had to leave behind a good friend and a great school, but that's the way things go. The worst part is my Dad was having a hard time starting up his car business and Mom was working at a job she didn't care for.
There was a lot of fighting... a lot. The good part of that summer was that my other sister, Diana and I had a lot of freedom during the day and we made the best of it. One of our passions was playing with Barbies and Malibu Barbie was a hot item then. We could only afford one so we ended up sharing her but after awhile that got boring so we'd tie a rope around her and take turns spinning her around and letting her go, kind of like the hammer throw. I know, it sounds pretty weird but it was funny to us then. Sometimes she'd land on the roof and we'd argue over who had to climb up and get her. Diana usually ended up doing it.
I made some good friends there and we'd get together for bike riding, playing in the sprinkler
or just hanging out and doing nothing.
Then at the end of August we had to move to a different part of the city. It was hard but I was used to it. After all I'd been to 5 different schools already. My older sister had graduated high school and promptly moved out with a boyfriend in July, which had caused even more arguments between my parents. But I tried to look forward to seeing the house we would move to, which room would be mine and all that. That summer had been something to remember.

Topic: Things I'm thankful for
I think I'll put my things I'm thankful for in a topic all by itself.
For today I'm thankful

That I didn't punch that grouchy lady in K-Mart

That my kids are both so sweet and helpful...most of the time.

That I just remembered something I need to do this afternoon.

That the electrician finally showed up.

That my dog is always happy to see me.

See ya tomorrow!

Attention K-Mart shoppers
Mood:  a-ok
Topic: Thoughts of the day
Had to make an emergency run to the grocery store today, the cupboards were getting bare and teenage boys were hungry. One stayed at home, the other came along to help and he also wanted to get a CD at K-Mart. I had to make the purchase because of parental advisory on the CD.
Maybe I'm just the guilty type but whenever I do this I feel like I'm doing something borderline illegal. The last time I did this though, the male cashier asked me for my ID!!!!!!! He said he had to card anyone who looks like they may be under 26. That absolutely made my day that time, even though I imagined him running over to his buddies afterward, screaming with laughter, saying "Can you believe she fell for that line?!"
Anyway, this time the cashier was an older woman. My son had told me before that she glares at him whenever he looks in the electronics section. Yes, I can see how this clean cut, polite, honor roll student must seem like a threat, I mean what are kids coming to? Sorry,sometimes I can't control the sarcasm. So I knew there'd be no compliments, false or otherwise for me this time.
When I handed over his money for the CD she began a speech about how she "can't believe parents buy their kids this crap" and kept on and on.I was really surprised, I couldn't believe she was giving me a lecture. She must have noticed the look on my face because she suddenly backed off and said "But I wasn't talking about you."
Peaceful and wimpy person that I am, I let it go, even though I was fuming inside.My son was grumbling a little though. I told him that she had no right to judge someone's purchase like that, and I would handle it. (I wonder what she says when people buy condoms?)
When I got home I called the store manager. He was so apologetic I began to feel guilty again...but I got over it and didn't lose my temper. Hey, there's always tomorrow.

Had to share this one!
Topic: humor in strangeplaces

Mood:  not sure
Topic: humor in strangeplaces
My great grandmother died when I was in my late teens, I don't remember her well but I'd heard alot about her. She was a great story teller and could be kind of eccentric. I'd always wished I'd known her better.
She wanted her funeral to be at a church that was a different denomination from the rest of the family and we'd never been to this particular church before. It was done by two pastors, a man and a woman.They both came out and each sat on a tall stool in front of the gathered family members.
The woman was tall and thin with long, dark hair and the man was shorter with a mustache.
Just then, one of my uncles leaned over towards my Mom, who was next to me, and said in a stage whisper, "They look just like Sonny and Cher."
My Mom tried so hard but she couldn't help laughing and soon everyone in the near vicinity was shaking with muffled laughter...it just sounded so funny. The more we tried not to laugh the more impossible it became. The funeral went well, even though I didn't hear much. Granny would have been happy.

Topic: Thoughts of the day
I couldn't sleep much last night, things run through my head late at night sometimes and I can't seem to stop the progress of thought. But I still managed to get things done today. Dinner will be something easy.
I'm thankful that my sister is recovering well from her surgery and that my other sister found another apartment to rent.
I'm thankful that my son can get his surgery done close to home next year instead of us having to go out of state. But where will the money come from?
Accentuate the positive...I can hear him laughing as he watches his favorite T.V. show...my other son is out with a friend...I'm still thinking...

Mood:  caffeinated
Topic: Thoughts of the day
Okay, I think I'll start by saying that I've had a hard time being positive this week, I mean let's be realistic. I am not a Pollyanna type, but I try to stay positive. Especially for my kids sake. I won't bore anyone with details, sometimes life is just hard.
But on the good side, I got some things accomplished today that really needed to be done.
Cleaned out the inside of the car, e-mail some photos to a cousin, read a little more of the novel I'm trying to finish. It's been cloudy all day but the sky is beautiful this evening, pink and gold along the horizon.
Things I'm thankful for today:
My family
My flannel pajamas
eating M&M's
printer is finally working
my headache went away

Talk to you later!
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