saturday

Happy Saturday…this week has went by fairly quick for me. Funny how that works… some days seem to stand still and others are gone in a blink. Last night Erik got back from spending a couple of days at UC Davis and meeting all of the Professors in the various chemistry departments, each one trying to appeal to the grad students to come into their department. Erik has pretty much chosen which one he wants to go with. He came home and shared all that he encountered and it fascinated me to listen to him.
Kristin and I spent some quality time together yesterday too and it was most enjoyable. We had lunch together and went out shopping for her EMT shirts and scrubs. We both agreed that it was just nice being out freely with no obligation to be anywhere. We tried on clothes and looked around for a unique gift to give my mother for her birthday. We were rather unsuccessful in both endeavors, but we had fun anyway. Kristin is very energetic and fun to be around so I had a smile on my face most of the time.
For me this weekend will be full of the usual reading and writing for school and I dread it severely. It is very, very difficult for me to concentrate when spring is dancing around outside. I want so badly to go outside and be courted by the newness unfolding, but I am going to have to be disciplined this weekend because I have midterms sneaking up.

I have also been tagged by Sarah to participate in a MEME where I have to share 8 things about myself that my readers don’t already know and then I am suppose to TAG eight others to do the same, but since my readership does not include eight regular readers I will just leave this as an open invitation to those who do read if they want to participate. Just leave a comment that you are playing.

8 things about me you didn’t know before ~

1. I’m 5’ 8” tall.

2. I’m a quiet person, not shy or really too conservative, I just tend to think more than I vocalize (unless you know me really well and then I never shut up).

3. I have a pointed right ear…yes, it’s true. I was often referred to as Mrs. Spock when I was growing up (although it’s not THAT pointed). When I was about three years old I had it bitten off by a dog and the plastic surgery reconstruction left it a bit pointy, although it’s hardly noticeable or maybe I’m just use to it.

4. My 25th wedding anniversary is coming up in June.

5. I don’t watch TV, I think it’s a brain zapper…but I love an occasional movie.

6. I have a pierced nose with a cute little sapphire gem that is itsy bitsy tiny.

7. I love to write poetry. I’ve had two pieces published and hopefully someday, a book.

8. I’m a blue jeans and t-shirt kind of girl.

Some of these may have surprised you?
And some you probably could have guessed...

Aren't assumptions interesting?

Blink

Today was fairly productive, but it went by so fast! I spent the majority of the day cleaning and rearranging furniture. I ended up with quite a few magazines and skeins of yarn that I can Freecycle. I think tomorrow I am going to clean out my "craft cupboard" and see what I can get rid of. Free cycle is nice because you can post what you have and someone will usually pick it up right away. It keeps stuff out of the landfill and reinforces the old adage that "One man's junk is another man's treasure". My homework load is kind of light this weekend. I just have to read and analyze Death of a Salesman by Arthur Miller. It's an interesting play, rather sad really. It's funny how stories from the past are still relative today. Everything changes and everything stays the same. Quite a paradox we have. One thing that is changing is the weather. It is beginning to get chilly in the mornings and I love it.

Antiquity

Can you believe today is the last day of September? Time sure flies when you're having fun. Yesterday I spent the afternoon with my mom. I took her on some errands she needed to run and we had a nice lunch. I think we wore each other out. She will be 73 in March and I am always amazed at her ambition. What she thinks she can do and what she actually can do are two different things. She struggles with the things her body won't let her do anymore. She is going through a phase where she feels the need to get everything in order for her departure from life. While I admire and appreciate the measure she is going through to be organized I just don't feel the need to talk about it. I tell her "Write it down" and it will be taken care of, but then she'll think of something else or change her mind on something and we have to have this conversation all over again. Watching my parents get older has been a very sobering experience. My dad will be 80 in two weeks. I look at the two of them and I see so many things that could improve their quality of life, but they are both set in their ways. I can see how easily age sneaks up on a person. I can also see the importance of maintaining an active lifestyle. I wonder how they will get by, one without the other. I think about their years together. I know they've had rough times as everyone does, but I wonder what they count as rich experiences. They both come from a generation that has experienced so much. The depression, the wars, technology. They both have countless stories about picking cotton in the eastern states and moving west with their families. My dad retired from the Navy so he has countless "Sea Bee" stories. I guess we just never know what everyday occurances will become treasured memories that will be retold to our grandchildren. All families have stories. Today Dave and Kristin (and two of Kristin's friends) are climbing Half Dome at Yosemite. They left here at 4:00 a.m. so they could be on the trail by 7:00. They should come back with some beautiful pictures. Erik and I are stuck at home studying :(

Catch Up Day

Ah, the weekend at last. Two days to rest, get caught up and restore the organized intentions of my free time. School was absolutely draining for some reason. I love my classes and yet there is something about sitting for hours of lecture that is exhausting. I am not one that can sit and do nothing. That is one reason why I don't watch television very often. My hands need to be busy and so being forced to sit and listen is quite taxing, but I love being back in school. The campus is buzzing with new students and resident ducks that are trying to get acclimated to one another. I'm really surprised more ducks don't end up in the classrooms because there are so many that hang out by the doors hoping that someone will be generous with their lunch. The campus is very beautiful and right now all of the waterfalls and fountains are running. The leaves are beginning to turn color and Fall is in the air. This weekend I have little homework so I want to wrap up some summer projects and shift gears to prepare for a busier time. Today I am making a pot of lentil soup because my son brought home about 4 lbs. of lentils and they keep getting in my way everytime I get into the cupboard. Lentils are not my favorite but I have enough ingredients to add that it might prove to be quite delicious. Today is pretty much a catch-up day. It always amazes me how much can get undone in a short amount of time. I am so thankful for modern conveniences. I remember visiting my grandmother on laundry day and watching her put one article of clothing at a time through the wringer on her washing machine. The water squeezed out of the fabric and back in to the basin. She would hand pin everything to a clothesline and then return to take everything down once they were dry. My own mother has stories about washboards, something I have never used. I find many of the old-fashioned ways to be very appealing. They suggest a simpler life when the pace was much slower. I remember push mowers and iron cords that were covered in cloth. I remember light cords that hung from the ceiling and hair dryers with hoses that hooked to a cap that we wore on our heads. There are many things that have improved to make chores in life easier but it doesn't seem like we fill our time saved with anything other than more chores. Sometimes it's good to take a step back and reevaluate priorities. I would rather have a messy house and spend time with the kids anyday. Unfortunately, today they are gone so I haven't any excuses and Mount St. Laundry is spilling over and lost socks are not jumping back into the drawers, so I had better get busy. Have a blessed day with those you love.

Saturday

Good morning sunshine! I have my coffee (Hazelnut today) and a small piece of the delicious Lemon-Blueberry Tea Bread I made last night. Kudos to Cindi at the Recipes Blog Site I have listed under "Nice Places To Visit". After my post I will share the recipe as she has it but for my own tastes I added more lemon peel and in the glaze I used powdered sugar instead of granulated. Now that my oven door is fixed I can get back to baking goodies. Yum. Actually the oven door is only temporarily fixed until the parts come in ($75.00 for new hinges!), but I can live with it, at least it opens now. Thursday evening my garbage disposal went out. Isn't that always the way it is? Oh well, I have to find humor in it and it really is not that big of an inconvenience. I just have to pay attention to what I'm doing. I remember when Kaoru was here (Kanako's mom) from Japan. She was amazed at the garbage disposal. They do not have them in Japan and evidently she had never seen one. She wanted to watch it work time after time. It was so cute and reminded me of yet another thing we take for granted. Today should prove to be a busy day as yesterday was. I kept Erik company while he worked on his Chevelle. By the time we were finished the garage was looking cleaner than it has in awhile and Erik was able to get a little closer to having his car finished (which is still some time away). Today I am going out to my mom and dad's to give them a hand around the house. I usually just clean their bathrooms, vacuum, dust, and mop. Mom actually does pretty well staying on top of things but it hurts her back to bend over the tub and push the vaccum so I try to help in these areas. She is always prepared for my visit with fresh tea and a dozen things she wants to talk about. She is currently crocheting Erik an afghan in the ripple stitch and is progressing rather quickly through it. I would think that this activity would be good for the arthritis in her hands but she says it is very painful and can only do it in moderation. I just pray that I can make it through the aging process easier than they have. Of course their lives were far more laborious and they didn't have the health care that we have now. It just kills me to see them aging and yet I know it is something we all have to endure (hopefully). I think I will surprise them with some Lemon-Blueberry Bread. They will like that.

End of Summer

Good morning sunshine! Another Monday in the making...the weekend certainly went by quickly. We attended Stephen & Becky's wedding. It was a lovely event and all of the kids looked real sharp. Erik was a co-best-man and his toast was very profound and touching. That was the only time I shed a tear. Stephen was blessed to have the musical talents of his grandparents available to him. They played jazz all evening and I kept thinking what an honor it was for Stephen. It isn't often grandparents play in a band. I hope he treasures that. It was fun watching Erik and Kristin dance together. I love to watch them laugh and ridicule each other in a loving way. Erik asked me to dance and it was fun after we got our timing down! Kristin asked her dad to dance as well but he declined. This really bothered me and is something I am going to need to pray about. How can a father say no to a daughter who is reaching out? I know he does not like to dance but sometimes we have to set our own comforts aside for the better cause. He truly missed out and probably does not even see it. I will pray that his eyes are opened so that he will be able to view (and appreciate) the light from different angles. The wedding was outdoors and it actually turned chilly. Everyone was wishing for a light sweater which is very rare for a California August evening. Yesterday Kristin and I went out for lunch and we went antique browsing. We had the best time. We visited a charming little boutique called Eric Michael's and they have floor to ceiling treasures. The owner and his friends were contagiously enthusiastic and friendly. The three men sat behind the counter and talked with customers. They sang "Happy Birthday" and "He's A Jolly Good Fellow" to whom I expect to be a complete stranger. They offered me wine to accompany my browsing and I thought that to be quite hospitable. Of course I passed on the wine but I still found many things that I could easily spend my life savings on. We had fun exploring their little shop and getting ideas. Needless to say we left there with smiles on our faces for many reasons. I didn't get many projects finished over the weekend but I have high hopes that this week will prove to be very fruitful. It is beginning to feel like the last push before school starts. Some of the kid's friends are leaving for college and every available hour must be spent with them. In fact, as I am posting this very thought, I have a houseful of girls sleeping in. Until things settle back down I feel very forunate that they would take time out to spend with me. I am happy that Erik and Kristin are attending a local Junior College and University. At least for a while longer. Erik will be applying to Stanford and UC Davis at the end of this year where he will go through their Graduate Program (wherever he gets accepted). Kristin has big plans as well but she needs a little more time in her pocket before her reality is realized. Well, I have a garden to water and suntea to prepare and Lacey is looking at me with those big brown puppy eyes that melt my heart so I will probably take her for a walk also. May your day be free from idle hands and blessed with creativity.