Priorities

I'm off work in preparation for FaffCon this weekend, so I was able to join Genie, E, and Lydia for the traditional trek to Travis Ranch for a Thursday morning swim. We spent about an hour and a half there. I don't think I've been swimming for at least a year. Even though the deepest part was only 4.5 feet deep, I had WAY too much fun in the pool. If it had "Like" button on the premises, I would have clicked it...a lot!

On the way home, E started thinking out loud about her desire for younger siblings in the house. She's pretty set on having a younger brother, so the ramble started off with a bunch of boys' names, and then moved to ages. When she said she wanted this so-far-make-believe younger brother to be at least 6 years old, I was a little surprised, mainly because in our past discussions about adoption, we'd talked about getting a child more in the 3- to 5-year-old range (from my recollection, anyway).

"Why do you want him so close to your own age?" I asked, expecting her to say that she wanted someone she could relate with more closely.

I was wrong. She replied, "I want him to be grown up enough to know what I mean when I tell him to stay out of my room."

Dang. She's planning ahead a bit farther than I thought.

The Cat Who...

The Cat Who Played Brahms by Lilian Jackson Braun

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


My first "The Cat Who" read (recommended by my wife), and it was quite enjoyable. Qwilleran's character is very interesting, and the story was well-woven. There were interesting details revealed right up to the final pages, and a bit of a fun cliffhanger at the very end. I'm eager to read more in this series!

View all my reviews >>

So, it seems that we are really bad about consistency with blogging.... however, when life sends a curve ball, it has to be logged, or blogged.

First, an update.

We have had two ladies living with us since August. They are sisters, and have been looking for work. The elder has now found a job, and we are hoping she will be able to get into the apartments she prefers soon.

And the curve ball...

E has been going to horse camp this week. She has done it before and was rather relaxed around the horses. On Wednesday, she was a bit ahead of the others, and decided to be among the first of them to catch a horse. So, bucket of grain in hand, she walked in among them to catch the horse she wanted to ride that day. All went well, she had help from one of the assistants, until the girl told E to keep the grain back a bit while she put a halter on the horse. Of course, the horses (there were two who were after the grain) decided they didn't want the food taken away and began to fight about it. One reared up and came down scraping E's shin and drawing blood. She walked away, and when asked if she was ok said it really hurt. Then, she either fell or started to and the adult who had asked decided she needed to be picked up. E fainted as she was being picked up, probably in shock. Upon examining her shin, it was obvious she needed stitches.

Now, here's the huge blessing. I usually send E down to the ranch with a friend. I had intended, on Wednesday, to go swim laps with a friend while E was gone. As I was walking away from the van, I felt an urging to go along. So, I turned around and asked if I could go down and back. Because of that, I was at the camp when this happened and they didn't need to call me with a "meet me at the clinic/hospital" that would have really freaked me out. Instead, I was able to think and take time to prepare E for the stitches as we drove.

I called Justin and had him meet us at the clinic, where he was a TON of help keeping E calm. He kept me calm as well. I remember once wondering when I was going to freak out. It never happened so I may be stronger than I thought. Justin also took pictures, which I am not posting here as there are probably a few of you who would be freaked out by it all. You can see them here, however, if you are curious.

On the drive to the clinic, E asked why God lets things like this happen. I answered her that sometimes things happen so we can learn and become stronger. My friend said that he was looking after her; after all, here was her mom. I then began to think, what were the chances of the horse landing on her foot and crushing it? That scrape is about six inches long. The open part is only an inch or so, but she has lost skin for six inches. There's a blessing, an intact foot. There was also no chipping of the shin bone from the scrape, which was enough of a possibility that they took x-rays. That was cool, too, because E got to see them and explore her bones (great science lesson).

So, six stitches later, E has a great story to tell. I do as well, with the confirmation that God really watches over us. Things happen, but I am so very grateful that this time He decided that it needed to be a gentle lesson rather then an overwhelming one.

Catching up

Well, after realizing that I couldn't get in here because my new email addy wasn't in it, I think it's time to catch up a little......

September to Now, how to begin....

1: E spent a month with each of our parents during the summer.

Starting with my parents, she swam so often that we teased her that she would have to stop if she started growing gills, scales, or seaweed in her hair. She also got to know my brother's and sister's families.

Then she flew with my parents to Washington where she spent another three weeks alone with Justin's family, and then another week with us. Yes, we got to spend a wonderful, and sunny, week in Port Angeles. We really had fun. While there, the local newspaper stated: Seen about Forks: several depressed Twilight fans because it wasn't gloomy, rainy or foggy.

Here's a few pics of her and a friend from Port Angeles:


2. As soon as we got back, we had two friends move in with us. Lydia and Rachel are from Virginia and moved out here to find work. There are other reasons for getting them out here before they found work, but it's not my place to say. Lydia brought a dog and a cat, and Rachel adopted a dog just after they came. Of note: They are still here, but its not their fault.

The cat is no longer with us, he now lives in upstate New York. My cats stressed him out too much, and we found a better home for him with one of Lydia's friends.

3. In early September, E got glasses! They have made a huge difference in her focus and ability to interact. Especially nice is that I can say, "Oh look, see the (insert animal here)" while we are driving and share some of my love of nature with her.

4. I took an awesome class during fall semester, "Architecture, Music, and Philosophy" I loved it. We started with the Greeks, and applied philosophy starting from Plato and Aristotle and moving through time until the 20th c. I only got a B, but it was such a joy to take. I really enjoy combining knowledge I already have with the broader view of time and space. I also discovered that I have a very philosophical view of philosophy: everyone seems to think that all you need is thought, when there are things that need to be taken on faith. They all have merit, but I just don't think that you can answer all the mysteries with the human's limited view.

5. At Thanksgiving, I pulled E out of school and started home school. She had been having problem with the kids at school teasing her. One she bloodied, and one she kicked. I decided to take her out before she got a reputation for violence. She has done beautifully since then. Her temper is cooling and we have a lot less of the major tantrums that last for hours. She had been having so many troubles at school, that she would come home from school angry nearly every day. She is the type to hide her emotions at school. No one knows if she cares or is hurt, but then when she comes home to a safe place, she lets it all out on me. I decided she needed to stop having to hide her emotions so much. Life is MUCH BETTER now!!

6. Christmas was great this year. We did our yearly 12 days of Christmas service, sharing gifts with a friend each day for the 12 days before Christmas day. I have realized that giving and sharing is vital for me to feel the true Christmas spirit. Of note, when in Texas, sneaking up to someone's door to drop a surprise after dark is a REALLY DANGEROUS THING. We were told that the police were going to be called because "I don't have a big enough gun." Needless to say, it wasn't a secret this year, we just handed them to her each night.

7. New Year's Eve was a great time. We were invited to celebrate with some friends. The dad is a real fireworks fiend, and had over a hundred dollars of pyromania to set off at midnight. I would have had more fun if it wasn't so close to freezing temperatures.

8. Justin has a voiceover agent! He has been getting enough jobs in voice acting that he has been getting a name for himself...as well as supplementing the budget nicely. A local agency recruited him and has been representing him for local jobs. If you want to hear his voice online, look here. That's his website, and he is constantly updating it with his work, so keep watch there.

9. I have decided to sit this semester out. The degree I am looking to get is not what is offered at my school so I may be transferring, though that is still up for debate.

10. I am sewing again for friends and referrals. I just got a large commission with about 10 outfits and small accessories as well. I am happy to have it because...

11. We have a new dog. She is a pit bull/boxer mix. She weighs in around 55 to 60 lbs. and is VERY sweet. The problem? I found her running on the street and she is positive for heart worms. My Vet says she has a great chance to survive the treatment, but it costs over $600 dollars. Anyway, Bridget is a great addition, even if the cats (and sometimes Justin) don't agree.

If you have been counting, that makes 5 dogs, 2 cats, 4 adults and one child in the house, with home schooling, and no formal school. Life is definitely interesting in this household.



12. E got her hair cut, again. Here are pics of her before and after, with her glasses so you can see how cute they are.



Eism of the day:

"Touche, mozzarella."

And don't you forget it.

Creative Writing

While doing some house cleaning yesterday, I ran across a scrap of paper containing a short piece written by E toward the beginning of third grade. From what Genie recalls, it was what E wrote to try out for the writing portion of the the UIL creative competition.

E excels at something that I can only describe as a kind of stream-of-consciousness sentence composition. While it sometimes leads to odd turns of phrase as she's trying to make a point in an argument, most often this skill exhibits itself during play time, when she invents songs out of thin air and sings them to herself as she plays. I've often wanted to write down some of the things she comes up with, but seldom am I prepared to do so when those moments present themselves. That's why I'm so glad to have found this piece that she wrote down herself, with almost no assistance from us. I'm transcribing it here exactly as it appears on the paper that I found, and hope you enjoy this look into her creative thoughts.

"A time of day a time of hour is not a waste"
I said After days have past it is time to
know the past. All I have done was wait until
morning breaks but the stars were out all night
I can do the same can't I?
I can't see the wind. But I cane hear it.
I can feal it
I don't care what I can not do.
I have the fath to know what I can do.
the end