Work Work Work

It's that time of year. Only one week left of school. I have put in more 8 hours of extra time this week, working 6 am to 6:15 pm today. I wasn't done but left because people started coming to school for a play and I didn't want anyone coming to the office to bother me.

Normally from 7 am to 8 am we have three people in our office, plus one next door in the health room to give meds, first aid, etc. Today from 7 to 9, the three of them were gone and I got to run the show. I felt like Super Woman, checking in substitutes, taking money for lunch, yearbooks and lost PE locks, giving meds, fixing copy machines, writing tardy slips, taking constant phone calls on my headset, and finding time for a few sips of coffee from my handy large travel mug, all with a smile of course. As the day went on, I dealt with a boy who got a bad bump on the head. His eyes were dilated so mom took him to be checked out for a concussion. Several students had finger injuries and a diabetic had extremely high blood sugar. A girl was sent to the office for wearing a cloth book cover on her head and continued to argue loudly with both the principal and assistant principal that it was not a hat and only hats were against the rules, this is so stupid, I'm not taking it off, etc., until her parent was called and she was suspended for the rest of the day. Which I suspect is what she was hoping for.

But some good things happened. A teacher brought us some chocolate dipped strawberries. My principal sat down at the end of the day and told me how much she appreciated me. There were a couple of times this past week where she asked me to do something and I had anticipated the need and already had it in hand, including something today. That's always fun.

I also had a little fun yesterday at work. Some students brought in a Visa check card they found in the parking lot, which belonged to a young staff member who tends to lose keys a lot. He came through just before I went to lunch so I was deriving some entertainment from the situation for awhile before admitting that I had the card. He asked to have it and I said I left it right on the counter so I could give it to him. Oh no. It's not here. It was right here on the counter a few minutes ago. Oh, I hope nobody took it. Suddenly the sweet person who works in the office (no, not the office manager) said, "LeAnn, don't you remember that you put it in the safe?" She had no clue that I was kidding around. Just could not understand how I could appear so serious about it.

On my way home tonight I stopped by the Shell station so I could see Eric and fill up the car before gas goes any higher. I wanted to see what he looked out without all the hair that I found in the downstairs bathroom sink a few days ago. I called Eric immediately when I saw the disgusting sink and I told him, "Eric, for some reason I thought of you when I saw the bathroom sink covered in hair. What have you done?" He was so sorry, he thought he had cleaned it up. He shaved off the big bushy beard a few weeks ago and hadn't shaved since. Today I got to see the new look. He shaved about an inch between sideburns and goatee. He looks real cool. At least that's what his guy friends are telling him. For some reason the girls don't like it so much. Including me. But it's a million percent better than the enormous bushy beard. I decided to be a nice mom and took his order for a Subway sandwich, since Subway is just across the street.

Will is gone to Idaho with our new RV, parking it at his cousin's place and visiting his father in the hospital. He's also going to do a little camping with his sister.

I am so sick of this cold gray wet weather! It's June and I need some sun!

Happy 25th Anniversary to Us!

Twenty-five years ago today, in 100 degree heat, Will and I pledged to love, honor and cherish each other until death do us part. We are so glad we did.
Wasn't my niece Jody just the cutest flower girl! I cannot believe she is already more than 25 years old!
Last weekend we took a three-day anniversary trip in our new fifth-wheel to Twin Rivers RV Park down by Roseburg and had a lovely time.

Do not be misled by the bikes. In spite of Will's best efforts to replace and repair inner tubes and tires, there was one mishap after another and I never did get two working bike tires. Thanks for trying, Honey. Keep trying. Please.

It didn't really seem like camping, it was more like staying in a lovely suite in the middle of a park. And I always like a park where I can take walks and see a river.

The RV park had some creative landscaping. Almost made me wish we hadn't hauled away our old barbecue grill during the Tangent clean up day.

There was a county park next to the RV park with a rule posted that you don't see very often. I felt really bad for all the poor dogs who weren't allowed to go there. But I enjoyed my walk along the river anyway.

We took a scenic little drive to Glide to see the Colliding Rivers, where the Umpqua and the Little River or something like that meet. I always enjoy taking pictures of wildflowers.

We came home to find the house fairly clean and still standing, so all is well. Who would have thought 25 years would go by so fast? We are very blessed.

A Working Weekend

In spite of our wonderful new RV, we very responsibly stayed home and did lots of chores this weekend. It was the annual Tangent dump day, and once again we came up with some junk we were willing to part with. The boys helped haul stuff to the pickup and then got to put together a new wheelbarrow after Will decided the old one wasn't repairable. Nick and Craig worked surprisingly well together. They have both recently taken a course identifying personality types/spiritual gifts and at lunch they had compared notes, discovering that there is a valid reason they have had a hard time getting along at times in the past. (Nick: "You're an I?! I can't stand I's!") Whatever that means.

They decided they had to test it after complete the task. Don't tell Will.

We did manage to put our new RV to some use this weekend. Temperatures were in the 90s on Friday and there was no evening breeze to cool things off. No problem, we slept out there where it was air conditioned. We all took an afternoon break in there Saturday afternoon and watched the last two episodes of Lost in the air conditioned comfort of the RV living room. It was fun.

A lot was accomplished, but there was a slight mishap. I decided to get rid of a shrub in front of the house (an emerald euonymous) that sprawls all over the place. I am constantly having to cut it back and I realized I just don't like the way it looks. In fact, I had grown to hate it. I asked Nick to dig it up and I walked behind the house for something. When I came back a few minutes later he said, "I'm done." I was amazed because I thought it would take a long time due to its' size. I started to exclaim about how awesome he was, then I saw that he had dug up my fragrant, well-behaved, appropriately sized daphne odora that was next to the ugly shrub. Sorry honey, you get to start over. I put the daphne around the corner to leave more room for Nick to work digging up the nasty big shrub, thinking I would replant it after he was done. I'm pretty sure I even mentioned that I would replant it. I took off to run a brief errand. While I was gone, Nick and Will made the last trip to the dump. Upon my return, I saw that Nick had completed the job and went around the corner to get the daphne. It was gone. Can you believe, Nick put it in the pickup with the other junk and took it to the dump?!!

I was going to plant a variegated boxwood between the two daphne bushes, but I was unable to find any at Tom's, Lowe's, or Home Depot. Anybody have any good ideas for an attractive shrub that stays green all year, doesn't get too big, and does well on the east side of the house? I've had miniature rhodies and azaleas and there and they all failed to thrive. I transplanted the scrawny ones that survived and they have done well in other locations.

What a Mother's Day Gift!

Will and Nick took an exciting trip to Portland on Thursday to pick up the new fifth wheel. They thought it prudent to practice backing at the LBCC parking lot on the way home.
Will took it to the Posse Camp Friday and had it all set up and ready to live in when Nick and I arrived Friday evening. Wow. We agreed we feel like we are in a cabin in the woods instead of in an RV.

Interestingly enough, when Will and the sheriff were at the camp earlier this week, they followed cougar tracks and drag marks and found a very fresh deer carcass that had been dragged from the middle of the posse camp down near the creek. So Nick had a perfect excuse to sleep in the trailer on the couch bed with its air mattress in the lovely living room of the lovely new RV, instead of pitching a tent as usual. He encountered a slight disadvantage to this arrangement when Will brought the sheriff in for a tour at 9:30 am and awakened him. Of course, I was already up and having breakfast at the lovely table.

The recent cougar activity put everyone on high alert, and gave Nick another perfect excuse to carry a shotgun when he accompanied me on my daily hikes. That’s one way to get your teenage boy to go on a hike with you.
Will is never lacking interesting sites to point out with his walking stick. "The dead body found last year was over there about a mile and three quarters. And up that draw about a half mile is where the big marijuana grow was found last summer." He's a great tour guide.
Will had to work with the Posse members on Saturday, doing some sort of Search and Rescue certification. They were pretty much done by 4:00.Saturday night after a rousing game of Backgammon, I returned home because I had worship team Sunday morning. Craig, Eric and Molly came back to camp with me after church for Sunday dinner, a pork loin cooked by Will in the Dutch oven with potatoes, carrots and mushrooms. Absolutely delicious.

The boys love the RV.

But they are real campers, and a campfire soon drew them outside.
Everyone had a great time.
And the mother is never happier than when she is surrounded by her boysand eating cheesecake.I'd have to say my husband really outdid himself to please his children's mother on this Mother's Day! How can you ever top this beautiful spacious fifth wheel? Although when Father's Day comes along, I just might claim the RV as a Father's Day gift. Or maybe the quiet new Honda generator will count toward that.

A lovely and relaxing weekend, with many more to come!

Dad is Home!

Sunday afternoon when I walked into my parents house, one of the most beautiful sights I have ever seen was my Dad sitting in his recliner. After seeing him reclining in a hospital bed from Tuesday through Saturday, it was so heartwarming to have him up, awake and sassier than he's been in a long time.Last Tuesday morning I was at work when I got word that Dad had been taken by ambulance to the Lebanon hospital after collapsing at home for the second time in two weeks. He had been very weak, dizzy and tired. I finished a few things at work and headed over to the hospital, where they ended up admitting him. I spent most of my waking hours over there with other family members through Friday.

Once again we learned how true it is that doctors practice medicine, as they ran tests and thought they had a diagnosis until the last test, an echocardiogram, was finally performed late Wednesday. This showed a problem with his heart, which led them to do another test, which revealed blood clots in his lungs, much to the doctor's surprise. Dad was so weak for awhile that the doctor was recommending his release to a nursing home until he regained some strength. Just when we became resigned to that and started to make some plans, he became much stronger and was able to go home Saturday.

I haven't spent so much time with my dad in years. He has always been a very kind and gentle man, with a sense of humor that did not lend itself to putdowns. Fortunately, I had nearly 50 years of that kind of treatment as a secure foundation to get me through the honesty of the comments I heard this week, no doubt rising out of the confusion of his old age!

My youngest sister Jean, the baby of the family, naturally has always enjoyed being the center of Dad's attention, and I certainly never begrudged her position. She was born when I was in my late teens, so we never had the opportunity for much sibling rivalry. Until now.

I believe it started when Dad began feeling a little better. The chair next to his hospital bed where Mom normally sat was empty, and as Jean sat down in it, she asked Dad, "Do you mind if I sit here?" He said, "Oh, sure, I don't mind looking at you." Without thinking I pulled up next to her and said, "Can I sit here too?" He looked at me and said quite seriously, "I don't know, your face is showing a lot of age!" I had to leave the room as I got to laughing pretty loud. Later I had to find a mirror and check out just how much age my face is showing! Yep, it's pretty much showing every single one of my 49 years. But I like to think a lot of them are laugh lines!

Awhile later when I came back into his room, he looked at me and asked what I wanted. I reminded him that I was his daughter LeAnn and that I was in and out of his room all day visiting him. He said, "I guess it's alright as long as you don't talk too much!"

The family went out to dinner Friday night. The beautiful little sister could hardly wait to tell me what he said to her after I left. She was helping him with something and he said she didn't need to go to any trouble for him. She said it's ok, I caused you a lot of trouble in the past. He replied, "But you brought me a lot of joy!" Wow! She had a witness so I guess she's not making it up!

Then on Sunday I sat next to him at the dinner table. He asked if there was enough room for me. I said, "Oh, yes, I'm just a little thing. At least that's what my husband is always telling me." Dad gave me a look and then said, "Well, he must not have very good eyes!"

When dessert was served, Dad received a modest portion of sugar-free ice cream. A big tub of regular ice cream was passed around and ended up by Dad. I noticed that he was helping himself to a few scoops of it and said, "Dad, you already have ice cream." His quick response was, "You need to mind your own business!"

So I was thoroughly put in my place while Jean continued to revel in her position as the beautiful young favored daughter, sitting at his feet and making sure he was comfortable. Until...late in the day, when she had little Baby Levi on the kitchen counter. This made Dad very uneasy and he went to find Mom to do something about it. Jean told Dad not to worry about the baby, he's just fine. Then she had the nerve to say, "Why don't you go back and sit down in your chair." She finally got her comeupance. Dad told her, "This is my house so don't be telling me what to do!" Yep, at last Dad put her in her place!

It was great to end the day playing dominoes with Dad once again, although he did say he'd rather play with little kids so he can tell them what to do! I am thankful the Lord has given us more time to enjoy with him when it could so easily have been different. It is comforting to see how the goodness of his character still shines through even when he is confused, how he is always offering to share everything from his cookies to his chair, and wanting to make sure others around him are comfortable and have what they need. We were there again this evening, and Nick learned that when you sit by Grandpa at dinner, he will notice when your water glass is empty or you need butter, and he'll make sure that someone will get you what you need!

My dad is a blessing, and I am very thankful for him. I'm even thankful for the beautiful baby sister that he gave me more than 30 years ago!

Decorating

Last weekend my neice Jody came to help me re-decorate the house after it's recent painting. We went shopping the Saturday before to buy a few new things. She wouldn't let me put up some of my favorite old things. Can you believe, she said NO to my Home Interiors oak mirrored candle sconces? I sneaked them up to my bedroom. But there were some old things even I knew had outlived their decor value. I am not gifted with any decorating abilities, neither do I notice current trends. But Jody has a very good eye. I assumed I would stick with blue for new living room curtains. I like blue, and my kitchen, living room and family room were predominantly blue. She gently steered me toward other colors, and I ended up with cranberry red drapes in my living room, and found a few coordinating accessories. I love it!

Jenna apparently has already inherited her mother's sense of decor at age 2. She was trying to figure out the best place to put a discarded frame. "How about here?"
Jenna took quite a liking to her great-uncle Will, but she wasn't too sure about Nick. When he came downstairs for breakfast with his large head of morning hair sticking out everywhere, she just stared, pointed, and said, "Hair!" She kept her distance. But she followed Uncle Will everywhere. When the hail started pouring down outside, she wanted him to pick her up to watch it out the window. When the hail ended, Will went out to work in the garage. Jenna stood at the door and wailed, even perhaps stomping her feet. a bit She was quickly allowed to join him there and happily ran to get her sweatshirt.

Thank you Jody, for sharing your time, your talents, and your little girl with us!

The Last Voyage

Today Will our two oldest boys returned from the last camping trip in our old Holiday Rambler Free Spirit. (Nick had an overnight youth trip.) I just realized that I wasn't even invited to attend this weekend, but my feelings aren't hurt. I have always appreciated father-son camping trips. I used to incorporate more social activity into those times. But my priorities were home improvement projects this weekend. After attacking some weeds outside and also painting the baseboards and doors in the house, I was too sore to move or even think about social activity. I did get a book from the library and managed to read a total of 10 pages during two night before I fell asleep. Aging takes its toll.

They were blessed with the best weather we've had in ages. Two days of sunshine and 70 degree temperatures. They all came home quite happy and relaxed.

I'll never forget the thrill when we got this "new" used trailer in 1998. We were preparing for the church campout in July, and the hot water heater in our 30 year old 17 foot trailer (or as Will called it, our "portapotty on wheels") gave up the ghost. The refrigerator already didn't work and it was not worth putting any money into. We went to Junction City knowing we needed a trailer by the next weekend, and got a deal on this used Holiday Rambler. At 27 feet, it was huge and wonderful compared to what we had. It even had a real bed so we didn't have to remake it into a couch every morning! Our boys were half the size that they are now, so it fit us quite nicely then. It doesn't anymore.

We've been looking at RVs for the past year, and knew exactly what we wanted when we found the right deal at an RV show last month. The new 31-foot Cougar fifth wheel we ordered should be rolling off the assemply line very soon, and we will have it in time for our 25th anniversary trip Memorial Day weekend. With slide-outs making the interior very roomy, we will be able to fit all our boys and even their partners inside on a rainy camping day if necessary. We checked out the handle on the refrigerator (always a problem in the past!) and it looks like it would be very easy to operate and difficult for any boys to break. We can't wait!