It's Cold!

And we have a car with horrible traction tires - or I really should say no-traction tires! Let me preface with I am in Inver Grove Heights, MN looking out at the blowing winter storm that pounded us today. From the time we entered the funeral home for my grandmother's visitation and service to the time we left to go to the burial site it snowed about 2-3 inches. There was nothing on the ground before that! It was unreal! Our rental car is a horrible, horrible car for snow driving and I don't know why they rent these cars in February in Minnesota. Robyn and I rented it from the airport last night and the poor girl at the counter kept trying to get us to upgrade to a better car because of the storm coming in. We thought she just wanted our money!

We got stuck twice on the way to the cemetery and finally had to driven in. Then we spent about 20 minutes trying to get through a stoplight as people drove by us honking and swearing. Robyn and I took turns pushing and driving. I think we went about a foot every 3 minutes or so! It was a great experience!! Robyn finally got so fed up with rude people that she put our funeral processional flag back on top of the car - guess what? People started trying to help! Two little teenage girls got out and helped Robyn push while I tried to get the car rolling. Then 2 young men asked if we wanted them to try to pull us. THEN my cousin came back to see what happened to us and between he, his son, Robyn and the 2 young men I finally got through the light and up the hill. However, there was another stop and we started all over again. We were soaked and cold! But laughing......

The snow driving would have terrified Grandma but she would have enjoyed telling the story afterward. I had an amazing storytelling grandma and I realized today that she didn't limit her audiences to her grandchildren. Every person at her memorial reminisced about Grandmas stories and her treasures. I wish I could share all their stories here. I also wished I had brought my children. I know they would have remembered the stories that I may not. My grandma was a kind, compassionate, passionate and friendly woman who found fun in everything she did. She hula danced in Hawaii and played basketball in her 60's. She knew all the names of her old students as well as all the names of the plants and the birds she came across. She was the last charter member of the South St. Paul PEO group and was faithful to the Dakota County Historical Society (we made many trips to the museum when we visited!). And my grandma was the best grandma a kid could have. Her love of nature and of learning made every excursion and event a time to remember. I miss my grandma but know her influences abound here in Minnesota as well as in my own home, through me.

I fly to Seattle tomorrow and then to Wenatchee on Saturday.

By the way....

Lyndsi was a darling Dust Bunny and Dylan won his last basketball game! Woo hoo!

My dad is still exhausted and starting to feel down though he puts on a good show. Pray that this next method of cancer fighting helps him find relief from his worries and his fatigue.

The Princess and the Pea

It's Dust Bunny time! Lyndsi has been rehearsing all week and has her dress rehearsal tomorrow. Immediately following the dress rehearsal is the first performance. I think I'm more excited than she is! I haven't even seen her costume yet. All I know is that she needs to wear a low ponytail and dark, soft soled shoes.

Poor little thing, though very happy, is very exhausted! Good thing this is only one week long! She was asleep by 7:30 tonight! Last night, Steve, Dylan and I and Max drove to Wenatchee for a different kids' play. Lyndsi had to stay here for rehearsal so she stayed with Reily for the night. Apparently she was up at 2:00 am, crying to come home. She did finally fall asleep on her own but woke up earlier than normal this morning - yep, she's wiped!

Performances are at 3 and at 7 tomorrow for those of you who live in town - I'm thinking we are heading for ice cream after the 7:00 show - to celebrate Lyndsi's theater debut and Dylan's final basketball game. Join us if you want!

Some Sad News

My Grandma, Gladys Schumacher, passed away on Tuesday afternoon. I'm not sure of her exact age but I do know she was in her late 90's and would have been one year older on March 5th. Grandma has not been truly happy since my Grandpa died in 2000 and I feel a strange sense of joy at her passing. That joy comes from the knowledge that she is with Grandpa again. I guess I have a faith in our afterlives that I don't want to question.

I don't want to give the wrong impression by my use of the word joy. Of course I am mourning my loss and my father's loss and my family's loss. Memories keep invading my days and I do find myself teary-eyed on occasion. I had the best grandparents a child could ever ask for. Along with my memories, I also have several treasures which have become more special this week and many of them are decorating my home and have influenced my classroom style. So, my memories are triggered constantly.

However, along with those memories comes a strong image of a younger Grandma and Grandpa reuniting after a long separation. My Grandpa is smiling with arms open wide, and my Grandma is crying (she did that a lot!) tears of joy. In the background are relatives who have passed before.

I'll be flying to South St. Paul to attend Grandma's service next week.

June 2008

Dust Bunnies

I never thought I'd be so happy to have a dust bunny in the house! I guess I never considered the fact that Lyndsi could be a dust bunny. Hmmm... OK - let me explain! Lyndsi was in her first audition today. She auditioned for a part in the play, The Princess and the Pea. This isn't your traditional story about the princess who sleeps on mattresses covering a small pea. Apparently there are several dust bunnies and leprechauns in this story! And Lyndsi got the part of a Dust Bunny! When discussing this part with me she said, "Mom, you'll just have to blow me away!"

No rehearsal tomorrow but Thursday, Friday and Saturday will be full days for our family! The good news is that the performances are Saturday at 3 and at 7. Perfect! The Missoula Children's Theater is putting on this performance with the local kiddos. Though the timeline is short, the whole production is the real deal! The company brings all the props and costumes. They are incredibly organized and had 50 kids auditioning all at one time without problems. After an hour they had assigned all the parts and distributed scripts. I was thoroughly impressed and recommend it to all young actors. Though I may change my recommendation by the end of this week!

Look for another post tomorrow. Too late to write anything more now.

Happy Valentine's Day!

A little early but I might not have access to an internet connection tomorrow. We'll be in Spokane visiting Steve's mom and my parents for the weekend. Haven't been there since Christmas!

Speaking of my parents...

My dad is home from the hospital. His recovery will still take 6 months to a year to be complete but at least he is resting at home. Yes - 6 months minimum! The doctors were able to identify the bacteria causing so much trouble as Nocardia. Apparently this little bugger is found in dirt and we are exposed to it on a regular basis. Normally, our bodies get rid of it without any problem but with a weakened immune system, which my dad has due to his cancer treatments, it can cause infection. This one happened to be in my dad's respiratory system, causing pneumonia.

Wow! So, dad sleeps a lot and takes heavy doses of a specific antibiotic, giving his body time to recover. Your prayers and positive thoughts were heard. Thank you!

Twigs

I think we are going to take the kids to Twigs in Spokane for Valentine's Dinner tomorrow night. They have a fabulous gluten free menu, the best bartender in town and a fun but classy atmosphere. The kids have wanted to go to dinner at Twigs since Erin started working there. I hope they are rested so they can be excited about their surprise!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Update

My dad's still in the hospital. Thank you for all the kind words. He's hanging in there but in no hurry to get out. The doctors have finally pinpointed the bacteria causing the infection so will be able to treat him more directly. Hopefully his recovery will be quick and smooth so he can then get on with his cancer treatments. Everything's on hold right now!

Dylan and Lyndsi cooked our meals this weekend! Lyndsi made us tacos and lemon bars last night and Dylan treated us to grilled cheese with tomato soup and carrots and topped it off with a peach crisp. It's fun to see the kids so interested in helping in the kitchen! Each one has their own personality and style in their cooking approach.

Lyndsi is very focused and wanted to get started at about 2:00. She wanted to do everything but needed some help knowing what to do. She didn't stop until the job was done.

Dylan, while excited to fix our meal, was a little less focused. Or, shall we say, focused on different aspects of cooking in the kitchen. He enjoyed smashing the cheese sandwiches like they were crabby patties and he was Spongebob and creating whirlpools out of the tomato soup. Maybe a bit more scientific? I don't know!

Gotta love them both!

Prayers for Papa

My dad - He's an amazing fighter and refuses to let anything get him down. Right now he's in the hospital in Spokane with a case of pneumonia. He has not responded to any of the medications but he's still fighting. All who know him know that his attitude is great but I think he could use our help right now. Prayers, positive thoughts Buddha belly rubs, whatever you do to ask for help in times of need would be helpful and appreciated! The more the better!

Runaway Ruthie!

Ruthie had quite an adventure today! Steve and Dylan arrived home to an empty garage and a phone message from Susan at City Hall telling us that Ruth was visiting the county commissioners in their offices! Thank heavens for our small town! Instead of calling animal control, whomever found Ruth let her into the commissioner's building, where she visited all the employees before resting under a desk.


Meanwhile, one kind soul checked Ruth's license and called Susan, the woman who is in charge of dog licensing in Okanogan. Susan checked her records, found Ruth's information and called us! As animal control is in the same general vicinity, we feel pretty lucky that we were able to pick Ruth up resting comfortably in an office building and not impounded in a cage.


It's little acts of kindness like this that help us remember why we choose to live here.

Pure innocence!

Ruth has been known to steal gingerbread cookies off the counter but NEVER to wander far from home!