Friday, March 13, 2020 started social distancing/quarantine - whichever you want to say. It's technically social distancing but everyone has started calling it quarantine. Including me. Not technically a full quarantine, but enough I suppose.
Today is Wednesday, April 15, 2020. One month (and two days).
I've had to do another big shopping trip. I could have put it off longer, but for what I wanted to make I was out of some ingredients for, so off I went in my homemade mask which fit better than the ones Robert found in the garage that he had for woodworking projects. The CDC recommends people start wearing one in public to prevent the spread of the disease, just in case they're sick but don't yet know it. I feel it offers some protection against catching it too (even if it's so small of an amount that it doesn't really "count" - it counts enough for me). And it definitely reminds you not to touch your face in public.
It feels weird wearing a mask in public though, even with more than half of the rest of the people out and about wearing one too. It will probably get more common and easier with time. I took some alcohol wipes with me to wipe my hands, purse, wallet, phone, and car afterwards and washed my hands after returning home thoroughly.
The CDC (I believe, this might just be something someone said) also recommends you wipe down your groceries with a disinfectant wipe too, but I'm not doing that. The majority of what I buy goes into the pantry for days/long enough for the virus to die on the surface and the produce gets washed before use so I think it's enough. Our reusable bags go into the cupboard where they're not touched again until next trip.
We still go to the barn, and Carus is having her lessons with Martha still. I'm no longer holding baby Trask for the lessons though, just in case. I couldn't bear accidentally getting a baby sick. I don't want to accidentally get anyone sick. Carus and I covered chores last week as Jessica got sick and had to wait for her COVID19 test results to come back - negative. Just a cold. She works at the jail so essential worker so chance of exposure. The barn has put out bleach spray to wipe down common areas, stall picks, wheelbarrows, and feed containers. We're all being careful, especially with Linda as she's older. The dynamic is the same, but different just enough that it feels weird. We paused donkey lessons after Heather was potentially exposed on a trip into Portland for work, Justin came down with a cold, and their boarder Sarah had potential exposure at work too - they put themselves on quarantine (actual quarantine) just in case. It's now been 3 weeks and Justin is better and no one else got sick. We'll probably pick up donkey lessons again next week.
School news:
Adam's doing okay with his online classes for this semester. He goes to the video classes and does the work and is managing his schedule well. He's having some struggles with calculus, but it's calculus so expected. Up until he started college, he was able to just skate through school and pull As and Bs, but in college he has to try harder, sometimes a lot harder, so it's different for him. He's still doing well and passing all of his classes, just having to work more for those grades. He hasn't left the house since this started, except one trip grocery shopping with me for pho supplies. We're planning on making chicken stock and canning it soon. And then maybe we'll do beef stock too. I love that all he and his friends can easily game together online both video games and D&D.
As for Carus, she's officially a graduate. Class of 2020. When they canceled school for the year, they also started getting plans together for what requirements would be needed to pass the grade the kids were in. All Seniors that were passing classes by March 13th, would pass the class without additional work. Carus was passing. She had some outstanding work sample stuff to turn in - it was mostly done, but had to be finished and could only be done in class with the teacher - so that was marked completed. And that's it. Senior projects got fully canceled. I did say we could still do the video and save for ourselves, or share with friends and family or even with her teachers. She passes on that for now. Graduation ceremony is still up in the air, but I'm not holding my breath. Come out of quarantine and cram 1,000+ people into an auditorium? That's a good way to get put back into quarantine.
Still hoping though.
Pre Fair and Fair are still planning as if we'll go ahead with them. I'm more hopeful there. End of June and end of July are a long ways off still. Spring Classic has officially been canceled for the May dates. It's currently being discussed if we'll move online (hard to do for Horse Bowl competition though) or if we'll postpone until September. We'll hear more on Sunday - Julie, the coach, has started practices back up on Zoom meetings since we can't meet in person.
Robert is still working, normal schedule. They've sent all non-essentials to work from home. Well, except for one lady who refuses to go home and then spends all day talking quite loudly to someone else or herself and disrupting everyone. Robert is quite annoyed with her volume. I'm quite annoyed they haven't made her go home if she isn't supposed to be there. It's just another infection vector, especially since from all she's loudly said, she is not keeping her distance from anyone and is not staying home.
My hours were cut starting April 1st. I lost an average of 12 hours per week per the schedule, but with Erin doing labor pool and Marcia calling in sick yesterday, I've gotten back some of those hours. I'm not worried - I have plenty of PTO to use to fill in the gap. I'm actually kind of looking forward to some of the half days or completely off days I have in there. Last Friday I worked 4 hours in the evening to cover Erin's labor pool, but during the day I was off and Robert and I completely cleaned our room pulling out furniture and vacuuming and shampooing the carpets well.
I guess that's all I have to update and share. I want to be sure this time is documented, even if it's just for me. This will definitely be a blip in history that gets studied. Was the quarantine helpful or not helpful? Did our leaders handle things appropriately and timely? What was life like? Etc... we know all of those questions will be asked as they're asked for previous pandemics... Maybe my grandkids will ask me about it? I feel this is a trauma on us and our personalities and quirks will be affected by it. How many will hoard certain supplies for fear? Who will continue to wear masks in public even after this threat is gone? How many people will have germ based phobias - big and small? Will the conspiracy theories win out? (The most ridiculous one - COVID is spread by 5G. Like wtf?) I don't know what it will do to me yet - make me more of a homebody is my best guess. The anxiety I have of going into public and seeing people is REAL ya'll.
OOhh, I forgot to share! This is something related to the times, but not particularly this pandemic. I want this documented so that hopefully when it gets better, and I need to believe it will get better, I can look back and see how far we've come. At the grocery stores around here, I occasionally come across some latinx people and it breaks my heart when they look at me in fear. Not always, but sometimes. It's always older people, generally a couple, and they look absolutely terrified that they might inconvenience me making me mad or something. I'm white and I'm middle aged, which makes me the demographic of those that hate them/wish them dead. I always try to smile reassuringly, making sure my eyes show how genuine that smile is, and often that relaxes them enough to remove some of the terror from their face. But with a mask they can't see my smile. That hurts my heart.
Oregon cumulative totals per Oregon Health Authority - 8 a.m., 4/14/2020 (yes, yesterday's numbers, but it hasn't been updated for today yet)
Positive: 1,633
Negative: 30,730
Total person tested: 32,363
Total deaths: 55
Showing posts with label Robert. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Robert. Show all posts
15 April 2020
19 March 2018
Life keeps happening
I keep feeling like things will slow down next week or next month; and then next week or next month arrives and everything is just as crazy and busy as it was before.
Or it feels more crazy and busy than it really is and I'm just losing my marbles. I don't know anymore.
The horse that Carus started the 4H year with, Caly, didn't work out. They weren't connecting and it just became a battle of wills between a young horse and a frustrated kid. We were sad as Caly is a sweet horse that Carus did enjoy riding, but it's not fair for her or Carus to keep trying where it wasn't working.
Also, I had incredible amounts of anxiety over quitting too early. I do not like to "give up" even if it's in my best interest and I'm more realistically just moving on.
We asked around a little and quickly got a few geldings to try (Carus insists that she can connect to geldings better cause mares be crazy).
Introducing (sort of): New lease horse, Chester. (This is totally old news if you're on Facebook.)
So far Chester is working out great. If you ask Carus how it's going you will get no words, but instead some excited squealing while she clutches her hands to her face and/or bounces up and down.
She hearts Chester.
She's still finding school tough to navigate this year; mostly the 2 AP classes and 2 honors classes have her feeling a bit stretched thin, on top of the emotional lows of losing Scout.
My washer motor broke a few weeks ago. The direct drive motor is not supposed to break EVER but yeah mine did. Thankfully I have a handy husband who was able to get the parts ordered despite the customer service reps saying "yeah, no the motor can't break it's not the motor" and then got them installed. I was only without a washer for a week. Surprisingly...not surprisingly? I was anxious about not being able to do laundry for a week. Cause I'm a weirdo. Or I have issues. Both?
The master bath is still not done. We had to save up to purchase the vanity and then we decided the shower stall was beyond cleaning up so we had to search for new glass walls and doors that would fit our the insert which took forever. Since the new floor was already in we were not replacing the whole thing. Then, the granite counter top we like is now out of stock. We found a new supplier so now just saving up a bit more so we can order because it's more expensive than the first one was. (And yes, all of the we's in that above paragraph refer to Robert. He's doing all the leg work and hard work. I'm in charge of painting.)
Adam is now coming up on the end of his second semester of college and seems like he's floating along. He is still doing a general transfer degree with plans to transfer to a 4 year college at the end of 2 years of community college and still isn't sure what the end goal is. Occasionally I panic for him and start worrying that he hasn't figured it out yet.
The master bath is still not done. We had to save up to purchase the vanity and then we decided the shower stall was beyond cleaning up so we had to search for new glass walls and doors that would fit our the insert which took forever. Since the new floor was already in we were not replacing the whole thing. Then, the granite counter top we like is now out of stock. We found a new supplier so now just saving up a bit more so we can order because it's more expensive than the first one was. (And yes, all of the we's in that above paragraph refer to Robert. He's doing all the leg work and hard work. I'm in charge of painting.)
Adam is now coming up on the end of his second semester of college and seems like he's floating along. He is still doing a general transfer degree with plans to transfer to a 4 year college at the end of 2 years of community college and still isn't sure what the end goal is. Occasionally I panic for him and start worrying that he hasn't figured it out yet.
09 May 2017
Leaders Show 2017
It was a very eventful and busy Saturday.
Carus has started doing English classes at shows, and those are first in shows, which means really early. Most shows start between 7:00 and 8:30 in the morning. You have to factor in getting up and ready, getting to the barn and feeding breakfast, loading and hauling to the show grounds, getting set up there, tacking up and warming up, and it all makes for VERY early mornings.
We made it with plenty of time, but found that Dusty lost a shoe somewhere between Friday evening when the farrier came out to our barn to replace a loose nail and the fairgrounds. We ended up finding it in the trailer, which means she lost it on the way to the show. The farrier was able to make it out and did an urgent shoe replacement and the rest of the day was....less eventful than that morning.
Carus did 3 classes with just one shoe (Dusty was moving fine and didn't seem to notice that she was possibly lop-sided) and missed one class (by just 1 minute - seriously, if we had been able to re-bridle her just a smidgen faster, they would have made it).
This is post showmanship green horse - 4th place! They did very well and placed in most of her classes (the loping/cantering ones need a bit more work) - earning two 2nd places, a 3rd, a 4th, two 5th places, and a 6th place.
Robert being a horse show dad and holding Dusty when Carus ran to the restroom. ❤❤
He's not a horse person and doesn't have any interest in being a horse person, but he holds horses, occasionally helps with chores or picking up food or supplements, cheers Carus on and helps support her during shows, and is going to be hauling to shows and events. Not because he's becoming a horse person, but because he loves us. ❤❤
He's not a horse person and doesn't have any interest in being a horse person, but he holds horses, occasionally helps with chores or picking up food or supplements, cheers Carus on and helps support her during shows, and is going to be hauling to shows and events. Not because he's becoming a horse person, but because he loves us. ❤❤
Dusty was definitely done near the end of the classes and let Carus know with some refusing to move forward and spinning and little hops and threats to buck. Carus rode it all out and worked her threw it and her last class ended with the judge asking her to just stand while they finished the class (probably as a precaution to keep the judge and ring steward safe as well as the other competitors and Carus) and on our way back to the trailer at the end of the day, the ring steward approached us to tell Carus that the judge was very impressed with her sticking with Dusty and trying to work her threw it and not giving up. I really appreciated it. It had been a very long day and Dusty did great for her third show ever and a lot classes, several really close together.
Video of her green horse showmanship pattern - she placed 4th in this class.
09 January 2017
New Year, New Post
In an effort to get back to blogging more, as well as getting back into my photography, I've decided to do a 52 week photography challenge through Dogwood Photography. I'm not even sure how I stumbled upon it, but I did.
Anyoo - I guess watch for those.
In other news, the kids are doing well in school. Robert had another surgery in December on his back (if you didn't know already), and well... we don't know if it's helped any....yet. Maybe it will help in the long run, though he's still hurting now which makes me sad and frustrated, though probably not as frustrated as he is. I'm working away and doing mom stuff and feeling overwhelmed by life and responsibilities constantly, but I think that's how it's supposed to be.
Carus's first show with Dusty is next weekend. She's excited. I'm excited and nervous.
Adam got his license (yay!) and we haven't had to drive him to and from work, which is NIIIIIIIICE! He's enjoying his car.
Adam leaves for his Washington DC trip next week. And he'll be gone for almost a full week. He's excited. I'm excited and nervous. (Heh, since a theme to me?)
Robert and I are remodeling the bathrooms. We're starting with the kids bathroom and then will do ours. They'll match when we're done. The kids have gotten roped into helping too. We'd probably be further along if we could agree on a route to take with the floors and cabinets and such. We've decided and got a lot of it picked out, now to just buy and install all the things. Hey, maybe I should share updates of that here too. There's an idea to encourage me blogging more often.
So, there we go. A quick and dirty update on things.
Anyoo - I guess watch for those.
In other news, the kids are doing well in school. Robert had another surgery in December on his back (if you didn't know already), and well... we don't know if it's helped any....yet. Maybe it will help in the long run, though he's still hurting now which makes me sad and frustrated, though probably not as frustrated as he is. I'm working away and doing mom stuff and feeling overwhelmed by life and responsibilities constantly, but I think that's how it's supposed to be.
Carus's first show with Dusty is next weekend. She's excited. I'm excited and nervous.
Adam got his license (yay!) and we haven't had to drive him to and from work, which is NIIIIIIIICE! He's enjoying his car.
Adam leaves for his Washington DC trip next week. And he'll be gone for almost a full week. He's excited. I'm excited and nervous. (Heh, since a theme to me?)
Robert and I are remodeling the bathrooms. We're starting with the kids bathroom and then will do ours. They'll match when we're done. The kids have gotten roped into helping too. We'd probably be further along if we could agree on a route to take with the floors and cabinets and such. We've decided and got a lot of it picked out, now to just buy and install all the things. Hey, maybe I should share updates of that here too. There's an idea to encourage me blogging more often.
So, there we go. A quick and dirty update on things.
24 October 2016
Going ons
I should probably update this more often so I didn't feel like I had to make a list of all that is happening. Lots is happening, some good, some bad and some it's still to be determined good or bad...
Gah, I just looked at recent posts to see what has been said and I've got not a whole lot for a base level. Let's just break it down into per person or subject.
Me: I'm doing well, but at the same time not well at all. My health is fine or steady or whatever. My plantar fasciitis is still killing me most days and I'll get it doing okay then push myself to do more/exercise more because I know that if I build up a higher baseline than what I'm currently at it will be better in the long run, but then I pay for it for a few days. Guess where I'm at in that cycle right now - the point where I want to whine and cry.
Emotionally, I'm all over the place. I'm stressed and anxious, but don't feel like I have enough to be stressed or anxious about, which makes me feel guilty and then I get all anxious over that. So yeah, I'm in a pretty shitty spiral and doing my best to stay afloat. I don't feel like I'm juggling all my responsibilities well, but my kids are fed and loved, my pets are fed and loved, I still have a job, and everyone is wearing clean (albeit wrinkled) laundry so there's that. Work is fine, they love me and I mostly love my job, but I'm irritated as fuck over some recent unnecessary changes that make my job more difficult and don't feel like I can say anything.
Carus is doing really well with Dusty now, which has alleviated some of my anxiety about how Dusty and Carus would handle showing, but Scout might need to find a new home which is breaking my heart. I love him as much as Carus - he's basically my first horse too - and I don't want to take him from her, but if we get to the point of leasing/buying a horse for Carus to finish her 4H career with, it has to be a horse she can actually show and Scout can't show. (He is doing okay physically, so could handle some showmanship and probably some trail, but not the amount of work needed for equitation.) Enter ALL of the guilt with that situation and then multiply it by a billion. I don't know. A lot can happen between now and when Scout needs to find a new home, but for now the prospect is debilitating.
Speaking of Carus, now an actual update on her and not just my anxieties about her. Carus is doing well. She's adjusting to high school extremely well and is doing okay in classes (there has been some confusion on how the teacher wants answers formulated that have affected her grades). Socially she is focusing on friends and making good friends and ignoring the bad friends and those that talk crap. I think her self-confidence has helped this aspect immensely and I'm glad that all the steps I've taken to help her there have done their job. She's excited to turn 15 and get her permit so she can learn to drive, like now. She's excited for shows this year and is ready to get Dusty in the show ring. I'm very proud of all the hard work she's put in on herself.
My anxieties about Adam have dulled... at least until we get closer to graduation and looking at going to college stuff. So for like 5 minutes? And I'll probably end up hyperventilating in a ball in the corner when he gets his license and takes his car for a drive all by himself. Shit, I'm almost there just typing that out. See above - RE: I'm a mess.
Adam is skating through his senior year, though he'd probably tell you otherwise because he is busy and doesn't have as much downtime as he'd probably like. He only has to get 2 credits to graduate but he's taking a full day of classes. He's taking two different culinary classes as well as band and astronomy "for fun". I think his physics class counts as a credit, but to him it's still "for fun". His senior project is about managing a play; the first play of the school's play year - High School Musical - and that has been keeping him busy and not really working much. He's averaging about 20 hours a week for work which is enough for his car payment and insurance. Now for him to just get his license; he just has to schedule a time (there's a waiting period). The other night he realized that he's an adult and doesn't need permission to get a tattoo or buy lottery tickets and thought that was fun; and he just got his first ballot in the mail. Woohoo adulthood - which shit head politician should be president?
Robert is working now. He finally got released from medical for his back injury and was able to get a job and has found one that he can do without causing too much pain which PHEW because I don't need that added worry back in. He'd tell me that I don't have to worry cause it's his back, but that's not how it works. He's looking into surgery to fuse those discs that are bulging in the near-ish future. Approvals need to be sent and received and steps taken to get there. I'm also worried about that. At least I have a theme for my life right now - worry and anxiety all day long with a side of bonus anxiety for those extra worrying times. For now, he's dealing while working a lot; he works 12 hour shifts 3 days one week and 4 days the next though right now it's just 4 days a week as there is a ton of over-time available.
Blargh. This post feels weird, but it's what I got for now.
Gah, I just looked at recent posts to see what has been said and I've got not a whole lot for a base level. Let's just break it down into per person or subject.
Me: I'm doing well, but at the same time not well at all. My health is fine or steady or whatever. My plantar fasciitis is still killing me most days and I'll get it doing okay then push myself to do more/exercise more because I know that if I build up a higher baseline than what I'm currently at it will be better in the long run, but then I pay for it for a few days. Guess where I'm at in that cycle right now - the point where I want to whine and cry.
Emotionally, I'm all over the place. I'm stressed and anxious, but don't feel like I have enough to be stressed or anxious about, which makes me feel guilty and then I get all anxious over that. So yeah, I'm in a pretty shitty spiral and doing my best to stay afloat. I don't feel like I'm juggling all my responsibilities well, but my kids are fed and loved, my pets are fed and loved, I still have a job, and everyone is wearing clean (albeit wrinkled) laundry so there's that. Work is fine, they love me and I mostly love my job, but I'm irritated as fuck over some recent unnecessary changes that make my job more difficult and don't feel like I can say anything.
Carus is doing really well with Dusty now, which has alleviated some of my anxiety about how Dusty and Carus would handle showing, but Scout might need to find a new home which is breaking my heart. I love him as much as Carus - he's basically my first horse too - and I don't want to take him from her, but if we get to the point of leasing/buying a horse for Carus to finish her 4H career with, it has to be a horse she can actually show and Scout can't show. (He is doing okay physically, so could handle some showmanship and probably some trail, but not the amount of work needed for equitation.) Enter ALL of the guilt with that situation and then multiply it by a billion. I don't know. A lot can happen between now and when Scout needs to find a new home, but for now the prospect is debilitating.
Speaking of Carus, now an actual update on her and not just my anxieties about her. Carus is doing well. She's adjusting to high school extremely well and is doing okay in classes (there has been some confusion on how the teacher wants answers formulated that have affected her grades). Socially she is focusing on friends and making good friends and ignoring the bad friends and those that talk crap. I think her self-confidence has helped this aspect immensely and I'm glad that all the steps I've taken to help her there have done their job. She's excited to turn 15 and get her permit so she can learn to drive, like now. She's excited for shows this year and is ready to get Dusty in the show ring. I'm very proud of all the hard work she's put in on herself.
My anxieties about Adam have dulled... at least until we get closer to graduation and looking at going to college stuff. So for like 5 minutes? And I'll probably end up hyperventilating in a ball in the corner when he gets his license and takes his car for a drive all by himself. Shit, I'm almost there just typing that out. See above - RE: I'm a mess.
Adam is skating through his senior year, though he'd probably tell you otherwise because he is busy and doesn't have as much downtime as he'd probably like. He only has to get 2 credits to graduate but he's taking a full day of classes. He's taking two different culinary classes as well as band and astronomy "for fun". I think his physics class counts as a credit, but to him it's still "for fun". His senior project is about managing a play; the first play of the school's play year - High School Musical - and that has been keeping him busy and not really working much. He's averaging about 20 hours a week for work which is enough for his car payment and insurance. Now for him to just get his license; he just has to schedule a time (there's a waiting period). The other night he realized that he's an adult and doesn't need permission to get a tattoo or buy lottery tickets and thought that was fun; and he just got his first ballot in the mail. Woohoo adulthood - which shit head politician should be president?
Robert is working now. He finally got released from medical for his back injury and was able to get a job and has found one that he can do without causing too much pain which PHEW because I don't need that added worry back in. He'd tell me that I don't have to worry cause it's his back, but that's not how it works. He's looking into surgery to fuse those discs that are bulging in the near-ish future. Approvals need to be sent and received and steps taken to get there. I'm also worried about that. At least I have a theme for my life right now - worry and anxiety all day long with a side of bonus anxiety for those extra worrying times. For now, he's dealing while working a lot; he works 12 hour shifts 3 days one week and 4 days the next though right now it's just 4 days a week as there is a ton of over-time available.
Blargh. This post feels weird, but it's what I got for now.
17 March 2016
Stuck
We're replacing the doors and trim in the house to a more craftsman style. It's a project that has been on Robert's to-do list since we bought the house but other projects and funds have delayed it. He has spent months mocking up the trim and redoing it and just as many months debating the style of doors he wanted. I would have preferred my kitchen counters replaced but I know this will be an improvement too (just not as much as new counters! I hate those things. So much!) and is a cheaper project. I've been just letting him do most of the deciding, though the third (or fourth?) revision of the trim style is the last one. Dammit, that looks good too just leave it already. (I do like this last version the best.)
We have three pocket doors in the house, two in our bedroom for the closet and the bathroom, and one in the kitchen. They are being replaced as well to match.
Robert has replaced all of the bedroom doors and the kid's bathroom door (ours and Adam's pictured here) and the closet pocket door. The master bath door is all that's remaining and it was waiting because of some roller smoothness issues discovered with the closet door. He removed all the trim around the door a few days ago. When closing the door, if you're not careful, the door can swing out a little bit and get caught on the wall. You can't open the door from inside the bathroom when it's stuck because there's nowhere to grip to pull the door towards you the few millimeters it needs before you can slide it back into the pocket in the wall.
I've gotten stuck in the bathroom like four times already.
Robert has replaced all of the bedroom doors and the kid's bathroom door (ours and Adam's pictured here) and the closet pocket door. The master bath door is all that's remaining and it was waiting because of some roller smoothness issues discovered with the closet door. He removed all the trim around the door a few days ago. When closing the door, if you're not careful, the door can swing out a little bit and get caught on the wall. You can't open the door from inside the bathroom when it's stuck because there's nowhere to grip to pull the door towards you the few millimeters it needs before you can slide it back into the pocket in the wall.
I've gotten stuck in the bathroom like four times already.
24 February 2016
New puppy
Introducing Chewie Sir ChewsAlot Chewbacca, III
Photo at 6 weeks, 7 lb 8 oz and growing fast.
In case you missed the news on Facebook (and all the puppy videos and photo spam I've been plastering all over it) we got a new puppy.
He came home February 13th and has been keeping us busy. The kids are helping a lot with taking him out to potty and playing with him (and keeping him from chewing on things he shouldn't). He's a good puppy, learning very quickly.
His desire to chew on EVERYTHING quickly earned a nickname of Chewie while we debated for 2 weeks about what his name should be.
We went through so many names, but we kept coming back to the nickname Chewie. So voila.
It's hard to get a puppy to look at the camera while being still on a scale.
Yoda doesn't care for him (he doesn't like little animals), Simba is not cool with him, Wilbur doesn't care, and Leia started out nervous but now plays with him and worries when he is whining.
Thanks Robert for help wrangling my model.
14 February 2016
All about the weekend
My weekend has been great.
I started out with a riding lesson on Tucker. I left feeling really happy with myself. I wanted to work on my balancing and having better control of my seat, and my steering. Tucker is a smart horse. He figures out what the pattern/routine is and then anticipates the next move and tries to cut corners so he makes me work to keep to what I say we're doing and not what he thinks we are doing. One of the exercises my trainer had me doing was riding without stirrups. Definitely used a few more muscles doing that - especially when I started doing it at a trot. I'm happy with the sore muscles I have today; let's me know my work paid off.
After my lesson, I picked up Robert and we ran errands, did some grocery shopping, got some lunch, and hung out together.
Then, Saturday evening Robert and I went and picked up our new puppy. He's really little still, but mom weaned them a little over a week ago so they were ready to go to their new homes earlier than planned (they were thinking at least another week). (This is earlier than puppies usually come home, but I didn't want him to be all alone with his siblings going home this weekend.) We surprised the kids with him; they knew we were getting a puppy, they just didn't know we were getting him so soon.
I started out with a riding lesson on Tucker. I left feeling really happy with myself. I wanted to work on my balancing and having better control of my seat, and my steering. Tucker is a smart horse. He figures out what the pattern/routine is and then anticipates the next move and tries to cut corners so he makes me work to keep to what I say we're doing and not what he thinks we are doing. One of the exercises my trainer had me doing was riding without stirrups. Definitely used a few more muscles doing that - especially when I started doing it at a trot. I'm happy with the sore muscles I have today; let's me know my work paid off.
After my lesson, I picked up Robert and we ran errands, did some grocery shopping, got some lunch, and hung out together.
Then, Saturday evening Robert and I went and picked up our new puppy. He's really little still, but mom weaned them a little over a week ago so they were ready to go to their new homes earlier than planned (they were thinking at least another week). (This is earlier than puppies usually come home, but I didn't want him to be all alone with his siblings going home this weekend.) We surprised the kids with him; they knew we were getting a puppy, they just didn't know we were getting him so soon.
Leia and Yoda have been slightly afraid/weary of him (omg, what is that thing?), but at my 5 am wake-up Leia started to play with him. He tires out pretty quickly still so just when she was really getting into it, he sat down and promptly fell asleep. Robert had the next shift at 7:30 am and the household was up not too long after that.
The kids have been in charge of him most of today (Sunday), with Robert and I as supervision. Carus is already pretty good at noticing potty sniffing cues. She has insisted on being on night-watch with him and has put his crate in her room already. She says he's her puppy.
He doesn't have a name yet. We can't all agree on one. Robert likes Rex, I like Tater (as in Tater Tot) and I keep calling him Buddy, Carus likes Tater but also would like something else, and Adam has been wanting to continue the Star Wars theme we have and go with Luke or Kenobe but no one else is really feeling those names. We'll figure it out and for now it's okay because I don't think he'd come when called. Have any name suggestions?
10 February 2016
Updates
Carus cut her hair! Like 6 weeks ago, but I'm lazy on this updating the blog thing lately. It's been shared on Facebook and Instagram though so if you follow me there this is old news. It is stinking adorable. It's also weird cause it hasn't been anywhere near this short since she was a baby. But she loves it and that's what matters.
In other Carus news: Scout and Carus attended their first show of the year - Shaggy Days. It was rainy and muddy because it has been raining for 5 years straight up here. No, that was not an exaggeration. We're soggy. Fields have flooded and the roads are littered with POT HOLES so much so that trying to avoid them when driving will make you look like a drunk driver. The show - it was good. A long day, of course, because now that she has a taste for showing she wants to do as many classes as possible and that means we're there until the end of the day. She's no longer a Novice; she has advanced to Intermediate level in 4H, which means a bit more difficulty and a bit more competition. The Showmanship pattern threw her (and others in the same competition group) for a loop by asking them to show their horse on the off-side (show from the right side of the horse when usually they show from the left). Several kids, including Carus, expressed their panic over it, but in the end they all stepped up and did their best. Carus placed 7th in Showmanship which was a little disappointing for her, but she felt she did her best and was happy with it. In her other classes, all riding classes, she didn't place and got really frustrated by the end of the day. It's hard for us watching too because we will think she did better than some of those placing. We're a bit biased I'm sure, but also, we're not the judge who is looking for certain things and at certain times in the class. Some of it is what is going on when the judge is looking or not looking. Either way, there is stuff for Carus to practice on before their next show near the end of March. After the show it seemed that Scout developed an abscess in his hoof, and I got another lesson in horses. Man, that was some fun stuff. *sarcasm*
Lastly on Carus, her new 4H group is doing a fundraiser. Since they are a new group this year, there are no funds from last year carrying over. We're starting fresh. If you're local, we're collecting soda cans and I'll come pick them up. If you're not local and would still like to donate, please let me know. We have a banner to pay for that we bought (using credit of one of the parents) for a Holiday Light Parade in December that we will also use as part of our decorations for Horse Fair in June. The kids would also like matching team shirts and sweatshirts, and we'll need more decorations besides the banner for Fair too.
Adam performed in a play at the high school. It was their annual Shakespeare play; this year they did Midsummer's Night Dream. And they were AMAZING! Adam played the Duke of Athens. He makes a great king. I didn't get any photos of him in the play, unfortunately. So enjoy a photo of Adam and Robert in light up glasses that Adam got from one of the basketball games. He enjoys the heck out of band and playing at school sporting events. He's also started a D&D club at the school and is having fun playing that after school once a week and online every weekend.
First semester grades have come out. Carus has As, meet expectations, and exceeds expectations (As are for her high school classes, the other weird grades are for her middle school classes). Adam has mostly As, a B, and an F. He has a problem with not turning in his work. He does it, just doesn't turn it in. Weirdo.
We have been lecturing him and grounding him for a couple years, and he still occasionally "forgets" to turn in work so this time we didn't lecture him. He was not expecting to get an F at all. He usually can just skate through his classes with very minimal effort so I think he was a bit surprised to find out otherwise. He was also so disappointed in himself. He knew he messed up and he asked what his punishment would be. We asked in return what we should do since we didn't feel what we have done has worked. He didn't know what it should be, but for about 2 weeks now he has not gotten on his computer, nor asked to get on his computer.
My teenager grounded himself from his computer. This cracks me up to no end. I think Robert and I will just see how long he feels he needs to be grounded. I'll take bets if you want to guess when he'll give out.
As for Robert and I - work is still work, his back issues are still there, and we're doing what we do. Nothing exciting here.
We colored it this evening. And for a change my blog will get the news the same day as my Facebook did. Ha! Better photos to come later when we have sunlight (and hopefully those will make their way here too). It's a deep purple-ish red and how it colored based on where her natural hair was at the roots and the previously colored hair, it has a nice graduation of color from red to purple to a deep wine color.
Lastly on Carus, her new 4H group is doing a fundraiser. Since they are a new group this year, there are no funds from last year carrying over. We're starting fresh. If you're local, we're collecting soda cans and I'll come pick them up. If you're not local and would still like to donate, please let me know. We have a banner to pay for that we bought (using credit of one of the parents) for a Holiday Light Parade in December that we will also use as part of our decorations for Horse Fair in June. The kids would also like matching team shirts and sweatshirts, and we'll need more decorations besides the banner for Fair too.
Adam performed in a play at the high school. It was their annual Shakespeare play; this year they did Midsummer's Night Dream. And they were AMAZING! Adam played the Duke of Athens. He makes a great king. I didn't get any photos of him in the play, unfortunately. So enjoy a photo of Adam and Robert in light up glasses that Adam got from one of the basketball games. He enjoys the heck out of band and playing at school sporting events. He's also started a D&D club at the school and is having fun playing that after school once a week and online every weekend.
First semester grades have come out. Carus has As, meet expectations, and exceeds expectations (As are for her high school classes, the other weird grades are for her middle school classes). Adam has mostly As, a B, and an F. He has a problem with not turning in his work. He does it, just doesn't turn it in. Weirdo.
We have been lecturing him and grounding him for a couple years, and he still occasionally "forgets" to turn in work so this time we didn't lecture him. He was not expecting to get an F at all. He usually can just skate through his classes with very minimal effort so I think he was a bit surprised to find out otherwise. He was also so disappointed in himself. He knew he messed up and he asked what his punishment would be. We asked in return what we should do since we didn't feel what we have done has worked. He didn't know what it should be, but for about 2 weeks now he has not gotten on his computer, nor asked to get on his computer.
My teenager grounded himself from his computer. This cracks me up to no end. I think Robert and I will just see how long he feels he needs to be grounded. I'll take bets if you want to guess when he'll give out.
As for Robert and I - work is still work, his back issues are still there, and we're doing what we do. Nothing exciting here.
17 September 2015
Timmy
We lost Timmy today.
He became really lethargic yesterday and we took him to the vet. He was dehydrated and had a very high fever. They gave him some antibiotics and some fluids and then we brought him home and I nursed him through the night. Though I got his fever to break, he was still very weak this morning and his blood work showed he wouldn't get better...no matter how much I nursed him.
Even though he was so sick, he still tried to cuddle us in his usual manner - rubbing his face against ours and pressing his head into our shoulders while we gave him all our loves one more time.
We got Timmy, with Wilbur, from the Oregon Humane Society about 12 years ago. They were just under a year old so we estimate them to be around 13 years give or take a few months. (Same age/close in age though different litters.)
(Slideshow of Timmy photos)
We miss sweet baby Tim Tim kitty meow meow. We keep looking for him and wanting to see him. I opened the door for the dogs earlier to let them out and when I went to close it I looked to see if Timmy had sneaked out. And then I remembered.
When I went to feed the animals dinner I expected Timmy to come running to make sure he got to eat first. He always insisted that if he could see the bottom of the bowl, even just a little bit, it was completely empty and he was moments from starving. If you put food in the dog's bowls first, he would take a bite of the dog food while giving you a look that said, "look what you have reduced me to."
We expected Timmy to outlast Wilbur and Simba and Yoda, not be the first one we lost. He was the leader. He watched out for them, even Simba, who he didn't really seem to like. He would come and get us when Simba or the dogs wanted in and once he even alerted us that Wilbur had got out. Wilbur was very skittish at that time and it took us three days and a borrowed animal trap to get him back - Timmy let us know each time Wilbur came near the door and when the trap succeeded in catching him.
Timmy greeted everyone new that came to the house demanding their attention and made many visitors want to take him home.
You could call Timmy and he would come running, especially if you called, "Timmy buggies" and showed him a mosquito eater. He loved to catch and eat those buggies.
Timmy curled up with the kids when they were sick, purring their germs away. He curled up with us too. He insisted on sleeping between Robert and I every night. If we were cuddling watching a movie, he pushed himself between us. Robert was his special person and that was where he belonged.
If you got a bowl out of the cupboard, Timmy thought you were getting cereal and needed to share your milk with him. He would meow his mostly silent meow and bat at you until you gave in and gave him some "Timmy milks" (which we did occasionally) or finished your cereal and put up the bowl.
Timmy also liked to try to take Cheetos or cheese flavored popcorn out of our hands. Once he was very persistent in trying to get some cheesy popcorn that he was trying to bat at our mouths.
Timmy would bat at us demanding attention. We would pick him up and he would rub his head into our shoulder and his face against our ear, often scratching us just a little bit with that one tooth that stuck out.
We love you Timmy. You were the best Ittie Bittie Timmy Kitty and we will miss you lots.
He became really lethargic yesterday and we took him to the vet. He was dehydrated and had a very high fever. They gave him some antibiotics and some fluids and then we brought him home and I nursed him through the night. Though I got his fever to break, he was still very weak this morning and his blood work showed he wouldn't get better...no matter how much I nursed him.
Even though he was so sick, he still tried to cuddle us in his usual manner - rubbing his face against ours and pressing his head into our shoulders while we gave him all our loves one more time.
We got Timmy, with Wilbur, from the Oregon Humane Society about 12 years ago. They were just under a year old so we estimate them to be around 13 years give or take a few months. (Same age/close in age though different litters.)
(Slideshow of Timmy photos)
We miss sweet baby Tim Tim kitty meow meow. We keep looking for him and wanting to see him. I opened the door for the dogs earlier to let them out and when I went to close it I looked to see if Timmy had sneaked out. And then I remembered.
When I went to feed the animals dinner I expected Timmy to come running to make sure he got to eat first. He always insisted that if he could see the bottom of the bowl, even just a little bit, it was completely empty and he was moments from starving. If you put food in the dog's bowls first, he would take a bite of the dog food while giving you a look that said, "look what you have reduced me to."
We expected Timmy to outlast Wilbur and Simba and Yoda, not be the first one we lost. He was the leader. He watched out for them, even Simba, who he didn't really seem to like. He would come and get us when Simba or the dogs wanted in and once he even alerted us that Wilbur had got out. Wilbur was very skittish at that time and it took us three days and a borrowed animal trap to get him back - Timmy let us know each time Wilbur came near the door and when the trap succeeded in catching him.
Timmy greeted everyone new that came to the house demanding their attention and made many visitors want to take him home.
You could call Timmy and he would come running, especially if you called, "Timmy buggies" and showed him a mosquito eater. He loved to catch and eat those buggies.
Timmy curled up with the kids when they were sick, purring their germs away. He curled up with us too. He insisted on sleeping between Robert and I every night. If we were cuddling watching a movie, he pushed himself between us. Robert was his special person and that was where he belonged.
If you got a bowl out of the cupboard, Timmy thought you were getting cereal and needed to share your milk with him. He would meow his mostly silent meow and bat at you until you gave in and gave him some "Timmy milks" (which we did occasionally) or finished your cereal and put up the bowl.
Timmy also liked to try to take Cheetos or cheese flavored popcorn out of our hands. Once he was very persistent in trying to get some cheesy popcorn that he was trying to bat at our mouths.
Timmy would bat at us demanding attention. We would pick him up and he would rub his head into our shoulder and his face against our ear, often scratching us just a little bit with that one tooth that stuck out.
We love you Timmy. You were the best Ittie Bittie Timmy Kitty and we will miss you lots.
25 December 2014
Merry Christmas!
Merry Xmas from all of us! (Woohoo! Family picture!)
And from Scout and Carus...
And me at the barn!
An outtake. He started closing his eye like he was falling asleep standing there, Carus started petting his chin and his head went lower and lower and the eye stayed close. Silly Scout.
26 September 2014
What the heck did you do to your foot?
I hurt it.
I'm working on getting it better though.
What I did, though? Well, I rolled it/twisted it last year at Leakycon, on the first day, and then proceeded to attend Leakycon (I was.not. missing out!) for the next 4 days. I took a couple days of rest afterwards and it was feeling better but once I stopped the rest it got bad again.
Rinse and repeat.
I would rest it, it would get better for a little bit and then I'd have an extra long day or busy day or it was Tuesday (meaning that sometimes I don't know why it hurt more) and it would get bad again.
I could still walk on it though. The first few steps in the morning were horrible, but it warmed up or stretched out or whatever and it would be better. If it was a really long or busy day, it would be bad bad bad that night. I'd ice it, elevate it, and occasionally take some pain meds. It's the foot I use for the foot pedal at work as well, so that might have helped keep it from healing all the way. Quite a few of my coworkers have foot, ankle, and hip injuries from using the foot pedal.
I had had an x-ray about 2 weeks after the injury happened and it showed soft tissue swelling but no breaks and all the doctors assured me it would get better - here have some vicodin (which didn't help, by the way).
And so it continued until about a month ago when I got up in the morning and couldn't put any weight on my foot. I tried resting and wrapping it with an Ace bandage and icing it, but it didn't get better. I would suck it up and push through to do what I needed to do or wanted to do (cause that was about when Gramma was visiting) and then cry when I could sit down again. At Robert's and Gramma's suggestion, I put on Robert's walking boot that he had from when he broke his ankle and was able to walk again.
I hate the boot though. It's heavy and awkward and hot. It throws my balance off - which I didn't have the best balance before - and makes me more clumsy. I've run into walls (not face first, I'm like pin-balling off walls occasionally) and the other day I stepped on my other foot. How? I have no idea. I've tried to be careful, but I've nearly gotten Yoda and Leia who like to lay down directly behind me when I'm in the kitchen, and Timmy who is all black and still insists on laying in the middle of the hallway in the middle of the night and you can't see him, and I kind of kicked Carus with it the other day (oops). Also, I can't drive with it on. I don't want Robert to drive me around most of the time because either I'm waiting for him to go somewhere or I have to listen to him whining about me hurrying up (grocery shopping). Sometimes I make him drive me and sometimes I take the boot off, drive myself where I need to go, and put the boot back on. Driving doesn't hurt (which weird?).
The doctor didn't assure me it would get better and throw more pills at me this time. I think the boot made it really clear how much it hurt to walk on it and she ordered an MRI thinking perhaps I had little bitty stress fractures that don't always show up on x-rays and I could be rebreaking over and over.
I don't. The MRI showed that I have posterior ankle impingement (That link is a Google search if you want to read up on it.) and that I have an os trigonum which usually isn't much of a problem except that one of the bones of the ankle that is supposed to fuse before or in adolescence (between the ages of 8-11) didn't fuse in my ankle. Which is a rare common anomaly (meaning that it happens and doesn't cause a bunch of problems so it's considered normal) occurring in less than 7% of all adults. My doctor actually sounded excited telling me about this because she had to do some research on it before calling. It was like, "this is so awesome! I learned something new!" which is adorable. And she referred me to a specialist since she wasn't sure what else could be done beyond rest and ice and medication for pain. The foot has a LOT OF ANATOMY, YO!
Yesterday, I went to see a podiatrist. We really like this guy. We've seen him before for Adam's ingrown toenail removal. He's funny and informative. He takes the time to answer your questions and explains things very well, all while making you laugh. When he first came into the room, he introduced himself, shook our hands and then turned to me conspiratorially and asked if I knew this guy while pointing to Robert. He diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis and recommended orthotics for my shoes, no more barefoot walking, stretches and exercises, and a steroidal cortisone shot. The first three things were easy; the shot was not. It wasn't bad - my anxiety over how much it was going to hurt was worse. It did hurt; it's a shot, but it wasn't the worse shot I've had. He injected it in my heel near the arch of my foot. When he finished he asked if it hurt, I said yes and he said, "I didn't feel a thing."
Last night, all was fine and well with the shot - until I got really really hot. Robert said it was the medicine in the shot - he has had 5 of these shots in his spine and SI joint in the past month or so - and I wanted to cry (but that could be hormones or September or stress or I'm just a big baby). I slept last night like I had a fever I was trying to break. Even with a fan on me all night I was roasting. This morning is better, I think. At least I'm not overheating. I have the boot on again - with an orthotic in it - and while it's not 100% better, I think it is a little improved.
So yeah - that's where I am. My foot still hurts. I still have to wear this stupid boot. I'm still going to complain about it, I don't care if you had to wear it longer Robert. But hopefully this is the first step (heh, pun) to helping it get better.
I'm working on getting it better though.
What I did, though? Well, I rolled it/twisted it last year at Leakycon, on the first day, and then proceeded to attend Leakycon (I was.not. missing out!) for the next 4 days. I took a couple days of rest afterwards and it was feeling better but once I stopped the rest it got bad again.
Rinse and repeat.
I would rest it, it would get better for a little bit and then I'd have an extra long day or busy day or it was Tuesday (meaning that sometimes I don't know why it hurt more) and it would get bad again.
I could still walk on it though. The first few steps in the morning were horrible, but it warmed up or stretched out or whatever and it would be better. If it was a really long or busy day, it would be bad bad bad that night. I'd ice it, elevate it, and occasionally take some pain meds. It's the foot I use for the foot pedal at work as well, so that might have helped keep it from healing all the way. Quite a few of my coworkers have foot, ankle, and hip injuries from using the foot pedal.
I had had an x-ray about 2 weeks after the injury happened and it showed soft tissue swelling but no breaks and all the doctors assured me it would get better - here have some vicodin (which didn't help, by the way).
And so it continued until about a month ago when I got up in the morning and couldn't put any weight on my foot. I tried resting and wrapping it with an Ace bandage and icing it, but it didn't get better. I would suck it up and push through to do what I needed to do or wanted to do (cause that was about when Gramma was visiting) and then cry when I could sit down again. At Robert's and Gramma's suggestion, I put on Robert's walking boot that he had from when he broke his ankle and was able to walk again.
I hate the boot though. It's heavy and awkward and hot. It throws my balance off - which I didn't have the best balance before - and makes me more clumsy. I've run into walls (not face first, I'm like pin-balling off walls occasionally) and the other day I stepped on my other foot. How? I have no idea. I've tried to be careful, but I've nearly gotten Yoda and Leia who like to lay down directly behind me when I'm in the kitchen, and Timmy who is all black and still insists on laying in the middle of the hallway in the middle of the night and you can't see him, and I kind of kicked Carus with it the other day (oops). Also, I can't drive with it on. I don't want Robert to drive me around most of the time because either I'm waiting for him to go somewhere or I have to listen to him whining about me hurrying up (grocery shopping). Sometimes I make him drive me and sometimes I take the boot off, drive myself where I need to go, and put the boot back on. Driving doesn't hurt (which weird?).
The doctor didn't assure me it would get better and throw more pills at me this time. I think the boot made it really clear how much it hurt to walk on it and she ordered an MRI thinking perhaps I had little bitty stress fractures that don't always show up on x-rays and I could be rebreaking over and over.
I don't. The MRI showed that I have posterior ankle impingement (That link is a Google search if you want to read up on it.) and that I have an os trigonum which usually isn't much of a problem except that one of the bones of the ankle that is supposed to fuse before or in adolescence (between the ages of 8-11) didn't fuse in my ankle. Which is a rare common anomaly (meaning that it happens and doesn't cause a bunch of problems so it's considered normal) occurring in less than 7% of all adults. My doctor actually sounded excited telling me about this because she had to do some research on it before calling. It was like, "this is so awesome! I learned something new!" which is adorable. And she referred me to a specialist since she wasn't sure what else could be done beyond rest and ice and medication for pain. The foot has a LOT OF ANATOMY, YO!
Yesterday, I went to see a podiatrist. We really like this guy. We've seen him before for Adam's ingrown toenail removal. He's funny and informative. He takes the time to answer your questions and explains things very well, all while making you laugh. When he first came into the room, he introduced himself, shook our hands and then turned to me conspiratorially and asked if I knew this guy while pointing to Robert. He diagnosed me with plantar fasciitis and recommended orthotics for my shoes, no more barefoot walking, stretches and exercises, and a steroidal cortisone shot. The first three things were easy; the shot was not. It wasn't bad - my anxiety over how much it was going to hurt was worse. It did hurt; it's a shot, but it wasn't the worse shot I've had. He injected it in my heel near the arch of my foot. When he finished he asked if it hurt, I said yes and he said, "I didn't feel a thing."
Last night, all was fine and well with the shot - until I got really really hot. Robert said it was the medicine in the shot - he has had 5 of these shots in his spine and SI joint in the past month or so - and I wanted to cry (but that could be hormones or September or stress or I'm just a big baby). I slept last night like I had a fever I was trying to break. Even with a fan on me all night I was roasting. This morning is better, I think. At least I'm not overheating. I have the boot on again - with an orthotic in it - and while it's not 100% better, I think it is a little improved.
So yeah - that's where I am. My foot still hurts. I still have to wear this stupid boot. I'm still going to complain about it, I don't care if you had to wear it longer Robert. But hopefully this is the first step (heh, pun) to helping it get better.
06 March 2014
Grilled Chicken Marinade
In our attempts to recreate The Gyro House chicken for gyros at home (to save time and money of going there) we stumbled on our new go-to marinade for grilled chicken. It not only works for gyros, but for salads and wraps, and with many side dishes. It's a combination of probably 6 or 7 different recipes I found online, some advice from a friend, and some trial and error but I think I have it to the point where I can share it.
Getting ready to make the marinade with the new measuring cups my mother-in-law bought me. I normally just eyeball a LOT of my homemade recipes so I started with the low end measurement of what I thought I usually used and added up. Good news is, I guessed the measurement right on most of the ingredients. Score!
Grilled Chicken Marinade
3-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half width-wise* (or butterfly them)
1/4 c. Olive oil
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Minced garlic (5-6 cloves)
1 tbsp Tahini
1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1/2 tsp Curry**
1/4 tsp Mustard powder
1/2 tsp Coarse ground pepper
Mix the marinade ingredients together well and then add chicken breasts making sure they're coated.
Place all of the ingredients in a plastic freezer bag and remove as much air as possible when closing the bag. Alternatively, leave all the ingredients in the bowl and then cover with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic wrap touches the chicken. Just pull off a piece of plastic a bit larger than you'd need and press it down on the chicken starting in the middle and working to the sides. Tuck it into the side a bit. You can cover the bowl with a second piece of plastic wrap if you'd like. Having it touch the chicken removes the air and allows them to marinade better. (I've tested this so trust me.)
*Cut the chicken by placing your hand on top of the breast and carefully cutting the breast in half like you are going to butterfly them, but you just cut all the way through. Hey look, YouTube link on how to butterfly a chicken breast.
**Even if you don't like curry, put the curry in. Trust me. You can cut the amount down, but DO NOT cut it by more than half (1/4 tsp curry). Robert is not a fan of curry. In fact, he has often proclaimed loudly how much he HATES it - but he keeps telling me to put more curry into the marinade. So really, trust me. I've tested this out too.
Getting ready to make the marinade with the new measuring cups my mother-in-law bought me. I normally just eyeball a LOT of my homemade recipes so I started with the low end measurement of what I thought I usually used and added up. Good news is, I guessed the measurement right on most of the ingredients. Score!
Grilled Chicken Marinade
3-4 Boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cut in half width-wise* (or butterfly them)
1/4 c. Olive oil
2 tbsp Lemon juice
1 tbsp Minced garlic (5-6 cloves)
1 tbsp Tahini
1 tbsp Red wine vinegar
1 tbsp Brown sugar
1/2 tsp Curry**
1/4 tsp Mustard powder
1/2 tsp Coarse ground pepper
Mix the marinade ingredients together well and then add chicken breasts making sure they're coated.
Place all of the ingredients in a plastic freezer bag and remove as much air as possible when closing the bag. Alternatively, leave all the ingredients in the bowl and then cover with plastic wrap, making sure that the plastic wrap touches the chicken. Just pull off a piece of plastic a bit larger than you'd need and press it down on the chicken starting in the middle and working to the sides. Tuck it into the side a bit. You can cover the bowl with a second piece of plastic wrap if you'd like. Having it touch the chicken removes the air and allows them to marinade better. (I've tested this so trust me.)
*Cut the chicken by placing your hand on top of the breast and carefully cutting the breast in half like you are going to butterfly them, but you just cut all the way through. Hey look, YouTube link on how to butterfly a chicken breast.
**Even if you don't like curry, put the curry in. Trust me. You can cut the amount down, but DO NOT cut it by more than half (1/4 tsp curry). Robert is not a fan of curry. In fact, he has often proclaimed loudly how much he HATES it - but he keeps telling me to put more curry into the marinade. So really, trust me. I've tested this out too.
26 January 2014
The Great Mouse Saga, Part 3 -- The End of the Story (Hopefully)
Read Part 1 and Part 2.
We ended last time with The Great Mouse chase through the house and thought we might be lucky enough to have only been dealing with the one mouse. We still couldn't figure out how he got in the house, but we had some ideas. Maybe Simba brought him in and he got away and went into the heater vent to escape. That would explain the scratching and the poo in one of those vents. And he came up from the vent under my desk because the heater was on that morning and it got too hot for him.
Yeah. That's it. It's a theory and if you have one better, let's hear it.
There were no more mice as there were no more evidence of mice.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
We ended last time with The Great Mouse chase through the house and thought we might be lucky enough to have only been dealing with the one mouse. We still couldn't figure out how he got in the house, but we had some ideas. Maybe Simba brought him in and he got away and went into the heater vent to escape. That would explain the scratching and the poo in one of those vents. And he came up from the vent under my desk because the heater was on that morning and it got too hot for him.
Yeah. That's it. It's a theory and if you have one better, let's hear it.
There were no more mice as there were no more evidence of mice.
A few days later there was scratching and squeaking coming from the corner of the office/craft room and Leia was loosing her shit over it. I thought another mouse got into the house and this time got himself behind all the totes full of fabric I have in the corner. So I moved them all out. All 6 of them - most of which are a bit heavy. I grabbed a flashlight to look behind the craft shelves and was able to finally determine that the squeaking and scratching was coming from inside the wall.
Inside.The.Fucking.Wall.
HOW DID IT GET IN THE WALL?!?!
Have you met my dog chicken, Leia? That dog freaks out over crumbled paper and electrical cords - can you imagine her reaction to the scratching and squeaking in the wall?! Great. Now, take what you are imagining and multiple it by at least two more levels of her freaking the frick out.
She would slowly stalk up to the wall, low growling with her hackles raised and tensed for immediate flight if The Noise fought back when an extra loud scratch or squeak would come and she'd bark like mad while running to hide behind me with her tail between her legs.
She would slowly stalk up to the wall, low growling with her hackles raised and tensed for immediate flight if The Noise fought back when an extra loud scratch or squeak would come and she'd bark like mad while running to hide behind me with her tail between her legs.
The poor, poor silly thing.
Those squeaks were LOUD! Like maybe the mouse was stuck or hurt, or drunk and calling all his friends over for a party. I don't know. All I know is I couldn't get the dog to stop barking at the wall and the Goddamn cats were nowhere to be found. Lazy Bastards.
I eventually found Timmy and woke his majesty from his slumber to put him on guard patrol just in case I was wrong and the mouse was in the house. He sniffed at the wall and batted at it a few times so I took that as confirmation of the mouse in the wall.
On the other side of the "mouse wall" is the kitchen and the dishwasher. Robert pulled the dishwasher out in case the mouse was behind that instead of in the wall. It wasn't. Good news, aside from a rather small amount of dust and dog hair considering what I was expecting to be behind the dishwasher, it was relatively clean back there and I vacuumed what was there out so...positive.
Deciding there was no more procrastination to be had, Robert finally went under the house. He didn't want to (and I don't blame him) and was avoiding it. He didn't see the mouse, nor mouse poos under the house and the squeaking soon stopped. Maybe the mouse got unstuck or moved on or died in the wall. We don't have a stink coming in so I'm going with the belief it went away.
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Leia likes to follow us into the garage. In the spring and summer we go out that way to get tools for working in the yard and working in the yard leads to playing with Leia. In the winter, she runs around the garage while we get what we need from the freezer or pantry shelves and then bounces back up the stairs into the house all happy she got to do something and was helpful to us.
She followed me out to the garage one day and instead of bouncing around she went straight for the pantry shelves and started sniffing around. I moved a pet food bag on the bottom shelf (which is about 3/4-inch from the floor) and swore I heard a squeak. I took her inside, grabbed Robert, a flashlight and Simba (for mouse retrieval) and went after the mouse I thought was there.
We found mouse poos and found a hole in the bottom of the cat food bag - but no mouse. Simba didn't spend much time sniffing around so we figured the mouse got away or was long gone. We opened the food bag, determined it wasn't contaminated and sealed it up - the pet food now goes on the top pantry shelf. We did find an area behind the furnace that is a small hole that could lead to the crawl space under the house and that could be an entry point for a mouse, so we went and got a few mouse traps and set them around the garage.
The mouse traps are still out there, unused and untriggered in the slightest - just waiting for any mice to return.
It's been a bit over a month now since our last mouse-related incident, and so hopefully it truly is the end of the story. . .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Leia likes to follow us into the garage. In the spring and summer we go out that way to get tools for working in the yard and working in the yard leads to playing with Leia. In the winter, she runs around the garage while we get what we need from the freezer or pantry shelves and then bounces back up the stairs into the house all happy she got to do something and was helpful to us.
She followed me out to the garage one day and instead of bouncing around she went straight for the pantry shelves and started sniffing around. I moved a pet food bag on the bottom shelf (which is about 3/4-inch from the floor) and swore I heard a squeak. I took her inside, grabbed Robert, a flashlight and Simba (for mouse retrieval) and went after the mouse I thought was there.
We found mouse poos and found a hole in the bottom of the cat food bag - but no mouse. Simba didn't spend much time sniffing around so we figured the mouse got away or was long gone. We opened the food bag, determined it wasn't contaminated and sealed it up - the pet food now goes on the top pantry shelf. We did find an area behind the furnace that is a small hole that could lead to the crawl space under the house and that could be an entry point for a mouse, so we went and got a few mouse traps and set them around the garage.
The mouse traps are still out there, unused and untriggered in the slightest - just waiting for any mice to return.
It's been a bit over a month now since our last mouse-related incident, and so hopefully it truly is the end of the story. . .
19 January 2014
The Great Mouse Saga, Part 2
Read Part 1.
We left off with Robert deciding to take a look under the house for mouse entry points into the house and/or heater vent system.
We left off with Robert deciding to take a look under the house for mouse entry points into the house and/or heater vent system.
But before he could get around to it, Simba had a little adventure.
I was working away one morning, tapping along on the keyboard. Simba kept annoying me by trying to get behind my desk and sort of in a corner next to the desk. I thought he brought a snake in the house again (though it was late in the year for snakes) so I went to do a catch and release.
It was a mouse.
I squeaked as it ran at me. I was not afraid of the mouse; it startled me. And the kids came running to see what the commotion was about. My squeaking over a mouse amused them.
Simba grabbed it and started to wander off down the hall. Adam and I tried to get Simba outside with his prize because I didn't want a half-eaten mouse hidden somewhere in the house for me to play "find the stink" with. He then dropped the mouse on his way outside and Leia dove after it as it ran under the bench in the entry way. The mouse ran away from her and was quickly caught by Simba and almost as quickly dropped again. Mousie then ran under the couch. I lifted the couch and the cat caught it again and ran to the kitchen and dropped it by the pet food dishes. The mouse stopped moving so the cat lost the last bit of interest he had and was starting to walk away. I thought the mouse was dead and I grabbed a paper towel (to minimize germs) and I went to pick the mouse up to toss.
It was not dead and moved when I touched it. I squeaked again. Again, from surprise. But again, this amused my children to no end.
Mouse jumped into Yoda's food bowl and held still. I took bowl, mouse, and cat outside and released the mouse on the porch for Simba to finally finish hismeal game in peace.
Simba wandered off . . .
I thought - whatever, the damn thing is outside and I have to go back to work and left it at that.
Robert then finally emerges from his room. After I explained what the kids were trying to tell him all at once - with the main point of their story being "and mom squeaked!" - he checked the porch and found Simba with his paw in one of my outside shoes (that were left on the porch covered in mud from the barn) and in the toe of that shoe - the mouse.
He humanely took care of that mouse who probably would have passed anyways being he had ran all over and been in a cat's mouth at least 4 times that morning.
To be continued . . . .
It was a mouse.
I squeaked as it ran at me. I was not afraid of the mouse; it startled me. And the kids came running to see what the commotion was about. My squeaking over a mouse amused them.
Simba grabbed it and started to wander off down the hall. Adam and I tried to get Simba outside with his prize because I didn't want a half-eaten mouse hidden somewhere in the house for me to play "find the stink" with. He then dropped the mouse on his way outside and Leia dove after it as it ran under the bench in the entry way. The mouse ran away from her and was quickly caught by Simba and almost as quickly dropped again. Mousie then ran under the couch. I lifted the couch and the cat caught it again and ran to the kitchen and dropped it by the pet food dishes. The mouse stopped moving so the cat lost the last bit of interest he had and was starting to walk away. I thought the mouse was dead and I grabbed a paper towel (to minimize germs) and I went to pick the mouse up to toss.
It was not dead and moved when I touched it. I squeaked again. Again, from surprise. But again, this amused my children to no end.
Mouse jumped into Yoda's food bowl and held still. I took bowl, mouse, and cat outside and released the mouse on the porch for Simba to finally finish his
Simba wandered off . . .
I thought - whatever, the damn thing is outside and I have to go back to work and left it at that.
Robert then finally emerges from his room. After I explained what the kids were trying to tell him all at once - with the main point of their story being "and mom squeaked!" - he checked the porch and found Simba with his paw in one of my outside shoes (that were left on the porch covered in mud from the barn) and in the toe of that shoe - the mouse.
He humanely took care of that mouse who probably would have passed anyways being he had ran all over and been in a cat's mouth at least 4 times that morning.
To be continued . . . .
12 January 2014
The Great Mouse Saga, Part 1
A few months ago, Robert watched Simba lazily follow a mouse across the driveway; batting at it a few times when it stopped moving, but still allowing it to just meander away from him. And then it went under the garage door (there is a teensy gap on one side because of the slope allowing for drainage). Robert opened the garage door and Simba sniffed around for the mouse a little bit, but that was it. The mouse was in the house/garage. We figured since there wasn’t a way for it to get inside or have access to food to welcome it to the garage, it would probably leave on its own in search for food.
A few weeks go by and we heard some scratching in the heater vents and concluded the mouse found a way under the house and/or into the vents and possibly invited a friend or two (but not sure how they got there).
Still – how in the world did they get into the heater system?
Robert declared he would go under the house to make sure there was no access for them there because we couldn't figure out how else they were getting in there.
To be continued. . . .
Robert declared he would go under the house to make sure there was no access for them there because we couldn't figure out how else they were getting in there.
To be continued. . . .
02 December 2013
New Laptop!
Hello from New Laptop.
New Laptop is nice and shiny and pretty. Sometimes the keys stick though - which may be because it's new so I'm not going to be mad at New Laptop yet.
Yet.
New Laptop came pre-loaded with Windows 8. Robert HATES Windows 8. When I'm playing on New Laptop and Robert notices, he starts mumbling about Windows 8 and how horrible it is. It's a little amusing. He is very insistent that he can replace it with Windows 7 in no time, but I'm being stubborn in insisting trying out Windows 8 first. I'm trying out/hanging onto Windows 8 because I really didn't think I would mind it (and so far I don't really mind it) and partly because I didn't want to wait for sweet beautiful full internet usage again.
And now mostly I'm hanging onto it (because I don't care either way) because it annoys him and guarantees he doesn't try to take my shiny New Laptop. Not that he really would as he loves His Computer, but I'm feeling possessive of New Laptop.
But enough with amusing myself. Well, at the end of this week. I don't NEED Windows 8, and a few software programs I have might not be compatible with it anyways (haven't checked yet) and I'll let Robert switch it this weekend.
Maybe ;)
New Laptop is nice and shiny and pretty. Sometimes the keys stick though - which may be because it's new so I'm not going to be mad at New Laptop yet.
Yet.
New Laptop came pre-loaded with Windows 8. Robert HATES Windows 8. When I'm playing on New Laptop and Robert notices, he starts mumbling about Windows 8 and how horrible it is. It's a little amusing. He is very insistent that he can replace it with Windows 7 in no time, but I'm being stubborn in insisting trying out Windows 8 first. I'm trying out/hanging onto Windows 8 because I really didn't think I would mind it (and so far I don't really mind it) and partly because I didn't want to wait for sweet beautiful full internet usage again.
And now mostly I'm hanging onto it (because I don't care either way) because it annoys him and guarantees he doesn't try to take my shiny New Laptop. Not that he really would as he loves His Computer, but I'm feeling possessive of New Laptop.
But enough with amusing myself. Well, at the end of this week. I don't NEED Windows 8, and a few software programs I have might not be compatible with it anyways (haven't checked yet) and I'll let Robert switch it this weekend.
Maybe ;)
13 September 2013
Walking the kid
255/365
Robert found a treadmill on Craigslist; Carus has been on it most of the evening.
We tried to see if the dogs would get on it. No surprise that Leia really doesn't want to go near it, but Yoda will walk if you put him on it and jump on and stay on if you offer him a treat. The second he has the treat he bails off though.
Robert found a treadmill on Craigslist; Carus has been on it most of the evening.
We tried to see if the dogs would get on it. No surprise that Leia really doesn't want to go near it, but Yoda will walk if you put him on it and jump on and stay on if you offer him a treat. The second he has the treat he bails off though.
06 September 2013
Back to School days 1 and 2 aka The Bus Saga 2013
246/365 (9/3/13)
Wednesday brought Adam's first day of school - first day of 9th grade - and the start of Bus Saga 2013. Perhaps you remember all the issues I had with the bus company and getting them to pick up Carus last year? Well this year, problems are with Adam's route.
247/365 (9/4/13) First day of 9th grade, aka "Hurry up and take the picture."
When I received route info for Carus I should have called about Adam's, but I just assumed that since they've never had a problem figuring out when and where he needed picked up that all was golden.
I should have known better.
Copy and pasted from my Facebook statuses cause it's faster than typing it out again:
The Bus saga 2013: Never received info for when Adam would be picked up by the bus. This is a first. Usually they forget Carus. (We got her info, we'll find out tomorrow if they pick her up.)
We get up at 6:30 to get ready and call bus company anticipating a 7ish pick up time.
Actual pick up time: "Around 8 am. I'll be sure to let the bus driver know he actually has a stop on that street."
And then later Wednesday:
The Bus Saga 2013 continues:
I called back later in the morning to get the afternoon bus number because I forgot to ask at 6:30 a.m. before I had my coffee. Was given a different number than the one that picked Adam up. That's usual for around here, no big deal. BUT!
1) They, once again, had to look us up by address because Adam wasn't listed.
And
2) Turns out, that wasn't his bus. He discussed the stop he needed with the driver of that bus and that driver did bring him to his stop after completing his route so he's home
BUT COME ON PEOPLE!
I am politely curt on the phone. I know it's crazy for them being the beginning of the school year and they transport all of the kids in this area - a number somewhere around 5,000 kids to several different schools. (Do not quote me on that number, for all I know it could be 2,000 or 10,000. It's my estimate.) But it is their job. This is what they get paid for. They are responsible for our children from bus stop to school doorway, and back. It won't do for me to yell, scream and swear, but I am using a tone that says I'm really fed up.
Because I am.
248/365 (9/5/13) First day of 6th grade (with photobomb courtesy of Robert.)
Thursday, there were no problems for either Adam or Carus. They were picked up, and only Carus's bus was a few minutes late (which I get, lots of kids, new routines, first day of school - totally understand running a bit late), and I was so happy to have gotten it ironed out so quickly and relatively painless (compared to last year).
Again, I should have known better.
Today!
Bus Saga 2013: After having no problems yesterday, I thought the company got their shit together and things would be better, and then today - Adam's bus drove by him. He was out there and the bus drove right on by. So of course, I call.
Me: "My son's bus just drove by him. Stop is.... bus number is ...."
Them: "I'm sorry. Just wait there and I'll send him back around."
Me: "Well, how long should he wait at the stop?"
Them: "Hold on and I'll try to get him on the radio."
Them: "He'll be back around in about 7-10 minutes. He was running late and then he just passed by the stop and by the time he realized he needed to stop he was too far to be able to stop safely."
Me: "Okay. Uh, I understand things are crazy and that sometimes you get behind, but he still needs to pick up my kid though."
Them: "Well, have him out there 10 minutes early to make sure the bus sees him in time to stop."
Me, trying very hard not to just say 'what the fuck?': "Well, he was out there between 5 and 10 minutes early today and your driver didn't stop because he was running late. I'm not going to send him out earlier just to be passed up again."
She tried to make a few excuses. I explained that this wasn't the first time I've had issues this year let alone last year and that I was frustrated and not okay with the half-assery. I didn't swear at her, I didn't blame her, I didn't raise my voice, and I only sputtered a little in keeping from doing either. And then she apologized, said that I was right and that they would try to do better. I thanked her and hung up.
Adam got picked up shortly after and now I'm writing this out before I have to work (though it won't post until this afternoon after I've taken my 365 for today).
Her apologizing was probably a bit of blowing smoke up my ass. She might have been thinking that they were in the right - but she apologized because it was the right thing to do. They might have trouble doing their jobs, but at least they have good customer service about it.
249/365 (9/6/13)
In other news:
Robert had his second steroid injection for his back pain/sciatica pain today. It went as quick and smoothly as the first time. Crossing fingers and saying prayers that this time it will work and he won't be in pain anymore.
I am photographing a wedding tomorrow and Carus is going as my assistant/second shooter. We are excited, and nervous, and excited.
Wednesday brought Adam's first day of school - first day of 9th grade - and the start of Bus Saga 2013. Perhaps you remember all the issues I had with the bus company and getting them to pick up Carus last year? Well this year, problems are with Adam's route.
247/365 (9/4/13) First day of 9th grade, aka "Hurry up and take the picture."
When I received route info for Carus I should have called about Adam's, but I just assumed that since they've never had a problem figuring out when and where he needed picked up that all was golden.
I should have known better.
Copy and pasted from my Facebook statuses cause it's faster than typing it out again:
The Bus saga 2013: Never received info for when Adam would be picked up by the bus. This is a first. Usually they forget Carus. (We got her info, we'll find out tomorrow if they pick her up.)
We get up at 6:30 to get ready and call bus company anticipating a 7ish pick up time.
Actual pick up time: "Around 8 am. I'll be sure to let the bus driver know he actually has a stop on that street."
And then later Wednesday:
The Bus Saga 2013 continues:
I called back later in the morning to get the afternoon bus number because I forgot to ask at 6:30 a.m. before I had my coffee. Was given a different number than the one that picked Adam up. That's usual for around here, no big deal. BUT!
1) They, once again, had to look us up by address because Adam wasn't listed.
And
2) Turns out, that wasn't his bus. He discussed the stop he needed with the driver of that bus and that driver did bring him to his stop after completing his route so he's home
BUT COME ON PEOPLE!
I am politely curt on the phone. I know it's crazy for them being the beginning of the school year and they transport all of the kids in this area - a number somewhere around 5,000 kids to several different schools. (Do not quote me on that number, for all I know it could be 2,000 or 10,000. It's my estimate.) But it is their job. This is what they get paid for. They are responsible for our children from bus stop to school doorway, and back. It won't do for me to yell, scream and swear, but I am using a tone that says I'm really fed up.
Because I am.
248/365 (9/5/13) First day of 6th grade (with photobomb courtesy of Robert.)
Thursday, there were no problems for either Adam or Carus. They were picked up, and only Carus's bus was a few minutes late (which I get, lots of kids, new routines, first day of school - totally understand running a bit late), and I was so happy to have gotten it ironed out so quickly and relatively painless (compared to last year).
Again, I should have known better.
Today!
Bus Saga 2013: After having no problems yesterday, I thought the company got their shit together and things would be better, and then today - Adam's bus drove by him. He was out there and the bus drove right on by. So of course, I call.
Me: "My son's bus just drove by him. Stop is.... bus number is ...."
Them: "I'm sorry. Just wait there and I'll send him back around."
Me: "Well, how long should he wait at the stop?"
Them: "Hold on and I'll try to get him on the radio."
Them: "He'll be back around in about 7-10 minutes. He was running late and then he just passed by the stop and by the time he realized he needed to stop he was too far to be able to stop safely."
Me: "Okay. Uh, I understand things are crazy and that sometimes you get behind, but he still needs to pick up my kid though."
Them: "Well, have him out there 10 minutes early to make sure the bus sees him in time to stop."
Me, trying very hard not to just say 'what the fuck?': "Well, he was out there between 5 and 10 minutes early today and your driver didn't stop because he was running late. I'm not going to send him out earlier just to be passed up again."
She tried to make a few excuses. I explained that this wasn't the first time I've had issues this year let alone last year and that I was frustrated and not okay with the half-assery. I didn't swear at her, I didn't blame her, I didn't raise my voice, and I only sputtered a little in keeping from doing either. And then she apologized, said that I was right and that they would try to do better. I thanked her and hung up.
Adam got picked up shortly after and now I'm writing this out before I have to work (though it won't post until this afternoon after I've taken my 365 for today).
Her apologizing was probably a bit of blowing smoke up my ass. She might have been thinking that they were in the right - but she apologized because it was the right thing to do. They might have trouble doing their jobs, but at least they have good customer service about it.
249/365 (9/6/13)
In other news:
Robert had his second steroid injection for his back pain/sciatica pain today. It went as quick and smoothly as the first time. Crossing fingers and saying prayers that this time it will work and he won't be in pain anymore.
I am photographing a wedding tomorrow and Carus is going as my assistant/second shooter. We are excited, and nervous, and excited.
05 August 2013
Beach day
We haven't gone to the beach at all this summer so thought we'd remedy that Sunday. It was hot here - in the 90s - and was supposed to be in the 70s at the beach.
Notice I said "supposed to be". Yeah. It was sunny and hot up until that final set of hills where we saw low clouds. Unfortunately, it was full on fog and the temp dropped to a lovely 72 and continued to fall.
It was 60 and foggy on the beach. The kids and Robert walked up and down the beach a bit, while I sat on a blanket and read. My ankle has been doing well as long as I don't push things and I knew that if I did a lot of walking in the soft, dry uneven sand or on the wet compacted sand it would be hurting bad by the end of the day. Plus it was nice to spend some time with my book.
216/365 - Robert brought me back a heart-shaped rock from their walk.
I was visited by a seagull. He was either wondering if my book was good, or if I had any food.
After their walk Adam and Carus spent some time digging a hole in the sand. Robert helped by pushing sand into their hole for them to dig out.
I didn't take my big camera as I didn't want to get it all sandy and I thought it would be a nice break from worrying about getting a photo.
I had my cell phone, and Instagram to share with, though.
I hope we have the chance to go back to the beach before the end of the summer, or if we can't/don't make it, I hope next year is filled with many more beach trips.
Notice I said "supposed to be". Yeah. It was sunny and hot up until that final set of hills where we saw low clouds. Unfortunately, it was full on fog and the temp dropped to a lovely 72 and continued to fall.
It was 60 and foggy on the beach. The kids and Robert walked up and down the beach a bit, while I sat on a blanket and read. My ankle has been doing well as long as I don't push things and I knew that if I did a lot of walking in the soft, dry uneven sand or on the wet compacted sand it would be hurting bad by the end of the day. Plus it was nice to spend some time with my book.
216/365 - Robert brought me back a heart-shaped rock from their walk.
I was visited by a seagull. He was either wondering if my book was good, or if I had any food.
After their walk Adam and Carus spent some time digging a hole in the sand. Robert helped by pushing sand into their hole for them to dig out.
I didn't take my big camera as I didn't want to get it all sandy and I thought it would be a nice break from worrying about getting a photo.
I had my cell phone, and Instagram to share with, though.
I hope we have the chance to go back to the beach before the end of the summer, or if we can't/don't make it, I hope next year is filled with many more beach trips.
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