communication barrier

Our son is training in France for a month.
He's pulled from the "brain-file" his jr. hi French class lessons.
That has helped...up to a point.

In his quest to buy some cold milk at a convenience store he approached the clerk with a one word question.
" Milk?" in English.
That doesn't seem to be translating very well to the clerk.

A few tries later his "brain-file" goes another route.
"leche?"

Guess the clerk doesn't understand Spanish either.


Finally our son and his friend go for Basic Communication
" Moooooo. Mooooo." 


to which the clerk replied
"Red Bull?"









 

a funny tale

Earlier today I breezed into a semi-dark bedroom,
my arms loaded with freshly washed linens.
Out of the corner of my eye something small, gray, 
about the size of a half dollar moved across the floor. 

Spider!
Haven't seen a daddy long legs THAT color before.
Must be some exotic one.

It moves again.
Gotta find a shoe to kill the thing!!

As I scramble for the weapon, 
I notice the spider is no longer moving.

So I swish my foot in the spiders direction,
flip-flop at-the-ready.

No motion. 
Perhaps he's playing possum.

Swish again. 
Still no spider motion.

Upon closer inspection I discover
the  exotic spider is really an
common dust bunny!

Perhaps I DO need to go to
my yearly eye appointment. 

the trophy room

Wednesdays lately have been full.

I zip off to the farm I grew up on.

 

 was a beautiful blue sky as I went down Elliots Hill

 turned the corner headed north

 almost there

arrival!

Yesterday I took my folks in to the doc.

Mom's white count was down, so she didn't get her 

chemo treatment and the thinking was maybe 

she had a sinus infection. 

Still don't know... however she's resting.

My sister and I do what we can to help our folks.

They are 82 and 79 with multiple health issues, 

but between them, so far, can still live at home.

We cook food up for the freezer and several

days worth of eating from the fridge. Dad has grown 

very weary of cooking and Mom doesn't seem 

to have the energy for it.

Fixed pork chops with rice,

meatloaf, jello. And always something sweet for Daddy.

This time cookies,

 I took over zucchini bread too.

 Plus we also fix lunch, keep the kitchen cleaned,

haul out the trash cans we fill,

help Dad with the laundry.  

He seems to like doing 

that so we try not to take over.

: )

My sister cleaned in a very rarely used room

in the old part of their home. It hadn't had a 

thorough cleaning for almost a year. 

I've vacuumed and dusted, but not

pulled the furniture out from the walls, etc.

She discovered some treasures!

more about those in a bit.

Usually after many hours of cleaning 

and what-have-you 

we reward ourselves by spending some

time here.

 sister the water-babe

 

 

 me living the decadent life

but not for long...

gotta finish 'the chores'

and head back to our homes and hubbys.

We did think about re-naming a room though.

During that room's life-time it has had different uses.

When the pool table was there, it was 

the "pool room."

Later became 'the tv room'

because Dad had the satellite set up there.

Not any more.

It's now a room with recliners and stuff 

that we walk through to get to the laundry area.

 At lunch we discussed possible names for it now.

Since the gun cabinet is there, Dad suggested 

the 'gun room', of course.

I giggled

then suggested the 'trophy room'.

You see those treasures

my sister discovered in there..

well..

maybe we could have mounted them 

and hung them on the wall!!!

Who wouldn't want a 

dehydrated frog

and 

snake skin on the wall?

Better than on the floor doncha think?

ps. we've yet to find the owner of his skin. 

BLEH!!! 

Prov. 21:9

Do your kitchen knives, forks, etc., ever get a field trip?
Lucky you if they DON'T.

Periodically mine do. 
I've never signed them up for it.
they don't want to go...

regardless

Last evening hubby was taking a stereo out of a car.
He needed something long and thin...just like a table knife.
I heard him rummaging in the kitchen, then head out the door.
I KNEW what he was up to. 
Up I jumped, rescued the good flatware
suggested he use the cheap-bends-really-easy set. 
After all we only paid $20 dollars for it, 
compared to the pieces in his hand.


He sighed big ...and finally agreed.
But.....
he did still have my better paring knife in his hand.
I just hollared..
" fine..I'll just go buy me a new paring knife!
You'll have to pay for it.!" 
( technically he paid for the one in his hand too)


I was furious!
I wanted to follow him out to the car,
go and hollar, rant and rave.

However, that's not a good idea,
doesn't set a good example,
makes me look foolish,
and often doesn't bring about the desired result.  


So I sat on the couch and fummed.
Eventually he came in,
put them back in the drawer!!
I said sweetly and kindly (HA!)
"At least WASH them before putting them back!"

He responded with much love and gentleness (double ha) 
in his voice
"we DIDN'T even use them!"

Not much conversation after that.
It was bedtime after all.

While I was enjoying nursing my anger,
he was in the bedroom laughing at the tv.
WELL!! 
Maybe I'll sleep across the hall tonight!
Then he'll know I mean business.
I AM MAD!



But I didn't.
I slept right beside that snoring man.
I slept all night long. 
Peacefully.

I remembered a  Proverb.
Proverbs 21:9 specifically
"Better to live on a corner of a roof
than to share a home with a quarrelsome wife."

 

our new ride

We took a 5 hour trip today

One way.

Then we came back.

 another 5 hours

this followed me home...

We're gonna keep it. 

for those of you who need the specs

its a 2004 with 30,000 miles.

we got a GREAT deal

 and yes..

we did buy it off the internet with out

test driving it, 

seeing it in the flesh, 

etc.

talk about a leap of faith!

God blessed and it's good.

Yes.... we did buy from a dealer

decadence

a balmy sunny summer afternoon
sweet blue sky with slow white clouds
a pool full of crystal clear refreshing water
and me
lazily floating on an orange-red air mattress
with a straw brimmed hat and sunglasses to shade my face
 
I'm not alone..
 
on the yellow air mattress floats another water-babe
she too has the floppy brimmed hat and sunglasses
we float along as the water current gently guides us all the way around the pool
and then it does it again and again and again.

nowhere we have to be
with nothing else to do
but float the day away

decadence....ahh
sweet decadence

the finished product

Gate leg table is done,

in the house,

although,

took me a bit to adjust to the color.

I mean I had to find some more somethings of a similar

color to help it fit in. 

Luckily I did after scrounging in drawers and shelves.

Also hung some curtains, finally. 

(Hadn't done anything since living room curtains had become

the huppah covering for the wedding.)

When hubby saw it he paused and then left for most of the day.

I was left wondering what he thought of it!!!!!!

MANY hours later and he was home again he said, 

" I think I like it.

It lightens up things in here."

SCORE ONE FOR ME!!!

whew...

 oh now you wanna see it.

okay... 

TA DA!

 I  got lucky. he likes it.

Now if I can be as tolerant of his mid-life crisis of wanting 

to buy a yellow mustang as the family car!! 

s i g h.

Paint crazy

For many reasons..
I've spent many hours painting
this summer.

First was my dining room... RIGHT after the wedding.
I had good help and needed to take advantage of it 
while she was still in the state.
Besides,...we had fun.

Then, Bride had good help visiting her
so she appreciated my painting on their bathroom

Then, my hubby go to appreciate his good wife-y
and I've been helping him paint the outside of a modular building.

 Doncha love the "manicure"?

So today,...
I painted a table. 
One we got at an auction several years ago.
Originally it was black and ugly. We had it stripped.
I stained it ..... brownish. The wood isn't really pretty,
and I've endured it for several years as it was.

Today...it's wearing a new color!

 guess which one....

I really like it.
Not sure what hubby will think, or say.
He's one of those " don't paint wood" kind a guys.


So...I waited to paint it until he was out of town for the day.
Sneaky? you betcha.


He'll be fine. 
He's pretty good about letting me do what I want in our homes.


And if he's not fine?
Well ... he will be. 
He loves me. 

fun on the farm

Often it's necessary to invent fun.

Take a look at last evenings adventures and 

see if you can figure it out.

here's part of the line-up

COMPETITION BEGINS!!!

 energetic contestants! 

 "mature" division

 youngest competitor

 women's division

 he's just getting started!

 it takes a lot of chewing...

TIME'S UP!!!

 results are determined by 

how many inches you eat

vrs. how many ears of corn.

 that's about 19 ears of corn and 18-20 feet.

last year that competitor ate 31 ears of corn!

 judge verifying the measurements.

 most of the competitors and certainly the winners!

The evening finished up with ice cream! 

However for a few fellas it seemed 'corn' flavored.!!!

I moved

although I am still a momma
the momofthebride part is done.

YEAH!

but my crazy mind still has wandering thoughts
so I think I'll wander here some.

it looks the same... 
because I like it.
no other reason.


today I put my application in for a part time job.
next week I'll probably hear whether or not it's mine.
I hope so...
I think. Because...
I do like my freedom to choose each days activities.
I also like a little $$$ in my pocket.
and the pocket was a smidgen thin after a year of wedding fun.

A few of the cast of characters :
me and brown-eyed-handsome-man.
We've been married for 34 years. 
most of 'em happy, 
give or take a few days....
weeks... or so.
lets be honest,
we are human and prone to stupid things being said and done
But...
he's a good man,
I'll keep him.

 Our son is The Chemist, soon to be working off shore!
Just got a new job after being out of work for 10 months.
He lives far away.... 12 hours.
We are excited for this new adventure for him, 
and thankful he's employed again. 
He's a big guy, 6ft. 5. 
Gonna make helicopter trips entertaining and probably inventive!


Bride, our middle child and daughter, 
and RMG, our new son-in-love
have been married 2 months.
They live very far away, 23 hours,
he's working on his phd in physics,
she does home health care.
Today they left for their honeymoon in Oahu. 
fyi: 
I've been planning a trip over there for about 8 years. 
I WILL GO. I WILL. 

Youngest daughter and 3rd child is
The Teacher.She's working on her degree, 
but she'll get it and be GRAND. 
She's currently the only child living in the same state as us, 
and only 5 hours away. 


We like our empty nest. 

We like our kids when they are home, too.
However, we raised them to live their own lives 
and learn to be content with those choices they've made.


That can be tricky. 
The being content part.
I struggle with it sometimes.
remember I am human.


Recently a sweet friend told me she appreciates my attitude of positiveness. ( hi J!)
I appreciated those words of encouragement, blessing. 
I do try to live with the glass half full. 
why not?
It's easier on my mental and emotional being.
No one benefits from my negativity.


I usually choose to count my blessings..
I sleep better.


How's your sleep these days?