Sunday, May 31, 2009

try music

Raine really enjoys music. She really isn't too picky about what kind, although she prefers anything that makes her want to move. She sings, too. She makes up songs, in fact. I think its pretty cool that she just bursts into a song she is making up as she goes... She's pretty creative (and I'm not biased at all. HA!)

Anyway, she will be going to a music camp next week, in the mornings. Not only will she get to spend time on a high school campus, which is a positive thing, she will get to try out new instruments, and maybe even some singing. She SHOULD have a blast! I sure hope it works out that way.

Still, she's going to have to get up in the morning to get there. That won't be so much of a blast. That was one of her main complaints about school, in fact. Still, it is only for a week, so I think - I hope - we'll make it.

raindrops on roses

There is a fairly classic weather pattern going on around here. Usually, though, it occurs through July, instead of late May. Mornings have been clear, then heat builds clouds and scattered showers move through the valley.

This evening, we enjoyed listening to two thunder storms move through. There was quite a lightening show with the first one, and it rained pretty hard for a while. The second was a little more sedate, and more of a shower than a pelting rain. Fortunately, when we left for home (of course we were gaming) we caught the tail end of the shower. I'm sure it was, by the standards of places where it rains more often, sprinkles.

Raine, at six, and growing up in the desert, is rather dismayed by our latest weather pattern. I mean, it rained two days in a row! Well, that just disrupted her plans, let me tell you. It may disrupt them some more, tomorrow. If it is raining, she may not get to play in her wading pool with Ezekiel, something she has been looking forward to.

I can remember feeling unhappy with cloudy days as a kid. Oh, there were times when they just seemed to go on and on and on for weeks and weeks. I'm sure it wasn't like that at all, looking at those childhood perceptions with the adult perspective. Now, I can appreciate them more. Enjoy the cooler weather, and the calmness that seems to want to settle over with the clouds. Or, if the energy is right, the light and sound show is pretty cool, too.

At any rate, the forecast for tomorrow is more rain.

Friday, May 29, 2009

imagination



Use your imagination, and stay with me here.

While I was making my latest sackboy, I had an inspiration. I made an opened-mouth version, and my mind kept making woka-woka noises at me. What? am I totally insane now? No... look at the picture, and think about the 70's. Those arcade games that were everywhere... now are you starting to hear it too?

Yeah, I know, he's not really the right color, but I worked with the yarn I had. It was also good to get some practice on that head again. The first time I made it from the neck up, this time from the crown down. I'm also working on variations for the interior of the mouth. Trying to make it so that stuffing the head doesn't cause the mouth to turn inside out (eww, creepy).

All in all, I think he turned out pretty good...

Wait... is that Wierd Al singing in the back ground? (...eat the cherry)

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

today we smoked

No, I haven't taken up a new habit. It's the same old habit I've had forever. Eating. What did we smoke? A turkey. yum. Yes, we bought a turkey around the holidays, knowing that we had freezer space, and that we liked turkey. We owed some family dinner, and we were hungry for smoked turkey, so we combined the occasions, and everyone was happy.

Now, I know I've talked about us smoking stuff before, probably sometime around Thanksgiving, which was when we smoked our first turkey, in the cold and rain. Today was neither cold nor rainy, but our experiment/experience continues. Today, which should have been perfect for the smoking system we have, and solved all the problems we had in the cold rain, didn't. Evidently our system still needs tweaking. Either the burners we've been using are wearing out, or the pans, which have warped from the heat of sitting on above mentioned burners with wood chips, are less effective at creating smoke.

So, Carl and I discussed the possibilities... We seem to need to purchase new pans to set the wood chips in. Do we go for the $5 ones again, knowing that in a matter of months they will need to be replaced? Again. I mean that amount every few months is not going to break the bank, even if it seems a little wasteful. On the other hand, what kind of pan would be more durable, but not a lot more expensive to use? We wondered if a couple of small cast iron skillets would do the trick. I think I have seen some at Wal-Mart for not too much, certainly not much more than $10. Anyone else have suggestions? ideas? 2 cents?

Tuesday, May 26, 2009

new car, same people


Well, I got the camera out and took pictures of the car. Digital camera, digital images. Its not like the film or the processing costs anything at this point. Or at least nothing more than has already been spent.

Raine has that normal kid dilemma. Which side of the camera to be on??? She wants to be the object of attention in the picture, and darn it, she's a lot cuter than the rest of us. On the other hand, control of the camera... hmmm.

Monday, May 25, 2009

getting out more

Blogging has made me realize something. I've realized it slowly, over time. The realization doesn't mean I'm unhappy with my life, or that I'm going to change it. Well, at least not much.

I've realized I don't get out much, do I... I know that should probably be more of a "well, duh" moment, instead of an "aha" one. I'm basically a friendly person, but making friends can be a lot of work. I had a pretty good circle of friends in the SCA, and I loved them, but they've scattered, and moved on, as I have. It's just what happens in life. It took me a while to build those friendships, though, and thinking about being active in the SCA again and starting over is just, well, daunting. I did surprise myself with some new friends at work this year, however. That has been nice. Crafting together makes a good basis to discover other common interests.

Of course I have much more of a focus here at home, with Raine, and Ron, these days. I've enjoyed that, too. I don't want to give it up, or leave them out, etc. And now, with school, Raine is old enough to develop friends and activities that I will need to enable her to do. At least some of, anyway.

We haven't travelled much these past few years, either. About the best we've managed is Ruidoso for a couple of weekends, and Tucson. Oh, yeah, Albuquerque, too, but Ron's sister has moved back to NC, now. I love to travel, so I'm hoping we will manage a little more of it. I've suggested to my family a couple of reasons, and places to go, but we haven't managed any of those yet.

So, what does this have to do with blogging? Well, it makes my public journal have rather a limited scope, in some ways. Especially now that I've been doing it a while. Now, I have to admit that in a certain sense, I've planned it that way, making it my "to-do" list. Still, there are times when I feel I might be rehashing a rehash of a topic that I've already done too many times. Now, THAT could be a problem. It's also a challenge. Ok, avoiding it is the challenge. SO, I'm conciously trying to take up that challenge. It's what to do.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

unexpected

A couple of unexpected things have happened this weekend. One, is that it clouded up and rained a little again today. I thought we would be done with it, but I can't say I'm sorry that it rolled it again. We got hot weather early this year, so a little rain and cooling off is welcome.

Another unexpected occurrence was buying Ron a car. No, he didn't wreck the other one, nor drive it to dust (although he had been working on that one, I think). It was the right deal on a car that is much more comfortable than the one he had been driving. He had no trouble getting into the deal, as the dealership was having a sale, and they even took the other car (our suzuki) off our hands as trade in. Now, we just have to deal with the car payments. A subject I won't get into right now, as it would be ranty, and Ron is really happy about his car. I hope it lasts a long time - just as I hope mine will. Oh yeah, what did he get? you ask... It is a silver, 2007 Hyundai Sonata, definately a step up from the suzuki esteem.

Saturday, May 23, 2009

of rain and raine

The rain that was around is pretty much gone, now. It was lovely. We actually got enough to water the grass, and isn't there just something about rain-watered lawn? I think it is happier.

Raine got to try out her new slip 'n' slide today. Ezekiel came over to test it out, as well. There was some slipping, as Raine landed on her butt, walking on the slippery yellow plastic. There was no running and diving onto it, and sliding to the end. There were some false starts. Some posturing and standing back and THINKING about running up and diving onto it. Mostly, there was some laying on the little blow up rafty thing and pulling oneself down the length of the wet plastic strip. Does that mean that it was a failure? Not at all. There was much laughter, and wetness and enjoyment all the while. I think it will come out again and again this summer.

Thursday, May 21, 2009

its raining

There aren't many places that smell as good in the rain as the desert does. Its been cloudy here, thinner or thicker, for a few days. Teasing us with rain. You could walk outside and smell the humidity, but you better not forget to water the plants.

This morning, I walked outside to go to work, and was greeted with the remnants of a shower that had been. (anywhere else I'm sure they wouldn't have even bothered to notice that a few drops fell). On the way to work, I actually had to use my windshield wipers part of the time. Good thing I'd had them changed a couple months ago, or they'd have probably been flapping while the wiper arms scratched the glass.

The day was grey, and cool, and lovely.

This evening, a rain shower passed over us, and I really enjoyed listening to it grow and get fierce for a few moments, then calmly drizzle and drip. Ahhhh. It's not something we in New Mexico take for granted. I'm sure it wasn't enough to skip watering, but its lovely, even so. And we can use it, however much it is. What a peaceful way to end the school year.

Wednesday, May 20, 2009

something not to do



I did something today that was good and bad, all at the same time. I took off a day from school for Raine's end of kindergarten presentation. Each of the kindergarten classes sang a couple of songs, then they sang a couple all together. Then, they handed out certificates to all the kids. Since I didn't have students who needed to test today, in fact, I didn't have any classes meeting today, I asked for - and got - permission to go see it. All for the good. Is there anything much cuter than a group of 6 year olds singing and dancing? Not much!

Now for the bad. I still have to go back to work for Two. Days. gah. It was such a lovely preview of coming summer today, that I am going to have a very hard time being there tomorrow. I'm just done. Now. Yet, I still have work to do. I have a test to administer, and grade. Grades to average and turn in. A classroom to put in order for the summer. It won't be so bad once I'm there, I'm sure. And I know there are those of you who won't feel a bit sorry for me and my impending summer vacation. So here are pictures, and I'll quit whining.

Tuesday, May 19, 2009

great burgers

A burger is just a burger, right? I mean we love 'em and all, but not much to think about, is there...

Well, a couple of months ago, Carl was watching something, or reading something, or making something up (well maybe not that) about making stuffed burgers. See, what you do is this. You have your ground meat soft and ready to go. You need a flat pan, like a cookie sheet with a lip. Put a layer of plastic wrap in the bottom of the pan, then spread the meat out. Then, put another layer of plastic wrap. Smush out the layer of meat evenly between the two layers of plastic wrap. Use a rolling pin to help you, don't be shy. Once you have the meat evenly spread, with no holes, let it rest for about 5 minutes.

Now comes the fun part. Pick something you want to go in those burgers. It can be as easy as opening a package of onion soup mix, or sprinkling cajun spices and covering about half of the meat with it. You can get creative with your filling. We sauteed some onions and added jack cheese to ours last time. We were going for a patty melt kind of idea. We didn't really get that, but the burgers were fabulous! Next time? Green chile, onions, and cheese. mmmm Remember to remove the top layer of plastic wrap for this step, though.

Once you have placed your filling, use the bottom layer of plastic wrap to help you fold the meat in half, covering the goodies. While you can make the patties as thick as you like, neither layer needs to be all that thick. Once you fold over the meat, let this sit for about another 5 minutes.

Next, cut the meat into patties, probably somewhere between 4 and 8 of them, depending on how much meat you used and how big you like your patties. Grill, broil or cook in a pan. It won't take long. I think the ones we broiled took about 5 minutes per side (and I'm pretty picky about well done-ness). Add cheese on top if you wish. They are great with or without a bun. These things have me thinking about having burgers all the time! Now, I'm thinking how great they would be with sauteed mushrooms and swiss cheese inside... mmmmm.

Let me know how yours turn out!

Monday, May 18, 2009

x-files

Somewhere along the line, Sam's carried the X-Files series. They weren't outrageously expensive, and we ended up with all 9 seasons. Ron has been watching them all, disk by disk, season by season. I've caught episodes here and there, and I've enjoyed them. The series has aged better than you might think it would, actually, and that is nice.

Another reason I've really enjoyed watching them is all the guest stars in them. I don't know why I didn't notice all these people the first time around. Well, I did notice some of them. Some of them - like Adam Baldwin, who later played in Firefly - I didn't know yet. Truth is, during the time that X-files originally aired, I was not a big TV watcher, so, if I caught an episode, fine, if not, also fine. Many of the episodes are new to me, so many of the cool guest stars are too. I've enjoyed seeing these actors playing straight men, like Carey Elwes in the episode we watched tonight, or someone strange. The actors seem to be enjoying their roles, too.

Ron opened up season 9 this evening, so he's almost all the way through, and then, in a few months, he'll be ready to sit through one occasionally again.

Sunday, May 17, 2009

Sackboy #3

He's well underway, and will be my most complex sackboy yet. For one thing, he is the open mouth model, with tongue. I'm pretty sure I mentioned that already. I ended up redoing the "lips" stitching around the mouth to match the head color, and that is much better. The tongue is in place as well, and that helps too. This sackboy is also going to have clothes, so I'm experimenting with how those will look. Not sure I have the pants right, yet, but we'll see. As you can tell, I'm still working on some of the details, but he's coming together... so to speak. Meaning that I'm not actually ready to put him together and take pictures. I thought I would tease you instead.

First, of course I though of doing the Sackboyship of the Rings, and any number of fantasy characters. Harry and his crew would work, too... but Carl inspired me with the idea of this guy. Yep, you can blame Carl. Fran, he also suggested some that were geared toward your love of mysteries, and your workplace. Some of them could happen, and they would be quite amusing, I think. Since I'm still experimenting, though, they are just going to have to come along later.

My current sackboy project is based on a character from a TV show. One from a while back. Farther.... no, wait, not quite that far.... OK, a hint. 70's. Cop show. That's all I'm giving because then the guess will be too easy. When he's got his dark, curly hair, and his sweater (oops, more clues) then I'll give you a preview. Maybe you can figure it out before then.

Saturday, May 16, 2009

and then...

Isn't Saturday our normal gaming night? Well, yes. Yes, it is. To err on the side of friendly non-contagiousness, we stayed home this evening. There is no reason to pass along the stomach flu when you just don't have to. Just in case Ron or Raine were in the "I'm still feeling fine" phase before all hell breaks loose. Which is usually when one is contagious.

It was nice to get some WoW time in, and we watched a movie. A much better movie, tonight. We picked up a fourpack of Clint Eastwood classics from the 70's. Tonight we watched the Eiger Sanction. Oh, sure, the huge glasses were distracting, and there were cliche's. Still it managed to be an enjoyable thriller. Some murder, some spy doublecross, some mountain climbing. There were even some bare breasts. Did I mention mountain climbing?

And there is a sport, isn't it. Not one I would pursue, I think, although the scenery is spectacular. Its a lot of work to climb all that way, and I suppose the challenge is a worthy one to those who take it on. For me, I'm afraid the challenge of climbing up would be followed by the PIA of climbing back down. Not that I would get on some of those ledges and edges to begin with, for that kind of heights are not my friend.

So anyway, another Saturday night, another movie.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Feeling better

Although not perfect. Finally ate and it set well. Made it to work for half a day but didn't make it to graduation. Stamina not what it should be. Neck still stiff.

We watched a perfectly terrible movie this evening. "In the style of" - but not as well done as - Sin City. While not all the critics liked Sin City, we did. When we saw Spirit at Sams, Carl and I snapped it up. Tonight we sat through it.

Bad, really bad. Bad enough that we started to make fun of it while we were watching. Bad enough it could have been MST3K fodder... if that were still around. Bad enough that it brought to mind the version of Show Girls that has the running commentary on it. Yeah, you know where the commenter has watched the movie a gajillion times and tells you all kinds of stuff about it, including why each scene is a disaster. Yep. That's the one. This movie needs one of those commentaries.

Thursday, May 14, 2009

stomach blues

All my optimism from last night did me in. No, actually it was catching the stomach flu that Carl had been suffering with earlier in the week. I dozed off and on all day, sucking on crushed ice, and finally a diet limeade. Kept down the toast, but not up for much more of a challenge than that. I hope tomorrow is better all th way around.

Wednesday, May 13, 2009

end of school

It could really be the end of any cycle, I think. You begin to clean up the mess, and in doing so dust off some stuff that might be good, on second look. You think about what you missed, what you could have done, or might have done differently. You think about what comes next.

I've learned that next year, I'll be teaching 9th grade Language Arts. I've taught it before, so I'm fairly familiar with the curriculum. I actually like 9th graders... on most days. Well, at least most 9th graders. I have noticed that a big part of 9th grade is maturity. If a student is mature enough, he or she can usually pass 9th grade and make it through High School, if he or she cares to. Sometimes it takes a student that second year with 9th grade classes to realize that, and usually those kids can make it through, too.

So I was cleaning up some files, and noticing some stuff that I might want to try with my 9th graders next year. I've got to get them writing, and keep them writing. This is not easy. It's not easy for them because it's work. And it can be not easy for me because it can be a lot of work to grade. Still, I've finally come to some terms with student journals that may help. I hope so anyway. Its been working to an extent this year, and I hope to do better with them next year.

So, the end of the school year. An uphill struggle through finals, and getting grades in. Then, summer vacation. I love being an adult and getting summer vacation. Its such a recharge time for me. Usually when school starts, I'm ready!

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

meaningfulless

So, what's going on today? Not much around here. I'm sure I could talk about Raine ad nauseum. Or school. But I really don't feel like it. I'll probably play a little Civ again, but I talked about that yesterday, and I really don't need to get toooo geeky on that topic. I've made a sackboy head with a mouth. I really liked the yarn I used for the head, but didn't really have a good lip color, so I used pink, which becomes the lips. Carl says it looks rather strange. I may have to go with the face color, but I really don't want that either. Time to go to the yarn shop? Perhaps.

Anyway, little to nothing new to say, unless you want to hear about chores, or summer plans. Again. So, I won't. I'll talk to you tomorrow, then, if I can think of something meaningful or new.

Monday, May 11, 2009

Civilization

I enjoy being the omnipotent ruler of the world... mwa ha ha ha ha... That's why I play Civilization. This is one of the games I've been playing since it's first iteration on my Amiga. Yeah, the one with no hard drive, because, you know, you would never really need one. uh huh.

Its a time sink of a game, and I'm proud to say I have infected others with a love for the game as well. Sorry, Steph. It was created by Sid Meyer, who also had a great Railroad building game out that I played on the Amiga as well. You could get some track laid, then set some trains going and leave for a while and let them run. Great on laundry day.

Civilization is now on its 4th version, some more successful and enjoyable than others. I'm still kind of figuring out the changes in the world wonders that I've known so well in the past... what benefits they bring etc. I don't go for the great library any more, and I build the Lighthouse when I can, although I miss the extra water movement it used to bring. I also have the expansion, Beyond the Sword, which has some features I enjoy. I hate going to war, especially now that I can't win it with the use of spies. BtS has an option for always peace. Yeah, it sorta feels like cheating, because the AI players always stockpile mega troops anyway that they never use. On the other hand, I never build troops like they do, even when they will eventually invade me.

SO, why am I writing about Civ tonight? Well, its what's keeping me from my adult duty of going to bed so I can get up and go to work in the morning. Its a "just one more turn" game if ever there was one.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Happy Mother's Day

To my friends and relations who are mothers, today is that day. Hope you were remembered well by your children. Spouses who appreciate what you've done as a mom are nice, too.

My Sunday was spent much as usual, shopping, laundry watering the yard. Nothing exciting there. Still, I can appreciate the quiet non-drama of a day like this, and I do.

Raine got to play in the sprinklers today. The first time of the season. She got to try out her new "babin" suit. One of them, anyway. I thought she might outgrow the one from last year, so we got one at the end of the season when they were on sale last fall. Sure enough, it fits her fine. Not so many of her favorite T-shirts, though. Not sure if I'll be able to cull them while she's watching, though. She has a hard time letting go. No idea where she gets that from. Nope. None. Still, her stuff, and her room will be about the first organization project this summer... just 2 more weeks! Dang, that long???

So, anyway, I happy Mother's Day to those who wish to accept the sentiment... Enjoy your day. Enjoy your children. Enjoy your parents.

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Star Trek

The new movie is quite enjoyable. We got to go see it in the nice, new, comfy theater, even. That made the experience even better. Now, I don't want to get into spoilers or anything, but its true what they say... you don't have to be a Star Trek fan to like this movie. Carl mention that he wished they had found a cast that would be willing to do a series. I'll be glad if they do a series of movies... Then again, a series might be nice, again, but please, I don't want the same episodes, rehashed again. Or should I say rebooted?

Gir got his eyes today. He turned out pretty well, I think. I'm looking forward to my next one, although it may not be this week. Or maybe I can make some parts and then wait for the weekend for the assembly again. Not sure which one will come next, but I'll share when he comes together...

Friday, May 8, 2009

Sackboy Gir


So here is the next in the Sackboy saga. Sackboy Gir, based on a comic character that Ron likes. Notice the resemblance. Its there, right? Right? Ok, he has no eyes yet, they were being painted. I'm going to use big white buttons with small black buttons for the pupils. Only the white buttons were too translucent, so Ron painted them, and now they need to dry.

Giving you any ideas?

Yeah, I know this is short but I've been busy assembling and decorating Gir.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

books and money

Schools need books. Textbooks, of course. They are big money for the companies who make them, and a big expenditure for school districts. In our district - as in most - content areas rotate through and adoption cycle for textbooks. The adoption year this year was for Language Arts. The last time Language Arts was supposed to adopt new materials, we got passed over. Financial issues, I believe. This year, Gadsden district got each high school to send representatives from their English departments to a series of meetings, to train the participants (?) on what to look for in a textbook, how to evaluate a textbook, and I dunno what else, because I was not one of the representatives. It seemed a lot of to-do when the usual process was to let the textbook reps bring samples by the school, and provide lunch as payment for taking our time so they could explain what was so great about their textbooks.

Ok, so they put us through all this rigamarole. Finally let us see the samples and vote on the textbook we want... or at least "recommend" the book we think is the best. The books are brought in at the worst possible time, at the end of the fall semester when teachers are worried about finals and grading and turning in grades before they leave for Christmas break. Still there are a few dedicated souls who look through the samples, and make their opinions known.

And then we wait. Are we waiting for the district to say which books they will buy for us? No. Are we waiting for them to arrive? Well, in a way... We are waiting to hear if the district will actually buy ANY books. Nice, huh. Go through all this process... process that THEY created, and for nothing. Wow, that is going to encourage us all to be so incredibly enthusiatic to participate next time, don't you think?

I hear this person say, well, they HAVE to buy us books, its law, we have to have new books every so many years. (really?) Another person says, oh yes, not only new texts, but choose a couple of novel titles that will come in the package deal for each teacher. (that would be nice). Still another person says, there will be NO new books, there is just no money for them. It is difficult to know in which direction to lean. I mean, I don't like being a pessimist, but honestly, I think our district put our department (and continues to do so) through a fruitless exercise. Another fruitless exercise. What is the point of it? A little rant ammo, I guess.

Wednesday, May 6, 2009

what to do, what to do

Two more weeks of school. What? counting down? who, me?

Speaking of counting I thought instead of talking about what is stressing me know, I would talk about what is getting me through that stress... the things I am looking forward to this summer.
Here's my top ten list of summer activities for this year.

10. Finish my patio. Gravel and brick, right out the french windows/door of my bedroom. Add some patio furniture and set up my patio fireplace for next cold season.

9. Road trip. I want to go somewhere. I have relatives who have never gotten to meet Raine, and I would love to go visit for a short time. I may have to content myself with a trip to Tucson.

8. Visit my friends in Tucson. A visit with Steph is good for my soul. That's what close friends are for.

7. Sewing. Yep. Imagine that. What a surprise. I should probably include doing crafts in general here.

6. Make the workbench in the craftroom actually usable as a workbench. Its been storage since we moved stuff in there. The items have gotten less dense, but it still needs serious, dedicated attention and a twitchy, obsessed organizer. (that may or may not be me... twitch, twitch)

5. Reorganize my side of the bedroom. NO MORE PILES of STUFF! at least not in front of the door to the patio...

4. Read. Read. Read. for entertainment.

3. Go camping. This one is high on the list, but may be out of reach this summer. I just don't have all the stuff for it any more. What's more, as much as I want to spend money on outfitting for it, I don't know that I can justify it to myself right now. Still, it IS on the list, and it could happen.

2. Write. More. Spend some time every day putting word onto paper. I don't just mean blogging, but that is included, and certainly helped me in developing a habit that I want to continue to grow.

1. Spend time with Raine. Did you think I would miss this one? OF course not. We'll work on her room. We'll read. Do swimming lessons. Read some more. Practice some math. Pull weeds in the yard. Go for walks. Read again. You know. All the best summer stuff.

Monday, May 4, 2009

birthday tribute

May 4th was my mom's birthday. Since my birthday is only six days before that, we often - at least as adults - shared our birthday celebrations. We both enjoyed that. I still remember her most on her birthday.

I don't need to go into all of her successes, nor all of her shortfalls here, but she was an amazing woman and a role model for me. The measuring stick against which I hold my accomplishments. Aren't we all like that with our moms, one way or another? Still, here was a woman who did not protest for women's rights, or equal treatment, she lived her statement of these issues. At a time when women went to college for a husband, she took math and science classes for a physics degree. Often, she was the only woman in those classes. When she worked for Shell Oil, she was the only woman with the company who wasn't a secretary. These are only a few of her accomplishments, and a high measuring stick indeed.

An intelligent woman, and a stubborn one. A good person, too. I try to learn from her successes, and from her mistakes as well. I see her in some of the things I do - for good or ill - for isn't that how we all are about our mothers, too?

I wish Raine could have known her. I wish even more that she could have known Raine. But I'm not writing this for regrets, or because I'm sad, but because she was my mom. Because I remember her, and still love her, and of course I miss her. Even though I know without a doubt she would still be able to make me crazy at times. Still, we all have those moments, don't we, even at almost 50, where we still want our mommies. Isn't that how we all are about our mothers?

I am.

are we there yet?

When my brother left to house-sit/teensit, he took his sackboy with him. I didn't know it (and why would I) until I went to go take a picture of it, and it wasn't there. Oh well. Today, Carl e-mailed me a picture of that sackboy that he had taken with his phone. I think I probably sent it privately to those parties whom I believed interested. Its not a universally appropriate photo, so it won't get posted here by me. The next sackboy project is underway. It will be posted when complete.

While Carl is not here, we are on our own for cooking. Not really a big deal. Last night I got a chicken out of the freezer, and cut up some potatos and liberally sprinkled carrots and mushrooms in a pan around the chicken, and left instructions for Ron to put it in the oven. Which he followed. Still, when I got home, it was not a done chicken. We ended up going out (but we will have some yummy chicken and veggies tomorrow, I can tell you...). When we pulled into the parking lot of our chosen restaurant, I said, "hey, is that Carl's truck?" "Yes, I believe it is," Ron replied. And so it was. We complained that they hadn't ordered for us, not even drinks. And we all thought it was a pretty good coincidence.

And it's only Monday?

Sunday, May 3, 2009

busy but good, mostly

We saw Battle for Terra, in 3D. I was pleasantly, surprised by this animated film. There was no gratuitous shoving of things in your face, while the layers of snow falling were beautifully done. The three dimensional effects were perfect for the flying, and space of course, things one does in three dimensions. The plot? well, it was OK. Terra is - of course - NOT earth...even though we call earth Terra... you know, as in terrestrial, or terraform... Why would we call a new world Terra? Ok, its just me. Still, it was quite an entertaining movie.

We also took apart a trampoline today, it is going from my step-mother's yard to the yard of Raine's friend. It probably took longer to take it down than it did to put it up, to begin with. I didn't really want it in my yard, but Raine loves to jump on it. So, why didn't I want it here? Well, if she could use it anytime she wanted, soon she wouldn't want to. If it is something she gets to use on occasion? Yeah, she'll enjoy it a whole lot longer.

Know what else we did this weekend? We turned on the air conditioner. Yep, May 2nd. We've had temperatures in the 90's already, and it was really not pleasant in the house on Saturday. Everyone did a little WOo Hoo! when we turned it on, and I'll be happily cool until the electric bill comes again. Sigh.

Not so good part? My step mother is back in the hospital again already. In ICU again, on very strong antibiotics, again. She sounded better today than she did yesterday, so that was good.

Saturday, May 2, 2009

sackboy mania

SO I made the sackboy prototype, and Carl decorated him... then put him in a compromising position... Lets just not say, "who's your sackboy!" OK?

Anyway, the posibilities are endless with these things, and we have been throwing so many ideas around that we had to go by Hobby Lobby for yarn after dinner. No, we couldn't do it tomorrow because - of course - Hobby Lobby is closed on Sundays. Still, hopefully, around and among all the regular Sunday chores, I can work on one or another, and post a picture or two...

Friday, May 1, 2009

friday

It is amazing what a Friday will do for one' s outlook. AHhhh. Friday. Now I just have to sort out my weekend, and not try to stack activities.

Need to go visit my step mother. Her health has been very poor lately. We'll be taking lunch, and maybe some goodies for her to have later on. (mental note: call Carrie and Ari and see about taking care of the trampoline at the same time).

MOVIES!!! Have I mentioned how we have a new, comfy, nice theater here in town now? Well, we do, and I have missed going to the movies. I think we are going to see one tomorrow, and then Star Trek is coming out next week. WOOT! I really, really want to see that one.

I'm having organizational urges. They aren't attacks, yet. Maybe I'll be able to hold off on some major reorganization until AFTER school is out, but I keep eyeing Raine's room. Her books are taking over, and we have a book case that would fit in there. The only thing holding me back is that is already has stuff on it... but then if it didn't it wouldn't be such a reorganization project. It's itching at me, you know... as that kind of thing sometimes does. Still Raine's room is pretty small, and crowded. The bookshelf would really help in there, and since we already have it, no cash outlay needed. The question is, when would I be able to do this?

Then there are the crafting projects, just waiting for me to be inspired... and I think I actually just was. Sackboy characters, here I come...