i miss something I never had

It is - at least in part - facebook's fault. I talk to people and keep up with them on facebook. Some of my cousins that I haven't talked to for years, and I missed. Life keeps moving on, and whether you like it or not, sometimes people fall by the way, even though they shouldn't. Since my parents died, it has been harder to keep up with extended family, who are all busy with living their lives in those extended places.

I've also reconnected with some friends who have moved onwards. Time has brought us children to add to the time and distance. Children I would enjoy getting to know, watching grow. I enjoy looking at their photos, and sharing the antics of theirs and mine. But, I miss them, too. I miss that we don't get to hang out and let our kids play together, and argue and - yeah, OK - scream with each other. I miss the family that we created, and then had to let fly. I miss it, but while we were all in the same place at the same time, the kids were only starting to start. Or they were older. But I know how we all kind of pitched it with the kids who were here, and I would love that to happen for/with Raine. It won't though, there was some kind of magic going on. Or something.

So, I will continue to enjoy the photos and the stories, and the updates, and wish we were the still the village, raising these kids together. Supporting each other.

one picture, or...

Um... yeah, one more Raine's birthday related post. I know, I know, you're as fascinated as I am. or. not.

Raine's grandparents sent her some money for her birthday, as grandparents will. I took her to the store over the weekend, after the snow and all, and let her pick out something. The something turned out to be a dragon. I thought she did pretty well with staying in her budget and all, and she is very pleased with the dragon.

I suggested that she take a picture of the dragon, so she could e-mail it to her grandparents and show them what she got. She was happy to do that, and carefully posed the dragon and we pushed the button so it would light up, and she took several photos. (digital cameras are wonderful) She sent a little message along with the photo.

The better picture - the one I didn't take (didn't want to wake her up) - was the one I saw later that evening. The fierce dragon was posed on the pillow, next to her favorite stuffed dog (that's his "bed") and under the covers. Not so tough now, are you, sleepy dragon...

kinda cool

Yes, this is another picture from Raine's party this past weekend.

Ezekiel wore his spore creature shirt, and then stood in front of their blue screen projector. The shirt has a blue background, which pretty much disappeared, leaving the creatures.

I thought it was kinda cool, and I would share with you.

not as planned

This year we planned to give Raine a swimming party for her birthday. After all, the new indoor municipal pool has opened and she and I have been enjoying it for a while now. So, we booked one of their party rooms, and Raine filled out her invitations and delivered them.

Then, mother nature made some deliveries, too. Snow, of course, and the coldest weather we've had in quite a while. The electric power stations were hard pressed to operate in the cold, and so there were rolling blackouts for several days. Many facilities closed (in fact I didn't go back to school today, even though Raine did - GHS was still having water issues) for the duration. The pool manager called and said we would either get a refund or we could reschedule. Sigh.

We relocated the party, because Raine's birthday has already passed, and the pool scheduling made us have the party later than we would have liked. We went to her close second choice, and the kids who made it had a good time, and that's the important thing.

It has been suggested that maybe a happy unbirthday party at the pool some other time might be just the thing. I'm inclined to agree... but maybe not THIS month...

raine stuff

If you look pretty close, you can see Raine's tooth, finally coming in. She's pretty cute, all right. Just ask me, I'll tell ya. She's also pretty patient with her mom, who takes silly pictures of her new tooth finally coming in.

Hope the other one breaks through soon. She's been without them since about Easter. (remember the dangle-y teeth photos?)

We had her birthday party planned for the new indoor pool facility that opened in the fall. Unfortunately, our recent winter weather has caused rolling black-out in the area, so they are closed until Tuesday or so. They called and said we could either reschedule or get a refund. We're already more than a week past her birthday, so I think the reschedule is out. We're kinda disappointed, because the pool party just really sounded like fun. Oh well, Chuckie Cheese, here we come.

an interesting week

The winter weather that hit much of the country did not pass us by, here in New Mexico. We got our 2-4 inches and it brought us to a halt. In many places, that much snow is barely noticed. Here, it's more problematic.

For one thing, although we might get an inch or two of snow every other year or so, we don't usually get the cold temperatures that we have this year. Not only has this been the coldest weather of the year, but the coldest of several years, maybe a decade. We don't have the street equipment to clear the roads if the sun doesn't do it for us. We have sand and road graders. Yep, I've seen it with my own eyes.

Another thing that has happened this year, is that a couple of the local power stations can't handle the cold, so the power grid here is on the edge. There have been rolling black-outs for a couple of days, now. We have been pretty fortunate, they haven't been too long, or tooo annoying. The power company has asked that the schools remain closed, however, to prevent further drain on the system.

Along with this, many people have had frozen pipes, which will result in leaks of various sizes when things thaw out in the next couple of days. We've been lucky that ours are doing OK so far.

It has been a week of reading, occasional computer time, grading papers, and - hopefully, tomorrow - some sewing. Raine has probably been bored occasionally, because that is how kids are. I've been reveling in it. I know the time is a gift that isn't given that often.

strings of pearls

The photo today is of Roxanne's tunic top. Yes it is sleeveless so she can wear it like a shell, under jackets or sweaters. I've given up on the outfits that include jacket-y pieces. I really like the way they look, but I just get too HOT. Then, I want to take off the jacket, or push up the sleeves, and generally, then the outfit doesn't look as good. Roxanne, however, enjoys them. She also works at the university, and walks outside, and has an occasionally chilly office or lecture hall.

I do want to talk about the fabric for a moment. It is a black background with flowy stripes of beads. It is very organic feeling, and I think the wavey stripes add a lot of interest to it. The camera, on the other hand, didn't like them quite as well, as you can see. I think it would help if I set the camera on a tripod, but I don't have the patience yet.

Anyway, I think it manages to satisfy my idea of something that is formal and serious enough to wear to work while still incorporating an element of fun. I was very happy with how it came out. So, would a couple of long strings of white pearly beads work on this top, or would it be too much? Maybe something in turquoise...