Snug as bugs in a rug . . .

YEAH!  India's office closed at noon, so her dad drove in to town to escort her home in the blizzard.  It was so bad, she couldn't even see his pick up driving right in front of her.   Yes, it's that bad.  And yes, Noah's basketball game was cancelled, as well as all other games that were scheduled and most of the businesses in town.  And the entire county is under a no-travel advisory.  Roads will be closing soon, I'm sure.  And this is only the first wave of the storm.  The really bad stuff is supposed to come tomorrow!  What?!  Can you say, "Antarctica?"  What were our ancestors thinking???   Oh, yeah. That whole free land thing.  Whatever happened to that, I wonder?

So, we are here, all together, fire glowing brightly while all we can see outside is pure white.   (I kind of feel like I'm in a padded room . . . maybe I am!  aaahhh!)

Anyway, I imagine we'll break out the Clue game, and Catan, maybe Canasta, catch an episode of Psych on the computer and more than likely, consume masses amount of food.  Hey, it IS a snow day, you know.

So - THANK YOU GOD that we are all together and we are safe.
Guess I didn't need those worry beads after all . . .

Reflections . . .

Here it is, the day before the last day of the year.  Can you believe it?  Where has it gone?  It's been one of those years I am glad to have over, I have to say.  Milestones, like India turning 18, Ezra turning 13, the boys qualifying to go to the state swim meet, Noah finally growing into his big feet - those are fine.  But my sister's death, a flooded basement, a flooded yard, Gary's winged-out back, too many blizzards to count, too many times stuck in the snow or mud - those we could have done without.
BUT - even through all that - junk - God is still God and he knows what he's doing and everything is for a purpose - even if I have to reassure myself of that sometimes.  Cause when you're in the middle of it all - that's when it's the hardest.  When you come out of it and look back, it doesn't seem so bad.  Well, usually.  My sister's death - I'm still in denial about that . . .

And here I sit, typing away, looking out at what started the day as an ice storm, which has now blossomed into a full fledged blizzard, with 38 mile an hour winds, and blowing and drifting snow.  It's downright UGLY.  It wouldn't be so bad, if we were all home - safe and snug together in front of the fire - I'd say - bring it on!  But no, India is in town at work - which stinks.  So - as my aunt would say, "Gotta get the worry beads out."  See, back in the day, another aunt of mine would have a little stone she kept in her purse, and when she was worried or upset, she'd take it out and rub it.  Perhaps out of nervousness, perhaps because she was ubber superstitious, perhaps she was just a little strange - I'm not sure.  But the worry-bead aunt was (and is) much too sophisticated for a mere pebble in her purse.  No, she had to go all out and make it a decorative necklace with several beads to rub.  Talk about your worry!  Me -  I try not worry too much (quit laughing, children) - well - I try to turn it into trust.  Into our heavenly Father.  And just pray.  I said I try.  I didn't say I was very good at it.

But as for today - Noah was supposed to have a basketball game out of town.  Well, I'm waiting for the email stating the cancellation for that one any minute.  That's life here in the north.  Sure, we schedule our lives down to the hour, but there isn't a winter yet where a single schedule's ever been kept.  It's already been blown a few times this winter,  and it's not even January.

So - to occupy our time stuck in our little hovel - we have a whole host of things we like to do.  We eat, we play games, we eat, we read, we eat, we watch a movie on-line (while eating) - or we sit mesmerized as Ezra makes origami things.   Right now, he's got a 'peace crane' he made hanging from the ceiling.  He's also make an entire chess set, several 3D shapes and animals, viking's hats, and other creatures we're still not sure what they are.  Yes, he has a book, but most of the stuff he's just made up himself.  That's just freaky.  But it's fun.
Hey, when the weather's like this and you can't go play outside - you have to be creative.

Well, the heavy snow is starting to come down.  And I can barely see the trees in front of my house.  The roads are drifting over and even the cats are hiding.  Rats.  I wish India had called in sick or something.
 Um, Aunt Betty - about those worry beads . . .

New teeth . . .

We just came off a month of mouth fun.  First, everyone went to the dentist and got our teeth cleaned.  That was fine, but when India went - during the cleaning, the girl actually moved one of her teeth!  I'm still not quite sure how that happened, but after 2 years of braces, she was having none of that!  So back she went to the orthodontist to get that fixed.  Then I finally went in to get my teeth fixed from when I had braces years ago. And just yesterday, Noah got braces put on (complete with bright, green bands).  He's got the longest haul - 16 months of bother.  I have 5 months and India has 5 weeks.  My goodness the $$$!!  I think we just paid for Doctor Van Laecken's next vacation - or two - or three.
And so - I have come to a realization.  If anyone wants a career that helps people really feel better about themselves, that makes you a nice living, and one where you can retire early - go into orthodontics.  The guy who put India's braces on just few years back is already retired - and he's in his mid-fifties.  Not a bad gig if you can get it.  Maybe you could be an ortho doc in some third world country and spread the gospel while fixing people's teeth. Or, right here in the states - maybe on the Indian reservations or poor inner city areas - you know - just go there for a few days a month or something.   mmm - just a thought.

Well, smile everyone and show those pearly whites!  We have much to smile about.  :)

'I waited patiently for YHWH and he inclined unto me and heard my cry.  He brought me also out of the horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon the rock and ordered my goings.  And he hath put in my mouth a new song of praise unto our God:  many shall see it and fear, and shall trust in YHWH.'  Psalm 40:1-3

Good old terra ferma . . .

Back on solid ground.  Yippee!  There is a reason they label freaks like us white-knuckle flyers.  The poor woman who sat beside me was getting a bit worried I was going to rip the arm rest right off the seat.  I didn't.  (Well, maybe just loosened it a tad)  It's one thing to go through the long lines, the searches, the security checks, the x-rays, the bad food, the long walk to the gate, the waiting, the bad food, the toxic fumes - and then to have to actually get inside this metal paper-towel tube filled with 50 strangers sitting shoulder to shoulder loaded with hundreds of gallons of gasoline hovering above the ground at 34,000 feet in the air and to be expected to 'sit back and enjoy your flight' - they've got to be kidding.
Did I mention I'm not a big fan of flying??

No. Carolina, however, was lovely.  The people, the food, the weather - nice mini-vacation.  India got to spend time with her college friends, which were a super bunch I must say, we got to square dance (sorry to the two guys who drew the short straw and had to dance with me - but thanks - it was great fun and you were very gracious about it), we hung out at the mall (I went to the wrong one and spent and hour getting lost), we toured the Billy Graham Library, and we ate well.  So all in all, it was a grand time and it was worth it.

The boys faired well while we were away.  Chef Noah made some awesome meals and has threatened to take over my job as head cook.  Rats.  Why couldn't he have mastered the fine art of proper toilet cleaning instead?  Now there's a job I wouldn't mind giving up.

We missed the big blizzard that shut down roads and airports and canceled events and closed shops.  I wasn't too sad about that, I can tell you.  It was nice to see holly trees/bushes, to walk on grass without Ugg boots and without having to buck 40 mph winds.   Um, why is it we live up here again . . .

Well, we do.  And we are back and back into the swing of things.  Noah has his first basketball game tomorrow (God willing), India started her new job, Noah's getting braces, and the swimming and dancing and shoveling and freezing continues.  But, we're all together and that's the most important thing.

So, even though it's 15 degrees and it's snowing - again - I'll take it.  It's better than hiding under the seats in an airplane.  Not that I actually did that of course.  Good grief.
Well, I might have thought about it for a second.  Or two.  Or ten . . .  


 

Talk about your Manic Monday . . .

Not to be curmudgeon, but yesterday was a Monday through and through.
First off, at 4 am, I hear the toilet running.  Which means the water tanks are out of water, which means we have no water in the house.  I fix the toilet (it's a sticky flusher), wake Gary to turn off the pump and pray that the tanks will fill up so we can shower.  Then I try to go back to bed to sleep.  It wasn't happening.  
 At 2:00 we drive to the dentist and got delayed by a train.  They're swamped, Noah gets in late and there's a mix-up about ex-rays, procedures, blah, blah, blah.  So Noah's late to basketball practice - not good.  So, by the time it was India's turn at the dentist, she was really running late, not to mention we had the same mix-up with ex-rays, procedures, blah, blah, blah - all over again.  Meanwhile, as I'm driving back to the dentist to settle the bill, (I literally had to flee without paying cause Noah was so late) the pickup stops.  I mean, it was running, but not moving.  I had well over a half a tank of gas, but when I pushed the gas peddle - nothing.  I'm only going  about 5 miles an hour, just coasting.  So, I literally coast to the dentist - finish up there and try to coast my way to the mechanic's.  It's a good thing our town is pancake flat, or I would have been in big trouble!

I talk to the mechanic and he says he can't look at it til tomorrow afternoon.  Splendid.  So I wait til Gary can leave work, walk to the dance studio, pick up India's car and drive over.  Now, I'm late picking up the boys from the Y, I am late to talk with the swim coach about our bill and swim stuff and since it's now nearly 5 o'clock, it's too late to pay for the licence for our vehicles and get to the post office and do 1/2 the other errands I needed to do.  I was starting to get a wee bit frustrated.  

Gary finally gets to the shop and hops in the pickup to check it out.  And what do you think happens?  That's right - it works just fine.  Of course.  He's Gizmo. You know - the guy in the comics - the guy who whenever there's a computer problem, he comes in, sits down and suddenly the broken thing that was just happening, stops happening and everything works just fine??  Yeah, that's Gary.  It always happens with computer stuff, car stuff, appliance stuff, printer stuff . . . you name it.  And so now of course he thinks I'm delusional. (not the first time) But that's not where it stops.  NO.  We drop off the car for India, and I can't lock the doors.  Seriously.  I hit the driver's side lock, they lock and instantly they re-open, like some little imp is lifting up on the lock right after I lock it. (it's as if I can hear him snickering in the back seat)  I keep trying and trying and it just keeps happening.  Okay, now I'm starting to wonder if there's something wrong with me.  Like something metaphysical is going on or something.  Hey, I thought, I did have ex-rays last week - maybe I'm radioactive.  (or maybe it's just my electric personality. . .  okay - maybe not)   But it was starting to freak me out a little, I have to tell you.  But can you guess what happens next?  Yep.  Gary simply walks over, flips the lock and of course all the doors lock and don't  'magically' unlock.  Now I'm really getting paranoid.

So I sit there, forehead on the steering wheel, wallowing.  Come on, God, I say.  Enough!
Then it hits me.  I really do have a choice here.  I could milk this for all it's worth and complain as to what a woeful day is plaguing me, how terrible and utterly horrible things are and such.  Yeah, I could.  (and did inside, a little - I have to admit)  But, then I suck it up and say out loud, oh, good grief.  It could be worse.  And you know, it really could be.  WAY worse.  I mean, just think how way worse it could be.
 Just then, Gary hops in the pickup and says, after getting the doors on the Honda to stay locked,  See - things are looking up already!  (always the optimist, eh?!)

I had to smile.  Yeah, these little Monday annoyances are just petty when you think about it.  A bit stressful in the moment, but in the scheme of things, not exactly catastrophic.  So, I chose to grin and sigh and thank God that these are my problems at the moment.  Everyone of them buggy by themselves, taken together just plain aggravating, but in the context of eternity, completely and totally trivial.

So, I survived Manic Monday and laughed in the devil's face.  I have so much to be thankful for and I need to focus on that instead of all these little ticky things.  Besides, they all got solved, and no there was no harm done - except to my self-control - or lack thereof.  

So - smile!  Some things - most things - just aren't worth getting so worked up about. (I'm telling myself)
And besides -  now it's Tuesday!  :)

Sunshine deprivation . . .

Okay, so this is day 74 without seeing the sun.  Well, maybe not quite 74, but it feels like it.  It's 19 degrees as I type, it's lightly snowing, and the boys are out chopping wood.  Tis the season . . .

Busy week, this was.  Ez had yet another Mathcounts competition and got first place.  He's 3 for 3.  Not bad.
Then Ez and Judah had a swim meet and did really well.  They both made a state time and cut time in most events.  The bonus:  it was the annual candy cane meet, in which, if you get first in your heat, you get a candy cane.  Judah got two and Ez got one.  Not a bonus:  they tasted terrible.  They weren't your traditional, and might I add - normally flavored peppermint, but some lab-induced, sugar-laden, chemically-colored, frankenfood.  Yuck.  
And also this week, basketball has started up with a vengeance.  Noah's had two-a-days and he's just not used to it.  Ez and Judah have been swimming two days a week at 5am for a couple months now - so they are a bit more conditioned to those early morning hours.  Noah, on the other hand, would sleep til noon if we let him, thus, he's having a little more difficult time in adjusting.  Well, we better all get used to it - we have three more months of this craziness!!  AAAHHHHHH!

By the way - anybody want any cats?  We have 6 that we would gladly part with.  They sit there so nice and cute in front of the door, but then as soon as the door opens a crack, they turn demonic and pounce inside like maniacs.  And then like maniacs ourselves, we scream (well - I scream) and we run around the house chasing them down to throw them out.  Not only that, they crawl on the screens outside and paw at the windows as if we're going to let them in.  Now, we love them because they kill the mice, but they are supposed to be barn cats and stay in the barn - well - except for the fact that we don't have a barn.  But we have an old garage and a horse shelter with a tack room and an old chicken house that is converted to a play house that they have access to.  So there.  Anyway, we have 6 lovely garage/tack room/chicken house cats - just in time for the holidays.  Any takers??

You want jelly with that . . .

Here's a sad tale.  Or tail, if you want a bad pun.  We wondered where one of the cats were last week, cause it was really cold and they all usually keep pretty close to the front door - so much so, that when we open it, they tumble over each other and try to sneak in - all at once in a frenzied mass of paws and whiskers. But, one had been missing.  Well, a couple days ago, we saw a black clump in the tall grass by the trees, but didn't know what it was.  India decides to go check it out and here it was a cat that had gotten her head stuck in a peanut butter jar and couldn't get it off.  I couldn't believe it.  The poor little thing.  Talk about your nine lives.  For Pete's sake.   She must have gotten into one of the garbage cans out back and somehow found the empty can and couldn't resist.  India pulled the jar off and we let her into the house to warm up and clean up.  She shook for hours.  Can you imagine the trauma?  She's fine now, but I imagine she'll switch to something else to eat for breakfast . . .

Heat wave!  46 degrees today!  Can you believe that?  We were nearly sunbathing!  Absolutely beautiful.  One of those days when you go for two walks, play football, sit on the patio and stare at the wispy clouds against the azure blue sky and smell the cool crisp air.  Ahhhhh.  Marvelous.

Black Friday.  I avoid it like the plague.  Always have.  Hate massive crowds.  Hate shopping.  But - when someone accidentally broke the food processor, and the sale catalog enticed me with a 50% off sale of all appliances, well, I just had to go.  My goodness there were a lot of people.  Frantic people.  All crazed and spastic.  People people everywhere!  And the funny thing is, I saw a lot of people I knew and each one of them said the same things -    "I never come shopping on Black Friday, but. . .  I hate shopping, but . . .  I can't stand all this craziness, but . . .    Isn't this insane?    I can't believe I'm here, cause I don't usually do this, but . . . "  And yet, there we all were, arms and carts loaded with stuff.  I say we're brainwashed.  Or more likely -  it's a conspiracy.  That's it.  And here's an example.   Gary was looking at computers online, and found one he decided to get, but got distracted and didn't order it right then.  Now - note -  this was 4 days before the biggest shopping day of the year.  You know, when everything is on sale for the lowest prices of the year.  Well, a couple days later, he gets an email from this company with their Black Friday specials and that very computer was on sale!  Hey, we thought, that worked out well!  Well, except for the fact that it was 100 dollars MORE than it was BEFORE it went 'on sale'!   I know.  Scary, isn't it?  Beware people.  Beware.  :)

 

Politics as usual . . .

Well, well.  My daughter, the one who hasn't really been too politically minded or politically vocal, has now gotten a job as an intern for Senator John Thune!  She's so excited about it too.  How fun.  I think she'll learn a lot and will certainly get a ton of really good experience that she wouldn't get any where else.  And hey, there's talk he'll run for President - wouldn't that be something!  Funny what life throws at you.  This was certainly not even in the realm of possibilities she thought she'd be doing.  Ever.  Great fork in the road, I say.  Well, maybe not a fork, just a frontage road - along side the main highway of life.  (Hey, there have been worse analogies.)

No travel for us this holiday - we got about an inch of freezing rain on the roads, and driving is ugly.  I watched one guy miss the turn because he just slid right passed it and nearly went in the ditch.  That and the fact that it's supposed to snow another 3 inches tonight and the winds are to pick up to 20 -30 mph - which could make things downright dangerous - we are staying put.  No football on the farm with the cousins this year.  Rats.  We'll just make our own vegan meal, stuff ourselves, and sit around playing Catan and watching bits and pieces of the NFL online.  At least, that's our plan.  Who knows what tomorrow will bring.  Kind of feel a little guilty about that, actually.  We're so blessed and we have so much to be thankful for - and if I started to list everything, I'd be here all day.  I do hope we all can find some things to be thankful for - even in the midst of pain and sorrows and loss and struggles.  We all have them, some more than others, I know.  I just hope we are all given the strength to get through them.  And that's why it's good to remember the blessings and thank God for them.  Every day.  It just helps to keep on keeping on.  

Well - Have a Happy Thanksgiving and be safe everyone!

And save some mashed potatoes and gravy for me - that's my favorite part!
Oh - and the Soy Nog. (it's good - really)  And the Tofurky. (looks and tastes nothing like turkey, but we make it just for the fun of it)  And the stuffing.
Okay - I have a couple favorites . . .   :)  

Are we there yet . . .

Okay, if you ever want to tour Lake Harriet in Minneapolis, Mn - just ask India and I, because I think we saw it about 4 times this weekend.  From all sides.  See, we dropped the boys off at the Target Center to watch the Lakers beat the Timberwolves and we were going to go shopping.  But, between someone who is geographically challenged, map challenged and direction challenged - and one who can't see the road at night, we were lucky we didn't end up in Nebraska.  We were also lucky we didn't get killed!  We did start to worry and knew we took a wrong turn when we watched two guys cross the street, one of which pulled a gun out of his pocket and then stared at us.  YES!  A REAL GUN!    I KNOW!
I said, um, is that a gun?  No reply.  I was very thankful I was driving a 1 ton 4 wheel drive diesel pickup that sounds like an army tank, for they just watched us pass and, well, didn't shoot.  Yes.  Thank God.
We turned the corner, and another corner, and another, and then she speaks, Um, why is the city over there?  I looked, and sure enough, the city had moved and was on the wrong side of the lake.  Again.  I turned another corner and  there we were, crossing the freeway we had crossed 45 minutes before.  Before seeing the other side of the lake - twice - and before the guy with the gun.
I just gasped and thought, no, please, not again!
Just take this road here, she screams at me - because for the first time in her life, she knew where she was going, well, this time anyway, and we got to the mall just in time to almost turn right around to go back to pick up the guys.
And I don't think we bought a thing.  (Although it did cross my mind to look for a bullet proof vest - if they would sell such a thing at Southdale Mall)
Maybe we just shouldn't be let loose in the city.  Alone.  In the dark.  Without a very, very, VERY detailed map.  That or a 6 foot 8, 350 lb body guard named Mondo.  Or I guess we could just get a GPS . . .

Okay, so, we're back home, safe and sound, and did not get picked up for speeding once!  I have to tell you, it's hard going from a 70 mph speed limit in South Dakota down to 55.  It feels like you're crawling.  But I was good and obeyed the law.  Really.

Tonight it will get to 1 degree BELOW zero.  Yeah - tell me about it.  Hey. You think we enjoy this??  No - we do not.  We simply endure it and then complain about it!  It's a way of life up here.  It's in the genes.  We actually pass it down from generation to generation.  Just like the Israelites.
I will tell you though, it snowed today and they were those really huge puffy snow flakes you'd see in the movies.  They just floated down like feathers.  It was beautiful I have to admit.  But 3 inches is enough.  It could not snow for the rest of the winter and I don't think too many people would complain. (well - we just wouldn't complain about THAT)

Okay - enough.
So, if you ever get to Minneapolis and need  someone to show you around - um -well, maybe you better call a tourism operator . . .  :)

Wonderful winter wood heat . . .

Ah, the best heat on the planet.  The boys got the tractor, the chain saw, axes, and their muscles all fired up, and whal-ah - we have fire.  There is nothing like it.  Don't you just love the smell of smoke from a wood burning stove on a cold, crisp day?  I do.  Hey, we have to find something good out of this frigid northland.   Like sitting here just now, we watched a teenage deer with little stubs for antlers walk across our yard.  A blue jay landed on the tree outside our house, the black birds are darkening the sky, along with the geese - which is unusually late, I think.  (Maybe that's a sign it's going to be a mild winter. Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?)

 But really - there's just something - I don't know - mountain-like - about the smell of a smoke in the winter.  Even though the highest hill we have around here is a man-made sledding hill that's 30 feet tall - well - we just have to pretend we're in the mountains.  Yeah, it's a stretch, but we Dakotans are good at trying to convince ourselves of things like that - you know.  Like - it's not really that cold - it's just - um - refreshing.  Or - it's not really that cold - it's just the wind.  And - the classic - it's good for your lungs.    What - not convinced?
Come on - where's your sense of adventure?
Um, actually, mine is more along the lines of running on the beach, or snorkling, or hiking in a rain forest.  Snow boots, mittens, wool scarves, and thermal underwear - I can do without.  

The boys made a fort with some of the wood and they and the cats hide out in it.  That's about the extent of their outdoor excietment when it's 20 degrees and there's no snow.  I say, as long as it's so cold - we could have at least a smattering of snow - if nothing else - so the critters have some moisture to 'drink' when all the lakes and rivers freeze -  if you know what I mean.

A hunter - all dressed in camo, carrying a bow just walked in front of the house.  He was empty-handed - which means our teenage deer friend is probably okay.   Maybe he got scared and ran away when Gary started his diesel truck.  That thing could wake the dead.  Sorry, Mr. Hunter.  Maybe next time . . .

Keep warm, and the hot cocoa hot!

Who's the optimist . . .

I talked with someone yesterday who lives life in the extreme end of ick.  He sees everything in his life and in the world as horrible, terrible and bad.  I don't talk with him much, because when I do, I get sad.  Sad because he sees life as so hopeless and sad that he can't see joy in anything.  I try to keep the conversation light and happy, but he'll have none of it.  (I wonder if he somewhat enjoys to wallow.)  I've heard the saying, hope for the best and expect the worst.  This guy doesn't even hope for the best, he just expects the worst.  He says, if you expect the worst, and it happens, you won't be disappointed.  But, that's such a cynical way of looking at things, isn't it?  (And this is coming from one big cynic herself.)   But to not have any hope.  Wow.  That is the depths.  I admit, I have thought that a few times in my life, and it is ugly - plain and simple.  'Life is horrible, everyone is horrible, the world is horrible and it stinks'.   It is not a fun place to be.   For you, or anyone around you.  

I think of David, running for his life, being stalked by his own father-in-law and king.  Shunned and in hiding, he had reason to be hopeless. I mean, come on.  Someone wanted to kill him!   And you see his despair in his writings.  But you also see his hope.  Hope that his pain will end.  Hope that things will get better.   And through it all, he doesn't curse God and blame Him and deny Him just because things are not going well at the moment.  He questions Him, and cries out to Him, sure, but in the end, David still praises God through it all.

I love the Psalms.  They show how life can hurt and how things can be hard to deal with in a real and honest way.  And it also shows that in the midst of  it, God is still there.  Still sovereign.  Still trust worthy.  And He'll get us through, one way or another.  It's just that we might not like the way He gets us out of it, but He will help us out none-the-less.

So I pray for this man I talked with on the phone.  I pray that he will see the hope of God in his life.  I pray that he would start to see beauty and joy, even in the middle of  his ick.  Yes, the cold and dreary weather is ugly and depressing.  But, the clouds don't stay forever.  The sun will shine again.  And that is something I have to remember myself.  I can let my circumstances rule my attitude, or I can let God do it.  I choose God.  And I hope he will too.

Enjoy it while it lasts . . .

Right now, it's 66 degrees!  Can you believe that?!  For mid-November in northern South Dakota - that is phenomenal.  And boy howdy are we loving it!  And we better, because it's supposed to snow tonight.  (I know)  So - get out and run.  Ride bike.  Go for a walk.  Sit on your porch in a tee shirt and smile at the sun! Enjoy the day.  It's a beautiful one.  And it just might be the last one for - months and months.
Do you get the feeling that all we have to talk about up here is the weather??!

Last night we stopped in at the book signing for Don Meyer's new book, 'How Lucky Can You Be?'  It was so neat to hear the author talk about the coach in such an endearing way, sharing some funny stories and some emotional ones, to a packed house.   You have got to admire this guy and what he and his family went through.  He credits God for everything and it's so refreshing to hear him do that in a bold way.  They say there might even be a movie made of it.  Now wouldn't that be something?  And I don't know, just living here, watching the games he coached, seeing him break the all-time winning record, being on ESPN and the national news, and then standing in line with him at Qdoba is pretty cool.  Kind almost feel a part of it, you know?  Anyway,  if you have a chance, get this book, and be prepared to be wowed.  It's a fabulous and yet unbelievable story.  Snipets can be found on youtube also, if you want to take a look.
 We of course bought a book and even got it signed by both the author and Coach Meyer. I usually detest standing in line for autographs, because to me, it really doesn't matter that much, but after we bought the book and started to walk down the hall, there was the table where they were sitting and only about 20 people in line.  I figured, what the heck, so I just walked up, and in 5 minutes, got the book signed by them both.  Not bad.  Of course, my boys, ever the entrepreneurs, (or greedy mongers, take your pick) wanted me to buy more so they could immediately turn around and sell them on Ebay for a nice profit!   Kind of scary, isn't it?

This weekend we went to listen to a musical group from Israel play and sing.  It was quite good.  It wasn't your traditional Israeli music, but it was enjoyable.  We were kind of waiting for 'If I Were a Rich Man' type of stuff from Fiddler on the Roof, but there was no 'Tevye' or 'To Life' to be found.  Rats.  Watching the percussion guy was fun though.  He was rocking out like mad, playing 8 different kinds of drums, goat toe nails and bells and cymbals.   So there, we do have a bit of culture up here in the prairie.  Once in a while.

Well, good-bye - I'm going outside for my last hurrah before we have to break out the boots and mitts.
 I'm being paged to be the ref in an intense soccer game.  Or maybe just the cheerleader.  Then again, probably just a spectator.  I better not push it . . .

Newton or Pascal . . .

Ok, neither.  But Ezra did win the 7th grade Mathcounts competition held this morning.  With well over 100 middle-schoolers participating, he squeaked out first place.  Not bad!  Way to go, Ez!

And the elections are over and for the most part I am quite happy.  There are a couple of races I could weep over, like Nevada and California, and we're still waiting to hear about Alaska, but all in all - I think a clear message was sent.  Down with Socialism!  Down with mandatory health care!  Down with Cap and Trade!  Freedom!  Liberty!  Our money - our lives - our choice!
Ok - I'll get off the podium now.

My daughter was so thrilled to be able to vote for the very first time!  I remember that feeling - well - I kind of get that feeling every time I vote.  What a privilege.  And, yes, there is corruption and fraud, but we still live in the very best country in the world and so, as much as I chastise my ancestors for moving to such a decidedly barren, cold, harsh area; they did come HERE - to the USA - and not, say, Cambodia or Columbia - or Indonesia - and for that I am so extremely grateful!  So, thanks - great grandpa!
(Now - if we just move to a different part of the USA - a warmer part - yes - just for the weather - I'd be pleased as punch!)

I'm reading Job right now and my only thought is - and yes, I'm going to emblazon this on a tee-shirt -
  BE A REAL FRIEND - Not a  JOB'S  FRIEND    
or maybe you just put  JOB's FRIENDS in one of those circles with the line through it.
Not the kind of friends you want to have, are they?
'Mourn with those who mourn' or 'weep with those who weep.'  
Wow. In other words - don't say (preach) so much.  Just be there.   Good lesson, eh?
Yeah.  I'll say.  

And so now -  you newly elected servants - let's get on with restoring our country!  Whoo-oot!  (as my daughter would say)

Ah, the sun - finally . . .

Well, the 5 day storm finally passed and left us with quite a lovely weekend.  And what did we do to take advantage of it?  Nothing.  Nothing at all.  We sat around, talked, watched a few episodes of psych on the laptop, ate, read scripture, the guys played football and made a fort out of willow branches, all the children played tag/hide-and-go-seek/some spy-running-in-the-dark game, Gary and I took a couple leisurely strolls down the gravel road, ate some more and napped.  I think we fulfilled the 'day of rest' commandment - and then some!

By this time of the year, we are usually swarmed with lady bugs, box elder bugs, spiders and attic flies.  So far, all we've really gotten are the spiders.  Gary and I will go for a walk and we come back covered in webs.  It's like going through a haunted house.  Creepy.  But interestingly enough, those other critters are quite few and far between.  Which is nice.  So very nice.  I'm not a fan of critters.  At all.  Of any kind. Well, I'd take ants on a log every now and then, but that's as far as I go!  ;)

And here it is - November!  And it's nice out!  What happened?  The weather is so mixed up around here, we can't get our minds to figure out what's what.  It's 57 degrees as I sit here, looking out at the calm, gorgeous, sunny day.  Nary a speck of wind, millions of black birds covering the skies, the bluebirds are stopping by here and there and it's just splendid.  I mean, the trees are devoid of leaves, but the grass is still very green, not brown and hard and crunchy as it's supposed to be.  So, my mind says it must be September or possibly the very beginning of October - but not November.  Crazy.  We'll take it - certainly - but it is crazy none-the-less.  And as far as I'm concerned - it can stay like this til - March.   :)

Here's wishing you a magnificent Indian Summer.  Have a great week!

Oh, and PS - for those of you who read my last post - I found the check for the taxes.  In the flower bed.  In front of the house.  Soaking wet.  Go figure.  And the boys fixed the mailbox, and the scratch in the pickup wasn't all THAT bad.  So - all is right with the world once again.  (For now . . .)

Let it snow? . . .

Well, it's officially here.  We have about 1/2 inch of snow on the ground this morning and it is still snowing.  The winds are so fierce, around 45 mph, that it technically is not 'falling' but flying sideways.  And yesterday, well, yesterday was not a really great day for yours truly.  First of all, the awning got totally ripped to shreds on our RV because of the high winds.  The trees we planted 10 years ago were flirting with the power lines, which, even though it caused a really cool electrical light display, the power company didn't think that was too cool at all.  Especially since it was messing with keeping the electricity on in the area, which isn't good when your heat source is electric and it's 30 degrees!   So at 9 o'clock last night, they came knocking.  They attempted to cut down the tops of the trees, but in the dark and wind, they actually cut them about in half.  It's pretty ugly looking I must say.  And rats, no more cool fireworks.

But it was kind of fun to light the candles and listen to some cool music while the electricity was out.  Cheap fun, eh?

Did I mention it was not a really great day for me yesterday?  I was given a check by my husband for the taxes, which I promptly stuck in the front pouch of my purse.  As soon as I went outside, the wind captured it and who knows, it's probably in the next county by now.   If anyone in Minnesota finds it, let me know.  Then, as I tried like Dorothy against the on-coming tornado to search for the fleeing paper, I was nearly knocked out of breath by the 70 mph winds.  Try walking upright in that!  I manage to get into the truck, proceed to back up and then smacked right into the mailbox - yes, ripped it completely off the 4x4 post.  I literally cried.   Hey, do you think I could blame it on the high winds?  Or maybe it was the big power company trucks?   How about a really strong cat?  I did see a really angry skunk out last night . . .
Hey, it was just a thought.  Rats.

Not to mention I'm so loosing in Fantasy Football, it's pathetic.

I'm due for a bit of good luck, wouldn't you say?  If you believe in that sort of thing, which I don't, but it sounds good right about now!

Okay - here's to a better day today - I'm hoping.   :)

Stay warm and watch out when you back out of the driveway!  

Swim like a fish - or a salamander . . .

First swim meet of the winter and the boys were incredible!  Judah made state time in the 50 back by 2 seconds and crushing his old time!  He's close in a couple other races as well, so he should have a good season.  Since Ez had a birthday, he's now in a higher age bracket and the times are quicker.  Even so, he got within one tenth of a second in the 50 free and he shaved time in a couple other races too.  So, yeah for them!

Well, it's official.  The nice weather is over.  Should have stayed outdoors the whole day on Friday just to soak up the sun.  We won't be seeing it now, till, well, probably May.  Or June.  If then.  Not that I'm cynical or anything.  :)  The rain has come and we may even see snow on Wednesday.  Yuck.  I know, it's October and I should be expecting it, but to tell the truth, I'm never really ready for it.  California here I come!!  I wish.

I was thinking this cold weather would slow down the influx of salamanders into our basement.   Oh, just go with me here.  We have a house that's over 100 years old, the basement is not remotely finished, we have 2 sump pumps just to get rid of the water that rises up like lava, and so, along with it comes the critters.   It's something I just choose to ignore.  Most of the time.
I told him, just get rid of them!  He says, they'll just come back.  I said, Not if they're dead!!!
Come on, don't they hibernate or something?  Migrate to say, Oklahoma for the winter?  It's not like there's any food to eat or dirt for them to burrow in down there.  The floor is concrete.  I spose they just sneak in through the sump hole and can't find their way back out.   And they creak.  Yes. Creak. Or chirp, like a cricket, only in a lower tone, more sinister sounding that lasts for several seconds.  It's downright creepy.
So that's why I never - ever - EVER go down there.  Seriously.  Are you kidding me?  NO WAY.
I say, that's what boys are for.  Right?   You know, to take care of all that - stuff.  Mice, snakes, stopped up toilets, taking out the garbage, tripped electrical breakers and - well - salamanders in your basement.   Yes, the male species is good for something.  (Just kidding.  I do Thank God for them every day.  Really.  Even when they do leave the toilet seat up and their dirty clothes on the floor.  In exchange for the rest of that mentioned above - I'd say we're even.)

So today, on a Hebrew holiday, I'm serving Mexican casserole.   ?  Oh, why not?  Maybe tomorrow I'll make falafels or something.  Well, India will.  That - besides all goodies baked and sweet - is her specialty.    Anyway, what else can you do when it's 40 degrees and raining?  Watch highlights of football and reruns of PSYCH on your laptop.  Or do laundry.  Or clean.  Or pay bills.  Or re-arrange the closet.  Or eat.
 Yeah - I think I'll go with the eating.

 Shalom and have a Buenos Fiesta!
    

Smell a memory . . .

Okay, so I'm making Thai food today and I open the gallon jug of coconut oil (yes, gallon.  My husband got a really great deal - just ask him) and an overwhelming memory surged into my brain.  The smell of the coconut took me back to Sandy Beach and The Steps.  Two beaches near the river we frequented during high school.  We'd lather on the Hawaiian Tropic, hoping it would give us a quicker and deeper tan.  I don't think it did anything but exhaust our savings, but we sure smelled good!

Have you ever been some where and smelled something and an image pops into your head?  I just visited my aunt this weekend and she gave me some old letters my sister sent her, and when I got home, I took them out of the folder and the odor was all Aunt Betty.  I suddenly saw her bee-hive hair do with the two curls on the sides and every single perfectly-decorated room in her house.  And the other day, I was just walking in a store and I walked passed a couple women, and I don't know, maybe it was their perfume, but instantly I was back in my grandma's house in the Black Hills of South Dakota.  I had to smile, because I could just see her narrow hallway with the nic nacks on the walls, her beautiful flower garden, her happy face and the songs of Mary Poppins.  And I must admit,  I'm always on the look out for Old Spice cologne.  Maybe the picture of my dad and his shaving kit in mom's lavender bathroom will come to mind.  Or - maybe something else.  I always think of the broken gingerbread cookies he brought home from the bakery when ever I smell cinnamon, sugar and ginger. I love that.

Funny how a certain smell stays with you and how it can conjure up memories just like that.  I wonder what particular smells my children will recall when they grow old?  Mold?  Burnt pasta?  Smoke from the time I left a dish towel on the stove - when the burner was still on?? !

Okay, some smells are better than others.  Just like some memories . . .

Talk about a pain in the neck . . .

OUCH!  We're a bunch of a muscle-aching ones in this house.  First it's Gary's back and hips, then it's India's back and hips and neck and then it's my neck.  Gary blames his injury on lifting too much weight during football in college.  India blames hers on a sledding accident a few years ago.  I blame mine on three rowdie boys.  :)    I can do that, can't I??
For India -well - have you ever seen the ski jumpers fly off the ramps in the Olympics?  Well, picture that only with a 14 year old girl, on a sled, in the woods of Idaho, and no judges.  Air born and a butt to back landing.  We gave it a 9.  But seriously, it was bad.  And since then, she's had constant back pain.  She's been a trouper, but for some reason, lately, it's been worse.  Maybe teaching 15 dance classes might have something to do with it???  She went to a new chiropractor who twisted her into a pretzel and snapped her back like a twig.
How does it feel, we ask?  Different, says she.  Yeah, but, like, better or worse, we ask?  Different, she repeats.  Is it different good or different bad, we prod?  Well, if it's different, it's good, but it's just - well - different, she so thoroughly explains.
Ok then.    Scary thing is, we ask Gary the same questions after his bone-cracking visits and we get the exact same answers.  It's a conspiracy.

Tomorrow is opening day of pheasant season.  Dig out your orange beanies and be prepared to duck!  What a fashion statement that is.  We are right next to the pheasant capital of the world, you know.  The entire state will be bombarded with four-wheel drive pick ups, filled with visitors donning their brand new army issued camouflage jackets, pants and, yes even boots, and hordes of shotguns in the windows.
Um, looks like it's a good day to go visit the relatives  . . .

We're waking up to 33 degrees daily.  The cold is coming, my friend and I for one, am NOT looking forward to it.  I'm checking out flights to California or Costa Rica - return date of, oh, say - May.  Ok.  Not really, but
it's hard to think of those Golden Staters driving around in their convertibles with sandals and sun glasses.  Don't be shocked if say, around, December or January and I'm blogging pool side under a palm tree sipping a cool drink out of a coconut with a little umbrella from some exotic location.  I've threatened this for years, but my mid life crisis is kicking in and so I'm just warning you.  I really think the frequent flier mileage is itching to be used, don't you?

Have a great weekend, and don't forget to wear your neon orange!  

jill and all

Maybe Al Gore was right . . .

Okay, so even though last winter was the coldest ever recorded in South Dakota, we are now enjoying unseasonably warm weather this fall.  I mean, it's going to be in the 80's today!  In October!  In South Dakota!  Unheard of.  Now, we don't have any Polar Bears floating on ice sheets (although, a couple people did spy a mountain lion on the other side of town yesterday - and how that is relevant I do not know - it's just - interesting), but, it should be freezing every night at this time.  So, okay Al.  You are right.  For this week anyway.

And now for another cooking segment - but - don't try this at home kids.  I just experienced the attack of the killer mashed potatoes.  ??? you ask.  First of all, what grows best in northern South Dakota?  Potatoes, squash, onions and tomatoes.   Just like Russia.  Oh, those Russian/Germans, they sure know a good meal when they see one.  My husband had potatoes every single day of his life growing up.  As did the rest of us.  Cheap and easy and versatile.   And that's what we live on from September - to - well - the next September.   So, I made squash and mashed potatoes with gravy the other day, and as I was setting the kettle down on the counter to begin to mash them, one big blob jumped out of the pot and onto my arm.  Searing it well.  Yeah, ouch is right.  Who knew mashed potatoes needed to come with a warning label?

Beware.  Potentially hazardous contents.  Mashed potatoes are - hot - and may cause skin damage.  Keep away from eyes, face, exposed skin, pets and small children.
     
I see a law suit coming for sure.  
I'm going with something easy today.  Left over pasta, with a bit of tofu and a few fresh tomatoes thrown in.
Topped with a dabble of Veganaise and there you go - a nice little - safe - lunch.  And one that won't require a trip to the emergency room.  Well, it's not quite as safe as cereal, but come on.  Besides, it's either that or fried onions.     (please . . .)

Have a great weekend -

jill and all

   

E=MC squared . . .

So, today must be the bragging up boys day.  Yesterday I took Ez to a Mathcounts competition and he got FIRST PLACE!!  Out of about 75 entrants.  I was so proud of him.  He also would have placed either first in the team category, but since he is a one-man team (entering as an individual homeschooler), his scores did not count for the team event.  The rules state you must have 4 people to make up a team.  But they let him take the test anyway, just for fun.  Oh well.  No matter.  He did so well and I couldn't be happier!  Wahooo Ez!

Have you ever had sweet potatoe fries?  Or baked potatoe fries?  Well, here's what you do:  Peel and slice the sweet potatoes, and top with a smattering of oil and a bit of salt and mix.  Then, place them on a baking dish.  They do not have to be neatly arranged in the pan, just throw them in.  Bake at 375 for at least an hour and a half.  You want them really done.  And if you want them even more crispy, turn it to 400 and bake a bit longer.  I kind of like them mushy myself.  Eat as is.  If you love sweet potatoes, you'll really love these, and if you think you hate them, you may find you like these, just cause they are so different.

The regular potatoes you wash, slice into wedges, top with oil, salt, maybe a bit of onion and garlic pwd and paprika and even a dash of cayenne, if you're feeling daring.  Bake at 375 for an hour or so, testing to see if they are done in the middle.  Serve with goop.

What is 'goop' you ask?  Well, it's mayo, ketchup and mustard, but the ratio is crucial.  Mostly mayo, a bit of ketchup and little bit less of mustard.  It's not an exact science, but too much of one and it can be horrible.  We use a vegan mayo, but I grew up using Miracle Whip.  I can't imagine regular mayo, but then, I'm just used to what I'm used to.   Use what you like.
Anyway, try it and let me know what you think.  It has a BILLION times less  fat and is so much healthier for you than french fries or potatoe chips.   So, ENJOY!!

Well, that's my Rachel Ray entry for the day.   :)

And just to let you know, I put the 'e' on the end of potatoe for all the Dan Quayle fans out there!

Later.

jill and all

Another teenager in the house . . .

Well, my number 2 son just turned 13.  AAAHHH!  No, actually, that's a good thing.  He's healthy, energetic and fun.  He's got a infectious smile, he lives life to the fullest - just wanting to DO everything, and can not stand to be idle.  Sometimes I wish he would just calm down, but then he wouldn't be who God made him to be.  He had his favorite meal of tacos and his sister made him this carob layer cake with this creamy frosting that was scrumptious.  Waaaayyyy too fattening, and sweet, but what the heck.  A guy only turns 13 once - right?  13!    I can hardly believe it.   For crying out loud.  What happened to the years?

So, in an attempt to work off all that fat and sugar from the cake, I went to my first ever Zumba party!   Zumba - it's kind of Latin - Salsa - Hip Hopish - Jazzy dancing.  The newest workout craze.  And the place was packed - all three gyms in the Y.  Lights, balloons, food, drink, door prizes . . . It was crazy.  And what was even crazier - the ages of the people.  All the way from 6 to 60 plus.  Cool.  And while it was a sustained work out and sometimes quite slow, it was fun.  And even though I'm not sure my body was actually designed to move that way, I'd go again I think.  Just for something different.  

The last couple weeks it has been soooo windy.  Too windy to be up on a two story very steep roof shingling.    We've decided to call in the reserves and bid the job out.  The mom in me is happy.  Noah walks around like a cat up there.  No fear.  Ez is a bit more cautious, and Judah, well, I just won't allow that.  They are going to replace the sidewalk next.  Much safer - that.

Well, on a much somber note, I ran into an old friend yesterday and come to find out - she has Marfans.  Now, it's not a well know syndrome, but it affects the heart and is potentially deadly.  I know, because my sister just died from it last February.  She was young - too young - and had gone through 3 heart surgeries and one brain surgery.  And the very weird thing is - both my sister and my friend have the same name.  My friend is a wonderful woman and I feel so bad for her.  I do know, that there are many people living long and well with Marfans, and I pray that will be so for my friend as well.  She looks good and is in good spirits, trusting in God to see her through.  And well, that's more than enough.

And on another melancholy note - my friends in Israel paint such a different picture of life there than what is portrayed in the media.  They know, not only because they live there and experience it (ie: fleeing to a bomb shelter while grocery shopping), but because their oldest son is in the IDF Israeli Defense Force and tells the tales as he travels on patrol. The entire country is being bombed and attacked on a regular basis and as soon as they finally can't take the killing any more and decide to fight back, the world criticizes them.  Ms. Hillary is being wined and dined while 'Rome burns' essentially. (mmm - kind of like another modern leader we all know)  Peace talks.  What a joke.  The other side does not want peace, they want land.  All of the land.  And they will not ever be satisfied until they get it.  Meanwhile, they keep attacking, people keep dying and Israel keeps turning the other cheek. Woe unto US if we turn our backs and our support.   I pray for my friends and all the Israelis, for their safety and their courage and faith.  And I hope you'll do the same.

Okay!  Enough with that.  Whew.  I do hope you are having a great week.  Count your many blessings.  We still live in the greatest country on earth and we enjoy freedoms and safety no other has.  Be grateful and thank God for his sustained mercy.  Hug your kids, kiss your spouse and praise God for the many gifts we live with each day.  It can be a good day, if we choose to see it so.  :)

jill and all  

Bragging rights . . .

http://aberdeennews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20100930/OUTANDABOUT/9300302

Okay, I have to show this, cause - well - it's my daughter and I'm a wee bit proud of her!   You rock - Miss India!!

October 1st!  Can you believe it?  I got out my journal this morning, and noticed I completely skipped the reading and the entry for Sept 30.  I said, "What happened to yesterday?"  (That's a song right there)  But, it's strange.  It's like a missed an entire day.  Maybe I'm just getting old . . .

India brought home a huge (I mean - huge) bouquet of flowers for me the other day.  No occasion - just cause.  She's so like that.  Bright yellow somethings with dark red roses and other red somethings.  See, I'm not a flower person - love them - I do love them, but I just can't tell you the names of them.  But - hey - I got the roses right!   :)

Is it daughter-boasting day?

Did you catch the guy who called in to Glenn Beck yesterday?  We don't have TV, but I got an email about it.  His name is Walter and it's a story about his daughter and a run-in with the public school.  Really great.  Go read it - even if you're not a Glenn Beck fan - this guy's story is worth reading.

It must be daughter-boasting day.  Anyone have a daughter they are proud of - let me know.    We'll have son-boasting day another time - you know - just to keep it fair.  :)

Later -

jill and all

Not to go all political . . .

This is great.  Enjoy.

Green Eggs and Sam

I do not like this Uncle Sam, I do not like this health care scam;

I do not like these dirty crooks, or how they lie and cook the books;

I do not like when congress steals, I do not like these secret deals;

I do not like this speaker Nan, I do not like this 'Yes, we can';

I do not like this spending spree, I'm smart, I know that's nothing's free;

I do not like your smug replies when I complain about your lies;

I do not like this kind of hope, I do not like it - nope, nope, NOPE!

I do not like this socialist plan, I do not like it Uncle Sam!

Pretty clever.  Kudos to some blogger somewhere.  

Okay, now on to other things.  Reconnected with an old friend, well, she's not old, but - well - you know what I mean.  She found me through searching for my daughter through a you tube video she made for college through another old friend, who also isn't old.  My point - wow.  What happened to privacy?!!!  While it was super nice and fun to chat with her again and catch up - I do find it somewhat, um, freaky that we can google anyone and in less than 6 degrees of separation via the web, we can find them.  And I was scared of Facebook  . . . 

Another sunny day!!!  Yeah fall!  The one great season here.  The leaves are turning, the air is crisp, the squash are ripe and - the fleets of mosquitoes are out in full force.  Yesterday my children were out playing football, with two piles of leaves on either side for the end zones so they could fly in the air and land on them - you know - just like the NFL - and they come inside itching like mad with welts all over their bodies!  Now, I'm thinking to myself - come inside!!!  It can NOT be that fun!  So, now I have to ban them from yard play from about 4pm onward.  (Can you say - West Nile?) That or, cover them head to toe in combat fatigues.  It's so bad, that we can't have a light on INSIDE the house near the door, or they invade by the trillions when you enter.  Trust me, I do know what I'm talking about.  Oh, well, it's not Eden here - so we have to take the good with the bad.  And the next bad is box-elder bugs and attic flies.  Oh joy.

What's also a joy and yet really eerie is the howling of the pack of coyotes we hear every night.  There must be about 20 of them.  It's beautiful and scary at the same time.  Gary actually saw one of them on the way to work the other morning, so they are close. And big.  Like Doberman pincher big or something.  It seems we hear them every year around this time.  Their cries are so sad and mournful sounding.  You have to wonder why they do that.  

Oh well, have a great weekend and don't forget to light your citronella candles!

jill and all   

When a heart bleeds . . .

Must be a melancholy sort of day.  Although, the sun is shinning, it's the Sabbath and all should be right with the world.  But when a loved one hurts, we hurt.  Someone once asked me why people are so mean.  I can't answer that.  (Especially when I have been one of those people.)   I do know first hand the hurt 'mere' words can cause. But, as the Sarah Palin adage goes, don't mess with my cubs or the momma grizzly in me will rear its ugly head.  Or something like that.  But at any rate, it's true.  When our babes cry, we mommies get a wee bit riled.  And while a part of me moans in sadness, the other part of me wants to go rip someone's - well - wants to get angry. Since that is so not turning the other cheek, not to mention it might land me in jail or worse, I cry.  And pray.  And hope that my loved ones are strong enough to make it through and that God will give them strength.  But, man it's hard.  It's like, go ahead, take me down, but do not mess with my kin.

So, aside from that, we are rejoicing in yet another sunny day!  The road was still a bit muddy when I ran yesterday, but it's drying up.  That's good, cause getting stuck or sliding in the ditch is not my idea of a good time.

Ever seen one of those weighted bar bells?  They are great.  I really like dumb bells, but this is different.  It's not too heavy that you can't do multiply reps with it and not too light that you feel like you're lifting a toothpick.   There's this guy named Storm, who has a work out with a stick, or pole like thing, almost like an Asian fighting weapon thing that you could use this bar bell for.  I love it.  And it's easy to take in the RV.  Less room than a box full of dumb bells.  Check it out.

So - be happy.  It's 90 degrees in Chico, CA.  But- it's 41 degrees here.  Not fair at all.  Guess where I hope to be come December 26 or maybe sooner . . .

Later.

jill and all

Ready to sell . . .

We just got back from a 3 day mini vacation to Minneapolis.  India had to fly out of there for a college gathering in Ohio, so we tagged along and hung out.  It was pretty laid back.  But I'm all traveled out.  We hit the ground running when we got back, cleaning, organizing and fixing up the house to get it ready to sell.  And we are ready.  Anyone want to buy a 3 bedroom - 1 1/2 bath home on 6 acres with 4 acres of pasture, a horse shelter and tack room, a lovely yard and nice porch and patio?  Only 20 minutes from town.  The most terrific neighbors on the planet and we'll even throw in a snowmobile, a couple of riding lawn mowers and a few good cats to sweeten the deal.  It's private, peaceful and a super fantastic place to raise children.

If it's so great, why are you selling - you ask?  Well, we want to live out west.  Way out west - like Washington or Oregon or dare I say it - California?  Yes!  We've visited many times and our hearts are pulled in that direction.  We've all lived here in South Dakota for almost our entire lives and we're ready for a change.  Call it a mid-life crisis if you want - we just are ready for a new adventure.   So - it's west or bust!  That is - if we can sell this place . . .

So Gary put in this new sump pump thingy and after every time it's done extracting out the water, some valve thingy pounds and pounds and POUNDS like someone is hammering with a sledge.  We don't even have a TV to block out the sound - so - until he fixes it - we feel like we're living in a construction zone.  All we need are a couple of yellow hard hats.

Fresh figs.  If you haven't tried some - you must.  They are sooo good.  There are in season right now!  Hurry - go!  GO!

The boys are planning to help Gary shingle the rental house this weekend.  Well, this weekend, and the next weekend and probably the next - depending on how long it will take them.  I'm going to immerse myself in a few dozen good books and try not to think about my boys on top of a two story very slanted roof wielding a nail gun.  Just let me know when it's done . . .

Another cloudy rainy chilly day!  Yippee!
My mood falls with every drop.  And when the clouds lift, so does my funk.  I am a product of my environment.  Whoa - is this mimic-a-poet day?!  (sounds a wee bit new agey if you ask me!)  AAAHHHH!!!!!   Anyway - How about this -  sunshine and lollipops everyone!  And for those who like the drizzle - get out your umbrella and dance!    :)

jill and all

Home again, home again, jiggity jig. . .

All true RV-ers know, the best place to stay the night is in a Walmart parking lot.  It's amazing how many actually do this.  And Walmart is not stupid.  They add a few more yards of asphalt and they get a million more customers.  Brilliant.  It's good for a quick stop, and the price is certainly right.  The only bad thing is no electricity, no sewer and no water - but - as long as you have some juice left in your battery and some water in the tank, you can actually survive.  It's all right, for a night or two - maybe - but don't push it with me.  It's as close to primitive camping as I intend to get - thank you very much!

So - 3 weeks and over 4,000 miles later - we are back.  After filling up with California peaches, nectarines, figs, seeded watermelon, walnuts, almonds, pistachios, and such - we were on our way.  Whew.  What a trip.  I must say, that Nevada on the way back to Salt Lake City wasn't as bad.  Maybe on the way out there it so bad because it was the shock of seeing - um - nothing - for miles and miles and hours on end -  that got to us.  This time, we already knew what we were in for.  Wyoming, on the other hand,  is full of nothing too - but in a  much cooler way.  At least the terrain is a geological wonder.  It's really beautiful in a stark, hard kind of way.  A different kind of nature.  And when you get to Gillette, you can pull in this really great radio station called 'The Point'.  97.9.  It's terrific.  We found it on our way out and the dj's are fantastic.  Funny and real and the music is great.  Especially this Wally guy.  Check it out online.

Well, we are back safe and sound and thankful to God for it.  It was a nice trip, but I am not ready to be back.  I started sneezing the moment we hid the border.  That's not fun.  And Gary already misses the hot weather in California and all the fresh fruit.  Good grief - it's a virtual garden of Eden out there.  What can't they grow?  Bananas maybe.  But everything else I'm sure.  Chico is the kiwi capital of the world.  And they weren't quite in season, so we missed out on that. Bummer.  Gary's ready to go back - just for that reason.

Our favorites:    I really loved just being out there and being in Salt Lake City just hanging out. I loved the air and the scenery and the people.  Strange.  Very strange, but so nice.  I also loved running and biking and eating. :)  (Loved the eating)  The boys liked the zip line and the alpine slide the best and swimming in the RV pool.   And the eating.  India liked the zip line and taking awesome pictures with her camera.  And eating.   We all liked the eating.  It's a bit tough to get really fresh fruit in the Dakotas, and vegan fare is just a bit sparse.   But - we're back to reality.  Our reality.  Back in the great state of South Dakota.  There is so much good here - that is very true.  And well - there's some not so good too.  The cold is coming, my friends, and I for one, am none to thrilled about it.  And soon we'll be living off oranges, apples and bananas - for 9 months.    And shoveling and driving in the snow and ice and wind.   But - let's not put the cart before the horse here.  Right now we have to concentrate on schedules . . .

We got here and hit the ground running.  Noah has basketball scrimmage, Ezra and Judah begin swimming (Ezra at 5 AM - aaahhhh!), Ezra also starts Mathcounts, India starts teaching dance (15 classes a week!), and school has begun in earnest.  Not to mention that we (meaning - Gary and the boys) are going to shingle a house in a couple weeks and we  (meaning - Gary and the boys) are cleaning out our basement after the spring floods.    That's pretty sparse to what's coming when basketball games start and swim meets began.  Nice to just ease into it - eh?

So, the random scripture reading for the day was from Matthew.  It had to do with faith, or the lack thereof, in the townspeople when Yahshua taught in the synagogue.  They didn't experience the healing and the miracles because they refused to believe he could do them.  Nice.  So, then, a few minutes after reading this, Gary gets this voice mail message from some unknown number.  The only thing the woman said was - 'faith' and the call ended.  Wild, eh?  So, the take away point is - believe and have faith - that God can and will do great and wonderful things.  Cause He can and He will.   Hallelujah!!!!

Now I'm off to eat some organic seeded watermelon.  MMMMM  :)

Keep the faith . . .

jill and all

A bit overwhelmed . . .

Well, this was not at all what I expected northern California to be like.  It's remote and open and very, very rocky.  It is not Malibu Beach.   Chico, the region's hippest town due to the college, is a vibrant and progressive city, filled with your hippies, hippie want-to-bes and left over hippies from the 60's.  But it also has a nice sort of business feel - clean and peaceful.   It seems to be the hub for the many smaller towns surrounding it, and rightfully so.

Paradise, on the other hand, could not be more different.  It sits up about 1300 feet above Chico on this plateau and all the houses and streets are built on rolling hills and cliffs.  It's like living in a dense - very dense - extremely dense Sherwood Forest.  I kept expecting to see Robin Hood around every tree.  Driving on Skyway Drive from Paradise back to Chico is treacherous.  The drop off to the canyon below is a mile down and scary.  The view is spectacular for those who are not height-challenged, but that does not include the driver in this family.   "Look at the road.  Look straight ahead."  I kept repeating that while we drove on this really narrow road on the top of this ridge that seemed like it was on the top of the world. Aaah!  Give me the flat land any day!   The thing I kept thinking about it how do these people drive these roads in the winter?  And then I remembered, there really IS no winter here.  At least, not like we experience it in South Dakota.  It never snows here, just rains.  Oh, I guess they might get a dusting of the white stuff in Paradise, but it's not ever cold enough to stay put.  And although it was sort of a nice place, it doesn't own up to its name.  Sorry, we'll all have to wait for heaven to really find that.  :)

The other thing that is strange are the fields of rice!  Like grassy lakes, they are everywhere.   Never seen that before.  Wild.

They don't have goat heads here (nasty hard prickly thorn-like things found in Washington) but they do have star thistle, and those are just as bad.  Plants with nice little yellow flowers that look so harmless, until you get near them and as soon as you do - you know.  Covered with long spiky thorns, they are just plain mean.  And we also found the little seeds that started the whole Velcro phenomena.  We found them after a short walk through a field and came out covered in them.  Shoe laces, socks, shorts and skirts - covered.  And when you brush them off - the prickles stick into your skin.  Can you say OUCH!?! And there are these wild daisy flowers that are covered in sap.  Deceitful little buggers.  And the pine cones!  We found some as big as a football!  Strange.  So strange. 

What struck us is how different it is here than Nevada.  As soon as you cross over the border, it's like landing on another planet.  If I were Nevada, I'd be a little ticked off.  It's like they picked the border of Utah and California just exactly so - so that those two states got the good land and what was ever left in between was left for Nevada.  Sorry to dis the state so, but it's just not my cup of tea.  Seems not to be many others cup either, due to the extreme lack of inhabitants.  But that's another story.

Have you ever been to a restaurant where after you order, and pay and began to eat, they come around and ask you if you want more and more and more - of anything?  Well, we went to this little teeny Mediterranean place and the owner  suggested the sampler platter.  So we get that and he kept bringing more pitas over, more sauce, more falafels, more dolmas, and rice - which we didn't even come with the meal, he just brought it over for us to try.  It was like the old Greek aunt wanting to keep us eating all night long, by shoving plates of food in front of us saying "Eat!  Eat!" till we burst.  I think I almost did.  Boy was that good food.  The Samosas were excellent.  Well, everything was.  I will pay for this in the morning . . .

To bed.  7 am will come early. We plan to be on our way back east tomorrow, God willing.
Can't believe it's the middle of September.  This little vacation has flown by.  They usually do I guess.  Back home and back to the grind stone.  And the cold.  And the snow.  And the nine months of cloudy days.  (aahhh!)  I guess I'll just have to dream of sunny California!  :)


jill and all

California here we come . . .

Ah!  At the last minute we decided to head over to the Golden State.  And golden it is.  It is soo dry here that all the land is completely layered with yellow grasses.  It's a different kind of beautiful.  But the drive over - um - not so much.  If you ever thought Wyoming was desolate - try Nevada.  Oh.  My.  Gosh.  Up one mountain range and down another, then repeat that about 11 times all across the state.  All the while fighting 30 mile an hour winds and nothing - absolutely nothing around - anywhere.  Not a tree, not a bush, not a living creature except big black crows the size of a great dane.  I do not relish going back through there - but through there we must go to get back.  First Nevada, then a bit of a reprieve through Utah, then through nowhere land of Wyoming.  Oh brother.   I'm ready for that hover craft my son Ezra plans on building!

There was one cool thing about Nevada.  The Bonneville salt flat was interesting, I'll admit.  A literal sea of rock hard salt, with holes dug in that were filled with water - just like an ice fishing hole.  One guy was try to sail across the salt on a sailing craft with wheels.  Crazy.

We did go to Antelope Island in Utah before we left.  Gary had to go float in the Great Salt Lake or his vacation would not be complete!  The rest of us hiked a bit and found some cool boulders to climb on and take pictures.  We didn't see any antelope, but we did see one buffalo!

We explored the city of Chico, CA - very nice town.  There is a huge park - 6 square miles - or 3500 acres - right in the middle of town!  It's long and narrow and filled with trees.  It's like a dense forest with biking and hiking trails and a swimming hole and nature.  In the middle of town!  Amazing.  We hope to explore that more before we leave.

Strange to see palm trees and almond trees and kiwi, figs and avocados growing right before your very eyes.  They grow just about everything here in the Sacramento Valley.  We hope to get to a farmer's market today to check out the local produce.  MMM.

One funny thing - as I was walking into the local health food store - I walked under this mist of cool water that just floated down upon me.  It was piped all along the entrance to the store, and just felt so great in the hot temps.  So refreshing.  What a novel idea - eh?

Well, more news later.  We're off to Paradise - beautiful Paradise, CA.  Sounds great, doesn't it??!  Now who wouldn't want to live in a place called that?!  :)

jill and all
 

Biking, swimming and football?

Okay, so you get the swimming and the biking, no doubt - but what is the deal about football you ask??  Well, for months and months the boys have wanted to do Fantasy Football, and for the two of you out there that haven't heard of that (I hadn't either) - it's where you pick the players you like out of all the NFL players to make your own special team and you rack up points based on each player's accomplishments during each game.  Sounded like fun, so India created our own league - The Skunks - (don't ask).  To make a really, really long story short, we finally got our teams all set up.  (After much sweat, frustration, and anxious moments - that mock draft is a killer!)   So, now we are all set for the season.  The only trouble is - we don't have a TV to even watch the games!!!  So why??  Who knows.  Try figuring that one out for yourselves ! . . .  :)

Yesterday Gary and Judah played Bountiful Ridge Golf Course.  Beautiful.  Breathtaking.  And heart-stopping.  Literally.  I got a real work-out just walking up and down and up and down the hills.  It's not like golfing on the plains of South Dakota - let me tell you!  But it was absolutely gorgeous up there.  And you could see out over the Great Salt Lake - and the city with the hills in the background.   And there were deer all over the course.  Just walking around with their little babies eating and looking at you without a care in the world.  They were almost tame - you could get so close.  Cool.

It's hot today and going to be in the 90's this weekend.  Great for swimming.  Not so great for cooking in a little tin crate of an RV.  The AC can't keep up with the stove.  Oh well.  I am very, very, very thankful we have AC.  Cause I am a certified wimp in the heat.  (in the cold too - for that matter)

Labor Day weekend coming up.  Farmer's Market too!  Yeah!  More seeded watermelon!   More fresh tomatoes!  More wacky home-made food!   And more music/dancing - culture!   Yeah!    I'm a bit excited, can you tell?

I don't know if I'll ever be ready to go back home!  Well, I don't want to be here when their 8 feet of snow comes.  Great for skiing, but I'd like to be done with the winters, thank you very much.  As it is - we will be headed back to the frozen tundra of the upper midwest anyway.  But - October is probably the best month there.  So - I'm actually looking forward to that.

Later.  Mounds of laundry await.  Ta-ta!!

jill and all

Strange happenings . . .

This town is so strange.  There are streets with angled parking, like normal, only here-it's not normal.  People BACK into the spots instead of just driving into them with the front of the car at the curb.  No - that would be normal.  It's so strange to see these streets with the cars parked backwards.  It's an easy out, for sure, but different.  Very different.

The bike racks here are shaped like bikes, not the simple silver slotted things we have on the corners at home.  Oh no.  They have to have everything a work of art around here.  Which is really cool, actually - just - well - different.

The other thing that is different here are the people.  I have never seen more people be so friendly and nice and accommodating as I have here.  There are no grouchy clerks (well - except for this old guy at our RV park - but hey - his wife is nice!)  or sales people.  Even if they hated their job, you wouldn't know it.  Everyone has a smile and is willing to help.  Even regular people on the street.   We're not used to that - especially at our library.  Whew.  They are grouchy.  Maybe it's the cold weather that makes everyone so sour back home.  It has to be something.  They should come down here for a visit and take lessons . . .
  We wanted to ride the trolley just for fun - called TRAX here, so we ask around for help - from a few people on the street to the lady at the library and everyone gives their advice.  All different - of course.    We finally decided just to get on, ride a ways through the city and get off.  So then we just stand there, trying to figure out when the next trolley will be by in order for us to go back the other direction, and 2 different groups of people come and ask us for directions and advice!  We knew less than nothing, yet here they were asking us!  We had to laugh.  People are not shy here. Very open and friendly.  Another reason to love it here.  

We're into the swing of school this week.  Yeah!  I like structure!  On Monday, India took her last test for college.  She now has 110 credits - 10 shy of getting her 4 year degree.  She has 3 classes left.  Incredible.

Our RV park sits right next to a really nice bike path that goes on for miles and miles.  You see some real serious bikers flying past.  I am not a biker, I'd rather run, but running is not real good for Gary's back.  He and the boys want to ride the whole trek, which is about 18 miles one way.  It's a great path.  I need to get a bike I can ride so I'm not left behind in the dust.  :)

We went to a vegan restaurant where you needed at least 20 tattoos and 13 body piercings in order to eat there.  Food was great though.  Why is it that the best food places house the strangest looking people?  Nice, but strange.  Well, strange to our mid-west, white bread ways that is.  We went to another vegan restaurant that had an all you can eat pizza and salad bar - only they brought you the food, fresh out of the oven, 1 slice at a time.  So you were getting mystery pizza and had to taste it to figure out what was on it.  It was the coolest thing.  There was mexican pizza, eggplant and tomatoe pizza, taco pizza, raw veggie salad pizza, and there was one that had corn and green beans and tofu sausage with this cashew cheese sauce on it.   MMM!  Good grief was that fun!  We sat there for 2 hours just eating one piece at a time, slowly, savoring each small slice.  What a great idea.  We all walked out of there stuffed to the gills and had to walk back to our pickup several blocks away.  It was good for us, but a little hard to waddle down the sidewalk!

Today it's going to be 80 and sunny!  Yeah!  Gary might actually be able to take some time off today and go golfing.  I might actually get in a swim, and we all hope to just walk, or ride bike, or just hang out.  That's what vacations are all about - right?  Well, that and eating.  A lot.  :)

Later -

jill and all

Such fun . . .

You know, we went to the Farmer's Market to get a couple seeded watermelon, a few tomatoes and a couple of cucumbers.  We didn't expect it to be a cultural outing that lasted the entire morning!  My goodness.  It's a veritable ethnic experience.  Yes, there were tons of really great fruits and vegetables that we went a little crazy about, but there were also home-made everything you can imagine.  And every third booth there was some artist performing.  There was a girl with a ukulele singing, a guy dressed to the nines in a kilt and plaid tam playing the bagpipes, a reggae  looking guy with dreadlocks playing a bongo while a girl danced with a hula hoop.  There was a large group of people that were singing in another language and playing these real primitive instruments and dancing like it was a war dance with karate moves and flips and stuff.  It was amazing.  Then, there was the food court.  Every kind of food imaginable.  Raw, organic, Thai,  Mexican, Peruvian, Italian, Indian,  you name it - they had it.  And soo good.  Really different stuff.   No elephant ears or fried onions.   No, this was way out there kind of stuff.  Like this - there was a guy riding a bike that was hooked up to a generator that was in turn hooked up to a power source that generated electricity that ran a juicer and a blender.  So you could get a bike-powered carrot/beet juice or a fruit smoothie all the while you're 'going green'!   Not a bad idea that.  Get your exercise in and then reward yourself with a smoothie!  HA.  Well, it would certainly cut down on your electric bill!

Anyway, it was quite fun.  The people were fantastic, the weather was great and we had a great time.

Then, we drove up to Park City and watched some Olympians training - practicing their arial jumps on skis.  They would fly down this ramp, do their twists and flips and land in a giant pool of water that bubbled right before they landed.  It was so interesting to watch.  It was a coolish day, and the wind was howling, so I bet they were a bit chilly, except they did have wet suits on.  They even had a ramp for the common folk.  You could pay to give it a try on the 'bunny ramp' and that was so funny to watch.  These people would barely make it off the end of the ramp and literally flop into the water, arms and skis flailing all over the place.  Not too pretty, but entertaining none-the-less.

Then everyone did the zip line.  Well, everyone but me.  NO THANK YOU.  The chair lift was too scary for me.  They all had fun on it though.  They we all did go do the alpine slide which was fun.  It kind of mimics a bobsled ride, only much safer.  It was fun to see where the Olympics were held and all the ski runs and jumps and stuff.  To see it all up close was wild.  I can only imagine what it would be like with all the snow.

We went and ate at this really wacky restaurant today.  The food was good, but different.  I got to satisfy my childhood treat of soy ice cream vanilla shake with french fries.  I know, sounds icky, but you can't knock it til you've tried it.  Way better than just ketchup or goop.  (goop is another childhood concoction of mayonaise, ketchup and mustard mixed just right)  But even goop, as good as it is, can not top a vanilla shake with fries.  MMM!   Hey, it's way better than vinegar that the Canadians and Brits use for their fries, let me tell you!

Then we went for a bike ride, as everyone was so excited because of their new purchases.  Noah bought his today, a really sweet British bike that is just exactly what he was looking for.  Spent a pretty penny on it, but he's happy.  I rode my old bike with the broken brake, broken gears and no water bottle holder (boo hoo)   :)  but I do hope to get a recumbent - sometime - soon - before we have to leave.

Hope you all had a great weekend.  Gary and Judah have yet to golf, so that's next on the agenda.  The trouble is deciding which course to play.  There are a ton of them and most are pretty cheap.  That's yet another positive about this place.  There are actually lots of positives - nice people, lots of great restaurants, lots of bike paths, great - no - super great library, lots of really great locally-grown produce including peaches that are fantastic, no mosquitoes, no humidity, and great views.

Um, why is it we don't live here again . . .

Well, better run.  Take care.  And if you're brave, try the fries dipped in a vanilla shake, and tell me what you think.

Later,

jill and all

 

Totally toxic but oh so good . . .

Okay, so we found a really cool bike for India and an even cooler bike for Ezra.  They are stoked.  Now we just need to get Noah a bike and try to find a nice recumbent for me.  That is proving harder than we thought.  Not too popular - those weird-looking things.  But the seat is soo comfortable and the nice back rest is so nice, and it is just so much better than a 'normal' bike.  And besides - how could I do 'normal' anyway??!

Ate at the Blue Plate cafe.  Total greasy spoon, but the dishes were all vegan and so so tasty!  Then we went to Hatch Family Chocolates.  I know, but hey, we ARE on vacation and that alone gives you license to do and eat things you wouldn't normally - right?!  So we all got frozen bananas dipped in dark chocolate.  Gary and I added nuts.  Oh.  My.   Goodness. Judah hates chocolate, so Noah ate all of it off and left Judah with the banana. I could not finish mine.  We are so so so not used to chocolate and sugar that it was about 5 times what our bodies could handle.  We'll all be up till 3 am no doubt, and then we'll crash and will want to sleep all day tomorrow.   I'm glad we don't vacation too often!

I should have just had a few fresh figs instead of the chocolate banana.  They have magnificent fresh figs from California that are in season now and they are decedent.  Pure and simple.  Forget the chocolate covered strawberries and Double Chocolate truffle cake - Fresh figs are almost to die for.  If you haven't had one, you must.  They are incredible.  Truly.  I am not kidding.  :)

Okay, this was the food post.  Now I'm off to bed to try to read myself to sleep - till the sugar/caffine high runs out that is.

Later -

jill and all

Vacation at last . . .

We are in the Bee Hive State and have yet to see an actual bee hive except on bill boards and the names of businesses.  You'd expect to see Utah honey sold everywhere, but that's not the case.  So why the name?  We do not know.  Oh, well, we're just glad to be here.  Cause our pickup is acting funny, chugging and sputtering and blowing black smoke.  I feared we wouldn't even make it.  Plus, we came upon a huge traffic jam that stopped up the entire interstate for almost 2 hours.  A truck with toxic something collided with a semi and blocked the road.  So, there we sat.  But, two days and about 18 hours of driving, 5 bags of almonds, 1 large container of raisins, 10 bunches of bananas, 1 jar of peanut butter, 1 jar of cashew butter and 1 quick stop for lunch on a side road by Safeway in Spearfish and lots of praying later - we pulled into the RV park, just before they were about to close.  Thank God.  We were glad to get out of Wyoming unscathed!  But we did get to stop at Independence Rock, on a fluke, cause Judah had to use the rest room.  :)  India screams - 'Mom!  This is THE Independence Rock.  You know, the Oregon Trail Independence Rock!'   And it was.  Cool.  Thanks Judah.  We got our history lesson in for the day.

So far we haven't done much.  Hung out at the world's best library ever, went walking/running/biking/rollerblading, searching for bikes to buy and we ate.  We hope to check out Park City and Sundance.  Park City is where the Olympics were held and Sundance is where Robert Redford's famous film festival is held.  They have a zip line and a trolley and a really cool cave that is a must see.  Or so I've been told.  We hope to get seeded watermelon at the farmers market and play a little golf too.  Well, some of us will play, some of us will be the gallery, and some of us will stay back at the trailer and surf the web.

Pictures will be forthcoming.  Hopefully.  If India is nice enough to share and put them on my blog for me.  India, are you listening?   :)

Well,  we're off to eat at City Dogs.  It's a vegan hot dog street vendor place and they have the best dogs ever.  Well, so the children say.  They put all kinds of wacky things on theirs like, jalapenos and saurcraut and chili and cheese (vegan of course), veganaise,  onions, and relish.  Me, I'm a ketchup and mustard gal.  Why mess up a good thing, I say.  Some say that's boring, I say, keep it simple.  Okay, yeah, it's boring as all get-out, but it's the way I like it.  The very best part of City Dogs is the veganaise in a squeeze bottle.  Yeah, I know.  I don't really get the appeal either, but the children swear by it.  Easily amused, or what??!

Hope you all are keeping cool.

Later everyone!

jill and all