Time out!

I've been working on algebra and need a break...

The energy involved in preparing for this weekend's visit to Grimes is a bit elevated compared to last week's visit because we have an offer!  The closing date will be decided in conjunction with the appraisal,  but the end is in sight.
It seems a good time to share the following:

Our house is the little red X,  Tim's place will be at the asterisk, and the library has a gold star.  While Kennybrook is under construction Tim is situated in an office at the bank.  He's carrying his lunch and walking.

A bedside table, more kitchen stuff, laundry hamper, paint chips, my big mirror, and whatever else can be squeezed in, will make the trip this time.  It's surprising how much the honda can hold even after you factor in space for Charlie.  Last week I took a cabinet, garden hose and watering can, lawn spreaderthingie and grass seed, step stool, large metal tub, towels, bathroom supplies, several boxes, pictures, Charlie, his bed and supplies for the week, 2 suitcases, shelf paper, scissors, glue gun and more.

  I've been gathering items to pack along this weekend and diligently working on my algebra.  Charlie went swimming this morning.  Some of us are having more fun than others....

The best intentions...

I honestly had good intentions - the best intentions - for taking photos this past week.  The first few days, I will admit were simply spent in a funk.  The dreary weather mirrored my malaise and no pictures were taken.

Charlie and I ventured further north for an overnighter to attend a soccer game in which Aidan 

scored the first goal!  Rain eventually cut the match short but it was a delight to hear little voices saying "sorry" as the kids jostled one another.  Or watch as play continued, in spite of the ref's whistle.  At times they would all bunch up together around the ball - it and the kids at a standstill.  Then somehow, soundlessly, they would formulate a plan, step back and allow a mysteriously designated someone enough space to start kicking and moving the ball again.

 It was a fun event.  I have to wonder, though, at what point these kids will become athletes, with a corresponding shift in attitude.  The schedule runs through July, so maybe I can take in another match later.

They did work hard and the rain was soooo cold.

Naphtali and Aidan did come down to Grimes for a few days.  I left for Nebraska on Friday but Grandpa took them to Adventureland and it sounds as though a good time was had by all.  

I will return to Grimes with another load of stuff this weekend.  I will try (reallreally hard) to document this run with photos.

Road Trip

For the "One picture is worth a thousand words" category:

No, it's not quite this bad, but by the time I thought about taking a picture of my packing, I realized the camera was buried.  Deeply.  So...

Charlie and I are headed east today for a visit.  I have materials for a couple projects (shelf paper etc) and a few more things to help Tim feel like he's living, rather than squatting, in Grimes. 

I'll try to take a few pictures.

Monday Morning

I'm tired of looking at sad news.  Unfortunately I have no good news, so here's a photo of the iris in the back yard.  The columbine are also blooming and the dianthus is lush.

Tim was able to get a lot of painting done while he was here last week.  (This is the painting necessitated by the hail storm, undertaken last fall, and interrupted by bad weather.)  I've contributed to the effort by finishing some windows and second-coating a section over the weekend.  One last push today should finish it.   I guess you could call that good news...
Having seen the new house I have been able to go through some boxes of packed stuff and eliminate a few things, which probably qualifies as good news.  I can also say that so far I haven't regretted any previous eliminations - more good news.
You could also call the fact that I didn't have to mow this weekend good news.  Our realtor arranged for someone to mow - and I reallyreallyreally appreciated the gesture.

Apparently I was wrong about the dearth of good news - which has raised my spirits considerably, so I'll close with a cute story:
I took Charlie for a walk yesterday morning and let him swim in the irrigation canal at the park - he loves it!  You throw a stick, he launches from the bank and lands with a satisfying splash.  He retrieves the stick and gets ready for the next round.  We then take the long way home giving him opportunity to dry.  Unfortunately he stays damp for quite a while...
I had some inside puttering to finish before I began painting so I fastened Charlie outside to finish drying.  He has a choice of sun and shade and was just lolling about waiting for me.  At some point I saw our (elderly) next door neighbor coming toward the house (which is odd because she always just catches us over the fence for a chat) and wondered if there was a problem as I waited for her to reach the door.  She never did.  She stopped to talk to Charlie.  Petted, patted, chatted, turned around and went home.