An end

Monday was my last day.

Really.

I turned in my key.

I appreciate being able to work some odd hours, after having quit earlier, but it is time to look forward.  While it's possible that our house closing won't happen for several weeks yet, I am
splitting my time between Nebraska and Iowa.
Monday morning will find me at the Grimes Public Library for paperwork and orientation.  

A Glimpse...

I'm afraid this may run long....

It's been a very busy week - mowing, weeding, working, planning, laundry, cleaning, packing, waiting, have all taken their turn in claiming my attention.

Here are the promised pictures of last week's trip to Grimes.

I think I could get a job at the circus - stuffing clowns into small cars.  Or parachute folding.  Let me know if you hear of any openings.  (Actually it would be more fun to practice these skills on a suitcase for an exotic vacation)

Knowing this weekend would include some family time, I started right away Saturday afternoon and managed a nap, hung a shower curtain and added some things to my bathroom, distributed the goods I had brought along, swept floors, and added a few touches to the kitchen and bedroom.  I got quite a lot done before Naphtali and Aidan arrived and all work ceased.

It had recently occurred to me that I currently inhabit a bathroom with 8 drawers - 5 of which contain my stuff.

My new bathroom contains 2 drawers, although the linen closet is located inside the room giving me access to whatever I might need.  

Baskets and bins should do the trick.  

Company will claim the use of this bathroom, meaning that I will temporarily share Tim's and need certain things to be somewhat portable.  

(We've had the pleasure of company already, you know)

Aidan and Naphtali came down for part of the weekend and we went to Fort Dodge to see my mother and sister for a while on Sunday.  We grilled kabobs and enjoyed an easy visit.

  Lake Cornelius was Monday's destination for a few hours with the Kauffmans and Larry & Mary, who were enjoying the company of their daughter-in-law and granddaughter.

All the recent drive time has allowed me to consider options for ordering the household  as well as work and school.

I'm tired of living by myself.  There are plans and processes that require me to be in one place - our new place.  Having the prospects of a (very) part-time job at the local library, it may mean I'll want to look for something else, as well, in time.  Transcripts and schedules will need to be coordinated in Nebraska and Iowa to finish my last few classes.  I hope to make a stop at Des Moines Area Community College when I'm in Grimes next week.  

A new blog will also probably make an appearance in the near future.  It seems appropriate to conclude this blog as the Nebraska chapters are brought to a close.  Title and topics are still being tossed around but will no doubt take shape as one by one the last strands holding me here are severed and, in the days ahead, I'm able to move forward.

A *Look*

I caught part of an fascinating program on PBS the other night. They were discussing the impact of Helena Rubinstein and Elizabeth Arden; their innovative market strategies, their whole woman approach (poise, carriage, health, as elements of beauty), and the adjustments required over such long careers.  

Every now and then the subject of creating/claiming one's signature *look* arises in an article or blog post.  Madame Helena definitely had a look.  It was distinctive, elegant and served her well at every age.

Over the years I have generally chosen the *no look* look as my look.  I've never understood the appeal to look the same every single day.   My hair is thick, wavy and adaptable and I have chosen to wear it in a variety of styles, sometimes from day-to-day.

Up: loose or sleek.  Down: straight, sleek, wild, restrained, or some combination of the above.  

Waiting for the last of this bad haircut to grow out I think I've reached the length where it will probably remain.  I do like my options, after all.

Madame Helena has caught my attention and I am actually thinking about thinking about cultivating a look.  In my mind the key to her look was it's timelessness.  Or appropriateness for any age. (On the opposite end of that idea I have to admit that images of June Allyson flash across my consciousness from time to time.)  I know that it involves more than just a hair style and both Arden and Rubinstein lived full and interesting lives which added to their appeal and stature as exemplars of beauty.

 I'm thinking about it. 

Bellissima!

Last night I drove to Kearney to fulfill an assignment for my music class: we are required to attend, and file a report on two concerts. It may come as no surprise to my readers that concerts - of any sort - are somewhat rare in the Nebraska hinterlands.  A concert of art music? - the type we are studying in class? - well - let me repeat - I drove to Kearney last night.

UNK hosts a weekly concert series featuring faculty, and others, free of charge and open to the public.  Roughly 60 of us braved the frigid temperatures to gather at the Fine Arts Building on the UNK campus for a flute recital Monday night.  While students seemed to represent the largest portion of the audience there was more than a handful of well-dressed elders in the auditorium.  Audiences always interest me, so it wasn't difficult to assign a general storyline that included years of faithful attendance, regular contributions, and tear-inducing memories, to several of the stately women scattered among the seats.   Given the opportunity I could imagine myself among their numbers.

One of the selections was "Antigone Speaks," written for flute and viola (with brief recitations by the flutist) by Sylvia Glickman in 2004.  It was an elegant and soulful piece enhanced by the subtle accents of German-born Franziska Nabb and underscored by the somber drone-like aspect of the viola.  Bellissima!

Nabb first presented an assortment of contemporary numbers accompanied by a piano and featuring a mezzo-soprano soloist.  She was joined by the aforementioned viola, a cello and organist for a selection of classical and baroque pieces after the intermission, during which she acted as stage hand rearranging chairs and music stands to accomodate the quartet.

The program began at 7:30 and the applause died at 9:00 sending us back into the cold night.

Intrepid

google images

No, I didn't take this photo, but I could have if I'd thought  to take my camera along when I went to the dentist yesterday morning.  And if I'd been willing to roll my window down a fraction...

We've all heard of ladies who lunch, n'est-ce pas?  Well, in Gothenburg they do coffee.  Every morning.  Without fail.  There are actually several overlapping groups who make the doughnut shop on main street their headquarters starting from, oh say 7:30 to 11.  Every morning.  Without fail.  They come.  Some go.  The next few arrive.  All morning.  Every morning.  Without fail.

There are very few things that take me away from home on a day off.  That list dwindles significantly when the weather is less than ideal.  I was only out at 9:15 on a frigid February morning because I had a dentist appointment.  But, when I have to put on presentable clothes on my day off I like to make the most of my outing so I also stopped at the bank and City offices.  At the corner, looking north, I could see the sign on the bank telling me it was -7 degrees.  Let's not even factor in the wind chill from our 30+ mph winds.  Swinging my bundled head the other direction I could see the intrepid ladies of Gothenburg were coffee-ing as usual.  Keep in mind that these women are closer to 80 than 60, can probably still work circles around most of us, and often cause the play button on my private soundtrack to engage:   remember the "Pick-A-Little" song from Meredith Wilson's The Music Man?

That's a wrap!

It's snowing - our first "real snowfall" of the season - looks like an all day event.  We'll see.

Christmas in Iowa went well.  I left my camera at home, and my library book at my MIL's, but otherwise had a good visit.  They had lots of snow, which made Charlie a very happy dog.  The weather played a small role in travel plans but we were all there and that's a good thing.

We returned home Monday afternoon full of plans and ambition to get started with the house.  Laundry was started, mail sorted, naps were taken...

I got sick in the night.

Other than yesterday's laundry, there's not much to show for these last three days at home.  I've been nibbling saltines, sipping coke and hoping for the best, but yesterday I felt well enough to be irritated by the situation, so that was an improvement.

If you were expecting a year's end retrospective - well - let's just acknowledge that this one is in the books. Events that could never have been predicted have occurred.  Lives and people change.  Continuity, revolution, time and circumstances, all hold our attention until the next thing pushes them to the periphery. 

 

Tim received word yesterday that he'll need to be in place in Iowa Falls on January 10.  Finish in North Platte the 7th and start on the 10th.   We're looking at a crazy week ahead.

Happy New Year.

Did you get the memo?

There are days,  at the library, that we have time to speculate on some of the bigger questions like:
Who sends the memo!?
A book sits on the shelf for months.  One day three people, with no connection to each other, come in and ask for that book.  Who said what to bring that particular book to the general attention of the reading public?  We always check the Sunday paper - maybe there was a review or reference?  A passing comment on Oprah?  GMA? 
Or within weeks of each other, two (or more) authors will release a book featuring a similar story line.  I recently read new books by Dick Francis and David Rosenfelt.  Both story lines involved an Iraq veteran who had lost a leg below the knee.  What are the chances!? 

Just Thinking

While the rest of my family thinks about making pickles, (honestly, that was the Tim's plan last night)(you can take it up with Jacob) I am quietly making a list of things I want to do/get done during the three (very) short weeks between class sessions.  My assignments for the library class have all been turned in - it's done.  I have a research paper to finish writing today - it sounds good to say I'm about halfway done - but I may be optimistic on that....Anyway I have until 11:59 tonight and we'll just have to see how it all goes today.  Technically this is a rough draft, but practically we were told that this should be a finished product due to the time constraints etc for the instructor.  I have to admit I'm not terribly impressed with this guy; emails go unanswered, assignments aren't returned in a timely manner, comments are pretty vague...I'll be glad when this is finished.

Back to the list:

A hair cut - I mean trim - is on the list, as is a trip to visit my mother and sister.  I want to finish making a curtain for one bedroom, work on weeding my flower beds, read, clean, sort through my fall clothes, take a clep test, and freeze some corn.  No doubt the list will grow...

(BTW, Tim made apricot jam yesterday)

this week

it's been a long week. charlie finds himself keeping new hours to keep up with me. those early morning starts take some adjustment....for both of us. it's been 6:00 or earlier everyday since classes started. exercise, breakfast, and at the computer by 7. with warm weather we've been out walking several times this week and should manage 2 more this weekend.
this must have been tuesday night. there is a package to mail to aidan, my notebook, assorted papers, econ textbook.
i'm finding a rhythm to the whole thing. up early for exercise and breakfast, log in to check updates and respond to class threads. read. write. think. laundry. think. pack lunch for work. work. check for new posts when i get home. dishes. read.

the first couple days it was the mechanics/process of the system that flummoxed me. that first morning i made the mistake of opening every window, every drop-down menu - ayiyi!! I'd done the online orientation. it was thorough but simply couldn't cover all the ?? running through my brain as i tried to absorb this foreign environment.
the next day was easier. each day has been easier. i can concentrate on class content rather than tabs and windows.


here's something i never thought i'd see. five years!!
last night we enjoyed steak and shrimp at the city's employee appreciation dinner. each year the city throws a shindig to recognize the various departments and the work done to keep this place running.
so i'm off to do the delicate wash, log in at school and get this day rolling!!

a few questions

for a dreary sunday.

why does it happen that a particular mood rarely strikes both of us at the same time?? exercise?? clean/organize?? travel?? (fill in the mood of your choice)??



why is christmas decorating always so much more fun than un-decorating??



would i have more readers if i invented a 'cute' name for tim for use on my blog??
(it seems a fairly common practice elsewhere in blogworld)



do people still make new year's resolutions?? what should mine be?? what would yours' be??