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.

Catching up

Well, a lot has happened since I last sat at the keyboard.  Tonight, when I returned from my travels, I found there was no wireless service at my house. (Yikes!)  Visions of schlepping to the library to do my schoolwork, etcetcetc began to flash before my eyes...
However during my nightly conversation with Tim, he mumbled something about disconnecting this and bypassing that to reconnect directly to something else - no reason I couldn't do it.  OR call technical support...
I did it.
Any way - laundry is under way, the loose ends from travel are being tidied.

We had a great time with Naphtali and Aidan.  I saw the new facility (under construction) in Grimes.

That's it for tonight.

Leaden

google images

Not only were the skies gray and dull today, but at times you could feel the cold tensile touch of metal in your very bones.

Tim and I had a good weekend.  We were able to wash his car, hang out at Walmart while they changed the oil, and enjoy some sunshine.

We also made it through the recording and transmission of my first required speech, a process that was as nerve-wracking as the actual presentation.  At one point we took the phone apart to borrow batteries to power the camera.... 
But it's done, he's on his way back to Iowa, and, as my friend Scarlet likes to say: "Tomorrow is another day."

Due to technical difficulties...

The photos I wanted to include for this post are on my laptop, while I am on Tim's computer - so they will be added later. (feel free to envision the following scenes anyway you like)

Tim has said that the amount of clutter on the kitchen table is a good way to gauge my stress/distraction levels.  Hmmm what would this picture suggest?:




(insert image of clutter)



I did no school work yesterday.  We took a drive, meandering through the sandhills, pointing at clouds and trains and washouts.  Chitchat ruled the day.  It was a palate-cleansing day, therapeutic,and companionable.  Tim grilled chicken when we got home.  We watched some golf...


(insert scenery)



  I slept over ten (10) hours both Friday and Saturday nights, with a short nap while we were driving.  I hope that catches me up on sleep!  This morning I cleaned off the table.  There is laundry in the washing machine and a few outside chores calling for my attention.  Homework will happen.  Rain is threatening.  Tim is getting the oil changed in his car.  We already did the Father's Day gifts and I will add a quick word of appreciation for his help and support.  (and the lawn mowing)


 (insert image of buff guy mowing lawn)



Today I'm feeling mellow yet recharged.  Tomorrow it will be business as usual for both of us and I think we're ready.  Hope you are, too.



(insert image of glorious sunrise)

always something!

This is essentially my last week of classes for this semester! (!) I have registered for just three this summer - there are so many nice days ahead and I want a bit more flexibility to enjoy them. It has been an interesting experience. We were'nt too far in to the semester when I realized that I miss being able to read people. A change in tone or expression, a pause or gesture can add so much to communication. I miss that. Online classes have given me opportunities I wouldn't otherwise have, but there are drawbacks. So this week there are a couple chapters, and their quzzies, waiting for me in ethics.(one more paper to write, as well) A test in econ. A long writing assignment in English and a shortish one for Library, although that one involves an interview...Yikes! It looks worse on paper! Plenty to keep me busy.

I plan to ride my bike to work today. Since we put the baskets on a couple weeks ago it has been cold (I miss my flannel sheets), raining or blowing so hard a person can barely stand, let alone pedal uphill. So today will be the maiden voyage for the season.

We were busy with dandelions and other outdoor projects this weekend. Tim planted seven bushes along the north side of the house ( remember,we lost trees to the paving project), crafted a new door for the shed. Old, but serviceable, the shed lost a door in a recent wind storm. We did look at replacing the whole thing but felt we had better ways to spend that thousand dollars...so for a couple bucks and a few hours the door has been replaced.

The other project claiming our time lately has been a general shape-up for both Tim and I in preparation for a canoe trip into the Boundary Waters Wilderness Area, yes I said wilderness area, with the Kahls over Memorial Day weekend. James and Naphtali have been doing this for years. . Traditionally I have gone up to watch Aidan while they were away. This year they've decided he is big enough to join them and when Tim signed on I was very supportive, thinking what a great time they'll all have, while formulating plans in my head for a long, free, weekend. They're taking me along, too. And Naphtali wants Charlie to experience the great outdoors with us. I'll spare you the details of our new regime but will end with this picture of Charlie breaking in his new pack

I hardly know where to start!

We had a busy and productive weekend. A pleasant mix of outside work and homework. Tim replaced the latches on both gates and tightened this and shifted that so they would hang straight and close easy. My bicycle has been tuned up and baskets installed on the back. So it comes as no surprise that this week is cooler with a chance of rain every day. Turns out my timing was off in the matter of flannel sheets - again! It has been a real spring (we haven't always had one out here) sunny days, coooool nights. Tim also mowed and washed out the overhead canopy on the back patio. Lots of leaves and gunk...

I moved a few plants, helped with gates, submitted a couple lessons for economics, laundered, cleaned etcetcetc. Classes are winding down. I have a major paper (and a minor one) due Friday. One last chapter and questions, and one last test for econ. Two chapters, two quizzes, two papers for ethics.



Tim routinely steps across Charlie at the foot of the bed in the morning. I've actually heard him say "good morning, Charlie" a few times.



The forsythia has been brilliant this year. Iris are blooming! I have a couple different varieties, the others are still weeks away. The dianthus should go crazy pretty soon. There are leaves budding on the hydrangea, trumpet vine and lavendar. The flower beds change during the course of the day.....

Last night we came home from work to find a 4X4X4 foot hole had been dug BY HAND in the front yard. The gentleman who takes care of the sprinkler system came with the house. He is rail thin,tougher than barbwire, and elicits an automatic "sir" when you address him. I can't even guess his age but I'll put it closer to 80 than 70. We knew he was going to replace a valve and would need to dig around the access pipe but hadn't expected anything quite that extensive. Nor had he. That hole is a work of art. Square. Tidy. BY HAND. I felt so bad for him....he just smiled and said "Well, you never know what you might have to deal with when you start a job." I need to give Tim credit on this one as well. The water to the house had to be shut off and when it was turned back on created a mess with sediment.....any way he spent his evening replacing this and shifted that working on water pressure and fixtures - not what any of us had planned for the end of a long day.



I have a computer seminar over the noon hour so I really should get busy.....

long weekend/gloomy morning

i left friday for iowa. i left my camera home. for those of you who need illustrations to keep your attention you can quit now - no hard feelings. i understand.

for the rest of you - i started at my sister andrea's: love what she and mike are doing/have done to the house. such beautiful work. naphtali and aidan arrived late and we had a fun morning with a kitten, trampoline, sunshine, conversation, garden plans, dog baths and a car washing (thanks again!). she left for work. we (naphtali, aidan and i)went to the cemetery in hampton and then on to fort dodge. more visiting. another late night. sunshine again the next morning, actually it was a lovely spring morning. we did a few outside projects for this grandma, who then left for des moines. we went to the cemetery and on to visit the other grandma. another late night.
the trip home was uneventful. tim had been busy here. i came back with a sore throat which quickly blossomed into a full head cold and spent much of yesterday on the couch. it had rained several times over the weekend,
all day tuesday and should again shortly.
my iris are in full bloom.


everything is green and vibrant.
i work at noon......
the columbine are especially lovely this year. they need some sunshine to show their best in a picture.

work day

again, did i think to take pictures - of tim on the roof?? the big piles of leaves and other garden debris?? how about the back of the jeep loaded for disposal?? we had a glorious day and decided to finish some outside work. we were both quite productive and it is good to have this off the list. and the nap that followed was all the better for our fresh air and exertion. i could open this later (i'm on the laptop) and add a few pictures of my flower gardens to show you all what i cleaned up today. we'll see. in the meantime i have laundry to finish, ironing do to, a project for aidan to work on and the new by pd james to finish.



so here you have our smallest and last leaf pile. for about 3 weeks in november, city crews prowl the streets with loaders and dumptrucks, picking up leaves that the good citizens of gothenburg have piled in the street in front of their houses. normally our linden tree doesn't drop until after the pickup has ended. this year it's already done. i hope that's not significant....these piles can easily grow to 5-6 feet high, and run the length of the block. we are not anal about leaves in our yard - there are always those last few (or the first of the season)left where they fell. some peolpe are. they chase every leaf. their lawns are immaculate. i have come to hate the whine of leaf blowers. in fairness, though, i will say that they allow older neighbors to stay busy outside at a time when age related situations might have otherwise forced them to hire their raking done. and at our house i'll further say that i rake. tim uses his leaf blower.
this picture was taken monday morning. charlie needed a half bath so we've been up and at 'em already this morning!!
ps - the pd james was a good read.

monday morning

there were supposed to be photos of the bathroom here but i keep encountering 'upload errors' for the photos but i want to get something on the page soooo....
we had a busy and productive weekend. i did some gardening, some cement work, hung sheets out to dry and aired all the blankets (what can match the feeling of crawling into an outside-smelling set of sheets at the end of a long day?), i sent off my garden club updates for the newspaper and website,tim posted his assignments, textured, painted and replaced trim board on the wall in the hallway created for the bathroom, watched some golf, made a great lunch with chorizo, grilled chicken and shrimp, we made a walmart run for a dehumidifier, charlie got a haircut, (we had rain and hail during the ordeal)and generally just had a good weekend.
today i have an appointment for a manicure before work. (i really should be in the shower right now) tomorrow i see the eye doctor and get a haircut. i'm waiting for an email response to a request made friday (because i didn't want to sit on the phone all day) from the dept of revenue. a wasted day on the phone may have been quicker...i'm going to set up a table at the farmers market to sell my cement leaves so i need to know my responsibility to the state in terms of collecting tax. i can get a site for $15 for the 10 week season. i'm planning to do maybe 6 weeks. who knows when the leaves will run out?? it could be fun.