Red barn, white barn, foggy barn, too.

 

                                                           And a couple of their occupants.

Lily 1 & Lily 2

BFF's

Kirby Allen Jones

           Happy birthday, Kirby. It's time to come home.

My Top 10 Tips to avoid cleaning out your closet

10. Make yourself some scrambled eggs with a little feta sprinkled on top. Eat leisurely.
9. Clean out old files. Throw away annual car insurance documents dating back to 2003, excluding the current one, of course.
8. Wander around the house making mental notes on what you need to make the house look better. Marvel at how messy your daughter's room is.
7. Check airfare to Mexico just in case there's a good deal lurking. Feel disappointed.
6. Eat a peanut butter sandwich with homemade raspberry jam spread on Dave's Killer Bread. ( http://www.daveskillerbread.com/ ). Eat slowly.
5. Pour yourself a diet Dr. Pepper and gaze out your window at your perfect dog lounging happily on the grass taking in the sites. Smile and feel happy.

4. Poof up the pillows on the family room furniture and fold the afghan neatly on the back of the sofa. Admire the order.
3. Go to online banking, check balance and see what payments have gone through recently. Feel a little depressed.
2. Turn on music and make chocolate chip cookie dough for your son. Nibble a little bit here and there. Feel much better.
And the #1 thing to do to avoid cleaning out your closet is.....
Write a post on your blog.

Sometimes I wonder what women are thinking!

I want to distance myself from my gender for a while. This Sunday Lily has a gymnastics meet in Seattle and as we all know, except for the @$#! women who scheduled this competition, it's also Super Bowl Sunday. Don't you think that someone would have noticed this and said to the other organizers - Hey guys! This is Super Bowl Sunday. I bet the parents of the competitors may want to watch the biggest football game of the year. How 'bout we schedule the meet on the following Sunday, ok? A man would have never made this mistake. It's shameful.

I'm tempted to boycott the whole shebang but I want to see Lily do things like this. She would also be very mad at me if I refused to take her and believe me, it gets ugly around here when she's angry so I'll drive the 120 miles at 6:00 am and sit anxiously through the 5 hour event then drive like a bat out of hell (but safely, Safety Man) to get home by the second half. Wish us both luck, will ya?

It's a mean streak

My hot water heater is leaking and needs to be replaced. The pot filler that's over my range also has a leak and needs replacing.  My concrete counter was smacked by a heavy pot and has a big chip out of the edge which needs to be repaired. My kids' upstairs shower was leaking through our recessed lights in the kitchen and needs to be ripped out and re-tiled. The pipes in the well house froze during the big storm which leaves us with bad water and yet another repair job. With the exception of my counters, my troubles are all water related. Do I hear the theme song to Jaws in the background? 
.

Joe is 16 Today

   With Joe, still waters run deep. He quietly goes through life doing his thing without much fanfare. Since he doesn't share anything deeply personal or even remotely private with me, I'm left with my observations and a powerful maternal intuition to figure him out.
    Joe is shy about his accomplishments and never toots his own horn so I'll toot it for him. Having played drums for several years, the boy can play a mean set. I'm told by the musicians at the music store that he's the best student they have. The kid is also very good at Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing. Safety Man tells me that our son is a natural at his sport, taking on much bigger, older and more experienced opponents. Grappling with men that far outweigh him with bulk and experience should be intimidating but Joe practises what he's been taught and earns respect  from these big guys.
   It's clear that when it comes to school he's not there to prove anything to us or his teachers. When he was in the 1st grade, I tried hard to persuade him to compete in the school's spelling bee because of his perfect test scores all year. He would have mopped the floor with the other six year old kids and made this mama proud. But no, he refused to spend anymore time at school then what was necessary. Blue ribbons be damned. He does what he needs to do to keep us, his parents content and off his back. He knows that good grades are his ticket to ride - That is to drive - so he's doing very well at the moment.

    My pride in Joe really swells when I watch him with the little ones in the family. He'll sacrifice whatever electronic device he's playing with and hang out with the little buggers when they come jumping. I can barely stand it when I see little four year old Lucy crawl into his lap and lay her head on his shoulders in church. His smile is made from somewhere deep in his soul.
    I want to be very clear on this next point. There's no question that this child of mine is his fathers son. Snidely, I call him "Mini Me", because they drive me bat crazy sometimes. Whenever SM and I have a "difference of opinion", the kid feels free to weigh in. Here's an example:                                           
                                                                           
                                              Me: Let's have chicken for dinner on Sunday.
                                              SM: We just had chicken.
                                              Me: That was turkey.
                                              Joe: Poultry. It's the same thing.
    When SM is away from home, Joe will quickly ask when he'll be returning. He's always checking on his dad. There are disputes between the two of them, don't let me lead you astray, but Joe LOVES his dad and knows how blessed he is to have a father who's very in tune with teenage boys especially when it comes to vulgar bodily functions.

    I mentioned that Joe plays drums but no commentary on him can be complete without mentioning finger drumming. Oh man! He can find a beat anywhere, anytime on/with anything. In the car he beats his hands on his legs. In church he taps his fingers on his head. At the table he taps out a beat under his chair...... you understand, don't you? At least twice a day, everyday, I say pleadingly - Joe, will you please stop tapping. I will miss him terribly when he heads off to college in two short years and will be equally happy to share his prolific tapping talent with others.

.
    As I wrap up this bragfest, I  need to add a few other attributes that describe my first born. He's funny, kind, very good at impressions (especially British) and appreciative. He doesn't ask for much. Oh! and one more important thing. He bugs his sister like a pro. I bet he'd say that this is what he does best. I know Lily would agree.
   I hope I did a good job sharing my observations with you. He is one hell of a good kid and I love him to pieces.
                                 Happy birthday, Joe and please drive safely.

                                                   Love,
                                                   Mom

Photo Shop and Ansel Adams

Let's face it folks, there's people like me who can take a picture, doctor it up and make it look nice then there's Ansel Adams. A master!

There are advantages to being snowed in.

1. After my shower this morning I dressed myself in old sweats, an old T shirt, and old comfy socks. And I dared not to put on a bit of make up. Sure I startled myself when I inadvertently glanced in the mirror but it's well worth the scare even if I do look very old.
2.
I thought I'd have a long list of advantages but my mind has suddenly drawn a blank. Now my thoughts are wandering into unknown territory, turning very ugly indeed. I'm thinking I should be productive and clean my cabinets, organize the pantry and dust out the cobwebs lurking in my corners. Slowly, I'm realizing there's no escape. Is this what it feels like to go insane?

Whose idea was this?

     I, too, drove the go-cart. There's no evidence of this because I can't take a picture of myself.  I put the metal to pedal (or is it - pedal to the metal or petal to the medal?) and skidded around the corral a few times as the donkeys stood confused and frightened in the northern corner. Don't worry, you! We were very safe. Safety Man gave us goggles and made sure we were securely belted in.