"Hey, Mom, did you know that a collage is French?"
"When I am very old, you'll be dead." (smiles and covers her mouth with her hand)
Monday, August 31, 2009
Last week, I took the kids to the downtown library for story time. If you arrive at the library before it opens, there is usually a crowd of people that are homeless, waiting to get inside. The library is a great place for them to read, use the public computers, or go to the bathroom and freshen up a bit for the day.
There was an older man (obviously homeless) ahead of us as we were heading out the back doors to the parking garage. He was about to pass through the detectors, when a couple of kids bolted through on their way in. Their grandmother, glanced over at the man as she followed the kids, then as soon as she was past him, pulled her shoulders up and shivered, in that 'oooo, gross!' manner.
It made me sad. More often than not, it is the homeless person that holds the elevator or is ready with a smile for me and my kids... But then I wondered how often I shudder on the inside when I encounter someone I don't understand and judge them... More than I'd like to admit.
I'm beginning to see more clearly how our attitudes, actions, and speech devalue human life.
There was an older man (obviously homeless) ahead of us as we were heading out the back doors to the parking garage. He was about to pass through the detectors, when a couple of kids bolted through on their way in. Their grandmother, glanced over at the man as she followed the kids, then as soon as she was past him, pulled her shoulders up and shivered, in that 'oooo, gross!' manner.
It made me sad. More often than not, it is the homeless person that holds the elevator or is ready with a smile for me and my kids... But then I wondered how often I shudder on the inside when I encounter someone I don't understand and judge them... More than I'd like to admit.
I'm beginning to see more clearly how our attitudes, actions, and speech devalue human life.
Wednesday, August 26, 2009
Gardening
Every once in a while, something comes along that reminds you of your destiny, the person you were made to be, the things you are meant to do with your life.
Driving home from the library, I turned on the radio. WPLN's AM station came on with its constant buzz, and filtering out the noise of the kids in the back seat, I could hear a discussion on gardening. Tom Ashbrook and guest speaker Robert Harrison were talking about gardens. I caught the tail end of a poem (I think) about a gardener that insisted on showing his visitor his flowers, then got caught up in pulling weeds and transplanting a crowded aster before the visitor finally decided to leave. The program went on to discuss gardens being 'pockets of Eden' and how they bring healing and peace. I couldn't stop the emotion welling up inside.
I remember Rilke writing to a young author that a true poet can't help but write; trying not to would be the death of him. I am compelled to garden.
On my trip a few weeks ago to the Seed Savers Exchange, they had a garden in front of the main barn: raised beds in a geometric pattern, bamboo supports of beans and peas intermingled with flowers. Visiting different places gives me vision for my future gardens, just as enjoying another's work of art or literature gives me vision for the things I will create and write in the future.
When thinking about moving, I have been obsessing about how to take my shrubs and flowers with me. I have been scheming about the best ways to get starts of them all before we have to put the house on the market. Packets of vegetable and flower seed I have saved are tucked in random places throughout the house. I dream about the gardens I will have at the new place.
A seventy-year-old woman called in to the radio program. She had planted eleven gardens in her lifetime, leaving a trail of flowers behind as she moved on through life. She talked about how gardening brought her closer to the Creator, her secret garden turned sacred.
Driving home from the library, I turned on the radio. WPLN's AM station came on with its constant buzz, and filtering out the noise of the kids in the back seat, I could hear a discussion on gardening. Tom Ashbrook and guest speaker Robert Harrison were talking about gardens. I caught the tail end of a poem (I think) about a gardener that insisted on showing his visitor his flowers, then got caught up in pulling weeds and transplanting a crowded aster before the visitor finally decided to leave. The program went on to discuss gardens being 'pockets of Eden' and how they bring healing and peace. I couldn't stop the emotion welling up inside.
I remember Rilke writing to a young author that a true poet can't help but write; trying not to would be the death of him. I am compelled to garden.
On my trip a few weeks ago to the Seed Savers Exchange, they had a garden in front of the main barn: raised beds in a geometric pattern, bamboo supports of beans and peas intermingled with flowers. Visiting different places gives me vision for my future gardens, just as enjoying another's work of art or literature gives me vision for the things I will create and write in the future.
When thinking about moving, I have been obsessing about how to take my shrubs and flowers with me. I have been scheming about the best ways to get starts of them all before we have to put the house on the market. Packets of vegetable and flower seed I have saved are tucked in random places throughout the house. I dream about the gardens I will have at the new place.
A seventy-year-old woman called in to the radio program. She had planted eleven gardens in her lifetime, leaving a trail of flowers behind as she moved on through life. She talked about how gardening brought her closer to the Creator, her secret garden turned sacred.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Weekend Update and Other Ramblings 8/24
Things I am thankful for today: toilet paper, indoor plumbing, steaming showers, and a baby that naps in the morning.
We have all come down with a cold. Z is constantly smearing snot all over her face. Finley was up last night coughing until I drugged her. Joe is on the tail end of his cold. Thankfully, the wheezing and labored breathing was restricted to Thursday. I am waiting for the pressure in my sinuses to subside.
I finally found the birth pictures of zivah that Chris took in the hospital. It is amazing how such an ugly little thing can turn out to be cute.
I took a look through the pictures of my aunt and uncle's vacation this morning. I couldn't help but wonder why I am not living in the spacious beauty of Montana. (I know. The answer is obvious.)
We (mostly Chris) finished painting the kids room this weekend, so we moved them back in yesterday. Last night, we put all three kids to bed in the room at the same time... and it worked! I was expecting lots of screaming, laughing, and toy-throwing with the addition of Zivah in the room, but Z went right to sleep, and the older two eventually followed suit. Now I am hoping to get the other room set up as an office/school/play room.
Reanna has been in school for three weeks, and has been enjoying it so far. Last year, we hardly touched language and only made it through half of the math book. She had to take a placement test at the school, and they said she was well above where she needed to be for eighth grade. She is taking algebra. Either Reanna learned a whole lot more than I thought under what I considered a less-than-ideal homeschooling experience or the public school system really isn't that great (or both)! Regardless, I'm very proud of her!
Today, I was trying to get the kids to weed out some toys. Joe wanted to get rid of a little, cartoony semi-truck. Finley said, 'But Joe, it's purple!'
Every once in a while, it's nice to discover something that Chris and I are actually excited about together. Usually, we have similar goals, but for different reasons, or different ideas about how and to go about it. Moving out of the city is a good example. His focus is 'getting out of the city'. Mine focus is more on having the space I want to garden and have animals. Although we have similar ideas of what our dream house would be like, he wants to build a new house, while I would rather renovate. There is one thing we both agree upon. Someday, we must have Buff Laced Polish chickens:
We have all come down with a cold. Z is constantly smearing snot all over her face. Finley was up last night coughing until I drugged her. Joe is on the tail end of his cold. Thankfully, the wheezing and labored breathing was restricted to Thursday. I am waiting for the pressure in my sinuses to subside.
I finally found the birth pictures of zivah that Chris took in the hospital. It is amazing how such an ugly little thing can turn out to be cute.
I took a look through the pictures of my aunt and uncle's vacation this morning. I couldn't help but wonder why I am not living in the spacious beauty of Montana. (I know. The answer is obvious.)
We (mostly Chris) finished painting the kids room this weekend, so we moved them back in yesterday. Last night, we put all three kids to bed in the room at the same time... and it worked! I was expecting lots of screaming, laughing, and toy-throwing with the addition of Zivah in the room, but Z went right to sleep, and the older two eventually followed suit. Now I am hoping to get the other room set up as an office/school/play room.
Reanna has been in school for three weeks, and has been enjoying it so far. Last year, we hardly touched language and only made it through half of the math book. She had to take a placement test at the school, and they said she was well above where she needed to be for eighth grade. She is taking algebra. Either Reanna learned a whole lot more than I thought under what I considered a less-than-ideal homeschooling experience or the public school system really isn't that great (or both)! Regardless, I'm very proud of her!
Today, I was trying to get the kids to weed out some toys. Joe wanted to get rid of a little, cartoony semi-truck. Finley said, 'But Joe, it's purple!'
Every once in a while, it's nice to discover something that Chris and I are actually excited about together. Usually, we have similar goals, but for different reasons, or different ideas about how and to go about it. Moving out of the city is a good example. His focus is 'getting out of the city'. Mine focus is more on having the space I want to garden and have animals. Although we have similar ideas of what our dream house would be like, he wants to build a new house, while I would rather renovate. There is one thing we both agree upon. Someday, we must have Buff Laced Polish chickens:
Friday, August 21, 2009
Monday, August 17, 2009
Thursday, August 13, 2009
Iowa
Three days back from Iowa, and I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed. What do I do when there is a to-do list a mile long? I ignore the list and blog.
Here is an overview of my time in Iowa:
-Woke up before the alarm on the day of my departure.
-Flew to Omaha.
-Played grocery store with Isaac while we waited to pick up rental.
-Picked up rental. Al decided to try out a Mini Cooper for our trip.
-Met Dale for lunch.
-Drove to Missouri Valley, Iowa to see Monica. (She has a nice little garden stand on the main road through town. Stop in and buy something if you ever get the chance.)
-Drove to Iowa City. Took a ridiculous amount of photos of wind farms on the way.
-Checked into overflow Ronald McDonald House room at Travel Lodge. Creepy bear motif. Low beds.
-Ate and drank (Newcastle) at the Sanctuary pub in Iowa City.
-Next morning, drove to Amana. Surreal place with slight cultish feel. [Wiki History] Went into bakery to ask about the arts festival. "It's quite the thing," the baker lady told us. Bought a loaf of bread out of a feeling of obligation. Arrived early to find about 20 vendors setting up shop. Spent an hour browsing and making purchases, then went for lunch. Ate some of the best green beans I've ever had in my life. Spent another hour or two wandering shops. (It is a nice place to visit.)
-Drove out toward Decorah. Stopped random places for photos, including the train depot in Independence, a church in El Dorado, and the little church in Festina.
-Checked into the dumpy 'Bluff Inn and Resort' in Decorah. (Named such because you'll have to resort to that place if no other hotel have vacancies, I presume.)
-Went to eat. Found nice, old downtown area. Inquired about movies and dining at nice hotel. Dined. Walked, then headed back to the inn for a swim. After Alicia discovered the empty, creepy pool, decided it wasn't worth the money, and got a refund. Checked into ridiculously nice downtown Hotel Winneshiek for $10 more.
-Next morning, drove to Seed Savers. Ooh-ed and aah-ed at the gardens and visitors' center. Gave ourselves a nice, quiet walking tour as it was Sunday and no one was around.
-Stopped at Bily Clocks museum in Spillville. The lady started the tour without us, and after standing patiently for 10 minutes, realized it wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be, and skipped out on the rest of the tour. (This is where I took the picture of the two-headed pig.)
-Got caught in an intense storm just north of Des Moines. Took refuge for a bit in a Target. Drove the rest of the way back to Omaha under crazy clouds and lightning. Took more pictures of wind farms backed by sunset.
-Flew out the next morning. Came back feeling refreshed.
Here is an overview of my time in Iowa:
-Woke up before the alarm on the day of my departure.
-Flew to Omaha.
-Played grocery store with Isaac while we waited to pick up rental.
-Picked up rental. Al decided to try out a Mini Cooper for our trip.
-Met Dale for lunch.
-Drove to Missouri Valley, Iowa to see Monica. (She has a nice little garden stand on the main road through town. Stop in and buy something if you ever get the chance.)
-Drove to Iowa City. Took a ridiculous amount of photos of wind farms on the way.
-Checked into overflow Ronald McDonald House room at Travel Lodge. Creepy bear motif. Low beds.
-Ate and drank (Newcastle) at the Sanctuary pub in Iowa City.
-Next morning, drove to Amana. Surreal place with slight cultish feel. [Wiki History] Went into bakery to ask about the arts festival. "It's quite the thing," the baker lady told us. Bought a loaf of bread out of a feeling of obligation. Arrived early to find about 20 vendors setting up shop. Spent an hour browsing and making purchases, then went for lunch. Ate some of the best green beans I've ever had in my life. Spent another hour or two wandering shops. (It is a nice place to visit.)
-Drove out toward Decorah. Stopped random places for photos, including the train depot in Independence, a church in El Dorado, and the little church in Festina.
-Checked into the dumpy 'Bluff Inn and Resort' in Decorah. (Named such because you'll have to resort to that place if no other hotel have vacancies, I presume.)
-Went to eat. Found nice, old downtown area. Inquired about movies and dining at nice hotel. Dined. Walked, then headed back to the inn for a swim. After Alicia discovered the empty, creepy pool, decided it wasn't worth the money, and got a refund. Checked into ridiculously nice downtown Hotel Winneshiek for $10 more.
-Next morning, drove to Seed Savers. Ooh-ed and aah-ed at the gardens and visitors' center. Gave ourselves a nice, quiet walking tour as it was Sunday and no one was around.
-Stopped at Bily Clocks museum in Spillville. The lady started the tour without us, and after standing patiently for 10 minutes, realized it wasn't as interesting as I thought it would be, and skipped out on the rest of the tour. (This is where I took the picture of the two-headed pig.)
-Got caught in an intense storm just north of Des Moines. Took refuge for a bit in a Target. Drove the rest of the way back to Omaha under crazy clouds and lightning. Took more pictures of wind farms backed by sunset.
-Flew out the next morning. Came back feeling refreshed.
Once again, for pictures we took, click here.
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tuesday, August 11, 2009
Hip Update
I realized I haven't explained why Z is in a brace again. At birth, due to her severe breech postion, she developed hip dysplasia, and wore a Pavlik harness for several months. After a week, the hip had tightened up, and at three months, everything looked great.
At seven months, Zivah hips were very symmetrical, the angles measured 21-22 degrees, and everything looked good. I almost didn't go back to the specialist at 12 months, since she was crawling like a champ and making her way toward walking. Thankfully, our pediatrician warned up that sometimes, the hips loosen back up, and it would be wise to check on them.
Z's hips still looked very symmetrical, but the angle had widened out to 27-28 degrees, and it looked like the femur heads were starting to slide out of that little triangle. The doc said everything was still okay, but since it didn't look quite as good as before, he didn't want to risk leaving it untreated, only to regret it later down the road. Better to be safe than sorry. Three months in the brace for most of the time, then three months only at night...
Thankfully, she isn't as tippy as she I thought she'd be, and she is figuring out how to move around a little. Not so happy, though...
Above is an x-ray of a messed up hip (not Zivah's). The little balls at the top of the leg bones are the femur heads developing. The one on your right looks fairly normal, the one on the left is way out of socket. Looking at the xray, the doc first checks for symmetry. Then he draws a horizontal line all the way across where the gaps are in the pelvis next to the femur heads. Then he draws a line tracing the angle of the pelvis bone up away from the gap (the hip socket region). He measures this angle. Ideally, the angle should be less than 30 degrees. Then he draws a line down from the edge where the end of that angle of bone is. The femur head should not be developing outside of that vertical line.
At seven months, Zivah hips were very symmetrical, the angles measured 21-22 degrees, and everything looked good. I almost didn't go back to the specialist at 12 months, since she was crawling like a champ and making her way toward walking. Thankfully, our pediatrician warned up that sometimes, the hips loosen back up, and it would be wise to check on them.Z's hips still looked very symmetrical, but the angle had widened out to 27-28 degrees, and it looked like the femur heads were starting to slide out of that little triangle. The doc said everything was still okay, but since it didn't look quite as good as before, he didn't want to risk leaving it untreated, only to regret it later down the road. Better to be safe than sorry. Three months in the brace for most of the time, then three months only at night...
Thankfully, she isn't as tippy as she I thought she'd be, and she is figuring out how to move around a little. Not so happy, though...
I know you all are eagerly awaiting a minute by minute narrative of the trip to Iowa. (Which you may never get.)
I'll try to at least get a general overview written within the week.
For now, you will have to satisfy yourself glancing through the photos we took. (Minus the double-headed pig in formaldehyde. Alicia wasn't so fond of that.)
Today I took Z in to get her brace. The next three months will not be so fun. Last night, she was tromping (with the aid of my fingers), in a freshly-washed, naked body, through the house, so excited and proud of herself, she was laughing (heh-heh-heh)... Today, she can't sit without falling over in a matter of seconds. I hope she has a good, long nap.
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Iowa, Here I Come!
The last few weeks have been a scramble. Finishing out a room in the basement for Reanna, repainting her old one upstairs. (It took four coats to cover the blue on the walls.) Took Zivah in to check on her hips... Turns out we'll have to put her back in a brace for a while. Have an appointment next week to get her fitted for it. Zivah came down with a bug that lasted three days. Now that she is feeling better, she's dveloped a bit of a heat rash and looks splotchy. Joe has been exploring the three-year-old territory and has been testing the limits of my patience. (Kicking, screaming, and smacking me one minute, then not long afterward hugging and telling me he loves me.) Finley is a constant stream of pleas and complaints.
I am ready for a break.
Friday morning, bright and early, I fly out to Omaha. From there, my friend, Alicia, and I will drive out to see the Amana Festival of the Arts on Saturday. Sunday, we will probably see "the world's smallest church" , then head over to the Seed Saver's Exchange.
Two days. I can make it through these last two days.
I am ready for a break.
Friday morning, bright and early, I fly out to Omaha. From there, my friend, Alicia, and I will drive out to see the Amana Festival of the Arts on Saturday. Sunday, we will probably see "the world's smallest church" , then head over to the Seed Saver's Exchange.
Two days. I can make it through these last two days.
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