WHY must all good things come to an end?
Today was our last trip to the Bookmobile. Budget cuts finally reached us; the local library is cutting off this valuable service on Sept. 1.
I started using the Bookmobile 14 or 15 years ago when I got sick of reading the same books over & over to my oldest book-loving toddler. We will really miss Susie, a wonderful librarian, who has watched our family grow up while faithfully schlepped boxes & boxes of books & audios for us, even setting aside new items she knew we would enjoy. I did some figuring... we started out small -only a few books at a time, but gradually increased over the years to where we are now checking out approximately 100 items per month.
The local library cannot stock enough Christian items to keep up with our reading appetite, so we inter-library loan most of what we check out. The library will only hold these things for 4 days after they come in, but with town 20 minutes away I don't go more than once a week. Potentially a huge problem. How many books will be shipped back & forth, back & forth until they realize it would be much more cost effective to hold them longer for us?
Besides sadness over this loss of a very handy service, we are awaiting word of the passing of our church family's matriarch. A sweet little lady of 94, known universally as "Grandma", will surely leave quite a hole in our midst.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Saturday, August 22, 2009
PostScript
Today's debate: muskmelons, or cantaloupe- depending where you are from.
R. came home with 2 when he went after some corn selling for $1.50/dozen today. Muskmelon is not on my list of edibles. He is on a gang-up-on-mom campaign, coaxing everyone to eat it. So far it's boys against girls. JR tried it and decided he likes it. JS tried some and said "It's not bad. It's not exactly good, but it's not bad." His previous experiences with it were at potlucks, probably not of the vine-ripened variety. A. tried it, too, but is sticking with her previous opinion. I have tried it often enough in my lifetime to know I do not like it- really do not like it. I would have to be stranded on a desert island with nothing else to eat for a couple days before I'd resort to muskmelon.
R. came home with 2 when he went after some corn selling for $1.50/dozen today. Muskmelon is not on my list of edibles. He is on a gang-up-on-mom campaign, coaxing everyone to eat it. So far it's boys against girls. JR tried it and decided he likes it. JS tried some and said "It's not bad. It's not exactly good, but it's not bad." His previous experiences with it were at potlucks, probably not of the vine-ripened variety. A. tried it, too, but is sticking with her previous opinion. I have tried it often enough in my lifetime to know I do not like it- really do not like it. I would have to be stranded on a desert island with nothing else to eat for a couple days before I'd resort to muskmelon.
Friday, August 21, 2009
Tomatoes
Tomato season is here -yum! I bet my mother thought she'd never see the day I'd say that. My children all profess to hate tomatoes, but I smile because I did, too, at their age. The difference is I happily munch my tomato sandwiches without forcing them to eat some.
I grew up under the strict policy 'if mom or dad likes it, it's good and you have to eat some'. Usually "as many bites as you are old" -the only downside of having a birthday- and no dessert unless you clean your plate. Nasty business. To this day I despise red beets, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus... and the real doozie- dandelion greens! We had to listen to it every spring how we are so lucky because at least we get to eat young, tender raw dandelion, as opposed to old, bitter, cooked stuff that Grandma made Mom eat. As for bologna sandwiches, that is a whole other post.
One day when I was a newlywed spending the day at a friend's house I was served tomato sandwiches. Panic. I didn't know if I had the willpower. My hostess, bless her, didn't know. Surprise. It's really not so bad with bacon & cheese on toast. I came to find out I like tomatoes if they are slightly firm. My in-laws introduced me to the Hillbilly variety (the yellow ones with red streaks). Now those are the ones I can eat sliced with just a dab of mayo, like my mother tried to teach me.
In many ways we become our parents and, to our chagrin, parrot the phrases we didn't like to hear growing up. The weak link in my armor as a strict mom [my children's opinion, not mine] is making my children eat things they don't like. JR would be quick to argue, as he has to eat fish even though it nearly makes him vomit (he watched fish butchering once and can't handle fish ever since), and I've been on a tilapia kick lately. Over all I'm pretty lenient though. Especially away from home, I figure it's more important for my children to clean their plate than to take a serving of each dish. I myself will pass on the things I don't like when possible. Call it childhood trauma. LOL Of course, at home I simply don't make the things I don't like. From time to time when one of the children complains about a meal, R. & I will regale them with tales of the cruel & unusual punishment we endured at the table when we were their age. Our assurances that they have it good in comparison is about as effective on them as it was on us 30 years ago.
I was quite surprised the other day when JR suddenly started eating "my" cherries. Turns out he was working for someone one day this summer and was served sweet cherries at lunch for dessert. He took some to be polite ...and discovered he actually likes them. I'm proud of him for being concerned about manners. What I have been pondering ever since is whether children learn to like foods at a younger age if it's not forced upon them repeatedly?
Disclaimer: I love my parents and they raised me well. I trust my children will say the same of me some day -that their character won't be stunted because I didn't force them to eat certain things. Incidentally, my children eat things that I won't. A. likes onion sandwiches... JR likes hot peppers & horseradish... JS likes venison...all 3 of my children eat watermelon while I staunchly declare if I want water I will drink it...
I grew up under the strict policy 'if mom or dad likes it, it's good and you have to eat some'. Usually "as many bites as you are old" -the only downside of having a birthday- and no dessert unless you clean your plate. Nasty business. To this day I despise red beets, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus... and the real doozie- dandelion greens! We had to listen to it every spring how we are so lucky because at least we get to eat young, tender raw dandelion, as opposed to old, bitter, cooked stuff that Grandma made Mom eat. As for bologna sandwiches, that is a whole other post.
One day when I was a newlywed spending the day at a friend's house I was served tomato sandwiches. Panic. I didn't know if I had the willpower. My hostess, bless her, didn't know. Surprise. It's really not so bad with bacon & cheese on toast. I came to find out I like tomatoes if they are slightly firm. My in-laws introduced me to the Hillbilly variety (the yellow ones with red streaks). Now those are the ones I can eat sliced with just a dab of mayo, like my mother tried to teach me.
In many ways we become our parents and, to our chagrin, parrot the phrases we didn't like to hear growing up. The weak link in my armor as a strict mom [my children's opinion, not mine] is making my children eat things they don't like. JR would be quick to argue, as he has to eat fish even though it nearly makes him vomit (he watched fish butchering once and can't handle fish ever since), and I've been on a tilapia kick lately. Over all I'm pretty lenient though. Especially away from home, I figure it's more important for my children to clean their plate than to take a serving of each dish. I myself will pass on the things I don't like when possible. Call it childhood trauma. LOL Of course, at home I simply don't make the things I don't like. From time to time when one of the children complains about a meal, R. & I will regale them with tales of the cruel & unusual punishment we endured at the table when we were their age. Our assurances that they have it good in comparison is about as effective on them as it was on us 30 years ago.
I was quite surprised the other day when JR suddenly started eating "my" cherries. Turns out he was working for someone one day this summer and was served sweet cherries at lunch for dessert. He took some to be polite ...and discovered he actually likes them. I'm proud of him for being concerned about manners. What I have been pondering ever since is whether children learn to like foods at a younger age if it's not forced upon them repeatedly?
Disclaimer: I love my parents and they raised me well. I trust my children will say the same of me some day -that their character won't be stunted because I didn't force them to eat certain things. Incidentally, my children eat things that I won't. A. likes onion sandwiches... JR likes hot peppers & horseradish... JS likes venison...all 3 of my children eat watermelon while I staunchly declare if I want water I will drink it...
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Uncertainties
I've got some heavy things on my mind:
*desperately praying for a job for JR. In order to drop out of school he needs an Age & Schooling certificate; in order to get one he has to have a signed paper from his employer- which requires a job, of course. We couldn't get him a job earlier this summer because he is a minor until the 29th and prohibited from a number of occupations accessible to him. With the economy, people are not hiring right now. We are supposed to notify the school district by Friday one way or the other. If we end up having to do school, I'd like him to study for a GED but uncertain whether that will be acceptable to the school district.
*a b-day gift for him. He is not a fun one to shop for. He can't stand suspense (a side effect of one of his disorders) so it's like he has to know what he is getting, which takes all the fun out of it. He wants an iPod but we don't agree on the dollar amount or some ground rules for using it.
*with the milestone 16th b-day comes joining the youth group. These social transitions have never been easy for him. It can be hard enough to break onto the social scene without his challenges/social clumsiness. So much potential for rejection. My heart quakes; I would prefer to protect *myself* from more pain & rejection.
*a source of contention is his driver's license. In our state he could have gotten a permit 6 months ago, but we have not allowed him to get one. We set forth a requirement he must meet first, thinking he will care enough about driving to reach the goal quickly. That hasn't happened so it has become a large issue we hadn't expected. I never imagined in my teens how a parent's heart can ache for a child at the same time one remains firm with him/her.
*our very fertile cat had yet another batch of kittens Sunday. She's a little early this cycle (she faithfully produces a litter every spring & fall); we haven't even gotten rid of the last batch yet. This puts us somewhere around 40 kittens to find other homes for in the last 3 years. She is such a good mouser that we hesitated to get rid of her but she must go now because we [R. & I] are sick of kittens. You might ask why we haven't gotten her spayed; with our luck, we're convinced if we'd spend that much money on a cat she'd be sure to get herself killed shortly thereafter. Her 'son' from a couple litters ago surprised us with a litter a couple months back. Arrgghhh! For some reason we never managed to decrease the population by driving over any- the #1 reason people refuse to take one (past trauma, you know). I find it upsetting that people who refuse to take any of our kittens shortly thereafter accept kittens from someone else. Too bad daddy cat doesn't have an owner (who assumes responsibility for at least 50% of each litter.) ha. If you could use a mouse patrol or simply have a soft spot for kittens, let us know quickly because we are going to have all cats, save 1 male, removed from the premises directly.
*last week JR was mowing at the warehouse. If you're familiar with our location you know there is a very steep bank beside the warehouse. It's risky business if one isn't careful; we were concerned. He made a wrong turn... and rolled the mower. Fortunately he was able to jump clear; was sore but unhurt. The mower sustained only minor cosmetic damage. I cannot dwell on what could have happened.
*school starts on the 25th for JS & A. A few days ago it hit me what that means. I am so not ready to get back into that! I dread Bible Memory every year (JS is up to 8 verse per week and A. to 6 now). I hate packing lunches. I dislike having to get up earlier. I'm not fond of helping with homework questions in curriculum I don't like. Homeschooling them looks more & more appealing. :)
*i really struggled last week with feeling lonely. Feeling like we could drop off the face of the earth and the people around us would hardly pause in their busy schedules to notice. Feeling excluded from things. Completely puzzled why -what makes us so 'un-fun' to be with- what character flaw or ?? to work on. I'm not looking to be the life-of-the-party type, but feeling cared about would be nice.
There you have it. I don't know whether to thank you for bearing with me to the end or wishing you would have quit reading several paragraphs ago. :) Today I feel brave enough to be vulnerable with it. Tomorrow I probably won't.
For all our Hillcrest friends-
Quote of the day: "You guys were goofy back then." -A. (looking at Hillcrest pics)
[Thank you for that vote of confidence, my dear! So glad you think we're old & stodgy now.]
*desperately praying for a job for JR. In order to drop out of school he needs an Age & Schooling certificate; in order to get one he has to have a signed paper from his employer- which requires a job, of course. We couldn't get him a job earlier this summer because he is a minor until the 29th and prohibited from a number of occupations accessible to him. With the economy, people are not hiring right now. We are supposed to notify the school district by Friday one way or the other. If we end up having to do school, I'd like him to study for a GED but uncertain whether that will be acceptable to the school district.
*a b-day gift for him. He is not a fun one to shop for. He can't stand suspense (a side effect of one of his disorders) so it's like he has to know what he is getting, which takes all the fun out of it. He wants an iPod but we don't agree on the dollar amount or some ground rules for using it.
*with the milestone 16th b-day comes joining the youth group. These social transitions have never been easy for him. It can be hard enough to break onto the social scene without his challenges/social clumsiness. So much potential for rejection. My heart quakes; I would prefer to protect *myself* from more pain & rejection.
*a source of contention is his driver's license. In our state he could have gotten a permit 6 months ago, but we have not allowed him to get one. We set forth a requirement he must meet first, thinking he will care enough about driving to reach the goal quickly. That hasn't happened so it has become a large issue we hadn't expected. I never imagined in my teens how a parent's heart can ache for a child at the same time one remains firm with him/her.
*our very fertile cat had yet another batch of kittens Sunday. She's a little early this cycle (she faithfully produces a litter every spring & fall); we haven't even gotten rid of the last batch yet. This puts us somewhere around 40 kittens to find other homes for in the last 3 years. She is such a good mouser that we hesitated to get rid of her but she must go now because we [R. & I] are sick of kittens. You might ask why we haven't gotten her spayed; with our luck, we're convinced if we'd spend that much money on a cat she'd be sure to get herself killed shortly thereafter. Her 'son' from a couple litters ago surprised us with a litter a couple months back. Arrgghhh! For some reason we never managed to decrease the population by driving over any- the #1 reason people refuse to take one (past trauma, you know). I find it upsetting that people who refuse to take any of our kittens shortly thereafter accept kittens from someone else. Too bad daddy cat doesn't have an owner (who assumes responsibility for at least 50% of each litter.) ha. If you could use a mouse patrol or simply have a soft spot for kittens, let us know quickly because we are going to have all cats, save 1 male, removed from the premises directly.
*last week JR was mowing at the warehouse. If you're familiar with our location you know there is a very steep bank beside the warehouse. It's risky business if one isn't careful; we were concerned. He made a wrong turn... and rolled the mower. Fortunately he was able to jump clear; was sore but unhurt. The mower sustained only minor cosmetic damage. I cannot dwell on what could have happened.
*school starts on the 25th for JS & A. A few days ago it hit me what that means. I am so not ready to get back into that! I dread Bible Memory every year (JS is up to 8 verse per week and A. to 6 now). I hate packing lunches. I dislike having to get up earlier. I'm not fond of helping with homework questions in curriculum I don't like. Homeschooling them looks more & more appealing. :)
*i really struggled last week with feeling lonely. Feeling like we could drop off the face of the earth and the people around us would hardly pause in their busy schedules to notice. Feeling excluded from things. Completely puzzled why -what makes us so 'un-fun' to be with- what character flaw or ?? to work on. I'm not looking to be the life-of-the-party type, but feeling cared about would be nice.
There you have it. I don't know whether to thank you for bearing with me to the end or wishing you would have quit reading several paragraphs ago. :) Today I feel brave enough to be vulnerable with it. Tomorrow I probably won't.
For all our Hillcrest friends-
Quote of the day: "You guys were goofy back then." -A. (looking at Hillcrest pics)
[Thank you for that vote of confidence, my dear! So glad you think we're old & stodgy now.]
Monday, August 10, 2009
Velveteen Rabbit Real
I SAID
THIS DESERT LIFE IS BARREN
VOID OF LIFE AND BEAUTY.
I DRIVE FOR MILES
SEE NOTHING
ONLY SAND AND SAGE
FEEL NOTHING
ONLY WIND AND HEAT
TASTE NOTHING
BUT SPIT DRIED SPIT.
HE SAID
HAVE YOU EVER DRIVEN
IN SPRING
THROUGH THIS SAME DESERT
SEEN BLOSSOMS FLOWER
GORGEOUS WILD?
IT'S ALL A THING OF TIMING.
SEEDS OF BEAUTY
ARE THERE NOW HIDDEN
WAITING FALL OF RAIN
TO BRING THEM LIFE.
LORD SEND RAIN
UPON MY WORLD
MY LIFE
I'M TIRED OF DRIED SPIT.
"Mojave Desert" by Joseph Bayly
taken from "The Velveteen Woman"
which I'm currently reading
Love The Velveteen Rabbit [book]. I'm feeling pretty shabby lately; trying to understand that it's actually a good thing. "As long as we are busy living the not-really-me-but-tidy life, we never get around to becoming real."
Wednesday, August 5, 2009
Thrift Store Shopping
How I ended up with kids that are extremely picky about their clothing can only be attributed to their father. I cannot identify with moms who lay out some clothes and their sons actually put them on. No, mine have specific likes & dislikes from a very young age. (I avoid packing for hubby when we take a trip for similar reasons.) If I buy a shirt and the boys don't like it, it hangs in the closet unworn until they outgrow it. A couple weeks ago I cringed when JS walked into VBS wearing an unironed, rip-in-the-sleeve everyday shirt- his reason? "I didn't have anything else in my closet that I liked." I've learned years ago not to make a dress for A without first having her approve both the fabric & the pattern.
Their taste changes from time to time, but currently jeans have to be carpenter style, shirts have to be soft fabric -no stiff oxfords- and as much of a plaid as we allow is good for JR... dresses have to have a flared skirt that swirls when twirling, pantyhose have to be just the right shade of brown, etc. etc. Oh, the chists when someone changes preferences mid-stream!
So, with school bearing down on us and closets lacking school clothes, yesterday we took our annual trek to the city for a day of shopping the thrift stores. It's a tiring day -over 11 hours of close fellowship in the van, intermittent humming or singing just to irritate sibs, a back-seat driving teen, racks & racks of clothing to sort through, elusive tags to read, deliberations- is this item worth this much? or should I get this one or will we find a better deal at the next store? or what does dad/mom say?...
The fun part is sorting everything into piles when we get home to see what everyone got. The triumph of bargains! Yesterday we did exceptionally well with clothing for JS. Other outstanding purchases were a camo beanbag chair for JS and a denim one for A for $4... a $5 snowboard for JR... a like-new set of Adventures in Odyssey cassettes for 99 cents, as well as a Nicholas Sparks and a Hank the Cowdog book-on-tape... a nice punch bowl without all those annoying little punch cups I don't need/want... and an American Girl board game. Can't wait to play it with A, but I bet she'll whip the socks off me because I'm not as versed in A.G. trivia. All things considered, a successful day.
P.S. The van shopping came to a screeching halt. The Montana only needed a new air flow sensor. The boys are disappointed; they think we had a perfectly good excuse to buy a new van but ruined it. R & I are delighted not only with the huge savings ($112 vs the price of a new van) but with how the van now runs better than it has for years & years. Gas milage is also higher than we've ever had with this van (we're seeing as high as 29mpg)!
And the washer that was making hideous sounds probably just needs some new belts.
Their taste changes from time to time, but currently jeans have to be carpenter style, shirts have to be soft fabric -no stiff oxfords- and as much of a plaid as we allow is good for JR... dresses have to have a flared skirt that swirls when twirling, pantyhose have to be just the right shade of brown, etc. etc. Oh, the chists when someone changes preferences mid-stream!
So, with school bearing down on us and closets lacking school clothes, yesterday we took our annual trek to the city for a day of shopping the thrift stores. It's a tiring day -over 11 hours of close fellowship in the van, intermittent humming or singing just to irritate sibs, a back-seat driving teen, racks & racks of clothing to sort through, elusive tags to read, deliberations- is this item worth this much? or should I get this one or will we find a better deal at the next store? or what does dad/mom say?...
The fun part is sorting everything into piles when we get home to see what everyone got. The triumph of bargains! Yesterday we did exceptionally well with clothing for JS. Other outstanding purchases were a camo beanbag chair for JS and a denim one for A for $4... a $5 snowboard for JR... a like-new set of Adventures in Odyssey cassettes for 99 cents, as well as a Nicholas Sparks and a Hank the Cowdog book-on-tape... a nice punch bowl without all those annoying little punch cups I don't need/want... and an American Girl board game. Can't wait to play it with A, but I bet she'll whip the socks off me because I'm not as versed in A.G. trivia. All things considered, a successful day.
P.S. The van shopping came to a screeching halt. The Montana only needed a new air flow sensor. The boys are disappointed; they think we had a perfectly good excuse to buy a new van but ruined it. R & I are delighted not only with the huge savings ($112 vs the price of a new van) but with how the van now runs better than it has for years & years. Gas milage is also higher than we've ever had with this van (we're seeing as high as 29mpg)!
And the washer that was making hideous sounds probably just needs some new belts.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)