Do Not Exasperate Your Sons

The day camp went really well. The kids had a great time with the trial of the Big Bad Wolf. The group had so much personality, and everyone was so well-behaved. It was really a joy to teach them. A couple of girls from our 4H club gave their presentations since they went along with the theme. We all took a turn folding the flag, played games to learn famous American speeches, and took the INS test. It went so well that I didn't even realize how tired I was until we got home. I took a long hard nap then! I don't like missing so much sleep at night. Saturday was yard work day. We have been gone for so long that the place had gotten out of hand. It looks really nice now. Hubby taught the boys how to use the weed eater, so now he has a couple of helpers. All of that wore us out though, and we rested a good part of the afternoon. Our assignment last week in church was to talk with our children about the goals we have for them and then to let them tell us what we do that "exasperates" them. #1 said there isn't much that bothers him since we are such laid back parents, but he does find doing so many project record books for 4H exasperating. I guess I will have to relook at that. I did manage to get through the school books and think about our schedule for next year. We will be cutting out some things in hopes that it will go more smoothly for us. I think we will stick to Geography Club, 4H, Envirothon, and Theater. That is 3 three things for each boy, and each one ought to be enough to keep us more than busy. It is hard in this day and age to decide what all you need to do to help the kids get into college and still balance the schedules with down time. Perhaps we will succeed better this year. #1 leaves tomorrow for State Congress in Raleigh. #2 and I have plans to bake so he can sell things at the Farmer's Market on Tuesday. I thought we might go pick blueberries to sell too. Here on our little farm we have apples, pears, peaches, and grapes, but not enough to sell. Hopefully in a few more years he will be able to make a little money with our own produce.

Writing in the Wee Hours

It's one of those sleepless nights. The smoke alarm briefly sounded at about 12:30, and I haven't been able to get back to sleep since. After a couple of hours I decided I better get up and write. I really would like to write more often so that I can begin trying to get some things published, but somehow Life seems to get in the way. I always hope that something will change and I will be able to write more, but it doesn't happen. Then a smoke alarm sounds, and I suddenly have a free night. Amazing. I did manage to write about #1's accident tonight. I cried through a lot of the writing. It was cleansing to get it down, but it was very difficult to relive that event. I added it to my collection of writings about home. Right now my home doesn't seem like a place I want to be. I still have books piled everywhere waiting for the verdict of stay on the shelf, sit in the attic, or go somewhere else. It's like Judgment Day for books. I hope they are all prepared for the final decision. That decision may have to wait for one more day though. Tomorrow, or I guess today, I teach a day camp for 4H. The topic is Citizenship. My boys are completing a project book this year on Citizenship, and #1 had asked- before his accident- if he could help me with a day camp about it during the summer. We will be studying the branches of government, passing "laws", and holding a "trial by jury" for the Big Bad Wolf. It should be fun if I can stay awake. The meeting about our classes for next school year went well. The kids seem excited to know that they will be with each other at least once a week and that perhaps the lessons will have a fun element to them. #1, being the Eeyore that he is, tried to convince me that he isn't going to like Algebra, but by the end of the conversation he had convinced himself that perhaps he will since it is sort of like solving riddles. The length of that last sentence has convinced me that I might be ready for bed. Good Night. Or Good Morning.

School Is Getting Closer

My boys safely returned yesterday afternoon. They had a good time and might want to go back next year. Of course that would mean doing another electricity project, so I don't know how likely it is that #1 will go back. They enjoyed the fun at the beach, dinner cruise, and dance. #1 went to the dance, but #2 chose to go to the game room. He isn't girl material yet. I finished the upstairs and the boys liked how it looked. I said something to my group of ladies last night, and they suggested we watch Hoarders. So Hubby and I looked it up last night online and it was scary. I can definitely see #2 turning into one of these people. At least he is at the stage where I can throw things away and he doesn't freak out. Hopefully that means he doesn't have the mental illness. #1 did not notice the new mattress. We went in to check on him and asked what he thought about his room...anything different...anything noticeable? He was lying on the bed and looked all around not sure what we meant. Finally we started calling him "Princess" and asked if he felt any peas and he caught on. He slept well last night. I hope the mattress had something to do with it or else that was an expensive bomb. After I finished the upstairs I started on the bookshelf in the hallway. It is past time for me to be getting books and lesson plans ready. When I write out the schedule of all that I ask of my children I am amazed that they can get it done. Yet, they seem to have a lot of free time on their hands. For example, Geography, Math, English, Foreign Language, Typing, Health, Science, Art, Bible, Reading, History, and 4H projects are all on #2's list of things to do. What gets me is the grading. Everything you assign has to be graded or you might as well not assign it. Ugh. Today we head to a meeting about classes for next school term. I am teaming up with 3 other mothers to offer some courses for Freshmen. Some of the kids are getting a jump start on high school and starting in the eighth grade, like #1, but others are going to be Freshmen. We will meet on Thursdays all day and then the kids will do the work through the week. I will be offering Composition. The others are offering Art, Algebra 1, and Biology 1. At least I won't have to grade those, but having a bunch more students in my Comp class means I will be grading quite a lot. I have about 10 students in the high school class, and silly me offered a 6-8 grade class and a 3-5 grade class. There won't be much grading for the youngest class at least. Have a great day NOT grading papers!

Electric Congress Means Clean Rooms

My boys have gone off to what is known as "Electric Congress" in NC. It is a wonderful opportunity offered through 4H and Progress Energy. The boys completed Electric projects last year as part of their curriculum, and they won free trips to the Congress. They left Monday for Wilmington and will be back this afternoon. In a time of VERY expensive camps, Electric Congress is a great experience for free. They picked the kids up in a holiday tour bus, paid for all of their food and expenses, took them on a dinner cruise, to an aquarium, and who knows what else was planned. They also complete classes/projects in electricity while they are there. So while they have been gone, I have been cleaning the upstairs. I gave them fair warning that I would be cleaning their rooms and if there was anything they were attached to it should be properly put away. #2 wanted a roll of duct tape so he could tape all of his things to the ceiling. His room was attacked first since I thought I might not be able to finish it otherwise. I filled two garbage bags from his room. He is a collector. It doesn't have to be anything of inherent or obvious value, he just collects. I found tiny pieces of paper, acorns, bottle caps, a rubber garden hose, bottles of water, four tubes of toothpaste, many, many pens and pencils, and on it goes. I was nearly insane by the time I finished. It actually took part of two of the days that they have been gone. Yesterday afternoon I worked on #1's room and in the evening I nearly finished the middle family room. #1 and the middle room only accumulated one bag of garbage. I don't understand not being able to throw away articles that are clearly, to me anyway, junk. He gets it from his father. I have "trained" Hubby to do better over the last 20 years, but I am not sure I will ever be able to train #2. I hope he gets a sneaky but patient wife. One who can put up with his collections but who is also able to throw things away without notice. --------------- Yes last night's storms had the dog up. Yes I was also up. I tried hard to feel her fear of the unknown. It was difficult. The dog is still alive.

Summer Night

Lightning lit the sultry summer sky as the desperate dog scratched at my newly painted door. I rose in the middle of the night to let her out to seeming safety, but of course there was no sleep left in the bed for me. I tossed and turned most of the night. This dog is such a bane to me. She loses hair everywhere, even places she doesn't go. She wanders if we don't keep a constant eye on her. She won't let anyone wash her but me. She stations herself in doorways and doesn't see a need to move, especially if you are carrying a plate of food for the dinner table. She steals food from the other animals, throws the kittens in the air, chases chickens when she needs a diversion, and did I mention she loses hair? When we go on vacations I have to trick her into the dog kennel and then hope that whomever feeds doesn't let her out of the gate. If she sees our suitcases before a trip she will disappear. I hope daily that she will die. But I also know that I will miss her when she is gone. She is a faithful shadow to me around the house and farm. She protects me from roosters and protects the chickens from other animals. She loves to be petted and rolls over for a belly scratch at the slightest indication of the possibility. She makes me lose sleep, but she makes my sleep more peaceful. I suppose she is an enigma instead of a bane. ----------- Speaking of sleep...we went out last night and purchased a new mattress for #1. His is nearly 10 years old and the springs are pushing through. I have memories on that mattress, and replacing it is just reminding me of how much my babies have grown. My boys used to sleep together on that bed because they were afraid to sleep alone. They hid under the covers together, asked me to pray with them there, and spent time talking to me about their daydreams. Now that the boys have separate rooms, #1 got the bottom bunk. #2 has the top bunk that wasn't used as often, so his doesn't need replacing just yet. They sleep sparately, don't ask me to pray with them, and seldom tell me their daydreams while I tuck them in. Actually tucking them in has gone by the wayside as they stay up later than I do anyway. Being a parent means trying to stay in the present, prepare for the future, and never forgetting the past.

Camp and Home

There were a couple of funny stories from camp. The first is that one of the boys whose mother also went was trying to avoid being seen with her. She would walk around to classes to take pictures and he would look the other way seeming to silently pray that she would leave soon. The night of the dance he was having a great time and was smiling from ear to ear. Then he turned around to see me and his mother standing there and the smile quickly vanished and he headed in another direction! She and I burst out laughing! The other story is about snow. One morning at breakfast some of the WV girls were asking the NC girls if we get snow days off of school. They said yes but we only get an inch or so of snow. In fact, we get snow days just at the prediction of snow! One of the WV girls responded that she loves snow days so she can go sledding. The NC girls said that they can't sled because there aren't any hills. The WV girls' mouths dropped open. "No hills!? Then how do you ski?" Um...back to the inch of snow... WV is what I consider home. It was where I was born and raised, met my Lover, and where I return for family visits. I guess if you never leave home though you can't understand how other people think and understand life. If you only know hills and snow then you can't imagine not skiing. I love home, but I think I have been enriched to experience other temporary homes through the years. Of course, WV is Almost Heaven so perhaps I won't be too surprised when I finally go to my real Home.

Back from Camp

I am back from camp and have been resting most of the day. We drove for 11 hours yesterday. The traffic on I-95 was slow and we had to go around a couple of accidents. The kids did well all the way though, and I was grateful to get into my own bed last night. I left my own children in WV with their grandparents. I go to a camp for Envirothon advisors this week, and they would have been left alone. The 4H camp went well and I am certain the kids want to go back next year. They were surprised by how different camp is in WV, but they enjoyed it a lot. There is a lot of singing, as well as games, classes, and late nights. The older kids enjoyed a dance one evening, and all of the kids got to sleep out under the stars one night. The weather was hot the first day, but by the end of the week it was 50 degrees at night, and I kept my sweatshirt on most of the day. I think they were surprised by the difference in weather too. Now I have until Tuesday morning to catch up on a few things and get ready for the next camp. I think the in-laws are planning to bring the boys down at the end of the week, so at least I don't have to drive back up again. It would have been nice to see everyone again, but it would have been a fast trip. My boys go to Electric Congress with 4H the week after my Envirothon training, so I wouldn't have been able to stay at home anyway. Happy Fourth of July to Everyone!

This pretty lady was growing a few weeks ago when I started the painting project in the front. I planted bushes years ago, but we had a couple years of drought and it has taken them a while to really get going. Of course it seems that we are headed for another dry year, so I may not get flowers again for a while.
I did try to make a doctor's appointment, but I can't get in to him until the middle of July, so for now I am putting up with it and trying to enjoy a few naps when I can.
Tomorrow the boys go to District Activity Day with 4H. They will be giving their presentations in the competition there for our district. If they do well they will move on to the state competition in July. #1's presentation is on puppets around the world, and #2 is presenting on wildfires and prescribed burns. I hope they do well, but the time has slipped by so quickly that I am sure they haven't practiced as much as they ought to have.
So we are gone all day tomorrow and then Friday we have another home study for our exchange student. I can't remember if I have put that on here, probably not since I have been so negligent of my blogging lately. We are getting an exchange student for a month this summer. He is 13 years old and from Japan. It is through the 4H program. He emailed us yesterday and I hope we can have several conversations before he arrives. Last week was our first home study. One of the questions was what are our house rules. We had a hard time answering that since we don't really have any. Finally #1 said, "You just follow your conscience." I liked that answer.
Then Saturday we leave for WV and 4H camp there. We are taking our 4H club to the county camp I went to when I was a girl. They are all looking forward to it. I am sure there will be lots to share when I get back.

Growing in the Greenhouse

I have a couple of raised beds at the front of the greenhouse that I am using as a nursery to start plants. I have several squash and watermelon in this one and beans in the other one.

The cabbage worms were destroying so much that I had growing. I finally had to dust them. Now I am losing tomatoes to ants! The insects down here drive me nuts!

I have 3 different varieties of tomato plants growing. The cherry tomatoes that #2 grew last year self-propogated themselves this year, so we have loads of those growing behind the barn.

And this is the inside of the steamhouse. I put down newspaper to help control the weeds between boxes from growing. I went out yesterday morning to weed and care for things. I will try to get another good day in on Friday so that my being gone so long perhaps will be ok. Hubby is supposed to water while I am gone.

Beach Fun

I did manage a beach trip a couple of weeks ago. After all of that painting I needed a break. Above you can see #1's new prescription sunglasses. He is such a good looking young man. Changing into a man faster than greased lightning in my opinion.

We let the boys take along some friends. They seem to have more fun that way. They enjoy riding the waves or walking and talking together.

And that way I get to enjoy visiting with my Honey Pot! I am about to leave him for a couple of weeks. Whatever will he do without this crazy woman!?

Wolf Lodge

These are the only two pictures I took the whole time at the lodge. The boys had a great time doing their own thing, and I enjoyed relaxing and reading a book. This picture is of them waiting for the humungous bucket of water to fall on them. The one below is after it dumped on them. The light was behind them, so it didn't turn out well.

I don't remember if I told all of you, but #2 decided at the last hour that he wanted to try the ride that he didn't try the rest of the time. He had been adamant before that he was not riding it after his grandmother and I decided we didn't like it. When he finally worked up the nerve, he enjoyed it so much I could hardly get him off of it.

Here is one reason I get frustrated doing all of these projects. I finished the trim on the sunroom only to find it with muddy fingerprints the next day. I keep telling myself that I will miss these days, so far I don't.

This is the wall in the sunroom. I had to replaster some of this wall, that was part of why it had to be repainted. I tried to match the paint that had been in there, but it wasn't exact. I like this color, too, though.

We celebrated Father's Day by going to Olive Garden on Friday evening. We just didn't think we would enjoy going on Sunday and waiting in a long line. So we enjoyed napping and resting on Sunday. Don't I have handsome men?

Front Porch

This is the front porch after the power washing. #1 and I had scraped paint a bit, but hte power washer really took the paint right off. I will have to remember that if I ever paint it again. That is a BIG IF.

The trim is a dark green, the railing white, and the floor stained cedar. I even went over the door since it had been an off-white. I really like how it looks and wish it were cool enough to be out there to enjoy it. Today's heat index was 105; tomorrow 110!

Pictures as Promised

This is what the back deck looked like before the project. I did power wash it a bit before I did the painting, but I didn't put too much effort into the washing since I was just going to paint it over anyway.

This step had rotted through and you had to be careful where you stepped. Hubby put in a new section for me. Also in the back left hand side you can see where I was priming a few boards before I applied paint. There were a couple of boards that had been replaced a few years ago that I had never stained.

And here is the finished project. I just took these pictures, so some of the wear and tear is already showing. We really need some rain for agricultural reasons, but washing my porch would be nice too.

The biggest problem with this is that it gets really hot. You can't walk out there barefoot unless you plan on burning the feet.

Weary

I know it has been over a week since I posted. Even so this will be brief. I have been struggling with lack of energy and achiness. All last week I felt like I was in slow motion and could have easily fainted through the floor from weariness. Yesterday I stayed home for most of the day, and I felt a lot better by evening. Again today I noticed I fade from about noon to 4 p.m., but the rest of the evening has been good. I was able to walk several miles with a friend this evening. All of that to say, I will be going to the doctor this week if I can get an appointment. I leave Saturday for a week of 4H camp as a counselor and I need my energy!!! I'll let you know how it goes.

Pictures Coming Soon

The porch has been completed!!! Pictures to follow soon. Of course now the porch furniture looks a bit ragged, but that will just have to wait until I can use my hand again. The index finger on my right hand is just about cramped into a permanent "Don't even think about using me!" condition. So I went out to the suana to do a little gardening this morning. I managed to stay an hour, but I looked like we installed a pool. I weeded and transplanted the carrots. They are about an inch long and are looking good. I just entered a contest to win a $1000 shopping card. The challenge is to spend $25 per person or less on family groceries. I still don't have all of the information I want- like what about eating out or eating from the garden- but it might be worth trying. Go to allyou.com if you want to try too. So now I am working on a shopping list for this afternoon. I know, I know, why would I go to the grocery on a Saturday afternoon when everyone else will be there? I'm a glutton for punishment I guess. I did manage to work a little more on my writing this morning. I am excited about writing more about "home". I read back over some of my writing from last fall and I have some more ideas now. All I need now is more time in my day. Now how do I do that?

Home Again, Home Again

We had a great time at Wolf Lodge. The boys each took a friend, and they thoroughly enjoyed themselves. We made them keep the buddy system, and then they were on their own. They tried out the waterpark three times, the MagiQuest game was on until I pulled them in at 10:30 pm, and then they were back at it the next day until we left. The arcade had a crane game that produced three playground balls and a teddy bear to be added to our home. Hubby and I enjoyed the water park, though for some reason I was very dizzy. The med I take for inflammation can make you dizzy, and I think that combined with the swooshing and swishing of water slides just made me a bit more blonde than usual. I was also able to READ A BOOK!! I seldom have opportunity to read something fiction, or even non-fiction, just for the fun of it. I always have something else that needs to be finished, and if I read a book I am totally engrossed in it. I mean that I won't feed anyone, wash clothes or dishes, or even be aware that you just threw up down the hallway. So I don't read much. I chose to take To Kill a Mockingbird with me. I had never read it before, and I really enjoyed it. There is a lot of cussing and some politically incorrect language, but the story is very thought provoking. I didn't know what it was about really when I started reading. I knew it was banned in some schools and now I know why. I won't ask my boys to read it until Junior or Senior year of high school. I think reading it again as an adult would shine new light on it as well. I like books like that...the meaning changes with experience. Well, back to the porch. I did manage to finish painting before we headed to Wolf Lodge. Now I have to seal the floor of the front porch and then I am DONE! Until I get to the sunroom on Saturday for painting.

Painting

Just updating that I am still painting the porch. That 5 year warranty better go from the time I finish and not the time I started. Tomorrow we head to Wolf Lodge for a little break. This is the rescheduled date to take place of the May date that involved someone's head cracking. If I have to paint much longer my own may crack!

School's Out

I have spent today working on the boys' school book. I make one every year showing what they did in school, how they changed and grew, and what exciting things they accomplished. This year was impressive to say the least. I know it will sound like bragging, but really they did a lot! Both won several contests and activities...Geography, Essays, Speeches, Envirothons...and added to their cash as well. There were lots of pictures and school papers to be added to the book. The funniest though were the journal entries from our trip out West. Things like..."Saw Old Faithful today. It wasn't worth it." or "We got ice cream." You would think this was the sort of trip you take any old time. Through the eyes of a child the world is different. So one more year down, six more to go. As I was picking out porch paint last week with #1 he commented that the 5 year warranty meant I wouldn't have to paint again until he goes away to college. Oh my goodness time will fly!

How Much?

Well it seems I have one boy with a cracked head and another that isn't all there. The X-rays showed a congenital defect in #2, and he is missing some of his teeth. He is definitely missing one adult tooth and it looks like perhaps 4 are missing. It is actually a good thing since #2 has a small mouth (though that doesn't stop him from talking a lot). Crowding shouldn't be much of an issue. The dentist said we just wait a couple more years and then go to an orthodontist to see how they want to "jostle things around." Neither boy had cavities. They both complained that their teeth are very smooth now. I told them that is how they are supposed to feel all of the time, and if they would clean them well they would know that. #2 said he would rather have rough teeth; slippery was too weird. 4H went well, and I was able to talk to a couple of mothers about some school things for next year. Overall it was a good day. Compared to yesterday it felt better, but ironically it cost me a whole lot more. I guess how you feel depends on how much you spend. Maybe that explains my mood yesterday; I didn't spend enough!