NO TRAVEL

We are cocooning today. School goes on when you are homeschooled, but not much else is happening. No travel is advised through our segment of North Dakota - the mall has even closed! Keeping warm....

Gas Prices

The sky is falling?! No, it's just the gas prices plummeting. Isn't it sad when I say that our prices are ONLY $2.07/gallon? My favorite husband said that we will have a celebratory dinner out when the prices drop to $2.00/gallon. The $ we will save in the tank (compared to the $3.00/gallon) will more than pay for a lovely evening.

Chickens

The chickens are being transferred to their winter quarters today (my parent's barn). Making this happen meant that Hank's dog cage and the cat carrier were hauled to the barn, all exits were blocked after nightfall and the fun began. The kids went out and captured the fowl, stuffing them into the cages. The cat carrier was reserved for a mother hen and her three chicks. Our youngest came in with a tale of catching the largest gray rooster by the tail. He still has his feathers, but didn't escape her clutches.

Maybe Dad will have better luck with eggs. Our girls have been hiding them everywhere but in the nest boxes. I have asked the kids to build a chicken tractor for next year (go ahead and google it).

Boycott

Am I the only one irritated by the Christmas music and merchandise that was in the stores before Halloween? I was doing a really fast grocery run last night in a national chain store and was quite irritated to pass aisles of Christmas items while ignoring the Christmas carols playing on the overhead speakers. I'm not planning to do anything with Christmas until after Thanksgiving. Bah humbug!

Happy Birthday

Today my youngest brother turns 34. He is celebrating an "adult birthday" today - he is at work. I wonder if he brought treats for the other staff? Best wishes.

What's up at our house?

I am still in school - 4 papers due in 4 weeks and not a complete thought to be found in my head (hence the updated blogging - procrastination at its finest). My "a" in intro to psychology is still holding, we'll see how comp I is looking after I meet with the teacher today.

The kids are great. They haven't been riding the horses quite as much because of deer hunting season. I know, most hunters are incredibly responsible and wouldn't shoot at a horse and rider, but it's the odd weirdo (with a gun and ammo) that worries me - you know the stereotypical guy - he's been drinking, dressed in brilliant orange, has a gun and a deer tag, and the season ends in just a few days.

My favorite husband has been attending classes this week for work. It's odd to see him heading out the door in "civilian" clothes vs. the lovely maroon scrubs.

I've been doing the odd bit of cleaning - my mother-in-law is coming for a visit next week. She is quite wonderful and doesn't expect any special treatment, but hey - doesn't everyone clean when their mother-in-law comes to stay??

Weather, weather, weather

TODAY is predicted to be the last day of beautiful (depends upon your definition) weather until April. Temperatures in the 60's are unheard of in ND in November, but yesterday was amazing and today is expected to be the same. All outside work or play that happens best without gloves should be completed today. Snow is predicted for this weekend. Brrr.

Flunked!

No, not me, Hank. Hank is attending obedience school on Monday evenings. This week the instructor took me aside and said that I may wish to enroll him in the next series starting in January - not the advanced series, but a repeat. She tried to soften the blow by saying he is a puppy, has a hard head and needs to realize he isn't in charge. So, starting in January, Matthew and Hank are continuing to attend obedience school - after they finish the current series in December!

Grades, Etc.

I am rejoicing, grabbing the good news and not thinking about tomorrow. The university that I attend allows students the ability to review grades on-line. Thus far I am getting a solid A in both intro to psychology and comp I. A bit of a disappointment though - my first paper came back 47/50. I made a couple of foolish mistakes and have, hopefully, learned lessons for the next one.

Special thanks to my cheering section here at home. They tiptoed about while I was agonizing over my first college paper.

This weekend I need to draft a contrast/comparison paper. Topics are still shuffling around in my mind - the instructor says it has to matter to you and you shouldn't know the outcome until you have done the "t" chart. Huh? Motherhood doesn't operate in a t-chart world (my previous careers didn't lend themselves to this process either). The majority of the decisions in my world happen either very quickly (stop hitting your sister/brother; yes, we need orange juice; the tank is 1/2 full, we are filling up) or the data is still being collected for the really big ones (I could have charted the college decision). Pending.

This afternoon the kids are enjoying the newly-repaired wood splitter. They are stocking a little shed with split wood to burn in the wood stove in the house. No t-chart needed here - heating costs are going up, wood is mostly free....you do the math.

The girls studied about South Africa this week at Wednesday school (the year's focus is Africa). Child #3 chattered for 50 miles on the way home about diamonds, apartheid, Nelson Mandela and more. I don't get to sit with them during the unit study time - I hang out with the five high school students who have younger siblings in attendance. The spread between a four year old and an 8th grader is broad enough for Mrs. Lund to teach without adding high schoolers to the mix. In addition, high school students need every moment to study (at least their parents think so). My "job" is to make sure that the high school students have a quiet place to study. I don't teach anyone except my child. This does give us time together to review tough concepts. I also have time to study without distractions like laundry, housecleaning, the telephone, etc.

I need to get the soup on (literally) for tonight. The french bread is rising and the soup needs to be bubbling.

Happy weekend to you!

How are you?

I am very, very tired. It has been a long week – and I’ve got a few more days before I start again. However, who says when the week begins again? Does it really start with the first day of the week or can you arbitrarily decide when you want a new week?

Child #3 has been sick with a cold since last Wednesday. She is improving, but managed to share. Her colds typically drop into a cough, mine goes to my sinuses. My Dad has had cardiac issues, not resolved yet, but will be. We finally found shoes for church for child #2. She is 11, but wears the same size of shoes that I do. Appropriate footwear for an 11 year old and a thirty-something (nearly 40) year-old differ dramatically. The list could go on and on, but I'm turning the corner and as soon as the fog lifts outside it will lift inside too.

Shopping

My favorite husband went shopping (at a farm auction) and look at what he brought home! Particulars? Ford, 1950something, dump truck-obviously, drove it home, ? .


He was excited so I'm happy too!

The view from my front porch

The photo was taken today, October 6, at 8:20 A.M.

Just for the record - it was 80+ degrees (farenheit) on Sunday (10/2).

This is ND weather at it's finest. Yesterday I-94 was closed from Mandan, ND to the Montana border.

The Forum reviews some of the events of yesterday related to the storm. http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=104980&section=news

My vow to keep the heat off until November changed last night!

Hey baby, where have you been?

I've dropped off the face of the blogging earth. What do I do when I'm not blogging? Well, fun stuff like putting together a rough draft of my first paper for Comp I, getting school up and going for my kids, farm work, housework, laundry, blah, blah, blah....I'm sure you can relate!

Congratulations to friends Don and Gina on the wonderful news that they are expecting baby #1!

Say it isn't so

Apparently Fargo is no longer a "small town" where you can leave your car running in the parking lot. What is this winter going to be like? Imagine the AAA calls.

http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=103507&section=News

Hold Me Back and more

I went to Comp I class today. We are actually doing some interesting stuff - hey, my writing can always use improvement - anyway, the assignment was to read and mark-up an essay. It wasn't long, 5 pages or so. It was a great piece. The author was incredibly descriptive. It was not a hard read.

In class we were asked to form groups of 2-3. No one approaches the old lady in the class, so I asked two very nice young men if I could join them. Sure. They pulled out their books - not a mark in them - HEY guys, you are paying for this class!!! WRITE IN THE BOOK - you paid for it. It turned out that they hadn't even read the assignment. I want a good grade. SO...I admit it, I took over the group, told the note taker what to write and approved it before it was turned in. I guess I'll have to find another group next week - although I was kind and they were very sweet they may not want me back. It's really weird taking a class with young folks who are nearly the same age as my son.

I'm not going to school because I didn't have anything else going on this week....

Happy news - Our youngest turned EIGHT today. She was so excited for this day to come and then the mailbox....not a birthday card in there. Pain, agony, disappointment were written all over her face as she came dragging back from getting the mail. How do you fix that one? I guess I need to send more cards to others so that my kids get some in return. She was crushed. For days she has been counting how many cards might come, who might send them, etc. I think she had pictured the mailman staggering to the door under the weight. Well, little one, happy birthday anyway.

It seems so long ago that my favorite husband walked and I waddled into the hospital to be induced on Labor Day. Ten LONG hours later the product of my labor (literally) was a 8 lb. 16.5 oz. little girl. Dr. Wilson came into the room in shorts and sandals just having come back from a barbeque. Ahh, memories.

We measured today - Birthday girl grew .5", #1 daughter (simply for means of identification, not preference) grew .5" and our son grew .75" - all since 7/14. We measure the childrens' height on every birthday of theirs and on my favorite husband's bday (my bday is only 2 weeks from our son's so it doesn't make sense to use mine).

To conclude the evening, I attach a photo taken of one of the calves. He is standing in front of a wheat field that has been harvested. The content look on his face is due to the fact that the photograph was taken before he was castrated this past Sunday.

Can't wrap my mind around it

As stated in The Forum http://www.in-forum.com/articles/index.cfm?id=101773&section=News , the devastation after the hurricane brings back memories of the flood of 97 in Grand Forks, ND. I recall watching two newscasters lose their polished appearance as they continued to broadcast far into the night. They weren't reporting on the disaster outside as much as they were reading offers of shelter from individuals up and down the Red River Valley. A typical announcement would be "John Smith on Rt 24 can take in a family of up to six and has corral space for animals. Call XXX-XXXX." Those men loosened their ties, were unshaven, rolled up their sleeves and just read announcements of incredible offers such as these to those fleeing the flood in Grand Forks and the surrounding area.

I appreciate Peggy Noonan's article today http://www.opinionjournal.com/columnists/pnoonan/ She uses the term "piggism" to refer to the looters. She is being kind.

Now on the home front. How do we deal with $3+ gasoline when we commute in excess of 45 miles one way?
-Horses? No, there aren't a lot of hitching posts in town - but maybe there should be.
-My favorite husband is reading a lot about biodiesel. Does anyone have an old diesel vehicle that he could test his theories on? He is looking for a small diesel pick-up.
-Stay home? We are supposed to begin our 100 mile one way/once a week trek to Detroit Lakes, MN next week. Is that going to happen? We were having difficulty imagining where the tuition $ would come from. Now I can't imagine where the gas $ will turn up.
-Make every trip to "town" count. No more running into Fargo for just one thing. EVERY trip will be jam-packed with errands and there will be a lot fewer of them. Today I am shifting appointments around to coincide with my husband's work days so that we can ride with him. It will be a monster-long day in Fargo as he usually works 12 hour shifts, but given the alternative...

Trying to wrap my mind around it.

This Week

It's been a mixed week.

-The kids started some school work. They are getting a jump on the "official" start date of Sept. 6.
-I attended my classes. Thus far it's actually fun. I know, all of you who have told me that it wouldn't be that hard - you can say I told you so.
-My favorite husband had quite a few days off of work, but the projects he had hoped to finish kept moving to the back burner while other things became urgent. He was disappointed, but I'm sure it will all work out. A farm has a never ending list of things to do and ours is no exception.
-One of our kittens died today. The kids found it this morning - barely alive. It looked like a predator of some sort had gotten it. The kids made it comfortable (as much as they could) and buried it this afternoon. No, the vet couldn't have fixed this either.
-I have heard from several friends, via e-mail and telephone. It is always nice to hear (or read) a friendly voice.

I hope you have a great weekend.

New Farm Employee

I threatened to get a social security # for Hank following his most recent vet visit. Actually the vet gave me the idea. I asked if we should have Hank's dew claws removed. The vet then asked me if Hank was going to be a working dog. Well, yes, of course. The response was that if he was going to be a working dog we should have the claws removed because they were more likely to catch and tear while "working."

I was telling my parents about this and wanting to get him a SS#. They told me that if we file "farm" on our income tax forms that we can claim Hank's food and vet bills since he can be considered an employee and is a working dog!! YES!

I'm, like, freaking out

I did it. I signed up for two classes (6 credits) - that makes me a part time student. I've gotten a student ID, laptop (the school supplies one to each student), class schedule and books (OVERPRICED). Now the next thing to master is the vocabulary. No, I'm not talking about the "academic" talk. I am referring to the language used by the much younger students. Overheard while waiting in line to pay $65 for two very small books:

"I like let Ashley take my car. I'm freaking out because she like isn't a very good driver and she like just took my car instead of taking hers. I like told her that she could $%# take her own car, but she just took mine. I'm freaking out."

I may not have it verbatim, but you get the idea. How will these kids function in the business world? Will e-mail replace the face to face meetings or the telephone conversations that call for intelligent discourse? I need to like not get too arrogant, but it's really difficult when I overhear what the kids are talking about -maybe it's just left over from summer!

Library Comparison

I've told you a little about the two libraries in Fargo/Moorhead that we frequent. It is difficult to pick a favorite but let me share a few of the differences.

-Fargo has a separate children's section. This is a thumbs up in my book as the non-fiction at Moorhead are mixed with the adult's (I think I mentioned this). I like knowing that my kids are contained in an area while I am off checking the adult side.
-Fargo seems to have more books. I haven't checked the actual volume count, but the feel overall is bigger.
-Moorhead has Fargo beat hands down with their customer service. It is a rare thing at Fargo to find a librarian out from behind the counter and when they are it is generally to shelve books, not interact with customers. Is that what we are, customers? Not sure about the appropriate terminology, but Moorhead could really teach Fargo how to work with the people that come to check out books. Is this due to management expectations/the type of personnel hired/too busy to assist others/???
-Moorhead has a grace period for overdue fines on books. YEAH - we routinely have stacks of books checked out and the fines add up so fast! Moorhead also notifies the card holders via e-mail to inform as to the overdue items. Bravo - way to use technology and save a stamp. Fargo still mails the overdue notices (with the fine that you have accumulated listed on the notice).

Do I have a favorite? Not yet. Do you use the library? Check it out today (oh that sounds like a public service announcement!)