4/26/2006
One Month Later....
Head count - 26 sheep; 25 lambs; 1-2 pregnant ewes left to birth; one pony; 6 chickens; one dog; three children; two parents; multiple barn cats, far too many to count, but enough to give away.
3 weeks left in my school; math books nearly finished for the kids (a major milestone)
Laundry on the clothesline - wow!
3 weeks left in my school; math books nearly finished for the kids (a major milestone)
Laundry on the clothesline - wow!
3/27/2006
Here we are
Arrived yesterday - 20 pregnant sheep, one pony. Sheep shorn last week, due to lamb beginning 4/7.
Spotted this morning - one coyote running along the road less than one mile east of our house (considering a mutton meal?).
Car - it was a fuse! (read: easy fix)
Confusion - comparative lit class, certainly evolving and not as presented by the professor. Promise - this will not be an "A" class, much to my disappointment, although interpersonal communication class instructor would say that I am not projecting the correct vision for the future. Let's just call it reality. Plans have not been made to have a working knowledge of Heidinger, Socrates, Plato, Sofres, Freud, Jung, etc., (spelling? much less...) despite the assignment received at 10PM last night via e-mail to have prepared for Tuesday at 9AM. Is this lit or psych?
Outside - two kids Saturday night, sleeping. YES, voluntarily - working on an honor for winter camping. I'm supposed to do it too - auggh.
Strep throat? - youngest child ill since Weds. evening w 103+ fever, sore throat Saturday night w white spots. Off to have a swab, rapid results - negative. Ahh. Sleep for me for Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat? Minimal and not uninterrupted.
Sleep needed - not happening until Thursday night.
smm
Spotted this morning - one coyote running along the road less than one mile east of our house (considering a mutton meal?).
Car - it was a fuse! (read: easy fix)
Confusion - comparative lit class, certainly evolving and not as presented by the professor. Promise - this will not be an "A" class, much to my disappointment, although interpersonal communication class instructor would say that I am not projecting the correct vision for the future. Let's just call it reality. Plans have not been made to have a working knowledge of Heidinger, Socrates, Plato, Sofres, Freud, Jung, etc., (spelling? much less...) despite the assignment received at 10PM last night via e-mail to have prepared for Tuesday at 9AM. Is this lit or psych?
Outside - two kids Saturday night, sleeping. YES, voluntarily - working on an honor for winter camping. I'm supposed to do it too - auggh.
Strep throat? - youngest child ill since Weds. evening w 103+ fever, sore throat Saturday night w white spots. Off to have a swab, rapid results - negative. Ahh. Sleep for me for Wed, Thurs, Fri, Sat? Minimal and not uninterrupted.
Sleep needed - not happening until Thursday night.
smm
3/17/2006
Two more things
1. Lest you be concerned that the children are being neglected (I may have left you with that impression!) - my schoolwork is done at 5AM and 9PM. Why did I spend so much time sleeping before this semester??
2. I am an aunt again - my brother and his wife became parents to a second lovely little girl. No name yet, but a girl born on St. Patrick's Day should be Bridget or something like that?? Probably not.
2. I am an aunt again - my brother and his wife became parents to a second lovely little girl. No name yet, but a girl born on St. Patrick's Day should be Bridget or something like that?? Probably not.
Out of the Loop
Yes, I've been out of "it" - full time school, full time kids, full time house, full time, full time, full time (hit the record player, there's a skip).
Brief update:
Car - back up and going - ball joints, tie rod ends replaced. #1 son learned a lot about front end work. Amazing former mechanic husband. Now to fix that pesky problem that showed up this week - headlights go on and won't turn off, the dash lights are out. Obviously electrical - replaced the headlamp switch - didn't work. Small repairs such as these sure beat a monthly car payment.
Husband - Recovering from a bout of mild flu-like symptoms. Enjoying his new position at work as house-wide float, PIC nurse and something else that I don't recall. Looking forward to fishing with #1 son. His family - Mom had heart rhythm problems; hospitalized and sent home w incident monitor..more to follow on this.
#1 son - Braces removed; height measured 6'1.5". Found out that his sister's jeans fit around the waist, but certainly don't have the length needed; doing incredibly well in math (absorbing concepts I must have slept through in algebra); becoming quite handy around the house/farm.
#1 daughter - Headgear on (the same day brother's braces were removed - fortunately the ortho's office takes payments and has up to date magazines because I'm going to be going there forever); 5'7" tall at 12 years old - recently celebrated a birthday; very capable in the kitchen; looking forward to lambing time which is scheduled to start 4/7; enjoys "Wednesday school" as there are two very nice girls her age who are good friends.
#2 daughter - Keeping with her brother and sister; recently talked Grandma into roller-blading in my kitchen(!): Loves Wednesday school (would now be a good time to say THANK YOU to those who have sponsored the kids? - I guess every day would be that time); also looking forward to lambing; lives in superlatives so she LOVES her babydolls, her cat and doing everyting everyone else is doing.
Dog - "fixed" after Christmas - don't worry, we can't even tell that anything ever happened.
Farm animals - #7 sheep died this week, don't know why; considering getting rid of all chickens or possibly keeping 1-2 in a small cage due to avian flu issues; sheep to be shorn before start of lambing - perhaps when they come to their summer home which isn't feeling very summer-like right now at a chilly 30 degrees.
Me? - see above. No, really I'm taking 4 classes which could be overwhelming if I allowed it to be, but I breathe into a paper bag and am just fine. Taking 400 level comparative literature; 300 level elements of health; 200 level interpersonal communications and 100 level fundamentals of music. Three are on-line, one in classroom two hours a week. Finals are the first week of May so don't expect me back here before that time. I am trying to figure out a way to get a small desk into the main part of our very small house so I can have my school work in an single place rather than spread out from living room to kitchen to family room - I need to find a desk for this too. School will be out before I get this project done. I'm trying to figure out if summer school is on the docket.
That's all for now folks.......
Brief update:
Car - back up and going - ball joints, tie rod ends replaced. #1 son learned a lot about front end work. Amazing former mechanic husband. Now to fix that pesky problem that showed up this week - headlights go on and won't turn off, the dash lights are out. Obviously electrical - replaced the headlamp switch - didn't work. Small repairs such as these sure beat a monthly car payment.
Husband - Recovering from a bout of mild flu-like symptoms. Enjoying his new position at work as house-wide float, PIC nurse and something else that I don't recall. Looking forward to fishing with #1 son. His family - Mom had heart rhythm problems; hospitalized and sent home w incident monitor..more to follow on this.
#1 son - Braces removed; height measured 6'1.5". Found out that his sister's jeans fit around the waist, but certainly don't have the length needed; doing incredibly well in math (absorbing concepts I must have slept through in algebra); becoming quite handy around the house/farm.
#1 daughter - Headgear on (the same day brother's braces were removed - fortunately the ortho's office takes payments and has up to date magazines because I'm going to be going there forever); 5'7" tall at 12 years old - recently celebrated a birthday; very capable in the kitchen; looking forward to lambing time which is scheduled to start 4/7; enjoys "Wednesday school" as there are two very nice girls her age who are good friends.
#2 daughter - Keeping with her brother and sister; recently talked Grandma into roller-blading in my kitchen(!): Loves Wednesday school (would now be a good time to say THANK YOU to those who have sponsored the kids? - I guess every day would be that time); also looking forward to lambing; lives in superlatives so she LOVES her babydolls, her cat and doing everyting everyone else is doing.
Dog - "fixed" after Christmas - don't worry, we can't even tell that anything ever happened.
Farm animals - #7 sheep died this week, don't know why; considering getting rid of all chickens or possibly keeping 1-2 in a small cage due to avian flu issues; sheep to be shorn before start of lambing - perhaps when they come to their summer home which isn't feeling very summer-like right now at a chilly 30 degrees.
Me? - see above. No, really I'm taking 4 classes which could be overwhelming if I allowed it to be, but I breathe into a paper bag and am just fine. Taking 400 level comparative literature; 300 level elements of health; 200 level interpersonal communications and 100 level fundamentals of music. Three are on-line, one in classroom two hours a week. Finals are the first week of May so don't expect me back here before that time. I am trying to figure out a way to get a small desk into the main part of our very small house so I can have my school work in an single place rather than spread out from living room to kitchen to family room - I need to find a desk for this too. School will be out before I get this project done. I'm trying to figure out if summer school is on the docket.
That's all for now folks.......
1/06/2006
Incredible Husband
My husband is raising my car from the ashes - think a phoenix - today. There is a lot of front end work going on which will also include new front tires. I am thankful that he can do the work because the price would more than double if we sent the car out to be repaired, but I sure wish this could have waited for a little longer, especially since it is so close to the "extra" holiday spending that went on at our house.
Books
I went book shopping yesterday - not for "fun" books, but for next semester's books. I am taking four classes - 1)comparative literature; 2)elements of health; 3)fundamentals of music; and 4)interpersonal communication. The book for health was used at $45; the CD for music was $92.75; the communication book was $78.25. I didn't purchase the books for literature from the bookstore because there isn't a text but several novels that I intend to purchase, used, on Amazon or some other on-line service. I can get all but one (still searching) for less than $3.00/each. Wasn't there discussion some time ago about why text books are so very expensive???
I Gotta Wear Shades
To borrow a line from the song...can't recall the title, that is my husband's dept....I gotta wear shades. That may not sound like a big deal to many of you, but it has been cloudy here for several weeks. We did see the sun briefly last Saturday afternoon, however, until yesterday there weren't any other sightings. Yesterday the sun not only peeked, but came completely out from behind the clouds - it was amazing. Hank immediately moved from his spot in front of the woodstove to a spot of sunshine. I transferred to a chair that allowed the sun to shine directly on my face, where I promptly fell asleep. It was wonderful!
1/05/2006
Field Trip
Last night the kids and I joined the church youth group for a field trip through a Fargo Fire Station. The station is quite new (on 15th St. N for the locals) and is quite amazing. The facilities are spacious and up to date, the fire fighters friendly and informative. Incredibly, they managed to keep the interest of the children from age 4 through 15. There wasn't a single highlight to note, in fact, there were several - the model of Fargo that is used to work with other agencies on disaster drills to assure that responses are coordinated between each agency (the kids just saw a really neat model that looked like a model railroad); of course, the cool fire truck-lights and sirens- and equipment; and watching several firemen slide down the fire pole! Thanks guys!
1/03/2006
Weather, etc.
Yes, we talk about the weather a lot in ND. For the past few weeks it has been quite foggy in the morning. It is very pretty with the snow on the ground (did I mention that we received approx. 10" of snow last Thursday?), but makes for interesting driving. Temps have been above normal (the average normal low in January is -1) for which we have been thankful.
My favorite husband celebrated his 40 something birthday last week. He enjoyed hearing from several of his siblings. The same day we celebrated our family Christmas. I might be willing to make this a tradition as shopping after the official day made for less expensive wrapping paper, bows, and gifts.
We (the children and I - husband was working) enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Day with friends. Great friends, wonderful food, fun sledding, a delightful day. Christmas Eve was not quite as pleasant. The children and I found ourselves watching traffic zoom by on 94 while waiting for a tow truck. The tow truck driver was efficient, but not very talkative.
Classes started for the children yesterday. I begin classes next week. I plan to purchase books today. "Wednesday school" for the kids is canceled for this week leaving us with an extra day to catch-up.
We enjoyed the cards and letters we received from each of you. We appreciate seeing photos of children that can't be that big (because that means that I am growing older) and reading about what each family has been doing.
My favorite husband celebrated his 40 something birthday last week. He enjoyed hearing from several of his siblings. The same day we celebrated our family Christmas. I might be willing to make this a tradition as shopping after the official day made for less expensive wrapping paper, bows, and gifts.
We (the children and I - husband was working) enjoyed a wonderful Christmas Day with friends. Great friends, wonderful food, fun sledding, a delightful day. Christmas Eve was not quite as pleasant. The children and I found ourselves watching traffic zoom by on 94 while waiting for a tow truck. The tow truck driver was efficient, but not very talkative.
Classes started for the children yesterday. I begin classes next week. I plan to purchase books today. "Wednesday school" for the kids is canceled for this week leaving us with an extra day to catch-up.
We enjoyed the cards and letters we received from each of you. We appreciate seeing photos of children that can't be that big (because that means that I am growing older) and reading about what each family has been doing.
Growing
On each birthday in our home we measure the children's height. Our son is pleased to have passed the six foot mark (6' 1/2" to be precise). Daughter #1 is quickly heading toward passing me at 5'6". Daughter #2 is exactly 12" shorter than her sister, measuring in at 4'6".
Again, there was a query
To celebrate a variety of recent events (favorite husband's birthday, end of a semester, $1.99 gasoline-although that is a thing of the past here) we enjoyed a meal out. We went to Saffron an Indian restaurant in Fargo. The kids weren't sure about heading into the unknown, but all enjoyed the experience.
Someone Asked
One of you out there (I think it was only one individual) asked how I did in my two classes. As the results were favorable I am pleased to share that I enter my 2nd semester of college with a 4.0 GPA.
12/23/2005
Shopping
Haven't done a bit of it (shopping that is) for my family. When you all are standing in the return line, I'll be wrestling with the large, hairy woman over sale items. She is stocking up for next year, I'm purchasing post-Christmas gifts. Want to take bets on who will win?
Transmission
I peered out the window yesterday at my husband who was carefully scrutinizing one of the parts of my car. It turned out to the transmission dip stick. Favorite husband says the fluid looks "burnt" which is not good. Monday brings the changing of the fluid and will, hopefully, find no pieces of metal which is a very, very bad sign. I guess I'm getting a transmisison and front tires for Christmas. Now I am saying "bah humbug."
Merry Christmas
I'm skipping the politically correct "Happy Holidays." In fact, I'm almost becoming irritated by the generic greeting. At what point did society become so sensitive that people are unable to accept a greeting that differs from their own beliefs? I don't mind having someone tell me "Happy Hannukah," "Happy Easter," "Happy Sweetest Day" (a Hallmark holiday if ever there was one). I'm slipping closer to "Bah Humbug."
School Update
Well, I have been anxiously checking the progress (on-line) of the grading of my Comp I class. There are 50 points outstanding right now. I am down 10 points for the class for the semester. If I didn't completely blow it the final project (a power point presentation) I should have an A. I did get an "A" in Intro to Psych, so at the moment, I am a 4.0 student. Now I'm searching for scholarships for old people like me.
Hank
Our 80 lbs. puppy - yes, only 7 months old. Someone found the garbage in this photo and had neglected to rid himself of the evidence. Hank failed obedience school the first time and has a slot booked in the next session.
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