Sorry I haven't posted much lately. I've been pretty depressed and in a bad mood since Mamaw passed away. I know that I have to keep going on and doing all the daily things of life. But I'd rather just curl up with a good book and escape. I have indulged my desire perhaps a little too much, as I have read all of the Little House books now. I always used to read the Little House books at Mamaw's house and to borrow them from her. So it sort makes me feel closer to her. In some ways it helps, in others it just makes me miss her that much more.
And I feel guilty for being so depressed. I know she was almost ninety-two and lived a long full life and faces a blessed eternity. But I still miss her.
It's also hard because I know my mom misses her even more than I do, and I want to be strong for her. I want to be strong. But at the same time I don't want to be strong.
In the meantime, things have gotten a little out of control at home. Abigail has been acting out, and I don't know how to handle her. Is it because she is sad too? Is it because mommy is so glum and not taking very good care of things? Is it just because she's a kid and kids go through phases? Or is there something else going on? What is the best way to handle a belligerent five-year-old anyway?
But at least I don't have to worry about my livelihood being destroyed by grasshoppers or being lost in a blizzard.
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, September 22, 2008
"Mmmorr. Bebeeees." But mostly just yarn-talk.
Indeed, whenever I turn on the computer now, Rachel thinks I'm going to open up the "bebeees" program to show her pictures of babies. (Well, pictures of herself, toddlers are narcissistic that way, right?) This goes for the cameras in the house, and actually hinders any sort of recording to the point where getting anywhere productive with a video or stillshot involved a lot of ninja-work:- Keep the camera hidden
- Make noise to mask the blips and bloops of turning the camera on
- Sneak in from a corner of the room where she's not looking
I fail at being sneaky, apparently, so I'll just show you a picture of some longies I said I'd send to Shae for Naomi about half a year ago or so. My procrastination has no bounds, it seems. I suspect they will be on the small side, but I finished it, dangit.
Some random notes: Done in 100% wool, colorway: Argentyne, of yarny_bits.livejournal (I believe deliciouspear, the actual dyer, is in the process of changing the business' name, currently Hawthorne Homes, and it's easier to find the colorways off of the LJ, anyway), with edging yarn dyed from the same batch to match. Pattern: WoolyWonder, Size S/M, with added I-cord belt and moss stitch edging at the bottom.
Honestly, I do like knitting - it's fairly easy once the basics are figured out. Circular knitting, to me, makes things a lot easier, since I never have to flip the work around. I actually finished half of the pants (top part to crotch) a while ago; all that was was an exercise in ribbing and short rows. The last part was what kept me from finishing earlier: according to the pattern, I was supposed to use 2 balls of the same yarn and practice what was known as the magic loop method to work both legs at once. My circulars weren't up to that task (I didn't think they were flexible enough), so I ended up using double pointed needles and working the legs one at a time. TMI, I know, but this late at night, I'm feeling it's important to rationalize why it's so late. >< I'm also proud of it; when I actually finish a pair of longies, I always have to sit there and think: "Wow, I made this, this is really neat."
So. Wow, I made this. This is really neat.
(Rachel thinks so, too, but she really just liked the yarn. I had to give her her own yarn ball just so she'd stop trying to run off with the one I was working with.)
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Been through the desert...
...with a car with no plates. Yep, NV does not make new cars have temp plates, but rather a little piece of paper taped to the passenger side of the front windshield. We double-checked about our plate-less jeep before leaving the rental car place, but they assured us it would be fine so long as we knew where the registration was just in case.
Saturday, after a long plane flight (combination of having to turn back to CLE to change planes when the 1st's landing gear wouldn't pull in and a strong headwind), we got provisions and made camp.
Sunday was Mass at the Catholic chapel in the GC, followed by hiking. We hiked from our campsite, through part of the Rim Trail, to the Bright Angel Trail. There are signs all over reminding you "what goes down must go up," and warning how marathon runners have died from not having enough water or overdoing it somehow. We made it to 3-Mile point (there had been talk of going further but a friendly ranger advised us otherwise). Throughout the trip we were confused by the fact we made better time going up than down (supposedly it takes twice as long to go up). The squirrels along the trail are brave. One tried to climb into Don's backpack. They were cute from a distance, but their bravery unnerved me a bit. We were also surprised how many European travelers we saw on the trail (the ones we met were mostly from Austria and Switzerland).
The next day we went on the Grandview Trail, which was suggested by the friendly ranger on the previous day's trail. We almost went on a different trail, because the Grandview did not have water stops, but we were thankful we didn't get our campsite taken down in time, because the Grandview Trail was spectacular. We didn't make it through the whole trail (half of our group had small water bottles and we would've been hiking in the heat of the day), but we walked a good ways.
After the Grandview trail, we went north, stopping at the watchtower to see another angle of the GC, then continued north, stopping in Cameron, where I got stamps (at the watchtower they sold stamps in machines but that made them expensive) and mailed my postcards. We also got bread and lunchmeat to eat in the car. We drove just north over the Utah border to scope out multiple entrances to the park around Lake Powell, but settled on a campsite in AZ. Then we went in the lake for a bit. In the GC it had been cold at night (40ish F). At Lake Powell, it did not get cold.
The next day we did two short hikes in the Lake Powell area, then drove south to the Sedona area. We stopped at a place called Slide Rock Park on the way. They have natural water slides. It had been raining, but the rain let up long enough to go in the (cold) water. It was fun. The rain held off just long enough for us to get the tents and rain tarps over, and to get dinner mostly cooked. Then the rain let up again in the evening, and we were able to restart the campfire.
Wednesday we hiked the Cathedral Rock tail in Sedona. Then we drove back to Phoenix, dropped one group member off for his business trip, and went to see the basilica of St. Mary's in Phoenix. It was locked. As we walked around, we found a man who was doing a water ministry outside the basilica, and he was a Franciscan (but not yet a priest) at the church and he let us inside to look around.
It was an amazing trip. I got my film pictures back today. Being back in the "real world" for a few days, the whole trip seems rather surreal.
Saturday, after a long plane flight (combination of having to turn back to CLE to change planes when the 1st's landing gear wouldn't pull in and a strong headwind), we got provisions and made camp.
Sunday was Mass at the Catholic chapel in the GC, followed by hiking. We hiked from our campsite, through part of the Rim Trail, to the Bright Angel Trail. There are signs all over reminding you "what goes down must go up," and warning how marathon runners have died from not having enough water or overdoing it somehow. We made it to 3-Mile point (there had been talk of going further but a friendly ranger advised us otherwise). Throughout the trip we were confused by the fact we made better time going up than down (supposedly it takes twice as long to go up). The squirrels along the trail are brave. One tried to climb into Don's backpack. They were cute from a distance, but their bravery unnerved me a bit. We were also surprised how many European travelers we saw on the trail (the ones we met were mostly from Austria and Switzerland).
The next day we went on the Grandview Trail, which was suggested by the friendly ranger on the previous day's trail. We almost went on a different trail, because the Grandview did not have water stops, but we were thankful we didn't get our campsite taken down in time, because the Grandview Trail was spectacular. We didn't make it through the whole trail (half of our group had small water bottles and we would've been hiking in the heat of the day), but we walked a good ways.
After the Grandview trail, we went north, stopping at the watchtower to see another angle of the GC, then continued north, stopping in Cameron, where I got stamps (at the watchtower they sold stamps in machines but that made them expensive) and mailed my postcards. We also got bread and lunchmeat to eat in the car. We drove just north over the Utah border to scope out multiple entrances to the park around Lake Powell, but settled on a campsite in AZ. Then we went in the lake for a bit. In the GC it had been cold at night (40ish F). At Lake Powell, it did not get cold.
The next day we did two short hikes in the Lake Powell area, then drove south to the Sedona area. We stopped at a place called Slide Rock Park on the way. They have natural water slides. It had been raining, but the rain let up long enough to go in the (cold) water. It was fun. The rain held off just long enough for us to get the tents and rain tarps over, and to get dinner mostly cooked. Then the rain let up again in the evening, and we were able to restart the campfire.
Wednesday we hiked the Cathedral Rock tail in Sedona. Then we drove back to Phoenix, dropped one group member off for his business trip, and went to see the basilica of St. Mary's in Phoenix. It was locked. As we walked around, we found a man who was doing a water ministry outside the basilica, and he was a Franciscan (but not yet a priest) at the church and he let us inside to look around.
It was an amazing trip. I got my film pictures back today. Being back in the "real world" for a few days, the whole trip seems rather surreal.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Isn't life grand?
 |
| From Trip West 2008 |
Last week, I went with 3 friends from Church group to the Grand Canyon. We hiked some of the trails -- reaching the bottom did not happen on this trip, but we made it a ways down, and more importantly, back up again. The views are just amazing, I don't think I can properly put into words the majestic beauty of it all. We also camped for the trip, which added to the whole experience. One of my fellow campers had a 1-person tent that I got to use for the trip. It was a nice little tent. There is much more to write, but that will have to wait for another time.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Potty Training
We are doing some serious potty training with the boys. So far it is going excellently. Sam has had one accident today, and Isaac has had two. Both have gone on the potty at least half a dozen times each. I am happily daydreaming about not having to lug so many diapers around.
Oh yeah. And we went to Springfield this past weekend to visit Paul's grandma. The trip went well. But we are all exhausted and trying to get back on track.
Oh yeah. And we went to Springfield this past weekend to visit Paul's grandma. The trip went well. But we are all exhausted and trying to get back on track.
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