Ramblings

The wind is blowing hard this morning - I can hear it howling.  It is supposed to get quite warm out so that will be ok.  I have plenty of flowers to get planted later though I still don't have mosquito spray made. 

Last night B worked until almost 11:00 pm.  He came in from doing physical work about 8 and had supper.  Then he and I worked on the computer looking for parts for a skidder that was down.  The owners are quite concerned about getting it repaired as quickly as possible.  Once I figured out that I had to look under forestry equipment it was much easier to get information and pictures of the part. However because the part with the hole in it is aluminum that is going to be difficult.  B cannot simply weld a patch onto it.  By the time he was off the phone with the owners and a friend for input it was almost 11.  Made for a short night as it still took awhile to settle down after.  

Bus route this morning went pretty well even though I was a bit tense.  I was due to have a couple students return who had been suspended from riding over defiance and I was a bit anxious about how they were going to behave.  That whole situation was a mess - it started simply because I had had to change my rules on hat wearing on the bus.  The one student refused to take his off which made the other (who I'd been having other issues with) put his back on and refuse to remove it again.  At that point I figured it was outright defiance and that I will absolutely not tolerate.  However the administrator at the one school refused to deal with it as he figured it was simply "hats" - turns out he didn't even talk to the students at all or contact the parents.  I knew he wasn't going to contact the parents but I did expect him to talk to the students.  If it was simply the student refusing to remove his in the first place there still would have been disciplinary action due to defiance but I doubt it would have gone to the extent it did.  (And I certainly would have been far less angry).  However as it turns out it appears that 2 of the 3 students involved (the 3rd was dealt with by a different administrator at a different school) will not be riding my bus in the mornings for the rest of this year.  I have yet to see if the one who rides both ways will be riding home with me - unfortunately that's where I had most of my issues with him.  But all of that to say while route went well overall I was sad to hear that the one parent was still extremely upset about the situation - I have had her kids for several years and really do care about them.  Currently only the one is still riding with me.    This all reads about clear as mud but I can't be more specific.

Yesterday afternoon when I got home I got a text from my sister to tell me to check my email - that my Uncle S was having open heart surgery right then.  She had forwarded the email from my Aunt BJ (Mom's sister) about it that gave sketchy details.  I found out this morning that he did come through surgery and had bypasses done.  Don't know how many or any more information.  However it all brought some grief to the surface again - if only for the fact that we are spread so far apart that I can't go visit.  Made me think how Mom and Dad coped when they were in Africa and received news like this.  There wasn't "instant" communication like we have today.  At best there were very occasional long-distance calls and telegrams. Most news came through "snail mail".  Also reminded me of how I felt when I received a letter from my Mom while I was at boarding school - was in 6th grade.  She told me in her letter that she'd had a stroke and had been paralyzed on the left side for 3 days.  God worked a miracle there - probably one of many in their lives - and healed her.  However to me a stroke meant you were going to die and I was very very upset.  I remember being told "why are you so upset?  Your Mom is fine" and that I needed to stop crying.  And true - she was ok.  But I wasn't home with her and had no real understanding.  It was scary.  I don't remember how long after that it was before I got to see Mom and Dad.  But I can still see myself hiding behind a chair crying. 

This is getting really long - I want to link to a blog I read the other day about telling our "stories" - how blogging doesn't have to be perfect, etc.  I also want to write about Mother's Day and the fact that I have a son who will be 17 in a week.  But guess that will have to wait until later - I really need to get out to the shop office and find some information to get some paperwork done. 

Very Strange Spring

Sheets of rain coming across the field

Migrating field

Landslide located a mile down the road from us

Overflowing drainage ditch just down from the house

 

Fuel tanks at bus garage

Sitting here watching it snow outside.   Right now it is fairly heavy snow - coming down fast and hard.  However so far it's not accumulating on the ground.  It has been an odd month - we go from heavy extended rain to snow back to 50's and above back to rain and snow.  Last week (Thursday) we got several inches of rain in a fairly short time.   I was home alone that day - it was kind of nerve wracking to watch the rain just come across the field in sheets knowing we were under several different tornado and thunderstorm watches.  Dipstick and I went to Grief Group that night as planned - driving both directions in continued rain.  Friday morning school was delayed to give people a chance to see where they were going and be able to avoid flooded areas.  I had to back out of one road on my bus route - not too bad considering.  It did put me running about 10 minutes behind but that wasn't too bad.  Several other buses had to reroute completely.  After morning route I went grocery shopping.  On the way home I was able to take pictures just on our road - one place where a field had migrated onto the road and another where there was a landslide.  It was crazy.  Most of the water went down fairly quickly and roads were opened again by Monday mostly. However Saturday morning we had snow on the ground again.  It was gone by that evening.  Last night we got another inch or so of rain - there was another smaller landslide on our road and water is at least lapping at the edges of roads in areas.  In the time it's taken me to write this the snow has stopped - at least temporarily.   We had no water at our house.  However at the kids' high school water was lapping at the edge of the building.  The school is located in a town south of us right on a river, as is our bus garage. 

Question for Discussion (I hope)

Question: How old were you as a child when your parent(s) stopped waking you up in the morning? As a parent - how old do you think your child should be when they are expected to get up on their own? What reasons do you have for those expectations? Really hoping for some chat here.

I realize some of this is obvious to some readers as we were in boarding school at least some of our school years - and had to get ourselves up. But when we boarded in elementary school how did we get up on time?  I don't remember having an alarm clock until I was 7th or 8th grade. 

This is a question I really struggle with.  Stretch and Squirrel were both expected to get themselves up by 2nd grade.  I remember Squirrel asking for an alarm clock - he would fight me when I woke him up but once he had his own alarm and knew how to set it he typically got up on his own.  It was and still is rare for him to oversleep.  Stretch was not one to oversleep either when he was still at home - he tended to sleep a little later than Squirrel but that worked out well for morning showers and shared bathrooms. 

On the other hand, Dipstick has 3 alarm clocks and still struggles with getting up on time, letting alone getting up at all.  Often his dad will holler up the stairs at him to get him up.  This morning I asked him how long he expected to have a parent waking him.  His answer (and it may have been intended to be a smart-aleck response) was "until I move out".  Being as he is 16 1/2 almost I feel strongly that he should be the one to get himself up - without regularly being hollered at.  He daily leaves for school without breakfast and sometimes not completely dressed - carrying shoes and socks into the car to put on on the way to the bus. 

Really hoping for some discussion here - not as a bashing situation but for insight. 

Can hardly believe it's been a month since I've written.  Over actually.  But it has been a busy month.  We had more than one snow day in March.  My hubby surprised me with a dinner with friends and family for my birthday.  There was school, bus discipline issues, state bus inspection...

Our last day of school before spring break was March 29.  We were off the first week of April.  It was a short break but much needed.  Stretch had his spring break a couple weeks before - his seemed to fly by.  Squirrel and Dipstick both went on the Campus Life trip to Florida this year.  Think they both enjoyed themselves.  They left on Saturday night (before Easter) and arrived back the following Friday morning.  They did have a really sad occurrence during that time - not sure how else to put it.  A student who had pre-existing heart trouble, from one of the other schools, died.  He had been on the same charter bus as the boys but they had not really gotten to know him.  I feel for those kids who were right there when it happened and for his family. 

Today has been a very long day.  The father of one of my closest friends had recently (like within the last month) had recently been diagnosed with stage 4 cancer.  He had told her that if it was confirmed as cancer he would not do treatments - he would instead have his pacemaker shut off.  Long story short she called me about 4:15 this morning to let me know he was gone.  I didn't sleep much from that point.  After bus route I was able to go to her house and spend the time between routes sitting and just being with her and her girls.  We laughed, we cried, we talked...the time together was good.  Other friends came and sat as well.  Very different from when Mom went.  But I have to admit tonight I'm tired.  And she still has the weekend to get through.

A "Real" Snow Day

We have a snow day today - a real one complete with snow instead of ice or fog.  Thankfully a delay was called last night and the cancellation was called early this morning.  I wasn't able to go back to sleep though as Hubby was very awake. So I've enjoyed a leisurely breakfast, a short nap and taking pictures. 


Sorry the picture is blue - not sure why.  But that is the walk-in door to the garage on the south end of the shop covered by the drift.



Hubby, Squirrel and Dipstick have shoveled and plowed out the driveway and the back deck.  He did end up with the skid loader stuck in across the road for a time.  
Front porch has been left alone and that is fine.  The birds are enjoying the feeders but are in dire need of suet cakes - I will be working on those soon.

Snow totals - 11 inches for our wee small town, 9.5 inches for our next bigger one and 10.5 for the closest "city". 

Guess that is all for now - I'd best be away to accomplish something. 

Beautiful scenery this morning - everything coated in a layer of heavy wet snow.  We had a 2 hour delay then went to school.  However even after 2 hours the roads were still bad.  Many in our school district had not even been plowed yet and even the main roads were not clear.  The major east/west highway was clear and fairly dry but I have to say that was it.  Even though I've driven in this for several years for some reason this morning I was a stressed out mess.  Of course the fact that Squirrel was driving all the way to school did not help me - I am not ready for that yet.  He said basically "Mom I know that some day I will slide out.  Better to do it now when I'm younger than later.".  That didn't calm me much though.  However he made it safely to school and I simply have to learn to trust that he is God's child ultimately.  

It is snowing big heavy flakes again now and the birds have been busy at the feeders.  That tells me that the snow and the cold is going to last at least most of the day today.  It is predicted to last into tomorrow possibly.  We've not had much snow this winter - we get a couple inches then it melts off.  However thankfully we've had more moisture then we did last winter and the drought for this area is officially over.

B has been busy in the shop.  Yesterday he spent most of the day cleaning but today he called in extra help.  He was asked this morning to replace brakes on a trailer that belongs to some of the local Amish.  They call him frequently when their equipment breaks down and it is usually a rush job when they do.  I am thankful that his business has been good.  God has been good.  He always is good but often we allow the times of stress to overshadow that knowledge.

I don't have huge goals for today - 2 hour delays make it hard to accomplish much.  I will likely lay down for a short nap and need to do hand dishes in the kitchen.  I will probably throw something in the crock pot for supper - some sort of roast.  I've been really trying to expand my cooking repertoire this year and not do a lot of repeats.  However today as I know I have to wait for Dipstick after school I will want something either very easy or something that is mostly done.  Of course I could do tuna noodle casserole as Squirrel won't be home.  He is not fond of fish.

Guess I'd better be away.

Back...Maybe

No school today - it is freezing drizzle out now on top of snow that we got overnight.  Sadly there is not much snow - just a couple of inches.  However I figured that now would be a good time to try to start blogging again.

Everything is expected to melt off this afternoon with warming temperatures.  However it was most enjoyable to watch the birds at the feeders this morning.  I've not actually counted how many birds there have been but I have several different varieties - 4 different woodpeckers, chickadees, at least one pair of cardinals, goldfinches, nuthatches, and 2 or 3 other birds that I've not yet identified.  So far I've not tried to take any pictures of them - for awhile I didn't have a memory card for my camera.  That problem has been solved - I have been doing some major cleaning - step by very slow step.  I know I'm still missing one - suspect it may have been left in Ontario last time I was up there over Christmas break.

Much has happened since I've last written.  It's hard to know where to start - and there's no way to include it all.  Mom was called home to be with Jesus December 31st, 2012.  All of us kids had spent time with her - I was the last one to arrive as the boys and I weren't able to leave here until Christmas Day.  We drove straight through even though we hadn't left until 3:30 pm.  Roads were mostly decent - except for some heavy snow in MI.  As a family we spent that last week taking turns sitting with Mom - reading, singing and visiting with each other.  Usually there were 2 of us "on" while the rest took turns resting and spending time with Stretch and Squirrel.  She was very peaceful at the end.  I will try to post some of the tributes in a separate post later.

B and Dipstick came up for the funeral and left that same day.  They were not excited about the 7 lanes of traffic going one direction...and totally feel like country living is the best.  Stretch, Squirrel and I got home late on the 5th and immediately jumped right back into daily life.  All are doing well overall but that was tough.

Dipstick is struggling with school again - not that he's unable to do the work, just that he does not want to.  It is frustrating - nothing seems to really motivate him.  He is involved in archery - and doing well at that.  State high school athletic rules say a student must pass 5 of 7 classes so he can still participate unless his dad and I pull him out.  But considering this is the first sport he's ever done we hate to do that. 

I guess I'd better be away. 

Picture at the top was taken on my phone camera one early Sunday morning when I had to drop Squirrel off for a Gospel Choir concert.  I thought the sun shining on the hoar frost was beautiful.