Dumb Idiot Award

Well I get the dumb idiot award for the week...we are now at my sister's place...arrived here late last night. It's a 3-4 hour drive from Toronto where we were at Mom and Dad's. We arrived here about 5:00 pm last night..and 30 min or so later I realized I had left our passports in Toronto! Thankfully Dad was able to find a place to ship them from where they are guaranteed to be here by 5:00 pm today. Delaying the return home was not an option as I have to be back for training on Monday morning early. I could have driven back to Toronto to get them and done a turn-around trip but was not eager to do so.

Today is planned to be a quiet day (relatively) visiting...allowing the kids to have time with their cousins...catching up with my sister. Later we are going to a hobby shop that has tractor models..and there's plenty of photos to take.

I'm looking forward to being able to post pictures and update more - and catching up on blogger friends. Am very thankful to be spending the last full day of our vacation back in the countryside. Think we all experienced some major culture shock in the city.

Still in Ontario...having an overall good visit with Mom and Dad. It's hard to see how Mom has changed - even since March when I was up here for the weekend. Dad is trooping along...staying strong. We will be here until Thursday after lunch then visiting with my sister until Saturday morning. From there it will be the drive home.

4H Fair

Well I haven't written as often as I'd have liked recently...still haven't gotten to that promised reunion update. The local 4H County Fair has been going on since last Friday...I've been up at the fairgrounds every day and late into the evenings...and that's without any animals to care for. In between it's just normal life and preparing to head to Ontario to visit Mom and Dad next week. I can't at the moment remember how to upload photos so that will have to wait until the boys get back from running. Today will be another day of catching up around home and preparing for our trip. B and Dipstick won't be going this time as they've not got their passports yet.

Decidedly discombobulated this morning...No Lil Bit (new nickname for Baby) today - her dad Ornery got laid off yesterday afternoon. I slept in until 7:30 - was soundly asleep when B woke me telling me Squirrel wanted to be at TKD by 8:00. I left with no coffee and no food at all...dropped him off and went to my coffee friend's house to visit and eat. B called just as I was about to leave there to tell me that our builder Bob (Yes we had Bob the Builder doing our addition) was at the house finishing up stuff so we could pass final inspection and we needed another smoke alarm. That necessitated a run to the nearest larger town west of here to get that and some stuff for my chickens then home to start dinner (mid-day meal). Being as you can't make a watched pot boil I'm attempting to relax and get my head screwed on straight. This afternoon basically it's a bit more running and book-keeping to be done.

One thing that's been made abundantly clear over the last couple of days is that mice...even "cute little field mice" make me climb on things. When Squirrel and I went to mow the other place there was a mouse nest in the JD mower - complete with very new-born baby mice...including one the mama was attempting to deliver as she ran frantically around trying to escape the monsters. We left...until the mouse nest had been removed and I was certain that the mouse was also gone. The mowing did eventually get done...but I was still rather jumpy.

Time to go for lunch...

Quote and Partial Update

"Writing begets writing and not writing begets not writing" (quoted from the article "Baby Steps" in Writing Basics magazine)

I don't write to get published - usually I write to process stuff and just to keep a log of what's going on in my life. However that statement really resonates with me because I've not written recently - at least not here - and every time I think I'm going to write I back away because it seems like there is too much to write about and too little time to do so. So...I'm going to attempt to discipline myself to spend a few minutes every day here or with my handwritten journal (which I've not used either) - not just when I'm upset about something. (Though I had to just stop this, deal with an issue with Dipstick and make notes about it...ugh!! Guess that's part of being a mother and grandmother)

I've been watching Ornery's daughter "Baby" since end of last week. She is 4 years old now. We are finishing up potty training (she's in pull-ups when she arrives in the mornings) and learning about making sure to tell an adult where she is going - even if it's only from the shop to the house or back. Overall she's done quite well - is quite the chatterbox and seems to enjoy "running" with me. This morning we went and had coffee with friends in town (I can't decide how to refer to them as we started out as school bus driver and parents...now we are friends. Usually I refer to them as my "bus moms" - I truly never expected to be such good friends). One of them has a home that is the neighborhood gathering place...we sit outside when the weather is nice and visit. When the weather is nasty the visiting goes on inside. Anyway...Baby quite enjoyed that as there were different kids for her to play with and she got rather spoiled. I will only be watching her until the end of next week - by that time Ornery and his wife are to have full-time childcare arranged for. I rather hope that that will also involve preschool - she is one little one that needs the structure. (I think I need a better nickname than Baby...any suggestions?")

This past Saturday B and I drove back to Erie, PA to meet Dipstick's sister to pick Dipstick up from his 2 week visit out there. We drove appoximately half-way and they drove approximately half-way. Our drive was rather challenging as it was pouring rain and many thunderstorms pretty much all the way out there. However thankfully God protected us and we made it safely there and home again. I think Dipstick had a very good time. He's had a bit of a challenge adjusting back to "home schedule"...hopefully that will happen soon.

4th of July weekend was my high school reunion - 25th. B, Stretch, Squirrel and I drove to Chicago for the weekend. Stretch and Squirrel got to spend the weekend with their aunt and uncle and cousins - we met at a Bass Pro shop to drop them off. That was the first time I'd ever been in one of those so it was very interesting to walk around and check things out. From there B and I went to the resort where we had the reunion. I'll have to write more about that next time as it's time Squirrel and I went to the old house (which still hasn't sold or been rented) and mowed the lawn.

Leaving on a Jet Plane...

Ok...not really but definitely leaving today for my 25th high school reunion. This time it's in Chicago so not as far to travel. Last time it was in Colorado...made a couple of "new" states for me to travel through. When I tell people that "this time" the reunion is in Chicago most want to know where I graduated high school at/from...I grew up in Africa and graduated from Rift Valley Academy. Reunions in my class's case are basically a big family reunion - except most of us only bring pictures of the kids. However we have people travel from across the US and Canada as well as occasionally Germany and New Zealand. B is going with me. Stretch and Squirrel will be at their aunt and uncle's in the Chicago area while Dipstick is away visiting his sister.

Both computers will be going with the boys to get worked on. I should have some limited computer access at the resort...and enough free time to possibly check some stuff.

Lots to do yet this morning so had better scoot for now. I'm one of those people who like to leave the house clean and laundry caught up before I go...it never totally seems to happen.