Thankful List

In list style things I'm thankful for:

• My “new” husband who has been sleeping through the night and staying awake all day since he got his new Bipap machine. He admits to feeling so much better now that he is really getting sleep.
• My handsome boys – all 3 of them.
• Stretch’s healing in his leg – his strong witness during the whole thing, his passion for God, his enjoyment of school – and that he is home this weekend!
• Squirrel – I have seen so much growth in him – spiritually and emotionally as well as physically. He’s stepped up to be a helper since his brother has left for college. He is a dependable friend and son – gets his chores done without complaint and often goes above and beyond. He also has a great sense of humor.
• Dipstick – He is doing so much better in school this year. That is a huge blessing. He actually enjoys it mostly. I am thankful that the doing better in school means he gets to enjoy more privileges. I am thankful for how quickly he has adjusted to wearing glasses all the time and how much better he sees.
• My Mom and Dad – that we still have Mom and that she is able to say things to Dad like “I’m so glad you are here”. I am also especially thankful that Dad was not more seriously injured in the car accident he suffered the other night – and that the accident was ruled totally NOT his fault.
• My sister Karen who spends so much time and energy helping Dad out and making sure both get the care they need. I am also thankful for our close friendship – something we did not have as children as we were too competitive.
• My brothers – even though I don’t have as much contact with them
• My home
• Sunshine
• Extended family – and especially how accepting Hubby’s family have been of me
• My job – the kids on my school bus – even when they make me nuts
• Jesus Christ and the greatest Gift He gave me – that of salvation

A beautiful morning and other ramblings

Cold this morning when I went out for bus route - just at freezing. But oh so pretty. The moon was full - a golden reddish orb low in the western sky. The eastern sky was just lighting up - no major red streaks but glowing across the fields. Most are harvested, with dried corn standing in others. A few have winter wheat growing bright green. I saw 4 deer this morning - 1, possibly 2 bucks and 2 does. So cool to see them running across the road just in front of the bus...stopping to look back to see if they should be concerned about the big "monster" before they took off for the woods.

The furnace is going...I need to add wood before I head for town. Water is running in the washer doing yet another load of towels, socks, etc. A clock is ticking quietly and the fan is running in one of the computers. Then there is the clicking of the keys as I type.

I just finished coffee with some cocoa powder mixed in. It requires a bit more sugar than normal but I'm really enjoying the taste combination. Had some toast with peanut butter and honey to go with it. Soon I will get around and head to town. The chickens are out of feed and Squirrel needs some jeans. He wore shorts to school again! In addition I need to make eye appointments for Dipstick and B as both need glasses. Those few things will take most of the rest of the time between now and bus route. Hopefully this evening I will get back to doing something creative daily. I've been slacking off and not disciplining myself to do so. Part of that is that I'm fighting the annual fall bronchitis/sinus junk and just don't have the energy. And I've been staying ready to go run boys though I haven't had to. I've also just been spending my evenings reading, which will enjoyable is not accomplishing creatively.

OK...better scoot for now...it's getting late and before I know it I will be out of time.

Beautiful sunny fall day here today. So thankful for the sun. Feeling pretty cheerful.

B went for his sleep study Thursday night. It went well in that they brought in a CPAP machine around 2:00 am to get him fitted for it. But that indicates just how bad his breathing is when he's asleep...

Talking about sleep brings back memories of different places and ways I've slept. For as long as I can remember I've slept with a pillow tightly over my head. My logic when I was younger was that way if someone broke in I would not wake up to see them standing over my bed with a pipe. Not logical at all looking back but it worked for me then. It never really mattered if my feet were covered though at least not in hot areas. At school in the dorms I would sleep under pillow and covered in blankets so thoroughly that people would come into my room looking for me and not realize I was there. Of course I was much slimmer then and laying on my belly would not leave much of a bump. I remember doing that more in high school then younger. When I was 2nd, 3rd and 4th grade the boarding school I attended had many very tall trees around. I remember lying in my bunk looking out the windows and falling asleep to thoughts of being able to live among the tree tops. I don't remember much wind from those times though. On the other hand, Kijabe was "Place of the Wind" - it seemed there was always wind blowing. There were trees but it was more just the location on the edge of the Rift Valley. I love to listen to wind blowing now - especially at night when I am at home dressed in comfy clothes relaxing. Another favorite sound is the gentle sound of the surf in the Indian Ocean - day or night I loved to get somewhat alone on the beach and just listen to that sound. It is impossible for me to describe it - a continuous rolling swishing sound. Combine that with the warm sun and an ocean breeze...lovely. We slept with windows open to the ocean breeze and the sound though doors were always tightly locked.

I've slept on trains - we would take the overnight train from where we lived in Mombasa to the capital city. We would board around 6 pm - evening after a full day of doing last minute packing, laundry and baking. Mom would have packed a supper meal of some sort of sandwiches and fruit. Breakfast the next morning would be sweet rolls, hard boiled eggs, fruit and probably purchased chai. But come bedtime the bench seats would be turned into beds - the upper bunks serving as padding on the wall during the day. We would pull out our pillows and blankets and claim our bunks. I usually would have one of the middles - 6 beds to a cabin which was just right for our family. That middle bunk allowed me 6 inches or so of window space - the glass was down and the screens were up. I could hear the rhythmic repetitive clackety clack, thump bump of the train as it went down the tracks. Occasionally it would stop at little stations along the way. Then I could hear men talking and occasionally yelling/shouting and smell cigarette smoke through the open window. I never slept as well on the train - it wasn't my bed and it was stable. But it was still fun.

Occasionally brave dorm parents would take us tent camping...a bunch of teenage girls! In the African bush! We didn't have indoor bathroom facilities, no way of showering...but it was an adventure. We cooked over a fire...listened to the wild animals that were off in the distance.

I've slept in a hut where grain was stored and I could hear the critters moving around during the night. I've slept in hotels, on airplanes, on buses...probably other places I can't think of right now. Time to scoot as I need to get ready for work.