Best and Worst of 2004

Cuz Ruzz told me to.

Worst:


We lost four cats two in the fire, two who disappeared in the months since then.

Fire in my house.

Logan continuing to process the fire and the loss of the cats on a daily basis.

Womon Care and Birth Sweet being driven to closedown by the local MDs, leaving my area with no midwives not kept in an MD's pocket.

BEST:

Cousin Erin's baby Wolfie, born safe and healthy at home, the same night as the house fire, so I have something positive to associate that date with.

Andrea's baby, also born safe and healthy at home. I'm all for good home births.

I thought of another one: being included as family by Susan and by Lil for holiday gatherings has been an amazing life saver this year. And a very good thing.



It seems like there should be more in both categories, but I'm not coming up with it at the moment.

The continuing saga

A month ago the plumbing work in the house was almost done. There was just one more day of work according to the plumber. He's been back twice since then. It's still not done! Yesterday the guy was a little snarky about how busy he is now, at this time of year. I have little sympathy. He is here and works, and then he disappears and doesn't return phone calls for two weeks. Then the cycle starts again. Yesterday he talked to John and told him that a 2 by 6 back board, meant to support a bathroom sink, and another meant to support the water heater, were no longer in the wall. Unfortunately we can't locate anyone who even saw them in the wall, much less removed them. And John is left with the project of ripping out the drywall and installing the 2x6, then repairing the wall. I on the other hand, am waiting to consult with Carol, who cracks the whip over many of the workers, to find out what our options are to get this all done.

When will we be able to move in? No telling. I'm beginning to think that the July 27 completion date was in 2005.

Presenting:

Aidan's baby brother.


Mom and baby are doing well.

Logan and I visited Andrea and expanded family today. Logan and Aidan took Bob for a hike while I got to hang out and see how tiny a new baby is again. Logan brought balloons in honor of the baby. And carried rattles to Andrea to entertain him, in case nursing and sleeping wasn't enough to keep him busy.


close up just for Susan.

Good News:

Andrea and Bob and Aidan can now welcome baby boy, born at 3:23 this afternoon, at home! Woo Hoo! 7 lbs 6 oz.

I have no other details yet. I'll post some when I do. And maybe a picture, after we take Aidan home later. :-)

Good Thoughts

Peace flags in our doorway

Thinking positive thoughts for Andrea as she labors today!


at the holiday market 23 Dec 04

Yes Andrea, Aidan is fine. (Logan and I spent the night there last night, now we're all back at our house until someone calls about having Aidan returned.) We stopped and got floating balloons and donuts with "sparkles" on them. Then we played at the play ground in Yoncalla until Aidan banged his face while goofing around on the whirl around thing. Now we're home, and both kids have had a bath, some hot cocoa with marshmallows, a visit to the dome to see the shelves John built last night. And are just finishing up eating some cheerios. Oh, and the three of us shared a banana. I'm trying to keep the sugar balanced with other foods, while giving them both a break for being over tired and out of sorts and having to share things the usually don't. John should be home soon to provide another distraction for a while. And dinner will be kid friendly to the extreme, whatever it turns out to be.

The near and the dear ones

" A very Merry Christmas
And a Happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear

And so this is Christmas
For weak and for strong
For rich and the poor ones
The road is so long

And so Happy Christmas
For black and for white
For yellow and red ones
Let's stop all the fight. "

So, Christmas Eve and Lil's house.

Lil is someone who has adopted us, along with Nonny Susan and family. She is part of Susan's extended family, and included us at her Christmas Eve dinner this year. Lil is mother to six giant children, one of whom is married to one of Susan's children, so they have grandchildren in common. And, being the sort of people they are, they unofficially adopt any other children or grandchildren that come their way.


Logan (colored dress) with Susan and LaTeasha, the youngest of Lil's giant children.


Lady Logan opening a gift at Lil's


trying on a craft smock (backwards)


trying on her garden apron from Lil (being tied by david)


David (Lil and Susan's grandson,) helping Logan with chapstick.


Logan brushing the spikes out of Susan's hair.

I hope you have fun,



Our rosemary tree with gifts "under" it.


John and Logan playing with her presents


Apple Pie-Eater resting while Logan is busy elsewhere.


John's collection of received gifts


Logan and Sunny

So this is christmas,

We have a "winter weather" advisory this morning for the chance of snow down to 1500 feet. Logan woke up before dawn despite having been awake until after 10 last night at Lil's christmas eve dinner. (Yes, I took pictures, Yes, she and Apple wore matching dresses, we all had a lot of fun. More later there.) She and John are out feeding and building a fire in the Dome now, while I pry my eyes open and enjoy quiet for a few minutes.

So far all we have is fog, as usual, which makes a slightly different white christmas than the one in the song.

Four men and a dog. . . fit in to my bathroom

Well, truly, two men, one woman, and a four year old, and the dog. But there was still plenty of space too. John and Herman The Wonder Carpenter hung the medicine cabinet, while Logan and I supervised, and Sunny-dog did his best to be under Herman's feet.

Now if we could just get the plumber out here. I think the plumber is on a week on week off schedule of some sort. He shows up, he schedules, then he vanishes. Then we start over again. With luck it will only take one more visit from him though.

Interior doors are getting framed. Um. Trimmed is the right word I guess. John managed to trim out all three octagon windows last night. Removers removed debris so we can see the deck again. With luck cleaners will come Monday or Tuesday to remove the pounds of dust in the house, and we'll be able to schedule when furniture makes its reappearance.

Today Logan and I are going to the grocery store and then to hang out at holiday market. And we should see Robyn at some point, and quite possibly will eat lunch with Andrea and Aidan too.

Happy Thursday

House Blessing

We blessed our house tonight, going around and around with salt and water, incense, sage, sweet grass, and stones in our pockets or hands. And we managed to do it without Sunny-dog or Miss Logan putting out a candle or setting themselves or anything else inappropriate on fire. Quite an accomplishment overall. We shooed out any negative things we could, invited positive in, and with luck, it's the beginning step toward moving back in sometime soon.

Wednesday, tomorrow as I type this, workers come to clear away construction debris. With luck Herman also will be here to finish some more of the stuff waiting to be done. And eventually the plumber will appear again, and we'll be able to get everything hooked up and get inspections done so we can move back in.

Happy Happy

December 21 is the winter solstice this year (and many others.)

It's Robyn's 52nd birthday!

It's Alan's birthday!

It's Jen's birthday!

Happy birthday guys! Logan and I are going to see Robyn in Eugene, and harass him properly. We'll see if Sweet Life is willing to try to fit 52 candles on his slice of cake. (The spell checker suggested that perhaps I meant 52 scandals. How would they all fit?)

Work is slowly getting done on the house. Herman the wonder carpenter has been here, and will be back again. People are supposed to come haul away construction junk and other people to clean away the mountains of dust inside on Wednesday. I doubt anyone will be delivering our stored or replaced furniture this week, but it's beginning to look hopeful that we might be in before the end of the year. At long last.

We've shipped boxes to parents in Florida by express goat. With luck they'll arrive by Friday. And to think I considered shipping things at the beginning of November. Where would I be without the last minute adrenalin rush of late holiday shipping. If you're not my mother or mother-in-law, I'm not sending you anything more than a card until after the 25th. And the card is debatable, depending on what name pops up in the random order I'm writing cards in.

Bizaraty

So according to both my mother and John's mother, we passed on the stomach flu we had here, by way of the blog and the telephone! I don't know how we did it folks, really. We didn't pass it on to any people we knew here. And didn't do the cards while we were sick. Very strange.

A visit to St. Nicholas

Logan and Apple Pie-Eater went to see Santa at the maul yesterday. I explained about sitting on his lap, telling him something one wanted, and all that. Logan very much wanted to go and see him and talk to him. She decided she would rather stand by him than sit on his lap, but Apple was willing to sit on his knee. Everywhere we went the two of them got complements on their matching blue jumpers from Grandma Wilma. Because Logan insists on wearing dresses from Grandma now no matter what weather they are intended for, Grandma sent these for cold weather. Logan's is lined with dark flannel. Both girls also have a long sleeved red dress lined in pretty red flannel from Grandma, but we opted not to try that one for the Santa picture because of the possibility of blending in with Santa too well.


both looking at the professional photographer


talking about something important (gifts? candy? behavior?)


note Logan's ladybug boots peeking out from under her dress

We also got a set of photos from the pro, which I will send out sooner or later, depending how far along packages get this weekend.

This is the same Santa we've seen in other years. He is amazingly patient, and as real as they come. It makes it even harder to see the false beards and baggy red suits other places.

Friday

Just a couple of pictures. I finally loaded them on to the computer this morning.


After Saturday's dance, with a rose from James


Our holiday tree for this year, growing outside the door.

Bits and pieces

Thirty Seven Unmatched Socks

So Friday night we tried to find Logan's black leotard for her to wear, with her black tights, while dancing with her class at Holiday Market the next day. We never did find it, my conclusion is that she probably folded it up very small and put it in to something, like a tin, or a back pack, or a box of rocks. I don't know. But she does go through phases of packing all sorts of things in to other things, and then forgetting about them until we stumble on to them weeks or months later. At least it's not food. Usually.

So I dug through the clothes bin. No leotard. But I did find socks. Striped socks. None of them the same. White socks, with different patterns and lengths. Socks with flowers. Socks with patterns.

Then I tried beside the bin and under the bed, where the clothes fall when Logan uses the bin as a step stool to get up more easily. Still no leotard. More socks. Hundreds of socks. Thousands of socks. Millions and billions and trillions of socks. (Yes we've been reading that cat book, why do you ask?)

Logan's socks have been a difficulty. She doesn't always care whether they match or not, but for some days the weather, or the day care provider decree she really needs to wear some. And it's been difficult to even find two, much less two that match for a while. I plan to get her a specific bag or container to put them in, but I haven't managed to act on that yet. I think what I need is a collection of little zippered laundry bags, so that dirty socks can go in one, and stay there until they are washed. And then get put away in to their special sock storage place. Which seems complicated. But everything is complicated.

Some socks got washed with the load, which included Logan's skirt that she did wear to dance in, I think. She also wore her pink leotard, and when she left the house she had a sweater over it. I haven't looked at the pictures or videotape of the dance yet. I was home miserably sleeping and hoping not to puke any more at that time. Pictures will make an appearance here once I've located the camera etc.

I don't know the number of unmatched socks I found actually. I didn't count dusty things. I just collected them all and put them in the laundry bin. With luck, after washing, some of them will turn out to match each other, or socks already clean, in whatever holder those are stored in.


Other Bits

Sitting at the computer now doesn't seem to add to my absolute wretchedness. Saturday it did. I slept Saturday. Sometimes even while holding a book I considered reading.

Robyn called, and Logan asked to talk on the phone, without even knowing who it was, immediately announcing "you could come and take me to the playground. Mum and Papa are sick." She's got her priorities. Now she's negotiating for someone to play with even if they don't go anywhere.

I have given up hope of actually being moved in to the dome by Christmas day. And I have my doubts about being in by twelfth night. I've bought some more or less disposable decorations to go on our Fir Tree In A Pot which is out in front of the cabin. Although it just occurred to me that I don't recall whether the lights said "indoor/outdoor" or not. I'd better check before we put them up. I have a long diatribe to write about insurance companies and restoration contractors and adjusters, without naming any specific names that could cause me to face a law suit. But that will wait for another post when my brain is a little more focused and vindictive. On my next Eugene trip I will be shopping for replacement building blocks for Logan, because the workmen who were here Friday and yesterday concluded that it was appropriate to build a fire in the wood stove with 2/3 of the blocks (carefully picked up and all in one box no less!) that Logan has been using in the dome. I left a message for the woman who coordinates with us at the restoration company that I don't want those workmen on my property again. We haven't told Logan about the blocks. With luck we'll replace them and she won't notice. With luck. And the scar will only be in John's and my mind. The ones Logan chose to use more often were the store bought set, rather than the carefully scavenged from wood we used set, so I doubt she'll mind that her blocks end up containing more of the store bought sort. I mind. But I can't do much to change that.

Oops, I see from posting most of this that I need to adjust the subject header size. But that, also, will have to wait until my brain works again.

For the Grandmas and Grandpa of Miss Logan, I've noticed that we haven't got any recent pictures of any of you. I'd like to request some for Logan to put up. I still have the intention of getting you print pictures of some that have been on the blog, once life settles down. I just don't know when life will settle down.

And anyone is welcome to comment here -- it proves to me that someone reads it, other than my mother, who I know checks daily but doesn't comment on the blog. :-)

Workings of a fevered mind.

What we're not sending out this year:

Dear friends,

Merry Christmas to you
We have the flu
We're kissing this card now
So you'll have it too.


Logan, of course, having already done the feeling miserable bit, thinks that me and John being sick is a plot to add to her misery by keeping her from going anywhere at all, most especially to a play ground. Anyone wishing to suggest ways for Logan to harmlessly entertain herself is welcome to call her. :-)

Accomplished:

I've written a holiday form letter to go out with winter holiday cards this year. I had the impressionability of it, but it's the only way any real note is going to go with most of them this year.

John and Logan are about to go build a fire in the (new) wood stove - a Jotel (pronounced Yotel), which looks like the Vermont Castings stove I grew up with. We can now turn lights on or plug things in in most rooms. The electrician should be back yet again to finish once something is built to hold the range hood in place, which is one of John's projects for today.

Workmen have been out, twice now to hang interior doors and finish what they can. Each time one door has been hung. One day one of our cats disappeared. I'm hoping that some workman liked her and took her home safely to his family, rather than any of the other things that could have happened to her. Either way we are down another cat. This was the one that I adopted for my birthday in 2003, Narnia.

We have two electric heaters in the dome, one in the main bathroom, which doesn't get much heat from the wood stove, and one as our "primary heat" in the main room of the dome. We don't expect to use that one much, if at all. However both heaters have been on, for a few days, already. The big one was evidently left on by the electricians, who were trying to keep warm while working. The bathroom heater, John discovered doesn't actually have an off switch. It has a thermostat, which turns it on automatically when the bathroom is too cool. And, of course, the window has been open in that bathroom for days, since the plumber was here working. And our warm temps have been in the 40's (F) That heater will have to grow an off switch somehow, other than the circuit breaker which is now flipped off.

So I'm a step closer to sending out holiday cards. There're still address labels to print. And the cards to find. And the cards, letters and who knows what else to sign, write on, assemble. We'll see if Logan wants to sign some version of her name, or stick stamps on.

Before I forget, here are current pics for the Grandma's who may be looking. These two are Wilma's handiwork. Logan requested matching dresses for herself and Apple Pie-Eater. Wilma sent something like six sets! And Logan has worn them all now, whether they were meant for summer or winter.


Logan and Apple at Kyle's (Lorane Little School)



Miss Logan and Miss Apple dressed and ready to go.