Losers of stuff?

Anyone who's misplacing things - like at places they go as opposed to around the house. While hunting for a new case for my electronic brain, I ran in to these folks: StuffBak. Considering the number of times I've lost track of my phone, or purse recently, I'm considering getting some of their labels.

PS Tooth Fairy Question

Just taking a poll here:

For all of you who have experience with the tooth fairy, or memories of him or her --

What does the Tooth Fairy do with those collected teeth?

What do parents do with those collected teeth?

What's the going rate in your area for the Tooth Fairy exchange? Cash, gift or something else?

Do you have a "special" under pillow leaving system? I'm thinking that when the time comes (tooth is now demonstrably wiggleable, but not overly loose) I'll let Logan wrap it in colored tissue, and exchange it for a Sacajawea Golden Dollar wrapped either the same, or in gold flecked similar tissue... maybe I can get matching tissue - the same color with and without gold flecks. A friend has also suggested a small ring for the first tooth, which sounds fun, although with Logan a necklace might last longer.

Ok folks, check in -- I'm going to need the information sooner or later here. :-)

Birthdays

Mom is 29 today... er, something like that. Happy Birthday To You! In the confusion of getting Logan out early (well, on time, but it felt early) for a field trip, and myself to acupuncture for the first time in something like 20 years, I ignored my sister's and my maternal grandfather's birthday on the 25th of May. Logan wrote on cards to send to some folks, but only one set has actually been mailed yet, with the other still waiting for her to finish the art project on the envelopes before mailing. I kind of doubt Grandpa Marble did much celebrating, since he's been dead, um, nearly that same twenty years since I last had acupuncture, and, I am sad to realize, I don't know how old he'd be... but I realize I can figure it out based on my age. So that Grandpa would have turned 99 a few days ago, had he still been living (Wow!), and mom, while I'm thinking of it, I don't know Grandma Marble's birthday at all. None of the Grandma's in fact, other than a general notion that the Jacob ones were in the fall, but that may just be confusion too.

Logan went on her trip to a farm on Thursday. They had Bees there, which were her favorite part, although she did tell me the hives were painted plain white instead of with flowers and things the way mine are. I stayed in town to try acupuncture on my still-swollen-after-three-weeks hand, with the nerve and lymph swelling touched off by the botched blood draw. On first impression, the first visit appears to have helped some, or at least more than the lab manager's and the general practitioners instructions of "put ice on it and elevate it", which had done very little to reduce the pain or swelling so far. (Hand pain has stopped me from knitting, limited my hand writing, holding Logan's hand (OW!), affected my driving, typing, ability to use tools, cut with scissors or knife, put on or tie shoes - needed with sprained ankle and so on), I have three more visits before the acupuncturist and I decide whether there is any benefit to my continuing, so we'll see.

John, in his copious free time, has been mulching plants and paths, built me a compost bin close to the house (and offered to mulch a path to it, which will take care of winter mud and slipperiness) and is preparing to fix the fence so that Sid the bummer lamb can be released from his prison in the barn. If it is not cold and rainy today Logan and I will get outside with the goslings to let them roam a bit with supervision, although between hand which has doctor ordered rest and still sore and wanting-to-twist sprained ankle I am of little use for most things beyond handing tools or limping along as company. John also got an electric cream separator and is in the process of finding and figuring out all the quirks in it so that Logan can make her own butter as they did at school and actually get to try it. (School appears to have great difficulty remembering or understanding the cow's milk allergy, even with a medic alert bracelet on her wrist (evidently they don't *read* the bracelet!), which I am writing off as a Waldorf thing.

On other Waldorf things, I wasn't needed in Second Grade handwork this week because "there would be very little knitting due to "discipline days". What in the world happens during hand work discipline days for second graders, and what is something labeled a "discipline day" doing in a Waldorf School? (I remember, Erin, I remember, this one didn't appear like the ones you'd read about! Really!) I am very concerned about this, and will continue to pay attention. I have said that who the first grade teacher is will play a great part in determining whether Logan continues at Eugene Waldorf, but things like this will also do so. I don't really want to have to follow dad's steps and break in a new teacher every year in public school. Home school is a much less certain idea with the melanoma hanging over my head, or perhaps over my shoulder. And I despise the idea of religious school. But this does shake up my trust in Eugene Waldorf too. The handwork teacher I work with has not returned a phone call from me in the past, and has left me believing that I am not a peer but a subordinate who does not need to be notified in advance of details like changing or cancellation of class. As Dad did, I notice and remember. I'll see what happens, and perhaps write a note at the end of the school year.

A final Waldorf note, the spouse of a teacher died suddenly of breast cancer, after dealing with it for many years. The entire school is shaken up. It hit me hard because her younger daughter, who I have gotten to know because of her interest in Sid and our other animals is the age Logan will be at when I reach my five year cancer survival point. When I was diagnosed I was given my chances of living five years. They've raised slightly with no evidence of cancer in my lymph system, but the subject remains on my mind.

Logan just came and "sold" me a piece of string. "Paid" me for it with a nickel, and then requested I give her "different" money back, because that's how people pay. I feel like part of a Dennis The Menace taking his mother out to dinner cartoon. Time to stop typing and go see if I can be at all useful for a bit.

John's in the Paper!

As the person creating, running, managing, and so on Chocolate Alchemy! You can read the News Review Article if you'd like, and I think even add comments to it if you want to. I haven't yet, but as I started it, it occurred to me I should let parents and so forth know!

Hey mom and dad -- I didn't marry someone doing the same work, but he's doing that same successful against the odds thing, sound familiar?

Go John! I knew we'd find something you'd be on the cutting edge of!

Edited to add: Link is now corrected to the one Cheryl provided, thankyou, we weren't able to view the article a second time from the home computer without claiming to be subscribers, and unfortionately, in our house, newspaper just becomes kindling due to crazy schedules, so I hadn't tried to follow the link again since the day I posted it.

Just Another Manic Wednesday

I think Wednesday might have been driving a really big truck when it ran us over, but it was going very fast. It wasn't actually a bad day, just long.

John and I both had Eugene appointments, so he got to come along for the routine Logan and I follow. And got to drive the Subaru to see if it was my sprained ankle on the clutch causing problems or if it was acting up. It acted up more for him.

We got Logan to school, with no particular problems, but with me pointing out "it does this to me", and as I took Logan up, John called the mechanic to check in. Then we went to JERRY's (Jerry Avis is the Mechanic. Jerry's is the Eugene and Springfield version of Home Depot.) and collected things like screen doors, which I intend to install, once I work out how, and fans that actually will come apart to be cleaned of dust. The doors I left there, telling them I'd be back on the next day I drove the truck to the city. (Little did I know!) We might have gotten everything we needed... and I think I'm supposed to get one last thing when I pick the doors up, I'd better check on that now before I forget ... ok no exchange on the Dutch door bolt, the one that came with the Dutch door was missing parts, and we found the complete set, for $24 yesterday. I think instead we'll get the less fancy $12 version. And then there was the question of could I take a mower to Eugene (no call yet about space) and could I bring home a picnic table (or will John have time to finish the one he's working on). That's done.

Then a hand full of groceries, afternoon appointments, reclaim Logan from aftercare, and zip home. Car still acting funky. With the tachometer changing it's level of it's own accord unrelated to the RPMs of the car. Hum. That's new. And the Break, Battery and ABS light on. OK, John pulled over and we called the mechanic again. Check the battery for connections. Check to see if the car starts again, after shutting off all electrical things we can (radio, AC, fan, etc) -- ok, we can drive, probably, mechanic says to come directly in and he'll wait for us, and by the way, here's the number for the tow truck just in case. (Thanks Jerry!) The Tach bounced in time with the turn signal if we used the turn signal. We put the windows down till we got to the freeway, then part way up, and didn't stop until we got to Avis Auto. John tried to barely shift or change speed once we were on the freeway.

Jerry Avis and Jerry Bowx checked the battery, which was at 9 volts (volts? I think that was it) instead of the 12 it should be. Maybe alternator again. Which would make three times in under a year. They can't think of anything about the way I drive that would be causing a problem with it. I'm going to call back and ask about anything leaking power, but we don't jump start from it. It's beginning to be a puzzle. Then Jerry Avis took John home to get the big green truck while Logan and I waited. We all went home, and unloaded, with our friend Keith already there and Andrea with Aidan and Taylor in tow pulling in moments later, and tried to do a dozen things at once.

Fortunately food was halfway ready to cook, and Keith, had decided to wash dishes since he was there with hypothetical time on his hands, though I suspect he could have done a dozen other things of his own. (Keith is an amazing person who keeps finding things that need doing and then doing them, very cheerfully! Even after a full day of work and exhaustion!) We found a message on the phone for Andrea, so she returned that call (what a system!) so she could place our bulk food order today. John started the set up for our 25 new chicks (also brought home from Yoncalla, on Logan's lap) in our brand new (used from the feed store) Chick Brooder which keeps them properly warm for the first few weeks without a big heat lamp over them, and somewhat separate from last months big chicks. (Friday we also get eight goslings! Finally, after seven years in Oregon, we'll have geese again!)

Keith cooked. I fetched water and juice and a couple snacks, and watered plants. We all switched off watching kids outside, and in, (Yes, Taylor can climb stairs now, but please let an adult go too, even though you are big enough to hold his hand when he does it!). He's at the size I remember Eva's Adrian and Amy's Evan at, and they are both big huge busy three or nearly four year olds now (or maybe Adrian's past four, I get mixed up -- spring birthdays? Early summer birthdays? I'd better request a birthday list on the food board!) This is what a community and family should be like in my world. And it's a pity we're spread out over ten or twenty miles (How far is it between my house and Andrea's? Andrea, do you know?) instead of all on one piece of land! I kinda doubt any of us are moving though.

After all that, and then some, all animals dealt with, Tofu, Chicken and Fish cooked on the grill, rice and salad (mostly from Keith's garden), bread from the good bread store, and maybe something I'm missing, oh, and oyster crackers that Taylor spotted, we had a picnic outside were it wasn't so hot. The dome is great for many things, but it holds the heat more than I'd like. So we ate, and ate, and kids did all the usual kid things, complete with Taylor accidentally reenacting the snoopy-eaten-by-a-lawn-chair thing. And then Andrea and some kids had to go home, and the rest of us had to wind down and go to bed way too late. What a good evening though. Logan's taking Swiss Chard that Keith brought us from his garden at his house for Soup day today. I feel like part of a bigger family, even though we're all almost the same age, more or less. I miss that a lot. We left Alan and Peg, Seema and Brian, and Dan and Jenny all behind in Florida. We don't have that same community here, but maybe we'll build it.

May 16

Grandpa Alfred would have been 97 today, were he still alive, and if I've done my math right. I took note mainly by wearing a bracelet of Grandma Genevieve's that he'd given me, because what little I have of his is not currently findable due to the fire.

Logan has her first loose tooth. We went to have it checked by the dentist, not realizing it was loose, just that her bottom center teeth were suddenly overlapping, and uncomfortable for her, and she was very concerned. The dentist says it's fine, everything looks good, and since she's due to be seen in two more weeks for a tooth cleaning, there was no charge today.

Oregon is hot and dry. 70 outside when I went to bed last night, 77 inside, with all of 32% humidity. That was up to nearly 50% this morning, but from the feel of things it's dropped again. John, with a bunch of help from Keith, a friend, has gotten our creek water running again for watering the garden, and roses and thing, so that is at last happening, with my and the plants great thanks.

I'm past due to post all sorts of other update stuff here, but life has been busy. (On a farm, can you imagine?) Wilma sent a beautiful new edition of our wedding photo album, free from soot, for our anniversary, all white and pretty and almost identical to the old one. I'll transfer pictures once I get the old pages cleaned enough to handle, and maybe figure out where I can get pictures scanned en masse, since I'll have to deal with them anyway.

Oh, and, as he did last year, Cosmo-dog found and annoyed a skunk. With luck this one isn't dead somewhere close by. The smell doesn't appear to be lingering, too much. And I don't think Cosmo has a place to roll in it. But I'm wondering if it's going to be an annual event for him. Silly dog!

Sid

sometimes a bottle just doesn't fill a guy up like it used to

Eleven Years Ago Today

Actually today, Monday and all... and people came.

I'll put a couple of the pictures here, and you can see the rest on Flicker. They're scanned, sorry for the quality there. I'm going to find a pro who will scan to disk for me for the whole album, and all my other printed pictures-- thousands probably, with luck there's an automatic photo feeder available for most of them. That aren't in albums.


exchanging our vows


skipping back up the aisle "like a pair of kid goats"

I've spent three or four hours scanning and loading these and the ones on Flicker. It's after midnight, and I get to start my eleventh anniversary getting Logan out to school with no breakfast for me because I have to have fasting blood work done. I'm going to finish my uploads, my snack, and go to bed.

With luck we'll remember the camera and take a picture of ourselves sometime tomorrow. The usual rules apply, we may choose to ignore the rest of the world and not answer the phone at all.