Posting, Sectionals and Stuff

I started a post yesterday morning then got too sleepy to finish it. Instead I ended up taking a very short cat-nap before I had to run out the door to do my trip. I drove the cross country team to Sectionals last night - it turned out to be a fairly late night - we didn't get home until 8:45. So once again today I was sleepy. However I lay down for about 30 minutes this morning and it did seem to help. So far today I've done laundry (one load in the dryer, one in the washer), found Son2's jeans for this fall, cooked lunch (I usually just reheat something), run my shuttle route, made a grocery list and disposed of one of our kitties that was killed in the road last night. Unfortunately it was the "tamest" of our toms so he will be missed. Tonight I have a dinner date with B - I'm looking forward to that. We won't have a whole lot of time as I need to get grocery shopping done and he has to get home so he's home when his son gets home.

Sectionals did not go overly well for our teams. Son1 did not run as he's not one of the top 7 runners on the team. Instead he got to video tape the runners - he found that almost as much of a work-out as running would have been as he didn't get to stay in just one place. The boys team did not place at all - that was a big disappointment for them as it means they are done for the season. The girls did place 3rd so they will be moving on to Regionals this weekend. (Only the top 15 runners and 5 teams get to move on - the 15 runners don't have to all be on one of the 5 teams I don't think). If Coach takes the entire team this weekend they will need a bus - if not they won't. I'm waiting to hear if I will be driving or not. I almost would rather not as I'm running as it is. However the extra income is always nice.

Son2 did not go with us yesterday. He was able to stay and attend elementary cross country practice followed by TaeKwonDo. A girlfriend picked him up from there, fed him and brought him home about bed time. That was a huge help to me and a load off my mind.

My little "seat belt student" is doing better - at least he's no longer fighting wearing it. I could tell that he hadn't had to wear it yesterday afternoon. But he did put it on this morning - even if it was a bit slowly. We will see how this afternoon goes. I just about have a seating chart finished - I'm thankful for that. Will try to get it implemented tomorrow.

Other than that, not much is going on. It's cooled off dramatically today - this morning the sunshine against the colored leaves was just glorious. I wish I could bring my camera on the bus some days. I really do miss all the deer I got to see last year - I did see 3 this morning on my way home.

Bus Route

This morning went much better on the bus - the route went smoothly and my "seatbelt child" wore his seatbelt without argument. This was in stark contrast to yesterday where he was "quietly defiant" and absolutely refused to put it on. I wasn't really willing to put it on him myself as I wasn't sure how he would react to that. I had another chat with his mother last night - she says he is to wear it for the rest of the year. That will be something to possibly reconsider at a later time but for now he will wear it. I did end up calling a couple of other parents as well - for other students who were unable to sit down and keep their hands to themselves. This route is very very challenging - some days I struggle with feeling like a complete failure.

Today is Son1's last cross country meet of the season - we will be going to it as there is an early dismissal this afternoon. It will be a long day though.

Playing Hooky

I am playing hooky from my shuttle this morning - another driver is doing it for me. It was a gray gloomy morning and I woke up very achy and tired. I've had a nap, started some laundry, loaded some dishes and am not aching quite so much. It feels really good to be home rather than running out again. At some point this week I want to go to the craft store but guess it won't be today - unless Son2 and I go right after I get done driving this afternoon. Otherwise I will try to go Friday evening - that will depend on what else is going to happen that night.

Tomorrow is Son1's last cross country meet of the season. The Varsity team will be moving on but he will be finished. The team as a whole will be going out to eat after the meet - family included. This should be interesting. Son2 does not want to go but I am not giving him a choice. He would rather go to TaeKwonDo class.

Other than that not much is going on. I did see 3 deer this morning on my bus route - that was fun. None of my passengers saw them though. And my student who can't sit still and keep his hands to himself is not at all happy about having a seatbelt he has to wear. He wanted to not wear it this morning - he lasted all of about 30 sec. before he was up and turned around. So we had a discussion when we got to school.

Recap

It's been almost a week since I've written - wow! It's a gray cloudy Monday morning - we had thunderstorms earlier but those seem to have moved out of the area. Today is supposed to be cooler then it will warm up later in the week again. The leaves are all turning though - and many are already falling.

Last week I dug up one batch of my irises to divide and replant. They didn't bloom well this past spring so I thought this might be the answer. I still have several to replant but am not exactly sure where I will put them. Those are still sitting on my table on the deck. Unfortunately while I was working outside I apparently got into some poison ivy again - am broke out in the itchy blisters. I didn't see any in the main area I was working but guess that doesn't matter. So...I'm not sure what that is going to do for my ability to do yard work - it seems the sensitivity to the stuff is getting worse. That's frustrating because I really do enjoy yard work - I find it rather relaxing to get out and "play in the dirt".

The bus route is going much better overall. I'm still having a few issues but they are decreasing. I did have to walk another student into the office today - he's been in trouble a couple of times already. The principal immediately started talking about transferring him off to a special needs bus - his sister has already been transferred. I told both her and my boss that if possible I want to keep him on my bus - we just need to come up with a set of consequences that will be effective. We may also need to have him strapped in - that is not my favorite option but it's better in my book then having him transferred off. He's very good at admitting what he does wrong - just can't seem to control himself. I would be more frustrated if he denied it - in my book the ability to admit it and therefore realize that it's not a good choice is a benefit. I just need to figure out where to go from there. One person did tell me they used to keep a notebook on the bus - when they had issues they would move the student up front, pass them the notebook and have them write out what they did wrong and what a better choice would have been. I kind of like that option.

Yesterday I had company over after church - we spent most of the day together. I fixed pork chops, baked potatoes and a veggie for lunch. Then for dinner we had pizza. We watched "The Gods Must Be Crazy I & II" - I had honestly forgotten how much I enjoyed those movies. Personally I enjoy the first one more but a friend of Son2's who was here thought the second one was better. Son1 spent the day yesterday with his girlfriend at her home - went to her church in the morning. He didn't get home until after youth group last night.

I'd better scoot for now - got stuff I've got to accomplish.

I've been doing much more handwritten journaling than blog entries recently...I'm not sure why. It has been a bit difficult for me to come up with stuff to write about - I don't even have deer seen on my new bus route to mention.

Yesterday afternoon I drove another cross country meet for Son1's team. Actually this was another joint one where both the high school and middle school teams went to the same place. That makes for a fairly full bus but behavior has been much better this year. It's really been a pleasure driving them - especially the high school. The high school runs a 5K for each race. Son1 ran well - his time was 22:45 - not his best time but most definitely not his worst time. Except for this meet, he's improved his times in all the meets he's run in. 3 meets ago he ran the distance in 23 minutes flat. Last Saturday he ran the distance in 21:20 - so far that's been his absolute fastest. I know he was somewhat disappointed with his time last night but under the circumstances of heavy humid air followed by a thunderstorm he did well. Unfortunately one of the middle school students - who he's had issues with in the past - made fun of his time. That makes it difficult for him. I struggle with knowing what to do to help him deal with it - if I need to step in myself to say something or what. This student is younger than him and likely - even though he is on the middle school cross country team - could not keep up with Son1 in a 5K race. This student is also pretty much a bully and very few people seem to stand up to him.

On a different note, 2 more students have been transferred off my school bus to a special needs bus. This morning I took a conduct report into the office to speak with the principal about it - the response was "why isn't this student on a special needs bus?" I think it will be better for this particular student - less people to cause him to get agitated. However I do struggle with feeling like a failure at the moment - in the past I've generally always gained control of the students on the bus without having them transferred off.

I'd better close for now - need to go start dinner I guess.

Morning Route

One week ago today I had a disciplinary issue on my bus - phoned the parents of the students involved, did the write-up, walked the students into the office...I never received my copy of the report. I wasn't overly concerned about that until I had another very similar issue with one of the same students as was involved last week - the other student involved was a sibling from the family last week. I had discussed her daughter with her while I was on the phone about her son. At that point it was disclosed that there are some learning issues with the daughter. So long story short - after this morning's incident she will no longer be riding my bus. She's young and unable to sit still. Therefore the decision has been made to put her on a bus where she can be strapped in. That's a relief to me.

The other mother on the other hand is "out for my head" - she's accusing me of screaming at the kids, not being fair...She says I should allow the kids to move around. I haven't talked to her today about this - she actually phoned my boss. Thankfully she also told him that she's told her son to fight back if he's getting picked on - he pointed out that that's unacceptable behavior and he will face consequences if he chooses to fight back rather than letting me handle it. The initial plan was to put a seatbelt in for him - that would have made it easier to keep him in his seat. However mom has now changed her mind and says that's not an option. So ultimately I'm going to end up with a camera on my bus - to keep tabs on "everything" that goes on. Personally I really don't care for that decision but it's not mine to make. Oftentimes a camera does work to protect the driver. However to me it's a frustration because I feel like I am not doing my job adequately if one is required. (Of course I was told that the driver that had this route last year also had issues with it - it's not just me, it's the passengers.)

I will say that I do definitely raise my voice - probably fairly often. However I call the children by name and it's simply to get their attention - it's the only way to do so when one has a bus load of 60 or so children (more in the afternoons I think). I am not one to "cuss out" my passengers - and as much as possible I try to be fair and respectful. I will likely get the camera sometime next week.

Something I want to check into is what a "provocative victim" is and what the characteristics of one are.

Edited to add: I am not sure whether I am more upset over needing the camera or the fact that the mom can stand there, watch her child board the bus, tell me she doesnt' understand how I can drive a bus and then have that much of a fit when it's her child that gets in trouble.

Flexibility Required

Well today in general has been a day to "drop back 10 & punt". After work this afternoon I came home and planned on blanching what's left of the corn that I didn't finish over the weekend, then going out and spending some time mowing the lawn. However after I had fueled the lawn mower it was leaking fuel from a hose. I was advised not to run it due to the fact it might catch fire. So...change of plans involved getting the corn cut off the cob, updating my blog and doing stuff inside. There is plenty of weeding to do outside but I had hoped to catch a couple of friends online.

It looks like I'm not going to be able to give up some of my days driving the kindergarten shuttle - my boss is having trouble finding someone to do it the days I want off. I either have to give up the entire thing or keep the entire thing. I'm more than a little disappointed about that as I was looking forward to being able to do a better job at keeping things up around here and staying in touch with people. The other issue is that I'm still having such a challenging time with my regular route though it is beginning to calm down slightly. And I still really don't want to end up on blood pressure stuff again. I know that's been down the past few days but today was a bit frustrating on the bus and I could feel it.

On a different note - I got to use an electric knife to finish cutting the corn kernels off the cob - wow! That made it so much easier - I was done with that in about 15 minutes instead of a couple of hours! I think I will have to look into getting one of those for myself.

T.G.I.F.

Today I honestly have to say "Thank God it's Friday" - and I'm not driving the bus tomorrow for the cross country meet. The boys are exhausted and managed to get into a fight this morning before we all left on the bus. I hope their days improve rapidly.

I ended up having to walk two of my students into the office this morning as one had apparently "karate hit" the other one in the stomach. When I asked him why his response was that the other boy had been picking on him. So I filled out paperwork on both boys and left it to the school to deal with. However I did have to call both parents and speak to them. The one (of the boy who had been hit) was not surprised to hear what had happened - said she had been having issues with him. She had been hoping they would be better this year but don't appear to be. The other mother told me that she had told her son to defend himself if he was being picked on. I can totally see her point of view - and in the past I've also told Son1 the same thing. However I also reminded her that if her son hits people there will be consequences that will have to be faced - and that he really needs to say something to me. She pointed out that if he stood up while the bus was moving to come to me he would get in trouble for that. I said that that was true but he could raise his hand and verbally get my attention - and then come to me when the bus was safely stopped. At that point, she said she would have a talk with him and tell him that - and then would probably go into the school to talk to the principal. So...again I see how much of a challenge this route actually is. And while making a seating chart will help some of my issues it certainly won't solve them all. Finishing that up will be high on the priority list for next week.

On a different note I have 6 dozen ears of corn sitting in my kitchen waiting for me to put them up. I have no real idea what to do with it - have tried freezing it in the past and haven't felt like it turned out really well. I remember eating home canned corn at Grandma's but have no idea how she did it. So this should be interesting. I also want to get some tomatoes and put them up as well - I've done a few out of my garden but would like to do more.

My doctor's appointment went o.k. last night I guess. He's not too concerned about the blood pressures being up - seems to think it's due to headaches from allergies. I guess that's good - at least I don't have to go on blood pressure meds at this point in time. Dropping part of the kindergarten shuttle should help a lot as well as it will actually give me some semi-productive time at home. I'd better get done for now though - have to leave shortly for the kindergarten run and should try to change laundry loads first.

Power Outage = 2 Hour Delay

We are on a 2 hour delay this morning due to an area power outage. It's apparently fairly large as it is affecting two different school districts. If I had got the call earlier I would have gone back to sleep for awhile this morning. Instead I'm trying to get some stuff done - laundry folded, kitchen tidied, etc. Son1 has watched a Star Trek episode this morning - now he's working on the kitchen for me. He still has some homework to finish also. I really want to get some work done in the craft room - tidying it up and getting re-organized again. That likely won't happen today though as Tuesdays are generally my busiest days - and the day I usually try to recover from being up too late Sunday night. I guess though that I'd better get a move on on some of this stuff.

It's Not Broken

It's not broken according to the x-rays I had taken this morning. The diagnosis is a severe bruise - which is absolutely not visible at this point in time. The treatment is ibuprofen, keeping it wrapped and rest. Dr's "exact" words were "try not to use it". I wanted to laugh but didn't - it's impossible to not use it as a school bus driver. Thankfully I didn't have to miss driving my afternoon route and I was able to get the grocery shopping done after school.

It's been a good day overall - though definitely not one in which I accomplished massive amounts of stuff. I made a few phone calls, went to the doctor for x-rays and did grocery shopping after school. B stopped up this evening - that was a pleasant surprise. Now I've got to get boys to bed and get ready for my day tomorrow. Hopefully this week will be a slightly slower week - no extra driving scheduled. That's a good thing. I do still have paperwork to do for my bus route though some of which must be finished tonight.

Another Long Update

I think I really need to be taking a nap. However I'm waiting for Son1 to get home from church - I went to early service, cried through most of it, waited around afterwards to talk to a couple of people then came on home. What initially triggered the tears was one of the songs we sung during worship - "We all need". I left Son2 at home sleeping this morning - he'd been gone most of the day yesterday and was a stubborn mess last night. On the one hand I really struggle with feeling like a terrible mom - I know he needs to be in church, I want him in church but some mornings I simply can't handle the argument - especially when we are both exhausted. I got up this morning feeling like I'd been hit by a truck - have probably had too many late nights, too many long days and it's time I "crashed" for a bit.

The week ended up out pretty good overall. I learned that it's impossible to make coffee without putting water in the coffee maker! Truthfully I knew that already but that's how Friday morning started - Son2 had to come ask me "mom - did you put water in the machine?" Needless to say I didn't have coffee before I drove the bus that morning. Thankfully later in the day I was able to make coffee fine so I didn't cause the machine to break. It's almost as bad as the day I ate "raw" oatmeal and drank 1 1/2 cups of cold coffee before realizing the microwave didn't work - I don't function overly well first thing in the morning. I spent Friday morning between routes with a girlfriend I hadn't seen for almost a month - we'd been meeting pretty regularly on Friday mornings. She had the coffee already brewed when I got there - it was so good to be able to visit over breakfast, see her children and generally catch up on each other's lives. We are going to try to get back to meeting regularly at least a couple mornings a month. I don't feel I can handle more than every other week as I'm on the go so much anyway.

Friday evening I made spagetti, chicken and gravy for dinner - Son1 needed to have a high carb meal as he had a meet Saturday. This was an invitational meet with maybe 10 other schools - there were 7 races held that day - between the middle schools and high schools varsity and junior varsity teams. Boys and girls race separately with the top 7 of each team racing in the varsity races and any remaining members racing in the junior varsity races. I enjoyed watching the races as I knew kids in all of them - mostly from our school system of course but a few from another school. For the second year in a row, our middle school boys took first place as a team - that's exciting. Son1 ran his race very well again - he PR'd by 12 seconds off his time from last week coming in at 23 min. flat for the 5K race that the high school students ran. I drove the bus again this week - it went well though I did "yell" at one of the middle school boys for "hitting" another boy with his warm-up suit. ( I called him by name and told him not to do it again when he looked like he was going to) On the way back we only had both coaches and several high school team members on the bus. The rest had all gone home with parents.

While Son1 and I were at the cross country meet, Son2 had gone to a TaeKwonDo tournament - he wasn't able to participate as a competitor as the budget did not allow that. However he did get to help the judges out several times - recording scores, making sure people stayed in their rings, etc. He came home pretty excited and also exhausted. He is looking forward to being allowed to compete near the end of October.

Last night Son1 and I went to have dinner with B and his son. Son2 was expected to go along but being as he was tired and grumpy I left him home to be grumpy alone. Overall Son1 and I had an enjoyable time in spite of the fact it was too wet most of the evening for 4 wheeler rides. We had dinner, visited and watched the movie "Wild Hogs". It was interesting to watch though there was language in it.

Tonight I have an A run scheduled - going to MI to pick someone up and bring them back. It's funny - I can go for a couple of weeks with nothing then get 2 calls to do runs the same evening. Needless to say I can only do one of these - and the MI one was scheduled first. Thankfully I've not got any cross country meets to drive this week. I don't think any are scheduled until this coming Saturday. Unfortunately Son1 won't get to run in that as he's got a schedule conflict with Gospel Choir.

This week has been a less busy week so far - no weekday meets, not a lot of extra running...Probably the thing that has helped the most is that I no longer have to sit at the elementary school for 30 min. after I finish my kindergarten shuttle - the special needs student I've been taking is having his school day extended so I no longer will be transporting him. He never caused me any problems - my issue with it was the fact that I had to sit and wait for that time period. Today I actually took a short nap after I got home before my afternoon route. That was nice. I'm still weary tonight though. My afternoon bus route was interesting though thankfully fairly calm. I had 3 middle school students (8th grade boys) sitting in the front half of the bus - none have turned in their signed rule sheets yet and that was the consequence I had set up. I rather expect I will have them tomorrow afternoon as none were particularly pleased that I made good on my warning that they would be sitting up front if I didn't have them back. At least today I didn't have the issue of one child threatening to punch another one.

Tomorrow is likely to be a longer day - regular route, cleaning house, kindergarten shuttle, pm route followed by an extra afternoon shuttle - taking football and volleyball kids to the next town over. Friday I don't have much planned I don't think. Saturday is Son1's next cross country meet - we likely won't get home until 2:00 pm or so. Sunday evening I have a run to MI scheduled - that will be another late night as I probably won't get home until 11:00 pm. Monday I'm scheduled to do another late afternoon shuttle run and Tuesday I think I have a cross country meet to drive. Ok...on that note I'm going to close for now. It's time I got off the computer.

Busy Week

O.K. - I can hardly believe it's been nearly a week since I posted anything. I must admit the last week has been absolutely crazy busy - with several very long days in it. I honestly don't even really know where to start.

I guess I will start with Son1's cross country meet yesterday. I got to drive the bus - a benefit because I got to get paid to go watch him run. Having said that, it also meant that we had a very early day as the coach wanted to leave the high school at 7:00 am. That meant we needed to leave our house by 6:30 am to be there on time to load and be ready to leave. The drive down to Marion went well - it was a beautiful morning - slightly foggy, cool with promise of a sunny day to follow - excellent running weather. The varsity teams (girls and boys) ran first then it was time for junior varsity - we had no girls running and Son1 was the only boy from our school running. However there were over 150 runners in the junior varsity boys' race so there was plenty of competition. I felt like many of those runners should have competed in the varsity race as they were that fast. However I guess only the top 7 runners got to compete there. Anyway Son1 ran a very good race - he beat his time from the first meet by 3 min. 34 seconds or so. I knew he was going to beat his time - the first meet was on a day when the heat index was over 100' - it was incredibly muggy and the course was one of the harder ones they would run on. None of our runners did exceptionally well that first meet. We hung around for the award ceremony as two of our girls had placed in the varsity race - one of the freshman placed in the top 10 runners! We got home about 3:00 pm so it was a long day on the bus.

Last night we went to a friend's place for dinner and a swim. What a blast! It's been years since I've swum in a lake and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. The water was not too cold and mucky so it was fun. And I enjoyed goofing off with the boys. I did have the unexpected opportunity to drag Son1 to the pier when his calves cramped so severely he couldn't do anything - there was no wading in - one jumped into water over one's head. After a couple of bananas and a sports drink the cramps eased and he was able to enjoy most of the rest of the evening. That involved 4-wheeler rides and BB guns as well as dinner.

Thursday and Friday were long days for me. This year I've picked up a mid-day kindergarten shuttle - I'm finding it exhausting when combined with my regular (new) route. I was on the go pretty much from 7:15 am when I leave for my morning route until 6 or 7:00 pm in the evening. I'm not driving bus the entire time - much of the extra time was running errands and cleaning the one house I clean for someone else. (That's a bit funny considering I have such a challenging time with my own!) Additionally my students were very wound up Friday afternoon as we were expecting a 3 day weekend - that made the bus route challenging. I honestly don't remember much about the first part of the week - except that I was running most days then also.

Oh yes...Son2 tested for his next belt in TaeKwonDoe Thursday evening. I had an appointment after my bus route in one direction while he had class in the opposite direction. I had arranged for him to ride a bus that would drop him off at the school (early) so he would make class. I then went to my appointment then went to class arriving in time to watch him test. Son1 also arrived - on a shuttle bus from the high school - in time to see him. That was wonderful as Son2 often struggles with the fact that he's "always" at Son1's events while Son1 doesn't often make his. I got some pictures of him testing though unfortunately I didn't actually get his "board break".

OK...this is probably long enough and I still have an email I need to send yet tonight. Thankfully Son1 is still watching a movie so he's not hovering wanting his turn.

Monday Meanderings

I was going to try to catch up on blogs this morning but instead I really need to clean house and get my grocery list made up. That way I can hopefully find coupons for some of what I need.

This weekend went by way too fast - mostly it was a lot of fun. Saturday the boys and I went with two friends to a tractor show - it had all kinds of tractors, engine parts, antiques, flea market stuff...I thoroughly enjoyed myself. There were many antique (literally) books to look at - that was probably one of my favorite parts. Of course being on a huge budget didn't allow me to purchase any. (Not to mention that I'm really trying hard to limit the number of books I bring in). Son1 also found it enjoyable. Son2 wasn't as interested though he had a friend his age to hang with. We stopped for dinner on the way home (the town where the show was, was 90 minutes or so away so it was a longish day). Then we dropped boys off at home and us adults went to a movie.

Yesterday was church in the morning - I went and picked up Son1's girlfriend to bring her with us. She came home afterwards and spent the afternoon with us. In a sense this reminds me of the Amish ways where a dating couple spends weekends at each other's homes - it allows them to spend time together but not be completely "unsupervised". Also it allows the family to get to know the other person involved. He's young to have a girlfriend and that does concern me. However I guess it's something he can hopefully learn from.

I'll close with this quote from Pastor's sermon yesterday. He was taking about "Giving What You Have" - and how we have to understand the reality of what we have to offer and the responsibility to offer it. One example he used was that it doesn't do any good to bail someone out of a financial mess without teaching them how to not get back in that mess - people need changed lives and hearts. Anyway...here's the quote:

What I give, He takes.
What He takes, He cleanses
What He cleanses, He fills with the Holy Spirit.
What He fills with His Holy Spirit, He empowers.

I'm not sure if this is something Pastor came up with himself or if it's quoted from someone else. Usually he's pretty good about saying where stuff comes from though if it's from someone else.

8 Random Facts

8 Random Facts about me:

1) I was born in Somalia

2) I am terrified of heights - to the point that I don't willingly climb anything higher than about 2 feet.

3) I love driving school bus - getting to know "my kids"

4) My favorite photo ops involve waterfalls and kids who aren't paying attention.

5) I nearly always have at least one book with me where-ever I go - and hate to finish one up without having another one handy.

6) I've kept a written journal pretty consistently since I was about 12 - and I still have most of them on a shelf in my "craft room".

7) I have way more craft projects to do then I'll ever have time to complete.

8) I still blush at the drop of a hat...one would think I would have outgrown that by now!

Ok...I'm not going to tag 8 people here. If you want to participate feel free and be sure to leave me a comment letting me know.

Ok...it's been a crazy couple of days. Yesterday overall went well - I haven't heard anything on the appraisal yet. My afternoon bus run ended up being longer than necessary - I missed one student's stop - she sat there and looked at her house as I drove by - waited until I was completely at the next stop - about 3 miles away - before she said anything. So we had to double back to take her home. Then another student commented on the fact that we were retracing our steps. It turned out that she was completely on the wrong bus - I don't go anywhere near her home. So my boss had to meet me (again) to get her and take her home. At least this time I didn't know her at all so could be excused for not realizing she wasn't "mine".

Yesterday I also started taking a special needs child to a daycare after my kindergarten shuttle. That means that instead of getting home about 12:30 I don't get home until close to 1:00 pm. My afternoon bus route went o.k. I guess overall though I'm still not getting home before 4:15. I am slowly beginning to learn names though.

Son1's first cross country meet is this Thursday someplace south of here. I'm going to be driving the bus for that and several of the other meets they have this season. So right now I'm feeling more than a little busy. That will continue until cross country season is over. We'll have a little break before spring track.

Son2 was supposed to be ready to go to TaeKwonDo this afternoon when I got done from his bus route. However he's not ready so he's not going again today. (He missed all of last week due to being sick). I told him that he's definitely going to start back next week - I'm not really sure what his issue is right now with this. However with the chaos of the first week of school I'm not going to argue too tremendously much.

Monday

First Monday morning of the school year...heavy rain and thunderstorms beginning sometime overnight. I actually had thought we might have fog this morning as it was fairly heavy last night while I was doing my Amish run (and to be honest I was rather hoping for a fog delay because I was really tired and up too late.) Anyway the bus route went quite well - most parents from in the countryside area either kept their children inside until the bus was at the house or drove the child down the drive to wait for the bus. My in town stops were not that way though - I had several rather wet children getting on the bus. Some had parents that kept them inside, most did not. Being as my bus is much more crowded this year than any other year that I can remember it's taking me a bit longer to learn names. Additionally when it's raining heavily it's more challenging to keep the windows clear and visibility decent. I got to the school in good time though - that was nice. Shortly after getting there though I had a student come to me and tell me that a girl sitting behind him was being mean to him and telling lies about him. Of course these particular students were in the very back of the bus so I couldn't hear anything that was going on. However I walked back to attempt to assess the situation and deal with it. Long story short after some discussion with the 4 students involved I instructed the two boys to sit nearer the front of the bus - and allowed the girls to continue to sit near the back. However the original student, A, who came to me initially continued to get upset - he was obviously getting angrier rather than calming down. I ended up...after talking to him some more alone - walking him into the school to see the school counselor as I really didn't want him to start his week off on a angry agitated note. I wasn't at all sure how the counselor was going to react being as I hadn't radioed ahead asking to see her. Thankfully she was very supportive -recognized A immediately and took us both to her room. I explained the situation, what I had done and why I had brought A in. She also made sure to take the extra step of explaining to A that I had brought him in because I cared and wanted him to have a good day. (I hadn't said that to her either- had just said that he was agitated and explained why). I was able to leave A with her to chat some more and come up with some additional ways to deal with things. I will probably need to call parents tonight but am not sure yet. Overall I am pleased with how things went.

Yesterday was chaotic and crazy - I had 3 additional friends here at the house for most of the day. Son1's girlfriend was over - I picked her up for church. Then I had another friend over to play with Son2. That left me mostly free to visit. We had a good time overall I think. Most all of us got involved - at different times - with a wrestling match. That was fun to say the least.

Saturday a couple from church came over to help pull carpet in my bedroom. That involved getting all my furniture moved out, carpet pulled and everything put back in. Really it only took a couple of hours - the boys and I had mostly moved the smaller stuff out before they arrived. However I ended up working almost until 10:00pm Saturday night getting stuff put back away. There's still some to go - some to sort through and decide what to do with. In addition to pulling carpet we also finished painting the one bathroom - a project that had been started 18 months ago. I'm really glad to have those two things done.

Enough rambling for now - have an appraiser coming shortly followed by my kindergarten shuttle that I have to do.

First Day

First day of school today...hectic, busy, exhausting, fun day. Morning bus route went well - I ran fairly close to on-time and didn't get lost at all. Actually I felt very comfortable with it. After bus route I ran two students down to our other elementary school as they had got on the wrong bus. Then home to take Son2 to the doctor - who did prescribe antibiotics to treat him for strep. However his fever has been mostly down today so I'm considering holding onto them to see if it clears up on it's own. He will likely go to school tomorrow. However he will not do his testing for TaeKwonDo on Saturday as he's missed an entire week of class. He will test when he goes back. After I got home from the doctor's appointment it was off to learn my kindergarten shuttle route - today we used a mini bus. However I've been told that it's perfectly acceptable for me to use my own full size bus - that way I don't have to worry about switching out daily. I'm thrilled about that because it saves me time and energy.

From the kindergarten shuttle it was off to the store to fill the antibiotic prescription. Then home for a quick lunch and game with Son2 before heading out to drive my afternoon bus route. That was totally crazy - getting students straight at the middle school, finding any new shuttle stops between there and the elementary school then getting a bus full of new elementary students. Thankfully they are pretty much the same as my morning students so at least I'd seen them once. However getting them all at the same time was challenging - and loud. Additionally I had two students from last year slip onto my bus - one I caught right away and was able to get him to the correct bus. However I was halfway through my route before I figured out who the other student was. She rode the entire route with me then got picked up by my boss and delivered to another mini bus that took her home. It was probably 4:30 before she made it home. My issues were minor compared to some of the other drivers - they were getting lost, having students who didn't have any idea where they lived or were on the wrong bus or both.

I'm pretty beat tonight and will try to get to sleep early. We will see. The house will be appraised on Monday...it was going to be tomorrow morning which was not good. Monday is a relief - and will allow me some breathing time.

Son1 is exhausted tonight - he seems to have enjoyed his first day at high school. However it was a long day since he has practice after school and doesn't get home until after 6:00 pm.

Is this Grand Central?

Two days until school starts. My phone has been ringing off the hook today it seems like - I feel a bit like answering "Grand Central. How may I help you?" Mainly it's people calling me to see what time I will be picking their child up for school on Thursday morning. That's generally a very difficult question to answer because the route is completely new to me and I'm not sure yet exactly how I will run it. There are some areas that I have some leeway in which direction I come from with the students and I haven't decided which will be safest and quickest. I usually like to run it in my car before hand to make sure I can find the stops and then run it in the bus the day before school starts to get an idea of my times. However I have company coming in this evening just for overnight and Son2 is sick. So...I'm really torn as to what's best to do right now - one of those times that it's really difficult to balance being a mother and work. Son1 is at freshman orientation tonight - I had planned on going with him. However due to Son2 being sick I stayed home.

Thankfully today the weather was cooler than it's been. It was a very cloudy morning but the sun came out this afternoon.

Weekend Stuff

Well...I finally have the car back. They ended up replacing the transmission range selector (sensor?) control module - with a used part. Hopefully this will take care of the problems and I won't have to take it back. I still have the loaner car until I'm "certain that my car is properly fixed and won't have to go back again". As thankful as I am for the use of the loaner car, I'm equally thankful to have mine back - it's hard to get used to driving a different vehicle.

Both boys are on a father/son camping/canoe trip this weekend. They should be back sometime this evening. They've gone on this trip every year since we moved here - one of the men from the church "adopts" them for the time. It's been a different one every year but I'm thankful they get to go. Last year Son2 came back with a severe sunburn and ended up on antibiotics for "sun poisoning". Therefore both he and the person who's "taking" them have strict instructions about sunscreen usage and hat wearing. Son2 has been really good about wearing sunscreen when he's going to be out any length of time - he hates the hives and itching that goes along with a reaction to the sun. For Son1 the sun has never been an issue.

My goal for today is to get the house cleaned more thoroughly than has happened in awhile. The boys' grandparents are coming tomorrow afternoon and I will have other company during the early part of next week. So I'm setting my 15 min. timer and moving from room to room. The front room is done except for taking out the stuff that needs to go to storage. I've been in the family room and my bedroom...am hoping the dishes will be dry and cool enough to unload and reload so my next 15 min. can be in the kitchen. Then I will continue to rotate around. I am cheating and running the a/c units again today - it's not as hot as it's been but still muggy.

My break time is about up and it's time to get back to the project. I would absolutely love to be able to spend some time working outside as well. However last night while mowing I found more of what I suspect is poison ivy growing across the lawn - it's still in the back but coming across towards the driveway. I left it alone except for taking out my spray bottle of weed killer and spraying it. I suspect that everything I want to save is going to have to be dug up and then the entire area sprayed heavily with a type of total vegetation killer.

Ongoing Sagas

And so it continues...I phoned the car repair place around noon today to find out if and when the car would be ready. I was told that they should have it done after 3:00 pm - the part was in and the tech would put it back together when he was back from his lunch break. I arranged a ride into town for 4:00ish hoping to be able to pick the car up and bring it home. It wasn't done and I decided to wait until closing time to see what happened. I did get the old part - it really did need replacing - every set of wires was corroded. Apparently when this part shorted out it shorted out 2 other sensors - for the speedometer and odometer. Those are now replaced. However I ended up getting another ride home - the car is not finished or fixed - it still will not shift correctly and the tech doesn't seem to know what the problem is. So I left instructions for them to keep me informed by phone and I guess I have no other choice but to wait.

I'm also still fighting an itchy rash - there are some definite poison ivy spots. However there are also spots that are not poison ivy blisters though they itch almost as much. I'm not sure what is causing them or how to "fix it". On that also I continue to wait and do what I know to do.

Cherries

Great excitement today for me...I found cherries on several different trees extending along the fence line of the property. The owners of the woods behind us had a forester meet them to discuss their woods - how it's growing and what the next step for them needs to be. I learned that when you are planting hardwoods you alternate a row of hardwoods with a row of pine trees - somehow that helps the hardwoods grow faster and eventually the pine trees die out by themselves. (I went outside because I had a question for the owner). The forester also pointed out some cherry trees with fruit on them - the cherries are very small but sweet. This evening I took a walk - down the hill along the fence line looking for more trees. Turns out there are several and they had little tiny cherries on them. I may have only been able to get half a cup or so but I'm still thrilled and hope to be able to put them up until I can make something out of them. The grape vines have little dark purple grapes on them - apparently they don't sweeten until after the first frost. So I'm going to have to keep an eye on them and be ready to try and pick them after the first frost. The hazelnuts will be bountiful again this year I think...I've really got to come up with ideas and knowledge to use them. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Apples, pears, peaches and plums aren't doing too well though - if I get enough peaches for one batch of jam or jelly I'll be surprised. Plums will be even less - I can't find any on the trees.

While I was out walking and looking...this was not an exercise walk by any stretch of the imagination...I saw a coyote (i think) cross from the woods behind us across the hill and road into the field where it disappeared. It was an animal that looked a bit like a wolf but the coloring was wrong - too brown. That's why I think it was probably a coyote. Anyway...though I've often wondered if we had any living around here this was the first confirmation of it.

And we have baby kittens again...5 this time I think. Oddball is the mother - she's done good this time. Now we just have to wait and see if they all survive.

Looking Back

18 years ago today I was getting married. Looking back at my younger self...we were just babies really - I was 23 and he was 22 1/2. We had absolutely no true idea of what marriage would involve - what love really meant...what it meant to walk out those vows of "in sickness and in health, until death do us part." I know that I didn't realize how much of a choice love would be - I was wrapped up in the emotions I think. And I was excited about getting married - looking towards the future.

So much has changed since that day. I've become a mother to two handsome young men. We made a cross country move. I took care of my husband through a lengthy battle with brain cancer - through the changes and challenges that that entailed. I know I often failed - in my actions and my attitudes. I am thankful that my husband loved me anyway.

Now I've been a widow for a little over 4 years...made another cross country move, changed jobs, bought a new (to us) home...I wonder sometimes what the future holds. Thankfully I know Who holds the future.

Updates

Ok...time for another update. The car is still in the shop. The current theory is that the cause of the problem is the fact that the transmission selector sensor pigtail has some exposed wires on it - those are touching and causing shorts. The tech took me back to show me the part and the problem. The part itself either has to be new (my preference) or retrieved from a junk yard - of which there are no cars with the part on it. It's also not available from any of the local dealers - apparently this car was built in Canada so has some parts that are strictly Canadian. So it will be at least two days before the part comes in. Then it's installing it, fixing or redoing the creative wiring that has been done to try to isolate the problem and hoping that solves the problem for good. I just hope that it isn't actually the transmission selector sensor. It seems like they come up with a theory/potential problem - we fix that thing and it still isn't completely right.

I was going to start a second job Monday morning - very early. I would have been working at the local deli/gas station/mini mart - probably 20-25 hours a week. They just called and said that my hours of availability won't work for them. So I'm disappointed and still in need of another job.

We had our bus driver orientation this morning - early. I'm tired from it. My route is going to be completely new this year - east of the house. I knew it was likely to change but was still hoping to have at least a few of the same kids as I did last year. I won't have any of the same kids so that's very disappointing. And I will have a much fuller bus I think both morning and afternoon. I will also have to learn a whole new area that I don't currently know very well at all.

And the Saga Continues (not starwars )

I took the car and dropped it off yesterday at the repair shop after the fuse blew again Sunday morning. It was to be looked at this afternoon and hopefully repaired. Instead I got a call telling me I can come pick it up - they would like me to drive it to see if it goes out again. (The tech has done some creative wiring so the systoms that are on the fuse that keeps blowing all have their own individual fuses. The hope is to isolate for certain which system is causing the problem) So since I'm in town I arrange for someone to follow me home in the borrowed vehicle I'm driving and then they would bring me back into town in my car. That's all accomplished with no trouble and I head off to pick up Son1 at the laundromat where he's finishing up getting the bedding all washed and dried. We leave the laundromat and head to fast food then start to head home - and a fuse blows again. It's not the one that controls the daytime running lights - that's the one that the repair shop people think that it is - I know because suddenly the car is not wanting to shift properly and I've lost my speedometer and odometer. So...I call the repair shop again and tell them a fuse has blown and what I've lost this time. The car is scheduled to go back in tomorrow afternoon. In the meantime my "check engine" light is on, the car is "roaring" and does not want to go above 30 mp if that. I'm really hoping I can physically get it to the repair shop tomorrow. And I'm scared to know how much it will cost me to get it fixed.

Thankfully I still have the borrowed car and I've figured out how to adjust the seat on that one. That's a small thing but it does make it more comfortable to drive - it's a Oldsmobile and was probably top of the line when it was new.

Mental Therapy

I spent about an hour outside tonight - pulling weeds in one of my flower beds. This is one that I've never had any poison ivy in before - it's down the hill away from the house. The poison ivy seems to come from the woods behind our house mainly so I'm hoping it's ok. Anyway...I've decided I can't live inside scared of getting the rash again. Pulling weeds is very theraputic for me - I love to be out in the evening - hearing the birds singing, watching cars go by, looking for deer and pulling weeds and otherwise playing in the dirt until I'm more than a little sweaty and muddy. Tonight the dirt was nice and soft - we've had rain recently so the soil was easier to work with and I feel like I got quite abit cleaned up among my irises and daylilies. The grass will need mowing soon - probably should be started tomorrow - that will depend on if I get any calls to do deliveries. And on that note I really should head to bed - eventually I will write about my mental image of what I want my home and property to be.

Saturday Progress

I'm tired tonight but it's still too hot to try to sleep I think. I don't feel like I accomplished overly much today - ran two runs, did laundry, sorted and shredded papers and sorted through some more books. I didn't eliminate as many from my collection this time but did put a few in the give-away pile. I now have two paper grocery bags full of books to give away. I also have a full paper recycling bin from the sorting I did earlier.

Son2 spent most of his day alone today - playing video games and watching Star Trek. He used to hate Star Trek - his dad loved it and his brother still does. It's been very interesting to watch him get into the program - right now they are working their way through all 7 seasons of Next Generation - episode by episode. Son1 got to go fishing today with a friend from church. I really didn't expect him to be gone as long as he was - he left around 9:30 this morning and didn't get back until after 3:00. However he had fun - guess they were successful as they had fried fish for lunch. He brought home fresh picked green beans - those were delicious with dinner tonight.

Well I've probably rambled on long enough - it's late and morning comes early. Depression is still trying to be an issue but I think I'm doing abit better at fighting it then I was earlier this week.

Thankful Friday!

My last two posts have been such downers that I'm going to post some things I'm thankful for tonight - in no particular order but rather just how they come to mind.

I am thankful that I've sorted through a shelf full of books and have whittled it down to half what it was before. I am thankful that I'm blessed with the ability to read and an abundance of reading material (some of it is higher quality than the rest of it but it's the fact that it's available to be read). I am thankful that both my boys now enjoy reading to some extent at least. I am thankful for the freedom to read and study Scripture in this country.

I am thankful for healthy strong boys who love each other.

I am thankful for the blackberries and black raspberries that grow wild in the woods behind my house. I am thankful for the flowers - purple coneflowers, black-eyed susans, white coneflowers, daylilies, roses - that grow around my house. I am thankful for the fruit trees and the shade trees that help to keep the house cooler. I am thankful for the beauty that God has put around me in this natural world - sunsets, deer, flowers, streams, butterflies...that list could go on.

I am thankful that God loved me enough to send His Son to die on the cross to save me from my sins. I am thankful that He has a plan for my life - even though I don't necessarily understand it.

I am thankful for a comfortable bed in a nice house in a safe location.

And I think I am going to head towards that bed now. I know there's many other things to be thankful for but for now that's enough to list.

Car, Poison Ivy & other stuff

I typed out a longish post earlier but don't think i'm going to post it all. I'm not quite as discouraged as I was when I typed it out. I ended up going in to see the doctor this evening - since the prednisone wasn't appearing to work on the poison ivy. He did confirm that my "self-diagnosis" was correct. What we've done is upped the dosage of prednisone and increased the tapering period. Hopefully that will clear up my case. If it doesn't or if I break out again I'm really not sure what my options are.

The car is still an issue...I had it into the shop this morning - spent 2 hours sitting there. The tech ended up calling a tech line to get more info as he couldn't get it to act up. Eventually the decision was made to cut 3 wires and install separate fuses to each system that was controlled by the one fuse that was blowing. That will hopefully allow the problem system to be isolated and repaired. However over the last 2 weeks I've sunk almost $500.00 into the car so it's rather discouraging to know that I might have to take it back and have more work done on it. Additionally it completely quit on me on the way home - the tech and another guy actually had to drive out and get it running again. Apparently there was a loose connection that caused everything to quit.

Son1 is being challenging at the moment. His school counsellor who invested alot of time and energy into getting him to space camp is trying to get in touch with him to find out how it went. However some of the times she's called I've not been home and he won't pick up the phone. At least one other time he was too exhausted and emotional to talk. Right now he's refusing to call her back because he "doesn't like talking on the phone". I don't care much for it either (talking on the phone) but sometimes it has to be done. However when I suggest it he just gets upset and emotional. I'm at a loss.

If I don't watch it this post will be at least as long as the one I'd typed out earlier. I am feeling abit better though there's still other issues causing stress. I need to get off the computer, go have some quiet time and get some sleep. A large part of my frustration is that I haven't been having regular quiet times...I know that affects things as does lack of sleep and being too busy.

Things to be thankful for: the rain we've had this week - it's muchly needed.
: the fact that a meeting I was very nervous about yesterday went fantastic - the other person involved and I were able to talk things out - she's feeling alot better about my friendship with her daughter.

Random Notes

Ok...it's late again tonight...boys are not in bed yet but will be soon. I'm exhausted - my phone started ringing about 7:00 am this morning with calls to go pick up the father of the Amish baby I took to the hospital yesterday. Baby's bilurbin #'s had dropped some this morning but they are still too high for him to go home. Please pray that the #'s go down and stay down - also for the parents as this is very stressful for them. They have 4 other little ones at home.

Saturday was Pete's funeral - it was beautiful and very "large" for lack of a better term. The funeral home was packed - they had to keep bringing in chairs. I went by myself - Son2 is not at the age where he can handle a funeral yet. Son1 probably could have handled it but I left him home with L and family. The sheer volume of those who came was rather overwhelming especially since I was alone. However I'm really glad I went - and I'm equally glad I went to the graveside service. The procession for that had to be at least a mile long if not longer - I very much doubt I'd personally seen one that long before. (I don't share that to be irreverent - it's just something that stood out to me) Pete was well loved and respected. Through her life I'm motivated to work on some areas in my life that need it.

Time to head to bed. More another time. Oh yes...I did call the doctor today - talked to one of his nurses that knows me and was able to get something for the poison ivy prescribed without having to go in. That's a huge praise - I didn't have time today nor energy.

County Fairs & Demo Derbys

Ok...it's late and I really should be going to bed (when don't I type when it's late though?). L, M and K left this morning - we went out to breakfast first then they got on the road and I ended up doing two runs. They chose to stay over so they could go to the county fair with us to see the bus demolition derby that was on last night. It took absolutely forever to start...first they had dancing lawnmowers - that was the most boring thing I've ever tried to watch. Next was the first two elimination heats for the demo car derby - that was alot of fun. Noisy, muddy but fun. We had an intermission followed by an egg toss followed by the "feature" - consisting of all the cars that could still run from the first two heats. I think there were 21 cars that could still run...it was amazing to watch them. Probably what amazed me most was seeing cars with steam, smoke and sometimes fire shooting out of them still able to reverse, run and crash into others. When flames got too major things were stopped so they could allow the drivers to get out and off the track. The very last event was the bus derby. There were only 3 school buses (painted blue, black and red) with windows removed, doors and half the seats removed. The buses tried to make sure they only hit in the back so they would get some distance then reverse at speed. The blue bus was hit severely enough multiple times that its frame shifted forward and eventually collapsed in the middle. The red bus lost its ability to reverse and I'm not sure what happened to the black one. It was actually rather encouraging to me as a bus driver to see just how sturdy our school buses are. Sure they dented easily enough but it took alot to actually stop them. Of course the only person in them was the driver - no one else to get injured or anything like that.

One really funny thing about the fair is the question that M (11) asked as we were walking between the animal barns to get our tickets to the derby. We passed a brown "pile" on the ground...M says "eew what's that?" My response was to lean down and whisper near his ear "that's cow poo*" at which point he said "eeewww that's gross!" Both L and I laughed so hard we wiped tears from our eyes. They are openly admitted "city slickers" - they enjoy visits to the country but can't imagine actually living out here.

I have poison ivy rash again. This time it's on my face - much worse than last time. I'm probably going to have to break down and figure out how to get to the dr. tomorrow.

Pete

My friend Pete (her nickname) passed away this afternoon leaving behind a young son - a year younger than my Son2, 2 grown children, some grandchildren and her husband in addition to numerous other family members. I was at her home for a brief time just before she died. She had been fighting cancer since just before I got to know her and had just recently gone on hospice care. I'm grieving. She left a husband who loved her deeply and a young son. She fought so hard - it seemed like she was doing better 6 weeks ago. I know that she is in heaven - healed perfectly - free from pain and that we will see her again. The hurt is still there - for myself and more importantly for her family.

The K Manuever

Ok...I typed this all out last night and couldn't get it to post. So here goes again.

The other night we were all outside (except Son1 who was still away at camp) setting off fireworks that L had brought with her from the fireworks stand. We set off some minor ones - fountains, spinners, etc then L gave myself, K and herself a good sized roman candle to set off. She lit hers, I lit mine and K lit hers. Just as L turned around to warn us that these were particularly powerful, K dropped hers due to the power involved. (These had 5 shots each in them). It spun around then set off its last 3 shots under both cars and towards the house. Of course all of us shrieked...then just laughed until we were done for the night. I could just imagine trying to explain this to the insurance agent..."Now what happened that caused both cars to explode? Well sir....K dropped her roman candle - it spun around on the ground letting off its last shots under the cars. And since the one had a full tank of gas..."

Last night when we set off fireworks we parked both cars over beside the barn - that way they were abit further away. And Son2 insisted on making sure that the hose was within easy reach also - just in case.

I'll write more another time about Shipshewana, Sauder Village and some of the other stuff we've done. Son1 is safely home from camp - he had a great time.

Away in class

Ok I'm exhausted tonight - mainly due to not enough sleep last night and getting up very early this morning. I'm checked into my hotel for the night - very strange to be here without the kids. Class today went well I guess. The morning was pretty boring due to the fact that the instructor was doing driving safety tests with some of the drivers. I will do mine later this week locally. Once we finally started class we discussed haz mat stuff - I'm not legal to carry any at this point - that's ok with me. I will still take the test in the morning to see how I do. There's really a lot to learn - I'm rather glad that I drive school buses "fulltime" rather than truck driving. However this should be interesting for a change of pace. And thankfully the instructor is definitely interesting - it's impossible to take good notes but he gives good examples and good reasons for different things.

I did work some on my Bible study homework that I'm involved in. We are studying different psalms. This weeks theme is "Give Thanks". One of the points that sticks out to me is the importance of passing down our stories to our children. Ps. 78 talks about Israel's history and the fact that they are to tell their children and their children's children of God's merciful and mighty acts towards them. It's equally important that I pass down the stories of God's blessings in my life to my children and grandchildren (that I will hopefully have in the future). But it's not enough to simply pass down the stories - we also have to pass down the central meaning - both in our lives and when we are sharing the Bible stories. If we don't pass the meaning down it's like passing down dried up cornhusks rather than the golden corn inside. The same thing is true of our pictures - without the stories behind them the pictures have no lasting meaning and value.

Ok...I'm heading to bed - it's early but I'm so tired tonight. I will probably read for awhile before I actually go to sleep.

It's 10:00pm and I should be heading to bed. Son1 left for space camp about 6:15 tonight - he's spending the night in Detroit before he catches a flight early tomorrow morning. (He's with a school friend and his dad) It should definitely be interesting - and a huge learning experience for him. I know that he will be sleeping in a mock-up of a shuttle so bedding is provided. Beyond that I really don't know what he's going to experience. The house seemed exceedingly quiet once he left - both Son2 and I felt a little lost I think. I spent a few minutes outside weeding - we desparately need rain - the ground is like a rock in places. I also puttered around inside abit. Tomorrow - in addition to church, Son2 and I have to finish getting the house ready for company - my best friend from OK and her two children are arriving sometime tomorrow evening. Since the focus today was on getting Son1 ready to go, tomorrow will be finishing up what needs done. Monday morning early I leave for a 2 day orientation course - the timing is lousy except that I didn't have to find someone to look after Son2. Wednesday we will get to really begin our visit.

Having Son1 gone - and gone so far - makes me realize how quickly he's growing up. In just over 4 years he will be graduating high school. In 2 years he's eligible to get his driver's license and will be able to get a job - though the job will need to come first. I'm really not ready for this at all.

Hitting the Wall

Well I hit my wall today...we went to Bible study and I went to buy animal food. That was all that happened today - unless you count getting one load of laundry run and the dishwasher loaded and run. The house feels majorly messy - I care but have no energy to get it cleaned. There's been no Amish runs today for which I'm very thankful - I know there's a wedding in the community north of here so most are out there. I did water my plants outside and run the lawnmower for about 15 minutes after dinner tonight - those are somewhat relaxing activities for me thankfully. Tomorrow will be a different day - Son2 has TaeKwonDo, Son1 may or may not have activities besides his running. Saturday evening he leaves for space camp - he's excited but a little nervous about it also.

Yesterday I did two runs - one long and one very short. After that we went to a friend's house to celebrate the 4th. There were "organized games" for the kids - a scavenger hunt and some different kinds of races. Including my two there were 13 children ranging in age from 14 to 18months. (That doesn't include the Amish family who dropped in later - they had 4 young children) There was also swimming in the pond for anyone who cared to. At one point I was tasked with keeping an eye on Jess (18 mo. baby girl) who desparately wanted to go swimming - something I was definitely not dressed for. I thought "well how far in can she go?" - certainly I'd be able to follow her without getting too wet - just rolling my capris up. She had a ball - running down the dock, jumping off, walking into and out of the water. She took a header once - underwater - and didn't seem to mind it at all. (Of course I was right there to grab her and pull her up) However the other children thought it was a ball to splash me with pond water as they went by. Eventually my boys and one of the adults ganged up on me to get me completely soaked - head to toe - and covered in pond mud! It was fun even though I had to borrow a complete change of clothes. Later we visited with an Amish family that had been invited to come - and some fishing was done - in the same pond we'd been swimming in earlier. We finished the evening up with a round of "Hand & Foot" for the adults followed by fireworks done off the pier.

I need to get my exhausted, sunburnt (from Bible study today) self off to bed. More another time.

Overwhelmed

I feel abit overwhelmed this morning - like I've got more on my schedule than I can handle. I didn't realize how fast this week would fill up and how much I needed to get done. Son1 leaves for Space Camp Saturday night - he will spend the night in Detroit before flying to AB Sunday morning. He will be back the following Friday. Before he goes, he's got several activities with the youth group at church that he needs driven to - in addition to his running. Son2 has his normal TaeKwonDo class this afternoon and Friday morning - there is no class tomorrow morning due to the holiday. Instead I've taken an Amish run - leaving at 6:15 in the morning! But it should be short - just taking one person and 4 buggy wheels up north and dropping them off. I should be back by 8:30 or so. Later we are going to a friend's for a cookout - I've got 3 batches of brownies I need to make for that today. Son1 has gone to a neighbors to buy eggs so I can do that. (Farm fresh eggs are the best!) This afternoon I go to visit with Pete and give her regular care-giver a chance to get out. Thursday I have Bible study in the afternoon. Sometime I have to get both boys haircuts, do grocery shopping, get Son1 a state issued id...My best friend from OK is coming in on Sunday for a visit and Monday I have to be in South Bend for orientation - that's 2 days away. Thankfully Son2 and her son will be able to play together and keep each other occupied. After that it's what's left of the two weeks visit "playing" - we'll go to a water park and do some sightseeing and just enjoy spending time together. Then it's back to a regular summer schedule and work. School will be starting again shortly after that.

Learning

It was wonderful to be able to sleep in this morning! Two weeks of having to be up early to get Son1 to driver's ed by 7:00 am gets old. My cell phone hadn't even rung - of course the fact that I forgot it in the car last night makes a difference there! I don't currently have anything scheduled for today except basic housecleaning and catching up. I was gone most of the day yesterday - took Son1 to TaeKwonDo in the morning and Son2 to driver's ed. Then got home shortly after 11:00 am - just enough time to cook lunch for everyone then I was off again. Took the car in to have the squealing noise taken care of - they said both my belts were dry-rotted and replaced them. That took about an hour. Then I was off to the "city" to take a pre-employment drug test for the new job I'm picking up. I stopped to get gas, then went to the wrong place twice...The second time - as I was leaving to find the right place the power steering completely went out on the car. Driving in city traffic at 3:30 on a Friday afternoon with no power steering is definitely NOT fun- though it can be funny. Other drivers were honking at me when I didn't turn out of places fast enough to suit them - just because I didn't figure I had enough room to crank the car around. I finally get the drug test done - after waiting for some time there - and have to hustle back to the car repair place to find out what happened this time. I get there by 4:50 - techs go home at 5:00 and they officially close by 5:30. However since they knew I was coming they had the same fellow stay to work on it who'd done the work earlier. Turns out this time that it was a pulley that the alternator belt runs off that had gone out and had ruined the brand new alternator belt we'd just put on earlier. I paid for the pulley replacement and they replaced the alternator belt for free - they hadn't caught the initial problem so it was fair. They also showed me the part and explained what was wrong with it. So I learned something new and have a renewed respect for my bus driving boss - he listened to the car on Thursday morning and said "oh your pulley is losing it's ball bearings"and told me where to take it. Now I just have to remember to insist that "X" part is checked also when the car repair place says the problem is "Y" part. However when all was said and done I didn't get home again until after 6:30 pm - I was done at that point. We spent the evening watching Star Trek episodes and I did nothing else. So today is catch up day.

And I do have odd poison ivy bumps popping up but they are just single ones. So I have hope that I'll be able to avoid the massive breakout I had last time.

Better Day

Today was a much better day though I personally don't feel like I accomplished much around the house. Drove Son1 to driver's ed this morning - only 2 more days of doing that! Then took Son2 to TaeKwonDo where he attended 2 classes - he overheated and got faint feeling. I'm glad he's not afraid to say something to the instructor about it. Part of it was that he's not been going to bed at a reasonable hour - fighting me all the way. (Tonight he's in bed before 9:00 pm!) But the heat and the fact that the car blows hot air didn't help - and it's not possible to control what kind of air the car is blowing right now.

After we all got home this morning we were home for about an hour, then it was off to Bible Study. This was the first time I got to attend and I only knew one other lady there - and it wasn't the owner of the home where we had the study. However it was nice - beautiful area with a pond for the kids, breeze blowing through the trees, horses...So the ladies all sat in the sun while the kids played and swam in the pond. Our study is a book by Dee Brestin on several different Psalms - it's interesting - with 5 days of homework for each week. I've missed three so far - and still need to go back and do them. Next week we are studying Ps. 51.

From Bible Study I dropped Son1 off to go run - he ran 6 miles today - then I went and did an Amish run. It was a nice short one - though very hot. Tonight I had intended to make raspberry jam - but wasn't sure if I needed 5 cups of berries unsquished or squished. So I got the 5 cups of berries squished and have put it up for now. It's now down to 45 min. or so of stirring over the stove and processing. I'll hopefully get that done tomorrow evening. I'm scheduled to visit Pete during the early part of the afternoon. I also want to pick more raspberries - they are just coming on and there are plenty of bushes growing wild. I don't expect to have any plums and will have very few peaches this year due to the late snow and hard freeze.

And hopefully I'm not getting poison ivy bumps again - am pretty sure I have one on one finger we will see.

Argh!

How do you go from having a fun evening of playing board games to having 2 boys who are throwing punches and screaming at each other? And how do you get over the guilt that I as a mom feel for not quitting playing 30 minutes earlier? We hardly ever play board games but tonight Son2 and I decided to play. He trounced me thoroughly on the first game we played (Rummikub) and then we decided to play Pente. I beat him on that game. Then Son1 comes home from praise team practice and wants to join in. So we play a couple more rounds - of which both boys win 1 each - with Son2 winning last. During clean-up Son2 drops some of the stones into the "wrong" bag - mixing colors. Son1 gets mad and starts throwing punches which of course are returned. Consequences at the moment are that neither boy will be allowed to stay home tomorrow when I have places to go...And somehow I have to figure out how to get kids to bed when it's still light outside!

Raspberries, Kittens and Pete

It's a partly sunny afternoon - after rain this morning. It was really good to be able to make it back to church - it seemed like a very long time since I'd been. Both boys were finally healthy and feeling better. Pastor Jason spoke - I always appreciate his teachings. He spoke on "What Lies Beneath" - gave us the lies that the devil gives us and then gave us the truth about God. I wasn't able to take all the notes I wanted to take - missed some Scripture references that I would have liked to get down. This time I would really like to get a copy of the message so I can listen to it again later.

Pete was in church this morning - for second service. It was good to see her though I didn't get to say more than hello. I feel that I'm able to visit with her when I go to her house - I didn't want to take her energy at church. I'm scheduled to go back again this coming Thursday afternoon for a time - it gives her regular care-givers a break and I appreciate the opportunity to go.

Yesterday between the volunteer bush that is growing in the back patio and the wild bushes in the woods behind the house the boys and I picked 4 cups of raspberries. I still need another cup to make a batch of jam but figure that by tomorrow hopefully enough more will be ripe to get them. I really enjoy making jam - even though it's hot work - it's so satisfying. What makes all this even more fun is that Son1 tried a raspberry and decided that he likes them - fresh. So while we picked he ate.

Also yesterday we were able to give the surviving baby kitten that had been born on Friday back to it's mama - and she immediately started nursing it. We lost 2 of the 3 but I rather suspect they wouldn't have lived anyway. I think the reason that she wouldn't pay attention to them was because she wasn't finished delivering - she had a 4th that we know about.

Now that I've made this decision to put a sign out on the house...I don't know where to start getting things ready. There's painting that really should be finished, straightening, more in-depth cleaning...and I should go ahead and pack some stuff up. I'm not in a huge hurry to sell at this point - but if a buyer should come along soon then I need to be ready. In the meantime, I'm still also taking as many Amish runs as I can, cutting other corners when I can and looking for a second job.

Ok...on to some other emails and getting ready to go into this week - it's going to be a busy one. I have two runs already scheduled, Son2 starts TaeKwonDo again and Son1 needs a picture id.

Boy I don't know where to start...last night I shared with my SIL a entry (unposted as of yet) about a decision I'd made to put out a "for sale by owner" sign on the house. The reasons for this decision are many and complicated...I freely admit to not being great with finances - and it's been worse since Hubby died. Rather than deal with issues, I've tended to overspend to "hide" the pain. However what put the cap on the decision was the fact that my real estate taxes didn't just increase over last year - they increased by more than 100%. Add to that the fact that my car is going to need replaced in the next couple of years and you see the need for some changes. Anyway...what I received back was a "hot" email from her husband basically saying that I needed to grow up, get a "real job" (as opposed to a job driving school bus) and leave my boys home alone so that I can pay the bills.

I admit that both boys are growing up - Son1 will soon be old enough to get a job of his own. However my strong feeling is that both boys still need me to be as available as possible - to attend their activities, be there to talk with them. A fulltime (40 hour a week) day job is not going to allow that at all. That kind of job would leave them home alone during the day during school breaks, and would not allow me the freedom to attend their activities. Add to that the fact that we really don't "need" this amount of space - we could manage well with less. Also I don't see any point in having a big house/space if you can't enjoy it - if you are gone working all the time.

Another option is to get a fulltime, 40 hour a week job working 3rd shift - hopefully with the ability to continue to drive school bus during the day. Granted that would mean I'd have to sleep during the day - but I can do that. And at least I'd be home during the day when the boys were home - so if they needed me, I could be available to them. Both boys admit that driving school bus is my "calling" - they know that I love it and the impact I can have on kids doing it.

Ok...I didn't share the above mentioned post to get jumped all over but because I trusted my SIL - she knows details of what's been going through my mind and because we married brothers we have a decent understanding of some of the issues we've both faced in our marriages.

I've rambled on enough for the time being. Later I'll write about the raspberries I've picked this morning and the baby kitties that I'm bottle-feeding.

Borning Rambling

I've mowed part of the lawn - the part by the road that is very visible and made an appointment for Son1 to see the dr. tonight. He's come down with a sore throat and has been exposed to strep. Since his throat is nasty and swollen looking he's going in. I will take the pictures from the wedding to get them developed also. But overall I don't feel like I've accomplished much today at all - getting up early to take Son1 to driver's ed this week is wrecking havoc on my ability to accomplish much of anything.

Yesterday was overall a good day. The morning was fairly quiet - except for making a couple of phone calls - including one to the county treasurer's office. I needed to try to find out why my real estate taxes doubled over last year. I still don't feel that I got a good answer or much help but at least I got the call made. In the afternoon I went to spend time with Pete. She seems stable at the moment and in reasonably good spirits. We didn't have much time to talk one-on-one because she had other company but that was ok. It was a beautiful afternoon to sit outside and visit - not too hot and muggy. I hope to be able to go back again a week from today.

Tuesday was interesting...Son1 overslept and ended up missing his driver's ed class. (He's now found out that he can make up the time by going in 30 min. early and staying late tomorrow and next week) He was pretty upset about it but then decided to accept the inevitable with as much grace as possible. I appreciated the chance to have a quiet morning where I didn't have to run much of anywhere. In the afternoon I did a LONG run - it was local but I was gone over 6 hours. I think that's one of the longest runs I've done, timewise - definitely one of the longest local runs - just staying in the area.

OK...enough rambling for now...I'm going to have to fix dinner very soon so that we can head to town. However I'm waiting for the news to be over on the radio.

Am I Wrong?

Am I wrong to be skeptical of "get rich quick" types of businesses? The ones that talk about residual incomes from getting people into the business beneath you...and that insist you can make thousands of dollars simply from joining the business and getting other people to sign up under you? I had a phone call from a friend from church tonight - she's worked for several years as a demonstrator for a large chain of stores - but has now joined this business. She's trying to recruit me to join under her as one of her "downline" - telling me it really works - you do make up what money you put out to join in and then some - especially since the market isn't saturated with this business yet. To me ...I see a pyramid that eventually has to come to an end. And it really really bothers me - I'm just not interested in being involved in that sort of thing. And I get frustrated when people constantly push me to get involved. I did tell her I was very skeptical about the whole thing and really didn't want to get involved. I would be interested in hearing other's viewpoints on this though I'm not eager to get into a huge debate over it.

Argh...Iv'e got to get to bed. It's way late and my thoughts are very muddled. Tomorrow and Wednesday are both going to be long days...and I wonder how I'm going to work another job. (I did Amish runs most of the day today).

It seems...

It seems like a long time since I've been in church. Son2 and I are home today due to him being sick - low grade fever, lots of sniffles, exposed to strep since I was sick...He's in SS with my friend Pete's son Brent. I don't want to expose Brent to anything he could take home to his mom so we stayed home today. Last week we were in OH, the week before I was in nursury both services...Technically Son2 is probably old enough to stay home by himself for a short time during the day but I don't like to leave them home alone when they are not feeling well. Having said all that - what's really strange to me is how much I miss being in church even in a church that I really don't feel at home in. Yes I was brought up to be in church and I've also gone through a time that I went only because I knew I needed to be there for my boys. Now I miss it when I'm not there - though I can't see myself regularly being back in a church with both a morning and evening service.

Today would have been a difficult day for Son2 anyway...and possibly will be also for Son1 - being as it's Father's Day. That's a day that we tend to let slide in this house - it brings back the sense of loss too much. I'll call my parents later but otherwise we won't make a big deal out of it. Maybe there's another way to handle it but "ignoring" it works for us.

It's Over

I know if I wait until tonight I'll be too tired to post. I've deliberately cut down some of my plans for the day today as I was gone most of yesterday. I went and picked up a very detailed job application that I need to get filled out today so I can drop it off either tonight or tomorrow early. (I know that tomorrow is Sunday but the person I'm dealing with on this leaves town Sunday afternoon for two weeks so I need to get the application in before he leaves) While I was out getting the job application I dropped by the wedding site to be able to see inside and hopefully get an idea of what picture taking would be like. Then home for a brief nap, then out to do the wedding. I was at the site by 5:15 - no one else arrived until close to 5:45. The ceremony was supposed to start at 6:30 - I don't think it started until closer to 7:00. It was after 9:00 pm before I got home - only to have the boys fighting. That's frustrating because it makes it really hard for me to look for a job when I'm facing having to referree fights when I get home.

The wedding itself seemed chaotic to me - two weeks isn't long to plan such a thing - even with a very creative bride. I just hope the pictures turn out - it really wasn't as difficult managing 8 kids as I thought it would be. There was just no really good backdrop to take pictures against - I found that frustrating. And I'm more certain than ever that my "gifting" in this is mainly nature photos followed by photos of children involved in everyday activities. But how to fit that in with regular work and caring for the boys is the question. Anyway...I was going to try to get the pictures developed today but that's not going to happen as I need to be home until time to leave for my Amish run this afternoon.

Ok..enough rambling for now - time to get on with the day.

Doing Better

Wow....thanks for the encouraging comments & prayers. I really appreciate them. I am doing better today - no longer have the extremely sore throat and am not napping as much as I was - only 1 nap today instead of 2 like the rest of the week! The house is even looking abit better - the boys and I spent 2 15 min. sessions working in the front room and the family room - managed to get things picked up, dusted and generally looking better. The kitchen counters are also cleaned off - that helps alot. There's still plenty to do but getting the boys to help for 15 minutes at a time does make a difference. I'm even beginning to get paperwork organized!

Tomorrow will be another extremely busy day - TaeKwonDo in the morning, wedding photographer assignment in the evening...After that I think I might get to begin to slow down - though I will have to focus on job-hunting then. The boys are watching a Star Trek Episode - it should be almost over and we will need to leave for the evening tonight - for grief group.

Down

Tonight I'm struggling - and the light at the end of the tunnel looks very dim - not there. Some of it is my own mistakes & wrong choices, some of it is definitely the fact that I'm not feeling well complicated by the fact that I'm the only adult in the family and the one responsible for the house, the bills, everything...My boys are wonderful - I love them dearly but they absolutely don't see the need to help around the house. They've been good about letting me sleep the way I needed to today - 2 naps! But not at all good about stepping in and doing abit extra to help out. I hate with a passion having everything a mess but just don't seem able to get things cleaned up. What little energy I've had has been spent on getting Son2 to TaeKwonDo or Son1 running. I don't know how to prioritize getting things back in order - I've got to get another assignment sent in for my course, prepare for this wedding on Friday that I'm taking pictures at, get the house back in order, find a second job...the list goes on. I know that I'm not the only one struggling - and that my struggles are minor in comparision with others. And I know that things will look better in the morning - they usually do. We have TaeKwonDo first thing in the morning - a friend just called and she offered to pick Son2 up after Bible Study tomorrow to take him to play for abit - her middle son (oldest one at home) and my Son2 are only a year apart in age and get along well. When he goes over there I generally get quite abit done on the house - that always helps me emotionally.

If someone was to come up the drive and make me a cash offer on the house I would probably accept it and move - to someplace smaller and cheaper. However the likelihood of that happening is exceedingly slim - and I would hate to leave all my flowers and trees.

Ok...I'm being really open here - hope I won't regret putting this all out there. In the meantime, I'm off to bed.

Strep Throat and Pictures

Well...it's strep throat according to the dr. - or he says possibly mono but he thinks that's highly unlikely. He said I won the award for the reddist, sore-ist throat today. With antibiotics I should be definitely feeling better by Wednesday - and no longer contagious either. So as far as accomplishing anything - today was a wash. Tomorrow I might manage to get something done but intend to mainly stay home and take things easy. Job-hunting will be put off until Wednesday as it's pretty difficult to be effective at jobhunting when one is feeling crummy. The necessary car repair will be put off until I have cash in hand to pay for it...praying that it continues to run in the meantime.

On a different note I am definitely taking wedding pictures this coming Friday - I'm both nervous and excited at the same time. I've got some major planning to do before then - and need to check out the location. BUT nerves not withstanding, I know that I can do better than a bunch of disposable cameras would be.

Home Again

We are safely home after a busy most enjoyable weekend in Ohio. We now have a very confused car, lots of pictures to download and memories to process. Thankfully the car brought us safely home - in spite of all kinds of error messages and alarms going off and no control over the AC system. Now I'm going to take my sore throat to bed - will attempt to update more tomorrow.

Quiet Day

Well a slow start to the day...I'm really thankful for that today. It's nice to not have to get up and rush off to TQD class with one boy or running with another. Yesterday was a day spent mowing the lawn, working in the flower beds and recuperating from not feeling well the day before. Of course that was after an early TQD class so it was an early day. The lawn is completely mowed - for the first time in over a month. And I was able to get 3 day lily bulbs planted and a white coneflower. I still have quite abit of planting to do though it will probably wait until after our trip this weekend. My one "souvenir" of yesterday is the 4 large itchy, red, swollen bug bites that I have - made by a triangular looking fly-like bug. I think I managed to kill the ones that bit me but not before they'd had lunch - hopefully the itching will stop soon.

Today I have a haircut scheduled, have a few items to purchase at the grocery and jam to make. I also wanted to make banana muffins to take as a snack but not sure I'll get it done. Neither boy has any activity that they "have" to be at today - they are currently playing with Legos - have them spread out all over the family room. I'm thankful that they are still able to play together and enjoy themselves. And the TV is currently off!!

A New Day

A new day...the bus is turned in, the house is slowly coming back together (emphasis on slowly), I've visited Pete and hopefully now things will slow down abit. It's a huge relief to have the bus turned in - strange to look out and have no big yellow "monster" sitting in the driveway but nice to no longer have that hanging over my head. So we will enjoy the empty space and the time off of school. I have flowers to plant, vegetables to weed and we've had rain.

Visiting Pete - that was much more difficult than I expected it to be. She seems at peace and stable at the moment which is good. Being there wasn't the challenge - but it sure brought back the memories for me. I just felt at a loss the rest of the day yesterday - unable to really focus on much of anything. I'm thankful that she has a relationship with God and we have the comfort of knowing that we will see her again. However it's so hard to think of her husband and young son who will be left to go on alone - as well as her grown children and their children who won't have the chance to know her.

One Way to Stop

Well one way to stop the world so you can get off for a time is to misplace one's car keys. I got a call to do an Amish run this morning - accepted though I wasn't overly enthused about it. But ended up not getting to go because the car will not run without an ignition key! So instead I spent the day working on getting the bus cleaned and looking for the car keys. They are not in the car, on, under or in a couch or chair. They are not hanging where they belong or on a counter somewhere. They are not in the laundry or bathroom or by the computer. We have checked drawers, floors, tables, and most any other place - likely or not - that we can think of. I have gone through many many empty plastic bags - and the trash! On the one hand, it's been kind of nice being home today - actually having time to do a few things that need done. On the other hand, I really do need the car keys to show up as it's my only set. Tonight I have decided to simply try to relax and get to bed early. The keys will either show up eventually or I'll have to look into replacing them. Either way there's not much more I can do about them right now. Tomorrow we will learn (again) how much we appreciate having a vehicle - church is about 2 1/2 miles from here and I'm scheduled in the nursery. Skipping isn't an option.

Edit: Just after I posted this - and was tucking boys into bed I once again found the car keys! And yes...they were in an "obvious" place - buried deep in my purse that I'd already dumped out once. Praise God!

Stop the world....

Stop the world I want to get off! It's strange - 2nd official day into summer vacation and I feel like things have not slowed down at all. Yesterday...I was coming down off the roller coaster ride of end of school year, 8th grade recognition, etc. This morning it was up early to take Son2 to TaeKwonDo class this morning. Then home to get Son1 for a dr's appointment - he's got an upper respiratory infection that he's probably had for at least 2 weeks. He also needed a dr's signature for space camp. I have to finish getting that paperwork filled out and turned in - it's due Tuesday. We did some shopping - finally able to get cereal. I also got some plants - watermelon, cantelope, cucumber for the garden as well as some perennials for those beds. Then home to make a grocery list, then off to chiropracter and Wally-world. After that home again - groceries away, then dinner then outside to plant the fruit and vegetables - we also planted carrot seeds and corn. I had both boys helping with that. Then I sent the boys inside and spent another hour watering and weeding. It looks like my 6 cherry shrubs are going to do ok - they are leafing out nicely. My forsythia that are in also seem to be doing well though I still have 2 to plant. I haven't decided where to put them yet.

So tomorrow I have to make major progress on getting the bus cleaned - it's due back in on Monday. So far all I've accomplished is to get the seats up and trash cleared out from under them - and the floor swept. I still have to wash everything down - inside and out - including windows. The goal is to get an early start on that and get it done tomorrow. Then Monday I can drive the bus down, power wash it and hopefully get it turned in. I also need to get some more plants planted, paperwork finished and probably most importantly come up with a list of pictures to take for a wedding and pricing for the same. (The wedding is in 2 weeks - and we have a weekend trip coming up beforehand).