Train Excursion Photos

Thomas watches out the window.




What our neck of the woods looks like.



Pardon those filthy toenails! Eeeks...Those foot rests brought back childhood memories for me as well. I annoyed the heck out of the passenger sitting in front of me because I played and played with that thing, swinging it full circle, moving it up and down. I told Thomas and he gave it a try.


The lounge of the women's restroom. Not as nice as I remembered.



In case you've never seen a toilet on a train.


Dare I say it, but these 1950s cars are much more comfortable and roomy than today's Amtrak.




Bob, with a smile on his face.

Trains, Trains, Trains: Aren't We Lucky?

Today has been the best day I've had for a long time. I felt good all day, and I've been sickly for the past couple weeks. That alone was great. However, I got a kick out of Carole's blog this morning and while I was reading that, I got a call from Bob at work.

A few weeks ago they were handing out free tickets for a train excursion from a town about 20 miles from here to our town and back. It was a safety train excursion put on by Union Pacific. Our train club had been given tickets to distribute. When Bob told the head hauncho how many tickets he wanted, the guy told him: UP rules, NO children. Bob said then I don't want your tickets.

We all three grumbled about the no children rule then forgot about it. Until this morning. Today was the day of the excursion. One of Bob's co-workers is also in the train club. He told Bob that it was not true that children couldn't ride along, they could. Bob called to tell me he'd be taking the afternoon off and to alter my plans. He was calling everyone in the club to get some extra tickets. We wound up with two tickets and got a third when we arrived at our destination.

Imagine my surprise when the train showed up: It was the Portland Rose. I blogged once that my father was the engineer on the very last run of the Portland Rose out of Laramie. The photo of him and the crew is on this very blog here.

The entire journey lasted two and a half hours. It brought back many memories for me. As a child, dad took me for a train ride from Laramie to Cheyenne. He wasn't as attentive as my mom was, so I ended up playing in the bathroom a lot on that trip. I just had to take a photo of the bathroom, which is a little smaller and not as nice as I had remembered.

Thomas and I called dad from the train and said, "You'll never in a million years guess what we are doing right this very minute." Dad got a kick out of it.

A good day was had by all. Even Bob, who has worked in the train industry his entire life and isn't really into trains, had a good time.

Oh My Goodness

I've been working on my genealogy this week, filling in gaps of cousins. I know my direct line pretty well. I've been working on Stonebacks and Keims who moved from Pennsylvania to Kansas in the late 1870s.

Now how weird is this? Carole at Mt. Pleasant Acadamy is hosting Adventure Mouse right now. Carole posted about their trip to French Creek State Park. I clicked on Carole's link to French Creek State Park and sprayed my coffee on my computer screen.

Lo and behold, Carole, her kids and Addie Mouse were at the very place where my 2nd great-grandparents (and 3rd, and so on) lived and worked! Hopewell Furnace is a part of French Creek State Park and that is where my Samuel and two of his brothers worked before traveling to Kansas.

I never thought I'd be green with envy over a mouse's adventures. The mouse gets to meet all my blogging friends, travel the world, and now the mouse sees my ancestors' homeland. Oh Addie, wish I could go with you!

What a small world it really is.

Found in my research:

John Millard married Sarah Stoneback, the daughter of George and Anne Stoneback. Sarah also had a brother John. It is believed that John Millard or John Stoneback and his sister Sarah Millard moved to Mulberry Creek Kansas in 1878, and purchased a 140 acre farm for $900. It is documented that a John and Sarah left on April 2, 1878. A party was held at the Bethesda Church near Hopewell Village for them prior to their leaving. The three Stoneback brothers (John Jr., Jacob and Samuel) had worked at the Hopewell Furnace as had John Millard. A few days later 30 people including Samuel & Jacob Stoneback, the brothers of John Jr., loaded two boxcars which were part of the mail train, and headed to the same location in Kansas. The two brothers purchased each a 160 acre farm within sight of John and Sarah's farm.

John, Samuel and Jacob lived the rest of their lives in Kansas.

The Pioneers:


This is supposedly a photo of my third great-grandparents, Anne Houck and George Stoneback. A very distant cousin sent this to me but he wasn't 100% sure of its authenticity. I wonder how it felt for them to have four of their children up and move to Kansas?



This is my second great-grandfather, Samuel Stoneback, the pioneer.



This is Samuel's wife, Susanna Keim, who traveled with him to Kansas.



This is Samuel's brother, Jacob, late in his life.

Feeling Nostalgic

I was going through my genealogy tonight, trying hard to relax, and came across this photo. Elsie Stoneback is my great-grandaunt. Mabel Stoneback is my second cousin twice removed. Mabel ended up marrying Allie Hunt who is behind her in the photo.



Elsie was born in 1884, so I'm assuming this photo is around the turn of the century. I am just taken with it because the young ladies all look so lovely, and the young men so handsome. I wonder what the story is behind the photo. Was it, perhaps, the 4th of July?

Were the girls hot? Were those high-necked collars bothering them? The gloves? Nah, that's the way it was then, they were used to it.

I wonder what happened to them all. I know Elsie married a gentleman by the name of Purvess and moved to California. I know she had two daughters, one of which died at birth -- on my birthday June 27th -- in 1927. I know her daughter married and had one son. But what was her story? I have a photo of her when she was much older standing with her brother, my great-grandpa. I still wonder.

I also have a photo of Elsie with her father, my 2nd great-grandfather. He was a pioneer, having moved to Kansas from Pennsylvania in the 1870s along with his wife and my great-grandpa.




What's his story? Was he a good man? Was he fun? Was he a hard worker? Did he miss his family back in Pennsylvania?

I always wonder. I assume he had a great spirit, what pioneer wouldn't? On the back of the second photo, my grandmother wrote, "Grandpa Stoneback and the goose that used to chase me."

I have many old photos, some I'll share here because it is a big part of who I am. I have always loved family history. I am trying to figure out how to provide copies of these photos to my siblings without breaking my bank. Two do not have computers.

For now, though, I'll just enjoy looking and wondering. I still admire those girls and their pure beauty, all dressed up in their finest with their beaus behind them. One small moment of their lives frozen in time for me to enjoy.

Scattergories

Meg at Get In, Hang On did this meme, and I thought I would follow suit.

The game is SCATTERGORIES…it’s harder than it looks! Here are the rules: Use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following. They MUST be real places, names, things…NOTHING made up! If you can’t think of anything, skip it. Try to use different answers if the person before you had the same 1st initial. You CAN’T use your name for the boy/girl name question.

Your Name: Frankie

1. Famous Singer/Band: Frank (as in Sinatra)

2. 4 letter word: four-letter word starting with F -- tee hee hee -- uhm, FORT yeah, that's it, fort

3. Street: First Street

4. Color: fuchsia

5. Gifts/Presents: flowers

6. Vehicle: Ferrari

7. Things in a Souvenir Shop: flags

8. Boy Name: Fred

9. Girl Name: Felicia

10. Movie Title: Frankenstein

11. Drink: Fresca

12. Occupation: Farmer

13. Celebrity: Farrah Fawcett

14. Magazine: First

15. U.S. City: Flagstaff

16. Pro Sports Teams: Falcons

18. Reason for Being Late for Work: flat tire

19. Something You Throw Away: furry food? filthy feather dusters?

20. Things You Shout: Fore!

21. Cartoon Character: Fred Flintstone

I'm going to tag:


http://wickedpickles.blogspot.com/
http://ragamuffinstudies.blogspot.com/
http://twicebloomed.blogspot.com/
http://onejellydonutplease.blogspot.com/
http://mylittlesoapbox.blogspot.com/
http://growinginthegardenstate.blogspot.com/

I Love a Parade

I do, I love parades. And one thing my small town has going for it is that it has good parades.

Every June my town has a parade. We always go. Today was the lucky day. The parade lasted two hours! Tons of marching bands (my favorite), floats and give-aways. Very few horses in small-town Minnesota -- miss the South Dakota parades for lots of beautiful horses.

Our town has a 3M plant. I lose all manners during the parade because I love the 3M give-aways. This year I got five no-scratch sponges. Woo-hoo. I gave one to my friend because she didn't get one. I also got a super-sticky notepad, a tape dispenser, a sticky-note dispenser and a leaf sticky-note pad. All from 3M. All because I BEG. I also make my husband beg. He does, because he knows how fun the 3M stuff is for me.

Thomas made a haul with the candy! Between Bob, Thomas and our friends, I think we only brought half the candy home with us -- they sat and munched on Tootsie Rolls during the entire parade. (I don't like candy unless it is chocolate, and Tootsie Rolls just don't count for me.) Lots of people gave out cold water bottles and Popsicles, which went well with the candy.

This was a lovely parade, but I do have one complaint. Ahem, go figure, ME complaining -- again. There were a few horses. I'd guess a dozen in total. As one rode past us, I knew there were problems. That horse was NOT happy. He was jumping around. I told Bob to look. We both sat there with our mouths open because we knew something was going to happen. The rider wasn't experienced at all -- it was a woman in her 20s. She had no control over that horse and he was all over the place. They went by us and I just kept staring at the horse.

The horse and rider were about four units ahead of us and that horse had had enough. It bucked and bucked and finally threw her off. I actually screamed and everyone around me stood up to look and gasped. The woman landed flat on her back. The horse was ticked off, someone grabbed it, and the woman got up. Thankfully it appeared she wasn't hurt. Now at this point the LOGICAL thing to do -- well, based on my seeing that horse/rider for the three minutes I saw it -- would have been to TAKE IT OUT OF THE PARADE. Ticked off horses do not belong in a parade -- way too much potential for injury. Little kids, old folks, crowds -- un-huh.

So what does the gal do after she dusts herself off? She mounts the horse. I couldn't keep my big fat mouth shut and I screamed, "Take the horse out of the parade." I am just so awful. But that was just so logical. Guess what the horse did? Started bucking -- again. This time instead of getting bucked off, the gal got off and led the horse. He was frisky, still not happy, darting around -- and then they turned the corner and went out of my sight.

I hope it settled down. That just really scared me. Bob and I both knew she was an inexperienced rider because she was digging in with her hips -- I can't explain it well, like she was bearing down, kinda-sorta. It was just odd and atypical. We also thought she was terrified -- and the horse knew it.

Here's a picture of our stash. I'm already looking forward to next year: What will 3M give away next?

US Geography

You Really Know Your State Capitols

You Got 19 State Capitols Correct You're either a geography buff... or you have an excellent memory.

Do You Know Your State Capitols?

Everybody's Playing -- 5 Minutes for Mom

Lots of my blogging budies are playing, so I thought why not, I will, too.

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away 5 FREE 6-month subscriptions to Netflix. What a fantastic idea. All you have to do is leave them a comment including your favorite movie or two and link to them on your blog.

Anybody who has ever read my blog knows my favorite movie, worth mentioning yet again: The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio.

It's worth a shot.

mom & me

Here's mom, me and my oldest sister. Doesn't my mom look happy? Sadly, that's the look I always think of when I think of mom. I'll have to dig a smiling photo up. I think this was my third birthday.

Happy Birthday, Mom

I see it is past midnight, which means it is my mother's birthday. She passed away 14 years ago July. If she were alive, she'd be 73. I went full circle over these 14 years -- mourning her, then growing up and breaking away from her. Yes, for a few years after her death I was angry at her, mad at the games she used to play. Now I'm back to the beginning. I miss her, but I don't miss the games. I've done some growing up in those 14 years.

It is sad that Thomas never knew his grandma. She was a hands-on, loving grandma. Maybe she smothered the grandchildren too much -- nah, she just loved them all to pieces. She took my oldest niece to Disneyland -- what a trip. She would watch all the kids for a week at a time, sometimes more. She bought them shoes, clothes, toys, trinkets -- spoiled them rotten. Thomas never got that from her, and for that I'm sorry. It's not the stuff that I'm sorry about, it's the love behind it. She loved her grandchildren.

I think in celebration of mom's birthday, Thomas and I should bake a cake. Then I'll surprise him and take him to Shrek, if I can dig enough quarters out of the bottom of my purse! Mom would have taken him.

Thomas's other grandma loves him, but she's not demonstrative. She forgets to ask about him when she calls Bob. She never asks to speak to him on the phone. She always remembers him at Christmas and his birthday, but usually with a trinket that I wouldn't even give to a friend's child at a birthday party. She's so different. Not very grandmotherly at all. I feel sorry for Thomas in that regard, too, because every kid needs a grandparent that dotes on him.

My dad dotes on Thomas when we're together. He sends special things in the mail, such as old train magazines, photos of the Big Boy engines, etc. Dad always asks how he's doing. He's a good grandpa.

And that is why I got my credit card out. See, we can't afford the trek to Denver, but dad will be 81 this year and as he tells me, he's not going to be around much longer. He's been telling me that for years, but I have a fear that I didn't have before -- I can sense something. So we'll use the darned plastic, drive two days (double-ugh) and I will face driving in Denver traffic just for him.

I hate driving into Denver. It is the most stressful thing I have ever/will ever do. (hopefully) The second to last time I drove in, I was on 6th ave. (a highway -- US 6) and a truck in front of me had a mattress fly out right at me. Yeah, we're going 70 probably. Thankfully I got in the other lane and avoided getting hit by it and hitting anybody. I still have nightmares about that. The last time I drove to Denver, I decided to go early on a Sunday morning so there wouldn't be any traffic (or mattresses flying!) So I'm driving out of Cheyenne at 6 am, and a drunk driver comes up behind me. I slowed down to about 40, got way over, and he passed me. The car in front of me wasn't so lucky. He hit him. I watched that pickup do several 360s and end up in the median. I stopped, got out, helped him, and stayed there with him until the Highway Patrol showed up. He was bruised up but walking. He called me later that night to thank me for staying with him and to let me know he was okay. However, when I took off I was shaking so violently, I could barely drive. I called my husband on my cell phone, something I never do -- cell phone while driving -- and he calmed me enough so that I could hang up and just drive in.

Mom always said things happen in threes. I just hope that nothing happens this time.

I hate driving into Denver. I'm fine in the city, I just hate driving into the city.

Sigh.

I don't have definite plans yet, but we are planning our trip so that we can go see the Titanic exhibit at the Denver Museum of Natural History. (They don't call it that anymore, I forget the new name.) Hopefully we'll be there for dad's birthday and mine. Dad's is the 26th. Mine is the 27th. As a child, dad always teased me that I didn't get a birthday cake, I just got his leftovers. Bless mom's heart, she always made two cakes.

And for my birthday? I want a safe trip. Aside from that, I want to eat at the Olive Garden.

So I'm in stress-out mode facing driving into Denver. I'm a wimp and I admit it.

Happy Birthday, Mom. I do love you. I'm not happy with a lot of the stuff you pulled, but I can forgive you. And I do. You were wonderful in so many ways.

tagged...

I got tagged by Heather but the funny thing is her husband accidentally deleted her meme, but put it back in his version. I'll play along anyway.

The rules are simple… Each player lists 8 facts/habits about themselves. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning before those facts/habits are listed. At the end of the post, the player then tags 8 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

These are 8 facts/habits about me:

1. My favorite color is anything pastel. (Pink probably wins, but I love all pastels.)

2. My favorite decorating style is Cottage Style. Only one room in my house is decorated in cottage style, the rest is very earthy which I like as well.

3. Minnesota is not my favorite place on earth. In the back of my mind, constantly, is: When will I get home? Home is anywhere west of the Missouri River, specifically South Dakota or Wyoming. Perhaps Nebraska, although I have never lived there.

4. I was born in Laramie, but my family was not country/cowboy. I always wanted to be a cowboy. I married one, but he's not a cowboy anymore. Well, he tells me he was never a cowboy, but his dad was and he grew up on a ranch, so close enough. He still has his cowboy boots.

5. I was the recipient of a full-tuition scholarship. I got an AA degree and then transferred to court reporting school where I got an AAS degree. One of my biggest regrets in life (that I will change one day) is that I did not obtain a four-year degree.

6. When I was young, I wanted six children and I had them named: Larry, Barry, Jerry, Carrie, Sherrie, and Mary. (What WAS I thinking???)

7. I am a nonconformist, stubborn, and very opinionated. (And I'm right 99.9% of the time.) (Frankie Straight is not my real name -- a friend told me I was very frank, that's how Frankie Straight was born.)

8. I love barns. Always have, always will. That's one of the good things about living in rural Minnesota -- tons of gorgeous barns.

Tag 8 people:
Hmmm....I know so many have done this meme, so I'm just going to leave an open-ended invitation to play along.

Whew

This afternoon, after Thomas and I both slept until 11!!!!, we did our last leg of the CAT5. Thomas finished two minutes before the timer was set to go of. He set his pencil down and loudly proclaimed: "I'm a 6th grader, now!" He didn't even whine when I told him we needed to finish up the test. Yeah.

We hopped in the car and drove to McDonald's for a dollar ice cream cone to celebrate. I had to dig in the bottom of my purse before we left. I found nine quarters. I was thrilled that they have reduced the price of these twists and it only cost $1.47. lol We thoroughly enjoyed our treat.

When Bob got home from work, he cornered Thomas and asked where we ate out today. Thomas was stunned that dad knew. He questioned him, "How did you know?" And Bob laughed his evil laugh. The water from the air conditioner on the garage floor was the dead give away. (Bob hates that we do fast food occasionally.)

Thomas and I discussed where to start for summer plans. He has agreed to a good house cleaning this week. It's going to be very cool, in the low 70s, so we'll be able to open windows and air things out. He's excited to get his room done so he can have friends IN the house. lol Our school room is a disaster and will take at least a day to get in order. I'll share an after-the-school-year photo before we tackle it.

Thomas and I listened to Eragon on CD the last couple weeks of school. We finally finished last week. That was a nice treat to listen to it, as we loved the voices of the reader. Thomas begged to rent the movie, so we did tonight. We loved the movie, but Thomas kept complaining: Hey, that's not like the book. All through the movie. I just laughed. Bob just confirmed that movies always destroy the author's books.

Thomas is a chip off the old block. Bob is not much fun to watch movies with -- especially if he's read the book. He analyzes, nitpicks, and complains his way through entire movies. Yup, like father, like son.

I loved the movie, and I really loved the actor that played Eragon. I thought he had a beautiful smile in his eyes.

I guess that's it from the middle of nowhere today. Except that our new geography book arrived, a friend emailed me about next year's plans, and I cannot turn myself "off" and sat at the kitchen table for more than an hour figuring, planning, daydreaming about next year....sigh.

Adjusting

I'm having a hard time adjusting to school being over. All last week we worked on our CAT test. (We have one sub-test left to complete.) My brain is in overload and I just cannot seem to turn it off.

I talked to Bob about this early this morning. I told him I was a little blue or off right now. He laughed and said it is because I'm a very scheduled person and I don't have a schedule for non-school mode yet.

That's all he said, the man of few words. But he was right. He nailed it.

There are so many possibilities. There are so many projects I want to do, so many friends we could get together with that is difficult during the school year, so many places to go.

I just feel stuck and overwhelmed because I don't know where to start!

Ah, I have always been good about making routines and schedules. I think I need a week of nothingness first in order to clear my brain.

Starry Starry Night

The only thing that bugs me about this video is at the very end where they spell cemetery cemetAry. I'm just picky.

Not Much to Talk About

Our test arrived today, finally! We've completed two of the legs. I want this done quickly, Thomas wants to take his time and do two sections a day. We'll see about that.

The bunny that we were going to adopt: Well, when Thomas's friend got home from school that day, he came down to inform us that the bunny had died that morning. Very sad. I'm just hoping it didn't perish because it was being held so much.

I have to pay bills. I hate paying bills. I'd rather clean public restrooms. Seriously.

Uhm, oh -- something cool. I renewed my subscription to ancestry.com (thank you, credit card) and have taken up genealogy again. I worked on it all weekend. One of my goals is to get into the DAR. I was reading a little about the DAR and it used to be a not-so-nice organization if you were anything but white. But it seems they have changed their ways, so I'm okay with it. This is going to be an expensive endeavor. I'll have to contact many states' historical societies and get "proofs" or things such as birth and death records, marriage records, land deeds, etc. To get the death records for my grandparents it will cost $17 each. In the scheme of things, that's not really that much, but when you consider I'll have to get five generations' worth of birth, marriage and death records -- ouch. I have a feeling this will be a slow process.

That's about it. Thomas had his art class today. He has train club tonight. I need to go to the store. I'm out of coffee filters! Oh, the horror of it all, having to make my completely-necessary coffee with a paper towel. I'm also out of cereal. I just cannot start the day without my 40% Bran Flakes -- no wait, that's what they were called in the '70s. Today they're called Complete Bran Flakes. I eat a serving of those with a serving of Kellog's Bran Buds every morning for breakfast. I get about 25 grams of fiber to start my day. Yum. Today we had bagels for breakfast and I just felt off all day. (evil grin)

Oh, the Carnival of Homeschooling is up at Bev's About Homeschooling site.
I like Bev. That makes two great hosts in a row. Hopefully that trend will continue.

That's about it.

It's a gas

I'm Evil

Last night after Bob went to bed, I hopped online again. I sent him the cute bunny photos and laid on a BIG-time guilt trip.

He called this morning (and woke me up--way to get even, hon) and relented. He told me to tell Thomas he had to buy the chicken wire, he had to build the cage, and the bunny had to be released when it was old enough. ??? Hmmm.

I am evil. I know how to guilt my husband.

And on another note, I decided to quit worrying over geography. I bought a textbook on eBay last night. I love the Buy-it-now feature. Anyway, when it arrives, I'll write up a quick set of lesson plans and sit down for an hour and correlate it with books from the library. Then I'll print some maps out. And I might search some recipes -- yum.

I'm not pro or anti textbooks. We've always enjoyed getting tons of books on a subject from the library and learning freely. However, I am getting to the point that I need things easier. And easier means I can have Thomas read the textbook on his own first. It also means I will have a systematic and sequential plan to follow. I'm loose enough to not get caught in a time trap -- if Thomas is loving something, we go with it. If he isn't, we go over it anyway, but quickly.

I didn't mention in my previous post that I spent an hour drooling over Calvert's website yesterday. It just seemed so easy to click, place an order, and have it all arrive ready to use. Of course after that hour I decided we'd need to replace the math, we'd have to replace their spelling program with Sequential Spelling, that I'd want to add in our logic that Thomas loves, plus Wordly Wise which he loves. And so on.

Our eclectic style works for us. That's the whole point of homeschooling Thomas -- for him to learn, and it's taken awhile to figure him out, but I think we've got it down pat. It's fun to window shop, though.

One thing on Calvert's site that did pique my interest (and that interest was also piqued by my years of reading the Well-Trained Mind boards, is Calvert's series of spelling CDs. I am toying with ordering one. However, I'm clueless which level to buy. Thomas spells phonetically unless he knows a word. Spelling is his worst subject, even though he loves Sequential Spelling. I thought a fun CD might help matters. Which level...that is the burning question.

Our silly CAT tests still have not arrived. I'm climbing the walls in anticipation. I so want to be done!

Oh, the tears . . .

I don't know what I'm going to do with this child. He gets so emotionally attached to critters. Tonight a neighborhood buddy came to play, then they scurried off to his house. While at the friend's house, the friend showed him his baby bunny. They found it in their yard while they were mowing. The dad almost ran over it with his lawn mower. His eyes were still shut, he was so tiny. This baby bunny has been living in the friend's back yard ever since. The friend has been feeding it lettuce and carrots.

The thing is that this family can't keep the bunny. They are gardeners. They have a huge garden and the dad is afraid the bunny will eat the garden.

So they ran to ME because they thought I'd be sympathetic. I am, but ...

Thomas wants to keep the bunny. He's afraid it will die if he doesn't. He wants to build a cage, feed it, love it and take care of it. Well, Bob said NO. No, no, no, no, no.

Thomas and his buddy took the bunny back and Thomas came in for the evening. He begged, pleaded, even took me aside and asked if he could build a secret cage and hide it. He was a little shocked when I came unglued about that. I won't have dishonesty, albeit for a good cause.

Thomas cried and cried. When will he get over this crying stage?

So we tried to switch gears. What could we do for the bunny. We are clueless. We know one family that used to raise rabbits but quit because it was a pain. Tomorrow we'll brainstorm some more.

If Thomas had asked me, I would have said sure, we'll build a cage. I was a little disappointed in Bob's immediate no. Thomas is right, the cute little critter will probably not make it. We have cats that roam the neighborhood, we have neighbors that kill the bunnies.

Sigh.

What to do!

I know where Thomas gets his emotional behavior regarding animals from: ME! One time I fostered two kittens from our animal shelter. When we took them back, one was adopted immediately. I couldn't stand it. I adopted the other.

There are so many things in this life to worry about. Thomas and I will be worried about the little bunny.

Sigh.

In Search of the Perfect (Fill in the blank)

I wonder how many homeschooling parents out there are constantly on the lookout for the perfect X, Y or Z. I know I'm always looking, even when I'm happy with what we're doing.

As our third year of homeschooling is coming to an end, I feel fairly confident with my choices. Thomas is learning, and learning well. We've spent lots of dollars trying to find just the right X, Y and Z. We've done pretty well all. Except for geography.

Would someone please wave their magic wand and present the perfect geography program for me? We've unschooled this year, reading lots of books, studying maps and playing games. Name that Country is a huge hit here.

I want more -- for me. I didn't learn geography well. Thomas wants more. Well, okay, perhaps he isn't asking for more and maybe he doesn't know he wants more, but he does. (the evil mother.)

At the beginning of the year, I purchased Trail Guide to U.S. Geography. We also got their ebook. We both hated it. Well, I liked it, but Thomas hated, hated, hated it. It zapped his love of geography right out of him. He called it busy work. I haven't ever come across anyone else who didn't like this program, just us. We will never fit into a mold -- which is a good thing.

I'm toying with the idea of writing my own program this summer. NOT how I want to spend my summer vacation. I'm also toying with the idea of just getting a text book from eBay to use as a spine and then do all kinds of fun stuff.

We have Mapping the World by Heart. It sits gathering dust. I'm too lazy to put a plan together. Besides that, it's just learning where the countries are. We want more.

So would someone wave their magic wand for me and give me the perfect program that encompasses the five themes?

Sigh...

Rest in Peace, Terry Ryan

Terry Ryan, author of the book The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio: How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less passed away last week. You can read the article here.

Terry wrote my all-time favorite book which was about her mother. That book, and the subsequent movie, have inspired me tremendously. When I'm feeling down, negative, or just blah, I snuggle up in my bed and pop in my DVD. This is one of two DVDs that I have actually purchased in my lifetime for myself. I have played it countless times. The book is more detailed than the movie. I have read it many times. This is one of the few times when I have enjoyed a movie as much as the book it was based upon.

Terry grew up in difficult times. Her parents had ten kids. Her father was an alcoholic, their family was poverty-stricken due to his drinking. Her mother, Evelyn Ryan, had a spirit like no other. She inspired me, she challenged me to be a better person, to be more positive, and as my friend Wisteria said, she made me want to be a better mother.

She also made me thankful -- thankful that I am a product of my times. I did not have to deal with the issues she faced in the 50s and 60s, the challenges of women then.

Some of my favorite "Evelynisms":

That's a problem for another day.

I would never leave the kids with you.

Death by jell-o is highly unlikely.

I just have to sit down and have myself a happy cry!
Everything is possible!


Forgive him so you can embrace the radiance of this day.
I'm tired of this day, I need a new one.

Do you know that U.S. Army research has shown a relationship between intelligence and willingness to eat unfamiliar foods? (I use this line in my home, but Thomas just doesn't get it. He is always curious to know what U.S. Army research has to do with anything.)

Spices don't have legs. There are no bugs in the soup.

Thank you, Terry Ryan, for sharing your mother with the world. Thank you for writing this wonderful book. May you rest in peace.

Empty Mailbox

Saturday we got no mail. The mailman drove on by our house again today. Frustrating, because I really want to get our CAT test so that we can finish school for the year. It's not officially due until the end of next week, but she assured me it would probably be much sooner.

I'll continue to hope.

We are almost officially done. Thomas is finishing up his math. I thought we'd be going into the summer, but I wised up. We went through an entire chapter in one day -- it was stuff he could do, so why re-do it. We have two chapters left. I expect to be done by the end of next week.

I've been looking at baby pictures of Thomas. It brings a smile to my face and warms my heart, but it also makes me a little sad, too. I cannot believe time goes by SO fast.

We are trying to get plans together for this summer. One huge obstcale is money. I had saved up $350 for our trip to visit my dad. Well, our back door broke. When they built our house, they did a really crappy job with some things, including this door. Instead of putting the door flush with the concrete step, the put it flush with the floor. What happened as a result is rain and snow would go in between the step and door, thus rotting the casing. The hinges are busted, the wood is completely rotten, and the door itself is in complete disrepair. Who would have thunk that a new door would be over $200.

My biggest mistake was telling my DH that I had that money saved up to begin with. BUT it beats putting it on a credit card. But still. My stash is getting used. I haven't told my dad yet. I have no money to go visit him. And with the gas prices the way they are -- two years ago I went when gas was a whopping $2.25 per gallon and that was horrible. Now it's a buck more per gallon.

Whine, whine, whine. This is one of those times when I regret not working and having my own money. There is definitely a shift that happens when you give up your career to be a stay-at-home mom. Suddenly, money is a big deal both in terms of the lack thereof and that someone else is watching every penny you spend. It stinks.

So planning the summer is tough because of lack of money and because we live in the middle of nowhere and there is nothing to do here. Nothing. Nada. Zilch. We do have a small water park, but it gets boring after the first week or two. Thomas will continue with his ceramics classes and he's taking a wheel throwing class. There's nothing else in the community ed. brochure that interests him. He's not a sports kid. We will do swimming lessons.

I guess we'll avail ourselves of the local beach. Parks are nice, but boring. I could plan some short day trips, but with the price of gas -- ouch! I have always wanted to visit the SPAM Museum in Austin, MN. We can always go visit Walnut Grove, MN -- again.

I miss living in the real world. I grew up in Denver, where there was always something to do. Always. Great museums, mountains, events, classes, etc. I'm still suffering from culture shock, and I've lived here ten years this summer. Aaaack.

I probably shouldn't publish this post because I'm so whiny tonight -- but what the heck -- I'm human. And bored.

Wow -- io, Free Books!

A member of one of the yahoo homeschool groups I'm on share a link and I need to share, too. Wowio, free books, free minds.

It's a website that allows you to download free books. There are some great books available, especially for kiddos. You may only download five books a day. So far I've got ten. I don't know what I'll get today, but I'm extremely happy with what we've got so far:

Great Ancient Egypt Projects You Can Build Yourself
Great Civil War Projects You Can Build Yourself
Great World War II Projects You Can Build Yourself
Tools of the Ancient Greeks: A Kid's Guide to the History and Science of Life in Ancient Greece
Tools of Native Americans: a Kid's Guide to the History and Culture of the First Americans
Amazing Leonardo da Vinci Inventions You Can Build Yourself
Great Colonial America Projects You Can Build Yourself
Tools of the Ancient Romans: A Kid's Guide to the History and Science of Life in Ancient Rome
Tools of Navigation: A Kid's Guide to the History and Science of Finding Your Way
Tools of Timekeeping: A Kid's Guide to the History and Science of Telling Time

Pretty cool, eh?

There aren't too many other children's books that I'm interested in, but the above list was a gold mine for me! I'm off to search for something for me now.

They also have this special deal that if you get ten people to sign up, you get a free ipod shuffle. (I don't even know what an ipod shuffle is!!!) I'm not really interested in that for me (maybe I should be) but just thought I'd throw that out there.

The Great Homeschool eStore Giveaway

I'm on their list, so I knew about the Mother's Day special. I tried yesterday to download some of their ebooks and was proud that I actually got four. On many of the homeschool lists I'm on, there were people who couldn't get any. I think I was lucky because I loosened up my security so I didn't have to wait for a second connection.

This morning I sat down and got a couple more of their free ebooks.

The book I liked the best was Great Pioneer Projects You Can Build Yourself by Rachel Dickinson. I liked the fact that it gave information as well as projects. I liked it so much I went to Amazon and did some searching. There are a few books in their Build Yourself Series that piqued my interest.

The only thing about this book -- I would prefer it in book form as opposed to ebook. I'm not going to print the thing out, it would take too much ink and I'm cheap.

I had to try to download this book about six times. Each time I got it the file was corrupted. Finally, this morning within minutes of their promotion being over, I got it. Small victory for me.

I liked this free giveaway because it gave me a chance to see things beyond their teasing previews. It enabled me to figure out what I could use and tweak and what was just out of the question. We'll actually use two of their free ebooks. The others were nice to view.

One of the books I got was the Hands of a Child Mythological Creatures lapbook. Cute book, information provided at the beginning about creatures, but what can I say -- as cute as I think lapbooks are -- and I really do think they're cute -- we have tried to do lapbooks on three different occasions and failed. Why? Because for us, we just don't see the point. I think in the early elementary grades they're perfect and would have suited Thomas well. Thomas thought it was just a bunch of busy work. And I tend to agree -- for him. I'd far rather him write a report than cut and paste and all that.

So Thomas and I will continue to admire the photos of lapbooks that we come across on the web, but we won't partake.

I think it was great that the Homeschool eStore had this giveaway. I know it blew their servers, I know people got testy about it, but they didn't have to give them out in the first place and they are moving to a better more accommodating server in the very near future. Kudos to them. Thanks, we'll enjoy our Pioneer Projects very much.

My Perfect Mother's Day

It started out with my favorite breakfast: Two Egg McMuffins and a big fountain pop. From there, Bob and Thomas went to work.





As the day progressed, we got hungry. Thomas made chocolate chip muffins all by himself -- a double batch to boot.

We had a picnic in the yard. This kid melts my heart.



The day got hot, so Thomas decided to run through the sprinkler.






The boys finished the skeleton of the fence. All three of us put the Thompson's water sealer/stain on.



Today after work, Bob and Thomas (and me, too) set out to work again.






They got all the way done with the long fence wall. I don't have a photo because I was cooking. I had to please Bob, so I made his favorite a roast (boring) beef, mashed potatoes and gravy. We'll get the rest up Wednesday because we're busy all afternoon and evening tomorrow.

Let me just say that aside from Thomas himself, this is the BEST Mother's Day/Birthday gift I have ever received. Ever. Privacy, ahhh. The only thing that could surpass it would be if we won the lottery and bought a place in the country.

Ahhhh.

Friday

Not much to blog about lately.

I have spring fever and am ready to throw school out the window. Thomas, on the other hand, wakes up happy and is ready to go -- after he makes himself some muffins or scrambled eggs. (The mean mom makes him cook his own breakfast -- Home Ec 101) He has even requested that he be allowed to continue doing vocab and logic over the summer. Go figure.

Got new glasses this week. I got sunglasses and regular glasses. The regular glasses stunk! They were trifocals. The store clerk talked me in to getting no line bifocals which are trifocals. What she did not tell me was that that trifocal business was on the sides, not just in the middle. I don't care about aging -- it's a fact of life, but I refuse to be an old lady who has to turn her head to see everything in focus. $320 for these glasses. I was so upset with myself. Then I noticed that there was a very large gap between the lens and the frame on the right side. I was horrified that brand-new glasses would have such a gap. It was an omen. I fretted about it, but the day after I picked the glasses up, I marched right back and told them I didn't want them. The doctor and the clerk were out there and were not happy. The doctor told me that he'd just order me a new lens. I told him that these have to last two years, and at $320 I expect them to be well made. I told him I didn't feel good about these glasses.

Honestly, I would have kept them and grumbled about the trifocal-blurry-sides business, but that crack really bothered me. The store was quite taken back when I told them I would not be ordering another pair. The sunglasses I got are fantastic, and gladly kept them.

I've been checking glasses online and I think I will order from 39dollarglasses. I can get what I want for 89 bucks -- frames and transition lenses. (Sun really bothers my eyes.) Anyone had any experience with that company?

I finally got around to ordering Thomas's standardized test. We have to test each year, but we don't turn the results in. I waited until the last possible minute to order. What was I thinking? It should come the end of May. The lady on the phone was very nice and explained that there would probably be a delay in our receiving the test. I think she was expecting me to grumble. I laughed and said, "That's okay, I was very delayed in ordering." She laughed -- I think she was relieved. We have always ordered our tests from Family Learning Organization. I have always been pleased with the company.

Our ducks are still with us. They come every evening for some grub.

Bob (the builder, ha ha) has been busy on our privacy fence. Thomas has proven to be of great help and has enjoyed digging post holes. Bob put all the dirt from the holes in our garden and Thomas has enjoyed playing in it. Can we say filthy child? I always figure the dirtier the child is, the more fun he/she is having. So go forth and get dirty, kiddo.

That's about it.

Backyard Happenings

If you click on this, it enlarges so you can actually see the bunny.




Fred and Ethel came close to the door for their evening feeding. I got a couple close-ups of Ethel. The first shot she sat patiently for me. The second shot she turned her head as if to say, "Would you leave me the h-e-double-toothpick alone?" As I was watching the ducks, two bunnies came hopping into the yard. When they saw me, one ran for the bushes -- you can barely see its eyes -- and the other froze in its place, not far from Fred.

Bob bought me a shepherd's hook this weekend because I begged. I wanted the bird feeder closer to the window so I could actually see the birds without my binoculars. We have counted seven different birds that we had not seen before. Thomas is loving bird watching, as are his father and I. It amazes me to think that these birds have always been here but I have never noticed. Last year I remember watching two robbins flirting and chasing each other, but other than that, I have never noticed. It amazes me, because now we're always watching out the windows.

Phy Ed, or what I call gym class

Bob has decided Thomas needs to lift weights. We dusted off the old--very, very old--Bowflex and got to work. Bob made me exercise, too. I hated every flippin' minute of it. Give me Richard Simmons any day.

As you can tell, Thomas loved it. NOT.






"Does it LOOK like I'm having fun?"

Our Ducks

Here are Fred and Ethel, still with us. We think that they are nesting at the next door neighbor's house under their shrubs. They like to visit us each morning and evening for some grub. We bought a bag of corn. They come up to the back door now for their dinner. They prefer bread, but we only give that to them every couple days.

Thomas and I discussed the fact that they won't eat here if they're nesting in our yard, and he said he preferred they nest somewhere else because he liked to feed them. So we've marked our calendar (May 2nd) the day they stopped hanging in our yard all day and started making their morning and evening appearances. Should take 26 days, plus or minus.

We have enjoyed sharing our back-yard home with the ducks tremendously.

Now, I need to find I Love Lucy on TV because Thomas still has no idea who Fred and Ethel are!

The Thinking Blogger Award

I am a recipient of The Thinking Blogger Award. Elisheva at Ragamuffin Studies tagged me. What an honor! Thank you so much.

To participate in this, I must follow three rules.

1. If, and only if, you get tagged, write a post with links to 5 blogs that make you think.

2. Link to this post (the original) so people can easily find the exact origin of the meme.

3. (This one is optional.) Proudly display the Thinking Blogger Award with a link to the post that you wrote.



It is now my duty to choose five bloggers that make me think. I have been stewing over this since I was tagged. This is very difficult because I read a lot of blogs and I do so because they make me think. How do I only pick five??? I love all the blogs I read and I don't want to exclude anyone. Sigh.

Well, here goes anyway. I sure wish I could include my entire blogroll -- seriously.

1. Carrie Bartkowiak.

2. Steph at A Room of my Own.

3. Gherkin Pickle at Wicked Pickles.

4. Carole at Mt. Pleasant Classical Academy.

5. Audrey at A Small Corner of Nowhere.

We've been adopted

Meet Fred and Ethel. Five nights ago, we found Fred and Ethel in our back yard. We live four houses from the lake, so they were out taking a stroll. Apparently, they liked our place. Ethel did, for sure. She stayed, Fred left.

The next night we fed Ethel bread. As we were feeding her, we heard "honk, honk, honk" and she started honking and walking away. This honking went on back and forth until the two love birds found each other. They were now in the front of our house. We thought they'd be on their merry way, but no, they came back. They got within two feet of me and three of Thomas. Thomas filled a shallow bucket full of water and Ethel jumped right in and took a bath in front of us. We fed them a few more pieces of bread and went in the house to watch them from the window. They waltzed all around our back yard, but settled in the jungle area.

The next morning, Fred was gone but Ethel was under Bob's car. He made a lot of noise so she ambled along out of his way. She took turns hiding under our other car and our neighbor's car (The neighbor that speaks to us )

Later that night as I was washing the supper dishes, I heard "honk, honk, honk." I looked out and there was Fred honking at my window. I grabbed Thomas and out we went. We followed Fred's honking until he met up with Ethel in the back. Again, they settled in the jungle area. This time we were prepared. We had purchased corn pieces from the store and fed them. (If you feed a cat, they'll keep coming back. How about a duck???)

Ethel isn't leaving. This has gone on for five nights. I hope she's nesting back there -- that would be wonderful for both Thomas and I to witness. I haven't spotted a nest yet, and she's still pretty active walking around. She should give 8-12 eggs and won't sit on the nest until they've all been laid. Then it's 26 days of waiting. How cute would it be to see ducklings?

I'm trying not to invade on them too much. We feed the ducks all the time at our lakes, they have bubble gum machines to dispense cracked corn. I figured that must be safe if the city put them up.

Anyway, if they're gone tomorrow, we've had a blast with them. It really seems as if they are in love. lol

Sunday Night Drivel

First off, my apologies for my snarky post about sending Thomas back to public school. I get very vocal about things that, well, rub me the wrong way and I also have a kind of wonky sense of humor.

*****
What a weekend. I know one of my readers doesn't like mention of my neighbors, but I'm going to talk about them a bit. The nasty man who assaulted me almost one year ago April and his wife left town for the weekend. What a celebration that was for us! It was heavenly to be able to be free in the front yard. This is the couple that watches every single move we make. (I know I sound paranoid, but I'm not about this.) I washed the driveway down and I even swept the gutter out.

Our next-door neighbors with that yappy #$Q@ -- um, dog, mow their lawn twice a week and then the guy takes his blower and blows all the clippings onto the street. They end up back in the gutter, and since we have a dip in our driveway gutter part, it all collects at our house. So if the cops drove by, they'd think that we are putting our lawn clippings illegally into the street. It is illegal in our town to do that.

A good friend suggested I call the city and let them know that they need to inform the neighbors that it is illegal to do that. I worry about the karma of doing that.
What would they do to us in return? (Homeschooler paranoia speaking.)

The neighbors with the dog had Demon (not his real name) running loose all day. Yap, yap, yap, yap....if I were them, I'd go crazy listening to that all the time. I go crazy one house over. We can hear that damned dog in my house when he is in his house with each house having its windows shut. FWIW, I am an avid animal lover. I have volunteered at shelters and even done foster care work for homeless pets. I don't hate dogs.

Anyway, we started clearing our jungle/bank at the back of our property. Cutting tree sprouts, trimmed our pussy willow down -- and the woman stands at her back door and screams at me: What are you going to do with all that wood? I ignored her, threw it behind my shed, and walked in the house. Our plans were to build a fire pit and burn it. Well, after thinking about that, our other neighbors -- the people everyone in this neighborhood hates worse than us -- who are actually civil to us, would have problems with the smoke, so we decided to not do that to them. We went in search of the infamous tree deposit site that is run by our city. We drove a few miles in the country and did not find it. I'll be calling the city tomorrow.

Meanwhile, the lack of privacy in our yard has always driven me nuts since the new yappy neighbors moved in. They're out there all the time. They're seniors, and they have nothing better to do than have the perfect yard. (It's okay, but true gardeners wouldn't like their style.) Last year my husband planted six shrubs -- some type of cranberry -- that are very pretty, for privacy. And they're short. They do nothing to give us privacy and I expect they won't for several years. So I decided to get on the net and search. I found a very cheap solution! Bamboo fences. You can buy rolls of bamboo fence that is 6' tall from 25 to 50' in length. I could get some on Ebay for $50. I told Bob I was going to order some and he could get posts to attach it to. Then he'd be happy when snow comes because he could take it down.

It's a good think I didn't jump right on that. Bob decided that he would bite the bullet and BUILD A FENCE around our patio area. Twenty-five feet out from the house and four to six feet perpendicular to that. A nice L-shaped privacy fence. We went to the lumber store, priced it, and this project will be less than $400. And I'm hoping it will give me my sanity back.

Two years ago Bob threw out my outdoor swing. I had used it so much, and it had so much sun rot, that it was not functional. Every night after supper I enjoyed sitting on my swing, watching Thomas play, and then watching the sunset. It was my soul nurturing time. The swing went the same summer yaps moved in. I haven't been able to enjoy my back yard since. So I think this $400 fence is going to restore me beyond belief. I miss my quiet time outdoors.

And now I'll have some actual motivation to get my yard in better shape and my garden going very well. Yeah.

Life is good.

The weather here was gorgeous. Spring sometimes has the air that when it hits you, you just feel good. It can lift a mood quicker than anything I've ever experienced. We were bouncing and happy all weekend.

I made a big, long list of things that needed done around the house and attached it to the fridge. I worked fast and furious -- got the master closet cleaned out, lots of putzy stuff done, fixed my blinds that were broken, washed windows inside and out -- I worked my tail off this weekend. Well, it must have been contagious because Bob dug in, too. He fixed some things that had been driving me wonky since he broke them -- one and two years ago. My bathroom outlet is now not hanging three inches out of the wall and is where it is supposed to be. For that, Bob, I am very grateful.

I have lots to do on my list, but I'm feeling very energized. And I've decided to try to shift my perceptions about my neighbors -- because I do have a lot of anger. I'm just having a little difficulty finding the solution in how I need to shift. The dog people are just annoying and I really don't have anger, I just wish they'd train their dog. It's the man across the street that assaulted me that I'm having difficulties shifting my perceptions. He admitted to me during the assault/confrontation that he watched us all the time. That is just icky. So if someone has any ideas on how I can refocus, please share. I'm sure Mother Crone doesn't want to read another neighbor rant. ;-)