October 15, 2010
Robot Zach
We didn't think Zach was going to be able to dress up as a robot for Halloween. The costume we ordered over a month ago for him didn't look like it would show up. Yesterday, a few hours after ordering him something different, I got a tracking update on the costume. It made it here and was waiting at the Post Office.
October 11, 2010
Shell
I haven't been back to my parent's old house here for a couple of weeks now. I think subconsciously I've been avoiding it because it makes me sad. I took the boys over today to let them run around and see it empty. It was sad, but strangely enough the only thing that got me a little choked up was the work/utility room...go figure. There used to be so much stuff in that space and now it's just an empty shell. I guess it's just the type of room you never expect to see completely empty.
I set the boys up with a little picnic in the living room, and then we went outside to play. The boys played around the house and then hit all their favorite puddles along the street on their way to the park and again on the way back. After that we went for an unexpected walk around town.
I don't think I've mentioned the huge staircase that's close to the house. We call it the "cheese grater staircase," and it is very long and very steep. It's the type that you can't help but visualize yourself beefing it on, or hoping like hell that you never do, every time you climb or descend it. I know my boys are growing up on me because they've managed this very long staircase several times now without incident.
The stairs drop you down to the street the elementary school is on. There's been construction going on with it since last summer, and it's almost finished. The boys love checking out all the construction trucks and machinery parked along the street.
We took our time wandering around town for a little while and enjoyed the break from the rain. Sundays are good for walking around because a lot of businesses are closed. All the places the boys wanted to wreak havoc on were locked up tight, which makes for a much more enjoyable stroll, or at least for me anyway. I did, however, brave the grocery store for a few minutes. Ben promptly picked up a package of cupcakes. The boys had been so good for me, so I couldn't refuse. I also used the treat as bait to get them out of the store.
October 8, 2010
Until next time....
May the road rise up to meet you.
May the wind always be at your back.
May the sun shine warm upon your face,
and rains fall soft upon your fields.
And until we meet again,
May God hold you in the palm of His hand.
Thanks for the great experience over the past couple of years, for all the great memories. We were happy to be able to share them with you. We love you Mom & Dad.
October 1, 2010
Green Thumb
Dad is in the final stretch! His last day of work is this coming Thursday, and I'm so happy for him! Tonight we put together a little surprise retirement party for him. I made a garden themed cake for him which I absolutely loved doing!
Michel: I remember hauling the little red wagon around the neighborhood to sell the extra fruits and vegetables from the garden. We would pile it high with corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and I can't remember what else. I was always so mortified to knock on the neighbors doors, although I loved the money that we earned. Years later I had someone from the old neighborhood tell me how much they had loved it when we brought the little wagon around to their house!
Eric: We had rows upon rows of corn growing in the neighbor’s backyard. One day he sent me over to fertilize the corn. He gave me a bucket of granular nitrogen and told me to go to it. I was clueless as to how this was to be done, so I just started tossing it up onto the tall corn leaves. The next thing I can recall was that Dad was scrambling and to water all the corn so the nitrogen didn’t burn the leaves. From this valuable lesson I learned that plants get their nutrients from the ground.
Clair: One job that was never done was picking up the constant supply of the many rocks found in the soil. This was one of the least favorite of the gardening chores so Dad would use it as a punishment for when we got out of line or started fighting with one another. Fortunately for him he had a small army of naughty kids that were constantly getting in trouble. I in particular created a rock pile at least as tall as I was and 50 times my own weight over the years.
Connie: I remember getting up on Saturday morning and wanting to spend the day reading and playing but you would insist on two rows of weeding before we could do anything else. I may not of appreciated it at the time but through your example I have learned the value of work.
Carrie: What I really loved about Dad and his love of gardening was that twinkle he would get in his eye when it was harvest time. He would grab a salt shaker from the kitchen and head outside towards that garden. I would always follow because I knew something good was about to happen.
What an unbelievably hard working man my father is! He has worked so hard all his life. He taught us all what a good work ethic truly is. He has made sacrifices all his life for the good of his family.
The gardens we had year in and year out are the perfect metaphor for our family. There was always such a diversity of vegetables in our garden, just like the personalities in our family. And just like all the plants needed different things to grow to their full potential, so did we. We were all responsible for helping in the garden, but it was always Dad that worked the hardest. All that time he worked in the garden over the years he was helping us to lay the groundwork in our lives to be good, hardworking people. People with qualities like Dad.
Dad, we all love and appreciate you so much! We're grateful for how hard you worked all these years to provide us with a comfortable and loving home. Happy retirement and happy gardening Dad!
Michel: I remember hauling the little red wagon around the neighborhood to sell the extra fruits and vegetables from the garden. We would pile it high with corn, tomatoes, cucumbers and I can't remember what else. I was always so mortified to knock on the neighbors doors, although I loved the money that we earned. Years later I had someone from the old neighborhood tell me how much they had loved it when we brought the little wagon around to their house!
Eric: We had rows upon rows of corn growing in the neighbor’s backyard. One day he sent me over to fertilize the corn. He gave me a bucket of granular nitrogen and told me to go to it. I was clueless as to how this was to be done, so I just started tossing it up onto the tall corn leaves. The next thing I can recall was that Dad was scrambling and to water all the corn so the nitrogen didn’t burn the leaves. From this valuable lesson I learned that plants get their nutrients from the ground.
Clair: One job that was never done was picking up the constant supply of the many rocks found in the soil. This was one of the least favorite of the gardening chores so Dad would use it as a punishment for when we got out of line or started fighting with one another. Fortunately for him he had a small army of naughty kids that were constantly getting in trouble. I in particular created a rock pile at least as tall as I was and 50 times my own weight over the years.
Connie: I remember getting up on Saturday morning and wanting to spend the day reading and playing but you would insist on two rows of weeding before we could do anything else. I may not of appreciated it at the time but through your example I have learned the value of work.
Carrie: What I really loved about Dad and his love of gardening was that twinkle he would get in his eye when it was harvest time. He would grab a salt shaker from the kitchen and head outside towards that garden. I would always follow because I knew something good was about to happen.
What an unbelievably hard working man my father is! He has worked so hard all his life. He taught us all what a good work ethic truly is. He has made sacrifices all his life for the good of his family.
The gardens we had year in and year out are the perfect metaphor for our family. There was always such a diversity of vegetables in our garden, just like the personalities in our family. And just like all the plants needed different things to grow to their full potential, so did we. We were all responsible for helping in the garden, but it was always Dad that worked the hardest. All that time he worked in the garden over the years he was helping us to lay the groundwork in our lives to be good, hardworking people. People with qualities like Dad.
Dad, we all love and appreciate you so much! We're grateful for how hard you worked all these years to provide us with a comfortable and loving home. Happy retirement and happy gardening Dad!
September 23, 2010
Shop 'til You Drop
Ever see that game show before? It was silly, but I think I strangely found it entertaining. After yesterday's shopping trip in Anchorage, I'm thinking Darius and I may have been good contestants.
I think one of the biggest negatives to living in Cordova is the price of groceries. Prices are usually about double to what you would pay for groceries anywhere else. I know it's because of the cost involved in bringing everything in to an isolated area, but it doesn't make it any easier to stomach the prices.
It's not unusual for many residents of Cordova to make trips into Anchorage every so often to stock up on groceries to save money. We're some of the lucky ones who enjoy flight benefits which makes this a less expensive task. When traveling within the state of Alaska, residents may check up to 3 bags a piece at no charge on AA. In order to maximize our shopping trip, all 4 of us made the trip there so that we could check 12 pieces going home.
By the time Darius picked up the boys and I yesterday it was already mid afternoon. Darius had already finished picking up lumber for my dad, so we were left with the rest of the day to get our stuff bought. Long story short, we were shopping until about 12:30 and up until 3:00 AM packing all our purchases in the totes we borrowed. We filled 9 totes, 2 duffel bags, and 1 freezer bag.
Half way through packing I honestly didn't think it would all fit. We also had to take weight into consideration when packing. There was a lot of shuffling around of stuff, but lucky for me I learned packing skills from a master packer, my mother! Darius was a good help too. He's my human scale. He loads bags every day, so he's a good guess at weight.
I think one of the biggest negatives to living in Cordova is the price of groceries. Prices are usually about double to what you would pay for groceries anywhere else. I know it's because of the cost involved in bringing everything in to an isolated area, but it doesn't make it any easier to stomach the prices.
It's not unusual for many residents of Cordova to make trips into Anchorage every so often to stock up on groceries to save money. We're some of the lucky ones who enjoy flight benefits which makes this a less expensive task. When traveling within the state of Alaska, residents may check up to 3 bags a piece at no charge on AA. In order to maximize our shopping trip, all 4 of us made the trip there so that we could check 12 pieces going home.
By the time Darius picked up the boys and I yesterday it was already mid afternoon. Darius had already finished picking up lumber for my dad, so we were left with the rest of the day to get our stuff bought. Long story short, we were shopping until about 12:30 and up until 3:00 AM packing all our purchases in the totes we borrowed. We filled 9 totes, 2 duffel bags, and 1 freezer bag.
Half way through packing I honestly didn't think it would all fit. We also had to take weight into consideration when packing. There was a lot of shuffling around of stuff, but lucky for me I learned packing skills from a master packer, my mother! Darius was a good help too. He's my human scale. He loads bags every day, so he's a good guess at weight.
You can tell by all the stickers on the totes that they have a few shopping trips under their lids!
We arrived back home late this afternoon, and just finished unpacking and putting everything away. I'm glad to be done! It's an exhausting process, but at least we won't have to stomach steep grocery prices for awhile.
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