Front Row Seats

This afternoon Nathan and some of the children set up their camp chairs and had a front row seat to watch tree limbs come down on the trees in their front row. The top picture was taken about 15 minutes before the bottom one and I think that you can see that the tree limbs had been thinned out quite a bit. They were having dead branches cut out and branches that hang over their house cut off. In the first picture it had just started to rain and the boys had decided to use the extra camp chairs as covers. By the time the second one was taken the threat of rain had passed and it was hard to take a picture because of so much more sun shining through the thinned branches. It wasn't the best time of the day to try to take pictures of the efforts. I know that boys old and young were quite interested in the process. Graham said that he knew that he wouldn't want the job of going up in the cherry picker...there were times that the cherry picker was just about totally vertical...pretty high up work! He said that he thought that he might like to drive the fork lift. We all hoped that he would be a bit more careful in his driving than this fork lift driver was! Woody had two walks today. He headed off to walk to his barber...but the barber was closed so Woody turned that walk into a four-mile walk. Then this evening he walked to Life Care Center to turn on the Thursday night football game of the week for Jeff...and walked back...about seven miles total for that walk. So he walked about eleven miles today. He has also done some yard work. Nathan and Elijah fixed our mailbox today...it needed a new support board to keep it up. They got a new one, nailed it on and then painted it. That should keep it from falling off when either we or the mailman open it! I had school this morning with six of the seven. After lunch I vacuumed our bedroom and bath and also did a lick-and-a-promise down the upstairs hall and into the school room and sewing room. When the phone rang this afternoon, I remembered to tell Woody that we had gotten our reminder automated call from Vanderbilt last night. I was a bit surprised, when I answered the phone today and it was Vanderbilt again (this time a real person rather than an automated voice)! She was calling to give specific instructions prior to his PET scan on Tuesday...don't eat or drink after midnight, don't exercise 24 hours prior to scan, and be there thirty minutes before the appointment...that means that we need to be there by 7:15 in the morning...oh, my...definitely getting up with the birds that morning...of course, going that early usually means that we miss the morning rush hour. We had a light rain this evening besides the few drops that we got this afternoon. Woody said that he didn't get wet on his walk to and from Life Care.

Hear, Ye! Hear, Ye! News from Elijah!

Elijah ran over with mouth open and tooth in hand this morning. He was so excited that he had pulled his tooth...with the pliers!!!!! He said that he asked his dad to pull it with the pliers, but that his dad said that he couldn't get hold of it. It's one of his tiny bottom front teeth. So Elijah said that he pushed the tooth forward and he (Elijah) got hold of it with the pliers and pulled!!!! It makes my stomach sink every time that I think about it! I guess he was trying to show how much braver he is than his sisters! Abigail came over at the same time and showed me that she has a tooth just dangling...but she will not pull it or let anyone else pull it. Last I heard it was still hanging in her mouth. Elijah losing a tooth today changed out sewing project...as he and I hadn't finished his tooth pillow. So...I talked to him and he really wanted it tonight so he said that it was okay for me to go on and finish making it. So, when they get home from church, I will hand it over to him. Then he can put his tooth that he has safely tucked away in a pill bottle into the pocket on the top of his tooth pillow. It has become a tradition that they put the pill bottle containing the tooth in the pocket. We have had trouble in the past making the pocket so the pill bottle will not just pop out...this time I made the pocket out of stretchy knit fabric. I think that it will work. Exciting day for a little six-year-old boy! Let's see what else has happened in our day today...nothing as exciting as Elijah's tooth! Woody walked six miles today. I had school from 8:30 till noon. As soon as Isaac's school time was over, he headed off to do our weekly Krogering with Woody. As soon as I ate a quick bite of lunch, I headed to the church to work in the library for a couple of hours. When I got home, Kathy was pulling into their driveway and Abigail was announcing that her tooth was still hanging on by a thread or two and that was when Elijah and I decided that it would be okay for me to finish his pillow so he could have it for tonight. His mother told him that probably Graham would let him borrow his tooth pillow for this time...but Elijah looked none too thrilled with that suggestion. So I headed home and got to work and tonight's picture shows Elijah's and my joint effort for his special tooth pillow. I wonder if Nathan will think to read Elijah the cute "Tooth Fairy" story that he has written...it's out there as a Kindle app...or at least it has been. I have it downloaded on my iPad...so guess if his daddy doesn't read it tonight, I could read it to him tomorrow...or we could read it together when he comes over to read with me! A little while ago the phone rang and it was our friendly automated call from Vanderbilt reminding of us Woody's appointments next week...it's that time again...been three weeks...and it is the twelve week time so it is time for a PET scan again. His first appointment starts at 7:45 (and, I'm sure that they will call and tell him to be there thirty minutes early)and that is only the first of four appointments that day. It will probably be a pretty long Vandy day by the time he has scans, labs, sees Dr. Sosman, and has his Keytruda infusion.

Oh, What A Beautiful Day!

Here are two photo paintings that I have made with pictures that I took today trying to capture the beautiful blue skies and puffy clouds...and the fact that the leaves are beginning to change. Today started out like a usual Tuesday...school in the morning for me and six munchkins. Graham being in eighth grade has so much reading with his subjects that it seems to be working out better for him not to have time over here. He has also taken on a couple of yards besides his own that he going to try to keep mowed and do other yard maintenance. Yesterday he "ran" into a yellow jacket nest at the yard he was mowing. This is his second run-in with yellow jackets this summer...once when weed eating in his yard and then yesterday in another yard. He may decide that yard work is more of a challenge than he thought! He has survived these two attacks...this time he has a swollen finger that was still giving him some pain this morning. He was back working on the yard this afternoon...hope that he stayed away from any nests and didn't find any new ones. He was able to use Goosey's (Woody's) new leaf blower to help him with some of his yard tasks today. The children were in and out this afternoon as they are painting at their house and different ones helped at different times. They were letting each of them help paint the school room. It was looking good when I stuck my head in earlier today. After lunch, I went to get my hair cut. Woody was in and out today at various times doing yard work. This evening he walked to the prayer room at church and has just returned. All in all it has been a pretty day as well as a pretty busy day!

Blue Sky and Sunshine!

We were all so excited to see the sun shine today. It had been cloudy, overcast and/or rainy for the last seven days. I had my school time with Joseph, Isaac, Joy, Esther, Abigail, and Elijah this morning. Once again the morning just flew by. After lunch Woody took a short walk with Joseph in the stroller. Later Woody walked four miles. After lunch, I filled the bird feeders and waited to see if some would come and partake. Not long after I sat down on the porch glider rocker, this little fellow came. He has some red on his head so I know that he is a male downy woodpecker. I was trying out different settings on my camera. While I was outside Joy, Esther, and Elijah came out and roller bladed...again everyone was so glad to get out in the sunshine. Woody made his red lentil soup again and this time didn't put in the cayenne pepper...it was much more palatable. I'm still a little reserved about loving lentils...they have such a grainy texture...but I will say that this was much better than Woody's first attempt with the recipe when he put all the cayenne pepper in that the recipe called for...I will now put it in with our other tried and true soup recipes. This morning Woody had Bible study with Jeff at the Life Care Center. Woody has also "played" a bit with his new small electric leaf blower. Graham got it out of the box and going for him. Nathan had fixed the electric outlet on our front porch so Woody could use it with an electric blower. This blower has a really long cord so it has a far reach. Woody is hoping that this will be a good tool to especially the acorns (and leaves) off the walkway and the driveway and also blow the leaves off the porch. He has a large leaf blower, but it can be rather cumbersome for these smaller jobs. Maybe we won't break our ankles rolling on acorns as we walk down the walk to the driveway to get into our car...it can be a rather treacherous walk when there are acorns hiding under leaves. And, by the thuds that I keep hearing on our roof, the acorns are definitely starting to fall...at times fast and furiously. "Chicken Little" will be thinking that the sky is falling...a favorite childhood story of mine!

Saturated Saturday!

Today has been saturated both with rain and activities...and with lots of rests (for me)! I woke up this morning after falling asleep last night rather early for me...my glasses were still on, the light was on, my book on my lap, and my iPad on the arm of the chair. I guess I slept rather soundly as I didn't awaken during the night...it was around 7:30 when I woke up. I would have thought that I had gotten caught up a bit on my sleep...but during the day I caught several cat naps and had one long nap in the afternoon. I "think" that the reason that I may be so sleepy lately is that I went back to three neurontin (pills to handle nerve pain). I am prescribed three a day, but over the last months I have just taken two, but with the season change I have been having more of the strange nerve pain that accompanies Transverse Myelitis so started taking the third one. These pills can make one sleepy...at one time I was prescribed four a day and I just couldn't handle that many...I just seemed to "never" wake up...felt like I was just waking up the whole day. My neurologist agreed that was probably what was causing my sleepiness so he cut back to prescribing three...and I seemed to handle three pretty well...I take one in the morning and two before bedtime. I am guessing since I had gotten used to taking just two during the summer when my TM is better (it likes hot weather and weather that isn't constantly changing back and forth), that adding the extra has made me extra sleepy. Anyway, something is making me want/need to take several naps during the day. Woody did his normal Saturday errands this morning...WalMart, fruit and vegetable market, library. Later in the day he walked four miles. It has been a very chilly day...never got out of the 50's so he walked later in the day. It has drizzled and/or misted quite a bit again today. It has been so dreary lately with so much rain...we are ready for a few sunshiny days! The neighbor grandchildren have been in and out today. Isaac came over and played some of the things that he likes to play on my iPad. Elijah came over and we did the machine embroidery for his tooth pillow that he is making during his sewing time with me. So it is now ready to add a pocket for the tooth and then make it into a pillow...I think that we may get it made before that tooth comes out. Esther popped in as soon as their mail arrived as she knew that our mail would be here too. She and Goosey (Woody) went out to retrieve ours and sure enough the package we had been waiting for had arrived. It was a number game to add to the "game" that we gave her for her birthday. Some may have heard of it..."Osmo." It is a game that was invented to be used with an iPad. All the things that can be done with it are really cool...from drawing to tangram puzzles to spelling (letters) and now numbers have been added to it. She had to finish her English for the week before she could play the number game. Her English was about using a "real" dictionary...ummmmmmmm...these lessons took a long time...she said that she doesn't like a dictionary very much! She finally got to come over and had a grand time playing with the new game (a game to make math fun!). We lost track of time because Grammy wasn't wearing her watch so she and Isaac stayed over here a bit longer probably than their parents planned for them to. While we were playing the new game, Goosey (Woody) was downstairs cutting and coring apples for a snack that he is taking for the youth Sunday School in the morning. I am going downstairs to finish up the dip that goes with them...a very yummy snack...better than their usual store bought donuts! Well, I will go back and finish the dip...all the above is the reason that I am getting to the blog a bit late...blame it on a fun new Osmo game...I had fun watching Esther having fun!

Lazy Rainy Friday

This little bird, a female downy woodpecker, played hide and seek with me among the branches of our dogwood tree for quite a while before she got up enough nerve to go feast at the suet cage. This is one of the birds that never came around while Cheryl was visiting. I wonder if there was too much visiting going on on the porch for the downies to come around? Woody walked four miles this morning...a rather chilly, damp walk. It has rained off and on a good part of the day. I hear it on the roof as I type this...just a gentle rain at the moment. I am the one who had the lazy day. I woke up way too early this morning. I did some reading and checking emails, etc. until Woody was up and around. Then I went downstairs and fixed some breakfast. It was rather chilly in the house in the early hours so I found some warm clothes to wear. After breakfast, I decided to watch the latest episode of Project Runway...well, I snuggled in my recliner and covered up with a fleece throw and it wasn't long till I was asleep...guess making up for waking up so early! I slept away a good portion of the morning. Woody headed next door after lunch to take care of the neighbor grandchildren as Nathan and Kathy had an appointment. I did manage to accomplish something while he was over there...I vacuumed all the rooms downstairs. Woody has read, watched some TV and challenged the computer to quite a few Scrabble games. I continue to read my two historical books...one fiction and one nonfiction. I am reading about two periods (James Madison's presidency (nonfiction) and Abraham Lincoln's presidency (fiction)...so it can get a bit confusing at times...trying to remember which period I am reading in! Mostly today I have been reading the one about Lincoln's time period. Neither book is a fast read...wonder if I will be able to get them read before the library's limit of renewals is up.

Go! Cardinals!

Here's little Joseph rooting the Cardinals on last night. Not long after I blogged last night, they did clinch the Central Division Title of the Central League...now for them to just keep their momentum going! Woody walked four miles today. He has also done crossword puzzles and challenged the computer to Scrabble. I had school this morning. After lunch Woody went next door, while Nathan and Kathy had a lunch date. I sat on the front porch for a while. I took several pictures of some birdie visitors...blog photos for another night! I sat there till I got a bit chilly as the temperature seemed to be dropping. I came inside and checked the temperature and it said that it was 57. Kathy had mentioned that they were getting out warmer clothes since it's not supposed to get out of the 50's tomorrow. I just hadn't realized that it was going to be in the 50's around noon today. Not long after I went in it started to rain and not long after that it started to rumble and then rain harder for a while. I hadn't checked very closely on the weather and this storm was a bit of a surprise to me. Woody said later that he hadn't been expecting it either. So I guess cooler temperatures have arrived as we welcome October. (I think that I have turned all my calendars to October.) I just don't know if I am really ready for it to be so late in the year...once the October page is turned to on the calendar, it seems that it is just a blink until it is Thanksgiving and then another blink and the Christmas season is upon us once again...say it isn't so! I can't believe how quickly this year is passing us by.