Mutart's Muse

update

2011-06-15T09:01:00.001-07:00

I guess it has been awhile since I have updated this blog. For the sake of those who don't know where I am, I have re-located to Washington State, Longview to be exact. With Jeremy's orders to move to Fairbanks in October, I decided to return to the Northwest and get out of tornado alley. Longview is a lot like Ketchikan but not quite as much rain but it is green and there are mountains everywhere, something I missed in Oklahoma and Kansas. I have rented a three bedroom house for the time being and have enjoyed having the third bedroom for when people come to visit. While I don't have either Josh or Jeremy in the near vicinity, I do have a niece and nephew here in town and a cousin about 25 miles from here that I visit frequently because he has a place in the country with cows, donkeys and chicken and it is peaceful away from the city. I also have an assortment of other cousins in Oregon that I still have to locate but all in all, I have enjoyed coming back to this area.
I have been attending Calvary Chapel here, although I haven't quite decided if that is where I will finally settle and still have been visiting other churches off and on to find my niche. I keep busy with work as usual but also have been doing quite a bit of quilting and have met a number of new ladies through the local quilt shops. There is a beautiful lake two blocks from my house which provides a wonderful walking, running, biking path, which is very popular and I go workout at Curves three times or more a week as well. I am still actively going geocaching (if you don't know what that is, look it up) and have enjoyed exploring the new and unusual places that it takes me to as well as meeting some local geocachers at meet and greets held in the area. So I manage to keep busy.
Sometimes I wonder why I have been re-located to any given area, but recently I was able to minister to my cousin who had a triple bypass surgery. Folllowing his surgery, they came to stay here for a week so he could relax and recuperate before heading out to the farm. I was able to take care of his dog while he was in the hospital and prepared some meals for them as well. So I am thankful that I have come to this area even though I miss the grandkids like crazy.

Jeremy has been deployed once again, this time to Afghanistan for a year. Lisa is holding down the homefront with the kids in Fairbanks. I am hoping they will be able to come down again perhaps in August for a visit. Josh and Kendrie are still in Memphis and Josh is still flying for Mesaba Airlines. Laila is two and growing up so fast. Very cute too.

So the Mutart family is alive and well

PHISHED

2009-11-27T21:07:00.000-08:00

Well it finally happened. I have been phished. That means someone got into my email or I inadvertantly clicked on something. If any of my friends or relatives receive an email from my hotmail account stating that I am in England or any other country and my wallet has been stolen and I need money, please disregard. IT IS NOT FROM ME. I am at home in Oklahoma trying to recover my address book and other information stored in my folders. I am usually very careful but I guess it proves it can happen to anyone. Above all, please DO NOT SEND MONEY TO WHOMEVER THIS PERSON IS IN ENGLAND OR WHEREVER THEY ARE.

Other than than, I am fine, the family is great and pretty much all is well with the world. Christmas is creeping up on us and I am trying my best to get a jump start. I have four quilts to finish before Christmas and a table runner or two, and jammies for all the kids. Whew! I am tired just thinking about it all. I guess I will be burning the midnight oil.

I would appreciate my friends and family to send me emails so I can re-built my address book just in case I am not able to re-capture the information from hotmail.
My new email is vrmutart@firehousemail.com.

Merry Christmas to you all in case I don't get around to updating again before Christmas.
Veta

UPDATES

2009-07-09T22:16:00.000-07:00

Time flies when you're having fun and so much time has gone by since the last update. Our baby chicks aren't babies anymore. We hope the hens will start laying eggs soon. The roosters are going through puberty or something. They puff out their chests and fluff out their feathers to one another. We have heard they will start fighting so I suppose we will have to make a decision as to which one we will keep and see if we can find a home for the others or they may end up in the soup pot. Our original 20 became 18 as a result of a couple of mishaps, one drowning and one that the dog managed to capture. Then Jeremy acquired 10 more Jersey Giants, but we found out chickens don't handle the heat very well and the older chickens like to pick on the younger ones and keep them away from the food and water source. So we lost 5 all in one day. The rest seem to be doing ok and are holding their own against the teenagers. It's called the pecking order.

It has been quite hot here with some days over 100 degrees. The water is too hot to touch coming out of the hose so we have to let it run before we can even water the garden. Speaking of the garden, we have been picking tomatoes and squash almost daily. We have also had beans, some basil and cucumber. The lastest produce tonight was our very first watermelon. It is in the fridge chilling so we haven't actually sampled it yet. Hope it is good. We are still waiting on cantaloupe, okra, and peppers. The gardening is fun but a lot of work.

I will be visiting K-town again this summer so I am looking forward to taking a little break from the hot weather. I miss the mountains and even that low tide smell sometimes. The sunshine has been nice here but I could go with a little cooler temperatures. The wind always blows as well. Somedays it is kind of creepy with that mournful howling sound.

The latest creature sightings have been turtles. They just seem to want to cross the roads all the time, but for some reason some of them stop in the middle and can't get going again and usually end up.... well as road kill. These are quite large, some the size of large dinner plates.

We have also taken up geocaching. If you don't know what it is, look it up. It is quite
entertaining and the whole family participates. It is the thrill of the hunt more than the actual treasure you might find. Jeremy is official now with his new cap with geo cache logo. I will be looking for the caches in Ketchikan when I go there in a few weeks.

Kyran looks all grown up now with his new permanent teeth taking up the wide gap after loosing his front teeth. Kaylin will soon be four and she is the little princess. Kegan is just enjoying being a little boy and loves playing Indian Jones on the Wii. Both boys played T-ball this year so that was quite entertaining to watch. Kyran's team actually came in second place in the tournament. Laila is 6 months old now and trying to learn how to crawl. Wow, kids grow up so fast.

FARM HAPPENINGS

2009-05-03T21:20:00.000-07:00

The latest news of note is that Jeremy and family are, I believe, officially farmers. They have acquired 20 baby chicks today to be added to the 2 dogs and more recent addition of Cami the cat. Jeremy has been pretty much opposed to having any more animals even though they have 2 1/2 acres for them. That is until today. So guess who is in preparing the little darlings for their new home with water, feed and heat light? Yes sir that would be him. He has even gone back to check on them a couple of times to make sure they were settling in. We haven't got him talked into the goats or donkey yet but you just never know. Are we farmers yet???

Springtime in Oklahoma

2009-04-09T22:12:00.000-07:00

Wow three months go by fast. Well it is spring in Oklahoma. They trees have all leafed out. The daffodils have already bloomed and faded. It would seem that the most notable sign of spring here is the wind. There is rarely a day that passes without the wind. We are not just talking warm gentle breezes here. Oh no, it is more in the neighborhood of 40-50 mile an hour gales. The wind whistles around corners and into cracks. It is no wonder the pioneers moved west. They wanted to get away from the wind. I don't even think we have entered the thunderstorm and tornado season just yet. I believe that comes in a few weeks but we have already had a couple brief thunderstorms and some tornado activity east of here.

The other sure sign of spring here seems to be ticks. It is pretty much a daily routine to check the dogs, the kids and ourselves for the annoying creatures that want to suck our blood. Ok I have even got in on the act by pulling them off or out of the dogs. It is rather gross to say the least. So far, none on me. Thank goodness.

We are all alive and well. Josh and Kendrie were here for a visit and little Laila is now three months old. She is beautiful and we are enjoying her so much.
Jeremy is hard at work as per the usual. He is due to have a surgery done on his chronically sprained ankle. The ligaments are all stretched out and he hopes to get a good result from this procedure so that he can go on more road marches or whatever the Army has planned for him next. Lisa is continuing to homeschool the munchkins. Kyran recently lost his two top front teeth, bring his total loss now to 6. Kegan of course is still waiting for his first loss. Kaylin is just the little princess and trying to keep pace with the boys, although in the running department I think she is faster than the boys.

I am still working daily for the hospital and spending time with the family. When time allows Lisa and I manage to do a little quilting as well. Now that spring I think has finally come, we will also be tending to a garden and enjoying some good tomatoes and other veggies. I recently "adopted" or captured a barn kitty to be compnay for my aging Bitty. It is amazing to see how she has come to life, chasing the little dickens around the house. Little kitty, Patches, was pretty wild for the first week or so but she has settled right in and has turned out to be a very nice addition. There is a whole bunch of cats, all wild that live in the barn down the road from my apartment and I began to feed the little ones once in awhile and one day, when my door was ajar, the little kitty walked in and now she is spoiled and enjoying the good life of three squares a day.
So that is what is going on in our life right now Oklahoma style.

Laila Celine

2009-01-03T19:49:00.000-08:00

I haven't seen this baby in person yet but I can hardly wait. Until then, here is just an appetizer.

Yule Baby

2008-12-23T21:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the world little one. Laila Celine was born today weighing in at 6lb 13oz and 19 1/2 inches long. The proud parents, Kendrie and Josh are doing good and all is well.
It is hard to believe I have five grandchildren and I wish I could be with them all. Children are truly a gift from God and I love each one of these precious children. I feel so blessed. I hope to be able to see her soon.
There always seem to be this issue with having a birthday around Christmas time but what a great time to be born! It is the season for joy and happiness and what better time is there to celebrate the birth of a new baby? After one has waited for nine long months to finally meet this new little person, any time is a good time.

Welcome Laila!

Moving On

2008-11-23T20:50:00.000-08:00

For those who may not know, I have moved from Kansas to Oklahoma (where the wind blows....) Yes it is true. I am finding out that home is where the Army sends you. Now I am not directly in the military but when the family received orders for Fort Sill OK, I saw no real purpose in staying in Kansas, so I moved on with the family.
We are about 5 hours due south of where we lived and things are pretty much the same as in Kansas, flat. There are some "mountains" not too far away called the Witchita Mountains, but of course not mountains in the strictest sense of the word. We have chosen to live in a small community outside the city called Fletcher, once home of Frank James (that would be Jesse James' brother). There are a number of churches and businesses, school, a gas station/quick mart, a bank and post office. Four miles away is another small town, Elgin in which there are even more shopping opportunities including a grocery store. We still go to the city for most shopping but at least one doesn't have to run all the way in for a gallon of milk. For the most part, I usually go in on Saturdays to attend garage sales and do any shopping or meandering.
As of late, in our search for a new church, we have also been driving in on Sunday to attend a church called Dayspring. It is fairly new, I think around 10 years old or so, and has contemporary worship and a pretty good kids program. This Sunday was our third Sunday so it may be a go. We have attended another church in Fletcher but it didn't really offer all that we wanted in a church although we have continued to attend on Wednesday night for now.
It is always a little difficult for me to move to a new community and church. Meeting new people has never been my strong point. My days are mostly spent with work followed by spending the evening with the kids. Not too exciting but ok. We are actually closer here to Josh and Kendrie in Memphis so that is nice. They have been over once and I have gone there once as well. It does appear with a new baby coming in December, that I may be going to Memphis more frequently. Love those grandbabies.
Jeremy and Lisa bought a house three miles down the road in the "country" with about 2.5 acreas. It is a lot of room for the dogs and kids. I keep teasing Jeremy that he needs to get a little petting zoo going with some goats and minature donkeys. Well who knows. Stranger things have happened. I am living in a four-plex apartment which is a change for me but I am adjusting. Again, living in Oklahoma means less rain by a mile. In fact it seems we may get one rainy day a month so far. It is now cool in the mornings but warms up to around the 60 degree mark, making it quite pleasant during the day. The downfall is that the wind blows most days so forget any kind of hairdo, kind of like Ketchikan in a way.
Well, that pretty much sums up my life since August. We miss our church in Junction City and the people there and now we find ourselves in a new place with new faces starting all over again. I guess there is something to be said for fresh starts and when I get it all figured out, maybe I could write a book.

Missed Connections

2008-08-29T19:04:00.000-07:00

On my recent trip to Ketchikan, I had quite an interesting time. A series of "missed connections". My airport shuttle to Kansas City was uneventful but it went downhill from there. We boarded the plane bound for Chicago on time, only to find out that the radar was down in Chicago so we waited. While my connections were not terribly close, losing time, even minutes, can change everything. We finally departed and arrived in Chicago, even later and I missed my flight by a mere couple of minutes. I mean the plane was still at the gate but they had closed the flight, meaning, they filled all the seats. I was told to go to rebooking a couple of aisles over. If you are familiar with Chicago airport, the distance is quite long. After talking with the agent my choices were to wait until the following morning for the next Alaska Airline flight or book on American for a flight that left in three hours to Seattle. Well, of course I opted for the earlier flight. While waiting I chatted with a family (turns out the father is a Nazarene Paster from Seattle) and they were just returning from a missions trip in Russia. In the course of the conversation, a few names were dropped and to my surprise, they knew our pastor's (in Junction City) father who lives in Denver. Wow! Small world.
I arrived in Seattle very late and surprisingly, so did my checked bag. I tried to find a cheap hotel for a few hours of sleep and found no rooms at the inns. In desperation, I called one more only to find out on arrival that the rooms were $135 a night for a single. Too rich for my blood, seeing as I was only going to be there for about 5 to 6 hours so I started to leave and a young woman with a three year old daughter approached my and asked if I would be willing to split a room. Now let me say that I have never done anything like that in my entire life but at 2:30 in the morning my time, I threw caution to the wind and agreed. It turns out she grew up in Sitka. We got a room with two queen beds and basically dropped because we were so tired.
The next morning, or I should say later in the morning, we had continental breakfast together and went our separate ways.
I rented a car and drove to Portland and surprised my sister with a visit. She had no idea I was coming and it turned out to be a pleasant day and I was also able to see my nephew as well. I then drove to Washington and spent Friday night and all day Saturday with my cousin out on his little farm. He has 5 miniature donkeys, one a brand new baby that was sooooo cute, nine cows and some chickens. It was a great visit and I left Sunday morning to finish my trip to Ketchikan which went smoothly.
There is a second chapter to this little tale but I will save it for later. The trip home was also a series of missed connections.
Now onward to Oklahoma!!

On the move again

2008-07-23T07:34:00.000-07:00

Well, the Mutart family in "on the move again".
Jeremy finally received his orders and it "appears" that our get out of town date is September 1st. Wow! This is all great except that I am leaving for K town and will be gone for three weeks during which time the Army movers come to pack and load. I am running around like a wild banshee trying to pack my house in order to have it done before I leave tomorrow in addition to attempting to put in an eight hour work day. If that were not enough, it is hot, hot, hot and no one really wants to work. We would rather be at the pool cooling off. My house has no air conditioning except for a window cooler which does keep my bedroom/office comfortable, but hardly does anything for the rest of the house. Jeremy comes in last night to take a load of boxes to his garage and he exclaimed, "Mom it is hotter than blazes in here". Well duh!!! I live and work here everyday. I guess I have adjusted as I don't seem to notice it as much. I hear Oklahoma is a tad warmer than here so we will see how we adjust.

Other Mutart news reports that Josh and Kendrie are having a girl! The ultrasound lady said she hasn't been wrong in thirty years so I guess I will have to believe her. We are excited of course. It looks like I will be doing a little more traveling. Thank goodness Tennessee is a little closer to Oklahoma than Kansas.

I must get back to work so I will have time to pack my bags for Ktown as well as a few more boxes.

Updates

2008-06-22T13:59:00.000-07:00

My how time flies when you are busy! We just finished Vacation Bible School. A week of craziness for sure. I took on the task of crafts which is always a bit of a challenge to come up with things that are appropriate for all ages when the groups are mixed. I had six great helpers which was wonderful and made the job so much easier. We finished Saturday with a big bash, hot dogs, salads, chips and of course lots of water. The church has a nice hill in the back which makes for a great water slide when water and a little soap are added. There were also lots of water balloons and when those ran out, everyone resorted to just buckets and yes I got a bucket on me too. Thank you Jeremy. A good time was had by all but I am so glad it is done for another year.
I am just working, spending time with the kids and helping with the gardening. The gardens is growing and we have already harvested our first zucchini of the season with more to come. The tomatoes are coming on and will be ripe soon. The cucumber plants are looking great with many babies. We also tried broccoli this year and have had one head already with another soon to be cut. The fresh lettuce and veggies are so good. We harvested quite a few strawberries as well from all the plants we put in last year.
The weather has been pretty warm as of late with a number of severe thunder storms. We actually had a tornado that touched down in a small town not far from here and it destroyed about 65% of the buildings and homes. There is a lot of cleanup going on there and in fact our Bible School offering is going to help in that community. It is a town of about 1300, just a bit larger than our own community and quite a few people from our church know people there and even some people from there, attend our church so it is for a good cause.
In late May, we took a week vacation to Branson MO which is in the Ozark Mountains (hills for those of us who know mountains). It is a town with lots of touristy stuff, entertainment, shows, theme parks, water parks etc. We had a nice time with miniature golfing, go carts, the waterpark and a theme park, a little fishing, pedal boats and swimming. Josh and Kendrie came and joined us for about three of the days so it was nice to all get together. Last weekend, we went camping at a state campground a few miles down the lake. It was nice. Very pleasant weather, and the kids played in the lake and Jeremy fished. We cooked over the fire and ate smores. The bugs were bad and in spite of spraying we still managed to get bitten. I can tell you from personal experience, you don't want chigger bites. If you don't know what they are look them up. Painful I say and very itchy. We still plan to do some more camping this summer and hope to actually get out on the lake.
Well that should be enough for now. The move to Oklahoma is....I don't know when. I will be in K town in July for three weeks to cover a co-worker's vacation so hope to see some Ktowners while there.

SPRING

2008-03-28T11:51:00.000-07:00

Spring in Kansas?? Well it hasn't quite arrived yet. We have had a few days when we were teased by the seemingly arrival of the allusive spring type weather, but no, the cold wind blows in from the north and it chills us to the bone. We actually had a day when it was 70 degrees but then we have days like yesterday when it was supposed to get to 45 degrees and the wind came and it was like 20 degrees. The kids are trying to play soccer but I have to say they looked a little funny running up and down the field with puffy winter coats, wool hats and mittens. The parents were all standing around with hoods pulled up trying to keep warm. Needless to say, practice was only 30 minutes.
There are the usual signs of spring, like trees starting to bud, tulips pushing up from the ground, the green returning to the grass and birds chirping in the trees. There are the not quite so obvious signs such as the pelicans are back and there is more road kill in the form of nocturnal creatures who were too slow to cross the roads, possibly from their winter slumber and the return of thunder and lightning. Tis the season. All of the signs of spring are here, but the weather is just not cooperating. I long to be warm and not have to sit at my desk with a sweatshirt on and a blanket wrapped around my legs to keep the chill off. The days of flip flops and shorts and the warm morning sun as I sit and sip a cup of coffee. I suppose spring will come eventually, followed by the hot days of summer and then I will be saying it is too hot but for now I just want to be warm. Beside we have little plants that are just waiting to be planted in our garden and kids that want to ride their bikes for longer than 10 minutes. Enough of winter already!!

UPDATES

2008-02-20T14:54:00.000-08:00

I realized I have not given any updates of late. So much is going on and we are constantly on the move.
Weather - It is still cold in Kansas. Although the temperatures are cold, we have been blessed with many sunny days and little rain here and there and some snow sprinkled in for interest. The wind that blows across the plains feels like it is straight out of the Arctic. It brings the wind chill factor down to the minus degrees. The weatherman last night on the news informed us that we might want to think about going to Alaska as it was warmer than it is here. Who knew??

Kids - Busier than ever of course. Playing outside is at a minimum with short bursts of 10 minutes or so. They are growing like crazy. Kaylin is almost potty trained and talking up a storm. She seems to like to sing and is nuts about Dora. Kegan is a sweety pie most of the time. I just love his smile with his little dimples. Kyran is busy planning everything and loves doing art projects. It is time for daddy to come home so he can instruct in the more "manly" things.

Jeremy- It is getting close to when Jeremy will be home. It is looking like around the 6th of April now. Of course nothing is in concrete but at least we have a tentative date. We are all excited.

Move - Some may know by now that Jeremy has orders to move to Fort Sill Oklahoma. Yes that is where the wind blows ...... I can't remember the rest of the words. That will probably be at the end of summer or early fall. Am I going? Well what else do I have to do?? I am hoping to get back to the west at some point as I think we all are hoping but for now I may have to find contentment in Tornado Alley.

Josh and Kendrie - They are getting ready to move to Memphis around the 1st of March. He has been commuting from Mississippi and it is a little rough. It will be closer to us when we all move. He has been flying and also sitting on reserve which is not too fun but eventually he will be doing more flying than sitting.

Lisa - Has taken on child care for three other kids, all pre-school age. It is a challenge but I think she is doing a good job with them and they never seem to want to go home. She also had her wisdom teeth pulled and came through that quite nicely.

So between church activities, keeping track of kids and working we have passed the time and Jeremy's deployment seems to have gone fairly quickly. We passed the one year mark on February 9th.
That is about the long and the short of the last month or so.

The nights the lights went out

2007-12-16T14:47:00.000-08:00

By now, I am sure most of you have heard about the ice storm that hit the mid-west, and yes we were in the midst of it all. I am used to storms. You know the usual, high winds and lots of sideways rain with the electricity also going out at times. This storm was a little different. The temperature was down around 20 degrees or so and then it rained. There was no wind just cold temps and rain. I awoke on Tuesday morning to a winter wonderland of clear ice. It covered virtually every tree limb out to each small twig, every blade of grass, bush, electrical wires, even my car looked like a giant ice cube. As I stepped outside to take in the view I heard the sound of crashing limbs all around. It was the proverbial bowl of Rice Krispies, snap, crackle, pop. The area looked like a battle zone with tree limbs broken and laying everywhere. Limbs that had not yet broken were either touching the ground or draped over wires. Standing beneath any kind of tree would not have been adviseable with the liklihood of a branch tumbling down. The power was out of course but little did we know we would be without power for the next four days.
The good news about all of this is that we were able to practice our indoor camping skills. It was a test to see how prepared we were in the event of any emergency. I think we fared better than some in that we had a propane camp stove, two oil lamps, candles and flashlights. Jeremy and Lisa's house surprisingly stayed fairly comfortable heat wise. We donned extra socks and sweatshirts and were ok. We took perishable items such as the milk and placed it outside the back door as it was colder outside than in the refrigerator on a normal day. The other piece of good news was that our hot water tanks are gas so we had water and a good hot shower on any day is a good thing even if getting out makes one take great haste to get dressed. We went to a neighboring town and found a Walmart open so we hung out there for a couple of hours. Some church folks invited us over in the evening to share pizza, movies (their power was still on), and conversation with other people also without power. So all in all, we survived pretty well. Lisa's power came on Thursday night and mine came on sometime on Friday afternoon.
There are scattered people still without power but the crews from this area and from neighboring states have been working hard at restoring lines and getting our lives back to normal. And if there were not enough, it snowed Friday night and now we truly have a winter wonderland with about four inches of white fluff to top off the ice. So that was our week, how was yours??

Mutart's Muse: Flying High

2007-11-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Mutart's Muse: Flying High

Flying High

2007-11-02T09:25:00.000-07:00

For those of you who might be interested... Josh is finally flying for real. He was hired by Mesaba Airlines after completing 1,000 hours of flying time at Pan Am flight school in Phoenix. Mesaba is a commuter for Northwest based in Memphis Tennessee where he will be moving before long.
This is the kid who never wanted to study in high school and just barely managed to graduate by the skin of his teeth. This is the kid, who since about age 2, packed around some kind of airplane, talked about planes and worked for local float plane companies just so he could be around them. He has had to study very hard for exams, instructed Chinese and Korean students (good for communication skills) and has spent many hours in a simulator, but it has all paid off in the end. As of this week, he is officially a first officer for this airplane, a Saab 340. And no, I don't know much about airlplanes so I couldn't even venture to tell anyone about this plane except that it is a 35 passenger. Our family is very proud of what he has accomplished which just goes to show that diligence and hard work do pay off. Congratulations Joshua!!

Growing up Part Two

2007-09-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

As a follow up to part one of Growing Up, I would add that there are some definite disadvantages to the girl being the youngest in the family especially followed by two boys. They other day I rounded the side of the garage to find Kegan with his pants to his knees going potty in the grass. Standing beside him was Kaylin with her pullup down to her knees proudly announcing "I go potty". What do you say? I certainly do not want to encourage them but I have to say, it was hard not to laugh. You gotta love them.

Growing up

2007-09-01T22:42:00.000-07:00

This goes into the category of "kids do the darndest things" and "I wish I had had a camera". I often pause to wonder what kids think at times and how their little minds work. This will have to be one of those mental images because there are no pictures to go with this tale. My daughter-in-law takes child number two shopping at the commissary at the base the other day. He announces he needs to go potty. Being the grown up boy that he is at the ripe age of three, he decides to venture into the world of the men's bathroom. After a period of time the child announces that he has gone "poop". Mom sends son number one in to help. Now we all know that in the women's restrooms there are only the stalls with a normal looking toilet. However, in the men's room there are generally urinals and toilets. Please keep in mind that daddy is in Iraq and has not had the opportunity to explain the uses of these devices to his sons. A man comes out and sees mom and this child and proceeds to tell her that the boy has somehow managed to do his number two business in the urinal. Even now as I write this, the mere visual image almost sends me into hysterical laughter. We cannot quite figure out how he managed to get up on the urinal, much less sit there long enough to do his business. . I am quite sure that at least a couple of people had their chuckle for the day with this one and so I thought I would share a little piece of our day in the life of a three year old with you so that it may bring a smile to your face as well. Who but a child in their simplistic thinking would come up with a new way to use a funny looking toilet.? I don't know about you, but it sure made me laugh.

Tomatoes, tomatas, tomaters

2007-08-17T06:27:00.000-07:00

I realized I haven't written anything as of late. We have been a wee bit busy. It's this garden thing. Now we are into tomatoes. Note the spelling on the title. I have heard all of the pronunciations for this vegetable, well actually fruit. Tomatoes are fruits you know. At any rate, we have many. A gentleman down the street starts tomatoes and peppers as kind of a little hobby in the greenhouse which he has along side of his home, complete with a rain water collection system. They are the best plants, very healthy. We started 8 plants, a couple of plum, grape, beef, jet star, and celebrity. The little grape tomatoes came on in clusters and then not far behind were the plums and now we have the beef and all the rest. Awesome! We pick a nice bowl full almost every day now. We have had cucumber and tomato salads and sandwiches, eat them plain and grilled. Well you get the picture. Yesterday it was decided that there were way too many and so we made the decision to make some salsa or picante sauce. Our task has been accomplished. We now how 8 pints of beautiful salsa or picante sauce. What's the difference anyway?? I feel we may need to find something else to make as we have a number of those beefy tomatoes almost ripe. Our bushes are heavy laden and our bowls overflow. There is nothing better than fresh, off the bush tomatoes.
So to sum this up, there are a growing number of bags of zucchini in various forms in the freezer, the blackberry jam is already dwindling in number (it is fabulous on toast) and now we have salsa. I think corn is next on the agenda. It is cheap right now so I think we must put some in freezer. There is a variety called peaches and cream that is absolutely the best. Who knows, maybe I'll take up farming haha.

Zuchinni Anyone?

2007-07-04T21:09:00.001-07:00

This is just a few of the zucchini we have harvested in the past couple of weeks. One day they looks so small and in a matter of two days leaving them on, they tremendously increase in size.

We have harvested everything that was of any size at all and it has either been grilled, shredded or sliced and in the freezer. Now we are waiting for the next onslaught of zucchini which shouldn't be to far in the future. We only have three plants. Can you image what would have happened if we had planted more?

TRUTH

2007-07-04T10:13:00.000-07:00

It's true what they say about zucchini. It truly does multiply overnight. Not only does it multiply in numbers but it also increases in size. We have had some truly wonderful zucchini, large in size and large in numbers. With one zucchini, we shredded about 6 to 7 cups of zucchini (most recipes call for 2 to 3 cups). We are getting very creative with different ways to cook them. Our latest favorite is called a "Mock Apple Pie". I would not have believed it had I not tasted the final product, but you would have a hard time believing it was not apples. We found the recipe online among many, by the way. Peeled, cored and sliced in a bag, it looks like Granny Smith apples. When cooked with your cinnamon, sugar and other apple pie additives, it looks and tastes and has the consistency of apples. My favorite rhubarb crisp recipe is now being used to make "Mock" Apple Crisp and we are going to feed our friends today. So all of you out there who don't particularly care for zucchini, don't knock it 'til you've tried it. Delish!!!
The plum tomatoes are ripening and they are very tasty. The greatest thrill though for me, is the pumpkin patch. It is overflowing into the yard with numerous pumpkin babies but the prize, the first pumpkin, is now starting to turn orange. It is a thing of beauty. We have successfully grown a pumpkin from seed and it looks fabulous. Can hardly wait for the first pumpkin pie.
What do the kids think of all our efforts? Well they think it is pretty cool but they would rather go looking for bugs. The roly poly is the favorite. Kyran now has a little net and you will often find him somewhere in the yard, net in hand, trying to catch butterflies and moths or turning over the downspout blocks looking for bugs. Both boys are expert bug catchers and Kaylin is very excited over every find. They are also very busy finding other things to get into as well. The minute your back is turned, they have found a new use for some product. The lastest escapade was pouring juice and iced tea on the patio to make it "slippery to slide on". The other day it was peat moss all over the driveway. Who thinks of this stuff?

Veggie Tales

2007-06-12T23:05:00.000-07:00

I have been feeling a little guilty today for bragging on our gardening efforts and results. I did not set out to make anyone feel bad, especially our friends in Alaska who work really hard in their gardens combating constant drizzle and hungry slugs. In all my wildest dreams, I never pictured myself living in Kansas but that is exactly where I find myself so I was determined to try and make the best of missing the mountains and good ole' salt air and plant a garden. The one thing I totally desired to grow was a pumpkin. It is something that takes some good weather and a longer growing season and I have never grown one before in my life. The three pumpkin plants that looked so very small in the big space I planted them, have now completely filled the area and then some. It was so exciting the day I saw the first baby pumpkin on the vine. We shall see how successful this venture is if even one reaches maturity. The rest of the veggies are just the bonuses. We have harvested two beautiful zucchini this week with more not far behind. We also have three cucumbers that are just days away from being perfect and the fresh lettuce has been a real treat. Tomatoes are now hanging in clusters, still green, but looking great and guess what? Not a slug in sight. Gee, it's only June. Lest anyone think we have it easy, you should know that we had some torrential rain that ripped the leaves of the poor plants to shreds and we have planted carrots twice and both times the seeds seem to have been washed away, but we have remained strong in our resolve to have some fresh veggies. We miss our Army guy a lot and that is our lemons and when life gives you lemons, you get to make lemonade. Our garden is our lemonade, something to occupy our mind and keep us busy until he gets home. Next summer we will make a farmer out of him too. So good growing all you farmer type people and enjoy those veggies.

First Fruits

2007-06-02T20:33:00.000-07:00

Ok people, check out the first fruits of our labor.
Yes they are radishes! Neither heavy rain, hail, nor blazing sun shall keep our radishes from growing and we have had them all.

The kids were very excited to actually see something come out of the ground after watching the little plants get bigger and bigger. It's going to taste yummy on our next salad.

We also have baby zucchini, plum tomatoes and today we saw our first baby cucumber. The heavy rain we had while back shuffled our seeds around and we had radishes come up in three different spots, and we still have not seen any sign of a carrot. Some of the peas came up but we have since replanted the vacant spots and I will try one more time with the carrots and hope they don't drown with another downpour. Whoever said it doesn't rain in Kansas, has not seen it rain in Kansas and has not seen our lake which has flowed over it's boundaries into the campground.

Yard Sale Mania

2007-05-26T13:07:00.001-07:00

This post is for those serious garage and yard salers. You are not a truly accomplished garage/yard sale person until you do a city wide sale. Let me tell you, it is an experience beyond description.
Of course everyone wants to get to each garage sale as early as possible so as not to miss any really great stuff they can't live without. However, when you are attempting to hit 40 to 50 of them in the space of a morning you just have to start somewhere and move as quickly as possible. In our small town, it is simply a matter of deciding where you want to start and drive from street to street. While there is a map to follow, you find that it is not accurate. There are those folks who, for whatever reason, have decided not to have their name or number put on the map and take the chance by just putting their "goodies" out, knowing that if you are driving down the street, and you will, that you will stop. Treasures abound for sure. We witnessed antique everything, the likes of which I have never seen in any one place at one time. People drive miles to come and try to find that perfect item. I believe you could have found just about anything your heart desired. This was the big sale of the year and is always well attended by hundreds.
Some people were very organized, having all of their items neatly arranged, catagorized and individually priced, and others, well let's say, it was a basic free for all, make me an offer, kind of deal. Most were somewhere in between, meaning it has a price but nothing is set in stone. A few places even were selling hot dogs, hamburgers and cold beverages. A lesson we learned here was that if you want to eat, don't wait too long. Every place we went to find that hot dog, was sold out by noon.
What great things did we find you ask? Well some great clothes and toys for the kids, canning jars for our produce efforts later this summer, a great little kitchen table for me, some cabinets for toys, Christmas village pieces, little bottles for a craft project, an antigue treadle sewing machine and a few other odd and ends.
By one o'clock we were exhausted and called it a day. We missed a few sales but I do believe we were able to visit the vast majority. So until next year our visits to yard sales will probably be limited to 10 or less at any one time. We have truly entered the realm of the serious garage sale junkies.

Babies

2007-05-18T21:50:00.000-07:00

We are the proud parents of some new babies. No not exactly the cute, cuddly, pinch their little cheeks kind. No no. We have veggie babies. Ok eat your hearts out Ketchikanians. It is May 18th and we have baby zucchinis, tomatoes, strawberries and lettuce. The amazing thing is that I have not had to fight the slugs for them either. The pumpkin plants are looking fabulous as well as the peppers. Some of our seeds were a little displaced a couple of weeks ago with our huge storm but some survived. Other things like the garlic and onions were a little displaced but are also coming along. We are excited about our gardening efforts. I can't say as I have ever grown a pumpkin in my life so the prospect is kind of like expecting a baby I suppose. We will keep you updated on the "nursery" here.
The real kids are growing like little weeds as well. Kyran recovered from his surgery beautifully and seems to be healthy and his eyes seems to sparkle more than before. He loves to help water plants and he like to cook. Kegan is "happy go lucky" and marches to his own beat. Kaylin is losing the baby look and turning into a little girl. She loves to sing happy birthday but she only knows the one line so far. They all love the water and play in their little pool often on our hot days. They also like to play with bugs and try to catch butterflies. Of course we are all missing the Army guy but we try to keep order as best we can. We manage to keep busy without any trouble. Oh and by the way, the mosquitoes are terrible down here and we get dive bombed by June bugs if you leave the porch light on. I guess you take the good with the bad as it is any place you live.

Thunder

2007-05-06T19:37:00.000-07:00

Tornado season is officially upon us. When the weatherman says "severe thunderstorm warning", they don't mess around and you better pay attention. After an entire day of warm temperature close to 80 degrees and high winds, the thunder and lightning final hit last night. My experience with thunderstorms has usually been quick, hard rain, thunder and lightning, with a duration of 20 to 30 minutes and not usually more than an hour in length. Well I have to say things are different in Kansas as have been many other things. Last night, we had an all nighter. That is absolutely no stretch. I believe it begain around 8 pm and I was still hearing thunder at around 5:30 this morning. This was not the mild gentle rolls followed by a few streaks of lightning mind you. This was house rattling, entire sky lighting stuff. As if that wasn't enough, tonight on the way home from church, we encounter a huge, almost black cloud in the direction we were driving. The rain came down and in a matter of a few moments we were in a rain storm so hard, we literally could not see the road and could only barely make out the white side line. After a brief pause to decide if we should just sit and wait it out, we chose to make a run for it and made it home safely. A tornado did touch down on Friday and again on Saturday in the same town, which caused a lot of distruction and some loss of life so it is serious business, even though we sometimes laugh and joke about being in Kansas. Our little garden that we planted last week, looked like a puddle so we hope it all survives. So for now, we are all tucked in for the night safe and sound.

More Learnings

2007-04-08T12:32:00.001-07:00

1. Riding lawnmowers are a form of transportation, faster than horses, slower than cars.
People here have lawns the size of pastures. In order to mow them in less than a week, one
needs a riding lawnmower. They also can get you from point A to B in a fairly short time and
I don't think you have to have a driver's license. I could see some kid having a booming
business going from place to place mowing lawns. The mowers here are kind of like ATV's in
other places only they actually do serve a useful purpose.

2. Winter is not necessarily over even when you have days in the 80's. Case in point, we just
experienced some new record lows of 15- 18 degrees with wind chill of hmmm, well very
cold.

3. There are some serious RV camper type folks that start camping early. The park by our lake
is already starting to fill up. I would guess there are roughly 30 RV's of various sizes and
shapes already staked out.

4. Kansas needs more coffee shops.

Discourse from babes

2007-03-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

Who knew that a mere passing of a policeman disbursing a ticket to some wayward driver could inspire a 15 minute discourse? Driving home from Family Night at church we see the familiar red and blue lights in the midst of confronting the offending driver. We got the usual "why did the policeman stop that car?" To which we dutifully replied "because he was probably driving too fast and that is his job". In the minds of children, the simple answer is just not enough. How do you convince the 3 and 4 year olds that the car lights behind us are not those of a policeman after us? We got "mommy are you driving too fast and is that policeman going to catch us. The entire 15 miles ride was filled with questions and discussion about policeman giving tickets. Can you imagine our relief when the car behind us turned off? The boys were finally convinced that we weren't going to be pulled off to the side of the road for speeding.
We have had a number of deep theological discussions with Kyran about God with all of the usual why this and thats. He is a deep thinker. Perhaps he will be a preacher some day or at least a negotiator. That boy can talk your socks off.
Today's discussion centered around the Last Supper and Communion. We got the whole version Kyran style including someone getting his ear cut off. When we told him that Peter was involved with the incident, he quickly asked "Peter Pan?". What is left to say??

Wildlife

2007-03-26T21:40:00.000-07:00

Ok so I know it's not Alaskan big game, but there is wildlife in Kansas. So far since arriving here, I have seen numerous small four legged varieties such as raccoons, opossums, and skunks, some unidentifiables and three deer. I confess, the above mentioned are hmm.... roadkill but wildlife nonetheless. I don't believe there has been a day that I have driven to town and have not seen some kind of poor creature on or about the highway. So far the only living creatures I have seen were four deer bounding across a lawn just off of the highway. They were large deer by the way. I know there are skunks not far away as their pungent odor is often in the air and I am not to anxious about having any encounters with the little striped critters. One thing that I found a little surprising is that there are pelicans here on our little lake. I wasn't quite sure about it until one flew quite close over my car while I was driving. Pelicans for sure. How far are we away from the nearest ocean? Well I guess that just goes to prove God has a sense of humor or He wants to make it seem like I am close to the ocean. Who knew I would go to Kansas and see pelicans??

The Greening

2007-03-18T19:05:00.000-07:00

Ok so March came roaring in like a lion. I am pleased to announce that I believe winter is officially over. While it is still a bit chilly on some nights, the days have been wonderful. The other day it was actually around 70 degrees. Yes folks, read it and weep. I have planted strawberries and we are getting excited to plant the already started watermelon, pumpkins, cantalope and other veggies. Some are outgrowing their little pots and want to be put into the ground. In the past week while driving to town, we have noticed the fields are turning green. I always thought of Kansas as a little barren and definitely brown. However, in this area, there to be a fair amount of farming and hay growing. So I was wrong at least for now. Perhaps by the end of summer, things will be various shades of tan and brown but for now, the green of spring is coming forth. People have started working in their yards and raking up all the leaves from fall. (Great mulch by the way). So spring has sprung and the sun in warm upon our faces. Have I mentioned that I don't miss all of the rain??

Weather

2007-03-01T05:55:00.000-08:00

Upon looking outside this morning, all I can say is ugh! We have had beautiful weather this week, warm, spring-like, you know the kind everyone wishes they had at this time of year. I was out raking out leaves from flower beds, planting some strawberries and just enjoying the sun. Last evening we had a wonderful lightning show, the kind that usually comes with the hot weather in this part of the world. This morning however, we wake up to the sound of snow plows and look out on a winter wonderland. Do I have to say this does not exactly make my day? Talk about drastic changes in temperatures! Yesterday we were out in shirt sleeves and today we are in our woolies! Ahh such is life on the plains.

2007-02-23T18:48:00.000-08:00

Deployment Day February 9th, 2007

In sickness and in health

2007-02-16T16:31:00.000-08:00

No it's not a marriage but it is a committment. A promise to lend aid, comfort and support to a family while daddy is away. I suppose it is a marriage of sorts and the vows certainly apply. This first week has been a test, of that I am sure. I remember a time when I had car problems and didn't know if I would arrive to and from work or home on a daily basis. When you are a single parent, there isn't always someone there to "rescue" you in times of need. So our week was off to a great start when the van began having a brake problem. We escorted it to the shop and loaded us all up in my car, which is a bit on the small side when it comes to children's car seats. But the little sardines managed and we were none the worse for the wear. Wednesday found us unexpectedly having to go to the emergency room, always a parents nightmare. Little Kaylin had a febrile seizure. We discovered the measure of God's grace to us in the form of our new pastor and his wife. What a treasure! The customary follow up visit yielded strep throat results and now it appears that Kyran may follow suit and another visit to the ER may be in order. Well, life is never dull when little kids are involved for sure. So here I am, in sickness and in health trying to give moral support and hoping to maintain my own health among the munchkins.
Perhaps another challenge is in order to all of you who are blessed to have a spouse. Be conscious of those single parents or other folks who may not have that additional support in the form of a spouse or other family member to help out. Some people find it difficult to ask for help and struggle along on their own. Look for opportunities and don't be afraid to "butt" in sometimes because chances are that person really needs help but doesn't know how or is afraid to ask. I personally have been in that position and now am surrounded by many military wives who have husbands that are gone for a year. It is amazing how many things can go haywire in a home or car and can overwhelm someone who is already up to their neck in other issues. Be aware people!

Precious Moments

2007-02-03T21:09:00.000-08:00

I have a small collection of Precious Moments figurines but most of the ones I have, has a particular significance in my life. In other words it was given to me by someone special or I purchased it because it had some particular meaning for me. While I enjoy my collection there are precious moments that are much more important and that is being with family. With Jeremy's soon departure to Iraq, I have come to value each minute as especially precious. A year in broad terms does not seem like much but when you have to go through that 365 days moment by moment, hour by hour while someone you love is far away in a dangerous place, it can be excruciatingly long. So I challenge each one to take time today and go tell your husband or wife, brother, sister, aunts, uncles, cousins, mothers and fathers, how much you love them. And if some rifts have come between you over time, make this the time to mend a few fences. We have been dreading when Jeremy has to leave and yet we want to enjoy this week as much as we can so we are squeezing every minute out of every day. I hope you will all do the same with all of your families. Never take them for granted. Treasure your precious moments. If there are days when you seem to tire of each other or get a little short tempered with your kids, your spouses or just family in general, pause and think what it would be like not to have them around for a year and remember to say a little prayer for three little kids who are missing their daddy and a wife who now must assume multiple roles, and for another mom who just wants her kids to be safe.

Lessons

2007-01-27T05:48:00.000-08:00

Ten things I have learned since being in Kansas:
1 Contrary to popular belief, Walmarts are not all the same.
2 Unlike some metropolitan areas that sort of merge together, when traveling from one
community to another, there is not much in between. In other words, you know where one
one town ends and the other begins
3. Kansas is pretty flat, only rolling bumps
4. Tractors are a hot commodity and you can plow streets with them
5. You can have more than 7 days in a row with sunshine
6. Traveling with kids is always an adventure and never dull.
a. DVD players built into cars is a good thing
b. never forget the kids juice/water cups/snacks
c. practice up on all the kid songs that you know from your childhood
d. some kids are good travelers, others not so good even on short runs
e. always be prepared for the why questions, practice lots of patience
f. it is a good idea to always have an extra set of clothes for the kids, stuff happens
well anyway, you get the picture
7. Town meetings are announced with the tornado warning siren. Don't be late
8. Water towers are everywhere, you know the big tall ones you always saw in pictures
9 You can play in the snow without getting soaked
10. Coffee shops are not on every corner. I know now where there are three, one in
Junction City and one in Manhattan and one on the base. None of them is a Starbucks. Go
figure. I have come to really appreciate a latte when I get one.

After the storm

2007-01-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

It is now several days following our snow storm and it is beautiful. The snow is still on the ground, the sky is blue. the sun is shining and the daytime temperature has been in the upper thirties to slowly melt the snow as it should. Sorry Ketchikanians for your grey dismal weather. There are areas where there has been nothing to disturb the snow and it is glistening in the brightness of the sun as it lays like a soft blanket over the earth. There were times on those rare sunny days in Ketchikan that I felt like a mole who had not seen the light of day for weeks. I was out walking today with the dog and thinking this was all just for me. Now don't get me wrong folks, I love Alaska and it will always be a part of me but I have to say that days like today make me forget that there aren't any mountains here. The sky goes on forever and there is nothing to block the view. I hope I will still be saying these words come July or August when the ground is dry and parched and the wind is blowing and I can't see for all of the dust and the grit that is in my contact lenses. But for today and I will take one day at a time, the snow is fabulous and it looks like it may be here for a little longer. I once said, I don't know why anyone would live in Kansas and look at me now. I guess God has a sense of humor and He wants me to eat my words or something. As I learned when I first moved to Alaska, you have to take the good with the bad and maybe this is the good for Kansas. So while some of you folks don your yellow slickers and your Ketchikan sneakers, just think of me while I don my sunglasses to shade my eyes from the glaring sun and run out to make snow angels in the "dry" snow.

Snow

2007-01-20T22:06:00.000-08:00

Lest anyone think I left the inclement weather behind and am enjoying sunny days to my heart's content, rest assured it is not so. It has been snowing pretty much all afternoon and we now have accumulated about 6 inches of white fluff. Now that in itself is not bad. I'm used to snow and slush. However, out here where we live, the roads don't get plowed much. The main highway is cleared of course, but this little town is five miles from the main highway. We are very lucky if someone comes around at night and plows a path down the middle of the street. The dogs love it and it brings out all the "frisky" in them. I suspect that tomorrow we may have to find a place and let the kids slide down a hill. I think I see a snowman in our future. The last snow we had was so dry that we couldn't even make a snowball, much less a snowman but this snow seems to have a little more moisture so it might work. Hmm dry snow, who would have guessed? At any rate, we shall see what tomorrow brings and if we can even get to church.

An Alaskan in Kansas

2007-01-12T04:52:00.001-08:00

It finally happened. The driving rain and wind of Ketchikan Alaska blew me away and I found myself in Kansas. Who knew? Yes it is really true. After living in Ketchikan since July 1st 1984, and in 1980-1981, and in Juneau from Feb 14, 1977-Sept 1979, the duck has flown the coop and found herself drying the webs between her toes in, of all places, Kansas. Grandkids have a strong pull on your heartstrings. Jeremy will probably be deployed to Iraq sometime in February and it just seemed like a good idea at the time to come and lend Lisa a hand with three busy little bodies. I have to tell you, Kansas is different than Ketchikan in just about every way possible. First of all there is sunshine. Yes Ketchikanians, the sun does exist and it is bright and warm. Sorry but I just don't miss the rain right now, maybe later when I need to water the garden that is growing in our back yard. Yes, we are going to plant, maybe even a watermelon or a few other things that take more than 6 weeks to grow and there aren't any slugs to eat everything in sight. Hallelujah!
Of course there are things I do miss, one being the mountains. There are no mountains in Kansas only a few little bumps. I sort of miss that nice salt air, low tide aroma also but at least we live near a lake and we can see it from just about anywhere in this little town of Wakefield.
There is no shopping here. The main street consists of a small post office/bank, a car wash, a mini mart/gas station, laundry mat, and bar and grill and bait shop. For anything else you must travel at least 15 miles in one of a couple different directions to another town. Oh its true, you can actually drive more than 18 miles in many different directions. Although I have to say I think I got the driving bug out of my system when I drove here from Bellingham Washington. I crossed 8 states to get here with a dog and cat and a lot of Christmas cds.
Christmas was great with the kids and now I am settling in, trying to find a new life for myself. I managed to keep my job with KGH at least for a few months by working online. It is great. I get up early in the morning and work in my "jammies", take time with the kids when they get up, work a little more, play with the kids, work a little and so on. Does it get any better?
Josh and Kendrie came yesterday and will be here for a few days. It gives Kendrie a chance to get acquainted with the fam which she didn't have much chance to do when they were down for the wedding in July. So we are all here, just one big happy family. Josh is a certified flight instructor for those who didn't know and he has four students right now, all from China. He loves flying and this is a good way to build hours for future employment. He is also learning a lot about communication if you catch my drift.
As for myself, I believe I may be attending the Nazarene Church in Junction City. I have been a couple of times and it is a very active church with a lot of different activities for a lot of different folks. The pastor is very nice and friendly and seems to be well liked by the congregation so I think I may have found a good church.
We are going to work on getting some pictures and some new postings soon so keep checking. Love you all.
Veta