A weekend with Humphrey

We have been so blessed with tomatoes this year! I haven’t counted all I’ve put up, but it’s in the several dozen range. I’m ready to not see another one until next year, but I have one more big bowl full … for another day.

We have had an exciting weekend. Humphrey the bear, from Eden’s preschool, came home with her for the weekend. We get to have fun with him for 4 days, then write a short story about him to tell the rest of the class. Eden has fallen in love with the big, soft, cuddly thing, and he even went with us to have his picture taken at the studio on Friday. He was so well behaved and looked at the camera when he was supposed to, unlike Lars, who cried the whole time. Those pictures will be back in two weeks, I know you’re all anxiously awaiting them.

Had my last week of teaching EMT class this week, and we met Monday, Tuesday & Wednesday night. Wednesday evening was the student’s final exam. It was a really tough exam & it took most of them a full three hours to complete. Had to cut them off and send them home at 9:00.

On Monday, I will travel with them to Scottsbluff to be moral support while they rotate through their lengthy practical exam. That’s a pass or fail set of 6 ‘real life’ stations on splinting, airway, trauma, medical, bandaging & the like. I’m looking forward to it, but I’m not the one having to test, either!

The rest of the week was fairy mundane. It rained on and off all week and was actually cold at times. I managed to squeeze in a quick lawn mowing job on Friday after we returned from Scottsbluff and before the Douthit girls came over for supper & a sleepover.

Saturday, Lexi got up early and left for a G.S. event while Kyra stayed and did arts & crafts at our house. Her & Eden made some fun Christmas presents with special supplies that I picked up when I was in Casper last time. I knew they would have fun making them, and boy, did they ever! My kitchen table is currently a drying rack and I’m going to be scraping Mod Podge off my chairs for a week, but it was a good time.

Lars received a late birthday present in the mail and opened up a beautiful large, fall colored squirrel quilt for Grandma Great & Aunt Janet. Eden said excitedly, “Aunt Janet made me MY special blanket too, and Aunt Janet & Grandma Great made MY animal blanket too!” And she immediately went to get both to show Lars. He played with the quilt for quite a while, he loved the bright colors. It’s currently spread out on the toddler bed in his room, waiting for the day he gives up the crib.

Sunday morning, we travelled to Potter, NE for a special event at the church down there. Eden was able to attend their Sunday School before the service began, and Allen was their guest preacher, followed by an awesome pot luck dinner, and another presentation on ‘missions’. It went very well & we all had a good time. Of course, Humphrey came with us and

sat in the pew like a good little bear the whole morning.

Once we got back into Bridgeport, it was a pit stop at the house to change clothes & head to the ‘nail pulling party’ at the Douthit’s. Since Pastor & Mark pulled up all those wood floors up in the old parsonage, they have been stacked in Mark’s shed, waiting for the nails to be pulled. The LYF came, along with a few other adults, to pull all afternoon. We quit for a quick supper, then went back out until 8:00 p.m. We figure we’re about half done with the pulling…yikes.

Tonight, I pulled in all my pots in expectation of our first freeze. Let’s see if I can manage to keep the geraniums alive until spring.

I’m getting so excited for fall, I can hardly stand it. I’ve been pulling flowers out of the garden this week & cutting back perennials, as well as putting my Vinca and other potted plants in the ground to winter. I’ve harvested all but the giant marigold seeds, and that’s because there are several huge yellow jackets that seem to be camped out on the blossoms. A few tomato & pepper plants remain in the vegetable garden and the rest of the ground is ready for a rest.

The weather has been beautiful & cool, in the mid-80’s all week. The kids have played outside & the swings haven’t been too hot or the slide melting to their skin. However, Eden wants one last hurrah in the swimming pool and I say, “No, too cold!”

Little Baby Lars is now Tall Toddler Lars. His 2^nd Birthday was Friday. He is finally on the growth chart for height, at 10% and is almost on for weight, at 22#. I was not planning on doing anything extraordinary for his birthday, seeing as that he’s only two. However, when my Mom heard that, she was seriously feeling sorry for him. Then, when Laura chimed in and said, “Am I going to have to make that poor child a Birthday Cake?!” I said, “Of course not, I’ll make him a cake!” Thus, the almost blue M&M was born. Of course, he couldn’t eat any of the M&M’s, but the cake was dairy free and he settled for frozen fruit bars in a bowl instead of the strawberry ice cream everybody else got. I don’t think he noticed that everybody else’s was slightly a different color.

Our ‘back to school’ routine is now in full swing. Daddy drops Eden off & picks her up at preschool on Tuesday and Thursday’s, as the building is less than a block from church. Lars has OT on Tuesday mornings, just before Eden gets home & then Speech on Friday mornings first thing. I teach EMT class on Monday & Wednesday nights still and teach Piano Lessons on Wednesday & Thursday afternoons, when school lets out. Pastor has Confirmation class on Wednesday afternoons & I lead Sunday School music on Sunday mornings. Voice choir practice is Thursday evenings, which leaves Tuesdays for all voters/elders/council/building committee/EMS meetings to squeeze in. It’s a good thing Eden doesn’t want dance lessons or anything.

I’m about sick of canning tomatoes, but I know I’m going to be grateful as the winter progresses. I put up 12 quarts of tomatoes yesterday & made some spaghetti sauce today for spaghetti & meatballs tonight. Eden’s favorite.

Not too much excitement in our house this week. Spent some money to buy the preacher a new clerical, alb & cross for the November dedication of the new sanctuary. Those things don’t come cheap, but its run it’s course. Also started gathering some stocking stuffers & having them shipped to Michigan for that big holiday that happens in December, in which the kids and I are traveling by train for two days back home.

Eden is learning a lot all of a sudden. She brought me the soap dispenser from the bathroom and, following the pictures on the back, read me the ‘Rictions’ (directions). “First, get your hands wet, then get one squirt and scrub ‘em together, and then rinse. That’s how you wash your hands!”

And no matter what the activity, her favorite line seems to be, “I’m four so I can do that myself”. Of course you can, Eden.

A week of firsts

I find it hard to believe that it’s mid-day on Sunday afternoon, I’ve made eggs & hash browns for the kids at breakfast, got everybody through church relatively peacefully, put up 15 pounds of tomatoes, cleaned up the kitchen & now, I have my feet up on the couch and everybody else is asleep.

This is too good to be true, what’s going to go wrong later?

So many exciting events this week, it’s hard to prioritize. Eden had her first birthday party yesterday for a friend from church who was turning 6 years old. Eden could hardly wait to go all day yesterday and when lunch was over, she waited by the front door for her daddy to come take her.

At the party, they made little paper & sticker butterflies and she’s hung it on her wall and taken it down to play with at least a hundred times in the last 24 hours.

Eden had such a great time and she asked me in the car afterwards if she could do it again next week. I said that, unfortunately for her, this little girl’s birthday only came around once a year.

Eden also had her first day of preschool this week. There were no tears, no fears & no problems what-so-ever. Every other mom stayed for a while, kids clinging & wondering what was going to happen next. Eden, blanket by her side, took off for the door and said, “Bye, Mom!”

Kindergarten is going to kill me.

Lars had his first day of speech therapy on Friday and, though his sister desperately wanted to help him, he did fine on his own. Lisa is his therapist and came to the house at 0900, his happiest time of day. They looked at books and pointed to things out the window, generally got a feel for each other. I think it’s going to be a good thing and hope to see progress sooner rather than later.

Not to be outdone with ‘firsts’, the preacher had his first funeral in this congregation this week. Yes, we’ve been here just shy of 3 years.

Early Tuesday morning, the phone rang and Pastor was out the door by 0700 to be with the family. Because of extended family coming from several states away, the funeral wasn’t until Saturday, a blustery & rainy day. The church was packed, but we still had plenty of cake left-over in the end.

I can’t think of any firsts for me this week, but I am wrapping up teaching my first EMT class here in town. I’ve had a lot of fun with the class and hope to teach another in the future. We have two weeks left. First, however, I need a month off!

Eden and I went to the library to get some books yesterday and to our surprise, Tammy, her ‘old’ daycare provider, is the new librarian. It was very exciting to see Tammy and talk to her again and she’s promised to look for the lost book, Chick-a-chick-a-Boom-Boom, which has been checked in but missing almost all summer. I refuse to buy it, in fear of having to read it every night for the rest of my life.

Overall, it was another busy but blessed week in our house. I’m so excited for fall to be here. I’m ready to clean up the gardens, finish canning and head to the pumpkin patch!~

I think I have my son’s birthday to figure out first, though, now that I think about it…

Fort Robinson - Crawford, Nebraska

After a long & drawn out week of therapy, a trip to Scottsbluff (here forever abbreviated SB), ministerial association meeting, EMT classes and piano lessons, we loaded up the camper on Thursday afternoon and headed north to Fort Robinson for a weekend of camping. It was the Douthits, and the Strawn’s. This is Mark’s hometown (Crawford, not the Fort) and having a tour guide to the area was a bonus. Also having two little babysitters while we camped was genius. They may be going with us more often!

Thursday, actually, we were on our own and spent the time standing in line to check in, setting up camp, getting supper on the table, and enjoying a campfire. The kids enjoyed all the mole hills of sand, as it made an instant sandbox in several locations. Eden tried out her biking skills again and Lars followed diligently on his tractor. After a quick bath, both kids went down pleasantly enough and at 0530, we were all awake and ready to go. Well, awake, at any rate. By 0930, we were in the car for a drive, hoping the kids would sleep. We drove up Smiley Canyon for a scenic drive and praised God that it was paved. They fell asleep shortly after the buffalo were spotted. Hoping for an hour’s nap, we drove 30 miles over to Chadron & saw the State Park and all the hiking trails they had to offer. We’ve got our next trip planned.

When the kids woke up, we found a hole in the wall diner, “Don’s Burgers, Pizza & Ice Cream” and went in for lunch. The food was awesome! It was the closest thing to a pizzeria I’ve found here in Nebraska. Complete with hand dipped ice cream. Since I didn’t want to flaunt the ice cream in front of Lars (can you believe it, they had Mackinaw Island Fudge from Michigan!), we instead got chocolate shakes in paper cups & got Lars the same cup, filled with water. Everybody was happy.

Back at camp, while we waited for the Douthit’s to arrive that afternoon, we wandered around the Fort, gathering some history and looking at the sites. The still sunken swimming pool from the 1930s, the infantry housing & site where Crazy Horse was killed the captains’ quarters, Fort HQ, the dog kennels from WWII’s training center, barns & vet hospital, along with servant’s quarters, horse stables from cavalry days & the large halls that accommodated all the working and civilian life when the fort was active. With sidewalks around the parade grounds, it made for a nice walk with the stroller.

As more campers started to arrive for the busy weekend, we decided to check in for the Douthits so they could come right in and set up camp. We made our way to the check in hall which is a huge brick building with rooms to rent, original to the era, filled with photos of the day & oak staircases. Well maintained floors added to the beauty. Not that you could see much of the floor with the dozens off guests checking in, but I had 45 minutes, so saw enough of it!

Albeit hot and bumblebee ridden, our campsites were in a nice, shady location on the end of a middle row. The kids had lots of room to run & play and we were a 3 minute walk from the shower house, which is idea

Once they were in and set up, we plunked down a hard shell taco dinner with all the fixings and enjoyed the campfire. Eden wanted to sleep in their camper, so we trudged her stuff over there and they all fell asleep. She lasted until 0115.

Saturday, we were off to the Douthit Ranch, which was a working ranch until a very short time ago and now is partly rented out. Mark’s parents moved to town earlier this year, but still have a functioning house & boarding place on the ranch. His dad and him still tinker with big machinery any opportunity they get. When we got there, the chocolate chip cookies were already in the oven and the house smelled wonderful!

While all the kids stayed with the grandparents, the four adults set off on the 4-wheelers for the hills & buttes & open prairie land. Since homesteaders were the first to settle here, at a span of 40 acres apart, we could see holes where hand dug wells were attempted & found, as well as rock & raised ground foundations for sod houses. Pretty much where-ever you saw a grouping of hardwood trees, you know a homestead once sat, as those trees are not native to the land and would have been planted by hand.

We crossed many muddy cricks and walked around an area where a saw mill once sat. No sign of the saw mill, except a rusted out piece of metal, leaning against a tree. Found some sort of fruit or nut tree, planted near what is called the garden pasture, as, naturally, that was the spot where the large vegetable garden sat. A big, mossy pond for watering was found to be enjoyed by a single, quiet duck.

Only a couple shabby buildings remain outside the main house & barn area. Mark remembers clearing away many buildings in his younger days, making room for cattle to roam & land to farm. Of the nearly 11,000 acres, I think my butt would agree that we traversed almost every square inch of the ranch, minus the top of the buttes, which I was too pooped to climb.

Everyone slept well Saturday night.

Sunday morning, the preacher (Al) & the parishioner (Mark) got up early and headed back to Bridgeport to preach & visit an elderly man who was in his final days of life on earth. The rest of us got up late, had a big breakfast, stopped to see the giant Tee-Pee that was set up to honor Crazy Horse (today was the anniversary of his death) & went to church in the town of Crawford, three miles from the fort, which is where Mark’s parents live now.

Lars napped all afternoon while Laura took the girls to the museum. When Lars woke up, we met them at the building that is a replica of where enlisted men called home at the turn of the century. It was open to the public today and a man was at the entrance, whittling spoons & butter knifes to give away to the kids. Eden was thrilled to get a butter knife and told her daddy later that “I got a butter knife and it cost $60!” We think she was confusing the costly carriage ride with the price of the free whittled bark.

The guys got back around 4:00 and we got in the car to go for a drive on the north side of the buttes. We took the walking sticks & hiking boots, as well, and found a short trail to hike before supper.

Supper, unfortunately, was delayed because we started the skillet on fire. Looking on the bright side, the food was not yet in the oiled skillet, so we were spared char-fried food. By the time we ate, darkness had settled over the land, Lars was bathed & in his jammies & the bugs were joining us in full force. We were all hungry & the moms were spared from having to feel guilty about what to do with the leftovers, because there were none.

Al & I took a walk around the grounds after Lars went down and Eden fell asleep with Lexi & Kyra on their bed. She made it till 0145.

Monday was up for a big breakfast & time to break camp. We said Goodbye to the Douthits, as they were headed in their separate directions, and we walked up to the museum of the fort. Once we came out, the humidity was high & the little boy was tired. Instead of finding another trail to hike, we headed for Bridgeport, arriving shortly after 2:00 p.m. Naturally, the kids didn’t fall asleep until we were 30 minutes from the parsonage.

We spent the afternoon unloading the camper & cleaning out the car, watering the flowers & grass, and picking vegetables before supper. The preacher headed out shortly after that to be with the family that needed him. He arrived home shortly after 10p to get ready for an all day meeting on Tuesday in Alliance.

Our week to come is promising to be a busy one….until then, I rest my fingers!