Red Barn Update

It's been a while since I gave you an update on the house in the country. Yes, we are still working on it, no, it's not done yet. Unfortunately. But we have made some progress. Bill put insulation in most of the walls upstairs and in the shop downstairs. We had the electric hooked up to the furnace and Bill has most of the duct work in. He has been working in the yard quite a bit this spring. We have such a big yard that we've started taking sections at a time and working until that section is finished. We have been tring to get to the orchard for several weeks now but something always seems to come up. My work pulled all the tulips this past week and gave them away to employees so I took some then found that there was a lot left over so I brought the rest down on Thursday. We planted them along the road down into the campground. Last fall I did the same with some ditch lillies and iris - both are coming up now.

We have a busy few weeks ahead of us with festivals, a wedding, and then our annual camping trip in June. Then my last two kids at home are moving out in July. August will see me headed to Texas for the birth of my first grandchild. Before we know it, it will be fall again and more festivals. Where does the time go?

It's a Miracle!

It's amazing what asking for your money back will do to light a fire under a mail order company.  Toshiba isn't exactly a mail order company but they have been dragging their feet on sending my new laptop for weeks now.  Monday I wrote an email to them stating that I had waited long enough and if the laptop was not here by Friday I wanted my money back in full and I would go buy a laptop in town - and not necessarily a Toshiba!

 

Well, suddenly things started to move.  I have been watching the FedEx tracking and Tuesday morning the laptop moved from the same location in China it had been for weeks to another location in China.  Well, not very promising but I was hopeful that maybe that was the airport.

 

Wednesday it suddenly jumped from China to Japan and then on to the states!  Woo Hoo!  My laptop is stateside finally.  This morning it's in a sorting facility in Berkeley Mo (I have no idea where that is but hey - it's in Missouri!).  So hopefully I will actually have my laptop by Friday.

 

I don't think I'll order direct again.  Although I have done it twice before with no problems.  As a matter of fact, it only took a few days in the past but for whatever reason(s) this time - it has taken about a month.

Lost at sea?

I ordered a new laptop from Toshiba a few weeks ago.  My old Toshiba is about on it's last key and before the old girl dies, I wanted a new one.  (I work from home two days a week.)

 

So I got on the website (after shopping all around and not finding exactly what I wanted) and ordered a new Satellite with Windows 7!  YES, Windows 7 - you can still get it kids.  Anyway, the original arrival date was yesterday (2/23) but yesterday came and when I checked the tracking they had changed the date to Unknown... that's scary.  I know it was coming from China (a slow boat from China apparently) and that the LA port has been striking but the strike is over - has been for at least a week maybe longer and still no word.

 

I'm hoping that the ship didn't go down.  If I get an email from a shark I'll know it did!

2014 Roundup

I was looking back at 2014 and while it seems like it went by so very very fast, it was a good year.  Some of the highlights included:

My oldest son and his future wife at the time came to visit with us from Texas and got to stay a couple of extra days because of ION – the winter storm of 2014.  He also got married and is making me a grandma later in 2015!

My second son turned 24 and decided that it was time to go back to college and work on his degree – he is now a freshman at the local community college with his sister.  First time they have been in school together and in the same year!

My youngest son got engaged and married this year!

And my daughter graduated from high school and is now a collage freshman with her brother.

I got married and we are still working on our country home.

 

I visited Texas in the spring to see my son and his soon to be family.

I visited Arkansas in the fall for Bill’s family reunion as his wife.

We spent 2 weeks camping in our new camper in June only to find that Bill is now living in the camper until he can finish the house.

I had all of my kids and my step son home for New Year’s Eve this year – it was very good to see all of the Hodge boys in the kitchen with their sister laughing around the table.  Just wish we could have had their older sister here too.

Speaking of sisters, my sister came to visit right after Christmas and we spent the afternoon shopping in downtown St. Charles – something I had been trying to get her to do for years!

We had some sadness too – I lost my familiar, my Stormy kitty, my companion for the last 14+ years to a tumor under her tongue back in May.  She is buried under the hawthorn trees at the property.

Bill had to put one of his dogs down in July – he is also buried under the hawthorns with Stormy.

Our neighbor John, at the property and one of Bill’s oldest friends suffered a stroke in September and is not doing well.  He is wheelchair bound and can’t use his left leg or arm.  This is one of the reasons Bill is still living in the camper – he has been working on John’s house getting it wheelchair accessible and sitting with him while his wife has to go to work so he’s not had much time to spend on our place.

Several friends have lost loved ones and our community has lost people too.

But I look around my house as my kids are all home, safe and sound and count my blessings from 2014 and look forward to 2015.

Red Tent

You know it’s funny how I have so many friends that are writers – I seem to collect them like the books they write.  I’m not full of stories like these folks are but every once in a while I get inspired.  I watched “The Red Tent” last night and that is a powerful story.  I laughed and cried and felt for Dena.  I read the book once long ago and it still sits on my bookshelf because it was a book that I wanted to read again… I’ve just not gotten to it… I probably will now.

I miss having a group of women friends that share like they did in that red tent.  I have belonged to groups like this in the past but for one reason or another they have all broken apart and gone separate ways.  Maybe it was the blood bond that kept those women together in the red tent or maybe it was the shared circumstance, the only safe place they had.  Whatever the reason we need more red tents.

Getting the cart before the horse - maybe

I posted that they were engaged before but I never posted a pic of the ring:

Sunday, December 7, 2014 - A Big Day!

I should back up to Thursday night about 11:00pm. I got a text from Erik asking if I was still awake. "yes" I replied and then waited.... and waited... and waited.. finally I texted back "Why" I got a phone call (at this point in time I'm now worried about what is so important to call me at 11 at night!) it's Erik asking what I had planned for the weekend. "Nothing in particular." "Well don't make any plans for Sunday - Meghan and I are going to get married. "

At this point I think I must have stuttered or something - "Uh, ok. Sunday? This Sunday?" 
"Yes, mom, this Sunday - I'll call you tomorrow and let you know more about it."

I then received a text that Meghan sent out to all of her relatives and Erik's announcing the happy news. Of course this is followed by several replies (people just type and hit send not realizing everyone gets the text!) So I was still up till well after midnight.

So Friday, they went to get their marriage license and Erik needed his Social Security Card which was in the safe in his hold room at my house. So I got a call from Miss Meghan asking if I would bring it over to where she works over lunch so that she can run it back up to city hall. We get the license taken care of and that evening they both come over to talk about the plans.

They had originally planned to go to the Art Museum in Forest Park (St. Louis) but found out that they would not be allowed to without permits and it was too late to get one. So they moved it to St. Charles Frontier park which is right along the Missouri River. They used the old train station which was decorated for Christmas so it was pretty.

Saturday night Meghan came over and we put together the decorations for the tables and little bags of Hershey Kisses for the guests (“Hugs and Kisses from the Mr. and Mrs”). There was glitter and spray paint and lots of giggling involved. Erik’s brothers took him out for dinner and to play pool and of course there was alcohol involved. They brought him back after a few hours (he’s a lightweight) and they left, Meghan saying she would be back in the morning to finish. 





Sunday morning bright and early (7:00 am) Meghan and her Maid of Honor Tiffany were back at my house to finish the decorations and pull rose petals for showering the bride and groom once the ceremony was concluded. Austen was Erik’s Best Man so we had to find him something to wear as well.

We left for the park at 1:00 but found that there was a parade down Main Street which was blocking all traffic to the park! We finally found a way around but there were several guests in the same predicament so the ceremony was delayed a bit. Finally they wedding began and when they were pronounced Man and Wife - Erik dipped Meghan while the rose petals showered down on them. It was very romantic!














We then all when to a local restaurant for dinner and cake. 








We made it back home about 6:30 or 7:00. Exhausted but very happy for the newly married couple. They are planning a honeymoon in the spring next year along with a bigger party.

And that is how I spent my weekend.