Tuesday, August 19, 2014

Grasshopper Days


Grasshopper Days


For today, Tuesday, August 19, 2014
  
Outside my window...  sunny, clear and 82F.


Hearing... the fan blowing in the windowsill, aaaaaah.

Pondering...  how good it is to have all the boys back home, and not much planned for these last two weeks of summer :D

Praying...  two more weeks until school starts - big adjustments ahead for Wyatt and Tate.  And Wyatt needs a job.  And he needs to put more effort into looking for that job.

Thankful...  for a successful, confidence-building experience at Cascade Falcon, and for the hilarious non-stop-talking reunion of the three brothers - Tate and Gunnar hardly saw each other the whole week, so it really felt like a three-way reunion.

Wearing...  shorts, tank-top and flip-flops.  I don't think I've worn any shoes but flip-flops for weeks and my feet have the (tan) lines to prove it.



Creating...  I did a lot of cleaning out while the boys were gone.  Now I want to make my office more cozy.  And it needs a better name.  Office?  What... am I an executive?

Going...  nowhere :D

Reading...  finished Age of Opportunity (Paul David Tripp), re-read Future Men (Douglas Wilson), re-reading Women Encouraging Women (Elyse Fitzpatrick), and reading Blink (Ted Dekker) aloud with the boys.

Looking forward to...  for years Kerry has been talking about building a rock wall along the driveway.  I'm ambivalent.  But right above the driveway I want to create a fire-pit area.  The boys and I even started.

We brought rocks from the lake and made a fire ring, cleared out a bunch of toys and junk, and weed-whacked the grass...


We even collected and stacked firewood, in anticipation.  We were good to go.


And then Kerry started collecting rocks... and dumping them all over our fire-pit area, because it's so handy there, right above the driveway.  *sigh*

And there it all languished for three years.  An eye-sore.



But... ta-daaaa!


Grandpa Grasshopper delivered a little present.  It's on loan to us so Kerry can finally DO this project!  It even looks like he might have a willing helper.


LET'S GET IT DONE!

In the kitchen...  my fridge is stuffed to the gills.  Our garden is producing :D  Fresh green beans, cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, and raspberries.  Onions and garlic are drying in the garage.  And I have bags of blackberries in the freezer that the boys picked this morning.  Woo-hoo!

In the learning rooms...  *crickets*

Around the house...  am I the only one who kind of lets the house go to seed over the summer?  Maybe it's a Pacific Northwest thing.  Y'see, we have a hard time staying inside when the sun shines because summer is such a brief thing for us.  I'm storing up light and warmth against the cold, wet, gray months ahead.  Right now, the focus is all outside :D


The Mother Load...
* The boys and I have more work to do in the garden
* Am I really ready for school to start?  No, I didn't think so.
* Must make sure I have what I need for science experiments so they don't get skipped because it's inconvenient.
* The. Garage. Must. Be. Cleaned.  This is only on MY list because I need to motivate the males in the family to get this done.
* The flower beds around the house need some TLC... what the deer haven't eaten.  *sigh*
* What to do with Tate's "old" hearing aids (still functional)?  Ebay?  Also we have some CI accessories from his Harmony that are not compatible with his Naidas.  This is expensive stuff - must be worth something to someone?!
* Take another load to consignment and a box to Goodwill.
* Aaaaand, I'm sure there's more I'm not thinking of right now.

Noticing that...  it's starting to feel like fall :D  (Don't tell the boys I'm so happy about that!)

Something to remember for later...  the way Gunnar actually took my hand at Cascade Falcon graduation to take me to meet some of his new friends.  (Did he think I would wander off?!)  Sweet :D

Something fun to share...  Gunnar seems two inches taller after encampment.

A favorite quote for today...  I don't know, it just doesn't have the zip of "except after c".


One of my favorite things...  friends from church hosted a reception for their son and newest daughter-in-law (married out of state).  They hired a photographer to come for the occasion and - bonus - to take family photos for anyone who wanted.  How generous!  We might have dressed a little differently had we known, but here's to keeping it real ;D



A Bible verse...  1 Chronicles 28:20  I was praying this verse for Tate and Gunnar while they were at Cascade Falcon.

Be strong and courageous, and do the work.  Do not be afraid or discouraged, for the Lord God, my God, is with you.  He will not fail you or forsake you until all the work for the service of the temple of the Lord is finished.

I know their work wasn't for the temple of the Lord, but it still fits.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  the boys are at CAP tonight, and now that Wyatt is driving,  I don't have to go!  In fact, I really have no plans until the neighborhood BBQ on Saturday!  And there was much rejoicing ;D

A peek into my day...




4 comments:

Monica said...

ok, do you not have/need a/c in the PNW? I might have to consider moving there!
You have had a very active and busy summer! I would and am looking forward to fall too!
I'm sure Gunnar IS taller because he is feeling more confident after graduating! That is so cool. Can we send our 16 year old son out to do that? LOL! :)
Hope you get ready for school soon and everyone adjusts to their new roles. and yes, you are and executive! Hope your week goes well and you enjoy the last two weeks of "summer".

Wilma said...

I so enjoyed your post this morning. I've missed your Grasshopper Days. Love the picture of all of you and your "American Gothic."

I hope you find an outlet for Tate's extras. I have just healed since taking a horrible fall which took all the skin and tissue off my knee to the bone. I had home health care and had several items left like rolled cause bandages and treated dressings. I was able to give them to my surgeon who will use them for patients who haven't the ability to pay. I also had a whole box of Lovenox which I'm giving to a free clinic. Will the professionals who fitted Tate take the remainders back?

It looks like the Pacific NW here today. Rain, rain and more rain. We've not had much of a summer. We're just waiting for our tomatoes to ripen so I can make sauce.

Have a great day!

Herding Grasshoppers said...

Monica, few of us have AC in our homes. Some people (like my parents) bought a little portable unit for their bedroom. (My mom was having "personal summers", y'know ;D ) But it's just not that hot. We're so close tot he salt water that it really moderates our temperatures.
And, FYI, there are Civil Air Patrol groups all around the country! There's a squadron-finder function on their homepage, if you think your son might be interested :D

Wilma, so sorry to hear about your fall, but glad you're on the mend. We'll probably be able to donate Tate's "old" hearing aids, and I'm looking into what to do with the CI accessories. The hospital that fitted him don't want to deal with it (don't blame them!) but they can link us to support groups.

Crystal said...

I agree, those boys that leave for a week and do something really challenging, come back a little taller, a little older and with voices a little deeper. :-)