Grasshopper Days

Grasshopper Days

For today, Monday, November 3, 2014.

Outside my window...  it's just after 3:30pm and already getting dark... bye bye, daylight savings.  Bye bye daylight.  

We were at the Potluck/Game Night at church Saturday night, talking about the time change, and I made a comment about how often I'll just have changed all the clocks, and then we'll get a windstorm and lose power and I'll have to re-set them.  Again.

And guess what?  Sunday morning I was sitting in the living room, sipping my tea before we left for church, and it was NOT WINDY.  So, fabulous, right?  And then BOOM.  We heard an explosion and the power went out.  Why on earth would a transformer blow on a calm morning?  No idea.  But when we got home, I re-re-set the clocks.

And not five minutes later, the power flickered.  It just flickered.  And I re-re-re-set the clocks.  And by golly, it better stay on now, because Wyatt REALLY needs his alarm clock, but more about that later.

Meanwhile, even though it has nothing to do with this post, I have some more vacation pics from our trip to Winthrop.  While we were over there we took a drive down through Twisp to Pateros, and up to Omak, and back to Winthrop a more northerly way, through much of the area that was burned this summer.  Lots of beautiful fall colors interspersed with devastation.

The Chewuch River, coming by Winthrop.  Love the reddish tree trunks.

Hearing...  wind outside and the dryer inside.

You can sure tell a difference between the fertile valley with the river and the dry hillsides.

Pondering...  you ever hear the expression "It never rains, but it pours"?
* The van is making a thunking noise.  It's still running fine, but... maybe shocks/struts?  $$$
* The 4Runner (Kerry's vehicle) had a flat, and I mean down-on-the-rim-flat, tire.
* Wyatt's Nissan isn't starting right.  Starter? Relay? Also random electrical problems.  $$$  And he NEEDS transportation right now.  So Kerry and I are sharing the van while Wyatt drives the 4Runner.
* Gunnar looked out the window while we were doing dishes and said, "Oh look!  A cute mouse!"  Uh-huh.  It took me about ten seconds to realize that if he could see it from the kitchen window, it wasn't a mouse.  There are rats nesting under our compost bin.  Fabulous.  Time for some poison.
* Got the Visa bill.  News flash, I have NOT been making charges in China.  But somebody has.  Canceled the Visa and requested a new one.  That will come in two to three weeks.
*  Got a notice from our credit union that my debit card may have been "compromised" and they are replacing it also.  In about three weeks.
* I've been sick.  Gunnar has been sick.  (Just yucky colds, but no fun.)
* Tate went out hunting twice last week and got skunked.  Nothing.  Saw one doe about 100 yards away.  Regular deer season finished Friday.  Saturday, two bucks were bedded down next to our driveway, and one was a nice big 3x2.
* I am waiting on TWO surgery dates.  And waiting.  And waiting.  It's like flying stand-by.  Why?
* And my new (as of May) computer needs some TLC.  How is that possible?

Poor Eastern Washington.  After the fires, flooding.  This creek washed out...

... right into their garage...

... and house.

Praying...  to keep my head on straight.  Wouldn't I love to have a secretary!  And for Kerry's clients to pay up promptly.  Whew.

It boggles my mind how some trees burned and others were untouched.

Thankful...  for my cozy, warm, dry house on these wild, wet, windy days.  And... (drum-roll...)  Wyatt got a job!  He's working the early morning "pre-load" at UPS.  As in, be at work at 3:30 AM, and then go straight to school.  Right now they seem to think he can work close to 30 hours a week and I'm telling him that is NOT sustainable for a full-time college student, so he has some negotiating to do.  BUT, we're VERY thankful for such a good job!

Wearing...  dark blue jeans, navy blue Danskos, and a stripey sweater - navy, periwinkle, gold, green and orange - very fall :D

 Some houses survived and others didn't.

Creating...  Sunday School lessons.  How would you draw the 10 Commandments for pre-readers?  I'm making a matching game.

Even the soil looks scorched.

Going...  off to Messiah rehearsal in a few minutes.

Up near Alta Lake campground.

Reading...  Proverbs.

In between burned spots... beauty.

Looking forward to...  an imaginary time when things settle down.  (When?)

Alta Lake State Park... I've camped here :o(

In the kitchen...  I made a big pot of elk stew over the weekend and there's still a bit left for tonight.

More campsites at Alta Lake

In the learning rooms...  feels so different with just Gunnar and me most of the time!  He's been reading The Ravenmaster's Secret and enjoying it.

Down along the Columbia River, near Pateros.  Such a difference water makes!

Around the house...  loving all my pretty twinkly lights and candles :D

It feels so different in the open country... so much sky!

The Mother Load...  oh boy...
* Help Wyatt adapt to his new schedule (going to bed by 7pm?)
* Help the other boys adapt to Wyatt's new schedule (they all share a bedroom)
* Stay on top of medical appointments, sending information from one doctor to another, insurance referrals, etc.
* Keep Gunnar on track with school work (because he would rather just curl up and read) (and so would I)
* KEEP WALKING even in the crummy weather
* Sew, sew, sew
* Pay bills
* Get computer in for servicing
* Get Wyatt's Nissan to the mechanic
* Fold the laundry (!)
etc.

Apple or cherry?  Lots of orchards in Eastern Washington

Noticing that...  how can Gunnar be almost as tall as I am?

The site of the Omak stampede - they run the horses down that embankment and across a river (out of sight).

Something to remember for later...  Wyatt, at 2:30 AM, telling me that when his alarm went off, it took years off his life.  HA!  Just wait until your night shift tiredness piles up for a few days... trust me, I KNOW.

This farm just looked so... so FALL.

Something fun to share...  Gunnar has been made an Element Leader at CAP.  A small step, but a good one :D

Must have been awful, watching the hill behind their house burn.  But the house survived!

A favorite quote for today...  When I do stuff, stuff gets done.  *sigh*

One of my favorite things...  that Gunnar, who is thirteen, will still take hold of my hand once in awhile while we're walking.

I love how evergreens will cling to life in the most unlikely places.

A Bible verse...  For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.  Matthew 11:30
Not feeling it right now, but praying for it.

And just yards from the tenacious evergreen... this.

A few plans for the rest of the week...  working through the Mother Load, while homeschooling, while helping Wyatt juggle his new schedule, and trying to get all the vehicles on an even keel.

So, you know... not much.  (HA HA HA.)

How did that patch of green trees survive?

A peek into my world...  and in spite of all that burned, life is coming back :D