Very tired.(Plus Mom & Dad update)

Michael and I went to Lafayette and worked and worked and worked. We cleaned in the basement a lot so we could have room to move the recliner that was down there to the upstairs. Dad says he can't sleep lately and I felt like if he had that comfy recliner he might be able to sleep in it. We got all around it cleaned up, a path to the stairs all cleaned up, took out about 10 bags or boxes of trash and a couple of boxes of donations. Paul, my friend Susan's husband, and Sam, their son came over and helped carry it up the stairs. Chris had also come over after a while with Miko and helped with the cleaning part a little bit. Some of the stuff down there is still from when he lived there.

Bad part is, once we got it upstairs Mom wouldn't let me rearrange the furniture or take another chair downstairs so that there is really room for it! There are even three laundry baskets of stuff in the living room and I kept asking if it was dirty or clean and if it had homes to go to and she wouldn't really answer me. So now there is a comfy chair, where maybe he can sleep, but he still can't get around with his walker! Argh!!!

Another good part is, Mom let me take all the papers we could find to get started on their application for services from the Agency on Aging AND gave me permission to call the Household Helpers - a volunteer service that comes and helps with housework. I think she was inspired because Dad was completely suicidal earlier this week and it scared the bejeezus out of her. I made sure there is NOT a gun in the house anymore. They said they sold it to some guy and it is really gone. I told Dad if he did that we would all be angry with him forever. He had called his dr. the day he felt that way and they DOUBLED his anti-depressants. When I call the intake worker at the Agency on Aging I am going to ask her about the Adult Protective Services. When I spoke to her before she said they that agency can do "wellness checks." I want to find out what that entails and also if they have a crisis line if he feels suicidal and can't get through to his dr. Because all he would have to do is take a truckload pf painkillers and shoot up so much insulin that he dies. Even without a gun, there are plenty of ways to kill yourself in that house!

So I have all this on my mind and it's back to work 8 - 5 and to try to get these calls made, papers copied and all that stuff. I promised Mom to try to make the copies tomorrow so I could get her originals back in the mail to her as soon as possible. I will have to clock out for lunch and do all this stuff and still try to get busy Monday done. At least the last part of Friday was super-productive until the crying at my desk part, so I should be off to a good start.

Relatives who may be reading this: Mom expressed sadness that the visits were so short and she felt like she didn't get enough time to really talk to everybody as much as she wanted. She especially mentioned feeling like she didn't get to "catch up" with Karen. So if you get a chance to give a call, write a card, send a special email or something - go for it. Great FHE projects! Dad is so depressed I am sure any contact will help. He feels like he is useless any more and that is why he may as well die. I would appreciate it a lot. Heather is really good and calling and checking in on Mom and Dad regularly, but I am the bad daughter because I hate talking on the telephone so much. I think I am better at providing the physical help and labor than the companionship and attention they like. Heather and I have have always had different kinds of relationships with Mom and Dad and it still plays out that way in adulthood.

Some deeds are done....

Before.

Cutting off the ponytail - it is going to Locks of Love.

The starting point for a real haircut.

About halfway there.

Where will he part it after three years of a middle part and a ponytail?

About three quarters and then we decided to razor it.

Finished! Now he is just "Handsome Michael" and not "The kid with the long hair."

I also bought a new bra today. I went to a "real store" and was professionally measured and fitted. Thirty pounds make a big difference in the boobies. I really even need to go get new sports bras. They are not really tight anymore like they should be. Yay! Losing weight cost a lost of money, though!

Purging (plus a little more)

(Copy of a post to my super-secret weight loss support group)

No not THAT kind of purging. I mean getting rid of old clothes that are too big. It actually kind of frightens me. I put my elastic-waisted pants in the Opportunity House bag and that was the scariest. That means when it starts to get cold again I will have to go buy new pants to wear to work. When I got fat again I only let myself keep about three items of smaller size clothes. I told myself If I lose the weight I will deserve new clothes! I think it's true, but I worry about having enough money at the right time and the actual act of shopping. I usually go to Wal-mart or Target, find something on clearance that has a big 24W on it, buy it, bring it home, THEN try it on. If it doesn't fit I will return it later.

Tomorrow I have to buy a new bra. Gillian is coming with me for support (lol!) She says we are going to Macy's and they will fit me properly. I am afraid of a $40 bra instead of my $14 bra in a box from Walmart. I have been wearing sports bras as much as possible, but they often end up showing somewhere so I need at least one regular bra that fits well. I think the worst thing is that the size discrepancy between my boobs shows more now. The right boob is probably still a D and the left a C. More plastic surgery later. Sigh....

I'm probably going to make this my blog entry tonight too. I'll just sum it up with FEAR FEAR FEAR.

Hope

A little more. There are some guys at work who frequently use mean and sarcastic humor. One of them I have nicely asked before if he could cool it and explained that I feel like it really does hurt peoples' feelings when he says the things he says. He has responded with comments like, "Well they're big babies, then. They better toughen up. I don't care. It's the only kind of humor I know how to use...." Today I was having a fantastic day. I felt a little bad and irritable and had even emailed and asked Leah if I finished early if I could leave, but then I ended up accomplishing so much - even doing things like rearranging my desk so it is less crowded and making things fit together better, taking down some signs I have had posted too long, etc... I felt really, really good by then and I sang a line - one line - from a song. (I often sing at work). Chad says over the wall between us something like, "What is that screeching sound that's making my ears bleed?" I had to walk over to the printer over near him anyway and when I got there I looked right at him and said, "Chad you are mean, just a mean, mean person. I hope your son doesn't grow up to be like you or there will be another asshole in the world." Then I just walked back to my desk and tried to finish working. Somewhere in there my computer tool bars got messed up and I had to call Steve to help me get them back. I was crying and I was embarrassed. I wasn't crying so much over what Chad said, but the fact that I had said something so mean in retaliation. He THOUGHT he was making a joke. I was trying to be mean and hateful and I think I accomplished it. I am still stewing about the whole thing. I almost feel like I should apologize to him, but I don't want to. I have tried many times saying my thoughts about mean sarcasm. I also confess that I do it sometimes. I try no to, but it is often the atmosphere in the office and it is easy to slip into it. I think I'll just let it go, consider it purged, and go take it off my FB status now that I want Nikki to punch Chad in the face for me. He also used to do it to her all the time and she hated it and hated him for it.

Happy #1-4.

Happy # 1 - Leg is starting to heal much better. No more ooey gooey and I am not so worried about infection as it is less of an open wound.
Happy # 2, but with a drawback. I wore sticky bandages on it so long the skin around it has become over-sensitive, itchy and painful. I am sure it will heal quickly. I was able to leave it uncovered most of the day to day and felt okay about it.
Happy # 3. I cleaned the fish tank last night - a task I dread.
Happy # 4 Meet Peg, on the left and UVR on the right. I secretly hope UVR will die so Peg can have the tank to himself.

Also happy - Michael had a great lesson with Ben tonight. I ate dinner on my front porch for the 2nd night in a row, even though the front porch beautification project is only partially complete, and I spent quite a bit of time completing the edging along the street and touching up the edges of the driveway. Michael picked a nice bowl of grape and cherry tomatoes from the garden and we will eat them for dinner tomorrow in some fashion.

I have to go vote for Casey before midnight.

Also I keep trying for that mythological midnight bedtime. I am not sure it exists for me any longer. Once I master midnight I will start working on 11:30.

Chocolate Bacon

Everybody at work has been talking a lot about chocolate bacon. I have decided to make a chocolate cake and make either marzipan or fondant bacon to decorate it. I am pretty sure I can also manage a marzipan piggy. My big decision is going to be - should I put real bacon in the middle layer to really surprise them and freak them out or should I just use it for decoration? I kind of hope if I get the kitchen clean tonight I can do it tomorrow night. I will definitely take pictures when it gets done. I am definitely going to cheat and make cake mix cakes and canned frosting. It will take a long time to paint the bacon and make piggy....Friday is payday. If I can do it tomorrow I could write something on it like, "It's time to bring home the bacon."

We shall see...

I mowed my yard and Suzanne's tonight too. My leg hurts like *&^$%(, but it has been too many days since I exercised so I also have a great sense of satisfaction. Honestly my yard needed other stuff done much more than mowing, but I wanted the exercise. I hope it is nice tomorrow... oh wait, I want to make that cake tomorrow.

We shall see... (haha! I made a typo the first time and typed "we shall wee....")

I feel like I had a really good food day today. I had trail mix and some dried fruit for breakfast - a good mix of protein, carbs and fiber, I think. Then for lunch I had the banana strawberry protein smoothie from Starbucks. One of my coworkers gave me a coupon so it was only $2 instead of $4. I had NO SODA TODAY. For dinner I made a nice lean, turkey sandwich with swiss cheese and veggies and low fat mayo on high fiber bread. I ate the rest of the half of a BIG tomato, and some baby carrots. I also had some chips and dip with it, but not too much, I would say. I didn't eat the entire sandwich because - listen to this - I GOT FULL. I am learning to tell when I am full and when to STOP eating.

When we went shopping last night as we packed up the groceries I noted that we had bought a lot of things that I think sound good for breakfast. Desire to eat breakfast and anything even sounding remotely appetizing is a HUGE problem for me - even when I am waking up with these glucose readings well under 100. 78 today, for example.

Well I still have items on my list, including cleaning the fish tank - blech. Also I need to shower and I want to be IN BED by midnight.

We shall see...

Still alive.

Yeah I know I missed a day, but I did NOT sign up for Blog 365 this year.

I had to work on the orchestra directory last night. Jane was=nts to have it copied and ready to pass out at Open House tomorrow. I also had some finshing up to do tonight.

Michael and I went shopping tonight - at the music store that is closing, and Aldi. He spent $85 on a thing to distort amplified cello and I spent $100 on groceries!

Must clean fishy tank tomorrow. It was on the list on the weekend and didn't get done.

My leg is healing better. I also found that there is antibiotic ointment with lidocaine in it, but the pain killer doesn't last all day. Whine.

Casey and Mandy have been getting some different kinds of bad news! Be sure to go vote for Casey.

Emily passed her driver's test today. I finally have a child with a driver's license. Now she just needs a car and insurance.

I.n so tired I am going to drop dead, plus I have a little more computery stuff to do.

Good night,

Family Photo Shoot

I decided we needed to meet in Indy tonight after I retrieved Michael from Ed's and have a family photo shoot. My sister in law has been asking me for YEARS - maybe a decade or more - to have a picture of me and the children. These are the ones that were not too blurry. I want to get prints and send them out. Which ones should I do? Anybody have any preferences? Any that you hate? Should I see if I can make a collage on one of those photo machines and do most or all of them?

Opinions, please.

Baking disaster, or did I pull it off?

The worst crack I have ever baked into a cheesecake.

And it is also a little too brown.

I got the pan off all right...

except for this one chunk in the side.

I covered it with cookie crumbs mixed with a ground, high quality chocolate bar.

then added sprigs and mint leaves from the garden.

I anchored each mint leaf with a rosette of frosting,
even though I don't really believe in frosting on cheesecakes.

Boxed and ready to go.

Did I pull it off? It's for a grandma's 60th birthday party. Part of the charm of Hope's Homemades is that you don't get factory type perfection each time.

Blues/ Middle of the night cheesecake.

I had the blues today. I wanted to go see Blues Traveler and didn't have anybody to go with arranged as yet. I thought I might just take a road trip by myself as I am wont to do, but it didn't feel right today.
So I called Katie to see if she wanted to go. I had contemplated asking her early in the week, but wasn't sure if I could listen to her talk during a road trip to Columbus and back. (Don't worry, Katie knows she talks a lot and she knows sometimes I can't take it and have to be away from her. We have lived together). I decided if I didn't want to go to the show alone I would probably enjoy Katie's talkative company. We were both on Yahoo! so I messaged her and asked her if she wanted to go. She said she couldn't afford it. I said I couldn't really either, but I wanted to go anyway because I don't think there will ever be another chance to see John Popper for only $20. I joked that I was going to go online to a website chatroom and find a sugar daddy to take us to the concert. Katie knew an Indiana singles chat room where she had been before.... SO we go there and a guy who uses the screen name SoundTek, to whom Katie has chatted for over two years says he is working that concert!
So we got ready quickly. You would be so proud of me. I blew off EVERY chore except going to the dump. Met up with SoundTek in his hotel and made the arrangements to get into the show. SoundTek (Dave, IRL) and his roomie and co-worker had to go over and get set up, so Katie and I went to dinner nearby, then walked over to the park. All I had eaten up to that point was a bowl of granola this morning and it was nearly 5:30 by then.
We had a great, protein-filled dinner to help heal my wound! and speed up my metabolism! Then we watched "The Elms" an Indiana band trying to get to the big time.
Then my man, John and his band came out. I was sad that he did not wear his special harness that holds 30 or 40 harmonicas. He just had a box of harmonicas lying on the table near him. Baby, Baby, Baby, was I in harmonica heaven!

The drummer was cute as well as talented.

The bassist played an upright as well as a bass guitar. I did a lot of filming of him so Michael could see his style. They all did a lot of improv. I wonder what ate the corner of this picture.

Now I have a mint cheesecake in the oven. I thought I had an order fo Wednesday night. The plan was to make a cheesecake using the new flavoring tomorrow night, take it to work for feedback, adjust if necessary and bake Monday for a Tuesday delivery. The woman called today and said, "Oh! Grandma's birthday is Wednesday, but we're celebrating it tomorrow!" Somehow either she forgot to put that in her email or I missed reading it! I want to go back and check. Note for starting business - always double check expected delivery date, place and time, maybe triple check.

I had thought I'd go to bed and do it in the morning, but this way it will have time to cool properly and I worry about that with the high humidity right now. I plan to garnish it with chocolate rosettes and real mint leaves from the garden. You know I will take a picture, unless it sucks terribly! I hope not!

One bad thing about the date confusion is that I had also planned to have my business cards ready by the time I delivered this - one reason I skipped ahead to get the cell phone and new number. Now I will have to try to get to Kinko's and get them done, pay a lot more than if I did them myself, and probably not get the paper I want and the design I want, etc. I might go ahead and go to the office and see if our Word there has the business card template on its tools settings. This one at home does not. I have also tried to use the site we used to make Michael's cards for Japan and the PDF won't load for me. I wonder if it can tell by your user number and limit you to one time use. I may try it at work and see if it will work on a different computer.

The cheesecake is starting to smell minty! Yum. I will return and report tomorrow on its success or failure.

Scarred for life, I think.

This is my shaving wound from last SUNDAY. It is still oozy and bleeding every day. I usually keep it covered and with bacitracin on it. Fear of infection because of diabetes scares the (*%&* out of me. I like my feet and stuff.
One day I considered that perhaps the ointment was keeping it too moist and that if I left it off and left the wound uncovered it would form a scab and not be so painful and disgusting. I learned that when it is dry it hurts even more to move my leg or have it touch ANYTHING. I weeded the yard that night - the night of the ant bites - and if my leg even got near the tip of a blade of grass it shot zings of pain up to my eyeballs. Taking a shower is no fun either. It is still swollen and amazing. I noticed last night that my Bacitracin is expired so today I bought new ointment and new bandages. I am definitely going to keep this thing clean and covered.
I have been wearing a bandage over it to work every day and even though I have worn skirts every day nobody really noticed. Why aren't they checking out my sexy legs when I am wearing skirts? My calves are ripped! Yesterday was the first day Gillian noticed and she said, "You got a tattoo!" She knows my temptations... "No, I have a four inch gash in my leg." So today I kept the bandage off until after I got to work so Gill could see my wound. I don't usually wear flip-flops, but today was Aloha Friday..."Mmmmm okay." (Obscure "Office Space" reference"). So Gillian cleverly designed a tattoo for my bandage! It was kind of fun, but at the same time today EVERYBODY noticed and I had to admit that I cut myself this badly shaving! How embarrassing. This is a 3x4 inch bandage and notice how the wound is so big that it actually goes up into the sticky part. Yeah, that hurts like a &^%%^& when I have to take it off. Maybe now that everyone knows I will quit being subtle and go ahead and bandage it with a gauze pad and tape so I don't have to do that anymore. And duh. It just occurred to me that I should be doing that at night anyway. I always put on a fresh bandage before bed and in the morning, and kind of try to watch for when the blood starts showing through the pad during the day. It has made sleeping an uncomfortable thing this week. And as far as the 300 point challenge at work - huh. I guess I could do arm weight for 40 minutes every day and get a couple of points. The backs of my arms are saggy baggy after the weight loss. The tops are getting more defined because of the weeding and digging, but I need some serious triceps work!

So while I am talking about the pain in my leg, for which I have seriously taken pain pills this week - I think I cut just to the right level to do serious nerve damage or something... Remember to go vote for Casey on the Victoria's Secret site. There's a number one by her picture and I wonder if that means she's in the lead??? That would be SO COOL. I think it would be wonderful for her to have something to look forward to after her amputation and a little healing time.

PS - All the women at work said I need to buy the Venus razor and they are so much better that this won't happen.

PPS - If it is not healed well by my next dr. appt I promise to talk to him about it. I also know to watch for pus, fever and and red stripe or heat coming from the wound, so don't worry about me getting gangrene and not realizing it.

Just stuff again.

I have to get my business cards made by Tuesday. I have a cheesecake to deliver. Good thing I have the weekend to work on them. It will be a mint cheesecake. Last one I made with pure peppermint oil and it was too strong. Today I bought Creme de Menthe that Amber recommended. I will have to make one Sunday, take to work on Monday, make sure it's a good flavor, then bake again Monday night to deliver on Tuesday. If I don't like the new flavor I will use the oil again, but cut the amount by half.

Michael had his first cello lesson of the school year tonight. I napped in the car and also did this major thing I have been wanting to do of sorting out my keys - sounds, stupid, I know. I am tired of carrying around all the little store tags and keys to other peoples' houses. I made one set for me that is only my car and house keys, one ring with other peoples' houses keys, one set with store tags, one set with EXTRA car and house keys to keep in my purse all the time, one set of Extra house and car keys to keep at home all the time, and gave Michael an extra car key to hold. He can always bike it to me if I am stuck somewhere. With all these precautions, you would think I am a chronic key loser or locker-inner, but I am not! I have only locked the keys in the car twice. Once when I was 16 and once a few years ago at Holiday World. I have only lost one set of keys long-term once. I just decided I was risking it too much by not having extras. Last week Judy at work locked her keys in the car with the car running! She had to leave it on for five hours until her daughter could take her lunch at work and go home to get the extra keys. It made me decide I am getting older and better be ready. I had already had extra keys made a couple of weeks ago, but now they all will have permanent, known homes, plus the added bonus feature of not having all those store cards with me all the time if I want to carry keys in my pocket while I hike or something, yet they are easily accessible in my purse.

So that's my big excitement for the day. I didn't work in the yard at all today, which may be some kind of achievement, I'm not sure. After cello we sat out on the front porch and I ate some food while Michael ate a chocolate milkshake. After that he practiced "track stands" in the driveway on his fixed gear. "Look Mom, no hands!" track stands sometimes. Just what every mom wants to see.... he is quite good at it. It's amazing to balance a bike without moving.

Remember to go vote for Casey!

Not feeling bloggy. so randomness.

I am not really feeling much like doing anything else tonight. I may forget the list and just do the paperworkish things I need to do and then lie in bed and watch a movie. Who knows? Maybe I'll go whacko and clean the entire house and stay up until 3 am. I am inconsistent in my goals and achievements.

I think I am kind of sad today thinking about what is going on in the world. It seems like the wars have been going on forever. I don't know why it just can't end.

I bought my first "grown up" cell phone, that is not a pay before you use it. I am scared to have another monthly bill, but I need to do it to get more prepared for doing business. Baby steps.

The ants attacked me while I was weeding tonight. I must have a hundred ant bites. I think it is revenge for all the little ants I squished just for fun when I was small. I won't do that anymore!

Michael found one of his chocolate bars nibbled on last night. Time to start looking for my next victim, I guess. I will have to buy some more traps. It could have just come in in the last couple of days. I left the patio door open while I swept and cleaned the back porch the other night.

I have minor, annoying things with my feet and legs right now. They hurt enough to make it difficult/painful to walk or exercise, however. It's right when we are doing a challenge at work where exercise earns points. I will never make it. I am kind of sad about that.

I think part of my bummishness tonight is that work was stressful today. We will have a lot of auction ads this weekend and that is good, but the customers were driving Donna crazy and then Donna gets irritable and drives some of us crazy and then we get irritable and it's a bad cycle. I finally consulted with Leah on how to deal with this one customer who has been really bad the past couple of days. So Monday I have to call this customer and tell her in the best way, that we won't tolerate her behavior any longer. She is a good customer as far as the amount of money she spends with us, but when she makes Donna do the paperwork four and five times instead of once we are not making enough to pay for the time to redo that paperwork all over and over and over....let alone the emotional toll it takes on Donna. As the sales rep it is ultimately my responsibility to keep the revenue, but make sure that we (meaning mostly Donna here) are not abused.

So anyway... I am going to look at the rest of my list, see what I am going to ignore, log my snack and probably go to bed!

Goodnight!

A good cause.

Mandy and Casey. I stole this from Facebook. I hope they don't mind. They are so beautiful and Mandy has been a faithful and loving friend to Emily all through college. They were random dorm placements Freshman year and lived together all four years of college. Emily has even considered moving to Milwaukee to help with Casey's care during her illness and treatments. Who knows - maybe she will still go if she doesn't get a teaching job. Emily can kind of be random that way...

Casey is Emily's Roommate's Sister. She is 19 and has an extremely aggressive cancer. Please go here and vote for her so she can win a trip to NYC for some pampering. Vote every day!
http://www.bodybyvictoria.com/#/Gallery/880

Right now the drs. estimate that the amputation will be in mid September. Casey is just ready to get it over with. I hope it goes well and helps her feel better, without so much pain.

All of my life seems so trivial when you think of a battle like this. I am grateful that my children are healthy and that my health problems, though chronic, allow me to live a fairly normal life, and even have less pain than I used to have.

I want to write soon and post pictures of our "Family Reunion" we had back in July. I just reviewed the pictures last night and my goodness, we have a beautiful family! We're even nice, too!

Especially for Deanna

I cut myself shaving! No kidding...

I haven't done anything like this with a razor since I was about twelve years old. I was in a hurry and caught the skin between the blades and... Yowza! It was still bleeding this morning - after 24 hours...I haven't checked it yet tonight. It's about time because I am aiming for midnight bedtime and we're almost there AND I am getting a headache. I didn't drink enough water today and I am sure that is whence the headache cometh.

I had to make one more bloggedy blog before I go to bed because Deanna has an interest in disgusting wounds.

Bad Poetry Night:

This is what happens when you spend too much time sitting in the grass weeding...


To all the blogs I read before
then Facebook came right through your door
No more daily news
no more political views
like there were before.

To all the blogs that I perused
Now you're very seldom used
No pictures of the fam
No recipes for Spam
I almost feel abused.

Bloggers no longer seem to write
just update "status" day and night.
A three word phrase in here
A five word sentence there
Somehow they feel that's enough to write.

To those of you with new babes in arms
I know you're learning all the charms
of your sweet one's little grins
and the love that's in
your hearts and in your homes.

So some of you are I will forgive
returning students, new moms have to live,
but I would like to know
how well the classes go
and see the babies grow
Please blog and think it is a gift.

To all the blogs I read before
Now I miss you even more
Thinking of it all
before you heeded Facebook's call
and made my reading-loving heart so sore.

To all the bloggers I adore.
Please know I love you even more,
though you forsook me for Farmville
and don't tell me when you're ill
so I can send good thoughts and will.

To those of you who still write a bit.
I read you like you're classic lit.
I am glad to see your updates
your children and their playmates
your parties and your homes, even just a little bit.

To bloggers who have not forgotten
to make your life public like I do.
I'm so happy that you stay
Bejeweled did not take you away.
Play a little here and there, but always be aware
that I am a voyeur to you...

To all the blogs I read Pre-FB days
please write, and tell about your ways
I'll read everything you print
and comment if you want
just let me know and then I'll praise!

Up to Indy...

Michael and I drove up to Indy and met Heather and Emily for lunch. We went to Bazbeaux's Pizza and it was delicious. I ate three pieces of pizza, even though my stomach had told me to stop at two. I have been very conservative on my food intake since we got home to make up for it.

After lunch Heather went to church. Emily, Michael and I went to Trader Joe's to do a little grocery shopping. They have a lot of their own products that are not available anywhere else and also carry some unique or "health food" type stuff, that is available in Bloomington at Bloomingfoods or Sahara Mart, but is less expensive at Trader Joe's. We didn't buy too much... about $40 worth. Michael picked an interesting kind of cheese. I got some natural and strong ginger ale to try the next time my tummy has problems. Emily picked some good chocolate and trail mix... fill in with some vegetarian prepared meals for Michael so he doesn't only eat spaghetti all the time when I don't want to cook, some bottled pesto, some cereal that Michael loves that was $1.00 cheaper per box, some chips and salsa that I love and there you have it I think. I saw a bottle of wine I really want, but no booze is sold in Indiana on Sunday. I am a very discriminating wine buyer. I buy wine because I like the bottle or the label and then I never drink it. I do offer it to guests, however, and then I keep the empty bottle around for decor. This was a beautiful, light colored chardonnay with a HUGE smiley face on the front! I am going to ask Heather to go buy one for me.

We stopped at an Indy bike store to look at helmets. I bought Michael a beautiful new helmet for Japan and it was damaged during the return shipping. I am pretty upset about that. Helmets at this place were VERY expensive. Up to over $200 - definitely not the kind that are in our budget. Michael also looked at bikes. Alexander has decided he wants to start getting around town on a bike and he will just buy his rather than building... because he can.

It was great to spend time with Emily. Sitting in the car with her and her constant chatter is so different than riding in the car with Michael. I am pretty sad that she has moved even farther away, but I know that's the way life goes. Her report on Casey and her cancer is that Casey has asked to have the amputation done as soon as possible. Right now she can still walk around with crutches, but it is very painful and she is on really high doses of morphine. Once the amputation is done she will have to wheelchair forever, but hopes to have less pain. I guess the dr. is saying in three to four weeks. She can't even get a prosthetic because they will take part of her pelvis also and she won't have enough muscles or bones to be able to use or control a prosthesis. It's all very sad to think of a nineteen year old going through this and it helps me realize every day how grateful I should be.

Happy place....

Here is the Hippie Gnome "at home" among the herbs!

Except I knocked him over when I used the hose around that direction
and I am afraid that the tip of his hat will break off so he may move again.

Here is my first harvest from the garden! Grape tomatoes, rosemary, basil, and thyme.

Up close!

Here is the product, supplemented with supermarket
grape tomatoes, also including fresh mozzarella.
It was delicious and fresh, real food.

Too dark, a couple of dads at the Bike Team party looking at the photo albums.
We also all viewed a slide show of pictures, LOTS AND LOTS of pictures.

Here is Michael at the party, not a very good picture of him.

This is another bike team member whose name I can' remember. I feel bad about that.

Left is Ian, Right is Ned, Right in black T-shirt is John, and then Michael in back.
The woman in the green shirt in back is Jeanne. She is John's mom,
also an orchestra mom and has a daughter that was in orchestra with Emily,
so we have known each other quite a while. The party was at their house.

Here is something interesting about Ned. Emily had a kid in her class named Daniel Bingham. He was the geekiest science dork EVER. I used to laugh at his clothes all the time, because he was SUCH the stereotype, I thought. A few years ago I got an email from a friend from church whom I have known a LONG time. We were both pregnant at the same time and had our babies 5 days apart. Then we both went through hellish divorces.... She sent me an email saying she was was SO sorry, and hadn't told me sooner, but she was going to get married in a couple of weeks and invited me to go, although it was going to be a rather small event. So I went to the wedding and afterward while I was talking to her and her new husband I realized he was Daniel Bingham's dad! I hadn't recognized Daniel at the wedding because he was in nice clothes or something! THEN when Michael gets to high school he started talking about "Ned" all the time and going climbing with Ned. It took me a little while to figure out that Ned was another Bingham. I knew Daniel had a little brother but Emily always called him "Little Bingham" So now Michael is really good friends with Ned and Ned is stepbrother to Emily, the baby born five days earlier than Michael! Isn't it strange how people end up connected? It has been nice because Carol and I can talk easily when the boys stay out too long and stuff like that. I am not always comfortable with other parents until I get to know them and sometimes it takes me a LONG time to get comfy. Well I've known Carol almost the entire 25 years I've been in Bloomington, know her entire family and it's just really nice. I was disappointed she and Geoff, her husband, didn't come to the party tonight. Ned is kind of like that, though, he does things on his own a lot more than Michael does. Michael will miss him this year. He is a year older and has graduated and is off to Cornell nest week.

These are what you get when you do well in a bike race in Japan;
bags of rice, noodles, some pumpkiny thing and fans.
The notebook is a journal in which each of the team members
wrote an entry on the way home.

The fans.

Cindy Kvale, the coach, and Jeanne divvying up the rice.

More good sharing!

I had a good day, didn't get any of my outdoor tasks done, but accomplished some errands, LOVED getting herbs out of my garden and using them, and enjoyed the party, although I was mostly in my "silent observer" mode. It was relaxing.

Tomorrow we are going up to Indy to see Emily and Heather and have some lunch. We also need to trade a few goods back and forth from borrowing or forgetting and stuff like that.

SO - I want to unload the dryer and then my heiny to bed!