March 30, 2011

Here goes try number TWO!!! I just composed a very long blog (for me) and had it disappear into the ethernet!

As I was saying. . .I have been dealing with my intermittent insomnia again. In part this is due to the hormonal roulette that my body is playing at. It is also due to some heavy brain activity, some creative, some emotional and some just there!

The emotional stuff has to do with some serious health challenges that are being faced by my uncle right now. He has been diagnosed with inoperable lung cancer in the last week. Owing partially to my immigration status, a trip to California just isn't in the cards just now. Fortunately, we were able to spend some time with him last summer and will have fond memories of him, if he doesn't pull through this.

My dad has also had some interesting and worrisome things going on with his health. Nothing has been determined yet, but they are still trying to figure out if anything serious is going on or not. I probably still have at least another year or so before travel becomes easier again, so this situation is making things a bit anxious for me at the moment.

I have also run into a couple of ideas that I want to do (crafty useful type stuff) and I have been mulling them over and plotting and planning how I can accomplish these projects to best fit our family's needs. I will be posting photos if/when I get them going for real and not just in my head. . .

Finally, I have been thinking about some of the maintenance/repair issues around our house. The house was built in the early 70's and has a few things that could use some attention. I routinely think about priorities and where our money/time should go first. Last night (2am) while I was rolling around the sound of running water finally got to me. I grew up in circumstances that taught me to really place a high value on water. I HATE WASTING WATER!!! The toilet upstairs has had a slow leak for months. It has progressively gotten worse. . .for months! The local regional district is offering sizable rebates for replacing old water wasting toilets with new efficient ones. Early today (2am) I finally decided that I didn't want to miss the rebates and I HATE WASTING WATER!!! Today we plunked down the plastic and picked-up two dual flush toilets. The 1973(?) Avocado Green toilet upstairs has now been switched out for a shiny white dual flush. . .non-leaking, non-running model. The 1973(?) Harvest Gold one downstairs will share the same fate tomorrow. Then fill out and submit a few papers and we should get almost1/2 the cost reimbursed. (YAY!) PLUS, no more listening to perfectly good water run down the drain for me!!!

My seedlings are all waiting for Mother's Day and their trip to the garden. . .Kaili has that pasty white complexion of the sick (she has been down with the flu for 4 days now). . . The Snowbirds are back in town and practicing aerial acrobatics (cool!!!). . .I think that's the report for now.

Spring is sprunging. . .

It has been cooler and wetter than usual according to the locals around here, but our crocus seem to like it just fine.
Last week was CRAZY busy for our house. Kaili had dance on Tuesday evening, Ellie had school concerts on Wednesday and Thursday nights, the ward talent show was Friday night and Dax left for a St. John Ambulance NCO camp (I'll explain) early Saturday morning. I worked during most of these activities, but caught Ellie's clarinet and guitar performances on Thursday night.
Now, about Dax's NCO camp. It was 4 days of marching and drilling, leadership classes and following military-type discipline. The camp is for non-commissioned officers (Hence the NCO name) of the St. John Ambulance Cadet Corp. Dax got home at around 12:30 last night and said he had a great time.
Last evening Ron took the girls to catch the Powell River ferry while I was at work. Today they are on a hike somewhere over there. They went with a SAR member and will be practicing emergency shelter building and some other back-country stuff. I would have LOVED to go, but I worked until 10:30 last night, so I literally "missed the boat" this time. Adam is still plugging away with his school stuff and enjoying his job.
This morning I noticed that our neighbors across the street got 2 new "dogs". Which is interesting, because they (Niel and Diane) are in England right now, so the new "dogs" are having to munch on the potted plants and various garden greenery.
I re-potted several of my seedlings today, among them are pink grapefruit and tangerine seeds that I got started in a wet paper towel. We'll have to see how they do. . .

Working on gratitude this week. . .

We have much to be grateful for this week and I have had to remind myself of this a few times. As some of you know we had a HUGE wind storm on Monday. Our yard is littered with tree debris, though no "big" pieces. . .fortunately. We lost our power just before I left for work at about 8am and it stayed off until I got home at around 6pm. The schools were closed, the ferries shut down and people pretty well stayed home. Dax and Elizabeth were away at a leadership training course hosted by St. John Ambulance in the lower mainland.
Shortly after getting home, we were all in the family room downstairs, when Kaili asked- "What's that smell?" We weren't sure; maybe the furnace firing back up? Something outside? Shortly thereafter there was a LOUD Pop from upstairs. It seems that while the power was out, the butane camp stove was put on the range to heat water, the burner under it happened to be on, consequently it exploded sending shrapnel and hot glass around the kitchen.
After the initial shock wore off, I started really bemoaning the loss of our stoves, teakettle and the burn marks in the floor and holes in the cabinets where the shrapnel hit; all the while understanding that it could have been so much WORSE!
If anyone would have been in the kitchen there would have been life threatening injuries for sure- if one of the pieces of camp stove would have flown a couple of feet to the right we would have had to replace a window too. Even though we didn't have the 1000 dollars to put things back into functionality, we did have the credit available to do so AND NO ONE WAS HURT!
We now have a new stove in place and I really am feeling grateful instead of faking grateful.

Today's little bit o' wisdom. . .

Ya can't have rainbows without a little rain.
I have started LOTS of seeds now, in readiness for spring. So far I have about 2 dozen little tomato sprouts,some basil & cilantro,a cantaloupe and a few bean plants. There should be lettuce, spinach, chard, kale, more beans, watermelons, marigolds, nasturtiums and peas coming up as it gets closer to planting time. I am planning to get a pressure canner this year and home can a TON of spaghetti sauce, pickled beans, and maybe even some pickles too.
The neighbor across the cul-de-sac told Ron that she tried digging in her garden the other day, and she now has what amounts to a canal in her yard. The ground is thoroughly saturated.

Stake Conference March 2011

This week-end was our Stake Conference (instead of "regular" church meetings, we meet in Nanaimo with several other wards/branches (congregations)) to hear from the leadership that presides over our Stake (district).

Last night was the adult session, so after an up and down shift at work, I picked up a few other folks and Adam & we all headed south to Nanaimo. It was a really good meeting and here are a few tidbits I picked up this time. . .

• We build our testimonies of the Truthfulness of the Gospel much in the same way maple sap fills a bucket; slowly, one drop at a time, over time.
• Comparing ourselves to others is one of Lucifer's greatest tools; he can use it to destroy us.
• "We must improve ourselves before we cannot."

Today's session was for everyone, so the whole family dragged themselves out the door an hour earlier than usual. Our ward's choir performed a beautiful hymn, beautifully during the meeting (our kids are all choir members). Then we heard two wonderful conversion stories; one, a brand new member in his early 20's, the other a woman who fell away early in her twenties and who has now come back into the fold in her 50's (?).

A few of the little nuggets that I picked up today were. . .

• The Celestial Kingdom is the only place forever families exist.
• Even the economy of the region in which we live can be affected by our righteousness.
• "Busy-ness" is a mental trick and a flimsy excuse for Spiritual laziness.
• Obedience to God is the key to freedom.
• "Stick to the church until it sticks to you"- This one was directed at the youth.

It has been a blustery couple of days with the weather, but very uplifting Spiritually speaking. I have the warmest feelings for our stake leadership and feel so privileged to be under their care and guidance.

Many of the locals are complaining about the late start to spring this year and wondering when we will be able to get our gardens started. I am just grateful not to be in Japan at this point. I have several trays of seeds in various stages of growth that will go into the ground whenever spring does decide to make an appearance.

Elizabeth has two different concert performances this week, I hope to get a few pictures, but we'll see what happens.

Everyone heads back to the routine in the am, and this is the last week of school before the kids have spring break.

March 8, 2011

Yesterday when I went out to play in the dirt, I took my camera along; I am not nearly fast enough with it though. When the 2 immature eagles were settling their dispute while wheeling through the sky overhead, I couldn't catch them in the frame. There was a mature bald eagle soaring even higher in the sky above the two squeaking and squawking youngsters. The whole display only lasted a couple of minutes, but it was really cool! After the show, I managed to re-pot three of my houseplants, start some catnip and oats (for the cats) and get a little raking done.

I also started seeds for watermelon, cantaloupe, peppers, basil and cilantro. I already have tomatoes and beans sprouting in the window sill. I am hoping to have a substantial garden this year, since we will be sticking close to home for the summer.

I have two shifts behind me at work, now and it seems to be going pretty well so far. Last Saturday was a little crazy for us. . .Dax had Medical First Responder class, Adam and I were at work and Ron spent much of the day volunteering for St. John Ambulance at Seedy Saturday while the girls just chilled at home for the day. It seems we are beginning to have days where we are going in 5 or 6 directions now, and I imagine this will only get more pronounced as time passes.

They were predicting snow and rain for today, but we only got a little sprinkle very early this morning, then wind/breeze with scattered clouds this afternoon. It looks like another unsettled weather week for here.