Life on Two Acres

This is my birthday weekend.

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I celebrated today with my coworkers. My coteacher made a wonderful cake for me.

I made a cake for my class. They sang Happy Birthday and some of the girls spent their time in freeplay making me birthday cakes out of playdoh with different kinds of pretend candles in it for me to blow out.

I asked some of my students what husband should give me for my birthday. The funniest answer - a baby.
Husband has had a stressful day at work so I'm not sure that he would find the humor in it. I thought it was funny.

The reminder phone call from the doctors office said that the appointment was at 3. When I arrived the nurse said "your appointment was at 2." So I rescheduled. But am not too unhappy. I am celebrating and there is no room for such things as doctors.

Tomorrow I am spending the afternoon with S1. We will be working on grad school applications. One requires a residency form filled out and that is what I will be doing. Hopefully there will be time to go to campus for great coffee and also time to play with the roommate's sugar gliders.

Sunday is the actual day. I will get phone calls and in the evening will officially join the church that husband and I have attended for the past few years.

Comment Moderation Free

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I should have added word verification also.

Comment moderation has been removed from this blog. It was largely on because of spam but after reading so many blogs that had posts against it I have removed any moderation. Who knew that it was that controversial.

Will see how it goes.

The letter

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I is our Letter of the Week this week. We talked about the letter, what sound it makes and words that start with the letter I.

I showed the children pictures of ice cream, ice cube and an iron. Only one child knew what an iron was. No one else had seen one before.

Heinz/Guest Writer

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I have decided to get up off of my usual spot on the bed and become a guest writer for my favorite person. She is mumbling something about a meeting that has something to do about where she goes in the morning (when she should be sleeping with me in the sunbeam), her computer not working and an annual physical that is coming up this week also (I tell her that she is lucky that she can drive a car to the doctor's office and not have to be put in a cage for the ride. . . she isn't listening).

So sometimes I will be writing. But now it is time to go back for a nap.

computers

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are causing some issues at the little blue house. Collectively they have decided to have unattractive tantrums so much of my day yesterday was working with them and consequently everything else was ignored.

We did watch, or try to watch, the movie Lost in Translation. Turned it off in the middle of the movie. It started out with great possibilities but something was lost in the translation.

On paper November

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looks like it promises to be on the dismal side.

A birthday for me, anniversary of a couple of deaths, obligations that could finally cause that ulcer that my body has been trying to create.

But I am also old enough to know that life is what you make of it. Lemonade out of lemons if you will.

So I am watching movies, painting a Christmas village, thinking of Christmas presents to buy or make.

Reading books, petting cats, chasing goofy dogs.

Wishing all of us a pleasant November.

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Near Stuarts Draft, Virginia

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The child is from a country

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far away. The name of his birth place brings to mind images of boys on horseback riding around an open country. Also of women in brightly colored long dresses.

He is good and respectful. His family member who watches him while his parents work bows to me when she picks him up.

Today a younger sibling made a face at me. Father saw. Admonished child in their own language.

To be respected is a wonderful thing.

Wordless Wednesday

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Happy Birthday Mom!

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(Photo from my parent's 50th anniversary party August, 2009)

I sat down this

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afternoon to write a post. An opinion piece. About how I'm tired of selfishness, opinions that are treated as news stories. I'm tired of ignorance, meanness and the feeling that the world revolves around individuals. I'm tired of fear, meaningless wars.

But what to say after that?

So I am headed outside. To work on some raised beds for my garden. To pet a dog or two. And admire some colored leaves.

And just maybe, the headache that I have will lessen.

Ramblings

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Last night when I fell asleep Heinz was curled up next to my face. I told him that I loved him. He raised his head, turned to look at me and made a chirping sound. So cute.

Our youngest came home for dinner tonight and to find his passport. Possible trips to Tanzania or Belize may lie in his future. Medical mission trips.

Conversation with oldest son through IM yesterday:
Me- I have a headache.
S1- I have a computer.

Most of the old decking that was in a pile in our back yard has been removed and has found a new home at a nearby farm. Thank heavens for Craig's List.

Some of the decking is in a pile near the bee hive for raised garden beds. I'd like to say that because of the new raised beds that will be made before spring next year my gardens will be picture worthy. I would probably be lying. But hope springs eternal.

My day so far

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1. Testing for my class

2. Parent volunteer could not make it in for her time.

3. Letter P week. Child announced that pe*is starts with P.

Why yes it does.

4. Child being tested on ABC's in random order is making all sorts of weird noises when I point to each letter. "I like to make up my own names for letters," the child said.

Mentally I'm banging my head against the wall.

5. Husband calls and leaves a message during work.

6. S2 leaves a message during work that ends with a plaintive "You never call me back."

For the record I do call back but it is usually at a wrong time - in class, studying, working etc.

7. I go to the grocery store, get gas and promptly forget to buy what husband has left message for on phone.

8. I get near home and electrician calls - he is at the house - I am two minutes away.

9. Get home, unlock house, talk to electrician.

10. Take dogs out to bathroom. Get them back into the house and give out chew bones.

11. Make wonderful salad. Greens, shredded cheese, dried cranberries, croutons, and the end of the salad dressing.

12. Realization hits that there is a second white van in the driveway. The hot tub is being fixed. Talk to hot tub man. Try to look intelligent as he is speaking to me. Hear sound of dish clanking from kitchen.

13. Come in to find that Snoopy has jumped up to counter, eaten salad and is quite pleased with himself.

It is now 1:39 pm.

Pie in the Sky

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I watched the first disc of this series last night (from Netflix) and am totally charmed. It is about a detective, played by Richard Griffiths (the Uncle Dursley of Harry Potter fame), who would love to retire from the police and run his own restaurant. Unfortunately for him (and lucky for us) he is not allowed to retire and must handle both jobs.

The mystery's are light for the most part. No gore. More of a real every day life.

And like I said - Absolutely charming.

It is pouring

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outside right now. The construction projects were not worked on today. The hot tub repairman is ill. Will come tomorrow. Husband needed a day off from the deck so the rain is a welcome relief for him.

An envelope for S1 came in today's mail. He gave me permission to open it. It was an odd reply to an editorial he wrote for the university newspaper.

The subject of the editorial was Darwin and it was basically a mini report on Darwin's life. Nothing controversial. But it was on Darwin.

Nothing scary in the letter that we received that I can tell. It is several pages long and seems to be photo copies of articles against Darwin. And the gentleman who sent it did put his name and return address on the envelope.

But at the same time it is unnerving. So many murders have happened at this school. And the fact that the university publishes the home addresses of its students freaks me out a little.

Wordless Wednesday (Almost)

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No, my dog is not doing her business on the new deck. She is getting ready to leap. :-)

Today is a big milestone in birthdays

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for husband.

We spent it having a morning picnic and spending time with S2 at family day at his campus. Later there will be a three layer German Chocolate cake and solo singing of the birthday song by yours truly.

"Your child is not gifted" said

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one of S1's teachers in high school. "He gets good grades because he perseveres."

I wasn't sure that I agreed with that assessment but once a student is pegged for a certain spot in school (12th grade and under) it is difficult for them to move up - no matter what they accomplish (at least in our area).

Fast forward.

S1 is to graduate in May with a degree in Physics and a minor in math and astronomy. This semester he is taking 3 languages - German, Japanese and Arabic. He is the TA for Japanese.

He was asked to write a twice a month column for the opinion page of the college newspaper. Column 3 will be turned in today.

Class rankings came out yesterday to be used for grad school applications.

S1 is number 1.

:-)

**I have no idea how this will translate into grad school acceptance. Life is fickle sometimes and paths never run the way that you think they will. But I am so happy for him and I love good news!!

Yesterdays funny moment

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came from the mouth of a 4 year old.

There is a child in the class with big eyes who is adorable, smart, funny and stubborn (as many 4 year olds can be). Consequently I do say this child's name quite often.

A little girl in the class is quite enamored with him. Yesterday she was across the room from him, reaching out her arms in dramatic fashion, yelling "Best Friend, Best Friend".

I knelt down to her level and asked her if she knew the other child's name. A look of disdain came across her face. "It's ________ _______. You say it all the time!"

A thrifting tale

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I walked into the rummage store run by our local spca after enjoying a cup of coffee and a scone next door at the coffee house with the lovely old chairs to relax in.

The store can be kind of expensive for 2nd hand goods. Their reasoning is that they are a source of funding for the animals. I just dig a little further into the items hoping for a great bargain.

The chair wasn't exactly a bargain, but it wasn't expensive either. I had been wanting a great piece of wicker for a sitting area in the master bedroom but I wasn't sure about this piece. Until I sat in it and realized that even without a cushion it was highly comfortable. But was the price worth it?

I had to make a decision right then and there. Another woman had spied the chair and was standing less than a yard from me waiting to pounce on it if I let the chair go.

I took the chair up to the register. The cashier looked at her friend who was next to her and said, "Someone is buying your chair!" Yes, another woman had seen the chair but had gone home to think it over.

The chair is mine. Husband loves it. Heinz loves it. Someday I envision it a dark green. But I may change my mind.

Why we have washable quilts on our bed

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Look at that underbelly!!

Apple Orchard Field Trip

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We took our students and their parents to the apple orchard near the famous presidents house. One of my favorite places as on sunny days the view can be spectacular and well worth the drive to the top of the mountain. We picked apples, went to apple school and ended with a hay ride and snack. Lots of smiling faces.

???????????

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The post office in our little town was empty except for the father of a friend of S2. I hadn't seen him in awhile so stopped to say hi and catch up on what was going on with their family.

"Oh" says dad, very proudly. "You should see "Clark" now. With all that beer drinking and eating in college he is well over 200 lbs. He looks like a football player."

I cannot get photos to

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appear on the blog today.

But will instead tell you something that happened to me yesterday. While I was leaving a comment on a blog the word verification that came up was my last name.

Now how cool is that!