This isn't our usual spot!

Friday, Carrie and I drove up to Staunton to see these guys!

If you were expecting Patrick and Shelby, you weren't wrong. Everyone was at their house! Nana and Pop were driving Megan, B, and Sammy up to Northern Virginia for the next leg of their stateside journey. Patrick and Shelby were an easy pit-stop to visit family and kid-test their house. They recently announced they were expecting their first kid in November!

It's an hour drive for us, so it was an easier pickup location for Shane. I've been meaning to visit Patrick for a while, but life's been busy. I don't remember the giant, Star Gate-esque wheel from the last time!

It was for the cat, but I would've loved to see a kid take a spin.

Not that the wheel could hold a kid. Or that Sammy could hold himself up.

Everyone had plenty of energy from being in the car for hours and hours! Cole was with them in spirt and electronically. I heard noise coming from Nana's phone and she realized he was listening in!

Nana 'encouraged' the kids to go outside. They ran around in the front yard until Shane found ants. Lots and lots of ants.

He was fascinated by the ants. B and Sammy were fascinated by his fascination (and possibly the ants or the danger of being bit by said ants!).

Pop tended to stay in the yard while I moved between the groups.

There wasn't much social distancing.

But we've all had our vaccination rounds and don't socialize heavily outside of family (Disclaimer done).

Carrie and I stayed for about an hour before we packed Shane up to move on. We got CFA on the way home, because it's pretty much part of the routine for handoffs! It was a shorter visit due to the timing, but from all the pictures online it was a packed visit! Tons of memories were made.

Loki was the only one who wasn't happy with meeting in Staunton. He wanted to go, too! His little dog brain was soon overwhelmed with the fact Shane was back, though, so he didn't hold a grudge.

Tough Season; Still Blessed!

When life delivers crap in an unexpected places....

...you learn to look for unexpected blessings and laugh when you can. Maybe you can even get a funny picture out of it.

It felt odd to scrape a pile off the stall wall, but gravity helped and it didn't take any bedding with it.

It's been a tough season. There was the general unknown and fear at the beginning of the pandemic, but there was enough spare time for me to take up archery and all sorts of homebound shenanigans. Virtual school started and ate up the lion's share of that spare time. Surgery took Carrie off her feet. Stress and heartache took wind from her sails. Sometimes her own thoughts keep her up at night. One night this week, she woke me up at 4 AM worried Eowyn might need water. She thought she heard Eowyn kicking the bucket which woke her, but her knee hurt or she'd go out herself to check.

So I checked. Eowyn's water was low, but it would've made it till morning. I filled it up anyway in the hope it would help Carrie ease back to sleep.

Shane's seemingly oblivious to it all. Sometimes he sets Carrie off by doing things like deicing to sing, "Butt! Butt! Butt!" in her ear which makes Loki run and bark all while she has a headache from said lack of sleep! Carrie's diet has been going really well, but that also means she can be hangry when Shane decides he wants attention and any kind will do!

There are positive signs. Carrie's been showing more energy and starting to do more each week. She mowed the pastures recently. However, she pushed herself too far and too fast. She thought her knee would support ducking between fence lines, but got a shock when it gave out! I saw her sitting down from across the way and didn't realize what happened. I did get a picture of Lilly coming over to check on her.

I haven't been able to keep up with everything all the time, but I've kept up with enough through divine intervention. Summer is closing in and it won't be a moment too soon! My SOL is June 1st this year, and I expect the work load (and attendance) will drop off once it's passed. 

The bottom line: It's been tough, but I still feel blessed. I will be happy when this season ends, but there's enough happening to be thankful for in it that I don't want to hope too hard on the future and miss what's going on before my eyes. 

Whoops! More Gate Issues

The gate broke. We fixed it. Now it's broke again. 

Heidi was leaving just as our farrier, Meredith, was getting ready to pull in with her trailer. The driveway isn't big enough for two, so after a moment of both women trying to wave the other on Heidi went into reverse. She reversed straight back into control box.

Her car knocked the box clear off. Bent the arm, too.

Heidi didn't notice and drove off once Meredith rolled by. Meredith told Carrie and Carrie went straight to the hardware store. She needed to fix the gate before it was time for Meredith to go!

Thankfully, the control box still works. It's hanging at a different angle, but people can come and go.

Carrie texted Heidi to let her know to check her car. Heidi and Misha are going to be moving back to Germany soon and they plan on selling their cars rather than shipping them. 

All in the day of a barn manager. There's always something going on or needing fixing! I was at work, so it was all resolved by the time I got home.

Writing Exercise

Carrie knows that I've been trying (and failing) to write. She thought it'd be fun if we played a writing game. Basically, we'd take turns writing a page and then the other would have to take up from where the other left off.

I thought it would be fun, too, but didn't know when or where it would happen.

Carrie got the ball rolling. She wrote the first page. I wrote a reply later when I was doing my 45 minutes of bathroom duty.

It's not high-class art, but it's been fun! Normally, I need to focus in when I try to write, but the one page maximum makes it easier to fart around and come up with something. We're not editing it as we go, so there are typos and missed words. The goals are to keep it going and have fun. Nothing else.

If you're curious about what I'm talking about, I made a copy to share here. Carrie threw me a curveball, so I threw one right back at her. Neither of us really knows where this is going!

Cousin-Palooza!

 I downloaded a ton of pictures over the weekend.

Megan, B, and Sammy flew in to SC the same day Nana and Pop picked up Shane.

It was a Cousin-Palooza!

There was a great amount of revelry.

All of the kids ran like crazy, wrestled in the grass, and had a blast.

I wasn't there, but I can hear it from the pictures.

B and Sammy seem to be physical like Shane. 

They're high energy and like to roughhouse.

And be roughhoused with!

Tenley and Evelyn are less rough and tumble, but they enjoy all the climbing and running around as much as any of the kids!

Cole's on the lower energy side, but he can't help but be infected by the group's energy.

Nana said that everyone slept soundly!

And it's easy to see why!

There was one night that Shane tried to sneak up and read a book, but Nana shut that down. "I needed him well rested, because it was going to be a full day tomorrow!"

The weather this time of year is perfect for kids to play outside. They got to do some electronics, of course, but Nana said that the kids were asking to go outside plenty.

There was a minor scare when Cole came home with a fever the Tuesday or Wednesday before everyone arrived. Kathleen took him to get a COVID test right away and kept him home from school just in case. 

It sounded like everyone knew it was probably nothing, but she was playing it careful. I talked to Carrie and wanted to send Shane regardless of whether or not we heard back about the test.

After all, when would be the next time that Megan, B, and Sammy would visit from Ghana? They were a world away!

We hadn't seen them since the summer prior. I don't know if they're going to be able to make it to Beach Week or not.

Nana and Pop make the time special by taking the kids to parks, swimming pools, and all sorts of fun places.

Cole's a swimmer now! He's been taking lessons and will get his face wet. B swims at school, so all the older boys are more trustworthy in the water.

It was a weekend that will echo in all the kid's memories. 

Whether they remember specifics or not, they'll remember being part of a big, happy family that enjoyed spending time together.

I'm hoping those memories last a lifetime for all the kids.

Thank you, Nana and Pop for being willing to host everyone!

Reasonable Beer Bread!

Carrie got on a bread baking kick Spring Break. She went through half the beers Mark gave me making test loaves. I got to eat many of them. Others, she gave to boarders (along with a can or two if they wanted to see what it started from!).

The recipe evolved and Carrie discovered a warm function on the oven to make things easier.

I bragged about the bread to Scott at work. I told Carrie I wanted to give some to Scott and Mark the next time we got together.

That day was Sunday. Carrie baked a fresh loaf and came along since Shane was with Nana and Pop. She even brought homemade butter.

It was a hit! Carrie started discussing beer bread in general with Mark and Perpetual Bloom came up (It's an IPA with strong citrus/orange notes). Mark had some going out of date he'd have to destroy, so he gave us some cans for Carrie to work with.

Carrie dried some orange rind and made zest to go with her first attempt. I liked it, but she considered it a failure (and turned part of it into a fantastic bread pudding)! She used orange juice for her next attempt and declared it much better. 

And she's not done yet! I love bread, so every loaf she makes is a win for me!

A Thought on Generosity

When we handed Shane over to Nana and Pop, Nana handed us a goodie bag for our trip home. It had some snacks, candy, a chocolate milk, and Doritos. 

I hadn't had Doritos in forever. 

If we had not just eaten ChicFilA, I would have immediately gone for the Doritos. They are not allowed in the house right now, because they are so, so good.

Carrie and I pulled out of the parking lot and I had Doritos on the mind. How long should I wait before eating them? How could I deal with the orange dust?

Right before the interstate, we pulled up to a light with a beggar. He was talking to the car in front of us. I looked at him and thought about how sad it was for a moment.

"Why don't we give him the snack bag your mom gave us?" Carrie said.

It was a great idea.

I wish it had been mine. 

My first thought was I'd miss the Doritos. 

Thankfully, my next several thoughts convicted me of how selfish that line of thinking was. We had just enough time to hand the man the bag full of snacks and I got to mull things over as we pulled away.

Being selfish comes naturally. It's sad, but human and I'm human. God commands us to put that selfishness aside and to live in generously Him. I like to think that I live a good life, but moments like mourning the loss of Doritos when I'm already full show me I can't do it on my own. Thoughts on my new and old self always make me think of the lyrics. "...I can't bear to see the man I've been come rising up again."

I was glad Carrie made the suggestion as we drove away. Only God knows if her inner heart's motivation was pure generosity or a thought to remove temptation to break her diet from the car, but God used it for his good regardless, because that's what He can do. 

The whole exchange lasted maybe 15 seconds, but it caused food for thought long after. 

Heading South YET AGAIN! (4/23)

Shane started counting down the days the moment he got back from Nana and Pop's last time. He'd give me a running count whenever we did morning chores (and then again sometimes when I got back from work!).

Admittedly, this trip was going to be a special one. Megan and her kids were flying in. It was set to be a Cousin-palooza! Nana and Pop asked if we could meet up on Friday instead of Saturday for maximum family fun time.

Shane plastered himself to the car window when I told him Nana and Pop were pulling up.

Shane can be overly dramatic for fun, but I'm pretty sure that was a genuine reaction! He started waving and telling Carrie and I how much fun he was going to have while they parked.

Everyone greeted each other with big hugs. Nana took off my hat to see if I'd corrected my haircut yet. She'd brought a pair of scissors and offered me $20 for a quick cut!

We moved Shane's stuff and then packed into the van to eat and chat before moving on. It was about 3:25 PM. Technically, I was still on the clock. I had planned on joining a few meetings from my phone on the drive, but I lucked out when the big one was cancelled! It will be better for the students' learning when we go back to 5 days a school per week, but I've enjoyed having the virtual Fridays!

Nana, Pop, and Shane drove off singing "Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy," and Carrie and I went on our own way north. We finished up listening to one audio book and then I plopped on the next in the series before we got home (I'd come prepared!).

Signs you're getting old

I let Shane use my computer one time..... He was having tech problems with his, so I logged him into mine before running to work. Carrie fixed Shane's computer, but the next time I used mine, I had animated black eyebrows and a disappearing and reappearing black mustache!

I'm tech savvy, so at first I just snorted. Then I went to virtual backgrounds to turn off the effects, but Zoom said there was no virtual background in use.

Right then and there, I had to make a decision. Try to fix it myself or call for Shane?

I took the lazy route. I told myself I wasn't getting old, so much as I was trying to be a good parent by making Shane undo whatever it was he did.

There was a link for "Studio Effects" at the bottom of the page. Naturally, Shane had been curious and clicked on it. My older, supposedly wiser, but perhaps more risk-adverse self had opted to call for Shane first rather than click around too far.

It was such an easy fix, I second-guessed calling for Shane afterward. I've chosen to stand by that it was a good parenting decisions, but complaining to my kid to fix the tech sure made me feel old!

Aria's Pee Pot

Aria had another 'accident.' I caught her in the act. She's one step closer to the barn whether Carrie likes it or not.

I suggested another cat pot. Because Aria likes to dig wherever she can (mutter, mumble, mutter...), Carrie got standard cat litter for a more 'sand-like experience.'

Aria was curious about the new pot and even hopped in, but she didn't use it.

So we locked her in the office with food, water, and the new pot. We weren't going to let her out until she peed in her new litter box!

It took a lot longer than we thought. She spent a full day in the room crying and protesting (but mostly sleeping). Tsuki was curious about her sister's disappearance, but we held firm.

I was a little worried Aria would get creative and find somewhere other than the litter box to do her business. I checked the room several times after hours and hours of no production!

But we had success by the next morning! We told Shane not to scoop it, but to let her scent linger in there.

It seems like the new pot is working. A couple of weeks have gone by with no new accidents discovered. My fingers are crossed and a prayer is on my lips that this is the last time I write a post about Aria's bathroom habits.