Char’s Blog

Happy Birthday Pixie!

Ever unprepared for life- that is me. With a birthday coming up and no presents to be found, I scurried off to engage in The Shopping Experience. Now, this may come as a surprise to some of you, but I dislike shopping. It has to do with the painful parting of me and my money.

Around here one doesn’t have a plethora of shopping options- basically it’s one. The Great Out House. Oh well, yes, there is the J.C.Penney store downtown- the one that is so small you could fit about 10 of them in one of their regular mall stores. Plus, the World Wide Web but I was running short on time.

So I headed off to That Place to hunt for the just right gift and also stock up on food. As I wandered the aisles, feeling very out of place because I was about the only one without a cell phone stuck to my ear, I tuned into the Christmas music playing on the loud speakers. Oh Joy. I told myself the advantage to having Christmas come to stores so early was that I had more birthday gift choices. I was trying to find the positive, for once.

But, you know, I just could not get excited about the choices out there. More choices were not necessarily better choices. Everything is plastered with Hannah Montana, BRATZ girls, Princess’ or Barbie. Why can’t they make something without that? Would it not do whatever it was made to do without it? Pajamas used to have cute things on them-hearts, flowers, airplanes- now try and find something as innocent as that. All the things that didn’t have those on them were things that we already owned. The things I liked and thought Birthday Girl would like were things we already had plenty of lying around. I shouldn’t have cared what it was- I should have just bought pink things and called it good. It’s hard and now I dread even more the torturous Christmas shopping experience.

I just don’t get it. I know I am old, my brain is feeble- my children sucked whatever was up there out and we don’t watch much TV but I am so very different? I guess I get discouraged because there isn’t a choice unless I pay a whole lot more (see aforementioned money and parting issues). I may only have one store in town to really shop at but if I had ten I would bet that there still wouldn’t be much choice. I wonder what retailers are thinking when they put some of these things out there. I bet they are thinking “This will really sell!” and the sad part, in my mind, is that it does sell.

I have a new friend. Aren’t you all proud of me? Now I have about 12 readers of my blog, maybe. Actually, she doesn’t always read my blog- that is until I nag her to death about it. “Have you seen my post? Did you read it? What did you think? Huh? Huh?” You should be glad you don’t live close to me?

But I digress. We, this friend and I, have talked about how there are people in our lives who have the knack of saying negative things right off when we tell exciting/good news. They are the people that take the wind right out of your sails.

The good news: I dyed my hair purple!

The response: You getting ready for Halloween a bit late, aren’t you?

The good news: I’m pregnant!

The response: You know how that happens, don’t you?

Note: Just to stop the rumors in their tracks- those were totally hypothetical conversations. I do not have purple hair nor am I pregnant.

I wondered at the time how many times I do such things to other people especially with my tendency to see the negative side of things so much.

I got my answer this last Sunday, and it ain’t pretty.

I walked into the nursery with the girls a few minutes past when Sunday School should start. A lady commented that we were there early today. I was a bit flustered because I had hoped to get there earlier than we did and said that very thing. She kindly said that she hadn’t meant to offend but was trying to be an encouragement. I thought- geez! could I have been any more ungracious?

Then, after pot luck, one of the ladies told me she had put my left over rolls into an old hot dog bag for me. Instead of saying a simple “Thank you!”, because I was thankful, I said “oh I had some bags over here.” Talk about spitting on people’s kind gestures.

It’s those small things sometimes that show us our true nature. And if I mess up on the small things- how will I handle the big ones?

Graciousness. Something to long for.

After last Christmas, I decided to go the “minimal” route and leave most of my knick-knacks packed away. Even a beautiful object doesn’t look good under a coat of dust. Also, even though I try, there are the odd balls, stuffed toy, sock or airplane being thrown around which can wreck an artfully laid out display in seconds. Then, there are the little hands that just have to move things around and re-organize the display. It wasn’t worth playing havoc with my control issues to have it all out.

This Autumn as the leaves started to turn, I thought it would be nice to put out a few “fallish” items to celebrate the season. But everywhere I turned I found the spot already “decorated”

On top of the piano.

On the antique buffet.

Here’s a detail of the tractor- the other tractor gets hooked up to the “implement” every other day. You know, for variety.

On the printer.

On the shelf.

The shelf and printer are unique because they not only have tractors but also have airplanes. The airplanes were there first and then it was decided that it was the season for tractors. A close up of the planes.

They are everywhere. I don’t know where this decorator came from or who gave him permission to decorate my house but come Christmas time I’m staging a coup! I will take back what is mine! There will be no lights on tractors! No shining balls on airplanes! I am woman and I am strong!

Who is with me?!

I recently made a German Chocolate cake from scratch for a certain Somebody’s birthday.

It took a bit of effort but I thought it turned out pretty well.

(See the all important Chinese Chili Sauce in the background? It has permanent residency on the table but not on the cake.)

The important person liked the cake. And The Boy thought it was great. The Girls, on the other hand, didn’t like the “frosting”. Coconut and pecans swimming in sweetness doesn’t appeal to them. As with most of the dinners I fix, I have found that you can’t please everybody so I don’t even try anymore. In this case, there wasn’t much sadness about it- in fact there was some joy as it meant more for the ones of us who liked it.

The Local Homeschool group is having a weekly sports time. Right now they are learning how to play soccer. This is for the older kids and The Boy just squeaks in. He has been enjoying it very much and it’s great for him to learn about various sports.

It’s at a local park and The Girls can play on the play structure with the other young children. Last week another Mom, Mrs. J, decided to take the younger ones- from about 5 up- and show them how to play too. Pixie decided she didn’t want to do that and played with the real young children. She likes to “mother” all the toddlers.

On the way home, Pixie asked-”Do the kids learning how to play soccer with Mrs. J have to wear the green thingys?”

Hmmm, green thingys? Oh yes, the green jerseys the kids on one team wear to distinguish the teams from each other.

No, the little kids don’t have to wear those.

“Oh, good! Then next week, I’ll go play with them!”

That’s my girl! Always got fashion on her mind.

A new boy has moved into our circle of friends.

Miss Sunshine calls him “My Friend”. She hardly ever uses his name.

“I want to sit by My Friend!” she proclaims at Sunday School.

“I am making this for My Friend.” she declares.

She is going to marry him.

The problem is that her sister also wants to marry him.

At least we are keeping it in the family.

Pixie calls him by his name and they are picking out houses together.

The Girls get into arguments about who is going to marry whom.

“I’m going to marry him!”

“No! I am going to marry him!”

Sigh.

I tell them that we’ll decide this in about 20 plus years. The longer the better.

The Brother, at dinner today, just to stir the pot, asked The Sisters if they loved this boy.

“I gave my heart in his heart.” Sunshine poetically proclaimed.

My heart sinks. What is a mother to do? I have been warned that he had a girl he was going to marry when he lived back East but now he has thrown her over because she is too far away.

I don’t know. A fickle, boy from the East. What could be worse??? What is a mother to do?

Well, we aren’t picking out wedding dresses yet but I’m keeping my eye on that boy.

We were finally able to light up the pile of branches from the tree that crashed.

Now we just have to wait for a good time, when we are allowed to burn and it’s dry enough, to burn the weeds.

We have whined calmly and with minimal exaggeration explained our harsh growing conditions here. We are continuing the saga here today as, with heavy hearts and down turned faces, we present the sad, sad story.

A gopher got this one. Yes, it’s Autumn and the leaves are supposed to be turning yellow but the other trees were still green and not dry and crunchy.

Another munched tree. This is was the Pie Cherry tree. It is close to the Peach tree that got the same treatment this spring. This was caused by deer. Hunting season is upon us but seems to have not effected our local deer population. Recently, Col. Panic saw three bucks- a fork, three point and a four point- with several does wander across the wheat field behind the house. The deer continue to use our yard as a buffet line- enjoying the various treats that we have so kindly planted and watered for them.

Here’s the advertisment being aired on the Gopher and Deer Entertainment Network right now: “All gophers and deer! Come dine on The Human’s Hard Work under the starry sky at this exclusive Fine Gopher and Deer Dining Establishment!”

The advertisment is working- they keep coming in droves.