Of Cerberus, Tendonitis, and Hot Chocolate

I injured myself early this week. I pulled a tendon in my right foot, and it hurts, except when I take the meds the doctor gave me. And it also helps not to walk if possible. Therefore, tonight my husband took the girls to our town's Halloween party, and then out trick or treating. I stayed home with the dog, and set myself up rather nicely right inside the garage. Of course I had help in getting set up (thanks Honey!) but I had a lawn chair from the camper to sit in, and an inverted laundry basket to put my foot up on, a CD player blasting out Mannheim Steamroller's Halloween music, another laundry basket full of hackey-sack balls to give away, and Moose Mutt sitting next to me. I also had some dog treats nearby to give to the pets accompanying the parents accompanying the children. It was a beautiful thing.

We really had the yard decorated up this year. We still have the scarecrows up despite the weather's attempts to destroy them, and Carl put a spotlight on them. He also put blacklights in our porch lamps, and I had eight jars painted like jack-o-lanterns out in the front garden, with the candles lit. Festive, yet slightly scary. One girl thought the scarecrows were real and asked me if they were going to jump at her. I said no, they're fake and you're fine. However, the adults who came out with the kids got a kick out of "Kerry", "Nader" and "Bush" hanging behind their "Scary, Ain't It?" banner. Several people asked me who I was going to vote for. I said "yes". They laughed. The kids got a kick out of "Cerberus", our dog. (His real name is Judah.) I had him decked out in a Halloween bandana and looking rather spiffy, and the kids would come up and pet him. He'd lick the hands of the larger children and give "poochie smoochies" to the smaller kids who's faces he could reach. There were a few very small children who were afraid of him until I had him do some tricks for them, then they laughed and got their ''treats". I gave out hackey-sack balls. They cost just about as much as candy and won't rot your teeth or make you fat, plus UPS delivers them right to your door. I ordered mine from Oriental Trading. Cheap, convenient, safe and the kids love them. So much, in fact, that I had about 18 "repeaters". Fortunately, I had enough to hand out seconds, but by my calculations I had about 175 kids come by. That's almost the entire population of our elementary school. Wow!

So after about 45 minutes of sitting and giving out toys, Carl and the girls came home. I was starting to get cold, so my wonderful hubby brought me out a thermos mug of hot chocolate. I stayed outside for about 1 hour 20 minutes total, but I really enjoyed myself. It was neat to see people laugh at my scarecrows, and equally neat to hear the kids say "Cool!" when they got their hackey-sacks. It was nice having my dog sitting with me - not only did he keep me company, but sometimes he'd lean up against my leg and warm me up. Besides, having him with me in the front yard kept him from barking at everyone over the back fence. So if the weather cooperates I'll probably handle Halloween the same way next year with one exception - I'll find a better way to keep warm. Using a 105 pound dog for a heater isn't very efficient, and he sheds like crazy. Well, thanks for stopping by. Nice blogging at you!

Football Update 5

WOO-HOO!!! I've won my third game! And I've moved up the rankings - I'm now 7th in a 10 team league. The Weenie Meisters are hot dogs! Yeehaw!

The Wait Continues

Previously I've detailed my family's efforts to purchase farm land. Well, without going into alot of detail, it appears that God has shut that door and now wants us to stay right where we are. We'll keep on looking, and all these contacts we're making with agricultural realtors isn't bad, so that when God brings us the right property we'll be ready for it. This is God's will for us. He has a reason that he wants us where we are right now, and I just have to figure out what that reason is.

But I still hate waiting.

Update to Waiting

Well, the land auction was today and the 80 acre property went for the price we anticipated, i.e. alot more than we could afford. However, we kept an eye on the buyer and approached him after the sale. We asked him (and his real estate broker, who was sitting with him) if he'd be interested in selling off the portion that we most liked, and he said he'd think about it. He also said that if he didn't want to break up that 80 acres, he might have some smaller tracts that we might be interested in. So there is hope. If the Lord continues opening doors, Carl and I will continue to walk through them. Oh, we also talked to the banker (the one who said "no" politely earlier) and he sounded enthusiastic about helping us with financing. So pray for God's will, and if no more doors open then He has a reason for us to stay put. THANKS to all my readers who pray for us. We really appreciate it.

Luv Ya!

Footnote to my Previous Blog

Earlier today I mentioned that my dishwasher is broken. I also mentioned something along the lines of if I let my dog clean the dishes that maybe my poor, suffering hubby would find time to fix it (the dishwasher, not the dog). Well, I hope that didn't come off the wrong way. I started thinking about that about half an hour ago when I was watching Dr. Phil. Now, don't give me that look. I don't watch Dr. Phil everyday, or even every week. I managed to catch a few minutes today while waiting for Boo-Boo's bus to come. Anyway, today's topic was about couples with problems in their marriage. Big surprise, huh? And that got me thinking: if Dr. Phil ever had a show entitled "Only God is perfect, but these husbands come extremely close" I would insist that my husband be on that show. Carl (that's my wonderful hubby's name, I don't think I've ever mentioned that before) is as close to perfect as any human male can get. Of course, my point of view is subjective, but quite frankly, I couldn't ask for a better man. He's faithful, honest, hardworking, and even-tempered. He's a great father, adored by his daughters. He's a wonderful lover, but that's none of your business. (Insert wink here!) And if he can't find time to fix the dishwasher because his wife, kids, job and schoolwork come first, well, life is and then you are. Whatever. I'd rather have Carl and a broken dishwasher than no Carl and a totally perfectly automated house. I've got to admit, I've got it good. And to all the women out there who dated Carl in the past but broke up with him, I have this to say to you. HA HA! I GOT HIM AND YOU DIDN'T, YA LOSERS! BTHTHTHTHTHTHT!!!

Love you, honey!

Lunch Break Ramblings

I've been down in my basement workshop all morning getting ready for my two fall craft shows, but now its lunchtime and I feel like removing from my brain some of the random thoughts that have come to me whilst I've been working.

Tomorrow is the land auction. My husband and I will be attending, but only to watch. We can't buy the land because the bank said "no". Mind you, the loan officers we worked with were very nice, and they wished the property was smaller so they could've lent us money, but they still said "no" politely. However, we're going to watch and see who does buy that land and then we plan to approach them and ask if they'll sell us a 25 acre chunk. I want the east half of the north field because it has a site in a draw that would be perfect for a pond. Doubtless the buyer already knows that and if they're buying the land to build on, then they probably have the same ideas we did. Great minds travel on the same wavelength.

My dishwasher is broken. It was leaking from the pump a couple weeks ago, so I shut off the water and now I'm using my dishwasher as a glorified drying rack for the dishes I hand wash. I have to do the handwashing because my backup dishwasher (my husband) is super busy. After work and supper, he helps the girls with their homework (including helping the oldest with her music lessons) and then does his homework. Plus he still has some lawn work to finish and vehicles to maintain, so washing dishes is pretty low on his priority list. So I do the dishes. No problem, except that prolonged exposure to soapwater does a real number on my hands. I have excema, plus I take thyroid medicine, and the combination of the two makes the tips of my fingers dry, peel and crack. What's that, you say? Wear rubber gloves? Sorry. Gives me a rash. I asked my husband if Moose Mutt could do the dishes, and hubby grimaced at me. Maybe if I did let the dog do the dishes, my poor overworked, underappreciated husband could find the time to fix the dishwasher. Hmmmm.......

I mentioned earlier that my husband helps my oldest with her music lessons. He plays the trumpet while she plays the trombone, and he explains to her how the notes and counts and metres and all that stuff works. However, my husband's playing lip is a little out of shape, and my daughter is in the early-early stages of learning, so sometimes their duets sound like a farting cow crushing a yowling cat. If he sees this blog, he's gonna kill me. Oh, well.

I gotta get back downstairs and work some more, or I won't have anythng to sell at my shows. So long!

Football Update 4, and other News

Whoopee! I won another game! And I finally scored over 100 fantasy game points (I don't remember my season score) which now puts me in 9th place in the league. I owe my success to my football mentor (who I beat last week, but he forgave me). Mr. Mentor and his lovely wife came over for dinner Saturday and after the meal he showed me how to use some of the tools for choosing players, and he helped me revamp my defense. So I beat last week's opponent rather handily. I think I'm finally getting the hang of this, but I'm still keeping the team name Weenie Meisters to remind me to be humble.

SCARECROW NEWS: Nader is still a head, Bush is standing tall after suffering a major fall in the poles, and Kerry is slumping. Poor Kerry. If the rain would stop I'd go out there, grab him by his frame and hitch him back up, because right now he's sitting on his butt in the grass and looking rather forlorn. I will admit we've had some bad weather lately - at one point Bush was blown completely off his stump and we had to build him a new platform, but now he's recovered his position and is in a swinging state. Hopefully Kerry will experience a rebound before too much longer and he'll be back up flip-flopping in the wind (as usual).

That's all the news for all of you's who gots to snooze. Goodbye!

The Presence of Presents

Friday was Boo-Boo's 7th birthday, and it was her wish that we have a party for her. Initially she wanted it at Chuck E. Cheese (unaffectionately known to me and my husband as Chuck and Cheese) but I managed to talk her into going instead to Bloomsbury Farm. This is a nice farm. They have a corn maze: last year it was shaped like a biplane in honor of the Wright Brothers, and this year its shaped like Willie Nelson. The farm also has a huge playground, a hay pile to jump in, tires to climb on, hayrides, a haunted barn, a snack bar with large, clean bathrooms, and a petting zoo with a "goat walk", which is a complicated thingamabob with towers, conveyor belts and pulleys that the goats can climb. If you put food in the tin cup attached to the conveyor and crank it to the top of the tower, the goats will climb up and eat. This is incredibly cool and fascinating to a bunch of first graders (11 in fact, including Boo-Boo) but each handful of grain costs 25 cents so its a good thing I'd gotten a roll of quarters. Kids LOVE to feed goats.

I have to admit, we had a good time, even though it was cloudy, cold and windier than a politician making a stump speech a week before an election. The kids ran, jumped, played, squealed (even the 4 boys that came) and got their pictures taken multiple times in those "stick your faces in the painted plywood frame" thingies. They were more interested in giving Boo her presents (and seeing who gave her what) than eating. We threw out more cupcakes than they ate, which aggravated my husband, but oh well. There were plenty of cupcakes left over for him anyway. Some of the kids were brave enough to accompany my husband through the haunted barn (multiple times) while the rest stayed with me at the playground. Then, suddenly, the kids' parents started showing up and I looked at my watch and realized it really WAS 6:00 pm and time to go home. We were all tired, but contented, and Boo-Boo was overwhelmingly happy. Which is, of course, what first grade birthday parties are for, aren't they?

I Hate Waiting

One of my favorite all-time movies is "The Princess Bride". It's a great movie. It has everything: swordplay, horses, great one-liners, horses, good and bad guys, horses, true love (or for you pastors out there, "twoo wuv", and of course, horses. And I was thinking about a particular scene in this movie this afternoon as I was unpacking groceries. It's the scene where Westley (W: the man in black) and Inigo Montoya (I: the sword fighting Spaniard) are talking while Westley is hanging by his hands from the Cliffs of Insanity, and he's trying to climb up. Inigo is at the top, looks down at Westley and says:

I: Hello there! (pause) Slow going?

W: Look, I don’t mean to be rude but this is not as easy as it looks, so I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t distract me.

I: Sorry.

W: Thank you. (long pause)

I: I don’t suppose you can speed things up?

W: If you’re in such a hurry you could lower a rope or a tree branch or find something useful to do.

I: I could do that. I’ve got some rope up here, but I do not think you would accept my help, since I am only waiting around to kill you.

W: That does put a damper on our relationship.

I: But, I promise I will not kill you until you reach the top.

W: That’s very comforting, but I’m afraid you’ll just have to wait.

I: I hate waiting. (pause) I could give you my word as a Spaniard!

W: No good! I’ve known too many Spaniards.

I: Isn’t there any way you trust me?

W: Nothing comes to mind.

I: I swear on the soul of my father Domingo Montoya, you will reach the top alive.

W: Throw me the rope.

Now, why was I thinking about this particular scene today? Well, if you haven't guessed by the title of my blog, its because I hate waiting. But right now that's just what God wants me to do in reference to Carl and me buying a farm.

You see, we went to the bank today and spoke to a lender who specializes in ag land, and he said that while we have good credit and decent equity, we don't have enough to buy 80 acres. The lender said we have enough to buy maybe 40 (or less) but right now 80 is out of the question. So I won't be the owner of that beautiful, perfect farm. However, there was some good news. The lender knows of a place that the bank manages for a trust, and the owner is interested in selling the part of the land with the building site, and he's going to look into that for us. He also told us that if we found out who the buyer of the 80 acres was, maybe we could ask that person if they'd be willing to sell us a chunk of the property, and the bank could help us finance that. So now I have to wait. I hate waiting.

But at least God is throwing me a rope.

P.S. When I've been out to look over the 80 acre parcel, I've taken my dog with me, and it's a comfort to know that whoever buys it has already received, free of charge, two small areas of poochie fertilizer. Watch where you step!

Football Update 3, and the Desires of my Heart

First, the football update. The good news is, I WON MY FIRST GAME! The bad news is twofold: A) I'm still last in the league and B) the guy I beat is my "football mentor" and a very good friend, so I'm feeling guilty. Euphoria and guilt at the same time. I can handle it.

And now to the desires of my heart. For years, I've wanted to live on a "real" farm. No, not the Hollywood-1920's version of a farm (like the one Dorothy lives on in "Wizard of Oz") but a place with acres of land for a big garden, an orchard, a pond, and some livestock. I've wanted a horse since I was Boo-Boo's age, and Boo-Boo wants one, too. So does her sister.

Well, anyway, last week in our local paper there was an advertisement for a land auction. Three parcels are being offered, and one of them is very near to where we currently live. It's 80 acres of undeveloped rolling farmland with two possible pond sites, and it's beautiful. The problem is, right now land like this goes for around $3250 an acre, and that's expensive. Its the kind of land that real estate investors love to purchase, especially when land values went up 14% last year, and the stock market didn't. I don't know how to compete with people like that, and I don't know how we'd afford the payments if we did win. All I do know is that, if God wants us to have this parcel of property, He'll find a way to make it happen.

That's where you, the reader, come in. Please, I beg of you, pray that if it is God's will, he'll open the doors and enable us to purchase this farmland. Also pray that if God says "No" or "Not right now" that I won't be depressed and discouraged, but I will make the best of my current situation and wait for the next opportunity. The first desire of my heart is to do God's will. The second desire of my heart is to be a farm owner. Please be in prayer for me, that these things will come to be, and in the order listed. I'll update you all on the outcome of the auction, which is to be held on October 21. Thanks.

P.S. To my niece - you can be assured that, if I do have to move, I won't be pregnant! (Ha ha!)

Football Update 2

Well, I got beat so badly this week that I changed the name of my team to the Weenie Meisters. I am now 0 - 4. Oh, well.

As for my scarecrows, I finally got my banner hung, and if I figure out how to post pictures on my blog site I'll do so.