Behind the Wheel and Seeing Double

Knock Knock 
Who is there?
Boo.
Boo Who?
Boo Woo.. I miss you! 
Yeah? Well, I have not been intentionally avoiding you. I have just been busy. And I miss you too.

And that goes for you and you and you.. too.

I dont know why the vid duplicated... You get what you get I guess..

At least its something.

make a circuit with me

I got a call today. And with it... a gentle scolding. "Why haven't you been in touch?" Great Grandma chided knowing full well that if I have been quiet, I have been directing my attentions to more home bound pursuits or problems. She understands, but at the same time, we have been missed.

 There has been a "shit load" I have been dealing with of late... a failing septic system being the major culprit in that arena. Its been a bit of a hassle but not much more.

praying mantis

Then there is the dog who ,by the vet's calculations, is now approaching 87 years old and who's age is starting to settle on his old skinny bones. Although his bloodwork and such say he is in excellent health for his age, he has lost almost 40% of his body weight. A change in diet and his weight has been holding steady at 56 pounds for the last two weeks but he was once 80 pounds and now he is nothing but saggy skin and bone and big brown loving eyes.  Arthritis, as well, is firmly introducing itself to his hips. When we walk he leans against me for support. It is a sad time watching the inevitable. Knowing all you can do for this gentle beloved is to make him as comfortable as possible.

 So my attention has been pretty much split between him and Connor's school. Which is going fabulously. He loves his time in the classroom. All of the students are quiet and respectful of the teacher and other students. And the classroom activities are more interactive. Students from 6th through 8th gather together 2 days a week. One of those days they take English class (which is essentially a school newspaper), performing arts class (they made masks and are now discussing how to assume a character and they are practicing a play) and lastly humanities (Which they cover a broad range of topics in from English to Science.)

The second day of the week is student council (all of the students paired up and worked up campaigns to run against each other. Connor didn't win the election but he did enjoy the exercise. This class is responsible for helping set the course for the schools extra curricular activities and field trips), Math (where they work on times tables and play math games) and pe (Which has him running a mile).

The other three days of the week look a bit different. An hour spent at the keyboard at home with an online math tutor (Its really a program that assesses and adapts to his progress. It works well for him. it is topic directed and gives him the ability to move at his exact pace. His initial assessment showed a knowledge of  26 percent of the topics. We just finished the first quarter and he is 48 percent complete. Anyway that is math.) Then we read and write book reports, study ancient civilizations and for pe we rock out with daily dance parties. Science for 6th grade is earth science. We have been observing how the suns coronal holes and sun spots effect the earth, (earthquakes, storms and communications blackouts) and we have been talking about the potential of a pole shift during our lifetime and the ramifications of that as well as the very plausible threat of an mini ice age.  Connor was not thrilled with these lessons. He said "I know why they don't teach this stuff in school." I asked him "Why?" to which he replied, "Because everyone would just kill themselves now."  I followed that line of thought up  with the "Why it is important to see every moment as a gift, See the beauty in each breath, Be grateful for you have a chance to experience because it can all be gone in no time" speech. He is still not thrilled.

He is also attending a youth arts coop two days a month and begins rehearsals for a Charlie Brown Christmas Play next week. We also make good use of the time we spend in the car (We were at Sis's bus stop waiting when I took this. I was not driving!)   and we have had some nice field trips.

Willow is doing pretty well at school. The work load and responsibility are a bit overwhelming
Shedoesn't want to talk about it much though.. she glares at me anytime I ask her anything these days,.. actually she glares at me anytime I ask her anything..  but  I know she is taking things in stride. Homecoming was a few weeks ago  and she had a blast. She isn't doing any extra curriculars just yet except her job animal sitting for the neighbors when necessary and the rare but special visit with her old girl friends. She is planning to join swim team next spring and her braces come off in two weeks!

 My birthday was at the beginning of the month. Mom sent me flowers. I also got some from Greg and the kids then Greg took me out to the Fish House and we had a fantastic meal followed by a much needed and long overdue dip in the warm waters (Did I say warm? It was a heat wave and yes the water was warm. So warm in fact that the area had some great white visitors. A baby was spotted exactly were I was swimming the very next day. Mama was up the beach about 10 miles!). I also got tickets for several sharks games this season. Including two games against the Hawks. Birthday month has rolled over into birthday year this year. And speaking of Stanley.. He has lost some of his tail feathers but he is still king of the roost..


                                                    



Greg has dropped the half marathon race. Travel with work has made his training a challenge and rather than risk injury, he  would rather prep for next year when he can be competitive and well prepared. I think this was a smart move especially since it is official and he begins his Masters program next week. As for work, he is now finally able to relax a little. He has hired the support he needs and the training is going well. So well in fact that before too long, this guy might just be able to step right into Gregs shoes. Then where will we go? We have some serious speculations but only time will bear out that.       Halloween.. This year Con wants to be CP3O for Hmmm... Time to start fabricating.

  

trading stories with the leaves

Connor had his first day on campus this week. Despite being nervous and somewhat spastic, he kept more calm and collected than I have ever seen him when faced with some new excitement. And, although it wasn't quite what he expected, he enjoyed it. School is going well on all fronts for everybody.

Meanwhile I ran a few errands and went to the local lake park with Splash.

Tranquil and Serene. Or so it would seem. But Pinto Lake is anything but.

If I were to humanize it I would have to call it a beautiful but deadly killer sporting a Virgin Mary tattoo. This is the most toxic lake in the state of CA. Seriously. Or it was as of January this year. It seems that ag run off coupled with surrounding septic system drainage and geological characteristics have made it a perfect breeding ground for a particularly poisonous form of algae to thrive which has killed livestock, pets and sea otters. I think I will heed the signs and will absolutely and positively not swim nor will I go anywhere near the water for that matter.

A verdant green sentinel standing watch by the signs warning of the waters deceptive appearance.

                 

At its base was a hollow. It reminded me of a scene in the never ending story where Atrayu finds himself meeting the gmork ( I find myself referencing that movie on occasion. another for instance.. just last night watching Snow White and the Huntsman I cried out "ARTAX!" when Snow Whites horse hit the quicksand. And then later, I was pointing out that a turtle was Morla"...

Anyway.. there was this cave-y part under the tree and I crept closer.. The Gmork doesn't scare me!.. and took a picture into it. The flash went off and I assumed the entire picture would be totally washed out due to over exposure. I was not expecting to find this in my gallery when sitting down to write this blog.  But this is what I caught. I have not made any alteration to this image at all.

 Do you see what I see? The perfect eye staring out from behind green hair?  I could study the face and rock hand forever but in the end I assume it is a... Teenage Mutant Ninja Tree Spirit!!  (Now that song is going to be stuck in your head FOREVER!)

And what about this Virgin Tattoo I spoke of? Pinto Lake is one of those wondrous places where the Virgin Mary appears on a tree.  There is a shrine to "Our Lady of Watsonville"  I didn't know the history at this point and from a distance it looked like a flower vender.  A bit closer I saw the candles. At that point we veered away, to let those paying homage do so without intrusion.

Eventually we found ourselves on the baseball field bleachers. Splash sleeping at my feet while I drew an anarchy promoting elf princess in my notebook.  (Connor and I recently took in an art lesson drawing elf faces. I thought Id practice. )

 Interesting place all told with great trees. I suspect I will hang out there on occasion and probably start practice my disc golf.

On a side note..Tune in!! Now that I have upgraded and rejoined the digital world, I have stumbled upon the TuneIn App. This little guy will bring you radio stations from all over. Yes, I said radio.. commercials and all.  But it brings me KRML a local radio station which I can't get at home any other way. This station has been my relief during local car drives and has given me ample good new music to chew on but in the car its hard to pick up title and artist info for me to add important Pandora stations.That is no longer the case. For Streaming Music KRML has just about replaced my pandora. I have yet to dig deeper on the app but it looks like I can get my hockey updates through it as well as consolidate some podcast listening through it. Adding a little sweetness to my ears.

Talk about up and running

This just in..  Greg and Willow are signed up for the Big Sur Half Marathon in a few months. Its training time!

P.S.

It dawned on me as sleep settled in last night that I forgot to mention a few other notable items. First off Greg is enrolling back in school and is pursuing an MBA. Which is pretty awesome.

In other news, I cut my hair all off. Well not all off. Willow says I look like my mom. Which the resemblance is there. However, when I look in the mirror I can't help but see Barry Manlow hair and immediately start singing "Mandy."It should not surprise that Ive started avoiding mirrors. :-P

And off to school we go..

Boss with the hot sauce

Its been three weeks since my last post. And at this pace it has been three extremely long weeks. What pace is that? Well.. Its 10:30 pm. The house is locked down and the kids are tucked in and asleep.The alarm clock emits this low intermittent beeping static-y buzz heard just at the threshold of hearing. It is as though the alarm is anticipating the hour of awaking and is practicing its morning song... quietly and under is breath.   Its rather annoying. Anyway, I am wired and sleep eludes me at the moment. I suspect it will elude me for quite a few more moments... especially if this alarm clock business keeps up. I was up at 5:30, got the kids up and ready, made breakfast, attended to the feeding and watering of the animals and at 7 was on the way to drop off Willow at the bus stop some 7 miles away. Then Con and I hit the books for a good solid 5 hours before setting off for chores out on the peninsula. A trip to the bank, the phone store, and a stop in to get Con's allergy shots all planned out to be done in time to be back at Moss to pick willow up on the way home should only take 4 hours including drive time. But we didn't manage to get the shots in. AT&T took 1.5 hours because of a system glitch on my account. It was a hassle and a pain but in the end I walked out with an upgrade to an HTC. Back to my phone roots. I really never took to the Iphone which seemed so temperamental. For 6 months it stopped ringing entirely (and not due to lack of people calling). Anyway, yes I need to re-learn how to use it but I am happy to be back.  However another trip out will have to be planned for the shots. And while I was tied up, Connor was able to get in a much needed two hour nap. He is about to have a substantial growth spurt as well as fighting the allergies. Grass is blooming and he and I both are fighting the seasonal fatigue. Anyway, After we grabbed Willow, I got the laundry started, Got dinner going. Got willow off to her part time job caring for one of the neighbors animals... goats, and indoor pig, a couple of extremely playful and energetic pups, some fish and a tortoise. The job is sporadic and she is needed only when the couples fire fighting schedules coincide. (On a side note, all around we have wonderful neighbors. From the figherfighters ...The wife grew up on the Isle of Man and has the cutest accent. She also has a stand up bass!! .. to the lovely woman who works with the state on ag management and is from ogden. There is also a japanese woman with pygmy goats and her house partner from Ireland who prefers his horses. And there are more but I digress..) Instructed Connor on the completion of dinner and was off until 9 at the HS for orientation. Whewee. And most days hold similar if not quite as long. We've all been running but are not yet hyperventilating.  

Willows school is fantastic and is utterly worth the distance and price. Classes have 15 to 20 students and utilize the most up to date technologies. This of course has meant that I have had to find another means of internet connection. One textbook download used 8Gb of our alotted 10.

After surveying the neighbors I finally found a service that works here. OMG! WE CAN STREAM!! Hughes net was like being locked in sensory deprivation  chamber for the last year or so. Quite disconnected from the world. And now.. Music! News! Education!! Download Books!! Where to begin?

Anyway,  she has also taken to the stride excellently. Being a college prep it means she has at least 2 hours of homework every night from the first day. She has jumped in, shown every initiative and is pulling all As at the moment. The use of technology at this school offers no excuse for knowing where you (Or your child) stand on grades and assignments. She makes her mother proud. I know it is subject to change, but if you were to ask her right now what she wants to be and where she wants to go to college, she will tell you she wants to be a bio-medical engineer and graduate from Johns Hopkins. This is defiantly the school to help get her there. In other Willow related news.. the braces will be coming off and she will be transitioning to contacts within a few months. Gosh.

Connors school didn't get off to such a quick start. but it has been been picking up speed and we are now taking things in a good pace. Testing shows that over the past six months his reading has gone from an early 5th grade level up to a 7th grade level. The author of Percy Jackson deserves kudos! As far as how this independent study charter works.. Three days a week he studies at home and two days a week (Starting next week) he is a classroom setting. It offers a nice balance and he is fully on board and has embraced the direction we are taking him in. I think it will be a good fit.

Thats where we are at on a general daily basis. The buying a house situation.. well.. when last I wrote we just got word of a "Hiccup" with the appraisal. The house came in 88K low. We tried to re-negotiate but were unable to make a deal and walked away. So the search for our next home continues. Last week we pursued a rent to own option on a gorgeous property but it was quite a jump in monthly cost which would stretch us much too thin. I want our quality of life to not be tied to entirely to a home. If I am paying so much that we can not afford to leave the house or have hobbies (no mater how beautiful or grand) well it no longer a beautiful home. It is also a prison. So we are still looking.

In the last 4 weeks I have packed the house up almost entirely, Thought I was buying a house, Watched the roommates move out, Lost the house purchase..Shifted Connor from the far corner of the house where his little nervous soul felt so isolated to the room across the hall leaving Willow almost an entire 1400 sf to herself. (after sharing much closer quarters for so long she is feeling quite disoriented.) Unpacked the kitchen, Unpacked the office, Continued to search for moving options, refinanced the car, Switched internet carriers as well as cell phone carriers.  Started school and have attended 5 separate school events. Let Willow and Greg pick up the farm culling duties. Willow didn't mind the process, was intrigued by the gizzard, but did not care for the smell. Watched apples develop on a tree, on which, despite giving it proper water and care, I didn't expect to produce. Saw a goose disappear without a trace. Took 4  full truck loads of stuff to the thrift store or dump. Applied a level of punishment on Connor he has never witnessed or experienced before and I know he won't likely be ready to repeat his mistake again. We also had a long term plumbing problem finally resolved and an occasional luxurious bath can now be had.

A quick glance at the clock shows that it is already midnight. And between sitting quietly at the keyboard and this now empty glass of wine,  I have finally relaxed enough to get to a little bit of sleep before galloping at full stride tomorrow.. at least until Greg returns from Montreal and we can hopefully enjoy a long and relatively uneventful weekend with some time spent with friends and neighbors.

Keeping pace..

Funny that an old blog post of mine recently popped up in my mailbox. Why and how I can only guess. But it gave a little tickle none the less. And so with that strange invitation I sat down to re-read "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" from last September. It gave me a chance to examine the long strides and the meandering course of life between those points. So much different, so much the same. For instance the culling thing got old. And I really don't care to do it. There are smells and stomach curling ick... and well... I know I can do it if I need to and that is something important to know about oneself, I suppose. Plus in order to really be proficient you need to build a kill station with running water and well I think I will leave that to the professionals. So anyway, yes some has changed. And some not so much as the aim for this years schooling landed pretty much on bulls eye. And then there are the big totally unexpected changes between. Buying a house was no where on my radar. So that was a huge directional shift.  One that is gaining speed on us.

The appraisal was last Wednesday and we have not yet heard back and only one or two small details need to be attended to Monday to finish our closing documents. House is well under the whirlwind preparations of boxing and packing,  moving out the roommates, and general cleaning. Things are a bit of a mess but it is and will go smoothly.

Anticipation for the start of school is beginning to pepper the air. Two weeks to go. Time to break out the alarms and begin to reset our sleep schedules back by half hour increments every few days.

Looking back.. good times.. looking forward.. Whew!.. I will be tearing through this month like a.....



(Dramatic pause of a few days..)

And I return.. that last toon I picked up at a birthday party with one of the old neighbor kids. There is a part that sounds Halloween which caught my attention. (Side note.. Mrs. Davis.. your son has fun taste in music). It was a highlight on a rather dreary day. A day where losses where counted and an old friend, Ozzy, was buried.  Anyway, the tune was a highlight along with just sitting back and observing how much the kids have grown in the last year.

And the word just in on the appraisal on the appraisal.. Umm.. we have hiccup.  Let me get back when we figure this out.