No Rhyme or Reason

Again I am questioning, "Why?"  A former MOPS member's husband succumbed to cancer Thursday evening.  He was 32 years old.  He leaves behind a devoted wife and a 3 year old daughter.  I guess I am not really asking, "Why?" as much as, "Why am I asking 'why?'?"  In my old age I have come to the conclusion that life is life and death is part of it.  There is no rhyme or reason.  Sometimes a young wife and daughter remain and sometimes you are the last to go.  I guess it is the young age that causes me pause.  On occasion I think of what it will be like when I am 70 years old or think about Katie being 20 years old, then for a split second it occurs to me it is always possible that either or both of us could be gone before then.  It really drives home the point of living for the day because tomorrow is a weak promise.

Atlas F Missile Site Lesson for the Day

As you know, I just went down to the Missile base to grab some chicken boobies for dinner.  While walking down the steps, I was reminded of a design feature of the Atlas F Missile Sites.

Abov is a diagram of the stairs and main hallway to the LCC (Launch Control Center).  You enter the Missile Site at the red door.  (The small rectangle to the lower left.  The small blue rectangles are other doors and blast doors.  The last blue door is the entrance to the round LCC, which is not drawn on the diagram.)  You then go down steps reach a platform and go down more steps.  The rest of your journey is right-left-right-left-left-down step-slight right.  Now that is a lot of right and lefting.  However, what I find fascinating is that the hallway was purposely designed that way.  If a nuclear bomb hit topside--during the Cold War in the early 60's I am sure that the Abilene area had a big red Soviet bullseye on its keister--the topside door would be blown off its hinges.  The bomb blast would travel down the stairs; however, each time it would hit a wall it would dissipate a little.  Hence that is why all of the turns.  Blast doors were also installed in the Missile Site as well, but the turning hallway was extra protection.

Now that was your Atlas F Missile Site Lesson for the day.  Quiz to follow at an unannounced date.

Numbered For Your Convenience

Ooooo, I've been a bad blogger.  No excuses other than living life got in the way.  So here are the updates carefully numbered for your reading convenience. For example, if you read a little bit of number one and decide you are not interested in that, you can skip to the next number and so on. It will cut down on your time on this blog and you won't have to read anything that doesn't interest you. See, I'm always thinking of my readers!

1. Katie received another black stripe on her white Tae Kwon Do belt. I think she needs to earn two more stripes before we want her to test for the next belt up, which I think is yellow.

2. Rick got ALL of the lawn mowed and some. When I say "and some" we have slowly been reclaiming our yard from the weeds and trees that popped up while Rick was in Michigan for four years. Every time Rick mows, he goes a little further into the weeds. Anyway, the yard looks great!! We also have purchased a few more LED solar lights that are shaped as a butterfly, humming bird and dragon fly. With the lights and flowers, the place really looks lush.

3. Speaking of flowers, I have started killing the grasshoppers. There are not as many as early this summer, but they are still prolific. To save my flowers, I regularly check all of the planters for grasshoppers. If I find one on a plant, I get it out of the pot and smack it with a fly swatter. Yes, I am cruel that way, but it was my flowers or munchies for the grasshoppers. My chewed flowers are just starting to come back after I cut them back to 1".

4. Katie and I are confirmed on our annual Mommy and Me Trip. We will be flying into the U.P. (Upper Peninsula of Michigan)and visiting my parents for a week. We usually go in mid-July, but seats were hard to find. (We use Rick's frequent flier miles.) I look forward to going back to the U.P.  It's interesting to drive around my old stomping grounds. So much has not changed and seeing the area really brings me back to my youth and I remember so many things I have forgotten. Also, it is only now that I have learned to appreciate the beauty of the Copper Country.

5. I have been making Rice Krispy Squares because I have had a hankering for them. Also, neither Katie or Rick are particularly fond of them, so I thought, "A whole pan to myself." (Yes, I can be greedy that way when it comes to comfort food.) Alas, it was not to be. Rick really loves how I make them--with melted milk chocolate on top--so I have to share.

6. Speaking of beauty, I have been working on the Fairy Garden. We moved one of our outdoor swings into it, as well as a few planters of coleus. I have been weeding and de-rocking. (Part of the Fairy Garden is where there used to be a parking area for the Missileers.)  I have been going through the plant books trying to decide on flowers.  I bought a gazing globe, but the old cherub stand doesn't work because the cherub has lost her head.  I need to clean out the stone bird bath and decide where I want it before filling it with water.  We also have an antique, metal bed frame off to one side of the garden.  Most people are confused by this, but once I put flowers in it, it will become a bed of flowers.  Get it?  Get it?   Anyway, I am unsure about the groundcover, but I do know that I want to do a winding path in the garden with stepping stones. However, I will set them into the ground. So much planning to do....I like this type of planning though.

7.   We have had rain yesterday and today.  It has been the good kind of rain.  The kind of rain that soaks into the ground and not the kind that comes down so heavy that it runs off.  The cotton is loving the drink and looks so big and green.

8. Speaking of rain, yesterday I drove Katie into Abilene and Tae Kwon Do. It was raining in Abilene, but not a heavy rain. On our way home, we encountered puddle after puddle at the intersections on Treadaway. I have never seen a city that floods so quickly and easily as Abilene. It wasn't that much water that fell from the sky, but deep puddles formed. The only thing I can think of is that they did not grade the roadways correctly when they built them.

9.  Tonight it is Chicken Piccata for dinner, so I have to go into the Base and get some chicken breasts from the big freezer.  Ciao!

Quiet Protest

In the previous post I added a picture of Katie.  Some of you have noticed in the background a parking meter which is planted in a fir tree.  Rick used to live in the Bay Area and work in downtown San Francisco.  Apparently he racked up a few parking tickets.  Rick figured that those tickets entitled him to at least one parking meter.  I don't know how Rick got the meter and whether it was a legal or illegal gain, but it now sits in our living room as a quiet protest to the parking situation in San Fran.

"I Can't Hear You!"

Katie has decided that today she is not going to listen to me.  I can tell her not to do something and she continues to do it while looking me in the eyes and smiling.  Thankfully, she took a nap because I was going to have to hide in the bathroom to keep myself from strangling her.  (Just kidding about the strangling part not about the not listening part.  No calls to DPS please!)  So there was no going to Tae Kwon Do because of her behavior.  The last thing I wanted to do is drive 35 minutes to Abilene with a non-listening three year old.  Furthermore, I didn't want to dump an impish Katie on the instructors.  All though Katie clearly respects and listens to them, I wasn't going to take any chances of getting kicked out of Tae Kwon Do.

The other day when Katie and I were in Wal-Mart, she picked out a pair of dress-up shoes from the toy department.  They are high heeled with an ankle strap and have a rhinestone and pink ruffle on the top that connects the shoe to the strap.  She LOVES her shoes so much she has worn them to Tae Kwon Do the last few times.  Of course she takes them off for class, but she just laps up all of the compliments that she gets on her shoes.  Yesterday she had jean shorts on and a tank top with her high heels.  She looked a little.....loose.  (I can't think of another blog appropriate word.)  I didn't stop her from wearing that outfit in public because frankly I will not start a clothing battle.  I'll leave my war plans for something more serious and life-threatening.

Of course I have not taken a picture of Katie and her heels, so I am including a picture from a few days ago. Once again she dressed herself. She has on her robe and a winter hat that my mom knitted. She thought she was quite stylish. I can't remember if she was going to sleep or going out to the pool.

Gotta go.  My head is pounding and I feel a I'm-going-to-throw-up migraine on its way.

Kicking Butt

I finally remembered my Canon when we went to Tae Kwon Do.  I didn't want to use the flash because it would distract the children, so not the greatest shots.

 Katie is in the middle of the picture; the one standing with her chest jutting out.  It is called standing at attention.

Here's Katie again in the middle of the picture and kicking butt with a roundhouse kick.  She needs to work on this because she tends to forget to bend her knee first and then kick.

After kicking butt, Tae Kwon Do kicked Katie's butt, so once we got home she took a nap on Big Brown.

Black Stripe

I am happy to report that Katie is back to loving Tae Kwon Do. The center was closed for a week so that the team members could attend a competition in Orlando, so our first day back was Wednesday. I was amazed at how well she did and how much she retained after the week break. On Thursday at the end of class she received her first indication of advancement. She received a black stripe for her belt. She was so proud and happy, as were Rick and I. It has incentified her to keep at it; however, she was bummed Friday when she did not get another stripe. I had to explain to her that she wasn't going to get one every day and that she needed to continue to work hard to get another.

I haven't taken pictures of Katie in her Tae Kwon Do outfit. Rick took a few with his cell phone, and I apologize in advance for the poor quality.

Lonely Walks

Yesterday, for the first time in a long time, I walked up the driveway to get the mail and to lock the gate. After we put Eric down, I tended to drive the golf cart up the drive since I no longer needed to walk him. However, I still need to walk myself, but the fact is that walking the driveway by myself is very sad.

When we first put Max down, I felt out of balance only having one dog, Eric, flanking my side. Now that Eric is gone, I feel so alone meandering up the drive. One of the harder parts is passing the path that goes to our pet cemetary where Max and Eric are buried. In retrospect, I wish we would have gotten both of them cremated then they would not be away from us. Anyway, of all the changes my life has taken in the last five years, being dogless is the one that I do not embrace and Rick without his Boyz is like popcorn without butter, a sandwich without mayo, a man without his faithful companions.

I would like to get another White German Shepherd, but then I think about how painful it was to let Eric go and I instantly talk myself out of it. Will this feeling of loss ever go?

Nuclear Sunset

The picture that I have as the header of this blog, as well as the background image, is a picture that I took when we first moved permanently to our home in Texas.  It is a sunset here at Corinth West.  I decided to go with that picture because the vivid clouds were beautiful but also ominous and since we own a decommissioned Atlas F Nuclear Missile Site, I thought it was appropriate.  I don't know what it looks like when a nuke hits its target--so far but with all the loo-loos that have nuclear weapons that may not stay that way--but I hope it looks like a Texas sunset.

Grasshoppers

This is a weird summer here at Corinth West.  First of all, we have had so much rain.  It has rained just about every day for the last 1 1/2 weeks, which is good for the cotton.  The other weird phenomenon is the plague of the grasshoppers.  I have over 30 planters and small gardens in our front yard and on the outdoor living patio.  Most are planters and quite proudly I claim they were quite beautiful.  However, those dang flying hoppers have eaten most of my petunias.  I have included the pictures below as an example.

Here is one hanging planter with petunias.  This was the end of June.

Here is the planter today.

Not only do the grasshoppers eat the blooming petunias, they also eat the ones that are not open yet.  They munch on them right down to the stem.  As I said, they have ate most of my petunias, but I have a few planters that are still full and blooming.  I hope those grasshoppers die off before they turn those planters into a pot full of green sticks.

M.I.A Ballerina

Today was the last day of Cinderella Ballet Dance Camp. On Thursday, Cinderella stopped by the class; however, I only had my cell phone camera with me. (Note To Self: I must, must, must carry my Canon Rebel with me at all times.) Here is an itty, bitty picture from my cell phone.

Don't you just love the intricate detail my Motorola Razr captures?!!  In case you cannot make her out--which is highly likely--Katie is the fourth one from the left in the front row.

Today, Miss Lisa left the door open to the studio room so the parents could take a few pictures of their children.  I remembered the Canon, but I didn't use the flash because I did not want to distract the girls.   (And let me tell you, some of those girls were so easily distracted.  Just seeing their moms in the doorway caused them to forget all that they have learned.)  Anyway, the pictures are a bit blurry, but even blurry they are better than the Motorola's pictures.

Doing some barre work with the assistant instructor.

This was an exercise when they each took a turn marching like a ballerina--knees high, toes pointed.

To celebrate a successfully completed ballet class, I took Katie to the Mall to play in the Play Area.  Before we got to the play area, I stopped in Payless Shoes.  I was looking at shoes, when I saw Katie go around the check-out counter.  The check-out counter is an island in front of the entrance to the store.  I called Katie's name, and I did not get a response.  That is when the store clerk told me she saw Katie scoot out the door.  I hightailed it out of the store and figured Katie would be at the little, coin operated ride-ons that are right outside of Payless.  She wasn't.  I panicked.  I jogged down to the Mall's play area., which was close to Payless.  No Katie.  I went back to Payless and the clerk had double-checked the store and Katie was not there.  The clerk asked me if I wanted security called--ah, yeah.  It was then that I spied the drawing booth next to the rides.  The drawing booth is a booth where you sit and a camera takes a picture of you and then "draws" your picture.  (This is done by a setting in the photo software.)  I rushed over to the booth, ripped back the curtain and there sat Katie.  We went back to Payless where I sat her on one of those mirror benches and gave her a very stern speech about never leaving a store without me, something she already knew from a previous post-escape lecture.  Katie countered with, "But Mommy, I didn't leave the store."  Because the mall is one building with a roof,  she considers the whole mall a store.

When I was frantically looking for her, which was about three minutes at the most, Adam Walsh's story stuck in my head.  Adam Walsh was the son of John Walsh (creator and host of America's Most Wanted).  Adam was taken from a Sears store in the Hollywood Mall  in Florida and was later found dead.  For me, it was so scary how quickly she disappeared and it reminded me that someone could take her and disappear just as quickly.  Kind of makes me want to stay on Corinth West and do all of our shopping via the internet.

After the Mall, Katie and I ate lunch at McDonald's.  She made a 4 1/2 year old friend in the play area by the name of Nathan.  The two of them got along so well.  I think it had to do with the fact that Nathan dutifully followed Katie and listened to her instructions.  I think he was love-struck, but I also think the fact that he was a boy also contributed to a more cordial play time.  In my experience, little girls can be sooooooo mean to each other and I have witnessed Katie being on the receiving end of the meanness more than once.  One time the meanness brought tears to Katie's eyes and my heart broke for her and the pain she felt from the rejection.  I am proud to say that Katie doesn't cop that mean girl attitude.  At least I have never seen her do so.

That's about it for today.  It rained....AGAIN.  Is this West Texas or Seattle?  Anyway, next week it is back to Tae Kwon Do.  On that note, I bid you adieu.

Lobby Ballerina

Yesterday I wrote how Katie does ballet moves in the lobby of Abilene Ballet Theater before her ballet class.  Today I brought my camera with me.

As is norm, Katie and I arrived a little early for ballet class, so we waited in the car.  I took the opportunity to click a few pictures.  The sun roof was open so she has an interesting light on her face.

 When we arrive at ABT an advanced ballet class is in session.  Katie likes to peek around the door and watch them.  I love this picture because Katie watches them with such awe and envy.  She calls them the big girl ballerinas. 

Imitating the big girl ballerinas.  I am disappointed that I cut off her pointy little foot with the camera lens. 

Flamingo imitation.

La, la, la, la, la, la, la

I tried to get a picture of her gracefully arching her back and her arms gracefully trailing her like wings but I always clicked the camera a second late.

Busy Little Girl

This week Katie is going to Cinderella Dance Camp at ABT (Abilene Ballet Theater).  Unsurprisingly, she really likes it.  While waiting for class to start, she dances around the lobby.  I have to tell you it is so cute to see all these little girls--ages 3-5--in their ballet outfits.  Even though there is not a dress code for the dance camp, the girls are almost dressed identically:  pink or black leotard, pink or black ballet slippers, pink or black skirt.  Those that can, have their hair pulled back into a bun, but Katie's hair is too short for a fancy bun or at least for a fancy bun without a can of hairspray on it.  Below are two pictures from Monday morning when she was waiting to leave for Abilene and ballet class.

 I really like this soft glow, slightly out-of-focus picture of Katie.  I had the living room drapes open and did not use my flash.

I like how her hair is reflecting the light.  Again without a flash.

With a flash.  See how harsh it seems.  Well I guess Katie's expression--deer in the headlights-- doesn't help the situation.

As for Tae Kwon Do, the center is closed from this Wednesday to next Tuesday, which is a good thing.  I really didn't want to drive into Abilene twice in one day or hang out in Abilene for the four hours between the two activities.  As for why the center is closed, Team Chip is going to a competition in Orlando.  I asked Katie tonight if she wanted to go to Tae Kwon Do next week and she told me, "No."  That really surprised me because at class she is smiling the whole time and full of energy.  She definitely doesn't act like a girl that does not like it.  After some prodding, she told me that the teacher tells her that she does everything wrong.  I tried to explain that that was what teaching was about.  I also tried to impress upon her how important it is to try harder and to stick with something even when it is difficult.  Right now she is one of those kids that gives up easily or gets frustrated easily when she cannot do something immediately.  This is also exasperated by the fact that typically things come easily to her and when something doesn't, her world falls apart and she would rather remove herself from the situation.  Also, when she gets into one of those situations, she gets angry.  When I ask her what she is angry about, she will say, "I am angry at myself."  Back to Tae Kwon Do:  I am going to work with her at home and knock the lessons back to three days a week.  Once she gets the first five forms, she will be very proud of herself and that will spur her on to continue.  In the meantime, I promised her that we would have Subway for dinner after class and that worked.  I will try to think of other bribes so she will look forward to Tae Kwon Do.  That could be a really bad idea, but I am trying to walk the line between pushing her too hard and allowing her to easily give up.  I'll keep you updated.

Independence Day

Oh the rain we have had the last week.  Thankfully, we had a break from it on 4th of July at about 10pm, which is when we had our fireworks extravganza.  Below are pictures from the event.

Sparkler trails.  I had my camera set on AV and had the aperture set to low number--can't remember which--so the nightime shots would be properly illuminated.  The orange lights in the background are actually our solar sidewalk lights and the big light to the right is the living room's octagon window.  They look weird because you cannot see the house at all and because they have trails of their own.

 Notice the baby doll clutched in Katie's arm and her jammies.  We woke Katie up to enjoy the light show.

Waiting for a "stick".  We couldn't get Katie to say sparkler

More trails

Having fun.  I was surprised how much smoke the camera picked up.  Usually when you see fireworks in the dark, you don't notice the smoke.

On her way down from jumping.  Baby Doll still hanging in there.

Kind of looks like a volcano

This reminds me of a troll doll

The burst on the left is pretty cool.

Carol's Bloomers

My mother-in-law, Carol, is a well-known miniature flower artist.  Until I met my in-laws I did not realize what a huge industry miniatures are.  Some people just collect miniature flowers to put on their shelves while others purchase them to put in their extravagant dollhouses.  Previously you could only purchase my mother-in-law's flowers at the miniature shows where my in-laws chose to exhibit.  Well, today I finally completed the website for my mother-in-law's business, which is Carol's Bloomers.  In addition to the hand-crafted flowers, she also carries other miniature products.  If you are interested in purchasing detailed, hand-crafted miniature flowers or are just curious, check out her website at http://carols-bloomers.com

Makes Me Sad

I've been trying to pack up Katie's high chair for the last few weeks because Katie hasn't sat in that chair for a long time. Today Katie got in the high chair--it was in our bedroom--and asked for lunch. At the time she was watching a Scooby Doo dvd on our TV. I glanced into the bedroom while I was making her Spaghetti-Os and saw a long ago familiar sight, the back of her head as she sat in the highchair. It was a sight that I used to see every lunchtime and today it reminded me just how much Katie has grown. The sight of her sitting in her highchair I will never see again and that thought makes me sad. I barely remember her as an newborn or infant. I wish I could go back and relive these last 3 3/4 years. There are so many precious things that she did when she was younger that have gone by the wayside as she has grown. Fortunately I heed the advice that our MOPS mentors frequently mention that our children grow so fast. I cherish each day with Katie and at the age and stage that she is right now. She calls me her best friend and I know that will not always be the case and that thought makes me sad. Another quote that I have heard from our MOPS mentors is that the days are long, but the years are short. How true.

This Week

We've been busy this week.  Katie has been going to Tae Kwon Do in Abilene ever day except Wednesday.  She enjoys the lessons and is already showing improvement.  I know that driving to Abilene every day is going to get old, but I really want Katie to experience different activities and I refuse to let a hour round trip be a deterrent.

On Wednesday I had my MOPS Steering Team retreat for six hours.  We got so much accomplished and it feels good to have some things out of the way.  We have a great group of women this year and we seem to work well with each other.  Also on Wednesday, Rick, Katie and I went to the TCR (Texas Cowboy Reunion) Parade.  While driving to Stamford, it was raining to beat all get out.  However, like a typical Texas rain storm, it instantly cleared up and the parade was on.  Katie got some candy and enjoyed waving to everyone.  We were standing by a man who had five younger children with him.  Most of the kids were courteous and shared candy with Katie; however, one girl was on a mission.  She would have even knocked me down if I went for the candy on which she had her eye.  She literally snatched candy that fell at Katie's feet and that Katie was bending down to retrieve.  During the parade Katie informed me that she needed a horse.  I might as well break down and face reality.  A native Texan who lives on 170 acres of land must have a horse.  It's like a requirement or birth right or something.

On Thursday, Katie and I went to Tot Time at Anson's Library.  It is a half hour program that some moms in the area put together.  I was excited to actually be doing something that wasn't in Abilene.  However, we had an incident.  While I was waiting to check our books out, Katie followed two older girls-about 8 or 9 years old-- to the back of the library.  They were playing hide-in-seek.  A little while later, she came walking back to me and she looked a little down trodden.  When I asked why she informed me that the two girls tried to pull her skirt down.  Ooooh, I was angry, but I kept my cool.  The thought of two older girls cornering Katie and bullying her.....well, when I told Rick, it made him angry too.  I didn't confront the girls or their mothers because I wanted to talk to Katie about it some more.  Also, I didn't want to get in a "he said, she said" situation the first time I met these women.  Next week we will go back because Katie enjoyed the story time and I will stay by Katie's side all of the time.  If the girls try something else, I will catch them red-handed.  Even if the girls behave themselves, I am still going to broach the subject.  I know the other moms will be glad that I came back for a second time and I will tell them why I almost didn't.  As a side note, I understand that the moms have to bring their older kids since it is summer break and all, but those kids need to sit elsewhere in the library and be quiet.  They are not tots.  One of the older girls who was also one of Katie's tormentors was smart-mouthed and sarcastic.  One example is when Katie showed the girl the book she was going to check out from the library, Smart-Mouth replied in a cocky tone, "Well, I can see that." Anyway, when you mix older kids in with preschoolers, a situation is more likely to arise.  In addition, I also saw two older boys--9 years old--in the back of the library while Katie was being taunted, but Katie said they were not part of the skirt pulling.  Katie obviously handled the situation because she wasn't crying about it and she did make it back to me, but the mean girls said something that made tears well up in Katie's eye.  Katie tell every one that she meets that she is going to fly jets when she grows up.  Apparently she had told the two bullies and they replied, "You're not going to fly jets."  (I can just hear Smart Mouth's annoying tone.)  I reassured Katie that if she wanted to fly jets, she would fly jets and that she could do whatever her heart desired with hard work and dedication.  Anyway, on to the pictures......

Katie and Rick waiting for the parade to begin

Hardin Simmons Cowboy Band doing fancy yee-ha kicks

These ladies ride for Breast Cancer Awareness.  Note the pink ribbons on the front of the horses and on the saddle blankets.

She's happy as a clam to be riding in the TCR Parade.

Here come the cowboys and cowgirls

Katie coyly waving at a young cowboy.  (I can see it now.  "They first met when she was three and he was five at the TCR Parade.)

Katie strapped her candy bag around her neck.  Doesn't it look like a horse's feed bag?

"See ya next year.  Thanks for the candy!"

The dress Katie wore to the parade is a pillowcase dress that I bought off of Etsy.  Ever since her first TCR, I have dressed her in 4th of July inspired clothes.  It looks like a created a tradition.

We took pictures of Katie at her first Tae Kwon Do class, but you know how cell phone pics are.  I will bring my camera to her class today and share Karate Kate with you tomorrow.  Ciao!