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Monday, 12 November 2007

Long Weekend

I treated myself to an extra long weekend. I took Friday off and had Monday off to honor Veteran's Day. Thank you to all who served - it's something I don't think I could do. We have a veteran of the Iraq war at work. He returned almost a year ago and he is still recovering and trying to sort out family, medical issues, job, etc. He says that even though there were people shooting at him in Iraq, it was a more simple life. You were told what to do. Now he has so many options and decisions to make. I pray for his mental and physical strength.

Saturday I went to the islands where my parents and grandparents live. It was good to wake up and just decide to go and visit. I spent the morning there visiting and catching up. It was relaxing and fun. On the way home I even got to stop at my favorite orchard and get some apples (Ida Reds - they make a mean pie or sauce when paired with a yellow delicious or mac).

Today I caught up on some laundry and cleaned out my dresser/closet. It's amazing what you find sometimes.

I also put together our budget for 2008. It's not looking good for moving into a bigger house. It's really disappointing. I'm hoping that we can work some magic and make the numbers work somehow.

Friday, 09 November 2007

The "S" Word

Driving to my meeting in Newport yesterday I saw what I was hoping not to...snow. In the hollows around Lake Eden and up in Jay there is a good dusting of snow.

There is hope...the Starbucks peppermint mocha is back. I'm usually not one for fancy mixed coffee drinks but this one has me hooked. It makes me happy. Mmmm.

It's the Veteran's day holiday weekend and I took today off. So, I have a four day weekend. I'm having lunch with my father today. Maybe I'll also get my seasonal clothes sorted out. It's nice to have a long weekend with not many plans. I do need something to do though. I'll get antsy without some sort of project.

Thursday, 08 November 2007

Endings

We are at the time of year when things seem to be winding down and coming to an end. Life will go on. We will all go to work, see family and friends, have fun. But we are also ending things, getting things ready for the time when we don't do as much...winter.

We had a really warm fall and so the little snow squall that we had yesterday was a shock. It can't snow yet! I still have so much to do. I'm trying to balance needing new snow tires on one car and new brakes on another. I need to switch out clothes. I was also hoping to get some painting done in the condo while we could have the windows open. Then, there are all the outdoor plans that won't come together this late in the season.

So we transition. I need to make new plans. Bring things to an end, prepare for the weather, and make new plans.

Today I head up to the Northeast Kingdom for a meeting. The fall colors have long since passed up there. Maybe there will be a dusting of snow....

Tuesday, 28 August 2007

By The Skin Of Our Teeth

"By the skin of my teeth" I remember various adults using this phrase growing up. I think it was started by my father's family (sounds like a native VTers comment) and migrated to my Mom. It's used when you just barley pull off a big feat. Well, this week DH and I got off by the skin of our teeth. He is taking graduate classes and has been, putting off (shall we say), his financial aide paperwork. His first class starts this evening. We got word this morning that we will be able to get the loan. Whew! As is typical in in our house, he was not really worried about it. I, on the other hand, was a nervous wreck. Now it's sorted out and he is happily in class as I type. Yeah!!!

This phrase has me thinking about another one we use a lot, "Well, there you go." DH uses this phrase a lot and I have picked it up. It is most often used at the end of a discussion where there is not much else to say. Another use is when someone has made a point and you can't think of a response at the moment. I picked this up from DH while we were dating and gradually came to realize how widely used it is in his family. His Grandmother is the oldest person I know that uses it and I assume it was passed to her from her family. She has passed it to her five children, the sisters, and they have in turn passed it to their husbands and children. It's become almost like a family catch phrase, or a brand logo.

It's funny how families have languages all their own. All the words are understood for their various meanings. DH's family has various phrases and translations of literal words. My family, on the other hand, has a whole language of unspoken meanings. We all know what they are and mean but I didn't realize how extensive it was until I got married and had to explain this different language to my husband.

What I've come to realize is that DH and I have created our own language. We have taken bits of his family language and bits of mine and smooshed them together. Hopefully our someday kid(s) will be able to translate.

Monday, 27 August 2007

Waiting

Saturday was a rare day. Outside Mother Nature was pushing through one last summer spectacular. The temperature rose into the high 80’s and the humidity rose with it. You could feel the weight of the air on your skin.

No one moved. The birds outside were quiet, there wasn’t as much traffic, and I didn’t hear a single kid outside playing. We were all held down. It was as if time had slowed to a near stop. We were all waiting for the storm to come and blow it all away. By two o’clock you could almost feel the anxiety building. So many waiting for the storm.

My house spent the day in chairs with fans. We read all day. We haven’t ever done this. It was all we could do under the weight of the day. I thought about laundry, but it would take twice as long to dry. I thought about the cake I had to bake, but the thought of turning on the oven was not an option. So, we sat, and read, and waited for the storm.