Tomorrow's News

Since I will be deep in the woods, high on a mountain (Sorry, I can't give you any more details. I am concerned about being hatcheted to death in my sleeping bag and dragged off while PD and Goober snore away) I will give you another post today. It is rightly titled:

I Have Three Jobs

The first one is Pastor's Wife. My duties are to keep PD happy. It is a full time job that doesn't pay that well, but the benefits are not bad.

The second job is a very part time teller at the bank in downtown Dodge City. Let's call it Dodge City Federal. I do not start it until next Thursday. I don't know much about it except that I will meet a lot of people and as I've already told you, "Activists are people who know people". Already I know the bank president, and the head teller. I hope I get an employee discount.

The third job is less-than-part-time Med Tech at the hospital just south of Dodge City. I haven't started that job either. I train a few days in September and I work two days the end of October. The hospital has six beds. The personnel offfice is a desk in the supply closet. The lab is one room-I will work alone in it. Let's call it Itty Bitty Healthcare Facility-IBHF. I hope I make enough to support my fly-fishing.

For having three jobs, I don't really have much to do today.

Too Much Information? or Why Do All My Titles End With Question Marks?

My counselor told me that I don't have to tell everyone everything. (Maybe I shouldn't tell you that. Maybe you will be freaked out that I ever needed therapy. Or maybe you can just relax because you don't have to figure out a way to suggest I see a therapist. Been there. Done that.) So I'm thinking that maybe my blog is full of too many details. And that someone will happen across it and start reading and be unable to stop and will want my life. So they will stalk me, and get plastic surgery to look like me, and will kidnap me, and move in here. So to protect myself and so we don't all end up being an episode of Law and Order, I've been thinking about using code names. Like I refer to my husband as PD. And I never really name the town I live in. I call it Little Town, or Ghost Town, or Dodge City. And I never use my kids real names. I call them Princess, or Goober. And I refer to others by acronyms SWDGM--she who doesn't get me, or fairy tale characters like Cinderella.
So if you want to suggest your own code names now would be the time. I will consider your suggestions, but just know in advance that I already have some names that I use in my head to refer to you. In fact, now that I think about it, it may be safer for me just to use your real names.
I am going camping this weekend. With several families from the church. They will be sizing me up and studying how I react to adverse conditions. I will making up names for them in my head. I'll let you know how it goes.

I Have A Zucchini or Are You Out of Your Mind?

I have a zucchini that I'm going to cook for supper.
One late summer day, back in my childbearing years, (okay, back in my first childbearing years) ((when 135 pounds was my delivery weight and 125 was my panic weight not my fantasy weight)), I told my husband I had considered buying a bikini. He thought I had said I almost bought a zucchini and responded by asking, "Are you out of your mind?" Because we had an overabundance of free for the asking zucchini available. (A few tempers were very nearly lost over that one.)
I should have bought the bikini. I should have worn it the rest of that summer and most of the next one. I should have played in the sandbox with the girls, and flown kites, and mowed the grass in it. (Really, girls, go put your suits on right now and wear them all day.) I regret that I missed my chance on that one. It would still be a good story.
Remember the pastor's wife who used to live here?
You mean the one with the really nice garden?
Oh, yeah, they'd still be talking.

Cowboy Up?

Cowboy #3--This guy is at a restaurant/casino between here and Billings. He is holding a gun. I think the one near the rodeo in Cody is actually holding a branding iron. Yeehaw!
Obviously I will be planning my next vacation to see more of these giant 'muffler men'. Maybe a Tour de Muffler Man?

Wonders Never Cease

Alex rode his bike to and from school yesterday. Without incident.

Walk-ins Welcome

I just finished reading "The Zookeeper's Wife." (Time to read--the luxury of not having a 'real' life.) It is set in Poland during World War II. Some intriquing quotes about those who risked their lives and the lives of their families to rescue and hide others.

Rescuers tended to be decisive, fast-thinking, risk-taking, independent, adventurous, open-hearted, rebellious, and unusually flexible--able to switch plans, abandon habits, or change ingrained routines at a moments notice. They tended to be nonconformists, and though many rescuers held solemn principles worth dying for, they did not regard themselves as heroic. "We did it because it was the right thing to do."

It makes me question whether I would be one of those people. I would hope so. Certainly I want to believe I would. It haunts me to think that I might be more apt to hide in my own closet than hide someone else there. Not that I would wish you ill, or rat you out. I just might not invite you in.

"(They) were not just idealists but activists, and activists are, by nature, people who know people."

So I'm seeing myself more as an idealist and less of an activist. But I find myself in a new place. With a huge walk-in closet that I didn't think I really needed. And a part time job at the bank(!?) that I have no qualifications for. So clearly God has something in mind for me. Let's hope I'm adventurous enough to grab hold of it.

(I was kind of hoping that this was the point in my life where I just fly-fished and took it easy.)

Wyoming Fly-fishing Trivia

Had some people over for banana splits last night. Found out this little bit of trivia. (I am having a hard time knowing when people are telling me the truth or just messing with me. I googled this to verify.)
In 1878, Thomas Edison was camping in Wyoming when someone accidently knocked a bamboo fishing pole into a campfire. He noticed its resistance to burning. When he went back to his lab in New Jersey, he proceeded to produce millions and millions of light bulbs with bamboo filaments, until he got the bright idea that tungsten worked even better.
Who knew?
Once someone I know accidently knocked a fishing pole over the side of a boat in Pennsylvania. I don't think we discovered anything except how kind and forgiving the owner of the pole was.

Time Zone Issues

Just in case you are concerned that I am staying up late and blogging in the middle of the night, that is NOT the case. My computer does not realize it has changed time zones. It still thinks it lives in the East. Sorry for any confusion this causes. It confuses us.
Dave: I should call my mother.
Me: It's one o'clock in the morning there.
Dave: Oh. I'll wait till morning.
We are still having the debate if we are ahead of you or behind you. It's earlier here so we must be ahead of you. But you have already lived these hours so we must be behind you. See how we are.

The Chairs That Rock

Here you are Amanda--Chairs that rock (and swivel) direct from a backyard in Wyoming to the living room you have never lived in:
Notice the rug. On HGTV they have this show where people come into your house and scavenge thing from other rooms. That's the story on this rug. (It used to be in Abi's room back when Abi had a room in my house.) Before my intervention for my HGTV addiction, I think I will post pictures of my house on Rate My Space and then that great guy will come here with his TV crew and his carpenter and redo my space. I'll let you know when my episode airs. Hopefully I will not be locked away in rehab. Now I just need to find out how I can get on Curb Appeal.

Project in Progress

The dining room chairs. Sara and I recovered these many moons ago in Mars. At that time my husband assured us that the backs could not be removed so we just made slipcovers for the backs and recovered the seats. I loved this fabric. But it wore out. The chair and table and hutch remain in good condition, so I am recovering the chairs. Again. Only this time my husband found a way to remove the backs so I can recover them completely. This is a lot more work than slipcovers. It would be easier if Sara would come and help me. (Maybe she can make up for it by helping me plan my landscaping...) But I am liking the finished product. What I can't figure out is how they redo a whole room in a single day on HGTV.

Also, I dropped off an application at the bank today. They have an opening for a teller for a few hours a week. I need to get out of the house and break my addiction to HGTV. Or maybe I could use the extra money to fund my addiction...

Touring the Grounds

Here is a picture of the house. It is a little cottage-like thing built originally around 1930. It was completely remodeled this year. It kind of has a beachy look. The yard, however, is early Wyoming.

A little dry...But the front 'yard' has that lovely gazing ball, so I can see more of it at one time.

Nothing else to see here. Move on.

My Car at Home

Infectious Diseases/Make Burgers Not War?

Yesterday I crossed two things off of my to do list: Visit the Cody Historical Center in Cody, WY and go to a rodeo. (Only 97 more things to do.) Alex took a friend with him so he would not be bored and/or annoying. So instead of having one bored annoying preteen with us, we had two. Ever have a plan? Ever think about changing it?

I'm not sure what this sign means:

We only saw it after the rodeo and the people in front of us in the grandstand were from Italy. I'm thinking that if they were carriers of hoof and mouth disease then we might be at risk.

On another rodeo note: notice the big cowboy across the road from the rodeo. He is the long lost twin brother of the cowboy in Kittanning. Only he is holding a gun instead of an oversized hamburger. Next time you ride by the guy in Kittanning, notice how his hands are shaped to hold a gun. What's the story there?

Hey, Butter, Butter!

Okay, here is the scoop on butter. Actually, margarine. The sticks of butter here are sized differently. Shorter and fatter sticks. Still 4 to a pound package. But packaged in two rows of two rather that four in a row. So the package is also shaped differently. And not just one brand--all of them. Blue Bonnet. The local brands. All of them. Is this something peculiar to Wyoming? Did all of the butter industry change shape in the three days it took me to get here? Is all butter West of the Mississippi shaped like this? Is there a place half-way between here and there where there are two different shapes available and you have to choose? What should I do with my old butter dish which is clearly made to fit my old sticks of butter? Who has these answers?
On another buttery note: We had fresh corn on the cob for supper tonight. It was in the field at 4:00pm and I was rolling it in butter at 6:00pm. I may have moved to heaven.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere There're Signs

From the Archives

It was 103 degrees when we moved in here. (Of course, it is a dry heat...I'm not sure what that means except that you broil to death rather that boil.) On Saturday I needed to do laundry and couldn't find the bottle of detergent that I packed, so I ran to Ron's Food Farm just like I was. No worries I told myself--no one here knows me. But as I was dragging my grubby body out through the parking lot with a bag of Hershey's kisses and a bottle of all temperature detergent I remembered that my picture had been on the front page of the weekly paper on Thursday. There was also a very nice article about Dave being the new pastor in town on page two. (I'm guessing it may have been page one news if it wasn't the week of the county fair. We just can't compete with pig wrestling.) So much for anonymity.
Talked to the guy who lives across the street. He and his wife loaned us an air conditioner. When I talked to him on the phone he says, 'I noticed you haven't got a pick-up.' Evidently, not much I do goes unnoticed here.
Tonight I am waiting till after dark to go out and take an old window frame out of the dumpster. No doubt someone will ask me about it at church on Sunday.

Things That Rock

I found two little chairs that swivel and rock for in the living room. I found them at a garage sale. They will look good with the fabric I am using to recover the dining room chairs. I found the fabric for $5.00 a yard at Wal Mart. Today I recovered one chair just to see if I could do it without my sister Sara to help me. It turned out okay, but it wasn't as much fun. But yeah for rocking chairs and cheap fabric. Also today I vacuumed the living room. So my chairs rock and my vacuum sucks. It's all good.

Things That Suck

Not everything we had made it on the truck.. I had no carpet in the house in Mars except in the basement, but I owned three vacuum cleaners. None of them made it on the truck. My house in Greybull has alot of carpet. So today we went to Billings (yes, as in Montana) and I bought a new vacuum cleaner. As we were waiting in line to check out, an older gentleman commented that that was a good vacuum. He had one like it and he really liked it. He also had a Dyson, and it really sucked. So I was glad I didn't buy a Dyson. At lunch, as we were talking about the vacuum and the conversation Dave explained that he was saying that the Bissell was almost as good as his Dyson. Very powerful. Of course. He meant sucked as a person over 50 would say it. And I heard it like my kids would say it. Guess I am just a young thinker.
We were eating at Denny's and while we were eating one of the waitresses was vacuuming under the table next to us. We decided her job really sucked.

Traveling

This is the truck we used to move. It had a picture of a giant slug-like creature on it. Kind of appropriate for the progress we made. On day one we made it about and hour from home when the alternator stopped working. We didn't even make it out of Pennsylvania. A five hour delay. You know those times you pass someone broken down along the road and you are thankful it isn't you? Well, it was us. On day two about an hour and a half into the day we blew a tire on the truck. I got very good at setting up the little orange caution triangles. The Illinois state police were even impressed. A three hour delay. By this point in the trip we had to refigure stopping points, and reschedule the house closing, and find a fax machine. The gentleman working on closing on the house in Mars needed one more signature. He suggested we find a Kinko's. Excuse me, but we are driving a 26 foot truck and towing a car on a trailer in th middle of nowhere. Hows about I just fax it from the hotel if I ever get there tonight? Still day two, we are making decent progress when a kind driver pulls up next to us and beeps his horn and gestures that there is something wrong at the back of our truck. Once more we are on the side of the road. Dave gets out to check. I stay in the cab because I don't even want to know. This time (no kidding) the bikes have fallen off the back of the car and we have been dragging them along the interstate behind the trailer. ( Alex had the presence of mind to take pictures of this. They are of course on Amanda's camera). Day three Dave forgets to reattach the cooler with the bungee cords. It does not(!) fall off and bounce along the road. Could our luck be changing? We finally make it to Wyoming. As we enter the state there is a large white robed statue along the road.

Dave: Is that Batman?

Alex: Um, Dad, I'm pretty sure it's Jesus.

It concerns me that the new pastor's first thought on seeing a large robed (he says 'caped') figure is that it might be Batman. Three days in a truck will do that to you.

My House

Living in a Bubble Wrap

A before and after...

I have been out of touch. No TV, no internet, no news.

I didn't even know there was an earthquake.

Abi told me that California fell into the ocean. I thought she was kidding. "Good news," she said. "You're closer to the beach."

Two weeks without the internet has made me realize that before I had a blog, I just blogged in my head. And that thoughts don't stay in my head very long. For instance, I left my camera's battery charger at my mother-in-law's on my way back from vacation. Even though Dave called her and asked her to send it, I am afraid she will not remember to send it or she will forget who to send it to. And someone else will get my battery charger and not know why, or even what it is. This was really annoying to me, until I remembered that I was the one who FORGOT it in the first place. It is scary to me when I think I am becoming my mother. The thought of becoming my mother-in-law--too scary for words.

Anyway, Amanda let me use her camera to document the move. But I can't get the pictures off of it, because I don't have the right cord. (How did this get so complicated?) So, if I can remember, I will try to catch you up. If not, that will be two weeks we just missed.

Remind me to find out about the re-engineered butter sticks...