Swimming

Swimming lessons have become my part-time job these past two weeks. No--not giving lessons--just driving to and from lessons. :o) It doesn't pay well, but I have to say I am getting a pretty nice tan.
I am always amazed at how far kids come from the first swimming lesson to the eighth. For most of last week, Landen would not put his face under water. In typical Landen fashion, he spent most of his time negotiating with the lifeguard and suggesting better things they could do with their time. Today he was bobbing his head in and out of the water every time I turned around. He has his test tomorrow to see if he passes to Level 2. Even if the lifeguard feels he should repeat Level 1, I am so very proud of how far he has come.
Nathan and Teresa have been taking Preschool lessons. Nathan loves it and dunks his head in the water all of the time, too. He's not comfortable going into deeper water yet, but he is king of 3 feet and under.
Since Teresa followed her brothers around the pool like a little duck last year, I signed her up this year. She is doing quite well for being just 2 1/2 and mastered getting into the pool safely (while holding onto the side like a monkey) by the first lesson. That alone was worth the cost of lessons.
Lessons have been made even more fun by having good friends alongside us everyday. Neither Deb nor I knew that our kids would be in the same session, so it was a happy surprise on the first day. It has been wonderful visiting with Deb and watching our kids play together.
I hope we can still meet once a week or so at the pool for the rest of the summer. I would hate to lose this tan after all this work!

Mailbox

We had a wind storm one mid-May afternoon that blew down our mailbox. The post was pretty much hanging from its last sliver since getting knocked over by a combine a few years back, so its falling really did not come as a shock.
The problem was that David did not have time to put up our new one at the time. I had already painted a new box and put new vinyl lettering on it. It just didn't have a post!
Our mail carrier brought our mail to our door for about a week until we told her we would just pick it up at the post office. That lasted about another week until I got tired of having to load up the kids to get the mail every day.
One day, our mail carrier forgot to keep the mail in town and brought it to our door. I told her my predicament about having a very pretty mailbox, but no post. She said I could put the box out on the lawn and she would still use it.
On my way out to the road, I picked up one of my antique cream cans to give it a little height. That brought about the patio chair idea with the nice yellow strap, which made it the perfect height. Our mailbox stayed in this condition for at least two weeks. It was so beautiful, I lost count of the days.
Yesterday David finally had the time to put it all together. I have to admit, I didn't think he would let my hideous mailbox contraption stay out there for so long. He MUST have been busy!

Before

After

Emerson & Thoreau

My friend Deb and I were discussing 19th century American writers Emerson and Thoreau today at the swimming pool. (You didn't think I was still capable of a literary discussion after these last six years of Cheerios and Play Doh, did you?) :o)
Well, the dates and history behind these men are hazy, but I do remember they were two of my favorite writers to read in high school and to teach in my English class. They were both Transcendentalists, meaning they wanted to go beyond their current state in life. They were "self-help" writers before "self-help" was fashionable.
Here is a little Emerson/Thoreau class in a nutshell:

It is never too late to give up your prejudices. (Thoreau)

If I have so much as I stone, it owns me because I have to dust it. (Thoreau)

All I have seen teaches me to trust the Creator for all I have not seen. (Emerson)

And, my ABSOLUTE favorite:

To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty, to find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded.
(Emerson)

Thanks for stopping by. That concludes our literature class for today!

Steak Mistake

As a rule, I am not a big fan of steak. I know, I know, we cattle ranchers are supposed to love a big hunk of beef on our plates, but I would take a cheeseburger over a steak any day of the week. That's still beef, so David has agreed to keep me on as head cook.
Since the head cook has her preferences, we are not surprisingly running a bit low on the hamburger side of the freezer and still have plenty of STEAK waiting for us on the other side.
The first problem I have with steak is that I think it takes so long to chew and eat it. I know that makes me sound REALLY lazy, but sometimes just the thought of steak will make my jaw ache. Then, there's the fact that the one grilling the steak has to adopt it as an additional child during the cooking time. Turn your back for too long and it's, "Hot dogs again!"
I found a recipe for a steak marinade a few days ago. For some reason, I thought it was something I should try. Tonight was the night. I marinaded my t-bones all afternoon and put them on the grill at 6:20. I grilled them for 7 minutes, flipped them and grilled another 8. I pulled them off a little on the pink side not wanting to cross that too-done line. By the time we let them rest a few minutes, they were PERFECT. The marinade wasn't the best, but the steak itself was awesome--tender, juicy, and just the right amount of "done." Even Nathan, my toughest critic, said the steak was, "Delicious!"
You think this is a happy story, don't you? Ooohh, no. You see, I have gone for nine years telling David I didn't want to or didn't know how to grill steak. Tonight I just made steak that rivaled his best efforts.
Guess who gets to stand by the grill from now on??

Good Day

Isn't it funny how people tend to think of rural life as romantic? Not romantic in the kissy sense, but romantic as in spending our days on our front porches watching the corn grow without a care in the world.
I suppose we have recent country songs, such as "Big Green Tractor," to partly blame for such misrepresentation. If David came home and said he wanted to "take me for a a ride in his big green tractor, down through the woods, down through the pasture," I would most probably ask, "Wouldn't it be faster just to take the pickup?" And, "You realize the kids are coming along, right?"
The reality of it is that farm livin' isn't any better than city life, in my opinion anyway. It's a great place to raise a family, but I would appreciate more shopping and entertainment opportunities close by. I have a big yard, but in farm life there's no husband mowing the lawn after work. Oh, yeah. And after work? That's dark. Some people complain when the days get shorter in the fall. Not this farm wife.
But, once in awhile, once in a GREAT while, country life plays out like one of those happy farm-loving songs. My kids and I just had one of those idyllic days. We met friends at the local pool, had a picnic together, and swam all afternoon. We came home, they went outside to play, and are now quietly watching a movie while I make supper. Believe me--I have enjoyed every minute.
I wish these kind of summer days were the norm instead of the exception.
I suppose, though, I wouldn't appreciate them as much if that were so.