A Glass of Water, Please

You never know how much you use something and take it for granted until it is taken away from you. Today, we went without water for most of the day. And all day I kept turning on the faucet and remembered as soon as I see no water spouting forth, oh yeah, no water. Living in the mountains mean we use well water. No hook-ups to the city's water system also means we don't have to pay for our water. What it does mean, however, is that if something goes wrong with our well system, then we are on our own until we get it fixed.

A little lesson for those of you not familiar with well water and how it works: There is a well pump that is inside of a shaft that is as deep as the well (ours is 80 feet deep). The pump hangs inside the shaft and is connected to a tube that goes down to the water and another tube that shoots the water into a water tank. You have an electric pressure switch that turns on the pump to fill the water tank as it gets used by people flushing the toilet, washing the dishes, etc. Not too complicated once you figure it all out. At the old house, the water tank and pressure switch was located in the laundry room in the basement. The house we live in now, has a well house that is mostly underground and a big concrete slab that sits on top with an opening just big enough to climb down inside. I can stand up straight in there, but anyone taller than 5 foot, 7 inches has to hunch over when down inside the well house. Not my favorite place to be and I prefer not to be down there in the dark, with the spiders and dampness.

This morning, Hubby noticed the water pressure wasn't very strong, so he was going to go to the well house and give some loving to the pressure switch (read: take a brush and rake the connector), it jams once in a while and we bought a replacement switch, but haven't gotten around to replacing it. Hubby opens the metal lid and out pours smoke!! *gasp!* There was some rain up here and the storm must have triggered a power surge and it set the pressure switch on fire!! After the smoke cleared, Hubby went down to see what the damage was and this was what he found:

The metal electrical parts were totally burned and the grey plastic cover melted!! I'm grateful we have a well house and the smoke was all outside instead of in the basement!! The stench of melted plastic was horrible and I can still smell it on my clothes! We hoped it didn't short out the water tank, but there was only one way to find out-- replace the part, turn the power back on and hope for the best! This is what the cover is supposed to look like (the new one has a black cover, but it's the same thing as the grey melted one):
Hubby took out all the old parts and drew a little diagram to help him remember where the wires go (5 wires in all) and then in the process, he made a goof. He didn't put down which color wires go where! Rather than put the wrong wires in the wrong places, he decided to call the neighbor and ask for help. But, we had to wait for him to come home from work, usually about 3. So I asked the girls not to flush the toilets, used wipes for dirty hands and faces, the dirty dishes piled up in the sink, the water bottles we buy for road trips got broken out and we waited until the neighbor showed up. He had the wires connected in no time and for his trouble I just so happened to have some banana bread to give him that I made the other night.

At around 6:30 pm, we have water again! Too late for a proper dinner, so the girls had peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. The girls have had their baths, the dirty dishes are still piled in the sink and I am about to drag my stinky self into the shower. I'll tackle the dishes in the morning. Thank goodness for paper plates so the dirty dishes aren't piled too high!

The Mind is Willing...

It's inevitable. We will all grow old. Unless something happens, an accident or health problem, most of us will age and our bodies will wrinkle, our hearing may go, the eyes need glasses, the bones become brittle... When you look at an old person, I mean really old, like 80+, what do you see? Do you just see an old woman or man, or do you see a person that was once young and vibrant but now old?

My dad had an "old moment" not too long ago. He is 61 which is not really old now that I am 33. Didn't our parents seem old when we were kids? Then as we get older and we are the age our parents were when they had kids, we feel quite young, thank you very much! But anyway, my dad saw a grapefruit just above his head in a tree. He looked at it and felt confident he would be able to jump up and reach it with no trouble. He jumped and missed. He jumped again and stretched his arm out as far as he could and missed again. He tried again and his fingertips grazed against the bottom of the grapefruit. He couldn't get it. His mind said he could do it, but his body wouldn't co-operate. He told me that in his younger days, he would have easily gotten it with a simple jump, but his body will no longer perform that way.

My dad was, to me, the strongest man I have ever known. He was always active and athletic, he was a wrestler in school and danced. Mom told me once that he had a beautiful body, lean and muscular, and he did, too. He tanned easily when he worked outside, and he has a great laugh with wide teeth, the teeth that all his brothers and sisters have, that my sister and cousins inherited and I didn't get. He was a welder and lifted heavy steel and iron and other metal. I helped him once in awhile and he would ask me to hold a bar in place and it took all I had to keep it there, but dad made it look so light. Once, Hubby and I were installing a fence and we used t-bar poles and had to bang it into the ground. Hubby and I struggled and heaved a heavy sledgehammer over and over against the top of the t-bars. It took us all morning and most of the afternoon to hammer in about 20 poles. Dad showed up, and using a blocked off pipe for banging t-bars into the ground, hammered the last 15 in under a hour. We were in awe of my dad's strength.

Now, in the last couple of years or so, my Dad has complained of aches and pains. Past injuries have come back to haunt him. A fall off a ladder more than 25 years ago has come back as lower back and elbow pain. His bad knees crack and pop and he cannot kneel for long periods of time. He had to force himself to retire because he couldn't keep up with welding and contorting his body to fit into awkward places and weld a joint while supporting heavy weight at the same time. He and his wife moved to a warmer climate where the cold doesn't seep into his bones and cause him more pain. He had to give up bowling and then golfing because of the twists the body does while throwing the bowling ball and swinging the golf club.

I heard my dad tell me of his aches and pains but didn't really understand. I sympathized but I didn't empathize. But now, as I age myself and I have a few aches that take longer to fade away than it used to, I take longer to bounce back from a twisted ankle, a bruise lingers, I understand a little bit more about aging. I understand the frustration older people feel, their minds willing but their bodies can't. Or their bodies willing but the mind knows: better not or you're going to pay the price tomorrow. How an older person must feel, their minds still feeling as young as ever, but darn it, if they can't see the newspaper unless they hold it 3 feet away, or that pesky hip that keeps popping out when they dance the two-step. To look in the mirror and see a white-haired old lady staring back, wondering where the young girl went. How did the time fly away so fast and why don't the young 'uns put down their beeping noise-boxes and come and visit? To see their children grow up and away, though some may stay, here but not here.

I don't have any grandparents left, they all died when I was young. I was lucky enough to meet Hubby's Grandmothers but both passed away before we had the girls. I want to make sure that our girls get to know their grandparents, to love being with them and to talk with them. I mean really talk, ask them questions about their own childhoods and what it was like when they had us as kids. I want my girls to have compassion for the older folks and to respect them, treat them with kindness and lend an ear. I admit, I tend to shy away from the older folks, not because I don't want to be around them, but I find it hard to understand gravel-ly voices and I struggle to lip read wrinkled mouths and tooth-less words. I need to find me some old deaf people and get to know them, find out what their lives were like, lend my eyes to their hands, full of stories to tell.

Hampshire County Heritage Days

The county had an event over the weekend which celebrated the county's heritage. Hampshire County was established 253 years ago in 1754 and is the oldest county in the state. George Washington surveyed the area when he was 16 years old. The county invited people from all over to re-enact life in the 1700's which also included civil war period style of dress, craftsmanship and a civil war battle scene played out down by the river. People who lived in homes built in the 1800's also opened their doors to the public so people could come in and tour the old homes and some even furnished their homes in period furniture. It was a fun weekend and we all learned so much!

When we first got there, we went to an area that was marked 'Colonial Hampshire' and inside and outside were all manner of people dressed in colonial style clothing doing arts and crafts of the period. There was a man that made furniture by hand and he has many of his works on display at Mount Vernon in George Washington's home. He took the time to explain the tools he used and had much of his work for sale. Beautiful hand-carved chairs, benches and tables. The girls fell in love with a child-sized rocking chair, but the price was wayyyyy out of our range (and rightly so!). There was also a couple that made lace by hand and they were so delicate and beautiful. It takes an hour just to make an inch of lace! The girls enjoyed watching them weave their threads to make the lace and we stayed about 15 minutes just watching them in action. Moving on, there was also a display of women spinning wool into thread and then also rug hooking wool strips into pictures and rugs. I was delighted to see this because this has been something I've wanted to try and I could ask my questions: How? What? Where do you get it? What do you use? Thankfully, the woman spinning the wool was entertaining the girls and I was able to talk with another lady about rug hooking. There were also Indians since there were lots of Indians here in Colonial times, but the girls seemed wary of all the war paint and Indian garb they wore, so we didn't stop to talk and ask questions. Maybe next year when Middle doesn't cower behind my legs.

Here, there were some civil war re-enactors and this gentleman above was a very friendly chap that let the girls go into his tent and check out his "home". He slept on a rope cot and had all his belongings in a trunk by the bed. He was a Civil War Paymaster and asked the girls if they wanted to "sign up and join the army?" Oldest and Middle said yes, so he asked them all sorts of questions and one was,"Are you over 18?" Oldest shook her head no. At this, he reached into his traveling desktop and pulled out a paper with the number 18 on it. He told her to step on it and then asked again. "Are you over 18?" He said this was a ploy that many underage kids used to join the army and when asked, they could truthfully say that they were indeed, over 18. He then told the girls that when they join, they get $22 sign-up pay and to report for duty at 3 am! The paymaster called over to the next tent and told him he had 2 new recruits! He gave the girls copies of money that was used and said if they found a place that still took that money, to let him know as he had a lot of it to spend! :0)
Guess who was in the next tent? General Stonewall Jackson and his wife! Their tent was much more fancier with a rug and two cots and minor furnishings. Mrs. Jackson was working on a crocheted doily and the General talked and answered questions.

Over in the kids' activities area, the girls had a chance to make candles! It was a long process, dipping a wick first in a vat of wax, then in a can of cold water. Back and forth, dip in wax, dip in water, dip in wax, dip in water. Finally, the candle was big enough and the candle man snipped off the bottom and sent Oldest on her way. Next to him was a man that dripped ink onto a thick water and wheat bath and then swirled designs in the ink. He asked the girls to pick ink colors and paper colors and then they had their own ink design on paper. I plan to turn the paper into a cover for a little book for the girls. I wanted to shove the man aside and make my own papers and really had to restrain myself!

There were also a few farm animals scattered here and there, miniature horses the girls could pet, alpacas with people demonstrating how to turn their wool into soft clothes and slippers, and a blacksmith showing how to make horseshoes and shoeing the horses. There were basket-weavers, ale-makers, hunters displaying hides and rifles, and so much to see and do! We went both Saturday and Sunday and we didn't see it all! Definitely something we will return to next year!

Favorite Self-Portrait

Freckled Nest is having a "Favorite Self-Portrait" contest. You enter by leaving a comment and a link to a favorite photo of yourself and the prize is a very cool handmade photobooth album. Today is the last day to enter the contest, though, so if you want to enter, hurry! I have a few photos of myself that have always ranked high on my favorites list and it took me this long to decide which one to post. The reason it took me so long is because it isn't exactly a self-portrait but I love the picture! When I lived in Maine, once upon a time, I was a member of the local BJ's Warehouse store and you needed an ID membership to shop there. The picture on my ID is one of my top favorites! So here it is:

Does this count, LA? Does anyone else have a favorite ID photo??

Escape!

It's always sad to me when a local store or business closes it's doors for the last time. Edged out by bigger places and cheaper prices, the little guys just can't compete and keep their heads above water. If I can shop local, I will. But I am also guilty of shopping at a big store because of my small budget and cheaper prices. Anyway, the Ben Franklin craft shop in the next town over is going out of business and their last day is on Saturday. They have been advertising in the papers their closing sales and this week is 75% off. As sad as I am to see them go, I am not above saving some money and ran down there to see what they had left at cheap-o prices!

Poor Hubby is sick and not feeling well, so he called in sick at work to stay home and recuperate. I see a silver lining in this: I can shop without having to bring the kids with me!! Should I take pity on the poor husband and let him lie in bed, moaning and groaning, shushing the kids and keeping them away? Ha! When I am sick, I still have to get out of bed and take care of the kids, so if I can do it, he can do it too! Ta-ta Hubby! See ya later alligator! In a while crocodile! (can you tell I don't get out much on my own?) I'm off to the clearance sale! I made him chicken soup from scratch for lunch, ain't that enough?

There is nothing better than driving in a car with no kids calling, "Mom! Moo-oom! Mommy!" I can turn up the radio as loud as I want on the station I want without Hubby going, "Ugh! Country?" Well excuuuuuse me! I happen to like this particular country station because they play the country music from when I was a kid and I can actually recognize the music and sing along. Johnny Cash's 'Ring of Fire', Crystal Gayle's 'You Make My Brown Eyes Blue', Dolly Parton's '9 to 5', to name a few... My dad was a country music buff and I grew up on all the older country singers. I don't know any of the younger, newer singers of today. But I digress-- I'm talking about driving alone in the car, all by myself, with no one but me in the car, solo! I can actually drive for more than 10 minutes and not have to pull over to pick up a dropped sippy cup and the girls are strapped in their car seats and screaming their heads off because they want the freakin' sippy cup and no, a stuffed toy won't suffice, it has to be the sippy cup, and no, a pretzel just won't do, I'm not hungry, I'm thirsty and I want the sippy cup! I am reaching behind me while I am driving and keeping my eyes on the road and my hand is feeling around on the floor trying to feel for a smooth cup-like shape that must be a sippy cup but instead all I grab is fistfuls of animal cracker crumbs, a sticky spot from spilled juice, a blanket that is getting tangled up around my wrist and a book with the pages all bent and folded from being stepped on. My car is overdue for a clean out, I know, but at the moment I am trying to drive and quiet the cacophony of screams. Finally, I pull over and I find the sippy cup only 2 inches from where my fingers were searching for it. Everybody happy now? I can drive and you all will be quiet now?

Anyway, I am driving alone and loving it! I get to the store and I have a spring in my step knowing I am about to get my hands on some possible bargains and I don't need to worry about the whereabouts of 3 little girls. I find a store that is nearly empty and maybe 15 shelves left of odds and ends. The fabric department is wiped out save for a bolt of ugly woven fabric that I can't possibly find a use for. The scrap booking supplies have dwindled to a few piles of not so pretty paper and a bunch of rubber stamps that I have no use for. Some personalised ornaments and key chains are left but none in names that I know. Anyone know a Samantha or a Xavier? There are some snowman ornaments you might be interested in... I did manage to score some great grosgrain ribbons at 25 cents a yard, so I bought 12 different styles, 10 yards each. They will make some cute belts or handles for some future bag projects I have in mind. I grabbed a planet mobile project set for a future home school lesson for a mere $4. Picked up some snazzy buttons, thread and snaps. And some of those plastic strings for braiding bracelets and key chains with. Remember those? When I was about 8 or 9, I went crazy for those and begged mom to buy me more, more, more so I could make more, more, more. There wasn't much left and I said my good-byes to a store that I honestly didn't shop at very much, but remembered going to, with my mom as a kid.

I took my time coming home, singing along to songs and enjoying the mountain scenery. It's always nice to come home after being away for a few hours, and seeing my girls (and Hubby!) jumping up and down at the back door, excited to have mommy home again. I love the squeals and the hugs and the hands that reach for me to pick them up and hug them. Middle had a picture for me she colored, Youngest had a wet kiss for my cheek, and Oldest was hiding an unfinished project, telling me, "Don't look!" Yes, it's nice to drive in the car alone, but even nicer to come home to my family.

It's a Boy!!

We got one of the best kinds of news there is today-- My Sister and her Hubby had a baby boy today!! I am so happy and excited for them and I am sure their little girl is excited about her new baby brother. My sister's first pregnancy resulted in a premature baby and so with this pregnancy, doctors kept a close eye on her and the baby. Normally by the 8th month, the baby's head comes down to settle in the pelvic area in preparation for the birth, but for my sister, the baby's head stayed wedged under her ribcage. They tried to physically get the baby to change position but all they did was cause my sister some pain with all the pressure they put on her belly. They scheduled a c-section for later this week unless her water broke and baby decided to come early. Well, her water broke before the scheduled date and they ended up doing a c-section early this morning. Both Mama and baby are doing fine.

I wish I could be where she is and hold my new nephew in my arms, give my Sister and her Hubby a great big hug and squeeze the stuffing out of my niece! Since I can't be there, I will have to send her some presents through the mail and make do with photos and the video phone. It's a happy day for our family!! Yay!!

Yard Sale Treasures 3

When I checked the local papers for yard sale listings, there were no fewer than 20 listed, for sales starting Friday and lasting through Monday. What a great weekend it has been for yard sale bargain hunters like my husband and I! We found all kinds of loot and these pictures only represent about half of what we found... I scored a great collection of vintage sewing supplies: wooden spools with thread, a ton of vintage buttons, old pinking shears and bobbins. I did a preliminary once over and tossed the broken bits and at least a dozen rusty razor blades, but for the most part, it's all good! I also found a cool wire bike rack that I will re-purpose into a holder of something.. maybe papers or something in the new classroom. I also found this linen dishtowel with fruit on it.
At another yard sale, I spotted this perfect oak office chair that matches the oak office chair I am sitting in now, except ours swivels and rolls. I had been looking for a mate for my chair to put near the desk so Hubby and I can both see the computer at the same time, and also to put the girls in separate chairs while playing games and no more pushing and shoving in one chair. The lady that sold this to me, had the kind of sale where there were no prices on anything. I'm not a big fan of having to ask "How much for this? And this? What about this?" Or even putting everything into a pile and getting one grand total, because I would be choosier if I knew the prices for things. Plus, she was sharing her yard sale with someone else and when I asked for a price on something, she'd say, "Oh that's not mine. Ask her." Agh! But we got the chair along with a set of orange Pyrex dishes and other bowls, and a framed cross-stitched picture.
This poor quilt was found in the bottom of a pile of blankets with a sign that said '$1 each, this pile'. It is ratty in some places, stained in others, but about 80% of it is still in good condition. I can cut it up and turn it into throw pillows, or make small mini quilts for the girls to use with their dolls. When I went to pay for it, she told me she was going to throw it away! I told her my plans and she looked like she wanted to take it back from me!
I also scored these great old rag rugs for only $1 for both. A little tattered, but still thick and lots of wear left in them. I'll mend the holes and use them in the kitchen but they will probably end up on the laundry room floor. While cooking dinner tonight, the girls were dragging a chair over to help me cook and they tossed the rugs across the room because they got caught in the legs of the chair. I can see the girls don't approve of them in the kitchen!
I stopped at one house and turns out it was a home run pre-school that was selling all their old supplies and books. She stopped the pre-school years ago and finally got around to selling off the stuff she had and wants to turn the space into a proper basement. I scored with a bunch of educational and activity books, puzzles, and some stencils. We got to talking and I told her that I was going to home school my girls. She said that if I gave her my info, she would call me and give me the rest of the books if she decided to give them away after the sale. She knew the people that owned our house before we bought it and invited me to come back again after the sale to visit. That's one of the nice side effects of yard sale-ing: meeting new people and making new friends.

We also found a nice wood deck chair that is missing it's cushions (sewing machine time!), a set of Christmas glasses with each glass having one of the "12 Days of Christmas" themes on it (10 out of 12 glasses), a great big pink doll house that I will clean up then sell for more at the consignment shop I will be working at in a couple of weeks, a very hip 50's magazine rack that totally fits the style of our house, and a lovely wooden side table that just needs a little loving. There is lots more, but if I kept going, this post would be too long and I'm afraid I would lose you to boredom!

Hubby's parents are coming over tomorrow morning, so off I go to sweep the dust under the rugs! Hope you had as much fun as I did over the weekend!!