Monday Musings--9 July 2012

Right now...it is really far too late for me to be doing this, but I feel a twinge of guilt at not having posted in days, and I actually have much to say.  Bret is back at work this morning after a week's leave, so we are all trying to find our groove again and get back to our routine.  It's not easy...for any of us!

This weekend...was eventful.  The heat has been abysmal, and Bret has nevertheless managed to get nearly all the windows installed in the new house.  On Saturday we took it pretty easy.  I had several loads of laundry to fold, and some food preparation to do for a Sunday get-together with my sister's family.  Bret came back after moving hay bales and offered to take the kids to the creek.  How could I resist?  As much as I enjoyed the last trip to the creek, the idea of working in the kitchen and folding laundry to Una's audio drama, The Shadow of the Bear, was too tempting.  Off they went, and I spent several hours actually able to hear the wonderful audio drama and quietly going about my work.

It was shortly after their return that disaster struck.  Actually, the disaster was only recognized at that time, although it certainly occurred earlier.  Una, awakening late that morning and being off her usual morning routine, forgot to open the chicken coop.  We lost most of our flock, including my well-loved Bertram Chanticleer, and are left with 3 ancient hens and one younger one.  It was heartbreaking to carry their bodies out of the coop.  Una felt dreadful, naturally.  She managed with patience and a lot of cold water, to revive one of the old hens who was near death; fortunately, she is now running about as well as ever she did.  Lessons learned the hard way are lessons that are not soon forgotten, I always say...

It was in the evening after dinner and before rosary that we got some uplifting news:  a woman from the Young Voices Foundation called to tell us that Dominic had won third prize in a story contest which had drawn a total of over 700 entries!  The story, which he dictated to Una, is so off the wall and confusing, Bret and I have joked that there must have been only three entries in his category!  In any case, maybe it was chosen because the theme of the contest was, Oh, The Stories They Tell!  In any case, we are all very happy for our Dominic, who won $5 for his entry.

Yesterday, after Mass, we spent a very pleasant afternoon with my sister's family and my mother.  The kids splashed in a little pool and so enjoyed one another.  We had a fabulous time, and at home we watched Ronald Reagan, Errol Flynn and Olivia de Havilland in The Santa Fe Trail.

Some plans for this week...well, we have had some orders in our Etsy shop we need to fill, and I have a potential custom order to draw up a bid for.  The Etsy earnings piled up enough that Una and I are buying a Kindle!  We are very excited about this, as we have the most embarrassingly deficient libraries in our rural area.  They never seem to have anything we would like to read.  I have more school planning and organizing to do, although I think I have about half my curricula planned out.  I think.  Hm.  I have some planning to do with regards to Gemma's birthday coming up on Saturday.  And I still haven't ordered any yarn for a shawl I want to knit my mother for her birthday...

If I find some time for myself...I want to spend some time reading.  I miss it.  I think I miss it because I am currently doing some writing, which I haven't done--other than the blog here--in eons.  With a Kindle coming this week, I have no doubt Una and I will have long reading lists!

I'm grateful for...the Etsy earnings that have allowed us to purchase this little gizmo; a break in the heat with an abundance of rain predicted for the month (our second hay cutting looks non-existent right now); a sweet time with my mom and sister yesterday.

Some prayer intentions for this week:  for a friend who is having a PET scan today to make sure he is still cancer-free after 3 years; for many blessings on the birthdays of my sister-in-law, grandmother and Gemma, all of whom have birthdays this week; for my friend Cindy who is travelling to Canada this week, and for her  daughter who is getting married there.  That we find some nice, healthy, replacement pullets or young laying hens at a decent price, and another rooster as fine and fair as Bertram...

Something that makes me smile:  My soon-to-be-three year old water-baby.  She's really close to learning how to swim!

Have a blessed week!