Summer's End...5 Things....

I guess you could say our summer is at an end. Wyatt starts preschool this morning and Reid will start 1st grade on Wednesday. Yesterday was almost 100 degrees and today is supposed to be almost as hot, but the evenings have been cooling off quickly. We bottomed out at 40 degrees a few days ago. In the mornings, the air smells like fall -- harvest, earthy, and cold. The angle of the sun has changed dramatically over the past two weeks -- I can tell because the sun comes in the kitchen window in the morning and shines on the chicken picture over my stove -- that only happens at the spring and fall angles of the sun. In a couple weeks, the fair will be here and then the summer will be over for sure. Randy and I watch summer's exit with sadness and a strange feeling of loss because we are more of summer people than winter people. (Mind you-- that is not Midwest, hot, sticky, and humid summer people).

So to commemorate the passing of summer I've thought of 5 things that I learned from my brood this summer.

1. Anything to do with dirt, mud, water, worms, or fish (not necessarily in that order, but can be in combination) is extremely exciting and satisfying for 3 boys (and usually means extra work for Mom ;).
2. "Fishing" for binkies in the toilet bowl is done best when you include your little sister.
   
3. Days when Mom gets NOTHING done are the BEST days for 4 little red-heads. (I try to remember that, I really do.)
4. A certain little baby girl can climb the stairs 10 times in about 10 minutes. (see #5)
5. The absence of furniture in the living/dining rooms for most of 2 months makes the house so much more fun!
6. Campfires can be enjoyed without fear.
7. Baby girls are just so darn cute in summer dresses.
8. Killing wasps and hornets is a majorly enjoyed summer activity by 3 boys --right behind collecting caterpillars and grasshoppers.
9. Eating supper together on our back deck is one of our favorite summer things to do.
   
10. Kids shoot up like cornstalks when you add lots of fresh air, sunshine, play, and good food.
    

I miss summer already --can you tell (I can't even count)?

5 Things......

....I love about Costco. I had to go exchange a fax machine for the clinic at Costco today after I dropped my parents off at the airport (boo-hoo). As I was driving back home, in the peace and quiet of the 4 kids sleeping in the Big Black Burban, I started thinking about why I LOVE Costco.

1. Family friendly. Everything about Costco is family friendly, from the family size case of the Kraft Mac-n-Cheese to the family size shopping carts. I can fit all 4 kids in the shopping cart. Try that at any other store. Then I just have to get another cart for my purchases! Details.
2. No-fuss exchanges and refunds. Really, they are the BEST. You can take anything back (except electronics after 90 days) for ANY reason, from "It made my butt look too fat", to "It broke after a year of child abuse". Seriously. (No, that was not abuse OF a child, but abuse BY a child.) I have not used those excuses, but you could.
3. Wonderful service. I must have looked a little harried today. (I know I was, but I must have looked it too). One man offered to push my cart and lift the fax-machine to be returned onto the counter for me. Then, I had TWO men help me unload my cart onto the checkout line. They said they thought I could use the help. No, really? Do you babysit too?
4. Great rebates. If you are an "Executive Member" such as myself, you can get 2% back on all your purchases every year. We had a real nice check this year. No, I will not tell you how much it was, because then you would see just how far I will go to support my favorite store. It is a sickness, but hey, I get paid for it, right?
5. The food court. Enough said.

PS--in no way am I getting any kickbacks from Costco for this, but IF they were interested, I wouldn't turn them down.

5 Things...

....the last installment of 5 weird and wacky things about yours truly.

1. When I was 18 I spent a nearly a month on a bicycle riding from Haines, Alaska up over the mountains through Yukon (Canada) to Fairbanks and then down to Denali National Park. I was with my Dad and brother and some friends. Yes, it was a wonderful trip I will never forget. Yes, my derriere hurt for quite some time--but like most things--you get used to it. We rode through snow, ice, rain, the midnight sun, and mosquitoes big as hummingbirds.
2. I wanted to be a christian blue-grass singer when I was a teenager. I used to be able to sing a lot better than I do now. I still love to listen to bluegrass music. Must be those Ozark roots showing.
3. I once competed in a target shooting match. I was around 9 years old, we lived in southwest Missouri. That's the sort of thing young children did for fun. I almost beat out some high school boys in the youth division. I'm still not too bad, so don't mess with me.
4. I don't like the smell of asparagus pee. If you have no idea what I am talking about, consider yourself blessed. I guess some people cannot smell it. I love asparagus, but the after effects are almost not worth it.
5. I still miss my greyhound Jamie. She died 3 years ago and I still catch myself thinking about her, how she loved to run, her "smile", her exuberance, her doggie dreams of running. She used to try to sneak onto the bed in the middle of the night. She was my constant companion for many years. She was my first child. I felt like I betrayed her when I had human children. I wish she could have lived forever. I would like to get another greyhound but I am so afraid that no dog would ever match up to Jamie, and that would be selfish of me.

5 Things...

5 more weird and wacky things about yours truly that you probably didn't want to know--

1. When I was a kid (pre-teen/early-teen) my family had a milk goat herd. We got up about 5AM to milk the nannies and bottle feed the kids before going to school. I still have a fondness for goats. Randy has great fun teasing me about being a "goat person".
2. I collect rooster and chicken things, black teapots, cookbooks, and children.
3. In college, I worked summers in a fish cold storage facility in Alaska. I did everything from the "slime-line", to grading and sorting the salmon, to packaging the frozen salmon for shipping. My advice: don't eat canned salmon.
4. I had the chickenpox when I was 25. Not fun.
   
5. I broke my wrist when I fell while swinging from the rafters of the porch after church potluck. Wild-child, I know... but all the boys were doing it!
   

5 Things...

If you are ever so lucky (or unlucky depending on how you see it) to spend a considerable amount of time at Harborview, here are 5 things from the cafeteria that are definitely worth trying.

1. The black bean burger--very good and all vegetarian. You really should try it even if you are a die-hard, born and bred carnivore.
2. Seattle Bakery bagels--especially the asiago cheese bagel.
3. Ratatouille stew--mmmmm....I need to make this myself.
4. Roasted red-pepper gouda bisque or tomato bisque--both very good.
5. Sweet potato fries--VERY good--especially with the aforementioned burger.

There you have it. Hopefully you won't have the opportunity to try these out for any extended period of time.

5 Things...

So Molly tagged Randy on Facebook to list 25 obscure things about himself. She had such interesting things to list about herself that I decided to see if I could come up with any such things. But since 25 things (and their explanations) take up a lot of space, I decided to list 5 things each Monday for the next 5 Mondays, including today. I know you are gripping the edge of your seat waiting for me to divulge, so dig your fingernails in and hang on 'cause here goes:

1. When I was a kid we used to have these incredible rubber band fights with my Dad. Sometimes we would have friends over and they would join in, too. If you've never had a rubber band fight--you have missed out on some big red welts!
2. I still have bad dreams about missing exams, papers, even whole semesters of classes. When you spend 20 years of your life in school, I guess that should be expected, but talk about waking up in a sweat!
3. I must have had some unconscious desire to hurt or mame my brother when I was little. I almost cut off his ring finger with my tri-cycle (hard to explain). Then later, I hit him in the face with a baseball bat and put a hole in his lower lip. It WAS an accident! He was standing too close to the batter (me).
4. I HATE creamed corn. Once, when ice-skating on my friend Jeanne's pond, I threw up my lunch. I must have gorged myself on creamed corn. That's all I can remember throwing up--and I still remember it! That was nearly 30 years ago.
5. I have summited two mountains--Mt. Hood and Mt. Adams. I always wanted to try Mt. Rainier too, but now I have too much to live for. Besides, I don't think my knees or hips would allow it!

That's all for now. I know...it will be hard to wait, but this way you will have something to look forward to on next Monday! (just kidding! could I be more ego-centric?)