I've written about this topic before, but it is a cause dear to my heart--so please bear with me. If I can get even a couple more readers to support the troops, I will be happy. This past week was an extraordinary one as far as mail from military contacts is concerned. I received 3 snail mail letters--one in a package!--and two e-mails. Here are some excerpts:
From Iraq: "Your letters remind me of why I'm here and who I'm here for. We very much appreciate the time and effort you took to keep our morale high. I liked hearing about your family. I never rode a motorcycle, and I plan to change that when I come back."--SPC Charles C.
From Afghanistan: "Thank you from the bottom of our hearts. When we receive care packages from people such as yourselves, it means the world to us. It is truly like Christmas every time we get a package. I spent two and a half years in Sheboygan as an Army recruiter...great time, great beer, great brats!"--SFC Jason H.
From Iraq: "Thank you so much for your supportive thoughts. Boxes always make soldiers feel better. We are food inspectors, animal technicians, and veterinarians. Your pet menagerie must keep you entertained! Thank you!" --SSG Diana N.
From Iraq: "Thank you SOOOOOOO MUCH! Got your wonderful package this weekend and it was AWESOME! Almost made me feel like I was back home in the Midwest. You are the best, and what you are doing for me and others is the best example I can think of as yet another reason why the U.S. is the most wonderful country the world has ever seen." --Maj. Sean G.
(I also supported Sean in Afghanistan 3 years ago and sent him homemade chocolate chip cookies in this box. FYI, the military forbids homemade treats unless you know the person)
Darrin T. is in the Navy, now stationed in San Diego. I sent him packages when he was aboard the USS Essex in the Persian Gulf in 2004-05. Katie and I met him and his family when we visited San Diego in March. Last week he sent me a package with three Navy coins and his command patch with this note:
"I just wanted to give something in return for all the things you have done for me and my family. Thank you for supporting the troops and myself. All of your e-mails and packages were greatly appreciated. Thank you for all you do!"--E6 Petty Officer First Class Darrin T.
These are just a few examples of how much it means to our troops to hear from home. It breaks my heart that I can't support every one of them. Since I can't send them all packages, I also write as many letters as I can.
If you would like to get involved, go to anysoldier.com for all the information you'll need, or e-mail me and I would be glad to help.
One last thing from Jason: "The next time you see a soldier, sailor, airman, or Marine passing by, please take the time to say thank you. It means more to us than you could ever imagine. It is what keeps us going...we do it for the love of our great country."
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Monday, June 8, 2009
Honey-Do
Last week during lunch with my friend Lauri, the conversation turned to our husbands--and the merits of giving them lists of jobs to do around the house. Lauri started spring/summer with such a list, and her projects both at home and their lake cottage are already nearly completed.
My dear Fred used to teach building construction, and during the summers off from school would build decks, shingle roofs, and do other remodeling jobs for people--but not accomplish much at home. It took three years for him to finish remodeling our bathroom--much to the amusement of our friends--and we even had a "bathroom-warming" party when it was finally done. In Elk Mound he wanted to replace the kitchen counters, and visualizing three years of preparing meals on the dining room table, I discouraged that idea.
I'm not complaining (too much)--he works extremely long hours, travels a lot, and it's not due to laziness that the chores don't get done; it's a simple lack of time. Having a cabin that he's constantly making improvements to cuts even more into the spare time he does have. Just FYI, these are the projects currently in progress at the cabin, or that he has purchased materials for: a deck for the hot tub, kitchen cabinets, redoing the bunk beds, improving the roads through the woods, finishing the front addition, finishing the back bedroom and shower room, doing firewood for winter. (My theory is that he thinks if he finishes all these he will die--so something always has to be "in progress")
Over the weekend we were talking about the things we want to get done at the house here this summer, and to my surprise he said, "Why don't you make a list of the jobs you want done, and I'll make a list, and we'll choose from the two." WOW! He's suggesting a honey-do list??! Ok...these are the jobs I want done most: put a shower door and a linen closet in the bathroom upstairs, replace the basement windows, and replace the storm door off the living room. These are fairly simple jobs that don't require a massive time commitment and can be accomplished rain or shine. Then he gave me his list: build a deck from door to door; redo the front of the garage, and build stairs to the top of the silo.
Oh oh. His list requires good weather and working outside, while my jobs are all indoors and could be pushed to fall or winter if needed. Will I have to pull out the big guns and withhold favors to get him on my list? "You can turn up the TV yourself!!" "If that shower door doesn't get done, I won't wash your underwear!"
So far, so good. A day after the list was made, he has replaced one basement window (for me) and a window in the garage (for him). The summer is begining on a good note. Check in with me in September and we'll see what my honey did!!
My dear Fred used to teach building construction, and during the summers off from school would build decks, shingle roofs, and do other remodeling jobs for people--but not accomplish much at home. It took three years for him to finish remodeling our bathroom--much to the amusement of our friends--and we even had a "bathroom-warming" party when it was finally done. In Elk Mound he wanted to replace the kitchen counters, and visualizing three years of preparing meals on the dining room table, I discouraged that idea.
I'm not complaining (too much)--he works extremely long hours, travels a lot, and it's not due to laziness that the chores don't get done; it's a simple lack of time. Having a cabin that he's constantly making improvements to cuts even more into the spare time he does have. Just FYI, these are the projects currently in progress at the cabin, or that he has purchased materials for: a deck for the hot tub, kitchen cabinets, redoing the bunk beds, improving the roads through the woods, finishing the front addition, finishing the back bedroom and shower room, doing firewood for winter. (My theory is that he thinks if he finishes all these he will die--so something always has to be "in progress")
Over the weekend we were talking about the things we want to get done at the house here this summer, and to my surprise he said, "Why don't you make a list of the jobs you want done, and I'll make a list, and we'll choose from the two." WOW! He's suggesting a honey-do list??! Ok...these are the jobs I want done most: put a shower door and a linen closet in the bathroom upstairs, replace the basement windows, and replace the storm door off the living room. These are fairly simple jobs that don't require a massive time commitment and can be accomplished rain or shine. Then he gave me his list: build a deck from door to door; redo the front of the garage, and build stairs to the top of the silo.
Oh oh. His list requires good weather and working outside, while my jobs are all indoors and could be pushed to fall or winter if needed. Will I have to pull out the big guns and withhold favors to get him on my list? "You can turn up the TV yourself!!" "If that shower door doesn't get done, I won't wash your underwear!"
So far, so good. A day after the list was made, he has replaced one basement window (for me) and a window in the garage (for him). The summer is begining on a good note. Check in with me in September and we'll see what my honey did!!
Friday, June 5, 2009
A Smile with Petals
Why do flowers make us happy? Unless you're allergic, you probably enjoy this time of year for all the beautiful blossoms and their fragrances adorning yards, gardens, and the woods and fields around us.
I shopped for flowers yesterday to plant in the yard, and just looking at all the colorful varieties made me amazed at nature's bounty of beauty. I don't have a green thumb, and I tried to choose the kinds I've managed to keep alive in the past: pansies, petunias, marigolds, geraniums, and salvia, to name a few. I also bought a pot of gazania because they look like small sunflowers.
I inherited several varieties of perennials when we bought the house in Elk Mound, and 13 years later they are still blooming in spite of my ignorance. I've never planted perennials and would have to do some research before trying it. I can handle annuals because they're supposed to die after a year--it can't be blamed on my poor care!
Sunflowers are my favorite flower, and I've never successfully grown any. I tried a few times, but after sprouting up 2 or 3 inches, they always died. I think it was too shady for them in our yard in Elk Mound. My friend Lauri gave me two packages of sunflower seeds after we moved to Rhinelander, and I hope to have success with them here in our big sunny yard.
While raising flowers is one pleasure, receiving them from someone is another. A call from the florist about an impending delivery or a knock at the door from someone bearing a vase or bouquet can turn an ordinary day into a memorable one. I've always told Fred not to spend money on flowers for me because they don't last very long--but he has still surprised me a few times over the years. The one I remember the most is the arrangement he got me when I became a published greeting card writer. Christmas poinsettias, birthday bouquets from friends, wildflowers in a glass from the girls...and one of the most memorable: a Christmas arrangement sent by one of "my soldiers" who was in Iraq at the time.
I usually take pictures of these floral gifts since they'll be wilted and losing petals in a week or two. Even though their beauty won't last, the picture--and the feeling the flowers gave me because someone thought I was special--will be with me always.
I'm off to plant!
I shopped for flowers yesterday to plant in the yard, and just looking at all the colorful varieties made me amazed at nature's bounty of beauty. I don't have a green thumb, and I tried to choose the kinds I've managed to keep alive in the past: pansies, petunias, marigolds, geraniums, and salvia, to name a few. I also bought a pot of gazania because they look like small sunflowers.
I inherited several varieties of perennials when we bought the house in Elk Mound, and 13 years later they are still blooming in spite of my ignorance. I've never planted perennials and would have to do some research before trying it. I can handle annuals because they're supposed to die after a year--it can't be blamed on my poor care!
Sunflowers are my favorite flower, and I've never successfully grown any. I tried a few times, but after sprouting up 2 or 3 inches, they always died. I think it was too shady for them in our yard in Elk Mound. My friend Lauri gave me two packages of sunflower seeds after we moved to Rhinelander, and I hope to have success with them here in our big sunny yard.
While raising flowers is one pleasure, receiving them from someone is another. A call from the florist about an impending delivery or a knock at the door from someone bearing a vase or bouquet can turn an ordinary day into a memorable one. I've always told Fred not to spend money on flowers for me because they don't last very long--but he has still surprised me a few times over the years. The one I remember the most is the arrangement he got me when I became a published greeting card writer. Christmas poinsettias, birthday bouquets from friends, wildflowers in a glass from the girls...and one of the most memorable: a Christmas arrangement sent by one of "my soldiers" who was in Iraq at the time.
I usually take pictures of these floral gifts since they'll be wilted and losing petals in a week or two. Even though their beauty won't last, the picture--and the feeling the flowers gave me because someone thought I was special--will be with me always.
I'm off to plant!
Thursday, June 4, 2009
The Order of Love
Most of us have heard about the birth order concept--how the sequence of our birth in relationship to our siblings affects our personality development. Much of that development is shaped by the way our parents respond to us, which tends to change a bit from one baby to the next. Parents are likely to focus on every detail of the firstborn child's progress, chronicling all of the "firsts," providing much one-on-one interaction, and expecting independent and helpful behaviors when baby number two arrives. Consequently, firstborns are often high achievers and expect a lot from themselves and others.
As a firstborn, I possess many of the qualities associated with that position: organized, responsible, bossy, conscientious, anxious. That doesn't sound like a very enjoyable person to be around! I think I'm less uptight and more fun than those adjectives would suggest, but the words definitely applied to my days as a student. I can also see the same qualities in Erica, though she doesn't have anxiety issues and is more like Fred in other respects.
With our 25th anniversary coming up this fall, I was wondering what the experts would say about our compatibility based on birth order. Obviously Fred and I are pretty well-matched to have been together this long, but does birth order have anything to do with it?
It turns out that the best possible match in a relationship is a female oldest/only child who marries a male who is the youngest in the family and has older sisters. Fred isn't the youngest boy--he has a brother who's 11 months his junior--but he has 3 older sisters. Being the oldest, I was always the mother hen with my sisters and brother, and that maternal feeling continues when we enter romantic relationships. The man who has older sisters is used to having women take care of and dote on him. Rather than being a super-achiever, he possesses more of the fun-loving, spontaneous qualities that balance out the firstborn partner's seriousness. So I guess our match is a good one based on this theory. It explains a lot as I look back over the years of me doing most of the traditional "woman's work" around the house and him encouraging me to be more flexible and try new things.
As far as the rest of you are concerned, here's what the research says about other romantic birth order combinations:
--Middle child and youngest: good match, especially if the middle child is a secondborn and has some firstborn qualities
--Firstborn and middle child: good match if middle child leans toward having youngest child traits
--Middle child married to middle child can be positive or negative. These people tend to avoid conflict as much as possible and keep things to themselves, resulting in a lack of communication.
The worst combinations seem to be "likes marrrying likes." Two firstborns are apt to argue a lot and have control issues. Two lastborns will have a lot of fun, but things may go bad if one of them doesn't assume some responsibility and control. Two only children who marry each other will have power issues, plus not know much about the opposite gender since neither had siblings to relate to.
So--while for some of us, considering birth order when choosing a life partner is already a moot point, it might be a factor to think about for all you singletons out there. And it could make a new opening line...."so, do you have any brothers and sisters?"
As a firstborn, I possess many of the qualities associated with that position: organized, responsible, bossy, conscientious, anxious. That doesn't sound like a very enjoyable person to be around! I think I'm less uptight and more fun than those adjectives would suggest, but the words definitely applied to my days as a student. I can also see the same qualities in Erica, though she doesn't have anxiety issues and is more like Fred in other respects.
With our 25th anniversary coming up this fall, I was wondering what the experts would say about our compatibility based on birth order. Obviously Fred and I are pretty well-matched to have been together this long, but does birth order have anything to do with it?
It turns out that the best possible match in a relationship is a female oldest/only child who marries a male who is the youngest in the family and has older sisters. Fred isn't the youngest boy--he has a brother who's 11 months his junior--but he has 3 older sisters. Being the oldest, I was always the mother hen with my sisters and brother, and that maternal feeling continues when we enter romantic relationships. The man who has older sisters is used to having women take care of and dote on him. Rather than being a super-achiever, he possesses more of the fun-loving, spontaneous qualities that balance out the firstborn partner's seriousness. So I guess our match is a good one based on this theory. It explains a lot as I look back over the years of me doing most of the traditional "woman's work" around the house and him encouraging me to be more flexible and try new things.
As far as the rest of you are concerned, here's what the research says about other romantic birth order combinations:
--Middle child and youngest: good match, especially if the middle child is a secondborn and has some firstborn qualities
--Firstborn and middle child: good match if middle child leans toward having youngest child traits
--Middle child married to middle child can be positive or negative. These people tend to avoid conflict as much as possible and keep things to themselves, resulting in a lack of communication.
The worst combinations seem to be "likes marrrying likes." Two firstborns are apt to argue a lot and have control issues. Two lastborns will have a lot of fun, but things may go bad if one of them doesn't assume some responsibility and control. Two only children who marry each other will have power issues, plus not know much about the opposite gender since neither had siblings to relate to.
So--while for some of us, considering birth order when choosing a life partner is already a moot point, it might be a factor to think about for all you singletons out there. And it could make a new opening line...."so, do you have any brothers and sisters?"
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
It Was the Third of June...
A few years ago on this date, a bunch of us were sitting around the campfire after a day on the river, and I asked, "What happened on the third of June?" Fred, who'd had a few too many Jack Daniels, replied, "Billie Joe MacAlliTHter jumped off the TallahatTHie Bridge!" Slurred speech aside, he was correct. The song "Ode to Billie Joe" by Bobbie Gentry went to number one in the '60s, and people have been trying to interpret its meaning ever since. I wasn't even 10 years old when it was popular, and listening to it gave me the creeps--the haunting music and the mystery of the lyrics that were more than I could figure out. People are still speculating as to what exactly happened in the song, and Bobbie Gentry never gave an explanation. There are three big questions: What was the nature of the relationship of the narrator and Billie Joe? Why did he jump off the bridge? What did he and the narrator throw off the bridge prior to his suicide?
I have never come up with satisfactory answers to questions 2 and 3, and I won't hypothesize now. I'll just let you read the lyrics and see what you come up with. If you figure it out, let me know.
"It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day. I was out choppin' cotton and my brother was balin' hay. And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat--And Mama hollered out the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet" And then she said "I got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge" "Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge" And Papa said to Mama as he passed around the blackeyed peas, "Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please" "There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow" And Mama said it was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow. Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge, And now Billy Joe MacAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. And Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billie JoePut a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show. And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last Sunday night?" I'll have another piece of apple pie, you know it don't seem right" "I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge" "And now you tell me Billie Joe's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge" And Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?" "I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite" "That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today" "Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh, by the way" "He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge" "And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge." A year has come 'n' gone since we heard the news 'bout Billy Joe. And Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo. There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it and he died last Spring. And now Mama doesn't seem to wanna do much of anything. And me, I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge, And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
*Sorry the lyrics don't publish here in verse form!
I have never come up with satisfactory answers to questions 2 and 3, and I won't hypothesize now. I'll just let you read the lyrics and see what you come up with. If you figure it out, let me know.
"It was the third of June, another sleepy, dusty Delta day. I was out choppin' cotton and my brother was balin' hay. And at dinner time we stopped and walked back to the house to eat--And Mama hollered out the back door "y'all remember to wipe your feet" And then she said "I got some news this mornin' from Choctaw Ridge" "Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge" And Papa said to Mama as he passed around the blackeyed peas, "Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please" "There's five more acres in the lower forty I've got to plow" And Mama said it was shame about Billy Joe, anyhow. Seems like nothin' ever comes to no good up on Choctaw Ridge, And now Billy Joe MacAllister's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge. And Brother said he recollected when he and Tom and Billie JoePut a frog down my back at the Carroll County picture show. And wasn't I talkin' to him after church last Sunday night?" I'll have another piece of apple pie, you know it don't seem right" "I saw him at the sawmill yesterday on Choctaw Ridge" "And now you tell me Billie Joe's jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge" And Mama said to me "Child, what's happened to your appetite?" "I've been cookin' all morning and you haven't touched a single bite" "That nice young preacher, Brother Taylor, dropped by today" "Said he'd be pleased to have dinner on Sunday, oh, by the way" "He said he saw a girl that looked a lot like you up on Choctaw Ridge" "And she and Billy Joe was throwing somethin' off the Tallahatchie Bridge." A year has come 'n' gone since we heard the news 'bout Billy Joe. And Brother married Becky Thompson, they bought a store in Tupelo. There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it and he died last Spring. And now Mama doesn't seem to wanna do much of anything. And me, I spend a lot of time pickin' flowers up on Choctaw Ridge, And drop them into the muddy water off the Tallahatchie Bridge."
*Sorry the lyrics don't publish here in verse form!
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
History of a House
I've been wondering about the history of the house we bought here and the people who have lived in it over the years. Since moving in last October, we continue to receive mail addressed to two different surnames. No one had lived here in the year before we bought it because the interior was being almost totally remodeled. The guy we bought it from lives in California and only spends the month of July at his childhood home on Spider Lake Road. He told us that an old lady who lived here made great cookies when he was a kid. The rock foundation of the house has 1913 written in stones--which I think is cool because two of my grandparents were born that year. The papers we signed at closing said the house was built in 1960, but that may have been when an addition was put on. A neighbor I talked to said a farmer lived here for 30 years, and there used to be hundreds of deer in the fields where the pine trees now stand.
The original barn is gone, but we still have the milkhouse and the concrete part of the silo. Fred wants to build a "clubhouse" on top of the silo and turn the milkhouse into a bunking space for guests. I actually think it would make a great writing studio...!
I spend a lot of time alone here, and I think the place might have a ghost. The closet door in the girls' room is often open, even though I always shut it firmly after I've been in there. There is a moaning sound in the kitchen, and I've heard tapping and knocking when I'm in the shower. It's probably just the wind--or I've been watching "Medium" too much. Pretty flimsy evidence of supernatural habitation, I know, and even if there were a ghostly presence, it's not a scary one. Probably just a farm wife who used to make great cookies.
I really like living here, and since I loved living in our Elk Mound house, I'm glad I'm able to say that. I do feel a stronger connection to the past of this house, probably due to time spent on my grandparents' farm and with my grandma--another excellent cookie maker. Since I follow in that tradition, maybe I should do some carving in the old foundation stones for whoever lives here 100 years from now. "Cheryl was here with Ranger cookies, 2009." (And now I'm in the upstairs closet!)"
The original barn is gone, but we still have the milkhouse and the concrete part of the silo. Fred wants to build a "clubhouse" on top of the silo and turn the milkhouse into a bunking space for guests. I actually think it would make a great writing studio...!
I spend a lot of time alone here, and I think the place might have a ghost. The closet door in the girls' room is often open, even though I always shut it firmly after I've been in there. There is a moaning sound in the kitchen, and I've heard tapping and knocking when I'm in the shower. It's probably just the wind--or I've been watching "Medium" too much. Pretty flimsy evidence of supernatural habitation, I know, and even if there were a ghostly presence, it's not a scary one. Probably just a farm wife who used to make great cookies.
I really like living here, and since I loved living in our Elk Mound house, I'm glad I'm able to say that. I do feel a stronger connection to the past of this house, probably due to time spent on my grandparents' farm and with my grandma--another excellent cookie maker. Since I follow in that tradition, maybe I should do some carving in the old foundation stones for whoever lives here 100 years from now. "Cheryl was here with Ranger cookies, 2009." (And now I'm in the upstairs closet!)"
Monday, June 1, 2009
Easy Rider
I am right now SO excited about the greatest invention since the bread machine and the Swiffer mop: the riding lawnmower!! I know, I know, it's been around for decades, but we have never had one. Today I decided to make my maiden voyage on our new Poulan Pro Lawn Tractor Model XT--which I'm sure stands for "extra terrific." First I read through the instruction manual so I wouldn't wreck it right away. After one run-through, I decided it might as well have been written in Japanese for as much as I understood it. So, I took the manual out to the garage and sat on the mower as I read it again, matching up all the gadgets on the machine with the pictures in the book. After I had a rough idea of how to start, reverse, engage the mower blades, and stop, I backed out of the garage and took off. How AWESOME! Smooth ride, easy steering, twice the mow width of the push mower, and hardly any effort involved on my part. I soon figured out how to closely edge around trees and other obstacles, leaving just a few areas that will require trimming with the push mower or weed whip. My complaints are minor--I had a can of pop in the handy dandy can holder, and got a mouthful of grass clippings when I took a drink because the can cover had blown off. For some reason I also feel like I have grass down the back of my pants. But those are irrelevant issues compared with the 2+ hours I saved over the last time I mowed here--plus I'm not dying of heat stroke, don't have noodle arms from 4 hours of pushing, and don't have the annoyance of starting it with multiple pulls on an uncooperative rope.
Sorry if I'm boring you, but I will take my thrills where I can get them. I don't need a red sports car or even a new Harley--maybe just an Ipod so I can groove as I cruise on the PP XT. Who says almost-50 can't be a joyride?!
Sorry if I'm boring you, but I will take my thrills where I can get them. I don't need a red sports car or even a new Harley--maybe just an Ipod so I can groove as I cruise on the PP XT. Who says almost-50 can't be a joyride?!
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