Sonnystone Acres

my cool-weather crops are going great, but i have forgotten what some of them are!! i know the lettuce and spinach, and i’m assuming the beets are the ones that have burgundy stems, but can’t remember if the others are turnips, collards, or what. the long pot is nasturtiums and there’s some cilantro in a small pot, as well as chives. i am getting a second crop of tomatoes and bell peppers, thanks to the rain and cooler temperatures.
i’m leaving in the a.m. for the joyce meyer women’s convention in st. louis and am looking forward to hearing one of my favorite preachers (in addition to joyce): dr. dollar. i’ll be visiting the mo. botanical gardens in the morning and will be reporting back this weekend.
moon and bear will probably be in evanspatch when i return.
kid-boy and jez won’t be able to be here physically, but i’m sure there will be some telephonic communication.
i’m calling it a revival. hallelujah!! (or alleluia, if you are so inclined)

when i was over at els shelving books the other day, i was intrigued by a book by alyssa brugman called walking naked. it is written for adolescents, but if read at all will be read by pubescents. i sat up last night and read it. it’s about a girl who’s in the in crowd and meets the school pariah, gets to know her, but gives in to the peer pressure and is very mean. the girl that is mistreated commits suicide, so it is very sobering. a poem by wb yeats is quoted and is the basis for the name of the book and i wonder if anybody else can relate to it:

I made my song a coat
Covered with embroideries
Out of old mythologies
From heel to throat;
But the fools caught it,
Wore it in the world’s eyes
As though they’d wrought it.
Song, let them take it,
For there’s more enterprise
In walking naked.

be who you are and sing out.

one of boy-child’s friends got married last night…well, they actually affirmed their vows because he’s been in and out of iraq. mikey was a groomsman and he and his lovely wife were in thursday for the rehearsal dinner, etc. i had to miss the 6pm wedding because of work, but arranged to meet the kids there around 8. the place was very formal, beautiful, cold, and we knew NOBODY. not one person, until the groom’s grandma came in and even she had to introduce herself to the “greeter” and promptly disappeared. the place was packed and the bridal party had still not arrived. we trolled around and found a few openings at tables, so decided to grab a drink and settle. it was then that we realized our options were tea, soft drink, water and strangers. hmmm…..we became invisible and left, went down to the local tavern (this was in my neighboring little burg of darmstadt), ordered a pitcher and some tenderloins and rolled our eyes, asking, “surely they will serve some beer when the dancing starts, won’t they?” we called up our daughter-in-law, who had been actually stuck at the unfriendly, tee-totaling reception since shortly after we turned invisible, and she affirmed that there was not, nor would there ever be, any alcohol served and that she could sure use a drink about then. i told her to call when the dancing started and i’d run in and say, hey, to the groom. boy-child notified at dance time and it worked out beautifully: when i came in the groom was there, looking so dashing in his military uniform and we hugged and i cried and he blinked and i patted his cheeks and rubbed his hair and told him i love him and he said he loved me, too, and that he and his bride were off to disneyworld (one of the vacations he took with us) for their honeymoon. it was great. b-c and his gal followed us to the car and we gave jess a beer, which she downed and staggered to their car. today i returned the tuxedo and strolled around the mall into….old navy baby section…..i am ready to start piling up little pairs of shoes and outfits. moon and bear will be in this weekend for yet another friend’s wedding and we’ll plan, and talk, and buy…..

we had a weird windstorm the other day and it knocked out the electricity in only one room–the library/office–and my monitor bit the dust. i’ve been unable to post ever since and have missed y’all.
2 weeks of work, living with a mess, finally the dining room is finished! the roofers are coming out next week, but just for a repair–we’ll have to replace the roof next year, most likely. now the living room fairly cries out for some attention, but i must move on to the kitchen so i can bake for a baby shower in november.
it’s a good thing husband got the project done, because he was injured on the job yesterday: something large, i can’t remember what, slid out of a truck through the tailgate and onto him, knocking him down, brusing his ribs and cutting his arm (9 stitches). he’s okay, taking lortab and getting little sympathy from me since he didn’t even call me about it…..could it be he doesn’t appreciate my nurse tone?
we’re a little disappointed that we don’t know the gender of our grandbaby yet, but the assurance that it is a “good-size” and with no problems is really exciting. it’s no surprise that the little one wouldn’t wake up and move on command–neither of my kids do that yet.

sibling rivalry can be rough, especially if one of the siblings is legitimately the winner in most situations. so it was with me and my sister: she was 17-months older and i’ve spent a lot of my life either being envious of her, trying not to be envious of her, or trying to make her envious of me. she is the pretty one, the talented one, the popular one, the stable one (though i’m the tall one). she always knew what she wanted and generally got it. what i remember as being the best happiest part of our relationship is when our two oldest kids were the only kids. we spent tons of time on the phone, at the pool, at the dog ‘n suds, strolling the girls at street fairs. there were some memorable moments at the disco and who can forget when we went to her class reunion together?! the drama of my life was wearing on her, but she stuck with me during my most down times. i really don’t think i could have survived without her. she doesn’t like attention, and will no doubt disapprove of this tribute, but i’ve learned to live with that. i love you, donna. may god bless you with many, many, many more happy birthdays.

meet my kindergarten sunday school class: elliot w. he’s 5 and i’m pretty sure this is his “new smile”. we decorated our bulletin board, learned about david and jonathon, sang “little david play on your harp”, and memorized our bible verse: a friend loves at all times proverbs 17:17. the second half of the verse reads: and a brother is born for adversity…hmm….
here at sonnystone, the dining room walls and ceiling are painted and we’re ready for the crown molding. still unsure about the lighting, but i’m happy with the paint colors.
you should see my “cool-weather-crops”/ spinach, lettuce, beets, radishes, nasturtium. they look great and my bell peppers are making a come-back. it’s a good day.

i still consider the day after labor day the first day of school and this year it is the day i started my new job: after-school day care at a tiny little lutheran school up in the tiny little burg of darmstadt, about 5 miles from sonnystone. it’s a job that was posted in the church bulletin back in july: two folks needed, one from 3-5pm and a “supervisor” from 2:30-5:30 or so. my friend amy took the first position and urged me to take the second. after finishing up a great season at the racetrack 9/2 it seemed time. the people are great, really a large family of families with the church as their center. the hours are fine for me and husband, as that gives him some down-time when he gets home to obsessively work on his current project without me expecting him to (shudder) talk to me. i’m back at the evansville lutheran school, shelving books with my buddy, ann, on tuesdays and thursdays, and today had a cortisone injection into my left shoulder for an injury sustained in nyc a year ago. what a great start to my new schedule! by the way, it hurts more now than before, but my doctor warned me about that. i had gained two more pounds since july, but he charmingly assured me that i don’t “show” it, while urging me to work a little harder at both the weight and the dreaded cholesterol so if i live to be 90 i’ll not be too old to enjoy it–good point. the dining room is covered with plastic and drywall and we will have the roof repaired in a couple of weeks. i may be able to start painting in the dining area this weekend, and have spent considerable time at lowe’s choosing painting, lighting, and looking for the proper product to restore the wood floors. the humidity is back, which makes me gripey; i have studiously avoided tv coverage of ktrna, but we’ve taken in a couple of families at church and i’m glad for the opportunities being presented to help.

my poor mistreated boy-child did not receive his birthday card on time and when i just called up to say hbday, he was talking with his sister. why am i suspicious and paranoid that they are plotting a guilt-trap to bilk me of the last of my gold boullion? it will not succeed, little m’s….the card really is in the mail, and i didn’t forget your (our) day. in your honor, i have remained sober…and it’s just as boring as i remembered it. since most have heard the story of my laborious labor to birth him (actually, he fairly slipped out, but mom told me not to tell people that) i’ll only say that he is my favorite son and i’d suffer at least another 4 hours for him anytime. praying all God’s blessings, as always.