Head Over Heals For Tuma

My brother has recently acquired the cutest red healer pup. She is in that adorable puppy stage of soft and cuddly, yet adventurous. She is cream colored with rusty accents. So have I fallen for her? In more ways than one.

Ike and I decided to take a bike ride last Sabbath. We were going along having a great time, when we noticed that Tuma was having trouble keeping up. Her little puppy legs were going as fast as they could, but she just couldn't keep up with our bikes. Since my coat had a draw string on the bottom, I tucked her in to give her a lift. We had ridden only a few yards when Tuma decided she didn't prefer that method of transportation.

I felt her struggle and started to break, thinking, "Right brake should be harder....right brake, right brake." Unfortunately, Tuma decided to make a move before I had stopped. In a desparate atttempt to save her, my right hand flew to grab her. Of course, that left only the left hand breaking.....

Flying over the handlebars of a bicycle was not on my particular bucket list. It is not graceful. It does not feel nice. It is not creative, educational, or sustainable.

I was certain that my arm was broken, but after about 1 1/2 hours, I was able to determine that it was merely bruised. I have bruises all over my legs and my shoulders are stiff and sore. But, it could've been so much worse!

Oh, yes, I landed on Tuma, but she is just fine. - Nanette

Seattle Trip

Life has been a blur lately. Homeschooling the kiddos is absorbing a lot of attention. They started ice skating lessons a couple of weeks ago.

Last weekend I went on a trip with three of my girlfriends. We go on an annual trip to celebrate our birthdays around October/November. This year, we decided to be adventurous and headed for Seattle. We had an amazing amount of fun! We dined at the top of the Space Needle, took a Ferry to Bainbridge Island, and had wayyyy too much fun at Pike's Place Market. I bought a sweat shirt cardigan at a Tibetan shop. We ate Indian, Greek, and Thai. So much fun! I'll post some pics when I get the c.d. from one of the girls. TTFN- Nanette

Update Coming Soon

I apologize for taking so long to post. I don't have time now, but will be posting pics and story of my girls' weekend in Seattle! Great stuff! - Nanette

Making Sauerkraut

This was a busy weekend. The Wood Artist's parents and sister and niece came last Wednesday in time for the kids' guitar/violin recital and stayed until Sunday afternoon. They helped out a great deal by getting in our carrots and cabbage.

The cabbage was already starting to turn, so I decided that it was time to try making sauerkraut for the first time. I've wanted to try making it for years, but have just never gotton around to it. A few months ago, my mother gave me a lovely German-made crock. So, lastnight, while The Wood Artist took the kids out to our root cellar to store carrots and potatoes, I got out my shredder. It was not as hard as I had envisioned. But it will be several weeks before we can try it out.

Today is blustery. It is dark and makes a person want to curl up on a sofa with a good book. It has come to my attention lately that I need to take more relaxation time and "me" time. I don't know how I'm going to pull that off, but I need to try. There comes a point when you burn out and I'm at that point.

I'm looking forward to going to Seattle with my girlfriends this next weekend. It is our birthday celebration weekend and we are going to have fun!

Life in Mosaic

Laughing Water and Mr. Blueberry Eyes love mosaic art. I first noticed it when Laughing Water was four years old and in a group music class. She was given a coloring assignment and insisted on taking her time creating patches of color in a space that everyone else would have used only one color.

A few years later, I chanced upon some mosaic coloring books in a toy store. Over time, I purchased all of them. I knew they would be gobbled up, so I made copies of them. It didn't take Mr. Blueberry Eyes long at all to catch the spirit. It is fun to watch the careful planning and detail work each of them puts into a page.

Our life is a mosaic. Our family can't seem to do anything the normal way. Each person is complex and delightful. Mr. Blueberry Eyes, for example, is a daring wild child, hence the frightening picture I took a while back of him in this tree. (The hight is NOT distorted by the camera.) But he is so tenderhearted, he will sob hysterically in a mildly sad movie.

Laughing Water is gregarious one minute and shy the next. She can be spotted in a gazzillion different "looks" around the house. Once day she'll look like a nun and the next day she is a medieval princess. I can't quite place the era in this picture!

But then, I guess the children are not completely unlike their parents. I received a call from a pollster the other day. By the time she hung up, I think she regretted dialing my number. It went something like this: "Do you consider yourself a Republican, Democrat, or Independent?"

"Uuummm. Well, I usually vote Republican, but I really like our governor and he's a Democrat and I am really conservative, but I'm frustrated with conservatives for not paying more attention to our environment. I guess maybe I'm and Independent."

"Do you consider yourself an environmentalist?"

"Oh, no! I like to make fun of environmentalists! But I'm really into organic gardening. And I'm a vegetarian! Oh, dear. Maybe I AM and environmentalist!

And so the interview went until the polster was giggling so hard she could hardly go on!

Are we tortured individuals? Oh yeah! But boy, do we have fun! So here's to all of you mosaic peeps out there! Be yourself, however many colors that is! -Nanette

First Step

This is a picture of Mr. Blueberry Eyes threatening to eat the whole lot of huckleberries we had picked one day this summer. It was that day that an idea for a children's book came to my mind. I wrote the story in my head while I was working my way through a patch. Over the next several days, I edited it in my head. Then I sent it to a friend to have it edited. She liked it and suggested that I send it to an editor she knew. I was nervous, because I've heard how difficult it can be to get a manuscript looked at, let alone accepted!

Imagine my delight when another friend invited me to a children's conference where one of the main speakers would be this editor! I was SO excited! This weekend we went to that conference. I was looking for just the right opportunity to talk with him and it "just happened" that we had to wait outside of a conference room for the next meeting. EVERYONE ELSE walked away and I was left standing there with him alone! I thought to myself, "Well, I think this would be it!" He asked me to send it to him via email and then asked what the gist of it was. When I told him the short version, he said he liked it!

So, today, I emailed the manuscript to him. It is the first step. There are no guarantees. I could easily be rejected still. But, I do know that many aspiring writers would "kill" for an opportunity like I had! Say a prayer for me! - Nanette

A Chill Is In the Air

My brother called this morning to see if we had snow. We don't, but there is a wall of white to the North. I wonder if it will come down into the valley. I've promised the kids we will celebrate the first snow by opening a pint of huckleberry jam. Yummy!

Laughing Water is on a field trip this morning. There is a large industrial plant near us that ceased giving tours years ago. However, Laughing Water is friends with the granddaughter of one of the accountants at the plant. The granddaughter said she wanted to see where her grandfather worked, so he arranged a private tour for the two girls! Nice!

So, I've had a quiet morning with Mr. Blueberry Eyes. He is doing very well, in his reading and it was fun to have an uninterrupted lesson with him.

I'm stressing over the potatoes still in the ground. I'm stressing over the fact that I've not yet planted the garlic. I may just have to let some things go.

It really is time to grab a book and snuggle up to a cozy fire. Worked be hanged! - Nanette