It's Autumn

There's a chill in the air
I put a sweater on
Yay sweaters
The mountain tops turn white
Snow
The chill in the house grows
The windows had been open
I close the windows
I flip the switch on the thermostat
No more AC
Maybe AC next week
In a moment it happens
A familiar click
A familiar sound
A familiar smell
The pilot light flickers
The air begins to blow
The dust is burnt to a crisp
My house smells like heat
The good heat
The heat that blows through the vents
The heat that warms me up
But not quite enough to take my sweater off
Yay sweaters
It's chilly
It's crisp
It's Autumn
My favorite time of year.



Burns, Freckles and Other Such Things.

These past weeks have been full of amazing moments with my incredible brain.  I've begun writing a book.  Not that that's so amazing, but I have officially begun.  I have also been PTA-ing and Ward Missionary-ing and helping a neighbor move and stuff.  But in between all that stuff there has been other stuff.  And I thought I'd share that stuff with you.

A few weeks ago I burned my arm.  I reached over a just-out-of-the-oven baking dish to grab a paper towel and my arm met the dish.  It burned!  Hurt! Ouch!

Months before this happened I had purchased a box filled with this burn gel.  I put a bottle in each car, in the kitchen, in the linen closet, in the first aid kit, in the 72 hour kits.  And I still have more waiting for a spot.  Anyhoo, Daniel grabbed a bottle and put a ton on my burn.  I reapplied a bit later and the next day my arm was that picture up there.  No blisters, no burning, no nothing.  This stuff is awesome!

Grandpa brought kazoos for the kids when they came for dinner last week.  He told the kids that now when they are asked if they play an instrument, they can say they play the kazoo.  Hah!!

Last week while on my way to grandma and grandpa's to get some peaches, I stopped at the Maverick for a diet coke.  I locked the car door, and, with keys in hand, went in.  I came out and pushed my button to unlock my door and nothing happened.  Nothing!  No beeping, no unlocking, no locking.  Nothing.  So I called Daniel, who suggested I try again.  um.  I have been pushing the darned thing the whole time.  Nothing Is Happening!  So he thought maybe it could be the battery in the key.  So I called my friend Laurie.  I asked her to please rescue me.  She came and took me to the store and she purchased a battery for me.  My purse was in my car.  Which was locked.  So I replaced the battery and pushed the button.  Nothing. Again.  So I called a locksmith.  Laurie stuck with me and we chatted while we waited.  The locksmith came and opened my door.  Good thing, because he wasn't getting paid for his trouble unless he got it opened.  So my key lock still doesn't work.  Daniel can't figure it out.  I did get the peaches. 

I went back in to my eye doctor who looked at my secret freckle.  It hasn't changed.  Yay!  So I am not in the market for a sparkly eye patch.  At least not right now.  

My left hand pinkie has begun to trigger.  It hurts like crazy cakes.  I called the surgeon to see what he could do.  They said I can't have surgery until it really sticks.  Darn it all!  But I could come and get a cortisone shot.  Uh.  No thanks.  I remember the last time they did that.  It felt like rocks were being injected into my thumb.  I think I'll wait.

Sam is taking pictures of the goats for Reflections.  I looked at his pictures and he had about 5 of his nose.  I wonder if this could be entered under the theme.  Believe, Dream, Inspire.  Dream of long eyelashes. Believe your son will take great nose shots.  Inspire with bold shots of the inside of one's nose.  Could work.

Last week while flipping through a newspaper, I saw a nasty picture.  I can't explain the picture, so I'll just tell you what the article said.  You know those flushable bum wipes?  The ones you use on your bum so your bum is clean and fresh and can flush down the toilet?  They are clogging the pipes.  They are causing huge problems for plumbers and for the sewers.  Dang.  Just when you thought you could clean your bum and rid yourself of the evidence, everyone can see that evidence in the newspaper!  That was the picture.  Is there no shame?  Do we keep cleaning our bums and flushing the flushable wipes?  Or do we go back to lousy dry TP.  Oh wait! Apparently the thick TP is causing the very same troubles in the sewers.  Dang.  There's just no way around it.  I have no advice or further comments on this.

Do you see what I see?  Hold it.  Do you see that empty space??  Daniel's old car is gone.  It's in the Scout Master's drive way now.  He's gonna sell it or donate it or something and use the money for the Scout program.  Yay, the car's gone!

And furthermore, after much grocery shopping and PTA-ing, I went to Jimmy Johns to get a #12.  It's yummy.  And I deserved it.  So I order and go to the window.  I pay and get my sandwich.  Then I come home, unload the groceries and go to eat my lunch.  And what do you know?!  It was all the inside the sandwich stuff in a lettuce leaf! Are you kidding me?  Where's my bread?!  I need the bread!  So I eat my salad wrapped in paper and then I had eat a Twinkie.  Because I need a carb.  Or slightly more.  Sheesh!

On a more spiritual note, I went to a fireside the other night here in our Stake.  Sherie Dew and Virginia Pearce came to speak to us.  They just co-wrote a book called "The Beginning Of Better Days"  It has the notes taken by Eliza R Snow of the very first meetings of the Relief Society.  Their thoughts on Joseph Smith's words to the Sisters are inspiring.  And, of course, so are Joseph Smith's words.  If you're looking for a very good, very quick, very inspiring book to read.  Read "The Beginning of Better Days".

So there you go.  I'm done for now.  I need to rack up more stuff to share with you so I'll be off.

Tooth Update.

So I went in and had my tooth ground down to a nub and a temporary crown put on.  In the process my tongue got in the way.  As the dentist drilled and drilled, he came to a sudden stop and said "Oh". Then he pulled everything out of my mouth and sighed heavily as he sat back.  Then he told me what happened.  He was using the mirror to hold my tongue out of the way and, well, my tongue got in the way.  The drill got my tongue. 

He said I'd feel it tonight. 

I'm feeling it.  There is a chunk taken out of the side of my poor tongue. 

I can't talk without hurting. 

Then there's the fact that he drilled my tooth down to a nub and had to drill my gum down for the crown to go on and meet the back of my gums.  Because this it tooth #18.  It's the last tooth on the left side. 

So if I don't talk to you for a while, don't take it personally. 

My tongue is missing a chunk. 

It needs to heal.

Ouch.

Have I Told You About...

Have I told you about my hurting tooth...

Wait.  Remember when I did tell you about my tooth that hurt like crazy cakes back in July?  We were getting ready to go to Lava and I didn't want my tooth to break while in Idaho.  So I went in and the dentist couldn't see anything wrong.  Even in the x-rays. 

Well, yesterday the problem was solved.  My tooth broke.  But wait!  Let me begin again. 

Yesterday I was eating those yummy Brookside chocolate covered pomegranate dealios.  Yum.  I had just gotten some peaches into the freezer in slices and jam.  All of a sudden my tooth was out.  My crown.  But it went right back on.  I spit out what was in my mouth, went pale and called the dentist.  I said my crown popped off.  She said to be there in 45 minutes and they'd glue it back on.  So I'm thinking, this is the problem.  It was just losing its seal and that's why it's been hurting. 

I get to the dentist and apologize for whatever treats are now under my tooth that popped up and then went back down.  I explain the treat I was eating and that it was worth it.  They're that good.  So the dentist is trying with all his dentist might to pull the crown out.  It won't budge.  So he gets this melty stuff and puts it on the crown and tells me to bite down hard and then pull my teeth apart.  That baby is not coming off.  By now, they are all wishing I'd brought some of the pomegranate stuff so I could just pull it out myself.  Again.

Then the dentist starts poking around to see what else is going on.  And he finds it.  It's the tooth behind the crown, the one that I said was actually hurting back in July.  It was broken clean in half.  Long ways.  He numbed me a little and pulled the broken piece off.  They took an x-ray to see about the root.  PLEASE! No root canal.  The root looked good. 

My tooth had cracked this summer, but not where he could see it, or even where an x-ray could see it.  Now my hurt mouth will be healed.  Except I have to have those nasty shots to numb my mouth so they can remove and shape and put a temporary crown on until the real thing is ready. Yuck.

I will be able to eat normally again on my left side.  That is the true miracle of the story.

Ranks and Badges

Last Friday night was out Scout Court of Honor.  That's where the Boy Scouts receive their well deserved rank advancements.  And, because we just got finished with summer, it was filled with merit badges. 

Isaac got his Star rank and 10 merit badges.  He did a double fist pump in the air as everyone applauded.  He's such a hoot. And he's such a skinny thing!

This was Sam's first official Court of Honor.  Actually it's his second, but we were celebrating my grandma's 100th birthday in California during that one.  Sam got 3 merit badges.  Not bad for an 11 year old.  He also has earned his Scout rank, but we still don't have it.  He'll get it along with his Tenderfoot at the next meeting.  Sam led the flag ceremony.  He was the only 11 year old scout there.  He was told what to say, so he said "please repeat the Pledge of Allegiance with me".  But no one was standing or saluting.  So we all quickly got up and saluted and pledged.  He did exactly what he was told to do.

Here is Isaac and mom and dad and Scout Master Steve as he received his Star rank.

We're proud of our scouts. 

But you won't see one of those bumper stickers on my car.

A Day Of Labor.

So the basement goal was to have carpet in by Labor day.  Aaaaaaaaaah.  Think vibrato, Angels are singing. 

But things change.  Plans change.  The Angels were on vacation.

The microwave stopped working.  One microwavable dish at a time.  When a simple quesadilla just wouldn't melt, we called it.

So long microwave which has gotten us through 14 and a half years of food warming and all around delightful nuking.

Daniel and I headed to Lowe's and got a new one on Monday.  We're staying with white to match the other appliances, then when we re-do the kitchen, (read:knock out the wall and give me a bigger kitchen) we'll replace all the appliances.  With another color.  Like black.  Or, if finances allow, that silver expensive stuff.

Here's the guy who's gonna put that baby in.  While he does that, I thought you might like to see what IS finished in the eternally unfinished basement...

All the window sills got painted on Monday.  The curtains had to come down for a day, but now they're finished. Yay window sills! Obviously we didn't pull weeds on Monday.  We need something to do another day.

I took the rest of that white paint and painted this door to the food storage.  It's already on it's hinges, so I did it carefully. Becuase we still have 4 more basement doors, all the basement baseboards to get done, and then 7 upstairs doors and many more baseboards to re-do, I suggested we invest in one of those paint sprayers.  Also, I have a trigger finger starting again.  Different hand and finger, but I can feel it growing.  I need a sprayer.

Daniel finished the bathroom tile.  Well, not the grout. But we purchased the grout.  So now he needs to grout.  Then I'll paint.  Then we'll get the vanity.  Then we'll call Steve to come put all the necessaries in so we have a functioning bathroom.  Except they can't shower til I get a shower curtain.  Details, details.

Oh!  Why look at that.  Tile in the entry way. Daniel stopped here, with 6 full tiles, but we can add another row to make it 9.  How clever is that!  And it needs to be grouted. 

Let's head back up and see what's happening with the microwave, shall we?  Let's shall.

What the WHAT??  A black microwave.  But.. But..  it's like 3-5 years early. 

What happened? 

Um.  They gave us the wrong one.  But we're Labored out.  Let's keep it.

And there you have it. One of these appliances is not like the others.  But it gives us hope that one day all the kitchen appliances will match.  And.. I guess we're going with black.

That was our Labor day.  We're labored out.