enduring winter

I haven't posted in 3 months?!?!? atrocity!.. 

If you are still reading this, I guess you got over it. We have been making some decisions lately. Some big- taking the family on a cruise this June. Some bigger- bought a 95 Jeep Wrangler as a "fun" car- but probably the biggest is building a garage.

You wouldn't think that building a garage is a big deal, but when it goes past your imagination and into reality it is such a big deal. Where exactly are you going to put it? How big are you going to make it? What is it going to look like? Now for the four years that we have owned this house, I have fantaszied about this garage. I thought I had it all figured out, then implematation struck.

My brother #4 has done cement and concrete work for several years. I let him recommend who we should use for the foundation. Hubby and I have no idea what we are doing so imagine our surprise when we get the estimate on how much just the foundation will cost. After much freaking out on our part and reworking the size and location on the contractors part, we have come to some sort of agreement on what will work.  

Now onto the actual building. Brother #1 told us to go to our local building supply store and talk to Bernie.  Again, hubby and I have no clue what we are doing so when Bernie tells us its $65 a square for vinyl siding, we went home and did the math assuming he meant a square = 1 yard. We were so glad we were wrong, that a "square" = 100 square feet.  So after all is said and done, we are on budget for the upcoming garage.

One problem I have with it all is my antique lilac bush will need to be moved. This scares me so much. What if it doesn't survive? We are talking a bush that is at least 65 years old with the most beautiful, fragrant flowers you ever witnessed. I would weep if it should perish.  This single plant is what helps get me through winter. It is the flower I pined for most when I lived in the south and scheduled my wedding around its blooms. I know I can always plant a new one or get a shoot from someone else's bush, but it just wouldn't be the same. I would pout and be moody like a spoiled child if I was to lose it. 

My Mother's mother had gorgeous lilacs. The house I live in now was her brother's/my great uncle. Every spring when we went to grandma's on Sundays we would come home with bouquets of lilacs, peonies and roses.  I still think of her when I smell them.

I do have my daffodils and hyacinths blooming with tulips soon to follow. I saw sprouts forming on my Jacob's Ladder and  hydrangeas Spring really is the reason we endure winter. Savor every moment!

Exciting day today, I got to pick up the ham and bacon I had cured at our local processing place beside Dairy Queen! I can't wait to delve into it. Easter ham, spring greens with bacon dressing, plus all the pork chops, ribs, roasts and sausage I already have in my freezer.I would assume that it was organic since the pigs only eat the food/corn my brother grows on his farm. Thank God I won a large freezer from that estate auction! I may be adding beef to the collection next month.
After having a week of questionable weather, we are blessed with a day of full on sunshine! Hope for spring!  If you look at the sky you could almost believe it is warm outside. I plan on sending the kidlets out to play when they are done with their homework.The pond ice is too rough for them to skate. So sled riding is on the agenda.  Nothing like some fresh air to wear them out.  They are finally back at school today after having two snow days. Tomorrow is Grandparents day at their school so they will spend an afternoon at my moms with their other cousins. My sister#4 and SIL both send their kids to the same school as I. It is a catholic school but no plaid anything or any other uniforms. It is a country school with christian values. They could go to public school, it would save us money, but we really feel like its the best choice.

small towns are sometimes a wonderful utopia lost in time

Yesterday was an interesting day. No school for the kids, but girl6 and I were kicking butt on some much needed cleaning. Boy4 was recovering from a weekend of high fevers and vomiting only to be told he has strep. The boys were getting restless and cabin fever was setting in. A superhero came to my rescue when he offered to take my boy10 to play  hockey over at my brothers. Since he had 4wheel drive I said go for it. Later, my neighbor came by and asked to borrow our snow blower. He cleaned out our driveway first then did his. We never had this kind of "pop in" social interactions. No phone call just swing by and ask. My hubby gave my neighbor grief for taking care of our driveway, but all he said in reply "Just my way of saying thanks". Small towns are sometimes a wonderful utopia lost in time.

Through all the chaos of snow days., my hubby still has to work from a home office. It is extremely hard to do on snow days because most of the time the kids are stuck in the house and left to their own entertainment. How to annoy your siblings seems to be a favorite choice. 3 seems to be a toxic mix when it comes to children. Sure, they may get along for a little bit, but it is not long before one of them comes crying because things are not working out for them. How did those large families of our ancestors do it? this is a question I asked my mom earlier this week. Recently two of my have been to the doctor for strep. With nine kids, how did she handle when we were all sick? Simply put, they weren't all about taking us to the doctor or even checking our temperature. I never took amoxocillin or went to the doctor if I didn't feel good. If we were sick she would make us lay around  the TV she wouldn't have to clean beds over and over again. If we weren't feverish, throwing up, or some other obvious illness, we went to school. Can't say as I blame her.

My own Brigadoon

Had a great time skating at my brother's pond yesterday. It was just my kids and some neighborhood boys. We played until dark. Are there other places like that, where random people from the community can skate on a pond? No regulations, planned events, insurance...
My parents talk about their generation always doing this. How they would all walk to a local pond to skate. It was a "hangout", they would build a fire and just make a day of it. Our day at my brothers isn't much different. Am I in a generation behind or is this like that old movie Brigadoon, a place that is stuck in time.
In a lot of ways our small town is like that. People may come and go, but so much stays the same. Events remain the same from generation to generation. Some may ask why, but the answer is always the same... Its what we always do.
The homes people live in our still called by the original owners name, no matter who lives there now. My house included. A lot of people are called the same nicknames that  their parents have/had.  I would guess at least half the population have one, some obvious, others, not so much. Of course we have a "tiny" who isn't, or  a Bud, or Butch, etc. but so many others are "just because that's what they call him" , My grandfather had a nickname for everyone. Some, he was the only one who called them that. I didn't realize that Pickle was his brother, he was always just Pickle. 
I guess we fall into standard small town familiarity. We are blessed that we know everyone. we are cursed because they all know us too.

Amish Parking only..

I about hit a horse yesterday....

Not exactly what I planned on doing, but as I was pulling out of my driveway in my grocery getter, I look in my rear view mirror to see an amish buggy parked across the street. I wonder how good they handle in the snow? I wonder if I'm gonna spook the horse as I carefully back out? I did make it out of my driveway with no injuries and was able to take girl to the doctors appointment to find out she, along with every other person in this town has strep. As we skip out to the parking lot with our new found illness, we were deciding which drive thru to have our celebratory lunch at. 
As we buckled ourselves in, and get ready to leave, I turn the key and nothing... not even a click...dead battery. My  mind starts racing on who is going to come to my rescue. Hubby is out of town on business, Mom is quilting at the church, sister is watching kids at her house, Dad won't answer the phone, SIL!! I know she is home and maybe my brother is too. She asks if I have cables, yup, but scared to use them. She will be there shortly-i.e. 30 minutes. My Ipod keeps little miss entertained, for awhile, but she starts to get restless. True to her word, SIL does show up but not with her husband, but my brother #3.  I have 4 and they are all interchangeable for each other. Little girl is excited to see her "uncle Boney" He, as usual, is not excited to be there. Asked why the battery died and I realized that one of the sliding doors was frozen when someone tried to open it. It was opened ever so slightly, but was enough to drain it. He does manage to get the battery jumped and we are on our way.


Its times like this I am thankful for living here. What would I have done if I lived elsewhere?  I would have had to go back into the office to see if they had a phone book so I could call a garage so they could charge me to jump my car. Here I never left my car, just picked up the cell and my SIL made it happen. We have such a sense of community here. People doing for others not asking for payment but because they can. Life is good!