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July 01 Now I know what a muffin feels like...Looks like the whirlwind that is my life has died down for the time being, for which I am quite grateful. I’ve been putting in 50-hour weeks, taking work home, & generally ruminating on whether or not I’ll still be employed come January. Add to the mixture unrelenting early summer heat (four of the past eight weeks have seen temps from 95° to 115° F) and a barely functioning A/C at work, and you have me, dragging my abused carcass home every evening, shedding all unnecessary clothing, and collapsing into a chair for some mindless television watching or in front of the computer playing a totally addictive FB game. Doesn’t that sound like so much fun? Good news has come along~ all indications are that our institution will remain viable, albeit under the control of another company, and the employees have been assured of their continued employment. Well, 99% assured~ I’m told the language of the agreement is necessarily ambiguous to allow for weeding out unsuitable staff members. So now the real work begins~ six months or more of reporting, investigating, sorting, transferring, logistical planning, and extensive interviews, before I can settle into a new work environment and team. I am cautiously optimistic about the opportunity, though it’s tough for most accounting-type geeks to embrace wholesale changes to our routines. So, amid all this stress and uncertainty, we have managed to have a little fun. My mother surprised me by changing her plans and attending Sam’s graduation after all; I believe a little bird, in the guise of my older brother, let her know that I was really quite upset about her missing this important family event (even though I would never say anything about it). She was at her charming and lucid best, sharing anecdotes and photos with us all~ here is a shot of my parents together, more than 45 years after their divorce
They’ve seen each other only about a dozen times over those years, usually at a big family event (I think the last time was after Sam’s birth), and have always been friendly~ I think they had a good time together, with no spouses or responsibilities, to indulge in walks down memory lane. We had an open house BBQ the evening of graduation, very relaxed and low maintenance, with the family and most of Sam’s friends drifting in and out,
until they headed off to the Safe and Sober Mystery Night, sponsored by the Senior Parents’ Club. There are no pictures of the event~ no one wanted to risk their cameras around the go-carts, bumper boats, & mechanical bull~ but this is what remained of Sam the next morning
Poor puppy had been going full bore for most of eighteen, emotionally charged hours, after coming off two weeks of finals; I believe he slept about 12 hours Sunday, as well as all of the drive to and from Yosemite on Monday. Chris and I managed to have an afternoon alone on Father’s Day~ Sam was nursing his annual beginning-of-summer-vacation cold and opted to stay home. After breakfast and church, we drove east into the valley, stopping first at Lavender Hollow Farms; I had been telling him about it since the Garden Club outing there last spring and we lucked out that they were still opened for the season.
We wandered about, Chris poking his head into every open door he could find, and left with a couple plants to start building our collection; someday, when we have a house of our own, I’m going to plant a bank of lavender, in all shapes and sizes, both for the fragrance and the beneficial bees that will come to work in my garden.
We followed the road along until we reached Oakdale and the famous Cheese Factory. Whenever we’ve driven by in the past, it’s either been on our way to an event with no time to stop, or on our way back to town, when all we want is to get home. This time, we were ready for some lunch
Instead of the “loaf of bread, jug of wine, and thou”, we opted for a round of foccacia, a tub of pesto quark, and a bottle of sasparilla, since we were driving and it was getting a bit warm
seated in this park-like area, with the petting zoo animals as company. We poked along home, stopping at roadside farm stands (scored 20 ears of sweet corn for $2.00!) and admiring the fruit-laden apricot orchards. It was probably Chris’ last relaxing weekend until September; his busy season is in full swing and he’s currently on six days a week with a short staff. Speaking of relaxing, it’s time for me to toddle off to my recliner and work on my knitting; I have a cardigan two-thirds done for myself and need to cast on some cotton washcloths and market bags, as well as a child’s sweater for a new-to-me charity project, Warm Woolies. Hope you enjoy a cool, comfortable week~ it’s not looking good around here, but at least the A/C is working again!
June 20 My Hiatus in PicturesSo, Meg~ what did you do on your hiatus?
 I took myself out for tea & wandering on my birthday
 I bought myself a few kitchen & knitting goodies
 I received a wonderful package of swap goodies from my friend Dory
    Even something for the girls
 Oh, and those flowers? Sam snuck out of the house at 6:00 am on Mother's Day to go shopping with his crew, and brought me these
   There was Grad Night at Disneyland, the annual Tennis Banquet (guess who was team captain?), a close shave through finals (I swear I aged 5 years), and then the arrival of the whole clan for graduation
 Robb & Jessica stayed all week, so we did some exploring
Yosemite
     Muir Woods
   Since then, it has been 10-hour days at work~ half of it catching up, the other half semi-annual reporting deadlines. The light is beginning to glimmer at the end of the tunnel, and while the job situation is still pretty bleak, we have exciting things in the works for the whole family.
I'll leave you with this for now~ my handsome sons
 May 11 On Hiatus
I will be taking a short break from blogging Real life has gotten in the way Prayers would be greatly appreciated I will still be hovering about & leaving comments when the mood strikes I expect to be back in the swing after June 6th Love & Blessings meg April 28 Another year and counting...Yes, today was my birthday~ though some members of my family were having problems remembering certain aspects of the day; MIL was upset I wasn't being taken to dinner- not surprising since she called yesterday; Mother sent me a card, declaring that she can hardly believe that 49 years have passed- except I'm only 46; my older brother called this morning, completely out of the blue- to ask for our aunt's address.
 Good thing that birthdays aren't all that important to me anymore; don't get me wrong, I'm glad to be having another- the alternative is grim- but other then calls from my children & simple wishes for a happy day, I'm uncomfortable when people make a fuss.I'm taking my personal day tomorrow & plan on heading out of town for the day; exactly where, I'm not certain at this point, but I need a day alone, preferably with a good cup of tea & some yarn shopping.
Prom has come & gone; Sam has proclaimed the event a success, using words like "awesome", "sweet", & "epic"~ I believe he had a good time
April 22 Because I'm such a slacker this week...Ten Top Trivia Tips about Meg's Garden!
April 13 High time for some good stuffAs part of our "Let's make certain we are connected before the last child moves out" program, Chris & I have been going out walking in the evenings, both for exercise & for talking the day over (of course, there isn't alot of talking going on in my case- he walks so much faster then I do, I don't have enough breath to walk and talk), & scouting out some local easy hikes to do on the weekends.
Last Sunday, we played hooky from church & headed over to Black Diamond Mines Regional Preserve; it was a beautiful, real Spring day, warm enough for just a light sweater & cool enough to hike comfortably. We toured the former coal & silica mines, abandoned since the late 1940's- it would be a great place to hang out in the heat of summer, since it never gets over 62 degrees inside.
      Then it was off on a "gentle" trek up to the ridge, with the plan of coming down through Rose Hill Cemetery; my dear husband slightly miscalculated our fitness level, as well as the route & distance to the cemetery, so we called it a journey about halfway there & went back to the valley floor in search of lunch.
    We're already scouting out the next hike in a couple weeks (if the weather cooperates), possibly back to Tilden Park (where we went back in January), Sunol Regional Wilderness (near the ranch where Chris works occationally), or up to Mount Diablo for the wildflowers. April 07 UnthinkableHearts are hurting throughout our community
Sandra Cantu, the 8-year old girl that went missing a week ago Friday, was found late yesterday afternoon in the worst possible circumstances.
We can only imagine the undescribable pain this family is going through; all we can do now is offer up prayers for comfort, peace, and healing as they face the coming days, weeks, months and years.
 Rest in peace, Little One March 30 It's been a while...
For Today... Outside my window... Above are bright blue skies; below are blowing banks of white flower petals from the orchard across the road
Around the house...
one of many memorials along the highway on Friday- Chris took this driving into work just before the processions started.
March 27 In the Line of Duty Our community is grieving not only for one of our own, but each of his fallen comrades and their families.
Sgt Mark Dunakin
Officer John Hege
March 23 Great start to the work week...I left the house a bit late this morning, locked both doors, loaded all my stuff into the car- purse, knitting bag, tote with my lunch/bills/book/assorted crap I carry around, briefcase with work I had brought home for the weekend (don't judge me!)- when I realized I'd left my brain function & morning perkiness, which masquerades as a large travel mug of hot tea, on the counter.
Instead of walking down the sidewalk, up the driveway & onto the porch, I cut across the lawn instead, to save a few seconds...& promptly stepped in a large pile of dog poop.
 Fresh poop.
 And we don't have a dog.
 Gotta love a Monday morning.
 Fortunately, the first email I opened- when I finally got to my office- was from my mother & included a link to this video; I've seen it before, but it was just the thing to balance the mood scales again
 Then of course, we have to have the Dad version
Enjoy your Monday! March 13 Look casual & don't make eye contact!Psst! Psst! I’m over here, behind the big rose bush. Yes, I know it’s weird, but this is the only hiding place they haven’t been able to find. Who are they? You know, the people at that place that necessity dictates I spend 40+ hours a week, doing my juggling act to keep the wheels turning. Yes, those people, the ones that don’t understand the words “No, it’s time to go home!” So let me fill you in before the guards are sent out to drag me back to my desk. b I had a great time at Stitches West; the Fair Isle tam course was well worth the cost- I picked up some new skills, cool short-cuts, & the desire to try more, & the instructor was wonderful- equal part informative, entertaining, & instructive. Friday afternoon I met up with my friend, did a little browsing thru the Marketplace, then checked into our room before heading down for a wonderful buffet dinner in the hotel restaurant & joining the scores of knitters taking over the bar & lobby. Saturday, we had a leisurely breakfast & checked out, before heading into the Marketplace at 10:00 am. I stuck to my resolve, only looking during my first complete walk-through, stopped for a break to watch the fashion show & rest my feet, met up with my Friday night knitting group for lunch, then back to the booths that held my treasures. I even stayed in budget, buying only 3 skeins of yarn, one pattern, a small Fibersphere, & some stitch markers!
b Sam did make the Tennis team, earning the 1st varsity doubles rank & 6th overall, but his eligibility is a touch precarious, since he’s been lax about keeping up with his Algebra 2 homework (can we say “senoritis”?) & is currently failing. He has already played 3 pre-season matches, winning 3 out of 5, & will have his first regular season game on Tuesday. He’s still tired but has been (surprisingly) mature & sensible about his schedule- he spoke with his sensei & is taking a break from teaching karate (unless needed as a back-up) & will only run the sound for youth every other week until school is over (10 weeks & counting!)
b Had a couple local adventures~ went back to Scottish country dancing class for the first time in over a year & was pleasantly surprised that I still have my muscle memory (if not my stamina, but that will return in time); had a girl’s night at a friend’s last Saturday- homemade potato soup, fresh bread, nibbles, sparkling cider, & - what else- knitting project show & tell; took a vacation day & went on the annual Garden Club nursery crawl- didn’t find much in the way of plants, but it was a gorgeous day outside- & you know what they say: “A bad day at the nursery is better than a good day at the office anytime!”
b Lastly, a “God is in control” story: Chris had a staff meeting last Friday & his hours have been cut to 32 per week for a least a month, probably longer. This was somewhat unexpected, as they have had more work to get done before the season opens then they had time or people to complete it, but who ever said corporate is logical. Anyway, we currently have money in savings, which was earmarked for buying an older pickup (think big & cheap) as an extra vehicle for Sam to use & rate him on for car insurance purposes (both our cars are still being financed), but priorities are what they are. Here’s where it gets interesting: Saturday morning, we received a long overdue refund from our insurance company, which ended up being $200 more then we expected- the total was enough to cover the shortage for one month & set aside some money for Sam’s Senior Prom in April. Then, Sunday afternoon, just as we were heading out for a walk in the lovely Spring-like weather, Chris’ cell phone rang; it was KJ, the woman who owns the horse training facility & had hired Chris last spring to do various jobs on the property. He hadn’t heard from her since August, when he recommended some part-time laborers since he was too busy at work to help out anymore; she was calling to beg him to come back to do some work & supervising for her, as she was going back into the hospital for hip replacement surgery. He went out that afternoon, & says she has enough work to keep him busy one day a week for at least a month, maybe more- which will cover one more month of short hours. Wait~ it gets better! Our state income tax refund (the first we’ve had in 3 years) was finally released by the cash-strapped controller’s office yesterday- another month’s makeup money is in the bank!
Rats! They found me~ back to the grindstone. Only 11 weeks until vacation. *sigh* February 25 Time wounds all heels...My garden is peaceful; each day, we’re a little less heart-sad, the girls are a little less confused, and the new routine becomes more comfortable. I was prepared for this parting and I am able to rejoice, both for the fourteen years we had together, and that I was sitting with Daisy, stroking her ear, as she was released from her frail, failing body. The hardest part was seeing Sam, halfway between man and child, sobbing as he dug the hole and laid her down to rest with a little bundle of rosemary for remembrance. ö ö ö Evidence of Spring is popping up around here; our tree is beginning to bud (having only dropped its last leaves a couple weeks ago), bulbs are blooming in the backyard, and Sam is in the midst of tennis tryouts. We don’t see a lot of him these days; he’s at practice until 5:30 or 6:00 every evening, comes flying in long enough to swap gear and grab a sandwich before heading to karate or church (not only is he teaching twice a week at his dojo, he has been running the sound board for youth services for a few months now), then home around 9:00 to do homework before collapsing facedown on his bed. The final roster is to be posted soon and he’s fairly confident he’ll make the team, but I still remember the shock and sting of being cut in favor of coach’s paying students last year; even though there is a new coach (thank goodness- I don’t think I could have been polite) and Sam is one of only 2 seniors trying out, I had to remind him not to take anything as given until the list is up and fees paid. < = < = < Work is still taking up too much of my time and energy, but I will be escaping for a few days- the annual Stitches West convention kicks off on Thursday evening and I’m heading over for two days of fiber fun. Friday, I’m taking an all-day technique class, Fair Isle Tams, which I’m very excited about, staying over at the hotel with my friend Felted Hare to knit and nosh, and then meeting up with our knitting group Saturday for Market shopping. Now that our LYS has officially closed, this will be an opportunity to stock up on quality yarn and scope out new ideas in one place. It is hard to convey the size of the Marketplace; there are literally hundreds of vendors from all over the country, filling their booths with a dizzying assortment of yarn, roving, tools, patterns, gadgets- a knitters’ Nirvana- too bad the State of California has not seen fit to release my income tax return yet (oh-oh, don’t get me started!) M J K L M February 21 One less Flower
Daisy 1994-2009
Aka: Daisy-do; Ms Toots; Tubbers; Queen Mum
At age 15, Daisy is the senior member of our cat family; weighing in at nearly 16 lbs, she is also the largest. She was a single mother with 4 kittens, who was dumped at the animal shelter. When we met her, her kittens had all been adopted & she was all alone. Chris was bent down at the bank of cages, looking at the cage under Daisy’s, when she reached out thru the bars, put a paw on either side of his head & started licking his hair. This, of course, got his attention, so he took her out of her cage; the shameless hussy climbed inside his shirt & started purring. Well, he was hooked!
Daisy is a mellow, even-tempered lady with very few idiosyncrasies. She spends most of her days laying in her basket by the window, taking token swipes at the kittens, or laying in the living room when someone is home; once a month, she’ll actually climb into a lap. She is not fond of the outside & will only go out under protest, but she will sit in the window for hours watching the birds & make bird calls. Her only form of exercise is walking upstairs in the morning to make sure I’m up & about to feed her. All I have to do is say “Food?” & move toward the stairs, & she will rush down to the kitchen; if I don’t follow right away, she’ll come back up to stare at me. We will follow this scenario 2 or 3 times before she finally catches on. As you may have gathered, Daisy-Do is very sweet, but not the brightest bulb in the chandelier; she will regularly stand at sliding glass door at night, poofed up, pacing back & forth, & howling bloody blue murder at….Her own reflection!    February 17 Bet the furniture was nicer...Scene: Church Sweetheart Dinner Four couples sit around the table, talking about life, marriage, children- the usual sort of conversation when married folks get together- when the subjects turns to newborns and sleep deprivation. Chris: I’ve heard that’s pretty common, but thank goodness we missed out on that part; Sam always slept straight thru, so we got a decent 6 to 8 hours every night. Meg: Really? Where were you sleeping?
Selective memory loss- the reason the human race continues to grow. February 14 A little sugar...February 09 Can't Trust that Day...February 03 A Birth StoryWe decided that the time had come to have a baby- we’d been married a couple years and were both approaching the age of 30, my personal deadline for having children (Mother had her last at 40 and guess who became the live-in babysitter) Nature wasn’t being very cooperative, though; six months of trying with no results and I was getting a little worried. But God had things under control; on Easter Sunday, Chris accepted Jesus as Savior and five weeks later, I learned I was pregnant. I’ll always remember the day we told Chris’ Mom; we bought some balloons, tied them to a jelly-bean filled baby bottle, and set them on the kitchen counter when we arrived that afternoon. We sat in the living room, chatting with my MIL and biding time until she went to get her next Diet Pep*si. When she finally walked into the kitchen, we waited for the explosion of emotion, but nothing happened; when we couldn’t stand the silence any longer, we looked around the corner to see her sitting on the kitchen floor, the baby bottle cradled in her arms, with tears running down her cheeks.
I touched on the problems we struggled through here; I pretty much had to opt-out of most everything for months, leaving Chris to do the cooking, cleaning, shopping, and caring for Jessica. Being a new Christian, he naturally clung to God, learning to accept the help and friendship offered by members of our church. We both grew a lot through that time. Finally, the day came; I had quit working six weeks earlier and had been allowed to stop the medication, so I was feeling much better. We overcame our fears, making love for the first time in weeks; I awoke after midnight with steady, but moderate contractions. In the dark, quiet hours, I walked, rocked, and labored alone, waking Chris at 4:30 to tell him it was time to get Jessica ready to go to his Mom’s house. We arrived at the hospital a little past 5:00 and were settled into a labor room, since both birthing rooms were occupied. After about 20 minutes, I calmly told Chris to get a nurse, because I was feeling the urge to push; being a terrified first-timer, he scurried out on his mission, only to be told it was too soon, I was only dilated 4, there was plenty of time, someone would be there in a while, blah-blah-blah. He relayed the message to me and I, a little less calmly, asserted that he needed to insist on a nurse coming in now; when repeating his request to the attending, with a large sigh she asked how many times I had given birth- when he replied “This is the third”, there was suddenly a flurry of activity. Three nurses and the doctor on duty came flying in and within 10 minutes, Samuel Christopher made his entrance, protesting this early morning wakeup in his deep, loud cry.
The next hour was a little blurry; I remember seeing Chris gingerly holding a swaddled Sam while sitting on the toilet, the only place for him out of the way; the doctor asking me what this big boy’s name was and proclaiming Samuel “an excellent name” (guess what Dr Young’s first name is); listening to the discussion on tying flies while my stitches were being done and the incredulous look on the nurse’s face. I found myself settled in the recovery room, sipping a juice box, with my boy snuggled to my side; that’s when the tears came and my heart was filled with gratitude. I began to quietly sing to him; the only songs I remember were the Carpenters’ Close to You and the Doxology I learned at my grandmother’s church years before:
Here we are, eighteen years later, and aside from being completely flummoxed as to how we got old enough to have three adult children, the overcoming emotion is still one of gratitude and pride. Sam is definitely the son of both parents- his father’s looks, outgoing nature, desire to serve; his mother’s love of numbers and words, quirky sense of humor, and enthusiasm in learning new things. He has a zest for adventure, a heart for God, and the desire to see justice done; just look at his motto-
A parent couldn’t ask for more.
January 31 No place to sit down
I have lost custody of the house for today- Sam is having a few friends over to celebrate his upcoming birthday (more on that later), so after making certain that things are “clean enough for girls” and providing rations for a dozen teens (five extra-large pizzas, Costco bag of chips, dip, ten 3-liter bottles of soda, and a full sheet cake), Chris and I are getting the heck out of Dodge until 9:00 pm. We’ll probably head to the mall to do a little shopping and maybe a movie -if there’s any thing worth our time and two full-price tickets Prayers for the protection of my property would be greatly appreciated!
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