Helping the dad

Well, tomorrow is the big day. Dustin starts Kindergarten. It seems quite unreal actually, not just because it seems like yesterday I was changing his diaper, but quite the opposite. It seems like Dustin should be going into 1st grade instead of Kindergarten. Not only is he tall for his age, but he is smart as a whip and quite comparable to his counterparts who are a year older. If the rules were different, I'd bet my bottom dollar that if he had started last year he would have done great. Of course I didn't push the issue. Everyone knows that having a more mature boy starting school is a blessing.


He is excited and nervous to say the least. With the looks of his camouflage backpack, lunch pack, pants, and socks, he looks more like he's ready to join the military (I'd be nervous too), but alas, only kindergarten. On Friday we "met the teachers". Dustin feels good about his. Her brother's name is Dustin. (immediate connection there) :o)


We will walk to school in the morning. Our yearly tradition. Dustin is excited to try out the bus because Daria told him it's a lot of fun because you don't have to wear a seat belt. What is it about kids that makes "living on the edge" so captivating?


Daria is ready for school. She will have two teachers this year. There is the morning teacher that teaches certain subjects, then in the afternoon they go to a different classroom and the other teacher teaches them. It will be interesting to see what Daria can do this year as she is in a tough class (academically that is). I think she can do it. She on the other hand is more interested in joining choir.


As a send off here are a few recent quotes from Dustin.


1. "I guess I'll just be plain ole' Dustin" (this is after I refused to let him dress up as a firefighter to go across the street. Normally I don't mind him dressing up, but wearing two layers of pants, two layers of socks up to your knee, a sweat shirt, a ski jacket, a face mask and bandanna when it's hot enough to fry an egg outside is just not a good idea. I think he would pass out from heat exhaustion before he made it across the road. So instead of "being" a firefighter he resorts to the reality of just being himself.)


2. After asking if he could go back over to a friends house and me saying "not now" he exclaims with the drama of a Broadway actor "NOW I'M REALLY BORED" (lucky for me to have the great line from my step-mom "bored is a choice")

Have you ever had a friend that you've lost contact with and wish you could re-connect? Well, I have. I'm sure some of my other long time friends are tired of me always asking "Hey, have you heard from so and so?" Maybe it's the genealogist in me, maybe I'm just sentimental, either way I think good friendships are hard to find, and thus worth the effort to "find" them again. I had a super great friend in elementary school. There were actually about 4-5 of us who were pretty close, we all lived in the same neighborhood. Elkie was the first one to jump ship, not by her own doing but by her family moving to another state. I remember we kept in contact via letters periodically, and a few times when we got older. The last time we spoke was in 1992 fifteen years ago. After that I lost contact. I've periodically tried various ways to research where she might be but always came up empty handed, until the other night. I came across some old items and just thought "hey, I'm going to do some more research" which I admit I'm pretty darn good at. Unbelievably I was able to find her parents location and the next morning left a message hoping I got the right family. Amazingly it was the right family and as soon as her mother gave her the message she phoned me that same night. We had a totally great conversation catching up on everything in each other's lives.

Now, not only is finding an old time friend fun, but finding that they are still a pretty neat person with a lot of similar interests and qualities is even more of a cool thing. Add to that the fact that even though we have not spoken for 15 years it seemed like time hadn't passed at all. What a great blessing!

Just for memories sake I had to post one of our 5th grade pictures. Ok, I have no idea what was going on with my hair that day!!! except we were at a skating rink, so I'm sure I was thinking I was lookin' cool! Enjoy!

My dad (who lives in what I would consider the recycling mecca of the world) sent this link to me. It is fascinating but more than that it is sobering the effect we humans have on the world around us. Check it out.

This is completely worth the time to look at each of the depictions of art and read the captions. Makes ya think! The most amazing pictures was the cell phones about the 16ht picture on the page.

I believe that we are so blessed to have such technology to make our lives so much better than those who came before us. Yet at the same time we've become a very gluttonous, disposable world, unable to buy something and make it last or use it for a long time like our grandparents did. Instead we almost so effortlessly go through things without thinking what happens to them when I'm done???

Thanks to my family who have been a great example of doing their best to not make a negative effect on the earth's resources. Thanks to Heather who is a continued inspiration.

Where we live recycling is difficult because there are not a lot of facilities. But we recycle everything we can. The kids and I make our monthly trips to drop off glass, paper, plastic bags. We keep lights off and try not to run water while brushing our teeth, stuff like that. It seems trivial but I do believe that it is teaching Daria and Dustin to be more respectful and more grateful. Recently at the grocery store I asked for paper. It was hilarious! the clerk looked at me as if she had no idea what paper was. They were however polite. I found something very interesting was when I use plastic I come home with about 25 bags. When I use paper I come home with about 10. They are a little more work to carry but I think it's just another great way to be more active. You laugh, but seriously I was ok with it. I may have to invest in those shopping bags that Heather mentioned.

By the way, I noticed at the store the other day these disposable plates that looked like Styrofoam but they are completely biodegradable, made out of corn. Check it out!!

I really believe that one day we will be accountable for how we managed the earth's resources and while I'm not pointing any fingers, well maybe pointing fingers at myself really, I hope we might all slow down and find different ways to appreciate what we have by being more conscious. In the long run it just might save us some money!

Thankful thought of the day: I'm grateful for a hot running shower. Seriously, almost everyday I think I'm so lucky to be able to just step in a clean shower, turn on a knob and take a shower. Have you ever thought of how fortunate we are to do that? I can't imagine living in a time or place where we didn't have that luxary.

By the title of my post most of you are probably wondering what planet I live on. It's only August, school hasn't started yet, and here I am mentioning gingerbread and Halloween!!!

Thankful thought for the day: I'm thankful for the summer because I love being with my kids. I love how we can make our own schedule and do what we want when we want. I love the evenings that are not rushed like they are during the school year.

Here are some pictures that were taken in October. I didn't take any during this last trip but I wanted to share a few anyway.


Last week/weekend we traveled back to visit the farm. I can't remember when we visited last. There is something about returning. It's almost as though the clock ticks a bit slower, the days seem longer, and life is a bit quieter. Traveling back we pass by corn fields, this time the corn is all dark and black. The consequence of too much rain. We are not sure how many crops will actually yield anything of worth. This specific part of the state is immersed with generations of Germans and Czechoslovakians. Most people who live here have lived here for generations. Ken's family arrived here around 1905. The genealogist in me scans the scenery for the old cemeteries near the old Catholic and Brethren churches, homesteads that surely go back to the early 1900's maybe earlier. Life seems peaceful. I like the wisdom and information that the families have about sustaining life. Something that gets totally lost in the city or more developed areas.


We were lucky to spend some time with Ken's parents. No field work this time since they are waiting for the fields to dry out. Daria and I worked on a puzzle with Grandma, the kids learned how to play dominoes and we of course brought our Settlers of Catan game. Ken's mom played 4 rounds with us. Home cooked meals. I cook meals at home but there is nothing like a home cooked meal by Ken's mom. She's probably cooked 3 times a day for 60 years. She likes to cook. They don't eat cereal for breakfast, they cook for breakfast, lunch and dinner. It tastes good. I believe it is because most the staple items she cooks with are from her farm. Meat from their cows, eggs from their chickens, fruits and veggies from their gardens. I can finally taste the difference between frozen and fresh store veggies, and the fresh food on the farm. The eggs actually have flavor! Dustin loves eating grandma's cooking.


One of my favorite things to do is to sit outside. The sounds are different from where we live. No hum of the air conditioner (not even their air conditioner as it broke right when we arrived. So needless to say we spent a sweltering hot weekend, but it was worth it), no car noises. You can hear the insects making their chirping noises in the tree (I have no idea how to spell the Czech name for that insect) and the breeze through the leaves. The pecan trees are loaded this year. They are still green, not ready for thrashing but come November we may have to head back up and work for a day thrashing and picking. As farmers do, Ken and his dad had to rescue a piece of farm equipment that was stuck in a field because it broke. I think farmers spend just as much time farming as they do fixing. Once home Ken's dad, brother in-law spent their time welding and fixing the piece. The highlight is always a ride on the 4-wheeler. This time Ken (while riding with each kid) let them steer, very slowly. Time was spent with the cousins and visiting Ken's siblings. One trip to the meat market. We also watched a calf nurse from a surrogate mother cow.


In the end I thought to myself, "It is always good to visit and always good to return home.", but there is still a part of me that misses living in the country. We are however very fortunate that our kids can enjoy both worlds!

My fingers went into shock from my last post since it was so long so I had to let them recover before posting the rest of our trip. Ok, not really. Actually the fact is that I've been on a month long vacation playing and now that the festivities are over I have to face the cold hard reality...... Uhh, that I must now cook dinner, do bills, organize schedules, get the kids to sleep on time, exercise, and check the 100+ e-mails that sat quietly in my e-box just waiting to be opened (among other things).