Stock photo---not Micah's actual foot! His actual foot is in a green cast(and it is the right foot!) Sometimes you win, sometimes you lose in image searches! :)
We have continued to have a busy August, and this Mom really is looking forward to the cool breezes of fall, and the less-hurried pace that autumn seems to bring. All of our friends seem to be in "Lets-hurry-up-and-get-this-one-more-activity-in" mode, and getting our kids to all these events has left us tired and in need of a child-free vacation! However, I don't see that coming any time soon! :) So, we sleep when possible and gather our energy each night to get through the next day.
Saturday was spent transporting Sam to and from a canoe trip. He could have driven himself, if his older brother had not commandeered his truck for his own trip over the state's southern border to see a special young lady and attend a Bible study. Dan's car, which is older and temperamental was down at his grandparents', so Dan coerced Sam into letting him borrow the truck for the weekend. That left "Ye Olde Parents' Taxi Service" to transport Sam to and from the river. As these things go, there is never very much communication as to when or where groups are gathering or what the basic "plan" is, so we pretty much felt our way through the day. We delivered him near the river at around noon, and drove an hour home. I did a few dishes and tidied up a little, and by then, it was nearing 3:30. We were told by the river guide that they expected the group back around 4:30, so being the good parents we are, we got back in the car and planned to meet the group at the dock as they returned. Problem was, they did not get back until the last possible moment before the tour place closed---which was at 6 p.m. By the time they got out of the river, took a group pic for posterity (61 people went!), dried off, and we got away, it was pushing 8 when we got home.
I am happy to report that Sam had a blast, came back uninjured, and is raring to go again next year. He fails to understand why I would not be excited about sitting in a steamy swamp for 6 hours, with snakes swimming by, and rowing until my arms fell off. I don't think my contacts would like swamp water, and my glasses would not last long. Until I can get Lasix and figure out how not to get skin cancer, maybe I will try something different!
I teach class on Sunday morning, and I was shocked at the collective sight of my 8 pupils at 8:30 on Sunday morning. They were so tired and worn out from the day before, that they could not even focus on the lesson. One little girl was so sick that she laid on the floor under the table. All attempts to get her to go to her mom failed. She did not seem in great distress, and she wanted to be there, so I just let her be. I normally don't let students out of their seats, but I was aware that these kids have just about reached their summer limits.
Meanwhile, Micah bemoaned the fact that his previous Sunday night's skating party after church had left him lame in one foot and ankle. He could not go on the canoe trip, which grieved him greatly. I tried to remind him that I did not recommend his going skating, because so many times, someone gets hurt, especially when he is not a good skater. He did indeed go down, and he has been on the couch every since, propped up with ice bags on the foot. All who ventured an opinion on it thought it was just a sprain. After giving his "sprain" time to heal, and after listening to his continued cries of discomfort daily, we carried him to the doctor today, and there IS a fracture at the growth plate level down by the ankle. So now, he is in a lovely green cast for the next 6 weeks! I feel better that we did go on to the doctor, and hopefully, it will heal fine, and no further treatment will be needed. Micah looks forward to having everyone sign his leg!
Daniel had a lovely weekend down South, and he got to spend some time with his newest friend of the opposite sex. They met at the preacher's house Friday night, and they got to stay 'til Sunday after morning church. I do believe there will be more visits between them. We are hoping that she can come up for the county fair in September. Fairs are the neatest places to take a date! He then drove home that afternoon in the aforementioned truck, and he did not know to check the oil, which had dropped dangerously low by the time he got here. (Step-dad put in 5 quarts!) We hope old "Blue" is going to make it. It was one oil-thirsty truck!
Today, Dan had a job interview for a position on the campus where he will be attending. He came away with the job, which is a great blessing in the continuous string of blessings we have had getting him into this college. Student workers in most positions get minimum wage, but his computer lab job pays more of a competitive wage, and he is fully encouraged to use the time to study when there is nothing to do helping other students. He has locked in his classes, which will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays. That will give him Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to work. I think he will do very well with this arrangement. The best part of all is that he will have to drive very little, and with gas prices constantly rising, that will be a wonderful thing. He can walk across my parents' neighbors' back yard and be at the campus in under five minutes! So if it snows, he won't have to take the car. However, it rains a lot in the fall here, so he may have to drive some on the worst days.
Sam, Hannah, Sarah and I got in a little time at the neighboring county's Goodwill store while Daniel did his interview. Sam found a pair of Tommy jeans and a pair of Dungarees and an Old Navy Shirt. The girls picked out their usual stash of treasures. In fact, at one point, Hannah had loaded the cart with books and toys, and I had to put them all back! I let them get a couple of treasures they did not have, a video and a few books. I found some more great homeschooling books for Sarah---mostly with practice pages in math and writing. She goes through them faster than I can supply them. I found poor Micah a book he might enjoy, and I picked up a couple of old (but newly printed) Nancy Drew books in great shape to start a collection for the girls. They are must-reads in my book! I hope the girls will like mysteries as much as I have. The bonus today was double stamps on my frequent shopper card and getting out of there for twenty dollars and change. You just can't beat it for an afternoon's entertainment!
Tim is busy building computers for the girls. They are tired of sharing with the bigger folks of the family, and we have enough parts lying around that he should be able to get this done for them....if we can quit running long enough.
I look forward to the days of fall, when our home schooling begins, and we gather in the den to work collectively on some subject. It's just the best when it is warm and toasty, and we snuggle into the sofa to collectively discover the wonders the day has to offer. Summer's hustle is over, the relentless heat gone, and refreshing winds blow outside. Sometimes, we raise the windows and let the glorious fall air inside. After the work is done, and sometimes when it isn't, we slip outside to take in the beauty of God's creation--to bask in the finally tolerable sunshine and play in the leaves, one of the great curiosities of little people. Little two-legged girls struggle to keep up with the quicker and surer four-legged puppy and kitties. I rock on the porch, most assuredly enjoying my coffee, purely enthralled at the scene playing out before me, feeling so richly blessed in the simplicity of it all. The "city folks" can have their hustle and bustle, their mentally and physically exhausted children, their full-price "fashion" stores, and the endless lines of people and traffic. I'll take my little piece of Paradise any day of the week.
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