All My Dreams Are Changing Every Day In Every Possible Way

For the first two weeks after we moved here, I dreamed about packing almost every night. I was taping, wrapping, hauling, lifting, wedging, driving and moving every night in my sleep. It probably didn't help that I was fighting off the cold that I had contracted on our trip down here. Does anyone else get weird dreams when they are sick, or is that just me?

Then we started karate. For the next week or so, my dreams took on a different look. Faces I had only seen a couple of times surrounded me, garbed in white, as I broke fall over and over again on a blue mat, trying to comprehend the meanings of words I had never heard before.

Thanks to said karate, though, for most of the last couple of weeks I have been way too tired and sore most nights to actually remember the dreams I had the next day. Once in a while, though, the dream is so poignant that it lingers. The plot line of the dream might be lost, but the faces--and the emotions--are not. Faces I love. Faces I miss. Uncles and aunts, grandparents and cousins. And most of all, my immediate family--Dad, Logan, Angela, Mom and Dad Winters, Nick and Jen, Kayla and Kayden--and the friends as close as family--Magnussons, Gregories, Burdicks, Berreths, McDonalds. . . I could go on, but I think I might start weeping.

I think my dreams are in mourning.

There's a First Time For Everything

We had a weekend of firsts around here:

• The first time that Jude, Noah, my mother, and myself had ever been to the symphony. We went to the Ft. Smith Symphony, and listened to an amazing performance by classical guitarist Pablo Villegas, then Richard Strauss' A Hero's Life. WOW! That's almost all I have to say about that. Except that I was really regretting letting the boys stay up late the night before watching a movie, because Jude was whiny beyond belief. Sigh. Oh, well. I enjoyed it as well as I could. And it was so. great. to get to dress up for once. (I mean really dress up, not just put on a skirt and blouse.)
• The first time that Jude went fishing. Grandpa Mike says he's a natural--even cast the spinning reel. (I think that's what it is called. I, obviously, am not a fisherperson.)
• The first time I milked a cow. Okay, I use that phrase very loosely. I tried, but I am really, really pathetic at it. Mike makes it look so easy. Sigh. I guess I'll just have to keep practicing. BUT! I am loving that we have been drinking raw milk for about a week, now! Mmm.... so good.
• The first time I've owned a laptop. It came today, but Jason promptly commandeered it, as the computer he ordered for himself for work has not arrived yet, and he was losing the use of the one he had been using as of today. Sigh. I'll get to play with my new toy soon enough. Hopefully, that means I will occasionally still get to play with high-speed internet at a café or some such thing.

That's about all I have time for right now. Maybe tomorrow I'll get some photos posted! (No promises, folks.)

See Them Gaily Gad About...

I'm so happy to have my computer back! Here's a celebration post I made tonight. This was last Saturday afternoon:

What He Said

I know you guys have been missing my health posts. This guy just says it so well, though, I thought I'd let him say it.



Check out his site at www.undergroundwellness.com.

(P.S. Thanks, Colleen!)

Shades of Blue

I'm not going to hide it. It's been a hard week. I'm missing home, and friends, and familiar patterns of life, and my own house, BIG. TIME.

Sigh. That's one of the things that makes moving so hard, I guess.

Anyway, here's a quick update on all of us here:

Jason is settling in to his new job. He has been working hard to learn a couple of new programs, such as an image editor, among other things, to work on logos, etc. Just one more thing to add to the learning curve. But there's always a learning curve at a new job, right?

I have been starting to get into the swing of things with home schooling, again. I managed to dig most of what I need out of storage. If it weren't for the fact that we have to leave our house every. single. day, it would probably be quite enjoyable. But between karate in town, and driving to the shop to check e-mail, we've got a fair amount of driving every afternoon, and it tends to eat up the time. (Thank goodness the price of gas has dropped quite a bit since we got here, due to factors such as upcoming election, re-opening processing plants, yada yada yada. It was $3.36/gallon when we got here, now down to $2.73. Yep, that's right, me Canadian hearties. Only a little under 70 cents a litre. Crazy, eh?)

We started looking at properties this week. We will likely hold off until after the election to buy, but at least we're putting our feelers out there. Things are not moving very fast right now, so we're not too worried about something being sold from under our noses, or anything.

Jude is adapting to the routine of scheduled school days. After we established certain things as non-negotiable in his head, things have been going much smoother. He and his brothers actually look forward to coming to the shop, though, because they just love to see Daddy during the day. Jude has also been enjoying his karate class, and seems to be doing well with it.

Noah is his usual gregarious self. We have attended the same church for two Sundays in a row, and the second time, he did not need any help finding his classroom--he was in there and colouring before I was anywhere near caught up. Never mind that it was a different teacher from the previous week--in typical "Noah" fashion, he just made himself at home. Also, I finally dug the costume box out of storage this week, and he has been living in his lion suit all week. This has been the source of many half-hidden smiles and giggles from strangers when we are out in public! One little boy at the library had a regular roaring contest with Noah. His mom said she thought her son had finally met his match!

Jabin is still Mr. Sunshine. All smiles most of the time. However, he is also Mr. Contrary. If ever there was a child to use reverse psychology on, it was this one. He only wants something if he thinks he can't have it, and if you offer it to him, his first response is always "no." Supposedly, this is a "terrible twos" thing, but he will be turning three in a month, and I don't see any signs of diminishment!

I am hoping that by early next week, we will have at least a dial-up internet connection at the house. Perhaps at that point I will be able to catch up on e-mails, and blogs, and Facebook, and all those things that I currently don't have access to much. I think it is this lack of access that is making me feel so isolated right now. This, too, shall pass away, right?

There have been so many things I want to post about, but they may have to go by the wayside. Just know that we are thinking about you, our world-wide friends, and miss you very much.

What shade is your world right now?

Didn't See That Coming...

Anyone who has known me for any length of time would probably agree that "girly-girl" is a term that describes me, scalp to toe-nails. I don't like to wrestle. I don't like contact sports (unless, you know, they involve my sweetie and a... um, never mind.) And if I am "tough", it would only be in the sense of "determined", not anything physical.

When I get a needle, I screw up my face, close my eyes, hold my breath, and look the other way until it is over.

BUT! I birthed three 8 lb.+ babies without the use of any artificial pain killers, and while (mostly) keeping a good attitude about it.

AND! I signed up for karate classes last week.

Yep, Jason and I decided to give it a shot. Jude is taking a kids' class three afternoons a week, and he loves it. Jason and I are taking evening classes together three evenings a week, and while we have only had one official class so far, we both thoroughly enjoyed it. What sold me was watching this petite, five-foot-nothing woman use "basic" defensive techniques to take down a couple of guys (playing "attackers") that were much, much bigger than her--and she made it look easy.

Okay, my first class was pretty embarrassing, I'll admit. And I don't know if I'll be all for the jujitsu class that we are currently taking Fridays--I may switch to a different class on another evening. (Jujitsu=Asian wrestling, so I understand.) But I'm excited! It's fun! And I get to lose my paunch!

Betcha didn't see that coming! :-)

Down in the Arkin, Down in the Arkin, Down in the Arkansas...

I don't have a lot of time for typing today, but I finally uploaded the photos from our trip, so this will be a photo blog of our recent adventures. I do not have internet access at the house (yet), so I only get to get on my computer and the internet once a day on weekdays when I drive over to the shop--about fifteen minutes away.

Because there will be so many photos, I am posting them all as "small", but you can click on any photo to see it larger.

Double rainbow over Saskatchewan.

My gorgeous friend Dawn.

The most eccentric toaster I have ever seen--leopard print. Found in our motel room in Kenmare, North Dakota.

One of a few "famous" places we visited--Fargo. Also, I believe we crossed the Red River. See below for more.

The tallest park slide I have ever seen, found in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota.

Jabin gets to know his second-cousin Avery.

Because, apparently, my boys don't know how to take a non-goofy photo.

Crossing the Mississippi River at it's headwaters (Lake Itasca).

A scale map of the Mississippi--we still had to travel most of the way to it's end when I took this photo.

See what I mean? Goofy.

Taken at a park while visiting my friends, the Ericksons. Cool swing chair!

Only in the South can you find a vintage shortening container that once held 110 pounds of the stuff!

Noah and Tuffy on our way out of the Easton driveway for a walk after the rain.

Mom and Mike's horses.

Some damp roadside lushness.

Every Day Another New Adventure, Every Mile Another New Zipcode

Safe and sound. That is one way to describe how we arrived.

After a grueling 14-hour day of driving on Wednesday, the boys and I arrived at my mom and Mike's house. I was never so happy for a journey to end. I mean, I like driving and all, but that "everything in moderation" saying definitely applies here...

A few mental notes I took on the road:

Climate Change
Minnesota was wonderfully humid. I guess that happens with its proximity to the Great Lakes. I was not sure I would enjoy it at first, but it was surprising how quickly I got used to it. Also, since I finally succumbed to the cold my boys had been sporting all week by Sunday morning, I particularly noticed the contrast in humidity from Minnesota to Iowa, where I stayed Tuesday night. The dryness left me completely congested. Thank goodness for Peppermint Oil! I am sure I emanated the aroma of peppermint everywhere I went this week. I guess there are worse things to smell like. (Thankfully, the cold now seems to be in its final stages. Several nights of restful sleep and a healing nap yesterday afternoon seemed to help.)

Arkansas is not as humid as Minnesota at this time of year, but definitely moister than Iowa. I could see the transition in the foliage as I drove. Iowa reminded me of Alberta--lots of fields, albeit of corn rather than canola, stretching away in rolling waves broken by a few stands of poplars and evergreens. Missouri began to look a little more lush, but it was merely a preview for the full-blown near-tropical grandeur that is Arkansas. Everything grows bigger here--the trees are huge, the undergrowth is big and bushy, and even the weeds that grow beside the road are higher than your average human. On the way to the shop yesterday, there was a tractor with an adjustable crane-type arm, on the end of which was a mower. He had it running perpendicular to the earth along the side of the road--mowing the growth there! Otherwise, I suppose, it might overtake the road--which wouldn't be that difficult, considering how narrow all these twisting little country back roads are.

Bird Watching
Jude was keeping a running tally of the number of eagles he saw. Before this trip, the only two he had seen were at the Ft. Worth Zoo when we visited in December. Now, I believe his total is around 27, most of those spotted on the last leg of our trip on Wednesday. I guess there is a reason that one of the towns we passed was called Eagleville. (There is some debate about whether they were all eagles--some of them seemed to be in groups a little too large. However, since I was watching the road, not the skies, like a good driver should, I'll just have to take his oh-so-knowledgeable word on it.)

Signs of the Times
The first time I drove in Montana, I was surprised to see a marker on every mile of the Interstate. Nothing fancy--just a little metal post with a little metal sign in green, numbers and border in white. I thought it was a little odd, but I could see uses for it--for instance, if you get in trouble on the road (not so uncommon in Montana, I'm sure, with it's mountain towns sometimes few and far between) it might be helpful to say about what mile of the interstate you happen to be in when calling the emergency service on your cell phone--assuming, of course, that there is cell service!

On this trip, I discovered that not every state does this. I don't remember seeing these signs in either Minnesota or Iowa. Missouri, however, was another story. Completely.

They marked every .2 of a mile. Yep. That was good use of taxpayer's dollars. I mean, who needs to know where they are down to the fifth of a mile?!! Not only that, it wasn't just a simple sign, either. It had to be this big production: Interstate 35, Mile 36, .6, on these tall, grand signs, throughout the entire state!

And this morning, Mike told me that Missouri has about 400 bridges that the state cannot afford to bring up to safety code. That just makes a lot of sense, doesn't it?

Roadside Surprises
If you take Interstate 35 through Iowa, round about Exit 165 I believe it is, there is a Shell station. This is not your typical Shell station.

On the station is a sign that says "Dudley's Corner." And inside the station is a little section that sells home-made jams, apple butters, hand-made country crafts, and other giftware. All for prices that this native-born Canadian considered abominably low--but not so abominable that I was above taking advantage of them. I bought some plum jam for my step-grandma Virginia (whom I was on my way to see), and a cute little "country-style" hand-painted sign for my new bathroom (whenever I get one). It has a little outhouse, and the caption says, "My aim is to keep this bathroom clean... Your aim would help." Definitely a good reminder in a house full of boys! :-)

On the west side of I-35 in Missouri there is a light-coloured metal warehouse-lookin' thing with huge red letters (in a font made to look like logs) shouting about Pecans! and Fudge Factory! and Crafts! It was the crafts that got me, since I had been on the lookout for just such another road-side stand after my Dudley's Corner experience. Sure enough, I found a great start to Jason's birthday gift. (Just in time, since he turned 35 yesterday.) An old-wood-framed print of four rodeo cowboys on buckin' broncos, and another little hand-painted sign that says "Cowboy In Training." He appreciated that as much as I did--great for the new office.

Well, I'm getting ushered out the door. The rest of our adventures are still to come... but later!