Saturday, June 29, 2013

Goodbye Stormy

This week Stormy, the kitten, turned seven weeks old and we were preparing to move her from my parent's home and into ours.  I was on my way to have the car inspected this morning when my father called with sad news.  Stormy was dead!  The last of eight kittens had gone on to kitty heaven to be with her brothers and sisters who had gone before her.  My husband took care of burying her before I returned home, and there was one very sad little girl at my house who wouldn't have the kitten for a pet that she had become so attached to.  My husband is a great writer and upon returning home I found him typing furiously on his computer.  I did not realize how much this little kitten's death had touched him until I read the finished story.  Here is what he wrote -

Scooter's Story


It was raining when he buried her.
I was out in the yard, wandering from dry spot to dry spot, under the deck to under the truck, to under the tree, back to the deck.  I was trying to avoid the other cat, Sasha, whose naïve  attitude and blind affection assure that one of the humans will ALWAYS pick her up and let her sleep in their lap.  Not me.  I’m Mr. Independent.  I know the game.  They feed me (from the same bowl as that Siamese bimbo), and I allow them to scratch under my chin or pet my head.  Whatever. Point is, I was out in the yard when the Master walked by carrying his shovel and a Wal-Mart bag, heavy with something small inside.
The shovel.
Around here, it’s a thing of legend… a fairy tale almost, or a kind of boogey man.  Whenever a new animal comes in to our family, the shovel is one of the first topics of discussion.  Maggie, the golden retriever, lives in fear of the day when the Master will have to use it for her.  She was just a puppy when she first saw it, digging a hole for the beagle that died from being  too old.  The Master had tears in his eyes as he drove the shovel into the dirt, but the “chuff” sound it made sounded more like “you too” to Maggie’s ears. 
The shovel has been around since forever, digging holes for hamsters and rabbits and chickens and even Bella the goat’s sister, Lucky.  She was not so lucky.  I remember when the Master came inside after gouging the earth for a long time on that gray day, and he said to his wife, “That’s it.  We’re never getting another animal bigger than the hole I want to dig for it when it dies.”
This day, he was digging another hole.  A small one.  I settled down in the gravel of the driveway under the truck and watched him heave the soil, in great black lumps.  When he was satisfied that the hole was deep enough, he carefully placed the bag inside. As I watched, I saw a tiny gray tail push up against the translucent white bag.  So this was the last one, then.
This was Number Eight. The Survivor. The calico cat next door had birthed a litter of kittens 7 weeks ago, and one by one in that first week, they all died.  All but Stormy, the gray kitten. She will make it, they said.  She is strong, they said.  Look how she plays!  Haha, she is quite a climber, isn’t she? 
I started washing my front paws as shovelful by shovelful he undug the hole.
I wonder how long it will be before there are no places to bury us?  This spot, the one with the kitten, was near the little apple tree.  My eyes wandered around the yard, and I noted all the places that had little animals sleeping a couple of feet below the grass or weeds or trees or shrubs above.  Sam and Charlie, brothers, were buried in the front yard.  Those two cats lived for a long time, or so the story goes.  They were way before my time.  The other cats, Petey and Alex, were in the back yard. Chubbers the hamster is under a brick, which is tangled up in the roots of the tall sycamore tree that the Master parks his truck under. Sara the beagle, she’s buried near the shed, cruelly close to Maggie’s pen.  No wonder she freaks out about the shovel, she has to look at that grave all day long, every day.  Lucky the goat occupies a spot on the boundary of the back yard and the woods beyond.  There is a great big fluffy rabbit buried at the base of the Curly Willow tree. Yoyo, also before my time, is buried somewhere but no one can seem to remember where.  The other animals seem to remember stories about him being carried away to the vet and never returning, but I think the Master would have brought him back to help fill up another hole somewhere here in the yard.  He loved that cat.  Stormy’s siblings, all 7 of them, were in tiny holes scattered around the property. The first hole was hard for the Master to dig.  He was very sad.  The next one… a little easier.  By the time he got to the seventh hole, days later, he seemed almost dead to the horrible thing he was doing.  But the eighth hole, that was hard for him.  His daughter, the one who I allow sometimes to pet me as I sleep on her bed, was attached to Stormy.  That was going to be her cat. 
The last scoop of dirt fell on top of the hole, and the Master whacked it flat with the shovel before stomping on it to level it out.  I wonder what was going through his mind as the damp dirt gave way to his shoe.  His face was a mask, but I admit that human faces are always hard for me to read. More telling than his face was the way he let the shovel drag behind him as he took it back to the shed, leaving a faint trail in the wet grass.
I wonder if he ever gets tired of digging all those holes.
Sasha came bumbling by, and I took a swipe at her but it was half-hearted.  She turned around for a second like she wanted to play, then noticed for the first time the fresh pile of dirt nearby.
“Another one?” she asked.
I nodded.

Monday, June 24, 2013

Lemon Cookies

On Sundays I like to make cookies to have on hand for the week.  They are so much better than store bought cookies.  Plus I know exactly which ingredients are used!  Yesterday we made lemon cookies.  Here is the recipe -

Lemon Cookies
1 cup butter softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt

1.  Soften the butter and then cream together with sugar using a mixer.
2.  Add eggs and continue mixing.
3.  Add lemon juice and vanilla and continue mixing.
4.  Sift together flour, baking soda, and salt.
5.  Add flour mixture in small amounts to butter mixture and continue mixing.
6.  Drop by rounded teaspoons onto baking sheet lined with no stick foil or spray lightly with cooking spray.
7.  Bake in a preheated 350 degree F oven for 9 minutes. 
8.  Remove cookies from pan and place on wire rack to cool.  This made about 90 cookies.

Sunday, June 23, 2013

Assateague Island Virginia - Our Day 1 Trip

We live in a rural area but have access to nearby vacation hot spots.  My favorite of which is Assateague National Wildlife Refuge and Chincoteague Island.  It is only 30 minutes away.  So although we never go away on vacation to this place, we have all the fun that a tourist would spread out through the summer.

This morning my daughter and I went to the Bike Depot and rented a tandem bike.  At 10 years old, she is adamant that she can't ride a bike.  Today I showed her about balance by putting her on the tandem with me.  It was smooth biking and we rode about 10 miles total.

We saw a wide variety of birds including great white egrets, mourning doves, terns, and many others which I had no name for.   Along the way we crossed paths with 4 rabbits, a snapping turtle, and many chubby little Delmarva Fox Squirrels while leisurely riding.   It was a great time and one in which we were able to talk freely and just have fun.  A perfect mother daughter time!
Our Tandem was actually red.  For $6 per hour we had a delightful time!

Friday, June 21, 2013

End of the School Year

It has been a crazy last two weeks.  School officially ended yesterday.  I walked out at 12:10 after checking off everything on my end of the year to do list with a major migraine.  I love beginnings but hate endings!  I have been so busy that It has been a while since I blogged.  Next week I begin a college class and have already turned in several papers for it.  But for the next three days I am looking forward to life at home!
What is on my home to do list?

A trip to the beach with my kids
Cleaning all of the animals cages
Searching for recipes for all the eggs we get daily now
Crocheting a really nice afghan
Clearing out some junk
Mowing the lawn
Planting some really neat loofah plants my neighbor gave me
Beginning writing lessons for my daughter
Sitting in the shade and drinking a cup of tea
Reading and discussing the parenting books my husband and I are reading
Enjoying my new iPad
Weeding the garden

Sunday, June 9, 2013

Hobbit Style Pouch


This weekend my daughter went to a birthday party and we made something special for the birthday boy.  He and my daughter are both prolific readers and raced one another through The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings Trilogy books.  So off to the fabric store we went and she picked out this fabric in a color which she felt a well to do Hobbit would want.  We then proceeded to the bank and traded in some paper money for the golden dollar coins to fill the bag.  Since it was his eleventh birthday we put in eleven golden coins.  We also included a gift certificate.  And the final touch came with the card which we made on the computer. It included a stanza from the song sung by the dwarves in The Hobbit -
For over the misty mountains cold
To dungeons deep and caverns old
We must away ere break of day
To seek the pale enchanted gold.

Pouch was sewn from suede like fabric and a leather cording.

Bilbo's Handscript font was used to write stanza from Dwarve's song








Saturday, June 8, 2013

Trials and Tribulations - raising a busy boy

Home has been getting progressively more stressful.  Our son, now four years old, has been very defiant.  He yells, "NEVER!" when we tell him to do something.  He throws things across the room in anger and screams in an ear splitting way when things aren't going the way he wants.  He slams doors, refuses to nap, and bedtime is a nightmare.  We don't go off often as a family anymore because his behavior is embarrassing. 

I have spoken to his doctor and he encouraged us to try positive reinforcement such as stickers.  They worked for a day at most.  After that he tried to control the whole sticker situation telling us he required a sticker to come sit at the dinner table.  He then found them during the night while we were sleeping and stuck them all over the house.  I am still scraping them off the floor weeks later! We are back to square one.  The situation doesn't seem to be improving, so I decided to do what I always do when I need help - READ.

My husband and I are now reading, How to Raise the Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka.  We are on Chapter 1.  Hopefully we will find some useful strategies that will help us to be a happier and calmer family.

Buddah, A Quote on Life


So true, but so very hard to do! I have been having a lot of anxiety recently.  Why?  I keep worrying about the future and dwelling on things in the past that I should have done differently.  Today I went for a walk and during that walk, peace came for a while.  How?  It came when I was totally focused on the present moment - body posture, speed, foot placement, angle of arms.  No sooner than I returned however, the past and future invaded my thoughts again.  I guess I need to walk some more!

Wednesday, June 5, 2013

Peanut Butter Cookies

My 4 year old son requested peanut butter cookies the other day.  The recipe I have always used calls for shortening, but there wasn't any in the house.  I improvised with a slightly different version, and we were very pleased with the results.  The cookies were delicious, not overly crispy, and held up well for packing in school lunches even days later.  Here is the recipe -

Peanut Butter Cookies
1 c. butter softened
1 c. peanut creamy peanut butter
1 c. sugar
1 c. brown sugar
2 eggs
2 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt

1.  Mix the butter, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar until well creamed.
2.  Add the eggs and continue to beat.
3.  Measure and stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a separate bowl.
4.  Add the dry ingredients to the butter mixture in small amounts continuing to mix.
5.  Refrigerate the batter for 30 minutes or until you can roll the dough into balls without the dough being too sticky.
6.  Roll the dough into 1 inch balls and space 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet.
7.  Use a fork to flatten each ball. 
8.  Bake at 375 degrees F for about 11 minutes or until the cookies begin to just brown at the edge.


Tuesday, June 4, 2013

Meet Stormy

A few weeks ago I told about a stray cat having a liter of kittens in my shed.   My parent's had named the stray Cally when she arrived on their deck a few weeks prior.  When I realized the cat was pregnant and shared this with my parents, they were actually excited.  All of our cats have been spayed or neutered and are usually adopted from the SPCA.  We thought it would be fun for the kids to experience kittens growing and learning.

There were 8 kittens in total.  This was not the experience we thought it would be however. The kittens all died within a week, except one - Stormy.  We call her Stormy for a variety of reasons: she looks like a puffy little gray rain cloud, she was born during storm, and her life has definitely been stormy.

Stormy will be 4 weeks old this Wednesday, so we are hoping that she will indeed survive.  She walks around in that kitten wobbly way.  She is very curious and turns her head to look at whatever sound or movement is made.  She enjoys being held.  We have all become attached to this little one.  She will definitely be staying.

Here are pictures of Stormy  -


Kitten at 1 week

Kitten at 2 weeks

Kitten at 3 weeks

Sunday, June 2, 2013

Planning for Grocery Shopping

We just paid to sign my daughter up for Marine Biology Camp this summer.  The cost was $250.  I am therefore trying to be extra cautious with our grocery spending.  So tonight I sat with the Food Lion sale paper and planned my meager purchases.  First thing Sunday morning I plan to arrive and purchase the following -
  • 3 jars of Prego spaghetti sauce for $5
  • 5 lb whole chicken for $5
  • 1 box of Ritz crackers for $2.50
  • 2 boxes of Wheat Thins for $5.00
  • 1 16 slice package of American Cheese slices $2.00
  • 1 64 oz. jug of apple juice $1.69
  • 1 box of spaghett noodles .99
  • 1 can of Manwich .99
  • 5 cans of whole kernal corn $2.50
  • 10 pounds of white potatoes for $2.99
  • 1 3 pound bag of gala apples for $2.99
  • 1 loaf of bread $2.19
I have one $1.00 off coupon for the Ritz/Wheat Thins combo.  So my grand total will  be $31.85
Thank goodness I still have lettuce and celery to harvest in the garden and a few things to pick from in the cupboards.  Plus I will make some cookies to go with our lunches for the week tomorrow.

Saturday, June 1, 2013

Remembering Hurricane Sandy - Part 3

The tide swept into our yard and continued to get deeper and deeper.  Soon the power shut off and we were left in the grayness of the storm with only the sound of howling wind and pounding rain.

I kept going to the door to check how far the water had risen and to be certain the rabbit hutches were still standing safely stacked inside the pen.  I watched as those two loose chickens clung desperately to the hood of the old green car that I had parked on the hill.  I looked for Bella, our goat, whom I had turned loose to make her way to higher ground, but did not see her anywhere.

I even waded through the water to check on my parents.  With my father's health always an issue, I was very concerned.  It was his birthday and we had planned to eat together, but that certainly would not be happening.  The water was swirling quickly around my legs as I made it to their steps and climbed from the murky water.  My parents were still fine.  They had gathered their flashlights and lantern for later and were sitting at the kitchen table drinking a cup of coffee.  I sat for a short time and then headed back home to my own family.  The water had risen more!  It was now above my knees and still rising.

My children were beside themself.  What to do without electricity!  "Why can't we play on the iPad or the laptop?  What will we do when it gets dark?  How much deeper will the water get?  Will we be ok?"  Question after question popped out of their mouths.  It must have been the stress of the day and their only way to try to deal with the unknown.  While trying to reassure them I heard a sound, a very odd sound.  I heard it once and then it was gone.  Then I heard it again and this time it was more urgent.

"My God, it's Bella!"  I shoved my feet into my shoes and flew out the door.  I plunged back into the water which was now up to my hips.  I followed the sound of her bleating.  There she was back in her pen - too frightened to go anywhere and trying desparately to swim.  She went under and then her nose and mouth broke the surface and yelled.  I surged forward, tripping over unseen things in the water. 

I finally reached her and somehow found the strength to lift her into my arms.  The water was rising fast.  I heard my mother yelling, " Bring her to the back deck!"  I headed in that direction.  Then I got tangled in some weeds and went under.  I manged to get back up and swam to their back deck with Bella's head locked under my arm in a rescue position.  The water had grown shockingly cold!  Bella immediately jumped onto the porch swing to get out of the water.  I couldn't believe that there was actually water covering my parents back deck.  I had never seen a flood get this deep before, not in all of the 41 years I had lived here.

I headed back home.  My teeth were chattering and my body shivering as my husband met me at the door with towels.  I peeled the wet clothes from my body just inside the kitchen door and put on clean sweats that he had found.  I was thinking that this must be the worst of the storm.  I felt triumphant that I had saved the goat.  BUT then the water rose...


It is a good day




I recently finished taking a Spanish class as part of my graduate work.  The instructor was in her 60's and very easy going.  She never seemed stressed.  She let things roll off her back.  I think the best lesson I learned from her was this -  It is a good day - I woke up!

How much truer can you get?  Why should we live the life we have been given in a state of constant worry?  No one knows how many days they will have.  So we should treat each one we are given as the blessing it is. 

Many times I let the weight of problems keep me from enjoying the day.  I end up depressed and spend my day worrying over things I cannot do anything about.  No more!  I am going to adopt this motto and when I feel myself sliding into despair, I will say this to myself -

It is a good day!  I woke up!