15 posts tagged “home”
For one day, I'll refrain from nagging you about getting your exercise. That is a gift in itself, isn't it?
Have a great year and 'we'll see you when we see you'.
Love,
Amy
Because I didn't want to lose my blogger status by not having anything particularly interesting to say, I'll pull out this little gem from FamilyH File. This is particularly funny to me know (as it was then, of course) because I've been noticing a complete lack of romantic angst or desire to meet anyone/date. I'm chalking it up partly to not wanting to make time for someone right now in my busy and fulfilling life as it is currently.
But you don't want to hear about me. You want FamilyH stories. But it is about me, so it satisfies a lot of blog requirements. :-P
A few years back, most likely from the very same trip as this story, Danielle (9?) and Courtney (8? - they could have been 8 and 7), were in the basement (just outside of my bedroom), sitting at their little table playing Uno.
Courtney: "Aunt Amy? Do you have any kids?"
Before I could respond:
Dani, dismissively: "Pfft. Of course she doesn't have kids, Courtney. First she needs to find a husband!"
Courtney, not to be defeated: "First she needs to find a BOYFRIEND!"
Dani: "First she needs to find TIME!"
Stifled giggles from MomH, upstairs.
Bonus story: One of those days of that trip, I had been outside helping with barn chores. Because it was December in Michigan, I was under many layers of clothing. Because I had been in the barn, I was stinky. The girls needed to be wherever I was at all times, but I wanted to take a shower. I was down to my last layer and said, "Girls, I need to go take a shower."
Courtney: "You can take your shirt off, Aunt Amy. We won't laugh."
Oh, and Mom didn't even stifle giggles on that one. Big time laughing coming from the upstairs. I was pretty speechless for both. Nice.
I've been laying low off of Vox this week, or at least low for me, because I need to really get at work stuff. May is pretty much shot because of the Eastern Europe trip with MomH and - I may have jury duty next week. Yay! Not. I have to call in on Tuesday to see if I need to report. Why couldn't I get called in the summer when I don't have as much work going on?
Anyway, just to make sure this isn't a super lame post, here's an H Family Story for you. This will give you a little insight on what a normal conversation is like in my family. And maybe raise the quality to a simply lame post from super lame.
As reported earlier, but briefly, Brother Ray had eye surgery and the post surgery recovery didn't go all that well, what with passing out and seizures and not being able to see and such. But he's fine now so we can tell these stories.
A week before the surgery, MomH and I were talking on the phone for our Sunday call.
MomH: "Ray is going in for eye surgery this week."
Me: "Is he doing LASIK?" (Which Brother Steve and I both had done. We H's are blind as bats.)
MomH: "No, he's doing some new thing that's supposed to be better and cheaper."
Me: "Cheaper!?!?! He's not going to some discount place is he?"
MomH: "He's going to U of M." (University of Michigan Eye Clinic)
Me: "Oh, then he should be in good hands."
MomH: "Well - it is a teaching hospital."
Me: "Oooh... Yikes. Hopefully he won't have first year students working on him."
So then we went on and made student doc jokes for a while. Then a week after the surgery, I called to check in on him. Let me clarify - I called Mom. My brothers and I don't pick up the phone and call each other. It's just not what we do.
Me: "How's Raymond?" (I never call him Ray. And I pronounce it "Raymin", really fast with a Michigan twang.)
MomH: "I saw him outside so he must be good." (Mom and Dad live across the road from the farm and see everything that's going on.)
Me: "But can he see yet?"
MomH: "He went to bow shooting tonight." (There's an indoor archery range nearby)
Me: "I suppose he needs to see for that."
MomH: "But he's REALLY good."
Me: "That's right - and blind people do archery, right?"
MomH: "Oh yes, there are competitions. He would do really well."
Me: "He could even compete in the Paralympics!"
Raymond won't be competing in the Paralympics any time soon, as his eyesight has returned and he's completely able-bodied. But if that were to change, we have plans for him.
That's all I gots for today.
Oh, and I'll throw in this quote from my Franklin Planner. It's yesterday's, but still pretty fresh for this 'hood.
The more you try to be interested in other people, the more you find out about yourself. - Thea Astley
Oh wait, both Brother Steve and Brother Ray had their birthdays in March. Here's the pic I would have posted had I remembered to do so at the time.
NOW that's all I gots. Later, peeps!
Just to begin, let me say that Brother Steve bought an old $100 computer on eBay four years ago for my folks so DadH can check out all the Michigan State sports commentary on Podunkville's dial-up internet service.
It's still faster than my two-year old Dell laptop and Cox cable modem. WTF??
That's the reason I've been slow at posting pics from home and wherever else. I wanted to post these pics for mah birfday and since it's 9:30 Arizona time now, it will probably be midnight here by the time I'm done with blob entry.
So here goes. First, I present to you the earliest known photograph of Yours Truly. You will note that my photo is cluttered up by my two brothers. From left to right, Steve, Ray and approximately 6-month old AmyH. Six months is a wild guess, BTW. Raymond looks like he was in a fight. He was a pain from the beginning so Steve may have popped him one.
What a goober of a baby I was. Now I'm kind of glad there are no more baby pics of me.
Let's move on to 18 months. We know this because MomH actually documented ages on the back of the picture. This notation is a rare find, indeed. MomH was very surprised by the discovery that she wrote anything at all.
Hmm, not much better there. Let's try for two.
This next pic is a fave. The Podunkville newspaper brought in a portrait photographer once a year so we country folk could get pictures taken. That's probably where the top two photos were from. For the next one, MomH says we had to wait an hour for our picture to be taken.
"I had three little kids under the age of seven, rolling around in the dirt, fighting, fussing and getting cranky. But we stayed and when your turn came, you were all smiles."
Yes, my middle name is Lynn. Booooring. As I mentioned before, I was named Amy so I wouldn't have a hard time spelling my name when I got to Kindergarten. Very thoughtful of my mother.
As for those stylin' shirts, MomH took a sewing class to learn the right way to use this newfangled godsend of a fabric - doubleknit polyester. DadH had a matching shirt, too. Swank-y!
She despised that fabric but at the time, she had no choice. Everyone was raving about the wrinkle-free, stain-resistant, most likely waterproof synthetic. The time period created her very own Depression stories: "That's all you could get, nothing else was available. It was awful. I was so glad when it was over."
Finally, my first solo portrait, age three. My Grandma & GrandpaH bought this for me when they were touring dairy farms over in Switzerland. GrandpaH probably bought it. I miss him terribly.
I remember that day like it was yesterday. I was sooo scared. I've gotten over my shyness since.
From here on out are my Ugly Years, all the way to say, age 32. No more pics tonight.
But tomorrow I turn 37 and life is fantastic. I have a wealth of wonderful friends, a loving family, the best kitty in the whole wide world, a solid credit rating, my own cordless drill, many great experiences and many more to come.
Thank you all so much for making me smile, listening to me complain and being there for me. What else can a gal really ask for?
None. None more else.
*blows kisses*
I'm limited on time this week, with two board meetings back to back tomorrow night, band rehearsal on Wednesday and an FBS (Food, Booze & Schmooze) on Thursday. On Sunday I'm hitting a matinee theatre production and then that night there's a big party following the big marathon. I'm not running, obvy, but one of my Vacation Boyfriends will be in town for it - along with a bunch of his Orange County firefighting pals. Oh yeah, baby...
1. Send Guatemala Vacation Boyfriend note re: this weekend He's not coming out after all. Rats.
2. Move Shakespeare tix from 1/19 (due to scheduling of January Birthday Month revelry)
3. Schedule new fridge for delivery on 1/22 (only day charity pickup for old fridge was available).
4. Clean old fridge
5. Finish office cleaning (AGAIN!) Or - as organized as it's getting for now. This will have to be a semi-annual event.
6. 5-mile run
7. New watch batteries for DadH watches
I'm trying to pound some stuff out here since I have to take off early and pick up Elvis from the vet. I usually feel all worried and paranoid about him being there all scared. Now I think it's for his own good so he had better just suck it up.
I believe he's bearing the brunt of my spending a week with DadH over the holidays. My father isn't in great health but he could be in better health if he would just do something about it. But he won't. He never has and I don't see that changing anytime soon. I was going to slap my pedometer on him to see if he could even make it to 200 steps. From the easy chair to the four-wheeler to the tractor and back. That's it. Then he complains that his legs hurt. Well of course they do - they are wasting away from disuse.
But he loves to complain. It's a hobby of his. I already told MomH that she can't go first. That would be a nightmare. Then I said my second nightmare is something will happen to Dad and he'll be an invalid.
MomH: "It wouldn't be too different from what I have now, except if he can't speak he'd complain a lot less."
This was said in humor, as this is how we talk in the H house. But there is truth in humor.
I'm back in Arizona, safe and sound. My flight back was thankfully perv-free, but I was sitting next to an older couple who complained about EVERYTHING. Lucky for me, Brother Steve gave me a fully-loaded mp3 player for Christmas so I missed a lot of what was going on. The tunes also drowned out the sounds of their full-on tuberculosis and/or emphezema. It's amazing a human can cough so long, so loud without actually coughing up one or both lungs.
My friend picked me up at the airport and we compared parent stories. Her mom and DadH are very similar in their complaining. It's nice to know we aren't alone. More on that another time.
I got home and found Mr. WuvWuv fat and happy! When I left, he was still boney and now it seems he's putting weight back on. Granted, I don't want him fat but he was losing weight on a scary pace. It also wasn't fair that he was losing weight faster than I was and I was actually trying - and have more to give up. His cat-watchers did an excellent job and I am forever indebted to them for their kindness and generosity.
The stack of mail waiting for me included - prezzies from BrownAmazon! Canadian and Swiss chocolates for me, kitty toys for Elvis. Thanks so much!!!!! And as you will note in the second pic - you can't make Swiss chocolate without Brown Swiss cows. I like truth in packaging. :-)
Today is all about getting my crap together. I ran three miles, did three loads of laundry and need to go buy some food at some point but I might go without. I picked up a friend from the airport and we went straight for Mexican food. Both of us had gone far too long without good, cheap Mexican food. I had the shredded chicken burrito in a homemade tortilla. Mmmmm...lard...*drools* So I might not be hungry for a long while.
I've been thinking about making some resolutions, but the ones I've come up with are more suitable for a to-do list than any "I want to change my life" goals. Besides, my 2006 resolutions are still posted here on my desk and those would be the same ones I keep breaking: get back in shape, build writing career, eat better, date local guys, etc. I also know making resolutions like "Do dishes every night to wake up to an empty sink" are just setting myself up for failure. Sure, I'm good for one night, but after that? Pffft. Instead, here is what I would like to do in 2008:
1. Finish the quilt I started in 2003.
2. Replace the sliding patio door with new, energy efficient version. Added bonus: tighter seals to keep out my scorpion friends.
3. Buy new, energy efficient refrigerator. Added bonus: A freezer that doesn't destroy everything it holds.
4. Sign up for another race to keep motivation up for working out. My training for the Big Race in February centers around Shame Avoidance. Wanting to not be the weakest member of the team is the most powerful reason to stick to a training schedule.
5. Get out my oil paints and complete one picture.
6. Paint the spare room - but not with the oil paints.
7. Keep up the good work. (Always end on a positive!)
Edit - One more: 8. Use all the stuff I have in my house or get rid of it. Reduce, reuse, recycle!
I hope to make some tours around the 'hood and see what all y'all been up to!
Cow stories are pending, promise! To tide you over, here's a picture of dinner time on the farm:
My time here back home is winding down. I'm back in the air to Arizona tomorrow. Wish me luck for safe travels and calm weather. I've been pretty lucky with winter weather travel so far, so I'm hoping my streak can extend at least one more time.
I don't mind flying on New Year's Eve. Not too many other people are flying and the ones who do are usually good humored and happy to have a beer with you while you wait to board. As long as I don't sit next to another leg-grabber, it'll be a good time. Gah. On the way out, the guy in the middle seat (I was on the aisle) was taking up the arm rests and a good deal of my space as well. I was over as far as possible to keep his elbow out of my ribs. Then he was pretending to be asleep when the tray tables were down. I was reading a Smithsonian mag (I try to catch up on my pile when I fly) when I felt something. I look down and while his hand was on the seat rest, his fingers were curled around the bottom and he was reaching for my leg.
Was he just trying to stretch his hand? Is this really happening? I looked at his other hand - nope. No being grabby with the guy on the other side of him. I felt ill and I was pissed. What do you do when there are no other seats available and you have two more hours ahead of you? I grabbed another magazine and put it between my leg and his straining fingers. Then he was going under the magazine. ACK! So I took the magazine, aimed the binding side down and hit his fingers. He said, "oh, excuse me" and then kept his hands on the tray table and in plain sight the rest of the time.
So let's hope for no more of that.
Life has been good here. All the early drama subsided and we had a great time. Tonight was a big family dinner with everyone, followed by some Euchre (a card game popular in the Great Lakes region). Danielle (12) wants to learn so we've been playing with her the last couple of nights. Last night, I told her that the only time her grandpa made me cry was during a Euchre game and I trumped his ace. I said he made me feel like the dumbest person in the world.
DadH: "Nope. There was a dumber one up at Narrow Lake a few years back. No one liked to play with him."
If the H's are good for anything, we're good for a laugh. And there's been quite a bit of that, which has been fun to be around.
It's been a busy week back home, full of family, dogs, cows, friends and Michigan State sports (went to campus twice to watch both men's and women's basketball teams; football and hockey on tv). I haven't checked in too much because we're on dial-up out here in the sticks. Very unreliable for one, and Dad always seems to waiting for a Very Important Call.
Mom tried to get me interested in the fertilizer salesman who stopped by to help Dad figure out some past billing. "He's a hard worker, owns a lot of property and isn't married at the moment." Thanks, Mom. Then as he was leaving I heard him say he needed a wife who can stay home and do the bookwork. I pointed out to Mom that the two things he was looking for in a spouse are two things I'm not very good at.
It's always tough to leave here but I'm looking forward to getting back to Elvis and my life out in the desert. Being home is good for the soul and I'm glad to remember what good people I come from.
I wish everyone a very happy New Year and all the best for 2008. May the year bring you strength, kindness and patience to get you through the rough patches and love, joy and understanding in all of your moments.
Not too much to report. I guess there could be a lot, but it's pretty mundane. Grandma's House is the place to be. Children and dogs come and go. Sometimes they're all down here when no one else is. Mom and I came back from town and they were all here.
"Dad told us to come down because no one was home."
I think they meant their place, but this place was empty, too. So they went ice skating unsupervised, which was okay since no one fell in. They wanted my cell phone number in case I leave again and they want to know when I'm coming back. So they hung out here for four hours waiting for us. The good thing is they were playing the entire time. At their house they would have been parked in front of the TV watching inappropriate shows ("Mom says if something comes on that we shouldn't be watching to change the channel." Yeah. Right.)
But going into town was fun. I saw my friend who is sister to Don Gonyea, NPR White House correspondent. I told her about my love for Rob Gifford and she - LAUGHED! Oh, my love has been ridiculed! How come when I say it outloud it doesn't sound nearly as convincing as when I type it out on Vox. I don't think she'll tell her brother, but it was worth a shot.
It's cold out. The sun came out yesterday so that was nice. Christmas was fun, the food has been great and I spent time with my grandmother, age 93. I've also been digging through old photos. I found a baby picture of me! One before the age of three! I didn't think one existed. Of course, I'll have to crop the boys out of it, but I have one. But as I look at it, I was a pretty goofy looking baby. Maybe it's a good thing there aren't any more pics out there.
I went with my dad to say "Merry Christmas" to his parents. The cemetery was empty and the wind was biting cold. I put some daisies on their headstone and we stood there in silence. It's really hard for Dad so after a few moments, he went back to the car. Courtney, who joined us, asked if Grandpa was okay. I started to say that it was hard for him since these are his parents. Then my eyes sprung a leak that I couldn't stop for a long time. I wish my father would start taking better care of himself. I wonder how much longer I'll have him.
My trip has been an emotional roller coaster. I'm happy to be here, but sometimes I feel like I don't belong anymore. Raymond, who has never approved of my worldly bent, jumps on anything I say that he thinks is being too uppity or critical of anything around here. To keep the peace, I have to be careful of what I say. I think he knows he went too far as he's been good the last day and a half. Steve is Steve, nothing new or different there.
That's the general overview. I have smaller stories and anecdotes to share but now I have some cookies to eat. As long as Dad doesn't turn on the cable, we'll be good for a while. Direct TV with a zillion channels and we are stuck watching Ninja Warriors, church TV and horse training. Who knew there were so many church stations? And who knew my father would watch any of them? Oh - and American Idol reruns. I'm about ready to claw my eyes out. If he's watching something he wants you to see, he say "Amy - here's this guy with a great voice. I really like his voice. Come listen to him." He'll keep cranking up the volume until you give in and go see what he's watching.
Bottom line - I'm having fun and I'm glad to be here. It's a challenge to not get frustrated by family, but I have it pretty good as far as family relations go. I don't have much to complain about, but I'll complain about what I can. :-)
Hope everyone is having a great time and see you around the 'hood!
That's the tune of yesterday during the Christmas Cookie Baking Fiasco of 2007. Two of my nieces and I were baking Christmas cookies and I burned three trays of my favorite green Spritz Christmas trees. Three trays. Not all at once, mind you, but three in a row. I think I have late onset ADD. You would think after the first tray, I would have learned. But no. MomH noticed the third and final tray when she smelled something odd and saw smoke coming out of the oven. I had since left the kitchen by then and was showing the girls some yoga moves down in the basement.
I asked the girls if they thought their dad could be tricked into thinking they were chocolate trees. They thought that was a grand idea. But MomH said Raymond doesn't eat much dessert. Darn it. He has years of revenge owed to him.
So I tried to feed some of the cookies to Tyson, the stray pit bull that adopted the family a few months back. The Canine Vacuum Cleaner grabbed a cookie from midair and promptly spit it out. Now that is some serious rejection.
We've been getting hit with some strong winds. Yesterday morning, the wind woke up my parents and they turned on the Weather Channel to see if there were any tornado warnings. We joked that I would have been safe in my room in the basement but they would have flown across the fields on their new king size bed. It would have been a shock to wake up and go upstairs to a missing house.
I've been here for a little more than a day and I haven't seen one cow yet. I'm such a lazy slug. I guess I could head down to the barn and see what's going on. But it's cold out.
I can't even get Tyson to go outside, even though he has food in the garage - and this isn't even his house. The two dogs, Spencer (mini-Australian Shepherd) and Tyson like hanging out at Grandma's house. They are attention whores. If you pet one, the other comes right over. They are both sweeties but the dog love is a bit overwhelming especially when they start playing in my lap. The last thing I want is a pit bull and a little dog trying to bite each other anywhere near my person.
Tyson follows me around, thinking I'm going to give him food. If I head to the door and tell him to go outside, he slinks away and gives me that look Elvis gives during shot time, "oooh, I'm just a poor helpless creature, have pity on me!" I've called him a wussy dog but he doesn't seem to mind. Some fearsome dog he is. Pfft. He'll look even more threatening when I buy him a fuzzy pink sweather to keep warm.
Speaking of, Elvis was such a brat the other night. He was on top of the bed, always just a bit out reach. we kept circling each other until he finally hid under the bed where I couldn't reach him. I was becoming increasingly frustrated, which I'm sure was a great help. "Elvis! You have to get your shot! This is important. This will make you feel better and you are going to get it no matter what, so just come out now and be done with it! You are being a bad, bad kitty!"
I finally left him alone, mostly for my sake. Two hours later I finally succeeded. Aargh. He's fine as soon as he gets it. He knows it's over and then he's perfectly happy. Brat Cat. But I wuf him. I hope he's behaving better for his keepers in my absence. I should have told him that Mommy was leaving because he was a pain in my ass. Ha.
Last night I went down to Ray & SIL's house to help the girls clean up, since SIL was super busy and super stressed with her custom sign business. The less she has to freak out at the girls about, the better. So I did dishes. Ugh. I wish I had a HazMat suit followed by a bleach shower. If there was ever a time to catch a flesh eating bacteria, there it was. Of course, Dani and Amber blamed Courtney, as Courtney was the one not present. Funny how that works.
Walking back was an ethereal experience. The moon was shining bright high overhead and I could see my shadow distinctly. It was eerily beautiful. When I finally came inside, I was inspired to try and describe it words. I'm still working on my little piece of prose and will post at some point.
There's the news from the hinterland. Have a very Merry Christmas, everyone!
This may just be my last post before I take off for the Hinterland, aka Podunkville, Michigan, to be with FamilyH and all the cows. Yay, cows!
I'm supposedly working today, I have a lot to do but the motivation seems to have ebbed from a few days ago. Tonight I hope to get in another run before the cold and winter weather keeps me indoors for a week. I'll figure something out while I'm there. Maybe go up to the school and hit the weight room. I can do that - I have connections. Not that I want to work out with Brother Ray's wresting team or anything. Jr/Sr high school boys are stinky. But I may have to hope my allergies will be kicked in from farm living and I can't smell them.
Elvis II is here! He's fantastic. If I can get my act together tonight, I'll take pictures and post a few. I'm sure Original Elvis will be mildly curious and then ignore this beaded interloper. I won't tell him that I've already spent more on his reproduction than I have on his medical bills. I'd hate for him to try and even that score. Even with my new raise, the vet bills are a bit of a hit. But he's worth it and I'll just adjust accordingly.
For example, last night I met up with friends for happy hour. The HHR menu had $2 cheeseburgers. So I had a $5 beer (no drink specials and I like good beer) and a $2 cheeseburger that was excellent. That was it. I pay more when/if I go out to lunch and that's just for food. Plus, it helps with weight loss/training if I don't get TWO beers. Save money, lose weight. Beauty.
I hope everyone has a great holiday season! May you be kind to yourselves and others, and may good fortune shine upon you in any variety of forms.
(((((HUGS)))))
And I never even got to wear my wonderful Christmas Sweatshirt. Maybe I'll pack it and wear it around the house while I'm being a lazy, Christmas-cookie eating slug.
(((((More Hugs!)))))
