Yes, As a Matter of Fact, I Did Fall Off the Face of the Earth

So apparently I am on some sort of extended blogging hiatus. Had I known about this ahead of time I could have made some sort of announcement to that effect, thereby saving myself all the guilt of having a sadly neglected blog (or two). Because, you know, when you announce ahead of time that you are going to neglect your blog for a while take a "blogging break", you are being intentional. When you just sort of let your blog sit without any sort of preliminary statement, you are being a slacker.

Now that I've made an announcement somewhere in the middle, I'm not sure what that makes me. An intentional slacker, maybe.

I suppose you all are wondering what I've been doing during my hiatus. Nothing earth-shattering, sorry to say. Mostly stressing and obsessing-- and planning, among other things, the location of my padded cell. Because, although I never did say so here until now, we are, in fact, homeschooling Spaz for 9th grade. (And probably 10th and maybe just all the way through, but for now, it's enough to think about 9th.)

Yes, of course I should blog about how we came to that decision. There are a lot of things I should or could or would blog about. And perhaps I will...

But right now I'm on hiatus.

Or maybe I'm on sabbatical. That sounds even more intentional.

Or whatever. Maybe I'm just being a slacker.




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Random Questions Because I Needed a Post and Was Too Lazy to Write One

I got this from both Marsha's and Melissa's blogs. That was last week, but when am I ever timely? I rarely do these things, but it looked like fun, and besides, it's a lot easier than actually writing a blog post. These are really, really, really random-- a little too random for me, actually, but that’s good for me. I was really good and resisted the temptation to re-arrange the questions (except in one place, I think) or edit them for consistency, and I didn’t leave any out, not even the ones I thought were dumb. Be proud of me. I even added a few of my own here and there, just because I felt like it.

What color are your socks right now? The same colors they always are: most are white, but I have a few of various shades of blue and a few of other colors. They’re all in my drawer, though. I don’t wear socks much in the summer.

What are you listening to right now? Were I doing this at some other time, I could say something mildly interesting such as “Spaz playing Skillet on the piano,” or “The annoying drone of vuvuzela horns from the upstairs TV,” or “Frogs croaking in the pond,” or “The annoying dog barking her fool head off at the UPS man,” or even “The running of the shower.” Alas, all I can say at the moment is… The fan. (We live really exciting lives around here.)

What was the last thing you ate? A sugar snap pea pod from my garden. (And that really makes me feel like I Am Woman See Me Plant or something. I still can’t get over the fact that I actually have a successful garden this year.)

Can you drive a stick? No. I tried to learn back when we were first married and the only vehicle we owned was Hubz’ stick-shift Toyota pickup. He really didn’t try very hard to teach me.

Last person you spoke to on the phone? My mom. But when I was first doing this the other night, my answer was, “A kid my son met at camp, who called at 10:50 pm. I was nicer to him than I wanted to be.” That’s far more interesting.

How old are you today? 36,442 days. (Or if you want the math-free version, 45 years and 6 days.)

What is your favorite sport to watch on TV? Short-track speedskating at the Winter Olympics.

What is your favorite drink? I suppose that would be coffee.

Have you ever dyed your hair? No, and I intend to never do so. When I go gray, I will wear it like a crown. Or so I say now.

Favorite food? Chocolate. Duh.

What is the last movie you watched? Up until last night, I’d have happily said The Return of the King. Unfortunately, having been somewhat coerced by my family into watching, I now have to say Prince Caspian-- which bore even less resemblance to the book than I had anticipated. For that reason, I hated it.

What is the last book you read (or the book you are currently reading)? Finished The Fellowship of the Ring late Friday and will probably finish The Two Towers today. I’m immensely enjoying my first reading of these books-- and I now understand why some who have long loved the books do not entirely care for the movies. (See above.)

What’s in the CD player of your van? I think it’s currently Devotion by the Newsboys. (I had been listening to The Purpose Driven Life on CD, but my kids howled and complained every time they rode with me, which is nearly always since most of my driving time consists of chauffeuring them around. They find the Newsboys a little more tolerable.)

Favorite day of the year? The day after Thanksgiving. The house is clean, there is lots of food in the fridge, and I can just sit around in my pj’s. (In all honesty, I probably like Christmas Day even better, but that seems like such a lame answer.)

Best place you’ve ever visited? That would have to be Acadia National Park off the coast of Maine.

How do you vent anger? I usually yell and say things I later regret.

What was your favorite toy as a child? I am supposed to remember that? I don’t know. Ask my Mom.

Favorite Season? Really, I like them all. I guess fall would be my favorite weather-wise, but I like spring because it is full of newness and anticipation. I enjoy the general laziness and fun of summer and the cozy, hunker-down-at-home feelings that come with winter.

Cherries or Blueberries? Blueberries.

Living situation? What: Mid-70’s daylight/walkout ranch. Where: 3 acres in semi-rural suburbia within a major metro area. With whom: Hubz and the two youngest of our 4 kids. (Kid #2, aka Cheez, may be moving back in a month, which will make life a little more… um… interesting stressful interesting.) Oh, and a mischievious cat & an obnoxious but lovable dog. 

What is on the floor of your closet right now? A bin of stuff, a tub of Hubz’ loose change that he’s saving for a convertible, some extra purses, and shoes-- lots of shoes.

When was the last time you cried? I cry at the drop of a hat over the stupidest things. I know, that didn’t really answer the question. That’s because I don’t like it.

What are you most afraid of? I don’t like this question either. In all honesty, I’d probably have to say, my kids not “turning out well.”

Plain, cheese, or spicy hamburgers? Huh? Who writes these questions??? Hamburgers should be eaten with lettuce, tomato, onion, and either ranch dressing or guacamole.

Favorite dog breed? I suppose I’d have to echo Melissa’s answer and say Australian Shepherd, since we own one.

Favorite day of the week? Probably Sunday, because I can relax without feeling terribly guilty. (I relax on all the other days, too; I just feel guilty about it.)

How many states have you lived in? Three: Pennsylvania (5 years), Illinois (2.5 years), Michigan (that would be… 37.5 years)

Diamonds or pearls? What are those? My answer has always been the same as Melissa's: I'd far prefer a camera lens. However, if someone were to buy me jewelry, what I’d like is a ring set with a ruby, a topaz, a peridot, and a sapphire. You can probably figure that one out.

What is your favorite flower? I’m not picky about flowers. Anything that’s pretty and doesn’t require much care.

Did you get an H1N1 vaccine? Um… speakiNg Of raNdOm... This is a very straNge questiOn. NOw I feel like all the rest of them were just a front and this is the iNfOrmation that the perpetrators of this q & a were really after, like it is part of some sort of goverNment cOnspiracy to ascertaiN hOw compliant I am about coNfOrming to the coNventiOnal wisdom about flu vaccines. NOtice I’m NOt answering.

Well, that was an easy blog post.

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Smoky Trips and Veggie Gardens and Other Random Things

Random, unedited thoughts for a neglected blog:

~~We (the four of us living at this house) just returned from a 6-day trip to the Smoky Mountains-- our first stay there and the first "big" family trip we'd taken since 2004. We cut our school year short by several weeks and went in May for the simple reason of Because We Can, taking advantage of off-season cabin rental rates and relatively low crowds. Our four days in the Smokies were very busy and very fun and very busy. (Notice I said it was a "trip", not a "vacation"! There is a difference. Although I keep calling it "vacation.") Busy or not, it was great to get away and have some family adventures. Now we are in that period known as "recovering from vacation trip."

And I'd like to blog about those adventures, by the way-- but don't hold your breath; you know how I am. Actually, I'd originally hoped to blog about them while we were there, but you can see how well that worked out.

~~Since our return, I've been busy (there's that word again) putting in my veggie garden. I am not a great gardener and had given up on it for the last couple years, but I am back at it with renewed vigor and enthusiasm. I really can't homeschool and live on three acres and not at least try to garden, now, can I? I'd already put in some cold-weather veggies about a month ago, which is highly significant since it marks the first time that I have ever actually gotten those in on time! Last night we ate our first home-grown salad of the year; woot, woot! Small successes are encouraging.

~~Cheez is on her own little vacation to California, visiting a not-previously-met-in-person internet friend of the male persuasion. We are so not happy about this. Supposedly there is an agreement in place that they are "just friends," period. One can only hope. Last night I happened "by accident" onto this article which, once I waded through all the stuff at the beginning and got to the father-of-prodigal-son part, was very timely and helpful in its perspective. (Oh, and I've decided that I am beyond worrying about what my blog-readers out in Happy BlogLand think. I think bloggers should just be real, so there.) Later edit: What Cheez failed to tell us, purposely or not, is that this guy still lives with his parents. She was staying with a FAMILY, not a guy with his own place. Okay, well that makes a big difference. We would have worried less. On the other hand, we'd probably have prayed less, too, so I suppose it's all good. (And they really ARE just friends.)

~~We need to make a decision in the next few days as to what Spaz will be doing for high school. With a huge homeschool community, a plethora of Christian schools, charter schools, and public school choice, the options in our area are many. We've pretty well narrowed it down to three, one of which is continuing to homeschool for high school. That is Spaz' first choice, but Hubz and I have very mixed feelings. We feel that it is probably time to "release" him into the world beyond our home while he is still living here under our guidance. Like most of the other things I've written so far in this post, this could easily fill an entire blog post in itself. But it won't.

~~I brought home two souvenirs from our trip: a T-shirt I bought at the National Park and a black eye I incurred on the last day when I was smacked in the face by the T-bar end of my paddle while whitewater rafting. (I am pretty sure I had help from a rock which caught my paddle.) It makes a great conversation starter. Now whenever anyone comes up to talk to me, I just stand there and wait for them to break off mid-snetence and say. "What on earth happened to you?" Then I get to tell them about our vacation trip. It actually works much better than a T-shirt.


You know, I am doing pretty well with the "unedited" thing. I snorted to myself when I typed it, but so far I have successfully managed, for the most part, to resist the Tweak-and-Edit-to-Death Monster.


~~Thursday night my bestest buds and I had our monthly dinner out. I like my friends. They are nice friends and easy to be real with, when one can get a word in edgewise. We have all known each other since our kids were little and we thought that homeschooling them would somehow keep them from ever making bad choices in life. Most of us have since learned otherwise, which is why it is easy for us to be real with each other.

~~We finally got the water hooked up on our new frig and are enjoying fresh cold water-from-the-frig door. This may indeed be very old technology, but it is a first for us.

And yes, I know that was a random useless comment of little value. I felt like I had to throw one of those in there. Here's another:

~~Yay, Lee! He and Crystal have been family favorites from the beginning (as was Siobhain), but I never thought he would make it past 5th or 6th. If I liked Siobhain because she reminds me of Cheez, I think I liked Lee because he reminds me of her high-school friend T, a great kid whom I love and miss. Same cute smile. Although I don't think T can sing very well. If you have no idea what I'm talking about, that's okay.

~~I am in sort of a quandary about the changes over at Homeschoolblogger, where my other blog still sits. I was already unsure about giving that one up entirely, and HSB's switch to Wordpress hosting is making it even more difficult. I want to go play over there and see what I can do with it, but I haven't even been there since the switchover. Heck, I have barely been here. It's hard to think about re-learning that one when I am still learning this one, and now I am back to trying to figure out which one to keep. I have a hard enough time keeping up on one blog, let alone two. I really ought to just keep... neither! Although I'm sure my 3.7 readers would be utterly crushed. *Sigh* Life is complicated.

~~I got a new puzzle book for our trip. I usually get Penny Press or Dell variety puzzle books, but this one is an Official. It's weird. The puzzles are similar but harder and... different somehow. I don't like it as much. However, it does have a great puzzle that I'd never had in previous books, a combination of sudoku and kakuro (cross-sums) called "sumoku". Fun stuff. Fuzz actually did one of these with me in a waiting room the other day. She's a kid after my own heart.

~~Last night while I was reading blogs and the guys were watching LOTR, Fuzz occupied herself by writing a book. Look for How to Plant an Elephant coming soon to a bookstore near you! (Not really, but it was fun to say.)

I guess I'm done now.