My baby turned one this week--imagine that! My mother gave her a giant panda bear which she just loves. We gave her two boxes with Velcro lids and plastic handles; in each box are four board books, and on each page are lift-up flaps with pictures underneath. She’s quite fond of books. Hannah got her a white teddy bear, and she crocheted a ruffly pink dress for it. Bobby gave her a white teddy bear, too, dressed in a clown outfit--and they hadn’t known ahead of time what the other was getting. Esther gave her a beanie baby. Victoria’s taken a real fancy to dolls in the last month or so.
Joseph’s virtual Pooch recently made it all the way to 25 years--again--before he croaked--again, winding up in a chapel with a cross over the top. Yes, you can get yourself a new pup and start over again as many times as you like. If the batteries wear down, you have ten seconds to change them before the program cancels out and you have to start over again with a new pup. Did I tell you we got Joseph a ‘Second Generation’ virtual dog, which we are saving for his birthday? I can hardly wait to give it to him. He likes all sorts of gadgets and doodads, contraptions and jiggers. This dog is capable of learning new tricks, and can be taken ‘outside’; and, when visiting the ‘pet shop’, there are four different puppies to choose from. One is smart and happy but unhealthy, one is smart and ill-tempered, one is dumb and happy, and one is dumb and ill-tempered and unhealthy.
My mother will be getting her teeth taken care of some time this month. The antibiotics the dentist gave her took care of the abscess, and she’s been able to eat better; so she’ll be stronger and better able to withstand the dental work.
The mole on Joseph’s neck grew back, as the doctor warned us it might, in which case he told us he would freeze it off. Last time, he burned it off. We have an appointment for March 12. Tomorrow Joseph has an appointment with the dentist; I think he has a cavity in a molar.
Penny has a number of volunteers who help her grade papers. Do you remember when, before I started doing all of our bookwork, I used to grade the eleventh-grade history papers? I enjoyed it, but it was quite time-consuming. Also, she has a machine that reads aloud all typed copy, and also some ink printing, if it’s done neatly enough. Her older students type their lessons, and then Penny can ‘read’ them herself. She uses her reading machine to learn all her lessons, and she types all her tests, quizzes, and worksheets herself. She really is quite independent. She has her own apartment, and, before she began teaching, she owned a music shop, The Golden Music Store, where she sold all sorts of instruments (excluding piano and organ), religious books, Bibles, gifts, and toys. She still sells books and Bibles, but usually they must be ordered, and that takes two or three days.
She also gave guitar lessons and tuned pianos. Other than the church’s piano, which she tunes regularly, she only tunes during the summer months.
Penny has recovered well from her operation, although she still has a few aches and pains. Penny is one of those sorts of persons whom we all think is absolutely indispensable--we just can’t--and I mean can’t--get by without her! She’s written quite a number of poems for the Christmas program, and if we don’t like words to a song, or want a different theme for some music, we just tell Penny. And directly, just like a computer, clickety-clack, clickety-clack, her Braille writer spits out the lyrics we want.
She’s a walking encyclopedia, too; got a question? Ask Penny. She’s one of my very best friends. Her students all know that if one of them should be so disrespectful as to whisper in class while Penny is lecturing, or some other such infraction, there is a whole room full of loyal pupils who will promptly inform the teacher. Lots of people think tattletales are all wrong, and of course it is disgusting when a person delights in getting another in trouble, in which case he ought to be given the punishment he was hoping the other would get. But to report genuine evil deeds to the proper authorities is positively the right thing to do.
Just think of the story of Joseph: “he brought to his father his brothers’ evil report.” And God honored his courage in doing so. Joseph is a type of Christ, which is why the Bible records not one fault that he may have had. The Bible teaches that one who hides somebody’s sin is guilty of the same.
Monday I spent about fourteen hours cutting out material. I cut out two dresses for Victoria, one for Lydia, a vest, shirt, and pants for some cousins' new baby, a matching vest and pants for a teddy bear for the new baby, a cover for a photo album for Norma’s birthday, and a dickey for one of Hannah’s dresses. All of the baby’s things, except the shirt, are now done.
I asked the oldest daughter for one of their favorite teddy bears, so I could dress him in the matching clothes. The next day, Dorcas brought the bear home. Imagine my surprise when, upon pulling the bear from the sack, I laid eyes on a mint green bear! It’s soft and fluffy and cute, but…green?!
On Norma’s album cover I appliqued several roses, on which I did machine embroidery. At the top I embroidered “Our Picture Album”, and along the binding edge I embroidered “Our Pictures”. It started out to say the same as the front, but the letters kept growing and the album kept shrinking. I sewed re-embroidered lace all around the edges, sewed shut the flaps…and then couldn’t get the album into the cover. So I ripped out a flap, put the album in, and sewed it back together again. Bother. You’d think, after all these years of sewing, I’d know better than that!
At about 12:30 a.m., my sewing machine’s foot pedal gave up the ghost, quite a nasty trick for it to pull, if you ask me. After all!--whom can you borrow a foot pedal from at that hour?! Whom can you have repair it at that hour?! That’s right. Larry.
Yup, he did; and I was back in business. Just like Lydia said, “My daddy can fix anything!”
One afternoon while visiting my mother, Victoria spotted her own picture across the room. She bounced up and down excitedly, pointing at it. “Dare’s Toria!!” she announced.
Sometimes she elongates her name: “Bic-roar-yuh-yuh-yuh-yuh!” Funny baby.
Tuesday it was 68°; most of the week it was above 50°. But yesterday and today it was in the twenties and feeling as if it were below zero, what with the snow and the wind. I sure hope all the flowers aren’t ruined. The crocuses were already blooming, and the daffodils, miniature tulips, and hyacinths were up several inches. The mums are up, too, but only a half-inch or so.
Our teacher for kindergarten and high-school science spent her last day at school Friday. She is expecting a baby sometime soon. This is an exciting event, since she and her husband have been hoping and wishing for about six years. The children all gave her many gifts; Teddy decided to make her a little wooden apple box with a lid. He made this decision at about 9:00 p.m. Thursday night. First, he enlisted my aid in drawing the apple. Poor old non-artist me--I’ve been having my brain stretched artistically lately, that I have.
Anyway, I came up with something that actually resembled an apple, and Teddy rushed off to his scroll saw. Unfortunately, somebody had slightly tilted the holding plate, and he didn’t notice until he’d spent much time meticulously cutting out the entire apple, at which point he discovered that he couldn’t get it out without making a crack in one side through which to slide the blade. You can be sure, he was greatly disheartened. Taking pity on the boy, I sent him off to bed with assurances that his father and I would make his little box for him.
So, Larry cut it out, first using the scroll saw, and then hollowing it with Keith’s new router. After he completed the lid, it was my turn. I carefully drew a picture of a teddy bear in a very ruffly dress onto the lid, then used Teddy’s wood-burner on it. It turned out quite cute, and the teacher was pleased with it--but Teddy, I think, was even more pleased than his teacher.
Thursday Larry put running boards on Lawrence and Norma’s van, since getting in (it’s higher than some vans) was hurting Norma’s back. It’s much easier stepping in now, and it looks sharp, too.
Bobby gave Hannah a tape/CD player for her birthday. We gave her a watch made of paua shell, both the face and the wings of the butterflies that make up the slide-bracelet bands. Mama gave her an ivory afghan kit, and Lawrence and Norma gave her three games, which all the children have been enjoying. They are ‘Scattagories’, ‘UpWords’ (that’s like Scrabble, but you can lay tiles on top of tiles), and ‘TriBond’ (“What does a stop sign, a book, and a cardinal have in common?” Answer: “They’re all red.”)
Norma made the yummiest birthday cake--Mmmmm, MMMMM!! It was some kind of a carrot cake, with pudding, whipped cream, and coconut on top. MMMMM-MMMMMM!!! We tease Norma, saying she doesn’t think people can turn a year older unless they have a birthday cake. Maybe we’d better hush up, if we want to keep getting such delicious cakes.
Saturday we went to Grand Island for material for Hannah’s Easter dress. I was surprised to discover that the store hadn’t yet stocked their spring fabric, but we managed to find some white eyelet left over from last year, and, being left over, it was even on sale. It has pastel embroidery around each little eyelet hole. I also got some fleece to make Joseph a new bathrobe for his birthday. He picked black, with Dalmatians with red collars on it. I still have red fleece left over from the little girls’ coats, so I’ll use that for the collar and belt. Fleece is expensive; it’s usually $14/yd., but this was last year’s fleece, and it was only $9/yd.--still too high. Anyway, I think I have enough to make a matching robe for Caleb. I got three yards, which cost $27, so they’ll be $13.50 each, still cheaper than buying robes at Wal-Mart--and nicer robes, too.
After spending altogether too much money at the House of Fabrics, we rushed next door to the Goodwill to make ourselves feel better with all manner of marvelous bargains--and we found them, too!
We got a light brown western suit with dark brown pants for Teddy for Easter, a cadet blue sweater vest with hand embroidery (this, we got free), white pumps with cutouts around the toe for one or both of the older girls (brand-new!), a gray linen dress with black velour-and-lace collar, a flowered dress with attached cancan and big lace collar for Lydia for Palm Sunday, a navy silk pleated skirt for me--something I’ve been looking for ever since Christmas, when Annette and Kenny gave me a forest green and navy plaid raw silk jacket, and a couple of $9 patterns for only $.25 each. I paid $20.79 for all that. Whoopee!
Tonight after church, Bobby noticed a peanut butter jar on the floor under the table. Being a helpful sort, and not knowing that the nearly-empty jar had been bequeathed to the dog, who cleans them out handily, he picked it up and put it on the table. Directly, Hannah noticed it.
“YUCK!!” she cried, nose a-wrinkle, snatching it posthaste and heaving it into the nearest waste receptacle. “Who in the world put this on the TABLE??!”
Bobby looked amazed. “Well, uh, er, I did!” he said, somewhat discomfited.
And then wasn’t Hannah embarrassed. haha
She told him about the time Esther Seadschlag tried to give their black lab, Ebony, a morsel of something-or-other, which he didn’t prefer, thank you, so he very politely deposited it onto the floor. Esther picked it up, tossed it carelessly onto the table.
Enter sister Ann. Hungry. Scanning the table. Spying the tidbit, she snatched it and stuck it in her mouth. Esther, reading the paper, suddenly looked up. “Oh! NO! ANNN!!! The dog had that in his mouth!!”
Ann fled for the bathroom.
This afternoon we went for a ride to the Monroe Wetlands, where were thousands of Northern pintails, mallards, redheads, lesser Canadas, and more. Now when I get ready to take a picture from the Suburban, Victoria gives out the orders for me: “Hode stee-oh!!” she shouts. (Hold still.)
Of course, after that, nobody is holding still, because everybody is laughing so hard. And Victoria looks smug.
* * *
Monday, March 2, 1998
We have just returned from the dentist, finding to our relief that Joseph has no cavities, and his teeth are in fine shape; the reason they were hurting is because at least three of his molars are slightly loose, and the permanent teeth are directly underneath. When he eats, the loose teeth rock back and forth on those permanent teeth just a little bit, and that hurts.
I got back my pictures taken near Grand Island. As we drove by a field and saw dark heads, when we were still some ways away, and not looking through binoculars or my big lens, we thought they were more Sandhill cranes. Suddenly, somebody caught sight of a white bird among the dusky ones.
“There it is!” several voices cried, “The whooping crane!”
Larry screeched to a halt, and binoculars and camera were hastily brought up to eyes.
“Oooops,” the voices said in chagrin.
It was a snow goose. (Was that me that just last week thought somebody would have to be blind in one eye and unable to see out of the other, to mistake a whooping crane for a snow goose? Well, is it any better to mistake a snow goose for a whooping crane?)
Some flocks of Sandhill cranes are so huge, they blacken the whole sky. These big birds fly in formation like bombers on Special Maneuver.
Now I told the kids I’d help them send off some letters and pictures to their penpals, so I’d better do just that.
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