Monday afternoon, we went to Omaha to get some auto parts. We made a real excursion out of it--haven’t had one of those for a looooong time--and went to Desoto National Wildlife Refuge. There were oodles of Canada geese, snow geese, and deer; I took lots of pictures.
Upon leaving the Refuge, we went to a fabric store for some material for Hester’s sleeves, and material for Hannah’s skirt. Hannah bought appliqués, all covered with pearls and sequins, for her bridesmaids’ dresses--$36.99 each. Good grief. We looked for appliqués without the pearls, since they are at least a third cheaper, and we can sew them on, ourselves--but there were none. This week I remodeled a couple of Hester’s dresses, so the sewing for Easter is done--unless I decide to make something for myself.
I got my pictures back from Seattle FilmWorks one afternoon--and discovered Larry had taken pictures of himself to give to me! So…I promptly took one off to Walgreens and had it made into a couple of 5x7s--one for me, and one for Norma for her birthday.
One morning, Hester stayed home from school. She sat outside the kittens’ box, patiently waiting until the kittens finished their breakfast--and then she very carefully picked one up. He squalled and cried, so she gently set him down and picked up another. He repeated his brother’s performance. She returned him to his box and picked up the third. The kitten screamed louder than the ones before her. Hester was baffled--they had been content when she picked them up before! But now every time she picked up a kitten, he squalled. I went to see what was the matter.
It appeared she was holding it just right, but when I reached out and started taking it from her hands, I discovered what the trouble was: her hands were ice cold! As soon as I got it into my hands, which were warm, for once, it calmed right down, snuggled up, and relaxed.
A little later, when Teddy came home at dinnertime, he picked up a kitten, and it cried and cried. He was perplexed. That kitten had always been fine when he’d held it before! I reached out and felt of his hands. Sure enough, they were cold as cucumbers. So, it has now been verified: Kittens do not appreciate cold hands. No wonder they need mittens!
On Tuesday, an elderly friend of ours died. We attended her funeral Thursday. School was canceled, as all the students would be attending the funeral, and the school would be needed for the overflow because of so many visitors. We have a closed-circuit monitor in the school library, so people can hear the service.
My brother-in-law and sister, John and Lura Kay, gave us a clean-air machine--it’s called ExtraordinAire, and it is supposed to help filter allergens and such like from the air, making breathing easier for those with troubles such as asthma, emphysema, or chronic bronchitis. We have wanted one of those air machines for a long time!
One morning, some while after I had washed her hair, Victoria looked in the mirror and remarked, “My hair is all dried up!”
Wednesday, Dorcas was making four loaves of banana bread. She discovered she was lacking a few ingredients, and gathered up her purse to go to the store.
“Can I go?” asked Victoria.
“Yes,” I replied.
Victoria rushed off to find her shoes.
Caleb, noticing the flurry, asked, “Where are you going?”
“To the store!” Victoria told him animatedly.
“Oh! Can I go?” Caleb queried.
“No,” said Victoria matter-of-factly, “you can’t.”
“Hey!” I reproved her, “You’re not his big boss! He can, too, go!” (Actually, I’d been planning to tell him that he should probably stay home.)
“Oh,” said Victoria. She turned to Caleb. “You can too go.”
Wondering if Caleb behaved okay when he went with Dorcas, I asked her, “Does Caleb run like a maniac when you go to the store?”
“No,” she and Hannah both assured me, “He’s fine!”
Victoria looked at us soberly. “And I don’t run like that, eezer,” she said. “I just run real careful.”
Wednesday, we discovered that Victoria had pinkeye. I thought she was getting it that morning when I gave her a bath, but I didn’t say anything, just in case I was mistaken. Then, that evening when she and Caleb went with Dorcas to the store, they were walking the aisles, when all of a sudden Dorcas noticed Victoria’s eye.
“You are getting pinkeye!” Dorcas informed her.
Victoria no sooner came bursting in the door than she was excitedly telling everybody, “I have a pink eye!”
I told her, “It’s called ‘pinkeye’.”
“Oh,” said she, and headed off to tell anybody else who was handy. “I have a pink eye!” she told Hannah.
“It’s pinkeye,” responded Hannah. “You just say pinkeye.”
Victoria tipped her head consideringly. “I always say it that other way,” she decided, and skipped off.
At the beginning of this week, Tad’s (the littlest kitten) eyes were open quite a bit. Tippy’s (the only female, and the only all-black kitten--except for the tip of her tail) were open a little--but the biggest, Tiger, still had his shut. Now their eyes are all wide open, and they are just beginning to follow movement. They try their best to play with each other, although they are very likely to tip over and roll right onto their backs by accident if they get the slightest bit off-centered. One kitten lunged forward to chew on her brother’s ear--but, before she got there, her brother went away without warning, and she wound up pitching right over onto her poor little nose.
Wednesday evening we went to Keith and Esther’s house to celebrate their first anniversary. We took them a couple of loaves of banana bread (yummy!) and a big pitcher and bowl with apples painted on them, to match the dishes Lawrence and Norma gave them. A friend of ours gave them two more place settings, so now they have a dozen place settings. We wrapped their wedding gift in the Sunday comics, since the symbol for anniversary number one is… paper. We watched part of their wedding video.
Thursday afternoon, since there was no Jr. Choir, on account of the funeral, Hannah and I went to the school library, where we slid four long tables together to made a great big cutting table. And then I cut out the purple taffeta for the six dresses for the wedding party and attendants. I finally finished cutting at 4:00 a.m. Whew! Big job.
I have now sewn together the bodices, all but Hester and Lydia’s, and made sure they fit. The rest of the dress can be put together with no further fittings, now.
We went to Lawrence and Norma’s Friday night to celebrate Norma’s 61st birthday. Keith and Esther were there, too. We gave her a marble mantel clock, embroidered handkerchiefs, and a framed picture of Larry. It was one of the self-portraits he made. Norma was pleased.
Norma served cake and ice cream to her guests. Caleb, after several bites, said, “I like this cake.”
Norma replied, “It has almond flavoring in the frosting. Can you taste it?”
Caleb answered, “No, I can’t taste it very well.”
Teddy remarked, “I couldn’t taste mine, either. Could I have another piece?”
Norma had made brownies and angel food cake--one of Larry’s favorite kinds of cake. One time when he was about 16, he came home from school and found--angelfood cake. And, lo and behold, there was one nice big slice cut, sitting on a plate on the table. No one else was home.
Later, Larry learned that his father had cut the slice, then found out there was some sort of almost-emergency at work, so he’d rushed off, planning to eat the slice later.
Larry ate it for him.
That being not quite enough to satisfy him, he cut himself another big slice and ate it. Then he cut another slice, and ate that, too. And another. And another... and another... Until, finally, there was only one slice left; and, as he looked at that one lonesome piece, he could imagine all sorts of difficulties arising over his brother and parents trying to share that one piece.
So he ate it, too.
Then he went to work.
Some time later, Lyle came back home, chops all polished for that piece of angelfood cake he knew was waiting for him. But it wasn’t awaiting him. He looked for the rest of the cake--and found an empty platter. Norma and Kenny arrived home, all set for angelfood cake.
But they would not have angelfood cake that day; it was all gone. Every last crumb.
Larry recalls that he did not seem to get in as much trouble as such a transgression should warrant--but he knew better than to try it again. To this day, if Norma ever brings us an angelfood cake, she tells Larry, “Leave some for the rest of the family.”
Hannah and Bobby’s cupboards came Saturday; they will soon be putting them in. They got their dishwasher from Sears, and Hannah has been taking things she won’t be needing to the house. Three and a half more months!
Dorcas has found a job! It is at First Steps Daycare Center. She will start next month, after the person whose place she is taking moves away.
Here is a series of posts to and from my Uncle Howard:
Subject: world’s safest airplane.
I came down with a dead engine. I could see but I could not quite make the hay field, so I landed in a pasture. Then I couldn’t go for the car and trailer because the cows would eat the chute, so a kid came out to keep the cows away. It broke an eyebolt and a little aluminum clamp pulled out, leaving a hole.
So how was your day?
I didn’t get scared; I knew what I had to do and I dun it. Everything worked.
- Howard
My reply: Goodness, gracious, Uncle Howard! Did you land gently? Are you all right? I see that subject line, I sho’ ’nuff do. My day was not nearly so monumental. The only thing I have bailed out of, all day long, was the bed!
Love, Sarah Lynn
* * *
Subject: Every thing is fine.
I wouldn’t want to get hurt; I have too much to do! Because I have the garden to do, flowers to tend, trees to spray--now why would I even consider getting hurt? No, I didn’t get hurt!
- Howard
My reply: Dear Uncle Howard: I’m sure thankful you are okay! What I’d like to know, is, does all this improve your cardiovascular system?
Lots of love, Sarah Lynn
* * *
Subject: I had a job to do.
I did not get excited; I knew everything would okay, and I had a plane to land. That’s it.
- Howard
My Reply: Dear Uncle Howard: Teddy has just come up with an excellent solution for you: put pedals on that chute!
Love, Sarah Lynn
And Another Reply--Subject: From the Mouths of Babes
Dear Uncle Howard: Now, here is an audio clip especially for you from Victoria. (In her clip, Victoria said, “Don’t walk when you can fly!”)
Love, Sarah Lynn
Reply from Uncle Howard: VICTORIA: When it's windy, I'm not too sure. Otherwise, I'll agree.
- Howard
* * *
And now, here are a couple of quotes, the first from a status quo pilot, and the second from a status quo idiot, especially for like idiots:
1. There is no excuse for an airplane unless it will fly fast!
2. Caution: Cape does not enable user to fly.
— Batman costume warning label, Wal-Mart, 1995.
* * *
One day Victoria came dashing in, scrambled up on my lap, leaned toward the phone I was talking on, and said, “Hi! I was outside picking pine cones!--” and then-- “and I like ice cream cones!”
“What’s your favorite flavor of ice cream?” asked the person I was talking to.
“I don’t know,” answered Victoria, so I whispered in her ear, “Tell her ‘boysenberry’.”
So she said, said she, “Toys and berries!”
We are having a bit of difficulty with a neighborhood marmalade cat. He’s a nice cat, but male cats kill kittens, and Aleutia is liable to kill him!--dumb thing; why doesn’t he stay away?! A couple of days ago, he came in the kitchen window while Dorcas was standing there, calmly washing dishes.
She remarked--and I quote--“AAAAAAaaaaa!!” and accidentally put soapsuds on nearby cupboard doors.
The cat purred and strolled across the counter before landing with a thud on the floor. I picked him up and escorted him out the front door, where he climbed into one of my big flower pots--albeit, not quite big enough for him-- and curled up. All sides of him were lopped over the rims of the pot, and he looked so funny, I dashed off for my camera and took his picture. He posed nicely. As soon as I shut the door, however, he placed himself beside the nearest window and sang at the top of his voice, Heathcliff style. Aaaarrrggghhh!
Hannah discovered she had pinkeye Sunday morning, so she stayed home with Lydia and Victoria, who had it, too, and Joseph, who has had a migraine headache since Saturday night. Neither Bobby, nor Keith and Esther, came for dinner today, on account of the conjunctivitis running rampant, but Bobby came after church that night. He just couldn’t stay away, I guess, pinkeye or no pinkeye.
We have now had two Sundays in a row of Larry doing his usual every-other-Sunday afternoon stint at cooking, since we didn’t have company this week. He makes either pancakes, or waffles, or French toast on the Sundays Keith and Esther eat at one of her relatives’ houses, and Bobby and Hannah eat at the Wrights’ house. Lydia requested oatmeal pancakes, because the picture of them, in her new cookbook from her Grandma Swiney, looks positively scrumptious. So oatmeal pancakes it was. Larry puts all sorts of interesting things in his concoctions... sometimes applesauce... sometimes dried apple chips... sometimes raisins... sometimes blueberries... sometimes fruit cocktail... sometimes cornmeal… but they are always absolutely mouth-watering.
Once again, my brother Loren’s voice was nearly gone, so one of the members preached in morning, and my nephew Robert preached in the evening. Robert preaches with an ‘expository’ method, explaining to us what verses mean and just how to apply them, reminding me a lot of my father. He is Hester’s Sunday School teacher.
Now, back to the sewing machine!
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