It got up to 76° here last Monday, but the next day the high was only 48°. Today it’s 83°. It will not be this warm again for at least a week and a half. The rollercoaster Spring days of middle Nebraska!
There is almost always a danger of a
hard freeze until Mother’s Day, or somewhere thereabouts; so I don’t usually clear
out my gardens until then. The old growth provides seeds for the birds
and protects the new growth. I love
flowers; but I also sorta love the fact that I can get by without gardening
about seven months out of the year. Still, I’m looking out the window and
thinking, I really should get everything looking spic and span...
“Gardening? What’s that?” asked a friend, when I mentioned
my thoughts.
“It’s when you
remove a solitary weed so that you can take a close-up of a pretty flower,” I
told her.
After that warm day last Monday, a
northwest evening wind suddenly began blowing hard with gusts close to 40
mph. Meanwhile, it was snowing hard and blowing up a gale in Nome,
Alaska. (I knew you’d want to know.)
As usual, I spent every moment I could last week scanning photos. Here are photos of Teddy, 2 ½, and Joseph, almost 1, in March of 1986. I made half a dozen double and single knit pajama sets like Joseph has on for each of the boys, Keith, Teddy, and Joseph.
Wednesday, I took Loren some food: deer burger meatloaf, fire-roasted vegetables
and potatoes, Chobani Greek mango yogurt, a blueberry streusel muffin,
applesauce, and cranberry juice. I
brought home his laundry and put it into the washing machine. On the way home, I stopped at Teddy and Amy’s
house to pick up some fabric Amy found for me at the Goodwill yesterday. It’s a fairly big bag full of brand new wovens
and cottons, all quilt shop quality, most cut into half-yards and fat quarters.
There are many yards in this bag, all
for just $20.70.
I took them a box of 24 empty glass Oui yogurt jars; Amy
uses them for such things as homemade jello or pudding. I also took them a box of the same Chobani
Greek yogurt I had taken Loren – a little Easter present, I guess. 🥰
Home again, I paid some bills, and then I had a couple of hours
to scan photos before time for our midweek church service, which is always a
welcome break during the week.
Here
are Keith and Hannah at Easter time in 1986.
A
cousin, upon reading the tricycle-dismantling story of last week, asked, “Are you still mechanically inclined, or not?”
“I try really hard not to be too
mechanically inclined,” I told her, “because once I accomplish something, Larry
might very well expect me to do it from then on!”
I love computers and electronics,
though; I’ll stick with that. 😉
Here’s The Rest of the Story, regarding
my little red tricycle:
I loved riding that trike on our
hardwood floors where there were throw rugs. I discovered that by
stopping on the rug and then suddenly pedaling with all my might and main, I 
could make the tricycle spit
that rug right out behind it into a heap. Furthermore, if I came racing
up onto a throw rug and then turned the wheel hard without slowing the
pedaling, throw rug, trike and me myself and I could spin right around in a
circle.
Here’s Dorcas at Easter time, 1986, and
below is Joseph and Larry. Easter was
March 30th that year, so Joseph was just a little past 11 months.
It got up to 52° Thursday, and the wind
was only 11 mph (with higher gusts), so it felt a lot nicer than it did the
previous day.
I finished Loren’s laundry and returned
it to him that afternoon when I took him some food: chicken
breast filet, potatoes and country gravy, sweet corn, applesauce, Chiboni Greek
orange yogurt, cranberry juice, and a little bottle of probiotic yogurt
drink.
He had just started eating when I made the error of
informing him that I had found the lonesome sock to match a lonesome sock from
the last laundry I had done for him.
For some reason, this made him think he had to match those lone socks right
then, and put them away before he could eat.
I said, “You’d better let those socks fend for
themselves and eat your supper before it gets cold!”
He laughed – and went right on trying to remember
where to put things. I always let him
put his own laundry away; I figure he’ll be better able to find things if he
does it himself... and these little chores are bound to help, not hinder.
Since the refrigerator,
freezer, and larder were getting low on foodstuffs, I placed a big order for
frozen foods from Schwan’s, a smaller order with Wal-Mart, and an order of some
bags of coffee beans from Christopher Bean. That made me hungry, looking at all that food,
so I made supper: cashew chicken, rice,
and vegetables, Oui yogurt, and pecan rolls.
Larry was late getting home,
as he was changing the oil in Loren’s Jeep Wrangler, which for some unknown
reason Loren has lately decided is mine. Maybe because the
last few registrations that were renewed say his name, then c/o Sarah Lynn
Jackson on line 2? We tell him it’s his
Jeep, and he laughs like that’s really funny.
After going from starving to death to full as a tick
in less than half an hour, I waddled back up the stairs to my little office and
resumed the photo scanning. Here are Keith, Hannah, and Dorcas at a
luncheon for my parents’ anniversary. It
was March 14, 1986, and they had been married 50 years.
The next album I scanned held a whole
lot of photos from an excursion we took to Ponca State Park in the northeast
corner of the state, back in August of 2001.
Bernina introduced a new
presser foot for quilters that day. It’s for making
quilts feel more light and airy as they are quilted (though one must be careful
not to make stiff peaks in the batting).
Friday, I switched my winter clothes
for summer clothes, which entailed quite a lot of running up and down the
stairs with armloads of heavy clothes. Why do I have so many clothes?!
I was glad for the break when I took
Loren his supper – tomato basil soup, a grilled cheese sandwich, applesauce,
strawberry jello, black cherry Oui yogurt, mango juice, a couple of dill pickle
slabs, and French vanilla ice cream. He seemed quite pleased with the
menu.
On the way home, I dropped off a few
things at the Goodwill. It was 73°, the wind was blowing at 40 mph, and we
had been issued a ‘critical fire weather’ warning.
I tried on a new coral-colored skirted suit
that I had hoped to wear for Easter – and discovered that the skirt was a little
bit too small. Or perhaps I am a little bit
too large. If I would’ve shed a mere ten
pounds, I could wear that thing, easy! waa
waa
Ah, well. I would hunt for a matching skirt on eBay,
and wear it another time.
Saturday while some deer burger
meatloaf was baking (yep, I made that two or three times last week, since we
had totally run out of any kind of fish or roast or turkey – good thing
everyone likes it), I trotted downstairs to grab some things to take to the
Goodwill. I went into the room under the
front porch where Larry built shelves and I painted everything bright white
from rafters to floor, the better to brighten it up. I pulled open
a drawer (with difficulty) in one of those SPDs (Stupid Plastic ‘Dressers’)
that one of the girls bought years ago – and, to my surprise, there were some
of my favorite summer skirts and tops that have been missing for at least two, and
maybe three, years. (And yes, I was the
one who put them in the SPD.)
Lo and behold, there was a white skirt
with a kick pleat in front, and three large coral-colored buttons along the
vent. There were narrow coral and gray
stripes on it. It perfectly matched the
coral suit jacket – and it perfectly fit, into the bargain.
I filled a big bag for the Goodwill
with the clothes I no longer wanted, and tossed the rest into the washing
machine.
I’d been intending to go to a secondhand
store somewhere to get more summer clothes one of these days, but now I don’t
have to. Yay!
Above is our high-topped Suburban with
the pretty oak cabinets in the top, and indirect lighting all the way
around. It will always be one of my
favorite vehicles. It’s pulling a
trailer full of camping gear, including our tent.
And here’s Victoria, age 4.
Soon Loren’s food was done, so I loaded
food and Goodwill donations into the Jeep.
I don’t mention it when I give Loren something he had just two days
earlier; I just tell him what each thing is as I pull it out of the box. I have no idea if he noticed the repetition,
but he loves meatloaf (I make it like our mother did), so he was happy.
He was enjoying the photo album I’d
left with him the day before. He laughed
when I told him the story behind the picture of me holding the butterdish, with
quite a number of fingerprints in the stick of butter. Yep, they are my fingerprints.
In my baby book, Mama wrote about me at
about two years of age climbing into my red high chair (it had a couple of
steps that could swing out or tuck underneath, but no tray)... surveying the
table... and then, spotting the butterdish nearby, saying, “Somebody better
move the butter, or I’ll get in it!”
Here’s Joseph fishing in the Missouri
River, and below is Victoria by the river.
Saturday afternoon, Larry used
spray-foam insulation to fill the hole above the bathroom window between the
quarter-log siding and the house where we know bats like to roost, and where it’s
possible they find entrance into the house.
I know that’s not the only place they come in; they get into the
addition, too. But perhaps it will
help. Last year was horrid, with
several bats getting into the house almost every single night. 😖
At least Larry is a little more amenable
to doing something about it, since a bat tried sharing the tub with him one
night last summer. heh
He knew he needed to get it done when
he got swarmed with gnats at a job that morning – and then a mosquito bit
him! It was 77°, but I declare, a
lone mosquito will catch a scent of him from three states south of us and make
a bee line (a mosquito line?) straight for him.
Anyway, once the mosquitoes and gnats come back to life again, the bats
will be here soon.
When
I quit scanning photos Saturday night, earlier than usual since I would be
getting up at 4:20 a.m. in order to be ready in time for our Sunrise Easter
Service, I was about halfway done with the 49th volume and had
scanned 14,624 photos. There are 76 ½ albums
to go. I can only scan about 125 pictures
per day. It takes a while to either
extract the photos from their sleeves, or peel back the plastic page covering,
position several photos (or the page) on the glass scanner plate, scan, and
then separate the one big scan into however many pictures I have on the
plate. If they need editing – and most
of them do – that takes some time, too.
A lot of the albums have around 400 pictures in them... but some have
only 300, and others have 600, and one had over 800.
If
I don’t get interrupted, and can get an album done in 3 ½ days, then I will
need close to 268 more days to finish this project. Since I only work on it 5 days a week, I’ll
need 53 ½ weeks to finish. And now,
having calculated that all out for the first time, I see there is no way under
the sun for me to get photos scanned and thumb drives made in time for
Christmas this year. It will have to be
Christmas 2022.
Furthermore,
my scanning rate will doubtless slow down when I get busy with the gardening. Also, a customer’s quilt is on its way even
as I write, and a couple of other customers have said they will soon be sending
quilts.
Siggghhhh...
I
am so looking forward to getting back to quilting! Every time I walk into my office, I see that
lovely fabric sitting there, languishing...
Here’s
Lydia, 10, and Hester, 12.
These pictures were shot at Ponca; we took along all the bikes.
Easter Sunday was a beautiful day, with
the temperature getting up to 83°. We’d
all been very much looking forward to our Easter services. The Sunrise Service started at 7:00 a.m.,
with beautiful music by the men’s choir.
The congregation sang several favorite Easter songs, and then Robert (my
nephew, our pastor) gave a short sermon.
We had a lovely breakfast in our Fellowship Hall at 8:00. There were
cheesy scrambled eggs (the cheese stretched into strings and refused to let go
of the bowl – and did the same when we tried to eat it; but mmmm, mmmm, it sure
was good; one just has to be humble enough not to be mortified if cheese
strings dangle down one’s chin), hard-boiled eggs, ham, sausage, all kinds of
doughnuts, buns, juice, milk (chocolate or white), coffee or tea, mixed fruit
(strawberries, pineapple, red grapes, muskmelon, honeydew). I had one big spoonful of scrambled eggs,
chocolate milk, one sausage link, about three bites of ham, a bowl of fruit,
half of a bun, and tea. And for once, I
didn’t get an Easter morning stomachache.
It’s the hard-boiled egg/orange juice/ham/doughnut combination that does
it. So... I left out most of that, and
only had small amounts of the rest.
Our usual main service was at 11:00
a.m. Our brass band played a medley of Easter songs, and the congregation
sang with them on their final number. The mixed choir sang, and then we
had a sermon on the wonderful story of the resurrection, so old, yet ever new.
After the service, we took Loren a
lunch, and then went to Schuyler for E-85.
The ‘Low Fuel’ bell chimed and the light came on when we were five miles
from the station. Good thing we went
there when we did.
Our evening service started at 5:30
p.m., an hour earlier than usual. The
strings (violins, violas, cello) played a medley, and again the congregation
sang with them on their final number. A young girls’ group sang, and then
we continued with the Bible reading where we’d left off earlier that day.
After the service, we had a luncheon in
the Fellowship Hall. It’s always good to visit with family and friends.
Caleb sent
some pictures of his little family last night after church.
I
wrote back, “You have a beautiful baby, and a beautiful wife. (And you’re passable, too.) You have a lot to be thankful for!”
He’ll
have something to say about that one of these days, just see if he doesn’t!
Last Easter, we only had online
services. Sad state of affairs.
That went on for six weeks. It was
ridiculous, because Covid-19 had not even hit our area yet. We
appreciated our services so much, when we were able to return to church again!
And we were sure thankful we live in
Nebraska, rather than such places as California. The Supreme Court finally forced them to
allow religious services again a month and a half ago – but in many places of
the state, they limit attendance to 25% of capacity – and people aren’t even
allowed to sing! Mind you, the entertainment
industry was allowed to film a singing competition. A few months ago, a number of parishioners
were arrested – for holding services on a public beach, even though they were
standing six feet apart and had on masks!
My sister Lura
Kay’s husband John H. is not doing very well.
It seems probable that he had a couple of strokes during the last month,
and he has gone downhill very quickly since then, with various other serious
health problems. They have been in their
new house next door to and across the street from their children for only a
couple of weeks. John H. doesn’t feel
well enough to drive his truck anymore, and hasn’t been to church for a couple
of weeks, which is highly unusual. He’s
78.
This is Victoria, 4, and Lydia, 9 ½, at Easter time, April 15, 2001.
On the left is Teddy, 2 ½, and Joseph, 11
months, in March of 1986 – Teddy had climbed into Joseph’s crib, much to
Joseph’s delight.
After our luncheon last night, Malinda,
3, was showing me her new little dolly. It’s
a Madame Alexander, jointed, and with the prettiest little dress, and lots of
golden curls. Malinda wanted me to help her put the doll’s tiny socks and
shoes back on. When I tried, the doll scooted on the table.
I admonished the doll in no uncertain terms,
“Doll, you hold still, now!!!”
Malinda backed up, stared at me with
big brown eyes, then gestured at the doll. “Well, but... she’s a doll!!!”
I, having gotten the sock on, looked at
Malinda and said, “Well, but, look! It worked!”
Malinda’s face... hahaha Her expression was hilarious. I think it was, I like you, Grandma, but
you’re quite nuts.
Here’s Caleb, 7 ½, at Ponca; and below is
Joseph, 16, also at Ponca.
Loren didn’t want supper until 5:30
p.m. today. I used some of the ground deer
meat to make a burger on a whole wheat bun with lettuce and tomato, with mayonnaise
on one side and a rub of ketchup and brown sugar on the other. I also took him some Dannon yogurt, grape
juice, a potato/vegetable mix, and a fruit mixture of peaches, mangoes,
pineapples, and strawberries.
And now it’s bedtime!
P.S.: The ‘new Bernina presser foot’ ad was put out on Thursday, April 1.
((... pause, while you think about
that ...))
,,,>^..^<,,, Sarah Lynn ,,,>^..^<,,,
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