Who knew that earthquakes in Chile would result in a tomato shortage? So, because we sell quite a bit of produce during the peak season at our shop, and we are unwilling to pay 2-3x normal cost for sub-par tomatoes, we are busy building large square gardens to grow tomatoes in.
Llama and I had planted two smaller 4x4 gardens with cucumbers, lettuce, green beans, carrots, strawberries and cantelope. Just enough for our family.Now we are going to be tending 3 or 4 8x8 gardens full of tomatoes,onions and bell peppers- all in short supply this year. Fun, fun. At least, because they are raised beds, we won't be stooped over weeding all season. Now to keep fire ants and animals out...
Spring brings with it 30mph sustained winds, which ruins the 80* fun. We were 6 days short of the 100 year old record for number of days below 80*, until today. If you've ever lived in Texas, you know that's a big deal. Hopefully April will be softer and mild. I'm so not ready for the Texas heat.
I also hope April will bring better things for Joe Cool. Without details, poor Joe is deep in the throws of 15. He is like a cable TV channel- All Drama, All the Time, 24/7, 12 months, 365- and yesterday was the Special Movie-of-the-week. He surprised us with a subtle (not) hint of what turmoil is going on in his mind. Joe is the strong, silent type. Unless he yells back, I don't have a clue what he's feeling or thinking. I didn't yell at him, and he didn't yell back. He didn't say a word, yet I heard him loud and clear. And poor kid forgets he lives in a small town, where news spreads fast- thankfully he was home before all my hair fell out.
So, now I am left looking around and into myself. Am I too smothering? Too hard? Too soft? Too vocal? What do I not understand, and why don't I get it? Cool Daddy didn't seem too upset- he got right to the heart of the matter and laughed it off. I had nightmares. I hurt for him. I wish I could take his cares away.
Today I want to crawl into Joe's head and dig around until I get it. Maybe it's not just him, but all males. I hope Llama girl isn't like this. I hope, because she's a girl, that she will be more verbal with her thoughts. There isn't anything wrong with Joe, I'm just a woman who looks at the male species through a telescope.He's on Mars, I'm on Venus. And the mental cell phone service here bites.
Spring Fever also brings that ridiculous thing we call Daylight Savings Time. That wonderful thing that makes us stay out late, enjoying the warmth and tending the yard, that thing that makes us not sleepy at bed time- also makes us all look like zombies in the morning. Poor Llama is still bouncing around at 10pm, only to stand in the living room at 7am looking like she isn't going to survive her late night bender.
So, between the yard, the time, the garden, the laundry, the dishes, and the errands, I am trying to get a grip on this new reality. The time has changed, the seasons as well. And I hope that the new fragile state of Joe is temporary. That he doesn't break. That with Gods help, we can hold him tenderly enough to protect him, support him and help him move forward with as few dings, chips or cracks as possible. After all, anyone who has a Joe Cool or Llama, Llama in their possession understands just what precious, and valued treasures they are. Priceless.
Tuesday, March 30, 2010
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
Growing Boy
Joe Cool got his letter jacket today. He looked so "cool" sauntering into the house, waiting for us to ooo-ahhh over him. Now, just by looking at his coat, I know what year he graduates, his last name, what instrument he plays and for sure, that his school colors are purple & white. So awesome.
In the last few weeks, really- more like every day- I see him growing up. Making decisions. Not always good ones, like having no good reason for not turning in math work on time. But still, generally speaking, more mature decisions.
Out of the same mouth that can rattled on about sports highlights, and whine about not getting his way, comes things like: "Dad, when I get my license, I think I should drive Old Flaky to school and you should drive the Ranger, because the Ranger gets better gas mileage, and you have farther to go to work. Then, when I leave for college, I will drive it, cuz I will be driving farther."
It really is fun to watch the lights switch on in that brain of his. He is even trying to outgrow the drama of girls. Gossipy girls. Dramatic, over-the-top girls. Lead-him-around-by-the-ring-in-his-nose girls. Now he has settled on a girl that is sweet, funny, hard working, gentle, and-this is very important- can't text, so they talk on the phone-a lot! Sigh. It's (sniffle) beautiful. Not saying he won't be a dork sometimes, but we are so glad to see him try to pull that ring out of his nose (not literally-his dad would kill him) and start leading himself around with his brain!
Joe's report card last time was even good. Well, good for him. No failing grades. Mostly A's. He wouldn't have had C's in 2 classes if he had turned his work in on time- the direct result of refusing to write things down, and trying to rely on a 15 yr-old boy brain to remember all he has to do. (yeah, that's funny).
It's really wild to know that scientifically, boys don't mature to their best until around 24- that sense of reason, logic and consequences is still trying to fully form. So if it seems he is doing this good, that he is this good NOW- what in the world will he be like THEN? Blows my mind.
Of course, we haven't ventured into the dating scene yet. It's coming quickly, the license will be obtained this summer. He smells good when he leaves for school, takes extra time brushing his braces (wonder why?) and fusses with his hair and face more. He has even been occasionally cleaning his room-voluntarily. No joke. Shocked me, too. Me thinks that red-headed girl is a good influence. :)
I really have no point to this, other than to marvel at what God made when he made teenagers. I wonder- when people lived 800+ years, how long did the adolescent phase last? I can't imagine funky gym socks and attitude for 50 years! Yikes!
If you have ever seen Snoopy as Joe Cool, you know how my Joe rolls- sometimes Cool, sometimes he loses it, always waiting for more food with empty bowl in hand... and yet, he dances that dance, that famous Snoopy dance- chin back, big grin on- groovin' to his own beat and learning to navigate around his world in his happy, carefree way.
In the last few weeks, really- more like every day- I see him growing up. Making decisions. Not always good ones, like having no good reason for not turning in math work on time. But still, generally speaking, more mature decisions.
Out of the same mouth that can rattled on about sports highlights, and whine about not getting his way, comes things like: "Dad, when I get my license, I think I should drive Old Flaky to school and you should drive the Ranger, because the Ranger gets better gas mileage, and you have farther to go to work. Then, when I leave for college, I will drive it, cuz I will be driving farther."
It really is fun to watch the lights switch on in that brain of his. He is even trying to outgrow the drama of girls. Gossipy girls. Dramatic, over-the-top girls. Lead-him-around-by-the-ring-in-his-nose girls. Now he has settled on a girl that is sweet, funny, hard working, gentle, and-this is very important- can't text, so they talk on the phone-a lot! Sigh. It's (sniffle) beautiful. Not saying he won't be a dork sometimes, but we are so glad to see him try to pull that ring out of his nose (not literally-his dad would kill him) and start leading himself around with his brain!
Joe's report card last time was even good. Well, good for him. No failing grades. Mostly A's. He wouldn't have had C's in 2 classes if he had turned his work in on time- the direct result of refusing to write things down, and trying to rely on a 15 yr-old boy brain to remember all he has to do. (yeah, that's funny).
It's really wild to know that scientifically, boys don't mature to their best until around 24- that sense of reason, logic and consequences is still trying to fully form. So if it seems he is doing this good, that he is this good NOW- what in the world will he be like THEN? Blows my mind.
Of course, we haven't ventured into the dating scene yet. It's coming quickly, the license will be obtained this summer. He smells good when he leaves for school, takes extra time brushing his braces (wonder why?) and fusses with his hair and face more. He has even been occasionally cleaning his room-voluntarily. No joke. Shocked me, too. Me thinks that red-headed girl is a good influence. :)
I really have no point to this, other than to marvel at what God made when he made teenagers. I wonder- when people lived 800+ years, how long did the adolescent phase last? I can't imagine funky gym socks and attitude for 50 years! Yikes!
If you have ever seen Snoopy as Joe Cool, you know how my Joe rolls- sometimes Cool, sometimes he loses it, always waiting for more food with empty bowl in hand... and yet, he dances that dance, that famous Snoopy dance- chin back, big grin on- groovin' to his own beat and learning to navigate around his world in his happy, carefree way.
Monday, March 8, 2010
She's 5
My Llama is 5. Last night I commented on the behavior of 5-year-old's, and it really hit me. My baby is 5. My unexpected, but secretly begged for, bundle of love is 5. My precocious, obnoxious, joyous, boisterous, one-of-a-kind Princess, is 5.
1- you were a blur. 2- you were a delight. 3- you were what I thought 2 would be. 4- you were a rapid-fire pistol with a hair trigger. What does 5 mean? It will be interesting to wait and see.
I will for sure have to be more careful with my sarcastic 'whit'- yesterday she asked me why I wear makeup to church, to which I replied, " so I don't scare people". Well, no more than 20 minutes later, while arguing with her about what she could take to Bible class with her, she agreed to leave the tiara behind, but the purple lipstick was staying in her pink-casted grip. Why? "Because I have to keep putting it on when it comes off, so I am beautiful and so I don't scare people." sigh.
She was doing cartwheels this weekend. Yes- with her cast on, her arm bent at 90 degrees. No, I don't know how. But with her 3 week check up this week, if the doctor suggests a shorter cast, I may ask him how having a free-to-move elbow and cart wheels will affect the healing. Amazing how determined she can be! She was trying to swing on the monkey bars as well. I think if the cast material between her thumb and first finger had not been so bulky, she would have been swinging across them proudly.
I sometimes wonder: what do others think of my girl? What do they think of us as parents? She is forward, open and stubborn. But I truly sometimes have a hard time holding her back. Oh, we expect respect and obedience. But my heart really doesn't want to slow her down. I secretly rejoice in her wild abandon. I admire her bravado. I envy her determination. I don't want to stifle her, so I try to direct her. Several times I have said, and others have told me, that she will be a hand full as a teen. We are hoping to direct her toward things that will allow her to be the joy that she is.
Like a Dandelion. I don't want to pick the wild out of this flower, or try to contain it, only to watch it wither away. I want to see her grow, wildly beautiful, on her own terms. Not easily controlled, looked on with disdain by some as a pesky weed, but loved by others as a fun, happy flower that springs up overnight, ready to play- blow! blow! blow! come dance and twirl in the winds with me! Ah, I can see her- can you?
My Dandelion- made by God, and therefore, worthy of a chance to BE. I pray for God's guidance to help her grow in praise of Him and the flower He has created.
My Dandelion is 5, watch out world- here she comes.
1- you were a blur. 2- you were a delight. 3- you were what I thought 2 would be. 4- you were a rapid-fire pistol with a hair trigger. What does 5 mean? It will be interesting to wait and see.
I will for sure have to be more careful with my sarcastic 'whit'- yesterday she asked me why I wear makeup to church, to which I replied, " so I don't scare people". Well, no more than 20 minutes later, while arguing with her about what she could take to Bible class with her, she agreed to leave the tiara behind, but the purple lipstick was staying in her pink-casted grip. Why? "Because I have to keep putting it on when it comes off, so I am beautiful and so I don't scare people." sigh.
She was doing cartwheels this weekend. Yes- with her cast on, her arm bent at 90 degrees. No, I don't know how. But with her 3 week check up this week, if the doctor suggests a shorter cast, I may ask him how having a free-to-move elbow and cart wheels will affect the healing. Amazing how determined she can be! She was trying to swing on the monkey bars as well. I think if the cast material between her thumb and first finger had not been so bulky, she would have been swinging across them proudly.
I sometimes wonder: what do others think of my girl? What do they think of us as parents? She is forward, open and stubborn. But I truly sometimes have a hard time holding her back. Oh, we expect respect and obedience. But my heart really doesn't want to slow her down. I secretly rejoice in her wild abandon. I admire her bravado. I envy her determination. I don't want to stifle her, so I try to direct her. Several times I have said, and others have told me, that she will be a hand full as a teen. We are hoping to direct her toward things that will allow her to be the joy that she is.
Like a Dandelion. I don't want to pick the wild out of this flower, or try to contain it, only to watch it wither away. I want to see her grow, wildly beautiful, on her own terms. Not easily controlled, looked on with disdain by some as a pesky weed, but loved by others as a fun, happy flower that springs up overnight, ready to play- blow! blow! blow! come dance and twirl in the winds with me! Ah, I can see her- can you?
My Dandelion- made by God, and therefore, worthy of a chance to BE. I pray for God's guidance to help her grow in praise of Him and the flower He has created.
My Dandelion is 5, watch out world- here she comes.
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