Falling

I've never really thought much about fall before
But this year for some reason I have realized it might be my favorite season of them all.
I've long been a lover of spring in fact.
Because I hate the winter so much spring has always been a welcome end to snowy roads and months of captivity indoors.
This year I have a long list of books I am ready to read and a notebook full of story ideas that need to get on paper. And Netflix, wonderful Netflix, means I might not ever have to leave the house other than for work outings. This is going to be great.
Besides, fall also signals the end of the water season in Minnesota. Since water isn't a place I long to be it's nice when everyone else comes in off of it and joins me on shore also.
Besides, by the time we're getting rid of the last of the Christmas wrappings everyone will be heading back onto the lakes anyway - this time in cars and trucks and on ATVs and snowmobiles to try their hand at winter fishing.
That's Minnesota.

Another perk of fall, besides the pop of color that surrounds this time of year, is Halloween.
Because it's all so suspenseful and thrilling.
Besides the costumes and the fun involved it's always a crap shoot to see how the weather might be. And no matter what the forecast calls for you'll never know how it might really be until 24 hours before. 
October 31st will either signify the beginning of a long, snowy winter and the neighborhood children will come calling in heavy jackets and mittens or it could be warm enough to let them shred the jackets all together and go  door to door in costumes alone.
Every year is different.

Changes are also coming to our home this year as well. Big things a little at a time.
I will fill you in very soon and after that you will notice my updates coming a lot faster as we adjust to a new pace of life.
Fall. Beautiful fall.
 

A gasp a gulp and a grimace

The older I get the more I realize what a wuss I am about certain things.
I'm not a great flier so for decades I just avoided doing it. 
But now I realize that I love a good get-away and I hop on a plane when the situation calls for it. (A good stiff drink before take-off  helps.)

And I still hate the water. That has never changed.

Last week we spent the week in the Florida Keys. (More about that in a separate post soon.) Apparently I slept during the Florida part of geography at Cherry High School because I envisioned Key West being in the neighborhood of Miami. (You know, actually connected to the rest of the United States.) SO not true.
The rest of you might know this but it turns out those are seriously surrounded by water. This gave me something to mull over for months before the trip once I was enlightened as to their true location.
 
Then two of my deepest fears were seriously combined when my husband, who sat next to the window of the airplane (I....just....couldn't)  kept commenting on the ocean we were flying over for miles and miles and miles and miles.

While we were in the Keys the opportunity arose for us to take a drive during the sunrise to Key Largo. (Whaaaaat?!?!?! Key Largo?? Shut the front door! )

But then I remembered how proud those locals are about there being only one road from Miami to Key West and we were renting a property somewhere in the middle of it. And I had already heard about the one, huge, unthinkable obstacle that stood between me and Key Largo.
After thinking over all of the pros and cons, including mapping out the one-and-only route to get there, I knew I could never forgive myself if everyone else drove to Key Largo and I stayed at the rental.

So we set our alarms for 5:30 in the morning, and I went.
Gulp!   OVER THIS!

  

For seven miles.

Twice.
Once there and once back.

Remember how you held your breath when you were little to get through tunnels?
Turns out that works if you do it off and on for bridges that extend over miles of deep water too.
And I can still barely look at this picture.
But I have been to Key Largo.

What are some of your fears?  Have you faced any lately? What worked to get you through it? (Snakes, even harmless ones, is another of mine and I have no plans to face that one. )

The good, the bad, and the super ugly

Sometimes, when you live in Minnesota you can just be going along with a push mower, doing your husband a favor, and you'll spot one of these. 

 

Then you may, or may not, throw in the towel and go back into the house and send him a text on your cell phone that says, "Bring home whatever you have to from work tonight to rid the world of this." 

And since he knows you're probably serious, he does.

The real crying shame is the tree looked like this. Except for that. Minnesota is not for wussies.

May is only days away

So now that April is almost over, how come not that much has changed?
The word 'snow flurries' is still in the last forecast I heard. I still can't move the plants that I started indoors to the outdoors. And they're still playing hockey on television every night.
It's almost like it's still February.
Only it's not.
We played basketball on the driveway last weekend.
We sat in lawn chairs in shorts in the sunshine.
And I moved my sweaters into the spare bedroom and pulled out my tank tops.
It's almost like February.
Only not.
It's so much better.

'Tons of Fun' is turning one!!!

She is one. Little A is one today. Time flies so very, very fast. :0)  We couldn't love her more.

A Very Merry Christmas

                                                          

  Merry Christmas to you and Season’s Good Cheer!

Glad Holiday Tidings and Happy New Year!

      Hope your gifts are all wrapped - Your yule log ignited.

That each Christmas carole – finds you simply delighted.

       This year just flew by as most of them do –

(The older we get- this is even more true).

       The theme for this greeting is to break from the stressing –

 and just take a moment to count a few blessings.

      Kayla moved twice and Kirk audibly groaned.

And now Prior Lake is where she’s calling home.

      That BS in Science, is serving her well.

What she does at her work - we can’t fathom (or spell).

      She plays hockey each week and frolics at night.

 She’s still weeding out wrongs - to find her Mr. Right.

      On Halloween, at a party for work, she thought,

“There’ll be tons of Mileys! I’m NOT gonna Twerk.”

      She packed up some clothes on a trip here back home,

and then won the contest - as a pretty good gnome.

      Kirstin graduated, from the college in May –

She’s an RN now and sees patients each day.

      Ben is in the health care field, too –

Working full-time on the ambulance crew.

      In February their family grew bigger by one -

when Audrey arrived (and oh! Is she fun!).

      A few teeth are coming and she’s standing a while.

She plays and she talks and she’s loaded with smiles.

      We just got the news that they’re having another –

In June Audrey will get a sister or brother.

      At the end of last year, they gave Kyle a hat –

with a tassel, and gown (We photographed that!).

      We had a party with cake, and had folks for some chow.

 He’s taking classes at BSU now.

      He’ll learn to balance the fun and the tests.

 It’s his first finals season - we hope for the best. :0) 

      After 16 years of watching hockey and such –

it feels pretty darned weird we’re not running so much.

      Kirk survived this year’s Thanksgiving sale. '

The crowd for the most part behaved pretty well.

      They bought gadgets, and toys and games and TVs.

The kids and I went (cuz it’s somethin’ to see).

      Besides without Kirk, we agreed, “Let’s feast later.”  

On the weekend we chowed on our turkey and taters. 

      He and a friend (who does the same job)  - 

will ice fish after Christmas to forget all those mobs.

      They’re already planning the trip-it’s locked in.   

 (And I think they’ll be packing a little Captain). 

      Lots of places still publish the things that I write.

 I do it from home – I write some days, some nights.

       I do stories and features, some columns, a blog.

This Christmas letter I do yearly, with nog.

     

 I spend time with Audrey when they need a hand. 

Kirk and I both love to see her, whenever we can.

      It’s a delight to see our crew grow a bit…

we have room for lots more and look forward to it.

      Our biggest blessing, this year we both know -

 Is we’re lucky to have our kids all pretty close.

      It looks like at Christmas we should all be together –

 Just crossing my fingers for no winter weather.   

      I’m so blessed to be a mom, grandma and wife;

I turned 50 this year, it’s a pretty great life.

     There are many blessings to count this time of year.

 I hope that you, too, have the ones you love near.

     I hope your fruit cake is fresh and your ham is delicious,

that you realize each one of your holiday wishes.

     That your ribbons and wrapping, match each other fine –

 And that Christmas is truly- a magical time.

      Love,    Sheila and  Kirk

Twists and turns

It has been an eventful summer and fall to say the least at our house.

In a twist...
Kirk was encouraged by his doctor to take eight weeks off of work and concentrate on getting his blood sugar back in check.
His Type 2 diabetes was pretty out of control about July and he just wasn't feeling well. His numbers were skyrocketing, even with medicine, and a newer diagnosis of high blood pressure was thrown into the mix and one medication leads to two, which leads to three and ....  they just decided to slam on the brakes and work on getting things back in check.
Well the eight weeks flew by just like we knew they would and he started back to work this past Monday. Things are still not where they should be but, of course, it's a marathon and not a sprint. He is also going to work on the sleep apnea they told him he had a while back. We've made a lot of changes and there will be more to come.

In a turn... Kyle has left.
Oh, he's not far. Bemidji is only an hour and a half away but after 25 years of kids running around the house with noise and friends and piles of things hither and yon it just seems weird.

About the time Kirk started his leave - Kyle started to pack.
Before we knew what was really happening it was just the two of us and the silly dog. Two people. Just like it was 27 years ago. Except now we are two people with five bedrooms, four bathrooms, five televisions, an acre and a half of a yard to mow and ... oh the silence is so loud.
Since I do all of my work and writing from home we did, however, joke that we got a little taste of what it will be like someday when we win the lottery :0) or, probably more realistically, retire. We're both still here to tell about it so I'm going to declare it somewhat of a success by George.  

Besides,
In another turn ...While Kirk was filling out paperwork to take his leave and Kyle and was putting all of his sweat pants and ball caps in suitcases I turned 50 years old.  Just 50. Practically a baby.
I have all kinds of time before retirement.