Friday, November 23, 2018
The Red Notice
Our November book club read was The Red Notice by Bill Browder. With an interesting connection with Wichita, this book is a page-turner, and a true one, at that. Browder was raised within a Communist household, but when he went to college, he became a capitalist. This book is the story of how he invested in Russia and won . . . and then became Russia's public enemy #1. After reading the book, I understood much better how the Russian Oligarchs made their money, how Putin operates, and why the oligarchs do his bidding. A fascinating book that opened a whole new world of intrigue. Highly recommended!
Monday, November 19, 2018
Punkin-in
This year Don and I decided to try to grow pumpkins. We planted five plants. They were beautiful; they grew everywhere! They bloomed like crazy. And we got one pumpkin. One. Good thing it was a nice one.
We learned we need to plant them earlier than July 4 . . . it was a stretch to get it "oranged up" in time. The last two weeks, Don was moving the pumpkin into the sun, hoping that it would turn in time, and the day before Halloween, it was good enough.
We also learned that when a pumpkin is leaning against a garden stake, it puts a dent in it . . . hence, it was a little crooked. But that didn't matter to one little boy.
He and Papa cut the pumpkin open, cleaned out the seeds (which was much easier than with those we buy - not sure why), drew on the face, and cut it. When done, Caleb named him Punkin-in (as contrasted with Punkin-out). Not sure I exactly got it . . . but we enjoyed talking about Punkin-in.
After Halloween, we put Punkin-in in the backyard for the squirrels. The second day, Punkin-in's hat was missing. It was found out near a tree. Those sneaky, snacky squirrels stole his hat and dragged it out to the yard. Caleb was glad we could give the squirrels some food!
We learned we need to plant them earlier than July 4 . . . it was a stretch to get it "oranged up" in time. The last two weeks, Don was moving the pumpkin into the sun, hoping that it would turn in time, and the day before Halloween, it was good enough.
We also learned that when a pumpkin is leaning against a garden stake, it puts a dent in it . . . hence, it was a little crooked. But that didn't matter to one little boy.
He and Papa cut the pumpkin open, cleaned out the seeds (which was much easier than with those we buy - not sure why), drew on the face, and cut it. When done, Caleb named him Punkin-in (as contrasted with Punkin-out). Not sure I exactly got it . . . but we enjoyed talking about Punkin-in.
After Halloween, we put Punkin-in in the backyard for the squirrels. The second day, Punkin-in's hat was missing. It was found out near a tree. Those sneaky, snacky squirrels stole his hat and dragged it out to the yard. Caleb was glad we could give the squirrels some food!
Roller coasters
Sometimes it is hard to tell when a person is on a roller coaster and when one is just busy . . . until the roller coaster derails! The last four days have been absolutely that roller coaster ride - mostly fun but with a few crazy times in between.
I knew the week would be crazy . . . it was the last week before a long Thanksgiving break; we had a Thanksgiving Feast and Grandparents' Day at school - both very busy times; we had a ribbon-cutting and a Board meeting; I had Book Club . . . and then Friday night, Don had his Stockholders' meeting for PEC, which is always a nice time. Don was in charge of getting everything ready for the tailgate on Saturday, so we were up and on our way by 7:00. Never mind that it was Don's birthday, we were up and around early, arriving at the stadium at 9:30. It was cold, cold, cold so we were tailgating inside. Bundled up like crazy, we made our way into the game, and to our surprise, it was much fun. An exciting win made the drive back home better . . . until at 9:00 pm Don had to dump and winterize the RV. He finished by 11:00 pm, and then we were up and around at 6:00 am again to head to the cabin. We put the RV away, and by 7:30 a.m. Sunday, we were driving to the cabin. Phew!
Don's dad had been admitted to the hospital on Thursday for pneumonia (though that day he had gotten a haircut, gone shopping, and driven to the casino), so we decided to drive by Dodge City on our way. We are glad we did, but we were certainly not expecting what we found. That morning, his dad had decided that his funeral would be on Wednesday and that he was going to stop treatment for the pneumonia. What? Not at all what we expected to hear.
We convinced him to wait until his other sons could arrive, and within an hour, Kris, Kenton, and our Kenneth were on their way. Don and I decided that I should come home, since I had dogs, frozen food, and other food in the car. Kenneth and I nearly passed each other as I drove home and he drove to Dodge, and by 8:00 pm, everyone had gathered. Kenny was sound asleep, however, and stayed that way all night.
Long story short, Monday morning, they all visited, and Kenny realized the medicine was beginning to work. Although he was very tired, he was breathing better, and his attitude had improved. He agreed to be transferred to a nursing home, where he could recuperate. Don will be coming home maybe - or I will be going there for Thanksgiving Day and we will both come home. Still not sure.
During all of the activity on Sunday, when we were talking with Kenny about funerals, Diana was having a different experience. I called her and she said she was on a scavenger hunt. Hm. I knew what that probably meant, and indeed, a few hours later, I received the news that she and Daniel are engaged. We could not be more pleased!
Don and I considered going back to the cabin on Tuesday, but the reality is, his dad is not out of the woods. We would rather be closer than in New Mexico . . . so our trip to the cabin has been delayed. But that is ok. It is more important to be here for Kenny. So our roller coaster has not derailed after all. It did some crazy things, even maybe went upside down . . . but we are still here and plugging along.
I knew the week would be crazy . . . it was the last week before a long Thanksgiving break; we had a Thanksgiving Feast and Grandparents' Day at school - both very busy times; we had a ribbon-cutting and a Board meeting; I had Book Club . . . and then Friday night, Don had his Stockholders' meeting for PEC, which is always a nice time. Don was in charge of getting everything ready for the tailgate on Saturday, so we were up and on our way by 7:00. Never mind that it was Don's birthday, we were up and around early, arriving at the stadium at 9:30. It was cold, cold, cold so we were tailgating inside. Bundled up like crazy, we made our way into the game, and to our surprise, it was much fun. An exciting win made the drive back home better . . . until at 9:00 pm Don had to dump and winterize the RV. He finished by 11:00 pm, and then we were up and around at 6:00 am again to head to the cabin. We put the RV away, and by 7:30 a.m. Sunday, we were driving to the cabin. Phew!
Don's dad had been admitted to the hospital on Thursday for pneumonia (though that day he had gotten a haircut, gone shopping, and driven to the casino), so we decided to drive by Dodge City on our way. We are glad we did, but we were certainly not expecting what we found. That morning, his dad had decided that his funeral would be on Wednesday and that he was going to stop treatment for the pneumonia. What? Not at all what we expected to hear.
We convinced him to wait until his other sons could arrive, and within an hour, Kris, Kenton, and our Kenneth were on their way. Don and I decided that I should come home, since I had dogs, frozen food, and other food in the car. Kenneth and I nearly passed each other as I drove home and he drove to Dodge, and by 8:00 pm, everyone had gathered. Kenny was sound asleep, however, and stayed that way all night.
Long story short, Monday morning, they all visited, and Kenny realized the medicine was beginning to work. Although he was very tired, he was breathing better, and his attitude had improved. He agreed to be transferred to a nursing home, where he could recuperate. Don will be coming home maybe - or I will be going there for Thanksgiving Day and we will both come home. Still not sure.
During all of the activity on Sunday, when we were talking with Kenny about funerals, Diana was having a different experience. I called her and she said she was on a scavenger hunt. Hm. I knew what that probably meant, and indeed, a few hours later, I received the news that she and Daniel are engaged. We could not be more pleased!
Don and I considered going back to the cabin on Tuesday, but the reality is, his dad is not out of the woods. We would rather be closer than in New Mexico . . . so our trip to the cabin has been delayed. But that is ok. It is more important to be here for Kenny. So our roller coaster has not derailed after all. It did some crazy things, even maybe went upside down . . . but we are still here and plugging along.
Yes, You Can Go Home Again!
It is four months after I started back at The Independent School, and I can say that sometimes one can go home again! Yes, things are different . . . but they are the same in so many ways.
Although many of the faces have changed, attitudes have not. Our faculty is still one of the friendliest and most nurturing groups I have ever known. I have never seen a group of people who love their students like our teachers do. Creative? Absolutely . . . just as they always have been. Friendly? You bet. Motivated to be the best, every day? No doubt.
This has been quite a journey for me . . . it is hard for me to realize I have been on the job for 4 months already. There is a lot to do, but with the support of all of the people involved, it will be manageable.
Yes, indeed, if you are willing to accept that some things will be different, you can go home again.
Although many of the faces have changed, attitudes have not. Our faculty is still one of the friendliest and most nurturing groups I have ever known. I have never seen a group of people who love their students like our teachers do. Creative? Absolutely . . . just as they always have been. Friendly? You bet. Motivated to be the best, every day? No doubt.
This has been quite a journey for me . . . it is hard for me to realize I have been on the job for 4 months already. There is a lot to do, but with the support of all of the people involved, it will be manageable.
Yes, indeed, if you are willing to accept that some things will be different, you can go home again.
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