The air force base that I live on plays revelry at 7 am, The Star Spangled banner at 4:30, and retreat at 10:00pm. These are the sounds by which I measure my day, and like Pavlov’s dog, play the right tune and I’ll salivate on cue.
Today someone played the Star Spangled Banner at 3:30.
So immediately I’m thinking, “Whew- my day is nearly over and Chris is almost home and I might just make it to dinner without losing my mind after all. . .” and then a half an hour later I look at the clock and it is barely 4:00! I wondered for a few seconds if I might actually be losing it, so I called Chris at work to verify that I did, indeed hear the music and I wasn’t crazy. He confirmed that I, although of questionable sanity, did hear the music, and that quite a few people at work were confused and jumping at the bit to go home.
In addition to this, the Giant Voice System on base was going off like CRAZY today. The GVS is a huge broadcasting system to report drills and actual emergencies occurring on base. It has only gone off for a real issue once during the four years I’ve lived here, but it has gone off many, many times for drills and exercises. Now, you must understand, the GVS is broadcasted out of two separate towers- and there is a two second lag time between the towers, and I live directly in the center of these voices, so it sounds pretty garbled. I always spend the first few seconds trying to figure out what is being said, and opening the window so it sounds more clear. In addition to this, like most of the residents here, I tend to ignore the GVS all together unless something sounds interesting because they spend so much time crying wolf for exercises that I just assume nothing relevant to me is being said. After all, if we’re being bombed by terrorists or in the middle of a tornado, I’ll probably notice right? Does anything less than actual mayhem deserve my full attention? Any seasoned mother will tell you no.
I did not know there was a drill going on today when I arrived at the base on the way home from some errands. So when I drove through the security checkpoint mid- announcement and all I caught was that the base had just experienced an earthquake and to remain calm, stay indoors and call such and such to report any damage, I believed it. And it made me mad.
You see, I have been waiting for years to experience an earthquake. Here I am, a mere sixty miles from Earthquake Central on the other side of the Bay, and I haven’t ever felt the Earth move. I’ve tacked down bric-a-brac, safety mounted pictures to the walls and have a reasonable amount of emergency preparedness stuff at my fingertips, just in case. I am so ready. Mind you, I’d be content with a minor aftershock or a really small quake; I have no desire to experience The Big One, but I’m ready for it.
So when I hear that we just had a quake, and I somehow didn’t feel it I’m all, “WHAT THE HECK! Four years of waiting to feel an earthquake and I somehow miss it! NOT FAIR!” Which would be fine to think inside your head where no one can hear you, but I actually said it out loud to the gate guard who was checking my ID. He didn’t make much comment, so I drove toward home looking for signs of damage and there is nothing. “This just figures,” I’m muttering, wondering if I should call Chris to see if he felt it. Then I realize that he’s in Sacramento on a detail, so he has no idea. I’ll have to tell him later I think, probably shouldn’t call while he’s trying to bury someone.
A few minutes later the voice system comes on again, and as I whip open the window I hear that the main water supply on base has been contaminated and the main water main has broken. We are to drink bottled water until this is remedied. I’m all, ooookay then, maybe I’ll need to stock up on that before everyone cleans out the commissary since I dumbly let my five year old swipe all of my bottled water that I had stockpiled a year ago in case The Big One really did hit. I’m trying to figure out the easiest way to pack everyone into the car for a grocery run when I hear the words “EXERCISE EXERCISE EXERCISE” being shouted after the announcement. Suddenly things start falling into place.
This is all a test. A few minutes later the earthquake announcement is repeated and this time I catch that this too is merely a practice for the real deal. I put my shoes on and head outside with Maggie amid shouted orders of “Remain indoors! Secure your areas!” As I walk to the school to pick Jonas up, I once again tune out the crackly diatribe, doggedly going about my day as if no one is announcing doom and gloom. There are children to hold, laundry to fold, meals to prepare and always work to be done. I can’t help but reflect on how this goofy exercise so closely mirrors reality; there are warnings, misery and evil on every side, and humanity blunders on, doing the small and simple things that keep us sane, and root us in the ordinary.
Posted by Lou on May 7, 2008 @ 4:26 pm | 6 Comments
The internet is my gateway drug to the hardcore information found in published magazines and books. You know my interest is serious if I’ve bought a book off of Amazon or gone and spent an evening reading at our local bookstore. The fact that I have so many books I just have to read that I’ve already done those things multiple times and checked out (and read) a stack of books from the library means that I’ve reached critical mass. Armed with the kind of information that I’ve been inhaling the past few months, I am now pretty well sold on homeschooling.
I’ve always been like this. If I have an interest I just have to research the stuffing out of what ever topic I’m currently stuck on, be it hamsters or educational theory. When we were deciding to start our family I read more pregnancy and baby books than I can even remember, and then proceeded to develop such obscure complications that they weren’t even mentioned in the scads of information I’d processed in preparation. Kind of figures, doesn’t it?
The great thing about being weird like this is that in the process of all of the insecure, perfectionistic searching for answers is that by the time you make your decision, you really know why you are doing it. You know exactly where you stand and you can articulate your reasoning. Being a very verbal person, I need to be able to completely verbalize my reasoning to myself. I do not do well running off of gut feelings and instinct; I like my facts cold and hard, and I like my opinions to make a heck of a lot of sense when argued.
The trouble with needing those facts and logically reasoned out excuses is that sometimes I don’t jump on a gut feeling that does deserve some attention. Sometimes I take longer in making a change than I really needed to or even ought to have taken. However, I am pretty comfortable with myself, knowing that it is better for me to be a few weeks off with my head on straight and my eyes on the target and my heart in a happy place on the matter.
I think the biggest reason why it took so long for us to come to this place is that I don’t have one solid reason for wanting to have him learn at home. I have many reasons that span all the way from knowing my son’s temperament to disagreeing with some of the very fundamental principles that public schooling uses to educate. I will go more into those reasons later.
So, we will remove Jonas from school. We are not 100% certain if we will do this before the school year is up or wait out the last five weeks. We will be finding out in the next few days if Chris will be able to take leave for a two week vacation that we would like to do in May. That is one of our largest deciding factors, as well as Jonas’ increasing dislike and frustration with school. We are on our third week of a substitute who makes Jonas’ regular teacher look like a saint, and he is already growing by leaps and bounds through our efforts to work with him at home. So we will see. An early exit might be just what he needs.
I do plan to blog about many of the reasons why I am choosing this course for us for right now. Because there are so many different facets to my choice, I’m sure it will take a few posts. If you have any questions, do ask them here, and I will answer them.
Posted by Lou on April 30, 2008 @ 8:59 pm | 13 Comments
Filed in: Me
I had a real block when it comes to making pie crust. In fact, I was so bad at it I couldn’t get the crust from “rolled out” to “into the pie plate”. Forget about it tasting good, I couldn’t even get it to the oven to find out! After many years of attempts, many hands on tutorials with friends, and at least eight different recipes and moments of shame where I ran out and bought the crappy, pre-made, preservative laden, frozen crusts at the very last minute to save face, I have figured it out.
I was wandering about the Pioneer Woman site, as I am wont to do, when I found this recipe for crust. It made a lot of sense and had step by step photographic instructuion along with some very key verbal instructions that I had never heard before. I gathered my hopes and my pie making tools (stoneware pie dish, roller, baker’s mat, pastry blender, pie crust shield- I had harbored big dreams many times before, so I had all of the good pie paraphernalia, just no skill) and began to follow the directions.
I made a cherry pie. And not only did I get the crust into the pan (which, to be honest, I would have been satisfied with- “aim low” was my pie crust motto), but I made wonderful, flaky, yummy, perfect crust that made people oooh and ahhh at my mind boggling pie crust skills!
While I was pretty thrilled with this, I did have to wonder if perhaps it was a fluke, a momentary, merciful experience that I might treasure always, remembering with fondness, “remember the time I made real pie crust. . .wow.” I set out to make a pumpkin pie yesterday, and I am pleased to report that the fluke success was repeated, and so, I can only conclude that I can now make pie crust! Bless the Pioneer Woman!
I’m so proud of me!
Posted by Lou on April 17, 2008 @ 4:19 pm | 8 Comments
This year one of my goals was to learn to make a few of the traditional Norwegian goodies I grew up on. Krumkake required the purchase of a beautiful iron and the passing down of the recipe from Grandma. Krumkake is a crisp, rolled cookie that can be eaten plain or gussied up with some whipped cream and berries or pudding. It is excellent either way!
Posted by Lou on April 4, 2008 @ 7:55 pm | 12 Comments
Filed in: Me
March has been an interesting month for me. I’ve spent much of it sick, or dealing with sick children. I had a terrible virus toward the beginning of the month that gave me a six day 101-102 degree fever. While I was busy taking two weeks to get over that, Chris and Maggie got it, and Maggie spiked a 104 degree fever while Chris languished for days. During all of this, my completely wonderful parents came for a visit. We haven’t been blessed with each other’s company for two and a half years.
I was sick the entire visit. This was in some ways a mixed blessing. Usually before my parents visit I get very neurotic and try to clean, organize, and remodel every inch of our home within my power. I am on edge. I am stupid in my proud desires to look put together and overly competent. When this trip was planned I began forming a menu, a few low key but fun events, and some very special events. Then I got sick. I assumed that having gotten sick five days prior to when my parents would be arriving that I would be well on my way to healthy before I had to collect them from the airport. About forty-eight hours before their plane landed, I had faced the possibility that I might not be able to get absolutely everything done in time. Twenty-four hours later, I succumbed to the fact that there was simply no way I was going to pull off anything even remotely resembling a clean house seeing as how I was too sick to accomplish anything. I also hadn’t been to the store in days, so the gourmet dinners were looking pretty hopeless as well.
I picked them up from the airport. I was 101 degrees. I was also brain dead and had not remembered my debit card, cash, or military ID. The journey home required gas, a cash toll and an ID card. Amazingly, I did have my licence along for the ride. I have never been so unprepared for this trip in my life. I have also never been so sick that I almost wasn’t embarrassed to, immediately upon their arrival, ask my parents for money. At that point, I gave up any hope of dignified grown-up-ed-ness and let my parents take care of me for most of the remainder of the trip. They cleaned, shopped, cooked, installed shelves and hung stuff on walls, loved my children and let me sleep. I thoroughly enjoyed every second of being taken care of. I loved not being judged for my weakness, but being loved and respected, even when so feverish I hardly made sense. Chris and I have been making plans to try to move home to North Dakota when our time in the military is up in a year, and I wondered if maybe this visit would set me off to the idea. The exact opposite happened. If I could pull off moving to ND tomorrow, I would.
I have been away from home for so long that I forgot all of the wonderful things that make my family who they are. I love how if my parents say they will do something, they do. You never have to question their integrity. I love how they are always busy, always working to improve everything they are around be it people or a dirty stove. I love how my parents see a need and just fill it. I get so much joy watching them be grandparents; they are firm but patient, wiser and gentler after years of practicing on my generation. My children could use that kind of influence regularly. I love my parents. Sure, there are a lot of goofy things about them too, we are a family of quirks, no doubt, but there is just so much goodness I want to wrap myself up in it.
Posted by Lou on March 28, 2008 @ 8:12 pm | 4 Comments
Filed in: Me
Yesterday I didn’t feel so good. Now, I had just finished cleaning the garage (allergic to dust), and then weeded the flowerbed (allergic to grass and weeds), so I figured allergies were to blame. This morning I got up and took the cat to the vet, where he proceeded to help me out by shaving hunks of matted fur off of her neck. (The cat, she needs to improve her grooming ability. More time licking, less time sleeping and making my eyes itch). Since I am quite allergic to cat fur, and had pretty much bathed in it, I credited my crappy symptoms to the allergies once again. After all, when you’ve just mixed dust, grass and cat, you’ve pretty much told Mother Nature to take her best shot. You shouldn’t be surprised when you end up with a shiner. Nature likes to win.
About an hour later I had a fever and glands the size of peaches. Large, viral peaches. Yum. I also had 5 children running around the house, a package to take to the post office and enough work to keep me busy for a good five hours. I also have an appointment of some sort or another every single day this week and hours of work culminating in my teaching a full day of classes and picking up my parents from the airport. Of course I can do all of this feeling like horse puckey.
My only question is this: Who’s going to clean the house? That I’d like to know.
Posted by Lou on March 5, 2008 @ 11:44 pm | 8 Comments
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