Sweet Sabbath

Another Sunday has come, and I was more than happy to see it. This has been a difficult week, and I was thankful for a day of rest. Tomorrow I will pull out my paint and brushes, attack more weeds, and try to clean house. Today, I let things slide. I think we all owe that to ourselves from time to time. Today I napped, read a book, watched old movies, and baked bread with Bailee. It was a good day.

Tomorrow the paint and brushes, weeds, hoses, and household clutter will return to hound my steps from dawn to well past dusk ... but thank goodness for Sundays and the chance to take a deep breath and recharge!

Good news on the Diana front. This week she will finally be free of her nighttime oxygen. She will transfer to a C-Pap machine. We will NOT miss the $400 price tag of the oxygen every month. We have also decided to refinance the house to take care of some of the medical bills that have added up over the past three years. President Obama may not be spot on with his plans, but I certainly agree that something has to be done about outrageous medical costs and insurance companies that feature themselves as robber barons. After all we have gone through with Diana's back fusion, mom's fall, and my cancer scare - I feel mighty militant! Some of the bills we received went far beyond ridiculous. (Such as $1000 for four days of physical therapy. After that, the insurance company refused to pay any more. "Sorry. Aren't you recovered from your back fusion yet?")

Tomorrow is Diana's birthday. In between painting we are going to bake her cake, take Bailee to a pottery class one of her friends arranged with a local potter, and celebrate.

Another Supid Idea of Mine

The walls really did need to be painted. This is my new mantra. I repeat it to myself at least hourly. Sometimes I repeat it minute by minute. The fact is, painting looks great when it is done but is a horrific mess while in progress. We are in the "in progress" step right now. I am sick of spackling, blue painters' tape, brushes, paint cans, newspaper, drop clothes, and that is all that surrounds me right now. The kitchen and living room are a disaster area (and yes, I am the disaster). Whose idea was it? Mine. Stupid, stupid me.

The walls will need two coats of paint (at least). I curse the builder and the buyer who thought vaulted ceilings were cool. Sometimes I just want to curse. However, I am painting. Little by little, bit by bit. I keep telling myself that at some point in the future (however distant) it will be done, it will look nice, and I will be glad I undertook this project. Yeah, right.

Crazy Caribou

Our American Eskimo mix, Caribou, is crazy. As you have seen in past blogs, he tends to get into strange adventures involving fiber fill. He also has been know to steal zucchini from the deck and chow down on it. Well, I don't know how much he ingests - but he does seem to enjoy tearing "zucchini bats" to pieces.

His latest adventure involved one of our resident water snakes from Little Sand Creek, which runs behind our house. Most of the family is repulsed by the creatures, but I appreciate their help in keeping garden pests down - and Bailee finds them quite intriguing. Caribou, however, sees them as vile intruders on HIS territory. This young pup is really territorial, and also resents the presence of joggers and people fetching their mail from the box in front of our house (which is why this story - while funny - also fills me with a certain degree of trepidation).

Caribou discovered a water snake in the yard, and promptly gave chase, while doing what I believe is the canine equivalent of a cussing out. He and the snake cut a crazy path across the yard, but Caribou finally caught up. This is where I expected bloodshed and all manner of grossness that I would have to clean up (while listening to Diana and Mom scream).

Instead, Caribou promptly raised his leg and peed on the snake ... then watched the snake crawl under the fence into the front yard with a "so there" expression on his face. Like I said - Caribou is crazy!

And, in reference to our joggers and mail gatherers, consider this a warning. As for me - I don't know whether to put up a sign that says "Beware of Dog" or "Beware of Bladder."

The Heat is On!

Our temperatures have finally hit the 90s (much to our dismay), so that means that the younger set is keeping cool by frolicking in the water. It's fun to see them having a good time doing the things we remember from our childhood. Wading pools and running through the sprinkler have not lost their allure! We are also thankful for our pool here in Ammon. What a lifesaver! The prices are reasonable, it's well kept, and there are plenty of lifeguards. What a jewel! Bailee has been having a great time with next door neighbors Abby and Bree.

We cashed in some of our Amazon Reward Points this week for some Corelle dishes, books, and shoes (yes, we've been saving up for some time). The shipment arrived packed in bubble wrap, which still is a source of wild excitement to Bales. She took it upon herself to craft a bubble wrap ensemble. It doesn't look TOO much different from what we now see on the red carpet at Hollywood premiers! Is that scary or what? The best part was when she rolled all over the house trying to pop the dress. It was hilarious! The animal members of the house thought she was insane, and Hadlee retreated in terror under the furniture.

Despite the heat, Bailee was determined to make and frost her first layer cake. She had a great time, and developed an interested lavender frosting. It was quite the intense scientific process. I think she did pretty well for a beginner! Like her grandmother, she loves to cook.