Thursday, September 28, 2006

Our Supposedly Peaceful Morning

Our house is usually soothingly busy in the mid-to-late morning. Every one is minding they’re own business, and there aren’t any distractions yet to start our day off crazy.

This morning I was coming in from chores, and had just walked into the porch, I was looking forward to relaxing for a bit before going on with the rest of my day.

But upon opening the door and walking in, I got an idea of something was wrong but I wasn’t sure what. All I could hear and see was…

“Stove’s breaking…get circuit breaker off… call Dad!” Above the din I heard in the kitchen an incessant tick, tick, tick that sounded like the gas stove was trying to start up a burner. Levi, and Mom were making a beeline to the electrical box. Britt was following them trying to get her connection on the phone back (which had been rudely turned off), and I didn’t bother to follow them (it only takes one person to flip a switch or two).

I went into the kitchen and noticed that one burner was lit and on Low and a knob for another burner was pointing at the Light space. I shut them both off, wondering what all the fuss was about.

Everybody was coming back into the kitchen and Mom says,

“Hey it stopped.” (talking about the ticking)

“Yeah, I turned it off.” I couldn’t figure out what in the world was they’re problem.

“How’d you do that?!”

“I turned the knob off.”

She looked at the stove for a second confused.

“It was on light” I pointed to the knob and turned it to where it was a second ago.

“Oh, DUH!!”

I made a couple mental notes that they all were, or used to be blonde, and that you don’t turn a gas stove off by an electrical box.

So what did you expect… a peaceful morning? I guess not today.



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Friday, September 22, 2006

Drama, Normal, and an Unnamed Filly

Drama marches in on the hoof of a chestnut steed. Of course it invariably has to happen right as the Friday evening suppertime bell is about to ring. And as usual, it all starts out with the announcement that another escape from the pasture has occurred. There, just outside the front picture window is a beautiful quarter horse grazing on the short grass with elegant leisure.

Fortunately it’s only Filly (for want of a better name), who is mellow and calm and likes people. Slip a halter on, and Voila! she’s caught. End of drama.

That is, under normal circumstances. But since life seldom dishes out normality it would naturally be an abnormal circumstance this evening. Dad was the first to notice the indication that this would not be a normal experience.

"Hey, what’s on her hoof?" He pointed out, as Hannah was about to lead her to green pastures.

The discovery was not a good one. However had it not been made the outcome would’ve been tragic for Miss Filly. So, I guess in that case, it was a good discovery.

There, just above the hoof on her back right leg was blood. And lots of it, with no sign of let up. On closer examination, reality was that our Filly was badly cut. A wound most gruesome that could probably have a dramatic effect on the faint-at-heart, which I happen to almost be.

It didn’t take long to know that this was more than a simple wound cured with the cure-all red-cote. It was time to dig out the phone book and try to remember who our vet was. Dad placed the emergency call, and after finally contacting Mr. Schmidt, he said he was on his way.

For what seemed like hours, but was probably less than one, Hannah and I stood in the cold autumn rain feeling pathetically sorry for Filly’s ghastly hoof and trying not to look at it as we crooned and comforted the poor mare. We discussed in soft tones what would be a good proper name for the first horse that has been on our property for two years and as of yet unnamed. That discussion ended where it always does.

The rain was continuing to drench through my supposed-to-be waterproof slicker, the puddle of blood around that poor hoof was growing and so was Filly’s discomfort. I was reminded why I was never interested in the EMT field. It was a great relief to see the Tahoe pull into the driveway and finally closed the short nursing career-for-the-evening chapter of my life.

A shot later, Filly stood there in a glazed stupor while Mr. Schmidt readied his tools. He threaded his horrifically huge needle and started stitching away explaining cheerfully that she cut through the cartilage and a vein, and why his two kids aren’t going to college for veterinary practice.

After 10 or so stitches, a tetanus shot and some antibiotics the drama came to an end while the rain continued it’s incessant beating on the rickety tin shack that was serving as a clinic. We head back to the neglected supper in our cozy house, leaving the poor Filly on the mend, but so drugged she has no idea she's alive. Life returns to normal. Normal? Well, Filly is still unnamed, and that’s normal.


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Saturday, September 16, 2006

Levi



Since today is Levi’s birthday, I couldn’t help but reminisce of the exciting adventure he is to our family.

He was born eleven years ago. He’s since kept up with life by taking it fast and furious. It took him years to learn how to walk. His first three steps were a breath-taking run, and he’s been running ever since.

He’s so notorious for tripping and falling, it’s not even funny. A crash is a normal sound around here. The fearful look from the faint-at-heart not accustomed to hearing such things, is assured with the fact that all is well, "It just sounds like Levi."

There was that time Mom and Dad thought it would be lovely to have a picture of the kids to give to the grandparents. So they arranged us up on one of the many flights of stairs in our split-level house. Of course six young kids are not always photogenic, especially if there’s one who’s accident-prone. Just as the camera shutter flashes there’s a Levi-gasp. He managed to lurch from his little perch at the top of the stairs (who in the world stuck him up there anyway?) and took his accidental flight clear down to the bottom, landing with a Levi-crash. Of course that picture never quite made it to a 5x7.

While printing out wedding invitations for Toby and Courtney, I made the mistake of allowing Levi to do his schoolwork at the same table. Don’t ask me how the pencil got from Levi’s notebook to the internal revenues of Toby’s printer, but it did. The computer shrieked and the sound of printing gears jamming put my work on hold. Being in a time-crunch I had no other choice but to pick up the phone and call my brother in-law-to-be who happened to be out on a date with his fiancĂ©e. He tried to talk me through the steps of righting the situation, but the invitations from then on had faint lines on them.

Then there’s the time that in a game of tag out in the woods, Levi crashed headlong into a tree. He bravely bore the bruises, abrasions, cuts and teasing about tree-hugging for weeks. When it was finally healed, he managed to be playing the same game in the same woods and found himself head-to-trunk with the same tree, bearing the same inevitable consequences for weeks yet again.

But that’s our Levi… And the way we like him. I hope you have a safe and happy 11th birthday, Levi!


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Wednesday, September 13, 2006

Not To Be Read Once and Then Forgotton

“Either you think—or else others have to think for you and take power from you, pervert and discipline your natural tastes, civilize and sterilize you.” —F. Scott Fitzgerald

“The nation’s honor is dearer than the nation’s comfort; yes, than the nation’s life itself.” —Woodrow Wilson

“Americans have a reputation for giving a fight to whoever asks for it. We intend to live up to our reputation, too.” —Wesley Pruden

These quotes, I'm sure, were given to a nation in order to stir up patriotism. Upon reading them, though, I see that each one could be speaking to social, political, or spiritual hearers. Substitute the word "church" for "nation", or the word "Christian" for "American" and see if these quotes would stir up a gift that is within you...

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Thanks to "The Patriot Post" (PatriotPost.US) 06-37 Chronicle for the quotes

5,000 Words

Apparently all the little Otters are experiencing a severe case of writer's block. So, if in the case of wondering whether or not we have vacated the planet called cyberspace, I'll make it as obvious as possible that we haven't.

One day Zack turned Sweet Sixteen. Perhaps this will be a significant year in his life since his quest for June Girl hasn't yet ended.


Another day, Hannah embarked upon the second year of the teenage years.


Colfax had it's annual firemen's parade. Our very own dear Gabe participated in, with his brother Levi as a passenger.

Family life continues as usual.
Crazy as ever.


Now would some other wordless Otter start making tracks??

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Tuesday, September 05, 2006

Nebraskans Left


I personally think they'd fit in Wisconsin really well.

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Hopefully not Britt's plans


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