Bring on Summer!
It was 19 years ago yesterday that I moved into our home. That sentence sounds a little odd in that the 'I' is not a 'we' but it refers to a time when I was still back in my former life with my former wife. Tammy and Rachel wouldn't come and bless my presence for another 7 years. (There's a whole other life of mine that I've written very little about or for that matter, discussed much and I'm guessing it will probably remain that way.)
Our home has seen many transitions over the years with Tammy being the inspiration behind the majority of them. We've still got two large projects waiting in the wings and they'll remain on hold until Rachel's education is paid for.
Mom stopped by Thursday morning to check out our gardens. I had her take my arm and walked her to the backyard much more slowly than she would've made that walk just one year ago. It's been a difficult year for her but she's a determined woman and not one to sit back and allow her age to keep her down. But one thing is certain: without my brother Tim living with her, her life would be considerably more difficult. I know I'm not alone in feeling very glad and appreciative that he's there for her. Thanks, Tim.
We had a barbecue at our home on Thursday night for our small group from church. It may be the last time we'll get to all be together as Paul and Kate are moving to Montana in a couple weeks. Paul drove his DeLorean. I apologized to the other guys for not taking any pics of their cars. They understood.
We didn't get a chance to blow glass this week.
Between some troubles at the studio with one of the furnaces and a workshop being put on by Tony Cray, an artist from St. Louis, Missouri, we couldn't manage to find a time slot that would work for us. But rather than be without our weekly fix of glassblowing, we decided to spend a few hours there Friday, observing the workshop from the cheap seats. What he was teaching was well beyond where we're at but it's always helpful to see what can be done. Here's some video I took.
I had to laugh yesterday. I came home from a ride and Tammy told me that Rachel had some friends over and that they loved the glasses we've been making. They were really happy when Tammy told them to take some for themselves. I can't think of a better compliment for where we're at in our early stages of learning this art.
Speaking of my ride. It's been a while since I've had to dodge as many thunderstorms as I did yesterday. I went out with a forecast in hand for only a 10% chance of rain but in the first few miles, I found myself questioning that. I was thankful for my Droid and its Weather Channel app which helped me plan a route the best I could to avoid them. But the problem was in how fast they were developing and at one point, I had to bailout for the shelter of a convenience store before continuing on. But still, it was nice to be out, especially when considering that this is my worst start to a cycling year since 2002. Okay, so I'm not going to be setting any distance records this year. I get that.
Even the pups aren't in the shape they should be for this time of year. We took Toby and Charlie out for a walk yesterday morning with a temp in the mid-60s (Allie is recovering from surgery so she stayed behind) and after a mile, Charlie was looking for a lift. He wouldn't budge. I picked him up and carried him for a block before putting him back down. Toby did okay but I could tell that he too was tired so we pulled over and sat with the pups while waiting for Rachel to come and get us.
We had a laugh on the way home. I asked Rachel if she remembered the time when she was learning to drive and how she asked me if my leg ever got tired when I drove. I can't remember how that conversation from a few years ago went exactly but at some point, it became apparent that she wasn't resting her foot on the floor but instead had it elevated so it was totally over the gas pedal. Yeah, I can see how my leg would get tired too. I showed her a better way and it was no doubt a "Doh!" moment for her. Tammy especially enjoyed the story as she'd never heard it.
Thanks for the ride, Rachel, and the laugh!
Our home has seen many transitions over the years with Tammy being the inspiration behind the majority of them. We've still got two large projects waiting in the wings and they'll remain on hold until Rachel's education is paid for.
Mom stopped by Thursday morning to check out our gardens. I had her take my arm and walked her to the backyard much more slowly than she would've made that walk just one year ago. It's been a difficult year for her but she's a determined woman and not one to sit back and allow her age to keep her down. But one thing is certain: without my brother Tim living with her, her life would be considerably more difficult. I know I'm not alone in feeling very glad and appreciative that he's there for her. Thanks, Tim.
We had a barbecue at our home on Thursday night for our small group from church. It may be the last time we'll get to all be together as Paul and Kate are moving to Montana in a couple weeks. Paul drove his DeLorean. I apologized to the other guys for not taking any pics of their cars. They understood.
We didn't get a chance to blow glass this week.
Between some troubles at the studio with one of the furnaces and a workshop being put on by Tony Cray, an artist from St. Louis, Missouri, we couldn't manage to find a time slot that would work for us. But rather than be without our weekly fix of glassblowing, we decided to spend a few hours there Friday, observing the workshop from the cheap seats. What he was teaching was well beyond where we're at but it's always helpful to see what can be done. Here's some video I took.I had to laugh yesterday. I came home from a ride and Tammy told me that Rachel had some friends over and that they loved the glasses we've been making. They were really happy when Tammy told them to take some for themselves. I can't think of a better compliment for where we're at in our early stages of learning this art.
Speaking of my ride. It's been a while since I've had to dodge as many thunderstorms as I did yesterday. I went out with a forecast in hand for only a 10% chance of rain but in the first few miles, I found myself questioning that. I was thankful for my Droid and its Weather Channel app which helped me plan a route the best I could to avoid them. But the problem was in how fast they were developing and at one point, I had to bailout for the shelter of a convenience store before continuing on. But still, it was nice to be out, especially when considering that this is my worst start to a cycling year since 2002. Okay, so I'm not going to be setting any distance records this year. I get that.
Even the pups aren't in the shape they should be for this time of year. We took Toby and Charlie out for a walk yesterday morning with a temp in the mid-60s (Allie is recovering from surgery so she stayed behind) and after a mile, Charlie was looking for a lift. He wouldn't budge. I picked him up and carried him for a block before putting him back down. Toby did okay but I could tell that he too was tired so we pulled over and sat with the pups while waiting for Rachel to come and get us.
We had a laugh on the way home. I asked Rachel if she remembered the time when she was learning to drive and how she asked me if my leg ever got tired when I drove. I can't remember how that conversation from a few years ago went exactly but at some point, it became apparent that she wasn't resting her foot on the floor but instead had it elevated so it was totally over the gas pedal. Yeah, I can see how my leg would get tired too. I showed her a better way and it was no doubt a "Doh!" moment for her. Tammy especially enjoyed the story as she'd never heard it.
Thanks for the ride, Rachel, and the laugh!
Comments
you should've borrowed my back to the future hat for that car pic.