So spring begins and, with it, soccer

It snowed last weekend and stayed cold, cold enough that the snow had not even melted by Tuesday.  Our first soccer practice on the field was cancelled.  Robert instead took advantage of the opportunity to meet with (most of) the team.  We brought lots of pizzas.

Trevor's CAP meetings are held in this room, and with just our soccer team, it seemed very large. And quiet.  These kids do not talk.

Robert: What do we need to work on this season?

Team, in unison:  Communication and passing!

And then there's dead silence.  We have the quietest team in the league.  We also have the oldest--four of our twelve are graduating in a few months, and I'm pretty sure we also have the tallest team. 

Very nice to hear were the words this morning of the league director at the sideline judge informational meeting. (Players have the opportunity to sideline judge during the season and get paid for it.)  No need to reiterate it here, but I want to make a permanent note of it.

Book Reviews

It's been awhile since I've read a string of good books. I guess I shouldn't be surprised how quickly I'm going through them.

The Distance Between Us: A Memoir by Reyna Grande

The author relates her childhood in Mexico following her father's departure to the United States.  Her mother follows shortly after, leaving Reyna and her siblings to be raised by an unkind grandmother. Her mother returns with another child after her husband abandons her.  The father eventually comes back for (most of) his children, smuggling them into the U.S., where they begin public middle and high school. The story continues as the author is the first in her family to graduate high school, and she is accepted into UC Santa Cruz.

This was a well-written book involving the personal side of illegal immigrants. It'd be a great read for teens too.

The Duck Commander Family: How Family, Family, and Ducks Built a Dynasty by Willie and Korie Robertson

Well, the Robertsons sure have become a household name over this past year.  After hearing so much about Duck Dynasty from friends, we watched an episode.  Trevor's priceless comment: "We've already lived this.  We could set up a camera in Callaway and see the same thing."  True, true.

Back to the book.  A nice, easy read, no literary masterpiece but just like having Willie and Korie on tv, except you're reading their words as they describe earlier parts of their life together, their family, and how the Duck Dynasty came to be. Also included are various recipes for your reading entertainment, such as Boiled Squirrel, Willie Burgers, and Duck Wraps.

Mary Emma & Company by Ralph Moody

We've tried for five years to get the entire Ralph Moody series in our library, and with the recent reprinting, we are finally successful!  I've read a handful of his books before, detailing his younger years growing up around and in Littleton.  This book takes place as the family leaves Colorado, with Ralph's widowed mother taking the children to her childhood town outside of Boston.

I love this series and can't wait to continue reading them all.

More flashback

I saw these somewhere and made them for lunch the other day. Holly and Trevor reminisced about the pigs in a blanket they used to love to eat, which made us think of Holly's bff Mackenzie--who loved coming over for pigs in a blanket.

I texted the picture to Mackenzie, who wrote back, "Aw, that just made my whole day! I miss you all so much!"  Well, her sweet words made MY day, and I didn't even comment that she was in the middle of school and shouldn't be texting at all!

Orange Conversation Day

For better or worse, yesterday will go down in the history of our home as Orange Conversation Day. 

1) They do not come precut. God, however, already cut them for you inside.

2) You peel them, but you don't have to.

3) If you don't peel them, you just cut them through the middle, and they are ready to eat.

It was all terribly confusing (to both of us), it was like we were speaking two different languages and did not understand each other.

I considered calling it Holes in Fruit Education Day, but it didn't have such an encouraging ring to it, and I've apparently failed enough already.

**Note to anyone reading.  Don't ask. I won't tell anyway.

Flashback

Trevor's been taking algebra this year through on online class. It's worked out very, very well for both of us, and we are both looking forward to him doing geometry the same way next year. He got stuck on something tonight and couldn't access the teacher's lesson, so he asked Robert for help with his homework.

When I met Rob 22+ years ago, I have plenty of memories of him working on his college math homework, sitting at his kitchen table with his dad working through it with him.

Time flies.

This weekend

Saturday sunrise. Mid 50s. I worked.

Sunday. Rob and I went to a church in Bedford.  We've been to the local satellite church here a few times and wanted to see the main campus. (I guess that's kind of a pun, since it's at a local high school.)  Rain and icy rain on the way there, and when we came out, it looked like this.

No worries on the long drive home.  A nice spring snow, heavy, wet. Home for the afternoon, where it's warm and dry, and we can watch the snow from the window.

Mom brag

This is Holly's second semester taking Chinese via dual enrollment from Northern Virginia Community College.  (The class is online, offered through our local CC.)  Her final grade in her Chinese I class was an A.  She just received back her midterm in her Chinese II course--and received another A.

 I'm very proud of her!

Past few days

A very good week. Holly's sociology class was canceled. She and I dragged Trevor along to Walmart to pick up her new glasses. We made a rare trip to Dairy Queen. We all ordered the exact same thing, a cherry Mr. Misty float. They don't even have Mr. Misty floats on the menu anymore (and they don't call the drink a Mr. Misty anymore, but I can never remember the --no longer--new name), but most stores will happily make the drink.

Trevor's Tuesday biology class was postponed to later in the week.  I joked that, if I had cancelled school as much as these teachers do, we never would have done anything!

Holly received her orientation information for Mason. Exciting!  (And nerve wracking!)

It's been in the upper 70s this week, it's rained, and we've had a high of 32.  It's the first week of spring, and with soccer beginning next week, it had better warm up soon.

One more pic

Here's one more really nice picture from when my dad and Sherry visited. This was on his camera, so I missed it during the earlier post.

On Mill Mountain overlook

Work

Especially now that I no longer live or shop where I work, it's too easy to forget the impact we have on the little kids that come through our library week after week.  Last week, a little 2-1/2 year old boy approached, held out these flowers, and lisped, "Dees are fuh you."

The angle of the photo is deceiving.  It's a miniature vase, and the whole thing, from the bottom of the vase to the top of the buds, is just 4-1/2 inches high.

Precious.  Priceless.

St. Patrick's Day

After sleeping through dinner last night, and then going to bed early last night, this was the product of my early morning.

A very lazy St. Patrick's Day. Rainy, gray, cold.  Happy to stay inside and never leave my pajamas.  A big dinner of corned beef, carrots, potatoes, and (root) beer.  Sweet memories of this day when the kids were little. Robert and I would sprinkle their beds with gold glitter, leave gold coin candy bedside, and we'd drop green food coloring in the toilet water and milk.. (Yes, an interesting combination, I suppose!)

Lucky

Holly took this picture of Lucky.  He was laying on his giant pillow, which is against the computer cabinet, and apparently he didn't mind that it was smooshing into part of his head. He didn't even move when she got close to take the picture.

Our sweet goofy dog.

National Pi Day

My friend Judy's husband has been working out of state since the beginning of the year. That means he comes home every other weekend or so. We've made it a point to have Judy and Kurt (Trevor's best friend for many years) over for dinner on Thursday nights. We've all been really good about making this routine. I like it; things are much more low key since it's just the two of them. I just make more of whatever we would otherwise have for dinner, and I don't feel guilty for doing the dishes while she sits at my table doing her knitting.

She's a lovely dessert-baker and has been in the habit of bringing dessert. Tonight, we had Pioneer Woman's Potato Soup. In honor of National Pi Day, Judy brought Lime Meringue Pie.

She brought a square pie--because Pi R Squared, don't you know?!

Spring Snow

As expected, we woke to a nice bit of snow on the ground this morning.

It was deep and wet enough that I opted to not make my way through it to get into work today, but my dad and Sherry figured they were right off the highway and heading south, where they'd be out of the wintery weather within a few hours.

A good day to stay inside, pretend to catch up and really do not much of anything. Maybe that's not entirely true.  I'm slowly continuing to catch up on photos and blogging.  Trevor gave the dog a bath. There ya go!

Dad and Sherry's visit

My dad and Sherry stopped by on their way back from Uncle Al's memorial service. It's been 3-1/2 years since we've seen them. They came in on Monday afternoon, and we stayed at the house. I made homemade minestrone soup, a salad and Panera bread. There is no real room for guests at all, and they stayed in a nearby hotel. On Tuesday morning, we went to Gander Mountain to look at guns. They had a huge selection (although overpriced!). We went back home to get the kids and headed to a farm trip: We'd made arrangements to visit the Schroeders' so Sherry could see the alpacas.

It had been drizzly and cold all morning but the rain held off for us.

Trevor took off with Kurt.

My dad and Robert were out for a few minutes but retreated back to the car.

Judy gave a wonderful tour and was full of all kinds of information and alpaca trivia. We went to see different animals and Sherry and Trevor hand fed a baby or two.

Robert and the kids headed back home.  I was going to take Dad and Sherry on a nickel tour of Roanoke via the Blue Ridge Parkway, but it was closed due to the impending storm!  Instead, the got the penny tour right through an unattractive part of town on our way to Mill Mountain and the lookout.  Cold, cold, and we were the only ones there, but I was able to get this--a view that I love, no matter who's taking the picture!

We went back home, warmed up by the fire, and ate Marlboro Man sandwiches for dinner.  Knowing we'd get some snow overnight, I wasn't prepared for them to have plans to leave in the morning. We took a few last minute pictures--and you can tell they are last minute, because Robert isn't in any of them, and I'm not sure about Sherry.  But this was a lovely photo, really, really nice of every single one of us, and even nicer that we are all together.

And for whatever reason, my darling dog wedged herself beneath the chair in the next room.  How can I help but try to take pictures of that adorable face?

Dad and Sherry went back to their hotel, while Holly, Trevor and I settled in for a night of American Idol, and several hours of an old Amazing Race series, thanks to huluplus.

Sunday conversation with Trevor

In anticipation of my dad and Sherry's visit tomorrow:

Trevor: Does this mean I'll be taller than Grandpa?

Kristine: I don't know. How tall are you?

Trevor: Taller than Dad.

Kristine: Well, at his tallest, Grandpa was 6 feet.  He's 75, he might have shrunk since then.

Trevor: Grandpa is SEVENTY FIVE??? .................YOUR DAD??? ..................... SEVENTY FIVE????

Kristine: Yes!

Trevor:  You can't be serious!  He's really SEVENTY FIVE?  NO WAY!!!!!!!!   ...................... Wait. WAIT!! You're not typing this to anyone, are you?

Book Reviews

This has been in draft mode for at least six months. I guess I haven't been reading much non-fiction. Some of these books were really, really good, perhaps an indication that I'm being a bit pickier about my sources for suggestions.


 The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down: A Hmong Child, Her American Doctors, and the Collision of Two Cultures by Anne Fadiman

Fascinating story of a young Hmong girl who immigrant parents seek treatment for her epileptic seizures. Her parents don't understand the treatment (or really believe it is necessary); the doctors grow increasingly frustrated with the parents' seeming refusal to help their child.

This was a fascinating read of the clash of two cultures. This was a "new" book, and I was disappointed to find that it occurred in the 1970s. A quick search, however, revealed that the girl in the book, Lia, passed away last year--surely cause for the book to be reprinted. A very good, unforgettable, tragic read.

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander, M.D. 

Retelling of a doctor's experience with near death in which he travels to what he believes was heaven, and his attempts to reconcile his scientific knowledge with his new-found spiritual beliefs. It was an okay book. He's a scientist and a doctor, and he writes like one, with not a lot of emotion or passion. He may have visited a spirit world, but it was not the spirit of God.  For the most part, I find these types of stories mildly interesting-and I am more intrigued by the differences in each, rather than the similarities. This was creepy and unconvincing.

Hidden America: From Coal Miners to Cowboys . . . by Jeanne Marie Laskas

I immediately recognized the name of the author as a columnist from Reader's Digest, which I haven't read in several years.   Writing in the same contemporary culture vein, this book was a brief journey into the occupations of people who work behind the scenes in this country--air traffic controllers, migrant laborers, beef ranchers, and more. Interesting peek into their own lives. Not a great book but short stories mildly intriguing enough to finish.

The Astronaut Wives Club: A True Story by Lily Koppel

True story.  Gossipy, behind the scenes look at the wives of the Mercury Seven astronauts. It brought up memories of the wonderful movie "The Right Stuff," but it was very difficult to keep track of the different wives, remembering who was whom, who was married to whom, etc.


Death at Sea World: Shamu and the Dark Side of Killer Whales in Captivity by David Kirby

This is the best, well-researched, easy to follow, book I've ever read. The author presents chronological research regarding orcas in captivity, paralleling 30 years of the life of marine biologist Naomi Rose from grad researcher to spokesman for the International Humane Society.  At first glance, the books seems the perfect platform for treehuggers--and it may well be, but I was quickly drawn into the story and convinced by the research presented.

I also liked that I was familiar with some of the areas mentioned, from Santa Cruz State University to Puget Sound and the San Juan Islands.  And Dr. Rose is married to a biology professor at GMU.  It would be such an opportunity for Holly to take a class from him, but I'm not sure that's in her future studies!

An information, extremely well written (and researched!) book--I highly recommend.


Unremarried Widow by Artis Henderson

A personal memoir written by a newlywed whose Army pilot husband was sent to Iraq and killed in an Apache helicopter crash.  She writes of her grief in a detailed but mostly unemotional way as she struggles with finding her new place and redirecting her life. It was very sad to read and I found myself crying several times.

I'm struck that we now have an entire generation of men and women, along with their families, who have been an active part of our war in the middle east.  They seem to be mostly unseen, existing in a subculture which most of us know nothing about. Food for thought . . .

Hair of the Dog

Kota is shedding. She looks like a giant puff ball, and I don't even want to be near her. To top it off, she does not appreciate my attempts to brush her. She was brushed out yesterday. This is what I was able to get tonight, but I didn't even try very hard.