MY COUNTRY LIFE

Okay, it's what my mom calls it, as she laughs at our rural antics here.  I guess these aren't things you see, hear or do in the city!

Monday, August 26th

Actually, today was pretty normal.  Laundry, lessons, transporting Jonathan to the airport (for his Aviation Mechanics class), shopping, etc.  After water aerobics, Ken & I went out to dinner for his birthday.  A new place had opened up in town, not far from our place.  It was Japanese Sushi & Hibatchi.  I wasn't sure what to expect because they built it in an old KFC place, but it was part sit-down restaurant, part sushi bar, and part hibatchi grill (think Benihana).

Of course we had to have hibatchi!  That's the fun stuff.  I ordered some vegetable tempura (sweet potato is my favorite, though the onions were really good) and Ken had sushi (he can have it!).  The fellow who seated us and our chef were real-deal Japanese with accents so think I could not understand them.  Ken literally interpreted for me.

The guy did his show of knife throwing, food-flipping, etc.  We sat with another family there for a birthday, too.  I just had steak, rice and veggies, while Ken had steak and seafood (he really loves it and rarely gets it).  And, he got a tempura ice cream for his birthday.  Embarrassed or not, he thought it was good.  It wasn't a cheap dinner, but Ken really liked it and that's saying something.  He hasn't liked any of the restaurants in Altus.  Now he has one, that he'll probably never go to again.

Tuesday, August 27th

This is me just jumping into things like a crazy woman: I taught a yoga class today at church.  No, I'm not certified; yes, I had them sign a waiver (I don't want to get the church - or myself) in trouble.  All I really wanted was someone to do it with me, and the Relief Society Presidency all thought it would be a great idea!  We had five sisters to start, which I thought was great.  I figured I'd only have one or two!

I went to Atwoods again today.  I think I've been there four times in the last week, getting rabbit supply, etc.  I also made a stop at United.  My last basket had hatch chilies in them and I wanted to make salsa, so I needed cilantro.  I love finding funny looking people and did I there!  There were two guys (I assume they're from the rodeo last weekend) with HUGE, exaggerated cowboy hats on their heads (literally filed the aisle), wearing chaps, boots & spurs.  Crack me up!

Wednesday, August 28th

Oh, I try so hard not to laugh, but Walmart customers are so funny!  Monday I'd seen a lady who had one boob dragging down but not the other, like one had escaped from her bra.  That was sure a double-take!  Today I had to run in for a couple of things and saw a guy dressed ordinarily in jeans and a t-shirt, but with a long scruffy beard and hair and wearing a large green bowler!  At first I thought he had hooked his sunglasses on his beard, but on 2nd look, it was in his shirt.  Never a dull moment there!

On an itchy note, these mosquito bites are killing me.  Everytime I go out, morning or evening, I get bitten.  My ankles in particular are covered.  And they leave big welts that itch a lot.  They say, don't leave any standing water - I don't!  But there has to be some nearby; I wonder if "love thy neighbor" includes those who leave standing water for mosquitos to breed in.  I find it hard to sleep for the itching and don't recommend Calamine Lotion - that watery stuff does not work!  What's working so far temporarily is vinegar soaked into a sponge and dabbed on them continually.  It stings a little where I've scratched (I know you're not supposed to, but I wake up to find myself doing it), but gives some relief, if it's a bit smelly.  

Thursday, August 29th

I guess I didn't kill or gravely injure anyone in Tuesday's yoga class, because they all came back, plus one!  We got through a Sun Salutation and I taught them Warrior One.  It felt really good, physically and spiritually.  I wish I could afford to get certified; I would enjoy teaching it all the time.  Plus, with this and water aerobics, I'm actually getting in exercise twice a week.  The aerobics is good and heart-pumping (literally) and the yoga is the stretching and strength resistance.  I feel really good about myself.

Today we put the rabbits in the front (bigger) bathroom.  The day was supposed to be over 100 degrees and we thought it would be too much for them.  We had a box of bedding, water and food for them and let them run around.  Oy!  What a mess!

First, two of them, Alice and Twilight, decided to have a battle over supremacy.  Let's just say that the loser had tufts of fur torn out of her and scattered across the room.  Jonathan was very angry to see the fur and the bite on Twilight, but I just told him she lost the election for Alpha Rabbit.  Alice, a Himalayan, is about twice as big as Twilight and VERY pushy.  Fluffernutter wasn't even in the running and they pretty much leave her alone.  She's a very subdued rabbit who loves nothing more than to sit on her mommy's lap and be stroked.  I am working on feeding her up, but she loves the timothy hay too much and it's affecting her digestion.  She also loves frosted mini-wheats (look, my rabbit breeder said they can have one twice a week for roughage).

Secondly, they jumped in and out of the box, scattering aspen chips all over, plus the usual "poop wherever you feel like."  We had to sweep and mop with a bleach solution just to get that bathroom sanitary enough for us to use after we returned them to their cages.  We plan to leave them in there all Saturday (we'll be in OKC all day), I can't imagine what it is going to look like when we return!

Friday, August 30th

I attempted a new culinary feat - I roasted chilies and made salsa.  I'd been given some hatch chilies in my last Bountiful Basket and, not know what else to do with them, decided to put them into salsa.  I was a little hesitant at first - What if they were hot?  I don't do hot foods.  My stomach and acid reflux do not like them.  But as they were roasting in the oven, the scent wafting in the air, I knew that they were mild.  There was no pungency, no burning sensation in eyes or throat.  And, actually, they smelled pretty good!

The salsa ended up being a joint venture with Jonathan (he likes to cook & experiment with flavors).  I had him try the salsa (chilies, onion, tomatoes, cilantro, lime & lemon juice, garlic salt & pepper).  He added more garlic and pepper and had me blend some of it partially with a little more lemon juice and add it back into the mixture.  When the elders came to dinner and tried the salsa, they admitted it was pretty good!  I thought so, too!

Saturday, August 31st

Marathon Day!  After Ken returned from the night's work at Wal-mart, he cleaned up and we all left for OKC.  After a 2 1/2 hour drive we dropped the kids off at the zoo (we had free tickets) and Ken & I went on to do our first session in the Oklahoma City Temple.

That is the smallest temple I've ever seen.  I'm not sure it's any bigger than the meetinghouse next door.  It nearly felt claustrophobic, I don't think they can fit more than 50 people in each session.  That's probably why they ask if parties over 10 make reservations.  Still, it was the same peaceful, wonderful place and it was the first time in over a year that Ken & I went to the temple together.

After the session, we went back (changing in McD's) and spent some time in the zoo with the kids.  It was a really hot day, over 100, so we didn't last long.  Analiese spent a lot of time in the Children's Zoo playing in the water (she'd brought her swimsuit and a towel on purpose), but all of us were worn out before long and headed out.

We stopped in Lawton (hour out of Altus) for dinner and some Sam's Club shopping.  With all of these distances, we have to make our trips count!  Ken had to purchase incentive stuff for his work at the prison and I had necessities to get.  But it meant we got home around 8 p.m. and still had to get bunnies out of the bathroom, clean the bathroom and get the kids showered and bedded themselves.

Oklahoma City's nice.  It's just rather FAR.

Sunday, September 1st

I didn't have any other extra responsiblities in church today, so it was a calm and relaxing day at church.  The only thing was at the end, when we found out that the missionaries didn't have any dinner appointment today.  Sunday's aren't a good day for us to feed people because we generally do leftovers.  So we racked our brains and decided we had enough canned soup and bread in the house; they could come over for soup and sandwiches.  I also made cookies (which I never do on Sunday).  They were fed & happy, that's all that counts!

Ken & I went with one set of elders to visit the Butler's, a couple here in Altus.  Ken works in Walmart with Jeremy, the husband.  They've been taking lessons with the missionaries and even came to church a few weeks ago.  After the discussion, Ken & I spent time talking with them and ended up getting home around 10:30 - a whole lot later than we expected.  But Ken doesn't get much chance to get out and socialize, so I didn't pester him about leaving.  Also, I did enjoy my time talking with Angela.

To our amazing surprise, we came home to find that Jonathan had put the rabbits back outside and cleaned the bathroom!  I couldn't have been more grateful because it meant I could go straight to bed!

TRY THIS AGAIN

This is more than frustrating...when I got out of the Blogger app to quickly look something up on the internet, and came back, the five paragraphs I'd just written were GONE!  Poof!  This sort of thing frustrates me, so you're going to be missing my version of the 116 lost pages of manuscript.  I'm not redoing it.  You'll just always have to wonder.

Okay, a little recap.  I'm doing this sort of journal-ishly, sort of soapbox/essay-ishly.  When the mood strikes, I suppose.  And I won't do past history, either, or try to catch up...unless I really want to.  Which generally, I don't.

Monday 8/19

My Mondays have taken on a different feel because I've had to readjust things.  I get a food co-op basket every Saturday, so I've taken to shopping on Mondays (because Saturdays are too crazy-busy for that and Sundays are the Sabbath).  On top of laundry, but I did that on Fridays, too, which was my old shopping day.  It just seems like a lot to face on a Monday (because there's lessons with the kids, too!)

After doing my co-op order (that's done on Mondays, pick up is Saturday), I took myself to lunch, which is my one treat of the week.  I made a friend today at Taco Mayo, which is a pretty-good Mexican chain (think La Salsa) and they make their own tortillas.  Heavenly!  Well, when the manager gave me my meal, I accidentally said in Spanish, "Parece bien" (that looks good).  He lit up like a candle, "You speak Spanish!"  He was born in Mexico, but has spent most of his life here.  He with me for a good 10 minutes (before other customers came) and came to my booth and talked with me some more later.  The only downfall there is that they have no horchata (actually, nobody does in town in all the Mexican places - and there are 5 or 6).  I am sad.  But they do have those fancy Coke machines that can program in 165 different drinks.  So I had a cherry ginger ale with my steak & black bean burrito.  Delicioso!

Even though I live across the street from a grocery store, I do my main shopping at Wal-mart which is all the way across town (I live in the south part of town, Wally World is north).  If  you like people-watching, it is a great place to visit. I can always count on at least one person who'll chat with me (total stranger - but OK is full of friendly people), one person dressed unusually (I'm being nice), and something weird that I spy out in the store.  Today at the clearance racks (got a cute deep pink tshirt for $1!) I helped an older lady get some things of the higher rack and got an earful about the store sales gossip.  Then, while shopping, I found canned octopus - for what, I don't know, though we do have a small asian population here, maybe they'll eat it.  Somebody must, for them to stock it on the shelves.  And my fashion experience today was someone who looked like one of the Duck Hunters going on vacation in Hawaii.  Beard & long grizzly-gray hair, camo hat, hawaiian shirt, shorts & flip flops.  I thought he seemed very confused.

Monday is also my first water aerobics class of the week.  We were very full today, 16 people plus the instructor.  They're all ladies, though Doris, our instructor, says from time-to-time we get a guy.  But they never seem to stick.  Maybe we intimidate them. ;)  The regulars (about 8 of us) are a funny, loud bunch.  We laugh a lot.  Analiese came and watched one time and commented later that all she saw was a bunch of ladies laughing & talking in the water!  Well, we do exercise.  Trust me, I get my heart rate going (we take our pulses mid-class) in some of the exercises, like the pool wall push-ups.  I still miss yoga (we're trying to get something together for Relief Society), and I haven't thought it cool enough in the morning yet to walk...plus I'm trying to avoid the mosquitos.  Morning & evening, they are terrible!

Tuesday 8/20

Living behind a grocery store has it's ups and downs.  It's a good thing, when you need something quickly and can just dash across the road.  But the downturn is this...trash!  The trash bins for the store are...you guessed it!  Behind the store.  That smell can waft lovingly across the road on warm days.  And then, there's all the delivery trucks that come...behind the store.  And the cardboard they tie up...behind the store.  Today, they did a lousy job binding up the cardboard.  Usually we get little pieces of carboard & plastic wrap here and there (Poor Analiese has the daily job of going to pick it off the lawn), but this morning found us with two big almost-child-size pieces.  Now, if that wasn't bad enough, what was lying, half in the gutter, half on my lawn was even more charming.  It was one of those humongous 10 lb. chubs of ground beef, with a bite taken out of it!  Talk about gross, smelly, and fly-ridden.  I didn't let Analiese do that one; I bravely handled that job myself.  But I need to have a little talksy with the manager at the store.  

Jonathan started Seminary today.  They are doing the Book of Mormon this year,  which has excited him.  However, they changed the curriculum and the scripture mastery, which was dismaying to him because he'd already gone and marked his scriptures with the old list.  Still, I think it will be a good year.  It's like the new Sunday School/Youth curriculum...more personal accountability.

It was also his last day doing the Aviation Mechanics for the whole day.  He was only catching up from the first week and his teacher told him today that he doesn't have to come in until the afternoon session.  This is good because it means he can bike to Seminary and do things here in the morning and then go to the airport in the afternoons.  It's been a challenge - all math (Algebra, Geometry & Trig) - but that's almost over and then they start getting to the good stuff!  A brother in our stake also is taking the courses and drives Jonathan home.  Today they spent some time studying at my dining room table.  I'm glad he has someone who can help him.

Wednesday 8/21

Really, I didn't write this on day.  The kids were at Scouts & Activity Days; Ken & I were home alone with "nothing" to do.  I never got around to writing.  So...chock that day up as a good one!

Thursday 8/22

Analiese & I made a trip to Lawton (52 miles one way) to get the stuff for our soon-to-be-coming bunnies.  I misjudged and got cages too big, and bedding pans too small.  We'll make it work somehow.  Jonathan put things together fairly well; he's much better at that sort of thing than Ken or I. It was fun for us to contemplate the upcoming rabbits and we've been studying how to care and train them (did you know you can litter train them?  Yippee!) and get them ready to show.  We won't be able to do it for this year's fair, but next year the kids want to try.

Oh, continuing from Tuesday's gross meat encounter, we had another one this morning.  It wasn't ground beef, but some hunk of fat and gristle and it wasn't on the curb but in our yard!  Ugh!  Luckily, Jonathan was around to help take care of it; he put it on the shovel and dumped it back into the store's bins.  I don't know how or why this is happening, but that manager talk is ever looming.

Friday 8/23

No matter how I try, days just keep getting busier.  Today was no exception.  Laundry and morning lesson routine went as scheduled, but as the day wore on, it got crazier.  Jonathan had his aviation classes, then Analiese had 4H sewing club, I got my haircut, then picked up pizza for the kids for dinner, and took Jonathan over to the 4H building to join Analiese for Rabbit club.  They had a lot of fun building nesting boxes (even though we don't have rabbits yet and don't know what size they'll be or if they'll be male or female) and carving designs on them with wood burners.  Analiese's friend, Charisa, is showing 2 rabbits at the upcoming county fair and wants Analiese to help her show one of them.  It will give her good experience to know how it's done.  Also, the kids can enter their nesting boxes into the fair and maybe win an award.  This is one club that has them really enthused.

The rodeo is in town this weekend (it actually started yesterday), but we've been too busy for it.  Plus, it's $10 a person.  But it's a big exciting thing for people in town (kids in the clubs today were dressed to the cowboy Nines in jeans, boots & hats!).  Maybe next year we can go.

So, my busy day meant missing water aerobics, yet ended with tired-but-happy kids.  Can't complain.

Saturday, 8/24

The rodeo sure affected my day!  Jonathan was gone at Hunter Education, and I had taken Analiese & a friend to the 4H Lego club.  When I went to pick them up, I couldn't even cross the street - the police had blocked it off for some reason!  So I took a residential street that I knew went north paralleling Main St.  Each time I looked to my left to see if I could go back to Main, I saw police cars at the intersections.  I finally found one that didn't (it really did, but I didn't see the car, and managed to turn onto Main anyway.  I kept thinking..."What is this?"  and how was I going to get back to the house.  I decided to look down this one street we sometimes use and - lo and behold! - there was a parade all lined up and headed toward Main.

So I had to take the girls all the way around past the Air Force Base to Broadway, thinking I'd turn right there and go on home.  Nope.  It was blocked right there (The rodeo arena is just behind that corner), so I had to go further down the road to a country road I thought (I hoped) would take me back to a street I could come up and get to the house with.  Luckily I was right (my Bountiful Baskets meets at the corner of that road) and I got back home, but I could see, just north of our street, was the parade.

I went to the grocery store parking lot so I could see what was left of the parade.  Mainly trucks, tractors, 4H riders, and a herd of longhorn, but there it was.  Country living at it's finest, I guess. Can't get home because of the rodeo parade!

Sunday, 8/25

The kids are usually more than eager for church on Sunday, but today they couldn't wait to be done.  Why?  Because we were going to get our rabbits!  It was the only day Mr. Strickland, the 4H County Coordinator, could find for us to meet with him at his farm and select a rabbit or two.

So, after changing out of church clothes (didn't want to get them dirty on the farm!), we headed north rather uneasily (well, for me), because his instructions didn't include an address and without a GPS in the boonies, I could easily get lost!  And it was the boonies!  We drove north out of town, and nearly all the way through the next, smaller town.  He had said to turn left at Highway 19, but the sign only pointed right and the left way looked like a back road!  But I didn't have anything else to go on, so we turned.

He had then told me to go for a mile and turn right.  Since there was nothing but fields and telephone poles around me, I watched my odometer for a strict mile!  That right I was to take looked awful sketchy, though.  It wasn't even paved, just dirt!

Once again with no other instructions, I turned right and looked for the only house to be seen within half a mile.  On our right were more fields, on the left was a couple of small houses and some fencing and outbuildings.  Was this it?

I guess so, for Mr. Strickland came out of the second one and told us to follow his truck as we drove back to the rabbits area.  That was an experience!  I told the kids this is why everyone here has pick-ups.  The ruts and dried mud holes I had to drive Ken's Honda over rival any potholes I've ever encountered!

I had taken my camera, because I wanted to document this occasion.  Not just because of Mr. Strickland's kindness and the kids' excitement (trust me, they were VERY excited), but also because he had 60 rabbits and I had to see his set-up and photo it to prove its existence.  It was a wood frame, open-sided structure with a corregated metal roof with double decker hutches in three rows.  

Mr. Strickland was very patient with the kids, showing them all the babies he had, teaching them how to hold them properly, and telling them what to do.  My favorite part (laughing here) was him showing them how to "sex" the rabbits which, if they show their rabbits, they will have to do.

He let the kids pick out what they wanted.  Analiese ended up with a female Himalayan (long white body with black feet & ears & nose) and Jonathan ended up with a female black mini rex.  And...one more.  Because Momma saw a cross rabbit (two breeds mixed) that was white with caramel colors and fell in love/felt sorry for.  This little girl was getting pushed away from the feeder in her hutch by her five siblings and was too skinny.  So, instead of coming home with two, we came home with three.  Analiese named hers Alice (because she is curious), Jonathan names his Twilight (because it is black, not because of Sparkly Vampires or My Little Pony!) and I named mine Fluffernutter (look it up), or Fluffer for short.

Twilight & Fluffer are sharing a cage right now (the cages are huge and they are small, while Alice has her own.  Ken was surprised, but only shook his head.  Eventually they may need separate cages, especially if we breed one because mommas don't share!

But the kids came home, excited and happy and so in love with their fluffy bunnies!

COOL AS A CUCUMBER (Ugh! I hate Cucumbers!)

Okay, so it's been more like two weeks.  But other than hearing that, "Hooray, the A/C is fixed!", I couldn't bring myself to write much more.  And I didn't much feel like it today, either, but I'm doing it anyway, so I don't feel so guilty otherwise.  Guilt is a great motivator in my life.  Unfortunately.

I'll start off by saying that there's no turning back: we're here to stay.  I got my OK driver's license on Monday.  It had such a final feel to it, especially since they didn't give me my CA license back.  Not even for sentimental reasons.  OK address, OK plates, OK license.  It still feels weird.

I had another one of those "We're not in California any more, Toto" Moments at the Tag Office (OK DMV).  While waiting for my license, a guy came in in cowboy boots (not an unusual site here)...and spurs!  Really! I'm sure he wondered why this lady was looking at him funny.  I had to do a couple of double-takes to make sure.  Wendy would have loved it!

The battle of the bugs races in my house, yet I remain victorious.  It all started a few weeks back when I had this "Circle of Life" tableau being enacted on my living room window.  There are about a bazillion flies around here (I know, I counted!) and they are tenacious about getting into the house.  Well, they'd buzz around that front window and a spider family (mom & at least three smaller ones) was taking advantage of that.  Jonathan was fascinated watching the flies get caught and the spiders going to work.  This was tolerable enough until the undertakers arrived.  The tiniest ants you've ever seen...so small you hardly notice them.  I'd had enough, they could take their show outside, please!  So I called on my trusty, CA-proven Ortho Home Defense (It's not a paid endorsement, but if they wanted me, I'd so do it!) and we ended their off-broadway performance.

Still, those ants are...persistent, if stupid.  Even when my A/C was out and it was 95 degrees in the house (I took a thermometer pic to prove it - at 10 pm!), those little buggers kept trying to infiltrate my laundry room and bathroom.  So it was Ortho Home Defense to the rescue - again!  And again!  And again!  Not like I keep finding live ones...nope.  Just after I keep cleaning up the dead ones, the next day there's a dozen more.  My laundry room is an ant crypt, apparently.  The Ortho stuff works REALLY well, they say it keeps working for 6 months and it does.  However, I am constantly working to keep the remains from piling up.  But as long as they are contained there...I could really not handle it if they moved on to the kitchen.

The weather here is...weird.  A gal from church said I should just make my peace with it and move on. However, the weathermen are shysters because they try to get us to believe one thing and they are never right.  It's a wonder they even bother.  I get rained on for all of thirty seconds (literally, Jonathan will swear it was that short) and that's it.  No sprinkles or mist working up to dribbles and drops, just drop a few and move on.  It's like the clouds can't make up their mind.  People around here watch the radar and the skies themselves.  You have to be your own on-the-spot weatherperson.

You'll want to know about our first 4th of July here.  No biggie, though we want to try and make it better next year.  We missed my parents' annual party on the 3rd, which was probably part of the downer-feeling we had about it.  It just wasn't - couldn't - be the same.  But, Ken had the day off, so he wanted to do something.  We went to Lawton, our 50 miles east neighbor, that has all the big stuff. They are building a Target out there and people are so excited.  It's funny.

Still, it has one of the two Carl's Jr. in the whole state (the other being in OKC).  Since Jonathan had a GC for it and I still had coupons, we went there for lunch (sweet potato fries = heaven!) and then went to Sam's Club afterward.  Now, if I don't mention this, Ken will be insulted, but we got the greatest deal on ground beef that was supposed to be sold by the 4th.  We basically bought 30 lbs. of it for about 25 cents a pound!  And spend the rest of the afternoon cooking & packaging it up for the freezer.  Crazy.

Also, back at home, we decided to try our hand at homemade ice cream.  We'd been given an ice cream maker, so...why not?  A new tradition for the 4th, maybe?  It was okay, we used a cookies & cream ice cream mix from Wal-mart, but it was a little icy and not so smooth.  But it was a first try and there's always a learning curve.

Did we have fireworks?  We didn't buy any from the stand...you're not supposed to use them in town, but Ken & Analiese went out to the reservoir and saw the city show (Jonathan didn't want to and my feet were killing me - but I heard them!).  And at dinner we talked about how we could make it better next year.  

Oh, one more thing...I met another homeschooler this week.  Jonathan went to robotics 4H this week (glorified legos, really) and the mom of the boy he was teamed up with homeschools her kids.  They are near my kids in age and she is also part of the local group, so now we can get connected.  And guess what?  Her name is Michelle and is has a degree in English like I do.  We were very excited to find each other and swapped lots of info (they just moved to OK from IN).  This was a connection I was very eager to make, so the kids have other outlets.  And a gal at church is going to start homeschooling her kids this fall (they are younger), so she's been picking my brain.  

Believe it or not, even with change, life goes on. There's still much to do, but there are things to look forward to.  And that give spice to our lives.

HOT & STICKY

If there's one thing the people here cannot do without, it's their air conditioning.  The summer can heat up to 115 - 120 degrees and be so humid you can hardly breathe.  The funny (NOT ha-ha) thing is, it stays warm even into the evening.  Ken said once last summer he was driving home at 6:00 p.m. and the bank's digital thermometer billboard still read well over 100.  So it becomes a real crisis when your a/c dies.

Which, of course, is what ours did.  I should have read the signs.  It didn't seem to get all that cool in the house and our bedroom, about the furthest away from the a/c unit, would stay fairly warm.  Sunday evening after dropping Jonathan off at the church to go to Scout Camp, I came home...and it really was a bit too warm.  By Monday, it was obvious.  Our a/c was not functioning.  Well, it was blowing air, it just wasn't cold.

So we had someone come & look at it.  Prognosis: dead.  The compressor was shot.  A new unit?  $1,600.  Gee, if only I had that on hand.  Last week's water line replacement kind of ate into my capital.

While pondering what could be done, we've been pretty warm.  See, some brilliant person painted most of the windows shut.  And not just a little bit that could be easily sliced through.  Nope, they did a thorough job.  And the windows that could open...no screens.  Luckily, Ken found some in the garage that fit three windows in our home.  So, we have three windows in three rooms that provide some air, along with the ceiling fan movement - one in the living room, one in Jonathan's bedroom, and one back in the den.  For the first few nights, Analiese has been sleeping on the floor of the den under the open window.

Because of Jonathan being gone, I'd made lots of plans for stuff for Analiese & I to do, which has kept us out of the house and into air conditioned venues.  She's taken art classes in the library, we've gone to free movies a church (that is housed in an old movie theater) provides for the kids of the community, and she's gone to 4H sewing class.  Wednesday, however, was the day to top it all.

She and I headed out to Lawton for the day.  I needed to go to Sam's Club and start building up my supplies again and the closest one is in Lawton - a larger town than ours and 52 miles away (Ken says 46, but my GPS said 52 and I believe it!).  When you have to go so far for stuff, you plan it out.  Lawton has more and bigger stores - they're even building a Target & Petsmart!   I can't tell you how excited people are around here that a Target is coming.  You'd think with this being Wal-martland they wouldn't care.  It's funny.

We went to Hobby Lobby first, though, since I knew I'd have to drive straight back from Sam's with my perishables.  I needed something to hand my keys on...and I wanted something not just utilitarian, even if I had to make it.  Actually, I didn't, because they had all their metal decor 50% off and I got the cutest key holder that says "Home" on it.  And...we met up with a mom & two of her daughters (her son was off at camp with Jonathan) from our ward at the check out.  They had to go to Sam's, too, so we had lunch together (cheapest meal in town!) and then did our shopping.  

But our day wasn't over, because I'd promised Analiese that in the evening, Ken & I would take her to the city pool, which is just a few blocks away from our home.  They have an indoor and outdoor pool...and the outdoor pool had excited Analiese because they have TWO waterslides there.  Not just wimpy things, either.  Ken counted 53 stairs to climb to get to the top.  One is a straight shot down and Ken liked that one...he shot out of it like a cannon.  The other one was a curly-cue and Analiese must have gone down that thing at least twenty times.  It sure wore her out!  But we all agreed, we have to go back often, because it was too much fun.  I'll be going there 3x/week for the indoor pool's water aerobics class and on Fridays, I'll take the kids with me.  

So we've avoided much of the house heat.  We haven't been too hungry and I haven't wanted to cook, so we've eaten light and drank LOTS of water.  Sleeping has been difficult, but Friday night I had Ken put up the tent in the backyard and we've slept out there (he put my mattress in the tent, in case you wondered) and it's been a much cooler, nicer night's sleep.  Poor Jonathan came back from Scout camp only to be told he'll be sleeping more nights in a tent!  Still, when he felt the heat in the house, he didn't complain.

Oh, and at 6:00 a.m. this morning, the flash of lightning and sound of thunder woke us up.  I made them get up and move into the house.  I was really too chicken to endure a thunderstorm in a tent.  Not that the storm came...all bluff and no substance.

THE JOYS OF HOME OWNERSHIP

There's been no post for the past two weeks for a couple of reasons:

1) Somebody from Pompano Bay, FL (says Google), tried to get into all my Google-related accounts.  I had to change passwords, blah-de-blah-de-blah, etc.  Got it finally squared away today.

2)  I've been busy moving and settling into our new home.  The cardboard boxes aren't completely gone, but I've made a good dent in them!

And, don't feel bad.  I DID manage to post a lot of pics to Facebook from our trip and Oklahoma.  None from the house, yet, though.  That is a LOT of pictures.

I really like my little home.  It is cute and has a ton of potential.  But today, I wanted to focus on those inevitable little surprises that pop up at you and make you wonder if you did the right thing by buying this thing.

Getting ready to move in, we had asked our realtor for any recommendations for plumbers, electricians, handymen, etc.  Ken is a lovely helper, but don't put him in charge of projects.  He's not handy.  Luckily, our realtor gave us a list, and one has been a real goldmine.  He's been to the house several times now and I just call him whenever I need a little advice.

We knew there would be problems; we read our inspector's report thoroughly, putting at the top of our list the most urgent matters.  As part of the selling of the house, the family refunded our good faith money so that we could use it for some of these repairs.

We decided to tackle the issues with the water heater first.  After all, I am not a fan of cold showers and I like my dishes to be sanitized.  My new friend, the plumber, came over to fix the problems but...duh-duh-DUH! - found another one.  Coming up from under the house he showed us a picture of the galvanized steel water line running under it.  Galvanized rust was more like it; the plumber said he was afraid to touch it for fear it'd fall apart in his hand.  Guess what just became our new top priority?

Mr. Plumber came over last week to replace the water line.  I'd received my new washer & dryer the day before, but was afraid to use it until the water line was in, so I had loads of laundry piled and waiting.  My plumber replaced it with this new stuff called pex pipe; I guess it's used in all the new housing and with reason - it can expand some, so it won't burst if there's a freeze in the winter.  It's not very expensive, but the brass fittings for it are!  But Plumber is upright and reasonable and while it ouched our wallet some, we knew we couldn't put it off.  Plus, when he removed the old pipe, he showed me the inside...what there was of it.  I hadn't had much water pressure before and now I know why!  Talk about a clogged artery!  Plus, that had to mean the water coming through was pretty gross. Luckily, we've been drinking bottled water because Ken doesn't like the taste of the local water.

That seemed to be it, and we could breathe a little easier until yesterday, when I noticed that it was very warm in the house despite the a/c being on.  Oh, goody.  After passing a very warm, uncomfortable night, I called my buddy the plumber again (because he does more than plumbing, really, and could refer me to the right person if he couldn't do it) and, while the filter needs replacing (it's dirty, but not completely clogged), it could be we need more freon.  I just hope that's it.  His pal, the a/c guy is coming over to check it.  I don't have a lot of money for a big expensive fix but it is in the 100's out there and...what windows in the house that AREN'T painted over don't have screens.

Oh, and now there are ants in my back bathroom.  Probably thinking it's cooler in there than outside.  If they only knew...

Other issues with the home are annoying and will have to be dealt with in their own time (and some when my pocket $ builds up).  One, while I love my three pecan trees, I don't appreciate at all their little seedling children everywhere.  Some I've been able to pull, others I need to get my trowel and spade and dig them out.  Another are these bolts that stick up at the edge of the garage and I'm afraid I'll drive over and puncture a tire.  (By the way, I had to get a new battery for my van this last week on top of everything else.)

Then, there's the crazy issues of "Why did the previous homeowners do that?"  The painted windows are one of those.  Another is why they planted little plants in the back of the planter and bigger ones in front of them.  And then, why are there two and three plants practically planted on top of each others? Probably that bugs me more than most people, mainly because I care more about my yard & garden.

No, really, I like my house a lot.  I love to sit under the trees and watch the clouds fly by.  We all like to look for squirrels and birds...so far I've seen robins, blue jays & scissor-tails.  The carpet in our home is pristine (compared to the yucky stuff back in Corona), the bedrooms are spacious, the kitchen is big, and the neighborhood is nice and quiet.  I'm just kvetching.  It's all part-and-parcel of the moving process and "this too shall pass."  Thank goodness!

BE IT EVER SO HUMBLE..

It's finally ours!  Friday we signed the papers, and now we have our Oklahoma home, our cosy cottage, what have you!  We'll be moving in piecemeal this week, hopefully.  Pictures will be coming, once we get the computers up & running (and get internet going, too), but in the meantime, here's a description of the house:

The house exterior is a very light tan (in Ken's photos it looked light yellow).  It has black vinyl shutters, lots of window, and the cutest front entrance, with fancy metal railing and a curved roof, thus giving it the "cottage" look.  

The living room is fairly spacious, with light brown carpet.  It is rather dark at the moment, having been painted a deep maroon on one side and tan on the other (one thing to be remedied).  It also has some big windows facing front, giving it lots of light (when people open up the blinds!)  I just need to figure out how to place the furniture in there.

Jonathan's room is, admittedly, the smallest.  It faces front toward the street, but has two closets (I told him that one is mine!).  Still, it will be his alone, private, and larger than what he's had before.

Analiese's room is supposed to be the master. It is bigger, but has no windows, which is no bueno to this light- & air-loving woman.  It also has a walk-in closet, but she's only going to use half of it.  The other half is going to hold the 72-hour kit and supplies so we can take refuge there during a storm, if needed.

The main bathroom is pretty-good sized.  It has a shower/tub along with a sink, a cupboard and silver toilet storage (you know, those thingies they put around the back of a toilet).  The funny thing there is a surprise cubby that holds the water heater.  It's a weird spot.

Our bedroom is in the back.  It's actually a little bigger than Analiese's but doesn't enjoy all the closet space.  It does, however, have two big windows, one of which faces the garden.  Score!  Light and air!  I intend to make this room a restful haven where Ken & I can go to relax.

The kitchen is fairly good sized.  There is a big empty space in one corner that eventually I'd like to fill with a banquette. I'd rather the kids ate there, because the floor is tile.  The fridge & stove/oven unit are both pretty old, but if they function, I don't care.  Also, there's one big sink (kind of like a farm sink) with no garbage disposal.  Oh, and no dishwasher.  The spoiling season is over.  The worst thing about the kitchen is that the cupboards are shallow.  We'll see how that works for storage.  The pantry storage is not enough.  I'm going to have to get clever.

You have to go down stairs to get into the den room.  It is an addition to the house, you can tell by the window that lies between the kitchen and it!  It is carpeted which makes me nervous because that's where the dining table is going.  There's another wall where I'm going to set up tables and computers for the kids lessons.  At one end (nearest the kitchen) is a fireplace and the door to the yard and the other leads into the laundry area.

The laundry is long and narrow.  One end holds the washer and dryer and opens to the second bathroom.  The other has a rack for hanging things and some space (I'll put the freezer chest there) and has steps up to our bedroom.

The second bathroom is smaller, with an enclosed shower.  It's not much, but it will be the bathroom Ken & I will utilize.

And the yard, the glorious yard!  Big and ample.  It has two shade trees which I've yet to identify.  I'd like to get some seating under one for outside family dining & entertainment, and eventually get a hammock & stand for the other one.

The previous owners had a pool, which they've removed, leaving a big sandy circle in the middle of the yard, but is right in the sunniest spot, too.  I think it will be fun to try and design the veggie garden to go right there, sectioning it off into four spaces with paths like wheel spokes.  Right now I call it the "crop circle." The long west-side fence is where I'd like to espalier some fruit trees (apple and maybe peach).  The front fence gets enough sunlight that maybe I'll have some berry bushes or grapevines.

There's work to be done, I'll admit.  And over time, I'll probably want to repaint most of the rooms (the only one I'm really okay with is the den).  Still, we are eager and excited to sign the paperwork today and get into our new home!

Exploring Altus

Our week started out on an exciting note...tornadoes!  The very thing that made Analiese nervous about our move had come to Oklahoma.  I didn't even know about them until later, which means, obviously, they weren't on top of us!   Instead, they were closer to OKC and some very sad things happened (including elementary schools being hit).  In the meantime, though, everyone not in OK were calling, texting, emailing, etc.  Finally, I had to post on FB..."The Boltons are okay in OK!"

The kids succumbed to allergies this week and Analiese has yet to get over her cough.  Still, we did well enough to begin actually exploring our new town.  What else did we have to do?

Tuesday and Wednesday were highlights for Jonathan, going to the AFB.  A family in our ward is being transferred and they needed help moving and cleaning their base housing.  Ken & Jonathan went Tuesday evening and the kids went with  me Monday.  We had to wait in a visitors area after having my ID checked & double checked and then we had to be escorted by either the brother or sister to their home.  The kids never complained for a moment about having to help (though, really, Analiese just played with the dog - the sister said the dog was feeling neglected and confused, so it was a good thing) and we got to see some cool planes taking off.  At one point, Jonathan cleaning a window in the master bedroom, he called me to look at something.  It was a jackrabbit, hopping around the grass, long ears alertly up.  The AFB is surrounded by a wooded area, so it wasn't surprising to see wildlife.

Thursday was the clincher...this our new home town.  We went to the library!  And a good thing, too!  It is small, not nearly as nice as the big one in Corona, but the librarians were over-the-top friendly & helpful.  They found me a map of the town (I wanted one for the fun of marking things on it), gave me fliers for upcoming events, and were just as nice and chatty as can be.  Now, it may be small, but I did find books by favorite authors that I hadn't read.  They have weekly crafts and activities for kids, even some for teens.  They even have an art class Analiese can take the week Jonathan is at Scout Camp (blessing!).  And while I can't check out books yet (no local utility bill), they said we could reserve them or even just come over and read.

I've been doing my laundry at a laundromat just steps from our new home (the motel laundry is just awful and I've already ruined a favorite shirt there).  While I hate going twice a week (but we only have so many clothes - what we packed), it has become an interested place for people-watching and catching up on gossip.  It is also next door to the United Supermarket, so I've been comparing their prices to the Great Big Blue Monster (aka Walmart).  A little here, a little there.  Oh well.

Here's my hand-drawn map of the area (just the two blocks).  Our home is the red box, United is the big brown U and the laundromat is the small brown L.  Every time I go, I have to drive past the house. 😃 I just want to see it!

We are still attempting to figure out 4-H.  The GPS Saturday was absolutely stumped and couldn't locate the address (somewhere between the college and our credit union??).  I'll have to call them next week.  The kids really want to a) participate and b) have something to do.

Maybe next week I'll describe the tiny apartment we're staying in now.  It's interesting trying to maneuver around each other or cook decent meals in the kitchen with only a small pot and skillet.  But, the pool is open and that makes Analiese happy...at least, when I take her there!