weekend July 31

Football gear hand outs. I went and helped 10:00 to 12:30. Its fun to see how big the kids have grown. I did weigh in scale. The boys hold their pants and pads while I find out how much they weigh, if they are over or under their weight limit for their age group. That way when it is time to break up into teams the coaches have an idea of who can be a ball carrier and who needs to be a line man.





Trevor came with me. He needed pants. They hadn't had the xxl he needed at the earlier gear hand outs. After being fitted though, he took money from my wallet and walked over to Fred Meyer for the new Spore game for PC and walked home. Its nice to live in a small enough town where your child can get around on his own without whining about needing a ride.





I talked to another mom who has also had a bad year with the death of a grand parent from a fall, a sister from an aneurysm, and an Uncle from MS. She is also getting laid off this month from cut backs at work. They were able to donate organs from her sister, but it is a small consolation. It reminds me that we are not alone in our struggles. Some people have it even worse than we do. I am blessed in so many ways with my family and financial stability. Honestly my family adds interest to my life. What a dull place it would be without the turmoil.





I checked on my sister and found her child free for the weekend. She was working on clearing out the garage of some of her fiance's stored items. It was the easy stuff to tackle. I brought KFC and kept her company. She had some yard work that had been neglected. She is hiring someone to come clean up the yard. I don't know why she doesn't just host a clean up party. There are plenty of friends that would help free of charge. But I guess she just wants to have it done. Me, I would have a work party with a cooler of beer and pop and water and a BBQ when we were done. It would be cheaper than this landscaper she has hired. BYO Tools.





When Riley was first diagnosed, I was amazed at the friends that just showed up and got things done. My yard was magically mowed. My house was cleaner than I ever kept it. I still get teary when I think of that outpouring of love. It got me through a very rough time.





A few friends could knock out the work in a couple of hours or less. She wants her front yard weeded and the plants trimmed down. The bushes have that neglected granny yard look to them. Its been years probably since they saw some attention and love. She is having bark spread in areas also. In the back yard she is having the bank above her patio weeded and barked. Some trees needed to be trimmed back and off the roof. What I found while I was puttering was most of it was stuff I could have done for her if she had just let me know. I needed a saw for the branches on the roof but they were very reachable. Had I brought a saw with me the work would be done already.





The thing she didn't ask for and does need is to have her gutters cleaned. With all the trees around her property, I could see sprouts beginning in the gutters. The one I reached was over flowing with debris. Given another opportunity I could probably get that done, at least get her set up for another year. I told her since she was hiring the landscaper and crew, have them do her gutters. She had a plumber come for a stain in her ceiling and he told her it was most likely a backed up gutter.





Another friend of mine lost her husband over a year ago. She told me she went on a spending spree in her grief to make herself feel better. She ordered and canceled granite counter tops. She ordered and canceled a new car. She almost bought a $3000 dining room set. Luckily she didn't go through with these purchases she could ill afford. She did end up with the cutest little power boat off of Craig's list. The jury is still out whether it was a good purchase or more trouble than its worth. Its a blast when the motor works but it has already been in the repair shop and can be fussy to start. Luckily she is something of a handy woman herself and a fast learner.





I was listening to NPR while driving in the car. Shopping is a great depression lifter. One thing I learned is to go to a thrift store rather than a high end expensive store. That way if you end up buying something, it probably wont break the bank. I bought a bunch of clothes after Tom Sr died. Half of them I ended up redonating later, but I had spent $35 total. Any one of the items would have cost that much alone at a regular store.



I do get the need to get your affairs in order, to control your exterior life since you can't control your interior feelings. I would rather do the physical work myself. A good day of digging in the yard helps me sleep soundly. My tomatoes are looking great and my fruit trees are heavy with this year's crop. I have debated doing the fruit trees as espaliers but I like the way they mask the fence as full trees.



I brought my sister back to my house for a night of big screen TV and company. I went to bed while Tom and She stayed up watching a scary movie. In the morning we went to the nail salon for pedicures. I thought a little pampering would cheer her up.



I drove her home after noon on my way to take Trevor to a birthday party in Longview. That drive wears me out. I do not enjoy driving. Tom finds it a good way to unwind, but I am exhausted and go to bed soon after we get home.

Monday, I snuck off again for a long bike ride with my biker girl friend. We met in Sellwood and wandered through the neighborhoods looking at the old houses. It was encouraging to see some remodels in progress. We rode out towards Gresham and then back. We split a Santa Fe omelet between us and had strong coffee. We talked for over an hour and then head home to our respective families.

I stopped to drop off 6 rolls of film to be developed. I am still old school with disposable cameras. They pile up for a while before I get them in, then I get surprised by what is on the rolls. I will pick them up tomorrow. It was a one hour photo but that was per roll I found out. Having six would take much longer. I shopped for Tom's gift while I was at the mall. Since he reads this, I'll let you know what I got him after Friday. August 6, the day we dropped the bomb on Hiroshima, is Tom's birthday.

We have some great plans for a romantic evening downtown. Tom doesn't like a big party anymore. We used to host great BBQ's with lots of people. Now he likes the day to just slip by. He is looking forward to dinner out date night, just us.

I thought I might invite my sisters for a drink when we were downtown, but Tom vetoed the idea. He wanted just us. We are having my sisters over tomorrow for a BBQ. Jen is in town from NY, seeing her mom.

Trevor was missing an assignment today with the tutor. She is worth every penny. Last week he was ready. This week, he slipped. We are working on his organization skills. We will add weeks of tutoring as needed. He says he will get up early tomorrow and study. He is assigned homework every time to help him learn to be organized and get work done.

Riley sat in at the end for the geography segment. The tutor wanted to add distraction then teach Trevor how to stay on task. The boys enjoyed the time. Riley loves to learn and be challenged. he was torn whether to be sad or happy over not having his own tutoring sessions.

We got the school packets. I need to get on line and pre pay. If you pre pay there is a fast check in line at school. It takes just a few minutes compared to over an hour waiting in different lines.
I also want to see the high school web sight. I think Riley is calmer than I am about starting high school.