The Garden

Dave's hard work in the spring resulted in beautiful tomato and squash plants. We've eaten two delicious tomatoes and a few zucchini from the garden. Yesterday we harvested about 10 beautiful tomatoes.

Sadly, the rain has wreaked havoc on the plants. They're a bit battered, but still producing. We've had tomatoes and squash rot on the vine from too much water. The lack of sun has been hard on the plants, too. We did see a few more blooms on the tomatoes this weekend.

But, we're also battling caterpillars that are eating both fruit and foliage from the tomato plants. Friday I found one about 2 inches long. I thought he was a big one. Saturday Dave found a huge caterpillar. It was index-finger sized. Dave kept searching and found another smaller one like the one I found Friday. Sunday Dave found another big guy. I've searched the plants again today, but didn't find anything. Monday evening Dave found another huge caterpillar--Dave must have a special gift.

Anniversary Tradition

A Belated Entry

Letha started an anniversary tradition in 2002 when she and Mike sent us a paper anniversary gift. Each October, Dave and I reciprocate with an anniversary gift to them. Admittedly, Dave and I have a bit of an unfair advantage since our anniversary is first. (But Letha got married in my favorite time of the year--fall. If it were practical to wait until fall, I would have done so, but with the school year (and a move to Texas), summer was a better time for us to get married.)

For the paper anniversary, we received a lovely box covered with pictures from our wedding--which stores precious memorabilia, and magazine subscriptions to Family Handyman and Martha Stewart Living. We reciprocated with a movie gift certificate and a restaurant gift certificate.

The second anniversary is cotton. Letha made cute t-shirts with iron-on photo transfers and a beautiful patchwork pillow with dates of important events--our birth dates, our parents' anniversary dates, our first date, our engagement, Mason's puppy adoption. I started work on a cross-stitch sampler. We matted and framed it and carried it on the plane back to Atlanta in the fall. It seems that we couldn't have glass in the frame due to heightened post 9/11 security.

Leather. Mike and Letha made photo albums adorned with embossed leather; they learned how to stamp the leather for this gift. Being less daring than them, our first instinct was to buy them leather belts with their names across the back. However, sensibility won out, and we purchased some leather desk accessories.

Appliances. Prior to our anniversary, we were all at the cabin, where I was lamenting my lack of ironing skills. (Which is quite ironic given the fact that one of my grandmothers used to take in ironing from other people.) Judy questioned the quality of my iron, I admitted that it wasn't a great iron and that I needed to get a better iron to help my plight. Letha sent a Rowenta iron for our anniversary that year. While my ironing is still not the greatest, I must say that my attempts have improved with a good iron.

Wood. We received an assortment of wooden gifts: a cute wine bottle stopper, a door stopper with a fish for Dave's office upstairs, and wooden Christmas ornaments with wedding photos.

Iron. Given Letha's track record for making gifts, I'm shocked that she didn't take up metal working this year. But she didn't. Instead, we received a beautiful hurricane candle for the back porch, complete with iron tiki-torch-type candle sconces. The beautiful gift inspired us to clean up the back porch. Now, I've got a few months to find the perfect gift of iron, candy, or wood for them.

All of the gifts we've received are treasured, but even more special are the brother and sister that send them to us. I certainly love the tradition! While I can still recall each gift they've given us, I'm at a loss to remember every gift we've sent them.

The Blue Room

There is always a great sense of satisfaction in finishing a job. I've just finished the bed cover and pillow shams for the daybed in our blue room.

Last summer, I approached Dave with the idea of a daybed for the second bedroom. Since his family was coming for Thanksgiving, I had the perfect reason to insist that we have another bed by November. We debated the merits of daybeds versus regular beds in the room we had to re-do. In the meantime, we stripped wall paper, and Dave put up bead board.

Dave found a bed he liked in the Orvis catalog, so in October I called and placed my order. I was sad to hear the bed was on back-order, but happy to hear it would ship the week of Thanksgiving, so we should have it by Mike and Letha's arrival. We bought a pop-up trundle and mattresses so we'd be ready for the bed's arrival. When I didn't hear anything about the bed, I called to check on it and was told it would be shipping. Mike and Letha arrived--no bed, but at least we had mattresses for them to sleep on. A few more phone calls and a chat with the manager later, I discovered my daybed had been ready for delivery two days before Mike and Letha arrived; the delay? Orvis gave the shipper a bad phone number. The shipper kept leaving messages at the wrong number. I finally got the bed and love it. I just wish it had been here sooner.

While Letha and Judy were here, I picked out fabric (for a second time--the first fabric didn't quite match the paint color. Yes, I know you can have these things matched at the paint counter, but that would be too simple.) . I made the window treatments over Spring Break. And, after I finished up most of my work for the summer week before last, I decided it was time to tackle the bedcover. I sewed it up in a couple of afternoons--after finally purchasing the right needle for the machine--and only had to make one modification to my homemade design. This week I tackled the pillowshams. And, now all the sewing is finished for that room.

I still have accessories to tackle, but I think you'll agree, it has come a long way from the room it once was.

A Thousand Splendid Suns

When I finished Pride and Prejudice, I went from Victorian England, to modern day Afghanistan as I read A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. If you haven't read his first novel, The Kite Runner, you should. While The Kite Runner is the story of a family who leave Afghanistan following the Soviet invasion in 1978, A Thousand Splendid Suns is the story of two women who stay.

First, the novel taught me a great deal about Afghan history. Hosseini doesn't brow beat the reader with the history, but it is woven into the stories of Laila and Mariam. Admittedly, I know little of the history of Afghanistan. (Well that isn't exactly true. I did read Michener's Caravans a few years back on the recommendation of a friend. It also contains a lot of Afghani history; however only through WWII.) I have concerned myself little with learning about the Middle East and the tensions there. I know that is not wise, but there is so much to learn. I had no idea the Soviets invaded Afghanistan in 1978; I pondered this for a while and then took comfort in the fact that I was 2 1/2 when it happened. Sadly, my history classes have taught me little of the Middle East, probably because most of what is happening there is happening now. It's my job to educate myself.

Back to the novel . . .

As I read the book, I had to remind myself that Laila is the same age as my brother; the living conditions and treatment she endured would have been those that I endured had I been born in Afghanistan instead of the United States. It is sometimes easy to get a false impression that the outhouses and small homes, the subservient role of women, and the role of men as the "protectors" of the family are of another era. I find great irony in the fact that Raseem, the husband of Mariam and Laila, wants to preserve the dignity of the women by making them wear burquas, yet he is abusive to them. I know just because he is portrayed as abusive not all Afghani men are. The book also contains examples of men who are good husbands in Tariq and Laila's baba (father).

The beautiful story that provides the backbone of the novel is the intertwined stories of Mariam and Laila, wives that become sisters first, then easily fall into a mother-daughter relationship. The beauty of their love is marred by the tragedy borne by each lady.

I won't watch another news story about Afghanistan or any other Middle Eastern country with the same callousness I felt before reading the novel for I have seen the hearts of the country through the characters created by Hosseini.

Pride and Prejudice

Last week, I picked Pride and Prejudice from my bookshelf determined that I was going to read it this time. I erringly thought I had started it twice before, but couldn't finish it. As it turns out, it is Sense and Sensibility that I've started twice and been unable to finish. Once I opened Pride and Prejudice, I was immediately engrossed in the novel.

Austen wrote the novel as a satire on Victorian life. I was able to chuckle at some of the subtle sarcasm she embeds in the tale of Elizabeth Bennett and Mr. Darcy. Of course the novel is the story of their love, but it seems odd that he is always "Mr. Darcy" since such formality does not exist today. Darcy has to overcome his pride; Elizabeth her prejudice in judging situations so that the two can be together.

As I read, I was repeatedly thankful that marriages today are not so dependent on the good behavior of the entire family. I suppose in that society in which men didn't really work for their families--but instead lived on inheritances--and women only left the home on social calls, there was more time to meddle in the affairs of others and scrutinize the actions of others.

I have little sympathy for the foolish sister who runs off and marries a man with little money. Lydia and Wickham wonder how they'll survive. Perhaps they should consider working; isn't that a novel idea? I suppose though, my middle class upbringing leads me to such thoughts. I can't conceive a world in which old money has been handed to me so that I'll never have to work hard for what I have.

But I do so enjoy the twists and turns in the romance of Elizabeth and Darcy. From cultural references, I knew they were going to get together in the end. However, I had to keep reminding myself of that when I was not reading the novel. Austen constructs a story that keeps me wondering how in the world everything would work out so that they could be together. Ah, romance. . .

To Bob and Judy

Today is Bob and Judy's 39th wedding anniversary. I question why my parents got married on Ground Hog Day. I also question why B&J (as we affectionately call them) got married so close to the Fourth of July. Actually, I think Judy also questioned the choice of a hot July day in Illinois in a church with no air conditioning. (At least I don't think I'm making up that no a/c part.)

Judy is quite the woman. As a bride, she honeymooned at the cabin. In 1968, the cabin was much more modest than it is today. In 1968, there was an outhouse, and one had to take the "bear club" ( huge flashlight) along to the outhouse after dark. In 1968, the cabin was essentially one room and a porch. But, young love doesn't see these things. I wonder if in 1968, Judy could have ever imagined what the cabin would look like today--with two indoor bathrooms, two real bedrooms, an electric stove and microwave, and even a washer and dryer.

Bob is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet. He's an eternal optimist. Stick around him for a few minutes, and you're sure to hear him say, "No sweat," when a problem arises. He always thinks the fishing will be better tomorrow. He always feels anything broken can be fixed. When the boys got banged up playing, he'd tell 'em to, "Rub some dirt on it; it'll be OK." Always a gentleman, Bob replaced the dock boards at the cabin the first year Letha and I journeyed up; he didn't want "one of the girls" to fall through.

Bob and Judy have raised two wonderful sons. In their parents, Dave and Mike have an excellent example of a great marriage--of a husband who helps out around the house, of a dad who fixes things when they get broken, of a mom who laughs and loves, of a wife who works hard to make any house a home (no matter how disastrous the previous decorating choices).

Happy Anniversary, Bob and Judy! Can't wait to start planning the party for next year!

Bob and Judy in front of South Fork, November 2006.

Bathin' In the Sink

One of Devin's posts this week, made me think of this picture of me. It's one of my favorites, so I stole it from Mama and have it in my possession. Devin says, "In the country babies do their bathin' in the sink." I'd have to argue that at grandma's house babies bath in the sink.

Granny did write on the back of the photograph "Mandra Fouts August 5, 1976 Thursday". She never could spell my name--that's OK. I almost wonder if Granny started writing my name--just got the "M" out, got interrupted, and finished with the rest of Mama's name (Sandra) instead of mine. Who knows? It's funny to look back at old birthday cards and see my name misspelled. Sometimes it's "Marinda"--only two letters reversed, not bad. Not matter how she spelled my name, I know she loved me. So despite what I tell my students, sometimes spelling doesn't count.

When I first saw the date, I wondered if this was taken the day my aunt Martha was married. But since it's Thursday, I doubt it. I bet, however, she was getting married that weekend, and I was down at Granny's with Mama helping with the preparations. I mean, come on, what wedding would be complete without a baby in the kitchen sink?

Mama must also have fond memories of bathin' in the kitchen sink. She gave Hayden a bath there once. He splashed water all over the kitchen, so now he gets a bath in the bathtub upstairs. I think he still splashes water all over the place, but the tub contains a lot of the splashes.

I've also included a picture of Granny standing at the kitchen sink. It was not taken on the same day. It looks like it's a holiday. Evidence:
1. The dish soap containers are different.
2. Granny has on lipstick and is dressed up. She wouldn't be all gussied up to give me a bath in the sink. However, I do find it interesting that she is wearing a bracelet.
3. It looks like there's a turkey to her left. There is definitely some platter of something there.
4. The canisters are in different places. However, the plant holder does appear in both.

I loved going to Granny's house. If it was warm outside, we might lay on a pallet under the willow tree and color. A slate blue cookie tin with a white outlined picture of a lady and a carriage held all the crayons. I remember standing on a chair pulled over to the stove to stir apples as they cooked for dinner; they'd be served with warm biscuits. I remember watching The Dukes of Hazzard and Dallas at her house on Friday nights; we'd eat chips and green onion dip then. And, I remember not wanting to get a bee sting while I was there because that would mean Granny would want to put a little snuff on it--right out of her mouth--gross. (Though I venture my cousin Jennifer has a different view of snuff, because she wanted to dip snuff just like Granny, so Granny made a sugar and cocoa powder concoction for her.) And I remember laying in Lesa's room at night, while she told me stories to try to help me get to sleep. Sometimes the snores coming from Granny and PawPaw's room were quite distracting.

And to think, all these memories started with a bath in the sink . . .

White Bass Frenzy

I finally was able to dodge the thunderstorms and rain showers to do some fishing this morning. A friend invited me to fish with him on Lake Lavon. It was a very early morning (4:30) and a bit of a drive to get there, but it turned out to be very worth the effort. We ran into two schools of white bass that were chasing schools of shad on the surface. If you haven't ever seen this before it's a cool sight. All you can hear and see for acres are white bass chasing a shad to the surface and with each splash a little shad has become breakfast. The schools typically don't stay up on the surface for long and will go back down to deeper water. But while they were on top, the fishing is fast and furious. We each caught 25-30 each in about an hour of fishing. At one time I had five casts in a row with a fish on each cast. These fish weren't huge by any means, but they are fun to catch none the less.

We both almost jumped out of the boat when a beaver popped up behind the boat and slapped his tail on the water before going under. Talk about a quick way to wake yourself up at 6:00 in the morning when everything on the lake is nice and quiet....

Below are a few pictures of white bass that I have caught in the past on a flyrod. Unfortunatly I didn't take any pictures of fish today...I was too busy trying to catch as many as I could while the fishing was good!

Flowers

Lest anyone think Dave is an ogre who leaves to-do lists for me on a daily basis, I must also make note of the sweet things he did this week.

1. Ate leftovers Wednesday and Thursday nights.
2. Stopped by the store Thursday on the way home for chips and sour cream to go with said leftovers.
3. Brought me flowers from the grocery store because they were purple and caught his eye.
4. Worked 'til 4:30 am; got 2 hours of sleep; worked a full day
5. Rubbed my shoulders last night--even though he only had 2 hours of sleep
6. Let me sleep in this morning
7. Knew his mom was going to get him over the "lists" post, but didn't want it taken down when I offered.

Lists

Disclaimer: Though my tone might indicate otherwise, I am not upset with Dave. I'm just messin' with him. If I were upset, this is not the place or the manner in which I would air my grievances.

I'm a list person, but Dave is a list person extraordinaire. He keeps a list going and relishes marking off the items with a nice fat, black marker. If he does something that isn't on his list, he'll add it to the list so that he can mark it off. There is a great sense of accomplishment in being able to say, "Look at what I've done." Many times in life, the things that we're doing are seemingly intangible and overlooked, despite our efforts.

I've worked most of the summer, so far. Things started slowing down last week. I worked Monday and Tuesday mornings, and I sat in on interviews all day Wednesday. I didn't work Thursday or Friday. I really don't know what I did Thursday. Friday, I went to TJ Maxx, a big furniture store, and to Grapevine Mills. I walked two miles with Dave, and did a third leisurely lap while I shopped. I stopped at Kroger on the way home for a few items.

This week, I plan to work Tuesday morning since I have two interviews. I need to work another morning, maybe. So last night, Dave started with my to-do list. It started with "weed the monkey grass." He thought of something else I should do, then another item. Since we were upstairs, he proceeded to type and print a list for me. It's in a huge font, like 36 point and reads as follows:

Miranda's Monday To-Do List
1. Pull weeds in monkey grass-1 hour
2. Make list of to buy stuff
3. Take picture of Big Daddy Hammock
4. Call Concourse Automotive
5. Make menu and grocery list
6. Finish daybed cover
7. 10 minutes on elliptical
8. Improve attitude--1+ hour
9. Call Imelda

Items 4,5, 6, 7, and 9 are my additions. If he's making the list, I want him to see what I am going to do. I was giving him "guff" so I got the addition of #8.

It's 10:45, and I've made progress. I did weed the monkey grass for about an hour. I got the top third done. I'll finish up Wednesday morning, but we need to water Tuesday night so the ground will be soft. I've called Concourse about having the "check engine" light on my car diagnosed. I made it about 7 minutes on the elliptical and had to stop because it came off track three times in the last 2 minutes I was working out. (Add "Fix Elliptical" to Dave's list-haha.) I've left a message for Imelda regarding having our house cleaned. (I cleaned a bit this weekend so that I would feel it was clean enough to be cleaned.)

Heck, I even started on number two last night. I want lots of stuff. I know it's a problem. When I decide that I need something, I mention it; then, when I think of something else, I mention that as well. It drives Dave crazy. Hence the addition of number two. I'm supposed to make a list of things I want for the house and prioritize them. The list I can make, and I can loosely prioritize it. So far there are about 15 things on that list. Dave's going to love reading it when he gets home. Oh, it's in a notebook right now, but I'm supposed to put it in Excel so it can be sorted and reordered.

And, in typical Dave fashion, I'm adding things to my list, like:
Take out the trash
Make up the bed
Call to ask about Flexible Spending Account and Lasik Money
Rat Dave out on the blog ;)