Diana and Japan

Boy - this has been a long time coming.

My earliest recollection of Diana liking things of Japan was when she was in Kindergarten.  She participated with me in the local community acting play, The Mikado.  Even though she didn't need to, she memorized the words (I think they just *sounded* Japanese) to all the songs while she was onstage, so she could sing along.  At 5 years old, she was very cute :)

About this time, she also started watching Sailor Moon on TV.  This anime from Japan was very different from typical US cartoons, in that it had a story line that advanced over the season.  The episodes stood alone just fine, but there was a definite romantic plot line which was pretty involved throughout the whole school-girl-transforms-into-super-hero theme.  Sailor Moon's character matured as did her friends' as well.  Diana started drawing around this time, mostly Sailor Moon & her friends.  She was Sailor Moon for Halloween one year (2nd grade?) and she collected anything she could.  Interestingly, we could get a lot more Sailor Moon stuff in Canada than in the states...  Of course, Sailor Moon takes place in Japan, and they ate Japanese food :)

The interest in drawing continued, and Diana also discovered Manga - Sailor Moon started as a Japanese comic book before it was made into the cartoon anime.  Diana found other titles and became interested in more & more Manga & Anime.  She discovered a magazine called Shonen Jump, which featured five or six manga, plus taught about Japanese culture and writing at the same time.  She managed to get a paper route, so she could continue her subscription, and that lasted at least three years, until she was able to build her manga collection by getting the actual books.

In Junior High, we found out there was an exchange program to Shobu, Japan through the school.  It was kind of privately run, and there was a panel of people who interviewed the students interested in going.  Diana was very excited and really did everything she could to be able to go.  In the interview, she talked about going to the temples and gardens, and seeing the various historic sites.  To our surprise, she was not chosen.  Later, we discovered all the children of doctors had gotten in... even those not so interested in going.  One even told her, "you should be going instead of me."  So our economic level had something to do with her not being able to go.  I told her that when she was older, she'd have a lot more control over doing something like this.  Plus, this trip would have only been 10 days.  It was barely worth the flight going.  In the future, she'd be able to go and STAY a while.

Her favorite became Full Metal Alchemist (still her favorite), and by high school, she'd found a group of students also as into Manga & Anime as she was - the Japanese Club.  She joined Freshman year, and was president for Sophomore, Junior & Senior Year.  All the while, continuing to draw & read, of course.  She was also part of the German American Partnership Program (GAPP) and learned a lot about traveling through that experience.

So off she goes to U of O through the Ford Foundation.  At the first big family gathering as a new Ford Scholar, we hear about the stories of the graduating Ford Scholars, many of whom had taken advantage of the Ford Foundation's generous attitude toward travel and study abroad.  Not only was she getting her tuition almost completely covered, they were going to assist her in travel to Japan!

All this time (she's just finished her Junior Year) she's been planning and figuring out when she could go.  She's been acing most of her Japanese classes, and I guess she's pretty good with the speaking (she also speaks German with a minimal accent - she has a good ear for dialect).  She really 'gets' the culture and the values.  She applied for the program, and had to be accepted on both ends (UO and Senshu University) with letters of recommendation, GPA, etc - Just Monday she got the final approval from Senshu :)

We went and reserved her round-trip flight yesterday through a local travel agency.  They were able to match what I'd seen online, but if there's any issue, Diana will have a phone number to call & have people help her :) She'll have a stopover in Seoul, Korea (she's excited about that too) and we'll be able to drop her off in Medford, and pick her up there too.  She's leaving mid-September, and comes home mid-December.

She's trying really hard to find a summer job now.  She has to pay for her UO residence to hold it, even while she's in Japan, and she wants spending money, obviously.  If she can't find something, she'll have to take her first loan out since she started her college journey (which is a testament to her frugality as a student), but she's very hopeful for the summer - she has applied for a variety of jobs, and has an interview lined up.  She can work in either Roseburg or the Eugene area, and even though she doesn't drive, there's the bus or hopefully a carpooling situation can be set up once she's employed.

Oh - and this summer she gets to be a bridesmaid for her friend, Becki.  Wheeeee!

Summertime is coming! Finally!

The weather in Oregon has felt like March/April until just this last weekend.  It has finally gotten warm enough to get out in the yard.  I am hoping my tomato plants will take off, now that I put them outside, finally.  I already managed to overwater one of the Roma plants while they were waiting in the kitchen for the weather to get warm.  Oh well.

This is our last week of school.  Both Trevor & Diana have finals this week, and Connor & I will be done on Thursday.  He & I will do Extended School Year starting after the 4th of July, but until then, we're completely open.  I think he intends to jump a lot on the trampoline.  I intend to reclaim my house.  I get it into great shape for the Open House at Christmas, and it just declines from there.  Obviously, the main household needs are met (meals, laundry, dishes), but other things kind of grow (papers, recycling stuff, things that need sewing/fixing).  While the living room & kitchen stay relatively clear and 'company friendly,' the bedrooms & laundry room tend to get less tidy.

So over the next couple of weeks after school is out, I will be picking something and tackling it until it's done to my satisfaction.  If I can keep on track, I may even attack some of the boxes in storage under the house :)  I'll only do a few hours a day - because there's still my family, the yard, and fruit-picking season is rapidly approaching.

Diana will stay in Eugene during the summer, although I expect her to come home here & there for visits.  She needs to earn money for her term in Japan in the fall.  Trevor needs to find work to start paying down his debt from college.  If he doesn't get a paying job, he will be working for me in the yard.  For free (well, room & board).  But as that's what he's done the last few years, I'm really pushing for a paying job!!!

We also recently bought a tent trailer for a fantastic deal, which is currently with Lee's niece, Karrie in Medford. After our nephew Tony's wedding on July 3rd, we'll be bringing the trailer home to stay.  We need to create a pad in the back for storage.  That's more Lee's thing than mine.  I'm excited to have our own trailer.  Connor will probably be using it all summer just in the backyard, and anyone visiting or passing through will be able to camp in the backyard for free again (like Carolyn & her family!).  This one actually has a lot more amenities than the one we borrowed last year - lights, heating & such, for instance.  We just need to get our truck's electrical hook-up fixed, and we'll be able to do short camping trips with Connor.  Lucky for us, a 15-minute drive already gets you to river-front campsites in our area :)  There's closer sites, but camping at the fairgrounds isn't really my idea of "camping."  :)

There's no one really playing the fair this year that I know anyway - I don't know if I'll go to a country singer concert with a friend or not.  I *will* be doing as many Music On The Half Shell concerts as I can.  Those are free and always entertaining.  There will also be Movies in the Park coming up to do with Connor.  And three weddings to attend this year.  We'll be going to Canada in August, when Lee has earned his Costco vacation time :)

My Birthday 2011

I had originally intended to take the day off.  I was supposed to have a couple of days off in April, but the student I was working with didn't have those days off, and I had worked with the arrangement that I'd swap Mondays for Fridays.  Well, that would have been fine had I stayed where I was, but then I moved again, and I lost my 2nd day.  I don't know how it works out with my new schedule, but I figure it'll all come out in the wash. 

So the plan had been for me to go up to U of O to meet with Diana and get to see On The Rocks perform.  That's the acapella men's group that was on the show, "The Sing Off" this last year.  They had a viral video with "Bad Romance" and they are just a lot of fun to watch :)

But - it was Earth Day, so they ended their show while I was still on the road with my friend Susan.  Dang.  Well, at least Diana recorded them doing a few songs, and they didn't perform the Bad Romance song anyway (which is what I really wanted to see).

Diana being my great daughter, actually followed and then got my favorite member of the group (Jonah) to wish me a happy birthday on video :)  That was really cool.

Since we weren't going to be at a concert, we traded having Taco Bell dinner for going to Red Robin (Yum!).  Then we stopped by See's Candies, and then we headed to the Yogurt Extreme shop.  Turns out if it's your birthday, your whole yogurt creation is free!  I was thinking maybe a dollar off or something.

We grabbed Diana's laundry & stuff, and went home.  Lee had baked me a carrot cake *yay* and over all, it was a pretty nice birthday :)

Connor's fundraiser for Special Olympics

Connor's Spring Break Camping 2011 - all done!

I awoke to a rooster crowing pretty early, but it was warm and snuggly in the sleeping bag, so I just dozed a while.  Connor made some noises off on his end of the trailer - all happy sounds.  He was really loving the whole experience :)

Lee had talked with his dad the night before about helping him get a new printer at Costco in the morning, and Pop had invited us to breakfast.  So I kept on the warm clothes & started packing up.  Nothing was damp this time, because I'd left a little vent open above Lee & my sleeping space, and outside, everything just stayed dry (how nice!).  So I just started folding up things & packing stuff up.  Lee came out to help me & Connor came out to explore the morning.  Diana stayed "asleep" until I told her I needed her sleeping bag.  :)

After Lee got most of the stuff packed we did the best cleaning we could of the trailer.  I had brought plenty of paper towels & 409 :)  Diana saw Nancy at the barn when she went to dump the trash, and then we drove over there & we gave her the stuff we'd borrowed & said thanks & good-bye.  Nancy still wasn't feeling great, so we kind of had to keep our distance.

We headed out to Central Point to Pop's place and while he & Lee went shopping, Diana & I took much-needed showers (yay!).  I should have stopped at a coffee place on the way there, though.  I was really ready for the coffee once we got to the restaurant hours later!  Lee & Pop got the printer installed & all, and eventually we headed back home.

Connor had a violin lesson at 4:00, so we really just had time to give Connor a bath & change of clothes before we went to do that.  Everything is pretty much put away now, and we have the photos & memories of our adventure.

Connor's next request - Tent camping by a stream & go fishing.  (Fishing?  He won't eat the fish!).  I think we can pull this off sometime over the summer :)  But I'll need a camp mattress...or a cot!

Connor's Spring Break Camping 2011 - the fun starts

Okay - keep in mind, the forecast was for rain all week.  Just a day or so before we left, Tuesday was showing, "Sunny breaks."  We were really lucky - it stayed dry throughout our camping experience, with only a teeny sprinkle in the evening, just to make people nervous about having come out to join our campfire!

I think we all slept pretty well.  It didn't get to freezing, but it was cold.  There were enough blankets & sleeping bags to keep warm, as long as you didn't let them slide off.  Lee & I had some dampness in our part of the tent, but that was because we forgot to open a bit of the 'window' to let out the condensation.  It was strange not having a car right next to us.  We'd put all the food in the trailer with us, since I didn't want to leave it out for critters.  I would have normally used the trunk of the car as the 'pantry' during this time.

I think I got up first and went to start the fire.  I was surprised how open the area was.  In the dark, it had seemed like closed-in forest.  There was a nice big fire ring off to the side of the site that I couldn't see the night before either.  There was a good pile of cut wood nearby, but it was pretty damp.  While we were working on building the fire, Nancy came by with Joshie and she had some dry wood.  I was trying to light the stove by this time, but I couldn't get it to start.  Lee checked the propane tank & said it was empty.  He loaded it into the back of Nancy's car, and I went to go get it filled.

While I was doing that, Nancy went home and made a big pot of water & pancakes for us!  No trouble!  The guy at the filling station said the tank actually did have propane, and he topped it off for me.  I got back to the trailer & Lee hooked it up again, but needed a wrench - so he took Nancy's car & went back to their house & jogged back.  Once he tightened everything, we could get the stove to work!  Hooray!!  I had brought our small propane tanks, but not the stove, since there was one with the trailer.  Later I found another stove under the bench seat storage, but I didn't know that was there until later :P

In any case, we had hot water & pancakes.  We ate by the fire all bundled up in blankets, etc.  Connor thought this was great.  He kept throwing stuff into the flames, and running around the area to explore.  Diana & I were just kind of hanging out, because that's the way we do it in the morning when we don't have to do anything important.  Lee was still really worried about the car being stuck.

After we'd all eaten, Diana went over to the car to take photos of it stuck in the mud.  I went through the trailer & tidied up & stuff, and Connor basically ran around the area & checked things out - always staying in sight of Lee or me.  He did a great job of not wandering, which had been a concern for me when thinking about doing this sort of thing.  He really did a great job of sticking close.  There was a port-a-potty for the renter/campers that help Nancy with the horses, and it's a 'nice' one that has the blue stuff so it doesn't reek :) 

Before lunch, I called Nancy to see about when we might pull the car out - she was about to call me, and said she was on her way.  She brought her truck down, and Lee & I got in (me in the bed on a bale of hay), and headed through the muck to free our car.  I had forgotten the keys (I thought they were in my pocket) so I ran back while Lee & Nancy got the chain onto the front end.  When I got back, they were ready to go - Nancy carefully towed the car, while Lee drove inside.  He said putting the car in low gear helped too.  The car was pulled free, and then Nancy drove to where we could turn, staying ahead so if Lee got stuck again, she could tow more.  Lee managed to drive through everything, all the way back to the good road :)  Nancy had him follow her to the horse barn so we could clean all the mud off (there was a lot).  Lee's comment was, "Gee, you really don't want us taking any of your topsoil, do you?"

Once we had a car again, we'd considered checking out the natural bridges (made by lava) on the way up to Crater Lake, but apparently there was a lot of snow up that way, so we gave it a miss.  We went ahead and set up for lunch.  Connor had canned spaghetti (which I didn't know if he would eat or not - he did), and we had tomato soup.  I also had the pop n fresh biscuits, which Lee showed us how to wrap around the skewers to cook on the fire (mine was raw inside - just right!).  Again, Connor was experiencing just was he was wanting to do - campfire lunch :)

Diana & I went back to where the car  had been stuck & took photos of the ruts left behind - Diana used my mud boots to show the difference in depth - heh.  And no, we didn't create ALL the ruts, but I did make some new ones on the left of this photo when I tried to avoid this big deep part - apparently there's rock below though, and it would have been fine (hard to tell that in the dark tho).

 Karrie came to pick up Josh & had Ben & Micah with her, so we got a chance to visit with her.  Kraig had come down sick the night before, and Nancy wasn't feeling great now, so Karrie wanted to help with cleaning out the horse stalls.  When we got there, however, the gal that works there was already just about done, so instead, I went & got Connor & Diana, and Karrie got them set up to ride Sterling.

I got the dishes done, and when they came back & Connor messed with the fire more until family started showing up for the campfire/dinner time.  Shane traded with Karrie, because she had a class, and he went off with his boys to do stuff for a while.  They had pizza for dinner.  Donna brought Lee's dad and Tony, and some yummy guacamole.  Myrna & Doug came with Daniel, who did a cool time-lapse video of the campfire later.  Tony's girlfriend Ashley showed up too, and he announced they are getting married in July :)  

It was really nice that so many members of the family were able to come out.  For the ones that couldn't make it (or were sick), I'm hoping we can come back during the summer and do this again when it's warmer :)  Connor has already said he'd like to try tent camping, and after seeing how well he stuck close by, I think we can manage it.  Maybe some other camping family folks will join us as well.  I just need an air mattress...  :P

Connor's Spring Break Camping 2011 - the adventure begins!

He's been talking about it since last July, when Connie was with us.  He kind of just made a decision in his head, and then informed us that we were going Spring Break Camping in the Tent Trailer in March 2011.  At first he had a different date for Spring Break (I don't know how he even knew it was in March) but he adjusted after I showed him the school schedule.  This month when I put up the white board calendar, he wrote in "Camping" on Monday of Spring Break.  And he had talked about it often, but once it was on the calendar, he stopped.  Seeing it written down meant it was going to happen, and he didn't need to remind us anymore, I guess!

I know it looks like we are catering to his whims, but really, he only has the one thing he wants to do.  The rest of the time, he doesn't ask for anything (food excluded).  Experiences strengthen the connections in his brain, so we try to help him make those experiences he wants to have happen.  And he changes things and grows.  Last year, he wanted to do Spring Break Camping, and we rented a yurt.  That was kind of what he wanted, and he got to ride his bike, which was part of the request.  He was careful to be more specific with "tent trailer" for this year (but we couldn't do bikes, and he didn't ask for that).  Next time, he wants to do camping in our green tent - but I think we've gotten away from Spring Break, as it was pretty cold first thing in the morning!  I told him summer camping is much more warm :)  He also wants to be by a stream so he can do fishing.  I think we can swing that too :)

I don't know if we'll ever get Trevor to join us on something like this unless we were to get a full-on, size-of-a-regular-apartment 5th wheel trailer.  Or maybe one of those bus RVs with the pull-out sides.  If it doesn't have it's own bathroom & shower, Trevor is probably not going to be into it.  He gets physically ill if he's not comfortable, and his comfort is based on man-made conveniences - like flush toilets & heaters.  Still, it's not a bad deal - he takes care of the mail & the dog.  We don't have to worry about having left something electric on, and on longer trips, he takes care of the plants as well.  And it's not like he's going to throw a party & trash the house.  As it is, he knows he could have had a friend over, and he said he thought about it, but never actually called his friend!  His computer kept him company, and after hearing of our adventures, Trevor was really happy he didn't come.

I'd talked with Karrie about borrowing their trailer and I'd asked Nancy about putting it at the campsite on their ranch.  We were all in agreement, and Karrie had Shane set it up for us last weekend.  Shane said the one mattress was kind of damp because there was a leak in the roof, so I made sure to pack extra tarps so it wouldn't be an issue.

As we no longer have the van, I had to be pretty organized with how we packed the Camry.  Yes, the truck would have been a lot easier, but the truck eats gas like nothing.  I brought extra sleeping bags to use as comforters because we can easily get below freezing temps at night this time of the year.  Also, the forecast for the week was rain, rain, rain!  I got our 4 camp chairs in, the large Rubbermaid tub with the camp supplies, and our smallest cooler.  There were the 4 backpack/bags for our clothes, and then extra blankets, and foodstuffs & pillows.  The space for the 5th passenger in the car was piled up with stuff, and the back window ledge was used as well.  We were pretty stuffed in the car!

Lee got off work at 6:30, and I think we were on the road a little after 7:00.  That means we made it down to the ranch about 9:15ish.  By then, it was DARK.  But it wasn't raining!  I had a hard time seeing the little road to the campsites, so we turned around at the horse barn, and then I found it and headed toward the camp area.  I was trying to see the trailer with my high beams, and I could tell the trail was really wet.  However, I thought if Shane was able to tow a trailer in, we should be okay in the car...  We still didn't see the trailer, and I actually passed the campsite area (in the dark, everything looks the same - woods).  I could tell the trail was getting worse, so I pulled off into the grass more and we got a little ways, and then we didn't move :(  Lee switched with me and tried to rock the car back & forth a bit, but only succeeded in getting deeper.  So we all got out, and sloshed around to the back to find the lantern & flashlights in the trunk (I had them all together & they were actually accessible!) and then we hiked back to the road, and up to Kraig & Nancy's house.  Lee's shoes (at least they were old ones) were completely soaked, but I was in my new Kamiks & Connor was wearing the mud boots, so we were okay.  Diana had on cowboy boots, and seemed okay.

At least when we got up to the house, everyone could use the flush toilet!  Nancy got in her truck and took Lee & me back down to the car, while Kraig kept Diana & Connor and was going to take them back to the campsite.  Lee was not saying much.  He wasn't a happy camper :(  Nancy laughed about it, and I was okay - I've done the camping thing with Girl Scouts enough to have gotten to the "it's an adventure" point.  Sometimes things just don't go your way.  You work around it & do your best.  Nancy's truck is a ranch truck - it navigated the mucky sludge great.  She backed it up to the car, and we tarped the back, and then unloaded everything into the bed.  It's actually pretty impressive how much stuff that little car can hold!  Once we got everything we could see (still pitch dark), Lee & Nancy were in the cab, and I laid on top of the gear in the back while Nancy drove to the ACTUAL campsite.  A spot I'd never seen - we never would have found the trailer on our own.

In hindsight, I really should have just driven to the house to start.  I was trying to avoid bothering Kraig & Nancy.  See how well that worked out?

Spring Break 2011

I don't really have much of a plan - I'm hoping there's relaxation in here somewhere...

Diana arrived from school via a friend on Friday evening.   Lee came home from work & took her skating, and then she went to see "Paul" with some friends from here.  She & Trevor are both waiting to hear back on their grades from last term, but Diana was already pretty upset about her final grade for her Calculus class - looks like she's going to need to redo, unless there's a very generous curve (and that instructor is not known to curve).  The class grades will post on Friday, and then she'll know for sure.

She brought a nice big bunch of laundry with her, so the washer & dryer have been going pretty much all weekend.  I did get my shower scrubbed nicely, and hopefully I'll get a little yard work in.

Today is Monday, and I'm prepping for Spring Break Camping - Connor's request since last summer.  We don't have the van anymore, so I'll need to be creative in stuffing the trunk of the Toyota.  We'll be in a tent trailer, and the weather has been drizzly/rainy, so we will need extra tarps and blankets.  Sure, sunny weather would be preferable, but this is the time we've got, so this is when we're going.  Trevor will house-sit and hang with Liberty, since he just get stomachaches when we take him camping.  And as we'll be on Kraig & Nancy's ranch property, there's no flush toilet nearby, and that wouldn't work well for Trevor.

On Tuesday night, we're hoping to do a big family campfire with Lee's sibs.  I'm looking forward to that.  During the day we'll see if we can get some horseback riding in, and maybe explore around the property a bit.  In the early morning, I expect to see the deer & maybe other wildlife.  It's pretty open spaces on the ranch.

Once we're home again, I have house stuff to do that I've put off for a while.  I'd like to get my laundry room in order.  There's plenty of work in the yard.  I need to transfer stuff down to the basement after it's sealed up against moisture.  My house feels very cluttered to me right now - it bugs me.

If I can get my sewing machine out, I'll do some mending and maybe start on a few smaller projects I've been thinking about.  And maybe I'll get some reading time in. :)

Diana goes back to campus next Friday.  The new term starts on Monday.

Connor Spring Concert - Phantom of the Opera

Auf Wiedersehen Grand Caravan

A while back, Lee had a fender bender with our van.  Car #1 was parked illegally, and then car #2 stopped right in front of him while he was avoiding car #1.  Oh well, that's how it goes.

So for the last few months, we've had the van sitting in the yard, waiting for us to figure out what to do with it.  The estimate Lee got was $3K to get it fixed.  Even though the impact was about 15 mph, it still was enough to ruin the bumper, hood, light and driver's side fender.  Enough got pushed into the wheel that it later deflated.  It was still drivable, just not okay to drive :)

So eventually, Lee found someone to sell the car to - I expect they'll take it apart for the parts (which I checked as a possible option to repair - the good parts should more than make up what the tow cost & payment to us was).  Lee had taken photos of the outside & inside to send to the buyer, and so when I went out the other day to make sure there was nothing in the van before the tow truck came to get it - I was dismayed to find most of the interior covered in MOLD.  Ugh!  Oregon is very damp in winter.  Even though the van was all sealed up, it's not enough to keep the damp out.

Everything had black, white, brown, grey mold on it except the ceiling, and surprisingly, the driver's seat.  The worst places?  The seatbelts.  They were all fuzzy & disgusting.

I got a bucket of soapy water & Clorox wipes, put on some rubber gloves & set to it.  I didn't want the tow people to turn around & say, "Um, no - we didn't sign up for the mold-mobile."  I got most of the mold off the upholstery and seatbelts and carpet areas where it was the worst.  I hope if they decide to repair & resell the van, it'll be cleaned really thoroughly!

At least that made it a bit easier letting go of what was my favorite car to date.  It did a great job hauling us all back & forth to Canada and down to California.  It was comfortable, reliable and totally Girl Scout worthy.

True, I no longer need such a big vehicle - and with the gas situation we're in now, it's better I don't have one - but I will still miss it.  It was a good van.

Now I have my eye on something more along the lines of a Ford F-150 or Toyota Tacoma.  Four doors & the power to haul a tent trailer across the USA.  Ford is making an Eco-boost something that's supposed to work better for mileage...

50 meter final - Special Olympics 2011

Special Olympics 100 meter final

Connor's birthday bouncy ball

Happy birthday Connor!

Dry Spell

Daniel commented on my Facebook that I haven't posted a blog entry in five weeks.  I hadn't noticed.  I've been dealing with some un-fun stuff at work, and its been taking a toll on me.  Hopefully I've turned a corner now, and I'll be able to get back to my regular stuff.

Like clearing 2010 out of file cabinet, and setting aside what I need for taxes so my kids can do their FAFSA stuff.

Like getting all the Christmas stuff back down in to the basement where it lives the rest of the year.

Like organizing the closet and doing the sewing/mending stuff that's gotten backed up.

Like posting to my blog :)

I have photos & such to put up for the last few weeks, and then I'll start in on the new stuff.  We have Division Winners coming up next month in my TOPS club, so as the leader, I need to prep for that.  Also, Connor & I are doing the Special Olympics Cross Country skiing again this year, and this time we'll compete at the Regionals in Bend near the end of February.

Yep - plenty to do!!

Stay tuned...

Big K Ranch & Murder Mystery Dinner

Every day on my way to work, I listen to the AM radio news station, because the FM cuts out pretty soon after leaving Roseburg (mountains & stuff).  They do a contest every week called "Know Your News."  If you email in the topic they say everyday, you're entered into a chance to win something on Friday.  Usually it's dinner for two at a local restaurant.  THIS time, however, the Big K Ranch was hosting a Murder Mystery Dinner, and I think if they offer a prize they might get a discount on the advertising.  Anyway, I emailed every day, and Friday before last, while I was home prepping for Open House, the radio station called & I'd won!

I had driven past the sign for the Big K on Hwy 138 on the way to the coast many times.  I kind of knew where it was.  I got home from work a little early since it was the day before the break, and we waited for Connor to get home so we could go to Costco for fittings for new glasses for Connor & Diana.  I have my eye appointment today & I'll get glasses too.  Lee has a voucher for each of us that allows us all to get another pair for free (well, Connor is getting TWO pairs for $4.00).

We wound up leaving for the ranch around 4:45, which meant it was dark by the time we got to where it was.  It has a long, windy packed dirt road to get out there & it was DARK.  2,000 acres of ranch land with no lights till you reach the lodge!  It was an adventure!

Once we got there, it was obvious this is a really nice well-kept family-run place.  The cabins look like log cabins from the outside, but inside they are more like studio apartments.  There was no TV, but we had entertainment at the lodge anyway :)  Normally there's a game room in the lower level of the lodge with pool tables & arcade games, but the cast of the show was using that for their staging area.

I really want to go back.  Especially in the daytime so I can see the 8 miles of riverfront property.  They do boat floats & horseback riding and all kinds of ranchy stuff here.  They also do big brunches for special holidays like Mother's Day, Thanksgiving, etc.  They do package deals with the brunches so you can combine an overnight at the same time (although for us, we are close enough we could just do the brunch).  They also do corporate retreats, weddings, and family reunions.  The cabins are $129 - $179 depending on the season.  They do package deals that include meals.  And the cook was GOOD.  We had called ahead because of the vegetarian thing, and she'd made this wonderful portabello mushroom/spinach Greek thingamabob that was outstanding.

The Murder Mystery would have been $45 each, so we got this little romantic deal worth $230ish for free because I listen to the radio.  Good stuff!!!

The Big K Ranch, Elkton, OR  They have videos & stuff on this website, if you're interested.

Lee got a "role" as the mayor, although he didn't have to do much.   They had a lovely Portabello mushroom layered dish for us for dinner.  It was great!!

The cast of "Dead in the Sled - Ho, ho, ho.... Oh No!  It reminded me of the Birdcage Theater @ Knott's.

The murderess & her latin lover.

The cabin we got had a queen bed & hide-a-bed.  And a huge bathroom.

I think it's easier to photobomb a digital camera, because I really tried to avoid letting him do this.

Open House

Donna & Jim, their friends the Sacketts, and Kraig & Nancy.

Diana & her crowd :)

Rocky & Melly by our tree (isn't it pretty?)

Lee's folks - Bill & Rita.  I'm so glad the weather cooperated so they could join us :)

Our Spread:  Spinach dip & sourdough, regular & cranberry salsa & strips, chips & onion dip, sliced apples (thanks Nancy), soft cheese & crackers, Trevor's fudge, Diana's Linzer & Gingerbread cookies, Connor's Juicy Lemon Cake, Rice Krispie Treats, Stollen & chocolate truffles.  There was also hot spiced cider, coffee, tea & hot chocolate.  YUM!

Still lots to do

I wish more readers of my blog could actually attend this little event...  Maybe after we retire?

I have an Open House again tomorrow.  This is our annual 'gift' to our friends & family to come & spend some time & snackies with us.  We invite pretty much everyone we know and can have 20-40 people show up.  The parking is a bit tricky, but people seem to come in waves so usually we don't block the street with cars all at once.

I have a plan I follow to get the house ready.  It's pretty thorough, and at the end, I have a clean house that lasts through Christmas.  All the decorating is done, and I can focus on my family after Open House is done.  I really like that part.

Today I still have an enormous of stuff to do - the living room is the only room that's actually "ready" right now.  But it looks really good :)  I'll be working mostly on the kitchen, my room & prepping food today.

Diana is home from college & Trevor is done with his finals too.  I have to remember to delegate stuff to them :)

I'm off to make their lists of what to do today, as well as mine!  Next blog entry should be photos from Open House :)

Violin Scholarship

Connor gets a little fixated on things, being the kid he is.

A while back, he assigned everyone in the family a color.  He also assigned the Holy Family colors, because, you know, they need to have them too.  He is green, and Trevor is red, by the way.  Trevor doesn't like being red - but that's how it goes :)

Once all the colors were assigned, Connor moved on to musical instruments.  We coached him to let the people who actually play a specific instrument to have that instrument assigned to them.  So I have guitar, and Diana has flute, etc.  Connor chose the violin for himself.

I think Lee & I have both posted in the past about Connor's enjoyment of classical music on YouTube, specifically Brahms, Bach and Beethoven.  Something about the "B's" - I don't know.  In any case, he especially loves pieces with violins.

This last year, he started doing choir at school as well (last year it was art).  He has an assistant with him in choir class who is very impressed with Connor's ability to learn notes & sing.  He did really well at his Fall Concert with the choir - better than I'd hoped.  It was great :)  What impressed the assistant was that Connor would sing the harmony, while the rest of the class sang the melody.  It's not that he knew the songs (we don't go around singing "Shenandoah" around here), he just read the notes and figured it out.  Because we explained this to Connor's teacher & aide, they realized he has a bit of a gift when it comes to music.

There's a local Arts Center here that likes to sponsor students in music, among other things.  Connor's assistant found out about a scholarship available to kids his age, and sent home the application form for Connor.  When I filled it out, I obviously made mention of Connor's autism, and then his love for classical music.  I never know how people will take in that information.  On the one hand, there are some pretty dang cool autistic savants in music.  On the other hand, he may have already gotten what he wanted out of violin, and is ready to move on.  It's really hard to tell.

One thing is for sure, though.  We were not intending to spend a lot of time & effort trying to teach him violin.  Neither Lee or I knows anything about it, and we don't know how well Connor would take to it.  We don't have a budget that includes music lessons or instruments at this time.

After we filled out the paperwork, Connor's choir teacher decided to loan Connor a violin.  Wow.  That's pretty brave :)  I'd been looking on craigslist for something that it wouldn't matter if it got ruined.  He has actually been very good about putting it away carefully.  He has no clue how to play it, but he likes trying to 'serenade' me when I take an afternoon nap (NOT helping!!!).

So today I got a letter from the Umpqua Valley Arts Association.  They have decided to award Connor $250 for lessons and the use of a violin!  It goes through his teacher, not us, so it's going to be set up and all we have to do is get him to & from lessons!  Wow!  I'm so excited for Connor just to see what will happen!

I really hope he can figure out & put together that holding his fingers in a specific position on the strings makes a specific sound with the bow.  Once he's got that part, I am anxious to see how far he can take it.

Too cool!!  Go Connor!

I'll keep you updated :)

Thanksgiving 2010

The desserts kept in Myrna's bedroom.  Connor made two lemon meringue pies :)

We always called them Stuffing Balls - but Pretzel Dumplings might sound a little better...

Getting ready to say grace.

Myrna's busy kitchen with LOTS of food!

Myrna & Doug hosted Thanksgiving this year.  There were 30 of us in attendance.  Pop brought Mom to join us, and she did really well.  At the end of the evening, she said, "I love you" to Lee, which was unexpected & caught Pop, Lee & Myrna off-guard.  I guess since the Alzheimer's really took hold, she doesn't say that much anymore.

We met Jonathon's girlfriend Erin from Colorado, and Crystal turned 30 (which means Megan is also 30).  Brian also had his girlfriend from California (I can't recall her name at the moment, but she was very nice!).  Tony was there too, and he seems to be doing very well.  Trevor & Diana spent most of their time with Daniel, as usual.

Connor played a lot with Karrie & Shane's oldest & middle son.  They are rather rambunctious, and he had to hide from them now & then :)  He gets so far, and then it's too much :)

Besides the regular visiting & such, I kept tabs on Connor.  He loves the yard at this house, but it's pretty wide open, and I like to know where he is.  The cougar mounted on the wall was killed on the property, after all.  Connor's going to miss the house when it gets sold, but he's been very good about changes lately - including us missing the tree hunt this year.

Lee had to work at 5:00am yesterday (Black Friday) and he's also working today.  In the past we'd spend a couple of nights with someone in Medford and join in on the tree hunt on Saturday.  We are trying to figure out a different time to get our tree now.  There's a U-cut tree farm just outside of town.  They're more expensive than the $5 any-size tree tag to get from the mountains, but that doesn't count the cost of gas, food, etc. when you do that day trip.  And I'm not wanting us to go all alone to get a tree anyway.  Two years ago my co-worker & her husband were doing that, slid off the road & he had to trudge 12 miles to try to find help, while she stayed behind in their truck.  She wound up spending the night alone in the forest and burned the wood flooring and carpet of the truck to stay warm.  Eeek!  That was around the same time the Kim family got lost & Mr. Kim died of exposure trying to find help for his family :(

Anyway - there are plenty of places to get trees around town, even if we don't do the U-cut.  Connor is already more or less resigned to that.  However, we WILL have to take him up to the snow at some point for fun.  Probably some week day during the holiday break we'll go to the "Sno Park" and take him for that.

This coming Saturday I sign him up for Special Olympics Cross-Country Skiing anyway.  :)  I took the kids to see Tangled yesterday & Trevor & Diana will go see Harry Potter either today or tomorrow.  Then we have to get Diana back to Eugene & everyone goes back to school for two weeks (college) or three (Connor & me).

At least it warmed up & driving is safe again :)

Prepping for Open House

Yes, I know it isn't even Thanksgiving yet, but I have to parcel out my weekends so I have everything done that I want done.  There was enough of a break in the weather today to allow me to rip out all the dead wild sweet pea stalks in my front planter.  I went out to put bark mulch around my baby hydrangea to hopefully protect its roots from frost.  I think I read that in a book somewhere.  Anyway, I still had some bark mulch and I had to clear the weeds out of the front planter before I could put it down.  I have a bunch of bulbs in there that will be fine poking up through that, but I'd prefer to not have to yank out a bunch of grass when the daffodils are blooming.

In any case, I went ahead and made up my little invites for Open House that I can pass out at work & stuff.  I won't do that until a couple of weeks before - it's on Sunday, December 12th this year, so I still have some time.  I'm also composing the Christmas letter so I don't wind up sending it in January as has happened a couple of times :(  We will take the family photo at Thanksgiving at Myrna's house.  Lee is working on the following Saturday, so we won't be able to do the mountain & tree one this year.  That's okay, I think it's been a few of those in a row again anyway.  I'll order the photo cards & should be able to get those out on time :)

I also worked on the menu for Open House today.  Usually we make everything pretty much, but dang - Costco sure has a lot of great pre-done stuff!  I have to see what the cost difference is.  Like I'd usually make the spinach dip, but the one at Costco looks pretty inexpensive.  After I add up the ingredients, if it's a push - I'm getting it at Costco!  I know the chips are cheaper there too.  I had Lee take a photo of the regular price at the store on the crackers the other night to see how they compare to Costco as well.  I'll be pricing things as I go & get the stuff I need to make my share of the Thanksgiving food - probably tomorrow.

Obviously, some things will be homemade still.  Trevor's fudge, Diana's (she hasn't decided yet), Connor's Rice Krispie treats, my Stollen.  Lee usually preps the veggies & dip, but he will probably be working through some of Open House.  We'll ask to have him be scheduled as early as possible - he never has Sunday off because it's time & a half.

The cleaning part is pretty much on schedule.  I am procrastinating on clearing the dressers in my room right now, but they'll be done by the weekend.  I'm working on some knitting & intend to do some sewing too.  The knitting is easiest, because I can work on it during my lunch break at school.  The sewing shouldn't take too long if it goes the way I hope (you never know).

As for Thanksgiving, at this point Lee has Wed-Thur-Fri off, but we're not sure that's right as Lee  has heard EVERYONE works Black Friday.  We will head down to Myrna's on Thursday, and we don't know yet if we have to drive home the same night, or if we might crash at Pop's and leave in the morning.  I'm not a fan of mountain passes in the dark with winter weather.  As I said, we will have to miss the tree hunt this year though.  I'm going to have to figure out a different time to get Connor up into the snow to play.  He's already looking forward to it.