Growing Pains

We have been in this little apartment for nearly 4 months now. Usually I surprise myself when I say that...it doesn't seem that it has been that long. This morning I was sobered a bit by the reminder that we still have nearly that long to be here! It hasn't been a bad experience by any means, even with the excitement of last week.

It has been an interesting phase of our lives. The last time I lived in town, within walking distance of things was when we briefly house-sat in Carnation, WA for about 4-6 months when I was in 7th grade. We lived right in town in Boise, ID, when I was aged 1 to 4. Apart from those 2 times, I have been a country girl. We have enjoyed living close enough this winter to walk to the park and to visit friends. We have enjoyed exploring Waynesburg and shopping at the little shops that we never stopped at when driving. J has been so upset about all of the litter, that I have promised her a "Trash Walk" some day soon, when we take a trash bag with us and pick up all we see.

And yet, there are down sides too. We are in closer proximity to each other 24/7, than is comfortable all the time. The girls miss their toys. I miss my kitchen stuff, and space to work. I am still not used to all the road noise. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a minor discomfort compared to what some of my friends are facing in their lives right now. J broke down in tears yesterday afternoon, saying that she missed her house and her journal (which was inadvertently packed). Daddy is concerned that L won't remember the first house on the hill.

These gray days, cold weather, and mud are beginning to make me feel like a trapped animal. I am almost desperate enough to gnaw off my paw in order to escape.

Only 15 more days until SPRING!

T

And the other good thing about living in town...

Now that the family seems to have come through the tunnel of illness and we can see sunshine on the other side again, "normal" life must resume. I try to think of one thing about this housing situation every day that is positive. It is really not bad here, truly. We are comfortable, warm and have the things we need literally right at our fingertips. A strange thing happens most afternoons, however. Around 4:00 the walls start closing in and we need to get OUT, OUT, OUT! It is really nice that everything is in walking distance.

For some reason, J did not want to walk to the playground today, so I enticed the girls out by telling them they could take some money out of their piggy banks and buy a snack at the gas station up the street. Once they had chips in hand, we strolled along the sidewalks toward down town, looking at Christmas displays and finding the entire alphabet on signs. We enjoyed looking around in Honey Bees and the 10,000 Villages shop. The girls were amazed by the giant Christmas tree at the Courthouse with "candies" on it as big as their heads.

Our 30 minute outing stretched into nearly an hour. We came home happy and refreshed. Don't be surprise if one day we show up at your doorstep around 4:15!

T

Spring Break

In another hour and a half, I will not only be finished with work at the University for this week, but I will be finished for almost TWO weeks! Hooray...next week is Spring Break! What a relief to not have to take the girls to babysitters (and all that entails) twice in one week for a while!

It can't come too soon. We need a break. The girls have been naughty little buggers today...destructive, fighting, yelling, breaking things, hurting each other...it just won't stop. Good thing Waynesburg doesn't have a local troupe of gypsies, or I'd sell the both of them right about now.

If only we could see some sun again! Everything seems so dirty. The van is so filthy that I can hardly stand to open the doors. Every time our scant snow fall melts, it reveals the many branches and leaves littering the lawn. In contrast, the basement guest room is looking fresh and clean in its coat of "String of Pearls". Today I ripped out some redundant trim in the neighboring "media room" downstairs, and filled in all the nail holes. Tomorrow I can start making that room look brighter as well, and hopefully speak to the carpet guy about putting in some sparkling, new carpet, untouched by rodent feet!

The groundhog said 6 more weeks of winter...aren't we anywhere close to seeing SPRING?

T

Brief Indulgence: Summer and Sugar in Febuary

So just let me indulge myself in one quick daydream of summer, in this case E riding on Chester the Dog's back in the middle of lush, hot Texas. . .Elspeth actually held on for a moment before toppling off.

Here's a fun almost-local tip, though: this past Saturday we packed into our car and tooled around the back roads to Point Marion (about a 30 minute or so trip) to try to locate a little diner called "Apple Annies." Our friends in Morgantown had recommended it to us, and the girls were hungry by the time we finally got into the car. So off we went blindly; Martin with blazing ears (he defied the stereotype of men not asking directions, but in a chagrined kind of way) asked the diner's whereabouts at a car parts store.

Apple Annies, it turns out, is hidden in an unlikely little alleyway in the middle of this rather unpromising industrial town. But it is absolutely charming. It is friendly, completely nonsmoking, and rather cute inside. And super busy. I've heard the best time to go is for breakfast, but we weren't that organized so instead we ordered lunch: salmon cakes for Martin, turkey for me, a huge plate of assorted pasta for the girls. After a preface of bread basket, the food came quickly and was hot and good. Next time, however, I will skip the real food altogether and save myself for the ungodly portions of dessert that meet you immediately as you walk in the door--absolutely humongous pieces of cake slathered with icing, pies heaped with wild layers of meringue.

We chose ONE piece of chocolate cake to go, and for teatime that afternoon we split it four ways with some left over. I wish I had taken a picture. I saw one lady walking to her table while we were there balancing a mountain of vanilla cake with pink icing. . .surely, you think, it can't be all for her. . .but perhaps. . .perhaps, in a moment of complete un-lent-like self-indulgence. . . .All I know is that I did not give up sweets for Lent, and a good thing too since Beatrix seems to have an insatiable sweet-tooth.

Anyway, we should plan a field-trip soon, in which we indiscriminately stuff ourselves with sugar. All I can say is, What is consumed in Point Marion, Stays in Point Marion. The good people at Apple Annies don't tell tales.

K

Points

Man, it's cold tonight! Brrr! I just left Merry snuggled under flannel and out of that little nest, I'm rather chilly!

Are we meeting this week? T and I are free tomorrow night, though I must admit I am so cold and rather tired I don't feel like leaving my house. Tomorrow, despite Elspeth's being sick, I must leave in the morning to collect some groceries, but then we're back in quarantine again. Merry, who is not sick, and who missed a lovely tea at her friend J's house today and who does not have any formal school at Aunt N's house this week, and who wants to go visit Aunt S and her boys, is sad about being quarantined with us, but then that's life.

I did watch "Jane Austen Book Club" and despite his intentions to get some work done, Martin got sucked in--and it was a really fun watch. Would anyone be interested in vegging at my place--I don't mind watching it over again. Otherwise, unless anyone says "Hey, wait a minute!" and wants to borrow it, I'll return it tomorrow in the mail.

Anything else of practicality to share? Baked a simple-super but simply-great vanilla cake today. . .Kashi is on sale on Amazon, and Celestial Seasonings is on an-order-get-an-instant-rebate on Amazon. . .as T was good enough to alert me, Lands End is running their blow-out sale. . .grapes (nonorganic) are a pretty good price at Giant Eagle starting tomorrow. . .and that may be it.

Since I have been steeping myself and Merry in English children's books lately, I feel like ordering British chocolate bars and going out for walks with my baby in a pram and having a muffin and a milk and a window-washing man drop by every day and walking to shop at market with my big basket, and knowing all my neighbors and of course having sunshine or at least having a good sturdy pair of Wellingtons in cheerful yellow. And having a delightful, wonderful bakery just down my road stocked with currant buns and fresh biscuits and crusty loaves. Anyone else fantasizing about English/European public transportation and food right about now? Or is it just me?

Oh, postscript: go visit 4obsessions . .I always enjoy that blog, as well as thistledown.


K

Oh, for a vacation!

Yep, right on time! In mid-February, after things have settled down after the Holidays and our string of winter birthdays, the BLAHS hit me. When the outside looks grey and dingy, suddenly everything takes on a worn and dirty feeling, and I don't feel satisfied with much at all. Of course, the recent fevers and lack of sleep may be contributing to this overall disinterest with life in the Burg.

I want to escape! Recently, I've been dreaming of castles in Europe. My friend in Germany, however, tells me that their days are equally grey and non-descript as well. My cousin in Sitges, Spain has a lovely blog filled with gorgeous photos of architecture, olive picking and the sea (check it out: http://www.kingsinspain.blogspot.com/ ), I'm sure they would welcome a winter-sick visitor from the states!

Today, there is sunshine! Ah...shine on great star! We are headed to our property for a hike, and a stop by the township park/playground on the way back. Perhaps the fresh air and sunshine will scrub the windows of my soul, and allow good old Waynesburg to look a bit more sparkly.

A good weekend to you, my friends!

T

Particularly Thankful

After a long day with grouchy children (and therefore grouchy mother), I was particularly thankful to have my husband come home. I was appreciative to have another rational adult to talk with after repeated irrational discourse with the boys. By 10:00 we were bouncing off the walls so we made a "sanity run" by getting out of the house for a bit, driving around the county to view cows and horses, chickens dining on watermelon rind and potatoes, and monstrous icicles. It's nice be be able to see countryside so quickly...no traffic, no interstate....just icy one lane country roads. (Isn't that a John Denver song?)

Fridays are definitely to be celebrated.