Veteran's Day

I thought that I would let Lachlan share her Veteran's Day accomplishments with everyone. I've also posted the Battle Hymn of the Republic as sung on Thursday night by the AFC Choir at the Veteran's Day Celebration. Lachlan did the recording for me because I love the men's chorus sections of this arrangement. I'm so thankful that so many people came out to share the evening with the choir. It really means so much to have your support. I will also apologize for the squeaky trumpets...it's always the trumpets. :0 You'll know what I mean after you listen to it.

Click Play to hear the song. Be patient, it starts pretty quietly...

Click Play to hear Lachlan

The Leaf Hunt

My initial reflections of officially working from home are this:

1. I still have to pick up the house every single day, but the overwhelming disaster that used to greet me on Wednesday morning is now manageable. Oh, and all of the laundry that had been piling up for over a month is now folded AND put in its proper place.

2. I am capable of working in the basement, but I must dress as though I am just a moment away from racing on a dog sled. The neighbor's dog pretty much howls all day long...so it gives it a feel of realism. How long has that dog been howling like that during the day anyway?

3. I had to go cold turkey on the Diet Coke...diet anything...I literally think that I burned a legitimate hole in my gut. I've got too many other health problems to deal with--so now I'm in bed with lights out before 10PM. Good thing that for the next 9 months it will be as dark as the devil after 3:30PM, it really helps get you in bed at a reasonable hour.

4. My gosh I get a lot done when it is just me and I don't have anyone to visit with...on the downside, it feels a little vulnerable to just have your own opinion about things. I'm so used to having someone review my work that it's going to take some time to get used to being the judge of my own quality.

5. Things are going better than expected with the kids. I instituted the "Gold Star" program. The kids have a list of things that they need to accomplish each day. If they complete their tasks they earn a nickel. Lachlan calls it a knuckle. She is always asking if she has earned her knuckle, yet. It's working pretty well. Jack is going through a pretty obnoxious phase--you know, trying to see how many banks he can rob before we throw him in the clink. I've had to ratchet up the consequences...at least he's a quick study.

My favorite part is that I feel like I have the time to do fun stuff with the kids. I don't feel like I'm so behind with every part of my life. This Saturday we went up on campus for a leaf hunt. The kids have been asking to do it for weeks. It was good, not great. I gave Jack a dose of cold medicine and he was a little hungover and emotional. I finally broke down and said that if he would stop bawling and try to enjoy himself that I would take him to Great Harvest for a piece of bread. He had a great time--or at least he is a great actor--after that...

Here's a few more highlights from the weekend:

View of the Logan Temple and Wellsville Mountains from Old Main.
Rolling in the leaves down Old Main Hill. This is prior to the breakdown. Did I mention that it was all my fault? He rolled into my foot and I didn't get out of the way fast enough.
Lola's new glasses. They look a little off-center in this photo. Hum.
This is L trying to look comfortable and relaxed in a pile of leaves. Impossible. Absolutely impossible.
The great leaf hunt. Lachlan just opened up her bag and started shoveling them in...no discernment. Quantity over quality.
Jack prefers to gather extremely small or large specimens. This is his favorite tiny leaf.
I love bark. It's nearly impossible to take a bad picture of bark.
This was my favorite shot. Those maple trees have incredible knots at the base...so amazing.

Ernst will be spending the evenings in the garage from now on...he wants to visit in the middle of the night and shine his bionic eyes at me. It causes me to have rage. I purchased the Kat Kube from Walmart. It turns out that this is what he has been looking for his whole life. He went in the Kube and he only comes out to eat. Bruce stands about five feet away and just stares at him. I can't figure out whether it is jealousy or genuine concern. My money is on jealousy because Bruce has never been known for his charity.
Did you ever see that movie "Joe Vs. The Volcano?" It wasn't that funny. There is a part in the beginning when he thinks that the fluorescent lights in his office are sucking the life out of him. Well, Joe, I can relate. This *$#% thing is the main light in our kitchen. If I ever get within shooting distance of the idiot who thought that a modern kitchen would be well-served by installing a five-foot fluorescent--aauuggh, I know it was a man!! It has been on its last leg--complete with humming and buzzing (which is maybe why Ernst has been in the Kube, I can't imagine what it would be like with super-strength hearing). It finally went down in a burst of shame. Jeff had to install a bunch of new parts. I still hate the light, but at least it doesn't buzz when you turn it on. Looks like I won't need that set of industrial strength traveling trunks after all.
Family night with Erica, Wil and Holden. The plates are things that we are thankful for...Jack is thankful for volcanoes and lava, Lachlan is thankful for letters, Jeff is thankful for family, food, clothing, shelter.
I also made a couple dozen caramel apples. I managed to only eat two...yeah, me.