RIP Fancy: It has been a long winter and when you're a dog and 15 years old it ages you even more. Fancy got hit by a car this fall and we thought she was going to die, but alas she just kept going.

Fancy was the epitome of Man's Best Friend. She just wanted to spend time with you and go wherever you went. She loved going on walks with me and when I would say "do you want to go for a walk" she knew what that meant and would jump all over me in excitement.

Fancy left us many presents at the back door (dead animals). I sure she just wanted us to know what a good dog she was and wanted us to be proud of her. More than once Jim would take whatever she left throw it out in the field behind the house and within a few hours, she would go find it and bring it back.

What won't be missed is her frequent visits to town. She would follow whoever was jogging or walking on our road. She could always find her way into town but never seemed to be able to find her way back home. Getting calls from the Post Office, Caseys and many people were common in the good weather months. There were times we'd be driving home from church and here would be Fancy walking the streets of PC. Occasionally when I worked at P.C. Elementary the secretary or kids would let me know that Fancy was in the school yard and I would bring her into my classroom (if she wasn't muddy) and call home to tell them "Come Get Her!" Even one of the previous neighbors called to say Fancy was there and their kids had made a bed for her on the deck and were feeding her.

Fancy could always tell when we were leaving for a vacation and would always look so sad. And I swear after we got back she would always go to town as her way of punishing us. But in the last few years she has slowed down on her trips to town.

Fancy deserves a medal for tolerating all the other family pets that have come for visits and stayed over night. They are always younger and want to play and she's just not interested.

Fancy will mostly be missed for her famous putting of her muzzle under your arm while you're sitting in order to try and lift your arm so you'll pet her. Anytime we sit outside she'd be right there by your side doing this, but even this winter when we let her inside because of the cold; if you were sitting at the computer, she'd be there trying to lift your arm.

She was a good dog who just wanted to love you and have you love her back.

Another wintery day in Iowa. Local school was closed again. However, SE Polk had school so I took off 15 min. earlier than usual. It only took me 20 min. to get there versus the typical 15. We did let out 2 hours early and the drive home was actually better than the drive in; until I got to our road. The white out conditions on our road were awful. If it wasn't for Jim's swinging sign I wouldn't have found our driveway. Then, of course, there was a big drift in front of the garage door so I had to shovel to get the car in. The rest of the week is suppose to be sunny, can't wait. Enough snow had melted I could even see grass in a few places. As I tell Jim, just because you can't see the sun doesn't mean it's not there. Guess it's the same with green grass. By the middle of July I'll be complaining about having to mow in the humidity. Then I'll have to come back to this blog and look at the pictures of this winter and promise I won't complain.

January 24, 2010

Caleb is 3 months and 1 week this coming Tuesday. So hence and updated picture. Like all babies he has changed so much. Last known weight 12 lbs. 10 oz.

Jim is feeling better, not 100% yet but getting closer each day. He goes back to the doctor next week.

Snow has melted a bunch (rain and warmer temps helped that). Of course, I lost another day of school last week because of ice. However, I feel extremely fortunate. We never lost electricity at home, unlike Mike and Leah who were without 45 hours. They were actually gone from home for 55 hours because the roads were so bad. PCM schools missed Wednesday and Thursday. Friday they had a two hour late start and then a 2 hour early out because they lost electricity again. We have been checking the sump pump frequently to make sure water doesn't come in the basement.

I took a training class this weekend to teach adults how to read. I should be matched with a student in the near future. In the training they had some current students come so we could practice with them. Their stories are amazing. Several talked about how they had difficulty learning to read in school and just passed on. They shared the difficulties in the work place. One story shared was of a gentlemen who had a prominent job in Human Resources in a major corporation but he had less than basic reading skills. And we had a major city employee who was nervous about a promotion because he would have to be able to read street signs to make deliveries. Often times the driving force that brings them to the Adult Literacy Center (through Drake University) is the desire to read to their grandchildren. I'll keep you updated on how that goes.

Another storm !

Another snow storm another 2 days lost from school. David is a glutten for work and decided rather than just having a path on the front deck he would scoop the whole deck. As you can see the drift was higher than the railing in places. The other picture is of our fire pit area in the back yard. I wonder if next summer when I'm sweating at night sitting around the fire I'll remember that there were once drits as high as the tiki torches ! Tomorrow should feel like a heat wave. Hope you are all staying warm.

On another note, Jim is having surgery tomorrow. A male thing, involving prostate, bladder, etc. I guess it is a somewhat common surgery for men.

Last night we had friends over to eat and play cards. A good time was had by all.
Other than that, we are just in a survival game of life.

Later.

New Year

It's been awhile since my last post. The weather at Christmas changed all our plans. So instead of having all five kids here on Christmas Day we had 0. Mike, Leah, and Caleb and Dad went to church at 5:30 with me and then Mom joined all of us for supper at our house. It was a very nice evening. Christmas Day Jim and I just hung out and watched tv. Jim has actually been under the radar with some health issues and has been pretty much stuck at home since December 17th. Hopefully we'll get a good news when he goes back to the doctor on January 6. All the kids joined us on Saturday except David and Alicia. I had Christmas with them on Sunday and Mike and Leah came again on Sunday. Mary Ellen stayed until Wednesday at which time she took Payton and Finley home with her while John and Kari went to Arizona to cheer on the Cyclones. So we have had a house full of family.

New Year's Eve we have typically been going to a dance with one of our favorite groups, Bare Foot Becky and the Ivan Hoe Dutchmen. But we had to pass on that this year as Jim wasn't up to it. I think I was in bed by 11 something. I really don't like New Year's as a holiday. I don't like all the emphasis on changing years and reviewing what has happened in the last year, bad news events and who has died. I'd rather just move to the next day with little fanfare instead of thinking about how this year will be different than the last year.

Today I took down the tree and David and I went to buy me a new laptop, which I am currently typing on. I think I will like this one. Tonight we (I) babysat with Caleb while Mike and Leah went out to eat to celebrate their first anniversary. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY tomorrow! I managed to find the top to their cake in my freezer.

The weather is absolutely frigid. But if the sun comes out I can tolerate it. The shining sun makes all the difference in my attitude.

Hope this finds all my readers healthy and happy and if I have to talk about the new year I hope it brings nothing but good things for all of you.