More Often

Maybe if I post more often, it won't be so overwhelming and a little easier.  Sidney and I are trying a strategy of 15 or 30 minutes of work followed by 15 minutes of break this afternoon to try to get our stuff done.  She has piano and homework to start and I have blog and Antarctica preparation.  Yes Antarctica.  We leave in less than 3 months.  We decided to do this a little less than 2 years ago and it is almost here.  Wow!  I need to make a list of stuff to pack after I do the research.  Probably need to purchase a few things as well.  So I am going to try to make myself work on that for 30 minutes each weekend day.  I'll keep you posted on my progress.

Many semis worth of debris from the school

I forgot a little story in the last post.  It is how to make mom vomit in two easy steps (or maybe three).  Here goes.  Sidney takes a cup out of the cabinet and puts ice and water in.  She tells me the water smells.  We have had some trouble with our softer not fully cycling and get super salty bubbly water instead of nice water.  So I thought something was up.  I smelled her water and nearly threw up. I start turning water on all over to see if it is just the refrigerator water or all over but I can't get any bad water.  So I dump out the cup and look in the bottom and it clearly had been put away dirty, probably with milk in the bottom.  I cannot tell you how awful it smelled.  My stomach turns just thinking about it.

The library had significant water

We are four weeks into the school year already.  That means only 32 weeks to go but who is counting.....So far so good for the most part.  She is getting everything turned in it looks like but needs a bit of strategy in math to both check her work and do all the problems.  A little bit of a bumpy start there but we are going to work on it.  I truly hope this year stays this way and smoother than last year.   7th grade was tough from a do and turn in work perspective.

The nurses area also had a lot of water

I did one of the longer runs I have done in a long time two weeks ago.  I ran 9.3 miles.  It was tough.  I intended to do 8 but underestimated and it was a long up-hill home.  I am going to try to hold that mileage though until the Spartan race because it will set me up well for the 12-15 miles of that race.  I think if it will cool off I will have an easier time.  I also will be walking the fine line of injury there as I do have to fight shin splints regularly.  I have also added hill runs once a week and the power line road which is both technical and hilly, once a week.  I am doing tire flips three times a week (just started those and bucket carries).  And I added sled pulls today.  I am trying to do a bit of functional training.  I hope it pays off and I don't die on the race.

The piano from the church

Sidney spend some of her birthday money on snack boxes from other countries.  The first one was from Korea.  It had interesting snacks that for the most part were OK.  Nothing was amazing.  Some of the saltier or spicier snacks are still quite sweet.  But it has been fun to try.  We are still waiting on the second box she ordered.

First Presbyterian Dickinson Sanctuary

We went to Houston last weekend.  We wanted to go over and support the churches we have attended there in the past.  We went down to the Webster church and worked from there.  Our first task on Saturday was helping set up for kid care for families needing to work on their homes or businesses.  We also did a little tidying around the church while waiting for some other needs to come up.  Our second job was to help a school teacher move back into her classroom at an intermediate school.  That was a good job.  But heartbreaking.  The school flooded significantly.  A few inches in some rooms and feet in others.  The gym will be unusable for the rest of the year and most of the orchestra and band instruments were lost as there was several feet in the electives wing.  I think most of the library was a loss as well.  Drywall was getting replaced although I think taping, floating and painting will have to occur during the year as well as replacing all the flooring.  For now it is all stripped down to concrete.  Many of the classroom walls were block so that helped a lot.  We got the teacher and others at least to a point where they could function.  We tried to get the room back to cheerful.  It will be a long road to recovery for the teachers and so many of the students who have had significant losses.  The good thing about school being back is that kids get the food they need and parents can get back to work also.

The semi arrives

After eating lunch at the school we headed over to First Presbyterian Dickinson.  They had significant damage having had more than 5 feet of water.  Dickinson was one of the harder hit area of town.  Many houses had water up to the eaves.  Evidence of devastation was everywhere.  The Dickinson church also housed the local United Way sponsored food pantry which had been restocked right before the hurricane.  All of the food was a loss and the building that stored the food was damaged possibly beyond salvage because of both the water and the rotten food.  The food and most of the drywall had already been removed from the food pantry but it still smelled awful.

The drywall, flooring, pews, stage and musical equipment had all been removed from the church.  We worked on cleaning some stuff up as well as getting the Sanctuary ready to store a semi-load of stuff that was coming in later that day. We also worked outside getting the grounds ready for service the next day and retrieving a long lost picnic table that had floated a block or so away.  When the first member of the congregation got to the church after the flood, an ice machine had floated 1/4 mile from the other side of the interstate, over to the church.  Everywhere you looked the devastation was obvious.

The semi of supplies finally arrived at about 5 pm.  The supplies and semi came from the good people of Hammond, LA.  Hammond has known many a hurricane and sent so many needed supplies.  The semi driver was a super guy having driven for long hours to get the supplies to Dickinson.  He also was an expert at backing that semi in to where we could be most efficient unloading it.  The semi had clothing, food, toiletries, diapers, cleaning supplies, fans, housewares, school supplies, toys, books, etc.  Fortunately the semi wasn't loaded to the top of the 53 foot long trailer or we would still be unpacking and would have run out of room.  It was however loaded several feet high the whole length and width.  We had a lot of people and it took us a solid two hours to unload.  The church will organize and distribute the supplies to the community while they also rebuild.

Sidney did good work

I am so very proud of Sidney.  She was such a super helper at the school both organizing and getting books and supplies set back up but also trying to make the unusual classroom situation that the kids were going to come back to better.  She decorated and and tried to put nice touches on each table.  She was a good runner to go get things and just generally cheered everyone up.  She also jumped right into that semi to help unload.  She worked really really hard.  I am a really proud and blessed mom.

Semi unloaded 

After all the work we were exhausted and starved.  We took a quick shower at the Webster Presbyterian Church Associate Pastor's house before going to eat an amazing hamburger.  I ate the entire thing, something I can never do with a regular hamburger.  The Associate Pastor had only a little water in her garage and a small leak in the roof but even her neighborhood had devastation.  Only a few houses were spared.  Every where you look, people belongings and lives are sitting out on the curb.

The quilted art work

We went to Webster on Sunday morning before stopping in Belaire to see some friends.  We saw some of the coolest art at the church in Webster.  They have been hosting art exhibits in their beautiful space themed sanctuary.  The current exhibit is small quilted hangings, each with a unique them and story.  Each was also amazing.  The exhibit will ultimately end up at the Smithsonian.  It was so cool.  Their house is new and built above the flood plain although they still had several feet of water in their garage and lost both of their vehicles.  They were some of the fortunate ones in the neighborhood.  They took many neighbors in during the flooding rescuing some by kayak.  I think they had 13 extra people in addition to the 4 already living there.

We heard many stories and saw lots of good while we were in Houston.  We heard about neighbors watching out for neighbors both during and after the storm.  We learned how to water a chameleon (apparently a half a grape each day or so) from a neighbor watching out for another.  The streets of Dickinson and other parts of the city were full of people who didn't live there but were there to help muck houses and remove debris.  We heard about strangers rescuing and housing people and their pets at their homes even though they had never met before.  They came because they had a truck and could.  And then they got the people home again.  Heartbreaking and heart warming in the same minutes.

We got back home and counted our blessings.  We are settling into a semi-routine.  Its hard to say anything is routine really with swimming, school, piano, work, and volunteering.  We went to the Food Bank yesterday and put tomato cages up.  Its a good thing Sidney and I are up to date on our tetanus shots.  The were rusty, dirty and sharp.  We are both scratched up.  But we love to work there.

I got rear ended again a week or so ago.  This will be my third bumper on the car this year.  I haven't been hit this many times in my whole driving career.  A friend told me I should turn my cloaking device off.  Or I guess I should remove the sing that says hit me.....

The other day I was running hills in front of the house and had my water sitting on the porch.  I checked the outside for ants and didn't see any.  I didn't hint any more about it until the next day after I had drank a lot of water from the cup and saw three drowned ants.  I wonder how many I drank... yuck.

I think I forgot to put in the last post that we had a family for a day during Harvey.  Neighbors of really good friends near the Katy area.  They left under mandatory evacuation and had two dogs.  Our friend sent them to us and we were so happy to have them.  They only stayed overnight before learning their home was OK and that they could get back.

Sidney and I went show shopping yesterday.  That is always torture.  I can't wear any larger than a women's size 5 athletic shoe.  Sidney and I often like the same shoe and were wearing the same size.  There might have been some discussions and indefinite borrowing.  I am happy to say her feet are now bigger than mine.  So at least she can have a selection on more than 3 pairs of shoes in the entire store.

We are back to our old swim team, the Sharks.  Right now I am happy with how things are going.  Sidney is swimming harder and wants to be there more.  The schedule is more tolerable and the location is fine. Hopefully it keeps going well.

Bad dog - Look in the corner of her mouth

Lunch note missing corner

Well I think that catches us up.  It still was a lot to write.  We are praying still for our friends in Houston and other areas affected by Hurricanes and also for are friends impacted by the fires in the west.  We live in amazing country that seems really big when you think of all the things happening in it in a day from the east to the west and the north to the south.

Ok I forgot some.  Mostly because I forgot to actually post this after I wrote it.

Our hummingbird feeder thief is back.  I went out a few mornings ago and the feeder was dislodged.  I brought it in that night and thief, whoever they are, wasn't happy because it was scratching at the window.  Scared the daylights out of me and got the pets all worked up.  So now I am back to bringing it in every night.

Then on the way to work a few mornings after the feeder events, I came of the the hill on Kyles Seale, the main road down from where we live and saw what I first thought was the biggest and most reflective rabbit ever.  The road has no lights and as I came of over the hill I saw what looked like a very large reflective rabbit.  Very large.  After that random weirdness passed through my head I realized it was a person wearing a reflective vest that had the reflective parts like and upside down V. Use your imagination......

Shandy, the cat, has been a bitt off and loosing weight.  She is eating fine but just getting skinny and vomiting some.  We took her to the vet on Friday to get a few things checked out.  We don't know anything yet but have increased her diet a bit.  However the vet did an ultrasound of her bladder and she doesn't have stones but apparently she has so many crystals she looks like a snow globe..... So we are waiting to see what else we hear.

Washington DC, Etc.

The long planned trip to Washington DC finally happened and this is the long awaited post....very long awaited. Sorry

We left for DC on Saturday after a swim meet. Everything went OK so we got to the airport with plenty of time and not to much stress.  Our efficiency flew out the window, or actually off the runway, once we got to the airport.  A Southwest plane had skid off the runway earlier in the morning, the only open runway at the SA airport.  The airport was closed for 4 hours before they got permission from the FAA to open a runway that was under construction.  We could still see the plane stuck in the mud at the end of the now closed runway.  We were delayed about 4 hours which was actually OK as at least our flight came and went.  Many flights were cancelled.  We made it to DC at about midnight. Our sweet friend was waiting for us at the airport and got us to her home and into bed. 

 Sunday

Supreme Court Spiral Stairs

We got up late on Sunday and just relaxed a little before we headed to the National Zoo.  It was a nice mid day visit and we enjoyed catching up with Regina and the kids.  Bill went to work for a while and caught up with us later.  We bought a few snacks for at the zoo including some sunflower seeds.  At some point I spat some of my shells out in the mulch and Sidney asked me what I was doing.  I told her and she looked surprised.  Apparently she had been chewing them up and swallowing them.  We got a great laugh out of that.

We stopped at an international grocery store on the way home.  We got shrimp chips, cheese, carrots, seaweed, lychees, and hummus for dinner.  Rather eclectic. We played Apples to Apples after dinner until the fire flies came out.  Sidney  and the kids as well as the two dogs went out to catch some and just play for a while.  It was really fun to watch.  We still had some catching up on sleep to do so we went to bed pretty early.

Monday

Mouse in the trash

After a solid nights rest we headed for the bus.  We took the express from our friend's house down to the Pentagon, which would be our route everyday.  Everyone on the bus was super nice and we got to know a few riders while we were there.  From the Pentagon we got another bus to the mall.  Our priority for the day was the Air and Space Museum.  We were early though so we headed for the Capital followed by the Supreme Court and Library of Congress.  We could not go up to the Court on the day we were there and I had not gotten tickets to go to the House or Senate so we will have to do those next time.  We did get to see the cool spiral staircases in the Supreme Court building.  

On our way back down to the Air and Space Museum we stopped at the Smithsonian Botanical Garden.  It was cool because there are different themes throughout by both area, like continent or climate, and also by say medicinal or poisonous.  We had to walk through a couple of areas twice because they were so interesting.  

Air and Space was awesome.  This was the part on the mall.  It was packed though.  School was still in but there were plenty of class trips.  We were finished being social by the time we headed home again.  As we were still newbies on the bus, I asked for guidance several times and every time people were so very nice, bus drivers included.  

After we got home we went with Regina to take her son to the chiropractor.  He wrestles and does Marshall Arts and had hurt his back.  The chiropractor brings 4 or 5 patients in at one time.  They all go to separate rooms for pre-treatment, like hot pads or ultrasounds, before seeing the chiropractor.  The chiropractor then sees each patient individually but all in one room, in the order they finish their pretreatment.  Family members can sit back in that room too and everyone watches whoever is in front of them.  We watched three patients before Regina's son.  It was interesting.  The chiropractor uses traditional methods and it was pretty cool.  He also brings his dog too work. It was quite an experience and I wasn't even the patient.  

After the chiropractor we went home and ate pasta for dinner and then hung out and let the kids play.  

Pentagon 9/11 Memorial

Tuesday 

Regina joined us for the day.  We went to every monument on the National Mall.  I had not see MLK or WWII.  All of the memorials were beautiful and special.  My favorite remains the Roosevelt Monument.  There were a number of WWII veterans at the WWII memorial and that was really neat.  

From the Mall we went up and walked by the White House before settling back along the mall for a snack lunch.   I can't remember what we had but after we ate I took the trash to the trash can.  When I threw the trash in I was greeted by three mice (at least three and they weren't blind).  It seems they climbed up the outside of the trash can which was like grating but couldn't get out again because the inside was just slick plastic.  They were trying to jump out but couldn't jump high enough.  To say the least I was taken by surprise and might have yelped.  Sidney loved them on site of course.  Before we wandered off she found some branches to put in the can so they could climb out. 

Air Force Memorial

After lunch we headed over to the Holocaust Museum.  We did not have tickets but we could at least look at the parts where you don't need tickets.  There are only so many tickets available each day because it is so popular.  We were fortunate though to actually get tickets for 3 pm that day.  

The museum is amazing but also heart breaking.  I cannot understand how humans can treat other humans so badly.  The museum was well done with each floor dedicated to a different section of the Nazi era.  The top floor was dedicated to the political and socioeconomic climate that led up Hitler taking control.  The second floor was about the pre-war and war era.  The bottom floor was about the postwar and people who significantly and positively helped the plight of the Jews.  

The museum is at the same time heartbreaking and informative.  It is very well done and I desperately hope it can contribute to ensuring an atrocity like the Holocaust will never be allowed to happen again.

Dinner was leftover pasta with an attempt at nachos and queso. Regina tried to make the queso from scratch with cheddar cheese, milk and some spices but it was a struggle to get the right consistency and flavor.  It wasn't bad and was very stringy but was fun to eat. 

After dinner the kids went out to play again.  Sidney had fun poking at me friends son until he tickled her and wrestled her until she dropped. It was good for her to have someone to wrestle with besides me.  My friend's son is easily three times Sidney's weight so she had to work to stay remotely not flattened.  The kids also played softball out side with our friends dad.  Our friend's daughter threw a wild pitch that hit Sidney in the side of her face and gave her a good bump and bruise.  Sidney wasn't even playing....

Wednesday

We started our day at the Pentagon September 11 memorial.  It was a truly beautiful memorial with a tree, a bench and a small water feature for everyone killed either on the plane or at the Pentagon that day.  It was all laid out according to age with the oldest killed at the farthest back and the youngest set close the entrance. The name of each individual was on the bench and any family members were killed also were listed in the water underneath.  Again another heartbreaking memory but a beautiful tribute.  

We wanted to walk to Arlington but I couldn't see an easy or safe way even though it was quite close.  Went back to the bus stop and found a bus that would take us closer.  The driver offered to take us to the top of the nearby hill so we could walk down and so we could also see the Air Force Memorial.  It was a beautiful view of the city as well and a great place to watch planes and the air traffic associated with the White House.

We started walking down to Arlington Cemetery and we quickly ran into navigational difficulties. I still could not find a safe way to get to the front entrance. So we started around the back long way.  We stopped at a gate that was open to ask about options and they said we could actually walk in through that gate.  We had our bag searched and a metal detector and we were on our way.  It was very convenient and nice of them to help us out.

Kennedy Tomb

We visited all the expected sites including the Tomb of the Unknown to watch the Changing of the Guard and the eternal flame at Kennedy's grave.  One thing we noticed is that many of the wives of service members are inscribed on the back of their spouses grave stone.  I had also forgotten just how big Arlington National Cemetery is.

After Arlington we walked across the Potomac and most of the length of the mall to the Natural History Museum.  It was another fabulous museum with all sorts of interesting things, including the enormous Hope Diamond.  There was also the hall of strange things.  

Thursday

Thursday was departure day.  We went to IHOP with Regina for old times sake and then took the dogs for a nice walk in the woods. After we were all packed up, we headed to the other half of the Air and Space Museum out at Dulles Airport.  Since it is away from town it wasn't nearly as crowded. And it was amazing. So many unique and one of a kind planes along with historic aircraft like Discovery and the Enola Gay.  I could have spent many more hours there.  It was a wonderful way to end our trip.  

We headed home that evening and got home in time to get Stormy and also to get ready for work on Friday.

Old Car Club at Air and Space

On Friday when I got to work, the most experienced member of my team walked in with a Starbuck's for me. She set it on my desk, closed the door, sat down and said she was retiring.  Although very happy for her, I was devastated. Her and her husbands retirement were going to really impact the team.  They have been with Marathon 26 years.  At the time of writing this, I finally have found someone to fill the vacant role. The new person won't start until October....

We had a lovely send off for my team member and her husband.  We went out for a nice meal and had a nice party for them.  A lot of other retirees and people from Houston came over.   It was a fitting send off for two really special and amazing people.

Little Lizard

Sidney headed to Blue Print the following week.  She worked inside this year on replacing a ceiling.  Her lack of stature provided some challenges but she was always positive and helped by cleaning and spending time with the home's resident.  As last year, she had a wonderful time.  

Blue Print

I was out for a run one morning and was so pleasantly surprised to spot a doe nursing her fawn.  I was able to get a couple of pictures before the doe spotted me and took off. Made my day.

Sidney went to a variety of other camps this summer.  She went to a fencing camp that was a week long and most of each day.  She swam in the evenings so it was hard to keep calories in her.  She did a great job but did get a bloody nose during a warm up game that wasn't while fencing.  Her little nose was swollen for a few days.  

My dad makes friends with everyone

Eclipse

She also went to a camp about China where they learned some basic language, marshal arts, cooking, games, art and characters.  She went to dissection camp where they dissected a worm, a frog, a sheep's brain and an owl pellet.  That was interesting.  And she went to camp an the Humane Society.  They learned a ton of things about a variety of animals, not just dogs and cats, and helped out around the facility.  It was a great camp.  And she spent the last few weeks of summer sleeping on the bridge that goes over the entry to her room.  She put a blanket over the rail and made a little tent and camp.  It was cute and fun. 

Terrifying bug

I saw this terrifying bug on a hike.  I was taken aback by the fact that the wasp killed the tarantula and was hauling its body off to somewhere to use to house its eggs.  That freaked me out.

We volunteered at the Food Bank a few times and had a couple other swim meets.  Swim season ended at the first of August and we needed a break.  I was worn out taking her swimming six days a week.  

Tired dog, tongue sticking out

Fencing

In the middle of August we headed up to see my parents. We spent time helping them out a bit before I took Sidney up to Denver to fly to Idaho to see Kirk.  Denver was a great place to see the eclipse, which happened to be the day we were up there. Thanks to some friends we had two pair of glasses. We used them and shared them with a lot of people so they could see the eclipse also.  It was amazing getting to 90% up there. I plan to see totality next time....

After we got Sidney loaded on the plane, my dad and I stopped at McDonald's.  It was the highest tech restaurant I have been to. You ordered off of these huge touch sensitive screens and only stopped to see a person to get a cup for your drink.  Even the drink dispensers were high tech except for the good old fashioned ice tea pots.

Eclipse

I flew home the next day but not before a few bumps.  My first flight was cancelled rather late in the evening.  By the time I organized a new schedule, it was midnight. I headed to bed but woke up very sick at about 3 am.  I couldn't even keep down water.  I managed to get home but I was one tired and sick puppy.  It took a few days to recover. 

Shadow box my dad made

Sidney had a really nice time with her dad.  They went to the lake and just relaxed. She did say Kirk would try to put on her shoes and clothes if she left them out and would be puzzled when they didn't fit. It isn't a surprise that he would try to wear them.  He is very unaware of anything except the very basic functions. 

Sidney had her 12th birthday.  And it was actually before school started. She asked for a calculator which was her big gift. She quite likes it.  

Pillowcases Sidney and I made

School has started. The last year of middle school. We started swimming Saturday and have switched back to our old team. I hope it it's the right choice.  The other team was just too big and too much time.  The schedule on the old team right now is 6 to 8:15 pm every weekday.  It is just too much time and not enough coaching.  We will see how being back on the old team is.

Rats apparently sleep like cats

We made pillowcases during the summer for dear friends who are ill.  They are sewn with love and prayer for comfort and healing. 

Our prayers and thoughts are with all of our friends that have been affected by Harvey.  We have many dear friends in the Houston area that have been affected. Like many we are sorting what we can do to help both now and in the long run.