Maybe we're a little nervous.

Since our car was stolen last week, we've been a little touchy about whether or not we see the right ones in the driveway. This morning Leah left before the rest of us got up to help judge All-State Orchestra auditions at her alma mater. Here's the note she left on the white board:

 

I wonder if we'll ever be normal again?

Be thankful ~

Karen

This is the last thing I thought I'd be telling you today.

Sounds like deja vu all over again, doesn't it? Last time I said this, I reported that one of our cars had been stolen right out of the driveway while we slept.

Thankfully, that's not the case this time.

I got up ready to work early this morning. I was in the kitchen pouring my coffee when the phone rang at 7 am. When I answered it, a male voice on the other end asked for my son, Mike, by his full name.

I told him Mike was in boot camp at the moment and couldn't come to the phone. The voice asked for Ben. I told him Ben was on his way home from a business trip, and that I was the next best thing to either of them.

He told me he was from the ****** County Sheriff's Department, and asked if we were missing a gold Taurus. I may have blown out his eardrum with my response. He cheerfully told me they had recovered it parked outside a room at the Ramada Inn up in town. We never did get the full story, but they have a suspect and are "working on it." I can tell you this much. The guy is short and Catholic. The seat and  mirrors were all adjusted for someone shorter than me (5'7"), and there were rosary beads hanging on the mirror.

Isn't that nice? Steal my car and then pray for God to bless it.

Moron.

So Elijah and I went up and claimed the car, which has no noticeable damage. He burned most of a tank of gas, but at least he had the decency not to smoke in it. Ben's sunglasses were still in it, as were Mike's big umbrella, camp chair, and a few books in the trunk. I guess our thief doesn't enjoy books on politics and economics either.

But all's well that ends well, so long as the guy goes to jail. Ben wants to go visit and preach the gospel to him. I can't imagine what I would say to someone who stole my car. What would you say?

Be thankful ~

Karen

The good things about today.

1. I slept like a baby last night, and that always makes for a good next day. I think it was the combination of staying up reading until 11:30 and the lavender oil, which always helps me sleep better. I don't know why I ever forget it!

2. I got almost all of my work finished and sent. That hasn't happened much lately. And then one of my co-workers sent me another document for editing along with a note saying she was afraid I'd run out of things to edit, and I don't know why, but I cracked up over that. I love my co-workers. They make me smile, and from what I hear, that's not how a lot of co-workers are.

3. I went to Pilates and came home sore and tired, and that's a good workout.

4. My friend, Joy, sent me a cheat-sheet of keyboard short-cuts for the Mac. I printed it and keep it on my desk. You know how they say everything's easier on a Mac? It's true. Once you learn the short-cuts, it really is easier. Getting used to the Mac reminds me of what they told me when I first got my no-line bifocals: Give it a FULL two weeks. And after two weeks I love both of them.

5. Elijah and I got a bunch of books and bookcases moved today, and his room is starting to look better.

6. We did NOT get the snow that headed north.

7. Abbie sent me photos of her latest drawings. Her art teacher sent them to Starbucks to draw:

 

Not bad for an hour's worth of drawing.

Be thankful ~

Karen

Dude! I am SO late!

It's 10 pm on Wednesday and here I am JUST NOW answering these questions! What have I been doing?? Here's the Random Dozen:
 
1. Have you ever fired a gun or shot a bow and arrow?


Yes. Numerous times. I have fired a .38 special and a .45 and a .22, and maybe something else I can't remember. We are serious gun lovers. In fact, that car being stolen last weekend gave us a new excuse to get out the weaponry. As we speak, there's a gun leaning up against the wall in the living room. Yes, we are rednecks. And my house is locked, and my big dog will eat you if you come in, and I can fire the .45 from a sitting position in bed.


2. Do you know where your childhood best friends are?

 Yes. One is in New Jersey and one is in Florida. Others are strewn about the world, hither and yon (I've always wanted to say that).

3. Do you usually arrive early, late, or on time?

Early, or on time at the latest. Ben says on time is late. Being late is very stressful for me, so I avoid it like the plague.

4. Are you more of a New York or California type?

Well, now, that's a funny question. I grew up in New Jersey so I know New York pretty well. But I lived in California as a child and definitely relate to the beach side of things. But New York is cold. But California has earthquakes. Hmmmmm. I pick Nebraska.

5. Do you have a special ring tone?



I have the Verizon one of the guy whistling. Is that special enough? If you mean did I PAY for one, the answer is no. There are plenty of things I'd rather spend money on than a ringtone. Like a car alarm that electrocutes whoever tries to open the door. (Did I just say that?)

6. What is your favorite type of chip?


Love Doritos, love Sun Chips, but I really love the tortilla chips you get in Chili's with the bean dip.

7. Best comedy you've ever seen is ....

Sitcom? I loved Cosby. And Seinfeld was funny when it was clean.

8. Have you ever cut your own hair? To quote Dr. Phil, "How'd that work for ya?"

Yes, I do it regularly. I only get my hair cut about 3 times a year, but cut my own bangs about every 3 weeks. It works fine.

9. If you were going to have an extreme makeover, would you rather it be about your house or your personal self?

Definitely the house. I'm beyond help, but the house could use work. We're in the middle of replacing all the windows, and have yet to finish the wood floor. Because we're so busy, these things take forever. It would be nice to go on vacation for a week and come back to find it all done.

10. Are you allergic to anything?

No, but the older I get, the more sensitive I am to whatever chemicals they put in lotions and makeup. At age 48, there is one blush I can use, and absolutely NO eye makeup whatsoever. There are two lotions that don't make my eyes burn and water, and no sunscreen. It's pathetic. See #12.

11. Why is it so hard to change?

Because we feel inept when we have to learn a new thing. Just try using a different version of Word. It makes me want to rip somebody's eyelashes out. Really, what's the purpose in rearranging all the buttons if it still does the same things? Why? WHY??!! The change case button used to be right there all handy-like in the toolbar, but no, that wasn't good enough. We had to go hide it at the bottom of the Format menu, far away from everything else related to it. Because that makes more sense, right? Ok, I'm taking a deep breath now.

12. One last question dedicated to February love: CS Lewis said, "To love is to be vulnerable." Please share one example of that assertion or share any thought you'd like to about this topic.

We are most vulnerable with the people we love the most. My husband has seen me deliver five babies, and that's pretty vulnerable. If he still loves me after that, I think I'm pretty safe.

Going to get my gun and go to bed now.

Be thankful ~

Karen

I win the gold in boring.

Why am I sitting here composing a blog post at 10:30 pm, you ask? Because there are not enough hours in a day, even when that day starts at 5 am and you finally quit work at 10:15 pm. It's been a long one.

So since I have to suffer, you're going to suffer right along with me. Let me see how boring I can make this . . .

I finished the E-Book I was working on this morning, and then packed up to take the Mac to the doctor. Since I got it last week, I haven't been able to open a jpg, pdf, or gif file through Word, which drives me out of my mind and makes me want to grab somebody at Microsoft by the throat. And since I paid a tidy sum of money for the ole Mac-aroon,  I thought it should work right.

So I went to the closest Best Buy that sells Apple stuff and presented Mac and her file phobias to the Geek Squad. Bless their hearts, they tried, but after 45 minutes they had to admit they had no clue. They offered the services of Ryan, their resident Mac pro, so I asked when he would be there.

Captain Geek said, "Well, uh, he, uh, kinda just comes and goes."

Well that's definitive.

So I decided I would just come and go to a different Best Buy. I drove 15 miles north and found Patrick (a very nice Middle Eastern man with an Irish name—why does that crack me up? It's like naming a Chihuahua "Killer."), who messed around with a few things and finally fixed the problem by installing Firefox. Apparently Safari was the one with file phobia. He also discovered why AutoFill wouldn't work (fixed by Firefox as well), and talked me through connecting my remote monitor. Patrick-Ahmed was worth the drive.

And now since my eyes are rolling back in my head, I will mercifully end here.

Be thankful ~

Karen

This is the last thing I thought I'd be telling you today.

I think I have a really good excuse to say this was a lousy day. Lousier than any I've had in a long time. Yet, here I am at the end of it, still smiling.

I got up this morning and looked out the front window to see if my husband's car was still here. When it's gone, I know he's already left for the gym. It wasn't there, so I assumed he'd gone. But as I was getting dressed, I heard him cough in the living room. I went out and said, "Um, not to get you all panicky or anything, but, where's your car?"

He answered, "In the driveway."

I said, "No it's not."

We both ran to the front window and, sure enough, no car.

We checked both bedrooms, and all the kids were still asleep. We met back at the front window.

It's hard to describe the feeling of disbelief you get, looking where you know your car should be and not seeing it there. And then there's the feeling of violation. And back to disbelief. And then you say out loud, "My car is gone." And you look at your spouse. And you say it again, "My car is gone," with a different inflection this time.

Our car is gone. It was a great car. One of the nicest we have. It was not covered by comprehensive insurance because we only paid $800 for it. We bought it from our next-door neighbors last summer, and they love us so much they gave us a great deal on it. It was worth WAY more than that.

But you know what? Nobody got hurt. We're all here, safe and sound. We will live without the car. We still have enough for everyone to drive. We may never know why God allowed this, but we know we can trust Him to do what's best for us. He always does.

We found out later we're not the only ones in the neighborhood who were victims last night. Another family had a car stolen, and others' cars were vandalized. Someone had a party in our subdivision at our expense. But it's ok.

Take the world, but give me Jesus.

Be thankful ~

Karen

I keep missing the random dozen, so I'm doing my own.

For your reading pleasure (or torture), a dozen random thoughts about my week.

1. Today (Thursday) was sunny and in the mid-40s. But since I spent so many hours working and trying to understand the relationship between wavelength, frequency, and the color of light, I missed most of it. When I went to Pilates at 3:30, I didn't even wear my sunglasses, just so I could feel like I soaked up some rays.

2. Mid-40s are very good for melting snow. Unfortunately, there's a LOT of snow out there to melt, so it's going to take a while. And double unfortunately, it makes a lot of mud. *sigh*

3. An old girl really can learn new tricks, but it takes longer. I'm slowly getting used to the Mac, but I still find myself looking for things where they were on Hoopty. It's a slow process.

4. Cooking for 25 teenagers can be fun. It's a lot more fun when they're all thankful, and we have some pretty thankful teenagers at our church. One in particular gushes with thanks for the meal, even when he's coming up for thirds. Leave it to a teenage boy to really appreciate food.

5. Sticky Bean has two teeth. That makes me smile.

6. Mike is off at boot camp (basic training, in the Air Force). I think about him many times a day, wondering what he's doing, how the food is (I'm such a mother), how many push-ups they've made him do, whether they're going to have pants long enough for him (he's 6'4"). Can't wait to hear the stories.

7. Someone should invent software that prevents people from typing in all caps. It's obnoxious.

8. Doctors don't know everything, and obstetricians are the worst. When the doctor tells you he needs to induce your labor early or your baby will be too big, go find a midwife. What do they think women did before ultrasounds? They waited until they went into labor. They had big babies. And they pushed them out. My mother is 5'4" and her first baby was just short of ten pounds. She pushed him out. No Lamaze, no epidural. I'm sure there are times when intervention is necessary, but it's not nearly as often as the "experts" would have you believe.

9. Every time I read the book of Ruth I think of a missionary we heard one time who was from India. He couldn't say Ruth like we do. He said "Woot." So when he first got up to preach and said, "Turn to da book of Woot," we all sat there with the deer-in-the-headlights look. He finally realized we couldn't understand him, so he said, "Da book of Woot. R-U-T-H. Woot."

10. Microsoft rearranges their Office software more often than I rearrange my furniture. Why, oh why, must they do this? Title case used to be so easy to find.

11. Isn't it nice that God made it so dark chocolate is good for you?

12. My daughters love to shoot guns. I think that's awesome.

Be thankful ~

Karen

PS. I thought of another one. Abbie and her dorm-mates have weekly hall meetings, which usually have a theme. This week's theme was superheros. Abbie went as Captain Underpants.

(sorry Jess. It was the only picture of Abbie I could find. ;)  )

The monkeys think I'm ditzy.

Melissa at A Familiar Path says some days it's ok to stay in your jammies all day. Today was one of those days. I seriously had to change out of my smiley-monkey pajamas into my yoga pants for Pilates at 4 this afternoon. But I do some of my best thinking in the smiley-monkey pajamas, so unless the UPS guy rings the doorbell, I feel good about staying in them all day.

Hoopty breathed her final breath today. She very kindly allowed me to finish an E-Book I was working on and send it to my boss. I was doing a Google search for the Mac equivalent of alt codes, and she froze up solid like a Minnesota pond in January. I think she knew I had betrayed her. I told her I was sorry and pulled the plug one final time.

Now I have to figure out how to hook up my 17-inch monitor, keyboard, and mouse to the Mac.

Speaking of keyboards, when I first disconnected all the peripheral (don't you love that word?) components, I sat Mac on the desk and plugged the mouse in. Then I proceeded to pull out my keyboard and start typing. I sat there thinking, "What on earth is wrong with this thing?" since no words were showing up on screen. Yeah. That was my duh moment for the day.

But then not two minutes later I had another one (same thing). *sigh* The monkeys were not smiling down on me. Or maybe they were laughing at me.

OK, so I'm going to finish Judges now. Ben keeps getting ahead.

Be thankful ~

Karen

*sniff*

Today was a bittersweet day.

My baby of 25 years left for Air Force basic training. Our second child to leave the nest with no intention of ever living here with us again. It's one thing to send them off to college, but when they leave and you know they're not coming back other than for visits, it's completely different.

Yet, while we're sad for ourselves (who will fix the computers and paint the high spots?), we are so excited for Mike. He's going to be an airborne linguist, which is exactly what he wanted. That means they will teach him one or more foreign languages and he will fly around in an Air Force plane eavesdropping on conversations and translating them. What a way to see the world! And linguist school is in Monterey, California, which is a heck of a lot nicer than snowy, slushy, Northern Virginia right now.

So yeah, it's been a good but bad day. I'm going to drown my sorrows in warm chocolate chip cookies.

Be thankful ~

Karen

My husband is decisive, and I love that about him. Especially when he decides I need a Mac.

You know things are getting bad when your daughter writes on your facebook wall begging you to blog.

But never wanting to let a fan down (I have to be careful with the few I have), I'm here to attempt composing something worthy of a blog post.

I should begin by saying that I am writing this on my new Mac (don't tell Hoopty--I still have to work on her tomorrow.). I kept putting off thinking about buying a new computer until Friday night, when Leah and I found ourselves home alone with nothing to do but go to Best Buy and covet things we couldn't have. So we did and wound up at the Mac display. Be still my heart, there are Macs there with 27-inch monitors, and I'm not exaggerating (did I even spell that right?). 27 inches! That thing was so big it made my eyes squirrelly trying to look at it. I felt like I should be in a La-Z-Boy 15 feet away.

So we pulled up stools and sat down to fumble our way around the MacBook and MacBook Pro, and let me tell you, it's addicting. Those Apple people really know how to make using a computer fun, even for non-geeks like me. I decided I really liked the MacBook, but still couldn't justify the cost, knowing I could get a PC for $500. So we left.

Saturday morning, we were all in the kitchen, and I was telling Ben all I had learned the night before. We went back and forth about the pros and cons of each machine, until he finally said, "Let me make this easy for you. Go buy a Mac."

Well, let me tell you, that made it easy, and here we are, me and my Mac. Mike and I sat on the couch last night, playing with things and learning where stuff is. And laughing. When's the last time your computer made you laugh? When I get an instant message, I hear a sonar ping. When I get an email, it goes "ta-da!" To send an email, you click on the paper airplane and then hear a jet taking off. And if you think that won't make you smile while you're working, you just try it.

There are drawbacks. First, the Word software for Macs is different from what I learned and know how to use. So different that I'm going to spend the week working on Hoopty until I have time to figure this out. Second, I just stink at using a laptop. It's like typing with mittens on. Third . . . never mind, I can't think of a third thing.

While I refuse to become a computer snob, I can totally see why people who get Macs love them and never go back. They're FUN!

And now I have a date with my pillow. Nighty-night!

Be thankful ~

Karen

Sticky Bean update.

Aunt Leah made the Bean his first pair of mittens. He doesn't quite know what to do with them:

And he figured out he has a tongue:

And the teething drool to go along with it. The part of this picture that made me the happiest was when my daughter captioned it and spelled tongue correctly. Yes, I'm a dork.

Be thankful ~

Karen

There is no snow in the three-day forecast. That makes this a good day.

Is it really Wednesday night already? I try to do the Random Dozen each week, but I seem to have misplaced Tuesday. I think that was the day I was overwhelmed with bad news of the impending snowstorm (our third? fourth? I can't remember.) and the slow, painful death of my computer.

But there's always a bright side, and if you want to play the glad game, come along. It may be hard to find the bright side of MORE SNOW when you live in Northern Virginia and have never seen this much snow at one time in your entire life, but yea, it is there. The good news is that my area only got 7 of the predicted 6-12 inches, and the snow plow actually got here the VERY DAY it snowed! Absolutely amazing. (I can't believe I just said "only 7.") There's so much snow out there I didn't even venture out today. I thought about taking a few pictures from the comfort of my house, but I figured you were totally sick of that same blinding white view of my deck. Tomorrow I'll be brave, I promise.

The computer. Poor old Hoopty has been having issues, and at 4 1/2 years old, I really can't blame the old girl. It's like hardening of the digital arteries. She's been moving slower and slower despite all my scanning and defragging. I know that sounds like I know what I'm doing, but really I have no clue. I just pick these terms up at the dinner table. Anyway, Kit, the bilingual techie (he speaks clueless as well as tech-know-it-all) broke the news that old Hoopty's memory is failing along with her control electronics and a withering hard drive he likened to an Alzheimers patient—it can't remember what you just asked it to do. For now, she works, mostly. A few times a day it gets to be too much and she freezes, I yank the plug, wait a few  minutes, and plug her back in. It makes you save your work with amazing regularity.

I was distraught about the whole situation, and after backing up my entire life on a thumb drive, I tried to figure out how to break the news to Ben. But since directness is the best way (I just made that up), I came right out with it when he walked in last night. I was into the second sentence of Kit's dire prognosis when Ben shook his head and said, "You need a Mac."

I was stunned into silence. Then I thought about arguing, but caught myself before rational thoughts escaped my lips.

A Mac. Old Hoopty might get taken off life-support.

Be thankful ~

Karen

6 to12.

That's how many inches are predicted by the National Why-Don't-You-Just-Torture-Me-Some-More Weather Service for today in balmy Northern Virginia. I would offer to take pictures, but I'll spare you the additional snow-blindness.

I am, however, at the urging of reader Diane (thanks for the tip!), going to fill my bathtubs with water (so we can flush), as well as every available container (so we can drink all we want and THEN flush). Leah and I are going to brave the pre-storm crowds this morning to get more milk and foods appropriate for woodstove cooking.

Seriously, what is UP with all the talk about global warming? It doesn't seem to be a problem where I live.

Be thankful ~

Karen

A pictorial essay of the Great Snowstorm of 2010.

Before the storm, it was being referred to as "Snowpocalypse." This morning, D.C. writer Mark Steyn (National Review) described it this way at The Corner: . . . most of The Corner's metropolitan pantywaists seem to be cowering in terror from the light flurry devastating Washington this morning . . . This is the city that received over 30 inches of snow in the last two days.

Here at the Bensrib house, we escaped with a lesser beating. We think we got about a foot, but it's hard to tell because we still had snow left from last weekend. This snow, however, was wet and heavy, making a real mess, unless you enjoy four inches of solid ice underneath your foot of snow. Pete and I had fun slipping and sliding down the road today. Because Pete is such a well-trained animal, as soon as I put the leash on him, he wants to walk right at my left side. This is hard to accomplish when the tire track you're walking in is only 6 inches wide. I kept shoving him over to the other track and he kept jumping back in mine, knocking me off my feet sideways. He's a thinker.

We were without power from 9 Saturday morning until a little after noon today, Sunday, which was just long enough to convince me I never want to be without a flushing toilet and my Bunn coffee maker again. There were some light moments however. I'll let the photos tell the story . . .

Friday, 5 p.m.:

 

Saturday morning (it continued to snow all day and into the evening):

 

We lose power at 9 a.m. so there's nothing to do but melt water on the woodstove and go outside to ward off boredom. The tree across the road in front of our house:

 

 Our new freezer (Yes, that's ice cream stuck in the snowbank. Before it's over, we'll also have eggs and chicken there.):

 And here's the refrigerator:

 

Further up the street walking toward the entrance to the subdivision, this is what we saw:

 

We're very thankful we had a woodstove, so at least we didn't get cold. And it makes a handy cooking surface:

Once we were finished with dinner, there wasn't anything to do but have a family rummy tournament by candlelight (Mike is squinting because it was dark and I warned them the flash was coming):

Sunday morning, the guys walked through the subdivision with a chainsaw clearing the roads so the plows could get in, though we still haven't seen one. They cut up and hauled about 30 trees into the woods.

 

I'm ready for flip-flop weather.

Be thankful ~

Karen

I lied. I'm talking about snow anyway.

I promised myself when I sat down at the computer to write a blog post that I would not harp about the massive snowstorm we are having this weekend.

But let me just say that the projected total accumulation has been increased by the National Weather Service three times already. Right now it stands at 20-30 inches. Yesterday every soul in Northern Virginia went to the store for bread, milk, and apparently, ground beef. I hear there was none to be found. Elijah and I scored a couple of snow shovels in the mad rush that was Lowe's. People were literally snatching the shovels out of employees' hands as they were being unpacked (the shovels, not the employees). It was like Tickle-Me-Elmo all over again. So here we are, all snug in our warm house with a cheery fire in the woodstove, having enjoyed a pot of soup and homemade bread for dinner. I'm in denial about the amount we're getting until tomorrow.

Poor Leah has only been to school one day this week (she's a teacher). She has cleaned, baked, is caught up on her Bible reading, and has been to the library. She's resorting to this:

She spent two hours reading the instructions to solve a Rubik's Cube and still couldn't do it. Mike came in and finished it in ten minutes. Jerk.

In other news, Sticky Bean has chosen his sport, and Papaw couldn't be more pleased:

 

Be thankful ~

Karen

*sigh*

This just in from the National Weather Service:

On the heels of the snowstorm that dropped up to 5 inches on the area overnight, the National Weather Service Wednesday afternoon issued a Winter Storm Watch for Washington and its surrounding counties, saying that it is "likely" 12 or more inches of snow will fall on the region between Friday morning through Saturday night. 

The warning also said there is a "good chance" that some parts of the area will see up to 20 inches of the white stuff, and compared the potential snowfall of this system to that of the record-setting storm that disrupted the city with 20 inches or more of snow last December. The NWS expects the snow to being falling late Friday morning, and to plan for "substantial disruptions" in travel around the Washington and Baltimore areas this weekend. 

Shoot me.

Be thankful ~

Karen

He needed me.

I  am cheap about certain things, and sheets are among them. I put off buying new ones because there are so many things I'd rather spend money on, and I know when I buy them, it's going to cost me big (I'm cheap, but I won't buy cheap sheets, and I have a king-sized bed.) The flannel sheets on my bed are ten years old. Yes, I know, I'm cheap. I noticed a week or so ago that they were wearing a little thin. So thin, in fact, that I could see the mattress pad through the sheet in places.

So Sunday night, Ben got in bed and promptly put his foot through the sheet, leaving a foot-sized hole where the sheet used to be. We laughed at my cheapness and I promised to buy a new set of flannels the next day. But that reminded Ben of this story:

(Ben talking) When I was a single guy and lived in Shake Rag (a small community of 10 or 12 houses all owned by Mr. and Mrs. Smith, who were like mom and dad to all the single people and young couples who lived in them), I was heading out to Okinawa for a month. Jimmy (who lived in the other half of Ben's house) asked me if he could use my air conditioner while I was gone, so I said sure, and he moved it over.

While I was gone, Mr. and Mrs. Smith came by to check on things and noticed the air conditioner was gone. So they tried the door and found it unlocked (I never locked my door). Now they were really concerned, so they walked in the house to see if anything else was missing. 

When Mrs. Smith saw my blanket and pillow folded in the corner where I slept, she lost it. "Bee-ill, ole Ay-el (his name back then was Al, but being from the south, they said Ay-el) is sleepin' on the flo-er! We've got ta git that boy a bay-ud!" (#1 rule of the south is, if a word is only one syllable, make it two whenever possible.)

At this point, I said, "You slept on the floor? On the carpet?"

He replied, "There wasn't carpet. Just a floor."

Me: "You slept on the hard floor?"

Him: "No, I had a blanket."

Me (incredulous): "One blanket?"

Him: "Yeah, it was wool."

Me: "Thank GOD you married me so I could make you normal!"

Him: "I had a blanket!"

Me: "You were a nutbag!"

End of story: Mr. and Mrs. Smith bought him a bed, and Mrs. Smith made it up all nice with real sheets. Ben said he was amazed at how nice it was to sleep with sheets on a bed. He was like something out of a John Steinbeck novel.

Thank GOD he married me so I could make him normal.

My cheapness paid off too, because flannel sheets are always on sale in the late winter. I found mine today at Target for $15. Uh-huh. Who da man?

Be thankful ~

Karen

Z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z-z

So much to say, so few brainwaves. Hence, today's news in blips.

Man-boy is sick. So sick that he ate almost nothing all day. That's the #1 symptom. That and a six hour nap.

Firewood does not cut itself though, so Mike and I took care of that as the sun was racing toward the horizon. We barely made it, but we're snug and warm for another day at least. That was after Mike met with his recruiter this morning and did some mudding of new windows and doors this afternoon, and we made a Lowe's run.

I went to the commissary (aren't you glad you read this blog? How would you LIVE through the night without knowing that?) this afternoon. Why I ever think it's a good idea to go there on a Monday, which is also a military payday, in the afternoon, which is also rush hour, is beyond me. I told you—few brainwaves.

Before that, I worked a few hours and made some phone calls.

Somewhere in there I cooked a pot of potatoes and fresh green beans and ham chunks all seasoned up nicely, and if you think Man-boy slept through that, you're sadly mistaken. All I had to do was open his door and he sat up in bed saying, "Man, that smells good!" He felt better after eating, but as I type this, he's back in bed for the night.

So there you have it. My day in reverse, sort of. I just realized I told you what I did, backwards. My word, I'm tired.

I have a great story to tell you, but it will have to wait until I can compose with energy. It showcases my dear husband at his very best. Maybe tomorrow.

And now I go take a hot bath and try desperately to finish Numbers (in which on the fourth day, you take twelve rams and ten he goats, and a tenth deal of fine flour mingled with oil for a heave offering . . .).

Be thankful ~

Karen