If you want something you have to earn it

I came home one day and noticed the yard had been mowed, I wondered but got busy and forgot to ask who had done this wonderful thing. A few weeks later, the same thing. I got home and the yard had been mowed. I asked David, "Who is mowing our yard?" and he says "I've hired Charles". Splendid, I think.

So a few weeks later, I come home from work and there is a small child helping David load a lawnmower into the back of his truck. Holy Smokes! The child labor police are going to lock us up! As soon as I get him alone, I say, "David, you can't hire a little boy to mow the yard! He's only 6 or 7 years old!" David assures me he is in the 7th grade and he is quite capable.  I'm doubtful. Where is his mother?

I got home from work yesterday and David says, "Charles called, he is coming over to mow the yard". Our doorbell rings about 6:30pm, it's Charles to mow the yard. Splendid. He does half the yard and comes to the door for a drink of water. Lovely, come in, catch your breath, here is some water. I take a closer look at him. He has grown since I saw him last, the way 7th grade boys do. He has a smattering of freckles across his nose. Quick to smile. He goes back out to finish the yard.

David says to me, "I can't remember how much I usually pay him". So I have a twenty and five ones on the ready. Charles comes to the door to say he's finished. David asks how much to pay and Charles tells him twenty. I hand him the twenty. I say, "Do you need me to take you home?" He says, "not really". I look at him harder and say "How did you get here?" He says, "I walked". I say, "If I don't take you home, how will you get home?" and he says "I'll walk". So I tell him to come on and I'll drive him home (about a one and a half miles).

I help him put the mower in the back of the truck. I say to him "I am very impressed that you would walk all the way over here to earn some money" and I hand him the five ones. He says to me, "My dad says if I want something, I have to earn it". I say to him, "Your dad is right".

a very good height indeed

I previously rambled about our caterpillar invasion and my hopes of seeing butterflies in winter...well it isn't exactly winter, well alright it isn't winter at all, but we have been rewarded with a(n) (significantly smaller) invasion of butterflies!

I knew her when...

These little beauties are all over the field outside my office. I wish I could take a picture ala national geographic so you could see what I see, but alas I cannot.

Finding Waldo

See what I mean? This field of wild onion flowers has dozens of butterflies who are all wearing their invisibility cloaks. Tricky buggers.

If I was real slow and careful, I could sneak up on them and get a close up. It was really comical how they would alight on the top of the flower and then hang on for dear life as the flower bent to the ground under the heavy butterfly weight.

notice the parched earth

Alright Already

People remind me (daily) what a difficult two years my family has been through. I think they are afraid that I've forgotten about the motorcycle wreck, the brain tumour, the cancer, the second brain tumour, etc. etc. So they very kindly point it out, with furrowed eyebrows as they wait for me to form words of sympathy inducing gratitude; that we have come through everything and are still alive, I suppose. The banality of it all is quite depressing.

But here is the truth.

It has made our lives better.

I can't go so far as to say that I wouldn't change anything, because my husband is the one who has endured most of the physical pain. But I wouldn't change any of my own pain for what we have gained over the past two years and seven months. We have grown as a family, and my relationship with my husband has been completely altered. We always held something back from each other in the past. I actually preferred it that way, so did he, which is why we were so perfect for each other. But when you nurse someone back to health things change. And when you take turns nursing one another back to health, it is an equitable change.

Now we are going to begin a new adventure together, and we haven't been able to say that for a very long time.

Swinging Cousins

My 21st Daniels' Family Reunion was this past weekend. Held in the Deep East Texas Pineywoods with Lake Ivanhoe as the beautiful backdrop. It was a Gorgeous day; like only October in Texas can produce. These little girls are second cousins, I think. The one in the swing is my youngest. She is first cousins with the other two's daddy's.--i'm sure that is grammatically incorrect..that makes them second cousins, no?

Every year, for as long as I can remember, this sprite gentleman has been videoing the entire reunion. I have no doubt there is enough to convict myself, and most everyone else, of something on those darn tapes. I hope my sister-in-law remains friendly with him or we are all in trouble.

Mac Cam

cousins

The best part of the reunion is always the kids. They have such a great time running, jumping, playing, sticking their fingers in the desserts.

The little one here on the left is a cutie, but don't let her fool you, she is a real hoot. Someone asked her what grade she was in and she says "3rd" and never cracked a smile. They walked away and she says, deadpan, "I'm really in preschool". Cracked me up.

My husband had a brain surgery only nine days before this hour long trip into the Big Thicket. He has the most awesomely wicked stitches on the side of his head in the shape of a C. (He is totally ready for Halloween; different blog post). He played dominoes, ate like a horse, and was completely worn out by the time we left. 

My favorite part? Sitting on that green grass, looking out over that gorgeous lake, with Dave Matthews on the ipod singing about being alive and well.  :)

Taking Charge of My Life

I could not sit quietly by and wait for my Doctor's appointment in November to find out if the cancer had made a comeback. So I drove an hour to the imaging center, got my report, drove to the Doctor's office and sat until she would tell me what the report meant. Then I drove an hour back to work and popped the cork off a bottle of champagne (my girlfriends at work were prepared!) to celebrate being Cancer Free!

To be or not to be

I called my doctor day. I am waiting for her to call me back. I have an appointment to see her in a weeks time, but I had a petscan yesterday and I know the results are sitting in her office somewhere. It seems that my ability to concentrate is directly connected to the results sitting on her desk; or rather my lack of knowledge concerning the results sitting on her desk.

People are talking to me, about important work matters I'm sure, and I am catching about every 2 out of 7 words. My forehead is creased and I try to look like I'm paying attention.

The receptionist acted like what I was asking is frowned upon. For freaks sake, I'm a grown woman and I need to know how I will be getting on with my life, with cancer or without cancer. Just tell me.

I'll keep you posted. If you watch the news and a receptionist in Houston has been strangled, it wasn't me.