more than words

Posted on January 16, 2021 by Shanda

I woke up last night and went to the bathroom. I never turn on lights, I find great satisfaction in carefully making my way in the dark. When I came back to bed, I nestled right into my husband like we have gotten into the habit of doing, how delightful and cozy, his shirt smelled clean and lightly of bleach, it was up a little bit and my arm was across his soft warm skin. He woke up and I asked him if I was bothering him, ready to move away if I was so he could sleep. “I’m too hot,” he said, taking my arm and putting it back around him. He pressed his nose into my hair contentedly and I fell back to sleep……….

I woke up last night (a second time) and I was alone in the bed. I reached for my phone to check the time, 4:22 am. I couldn’t resist figuring out what he was doing, so like any good & nosy wife, I got out of bed and walked barefoot across the cool wooden floor, out the door to find…….

My husband playing the wii. I was instantly amused. He couldn’t sleep so he decided to get to “pro level” on the golfing game. I woke up just in time to see him take a swing. I laughed, he laughed, we hugged, and I went back to bed and fell sound asleep…… (I’ve been sleeping wonderfully…… and he has not, my sister and I think it’s because he won’t eat carbs, I mean how can anyone relax without baked goods?)……. He’s doing Keto like it’s going to bring about world peace. And as I slept, I dreamed a question; *Did He or Did He Not Make it to Pro?”

I woke up this morning at around 9? I think? Still no husband in bed, so I opened the door and cheerfully announced, “I AM READY FOR MY COFFEE!” He looked up from his chair and said “Good morning!” The boys looked up from their game at the table and said “Good morning mom!” I said “Good morning!” in return, and went back to bed. Wonderful Saturday.

Rich brought my coffee (in a meadow fiesta mug) and then went around on his side to get in bed with me. I thought “Oh this will be cozy, we can be lazy and talk and visit and read.” Our big black cat joined us, the dog flopped on the floor in our room to sleep, I opened my book, my coffee in hand………not even surprised when Rich fell promptly to sleep within seconds. Like, twitching!

My night owl.

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart that one can see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.” Antoine de Saint-Expery, The Little Prince

My heart is often bursting with seeing. This blog is more than words; it’s my heart.

*He did

grandma wants to stay home

Posted on October 21, 2017 by Shanda

Saturday morning.

I have bread dough rising. I’m wearing a cute outfit and feeling young and healthy. My daughter Sarah is in her own little world on the floor and I hear her say to herself as she busily works at taking a fancy dress off her doll, “I’m going to teach Bitty Baby to do a CARTWHEEL.” I get the camera because she’s cute and she holds up her babies and sings, “Hi Grandma!!!!!!”

It takes me a second and then I realize.

She just called me Grandma.

I’m also annoyed because my dough has an hour to rise and my husband just told me I have to ride along all the way to the airport so he can pick up a big van from the rental place and drive it home. (I say annoyed but we are laughing about it. I’m whining, “I want to stay home!!!!” and he’s not listening to me and saying, “Too bad!!”)

half an hour

Posted on April 8, 2017 by Shanda

On these small cares of daughter, wife, or friend,
The almost sacred joy of home depend. Hannah More

Grace and I were folding the latest load of laundry when I happened to see the boys playing basketball together through the window….made me smile….so I grabbed the camera and wandered around with it for half an hour.

Ethan leaves to go back to college tomorrow.

Seth’s joy as he plays with Ethan touches my heart.

Meanwhile, in the front yard, Sarah was making soup with pond water and various bits of grass and sticks.

I heard her say, “Thank you tree, for the pine needles,” quite sweetly.

When she got back to her pot, Parker the dog was carefully pulling sticks from the soup which she thought was very amusing as she was not able to get anyone else to try the soup.

Grace and David joined the game.

The chair under the basketball hoop was the “penalty box”. They used it, too.

Caleb was sitting in it for something he did that the rest of the kids agreed was a penalty.

Back inside….cooking shows were playing quietly on the television.

While Rich listened to loudly blaring 1970’s country music while fixing the upstairs toilet.

“Wait, take another picture!” he requested.

Making me laugh.

The only place the cat can eat his canned food without the dog stealing it.

“It’s kinda busy around here this morning, I think I’ll nap with my eyes open.”

the smell of a toasting lego head

Posted on February 11, 2017 by Shanda

The girls had toast this morning and I was in the kitchen eating a bowl of cereal when I smelled a smell….and yes indeedy when a mom smells a strange smell she becomes very much like a bloodhound sniffing the air and moving her nose up and down and all around the room. I decided it was Rich’s video recorder which he had just plugged in using a kitchen outlet. The smell of a battery vigorously charging? A questionable but satisfying deduction, in my opinion.

Eventually, Jacob and Caleb put bread in the toaster.

By this time I had gotten myself snuggled up on the couch in order to finish my book, I’m at the very end when things are getting deliciously riveting. Ah, Saturday mornings.

But then.

“Mom, there’s a lego head in the toaster.” Jacob informed me.

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Dang. A bloodhound would have gotten this right.

I had just read an article about single use plastics and how they should be avoided at all cost, the most fearful reasons of all being, “leaches toxins into food and drink” and “causes hormone disruption and cancers.”

Not sure if a lego would be considered a single use plastic but…….

“Get it out before it leaches toxins into your toast!”

“Mom it’s too far down to leach toxins into my toast.”

“Let me take a picture!!!!”

“Was that the smell I smelled?”

Caleb sniffed around obligingly.

“No.”

“I mean, yes! Ewwwwww!!”

“How on earth did a lego head get into the toaster is what I want to know.”

“It’s melting. It’s burning.”

“Why do you want a picture?”

“Because it’s just one more example of life with boys that’s why.”