Winter Preparations

We've spent the day - a beautiful day I might add, doing odd jobs around the house getting ready for winter.

We made another 6 quarts of applesauce first thing this morning and I made two loaves of banana bread and a pot of

vegetable soup then went to the garden and brought in some produce to cut up and freeze while Hubby "made wood" as they say up here from the dead wood in the field across the street and mowed the lawns on both our properties and the adjoining properties.

He's on a bike ride now and I'm supposed to be making cards, but thought I'd stop in here first. 

Honest, I will try and catch up on reading your blogs soon, I've just been a bit busy. 

Broken Hearted

I've been MIA; it seems like for a long time...all of a sudden life got so busy as we prepare for the coming winter. Catching up on me, then I hope to catch up on you all tomorrow. 

We went out one evening and picked wild apples...probably too many and have been trying to get them turned into applesauce. I also made an apple crisp...SO YUMMY! We made our first batch of applesauce this week - it's such a big job.  We only did one batch so far - about 6 quarts I think it was and that was only half of one of four boxes! The next morning we ate French Toast made with homemade bread covered in homemade applesauce made with wild apples...no sugar added or needed! YUM!! Hubby is working on it again tonight and we have to keep this going nearly every night until it's done as the apples are already beginning to bruise. Hubby has also been "making wood" from some dead trees in the field across the street. We are supposed to get a delivery as well, but haven't seen the guy yet. I took some money out of savings and went into town to Walmart and the Co-op for pantry staples - laying things in for the winter. It won't be long now and I won't be able to make that trip. 

I went to a Stampin' Up party Saturday evening, I had hoped to do some networking for piano lessons, but just had a good time. Should our scrapbook store close, I will need to make this a source of supplies. 

Also Saturday night while I was away the neighbor girls came over asking for a safe-haven. All the kids in that family are adopted and one of the boys rages. The parents had a school meeting to attend and the kids (all junior high and above) were home alone. Isaiah got into a rage and the girls came here to stay until things calmed down. Hubby said one of the girls looked as though she had been hit in the face, they didn't seem to want to talk about it, so he didn't press them for information. One of the girls is my piano student and I told both her and her parents if they ever needed anything that we were here for them. It was nice to see they felt they could take us up on that offer when it became necessary. 

All conversations at church Sunday turned to the arrival of the organ and the placement of the speakers and how it's all going to get accomplished. 

Our pastor wants to institute small groups at our church and there are many that are against it. I can understand some of their concerns such as the demands of being hostess, an empty church for visitors because everyone is in homes, lack of qualified leadership, tendency to become cliques, etc. I also see it could be a positive, so I guess I'm on the fence on this one and will follow along and see where it leads.

Gilmore, our other big dog must have gotten into something that made him sick - he wouldn't eat or drink and would have episodes of rather violent shakes. We thought we were going to lose him, but last he is now back to his normal self. 

I found out via Facebook that a dear, dear friend of mine has been diagnosed with cancer. My heart is breaking. He was my piano professor in college - a very talented, loving, caring, very patient man. He taught me SO MUCH! Yes, that's him and me in his office at WBC. He's listening to me intently and preparing to share his wisdom and encouragement. 

He played the piano and the organ at our wedding and he was also the pianist for our college choir and so went with us on our tours every spring. He was so much fun to be around! He makes his living as church organist, choir director, teacher and piano tuner. He also now enjoys skating as well from the looks of Facebook, he's still involved in the lives of young people!  I couldn't even get the words out to tell Hubby, I had to give him the computer to read it for himself. He said on Facebook that it started in his lungs and is in

multiple places already, yet, he sounds positive and is planning a party for when he is declared cancer free. His wife is wonderful as well and they have always been so much in love. I remember seeing the way she would look at him - precious. He has been constantly in my thoughts and on my heart this week.  My mom loved him! He'd start playing piano and I swear she would literally swoon LOL. We used to take her to the Missions and Founder's Day Banquets the college put on each year because Gordon would play the dinner music. She got the chance to get all dressed up and sit and listen to him play all evening - she loved it. I am so blessed to have his influence in my life. I can't tell you what an impact he had on me and continues to this day! Maybe I'm being selfish, but it's just too early for this talented, loving, giving, caring man to leave this earth. Please, please pray for Gordon Page, his wife, Sharon and their son, Evan. Thank you. 

I LOVE THIS MAN!!

Saying Goodbye Part Two

Daughter #2 spent some time out on the grass in the sunshine for the last time with her dear friend. The veterinarian arrived shortly after lunch as promised. Hubby carried Mae out to the backyard - except for what we had to go through, it was a beautiful day. Daughter couldn't stop crying, I hated to see her in so much pain and grief. I wanted to do something to change the situation, to go back in time, something. The necessary shots were administered and we waited but it didn't take long. Our veterinarian is a very compassionate man - he shook Hubby's hand then gave him the man hug, then hugged Daughter and me.

Daughter clung to me, sobbing into my shoulder. I realized just how strong my daughter is when she helped her dad close up the grave and put the shovels away...the scene of the two of them is burned into my memory. Hubby and I went in the house and when I looked out the window Daughter was kneeling beside the grave; I can't help but wonder what she was thinking, what final words she had for her dear friend. The rest of the afternoon was spent looking through old family photos; I didn't realize we had so many pictures of the dogs; I've been asked to scan them. Conversations focused around not only Mae, but around other family members that have passed on. Hubby's dad, other dogs, my mom. Death and grief have dominated our hearts this week.

I don't know how the rest of the week went for Daughter, how she coped...she doesn't say much. She hung Mae's collar chain on the rear view window in her car. I know I have done a lot of crying this week, remembering the day, remembering the pain on my Daughter's tear stained face, remembering what it felt like to lose someone I love; death just seems to hang in the air and I've been unable to shake it.

Looking at these pictures one wonders why she was put down; we have to remind ourselves of the pain she was in, the fact that she fell down the steps on a regular basis and sometimes had to be carried as well as the fact she probably had cancer. 

Saturday I had chili to make for Sunday dinner, stew to make for suppers for this week, the usual cleaning to do and I wound up going to pick blueberries with some women from church. I picked 2 gallons and paid $19.50. Sunday I cleaned and packaged them up for the freezer. We also had our Music Teacher's Association planning meeting. I feel so out of place in that group. 

I've been feeling overwhelmed; trying to get past the grief, trying to keep up with an increasingly busy schedule, worrying about Hubby and what he's going through with the business. It's not good...not at all. Something needs to happen, something needs to change, but I don't know what and I can't help but be fearful. 

This is a very busy week - all my students will be returning and I'm meeting some new ones.

Saying Goodbye

The last few days have been rough ones and I imagine another few yet to come. Today we say goodbye to our friend, Mae. Mae came into our family for our youngest daughter. Looking back, Mae was way too much dog for such a little girl and for that reason, much of the care fell to Dad. Now that Mae is so crippled up and seems to have cancer, it's time to say goodbye.

The vet is coming by the house today as he goes right past here anyway on his way to an equine appointment. In order to save some money, Hubby decided to bury her in the backyard and after two exhausting attempts to dig a hole and finding nothing but unmovable rock, he gave up...that is until Daughter came home. She came in at the end of my teaching day and broke down in tears as the reality of what was soon to take place finally hit. She went outside to find where her dad had dug only to find nothing. I had to explain her dad's problem and how after two tries he decided "I'M NOT DIGGIN" ANOTHER HOLE". :/ Through tearful sobs Daughter says..."I will dig the hole". Her dad shrugged his shoulders and said "well, we still have a little light left" and the two of them went to the backyard and dug one more hole. They took turns, allowing the other to rest a spell. Mae went outside to be near them and it was completely dark out before they finished. I'm not as close to her as the two of them are, so I will have to be the strong one, yet, seeing my loved ones so sad just makes my heart ache.

In other news, the church voted 29-2 in favor of purchasing the organ!! I'm so excited, but at the same time, nervous about so much. The stress is just now beginning as we have to pay for it, have it shipped, install it, tune it voice it...so much! Hubby has been waking in the middle of the night after having bad dreams about dropping it on it's way into the church, etc.

Ok, well I really wanted to write more, but the morning is getting away from me and I have a lot to do before the vet arrives and the rest of the day goes to you-know-what. I hope to check out all of your epistles some time later today.

In Between

Summer is over and true fall has not quite arrived, so I feel like things are in an in between stage. My new background, I think, expresses that; it's got some leaves there for fall, but I'm not ready for the fall colors and pumpkins just yet. Perhaps I'm just putting off the inevitable as long as possible.

Fall piano lessons will start next week, but I won't have everyone returning until the following week...again, in between. The good news is, as you know, I added 2 students this summer and now I've added 3 new ones for fall. I will have a total of 16 students this year which is wonderful, the only drawback being, 7 of them are only coming every other week, so a few more to fill in the gaps are still needed.

The church advisory board met this week and will suggest to the congregation that they vote to purchase the organ we have been looking at. You can see it and hear it in the video...this is the actual instrument that I will be playing at church if they vote to purchase! I will know for sure tomorrow night after the business meeting. If they go ahead, and once it arrives, my work will really begin! So as with other things, I'm waiting in an in between stage.

There was a skunk in the yard this morning when we took the dogs out. It was still darkish, so we didn't see it at first. I was able to off Mae, I don't know why she didn't get sprayed unless the skunk could tell she was crippled and not a threat. The vet is coming up this coming Wednesday after lunch sometime to put her to sleep. The geese are flying circles around the lake getting ready to leave. One group flew off and didn't come back...not a good sign. Our days go from nippy ones to ones that feel just like summer and back again. 

I had so many plans for my Saturday, but I somehow wound up talking to my neighbor for most of the morning. I'm hoping in the coming days and weeks to be able to get to know her better. I think she needs a good friend here. Friendly, but not quite friends...in between. 

I have many goals for this winter, here's hoping I can stay focused enough to get them accomplished.  I'm still working toward getting my Etsy store set up. I will share when I get it operational. With the Etsy store, the new organ, new students and my usual cleaning, laundry and cooking, my life will be quite busy, especially until I get into a routine. I am thinking my computer time will have to be put off until evening from now on, which is hard for me as I enjoy doing my emails and blogging along with my morning coffee. 

Until next time my friends,