It's a nice day to break even

Well, it's another Monday down in the books. Just like this horse: "I'm dun!"
The weekend was just like that cool looking guy pointing at you: too short! I had made plans to spend the Saturday raking leaves for a nice senior citizen lady. First, though I had to jump start my pickup truck. The battery was over five years old and I guess finally crapped out. I bought one at O'Reilly's and installed it in their parking lot. Man! It must have been over five years since I purchased a battery, and those prices have gone up. Ouch!

This nice lady had a leaf problem. They had drifted and collected in three or four areas knee deep, and generally littered the rest of the lawn. I used my lawn mower to mulch the regular leaves and bagged the mondo piles. I spent six hours doing it: rake, bag, mulch, blow.

I guess riding my bike to and from school five days a week doesn't prepare me for raking leaves, because MY BACK HURT! (That was obnoxious yelling b.t.w. [that's by the way, by the way]).

The exercise and labor is good for me. It was a nice day for it, too. And I think the compensation I received just paid for the battery I installed in my pickup!  Breaking even, however, is better than being in the hole.

It's begining to look a lot like a photo shoot

This weekend seemed short. Saturday, I spent in the cafeteria area of Lawrence Freestate High School. I am the assistant debate coach, which is a glorified title for the person who drives the other vehicle for the junior varsity debaters. I am currently learning how debate works, so I mainly offer direction on confidence, appearance and public speaking. At this point, as junior varsity debaters, they are at the stage where they need practice in public speaking more than the fine tuning of winning the debate based upon their respective arguments. I sat and wrote several pages in my journal, a brand new one I received as a gift from a past birthday or Christmas, which I've put into use because I finally filled up the previous one, which I received in similar circumstances. I also wrote about 6-8 pages in my creative writing notebook to finish a short story I'd been writing. These Saturdays I've spent in various Kansas high school cafeterias has had some redeeming value for me besides the extra pay I receive and what I learn about debate and public speaking, and that is that it's given me big chunks of time to write. While the students are in their respective classrooms debating, there really is not much for us, as coaches, to do at that point. Since it's my first year, I also don't know many of the other coaches, so the temptation to chit-chat and kill time has been eliminated. I do not take along my laptop for that reason exactly. If I had it available I'd no doubt spend the entire day watching people fall down on Youtube.

I felt good completing the short story, all 17 pages of it, but i wasn't really pleased with it. For one thing, the characters were just entirely based upon me and my family. I didn't created new characters. Something bad happens in the story and since I've used my family as the characters (only changing their names really) it's disconcerting to read it and visualize my own kids. It was a first draft, so I am not too worried about that part of it. Recently I've overcome some kind of barrier I'd previously held which prevented me from completing a story. I used to write good beginnings and middles, but never finish a story. I overcame that, as I said, and have had great satisfaction writing until I've said all that needed said about a story.

It was raining almost all day in Lawrence on Saturday. The boys stayed inside with Mare. They'd checked out The Iron Giant from the library so they watched it on Saturday. They  loved it.

Sunday I did the chores I have relegated to that day: clean the bathroom, take out the trash, make breakfast,  clean up the kitchen. After that we got all dressed up and drove to the spot where Mare and I exchanged wedding vows at the Clinton Lake museum for a photo shoot. We took several photos (if 110 is "several") and got some good ones out of that batch. It was cold and bright out and a good day for picture taking. It ended kind of badly when we finally ended the shoot and allowed the boys to run and play at a nearby playground near sundown, when it was starting to really get crisp out. Jack went down the curly cue slide, right into the standing water on the bottom. He drenched all of his pants on the backside, right off the bat nearly. It was too cold for him to play in wet clothes so we had to walk back a long uphill with Jack moaning about the temperature and Leo following along crying that we had to leave so quickly without really getting started playing. Henry did well out in the cold. Mare had him bundled up like a snug a bug.

Mare has our tree up and stockings. Thanks to my aunt Becky who created the stocking for Henry (for all five of us!) it looks great! She has some lights up around our street facing windows which give our house a warm, cozy, inviting feel to it. It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas.

Another year's Thanksgiving day is down in the books, and Thanksgiving day of 2011 was a very, very good one for me:

• It's the first year the Broyles family gave thanks as a family of five
• The weather for the day itself was a glorious 68 degrees, and sunny
• My mom hosted both her kids and all her grandkids at her house
• I got to see both my grandmothers, my parents, my parents-in-law, and my sister's family; all in one day

Tuesday was a long day at school because many students were absent, their parents agreeing to start their Thanksgiving break a day early. It is difficult to "do" something meaningful and worthwhile in classes on the day before Thanksgiving break begins when about half the students in each class are absent. I made the best of it and students learned a little more about Odysseus and his misadventures on the way back from fighting in the Trojan war. It was very nice to pedal home Tuesday afternoon, I'm not going to lie.

Wednesday I dressed the boys and fed them breakfast. Lately I've been preparing Malt-o-Meal oatmeal for them almost every morning. It's easy to make and inexpensive. Plus, it's good for them and for me. The weather was sunny and only a dash of cool. Leo rode in the pull behind trailer while I delivered paid bills to a handful of places across town. When I returned, Mare's mom was in our kitchen in full-on Thanksgiving meal preparation mode! I stayed outside getting the yard cleaned up.

The "shine" my grandpa Jim spoke of being attached to new things or activities has worn itself off of raking the leaves in my yard. Just five years ago when we moved in, I couldn't wait to get out there and rake, rake, rake; as if it were about the most important thing in the world to do. Now... not so much. I opted instead to break up the surplus leaves into the smallest pieces using my walk behind mower. Doing this helped the looks of the yard tremendously. The electric leaf blower helped clear off our sidewalks, patio, and driveway.

Thursday morning, after completing the last of the "to-do" list, I tackled cleaning out my workshop. It had been a deposit place for different things I didn't immediately know what to do with since late summer. I rearranged and swept and rearranged some more, and swept some more until it was presentable. The workshop is where my dart board is, and I wanted it accessible in case the visiting father in law or brother in law wanted to throw darts.

We didn't throw darts. Instead, I roped them into shooting baskets in our driveway with Jack and Leo. Jack and Leo like shooting baskets and they really aren't of the dart throwing age or size, yet. The day was just too lovely to go in and sit in front of the t.v. There are many worse things a family can do together on Thanksgiving day, compared to shooting baskets. I look forward to hopefully making it a bit of a family tradition.

It reminds me of my childhood Thanksgiving days growing up in Humboldt on 12th street. Many of those Thanksgiving days and nearly every holiday spent at home found us, the kids and uncles, shooting baskets in our neighbor's driveway. We treated that goal like it was our own, which I'm sure the Salzwedel family didn't appreciate. The point is, it was nice to get out either before or after Thanksgiving lunch, to shoot baskets and sometimes see the men of the family join in as well.

Thursday, after the in-laws left, we loaded up in a big tiff and barreled down to Humboldt to see my sis and her family for an hour or two before they left back home for Oklahoma. Those nieces of mine have just grown and grown and are becoming or have become young women. My nephew is tall and a lot of fun. They're such a good family.

Friday, it was cold and damp. I lit the workshop lights and heaters and piddled around in there off and on all day with the boys. They like to use the tools in there. No, not the power tools. I like seeing them handle the hammers and screwdrivers and pliers as they try to imitate what I'm doing.

Saturday, Mare took the boys to attend a baby shower. I worked on the bathroom a little bit. Yes, I'm still working on the bathroom. Rather, I have resumed working on the bathroom, as I've technically taken a rather extended hiatus from it.

Sunday: breakfast with boys and dividing time between hanging with them and piddling around in the workshop with them. About 8:00 Sunday night it dawned on me I would be back at school today! What? The break was coming to a close. Reality was about to set in, unless you ask some members of our society who hold particular opinions about school teachers and public school, in which case they would say going back to school was not reality setting in, but more like returning to fantasy land. Whatever view is accurate, there was not getting around the fact that I'd be in school and I'd have to put on my game face which I'd left in my back pack on the back porch!

It was a great break. Thank you God for my family; blood relatives and contractual relationships. Thank you God for our prosperity; though I complain about our financial situation, really I am rich beyond some peoples' wildest dreams when compared with their situation. Thank you God for our continued good health. Thank you God for letting us grow up in the best country in the world, both for freedom and for shear beauty.

Family of Five!

Henry Lee Broyles was born November 11, 2011. That is 11/1/11, at 3:33 p.m. at Ransom Memorial Hospital in Ottawa, Kansas. He was 8 lbs. and 20 inches long. Henry is not a family name, but Lee is a middle name shared by both my mom and Mare's dad, although my mother spells it Lea.

Since Leo was born RMH has completely renovated their birthing rooms and they are warm (as in inviting, not necessarily as in temperature, but they are that kind of warm, too of course, it just seemed like a given that a hospital would keep their rooms heated and therefore unnecessary to mention, but then I went and used a confusing adjective like "warm" which required this lengthy disclaimer and required far more thought and typing than simply describing the room as inviting, but then I'm a poet and writer at heart and use words like warm in place of inviting because they invoke a bigger emotional reaction  in the reader, so what can you do?) and feature big windows for gazing out of and quite a bit of space for the happy couple (in this case, me and Mare) and the attending physicians and nurses and all the other people with specialized careers which peek in and poke and prod and measure on the mommy immediately prior to birth. The room was supplied with one of those easy chairs that convert into a cot or sleeping surface, on which I slept overnight.

The delivery itself went fine. Mare was vocal to her doctor and the nurses and to virtually anyone who would be involved in the delivery that she wanted the pain management anesthesia started early on enough that she would benefit from it during delivery; unlike the previous two births where the anesthesia arrived to ease her pain just after the delivery, therefore not doing her much good. Mare was a champ and confirmed my opinion that she is from good German farming stock whose body is made for mothering.

Henry came out perfect without any blemishes and soon his sallow, purple skin color changed to a healthy pink and wasn't very long at all until he began exercising his lungs. Henry doesn't have any birthmarks to be found, and he was born with a good head of hair.

I enjoyed taking off work for 8 school days to be home and help out with Jack and Leo in order to provide mom and Henry time together for bonding and rest from the traumatic experience of birth. We three boys played and I delivered Jack to preschool and Leo to the library for story time. We made campfires and walked around the block and rode our bikes to the park and prepared breakfast, lunch, and supper, read books, brushed teeth, combed hair and just generally enjoyed each others company for those days. Everyone should be as fortunate as me to enjoy all this time off work to spend time with family. It is irreplaceable. If time is our most precious commodity, we should be spending our time wisely; namely, with our families.

Henry does not sleep through the night, of course. But, he is slowly improving already. Mare works her little tail off (bless her heart!) Now she's outnumbered by four, and we both are outnumbered by three. We love Henry, of course, and he's a welcome addition to our family. He's healthy, and mom is healthy and the brothers love him.

We're rich and life is good!

Of Broyles and beans

It's business as usual in the Broyles household. All last week a full moon's yellow glow faced me from the west in the morning as I tore down the first descent out of the driveway on Powhatan, and leaves like red, gold, and orange Doritos have been falling from off our Maples. Our nice chain-link fenced in yard works to keep every felled leaf contained inside it so they won't go on and bother any of our neighbors. I'm certain under the wind blown drifts of dried up papery leaves is a veritable parking lot full of Hot Wheels cars stuck poised in the grass below at stark angles wondering if those nice little boys will remember them and come searching for them, or if they'll be forgotten and the unthinkable happen; to be raked up along with the other 3 metric tons of foliage debris to be deposited onto the compost pile or heaped into the back of my old pickup truck through the winter until it's spring again and I take a full load to the county dump, never to be seen or played with again.

Good things still do happen.  Mare and I celebrated our first 10 years of marriage yesterday. The boys helped me make a two layer cake when I arrived home from school. We enjoyed a nice roast supper with potatoes and carrots I started in the crock-pot that morning before leaving for school. I love when I'm hungry to smell that wholesome smell when I walk in the door in the afternoon. It is like fresh baked bread smell when to a hungry person, only beef-roastier. Slather on some of the gravy I make with the drippings and cornstarch, and apply a liberal dousing of Woeber's brand horseradish cream sauce over everything and I don't care what your background is, that's good eating!

The doctor tells Mare though the due date is still a couple weeks away at this point, the newest baby Broyles could come any day, "So be prepared!" Well, we're in the last straightaway of checking things off our lists of "things to get done before newest baby Broyles arrives," but, some things remain to be done. At last check I was responsible for

• raising the crib to maximum height
• removing adhesive residue from nursery walls
• install new Venetian blinds on one window in nursery
• install new decorations on wall in nursery

On both our lists is this big one:

• choose baby name

Jack is attending a preschool three days a week for two and a half hours at a time. He loves it. He went on his first field trip on Tuesday, to the pumpkin patch. The rule their teacher gave them was they could pick out any pumpkin they could carry all by themselves. He found one about as big as him and wrestled it around, but did manage to get it on and off the bus all by himself. Mare found a pattern for cutting out a jack-o-lantern in the likeness of Frosty the snowman, so it was like hitting double paydirt for Jack.

Leo passed a milestone yesterday in that he went all day without having an accident of either kind. He's been successful for a few weeks now about not having the #1 accident; even sleeping through his naps and going out into public with Mare in just his big boy underwear. Then, yesterday he let her know it was time to follow suit with #2. That's a big relief to Mare (and to me, but more for her since she had to directly deal with it firsthand more often) to make progress in that area. It's just in the nick of time for a new one to come into our lives who will genuinely have no control over that. 

Despite eating almost four consecutive suppers of them, we finally had to freeze the remaining approximately five gallons of Biblesta beans we were sent home with from mom and dad and my grandma Bonnie a couple Saturdays ago. Here's a hint: if you have a husband who is afflicted with excessive gas from consuming such food items as things with either salt or pepper or sugar or seasoning, or from water based products like drinking water, ice cubes, tea and coffee; for heaven's sake don't fee him Biblesta beans four consecutive suppers in a row. He may like ham and beans and eat two bowls of them with onions and salt (red flag!) and yellow banana peppers and conrbread, but you, dear devoted wife, will suffer more than anyone else. Except possibly the husband himself while he's at school and holding it in, in front of dozens of impressionable kids just waiting for a slip up of that nature to occur so they can post it all over facebook and humiliate him, earning himself a nickname like "tooty", or "stinky"  for several generations of students yet to come. Get him some Beano!

It's Friday here (and I presume it is where you are as well), so get off the dang computer you geek, and get out there and make some real connections with real people and feel their warmth and smell their flatulence and groom their body hair, or whatever strange custom you all do in your household. But, turn this thing off and check back again at a later date. Chances are I'll not have updated it, because I'm a slacker that way, but you never know. One can always hope.

Going through the motions

I pretend to be on top of things.

I am not on top of things.

Things are on top of me.

First day of school joy!

Jack started preschool today. I have no sadness about this event, though I think Mare may have to come to grips with it. He's been pumped about it all week, asking me if I knew what he was doing today, then gushing out a list of what he's been told he'll do i.e. singing, playing, eating snacks, doing what Mrs. Stella says, making crafts, coloring and painting . . .all in one breath. Today he started.

The preschool he attends is on the campus of the high school where I teach, and I was treated to a pleasant surprise. Just before the end of my fourth period 9th grade English class I was hearing what I thought was my little kids making noises behind the closed door. The noise attracted the attention of some of my students near the door, and upon investigation I confirmed it was Jack and he was here to see me along with Leo and Mare.

I let them in the room and Jack immediately sprouted forth with all the fun things he did in preschool, with which I had difficulty keeping up.  I introduced them all to the class and about that time the dismissal bell sounded. Jack was wearing his blue jeans, a new jacket, and his little green crocodile back pack from his aunt Clarie with his name embroidered upon it. He had his hair combed neatly, too. He was beaming.

They made quite a positive impression upon the class. When the students cleared out I guided them into the hall to stand against the hall wall while the high school students stampeded past. Once the fifth period class was in session I introduced them to my family, and the result was equally positive.

Some of my own students are the students who help out Mrs. Stella in the early childhood development classes which put on the preschool. A few of them made it a point to stop by to relate to me how Jack was very well behaved and polite and was the only child who could write his or her name.

Needless to say I was a proud dad. Preschool, it would seem, is a success. My hope and expectation is that, being the son of Mr. Broyles, the coolest, most beloved teacher at Ottawa High School, the student teachers in the preschool will treat Jack with extra special attention.

It turned cooler here, finally. Today's high was in the 60's. Looked grey and wet all day, though it didn't rain. This morning as I was pedaling west to the highway, I saw in my little helmet mirror behind me the sky to the east was in the red scale; all manner and variation of red and peach, purple and violet. It reminded me of the aphorism: red sky in the morning, sailor take warning; red sky at night, sailor's delight. I expected rain and weather today. I hope I don't have to wear my rain gear when I finish this entry and leave school for home on my bike.

Chili and football is officially in the weather. I've decided not to engage in any sports extra duties for the high school this year. Perhaps I'll take Jack with me to the Friday night football game, but as a spectator. Last year, as I was keeping score for an all day 9th grade girls volleyball tournament, my eyes bleary from watching virtually the same battle of attrition between two terrible teams all day long, I decided the hourly wage they were paying me was not worth it. I wanted to be home with my family, no matter how poor it ended up making us. Besides, with that extra money I had sacrificed my family time to earn, I'd just spent it on "stuff" and would be gone.

My third drawer down is full of sweaters from last year and a couple new ones I'm excited to get to wear in the upcoming weeks. My room at school gets cold and stays cold, and between my cold classroom and my bike ride to school in the cold, I usually wear my long johns to keep warm. The students would flip out at how weird that is. They already think I'm a freak because I use such an old fashioned thing as a handkerchief. They can't get over it. If only they knew the hanky was only the tip of the ice berg of my weirdness.

Give someone you love a hug and a warm kiss and tell them they are important to you, and mean it! Spend that time with them. You'll never get the time back that you took to read this ridiculous blog. Don't forget that. Time is a ticking.

The broken season

Maybe you noticed the change to the title of this blog? If not, I'll tell you. I added "and ???" to the list of the family members covered by the blog in honor of the fast approaching due date of our next child. I also added a description to the top to help out any wayward "blog surfers" who may want to take a read.

If you read last Friday's post, you may have picked up on the hints that I was displeased with myself for dropping the ball on Marian's birthday. Needless to say, her feelings were hurt. I'd like to say this was an individual incident. The truth is I've dropped the ball on her birthday probably all eleven of the birthdays I've known her for. And Christmases.  And Valentine's day. And anniversaries. And mother's day.

What can I say? I have no good excuse. I am NOT guilty of forgetting these occasions, overlooking them. I am guilty of procrastinating doing something for her until it's too late. I dwell on what to get her, do for her, weeks before and my inner dialogue goes something like this: Mare's birthday (or insert appropriate occasion here) is coming up in a couple of weeks. I really let her down last (occasion), I need to do something special for her to make her feel special. What can I do that would show her? Hmm. I'll have to think about it . . . 
And that's as far as I make it. Procrastination! The bane of my existence.

I always want to do something special, something really original. Then I don't do any of it. I can't stand the thought of buying her something from Wal-Mart. Let me wander around in here until I find something to buy for her which she'll like. That doesn't sound appealing at all. But, a cheesy gift from Wal-Mart is better than a plate full of nothing. Nothing is what she got.

I had the audacity to focus my attentions on my own self hate rather than focusing on making it up to her. What can I do? Our tenth anniversary is coming up fast. I can try to do something special for that. But what? Leave a comment with your suggestions. It's time I start thinking of others first, instead of myself.

Failing miserably with the ones I love

It's the Friday beginning a three day weekend for many people, and the students and faculty here are excited and ready for it. I hope you spend your valuable time with the ones you love. Do something nice for them or with them because you love them. Don't be like Mr. X.

 Mr. X doesn't get a present for his lovely wife on her birthday. Mr. X doesn't bake a cake for his loving wife on her birthday. Mr. X spends five minutes before he leaves for work in the morning to make a birthday card for his wife's birthday from common typing paper and their children's water colors. Mr. X doesn't organize any friends or family to get together to celebrate his wife's birthday.

Mr. X doesn't use the telephone to call his family. Mr. X holds a grudge and stays mad for decades at those he loves. Mr. X imposes isolation and loneliness on himself and blames it on those he loves. Mr. X doesn't show love to his family.

Mr. X is ego-centric. Mr. X is self-centered. Mr. X is indecisive. Mr. X is ungrateful. Mr. X is an underachiever. Mr. X avoids responsibility. Mr. X takes, takes, takes. Mr. X doesn't give. Mr. X is full of self-loathing. Mr. X takes for granted all that others do for him and give to him. Mr. X hides. Mr. X brings it upon himself.

Don't be like Mr. X!

Have a good weekend if it's possible.

It's time to get back into the swing of things

Teachers would find the transition from summer vacation, back to school to be much easier if only each of them had their own theme song like Mr. Kotter. Click on the image below to hear that familiar intro theme song from the fairly well-known situation comedy. It's about a high school teacher appointed to the education of a fine group of what my late grandpa Jim would call "knot-heads".

It's fall and this blog is being updated, and that means it must be school-days, school-days, good old golden rule days. I've been at it for two weeks now and the smell of floor wax still tickles the nostrils, and my new shoes continue to squeak when I pace about the classroom teaching. The "honeymoon" period of the student /teacher relationship is still in full swing. So far the students are fairly compliant to the rules I've established, but next week I predict the degradation of student attitudes. Such is education.

It's been so long since I've updated this blog, I'm not sure what I wrote about. No doubt if you read this blog long enough, you'll realize I write about much of the same "stuff" again and again. My goal is not to disappoint, so I'll inform you yet again that Marian is pregnant. She's due on the 29th of October. It's scheduled to be another boy. There you go. What follows is the short list of names: Hank; Henry; Arlo; Arliss. Recently I've grown fond of  the name Goodman. It's masculine, sturdy, and I like what it implies.

I encountered the name reading the Nathaniel Hawthorne short story, Young Goodman Brown. Young Goodman Brown is the son of, can you guess it? The elder Goodman Brown. It's a story set in the Puritan times of New England. Young Goodman Brown leaves on foot to attend a meeting which must not be put off, and about which the reader understands him to harbor reservations. His newlywed bride begs him not to go, due to some misgivings she is experiencing as well. The reader learns the person with whom Goodman is meeting is Satan, the devil, Lucifer etc. in the form of a contemporary. Along their walk Young Goodman learns his own father, a respected member of the community and church, has made bargains with the devil along his successful path. He, as well as the most prominent members of Salem's community and church have all compromised their standing with God the father in order to acquire worldly success through Satan.

It becomes apparent it's expected Young Goodman Brown will do much the same. However, Young Goodman is appalled by the revelation of what Satan reveals to him about his mentors, heroes, and loved-ones, and rejects the offer. At this point Goodman awakes and withdraws from society, determined not to follow suit. He saves his soul, presumably, but can no longer cope with seeing these people he once admired.

Wow. I started off by mentioning why I like the name Goodman, and ended up summarizing the short story. I've also grown fond of the name Younger.

So, now you know the "what-for" of our baby-name short list.We've all but eliminated Clayton from the considerations. And George. Sadly. As, George is the "other" name my parents call me.

I've run out of time, and you're wasting time by reading this. More, predictable posts to follow.

Much love to you

Spring is sprung

Easter has come and gone and our family did the requisite "family thing" for it on Sunday. It's been a season of celebrating, beginning with Leo's birthday on the 31st of March and continuing through the conclusion of Easter. Mare said the other day she made five cakes and hosted four parties. Quite the little hostess, eh?

I'm ready for some extended periods of sunshine and mild temperatures. Our spring seems to have been a lengthy period of gray, cool, damp weather. It has made me perpetually cold. I'm ready for the warm up.

I guess I'm dragging today, because I don't feel like my usual loquacious self.

I stayed up late with Mare last night, spending some valuable time with her alone. We don't get that much time to ourselves exclusively anymore, as you might imagine. When we do have time alone, we use it to sleep. So, for the conclusion of the Easter weekend and the birthday celebration season, we watched Mama Mia! It's a musical featuring the music of ABBA. It was a good musical. I guess being an actor myself, it has allowed me to look at the scenes for what they are doing to gauge what it must have been like to make those scenes. Meryl Streep is the star and she does an awesome job singing and acting. She displays varied, intense emotions in each scene and sings well.

The male actors weren't as capable as Meryl Streep, but they did a good job also, considering the demands. It looked like a lovely locale to film in also. Plus, I love the ABBA soundtrack. It's groovy. Makes me want to sing and dance. Very lovely. I was surprised I liked it, but I did.

School is winding down. I feel like I don't have anything else to teach anybody. Like I've taught them all I know. I know that's ridiculous, but that's the way I feel.

I'm blessed to have such a good family. Jack is smart. He is way into reading books on the human body. He asks tons of questions about the names of parts and anatomy. He may prove to be a doctor.

Leo is talking up a storm. He is sweet as can be and likes to have fun. He's also a bright individual and has confidence many other kids don't have. Mare and I are excited for the third addition to our family and look forward to having a genuine baby around again, as Leo is growing up fast.

I've got to push through to the  end of the school year. I can make it. My own spring needs rewound!

The Ides of March have come and gone

An astute reader may infer from the title of this post that, as a high school English teacher, I've recently been teaching Shakepeare's tragedy Julius Caesar. The ides of April will be upon us soon enough.  The "ides" is simply the 15th, or middle, of the month. But,the ides sounds so much more ominous, thanks to that great line from the drama.

We've partied it up for Leo's 2nd birthday and included both of his sets of grandparents and two of his great-grandmothers. We ate some over boiled hot dogs, which came out with the texture of those Vienna sausages that can be purchased at the store. Marian made a rich lemon cake with yellow coconut frosting in the shape of a teddy bear. Spicy gum drops for paws and other features completed the bear. Leo is pretty well attached to one teddy bear and has insisted on sleeping with it for nearly a year, I suppose. I don't see any slackening in that desire any time soon.

Jack's birthday is coming up and I hope to see the same invitation list on that day. They are both such good boys, of course. We like to sit on the couch sometimes when I get home to talk. I've found that if you speak to them as if they were capable of understanding, not in any kind of "baby" talk, they will try their best to do the same. I've found if I'll shut up, they'll talk to me

It's difficult to find time to play with Jack and Leo the way they want me to. I've always got three other things that need doing. I'll often force myself to take a step back and realize that's my son or both my sons wanting me to spend time with them. Keeping this perspective forefront in my mind, it's easy to invest my most precious commodity into building a good relationship with my sons. That, I hope, is the result of spending all the time with them: a healthy relationship. I want them to trust me. I try to express to them often that they can come talk to Mare and I about anything.

It is difficult to answer Jack's questions, at times. He wants to know why. But sometimes his questions are hard to answer because I don't quite know what it is he truly wants to know. His questions, if they were asked from an adult, would not make any sense. For instance, "How does the spaghetti need to boil longer?"

"The spaghetti needs to boil longer to soften the noodles." I'll say.

"How?"

I've still many tasks to complete on the "to-do" list before the new baby arrives but, I've made some progress and can see some of those crossed out items, and that makes me feel better. The warmer, more dry weather, has helped.

Mare has been digging up our yard in the back yard to plant raspberry bushes. Each shovelful, she must sift the gravel out of  the soil then replace it back in its hole. It's a lot of work for her, for fear of messing up digging, she won't allow me to help.

I believe I've 40 some days until summer vacation where the play will be produced, a trip to South Dakota will happen, and then the to-do list task elimination will begin in earnest.

That is unless my sons ask me to play with them.

Love to all.
cb

School's in!

That's right. I'm back at school after a one week hiatus we call "spring break". Yeah, yeah, yeah. Get over it!

I stayed pretty busy during spring break. Over the break I managed to patch up the wall where Jack's closet door used to be. We assembled the boys' bunk-beds and acquired new mattresses for them. Since I patched over that section of the wall, we were then obliged to repaint them. Mare chose a fun, golden straw hat color for the walls. She also created a paisley stencil inspired from the red handkerchief cloth on the curtains she sewed, and applied it in denim blue as a waist high border around the room. We acquired a "buffet" from an antique dealer, which will be used as a dresser. We moved Leo into Jack's room with him to occupy the bottom half of the bunk-bed. We took the boys to McDonald's one day during break to do something special for our announcement to them that we are expecting another child October 29th!  We also painted the furniture dad had made for the boys.

Doesn't sound like all that much now that I write it down, but I was busy all the time. I also had play rehearsal both Saturdays and Tuesday night. I'll be playing George Whickam in Pride and Prejudice. I also sort of cleaned out the work shop a little bit to make room for actually doing some kind of work.



Yesterday, Sunday the 20th, we moved the cars out of the garage bays to let the boys play. I found an Army cot up in the garage attic space and Leo took a nap on it in the garage, listening to the radio. They also played in the canoe. Then, mom and dad (grandma Terry and papa David) came to visit for a bit in the evening. That was a real treat. Our house was a complete wreck! But I know they didn't care and we wanted them to come anyway.

On Friday I took both boys on one bike, my Hawthorne, to the south end of town to KFC to get a bucket of chicken. Leo rode in the Wee-Ride between my handlebars and my seat, and Jack rode in the rear carrier. They both don't like to ride in the trailer anymore, because they both like to be up on the frame at roughly my height. So, it is a little precarious. In fact, I spilled them both over right away, just getting mounted on my bike on the sidewalk with Marian there to help. It scared them pretty badly. But, that was the only incident we had.

I also want to celebrate the fact that I've overcome a mental block of finishing a short story for the last seven or eight years. Mom wanted me to enter a writing contest and I wanted to enter it, too. But, I was attempting to write in the evenings after the kids were put to bed and I just was not successful. That's when I've tried to do all my writing. I started a short story and didn't get it finished. I felt so bad that I let mom down, I made a new commitment to rise at close to four in the morning to do my writing before I get around for the day.  It was the right thing to do, because I've already finished two short stories.They're rough drafts, but I reached the end. That's the point. I stuck with it until I had no more to write about for that story. So, I felt very accomplished. My goal is to write a short story each month, or twelve a year. I regret I let mom down, but her request prompted me to take my writing more seriously. To take it seriously, period. So I am taking it seriously. I'm writing more now than I have in a while.

And now I'm out of time. Enjoy the great spring weather!

A case of the Mondays

A case of the Mondays!? But I only ordered three! What am I going to do with a whole case?! . . . wait, it's not "that" kind of case of Mondays. It's more like a situation where I am suffering from a malady commonly known as "the Mondays". "The Mondays" are recognizeable in a person displaying any of a few of these symptoms: lethargy, indifference, grumpiness, excessive yawning, disorientation, halitosis (bad breath), mismatched socks, tardiness, red eyes, unkempt hair and appearance, loud cussing, and food and/or coffee stains on clothing.

I would venture to say I'm rocking about five out of those 12 symptoms. For whatever reason, Jack and Leo have not been sleeping well through the night. Mare and I think it's getting about time for bed changes. I'll be assembling a bunk bed next week for Jack for sure, and perhaps Leo. If Leo doesn't take to the bunk bed, we'll have him upgrade to Jack's bed. Either way, we're thinking that placing Jack and Leo together in a room will help them sleep better. Right after I wrote that last statement, I thought, "in what way will be putting two toddlers together in the same room help them sleep?" Maybe it's wishful thinking.

Jack and Leo both awakened several times last night, so that meant Mare and I didn't sleep well either. I was basically awake from two a.m. I laid in bed tossing and turning and occasionally drifting into and out of sleep but never getting back into that much needed deep REM sleep.

We still need to get twin mattresses and beding for it. I guess I still need to assemble it, too. That may prove more difficult than I foresee. I bought it used and I presume all the parts I need are there, though I'm not certain. I'm confident, though, that I'll find what I need to assemble it between my miscellaneous collection of "treasures" and the local hardware store.

Our whole family has been fighting to get our health back to 100%. We're all right up there at the 97-98%. I've got a tickle in my throat which causes me to cough alot trying to get it out. I'm relying on the supposition that when the sun comes out fully and the temperature is reliably more warm, all this nagging sickness will be completely, irevocably gone!

I can't wait to get out on some excursions on the bike this spring and summer. Plus, I have a huge "to-do" list of things I need to get done in and around the house. I'm excited about getting out there and making my yard and house look a little better.

Anyway, I hope your Monday is going well and you've had your shots against it, or have taken a pill or (Lord help you) a suppository to alleviate those symptoms. Just remember not to take it out on those around you. They may be having a "Friday at 5:00" experience on Monday morning!

EMERGENCY!

No one likes to get those calls: the unexpected ones.

I was teaching right along explaining the stinging dialogue between Mercutio and Romeo to a class of freshman students when the phone rang.

Marian's voice was calm, but I could hear the thick waver and knew she'd been crying, "Honey I'm having an emergency and I need you to bring your keys down to the library. I've locked my keys in the car and Leo's in it."

I ran through some scenarios quickly before I spoke. "Okay, I'll leave right now." I tried to sound confident and purposeful and above all, calm.

My main problem, as far as I could ascertain, was that, like usual, I'd ridden my bike to school. OHS is on the south end of town. Our house is across the river on the north end of town. I first had to go home to get my car keys, because I don't carry them with me when I'm on my bike. The next obvious problem was getting there quickly.

I gathered up my gloves, my leather jacket, and my helmet; told the students I had to leave then, and I exited the room. Almost immediately I ran into an assistant principal. I explained my dilemma and asked that he take over the class or find someone who would. He immediately offered the use of his pickup, and though I thought about objecting, I quickly thought better of it and accepted.

I drove home and retrieved the keys, then drove back across the river about halfway between the school and home to the city library where Marian stood holding Jack by the rear passenger side door of our car.

Poor Leo was buckled in his car seat looking out at Mare and just crying in frustration fear and confusion. Immediately Mare's face eased into relief. I had them unlocked and we both loved on Leo for a bit to ease his distress. I kissed them all bye, and drove back to school.

I spent the rest of the afternoon explaining to each class the "emergency" I had to attend to and assuring them nothing truly "emergency" happened.

I feel as if this incident will be proof positive to some of the people out there who would argue I need to drive a vehicle instead of pedaling my bike. I don't know about that. Yes, I was able to accomplish this task much more quickly, but I feel I would still have accomplished it nonetheless, even on a bike.

Lastly, I'm relieved this did not occur in the brutal heat of summer. That might have truly been an emergency.

All's well that ends well!

Happy Valentine's Day

Hey everyone it's that time of year when we have to "prove" our love to our significant others by spending some quantity of either time or money on them. Wait, that's the other 364 days of the year. "But, Clayton, the commercials and media tell us we need to show them our love in the ways they suggest! Look at those couples reigniting the flame of their love over a candlelit dinner; or the other couple in winter sweaters, before a cheery fireplace, sharing a long, genuine hug after he gave her a diamond. That's good stuff!"  Well, maybe. But, more and more I'm becoming a person who generally doesn't believe in celebrating holidays, or recognizing birthdays or anniversaries. Maybe that means I need to become a Jehova's witness. I'm told they share a similar approach.

However, I appreciate the sentiment. I suppose I'll admit, rather grudgingly, that it does feel somewhat nice to know someone else beside myself is thinking of me, and my kids. My admiration for St. Valentine's day would likely grow if public education would successfully lobby to observe that holiday by not attending school, along with all the other ones it already observes. While they're at it, they should just tack on St. Patrick's day, too. After all, the only thing accomplished on those days in public education is the completion of NCAA tournament brackets!

Lastly, I'll apologize for not writing lately. Or maybe I'll accept your thanks for not writing lately, depending upon how you the reader view it.

I think I've successfully made it through the roughest part of the winter and have rode my bicycle each day school was in session. Eight snow days has helped my goal considerably. The coldest morning the bank sign said negative 12 degrees. Negative twelve degrees. I had a good frosty beard (I have a beard now) when I arrived at school and the students remarked on that.

Our family attended the groundhog feed in Humboldt. Mom and dad were in California. We visited Irene and I dropped off books in case she wants something to read. We visited Janay's birthday party and got to see the new Bartlett, Katelyn Jo, just a couple weeks old. We visited Bonnie and looked at a bunch of pictures from about the last fifteen or so years. That was a trip down memory lane. I sure did like seeing my grandpa Frank on his horses, and my cousin Tim roping, and Ross, Jayme, and Shane as youngsters.

Saturday night our single neighbor took us out to eat pizza for shoveling snow from her driveway. Then we had some teacher friends come over for a bit. Sunday, our family took a ride on the bikes out and about. It was nice and sunny; clear and cool, perfect conditions for a bike ride.

I was told about my sister's bad day of getting stuck in the snow, locking herself out of the house and running out of gas . . . all in one day! Now that's what a former generation would call a "Calgon" day, as in "Calgon, take me away!" Good thing my sis is so tough. Nothing affects her.

The boys are fine. They have a blast and fight a little bit, too. Mare's well. She takes care of us and I love her. Hope all is well with all of you. You are all on my mind.

What to do, what to do?

I know what I'll do. I'll leave school here in a little bit. I'll ride my bike home. I'll watch the boys play. Maybe I'll help out with supper. I'll definitely eat supper!  I'll  probably help out with kitchen clean up. I'll have changed into some more comfortable clothes by then. I'll read some books to the boys and sing them some songs for bed time. Then maybe we'll watch that DVD that came in the mail yesterday.

Tomorrow I have to be at school, but we don't have students, so I can afford to stay up later watching a movie.

The streets are all pretty well cleared of snow and ice now. My bike needs a cleaning. It probably needs a good overhauling, also. That will be a warmer weather job to do.

I guess I just don't have a lot to say today. I'm sure you're all celebrating.

Choking

Don't be alarmed. No one has choked literally in my family. The title of today's post is an example of figurative language at work. It's a comparison, I suppose, of the person who is under pressure to produce desirable results in a situation, then fails to do so. I'm unsure where the roots of this idiom were derived, but somehow it seems appropriate for performers.

I had a golden opportunity to shine on Saturday night. I was scheduled to play my electric guitar and harmonica and sing, along with another female performer, to the recognizable song "Brown Eyed Girl": a song I performed for the talent show last year with a friend of mine, which I've played dozens and dozens of times. A song with which I should be so familiar, were I to need to, I should be able to play in my sleep. You see where this is going.

Somehow, at one point during the song, I lost track of my guitar chord progression and faltered. The result was first an awkward guitar sound, muted partially by my hand, and secondly a silent pause in the music which lasted the length of a beat or so. A breakdown big enough for me to acknowledge it to the audience by smiling broadly like an idiot and apologizing to the audience in the microphone with a "sorry, that was me". We went on to finish the song relatively strongly.

It's probably no big deal to anyone else. I know, however, that if it were a competition for a prize, that would have been enough to keep me out of the winner's position. Who knows when I'll have that opportunity again. Something so easy, so familiar, and I let my nerves get the best of me and I fumbled in order to relieve my nerves. It's a mental thing I need to overcome.

Jack has been overcoming a fever and upset stomach lasting a few days. Leo has learned how to climb out of his crib. Both boys are a blast and full of personality. Things are going along. Marian's healthy and working hard as ever to keep the house in order. It must be tough for her to live in a house with three boys.

A fun full, love filled weekend

Friday night we had the boys in bed fairly early, after supper of course. Our friends text-ed inquiring of our plans and if we were up for company. So, about 10:30 the husband and wife combo came over for wine and conversation. Both are graduates of Pittsburg State, as are Mare and I. She is also an English teacher at the high school, and a colleague of mine. I met her while in Pittsburg and we became friends. I had a stack of game cards from a board game called "Tri-bond". The cards have categories, like many other games. What you'll find listed under the categories are three things which are related. Someone says the three things, the rest attempt to establish the common bond between the three. For example: Moses, Abraham, Noah. Answer: Old Testament characters. Of course most are not that obvious. We were kept entertained by reading those cards and guessing without the formality of playing the board game. They were good for prompting conversation and kept things interesting. They stayed clear until 1:30! We must have been having fun because we rarely stay up that late. It was nice to have company.

Saturday we slowly prepared to attend my cousin Shane's wedding to Rene in Coffeyville that evening. We didn't know whether we'd be staying at mom and dad's in Humboldt or not, so we packed for it. Clarie and family were attending the wedding also, and if they were returning to Oklahoma on Sunday, we'd have stayed. As it turns out, they planned to stay through Sunday night, so Mare, Leo, and I returned to Ottawa after the wedding. Jack rode to Humboldt with aunt Clarie and family to stay the night at grandma and grandpa's house.

The wedding was neat. It was held in a second story ballroom in downtown Coffeyville. The ballroom was big, but Shane and Rene are well liked by many friends and family, and the wedding utilized all the available space. Each table was provided with a simple, elegant "two story" round white wedding cake. We were directed to cut the cake when the bride and groom did and serve ourselves. It was a unique idea which eliminated a second long serving line. The first serving line was to feed the wedding guests good, hot barbecue chicken, baked beans, green beans, corn bread, scalloped potatoes, and dinner rolls: all good.

The ceremony was presided over by pastor, or preacher, or minister D.J. Dangerfield from Humboldt. He seems to be a very genuine, passionate individual. He is, in fact, a funny, entertaining guy. He kept the ceremony brief, upon the bride and groom's direction. He spoke flatteringly of the two of them, and it was clear he thought highly of both of them.

Each place setting at all the tables also came with a unique looking lollipop, or sucker, or whatever the correct terminology is for candy on a stick. This kept our two boys pacified through the quiet times, and kept them pretty satisfied until supper time.

Then the lights were lowered and an assortment of wedding dance rituals began. The dollar dance for the bride and groom; the mother/son dance, and the father/daughter dance. Then, they wedding party really got down to boogie. They looked like they were having a blast. Sadly, it was time for us to depart. We had a two hour drive ahead of us and we were tired from staying up late the night before.

We returned to Humboldt on Sunday, just in time for lunch. We ate pizza from the hut in town. We spent the afternoon alternating between playing with the kids outside in the snow and watching kids movies. Jack was finally able to build a snowman. He'd been wanting to all week, but the snow was too light and didn't "stick". He was thrilled! It was a good one, too because he got help from his older cousins from Oklahoma.

I played the electric guitar a little bit and sang a few songs; dad played and sang along for some, too. We ate. Again. Tuker didn't feel well, so he rested quite a bit. Then, eventually, when the boys' fatigue level was way up there, we decided it was time to call it a game. Mare and I and the boys stayed at Grandma Irene's. It's always fun to stay there. She made a nice breakfast for us the next morning and confirmed my suspicion that we are more or less obliged to eat anytime we are in each others' presence.

 We left around noon. Jack didn't want to go. He wanted to stay at his grandma Terry's, and Papa David's house.

We went home and tried to recover. It's hard work having this much fun. The week went on as usual, except Wednesday it began snowing and placed enough on the ground to cancel school on Thursday. I played with Jack in it quite a bit and shoveled snow at our house, our neighbors, and the neighbor across the street. I attended a rehearsal for the group of singers I'm joining as the entertainment for a chamber of commerce awards banquet. I'll be playing my electric guitar, my harmonica and singing Brown Eyed Girl with another, female singer. I'll also be joining three other singers and a percussionist to sing Some Enchanted Evening, and Lean on Me. This performance will be tomorrow, Saturday Jan. 22.

Snow is in the forecast for Sunday, so maybe there will be no school due to snow on Monday. We can only hope.

Did I mention I'm ready for spring?

The short version of this story is that my water pipes froze. I stayed at home to thaw them and repair them if necessary. I was fortunate that I observed no damage to the pipes once the water was flowing again. Of course I had expected the worst: lying on my back in the crawl space of my house trying to repair a section of copper or galvanized pipe, or disassembling a connection to replace a fitting. Either scenario would not be ideal.

When I opened the valve on the bathtub and nothing came out, I muttered an unprintable expletive and berated myself for not remembering to let my faucets drip. I had even thought of it the night before at supper time, yet failed to follow through with that action.

Staying home for the remainder of the day allowed me to salvage some good out of it: I ate lunch with my family and helped out with chores around the house, then played with the boys outside in the snow. We ran our big Tonka trucks around on snow roads, then I pulled the boys around the block in their red wagon.

This has been a short week of school for me. Monday and Tuesday school was canceled due to snow. I attended Wednesday. Thursday, yesterday, was the big frozen water pipes situation, so I didn't attend. I went the whole day today. Just in time for a three day weekend. No school Monday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Despite his unpopularity in southeast Kansas, Dr. King was a brave individual worthy of admiration. He wanted to be treated equally. He wanted people of similar physical appearance to be treated equally. That seems to me like a good thing. It was certainly a brave act to demand equal treatment of black people. I find it hard to imagine attending a separate, inferior, school simply because my skin is pink; or being told where I may or may not sit, while others who look different than I do have the option of taking my seat if they so desire simply because of their physical appearance. None of my friends or family has done anything remotely as brave or progressive as this man. If all of us could contribute to this nation in such positive ways as Dr. King, we'd truly have lived a life worth living.

I don't know what to make of that killing business down there in Arizona. Knowing why a person does something like that is truly the million dollar question. I feel better knowing the suspect was apprehended and is in custody, rather than dead. Other similar situations has resulted in the gunman killing himself. First of all, death seems like such an easy way out for the killer. They don't have to live with guilt. They aren't really punished in any way when they kill themselves after killing others.Secondly, we have the chance to hopefully learn from this man what drives a person to do these things, with the hope that it may be prevented in the future.

Some will try to make this an issue about firearms. The killer could have chosen to drive a vehicle into a dense crowd of people and possibly have achieved more damage. There likely would not be a debate about outlawing vehicles then. One discernible difference is that a firearm is made to kill something: big game, fowls, rodents, intruders, enemies. Though a vehicle can be effectively used to kill, a firearm really can't be used effectively for any purpose other than to kill; except, I'll concede, for targets. I'm not sure the point I'm feeling, except I don't want decreased personal freedom for the vast majority of us, the responsible ones. Yet, I don't like that a mentally imbalanced person gained access to a item whose sole purpose is to kill.

The long and the short of it is we need to be aware of how we treat others. Choose to be an advocate and to build up a person, and to support a person. Choose not to be a hindrance to others, to not tear down others, to not compromise others.

I'm ready for spring; for green grass, for warm breezes, and for an end to our cold, bitter winter.

Thanks mom and dad

Wednesday was my birthday. I turned 36. So, thanks mom and dad for finding each other through destiny and, I guess, creating the right mood for love way back in approximately middle to late March of 1974. I couldn't be here without you!

For my birthday, when I arrived home for work, Jack and Leo met me at the door and sang me Happy Birthday and played along with their singing on their new home made musical instruments Mare had helped them make: a pair of sanding blocks for Jack, a rain stick like a maraca for Leo.Jack had colored a birthday card for me and had dictated a couple of stories for Mare while she typed them. Mare made me a nice enchilada dinner and a German chocolate cake. She had the house all cleaned up and smelling nice and she gave me a brand new pillow for my birthday. Mom and dad called to sing happy birthday, too. Grandma Irene gave me a call, too. What a great day!

Now, I'd like to share Jack's stories he made up for Marian to record.

Two Wolf Stories
by
Jack N. Broyles
1/5/2011

Once upon a time there was a wolf, and a wolf, and a wolf ate a wolf, and a wolf ate a wolf, then they were full.
The End.

Once upon a time there was a wolf, and a kid, and a baby, and a mommy, and a dad, and a brother, and a sister, and the wolf ate a dirty sandwich.
The End.

Much love to all of you for making my birthday a special day.You are all the special ones.

The Holidays, what a rush!

A very happy new year to all! Please forgive my absence from posting updates while I was on Christmas break. I took it to mean a literal Christmas break and did not blog for the entire two weeks. As you may imagine, much has happened in those two weeks.

Foremost, I spent a great deal of my time at home with my family. What a novel concept! I don't believe I was away from home for a single evening over the entire break, with the exception of a Friday and Saturday night for the closing of It's a Wonderful Life which, by the way, was a great success. I had a good deal of fun and derived a great amount of satisfaction from that production. We had a hit! The Sunday matinee was good too, and I did stay to strike the set until upwards of 8:30-9:00 p.m., but that was okay. We were to celebrate at a cast party after the strike, but postponed it until the following Monday at our co-director's house. So, the cast party on the first Monday night of Christmas break was our first family outing. We all went and I played my guitar a little and harmonica some, and sang a bit too. Early that morning Marian and I arose at the alarm's sound around 1:15 to view the lunar eclipse. We watched for a while, but it was cold and we only stayed out to watch for a half hour or less.

The days I spent playing with Jack and Leo and generally trying to herd them away from Mare to give her a break from them. I think, perhaps, Marian ended up taking care of three boys, rather than me giving her a break and making her life a little easier.

Together over the break we worked together to make over 10 dozen cookies and close to 40 quarts of caramel popcorn. Marian and her mother worked together to make a number of dozens of sugar cookies in the shape of stars, candy canes, and bells.

The house received a thorough cleaning from floor to ceiling and all the laundry was, well, laundered. I used some hardwood flooring pieces I removed from our old bathroom to use as a coat hanger hook in Jack's room; a towel hanging bar in the kitchen above the sink; and as an apron hanger in the kitchen opposite the kitchen window. They're nothing fancy, but I made and installed them for the price of a few aged, and weathered pieces of oak hardwood flooring I had laying in a small pile outside wanting for a use, and a few dozen drywall screws of varying lengths. I think some people might actually pay big money for the aged, weathered look found in these pieces. It gives them character. The screws, I guess, could have been improved upon, but I maintain it gives them character; and they're easily removed and replaced for any length.

We drove to Humboldt one of the days to visit with my two grandmas. We spent the afternoon with them and then we spent part of the evening with my mom and dad. Of course, it was a pleasant experience to get to sit and visit with my grandmas. They're truly special people. They had Christmas presents for all of us and that made it a fun visit, seeing the excitement in the boys. Since we were unable to be present for Christmas day, this was a good second option.

One day after Christmas we loaded up and drove to Pomona Lake to Wolf Creek Campground. The temperature was fairly mild for a December day, and the sun was out. We took along provisions: snacks, drinks, blankets, warm clothes, one big dump truck, a tricycle type thing, and a red wagon. The campground was in its off-season mode and we were the only ones present. Wolf Creek Campground had installed two new playgrounds, so the boys had a ball exploring that and climbing all over it. Mare and I sat nearby at a camp spot and watched. We kept a cheery camp fire going from the sticks we could gather on the ground easily while we played Yahtzee. The lake was still frozen on the surface so we all walked down near the edge to get a better look. I showed the boys how the rocks stayed up on top of the ice when they were thrown. Jack loved walking in the mud lakeside.

On another day I arranged to rake leaves from the yard of a nice elderly widow. It was windy as all get out that day, but I mowed her yard to cut down a great deal of them. Then, with the help of Jack, Leo, and especially Marian, I bagged about a dozen 55 gallon sacks full of leaves from around her porch and flower beds.

I managed to get out on my bicycle three times over the break. The first was to fetch a free pizza from Casey's as we'd saved 10 proofs of purchases from previous pizzas, which entitled us to one free large. I pedaled fast so it would not get cold on the way home. The next ride I took Jack and Leo with me to the Dollar General Store to fetch a few small items. Don't worry, they were bundled and comfy with blankets too.  Lastly, I rode again to the DG ( $ Gen.) but, before I went there I rode a familiar circuit out northwest of town to the train via duct; then due West of town to watch the Marais de Cygne flow over its dam; from there I thought "what the heck!" and I went ahead and pedaled by the aforementioned elderly widow's house to see how the yard looked. They weren't big rides, but it felt good to be out and active.

Speaking of bicycles, I spent one late evening over break applying reflective tape to my bicycle. Yes, it took all evening because I was trying to stretch my six feet of reflective tape as far as it could go. This meant I cut the tape into eighth inch strips and applied it over almost all the surfaces in about one inch intervals. I think it kind of looks cool and sporty. Marian thinks it looks home made.

For Christmas day we were joined by Marian's mother, father, and brother. We ate a wonderful lunch of lasagna the girls made. We had a great time eating, talking and opening presents. I think I've got about the best in-laws around (except of course for Marian's in-laws).

We also drove to Lawrence to pay  a visit to Marian's granddad, her dad's dad. Rick and Sharon joined us for a lunch of pizza there, and Rick's brother and his nine year old daughter too. It was a short visit, but pleasant. Following that, we retired to Rick and Sharon's house for darts and conversation.

For new year's eve, the nine year old cousin of Marian's stayed the night. Now that was fun! There's quite a bit of difference between a nine year old girl and a three year old and one year old boy. Luckily, there was still some overlap of interest and the three of them had a blast, and Marian and I found it quite enjoyable as well. They ate spaghetti, popcorn, made smores on the oven, and drank hot chocolate. They played trains, played hide and seek, and watched cartoon videos. After the boys crashed, she stayed up with us to play Yahtzee until eleven o'clock. We hope she enjoyed herself as much as we enjoyed having her visit.

We made a second trip to Humboldt to see the grandmas and my mom and dad again. This was a shorter trip, but still enjoyable. The end of break was looming before us. We spent the last day, Sunday, slowly picking up the house. We'd picked up the house about three or four times over break, and each time it only took about one hour to get it back into a condition we refer to as "wrecked". I spent the Sunday mentally preparing myself for a return to school and to reality. I must have been successful, because I made it through my first day back already.

I'm thankful for the time I was able to spend with my family. Time is precious. It is fleeting. These years will be gone before I want them to be. I made a conscious decision to try to spend time with my family to make memories. I love them all, and they're all dear to me. Family is what made the holidays special. Here's to a great year in 2011. Let's make this the best year of our lives to date!