Pictures for your enjoyment

Recently I uncovered a bunch of pictures I'd saved on a flash drive and thought I'd share them with you.

Enjoy!

This first is Jack as a little guy sleeping in his car seat. I'm amazed at how a person can have the same characteristics as an infant as they do for the rest of their lives.

I apologize about the rotation of the other picture. I guess I need to learn how to manipulate these things.

School days, school daze . . .

I can't hardly believe it. I have to report back to the high school today. Summer has officially ended for me. I know what you're thinking, "Boo-hoo, Clayton. You had all summer off while the rest of us worked!"

Well, you are right. I did have all summer off from school. I loved every minute of it, I think. There might have been a few minutes here toward the end of summer when the temperature rose above the 100 degree mark that I might not have loved, but all in all it was a good summer. I didn't accomplish everything on my to-do list, but I did accomplish a few things off it:

Clean out garage

Repair garage door

Clean out workshop

Remove three unnecessary clothesline poles

Build a new pantry cabinet

Build a new book shelf

Install basketball goal

South Dakota family reunion

Ride bicycle to Humboldt

Complete masters degree

These are some of the things I can think of right off hand which I did manage to remove from my list. I did all those previously listed items toward the beginning and middle of summer. That means I started on the biggest item on my summer to-d0 list about two weeks too late. I took the first steps to begin remodeling out bathroom the last week in July. Guess what? The bathroom is far from done and we STILL do not have a bathtub to use. I'd say I'm about halfway through remodeling the bathroom, and I aim to get it done here in the next few weeks.

So, I guess I should supply you with my list of things I didn't get accomplished over the summer:

didn't travel to Oklahoma to visit my sister Clarie's family

didn't scrape and paint exterior of house

didn't go camping once a week

didn't get back porch organized and utilized

didn't write in my journal or maintain my blog

didn't play my guitar everyday

didn't write any songs

didn't write any fiction

Obviously, when an entire summer has transpired, there have been numerous moments I should have been recording on this blog or in one of my journals, but didn't. So, as long as I'm making lists, I might as well make a list of things I wished I had written about for you, the reader, and for me and my family's memory:

rainy fourth of July spent in the dry, newly cleaned-out garage

attending Feldhaus family reunion in Howard, South Dakota

the first "bad" camp out our family has experienced

Jack's and my only camp out of the summer

riding to Humboldt on my bicycle

cleaning out garage

removing those clothesline poles

remodeling the bathroom

visiting with Clarie and her kids

My hope and plan is that with school resuming, and along with it a schedule, I'll be more apt to sit and make entries into the blog and to resume writing in my journal. Now that I'm no longer pursuing a master's degree, I plan to write some fiction and some songs. But, before I can be completely at ease, I must complete my bathroom remodel. I've worked very hard to get done what's been done. It had been leaking from the tub and possibly from the toilet it looked like well before we bought the house three summers ago. I had to remove plaster and lath and the floor. But, I could not have done what's has been done without the help of my father, who helped move the toilet and run some plumbing all in one day. Also, my father in-law, Rick removed the old window and installed a new one. Lastly, my cousin Ross, came up and ran electric for me. All these guys did the "thinking" portion of remodeling the bathroom. Really, all I did was the demolition. It was hard work, but any dimwit can remove plaster and lath. These three guys were clutch in their efforts to make good use of their time and knowledge. Thank You!

It's a little after six a.m. and I am anxious to get on up to the school and see everyone again at the big district breakfast. I still need to stop by Casey's general store and check on the air pressure of my bicycle tires. Tonight after I return, we'll go to the Home Depot to purchase what remains to be needed for the completion of the bathroom.

To all my family: I love you and any success I may have at anything is directly contributed to you and your support and not my own efforts. Have a great day and check back here for an update.

Wobbly, Friday morning legs

Good morning. It's Friday morning June 4. The attic fan has been cooling off the house quite well and made for some good sleeping. . .for Jack and I. Leo decided he needed to be awake and fussing several different times during the night, so that meant Marian also was up and fussing several times in the night. Jack and I slept like logs. Jack came bounding in to get in bed with us around 5:30 or so. It's a tight squeeze in the bed with the three of us.

Leo is already dressed for the day, I did that, and picked out his clothes. Jack came in as I was typing this to get changed into outside clothes for the day. They're out enjoying the cool morning in our little fenced in backyard.

I took some footage of Leo being Leo and stumbling about a little as he learns to walk. He can do quite well and take upwards of a dozen steps or more across the room. He's very proud of himself and looks to us as if saying "look what I can do!" Plus his own little unique language is pretty cute too.

A long overdue howdy in video person

Pomp and circumstance

It's a rainy time of year and kind of cool and gray these days. We had a busy Friday and Saturday. On Friday I sped home and did what I could to help us prepare to leave for my cousin Shane Stanley's graduation from Pittsburg State University in Pittsburg, Kansas. The best way I can help, usually, is to run interference with Jack and Leo while Marian gets all their "things" ready to go. We were able to leave the house close to 3:30, stop for gas fill-up and an automatic car wash (which apparently was the super-deluxe, fifteen minute wash option) then first travel east on K-68 to Louisburg, then head south on 69 highway all the way to Pittsburg. We took much less time to travel there than we had anticipated. We planned for the trip to take two and a half hours, but ended up taking us an hour and forty five minutes.

We met our friend Jamie Reagan and her 19 month old son Jeremiah at our favorite old, Mexican food restaurant in Pittsburg: El Charro (in Spanish this means "the Charro". It's a good thing we were running ahead of schedule because they were busy for graduation and the place was packed. Jamie and Jeremiah were a delight. Jamie caught me up on all the gossip at Frontenac High School, the school I first taught. She and Marian traded mom stories. Then it was time to go.

We decided to split up. I'd take Jack into the commencement ceremony to sit with my mom and my grandma, and my two aunts, their husbands, and Shane's sister and her husband. Marian would take Leo and go to the "mall" in Pittsburg. Mom and I were texting back and forth, communicating where we were, how long we'd be, etc. So, Jack and I found them easily.

We arrived right at the scheduled starting time, but they didn't actually play and sing the national anthem until 7:45, fifteen minutes late, to get things started. This gave me some time to people watch and think.

Pittsburg was a town in which I didn't think I'd stay for long. I had plans to just get my degree and take off to the next destination. I had had it in my mind, probably from listening to other "negative Nancies", that I didn't like Pittsburg, though I didn't know why. Well, without going into all the sordid details, I extended my schooling there, and then kept extending it. Then, of course, I met Marian and that changed things too. I ended up staying there nine years, or somewhere close to that.

Pittsburg looked good. They had widened Broadway street in the downtown, and also added all new streetlamps and traffic signals in black. It looked nice. Most of Pittsburg looked the same, some new businesses were there.

I did recognize a few students from Frontenac High School I'd taught. We all had difficulty remembering each other's names, but once we heard them they became familiar. A pair of boys I'd taught admitted they couldn't remember my name, but they remembered that eagle song I played for the talent show. I guess I made an impression that way.

I also sort of realized all of the cousins are all grown up now. Shane was the last of us to graduate from college. All this time I still thought of him as my little cousin. But, let's face it. He's a full head taller than me and probably has at least fifty or more pounds on me, so he's anything but my little cousin, except in age.

It made me wonder how much longer all of us will be getting together like that. Neither of my parents get together with their cousins. With Ross out in Montana, who knows whether he'll come back or not, or when.

I also spoke briefly with one of my foremen at the construction company I worked for while living in Pittsburg. "Spinning Jim" earned his name from his attempt to multi-task about half a dozen different things on the job site and the ensuing flurry of activity surrounding him as he tried to get a bearing on what he started out doing. He drove this panel van, on its last leg, full about waist high with all the tools of the trade he owned. He'd pull up to the job site at quitting time and just start chucking things in there with no regard to position. We always told him to never get his brakes fixed, because if he suddenly had the ability to stop the van suddenly he'd get his head taken off by a flying "c" clamp, or router, or saw blade or something flying up front from the back. Another old man I worked with there told me how spinning Jim once sneezed driving down the road and it caused his false teeth to fly out the window causing him to stop the van and retrieve them from out of the road way.

I'm sure Shane will make all of us proud. He's going to be employed with Xerox. He's a very nice young man with good morals and I know he'll be successful at whatever he does.

Jack did well sitting with us in the crowded gymnasium. We took one extended potty break and I let him run around outside amidst all the cigarette smoke from those who hover near the entrance doors on occasions like this. Then Marian called me on mom's cell phone. She had some clothes picked out to buy but I had the credit card. So we arranged a swap out front of the gym.

When Shane walked through we all stood and clapped and yelled and his mom Becky and dad Randy honked one of those clown horns you see on bicycles sometimes. Shane smiled and waved and played it cool.

After the ceremony, Marian picked us up and we attended the reception at a church. They had some good cake and ice cream and drinks. Jack and Leo ran and crawled all around having a ball. We stayed there until eleven o'clock. We dressed the boys in the pajamas and took off for home. They were asleep nearly before we got out of the driveway. We arrived home right about one o'clock.

The next day was rainy and we attended another graduation reception, this time in Lawrence, outside. We met in a nice covered shelter, but it was cool, windy, and rainy. The kids all had a blast playing while the adults grumbled. After that we went to Marian's parents for about an hour to warm up and visit before we headed home.

It was good to see my "alma mater". I had to use that term just once, to pacify my mother.

She's very fond of that term and finds new and creative ways to use it in conversations with me. Now, Shane will look back with glowing fondness of his years spent at his alma mater.

Overdue!

Here it is the third day of May 2010, and I notice I haven't updated since the ninth of April! What a slacker! And, I've used three exclamation points already in the first three sentences!

We're busy, but not any more busy than the rest of you out there, maybe even less busy than all of you, but it seems busy to us. I've been scorekeeper for a few varsity baseball double-headers. I finished my second-to-last class in my master's program and will begin the last class on Wednesday. This upcoming May 23 will be my commencement ceremony for the master's program from Baker University in Baldwin City, Kansas. I haven't done any acting or talent type stuff lately.

I've been trying to keep up with the yard work, mowing, weeding, treating etc. I'm slowly formulating a plan on how to attack and remodel our bathroom, with Marian's help.

We've taken the entire family on a couple of bicycle outings: Marian pulls Jack in the trailer, and I carry Leo in the front seat. Yes, a seat that straddles the top tube of my bicycle and sits behind the handlebars. It's pretty fun having them both out for a ride.

Yesterday we watched Marian's friend's kids; all four boys. So, we had a nice play date for the six boys present. I had the fenced in yard all mowed down to look nice. I even drug the canoe into the yard for them to play in. We took them all to the park and when we arrived back home, we made ice cream cones for the four oldest. I think they all had fun and played hard.

Mom and dad have been gone for quite a bit on their motorcycle trip to the east coast. I've been getting little updates from mom, but haven't spoken to her fully in close to two weeks. I'm sure they're getting anxious to get on home by now.

It's sunny today and looking good outside. A pleasant breeze looks like it's blowing. I think rain is in the forecast, though.

Wow, I was able to summarize nearly a month's activity in a few short paragraphs. I'm sure anyone reading this is thankful for that.

cb

Catching up

Well, here it is Friday April 9 already. Easter has come and gone. The NCAA men's championship was decided, and opening day for the Royals arrived. Out of those three, Easter was by far the most noteworthy.

The day before Easter I was tied up all morning and afternoon with filming for The Wake. Marian had planned on taking the boys to Baldwin City to meet up with Lisa, Pat, and Cash Bishop for their city Easter egg hunt, and my truck had been loaned out to an acquaintance from school all week, therefore I was left without a vehicle. Filming began in the empty house 9-10 miles southwest of Ottawa at 8:00. So, I woke at the same schedule as for school days, 5:15, breakfasted, then set off. I allowed myself plenty of time because southwest of Ottawa are the Chippewa Hills. It's a very pretty landscape of rolling hills and curves. I wasn't sure how I'd do on them as I'd be riding my three speed and I wasn't sure if the low gear on it was quite low enough. Plus, I'd be carrying two changes of clothing, my workboots, and a canteen of water. The bike is built for utility to begin with, including fenders, chain guard, and two collapsing wire baskets. It's much heavier than a bike built for racing. Long story short, I made it up those hills slowly, but without walking and made it there in good time.

Then, we adjourned to town to a separate location for the basement scenes. I was done around 3 and went home. Mare and fam. were there. They said it was super busy a the egg hunt. Jack liked talking to the Easter Bunny, but told him "you're just a pretend one!" He also liked jumping in the moonwalk.

Sunday we went to Grandma Bonnie's house. We arrived shortly before she did. It was a beautiful day, but WINDY! All the regulars attended, except Addie, Dustin and Jayme (Stanley) Fowler's daughter. We ate a big meal. The men talked about fields, oil, and county news. The women talked about . . .Jack and Leo? Everything was delicious. Then we sang happy birthday for Jack and he opened his big Tonka Truck "like Tukers!" and we had a slice of birthday cake Marian had made and brought with her. Then Grandma handed out assignments and the men all split to perform various chores for her: change the oil and filter and grease two mowers; use the chainsaw to cut down some brush along the south pipe fence; repair her mailbox some lowlife had vandalized; and dad and I went ahead and prepared her flower beds for planting, just in case she decided she wanted to plant something.

I was roped into playing washers with Dustin and Ross. Ross has this custom made traveling washers game he brought to humiliate us with. Turns out, Dustin was the big winner. We then assembled on the west end of the big red barn for a group picture in the wind and had to give mom all kinds of heck about it. Once, she had to run from the group to catch the camera from being blown over on its tripod. We were all yelling for her to catch it and laughing, and it made Leo cry.

We left there about five. Our family went in to visit Grandma Irene for Easter, and to look at her Lincoln. We're trying to think ahead for a year and a half from now when Mare probably wants to get pregnant again, and we'd outgrow our trusty little Ford Focus. Grandma is so generous, she is not concerned about selling it to us, but using that amount of money toward a college fund for Jack and Leo instead. I tell you, my family is blessed.

We left there about dusk and headed back to Ottawa to prepare for another week. The boys were worn to a frazzle and I think Mare and I were too. It's hard work having that much fun.