Hungry Porpane Tank

I work away at my computer, paying bills, checking Facebook, etc. I'm sitting in the corner of the family room that is known to be cold, thus I don't think about the house feeling a bit chilly. However, I decide to bump up the thermostat for the family room. It is sometimes comprised by the heat coming from other parts of the house. That's when I realize the temperature is 64 and the thermostat says it is calling for heat. Hmmmmmmm...

I check the other thermostats in the house - they all report the same thing... 64 calling for heat.

Why is it that these things rarely happen when handy man hubby is home? Fortunately, I have learned a few things over the years. But some of the more common sense things rarely are my first thoughts (Forest of Crazy in that head of mine).

I push the buttons on the thermostat - nothing happens, of course. I go to the basement to lay eyes on the boiler. "Why?", I ask, "isn't there a fire under you?" Silly me, thinking a boiler would answer me. I discover after getting on my hands and knees there is not a little flame known as the pilot light.

Time to make 'the call.' DH does not answer his desk phone. Now I must carefully consider if this warrants a call to his cell phone. Doing so may interrupt a meeting. I'm cold, the house is cold, the temperature outside is not to rise much above zero. The conclusion - yes, make the call to the cell phone.

Luckily, he answesr on his way back to his desk. I explain the situation, I might add, very calmly feeling relieved that someone who knows what to do will now provide all the answers. First he has me verify we have gas by checking the stove top. Again, I wonder why I didn't think of that little gem. A sane person would first ask "do we have gas?" But then I never claimed to have much sanity. Ah ha! The burners light, we have gas. Okay, next step, seeing if the pilot can be re-lit. Unfortunately, since DH has not developed the technology to do this from afar or through the phone, the task falls to me. He walks me through the process. I say a little prayer as I put fire under the boiler as I am very frightened I will blow up myself and the house, which includes our 2 DDs. DH hears my prayer and responds with these encouraging words "oh, it's fine, just do it." The pilot relights! All is well. The house will rewarm and we will not need to imitate Eskimos. I saved the day.

Until I realize the house isn't exactly getting warmer. The thermostats are still reporting the same thing 64 or 63, calling for heat. SIGH. Again, a sane person would probably automatically think - I should verify there is propane in the tank. No, not me. I push buttons, I check radiators, I look at the pilot light still burning. I plop down on the couch and ponder my dilemma. I pick up the phone and try DH who of course is no longer available. Eureka! The brain kicks in...check for propane. Not wanting to go outside where it is cold, I check the burners on the stove. They are woefully weak. Shoot! I dress in my many layers, don my boots, put on my gloves and tromp out into the cold sunshine to the propane tank. I fight my way through the snow, clear off the cover, open it up to find the gauge. It reads ZERO, nada, nothing. It is then that the thought occurred: "ya know, I haven't had a visit from the gas man in a while." All the brain cylinders are firing now.

Well, this is something I know how to do, make a phone call. As I am looking for the number to the gas company, I am feeling sightly annoyed. This is an issue we should not have to deal with, an empty tank. We are on auto fill, which in theory means, the gas company tracks our usage, weather conditions, etc. and automatically fills our tank when needed provided our account is current. I know our account is current, I've kept my end of this deal, so I wonder, why is my tank empty? Oh I know, it has been very cold lately. I'm sure the gas company is very busy dealing with lots of customers and issues. But I feel let down and kinda cold, ya know what I mean?

I make the call, they realize their blunder and promise to send someone right away. As I write this tale, I am awaiting for that "right away" response. It's been about an hour. Thankfully the temp in the house is holding at about 64. It's not too unbearable. DD#2 made lunch using the electric oven. Things could be worse.

Post Script: Indeed shortly after writing my tale, the gas delivery man came and filled the tank and re-lit the all the pilot lights. Again the house grows warm.

New Title New Blog

Forest of Crazy

I read many blogs that are very entertaining and real! Mine has the tendency to be boring. I am not sure I have the same creative gene but I'm going to try :)

Living in a Forest of Crazy!

So true. My home contains one male, DH. He is a grumpy wannabe. But he lives with me - nice try. Although he does give me a run for my money. He relishes his "Bah humbug" hat and his "over the glasses" look. He is practically giddy that his co-workers keep a list of all the different ways he says "no". DH has an electrical engineering degree which basically means - he is VERY detail orientated and yet doesn't care about piles or lack of "neat" organization. Watch out if you clean up one his piles - he can't find anything. I have come to the conclusion that engineers would make fantastic lawyers.

He and I together have two daughters - yes girls! Girls that make the gray hair sprout in a nano-second. We can literally feel that hair turn gray. One is a teenager - watch out for the mood swings. Whoa!! When mama and DD#1 are mood-swinging at the same time - everyone watches and hopes the roof stays in tact. Hiding is the best option when these times collide.

DD#2 is a pre-teen anxiously waiting for the teen years. I am given an update regularly "in just ___ months, I'll be 13." Did you hear the perfectly beautiful brown hair, turn gray? (There is a popping/sizzling sound.) She has not yet joined the full mood-swinging gala events. Since she has the sunniest disposition of about anyone I know - there is hope that she will forever send her regrets to the mood-swing galas. One can only hope :)

We share our home with two cats. Sharing the house isn't exactly accurate. The cats are allowed in the house during daylight hours. We are bit like the Flinstones - our bedtime routine includes putting the cats out at night. We dislike being woke in the wee hours to cats begging for food, or the desire to go out. The favorite is when you are awakened to get up to turn on the light to WATCH the feline eat. Are you kidding me? Even my babies didn't get light or a mama that was awake for those middle of the night feedings.

1989 calendar

It is official - my husband and I have been together for 20 years. Hard to comprehend since I'm only 25 (tee hee). But it's true in 1989 DH and I met, dated, and then became engaged. I have the calendar from that year in my box of treasures. In those days of my life, my wall calendar was like a diary for me.

January reminds me I said good-bye to a friend, which I had a crush on, as he moved away to pursue a career. That young man had been very kind to me and included me in his life and relieved my lonliness. How my heart was crushed when he told me he thought of me like a little sister. How low I felt when he told me he was moving away - lonliness was once again on my horizon.

Little did I know that a young man I saw at the other's going away party, would change my life forever. You see we were all part of a Sunday School class in a large church. I was new to the church, the others had "grown up" together and knew each other. But this guy didn't catch my eye until that going away party. This is my first memory I have of my future hubby.

As the winter progressed we started up conversations after class and before church. The winter months on my calendar shows a young girl working and lonely - trying to figure out life as an adult. I spent a lot of weekends with my grandma.

May shows a change in my activities and my relationships. Future hubby's name is frequently on the dates - esp Sundays. We began going to lunch after church together. Those were are first dates - very casual and very unplanned. I saw Grandma less and a certain guy more.

June reveals more structured or planned dates. Except for the one where we attended his younger brother's high school open house. What is such a big deal about that, you ask? Well... you see, I had never met hubby's family previously nor had he mentioned me to them!!! You can imagine their shock when I arrived at their door for their middle child's open house. I have no idea what I was thinking when I agreed to go - - once I got there, I was petrified!! I got myself through the house and out to the deck where I did not move the rest of the afternoon! My future FIL made sure he learned my name by giving me a pen to sign the guest book, MIL was too busy hosting to engage me in any serious conversation, SIL, who was just a pre-teen at the time, took on the role of spy and kept an eye on me. She was adorable in her pleated, knee length skit, and knee high socks - one having fallen to her ankle :)

That was probably the most traumatic outing of the month. We attended a movie, a professional ball game, 4-th of July picnic, watched fireworks. Then he went away for two weeks. I remember thinking to myself - well that was fun but now it's over. I'm not sure why... as the at the fireworks show, he held my hand for the first time. Oh I was over the moon at that small physical touch. But the next day he left for a mission's trip and I was sure it was over. My sister, however, was trying out a potential new name for me.

I immersed myself in work, volunteered for overtime, and generally kept busy. In the middle of this two week absence I got a post card. I didn't even know he had my address! Sure he had been to my apartment but still....he had my full address including zip code! His card told me what day he'd be home and that I should call him. Call him I did!!! We met up two days after his return.

Now we are at the end of July beginning of August. I am housesitting for friends who have a large active dog. While housesitting my back goes out (from an injury the year before). I couldn't move! This dog needed to be walked, played with, etc. I didn't know what to do...I hestiantly called "him." Explained my situation... this amazing guy came every day following school and work to help me. At the end of my stay, he cleaned the house - spotless, and brought me home, helping me get groceries. It is from that time forward that there are very few days we were not together.

This guy is amazing! He is caring, tender, attentive, selfless... my sister and her husband said to me - - "You need to keep this guy - if you don't we will keep him for ourselves!"

August brought a flurry of weddings, between the two of us, we had 4 weddings to attend in 3 weeks. Whew! It was also my birthday... this is the first time he informed me he loved me. I'll never forget it. He left a card on my pillow for me to find after he left. Oh why did he leave? I just wanted to hug him and return his love. Now I had to wait for him to get home to tell him on the phone!! (long before cellphones were commonplace) The hug had to wait for the next evening after work.

September arrived... our families barely knew each of us, we were so focused on our relationship to the exclusion of everyone else - good thing our intense dating period was short!! One Sunday afternoon, this guy that I was completely head over heels in love with looked at me and said "Do you want to get married?" No pomp and circumstance - just a question. Well, like a poised young girl I responded "Uh... do you?" And like that we decided to get married. LOL

It has been 20 years since that day, nearly 19 years of marriage: I am so glad I said "yes." It has been quite a journey but one that I cherish and do not regret. I look forward to spending the rest of my life with this amazing man. I completely believe that God created this man for me and I for him. I can't imagine my life any other way.

Macaroni & Cheese with Hot Dogs

The 4th anniversary of the death of my brother-in-law is approaching. I asked DD#1 if she had any memories of her uncle. She responded that he was the first one to make Macaroni and Cheese with Hot Dogs for her. Huh?!? Not what I was expecting... her next memory had to do with juice boxes. Apparently food is a memory for her.

So I asked DD#2. She responded with I remember he died of cancer and being at his house with her cousins trying to jump on a pogo stick in the basement. Oh - well that's interesting.

Both of their responses are very interesting to me. Their uncle died when they were 8 and 10. We really did not have much contact with him during the previous 4-5 years as he and his wife, my sister, were no longer married to each other. But I was curious what they remembered as I knew that he really enjoyed being their uncle.

I miss him and for many different reasons. I know his children miss him dearly. This makes my heart ache for them. I have had the privilege of both of my parents my whole life - - in fact I still have them, how blessed am I?

I miss him for his doctoring. You see, he was a chiropractor, my chiropractor. Since his death I have had to seek out a different doctor.

I miss him - just miss him. He was a brother-in-law, a friend, at times an advisor, sometimes a disciplinarian (I being several years younger than he), a babysitter, an irritant, the father of my nephew and niece...

It was a complicated relationship. When I met him I was 14 years old. He was dating my older sister. Boy, did I think he was cute. I couldn't believe how lucky my sister was to being dating such a 'hot' guy. They married a few years later. I was still a young girl - just a teenager. Later, I moved in with he and my sister. I was still in high school and they were expecting their first child. There were some turbulent moments but we got through and we all 'bonded'. Although ALL of us were happy when I turned 18 and could move out on my own.

He and my sister assisted me in getting my first job, first car, and even navigate the trauma of my first vehicular accident which totaled my car. Then it was onto my next vehicle - BIL got to teach me how to drive a stick-shift. Good thing he was a chiropractor for the whiplash :). Following my accident he was my doctor treating the actual whiplash I sustained in the accident.

A few years later, I married. He and my sister as well as my nephew were in the wedding. We were close, the four of us adults, and DH & I thrived in our role as aunt & uncle. Our relationship changed, I was grown up. We would meet as couples and enjoy fun times as adult siblings.

But as life tends to do, it got complicated. He and my sister's marriage fell apart. It was so sad to watch - I had never been so close to a divorce. Even more difficult was the transformation in relationships. Sadly, my own sibling relationship fell victim and was lost. My relationship with my ex-BIL, I never could call him ex... changed too. It was a rough time for everyone. But in the end, he and I were still friends, and we were still uncle or aunt to each other's children.

There are many times I think of this man. He played a pivotal role in my young adult life. Some advice he gave I followed which changed the path of my life forever. I remember he & my sister saying.... "you need to marry that man, if you don't we're keeping him anyway." I did marry "that man" - sooooo happy I did. Other words of wisdom to a young, flat broke girl considering how to pay for rent, car, insurance, bills and considering how to pay for college. "If you don't know what you're going to college for - save your money... you can attend college anytime - have a direction." I didn't go to college. Instead I married a young guy and helped him get a college degree (only one college loan) - in return I have a fantastic husband and have the privilege of being a full time mother since the day my oldest was born.

So this time of year, I remember a man that made an impact in my life. Was he the only person to make impact in my life? No . Was he perfect? ABSOLUTELY NOT! Did God use him in my life? YES! Do I miss him? Most definitely but I hurt more for his children who do not have their father.

Six Months Since the last post

I fell off the blogging wagon. Blame it on Facebook - quick, easy way to communicate with my many 'friends'. Well, I'm back (for today) hee hee. Not sure anyone noticed I was gone.

This past 18 months has been a journey. I have seen the depths of despair, the dark clouds of depression, the uncertainty of life, the shortness of life, rediscovered the blue sky and bright sun, and most importantly laughter and sillyness.

I am prone to pity parties - woe is me: I don't have a friend; a life; money; meaning.....

Well - - I woke up one day and had a change of attitude - HALLELUJAH! I rediscovered laughter (thank you KY - sister friend) and joy. I figured out that life is too short and you know what? Life is HARD period, end of story. I have not met anyone that has an easy life - - rich, poor, employed, unemployed, childless, house full of children - - no matter - LIFE IS HARD!!

Once I got that perspective through my head, I accepted it (well some of the time). With acceptance, came release and the ability to find joy.

My Heavenly Father allowed pain and grief - thank you God, because I now value what I have much more.

A special person came into my life a few years ago. We were friends but this past year our friendship changed into sisterhood! How I love it!!! I have missed my sister these past years - missed the fun, the sharing, the memories, the tears and sorrow. Through years, I have had several sister friends. What a joy they are in my life, the unconditional acceptance and love. But without those times of lonliness I may not recognize these ladies in my life and value them as I do today. To each of you - thank you for being a part of my life, I love you and treasure you. (SK, KY, CS, RV, JA, JG)

Is this what is called a mid-life wake up call? Cuz if it is - I like it! Thank God I have woken up - may I stay awake :)

Friends of all kinds

I have fabulous friends.  They are not all alike - in fact, they are quite unique in many ways.  I need every type of friend in my life.

Some always bring a smile to my face.

Some bring me to tears of laughter.

Some bring me to tears of sorrow.

Some share my burdens, no matter the heavy weight

Some seem to read my mind & mood and know exactly what to do.

Some allow me to serve them which brings me joy.

Some take on the difficult tasks, shielding me from frustration.

Some are honest no matter the cost - they keep me true.

Some energize me and get excited for the next "thing".

Some will come along side me and pray.

Some are always my friend even though we connect very rarely.

Some I am in awe of and aspire to be like them.

Some have been in my life for a long time and others very short.

Some friends have been temporary.

I cherish all my friends!  My best friend is my hubby.  He sees the good, the bad, the ugly and loves me continuously and without condition.