5.14.23 Track meets

Track oh what to say? Addie has loved this track season from the coaches to the assortment of friends and competitors.  Addie has worked hard and learned a lot resulting in a successful season. It's fun to watch her compete it's maddening how long the track meets last. This is coming to a head as more and more is required at home as the farm wakes up and comes to life.  

This relay team has fast become her favorite race. They are challenged by the Nyssa teams their anchor runner edges them out in the last 5-10 meters. The girls work hard and are fierce competitors.. 

A friend shared these pictures I love how they show Addie's stride. She's flying in a lot of these. 

She is the air pose from my childhood. I love watching her compete. 

These meets are hard to tell the whole picture. The top two girls are from La Grande they are a 4 A school. The top girls is a freshman who moves really fast. She has a unique running motion but she moves she lapped all the last place girls and finished 3/4 of a lap ahead of Addie. This race shaved 38s off her previous best time. She was beat at the end but had to dig deep for the relay that was a mere half hour later. 

I wanted to pull her from the relay but kept my peace while watching her like a hawk. I was thankful for teammates that came to her and brought her water and mental toughness to stay upright. She ran a good time and they got 3rd just being edged out by the fast nyssa team. 

A handfull of medals from two meets. 

And so the season goes. She is enjoying it we grit our teeth and deliver her early in the morning and retrieve her from the bus late at night. We are thankful she is successful and are thankful this season is almost past. District this week then state the next week. She is currently the reigning fastest in all her events 800, 1500, 3000. Her relay team is third in rankings. 

Life is good. 
 

5.9.23 Prom

For 22 years these have set wrapped in a box. They were up high out of reach and awareness of curious hands. Yet a few weeks ago I was preparing for our first prom dinner and I mentioned them to Addie. She had never seen on of Grandma Saunders fancy dinners but she had heard of them. We weren't as fancy but we cooked good food. The glasses were a nice touch of hey you're special, have a nice drink!

Likewise we pulled down the semi-fancy china. I have a nicer set still in wrapping just waiting. Maybe engagement dinners someday? 

We cleaned and cleaned to get everything ready to host friends. Thankfully the kids could play outside thus the house could stay clean and I could focus. 

Mark ran in from working on the tractor got cleaned up and out the door in under 10 minutes. I love that about young men so quick and generally easy! 

The boys watching their brothers get home. They were so cute saying oh that's just Grace she's our friend. I told them tonight she's your brothers date and not here to play with you. They were bummed but agreed to keep their distance.  Bruce was really studying he told me later how important it was for the boys to open the doors for the girls. I told him that was correct. 

Andrea agreed the frosting was just right. She was happy to taste test and cleanup left overs. 

We sure love these handsome guys. And we were so thankful for Amazon making them look spiffy. Likewise the florist for texting us a reminder that we hadn't yet picked up the obligatory flowers. We are blessed with good neighbors and community business people who understand their customers and work to give good experiences. 

I was in the middle of washing the car getting ready to go cleanup. I had been grocery shopping early and had worn a hat thus the deflated hair. How proud I am of these young men. They are good, strong, smart, and fun to be around. 

Mark's lone prom picture he posed for. At the dance he didn't want to pay for pictures. I'm so thankful for moms and daughters who purchase and wear modest dresses it is so much easier for the young men. 

The group the girl in the middle is an extra friend who wanted to attend but didn't have a date. 

Back at home with my favorite easy crew. It was fun to host and provide ideas for the guys. We insisted they step up their dating game from the usual dinner and movie to something interactive. So they were here for some outdoor recreation then individual pizzas they rolled and topped. I cooked while they played a game. They had homemade grape juice in the fancy glasses. They drove off and I did the dishes and fed the waiting kids. We headed downstairs for another movie they had kept their deal being quiet and out of sight while the big kids had their experience. 

 Babies are their own distinct kind of hard but really their willingness to chill and snuggle bring a lot of comfort after a day chasing and helping create dreams with big kids. I'm thankful to have both sides and that the evening went well. 

John paid for these pictures. I like the action ones best they show the fun these two have together. Another memory in the books. We are blessed. 

5.8.23 Planting

We were anxious for spring to come. April was unseasonably cold and wet this year. So we took matters into our own hands and started some seeds indoors. I was so pleased with my helpers but I will honestly say I was tired for the rest of the day after managing this project. 

The kids poked holes in the cups I labeled them then they filled them with potting soil. Bruce applied water with our recycled milk jug. 

Andrea was very interested. She is a curious cat these days wanting to figure out how things work. She's not to the copy cat stage but instead the dump out, feel, twirl, and make big messes stage before doing things as we do. 

This is her sad she can't do more. See the dirt on the rug, the party was already getting out of control. This was a cold wet day outside thus we had to be inside. 

Another day we stopped at Uncle Kevin's per his invitation. We were shocked and surprised at these amaze highly valued new toys. They are the last all metal tractors in the United States. They are great toys and every young man here wished he was so lucky.

And life! I was so happy to see the seeds popping up. Something about our efforts actually becoming what we hoped was just fulfilling. 

In March we tried out the milk jug method of starting seeds. This worked in most cases. Now we are opening the jugs to wonder what we planted and to harden them off. From all this seed starting we found they will grow in protection but don't grow correctly. The more wind and coolness the stronger the stems and the leaves are a deep green color instead of sickly yellow. Possibly a big lesson there you must have adversity to grow correctly. 

This lady is in for a year of adversity as she is required to step up and do more work. Lesson one setting up hand line. She managed and only cried once or twice. It's gonna be a big growing year for her. 

Some tomatoes we milk jug started then I transplanted one morning. I'm pretty proud of these. We need a lot of tomatoes this year I'm hoping these will come through.

The leftovers. 

 So we put our faith in some seeds, soil and water and plan for harvest. Likewise on the farm we are planting lots of seeds. I took a turn planting. this is Mark showing me the main points but not how to start. Thus the next day I planted happily for 3 hours only to find when I should have been empty and ready for seed I in fact hadn't dropped a one. Thus I had to restart and redo. Thankfully the GPS made that pretty easy to do besides the frustration of wasted time. I do enjoy listening to podcasts and found headphones to be really reliable especially with phone calls. Greg could hear me just fine and I him. That is extremely rare. 

This is a very tired sad boy to be pulled from the tractor. He loves to farm. 

Conferring on what to do next. Love these two farmers of mine. I love watching them grow in comradery, ability, decision making, and obedience. we are always hoping they will just do what we ask when we ask...so far that skill is still developing. 

And never one to miss an opportunity Greg held my hand while we walked from one tractor to the next on a dark and stormy night. Oh well I'm glad we were there together and peaceful enough to hold hands. One thing about farming is the million times more stress that is added into our life. From finances, to nature problems, to people and kids its a lot to balance on top of my normal. I won't lie and say this long spring hasn't been helpful to my mental state.  Now here we are finally going and so it is.

With all that added stress there is some carry over from years previous we have a particularly bad relationship with a person in great power over us. That statement alone starts a fire. The fact that it's continuing on is more fuel and the daily reality that we can't control what use to be manageable is maddening again and again. And we've only been working for one week. Our grandmothers were notoriously happy, kind, generous souls. I've been pondering how they were so. They too farmed and lived the hard life of tilling the soil and dealing with animals and husbands. How did they smile and seem so even? How were they so positive? 

The only thing I have come to is " The only thing we can control or change is ourselves." Thus I'm praying daily for a mighty change of heart. Both our own and the people that are so mad and vindictive towards us. I'm praying that we will remember how good God has been to us. From the pivot quitting on Aug 15th and the corn still being fully mature without 2 more weeks of water. To the water lasting long enough to get a crop the next two years. We do try to be good stewards and people of integrity but ultimately God is the winning card the maker-upper when we have no more we can do. I'm working to teach my kids we have to forgive, we have to calm down, and we have to trust God. Maybe in the teaching I will hold it better in my front memory, not the floaty I remember I forget spots of my brain. I'm hoping for a miracle I'm searching to be better. I'm blessed with so many good women who smile a lot and make life peaceful and good. That is a heavy weight to try to carry. Yet, I know I am blessed and our life is good that's why we choose this again and again.