Daley Ponderings

Here's my take on the biking/camping trip.

With last year's notes, it was actually pretty fun planning camping meals for 14 people, the vast majority of which are young men.  I only made two mistakes, one was forgetting oil for the eggs (we used some butter from the mountain pie supply) and the other was getting half the amount of peanut butter and jelly (which turned out ok because half the crew left before the second lunch.)  The other mistake was not my fault - the number of slices in the bacon packages were not what was on the label, but that worked out also with just a couple of guys getting one slice instead of two. (More)

As we've mentioned, our water is pretty hard, and dishwashers in particular don't like hard water, and the manual with our dishwasher says specifically that it won't work with our water.  But, it has worked pretty well for around ten months or so, as long as we kept the rinse aid container filled with vinegar.

However, in the last couple months or so, there has been this brownish buildup of something that is really hard to scrub off, and extra vinegar didn't seem to do anything, and I haven't been that convinced that the vinegar is doing all that much any more, as the silverware has started to get white stains on it again.

I looked around the other day for solutions and there are various solutions - more vinegar - one guy puts in a half gallon once a month or so - I've never put in more than a half cup.  Some other people say the vinegar should be put in a bottom down glass on the top rack rather than just putting the vinegar in the bottom like I usually do.  And then there were some more interesting solutions: using Tang or sugarless lemonade powder.  Lemonade is easier to buy in small quantities, since I was pretty skeptical if it would work or not, and I don't like Tang, so didn't want to have extra lying around if it didn't work.

But, I just ran a half cycle load with two lemonade packets and it turns out I should have taken a "before" picture to show the difference.  The dishwasher is now spotless! (other than some food stains around the gasket that probably need to be scrubbed to get them off)

I bought a Trail-gator for attaching Jonathan's bike to mine, and we went on a couple 10 mile rides last week to test it out, and to build up our strength, but I had been pretty tired after those rides, so I wasn't very optimistic that we would make it to Ohiopyle without calling Heather to pick one or both of us up.  But Billy had volunteered to trade off with me and so figured we had a better shot of completing the trip.

We spent Thursday night at the Lewis's house, so Heather wouldn't have to drive us down to McKeesport early in the morning.  The end of the week came soon, and so we had a little trouble getting everything packed, but Heather got it all together while I tried to finish up my work for the week.

We planned to arrive at McKeesport at 8 and be off by 8:15 or so, but we were a little late, and I don't think we left until 9 or maybe even later.  We biked for thirty miles before I got pretty tired, and Josh took over towing Jonathan for eight miles until lunch.  I was surprised at how light his bike was (he was carrying his tent and all of the gear for him and his brother) and he was surprised at how heavy towing another bike was. (More)

Greetings, I beseech you in the name of the fair gravel god Macadam.

The town crier has informed us, the royal court, that some of you minions scoffed at my prior references to the presumed conflict between the bipedaled beasts and steel plated goblins, and so we hereby declare that you should remember your place and be mindful of the techniques that we used on previous scofflaws, who dared to besmirch the honor and glory due to our imperial majesty.

From Ryan:

Greetings from the Great Healing Twig Forrest,

I have come down from the mountains of "Band-Aid" to join the fellowship of the iron horses, to venture Down There and Back Again. Let us not forget the many dangers of the Great Trail that threaten to cast down our "transportation." Everyone shall equip themselves with 1 (or 2) replacement tubings, lest you and your Iron Horse be left behind, along with some water, a Cliff Bar, and some toilet paper which should get you through the night. As for scrapes and really big Boo-Boos, we shall sacrifice the weak to the water god. So heed my warnings, and we shall prevail (with or without you.)

The not so great healer of Boo-Boos,

Ryan

From Alex:

Please forgive me, my fellow peddlers, for the confusion as the right of the 140+ crest. As the journey from Mckeesport to Ohiopyle is 70+ miles, of you traveled with us down and back, you are rightfully a member of the 140+ guild.

I currently await the return of Ryan the Healer of BooBoos from his "day job." At which point we will enter into deep council and discuss the events which are dated to unfold on the 21st.

 (More)

From Josh:

Ye bungling fool! How is it that ye durst insult the most sacred trinity of hydrogen, oxygen, and hydrogen (albeit that hydrogen was aforementioned in the trinity please note that this second hydrogen - while resembling the first in nature - is its own unique hydrogen and not to be confused with the first element of the trinity - that being hydrogen) by implying that a red, air-breathing, mammal would even for a miniscule milli-second be considered worthy of the river god's attention!?

From me:

Oh Great Stout Hearted One and Less Admired Comrades:

        At this moment, that is to say, this present instance in time, I and my accompanying attendants find the highly esteemed, large and otherwise great price of the rougher, larger and most intricately interesting collection of this new fangled hydrogen and oxygen combination of materials to be more than we are desirous of contributing to incantation rituals.  We, that is to say, I, and perhaps the other two male species in my immediate, close family, would be interested in the aforementioned red mammal sacrifices, and we are wondering and pondering if the mammal sacrifices could be accepted and used as a form of payment and way to appease these river gods by which the semi-honorable mushroom cleric is our most precious and distinguished asset, at least in terms of placating river gods, we are not so sure or confident in his abilities in facing the steel plated goblins that ravage our most beautiful and exquisite land.

From Billy:

 Hail thou brave and mighty Alex...and other revered members of the Assembly:

You have returned from the halls of scholasticia not a moment too soon.  We have long awaited the coming of a valiant warrior as yourself who would dare to make the perilous journey into the land of Ohiopyle.  Even now the assembly is forming a fellowship of bi-pedal expeditioners and with your addition our endeavor is sure to be a success.  To my understanding the brave souls embarking upon this quest are as follows:

As some of you know, Jonathan and I and some guys from church biked to Ohiopyle last weekend. What less of you know is what goes on inside the heads of these crazy guys, and even less of you know what sort of emails get passed around prior to a trip like this. Worry no longer, those emails will now be revealed... I'll probably put one email per post to avoid super long posts that no one will read anyway, but we'll see. (More)

I have a double request from Grandma to post on the homeschool conference and to make the miscarriage post no longer the first thing you see when you check the blog.  So here goes. (:

This was our second year at the CHAP convention.  Last year we spent so much time listening to speakers that we did not see much of the vendor floor.  So this year we made sure we had time for both talks and wandering the hall.  (More)

I didn't really feel like writing this, but then I thought it weird not to post it.  So I'll mostly just copy the emails I wrote to our parents.

This is happening at five weeks of pregnancy, pretty much just two days after being sure I was pregnant (though we did not take a test.)  We told our parents (on Mother's Day) and my sister, and then I had to email them Tuesday with the sad news.

From Tuesday morning's email: 

As far as I can tell (with very minimal research) a miscarriage at five weeks is very similar to a period (the placenta has only just begun to form and the baby was only a few millimeters long.)

Emotionally, I'm not sure where to be.  What if I was wrong and I wasn't pregnant after all?  But even if I was right and my little one has just died, I didn't have much time yet to know this little guy and so it is not nearly as hard as losing Isaac whom I had known for nine months and seen with my eyes and held with my arms.

But I am sad and disappointed, and especially for Jonathan.

Even though we did not have a test, this feels physically different enough that I do believe I was pregnant.  Here's my update from this morning:

Thank you all for your encouragement and prayers.

Jonathan is doing well.  Now I'd like you to pray for Noah, who was sad yesterday after dinner.  Last night and this morning he asked to pretend that he was a baby who had just come out of my tummy - and he cuddled and pretended he couldn't talk or walk.

I feel sad, but sustained, and very thankful for my three living ones (what a miracle all the stages they have survived and thrived through!)

Physically, it is definitely harder than a regular period - last night, sleep was interrupted a lot, but I am feeling ok this morning.

If you will continue to pray for me in the next couple of days, I would appreciate it.  It's still very close at hand for me as my body finishes the process.

Emotionally, I am doing better this evening.  Yesterday was grey and rainy and my emotions mirrored it, sad and kind of heavy, but not depressed. After I wrote the first email, I decided to go ahead and let myself grieve for the loss of a baby (instead of wondering if there was not one after all) and that was helpful.  I think the length of time you know someone really does make a difference in your grieving when he's gone.  It is hard and I am sad, but I am not devastated and broken as I was with Isaac.  Hey, and maybe Isaac and his little sibling know each other already! (I just thought of that.)

Naps both days have helped as well; I am definitely on the tired side.

Jon brought home roses for me this afternoon and that was very nice!

I have felt God's sustaining the whole time and I am already doing much better.

5/1 - Noah continues to update his pronunciation of words.  That day it was, for battery, "baddewy" instead of "badeedee"

Faith's okay is now "o-tay".

5/4 - Faith stayed in the Bible study babysitting the whole time.  Jonathan and Noah were there with her.  They had a great time.  When I went to pick them up, she was happily stomping around the tables with the other "dinosaurs" - when she saw me, she ran up and gave me a big hug, and then went right back to what she was doing.

Jonathan's favorite color is yellow.

5/4 - The plastic cover on the middle back seatbelt had come off and gotten lost.  Noah found it and put it on all by himself.

New words for Faith: guy = "die", juice = "jew", seat = "eet", cheese sounds very close, maybe "tseese"

5/9 - Noah, rubbing the inside of his hand, "This is my palm tree."

We're not being quite as ambitious with the garden this year, so the only thing I started inside is marigolds.  I planted the seeds in vermiculite inside on 5/1 and they sprouted on 5/5.  I transplanted the baby seedlings to individual pots the next day and now we are waiting for after last frost to transplant them outside.

Jonathan and Noah did this a long time ago, but I don't think I ever wrote about it - how to make your own miniature lightsaber.  Take a plain ballpoint pen and remove the ink.  Break a hole in the end of the cap.  Stick a colored paintbrush brush end down the pen tube.  Slide the cap over the colored end and there you have it!  A lightsaber that retracts and extends, pocket size.  (I'll try to remember to take a picture)

But I will not attempt again to pull it out without another adult present.  I saw that two small vines were creeping up trees in places I had noticed last year (one of which I had pulled out, but there must have still been roots).  Since all my crazy dressing up last year was a pain (and I suspected I wasn't allergic anyway) I only donned the nitrile gloves.  My planned extraction went very well. 

Then I noticed more of the telltale three-leaves nearby.  I pulled on them only to find a long string of root extending into the thicket.  I should have stopped right there and come back more prepared to take care of a bunch, but I just kept going.  Whoever reccommended the nitrile gloves does not also have thorn bushes.  A few times, the leaves brushed my forearms, and by the end of my pulling, my gloves were torn to shreds.  There was no rash forming and I was not itchy.   I filled two grocery bags with vines and decided finally that I should come back more appropriately dressed.

I asked Jonathan to get me a big plastic bag to put my small ones in and while he was doing that the neighbor's dog came to the border of our yard and barked and scared Faith.  So I had the boys bring her inside and then Jonathan helped me, very carefully avoiding exposed areas.  I washed my hands and forearms thoroughly in the utility sink and then peeled off my clothes and went upstairs for a shower.

After that I went back down and threw all my exposed clothes (including my sneakers) in the washer.

Once Faith was inside and well taken care of by her brothers, she was very patient.  But it was very hard for me to not be able to comfort her about the dog.   I thank God for Jonathan and Noah!

And next time, I'll go back to covering my shoes (or probably wearing my tall rainboots, covered) and wearing long pants and sleeves.  Not sure what to do about gloves, though.  I'd like to avoid exposure as much as I can so I don't lose my immunity, and I also need to protect against thorns.

No more adventures for today, please!

Faith now says: sock - "ot", peekaboo - "deet-a-doo", let me do it - "Do!", "dough", that - "at", trash - "ash", okay - "o-day"

4/27 - Noah had his first piano lesson with Grammy and loved it.

4/28 - Faith had her first haircut.  I only trimmed her bangs to be out of her eyes, and left all the rest as it is.  She does not like to keep the clips or ponytails in and it was down to her nose and always in the way.  When she is older and more ready to keep clips in during the awkward stage, we'll have her grow her bangs out.  It looks good and I'm very happy with that decision.

Noah is starting to say "I" instead of "me" in the right places.