Instant Grass!

Dawson and me drove down to Denver Saturday morning and picked up 46 rolls of sod. Him, Aaron and Monte had gotten the area ready for the sod. So once home, within a couple hours, we have instant grass. It's so nice I might want to replace my old grass some year. But for now I persist with "the cowboy way", as the radio garden guy says, of pulling out weeds.

Since Dawson had replaced the logs in our campfire pit amphitheater, some of the sod went behind the logs in the seating area. It all looks so nice.

Then there's my new gate. Dawson's friend Nick made it yesterday, cutting the French gothic style pickets. He'll be finishing up more picket fencing next week. The electric fencing paraphernalia isn't beautiful, but from a distance it's not noticable, and what it offers us is worth it.

Dawson was in Hawaii for almost two weeks and took over 2000 pictures. He's starting to post them on his photosite. My favorite so far is Splarah swimming with a turtle. Now that school has started (chemistry, trig, and physics) it may be awhile before he gets a lot of his pics posted.

Living Literally?

I'm reading (listening to) the book The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, by AJ Jacobs. The book begins with him talking about his not so usual beard, maybe like Moses's, walking about Manhattan. It's a very fun book ... and thought provoking. I got it from the library and may want to own it.

A secular Jew, Jacobs read the Bible from Genesis to Revelation in several translations, bypassing the one the bookstore said he could read anywhere and not be embarrassed - which looked like a girly magazine - which he started wishing he had bought when getting strange looks on the subway - yet has a thoughtful remark as to why even buy such junk anyway (not the Bible but the girly stuff).

Jacobs consulted Rabbis, Christians, and visited Amish/Mennonites ... atheists, popular Christian radio/TV people, and Red Letter Christians ... and even takes a trip to Israel. His wife and young son had to somewhat journey with him in this 381 day trial.

Jacobs' earlier book The Know-It-All followed a period of reading through the entire encyclopedia. We used to do Library/Pizza Hut summer reading program "Book It". Travis was such a voracious reader and FAST that I gave him challenges, and one was the E of our encyclopedia set.

It does beg the question - how do we read the Bible?

Menopause?

I jokingly call menopause "mental pause". But I'm there. How long does it last? It starts for some people early - believed to be the result of pesticides, hormones in our food, stress, etc. I'm at the age women in the old days started menopause.

Why am I talking about this? Yesterday I went for a physical. I've not had one in quite awhile, or I should say some things started several years ago never got completed. I thought I was over the hump, meaning that my body has entered the next woman's season of life ... but no.

Monte was reading about menopause on line. Do other men do this?!!! ;^) Well, Monte read that the possibility of having a baby in the house this summer has thrown my hormones for a loop.

But ya know what happened yesterday that is so typical of my body, but this was the worst! ... I was poked by 8 (or was it 9?) needles (and two nurses and the doctor) trying to draw my blood! I hate saying something to nurses, not wanting to start them off scared. And if you're going to ask me the typical question of if I drank enough water? ... YES!!!

Four tries were in the early morning since I had fasted. When they think they got enough for the one test needing my having fasted, they told me to go home, eat, and drink TONS of water and just drop in again. So I did just after lunch. Finally, the fourth one that time filled three more tubes.

I've heard in the past, "your veins are good but they collapse or roll". They did get veins this time but my blood is so thick (probably why I had blood clots in my last pregnancy). In the past I've tried laughing to make the blood flow more.

I told them they need to write in bold red letters on the front: Hard to draw blood! Put a warm pad on first. Use the smallest butterfly needle you've got. I think too they should draw my blood first when I get there and have been drinking a lot, and then do the rest of the appointment.

Now just the gap of time waiting, hoping all's well.

Future Blogging?

People have been asking "Where are you Karey?" or like Travis yesterday, as Monte and him were laying tile in their master bathroom, "Mom, you've not posted in a long time." "I'm thinking I'll leave people wondering for awhile."

Yes, I'm busy with enjoying summer outside. I think I'm done purchasing plants and once I move some things around for thinning and spreading out the thick ground covers to places needing some, I'm done with gardening. Last night went down to 35 degrees which is unusual for this time of year - more like September, so it saddens me to think things can freeze soon!

Company has been pretty continual right now, so feeling like the front door is a revolving door, and sheets and towels cycling too. Also lots of juggling of schedules going on right now. So feeling too full elsewhere to write here.

My artist friend Sarah Sams and me (need any graphic arts, painting, sculpting, interior decorating done? she can do it!) made the Sculpey dough labels for my herbs.

I'm about ready to resurrect an art form I did years ago - batik. Got the wax and dyes. Cleaned the garage and found my tools (the garage is looking so nice! I did mention at one time way back in this blog that going to yard sales often frustrated me cuz I'd be too distracted by peoples super clean garages! - Monte made more shelves over the freezers and now all my cookbooks, 'potion & lotion', gardening, etc books are at my fingertips.)

What's here on my blog connected to the calendar - primarily church history and jewish calendar - is going to be put in book form. I've been working on that too. Since I've downloaded so many pictures from the internet, something's going to have to change - can't take the time dealing with all those copyright issues. Soooo... since I AM an artist and can draw ... I'm toying with doing my own illustrations. That'll be work, but fun and fulfilling.

AND that poses another issue, what now? I do love to write, but don't want to just post "dear diary" happenings. Where do I go from here? What might be a new look and focus? Any ideas?