Bernie

 Greetings from Pennsylvania!  I came up to visit my mom for a few days so that I could accompany her to a few appointments, relax and go to a Bernie Sanders rally tonight. While I'm in PA, Scott stayed behind to help move Robby home from college.  After a 9 am virtual final, Robby is officially done with his freshman year in college!

Today I am going to hang out with my Mom before heading to the Bernie rally with her. My mom loves Bernie and was ecstatic when she learned that he was bringing his rally to Harrisburg. She rarely asks for anything, so when she asked if we would take her to the rally, there was no way I could say no. My thoughts on Bernie are complicated and complex, but fulfilling my Mom's request was simple.

Tomorrow I'll head back home and help Robby unpack and organize his college gear. It will be so nice to have him home for the summer!

Better

 I'm still struggling, but the sunshine definitely helps to keep my moods lighter. Scott and I have been having a lot of fun working in the yard, removing old vines and uncovering flowers and plants that have been struggling to bloom. We've planted a vegetable garden in flower pots and blueberry bushes next to the house. From the way that the plants are responding, we should have a bumper crop!

The temperatures are turning and the trees are finally starting to green. I am shocked at how long it has taken this area of West Virginia to emerge from winter. It feels like we are about four weeks behind the blooms around us.  Regardless of the timing, I'm delighted to finally see green and flowers again.  

Today we are heading back to Shepherd to pick up more of Robby's dorm room belongings. I am looking forward to having him home for summer, but I'm not eager for the move and the sudden reintroduction of so much 'stuff' into the house. I'm hoping to spend some time this afternoon carving out a nice space in the basement for all of his dorm supplies.  

 

I'm Back!

 My apologies for not writing at all last week. To say that I was in a bad headspace would be an understatement. It was a rough week with several bright spots that I am trying to focus upon. Thankfully the cloud is beginning to lift and I am feeling more like myself.

The constant barrage of bad news has been overwhelming. Last week I learned that funding for the National Limb Loss Resource Center, the primary source of unbiased information for patients after an amputation. Why is unbiased important? Because every single manufacturer wants nothing more than to have first crack at the newbies.  The resource center stood to provide information and support without marketing. Apparently eliminating this resource is a necessary step towards making us great.

I mentioned bright spots last week. The best was Timmy's 11th birthday. Robby's classes were cancelled and he was able to surprise Timmy by coming home for the night to celebrate. Talk about exciting!

My little bike rider loves his new bike, but he is enthralled by his drone. He spends 18 minutes out of every waking hour flying this tool, not a toy, through the house and yard. He has surveyed our gutters, taken beautiful aerial photos and challenging himself by building obstacle courses. 

Have a great week. I'm going to soak up the sun and try to stay happy.

 

Birthday and Easter

 My Mom came down to spend her birthday and Easter weekend at our house. Her traveling anywhere overnight is a rare occurrence and one that sparked great excitement for Timmy. He spent Friday evening helping Robby bake her birthday cake while Saturday was spent cleaning and decorating for her arrival. Hopefully she was able to feel how special she is to us and to so many!

Sunday was all about Easter. The bunny hopped around the yard in the morning in anticipation of Timmy's enthusiastic collection. My sister, my niece and nephew drove down for dinner in the afternoon. It was nice to have a full house. This was our first time hosting since we have been fully unpacked. With two full kitchens, it turns out this is an amazing house for entertaining.

Unfortunately, all good things must come to an end. Today I'm facing reality. I really don't want to do that! Hopefully we will get some idea on future plans for Timmy's school and my employment. Please send us good thoughts! 

 

Change

 Welp, apparently my 'year of change' had plans beyond the 12 months I allocated. Timmy's school, where he has been thriving, is closing at the end of this term. I felt like the rug was pulled from me when I read the email. Everything that I had planned for him next year (and in the subsequent years) went up in smoke. Yet again, I find myself struggling over the boys' education.

We moved to West Virginia without regard for their public schools because we were secure in Timmy's placement. Now we are in an area which ranks 50/50 in education and offers few choices. What are we supposed to do now?  Sigh. I guess today I start evaluating virtual schools.

Any recommendations?

Creatures

 Our new home, although still set among trees, is considerably closer to 'civilization' than our previous house. Because of this, neither Scott nor I anticipated wildlife intrusions.  It turns out that it doesn't matter how far you are from a Waffle House. If a bear smells your trash, they will come to your house.

Last week we heard a loud crash outside our back door. After investigating, Scott discovered that the trashcan (which was nearly full) was knocked over.  He picked it up and went back inside.  About 30 minutes later we heard the crashing sound again. This time the trash can was on its side and the trash was missing. It wasn't strewn around the yard, it had just disappeared. It was strange!

About 20 minutes later, while settling back into bed and discussing the missing trash, we heard more sounds. Scott took off running towards the back door. By the time I arrived (it took me a few seconds longer because I had put on my leg) I heard the bear snorting at the glass door before running away. In the morning we found the trash bags about 50 feet into the woods, opened and strewn in circles.  

We've never been so close to a wild bear. Although scary, it was also exciting! Our trash is now kept securely in our garage, so hopefully he will not be tempted to revisit.

Unfortunately, the bear was not our only unwelcome visitor. Yesterday afternoon I decided it would be nice to enjoy my lunch on my porch swing. I went outside, set up my audio book and set down. I looked to my left and saw a huge black hose laying down the driveway. It took me about 10 seconds to realize that we do not own a black hose, and that I was looking at an enormous black snake. 

Preparing to move the snake, Scott and I realized that there was another one curled up close by. He moved the biggest one but the medium one went back into a hole under the porch. We set up the camera and waited. 

Throughout the afternoon snakes slithered out from under a small hole in my cement patio. So far 4 snakes have been evicted but we have seen the head of another. Any ideas? Because snake wrangling is way out of our comfort zone!

 

Fun Escape

After a rough week with "really hard math" at school and uncomfortable weather all week, both Timmy and I needed a happy break on Friday. To his surprise and delight, he logged out of school early and dutifully hopped into the SUV for an unknown destination. Timmy is my adventure kid and is always up for a surprise, so I knew it wasn't going to be difficult to convince him to tag along.

We first drove to Red Robin, his new favorite restaurant, where he consumed a double cheeseburger without inhibition. (He witnessed his brother tackle the triple two weeks ago and is pining to keep up.) After lunch we strolled through the mall and spent about 30 minutes picking a new book from the bookstore. At the end of the mall we found a movie theater and his Aunt Sheri! 

He was over the moon to see the Minecraft Movie. Apparently it has been quite the point of discussion among his classmates and Timmy was hoping to see it soon. I wasn't sure what to expect but it was chocked full of nostalgia and was a delightful movie. If you had kiddos who played Minecraft, I will tell you that the movie will probably jog a lot of core memories of the game being constantly played in the background of life.