Sturdy for Common Things

Wild One

An autumn wind roaring threw the hills.

Partly cloudy.

My daughter, fearless.

As ever.

On a Sunday, a friend invited us to the barn where she boards her horses, so we packed up our little family and drove 15 minutes outside of town.

LBD loved the horses. We knew she would.

She wanted to touch them, to run with them.

Just to be near them.

As near as we would allow.

It reminded me of loving horses as a girl.  Hanging on to every word Marguerite Henry wrote. Begging for riding lessons. The sheer draw of their majesty.

Since she seemed interested and willing, we put her on a pony.

She seemed to like it alright.

But it was no horse.

After a little while, the friend we were visiting lifted LBD onto Jack, a gorgeous chestnut stallion and one of the largest horses on the property. My immediate reaction was, “Don’t fall off, don’t fall off, don’t fall off…” That maternal impulse only lasted a second, because once left alone in the saddle, LBD grabbed the horn with one hand and reached over and took reins with the other. Never having been exposed to a real horse in her entire 15-month life, it was as if she knew exactly what to do. Calm. Face forward, toward the hills. Naturally, patting Jack’s neck every so often.

A brief moment that aged her beyond recognition.

She is my wild one.

Day with Dad

Last weekend was KU’s homecoming.

My non-traditional student of a husband won tickets to the game from the non-traditional student services.

I was at work.

Will took pictures while I was away.

Blue eyes and blue sky.

It was a daddy and daughter day.

It Doesn’t Get Better Than This

our little secret

Sometimes we go to this place where there are no dewy decimal numbers on the book spines.

Where the books aren’t free.

You have to actually buy them.

We go there to read, play with the toys, and visit the sleepy kitty cat who lives there.

For variety.

You won’t tell the library, will you?

That we like going to the bookstore?

Our little secret.

Terrarium

For our first wedding anniversary, Will bought me an apothecary jar with the intention of me turning it into a terrarium.

That was in January.

Since then, it’s been boxed up empty. Waiting.

So, after the house was unpacked, one of the first things I did was visit Sunrise Garden Center where I purchased a small bag of pebbles, active charcoal (not like the charcoal you grill with, but sterilized charcoal specifically for gardening to keep mold and rot away), enriched soil, and three different types of ferns.

To assemble, I layered the bottom of the jar with the rocks, then the charcoal, then the soil, and planted the ferns in the soil. Then I dripped water around each fern, no more than a 1/2 cup total, put the lid on, and waited. After 30 minutes, beads of sweat started to appear on the side of the jar and after an hour the terrarium was foggy, humid with moisture. Confirmation that the little world I planted was a alive and well.

To maintain, all I have to (remember to) do is take the jar lid off every 3 days and let the environment breathe for half an hour to an hour, keep away from direct sunlight in a darker area in the house, trim the plants when necessary, and voila! Terrarium! Yeah!

Last Weekend

Last weekend we had a visitor.

And another visitor.

Both were surprises. A chicken and a cowboy.

The chicken left.

The cowboy stayed.

We kept good company.

Note: Chicken was not on the menu that evening. She retired to her coop forever.

After the cowboy left for the south, we walked around the Lawrence Fall Arts and Crafts Festival.

It was perfect outside.

I purchased a few cut paper art prints by local artist, Angie Pickman. Her work is enchanting.

You can see for yourself here.

That was last weekend. And the weekend before that….

We had a different visitor.

It was the first Kansas football game of the season.

We didn’t go.

But we still enjoyed ourselves.

And wore our tshirts.

Because we’ve got spirit, yes we do.

Then the weekend before that weekend…

I was working, so LBD and her daddy went to the park.

Where they listened to some music.

And ate some BBQ.

Will is not a vegetarian….

LBD isn’t either.

Looks like I’m on my own. Well, me and the chicken.

One

Sturdy for Common Things is one year-old today.

Looking back at the very first blog post, I can’t believe the amount of change then and the amount of change since that day.

Feeling a bit sentimental. And happy.

Thinking about the path we chose.

Listening to Other Lives.

While the baby sleeps.

It’s a rare quiet moment, just me and you.

Thank you for reading.

9/11

Today.

We remember.

How could we ever forget. That day.

Ten years ago.

My husband said something I thought I’d share

with you.

He said:

“Don’t just remember what happened ten years ago. Do Something tangible to keep it from happening to us, or anyone else again. Spread love.”

Spread love.

And always remember

our freedom.

picture source: Twin Towers

Demise of the Traveling Garden

I’m sorry to report that my Traveling Garden didn’t make the very last leg of the trip. Really is a pity, since they were doing so well until the very end. I mean they made the move from our house in Ludington to Will’s parents house and then from Will’s parent’s house to Kansas City. But come the end of July, the heat completely zapped ’em and when I could have tried to save the project, I completely alienated it. Yup, I’m a plant murderer. I feel really terrible about it though! After the baby getting sick at the beginning and at the end of July, the commute to the library, and finally the move to Lawrence… my sad little garden was no more.

It was a nice idea at the time…. bringing a piece of our life in Ludington with us to Lawrence, but it looks like I’ll be starting clean slate.

Which isn’t so bad after all.

Because there’s a garden center only a few blocks from our new house.

(!!!!!)

Yesterday’s Headlines

…… and the day before that and the day before that. Here’s what’s been going on as of late.

Extra, extra, read all about it…

Monday of Mayhem: A Move, An Operation, and the Hottest Day of the Summer

The weekend before we moved to Lawrence from our temporary home in Kansas City, Will ended up having to take Lorelei to the  hospital. She had a fever and what looked like a nasty spider bite on her bum, so he took her in to get checked out. Better safe than sorry. Well, turns out she had cellulitus and was scheduled for surgery that following Monday. It’s common for children to contract this type of infection this but if not taken care of can be quite sever. The worst part of it all was that she had to be put under and had an awful time coming out of the anesthetic. And it was the same day we had to move our belongings out of a storage unit and into our new house. Thankfully, LBD’s operation was successful. Thankfully, I have a brother in town. Thankfully, a very nice and good brother. Thankfully, everything worked out. I stayed with the baby after the surgery was over and my husband and brother left to move everything out of storage and into our home. It was 108 degrees outside. The first of August. The Monday of Mayhem.

Death of a Warrior

A week after we moved into our house, I received word that my high school swim coach passed away. A mentor and an inspiration. A force. I owe a large part of who I am today is because of him. I wasn’t the only one. Over 800 individuals attended his memorial service. Generations of athletes and students united and reunited. We mourned his passing with heavy hearts.

He was a true warrior and his legacy will live in us.

Mizu No Kukura

A Return to School. The Return of the Stay At Home Mom… Sorta

This week, Will started school and the dynamic of our household shifted once again. He has committed to a full-time class schedule and has already acquired a great deal of homework. I’ve never seen him happier. Early each morning LBD and I kiss him goodbye and then he’s off to campus for the remainder of the day.  Now that my hours have lessened at the library with summer almost over, I’ve transformed back into being stay-at-home-mom. That is until I go to work in the evening and Will takes over baby duties. By the time I get home later that night, we eat a late meal, and tuck ourselves in bed at an hour I’m too embarrassed to mention.

But today, I don’t start working until the afternoon. Will is home for the weekend. The house is unpacked. The baby naps. Shadows from the trees in our front yard move across the window pane of our bedroom. It might be the first time I’ve had time to be still. Resting for a moment.

We Heart Lawrence

We love where we live. Our new home. The college. The community. The lifestyle.

We think we might (hopefully) stay awhile.

newspaper image source