Stories, Books and Life--December 2008

December 2008--I dusted off my favorite holiday read for December--The Autobiography of Santa Claus by Jeff Guinn. Every December, one chapter a day until Christmas. I love it. I missed reading holiday stories this year with the littles in daycare. No Auntie Claus, no bear sleeping through Christmas, no pop-up Night Before Christmas story. Josh spent a couple of months with us in 2003 and we read Auntie Claus EVERY SINGLE NIGHT from Thanksgiving until December. He loved hearing about the BB&G list (Bad Boys and Girls). So I took Auntie Claus and the pop-up Night Before Christmas along for our Christmas Eve story at the farm. My sister always reads the story, complete with voices and facial animation. It's fun, everyone laughs. the bonus this year was getting to share our traditions with her exchange student sons. Kevin is still wading through The Shack and reading on his iTouch.

Peace to You

We've just come in from Mass at St. Tom's. The music was incredible, Father Dan's homily was poignant and it was that strange mix of being a wonderfully peaceful place in the midst of great joy and celebration.

Joshua made it through the first part before falling asleep. I loved watching him take in everything--the musicians, the procession, friends stopping by to talk a minute. Everyone has gone to bed. Kevin is feeling a little better, thanks to some cold medicine and several naps yesterday. I am enjoying the quiet in the house and the chance to reflect on the many blessings we have in our lives on this amazing night when we celebrate the birth of our Lord.

Joy to the World!

Christmas Eve

Josh is excited to be staying at his great-grandfather's house for Christmas Eve. We spent the day at my sister's farm--eating, playing games, opening gifts. Josh has already opened and put on his Christmas Eve pajamas (Family tradition--our girls always got new pajamas on Christmas Eve. I tried to discontinue the practice once they were all adults and Kate complained to one of our priests--who promptly gave me teasing grief about ditching a family tradition.)

We'll be leaving in about 30 minutes for Midnight Mass over in West Lafayette. Josh says he's looking forward to it. Thankfully the temperature has warmed enough to melt the worst of the road ice, although it has rained hard today and there are a lot of flooded, slushy roads now.

Mikkel and Mauricio were a fun addition to our holiday at the farm. I think they're enjoying their US holiday. They and my sister and brother-in-law are leaving tomorrow afternoon to visit our father and Mary in Arizona. The boys are looking forward to the warmth!

We ended our evening at the farm with a Christmas Eve story. We started doing this a few years ago. This year I took Josh's old favorite, Auntie Claus and a pop-up version of The Night Before Christmas which we have had since Josh's mom was a little girl. My sister is our reader and she personalizes each character in the story. It's fun to hear her and I love watching Joshua as he listens to the story.

We leave soon for Mass. Then back here for bed and Christmas morning gifts. We'll meet up with Kate and James in Indianapolis on Friday when their plane arrives from Pennsylvania. Our days have been full and Kevin feels rotten. I think it's a cold but he slept much of today at the farm and is dozing now, although he says he wants to go to Mass. Our nomadic holiday may be too tiring for him this year.

Home (Away)

Indiana for the holiday.

We visited with Hannah, Andj and Evan. Took Christmas presents over and left them elbow deep in activities at the kitchen table. It felt good to sit around and talk with them while we worked; a flashback of what we miss from the past. They're doing well, though, in school and at home. Sometimes getting what you've wished and prayed for is a bittersweet thing! You know, you want them to do well--great, actually--but you would kind of, sort of, just a little bit, like to be essential?

So, after we were Pixo-ed out with the kids, we met Mike and Scheryl at Arni's for pizza and Juniors. You just can't duplicate those things somewhere else--Arni's Juniors or friendships you measure in decades.

Kevin worked throughout the day via phone, text and email. The wonders of file sharing technology. He's kicked back now finishing the day's tasks on his computer. He's not feeling great. Probably a cold settling in but it always tugs at my worry strings when something changes with him.

Had dinner at the farm with my sister and her family. Conversation was dominated by the boys earnestly telling us how much they want an earring and a tattoo. And why neither will be happening. My sister explained it best by telling them she didn't get them with tattoos or earrings so she's not returning them with tattoos or earrings. The boys are on loan from their families in Denmark and Brazil through a student exchange program for this school year. They have quickly found a place in all of our hearts and we're enjoying them tremendously.

We're staying at my father and Mary's house again. They're in Arizona for the winter and we really appreciate them letting us stay here when we're in Indiana.

It's nice to be settled in for the night without driving the distance to a hotel. The drive to the farm from Lafayette today was treacherous with cars in ditches along the way. It's really slick tonight with a cold rain now falling on the layer of ice and sleet from earlier. Now that we're safely inside (after Kevin took a spill down the front steps of the house--the ice coupled with the continued problems from chemotherapy damage makes it downright dangerous for him), the ice buildup on the trees and bushes is actually sparkling and pretty.

There's a pecan pie baking in the oven and the house is smelling wonderful. The tree looks pretty next to the fireplace here, presents piled below. I've set the dining room table with the holiday china which I carted over from Ohio and the cookies I baked earlier have left a nice cinnamony smell.

It's not our home, but it's home for this holiday and it's going to work out ok.

Nomads

We are in Indiana about 12 hours early. We had planned to come over tomorrow morning; Kevin took a vacation day for tomorrow (which only means he'll work long distance via Blackberry rather than in the plant.) Then the weather forecast bumped up an incoming ice storm so we decided to head out early this evening. Kevin was at work today and missed the ugly chaos of last minute gift wrapping, food packing and list making to be certain nothing was missed in our hurried departure.

Traffic was terrible getting through Cincinnati and we stopped to eat a taco with Josh and his mom around Indy so it was a long trip over. We were gran-guilted into that stop by Joshua complaining that he "never gets to see us anymore." We were just over here 9 days ago! I don't believe for a minute that he missed us as much as he wanted a taco. And he's at that can't-ever-fill-the-boy age where a Second Supper appeals to him.

Kevin was ready to get out of the car anyway, though, by the time we hit the edges of Indianapolis. Long driving distances aggravate the chemotherapy neuropathy in his feet and hands. And it was a fun visit with Josh and his mom, who good naturedly took some teasing. Somehow we failed to communicate to her that we were actually going in to the restaurant to eat--she thought it was just a parking lot stop to say 'hello' as we passed through the area. So we had one little boy happily enjoying his quesadilla and a slightly embarrassed mom covered in the battle fatigue of a day spent shopping, cleaning, cooking and chasing after the aforementioned boy.

Kevin stepped in it in a big way by assuring her that it was ok to look like a mess at Taco Bell. I think she was hoping for some reassurances that she looked better than she imagined, not affirmation of her suspicions.

We were thankful my brother-in-law had turned on the water and turned up the heat at my father and Mary's home where we are staying. It was nice to come into a warm house after that drive!

Tomorrow we want to visit with one of the daycare families along with some adult friends we seldom get to visit with on our trips here. Kev's post-chemotherapy body still works against him if meals and rest aren't watched so we'll have to factor that into our days. Supper tomorrow night is at the farm; I'm glad they've invited us out so I don't have to worry about finding something suitable for Kev to eat.

Our Christmas celebrating will be different this year. Kelly and Tejas are not coming down from Michigan. They both travel for work and another trip just seemed overwhelming, I think. With the ice coming in I am glad they will not be driving. Tejas has a large extended family living in Michigan so they will have plenty of family around. Kate and James are already in Pennsylvanis for their visit with his father and step-mother. Kevin and I, along with Paige, Rob and Joshua, will not be in our own home on Christmas morning for the first time but we're very thankful we are able to borrow my father and Mary's home for our celebration. We'll be out at the farm for Christmas Eve day and evening, over to Lafayette for Midnight Mass then back here at my father and Mary's home for Christmas Day.

So we have some changes to work through this year. I brought some of the 'stuff' of Christmas with us though. Kevin was a little surprised in our frenzy of packing this afternoon when I instructed him to wrap our 4 foot tall Christmas tree, completely decorated, in a sheet and "shove it in the truck." He says it felt a little like The Grinch stealing CindyLou Who's Christmas tree but it looks nice now next to the fireplace here.

I think it's going to be fine to be nomads this Christmas. Josh asked me about being in Grandpa Leonard and Grandma Mary's house instead of ours. I pointed out to him that Mary and Joseph weren't in their home either for that first Christmas morning.

Turns out he was more interested in finding out the sleeping and eating arrangements than he was in my analogy to the nativity.

Oh well, his questioning brought me around to thinking this is ok, our nomadic holiday. Sometimes home is just where you are.

Job Hunting

I have a job interview tomorrow. My first one. Ever.

Kevin points out that in 25 years of daycare I had many interviews with prospective clients, which is true. Although it says something about my mindset that I always thought I was interviewing them as much as they were interviewing me.


So, at a later rather than sooner time in life, I am job hunting. It was always my intention to get a job once Kevin was out of treatment. He finished weekly treatment about the time I was having to see one doctor or another each week myself which further delayed any job searching on my part.

I pulled together a resume--sad little thing that it is--and began looking at ads a few weeks ago. With Kevin taking a fat paycut (which becomes more palatable when compared to losing his job entirely), my feeling of needing a job has become more urgent.

I'm interviewing at a local medical office tomorrow. They need a front office assistant and it looks like something I can do; something I would enjoy doing. The woman who called said they had over 100 applications and they're interviewing about 20 people.

So I feel good having made that cut. I'm not terribly hopeful of landing the job. DHL is closing it's airpark here and 8000 jobs are being lost. That leaves a pretty big pool of people out there looking at jobs, many with more office and real world job experience than me. I'm not sure how my daycare or graphics design work is going to translate into the real time world of a job outside of self-employment.

I guess we'll see.

A Visit With St. Nick

Wading through some of the photos from Breakfast with Santa at Purdue.

I think Santa was a bit surprised when he asked Haylee what she would like for Christmas and she replied "Everything." She should get points for honesty; every other kid there was thinking the same thing. Haylee brought her list down to it's most simple form.

"All I want for Christmas is everything."

There were a few terrified faces in the hundred or so tots we saw hoisted onto Santa's lap. Some of the parents act so surprised when their kid screams like a banshee upon being handed to an unfamiliar face full of polyester whiskers and fake fur. Duh. You spend hours teaching them about "Stranger Danger" and this reaction surprises you why?

Apparently there's a concern about North Pole germs too. Generous amounts of waterless germ killing goo were scrubbed on tots as they toddled away from their Santa encounter. Waterless hand sanitizer didn't exist when my kids were little. We cleaned them up by spitting on a Kleenex and scrubbing until their skin was beet red. It worked by sanding down the topmost layer of skin along with its occupying germs.

Santa himself wore gloves. Probably to hide the youthful twenty-something hands of a Purdue student but, possibly, Santa has his own feelings about contact with several hundred sticky, snotty kids.

For every screamer and germ free bubble kid there were dozens of littles with great trust in their parent's ability to make a judgment call on the Stranger Menace front. Happy tots who joyfully leaned in close for pictures and whispers of their heart's desires.

A couple of kids brought lists. One or two recited lists from memory. You can tell the home school kids when they visit with Santa. They not only have their lists memorized, they know what page number each item is on in the mail order catalog and have calculated the total shipping weight. and the best way for Santa to disburse his load in the sleigh. I think a couple had detailed schematic drawings done in AutoCad.

It was mostly a communal event. Packs of moms who do lunch (they roam in packs, you rarely spot one away from the herd) pulled along three or four kids each. Grandparents tried to corral several kids between them. A few parents ventured in one on one with their kids. Several families took advantage of the university decorating for The Annual Family Photo. You could spot them coming up the hallway--everyone clean and slicked up to a sheen with kids and parents in matching outfits. One family came complete with coordinating velvet Purdue Santa hats. Even with my outstanding organizational skills (read, 'controlling personality' here), I was impressed by any mother who could get a 10 or 12 year old boy to put on that hat and have the result recorded pictorally for posterity.

(I offer yet another heartfelt apology to my girls for those too many years of coordinating smocked dresses and hairbows.)

And the bunch in our crew? Unrestrained chaos. Evan ate the candy on the playhouse sized gingerbread house. Josh mugged a goofy face for the camera every time I pointed it at him. Haylee sat on a gift under the tree and squished it. Andrea looked a six foot tall college kid dressed as an elf up and down and shook her head in disdain while Hannah diverted from the approved list and surprised her dad by asking Santa for a goldfish.

It was wonderful.

Sugar Sweet Day

We're in Indiana tonight. Kevin is sound asleep--we had a long, full day.

This morning was Breakfast with Santa at Purdue. Haylee and family, Paige, Josh and Rob and the Pontos. Along with three or four hundred other people. The kids had a good time with plenty of sugar consumed while the adults were worn out and making a futile attempt to minimize the concrete sticky qualities of pancake syrup and candy canes. I'll post some photos later. It'll take some time to wade through the 200 or so shots I took.

We spent the afternoon at Haylee's house with her family and Paige, Rob and Josh. Wimmin-folk in the kitchen overseeing the cookie baking, men playing the Wii game in the next room.

Wise decision by the men. The kitchen was like Ground Zero for a sugar overload. Testosterone made an occasional kitchen appearance when Haylee's dad, Jeff, showed us the proper way to decorate a cookie, Josh dabbled in the effort or Rob wandered through for a tasting.

Kevin napped for a while and tried to generally stay out of the line of fire as cookie dough and sprinkles flew through the kitchen. Haylee and Josh sampled cookie dough, decorations and plenty of icing that never saw it's way to a cookie. The floor was sugar crunchy under a snowy coating of flour and Haylee capped the moment by drinking the sugar decorations straight out of the bowl!

It's good that Paige and Tamra were more interested in the kids having a good time than in producing picture perfect cookies! Jeff and I attempted to restore a little order to the decorating plan but we were out manned by the mommies and Josh and Haylee.

Kevin and I shook off the flour and went to the Vigil Mass at St. Tom's then out to dinner with Joannie, Zelda and Charlotte. The patient staff of the Akropolis seemed glad to see us go so they could lock the front doors for the evening. A fun but calm ending to a busy day.

It was great to spend time with some of our favorite people. A sweet day, indeed.

A Letter From Santa

Thinking about the daycare Deer Deader memories of last week, it's important to offer the children a more gentle explanation for the tongue lolling deer draped across the hoods of numerous Fords.

A letter from Santa.

Deer Sightings

It's deer season here in southwestern Ohio. Men plan their vacations around the first day of bow season with another day planned for the opening of gun season.

There's a lot of friendly Bambi-que competition about who has the best recipes for stew, sausage and barbeque. Kevin enjoys venison on the hoof, as it raids our feeders out back. He's just not a fan of it on his plate and he's already had to macho-up and try a few samples. I'm claiming to live a vegan lifestyle until the season passes.

Saturday mornings are good for numerous dead deer sightings in town but this one was exceptional. I actually followed the guy out of town so I could get a picture. It's not easy to get a good photo of a moving vehicle when you're trying to avoid gaining the attention of the sleep deprived driver with a crossbow on the seat beside him.

The SUV deer transport system is unusual in the local sea of trucks. Clearly an outsider. Wimmin and newcomers drive SUVs around here. Townies do not.

The preferred dear carcass transportation method here is across the hood of a Ford F150 or a pimped out Dodge Ram. Never mind that the bed of the truck is usually empty, save for a crushed cigarette carton, the wrapper of a sub sandwich from UDF and a 24 pack chilling on the drive home. Friends assure me that deer processing is a communal event and it can take a lot of beer to properly prepare Bambi for a lengthy stay in the freezer.

So we have a picturesque setting...a pristine new snow, the courthouse square decked out in lights and a large nativity scene, families walking in and out of the local bookstore so the kids can have their run down the Christmas slide (Remember Ralphie and the department store Santa scene in A Christmas Story? Apparently the bookstore owner here is a fan and a very creative person.) And then there's the stiff, dead deer drooping over the roof of the SUV.

Once we moved past that riveting holiday imagery, the big buck on top of the high SUV just begged speculation about HOW? How did one guy get the thing up there? How funny was it to watch? When he tacks on medical costs for his now injured back along with the cost of portable deer stand, ammo, bow and beer, does the processed venison come in at less than thirty bucks a pound?

My imagination runs toward images of the hunter hoisting the deer on the hood of his SUV then climbing up on the top and standing, spread legged, as he tugs a stiffening deer inch by inch up the windshield and onto the luggage rack.

I wonder if Eddie Bauer makes deer strappin' bungee cords to match his brand labeled Ford Explorers?