what's happening

Hi Guys
It is almost Thanksgiving and Christmas again! This year has certainly flown by. We have attempted a few changes in Wes's route 66 stuff. We have bought a shirt press and are attempting to do new innovative shirt designs. Who knew how time consuming that would be. But have a few ideas in the works.
JW is having a hard time in 3rd grade this year. He refused to do any reading over the summer so now he gets to read the same book over and over until I have it memorized. He must read 125 words in a minute accurately to meet state standards. This is going to be quite a task.
Wes is working on the hose and at the Legion and staying very busy.
I am looking to make money on line and finding it interesting. Will keep you all posted as to my progress. U tube has quite an education on it.

Hi family!

Hi Family
Its has been a while since I sent all of you any news about this circus on Ventura. Where to start? The summer has past with several projects reaching completion. Wes is ready to put felt and shingles on the shed he has worked on for most of the Summer. He is hoping to get shelves built soon so that he can work on his office, This winter when it is to cold to work outside.
Our Prickly pear cactus has enough blooms on it that I will have enough juice to make lots of jelly and syrup out of it tomorrow. Between trying to find the house, get a few mending projects done, and help Wes learn how to work on the computer I think my weekend will be pretty full.
Wes was made Commander of the American Legion post here and we are trying to get many things planned  for the upcoming holidays. Halloween is still under debate. What the guys are willing to do and what I want them to do are quite different. Then comes Thanksgiving and Christmas. We are working on doing some Karaoke suppers and Angel tree for the kids in the community. Any other ideas might be interesting. Part of the problem is that the guys want to do things, but they do not want to do the planning and organizing. I have begun to think the guys are all on a pity party and just want to grumble and grip. I don't know how much longer all of this will continue.
For me, I am just trying to keep my head about water and finish up the college courses I have started. I will be finished with the current term the 2nd week in November. I should be finished with all of the courses around the end of February if all things go well. This term I started doing 75 minutes of dictation per week. This has been a challenge to get done along with everything else. Thank goodness the instructor is only grading on the ability to get things done. She supplies a cheat sheet that has many of the hard to understand phrases and if you use it, it really does help. So far I have a 95 in the class, but this is the first week I got the whole 75 minutes typed and edited prior to the dead line. Next week maybe I will get it done on Monday night instead of on Tuesday night at midnight eastern standard time.
I am going to try and post this on Face book so that you guys there can read more of my thoughts. Face book just does not have enough space. Jo Beth

May 25 Kindergarten graduation day

Kindergarten graduation has arrived at last!!! It has been 2 long years for my youngest son, JW, to achieve this goal. He begged for 2 years to be able to ride the school bus that went by the house each day. Finally he was old enough in years but not in maturation. He spent the first year of kindergarten in a classroom of 10 kids that were almost a full year older than he was. This did not help with his maturing.
Over the summer things began to fall into place for him and the first placement test of the year he 'benchmarked'. I guess means he could test at the level expected for entering kindergarten. It seems that this whole year with the same teacher as last year has been a growing experience. All of the adults have been impressed with his progress over the last two years. He even 'benchmarked' the last week of school! Yeah!
Well I ramble. Graduation day arrived. Appropriate clothes were found and the school bus caught. Then all the last minute chores done. The Jigglers covered and put in the car. Mom her usual 10 minutes late. We get to the auditorium in time to hear the kids sing their ABC's and say their nursery rhymes. Only 5 boys and 1 girl in his class this year. Then the principle is asked to make a speech. She talks to the kids about the story 'Snow White and the seven Dwarfs'. She takes the position that she is Snow White and the Kids are the seven dwarfs. Then she renames each child for the quality they have exemplified all year. She gets to JW-- Her response is "I name you Doc! Because every time I talk to you, I feel better." Wow!!! That thing he does that drives me absolutely insane-- talking to everyone, always giving them a hug, even when I think he needs to hurry and do something else. His infectious grin and happy outlook. All this makes the adults in his world feel better. WOW!!! Guess I will have to rethink this. !?

circus preformers

The new puppies are getting very active and driving momma to drink! You can hear them fussing with one another and when it is feeding time get out of the way. We have some extra goat milk that has gone sour and a little dog food and these guys cannot get enough. Their poor tummies are full and stretched to the limit. Then like all babies a nap in the sun is called for. JW is begging dad to let him keep one with little success. I guess we will have to say good-bye to these guys this weekend. Oh well new performers arrive weekly.
Next new baby chicks.

Mom's Day!?!?

Have you ever listened to yourself and heard your Mother coming out of your mouth? And the more you listen the more of her you hear. Then you look in the mirror and who is staring back at you is your Mother!Usually when this happens I say 'Ok, Ok, I'll call".  Now when you call my mother she answers the phone "May God Bless you! How can I help you?" At first, I had many reactions to this greeting, but now I have come to appreciate it and have been known to call just to hear it!

Well I digress some from this post! For the first 25 years of my life I heard: You must be JM daughter, you look just like him." So I got used to hearing it and thought I would hear it all of my life. To my amazement I started hearing mixed statement about my parents. It probably helped that we were living in the town where my folks had grown up even though it had become quite large. The first time I heard the statement about Mother I was caught totally off guard. I think my mouth dropped open and I just stared and asked don't  you mean my father? No Mom!

Then comes the shocker when I remarry! That husband told me that one of the clinching factors in asking me to share his life was the fact that my mother was such a good looking woman for her age. Not only that she still looked and acted young. DAH!

So this month of May I think I will reflect on how Mom and I communicate and sometimes, frequently, come to think of it, react alike. 

Thanks Mom for being you!!!

Mom's Day!?!?

What Mother's day means to many women is probably as different as the women asked about it. I woke up this morning realizing it was today and that a phone call was needed to my Mom and I needed to remind my spouse to make the effort to contact his mother. Then the idea was which of my children will contact me? It is probable that my oldest son will do his 'duty' call sometime in the morning between church services. It will be short but he will say 'Happy Mother's Day. I love you.' and 'I have to go to the next meeting'. His new wife nor his step son will not say anything unless cohersed. Why? I am not quite sure. Maybe because this is a new family and I live a long way away. When we do get together we do not seem to have any problem talking, but neither of us make a special effort. Maybe that is what needs to happen! Mother's Day is about making that special effort to tell Mom "Hey thanks for being my Mom!" I am beginning to wonder if our expectations as mothers are to high?!
On my way in to the house this evening my youngest son calls me and says he has a surprise for me. He is hiding something behind his back. Well he is only 7 years old and when he gets close he pulls out the reddest, biggest strawberry I had seen in a long time. He says that he wanted to get me a rose but this is the rose. I grin and huge him and tell him that I could enjoy the strawberry longer than I would a cut rose, but thank you for the thought. Then we proceeded to enjoy the sweetness of the strawberry. He took a bite and had juice all over his chin. I sneaked a quick kiss so that I could like all of the juice before he got a hint of what I was doing. He liked the idea so we spent a few more bites exchanging hugs and having fun eating the strawberries.
Why is this day such a problem for me? I am not sure! Maybe because I thought I was through having children and miscarried this week! quite a shock!!!! Maybe because I started being 2nd Mom at the age of 5 to my younger siblings and cousins. Maybe because I have been Mom to many and understand the giving without expectations. Maybe because I have worked so many times in the hospital that I have forgotten, the day has many implications for many women. I am not sure quite what to think or expect. I guess like most days I will go to work and be glad I have a job, a husband who loves me, a young son that is growing (I am not sure how) and that I am alive!!!

The Circus Preformers

I have not told you about the latest incident with the cat and her plaything. We have been having warm days mixed with cold nights and snow storms. Our front porch has been turned into a passive solar heater for the master bath and bedroom. It is not yet air tight and has a few 'small' cracks. Well somehow a new baby king snake decided that the front porch would be a good place to stay warm. Well I guess Jerry Girl, the cat, found him and played with him. Any way he was left next to the bed. Well I do not like snakes of any kind. NO WAY NO HOW!!! But I stepped back on him with my bare heel. I am not sure if I killed him by squishing him and the cold or if he was already dead, But it didn't take long for me to be on the bed screaming for my husband. He and JW thought it was funny that I was standing in the middle of the bed(which is 4 foot off the ground) fussing about a dead snake. He was only about 18 inches long and about as big as a long pencil. I don't care! I didn't want him in the house. Thanks Jerry Girl, I do not like your friends.