Who Would Have Guessed?

Road construction continues - and today, we got stuck! 

But what a beautiful spot to be stuck! LOL 

After a 30 minute wait we continued across the river, around the bend and to Mom G's home.   We had planned for the kids to take care of some odds and ends today.  They pulled out a rototiller so we could see what we need to do to get it functioning. They moved some brush - that sort of thing.

Michael spent the day in the River Room, editing a graduate paper for Krista. He had a first hand listen at how the days go inside the house. ::wink::

I took care of some basic house-keeping chores, helped look for a few lost items, began clearing another corner, puzzled over the "WHY" of a few organizational dilemmas and visited.

This is our lunch spot. We look forward to our lunch times....and shortly after lunch today we cut the kids loose to spend the afternoon on the river. The days have been beautiful. We're trying to balance (for the kids at least) the need to get as much as possible done while the weather is good, and the desire to spend time exploring during summer break.

Mom G pondered today, "Who would have guessed God would give me a daughter in law with organizational gifts?"

Who indeed? I love the way God looked ahead and knew we'd need each other at this point in life.

Mom G tends to be a collector and I've become more of a minimalist over the years - especially now that I live in 268.5 square feet.  I AM still sentimental and we DO have a storage unit of things from which we couldn't part....but it's minimal. Enough to set up a tiny home should we decide to leave the road.

Today, I marveled at how God put us together....and how well it's working out...I'm learning anew that the race is as important as the finish line. I have had to adjust my pace to Mom G's - or I've chosen to do so. I can see our inside projects are  not going to be done before we begin school at the end of the month....but that's o.k.  I could have gotten more done; but the price isn't one I want to pay. I'll concentrate on each day and trust eventually, we'll finish, make the progress that others would like to see.

Successful Projects

Another day - more projects.

 The boys are busy clearing brush they've previously cut. This is the SE Corner. Note the leaning tree - it's an apple tree which was bowled over by the previous dead tree we removed.....we're hoping, after we harvest the apples, it can be pruned and persuaded to stand up a bit taller....we shall see. 

Look at this! We've FINALLY hit the neighbor's fence...The white is his garden. We discovered, as we cut through the overgrown brush,  the stuff in the middle was bone dry, brittle and dead, with a layer of green on the outside. We're still clearing it all out. It was a camoflauged tinderbox waiting to go up. That'll preach! 

Below is the 3rd garden spot...along this fence.  This is taken from the cleared area under the leaning apple tree.  See the brush to clear out of the spot....it was this thick all over the yard back here.  We would love to reclaim one of the 3 garden spots, but we're not sure which is the best. There are trees planted in each spot....

We're making some progress inside, too. I've not taken pictures as it seems rude to do so, but today Mom G said she thought I'd take a before and after shot...so I did.  ::grin::

 This isn't really a before shot. Mom has spent quite  a bit of time on this corner while I worked in another corner or outside. This morning, we'd already worked our way through one suitcase and lots of stuff on top of it when she mentioned a before shot.

Mom G is a trooper and the three of us are getting it done....an inch at a time. Precious finds and stories amidst the organizing....that pair of brown shoes above are the very shoes Dad G wore on his wedding day. I saved them with her dress and suggested we make a shadow box or some such thing. It sounds like a fun winter project.  

These two NEVER run out of topics of conversations - it's amazing. 

We bagged up a few things for St. Vinnies, we  created a couple of shelves for "old" pictures and two trunks for "1970s and newer" photos. That green trunk in the photo above, held Mom G's most PRIZED discovery for the day - all her Israel pictures and slides!

We all felt good about our accomplishment today. Mom G even found a bag of newborn clothes worn by the three kids. The lovely trunk below houses her childhood toys.

We labeled trunks,  hoping to  ensure her favorite things are easily found and retrieved for winter project days.

Our summer and fall project continues to be to organize, sort and spruce up. 

Work and Play!

Today's project was exciting and a fair bit emotional, too. Michael remembers helping Dad G build the greenhouse. He loved to putter in here.  He would start the plants here for the three garden spots he loved. We are at a place where we could tackle the inside of the greenhouse. All those spots were FULL of berries and trees. There are still some vines to remove and beds to build up....but look....light is coming in and the promise is there. I could imagine Dad's pleasure at having it nearly workable again. He loved tomatoes from his greenhouse! 

   There is still quite a bit of "growth" to the left and back of the windows....Nolan was tasked with clearing the back wall of the greenhouse!

Before

GREAT job.....

After

These garden spots are overgrown...before we're done,  we'll try to reclaim at least one of them. The other one was in the notorious SE Corner, which we are still valiantly trying to clear and reach a neighbor's fence. 

Alex trimmed the walkways, and did a bit of work for a neighbor too. 

Michael thinks we can clear this spot in a day and make a seating area with a great view of the river. Mom G is all for it....this is the "fern garden," though it seems the  fern needs to be uncovered and liberated from various other things that have gone "hog wild."  This spot is in front of the house - overlooking the river. 

Stacia and I did a couple of loads of laundry, folded and restocked laundry, moved trunks around, continued to work on organizing the front and corralled recycling to get it out from underfoot.  As with any other house, houses simply don't stay organized as long as a tree stays pruned....we take breaks to go outside and see the progress.... today on our break we captured this sight. It can get discouraging to put in 6 - 8 hour days, week on end, and feel  you're making very little progress, but when we step outside we see visible progress everywhere. LOL 

We played tonight! No work at all - we sat around the fire and enjoyed fellowship with a dear family from our last assignment! How fun they came to visit the area! We had s'mores, fruit pockets made over the campfire, laughter and great conversation....

Michael, Ed, Ben, Cherri, Jonathan, Alex, Nolan, Stacia

 It did my soul good to see Cherri! Sometimes you just need a hug from a friend who has been through some "life" with you....especially when you've not made a ton of new friends in your new location, yet.  

Me and Cherri

Benjamin was EXCITED to cook and SERVE marshmallows

Jonathan has gorgeous eyes! and a lovely inquisitive nature as well! 

I didn't take one photo of the fun camping tool they brought to share - but I found one on Google. It's a pie iron! We made fruit pies tonight at the campfire -  the possibilities are endless.  They brought the ingredients, and then  left them and the cast iron pie iron with us! I've been tired of s'mores for several weeks....Have you used one of these before? What kind of pocket or pie would you make? 

Via Google Images

It was a good day in every way! It's nearing midnight and we need to get an early start on the work tomorrow. 

Swimming for the Pacific - Take 2

Michael grew up swimming the Smith River.  A huge perk of our extended stay in the area is for the kids to have the time with Grandma AND to enjoy the river and hikes Michael loved so much at their ages.

Most days Michael is in pain....and some days the tremors are bad and his balance is wonky.....this has made working out increasingly difficult. Swimming is an exercise he can do... He has prodded the kids into swimming too. He likes swimming rapids and long swims. Nolan and Alex have joined him for the long swims. They did a couple of practice runs and then hit upon a goal:  to swim from the forks to the mouth of the Smith River.  This will take several long swims to accomplish.  Stacia is doing great on the practice runs and can swim a few rapids, but isn't confident enough to go on a two or three hour swim.

On their first swim, they swam from the forks of the Smith River (a spot we drive by daily to get to Mom G's) to the Footbridge at Jedediah Smith State Park.

NPS photo via Google Images

Footbridge at Jed Smith - via Google Images

Nolan was sick and missed today's swim. Mr. Dave joined Michael and Alex to swim from the Footbridge at Jed Smith to Templeman Grove (up hwy 197). This 3 mile swim took 3 hours.  Here's the spot where Stacia and I met the swimmers on the Smith River at Templeman Grove.

Alex and Dave

Don't bother telling me Michael shouldn't be doing this. He needs exercise. His neurologist told us to go make memories and that is what he is doing. If not now, when? He knows his limits and will not push beyond what he or the boys can accomplish in a day.  

Michael is disappointed to report he found a school of suckers in the swim today. He and some friends thought they'd cleared out the river decades ago. There are still none in THEIR part of the Smith River, but they are making a comeback.

We plan a quiet evening....

Surprised at the Beach - #WYFF

We had an awkward, unexpected experience today which we've debated sharing. Michael suggested we go into town, run a couple of errands, have lunch at the ocean (I can't get enough of the ocean!), and then drop Nolan off to work before heading back to the Redwoods. This was a plan we all approved.

The gap is where I was sitting before I got up to take the picture and the surprise happened

 Before we headed to town I checked our bank and ebenefits to see if the VA and the DFAS (Defense Finance and Accounting Service) were playing nice yet. Nope. We are FINE - but I would LIKE to see all of our disability pay, our retirement pay and retro pay in our account. We do qualify for concurrent disability and retirement due to Michael's rating.  I was fussing about our "expense tracker" and getting "tense" about the ratio of income and expense.

We put our "go to town" clothes on - as opposed to our "work clothes." It was good to go to town. The benches by our van were taken and so we walked a bit down the embankment and found a nice bench. We sat, fed squirrels, enjoyed the view and ate our lunch.

Do you see what's captured Yuuki's attention? I was surprised she didn't chase them. She was content to simply sit, stay, stare and menace. 

I had packed sandwiches for the kids. Michael had a couple of boiled eggs, veggie sticks, cheese, meat and crackers. I had apple slices and almond butter. I was a bit cold and wrapped in our blue picnic blanket - the flip side is tie dyed. I did at one point check to see if Michael had any veggie sticks left. I had a bag at my feet - our "warm bag" for things which don't fit in our little cooler/lunch bag.

Are you picturing this with me? I'm wrapped in my tie dye blanket, enjoying lunch on a bench with family, eating my apple slices. Content.  I got up to take a photo, and a woman got out of her car and hurried up to me.

She handed me $10.

I was taken aback.  I wasn't quite sure what was going on or how to respond.

I told her thank you, but we were fine.

She said, "I know you can't cash checks, and this is all the cash I have, but please take it." She turned and walked away.

I sat back down. I showed Mike. We weren't sure what had happened and then we "got it." She thought I needed money. I wasn't begging. We have no signs. We were fairly respectable looking.

She was in a car behind our bench. We continued to sit on the bench, me holding the $10 and trying to figure out how to get out of this without awkwardly insisting we are not homeless....

Before she left she came up to ME again. She handed me 6 inches of a 12 inch sub sandwich. She said, "I promise I didn't touch this half. Please take it. I want you to have it." I tried to tell her again I was fine, but in the end, I smiled and told her thank you.

 Beyond being amazed we were taken as homeless - though the kids thought it was a hoot - this event stirred many emotions in me. There are still people with very big hearts all around us! This woman was insistent on giving, and her gift reminded me if there comes a time when we are truly desperate, God will be our source (the VA and DFAS are merely the current source).

I felt quite a bit of guilt for having 1/2 of this woman's lunch and her $10. I decided to pay it forward.  Her gift will bless as she intended and, I imagine, in a few ways she didn't intend.

Still don't know what said "Give me $ and lunch"

One of our quick witted children said, "Let's leave mom on the bench and see if she can collect enough money to buy a new RV."

Oy Vey!

Week 8 - Missing Blog Posts

Where have the daily blogs gone? Our days have a fairly predictable pattern. We go over to Mom G's in the morning and work. The kids break at 3 or 4 to swim. I come home to cook dinner. We go to bed.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, maybe these will suffice for the missing posts. 

Activities not shown in photos: running errands for ourselves and Mom G, grocery shopping for both, household chores for Mom G, laundry for all of us, more organizing....

Early on I blogged the day we uncovered the greenhouse. We then moved on to working on the trees in the power lines and driveway....but this week...Michael and Alex liberated the greenhouse. To refresh  memories - this is what the spot looked like on Monday. 

Not really "Before" because you couldn't see it at all before. LOL 

They are holding ONE ROOT of one Cork Elm

 When we're all done, I envision being able to plant some pretty flowers in this bed. The roses will be back. We may eventually get the trees out of the greenhouse....they've taken over everywhere. NEVER plant Cork Elm.  Stacia and I were so inspired we decided to tackle some greenery which is overgrowing its bounds. Mom G told us they are monbretia, and you can see below  they DO have a pretty little red flower. The problem comes when they are tangled in berry vines, taking over garden spots, spilling into the easement, and taking over the driveway.

These bloomed before we arrived. It was time to tackle them....we cut them back, careful to leave the bulbs, and we did the same up the fence line. They're pretty ugly when he flowers are gone and the greenery is browning. 

We uncovered an address! All the greenery we've not touched are grape vines.....we'll work on them after we harvest the grapes. 

Cork Elm roots are tough....but not as tough as Stacia.

I am so pleased with how the kids have stepped up to help. Michael is a great supervisor, and he is working his tail off too, but there is no getting around the fact he pays a heavy price and has to stop before he would like to stop. The kids pitch right in and pick up any slack Michael and I leave. It really does my heart good, I need to be more like them. Here Stacia and Alex have finished the fence line. I envision a fresh coat of paint when time allows. No fence showed when we arrived. 

The apple tree Michael pruned in June is bearing.... a few branches of plums have been grafted in.....

In order to keep Michael off the ladder, I conquered my fear of ladders to pick some plums for Mom  

 This is a good place to mention neighbors. Three have stopped by repeatedly to chat and offer encouragement.  We've been loaned tools, given advice, offered RV spots and the use of burn piles. Would you believe one neighbor stopped to complain? He rents nearby and prefers the yard overgrown. It appears he's been helping himself to fruit and would like to continue to do so. We're nice. We'll share.  BUT we aren't leaving your favorite tree tangled in the power lines so  you can poach fruit without being seen. ::snort::  Let us know you'd like to wander through the self-pick oasis - if Mom G doesn't have plans for it - help yourself.

Below is an amazing photo. I had no idea Michael was going to deal with this. To the right is the shed and in the back of the photo is the back of the greenhouse. This area was TOTALLY taken over by berries, grape vines and Cork Elm. One couldn't walk through here. The path has re-emerged. It still looks a bit overgrown - as the grape arbor was to the left and over a path. It didn't stand up to the weight of the bears. But we are looking at a huge crop of grapes.  We'll look at fixing that and cutting back grapes later in the year.

 This is the kind of brush we've been clearing in our search for the fence line. We have removed so many cork elm that we can now see the neighbors roof line....Stacia picks all the berries she can reach before we continue working in this section.

We found a 3rd wheelbarrow

 A perk of working here is the amazing, all-you-can eat, fruit buffet. This week we've had YUMMY apples, a couple kinds of berries, a nectarine or two, and plums to choose from. 

I suggested a machete, but it has proven difficult to find a real one in America. 

The chair around the fire feels really good at night. 

Nolan isn't in a lot of these photos as he had a couple of days off. Off from us - he is working for some college friends who live in the area.