Life at the Lumberyard

I sent her to school today with a mask. I smiled, and I could tell by her eyes she was smiling back at me. She's stronger than me. So so much stronger than me.  I sent her to school today with a lunch box. I packed a note inside it telling her to always be true to herself and how proud I am of her. I sent her to school today with a tear in my eye. I don't want it to be like this. I want medical freedoms for myself and my children. Are these the days Orwell wrote about? I ask questions. To myself and to anyone who might listen.  I called the school. Because I have questions. Is there any way we as parents can make a choice? Is there any way we can have rights as parents? Can we be welcomed to your school unmasked - creating our biome and strengthening our own immunities? Please...? The short and hard and final answer from the school: No. So I ask more questions: Who tells you what to do... what guidelines to follow? And who tells them? And who tells them? The short and hard and...

My kids are blanket kids. You know the ones: Show up barefooted at the sitter’s at 7:07 AM dragging a completely ratted blanket across the sidewalk. Though it looks like I never wash them, I occasionally do pull stealthy mama tricks and sneak them away for super quick wash and dry. However, the other day, I couldn’t be so stealthy. Baby Heidi smeared grape jelly all over her beloved blanket. I attempted to take the blanket without making a scene. But as soon as I started walking to the washer, she was hot on my tail and knew something not to her liking was about to go down. I threw it in the hot soapy water and she watched in horror. She was screaming.  She was yelling what was probably words to her, but just sounded barbaric to me. She was angry. She hit the front of washer with her little fists. Angry big tears welled and rolled down her face.  Immediate snot. More screaming. More yelling in her language. She laid on the floor and kicked the front of washer and cried. And cr...

We can do better. A saying you hear so often these days. Apply it to anything you want to in the news headlines - any side you are on: COVID… we can do better: (protecting ourselves) (getting the shot) (getting people to work) (explaining medical freedoms) (whatever) Afghanistan… we can better: (supporting our troops/veterans) (helping refugees) (protecting our rights/involvement as Americans) (whatever) LGBTQ… we can do better: (raising our kids) (speaking about love and judgement) (whatever) “We can do better.” My “we can do better” talk is no where (and boy, do I mean NO WHERE) as important as some “we can do better” talks, but it’s my story that is really making me think about a lot and what story I want to leave the world. ** Side note: The irony in this blog is unreal. I am FULLY aware that I am about to not be excited about technology while using technology AND am even more aware that I can do better by not throwing others under the bus. Don't miss my point though: We all (...

  Today my eyes are not on the caulking (which is getting harder to come by by the way) or the door knobs (which are up about 40% this week).   Instead I'm focusing on my killer tan and giving you all the secrets so you can have one too. I hate when I need a quick recipe like cheesy baked asparagus. It's not that hard, but I just wonder what types of cheeses are in the picture. I get redirected to a blog post about how this was inspired by her grandmother and she saw a butterfly while harvesting the stalks and the rich history of the tiny market where she can buy cheeses made in-house. Just give me the damn list of cheeses, Debra! But, sadly, I have to be Debra today to get the full tanned, gloriously glowing idea across. But, I digress. Tanning is my happy place. I love to do it and I love how I feel after I have my glow on. It's addicting. I know I am addicted and for some reason, I am fine with that.  I often feel like I look like a Dorito or an Oompa Loompa, but again...

The top. I’ve never seen a mountain. Wild, huh? I’ve never been to Tennessee or out west.  So I can only imagine.  I wish some days I lived closer to the mountains. To be near something so large and to feel so small… to know that there is something so so much bigger beyond myself. What a great reminder that is. I often imagine living or vacationing in the mountains watching the sun rise and hit the mountain tops. What a glorious image I paint in my mind. Isn’t it funny though that I (in my mind’s eye) only look to the tops.  That tip top gets the attention. I like to sit on my patio at night and watch the cows or the birds in the backyard. (Thanks COVID for helping me realize that hobby.)  And when I look at the trees in the distance - with the sun setting - it seems that only the far up tops have light left on them in the final moments of twilight.  But what did those little limbs do to deserve to have that view? To have all that attention? To have our eyes fix...

I think Tim McGraw said it best, " I'm tired of lookin' left or right.  So I'm just lookin' up."  But boy is that hard to do some days. I personally have a lot of work ahead of me. This Fourth of July  was maybe a little bit different. I could get political, and someday I probably will. America sure doesn't feel so very free these days. And I often catch myself thinking about all the soldiers - boys really  - of wars past who died alone in their early twenties or late teens in a forest they had never been to, likely in the midst of a fear we cannot fathom, thinking of a mama or a best friend back home as they slipped from this life to the next... but they died for me. And for you. And for those who don't care about them whatsoever. For those who don't mind handing over their freedoms, handing  over jobs to other countries, for those who don't care if they work hard or don't, someone else will do their bidding and paying... I'm getting c...

1 to 148. Miles per hour? No, but it sure feels like it some days. We celebrate our first anniversary today. Year 1 is in the books. But today we also celebrate the Governor's Century Business Award after submitting information regarding how long we have been under the same type of business and showing how and when it transferred ownership. I like what Gov. Halcomb said, " As we continue to attract  new jobs and  investment  to Indiana, these well-established  businesses  will set the tone for a Hoosier economy  dedicated to hard  work, constant  improvement and  strong  community roots.  I’m confident these  businesses  will continue  providing  great service for  the  next 100 years and keep Indiana on the  path to success for  centuries to come."                       As far as longevity goes, Dunlaps made the top 10 of 101 Indiana busi...