Like a Rolling Stone

Like all good things, September is coming to an end.
Here are some of our September "good things":

I wish I could blow this picture up to life-size because....wow, that was a pretty sky.

Grace's Activity Days Mad Scientist party date with Grandpa.

MORE FOOTBALL!! I have to tell you, I am shocked by how much I am loving this experience. Noble's team is not only amazingly good (They have won every game except one, even though most of their games have been against teams a division up from theirs.), but we lucked out with OUTSTANDING coaches, and really cool kids. They are having some amazing experiences together. Sometime have me tell you about their game from this weekend. I almost cried.

This is where we found Abner sacked out one afternoon. I don't blame him. I'm telling you, that memory foam bathmat is a temptation for anyone looking for a place to take a nap. 

My canning efforts have been pathetic this year (as has been my garden). But I did manage to do about 14 quarts of peaches and make a few bottles of peach syrup this month. Peachy Cream o' Wheat. Mmmmm.

AND ->>>> THe BIG DAY ARRIVED AT LAST!  The long-awaited rock moving. It will forever live in Melton Family lore.
Here are  my dad and Mike poised to move some rocks.

But, mostly we all watched while this man and his machine did the delicate work of  maneuvering the boulders into place. (Thank you SO MUCH, Sean!)

A look from above at our new retaining wall as it took shape. We totally ripped up the back lawn (and left a mark on the neighbor's lawn as well, where we drove the cat through to get into our backyard). But , as I told Mike, it was "necessary destruction" (and Mike told me that would make a great name for a rocker band).
Now, the next step... We just need to recruit some help to move some more dirt, reroute some sprinklers, and grade an access in the back yard. Because Mike never wants to have to drive heavy machinery (or, his truck) through the neighbor's yard again.

More later. 

Adios, September 2012!

Sully's "Worstest Day EVER!"

Sully was sooo busted today. 

His explanation: that he and his buddy were "fixing the rocks". Their method? Dump 4 quarts of engine oil (2-cycle and regular) out in the garden. *I hear that's kind of bad for your garden soil.* Aside from creating an ecological disaster, he also spilled it all over the front of himself, completely ruining those cute leather high-tops I just got for him last week. To add insult to injury, as I walked into the garden to survey the scene, I stepped right into a sizable puddle of oil, camouflaged with a thin layer of grass clippings on the surface. 

With flip flops on. Didn't see it coming. 

When his sentencing came down (time-out after some soap and hot water), he threw one giant fit. He kept yelling, "This is the worstest day EVER!!" (That is his go-to protestation when things aren't going his way.) and, "I don't want to be in a lot of trouble... I want to be in a little bit of trouble!" He didn't get what he wanted. 

He is in a LOT of trouble.

Oh man, I don't have time for shenanigans like this.

...then Jessie said, "Mom, I really like being busy..."

...and I looked at her like she had two heads. Because her pleasant sense of busyness is made possible by my never-ending frenetic running. She said this during our conversation about whether she would be permitted to sign up for after school theater again. It went something like this:

Jess: "PLEASE, can  I sign up? Mrs. *** told me she was disappointed that I hadn't signed up. She has a part in mind for me."
Me: (blaming Mrs. *** for this) "Jess, we REALLY don't have time for anything else. We are way too busy already."
Jess: "I really like being busy. I don't know, it's just kind of exciting running from one thing to the next!"
Me: (now looking at her like she has two heads and NO CLUE)            **pause**
 "I'm the one who has to GET everyone to their stuff. You have no idea how hard that is, and keeping everything straight....yada, yada, yada." I went on to list all the things on her schedule alone: 4h, guitar lessons, volleyball, teaching horse riding lessons, school, YW, basketball...  

Unconvinced, she proposed a bargain &  I compromised. I agreed that if she could arrange a car pool, I would let her sign up for the twice-a-week rehearsals for 3 months + performances. What was I thinking? She, of course, found a carpool, but then I felt guilty that someone else was doing all the driving, so I felt obligated to offer to help drive. (I'm still hoping the lady won't ever need me to.) Add one more item to the schedule. On the up side, J. has been walking around the house singing show tunes, rehashing her try-out. And she is so excited about the production. (Good thing 4h and volleyball will be over soon.)

It reminded me of a story that I heard Marjorie Hinckley tell one time, about how one frantic day when their kids were young, she could not find their oldest son to do his chores. Hours later, he came strolling casually through the door and began telling her all about the magical afternoon he'd spent watching ants and basking in the cool shade of a tree, just enjoying himself. She resisted the urge to scold him for leaving her in a lurch, and neglecting his chores.

Many years later, when he came home from college, stressed about his demanding schedule and finals, etc. He reminisced about the carefree days of his childhood. Wistfully, he said something like, "Mom, we had the most wonderful childhood...." and described that magical day again to her. The way she told it, the first thought through her mind at that point was, "I'm glad you enjoyed it..." I couldn't help laughing to myself, remembering Marjorie Hinckley's story, and then thinking about how Jessie naively described  the 'fun' of being busy. I'm with you, Marjorie. ha ha ha.

You know, the point of her story though, was not necessarily to laugh about how oblivious our kids can be, (even though that is pretty funny sometimes). The main thing she expressed, was how glad she was that she had resisted scolding her son - and not ruined the memory of that day for him. She chose instead, in that moment, to reinforce her son's beautiful experience, and it had stayed with him and nourished him throughout his life.

There's a lesson for me in that story.

Another trip to Salina

If you've never been to Salina, Utah - you're not alone. Neither had I until yesterday.

This was Jessie's second year competing there in the State 4H Horse Show. She went down Wednesday afternoon with my parents and the horses. Mike and I got the other kids off to school yesterday morning and then drove down with the little brothers and Mike's Dad to watch Jessie.



The little brothers playing in the manure/dirt at the arena in Salina.    Nice.



In a show of support Mike got out earlier this week and soaped the car with encouraging phrases -  "Go Jess! and Dolli!"  "Go Majestic Riders!" And my favorite:

"Obviously, I'm not even kidding!!! Take State!!!"

That's kind of an inside joke. Jessie's horse, Dolli's official registered name is "Obviously, I'm Not Kidding" (why do people make up such crazy names for their animals? Like a dog named Jupiter the Space Donkey? What's with that?) which we all thought was hilarious - so he HAD to use it.

I tried to get a picture of it - but the glare off the back window in this picture makes it hard to see.

I've been driving around town since Wednesday showing my team spirit - and getting curious stares. I told Mike, next time he gets to drive the billboard.



After scoring blue in trail.

She didn't have her best show ever. Between a confused judge and a well-meaning loud-speaker operator, she had two of her events sabotaged - and scored white. Her other two events she won red and blue.

 

I can't wait for her to get back home. She stayed down there to cheer for the rest of her team competing today and tomorrow.

Have a good time in Salina, Jess! It was a great season.