Jeff and I (okay, mostly just me) were chatting up the friendly female owner of the local small business establishment we were patronizing. As she rang us up, she stated, more matter-of-fact than question, "So, no kids yet?". Jeff replied no, while I was struck with curiosity with how she knew that. In spite of talking for ten or more minutes, that had never come up. In fact, neither of us was even wearing our wedding bands at the moment. So I asked in amazement how she knew we didn't have kids. She laughed and said we were too relaxed and affectionate and that couples with kids always looked a bit more harried.
Then she sweetly asked how long we had been married, and I knew what was coming. Jeff told her it had been twelve years, and she exclaimed "Twelve years and no kids yet?!". I explained we hadn't been able to have children, though I hated to since it always leaves people feeling awkward. I suppose they just never know what to say to that.
But I guess I'm always a bit surprised at how surprised people are. After all, statistics show that 10-15% of couples suffer from infertility. That's a lot of men and women! Surely these strangers we meet must know at least ten or fifteen acquaintances, making it very likely someone in their circle of friends also can't have children. But maybe we look too young or too healthy or too carefree to be dealing with such a serious burden. And with the rise of DINKs (Dual Income, No Kids) by choice, maybe they think we're some selfish yuppie couple who doesn't want children. Which hurts more than their knowing we're incapable of pregnancy and childbearing, so I usually tell them the truth (unless they are particularly obnoxious and I don't care to reward their digging with such a personal nugget).
But I guess the good news to come from all of this is that we look like a young, newly married, very much in love couple who isn't expected to be procreating yet. And that's not such a bad image at all. Let's just hope we can carry it off as well in our forties, and our fifties, and our sixties, ...!
Friday, August 30, 2013
Vain as a ...Pekin?
Is it really vanity if he thinks it's another duck?
Poor Donald was so lonely after the death of his sole duck companion that he took to lying beside the cars where he could see a vague reflection of himself. Jeff realized Donald probably thought he was seeing another duck and was seeking company. He hangs out with three of the hens (his little harem) in the morning, but then they move on to do "chicken" activities and he's left alone. So we put a spare mirror outside near the little duck pool to watch his reaction. I think he's found a new best friend (and it's not the lurking cat)!
Poor Donald was so lonely after the death of his sole duck companion that he took to lying beside the cars where he could see a vague reflection of himself. Jeff realized Donald probably thought he was seeing another duck and was seeking company. He hangs out with three of the hens (his little harem) in the morning, but then they move on to do "chicken" activities and he's left alone. So we put a spare mirror outside near the little duck pool to watch his reaction. I think he's found a new best friend (and it's not the lurking cat)!
Thursday, August 29, 2013
Fall Flowers
The marigolds have been beautiful this summer, but I planted them in front of the dusty miller, thinking the dusty miller would be taller and should be in the back of the flower bed. Oops! The marigolds have overwhelmed them, but I still love the color combo of orange and gray. So I got to fake the pairing I was going for in my recent flower arrangement!
Fall Fun??
As you might have guessed from my last post about classes starting, I've been a bit too busy and overwhelmed to blog the past week or so. The time dedicated for class isn't so bad, but being away from home two full days really throws my schedule. Now, I'm packing two lunches instead of one, preparing dinners a day ahead of time twice a week, doing all the shopping and laundry in one day, working on projects for Jeff, and studying and doing homework to get the most out of my class. Oh, and still taking care of chickens, duck, and cat, planning the fall garden, putting in more landscape plantings, tailoring Jeff's new suits, finishing up random DIY projects, and gearing up for the bathroom remodel. I don't know how you moms with multiple bodies to clothe and feed do it! I only have one other human being to care for, and Jeff's quite self-sufficient at that!
I will shamefully admit we have been falling onto the comfy leather couch to eat dinner in front of an old Dharma and Greg episode frequently at the end of our craziest days. Yesterday was a perfect example; after an early morning rise, Jeff watered, fed, and tended to all the animals while I made a hot breakfast. Jeff cleaned the duck pond while I packed lunches and made dinner preparations. We stocked the truck with shovels and gloves for the free plants we were going to dig up that afternoon, thanks to Craigslist. We also needed our dance bag for Samba class, Jeff's work bag, my school bag, and changes of clothes and shoes for the afternoon digging, plus the lunches I'd packed. We barely fit in the truck cab ourselves!
After a full day of work, school, and church paperwork, we changed in Jeff's office, drove 15 minutes to our digging destination, and uprooted seven loropetulum bushes. We loaded and secured them, drove 35 minutes home, unloaded the bushes, showered, had a quick snack, and headed back to town for dance class. We finally got home, sore legs and all, around 8 pm to start dinner and our evening livestock routine, so a little vegging on the couch later while we ate sounded just fine! At least we didn't have to go round up the donkey who got out, like the evening before!
I will shamefully admit we have been falling onto the comfy leather couch to eat dinner in front of an old Dharma and Greg episode frequently at the end of our craziest days. Yesterday was a perfect example; after an early morning rise, Jeff watered, fed, and tended to all the animals while I made a hot breakfast. Jeff cleaned the duck pond while I packed lunches and made dinner preparations. We stocked the truck with shovels and gloves for the free plants we were going to dig up that afternoon, thanks to Craigslist. We also needed our dance bag for Samba class, Jeff's work bag, my school bag, and changes of clothes and shoes for the afternoon digging, plus the lunches I'd packed. We barely fit in the truck cab ourselves!
After a full day of work, school, and church paperwork, we changed in Jeff's office, drove 15 minutes to our digging destination, and uprooted seven loropetulum bushes. We loaded and secured them, drove 35 minutes home, unloaded the bushes, showered, had a quick snack, and headed back to town for dance class. We finally got home, sore legs and all, around 8 pm to start dinner and our evening livestock routine, so a little vegging on the couch later while we ate sounded just fine! At least we didn't have to go round up the donkey who got out, like the evening before!
Wednesday, August 21, 2013
Back to School
I've registered for Music Theory, and my first class is this afternoon. I'm really excited and am already looking at the course schedule to see what other classes I might want to take next semester if this works out.
Since I'll be on campus all day, I'll also be volunteering as Jeff's personal assistant a few hours and taking advantage of the university fitness center, which has all kinds of group classes, workout equipment, swimming lanes, and more. Summer has been wonderful, but here's to a new adventure this fall!
Friday, August 16, 2013
Soft Kitty, Warm Kitty
Soft kitty, warm kitty,
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty,
Purr, purr, purr.
If you're a fan of Big Bang Theory, you'll recognize Sheldon's "sick" song. Well, we have a warm, sleepy kitty, but he's sick, himself! Oh, the irony of singing the comfort song about a cat to an unwell cat!
Poor Schrodinger has a high fever. He hasn't been himself the last day or two, and he was noticeably lethargic today. I was quite worried, probably because DaVinci's serious decline was prefaced by marked lethargy. Not that those two things are in any way related; but I was so worried when the kitten didn't want to play with any of his toys, barely got up to greet us in the mornings, and spent every moment sleeping.
He's only been ours for two and a half weeks, but he feels like such a fixture already! So Jeff recommended we take him to the vet, where they ran blood work and ruled out the worst case scenarios. In the end, it's probably just an infection, but the fever was high enough to warrant antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory. I hate pumping that tiny body full of drugs, but I've never found a holistic veterinarian or pet naturopath. As Jeff said, their's is just a physiochemical existence, so now Schrodinger is just a little bit heavier on the "chemical" part!
Little ball of fur.
Happy kitty, sleepy kitty,
Purr, purr, purr.
If you're a fan of Big Bang Theory, you'll recognize Sheldon's "sick" song. Well, we have a warm, sleepy kitty, but he's sick, himself! Oh, the irony of singing the comfort song about a cat to an unwell cat!
Poor Schrodinger has a high fever. He hasn't been himself the last day or two, and he was noticeably lethargic today. I was quite worried, probably because DaVinci's serious decline was prefaced by marked lethargy. Not that those two things are in any way related; but I was so worried when the kitten didn't want to play with any of his toys, barely got up to greet us in the mornings, and spent every moment sleeping.
He's only been ours for two and a half weeks, but he feels like such a fixture already! So Jeff recommended we take him to the vet, where they ran blood work and ruled out the worst case scenarios. In the end, it's probably just an infection, but the fever was high enough to warrant antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory. I hate pumping that tiny body full of drugs, but I've never found a holistic veterinarian or pet naturopath. As Jeff said, their's is just a physiochemical existence, so now Schrodinger is just a little bit heavier on the "chemical" part!
Tuesday, August 13, 2013
I Spy...
...with my little eye:
three hens
one duck
two horses
one donkey
What a lovely morning view to enjoy out our kitchen window during breakfast yesterday! Of course, the fuzzy spot in the photo makes me think I need to wash all the exterior glass again, but maybe we can just pretend it's a "soft focus" feature ;-)
Monday, August 12, 2013
Googled
Look who Google is featuring today on their decal! It's the physicist Erwin Schrödinger, of all people!
What timing, since our little Schrödinger is very much alive and kicking. He's growing so much, and such a sweet, purring cuddle-bug is he. We'll still encourage him to earn his keep in the shop by controlling the mouse population by night, but he's become quite a fixture in my lap by day! Who knew cats could be so personable?
He loves to be cradled in one arm and stroked on the belly and chin. His little paws stretch up and alternately flex and stretch, kneading the air while staring into my eyes and purring. He's really, really hard to resist, and even Jeff has taken to carrying him around like a baby.
What timing, since our little Schrödinger is very much alive and kicking. He's growing so much, and such a sweet, purring cuddle-bug is he. We'll still encourage him to earn his keep in the shop by controlling the mouse population by night, but he's become quite a fixture in my lap by day! Who knew cats could be so personable?
He loves to be cradled in one arm and stroked on the belly and chin. His little paws stretch up and alternately flex and stretch, kneading the air while staring into my eyes and purring. He's really, really hard to resist, and even Jeff has taken to carrying him around like a baby.
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