We were down for a week plus because of a server move — and then it will happen again in about three months when we move this and chocolate alchemy to a new server with new upkeep person. It’s like moving house, it takes getting everything set up and ready in advance. I’m not the one doing any of it at least.

Happy belated Mother’s Day to Mom and Wilma — I hope your days were quiet. If you have any question about what you could have been doing please keep in mind that my friend Holly and I, along with Logan and Sophie, and of course John all spent Mother’s Day burying dead mother sheep. It wasn’t the only thing we did, but was the primary reason we got together. The mother of Sophie’s lamb Lia had died and we needed to bury her, then a second ewe died too. We still don’t know why, but the last lamb that’s sick, who is Lia’s friend is on a heavy course of antibiotics and appears to be doing better. She, along with her mother and Lia are grazing in the yard and last night we couldn’t catch her to give her the antibiotics, so she isn’t too listless.

We hoped to go see Barak Obama talk in Roseburg yesterday. The office was open to give out the free tickets from 9 to 9 on Friday. Unfortunately at 9:20 the line was better than three blocks long and three people wide, and at four they were out. So he talked in Roseburg yesterday and I hope it went well. I’d have liked to see him. Logan is very interested, although she’s a little mixed up about whether he is president or not and what president is. I’ve heard that he has a baritone voice, but with not watching TV or listening to the radio I’ve never heard it. He doesn’t show up on the cooking channel that Logan watches in the supermarket. I’ll have to find a time they’re going to play something by him and listen to NPR.

John sold a whole Ton of cocoa beans to someone — I guess officially John brokered the deal, we didn’t have to have them in the house along the way, for which I am grateful. Wholesale orders like that don’t involve any packing at our end at all, just arranging for the beans to go from point A to point B once payment is set. In this case John had to track down the beans the guy wanted, because the country is or has been at war. Once that was set, everything else was done and the beans are about to be on their way.

John’s also found a faster way of fixing the coffee roasters he repairs for resale. He now doesn’t have to take the entire thing apart to remove and replace the motor. If fixing coffee roaster’s and selling cocoa beans paid enough to cover a cobra payment (carry over health insurance) we’d really be set, but it’s not there yet.

We’ve gone from long sleeves and sweater weather to sun screen and shorts weather. The temperature outside was 102 F when Logan and I got home Friday. Yesterday I only noticed it when it got to 101. The electric thermometer we have that shows indoor and outdoor temps has a little guy wearing clothing he thinks is appropriate for the weather. Full heavy coat some times, down to just swim trunks in the heat. It’s fun to see how it changes. Logan announced one day when he was wearing more than she thought was appropriate that he wasn’t from Oregon. Another child asked her recently why she didn’t live near her grandparents, and she told them it was too hot in Florida. She and I are both unhappy in the heat, although Logan is still willing to run around naked outside, if I cover her with sun screen. She’s also one of the few who actually wears a sun hat at school. Her skin is darker than mine, but she’s very careful about being in the sun too much most days. (At age seven sometimes playing takes precedence! She also wears sun screen to school.)

On Wednesday we have a long day at school with John coming too so that we can attend the Annual General Meeting and vote for folks running for open positions on the board of directors. Logan has also asked us to talk to her teacher about how hard it is for her to talk to other students when she has a disagreement with them. Evidently the goal in the classroom is now for students to work things out between themselves, but that’s not working so well for a child who gets choked up and can’t talk when someone puts her on the spot in a disagreement or she feels pressured. Because class meetings only happen in the evening at a time we can’t attend (I don’t drive at night — the fibromyalgia adds in exhaustion by later in the day so I’m pushing it when I stay for an afternoon meeting a 5:30 or 7:00 meeting is out if John isn’t available to drive, and for him to drive means no work in Myrtle Creek, or driving the 90 miles between there and Eugene with a car to pick up another day in Eugene.)

The house now has curtains. By next week with luck they’ll be sewn and hemmed. Today John has them cut out and tacked up, giving us a beautiful rosy light below and orange and green light above. The two top triangular windows weren’t going to have curtains originally, so they are currently covered with pieces of green and orange (respectively) elephant fabric.  Those were going to be baby blankets for babies Finn and Dalton — Finn who hunted easter eggs with Logan a couple months ago.  Yeah, those babies.  They might stay and get turned in to actual curtains, they’re kind of fun up there.  If there’s enough left over I could make Logan an orange and green Horton skirt.  If she wanted one.

Keith borrowed our mower and brought it back today.  He’s now mowing our yard with it.  We did ask if he would when he borrowed it, but we’d let him use it without that too, so the mowing is hugely appreciated.  Those of you reading who actually know us know we don’t mow often.  The grass was taller than Logan’s head though.  We couldn’t see the dogs or sheep in it.  (Sick lamb, now named Betsy (Tacy and Tib may soon come, but I’m not sure if we kept anyone not named… number 19 from last year, but she’s a little old to be one of them), along with her mother Pippi and Sophie’s bottle lamb Lia have been in the yard.  They aren’t sure if they like it, but they’re stuffing themselves while they decide.  Today Gamma and Ezri and Charile-lamb are in too.  Pippi left at feeding time, but will probably come back for her grain.

John’s out packing orders and Logan’s supervising Keith mowing, or making sure he doesn’t get lonely, or giving him advice.  I didn’t ask which.  I cleaned the freezer and sorted laundry.  I’ve started putting Borax and Dawn on oil stains before washing the stained clothing — it’s slow but it seems to work even on the things that have already been through the wash a few times.  Some things still don’t come clean, and some stains stay even with that treatment, but it gets a lot.  I wouldn’t resort to that (anyone think of me as the queen of house work?  Stop laughing.  Ok, I thought not.)  except that John and Logan’s clothes with oil stains outnumbered those without.  I know John’s come from chocolate and cooking.  I have no clue where Logan’s come from.  The air sometimes.  Maybe ketchup has oil and I never knew.

I’m going out to dodge the sun and heat and keep John company in the shop.  Have a lovely sunday.

Filed under: life, school, fibromyalgia