Snow Arrives

In spite of appearances, it was a stellar snow day!

Merry Christmas

All was calm...

All was bright...

And then there were cookies...

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good nap...I mean night!

Jib Jab

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

My First Day of Work

You know you've been hanging around the school A LOT when they put you on the payroll. A couple weeks back, the secretaries at the Elementary asked us if we'd be willing to substitute for them. Their previous subs have all gotten full-time jobs, so they couldn't take time off. Of course we said yes. It doesn't pay a lot, but it pays more than volunteering!

So yesterday was my first day of (paid) work in over ten years. Fortunately for me, I only had to work a half day. As luck would have it, they had a planned Lock-Down drill that afternoon. The intercom wasn't working, and the teachers couldn't hear the bells in the classrooms, but I got my part right: locking the office door. Otherwise, I learned to answer the phones (only cutting off Mr B. on the intercom three times) and to find a student's phone number when they miss their bus. The school staff is a fun group, and it was a fairly slow day, so I survived. David's turn is next Wednesday.

On the down side, I got my third rejection letter today. Maybe a few months of subbing will make me look more employable? David is waiting to hear on a Forest Service job that closed out yesterday. Keep your fingers crossed.

Gingerbread Street

We visited the Tollgate Kringle Market and Black Butte Ranch Gingerbread house display in the main lodge. They had one house over 6 feet tall. Bridget is pictured in front of her class' entry...see her home on the subdivision?

Buckboard Delivers!

More pictures at this link: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=3x70wrv.3v4oxjsv&Uy=-hp1wgu&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

Holiday Pictures

Follow the link to Kodak slideshow:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=3x70wrv.6jx0qf6n&Uy=-77gc03&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

"That's my kid in the paper bag"

If there's one thing the people of Sisters like to do, it's dress up. Not black ties and formal gowns, but flowing cape, silver wig, Groucho Marx-big-nose-glasses dressing up.

Our first introduction to this phenomenon came, fittingly enough, on Halloween. That's right, there's no politically correct "Harvest Festivals" out here in the Wild West; we celebrate Halloween, by gosh! We headed to the Elementary school to help out with the fundraiser (thanks to Karen in Montclair for buying!) When we walked in the door, we thought we'd accidentally detoured through the Justice League of America's Secret Hide-Out. Supergirl, Wonderwoman and "Bat-shack" (Mr Shackelford dressed as Batman) greeted us in the front office. We aren't talking about cheap T-shirts with a big S on the front, but full-fledged costumes, complete with capes, boots and masks.

It's not just the staff--the parents are in to it too. The mom of one boy in Bridget's class had made alien costumes for her entire family: silver jump suits and long dresses, green faces and purple wigs. Amazing. Fortunately, I was wearing my Ogre Mom costume--Shrek ears and a tiara--so I didn't feel TOTALLY underdressed. Here's a pic of the principal; the witch is Bridget's teacher, dressing against type.So, why am I talking about Halloween on the day before Thanksgiving? Because that was just the tip of the iceberg. Yesterday was "dress like a cowboy" day. But the real kicker was last Friday, the fourth grade PowWow.

The fourth graders have been studying Oregon Indians for several months now. That's right, "Indians" not "Native Americans." Maybe the local tribes prefer this name? As you can see in the last blog entry, they went on a field trip to the High Desert Museum to learn more about Indians and on Friday the study culminated with the big Pow Wow, complete with singing, dancing, drumming, eating and game playing. Mrs J, Max's teacher, had told us the kids would be making their own costumes for the Pow Wow, so we went to work. Max had a vest cut out of a paperbag that he was not interested in decorating, and moccasins (also known as "my pajama shoes.") I briefly contemplated pulling out some brown felt to make a real vest, but didn't want to be overzealous. We didn't bother with a head-dress; I didn't have any feathers and he probably wouldn't wear it anyway. When we got to the school, we learned the error of our ways; check out these costumes: (David will upload a video clip as soon as the computer is free)




I'm going to start working on Bridget's Indian costume right after Christmas. Since she's only in first grade, that should give me plenty of time to get it done.

In other "news":
We finally found the little pegs that hold up the china cupboard shelves, and I started emptying the 10 dish packs in the dining room.
David has joined the local Knights of Columbus--they don't discriminate against non-Catholics.
Still no bites on the job-front, but I have an application in at the Community College, and David is responding to a Forest Service job announcement.

Finally, we discovered our blog has a local fan--thanks for reading, Todd! David met Todd at a Chamber of Commerce event; he found us by Googling Sisters, Oregon. I always knew strangers could be reading this, but figured they'd lose interest quickly. It's both cool and kind of creepy to know that I don't know who might be reading.

Time to make chocolate cake; the kids don't like pie. Have a happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

A Trip to the High Desert Museum

Max and his 4th grade class went to the High Desert Museum Friday. Julia and I got to go along as class chaperones and had a great time learning about the indians and wildlife of Central Oregon. Photos at the Kodak Gallery as always:
http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=3x70wrv.70cxi4b3&Uy=-2ftu2o&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

Blog Name Change

Since the RV is out of the picture for the season, we decided to make a subtle change to the blog name. Make sense?

Horse Riding

Doug and Bridget went horse riding courtesy of a new friend. The young lady who organized the Halloween picnic and hayride, Annie, showed up with her daughter Emily riding one of their ponies while we were burning our heaping piles of pine needles. The kids quickly followed Annie back to her house where they swapped for a bigger horse and then worked their way back around the loop to our house for a photo op.

They really had a good time and were gone for about an hour.

Here's a link to a few more pictures: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?&conn_speed=1&collid=8537530603.719701984503.1194223659584&mode=fromsite

Halloween Pictures

Simply follow the link for pictures from pre-Halloween, Halloween at school, and Halloween...

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=3x70wrv.2t1bfcxz&Uy=-bgpceh&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

Contraband Confections

My creativity is being stifled! My goal of being the most-hated snack mom in the school district is in danger of being crushed. Last night, as I began creaming the butter and sugar for some scary but delicious Yummy Mummy cookies http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=8073&page=1&per=1&keyword=yUMMY%20mUMMY#content_area I suddenly remembered: only STORE BOUGHT foods are allowed for school parties! What is a creative, recognition-mad mom to do? I scoured the school and district web-sites for loop-holes, but to no avail: the policy is not even mentioned. How can I get around a policy if it isn't even publicly proclaimed? I guess I could have claimed ignorance in hopes the teachers would make an exception, but I ended up taking the cookies to the parent-teacher meeting instead. The remaining cookies went to the teacher's kitchen for the staff to eat.

Wait a minute--I can feed the teachers and staff, but not the children?! Just what is the purpose of this ban, anyway? In the absence of actual facts, I have come up with my own list of possible rationales:
1. The school district is afraid some rabid parent will want to poison all the children in a classroom, including their own. Apparently they are not worried a parent will try to poison a teacher, however.
2. The administration is concerned about food-borne illness. But how many cases of food poisoning have ever been linked to school cupcakes? If we were bringing in day-old fried chicken or raw eggs, it might be a valid concern, but for cookies and candy?
3. Allergies. Of course, if they were really worried about allergies, they would have bans on specific foods, like peanuts, instead of just all home-made stuff.
4. The grocers lobby has successfully infiltrated the district administration in hopes of increasing sales.

I think the most likely answer is a group creativity-challenged parents just wants to level the playing field. If they don't have the time or inclination to Google "Halloween cookies" and make Yummy Mummy Cookies for their kids, none of us should be allowed to do it. I guess I'll have to think of another unworthy ambition...maybe most-hated costume maker? I still have sixteen hours before they get on the bus on Halloween morning.

No Leaves, but Plenty of Pine Needles

We had the first winter storm of the season Friday. It dumped some snow--not measurable, but also left lots of pine needles to clean up. We thought we were escaping the fall raking tradition--boy were we wrong.

But, as "green" as Oregon is, most people burn the needles vs bagging and having them hauled to the landfill. I guess after months of smelling wildfire, a few more pine needles to reduce fuel for future fires isn't so bad, is it?

About 90% Open and 50% in Final Resting Place

Victory is within reach...one garage bay is clear and car capable, the other is about 2 weeks away from the same status. Julia and I spent about 5 hours opening, sorting and relocating boxes in the house and garage. We also made a trip to Home Depot to look for a better clothes hanging system then the 9 1/2 foot wood dowel that served as the previous occupant's closet. We put the first 30 or so items on the dowel and one of the plastic end supports gave out. We certainly didn't want a full closet collapse like at our last house, so we've had stuff hanging on our roll around racks we bought in Germany (land of no closets). $50-60 and we should be good to go. Julia is getting into the idea of getting to design her own closet interior.

Anyway, here are a couple pictures of our garage with the car inside and a wall of boxes to its left.

Back in instant contact again, finally

Yesterday, Todd the Cable Guy came out to the house to "install" our cable. Not sure why it takes just a phone call to "uninstall" but a scheduled "anytime" (any time between 8am and 7pm) visit, three weeks later to "install." But that's how it works. Finally we're back online! Huzzah!

School conferences were last night, today and tomorrow, depending on which school. The middle school is crazy--all the teachers are at tables scattered around the "commons" (aka lunch room) and you have find your kid's teachers, figure out who is waiting for that teacher and not the teacher next to yours, then stand in line behind them. Fifteen or twenty or forty minutes later, you get to sit down with the teacher, in the huge, noisy room, to discuss your kid's grades, in front of the other families who are waiting in line. Fortunately, the room is noisy enough you don't have to worry about everyone there hearing all about your child's shortcomings. Then you repeat this process up to seven times. Wow, fun.

It was so much fun, we left after talking to two teachers. I'd been informed by another mom waiting in line, that Wednesday night is the worst time to go--everyone is hoping to get their conferences out of the way so they can take off for a four-day weekend. So now one of us will have to go back tonight to finish the job. The same mom told me tonight should be very sparsely attended so it should go quickly. We'll see how reliable her information is. I should have gotten her references.

Speaking of references, we've been filling out "background" check information out the wazoo! Fortunately, as David pointed out, unlike your credit score, your background check score doesn't get lowered every time someone runs a check. These days everyone wants to check your background: the school if you volunteer more than once in a blue moon, the church if you help out with religious ed at all, the Girl Scouts if your daughter is a Daisy and you just want to help the troop during meetings. You'd think they could figure out how to work together on this and only pay for it once.

Fall is definitely here. It has been a real Winnie-the-Pooh-style blustery day today--windy, rainy and sunny all at once. There was even some snow mixed in the rain! Fortunately, the pines in this part of the country have deep roots, so we're not too worried about one falling on this house.

Have a great weekend, everyone!

And to really top it off, here are some catch-ups on the photos from this month:

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?&conn_speed=1&collid=8537530603.486035624503.1192759045139&mode=fromsite

Quick Update

Hi all,

Our furniture is here and our garage is full of boxes. We took delivery Sunday. The mover’s claim we had 25,000 lbs of stuff and that was after the re-weigh. That’s bad news, ‘cause if the government follows up we’ll owe for the extra weight stored and moved. As always, there was some damaged and missing items. The most notable was that about half of the kiddos big Rainbow swingset is MIA…that will be expensive to replace.

In other news, Bridget will be visited by the tooth fairy again tonight. She has lost a second tooth since the last blog entry.

David made it back from Virginia in near record time after a stop for 2 days in NY. Thanks to the team of Karen and Juliet for taking the van to the airport and finding an easy spot to find it at 6 AM when he arrived from the redeye flight.

More soon with some new pictures.

Living in an Empty House

We moved in to our new house on Thursday. Emptied the RV and winterized the water system; now there's no going back.

We brought the mattresses from the boys' bunks into the house for them, and bought a new twin sized air mattress for Bridget. We have our old queen air mattress (which needs reinflating every day or two, unless you like the feel of hard floor on your hip) in the master bedroom.

We met the new neighbors the first day we were there. One couple came over to tell us "welcome and we're leaving for a month." They offered to let us park our RV in their yard (they have a level spot which we don't--yet) and asked if we needed anything else. Not one to let an opportunity slip by, I quickly asked if they had a card table, which they did, complete with four padded folding chairs. I wasn't gutsy enough to ask if they had a TV, though!

Speaking of which, the kids are having withdrawals. After three months in the RV with FOUR of them (ok, two were "just" dvd players) we now have only our 7" dvd player in that big echoing house. We'd gotten used to all the cable channels at the RV parks, and now we don't even have broadcast! Oh, well, it's good for us to "rough it".

But an empty house gets LOUD when filled with pillow-fighting children and a dog who gets too excited to see squirrels and deer in the yard. Not to mention blue jays and our new cat. We had to come out to the library just so I could rest my ears! And check my email and blog.

Yes, we have a cat, kind of. The daughter of the former owners of our house left a note, a bowl, and a can of cat food, asking us to feed the "wild" cat that lives in their back yard. We put out the food,and sure enough a cat crept up onto the porch to eat. She was not thrilled to see Pippin looking out the window and growling at her.

Being too cheap to buy canned food for a stray (I don't buy it for Pippin, either) I got a bag of dry cat food. So far we're not sure if the cat is eating any of it, or just leaving it for the blue jays in hopes of a better meal soon. We have seen the birds helping themselves.

David is in New York today. He flew back to Virginia on the red-eye and picked up our minivan which we'd left with our neighbors there. Then, without even taking a nap, he drove 6 hours to visit his folks, with a stop in Syracuse to see his grandma. He called me about 4 miles out from Grandma and Grandpa's house, so I know he got that far. Should hear from him later tonight. He's staying there til Tuesday, when he begins the marathon across the US to home.

One Tooth Gone, 2 or 3 to Go

Bridget lost the first of several teeth that were wiggly in her mouth today…good thing we took that picture of her this past weekend.  School pictures were today too, go figure.  The school nurse gave her a nice little plastic tooth necklace to hold her tooth until she got home.  She was very excited.

In other news, Max led the 3^rd and 4^th grade assembly in the pledge of allegiance today.  We also heard about the various Oregon state items…flower, the Oregon grape, Bird, the Yellow Meadowlark, Animal, The American Beaver, and many more…

We also managed to winterize the RV ourselves and unload it at the new house.  Tonight will be the first night of sleeping in the quiet of our new neighborhood—Crossroads.

First Day in the New House--Sep 27, 2007

Thanks for all your well wishes.  We have closed and the house has recorded—we are clear to move from RV into our new home.  Hopefully, as the transportation office told me, we should see our household goods in two to three weeks, but definitely before Halloween.  We’re all smiles…hope wherever you are and whatever you’re doing, you are too!

Pile of Overdue Pictures to Show

Here is a link to a big pile of pictures. Includes some of the kids, new house, GW Fire, and just hanging out.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?Uc=3x70wrv.25xqk55r&Uy=-twl8ku&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&mode=fromshare&conn_speed=1

Just plain cute

Bridget is on the cusp of losing three teeth...two of them obvious in this portrait too cute not to post.

We went to visit one of the Sisters' artists at work today. Ken Merrill owns Canyon Creek Pottery (http://canyoncreekpotteryllc.com). He does some awesome lamp bases and dishware. The kids watched him throw several pasta dishes and he had racks full of pottery in various stages of production. He has at least three kilns on site and has been a potter for more than two decades.

Here are some everyday shots of the kids (all four).

Phew

Kiddos enjoy a special picnic of McDonald's and Cartoon Network Happy Meals on a recent warm weekend.

Julia and I spent our morning today placing job search info on the Oregon WorkForce system and walking into town and back to get our mail. We took Pippin along and stopped at a fruit stand on the edge of town before hoofing it thru the herd paths leading back to the RV park.

This weekend we hope to go watch some amateur rodeo folks after the Pro Rodeo at Sisters Rodeo and go to the church sponsored Oktoberfest.

Counting down to the house closing and all systems are go!

RV Power Problem Fixed & Other News

Some of you know we recently had a power problem with our RV. Our house batteries stopped charging from shore power and 12v appliances (fans, lights, TVs, and furnace) were draining them at night. The only way we could recharge was to run the coach before bed and when we got up. We were starting to get cold, nights down in the 30’s and we were also starting to get nervous about solving the problem. After troubleshooting, I guessed that the culprit was probably the 110v to 12v converter. So, the next step was finding the it in the RV and getting someone to look at it. Called the Premier Roadside folks…no help, told me to call Winnebago. Winnebago folks thought I was right on the source but the drawings in the manuals and parts diagrams were wrong on the location—it’s behind the main power panel (the door below the fridge). Anyway, long story short, we found a new Winnebago dealer in Bend who searched for it with me. And after checking the fuses on the unit—they were good. It started to work again. Our best guess was that minor contact corrosion on the fuses had prevented it from recognizing the need to charge the house batteries. It was a bear to get to. The tech said if we’d had to change the unit, it would have been an all day job. Luckily, we got the coach back in a little over an hour and had time to spare to pick up the kids after school.

BTW, Bridget has to do a number story tonight...here is her picture of the subject--thought it was cute.

Also, see Julia in the local paper!!! Star of Bridget's Back to School Night....

http://www.nuggetnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=8&ArticleID=13528&TM=82490.82

Doug was way impressed by Mr Bob Mortimer (www.bobmortimer.org), a motivational speaker that came to his school this past week. I met Bob in the RV park where he spent the week with his family. It was amazing to see him drive his pick-up and work with his family to position and use their 5th wheel... He told me he'll be speaking at Spangdahlem AB this fall. The troops will love him. Read the articale about him here.

http://www.nuggetnews.com/main.asp?SectionID=8&SubSectionID=8&ArticleID=13534&TM=82665.55

Happiness is a Job, I Wish I Had One

Sisters Jazz Festival is in town, Cycle Oregon is headed to a finish and our house deal seems on track. I am trying to stay true to our quest to find the ideal place to settle, then the house and then the job...but I admit I'm getting antsy. The kids have been back in school for 2 weeks and are settling into the routine nicely. I'm not bored, just want to get going with life. There are new friends to be made, challenges to take on and fulfillment of achieving something, even if it is bringing home a paycheck to pay the bills. There's some apprehension too in making a new start here--first impressions are lasting ones... Patience and faith are our watchwords.

It's also time to plan the trip to retrieve the minivan in VA and visit the folks in NY before zooming back cross country.

D

G.W. Fire All but Out

Slow news day here in OR. Yesterday we attended the Sisters Folk Festival...the kiddos played in the park while Mom and Dad munched Kettle Korn and listened to the music from outside the tent (cheaper that way). It was a beautiful afternoon...

P.S. The G.W. fire is almost out...we watched the helicopters dump water on the remaining spot fires. Today there is not detectable smoke in Sisters. The fire is about 10 miles away.

The Waiting Game, Part II

Yesterday we had the inspection on our soon-to-be home. One step closer to closing. No major issues, although apparently they build houses here without gutters, which the inspector thinks is not a great idea. I guess the builders figure it doesn't rain enough, but forget that when it does rain, it RAINS. Or at least that's what we've witnessed so far. The house still seems as fantastic as we originally thought, so no buyers remorse so far.

I put my job application in at the Community College in Bend--Assistant Director of Admissions and Records. It would mean a 20-30 minute commute, but it looks like a fun job and it pays better than anything available in Sisters right now. David is not too sure about being a house-husband, but I'm sure he'll find something to occupy his time (bowling anyone?) Keep your fingers crossed for me--I have the qualifications (actually over-qualified) but that 10 year gap in my employment history might put them off....

The kids are all in school, which means we have some free time to explore the local area, or just BE without the usual "she's looking at me!" "He's breathing on me!" Bridget and Max ride the bus; for now Douglas rides his bike. School starts earlier here--8am--so that is taking some adjustment. And once we're in the house, it will be even earlier as the bus comes at 7:06. Yikes! Good thing David is a morning person.

Almost Labor Day

Today was filled with prep on Julia's employment application and getting the kiddos essential shoes and clothing to start the school year off right. Max was way excited to get a pair of Sketchers shoes. So too was Doug about his Oregon colored hoodie (olive green), and Bridget about her new pink terry cloth hoodie.

The fire seems to be moving off to the NE. The locals do not seemed too concerned, though the husband and wife team who run reception for the RV park are on 20 minute stand-by for the fire department. We watched the Bend evening news at 6 PM, and it barely got a mention. Folks were more concerned with hurricane Felix--that certainly will have minimum impact on the locals. You can read one of the news local stories here: http://www.ktvz.com/global/story.asp?s=7014132

Today was also a day for introspection. Family and friends, we know how disappointing it is that we are not living as close to you as you would like. We miss you too, but we also know this is where we need to be for now.

Hope all is well in your part of the country and thanks for caring enough to let us know you care about how this venture turns out.

D

Black Butte Fire

Well, as you might have guessed, lightning storms have a different meaning here... The Black Butte fire started two nights ago by lightning. It's seven miles west of Black Butte off highway 20. It looks alot closer than it is from our RV. This picture was taken from behind the Sisters High School. So far, no homes are threatened.

Offer Accepted!!!

Can you believe it? We're on our way to owning our new home!!!

Wish us Luck -- We're Making an Offer

We're making an offer on a house tomorrow: it is sweet and we won't have to change a thing! The only thing we're contemplating adding is an invisible fence for Pippin. Will post pictures soonest!

A Small, Beautiful and Warm Church Community

Today was the annual church picnic at St Edward's. There were few kids there, but Julia and I were able to talk to a number of the parishioners and were warmly greeted by everyone there. In all about 35 people attended and we were actively recruited for RE and Knights of Columbus service. Should be a lot of fun. We think there is a total of about 6 kids in RE. K of C has 10 members. Their next big event is Oktoberfest in a few weeks...

Just Having Fun

Kiddos launching rocket balloons.

Here's a link for more pictures: http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slideshow.jsp?mode=fromshare&Uc=3x70wrv.6vgrkxwn&Uy=bi0uwl&Ux=0

Searching for the new home...living in Sisters

We're out and about looking at homes most days now. Just wanted to post a few pictures for you to see... Bridget, as always is making lots of friends. These two are a girl from Tennessee and a puppy from Camas Valley, OR named Sassy--she's a Pappillion (sp?).

Here's a couple of young deer munching on some expensive landscaping:

Here's a favorite of the kids for a new rainy day play place down in Bend:

And here's us walking by the sights out by the RV Park:

Chao for now!