Kid writing

I learned all about kid writing when my daughter started kindergarten two years ago. For those unfamiliar, kid writing encourages children to spell the way they hear the words - all on their own. I love it, especially when I find all kinds of notes around the house. Here is an example:

Knitting for afghans 4 Afghans

Look here for today's post at afghans 4 Afghans.

NaBloPoMo

I was recently reminded by Katie at Maylee Beezir that it is NaBloPoMo, National Blog Posting Month. My blog has been very inactive lately, so here goes.

So far in November 2011, I have been plagued with illness. My first health concern was an earache that would not quit. After a week of pain in my right ear, I finally went to the doctor on Friday, October 28. MD flushed a bunch of wax from my ear and I left the office with a prescription for ear drops. I was on my way to wellness...so I thought. That afternoon, I developed a low-grade fever which took 4 hours to go down. Fevers in the 100-101 range persisted throughout the weekend and by Sunday, when my temp reached 102.6 accompanied with headache and vomiting, I reached for the phone. I spoke with the on-call physician and he recommended I go to the ER.

At the ER, I received 3 liters of fluid and anti-nausea medicines and then oral Tylenol. They made sure I could keep that down and I was discharged with RX for Amoxicillin and strict instructions to take Tylenol/Advil as needed for fevers and stay hydrated. My parents were willing to stay with us all that week, so I was able to rest. By Wednesday of that week, I developed I cough and returned to MD on Friday, November 4. I was diagnosed with bronchitis and sent on my way with an RX for Augmentin and a steroid. I went through the week, taking meds as directed.

Yesterday (Thursday, Nov 10) my chest was still feeling a bit tight so, I returned to the MD to have my lungs listened to again. MD ordered a chest x-ray STAT and turned out I have "some" pneumonia. Now I'm on yet a different antibiotic (Levaquin), another week of steroids and inhaler.

Geez, what a depressing post. Huh? November has not been all that bad, has it? It was nice to have my parents with us for the week. Our area had a fluke snowstorm on October 29. Due to the storm, my parents had no electricity. They were happy to be in a warm house with electricity. Brad and Dad enjoyed football together. Mom and I had talks, did some knitting together and teamed up on a crossword puzzle or too. Not to mention they always enjoy time with their grandchildren.

Now Mom is sick. I feel horribly guilty. Of course she says she would have been here even if she knew she was going to get sick. I understand that only because I'm a mother. Get well soon, Mom.

Some Stinky Knitting Ahead!

Alright, so I get this really fun kids' clothing catalog from mini Boden and I like almost everything in it.

Also, everything in it is very expensive.

A few weeks ago I told the girls to look in the catalog for one thing they'd really like to have for the new school year.

I'm excited because T expressed interest in a red pea coat.

Of course I had to ask if she'd like a scarf to go with it.

We looked at Morehouse site and she picked their skunk scarf.

I think the coat/scarf will make a perfect combination!

Happy knitting,

Beth

21 July 1989

69.9 miles Otter Creek, VA to Waynesboro, VA

Found out from Dad today that Keith Haring is "sick".

Had a bad breakfast at the restaurant at Otter Creek - the cornmeal pancakes tasted sour. We rode to a restaurant 30 miles away and had lunch. Phil need a bike shop, so he went to Rockfish Gap Outfitters in Waynesboro while I stayed at the top of the hill. Joined Phil when he found out there was no laundry at top. Had good Ciro's Sicilian pizza and stayed at fire hall (free shower and ice!!) Talked to fireman, Tom Bellamy, and went to sleep.

20 July 1989

41.9 miles Camp Bethel, VA to Otter Creek, VA

$2 b-fast

3 lunch

11 dinner

Up at 6:30; flat ride to Buchanan. Checked our mail, not too much there.

Had a good breakfast at R&G's in Buchanan, recommended by the sweet lady we met at the P.O.

We decided to go up on the Parkway and I'm so glad we did. So far the climbs have been gradual. We hiked to Sharp Top from Peaks of Otter - 3 mile round trip.

Started biking again at 4:15. We had about a 10 mile climb and a 12 mile downhill (11 miles in 26 minutes)! Neat locks at Otter Creek Visitor Center. Good cheese burger at restaurant, now camped at Otter Creek for $7.

19 July 1989

77.1 miles Dublin, VA to Camp Bethel, VA

$4 lunch

Up at 6:00

It was a surprisingly quiet night at the motel. I had a lousy sleep.

Breakfast of Lisa's delicious granola. Good dinner at Greenwood Restaurant on Rt 11. Camping at a church camp. Phil had a flat tire in Radford.

18 July 1989

100 miles Cedar Bluff, VA to Dublin, VA

1.50 Gatorade

4.00 PO

29.00 Motel

A long ride to Dublin much of it (5o miles) on Rt 61 in a valley - beautiful ride from Taswell to Narrows. We had a big discussion in Narrows about whether to continue riding or stay in Narrows. It was 21 more miles to Dublin, so we went for it. I was a lot more tired than Phil, but I'm glad we did it.

17 July 1989

Day Off

The photo is of me wearing Joanie's cover-up. I took the opportunity to wash all my clothes!

Took the day off from riding. Stayed at Strohm's. Nice relaxing day. We did take time to do laundry, wash our sleeping bags and sew "sheet liners" for our sleeping bags. (our bags alone were getting too hot to sleep in comfortably). Fixed Larry's panniers with the sewing machine as well. Wrote some postcards, went to the P.O., library and mall.

Talked to Jenny.

16 July 1989

48.5 miles Breaks, VA to Cedar Bluff, VA (Strohm's)

8.50 groceries

Went to the Park Restaurant with Mom for coffee and tea for everyone. Had a delightful breakfast of AP cake and banana bread. Strohm's left for church; Mom and Dad stayed with us until about 11 am. Mom's camera is missing. Phil tryed to talk to the state police to see what happened with the incident. Phil and I had an ok ride. We had some hills, "mere pimples on the face of the earth". There was a lot of traffic on 81 and 19 the last 13 miles to Strohm's. Very, scary, fast, close cars! and a lot of them!

Glad to arrive at Strohm's. Visited, showered, ate good pork chops , potatoes and fresh tomatoes and cucumbers. Ice cream and homemade peanut butter cookies for dessert. Visited briefly and went to bed by 9. Slept great!

15 July 1989

64 miles Pippa Passes, KY to Breaks, VA

Up at 6:30, coffee and very sugary dunkin' sticks with Charlotte.

On the road by 7:30. We had a much less hilly ride than expected: two climbs in the morning, but gradual, not too steep and a fairly level stretch to Elkhorn City. Stopped in Elkhorn City at "Dairy Cheer - Home of the Smashburger" for an ice cream cone then started towards Breaks.

I had a flat tire West of Dorton.

ENTERED VIRGINIA!

Phil got slapped on the back by some jerk in a pick up. It happened while we were climbing a grade. It scared the crap out of Phil and really pissed us off. Imagine riding along trying to make your way up a hill and some car pulls up right beside you and the guy leans out and slaps you on the back! We got the license plate number from a couple who saw the incident. Phil talked to the state police and the said they will look for the guy.

Met Mom and Dad and the Strohms at Breaks. Ok meal in restaurant at the park.

14 July 1989

46.2 Miles Buckhorn, KY to Pippa Passes, KY

$2 Post Office

1.50 snacks

7.00 dinner

Up at 6:30 after a lousy sleep. Some kids kept walking by talking, yelling and playing loud music. Had a tough hill just outside Buckhorn, then level to Route 80. We had a slow ride along 80, hilly and we were exhausted due to lack of sleep. Took a nap in Hindman. We called Stroms and Mom and Dad were there!! They (Dad) put a message on their answering machine.

Now at Pippa Passes Hostel to get a good night's sleep. This room is great: a bed by a window, a view of a lot of trees and kittens outside.

6 June 1989

44.6 miles Ridgeway to Black Canyon

$6 camping

$1 drinks

$2 toe clip

$2 laundry

Up at 6 and on the road by 7:45 am.

Nice downhill ride into Montrose. At Montrose visitor center, we decided to visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Monument. This involved a 2,000' climb over an 8 mile stretch. It was tough going, but our views of the canyon this evening made it worth it. Looked threatening, like it might rain on us, but we have had no rain since day one.

5 June 1989

43.5 miles - Telluride to Ridgeway

$26.50 Bike

$2 PO

$10 groceries

$8.50 camp

Bought a new derailler in Telluride. It has a different mounting clamp. I think it will work fine; seems to be working better so far. Looked at all our mail and left town about 1pm. Arrived at campground at about 6:15 pm. Dallas Divide was beautiful. We had a 12 mile uphill stretch out of Placerville. Ridgeway is lovely too. A really nice man owns this campground. Ate pasta and tomato sauce.

4 June 1989

20 miles - East of Rico to Telluride

$4.00 postcards

$2.00 card for David

Up at 7 am. Had scrambled eggs and pancakes for breakfast after moving into the warm sun. Lizard Head Pass was quite easy compared to those in Arizona. My front derailler fell off; the clamp snapped. We'll look for another tomorrow.

Met Jenny and Tracey on the street and they are putting us up for the night. Dinner of rice, veggies and pint of Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia. Talked to Jen. Tried to talk to David, but no answer. We may take a route other than bikecenntenial through Aspen, CO.

3 June 1989

60.2 miles - Cortez to Campground East of Rico

$2 CampSuds

$3.50 fig newtons and drinks

It's only 7:30 pm, but I'm in my sleeping bag and I feel exhausted. It was a tough ride for me today. We rode 60.2 miles to a campground E. of Rico, CO. The stream, Delores River, sounds lovely. It will get cold tonight. My bowels are acting weird...(do I really want to post about my digestive system on my blog)

Tomorrow we ride 20 miles into Telluride over Lizard Head Pass. Today took us through some lovely country - hard to believe we're just 65 miles away from desert. Got a photo of Rico P.O. I did a lot of thinking today about what I'm going to do. Monday I'll call the guy in Pittsburgh and decline the job inquiry. Tomorrow I talk to Jen and David. I hope I can reach both of them. I'm going to try and relax and enjoy the trip. I don't need to be thinking all the time about what I'm going to do later. I need to enjoy this trip for what it is - great! After this trip will be an excellent time to start training for a triathlon. I'll be in good shape to train. I'll write Brad now; that's what I'll do!

2 June 1989

No bike riding - day at Mesa Verde

$2 milk and ice cream

$4 gas

$10 groceries

$3 stamps

$1 card

Mailed about 100 postcards thus far. Neil let us use his Jeep to get our rental car. Arrived at Mesa Verde entrance at 9 am. Went straight to Balcony House - 1 32' ladder, 2 - 10' ladders and a a small tunnel in order to see the impressive ruin. Linda, the Ranger from Berkley, did not stress the defensive use of the site.

Tomorrow we ride again and I feel anxious to do that. Phil and I had an ok time at Mesa Verde, but I had a better time the first time I saw the place. Phil and Neil are now returning the rental car. Maybe they went out for a beer. No, just a delay at the shop. Neil took us out for a great Italian dinner at Nero's - spinach linguini w/ tomato sauce, sauteed veggies and mozzarella cheese. Great food!

Called Eric and Lisa. Eric will start a second job at Harpoon Louie's; he works hard. I couldn't handle all the responsibilities right now. Oh, what to do? I hear of the weather back East and I think I could not live there. I may not even talk to the guy in Pittsburgh.

1 June 1989

No bike riding - day in Mesa Verde area

$3 Walmart

$18 camping

$2 laundry

Up at 6:30 am. Nice chat with people from New Zealand. Coffee from Neil. Eggs and bread for breakfast. I'm doing laundry. Phil's checking on the rental car so we can see Mesa Verde without biking up the mesa!

Neil McCullum - tour of crow and sand canyons.

Ray Williamson - archeoastronomy

15 May 1989

53.5 miles Carlsbad, CA to Lake Henshaw Resort, CA

Day 1 was rainy and quite cool. We had a dunking of my bike ceremony (rear tire in the Pacific riding to the Atlantic to dunk the front tire) at the beach in Oceanside. We actually started riding from Uncle Joe's house in Carlsbad. Phil got a flat tire 3 miles outside Oceanside. Traffic was heavy early today, but got better further inland. People have been friendly. Ate so I would not bonk today - ate figlets, crackers, banana, cheese and tortilla and fig newtons. Tortilla, beans, and cheese for dinner. it's cold but not raining since we stopped riding.

I'm tired and my legs hurt. In general so far, so good. Beer for Phil, decaf for my at Henshaw Restaurant. Loud music from our neighbors woke us; Phil yelled.

14 May 1989

Happy Mother's Day!

A.M. Rain, Uncle Joe had planned to take us on his sail boat, but that isn't going to happen today due to the rain. He gave us a whirlwind tour of San Diego. It is a beautiful city, a place I'd like to return to someday. Last minute bike shop stop, mostly for Phil to get spokes and stuff. Good dinner at Soup Plantation: huge salad, soup, bread and fruit bar.

Packed our bikes and had an early night.

13 May 1989

Lousy sleep on train. Arrived in LA about 8 am and departed for Oceanside at 10:30 am. Uncle Joe and my bike were both there, so I'm 50 cents richer. (oh, Phil, ye of little faith)

There were a few minor scratches on my bike the Avocet isn't working. I hope to get that fixed at a shop today. Overcast Day, long nap, bike assembly and dinner at Neiman's (good Mahi-Mahi and Snicker's pie) with Joe, Brett, Alana. Met Jan when returned.

12 May 1989

Boxed my bike today.

Diagram for front low rider.

Amy, Doug, Jim and Jane's bunch and Phil and I visited Wupatki and Sunset Crater.

It was cool and drizzling w/ some showers.

(started synthroid)

Dinner at Ramona's, beer at Charley's with Jimmy and the Wazoo Peach Pitters.

Jenny, Crystal, Chris, Cindy, David, Phil, Kirsten, Paula, Leona and David all were there to wave good bye at the Amtrak station. Departed for LA at 10:20 pm.

To California!

11 May 1989

Phil arrived at midnight in Phoenix, AZ.

David and I picked him up after a visit in Sedona with Amy, Doug, Jim, Jane, Sam and David. It was cold and damp in Flagstaff today. Phil and I went for a jog in the snow at Buffalo Park! What a way to start the trip!

Leona, Jenny, Phil, David and I went out to Kachina for Dinner and margaritas. Had an early night to make up for little sleep.