California Vacation: Day 1

Last Friday, we packed up the car and the kids and made our way to California!
We left fairly early in the morning and arrived in Bakersfield, CA about 12.5 hours later.

Mount Shasta

I even got to drive for a little while!

Sleepy, well-behaved pups

Yoda came along for the ride too...

It is (finally) Spring Time in Oregon

It felt like it took forever for spring to get here, but for the most part the cold temperatures are behind us! Last year I noticed a vine on our chain link fence and it had one single bloom on it. My friend Marlane told me it was Clematis and not pull it out. Well it came back with a vengeance this year and it is so beautiful I want to plant it everywhere!

Keep an eye out for pictures of my roses and lilies!

Mitch Saved a Duckling

My "adoptive" grandparents, Mitch and Joy, bought a new house about 6 months ago in a very nice retirement community surrounded by wildlife. They have been keeping an eye on a not-so-good mother duck for the past few months, she spent very little time attending to her eggs and was gone a lot. Well, she was such a bad mom that after her ducklings were born 3 of the 4 didn't make it because they fell over a waterfall (I know, sad!). Mitch worked hard to find and save the last remaining baby which is now living in their garage until it gets big enough to move out to the pond. I introduce to you, Daisy, the cutest and quickest baby duck you will ever meet!

The Mailman had a Bad Day

I came home early on Monday from the museum (because I was still feeling under the weather from my prolonged sinus infection) when I heard Lily barking and people's voices. I went out front to discover the mailman had crashed his truck into the mailboxes. It appears that with all the rain recently the ground has become extremely saturated and once his tires left the roadway he was unable to stop the vehicle from sliding. I exchanged information with the Postmaster General of our area since the mailboxes reside on our property but overall there was very little damage and it could have been so much worse. Very happy that the mailman was okay and bless his heart, he continued to deliver mail on foot. :-)

UPDATED: Trudy is Broken...Again

We have made much improvement with Trudy over the past week. She is feeling better, sleeping through the night and generally being "fighty" which means she is on the road to recovery. Now it is just keeping her off the furniture and from doing anything else that might re-injure her back until the bone(s) have had enough time to strengthen.
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Post date: 4/30/14

It has been 8 days since Trudy hurt her back and we made significant progress...until today. This afternoon when I got home from work she tweaked her back and completely lost her mind in pain. So much pain, in fact, that it caused one of her back legs to lock in a completely straight position and she stood on it like a ballerina on point. After the veterinarian talked me down over the phone, he recommended I massage her for one hour and call him back if she wasn't better. Luckily, that seemed to help but our poor old girl just can't seem to catch a break (no pun intended).

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Original Post: 4/24/14

We made it almost one year to the day but, unfortunately, Trudy injured her back again. We cannot pinpoint exactly what caused it this time but in some ways we parents are doing better with managing it and some ways (me) not. Emotionally, it never seems to get easier but medication is helping and we know that with time it will get better.

After almost one decade of marriage, I realized last night that sometimes we forget why we chose the person we did; we take them for granted; we get busy and so wrapped up in exterior things (and ourselves) that we lose sight of the important stuff. Last night, as I fed Trudy cold oatmeal, my husband sat on the couch with her in his lap, whispering sweet nothings to calm her while holding a heating pad to her back. At that moment I remembered what an amazing, compassionate, strong, unbelievably remarkable man I married. He is my rock and I am so grateful.

Friends of Historic Champoeg Job

A month ago I was presented with an amazing opportunity to work at Champoeg State Park with their Promise Program. The program works with school kids ranging from 1st grade through 8th and introduces them to the history, government and archaeology of the area. As a teacher, I dress in settler attire (or archaeology clothing) and take the kids through several stations, acting out a script that helps immerse the kids in the time period. The best part is that it is a part-time gig that still allows me to go on digs when available. The program only last another month or so, but it has been a very rewarding experience thus far!

DIY: Arizona Wildcat Yarn Wreath

Yes, another wreath! I only have one more that I am working on and than I will likely take a short break. Much like scrapbooking, if I don't have an inspiration or an idea in my head before I start, I find it difficult to complete. This wreath is going to be for my Aunt and Uncle in California because they are huge UA fans!

   

                           My wreath                                                         Inspiration wreath

Hepcat Model: Motor Test (includes video)

Yesterday was a day of finishing touches. Before taking the Hepcat outside, I had to secure the battery and receiver inside with foam. We strapped on the wings using about 6 rubber bands and headed out!

It was too windy for an actual flight, so we had to settle for only testing the motor. It was probably a good thing in the end. The motor is brand new and will need some more run time in order to work properly. In the video you can hear how rough the motor sounds. 

Check out my red hair! Love, love, love!

We did learn something very important, we had a much too aggressive prop installed so when we returned to the model shop we installed a smaller one.

DIY: Easter Yarn Wreath

Pinterest has sucked away more hours of my life than I can count, but I have gotten so many amazing ideas for recipes and crafts that I can't complain! I am really enjoying these yarn wreaths. They are so easy to make and can be done while watching TV or while my husband plays video games. I don't have a lot of the fancy tools and machines that some of the ladies online have, so I could only rely upon two things: a pair of scissors and a hot glue gun. This wreath was for my friend Marlane and I think it turned out rather lovely. :-) 

                                My wreath                                                                     Inspiration Wreath

Hepcat Model: Complete!

The Hepcat is complete! Hallelujah! 

I finished up on the windshield edging and installed a safety switch on Friday. The switch is so that all the power can be shut off to the plane so that no one can accidentally (or intentionally) bump the controller and set the propeller in motion while you are working on the plane.

As long as the weather cooperates, she should have her first flight this Friday. I am not holding my breathe as the weather went from gorgeous to crappy in just 2 days...

DIY: Yarn Wreath with Felt Flowers

I have a new obsession called Pinterest which I discovered when looking for do-it-yourself projects. I saw these wreaths on Etsy, as well, selling for anywhere between $30-$50 each. I decided to take a stab at trying one of my own. This one was for my sister's birthday, she chose the colors. Not bad for a first attempt!

Hepcat Model

The windshield turned out to be a bit of a nightmare. It took several days of work to finally finesse the plastic into the correct shape without bowing or contracting in the wrong spots. Once I dry-fit it with plastic tape, I used model airplane glue to attach it to the plane. I also put together the fuel tank, installed the engine, screwed on the muffler, attached the pushrods and hooked up the fuel tank to the engine. All that is left to be done is to get some striping tape from the automotive shop so I can outline the windshield to be more atheistically pleasing. I received my Academy of Model Aeronautics membership this morning so I should be ready to fly either this Friday or next!

Archaeology Job

The archaeology job lasted for a total of 8 days before we (myself and 2 other new hires) were informed that work has slowed down enough that we won't be needed again until about two weeks from now. This was honestly welcome news, I had developed an upper respiratory infection just a few days before the dig began and have been miserably sick and on antibiotics for most of the time. My body needs to recover both from the dig and from the illness.

We traveled to three different sites over the 8 days, 6 of those days were spent in Lake Oswego OR, 1 day in Vancouver WA and 1 day in Camas WA. All 3 sites were prehistoric in nature and all of them in urban, well developed areas. On the final day our supervisor took us around the block for lunch, wanting to show us the reason for all the slag we were finding in Lake Oswego. For those interested, here is information on the area and its history.

Willamette River

Spring is finally here and gosh is it beautiful!

George Rogers Park and the Iron Furnace