our foundation

We're (hopefully) minutes away from the arrival of the concrete. A truck is coming down from Raton with our liquid foundation. Last week we finished the digging of the trench and flooded it. Thomas, Daniel, and Pop had long since finished the rebar forms for the footer. This past weekend the boards were ripped, and the forms built. Yesterday Thomas & Pop installed the forms. Last night Thomas and I cut up some more rebar, and this morning I bent them, while Thomas tied rebar in place and Pop gave the trench a last soaking before the concrete arrives....I needed to do a little leveling in the muddy trench and couldn't resist stepping in barefoot. Felt so good!

a before and after - the before for the next blog post's after...

the pile of 73 pieces of rebar that I bent this morning

Post baptism

Oliver has a voice, and mostly he just talked to me a lot, but sometimes he's a little fussy. Of course, those are not pictures I would have taken. After Lou & Lisa headed back to Leavenworth, I was first in line to hold Oliver. There is no way to hold onto the kid long enough not to notice a couple of months of his absence, but I was going to try to get my fill. He really is such a happy baby, talking and smiling and checking things out:

Hanging out on Grandma's lap before she had to leave Sitting with his mom...the chrism oil in his hair smelled so good, we didn't want to wash it out! He has such expressive eyes...

Telling me stories - what an animated talker Oliver is!

I don't remember who had the camera, but Ollie hung out in my lap for quite a while Monday afternoon. Everyone else wanted a nap, but this little guy was all I needed.

I enjoyed a movie with Miki in the afternoon...first time in a theater since Christmas! We went and saw The Help and enjoyed the time driving and talking about life. We met up with the others for sushi that night and then said our farewells. It was fun getting to stay with Miki and Marty and be there for bath time and morning chill time. I especially loved that extra down time around Ollie and his parents. I did notice that I spent such little time with my own, as we weren't on Henderson Street with them during the pre and post day chill time. I guess you can't have it all! And now I am counting down the days till we can get back again for Christmas!

Baptism

Monday morning we rolled out of bed to the alarm. I got dressed and ready and headed into the kitchen to make a couple quick breakfast smoothies. Miki was a little nervous about the noise waking up Oliver, but he also needed to be awake, so he could be fed and changed for his baptism. We scooted on down the road to church in morning traffic and found front row parking at Mom & Dad's house.

Miki dressed Oliver in the baptismal gown that the four of us wore and the four Dieringer kiddos wore, too. Two backup outfits were on hand just in case...

The baptism itself was great. Miki and Marty posted some nice pics at http://www.greenleepdx.com/. Our camera was out of commission, since we were with the parents and baby. Oliver was all smiles for Fr. Bob, and with his nightly bath routine, he wasn't phased at all by the water being poured over his head. And with all the chrism oil, he sure smelled good! What a privilege for Tom and I to be Ollie's padrinos, as we say down here. The morning mass crowd, many "contemporaries" of my grandparents who watched us all grow up, were there to celebrate and continue the celebration with breakfast at Mom & Dad's. We had a nice time before continuing to hang out and enjoy family time.

Marty, Miki, Dad, me, Oliver, Tom, and Mom... SISTERS~ how proud of and excited for my little sister!

Chronicles of Portlandia... Pt III

Day two brought more joy! We had a leisurely morning, sleeping in and taking out time.

Ollie with his Tio Tom

Miki had an appointment mid morning with Ollie, so after pancakes we cleaned up and headed out. Thomas found a new pair of sneakers; Marty got a belt; and I lost a few inches of hair. We rendezvoused at a new-to-us brewery on Powell - Hopworks. Delicious seven grain stout - one of the grains was quinoa, so I am sure it was really good for me.

Ollie showing off his "front bum" - the cloth diapers are not entirely flattering, but they do catch the mess without the waste...

A real bummer - Thomas and I had thought we'd make it back to the Greenlee's house before bedtime, but it wasn't so. We spent a marvelous Friday night with the Dieringers - Maddie, Mia, and Monica were aflutter charming Tom. Benjamin was skeptical of us ne'er-do-wells who don't come over and play more often for him to know us. We enjoyed some fresh salmon Pat caught just the weekend before. It was wonderful just to hang out and catch up with Amy and see how much her girls are growing up! We didn't want to leave, but bedtime comes for all of us.

Saturday was another slow going morning. We enjoyed wandering over to the farmer's market, helping (more like watching) Marty with some yard work, and then a nice lunch with Mom aka baptism class. Tom & I enjoyed a visit to Powell's Bookstore downtown , a lovely building crammed with books of all shapes and sizes and topics. It wasn't much, but we enjoyed the brief time of just the two of us before the real commotion began. Dad and Uncle Ken prepared a feast of paella, and we sat down to family dinner with all 6 Fords and our attachments. We even played a game of "Celebrity".

Cole wasn't too shy with me, at least as long as I was taking an interest in playing with the collection of balls. I especially enjoyed crawling around on the floor under the tables with him. So silly!

Sunday we did not enjoy a leisurely morning, as we snuck off to church early so as to make a breakfast date with my oldest goddaughters. So fun to catch up and check out a new neighborhood restaurant serving up local fare: Toast.

Ava & Sophie - high schoolers that I still remember as babies. Not looking like babies anymore! They are so grown up.

After breakfast we headed back to Henderson St. I was giddy to share the funny story of night before. A certain someone sharted in his bath water and startled his mama who thought he was just blowing bubbles! It was so funny to note the change of reaction from a big fart we all heard to lifting the washcloth and realizing bathtime just got a little messy. I giggled and giggled, and Ollie did, too. Marty to the rescue - the tub was cleaned and ready for a refill pretty quickly. Mom & Dad joined in on the laughter, and we couldn't wait for them to arrive for a little teasing. The guys left us ladies and Ollie and Cole for some darts and pints, while we ladies enjoyed a breadbaking class with Sr. Mary Jo. We made Challah and Belgian Raisin Bread - delicious! With the ovens still warm, we popped in pizzas and enjoyed another night of family dinner, though Auggie was noticeably back at camp. No dawdling Sunday night, we all had to get rested up for Ollie's baptism early Monday morning.

Chronicles of Portlandia...Pt II

Flying in over Mount Hood - a forecast of rainy weather meant this was the closest we'd get to seeing Mt. Hood

We got home a week ago, and already the hectic pace of work has eroded the feeling of any recent time off. A good time to remember...

Day one - we sure had fun with Oliver. Dad dropped us off at Miki's, and the playing began. We enjoyed Miki and Ollie for a few hours before Marty got home from work.

Then it was off to a grown-up dinner while Grandpa babysat. The sock were Grandpa's idea - a trifle big now, but no doubt he'll grow into them!

Wish I had a camera...

So much to post about the last week - and pictures, too!  But there have been a few occasions the past week I wish I had a camera.  If a picture paints 1,000 words, then this should be a long blog post about what I can't show you with a picture - don't worry, though, I'll spare you!

 

Thursday, Oct 6th Thomas and I left for the airport...not exactly a 30 minute drive any more, so we left early.  We snoozed a little long, so we didn't leave when we planned, but we did leave at the perfect time for the unsnapped picture.  As we sped out of Miami towards Springer, we rounded a slight corner to startle a mountain lion.  A small herd of about eight or nine antelope was about 100 yards NE of the car.  Between us was a large mountain lion.  It turned toward us and started to run.  As it ran, its tail rippled out behind it, a good four feet in length.  It was moving very fast.  Clearly we were not the target, as it maintained its stride and kept moving in the direction of the mesa as we passed it.  With no trees or other cover and the sun approaching from the beneath the horizon, that kitty cat needed some protection.  Wow!  What a beauty!

 

Shortly after, I wished I could capture the whole sky of clouds before daybreak.  The sun was getting so close to the horizon, but hadn't sent that first needle of light up and over the lip of the edge of the plains.  The purples of the sky and oranges of the clouds were warming to my heart, but then the clouds went molten gold.  They possessed a unique embossed dimension, as if a play of texture and light had melted them onto a canvas of sky.  It wasn't breathtaking, so much as it made me hold my breath and wait and wait and wait for the fiery light I knew would soon burst into the picture and upset the colors of dawn.

 

There are way too many pictures missing from Friday night, when I left our camera at Miki & Marty's.  We spent the evening with three Ms and a B ~ Maddie, Mia, Monica, and Benjamin!  We had a lot of fun making dinner and hanging out and eating and hanging out and reading.  Pat & Amy were full of great stories, and the night shouldn't have had to end.

 

This past Wednesday I wished for my camera twice.  I arose early after arriving late the night before.  I was rushing out the door to be in Springer by 7 am to pick up a colleague and drive to Santa Fe for a training.  The sun hadn't risen yet, and the dawn sky to the west was a dusty purple over the mountains.  The sky was made more marvelous by the whole moon hanging over the mountains just so.  It was hard to push on, but I knew I had to get going.  I wrote about that image last year...probably will make me swoon every time!

 

On the way home from Santa Fe, passing through Las Vegas, I got that sinking feeling that comes when you see flashing lights in your rear-view mirror.  It seemed to be too far away to have been a cop I hadn't seen on the side of the road, but I lowered my cruise control a few miles per hour nonetheless.  As it got closer, I knew it would pass without incident because I could see a fire truck approaching the on ramp to the highway.  I said a prayer in my head and bumped my speed back up.  Soon another stater came up the highway from behind, though the firetruck was no longer within view back there, and the other cop was no longer in view up ahead.  The wind was blowing to the northeast, so we didn't see what was ahead until we rounded a curve of highway probably half way between Vegas and Wagon Mound.  A short cab semi had managed to put a dozen feet between it and its burning load.  A flatbed trailer of dirty looking hay bales smoked and smoldered along side the road, sooty in spots.  I slowed only enough to be cautious with the emergency vehicles on both sides of the road and blocking the left northbound lane of I-25.  A rubbernecker I hope not to be!  There was about half a mile of traffic already backed up in the southbound lanes, and people were craning their necks and cameras and phones to see what was happening up and around the curve of the highway.  As we continued, I thanked God not to be driving south and continued to watch the smoke billowing away from the truck in my rear-view mirror.  It looked smokier from a distance than it had up close, or possibly the fire truck had arrived and was being put to use.  A wildland truck from Wagon Mound and an NMDOT truck with a water tank approached from the north.  No telling when traffic was reopened.

 

There it is...a wordy camera of sorts...

 

Chronicles of Portlandia...

Our time in Portland is numbered...hours - minutes - seconds...can't take it with us! Thomas and I have been having fun, and though we joke about our time being all planned out, we've enjoyed a little down time...emphasis on little. Thursday we arrived in the afternoon. Our drive from Denver was slightly delayed by a need for extra sleep, but we made it to the airport and through security with plenty of time to wolf down our lunch and go to the bathroom. Our flight was rather uneventful, except for the loud father/daughter who had an unplanned reunion on the flight and talked unceasingly about rather trivial and personal matters loud enough for everyone to pen their biographies....oh yeah, and the turbulence that nearly caused me to give up the lunch I enjoyed. Otherwise, rather uneventful... But when that flight ended, the bliss began. Dad whisked us away to see the newest member of our family. It wasn't long before he woke up from his nap, and since then it has been almost non-stop cooing and smiling and giggling. Granted Ollie has a pretty strong sleep schedule, so every hour and a half or so, he abandons us for the snuggly dreams of his sleep sack. But he has given me lots of smiles and made my day! To be continued...