And what do I title this?--Suggestions?

Man, when the best moments of life are happening, you just don't have the time to blog to do it justice! I gotta hurry.

Family Hay Ride 2005
So, last night the cookout was great...back of a red farm pickup truck, not too cold, goldilocks in french braid and county western shirt (she's worn to every hayride for three years), Red, still fighting a fever, and my biggest boy cracking jokes and singing corny songs, laughing his head off just like his DAD...loved by all no matter what he does, so fun to be with, always likeable.


We're singing Old MacDonald, spotting, not Mars, not a satellite, but Venus in the early evening sky. We've been calling the wrong planet the wrong name all summer, but now that we've been to the planetarium, we know and sound all smart. All of us say, in our turn, "Yup, that Venus is pretty tonight." as if we were the first to say it. When we changed directions, the kids thought it was Mars since it was on the other side of the truck.

Dog wagging tail, barking at cows, running laps between our legs, happy as a lark.

Weaving carefully through cattle in the field, or waiting for herds to move. Bumping through ditches, ducking for limbs, dew falling.


Campfire, nacho sauce...dogs and Cats eating the hotdogs.

Marshmallows falling off sticks before we could get inside with them for the S'Mores.

Sticky!

Wow. What a night.

Father & Son

Back home. Smelling like smoke. Nostalgic. Emailing a lovely friend. Feeling fine with the world. Aaah. Fall Break. Kick up the fireplace. Let's snuggle.

Then my husband sticks a big 'ole chunk of flesh flapping off his finger under my gaze saying, "I think I'd feel better with a few stitches in this."

"Well, yeah!!! I'll say! When in the world did you do THAT, just now? Getting the mail? The box is plastic?"

Apparently finding the roasting sticks earlier he had a little injury. He went in the house, quietly found a bandaid, and ate supper without a word, no complaint.

I'm like, "I cannot believe you."

He laughed and said, "Well, what good would it have done to say anything?"

We are definately not wired the same, my husband and I.

"So, you're going to the ER? You're actually going to let the ER stitch you?"

"Well. I was thinking..."

Okay...there is a problem with how this is starting right now I can tell you. Right there, with the hesitation, the pause, the "Well...".

I know from here on out, it's not looking good for me . My life is about to change. All there is to it. No arguing. No turning back. I am married to this man.

I'm just glaring at him, shaking my head, my stomach already flipping out.

"You are kidding me."

"The ER for a couple stickes? We can do it. I don't just think Red should see it."

"Well, no. I should think not. We'll wait 'til he goes to bed."

"We really shouldn't wait much longer."

"Right."

"Let him play computer."

"Okay. Go get the stuff ready. Numb it good."

"It's too close to the end of the finger for me to give it much of what I've got on hand."

So me, the finger, and Mr. Wonderful.

I wash my hands like five times...every time I touch anything, I wash again. I'm in major surgery.

He gets himself all numbed up, threads the hook...rather like a curved fish hook, shows me what I need to do, where I need to stick it to get it out the other side, anchored.

Right. Uggh. This is not happening.

It was rather like an out of body experience. I can see how health professionals block everything and do what they have to do now. You just have to.

But behind it all, I'm thinking...you are totally out of your mind if you think I'm digging into your flesh, and there is no freakin' way you are going to be happy with this even if I do what you tell me, which is highly unlikely. What am I doing? How did I wind up in this moment of my life? This is no medical emergency...I made no such vow. Alternative...ER? Man, he owes me.

I say, "Okay, plan B. YOU make the first stick where you think it should start and get it where it should come out, then I'll release the clamps on the hook, pull it out for you, and you tell me how I'm supposed to tie it off with this stuff. "

He's numb, right? He knows what he's doing. This is reasonable.

Good thing I lined up it as such...we have a problem with the first stitch and tearing and have to start over. Not a good moment. Visually, emotionally...not good for morale. So, we're starting over....HE's starting over. I've really not gotten involved yet except for the blotting, becoming increasingly more necessary with all the manipulation. [Yuck? You say? Do you want to read further? Well, yeah, that's what I thought!]

So, about that time, our Lego Stunt Rally boy, Red, starts demanding an audience for the last great race he just won...over and over and over. "Come here! Mom! Dad! Come see! I won! Come on! You're missing it!"

"Be there in a minute son. A little ties up here. Be right there. Keep playing!"

When no one showed up, and we just kept hollering, he came looking for us.

So, I block the kid at the door and tell him he can't come in, Daddy is working on his hand.

That is just not normal..."Daddy is working on his hand."

So, I go pacify my Lego Champ (so sorry to miss anything in the back bathroom...really!), he re-threads and makes the first "bite" and is ready for me to pull it through. (Do we HAVE to call it a "bite" Pulleease.

SoI learn to tie surgical knots with fancy tweezers, and mainly, how great an encourager my husband is under pressure...."Excellent. Now, loop twice, grab the other end, now pull nice and tight. Excellent. Loop again, grab, pull, release. Two more singles just like that one. Great. You're doing great." I could make good time on the laundry if he'd stand there and say, "Excellent" like that!

So he's the one hurt, encouraging me. Typical. Sewing earlier in the day was better. At least I was practiced up for the day! Who knew?

So, we lost the weak stitch again getting the next one. Too much tension. Had start over, again, on the one we lost once earlier. I would not make a good surgeon.

So, in the end, the finger has two strong stitches...looked like it needed more but would have compromised the strength of the other two, so we let it go with that. Thank goodness. I wasn't fond of the whole "bite" process.
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I had nightmares all night of one kind or another. Proud of myself, but not caring to repeat it! In case of emergency, if I were to remember how, I could do stitches.

So, today, back to normal, and it feels refreshingly good.

Sorting laundry so that the gas guys can get into my laundry room, again, to get the pilot light off and on. A "normal" day. Sounds normal now at least.

Hoping for a play date this afternoon with the kids and friends paying our new game "Kids Cranium Kaddo." Hopefully, no injuries or sickness, but I'm prepared for anything at this point.

Just another wild week here on the "ranch".

~Me!

PS: Oh, and I forgot the best part...he tells me later that when he went back out to the truck where he laid the roasting sticks, they were missing! His Dad had mistakenly burned them in the fire.

...and he still didn't say a word!

I tell you...it's classic.