Chicken and Sponge

New Addition

      Well mother's day has come and gone and life on the old homefront is back to normal. As normal as it can get anyway. We took mom out to brunch yesterday and then came home to veg out. She got her usual present from Sam which is a hand made card to go along with a potted flower. A couple of cards from Miranda and I and she thought her big day was complete. Little did she know.

      Vick has been talking a while now about getting bees for honey. She is really wanting to get into the whole honey, soap making, and other crafts. Wanting to do the things that would help us make our little dent in the world self sustainable. So I went to the local bee expert and asked him for advice.

      He and his wife had quite the little business going for themselves. Mostly dabbling in mason bee hives, he also had bat houses and various bird houses. Since Vick was only interested in honey it was a no brainer to ask him what I needed to get started. Low and behold he also had a couple top bar bee hives that he had just finished making.

     After a hour of talking and me listening carefully, I was convinced that this was going to be exactly what Vick was looking for. Neither one of us has ever done anything like this but we both are interested in making our place the hobby farm we never have had. At least you don't have to find a sitter for your bees when you go on vacation!

      So for now we are going to attempt to raise bees in the hopes that it will pay off in sweet success. I'm sure with a little research and Vick buying every beekeeping book known to man we will be rewarded with enough honey to at least get a taste for everyone. Hopefully not licking the same spoon either! So for now I need to make a level as can be platform for the hive to sit on. After I complete that Vick will need to figure out where she can buy bees at. It sounds like we will be starting with about 2k bees. Do you think we should invest in a bee suit?

Summer Is early?

      I've been getting up at 1:45am every morning to go pass out papers around town. Most of my papers can be thrown in the driveway so I drive around with my window rolled down for a couple of hours. The past few days have been warm enough that I found myself taking off my flannel shirt and just wearing a tee shirt. Sure feels like summer to me.

      I know that it probably is just one of those weeks that is trying to trick us into thinking that summer has hit. It's doing a good job of it though as the temps have been in the 80's for the past week. Actually the forecast is still for mid 70's and part sun. Sounds like summer to me.

      Every morning I go out and water the garden and everything is growing by leaps and bounds. We have been eating fresh spinach for a couple of weeks now and the beets are really close to being picked. Radishes and snap peas are also close to harvest. Looks like summer to me.

      The ducks are always finding shady places to lie. Louise is enjoying the sun until she gets so hot that she comes inside and sprawls on the cool floor. The cats are even more lethargic than usual. It appears to be summer to me.

      So with all these things pointing to summer, I am officially calling the beginning. Hopefully things will continue as they are and we get to enjoy some more of this beautiful weather. It helps with the attitude and motivation for all the things that need done around here. Sure seems like summer to me.

Going In

      I have been waiting for the overnight temps to get high enough so that my vegie starts wouldn't frost out. It appears that the time has come. The forecast in a couple of days is for mid 70's with overnight lows in the 40's. Perfect for planting my broccoli, cabbage, and cauliflower starts. They have been hardening off for a couple of weeks and are looking really nice.

      Yesterday I picked my first clipping of spinach. Nice to finally have fresh grown greens in the fridge. The early beets are still growing and with any luck will be ready to eat in a couple of weeks. The snap peas are still reaching skyward and will really take off with this nice weather that is coming.

      Vick and I are still swimming 5 days a week. We are holding fast with a our routine of 1 mile on M-W-F and 1/2 mile on T-T. Every friday morning is my favorite morning of the week. It means that I get 2 days off as soon as I swim a mile. My weight is in the same holding pattern as it was a couple of weeks ago. Maybe it is due to all the oysters I ate while we were visiting Vick's folks at the beach. Among other crap! Like candy from the candy shoppe! Hard to lose weight with that yummy fudge hanging around.

      Miranda is soon to be college bound. She is constantly in motion and I never know whether she is coming or going. I don't worry about it as she is really good at letting her mom or me know what is going on at all times. I think she is pretty excited to be reaching out on her own come this fall. As a parent I feel like I have done my part to help educate her for her upcoming journey. Of course my part is only 25% of what it takes. LOL...

     Sam is our child that loves to be on the go. Her mom has always said she would be great at being a professional shopper and a restaurant critiquer. As I mentioned a couple of days ago she had her annual prom last saturday. Such a great event for all those kids to be able to go to. Seeing the fun they were having was very enjoyable. I hope it will continue for years to come.

Last saturday was the annual prom for the special ed. kids. Needless to say Sam was very excited to go. Her new prom dress arrived a couple of days before and with Miranda's help with makeup she was dressed for the nines. So glad they hold this event every year. The looks on those kids are so very special!

It's Time!

      The weather is warming(a little). The trees are budding. The roses are sending up new shoots. I've even seen a couple of hummingbirds. And now my brain is itching to get busy playing in the dirt.

      I actually rototilled my garden the other day. The sun was out for a few days and I figured I better get with the program. After tilling I spread some 16-16-16 to feed the soil. Now it is time to think about getting some starts going.

      Vick and I made a list of crops we would like to grow this year. It always seems like our list grows every year and then I have to make a decision on which ones I'm not going to plant. Just wish I had more room to plant everything.

      I do have 6 spinach plants and beets growing in my wood boxes. They grow at a slower pace with the cool weather but they are definitely doing fine. Can't wait til we can eat fresh greens out of the garden once again. Nothing better!

      So for now I will get the starter kit full and make plans for where everything is going to be placed. Just the thought of the garden makes me happier than a clam at high tide!

Tis The Season!

      Every year about this time, my family starts to wonder if I am normal or not. Myself I think that the answer is yes. Vick and miranda might debate that though. You see, baseball season has begun. I know it is preseason but that still counts in my book. The only thing I don't like about preseason is that they don't show all the Mariner games like they do when the regular season starts.

     I was lucky the other day when channel surfing and found a Mariner game on. Happy day it was for me! See I can watch the NBA at night and find at least one game of baseball on during the day. Who could ask for more than that. Except to get nachos and hot dogs delivered with a big diet coke. My wife and kid ( I say kid because Sam could care less one way or the other) doesn't understand how one could watch that much sports. My answer is how could they watch as much tv as they do, whatever it is they are watching. Watching is watching right?

      Actually they are very good and don't give me any grief over my obsession. Normally I would go to the bedroom to watch but like I said, Sam is not going to let that happen at all. I mean at all! So goes the saga of the tv.

      We are now in week 9 of swimming. At least I am and Vick is just a week or so behind. We swim 21 laps on M-W-F and 15 on T-T. Tuesday and thursday the pool opens a little later so time is why we don't swim as many laps as the other days. It feels like it is getting easier but I am still not pushing it to hard. Certainly don't want any problems because of my own stubbornness. Quit laughing Cheryl!

      The year is flying by and soon it will be time to watch Miranda fly the coop. June 1st is the big day and then she can experience the world through her own eyes. Certainly very proud of everything she has accomplished in her life thus far.

      Sam is still being Sam. Independent is the word to describe her for now. It has been rewarding to watch her blossom into a young lady (I guess I should say woman huh LOL...) and grab life as best she can. I think she will progress with each and every day.

      As far as Vick and I, we are sleep deprived zombies. We exercise daily and try eating as healthy as possible. She still works 60 hours a week and I still deliver papers in the middle of the night. We love each other immensely and that is what keeps us going and sane.

      So for now that is a quick rap up of the Shockey house. I couldn't write everything that is going on but I feel like I covered the important stuff. Let's play ball!

Sticking To The Task At Hand

      At the beginning of the year, I made my New Years Resolution like most everyone. As usual, it was the same one that millions of people make themselves, to lose weight. In the past I would make a resolution and by the end of the first week I would have forgotten all about it. For some reason this year is panning out differently then most.

      Eight weeks ago I went to the aquatic center and purchased a yearly pass for the four of us. It only made sense since Sam goes there every other week as part of her IEP and we also take her occasionally on the weekends. So instead of paying full price I decided to bite the bullet and get the cut rate cost.

      I also had a plan for myself. I figured I could trick my mind into going swimming 5 days a week since I didn't want to waste all those days of cheap rates. And I guess I wanted to help my weightloss along too. I think the latter was the real reason.

      When I started this years journey, I had a short term goal of losing 20lbs. I didn't know how long it was going to take me but I figured I would keep plugging away until I reached it. The other day I stepped on the scale and told Vick I was within 3lbs of making my goal. Boy do I really want to make it by the end of this month. I got my courage up this morning and decided to check just in case by a miracle that I had made it. 20lbs right on the button! Hooray for me!

      My next goal is 16 more lbs and when I reach that I am going to treat myself to a professional massage. I have never had one before and I know my body feels like I need one all the time. I really feel the swimming has been a huge part in this journey. Without that I wouldn't be as dedicated to this process as I am. It helps keep my food under control as I don't want to swim just to eat. I'm not Mark Spitz.

      When I was at the cardiologist 3 weeks ago I was telling him that it is hard to lose weight. He told me that the only way I would be successful would be if I quit eating starchy carbs all together. He advised that I try it for one month. Well I can tell you that he was exactly right and it didn't take a month to see the results. Diet and swimming seems to be the answer for me right now. Don't fix something that isn't broke, right. Actually I knew that all along but was to stupid to make it work. Boy am I glad I came to my senses.

      So for now I am going to keep on swimming 5 days a week and eating the same diet as I have been. Maybe by the time I visit my In-laws in Montana again I will be a good enough swimmer to just jump in instead of going in because I swamped the little skiff.

Special Moment

      I got home from delivering papers this morning and Vick informed me that she didn't want to go to the early bird swim today. That is always okay with me as I can then go at a later time giving me a chance to catch a few more zzzz's before the big workout.

      9:00 rolled around and it was time for me to get going so I grabbed my gear and headed off to the pool. As usual, at that time of the morning, there isn't very many people using the lap pool. Just the way I like it. I took off swimming the crawl on my first lap followed by the backstroke as this seems to be my new pattern to follow.

      I was on my way back from my third lap when I saw someone going by me headed towards the deep end. Didn't think much of it and when I finished the lap I peeked up to see who had joined me. Down at the deep end of the pool was a bright redheaded gal bobbing in the corner. There is only one person that I know of with red hair that would be doing that. There Samantha was in her usual spot. She spotted me right away (a strong trait of hers) and gave me that tilted head look that my sister so adores.

      As I took off for lap four I noticed that Sam was getting out and heading for the river pool. I don't know why but she doesn't like it when I am in the same pool as her. As I continued I started to think that I should get out and let her have her space back. After all , we got her these days of swimming as part of her IEP and I didn't want to interfere with her sensory time. So after lap six I decided to give way to Sam and let her have her pool back. Corny? Maybe. But I figured I could go whenever and she can't. So I motioned to her to get back in and I slid down into the hot water of the spa. Not a bad tradeoff!

      Sam went back to doing her normal in her normal spot. She was looking very content. I sat in the cooker for about ten minutes and decided that any longer and I would know what lobsters feel like. I needed to get out anyway cause I had a couple of errands to do. When I was walking to the dressing room I peered over at Sam and gave her a little wave. She looked right at me and with her cutest grin gave me a wave back. Even though she doesn't want me in the same pool as her I know she loves me. That was a priceless moment. 

Get Moving!

      This morning after my paper route I came home and crawled right back into bed. Damn it felt good. I knew it was going to be short-lived though cause Vick was going to wake me at a little after 5:00am to go swimming. We bought a yearly pass a few weeks ago and I swore I was going to go swimming for exercise 5 days a week. This morning was no different than the other mornings as I forced my way out of bed to get dressed. After gathering my swim stuff we headed out the door to the aquatic center.

      You know, it wasn't all that bad once I got moving again. See I usually get home from delivering papers at 4:30am and then getting back out of bed at 5:00 can make one rummy. I know, you are wondering why I don't just stay up. I thought about that but when I can feel the bed calling me the urge to stay up rapidly goes away. I just wish there was a happy medium some where. Oh well, such goes my life.

      We hit the swim pool on all cylinders. One to be exact as that is all we can muster between the two of us. At least at that time of the day. On went the goggles and off I went. One lap of breaststroke and when I finish that I will figure out what stroke I will do the rest with. By the time I was close to finishing the lap I was feeling pretty good. Good enough that I turned right around and started lap two with the crawl. Normally I would have to get a quick breather in before heading out for another turn but this morning I was feeling particularly stronger than the past 3 weeks of laps.

      I then started rotating laps between backstroke and the crawl. Last week we had upped our laps to 13 in about half hour. I at least wanted to do that many again. As I kept on I noticed that I was keeping pace with Vick and actually might have gained a little ground on her. That kind of energized me. Finishing the 10th lap I was curious to how long it took me. 20 minutes was all and I still had 10 minutes to go. That made me feel like I was setting the world record! I finished up with 5 more laps and exceeded my expectations for the day. The only problem with that is I will have to do at least that many every morning now. The way I felt today, I don't think it will be much of a problem.

      Swimming has proven to be a good exercise for me. It is easier on my joints and when the weather is crappy, who cares! My stamina is slowly increasing and that is something that I really want to have happen. My long term goal is to swim 5days/week and at the end of 1 year swim a mile during one session. But for now I will go as far as my body will allow for the time alotted me. Who knows, I might lose a couple of pounds in the process.

 

My Best Friend

      Sometimes when you are just putting around the house and can't find what you are looking for, who do you turn to? When there isn't soap in the shower and suddenly it appears, who do you think put it there? When you need that extra hug, who is always there for you? I know the answers to all these questions. My best friend, that's who.

      And my best friend just happens to be the love of my life. Without Vick around running the show, or at least leading the way, things wouldn't get as done as they are. I'm not talking about all the parenting duties or cracking the whip on other stuff, mainly the everyday challenge of existence. She has the uncanny knack of knowing where and when to most everything that pertains in our lives.

      I think we were fatally attracted to each other because of our astrology sign. They say scorpios shouldn't be with scorpios, but I think different. Actually it has to do with the way we both feel about life. From raising kids to working the garden, we always think on the same plane. That is something that makes my heart very happy.

      It amazes me how many times we both have thought about the same thing at the same time without even saying a word. If that isn't fate I don't know what is! One thing I do know is that she will always be my soulmate and I will be hers. Not even crowbars can seperate us. I don't tell her often enough how much I deeply love her and everything she has done for us. I'm sure her response would be the same. So for now I am going to put her way up on my pedestal and then join her when she has taken in all the limelight. I will love you forever Vick!