Sunday Eve, On the way home

     We are at the in-laws house and on our way home.  We stopped off here and have 5 hours to drive tomorrow.  We will get up early.  D#2 still has an additional 2 to get to her house so we did not want her in a car for 9 hours of driving tomorrow.  D#3 is already home as she brought her own car.
    
     It was a beautiful Wedding.  Our Niece is a twin that was born 6 weeks before Franka.  She was so beautiful.  After Franka passéd away and I graduated from college I went down to help her mother and work for her father.  Mom had 5 little girls all under the age of 5.  I was able to help nurse the twins having no baby of my own.  It really helped the pain and I have always had a special place in my heart for these two girls.

     We had such a good time at the dance after the Wedding.  Hubby's folks at 85 out danced us all.  They won the longest married dance at 65 years. I got to dance with my girls and grandson who was by the way very cute.  We then crashed at a hotel.  One of our nieces, the brides older sister came into town with her 5 children and her husband followed in a car as he had cows to milk. His car blew a head gasket and is not worth fixing, but how to get him back to the ranch 2.5 hours away for morning milking.  Niece had two sons that had a rabbit showing the next day.  So our son-in-law took nephew back to his ranch and then drove back to Twin falls and missed our day in Boise at the Zoo.  But family takes care of family and he was the only one headed that direction that had a way to get his wife and son home. (us)  They were very grateful.

     We were driving back to the hotel and a light came on in the car.  Daughter was driving as she knows Boise better than we do.  We pulled over and had a flat tire.  It is dark, cold, we have on Wedding clothes and heels.  Hubby is in a suit.  We have to take everything out of the back to get to the spare.  Hubby could not get the tire on and D#1 had to sit on the ground in her dress and panty hose and high heels to help push the tire onto the bolts.  Too funny unless you were the daughter.  Anyway and adventure to be sure.  We took the tire in to the dealership the next day and because we have an all wheel drive vehicle.  We had to buy 4 new tires just like we did less than a year ago. If you ruin a tire on an all wheel drive or 4 wheel drive and you have more than a certain amount of wear you replace all 4 tires.  So 406.00 later we went to the Zoo.  I am now just shaking my head.  Why do I try!  Because I do.

     We drove onto Twin Falls Saturday night.  Oldest sang in church on Sunday, Hubby played the viola and I played the piano.  It was arrive at the church 10 minutes early find the only piano not in use in the gym and run through the song and wing it.  Daughter does not have a piano.  She will inherit my mother's baby grand so she has not bought one  In our family one does not live without a piano.  Actually in our immediate family one does not live without an orchestra.  It was nice to play again as a family.  No one knew who we were.  Daughter said  we were her band.  Someone asked if I was her friend,  No I am her mother.  Grandson who was an angel all day at the Zoo was a poop in church. Can you believe that?

     I came home from church and fell asleep on the floor of the living room and slept for 3 hours.  Oh I forgot to tell you I have a terrible case of laryngitis.  I mean for 3 days now no one can hear a thing I say as nothing comes out but squeaks.  I feel fine.  I have a little cold but I don't feel sick at all.  This happens about once a year and when I get it I am out of my voice or about 7 days.  It is weird.  My kids say they have never met anyone else that gets laryngitis like I do.  It is one of my better talents.

     Saga continued:

     One of the many part time jobs I had added while we lived in this older bunk house was teaching dance for the University.  It was not an intended job.  But like most things just fell in my lap.   Our eldest daughter had been taking dance through a pilot program they ran through the   National Arts Foundation.  They sent a professional instructor down 3 times a week to teach ballet. This was back before cell phones and long distance calls were expensive.  Especially intra state phone calls.  I was always available to help at all performances as I had keys to buildings and theaters because I was employed by the school district plus I grew up knowing the ropes.

     One particular winter we had an abnormal amount of snow in our town which usually gets no snow.  In fact I remember that winter we would cross country ski out our back door and all over the neighborhood almost every day for 2 months.  It was so much fun.  We also had a doctor from the National Health service come to our house and ask to use our 4 wheel drive pickup to go get his nurse so he could get out to the reservation.   He had moved in down the street and was snowed into his drive way. He was from California and did not realize you don't live in this country when you have to leave town with out a 4 wheel drive.   Yes a complete stranger comes to our door with a Health service card and papers and takes our truck for 3 days until he could get his own Jeep.   This is the way we live in the Northwest.  But I digress.

     Snow made it impossible for the teacher to get down from the University.  Most professional dancers came to the U of I for its Masters in Dance.  They did not drive until they moved to Idaho and certainly were not going to drive the Palouse during a snow storm.  I would drive the Dakotas before I would drive the Palouse during a snow storm.  So the director would call me when they cancelled classes to call all the students locally .  I would do this so they did not get huge phone bills.  I would also go down and put a note on  the doors of the studio.   This went on for a week.  The second week I asked the director how she was going to do all the make up classes?  Wasn't this going to cost them a fortune?  She was worried as dance instructors are paid even when the weather is bad.  So I said I had a very strong dance back ground and two degrees I could go in as adjunct faculty and sub under the University's guidelines. At first they just let me do beginning level classes but it became obvious very quickly that I could teach the advanced levels.  This was great as I could work off the tuition I owed for my daughters lessons and we always were looking for a way to make ends meet.

     The year following I was given 3 classes one night of the week and also cleaned the studio and subbed when needed.  I loved it.  I am a passionate teacher and love my students.  I also love to choreograph.   After teaching for a year.  My classes grew.  In fact they were huge.  Any class I taught became full and I was asked to teach another night and then another.  This was great.  I had two girls in dance and classes would have been more than I could afford.  Teaching early in the morning for the school district and then several nights a week for the University plus the plays, and other schools and cleaning and sewing was just too much.  The University's director wanted me to discontinue with the school district and come on full time with them.  It was an idea.  Our oldest was a Sr.in High school by this time.  I was seriously considering.the offer.

     The busyness of my life did not help our finances or my domestic skills.  The house we lived in was old and needed constant repair.  Enter Richard.  Richard as a retired licensed electrician.  He was a workaholic and  so was I.  He loved our family and we loved him.  He wanted to rewire our house badly.  I was always very careful to make sure I paid him what all parts would cost.  He rewired that 3 story home for $800.00 cost.  I wrote a play with music for the school district that was performed by several schools for $800.00 to pay for this.  Then I helped him pull the wire.  Because he was right next door we worked on several projects in his house and ours.  It was a mutual work schedule.  He always said it was fun to work with someone that could anticipate what was gong to happen next in a project.  I sewed and recovered furniture for him.  Custom made all his drapes, and beddings.  Redid the inside of his camper and also cooked.  He hated  to cook and eat alone.  I love to cook and hate to clean up:)  But I had to have dinner every night for Hubby and kids either before or during our busy lesson and play schedule. He either ate with us or came over a got a helping  of what we were eating.  It was a mutual agreement.  But I still know he got the short end of the stick.

     Richard hated our kitchen.  It was old.  He wanted the back yard fenced for the little girls.  He wanted me out of the basement.  He must have suspected I was having problems as he was always harping about the light and conditions I was working in.  But we did not have the money to redo our house.  He had unlimited assets and time.  Again I just did not want him working on our house unless I had the money or the time to trade services.  We had lived next to Richard for 5 years.  He had taken vacations with us and our extended family.  Everyone loved him.  He was such a blessing.  I really don't know what I would have done without him during these years.

     My sister was so good to my girls and to me.  She constantly sent clothing and gift certificates.  She bought all the kids school clothes.  She paid for my travel. My kids lessons, their trips to Europe.  She was Auntie Kay Clause.  Our Christmases were over the top because of my sister. She was still upset with my lack of full time work and with the constant pregnancies.  But she loved me enough to overlook my madness.  My sisters had come out to visit me when my younger sister had her 20 years class reunion. They stayed over at Richards, my house was full of kids. (cousins)  This is how it was two houses one big family.  Richard was still harping on the kitchen and getting the shop out of the basement.  I now looking back realize that the sewing business was my best income and so did he.  He wanted that shop on the main floor out in the sunlight.  He talked to my sisters and they agreed that it needed to be done.  I should bite the bullet and do this.

     Richard could be very persuasive, almost pushy.  He was getting somewhat domineering but we overlooked this as he was over 70.  I just remember my twin sister telling me to be careful. She had no reason or logic to caution me with, just a feeling.  Richard had about the same feeling toward my husband as my mother did.  (He cold drop off the face of the earth tomorrow and it would be okay, but for right now he would be tolerated)  He was always polite until he convinced me to remodel the kitchen.

Cont:

     I need to go to bed and I have a long day tomorrow.

Kim