Wednesday, going to the dump!

     I am going to the dump this morning as I have already filled the pickup with yard waste and trimmings.  The front yard is not even done yet!  I spent about 3 hours out in the yard yesterday and will try to spend a few more today.  I need to trim the entire ivy hedge out in the back yard, at least 100 feet.  It is taking over the yard. Hubs will be so happy.

     A check came from our medical account so I can pay all the medical bills from Hubs two minor surgeries.  I have to wait until next week for hub's second check to finish paying bills.  In a quandary over CC debt as it takes so long to pay and I am tired of the interest on the one card.  I am trying to figure out what to do right now, but it may be I do nothing.  I want to rearrange things to lower the interest.

     I am very sleepy, as I got up earlier today, but I will take a nap later if I need to.  I have plenty of sewing to do and I need to add to my going to mom's fund.

     So today I will trim all the ivy and get that cleaned up, I also want to clean out all the flower boxes and get them filled with new dirt.  Then tomorrow if the weather allows I will work on the pond area.  There is a couple of weeks of work out there easy before we start planting.

     I need to bake bread, but hubby has to get wheat for me out of the garage. I cannot open the buckets, I will get him to do that tonight.

cont: 
     Mom must have been really tired that summer because Sis and I would wake up really early get dressed, eat breakfast, and then go over to Burgers.  Mrs. Burger would make us wait in the garage until her kids were up and had eaten breakfast. Now what mother would let her kids leave at the crack of dawn and stay at someones house all day?  Mrs. Burger knew Mom was big pregnant and she was just the most patient, kind person.

     Every summer we took our family vacation back tot he Dakotas to see Dad's folks.  This involved getting 6 people ready and packed into a station wagon.  Of course Dad was no help.  Mom usually sewed us 3 or four matching short outfits for summer.  We always matched.  I hated that.  Off we went early in the morning of July 1st.  Of course we would have to have a flat tire around Helena Montana junction.  Dad would cuss and swear.  The spare would be flat, he would have no jack or tire iron.  Why would you check for those things, when you were taking 4 kids and a very pregnant wife 1700 miles?  We lived on the edge.  This always meant a hike (by dad) to a reluctant farmers house.  The farmer would follow dad and see the pathetic set up of kids and our poor Mother swelling before his eyes.  Farmers, and we saw many of them as kids tended to shake there head at Dad.  Soon we would be on our way, only to run out of gas sometime in the afternoon because Dad forgot to fill up.  We also did not carry a gas can.  Where was Mom in all of this?

     Dad's family drank just as much as mom's family.  There was always so much tension and fighting.  Dad's younger brother was especially awful when he was young.  We loved our cousin's and had such a good time with them.  Lots of laughs.  We kids did not like the food arrangements in the Dakotas.  There was never enough food.  Dad and mom would come stocked with groceries and these were scurried away and we were rationed what ever my Aunt decided to cook.  My brothers and sisters and I were used to eating whatever and whenever.  We were all very small and not big eaters, but we nibbled constantly.  I always felt like I was being starved to death.  Meal times were a nightmare, fighting, clawing and not enough food to go around.  My mother insisted that we be polite and dad would whisper," family get away", and we would all pile into the car after a meal and go to an A&W to get a burger.  Then he would wink at us and say, " Don't tell your Aunt."

     Uncle had a very bad temper and he swore constantly.  He especially liked the Lord's name.  This was so foreign to me.  My dad could swear, but he was selective and most of it was under his breath.  Uncle could use Jesus, as all 5 parts of speech in a sentence.  I always give credit for my very religious nature to my Uncle.  One night we were sent to bed , in an unfinished basement which scared the crap out of me.  My older cousins had been talking about hearses and singing the song,"Don't you ever laugh as a hearse goes by".  Uncle was mad about something and was pounding a screaming upstairs.  I heard him yell GOD, GOD, GOD....... over and over again.  I counted 16 times.  I knew we were going to die because he was so wicked.  I remember praying with all my heart that Heavenly Father would help me sleep.  It was still light outside and you could see the sun going down through the small basement widows.  I shut my eyes tight and the next thing I knew it was morning.  I had made it through that terrible night.  I was so grateful and never missed saying my prayers again.

     Dad's younger brother came in that morning very drunk.  He had been partying all night.  Mom and Dad were on a double roll away bed in the front room.  I remember Mom's big stomach sticking up under the sheets.  Uncle came in and started jumping on the bed.  He had one foot on either side of my mom and was jumping up and down.  Mom was screaming ,"The baby, the baby".  He would not stop and was laughing as Dad and Uncle tried to get him down, finally the roll away broke and my mom went down in the middle like a sandwich.  It was just awful.   We packed up and came home early that year.  Mom's feet were swelling so terrible.  We made it back to the middle of the State of North Dakota, and Dad took Mom into Turtle Lake to the Hospital.. I remember the women relatives clucking and fussing over Mom.  Finally Mom was given some water pills and we were on our way home.  She could not buckle her white sandals and the straps flopped behind her as she shuffled.

     Sis and I needed to get ready for camp.  We had a big long list of things to pack.  Mom kept putting it off, I am sure because she did not have the money.  Finally the day before we were to leave for camp, we got up and no Mom.  There was Grandma scrubbing the carpet beside mom's bed.  We had a new baby brother.  Grandma got us ready for camp and it was much better than mom.  She took the list and just went to town to fill it, no arguing or looking for what was cheaper or asking us to share an item.  We were packed without much fuss, yelling or guilt and the neighbors down the street took us on the 2.5 hour ride to Camp Wantanope for two weeks.  This was unusual.  We never caught a ride with people in the Rattle Snake any where.  My Mom's car was like a school bus she was always taking neighborhood kids to the pool, library, skiing, skating, you name it, but that privilege was never reciprocated. Having a baby early in that Catholic Community brought out some good in people.  A new baby was always a sign from God to be decent for a day or two.

 to be continued:

     Well I need to run to the dump to empty the truck and then get more yard work done, do a little sewing, pull some music and teach.  So I am off....

Have a great and productive day!

Kim