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This weekend my husband said to me, “I can’t believe Daylight Saving Time starts in just a week, and this year will be the last year we have to turn our clocks ahead,” to which I replied, “I don’t think that went through yet.” I had to look into it, and despite attempts to legislate out the time shift, Daylight Saving Time is scheduled to begin again for much of the United States at 2 a.m. local time Sunday. The Sunshine Preservation Act of 2021 was enacted by the United States Senate on March 15, 2022, just days after clocks were changed to...
I’m about at my wit’s end with Bob, the kitten. This past weekend I could hear him but couldn’t find him. He sounded distressed, so I searched and found him in a middle drawer in the kitchen cabinet. I don’t know how he got in there because it was a trick getting him out. Then, as I was starting a load of laundry while my back was turned, he managed to get into the washer. He could probably use a bath, but I’m not sure he would have appreciated it. My house plants may never be the same. I was just getting good at keeping them alive until he...
By Teraesa Bruce We started working on our old house and met the new neighbors to the north. They are nice folks. Pam even brought me flowers for Valentine’s Day. Her son, Kenny, has been helping George get the ancient appliances out of the basement. There is a washer, dryer, furnace and two ringer washers, none of which fit up the stairwell, so there is no telling how long they have been there. We have big plans for the little house and hope to give the ol’ gal a new lease on life. The idea is to sell her to help fund our progress in the mon...
As I was walking into the Lawrence post office yesterday, I saw a skein of geese flying overhead. To me, that says winter is almost over, and that is the best news ever! Today it is windy and chilly, and the weather liar says we are supposed to have flurries. Thankfully, it should be brief. The weekend forecast looks promising. We got a kitten to keep our cat company a few weeks back. He is a holy terror. The good Lord knew what he was doing making babies cute, if you get what I’m saying. He chases our cat, Toothless, around the house 24/7. S...
This time of year, and since I no longer have children in school, I hear from my friends less than I would like to. I received a text yesterday, “Are you alive?” The text was followed by a call, “Hey lady, how have you been? Sorry, it’s been a minute since we have talked.” We had a nice long conversation. She is always busy this time of year with work, life and the different activities her children are involved in; the most prominent at the moment are basketball and wrestling. She asked how I had been doing, and I’m not sure how I replied, bu...
We had yet another night in good 'ol Omaha. We had the boys over the weekend, and they had to be returned to Mom on Sunday. George had an appointment at the VA Monday morning. We had planned to drop the boys off, return home and then repeat the process the next day. After a bit of searching on the web, I found a motel that was cheaper than a tank of gas, and since we already had a ton of miles on the car, that is the route we took. We had stayed at this motel once before, it's clean, no bugs,...
Jacob made it safely to Texas and was surprisingly on time. He said he has been doing brain-numbing tasks and lots of PT while waiting for classes to start. Robert made it out to Pennsylvania and is headed back to the midwest as I type. I’m thankful it’s them and not me; I would be frustrated with all the “hurry up and wait” that goes on. Our kitty, Toothless, named after the character in the movie “How to Train your Dragon,” was upset when the boys left after the holiday. She walked around the house, yowling every night for the first week....
By Sorry to have gone AWOL on everyone last week. I had attempted to get my writing done over the weekend, but with all the commotion in the house, it was almost impossible. Last weekend, we finally gave up on fixing the old washing machine. Thankfully our friends had just purchased a new set and sold us their old ones. Unfortunately, while moving the dryer, it broke. So after hauling the old set out of the basement, then hauling the new set down, we swapped out a broken washer for a broken dryer. After getting over being mad at me for...
By Teraesa Bruce Our washing machine broke down. I swear if it’s not one thing, it’s another! I had started a load of laundry and came upstairs for something and noticed the smell of burnt rubber. The smell was coming from the basement, and at first, I was worried the dryer was trying to catch fire. Nope, it was the washer. Currently, it is in several pieces on the basement floor. Upon inspection, George found the pump was leaking and we could no longer get parts for the thing. Robert made it home last Tuesday evening, swishy breaks and all...
I am sitting in a parking lot at Fort Riley in front of my son’s barracks writing this. Robert tried his best to get the brakes on his truck fixed but was still having issues, and there is only so much George could do over the phone and video chat. Robert called last night and asked us to come down and help him out, so here we are. I’m happy he has learned it is okay to ask for help. I’m also proud of him for taking on the task and seeing it through. He got the line installed and has the front brakes working but the ABS is causing havoc with th...
The perfect gift By Teraesa Bruce We have all been there, searching the stores for the perfect gift. We are often left disappointed and settling on something at the last minute that’s not quite as rewarding as what we were hoping for. Sometimes, not knowing what the recipient of our gift needs or wants, we find something random and hope for the best. Or we head out shopping with a small budget divided up between all those whom we plan to purchase a gift for. All of this is okay, but isn’t there something better? This year, as well as years pas...
It’s raining! Usually, I would be down in the dumps because of the gloomy weather, but I am thankful for the warmer temperatures. It seems odd to me that it is raining in December and 50 degrees, but I’ll take it. The politicians would say it’s “climate change,” but I feel it’s simply the natural cycle of things. If I remember correctly, this area we call home was once desertlike. The past couple of weeks have been rough. I’ve been down in the dumps and swamped with emotions. I get lost in my head over all the ways I’m falling behind and then...
For the last two weeks, the house has been a chaotic mess of various piles of Christmas ornaments, garlands and wreaths. Over the years, I have accumulated tons of holiday decorations, the problem being that many of them are worn out from years of use or broken from the many times I have moved. I have also given many decorations away in years past, and I have to remind myself of that every year when I go in search of the lost decor. This year, I am taking my sweet time decorating for the holiday. I am going through every box, and every bulb,...
Here I am, last minute, sitting down to write about this week’s Crazy Life. Tuesday morning when George told me goodbye, he said, if you go anywhere today, please be careful. I took one look outside, and my decision to stay home held firm. The only plan for the day was to cover the drafty windows with plastic. We made it to California and back again. It’s all a blur, and it feels like I dreamt rather than experienced it. Flying wasn’t all that bad, although I felt like a sardine shoved into a tin can. Given a choice, I still prefer to drive...
Have you ever been so anxious you felt claustrophobic in your skin? It sounds strange, I know, but that’s how I feel right now. I’m a stressed mess! This is why I hate traveling. In case you missed it last week, we are flying to San Diego to see Jacob officially become a Marine. I have been stress cleaning, making lists, organizing and delegating all weekend, and I have yet to pack one thing into a suitcase. Why is it so hard to decide what to wear for four days? Ill tell you why, Because I’ve never been to California. Do I take sweaters or T-s...
In a week, I’ll be in San Diego! It seems crazy to me this is really happening! I can’t believe we actually pulled it off. Jacob, here we come! Man, I miss that kid! Robert called today. He is packing and getting ready to move to his new duty station. We moved a lot during his childhood, and he seems to have blocked that horror from his mind because he complained about how hard it was. I just laughed and said, “If you think moving out of your barracks is hard, wait until you have an entire house to pack.” Robert has been a bit of a pack ra...
Another crazy week for the books! Robert headed back to base on Saturday, and the house is back to that weird quiet again. During his visit home, Robert bought a fog machine for our Halloween decorations. It sounded cool, but I don’t think he was impressed with it. Most of our trick-or-treaters enjoyed it, but a few little ones were scared of it. We only have 16 days until we head to sunny California to see Jacob graduate. I am so nervous. I flew once when I was young, and all I remember of the experience was the clouds. Airports are nothing n...
It’s been a busy week. Robert rolled in Thursday evening. He is on leave, and I get to keep him for a whole week. I’m so happy to have him home. We picked up Jack and Nicholas on Friday, and it was a nice change to have the house alive over the weekend. It’s too quiet without the kids. I do admit, though, the quiet is not always that bad. I got a letter from Jacob today, and he says Camp Penelton is H-E double hockey sticks, but he is pushing through. He also said being squad leader sucked! He hasn’t received any mail since he got up there a...
By Teraesa Bruce I’m so excited we were able to purchase our airline tickets to go to San Diego for Jacobs’s graduation. I honestly didn’t think it would happen, but it is. Speaking of Jacob, he is doing well, with no more accidents or illnesses to report. He was made squad leader, and that’s a pretty important job, I guess. He said he hopes he doesn’t get fired. They also got their names sewn on their uniforms, and he said they are all looking pretty sexy. LOL! I miss that kid and his sense of humor. Lately, the world feels like it is tumbli...
Will Dougherty has loved Raider football for a long time. He dreamed of playing on the team one day, but his condition does not allow for that. Will was born with a pineal cyst in his brain, so any activity where he could receive a head injury is out of the question. When Mr. Blevins came up with a plan to allow Will to score a touchdown, the entire team was behind him. Or, in this case, in front of him. In anticipation of this, Mr. Blevins officially added him to the team roster at the start...
It’s been yet another crazy week, hence the title. We no longer have holes in our front porch, and the priming of the house has begun. I’m running out of days to paint, but I am hopeful the front porch area will be completed by the end of the month. It’s been so long since I picked out the paint colors that I was pleasantly surprised when I got them out of storage and took a peek. By fixing the front porch floor, George acquired about three square feet of extra space in the barn. That was not exactly what he was hoping for, LOL! He is now w...
What a week, or weekend I should say. I forgot my age again and volunteered for a project that took twice as long as I’d expected. If you remember, awhile back, I wrote an article about Lowell Tuma, who was renovating a house here in Nelson on First Street. Well, he is finally ready to list the home on the market and needed someone to clean up the construction mess and make it look shiny and new. Me being me said, “ I can do that.” Once upon a time, 20 plus years ago, I did that type of work all the time. I cleaned homes, and I did const...
I left a window open and woke up in a chilly house; it was a brisk 53º downstairs. No wonder I’m still feeling under the weather; this time of year always gets me. With harvest starting, my sinuses will surely be full through the new year. I got a surprise visit from my oldest last night. It was so unexpected and wonderful. I found it funny that he popped in for dinner and washed a load of clothes like a normal kid. That’s never happened before. I miss him so much; he is only a couple of hours away, but it is still hard to get a visit between h...
I got a letter from Jacob Friday, who has an ear infection and pneumonia. I hope he is all better now since I have not heard otherwise. Monday was the beginning of Swim Week for his company. All I can say is he better do well with this one. After all, we have spent the last six years preparing for it. LOL! I woke up last Thursday with croup. I get it almost every year around this time. Hate it! I am feeling better, but mornings are still tough. And that horrible hack lingers around for what seems like an eternity. Between that and getting...
I got letters from Jacob yesterday, not the standard letters, but actual letters! He wrote across the top of one in giant print, “I LOVE YOU!” That made my day! I thought the days of the kids’ scribbles on the refrigerator were over for now, but maybe not. This mama’s heart is happy. I’ve been cleaning out the garage in preparation for community yard sales, which are coming up. Who knew one family could have accumulated so much unnecessary items. I have promised myself that whatever I place on the sale, and does not sell, will not come back...
