CAUTION! This is a lengthy – but fun – post!
It’s actually been 10 days ago that I shared with you the happenings of the Zeorian household. When I left off on the 21st, we were about to begin an adventure at a local State Park. Plans changed. Instead, we packed a lunch and headed to the “Eagle’s Nest”. The Eagle’s Nest was built quite a few years ago – when Jamie and Jenna were much smaller. Then came along Taylor and Callie. Now… it’s Brooklyn and Jillian’s turn to play and imagine and have fun.
I don’t even remember when the tarp roof finally blew off the Eagle’s Nest. Taylor & Callie played without a roof. B & J decided it needed a roof. I found an old tarp and threw over the top. When Callie came out, she said having a roof was no fun – you can’t look up through the trees and see the sky with a roof.
We were all in the Eagles’s Nest – except Taylor. She thought it was too crowded.
Our gourmet Eagle’s Nest meal.
By the smile on Jillian’s face, I think it was a success! The desk came home with us one summer from Montana. Its prior home was inside the one-room schoolhouse found on Frasier Creek. Callie used to sit at it and write story after story after story.
After we finished our lunch, I convinced B & J that it would be perfectly safe and ok to walk to the park. I told them Jamie and Jenna used to walk up there every day to go to school and pointed out the direction. They were a little apprehensive but decided it would be ok since I guaranteed them I would be up there RIGHT after I finished hanging some clothes on the clothesline. If Jamie and Jenna are reading this, I’m sure right about now they’re thinking, “Mom never did this with us”. They’re right. Life changes and things that once seemed so important then – can wait now. (I have a feeling it’s going to be a whole different attitude this second half of my life.)
See the brick school in the background? This is where Jamie and Jenna spent the first seven years of their school experience. It was nice having them so close to home. At lunch time, they’d walk home and I’d generally have a fresh loaf of bread waiting for them to eat. We ate the entire loaf every day. They were so fortunate to have the experience of a two-room school (K-3 and 4-6). The kids looked out for each other – the bigger kids helped the little ones. It was a perfect setting! Nebraska no longer has Class 1 schools. The process to dissolve these districts began while Jamie and Jenna were still attending. The first phase required our little school to merge with a larger district. We knew it was just a matter of time before they closed it entirely. This is the reason we opted to have Taylor begin her school experience in the larger district (the same one J & J were already attending). The State officially closed all Class 1 schools in 2006.
Callie was showing the girls how she used to “walk” the monkey bars backwards.
It was a good day! And, a great weekend. I hated to have to tell the little girls goodnight.
The rest of the week was crazy. I’m not even sure all that took place except that I subbed at the school a couple of days and did some bus driving, as well. I had told a harvest friend of mine that I’d TRY to get a few items created for her. Leigh has a craft show in her home every year. She creates wonderful, homemade items and invites other crafters to consign their goodies. Once her home is filled with great treasures and Christmasy smells, the door is opened to the large crowd of women anxious to shop. Each year, this event gets bigger and bigger for her – just by word of mouth. I was able to dedicate a couple of days to create a few burlap snowmen to add to her “store”.
This large snowman family was boxed, loaded and will be making their way to South Dakota within the next several days. I’m anxious to see if Leigh’s crowd will find them cute enough to purchase.
Last Friday night was an unusual outing for our family. We ALL went to the mall to “hang out” and then went out for supper. We were missing Curt. He had loaded up Abe the Dog and headed to Winner, SD to shoot pheasants with his dad. We were told, though, the next time we do this, Curt better be included. 🙂 I think he had a great time (except that Abe the Dog darted through a barbed-wire fence which required stitches – thank goodness his dad was once a vet).
Sunday evening, we made a trip north to the big city to visit Jim’s mom. I hadn’t been to see her since we got back from harvest. The last time I saw her, she was in rehab at a care center and was in a lot of pain. Mom Z. had fallen on Jim’s birthday (April 9) and broke the bone just below her hip. She’s such a trooper! She went through surgery, rehab and is now back on her feet – she’s 88 years old. Every step she took made my stomach hurt because I expected her to fall. She did not. What an amazing woman!
This catches you up to today – Halloween. Changes have occurred in this household…ones that I’m just going to have to get used to! We no longer have girls dressing up to go trick-or-treating. We no longer have the stress of getting costumes thrown together in time to get the two-hour walk through town started. We no longer have parades to show off costumes OR school parties. Where have the years gone? The day I never even dreamed would come has now come. I haven’t carved pumpkins in like a million years. Callie and I carved pumpkins late this afternoon. She did one; I did three. And then…she left. She headed for Elmwood to be with her friends. Taylor stayed in Louisville with Jamie, Curt and Jenna. Jim and I held down the Zeorian fort. We used to have nearly 100 kids come to our house many moons ago. Tonight? Less than 20. I so loved seeing the kids’ costumes. Yep…the times – they are a changing!
Brook & Jillian stopped by to show me their costumes. I made Callie join in the pic.
Our front door – which even included scary Halloween music.
HAPPY HALLOWEEN!