Tag Archives: Life

P.S.

by nebraskawheatie

P.S. There were no noisemakers coming from this house last night. I think the day has come before I was ready! However, the new year still made its way into our world. Happy January 1, 2012!

Now, for a little interesting information to pass along. I have been posting since August. Yesterday, WordPress sent a note to inform me of the top rated blogs since that very first one. I thought maybe this would be of interest to you – my dear, loyal readers:

#5. “And I wonder why it takes me so long to get back in the groove!” – September 2011

#4. “The visible results of the 2011 Missouri River Flood” – November 2011

#3.” When can I breathe?” – October 2011

#2. “My first posting on my brand new blog” – August 2011

And the #1 read posting goes to:

“On the road…again“-  August 2011

So…if you’re really bored today, check them out and see why so many read these particular posts. Have fun! 🙂

Happy New Year!

by nebraskawheatie

We’re about to say goodbye to 2011 and ring in a brand new year. As I look back on the past year, I think about how each day brought new challenges and joys, bad days and good, lots of miles under the ‘ole belt and a new son-in-law. 2012 is anxiously being anticipated. One thing is for sure, there will be changes.

New Year’s Eve has never been a big deal to me and Jim. Most years it seems the girls (whichever ones are here) and I sit in front of the tv watching the ball drop. We quickly run to the kitchen, grab a couple of pans, spoons and start banging on them to make noise – lots of noise – to bring in the new year. And to help make them feel like they’re doing something special while everyone else in our little piece of the world is having fun. They enjoyed it – I enjoyed it. We usually had a meal of finger food and sparkling grape juice.

The day is coming, though, when I won’t have anyone to run outside with me and the “noise makers”. I’ll miss that. I’ll miss the traditions of this night when the final girl has realized there’s more to the night than what they’re used to. I hope one day, they will look back on the New Year’s Eve’s of the past and smile. Maybe even grab a pan and a spoon. head out the door and start ringing in the new year. I love that I’ve been able to share these past Eve’s with the girls, having our own special way of celebrating and looking forward to the new year ahead of us.

I expect your 2012 will be filled with good days and bad (just like any year). I pray the bad days are made a little easier with the help of family and friends and the good ones are so awesome you HAVE to share them with family and friends! Happy New Year!

A little biased

by nebraskawheatie

Today I am going to brag on my daughter’s blog (Jenna aka Yensy Photos). Check out her gift of photography by clicking on the link below:

http://yensyphotos.wordpress.com/

 

The PERFECT Tree

by nebraskawheatie

The above picture is the end result of an afternoon spent looking for the PERFECT tree!

After what seemed to be an untraditional Thanksgiving weekend due to Grandma being in the hospital, it ended on a holiday note.

Grandma is doing MUCH better! After watching her struggle for every breath for a couple of days, it appears she’s progressing well enough to be moved out of ICU tomorrow. Thank you for the prayers! Once again, I am reminded God IS in control!

I LOVE Christmas! And will try to do all I can to enjoy it as long as I can. The tradition of getting the Christmas tree up and decorated over Thanksgiving weekend began long ago in our household. After growing up with an artificial tree for most of my childhood, I decided that when I got married, I would have a real one. My tree of choice is a cedar tree from a local farmer’s pasture. Through the years, it has been Jim’s job to find the tree. He would take the older girls along with him while I stayed home with the younger ones. As the years have gone by and the kids have grown, we all go. Our tradition is being carried on through the newly established Hermesch household.

We headed for the pasture yesterday afternoon. The temperature was a little on the “nippy” side but the sun was shining. If you didn’t have a hat and mittens, you certainly would have been wishing for them. The brisk air definitely helped remind us that Christmas is just around the corner. Hey…at least we didn’t have to walk through snow!

 

Curt & Jamie found their tree first.

Some years, it takes us forever to find the PERFECT tree. There’s usually too many decisions and you never know if the one beyond will be better than the previous one spotted. By the time the PERFECT tree is found, we’ve walked further away from the pickup than you would have ever guessed.  This means that all the hills you’ve just gone up and down will have to be retraced dragging a tree. It tends to be a good workout!

“Give me the saw, Taylor, this one’s mine”. Jenna

We ended up finding four trees – one for us, Curt & Jamie, Jenna and Taylor. It’s just fun carrying the Christmas spirit into your own little world (bedroom).

This is our PERFECT tree!

 The PERFECT tree is always in the eye of the beholder. And, through the years I’ve found that even the not-so-perfect tree will look beautiful once it is decorated. Our trees tend to become a part of the family (silly, I know) and are dearly loved. The Christmas music is turned on while we put on the lights and the decorations. The girls make sure their special ornaments are put on year after year – as do I. It wouldn’t be right not to put on the same ones that we’ve always put on. Once decorated and boxes are put away, we turn off all the lights and admire our newest member of the family. Magically, the tree has become more than a tree. As far as we’re concerned, it grew in that pasture specifically for the purpose of providing us the memories of searching for it and becoming a part of our Christmas traditions. It’s so hard to take it down when Christmas is over. Probably because that means one more year of Christmas tradition and memories have come and gone. For now, though, welcome to the family dear PERFECT tree!

It wasn’t supposed to be like that.

by nebraskawheatie

Thanksgiving…a day of family, food and memories. That’s how it’s supposed to be!

Yesterday morning, Jim’s mom called me early to let me know she wasn’t going to be able to attend our Thanksgiving meal. She and I had talked the night before and I knew she wasn’t 100%. I could tell she was out of breath. Yesterday morning, though, she was a lot worse. Worse enough that I woke Jim up and told him he had to take her somewhere for help. He didn’t even argue with me. He got up, got dressed and called his sister. Here’s an instance of seeing how God works in our lives. Maureen (Jim’s sister) usually has a house full on Thanksgiving. Not this year. She had Thanksgiving on Sunday (a little weird, I thought) and wouldn’t be celebrating on Thursday. So, when Jim called her, she was able to drop everything and head to Omaha with him (without leaving food preparations and a house full of people). God is so good all the time!

Our meal was supposed to be ready at 12:30. It was placed on hold until further notice. Our crowd was slim as Jamie and Curt were in Kansas with Curt’s family. Jim wasn’t there and neither was his mom. So, those of us that were here just sat around the kitchen table and in the living room watching tv. The time seemed to drag. Once in a while Jim would call with an update. Finally, at 1:00, he said he’d be home at 2:00 to eat. The cooking began, once again. At 2:00, Jim called and said he didn’t feel like he could leave the hospital and we were to go ahead and eat without him. We said our grace and began feasting. It sure didn’t taste as good as it should have. As I was staring at my plate, I got to thinking about the previous years and it hit me – this was the first time in over 30 years that I hadn’t been sitting at the table on Thanksgiving with Jim. Weird. He was where he needed to be. We all missed him. He showed up – about 3:30 – with information about Grandma. She was in ICU and was resting but had a very tiresome day. Her Thanksgiving included a lot of poking, prodding and testing. The doctor diagnosed the shortness of breath was due to fluid built up around her heart and in her lungs (as a result of congestive heart failure). She was wore out from struggling for every breath she took. How often do we take that next breath for granted? All the time. Makes me want to take a DEEP breath right now!

(The girls in their after turkey coma state)

God prepared us for yesterday even before we realized why. Grandma is still in ICU but is resting more comfortably. Today, she was tired but thankful for the company she had throughout the day. I hope she rests well tonight and knows that God is watching over her. Thanksgiving wasn’t supposed to be like that. We were supposed to celebrate the day just like we have every other year…

A day full of thanks and giving

by nebraskawheatie

Today is one of those days that we can all sit around the table and give thanks for whatever we’re thankful for. My thanking would be way too long. What I’m most thankful for, though, is the time I have with my family – ALWAYS!  We’re not together like we used to be all the time so when we are, I never want it to end. My heart goes out to those of you who are missing family members today – and every day. The pain of not having them at your Thanksgiving table hurts.

Not going to write much today as I’m trying to get our feast prepared and I’m sure you have more things to do than look at the computer. So, I’m going to post two videos. The first one is Adam Sandler and his turkey song.  It will always be a tradition of ours simply because when we would go to Jim’s sister’s house for Thanksgiving, this is the one song we were guaranteed to hear on the radio. The lyrics are a little to be desired in places but that’s Mr. Sandler for ya! The other video is of Callie and one of her many songs that she “belts” out while playing her guitar. Enjoy and Happy Thanksgiving!

It’s official – I’m getting OLD!

by nebraskawheatie

No school today…ALL day. I say this because the kids usually have to go to school at least 1/2 day the day before Thanksgiving. For whatever reason, they had a full day off today so, by gosh, we’re going to take advantage of it!

Callie’s been studying and studying to take the written Nebraska driver’s test. She’s 14, so she’s eligible to drive to school. However, she’s required to have the learner’s permit first. We went to the DMV office this morning. Poor girl, I could feel the butterflies in her belly the whole way there, while waiting in line and while talking to the nice-lady-behind-the-counter. It was finally time to take the test! About half way through, the computer decides to unexpectedly stop. I happened to still be in there talking to the nice-lady-behind-the-counter when this happened and, of course, heard them saying, “this has never happened before”. Times like this seem to be reserved only for the Zeorian’s! The issue got fixed but it meant Callie had to take her picture again after learning SHE PASSED! The last one of the four girls is now legal to be behind the wheel of a car. If that doesn’t make your hair a little more gray, I’m not sure what will.

Because Jamie had the day off work too, she was also at the DMV office to get her name officially changed from Zeorian to Hermesch. Jamie will be 26 next month. Do the math…12 years between my oldest and my youngest.  When Jamie was a senior in high school, Callie was starting kindergarten. The name change on her driver’s license was the last piece of I.D. that needed to be taken care of. Jamie’s visit to the DMV wasn’t an easy one either. She started at the Douglas County DMV with her certified marriage certificate from the State of Florida.  She got there early this a.m. only to encounter a not-so-nice-lady-behind-the-counter. She was told that even though she can change her Social Security number with the certificate via the US Federal Government, it was not enough for the name change on her Nebraska driver’s license. “You must call the county office in which you were married and get more information before I can take care of this for you”, she was told by the not-so-nice-lady-behind-the-counter. She calls me because she’s frustrated beyond belief. I don’t blame her! A brief thought enters my head, “tell her to go to the Sarpy County DMV”. So, I did and she did and she encountered a nice-man-behind-the-counter who had no issue with the certified marriage certificate and took care of the issue for her. Hmmm……..interesting, huh?

Back home now. The sun is shining and two girls are a little happier than they were a few hours ago. Callie got to drive home – on the highway with rock trucks and a speed limit of 60 mph. I’ve been through it three times already so I’m convinced that I’ll make it through one more time. What I’m not so sure of, though, is Jamie being officially un-Zeorianed (the BEGINNING of a new trend in this family, I’m sure).

 

94 years of life

by nebraskawheatie

My Grandma turned 94 on Saturday. This means she was born in 1917.

1917…so many years ago and so many changes she’s experienced. I didn’t go visit her on her birthday because I assumed she would have a lot of other company there helping her celebrate. Taylor and I went to see her yesterday and found out no one was there on her special day. That was the beginning of several “twangs” I felt in my heart and my stomach. I should have been there! Grandma’s level of anxiety is so much less when there’s not so much activity in her room and in her life. Too many at one time overwhelms her because she can’t see very well and she can’t hear very well. She wants to be an active participant in the conversation and can’t focus when there’s more than one conversation happening.

Yesterday, while Taylor and I sat there with her, Grandma was in a very chatty mood. She smiled a lot and offered stories I had never heard before. I told her about going to Lincoln on Friday night to watch Taylor at All-State Choir. She asked what songs they sang and the only one I knew she would know was “My Country Tis of Thee”. She smiled from ear to ear, “Really? My Country Tis of Thee?” and then broke out in song. It was a moment that melted my heart! I really didn’t know Grandma liked to sing. She said she sang a lot as a kid and whistled all the time. Really? That’s Taylor! Whistling all the time. And in shrill notes that aggravate the heck out of me! Grandma told us the story of whistling really loud each time she had to go out and call the cows in. The cows got to know her whistle and when they heard it they’d know she and her dog were on their way. This brought tears to my eyes. My Grandma was once a little girl – someone who sang and whistled and enjoyed being with her 9 brothers and sisters. It was at this moment that I wished that I could have one of those days that I mentioned in a previous posting. A day that would take me back in time to allow me to see my Grandma as a little girl and view the simplicity of her life at that time.  Grandma can’t whistle anymore. When she got dentures, the dentist took away her whistle. When she told us that story, it was Taylor who started to cry. Whenever Taylor whistles, I will probably still get agitated with the shrillness, but it will forever take on a whole different feeling – I will think of my Grandma.

Grandma also told of the time that she (as a 5 or 6-year-old girl) had to go up on stage for a school play. She could STILL remember her line. It goes something like this:

When I got up on stage, my heart went twitter pat, twitter pat.  I heard someone in the audience ask, “Who’s sweet little girl is that?”

I can picture a little blond-headed 5  year old being scared to death up on stage and Grandma said, “My heart really was going twitter pat, twitter pat”. 🙂 Grandma was once a little girl, someone’s daughter, sister, and best friend. I have always known her as Grandma.

The memories I hold near and dear to my heart include her famous fried chicken with bread and gravy, Christmas and Easter, fishing, her cookie drawer, sitting in her lap, and “fixing” her hair. When I was little, we didn’t get to go see her very often. She lived 2 1/2 hours away. But, when we did, it was the BEST! I can still remember the overwhelming feelings of sadness as I would watch her house go out of sight in the rear view mirror. I felt that same feeling yesterday.  I love you, Grandma! And I hope that one day, I’ll be a grandma just like you who unknowingly creates that sort of love in a little ones heart!

The 2nd annual November campout

by nebraskawheatie

This all began last November. Harvest was over a little earlier than usual and we decided to go camping. “We” also included the Rathe’s and their trailer house. It was a perfect weekend and having the trailer house and it’s amenities (refrigerator, electricity, furnace, Mark’s cooking, etc.) made it even better.

Last week, we decided if it was going to take place this year, the past weekend was the only time we had before Jim started back to work and it got any colder. Seems like schedules are so hard to work around! The weather looked like it was still going to be fairly nice and there was no talk of moisture. Everyone was for it and the plans were made. Everyone, except the Rathe’s. They weren’t going to be able to go which meant no trailer house and none of Mark’s cooking.

We decided Waubonsie State Park near Hamburg, IA would be our destination. Jenna and I took off with the tents and a load of wood before everyone else late Friday afternoon. She and I got the tents set up just before Jamie, Taylor and Callie showed up. The sun was going down FAST! Everyone found a job to do and the campsite was finished being set up with the help of the van’s headlights. While the girls were putting the beds, etc. together, I got a fire started. Our new home had been created and the next step was a hotdog. Jim, Curt and Abe (the granddog) showed up shortly after 9:00. It was a good thing they trailed behind as I had forgotten a couple of necessary items – like my dutch oven.

We woke up on Saturday, got the fire started again and breakfast (bacon, eggs and pancakes) prepared. I had an enamel stock pot that remained on the fire grill constantly for hot chocolate. The day was beautiful for the middle of November – lower 60’s. Friday night’s low was probably 40 degrees or so. No one complained of being too cold but the fire sure felt good. The Nebraska/Penn State football game was tuned in on Curt’s pickup at 11:00. Jim and Curt didn’t move from their chairs…much. The girls and I took a little drive to nearby Sidney, IA. Later, Jamie and I went into the town of Hamburg to see if there were any antique stores. There was a store but it was getting re-stocked after being evacuated in May due to the Mighty Mo flooding. The owner very emotionally recalled the past five months of dealing with the flood waters and how it changed the course of the river and the people.

The rest of the day was spent around the campfire. A couple of times, Callie and Taylor entertained us with their lovely music via the guitar and ukulele. Their fingers would get too cold so it didn’t last very long (unfortunately). We tried to convince Curt to break out his harmonica but it didn’t happen. The day went into night fairly fast.

The second night was as nice as the first and no complaints of being cold. On Sunday morning, we fixed breakfast and decided it was time to go on a hike through the woods before packing up camp and heading for home.  We may be crazy for camping this time of the year but we’ve got to take advantage of these times when we can. We had a great time and I hated to see the weekend have to come to an end. We have decided, though, it will be an annual event and Curt volunteered to make the t-shirts. LOVE IT!

To see more pictures of the weekend, go to our Zeorian Harvesting & Trucking Facebook page.

Saturday morning in our tent.

Abe was constantly trying to rearrange our woodpile.

Warming up with hot chocolate and tea.

Most of the trees had no leaves so they made this one really stand out!

Jenna taking a catnap.

We didn’t see much of Taylor all weekend. She wasn’t feeling good and spent a lot of her time in the tent.

Saturday night – cooking by flashlight.

Sunday morning.

Sunday morning breakfast.

It was really cold standing on top of the bluff we hiked to.

The view from on top of the bluff. Most of this valley would have been under water this summer.

Jenna carrying through with her “jumping” posts. Nice hurdle, Jen!

Taking a break.

Tearing down camp. No more tent.

A day for heroes!

by nebraskawheatie

This is a picture of me and my two “little” brothers – Mark is on the left and that’s Matt on the other side.

Veterans Day…A day to remember the men and women who have sacrificed so much to keep me and my family free and living in the country we love so much. Thank you to all Veterans out there!

I really feel like someone who has been involved in our military should be thanked more than just today. How many of us actually walk up to someone in uniform and thank them? I witnessed this quite a few years ago when my “little” brother took me to the airport and sat with me until the flight was ready to leave.

Mark always wanted to be a pilot – ever since he was a little boy. He chased that dream after he graduated from high school. Mark joined the Air Force and entered as an officer (my memory doesn’t recollect all the details very well and Mark may tell me I’m wrong but you’ll get the jest of it). I tried to keep up with each level of advancement but unless you’re involved in the military, I don’t think it really means as much. All I know is that I missed him when he was gone to boot camp and I’ve missed him throughout much of my life! Mark has a work ethic like none other – and he’s very dedicated to his country. Therefore, when he retired a few years back, he retired as a Lt. Colonel. Awesome achievement!

Mark began his career wanting that pilot’s slot. He did everything right and passed all the tests. However, Mark decided that the pilot’s life wasn’t for him when he started flying. The confinement of the plane was more than he really felt comfortable with and he went into another line of work. Now, this may look like a failure to Mark and there’s probably been days when he wished he had fought that anxiety and continued chasing that dream. However, I see it differently. Mark’s life has been one blessing after another. He has done more for this country than I know about. He was involved in things that not even his wife knows about. I used to tease him that he’s probably pretty darn important in the Air Force but to me, he’s still just my brother. I’m proud of him and all he’s done with his life! If he had gone in a different direction, he would have missed out on everything he’s gotten to experience.

Mark met his wife while he was in Oman. They’ve been married for nearly 13 years and have two BEAUTIFUL kids – Caleb and Bekah. They decided to retire in Tampa, FL. This is one detail in his life that I wish I could change. I wish he were closer to the rest of us so we could enjoy each others family and do more together.  He is the smarter one, though, living in Florida where it doesn’t snow!

Mark and his family at Curt and Jamie’s wedding in FL.

Back to thanking a member of the armed forces. I was visiting Mark and Rowena after Caleb was born. They were living in California at that time. When it was time for me to go home, he and his family took me to the airport to see me off. Mark was dressed in his military fatigues because he was going directly to work after the plane left. While sitting there, a complete stranger came up to him, shook his hand and said, “thank you”. I was so proud of him – it literally brought tears to my eyes. It was then that I realized that he WAS more than just my brother – he was my hero!  I love you, Mark, and I thank you for all you’ve done and have sacrificed! You’ve been away from your family and done more than most of us would ever consider doing. THANK YOU!

One more hero I’d like to thank is Jim’s dad. Lloyd passed away a couple of years ago but he was a hero to me too. Lloyd was a WWII veteran. He was away from home as a 19-year-old for four years. He served in the Philippines. Lloyd didn’t talk much about his time in the Army and definitely not much about the war. One story I do recall, though, was the time he contracted malaria while in the Philippines. He was nearly dead when a native found him and carried him down the mountain. I often times think about how very different my life would have been had he died. It would have meant no Jim and no beautiful girls that I so proudly call mine. Isn’t it interesting how God knows what’s supposed to happen before any of the rest of us do? Lloyd’s generation is referred to as “The Greatest Generation” and they truly are!