All the books, talks, mentors, schedules, vacations, and plans will not make up for work.  That old unglamorous notion somehow never loses power.  It's how God made us, I guess.

My life has been a ruckus lately.  Decisions and situations can't stop throwing me curve balls, and I'm not a good aim.  It's been easy to excuse getting behind every day.  And people are so understanding.  Truth is, though, I haven't given good ol' work enough credit.

Well, nature has been too generous to ignore, so even after an errand that stretched three hours too long, I had to get Eddy and me outside.  There was much to be done, and no more snowy excuses!  It was work.  Try keeping a 3.5-year-old boy on task with a good attitude, and you'll know it was work.  But somehow I knew it would turn out right.

Of course, sun, fresh air, and natural beauty played their parts well.  But theirs were not the only parts.  Somewhere in that buckle-down consistency rose a steadiness, which emerged into pleasantness.  That soon became happy determination, and out of nowhere popped grand satisfaction in a job done -- and done well.

Freedom and fun gained their color!  Excitement got new batteries!  And our little team was nicer to each other, having helped each other finish, being on the same side again.  Never has something that looked so stern when approaching, turned out so kind and helpful.  Then again, maybe that has happened before...when I met God.

He made us well.  No matter what mess we've made of this world, turn back to how you were intended, and you'll still see glimpses of how things were...in the beginning.

Eddy and I went to Grandpa Peter's and Grandma Linda's house a little while ago.  We had a great time!  (sorry, no pictures.  I had to take them with dad's camera, and haven't retrieved them yet).  We said 'hello' to the horses, tried to find the kitty, played with the dog, ate the ever present grandparent treats, watched some cartoons and looked at old pictures.  In short, we did all the things you'd expect when visiting grandpa.

But I noticed something interesting while I was there.  Their dog, Hoppis, (small grey Scottish terrier, middle aged, but with lots of energy) acts exactly like Eddy!  Actually, I should say it the other way round, since the dog is at least  twice Eddy's age.

I was trying to get a shot of Hoppis.  It was very difficult because once you put Hoppis somewhere, he immediately runs up and sniffs you or licks your face.  So does Eddy (substituting hugs and hair-holding for the sniffs and licking, of course).  I tried to get a decoration out of Eddy's grasp and he immediately pulls it away.  So does Hoppis!  They both love TV.  They both love playing wildly with toys.  They both love running fast outside.  They both love running up and down stairs.  And they both love eating!

Eddy and Hoppis were inseparable almost the entire time.  They stole each other's toys, they chased each other, they hugged and kissed each other, they ventured into the barn together.  They were two peas in a pod.  Often we adults would sit and watch Eddy and Hoppis run round and round in a circle, chasing each other and having a grand time.  Kinda makes me see one reason why people get dogs...

...not that I'm going to get one.  He gets along with Hoppis well enough =)

Finally the sun came out and the air warmed up.  The breeze scattered colorful leaves across paths and in front of everyone's eyes who chose to notice.  Apparently most people missed the weather forecast, because Eddy and I were nearly the only ones out to enjoy the perfect day.  That made it all the more perfect.

I dusted off the long ignored but beloved bicycle and Eddy's trailer and gathered together so many miscellaneous items involved in a ride.  There sure is a lot to these things!  Helpful Eddy wandered around finding things for me, until he became Patient Eddy, as he sat in the trailer and watched me run in and out and around with all the other things I forgot.  Air pumped, adorned, packed and ready, we crunched our way to the road and whizzed out of sight...of home, that is.

Down a long easy hill to quaint Afton, then around in circles until we found the beginning of the St. Croix River Trail, a bike path we've admired since moving here.  It was prettier than we'd thought, weaving in and out of woods and over creeks.  Leaves beneath, all around, and hanging over us became that shadowy mysterious world we visit every now and again, when our mind allows us.  Eddy called it the "dark tunnel," and enjoyed it immensely.

We re-emerged in the sun and on to the bridge crossing the St. Croix.  Here came the most majestic part of our day.  Right along the edge of the bridge and moving at a leisurely, look-around-you pace, we were able to take in the fullness of our River.  All those sparkles, that span, the walls of multi-colored trees from where the tiny docks poked out.  It made me swoon.  I unwisely stopped on the highway bridge and took a picture. I couldn't help myself.

The cool bike trail switched back at the end of the bridge and curved right under the highway on the other bank, rejoined the road, and turned to head right into historic downtown Hudson.  After many more picture stops, lessons in patience for Eddy, and a giant hill, we made it to the store.  It severely lacks a bike rack, but otherwise our errand went well.

Across town, down the giant hill, through downtown, and we rejoined our new friend, the bike trail.  Under the highway, over good view bridge, past fields and through woodsy tunnels to a wooden playground we went.  It was the best place to go.  A sedentary Eddy turned active and a worn out mommy sat on a bench on the phone.  Then back up, up, up the Afton Blvd. hill until...after...what seems like...forever...we made it home.  Yay!

Never underestimate the power of outdoor exercise!  Thank the Lord and my husband for this stay-at-home mom life I lead.  It has its perks.

I never would have believed it when I was a teenager, but it's true.  There is never a dull moment for a parent.  There are many cute moments, some happy moments, frustrating moments, exciting moments, even a few restful moments, but not dull.  Eddy makes certain of that.

For the last 4-5 weeks Eddy (and his cousins when they were here) has wanted to watch one of the favorite kids' movies in the house: Curious George!  But after searching the house over and over again, I gave up trying, and just told Eddy, "It's lost. Sorry, bud."

Today the temperature was in the 40's all morning, so Dan and I decided to start our first fire of the season in the wood stove.  I'm recovering from the flu, and couldn't wait to get it warmed up in here.  We started it late morning and by Eddy's naptime the house was warming nicely.  He went to bed.  Good timing, as it turns out.

A few minutes later Dan noticed some smoke coming from one of the vents in the wood stove.  Maybe it's just dust from over the summer...but, seems like a lot of smoke for a bit of dust.  Peering into the hole with a flashlight he spotted it. "It's Curious George." My heart sank.  If only we had found it sooner.

Well, we set right to work.  First we transported the red hot fire outside, via a metal trash can.  I'm surprised Eddy didn't wake up to that.  Every smoke detector in the house went off. (mental note: don't count on Eddy in a house fire) Then we systematically removed as much of the DVD and case from the vent as we could with Mom's old metal spatula, a bent metal yardstick and a needle nosed pliers.  The plastic that remained we decided to burn off, with the windows open, of course.  Time to bring the that fire back in.

The whole incident just made Dan and me laugh.  There really is "never a dull moment"!  Unfortunately Eddy won't be laughing when he sees what's left of his movie.  Live and learn!

Dan went home to Afton last night.  Eddy and I are staying in Eau Claire for the week.  We have lots to do!  Today we started our projects off with a bang and a rush and a lot of errand-running!  The sun shone and we trekked from store to store, gathering really random supplies for gifts and events and meals and gardening and money-saving adventures.  It was a tough job, but somebody had to do it!

Eddy and I had a very busy day yesterday.  We bustled around the house half the day, then set out for a six-hour town trip, to have fun with Julie ("juwie!"), buy bridal presents, ride in the ever popular Juwie's Jeep, splurge on thrift store clothing, eat out with and say bye to Julie, pick up some items at the mall, stop at the play area, then walk out after dark to see...Wow!  Look at all those lights!  What's going on over there?  "Mommy, let's go see the trucks!"

At this point I was dragged by the hand for the next 40 minutes from one semi truck to another to another, as Eddy's excitement transferred to what next caught his eye.  And I was interested, too.  These show trucks were amazing!  There was everything from gigantic big rig tow trucks, to 50's style long haulers, to trucks with luxury full family sleepers, to a mini go cart semi truck.  All had registration numbers and all were being polished up for the judges, hoping to win one of those big trophies in the corner, I'm sure.

But the lights were the coolest things.  Think of pimped out neon gangster cars only x-times the size and the power.  These drivers knew they controlled the road.  There were grills with jaws on top or neon shining through, side-panels with flames or packers or psychedelic reflective colors, lights on the windshields, lights on the wheels, lights on the bumpers, lights on the exhaust pipes, lights on the engines, lights on the hoods, lights on the lights, colors and flashers and shapes and horns all going at the same time (now you understand why Eddy was so stimulated!)  Even the registration booth was cool.  It was, of course, a semi truck.  The side of the trailer opened up and you could step right in to a full lit office room with desks and chairs and everything.  On the outside it sported in large letters, "National Association of Show Trucks."

It was also fun to talk to the truck drivers themselves.  When Eddy saw a guy putting away ramps on a flatbed or explaining the stats of an engine to someone, he wouldn't hesitate to give them a high five, or a bump, or even a bear hug.  And they were always happy to say hello.

I caught a few pictures, but honestly, they don't do the night justice.  You gotta see it for yourself! And make sure it's at night!

It's been really hot here lately.  There was even a heat warning out a couple days, and we had to send our employees home mid-route.  Everyone in the town of Afton had to choose whether to roast their skin in humidity or cower in the dark by the air conditioner.  Most people chose the latter.  One such day was Monday.  It was a strange thing for Dan, Eddy and me to spend the whole day in the house together.  Last time that happened we had to break loose and go to the museum (and, as it turned out, the famous MICKEY'S DINER).  This time we went to the beach.

The evening was just starting to cool off when we headed to the nearby town of Lake St. Croix Beach.  This town sits just upstream our beloved Afton, but is much more popular on days like these, because this town has -- as the name implies -- a beach.  And that's about all they have.  There are signs posted on every street that read, "No parking on ANY city street".  And they have only one parking lot: the beach parking lot.  I love small towns.

We parked and walked the gravel road to the shore together.  Eddy's sandals kept falling off, making it a haltingly slow process...until we stuffed them in the diaper bag and held him off the ground by both arms.  Whatever works!  Ah, the sandy goodness!  Shoes were kicked off, the waves were flirted with, and Daniel dove in for a much needed cool down.  There were plenty of people there that day, which made me happy.  I love enjoying the weather with others.  It was quite like a local party, everyone invited, no charge.  Then I noticed something: Eddy wasn't swimming.  He wasn't splashing.  He wasn't even getting his feet wet.  The all too familiar "I don't wanna swim," was all he would say.  This would take some work.

I prodded him from the shore, Dan coaxed from the water, but he would not go in.  Why does he have this propensity to do what will only make him unhappy later?  Finally I bit the bullet.  Though still dressed in my tie-dye skirt and t-shirt, I picked up Eddy and stepped in the water.  "I'll just go up to the knees."  Right.  One thing led to another, and I was as wet as Eddy.  Finally, I couldn't resist the urge of going all in with hippie clothes on.  It just seemed to fit.  So, though I had my swimsuit on underneath, I dove in and swam all the way out, skirt and all =)  I got out, got all sandy and jumped back in.  Why don't more people do this?

Eddy did realize he liked the water.  He walked as far out as he could stand, he and I attacked Daddy with splashes, we even let him dunk a couple times.  It was a blast.

Eventually people began to disappear from the party, the sun went down, and a layer of mosquitoes graced the top of the ripples (haha, as if mosquitoes ever "grace").  We trudged through the sand and over the gravel to the car.  What a successful trip!  Laughter and pleasant talk filled the car all the way home and followed us in the house, just in time to open up the windows for the night.