Penny Pinching

I've been blessed to grow up in a family in which thrift was genetically passed along just like hazel eyes and love for butter. My grandmother, who now lives alone on the family farm, saves on her heating costs by keeping a wood stove running throughout the winter. Grandpa used to cut, stack, and carry all the wood for her. Now she has some help to do this, but I am in awe at her dedication to stuffing heavy logs into that stove day and night. Note: My grandmother is anything but miserly. Every cent she saves is given to children, grandchildren, Church. I hope to be one tenth as generous as my grandparents are - it is no stretch to say they have exemplified selflessness and charity for as long as I can remember.

My mom swears yearly she is going to grow a smaller garden. Yet, every summer when I stop by, there are boxes of tomatoes stacked in the garage and basement, grocery sacks upon grocery sacks of lettuce and spinach in the fridges, and I haven't bought potatoes yet this year because, as I was told by Mom this fall: "I hope you can use lots of potatoes this year. I have enough for you to eat all winter"!

So, compared to my matriarchs, I am woefully lacking in thrift. Confessions: sometimes I don't always re-use the plastic bags until they have holes in them... I have bought shoes that I didn't really need... I forget to use coupons before they expire...

However, I have done such things as turn down the furnace to points at which my husband complains of frostbite; buy 25 cans of tuna because it was really on sale; go to all five stores that sell the same shirt before buying the cheapest one; re-gift (horrors! I admit it!) very nice but not really needed presents; e-mail our Christmas letters to 90% of our mailing list...

Being careful about not spending more than necessary has been something we've tried hard to do, but isn't always possible. Example: living in a town in which neither of us work. Our monthly gas costs are ghastly - not something you can make up for by saving 13 cents per can of cream of mushroom soup. One of my pet peeves is those "cost-savers" companies will promote that don't really save you any money... Such as - five cents off per gallon of gas only if you pay with check (it costs me that extra money to buy the check blanks); punch cards that make you want to spend extra money on to fill up quickly so you can get 15% off one item (no thank you - although I do use the punch cards for things I have to buy anyways, and am careful to never go there just to get some extra punches); coupons that can be used "in the entire store for anything" but then list in ten lines of very fine print all the items to which the coupon cannot be applied; stores that sell apparel for originally large sums of money ($60 shirts) but then immediately mark them down to 50-60% off (which is what those items are really worth - that's not a sale!).

The real problem with saving money is that I usually save money by spending it. Until I can start saving money by not spending it, I will continue to sigh for the pinch-penny ways of my ancestors. Pass the butter!

Guitarmaker

Now that Matt is done studying for his CPA exams (he took the last section in late November - waiting to find out the results - hopefully soon!!!), he is engaging in his dream of building guitars. We had to tear apart our basement bedroom this summer due to water problems. While we are waiting to find out if our waterproofing project worked, Matt is using the bedroom as a workshop. He has started a blog (still under construction) to document his guitar-making learning process, as well as discuss recording and all things music. I hope you will take a look and follow along as he posts. I've added the link to his blog to the "links and blogs" on the sidebar.

Super-Duper To Do List

Only two more days of official school and the fall semester is OVER! Final test for Pathophysiology I is tomorrow, final evals for my students tomorrow, and simulation in the nursing lab on Wednesday (I get to make our patient vomit repeatedly in an attempt to help my students identify and treat a post-operative complication). I have lost all motivation whatsoever (can you tell? I'm blogging and ought to be studying!).

I am, however, quite motivated to do many other things than study and prep for class... Here's a sneak-peak at my Christmas break wish list:

1) Make Christmas goodies... I tried making fudge for the first time last year - it was a complete failure (kind of reminded me of overcooked chocolate almond bark - yucky). This time I am going to read all the fudge recipes I can find and really try to figure out exactly how hot fudge is supposed to get? Those of you who are fudge experts can please send me your tips. Also on the baking list is cheese ball (my absolute non-sugary favorite) and raspberry-jam center cookies (the main ingredients are butter and sugar - how can one go wrong there?). Maybe a few sugar cookies, too, because they are fun to decorate.

2) CLEAN my messy, filthy house! Fridge, cupboards, around the toilets, all the places I have been avoiding!

3) Spend time with my favorite boys - need I say more? We really should attempt to find something with elevation and use our sled.

4) Decorations up - maybe next weekend. Should have put the Christmas lights up outside while it was still warm, but what's the fun in not freezing your fingers off? Excuse for hot chocolate...

5) Sleep in

6) Make a baby book for Michael - this has been on my list every Christmas since he was born (this is the third). I really need to do this before I totally forget everything cute he did and when. "They say" you spend the most time on your first child's mementos, pictures, etc. If we are blessed with more children, based on past performance, they are out of luck!

7) Pray

8) Celebrate the Lord's birth and Matt's CPA exams. Yes, Jesus' birthday comes first. We will also be very happy to find out the results of Matt's last exam hopefully in the next 1-2 weeks. Then it will be PARTY time - we will have plenty to be thankful for this year!

9) Write and send a Christmas letter.

10) Go visit our friends we have been making at the nursing home this past fall and have since been neglecting since November.

Happy Advent to you all!

"Ask Jesus, Mommy"

This has been rattling around in my head today, after a conversation Michael and I had over breakfast.

(Side note: I must say, being able to hold a conversation with Michael is so much fun! We had a long talk about poop [he brought it up] on the way home from Grand Forks one night. Other favorite topics are reasons for him not wanting to wear a bib at mealtimes, clothing choices, and BOOKS. It's beautiful to be able to interact with him like this. He looks away from me sometimes while he's thinking about what to say next - I swear I can see the little neurons in his head firing away!)

Back to what I was originally pondering...

Many of you know how much we are longing for another baby in our family. Somedays I am much more accepting of God's timeline and what are simply natural consequences of living in the world post-original sin (things just don't always work like they should). Other days, well, other days I am just much less accepting of what is. Somedays it just feels very ironic - my mother and her peers have had to defend their large families; now I feel the need to defend my little family ("What's wrong with those Komproods? Don't they know Catholics have lots of children?").

Michael asked me what I was doing this morning as I was taking my vitamins. I told him what, and then why: "So that you can maybe have a baby brother or sister". He looked at me, and very solemnly replied, "Ask Jesus, Mommy". This likely stems from the prayers we say every night - "Dear Jesus, please send Michael a baby brother or a baby sister very soon". But I like to think that Michael is much more in-tune with my need to stop focusing so much on the here and now and much more on God's ultimate plan for my life - to live every moment seeking to do His will, and not my own, in order to someday see Him face-to-face.

So I'm asking Jesus today, not for a baby (like my requests are usually phrased), and not to understand why we don't have a little one in our arms right now, but to look beyond my own desires and wants, to live in service to others, and to have the grace always to "Ask Jesus" instead of relying on my own (very deficient) strength.

"Blessed is she who believed that the Word which was spoken to her would be fulfilled" - Luke 1:45

"Give and it shall be given to you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over. For with the same measure that you measure with it shall be measured to you" - Luke 6:38
(This makes me think of putting away groceries - trying to shove that last bit of oatmeal out of the bag into the tupperware box - shake it down and push on it a little. I like to think that the less-accepting days are God's way of shaking me down to shove just a little more grace in!)

"And of His fullness we have all received, grace upon grace" - John 1:16

Sloth

I am eating ice cream (neapolitan) and playing on the internet. I believe this is the textbook definition of sloth.

To my credit, I did host a surprise birthday party, study for upcoming pathophys test, corral one two year old, and drive 90 miles today. However, as Dr. Ray would say, "99% doesn't cut it!". Guess I will work on that tomorrow. Hmmm - is that procrastination?

Good Men

I've been missing my grandpas again... God, what GOOD men they were. That makes me miss them more.

I was driving home from Adoration on Thursday, thinking about winter. Winter brought to mind my Grandpa Sauer, waking up every couple hours to go check on the cows. As they gave birth to their calves in January and February, Grandpa would be out there pulling calves, mucking out the stalls, and chuckling over the antics of the frisky ones. Likely there would be an "old battle-ax" cow that just wouldn't cooperate. He would shake his head and gripe about her. But he would pat her side, just like the rest, and keep on the barn. And that's where he went to rest - in the straw on the coldest of winter days.

This is one of my favorite recent memories of Grandpa Sauer: during the 2008 presidential election, someone placed a very large "Obama" sign by the buffalo rock along Highway 1 near Grandpa and Grandma's farm. Of course this displeased Grandpa greatly. But being a very stellar citizen, he did not damage the sign. However, darned if the wind didn't blow that sign down nearly every time Grandpa drove past.

Grandpa loved to kid Grandma a bit, or if he knew he was getting her goat, he would drape his brawny arm over her tiny shoulders and give her a squeeze. They prayed a Rosary together every single morning, intending it for each and every child, son or daughter-in-law, grandchild, and great-grandchild, who they named one by one.

Grandpa Kraemer was different from Grandpa Sauer in many ways, but lived his life as a GOOD man in his own path. He was remarkably patient (at least he appeared that way to me!). Grandpa would often sit in the living room, or at the kitchen table, and simply observe the hullaballoo taking place around him. He listened to what was going on, and asked a lot of questions - what are you doing in school, how's the job, how's the little one... - and then actually listened to the answer. Even when his body weakened and illnesses altered his memory, he still asked questions and listened to the answers...

Grandpa was devoted to God as well. We loved seeing him dressed in his Knights of Columbus 4th degree apparel, "skunk hat", sword, and all. The prayer book he took to Mass was worn and well-thumbed. Grandpa Kraemer directly experienced many of the 20th century's tumults. He pulled his widowed mom home in his wagon after her shift at the canning factory when her feet hurt too badly to walk, rode on boxcars during the Great Depression, probably would have had to go fight in Japan until they dropped the A-bombs, and raised a family during the big changes of the 60s and 70s. He mentioned all these things very little, but I figure they were in his thoughts a lot, and perhaps discussed them with God in his prayers.

There are too few good men, and how much we need them to be our heroes and inspirations. I imagine Grandpa Sauer rocking all the babies who went to Heaven too soon in his big arms, and roto-tilling Mary's garden when she needs it. Grandpa Kraemer is probably having a beer with John Paul II, or maybe picking St. Peter's brain about fishing. I know they are looking out over their grandkids and praying for them hard, just like they did on earth. And I hope that in the midst of missing them, I'm living my life in a way that would make them proud.

Health Care Rant

I promised my two bits about health care reform... This is by no means a complete listing of all my thoughts on this matter!

1) Health care as a basic human right:

I don't know exactly where I stand on this. Among the list of human rights that come to mind (namely - freedom of speech, freedom of religion, right to a fair trial, rights of human subjects in research), I'm not certain that the "right to see whatever doctor whenever I want" really makes the cut in terms of significance and substance.

That being said, I do think people should have fairly easy access to high quality medical care at a price that will not cause bankruptcy. I know that a certain number of the residents at our area homeless mission are living there due to bankruptcy from medical costs. This is not right. Perhaps the difference lies in how we think of the right to health care: are we talking the right to a safe birth in a clean environment, immunizations readily available, preventive care, and basic treatment for illness? Or are we talking coverage of epidurals and circumcisions, convenience C-sections (as opposed to emergent), bariatric surgeries, cosmetic surgeries, free contraceptives/condoms, and cutting-edge technologies used for chronically ill elderly people who honestly would rather just have a bit of quality of life at the end? And I don't care where you stand on abortion: the taxpayer should NOT pay for abortions under any circumstances.

The other problem I have with the "right to health care" camp is the basic assertion (I'm paraphrasing someone who was being interviewed on NPR last week) that "the right to health care is something that has been developing over the past years, and now that we are aware of it, we need to do something about it". Basic human rights do not evolve. They are part of our make-up, there are innate. Just because it is currently politically correct to be an advocate for the poor doesn't mean we have to negate other human rights, such as taxation only with fair representation, the basic human right to life from conception to natural death, and of freedom of speech (agreed, it should be civil...).

2) Public options

-Fix Medicare/Medicaid first. It is absolutely absurd to develop a third, giant public plan when the other two will be bankrupt in a matter of years. It's not a "then" problem, it's "NOW" problem. Also, if all people who were eligible for Medicare and Medicaid were actually enrolled in the programs, the number of uninsured would dramatically drop (by some estimates, 10-15 million are eligible but not enrolled - that's about 25% of the pool we are trying to insure with another public option now).
-Should be LIMITED - by income level (not 250% of the poverty level as some suggest - if you are making that much money, cancel your cable subscription, stop buying new cars, and buy your own insurance), by age (if you are 35 and working, buy your own insurance - even if it's just catastrophic), length of time you can be on the plan (time trial?), and only open to US citizens. If we want to help immigrants, it should be done via migrant centers which are already a proven tool.
-Shouldn't be done at all. Any public program will eventually lead to tax increases. Fine, tax the rich a little more, but then stop whining about jobs being sent overseas and Swiss tax havens. Tax me more and I will freak out. The article about Canadian health care in our paper told how great their system is, and then mentioned in a very brief sentence that the average Canadian family is taxed 48% of their take-home pay. I refuse to work to provide the government with 50% of my wages. The part they get is too much already.

3) Better yet, a voucher program

I know this is not popular and will not get through, but I really think we should be focusing on expanding/adapting the community health center approach, rather than trying to develop an enormous, bureaucratic public program that will insure everyone. Here's how it works in my little brain:
#1 - Provide vouchers (like Massachussetts) to young, slightly poor, and otherwise healthy people who don't have insurance because they don't need it or can't afford it (but just barely) so that more people have good private insurance. Provide temporary insurance benefits along with unemployment to those who are legitimately out of work but are actively trying to get back into the job market (not those who are bumming around with an art history degree but don't want to work at Starbucks because it's not "creative").
#2 - Increase the number of nurse-run community health centers in impoverished, urban, and suburban areas. Go to where the people are who need the help. These centers will need government support - this is OK. Also, government should provide support (or perhaps incentives such as higher Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements) to agencies (hospitals, clinics) that provide free or discounted services to those who meet their requirements for charity care. A lot of agencies already DO provide these services, and they WILL NOT if they are faced with higher regulation and lower payments, which is likely if a public option plan is pushed through.
#3 - People who present with health problems that cannot be dealt with at a community health center (e.g. need for surgery, cancer treatments, higher-level diagnostics) will receive vouchers for the health care needed (not more, not less). These vouchers could be used at any agency - even the best and most expensive. This would eliminate some disparities - Harley the homeless guy could use his voucher to get radiation from Dr. Famous at Barnes-Jewish, the same as Darlene the debutante. If people know they can get quality care right down the street, they will go to the clinic for small problems instead of showing up at the ER with advanced cancer.
#4 - Continue loan paybacks, education incentives, and other perks to lure highly-skilled nurse practioners and doctors to work at these health centers. Tax breaks would be good too. Moving incentives. Anything to get the talent where it is needed most.

4) Sweeping under the rug

Probably what gets my goat most of all is that there are few if any controls in the health care bills under consideration currently. Some things need obvious fixing:
-tort reform (so the doctors stop ordering all these unneeded tests and quit looking over their shoulder every minute their pen touches the order sheet)
-health insurance portability across state lines (increases competition and allows families more options, particulary in states like ND where Blue Cross Blue Shield has something like 90% of the market share)
-PREVENTATIVE MEDICINE! We're great at saving people on the brink of death, while our children eat themselves into type 2 diabetes and our children are born too early because we smoke and get yeast infections. I could rant and rant and rant here.
-Fat people, smokers, drinkers, and those who insist of popping wheelies on their motorcycles without wearing helmets should have to pay more for their health care. Period. They are the reason health care costs so stinking much for those of us who eat healthy, don't smoke, drink 2 glasses of wine/month, and wear our seat belts. Everyone should have to take a mandatory health class that says this much.
-Health care reform SHOULD take place. The reason the situation is so bad now is because no one is willing to risk the political capital, take the brunt, etc for our messed-up system. I have personally care for people who are losing jobs, going bankrupt, and dying of advanced cancer for lack of good, affordable health care. That's why reform should be done compassionately and quickly.

No More Separation Anxiety

Dropped Michael off at Mom's house before I went to work yesterday. Michael ran into the living room and played for a few minutes while I chatted with Mom. Michael then runs up to me, pushes against my leg and says, "Bye, Mommy!", opens the door and pushes me out, saying, "Go to work, Mommy!".

Either he has emotionally detached himself from me due to my routine abandonment of his needs in favor of my self-fulfillment, or he has more fun at Nana's house than anywhere else. I choose to see it the latter way... Enough Mommy-guilt as it stands.

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New favorite simple, nutritious, & cheap lunch or supper: Oven Tacos

-Make simple refried beans using a splash of olive oil, chopped onion, and minced garlic (powders work if really in a hurry), and a little chili powder or dash of Tabasco
-Spread a couple spoonfuls of beans on soft tortilla. Ideally more nutritious with a wheat tortilla, but white tortillas work, too
-Sprinkle liberally with cheese
-Bake in oven 4-5 min 350 degrees, just 'til tortilla is getting slightly crunchy around edges
-Add lettuce, olives, salsa, and other favorite taco toppings

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Matt takes last section of CPA tomorrow! Praying that he will have passed these next two sections (already passed the first two) so he can stop stressing about this test! And we can start working on our house issues.

Starting to think about school already - only a month of true summer left (sob). Whipped up a darn-good version of Jeopardy to play with my students for clinical post-conferences - all about pain management! "I'll take 'Pharmacology' for $300, please." Next up: Who Wants to be a Millionaire - all questions about diabetes management! The internet is a beautiful thing - free powerpoint slides with the game format for free, downloaded onto my computer.

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Stay tuned for my diatribe about health care.

Good Mommies Don't Use Bad Words

I was so excited for this summer to be relaxed and uneventful. But the past few weeks remind me of a quote I found in the early months of mommy-hood: "Our happiness depends not on our circumstances but on our dispositions" (attributed to Martha Washington). After feeling in-the-dumps for far too long, I need to remind myself of so many things that used to seem so elementary.

#1 - First things first, one thing at a time, and nothing perfect. The bathrooms haven't been cleaned for over a week (really gross considering all three of us have recently endured the stomach flu. But you didn't want to know that). I'm still meaning to cut out and sew some really basic knit pants for Michael (especially needed since he has developed a stubbornness towards using the toilet at the appropriate times). And I keep on sinking farther into these bad habits - say, eating too much sugar (excuse: "I didn't eat a good supper because I was supervising Michael eating his, so I can eat a cookie"), using bad words (excuse: "Anyone would swear when looking at mold growing on their foundation"), staying up too late (excuse: "Michael is sleeping and who in their right mind would waste this time sleeping herself???")...

#2 - God's grace is sufficient. Pondering over my evil tendencies (things worse than the little things I am willing to reveal on my blog... this is public, you know) I often wonder why God puts up with me, the daily resolutions to do better, the daily failings to keep said resolutions, the putting-off of reconciliations, the wasting of time, so-on and so-forth... I wonder why He cares as much as He does about one little, lowly, stressed-out, do-it-all momma; but even the swallows building their nests on the peaks of our house and eating the mosquitoes take His notice. I figure if something as ugly as a baby swallow is cared for by the Lord, something as homely as a whiny housewife can be cared for, too!

#3 - Matt and Michael are my path to Heaven. This is not to say that they are causing suffering and cause for anxiety. Rather, they are the grace-bearers in my life lately. Hearing Michael whispering "Hail Mary" with me during bed-time prayers brings me to tears, knowing God is even more attentive to my messed-up prayers as I am to my son's. Matt's everlasting patience shows me how much more patient God is with me as I struggle to find deep conversion in my life. It's so easy to minimize the blessings and exaggerate the challenges. Thank God for people in life - such as my boys - who help keep the balance right.

General Observations and Reservations

Life is back to mundane and even-paced. Oh, how grateful I feel! I have devoted this week to gardening and potty-training. In the midst of soil (in both terms) I've had a few musings - none profound, but that is what blogging is all about?

-School is done for the semester. I made an A in Theories - mostly by B.S.ing about how such and such theory is grand/borrowed/middle-range/parsimonious/grandiose/applicable to nursing. I am hoping the higher-level classes are a) more thought-provoking, b) the grade is not dependent on amount of B.S.ing, c) I will not have to B.S. at all - i.e. there are certain answers which are correct and certain which are NOT, and d) I will not lose my common sense as a requisite for passing the class.

-We are single-handedly keeping Menards open and prosperous. I hope they are grateful. While balancing the checkbook today I pondered the old house phenomenon and how big-box hardware stores would be bankrupt without us rural dwellers. Although such stores do seem to do well by marketing such things as junk food, shoddy appliances, and impossible return policies.

-Speaking of hardware, I detest retellings of TV commercials (e.g. "Oh, I remember that commercial where that guy was sitting on his couch watching TV and he asked his wife to go to the store, and she went to the store, and another guy said something really funny"). But this one deserves a retell. Silhouette of a man dangling screws in a baggie: A man does not go to the hardware store for supplies in little baggies! He wants hardware in bulk! OK, it is really funnier than that. I raise my hammer in a toast.

-My shrubs are finally coming back - was beginning to fear winter kill. Some are looking sickly but are starting to green up. Michael and I pulled the weeds around the bushes. Michael put all the weeds in a frisbee and called them "lunch". It was a long, hard winter - I feel a little overwhelmed by the lateness of spring both physically and spiritually. I just pray that this little winter I am resisting does not kill off any fruits I ought to be producing. Time to do some weeding.

-Reading Life of St. Theresa of Avila by herself. She continually discusses how sinful she was/is. Part of me is glad she has not revealed her worst sins (would be a bit scandalous, really) but then again, I wonder what those sins were... I'm not saintly at all and I ought to have a bit more horror of my stubborness, laziness, ungratefulness, etc. etc. etc. Especially if even the saints themselves are that hard on themselves about their little faults. More weeding to do.

-Can't decide what to think about the boy in our area who is refusing chemo for Hodgkin's Lymphoma. He and his mother disappeared this week instead of submitting to a court order to see an oncologist. The onc nurse in me wonders if more could be done to treat his symptoms at least (give more antinausea meds before so the chemo isn't so miserable?) and sad that he is likely to die from a very curable cancer. Also concerned about parental/religious rights - how does that mesh with our rights and responsibilities as parents? Not sure if the court ought to order this boy and his parents to do what is against their religious beliefs (even if they are a bit off-the-wall). But our bodies are sacred and we have a responsibility to protect and treat them from disease. But where do we draw the line - will I be in trouble with the courts if I don't vaccinate my daughters (Lord willing) against HPV?

Green Grass and New Curtains

Today is Mother's Day and I am the proud owner of a pretty new tackle box. Yes, I did ask for a tackle box, and selected it myself from Scheel's. After eyeing the (expensive) sewing boxes at JoAnn Fabrics, decided a tackle box would have more room for all the spools of thread and other odds n' ends rolling around my sunroom. So Matt was kind enough to humor me and get me a tackle box for Mother's Day. He thinks I'm a little weird. Perhaps I am.

Matt's dad was here last week and helped us with many various projects. New basement bedroom door, replaced broken fan/light in bathroom, painted Michael's bedroom, etc. We also had plenty of other excitement - that is another post for later. Sewed a set of curtains for Michael's bedroom. It is really cold/drafty in the winter; Eleri suggested I line a set of curtains with drapery lining to cut down the draft. I didn't cut my lining quite long enough so had to make the curtains shorter than they should have been, but they did work out alright. I have to say they are working quite nicely. Picture later - am still working on the tiebacks!

Our grass is now splendidly green! I walked around all the trees this morning and all, except the apple tree, have leaf buds. Most of the bushes are ready to leaf out as well. It has seemed like a tremendously long winter, so seeing GREEN is such a pleasure.

Michael's Birthday

Michael had a very happy 2nd Birthday. The night before his birthday we were driving home and I sang him the Happy Birthday song, and he asked for it again and again: "Mo' hap-birf-day!" We sang it over and over again for about 15 miles. We had a birthday party for him later that week with Matt's mom, Sarah's family, and our Kerian friends. Michael actually did very well with the big party (I was a little concerned). He blew out his candles, enjoyed the cake, and opened his presents - favorites being a lawn mower and a set of toy trucks. Nana and Papa and uncles/aunts built him a sandbox on the corner of our house. He plays in it at least once a day, he prefers 2-3 times. He is loving being two!

We bought a potty chair last week, and Michael has successfully used it. Yes, I am sharing this with all of you - ought to be as excited as we are :-) Matt and I were commenting that, yes, we are truly parents, when the most thrilling part of the day is potty in the potty chair! Probably won't potty train in earnest until school is out and the weather is a little warmer, but Michael has been having fun experimenting with his "little toilet".

School will be done soon... Only one paper to finish editing and a discussion to lead before all tasks done for this class. Next semester - Pathophysiology!!! Nervous about it, but will be a nice break from the more theoretical aspects. Staphylococcus aureus and sodium/potassium ion channels, here I come...

Flooding

Just wanted to let all know that we are fine and not in danger of flooding. We do have about 6-8 inches of new snow on the ground, so checking on the sump pump hoses frequently - worried about them freezing. We now have 2 brand new sump pumps - the others died on Sunday night and we spent awhile bucketing water out of the basement. But all is fine now.

We are blessed to be where we are - out of town in a development that was high and dry in '97. Most of the town is diked and sandbagged, but the river crested last night so will be going down. One highway to GF is closed but the interstate is still open so OK there. Unfortunately a lot of the towns and rural areas around us are not doing well. We will be sandbagging at Mom and Dad's on Saturday. We would like to be in Fargo helping but there is no travel advised south of GF.

Speaking of. . . I drove home Tuesday night while the heavens dumped freezing rain turning to snow. I had to stop a couple times and bang the ice off my windshield wipers - they kept freezing up. My cell phone died (yes, I have the cheapest phone Verizon sells, which is not all that cheap when you lose your phone and have to buy a new one at full price. Oh, and I did find my lost phone - in two pieces in a snowbank in the yard). But my guardian angel found me a State Patrol car which was going to Grafton and I followed him home. Reassuring knowing that if I ended up in a ditch full of water someone would be there to pull me out! Yes, it was idiotic to drive home. But I am a NoDakky and driving in bad weather (even when inadvisable) is inborn. Just like geese fly north in the spring.

March At Last!

Cabin fever, here we come!

It is such a relief to get to March. Yes, we still have at least a month of winter left, but the sun feels warmer and the weather starts to moderate a bit. (Although, if by moderation, Mother Nature means the freezing rain we had this week, I'll take the deep freeze!)

Michael turns 2 in less than a month. I made his well-child (not well-baby anymore!) appointment and need to cut his hair (with help from my mom. . . Yes, I am too cheap to take him to a barber and too scared to do it myself) so we can get his two-year picture taken soon. Not sure if we'll have a big celebration or not. It will be Lent still. Michael has been enjoying Lent, actually - tuna is his new favorite food, and we have been having plenty of it!

I submitted my big theory paper yesterday - agonized over it for nearly a month - 12 pages (including title page and two pages of references) and not a word more. I have been struggling with the too wordy/too choppy dilemma. As you can see, I tend to wordiness. But have swung the other way. I am trying to improve. Now choppy again! Anyways, now I know quite a bit about Experiential Learning Theory, though I don't particularly care for it, and like all the theories I have read about so far, doesn't seem all that useful (after reading about the theory for a month, I still couldn't figure out how to do my own learning style evaluation - I think I am a converger, but it seems a bit subjective). Next up - the AACN Synergy Model! This one does sound a little more interesting. Group project, here I come! But not on sunny warm days. I'll be outside playing in the mud (smile).

Winter and My "Loller"

I wanted to post a few pictures of our lovely winter in the country. We are certainly ready for winter to be over, but we hardy NoDakkies know how to find pleasure in the extremes as well. (Not that I consider myself hardy, but I think of my Grandpa Sauer and his midnight trips to the barn to check on the calves and cows in the depth of January and February. Now HE was a hardy NoDakky!)

I thought it was so neat how the wind curled up this snow. It wasn't hardened at all - still light and fluffy, but held together for at least a couple weeks. Then Michael brushed it off when we went outside one day...

Frost has been growing and then thawing on our windows with each fluctuation in the temperature. Every time a new pattern shows up. Earlier in the winter the patterns were more feathery. Lately they look more like worm trails!

We had a piliated wordpecker in our berry tree the other day. He flew away before I could snap a picture of him. I think we will call him "Mo" - what a mohawk those birds have! The wind has since blown off the berries, but the tree is still quite striking against the snow on the ground and the evergreens in our and our neighbor's yards.

Oh, and a cute story, since I have already wasted the time I should be spending on my theory paper! I found a bunch of dirty pacifiers in the diaper bag last week. As I was washing them up to put away, Michael begged for the nukkies. I reminded him that they are for babies, and now that he is my toddler, he doesn't need baby things any more. He proudly pointed to himself and proclaimed, "Loller!". Now when we see "baby things", he says "baby" and then calls himself Loller. It's worked pretty well for avoiding fits over baby habits I'd like him to break. Oh how fast my baby has grown....

We Must Act Now

I don't know if it will be published or not, but this is a letter to the editor that I hope you will all read and consider.

If you have not contacted your legislator to ask them to oppose FOCA, you MUST - and do it NOW! Those in my generation did not have a chance to stand up against Roe v. Wade - now is our chance to witness to the TRUTH. Shame on us if we let it pass by.

"All that is needed for the triumph of evil is for good people to do nothing."

Dear Editor:

As Congress deliberates over the Freedom of Choice Act (FOCA) this month, I wonder what FOCA will do for the women this act is supposed to benefit. FOCA would eliminate all legal protections for women seeking abortions. Waiting periods, counseling requirements, even laws that a certified physician perform the abortion would be waived. FOCA would make it easier for women to be coerced into an abortion not of their choosing, subject to unscrupulous or unsafe abortionists, and eliminate counseling that allows women in crisis to review all options before making a hasty decision. FOCA would force health care workers to participate in procedures they find ethically unacceptable. We are in no position to lose doctors, nurses, and hospitals, especially in our rural areas.

As a health care provider, I am deeply concerned at how abortion is construed as a political concept, whereas an abortion is a medical procedure that carries physical and psychological risks for women, and has deep moral implications. We need Congress to consider what is best for women: better adoption services with fewer legal requirements; better programs that serve pregnant women, parents, and children; more support systems for women in crisis situations; better pregnancy prevention education. Abortion is a tragedy for everyone involved – we need to consider how we can better serve women through compassionate alternatives. FOCA is a political weapon only. Women deserve better. I urge all to express this to our legislators.

Sincerely,

Sarah

Times at Home

Here are a few shots of our doings lately. Michael was given a toy vacuum cleaner and mop/broom set from Grandma Komprood. As can be seen in this picture, he really liked unwrapping presents this year. He also has been busy rearranging the Christmas tree ornaments. We are resigning ourselves to the fact that Christmas trees at the Komprood house will look a bit unkempt for as long as we have children, cats, or both.

Another big happening was Matt's graduation. I reassured my mother-in-law that she wouldn't have to attend any graduations for awhile, but she remarked that given our frequency of university attendance, the prospect seemed unlikely to her! I am super-proud of my husband! He excelled in difficult courses while working, being married to a demanding woman, and having a child. His first day at Mortenson&Rygh was this Monday, and he has already been working on many projects as well as spiffing up his office. He takes the first part of the CPA on Friday, and the second part the next Friday, so has been studying for hours on end.

We continue to stay busy with moving details and such. We closed on our old house yesterday! The new owners are expecting a baby this summer, so we are glad that there will continue to be little feet in that house. Sarah is prepping for the return to classes and teaching next week. After a rough time at the end of last semester with grades, I am planning on doing a few things differently... So much to learn, so many things about which to be humble!

Michael is having a great time exploring our new home. He loves climbing up the stairs. Nanna Kraemer taught him how to slide down backwards, and we are grateful for that, since he has only fallen down a few steps infrequently. He is starting to want to "help" with everything! It is special to work alongside him and see our many new experiences through his eyes.