While you were gone Day 3 | Carlisle, PA Photographer

“Hi, this is Ryan calling from church camp. I just wanted to give you a quick call to tell you about Anna’s behavior this morning. It’s just been unacceptable…” I don’t even know what else he said, to be honest. “She must have gotten in with the wrong crowd” – yes, that must be it. “Maybe someone got pea-green with envy over her natural ginger hair and launched an unprovoked attack with scissors on my poor innocent child and she had no choice but to defend herself or be shorn to the scalp.” Yes, I feel certain that must be it.

It’s a call I never would have expected, (not regarding this child anyway) but it came from church camp, so it must be real. And then he continued, “No, I’m kidding” And then something about smacking off of a tree on the rope swing and injuring herself for which I was embarrassingly grateful. I mean, who wants to pick their kid up from CHURCH camp for conduct unbecoming? I’d much prefer an injured appendage.

Thankfully, there were no broken bones. So we got slinged up and went on our merry way. So help me, if the behavior call would have been legit, the sling would be the least of the medical assist devices she would be wearing.

Our next stop was karate. Nothing exciting, just the usual kicks, punches and rolling on the mats. Stuff that maybe Aidan will use some day when we move to the ghetto.

And then we went to the Super Buffet with Mema and cousin Abi where the kids like exciting ethnic foods like baby octopus. I’d like to throw it on the wall to see if it crawls down suction cup by suction cup like those sticky things in the little plastic bubbles out of those toy vending machines. But there were too many people around. Man, if I were at home…..

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June 14, 2013 - 1:09 pm

Christy - You totally crack me up, Stef. 🙂 And I love the everyday sort of pictures.

While you were gone – day 1 | Cumberland County, PA Photographer

Because I know you’re all super interested to see what I’m doing over the next two weeks, I thought I’d start this new little blog series. As we all know, my life is way more interesting than the average person’s. <snicker>. Actually, I dropped off my hubby Matt and middle son Aaron in the middle of the night to catch a charter bus to the Philly airport where they are embarking on a 2 week trip with our Boy Scout troop to Philmont, NM. So I thought maybe they would like to see what we’ve been up to while they’re gone. Hence this really riveting series of blog entries that are sure to lull even the most mellow of you into a semi-coma. Feel free to stop here. Or move on if you just can’t seem to drift off late some night and need a push over the edge into dreamland.

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Aren’t these beautiful?! They arrived here at the house for me this morning just because I’m loved and I was so nice as to “allow” them to take a fabulous vacation, which really consists of 2 solid weeks of man/adolescent sweat without showers or deodorant (please, don’t make me come along) whilst I man the fort at home, mow the grass, scoop kitty litter and keep the Sweger household from entering a tailspin. In truth, I’m glad for the opportunity they have to take this trip together. It’s a memory they will never forget. But the flowers were an extra nice touch!

And after these came, we headed out the door with my sister and niece to BB’s- our little, local Amish grocery store where you can get enough gum to hold together every abandoned building in the western hemisphere for just 50¢.

We’re also working to put together a little care package to send out for them. We’ve heard terrible tales about using cookies as vehicles for highly coveted extra mayonnaise packets and boiling boot leather because so much energy is expended and everyone is just doing whatever he can to ingest extra calories. That second part might have been from a story I read about a doomed Antarctic expedition, I can’t be certain. Anyway, we filled this cardboard box with some extra healthy items like fruit snacks. All of the Swiss Rolls and Honey Buns are to keep the fruit snacks from getting smashed on their long voyage. The box may or may not also be edible.

Aidan has been bugging me for weeks for me to get out my saxophone and so far I’ve resisted because I know exactly what it sounds like to listen to someone play a saxophone who has no idea how to play a saxophone. It’s on the list of banned interrogation tactics in some countries. You’ll beg to be waterboarded.

I’m already well on my way to bringing a little bit of intellectual stimulation to the summer to fill in the gaps that Sponge Bob leaves vacant. This image of Aidan working on his math is surprisingly more calm than it actually was. There may have been a threat of only a slice of bread for supper if the fact families for the sum of 10 weren’t written down without complaining as if I had asked him to make bricks without straw. (Non-theologians, please refer to the beginning of the book of Exodus for how terribly unreasonable I am. It’s at the front of your Bible.) We muddled through, played a little bit and moved on to reading while biking. I’m sure he can’t wait for tomorrow.

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Clothespins | Carlisle, PA Photographer

One of the many things I remember about my late grandfather was seeing his plaid work shirts and other laundry items hanging on the line. My grandmother had passed away several years previously and my pappy still hung his wash out. He was tall, so the line was much higher than the average clothes line! When he passed away, one of the items I picked from among his things was his collection of clothespins. Quite an ordinary item, but to me one that has precious memories.

 

 

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February 3, 2014 - 8:55 pm

Becky. - I SO get it. I have my grandmother’s collection and her hand sewn-from-a-pair-of-jeans clothespin bag.. Do you realize not all clothesline are equal. They used to be so much more substantial. In metal and wood. They do a much better job holding clothes than my contemporary ones. Thank you for getting it!

February 4, 2014 - 4:20 pm

admin - They definitely don’t make clotheslines like they used to. We have a nice sturdy support system, but it’s hard to find the actual line itself that will hold soggy jeans without sagging!

…and more rain | Carlisle, PA Photographer

For 10 years straight, we’ve gone to Massey’s to celebrate the last day of school. The crowd has changed,  but the weather has always been the same: nice and sunny. So when rain showed up for the day, I briefly entertained the notion of going to Bruster’s for buy-a-scoop-get-a-scoop-free-in-the-rain deal. But there’s just something about Massey’s. So we gathered our umbrellas and headed out the door.

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