wonder in everything!

We had an experience with a tree today...


Then we posed for a picture...

And when mommy said Hooray, we clapped!

It is so nice to just have outside time. It stopped raining and was just nice and overcast. I love these gently warm mellow days, and I think Indiana does too!

More Camo! 

Can You see me now?

camouflage is a hugely popular pattern for clothing right now. Indiana is jumping on the trendy bandwagon, sporting his camo diaper cover and hiding on the sofa.

One of his new favorite things is playing on the sofa. I place the big accent pillows on the floor and he scrambles all over the couch, diving off and doing his best to climb back on without my help (which he cant quite manage yet).

Luckily I found an inexpensive upholstery cleaner that works well on our new fabric. It amazes me how much icky stuff Indy can get on our couch. I wonder what I couldn't see on our old dark blue davenport. On second thought, maybe I don't want to know!

Pride

I was reminded today just how fortunate I am to be Dakota's mom. He is a kind, thoughtful, giving guy. Then I was reminded how fortunate I am, period.

here's the story: Today the sad tale of a new neighbor boy came to my attention. It seems that he has come to stay with his aunt and uncle with almost nothing, just two pairs of pants, two shirts, one pair of undies, one pair of socks and part of a pair of shoes. That's all. Nothing else. The boy is slightly smaller than my Duck, so I called him up, thinking perhaps he had some things he had grown out of. I talked to Duck's dad, and just about an hour later there was a knock at my door and Duck standing there with two bags full of his clothes to share with a kid he never even met. I am very proud of Dakota for understanding about those less fortunate than him and being willing to help.

here's the kicker though: I took those bags of clothes to my neighbor for her to give to the boy. She had the boy come out and see his "new" clothes before I left. You could tell he was somewhat uncomfortable, I thought maybe he was embarrassed to be getting things from a stranger, so I told him "hey, you can check that stuff out later if you would rather, its just clothes, no big deal". He looked up at me with tears in his eyes and said "Clothes are a big deal when you don't have any. Thank you." I was seriously humbled. This boy of ten or eleven showed me, in that moment, how good my life really is. Both of my sons have fathers who love them and are able to provide them nice things to wear, toys to play with, enough food to eat. I take for granted my closet and two dressers full of clothes. I think nothing of having a rack of movies I don't watch. It seems normal to me to be able to get up and graze in our kitchen full of food.

I will try to remember this lesson, all of us should.

Row Row Row

A toy talking shovel... Four Dollars.

The high chair (tray)... A hundred bucks

Mama catching Indy naked, rowing a boat... Priceless!

Bubbles Bubbles Everywhere!

Normally when we post a picture with bubbles in it, they are the photo-shop variety, and are being used to either enhance a picture, or to cover up things.

This picture, the bubbles are real.

Indy is a fiend for bubbles.

We have been buying bubble machines. So far, we've been pretty unlucky. If they work at all they are messy, and usually they just plain don't work. We were luckiest with a cute little cow that blew bubbles out its mouth, except the bubble canister leaked. We replaced that with a dragon. It didn't work at all. We bought a cheap wal-mart bubble gun. Yikes. Most recently we purchased this orange ray gun looking one. Sometimes it works. When it does, Indy will drop whatever he is doing to play with the bubbles. SO, if you know of a particularly good bubble maker (besides the obvious wand and blow bit) I would be thrilled to have recommendations!

Darth Indy

" You just don't know the power of the dark side"
-Darth Vader

Many of you know that my Indy's daddy is seriously into Star Wars "stuff". He has posters and action figures, tins and trading cards. Last week we purchased the voice changing mask complete with cape and light saber.

We couldn't resist trying it on Indiana, who looked adorable. We really thought he was sweet, until he started whacking at us with his light saber. hmmmm.

All Apologies

I must humbly apologize to so many people right now. I haven't been myself lately. I haven't been surfing the blogs I enjoy. I haven't been calling my friends. I haven't been updating Indy's blog. Sometimes, I just get this way and need a little time to myself before I can head back into the world, refreshed. So, I am feeling better, mostly, and it is time to kick my own butt into gear and get back to the real world.

I am fortunate that I married a man who understands my mood swings. He may not know what to do all the time, and he may wish he could make everything better, but that's all part of it. He understands that sometimes the best way to handle me is to not. I get on with things in my own time. I have a few friends I can count on to be, like Chris, supportive in the best way they can, even if that means leaving me be a while. (thanks Jimmie, sometimes, you remind me why)

Sometimes, I put the clear plastic debris holder from the vacuum into the dishwasher. I am just that way.

So, anyways, hopefully I will be a little more attentive to updating Indy's blog, and visiting my blog friends as well. Thank you all for your patience.

Sucker

Indy had a sucker, all by himself. He sat on the floor and sucked down the whole thing. He was quiet and just enjoyed it. If it wasn't so bad for his teeth, I think I would give them to him all the time just to keep him pacified!

Indy has been busily learning new things and exploring his world. He is running all over the house, dragging toys and blankets along behind him. He enjoys gazing out of the picture window, and fiddling with the shades. Nothing is immune from his exploration and sense of wonder. He is helping me to see beauty in new places that I had forgotten to look.

Snow on the Valley floor

Every couple of year we will get snow down here on the valley floor. It doesn't happen very often, but when it does it is usually deep in the heart of winter.

So, here we are, in the beginning of a warm beautiful spring. It has been snowing crazy, big, fat flakes for a couple of days now. Indiana had the pleasure of going out into it for the first time in his life. He didn't seem very impressed. He was just happy to be out of doors!

The weather is weird and wacky, but we are going to get out and enjoy it. I don't know how much snow you can see in this photo, but trust me, it was snowing!

Toys Toys Toys

Indiana has PLENTY of toys. He has so many of his own toys that he is VERY popular with the other kids. He has play toys. He has toys to stimulate his imagination. He has toys that dance. He has tub toys. He has light up toys. He has musical toys. He has many, many toys that do more than one of the afore-mentioned things. Why oh Why cant he leave my toys alone? Must my Beatles One album be a teether? Must my new DVD of Paul McCartney live be a tug of war rope? And most importantly.... must my sub-woofer be a kick boxing prop? I feel like my vocabulary consists of just a few words now. I used to communicate so well, now all I say is:

1. No!
2. What is that awful SMELL?!?
3. Can someone wipe this kid off?
4. Is that YOUR toy?
5. Please, for the love of God, go to sleep already!

Ah, being a mom is so great!

Clobbered

Sadly, today was the final basketball game of this season for us. It was a road trip, a little over a half an hour drive away to a little town called Philomath. I always enjoy seeing Duck's ball team, even though we tend to get beaten because the boys just like each other so much. So, today was no exception, our boys played together and had a good time and got beaten by about 25 points. I foolishly forgot to take the camera, so I don't have any pictures of this game, nor of Duck's neat new haircut. Perhaps another time.

We have been so busy getting settled and having the neighborhood party, and the spouse is still working nights. I just am not keeping up very well. Perhaps this weekend I will get a chance to sit down and actually write a good post with some fun pictures. Until then, I will do my best to keep ya'll informed.

Compact Discs

Indiana has a little habit that I just can't seem to break. He enjoys pulling the compact discs and DVD's off of the shelves one by one and tossing them on to the floor or carting them off to his room. I am never sure where I will find the movie or music that I am looking for. No amount of coercion seems to be able to make him interested in his own toys.

I am glad that at this age he doesn't understand everything I say to him. When he got his grubby little paws on my unopened Abbey Road album, I cheerfully threatened him with child abuse and added that trashing mama's Beatles collection would cause alcoholism. Did he really WANT mommy to drink? I hope he never does hypnotic regression therapy when he gets older.

Disclaimer: I would never abuse my children and although I socially drink, I am not an alcoholic, I just run my mouth lot. I do not mean to make light of either topic, and no offense is inteded.

Wolf Waters:

Today was such a busy day. We had our first neighborhood barbecue from the new apartment. It was a great success, a sad crush, and an awful lot of work. Pictures will be forth coming.

This awesome picture of the river, when it was still swollen from the floods, was taken somewhere between the towns of Lebanon and Waterloo, Oregon. The wolf was photo-shopped in just for my desktop.

Dakota's Basketball Game:

There is one more game after today's game is finished. Today's basketball game is being played right now, about a mile from where I sit. Why, you ask, am I not there? Well, because I couldn't find a way to get there.

I don't drive. There is not accessible, useful public transportation in our town. The spouse must sleep (he works the graveyard shift). I called my best friend. Today is her husbands birthday. She said his party is going on, or she would love to see another of Duck's games. I called the relatives too late to bum a ride. We have one taxi service in town, they don't do car seats. I asked.

So, I sit here, feeling like an awful parent. The last game of the year is next Monday. It is in another town, late enough at night that I will be searching for a ride to that game, starting now.

I hope ya win, Duck. Good Luck. Play hard. I love you.

Average

We are normal.

We are average.

We are healthy.

We are above average.

How, you ask, can we be average and above average? Easy, I am talking about two totally different things!

Indiana had his ten month well check with the pediatrician (Dr. Bartlett) today. Indy is weighing in at 22.5 lbs and is 29 inches tall. Statistically that makes him the 50th percentile in weight and the 50th percentile in height. Average! However, after we checked out the physical stuff we checked out the developmental things. Indy is a freak. He is doing things well beyond his age and is above average in all developmental categories. He walks very well. He runs. He talks. He understands language when you talk to him. He waves. He claps and plays pat a cake. He seeks out hidden toys and people. He initiates peek a boo and other games. He's a genius.

Well, so maybe not a genius, but above average in capabilities. I am his mom so I can exaggerate him to genius if I want to!

Killing the Mother-in-Law

This is another gem brought to you by the good folks over at Flagrant Disregard the motivational poster generator. This picture is of my wonderful husband and his mom going out to play paintball in Florida, shortly after he got out of the service. I have heard the stories of how brutal he was on the hunt, so when my mother in law recently unearthed the photo I had to doctor it a little and share.

Dancing Fool

Everyone has a different idea of what constitutes good music. In our household the controversy rages unchecked. Thankfully, Indy isn't yet a critic, happily listening to anything we play. He enjoys a nice twirl around the living room with whatever partner he can find, as well. Often time I will dance with him, but just as often, he must make do with a less than human counterpart. This poor put upon stuffed wolf is usually his dance victim.

Indy will dance to his music, my music or his dad's music, it matters not at all to him. So, be it Madagascar Soundtrack's "I like to move it", Hendrix ripping out "Voodoo Child", or Curt Cobain wailing about "Teen Spirit" its all an excuse to get up and dance for Indy.

I wish I had even a quarter of the energy he expends on dancing and clapping to his favorite songs!

Father Knows Best

Okay, so I forgot to post yesterday. Nothing really interesting happened anyways, so you aren't missing anything. Sunday's is dad's early day, so he has less time with Indiana than normal. Indy takes full advantage of that time laying on his dad kissing him. The little monster is a lover-boy at heart.

Wolves

It is oft remarked that I have a bit of a wolf obsession. Our home is decorated with some very beautiful statuary, lighting, pictures, and other objects de' wolf art. The display pictured here is the top of our roll top computer desk. I have a tapestry hanging behind the desk (to conceal a closet door). I thought the picture turned out kind of neat:

I have never actually purchased a "wolf" for myself. All of the ones in our home (numbering well over 100 items) were gifts from friends and loved ones over the last 10 years or so. Many of the givers are now gone from our lives, for whatever reason, but their contribution to the menagerie remains forever. I admit that I do have a few favorite pieces, and some that I like more than others. My two favorites are very different from one another. One, a leaded crystal sculpture, priceless in its beauty; the other, priceless in its sentiment, is the first one Duck ever bought for me. If nothing else, this little obsession makes it easier to purchase gifts for me!

A Mystery in my Mind:

Things disappear around my house. I usually just assume that I had forgotten where I put something. That seems more rational to believe than, say, an invisible black hole that sucks things I need, like the remote control, into it while my back is turned.

In my mind I had completely convicted my spouse as being an uncaring, power-mad monster. Let me clarify. I found myself (in my head) being judge, jury, and executioner for the infraction of being unconcerned about the ever raising dollar amount of our power bill. Since we moved in to this apartment, we knew that our power bill would increase (this apartment is not on the boiler system, but has its own hot water heater, which means we now have the added expense of heating our water) . I have been cutting corners where I could with other power related items. One of the ways I can keep our power bill from spinning out of control is a little button on the front of the dishwasher with two settings. One setting is called Extended Heat Dry; the other, Economy dry. Ever thrifty, I click the economy setting and fire up the dishwasher. Each time I set the button, someone comes along and puts the setting back on heat dry. I kept wondering why my ordinarily rational husband would do such a thing. He never actually does dishes himself, why should he do something like this!?! What kind of jerk is he, that I am keeping the lights low, limiting myself to either a shower in the morning or a bath in the evening but no longer both, keeping the heat down to 62 degrees, and other such conservations, when he is trying to HEAT DRY the dishes!?! I curse him in my mind every time I reset the setting on the dishwasher.

He, it turns out, is innocent. I wonder if I should apologize for some of the things I called him that he never heard me say? Nah.

By the way, The remote control... Indy has a stash. I am not forgetful. Indy is a klepto. The only black hole vortex is the single sock sucking one in our clothes dryer.

Petting zoo

The Oregon Zoo, which I mentioned a few posts ago, has a pretty neat petting zoo in it. I think that I also previously mentioned how my camera did a Houdini type disappearing thing with my pictures from that trip... Well, my mom emailed this one to me (and a few others).

I think this photo captures the pure joy and wonder to be found in such simple pleasures as playing "tag" with an un-shorn goat.

I wish, for all of you reading these words, the ability to see things, even if briefly, with the awe and joy of a little child. For just a moment, to have no cynicism, no prejudice, no burdens of any kind, just delight in the world around you.

Poetry!

Michele once asked, in one of her infamous question and answer games, what you call your sofa. Do you call it a couch? Or maybe just sofa? Perhaps you call it something more exotic, like Chesterfield? My grandmother always called hers a davenport. I don't know why.

I think I will just call this beautiful new addition to our home MAGIC, BEAUTY, and GRACE, oh and ELEGANCE!

Indiana, however, has already heard me refer to it as "Leave-Mommy's-New-Sofa-Alone!"

You can't even see where Indiana wiped his grubby, breakfast-y little boy hands on it this morning when he got out of his high chair! It is a microsuede/superfine kind of material. It smells new. I hope my family will understand, for now anyways, they must share my adulation with a couch.

So, what DO you call your "large seating thingy" in your house?

What a week!

(If you didn't see the post before this one... Scroll down and check out the pictures of the boys. They are worth looking at!)

Well, as most of you are aware, we moved. We moved a whopping half of a block. The big problem wasn't the move itself, it was transferring the telephone and DSL service. The cable and power moved smoothly. The phone was a giant headache. The only thing that keeps me from wanting to buy a home is knowing we would have to call the phone company to deal with moving our service again. Even if its 20 years from now, its too soon to talk to Qwest again.

We had some fun making some purchases to go along with our new place. The couch, which I inherited from an old boyfriend when he got new furniture, has been replaced. We bought a beautiful tan micro suede five piece sectional. It is BEAUTIFUL. Indy has drooled all over it, and happily when the drool dries, it doesn't show at all! It is my new favorite piece of furniture. We also got to completely redo our bathroom, since most of our old bathroom things were demolished. I enjoyed picking out pretty new lace shower curtains and matching towels. I bought a new cherry wood stand for our electronics, too!

Chris is thrilled because he got to purchase a big Charbroil gas grill for our new back porch! This apartment has a sliding glass door on the master bedroom with a small patio and grassy play area. I got a picnic table, too! I am thinking of getting a small pool for Indy. I also plan on getting out there when the weather warms up and clearing out rocks and junk and re-seeding the grass. Lots to do. Lots to do.

Speaking of the weather... What is up with record lows all over the country? Sure, I don't actually CARE that it is cold everywhere else. But, dang, it is COLD HERE!! When we walk the pathway around the lake, even the ducks are curled up together for warmth. The geese didn't bother to frisk us for food as they usually do, because it is just too cold.

well, I have so much to say, and I know if I write too much more everyone will get bored and quit reading, so... I will end for now and pick up again tomorrow. Hopefully you all will wait with bated breath hoping I say something interesting on the morrow!!

Welcome Home!

We are all moved! I am very happy with our new home!

I will have a nice big update later this evening but for now... enjoy the pictures!

We had these made at Wal-Mart Saturday afternoon. With all the stress of the move and all that goes along with that (the phone company, power company, bank, cable, work, post office the list goes on) I am still sure of one very important thing. I have handsome sons.

More on the new place this evening!

Thank you all for the support!!

Brief interruption of State Services...

We are moving...

Right now.

As I type this I am receiving dirty looks for slacking instead of packing. We have to be out by tomorrow night. We are relocating into a different unit. Thank you for all the ideas and support!

We will be unable to post for a few days until the phone company catches up with us.

Stay Tuned.

Plumbing Woes and Managerial Bastages:

I do believe we are moving.

Some of you may remember me jumping up and down, pulling my hair out and whining about the plumbing in our bathroom a few weeks ago, how we lost our tub for three days. Some more of you may remember the bit about the indoor waterfall in the kitchen from the upstairs neighbors kitchen drain pipe breaking just ten days ago. The upstairs neighbors toilet is running feces and urine and whatever else they put in their toilet straight into my bathroom. It drips down the walls, pours out of the vent fan, runs out of the ceiling, dribbles onto my floor, my toilet, my bathtub, onto my shower curtain and all of my belongings that were in there (hair brushes, hair ties, ribbons, make up, barrettes... EVERYTHING). You can actually SEE feces coming thru the walls. This started Friday night. Nothing has been done. The on site manager can do nothing until the property managers return the calls we have made because there is asbestos insulation in the ceiling and walls. We are living in a house with RAW SEWAGE seeping through the walls. We can not use our bathroom for anything. You cant use the toilet or bathe. Indy hasn't had a bath, I haven't had a bath, Chris took a shower at his moms. There is standing liquid on the floors. What it is I refuse to guess. When the upstairs neighbors flush their toilets, fluids of various consistencies and scents GUSH down into our home. HELP! What do I do. We cant live here. I told our on site managers that we want to move first thing in the morning. We want the same rent we pay now in a different unit. We want sanitation or we will get a lawyer and they will PAY. Problem is that we cant afford a lawyer. We cant afford to move. If the property managers don't want to do anything about this, we have no recourse. I fervently pray that Indy doesn't get ill from this.

Now, I have to find my key to my mother in laws apartment because I have to potty, and unless I want to pee on the ground in the courtyard in front of my neighbors I have to let myself into someone else's home.

Bummer

We went to the Oregon Zoo today. We are members and its fun to wander on nice days pushing the stroller and letting Indiana enjoy some fresh air. (We actually belong to both the Oregon Zoo and the Oregon Coast Aquarium)

I took two GREAT pictures today. One was of Indiana in his stroller in front of an awesome carved wolf at the Alaskan Tundra Wolf exhibit. The other was of the three wolves laying down together. We got home and I plugged the camera card into the computer and NO PICTURES. My camera is getting old and cranky and I am so sad because the pictures looked so GOOD. You will just have to take my word for it today that Indy is a little darling and we had a nice time in the beautiful weather. I need a new digital camera.

Oh honey.... Our anniversary is next month!!

(picture courtesy of The Oregon Zoo!)

Indy the Builder

We have made several purchases lately.
Chris got new glasses (they look wonderful).
I got a new lamp.
Indy helped his dad put it together. He got out his little tikes light and sound hammer and pounded his dad a few times, giggled, then stood in the way for twenty minutes. Brother and Nihm showed up in the middle of the putting together bit, and they lent a hand keeping Indy occupied and getting the new lamp up. Its pretty neat. Will post a pic of it later.

Zachary

We had been letting Zach's babysitter use Indy's old saucer to entertain Zach when she had him during the day. This evening she returned the saucer with the news that she won't be babysitting anymore. I probably won't be seeing much of Zach anymore, what with all of the stuff going on. I thought i would share a final picture, it was taken last week.

You can, however, join me in Watching Zach Grow at his blog site.

Yeah, that's me alright!

Take the What Type of Friend areYou? quiz, and visit mutedfaith.com.[Me.]

Truer words were never spoken. I always mean well. Sometimes, it doesn't turn out that way. I get chatty when I shouldn't. I clam up when I should get chatty. All but my closest friends view me as something of an enigma. My closest friends, well, we wont get into that.

I love taking silly online tests. This one was fun.Muted Faith , where I found this one, has a few other fun ones, as well as some artwork etc. That you might enjoy. I am always on the look out for other fun quizzes and things to do, so feel free to give leave me a few leads!

Sunny Weather

With the excellent spring like weather we are having I have started opening the front door to let our home air out. I love fresh air! I have placed a baby gate in front of the opening so Indiana doesn't take a tumble out. Indiana is fascinated with the outdoors. He will stand at the gate gazing rapturously outside for hours on end and chatting up any neighbor he sees . Keeps him occupied.

I am thinking about getting a storm door type screen door (the glass kind) so that this summer I will be able to run the air conditioner but still have the door open so Indy can look at the outside world. I don't want to leave the door open with just the baby gate later in the year because I fear flying creatures (like flys and mosquitoes and other icky things) invading our home. Our front door gets no sunlight because we are tucked back in the corner, so I don't think that will be a problem. I just am not in the know on screen door etiquette. That means more questions for the poor fellows at Home Depot!

On a totally side note... Melody, we love you.

Birthday goings ons, etc...

So, we had a good day! The sun was shining, and i got presents!! I got Guitar Hero for the playstation2 from my husband. I got my mp3 player, too, but i got that early. My dad and his family sent me gift cards (which i totally loved shopping with) and sent money to buy dinner. My mom gave me my grandmother's rosary beads and she made Indiana a wolf blanket! My mother-in-law gave me a beautiful touch lamp with wolves on the glass panels. Chris took me for a nice drive today and last night All of the neighbors chipped in to help us with the Barbecue! I had a great couple of days! I feel all spoiled!

The Pictures: Indiana claimed his blanket as soon as i pulled it from the bag. He hauled it into the kitchen with him, where he sat and watched us cut up veggies and things for the kabobs last night. After the food cooked the guys added some wood and roasted marshmallows... Dakota saw the camera coming so was able to flash a smile, Chris just had time to look up, so got caught with his mouth open!


This neat little thing can be customized for your site, generated, and put on a t-shirt over at SnapShirts. I was turned on to it be Nienke. Check her out!

BIRTHDAY GIRL!

Today is my BIRTHDAY!

We had a party last night so I didn't get a picture of the day posted yesterday, but I will make up for it later tonight. We barbecued with the neighborhood again! Dakota and Macy came down, and my mom came over as well. The little boy upstairs had a little girl visiting, too. So, we had five babies, two little kids, ONE teenager, and twelve adults. All chairs were full! Chris and Dan (our apartment manager) grilled up hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken shish-kabobs! We had so much food that we ran out of room on the table and had to bring a bench over! When the food was all consumed the guys, including Duck, roasted marshmallows for smores. We had so much fun we forgot to do the cake! Oh, well, just means cake tonight!! So, later tonight I will be wandering the neighborhood handing out cake!

I will get a better update and a picture of the day up later this evening... Have a good day all, and don't forget to sing happy birthday to me!

If it wasn't for bad luck...

... I wouldn't have any luck at all!!

EDIT: ok... Deleted my rant!

been a hectic few week.

In between one crisis or another Indy still found time to play. We got him this tambourine, just in case his musical talents never surface, he can still play in the band.

I think he misses his aunt moo. She arrived safely in Nebraska and is doing well. We went shopping last night. It is funny, I have been shopping at Albertson's my whole life, but now it seems weird because she isn't there anymore.

Hooray

Blogger is working again! This was after yesterday's game. We got clobbered. It was a lot of fun. Duck's team looked pretty good, just not good enough. We will get 'em next week!

Update and More:

Indiana had a nice pow-wow with his "circle of friends". Aunt Moo got him the chicken dance Elmo, and a new Eeyore that sings "I am your sunshine" at toys-r-us today. The local toys-r-us store in our town is closing. We added the new toys to the growing insanity. He LOVES his big noisy plush toys. Some vibrate, some talk, some dance, some sing, most do variations of two or more of those things.

An UPDATE on the robbery... It appears that the armed robber is still loose, and his description fits a man who is known to have done this before. The police have no idea of his where-abouts, but KNEW he was armed and dangerous loose in our town before this crime was committed. According to the local newspaper's account, what happened was this: A woman was sitting in her car at the liquor store when a Hispanic man shoved a gun through her open window demanded her purse and money/valuables, she gave him her things and her ran off on foot into our neighborhood.

UPDATE: We heard from our neighbor today that Cayson is doing excellent! He is home and thriving.

A mother's fear:

Today was the first sunny day we have had in ages. Indiana and I took advantage of it by breaking out the stroller and heading for town. We live in such an ideal spot. We are two blocks form the liquor store, three blocks from the best department store in town (Fred Meyer), four blocks from the local mall, and five blocks from our favorite grocery! Indiana and I wandered the neighborhood. We shopped a little, we walked a lot, we shared a burger. Neighbors along our regular route were out in their yards, several saying their "hellos" as we passed; a few stopping us to admire Indiana and gossip a bit about the weather. We arrived home at about two this afternoon.

At three o clock this afternoon, in broad daylight, in our small little community, in my peaceful neighborhood, a man armed with a gun accosted the clerk at the liquor store and ran from the building with the cash, out into our neighborhood. The police asked residents to stay in their homes and apartments as the officers searched our neighborhood with dogs and shot guns. I admit it is frightening to see an officer walking past your front door with a shot gun in hand. My angel and I were out just an hour earlier wandering those same streets.

We have always felt so safe in our small town. I know nothing is "fair", but it really is so UNFAIR that one bastard like this can ruin the safety and security of a neighborhood. One of my neighbors is a young girl who lives alone. Because we are unsure of whether or not that man is still on the loose in our area, the little neighbor girl is staying at her mother's home tonight, afraid to stay alone in her own home. Other neighbors in the building have come to me and expressed concern (I am some kind of local community leader, helping form our neighborhood watch, planning community gatherings, forming our block party for national night out, etc, so it is fairly normal for my neighbors to come to me with issues). We are all being especially mindful of odd noises this evening. We have made sure we all have phone numbers of our neighbors, and are all ready to dial 911 if something feels wrong. When I contacted the police department this evening, I was told that they could not release information to me.

I just wanted to know if it was safe to sleep in our beds tonight. I wanted to know if it was safe to sit in the breeze-way and gossip with the "girls". I wanted to know if Indiana was safe in his crib. I wanted to know if my neighborhood will ever feel safe again, to those of us who call this place home.