Sixteenth

S and I, with our friends the Cogleys and the McKnights, made our way 20 miles down the road to the Iowa speedway this weekend.  Scott bought the tickets at a charity auction and the McKnights won some at the hospital golf outing. We met up with other friends from Grinnell and had a great time.   In one of the owner's boxes, it was more like a party than a noisy car race.  After, we danced to a live country music band.  These are pictures with the Iowa Speedway Mascot and the Governor.  Also in attendance, Iowa celebrity Bobby Hanson, Scott got a picture of the girls with him.

I also got some much needed work done in the garden.  Here is s, hamming it up with his rabbit!

I transplanted hostas from mom's garden to an empty area along the rear of the north bed.  I also moved in some of a plant my friend Anne gave me.  I don't know the name, but I has these amazingly variegated leaves and interesting, tiny red flowers.  It spreads like mad.  Time will tell the wisdom of moving it into this bed!

This is the first year this hydrangea has bloomed, I love it!

Fifteenth

A quiet weekend at our house. This week C, Jenn and I went to ride with some friends to Cumming.  A great ride; wonderful to see friends, share a meal, beverages and an afternoon and many laughs.  

S and I used the sculpy clay to make some figures.  I wished Greta was here. (I always wish Greta was here)  I know she would have fun and make some amazing pieces.  S told me he's been having nightmares; hopefully these folks will keep the bad dreams away.

The kids are settling into school.  K got her clarinet this week.  She showed it off to Nana and Papa before noon meal on Sunday.  Later she went to ride Socks with  Nana and our friend Jo.  Jo has been working with her on the horse.  I am delighted to have K know strong people who help her learn new skills and confidence.

Fourteenth

And so, I am a news junkie right now.  I am watching the progress of my favorite, Barack. I believe this man can heal us, begin to right the wrongs we have perpetrated, make me proud of this country.  My stomach twists into knots as I read the news and pundits obsessively.   Could anyone really believe this man with that strong wife and his background is sexist?  Do people not listen to the news, not check facts, really think living close to a foreign country is foreign policy experience, really vote based on chromosomes?  

I have to stop. Today. No more news. No more polls. 

I believe in Obama's vision.  I am inspired.  We as a country will do the right thing.  We have to.

Thirteenth

We are finishing up a summer project, our front door.  Our shingle style house was built in 1907.  We have made changes since we moved in; moving the carriage house, adding a garage, updating the kitchen and downstairs bath, adding a bathroom on the first floor.  It bothered me that our front door was so decrepit I could see daylight between the panels, so I talked S into considering an overhaul. We love this old home and, of course, any changes have to be true to the original.  We priced a new custom door with true divided lights and a curved profile and quickly discarded that option.  I am fortunate to be married to a man who can build or repair almost anything, so this spring the project began.  Although I can help with somethings, S is the brains of this project.  He found the stripper, a heated paint remover.  It worked fabulously, and we got the paint off in a weekend.   The shop where he works made us a new threshold and repaired and refurbished the door as well as made us new mullions for the lower windows.  (We decided to leave the uppers alone.)  We still need to replace and glaze the windows, Scott will work on that on his day off next week.  We are closing in on the end of the project and today started painting.  I'm glad to see the red-orange paint going back on, the off-white primer seemed very bland.  The color of the front door has definitely changed the palate I use in the garden.  It's still an old house, and the door still fits in; I am pretty sure visitors will not be able to tell and difference.   I love the new old door and am so lucky to have a husband willing and able to take on the project.  

Now, what next...

Twelfth

S and I walked out the back door, leaving for school , and gasped in unison.  

Also at the back door, a friend made a home for a night.

Eleventh

So I got "tagged" by Jenn.  A list can be a difficult thing, but this is a reflective time. This is a bit of a crossroads, I am definitely no longer a kid (except to the octogenarians, its all in the perspective) and have tried to use this year to think about what I have done so far and to reflect on my goals for the next 60 years (or so).  I have had trouble finding three things for each category, so I just listed as many items as are pertinent.

My joys:

• my family
  
• my friends
• my work
• my (and my family's) health. 

I am the luckiest person I know.

My fears:

• making a mistake at work.  I love my job.  One of my greatest challenges, however, is the command of the Hippocratic oath;"First, do no harm".  Unfortunately, it is possible to harm both by not doing enough and by doing too much.  Missing a diagnosis is something every physician is constantly vigilant against.  On the other hand, diagnostic tests can also reveal incidental findings which have no clinical significance but can cause extra anxiety and unnecessary testing or procedures.  Finding the right balance is a constant struggle and still causes sleepless nights.
  
• multiple sclerosis

My goals:

• making a difference, to my family and my patients, and maybe someday the world beyond
• peace, within myself, toward others and in the world
• 40 (or so) more years of Ragbrai

Obsessions/collections

• Ragbrai
• my garden
• collections-old globes and antique watering cans

Surprising facts

(I'm not sure how anything could be surprising to readers as everyone has known me for a long time!)

• I was a cheerleader in high school
• I played rugby (poorly) in college
• I delivered a very special baby three days after S's birth.  (This is one of the reasons I no longer need to prove my physical and mental toughness--two centuries, two deliveries, residency and Libby's birth (which actually wasn't that hard) )

Tenth

We went to Adventureland, the kids and I, with my friend J and her kids.   We arrived early enough to stay on the rides as long as the kids wished.  Sometimes the older kids teamed up with younger kids when moms (me) were too scared to ride.  We played and rode, hit the water park, then rode a few last rides before heading home.  We had a great time spending the day with friends.