Interesting Times for #1 Daughter

Our #1 daughter moved into an apartment in another town yesterday, and started her first day on the job.

Today, she learned that although her new employer reported that quite a few positive adjectives apply to her, she's not a good match for the job.

We knew that the job was a temporary one, but we'd assumed that it would last until the end of the year.

I'll be following her progress with considerable interest.

(For those of you who may be curious: don't let the calm tone of this post fool you. Inside, I'm screaming.)

Moved the Kids Out

I wasn't involved very much with today's project, which wrapped up our family's double-header nest-emptying.

My wife picked up a 14' U-Haul truck, she and the kids packed it, and when they were done there was room them, but not me, inside. I joked that they might strap me to the top of the truck: and my wife said, "don't tempt me."

I stayed here in Sauk Centre.

Today's move got our oldest daughter into an apartment, so she'll be closer to her new job. Sure, it's a temporary job, good until the end of the year, but: it's a job!

It's different now, with half of the kids out of the house. Quieter. My son came in a while ago, on his way to bed, turned to where his oldest sister would have been working with her laptop, and observed that he wasn't used to her being gone yet.

It will be quite a while before I'm "used to it." In a way,I suppose I never will be.

This summer was a wonderful time, with all four of our surviving children under the roof. It may be the last time that happens for a full season. In a way, I hope so. The two oldest are adults now, and it is time that they begin setting up households of their own.

There are times when I wish we lived in one of those cultures where several generations of a family might live in one compound, or on adjoining farmsteads, or whatever the arrangement might be. But, counter-cultural as my wife and I are in many ways, there's no sense in trying to run a family's economy one way, when several hundred million of your neighbors are doing something else.

Besides: this way, I figure that we're likely to get grandkids sooner, than if they stayed at home.

Moving the Kids Out

Two of them, anyway. I drove the family van up to visit my father last Friday, followed by our #2 daughter in her car. She was packed and ready (more or less) to get back to studies. After a visit with grandpa, of course.

I'm glad I went, although I slept 12 hours Friday night, and Saturday morning, after a slight intestinal event.

That was really odd. Sure, I've been short-changing myself on sleep for the last few weeks, but that's nothing. When I was in our daughter's position, a college student, my schedule demanded crazy hours, and I could do it standing on my head: no problem.

Wait a minute. That was - let's see. Thirty. Years. Ago.

Looks like my wife is right: I do need more, and more regular, sleep.

Then, just to keep my life interesting, my body decided to keep me awake most of last night. I relaxed all of today: which didn't take much of an act of will on my part. I very sincerely didn't feel like doing much, aside from letting my eyes blink, and twiddling my fingers over a keyboard and mouse once in a while.

Tomorrow morning, our #1 daughter and I will go through about the same routine, except not over such a long distance. In her case, it's a move down the road to a town where she got a job.

Driving up to my father's home, in the Red River Valley of the North, brings me back to the area where I grew up. I'm a town boy, but the edge of town wasn't that far away, and the family went from town to town fairly often.

I'm used to a landscape that's a bit on the roomy side. In the half-century since I got started, the Red River Valley has gotten built up quite a bit. Most of the shelter belts and wind breaks weren't there when my mind was establishing how the place "should" look. Just the same, this picture gives you a little idea of how much elbow-room there is.

Sauk Centre, on the other hand, is a very pleasant place. It's a bit on the crowded side, though, with farmsteads less than a mile apart, and a horizon that's often not much farther away. Still, it's a nice place to live. This picture is of fields between the west side of Sauk Centre and the Interstate.

Back to School: I'm Keeping my Head Down

I've found a corner of one room where I'm safely out of the way. My wife, three daughters, and eleven-year-old son, are packing our second daughter's car, and the family van.

"Hectic" is a modest way to describe the process.

As soon as it's safe, I'll emerge and serve as van driver.

And we've still got #1 daughter to move out.

I love my family: and not just because they keep my life from getting boring.