Weekend leftovers

Mom: I was thinking this year on Christmas Eve, instead of prime rib -
Me: No.
Mom: Ok.

Me (on the way to the mall): Do you want to stop at Fleet Farm?
Mom: Sure, we could check it out.
2 hours and about $300 later...
Me: Do you still want to go to the mall?
Mom: I'm good.

At Cub
Mom: Wow, Sunny D under $2! (puts three bottles in the cart) Oh my gosh, groceries are so cheap here!

Checking my mail
Me: Oooh! A new Real Simple!
Mom: What's Real Simple?
later, paging through the magazine
Mom: This is the best magazine ever.

We both got all of our Christmas shopping done, and all of my gifts (with the exception of Mom's gift) went home in her trunk and will be wrapped and under the tree when I get home on Christmas Eve. I also bought a few things for myself, including a new pair of winter boots and a new printer.

I guess I'll never be a florist...

Tuesday was coworker S's birthday. Her boyfriend sent her a dozen roses, which were lovely. S sits next to me, but I was away from my desk most of the afternoon, meaning I couldn't smell the roses. When she went home for the day, she decided to leave the flowers at work so everyone could enjoy them and be jealous for the rest of the week.

Yesterday she took the day off. After two hours of sneezing and watery eyes, I finally moved the roses to an empty desk that was a little bit further away from my desk. I made sure to explain to my coworkers why I was moving the flowers, because of course I got some strange looks.

I guess there are two lessons here: a) please don't send me roses. They're very pretty, but my sinuses can't handle them. b) I can scratch florist off my list of potential careers.

My childhood was not like your childhood.

Today I made a comment to a coworker about how I was excited to go home for Christmas, even though it would be a short trip (I'm flying home on Thursday morning and coming back Sunday afternoon). She asked where I was from, so I told her. Then we started talking about my childhood experiences and how they were different from hers (she grew up in Wayzata).

Here were a few fun facts that I gave her:

• I was a member of 4-H and showed cattle at the county fair.
• I rode the bus for an hour each way to and from school.
• Our nearest grocery store was 20 miles away. Our nearest good grocery store was 50 miles away.
• My dad and one of the neighbors would clear 8.5 miles of road after snow storms so that a milk truck could get to our farms to pick up our milk and a school bus could get in to pick us up. If we had waited for the county to clear the road, we would have had to wait at least a week.
• If we wanted to take family vacations, we had to pay people to milk and feed calves for us.
• Cows kick. Hard.
  
• I learned at an early age which cows kicked and which didn't, and to never, ever, reach my arm between a cow's leg and a pipe, because she could kick or even just adjust her leg and it could pin or possibly break my arm.
• While bottle-feeding calves might sound like fun, it can be a big pain in the ass when you've got 20 calves to feed.
• I have no problems with eating beef.
• There were some kids who weren't allowed to participate in extracurricular activities at school because if they were staying after school for practice, that meant they weren't able to help with chores at home. I wasn't one of those kids.
• I didn't usually get to sleep in on weekends or school breaks because I was expected to get up and help with morning chores.
• If it's 80 degrees outside, it's 100 degrees in the milking parlor. It's humid and shitty (literally) and there are flies everywhere.
• If it's 20 below outside, it's probably about 40 degrees in the parlor. Insulated coveralls are your friend in the winter.
• Rubber boots are your friend year-round.
• Beef cows are much easier to deal with than milk cows.
  

About half of the kids in my school either grew up on farms or worked on farms, so they understood these things. Most of my friends in college were also farm kids. It wasn't until I moved here that I realized how unique my childhood was. I know I didn't appreciate it when I was a kid, but I sure appreciate it now.

ow.

I went for a 25-mile bike ride this afternoon. I haven't gone for a ride in at least a month. Pain. I feel pain.

Things I love:

60+ degree November days.
Fridays.
Sleep.

An update to my previous post

Tonight:
Mom: Dad is driving to Fargo with [brother C] to meet up with [brother A] and they're all flying together out of Fargo. They have a 48 minute layover in Minneapolis on Friday night, and on Sunday they're catching a connecting flight to Fargo from Chicago. I'll come to town next weekend.

So there you have it. I'm going nowhere and seeing no family members this weekend.

What are you doing this weekend?

Saturday:
Mom called: I was thinking about coming to visit this weekend so we can go Christmas shopping.*

Sunday:
Sandy called: Our cousin John died.

Tuesday:
Mom: The funeral is in Atlanta. Dad wants to go. If he goes, I'll stay home.
Me: Ok. Let me know if he has a long layover in Minneapolis, I'll pick him up and we can go out to eat or something.
Dad: I'm waiting to hear back from my brothers. I don't like traveling and have never flown before. I don't want to go if I have to go alone.
Me: If you guys pay for my ticket and I can go without missing work, I'll go with you.

So there you have it. I might be going shopping with Mom, I might be going out to eat with Dad, I might be going to Atlanta, or I might not be doing anything. I'll keep you posted.

*I had invited her a few weeks ago.