2
Exhausted 2 Write Newsletter Archive
"This writing business. Pencils and whatnot. Overrated, if you ask me."
Eeyore from " ?
"
2003
Duct tape. Some years there just isn't enough of it.
Alan has lost weight. I've found it.
Our uninsurable-for-years roof now litters the lawn with bald shingles in the lightest rain. Not even duct tape can save it now. I still web-author for money, but now also substitute teach for $50-75/day. Baby needs a new roof. Yesterday. And this lets me be with the girls after school. *sigh*
Alan toils at Seminars Unlimited. They're still building their new campus. Alan's hand-dug well in the back yard remains at 2000 A.D. status. The bathroom repairs begun in February 2002 [still] nears completion. Grinch-like, I told him still no electric Christmas decor until the shower is usable. Twenty-one months and counting without a shower. The power company is heart-broken: their Christmas bonuses depend on Alan's electric display. "You're a mean one, Mr[s]. Grinch..."
The girls
are happy. They like Third Grade and teacher, Mrs. Larkin. They enjoy orchestra,
Suzuki (violin), Spanish class, and Adventurers once a week. 
For
years Kilory begged for a bunk bed. So I redid their room and "Farm" Gramma
and PaPa financed the bunk bed. Kilory used the top bunk for a month or so.
Now I'm not sure you could pry her out of their mutual mattress with a crowbar.
Twins. This summer we listened to "Don Quixote," "Jane Eyre," and four other
audio books of classic literature and they didn't even feel abused. Kilory
loves horses, archery, and fencing. Nikki still lives with her nose in a book,
and collects/creates recipes.
I
threw a Peter Pan party at "the farm" for their eighth birthday. Kilory had
a Pan-ish costume she wanted to wear and Nikki was happy to dress as Wendy.
I dressed as Captain Hook*, Alan & Dad as Smee & Mullins (bellies hanging
from my French sailor Ts and all), Rudi as Nana, and Mom as Mrs. Darling.
We ate Gummi Gators, [Absolute] Poppycock, 
[Childish]
Fiddle Faddle, Swedish [Cod]fish and other theme treats. PaPa made his flatbed
trailer into a sailing ship and took kids tractor-sailing around the pasture.
When we cleaned up, PaPa said we ought to wear our costumes to Long John Silver's
for dinner. We did! Boy, did eyes pop right and left!
*(Kilory likes me to fence with her while pretending I'm Captain Hook and
she's Peter Pan. It's fun and good exercise, but whenever we do it Bruno bites
me on the rump.)
I
threw Alan a 42nd birthday potluck at "the farm" (I'm too ashamed of our house
to have anyone over).
Some 30 friends and family appeared to enjoy themselves immensely. If one
answered Alan-Trivia questions correctly, one was tossed a fun-size "Almond
Joy" bar that I'd altered to read as "Alan's 42nd."
Potluckers brought presents in units of 42 --
42 fun-size Snickers, 42 cans of root beer, 42 potatoes. Alan's birthday "party"
was a roaring success if I say so myself.
The
next day we left for the Denny cabin in Black Lake, New 
Mexico
to commune with Craig, Sheri, Walt, and Eloyce Denny and their dogs. Our favorite
had to be Apple-headed Chihuahua "Chico The Whole Enchilada." Favorite
dog, of course.
It was fun
and crowded and sometimes confusing. Once, the twins were bombarding Alan
with a hundred questions while he attempted to pack fishing gear. 
"Sweetie, just...", "Sweetie, wait until...".
Craig suggested something to him.
"OK, Sweetie," Alan answered Craig.
He claimed it was understandable! But if you click on the image to the left
you'll see a larger image of him with his hand on Craig's rump. He claims
he was steadying Craig on the ladder as he nailed sheetrock into place, but
Sheri and I are keeping an eye on them. *wink*
Kilory's
16-inch rainbow trout was the largest catch of the whole trip.
One fishing trip wasn't a success. Nikki said she was glad because "Sheri
has feelings for the fish."
Kilory was attached to Craig's hip, and Nikki to Sheri's the whole time. Little
did anyone know that Sheri was pregnant! Yahoo!!!
You can click
on this image, as with all the images, to view a larger image.
In
this view of the Black Lake Resorts gate, the Denny cabin is directly below
the first "S" on the arch [on the hillside, right below the ridge
line].
We
spent a few fabulous days there before returning to Amarillo for Alan's parents'
50th anniversary weekend. Click
here to view the lyrics I wrote and the girls performed, printed over an image
of their wedding.
Each Gantz/Weis child
was present with spouse and most of their children. 
Musical
numbers were performed by various Weis members. Young Vialo presided over
their wedding vow renewal, as original bridesmaid, Aunt Genevieve, looked
on. It was quite an event, coordinated and paid for by Carl and Ella, although
taking family portraits took longer than the actual "party" at the Mount of
Blessings SDA Church. God bless Craig Denny for taking multiple photos with
multiple cameras 
(Say
cheese! I'm sure his 
shutter
finger hurt as much as my teeth did by the time it was over, poor guy).
We eventually returned to the cabin for a few more precious July days in the Moreno Valley, where Nikki thought the crescent moon looked like a Cheshire Cat, and rediscovered the Milky Way like I've never seen it. Not even deep in the wild desert are the stars this bright and clear. The word "awe-inspiring" and "awestruck" are so overused, they don't do the experience justice.
For
Labor Day Weekend we reappeared with the Wiists in tow for the Living History
Days rendezvous in Angel Fire.
We are pictured here with Debbie Wheeler who went to Southwestern with Michael
and Alan's brother, Vialo.
What a kick to run into each other at her Raw
Hider Leathers tent.
Veronique,
and (Gramma and) I made period outfits for our girls
(including deer antler buttons PaPa made).
During our sewing bee marathon (during which we helped Nikki
and Kilory get different pioneers to Oregon via "The Oregon Trail"
CD-Rom), Mom and I made a period outfit for me as well. 
Amarillo
Gramma gave Nikki and Kilory their sunbonnets. I don't know how vintage
they are, but they are vintage, with handsewn buttonholes and everything.
We
looked very Little House in that Jeremiah Johnson environment – which is why
I still don't know if it was compliment or twitting when rendezvous organizers
hailed me repeatedly as "Ma Bonnet," the "woman with the four little girls."
Either way, I ran with it and had a marvelous time.
At
first, Michael wasn't so sure about this rendezvous stuff, but he was game
if we were. 
By
Nelly, he really got into the spirit of things! Bought himself a hand-made
hand-fitted beaver felt hat. We got to watch Lil Grizz the hat-maker fit it
exactly to Michael's specifications and everything. There's a funny story
about his free stampede cord, but you'll have to ask Michael about it. I tried
everything I could think of to talk Alan into one. *sigh* 
No
use.
After Michael and Alan made bull's-eyes with percussion cap rifles, I, too,
nailed my target. How humiliating 'twould have been not to have!
It
was a joyous weekend with the Wiists.
When Alan returned with them, leaving us girls at the cabin alone
for another week, the twins were inconsolable. Sobbing, choking, snurgling.
It was the highlight of my Mommy career. Among other things, they were convinced
I couldn't protect our 
70
lb "Scooby" dog, Bruno, against chipmunks. We had a blast horseback riding,
visiting Alpacas, studying the Oregon and Santa Fe Trails, and watching Bruno
defend himself against chipmunks, squirrels, and rabbits just fine, thank
you. Although he nearly wet himself when he walked past a "rock"
and the rock turned out to be a bear (statue). I'm still laughing. Brave dog.
Brave like Scooby Doo!
In
July, Dad helped me cut down a dying tree in the front yard. I had called
tree guys for estimates on felling it and one called me "girlie." Oooo. Now
it was personal. I took it down my girrrrrrlie self! (Or as much as my daddy
let me.) I smashed my finger, but when Alan got home for lunch – no tree,
no logs, and most of the sawdust was gone. So there.
My only concern had been for the Welcome Lizard who greeted us on the side
of the tree whenever we drove into the driveway. 
How
do you get a lizard out of a tree before you fell it? You don't; you cross
your fingers.
After the tree was down, I found her on a perilous spot on the trunk. If we
didn't move her she was going to get hurt. 
I
like her, but when it comes to touching her -- eeeeeeeek! So Gramma gamely
chased her all over, caught her, and placed her on a new tree. Gramma's my
hero.
Maybe the lizard's, too. [Read "The Welcome
Lizard," by Nikki Weis.]
Nikki raked up the twigs and when Pastor Barton asked how much I paid her
to do that, she answered "Room and boredom."
In July we also held a posthumous 42nd birthday for Wes. If that could be considered morbid, he still would have loved it. Disaster-Area.org has an associates link to Amazon.com. Purchases made through this link benefit the Wes Stoops Scholarship at Southwestern. The last check D.A. sent in was for $100. Huzzah!
In August
Alan bought a 1973 Apache pop-up trailer for $500 in Nebraska and spent August,
September, October, and a psuedo-fortune restoring it.
I
painted iridescent hummingbirds on the exterior – it's the only Hummer I'll
ever allow in our driveway.
Its maiden
Weis voyage was the church camp-out at Tyler State Park.
We
had the best time around the campfire with the Harveys and the Wiists!
Alan took everyone, except sailor-dog-wannabe Rudi, puttering around the lake.
She walked out into the lake trying to follow them.
The
next weekend we camped at Cedar Lake, Oklahoma, with Vialo and Shannon – the
first time the brothers had camped together.
It was an equestrian campground with horse facilities and hundreds of miles
of horse trails.
It also had a vacationing mule which burst our eardrums 
and
gave Vialo the grins everytime it sounded
off.
Alan took everyone, including 100-lb [salty sea dog] Sylvia, puttering around
the lake.
Family history
archives: David Weis (Southwestern freshman PreMed -- and pictured here with
Vialo, and 
Craig
Denny's noggin at the anniversary party) received the first award of the Weis
Family Heritage Scholarship; Doug Denny now lives in A------- close to Craig,
Sheri, Sugar Rae (my name for their unborn "boxing" daughter), and us!
Have a great 2004, and when in doubt about a great gift – duct tape! There's never enough.
Chrissie, Alan, Nikki & Kilory Weis@htcomp.net
We hope you enjoy your visit.
