2
Exhausted 2 Write Newsletter Archive
"This writing business. Pencils and whatnot. Overrated, if you ask me."
Eeyore from " ?
"
2004
Duct tape, chocolate, and peanut butter. Some years there just isn't enough of them.
From last year's newsletter: "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. [Thirty-three] 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..."" Nothing has changed. *
From
last year's newsletter: "Kilory loves horses, archery, and fencing.
Nikki still lives with her nose in a book, and collects/creates recipes."
Nothing has changed. They were accepted into a Montessori school, but stayed
at KAES. They're in Fourth Grade with Mrs. England. Straight "A"s.
Happy. Think I'm silly, but say they love me anyway. I said to Kilory: "You
think I'm weird, don't you?" Kilory: "Yeah, but it's OK. Everybody
else thinks so, too."
Identical
twins, yet they are different as night and day as usual. For your inspection:
Nikki strung our biggest tree with pearls from the top down (see left). Kilory
-- the artistic one -- strung the tree with pearls from the bottom up (see
right).
In January
a little brown dog broke into Farm Gramma and Papa's house twice in one day.
The second time, she was given a bath. 
Turned
out she was a white 10-year-old, 7-lb Maltese with grave (now healed) medical
problems escaping from a hillbilly puppy mill. On January 26 she became ZsaZsa
Moxie Hufflepuff Ninny-Muggins Weis. We should have named her Ginger Rogers,
as she spends as much time dancing on her hind feet as she does on four feet.
In this photo taken by Nikki, ZsaZsa's black pearl and diamond necklace doesn't
show, but it's there! She's a mess. Comes inside to "do" the carpet.
I've decided that half the time she really can't help it after that many litters:
human mothers attest to the havoc pregnancy (let alone childbirth!) wreaks
on the plumbing. I can't get rid of her. She's had such a lousy life.
She absolutely adores me. Follows me everywhere. Like I said: she's a mess.
Speaking of messes: I didn't think there were enough Third Grade Dads in the
Dad's Chili Cookoff. Guess what I did! We either won Most Chili Sold, or Ugliest
Dad.
February
saw the twins's "Finding Nemo" ninth birthday party. I came as an
octopus, Papa as a fisherman, Rudi as a crab, Alan as a dentist, and Gramma
as a dental hygienist. The girls wore shirts with Nemo transfers that I captured
off of then altered from our DVD. We ate C(shaped)-Cucumbers, Strawberry Jelly(fish)
Sandwiches, and Gummi Sharks among other treats.
March
ushered in a new roof after a decade of finger crossing. We decided we ought
to have fresh, free-range Easter eggs all year long, and Gramma ought to have
a rooster at the farm. We bought some Araucana chicks, and blue, green, olive,
and pinkish Araucana eggs to hatch out at KAES.
April showers
brought May flowers, and much sub-teaching for me. Some parents report that
their children say I am "the best substitute ever." I know I'm the
weirdest. Kids are told they can call me Ms. WICE (Anglo-German pronunciation);
Ms. VICE (German pronunciation);
or Professor Grubblyplank...it's up to them. I call roll in several accents
and voices and once a student confirms he/she is present, he/she has to answer
a question: "Cookie or brownie?"; "Star Wars or Star Trek?";
"Favorite candy bar?", etc.
May
brought me a job as Clarion Call Books LLC's Clearance and Copyright Director
(David Read wrote "Dinosaurs:
An Adventist View"; I track down the illustrations he wants and get
permissions to reprint).
June
brought a foot injury that kept this diabetic with her foot up for a month
and away from permissions gathering. Watched a lot of DVDs. As a favor to
Veronique Wiist, and my begging, Alan (Pictured here in a Velcro suit, about
to jump on a Velcro wall.) was allowed to work for a week at Nameless Valley
Ranch (allowing Nikki and Kilory to attend free). Favors and begging! They
asked him back for two weeks in 2005 and have made him "The Story Guy."
In
July we made the front page of the Cl-b-rn- Times-Review for our foray into
the parade with Red-White-and-Blue ZsaZsa and Sylvia. Later in the month
Alan and the girls took off again for Oklahoma Campmeeting. A great time was
had by all with Uncle Vialo and Aunt Shannon, and Lisa and Kyle Harvey. Two
days before they got back, I cracked and dislocated two ribs. It hurt worst
at the computer, so...more DVDs. I healed up just in time to journey to Black
Lake, New Mexico for Labor Day Weekend with the Wiists. We stayed at the Denny
cabin for a week in between the 
Living
History Days rendezvous in Angel Fire, and trips to Taos and Las Vegas. I'd
brought my Latin-English dictionary and when I wasn't perusing it, Michael
was. I bought a regular dictionary for the cabin as he and I found we couldn't
quite live without one even for a week. It's really great to find a family
to fellowship with that not only share one's unusual penchant for words (tres
Niles and Frasier Crane), but also one's desire to pick over porcupine roadkill
for the quills (very "Martha Stewart does 'Deliverance'" –
cue the banjo music). THAT was how we wanted to pose with the town's newspaper:
"The Wiists and Weises battle flies for porcupine quills by the side
of the road near Mora, New Mexico. Lunch anyone?"
September returned Farm Gramma and PaPa to the farm from their three-month Alaska trip. On Farm Gramma's 65th birthday, ‘rillo Gramma was diagnosed with stomach cancer. October saw ‘rillo Gramma and Papa move in with Carl and Ella. Alan accidentally redislocated my July-injured ribs. October was fun, fun, fun.
Normally,
we four dress up a few days before Halloween and walk along our street giving
candy to the neighbors. 
We
couldn't before the 31st, so we did it the day after Halloween on All Saints
Day. Or at least we girls did. I'd planned to make period outfits for Scarborough
Faire 2005. The girls kept asking what they'd wear for Treat-and-Treating,
so I went ahead and made their dresses in October. I'd chosen a kids' pattern,
but they wanted the prettier grown-up pattern. I sewed adult size 12s, then
sewed the seams bigger and kept putting in pleats, tucks, and darts until
they fit kid size 9. The bodices don't look right, but as Sharon Leach advised
"They'll fill them out soon enough!"
November
has been spent visiting ‘rillo grandparents often, and gathering at least
11 eggs every day (actually Farm Gramma does the gathering). What to do with
the surplus? We wanted eggs from free-range, vegetarian chickens. Farm Papa
insists they're not vegetarian chickens – they eat bugs. And that's why
he, the biggest egg consumer in the family, refuses to eat our eggs. So we
have eggs up the wazoo. Want eggs?
We
had a "formal" tea party the day before Thanksgiving, with Leisl
and Diane Findley, and Catherine and Alexandra Wiist. We had Ferrero Rocher
and Cordial Cherries instead of truffles; quartered and refrosted Lil Debbie
Devil Cakes instead of expen$ive petit four$; 
farm
fresh devilled eggs; shortbread cookies with toffee chips; raspberry-filled
shortbread; cucumber sandwiches; crackers; hot apple cider for the six who
don't like tea, and one pot of tea for moi. We used a mixture of Wedgewood
"Candlelight White" and Royal Albert "Old Country Roses,"
for service; Lenox vases for the fresh-cut "Souvenir de la Malmaison"
antique roses;
and tea cup/saucer/dessert plates I've purchased in Worms (Germany), Battle
(England), and Elgin (Scotland).We sipped and nibbled with our pinkies in
the air. Yes, there's a reason I'm wearing a $40 wedding dress. Long story
as to how/why I got it. Short story as to why I'm wearing it: the Wiist/Weis
gals made me wear it to tea. I was "the queen."
Here
we are continuing our recent tradition in the Annual Christmas Parade:
the smallest, most pathetic float (visible tape holding the lights on and
all) in the entire parade. Kilory had a 102 temperature, thus sat out the
parade with Gramma and PaPa. Catherine Wiist was a present; Sylvia Beach Weis
came as a reindeer (with felt antlers); Alan as Mr. Claus; myself as Mrs.
Claus (complete with baked cookies); Alexandra Wiist as a present; and Nikki
as an elf. Don't feel sorry for the dog. She LOVES her jingle bells (wears
them around the house during the holidays), and knowing that reindeer pull
the sleigh and Santa, she happily dragged them both all along the parade route.
The Wednesday after, when I started undecorating our float she danced around
me looking from the float to the street, from the float to the street -- she
knew what needed to be done, but I just wouldn't get with it!
And, yes, I'm in that dress again. The white apron hides it, but it is now
a dyed-golden blouse and skirt. It may be worn to Scarborough Faire, or may
be shunned in favor of another. But that's next year's newsletter...
Family history
archives:
-- Jalie
Brook Denny was born on February 16 at 4:06 p.m. I got to see her about an
hour afterward. I got to see her...like anyone or thing could have
kept me away! She looks sooooooooo like her Daddy (Craig), it's not even funny.
She's called "Craigita" half the time.
--
We had to put Rudi-Tutti Nanny Dog Weis to sleep on March 10 a few months
before her 15th birthday. We LOVE our dogs and they LOVE us, but Rudi was
special and there will never be another like her. March 10 is always a bad
day for me. I want to stay in bed on March 10, 2005, but my palm pilot tells
me the fourth graders have a field trip that day. *sigh*
-- Gabrielle Giselle (GG) Spells was born on her August 21 due date. She's
such a Spells!
--
My ‘lil buddy
Buki (Buku Rambeaux) was put to sleep August 30 a few months short of his
15th birthday. Nobody at 213 Woodlawn loves me as palpably as he did. I miss
him. If newspaper coverage counts, he was the most famous (certainly the most
photographed) dog in our town. Gee. I wonder why?...
-- Kristen Marie Wright
was born September 17, 2004 at 4:06 p.m. to Don and Susen Weis Wright, making
Uncle Vialo a granddaddy twice over.
-- My grand lady, Alma May died October 2 at 101-years-young. Whenever I'd
panic about my – or the world's situation – I'd think of all the
stock market crashes, and wars, and personal blows Alma had smiled through
and lived to enjoy another day, and I'd calm right down.
[*
After Thanksgiving Alan
finally got our bathroom done to the painting stage (which means it's now
at last in my hands), so I allowed an outdoor electric display. I put the
animated reindeer in place and he hooked it up. So we have lights, such as
they are. In the living room, however, we have seven Christmas
trees (only one is a big Kahuna, though).
Nikki
(right) is holding Wally in front of the Grandpa's-Ornaments-, Eskimo-and-Friends-,
and Nutcracker-Trees on top of the piano.
Kilory
(left) is bundled up on the couch with Bill, while Bruno is stealing an edge
of the comforter on the floor. Kilory lost an entire school week because of
the flu, poor thing. Muscle aches, high fever, the whole shebang. The light
blue blip is a blue plane piloted by Santa which hangs from our ceiling fan.
Santa is just passing the top of our Pooh-and-Eeyore-Tree and heading toward
our Angels-and-Snowflakes-Tree in front of the Grandfather clock. At Kilory's
feet, the visible big Kahuna is hiding the Pooh-and-Eeyore sized Nature-Tree.
I am not normal, I admit it freely. If I were to seek professional help and
it were to work, no one would recognize me, so accept myself as I am. "Bless
those women! they never do anything by halves. They are always in earnest."
-- Charles Dickens, A Christmas Carol, Stave Three.]
Have a realistically contented 2005, and when in doubt, think of Alma, and turn to duct tape, chocolate, and peanut butter! Sometimes there's enough.
Chrissie, Alan, Nikki & Kilory Weis@htcomp.net
P.S.
Remember when you're shopping: Disaster-Area.org
has an associates link to Amazon.com. Purchases
made through this link benefit the Wes Stoops Scholarship at Southwestern.
We hope you enjoy your
visit.
