Windmills

For some reason, over the past few years, I've become fascinated by windmills (wind turbines). You know...those big things that sit in farmers' fields. Yes, the ones that most "normal" people think are ugly. I think they are so cool. Everytime I make a trip down I-35 into Iowa or along I-80 near the Iowa/Nebraska border, I just watch out the window, looking into amazement trying to figure out how they convert wind into energy. This past weekend we drove along I-35 and I-80 and got some up close views of them.

1st day of school

Tomorrow marks the first day of school for most kids in Minnesota. It reminds me of all of the great first day of schools that I had growing up. The first day was usually the easiest, unless there was a transition to a new school involved (think first day of middle school or first day of high school). The fresh new backpack, school supplies, and new clothes. I remember that as we shopped for new school clothes, I usually had my first day outfit picked out months in advance. I even had those first day school clothes picked out in college.

Now that I have been working full time for 7 years (yikes!), there are no more 3-month summer vacations and no more first days of school. While I wouldn't trade my job, I would love to go back for those first days.

One of my sister's first days of school. I don't (but I know my mom does) have any pictures of myself.

Misconceptions

Many times I think that most of us judge something or someone by the first impression. We often don't give that thing or person a chance and really get to know what's going on.

There's a home in my neighborhood that has at least two (what appears to be) brothers living there. An old swing set occupies part of the yard that looks onto a busy road. Most days, even in the heart of winter, both people can be seen sitting on the swing set watching the traffic. A lot of people honk at them as they go by as if they know them. However, occasionally there will be an outburst that can be heard throughout the neighborhood by one of them. Usually yelling at the neighbors that live across the street from them.

The people that live at this house are a little "rough around the edges" and both have some physical disability as one walks with a cane and the other uses a wheelchair. They appear to be in their late '60's. I have never approached either of them in the two years I've lived here as they live across the busy street from us and I don't tend to use that sidewalk. However, that changed yesterday.

We had just finished our garage sale and there was one item, an old workbench, that hadn't sold which we figured someone would pick up if we left a free sign on it. Within five minutes of putting it at the end of the driveway, the one brother drove over and picked up half of the workbench (it was in two halves...the bench and the accompanying peg board) and walked home with it. When he came back he got his cane out of the car and started up the driveway. It was just my mother and me at home as my dad had left to take the rest of the unsold items to Goodwill. I was nervous at first about what was going to happen next. I ended up getting up and meeting him halfway up the driveway. He said he was interested in the other half of the workbench, but didn't have a way to get it back to his house until someone came over the help. When I asked him if I could take the free sign off and hold it for him, he politely declined and said since it may be more than one week before someone would be over to help, that if anyone else wanted it they could have it. He then thanked us and was on his way.

As my mom and I talked about it later that evening, we had a new respect for this person that sits at his swing set and watches the traffic go by. He is the neighborhood watch person...while he yells at the traffic if it is speeding, it's his way of protecting the neighborhood. As for his occasional loud outburst at his neighbors, I am positive that they are picking on him because based on my interaction with him yesterday...if you treat him with respect he'll do the same thing to you.

As the old saying goes...never judge a book by it's cover. The same holds true for people.

Unicycle man

If you are working in our yard at the right time of day (say about 5:30 p.m. on a sunny day) you might just catch a glimspe of the unicycle man. Okay, so I'm sure he has a real name, but once in a while we see him riding down the sidewalk. I do believe that this is his transportation to work (he is dressed in work clothes with a backpack).

Now that's what I call alternative transportation!

Goin' Green

Here are the few ways we are going green in the Durbin house:

Using reusable bags for shopping (minus the Fred-the-cat)

Driving our 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid (yeah, we get 45 miles to the gallon)

Growing our own food in our garden

Collecting rain in our new rain barrel.

Each year we celebrate Fred's birthday. This year, on June 11, he turned nine years old. While this year's celebration was less extravagant than in previous years, we still had a good time. The typical celebration includes inviting Fred's grandparents (my parents) over for dinner, followed by a DQ ice cream cake (yes, Fred gets a couple of licks in). This year, we just had the ice cream cake. But, next year, once he hits double digits, watch out for the celebration.

From Fred's birthday in 2006 (I don't have the pictures from this year downloaded yet).

The hero

My husband is a hero. Yes, as in someone who saved someone else's life.

A few weeks ago coming home from church, we drove by what looked to be someone who had just driven off the road and wrecked their car. But, as we got closer, we noticed that there were a few other ordinary citizens giving a woman CPR because she had a heart attack. James immediately stopped the car and jumped out the second that it was put into park. James and another fellow Army person gave this woman CPR until the ambulance arrived. After awhile James left because he was no longer needed...at that time we thought the woman would never survive as she still was not breathing.

Until today we did not know what happened to this woman. James received a letter in the mail from the Prior Lake police department thanking him for his life saving actions. This woman had survived, miraculously.

Earlier that day I complained that we did not fill up the car with gas before church, but rather we waited until after church to do it. I do think that God had planned this all out. He wanted us to fill up with gas after church because then James was positioned to help saved this woman's life. It's amazing how he works.

I have always thought that my husband is an amazing person, but this just proves it even more!