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Homeward Bound part 2: Amazing Discoveries

Monday, Nov. 29, 2004 @ 11:21 am
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I mentioned yesterday that the train ride home, was mostly uneventful, however it was still a relatively good time. One of the train workers, who wasnt' really a conductor, but I'm not sure what he was, really made Warren's day. For some reason this guy reminds me of Andy Griffith, either it was the accent or the fact that he just sort of had that kind of personality (I kept expecting a Barney Fife-like sidekick to show up). This guy was just a very friendly outgoing guy, who loved to make conversation with everybody.

Warren preffered to ride the daylight hours in the lounge car. Having grown up in a very rural section of this state and having seen most of it several times, I tend to take scenery for granted. Oh look yellow prairie, barren fields and lots of cows.. happy happy joy joy. But I forget that Warren has grown up in the city (or rather a very large town), and rarely gets out of the city. To him it was wonderous and awesome. He has a hard time believing how small some towns are, and how much space there is. He was even fascinated by the small square "ponds" in some of the pastures.

"That looks man made"

The look on his face when I explained that yes they were man made, they were dug on purpose for watering the livestock. I made a comment about how the scenery was no big deal, mainly because I guess I've gotten bitter and a bit jaded in my almost middle age.

"But mom, its beautiful, I wish it wasn't dark on the way back so I could see more"

Out of the mouths of babes. I looked again, and I could see there was beauty. Lots of rolling hills and grassy prairie that in summer would be green and full of life, fields that in summer and fall are full of wheat, durhum, sugar beets, oats, corn and other food crops. Its amazing how one can take things for granted, until somebody else show's you that you are missing what is right under your nose.

But while we were in the lounge car, AndyG noticed my son was wearing his Dodge Hemi shirt (one of his favorites) and spent the next half hour or so talking to him about his cars, and what he has drivin and about engines and what not. My son was thrilled, not only to talk to somebody about his favorite subject, but to have somebody talk to him, with out talking down to him just cause he is 11 (though admittidly he looks older).

Once we got home, it was amazing to see that even though I haven't been to Williston in many years, it hasn't really changed much at all. It was nice to spend some time with mom, and be able to relax and not have to get up, but man have things changed. I am so not used to lights out at 8pm. That is when my mom shuts everything off and goes to bed , where she watches tv for an hour or so then falls alseep. Warren and I ended up staying in the basement, as neither of us was near ready to call it a night at 8pm. My mom has a beautiful guest room with a great bed, but neither Warren or I ended up using it. Instead we spent our evenings down in the basement watching tv, and riding the exercise bike. The couch downstairs pulls out into a bed, but man that thing does a number and a half on a person's back. Every morning I woke up feeling like I was 99 years old.

Going to bed at 8pm, also means that my mom is up at 5am. (of course she has always been an early bird as long as I can remember). But we never actually went anywhere or did anything. My brother stayed hidden in his little hole (bedroom) comming out only for feeding time, or errands. My mom is fearful of the slippery ice, and hates crowds. While I agree with her on shopping in crowds, I would have liked to go somewhere and do something anything, but sit in the living room watching Food Network, old reruns, and EWTN all day.

If that is what happens when people start to age, I think I will stay 35 forever. When I reach that age, I want to still have long hair and be traveling to SciFi conventions, and well having some sort of life, any life. This is not the woman who raised me. The woman who raised me couldn't sit still for more than a few minutes with out doing something. We had a family farm and there was always work to do, there wasnt' time to spend hours watching cooking shows (esp since we only had 7 channels, three American, three Canadian and PBS). My mom was a strong woman, one who could stand up to me, even though I think she loved me, but didnt' like me as I was as far from the daughter she dreamed of as I could get.

Dinner was great, my mom still is and always has been a great cook. There were only four of us, but we had enough food for 10, and left overs for days. But Warren isn't used to eating two large meals and nothing else. My mom is a meal person, Warren and I tend to be more grazer type people. Sometimes we sit down to big meals, but mostly w just have one or two items and generally prefer to snack all day as we get hungry.

Thursday we walked to Albertson's just for soda as an excuse to get out of the house. Saturday we walked a mile to McD's and back to feed Warren who was by then starving as he had eaten mom's food to be polite, but being a growing boy tends to eat between meals, but didn't want to be rude, or listen to my mom talk about weight issues (my mom used to be very heavy, now she is bone skinny). We didnt' tell mom, as I knew she would take it as a personal affront, and be upset that I waste money on stuff like that.

Saturday night, Warren discovered he really does like Borhst after all. He didn't think he would eat it, but I ate it (as an adult I love it, but as a kid I would run screaming and refuse to eat it - go figure). But once he actually tasted it, his German genes won out and he liked it. Of course my mom makes it differnt from the traditional recipe with has beets (tops and roots) and sour cream. So hers is more of a vinegary vegetable beef soup. He even asked me to get the recipe. I guess he didn't think he would like it, because he had some at Andrew's house once and his mom makes it the old tradional Russian style (Beet greens - yuck!!).

Talking with my mom, I also learned somethings I didn't know. Why she never told me before that my dad was autopsied and had had several small heartattacks (he may not have even been aware of) before he died, I don't understand. I wish I had known, I had a right to know. I also found out, that I am not just Scandinavian and German from Russia, but that apparently back in Germany one of my great great great somebody or others married into a Welsh family, so I have awhole nother part of my family (admittedly very distant) that I never knew existed. (though it would explain my fascination with really long words).

Its amazing the things one finds out, when visting family.

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Prequels ~ Sequels

Daily Dumbass: Overheard on the train..."Look at all the deer..".. .. :"Oh they're just cows..darn it"
Thankful For: Having today off to help recover before going back to work
Music of the mind: : Girls just wanna have fun

~*~Have you read these~*~

~ Ode to a child who is no more ~
~ She's baaack ~
~ testing ~
~ Facebook me ~
~ Bleech ~

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Mini-Bio

In every neighborhood there is at least one house that all the neighbors gossip about. This is a diary from the woman who lives in that house. I am a single mother in her mid thirties. I live in North Dakota with my son, Warren.

I tend to be a bit of a slob, and am the opposite of a girly-girl. I am geek girl, who loves Star Wars, Star Trek, Harry Potter, Buffy, Angel, action movies, science fiction, action adventure, Dr. Who, and so on and so on.

I love to write and while I don't post much fiction online anymore I would love to be a writer someday. I am also overweight, bipolar and suffer from allergy induced asthma.

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