Janet's Blog

It’s December again-- time to celebrate the birth of a Baby, Jesus, who came to Earth so long ago to save us all from our sins. I was blessed to be in Wisconsin for a few days, staying with Erin and Reed, and another new baby, William (Will) Langdon Tyler, who made his appearance a little early, on December 7. He was just 18 inches long, and 4 pounds 14 ounces, when he was born, but he is strong and healthy. Erin will be able to stay home with him for the next semester and summer, while she teaches just two online courses for the University of Wisconsin, Whitewater, and continues to teach piano lessons at home. Reed has some paternity leave from his job at Edgewater College, so he is able to be home, too, with Erin and the  baby. It has been a year of blessings for our whole family. Meagan and Andy are doing a great job of raising their four kids. The three oldest are excelling with their homeschooling studies, and little Ari just enjoys life, exploring anythi...

As I ventured out of Erin and Reed's house this afternoon, for a walk in their neighborhood, one word came to mind: FRIGID. The temperature hovered in the mid-twenties, but the humidity was at least 80%, so the air felt much colder, even with no wind. After thirty-seven western Nebraska winters, I had almost forgotten what winter is like in the Northern states. Erin and Reed's house A few stray snowflakes sputtered down from the leaden sky as I walked briskly along the sidewalk. Soon, I was wishing for the snow pants and warmer gloves that hadn't fit in my suitcase. These wetlands are within easy walking distance from the house. I headed for the wide, asphalt path that led through the wetlands, just a couple of blocks away. The grasses were brown, of course, and tall, framing a perfect circle of ice in the middle of the marsh. Except for a lone cardinal scooting through the air, I didn't spot any wildlife. This gravel path winds through the neighborho...

Baby Will was supposed to be a Christmas baby, but he didn't quite make it. Our oldest daughter, Erin, and her husband, Reed, have been anxiously waiting for the day their first baby would arrive, hoping he wouldn't follow in his mother's footsteps, and make them wait an extra week or two. Instead, his doctor noticed that he wasn't growing much at all in the womb during the last three weeks or so, because the placenta's blood supply seemed to be compromised. Because of that, Erin was induced last week, and William Langdon Tyler made his appearance on Saturday, December 7th, at 1:08 in the afternoon. Will weighed four pounds and fourteen ounces, and was 18 inches long at birth. The blue light you see in the photos is from his Bili blanket, because his bilirubin is high. The special light will help his body  rid itself of unneeded red blood cells, wh ich turn his skin the telltale yellow that signifies jaundice. This is a common problem for  low birth weight  bab...

I'm not going to lie. November has never been my favorite month. I just don't like the abrupt, visual change from fall to winter, from vibrant greens and golds and oranges, to dull, lifeless browns. I prefer balmy days to bitter, cold ones. I would rather walk outside when the breezes blow gently, instead of forcing myself to trudge down the sidewalk into a blustery gale. Long shadows appear early, after Daylight Savings Time ends in November. November is supposed to be a month of thankfulness, so I must talk myself into being grateful, even now. I look for interesting textures in the fading landscape. I relish the beautiful sunsets. I enjoy the time spent with family, when we celebrate November birthdays and Thanksgiving. I even find myself looking forward to approaching blizzards, just because the dazzling, white snow provides an excellent contrast to the normally overwhelming, brown terrain. Celebrating November birthdays turns a dreary day into a happy one. Ev...

I passed a padiddle today. It's a real word, you know, a satisfying word that bursts from my mouth at just the right time-- padiddle , a North American slang word for a vehicle with a burned out headlight. Bill introduced me to padiddles before we were married, loudly shouting out the word as we drove, startling me enough that I jumped in my seat and croaked, "What???" He enlightened me right away, wondering aloud why I had never before heard of a padiddle. Then, he took his explanation a step further, as he outlined the finer points of the road game that has evolved, with points being tallied as passengers compete to see who can spy the most padiddles on a road trip. It's inevitable that all drivers will encounter their fair share of padiddles as they drive at night. Cars that are forced to navigate with only one working headlight become driving hazards, sometimes mistaken for motorcycles, or missed altogether, until they are close enough to reveal their true ide...

October really flew by this year, but some days, it seemed as though life was just creeping along. Either way, I have been having a hard time keeping up. Bill and I spent a few, fabulous days in New Orleans at the beginning of the month; then I had oral surgery, two-and-a-half hours away from home, in Fort Collins, which has meant three car trips back and forth, so far, and some unexpected, coexisting, health issues. I was just beginning to recover when our 13-year-old cat, Charlie, had to stay at the animal hospital three different times, before we made the hard decision to end his suffering. In the midst of it all, I was excited when my new children's book, Grandma, Whatcha Doing?  was published and became available for purchase on Amazon.com and  BarnesandNoble.com .  All of a sudden, I had to scramble to put together an author webpage, which can be found at  https://grandmajanetk.wordpress.com/ , and set up author pages on Amazon and Goodreads . ...

New Orleans, Louisiana. They call it the Big Easy, in comparison to New York City, aka the Big Apple. While New Yorkers live a rather frantic life style, life in New Orleans is much more laid-back, according to New Orleans gossip columnist Betty Guillard, who coined the nickname in the sixties. When I found out that Bill was being inducted into the Cable TV Pioneers at their banquet in New Orleans on October 2nd, I decided to go along to help him celebrate that great honor. Besides, I had never visited New Orleans, so I was excited to explore a new city. The sunset view from our room on the 33rd floor of the downtown Marriott. Bill attended a Cable Television conference at the convention center across town, so I was on my own most of the time during the day.  The first day we were there, though, after Bill registered for the conference, we were free to explore the French Quarter, and have a marvelous lunch and supper. The food was amazing. We savored the duck gumbo,...