Sunday Adam and I went into Pullman to get a much-craved-for sausage-egg-and-cheese biscuit from McDonald's. Like all fast food, I'm finding, the memory of it was better than the experience, but it still satisfied the craving. The hashbrown was wonderful. I thought Adam would enjoy playing in the little playland, but he was very cautious about the whole thing, and would only go in if I went along with him. He was the only child there, and he didn't go far, but he still seemed to enjoy it a bit. Afterward, we went to Colfax to change movies (Moulin Rouge out, some obscure Sandra Bullock movie in), get a fill-up of gas, and head for home.
Monday was a nothing day.
Yesterday, I was to go to the doctor. I've had problems with nausea and vomiting and lack of appetite off and on throughout this pregnancy, to the point where I felt I wasn't getting enough nutrition, so I decided it was time to seek professional opinion. So after a lunch of Arby's food, we headed to the clinic. My regular doctor wasn't there, so we saw Dr. Mellor instead. He agreed it was time to do something about the problem, so he prescribed Meclizine. He also told me to stop taking prenatal vitamins (or anything else with iron) for a week, and gave other helpful bits of information.
We left and went to the pharmacy to fill the prescription, which took FOREVER. As many times as I've been there, it always takes them eons to figure out how to run my insurance card. Adam and I walked all over the pharmacy looking at things. He was so perfectly behaved - just clinging to me and occasionally pointing at things to have them named - that I rewarded him with a 4-cent strawberry sucker. Best money I ever spent. He sat there quietly content (and sticky) for the remaining 15 minutes it took them to run my prescription. Next stop: grocery store, for some ginger ale (a must-have these days, even doctor-recommended!) and milk. Then it was on to home.
There's more I want to say about the local politics subject, but I haven't the time now to go into it. Maybe next time.
Nothing much happened yesterday, so I'll cut straight back to the Endicott politics stuff.
The week after Larry's letter, another appeared, this time written in defense of the Endicott community. I don't recall the author's name, but from the looks of it, she is one of what Larry calls the "insiders". She said that she, too, had gotten notices about getting electricity cut off, but that she got a job, paid her bill, and that was that. She said the people of Endicott were friendly and helpful, and that all city business was conducted by duly-elected officials in proper manner. She ended by suggesting that if Larry found the community so distasteful, he should move.
The next week brought another letter. Again, don't recall the name, but this woman concurred with Larry (small data point - she's an employee of his) that Endicott is divided into insiders and outsiders. She said sometimes council meetings were conducted in private, without notice, that she had been barred from meetings, and that she, too, had received the heinous "solid waste" and electricity cut-off notices. She went on to point out Larry's past good deeds, including providing Christmas for several children in the community. (Small aside - I find this point laughable, since Mr. Persons made a point of sneering at Endicott's Christians for being hypocritical. Pot? Kettle?)
Another week, another (two) letters. This past Thursday, there was the little snide comment from someone who doesn't live in Endicott, which doesn't bear repeating. The other letter really hacked me off though. Up to this point, I had been somewhat moderately amused at the whole thing, and a bit annoyed at the newspaper publisher for using this as a way to sell papers. I mean, at some point, doesn't he have to plead professionalism and stop exploiting Endicott's present turmoil for his own ends? But, it is a free society, and there is freedom of the press, and these people did write these letters TO THE EDITOR, so I'm not going to say anything more about it.
But, ah, yes, the letter. This gentleman (don't recall the name, and refuse to bother locating the paper to quote it) said the issue in Endicott was not the insiders vs. the outsiders, but the haves vs. the have-nots. He said (paraphrased): "All I have to do is go see the list of farm subsidies posted in the post office to know who the haves are." For those of you not familiar with US agriculture, the US government pays farm subsidies to farmers, to help them make up their losses in crop prices. For example, having talked to a few local farmers, you would need to be able to sell wheat at $5/unit (I think it's a bushel, but I'm not sure) to BREAK EVEN (and that was before oil prices went up). In the three years we've lived here, wheat has never been higher than (I believe) $4.05. So farmers get varying payments based on how much crop they produce. There's another program called the Crop Reserve Program, that pays farmers to let land lay fallow (in hopes of driving up crop prices by driving down supply). The letter-writer called this welfare, and likened it to welfare payments single mothers get. He claimed that this helped pay for the farmers' Cadillacs and water bills for their beautifully manicured lawns.
MY take on this whole thing? Well, since this is my website, I'm going to give it. The split here is not between insiders and outsiders, nor between haves and have-nots. The split is between people who work and try to get involved in the community, and those who sit around and bitch, moan, and cry and want life handed to them on a platter.
1) Farm subsidies, if they ARE welfare (a point I'm not willing to concede), are as much if not more for Joe B. Consumer as for the farmer. Let's think for just a moment about what would happen if the subsidies were not in place, shall we? First of all, farmers would get only what the market paid them for their crops. At present, I believe that's something like $3.65/unit. It doesn't take an agronomist to figure out that before long, one of two things would happen: either a) farmers would go out of business EN MASSE and land would be snapped up by big conglomerate farming corporations, which would mean that land people had worked and sweated over for GENERATIONS would be lost to them, or b) prices for everything that uses grains (this is a grain-growing area) would skyrocket. In scenario A, we would suddenly be even more beholden to imports, because it wouldn't be profitable to farm in the US anymore. Being beholden to Chinese/Indian/South American imports would mean we'd be beholden to Chinese/Indian/South American political, social, and weather climates. Think about that for just a second. China decides (yet again) that we westerners aren't worth their trouble, and they won't sell us any wheat. Or India gets engaged in a war with Pakistan, and suddenly there are no lentils to be had. Now, that may sound a little alarmist to you, but only if you haven't been reading the papers the last few months. In scenario B, it's Joe B. Consumer who would suddenly be needing the welfare, and not the (ex-) farmers. Do YOU really want to pay $5 for a loaf of bread? How about crackers? Corn chips? Yes, corn. Because you know what? Once those mid-western farmers realize how much wheat would suddenly get them, guess what they'd be planting in the spring instead of corn? And what happens to the price of corn when it's scarce? That's right, kiddies. Say it with me: "A decrease in supply, means an increase in demand, which means an increase in cost, all other factors being equal."
2) Reading a subsidies report really doesn't tell you a damn thing about how much disposable income a person has. First of all, have YOU priced farming equipment lately? Fertilizer? Seed? Soil testing? Yeah, well neither have I, but I know enough to know it ain't cheap. And get this, boy genius: it follows that the larger your subsidy, the more land you likely hold, which means the longer you have to rent that equipment, and the more of the other farming implements you need. Farming is not a fun job. People don't do it to get rich - they do it because they've been doing it for generations, because they want to hold onto their land, because it's what they know, and because they hope against hope that the prices will increase enough to make it profitable again. Someday.
3) Cadillacs? Where? *I* haven't seen any Cadillacs. And as for those beautifully manicured lawns, if you had eight or nine generations of people living in the same place, you'd have a little time to clear out weeds and plant some grass and trees, too. They have gardens not because they've hired fancy landscapers to come out and plant them (by and large), but because they're out there in the chill of fall, planting bulbs, and in the early, windy warmth of spring, planting flowers. They tend them. They WORK. And last but not least, water bills? Try again. Most of those of us who live on farms outside of town don't have water bills. We have wells, from which we pump our own water. Yes, "our own"; it's on property we bought and paid (or are paying) for. And if that pump goes out (as ours did the first few months we were here), it's not as simple as calling up the water company and complaining about it, or writing a whiny letter to the newspaper editor - we have to pay ourselves to have it fixed.
My experience with Endicott has been that it's just exactly like any other place you go to live - it is what you make of it. If you get involved, people get to know you and are friendly with you. If you don't, they don't know you, and aren't likely to pay your electricity bills for you. When Adam was born, one of the pastors from the local Lutheran Church, who was in our childbirth class, brought over a casserole, a loaf of homemade bread, and a batch of cookies. I've never attended the Lutheran Church, though I have gone there for quilting, and they very kindly offered me their chairs when I had that quilt retreat in May. They've never once tried to convert me or induce me to visit the Church. In fact, I had quite a long conversation with said pastor about other religions.
As for the solid waste nonsense - welcome to democracy. You happen to live in sight of public property. That means you have to keep your visible property in accordance with PUBLIC LAW. Democracy is not about enforcing the will of the individual, but about enforcing the will of the majority. Like it or lump it, this is the US. Put a fence around your crap, or haul it into your garage, and nobody would say anything about it. But park it right out on the street in front, and it becomes a public concern. Now *I* personally don't give a tinker's damn what someone's property looks like. I'm not one of those with a beautifully manicured lawn, I don't get any farm subsidies, and I have nothing to do with local government (except for voting), but I have the sense to realize that when you live in a civilized society, you have to obey that society's rules or suffer the fines/penalties/consequences.
Yesterday afternoon involved a lot of out-and-about. Around 1PM, I got Adam and I both dressed, then we drove toward Pullman. First stop: the drive-thru at Arby's in Colfax. My tummy had started roiling, and I needed something quick to settle it, so we got a small fries and a small Sprite to share. Then it was on to the Pizza Hut in Pullman, where Adam had some bits off of the salad bar (he was most pleased with the cheese and raisins), and also shared my meat-lover's Personal Pan pizza and bread sticks with marinara sauce. Then we played a couple of games of some Space Invaders-type game before leaving.
Next stop: UPS, where we mailed off the accumulated financial records of MCW to its new keeper. Small scary moment after dropping off the package: Adam was being such a big boy that I decided to just let him follow me out to the truck instead of carrying him. The problem is there was all this fun slushy ice in the parking lot, and he headed in the opposite direction. I daintily followed him, until I saw a car about to turn in the lot. Then I got afraid and started screaming, "Stop! Stop!" Now, the latest issue of La Leche League's publication New Beginnings states that if you have real fear in your voice, your child will respond to that and stop what they're doing. Bullshit. I had to chase him down, heart pounding, and snatch him up. Note to self: NO MORE letting small children walk without holding hands in dangerous or semi-dangerous situations.
We drove back to Colfax then for a few more errands, Adam running through his vocabulary lesson all the way. There was lots of "Faaaaaaaaaaall... Uh-oh! Vrooom! Vroooom! Bye-byyyyyyye." I think my favorite, though, was the two-mile long stretch of "Diiiiiiiiiiiiiiie!!! Diiiiiiiiiiiiiie!!"
Got into Colfax and stopped at the bank to make a wire transfer. Then went to the printer's to drop off the next round of block patterns for after the Mall Crawl. Adam was beginning to get very restless by this point, and I had to hold him down on my lap while I finished putting in the order, because he just kept snatching things off of this poor man's desk. Next stop: the video rental place, where I picked up Moulin Rouge. Then on to the Rosauer's, where we grabbed a cherry pie. Our plan was to go to my friend Kris' house and hang out with her and watch the movie while her daughter and son played with Adam. The cherry pie was to be my contribution to dinner. The only problem with this little plan is that 1) Adam had not yet had a nap, 2) I got to Kris' house 15 minutes before she was due home, and 3) she was late getting home. This all amounted to 40 minutes in the cab of the truck, with a screaming, overtired baby and a rapidly deteriorating Mommy. At 5:40 I decided we were just going to go home. I strapped Adam in, still screaming, and started the truck. He was asleep before I got out of the driveway.
In all truth, I should have probably stayed in Colfax, because on the drive back to Endicott it was all I could do to keep my eyes open and stay awake. Luckily, there was very little traffic, and I didn't run into any deer or coyotes or elk or moose or anything. Got home safely, if a bit cranky, and went to bed early.
Now, a word or two on local politics. For the last month, letters to the editor have been appearing in our local county newspaper about Endicott. These letters have been, by and large, written by certain residents of Endicott (although this week one snide little note did appear from someone in (I think) Oakesdale, or Tekoa, or somewhere). The first was written by Larry Persons, who lives right on the main street in town. I have had two direct contacts with Larry. The first was when I had a quilt retreat at my house last May, and the girls decided they wanted to tour his antique shop (right across from the tea house where we had had brunch). The shop is only open by appointment, so my friend went to fetch him from his house. He very cheerfully came and showed us his shop, made a couple of small sales, and we were on our way.
The second was about six weeks ago. I came to the post office to mail a package, and Larry was in line. He picked up his mail and I was in process of sending my box when he started complaining to Bob, the mailman, about a letter he received from the City of Endicott. It seems the city has been sending him notices occasionally telling him to clean up his property (something about "solid waste", which could mean anything from cars to... who knows what?). Larry got rather irate, and said he was sick of getting these notices, this matter had been settled X months ago in court, etc. Poor Bob, who obviously had nothing to do with this whole mess, just smiled and nodded and made appeasing noises at appropriate intervals. Then some other man (I have no idea who he was, except that I've seen him around) came in to the post office to pick up his mail, and Larry just turned on him. Started cursing him out, right there in front of God and everybody. Thankfully, I was done with my business and was on my way out, but I saw a woman on her way in with her young son. I tried to warn her that she might not want to go in at just that moment, but she either didn't hear what I said or didn't care. At any rate, that meant this poor child was subjected to this asinine ranting and raving over something that is not usually handled in the lobby of a post office.
OK, so that's my personal experience with Larry. Only other experience was when Mike and I first moved into town, we noticed a big sign in the window of the antique shop that said something to the effect of, "Closed until the town of Endicott has a democratically elected government or Queen Sue is dethroned." Now, I had no idea who "Queen Sue" was, or why she needed to be dethroned, or what the deal was. So I started making discreet inquiries. Apparently, Larry has not made himself the most integrated member of Endicott society, and this was not the first of his "tantrums" (someone else's word). There was some mud-slinging that went on (I took all that with a grain of salt, especially since I didn't really care about the man's personal life), but one somewhat plausible explanation is that Larry had recently run for mayor of Endicott and lost. I don't know if this is true or not, and have never researched it further. "Queen Sue" was, I believe, the town's clerk. Which may or may not have had something to do with the whole lost-mayoral-election thing. Again, I'm speculating. There was a letter to the editor back then, but I don't really recall the details.
Cut to four weeks ago. Larry wrote in a letter to the Whitman County Gazette about how horrible it was to live in Endicott if you were "an outsider", how the reins of power were firmly in the grips of a few "old men", how he had gotten a notice of cut-off on his electricity a few days before Christmas (what this had to do with the town of Endicott, I don't know, since they don't own the power company), and various other diatribes. He ended by suggesting that Endicott be made a ward of the county. I shrugged it off as someone venting because they didn't want to clean up their yard.
There's obviously more to this story, but this entry is long enough as it is. I'll write more about it next time I write in this journal.
It's been a LONG time since I updated here. If you read Mike's journal, you already know. If not, I'm pregnant! Spot is due around July 27th. Yep, another summer baby. At least they say second pregnancies are more likely to end closer to their due dates, so maybe this one won't drag on, and on, and... I also hope to enter labor naturally this time, instead of being induced. Mostly, that means trying to control my blood pressure through diet and exercise. I've already cut way way back on the salt (to be honest, I don't have much taste for it anymore, anyway), and when I'm feeling better I'm going to start walks. I do them occasionally now, when the weather's not too nasty and I feel up to it, but frankly those two events rarely coincide.
Of course, this momentous event has caused us to rethink a lot of things about our lives, and make some tough choices. I have pretty much resigned myself to full-time mommyhood, and abandoned any illusions about trying to get consulting work around these parts. I just won't have the time. And I'm trying to spend the next several months finishing up quilting commitments so that I can a) collect commission dollars, and b) get things OFF of my to-do list. I'm not accepting any more commissions, or signing up for swaps or group quilts (except the one for our guild), or making any other major time commitments. I sometimes have a hard time being realistic about what I can do, but I really want to keep that in check now that there will be two small people around.
There are practical considerations, too. Things like we need to get a backseat for the truck and/or a new truck, we need another mattress for Adam to sleep on (we co-sleep, and the new baby will go in the middle), a second dresser, etc. Luckily we have separate infant and toddler carseats, so we won't need another carseat until Spot gets over 20 pounds. Depending on whether this one is a boy or girl (we don't know yet), we may or may not need to get more clothes. One thing I know from experience we WON'T need more of is blankets. We have both small and large diapers, so I don't think we'll need any more of those right away (the bigger ones are beginning to show signs of wear, but they'll last for awhile yet). But when Spot moves out of the small diaper covers and into the larger ones (which Adam did at just a few months) we'll need more of those. Otherwise, a few good blowouts and we'd be in laundry hell.
As for me, this first trimester has not been much fun. I think I've run through just about every "normal" pregnancy symptom there is -- nausea, fatigue, vomiting, restlessness/insomnia, lack of appetite, aches, pains, vivid dreams, cramping. So far I'm hanging in but most days I'm hell to live with. Poor Mike has put up with it all very admirably. I'm sure on some days it must seem he has two children instead of one and a wife. The biggest problems have been lack of appetite and insomnia. I just don't want to eat or drink anything, and I have to be pretty much nagged into it (by myself or by others). Insomnia, in my case, has basically amounted to a flipped schedule of sleeping a few hours at night, awake in the wee hours, napping early morning to mid-afternoon, then awake again until bedtime. This has meant Mike has (again) gotten more than his share of Baby duty, but try as I might I haven't been able to flip my schedule around. I keep hoping this is one of those things that works itself out in the second trimester. Oh, by the way, to save you the math, I'm 13 1/2 weeks along. So I'm into the second trimester, but just barely.
I'm way too behind to try to catch up on all that's been going on since my last entry, so I'll just take it from here. Still no guarantees about frequency, though.