Saturday, November 01, 2008
Hey, You Young Drivers
The drive from home to Fort Wayne to see the grandbaby was a bit long yesterday. I managed to hit plenty of construction zones and detours. I did not, however, hit the little red sedan that I thought I would.
The driver of the red car realized she was missing her exit off the freeway. Of four lanes heading south, she was in the next-to-left lane and needed to cross two lanes immediately for her exit. So she slowed way down and nearly stopped and proceeded to turn toward the exit. As she began to pull out directly in front of me, with no way for me to avoid her, she noticed my car and stayed in her lane. I still wonder whether she got out of the situation without being smashed by one of the cars coming up behind her.
Why is it so hard for some people to just go with the mistake? So you missed your lane? Keep driving and take the next exit and turn around and come back! Later in the day (twice even!) I ended up in a lane that suddenly turned into a right-turn-only lane when I didn't want to turn right. If there'd been less traffic, I could've moved over. But Chicago drivers aren't prone to letting people into their lane. So I turned right. Inconvenient, yes. But better than stopping and plugging up the traffic and causing accidents. And better than heading into a lane where there's fast-moving traffic.
So, ya got that, Andrew and all you other young drivers? If you can't safely move to where you're supposed turn, keep going and adjust your lane later and turn later or exit later. Stopping on the highway is not okay!
The driver of the red car realized she was missing her exit off the freeway. Of four lanes heading south, she was in the next-to-left lane and needed to cross two lanes immediately for her exit. So she slowed way down and nearly stopped and proceeded to turn toward the exit. As she began to pull out directly in front of me, with no way for me to avoid her, she noticed my car and stayed in her lane. I still wonder whether she got out of the situation without being smashed by one of the cars coming up behind her.
Why is it so hard for some people to just go with the mistake? So you missed your lane? Keep driving and take the next exit and turn around and come back! Later in the day (twice even!) I ended up in a lane that suddenly turned into a right-turn-only lane when I didn't want to turn right. If there'd been less traffic, I could've moved over. But Chicago drivers aren't prone to letting people into their lane. So I turned right. Inconvenient, yes. But better than stopping and plugging up the traffic and causing accidents. And better than heading into a lane where there's fast-moving traffic.
So, ya got that, Andrew and all you other young drivers? If you can't safely move to where you're supposed turn, keep going and adjust your lane later and turn later or exit later. Stopping on the highway is not okay!
Power Shower
When we moved to Sharon, we were very aware that there was no water pressure. It was terrible to take a shower. It took forever to fill the dishpan in the sink. When we mentioned it to the trustees, they told us that we didn't know what we were talking about -- this is just the way it is with a well.
But the parsonage we'd lived in before had a well. My grandparents' homes had wells. The house we live in now has a well. Eventually it was discovered that the pressure tank for the water was bad, and that's why we had no water pressure. When that was repaired, things improved tremendously.
But today, taking a shower at Katie & Nathan's apartment, oh, yowsa!, this is AWESOME water pressure. Come to think of it, I love the water pressure when I shower at my folks' house. And hotels... We love to spend way too much time in the shower at a hotel. That water beats down on your neck with some force, and it's like a massage. Way better than the shower at home (even though the one at home is just fine).
So this is what the trustees were talking about, way back when, when they told us that "this is just how it is when you're not on city water." If we'd just been whining at the time, they would've been right. A well cannot have the oomph that city water has.
But the parsonage we'd lived in before had a well. My grandparents' homes had wells. The house we live in now has a well. Eventually it was discovered that the pressure tank for the water was bad, and that's why we had no water pressure. When that was repaired, things improved tremendously.
But today, taking a shower at Katie & Nathan's apartment, oh, yowsa!, this is AWESOME water pressure. Come to think of it, I love the water pressure when I shower at my folks' house. And hotels... We love to spend way too much time in the shower at a hotel. That water beats down on your neck with some force, and it's like a massage. Way better than the shower at home (even though the one at home is just fine).
So this is what the trustees were talking about, way back when, when they told us that "this is just how it is when you're not on city water." If we'd just been whining at the time, they would've been right. A well cannot have the oomph that city water has.
Friday, October 31, 2008
More Baby Pictures
Whoa, such bright eyes!
And she loves to have her hands by her face! When she gets reliable with finding that thumb, it's going to be in her mouth a lot.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Baby News
Alia Grace was delivered safely this evening. Katie developed toxemia recently and was induced today. Nathan reports that the midwives said they've never seen an induced labor go so well. The new mama is improving.
For Mothers
O almighty, everlasting God and Father,
Creator of all things,
who by Your grace,
through Your Son, our Lord,
who has redeemed us from sin,
makes the anguish of our human birth a holy and salutary cross,
we pray You,
O gracious Father, Lord, and God,
that You would preserve and guard the work of Your own hand.
Forsake not them who cry to You in sore travail,
but deliver them out of all their pains,
to their joy
and to the glory of Your goodness;
through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord.
Creator of all things,
who by Your grace,
through Your Son, our Lord,
who has redeemed us from sin,
makes the anguish of our human birth a holy and salutary cross,
we pray You,
O gracious Father, Lord, and God,
that You would preserve and guard the work of Your own hand.
Forsake not them who cry to You in sore travail,
but deliver them out of all their pains,
to their joy
and to the glory of Your goodness;
through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Sweet Potatoes
Although some of us love 'em, some of us think that sweet potatoes more than once a month is really a bit much. We've gotten sweet potatoes a few times with our CSA, so I was looking for something to do besides just baking them. What I tried tonight was a hit! It's a little sweet to be considered a veggie dish instead of dessert, but healthier and less sugary than a lot of side dishes. It's easy to throw together, and a 13x9 was almost enough for the five of us piggies.
Grease a 9x9" pan.
In a large bowl, toss together:
5 cups diced sweet potatoes
2 cups diced apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
Stir together:
2 Tbsp maple syrup (or pancake syrup)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Add 1/2 cup apple cider
(or apple juice or orange juice)
Pour cider mix over potatoes and apples.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped walnuts over the top.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until cooked through, removing foil the last 15 minutes.
Grease a 9x9" pan.
In a large bowl, toss together:
5 cups diced sweet potatoes
2 cups diced apples
1/4 cup brown sugar
Stir together:
2 Tbsp maple syrup (or pancake syrup)
1/2 tsp cinnamon
Add 1/2 cup apple cider
(or apple juice or orange juice)
Pour cider mix over potatoes and apples.
Sprinkle 1/4 cup chopped walnuts over the top.
Cover with foil.
Bake at 375 for about 45 minutes or until cooked through, removing foil the last 15 minutes.
Delay
How bad are things? If things are as bad as they are, shouldn't we just go ahead and let them disintegrate totally? If we're in a synod with problems, shouldn't we get out and let the synod fall to pieces? If we're in a country with warped politics and bureaucracies, shouldn't we just go ahead and vote for what's right, even if we know that will, in effect, throw support to the "greater of two evils"? Shouldn't we go ahead and let things fall apart so that we can get the pain over with and begin the healing and reconstruction process?
I don't think so.
I used to think so, but not any more.
We knew from the time Maggie was a baby that she'd need a second heart surgery. People wondered about the state of synod. She got the surgery she needed --covered by insurance-- because synod and its health plan was/is still going.
Some people said Gary should not have stayed so long at his last parish. But I think of certain people in the congregation who were brought back into the fold of the Church through his ministry there. The delay (even if it hurt our family) was for the salvation of some dear saints.
God delayed in the destruction of Ninevah and Assyria. There are Ninevites with whom we will be spending eternity, singing praises to the Lamb of God, because God sent Jonah and delayed in taking down that evil empire.
There are many people for whom I have a lot of respect that are ready to see the end of America as we know it. They see the evil here with the same disgust that some of our enemies see it. They want to see the downfall of both the Republicans and the Democrats. And I can certainly see why! And yet... I see the blessings that have come to many people because of the delay of the implosion: physical blessings, spiritual blessings, blessings within relationships, and material blessings.
Like my friend Jenny said, bad government is better than anarchy. I guess it just shows how blessed we have been --how little trouble we have seen-- that her statement doesn't easily & obviously resonate as truth.
How often in the Bible did God tarry with His chastisements and punishments! And it was always for the sake of extending the time of grace.
I don't think so.
I used to think so, but not any more.
We knew from the time Maggie was a baby that she'd need a second heart surgery. People wondered about the state of synod. She got the surgery she needed --covered by insurance-- because synod and its health plan was/is still going.
Some people said Gary should not have stayed so long at his last parish. But I think of certain people in the congregation who were brought back into the fold of the Church through his ministry there. The delay (even if it hurt our family) was for the salvation of some dear saints.
God delayed in the destruction of Ninevah and Assyria. There are Ninevites with whom we will be spending eternity, singing praises to the Lamb of God, because God sent Jonah and delayed in taking down that evil empire.
There are many people for whom I have a lot of respect that are ready to see the end of America as we know it. They see the evil here with the same disgust that some of our enemies see it. They want to see the downfall of both the Republicans and the Democrats. And I can certainly see why! And yet... I see the blessings that have come to many people because of the delay of the implosion: physical blessings, spiritual blessings, blessings within relationships, and material blessings.
Like my friend Jenny said, bad government is better than anarchy. I guess it just shows how blessed we have been --how little trouble we have seen-- that her statement doesn't easily & obviously resonate as truth.
How often in the Bible did God tarry with His chastisements and punishments! And it was always for the sake of extending the time of grace.
Monday, October 27, 2008
Deck
Another item I should have a picture of, and don't.
The deck is done. The boards have all been turned over, sanded, sealed, and reattached. It's been a huge job, but it's done for the winter. Granted, there's still no fence around the edge, so Gary still has some work to do next spring. We also have to deal with some topsoil and landscaping where the pool used to be. But for the next four or five months, all work on the deck has come to a halt. Gary finished re-attaching the final boards Sunday afternoon, with flurries blowing in his face. But the deck is now safe to walk on. (No more worries about a Bugs Bunny type of incident, where you unwittingly step on the end of an unattached board, and have it flip up and bop ya in the nose.) No more humongo splinters in the deck.
What will we do with all Gary's spare time, time that he has been spending on the deck? Might we talk to each other? Might we do things together as a family? What an enticing concept!! I am SO looking forward to seeing him again!
The deck is done. The boards have all been turned over, sanded, sealed, and reattached. It's been a huge job, but it's done for the winter. Granted, there's still no fence around the edge, so Gary still has some work to do next spring. We also have to deal with some topsoil and landscaping where the pool used to be. But for the next four or five months, all work on the deck has come to a halt. Gary finished re-attaching the final boards Sunday afternoon, with flurries blowing in his face. But the deck is now safe to walk on. (No more worries about a Bugs Bunny type of incident, where you unwittingly step on the end of an unattached board, and have it flip up and bop ya in the nose.) No more humongo splinters in the deck.
What will we do with all Gary's spare time, time that he has been spending on the deck? Might we talk to each other? Might we do things together as a family? What an enticing concept!! I am SO looking forward to seeing him again!
Vent
Hooray, hooray! The vent over the stove was installed today. I took a picture, but I'm already way behind on blogging about Stuff, and I honestly don't have the energy to upload pictures. It is LOVELY to have a light over the stove-top again after 8 months without -- well, except for the problem of seeing all the grease-mess on the top of the stove. (No, no, no! I did NOT say that! Seeing the grease-mess is GOOD because it means I can also see what's in the frying pan. Right?)
The main point, however, of the vent was to draw the wet air and steam out of the house. I had enough mildew at the last house. In this house, I want the vents in top-notch operating condition! So today I'm making gumbo, and forgot for the first half-hour that I could use the vent. When I turned it on, oh!, it was a beautiful sight to behold those curls of steam being drawn up into the vent and booted outta the house!
The main point, however, of the vent was to draw the wet air and steam out of the house. I had enough mildew at the last house. In this house, I want the vents in top-notch operating condition! So today I'm making gumbo, and forgot for the first half-hour that I could use the vent. When I turned it on, oh!, it was a beautiful sight to behold those curls of steam being drawn up into the vent and booted outta the house!
Righteousmess
Handwriting practice for Maggie recently has been the learn-by-heart Bible verse of the week, once or twice each in printing and then in cursive. Printing came out fine today. But "righteousness" came out "righteousmess." (You gotta admit that the cursive m's and n's can be tricky when you're learning them.)
Oh, there are SO many cracks we could make about "righteousmess." Yikes, the mess left over after making a few pies would be "one righteous mess." Or maybe when we go to confession and are absolved, then we are left with the consequences of sin, but since it's been forgiven it's a "righteous mess"?
She better get the cursive-M right tomorrow, or I'm going to have to keep heckling her.
Oh, there are SO many cracks we could make about "righteousmess." Yikes, the mess left over after making a few pies would be "one righteous mess." Or maybe when we go to confession and are absolved, then we are left with the consequences of sin, but since it's been forgiven it's a "righteous mess"?
She better get the cursive-M right tomorrow, or I'm going to have to keep heckling her.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Voice Suicide
Morton Cooper's Stop Committing Voice Suicide was recommended to me. After interlibrary loaning it, I skimmed the first chapter and found a few pertinent pages. Then I got busy and set the book aside. Seeing as how it's due back in a week, I figured I best be reading the rest of the book.
Most of the book is testimonials as to how people can learn to stop abusing their voices, and how badly most of the medical community misunderstands this, resorting instead to ineffective medications and treatments and surgeries and poisons (Botox injections). Essentially, the author needs only a few pages to give the advice that's necessary to find one's "natural voice." And it only takes a minute or two to figure that out. The problem is practicing practicing practicing to learn to use your natural voice (in the bottom half of your skull) instead of the throat voice (in the upper part of the neck).
Homeschooling inadvertently taught me to start using my voice from my throat, and I paid the price for it. After all the laryngitis and pain, my method of compensation was to get quieter, not to talk to friends as much in person or on the phone, to sing less, to read aloud to the kids less, to limit the use of my voice. So today I managed to figure out how to make the sounds "in the mask" and to bop back and forth between the throat and the resonance "in the mask" (sound coming from the mouth and the nasal cavity). I still can't make words the right way, but I've been humming and la-la-ing in my baby steps of learning to speak in a way that doesn't exhaust my voice. I feel dumb practicing, but I'm holding out hopes that I may once again be able to read aloud or discuss the kids' schoolwork for more than an hour or two a day.
Most of the book is testimonials as to how people can learn to stop abusing their voices, and how badly most of the medical community misunderstands this, resorting instead to ineffective medications and treatments and surgeries and poisons (Botox injections). Essentially, the author needs only a few pages to give the advice that's necessary to find one's "natural voice." And it only takes a minute or two to figure that out. The problem is practicing practicing practicing to learn to use your natural voice (in the bottom half of your skull) instead of the throat voice (in the upper part of the neck).
Homeschooling inadvertently taught me to start using my voice from my throat, and I paid the price for it. After all the laryngitis and pain, my method of compensation was to get quieter, not to talk to friends as much in person or on the phone, to sing less, to read aloud to the kids less, to limit the use of my voice. So today I managed to figure out how to make the sounds "in the mask" and to bop back and forth between the throat and the resonance "in the mask" (sound coming from the mouth and the nasal cavity). I still can't make words the right way, but I've been humming and la-la-ing in my baby steps of learning to speak in a way that doesn't exhaust my voice. I feel dumb practicing, but I'm holding out hopes that I may once again be able to read aloud or discuss the kids' schoolwork for more than an hour or two a day.
Trick or Treat
Tonight was the assigned date for trick-or-treating in our township. This is our first time having trick-or-treaters since 1988. At our last home, the neighbors weren't interested in trick-or-treating; they were of the four-footed variety and said "moo" and "baaa" instead of "Trick or Treat!" At the parsonage before that, we enjoyed trick-or-treating for the first two years, but for the next two years the congregation had a "fall festival party" that was arranged to interfere with treat-or-treat hours.
This was a NICE batch of trick-or-treaters! We had 23 kids come by. Parents tagged along, not too close, but at a safe distance away. Except for a couple of younger siblings out with the crew, all the kids were about age 4-11, and they all bothered to dress up in costume. That made for a pleasant time passin' out the candy.
And I over-estimated how many trick-or-treaters, so darn it!, there are Snickers left over that we will have to eat so as not to let them go to waste.
This was a NICE batch of trick-or-treaters! We had 23 kids come by. Parents tagged along, not too close, but at a safe distance away. Except for a couple of younger siblings out with the crew, all the kids were about age 4-11, and they all bothered to dress up in costume. That made for a pleasant time passin' out the candy.
And I over-estimated how many trick-or-treaters, so darn it!, there are Snickers left over that we will have to eat so as not to let them go to waste.
Friday, October 24, 2008
Transportation
Andrew's driving test was today. Not only did he pass, but he got a perfect score.
Yesterday we picked up Maggie's [month-old] bike which spent the last week in the shop. Today we rode to chapel. On the way home, she fell over. The metal in the gears is twisted, in need of further repairs, and we had to walk the bike home the last 1½ miles. That is pretty depressing.
I should just focus instead on Andrew's new license, and not on further bike repairs.
Good for Andrew.
Yesterday we picked up Maggie's [month-old] bike which spent the last week in the shop. Today we rode to chapel. On the way home, she fell over. The metal in the gears is twisted, in need of further repairs, and we had to walk the bike home the last 1½ miles. That is pretty depressing.
I should just focus instead on Andrew's new license, and not on further bike repairs.
Good for Andrew.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
Indoor Light
As some of us talked last night about winter, and the dark, and the cold, Sherry mentioned something she stumbled upon by accident. She said she put candles in her windows one December, and had to take the screens off to do it. She noticed that doing so let in a lot more light.
We were thinking the window screens in the bedrooms would be removed during winter because of naughty kitties scratching at windows. But now I'm thinking that maybe some other screens might need to take a hiatus in the basement.
Oh, Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun,
please shine down on me!
We were thinking the window screens in the bedrooms would be removed during winter because of naughty kitties scratching at windows. But now I'm thinking that maybe some other screens might need to take a hiatus in the basement.
Oh, Mr Sun, Sun, Mr Golden Sun,
please shine down on me!
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Rahab
Our Bible story today again made mention of Rahab who hid the spies and kept them safe when it was time for Israel to enter the Promised Land.
In the Psalms and the Prophets, it always seems like Rahab is bad. This has long confused me. So I asked this morning.
Guess what? It's easier than I thought. Rahab was a nickname for Egypt because of mythical stories about the Rahab-beast. So the woman in the line of promise had the name Rahab, but usually when we hear about "Rahab" later in the Bible, it's a reference to Egypt who enslaved God's people. Wow -- I should've asked this question a long time ago!
In the Psalms and the Prophets, it always seems like Rahab is bad. This has long confused me. So I asked this morning.
Guess what? It's easier than I thought. Rahab was a nickname for Egypt because of mythical stories about the Rahab-beast. So the woman in the line of promise had the name Rahab, but usually when we hear about "Rahab" later in the Bible, it's a reference to Egypt who enslaved God's people. Wow -- I should've asked this question a long time ago!
Immortality
Adults wring their hands and worry over teenagers who think they're immortal. Some teenagers think they can beat the train across the tracks. They'll try car-surfing. The kids can't figure out the adults' concern; after all, they're going to be just fine, nothing bad will happen to them.
Kids who don't do wacky and dangerous things will insist that THEY don't think THEY're immortal like some of those OTHER teenagers. I remember conversations with my son-in-law (long before he was interested in my daughter) where he couldn't understand why his mom would worry about certain things he did. Ummm, that would be because Nathan was thinking he was immortal. Oh, he would object when I said that!
I would vociferously disagree when somebody told me as a teenager that I thought I was immortal. I knew better than that. How could anybody suggest such nonsense of me? And yet, twenty years later, I realized that there were rides at Six Flags that scared me. Why hadn't they scared me before? Ummm, because back then, I was immortal.
I'm seeing now all sorts of things that I did (a practical teenager who knew, of course, that she wasn't immortal) that betrays how much I figured I was immune to death. I knew better in my head. But not in my gut. For instance, how shocked I am (and likewise my middle-aged friends are) at bodies that cannot do what they used to be able to do. Even if I do have time for it, I cannot mow the whole yard and clean the whole house in one day anymore; there's just not energy to do it like there used to be.
And it's not just the youngsters. We all know people who get to be in their 60s or 70s, and then a friend dies, and then another friend, and then another. And the person begins to think, "Oh my gosh! What's going on? All my friends are dying! What's up with this?" Logically, our minds know better, but there's still that element of shock down in our gut that our buddies --our agemates-- die.
Maybe that's just a tiny little hint that death is foreign, and things weren't created to be this way.
Or maybe it's just that it takes us a long long time to get it through our skulls that sin and death are part of our very own selves.
Kids who don't do wacky and dangerous things will insist that THEY don't think THEY're immortal like some of those OTHER teenagers. I remember conversations with my son-in-law (long before he was interested in my daughter) where he couldn't understand why his mom would worry about certain things he did. Ummm, that would be because Nathan was thinking he was immortal. Oh, he would object when I said that!
I would vociferously disagree when somebody told me as a teenager that I thought I was immortal. I knew better than that. How could anybody suggest such nonsense of me? And yet, twenty years later, I realized that there were rides at Six Flags that scared me. Why hadn't they scared me before? Ummm, because back then, I was immortal.
I'm seeing now all sorts of things that I did (a practical teenager who knew, of course, that she wasn't immortal) that betrays how much I figured I was immune to death. I knew better in my head. But not in my gut. For instance, how shocked I am (and likewise my middle-aged friends are) at bodies that cannot do what they used to be able to do. Even if I do have time for it, I cannot mow the whole yard and clean the whole house in one day anymore; there's just not energy to do it like there used to be.
And it's not just the youngsters. We all know people who get to be in their 60s or 70s, and then a friend dies, and then another friend, and then another. And the person begins to think, "Oh my gosh! What's going on? All my friends are dying! What's up with this?" Logically, our minds know better, but there's still that element of shock down in our gut that our buddies --our agemates-- die.
Maybe that's just a tiny little hint that death is foreign, and things weren't created to be this way.
Or maybe it's just that it takes us a long long time to get it through our skulls that sin and death are part of our very own selves.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Israelites' Passovers
We've been reading the stories from Exodus to Joshua, about the wilderness wanderings. Today's story was the first celebration of the Passover in the Promised Land. What struck me, though, was the preceding verses in Joshua 5. The men under age 40 needed to be circumcised because they hadn't been doing that since they left Egypt.
That leaves me with lots to wonder about. Does this mean that the parents who died in the wilderness were not believers? If they didn't believe the promises of God, they would not desire to bring their children into the covenant, and thus wouldn't bother to circumcise their baby boys.
Does this mean that there were no Passover celebrations during the 39 years after the Israelites refused to go into Canaan? The Torah doesn't mention Passover celebrations during those years, but that doesn't mean they didn't happen. But those who are uncircumcised could not participate in the feast -- just like those who are not baptized may not commune.
I don't know what all this means, but there is one thing that is certain. In light of this, God's grace and mercy and abounding faithfulness is even more overwhelming. If we are faithless, He is faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. And boy, you sure do see it here when you realize that, for all those years, the Israelites didn't even circ their children. Still, God stood by His promises.
That leaves me with lots to wonder about. Does this mean that the parents who died in the wilderness were not believers? If they didn't believe the promises of God, they would not desire to bring their children into the covenant, and thus wouldn't bother to circumcise their baby boys.
Does this mean that there were no Passover celebrations during the 39 years after the Israelites refused to go into Canaan? The Torah doesn't mention Passover celebrations during those years, but that doesn't mean they didn't happen. But those who are uncircumcised could not participate in the feast -- just like those who are not baptized may not commune.
I don't know what all this means, but there is one thing that is certain. In light of this, God's grace and mercy and abounding faithfulness is even more overwhelming. If we are faithless, He is faithful, for He cannot deny Himself. And boy, you sure do see it here when you realize that, for all those years, the Israelites didn't even circ their children. Still, God stood by His promises.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
