Haircut

Same ol' long hair pulled back in a ponytail/bun.

I like the back!

I think the bangs are too short. 

 (And boy, it's weird how my profile makes me look so much like my mom but also like a cousin on my dad's side.)

The front of the new haircut. 

I haven't cried yet.  That's a good sign, right?  Considering what I was anticipating?  Yup.

The War Against the Ice-Dams

On those days before Christmas when it was raining, how often did I thankfully say, "At least we don't have to shovel it"?

Well, maybe that didn't turn out as well as I'd thought at the time.

So it turns out that the pre-Christmas rain, snow, slush, goo, froze into several inches of packed snow and ice on the roof and in the gutters. A week later when it snowed, I could roof-rake the new snow down. But not those inches of ice. Underneath the snow-ice were, in places, several inches of solid ice, just threatening to be ice-dams with the first thaw, diverting thawed snow into the attic instead of having it drip into the gutters or off the roof.

So it had to go.

Except on days I had to be at "work" [ha ha ha ... the place where I go to rest up] I spent hours daily on the ladder, with a hoe, hacking off small slices of snowpack, trying desperately to be gentle enough to Not Touch The Shingles while being vicious enough to crack the ice that needed to come down.

I'm trying to think of a part of my body that didn't ache from the work.  Not figurin' it out...


BUT you can see the results over the front door: several feet of roof that had been cleared and then sat in the sun for a couple of days.  Woo hoo!!!


And yesterday, with the warm weather, no ice dams!  No icicles!  (Now we just hope that the clean-up efforts didn't cause a different set of roof problems.)

Friends

DARE to be Lutheran!

Andrew, Philip, and Matthew have a game day.

Consternation over Hair

Do you scan the bookshelves of people you're getting to know?  When you're visiting a friend, do you check out the front of the refrigerator door?  If there's a scheduling calendar or a to-do list prominently displayed, do you notice it?  

What we see tells us a lot about who that person is.  



So, I've lost a lot of hair over the past year or two.  A lot.   My ponytail looks thin like a rat tail.  My bun is tiny and flat.  My hair looks scraggly when it's down.  I need a haircut.  Not 6" trimmed off.  But a completely different haircut.  A haircut that works with old-lady hair.

And I don't want one!    [waaaaahhhh!]

Everybody says, "It's just hair."  
Everybody says, "You can always grow it back."
Everybody says, "It will be fine."

But my boring hairstyle that I've had for 20+ years says something about who I am.  It reveals who I am just like my refrigerator door and the contents of my bookshelves.

Okay, so gazillions of American women change their hairstyle and their hair color every few months or every couple of years.  That's great.  But it's not me.  So I'm, like, having this identity crisis over the upcoming appointment for the haircut, fully anticipating a week or more of mourning.

And everybody thinks I'm silly. 
    
 

The Amazing, Lovely, Awesome Fireplace

Zoe quickly became attached to the fireplace.  Three times in a row (Dec 22, 23, 25) when she was here, there was a fire.  When she arrived on Tuesday, she looked at the cold and lifeless fireplace.  The expression on her face was clear: "What's up with THAT?!"

Papa made her a fire.

Life was good again.

The Trailers at the Movie

I really like living in LalaLand.  I don't want to notice the degradation of society.  I can't change the world.  So I pretend not to notice.

We went to a movie last weekend.  Before it started were ads for five movies.  Every single one of them was twisted.  Every. single. one.   Every one was about the apocalypse.  Or gaining power to take over the world to destroy and conquer.  Witches.  Zombies.  The attempt to annihilate mankind.   Or fighting for survival after everything else has been annihilated.

1)  THAT's what we, as a society, watch for entertainment?  For fun?  Oy!

2)  I couldn't figure out why they would choose those kind of movie trailers to accompany the Hobbit movie.  Well, that should have been a clue as to the action-focus of the movie we were about to see.



PS:  It seems that world domination was often a part of movies from years past [I'm thinking of Lex Luther here], but it was always recognized that Good Guys had to stop the ones who want to take over the world.   I think we've changed: the quest for power (which used to be recognized as bad) is now seen as perfectly acceptable and normal.

The Hobbit

And now for something completely different ...

I suspect I may be the only one, but I didn't like the movie.  It was definitely an ACTION movie.  And I don't like action movies.  I'm thinking Anthea will enjoy it.  :-)

The Lord of the Rings had lots of action, lots of battle scenes, ... but it seemed like there was more story than in Hobbit.

Andrew and Maggie told us that it was such a good film that Gary and I would have no problem staying awake to the end of the show, even if we attended a 7:00 movie.  (Yes.  I know that makes us sound like old fuddy-duddies who go to bed ridiculously early.  So ... sometimes the truth hurts.  And embarrasses.)  Even though we went to a 3:30 showing, I was bored 3/4 of the way in, and forcing myself to stay awake.  All that slashing, fighting, lopping off heads, running, stabbing, and more escaping -- it was getting old.

That said, the arkenstone was magnificent, as was much of the scenery.  Bilbo was marvelously cast and played, as perfect as Samwise in the LotR.   I still love Gandalf.  The dwarves' singing (particularly the night in the Shire before they headed off on their quest) sends shivers down the spine.  And I tried to convince my mathematical brain to enjoy some of the escape scenes, where the choreography reminded me of complex Rube Goldberg machines.

So there were bright spots.  But I have no desire to head back to the theatre for another showing, and I doubt I'll be talked into seeing Part 2 and Part 3.

 

Mugs

Gary with his TARDIS mug.

Mandy showing off the disappearing/reappearing TARDIS.

Dr Who?  Why, Doctor Matt, of course.  Accompanied by the Supreme Empress Dictator of Life, the Universe, and Everything.

Christmas Pictures

Rachel and Alia (early in the day)

Zoe borrows an FS hat

The fire is captivating!

Pirate Paul has a Polly Parrot on his shoulder.  Squawk!

Evidence that little girls were here!  Horses on parade, headed to dinner.

End of the day meltdown.  "But I don't WANT to go home!  I want to stay at Nanna's and Papa's!!!"

Humble Cattle

The English translation of "From Heaven Above to Earth I Come" used to read:
... that Thou dost choose Thine infant bed
where humble cattle lately fed.

I noticed this year that the new translation goes:
... that You should choose to lay Your head
where lowly cattle lately fed.

Lowly.  Humble.  It's the same thing.

But somehow we've turned "humble" into something to brag about, something to admire, something to work toward, something for which we [oxymoronically] pat ourselves on the back.

In the modern definition of "humble" it must sound mighty queer to anthropomorphize the cattle by suggesting that they possess the quality of humility.  But that's NOT what humility is!

Someday I'm going to have to 

tell the story of the Humble Girl.

Family Pictures

Gary and Zoe

Katie and Maggie

Mandy and Paul

the kids

front row:Philip, Maggie, Katie, Mandy, Paul

back row:Andrew, Nathan, Rachel, Matt

the whole family

Alia, Katie, Zoe, Nathan

Susan and Gary

Rachel and Matt

New Year's Treats

So what does it mean when you go to the grocery store to buy goodies to celebrate the new year, and come home with --
brussels sprouts to roast
fresh salsa
avocados
shrimp
spinach turnovers
cauliflower to steam & butter
mushrooms, cucumbers, and tomatoes?

I think we must be old farts.
Old farts who OD-ed on treats last weekend.

A Few Christmas Pictures

Fish fingers and custard.
Really, Katie?
It's something that Doctor 11 enjoyed.
And no, they're not really fish sticks.  They're cookies designed to look like fish sticks.  Even though my tastebuds told me this was quite the yummy snack, my brain just couldn't cope with the looks of it.

[shudder]  Fish fingers and custard.  [shudder]

By the way, notice 11's sonic screwdriver also on the tray.  And it just so happens that on the back of the table is the box for Gary's "Disappearing Tardis Mug" from Paul and Mandy.  Combine that with timeshares for Gary and Maggie, in ownership of a brand-spankin'-new Dr Who lunchbox, and sonic screwdrivers for Matt and Rachel, and we shall call this a very merry Dr-Who Christmas.

French-Fried Frog Legs!!!!

"I'm goin' on a picnic and I'm taking ....
FRENCH-FRIED FROG LEGS, eggs, dandelion greens, carrots, bananas, and apples."

[Whew.  Good thing nobody had heard of fish fingers and custard back then.]

Andrew wanted a hair cut.  When I cut it to 3/4" that wasn't enough for him.  So I buzzed him shorter.  Wow -- it's hard to recognize him now.

 

 So it takes three adults to dress one child in snowsuit, mittens, and other outdoor paraphenalia. And Katie can accomplish this feat quicker than the three of us put together.

Matt and Katie taking the girls sledding down the "hill" in the backyard. Isn't the light gorgeous off the snow when twilight is approaching?



Okay, so there are other pictures.  Tomorrow or the next day I'll try to post pictures from the weekend.  But first there are chores to catch up with.  It's been a very nice few days.  Plenty of chance to soak up God's Word at church, and plenty of time to hang out with my dear kiddoes.

Impossible

So when the rich young ruler comes to Jesus and then goes away sad (Mt 19, Mk 10, Lk 18) and the disciples ask, "Well, who then can be saved?" Jesus answers, "With men it is impossible, but with God all things are possible."

Interesting how that's so much like what Gabriel told Mary.  "How can this be, since I do not know a man?"  "With God nothing will be impossible."

Forget "easy" things like Elizabeth's getting pregnant.

With God,
not even the salvation of arrogant sinners
is impossible.

"You shall call His name JESUS 

for He shall save His people from their sins."

Words That Are Often Confused

During the recent election I kept hearing a radio ad for a certain politician.  The ads contrasted the status quo of one candidate with the new ideals and energy of the opponent.  The candidate talked about the "10th-century ideals" of the other party. Would the electorate accept or reject liberal ideals in the aftermath of the recession?

Do they mean ideals?  Were they saying what they meant?  Or were they confusing "ideal" with "idea"?  After all, there are similarities between the words.  An ideal is, after all, one kind of idea.  But somehow I think somebody thought "idea" is sometimes spelled with a silent-L.  (Pssst.  It's not.)





When people are in a coma, they do not lose "conscienceness."  Your conscience is your moral compass.  It pricks when you've done wrong.  "Conscious" means you're aware; it's what you are once you've come out of that coma.  Besides, one is a noun and the other is an adjective.



There also seems to be confusion out there in the big wide world about losing things.  I understand why: when something is loose (like the screw that holds your eyeglasses together) you may lose the item.  When you're talking about clothing or the twist-tie on the bread or how your car tire is attached to the axle, loose is the opposite of tight.  When you're talking about freedom versus captivity, loose is the opposite of bound.  (See, it's not that different from the opposite of "tight.")  But lose is the opposite of win, or the opposite of find.  "Loose" rhymes with "goose," but "lose" rhymes with "ooze."  Yes, the single-O or double-O doesn't change the vowel sound in those words; the number of O's changes the S-sound from ssss to zzzzz.




Shall we all recite the quote together?
"I do not think that word means what you think it means."

 And thus concludes my current rant about spelling.

Reading Challenge

"A Little Help from My Friends"
Reading Challenge

Get a list of book suggestions from your friends.  From those suggestions choose between five and ten books that you will read in 2013.  Make a list of the books that you will read and a few alternates.
And the other instructions can be found on Jane's site.

My list:
Anne of Green Gables   by L. M. Montgomery  
Anne of Avonlea   (these two with Maggie)
Mara, Daughter of the Nile   by Eloise Jarvis McGraw
Love Divine   by Alan Kornacki
Mitford's Out to Canaan    by Jan Karon
Christ Have Mercy   by Matt Harrison


The list that someone else made for me:
Lutheran Catechesis   by Bender
Old Testament Catechesis   by Bender
New Testament Catechesis    by Bender
Bible Stories for Daily Prayer    by Fabrizius



Alternates:
Kristin Lavransdatter  by Sigrid Undset
To Kill a Mockingbird   by  Harper Lee
Luther, the Reformer   by James Kittelson
The Right to Be Wrong   by Seamus Hasson
On Being a Theologian of the Cross   by Forde
Luther on Vocation   by Wingren



Well, I've never before set up a reading challenge for myself.  Many of my friends do so annually.  I am jealous.  But Jane has devised a teeny-tiny reading challenge (possibly just to encourage me, because she loves me).  I may not be up to the challenge; I may fail.  BUT I have a shot at it -- unlike most reading challenges which are entirely out of the realm of possibility.  Unless I want to quit homeschooling, quit cooking, quit cleaning, quit choir, quit gardening, and quit editing.  And I don't wanna quit those things.  So Mini Reading Challenge, here I come!

Gorgeously Appareled

1.  The color of our purple paraments is rich and beautiful!  

2.  When John the Baptist was in prison, he sent some of his disciples to question Jesus about whether He was the Messiah promised in the Scriptures.  Jesus responded, and then talked to the crowds about John.  "What did you go out to see?"  He said, “Indeed those who are gorgeously appareled and live in luxury are in kings’ courts” (Luke 7). 

1+2 =  The guy reading that Gospel to us on Sunday was "gorgeously appareled" in a purple chasuble.  

Given the context of what Jesus was talking about, the gorgeous apparel kind of shook me up there for a moment.  But I guess when we are in the Divine Service, we are living in luxury; we are in the King's court.

Sunday School Program

Another Marilla Thing

Having recently been on the receiving end of some good-natured teasing about "being bipolar," I'm pondering this section of what Maggie and I read today.  How does a person moderate herself?  And what does it do when we try to change someone's nature, another's or our own?


From chapter 22 of Anne of Green Gables:

For Anne to take things calmly would have been to change her nature.  All "spirit and fire and dew," as she was, the pleasures and pains of life came to her with trebled intensity.  Marilla felt this and was vaguely troubled over it, realizing that the ups and downs of existence would probably bear hardly on this impulsive soul, and not sufficiently understanding that the equally great capacity for delight might more than compensate.  Therefore Marilla conceived it to be her duty to drill Anne into a tranquil uniformity of disposition as impossible and alien to her as to a dancing sunbeam in one of the brook shallows.  She did not make much headway, as she sorrowfully admitted to herself.  The downfall of some dear hope or plan plunged Anne into "deeps of affliction."  The fulfillment thereof exalted her to dizzy realms of delight.  Marilla had almost begun to despair of ever fashioning this waif of the world into her model little girl of demure manners and prim deportment.  Neither would she have believed that she really liked Anne much better as she was. 



And...
does this have anything to do with what Paul said in 2 Corinthians 12 about the thorn in his flesh and being "exalted beyond measure by the abundance of the revelations"?

Make-Up

Not like I wear make-up very often.  But I did want to look a little special for Gary's Christmas party at work on Saturday.  I might've spent a whole minute-and-a-half applying make-up that day.  Maybe even two minutes!

So Sunday afternoon my eyes started itching.  By bedtime they were beginning to be goopy.  This morning I headed off to work looking as if I'd been crying for hours.  After many trips to the bathroom to wash my eyes today, the redness has subsided and the itchiness is nearly gone.

Good-bye make-up.

I can't wear earrings anymore.
Pretty shoes are impossible.
My hair is thinning.
And now make-up is off-limits too.
I guess it's time for any remnants of vanity to be destroyed, eh?
Time to embrace the aging frumpiness....