Practice

Practice might not make "perfect" but it does make for improvement.

Long Trip; Lots of Miles

Traveling again, by car, to visit lots of relatives: We’ll probably be at 3 – 4 places overnight, visiting family in 5 – 6 towns. It is really hard to live so far away when family members are aging.

Safely Back!

We have returned, safe and happy, with much to tell, but too tired to write and reflect right now. I met people of great faith, and I was inspired. I’m looking forward to some time to organize my thoughts and share my pictures. Thanks for your prayers!

May God richly bless you this advent season. Check back in a few days for some of my “travelogue.”

a Trip

Tomorrow I fly “across the pond” and then I’ll fly to the Equator by Monday. Once there, I’ll be working and learning with other people on a Global Village house build. After seeing a national park and the source of the Nile River, I’ll be visiting an email friend at a Christian secondary school, then home with a stop in London. I hope I can post some pictures and commentary at the end of November.

Please keep us in your prayers!

We have running water!

Hooray!

Franklin Ground Squirrel

Well, spring is here, sort of. Since we are in a year long drought, and nearly every storm of the winter and the spring has bypassed us, we aren't greening up very fast. But there are signs, signs of hope. I'm wondering if many of my perennials made it through the winter. Due to the low depth of the snow cover, the frost went deep into the ground.

So out I went with my camera today, looking for life. There are lots of camouflage colors out there: dry grass and leaves, dirt, rocks. Here and there, green is poking through.

Last year, we frequently saw a ground squirrel who we called "Frankie" because he is a Franklin Ground Squirrel. After a few months, we realized that there was Frankie, Mrs. Frankie, and Little Frankie. This year we've seen three at once already. Look how well he can be camouflaged. Cute? Maybe, depending on what they might burrow into. We won't think it is cute if the garage slab gets undermined. These animals are also called Whistle Pigs, because of their call. But last year, I heard that sound only a few times.

I also took a picture of the little creek that flows by our house. It is so small that I can walk across it with one big step. The water is low because of the lack of rain, but right now, it is the only "running water" I can see when I'm in the house because our well is broken.

The next few weeks will bring exciting changes. I love the sproutings of spring.

Ah, the Christmas season…the Christmas shopping season. What to get; what to give? Who do I include on my list? Who do I lop off my list? What a problem: what do I get for the person who has everything?

Well, few of us have “everything” but many (most of us who would be at a computer to read this) have “enough.” Enough stuff. Too much stuff. What do I get rid of now? How can I get rid of that; it was a gift from my dear ___? But I don’t need more things.

I’m not a shoppaholic in the usual sense, but I’ve been known to have my moments. I will seldom come home with “too many clothes” but I’ve been known to buy more for ME than I buy for others if I get pointed in the direction of a store that carries items related to my hobbies, and you, dear readers, know what those are.

And so I’ve been reevaluating my own possessions. Yes, I have too much in certain categories. Compared to the closets of many Americans, my collection of clothes is small, but that is only “in comparison.” After all, I can only wear one pair of pants, one shirt, and one sweater at a time. There is a saying, “She who dies with the most stash, still dies.”

Back to Christmas shopping: How should I reevaluate my shopping in light of the too much stuff stuffing the closets of many of my giftees? Three ideas come to mind: Give the gift of time, give the gift of service, or give to a charity in the name of my loved ones.

A worthy charity that I have personal knowledge of and which puts the donations directly to service is The God’s Child Project. There are lots of links to follow. Please consider this group when you make decisions about giving to others this Christmas. We've found that some of our relatives have been pleased and touched when we've given in their name to this organization and others like it.

Words, slang and propaganda

 http://tinyurl.com/866ym

If you like words and want to see how they can slant our thinking, check out this link.  It is to a newspaper article.  Sorry, I don't yet know how to post a real link.

Why is the Sky Blue?

The Quiltart group on-line suggested a quilt challenge to answer the question "Why is the sky blue?" I entered right away because my favorite color is blue. I am actually passionate about blue. I had no idea what I would make, or indeed, if I would actually get around to finishing the quilt. I don't like deadlines.

Later I thought about the emotional meaning of "blue" i.e. a somber, sad emotion, instead of my usual happy reaction to the color. I also started taking pictures of the sky in my yard.

Then this past summer, a car accident took the lives of my friend, her daughter, and two of the daughter's friends. A year ago, another young person died in a car accident. These college age people are the same age as my children and I've known them all their lives.

My quilt then evolved in my mind and became a memorial quilt in memory and honor of these friends: Pat, Nancy, Lindi, Paige, and Dan.

So my answer to the Question, "Why is the Sky Blue?" ...is "So we can see what's in the clouds." In memory of friends who left us too soon, who are now "in the clouds." Pat, Nancy, Lindi, Paige, and Dan.

I wanted to capture the idea of our friends being "up there" and "watching over us" and that we can look up in longing and remembrance. The center sky is actually the sky as seen in my yard, with a fringe of trees surrounding it. The brown and green strips represent the endless forest that surrounds us all here in Northern Minnesota. The outer area is dark blue, for the lakes, and for eternity. Lie on the ground; look at the sky. What do you see in the clouds?

The cat and other sad thoughts

Someone asked me how I am today and I said that I am melancholy. 

Well, that got a puzzled look and a little laugh.  Well I am, no matter how old fashioned that sounds.  I have been thinking about several friends who died in the past year.  Two were from my Bible Study group.  Five died in car accidents.  How hard it will be for their families this Christmas.  Today I learned that a friend's father had died.  And a woman from church is dying.

 

And my cat is 18 + years old and getting skinnier and thinner.  I took her too the vet.  I knew that she wasn't good and I really didn't expect medical intervention for an old cat.  I don't know what I expected, except maybe to know what to watch for.  She has kidney and liver degenerative disease.  The vet called this morning with the diagnosis and to discuss what we could do.  She may live a week or a month.  It was very hard to hear that all put into words.  My daughter, who lives at a college, loves that cat, so I need to consider her feelings.  She is younger than the cat!  So we have need to accept this and see how we feel about the situation after we think about it for awhile.

World Trade Center Tribute

Taken at the World Trade Center Site Oct. 2003. The cross shows hope.

Life changed in an instant...

When I last posted on Wednesday, little did I know that life had already changed. Earlier that morning, my friend, the driver of a mini-van, crashed, which killed my friend, her daughter, and two of the daughter's friends. Another friend survived with injuries. The friends were all college students. Another friend had died in a car accident last winter.

These people were more energetic and giving that most of us could ever dream of. That sounds cliche, but how true it was. I've known the mom for about 20 years, and the kids since before they were a gleam in their parents' eyes. Our kids were in pre-school together. They played on the same teams in basketball baseball for many years.

The funeral for the mom and daughter was today, held in the school gym, and as expected, about 1300 people turned out. Tomorrow we will go to another funeral for the other two, long time boyfriend and girlfriend, also to be held at the school.

Something like this truly brings people together. If tears and hugs can heal, then healing is at least started. But the loss can't be replaced.

I may use this in my Why is the Sky Blue Challenge. I'm not up to explaining that now.