Random Musings

Since Bobby's family (or 2/5s of it) meet at a restaurant for Sunday lunch, I had decided I would cook and have everyone over here. After all, Easter Sunday is a holiday. I had the meal planned, something I thought they might eat but was also something my family might have on a holiday, bought everything at the grocery store last night, only to find out today that my mother-in-law has decided to temporarily come out of "retirement" and cook. (She says the only way a housewife can retire is to quit cooking and cleaning.) I'm happy for my husband. He misses his Mom's cooking. I'm glad the family will be together. Holidays are good for that. I'm disappointed that my ham will have to stay in the freezer and my home-made macaroni and cheese won't be made. As much as I appreciate my in-laws, missing my family on the holidays and then having to eat NC Barbeque (which isn't my favorite) for a holiday meal is almost the equivalent of not having a h...

As the Queen of UFOs ( U n F inished pr O jects), I have done it again. I have started yet ANOTHER project (and I'm considering redoing an earlier finished one!) Yes, the wind from your shaking heads is gently blowing the tree limbs and the sighs you're releasing is enhancing our temps to the delightful spring weather we're having. BUT, in my defense...it had to be done. You see, grape vines must be pruned every spring to produce appropriately (at least that's what the "experts" say), or at least to keep from growing into mammoth monsters of tangled vines that collapse the poles. AND since our chipper/shredder doesn't munch on grape vines very well (we tried that a few years ago), that only leaves me with three options: 1) have a bonfire 2) dump them into an unsightly mess in the woods or 3) make wreaths! And since the boys were cutting grass Saturday, I couldn't leave the vines in the yard; hence the pile on my porch. I spent about three hours ...

Yesterday morning Miss Lori stopped me at church and asked me if I could fill in as her assistant in the youngest children's class that night. Their teacher was out sick. Let's just say that anyone who teaches 3 & 4 year-olds clearly spends a LOT of time in preparation and thought. I was very impressed with how she had everything ready to roll with enough activities to keep them occupied the whole time. When it was time for their lesson, I sat down at the nearest table. Mr. Ducky looked at me and said "This is the boys' table." I looked around, and sure enough all three boys plus one girl were sitting at that table. Since there was already another girl there, I told him I thought girls could sit there, too. So Mr. Blue shirt hops up and moves to the next table where two other little girls were sitting. He turned and with a grin said, "I'm going to sit with the ladies." For part of the lesson there was a poem that had hand motions to go al...

Yesterday at a ballgame I jokingly told my husband we didn't have to leave early. Being the gentlemen that he is, he said he wouldn't keep me away from the ladies' Bible study. So I laughingly told him I didn't need to go that night as the lesson was on submission. (This has been an on-going joke between us as I removed the "to obey" part out of my wedding vows...but that's a story for another time). This Bible study has been different from anything else I've ever participated in. We meet for a cooking demonstration, have a lesson, then split up to eat the meal "taught" to us while we discuss the lesson. Table talk, I think is what they call it. Last night's lesson was one of the few where everyone at our table could say it applied to us, and as serious as the questions and their implications were, we still found quite a few things to laugh about. But my answer to one of the questions still has me pondering. The question dealt with ...

Nope, it's not the traffic for a Saturday football game or the fair! The Harper House, which was used as a field hospital by the Union troops, as well as 65 wounded Confederates. When the Union troops headed to meet Sherman at Goldsboro, they left the wounded Confederates behind. It was weeks before they were well enough to leave themselves. What little boys do while waiting for the battle to begin I've read about servants going into battle with soldiers to cook and wash for them, and I've read about slaves following the Union army and camping behind them in search of protection and freedom, but I've not read about whole families going to war together (but that doesn't mean they didn't). I like the Coleman pack inside the tent...nice touch, don't you think? Bobby watching the advancing troops. Is he merely observing, or secretly daydreaming? The Union soldiers before battle. The historian shared that the troops discredited the cooks who complained of be...

The days get shorter. Or maybe my to do list grows longer. But either way time seems diminished, fleeting, evasive. I am five again, Staring at the board for Chutes & Ladders, Counting, Staring, Memorizing, Desperately trying to learn my way to 100. My hairs are numbered, as are my days. Do I shift my list to fit everything in? Or do I simply throw the list away? I'm reaching the crease in the board. You know, that halfway point that makes you think you might reach the top. Of course, there's all those chutes that send you hurtling downward, forcing you to stay in the game longer. But there's also the shorter ladders, enabling you to cut the game short. The roll of the dice, the squares where we stop, the things beyond our control. But will I cheat? What color peg will I be? Will I pout if I lose? Those are the things that truly impact me. Those are the choices I can actually determine. All the rest is just up and down. And learning to count the numbers.

Joanna: We're not having eggs for breakfast again are we? Me: No, we're having waffles. Joanna: I want pancakes. Me: I don't know how to make pancakes. Joanna: Well I'll tell you. It's easy. You take the things you like and mix them up together. Then you cook them, then take out the things you don't like. And for curious minds, we had waffles, which she helped mix and pour, and declared "almost as good as pancakes." Joanna: This time I want you to be the Prince. Bobby: Oh boy. I'm glad I get to be the handsome Prince. Joanna: No, you're not handsome. You're a dirty Prince. Overhead at Bentonville from a Confederate re-enactor, talking to a group of young boys: I always die in battle, and I try to die early on. These uniforms are hot and the smoke and dust gets to you, so as soon as we hear the first crack me and my buddies fall down so we don't have to run anymore. Female re-enactors smoking, wearing fancy earrings, talking on c...

Well, I think I've figured out the advertisement issue. I had downloaded an online game the other day. I noticed while I was trying to blog that suddenly the internet was connecting to that website, so I went and uninstalled the game. When I went back to my blog, all the advertisement links were gone. I ran the virus scan and nothing other than cookies and a few non-threatening spyware items showed up, but I doubt I'll be downloading anymore games! I got to hear the pledge of allegiance a few minutes ago. It was actually quite cool. A family is staying with us through Sat morning, and their daughter is being "homeschooled" in K4. They started out their morning session with the pledge, which was neat to hear. I find it encouraging and refreshing that there are still parents who are instilling not only Scriptural principles but also patriotic principles in their children as well. And the dogs are almost in panic mode. They want some goose eggs...bad, but they...

Last night I went to check and see if anyone had commented on my blog and was puzzled to see a word underlined in green that turned out to be a link to an advertisement. I logged in, went to the html, and sure enough, I had not put it there and it wasn't present. This morning I checked it again, and it was gone. BUT, when I read two other blogs, they also had underlined words that I am certain were links to advertisements. Has anyone else had this happen to them? I'm a bit baffled at how this happened.

My dear hubby has the crud that is going around. He stayed home last night so he could try to cough in peace. Evidently he also spent some time on CraigsList, for we made a trip to Raleigh last night to pick up his newest babies: and of course Lucy & Linus are staying in the sun by the shed trying to figure out what these new creatures are and why they can't get to them. I expect some howling today when they get locked up. And Little Buff ignored the fuss and went about her business of laying an egg, While all the others lined up at the door, watching, and waiting to see if I'd let them out early today. Sorry girls (and guy). You've got to wait your turn to roam the yard. Meanwhile, I'm off to try out a new sewing foot on my machine, and I'm hoping that the needle will stay in place today. Happy Monday!

You know spring is coming when... the hens start laying again Mrs. Hudson is at her post at Hudson's Hardware, selling garden items and offering advice to novices like me. colorful seed packets start showing up in almost every store I enter And I start debating whether or not to plant the tastes of home (also known as feeding the deer). AND, while there's no pic...my daffodils are blooming and the geese are nesting!

Last night our ladies' small group discussed boundaries we had as children and how we knew that meant we were loved, even if we didn't like those boundaries. (This is what happens when the lesson only applies to one person in the group...all the rest of us share memories!) I shared a story from tenth grade, where I was complaining about my curfew and how my parents never let me do anything. A girl in the group later pulled me into the hall. She was crying and mad. Her family attended church regularly and they all claimed to be Christians. She told me she never wanted to hear me complain about how much my parents loved me ever again. Her brother had come home the night before at 2am, drunk, threw up in his bed, slept in it, and her parents never knew when he came home, that he was sick, and never once checked on him. She said her parents never asked her what she did with friends, and she wished her parents had cared enough about her to set some parameters in place to protect...

It's interesting how God introduces people into our lives, and then years later those people show up again...and again...and again. It's even more wonderful when you actually like those people and feel a connection. Becky is one of such people. Like refined silver, she has been tried in the fire. And I find her brutal honesty refreshing, and am enjoying this journey with a sister in Christ, even though we've had very few face to face chats. She tagged me in her blog where you have to post 10 honest things about yourself and then tag friends to do the same. So here goes... I am married to a quadriplegic , who is also my best friend. I own 7 hens, 9 geese, 2 beagles, and my husband owns a rooster. I've been told I'm stubborn. My husband says I would make a wonderful hermit if hermits were allowed to have electricity. One of my pet peeves is Christians who deride or belittle mental health issues in the guise of promoting Christ as the healer, then go to the doctor...

It is upon us. Spring, that is. Today I took advantage of an empty schedule and beautiful weather and sprayed the fruit trees, pruned the grape vines, and started modifying the duck house for the geese. The cut vines are still in piles in the yard, awaiting either time to be made into wreaths or to enter the doorway to the chipper, and half-way through the geese-house project both the battery in the screwdriver and my time ran out. Perhaps we can get it finished tomorrow afternoon. Meanwhile, I've absconded one goose egg from a nest, and I think the dogs managed to get the other one. I had planned to take before and after pictures of the duck house, but I forgot to take the before shots. Maybe if I paint the ugly boards I can do a before and after shot. Realistically, I don't think I'll get the garden tilled and partially planted before the rain, but maybe I can tackle that Saturday if the ground isn't too muddy. Meanwhile, pepper and tomato plants can be starte...

There are at least two theories pertaining to color. One is called RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and is the premise used on the internet, and the other is CMYK (Cyan, Magenta, Yellow, Black) that is used in printing. It still boggles my mind that you can take either three or four colors, mix them all up, and come with a wide assortment of colors. The bizarre thing about these two theories is that they don't mix very well. If you create a document in CMYK and try to post on the web, the colors will be skewed. And if I create a piece of artwork in RGB with computerized special effects and transfer it for print, the special effects won't print and the colors will only be slightly off. Bizarre, isn't it? And if you want to see if the RGB rods in your eye are the "perfect" size (i.e., you're not colorblind), here's a cool website: http://www.toledo-bend.com/colorblind/Ishihara.asp May your mornings be blue with white clouds and your grass be green!

It's been a long week, but a good week. Mary B aced her test to get her NC Driver's License. I attended an embroidery demonstration. Needless to say, my stitches need a LOT of practice, but for the first time with an instructor, I didn't think it was all that bad. I won't be giving away anything embroidered, that's for sure, but I did thoroughly enjoy the lesson and a break from housework. The study is 98% clean! There's still a few piles I need to sort through and organize, but it's just so nice to finally have the shelves dusted and a little more sorted. Still haven't finished cleaning and organizing the art room, but hopefully that can be done this next week. Tutoring...a friend of mine is taking the nursing entrance exam next week, so I've spent an hour almost every day this week going over basic English precepts. It's made me thankful for my 5th grade teacher Diana Postelwaite and her excellence in drilling basic concepts into us, as we...

We live, we love. We forgive and never give up. 'Cause the days we are given are gifts from above. ~ "We Live" from SuperChik's Beauty from Pain 1.1 Tonight I heard more than one person comment on how they wished they had lived for Christ in their twenties. Today I also talked with more than one person who has serious health issues and each day, and sometimes nights, is a struggle of great sorts. This morning I was reminded of the importance of forgiveness and not keeping wrongs, and how that is such an ongoing battle of the flesh. Our lives are vapors, the Scripture tells us. We're essentially steam...not only in the air we breathe in and out, but also in essence of time. I don't know what made me realize this a few months ago, but if I live the average life span that my grandmothers lived, my life is now half over. That's a very sobering thought. Mind you, I was one of those teens who read Ephesians 6 about children obeying their parents so they ...

It happens every year. The daffodils bloom, and people start shopping seeds and wanting to till the ground and drop the seeds into the soil. The only problem is there's this warning on the back of most seed packages: do not plant until the danger of frost has passed. While there are many Marches where there is no frost in the South, I can think of many times when there has not only been frost, but snow in mid or late March. The best rule of thumb has always been to do the outdoor planting on summer crops after Easter. This year I'm embarking on a new first, and will plant start seeds indoor next week. By the time the weather is warm enough to plant outdoors, Lord willing my little plants will be the right size to transplant. Meanwhile, I know spring is coming because March is the month to fertilize pecan trees, spray the fruit trees, and prune the grapevines. I've spread the fertilizer, but I'm waiting and hoping for warmer weather to tackle the other two. Speakin...

After a song on the radio this morning, one of the crazy DJs raised the point, "Why do songs always talk about loving you with the heart? Why not the spleen, or the lung?" The female DJs quickly responded that it didn't even sound romantic. It made me laugh. In the Ivory Coast, people love each other with all their livers. After all, the liver purifies all the toxins from the body. The summer I visited we got to witness a wedding between the first Christian couple to grow up in the Ivorian FWB church. The church was very excited about it, and the children's choir wrote a song in honor of the couple. One of the verses admonished the husband to take his wife and hold her forever in his liver. I can still hear their little verses chanting, "Oh Nicolai, and Bernadette..." which seemed to be how each verse and every chorus started. So if you haven't told your spouse or friend you loved them today, let them know how much you care...with all your liver.