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book reviews

We gave Bobby's great nieces and nephews books for Christmas this year (along with a small gift card to Five Below). Thankfully most of them love reading more than their parents did. We purchased a few books we weren't familiar with based on reviews, and all but one of them passed my inspection read. I did purchase one as a backup option (and because it piqued my curiosity). And I loved it. Inside Out & Back Again  by Thanhha Lai  is written in poem. It's simple, but packed with description and emotion. Based in both Vietnam and Alabama, it shows some of the confusion and chaos that comes to people whose lives are impacted by war, and how our immigration system then (and even more so now) could use a serious overhaul. Despite the deep subjects the author introduces, it is written well enough that I wouldn't hesitate to share it with Mom who prefers light reads and romances. It's definitely a book I'd like to both keep and share. Marilla of Green Gables b

Sort of kind of moving

The hardwood floors in 2 of our rooms in our house are showing bare wood in spots. I've refinished and polished to the point I'm done and the floors are in danger of being ruined. The floor guy told us most hardwood floor finishes last for 12 years. It's been 19 for us, so it's time to get them redone. And that means we have to move everything out of those rooms in about 2 weeks. Did I mention a lot of this stuff has been in place for 19 years?!?! So today I started tackling cleaning out the desk drawers in the study...here's just one of the antiques I found: Bobby's nieces in college don't even know what floppy disks are! All of our correspondence from when we are dating are saved on t floppies. I think it may be too late to get the information off (and I'm okay with that.) Who knows what else we're going to find?

Before and after, piece #2

Bobby's parents had the old, plastic, light-up nativity set. I think he bought it for them years ago, and we added a few pieces to it after we got married. Various things happened over the years, causing it to stay in one of the barns. I asked her this year if she wasn't going to put it out anymore could we have it. It's not in the best of shape. I've painted one lamb, and finished Joseph last night. Realistically, I don't think it will go out this year. I expect it to take another week or so to finish painting and repairing (baby Jesus) has 2 holes on his arms. Then I'll need to wait until a warmer day to put the sealer on it. I fear the paint I've used will not allow it to light up properly, so I'm thinking we'll go for a spotlight or two. Before: I had already painted the right side  of his head before I thought to take a picture. After: Not exactly what I had planned, but it works and I'm moving on to the next piece!

last big activity

Since August I've had 3 major things on my calendar that I've kept telling myself  "Get to this point, and you can breathe."  Today is day two of breathing day. :) Sunday morning the kids from our church had their Christmas program. I can honestly say I've never had a class at CBC that I didn't love as my own. Other than dealing with active toddlers during practice (which reminded me of why we've done 2 programs in the past - one play and a verse and song or two for the toddlers), it has been a true joy to work these kids. As with any play practice, there were moments: - the day we introduced the sound system and kids were jockeying for position in front of a microphone - the practice when a sheep pretended to bite the shepherds, resulting in some serious shoving - the practice where a sheep pouted, another flipped off stage, and they crawled into an area they shouldn't be, prompting in several stands being knocked over - onto other sheep - the p
When I come to the river at the ending of day When the last winds of sorrow have blown There'll be somebody waiting to show me the way I won't have to cross Jordan alone I won't have to cross Jordan alone Jesus died all my sins to atone In the darkness I see He'll be waiting for me I won't have to cross Jordan alone Often times I'm weary and troubled and sad When it seems that my friends have all flown There is one thought that cheers me and makes my heart glad I won't have to cross Jordan alone I won't have to cross Jordan alone Jesus died all my sins to atone In the darkness I see He'll be waiting for me I won't have to cross Jordan alone Though the billows of trouble and sorrow may sweep Christ the Savior will care for his own Till the end of my journey my soul he will keep And I won't have to cross Jordan alone I won't have to cross Jordan alone Jesus died all my sins to atone In the darkness I see

Becoming too common

Several weeks ago North Carolina flags went half mast for a state patrolman who was murdered in the line of duty. Flags had not been full staff but a few days when a Ft.Bragg soldier, who was also a small town NC boy, died in Afghanistan. We weren't full staff long when we dropped back to half mast for the victims of the mass shooting in at the Jewish synagogue in Pennsylvania, and now we're at half mast for the same horror in California. Growing up we seldom saw Old Glory in a state of mourning, but for almost a month, that's all we've seen. And it makes me sad. The fact that we now have to ask "What are we at half-staff for now?" shows just how tragic-stricken our nation has become. And sadly, most of it is brought on from within. So today while I'll head to Apex for a group quilt presentation for some veterans, I'm also mourning that our nation has failed to live up to its potential that these men and women have sacrificed so much for. We are an

The last harvest....I think

Since the beginning of October, every time I pick produce from the garden, I think   "This is the last harvest!" in an excited kind of way. Bobby always laughs and tells me how grateful I should be that our garden is still producing. I think I would be a tad bit more grateful if I hadn't left half as many on the vines because they hadn't filled out yet and are still blooming...right before our first week of truly chilly weather.  But I am thankful that the beans we thought were duds finally started producing more than just a serving here and there. And to think I've been pondering why we call November harvest time...for southerners the harvest has normally come and gone by this point!

nearing the finish line

This year is ending as quickly as it began. Elections are over, first of three quilt presentations this month is over, and the kids Christmas play at church is rolling almost faster than I can keep up with. This week has also been a major change in Bobby's friend Hank. Today the hospice nurse told us we were looking at days to a few weeks. He's said all his good-byes, and has been very fearful this week that God has not forgiven him for his sins. This afternoon we chatted, and Bobby read several of his favorite passages of Scripture to him. I asked him to read a passage (Psalm 130) that my sis-in-law had posted on FB this morning and Hank surprised us by asking Bobby to read the last two verses of Jude. We both looked at each other, surprised. But we did, and I couldn't help but think what awesome promises to cling to in times of doubt.   Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy

ripple effects

This year has thankfully been one of relative calm for the two of us, but we have had a multitude of friends and family going through some extremely trying and difficult days. This morning while taking our neighbor to school, I couldn't help but think about two scenarios and the totally different attitudes. One of Bobby's close friends is dying with an inoperable brain tumor. His desire is to die at home. Everyone supports that. Our problem is that as he gets worse, he is becoming increasingly difficult to deal with. Every helper he hires either quits or he fires them (for things like "stealing" a container of cotton balls off the mantle. Yes, the very item that is used every day to administer some of his meds). Last month we heard from him once a week, calling just to chat or vent. Now we hear from him and many of his caregivers twice a week, calling multiple times throughout the day, trying to figure out how to deal with a crisis that he has created. He has the me

sheep

We're doing a Christmas play at church for the kids this year. We've taken a break the last few years, and several parents have been asking that we bring it back. So I found a "simple" musical, ran it by the pastoral staff and music crew, recruited some help, and we started to run with it. Our first practice was yesterday, and I found out before the practice that one of our 3 year olds is attempting to bolt. The 3-5 year old class are the sheep in the musical. She wants to be a fairy. Her parents and grandparents told her all her friends in her class was going to be sheep. Her response? They can be. But I'm going to be an angel if I can't be a fairy. I think I'm going to have my work cut out for me, and then some.

Wrapping up another week

Well, last weekend we were able to spend time with the Stox family. It was so good to actually talk and catch up with them and their lives. My great-niece Lucy is an extremely laid back baby. Ellen says she felt God gave her such a relaxed child because she had such a rough pregnancy. I think she's probably laid back because her Dad is a very laid back person, but she might surprise us all with her own unique personality. She slept through supper Friday night. I had the chance to feed her during supper, and she didn't cry not one bit when I took the bottle from her to burp her or to shift positions. She has a tendency to fill her mouth up before swallowing, which means some of it dribbles out the side of her mouth. Saturday morning she slept the whole time, and only wiggled around in my arms when she needed to pass gas or if I set her on the table without my arm under her. I don't think she liked the hard table (although that kid was so well padded I'm not sure how she

Finally on our way

After 2 months of planning and trying to figure out how and when we could travel to see my first great niece, today is finally the day. And it started out with it's own adventure. After the remnants of Michael blew through our area, we had the normal limbs and sticks on the ground. But pecan season is also nigh, so I thought we might have a few nuts down as well. I thought I could spare 30- 45 minutes and pick them up. I thought wrong. When we hit tree #3 and my bucket was rapidly filling, Bobby went to scout out the rest of the trees to see where we needed to focus. Halfway through the yard his wheelchair got stuck in the mud  I did my best to get him out, and finally went to get a board before realizing there was no way I could tilt his chair and slide the board under him. We wrecked our brains trying to think of someone who didn't have a bad back or would not be at work or school. We came up with Pastor Chad. He gladly came. Before he even got halfway there, Bobby's

Mid month madness

Finally pulled up all but one of the tomato cages, and picked a bucket of butterbeans. With the rain from Storm Michael, we may get another bucket full first of next week, though with the colder temps coming this may have been my last harvest. And I can't say that thought makes me sad. We are also halfway through training pollworkers for the November election. The vending machine (drinks anyway) is empty. That's usually how I mark the training time, but since early voting starts next week we're truly nearing the last few weeks of election day training. And Christmas music is now playing in my car as the kids at church start practicing for their Christmas musical a week from Sunday. Our local quilts of valor group had a presentation scheduled last week. I drove to North Raleigh only for his child to tell me he wouldn't be home from work for another hour. So I've not called to reschedule yet, but need to do that soon. I never know the best way to handle these sc

This week

Received a 6am phone call from a parent wanting to know where their child was. ?!?! Spent 4 hours at the ER with a young lady. It was eye-opening and heart-breaking, while also emotionally exhausting. Received some very constructive criticism after one of my training classes. Had a cultural/racial clash with someone at the gas station. No longer upset, but it still makes me sigh. Mom finally got some test results and an appointment with the next specialist (Her first dr visit about this issue was around the first of July!) Drove to North Raleigh for a Quilts of Valor presentation, only for the recipient to not be there. On-going semi-crisis situations with a close friend of Bobby's. Have struggled with swelling feet and hands. Got behind on things that needed to be done this week. Yikes! Got stuck in traffic Thurs night so missed the first of two meetings. (440 W was almost a parking lot. It took 25 minutes to get from one exit to the next!!) And everyone keeps asking

Sanctification

The process of becoming a better person, or becoming more Christ-like, does not come easy to me. Due to circumstances beyond my control, I was receiving phone calls this morning about a semi-crisis that was not officially my problem. And it didn't thrill me. At all. So while reflecting on the moon, how it reflects the sun, and yet, it's just a bunch of dirt, I realized how much that is me. Up close, there's nothing glowing or nice or pleasant about me. From a distance, things are majestic and glowing. But I feel like the dusty dirt that I am. And I'm praying for a Garner cop who has had a crazy morning, and I'm thankful for him and people who deal with the crazies in our world. That's all I can type at the moment.

Quick trip

Trips home to AL are never really quick (1× hrs one way), but the time spent with family always seems to fly by. This trip was actually planned for the weekend that Hurricane Florence came. So coming during the week meant more time with my parents and an opportunity to help them with a few things, but it meant very little time with siblings and their spouses and children. We did fit in a ballgame tonight. While my sole purpose was to see my niece perform with the band, it was good to be in the stadiums and cheer for my alma mater. A few things had changed. The band has a dance team but no rifle line. They also had an electric guitar on the sidelines which totally shocked me. My sister in law was telling me that a nearby school had a small ensemble of them. I guess things change over time. I took a lot of pics, but won't be able to post them until we get home as phone and internet service is spotty here. It will be good to be home, but my heart will still be here, longing to fin

double the grandma's

 The kitchen table we currently have came from Bobby's Grandma's/Aunts' house. And as of a few weeks ago, the table runner in the middle is one my Granny Read made. I don't know why this picture loaded sideways, as it's not that way in my computer. But I'm always amazed at all the handwork ReaRea did. If I tried to embroider this, it would not look anything like this!

Pond maintenance...or the failure thereof

Sunday morning the pond levels were up and we discussed checking the drain for debris but decided it was a combination of rain and road run-off. This is what we woke up to Monday morning...the pond level with the bottom of the pier and accumulating in the side yard. So my job Monday afternoon was attempting to find the drain.  Thankfully it worked enough that today I was able to retrieve the hoe and finish cleaning off the halfway exposed drain. So now most of the leaves and pine straw are off the drain. By tomorrow our pond should be back at normal level!

the week of Florence

At the beginning of last week, I had my list, both mental and 2 physical, of what I needed to do be ready for Hurricane Florence. But life has a way of throwing curveballs, and I have a horrible fault of not being able to determine how long it takes to do something, and those two things in combination meant I was nowhere near ready as I wanted to be. Our week went something like this: Monday - laundry, funeral for Mike King, monthly meeting Tuesday - Wake Tech testing for Kristi (a young neighbor we're helping), teaching 3 hr class at Board of Elections, Bobby's dealing with a mental/physical health crisis situation for an old friend, and I decide to pick the last of the "few" butterbeans because the only tropical storm that has hit Raleigh in the 20 years I've been here destroyed what was left of my garden. Those "few" turned into two bucket fulls (a half-bushel). So guess what I did Tuesday night instead of cleaning house? Wednesday - taught ano

Labors, part2

This was not on my list of things to do today!!! But I am thankful for the bounty, even if it finally came 2 months AFTER I was expecting it. The butterbeans are still producing so I can't let the chickens in to scratch everything up....yet. Maybe in another week or two!!!

Labors

What better thing is there to talk about on Labor Day than labor? Training for the November elections has begun. I teach my first class this weekend, so I need to make sure I fit in at least 2 dry runs this week. Wednesday I'm taking a neighbor to an orientation at Wake Tech to see about enrolling her in a GED or high school equivalency program. I'm hoping this will work for her and that we can not only help her get settled school and trade wise but eventually help her obtain a license and car. Getting involved with people's lives can be messy and frustrating and time consuming, but I feel at peace with this. Working on a project for Bobby's family for Christmas that has turned out to be more time consuming than I dreamednpissible, but I've been loving every minute of it. We need to have it finished by the end of October so we can place the orders and get them back in time. Hoping to finish 2-3 quilts this month (one I just started a few weeks ago!). Hope

the newest family member

After Christmas, we found out my niece was unexpectedly (to her anyway!) expecting. And for her, things have been rough. Very rough. So as the time approached, it's safe to say she has been more than ready for Lucy to come on out and join the family. Two weeks ago, on a Sunday morning, as they were driving to church, she got sick. That is the normal part of this story. Her husband, who is a youth pastor, pulled over to the side of the road. Two of their teens came up on their pulled off car, and pulled over to see if they could be of assistance. Except, they thought Ellen was actually having the baby, so wouldn't look in that direction - at all. It was sweet, but also a little funny. So this past Sunday night, I thought about texting her and asking what crazy thing happened that day. But I didn't. And then Monday morning I got the text from Mom saying that Ellen was having some semi-normal complications Sunday night and they had admitted her to the hospital. So by Tuesday,

the war outside our window

It does not matter that our hummingbird feeder has at least 6 slots so multiple birds can feed at one time. If more than one bird arrives, it will be chased away. We've seen as many as three at one time (one darting in to sip while the other two go in circles) but they move so fast I've yet to capture it. But we love the feeder, and love observing these tiny creatures and their differences. They usually stay on the opposite side of the feeder so we only get glimpses of them during a chase, but today this one actually spent some time in our direct line of sight. They are such amazing creatures!

perspectives

A friend posted this on FB the other day, and I couldn't help but think of it yesterday. At church I was speaking with a young girl who had just returned home from working at camp all summer, and she asked what I did with my summer. I paused. Answering questions about how I spend my time has never been easy. I'm a caregiver, and most people have no clue as to what that entails. For various reasons, I've never felt the need to enlighten people on that. But the rest of my day, I'll share that. So I told her I've been doing a lot of yardwork and gardening. She responded, "Oh! So you've had a relaxing summer." I honestly couldn't think of a way to respond. I have a love/hate relationship with gardening and yardwork. Since I don't work, I see no reason why I can't do as much of the yardwork as I can, and I do enjoy seeing the tangible results of what I've done. But it is buggy, and hot, and sweatty, and buggy, and sometimes downright frus

the onset of fall

My garden, while beautiful foliage, has suddenly decided to start producing. That is both very exciting and very irritating at the same time. I'm thankful to finally have something to put up, but also a little aggravated that it chose an off-season time to do it when other things are starting to begin. On the flip side, as Canadian geese have begun their migration and landing in our yard/pond almost daily on their winter trip south, I also know it won't be long until the garden stops completely. At least, that's what I'm counting on. We're also seeing an increase in spiders and spider webs, which is another crazy reminder that even though the temps are still hot (though lower than normal), they won't be for long. Pecans and grapes are still filling out, on schedule, and the nights are coming faster. When last night's quilt group left the store everyone commented on the fact that it was dark, whereas last month the dusk was just beginning as we left. 2018 is

monster goof

I'm attempting to design a quilt top around a panel (fabric that has a printed picture on it). I have a block pattern I wanted to use around the top and bottom of the panel, but it is 3" square. I need 12" block. So it stands to reason that you simply multiply all your measurements by 4, right?  I thought that made perfect sense - until it didn't. I'm not sure how, but my blocks are NOT coming out right. I wasted a lot of material cutting them down to size so I could make an enlarged 16.5" block. On the plus side, I won't have to make as many blocks. So one block is made, and we'll see what will become of the others. I would see live and learn, except I've not figured out where I went wrong yet so I'm not sure I've learned anything.

hurry,hurry, wait

Because we were gone for a few days, then came home to several days of rain, our yard was in desperate need of attention. In the past when our grass has gotten that high, we've found we have three options: cut it high and then cut it lower a 2nd time, cut it at the normal height and have glass clumps all over the yard which ultimately kill the grass (and get tracked in the house), or cut it at normal height and either go over all the clumps with the pusher mower  to bag it or rake it all up. None are thrilling options. We were leaning for the first choice - cutting it 2x. While it seems like a waste of time and money, it actually is fast to do that than options 2 or 3. So some teen boys were coming over to help, and I was going to start earlier and get as much of the first cut done as I could before they came...and the riding mower would not start. We replaced the battery and a few other parts last month, so I was more than a bit exasperated. I went to the nearby mini mart to get

our fun tourist trap

Luray Caverns in Luray, Virginia, while not accessible, does have a lot of museums AND a garden maze. We went through the maze (that is wheelchair accessible), got lost more than we found our way, but mostly enjoyed it. I was fascinated by the layout, disappointed by the "hidden" things (places to stamp a message on a sheet of paper so you could get a $1 off a tshirt in the gift shop where the maze ended...no thanks), and flabbergasted by the "clues" that basically said "go 15 steps and turn right, then..." Yep. Seriously. The clue is - exactly where you need to go. That's not quite my idea of a clue. Bobby was amazed at the number of families doing it with small children; I was amazed at the number of small kids running into you and screaming "IT's a DEAD END!!! It's not the way!!! Go BACK!" as if the world was coming to an end. By the halfway point it was almost comical. They did have a lot of neat statuary and metal art with flowe

museums

We were able to visit quite a few museums on our trip. The Virginia Quilt museum was nice, though it didn't quite live up to its billing of having exhibits covering the history of quilting. It did have two very nice and interesting exhibits, though. I did take some pictures of the upper floor exhibit so Bobby could see a few pieces (old houses don't have elevators), but nothing can be photographed and posted electronically due to copyright restrictions. We visited two different civil war museums (both within a few miles of each other but on the same battleground area). One was a private collection from a man and covered a very wide time period (Indian artifacts, Civil War, WWI and WWII). The timeline was jumbled (you'd be reading a row of civil war info and suddenly be at a case of WWI), but the amount of items and the detailed information was overwhelming, incredible, and a historian's delight. Almost all of their information came from home firsthand sources. While i

Shenandoah Valley Caverns

While in Virginia last week, we visited the Shenandoah Caverns . It's one of three caverns in the area, but this one clearly specifies on the website that it has an elevator and people with disabilities can see 95% of the tour. And it was impressive. Leah, our amazing tour guide, pointing out the natural bridge (above her head) and the "levels" of the cave. a close up of the "2nd floor"...and this pic doesn't do it justice! I had a hard time getting the display behind us with both of us in the shot. This was an area that had all the kids in our group amazed. They really liked the colored lights. One of the many areas with water. Some were clear;some reflected. the 'bacon" strips...some of them really do have the color of bacon strips! A bolder that had fallen from above (years ago). I think this sight made some in our group a little uneasy. I heard Thailand mentioned more than once. This was one of the few places

pear salsa

We've had the best crop of pears that we've ever had this year. The storm we had last week blew quite a few down, and we went ahead and picked almost a bushel so we could have some before the squirrels got them. I was afraid they'd go bad while we were gone, but they didn't. So at least 3 days this week have been spent making pear salsa. I have used up all my small jars so I am officially DONE. We'll just have to eat a lot of pear salad and give pears away with the remainder.  Bobby bought me an electric canner for Christmas and I LOVE it. Since our stove stop is one of those ceramic flat pieces, you're not supposed to put heavy canning pots on it. I've done it anyway, but I've talked to too many people who've had them crack. Because the pot is so big, it takes forever for the water to heat, much less process, and it heats the whole house up. While storing the electric canner can be a challenge, it heats up fairly fast, is easy to clean, doesn

movies that I'd like to see

Goodbye Christopher Robin - this one actually came out last year, but it deals with how the 100 Acre Woods came to be, and I've been intrigued by that ever since taking a children's lit class in college and learning that Christoper Robin wanted nothing to do with his toys or stories after his father made them famous. Little Women - coming Sept 28th!!! In celebration of Alcott's novel being published 150 years ago, we have a modernized telling of the movie, and I can't wait to see it! Christopher Robin - coming this fall, it's Christopher Robin grown up, and his old animated buddies come to visit. Wings of Eagles - a remake of Eric Lidell's story. I Can Only Imagine - I both love/hate the song, but I'm intrigued by a film about how the song came to be. I've still not seen the latest Wonder Woman or Beauty and the Beast and would like to see those as well at some point, but they don't rate as high on my desire list! Wouldn't it be awesom

crazy days

Over a year ago Mom told me she had a knot on her side. I asked her if she had told the dr, and she said no, she was just watching it. It never went away, but it never grew any, either. Until 2 weeks ago, when in the span of 3 days it grew from a small knot on the side to a small bulge on her stomach, and then grew again the next day. Her general dr saw her immediately, said he did not think it was a hernia and scheduled an appt with a general surgeon the next week. I was not overly thrilled that he did not order any other tests (and I don't think the surgeon was either) but we were all impressed that the surgeon had actually skimmed some of her charts, asked quite a few questions about her previous bouts with melanoma and had her set up for tests at the local (Mom's local...not the the dr's local!) hospital the next morning. We were all pondering the different possibilities (and there were many) and at the same time, trying not to think about it. Meanwhile we (more like