Just a few moments

I'm at school today subbing for the high school English teacher. The morning was chock-a-block with one group after another filing in, but the afternoon has a study hall, a planning period and one class with five students. So here I am...and this study hall is empty because the three students in it went to work in other rooms.

So now for the rest of the "holiday". Pictures will get posted after I get home again.

I went to Mom's on Monday afternoon. We ran around the Quad Cities-out for big burgers where she treated me and for a quick visit to my sister Jenny. It was child #5's 4th birthday! Then we went to the chiropractor. Mom has a fantastic woman that she's been going to for years. I've been there when I go over, too. She's helping me figure out what to do for this thyroid nodule and also getting the kinks out of my back and neck. After I was there last time, I didn't get a headache for four months---and I usually have several a month. She also gave us some suggestions for vitamin supplements that are inexpensive and totally assimilated into the body. I need to find a chiro around here.

Tuesday was Mom's day to get everything taken care of before she left town for a few weeks. But first, we had to get up at 4:30 and watch the lunar eclipse. It was fantastic! We stayed up until the moon was so dark we could barely make it out in the sky. Later that morning we had breakfast with Jenny and all six of her children. (They don't start school until after Labor Day.) That was fun. We got to play "Memory" with Seth which ended up being with all the big kids. Lots of fun there....!!! Darling baby Caleb gets hugs and tickles all the while. Ran into town for some business and then fed Dad. He seemed to hear me and understand what I was telling him about our children. His reaction is to cry. So when I say something and he cries, I know he understood. Lunch and a tour of her garden at Mom's friend's house. Tuesday evening Jenny got the night out, so we took Mom to the Machine Shed for dinner. It's like Cracker Barrel. They came and sang some silly birthday song for her. On the way home we stopped at the Iowa welcome center for a view of the Mississippi River at dusk. The welcome center is really not high enough to get a good view of the river, but there is a nice panoramic view. Mom went to bed early after that, so Jenny and I had a good long visit--with NO INTERRUPTIONS. Thanks, Jen!

Wednesday was Mom's birthday. We left early for Ron's and had birthday brunch and lunch there. Nice to have that stopping place half way across. He called his place "Mutual of Omaha's Wild Kingdom"! We saw a doe with two fawns and a gaggle (?) of turkeys! Five of them, very big, too! They were right up in the yard. I got home in time to pick up Andrew at the car mechanic where he was leaving his car and run to church to teach my class. I was in bed by 8:30! And slept until morning! Whew! Nice to see the lovely state of Iowa from shore to shore.

As Time Goes By

Impulsively on Sunday I got in the car and drove to Cono. (See August 21st blog). I have been home all summer, and I just needed to get away. I've wanted to go over there all summer. So into the car I jumped and sped away to the music of U2 Joshua Tree turned up so loud I couldn't hear the noise of the Scion roaring down the highway. I was pumped! I had hoped to arrive early enough for evening service and their good musical harmony, but the service started at 6, and I didn't arrive until 7. However, Hans Deutschmann was preaching! (They are missionary friends who taught at Cono for 20 years and are now in the Czech Republic. They will be in Omaha the end of September.) So I got to visit with Hans and Gretchen a little. I stayed with Andrew and MaryAnna and caught up a bit on their lives. Cono is absolutely beautiful! I didn't want to leave. More pictures forthcoming on Flickr.
I left Monday after noon and thought I'd go by our old house. We always drive by, but we never stop. So I thought I'd see if anyone was home and take pictures. No one was, but I took pictures outside anyway. This is our old farmhouse. My dad bought it in 1971, we moved into it 1972; they sold it to some friends of ours in 1978. So we really didn't live there for very long, and most of that time I was in college. But it was a great place to come home to.
A funny thing happened on the way out to the farm. I stopped at the four-way stop in Walker (population about 600) and there in a truck at the other stop sign was our old friend Dave! He was in my brother's wedding and a friend of all of us. We met up at the local convenient store for a quick catch up and a look at his new granddaughter's picture. Are we that old already?
More in the next blog about the rest of the trip.

Moonstruck

I've been an avid skywatcher ever since I was little. I think I've posted about sky events already this year. Here is another! If you click on "here", it will take you to earthsky.org and tell you about the lunar eclipse early morning on August 28. Since I've linked the site, I won't go into all the details. Hope you get up early enough to see it! Looks like we'll finally have clear weather.
The moon was gorgeous last night shining on our pool and the fields beyond. Great to have some fall weather, cool and dry. Does energize one, doesn't it?

Life's Simple Pleasures

I love clean. I feel so satisfied when something is clean and organized. Just ask mdiber! Growing up I was thrilled on the nights when we had clean sheets, clean nightie and taken a bath. Ah, what pleasure. I washed windows yesterday. I just had to take a picture through the front just to remember how clean they were! Of course it rained all over them again last night. But this morning they don't look any dirtier. Yeah! I'm amazed how such a clear view of the neighborhood makes my whole house seem cleaner. It was so much cooler yesterday that I could open all the windows and clean the floors and windows. Today is supposed to be even cooler. Maybe that means baking....

Last of the Summer Wine?

(Did any one else notice that my picture was deleted? Reasons?)
Will left this morning, so last night his group of friends got together one last time. Will is making PinaColadas, the Bacardi is for looks, but the Kitchen Aid mixer does a super job of crushing the ice! Thought it would be a funny pose. Good times. Will turns 21 a week from today. Back at school, though, darn.

I think he had a good summer. He is a thinker more than a talker, so when we did talk, it always gave us something to think about. He's a Barak Obama fan, and is working on starting a college democrats group. We'll see how his school year goes.

I'm doing OK having put two of my children on planes in the past week. I suppose one gets used to it. Now I guess I start my real life. Andrew is grown up with an adult job. The other two will get there eventually. Just as Will is a little panicked about this being his senior year and Linnea is panicked about writing a thesis and applying for PhD programs, I'm trying to find my niche. One grows up and has kids, but one doesn't think about what happens after that! So I suppose I'm in a transition phase trying to find my new self.

For now, though, it's get the wash finished and set up some kind of plan for teaching the children at our church on Wednesday evenings. So far no one has a plan, so I'm going to spend the rest of my day working on SOMETHING. It will be fun. At least maybe I'll get tonight planned.

Cheers!

Here I raise my Ebenezer

Every year on this day, August 21st, our family remembers our move from Michigan to Iowa. In a way, it was a move much like Father Abraham going to the promised land. It was 1965 and our parents were concerned about education in the public school and were looking for an alternative. In April of that year, we were visiting an aunt and uncle in Huntsville, Alabama. While we were there a touring choir from Cono Christian School sang in their church. Our parents were impressed. A few weeks later, they went to Iowa to scout things out. I guess they loved it. So we moved in August. My dad left his family and friends for the first time, found a new job in Iowa where we didn't know anyone and began a totally new life. That decision changed our family. The school was a boarding school; we were day students. We had friends that were from all over the United States and the world, missionary kids. Cono later enrolled/enrolls international students. So we did not live the typical isolated Iowa country life. We all sang in that touring choir and went all over the United States. We still run into people who know Cono or Cono people or went to Cono in all parts of the US. We have been blessed immeasureably through our parents' decision not only in the lifelong friendships that we made but also in what we learned through the quality Christian education that we received. Another one of those covenant blessings. "All your children will be taught by the Lord, and great will be your children's peace."

Our dad is in a nursing home now. He doesn't talk much and can't see us. We miss the old dad, (well, sometimes!) but we are so thankful for his obedience to God in leaving his father and mother and going to a "new land". Mom keeps him and us cheered up. And keeps reminding us of who God is and what He has done and is doing for us. Today we "raise our Ebenezer" to remember and commit ourselves to remaining obedient to his God and our God.
[The photos were taken three years ago when we were last all together. It was our parents' 50th wedding celebration. (Yeah, my brother has six sisters!)]

Sunday evening musings

It's pretty quiet around here this evening, so I thought I'd sit down and write. I got up this morning and the field and sunlight were so beautiful, I had to take a picture. The air was so clear, and the cornfield so smooth. I found out today how to estimate the bushels of corn per acre. Pretty interesting. Did you know that it takes 80,000 kernels to make a bushel? That's an awful lot of kernels to count--"Hey, Will, hand me another ear!" Really you don't have to do it that way. Write me later, and I'll tell you. One can learn lots of things in dinner conversations over Sunday lunch.

It's been a busy weekend. Friday evening we went up to the home of some old friends who had an open house for their son and his new wife. We saw lots of friends from other churches we've been to. That's always a good time to catch up. These little church functions. Many of us have children the same age, so we're getting into the wedding stage in our lives! This was the second one in their family. Now I have new readers of this blog. And we can hopefully stay caught up. Whenever we see these people, we always say we MUST stay in touch. After all, we live in the same area, generally. But our lives get busy, and we procrastinate. Den had such a blast, gets a little crazy. It was fun to see him with his guy friends again.

Saturday I went to a wedding and Den ran 15 miles!! He's hoping to run in the Omaha marathon on his 55th birthday, September 23rd. He is REALLY PUMPED about it. Just ask him about it. He bought a little GPS thingy that tells him all kinds of things besides where he's running. Like what his pace is, how many calories he's burned.. um, like I said, ask him.

This afternoon I reread, Death in the City by Francis Schaeffer. I read it 30 years ago for a class in college. He compares our culture and situation to that of the period of Jeremiah where God's people knew the truth, but didn't want to believe it or act on what they knew. Because the "church" didn't continue in truth, the whole culture did not know truth. Sounds like our era. And he wrote it 40 years ago. We've changed somewhat, and are farther down the post-Christian road. He emphasized truth, as he always did, and how having absolutes really does give man significance. In conversations this summer, I found that some have difficulty communicating God's absolutes to, as Schaeffer puts it, "the man without the Bible". This is the way I think we've changed since Schaeffer's time. Now not only will people say, "I don't believe in an absolute or absolutes." but rather, "It's OK for you to have absolutes, but they're not for me." or "That's the way you believe, but my truth is just as valid as your truth." Schaeffer puts it, "If you want a significant man, with absolutes, morality, and meaning, then you must have what the Bible insists upon--that God will judge men justly." We don't like to talk about God judging much. So in talking about the gay lifestyle, even children raised in Christian homes have difficulty saying that it is morally wrong. In their minds some have a relativistic thinking that says, "It's morally wrong for me, but it's OK for them because they love each other. " But because God is holy, has absolutes, and will judge justly, the person has significance. It raises the importance of the individual, restores him/her to wholeness. Of course, Schaeffer also emphasizes speaking this truth with love and compassion, just as Jeremiah preached with tears. The other part of the book, besides the Jeremiah part, was from Romans 1:16-2:1. That's the "man without the Bible" section. And that's our culture, basically. He closes the book with a chapter on living like we really believe that he is a God who is there. Christians MUST pray, or they are sitting in the materialist's chair and are living in what he terms "unfaith". Reminded me that I need to always be praying and believing that God does reach into time and space and make a difference. I need to live like I believe it. Not very good at summarizing what I read, but this gives some thoughts.

My new flower love

We grew up with a mom who loved plants, who had green fingers as well as thumbs, who made us weed and water and who could landscape her yard beautifully. To this day, and she's in her 70's, she still has fantastic flowers. Having said all that, I thought I knew pretty much about flowers...it's hereditary, isn't it?? But I started working in Lowe's garden center and, much to my delight, I made lots of new flower friends. Among them is this Mexican heather. Oh my, I love it! It even resembles Scottish heather. I first noticed it in the hanging baskets outside the store. By the first of July the rest of the hanging baskets looked pathetic. They were over-exposed, over-watered and root bound. I wanted to throw them all away. One benefit for me, however, was that they discounted all the hanging baskets. Like down to 2.50! So I bought two of them. When I got home, I found out that there were FIVE plants in that one little basket. I transplanted them into these pots on the pool deck. They love lots of sun and to be semi-moist. Not too hard. They are THRIVING on the pool deck. Too bad they are annuals. I may be tempted to try to bring the pots in and see if I can keep them alive all winter. But my living room is getting rather full of over-wintering plants!!

Dog days of summer

I have to write something on here to get that personality thing to go away. Why did I leave that up there for a week??? Anyway, Linnea is way prettier! Finally got her out there yesterday. It's hot, hot, hot. But when one is floating around out there, it's lovely! Clear skies, gold finches chirping and flitting from tree to tree, and peace and quiet. Why do I complain??? She's leaving today to get back to her real life. Sad for us. Happy for her. It would be nice to have her closer, like an hour away or something instead of halfway across the country!!! That's what I did when I grew up, I guess.
Will and I also got in the pool. Looks like I have no hair. Ah, but I felt nice and cool!

This may explain things.....

Word Usage

Linnea and I have a good time with words. I guess we have ever since she learned to talk. She was and early talker, I think. And since for eighteen months of her first three years, Den was out to sea (except for 11 weeks) Linnea and I spent a lot of time talking.

Today I was interested in the usage of the prepositions "by" and "from" when used with the word "given". In my first post today (it's a rainy, good computer day), I used both of those prepositions with the word "given". Afterwards, I wondered which was the best usage. Blogging makes one think about WORDS more specifically. Anyway, we went online and they are used pretty much equally. I used both without even thinking until I went back to reread what I wrote. Dinner conversations can be interesting....

Help on posting profile pictures

Anyone know how to upload a picture to the profile or to the title bar? I followed all the directions in the Help section but the program insists that I haven't designated a photo. I've uploaded a picture to the blog, copied the HTML and pasted it. That didn't work. Then I went to Flickr, copied that http. and pasted that in the URL and that didn't work. Same message.I've been working on this for over an hour. Guess I have time on my hands....I just want to learn how to do it. Of course I can upload pictures to this. You've seen plenty, but I can't get them to go anywhere else!! EXCEPT I can just click from my computer, but they are way to big and take up the whole screen. AND THAT WON'T WORK EITHER!

Thoughts on a Tuesday morning

I was on my blog this morning trying to upload a photo, obviously without luck, and editing my profile. I figured I might (or is it may?) as well write something. As far as the profile goes, I cannot think how to describe myself. Do I see myself in light of what I DO? or to whom I'm related? or by past experience? or by my convictions? So I just deleted most of it. While I think... Maybe I do a little too much introspecting?

My aunt gave me a few little trinkets of my grandmother's after she died (gramma, not the aunt!). Linnea had never seen them, so I got them out the other night. My grandmother had written notes with each item describing them and who had them. One is a teeny pair of scissors from 1887. They were given to the woman who raised her from the English ship captain on the boat from Sweden. Another is a very unusual watch fob. It was given to my grandmother's dad from his sister (I'm assuming it's his sister.) It's made from her hair and looks like macrame. The hair is auburn and the fob is about a quarter of an inch in diameter and about six inches long. On the fob is a gold locket with the initials PAL engraved on the back. However, the locket is empty. Too bad. I'm glad she saved these little things AND wrote these notes for us!

We have been getting marvelous rain! During June and July we had less than an inch total. So we were praying for rain. Yesterday was the first big daytime thunderstorm all summer, and that's amazing here in eastern NE! Everything is so green! And I'm sure the farmers are all happy. I am awed by the goodness of God in sending rain when we need it. I remember the place of prayer as a child growing up in an agricultural community. One of the church elders once said, "God sends drought, so we pray for rain. God sends rain, so we pray for it to stop." Meaning that God always draws us to be dependent on him. God is good, all the time. John Piper's blog today (or from yesterday) is very good along those lines. For those of you who don't know, his church is within sight of the 35W bridge. His comments are wise.

Be blessed and be a blessing!

A Hymn of Horatius Bonar

Inspired by "Prone to Wander", I thought I'd share a hymn from my morning devotions. My mom regularly writes us inspirational bits from her reading also. Our hymnbook, The Trinity, has several hymns by Horatius Bonar. All of them make for good devotional reading. This one is from the section of the hymnbook on the opening of worship.

Here O my Lord I see thee face to face;
Here would I touch and handle things unseen,
Here grasp with firmer hand th'eternal grace,
And all my weariness upon thee lean.

Here would I feed upon the bread of God,
Here drink with thee the royal wine of heaven;
Here would I lay aside each earthly load,
Here taste afresh the calm of sin forgiven.

This is the hour of banquet and of song;
This is the heav'nly table spread for me;
Here let me feast, and feasting, still prolong
The brief, bright hour of fellowship with thee.

I have no help but thine, nor do I need
Another arm save thine to lean upon;
It is enough, my Lord, enough indeed;
My strength is in thy might, thy might alone.

Mine is the sin, but thine the righteousness;
Mine is the guilt, but thine the cleansing blood;
Here is my robe, my refuge and my peace,
Thy blood, thy righteousness, O Lord my God.

Some new links and their memories

Another of the lovely benefits of the Internet and computers, besides our ability to communicate so easily with so many, is the ability to take virtual visits back to places in one's past. Rocking chair--computer chair--travel. Without jet lag. So I have included some new links from our travels over the Ord and back. A couple are over the Ord and others are much farther south! Those of you who read this that have traveled parts of the road with us will enjoy seeing the sites. Ah, Sperlonga in August what memories we have of that place in this month. The first year we lived there, we parked at the top of the hill and walked FOREVER through the town and down the steps to the beach. Oh, the view through the town is fantastic, white-washed walls, cascading bougainvilla, fountains, the basket weaving stand, fruit stands, gelato.... We were ready for the water by the time we got down there. As the years passed, we found better and better ways to get down there, and we became friends with the people of Lido Grotta Dei Delfini. Koberniks, Arnolds, friends from Scotland and America all spent happy hours with us on this beach. So enjoy it, people!

I tried to find our happy place in Kinlochbervie from 1994. One can find similar places and scenes. We spent a marvelous week in a cottage on the west coast of Scotland with our friend Elizabeth that summer. We are SO in her debt for that week! It had no TV, no computer, only books, games, a fireplace and acres of hillside near the sea. What more could one ask? And we even had great weather. So visit one of the sites and go to the west coast for wonderful views. If you'd like to stay in a lovely spot in Orkney, I've linked a friend's self-catering cottage. I would love to stay in that cozy spot!

So, when it's 90+ degrees here in Nebraska, I can just sit back and take a virtual holiday to all my former homes...over the Ord and back.

I found that tea site on Moot Thoughts and Musings. Really looks like a fun site!

And I found that Quill and Nail while googling our name, maybe I said that already. But it looks good. Today he has something about John Piper. I've only seen the page, not read the article yet.

Comments welcome! Enjoy your tour!

Linnea's HOME!

I know this is dark, but it just shows the duo in action....or not. I'll take a nice one, too, with them ready for the day. It's just so relaxing to get up, eat together, and just hang out on the computer. Linnea had to finish Harry Potter when she got home on Wednesday afternoon. She finished about 8:30, so we can all discuss it now. This book hasn't seem to generate the discussion the last one did. I guess we were guessing what would happen next. This time we have a sense of resolution. So we talk about what we liked and what we think about different parts. We all loved the way JKR pulled all the loose threads together. What a lovely pattern she created!

I've been fairly busy since our princess got home. Yesterday I had tea with my friend Stella, then in the afternoon I had a visit with another friend who came to pick up a book I had borrowed. I ran up to school to take some of our used books to sell, then came home and made yummy pasta with marinated chicken breast for dinner. Sometimes my Italian cooking amazes me.....! *smile* (The boys hate it when I talk that way, even if they know I'm just kidding around.) Then in the evening we watched The Queen. Today I had to go to a Dr. appt. for my nodule on my thyroid. It is just something that hangs around and doesn't do anything. Every Dr. says the same thing, and I just don't do anything about it. This Dr. was no different even if he was off base, meaning in the private sector. Doctors. Yuck.

I'm trying to get dinner done so I can go read out by the swimming pool. I've put a couple of pictures on Flickr. Denny should be home from Colorado any minute now! Then our WHOLE FAMILY will be together! Yeah!