Caught up with the day

Finally, I got my whole job list done, and I can relax for awhile. Al, my friend from high school, is coming tonight with his daughter and her volleyball team to play in the national homeschool volleyball tournament held here in Omaha. Looking forward to having them here! Well, only part of them actually HERE.

It's Halloween. I've never been a fan of Halloween. It's usually Denny who passes out the treats. And he isn't here this year! Andrew had some of his friends over, so we had a bonfire and cooked out hamburgers and hotdogs. The weather is PERFECT for that. This was Andrew's perfect fire, started from scratch with no artificial help! I'm sure it made a difference this time that it hasn't rained in nearly two weeks! He looked like a young Abe Lincoln swinging that hammer wedging the log apart. And what a satisfying crunch as it pulled apart. I can't figure out how he manages to hit that wedge square on! Guess he could go live in the woods now. There is something about a fire that nudges quiet conversation on into the night. One of these days, I'LL get to sit by the fire with my friends. For now, I don't want to crash the party...

A Quickie from NPR

I was listening to NPR as I drove home from the commissary this morning. It was the very end of the Halloween program of Capitol Steps. I don't know what the whole program was, but the part I heard was a song to the tune of "American Pie" all about the scary imports from China. It was sooo funny! Here's the link for the website. The program is listed in the left column. You can hear some of the song if you listen to the promo. For those of you who have time....it's worth it! I may blog more later. I just went to the link, you may have to listen to the program. You get the idea at the promo, though. oh well.

World Series Final Game..Times Two

Uncle Lester time again, and that's just about the same time as the World Series. He loves baseball and Denny enjoys watching, though I'm not sure who he was rooting for in this series. The two of them enjoyed Saturday and Sunday evening at the "ballpark". Last year the St. Louis Cardinals were playing, and we were all very much into THAT series!! It was a sweep last year, and the series was a sweep this year, too. And Uncle Lester happened to be here both times! We always have such a good time when he comes to visit. Lots of interesting stories! He's an easy guest. We look forward every year now to our end-of-October visit with Uncle Lester! Don't they look relaxed?

My official season change

I have two, the first is when I pull all my plants out of the house in the spring and the second is when I drag them all in again. Well, I don't drag them, the two strong men that live in my house do! Man, am I thankful for them! This is the first arrangement. I've since rearranged. That rosemary is only one. The other is on the other side of the room. I really have to do SOMETHING about her this year.... She's been living in a pot for 7 years now. I may cut all the branches around Christmastime and make garlands for Christmas. Then it can start all new branches. The room is lovely with all this green in here!

Villa Accetta

I just want to call attention to a new link that I've added to my blog. Our friend Kiki has a marvelous villa on the coast of Italy. She just sent me the link to her website. All you friends of Italy, check it out. It will make you want to take off tomorrow!!! Ah, remember New Year's Day there? And Avery slipped on slimy rocks, fell and got all wet? I remember floating out in that bay and going around the point to the Formia side. And the sunshine and the view. And also feeling the icy water coming from the spring underneath the house. Oh, what a super place! I think we should all plan a trip back...at the same time!

Marathon man repeat performance

The blog site isn't letting me upload photos, but I'll just say that Denny finished his SECOND marathon! A brilliant October day dawned with NO RAIN. It was still dark when they left, but in 20 minutes it was light. Ron went out with him to the starting line; too cold and dark for me. The starting line was right in front of the hotel, and they circled back by the hotel at 5 1/2 miles, for Den about an hour later. So Ron and I went out again and cheered him on from there. We went and ate breakfast, then drove out to Stone State Park where he should have been coming out. He ran by JUST AS WE DROVE UP! Awesome timing! That was about mile 17. Ron had to harass him for a few feet, we jumped out and took a photo then drove on to mile 20. We parked and waited. This is where Ron went up the road a few hundred yards and ran down with Denny. (Photos are on Flickr) Then we went downtown and joined the festive throng cheering each runner as they rounded the final block and headed up the last three blocks into downtown Sioux City. The announcer called everyone's name, number and hometown as they came down the final stretch. Ron went and told the guy that #144 turned 55 TODAY!, so when he rounded the corner the guy called him "Marathon Man, The Flash, turned 55 today." Then his name ..... Of course Den knew who was behind THAT!! He seemed pretty cheery as he came down the homestretch. After walking around, eating oranges and bananas and drinking, we went in for free pizza and coke where they were giving out awards. (More pictures on Flickr.)

Absolutely perfect weather. Probably in the upper 60's by the end. No clouds. Clear sky.
A fantastic drive home in golden sunshine with brilliant scarlet trees along the freeway. (What ARE those trees?) Combines were back in the field today, but lots of fields have standing water in them.

Hey, Forrest Gump ran with him, too!

One could understand Sun worship!

After nearly a week of constant dark clouds and pouring rain, THE SUN IS SHINING!!! What a feeling of exhilaration to see the sunshine dancing through the shadow of leaves on my living room wall. In prayer meeting on Wednesday we prayed for wind and sun. Today the winds may gust to 40 mph!! The sunshine inspired my Bible reading. "...in the heavens you established your faithfulness." (Ps. 89:2) "The heavens are yours; the earth also is yours; the world and all that is in it, you have founded them." (v. 11) Global warming won't be destroying God's faithful guardianship of the earth! And then in Jeremiah when God promises that He will be faithful to Israel and particularly the line of David, He says that faithfulness is based on his covenant with the day and the night and the fixed order of the heaven and the earth.

The theory of evolution is so heinous because it is a slap in the face of the Creator. In reading through the Bible year after year I've seen this fact of God as Creator is of supreme importance. God calls himself and is called the Creator/Maker over and over. In nearly every single day of my Bible reading, I find verses referring to God's making the heaven and the earth. Praise God for making the Sun!!! Sun, glorious sunshine!

Den runs in the Sioux City marathon tomorrow. Ron and Diana are going to meet us there tonight. Den can go to bed, and we can party! He gets so nervous. Afterwards will be fun, though. It's suppose to be sunny and 75! yeah! We'll try to catch up with him at different mile markers. Part of the route goes through a state park, so we could go for a walk while he's panting his way up the hill. Go, baby! Pictures to follow....*smile*

Fall Break is Here!

Fall break, or any break that Will comes home, means that the gang is here. And I love it! I'm trying to upload photos, but I saved them in a different file when I took them off my camera, and now I can't find them. Why don't I just keep doing things the way I know it works??? I get different pop-up questions when I plug in my camera now, and so I think I'll do something different. Argh! Different isn't always better, it's just different! (Obviously I figured it out and fixed it. Ah!)

We have had a fun, full weekend. Rain, rain and more rain, though. Friday night's football game with BOTH of my boys there was great, and the fact that their alma mater played the best game of the year and WON made it even better. Andrew and friends went to Vala's Pumpkin Patch, in the rain. (It began raining as soon as the game ended!) This photo was saved in a different place! While Andrew was with his crowd, Will's crowd came over here. That is James and all the girls from the class. One of the girls now has a boyfriend, too, so he and James were watching football downstairs while Will and the girls were making caramel apples in the kitchen. Photos coming....

Saturday Andrew and Den had some plumbing jobs to do for me. And we were tearing out a closet in our, what is now shall I say, the media room. TV, computer, stereo......a guy thing, you know. It was a terrible day, weather-wise. Will's friends came again, only this time they bought pumpkins and spread them out on the dining room table to carve. I'll have to get one of them to send me photos of the finished products.

Sunday worship was great. Refreshing. Another dark, rainy day, but a stab of sunlight at sunset gave us a brilliant rainbow! Ah, that was marvelous! Harold and Beth came to share their Saturday evening leftovers with us. Yummy! Beth and I discussed how I can rearrange and decorate the downstairs, while Harold and Den either watched the football game or slept! At least Harold could drive home! *smile*! Friends who know H. will understand this comment!!!

Today Will needs to renew his driver's license. We went on Friday afternoon--BIG MISTAKE. It was packed. He now understands the inefficiency of government bureaucracy! We decided to try a different time!

The weather creates an atmosphere for hot tea and a good book or a movie. Not unlike Christmas break. Now where's the tea....

The foundations of the earth are shaken

This phrase caught my attention in today's Bible reading. I wondered if it meant actual physical destruction or moral/spiritual destruction. Since we are blessed with numerous commentaries from a lifetime of buying books, I looked this verse up (Psalm 82:5) in Keil and Delitzsch's commentary on Psalms. Here's the whole verse: "They have neither knowledge nor understanding, they walk about in darkness; all the foundations of the earth are shaken." This describes the current lot of presidential candidates from both parties, if you ask me. No one's ideas seem reasonable, logical or wise. They all seem to be saying only what they think the people want to hear in order to get them elected. And Al Gore getting the Nobel Peace Prize illustrates what I'm saying even more. Here's what the commentary has to say about this verse (bear with me):

"No result is to be expected from the divine admonition: they still go their ways in this state of mental darkness and that implies stalking on in carnal security and self-complacency. The commands, however which they transgress are the foundations, as it were the shafts and pillars, upon which rests the permanence of all earthly relationships which are appointed by creation and regulated by the Torah [Law]. Their transgression makes the land, the earth, to totter physically and morally, and is the prelude of its overthrow."

Wow. That answered my question. Our refusal to listen and obey the moral commands of God personally and as a nation and world ultimately results in the destruction of our relationships and even the world itself! It is only through the wisdom of God and obedience to what He says that these things can be healed. Earlier in that chapter we are commanded to "give justice to the weak" and "maintain the right of the afflicted and destitute...deliver them from the hand of the wicked". I think that's why America has traditionally gotten involved in "foreign wars". Because of our Biblical worldview roots, we see our responsibility to deliver the weak from the hand of the wicked. And that's a moral issue.

So global warming? Not a MORAL issue, but I am responsible to do my part in having dominion, caring for my corner. I'm not sure what that should look like as a nation. Back to dealing justly with and for the weak.

Abortion? Well, that one seems pretty obvious. We ARE dealing with the weak here. Helping to deliver from oppression? God's command is clear. Our nation may continue to choose to disobey, but not with impunity.

This is why Christian education is so important. We are teaching those who are weak and young, who need to know HOW to think in a world that is so full of fools who forget God. Our prayer is that they would grow wise and be the ones who help and deliver the weak, destitute, fatherless and afflicted.

Honey from the rock

The other night at prayer meeting our pastor read from Psalm 81 that ends with, "..and with honey from the rock I would satisfy you." He said he wasn't sure what honey from the rock was, so I thought I'd look it up. (That's the advantage of substituting. I have time for extended Bible study on days when I don't teach. ) It refers to the water that came from the rock in the desert when the children of Israel were wandering. The beginning of the chapter talks about their wandering. God will satisfy us like a drink in the desert if we will do as verse 10 says, "open your mouth wide, and I will fill it." That chapter was my Bible reading for the next morning and then I thought of that phrase during the night last night.

My 100th post

And some said that it would be just a flash-in-the-pan. Guess they didn't know me. I started this just over 9 months ago. It has been fun for me just to write generally, spontaneously and to everyone. Sometimes I can't write as freely if I focus on a particular audience, so this has been fun for me. Some of you, too, have been so encouraging that it stimulates me to write even more.

Well, today's email is a little late, too, because I'm writing about a sister whose birthday was yesterday. She's younger than I; we'll just say that much. She's the sister with whom I had to share a room, a bed, and I even borrowed her clothes occasionally (her skirt would be shorter on me!) Both being rather opinionated and strong willed, we had some wild times. She was probably far more patient with me. But she was messier than I. Anyway, she is one who can whip out a pie or a whole meal that tastes delicious at a moments notice. She is smart, helpful and witty. She can belt out an aria as well as parse a Latin sentence. She also has two+ grandchildren (yeah, and she's younger than me!) Her husband is pretty cool, too, but we'll save him for another blog.... And her blog is linked to mine. If you want some good reading, go there sometime. Happy Birthday, Nin.

Today's funny

I was called to sub on the spur of the minute this morning. They ask, "How soon can you be here?" while I'm still in my housecoat and pj's... "Um, give me 45 minutes." So I scrambled and left the house in shambles. But the money's worth it...and every little bit helps.

Today I was in what used to be called "Home Ec" at Bellevue East high school. I really don't find these kids much different from OCA. They are generally quiet, respectful and get down to business. Every school has its mouthy ones and "slackers". This was no different. They don't really bother me. I only had three periods. Two of them worked on a chapter review worksheet. I should say "worked" because a few slept/copied/or played around. But while I was standing guard I saw this funny anecdote on the teacher's desk.

Husband has just taken a phone message for his wife. Message reads as follows:
"Someone from the Gyna Colleges called.
They said the Pabst beer is normal.
I didn't even know you liked beer!"

Now wasn't that worth a 1/2 day substituting?! Gave me a good laugh.

One more thing. I cleaned out my email address book this weekend. I sent an email to find out if they were all getting anywhere. Many were and I heard from sooo many old friends! Thanks to any of you who are now reading this as a result. It was great to hear from people. Even got a couple of photos!

An afternoon in Sioux City

We took off about 1:30 today to scope out the next marathon route. Makes me tired just to think of it. It was another hot, windy day, but clear and beautiful. Combines were working away cleaning the soybeans off the fields. Few cornfields have been done yet. I love to see them all out there. We stopped just south of Sioux City to visit Sgt. Floyd's monument. He was the first casualty of the Lewis and Clark expedition. I think he had an attack of appendicitis, no battle with Indians or anything. He is buried near the monument there on a high bluff overlooking a spectacular view of the Missouri River and beyond.
We bought a map of Sioux City and managed to get to most of the parts of the marathon route. It is going to be hilly-er Or is is hillier? (Looks like "sillier") Anyway, Sioux City has grassy places all the way down to the river, so the trail runs right along the river. Far more beautiful than the Omaha one. Also once they climb up the bluff, they run through a state park. It's rather hilly, too. Den had a few second thoughts, but he doesn't want to be a quitter. He says this will be his last one, though. HA!
I'm tired now. Sorry I haven't had much to say this week. Maybe I'll be more inspired tomorrow!