The Mini-Pilgrimage

The mini-pilgrimage was today!

This was a two-hour event at our church sponsored by women's ministries. Abbie (my amazing co-leader this morning) and I had 10 young girls in attendance. The youngest girl there was almost five years old and the oldest was a freshman in high school. We had each of the older girls "buddy" with a younger girl, which helped out a lot.

We talked about three spiritual practices that help us grow closer to God (lectio divina, praying with imagination, and taking prayer walks), had a snack, and then decorated shoes to use as props for the women's pilgrimage next weekend.

I believe that the girls all had a good time and might even remember some of the things we talked about.  :)

As for me: If I have a muscle, then that muscle is sore. If I have a moving joint, then that joint is creaking. If I have two eyes, then those eyes are slamming shut.

I love my little friends, but they have tons more energy than I do. TONS!

And although I am weary, I LOVED my time with Abbie and the girls this morning. We may even do it again.  :)

Blessed.

Teleportation and Elasticity (Not Gonna Happen)

Writing Prompt: Hero.

 

This is a hard topic. The term "hero" is thrown about so easily these days that it loses it's deeper meaning. So rather than talking about real-life heroes, I think I will stick to pretend ones....

 

Yes, I mean superheroes!

 

I don't know if I have a favorite superhero, but I do like Spiderman. I really enjoyed the movie trilogy with Tobey Maguire in the lead role. (I do think that the first movie was the best.)

 

What if I could be a superhero? Who would I like to be? Well that all depends on the superpower! I think the superpower that I currently would like most would be teleportation. All transportation problems solved! I wouldn't need a car or an airplane. Wouldn't that be cool?!!!

 

I do like Elastigirl from The Incredibles. It would be neat to be able to stay seated and grab whatever I need or to reach out and pull someone away from harm. I'm not sure how my current wardrobe would fare, though, with all that stretching! (I know that Elastigirl has that special red costume, but I don't think I would look good in it.)

 

Of course, in reality, the biggest superpower that I can hope for is using the oven and having dinner magically appear! Ha ha ha!

In Memory of Two Sweet Cats

I shared this photo of Bagheera and Pepper on the blog about four months ago, but it is right to do so again with our recent loss of Pepper..

Bagheera and Pepper....

Two sweet cats.

Dad 238: Sweet Pepper, the Blizzard, and a Mailbox

(We all miss dear little Pepper. Jerry has been going over to my parents' side of the house to keep them company; he's such a good kitty! Dad wrote about a lot in his post today. Read on.... ~ Tracy)

Derf Here! Here in the Northeast we're enjoying the calm after the storm. The sun is actually trying to show itself. The blizzard lasted from about midnight on Monday until the early morning hours of Wednesday. We now have a new two feet of snow and drifts of three times that much. The experts are predicting between six inches and a foot this Friday followed by another storm on Monday. Where will we put the snow? I'm ready for April!

This has not been my week. Our almost 18-year-old cat seemed to be failing quite a bit on Monday. Since September she has been dealing with kidney failure. We had a good fall with Pepper, but Monday she did things she had never done before. We found her in places she had never even been in before. I stopped in at the vets and made an appointment for early afternoon. Pepper and I shared a can of tuna as we have done for many months. Then it was off to the vets. I knew it was the end and they agreed with me. After signing in a few places I left Pepper with the vet. I must admit I made a fool of myself and cried like a baby. As I write this the tears are starting to begin again. I made it home and was fine until I entered my home and saw Spouse. It is really strange to look on Spouse's end of the couch and not see Pepper. She is missed! If you care to see a nice photo of Pepper, check Tracy's post from Monday (two days ago).

Then the blizzard came. While plowing for the first time Tuesday morning with Lew, I was telling him how to be careful when plowing and never rush. "Take your time." Well, I wiped out my mailbox. The mailbox itself was not destroyed as the post broke near the ground. Pure stupidity on my part. This morning I plowed for the third time after the blizzard and then decided to get some sort of a non-permanent mailbox to hopefully get us through the winter. Using the mailbox with its broken post, I designed a strange looking device. Bought some tubesand to fill buckets to help with the stabling of my invention. Going to give it a try. Did I say I'm ready for April? I'll be able to put a new post in the ground. Until then I hope my invention works.

The entire contraption is for the mailbox. (Photo and caption by Tracy)

Well, we are getting ready for the Super Bowl. We will root for the Patriots. The Seahawks are a good football team and they will be tough to beat. On December 3, 2014 I predicted on this blog that the Patriots would be in the Super Bowl. I thought then they would play and beat the Packers. The Packers didn't make it, and I'm not as confident the Seahawks will be as easy to defeat. We do hope, though! GO, PATS!

My rambling will end now. This makes my proofreader and editor happy. Too long! Sooo....

Until next time!

Toodle Pip!

Derf!

Blizzard!

Today's "to-do" list, courtesy of storm Juno:

• Stay home.
• Keep warm.
• Prepare for mini-pilgrimage.
• Read.
• Watch a couple shows.
• Drink hot chocolate!

The Back 40. Photo doesn't capture how white it is with the snow coming down.

The covered part of our porch at 10AM. (Snow not stopping until early tomorrow.)

Not a great shot of our street, but the town plows have been hard at work!

A Final "Meow"

Today we said goodbye to Pepper.

She was a sweet cat.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

What a week . . . especially for football news.

My opinion on the deflated balls issue is that we should not pass judgment on the Patriots organization until all of the facts have been made clear. Many false narratives have already surfaced and there are numerous questions needing answers.

Now let's all have fun watching the Super Bowl in a week, shall we?!

Smile!

-----------------

I was going to end my post there, but the week did contain other things of note. For example, Lew replaced the covers on two more dining room chairs and I prepared tax return number one (of four). I made a rice salad for our housechurch group on Thursday night. Yesterday Dad and I went to Best Buy to pick out a tablet for him; he bought a Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 (10.1 inch) -- it's pretty cool. Last Sunday afternoon Lew and I were blessed with a visit from our pastor's two young daughters. We love our little friends!

Morning Routine (or Not)

Writing Prompt: Morning.

 

My ideal morning: I have had a restful night's sleep. My alarm radio goes off playing an easy-listening song, and I get out of bed right away. I am wide awake. My muscles aren't achy. I am anxious to get some exercise, but first I eat some breakfast and have a quiet time of Scripture and prayer. I spend a few minutes checking out the news of the day and reading inspiring e-mail messages. I then get on the elliptical machine for at least 45 minutes, after which I shower and conquer the day.

 

My actual morning: My sleep has been interrupted several times by cats and bathroom needs. My alarm radio goes off with a song that is too rowdy for first thing in the morning. I hit the snooze button (actually, I just wave at the sensor). When I finally drag myself out of bed, I notice that all of my joints and muscles ache. I decide to sit back down on my bed and check e-mail, Facebook, and play a game on my iPad. I realize I need to run an errand and decide to get it over with. I throw clothes on and do the errand. I still haven't done my quiet time, exercised, or showered. And it is mid-afternoon.

 

It took me more than five minutes to write the above, but that's okay. It's MY blog! ;-)

Easy as 1, 2, 3 . . . 4

It is no secret that I am deficient when it comes to food preparation. But I really am making an effort to venture into this uncharted territory. I am doing okay with my goal of making at least one thing each week.

 

Two throwback items that were of assistance to me today:

 

Aunt Debbie gave me this cookbook several years ago.

 

This belonged to my Grandpa W. and now inspires me in our kitchen!

Dad 237: No Comment at This Time

(I didn't watch SOTU address last night either. Did anybody??? Enjoy Dad's post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another bright sunny day in the Northeast. Very cold, though. However, there are no serious storms in sight for the next week. Then we are in February (a short month). Anxious for April.

 

Well, the Super Bowl teams are set. Really wanted the Packers to win. They just made too many mistakes, from not putting points on the board from the one-yard line to having a blocker trying to catch an onside kick. Seattle is an opponent that will be tough to beat. Hoping for a good game with a Patriots' victory. GO, PATS!

 

Must admit I did not listen to the POTUS speak last night. Will catch up on all the points of interest over the next few days. I don't have much hope for government accomplishments in the next 24 months – at least nothing to direct this great country in the right direction. Just a thought.

 

Don't have much else to write about today. I'll have more next week on the State of the Union and the use of footballs not up to specifications. I have some opinions on both but want more information before coming to conclusions. Tune in next time.

 

Sooo... for now....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

A Shoe Thing

I dedicated today to shoes.

 

I washed some. I experimented with decorating them.

Why?

A week from Saturday I am heading up an event – a mini-pilgrimage – for the young girls of our church. We will have some Bible and prayer time. We will also be doing some craft projects, one of which is decorating shoes.

The decorated shoes will be used the following weekend at a women's event.

I have a couple other craft projects in mind, but they may be too difficult. That's why I experiment first. If they're too hard for me, then they may be too hard for the kids.... To be honest, I have that backwards. The children at our church are so much better at crafts than I am!

To do: Finish preparing for the mini-pilgrimage.

Super Bowl, Here We Come

So the big news today is that the Patriots are going to the Super Bowl.

I am excited that they will be playing in the big game, but I also know that my stomach will probably be all knotted up in a nervous mess as I watch.

Speaking of watching.... Why, oh why, does the game have to start so late in the day? And the half-time show just prolongs the evening. I don't think the NFL and TV "powers-that-be" care about us on the East Coast. It is always a very late evening.

Lew is still lobbying for a new national holiday on the day after the Super Bowl. I don't believe his lobbying has gone further than just telling family and friends about it, but perhaps it's time to take it to the "powers-that-be."

So, whoever you are, please vote in this new holiday. The people living in the Eastern time zone need their sleep.

(Postscript: We are flying our flag today in honor of the Rev. Martin Luther King.)

Lew's New and Almost-Like-New Projects

I don't have a lot to summarize regarding this past week. I would say that my major efforts were spent staying warm! It was SO cold!!!

 

Today was probably my most productive day – laundry, paperwork, planning – but today's "Great Job!" award goes to Lew. He helped my father finish putting in my parents' new garbage disposal, then he recovered two of our dining room chair cushions. (Only six more to go!)

 

Photos of the cushions, before and after:

 

See the scratch marks? Compliments of Jerry the Cat.

 

Nice job, Lew! (And, Jerry, keep your claws off.)

 

Be Careful, My Little Mind

Writing Prompt: Bedtime stories.

 

I don't remember whether I had bedtime stories as a child. (Did I, Mom?)

 

I have learned over the years to take care with pre-bedtime entertainment. If a movie, program, book is too unsettling, then I will lie awake for several hours. It's not good to have your mind dwelling on unsettling things.

 

If we should watch a movie on the weekend that gets to be a little too much, then we will do the entertainment version of "cleansing the palate" by watching a fun show - for example, an episode of "Frasier."

 

Lew and I have our devotion time (Bible reading and prayer) together at night, so that is a nice way to calm our hearts and minds. Then we both will read something enjoyable. I usually read until I can't keep my eyes open; this phenomena is usually accompanied by not comprehending the prior page or two! Then I fall asleep fairly easily.

 

I think I may read a bit right now. And it's not even bedtime!

I've Got "I've Got Confidence"

When we heard gospel singer/songwriter Andre Crouch had died, Lew and I listened to several of his songs. "My Tribute (To God Be the Glory)" has always been a favorite. Another song we listened to is "I've Got Confidence."

"I've Got Confidence" was also recorded by Elvis Presley. With all due respect to Elvis, my favorite rendition is sung by Sherman Andrus on The Imperials "LIVE" album.

 

I loved listening to the entire "LIVE" album when I was a kid. (I know we still have the vinyl recording somewhere.) I have looked several times on iTunes and Amazon to see if a digital version of it existed. I had no luck until I looked again last week. Finally! I bought it from Amazon. Oh, Happy Day! (That is also on the album, by the way.)

 

I have yet to play "I've Got Confidence" for Lew, but I do believe this experience is in his near future.

 

Dad 236: Everything Including the Kitchen Sink

(Baby, It's Cold Outside! I thank my father for the fashion advice. Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! Another bright sunny day in the Northeast. But it is cold. My hometown (Sanford) is about 30 miles from where we live. It is a balmy 15 degrees below zero at this time (8:00 AM). Our official temperature at the airport is four degrees below zero. We have hope though. Our morning weather expert has assured us of possibly hitting the low 20° today. At least there is no serious storm expected in the next week. Dress in layers!

 

Last evening I attended a band concert where Zack played his tenor sax. A good show was heard by all. Hence, a good time was had by all.

 

Well, our weekend of football is set. The games will feature Green Bay at Seattle and the Indianapolis Colts visiting the New England Patriots. I hope for Green Bay and the Patriots to win their games. However, if by some fluke the Colts should win, I will root for them in the Super Bowl. Go, Pats!

 

I must now go to Ace Hardware to purchase a garbage disposal for the sink. Ours just stopped working. I've had a good offer from Lew that he will install it this weekend. I may do it myself but Lew's offer seems like a good alternative. Just thinking!

 

Well, enough for today. Hope I have good football news next time. Sooo....

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Need Some Zzzzz

I have decided I do not like "To-Do" Tuesdays. They remind me of how far I am behind on everything.

 

Of course, it doesn't help when one stays up too late to watch the college football national championship. I didn't turn my TV off until 12:30am and then I didn't sleep very well. I was tired and fighting a headache all day, so I don't feel like I was very productive. I got a few things done, though.

 

I am leading a children's event at church toward the end of the month – a "mini-pilgrimage" for the girls. I have a general idea of how I want to fill the two hours, so now I have to take care of the details. This will be my main focus for the next several days.

 

The weekend after the "mini-pilgrimage" I will be attending the women's ministry event (remember the invitations I worked on last week?), and after that weekend I will start working on our income tax returns – my favorite task.... Ba ha ha ha!

 

My short-term to-do, however, is to get a good night's sleep.

2015 Reading Challenge

I read quite a bit, so I'm always intrigued when I see links to book lists and reading challenges.

A couple Facebook friends posted a link to an interesting reading challenge for 2015 (click HERE to see it).

What I like about this challenge is that I get to pick the books! The challenge is to see how many of the categories I can check off by the end of the year.

At this point I've decided to allow a single book to satisfy more than one category, but maybe I can ultimately end up with one-to-one pairings.

I've added a special page on my blog called 2015 Reading Challenge. (There is a link to it on the right of my blog site.) I will be updating this page as I go, so you will be able to review my progress throughout the year.

If you have any book suggestions for me, please let me know. Thanks!

I Almost Hate Football

"My nerves are shot."

 

That's how I greeted my father when I went over to give Pepper her nite-nite goodies.

 

The Patriots game had just ended, and it was a nail-biter. The Pats were fortunate to beat the Ravens. It went right down to the last play of the game.

 

My heartbeat still hasn't returned to normal.

 

A "Good" Post

Writing Prompt: Good.

 

I am dictating this post because I am currently holding Jerry still. (It is hard to type with just one hand.) We often say to Jerry, " You're a good kitty... except when you're not." Jerry was scratching the TV screen in the living room just now. He does that often, but it's just to get attention. He is now sitting beside me and purring. But I do believe he would try to get away if I let go of him.

 

About the TV: Lew has mixed feelings when Jerry scratches it. If Jerry should ruin the TV, then Lew would have a good reason to get a replacement – a larger one! But the TV we have is still perfectly good.

 

Is dictating my post a good idea? I just checked the time I had left on this Five-Minute Friday post and I have only used up half of it! So it is clear that I speak faster than I type. I have heard this is generally true, and now my experience backs it up.

 

I hope to have a good day today. Lots to do. I teach children's church on Sunday, so I need to look at the lesson. I also need a workout on the elliptical machine – while I am watching Alias, of course. Alias is a good show. Oh – and exercising is good, too!

 

It is snowing right now! In my opinion that is not good. Fortunately, I have nowhere to go this morning.

 

Good grief! My time just ran out. (Finally!) I did not do a good job speaking consistently during the last half of my five minutes.

 

Have a good day!

Down With Dental Work!

This photo was taken almost two years ago. It seems like it's been that long since I've been allowed to eat stuff like this....

Two and a half weeks to go....

Sigh....

One. Track. Mind.

Dad 235: Dentist, Doctor, and Drugstore

(I finished the mailing this morning! I'm ready for a break, so I'm glad it was Dad's day to blog. Enjoy his post! ~ Tracy)

 

Derf Here! A bright sunny morning in the Northeast. However, it is very, very cold. Temperatures in the single numbers this morning. Tomorrow is supposed to be colder. Should warm up a little for the weekend. Perhaps almost up to freezing next week. We are in the middle of a real cold spell. I'm ready for April.

 

Busy morning for me. Up at the crack of dawn for an 8:30 A.M. dentist appointment. Noticed a tooth that had a chip in it last week. Dentist closed last week. Lucky to get an appointment on Monday for Wednesday morning. My dentist was late to the office by about 30 minutes. I didn't mind waiting. In fact, I would have been happy if he had to miss the whole day. He didn't miss the day and my tooth is now better than new. Only a couple chair jumps as a nerve was involved. Overall, a very good day at the dentist. Glad it is over.

 

After arriving home from the dentist, I found it necessary to take a quick trip to our doctor's office for a drop-off. Enough said. Must now pick up prescription soon.

 

Upon returning from the doctor, I stopped at Subway for a sandwich and cookies. Spouse has already consumed her sandwich as I write this. I think I'll wait until lunchtime.

 

Well, we are now awaiting the football playoffs this weekend. Hope the Patriots start scoring again and shut down the Ravens. Could go either way. Also would like to see the Colts take it to Peyton and the Broncos. Would like to see a Colts team in Foxboro to play the Patriots. Go, Pats and Colts!

 

Watching the news of another terrorist raid in Paris that killed a dozen. If something had been done to stop these terrorists from forming a year ago, I wonder if it would have prevented these killings. Hope we do something to stop these senseless acts. If nothing is done we'll all be controlled by violent Muslims in a few years. Looking for some leaders!! It seems there aren't many around right now.

 

I think my proofreader and editor want me to close now. So I will! Tune in next week.

 

Until next time!

 

Toodle Pip!

 

Derf!

Invitations and Nachos

Fifteen.

 

That's how many more invitations I need to write out by hand.

 

The invitations are to the women of my church, asking them to come to an event the first full weekend in February.

 

I have been timing myself. I can do about five invitations in 30 minutes, so I have about 90 minutes to go.

 

Then I have to address the envelopes!

 

My goal is to send out the invitations tomorrow. I think I can do it.

 

 

Three.

 

That's how many more weeks I can't eat crunchy food!

 

My gum graft is healing ahead of schedule, but I still have to follow the post-procedure instructions.

 

I have one more follow-up appointment in three weeks. I hope to get the "okay" to resume normal eating then.

 

In the meantime, I will just have to wait to eat nachos. I think I can do it.

Into the Woods . . . Yes!

The Woods are just trees.

The trees are just wood.

I sort of hate to ask it,

But do you have a basket?

I have been singing the above lyrics from Into the Woods since Friday! Lew and I went to see the movie that day, and I must say that I enjoyed it immensely. Lew liked it, too!

 

I was introduced to Into the Woods when I worked at Sterling College. The theater department did it for the Homecoming musical one year – 1990, I think. I saw all three of the performances, after which I bought the original Broadway cast CD (and eventually a DVD). I love this musical, so I was really excited when I heard about the new movie. Although the movie is not exactly the same as the stage version (a few things were left out), it stays pretty true to the show.

 

Go see it!

 

(PostScript: The above lyrics are sung by Little Red Riding Hood while she is taking all of the baker's yummy goods. Little Red is on her way "into the Woods to Grandmother's house.")

A "No Whining" Fail

Lew and I are leaving soon for a Batgirls (and families) gathering at Ellen's house. We are supposed to get a snowstorm in a couple hours, so I'm glad that Ellen lives only about a minute's drive away. And depending on the traffic, it may only take 45 seconds. ;-)

 

It has been an interesting week for me because of Monday's gum graft procedure. I must say that I am really tired of the "special eating" guidelines I've had to follow. I want to eat something crunchy! (Remember... no whining....) I go back to the dentist in a couple days to get stitches taken out, so I may get to eat some chips soon.

 

I stayed up way too late the last three nights. I actually made it to midnight on New Year's Eve and saw the ball drop. I watched football on New Year's Day; the last game didn't end until late. And then last night I played Freecell on my iPad. (Confession: I played Freecell all three nights. I'm also addicted to Kakuro puzzles, thanks to a book my sister Kim sent me.)

 

My kitties must be fed dinner now. Then we are off to Ellen's house for food and games.... But, alas, just soft food for me. :-(

A Time to Freeze

Writing prompt: If I could freeze time.

 

The ability to freeze time sounds like one of those powers that could end up being a curse.

 

What if I inadvertently chose to freeze a "bad" moment? I might think it's a good time in which to linger, but perhaps something bad is going on elsewhere. What if someone is in pain? They would be stuck.

 

So if I could freeze time, I would opt not to. (There. That dilemma is solved.)

 

Regarding "time" in general: Lew and I often talk about how God exists outside of time. He is not constrained by it. And some day, we won't be either!

 

New Year's Day

Happy New Year!

 

Wishing everyone a blessed 2015.