I guess I'm not really surprised ...

HowManyOfMe.com

There are: 0 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

a brisk, brief walk ...

It was mighty cold, but I was dying to get outside with my camera after work.

The sun peeked out, and it was just beautiful out there!

17 inches at 8 below

We've had 17 inches of snow since Friday, and it's been nose-freezing cold. The cold and snow is supposed to continue through this whole week.

So they haven't been able to get the ice off the roads, or keep up with the plowing.

Some nasty driving out there today! I had the obligatory 4-wheel drive coasting off my back bumper on the way to work this morning. They should put a warning sticker on the dashboards of those things ... "just because you can stop, does not mean everyone else can." I ended up pulling over, and letting her pass, so she could intimidate the driver in front of me.

Church was cancelled yesterday (as the police were pleading with people to stay off the roads). This basically means all my work last Thursday was for naught ... but it's made up by the fact that all the work I normally do on a Monday doesn't need to be done this week. I'm sorting through and de-cluttering cupboards. One of my favorite passtimes! (and what I did nearly all weekend at home.)

Got home at 3:00 Friday afternoon, and didn't budge from my house until 6:30 this morning. It was delightful - like a 2-week vacation all squeezed into 2 days. I think I might become a professional hermit after I retire.

I was reading in John 7 this morning, and thinking about how the people's responses to Jesus were so contradictory. He mentioned that the religious leaders were plotting to kill Him. In one place the people said He was crazy ... nobody was planning to kill him. In another place they said, "hey, is this the guy they're trying to kill?" In one place they said, "He can't be the Messiah ... because nobody knows where the Messiah will come from." In another place, they said, "this can't be the Messiah, because we all know the Messiah will come from Bethlehem, and this guy's from Galilee." (Which proves that not only were they contradicting themselves, they also didn't do their research! While Jesus was living in Galilee, He was born in Bethlehem.)

Got myself on the treadmill this morning (since I woke up at 4:00 when the plow truck came through). I've been enjoying my weight set this weekend, and am having an elliptical machine delivered tomorrow (if they can get through the snow.) My guest room is finally getting some use other than the 4-5 nights/year I have company. :)

Well ... back to cupboard-cleaning!

winter all at once

It's been snowing since Thursday. I heard the plow come through early this morning, and just now I walked out in the parking lot, and the snow was half-way to my knees. (now ... of course .... my knees are a lot closer to the ground than the average person's!).

I'm so thankful to be able to stay home today!

We have a guest speaker at church Sunday. He's flying in from Dallas today. I called him, and warned him that it was more than just cold-like-Michigan-in-winter here ... I sure hope he took me seriously. :) It's supposed to stay in single digit temps all weekend, and into early next week.

our esteemed governor ...

I disagree! I disagree! There. I feel better. Maybe SOMEONE will listen, even if she doesn't!

Kalamazoo has a wonderful program - a private, anonymous donor pays for college for all of their high-school graduates. (They may be required to maintain a certain GPA, but if so, it's not a very high requirement.)

Well ... Jennifer Granholm, our governor, thinks this is a wonderful thing. (Which it is!) And she wants to replicate it over the entire state. But ... of course ... she wants EVERYONE to pay for it.

grrrr! It makes me crazy! What happened in Kalamazoo is what SHOULD happen ... someone seeing a need and choosing to meet it. What J.G. is trying to do is what should NOT happen ... confiscating from me, in order to meet what she sees as a need.

It drives me batty!

They had a recent proposal to buy laptops for every 6th grader in the state, also. She justified this because it was "federal money" ... um ... excuse me ... and where did THAT money come from? Oh, yes, that's right ... US again.

Thank you for listening. I feel better (sort of) now.

cell phone etiquette

Let me preface this post by saying, I am NOT an anti-cell phone crusader. I have one. In fact, it's the only phone I DO have. I do use it when I'm driving, as long as I'm not merging onto or off of a busy section of highway, or traveling on a busy street.

It's quite possible to use the things without creating a hazard or being rude to the world.

But this morning, I had one of those experiences that reminds me why some people ARE anti-cell phone crusaders. On the freecycle mailing list, a lady had mentioned needing moving boxes. I had a bunch of copy-paper boxes so I offered them to her. She just left picked them up.

It was quite odd ... her phone chirped just as she walked in, and she said, "oh that's my brother." She then proceeded to carry on a conversation with him, and with me, at the same time. Odd. Really odd.

Now I have a friend who ALWAYS calls mine just as I'm needing to talk with someone - it's some kind of a telepathic gift. :) But it's astonishingly easy to just hit the button on the side of the phone and turn the ringer off. One doesn't HAVE to answer it. And, if you call the person back in a few minutes, the delay doesn't do any visible damage to the conversation.

The funny thing was she seemed like an otherwise-socially-adept lady. She was pleasant, she had a helpful little girl who picked up a stack of the boxes without being asked. It was very strange.

any ideas for me?

I'm sitting here working on the newsletter for my condo association. I'm trying to think of short, interesting or funny articles to include along with the standard chidings about not throwing furniture in the dumpsters and not allowing outsiders to use the laundry.

Any suggestions? In previous issues I've put in the statistics from brainy-zip about our neighborhood. People seemed to like that. I've got a mostly-elderly readership, so things that are passed around the internet until people have them memorized would all be fresh and new to this group. :)

everyday miracles

On the MeetChristians forums, one lady posted about getting her first pair of glasses.

It brought back a neat memory of getting my first pair. It was in the fall just before the 4th grade, and my family were looking at a deer out in the field, and I said, "what deer?"

Not too long after that I met my first eye doctor, and got glasses. I remember just wandering around looking at things, because it was all so CRISP! I can still picture the tomato plants out behind the shed ... I just stared at the detail of their leaves against the red tomatoes.

Really - If I didn't have vision correction, my eyesight wouldn't be functional at all. I certainly can't read or recognize faces without glasses or contacts. Without my eyes, I have no marketable job skills. I suppose I'd be living in my mother's basement, and spending my days eating chocolates and watching soap operas!

It is one of those every-day wonders ... that those of us with bad eyes can just go trippingly through life with very little inconvenience, let alone handicap!

A good friend is going for lasik surgery on Friday. This is one of those things I've pondered occasionally. It would be so wonderful to wake up and be able to see ... to not have to carry spare glasses in the car, lest I lose a contact and get stranded somewhere. Pondering ...

Trinka

Time to admit I'm not getting to the gym

I like lifting weights. I really do. I like the solitary, non-competitive aspect of it. Plus it's WAY cool to notice that I'm stronger than I've ever been before.

BUT ... what I don't like is having to drive over to the gym in the evenings after work. I don't like the noise. I don't like the busy-ness. I don't like waiting for machines others are using, and I don't like feeling nervous when others are waiting for the one I'm using.

So, I ordered myself this weight machine today. I'm a little dubious that it will do all the things the ones at the college did. BUT ... if it's located in my spare bedroom, it will be MOST convenient. Plus it's small-ish in size compared to a lot of them.

I was quite smitten with the bowflex machines, but the price did not intrigue me at all. I found this machine on the Overstock website, and it's within my "amount of the tax refund you're allowed to spend" budget.

It does weigh 125 pounds ... so it should be interesting to try & haul it up to my condo. But I suppose if I'm going to lift weights at home, I might as well get started as soon as they arrive.

Hmmm ... better get those taxes mailed out this weekend. They've been done for a couple weeks, but TaxCut hasn't had the final updates available to download yet. I guess it's time to check on that one again!

living among the Dutch

The Grand Rapids/Holland area has a large Dutch population.

One would think that one white American couldn't possibly be a minority while living amidst other white Americans ... but there are times when I realize that I am.

It's their attitude towards housekeeping that fascinates me, while at the same time proving to me that I am definately on the outside of this blonde-haired, blue-eyed group.

A few examples:

• Yesterday while out for a walk, I saw a nice little mother and daughter stop their car on the street, both hop out, kick off the snow from around the tires, and then pull the car up onto the driveway.

• A Dutch friend who frets about people in her area who have let ... horrors ... weeds grow in their yards. (You may remember my earlier post about the weed lady near the church? This is NOT the same woman ... it's obviously a fairly common phobia.) Now, growing up, our yard, and the pasture across the fence, were composed of precisely the same plants. The only difference was the length. And there were times, the length wasn't even all that different, if the lawn mower wasn't working properly!

• I often tease the janitor here at church that she cleans behind her water heater with a toothbrush. I made the mistake of telling this (what I thought to be patently-obvious sarcastic story) to another lady. Her eyes lit up, and she eagerly responded, "oh, how does she get back there?!!!?"

• There is the often-heard fretting about people whose cars leak oil onto driveways. My thought ... "a driveway is a place where you park cars. Cars occasionally leak oil. Hence, the driveway is the perfect place for leaked oil to BE."

There was a time when I thought myself to be a relatively neat, clean person. And then I moved here. The longer I live here, the more inferior my estimation of my housekeeping skills becomes! There are times, at the end of a long, busy week, when I half expect the health department to burst down my door wearing bio-hazard suits and demand to inspect my condo.

Hmmm ... study ... did happen a little last night, but only under peril of appearing at my ladies' Bible study tonight woefully unprepared. I enjoyed some time in John 5 & 6. It's interesting to see how much the physical and spiritual is contrasted in John. Everyone was looking for Jesus to meet their physical needs for healing, or food, or a king to overthrow Rome. But He came for something bigger than that. He came to meet the spiritual need that underlies it all - to become right with God by having the problem of our sinful nature dealt with.

But speaking of the physical ... I heard the author of Under the Overpass speak Monday night. He lived for 5 months as a homeless person, and wrote this book about it. I haven't read it yet, but I have it on order from the library. It was an excellent challenge to be mindful of the physical needs around us, and to see people as individuals.

Exercise is still happening about 5 days/week, though I've been mostly walking. I haven't seen the gym in almost 2 months. After work I've been so weary that I just haven't been able to face a noisy room full of people, or the 15 minute drive to get there. It's just SO nice to have a quiet walk right outside my front door, and then retreat to my "to do" list.

staying home waiting for the Publishers' Clearing House van

First, a confession:
Every morning, when I sign on, I go to the Publishers' Clearing House, and enter the sweepstakes.

I then have a brief interlude where I daydream about living in a paid-for house.

Then I get to work, so I can actually stand a chance of earning some money that would contribute to a paid-for house. :)

OK ... with that as a foundation, today as I was making my coffee, and having my standard, irrational, pre-caffeinated-brain thoughts, it occured to me: "what happens if the Publishers' Clearing House van comes, and I'm not home? Would they come back?

This befuddled idea was immediately followed by a vision of myself sitting home every non-work hour in a bathrobe, staring out the window, waiting for the prize van to arrive. Yikes! This proves I've gotta be careful not to make any major life decisions pre-coffee!

***Warning -- paragraph that follows will be deadly dull to anyone who's not related to me!***
Maria ... nice to see you! If you get a second, drop me an e-mail so I have your address. My email address is just my first and last name and I use gmail. :) I'm also told your mom is using email, so I'd love to have her address too!

***OK ... end of personal paragraph****

Exercise ... still happening, though I haven't been to the gym to lift weights in ages. I need to get back in that habit. I just flat-out hate going out after work. There's something so calming about pulling my car into the carport, and knowing I don't have to leave again for 14 hours! (See ... maybe sitting home watching for money to arrive wouldn't be so bad after all). :)

Reading/Studying ... yikes. Nope. Not happening. I've actually been watching television and playing a hand-held tetris game in the evenings.

This. Situation. Is. Pathetic. I realize that. I can feel my brain turning to mush.

I feel just like a Clinton ...

I'm shredding 1998 records in preparation to throw them away.

So I'm sitting here surrounded with bags of confetti, and more than a little on the floor.

It's rather relaxing, actually ... wanton destruction with no consequences (other than needing a broom later!)

I find it fascinating that as recently as 1998 we were still paying for pagers for all of our staff. It seems like cell phones have been around MUCh longer than that!

announcements you rarely hear ...

unless there is a presidential funeral being held in your town ...

"Please turn off your car alarms, so the vibrations from the cannons won't set them off."

if a person were able to sleep in past 7:00 ...

I am a morning person, all the way through to my bones.

So now ... by 10:16 on New Years' Day, I have already put away all my Christmas decorations, re-organized the basement, and checked on a motor-home I'm selling for my mother on ebay. (really! )

What I WANT to do is vacuum. But, being a person who's never been able to sleep in, I don't know if (for the sake of my neighbors who CAN sleep in) it's still to early to politely make noise.

I think I'm giving them 'till 11:00, and that's it! The Christmas tree residue NEEDS to be cleaned up!

Trinka

maybe those who sprinkle have a point!

We were having a baptism in our morning service today.

But we have no baptistry. So we rented a hot tub.

Know what? When hot tubs leak ... there is a LOT of water involved. :)

I'm just saying ...

another one for the depressing songs list ...

Honey Lyrics

See the tree how big it's grown
but friend it hasn't been too long it wasn't big
I laughed at her and she got mad the first day that she planted it was just a twig

Then the first snow came and she ran out to brush the snow away so it wouldn't die
Came runnin' in all excited slipped and almost hurt herself and I laughed till I cried
She was always young at heart kinda dumb and kinda smart and I loved her so

I surprised her with a puppy kept me up all Christmas Eve two years ago
And it would sure embarrass her
When I came home from working late cause I would know
That she'd been sittin' there and cryin' over some sad and silly late late show

And honey I miss you and I'm being good and I'd love to be with you if only I could
She wrecked the car and she was sad and so afraid that I'd be mad
But what the heck

Though I pretended hard to be guess you could say she saw through me
And hugged my neck
I came home unexpectedly and found her crying needlessly in the middle of the day
And it was in the early spring when flowers bloom and robins sing she went away

And honey I miss you and I'm being good and I'd love to be with you if only I could
Yes one day while I wasn't home while she was there and all alone the angels came
Now all I have are memories of honey and I wake up nights and I call her name

And now my life's an empty stage where honey lived and honey played and love grew up
And a small cloud passes overhead and cries down in the flower bed that honey loved
And honey I miss you and I'm being good and I'd love to be with you if only I could


(For those concerned about my mental state ... I'm enjoying these because they are SO maudlin that they make me laugh). :)

Exercise ... it not happening. But it needs to. I hope to get a walk in later today.

Study ... it's not happening either. But it ALSO needs to.

Life should be getting back to a semblance of "normal" some time soon!

Saw "The Nativity" Wednesday night. I was very impressed.

world's most depressing song

I've recently begun pursuing a collection of "the World's Most Depressing Music."

The original leader was this Dan Fogelberg song:

Same Old Lang Syne

Met my old lover in the grocery store
The snow was falling Christmas Eve
I stole behind her in the frozen foods
And I touched her on the sleeve
She didn't recognize the face at first
But then her eyes flew open wide
She went to hug me and she spilled her purse
And we laughed until we cried

We took her groceries to the checkout stand
The food was totalled up and bagged
We stood there lost in our embarrassment
As the conversation dragged
We went to have ourselves a drink or two
But couldn't find an open bar
We bought a six-pack at the liquor store
And we drank it in her car

We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how

She said she'd married her an architect
Who kept her warm and safe and dry
She would have liked to say she loved the man
But she didn't like to lie
I said the years had been a friend to her
And that her eyes were still as blue
But in those eyes I wasn't sure if I saw doubt or gratitude
She said she saw me in the record stores
And that I must be doing well
I said the audience was heavenly but the traveling was hell

We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond the emptiness but neither one knew how
We drank a toast to innocence, we drank a toast to time
Reliving in our eloquence, another 'auld lang syne'

The beer was empty and our tongues were tired
And running out of things to say
She gave a kiss to me as I got out and I watched her drive away
Just for a moment I was back at school
And felt that old familiar pain
And as I turned to make my way back home
The snow turned in to rain...

This song acquired its status on a LONG drive at about 2:00 a.m. ... when it seemed to be playing on whatever radio station we turned to. I was quite sure there were a hundred depressed people slitting their wrists as they desperately spun the radio dial looking for something to drag their spirits out of the mire.

But ... this morning, I heard the current champion -- Randy Stonehill's "Christmas at Denny's"

CHRISTMAS AT DENNY'S

They got Christmas Muzak
Piped in through the ceiling
And the refills of coffee
Are always for free
And the waitress on graveyard
And the surly night manager
Are wishing that all of us losers would leave

There's a star on the sign
At the Texaco Station
Like the star long ago
On that midnight clear
As I look all around
At these cold, empty faces
I doubt that you'd find many wise men here

And I'm dreaming about
A silent night - Holy Night
When things were alright
And I'm dreaming about
How my life could have been
If only, if only, if only
But somewhere down the road
I gave up that fight

Merry Christmas
It's Christmas at Denny's tonight

Once I had a home
And a wife and a daughter
Had a company job
Earning middle-class pay
Then Lisa got killed
By a car near the school yard
And my wife started drinking
Just to get through each day

I will never forget
That little red wagon
Turning to rust
All alone in the rain
One morning I flagged down
A truck on the highway
I just couldn't bear
To go back there again

And I'm dreaming about
A silent night - Holy night
When things were alright
And I'm dreaming about
How my life could have been
If only, if only, if only
Well, it's not just the blind man
Who loses his sight

Merry Christmas
It's Christmas at Denny's tonight

They say
Life's made of cruel circumstance
Fate plays the tune and we dance
Dance til we drop
In the dust and we're gone
And the world just goes on

The cop at the counter
He's the guardian angel
He watches these orphans
Through dark mirrored shades
And the register rings
Like a bell sadly tolling
For the fools we've become
And the price that we paid
Oh when I was a boy
I believed in Christmas
Miracle season
To make a new start
I don't need no miracle
Sweet baby Jesus
Just help me find
Some kind of hope in my heart

And I'm dreaming about
A silent night - Holy night
When things were alright
And I'm dreaming about
How my life could have been
If only, if only, if only
But I'll still be here
At the morning's first light

Merry Christmas
It's Christmas at Denny's tonight
Merry Christmas
It's Christmas at Denny's tonight

Written by Randy Stonehill.

So ... anyone got any to add to my collection? If you can beat "Christmas at Denny's" the prize is a mention on a nationally-read blog ... yes ... it's true. :)

the weed lady, part two

Our deacon chairman went to see the weed lady last night.

Now ... in his day-job, this man is a police officer. He sees a LOT of nutty people.

However, following his visit with T.W.L., he called and said, "wow ... you weren't kidding."

Ah ... yes ... it's nice to have others' experience confirm my own. :)

the avoidance of the grocery store ...

As I went to McDonalds for the umpteenth day in a row to get breakfast on my way to work today, I thought:

"do other people avoid going to the store this time of year?"

I ran out of milk two weeks ago, and, rather than buying more, I've been eating at McDonalds almost every morning.

This is a bad thing ... both for the budget, and the calorie count!

I just hate going into stores around Christmas. It has only been the advent of internet shopping that has allowed me to enjoy the holiday.

But ... really ... people buy milk every day. I should be able to manage. (Particularly since there are 24 hour grocery stores everywhere, and I could do it at 5:00 a.m. when they are relatively empty.)

Time to quit acting like a college-kid and just get it done! (Particularly since I comitted to bringing a salad to Christmas-eve dinner, and I don't have a shred of fresh produce left in the house either!)

Hmmmm ... we'll see ... I suppose I could make a salad from canned fruit and jell-o ... and the McDonalds staff is starting to recognize me now, and it would be a shame to quench budding friendships ... :)

the weed lady

as soon as I heard the voice on the phone, I KNEW it was her ...

the weed lady

Our church bought the property behind our building - about ten acres with a house, a barn, and a pasture.

Ever since, the weed lady has been calling us.

You see ... the weeds from the pasture blow onto her property.

I know ... I know ... it's hard to imagine how she endures it.

We've started having the pasture mowed several times during the summer, in an effort to placate the weed lady. And we thought we had succeeded.

Until today.

The weed lady called, saying that leaves had blown in her yard from our uncared-for field. She spent a good bit of time talking about her inability to clean up the leaves, and how much it would cost to have the leaves picked up when they WERE bagged, and how irresponsible we were.

I don't get it.

There are no trees in the field ... just grass. As near as I can tell, she wants us to not only mow the pasture, but also rake up all the grass clippings? (ten acres?)

I gave her my most pleasant, sweet voice ... but I've got to wonder, "how does one please a person like this?"

Went for a long, hard walk after work ... the weed lady had me plenty stressed out, and I needed the exercise!

well - worrying sure solved THAT one

Just went online and looked at my bank account -- the teller caught the error and corrected it the same day ... no need to make a nasty, complicated phone call tomorrow.

God is so good to me sometimes. OK - ALL the time ... because if I HAD been made to do battle with the forces of the banking industry, it would have been good for me.

I hope it's OK that I like it better this way, though. :)

Whew!

Oh goody - a bureaucratic nightmare

Just got done paying my bills, and when I went to enter my bank deposit into M.S. Money, I discovered the teller missed a digit, and entered last week's paycheck as one tenth of the real amount.

Oh. Groan.

I signed the slip. Never looked at it. They never made a mistake before.

WHY couldn't it have gone the other way? It would be so much easier to convince them I had several thousand dollars of THEIR money than it will be to convince them that they have several hundred dollars of MY money. My stomach is already in knots at the thought of tomorrow's phone call!

On a positive note, I had a nice visit today to small-town-where-I-grew-up (Stwigu). I got to go to the church I attended in Jr. High and High School, and then spent an hour or so walking around Stwigu until it was time to go to the family Christmas at my aunt's house. It was interesting to have the time to walk there, and look at all the places I remembered, but hadn't really seen in almost 20 years.

A few observations ... My old church in Stwigu has peacocks wandering around the property. I think this is a good addition. They're pretty things, and I LOVE the sound they make - mournful and startling in a "have you considered where you'll spend eternity" kind of way. :)

The eccentric family still owns the funeral home. (Ever hear someone say, "you'll never see a hearse pulling a U-Haul?" Many of us who grew up in Stwigu HAVE seen a hearse pulling a U-Haul.)

A new addition to their general quirkiness is that now one of them has opened a chiropractic clinic directly across from the funeral home. Everyone in town KNOWS he's a mortician ... so here's the thing ... do you want a mortician cracking your back? Really? Is he used to working on living people? Is he trying to drum up business?

I suppose that's all for now. I need to focus all my energy on worrying that the credit union won't believe me, and will keep my paycheck money. Because, you see, worrying will make ALL the difference in the outcome. ;)

Me

I sing the praises of the bluetooth headset

My phone battery needed to be replaced, and I was eligible for a free phone from Sprint for renewing my contract, so I got that rather than buying a battery. I also picked up a bluetooth headset for it.

The little critter is great! I have never found driving while on the phone to be problematic, until I bought my current car, which has a manual transmission. Steering, holding the phone, AND shifting requires more hands than I possess! This little headset will not only allow me to talk but it will also dial the numbers for me if I speak them ... very clever little thing. If I'd known how handy they are, I'd have gotten one ages ago. Of course I look like the Borg assimilated me, but I'll get used to it.

I had a delightful birthday today - with some productive accomplishment (got my Christmas cards ready to mail, and a Christmas-present-project finished), a nice long nap, and then a dinner out with a couple friends tonight. They took me to Noel - which is a Christmas-themed restaraunt in an old church -- very beautifully decorated, with delicious food.

Then when I got home, I discovered some sweet "happy birthday" posts from the folks on Meet Christians, and also on Bill and Glory's blog.

Exercise is going OK. Contrary to my deepest fears, taking the day off last week did not lead to a catastrophic meltdown. Whew! (I'm glad to see Bill understands this danger! We're all just one Twinkie away from total disaster!) :)

I've been reading about King Saul's gradual decline into disobedience, and eventually madness. Just like the one Twinkie, or the one day without exercise, can start a snowball that destroys months of effort. So can a deadening of our walk with the Lord lead us gradually into decisions and decisions we might never have considered when we were in close communion with Him. Saul had SUCH a promising start. But no amount of promise can make up for a dependence on God.

yikes! it's all for nought!!!

This morning I awoke to the sound of rain on the roof. It was SOOOOO soothing.

While that was nice, it means I sat there in a trance for a half hour, and never did get down into the basement and onto the treadmill before work!

I have plans after work, so that means no exercise at all ... none.

One day without exercise is NOT that big of a deal, except that I immediately start to imagine myself giving up entirely, and becoming one with my recliner! This must not be allowed to happen. :)

stolen from Jane's blog

My first...

car:
$600 1981 burgandy Ford Escort (that dramatically went up in flames in the yard 5 months after purchase)

music purchase:
Sean Cassidy's "Born Late" ... thanks to my cousin Denise's crush on him!

major concert:
I wonder if Petra counts ... my brother and I went in high school

movie (that I remember):
Charlotte's Web

drink:
don't think I've ever had anything that would qualify! a sip of wine here & there

presidential election as a voter:
1988 - George Bush Sr.


You?

like a turtle on its back ...

was my dear little Saturn Ion last night.

Ever since I got my first front-wheel drive car, 17 years ago, I've felt fairly confident driving on bad roads, provided I could go slow enough, and take my time.

However, last night I discovered that my cute little Saturn's light weight makes for absolutely NO momentum to rock free when stuck. None at all. THIS is an important consideration!

A retired couple from church has the staff over for a Christmas party every year. It is SUCH a nice evening, and last night was this year's gathering.

This couple has a lovely home about a half-mile back from the road.

At the end of the evening, I snuck out a little before the others, since I get up early for work.

Their driveway ends in a steep uphill grade onto the road.

As I gunned the car to make it up the grade on the ice ... I saw headlights coming down the road.

BOTHER!

So, I slow down, feeling the wheels starting to slip backwards ... and sideways ... and then ... stop.

It wasn't stuck that badly. But it also would NOT rock free, no matter what I did. I'm guessing this is due to the lighter weight. I'd been noticing it seems to slide around more than my previous cars.

The men came out and pushed me out, for which I was very thankful. But I'm going to have to exercise a bit more caution from now on. I've always been able to free myself before, but it seems that won't be happening with this car!

Trinka ... who really DOES not like winter driving

hmmm ... interesting idea

Where HAVE you been? Ummm ... not sure ... but certainly not HERE for a long time. :)

Just talked with a lady from church who works at the local library (which happens to be directly across the street from my house). They are hiring someone part time to shelve books, read shelves, etc.

I find living with no emergency fund nervous-making ... and I've never been able to re-build mine since buying my condo. After 3 years, it's time to admit that it's not going to happen unless I change something.

When I think about part-time jobs, I always think "waitress" or "store clerk" ... but as a basically non-social person, after 8 hours at work, I'm not sure my energy could hold up to something that chatty.

But ... shelving books in a quiet corner ... THAT I could do! Plus it would be on my feet, so a certain amount of exercise built in.

Quite excited at this prospect, actually! I asked her to pick me up an application.

Exercise is still happening - often twice a day, but at least once. Study ... um ... not. I'm working on some projects for Christmas presents, and they're effectively consuming my time.

Trinka

the psych hospital

No ... no joke to follow that title ...

I just returned from visiting a friend in the psychiatric hospital. You know - when we come near to having a bad auto accident, or get a nasty case of food poisoning, we realize how fragile we really are. God gave us life in a moment, and He takes it back just as quickly. (and is just and right in doing so ... it all belongs to Him).

But our minds, too, are a gift. And one I take for granted, really.

When the Scripture says God "holds all things together by the word of His power." It is talking about galaxies, and molecules, oak trees, and our circulatory system. But He ALSO continually holds the reigns on our reason. That reason could slip away from my control just as easily as I could find myself tomorrow with diabetes or a sore throat.

The sweet lady I visited is one of the most gentle, quiet people--with a quirky sense of humor, and a desire to serve in behind-the-scenes ministries. I can always make her laugh - even tonight when her mind is a battleground.

just thinking, I suppose ... and thankful to be able to do so ...

miscellaneous miscellaneous

Just got done looking through a friend's pictures from her missions trip to Peru. They had a great opportunity to help out in a school, and work on building a church high in the mountains (about 2 miles up!). Plus ... apparently ... wear some nifty local swirly skirts. :)

I discovered at my condo board meeting Monday night that there's another signer on the board. We were discussing how many years a board member's term is, and another lady and I held up the sign-language #3 (thumb, and first two fingers ... the common way of holding up the middle three fingers is the sign language letter "w"). We both noticed, and I'm hoping to get a chance to ask her about it some time soon. She's already caught my attention by talking about missions trips, so I think it would be great fun to get to know her!

Working out continues to go well -- we've got treadmills in the basement now, so I have a date with one every weekday morning at 5:00, and my regular workout after work. Going to exercising twice a day seems to have been quite helpful.

My brother and sister-in-law had an exciting week last week - they won a Christian radio station's contest to have a free kitchen make-over. It was great fun listening to the announcement on the radio over the internet. If I could post audio files here, I'd let you hear it ... she was quite excited!

Hmmm ... and about Bible study ... not happening much right now. It needs to happen. I got some books from the library, and checked out too many at once, so I've been spending time devouring them to get them back by the due date. (ridiculous excuse ... I know ... however, it's the truth!) My pick of the bunch is called Kicked, Bitten and Scratched -- it's about a college program for animal trainers. I always love getting inside a career that's totally different from mine - and this was a fascinating read.

The fellowship to which my church belongs (I.F.C.A.) is having a cruise in February. They are discounting the interior cabins, and it's almost down to what I would be willing to pay. So I'm considering it. I've never been on a cruise before, and it might be fun! Particularly so, since it's church-related, so the drinking/gambling aspect won't be present. And the fact that it's in Feburary (a gloomy, depressing month, if ever I saw one) is a draw as well!

I also want to speak a word in praise of a great new Access add-in I bought for work. It's called DBPix, and it has performed miracles. Access allows pictures to be inserted in the database, but it's got a bug called "image bloat" that causes the database size to expand exponentially with every picture inserted. (mine was up to 1.3 gig in size). This add-in ties right into Access, and fixes the image bloat problem, as well as giving more options in working with the pictures. My database is now down to 14 mg., and I am a MOST satisfied customer.

OK - back to work for this girl!

our problems solved by Mr. T

Today as I was eating lunch (home-made split pea soup, thank-you-very-much ... patting self on the back), I turned on the television to keep me company.

I ended up seeing a show where Mr. T was solving a family's relationship problems.

Hmmm ... fascinating.

Of course, the scoffer in me rose up to comment.

But before it did, I had some other thoughts.

How many situations in our relationships really don't require intensive therapy, or professonal intervention? How often would an outside observer, who had our best interests at heart, really be able to give us a clear picture of what needed to happen? It could be Mr. T (though I'd prefer no television camers!), or it could be a good friend, or an elder from church, or a stranger's offhand comment.

Recently I was visiting with a friend, who mentioned she heard an overseas missionary say that Americans are noted for their easily-wounded emotions ... that it's nearly impossible to give us constructive criticism without it being taken as an offense.

Oddly enough, this same friend mentioned this in the context of discussing how she'd been wounded by a rebuke.

It's one of the things Christians are supposed to do ... encourage one another to love and good works, and how often that requires going out on a limb, and saying something that might not be easy to hear.

Yet, if it's done in love, it can precisely the conversation that turns our life in an entirely new, and God-ward direction.

Doing it properly, giving these exhortations, is not an easy thing. Much prayer, and self-examination needs to happen. "Am I really seeking this person's best? Or is this particular issue just something that happens to annoy ME?" "Is this really a sin issue? Or is it just a personal preference with which I don't agree?"

And receiving it properly is also not easy. "Do I really believe this person loves me and has my best at heart?" "Even if this doesn't ring true for me, is there something that God wants to say to me through it?"

The Scripture that says we're to "bear with one another in love" is one that needs a great deal of application, because there are times when we're simply unbearable! But there are also times when the love of an honest brother or sister can make us easier to bear.

Just pondering. Maybe I'll turn the tube back on and see if Mr. T. solved things. :) He's not such bad company when one's folding laundry!

a nice fall walk

Had a beautiful walk tonight, and thought to take my camera along. I thought I'd share some of the pictures!

ruined lives

This fellow yesterday who shot up a school in Lancaster in recompense for a 20-year-old grudge of some kind ... he has me thinking.

It is SO easy to carry bitterness around, and it grows ... all out of proportion to the original offense. It doesn't matter how awful the thing was that happened ... our lives are only ruined by it, if WE choose it to be so.

If we, rather than choosing bitterness and introspection, choose to present the ugliness to God, He can make something out of it ... He can take the worst offense, and change it to bring good from it.

Locked in a Nazi concentration camp, and watch your sister die from the conditions there?
God can make you into a Corrie TenBoom.

Break your spine in a stupid teen-age jump off a bridge?
God can give you Joni Erickson's ministry and influence.

Born blind?
Give it to Him, and you can write hymns that bless generations like Fannie Crosby.

And it's not just a few well-known examples ... I can think of dozens of people whose faces and stories are well-known to me, who have given their tragedies and pain, and handicaps to God, and He has made them something glorious.

OR

There's always the natural alternative. You can blame God, and blame others, and never allow yourself to move beyond the pain ... and rather than blessing those around you ... the bitterness can fester until it destroys everything in its path. Lancaster saw a vivid picture of this yesterday, but it happens ALL the time - maybe not with the physical taking of lives, but with smearing reputations, and destroying relationships, and sucking away hope.

hmmmmmmm ... on a totally different line ........

I've been meaning to blog about an advertisement I've seen lately for a local indian casino. (Kewadin, I think).

It shows a man in a company break room, and he starts to buy a sandwich from a machine, and they just keep spitting out at him. Then the casino logo comes up, and it says that it might be a lucky day for him to gamble there. (obvious paraphrase ... "gamble" is never used ... lest people realize what they're REALLY doing there).

I thought this ad was very telling. Because the person who's obviously NOT shown is the fictitious small business owner who stocks the sandwich machines in the fictitious break room. So this man's "luck" was breaking someone else's pocketbook.

Isn't that just what casinos are doing? One or two people may win money. Others may (for some odd reason) go and just enjoy losing theirs. But how many lives are negatively impacted by it? How many people develop addictions they can't shake? How many children are impacted by having an immoral atmosphere dragged into their communities? But the only thing that gets publicized is the "one who gets all the sandwiches."

****************

OK - on to exercise - got to the gym last night, and walked in the morning before work. Having the treadmill down in the condo basment is proving to be MOST helpful!

does this make sense to anybody?

The pope accuses Muslims of being violent.

They become irate.

They begin killing people and burning things.

you know ... . if they really wanted to protest his remarks, maybe they could knit sweaters for the poor, or save abandoned kittens ... it would be considerably more effective at proving him wrong!

Exercise is going well. I've got my treadmill in the basement now, so I can walk in the morning before work without bringing the ceiling down on my downstairs neighbor's head. :)

know what?

If you loaf all day, and go to bed at 8:00 p.m. ...

You wake up at 2:00 a.m. Fascinating. :)

And I DID loaf all day - I've had quite a busy month - company for 3 weekends, and one trip to see my dad & step-mom in PA. Yesterday (or today? ... whatever Saturday would be in this context), I just crashed.

I did make it to the gym, but other than moving some furniture and doing a load or two of laundry, that's ALL I got done. Feeling slightly guilty, but also very well rested.

I'm enjoying reading Mission to the Headhunters by Frank Drown. He's coming to speak at our church in November, so I wanted to have read his book first. He and his wife have been life-long missionaries, and he headed up the search party that found the missionaries who were killed by the Auca indians in 1956. (Jim Elliott, Nate Saint, Roger Youdarian, Peter Flemming, Ed McCully).

Well ... back to my book. :)

Psalm 139

I've been working on this Psalm for our ladies' study this Thursday. I especially appreciated this comment by Spurgeon - it's regarding verse 10 which says "Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me."

We could only fly from God by his own power. The Lord would be leading, covering, preserving, sustaining us even when we were fugitives from him. -CHS

It's so true ... even when people curse God, and turn their back on Him, they do it with the breath He gives, and the strength He allows them. He is good even to those who deny Him.

No exercise has happened since Friday. But tomorrow it begins again. I had company, and several other things going on all at the same time, and exercise disappeared. But I miss it ... which is in itself a victory!

Had some delightful guests here from Missouri. It was a blessing to have the time together.

I know it makes no sense ...

But Dan installed a wireless router here at work, and now my computer has no sound.

Everything's plugged in ... all the settings are right ... just no sound.

Ah, the mysteries of life.

On the exercise front, I got a good long time on the treadmill last night, and enjoyed it immensely. A friend loaned me some peppy music, and it's quite energy-giving! I also found out that the condo has our "exercise room" (previously known as "storage closet") wired so we can put treadmills down there now. I haven't been able to use mine in the morning or at night, less I annoy my upstairs and downstairs neighbors. But this windowless little basement cell should allow for a nice workout any time of day (provided claustrophobia doesn't get me first!). :)

I've been reading in Psalm 139 in preparation for our Thursday night ladies' study starting up again in a week. No thoughts to share just yet, but I'd be interested to hear yours!

now have a toilet in my Saturn

After a nice dinner with C., who is visiting from Cyprus, T. and I went to Home Depot, and picked up a toilet for her condo. The Home Depot men were nice enough to load it, but it was heavy enough that we weren't interested in UNloading it. It's going to live in the car until T.'s brother comes next weekend. Should have taken a picture, actually!

No exercise happened yesterday - between visiting and toilet installation, I got home pretty late.

Woke up to no electricity this morning - though God woke me up 5 minutes before my alarm would have gone off, for which I was thankful.

I was thinking about Gideon. Israel was under control of the Midianites, and God intended for Gideon to lead them free. Where did God find him? He was threshing grain, in hiding, lest the Midianites steal it. God greeted him by calling him "a mighty man of valor". :) I'm thankful that God sees who He intends us to be, instead of what we are! To further demonstrate Gideon's valorious spirit, when God told him to destroy the town's idol, Gideon did it ... but did it at night, in hopes he wouldn't be seen. Yet God took him, fearful as he was, and used him as Israel's judge and deliverer.

OK - off to work for me.

I have an excellent excuse!

For some wacky reason, after creating a g-mail account, now every time I try and log into blogger from my home computer, it autofills with the g-mail account info. So I can't sign in. Weird. Going to try running ad-aware tonight and see if that helps!

But since I usually get to work 15-20 minutes early every morning (I DO love my job), I feel reasonably sure I can take a few minutes to type something from here!

I've been enjoying thinking about the Valley of Achor lately.

"Huh?" you might say ...

The Valley of Achor is where Israel's sin was discovered ... a man named Achan had stolen some things when they conquered Jericho, directly disobeying God's wishes for that city. As a consequence, Israel was routed when they attacked the next city - Ai ... and in the Valley of Achor, all was discovered, and Achan and his family lost their lives as a consequence of his behavior.

So, I'm thinking ... first of all ... our sin (MY sin) has consequences that will forever impact those dearest to me ... my family, my church, my friends ... I don't live in a vacuum.

The name "Achor" means "trouble" or "disturbance" ... and any time it was mentioned, it would have immediately brought to mind this terrible incident in Israel's history. When we hear "Oklahoma City" or "the World Trade Center" ... there is an immediate context of tragedy and loss ... so it would have been with Israel - with the added element of humiliation and sin.

What really blessed my heart was the other two times the Valley of Achor is mentioned.

In Isaiah 65:10
"Sharon will be a pasture land for flocks, And the valley of Achor a resting place for herds, For My people who seek Me."

The place where our sin is dealt with ... and all the nastiness is exposed ... one day that will be a place where we'll return for sustenance. Our of our shame will come a desire to seek Him, and a place of rest for ourself and others. He can take the worst ... and ...

Hoseah 2:15 "Then I will give her her vineyards from there, And the valley of Achor as a door of hope. And she will sing there as in the days of her youth, As in the day when she came up from the land of Egypt.

This is Hoseah talking about Gomer - his wife who was a prostitute (and a picture of God's people in their constant unfaithfulness to God) ...

After our constant following after other lovers ... God still seeks us ... still brings us home ... and the valley of Achor is a door of hope to us. When our wandering is dealt with, we'll return to the songs we sang when we first came to Him ... when we were first delivered from our bondage.

Isn't it amazing that God can take the worst, and somehow bring good from it?

OK ... boring exercise stuff ...

I had company for a long weekend, and exercise suffered somewhat, but we did a LOT of Dance Dance Revolution, so that probably compensated! :) I've gotten to the gym a couple times, though not as regularly as I need to.

Trinka

finally tackling this project

I have a very low tolerance for visual clutter (not to say that my house is neat ... I wish it were! ... but too much stuff around is definately a distraction to me).

So I'm only just recently started putting many pictures on the walls of the condo.

I've put up a few at a time, to make sure it doesn't go over the "clutter limit" ... than I add a few more later.

The last area to be tackled is - I've wanted to put up photos in the hallway. But of necessity it will mean a lot of frames on the wall, and I just haven't wanted to deal with it, lest it end up driving me nuts when I'm done.

But I started tackling it last night. All the pictures I'm considering are spread out on the floor, and I'm starting to lay out all my garage sale frames, and cut mats to fit.

The project-clutter is annoying me, but I have high hopes that once they're on the wall, they'll be pleasant and not clutter-ish!

Got in a good walk with a lady from church last night, and had a swim later when the pool-crowd got cold and went home. :) Thursday was a stressful day at work (two dead printers, an unexpected power outage, and a generally busy building). It was neat - towards the end of the day, I found myself equally daydreaming about going out to eat (not an uncommon daydream at the end of a hectic day) and going to the gym and having a good workout. I took the latter option ... but it was nice to have it attractive, instead of forced!

Haven't been reading much - projects are pulling me away. Though I have been enjoying J.O. Fraser's biography - Behind the Ranges - at night before bed. He was an amazing man. He died in his early 30's, but accomplished so much for God.

Psst ... for Carol ... to add a link to your blog (at least in blogger) all you have to do is highlight the text you want to make into a link, then click the button on the toolbar that looks like a chain over a greenish-gray globe (fourth from left - bold, italic, text-color, then link). It will give you a place where you can type in the url. :) Easy as pie! If you have trouble, send me an e-mail, and I'll send you some pictures of how to do it.

Trinka

meet Fred-Shep

A message board I'm on had the question posted ... "What's the rattiest old thing you can't bring yourself to get rid of."

Well ... here he is.

Fred-Shep ... a ratty stuffed dog I had when I was a little girl. He's made of plain cotton with dog-spots and a face printed on it. And he's patched in one place with blue flowered double-knit, and another place with tan nylon. He's got holes where you can see he's stuffed with old panty-hose. His panty-hose stuffing is so wadded up inside that his neck doens't stand up anymore. But for some weird reason I just can't throw the ratty old thing out. :)

Got in a good walk today, and lifted weights and swam last night.

mark this one down for the record books ...

I actually cooked a hot meal tonight.

A lady at church gave me some yellow squash, and someone else some zucchini ... so I fried it in olive oil, and added onion, garlic, tomato and mushroom, and made some rice.

This is NOT something that happens very often, but it was kinda fun. I might try it again one day. :)

If I don't mess with meat, I'm a LOT more likely to actually fix something. :) (But I still like eating out TONS better!)

Got to the gym tonight, and am trying something different. I decreased the weight slightly, added another 10 repititions.

Trinka

a relationship I need to sever

It’s been three years and two months now that I’ve ignored the problems (mostly).

But the shocking behavior just hasn’t stopped.

I’m constantly offended, and there are no apologies or attempts at reconciliation.

The world’s dirt is dragged into my home, and trapped here, and I find myself living with it for far too long.

Yet … if I stand up for change … will there be anything to fill the empty hole?

Will I live in darkness, and wish for the old unhealthiness to be restored?

Yet I’m ready, now, to take the risk.

This awful bathroom light fixture has GOT to go. It zaps me when I dust it, yet it persistently DRAWS dust to its ugly chains. It doesn't provide much light, yet exhudes ugliness.

It must go. I am resolved.

A friend with considerably more home-improvement experience is coming to visit in two weeks, and I'm prepared to throw myself on her mercy. :)

Trinka

better to just file the passport ...

Last night, while sleeping, I spent the entire 8 hours fighting dream-land beauraucracy.

I had my passport out for something, and before I went to bed, I put it in my "to be filed" pile. (I usually pay bills, and file, on Sunday nights.)

So ... last night while asleep, I found myself at a border ... somewhere ... and after having an interview with some nameless official, I left my passport and wallet behind in his office. I then spent the entire night trying to get them to let me back into the building to retrieve the passport, only to be repeatedly told that I couldn't enter the building without a passport.

Note to self: "File the bloomin' thing before you go to bed tonight!"

I've been reading in Ruth 3, which starts out with Naomi telling Ruth that she should "seek security" for her. Her plan to do this involved Ruth doing the Old Testament equvalent of proposing marriage to Boaz. (interesting precedent ... gotta keep that one in mind). :)

I found the connection between "security" and Ruth doing one of the most risky things imagineable very intriguing.

I've been swimming in the evenings, though last night there were rowdy folks there all night, and I never had opportunity. Hope to get to the gym after work today.

the faithless blogger ...

I can't believe it's been over a week since I wrote anything ... sorry all!

Let's see ... what's new to tell you ...

I've got a children's Bible club meeting at my condo in the evenings this week. I'm NOT a children's worker, but they just needed someone to provide a snack, and a shady spot, and THAT, I can do. :) Monday, there were four kids there, but last night, none came. The club is being run by a teenage girl from church, and her brother is helping her. I felt so bad for them. They really put a LOT of work into it. When nobody came last night, they went into the neighborhood to invite kids for today. I DO hope they get some attendance!

I told her the story of George Muller - how he had a burden to have a home for orphans, and prayed for God to provide all that was needed. The story of how the money came for land, buildings, furniture, etc., is just glorious. But then ... when everything was set up ... there were no children. He realized he had forgotten to pray for the children to come. God did bring in kids, more and more, until the orphanage grew to several buildings, and a large campus overlooking Bristol. (I have pictures of it - it's a beautiful place ... now used as some kind of college.)

So I told her I would be praying for God to bring her the children for today's club. :)

I took a friend to Shipshewana for her birthday Saturday. I'd forgotten how she loves to shop! She spent 3 hours in one antique store. Fortunately, they had a shady porch, and I had a book, so all was well! L. could shop, and I could read!

I've been getting to the gym, and walking some, but the heat has kept me inside more than usual. I go to the condo pool to swim, but I don't seem to have the endurance for that like I do with walking - I wear out after about 20 minutes or so. Oh well ... I suppose every bit helps!

I got a call that I'd won a membership to a gym downtown in a drawing. (I enter every drawing I see, so I suppose it's likely). However I know gyms are notorious for sneaky advertising gimmicks and bad contracts, so I'm highly dubious. Going Friday to have a look, and see what that's all about.

As far as study goes ... well ... nothing to report. I've been reading in John in preparation for the ladies' Bible study that will start in September (note to self ... get the books ordered for that). But the Ruth study hasn't gone very far.

a little mindless entertainment

Last night was the offroad derby at the Hudsonville Fairgrounds. A friend and I go to these together any time we can, and it was such fun. Not only do I like watching the race, but watching the people who come to the race is even better. :)

There was a group of wanna-be-gangster guys with big diamond earrings and cocked-to-the-side hats. They might have been intimidating if it weren't that they brought a tiny little puppy with them. It had to have been just barely old enough to leave its mother. Watching these big guys tenderly looking after that little puppy was adorable! They were giving it water out of their hands, loving the daylights out of it. It was VERY sweet.

A conspicuous feature of the women in the crowd was the lack of fabric they were wearing. The square footage of skin showing was most striking! (I'm FEMALE and I felt the need to look away because I was embarrassed.)

Which made the group of teenagers in this picture really stand out. They just oozed wholesomeness. They were clean cut, fresh-faced kids, and just seemed to love the daylights out of each other. There was no romance going on that was obvious ... just a group of friends who seemed to love each other's company. Near the end of the derby, when the stands were thinning out, they spread out, and were sitting like this with their arms woven around each other. It was so nice to see. I wish I'd had a real camera along with me, instead of just my cell phone, so the picture would be better!

Got in a walk yesterday before the heat got too bad, but no studying got done. Hoping for some of that after church today.

in answer to Carol's question

Suzie Norris was one of the first two residents of Rest Haven Homes. This lady, Bertha Webb, was the other.

It was 1946, and these were Christian ladies who couldn't live alone anymore, and had no family to care for them. A Christian couple took them in, but it got to be too much for them.

At about that time, Grace Pell had recently visited Abigail Townsend Luffe at El Nathan, the nursing home she ran in Buffalo (Abigail had grown up in Bristol, England, and was grealty influenced by George Muller's work there.)

Abigail met Grace, and took her all through the nursing home in Buffalo. (El Nathan, has since moved to Marble Hill, Missouri). She took her even into the rooms of the very sick people, and those whose minds had slipped. Then, at the end of their time together, Abigail asked Grace, "so dear, have you ever thought of working with old people?" Grace told her "no" ... that she already had a substantial work with children, and couldn't imagine incorporating a new ministry.

It was soon thereafter that the Lord brought the situation with Suzie Norris and Bertha Webb into Grace's life, and she was led to take over their care, which eventually led to the formation of Rest Haven Homes. They still hold to many of the principles that George Muller's orphanages practiced ... not making their needs known or asking for money, etc.

Grace Pell ended up dying in Rest Haven as a resident soon after I met the family. I know her younger sisters, who are now both currently living at the home - one in the nursing home, and another in an apartment there. They were from a family of 10, and had a huge impact on the Christian work here in Grand Rapids, starting a local church, Gospel Folio Press (since moved to Canada), Uplook Ministries, as well as Rest Haven. None of the 6 girls ever married, and are a great example of how to use one's single state to serve the Lord. They were even in Ripley's Believe it or Not as the "6 Miss-Pells (miss-spell ... get it?) who worked at the publishing house."

If you've never had a chance to read the story of George Muller's orphanages, or Sister Abigail's work in Buffalo, their biographies are both a real treat!

Got to the gym tonight, and read some in John this morning.

Such a fun project

I've been helping a friend prepare a history presentation for Rest Haven Homes 60th anniversary this September.

My part has been to scan in all these wonderful old pictures. I'm just loving it - looking at all these faces, and thinking about what their lives must have been.

The home has a very interesting history - tracing back through the influences of Abigail Townsend Luffe and before her, George Muller.

This picture is one of the first two residents, Suzie Norris.

I got in a walk already this morning, and have tucked in to scan pictures until I go to work at a funeral around 10:30. Need to get some studying done today, partuclarly because I'm to give a devotional at a ladies meeting tomorrow, and still have not the foggiest idea what I'm going to say. Yikes.

a few projects crossed off my list

Hope you all had a good 4th!

In the course of one of my projects, standing on top of a 6 foot ladder, right at the edge of my balcony, I so appreciated and having one of my neighbors holler “be careful up there”.

Being startled does wonders for one’s balance when standing in a precarious place.

I did eventually get back up the ladder and finish hanging the blind … once I stoped shaking. :)

thinking about God's provision

Happy 4th everyone!

In thinking about the blessings of living in this country, as well as considering Ruth chapter 2, I can't help but dwell on the provisions of God.

He has given so many opportunities, and I so often take them for granted.

Just as Ruth had no claim on the harvest from Boaz's field (in Ruth 2) ... yet he provided for her nonetheless ... so I have no claim on God's favor. Yet He is so good to me nonethless!

I was looking through some pictures this morning, and making CDs of the ones I thought others might want. In the process, I ran across the one I have posted here.

It's a picture of God's provision for one year of my life. A family from church had just bought this house, and his company promptly sent them to Japan for a year. This was at the same time I was looking for a condo to buy near the church. (I work there as secretary.)

It worked out so well for both of us ... they had someone to look after their house, and I had a place to stay for a year (3 miles from work!).

And such a place! It was brand new, and the rest of the subdivision had yet to spring up, so I had very few neighbors, and lovely views from the back windows.

I think I'll hang on to this picture. It's a good reminder that God can provide in any number of ways. :)

Got to the gym last night - I have one more week, and I'll be paying for my third year membership. What a funny thought.

Trinka

If people would just ...

put things AWAY when they're done with them, and pick up after themselves, then I wouldn't spend my Saturdays trying to keep this place in order.

Grumble grumble grumble ...

Oh.

Wait.

I live alone.

Never mind.

Not killed them yet ...

I went to a baby shower a couple weeks ago, and they (mercifully) didn't have any silly games ... but rather had each lady tell a story about childbirth or adoption when her gift was opened.

When my turn came, the hostess got this awkward look on her face. Relax Patti ... all is well! :) I told my proud adoption story ... that I had adopted an African violet when I moved into my apartment in G.R. in 1997 (I think? the day that Princess Di was killed was the day I moved in ... I'd Google it and find out if I weren't so lazy). And the amazing thing was ... I had yet to kill it! (now my other plants, of course, are not so fortunate.)

All that is to say ... the flowers on the porch are looking quite lovely, but have reached the point in the summer where the lack of drainage in the window boxes, and my own plant cluelessness, will begin to do them in. So I wanted to post a couple pictures before the great decline begins. :)

Got in a walk last night, and then went to Zeeland for a picnic with L.V.A. We had a nice time reading John together and watching the fish in the pond snap up bread crumbs from our sandwiches.

Today ... it's time to tackle the mess in the condo again. Going away last weekend means that there is much to be accomplished this weekend!

I'm hoping to get done in time to go in and have a late lunch with T., and get some help rigging up a brace so I can put my a/c in the window. My old one had the thermostat die several summers ago. A friend bypassed the thermostat for me, so I've been using it, but I had to plug & unplug it all night, so it wouldn't freeze up from running too long.

I bought this new-to-me one at a garage sale, and it's REALLY heavy. I think if I were to put it in the window without a brace under it, it just MIGHT cause the whole building to fall over. :)

there are times for moderation ...

and there are times for NOT being moderate.

I'm so weary of hearing that Israel should be patient, not respond, etc. ... And this morning I read criticisms that they might be harming civilians, as they try to get their captured soldier home.

Hmmm ... I suppose all those suicide bombers are NOT harming civilians? Why is there never any public outcry against the jihidists? They deliberately harm Israeli citizens ALL THE TIME, and there's not the slightest response from the U.N., the press ... anyone. But, by golly, if Israel tries to protect herself ... forget it ... they're the agressors. It drives me nuts!

Thank you for listening.

Got to the gym last night - first time in a week, as I was pushing to get things done to go out of town last weekend.

Last Friday-Monday, I had a great visit with some friends from Lake Road Chapel in Missouri. One lady there is an Access whiz, and she spent Saturday afternoon and some of Sunday helping my friend T. (with whom I traveled there) and I getting our databases running smoother, and cleaner. It's such a treat to be able to enjoy fellowship over something like that, and her help is a tremendous blessing to both T. and I at our jobs. I can do rudimentary Access stuff ... but when it comes to the macro/module/code type things (or even writing complicated formulas ... which was what needed to happen this past weekend) ... it's VERY nice to have someone looking over my shoulder!

This morning I was reading in John, and thinking about the Lord driving the money-changers out of the temple. This passage is often used to point out that we shouldn't be selling stuff in churches (which is definately a valid argument). But I was wondering this morning if it doesn't go a little deeper than that.

Later in Scripture, we're told that our bodies are the temple of the Holy Spirit. I think it's more than the church building, and worship services, that need to be cleansed of materialism! I think it's ME. It's so easy to start thinking "stuff" is important. But it's all so temporary.

T., with whom I traveled this past weekend, deals with death a lot because of the ministry in which she's involved. So naturally we end up talking about it as we travel. Life is SO short. It really is. I want to be a good steward of my stuff here on earth, but I want my investments to be in something that will carry on after I die.

Only two things that are here on earth will last forever ... people, and the Scriptures. So ... then ... Trinka ... who can you bless today?

How about you, gentle-reader?

Am I the only one that reacts this way?

So North Korea has a bomb that will reach the west coast of the U.S.

Does that mean ... Hollywood? Really?

Hmmmm ... trying to decide if this is a bad thing. :)

"BAD Trinka. Back to work!!!!"

"OK. OK. But let me say quickly that ... I'm still exercising, still studying (Ruth)."

happy 60th Mom

Oh ... my ... LOOK at all the pictures of you on the internet! Who knew it could happen? :)

(disclaimer, her birthday was YESTERDAY, but my scanner was cranky). I'm not a bad daughter, I just have bad computer equipment!)

This is our VBS week, and God has done some great things! We have the kids from 9:00-2:00, and there were 251 today! Two more days ... so we'll see what will happen.

This, however, has meant I've been going in to work about 5:30-5:45 every morning - just to get stuff done before the building is bustling with people. I am so thankful that I have a job that usually allows me to work in solitude. I don't do bustle well. :)

Not too much detail to share other than that I've been walking, swimming, and riding my bike, and enjoying a study of Ruth.

Yes, I do still have a blog ...

But the sun is shining, and it's light later, and it's just so GOOD to be outside. Carol asked this week, "are you having trouble getting on to blogger?). Uh ... no ... unless by "trouble" you mean ... "too distracted to get it done". :)

The flowers are growing , and I've even got some volunteer moss-roses starting to peek out from last year's seeds.

I've been exercising, and studying ... even got the bike tires pumped up, and am riding to church whenever my schedule & attire will permit. Last night, after weariness from being nagged, I picked up a bike helmet. I feel REALLY dorky wearing it ... I haven't fallen off my bike since I was 12 ... however, I can live with feeling dorky if people will stop hounding me. :)

I had such a delightful little blessing yesterday. I wear a small diamond on a chain that my mom bought me when I was 16. She had always promised us kids that she would buy us a class ring when we got to our senior year. Money was really tight growing up, but she really wanted us to have those rings. However, when I got to that age, the rings didn't really look pretty to me, and I asked if we could use the money for this little pendant instead. She was agreeable, and I've worn it ever since - and it's been a nice memory of high school, and of her kindness in saving up so I could have that treat.

Well ... I have long hair, and that's always been a problem with the chains I've used for the diamond. It tends to wrap around the chain, and eventually, after I've pulled it free enough times, the chain will break.

Yesterday, I got home from running errands with T., and looked in the mirror ... and ... no diamond.

I was just sick! I've always felt it break before, and been able to salvage the situation. She and I had been ALL OVER Grand Rapids, so I thought there was no hope.

I walked back into the bedroom where I'd just changed, and there was the diamond, sparkling in the middle of the floor! Then this morning, I found the chain, just inside the front door.

God has such a sense of humor ... it's not like He would have HAD to save it for me ... it's just a "thing" and not really all that important in the grand scheme of things. It could have just as easily dropped off in Office Depot! I am spoiled sometimes. I definately am.

I've been working on editing a sermon on the biblical view of war and the role of government. (an old college friend is now the pastor of Christ Community Church in New Hampshire, and he publishes some sermons in booklet form. He asked if I'd edit this one for him. It's been very interesting. Most of it is concepts I've considered before, but I'm appreciating the way he's stringing them together. If you're interested in reading it, let me know, and I'll e-mail a copy when I get it done.

Today is a birthday party for my mom & niece (their birthdays are both Monday). Mom does't know that she's getting a party out of the deal, so she'll be surprised. She's turning 60 this year. I've got the snazziest picture of her to post on Monday for her birthday.

It's been a productive morning so far - I "slept in" until 6:00, and have gotten the laundry done, the house picked up, and kitchen cleaned. Now I'm off to get the bathroom cleaned so I can get to the gym when it opens at 10:00!

quote on prayer

This was given on Sunday, and was a blessing to me:

“Tell God all that is in your heart, as one unloads one’s heart, its pleasures and its pains, to a dear friend. Tell Him your troubles, that He may comfort you; tell Him your joys, that He may sober them; tell Him your longings, that He may purify them; tell Him your dislikes, that He may help you conquer them; talk to Him of your temptations, that He may shield you from them; show Him the wounds of yoru heart, that He may heal them; lay bare your indifference to good, your depraved tastes for evil, your instability. Tell Him how self-love makes you unjust to others, how vanity tempts you to be insincere, how pride disguises you to yourself and to others.

If you thus pour out all your weaknesses, needs, and troubles, there will be no lack of what to say. You will never exhaust the subject. It is continually being renewed. People who have no secrets from one another never want for subjects of conversation. They do not weight their words, for there is nothing to be held back; neither do they seek for something to say. They talk out of the abundance of the heart, without consideration they say just what they think. Blessed are they who attain to such familiar, unreserved intercourse with God.”

Francois Fenelon (1651-1715)

Got in a couple walks this weekend, and also got my bike tires pumped up and rode it to church Sunday night. I'd like to ride it back to work in the afternoons after lunch any days when I won't be needing my car ... a little extra exercise, and a little less gas-money spent! :)

in lieu of an actual post ...

These are my adorable-nieces, who are on vacation with their parents this week.