Evenings Out

After enjoying an unusually long run of being home most evenings, I have hit a run of "evenings out." There are advantages to both of course, although I somewhat prefer to have them mixed together a bit more.

The good news is that the rain prevents me from doing the type of yard work that has occupied my evenings during the last month. Of course, one reason why the yard work was so urgent was because we knew the rain was coming.

The bad news is that I am not getting my inside projects done. This includes working on the piano which is in pieces, putting-up garden produce, and various and sundry chores. I have managed to squeeze in 15 minutes on the piano project a couple of mornings before I went to work, but now I'm to the "putting the keys back in place" step, which includes cleaning them up as I go. It will take quite a few 15 minute periods to do this if I can't work in longer time frames.

The good news is that I have the opportunity to visit with friends. Monday night was nothing momentous, just a board meeting. Tuesday night I went for a delightful tea at the home of a beloved friend. She taught the Bible study I attended last fall/winter/spring, and we enjoyed a couple hours of sweet fellowship and getting caught-up on stuff.

Last night I taught Bible study time for an Awana group. They are studying the book of Romans this year, and I was the "kick-off" guest speaker. Do you have any idea how many topics there are in Romans?!? It took me a lot of study and praying to select just one. In the end I selected "Romans: A Book of Truth" and talked about how important it is to learn truth and avoid listening to lies. As a bonus, there were several friends who are Awana leaders at the church, and I took advantage of my trip to briefly catch-up with them after Awana was over.

Tonight I go out to dinner with a new co-worker who wants to get better acquainted. She moved-up from California a couple of months ago, and I'm looking forward to the opportunity to get to know her better.

Physical Exams

Well yesterday I finally did it. I got a basic physical exam. Since this was the first time since I was young that I have gone to the doctor when I wasn't sick (and I have rarely been sick enough to go to the doctor), it was quite an occasion for me.

I chose to go to a ND (Naturopathic Doctor) instead of a standard MD. After asking around I found one that came recommended as looking at the "whole" picture nutritionally, etc. instead of standard doctor fare. I also had to be careful to avoid one that was into "new age" stuff.

So far I am very pleased with the doctor I found. She explained things carefully, didn't suggest any unnecessary tests, and agreed with my assessment that I am very healthy. She had a few suggestions for adding supplements to my diet as I get older, but that was about it.

This morning I gave blood so they can do blood work on me. I'll find out my results next week.

Piano Pictures

Here is what my piano looks like right now. This was at the beginning of the evening. By the end of the evening I had removed over 50 years worth of dust (and various other items) from the inside.

You can see the straw that I taped to my hand-held vacuum to get into the tight spots.

The ziplock bags on top hold the pads and paper spacers for the center key pads. The piano guy gave me 4 (four!) different thicknesses of paper spaces so I can get the keys to be all the exact same height. As was explained to me, this is necessary because the felt pads are made out of an "organic" material. To be plain, it is impossible to get them all exactly the same thickness, so the paper spacers are to even things out. Before I put in the felt pads though, he suggested that I iron them!

So yesterday evening was interesting. First I mowed the back section of lawn (and it's a good thing too because it started raining after it got dark). Then I ironed 100 tiny round felt pads (they are about the size of hole punch protectors). After that I worked on removing over 50 years worth of dust and other accumulated stuff from the inside of the piano. At some point in the past the piano must have been kept near someone's Christmas tree...because there were a bunch of pine needles in there. And kids must have used it because I found little stickers in with the dust.

The next time I have time, I will begin putting those little pads into place, putting the keys on them, and then begin the exacting task of adding paper spaces to make them line-up just right.

Piano Keys on the Floor

Did you know that a piano can be taken apart with nothing more than a straight-slot screwdriver? Or at least it can be taken apart as far as I want to go with one.

Last night I began the process of replacing the center key pads on my piano. I put a sheet on the floor (because the inside of the piano is dusty) and began taking screws out of the piano.

I removed the several long parts that go over the keys before I finally got to the exciting part. I was warned to be sure to number they keys so they don't get mixed up. Otherwise I would face a giant puzzle. Happily when I got all the boards off the top I discovered that the numbers had already been stamped into the wood.

Now all the keys are lined up on a sheet in the living room. It looks weird to see them lying there. They seem so much longer, because they are actually more than twice as long as what you generally see. That also makes it seem like there are not as many of them there.

Then I began taking off the old and decaying center pads. Some of them fell apart in my fingers. I also got out my cordless hand vacuum cleaner. Boy was there a lot of dust and lint under those keys. I rigged the vacuum cleaner up with a straw so I could get into the tight sections. It worked very well.

Now I just need to find replacement pads, get them installed, and put the whole thing back together!

Nothing

I can't think of anything to say, so I'm not going to say anything. Except that I'm saying something to say I'm going to say nothing. It's a no-win situation. :-)

My Problem

Last night we heard a very interesting speaker and I feel like I have identified one of my problems...I'm addicted to dopamine.

What you may ask? Well it goes like this...
1. Dopamine is released naturally whenever you experience anything pleasant.
2. I'm a very cheerful person and find almost everything pleasant. Therefore I smile a lot, which releases dopamine.
3. Hence I conclude that I must be cheerful in order to get my regular dose of dopamine to which I am addicted.

There...how's that for logic? No need for external substances to give me my fix, I can just smile and that will do the job nicely.

Humm...I wonder if that would be a drug treatment method? Make the recovering addicts smile and laugh a lot.

Gratefulness

As if to make-up for the progress I made the previous two nights, last night I spent my entire practice on one measure of music. Runs tend to give me more problems than lots of notes at once. Ask my fingers to hit 8-10 notes at a time and they will happily do their job. It helps that I have a fairly large hand-span. But ask my fingers to play one note at a time, very fast, and I run into trouble (no pun intended). Ah well...I'll just keep practicing. I almost had it up-to-speed by the end of the evening.

On another subject, I recently read a very interesting article in Reader's Digest about the benefits of gratefulness. It should not surprise Christians to hear that the benefits are wide-ranging. They have now *proven* (scientifically) that being grateful leads to:

• Improved outlook on life/reduces depression
• Better health (fewer colds, etc.)
• Better sleep
• Improved thinking skills (doctors who were given a small box of candy as a "thank you" diagnosed conditions faster and with greater success than those who were not)
• Better relationships (surprise - people prefer being around people who are grateful)
• Larger tips (for waitresses)
• Better grades in school

And the list goes on...you get the idea. I'm sure these are some of the many reasons why we are told to be thankful so many times in the Bible. The study also found that being grateful and saying thank you for things had a "multiplying" effect on those around the person being grateful. In other words, it is contagious!

So when you're feeling down, just start listing all the things you are grateful for and it will cheer you up (among other things).

Memorizing Music

While I await for the new piece of music I plan to tackle to arrive, I plan to re-learn and polish-up some old favorite piano pieces. This will help me remember my lessons as well as give me a shorter timeline for having a special ready for church.

So this week I picked-up "The Lord's Prayer" and began practicing. One of the lessons my piano teacher tried to impress upon me was the importance of achieving a certain level of competence with each section before moving on to the next one. In the past I always chaffed at the suggestion and found myself wanting to plow through a piece without stopping.

Now I find myself quite willing to play the same four measures over and over dozens of times until my fingers have learned the proper way to go. The added benefit of this is that I find I am quickly memorizing the music, something that I did not actually set out to do at first. I have already memorized the first page of music in two evenings of practice. Of course it is the easiest page, but still, it is noticeable progress.

Pianos

Several months ago I noticed that one of the keys on my piano was sagging and not playing properly. With appropriate curiosity and enthusiasm, I took the piano apart far enough to establish that this was caused by the deterioration of a pad in the middle of the key. Then I contacted a piano guy in the area and asked him about replacing the felt pads. The cost of the pads wasn't too bad, but having them replaced was another matter! The unofficial estimate was more than I paid when I purchased the piano! Fixing the piano moved to the back burner to wait until the end of my busy summer.

My new enthusiasm for piano practice has moved fixing the piano to the front burner, so I began investigating more economical solutions to my problem.

Over the weekend I discussed the state of my piano with a friend who is also a piano guy. We established the fact that the piano is worth fixing up a bit, but not as much as the other piano guy was suggesting. He carefully described the process for replacing the felt pads and I felt that it was within my skill level.

Based on additional information needed, I again took apart part of the piano last night to determine how many of those felt pads needed to be replaced. The possibility was presented that at some point in time moths had inflicted the damage that caused them to fall apart. Sure enough, moth holes are clearly visible on many of the felt pads across the middle...although the front ones (a different type of felt) seem to be untouched.

So with a better understanding of the scope of the project, I now plan to replace all those little felt pads in the middle on my own. However, I will have a piano tuner come in when I am done to take care-of that problem. Then I should be in good shape for lots of piano practicing! (Or at least my piano will be.)

Drawer Fronts & Strangers Sleeping at the Kitchen Table

Friday evening I went with my sister to see a performance by "Communicators for Christ." The theme was "One Life: Whose Legacy." It was put on by a group of 13 teenagers who are learning to communicate better with those around them. In addition to the evening's performance, they were holding a 4-day conference for area teenagers. I thought it was very well done.

When my sister and I arrived home I went upstairs to greet my Mom. Much to my surprise I saw a stranger sleeping at our kitchen table. She was a Chinese exchange student and it looked like she had fallen asleep while studying. I reported the situation to Mom and she told me that her host family was gone for the weekend and she would be staying with us.

My sister and I woke the young lady up and assured her that she could use her bed for sleeping. She was quite astonished to wake-up and find two 6' tall blond girls standing next to her! We got everything arranged and we all went off to bed.

On Saturday my Dad had to work in the morning, so I began our weekend project without him. Mom had finished varnishing the kitchen cupboard drawer fronts and I began preparing to install them. First I cleared off a large space on the living room floor and laid out all the drawer fronts. I then decided which way they should be turned and which one should go where. Sometimes there were several options; sometimes only two.

Since installing the drawer fronts involves putting an electric screwdriver inside the drawer, I had to empty them out. It was quite interesting to see the contents of all our kitchen drawers spread out on the counters!

Then I marked the fronts of the drawer boxes in thirds and drilled two holes in each. This was followed by attaching two small pieces of double-sided tape to the fronts.

As I finished this job my Dad got home from work...just in time! After lunch and a short break, we began attaching drawer fronts. When we were done it looked very impressive!

And last but not least, I put everything back in the drawers. Of course, there was no way I could pass up this opportunity to organize all the stuff in the drawers! What fun!

I'll try to get pictures of our kitchen cabinets to post sometime...now that we have fronts on them they look very nice.

I Beat the Sun

Yes I did! I got my lawn project done yesterday evening before the sun disappeared beyond the horizon. This is partly due to the fact that I started earlier, partly because preparations were already done, and partly because the job didn't take as long.

I also practiced the piano some more. This time I dug out my old piano book from piano lesson days and started playing through the pieces I had mastered at some time in the distant past...over 10 years to be more precise. I was pleased that my fingers did a decent job of remembering their lessons. While I would hardly call my playing eloquent, at least I could keep a slow-but-steady pace up while sight-reading the notes. (A far cry from the "have-to-figure-out-every-note-on-the-page" pace I would adopt when seeing a new music piece previously.)

When, I wonder, did my piano playing improve so much in the last 10 years? I think it must have come from the experience of playing hymns at church all the time. While playing 5+ hymns a week doesn't seem like very much practice on the surface, multiply that by 10 years at 52 weeks a year and it starts to add up!

It has encouraged me to practice more at home...and I'm even daring to begin learning a new, substantial piece of music on my own. I would like to find another piano teacher, but the one I'm most interested in doesn't teach after working hours. Not that I blame him for that!

I am also going to have to get my home piano fixed. It has some keys that don't work properly and really does need to be tuned!

Evening Activities & Sick Friends

My task last night was to apply lawn fertilizer to all the lawns. The directions called for applying it to a wet lawn with no rain expected for the following 24 hours. In addition, the spreader must be used both directions on the lawn to prevent "stripes" from appearing. (Our rule, not theirs.)

Most of our lawn is watered by an automatic sprinkler system. The large front lawn is actually a "shared" lawn with our very friendly neighbors. Hence I needed to manually activate our neighbor's automatic sprinkler system (in addition to our own) in order to get the grass wet. Our system has a few zones, all currently assigned to the lawn. Our neighbor's system has 12 zones! I was not sure how many or which ones were assigned to the lawn.

After a little experimentation (our neighbors were not home) I discovered that there were three zones to be activated...but that they could only be turned on one at a time (to prevent the water pressure from being too low for any single zone). All very fascinating.

Finally the grass was wet. I prepared the spreader...using half of the recommended setting since I was going to cover the lawn twice...making passes each direction...and began the job.

My first observation was that it seems to me spreaders should spread behind you instead of in front of you. I realize this isn't really practical in one sense, but it would mean your shoes didn't get covered by whatever you are spreading. Next I noticed the pattern the spreader uses and tried to keep my "passes" on the lawn even and straight.

It is a good thing that I carefully observed how it all worked because guess what?! Yep, it got dark before I was done. So I finished in the dark. It was just light enough for me to see where I had been on my previous pass, so I'm pretty sure it was a nice even job.

Last night my housemate went to bed early. This morning she was feeling sick. That feeling developed into actually being sick. When I got to work I discovered that another co-worker called-in sick. Still another co-worker who is gone on vacation got sick (as did his wife...she reported it on her blog from their vacation location). And a former co-worker (who the above two co-workers still visit with regularly) has also been sick. Ugg. I'm taking my Airborne!

Mowing in the Dark

Just about every time I mow the lawn I think of a book I read when I was a child. It was about a sheep that was responsible for mowing the lawn around the town hall/park. He would make designs in the lawn with his eating of the grass for special occasions. i.e. A heart for Valentine's Day, etc.

Then one day they purchased a lawn mower and the poor sheep was out of a job. But the lawn mower cut all the grass the same every time; there were no more designs. The book ended happily with the townspeople protesting that they liked the old way better and the sheep got his job back.

Now I realize that this book totally ignored reality. Not only would a sheep not make designs, but it would leave other unsanitary evidences of its presence. Nevertheless, it was a cute story that left me with a fascination for making designs in lawns.

Thus it is that when I mow the lawn, I am very conscious of the design I am creating. No matter how carefully you mow with modern machinery, a subtle difference in the length of grass is apparent. This allows you to see which direction the mower was running the last time the lawn was mowed (unless it has been a very long time since it was mowed).

Last night when I mowed the lawn I was very careful to create a new pattern in the lawn; one that was different from when I mowed last week. I have convinced myself that this is also healthier for the lawn (not to be mowed exactly the same each time). It also helps keep me mentally occupied while mowing.

Another thing that happened last night was that it got dark early. Earlier than the week before that is. Which meant I had less time to mow the lawn. Which meant that I ended up finishing the lawn in the dark. (It looks fine in the daylight.) I used the 180 degree, walk-back-the-way-you-just-came method of mowing, which is very useful for low-light situations. I had also walked the lawns earlier to eliminate any hazards for the mowing machine.

The other thing I did last night was resume my piano practicing. It is hard to get practice in when your housemate goes to bed 1 hour earlier than you do (and gets up earlier), and you usually stay outside until it's dark. That's just about bedtime in the summer.

My sister and I have decided to tackle a new musical piece (I play the piano and she sings). We do so from time-to-time. It usually takes me 1-2 years to prepare, so I figured I'd better get going. We're also going to brush-up on some of our old specials so we have something to share at church in the meantime. Now if only I can find where that old music is now...

Obituary for Louise

On Saturday I attended the Memorial Service for Louise. The number of attendees and variety of ages present gave testament to a life of service to all God brought into her life. She will be missed, but is in a better place. We will meet again on that beautiful shore.

Louise T. Moore
Hero of the Faith, Volunteer of the Last Half-Century
September 1914 -- August 2007

Louise was born in Cushing, Oklahoma as Louise Estelle Tucker to Ida May and Edwin A. Tucker, the fifth of six children: Earl Landsberger, Charles Landsberger, Sylvia May, Bernice, Louise, and Edwin.

In Perry, Oklahoma in June of 1939, Louise married Harold Moore of Blackwell, Oklahoma. First residing in Blackwell, they later doodle-bugged their way around the oil-rich Plains States. Eventually, they planted their roots in Enid, Oklahoma to care for Harold's father. After a time, they journeyed to Arkansas, owning and operating a chicken farm. Restless, they hit the road again, stopping in Seattle, where they both worked for Boeing. Alas, the wind blew once more, and, selling all their earthly possessions, the couple traveled America's coastlines, beach combing and beach bumming all the way.

Finally, they planted permanent roots in Olympia circa 1962. Louise began volunteer work, as well as employment with the State of Washington as Harold's health began to decline. He died in 1973. Louise continued to work as an accountant for the General Services Administration until retirement. Her favorite saying was, "Old accountants never die. They just run out of tape."

At this juncture, Louise increased her generosity to her community. She became a decades-long member of the First Assembly of God on Plum Street, which eventually became the Evergreen Christian Center. As an active member, she led many Bible studies and was the greeter on the children's Sunday school bus. Louise also dedicated many years of service to the mission of the Crisis Pregnancy Center of Thurston County.

In 1989, she became one of the founding members of the Bob Williams for Governor campaign -- her entry into grassroots American politics. In 1991, she lent her direct mail coordinating efforts to the Williams for Congress campaign in Washington State's Third District. Next, as the Direct Mail Coordinator for "Washington '92", Louise found herself deeply involved in the defeat of Booth Gardner's Children's Initiative, which she felt was "anti-family", and the passage of Linda Smith's Rainy Day Fund mandate on State Legislative spending. Louise was tireless in her efforts and meticulous in detail. Somewhere in the midst of this groundswell of activity, she added the Christian Coalition to her list of direct mail and volunteer activities.

In 1991, Louise began as one of the founding volunteers of the Evergreen Freedom Foundation, a non-profit public policy organization, and served there for 13 years. "These," she recalled, "were among the days and friends I cherished most." In 1995, Louise was the Direct Mail Coordinator for the effort to repeal Washington State's affirmative action laws, which she felt were "State-mandated discrimination via quotas", as well as the campaign to bring education vouchers to Washington State families, the Taber for Superintendent of Public Instruction campaign.

Her campaign and public-policy volunteer activities continued until May of 2004, when Louise decided it was time to slow down. She moved to Aberdeen, Washington as adopted family to one of the first children she had greeted on that Sunday school bus 32 years earlier. Louise still stuffed an occasional envelope, but mostly complained about the volume of political direct mail she received from the Democrats.

A little-known detail about Louise is that she had a robust and lengthy fling with belly dancing in the 1970s. She loved the natural beauty of the United States of America. She was an avid reader, unceasingly witty, a spring of generosity to many, and a faithful, gracious Christian woman. There is so much about her that is unsaid in this little space. What a woman! She is the one of whom friends and family say, "Thank you, Louise, for giving to the Lord. Mine is a life that was changed." She said repeatedly that she was satisfied with her life. In the family home, she recently passed away peacefully of old age.

She is survived by her nieces and nephews, Steve Daniels, of Taos, New Mexico, Judy Beals, of Sun City, Arizona, John Beals, of Canastota, New York, Mathew Beals, of Scottsdale, Arizona, Barbara Kaufman, of Holden, Missouri, Erlene Cusick, of Oklahoma, Susan Tucker, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, and Sylvia Vargas, of Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and her adopted Aberdeen family of John and Candis Wright and their children, Courtney, John, Noble, and Kaitlin. Louise, though we'll never meet again this side of Heaven, we will see you... on that Beautiful Shore!

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, September 8, 2007, at 1:00 p.m. at the Rupp Hall at the Evergreen Christian Center, 1000 Black Lake Boulevard, Olympia.

Pretty

This lovely plant is in front of our house. It bloomed the day before yesterday.

Random Observations (from the last 24 hours)

-When you buy a powered video splitting box, you need an additional video cable.

-Leftover banana-nut pancakes are the ideal meal-on-the-go.

-It takes less time to mow the lawn if the grass is shorter (because you don't have to stop and empty the bag as often).

-It takes 1.5 hours to prepare and bake one batch of chocolate chip cookies (with clean-up while they are baking). It would go faster if I had larger cookie sheets.

-It is getting darker earlier and lighter later (at a rapid pace).

-Looking through old photos brings laughter and tears.

-It is possible to almost forget an old co-worker's name.

-Headaches can cause someone to throw-up. (Not that I know that from personal experience.)

-Head massages help headaches.

-The number of people who don't eat chocolate chip cookies (for diet purposes) is astonishing!

Technology

Technology is a big part of my life. Without it my job, not to mention the jobs of millions of other people, would be totally different (if not impossible). I am very fond of technology, especially when it works.

There are times when I wonder what a piece of technology is "thinking." Take today's example. I received a KVM switch I had ordered. (That's a keyboard-video-mouse device that lets you use the same keyboard, monitor, and mouse for two different computers by switching between them.) The packaging proclaimed the ease of use for the device. Maybe for idea conditions yes...

I plugged everything in. I turned on one of the computers. No keyboard or mouse control. I fiddled with the cords to make sure all the connections worked. No good. I tried hitting the caps lock on the keyboard (the most basic thing I could think of). No good. I restarted the computer. Nothing but video again.

Thus commenced 15 minutes of fiddling which only someone with true dedication would attempt. I used standard troubleshooting techniques...unplug all but one "part" at a time and see if it will work. Check each connection. Repeat.

So, what was the result you may wonder. Well I got it all working perfectly after I:
1) Plugged the keyboard directly into one computer, restarted, verified the keyboard worked, then switched the cord from the computer to the KVM switch.
2) Switched mice (from a USB mouse to a PS2 mouse).
3) Repeat step #1 with the mouse.

After I got computer #1 working I turned on computer #2 and it worked fine. The switch works like advertised. Excellent!

Except I can't help but wonder what on earth everything was thinking to begin with! The components are hooked up exactly the same (with the exception of switching the mouse) as they were the first time when nothing worked. Even if the mouse didn't work, the keyboard should have. Very weird.

Another thing...video cable splitters (the cable kind) don't work very well (unless you are not bothered by double-vision on your monitor). You really DO need a powered video splitting device.

Plans

Another very good reason for not getting too attached to plans is that they tend to change. Not unexpectedly, my weekend did not go quite like I thought it would go. I did get one book read and I did work some on my piles of paperwork. We did have family and friends over on Labor Day. But besides that, it held lots of unexpected activities (not that I didn't enjoy myself).

The first thing we did Saturday was drive to Issaquah to have the hinges installed on our kitchen cabinet doors. (What? you may say.) The story goes like this:

Many years ago we built our house. (And I mean that literally. We did have help here and there, but for the most part we did build it by ourselves.) We have friends who are cabinet makers. When we got to the kitchen, they generously offered to help us build our own kitchen and bathroom cabinets. So we did. The cabinets were built and transported to our new house. We installed them. The cabinets, not the doors or drawer fronts.

The cabinet doors and drawer fronts were purchased, but were unfinished (because we wanted to finish them ourselves). The project of finishing the doors and drawer fronts was way down on the list of things to do to finish the house. This is partly because the absence of cabinet doors and drawer fronts does not prevent you from using the kitchen cabinets. There were other things much higher on the list (like putting in doors on the bedrooms and bathrooms and finishing them).

Well those cabinet doors and drawer fronts finally made it to the top of the list. Mom has been working on finishing them for several weeks now, and she had the door fronts done so we could get the hinges installed (by the same generous friends who helped us build them to begin with) and hang the doors. We carefully loaded them into the trunk of my car, drove to Issaquah, had a fun time installing the hinges, (WOW! Having the right tools for the job makes a big difference!!!), and transported them home. Dad and I spent Saturday afternoon installing the doors. They look great! We spent part of Monday morning installing the bathroom cabinet drawer fronts. They look great too!

The rest of the weekend was spent cleaning-up for company and having company over. It was fun.

Holiday Weekends

My philosophy on holiday weekends is unencumbered. I don't mind of there are planned activities or none at all. I take advantage of both kinds.

Planned activities can be fun. Not having planned activities is equally fun, although in a different sort of way. There are always a multitude of things that I never have time to do (so it seems) so having unplanned time means I can tackle one of those things. Or maybe even several.

If it is a holiday, I do try to work in something that is unusual. The unusual thing for me is reading a book. Not listening to a book on tape, but reading one the old fashioned way. My entire life being considered, it is unusual for me that reading a book would be unusual. We're talking about the girl who used to inhale books at the rate of 6-8 per day. And those are days when I could only read in the evenings and here and there a bit in between! The library shuttered when it saw our family coming. My family would limit me to 50 books and split the other 50 of our family limit between the rest of them. Happily we visited the library every 3 weeks to get new reading material.

Those days are long past. Now I have gone months without reading anything but my Bible and devotional materials (book-wise). I also find that I enjoy a more moderate pace when reading, instead of the headlong dash I used to enjoy. Of course, it may also be a reflection of the heavier reading material I tend to tackle, although I still enjoy "children's" stories from time to time.

This holiday weekend I have some of everything in mind. There is the unplanned time for tackling piles of paperwork, our video library cataloging project I started last weekend, and maybe even a book or two. We will be having some family over for Labor Day. And I am looking forward to whatever else it brings.

In Memory of Louise

Below is a "memorial" written by Louise's caretaker of many years. I want to share it with you in memory of the dear lady who was once a faithful volunteer at EFF. I will miss her.

This picture was taken in May, 2004, when Louise moved away and was no longer able to volunteer regularly.

Our dearest, sweetest, Louise was ushered quietly to Heaven on Wednesday, August 29, 2007, at approx. 9:00 pm.

She was independent to the moment. I was able to be at her side and remind her of the love of her many friends here...this side of Heaven.

Louise has never forgotten her friends at EFF -- thank you for all the memories you gave her -- and for allowing her to make her contribution in her way.

She and I would argue about just when she came into contact with this band of political friends. Well, it looks like I get to have the last word on the subject! For once!

Louise began her illustrious journey early in the days of Bob's gubernatorial campaign. Those were the days when mailing lists were still compiled and sorted by hand -- and weeks before we had our first office computer. I had contacted Louise to see if she wouldn't mind comparing some mailing lists to look for duplicates. All she needed to do was cross off any she found.

I dropped off the lists at her home. And, when I returned two days later not only had she identified the duplicates -- she had retyped the entire mailing list on her little portable typewriter.

And, history was made.

I remember that anytime I called her house, I would get her answering machine, of course. And, she always stated her name the same confident way on the greeting... "Louise....T.....Moore."

My own history with Louise goes back a little further. I was in the third grade when my mother made arrangements for the Sunday School bus to pick my siblings and me up for church.

There was Louise...the greeter on the bus! And, so our lives first touched. She quickly became a friend of the family. For years my mother would take us to visit Louise and check up on her. Then, when I was on my own, I continued the tradition.

Of Louise it can truly be said, "Thank you for giving to the Lord. Mine was a life that was changed."

We appreciate your prayers and thoughts. Together, we can all rejoice with the angels -- a hero of the Faith went home today.

The Booth

While filing computer files, I ran across this picture of me with the EFF booth in June of this year. It's a bit blurry, but you get the idea.

I'm not on booth duty very often, but it was fun. This was at the King County Republican Party Convention.

Cleaning Up

I love to organize, sort, and in general clean things up. I rarely have enough time to keep up with all of the stuff in my life that needs to have the above done to it. This is especially true with regards to my office move of a couple of months ago. The amount of time I had between when I was given a firm deadline to move and when I had to be moved was so small, the only way to accomplish it was to "box-up" everything and move.

The resulting pile of boxes in my new office has been a sore spot for me. I envision myself surrounded with neatly labeled files and drawers, with a place for everything and everything in its place. Instead I found myself not knowing where anything was and without a place for anything.

Happily that situation has been slowly resolving itself. I made it through my vacation by putting boxes in out-of-the-way locations so they wouldn't get in anyone's way while I was gone. Since I have returned I have made steady (if slow) progress on digging these boxes out of their various locations, sorting through them, tossing stuff, filing stuff, and passing stuff along to the new, correct owner of that particular job. It's been fun! (At least for me.)

In addition, my new job has lots less paperwork associated with it. And no old paperwork exists! I get to start from scratch!!! What bliss!

Meet Jade

Here's a picture from our company picnic. Meet Jade.

The apron is because I was doing dishes and took a break to do a little baby holding. :-)

The Phantom of the Opera & other weekend activities

This weekend I watched the new version of "The Phantom of the Opera." It was very good. The music was outstanding. The songs are still running through my head. All of the words now make sense to me. It had a satisfying ending. However, for the record, it is way to intense for children.

My project for the weekend was to catalog all of the movies we have recorded off TV to DVD so I know which ones we have and which ones we don't. Our large VHS collection is beginning to deteriorate (physically) due to age. We might have to burn some old VHS movies directly to DVD, but we will lose a lot of quality by doing this. I'd rather just get new versions if possible. I have cable TV at my Olympia home so the quality is usually better than the old antenna recorded ones anyway.

It was rather fun seeing what (mostly) my sister had selected to record. It was mainly old movies...things like "The Thin Man" series, Abbott and Costello, very old Roy Rodgers movies, etc. There were quite a few that she couldn't remember why she recorded them and hadn't taken time yet to watch them. So I have added to my weekend project list looking up the old movies and finding out what they are about for our video library database.

My brother (bless his heart) is working on putting together an online version of the video library database so I (and others) can see what we have (and what we don't have) from anywhere. Some day we would like to let our friends view our video list online and pick out a movie to watch. Lots of fun!

Company Picnic

Yesterday we had our "company picnic." Attendees included staff, their families, volunteers and their families, and a few former employees and volunteers who have stayed in touch. It made quite a gathering!!! According to my count we had 68 people there.

The attendees ranged from our spunky 93 year old volunteer who believes in driving the speed limit (or better) to one of our employees little 3 month old daughter. We had a few teenagers and lots of little kids. There was a small pool and sandbox; water balloon toss and sack races; basketball, football, and frisbee throwing. Plus tons of great food and conversation.

Since this event was held at my Olympia home, getting ready for this event was a large part of my last two weeks. I'm still sore from yesterday's efforts. But it was worth it!

I'll see if I can get some pictures from the "official" photographer and post them sometime.

On the work front, I am nearing the end of my list of things to do to finish up the Media Studio. This morning I was able to get the projector installed and ordered the face plates for the data lines that are now happily running through the walls and attic. (Thanks Dad for helping me on Wednesday morning!) I hope I don't have to crawl through the attic again any time soon.

Camp Week 3

Camp week 3. This is the older girl's camp; although a couple of younger ones snuck in for various reasons. It was a very nice week.

Camp Week 2

Week 2 of camp. This is the week it rained from Tuesday through Friday. It was an opportunity to be creative. We did a lot of unique activities; and skipped the sleeping outdoors one.

Camp Week 1

Here are all the young ladies from week 1 of camp.

Meet Cole

Here's another adorable baby. Meet Cole.

Meet Ethan

Here's one of the adorable babies I mentioned. Meet Ethan.

Summary

I know...I haven't updated my blog for ages. But things are just now settling down to some semblance of normality. So I will try to give you a summary of what has happened since April.

First, I switched jobs (not employers). In my new role one of my first responsibilities was to set-up a Media Studio. This involved everything: remodeling a large open space we rented in the building next door into three rooms (think contractors, painters, electricians, telephone men, etc.), choosing colors, finding lighting, researching and purchasing several thousand dollars worth of equipment (think cameras, lights, microphones, mixing boards, projectors, screen, etc.), and furniture (chairs, tables, podium, linens, etc.). The room was first used at the beginning of June. That kept me more than busy for April, May and well into June.

Next, we decided to install a new server. As the former computer guru at work (we have one in-training) I had a lot of responsibility during this transition. Unfortunately, although the plan was sound, the execution had a few bumps (did I say a FEW?). If you can envision the frustration caused by an old and failing server (you never knew when it would crash next), and a new server (don't even think of upgrading to Exchange 2007 anytime soon) you can get the picture. After reinstalling the operating system several times and hiring three computer experts, we finally got the whole thing working the week before I was leaving for three weeks of vacation. (Did I mention we ended up having to create a new domain?) That blew a lot of May and June and right into July when I went on vacation from work.

For three weeks in July I volunteered as Girl's Camp Director for Camp Woodworth (www.campwoodworth.org). We had a very blessed year and it was profitable for eternity. A friend of camp donated a lovely digital camera which was well used. We got lots of great pictures. If I can ever figure out (or have time to figure out) how to post large files, I'll post the closing slide-show from camp on my blog.

My work did not get done at work while I was gone (imagine that). The day after I returned we held our first live web-casting event from the media studio. Needless to say Monday & Tuesday were very busy.

While I was gone we hired a new employee who was taking over part of my old job. Hence I needed to give her files and explain stuff to her. All while keeping up on my new job duties of course. Between one thing and another, things have been busy. However, I see light. Slowly I am divesting myself of my "old" job duties and am able to fully dedicate entire days to my new ones.

This Thursday is our staff and volunteer picnic at my Olympia home. While I might think the yard looks great and ready for a picnic, the homeowner disagrees. I can report that I got lots of exercise last week and will do so this week. Yard work is fun however, so I really don't mind.

Just to make sure my life stayed interesting, at the end of April my dear friend had her first little baby a month early. Another friend had a baby in June, one in July, and one in August. And that doesn't count the other friends and co-workers who had babies the previous 6 months! Lots of fun!!! I'll see if I can get some pictures posted.

Well that's all for now. Since I'm caught-up, maybe I won't feel quite so overwhelmed with the thought of posting something on my blog and will do it more regularly.

Quick Update

Mr. Glass went home on Monday. Home to his house with his family. He is alive and doing very well, especially for someone who was "dead." He will need some therapy, especially speech, but praise the Lord for his miraculous recovery!

Reflections on Doctors

I have many conflicting views about doctors. On the one side there is admiration for their skill and knowledge, appreciation of their high calling, and fascination at what modern medicine can accomplish.

On the other side is distain for their sometimes callous opinions, horror of their principles, and sadness at their mistakes.

So, what brings this topic up you might ask. Please do.

Last Friday I talked about Mr. Glass, who apparently had little brain activity and little chance of recovery. I dared not post about this sooner because of the conflicting messages the family had been receiving from medical staff. The story following his heart attack goes something like this.

-He had received care in a timely manner and little damage was caused.
-He needed a procedure to reduce brain damage.
-His brain scan showed no damage.
-His brain scan showed no activity and he would die.
-His brain scan showed some activity and he would probably be OK.
-His brain scan showed only lower brain activity and he would eventually die without comprehending anything ever again. i.e. He was a vegetable.

At this point he was moved to a hospice facility where it was expected he would "finish dying" within a week. He would not feel any pain. He could not feel pain. He was not really there anymore.

On Saturday when I visited I saw no evidence to the contrary.
On Sunday when I visited I got a shock. He was awake. He looked right at me. He indicated he wanted water. He said a word that was understandable.
On Monday he was doing better. Today better too.

So doctors...you have a choice. Either you were way wrong and were going to let someone die before their time, or else God performed a miracle. Take your pick.

Praise the Lord! He has a long way to go and isn't out of danger yet, but where there is life, there is hope.

Reflections on Life

Life is fleeting, short and unexpected. You never know when something might happen to you or a friend.

Please pray for my friends, the Glass Family. The father of the family (Ken) had a massive heart attack last Thursday evening. After a week of being in the hospital, they have determined that he has very limited brain activity. He is going into hospice care until he finishes dying.

I can only imagine what the family is going through. I cannot imagine how I would feel if it were my Dad laying there in the hospital. The immediate family are all Christians, but it is still very hard.

Please pray for them.

Reflections on the Wedding

I like weddings. On February 10, 2007, my brother married the love of his life in a beautiful and meaningful ceremony that was very special. Here are some of my thoughts about that day.

*Happy - I was/am very happy for Jeremy & Rachel. I do not begrudge them their new-found joy in life.
*Praise to God - For the marvelous way He brought them together and the many ways He provided for the wedding and their future life together.
*Fun - Maybe it is just me, but I think all of the activity surrounding the wedding was fun! I enjoy large projects, multiple details and being surrounded by lots of family and friends.
*Peace - Knowing that God had directed their lives and that He would continue to do so.
*Excitement - Did I mention that over 550 people were there?
*Anticipation - All those plans were coming together...very nicely.
*Honored - What a privilege to be asked to participate in this wedding.
*Hot - It was hot standing on the stage with bright lights shining on you while you try to stand still (and make sure two little flower girls stand still too).
*Relief - It was over. There were no major problems. Everyone had a good time. They got married (the most important part).
*Joy - The whole day was full of joy!

THE Wedding

Not mine, my brother's!

My little, big brother got married last month, and I have been waiting for him to update his website before I blogged about it so there would be a selection of pictures for people to see. Visit www.ourcourtship.com if you want to see and hear more about it.

A Few of My Unfavorite Things

I am not what most people call a picky eater. Last night I got a chance to try a new food...scallops. They were good. Not destined to become a favorite, but good enough to eat. I understand they are also very nutritious. Good enough for me.

That got me thinking about the few foods I don't like. I'm sure I can't remember them all, but here's a list along with why.

- Green peppers - I actually like them in theory, but they give me a stomachache in reality. This took me quite a while to figure out. Now that I understand what is going on, I don't hesitate to pick them out of my food anymore.
- Hot peppers/hot food - Why would anyone think that burning your mouth would be pleasant? Again it is not the taste as much as the result that I mind.
- Black pepper - I don't object if it is in food, especially in small amounts, but you won't catch me putting it on something on my own. Too much makes me sneeze or at least have a tickle in my nose...and it doesn't take much to be "too much" for me.
- Liver - I actually didn't try any liver until I was in my early teens. I entered the eating experience determined to not let any outside influences determine if I would or would not like this food. I didn't like it. The aftertaste was terrible.
- Raw fish aka sushi - Why people would pay big money for raw fish I fail to understand. Yuck! I tried a variety once-upon-a-time with a friend so we could say we had tried. I believe in giving foods a fair chance to impress themselves upon my taste buds. In this case depress was more like it. The texture wasn't pleasant either.
- Clams - Big globs of fleshy, chewy, fishy flesh. I'd rather spend my money on something else. A lot of people swallow them whole! Why bother?!?
- Blue cheese - How did eating mold ever become popular? There are lots of things that I will eat if I am desperate, but that doesn't mean I have to like them.

There are some other things I generally avoid, but they aren't really food: cola pop, coffee and mayonnaise.

Disappointments in Life

Life is full of disappointments. At least that's what I've always been told. I rarely experience this because I keep my expectations low and my enjoyment of whatever comes along high. However there is always the occasional experience that fits into the "disappointment" category. Today I had one of those.

This evening I was scheduled to host a wedding shower for a co-worker (the past-tense should give you a clue about what is coming). Shortly after noon the groom let me know that not only was he sick and going to go home, but his bride was sicker than he was. He asked me to cancel the shower for tonight and said that we would try to reschedule for later. So I cancelled it.

I am trying very hard to think about this properly. First, it is very sad that the bride and groom are both so sick less than 2 weeks before their wedding. It must be much harder for them than for me. Second, I am grateful that I received the message from the groom about 1 minute BEFORE I walked out the door to do the final shopping for the party tonight. Third, some of the food can be frozen. Fourth, my co-workers are enjoying the fruits and veggies, so they aren't going to waste. Fifth, at least it wasn't ME that was sick and had to cancel. Sixth, all of the attendees are close at hand and easy to notify about the cancellation. Seventh, I now have an extra free evening this week. Eighth, being sick is not usually fatal. There could have been much worse reasons to have to cancel the shower tonight. Ninth, we should be able to have the shower someday. Tenth, God knows best.

I'm sure I'll come up with more thinks to be thankful for. However, I still have to admit that I am a bit disappointed. Ahh well, such is life. Hopefully we will be able to reschedule for sometime in the future when all are well (pun intended). :-)

Birthday Surprises

Birthdays are fun...at least that is my perspective. When other people complain to me about their birthday I tell them, "Well having a birthday is better than the alternative." So far they all have to agree with that. :-)

Last Saturday my family gave me a Surprise Birthday Party. It was a double-surprise. First, the party. Second, that we celebrated (officially) my 35th Birthday. The second was a surprise because this year is not my 35th Birthday.

Here's the explanation. The year I turned 35 my family asked me if I would like to have a party. (We try to do big parties every 5-10 years for family members.) I replied that yes, that sounded like fun. (I enjoy just about any excuse to get together with friends and family.) But through a series of circumstances, the party never materialized. Those were busy days.

However, my family did not forget their promise to have a 35th Birthday Party for me...so they had one last Saturday. True, it was about two years too late, but whose counting?

The party invitation did, I have since heard, generate a lot of speculation among my friends who thought they knew how old I was (or at least that I was older than 35), so my family had to repeat the above explanation many times.

Many thanks to the wonderful family and friends who put this together and attended (and many thanks to those who sent birthday greetings even though they were unable to attend)! I had a delightful time and felt loved by all.

Happy March!

March is in like a lion around here...we had snow yesterday!

Now some of you may consider snow to be "old news," but here in the Pacific Northwest, every flake of snow is celebrated or feared (depending on who you ask). Wednesday was the weirdest weather day I every remember seeing. Snow one minute (it didn't stick) and bright sunshine the next. You could literally wait a few minutes if you didn't like the weather to get something different. One time it was near white-out with snow and wind combined.

Although the snow didn't stick here, it did other places. And then some places had a sunny day with no snow.

Very weird weather for the last day of February.

Amazing Grace Movie

It may seem ironic to those who know me best that I am recommending a movie, because I don't go to movie theaters. However, that does not mean that I object to the many other people who do.

"Amazing Grace" is being released today. You can visit www.amazinggracemovie.com to read more about it and find a local listing.

This movie tells the inspiring story of William Wilberforce, a British lawmaker who, because of his Christian beliefs, fought to end slavery in Britain. It took him 20 years (20 years!) to pass legislation that outlawed the slave trade. Then it took him another 26 years to abolish slavery in the British Empire! The final legislation passed just three days before his death.

I have heard nothing but rave reviews from my colleagues who have had the opportunity to screen some or all of this movie. If you are a movie goer, I urge you to see "Amazing Grace."

And I challenge you to ask yourself this question: What would I give 46 years of my life to accomplish?

New Year, New Employees & New Baby

The New Year has come, along with old and new work. I don't mind. I like my job and my coworkers. We are fighting for a good cause, and that makes the hard work worthwhile.

Our pastor preached a good sermon on Sunday about the need to live one day at a time. God doesn't give us a "year-full" of blessings at a time; He gives them to us one day at a time. Hence the exhortation to pray for our *daily* bread. We wouldn't want to eat a year's worth of food in one sitting any more than God would give us a year's worth of blessings all at once. Interesting thoughts.

Yesterday we had two new employees start work. One of them will be my future "replacement" in my current job so I can move along to my next one. This will involve weeks of training...and I have to clean off the second desk in my office so he can use it.

Things should be quiet around here -- 8 of my fellow employees are gone on a business trip to Washington, D.C. However, this morning we had a meeting with 24 people that I had to lead (because everyone else was gone). That more than made-up for the 8 people who were missing from the office.

I doubt if things will be any too quiet around here tomorrow. The phones will likely be ringing off the hook because of our case being heard before the U.S. Supreme Court.

My Bible study this evening was cancelled because the leader is sick. In addition, they are calling for snow and she didn't want me (or my sister who drives even further and on worse roads than I do) to be traveling late tonight. I hope she gets better quickly.

And finally, my dear friend who got married this summer is expecting a bouncing baby boy! I am SO very happy for her and her wonderful husband. I am already trying to figure out how I can visit her during or after the birth. It will be a bit tricky. I AM hoping that she will be able to arrange her schedule (which is very busy) so that I can host a baby shower for her. That would be such fun!

Christmas with Grandma

When I arrived home on Friday, December 22, I found that my passport had arrived. Horray!

We packed our bags and loaded up the truck (crew cab) for our trip to Grandma's house. We were able to get away before 10:00 p.m. This is pretty close to a record.

The trip over the mountains and through the valleys went well. The roads were just about the best we had ever seen in the middle of December. I think that partly because we got away from home right at bedtime, everyone (except the driver, which rotated every few hours) slept late into the morning on Saturday. We stopped about 1.5 hours before getting to Grandma's and ate brunch. As a result, the trip was one of the fastest trips we have ever made. It only took us about 16 hours to drive the 800 miles (and that included almost an hour for lunch).

We quickly settled in at Grandma's house. We have been visiting her at least once a year my whole life. We all know just what to do. These days my special task is working to cook-up meals to freeze for Grandma and Uncle to eat when we are gone. This year was no different. I cleaned-out the freezer and organized it so we could fit as much in as possible. I spent almost all of my days cooking, except for Thursday afternoon when I took time off to go swimming with Dad and my sister.

Happily Grandma and Uncle prefer simple meals. We have made more complicated things in the past, and have found them still in the freezer a year later! They are old-fashioned meat and potatoes people. I made dozens of containers full of potatoes and gravy (turkey and beef) and turkey or beef stew. I am happy to report that with my final efforts last night, the freezer is packed full with a few to spare that went into the kitchen freezer.

The kitchen fridge was not cooling things down properly. The milk we were drinking was bairly cool, so after fiddling around with the controls all week, I decided that drastic measures were called for. I spent a good portion of yesterday defrosting the freezer and cleaning out the fridge. I discovered that the back of the freezer was full of ice...and it is the type of fridge that gets its coolness from the freezer. Thanks to the liberal use of my Mom's hairdryer, I was able to get the freezer defrosted in one day. And thanks to the nice cold weather here, I just set the stuff from the freezer (and then the fridge) outside in boxes while I was defrosting it and they kept nice and cold. In fact, the stuff from the fridge hadn't been that cold in a long time. I am happy to report that following the complete defrosting and cleaning of the freezer and fridge, the freezer now keeps ice cream hard and the fridge keeps milk cold! PTL!

Today is the last day at Grandma's house. We will leave for home after supper tonight. We liked the leaving in the evening schedule so much that we have decided to try to do it each time (in the past we have left closer to midnight than supper). The nice thing about this is that we should get home tomorrow in time for New Year's Day football (which will make the guys happy).

Happy New Year's Eve!

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year!

We're off to Grandma's house for Christmas! I hope you have a very blessed Christmas season and that God gives you a wonderful New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Which Superhero Are You?

Your results: You are Superman
You are mild-mannered, good,
strong and you love to help others.

Superman		70%
Spider-Man		70%
Supergirl		65%
Wonder Woman		65%
Robin		65%
Green Lantern		65%
Iron Man		50%
Hulk		45%
The Flash		40%
Catwoman		35%
Batman		30%

Click here to take the "Which Superhero are you?" quiz...

Passport

Today I will be turning in my passport application. I am very excited! Once it comes back I will be able to travel anywhere in the world (within reason), if I want and can afford to go.

Trips to Canada do not yet require a passport, but I hope someday to make a trip somewhere that will. :-)

Why I've Been Too Busy to Post

OK, I know it has been a while since I have posted, but I have a very good reason...I've been too busy.

During the past four weeks I have coordinated about 11 events for work. I have been assigned full responsibility for managing and filling my boss' schedule. We have had a major project take-off. And I have worked instead of blogging while eating my lunches every day at my desk (when I took time to eat at all).

Now I can take a breath and get down to my normally busy life instead of an extraordinarily busy one. (grin) So maybe I'll have time to write once in a while.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Computer Crashes - Good News & Bad News

My computer hard drive crashed last week. There is good news and bad news.

Good news: I didn't lose any real "work" documents. Per office procedures, all files were saved on the server which is backed-up regularly. I can honestly say I practice what I preach! (I tell people on a regular basis that it is not "if" their hard drive crashes but "when.")
Bad news: I lost most of my favorites which are not backed up to the server. So if you know me and have a blog, please give me your blog address again. (Except QOC which I have memorized.)
Good news: I did have some favorites saved on the server from when I switched computers several months ago.
Good news: My replacement computer is faster than my old one.
Hopefully good news: Maybe this will motivate me to research how to get SBS 2003 to do keep a copy of My Favorites on the server.
Bad news: The server keeps restarting itself at various times in the day. Nothing consistent mind you, but it is getting annoying. (And who knows when it will develop into a serious problem.)
Good news: I have been authorized to purchase a new server.

Unlocking the Mystery of Life

Did you know that there is a little machine inside of each cell that untwists your DNA so that it can be transcribed using a messenger RNA which is then moved into the manufacturing part of your cell where it is put into a little two-part building machine which then matches the code with one of 20 specific amino acids to form a chain that is moved into a tumbling machine that helps it fold into a protein? (And that is only one part of the process.)

If you randomly dropped Scrabble letters onto a table, what are the chances they would ever fall in such a way as to line-up and make one complete sentence? And DNA has millions of lines of code.

And some people actually think this all happened by some big cosmic accident or by chance. Ha! That's not science, that's science fiction.

I recommend you view the Unlocking the Mystery of Life video if you get the chance.

Just Relax

Today I read an article on the importance of not being stressed out and relaxing regularly. The article then explained the physical effects of stress and relaxing. It explained that you can learn to relax with very little effort or time.

Several ways to relax were explained. Ways to relax include breathing deeply, laughing, meeting with a friend, singing, reading, and listening to music you enjoy.

While I was at the printer waiting for a print job to appear, I decided to take the few seconds to relax. I breathed deeply, laughed and sang a song in my head all at the same time. It was very relaxing. (grin)

(For those of you who know how busy I am and wonder how I could have time to read a magazine article, let me tell you my secret. There is a spot in every house and office where you sit for at least a few minutes each day and don't need your brain power. That is when I find time to quickly read an article or two each day.)

A Week in Review

Well, I can hardly believe I haven't blogged for a whole week. And I was getting downright regular at it. I can only credit such a lapse to the fact that on Monday I spent my lunch time on someone else's blog answering their questions about dishwasher use. The rest of the week I didn't have a regular lunch time.

The week has been busy, as expected. My fellow employees returned from their combination of vacation and conferences (except for two). Most importantly was the return of the two "top dogs" in our organization who create a lot of work for me when they are here. (Not that I am lacking in work when they are not here.)

Deadlines that could not be met early because people were gone had a heyday with my schedule this week. I know in theory that the best way to avoid the tyranny of the urgent is to get stuff done ahead of time. However, when people have their own deadlines that prevent them from getting you the stuff you need until you can't let them put it off anymore, what can a person do?

I'll just keep trying to get "ahead" when I can. Meanwhile, all these urgent deadlines keep my life from being boring!

And since I brought that up, what is it like to be bored? I really can't say from personal experience. If I was ever bored in my entire life, I don't remember it. I'm sure it didn't last very long.

Rain Drops

Last night I stayed up after I got home from my meeting to water the plants and cook some tomato soup stock. (I really wanted to get two batches done before my housemate returned this weekend.) As I went to sleep I thought I would need to jump out of bed first thing in the morning and move the garden hose from one section of the garden to another.

When I woke up this morning, I heard the pleasant patter of rain drops outside. Actually, it was pouring! I was delighted. The garden would be fully watered without my assistance. This left me enough time to finish the soup stock, clean-out the fridge, and empty the compost and garbage. Since my housemate has been gone for almost two weeks, and I have been gone all except for one evening, stuff that would normally have been eaten long ago looked more like science experiments than food. Fortunately there really wasn't very much that was bad (since we knew our schedules would be crazy, we didn't put a lot in the fridge to begin with).

Rain is amazing stuff. Water is amazing stuff. Praise God for His wonderful creation! One of the greatest arguments for creation is water. Without it there would be no life as we know it. It defies many of the "standard" rules for how things act, and if it didn't, we wouldn't be here to talk about it.

On another note, the mole pushed up another mound yesterday and a third one last night while I was sleeping! I called the mole man again and left another (more urgent) message.

While I find the mole to be another remarkable creation of God, (the amount of dirt they can push around is incredible,) I would really like them to stay out of our yard! I guess this is the "subdue and rule the earth" part of God's commandments for man.

Note for my more literal-minded readers: I consider a commandment of God to be anything He tells (or has told) us (as in man and sometimes more specifically Christians) to do (or not to do).

P.S. Did you ever think about the fact that God's very first commandment to us was to "Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth." - Genesis 1:28

IT'S A NEW GAME!

(And it's the first time I've done one of these on my blog. Thank you QOC.)

Directions: Copy and publish on your blog; bold what you have done.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins (I think any dolphin should count.)
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula (I may have and just forgotten about it)
07. Taken a candlelit bath
08. Said “I love you’ and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten tipsy on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. *edited*
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business (I'm assuming lemonade stands don't count)
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie (homemade)
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert” (in seagull calling)
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas (I had a plane layover there)
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. *edited*
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children (Does helping other people count?)
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Petted a stingray (their skin is very soft)
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a body part of yours below the neck pierced (not for cosmetic reasons, anyway)
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol (all three)
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery (appendicitis)
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours (I was sick)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi (just so I could say that I had tried it)
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school (for many Septembers)
131. Parasailed
132. Petted a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you (if you count crafts)
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident (at least not as far as I know)
150. Saved someone’s life (I count leading them to Christ as saving their life...their eternal life)

Driving Directions

My family has long held the opinion that my driving directions tend to be too complicated. This opinion was formed from experiences of many years ago when I wanted people to be comforted by landmarks along the way to assure them they were going the correct direction. (Makes sense to me.) Since those bygone days, I have acquired a better understanding of what level of detail people usually require and desire in directions. Although my family will now "admit" that my driving directions are good, (no one actually gets lost if they follow them,) they still enjoy teasing me about the way I gave directions in the past. (And I don't mind.)

Yesterday I e-mailed driving directions to my Tuesday evening Bible study to my sister, who was going to begin attending with me. She had never driven to that particular town before, so my directions were very carefully written. However, the computers and printer were not working where she was, so she asked me to fax them to her. I printed out the e-mail and faxed it to her.

Shortly after work I received a call from my sister on her cell phone. She had left the faxed directions behind and needed me to give them to her again. So I did...slowly explaining each turn (happily there were not very many of them).

Unhappily something was not written down somewhere along the line, because there was a turn missing...and something she was looking for on the right was actually on the left...and by the time she got there it was dark so that made it hard to see things.

She did make it, (although she was a few minutes late,) and was very happy she did, but it was somewhat of a challenge. I cannot help but wonder if "someone" was trying to keep her from attending. The Bible clearly teaches that we are in an unseen war with principalities and powers, and that there are two sides. If you're not with God, then you are against Him...and vice versa.

My sister's drive home was not uneventful either...she almost hit a deer on the road. Her first close call with a deer. So who thinks life is full of coincidences???

Not me.

Let's Go Fly a Kite

I can never think about kites without thinking about the song from Mary Poppins "Let's Go Fly a Kite." There is something about the (apparently) gravity defying kite that seems to speak to the very soul. Perhaps it is because the kite demonstrates the marvelous balance of God's creation. It is gravity that enables the kite to use the principle of lift to fly.

This is kind of like the relationship between the laws of God and the grace of God. Without the law we would not know that we had sin and needed God's grace to lift us out of sin (Romans 6-8).

Anyway, back to my story. The reason I have been thinking about kites is because our family decided to take a short family vacation this past weekend. We went to Ocean Shores (and stayed in the cheapest motel we could find near the ocean). By the way, the Huckleberry Motel/Inn was quite clean, and quite small. It looks to have 6 rentable units, with two being occupied by the daughter & family of the owner and two more occupied by us. We were the only guests during the weekend.

While there we spent some time flying kites. The ocean breeze (especially as the day goes on) gets stronger and stronger. It was fascinating to me to see the different attitudes of kite flyers. It is kind-of like dogs and their owners; they tend to reflect each other's characteristics.

My dad & sister bought kites at a local "Easy Kite" shop. The shop was opened up only the day before by a kite enthusiast who wanted a shop full of nothing but easy to use kites (he has another shop for more complicated ones). The most complicated of the kites in the store had only one rod that had to be put into place before flying the kite.

Dad went for ease, height and not too expensive. His was colorful and had 500 feet of string. My sister went for beauty. She bought a kite that has a colorful parrot design on it with 300 feet of string. Both of them wanted a kite that would soar up in the sky where they could lay on the beach and look at it away up there.

I didn't need a kite. I already had one. Many years ago I was introduced to controllable kites (two strings) by some friends we made during a conference. As a result of that casual friendship, I purchased a "Beetle" kite. It is controllable, but small enough to fly in fairly low winds. It is also very sturdy and can take the kind of punishment a beginner is likely to inflict upon it.

So our family set out for the beach. And here is what we did:
Dad flew his kite while laying on the beach.
Mom sat next to Dad reading a book.
My sister flew her kite while laying on the sand (with bare feet).
My brother sat next to my sister watching the kites.
I stood, flying my kite in circles, curves, trying to knock targets over on the ground, etc. the whole time. I even progressed to sky writing (sometimes more and sometimes less recognizable).

We all enjoyed ourselves thoroughly.

Then we walked down the beach with our kites to see what other people were flying. There are lots of fun, pretty and interesting kites out there.

Some people fly kites like they fish (except their line goes up instead of down). Some people fly kites more like fly fishing; where it is an activity in itself.

This same scene was repeated the next day, minus the sister who decided that she wanted to take a nap.

All in all, we had a very relaxing weekend.

Early Riser

Usually I sleep soundly, only waking a minute or two before my alarm clock goes off (or when it goes off). There are some rare occasions where I wake extra early or even in the middle of the night. Last night was one of them.

I must have had a lot on my mind, because I woke up with lots of thoughts running around in my head. I lay there for a while, thinking I might go back to sleep. I didn't. I tried all of the normal things: praying, quoting Bible verses, etc. I still didn't fall back to sleep.

So I looked at the clock. It was 4:38 a.m.

Now the tricky thing about waking up early, but not actually in the middle of the night, is that you begin to think of things you might do if you actually got up early (instead of just laying there). Getting up an hour or two early is not out of the question (as opposed to the middle of the night where you have time to wait to fall back to sleep and will still get enough sleep to make the effort worthwhile).

So I thought it through. If I were to persist in trying to fall back to sleep I would either 1) get an extra hour or so of sleep in or 2) lay there awake till my alarm clock went off. I'm really not running short on sleep, but I haven't had very much time (awake) at home this week.

Then I thought about the garden. I had noticed the night before (in the process of mowing the lawn and watering the plants) that there were lots of tomatoes getting ripe. But it was full dark before I was done with the mowing and watering, so I hadn't picked any the night before. Then I thought about the fact that it would be at least Wednesday next week (probably Thursday) before I would really have time to do anything about it. As I thought about all of the effort that went into growing the garden, I considered allowing some of those tomatoes to get to the unusable stage as more and more of a bad thing. Wasteful actually.

So I got up, took a flashlight and picked tomatoes in the dark. Then I cooked one large pot of tomatoes and put another large bowl in the fridge (where hopefully they will keep long enough for me to get around to cooking them up). It was lots of fun.

Not that I didn't enjoy myself, but I do hope I don't feel moved to get up around 4:30 a.m. to pick tomatoes in the dark very often.

Professional Help

Well we finally did it. We got professional help...with our mole problem that is.

The Mole Man did a good job. He came in, set-up the trap, and after the initial "new customer" fee only charges for each mole caught. He caught two of the little critters in the first week. I didn't know two could do so much damage.

Now if we ever spot an active mound again, we can call him and he will be back to render assistance. Hurrah!

I cannot tell you how this relieves my mind. It is hard when you have a tiny creature that is destroying hours of work overnight, every night. The runs will have to be filled in somehow, or else we will have a plethora of ankle twisting dips in our lawn. But just knowing that there won't be new ones appearing each night is so nice!

On another note, I see that my last post was about lawn mowing. Ironically, that is exactly what I plan to do this evening!

Curious. I wonder if there is any deeper meaning to be learned from that? Do thoughts of mowing the lawn make me want to blog? Very curious indeed.

The Joy of Mowing

Yesterday evening I had the blissful pleasure of mowing all of the lawns where I live. There are three of them (well, four actually). There are the house lawns (front-small and side-big), the front field (very big) and the back (wilderness setting). Each has it's own characteristics.

I started with the well-groomed house lawns. We are fighting moles, so I began by treating each active run I could locate. (Note: I hate moles...they are so destructive to lawns.) Then I mowed the side and front house lawns with a medium setting and 1/2 bagged and 1/2 mulched.

Next I moved to the front lawn. We just planted it last fall, so we watered it this year to give it a good start. Previously it was just field grass. This lawn takes a setting one higher on the lawn mower, also doing 1/2 bagging and 1/2 mulching.

Finally I moved to the back lawn. Well, actually, calling it a lawn is a big of an exaggeration. It is a closely cropped field, all brown, with only weeds really doing any growing. Almost all of what I cut was the tops of brown dandelions. (How DO they survive?) I used a very short setting and mulched 90% of the clippings.

The whole process took me three hours of very active work. Our lawn mower is self-propelled, and I used the high speed setting whenever possible (front and back). The grass in the house lawns is so thick that I could only use the medium speed setting and still get a nice clean look.

We are getting ready for a party on Thursday. All the staff and volunteers (along with their families) have been invited over for our annual summer picnic. The current estimate is just shy of 60 people. It will be lots of fun!

And you now may ask why all that hot work was such a joy. Well I think mowing is fun! Not only that, but it is quality thinking time. There is very little thinking needed to mow a lawn, but you accomplish much. You get to see what you are doing (immediate results). And the job leaves your brain free to mull over more weighty matters. I always treasure time spent mowing the lawn.

I will also mention that the lady I live with also enjoys mowing the lawn (so I'm not totally strange). But she has some sort of allergy thing going on (maybe caused by dust) and so had to let me do it this time. I didn't mind.

New Blog Name

Thanks to those who made creative suggestions for a new blog name. I have decided on "It Happened to Juliana" for now...in honor of the very funny Doris Day movie "It Happened to Jane."

Adorable Apollo

Isn't he adorable? He was very good while I babysat, despite the heat.

This angle on the camera makes my head look huge!

Blog Name

OK. I'm feeling more and more like my blog "name" is insufficient. The problem is that I just can't think of anything that "fits" me and what I blog about, which is (in typical fashion) about me and the things that happen to me.

Although, now that I think about it, it is rather presumptuous of me to think that anyone would be interested in reading about me and the things that happen to me. But I do have some friends that ask me what is going on in my life and this is certainly a convenient way to let them know without imposing myself upon them through regular e-mails or anything like that. This way they have the option to read it or not.

Humm. All very interesting.

But back to my first thought. Any suggestions for a better blog name?

Cathy's Wedding

Last weekend I had the joy of participating in the wedding of my dear friend Cathy. She was very happy, as was her groom, Brian. I am very happy for them both. They love the Lord and will serve Him with their lives.

Ambassador Choir

Last night we went to a neighboring church to hear the Prairie Bible College's Ambassador Choir (www.prairie.edu). They did a good job. I think they used their "conservative" church program (which was wise of them).

I was rather surprised by the changes in dress code since the days when my Mom & Dad attended...long hair on guys and even an earring (on a guy). I guess they tried to counteract that by putting all the guys in tuxedos. It helped a bit, but long messy hair is still long messy hair. What's with the 70's look anyway?

After it was over I chatted with a few of the students. We signed-up to host two of the team overnight, and got the choir director and bus driver. It worked great because the choir director knew my parents from their Bible school days and the bus driver knew my Grandpa (before he died). I'm sure they chatted about "old times" for as long as they dared before going to bed last night.