Today, I was supposed to go to Miss Mollie's in Medina with my Art Gang buddies, after which there will be bead shop exploring and all kinds of fun. However, I'm not even entirely sure I can get out of my driveway. There is the road in front of the house, enticingly clear, and my car is mired in snow. Must get the boy to do some shoveling when he wakes. Jeannene managed to get out this morning, just barely, at 6 to go in to work and her tale of woe about getting out was not encouraging. I am also a little gun-shy of the roads after very nearly wiping out on 71 Thursday. I am not eager to have another experience of 360s across the road and ending up the wrong direction & practically in the median. It might not end up as well this time. So, I will miss the fun and remain content to relax with my kitties and a good book. I am positively plowing through Traveling with Pomegranates by Sue Monk Kidd and her daughter, Ann Kidd Taylor. It's about the mother-daughter relationship, the fear of aging & the angst of not knowing what to do with your life, set among their travels to holy spots in Greece & France, with some time spent at home in Charleston, as well.
It makes me think of my own relationship with my mama, and how very blessed I am to have gotten the mom I did. I have been calling her a lot lately. So very glad they have a phone now. I want to start writing letters to her more often again. We were in the bookstore last night and, while drooling over art magazines that cost way more than I feel I ought to pay for a magazine, I saw an article about collaged correspondence. It appeals tremendously. I used to make so much more time for art when I was in my 20s. I think if I ever get my studio organized, it will help me make art more often. It seems as though we will never decide whether we're going to make Jeff move upstairs or not, so things remain in limbo for now. Having a dedicated space and all my supplies easily accessible would make it effortless...no hauling things down to the dining room & then back up. I would also like to prep a journal for use later. I always write and think I will add art later, but why not pre-decorate the pages so it's a seamless process?
I have had a busy week, with my first UPCaM board meeting, Lenten study, travel to Dayton and all my usual work, as well. It's been a lot of fun, but it does feel good to have a Saturday just to be home and spend time with books and magazines. I got the new Rachael Ray issue last night, as well as the Studios that Lou is in. It's fun to see my friends featured in magazines and Lou is just so cool. Her artwork is wonderful and it gives me a good excuse to pick up the magazine and get ideas for my own art space. I should get my nose out of the computer and printed media so I can have something to eat, but I haven't yet decided what sounds good. Yesterday was an all-round bad food day after my yum bagel at Amy's, so I am hoping things will be better today. I should just have given in to my impulse to treat myself to lunch at The Winds before really hitting the road, but I was worried about snow piling up and the roads being impossible. I very much wanted to get home to see Jeannene, so I opted for a sandwich from KFC. It was not that great and the fries tasted like rubber. Not a rubbery texture, but an actual undertaste of rubber. I threw them away. Then, I tried an appetizer from Arby's, loaded potato bites. They were floppy and overly artificial-tasting. I should have just gotten potato cakes. My caramel macchiato (for staying awake on the road) and Earl Grey tea from Starbucks were fine...the Earl Grey was the most delicious thing I ingested all day. Then, we went to dinner at The Winking Lizard, where Jeannene indulged in her weekly fish meal, very tasty fried haddock, while I tried to choke down a thoroughly dry and flavorless (not to mention overly-chewy) steak and cheese sandwich. I simply couldn't do it. Usually, the food there is good, but this just wasn't. A shame. We had a marvelous time just being together, though.
Crocker Park was a glorious beauty of a snowglobe when we stopped by there to pick up Jeff and his friend from the movies. We hung out at the bookstore while their movie (his fourth trip to see Avatar since they couldn't get into their first choice---it is encouraging that movies are selling out---and he is bored of it) finished up. Jeannene had been up since 5:30 and had to get up at 6 today, so she dozed in an armchair until the kids came while I prowled the store. Neither was wearing a coat (it seems coats are as disdained now as when I was a teenager) and she had a mini-skirt on. I was cold just looking at them! I am so tired of having to bundle up before going out and Disney looms large on the horizon, saying, "Just hang in until Easter and you will be warm!" I do hope their cold winter doesn't mean that Typhoon Lagoon is too chilly for us when we go. It's funny how very excited Amy and I are getting about Disney. I never expected to love it so much. I think a large part of that is exactly what a woman I was talking to the other night said, "When you're there, there are no worries. It's like the outside world doesn't exist." It's nice to have a little mental break from reality every now and again. Amy and I are plotting how to do 2 parks in one day and are also planning to sneak in a Savannah overnight on the way home. Yippee! Seeing my cousins will be wonderful & something about Savannah just feeds my soul.
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Monday, February 8, 2010
Sunshine's the Perfect Cure
A lot of folks I know suffer horribly from the Monday blues. While many of my pastor buddies gleefully welcome Monday as their personal Sabbath time, most of my otherwise-employed friends begin to dread Monday sometime on Sunday morning. Jeannene has been known to begin the vigil Saturday night. However, I think spirits might be a little brighter this morning due to the gorgeous sunlight sparkling on the snow! My heart is singing and I almost thought I saw little glittery fairies dancing on our front walk as I waved Jeannene off to work this morning! The blue sky and bright sun are such an oddity for February in Cleveland. All of us are so used to everything being various muted shades of grey that this is a real treat. Maybe Ma Nature is celebrating the Saints win last night. Hee hee.
Today is a day of rest and reading for me. I have made some spectacular dill-artichoke potato salad and am immersing myself in "The Christian Century" until it's time to go tutor. The weekend was pretty crazy. Jeannene's dad passed away on the 31st and we traveled to his funeral in Pennsylvania with the boys. Boot had come to spend a few days with us and helped Jeannene put together a photo board. I think the time together was healing for them both. We usually only get to see him once a month, with his busy wrestling schedule, so it was nice to have a bit of an extended visit. However, the circumstances were sad. Jeannene's dad was in his 80s and has been ill for quite some time, but it's never easy to say goodbye to someone you love. Travis was a good guy and really loved his family. It was also hard coming so close on the heels of funeral after funeral. Jeannene's mom has only been gone since All Saints' Day 2008, we lost her wonderful, sweet nephew last July, her sister-in-law's sister passed in September and Jeannene's aunt Georgia in December. It's too much. The last time I saw most of the family was at Grant's funeral in July. It was good to see everyone and I'm glad we get to see them in Cincinnati in a couple of weeks for a memorial dinner, but I am planning to have a big party or something so that we can see them under happier circumstances. Maybe for my 40th in July. Such an exciting occasion certainly deserves a big party. It was fun, too, finally to get to meet Jeannene's old school friends, about whom I've heard so many stories.
After we dropped Boot off at his dad's house, we headed home with Pie, who was thrilled to be able to retire to his bedroom and lose himself in video world. He is never happy to be in social situations like that and especially not for a funeral. I could feel his relief as we walked through the door. After a little while on his own, he brought his games up so that Jeannene could see. It was fun to hear them commenting on the play & to see the armor he chose to outfit his character with. After awhile, Jeannene and I headed out to The Cheesecake Factory for a late supper. It was a fitting end to Travis' funeral. He loved to cook for everyone and he was great at it. He loved food, loved hearing about it, talking about it, preparing it, eating it. It's how he showed he cared and his daughter has inherited that trait. We started with some fried artichoke hearts, which were delicious, and then both of us chose chicken dishes. I actually ended up choosing for Jeannene because she just couldn't. So she had some kind of Italian chicken cutlet, with prosciutto wrapped around it, served on basil pasta. It was quite good. I fell back on the crispy chicken costoletta, which is reliably good, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. There was so much that we're both eating it for lunch today.
Church was great. We were back in the youth room after spending January with the adult class during their sessions on the Bible & homosexuality. We watched "For The Bible Tells Me So" in four sections and had discussion time. It was good yesterday to have some space for the kids to talk about their impressions without the limits imposed by being in the adult class. We also got to talk about some upcoming events. I'll be teaching the next session in our spiritual practices series at the end of the month instead of this coming Sunday because they all want to be present for it, which is encouraging. I am presenting on creativity as prayer and have some collage time planned. I really need several hours for this session, so it will probably spill over into Youth time. I think we'll have a lot of fun & I hope they'll get some useful tools for their own spiritual lives. I haven't decided if I want them to work on illustrated discovery journals or altered books yet, but am leaning toward altered books. I guess we could always do ATCs. Maybe I'll just give them the option to do any of the three.
Worship was good, as well, and I got to sit with some of my favorite people during coffee hour. After we visited a bit, I hurried home so that Jeannene and I could make the library book sale. We had a grand time & came home with 3 big paper sacks of books for $6. Yippee! We hit the grocery, as well, although I stayed in the car because I was feeling ill. Once home, we just hung out together, looking at her old family pictures and snacking on boneless wings. We half-watched the Super Bowl for the first half of the game. Once we got past halftime, I really wanted to settle in and get serious about watching, so I did that while Jeannene made taco fixings. It's so nice to have lots of vegan possibilities for Pie. He has gotten sick of baked tofu, finally and I think the vegan tacos were a welcome change. I was so excited by the Saints' interception and big run for the touchdown that I was hootin' & hollerin' like crazy. Pie was a bit puzzled as to why an otherwise sensible person would be so into the game, especially since I don't normally follow football. But I have always had a soft spot for the Saints since they're from New Orleans and have such a cool name. Ha ha! I pick my teams based on where they're from & the coolness oif their names. I've liked the Saints for years. I also like Tampa Bay and the Titans, who moved to Nashville from Houston while I was living there.
Today is a day of rest and reading for me. I have made some spectacular dill-artichoke potato salad and am immersing myself in "The Christian Century" until it's time to go tutor. The weekend was pretty crazy. Jeannene's dad passed away on the 31st and we traveled to his funeral in Pennsylvania with the boys. Boot had come to spend a few days with us and helped Jeannene put together a photo board. I think the time together was healing for them both. We usually only get to see him once a month, with his busy wrestling schedule, so it was nice to have a bit of an extended visit. However, the circumstances were sad. Jeannene's dad was in his 80s and has been ill for quite some time, but it's never easy to say goodbye to someone you love. Travis was a good guy and really loved his family. It was also hard coming so close on the heels of funeral after funeral. Jeannene's mom has only been gone since All Saints' Day 2008, we lost her wonderful, sweet nephew last July, her sister-in-law's sister passed in September and Jeannene's aunt Georgia in December. It's too much. The last time I saw most of the family was at Grant's funeral in July. It was good to see everyone and I'm glad we get to see them in Cincinnati in a couple of weeks for a memorial dinner, but I am planning to have a big party or something so that we can see them under happier circumstances. Maybe for my 40th in July. Such an exciting occasion certainly deserves a big party. It was fun, too, finally to get to meet Jeannene's old school friends, about whom I've heard so many stories.
After we dropped Boot off at his dad's house, we headed home with Pie, who was thrilled to be able to retire to his bedroom and lose himself in video world. He is never happy to be in social situations like that and especially not for a funeral. I could feel his relief as we walked through the door. After a little while on his own, he brought his games up so that Jeannene could see. It was fun to hear them commenting on the play & to see the armor he chose to outfit his character with. After awhile, Jeannene and I headed out to The Cheesecake Factory for a late supper. It was a fitting end to Travis' funeral. He loved to cook for everyone and he was great at it. He loved food, loved hearing about it, talking about it, preparing it, eating it. It's how he showed he cared and his daughter has inherited that trait. We started with some fried artichoke hearts, which were delicious, and then both of us chose chicken dishes. I actually ended up choosing for Jeannene because she just couldn't. So she had some kind of Italian chicken cutlet, with prosciutto wrapped around it, served on basil pasta. It was quite good. I fell back on the crispy chicken costoletta, which is reliably good, served with mashed potatoes and asparagus. There was so much that we're both eating it for lunch today.
Church was great. We were back in the youth room after spending January with the adult class during their sessions on the Bible & homosexuality. We watched "For The Bible Tells Me So" in four sections and had discussion time. It was good yesterday to have some space for the kids to talk about their impressions without the limits imposed by being in the adult class. We also got to talk about some upcoming events. I'll be teaching the next session in our spiritual practices series at the end of the month instead of this coming Sunday because they all want to be present for it, which is encouraging. I am presenting on creativity as prayer and have some collage time planned. I really need several hours for this session, so it will probably spill over into Youth time. I think we'll have a lot of fun & I hope they'll get some useful tools for their own spiritual lives. I haven't decided if I want them to work on illustrated discovery journals or altered books yet, but am leaning toward altered books. I guess we could always do ATCs. Maybe I'll just give them the option to do any of the three.
Worship was good, as well, and I got to sit with some of my favorite people during coffee hour. After we visited a bit, I hurried home so that Jeannene and I could make the library book sale. We had a grand time & came home with 3 big paper sacks of books for $6. Yippee! We hit the grocery, as well, although I stayed in the car because I was feeling ill. Once home, we just hung out together, looking at her old family pictures and snacking on boneless wings. We half-watched the Super Bowl for the first half of the game. Once we got past halftime, I really wanted to settle in and get serious about watching, so I did that while Jeannene made taco fixings. It's so nice to have lots of vegan possibilities for Pie. He has gotten sick of baked tofu, finally and I think the vegan tacos were a welcome change. I was so excited by the Saints' interception and big run for the touchdown that I was hootin' & hollerin' like crazy. Pie was a bit puzzled as to why an otherwise sensible person would be so into the game, especially since I don't normally follow football. But I have always had a soft spot for the Saints since they're from New Orleans and have such a cool name. Ha ha! I pick my teams based on where they're from & the coolness oif their names. I've liked the Saints for years. I also like Tampa Bay and the Titans, who moved to Nashville from Houston while I was living there.
Sunday, December 13, 2009
A Very Merry Advent
I love the idea of using Advent as a period of waiting and reflection, I really do. It just ain't happenin' this year. Perhaps if I were a little less social. But, I am doing all kinds of wonderful things, things I have always longed to do, things that make my heart just open right up and sing. I've been absurdly busy this weekend and am working on about 12 hours of sleep for the weekend. However, my soul feels wide awake & alive.
Friday night, I rushed home from tutoring and excitedly threw together a pot of my very favorite (and very easy) mac & cheese, with sharp cheddar, transferred it to my big, yellow mixing bowl. I drove the dark streets to Jill's, admiring Christmas lights and singing along with Harry Connick Jr's "(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus," my #1 Christmas song these days. Marcy had recommended My Little Red Book by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff for the Uppity Book Women's December selection and when Jill offered to host in their lovely home, she suggested we all bring comfort food. Amusingly enough, Marcy had also brought mac & cheese, hers being Kraft with really yummy beef hot dogs from a local butcher. Jill offered lasagna, which we both eagerly accepted. We had a good discussion, on all aspects of our lives as well as on the book (which we all really enjoyed and which I highly recommend for every woman). We finally wrapped it up just before 10 so that Marcy could go out with a friend and I could have some little giftie I could present to my Art Gang Ohio friends. I stopped by the grocery on the way home to pick up candy-making supplies.
Late as it was, Jeannene and Scot were still out shopping. I got started on Jeff's birthday cake, a fantastic flourless chocolate cake that takes a good hour just for baking, right away. Jeannene went to bed shortly after they returned, while I danced around in the kitchen, feeling like one of Santa's elves. I hoped to make it to bed by 2, but it was closer to 3:30 when I finally closed my eyes. In the interval, I managed to turn out a beautiful cake, a batch of peanut brittle, a collection of hot pink lemon drop spoons (to be stirred into the packets of chamomile tea I added to my gift bags) and even homemade marshmallows, my first attempt at that. I was pretty frustrated when I pulled my candy thermometer out of the drawer only to discover that the end was shattered. I decided just to wing it, giving myself the advice my life coach once gave me regarding cheesecake---"What's the worst thing that can happen if it doesn't come out right?" Hmm, some sugar, Karo and gelatin wasted. Not the end of the world. However, they came out just fine, thank you very much, and I included them in my sacks with candy canes for stirring and packets of fancy cocoa. By the time I was finished with the night's candy-making project, I was high on accomplishment and fun. Tired, but flying high. I'd even chosen a name for my (imaginary) candy kitchen, Happy Cat Kitchens. Perhaps that might not be such a good name, though. It might bring to mind images of grinning cats dancing through the cake batter, pawing the marshmallow fluff, napping atop the peanut brittle. Not the case, but nonetheless, if I ever open a real candy kitchen, that probably won't work as the name! I took a sample of peanut brittle up to my sleepish wife, who happily awoke for such a sweet treat. Funny thing is that she ended up liking the marshmallows best of all, when she usually despises marshmallows.
I awoke too early Saturday morning for such a late Friday night, but I was buzzing on excitement about the Art Gang Ohio Christmas tea. I finished up my packages and packed up a smudge pot I glazed and a Spirit doll I am working on needle-felting. Then, I got on the road. Jeannene's GPS took me a completely different way than the MapQuest directions, so I was later than I expected but didn't miss out on anything besides conversation. Darlene's house was lovely and filled with wonderful art and antique pieces. My favorites were her collection of icons, including some Virgin of Guadalupe ones. We visited and waited for other arrivals, catching up on one another's lives and latest creative projects. We started with tea. I was happy to see that Darlene had Earl Grey, my tea of choice, and tiny chicken salad finger sandwiches, much adored by me. Hers were some of the better ones I've sampled, too. Must get recipe! There were egg salad dainty sandwiches, miniature shrimp summer rolls with peanut sauce, beautiful apricot scones, sumptuous desserts. Then when it was gift-opening time. I am constantly blown away by the talent & generosity of these gals. My treats paled in comparison to amazing artwork, handmade ornaments, wonderful collections of edible delights, fun art supplies & ephemera. I felt so overwhelmed. I was even more bowled over by the show and tell time, with all kinds of funky and fabulous art pieces, from lushly-colored yarn to an intricate art journal to adorably cute felted figures. How am I lucky enough to be part of the Uppity Book Women, Wild Mango Queens and AGO? Thanks, God! After show & tell, we came up with our 2010 project, "Some Time AGO." I am incredibly excited about that! I'm hoping it will give me incentive to actually make art, rather than just thinking I ought to do so, would love to do so, need to fill my well by doing so. I also got pretty charged up seeing Darlene's studio and thinking about the possibilities for our new studio once we kick Jeff out of his man cave/basement lair and move him upstairs. I am seriously considering mango walls.
Once home, I had only a minimal amount of time before more celebration, a small amount of time in which to wrap Jeff's (ridiculously expensive, available only for an extremely brief time and therefore requiring the money we'd set aside for me to join Jeannene in Vegas last week) new X-Box 360 and adorn his cake with fresh raspberries. Then, it was off to pick up Jeff's friend, Chris, for dinner at the local Japanese steakhouse. Quite a step up from the gas station food he requested for his 14th birthday last December. We had dinner at BP that night. Chris then spent the night, our living room transformed into a gamer's haven and our bedroom transformed into a sleeper's haven. I still only got about 6 hours of sleep. I am not a morning person and arising at 7 every Sunday feels a bit much. Good thing I adore my job.
Today, I got paid to go Christmas caroling! Okay, I did a little more than that, but I got to go Christmas caroling for the first time in years. First, I got to hang out with the middler church school class while they began work on writing their own prayer of confession. I am always pleased to hear their insights. Then, I hung out with the extremely sleepy youth class. The teacher and I were sleepy, too. We were quite a sight! Then, worship, annual meeting and carolers' lunch, enormous baked potatoes with chili atop them. We caroled and delivered cookies, ending up at the home of a darling elder member of our congregation within sight of the lake. Ah, the lake! I love it! We all ventured down there, Barb wishing to take a photo of the gingerbread man with Lake Erie in the background. Meghan rode her mom piggyback to the end of the street and her brother's shoulders back to the car. It was very sweet. Much fun was had by me, despite my shyness about my utter lack of any musical talent whatsoever.
Now that I'm home, I am being thoroughly amused by the adolescent homework angst opera that is occurring in my home. Jeff is in so much trouble for his grades and he and Jeannene have been very comically going back and forth. She is aggravated enough to throw bacon at him and tempted herself with ham, as well. He has done marvelously funny impressions of his teacher and has raised the foam numchuks high in the air. They are hilarious!
Friday night, I rushed home from tutoring and excitedly threw together a pot of my very favorite (and very easy) mac & cheese, with sharp cheddar, transferred it to my big, yellow mixing bowl. I drove the dark streets to Jill's, admiring Christmas lights and singing along with Harry Connick Jr's "(It Must've Been Ol') Santa Claus," my #1 Christmas song these days. Marcy had recommended My Little Red Book by Rachel Kauder Nalebuff for the Uppity Book Women's December selection and when Jill offered to host in their lovely home, she suggested we all bring comfort food. Amusingly enough, Marcy had also brought mac & cheese, hers being Kraft with really yummy beef hot dogs from a local butcher. Jill offered lasagna, which we both eagerly accepted. We had a good discussion, on all aspects of our lives as well as on the book (which we all really enjoyed and which I highly recommend for every woman). We finally wrapped it up just before 10 so that Marcy could go out with a friend and I could have some little giftie I could present to my Art Gang Ohio friends. I stopped by the grocery on the way home to pick up candy-making supplies.
Late as it was, Jeannene and Scot were still out shopping. I got started on Jeff's birthday cake, a fantastic flourless chocolate cake that takes a good hour just for baking, right away. Jeannene went to bed shortly after they returned, while I danced around in the kitchen, feeling like one of Santa's elves. I hoped to make it to bed by 2, but it was closer to 3:30 when I finally closed my eyes. In the interval, I managed to turn out a beautiful cake, a batch of peanut brittle, a collection of hot pink lemon drop spoons (to be stirred into the packets of chamomile tea I added to my gift bags) and even homemade marshmallows, my first attempt at that. I was pretty frustrated when I pulled my candy thermometer out of the drawer only to discover that the end was shattered. I decided just to wing it, giving myself the advice my life coach once gave me regarding cheesecake---"What's the worst thing that can happen if it doesn't come out right?" Hmm, some sugar, Karo and gelatin wasted. Not the end of the world. However, they came out just fine, thank you very much, and I included them in my sacks with candy canes for stirring and packets of fancy cocoa. By the time I was finished with the night's candy-making project, I was high on accomplishment and fun. Tired, but flying high. I'd even chosen a name for my (imaginary) candy kitchen, Happy Cat Kitchens. Perhaps that might not be such a good name, though. It might bring to mind images of grinning cats dancing through the cake batter, pawing the marshmallow fluff, napping atop the peanut brittle. Not the case, but nonetheless, if I ever open a real candy kitchen, that probably won't work as the name! I took a sample of peanut brittle up to my sleepish wife, who happily awoke for such a sweet treat. Funny thing is that she ended up liking the marshmallows best of all, when she usually despises marshmallows.
I awoke too early Saturday morning for such a late Friday night, but I was buzzing on excitement about the Art Gang Ohio Christmas tea. I finished up my packages and packed up a smudge pot I glazed and a Spirit doll I am working on needle-felting. Then, I got on the road. Jeannene's GPS took me a completely different way than the MapQuest directions, so I was later than I expected but didn't miss out on anything besides conversation. Darlene's house was lovely and filled with wonderful art and antique pieces. My favorites were her collection of icons, including some Virgin of Guadalupe ones. We visited and waited for other arrivals, catching up on one another's lives and latest creative projects. We started with tea. I was happy to see that Darlene had Earl Grey, my tea of choice, and tiny chicken salad finger sandwiches, much adored by me. Hers were some of the better ones I've sampled, too. Must get recipe! There were egg salad dainty sandwiches, miniature shrimp summer rolls with peanut sauce, beautiful apricot scones, sumptuous desserts. Then when it was gift-opening time. I am constantly blown away by the talent & generosity of these gals. My treats paled in comparison to amazing artwork, handmade ornaments, wonderful collections of edible delights, fun art supplies & ephemera. I felt so overwhelmed. I was even more bowled over by the show and tell time, with all kinds of funky and fabulous art pieces, from lushly-colored yarn to an intricate art journal to adorably cute felted figures. How am I lucky enough to be part of the Uppity Book Women, Wild Mango Queens and AGO? Thanks, God! After show & tell, we came up with our 2010 project, "Some Time AGO." I am incredibly excited about that! I'm hoping it will give me incentive to actually make art, rather than just thinking I ought to do so, would love to do so, need to fill my well by doing so. I also got pretty charged up seeing Darlene's studio and thinking about the possibilities for our new studio once we kick Jeff out of his man cave/basement lair and move him upstairs. I am seriously considering mango walls.
Once home, I had only a minimal amount of time before more celebration, a small amount of time in which to wrap Jeff's (ridiculously expensive, available only for an extremely brief time and therefore requiring the money we'd set aside for me to join Jeannene in Vegas last week) new X-Box 360 and adorn his cake with fresh raspberries. Then, it was off to pick up Jeff's friend, Chris, for dinner at the local Japanese steakhouse. Quite a step up from the gas station food he requested for his 14th birthday last December. We had dinner at BP that night. Chris then spent the night, our living room transformed into a gamer's haven and our bedroom transformed into a sleeper's haven. I still only got about 6 hours of sleep. I am not a morning person and arising at 7 every Sunday feels a bit much. Good thing I adore my job.
Today, I got paid to go Christmas caroling! Okay, I did a little more than that, but I got to go Christmas caroling for the first time in years. First, I got to hang out with the middler church school class while they began work on writing their own prayer of confession. I am always pleased to hear their insights. Then, I hung out with the extremely sleepy youth class. The teacher and I were sleepy, too. We were quite a sight! Then, worship, annual meeting and carolers' lunch, enormous baked potatoes with chili atop them. We caroled and delivered cookies, ending up at the home of a darling elder member of our congregation within sight of the lake. Ah, the lake! I love it! We all ventured down there, Barb wishing to take a photo of the gingerbread man with Lake Erie in the background. Meghan rode her mom piggyback to the end of the street and her brother's shoulders back to the car. It was very sweet. Much fun was had by me, despite my shyness about my utter lack of any musical talent whatsoever.
Now that I'm home, I am being thoroughly amused by the adolescent homework angst opera that is occurring in my home. Jeff is in so much trouble for his grades and he and Jeannene have been very comically going back and forth. She is aggravated enough to throw bacon at him and tempted herself with ham, as well. He has done marvelously funny impressions of his teacher and has raised the foam numchuks high in the air. They are hilarious!
Friday, October 30, 2009
So Much For Walking Meditation!
I've been meaning to start walking again for awhile now and today was the day. I'd like to lose the extra weight I put on in seminary (or, rather, on the 4-hour drive between seminary and home, during which I munched on junk to keep myself awake and stave off boredom) and I'd also like to use the time to connect with Spirit. My friend Gene, who has walked every day since last February, has inspired me to make the time for mindful walking now rather than later. Why I thought it would be a good idea to do this with a willful 80-pound Rottweiler-Dobie mix today is beyond me.
Mindful walking is a wonderful way to connect with God and all that God does in the world. However, there is no such thing as mindful walking with a dingbat...I mean, dog. Or perhaps there is, for people who like the whole dog ownership thing. I am a cat person, through and through, and can easily meditate with a cat bathing next to me. This doesn't mean I don't like dogs. On the contrary, I adore other people's dogs. I admire Leo, my aunt & uncle's Golden, immensely and think he is beautiful. Starr, his housemate, another Golden, is adorably naughty and happy-go-lucky, with her tongue generally slung out the side of her mouth. My heart melts when Faith, my auntie's long-haired Dachshund, grins at me and I just love her brother, Rowdy's, fabulously venerable little face. I woke up in tears the other morning because I dreamed my cousins' amazingly cool wolf dog, Xavier, died and I am planning to spend my Halloween afternoon at the pooch parade. In short, I like dogs, just not the tedium of owning one. However, my wife wanted a dog and I felt grinchly not letting her have one ever again for the rest of our lives, so I caved. Sigh. I caved. How could I?
So, my walk with Harley (who is, by the way, an unusually well-behaved dog, really) today started out not mindfully, but pleasantly enough. She'd been guffing me all morning to go for a walk, having neglected to poop on either of the two walks my dearest darling wife (her real owner) took her on this morning. Oh, no, she had to complain to me all morning instead. By the time we entered the walking trail, she had done her thing, though, and I had gratefully made a deposit in the trash can nearby. We enjoyed a stroll through a neighborhood that looks like the sort where I'd eventually like to live and were headed back on the walking trail when I saw another dog. Not wanting to alarm the owner with Harley's enthusiasm and not sure how the other dog was with fellow canines, I took Harley off the path in hopes of distracting her with the lure of the woods edge. Did my ever-so-brilliant tactic work? Oh, no, of course not. Rather, it only succeeded in getting my sneakers all dirty, my socks damp and a rather large swath of mud deposited on my freshly-washed jeans by Harley's leaping attempt to go play with the other dog. Oy vey! Why can't dogs only have to go out when the people who actually want them in the household are home and not busy? (Did I mention walking Harley last night so my love could complete some online tutorials for work?)
I am clearly not cut out for this dog thing. So, for tomorrow's walk, it will be just me and God. Harley can stay home and annoy the cats. Today, I will smooth down my ruffled feathers with a trip to the library for chick flicks and then dress in my Halloween costume (myself as a teenager---pictures to come, I hope!) to go tutor.
Mindful walking is a wonderful way to connect with God and all that God does in the world. However, there is no such thing as mindful walking with a dingbat...I mean, dog. Or perhaps there is, for people who like the whole dog ownership thing. I am a cat person, through and through, and can easily meditate with a cat bathing next to me. This doesn't mean I don't like dogs. On the contrary, I adore other people's dogs. I admire Leo, my aunt & uncle's Golden, immensely and think he is beautiful. Starr, his housemate, another Golden, is adorably naughty and happy-go-lucky, with her tongue generally slung out the side of her mouth. My heart melts when Faith, my auntie's long-haired Dachshund, grins at me and I just love her brother, Rowdy's, fabulously venerable little face. I woke up in tears the other morning because I dreamed my cousins' amazingly cool wolf dog, Xavier, died and I am planning to spend my Halloween afternoon at the pooch parade. In short, I like dogs, just not the tedium of owning one. However, my wife wanted a dog and I felt grinchly not letting her have one ever again for the rest of our lives, so I caved. Sigh. I caved. How could I?
So, my walk with Harley (who is, by the way, an unusually well-behaved dog, really) today started out not mindfully, but pleasantly enough. She'd been guffing me all morning to go for a walk, having neglected to poop on either of the two walks my dearest darling wife (her real owner) took her on this morning. Oh, no, she had to complain to me all morning instead. By the time we entered the walking trail, she had done her thing, though, and I had gratefully made a deposit in the trash can nearby. We enjoyed a stroll through a neighborhood that looks like the sort where I'd eventually like to live and were headed back on the walking trail when I saw another dog. Not wanting to alarm the owner with Harley's enthusiasm and not sure how the other dog was with fellow canines, I took Harley off the path in hopes of distracting her with the lure of the woods edge. Did my ever-so-brilliant tactic work? Oh, no, of course not. Rather, it only succeeded in getting my sneakers all dirty, my socks damp and a rather large swath of mud deposited on my freshly-washed jeans by Harley's leaping attempt to go play with the other dog. Oy vey! Why can't dogs only have to go out when the people who actually want them in the household are home and not busy? (Did I mention walking Harley last night so my love could complete some online tutorials for work?)
I am clearly not cut out for this dog thing. So, for tomorrow's walk, it will be just me and God. Harley can stay home and annoy the cats. Today, I will smooth down my ruffled feathers with a trip to the library for chick flicks and then dress in my Halloween costume (myself as a teenager---pictures to come, I hope!) to go tutor.
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