Missing Dad

Wish you were here!

Sprung!

I love this time of year when winter has given up its icy grip and summer has not yet smothered me. Grass and plants grow so fast I think I could see it if I only had the patience to watch. The fig and walnut trees put out new leaves every day. Beans and peas and all the other little seeds, tired of laying in the dark beds, are stretching out their arms toward the sun. By next week, the spinach and lettuce will be ready to be turned into salads of succulent baby greens.

By the end of this week, the kids should be finished with their school work. They can already taste the freedom, though the last few pages of math and science hold them down.

I know how they feel!

Put One Foot In Front of the Other

Ever since I wrote my silly poem the other day, I've had the song "Put One Foot In Front of the Other" in my head. Christmas re-runs in May. Yikes!

LoveMercy noted that my hiking moral seemed to parallel my writing life. No coincidence there. Last month I was at a meeting of the local chapter of ACFW (American Christian Fiction Writers). We went around the room and everyone shared their recent accomplishments. One friend finalled in a prestigious contest. 6 or 8 had books under contract. 2 had their new books, recently published, to share with the group. 1 had just received a photo of her new book cover. 1 had signed with an agent.

I unlocked the door for the meeting. That's it.

I went home from that night wondering why in the world I've wasted so much time and energy on a dream that may never come true. I was ready to give up.

But now, with a manuscript out there being evaluated as a finalist, I've found new energy. I'd love to have the whole manuscript ready and polished for the summer OCW conference, so I've given myself a strict goal of how many words I have to write each day in order to have the manuscript ready.

2000 words a day, no excuses, until the end of June.

Wish me luck!

Angel's Rest

Climbing the mountain,
I switched forth and back.
With shoes on for hiking
and water and packs.

Only 5 miles,
but oh what a hike.
Made me wish for a zipline,
a plane or a bike.

Exhausting and sweaty,
I started to doubt
I couldn't continue.
I was all tuckered out.

So I sat by the path,
too fatigued to stand up.
Too ashamed to turn back
from so close to the top.

Would I make it or fail?
Was I strong or too weak?
When I turned the next corner,
I had conquered the peak!

moral: Don't give up. You're almost there.

A Little News

Usually, when I get a call from a stranger, it's someone from the police guild, my alma mater, or another non-profit. This morning, though, I got a different sort of phone call.

"Patty?"

"Yes?"

"I'm calling to tell you your novel has been selected as a finalist in our unpublished novelists' contest."

"Oh, that's great," I said. But inside I was shouting, "Yippee! Whoot! Whoot!"

I have 2 days to take the judges' suggestions and return a polished draft of my work. Winning would be great, but even placing in this contest gives me a foot in the door when talking with agents and editors this summer.

I NEED...

This was a game going around Facebook a couple of months ago, but I didn't want to be too much of a follower. After a couple of months, it's a retro game, right? So that's cool?

How to Play: Google your name and the word NEEDS. (So I google "Patty needs.") Check out the top ten results. Share them here if you want. Or don't.

Here are mine.

1. Patty needs no introduction.

2. Patty needs to understand that there are three objectives she must stick to or else her planning will fail.

3. Patty needs Jenny Craig, weighs "2254 lbs."

4. Patty needs to know that God's judgment is not based on popularity.

5. Patty needs a job that overpays!

6. Patty needs a home.

7. Patty needs to grow up and rethink her friendships, her ethics and her ability.

8. Patty needs a drinking gang.

9. Patty needs help with new glasses.

10. Patty needs to fill out her profile but is not feeling sassy enough to do it.

Living History

I have a theory that if you don't tell your kids something is boring, they won't know it is. It's worked for our history lessons over the years.

Learning about the Civil War? Go to a battle re-enactment.

Lewis and Clark? Stand on the places they stood on their trip West.

Visiting Nana in New Mexico for a month? Be sure to go fossil hunting, try on different outfits at the Indian Cultural Center, and visit as many pueblos as you can.

Can't make a trip? Read excellent books that relate history as a story, not just a series of facts.

We've reached the end of our history curriculum and I'm getting worried about what we'll do next. Now that the kids will be doing high school level work, does it have to be boring? One of them recently wrote a paper about Alexander Hamilton and, I'll tell you, there's not much information about him that's written in an interesting way. By the time I was done helping her with her paper, I remembered very clearly the glazed-eyes boredom that always used to come over me in history class.

In fact, that's ALL I remember from my history classes - how boring they were.

So, the challenge is, how do we take history to the next level without losing its story, the part that makes it live?

Suggestions?

Standing Thirsty at the Source

I can't imagine a thirsty man standing by a spring of glistening water and leaning down every so often to take a tiny little sip. Still thirsty, he stands back up and refuses (or forgets) to drink. 

I've been that man lately, reading a Bible verse here, sampling a story there, but refusing to quench my thirst. The other day a friend and I opened our Bibles to read a single verse and I felt the refreshment. I wanted to open my mouth and drink in huge gulp fulls of cool relief. It's all there, everything I need to eat or drink, and I know it's there. But I stand thirsty at the source. Thank God the outflowing of his truth and grace don't depend on my consistency.

At the Feet of Giants

Sometimes giants come in small packages, like Jeanne, who at 4 foot something is one of the few people I can look down on. Jeanne has lived a long, productive life. She spent her first six years in Africa, back when a trip to Africa meant a weeks-long voyage on an ocean liner. She first came into our lives as a great supporter of our mission. She was the lady who, tirelessly, helped send out newsletters and who wrote thank you notes on our behalf. She was at the hospital when our first children were born and declared herself their grandmother. Just this week, she completed her memoires. She's not selling them, but I'm looking forward to being one of the few recipients of this very special book.

From the Pages of History

How often do you get a chance to sit at the feet of someone who made history? Someone who is actually part of a chapter in your history textbook? We're not hoity toity cultural snobs, but when we heard Desmond Tutu was coming to town, we bought our tickets to see him right away.

Desmond Tutu changed the face of Africa.

Our first visit to Africa was to Johannesburg, South Africa, a place torn by the injustices of Apartheid. We were given the privilege of staying in the homes of three families - one English, one Afrikaans, and one coloured. I couldn't tell you the names of the white families we stayed with, though they were kind and hospitable. But the Africas (yes, that was their name), made us feel like family in their home in a coloured township. I think we were the first whites to ever stay there, or at least it felt that way as people watched us walk down the street. We drove through the streets of Soweto and saw the fields where blacks were "necklaced" with burning tires. We saw the hospital not far away where great advances in organ transplants were taking place... for whites. Meanwhile, our host spent over a week in the sparse ward of an under-equipped hospital waiting for someone to see him about a kidney problem.

So, to sit and listen to Desmond Tutu, a man who worked to end Apartheid, whose work on the Truth and Reconciliation Council in newly integrated South Africa helped that country seek forgiveness above retribution, was indeed a privilege.

And beyond being a privilege, it was a pleasure. Despite all his honorary degrees, his Nobel Peace Prize, his endless list of accomplishments, Archbishop Tutu has a terrific sense of humor and an ability to connect with a crowd. I'll cherry pick a little to keep the pearls of wisdom I agree with and leave the rest, but on the whole the evening was enlightening, interesting and fun! The highlight, for me, was hearing him pray the prayer of St. Francis of Assisi, first in English, then in an African tongue (I'm guessing was Xhosa because of the clicks), before he led us in a chorus of Amens.

The Prayer of St. Francis
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace.
Where there is hatred, let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not
so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved, as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive.
It is in pardoning that we are pardoned.
It is in dying to self that we are born to eternal life.

Forgiveness above retribution. Peace over war. Truth. Amnesty. Love for each other. Amen.

Hidden Treasure

I picked up a book from my nightstand this morning, one of those that's been shuffled to the bottom of the stack over and over for the past 3 months. One I wasn't too excited to read.

And you know what? I think it's going to be good. I love finding a hidden treasure buried amongst the books I already know and love. It's like finding money in your pocket when you pull out your winter coat in November.

Shh! I'm reading!

Two Down

I spent the last two weeks caring for a coughing, sneezing, sniffling, headache, fever, can't get any rest child. No sleep at night, coughing until her lungs hurt and her stomach muscles cramped. She's all better, but the other two just got the same bug.

Does this mean two more weeks of sleepless nights? Two more weeks of worrying if everyone is washing hands enough? Two more weeks of isolation?

I hope not. Pray for quick recoveries and plenty of rest for everyone.

Excuse me now. I have to go wipe down some surfaces.

Only So Many Words

You can measure how much writing I'm getting done by how often I post to this blog. I've heard that men and women have only a certain number of words per day to use up. Often, by the time my husband gets home, he's used up all his words so I have to do all the talking for the evening.

In the same way, I must have only so many words to write at a time. This week, I've been plugging away on a story idea and have nothing left for all of you who are checking in on me.

Sorry about that. When I hit writers block, I'll be back with a vengeance!

Maybe You HAVEN'T Been There

Have you stood at that spot in Four Corners and known that you could mark off 4 states from the ones you've visited? Not so fast. Turns out the Four Corners marker that is supposed to be on the border between Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado has been a little off all these years.

Well, actually, 2 1/2 miles off. 2 1/2 MILES? That's not even on the dartboard!

What else did they misplace? I'm worried about this now. What if I'm not where I think I am?

For those of you who used this marker to check off those four states, looks like you have some traveling to do.

Easy Fix

For the past two years, I've been clenching my teeth at night. I wake up every morning with a sore jaw and the feeling that I've been stressed all night without knowing why.

Last week I broke a filling. I went into the dentist for a new filling  but when I got home, something was off. I went back again and had them grind the filling down so I could touch my teeth together on the other side of my mouth.

And guess what?

No more clenching my jaw at night. No more headache or clicking jaw.

Turns out I wasn't stressed at all! I just had a high filling for the last two years.

Don't you wish all solutions were that easy? That one day we'd wake up and realize we could easily end the recession by trimming out fingernails? Or end world hunger by tapping the heels of our shoes together? Or lose weight by making a wish on a falling star?

Oh well, at least I'm not stressed!

Growing Up

One of my daughters had her first babysitting job tonight. The other has her first gig tomorrow. I lay awake last night wondering if I'd given them all the tools they need to handle the situations that will come up. Probably not. How am I possibly going to cram all the experience, wisdom and knowledge into them with the little time I have left? What if they're missing some huge piece of the puzzle? What if I forgot to tell them how to dial 9-1-1 or to wash behind their ears? What if they can't discern who to trust and who to avoid? 

What if? What if? Growing up is hard, but letting someone else grow up may be even harder.

Hey, Bidder, Bidder!

Come on down to the Unknown Artists Auction tomorrow night! The evening features

• cheesecake!
• entertainment by the Kennedy viola duet and a Karaoke team
• a silent auction of 5 pieces
• a bidding auction of 20 pieces
• the chance to take home art by a local artist (my contribution is above and authors of Millstones and Rosemoor also have entries)
• the chance to donate towards building houses for poor families in Mexico
  

Friday, April 17, 6 p.m.
Vancouver Church of Christ
9019 NE 86th St.
Vancouver, WA 98662
$15/couple

Cedar and Seder

As each week flows into the next, it's easy to forget the small milestones that mark the passing of time. Here are a couple from last week.

The first hike of the season... really just an excuse to get out and breathe fresh air. We chose to spend an afternoon with friends at the Cedar Plank Longhouse in Ridgefield, WA. If you squint, you can spot a couple of natives measuring the doorway.

The following Saturday, I dusted off the Seder plate and enjoyed an evening of good food and fun with family and friends. I think we lose so much of the rhythm of life when we ignore feast days. A once a year reminder about salvation, safety, and new life is always a good idea.

Gummi Boils

War of the Tulips

Europe dragged the North American colonies into three different wars in the 1700's - King William's War, Queen Anne's War, and King George's war. French colonies were pitted against British colonies were pitted against Spanish colonies in battles that had nothing at all to do with the colonies and everything to do with differences between the protectorates across the ocean.

Three wars. And all for nothing. For all the fighting, all the loss of life, all the drama, nothing was ever decided by any of the wars that made a lick of difference.

I think I may be embarking on such a war, a futile fight against an enemy who hides in trees, blends in with its surroundings, and refuses to fight in the proper fashion.
The War of the Tulips (aka the War for Squirrelish Domination)

It's early in the year, but the fight is on. A neat row of tulips grows along my fence. I wait each day to see them open in their vermillion brilliance. Today should have been the day for the first ones to burst forth with shouts of spring.

Alas, this morning I found the first of my precious tulips decapitated. Headless, its body drooped to one side. It has lost the will to live. This afternoon, 2 more flowers met their dreaded fate. And this evening, another 5. When will the carnage stop?

Desparate, I pluck 4 flowers prematurely, whispering apologies for my violence. But they are My flowers. They live at My pleasure. Or so I think. Inside, I prop them in a vase and mourn their fallen comrades.

I know this battle won't be the last. Next will come peas and lettuce (which suffer at the hands of the squirrels great garden ally, the slug), tomatoes, carrots and, finally, the heartwrenching stripping of the walnut trees.

I fear the battle endeth e'en before it's well begun.

The New Math

The size of your tax refund is directly proportional to the size of your emergency dental bill (and/or car repair).

Sunday's Coming

Perfect Timing

More often than I expect, events in life fall together in a way that just makes sense. Take yesterday for example. We started a new history book which will finally, after 4 or 5 years of studying through history in chronological order, launch us into the colonization of America and its birth as a new nation.

Over a year ago, I put my name in the government's hat and asked them if I could receive a set of American art through the Picturing America Project. The set arrived today and it's a beautiful set of 40 pieces of American art that tell the story of our nation through photographs, paintings, sculpture and other art objects. I'm so excited about how it will dovetail with our history study over the next year or so. And I'm excited to share it with other educators who can also use it to expose their children and their students to the power of art to reveal stories.

Creating Beauty

God loves beauty. Why else would he have created spring? White magnolia blossoms, pink flowering plums, and yellow daffodils paint a canvas that, only last week, was brown and gray.

God loves beauty. When he finished creating each day, he declared his creation good. When he made humans in his own image, he declared it very good.

If God created things to be beautiful, and he created people in his image, I've got to believe he created people to make beauty. Sculpture and color, shape and sound, words linked together as pieces of poetry. When we create something lovely, it brings glory to God.

What beauty have you created lately?

Unexpected

Sometimes life hands you little blessings that you're not expecting. Like getting to witness the delivery of 6 kittens without having to leave home. Even though I don't own a cat.

My friend Shelli and her daughter Hannah have been visiting for the last several days. They brought their motor home and their extremely pregnant cat, Recy.

Last night around 11:15, Hannah came crashing in the door to announce the immenent arrival. We woke up one of my kids to come watch and, after the 4th kitten was born, woke up a second child. It was too good to miss!

This is picture of the 6 kittens and their mama not long after the last one was born, around 2 this morning. What a fun reason to stay up so late!

Black Holes

I've always known there was a portal in the back of my dryer where socks can escape into another dimension. Turns out there are several other black holes, worm holes and portals in the house.

Obviously, there's got to be a warp in the time/space continuum. So many things go missing. I hunt and hunt for them. Then when I finally give up, the missing items show up right where they should have been in the first place.

The camera charger that went missing for 3 months. (ditto, the bluetooth charger)
The power cord that showed up in the same drawer I'd looked in 57 times.
The mapquest directions I printed off, then couldn't find. When I got home, they were the only thing sitting on my bed.

How do I switch these mysterious portals on and off? I'm missing a CD that I need to give to someone. And one of the kids' DSes. Are we sharing these items with an equally disorganized family in a parallel universe?

If so, I wish they'd go ahead and lost the stuff so we can get it back.

Mother Birds

I took the kids on a field trip to the Water Resource Center yesterday for a class on where we get our drinking water. About a dozen other homeschool families attended, none of whom we'd ever met before.

The kids gathered in a semi circle in front of a row of tables. The mothers gathered behind. As the class started, I was able to witness an interesting dynamic at work.

The teacher would ask a question. The kids would stare at her. The teacher would rephrase the question. The kids would stare at her. Behind the kids, the mothers grew fidgety. At first, they swayed from foot to foot or crossed their arms. Pretty soon, though, the bolder moms were reaching out and poking their kids. Or if they couldn't reach them, they were waving to get their attention and mouthing the answers to them. The mom next to me wanted her son to answer every question.

My kids weren't answering questions either, which was a little discouraging since we recently finished a science chapter on the water cycle and they should have known all the answers. Nevertheless, I tried to restrain myself from prodding them during the class.

As I watched the other moms I wondered... were they so visibly flustered because they wanted their kids to participate, or to be the smartest, or to succeed? I can't say for sure, since I don't know them, but I got the feeling it was more about Mom wanting to feel like she had succeeded in producing brilliant, articulate, confident children.

Like a mother bird pushing her young out of the nest, not to let them fly, but to show the world... Look what I made!

Day 9

... and counting.

Eh, Sonny?

I'm on day 6 of my ear infection, day five of treatment. Yesterday the doc prescribed a stronger antibiotic with the good news... "Really antibiotics only knock about 16 hours off your symptoms."

The screaming pain is gone, but nothing is in stereo any more, I list to the right when I walk, and I'm sure the rest of the family is mumbling on purpose, just to trick me into agreeing with what they say.

And I definitely need a nap every afternoon.

The same day I started antibiotics, an acquaintance was starting her first round of chemo. As much as I'm annoyed about my little treatable sickness, it's really nothing.

Would you say a prayer for Diana today?

Where are the Chickens?

We're having fufu for dinner. I found a hairy taro root that, though it's purply on the inside, tastes remarkably similar to the yams of West Africa.

Problem is, when I peeled off the hairy skin, I realized that there are no chickens wandering around underfoot in my kitchen. Nary a one.

I never thought about chickens when I bought the taro. Or when I set it on the shelf. Or when I sliced it in chunks. But when I peeled off that first piece of skin, my automatic reaction was to toss the peelings on the floor. For the imaginary birds.

Old habits die hard. Even dormant habits.

3 Steps Back

Yesterday, I traveled back through time to my childhood. Not exactly, but I did see, do and experience some things from my distant past.

1. The whole day was about the wedding. I traveled with my parents to Astoria to be at the wedding of a childhood friend whose parents are still close friends of my family. The parents recognized me, but all three of their kids (including the bride) had a blank "I wonder why that short middle aged woman is smiling at me" kind of greeting. Then the recognition... it's funny seeing people you haven't seen in over twenty years. We all change, you know. Lovely wedding, lovely bride, and lovely being introduced to the groom as "the other girl in the Little House on the Prairie outfit" in our childhood photos.

2. I started the day with doughnuts for breakfast. Yummy doughnuts. I haven't had doughnuts for breakfast since I used to go to the bakery in the Foodland parking lot. I also had the requisite nap in the backseat of the car on the way home. Probably because I had doughnuts for breakfast.

3. The worst blast from the past was last night. I got an earache. An all out screaming pain, can't relieve the pressure with drugs or hot water kind of earache. I knew it wouldn't kill me, but I kind of wished it would. Eardrops finally did the trick enough for me to get to sleep. Of all the nostalgic memories from my childhood, earaches are the ones I rather not revisit.

signs of spring

At some point in my house's history, a previous owner laid a layer of black plastic in the area I use for my garden. Every time we till the garden (by we, I mean my loving husband), it stirs up crumpled pieces of visqueen. You'd think after 4 planting seasons we'd have it all picked up, but I think there's more plastic out there now than there was when we started.

I still have to scrape my windows every morning, there are other signs of spring beside the beautiful black dirt and not so beautiful black plastic. It looks like my daffodils might actually flower this year. The squirrels are drooling over what is sure to be a tasty first course to a season full of wonderful things to eat out of my yard.

My youngest didn't come in from playing outside until after 7 last night. She smelled like fresh air and happiness.

The rose bushes, still in their plastic bags waiting to be planted, are growing like gangbusters, an inch or more a day.

Any signs of spring at your place?

Tools of the Trade

When you home school, you never know where you might end up. Today, it was to the Leatherman factory where they make the best multi-use tools in the world.

From spooled stainless steel to finished product, we got to watch the whole process.  I'm sure we'll extrapolate lessons about the industrial revolution, labor and safety standards, robotics and immigration.

Really, though, the coolest thing I took away from the tour was the handy little gizmo pictured here, the Juice Cs4.

Thanks, Dad!

Warm and Cozy

As I watch the snow drifting gently down into my fallow, frozen garden, I'm thankful that even while winter continues outside, friendships make life warm and cozy.

At a recent dig (Goodwill, not archaeological), I found a tiny scrap of yellow fabric with teacups on it. My friend who was digging with me got a gleam in her eyes and- pretty much- snatched the scrap from my hands. No loss for me. It didn't exactly look like a treasure. But then, treasure is in the eyes of the beholder.

The next time I saw my friend, she presented me with a kitchen towel, created from the scrap of fabric by her mother. A fabric scrap redeemed.

A warm fuzzy for my kitchen.

This past weekend, said friend wanted to have a girls' weekend. Big girls. 8 of us. No kids. (Did you just hear the hallelujah chorus in your head?) Dinner and movies, and snacks, snacks, snacks... And lots of visiting. It was like a slumber party without the slumber. And it was fabulous!

Another warm fuzzy, this one for my heart.

Read Aloud

One of the coolest things about my kids is that they love to be read to. Out loud. Every day. Even the teenagers.

Of course, their tastes have changed and they beg their dad to read fantasy fiction to them at night while they draw pictures of dragons. But mornings are my time to read aloud and I get to choose the books.

We recently started reading THE TREES by Conrad Richter. This classic first book in THE AWAKENING LAND trilogy was first published in 1940, but reads like a much older story. It's one of those books that, if you were assigned to read it in English class, you would have complained and skimmed through it for answers, not because it's not a terrific book, but because you were assigned to read it in English class.

Don't tell my kids that it's classic American literature. Don't tell them they're learning from it. Because they love it. They're engaged in the story. They're learning the vocabulary. They care about Sayward and Sulie and Genny. Just like earlier this year they grew to love Scout and Jem and Atticus Finch.

What do you think we should read next?

Weebles Wobble

I came home from a writing workshop this weekend pumped up and ready to write. Sunday and Monday I tapped away at the keyboard and banged out some decent chapters. Then, last night, I went to my critique group.

I don't feel like writing any more.

They didn't slam me... in fact, they were very gentle. But listening to the words I'd put on paper, I wondered who cares?

I'm coming to terms with the fact that I have a growing desire for my work to be read. And if I want people to read what I've written, I'd better write something worth reading.

I'll bounce back and, with God's grace, eventually hit on a story worth telling, a truth worth sharing.

In fact, I'm sitting down to write right now.

Voices Silenced

I grew up hearing Paul Harvey's voice every morning on the radio while I got ready for school. I've continued to tune in to hear him as often as I could through the years. Though I knew he was aging, I was always disappointed when a stand-in did the news. Something about his voice drew us in. He was interesting, amusing, earnest, and honest.

And now he's gone. We'll miss him.

Closer to home, we'll miss Bill Hubbell. He passed away Monday after a long decline in health.

Bill was one of those guys that everybody loved. He had a ready smile and a generous heart, willing to give much out of the little he had.

He gave me my popcorn maker.

And my iron.

And some very random Christmas decorations.

92 years old. And forever young.

Weekend, America

One of my favorite radio programs, Weekend America, was recently pulled from the air. One thing I always liked was the way they started each segment by asking the "man on the street" this question:

What are you doing this weekend?

I'm heading to a one day writers conference where I'll get to hear Paul Young, author of THE SHACK, speak and I'll get to spend some time catching up with friends.

How about you?

What are you doing this weekend?

Permanently Deferred

I've been permanently deferred. Disqualified. Uninvited.

Ouch.

Several times a year, the kids and I take a little trip down to the local blood bank so I can donate blood. A small thing to do, really, to save a life.

Only now they don't want my blood. New regulations are coming down the pipeline to disqualify anyone who has previously had malaria from giving blood. Ever.

I'll miss donating, actually. And I'll miss the nice ladies who hand out cookies and who remember my kids from visit to visit. And I'll miss that cozy feeling I get from doing something nice. I guess I need to find something else nice to do.

Maybe I should buy some girl scout cookies. That would be nice.

Meanwhile, would you consider giving blood in my place? I'll come eat cookies with you.

Top Reasons Why I'm Not on the Amazing Race

10. They haven't asked me.

9. I know I'd have to go bungee jumping.

8. There are a whole lot of boring travel hours they don't show between moments of ultra-high stress.

7. I'm not pretty when I get tired.

6. I refuse to go bungee jumping.

5. I don't like the way I act under pressure and I sure don't want anyone else to see it.

4. I wouldn't want to have the unfair advantage of speaking Evegbe. You know that would come in handy.

3.I'm not bungee jumping.

2. My passport's about to expire.

1. Did you see this story about bungee jumping?

BBC's Big Read!

In 2003, the BBC asked British citizens to name a favorite novel. Here are the top 100 (updated a couple of times since 2003)

Apparently the BBC reckons most people will have only read 6 of the 100 books here. I've read slightly more than that (54), but I bet not as many as my dad.

Instructions:
1) Bold those you have read.
2) *Star the ones you loved.
3) Italicise those you plan on reading.

1. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
2. *The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
3. Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
4. * Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
5. *To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
6. *The Bible
7. Wuthering Heights - Emily Bronte
8. Nineteen Eighty Four - George Orwell
9. His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman
10. Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
11. *Little Women - Louisa M Alcott
12. Tess of the D’Urbervilles - Thomas Hardy
13. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
14. Complete Works of Shakespeare (major plays, sonnets, but not everything!)
15. Rebecca - Daphne Du Maurier
16. *The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
17. Birdsong - Sebastian Faulks
18. Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
19. *The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
20. Middlemarch - George Eliot
21. Gone With The Wind - Margaret Mitchell
22. The Great Gatsby - F Scott Fitzgerald
23. Bleak House - Charles Dickens
24. War and Peace - Leo Tolstoy
25. * The Hitch Hiker’s Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
26. Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh
27. Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoyevsky
28. *Grapes of Wrath - John Steinbeck
29. *Alice in Wonderland - Lewis Carroll
30. The Wind in the Willows - Kenneth Grahame
31. Anna Karenina - Leo Tolstoy
32. David Copperfield - Charles Dickens
33. *Chronicles of Narnia - CS Lewis
34. Emma - Jane Austen
35. Persuasion - Jane Austen
36. *The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe - CS Lewis
37. *The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
38. Captain Corelli’s Mandolin - Louis De Berniere
39. *Memoirs of a Geisha - Arthur Golden
40. Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
41. Animal Farm - George Orwell
42. The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
43. One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
44. *A Prayer for Owen Meaney - John Irving
45. The Woman in White - Wilkie Collins
46. Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy
47. The Handmaid’s Tale - Margaret Atwood
48. Lord of the Flies - William Golding
49. Atonement - Ian McEwan
50. *Life of Pi - Yann Martel
51. Dune - Frank Herbert
52. Cold Comfort Farm - Stella Gibbons
53. Sense and Sensibility - Jane Austen
54. A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth
55. The Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruiz Zafon
56. A Tale Of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
57. Brave New World - Aldous Huxley
58.  The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time - Mark Haddon
59. Love In The Time Of Cholera - Gabriel Garcia Marquez
60. Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
61. Lolita - Vladimir Nabokov
62. The Secret History - Donna Tartt
63. The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
64. Count of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
65. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
66. Jude the Obscure - Thomas Hardy
67. Bridget Jones’s Diary - Helen Fielding
68. Midnight’s Children - Salman Rushdie
69. Moby Dick - Herman Melville
70. Oliver Twist - Charles Dickens
71. Dracula - Bram Stoker
72. *The Secret Garden - Frances Hodgson Burnett
73. *Notes From A Small Island - Bill Bryson
74. Ulysses - James Joyce
75. The Bell Jar - Sylvia Plath
76. Swallows and Amazons - Arthur Ransome
77. Germinal - Emile Zola
78. Vanity Fair - William Makepeace Thackeray
79. Possession - AS Byatt
80. A Christmas Carol - Charles Dickens
81. Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
82. The Color Purple - Alice Walker
83. The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro
84. Madame Bovary - Gustave Flaubert
85. A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry
86. *Charlotte’s Web - EB White
87. The Five People You Meet In Heaven - Mitch Albom
88. Adventures of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
89. The Faraway Tree Collection - Enid Blyton
90. Heart of Darkness - Joseph Conrad
91. *The Little Prince - Antoine De Saint-Exupery
92. The Wasp Factory - Iain Banks
93. Watership Down - Richard Adams
94. A Confederacy of Dunces - John Kennedy Toole
95. A Town Like Alice - Nevil Shute
96. The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
97. Hamlet - William Shakespeare
98. *Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - Roald Dahl
99. *Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

Oh, dear. I seem to have lost #100. Please fill in with the book you think should be on this list.

Under the Eye of the Clock

Christopher Nolan, author of Under the Eye of the Clock, died today at the age of 43. Nolan was crippled by Cerebral Palsy since his birth. Crippled in body, but not in mind. Nolan was brilliant.

He wrote so many words worth remembering, but this passage stands out to me today:

Communion served to join the silent boy with silent God, and into his masked ear Joseph poured out his mental whispering, begging blessings to be showered on his faithful friends. He looked out on scattered continents whispering his awe and pleaded for his brothers and sisters as though skin colour was but a variation of family crests. Wisdom seemed to wise him to see his awful boyhood as though awfulness was beautiful. His heard secrets cradled him and fruit served yet again to form on hiltopped briar.

I can only dream of penning words as profound as dwelt in Nolan's mind. 

The Groundhog

Punxhatawny Phil might not be the best forecaster. He said we'd have 6 weeks of winter, but now, only a couple of weeks later, we find ourselves enjoying spring weather.

64 degrees yesterday.

I went outside and pulled some weeds. Tiny green shoots are forming at the base of the mums. Tulip stalks stick 4 inches out of the ground, reaching for the sun we've all been so hungry to see. (As they grow, they are eagerly gobbled up by fat squirrels. Some things never change.) Even my stupid cherry tree, the one we peeled all the bark off of in an effort to kill it, has a handful of scraggly pink blossoms on the tips of its spindly branches.

I know I shouldn't be fooled into thinking this is actually spring. The rain and wind and cold will return. But today, I'm thankful for small reminders of God's faithfulness to bring the dead to life, to renew his mercies every day.

Bucket List

Just one more game of tag. And then - I promise - back to real life! So much still to do! Where should I begin?

Things you have done during your lifetime:

( ) Gone on a blind date
(X) Skipped school
(X) Watched someone die
(X) Been to Canada
(X) Been to Mexico
(X) Been to Florida
(  ) Been to Hawaii
( )Gone Skinny dipping
(X) Been on a plane
( ) Been on a helicopter
(X) Been lost
(X) Gone to Washington, DC
(X) Swam in the ocean
(X ) Cried yourself to sleep
(X ) Played cops and robbers
(X) Recently colored with crayons
(X) Sang Karaoke
(X ) Paid for a meal with coins only
(X) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch.
(X) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't.
(X) Made prank phone calls
(X) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans
(X) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
(X) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(X ) Danced in the rain
(X ) Written a letter to Santa Claus
(X) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(X) Watched the sunrise with someone
(X) Blown bubbles
(X) Gone ice-skating
(X) Gone to the movies
(X) Been deep sea fishing
(X ) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
(X ) Gone snowmobiling
(X ) Lived in more than one country
(X) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(X) Seen a falling star and made a wish
(X) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(X) Seen the Statue of Liberty
(X) Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
(X) Been on a cruise
(X) Traveled by train
(X ) Traveled by motorcycle
(X) Been horse back riding
(X) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
(X) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(X) Truly believe in the power of prayer
(X) Been in a rain forest
(X) Seen whales in the ocean
() Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Ridden on an elephant (Does a Camel Count?)
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
(X) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
(X) Been water-skiing
(X) Been snow-skiing
(X) Been to Westminster Abbey
(X ) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
( ) Ran a marathon
(X) Been to a Major League Baseball game
( ) Been to a National Football League game

Maybe I Do Need to Get a Life

A friend posted a list of movies on Facebook and said, "If you've seen at least 85 of these movies, you don't have a life."

You know me. I couldn't resist filling out the form. It didn't take long to see that the list was heavy with horror flicks, sci-fi, and chick flicks. Guess which ones I've seen.

Who decides that 85 is the cut-off? Is the person who's seen only 84 of the movies busy and fulfilled while the guy who's seen 86 is a schlub who sits on the couch with his beer and popcorn and can't bother to pick up his own kleenex. If he even uses kleenex.

About half way through the list, I was thinking... 

If you fill out this form, you might not have a life. ( no offense.)

A third of the movies I've seen because my husband wanted to see them. A third because my kids wanted to see them. And then there's the rest.

And, no, I haven't seen 85 of them. So I must have a life. I MUST!

Name Game

And now a short interruption from the February blues. Play along if you want.

1. YOUR SPY NAME (middle name and current street name)
K-125

2. YOUR MOVIE STAR NAME (grandfather/mother on your dad's side and your favorite candy):
Alta Reese

3. YOUR RAP NAME (first initial of first name and first 3,4 or 5 letters of your last name):
P SlaK

4. YOUR GAMER TAG (a favorite color, a favorite animal)
Green Giraffe

5. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, and city in which you were born):
Kay Juno

6. SUPERHERO NAME: ("The", your favorite color and the automobile your dad drives)
The Blue Astro

7. YOUR ACTION HERO NAME (first name of the main character in the last film you watched, last food you ate)
Toby Pizza

8. YOUR MOBSTER NAME  (Name of your first pet and the name of the street you grew up on)
Yo Yo Mendenhall

Congestion

I've been trying to post a blog from my laptop all week, a nice blog about snowflakes and warmth and good friends and gratitude.

But, alas, I think my laptop must have caught my cold and is unable to process my requests.

I know how it feels. Thoughts and words get clogged up in the sinuses behind my eyes and come out as sneezes and sniffles and indistinguishable mutterings. I'm sure I've used the phrase "death warmed over" more than once today, but I couldn't tell you the context. Every few hours, one of my nostrils clears long enough for me to remember what breathing used to be like. But the moment passes.

I bought pizza for dinner tonight and announced that I'm done cooking until I'm over my cold. No one seemed too disappointed.

So, if you're looking for a happy blog about happiness and the hope of spring, stay tuned. I'll post it as soon as me and my computer get over our colds.

God Among Us

A story during the sermon this morning caught my attention and tugged at my conscience.

A woman went to Africa as a missionary. She lived among the people, learned their language, ate their food, and loved them. She had to return to America from Africa and another missionary moved to the village in her place.

"I'm here to tell you about Jesus," the new missionary announced.

"No need," he was told. "We already know her."

It's been a weekend of remembering and reflecting back as I've spent the last two days with former teammates to Africa. These teammates were those type of people, the ones that people saw and knew that Jesus walked among them. It's an honor to be associated with them.

I wonder what people saw when I was there. I wonder if I was Christ to them or the ugly American. Probably a little of both.

5 Things Tag

For once, I think I'm the last one to play!

5 Things I Was Doing 10 Years Ago

1. Doing step aerobics at 6 a.m. every Monday, Wednesday and Friday

2. Translating a children's Bible study book into French and Ewe.

3. Teaching "Wednesday School" to MKs.

4. Making tortillas, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole from scratch.

5. Growing bananas, mangoes, pineapples and coconuts in my garden.

5 Things On My To-Do List Today

1. Help the kids with their school work.
2. Buy stamps.
3. Teach a violin lesson.
4. Email the French homework to my class.
5. Take the gang swimming.

5 Snacks I Like

1. Red Vines.
2. Triscuits and Sun-dried tomato hummus (thanks, Sara!)
3. Biscotti with tea.
4. Greek Style yogurt (thanks, Lori!)
5. Popcorn with ranch dressing flavoring.

5 Things I Would Do If I Were A Millionaire

1. Travel!
2. Buy a little bit bigger house with a little bit bigger yard.
3. Invest.
4. Go back to school.
5. Give a lot away.

5 Places I Have Lived (For Various Lengths Of Time)

1. Albertville, France
2. Togo, West Africa
3. Juneau, Alaska
4. St. Louis, MO
5. Searcy, AR

5 Jobs I Have Had

1. Speech Therapist for Home Based and Migrant Head Start
2. Recreational Director for kids in Group Homes
3. Missionary
4. French Teacher
5. Fiction Review Editor for New Wineskins Magazine

5 People I Tag (to post a "5 Things . . . " on a blog or facebook or in my comments or just in casual conversation)

1. Sandi
2. Shelli
3. Lori
4. Angel
5. Jackie

First Monday

I love talking with friends. Conversation can go any which way depending on the day and who I'm with. This weekend, hanging out with one of my buddies, we've covered topics ranging from the economy to bad haircuts to raising kids to home improvement plans.

Conversation with God can go every which way, too. My prayer times often skip the deep stuff to get to the easy prayers - prayers for people who are traveling or those who are ill, for those going through divorce and those who want blessings for their plans. Good prayers to pray, but they don't require any risk on my part.

Today, though, I've been called to a harder prayer. A friend of mine is calling people to mobilize in prayer on the first Monday of every month in hopes that we will see God moving in hearts around the world. On this first 1st Monday, he's asking that we fall silent before God and that we confess to him our own sins and failings, the failings of the church and of the nation.

Honestly, when I heard him say it, I thought, "well, at least confessing the last two will be easy." But God calls us to humble ourselves before him and before each other. And humbling myself means doing the hard things first.

There are many ways you can live out a deeper life, but for now, I'm going to join the worldwide prayer of 1st Mondays. (You can join the 1st Monday group on Facebook for more information.)

Red Ink

I've been editing this week -- taking some tests to see if I'm qualified to become a freelance editor. I'm hoping to get enough editing jobs to support my writing habit!

I find editing to be interesting, fun (though sometimes tedious). I also find red letters and words swimming around inside my eyelids when I lay down to sleep at night.

The problem with editing will be, I suspect, that it's hard to be creative and critical at the same time. If I want to continue writing, I need to learn to turn off my inner editor and just let words flow.

Wish me luck!

Online!

I didn't realize how much I depended on my wireless connection until it was gone. Even then, it slipped away so slowly, I kept hoping it would come back. For the past several months, I've been without wireless... which means I've been sharing the one internet-connected computer in the house with everyone.

They're all good sports about it. I'm not. I was always the one tapping my foot saying, "My turn. My turn. Hurry up."

Now, with internet up and running at my own desk, I can get back to my writing.

That makes me happy!

If You See Santa...

...would you tell him thank you?

He arranged for a piano tuner to come and now, not only do we have a perfectly tuned piano, we also spent a lovely afternoon learning from a very interesting man.

Rodger has been tuning piano for 24 years, but his mother drove him to work on Monday. That's because Rodger, like most (if not all) of the piano tuners in our area, is blind. He is a master at his job, able to hear the tones of the piano above ongoing conversations, ringing phones and humming children.

He treated us to a couple of beautiful pieces before he left and promised to return if anything slips out of tune. If you want to know how to reach Rodger, drop me a line and I'll give you his number.

So, if you see Santa, would you thank him for us? He gave a beautiful gift.

New Interview Requirements

Before I make any more new friends, I need to add the following question to my interview process:

Is your birthday in January?

If it is, I'm not sure I can afford to be friends with you.

On the other hand, if I didn't hang out with January folk, I'd miss out on spending time with a bunch of lovabale friends and family members!

Happy birthday, all you January people.

Paradox

Can anyone explain to me how we can have an air stagnation warning in effect at the same time we have winds gusting to 75 mph?

Cozy Corner

There are certain places where you can't help but feel at home. Nana and Papa's house is one of those places. Everyone who enters feels the warmth of home, a home where people love each other and love their hobbies.

Papa's library is one of my favorite rooms in the house. I say "one of my favorites" because each room has its own function and charm. But to sit in yellow light in a high-backed chair, a warm fire at my feet and the company of books around, does my spirit good.

Whatever you could wish for is here... a loom and some knitting needles for the crafter, a chess board for the strategist, Southwestern art, spinning wheels, and a comfortable window seat or two.

And most nights, by the fire, Papa and his book.

Road Runners

We're all back in the same nest, though not our own. Still, there's a coziness and familiarity at Nana's house. The smell of bacon and pancakes draws us from our desert slumber. We skirt around projects - sewing, knitting, weaving, spinning - as we wander from room to room. Tens of thousands of books beckon with promises of intrigue and mystery and knowledge.

A road runner darts across the gravel drive. Coyotes howl on the hill above the house under the bright New Mexico moon. And all the children go safely to sleep under quilts that Nana made.

Cutting Apron Strings

If it weren't for non-stop flights from here to Nana's house, I never would have let her go. But since there are non-stop flights (and the added blessings of Southwest Airlines allowing parents and grandparents to go to the gate), one of my twins went to Nana's a few days ahead of the family for some extra spoiling and some quilting instruction.

She swore she wasn't nervous to fly alone. She didn't have to be. I was nervous for her.

She thought of taking her art supplies, her DS, her book, her math homework, and the chewing gum from my Christmas stocking. But she forgot her comb. And her watch. And the answers to her math homework.

She used a pay phone for the first time. And learned to watch airport signs for the information she might need. And got there without any problems.

She'll be fine. I know. She'll try her wings and enjoy the freedom.

I'm just not too sure about me.

I'm done with Winter

How many days until winter is over? We had the snowiest December on record, followed by snow on New Year's Day and the day after. I love the snow. I do. But I'm already itchin' for spring.

Am I wishing my life away? Or am I setting myself up for life as a snow bird?

The seed catalogs arrived yesterday. That could be part of my problem - all those colorful pictures of fruits and flowers tempting me with promises of a beautiful spring. Before I finish perusing their glossy catalogs, I'll have circled something on every page.

Meanwhile, I'll put on my gloves and turn on the tea kettle.

Question for the New Year

What does it mean if your lucky bamboo dies?