Everyday Life

Categories Family & Friends

Snapshot: Dog Stabbers

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My family has a long history of weenie-roasts (bonfires with hot-dogs, for those who don’t know.)

We had a weenie roast every 4th of July at Grandma and Grandpa’s farm. And every 4th of July we’d carefully select our homemade, wire-twisted roasting stick from the dozens hanging on Grandma and Grandpa’s tree.

I’m not sure exactly when we started calling the weenie-roasting sticks “dog-stabbers”, but I do know who sparked the trend: Aunt Martha (of course).

Since that fateful (undated) day, they have been called nothing else.

Dog Stabber

Friday night, a group of us girls invited ourselves over to a friend’s house for a bonfire–and I realized that, for once, I would have a dog-stabber and a dog in close proximity.

Thus, the picture.

For the record, Jersey (the dog) was not hurt in the making of that photo. In fact, no dogs except the already dead Verdigree weenies or Wimmers Natural Casing Weiners ever are.

Jersey, the dog

A great thank you to Jon for preparing a bonfire and (relatively) skeeter free yard for us–and for joining us for conversation around the bonfire (despite an early morning the next day.) And to Kathy, for welcoming our impromptu suggestion of a bonfire (and providing a dog to be stabbed!)

Categories Family & Friends

Him and his bride

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He saw me playing with my fancy new camera, showing my dad its features.

He asked me if I could take some pictures of him and his bride.

Grandma and Grandpa

This September will mark their 60th Anniversary.

Grandma and Grandpa

Grandpa tells me he doesn’t think he’ll die before that one.

Grandma and Grandpa

I tell him he’d better not.

Categories Everyday Life

When I feel undesirable…

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I now know just what to do.

I shall take a bike ride alongside the Loup River as the evening starts to cool.

I shall bring along my camera (a Canon Rebel XS, since you were wondering, Janet!)

I shall stop every so often to take pictures.

Apparently, I’m VERY desirable.

Unfortunately, I’ve always been somewhat good at attracting suckers.

I’ve probably caught West Nile.

Categories Everyday Life, Following Christ

My Covetous Heart

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We were sitting on the dock, our feet in the water, discussing The Greener Grass Conspiracy.

I was telling her that I feel like I’m in one of those odd moments in life when I feel content.

In other words, my whole being is not currently burning for a husband, a house, or children. (My three favorite idols.)

I’m content, I say.

Until I realize how many things I’m still not quite content about.

I haven’t quite finished building my brand-new computer–but already, I’m wishing I could have justified another 4 GB of memory, a new hard drive instead of a recycled one. Already I’m questioning my decision to not buy a copy of Microsoft Office and to instead go with the FreeWare OpenOffice.

I’m the owner of a brand new camera, one I haven’t even begun to discover the features of–and already, I’m wishing I had more time in which to play with it. I’m wishing I were a bird-watcher like Janet and could take such beautiful photos of birds.

Duck and ducklings in lake

But even when I snap pictures of a mother duck with her little ducklings, out for a swim in the twilight, I am still not content.

Oh my discontent, my covetous heart!

Stephen Altrogge speaks truth when he says:

“The raging, covetous, discontented desires come from within. They’re not the product of my circumstances, and the desires won’t be satisfied when circumstances change.”

Because my covetous heart just finds another thing to envy.

So, Lord, may I seek contentment–and find contentment–in You, rather than in any circumstance, whether good or bad.

Categories Everyday Life, Technology

Snapshot: A Philosopher’s Toothache

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After putting together my new computer, I plugged in the power cord and pressed the power button and heard…

Nothing.

Nothing whatsoever was happening.

Except that I smelled something burning.

I suspected the power supply, since it had smelled awful from the moment I took it out of the box (Can you tell I’m a food person? My first guess of something gone wrong is an off odor!)

So I tested the power supply, using the directions given–“shorting” the system with a paper clip.

Shorting my power supply

That wasn’t it.

I reconnected the power supply to the mainboard, turned the power on again, and discovered my problem.

A circuit in the upper right corner of the board was glowing and stinking.

A short, this one decidedly undesirable.

I couldn’t do anything about it just then and it was late and I was already exhausted, so I turned off the light and went down to bed feeling rather sorry for myself.

Then I began to think of how a friend’s troubles far outweigh mine, and how I’d been contemplating her struggles earlier and internally urging her to trust God–

Benedick’s words from “Much Ado About Nothing” popped into my head:

“There was never yet a philosopher
that could endure the toothache patiently.”

Categories Everyday Life

Snapshot: Overnight Bags

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Most people, when returning to their place of origin for an overnight stay, pack an overnight bag.

I am not most people.

Here’s what I took for my overnight stay:

My trunk

  • My sewing machine
  • My sewing box
  • My cutting board
  • No less than six small baskets of fabric
  • A crate of books to be returned to the library
  • My work computer (just in case, PLEASE NO!)
  • A side of beef for my parents
  • No less than a half dozen books still to be read
  • My usual bag of Bible, notebooks, novels, and the like
  • An overnight bag

That’d be me.

Categories Everyday Life

A “Typical” Saturday

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I was born (I think) with an inquiring mind and a desire to know practically everything.

I am, unfortunately, bound through most of the week to focus my mind on the most pertinent and practical pieces of information. Thus, I squelch the inquiring impulses and let a thousand questions remain unanswered as the week rolls along.

But, come Saturday, I now have time to explore the multitudes.

So I click the twitter link to Instapundit’s short post about looking Presidential in high school.

Which led me to the post he was linking to with pictures of current Republican presidential candidates in high school.

Which led me to ask who the 2012 Republican presidential candidates are.

Which led me to discuss with my sister how young Jeb Bush truly is–and how he has plenty of years in front of him to aspire to the presidency. We determined that the presidency is generally the peak of one’s political career, and need not be sought until one is about ready to retire from politics.

Which led me to wonder, which president was it who then became a Supreme Court Justice?

The moment I said Teddy Roosevelt, I knew it was wrong. The former leader of the “Rough Riders” would certainly not be a sit-behind-a-bench sort of guy.

The answer, of course, was perfectly apt.

William Howard Taft (“Tipping in at 400 lbs?” I wondered) was, of course, the man who went from sitting president to sitting Supreme Court Justice.

Which led me to question exactly how much William Howard Taft actually weighed.

Turns out, much less (65 lbs less) than I had guessed.

Then, I decided to write this all up for your entertainment.

Except that when I got to the Jeb Bush part, I wondered exactly how old Jeb Bush really is.

I also took a brief break in the writing of this post to use the restroom and to read a chapter from 1001 Gruesome Facts by Helen Otway, where I learned, among other things, that:

“Scot David Evans was sentenced to 6 months’ imprisonment for using a wet fish as an offensive weapon. He had slapped a passerby on the face with it.”

This is a pretty typical Saturday.

Categories Everyday Life, Thankful Thursday

Thankful Thursday: Difficult People

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I’m pretty sure that in every profession (except maybe being a hermit-and maybe not even then), there are difficult people to deal with. There are crabby coworkers, cussing customers, and cantankerous crowds. There are people who emote too much and people who emote too little. People on power trips and people who just NEVER speak up. Passive-aggressive people and just plain old passive or aggressive people. People that drive you nuts.

Sometimes it’s hard to be thankful for difficult people–until I remember that God is using them to work His image into me. To which I say, “Then bring ’em on!”

Thankful Thursday banner

This week, I’m thankful for…

…learning to keep my mouth shut

…learning to open my mouth

…learning to shut my ears to gossip

…learning to really listen to people

…learning to let things roll off my back

…learning to not back down when something important needs done

I haven’t learned it all yet.

I get worked up about unimportant things. I bottle up anger at people and never tell them. I act passive-aggressively. I ignore problems sometimes.

But I’m growing.

And I’m thankful for the opportunities to grow…
thanks to some difficult people
I know.

Categories Everyday Life, Family & Friends, Homemaking, Work

Overwhelmed, including laundry room photos

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Laundry room picture

I am feeling overwhelmed by all the work that keeping house means. Keeping tidy, keeping up on the dishes, mopping and vacuuming every so often. Meals every day, laundry before the clothes run out, trash before the house starts to smell. Trying to get the lawn mowed between raindrops, learning how to clip a hedge, wondering why my green beans didn’t take.

I’ve decided I’m going to take things one step at a time so as not to get (too) overwhelmed.

Yesterday’s step?

The laundry room. Sweep the floor, tidy the bottles, remove the stuff that doesn’t belong.

At least one room in the house is in order (for now.)

Laundry room picture

I’m also feeling overwhelmed with opportunities.

I have four middle school girls who craft or sew with me regularly and a few more who do so less frequently (or would like to do so eventually). I’ve got some friends I’d like to do Bible study with, and a new friend who’d like to do Bible study with me (Yay!) I just started what I think might become my favorite part of the week–reading to dementia patients in our long term care facility. And tomorrow, I’m going to babysit for my pastor’s wife!

I love that I have so many relationships in this city I found myself surprisingly transplanted into six months ago.

But, like the rooms in my house, the new abundance of relationships has me somewhat overwhelmed.

I imagine I’ll “manage” them in the same way.

One at a time, taking time to love and be loved.

Laundry room picture

Basically, I’m overwhelmed by how rich and how full and how amazingly over-the-top my life is.

A year ago, I was in a completely different place, dreaming completely different dreams, having an awfully difficult time.

Today, I am in a town I’d never imagined I’d be in…
working at a job I never imagined I’d work at…
living in a home I never imagined I’d live in…
with relationships I’d never dreamed I’d have.

I’m simply overwhelmed with how full this life I never chose is…
and overwhelmed with thankfulness to the God who chose this life for me.