Friyay! I will be hanging out with the PCA ladies at our annual retreat on Friday night and Saturday. Not sure what all this will entail, but I am game. Rumor has it that there will be S’mores at the fire pit on Friday night.
The boy has an in-law family wedding in outstate MO so he will be busy on twins duty. Daughter #2 will be corraling the small fry as usual. Now that Wes is mobile, he is unstoppable.
And daughter #1 will be getting ready for a work week in Wyoming!
My yard is looking pretty dry these days after weeks of heat alerts and despite exorbitant water bills.
However, Don’s garden still shows signs of life, both of the flora and fauna variety.
I went to my new Bible Study yesterday and to the women’s book club at church last night, which is way over my daily quota of human interactions. But I believe in pushing beyond the limits of my comfort zone occasionally.
We discussed the book Born Lucky: A Dedicated Father, A Grateful Son, and My Journey with Autism by Leland Vittert.
I read it because someone whose opinion I respect loved it. It is an amazing true story and it takes place in St. Louis, so that was interesting, but I didn’t love it. But we had a good discussion of the book and I’m glad I went.
I related to this story about Our Season with the Foxes, because I’ve also had foxes in my yard…but, alas, no trail cam.
This is a really good response to women who think they regret having children (a hot topic these days). “There aren’t that many things in this life that matter to eternity. Generally speaking, a career doesn’t, travel doesn’t, being free to eat a good lunch doesn’t, having nice furniture and a pretty house doesn’t. But motherhood does. The sacrifices we make here will echo far beyond us, and the joys of it will follow us to our deathbed and beyond.”
And here’s Wes discovering his handsome face in the doll dresser mirror.
We had another very hot weekend, but they say we’re in for cooler temps this week. Let’s hope so. Today is the first day of fall, after all!
The gutter guys (moonlighting firemen) came on Friday to wash my windows and I had an interesting conversation with the head dude prompted by the picture of John Wayne in my kitchen.
This happens not infrequently. Kindred souls, you know. It periodically restores my faith in humanity.
I went to Mudd’s Grove in the afternoon to do a little research and then I enjoyed wine time with daughter #1 at our favorite local watering hole. I also enjoyed therapy time with Mr. Smith who was newly shampooed.
On Saturday I decided not to attend the Greentree Festival parade in my flyover town, instead planning to go to the bud’s soccer game, but I was foiled in my efforts when there was absolutely no place to park in all of Shaw Park. (There was also some art fair going on and half of Clayton was blocked off.) So I headed over to daughter #1’s house and we went to two estate sales in her neighborhood. They were both in old houses where the people had obviously lived for many years. This is the kind of estate sale we like best. Fascinating. We found a few things and spent less than $20. Afterwards we went to the new hip restaurant in her neighborhood–Cibo–the one in a renovated gas station, for a yummy lunch. Then I went home to recover from walking around in the 95+ degree sunshine.
Later she came over to my house and we went to the Greentree Festival for wine time and live music. We parked in my friend Carla’s driveway and walked over–again very hot! It was fun to people watch, but we didn’t stay too long. We hoofed it back to Carla’s where she and her husband gave us glasses of ice water and a cool house to cool off in. I did not go to the Pig Pickin’ dinner at church that night, opting to stay home and watch A Mighty Wind (2003). Having just watched No Direction Home (22005) documentary, it was doubly hilarious.
On Sunday I met the boy and the twins at church. As usual, the music was wonderful and the entire congregation sang with gusto. The choir was in great form as was our resident violinist. We sang my favorite hymn (Come Ye Sinners, Poor and Needy) and Lottie’s favorite (Yet Not I, But Through Christ in Me). The sermon on I Corinthians 1:10-17 about Christian unity was very good, as was our Sunday School class, continuing on the Union with Christ theme. We were all energized when we left church. Imagine that.
I went home and worked on my blogpost and did the homework for my Monday afternoon Bible Study. I went back to church Sunday night for a presentation about our mission work in Chile, Mexico, Ecuador, and around the world. Amazing work being done by God! When I got home, it started to rain and the temperature dropped.
Stay positive. Choose joy.
Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)
It came to my attention while perusing old blog posts that it was ten years ago this week that the boy went to Indianapolis to have a second surgery for his cancer at Indiana University Hospital. The OM and I went and spent the night there also. Once again, time flies. A lot has happened in those intervening years, things change. But some things do not change. And that’s a good thing.
Here’s an old-fashioned, and some would say, sappy poem, but it expresses my feeling very well. It’s “The Stick-Together Families” by Edgar Guest:
I will also note that this week marks the fifteenth anniversary of this blog! Back when I started it, daughter #1 was living and working in Washington DC, the boy was unmarried and daughter #2 was still in college! The OM and I were working stiffs. Thank you to all who continue to read the blog. L’chaim!
And just as a reminder…
Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year. He is rich who owns the day, and no one owns the day who allows it to be invaded with fret and anxiety. Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could. Some blunders and absurdities, no doubt, crept in. Forget them as soon as you can, tomorrow is a new day; begin it well and serenely, with too high a spirit to be cumbered with your old nonsense. This new day is too dear, with its hopes and invitations, to waste a moment on the yesterdays.
Today is daughter #1’s birthday! Although September 11 has been ruined to some extent by the heinous events of 2001, we will endeavor to celebrate anyway. Because if anyone deserves a party, it is she.
This day, whate’er the Fates decree,
Shall still be kept with joy by me:
This day then let us not be told,
That you are sick, and I grown old;
Nor think on our approaching ills,
And talk of spectacles and pills.
To-morrow will be time enough
To hear such mortifying stuff.
Yet, since from reason may be brought
A better and more pleasing thought,
Which can, in spite of all decays,
Support a few remaining days:
From not the gravest of divines
Accept for once some serious lines.
–Jonathan Swift, “Stella’s Birthday, March 13, 1727”
Well, our trip to the prairie was cut short when most of the prairie fam came down sick with some virus and we thought it best to hightail it home on Sunday. C’est dommage!
We did, however, manage to have some fun. We visited the nearby Lake of the Woods Forest Preserve and we went to the Museum of the Grand Prairie, which I thought was pretty great as museums go…
The next day when it had cooled off quite a bit, we managed to take a mile walk on the prairie trail with Mr. Smith…
We had one scary encounter with a pit bull who could barely be restrained by its owner, but disaster was averted and we continued on our hike. Mr. Smith comported himself admirably. In fact, he was a gentleman throughout our visit, showing canine patience with the girls and with the baby.
After returning home, neither daughter #1 nor I felt great on Monday, and the boy and his family were under the weather as well, so we played it cool on Labor Day. We had already watched my traditional Labor Day movie–The Pajama Game (1957)–while back on the prairie. It’s the musical about labor troubles and romance in a pajama factory with snazzy choreography by Bob Fosse. It’s a favorite of mine, but the girls didn’t really get into it.
Anyway, back home on Monday I watched Passport to Pimlico (1949), an Ealing Studio production. I enjoy those post-WWII English comedies, although I admit, I did fall asleep toward the end.
I’m heading up to the prairie today with daughter #1 and Mr. Smith to see the prairie fam–so much more fun than imaginary talking on the phone!
Enjoy your long weekend and let’s all toast the hardworking American men and women out there! And a special call out to those men who do the important jobs women don’t want to do: who pick up your trash, and fix the roads, who are plumbers and electricians, who mine the coal and fix our cars and fight the wars and protect the streets. The ones who stop on the highway and pull people out of burning cars. I salute you and I thank you.
Work and love, using each in its broadest sense – work, the quality which makes a man ashamed not to be able to pull his own weight, not to do for himself as well as for others without being beholden to anyone for what he is doing; work, no man is happy if he does not work.
–Theodore Roosevelt speaking to the railroad branch of the YMCA in Topeka, Kansas, on “decent living and high ideals”, 1903
This little picture essay offers one of the best reminders of the wonders all around us, even in a simple small apartment. We are blessed beyond measure.
And this is a really good article about Wendell Berry. “Berry’s poetic imagination shapes us to love the limits and simplicity of the real life we have, even if it’s not the perfect life.’
I perceived that there is nothing better for them than to be joyful and to do good as long as they live; also that everyone should eat and drink and take pleasure in all his toil—this is God’s gift to man. (Ecclesiastes 3:12-13)
P.S. Prayers for travel mercies are much appreciated!
How was your weekend? Mine was very low-key but filled with the small joys that life is made of. It is a good practice to take note of them. Otherwise, we become forgetful of the fact that the present is a constant romance, as Buffalo Bill once said.
On Friday afternoon daughter #1 and I went to our favorite local watering hole where the waiters know what we’re going to order before we order. We sat in our favorite window seat and watched the middle schoolers walk by in groups of three or four after school. On Saturday I went to an estate sale in a nice old neighborhood where the home reflected the good life the people in it had lived. You can just tell from the books and DVDs and Christmas decorations. The sale was run by our favorite company so help abounded. One of the guys pointed me to a good parking place close to the house…but then I had to parallel park in front of people–always stressful! Lamar gave me his discount and asked if I was alone–he always wonders where daughter #1 is if she isn’t with me.
At both places I felt so ‘seen’. A rare thing these days.
It was nice to have the boy back in church on Sunday and the bud with him. We heard a good sermon on Acts 2:42-47 about the fellowship of believers and we sang good hymns. During the offertory two members of the congregation played a hymn medley as a duet (one piano, four hands) and they were really cookin’ with gas, eliciting impromptu applause. After church we had fold meetings in place of adult ed.
In the afternoon I went to daughter #1’s pool–the last weekend before Labor Day. It was lovely to float and get some sun.
This was a really nice tribute to Dolly Parton from Glenn Reynolds who teaches at the University of Tennessee Law School. “There was a sizable crowd gathered, but at a bit of a distance. People were taking photos, and people politely lined up and encouraged each group to take their time posing by the statue before the next people came in. The mood was reverent, but pleasant: These were people there to pay their respects, not simply to mourn, and one way to respect Dolly was to be nice to the other people who were there for the same purpose.”
It has been too hot lately (and for most of the summer) to use the Florida room, but it cooled off over the weekend and I was able to sit out there yesterday and read. Lovely.
The twins went back to school and are hopefully off to a good start in fourth grade. Lord, cover them today, body, mind and soul…Give them one friend who is good for them, and the sense to hold onto that friend. Place your hand over their day…
Meanwhile on the prairie, Katie was helping Ida get dressed, and when their mother came in the room, she was zipping up her sister’s sweatshirt. Ida said, “My sister is helping me out. That’s why I have her. She’s my assistant.”
Count your blessings–they are many. Breathe the fresh air!
The twins came over as planned yesterday and entertained themselves for the entire morning. They are so grown up now. They played with Legos…
and then Lottie and I did a Hobby Lobby craft…
I made one frame, she made four. Then they went upstairs for awhile and poked around. They are very curious and there is a lot to look at in my house. I found Lottie in my closet. It must be in the genes. We went to the Sunny Street Cafe for lunch and had our usual, which they wolfed down with abandon. Then I took them to their dad’s store and I went home to collapse.
Also, while the twins were at my house I finished my small counted cross-stitch project:
