Updates–April 22, 2014

It’s been an eventful couple of weeks around here, and there’s more fun to come!

• Silver, the cat who swallowed the thread, didn’t get any better (and actually got worse), so our friend who is a vet came over the day after he treated her conservatively and euthanized her.
• Sassy, the cat who was sick and had lost so much weight, was also getting worse. The vet was going to take her in to the office the next morning, but before PWM could put her in the box that morning, Sassy got up and then fell over and died. The vet was surprised that she had passed so soon since he had seen her the night before.
• So, now we’re down to one cat, Sophie. Sophie seems to be tolerating being an only cat quite well. She’s spending more time downstairs and requesting more affection. But, there’s a downside, too. We found her on top of the refrigerator twice on the first day after the other two cats died! She’s been better behaved since then.
• I now have my hearing aids and I’m loving them. They have a setting that optimizes them for music, so the kids’ concerts sound even better! I also like that I can listen to audiobooks through my hearing aids wirelessly. I thought I would need a new ipod, but, sadly, my old one works quite well. LOL!
• Wild Man spent five days last week in New York City with the high school band and choir and had a great time. He also got licked by a horse.
• As summer approaches, both kids are looking for work. This is so different from the days when we were just looking at what kinds of summer sports and summer classes we could sign up for.
• Rosie Girl put a piece of her composition in the Composer’s Concert at UWSP last week. I missed the concert because of a migraine, but PWM was impressed with all the pieces.
• I did NOT have a migraine on Easter Sunday, so I went to church and cooked a nice dinner for the family. We even ate off of the good china. (Although the kids had said that we were going to eat off china even if we ended up having hamburgers because I had a migraine!)
• And now it’s about 6 weeks till the end of the school year – less for Rosie Girl. In that time, there are still concerts, State Solo and Ensemble for Wild Man, and finals for Rosie Girl. In the meantime, PWM and I are still working hard at The Knitting Nest. Sigh.

So, what’s up with you?

My sick kitties

Two of our three kitties are very sick. And not with the same thing. Sassy and Silver are from the same litter and are thirteen years old. They’ve had good lives and have generally been healthy. Sassy gains and loses weight based on whether or not she’s the dominant cat at the food bowl. (If it was up to her, she’d always be the dominant cat and she’d be overweight!)

When we got home from our trip, we noticed that Sassy was kind of lethargic and acting funny. She’d sit for a half hour just staring at her water bowl. Finally, after a day or two, we realized that she’s lost a fair amount of weight – her vertebrae are palpable all the way through her hip bones. She doesn’t look boney because of all her long hair. I haven’t seen her go downstairs to eat and we haven’t had to fill the foodbowl as much, either. I did coax her to eat a little canned food yesterday and today. A friend who is a vet came by today and thinks she most likely has a chronic illness, but we’d have to do blood work to see. And then we’d have to decide what to do and how much, if any, intervention we’d be willing to pursue.

Silver (my cat – kind of) was fine until she threw up some thread that she had swallowed. But, she didn’t get it all up, so we cut it off at her mouth, hoping she’d swallow it and either vomit it up or get it through the rest of her GI tract safely. Unfortunately, things weren’t looking good last night. She growled when I tried to feel her tummy. She was definitely guarding and hiding in corners. We were prepared for her to have a surgical abdomen today. But, she seems to have improved. I guess the thread either hasn’t anchored or it has undone itself from anchoring and is moving through. We couldn’t get her in to any of the local vets, so a friend who is a vet came by and gave her some meds to try to get her bowels moving. So, here’s praying that she gets this foreign body out of her system. And that we find  the source of the thread in all of our cleaning. Because we have no idea where this cat found thread.

And Sophie is doing just fine if she’d stay off the table when there’s pizza on it! She can clearly sense that something’s going on and she hasn’t been attacking Silver and Sassy

What’s crazy is that Silver and Sassy are so sick at the same time, but with completely different things. What a coincidence!

Pray for my sweet kitties. And pray that PWM and I will know what to dol

Too Much Fun!

Our plan this last week was to drive down to Mississippi, get some furniture from my parents’ shed that they’re clearing out, drive home, and be done. It was supposed to be pleasant, a little fun. It wasn’t supposed to be exciting. But it was. Too exciting for our taste. But, we’re home, safe and sound, with furniture.

We left Wisconsin Thursday morning at 7am, an hour later than expected because PWM decided to let us sleep an extra hour, figuring I’d drive be willing to drive later in the night if we decided we wanted to drive late into the night. We’re glad that we did. There was a dusting of snow on the ground when we got up, but the roads weren’t bad when we left. We found out later, though, that the roads had been icy at 6am and an acquaintance of ours had rolled his car that morning. We were glad to skip that.

We got past St. Louis and had hoped to drive further, but the weather was very stormy. The first place that we pulled off looked a bit sketchy, so PWM decided to go on to the next exit. The next place was better, which was good because the storm was so bad that he really couldn’t see to drive anymore. When we stopped under the awning of the hotel, we were told that we might want to come in the lobby even if we didn’t stay the night because the area was under a tornado warning. So, we checked in there for the night and stayed well away from the window in our room. Had we gone one more exit, we probably would have run right into the tornados in Cape Girardeau. We ended up having PopTarts for dinner. Better than running into a tornado!

We planned to get up and out early the next am. But, at 3am, the smoke alarm went off, so we were all very awake. (Apparently, someone decided to smoke in their room.) Well, we decided to get going at 4am. Yay. It turned out to be a good choice.

Around 10am (on Friday, BTW), the Trooper (our vehicle) started running poorly. We were (naively) hoping it was just some bad gas, but were afraid that it wasn’t. And things weren’t getting better, although they weren’t getting worse. We called ahead to my parents who got the name of a good mechanic from my aunt, and then PWM called to see if they could look at the Trooper when we got in to McComb. Since we had been driving since 4 in the blessed am, we would be getting in to McComb before 3pm, so it worked out to have them look at the Trooper. In fact, while I was napping at my aunt’s house late in the afternoon, the mechanic found the part he needed (the only one in Pike County) and replaced it for a reasonable price all that afternoon. Talk about a miracle!

During my Friday nap, PWM and my dad consulted on whether we could get the furniture into a trailer to pull behind the Trooper or whether we’d need a truck. They decided on a truck and found one about an hour’s drive away that they could pick up Saturday morning. Also Friday, my parents took care of some business that they thought would take several more months to wrap up. Overall, we were pleased.

Saturday was packing day. And, it was the reason for having Wild Man along! (Besides, he’s cute!) PWM and Wild Man packed up a living room’s worth of furniture that my parents used to have in their trailer that they gave me along with my aunt’s china cabinet and my grandmother’s buffet and a few other pieces. When my head wasn’t bothering me, I helped my mom sort some stuff – and give away a lot of it!

We got to visit several family members on Saturday and Sunday. That’s always fun. We went out for catfish on Saturday night and I got fried crawfish!! Yay!! I truly miss crawfish!

The only real excitement on the trip home is that Wild Man got to drive a lot. He and I were in the Trooper and I was happy to let him drive. He wasn’t crazy about driving through cities at first, but once he drove through Jackson, MS, he decided it really wasn’t so bad. We didn’t get as far as we’d like on Monday night because I was getting a headache, but we started early yesterday. We got home around 6pm last night. PWM and Wild Man got all the living room furniture out of the truck last night then got some help to empty every thing else this morning. When I got out of bed, PWM and I returned the UHaul truck.

And the trip is now over. Except for the recovery. Which may take a couple of weeks.

I’m off to do some more recovery.

7 Quick Takes Friday–February 28, 2014

 

After two weeks of neglecting my blog, I’m sure I have more than seven things I could share, but I’ll limit this post to just seven.

1. Wild Man is getting all of his stuff ready for Solo and Ensemble tomorrow. He is performing in seven (yes, SEVEN!) musical pieces tomorrow: 2 pieces with Show Choir, Stars from Les Mis for Musical Theater Solo, Vocal Solo, Vocal Duet, Percussion Ensemble, and Marimba Solo. He’s going to be a busy boy tomorrow!

2. Between migraines, I’ve actually gotten some cleaning and organizing done around the house. Goodwill and St. Vincent’s are the recipients of our efforts. I even gave away some school books this time around; PWM is thrilled!

3. It is officially the second coldest winter in our area since records have been kept. We don’t even blink an eye when the temperatures are below zero anymore. Spring could come anytime. Really.

4. Due to the depressing winter, one of the pipes going from the house to the shop has frozen. It probably hasn’t burst the pipe because it froze because the frost line in the ground has gone low enough to freeze pipes that are usually low enough to not freeze. (Did that make any sense?) In fact, our town has us all running water so the town pipes don’t freeze. When people taking knitting classes need to use the bathroom, we have to escort them into the house, which I guess is a good incentive to keep the bathroom clean.

5. We’re still working on eating more healthy, particularly because of PWM’s elevated blood sugars. He tried making pizza with cauliflower crust today which he said wasn’t too bad, but was pretty labor-intensive. I eat pretty poorly when I have a migraine because I have little appetite and because I have no interest in actually cooking anything. So, I pretty much have a few graham crackers and some milk. But, when my head feels better, I’ve been eating veggies and some fruit, too. Someone, be proud of me!

6. I decided to try a yoga video the other day and got through 30 minutes of it. I figured I’d do the other 30 minutes yesterday – until I got up. Oh. My. Goodness. I was really sore and I’m still feeling it today. (Actually, I have a migraine, so I hurt everywhere today.) I ended up just doing treadmill yesterday. I guess I’ll try yoga when this headache calms down (tomorrow?). It did seem like it could be a relaxing form of exercise when I get used to it.

7. This has been the first winter in several years that I didn’t end up calling my doctor for more meds for depression. That has to be partly due to the fact that I’m pretty maxed out on my depression meds. Otherwise, it’s something of a miracle since it’s been so cold and I’ve been indoors and I’ve had lots of headaches. But, I think it’s notable. And it allows me to do useful things between headache instead of sit and stare at a wall.

And, on that optimistic note, I’ll remind you that comments are most welcome and suggest that you check out 7 Quick Takes at Jen’s blog!

Life–February 13, 2014

• I’ve been 3 1/2 days without significant headache!! Now I’m nervous about how long this can actually continue!
• Because of my headache reprieve, I’ve been trying to get some stuff done around the house. PWM and I cleaned out our upstairs closet and moved clothes around. In the end, we had three good-sized boxes of stuff to go to St. Vincent’s or Goodwill.
• Yesterday, we cleaned out the coat closet and filled another box with stuff to give away.
• I also made a couple of pound cakes yesterday – one to give away and one to have here at home. I needed to make one to keep here at home because Wild Man heard I was making a pound cake and felt very strongly that I needed to make one that he could eat.
• Have you been watching the Olympics? We’ve been watching them pretty much every night. I’ve actually been enjoying skiing and snowboarding, although I keep wanting to yell at them, “Don’t die, don’t die!!”
• I’ve got four books out from the library to read. My eyes are too big for my reading ability again. We’ll see which ones actually get read!

That’s a little bit of what’s going on around here.

Romans 12:15–February 13, 2014

In Romans 12, Paul is giving the Romans some practical ways to show love. In verse 15, he writes, “Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.” This has been the week for it.

One of my college friends is on hospice and not expected to live out the week. Unfortunately, she lives down South and I won’t make it to the funeral. Thankfully, I’m in touch with friends through social media. Last night I found out that one of my previous co-workers died from ALS. His death wasn’t unexpected; he quit practicing medicine soon after I did because of the diagnosis. But, it’s sad. He was only 63. And I found that another former co-worker, this time a back office employee, has breast cancer. That’s a lot of mourning for one week, if you ask me.

But, there are blessings. I’ve had three non-migraine days in a row. That must count for something. But, more substantially, two women (much younger than I) who happen to live in different states than I have given birth to precious babies this week. I am thanking God for Facebook! I can’t get enough pictures of these darling sweeties. And, another friend made it to the 36 week mark without having her baby! So, of course, we’re all on pins and needles for that one to be born. (Especially me, because that baby is here in town and I’ll get to hold and snuggle him occasionally. Well, I’ll have to get in line, but eventually, I’ll get so see him in person.)

And through all of this, God is in control. Death is a part of the cycle of life and death that we all must face. Yes, my college friend is too young to die. As was my co-worker. The way that we can love those around us best right now is to just “mourn with those who mourn”. These people have touched a lot of lives and I know that they will be very missed and there will be much mourning. But, we are also to love by “rejoic(ing) with those who rejoice”. And I know, under all the sleeplessness, there is much rejoicing for new life brought into the world.

Abide 2/9/2014

This is one of my words for this year. So far, I’ve been focusing on reading and meditating on John 15. Later, I’ll work on 1 John. Then, I’ll work on more in-depth study.

First, here’s the text of the first part of John 15:

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes^[a] so that it will be even more fruitful. ³ You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. ⁴ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me.

⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. ⁷ If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. ⁸ This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

⁹ “As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Now remain in my love. ¹⁰ If you keep my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have kept my Father’s commands and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. ¹² My command is this: Love each other as I have loved you. ¹³ Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you servants, because a servant does not know his master’s business. Instead, I have called you friends, for everything that I learned from my Father I have made known to you. ¹⁶ You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you so that you might go and bear fruit—fruit that will last—and so that whatever you ask in my name the Father will give you. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

The take-home message from this passage of scripture is that we abide (or remain) in Christ through obedience. And his command to us is LOVE. It sounds pretty easy, right? Just love. Since I don’t interact too much with the world these days because of my headaches, maybe it is a little bit easier for me. I’ve got two people in the house all day long that I have to focus on loving. That could take some work.

So, LOVE. I’ll work on it. Next time, I’ll try to have some more thoughts on abiding in Christ.

The Debate

So, the Ken Ham-Bill Nye debate was tonight. Did you get to watch it? I did.

Ham had his usual talking points of the bible being the only source of truth and having evidence that points to “thousands of years” instead of “millions of years”. He also had video clips of scientists who espouse YEC beliefs. What was new to me was that he made a difference between experimental science (things we can hypothesize and test) and observational science (things that happened in the past).

Nye was a little slower getting started. His five minute opening wasn’t all that great, but he improved quickly. In the thirty minute segment, he finally got to what was important; he showed that evolutionary theory could be predictive. That is, observational science is no different from experimental science. I wish he would have been a little more overt about it, though. Anyway, he showed how scientists predicted that there should be a certain fossil in the record and how they eventually found it. Real science.

What I would really like to see debated, though, is the theology of young-earth creationism. There are a lot of Christians who are really confused because they hear that science supports things like and old earth and evolution, but the bible doesn’t. What they need to hear is that there are other interpretations of the book of Genesis that “real” Christians believe. You don’t have to give up your faith to believe something besides young earth creationism.

Did you see the debate? What did you think?

Lagniappe–January 26, 2014

Life has been bustling on at our little cottage. Here are some highlights.

• Wild Man was supposed to be the speaker for his youth group meeting last week, but it got cancelled because of icy and dangerous roads. I assume, he’ll be speaking this week if they don’t cancel because of the cold.
• Wild Man did lead worship for the regular Sunday morning church services today! It was pretty impressive to see my 15 year old leading today and not just playing guitar or drums. I think this may be a special gift from God for him.
• Rosie Girl is back at school and has had a good first week. She was concerned about her “First Year Seminar” which is about stories from various cultures, but the professor is the mom of one of her dance students from last year. And the content is more interesting than she expected.
• Rosie Girl is also taking the only math class she’ll have to take in college. (She was soooooo close to testing out of math!) She was reassured, though, the first day of class that it won’t be too bad because she completely understood the material. Besides, PWM is a math tutor and they can always Skype if she needs help.
• I found out at my audiology appointment this week that I really do have hearing loss and that the rest of the family is not actually mumbling at me for fun. I haven’t noticed problems when I’m out and about – at church and things like that – but, I do have to turn the TV up and I miss stuff on TV and when PWM and the kids talk to me. The audiologist said it’s bad enough that I might want to consider hearing aids. We’ll have to see what I think at my next visit because they certainly aren’t cheap. But, I’d like to be able to hear better. Hmmmmm.
• We’ve been having installation installed in our house over the last week. That’s been interesting. The workers are very good about cleaning up after themselves – I don’t think my stairs will be vacuumed this thoroughly again for a good five years.  The cats freak out on a regular basis. We try to give them all a little reassurance, but the extra people and noise still makes them nervous.
• The one good thing about all the insulation and energy-efficiency stuff is that I got a new hood over my stove! This one actually vents to the outside to prevent carbon monoxide build-up as well as get icky odors out of the kitchen. And it ha two lights which make the kitchen a much happier place.
• PWM also had a doctor’s appointment this week and his blood sugar was officially in the diabetic range. Bummer. He has three months of intense diet and exercise to try to bring it down and avoid getting the diagnosis of Type 2 DM. So, it’s lots more healthy food and exercise for all of us.
• The Polar Vortex is settling across the Upper Midwest again. It appears that the schools in our district are closed for tomorrow. They haven’t decided about Tuesday. So, Wild Man will be home all day tomorrow. Yay, he can do more math!!!
• I have had a wildly productive day today. I cleaned the kitchen and living room, including vacuuming and I did the laundry. AccuWeather says that tomorrow is a high risk day for a migraine. Well, at least the house is clean.

So, that’s our life in a nutshell. The excitement level is low, but so are the temperatures. Although I don’t think those two things are actually related. I hope. I’m probably too tired to be writing any more. Let me know what’s up in your corner of the world!!

More Reviews!

More of what I’ve been reading and listening to in the last few months.

• In Cold Blood by Truman Capote – This is the classic of the “true crime” genre. Capote tells the story of a family who is murdered by two men whose ultimate goal is robbery. Along the way, we learn about the victims’ and the murderers’ lives and families as well as some of the criminology of the day. Fascinating and well-written. A+
• The Sex Slave Murders by R. Barri Flowers – Another true crime novel. And the name is more lurid than the book. This is the story of a couple who committed serial murders because of the husband sexual compulsions. Interesting story about how a girl who grew up with “everything” in an upper middle class family with doting parents got ensnared by a man who apparently had no moral compass. I listened on audiobook. A-
• Facing the Wind by Julie Salamon – This is the story of a man who had everything, a loving wife, three kids, and a good job. But, he lost his job and took over the day to day care of his disabled son and was overcome by severe depression and, in a fit of psychotic depression, killed his family but was unable to complete his own suicide. This is a fascinating look at the background of this man’s life, particularly life surrounding his disabled son, the situation surrounding the killing and the aftermath, and his attempt to put his life back together after he got out of the mental hospital. The book was really pretty good, but the narration got rather sing-songy. B
• The Good Rat by Jimmy Breslin – This story of the Mafia felt rather disjointed to me. He appeared to be stringing together many narratives about the Mafia along the backbone of the  confession of a major organized crime figure (i.e. the Good Rat). I enjoyed listening to it, but the wandering nature of it made me a little disoriented at times. B
• The Innocent Man by John Grisham – This is a true story by John Grisham about a man who was convicted for a crime he did not commit. Grisham is detailed without being dull. In the end, the protagonist, who spends time on death row, is exonerated with the help of DNA evidence and the Innocence Project. It’s a sobering look at what can happen to innocent people when law enforcement doesn’t step back to be objective. A+
• A Death in Belmont by Sebastian Junger – In this story, the primary crime is the murder of a woman in Belmont, a suburb of Boston, right around the time that  the Boston Strangler was terrorizing the city. In fact, this murder might have been categorized as one of his except that it was “solved” so quickly despite the fact that the man never confessed and was convicted on circumstantial evidence. The author grew up a few blocks from this crime scene and one of the day laborers who worked on his house confessed to being the Boston Strangler. He wrote this book with scenes from his home renovation, the stranglings, and the Belmont murder case, weaving them in a cohesive story. Very Interesting book. A
• The Bling Ring by Nancy Jo Sales – This book is a combination of the story of the Bling Ring, the teenagers who broke into celebrities’ houses to steal things, and analyses of the culture that allowed such a Ring to flourish. It’s an enlightening book with lots of insights into youth and celebrity culture. A

What have you been reading? I’m always up for suggestions!

7 Quick Takes Friday–January 17, 2014

So, it’s Friday. Which is a good thing, I guess. Except that I’ve had a migraine all week, so I haven’t really noticed that it’s Friday. But, we’re here anyway.

1. Wild Man has chosen not to audition for the school play this spring, which has caused great consternation for his band and choir director because they were planning for him to take a certain part. However, Wild Man is working on solos for Solo and Ensemble in Band and Choir, leading worship for the regular adult worship service about once a month, leading the youth worship band, and still trying to get his schoolwork done. Needless to say, PWM and I support his decision.
2. Rosie Girl has been home for a month!!! Sadly, she leaves to go back to school sometime in the next few days. The people in this house will be sad, but probably not as sad as Sophie, her cat.
3. Rosie Girl has been taking an online class called “Film Music”, but she’s been taking the 100 level class for non-music majors. She’s been taking it mostly for fun, but also to get her feet wet because she wants to work in the film music industry. The rest of the family has gotten to watch movies with her as well as listen to her “rants”, excuse me, analyses, of the scores. She takes her final tonight, but I’m pretty sure she has done quite well.
4. Wild Man takes the ACT next month. I’m a little concerned about his reading speed because of his dyslexia, but he’s currently reading Oliver Twist and keeping up with his curriculum, so maybe I don’t need to worry.
5. Last week was the Polar Vortex when the public schools were shut down for two days because of the cold. And it requires some serious cold to shut down schools around here. This week was the blizzard. And the attendant migraine. The headache started Monday night and wasn’t better till sometime yesterday morning. Yikes.
6. And today, I decided that I’d better try to get back to some kind of normality from the migraine. I was really tired this afternoon, so I decided to take a walk on the treadmill instead of taking a nap. Then, I was having a healthy lunch of triscuits with cheese and spinach. Right in the middle of lunch, I developed one of the lovely vomiting and diarrhea episodes that I’ve been occasionally getting after a migraine. This one lasted about three hours. I think I’m finally perking back up, but I’ll wait another few hours to try to eat anything.
7. We had an energy efficiency inspection done on our house last week. We found out that we’ve been heating our town as well as our house. Wild Man’s room is over the front porch and there’s no insulation between the porch and his room, so the poor kid has been sleeping pretty much outside. We’d have let him sleep in the hall. Really. Now, we move on to dealing with the lack of energy efficiency. They start work next week. On the good side, I get a range hood!! Also good, we get grandfathered in to all kinds of Incentives!! On the bad side, it’s going to cost money. On the good side, we’ll eventually make back that money by not spending to heat and cool the entire town. Eventually.

How was your week? Anything exciting? Did you survive the snowstorm – or did it storm where you are? Check out Conversion Diary to see what others are up to!!

Reviews–January 13, 2014

It’s been a while since I posted any reviews. I doubt I’ll remember everything I’ve read or listened to, but hopefully you’ll find some ideas for books.

• A Dance With Dragons by George R. R. Martin – This is the last book (so far) in the Song of Fire and Ice series. All I can really say about this book is that you shouldn’t believe a character is dead until their head is good and truly separated from their shoulders (and even then, it’s questionable). The armies are separating and merging for one great war that had better involve dragons. We’ll have to wait for the next book/s to find out! Note: lots of violence and sexuality. A-
• The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg – I should tell you first of all that Fannie Flagg is one of my absolute favorite author and I was ecstatic when I heard that she had a new book coming out. And the book did not disappoint. The story takes place simultaneously in present day in southern Alabama and in the 1940’s in Pulaski, WI and then Texas. It’s a far-ranging story over time and place about how we construct our identity. I highly recommend it. A+
• Pastrix: The Cranky, Beautiful Faith of a Sinner & Saint by Nadia Bolz-Webber – I like memoir, especially spiritual memoir. Nadia Bolz-Webber is a woman who doesn’t look like your typical “Christian” woman, much less a Lutheran pastor, and this book tells the story of how she got from alcohol and drugs to pastoring. Mostly, though, I like to read how much she loves Jesus, and she loves sharing Jesus with people who society is ready to give up on. It’s a great read! A
• Dark Places by Gillian Flynn – This is the third Gillian Flynn book I’ve read and I loved it (although not quite as much as the other two). The main character was the only survivor after her family was murdered when she was seven years old. Her brother was thought to be the one who committed the crime and is in prison for it. The book is an exploration of the crime and the truth behind what happened and the main character’s search for truth. It’s a bit dark, but I liked it. B
• Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn – This was the second Gillian Flynn book I read and I found it gripping. The main character is a journalist who is sent back to her hometown to report on two suspicious deaths. This, of course, brings back her own issues. Again, it’s rather dark, but a good book. A-
• Law and Disorder by John Douglas – Douglas is a retired FBI agent who wrote this book about cases where law enforcement could have done a better job or can learn lessons.  It’s a fascinating book. A
• Shattered Innocence by Robert Scott – This is the story of Jacey Lee Duggard, the 11 year old girl who was kidnapped and held prisoner for 18 years, bearing 2 children to her captor. This is a fascinating story, particularly showing the failure of the legal system to keep a known kidnapper from kidnapping Jacey Lee Duggard and holding her for so long. B
• Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt – This is a true story of a murder in Savannah, Georgia and the prosecution and appeals of the man who was convicted. There is a lot of commentary about other characters in Savannah society and it’s unclear who actually committed the murder, and we may never know. But, it was a good book.B
• Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer – Another true crime story, but this one focused on a family that practiced polygamy. Ultimately, it was a story of faith, violence, and mental illness. Not bad. B-
• Inferno by Dan Brown – I really dislike Dan Brown’s writing style, but his plots drag me in and the next thing I know, I’m halfway through the book and have to finish. It’s an addiction. This book takes place in Italy and has to do with Dante’s Inferno. B-
• Gone Girl: A Novel by Gillian Flynn – This is the first of the Gillian Flynn books that I read. Oh. My. Goodness. She gets you hooked into the story and you can’t put the book down. In this book, the main character’s wife is missing and appears to be abducted or murdered. But things are far more complex. And sinister. Definitely read this book. A
• Queen of the Air: A True Story of Love and Tragedy at the Circus by Dean Jensen – This story about Lillian Leitzel is truly fascinating. It starts with her birth in Eastern Europe and her early years working on the trapeze and continues through the golden years of circuses in the United States and ends with her death in a European ballroom. A good read. A-

I didn’t include any audiobooks this time because this list just got too long. I’ll do the audiobooks later. I  hope you find something new to try. Enjoy!

Words for the Year - 2014

Since I no longer do New Year’s Resolutions, I do a “Word for the Year”. This year I’m actually doing two words for the year since they’re kind of related. Ready? Here they are:

Abide/Abode

Abide – As in “Abide in Christ” I chose this word somewhat in honor of my friend Gary, who went to be with Jesus this year. It was his goal to help people learn to “abide in Christ”, so one of my goals this year is to learn more how to “abide in Christ”. Here are some steps I want to take toward this end.

• I am going to work harder at getting our small group together. OK, it’s me and PWM and one other couple. Not much of a small group, but it’s all we can manage right now. And it’s one way I can connect closely with other believers. My headaches make me such a hermit but I think this small group can help with with my walk with Jesus.
• I’m going to focus on John 15 and I John, the scriptures that talk most about abiding in Christ (in the NASB – the NIV uses the word “remain”).
• Listen to more music that helps me relax and focus on Jesus. Some of this is worship music, but others is just classical or other instrumental music.

Abode – As in our home. We moved into this house about one year ago and I’m still trying to make it a home.

• The bright yellow wall in the kitchen/dining room is still bothering me. I don’t think I want to paint it blue anymore, but a lighter shade of yellow would be nice.
• The upstairs closet could stand a good organizing.
• Sometime in the spring, Wild Man and I will meet my parents in Mississippi and get some furniture that used to be in their trailer and bring it back up here. I’ll finally have some real living room furniture!

I’m only twelve days into the New Year! I can do this!

What about you? Any New Year’s Resolutions, Words, Ideas, etc.?

Welcome, 2014

Thus far, 2014 has been characterized by, wait for it . . . , headaches!! I’ll bet you never would have guessed. Yep, lots of headaches. But, what else has been going on in the New Year?

• Rosie Girl is home for almost a month! She is taking an online Winterim class on Film Music. She is taking the section for non-music majors, even though she’s a music major. She plans to take the music major’s version in her sophomore or junior year.
• Wild Man was gone this weekend to the District Youth Conference. By all accounts, he had fun. Since he’s been home, he’s mostly been sleeping.
• One of the big triggers for this round of headaches has been the recent weather. We’ve had some snow. But, the biggest problem has been the Arctic air mass that gave us high temps today of –15. Wild Man doesn’t have band or choir today or tomorrow because the public schools have closed. We’re not supposed to see temps above zero for another day or so. Obviously, I haven’t gone outside.
• Football! We were glad to see Alabama beaten by whoever beat them. Then the Saints won! But, then the Packers lost (in single-digit temperatures!). And, tonight, we’re watching FSU vs. Auburn and I can’t decide who I want to win.
• We still have Christmas decorations up. See the aforementioned headache information. I like to take it down around the 6th so I can pretend that I planned to do it on Epiphany and it feels all spiritual. This year, the decorations come down when they come down.
• Resolutions – nope. I do have a word for the year, but I’ll write about that in a day or two when my head is a little calmer and we know who wins the BCS game!

How has your New Year been?

Good-bye, 2013

2013 was a pretty significant year for our family. Here’s just some of what happened:

• We sold our house and moved down the street into another house.
• We remodeled a building on our new property to become our new business location and moved the knitting shop into it.
• Rosie Girl graduated from high school (homeschooling), performed in her final dance recital, and performed in her senior piano recital.
• Rosie Girl started college at UWSP.
• Wild Man continued in the W-F Band and played in the percussion ensemble at Solo and Ensemble.
• Wild Man was the leader of the Youth Band and well as being part of the adult worship team.
• Wild Man joined the W-F Choir.
• Rosie Girl and Wild Man went to Ireland with Grandma. (Yes, PWM and I were jealous.)
• After a couple of months of using the laundromat, which isn’t really too terrible, especially since the people who own the laundromat are so nice, we finally got a washer and dryer!!!
• Wild Man broke his arm.
• I spent three weeks in Florida helping my mom recover from surgery.
• My brother gave us a car!
• LSU did not beat Alabama (but Auburn did!).
• I got a gas stove!!! (Thanks, Mom and Dad!!)
• Rosie Girl survived her first semester of college (with exceptionally high grades, too)!
• My migraines aren’t any better, but they aren’t any worse.
• A dear friend of ours, Gary, died a few weeks ago from a heart attack.

In less than half an hour, we move into 2014. Let’s see what we can make of this new year!!

Christmas 2013

It’s been a lovely Christmas week. In many ways. But not lovely in other ways. Did we celebrate the Incarnation? Did we give gifts and try to commemorate in some tiny way the massive gift that God has given us? Did we make small sacrifices for others to remember the sacrifice Jesus made? Yes. So it’s been a “successful” Christmas week.

Christmas Eve service was beautiful. PWM did sound while Wild Man played electric guitar. In several days, you’ll be able to watch it online at www.faithwaupaca.org. The cool thing was that Grandpa and I watched most of the 3:30 service live-streamed.

Rosie Girl and I made Christmas cookies on Christmas Eve morning, so PWM and Wild Man took some to church for the worship team to munch on between services.

Rosie Girl, Grams, and I went to the 5pm service which was also lovely. The Gospel was preached, the Incarnation was celebrated, and Jesus was present. What more could you want?

Well, I suppose it would have been nice if Grandpa could have come. Unfortunately, Grandpa had been having some headaches. Grams and I took his blood pressure starting on Christmas Eve and were getting scary high readings, despite his having normally well-controlled blood pressure. Grandpa had a headache, so he chose to stay home and watch the service (again) on live-streaming. (Ain’t technology grand?) And, since his daughter is an MD, Grandpa had a few medication adjustments for Christmas Day.

Even though the children are 15 and 18, we still only got to sleep in until 6:30 on Christmas morning. Naturally, they won’t sleep till noon when presents are involved. The funny thing was that they had things in their stockings to open in order. The first was a $5 bill, the second a $10, and the third $15 cash. They expected the fourth to be $20, but it was vouchers for downloads for games for a WiiU which we’d been telling the kids there was no chance whatsoever we’d be getting this year. Wild Man finally got the picture and started jumping up and down and yelling and ran in the living room to find the WiiU which was already set up and working. I really wish I had video of that moment!!

Grams cooked roast beef and rice and gravy for us for Christmas dinner which was wonderful. Part of the wonder was that I haven’t had to cook. That is my biggest Christmas present. Well, that and the stove/oven range!!

Grams and Rosie Girl have been obsessively watching Dr. Who so that they were ready for the Christmas episode of the new Dr. Who and the regeneration of the Doctor. After Dr. Who, we watched A Christmas Story.

Boxing Day involved lots of work for Wild Man and PWM. There had been lots of snow in the previous two days, so they were doing lots of snow removal. Patrick later worked the shop while both kids went shopping with their Christmas money. Grams and Grandpa and I, on the other had, had a lovely visit with an NP at the clinic. Grandpa’s blood pressure was already starting to come down and they did some lab tests that showed that his kidneys are doing fine. So, things are moving in the right direction. And I might sleep tonight.

The cats celebrated Christmas by getting some special canned food. They showed their gratitude by completely ignoring the humans.

How was your Christmas or other winter celebration?

Almost Christmas

We’re in that magical time of almost Christmas. Just about everything is ready for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The house is decorated. Grams and Grandpa are here. Grams has been cooking. Rosie Girl is home for a month. Christmas music wafts through the house. And Grandpa gives us regular updates about the temperature and snowfall.

It’s pretty fun watching the Floridian grandparents cope with our Upper Midwestern winter. It doesn’t hurt that we’re having more snow than usual either. We didn’t try to deal with yesterday’s snow to go to church. And then it kept snowing all day today, so Wild Man and PWM didn’t even get out till afternoon to blow and shovel snow. Grams and Grandpa are getting the hang of getting around outside in the snow. Thankfully, there’s not much ice. Nonetheless, we do try to keep someone next to Grandpa to help him with his balance. (And PWM and Patrick have the other person next to me since I tend to fall on my butt with alarming regularity. Although not yet this season.)

We don’t put our Christmas gifts out under the tree until Christmas Eve, so we’ve still got plenty of wrapping time. I’m not bragging or anything, but mine are all done except for one! Santa still needs to pick up some canned cat food and catnip for the kitties, but we’re otherwise ready for tomorrow.

Christmas Eve service is big for our family. PWM is doing tech this year, but Wild Man is playing electric guitar.  And then, of course, the candlelight portion of the service is so beautiful.

Since Grams is here to cook, we’re actually going to have Christmas dinner on Christmas Day!! What a concept! She’s going to make a good, old-fashioned, Southern roast beef with rice and gravy.

And it can snow all it wants because we’ll be inside, enjoying our family, celebrating the birth of our Savior.

Tuesday, December 10, 2013

The last few days have been quite a mixed bag. We seem to have lots of good and bad stuff happening, thankfully mostly small good and bad.

On Sunday, we lost a dear friend. He had a severe heart attack on Tuesday, so his passing wasn’t unexpected. We’ve been pretty stressed since last Tuesday, though. Even just not seeing Gary at church on Sunday was strange. Going on is going to be challenging.

Sunday night was the Wega-Fremont Choir’s Beggar’s Feast. This was a fund-raising dinner where we were entertained by the choir. Wild Man was not only part of the choir, but he sang a solo. It was a wonderful evening with great music!

Rosie Girl is in the middle of her two weeks of finals and the stresses that come with it. Not only that, but her car battery decided on Saturday morning that it doesn’t like frigid weather. Thankfully, the towing company got her jump-started. She’s been starting her car every day since then to help convince the battery that cold weather really isn’t that bad. Unfortunately, this afternoon, she got back to her dorm after driving around and needed to go back out and the car wouldn’t start again at all. The AAA will be coming in handy tomorrow morning when she gets it towed to the repair shop. Really bad timing for car trouble.

Apparently, car trouble is in the wind. I was backing out of the garage this afternoon and hit the edge of the garage and broke the plastic off the rear tail light. Yay. Soooooo, we get to have that fixed.

We are getting a new range!! Thanks to my parents, we are getting a gas stove/oven range later this week. I had almost forgotten that we have gas in this house, so I can have a gas stove!!! I love cooking on a gas stove! Hopefully, in a week or so, we’ll have it here and installed. Yes, I’m very excited.

We’re also excited that my parents will be spending Christmas with us. This also means a week of no cooking for me. I enjoy cooking, but my mom enjoys cooking for people more than I do, so I’ll take the time to knit more.

What’s up with you? How is your Christmas season shaping up?

Grieving

A dear friend of mine, Gary, “put off the body” and went to be with Jesus today. He had a severe heart attack Tuesday morning and was in critical condition all week. The family chose to forgo heroic life-saving measures today and Gary passed peacefully into heaven.

PWM and I have known Gary for at least 17 years. Within a year or two of our moving up here and starting to attend Faith Community Church, Gary and Violet moved from California to Waupaca (their hometown) for Gary to become our Pastor of Ministry and Maturity. PWM and I have had the great pleasure during these years of getting to know Gary and Violet. We’ve been through various ups and downs together – more ups than downs, thankfully.

Tonight, though, we mourn the passing of someone who truly knew how to “abide in Christ”. Gary, you will be greatly missed by many people. You were well-loved.

Life–Thursday, December 5, 2013

The big news around here is that it is COLD! Of course, we live in the Great White North, so this shouldn’t be a surprise. Yet, somehow, it seems to be shocking when it happens every year. This year, our first sub-zero temps appear to be happening about a month earlier than they did last year, but still within the normal time frames for the upper Midwest.

We had some snow several days ago, followed yesterday by rain, followed today by cold, followed tonight by “stupid cold” (as PWM says). And this leaves us with ice. Not ice, like an ice storm, thankfully. But, ice, as in ice on the ground. Wild Man is responsible for keeping the sidewalks next door at the apartment complex clean and dry and de-iced during the winter, while PWM takes care of our house and shop areas. Unfortunately, the area right outside our side door is a low spot and is perfect for water to pool and freeze (and where I fell on my butt twice last year). PWM is working hard to keep it dry and ice-free this year. My poor butt is still recovering from last year.

So, we’re breaking out the heavy coats and multiple layers. And hoping for just a smidge more snow before Christmas so everything looks nice and white and fresh. But not a blizzard. Please, God, no blizzards anytime soon!

YouTube Series - December 4, 2013

PWM and Wild Man can become lost in YouTube. PWM likes things like The Voice. Wild Man watches video game walk-throughs or videos by his favorite musicians, like Pentatonix. Generally, I prefer blogs or other sites with articles or posts that I can read. I don’t have much patience for videos.

Except . . . Except for The Lizzie Bennet Diaries. This is a 100 episode video series on YouTube that is a modern take on Pride and Prejudice. It is funny and poignant and wonderful.

And tonight I discovered Emma Approved, another series by the same group. I am a happy woman! Each episode is 4-7 minutes long, so I can watch it in bits and pieces when it’s convenient for me.  The early episodes (so far) have been pretty funny. The characters are pretty true to Austen, but the plot is only vaguely Austenesque, so it’s not an exact copy of Emma.

Have you seen any of these series? Do you have any other web series that you recommend?

Putting Off the Body–December 3, 2012

 

2 Peter 1:14 has Peter writing the following: “ . . . since I know that the putting off of my body will be soon, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me.” Peter is writing about his death. What a lovely metaphor – “putting off the body”.

Some people choose to use the fact that we are body and soul as an excuse to neglect the body since our souls will live eternally. But, God clearly made us with mortal bodies that will be resurrected and live again in the new Heaven and new Earth. I don’t understand all of this, but I know that none of God’s creation is to be devalued, especially not these precious human bodies we are given.

This thought of putting off the body is especially poignant today as a friend of mine had a heart attack this morning and was close to “putting off the body”. Thanks, though, to modern medicine and timely care, he remains here among us on earth and we pray he will continue to do so (of course, as God wills).

I don’t want to be morbid, but this is something we all need to consider. At some point, we will be required to “put off the body”. What will happen then? For those of us who believe in Jesus, we know that we will have an eternity in heaven with Jesus. But, if you have questions about what you believe happens after life on this earth, it would be good to ask those questions of your nearest friend or family member who seems to have a handle on it. And, you’re always welcome to ask questions here on the blog.

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas–December 2, 2013

While I was having my multi-day migraine during the Thanksgiving holidays, my kids decided to decorate the house for Christmas. On Saturday, they put up all my Nativity sets (I have 15, I think). Later, when their friends came over, they all put the ornaments on the Christmas tree. Between that and the couple of inches of snow last week, it’s looking downright Christmas-y around here!

The Thanksgiving Plan–And Aftermath–December 1, 2013

I love holidays. But I’m as likely to have a migraine on a holiday as on any other day. For this Thanksgiving day, I made a plan. Rosie Girl came home early on Wednesday afternoon, so she and I prepared everything for cooking, including the turkey. We had planned to make the desserts, but after I burned the pound cake, I didn’t have it in me to make another one and then make the pecan pie. All we had to do on Thanksgiving Day was to cook everything in the right order.

And on Thanksgiving Day, I had a migraine. During the Packers dismal game, I took a Maxalt and then a nap. After the turkey was done and while the side dishes were cooking, I taught Wild Man how to make gravy. Then everyone else got the table ready and we sat down to a delicious lunch!

I still have the headache – three days later. It’s been quite the doozy. But, I’m pleased to say that my plan to prep the food the day before was a success!! The dinner was wonderful and we have leftovers for at least another few days!

Kitchen Woes–November 24, 2013

With the holidays approaching, I anticipate spending lots more time in the kitchen in the next month or so. The problem is that I’m not so thrilled with my kitchen right now. In the first house we lived in when we moved to Wisconsin, I loved my kitchen (probably because we had the house built for us and I got exactly what I wanted in the kitchen). There was tons of counter space, double ovens, and a flat-top range. In the last house, our kitchen wasn’t quite so nice, but it was roomy and all the appliances were relatively new. Granted, I got the new range when the old one caught fire, but it was new nonetheless.

My current kitchen is the smallest of the three. I’ve got a new refrigerator, but it partly cuts off access to the pantry. I do have a new dishwasher that I love. We plan to replace the range, hopefully before anything catches fire, but it won’t be in the near future. I’m still having issues with burning things pretty frequently (temperature control issues – no open flame!). And counter space, and any other space for that matter, is at a premium. We have already moved a couple of other storage units into the kitchen area to help with storage.

I’m not crazy about the cabinet design, but I can live with it until we can remodel. The cabinet doors were getting in the way, so we took the top cabinet doors were off and it’s now just open shelving. The kitchen is all white with butcher block pattern Formica on the counters. The lazy susan in the corner shelving is stuck, so we can’t really open it all the way, but we’ve gotten used to that. There are a couple of walls painted a shade of yellow just slightly darker than lemon yellow – not remotely my favorite color.

What am I going to do to make myself happier in my kitchen? I’m not very sure right now. here are a few ideas to try out this week.

1. Fewer things on the counters. Generally, I like to have things like the crock pot and mixer (Kitchen Aid counter style) on the counter because they’re big and I don’t like to haul them out from their storage spots. But, clearing out counter space might be worth it. Of course, I have no idea where they might live . . .

2. Figure out a decorative way to deal with dish towels. This seems minor, but the dish towels that have holes to hang them don’t have big enough holes for the cabinet knobs and there’s no other place to easily hang them, so they end up strewn over the counter.

3. Deal with the hot mitts, maybe by hanging them on the wall behind the stove. These are another thing that just get strewn about.

4. Evaluate all the stuff on the counter that I don’t want to “live” there and decide where I want it to “live” and decide how to get the rest of the family to agree.

Hmmmmm. It appears that counters are my issue. Well, it looks like I’ll be dealing with counters tomorrow or Tuesday (depending on my headache status tomorrow).

Do you have any ideas or suggestions for living in a small kitchen with not enough counter space? Any input is welcome?

7 Quick Takes–November 23, 2013

 

1. Last night, PWM, Wild Man, and I went to head the University Choir and Symphony Orchestra perform Mozart’s Requiem. Rosie Girl was thrilled to be part of the choir and I don’t blame her. The music was just amazing! Unlike anything I’ve ever heard.

2. It’s deer season here in the upper Midwest! Today was “Deer Hunter Widow’s Weekend”, an unofficial holiday in which the men go deer hunting and the wives go craft shopping. We usually aren’t too busy in our shop, although today wasn’t too bad. To be honest, though, I know lots of women who are out in the woods this weekend. Here’s a hysterical comic for all of you deer hunting families!

3. One of my favorite Thanksgiving traditions is watching the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day parade on TV in the morning while the turkey cooks. When I was growing up, Mom would be making cornbread dressing and other things during the parade. This year, I’ll just be letting the turkey cook since I hope to have most other things pretty well prepared the day before. Here’s some interesting things about the Macy’s parade.

4. I learned about a lot of things when I moved to Wisconsin, like snow and deer and cold. One thing I didn’t expect to be different up here was the name for a water fountain. Apparently, here in Wisconsin, we call a water fountain a “bubbler”. Who knew? Here’s a great article all about why we have bubblers in Wisconsin and hardly anywhere else.

5. One of my favorite authors is C.S. Lewis. Another of my favorite authors and speakers is Alistair McGrath. Just in time for the 50th anniversary of Lewis’ death, McGrath has published a new biography of Lewis. I can’t wait to read it!

6. I love homeschooling because we can teach our kids what we think is important, even if that is Jedi training.

7. I could totally watch dominoes falling forever. I think it is so cool. This one is the Guinness world record holder for the tallest domino set-up.

So, how was your week? Check out Conversion Diary to see what others are doing!

 

My GQ Man - November 20, 2013

 

When Wild Man was 6 or 7 years old, he loved to dress in nice dress clothes for church. He would wear dress pants with a vest and tie. Our pastor often commented that he was outdressed by Wild Man. (We go to a pretty casual church.) He outgrew that phase and has been pretty much into jeans and T-shirts like the rest of the family until recently.

Now that he’s in Youth Band and on the adult Worship Team at church, he has need of wearing things a little dressier than T-shirts. Well, at least T-shirts without words on them. And, for school choir performances, he definitely has to wear nice clothes.

Yesterday, he decided that he wanted to wear a nice shirt and tie to school for band and choir. So, he did. He wore a black shirt with a red patterned tie. Today, he wore a black shirt with a blue patterned tie. I think he may need more shirts to continue the trend, but he likes how he looks. So do I. It’s classy.

He’s my GQ Man!!

Migraine Paranoia–November 18, 2013

I’ve had a headache today, the leftovers of a moderate migraine last night. The headache hasn’t been bad. What HAS been bad has been my migraine paranoia. After last week’s severe and prolonged migraine, I’m very prone to worry.

Whenever I’m a bit nauseous, I wonder if it’s bad enough to take meds. If my insides start to cramp up at all, I worry that I’m about to spend an hour in the bathroom. If my headache moves to one side for a few minutes, I stress that it’s getting migraine-y and I need to take my triptan.

Normally, I get through these bothersome headache days without too much emotional trouble. Today, though, I stressed out at just about every possible migraine symptom. When I caught myself dwelling on symptoms, I tried to stop, pray, and get back into my knitting and listening to my book (Sycamore Row by John Grisham).

I’m praying that tomorrow is better. I need to get on the treadmill because my left hip is really hurting and I didn’t walk today. I also have my audiology appointment tomorrow (PWM and the kids are telling me I don’t hear so well these days). So, here’s to a good day tomorrow, Lord willing (and the creek don’t rise)!!

Mini-Reviews–November 16, 2013

I’m going to take the chance today to give some mini-reviews of some books, movies, and productions I’ve experienced recently.

Carousel – PWM and I saw this last night at UWSP. Unfortunately, tonight was its last showing, so you’re out of luck to see this particular musical. What I can say, though, is that this was a really well-done show and I anticipate that any other musicals are also quite good. I didn’t think the ending was really strong, but that was the fault of the play itself (and how dare I criticize Rogers and Hammerstein?!) and not the performers. The cast was excellent. The vocal leads were quite strong. The two dancers who performed the ballet were exquisite. PWM and I thought it was an excellent night out and well worth the drive.

Blood and Beauty – by Sarah Dunant. I listened to this fictionalized account of the Borgia family on audio. It’s rather long, so it took me over a month of rather intermittent listening, but it was interesting enough to keep me coming back for more. Obviously, the author had to take some liberties with the history in places where the actual events are in question. But, she did a good job in keeping true to the characters’ personalities as she had drawn them. A

The Challenger Disaster – We watched this movie on the Discovery channel tonight and found it fascinating. PWM loves the popular work of Dr. Richard Feynman. This show was about the commission that investigated the Challenger disaster from the point of view of Dr. Richard Feynman, the one truly independent person on the panel. It was enlightening (and distressing) to see how all the parties involved were trying to cover up any possible problems by their own agencies instead of actually getting down to the real problem. I highly recommend watching this. It should still be available to watch over the next few days on Discovery Channel or Science Channel.

Game of Thrones by George R. R. Martin – I may have already reviewed this somewhere. In any case, I got started reading this because Rosie Girl has been reading it and watching the DVD. I’ve decided that the book is plenty explicit about violence and sexuality and I don’t really need to see the DVD. But, the book is a wide-ranging, medieval-type fantasy story that is fun and fascinating. I really enjoyed it. A

A Clash of Kings by George R. R. Martin – By the time we get to the end of this book, the few beginning plot ropes have unraveled into tiny little plot threads that are spread all over Westeros and even into the Summer Lands. And we start to get a little magic in the mix just to keep life interesting. And I’m still enjoying the read. A

A Storm of Swords by George R. R. Martin – Nothing happens simply in this story. Just when you think that this person might make it to their destination, a band of outlaws catches them and takes them somewhere else. Just when you’re sure someone is dead, you find out that they’re not. I’m starting to feel like my brain is being whipped around like a tether ball or something. I’m only halfway through, so I’ll rate it when I’m done.

Monsters U – This was available on Pay-per-View the other day and it was truly worth it. It was fun and made us laugh and played on every college stereotype I remember. I very much recommend this movie. A

That’s what’s been up with us. Any movies, books, TV shows, etc. that you’d recommend? I’m all ears!!

7 Quick Takes Friday–November 15, 2013

 

Whew! I made it to Friday! Somewhere around Wednesday morning, I wasn’t quite sure. This has been quite the week. Now I’ve just got a migraine hangover and I’m super-tired. Here’s the 7 Quick Takes for this week:

1. Wild Man is playing electric guitar for Christmas Eve service this year. The big piece that they’re doing is a Trans-Siberia Orchestra piece. I’m sure I’ll be bragging on him more as the Christmas season gets underway. In the meantime, I get to hear lots and lots of practice.

2. Next Friday night, we get to hear the Choral Union and Concert Choir from UWSP perform Mozart’s Requiem! This is especially exciting because Rosie Girl is in the Choral Union.

3. Delivering babies was one of my favorite jobs as a family doctor. The thing I didn’t like was complications, like when a baby got stuck and we had to intervene to get the baby out of the birth canal. Here’s a great article about a new invention by an auto mechanic (!) to help get babies out who are stuck with fewer complications. And, it sounds like it will be great for use in low-resource locations!

4. How do you know what to say to someone who is ill? Or what to say to the caregiver? How do you deal with your own emotions while being sensitive to their emotions? This article gives a great graphic about how we can do that. Everyone should read it.

5. I really love 19th century romance novels, particularly Jane Austen novels. Thankfully, I discovered them after I was married, so I wasn’t tempted to use them as dating manuals. This woman shows why 19th century romance novels are terrible guides to finding a man.

6. Have you seen this? It’s a comic about a year in the life of a parent and is adorable. You have got to click on that link.

7. It’s pretty chilly here. Time to make soup! Particularly tomato soup!! We have a big ham bone so I can make the stock. I am debating whether or not to make it before or after Thanksgiving. I’ll probably make it after Thanksgiving since Wild Man has a bunch of performances and soup will make for easy dinners.

So, what’s up with you? Check out 7 Quick Takes Friday to see how others are doing this weekend?

Thursday, November 14, 2013

So, it’s been a rough week on the headache front. The migraine started Monday night and finally ended today. The worst part was Wednesday early am when I had a couple of hours of violent vomiting and diarrhea. But, now it appears to be over, so I get a couple of days of recovery.

With the migraine, I’ve done a lot of “sleeping” (lying down with my eyes closed and sometimes even being unconscious, but it’s not always restful). I’ve also gotten some work done on the two sweaters I’m knitting. When the headache isn’t too bad, I’ve done some reading.

I tried to watch the new History Channel show about the Bible. With a title like “Bible Secrets Revealed”,  I shouldn’t have expected much. It delivered even less. In the first thirty minutes (before I got too exasperated and turned it off), they managed to say that the resurrection was made up and added to the end of the Gospels, that the virgin birth was based on a mistranslation, and that the Gospels weren’t “written” by anyone who actually knew Jesus. Ack! None of those things are factually correct and the evidence for what they are stating needs to be laid out against the evidence for the claims made by Christianity. Of course, managing to make those claims in thirty minutes, means that they weren’t able to provide a remotely decent argument, just an expert with a few random facts. I should know better than to expect real in-depth thought from the network that brings us “Ancient Aliens”.

And, I’m done ranting. I think I’ll go read some before bed. What about you? Anything interesting in your life?

Appliances–November 13, 2013

We got a new sink disposal today! I was pretty excited that there was already one in place when we bought the house, but it died about a week ago. It’s replaced now, so life will go back to being a bit more convenient. Oh, the things that make me happy!

The kitchen in this house was not exactly one of it’s selling points. There wasn’t a fridge when we bought it so we purchased one immediately. We got a great deal on it, but it sticks out in front of our pantry door a bit, so we can’t get all the way in to the pantry easily (but, how often does one need to get all the way into a pantry?). The dishwasher that was in here had to have been from the ‘70’s. We replaced that several months ago when we got our washer and dryer. The way the plumbing was set up, we had to have the plumber install it instead of the regular installation guys.

That leaves the stove/oven range. And I would seriously like to replace that right now. The stove isn’t too bad except that we have to turn the heat all the way to high and then turn it down to get to the right setting and even then it isn’t very precise. The oven is what is very frustrating. Even with an oven thermometer, I can’t seem to figure out how to set the oven temperature. I’m pretty sure this thing is about 30 years old. It’s the next thing to get replaced when we have the money. Cooking a Thanksgiving turkey in this thing is going to be an adventure.

The joys of buying an old house! And don’t even get me started on the size of the bathroom and the kitchen. But, I’m thankful we have this house and that it’s heated and that we have the shop out back. Eventually, we’ll get all the stuff in the house settled in to the way I like it. Eventually.