Last Monday we forced the children to help in the community garden. They worked hard for five minutes and then the boys started whining. “Its too hot. I’m too tired.” Told them to “man up” or they would be in for a “world of hurt”. There’s nothing like a cliche here and there to carry forward a morning of great parenting and helpful gardening. Gladys and Marigold got to help plant tomato plants. Marigold just helped herself to the plants... Read more
Elphine is making brownies. She’s been making them since about 1pm this afternoon. I’ve been trying to patiently not loose my mind, but as we head into the fourth hour of brownie making (from a box, let the truth be known) I feel that the battle may be too much for me. First she got the boxes of brownie mix out of the cupboard.Then she read the directions. We got all the measuring cups out and talked about fractions….again. Her... Read more
Another church picnic come and gone (yesterday). As I stood in the water at the lake counting five of my children plus two others (one…two…three four five six…..don’t see the seventh…oh, there it is) and catching up with friends I’ve not seen in a month, I realized that it was really the picnic that was our “first Sunday” ten years ago. We weren’t ordained yet and we had just arrived so it wasn’t our first Sunday in terms of work,... Read more
one I think its been a busy week but I can’t really remember. My mom and dad are here and yesterday they drove down to NJ to pick up my Great Aunt and bring her up here for a visit. So that’s very exciting and wonderful, and the explanation for why I’ve barely popped open my computer except to check my email, and even then I’ve been forgetting to do that. two I have been rather successfully keeping school going.... Read more
one The dogs are curled up together. It looks hot and uncomfortable. The two babies that are awake are fighting and hitting each other and me. Every now and then the baby tries to sit on my head. They are also ‘singing’ which just means they are just shouting really loud. two Really sad and discouraged by this news yesterday. Seems like we’re not just sneaking up to the line of barbarism and violent ruination but are sprinting there. three... Read more
Yeah, so the dog is still here.He comes if you shout ‘Bonzo’ really loudly and hysterically.He has no microchip.He has no tags.He isn’t being sought after on Craig’s List.I’m going to see what the paper can do for me today, and the Humane Society has written my message down on a piece of paper, may they not loose it. The next step is posters put up around the neighborhood this weekend. Meanwhile, he seems to have made friends with everyone... Read more
My favorite part of The Sacred Diary of Adrian Plass, and I’m going from memory here, goes something like Laid a fleece. If a midget in a Japanese admiral’s uniform arrives at the door at 9:04 precisely, I would know that God wanted me to sing carols. Wish I’d had the presence of mind to lay just such a fleece this evening. Something like If, at 8:56pm on Memorial Day while I’m watering the community garden, five very tall African... Read more
I have acquisitioned a plot in Good Shepherd’s community garden. I plunked some seeds from a trusting and knowledgeable friend who never-the-less has seriously overestimated my abilities. Things like “swiss chard” and “peppers” went from her seed packets into my plot, and a tomato plant I acquired on Amazon (did you know you can buy plants on Amazon? Weird). Even so, it looks pretty dismal. But then yesterday someone from church, let me rephrase that, lovely people from church brought... Read more
one Matt and Alouicious are about to go to men’s bible study. Alouicious usually calls it Man’s bible study. He gets up early and drinks a cup of sugary coffee and then is allowed to have some kind of soda during the study. He goes and eats the massive breakfast over there (church) and then comes home and gets in on the breakfast everyone is having over here. He’s usually able to tell me what the text was and what... Read more
Monday we all went together to take two of the children to their well baby appointments. In general we have tiny children and so were astonished to discover that the baby is in the 30th percentile for height. “What a giant” said the doctor sardonically. We all laughed together. Never mind that she, the baby, had thrown up a mere half an hour earlier.Stupidly, we thought we’d make a day of it.Pick up the house, get in the car, go... Read more
Preventing Grace
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