Imaginary Garden

2007-02-20T06:21:00.000-08:00

Well, if anyone is still stopping by here, it's pretty evident that I rarely blog anymore. This is, in fact, my farewell to the blogosphere. I've been spending some time in very serious reflection lately. It seems that "blogging" is a bigger thing than ever. The bigger it gets, the less I want to do it, and that needed some consideration from me. Is it just because I hate fads? After all, I refused to see Star Wars in the theater the first time it came out, JUST BECAUSE everyone was so obsessed by it. It was a (possibly futile) gesture of independence from the "crowd." Is that why I no longer want to blog, nor troll endlessly through others' blogs?
As I was thinking, I ran across this column by George Will. I'll lift a few quotes:

Franklin's extraordinary persona informed what he wrote but was not the subject of what he wrote. Paine was perhaps history's most consequential pamphleteer. There are expected to be 100 million bloggers worldwide by the middle of 2007, which is why none will be like Franklin or Paine. Both were geniuses; genius is scarce. Both had a revolutionary civic purpose, which they accomplished by amazing exertions. Most bloggers have the private purpose of expressing themselves, for their own satisfaction. There is nothing wrong with that, but nothing demanding or especially admirable, either. They do it successfully, because there is nothing singular about it, and each is the judge of his or her own success.

Time's issue includes an unenthralled essay by NBC's Brian Williams, who believes that raptures over the Web's egalitarianism arise from the same impulse that causes today's youth soccer programs to award trophies —"entire bedrooms full" — to any child who shows up: "The danger just might be that we miss the next great book or the next great idea, or that we will fail to meet the next great challenge ... because we are too busy celebrating ourselves and listening to the same tune we already know by heart."

I've had to ask myself: Do I want to be a part of that? I've at times, I admit, enjoyed my year-long experiment here, but at the very core of my being, something is still reacting strongly against the entire idea of blogging. At the beginning of my "experiment" I suspected that there was more than a little narcissism involved. Now, at the end, I know that there is. I know because I've experienced it, and let it blind me for a while. Now in the cold clear light, I have to 'fess up and admit it: I've been navel-gazing. And cheering others on while they navel-gazed. And, to no one's suprise, this has not made me more intelligent. Or more Christlike. Or more sensitive to the needs of others. It has, at best, been neutral, and at worst, encouraged me to fixate upon my own feelings and opinions. In short, I do not believe that, were Christ upon the earth, He would have a blog. No, He would be out, one on one, serving and loving others with no thought for Himself. I need to go and do likewise. I'm not trying to sound sententious here, but honest.

Might there be blogs of real value out there? Sure. But my time is limited, and trolling through the blogosphere for hours to sift out a few worthwhile nuggets is a poor use of my time. I don't want to miss the next great book or the next great idea or fail to meet my next great challenge because I was too busy celebrating myself. I'm not worried about depriving the world of my genius--I don't have any. I do have love, but that is not a commodity in trade in the blogosphere.

So I'm signing off. I wish the blogosphere the best. I actually hope that it moves away from navel-gazing and towards something more genuine. Until it does, though, you can find me reading a book, loving my family, and trying to serve my neighbors.

2006-12-16T06:58:00.000-08:00

Well, I didn't get as much done this week as I'd once hoped. PMM was derailed by a stomach virus, which naturally derailed me too. Pretty hard to get much done while doling out sips of gatorade every five minutes. LOL I will try to get my dipped gingersnaps done today, as they are my dh's partner's favorites.
Have had a request for Chocolate Truffle Cookies, which are one of my family's favorites.

Chocolate Truffle Cookies
1 1/4 c butter, softened
2 1/4 c confectioner's sugar
1/3 c baking cocoa
1/4 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
2 1/4 c flour
2 cups chocolate chips
1/4 cup chocolate sprinkles

In a large mixing bowl, cream butter, sugar and cocoa until light and fluffy. Beat in sour cream and vanilla. Add flour, mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate dough for 1 hour. Shape into 1-inch balls, dip in chocolate sprinkles, and place on ungreased baking sheets 2 in. apart. Bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes or until set. Cool for 5 minutes before removing to wire racks to cool completely. About 5 dozen
We usually double this. They are very, very good! :-)

2006-12-12T06:39:00.000-08:00

2006-12-12T06:38:00.000-08:00

In Iowa, Santa drives a John Deere, what else? These photos are from our community lights display; different sections are paid for by different area businesses. This one is, you got it, from John Deere.

2006-12-12T06:36:00.000-08:00

2006-12-12T06:18:00.000-08:00

Montserrat wanted to know how we kept our waistlines in check with all the baking we do. Well, you haven't seen our waistlines. LOL Dh and I are not exactly in the running for Thinnest People. :-)
But, when I do Christmas baking, we each get one or two things, then I immediately pack them for the freezer. Then we make up trays and give the vast majority of it away. We started doing this long ago, when we didn't really have money to buy "real" presents. And now that things aren't so tight, I've tried a time or two to "switch" over to buying stuff, but people seem to expect the goodies now, so. :-)
Anyway, I have a lot of "big batch" recipes. I made 11 dozen Chocolate Truffle Cookies yesterday, and Saturday I will be making 14 dozen Dipped Gingersnaps.
Here is the recipe I made last Saturday:
Macy's Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies
Ingredients:
2 c butter
2 c sugar
2 c brown sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
4 c flour
5 c old-fashioned oats
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
24 oz. chips (I like to use one bag chocolate and one bag peanut butter)
1 tsp salt
3 oz Hershey's bar, frozen

Put flour and oatmeal in batches in the blender, processing until powderlike. Do the same to the frozen Hershey's bar. (Do the flour and oatmeal FIRST.)
Mix butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla in a VERY LARGE bowl. Combine dry ingredients and chopped chocolate bar. Add to mixing bowl and mix well. Stir in chips. Bake on ungreased sheets at 375 degrees for 8-10 minutes.
OK, now, you need a very large bowl and a super-powerful mixer if you want to use an electric mixer. I have a big, deep dough mixer, the hand-crank kind. I use this, and it is a hard, tough job to get this batch mixed! I did it on Saturday so dh could help me mix. We burned off a few calories just with the mixing, let alone the running around with cookie sheets. LOL

2006-12-11T11:43:00.001-08:00

Well, the baking is in full swing here now. We've had a busy week! Saturday we made a huge batch of our favorite chocolate chip cookies, Macy's Cookies. This recipe makes 14 dozen! Saturday evening we went to Bah, Humbug! a local school's Christmas play/concert. A young woman we know and love played the Ghost of Christmas Present. :-) It was nicely done. Sunday, I found myself without a calling. Having just been released from a Primary calling so I could focus on Teacher Development, I found that the entire Teacher Development position, program, and all, has been discontinued! LOL I helped out in the nursery, not being sure what else to do with my newfound freedom. :-)
Today I made some plain cookies for us to take with us tonight. For FHE tonight, we will drive around looking at Christmas lights, and drive through our town's large for-pay display. It is a new tradition begun last year, and was a lot of fun!
Then, we made a double batch of Chocolate Truffle Cookies, one of my dh's favorites. I'm about baked out for today, but hope to get more done tomorrow.
Fa la la la la!

2006-12-07T06:32:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday Tallman!
Thirteen years ago today, after so much waiting and hoping and praying, I finally became a mother. And Tallman finally arrived, after uncharacteristic dilly-dallying! :-)
It's hard to believe it's been thirteen years, and I'm now the mother of a teenager. It was just the other day I was carrying him around and people were stopping me and exclaiming about his eyes and his soft blond hair that stood straight up.
Anyway, Tallman arrived on Pearl Harbor Day, 1993, and weighed in at 10 lbs. 15 1/2 oz.
Happy Birthday, Tallman, you're the best!

2006-12-06T07:12:00.000-08:00

It's Saint Nicholas Day! We read about him and about the various German/Austrian traditions here. Our pfeffernusse are in the oven now.
Also today we are trying a new recipe, Nutmeg Sugar Crisps. The dough for that is chilling now.
Tallman's Church youth group are in charge of bellringing at our local Hy-Vee today so he'll be coming and going as he takes his turn. They have a pizza party lined up for all the bellringers this evening.

2006-12-05T07:12:00.000-08:00

Peppermint twists! These will be packaged up (the ones I salvaged from being eaten) in Christmas mugs with a bag of hot chocolate mix and given as gifts. They were a bit of trouble but pretty and tasty enough to do again.

2006-12-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

It's still a German-Austrian Christmas celebration around here! Yesterday we learned about Barbarazweig, although we did not do it ourselves. We also made peppermint twists (not necessarily German, although they were yummy!) We made gingerbread cutout cookies and decorated them last night for FHE. No pictures, the kids ate them too quickly. :-(
Today we made pfefferneusse dough. We'll bake it in a few days, then put the cookies aside for a week or two before eating! I sure am glad that this German-American housewife has a mixer and does not have to do all this mixing and beating by hand only. :-)

Next I begin Fudgefest. I'll be making 8-10 batches today. No, that's not necessarily German either, but we always do it. We are keeping it simple this year, and only making chocolate and possibly chocolate-raspberry. I'm frustrated, though, that my favorite Hershey's Raspberry Chocolate Chips are not in my stores this year. I am trying a new product but do not know if it will melt and turn out well. We'll experiment at the end of Fudgefest.
I'll post recipes if anyone is interested.

2006-12-01T11:27:00.000-08:00

Well, once again it's been a long time! I spent a few days driving to Kansas City to shop with my mom and sister. We had a terrific time, and much of my shopping is done. We've been trying to decorate for Christmas, surviving an ice storm and power outages, and getting ready for Christmas School. Today is the first day!
This year we will be focusing on traditions, crafts and recipes from Germany and Austria for Christmas School. About.com has a nice German advent calendar; Dec. 1's entry is here. Our activity for the day has been to make an Advent wreath; we put it on the table around a lovely Nativity candle set I own and use as a centerpiece. I'll try to post a photo of the completed centerpiece later.

2006-11-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

Cheery took these two "pizza cakes" to the Cub Scout cake auction and did very well, earning $65 for his pack.

2006-11-25T14:13:00.000-08:00

PMM in his cool new dinosaur jammies!

2006-11-25T14:11:00.000-08:00

We loved this little path and bridge in a local park. It looked like it was going somewhere important. :-)

2006-11-25T14:07:00.000-08:00

We were so impressed with this gnarly old tree against the deep blue sky in a local park, we had to take several pictures of it. I'll bet this tree could tell some interesting tales.

2006-11-25T13:56:00.000-08:00

Just found this site today. It predicted, based on dh's height and mine, how tall the boys are likely to get. Their predictions? Perpetual Motion Machine and Cheery will be 6'1". Tallman? 6'7". Really. NBA, anyone?

2006-11-19T04:53:00.000-08:00

Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat!

LOL. What is not yet fat is my freezer. I haven't even begun the "goodies" yet this year. Nevertheless, Christmas prep is in full swing this year. I have almost all my soap and candles done, and last night we got the rest of the kids' Christmas gifts decided on. I'll start ordering this week.

For Christmas school this year we've decided to shamelessly steal the idea from my online friend Katrina, and focus on Christmas in different countries, especially countries involved in our family history. This year it is Germany and Austria. I'll be trying to put the things we do and try here.

One fun new Christmas tradition we have is a terrific new game! My dh occasionally visits this website, Familyman Ministries, because it's by a homeschooling dad. He discovered this new game they sell there, called To Bethlehem. It is a combination of learning and thinking about the meaning of Christmas, and hilarious family fun. We laughed last night until we cried. Some of the spaces are labeled things like "Last rest stop before Bethelehem. Go flush a toilet" "You're tired. Sit on someone's lap until your next turn." Definitely a keeper! Interested? Look here.

2006-11-06T06:24:00.000-08:00

Pumpkin Bread
Well, I seem to be fixated on food. Not too surprising for me, now that it's November. This is the beginning of Baking Season here at my home. I "initiated" the season Saturday by making my first batch of Grandma's pumpkin bread. I often make a dozen or more batches of it in November and December. I know the recipe well enough that I need to look at it the first time each fall, then I remember it well enough to forge ahead without it.
Somewhere in my ancestry there must lurk a pumpkin grower, lol. My grandmother is just a "pumpkin natural" She can make anything out of pumpkin, and her pumpkin bread and pie recipes are the best I've ever had. I no longer make her pie recipe often, as it involved beating the egg whites separately and folding them in, and I just hate to do it. :-) And I've tried, and liked, many other pumpkin bread recipes (I guess I have a pumpkin gene too) I really enjoy trying to make Grandma's recipe healthier. But, when push comes to shove, Grandma's is THE recipe. Nothing else really touches it, IMO. Rich, tender and sweet, it is a dessert, not a bread. I've collected pumpkin bread recipes from all over, but the ONLY time I ever found the equivalent to Grandma's is in an old Amish book I found somewhere. Grandma made her loaves in coffee cans, and I loved the beautiful perfectly round slices. Being short on coffee cans here, though, I use 9x5 loaf pans; the recipe makes 2 of these. One to enjoy, and one to give away!

Grandma Zella's Pumpkin Bread

2 cups sugar
2/3 cup water
1 cup vegetable oil
2 cups cooked or canned pumpkin
4 eggs
1 tsp nutmeg
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp baking soda
3 1/3 cups flour

Beat sugar, oil, and eggs in a large bowl until creamy. Add pumpkin and water, then dry ingredients. Mix well, and pour into two greased 9x5 loaf pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-65 minutes; bread is done when cracks on top of loaf are dry and a toothpick inserted off center comes out clean. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out to cool.

Eat this like a bread, or for a real treat, top slices with vanilla whipped cream with a little nutmeg sprinkled on top. Yum.

2006-11-02T15:22:00.000-08:00

Tuesday I also decided to reclaim my heritage and attempt "old hen and potpie" This is an old family recipe that came down from my father's mother's family. We had it at all family get-togethers. It's essentially a stewed chicken with homemade noodles. Why it's "potpie" is beyond me. The first time, after I hit adulthood, that I went to a restaurant and saw "potpie" on the menu, I ordered it and got a BIG surprise! LOL
Anyway, my grandmother steadfastly refused ever to give me a recipe. Not even any help. Just start with eggs and add flour until it looks right, then cook it until it's done. LOL I have been too "chicken" to try it on my own. But last month we had a Relief Society class where a sister shared her homemade noodle recipe. It looked JUST LIKE Grandma's, except this sister rolled and cut them thinner and dried them overnight before cooking them. But it gave me just enough courage to try it on my own.
So, Tuesday night, I made my attempt. I didn't stew an entire chicken for one meal for 5 people. I "modernized" by using canned broth. I made my noodles (for 6 eggs' worth, add 2 1/2 cups flour , 3/4 tsp salt and mix, if too sticky add up to 1/4 cup more flour) I rolled them out on a well-floured dishtowel, but left them sort of thick and rustic looking. I rolled them about the thickness of pie crust; the sister who did our class rolled them thinner. I also cut them about an inch or so wide, and tore them in pieces (this was the job of the oldest granddaughter at my grandma's house!) and dropped them into simmering broth. After they'd cooked, I added a package of shredded chicken I'd cooked and frozen previously, and thickened the broth.
Apparently they were a big hit. I thought they were remarkably good considering this was my first attempt and I skipped the "old hen" part, lol. And my guys kept going back until every last noodle was gone. I liked my "modernization" because it was much faster (this took my grandma ALL DAY!) and much lower in fat than the way she did it. Maybe I'll try it the "old" way once soon when I have extra time. But I surely am pleased with my attempt!

2006-11-01T14:11:00.000-08:00

Last night (yes, Halloween) was the TWENTIETH anniversary of my first date with dh. This photo is not from that first date; it is from December, I think. Still, this is how we looked--19 years old, young and thin. LOL
Story behind the blind-date: the guy I thought I wanted to go to the Halloween dance with decided to go dressed as Jesus. I just could not go to a party with Jesus. I decided to stay home, then my friend decided I needed to go out with her boyfriend's friend . . .
He took me to McDonalds, where I ordered a Diet Coke, no food, but ate half his french fries, then to a movie, Legal Eagles, which I don't remember, since I did not wear my glasses around him for several months. All I saw was a big blurry rectangle of light, lol.
We're no longer 19 or thin, but still together.

2006-10-31T10:17:00.000-08:00

Well, I haven't had much time to write but I've had my thinker on overtime lately. I just read a most interesting book, with quite an amusing title: Crunchy Cons: How Birkenstocked Burkeans, gun-loving organic gardeners, evangelical free-range farmers, hip homeschooling mamas, right-wing nature lovers, and their diverse tribe of countercultural conservatives plan to save America (or at least the Republican Party)

Well. What a title. I thought it would be an amusing read.
It started out cute and amusing. Rod Dreher, the author, was living in New York, working at the National Review, of all places, and told his editor he needed to leave early to pick up his share of the organic produce co-op delivery in their neighborhood. He says his editor "made the kind of face I'd have expected if I'd informed her I was headed off to hear Peter, Paul and Mary warble at a fundraiser for cross-dressing El Salvadoran hemp farmers."

I laughed myself off my chair at that one, but as I progressed through the book, I found this one of the most personally challenging reads I've had in a very long time. Rather like the time a friend convinced me years ago to try listening to Rush Limbaugh--I didn't like him personally. Still don't. But he was talking about how Reagan's tax cuts INCREASED revenue. Well, no they didn't. I was alive during the 80's. I read the news, watched TV, voted. Reagan's tax cuts ruined the country.
Well, um, I was always TOLD that, anyway. Limbaugh challenged me (OK, not me PERSONALLY) to look it up for myself. I had just recently quit my Ph.D. program in political science--I knew where to look. Imagine my utter astonishment when I found out Limbaugh was right. It was like being told that the moon really was made of cheese, after all. Or perhaps that it didn't even exist and was just an illusion made up by the TV station.
Gulp. Well, that moment and the subsequent re-evaluating of "What do I REALLY believe, anyway?" took me from being a pro-choice ACLU member who attended Socialist Party functions, to a pro-life libertarian.
Dreher has just challenged my assumptions again.
This is NOT just a book about conservatives who want to eat healthy. I am guilty there--I'm almost embarrassed to be caught in the Whole Foods Emporium with my Bush bumper-sticker on my van. What will people think? Republicans don't eat seitan and organic radicchio. :-)
Or do they? I'd known for years that there was a fair segment of homeschoolers who took food more seriously than most, eating organic and whole foods and vegetarian and every other strange possibility out there. I knew this because I met some, and because I am one. I'd occasionally vaguely thought, "Well, isn't this odd. We're conservative mostly Republican homeschoolers who eat like hippies." But I'd never analyzed it.
Dreher has. He has taken a whole slew of atypical conservatives and boiled the phenomenon down to sets of basic principles, then illustrated how "countercultural" conservatives are living out their beliefs in the public arena today.
It was startling to me how strongly I identified with Dreher's "Crunchy Con Manifesto" and how well it explained many other rather odd things about me. For instance, my opposition to our local "Event Center" which we recently built in our community. All the Republicans were solidly behind it--it was pro-business, pro-jobs, good for the community! But to get this nightmarishly modern building, we not only took tax money, but we tore down a fine old turn-of-the-century Greek-inspired public auditorium. I LOVED that building! It had character, it had refinement. The floor boards were scratched in places, the acoustics left something to be desired, the steps to the basement were rounded and scuffed by the treading of thousands of feet. We had local craft fairs, flea markets, local performances there. Now we have this big, new, hideous glass-and-angles carpeted expensive monstrosity. The craft fairs and flea markets are not going to be able to afford the fees of this new building. What are we going to get instead? I don't know, but I'll bet it'll not be nearly as helpful to the local community nor as friendly and attractive to the average town citizen. They are hoping to attract business conferences from around the country--but we are two hours from decent sized airports.
WHY would a free-market conservative oppose such a plan? Well, it became clear to me after reading the Crunchy Con Manifesto:

1. We are conservatives who stand outside the contemporary conservative mainstream. We like it here; the veiw is better, for we can see things that matter more clearly.

2. We believe that modern conservatism has become too focused on material conditions, and insufficiently concerned with the character of society. The point of life is not to become a more satisfied shopper.

3. We affirm the superiority of the free market as an economic organizing principle, but believe the economy must be made to serve humanity's best interests, not the other way around. Big business deserves as much skepticism as big government. (This one is the hardest for me personally to wrap my enthusiasm around)

4. We believe that culture is more important than politics, and that neither America's wealth nor our liberties will long survive a culture that no longer lives by what Russell Kirk identified as "the Permanent Things"--those eternal moral norms necessary to civilized life, and which are taught by all the world's great wisdom traditions. (Russell Kirk is new to me, but I am looking up more from him now!)

5. A conservatism that does not recognize the need for restraint, for limits, and for humility is neither helpful to individuals and society nor, ultimately, conservative. This is particularly true with respect to the environment.

6. A good rule of thumb: Small and Local and Old and Particular are to be preferred over Big and Global and New and Abstract.

7. Appreciation of aesthetic quality--that is, beauty--is not a luxury, but the key to the good life.

8. The cacophany of contemporary popular culture makes it hard to discern the call of truth and wisdom. There is no area in which practicing asceticism is more important.

9. We share Kirk's conviction that "the best way to rear up a new generation of friends of the Permanent Things is to beget children, and to read to them o' the evenings, and teach them what is worthy of praise; the wise parent is the conservator of ancient truths . . . The institution most essential to conserve is the family."

10. Politics and economics will not save us. If we are to be saved at all, it will be through living faithfully by the Permanent Things, preserving these ancient truths in the choices we make in everyday life. In this sense, to conserve is to create anew.

Dreher then traces these principles through life: What does this mean for consumerism? What should we eat? Where should we live? How should we educate our children, participate in religion, view the environment?
It's eerie how many of the decisions we've made already echoe some of Dreher's conclusions. (We could stand to do better yet, though)
This book just finishes pushing me into a re-evaluative mindset that I'd already been on the verge of--what I am thinking and feeling is reverberating with what I read in Last Child in the Woods (blogged about here) and Brave Companions by David McCullough, which had a nice long article on Wendell Berry, who happens also to be one of Rod Dreher's heroes. There is magic in the air here, there is thought and ideas which are converging and reshaping ideas and opinions and principles. A sea change is in the air. Everything suddenly seems significant.

2006-10-24T04:47:00.000-07:00

Tagged! Gifts and Talents
Calandria tagged all of us to answer questions about our gifts and talents.

1. What is a talent you seem to have been born with that you have discovered, grown, and celebrated?

I think it'd have to be reading. OK, not exactly BORN with it, I suppose. But I cannot remember when I could not read--my mother tells me I was 3. I've always been able to read, always enjoyed it, always been able to learn quickly from reading. It always has been, and still is, one of my major tools for approaching and figuring out life. :-)

2. What is a gift you think you don't have, that you most envy in others?

I'd rather be able to say some great Christlike attribute, because I'm afraid that my honest answer will sound shallow. But I wish I could sing. When I hear someone with a lovely voice singing, it always moves me to tears--partly from beauty, and partly because I'm green with envy. I so wish I could sing. I hope that in the Celestial Kingdom, when our bodies are perfect, that will include an ability to sing. I once saw an episode of Touched By An Angel (silly series, I know) that involved the angel Monica envying Charlotte Church. It was so poignant and pointed out so sharply to me how much I envied this ability that it was very difficult for me to watch the show.

3. What is a talent that did not originally come easily to you, that nonetheless you've developed through practice and hard work?

Like Calandria, I'd really have to say social situations and interaction. I used to be so deathly afraid of talking to people I didn't know, approaching people and saying something first, calling people on the phone, going to situations with lots of people. I'd just retreat and hide, or find an excuse not to go. I had panic attacks even, at times. But I decided after I joined the Church that I simply couldn't be like that. Christ wouldn't be like that. It's OK that I'm not a "life of the party" girl, but I need to be able to interact normally, in my own quiet way. I'm much, much better than I used to be. Still could use some work, but it's better!

2006-10-23T04:44:00.000-07:00

You all are too nice to me, to let me vent without wanting to smack me. LOL I'm feeling much better today. The children are all feeling better, PMM is sleeping at night again (so am I) and of course all the other annoyances don't look nearly as big anymore.
I wanted to post about the books I've been reading in snatches here and there.
Having Our Say: The Delany Sisters' First 100 Years: I heard a lot about this book some years ago, but of course couldn't find it. I found it at a library sale last year and snatched it up, where it's been languishing in the Stacks ever since. But I wanted an easy inspirational read during our Troubles and this looked OK. I picked it up. I am so glad I did! Those Delany sisters were adorable. 101 and 103 when the books were written, both died several years ago. But what a testament they have left behind. This book was remarkable. I learned more about history, felt more about discriminition, and just fell in love with these two ladies who survived so much. One was feisty, one very peaceful and forgiving; the book really showed how each sister's personality helped her deal with the challenges of discrimination. Highly recommended book!
Next, I picked up a slim little volume of Gene Stratton Porter's, The Song of the Cardinal. It brought into even sharper relief the fact that Stratton Porter was a naturalist first, author second. It is the story of a male cardinal as he grows and tries to find a mate; then the ending of the book is a farmer who loves listening and watching the cardinal pair on his land, and what happens when a man with a gun tries to shoot the birds for sport. The book then becomes a treatise on the waste of hunting a beautiful creature for no particular reason; it reminded me of the story I once heard--was it about David O. McKay?--who was tempted to shoot at a bird with a slingshot or something but decided not to. Sweet little book.
I am amusing myself right now with John Stossel's hilarious new book, Myths, Lies, and Downright Stupidity: Get out the Shovel--Why Everything You Know Is Wrong. I don't always agree with Stossel, although he delights my inner libertarian, and most of the time, he's spot on. I particulary have enjoyed the chapters on education and (sorry, honey) lawyers. (Poor dh, his profession gets picked on so much.) I'm not done yet but enjoying every minute.

2006-10-16T11:47:00.000-07:00

The No-Good, Horrible, Awful Month
I really don't like to complain. Really, my life is pretty blessed. But we've been having a run of annoyances, pains, and problems here, and I intend to whine for about 10 minutes and then get on with life. :-)
1. Sick kids. Two with pneumonia, followed up by one with resistant strep, who is still running a fever and coughing terribly after two antibiotics and 10 days. I haven't slept for 3 nights. Sigh. I am considering drinking the rest of HIS codeine cough syrup (doesn't seem to be helping him) and crashing tonight. No, I won't really do it. But it sounds attractive.
2. My dishwasher broke. We got a new one, but it cost us. Our roof needs to be jacked up and fixed, but no one has done it yet, and the paint on my kitchen ceiling is falling off. THEN Friday when I was trying to print up a schedule for my school week, guess what? Printer died. No printer. No written schedule. Just the one in my sleep-deprived head.
3. Then Cheery's pet hamster died. Samuel the Hamsterite is no more. He has a "sequel", but still, it's been a tough thing.
4. I haven't been to Church in a month. (sick kids)
5. My brother and sister aren't speaking to each other.
6. My entire house is a disaster zone, after a month of sick kids and not enough time to clean up. I'm falling down in all my callings, my yard looks like a prairie restoration project, it's the year the pine trees decide to drop bushels of needles and 80 zillion pine cones, and I haven't been able to take my nice pleasant usual fall walks in the areas with lovely foliage. (You guessed it---sick kids). I'm putting on weight from not exercising and eating too much from being stuck home, tired and cranky.
I haven't been to the library all month, I have a ton of errands that need running, my scrapbooks are untouched, we are getting only a tiny fraction of our school schedule done, Christmas is coming . . .
On the plus side, I have a husband, three terrific kids, a place to live, food to eat, books to read (not necessarily in that order) the true Church, a temple less than two hours away, good friends, a living prophet, a (mostly) free country, and the ability to promise to quit whining now. Really. I promise. Unless a tree falls on the house tomorrow or something. :-)