Appalachian Ambiance

Being About Our Father's Business ... Really!

2008-10-07T19:15:00.006-04:00

I, for one, am truly impressed! I hope this idea takes off, spreads like wildfire and produces much fruit.

Blessed be the Name of the Lord, henceforth now and forever!!

Pope Benedict XVI begins marathon televised Bible reading.
The Pope has kicked off a week-long Bible-reading marathon intended to deliver the word of God into the homes of Italians.
"If welcomed, this seed will not fail to bring abundant fruits," Pope Benedict XVI said before reciting the first chapter of the Book of Genesis.
The marathon will feature more than 1,200 people reading the Old and New Testament over seven days and six nights.

While the pontiff recorded his segment at the Vatican on Sunday, most of the reading will be performed live in Rome's Santa Croce in Gerusalemme, a basilica built in the fourth century.

The Pope, whose reading was shown on a giant screen in the church, was followed by Bishop Ilarion, a representative of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Rome's chief rabbi, Riccardo di Segni, had originally agreed to take part but withdrew from the event last month, saying it had become "too Catholic".

Famous Italians taking part in the reading include the Oscar-winning actor and director Roberto Benigni, former showgirl and now government minister, Mara Carfagna, and the former prime minister Giulio Andreotti.

Protestants, Jews and Orthodox Christians will also take part in the event, which the state broadcaster RAI television has called "The Bible Day and Night". It will end with the Vatican's second most senior official, Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, reading the final chapter of the Apocalypse.

The continuous reading, which is being broadcast live on Italian television, coincides with a worldwide meeting of more than 250 bishops on the contemporary relevance of the Bible.

The British contingent at the XII Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops is led by The Most Reverend Patrick Kelly, Archbishop of Liverpool, and Bishop David McGough of Birmingham.

VP Debate

2008-10-02T23:27:00.003-04:00

Quite the interesting debate. I would have to give it to Sarah Palin. She's energetic, fresh and obviously, a quick study. She had answers to the questions and wasn't afraid to let who she is be seen. She never lost that smile, nor her sense of humor.

Still, it's going to be a long four weeks.

Autumn Book Club Post I

2008-09-20T09:40:00.002-04:00

I began my read of "The Roots of Christian Mysticism" last night. The author writes a bit about Tradition in the intro, stating:

Newman compared the early history of the Church to the opening chords of a symphony, when the subjects which will later be brought out one by one are introduced all together in a concentrated burst of creativity.

A beautiful analogy! I come from a background that had no use for anything older than yesterday. Viewing Tradition is this manner gives me a greater understanding and appreciation for the way it has unfolded. After all these years, I feel like such a novice, only beginning to dip my toes into deep waters.

Yesterday Evening Shots

2008-09-16T19:16:00.008-04:00

Here are a few photos of yesterday's sunset on the river and the moonrise over our mountain. We are blessed to live in such a beautiful area! Thank you, Lord!

Vacation Photos

2008-09-16T18:55:00.006-04:00

Here are a few photos I took while at Assateague last week. It's one of our most favorite vacation spots; one we have gone to for many years and where we had much fun with our daughters.

These little duckies came to call every morning. We thought we would treat them to a little puppy chow, which they gobbled right up ... at least until Callie dove into the middle of the flock and sent them scurrying.

The next few pics are of a hawk and a heron taken at the wildlife refuge. Unfortunately, the wild ponies were too far away to get any good photos.

Book Club Update

2008-09-16T18:48:00.003-04:00

To any of the book club members stopping by: my book order ran into a shipping problem and is "in the mail." Hopefully, I'll receive it very soon.

Dang! Already behind the eight ball. But I am checking others' comments and enjoying them. Keep posting!!

Two Word Survey

2008-09-12T21:34:00.002-04:00

A fun survey I picked up from Phillipa. Two word answers, no more, no less…

1. Where is your cell phone? ...............beside me
2. Your significant other?....................my hubby
3. Your hair? ..................................shiny silver
4. Your mother?...............................passed on
5. Your brother?...............................have none
6. Your favorite thing?.......................forest walk
7. Your dream last night?.....................don't remember
8. Your favorite drink?.......................iced coffee
9. Your dream?................................family nearby
10. The room you’re in?......................living room
11. Your ex?....................................passed on
12. Your fear?..................................being widowed
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years?....right here
14. Where were you last night?.............at home
15. What you’re not?.........................laid back
16. Muffins?....................................Starbuck's blueberry
17. One of your wish list items?............therapy pool
18. Where you grew up?.....................suburban Pittsburgh
19. The last thing you did?...................saw movie
20. What are you wearing?..................capri pants
21. Your TV?...................................Fox News
22. Your pets?.................................Callie girl
23. Your computer?...........................IBM laptop
24. Your life?..................................missed opportunities
25. Your mood?...............................hopefully optimistic
26. Missing someone?........................my children
27. Your car?.................................Toyota Avalon
28. Something you’re not wearing?.......my socks
29. Favorite Store?..........................Plum Bottom
30. Your summer?............................sadly over
31. Like someone?...........................my dog
32. Your favorite color?....................mostly blues
33. Last time you laughed?.................tonight
34. Last time you cried.....................this afternoon
35. You are with?............................dog, hubby
35. Who will re-post this?..................don't know

Sarah Smile

2008-09-12T10:10:00.005-04:00

I think most of us knew the choice of Sarah Palin for VP would draw the fire of liberals, but I have to say I'm a bit surprised at the vitriol lauched at her from women, especially the big mouth celebutards. Just shows how much abortion continues to divide this country. Sarah hasn't changed her men like some women do their underwear; she takes responsibility, yes and even loves, the products of her conception - her beautiful children. They loathe her for that. Women's rights? It would seem that the term never meant anything more than the right to kill your baby. Never mind that Sarah has already treaded where only one other woman has been. She gives birth. Unforgiveable!

May the blessing of the Lord rest upon her, strengthen and carry her and her family through these tumultuous times.

Book Blog

2008-09-11T21:42:00.004-04:00

I have decided to take part in a group read of a book in which we will blog our thoughts as we go, visiting each other's blogs to comment and discuss. The book is The Roots of Christian Mysticism. It sounds like an interesting read and a fun concept; just hope I can keep up with the reading schedule. I still have reading to do for my doula certification and as I have my third and last required birth at the end of this month, I need to get moving!

Lord, have mercy ... please!!!

OCA in the News

2008-09-11T21:37:00.002-04:00

How sad to read the news of Met. Herman's involvement in the OCA scandal. It seems no church group is without their issues, are they. The lusting after of power, sex, money ... passions that unless corralled and tamed wreak much havoc.

Lord, have mercy!

Summer's End

2008-09-11T21:12:00.002-04:00

I've been neglecting this blog in a very bad way. Forgive me.

The summer has been full of activity and I hate to see it end. Our new grandbaby, River, was born in July. We went to visit him and, of course, he is a beautiful and sweet boy. It saddens me that I will be so little involved in his life; they live so far away. It's not just a matter of hopping a plane, more like three planes each way. The potential for travel plans going awry grows daily, what with the state of our airlines. And, of course, we had our share of problems with the trip. Not fun. But it is very gratifying to watch my daughters become mommies - seeing them both change from focusing primarily on themselves and their interests to being completely attuned to their babies and turning more inward as they nurture a stronger nesting instinct.

Last week, Gabby's mom, her family, hubby and I went to Chincoteague for a long weekend. It's always nice to be there, we've been going for many a year. That's where we were on 9/11 when the towers were hit. I remember very well my hubby coming into the bedroom to wake me and tell me what was happening. It was very odd being away from my home then; I remember feeling very disconnected, especially trying to continue our vacation, carrying on with our plans. Looking around at all the tranquil beauty of Assateague, it was hard to believe that another part of our country was under attack and being turned completely upside down in such horror.

Gabby's Mama Sews!

2008-07-14T11:14:00.003-04:00

Mama's first attempt at sewing resulted in this adorable little outfit. She did a great job!

Evensong

2008-07-13T22:33:00.006-04:00

I sit on my deck this evening, on my wooden glider that I love. Beautiful and bountiful trees grace my yard as it slopes toward the stream at the base of the mountain. A truly spectacular view!

Callie is beside me, her head rests in my hand while I stroke the sweet spot between her eye and ear. Oh, she does enjoy that.

The rain is falling softly. A tree frog has taken up residence in the reeds below the deck. He sings loudly; I imagine he calls his lady love to come and share the evening.

The fireflies are just coming out, twinkling through the rain in the waning light.

It is a good evening, a peaceful evening. And I am reminded of the words of the prayer I heard at Liturgy this morning:

For a day that in all things will be perfect, holy, peaceful and without sin, let us pray to the Lord.

Amen.

New Authoress

2008-07-12T22:57:00.006-04:00

I wanted to tell you all about a new author I discovered through through the blogging world: Claudia Mair Burney. She has been furiously writing this year and has had several books published. I had read an excerpt of one of them on her blog and I was hooked. Her writing is sassy, fun and oh-so-enjoyable. I think my favorite so far is Zora and Nicky, which is more serious and beautifully written.

She's categorized as a "Christian Fiction" author, but don't let that fool you. Normally, I would rather have a root canal than be forced to read anything from that genre, but she takes it up quite a few notches from the norm and it's barely recognizable as such. Here's her author blog.

I first met her through comments she left on other blogs I read. Claudia has an interesting faith journey which she documents on ragamuffindiva: pentecostal, Orthodox, Catholic, with a few stops in between. I relate to much of what she has written regarding her journey.

If you're looking for some light and entertaining summer reading with a twist, this might be it.

Cutie!!

2008-07-12T10:28:00.003-04:00

Weapon of Mass Destruction

2008-07-12T10:10:00.003-04:00

Yes, folks. This is, indeed, such a weapon. But oh, I do love it! It's a custom chromatic autoharp made by a luthier, Buck Lumbert. It has a spruce top, walnut chord bars, maple chord buttons and a maple back. I bought it used, but it's not even a year old. Beautiful sound!

Unfortunately, I have some chronic elbow and shoulder problems which were set aflame playing this bad boy. So, now I'm in physical therapy and being extremely cautious of how I'm using both arms. And if that isn't enough, I did something to my ankle tendon, too, causing a flare there. So as of Monday, I'll be in PT for three different areas of tendonitis. I might as well set up a sleeping bag and camp out at the therapist's office!

This will be a challenging weekend! Hubster is gone sailing for a few days and I'm here trying to rest these aggravated tendons, but still putting them through some stretches so they don't tighten up. Callie can't figure out why we aren't doing her normal walking routine and is a bit restless, and my youngest will be pushing little River out any day now.

Lord, have mercy! (40x, even!!)

How to End Theological Discussions According to the Corleone Family

2008-07-11T09:52:00.002-04:00

"Leave the gun, take the cannoli."

We could learn a lot from those guys. For those that may be Godfather-challenged, it means, leave the bad, take the good. Simple, yes ... but after many years of theological volleyball, it works for me.

Lord, have mercy!

Gabby Girl

2008-07-11T09:47:00.004-04:00

Here's our little Gabby at five months now. We took her to the local Music Fest last weekend. She and I are dancing to Johnny Cash's "Ring of Fire." We had a great time, she and I!!

Mama is singing "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Another big hit!

Evening Walk

2008-07-11T09:40:00.006-04:00

We ventured out on an evening walk on the Appalachian Trail a few days ago. Lush beauty that just dazzles the senses! So much rain has made everything very green and beautiful. There's a pic of Callie on the trail and a view from the power line right-of-way, looking out over a village along the Susquehanna River. Bucolic bliss!

And Now For Something Completely Different

2008-06-24T10:28:00.003-04:00

"And Now For Something Completely Different" Does anyone remember that line? It was the usual segue from one sketch to another on Monty Python. Loved that show!

After I came to Christ many years ago, I wanted very much to sing and play hymns in worship of Jesus. I had no formal training, but was able to pick up piano by ear very quickly. I very much enjoyed playing; it was my gift of worship to Jesus and it was very personal. At some point, I was asked to use this gift to lead worship for my church. Intially, this was a good thing and very enjoyable, but that all changed when the church leaders decided they wanted to go in a newer style and be the first on the block to debut new songs put out by a certain ministry that shall not be named. For three years, I accommodated and worked hard to learn the new songs. When hubby took a job in another area, it was a relief to be able to stop, but the damage had been done ... I lost that love of playing for the Lord. It had become a job and the pressure killed my love for music. Or so I thought.

I've been looking at other instruments for some time now, primarily a dulcimer and autoharp. Lo and behold, there is a major autoharp festival this week in our area. All connections have been made and there's a rental harp with my name on it waiting for me at the beginners' workshop tomorrow. I think my love of music isn't dead, the wound suffered is healed and I'm ready to move on, with great excitement! Simple hymns are swirling in my head again, along with lovely little folk tunes, ready to be sung when I get this harp in my hands.

Blessed be the Lord.

Callie Update

2008-06-19T11:06:00.004-04:00

I'm worred about my dog, again. She has been stable with the EPI since winter, but is dropping weight again. This is not a good sign. In every other way, she seems healthy, happy and energetic and that is a good sign. We may have to have the dreaded blood tests again and see what's going on; she hates that, hence, I hate it ... moms are like that.

**UPDATE (again)** She is picking up weight again, just that fast! Methinks I may worry too much about this little yellow creature. Ups and downs are just part of the whole ugly EPI condition.

Discrimination

2008-06-19T10:44:00.002-04:00

Before I moved to this area, I held the position of a director of a crisis pregnancy center. I liked what I was doing and knew I had done a good job for the center. This small-town center was supported by all the local churches, regardless of denominations. Sure, there were the occasional conflicts over doctrine, but it was always able to be worked out for the greater good of helping women in crisis pregnancies.

When I came here, I wanted a break and took a position as an office manager for a non-profit. During the last year, I thought I'd look around and try to get back into CPC work, but what I found disappointed me greatly. CPC's in this area can't seem to 'play nice' with each other; specifically, the evangelicals don't want any type of support from the Catholic and Orthodox. I find this so sad and so detrimental to the pro-life cause. I don't really think the baby saved from a gruesome murder gives a rat's a$$ whether the person helping was from a Catholic, Orthodox, Baptist, Pentecostal, etc. background. Once again, the schism's ongoing affect rears it's ugly head.

Lord, have mercy!

So I'm looking outside of CPC work now for something a bit more meaningful that that of an office manager. But I find there may be another type of discrimination at play ... age discrimination. I'm 54 now and it's really easy to find a person's age online, even without paying for an internet search. As long as you have a phone that is listed, a person can use 411.com, put in a name and the phone, address and age bracket (within 5 years) comes up. Makes it easy for a company to practice this type of discrimination without asking the unlawful question.

In the end, I will never know if, indeed, age is a factor, but the bottom line is this: I trust that God our heavenly Father knows what we need before we even ask and He will be the one to supply what He wants me to have. Amen!

Gabby Girl

2008-06-16T14:45:00.006-04:00

Here's some recent pics of my little granddaughter. She's four months old now and has started "lounging" whilst sleeping. My daughter sends me pics just about every morning of her in this position - pretty funny! I've never seen a baby sleep like this before!

Here's one of her after dipping her hand into a bowl of icing her mom made yesterday. She had it up to her face before mom could do anything to stop her. Doesn't the look on her face seem to say, "Whaddaya gonna do bout it?"

And in a few more weeks, there will be a new grandbaby born to my youngest daughter, a boy named River.

Whew!!

2008-06-16T14:38:00.002-04:00

"Anonymity can be a good thing for a blogger unless the aim is to report all the news that is the news."

But I do have news ... good news! Last month I had my routine mammogram. Something didn't look quite right so an ultrasound was performed, which revealed a solid looking lump. Docs recommended an appointment with a breast surgeon for a possible biopsy. I made the appointment for one month after the initial tests. The surgeon was preparing to do the biopsy and had to perform another ultrasound to pinpoint exact location for needle place and found that the lump was gone ... not there ... nothing to biopsy! She wants to follow up in a few months, but for now, I'm fine and praising God for His mercy.

Ouch!

2008-06-02T16:03:00.004-04:00

I haven't had much to say lately; too many curve balls coming much too fast at me.

Anyway, if there's anyone out there, I have a question: is the rising price of gasoline changing the frequency of your church attendance? Have you considered attending a church closer to home, be it whatever, because of gas pump ouchies?

Inquiring minds want to know.