It turns out that Tornado (C.) isn't the only one with an obsession with "ucky" things. Our beloved custodian at church, M., who is coming up on her 75th birthday, comes by everyday she's in, to empty the trash. She examines the contents of our trash cans with the attention given by a hospital nurse checking the urine output in a foley bag hanging from the patient's bed. "You did good today," comments M. on the amount of trash she has to empty. Or, "you've been busy." Or, "today is a slow trash day." Always a comment, always an interest in what is in the can (or not). Today, she found a disposed copy of a prayer card I was working on for H & S, and came back in to ask me if that was my daughter. "She looks just like you!" Yep, we've heard that a few times.
M., living alone, also talks to herself, carrying on regular and detailed conversations. In the beginning, it always threw me for a loop to walk into a room and wonder if she was talking to me. Now I may or may not comment on whatever she is talking about at the moment, depending on whatever interesting I may or may not have to say.
M. is really quite amazing, moving tables and chairs, mopping the entire gym, and more, at her age. To say she does so without complaint would be a lie, but we'll miss her when she's gone. I doubt anyone else will take her level of interest in what is found (or not found) in our uckies.
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
From my journal today
This morning, while pouring my cereal (carefully measured, in an attempt to practice the discipline required in weight management after 50), I was pondering that this is the way of the world - too much of any "thing" is just too much, and is not profitable, does not better us, and really just drags us down. For example, too much food leads to extra weight, that ultimately will have a negative impact on our health. Too much household stuff just gets in the way, requiring cleaning, maintenance, and decisions about what to do with it. Too much time invested in any one activity brings an imbalance to life.
The only thing we can't get too much of in life is God. The vastness of His personhood and the majesty of His glory draws us to Him and the desire to experience more of Him is like being irresistibly pulled toward a super magnet. I think that life is in perfect balance when He is at the center of it, and that it is that "centeredness" that helps us to make sense out of the rest of it. He is the author and sustainer of all life, the beauty that we see in creation and the reminder of the completion of the redemption of our broken world upon His return.
Perhaps this is what Jesus was talking about in John 10:10 - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly."
The only thing we can't get too much of in life is God. The vastness of His personhood and the majesty of His glory draws us to Him and the desire to experience more of Him is like being irresistibly pulled toward a super magnet. I think that life is in perfect balance when He is at the center of it, and that it is that "centeredness" that helps us to make sense out of the rest of it. He is the author and sustainer of all life, the beauty that we see in creation and the reminder of the completion of the redemption of our broken world upon His return.
Perhaps this is what Jesus was talking about in John 10:10 - "The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I came that they might have life, and have it abundantly."
Tuesday, February 26, 2008
When you don't have anything interesting to say...
...you quote somebody else. This is one of my favorite blog posts from a friend-of-a-family-college-friend. Ever notice how reading blogs can take you to interesting places? Many blogs have links to other blogs, and that's how I found this one. This guy keeps me laughing on a regular basis. And if I could write like HIM...
Udder Confusion
Hey kids! Sorry about the lack of posting for a while, I guess it's the price I pay for having nothing to say. For those of you who haven't read either my mother's post on the topic or the related Ann Arbor News story, or if you just want a slightly less biased (ha!) opinion on the matter, you've come to the right place. First off, I want to tell you to ignore those two links I gave you up there and listen only to the soothing sound of my typing hands, but I imagine that you've already read the news article and first-hand apology (I mean that in the Socratic sense, she's not sorry), so I'm just going to attempt to editorialize here.
Last Friday morning found my mum and sister-in-law waiting in a back alley in Ann Arbor with a largish crowd of folks with pony tails and Birkenstocks and maybe the occasional "man with no name"-style poncho, who had all driven (or perhaps carpooled to save on greenhouse emissions) there in old Volvos that are now held together only by bumper stickers which read "Free Tibet," "I break for Jake," and perhaps "I'd rather be in Ann Arbor." What, you may ask, could possibly have drawn these people away from their homeopathy boutiques and used record and book stores on this Friday morning? Milk. That's right, just like the stuff the rest of us buy at gas stations and grocery stores at our convenience. Well, almost just like it. What makes this milk so special? It's unpasteurized. Unpasteurized? Isn't pasteurization that process by which the bacteria in milk are killed? Yup, but let’s leave that for later. For now, let’s just content ourselves with the knowledge that two otherwise sane people whom I love very much were standing there on a Friday morning waiting to buy dirty milk out of the back of a truck. In an alley. On purpose. And then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, nothing happened. Seriously. The sketchy milk truck didn’t show. Close to 100 hippies were stuck there in an alley, awaiting the arrival of a truck that simply would not arrive. Awkwardly, they stood around with their hands in their pockets, probably thinking to themselves that it’s getting a wee bit cold to wear Birkenstocks, and perhaps making awkward small talk to one another about how they never forgave their parents for not accepting their lifestyle.
What had become of the truck and its high-bacteria bounty? It had been stopped en route from the organic dairy farm by sheriff’s deputies serving a Michigan Department of Agriculture warrant to seize the sketchy milk and Farmer Rick’s cell phone. They also swiped his computer back at the farm house. Little did Farmer Rick realize that his weekly back-alley drop-offs had been to 99 honest crazies trying to get their bacteria fix, and one undercover agent from the Michigan Department of Agriculture. An undercover agent, baby! Every MDA worker dreams of this kind of assignment. “Son, I need someone to infiltrate an organic dairy co-op, and they tell me you’re the best. Here’s your ‘Jerry Lives’ t-shirt, and the keys to your 1979 Volvo. In the car you’ll find an 8-track tape with further instructions, along with some live bootlegs of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.” Hahahaha, those jokers at the MDA, what will they come up with next?
According to the news article (which, by the way, more than pushes the limits of impartial journalism), Farmer Rick has done nothing illegal, and has yet to be charged with anything. Apparently there’s a loophole in Michigan law which allows the co-op to buy the milk by leasing part-ownership of the herd, or something like that.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m actually against laws that keep people from buying unpasteurized milk when they do so with full knowledge of what they’re buying. We can still legally buy alcohol and tobacco, can’t we? Sorry, I’m just not looking to the State of Michigan to save me from myself. That said, I personally find the whole ordeal to be about the funniest thing I’ve heard all month. I’m sorry to those of you who’d already heard the whole story, I’ll try to post something else in a timely manner. Until then, I wish you well.
Udder Confusion
Hey kids! Sorry about the lack of posting for a while, I guess it's the price I pay for having nothing to say. For those of you who haven't read either my mother's post on the topic or the related Ann Arbor News story, or if you just want a slightly less biased (ha!) opinion on the matter, you've come to the right place. First off, I want to tell you to ignore those two links I gave you up there and listen only to the soothing sound of my typing hands, but I imagine that you've already read the news article and first-hand apology (I mean that in the Socratic sense, she's not sorry), so I'm just going to attempt to editorialize here.
Last Friday morning found my mum and sister-in-law waiting in a back alley in Ann Arbor with a largish crowd of folks with pony tails and Birkenstocks and maybe the occasional "man with no name"-style poncho, who had all driven (or perhaps carpooled to save on greenhouse emissions) there in old Volvos that are now held together only by bumper stickers which read "Free Tibet," "I break for Jake," and perhaps "I'd rather be in Ann Arbor." What, you may ask, could possibly have drawn these people away from their homeopathy boutiques and used record and book stores on this Friday morning? Milk. That's right, just like the stuff the rest of us buy at gas stations and grocery stores at our convenience. Well, almost just like it. What makes this milk so special? It's unpasteurized. Unpasteurized? Isn't pasteurization that process by which the bacteria in milk are killed? Yup, but let’s leave that for later. For now, let’s just content ourselves with the knowledge that two otherwise sane people whom I love very much were standing there on a Friday morning waiting to buy dirty milk out of the back of a truck. In an alley. On purpose. And then, suddenly, in the blink of an eye, nothing happened. Seriously. The sketchy milk truck didn’t show. Close to 100 hippies were stuck there in an alley, awaiting the arrival of a truck that simply would not arrive. Awkwardly, they stood around with their hands in their pockets, probably thinking to themselves that it’s getting a wee bit cold to wear Birkenstocks, and perhaps making awkward small talk to one another about how they never forgave their parents for not accepting their lifestyle.
What had become of the truck and its high-bacteria bounty? It had been stopped en route from the organic dairy farm by sheriff’s deputies serving a Michigan Department of Agriculture warrant to seize the sketchy milk and Farmer Rick’s cell phone. They also swiped his computer back at the farm house. Little did Farmer Rick realize that his weekly back-alley drop-offs had been to 99 honest crazies trying to get their bacteria fix, and one undercover agent from the Michigan Department of Agriculture. An undercover agent, baby! Every MDA worker dreams of this kind of assignment. “Son, I need someone to infiltrate an organic dairy co-op, and they tell me you’re the best. Here’s your ‘Jerry Lives’ t-shirt, and the keys to your 1979 Volvo. In the car you’ll find an 8-track tape with further instructions, along with some live bootlegs of Crosby, Stills, Nash, & Young.” Hahahaha, those jokers at the MDA, what will they come up with next?
According to the news article (which, by the way, more than pushes the limits of impartial journalism), Farmer Rick has done nothing illegal, and has yet to be charged with anything. Apparently there’s a loophole in Michigan law which allows the co-op to buy the milk by leasing part-ownership of the herd, or something like that.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m actually against laws that keep people from buying unpasteurized milk when they do so with full knowledge of what they’re buying. We can still legally buy alcohol and tobacco, can’t we? Sorry, I’m just not looking to the State of Michigan to save me from myself. That said, I personally find the whole ordeal to be about the funniest thing I’ve heard all month. I’m sorry to those of you who’d already heard the whole story, I’ll try to post something else in a timely manner. Until then, I wish you well.
Saturday, February 23, 2008
Why I listen to NPR
I believe I have mentioned my distaste for election years a few times (maybe more) before. I find that a nice alternative to "he said, she said" reporting is the ecclectic collection of far more interesting news stories found on National Public Radio. I listen whenever I am in the car.
This week on NPR, I learned there is a company that makes military uniforms working on a new design for combat wear. The latest is that one day soon soldiers will be able to wear fatigues with built in tourniquets in the arms and legs (injuries to the extremities being the most common). Upon deployment following a wound, the tourniquet will be in place within 22 seconds. It is predicted that many lives will be saved from the bleed out caused by wounds to the major arteries in the arms and legs.
Next, in a report entitled, "Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills", I learned studies have revealed self-regulatory skills are learned in imaginative play. Many children are missing out because video games and tv have taken the place of good old fashioned play. Back in the pre-computer days, we created fond memories of neighborhood football games, playing Daniel Boone in the fort in the back yard, sleeping outside on cots under the stars, and escaping from the enemy by doing the army crawl along the bottom of the retaining wall during military exercises. One summer we even opened our own neighborhood library, checking out books to all of the would-be readers on our block.
And finally, did you know that the Smurfs are poised to make a comeback?
As one who is seriously tired of bad news, my vote is on NPR, where I also learned that the latest winner of the Westminister Dog Show was a beagle. There IS still good news to be found - you just have to know where to look.
This week on NPR, I learned there is a company that makes military uniforms working on a new design for combat wear. The latest is that one day soon soldiers will be able to wear fatigues with built in tourniquets in the arms and legs (injuries to the extremities being the most common). Upon deployment following a wound, the tourniquet will be in place within 22 seconds. It is predicted that many lives will be saved from the bleed out caused by wounds to the major arteries in the arms and legs.
Next, in a report entitled, "Old Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills", I learned studies have revealed self-regulatory skills are learned in imaginative play. Many children are missing out because video games and tv have taken the place of good old fashioned play. Back in the pre-computer days, we created fond memories of neighborhood football games, playing Daniel Boone in the fort in the back yard, sleeping outside on cots under the stars, and escaping from the enemy by doing the army crawl along the bottom of the retaining wall during military exercises. One summer we even opened our own neighborhood library, checking out books to all of the would-be readers on our block.
And finally, did you know that the Smurfs are poised to make a comeback?
As one who is seriously tired of bad news, my vote is on NPR, where I also learned that the latest winner of the Westminister Dog Show was a beagle. There IS still good news to be found - you just have to know where to look.
Thursday, February 21, 2008
Eclipses (lunar and otherwise)
Well, of all of the 93 photos on Yahoo of last night's eclipse, this is the one that looks closest to what we saw from our front porch at about 9:00.
The really cool thing was we didn't even know about the eclipse...we had just returned home from our small group and H1 (who was visiting the convalescing H2) remembered it and jumped up to look out the window. She shouted, "there it is!", and we all ran out on the porch to see. That was our last chance until 2010 to view such an eclipse, so I'm glad we didn't miss it.
On the health front, H2 is a little better, but definitely not ready to jump right back into boyland. She's planning to rest another day before heading home.
And for a little head-scratching, how about this comment by Michelle Obama, made in Milwaukee this week: "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country — and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change." Personally, I think there's a bit more to be proud of than a hunger for change, and I liked Cindy McCain's not so subtle reference to this comment: "I have, and always will be, proud of my country." Makes me wonder if Barack's handlers have put a muzzle on his wife. We'll see...
The really cool thing was we didn't even know about the eclipse...we had just returned home from our small group and H1 (who was visiting the convalescing H2) remembered it and jumped up to look out the window. She shouted, "there it is!", and we all ran out on the porch to see. That was our last chance until 2010 to view such an eclipse, so I'm glad we didn't miss it.
On the health front, H2 is a little better, but definitely not ready to jump right back into boyland. She's planning to rest another day before heading home.
And for a little head-scratching, how about this comment by Michelle Obama, made in Milwaukee this week: "for the first time in my adult lifetime, I am really proud of my country — and not just because Barack has done well, but because I think people are hungry for change." Personally, I think there's a bit more to be proud of than a hunger for change, and I liked Cindy McCain's not so subtle reference to this comment: "I have, and always will be, proud of my country." Makes me wonder if Barack's handlers have put a muzzle on his wife. We'll see...
Monday, February 18, 2008
General Hospital
Well, this is one of those times when I'm thankful for a flexible job and a generous boss.
H2 got in on Saturday night, feeling a slight sore throat coming on. By morning, "slight" didn't begin to describe it, and besides a killer sore throat, she hurt everywhere else all at the same time, too. Thankfully, with the threat of a crippling winter storm, H1's Sunday plans were cancelled, and she was able to come and take care of the boys while we were at church and while H2 rested. Thankfully again, the said storm did not materialize after all, so we didn't have to deal with another foot of snow.
Today, H2 is still seriously under the weather, so I rearranged my schedule to stay home with the boys. We have eaten breakfast, played choo-choo, blocks, balls, watched Sesame Street, eaten lunch, and gone down for naps. And all before noon. How's that for productivity? H1 is coming over after work, as I have a meeting I can't miss tonight.
P has had a cold, Tornado (E) has had a temp, and I'm loading up on the Hall's Immune Booster cocktail. So far so good.
H2 got in on Saturday night, feeling a slight sore throat coming on. By morning, "slight" didn't begin to describe it, and besides a killer sore throat, she hurt everywhere else all at the same time, too. Thankfully, with the threat of a crippling winter storm, H1's Sunday plans were cancelled, and she was able to come and take care of the boys while we were at church and while H2 rested. Thankfully again, the said storm did not materialize after all, so we didn't have to deal with another foot of snow.
Today, H2 is still seriously under the weather, so I rearranged my schedule to stay home with the boys. We have eaten breakfast, played choo-choo, blocks, balls, watched Sesame Street, eaten lunch, and gone down for naps. And all before noon. How's that for productivity? H1 is coming over after work, as I have a meeting I can't miss tonight.
P has had a cold, Tornado (E) has had a temp, and I'm loading up on the Hall's Immune Booster cocktail. So far so good.
Saturday, February 16, 2008
TwoSpeak Part Deux
For your learning pleasure, today we will embark on part two of "How to Speak TwoSpeak". To keep things interesting, we'll start with a multiple-guess quiz:
1. ucky
a) anything you find on the floor in a public place
b) a rubber duck
c) a garbage can
2. aah-hole
a) a toybox
b) don't even think about it - this is a family-friendly blog
c) an apple
3. uppy
a) "I want to be picked up"
b) an older urban professional
c) a puppy
4. ishy
a) anything gushy or squishy
b) that irritating feeling of nausea
c) fish
So now, how did you do?
1) "Ucky" is indeed synonymous with "garbage can". This was the first word out of H2's mouth everytime one of the boys headed for the garbage can ("That's yucky!"), and it stuck. By the way, C has an amazing ucky radar, pointing out every garbage can in any public place you happen to visit - "Ucky! Ucky!"
2) "Ah-hole", while frightenly similiar in sound to a word you definitely do NOT want coming from your child's mouth, is really twospeak for "apple". H2 lives in fear for the day they serve apples in the church nursery.
3) "Uppy" means "puppy" - are you seeing a pattern here? Sometimes the first consonant is dropped in twospeak.
4) So if you got "ucky" (although I did try to trick you with "ducky") and "uppy", you have probably correctly deciphered "ishy" as "fishy". The boys love "Finding Nemo" and eating breakfast with their highchairs pushed close to the aquarium in the dining room.
Well, while the boys are napping, I'm contemplating one myself. Then it's out for a few errands before the arrival of the NEXT big storm, due to arrive tonight. H2 is planning to get here before the storm does, and will stay until Monday to give both the paint fumes in the boys' room and the 12" of snow they're predicting a chance to be cleared out. Like we have anywhere left to put anymore snow - there is still at least 18" on my picnic table!
1. ucky
a) anything you find on the floor in a public place
b) a rubber duck
c) a garbage can
2. aah-hole
a) a toybox
b) don't even think about it - this is a family-friendly blog
c) an apple
3. uppy
a) "I want to be picked up"
b) an older urban professional
c) a puppy
4. ishy
a) anything gushy or squishy
b) that irritating feeling of nausea
c) fish
So now, how did you do?
1) "Ucky" is indeed synonymous with "garbage can". This was the first word out of H2's mouth everytime one of the boys headed for the garbage can ("That's yucky!"), and it stuck. By the way, C has an amazing ucky radar, pointing out every garbage can in any public place you happen to visit - "Ucky! Ucky!"
2) "Ah-hole", while frightenly similiar in sound to a word you definitely do NOT want coming from your child's mouth, is really twospeak for "apple". H2 lives in fear for the day they serve apples in the church nursery.
3) "Uppy" means "puppy" - are you seeing a pattern here? Sometimes the first consonant is dropped in twospeak.
4) So if you got "ucky" (although I did try to trick you with "ducky") and "uppy", you have probably correctly deciphered "ishy" as "fishy". The boys love "Finding Nemo" and eating breakfast with their highchairs pushed close to the aquarium in the dining room.
Well, while the boys are napping, I'm contemplating one myself. Then it's out for a few errands before the arrival of the NEXT big storm, due to arrive tonight. H2 is planning to get here before the storm does, and will stay until Monday to give both the paint fumes in the boys' room and the 12" of snow they're predicting a chance to be cleared out. Like we have anywhere left to put anymore snow - there is still at least 18" on my picnic table!
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