Lesson learned in Sunday School today:

To walk with God in Prayer
Means to be Aware
That he's There.

I need to go to Sunday school more often.

Peace out.

Lyrics

So, we went to Oklahoma City today to see this movie.

I had seen clips for it somewhere, and being long-time Bela Fleck fans, I thought "we should see that movie!". Then, I forgot about it.

Until yesterday.

Looking through the paperwork that was sent to DD#4 to prepare for her trip to Tanzania, I found a list of books/films to watch to become familiar with the culture. This movie was listed in the films to see. A scheme was hatched.

A great day in so many ways - a one day, relatively inexpensive get away, with DD#4, who rarely joins us on family outings anymore. OKC has a great museum district, and alot to see.

No surprise, the movie was full of music, and songs. The music that was played sounded so complex to me - I'm no musician. Yet, the lyrics were what struck me. Simple. Not songs about girls, clubs, dubs or dollars... The lyrics - happiness (the one word in a whole song), mother, father, death (it was once for chickens... it counts your ribs), songbirds, war, poverty, allah or the gods. I mean, that's it. One or two words per song. Beautiful complex music from the simplest instruments - sticks, strings, gourds, skins. The singers teeth and tongue, hands and feet. Simple lyrics from such amazing voices.

World Vision Report - Week of April 25, 2009 - Bela Fleck

World Vision Report - Week of April 25, 2009 - Bela Fleck

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Movies

Due out in August.... Can't wait!

Julie and Julia Trailer

Tonight...

Star Trek

... gonna have to DVR Wipeout.

World News

We came back from the long, relatively unplugged weekend in Louisiana. I was surprised to see that Michael Jackson was still dominating the news. To an astounding degree. I mean, Katie Couric has a ringside seat and a good part of the ABC World (World) News is devoted to covering the memorial service at the Staples Center in LA. I thought for sure that we would be back to living out the disaster-in-a-fishbowl that is Jon, Kate, and their kids.

I liked MJ back in the day when I was a young teen... I liked MJ back in the day when I was a young adult. As he grew older and changed radically, I didn't think much about it, except that his private life as a whole must have been pretty "out there"... I remember when Elvis died and people were just devastated. I didn't get that any more than I get this. As they say on American Idol, "Yo, Dawg, I'm just not feeling it".

Annnnywayyy...

What was interesting was that when I changed to the BBC news, I was reminded of what Katie Couric might have been telling me - That the president of Honduras had been overthrown and that there was violence and unrest in that country. That in China, riots were going on between Muslim Uighurs and the Han Chinese, leaving over 100 people dead. That Sarah Palin had resigned as Governor of Alaska... The BBC unapologetically throws in names like "Zelaya", "Urumqi", "L'Aquila" and expects that the viewer knows who or what they are referring to. They report news from Eastern Europe, South America, India, Africa... Africa!!... all as if it were local news! The last time US news even mentioned an individual, non-mid eastern country on the African Continent was Somalia in '94.

I found out that our president will be going to Africa in a few days. Somebody should tell Katie.

New Roads...

Jim's Dad has made some observations about the holiday on his blog "False-River"

We always enjoy heading south to "the river" for any reason. Enforced relaxation - no internet, sketchy phone service. Good food, no where to go other than the camp so the kids tend to stay put. Swimming, reading, puzzles, games, sleeping in, fireworks, and of course family.

Swimming in the river is a process. At first, when the kids are little, it takes some coaxing and encouragement to get them in. The water is green, and can be murky. They have to wear a life jacket at first. As they get older, they get in more readily, eventually jumping in from the low side of the pier. Then there's always the year they jump from the high side of the pier, and this was the year for DS#1.

Grocery Stores

A lot of my life has revolved around grocery stores. Many of the inside jokes between my mom and I were spawned at the First National in Brewster or the Pathmark in Danbury, and later at the Krogers, H.G. Hills and Piggly Wiggly in Nashville. (Right here, I could stop and veer off on a tangent entitled "North and South : Compare and Contrast Grocery Shopping Cultures"). My favorite Erma Bombeck column involved the grocery cart that had three wheels that wanted to go shopping and one wheel that wanted to go to the parking lot. We spend most of our lives sleeping. The second biggest chunk of my life has doubtlessly been spent in grocery stores.

I have learned lessons at the grocery store. Slower traffic stays right, pass on the left. Don't walk in front of a 10 year old who is pushing the buggy. Patience and a smile go a long way. Dress in layers. Milk is always in the corner farthest from the door. Check the eggs before you commit to them. Nothing is ever as good inside as it's packaging would make you believe. Most of the time, blue is not a color you want to eat. If you go to the grocery wearing the YMCA t-shirt that has the spaghetti sauce stain dribbled down the front, there is a 100% chance that you will run into the freshly coiffed high dollar neighbor wearing her mink.

God sometimes chooses to give me moments of absolute clarity about my life when I'm at the grocery store. Maybe it's because I'm there so much. A few weeks ago, there was a mom and her daughter getting out of the suburban. The mom was lifting the daughter out, they were giggling and rubbing noses... Don't get me wrong, I'm not weepy or nostalgic about my older girls growing up. Yet, there was a moment - I panicked - was I ever like that? Did I ever giggle like that with my daughters? Did I rub noses with them and lift them up like that? If I did, in that moment I was absolutely sure I that didn't do it enough.

Today at the grocery store I saw a younger-ish (not too young) woman with a small-ish (not too small) child and an olderish (not too old) woman. The ages I guess weren't as important as the roles they played, the youngish woman was out shopping with her mom and her child. The youngish woman was the one who needed the groceries, and the mom and kid were along for the ride. There are often women like this, with their children and their moms, all shopping together. In my mind, I've always seen myself as the younger women - not the moms. Today at the grocery store, for the first time, as clear as day, in my mind I became the mom. In a split second and just like that, my frame of reference and my idea of who I am shifted .... just along for the ride.

Funny.... The way it is...

There was an article in our town news on Wednesday. It was interesting in a couple of ways.

Here is a part of it.

" Marcus High School is one step closer to having a football stadium with a 4-1 vote by the Flower Mound Planning and Zoning commissioners on Monday.
Commissioners approved a variety of waivers for the plan, including allowing all overhead utilities to remain.
... G & A Consultants Engineer Von Beougher said burying the utilities would cost the (LISD) more than $1 million.
'That's $1 million in improvements -- if you want to call them improvements -- that really wouldn't serve any educational value to the students,' Beougher said."

Hmm. Where to begin?

Maybe with some pictures...
















These are just a few of the power lines that the builder doesn't want to bury.





















This monstrosity is in our back yard.

I don't know whether this spider web of cables that runs the length of Waketon Blvd has anything to do with it, but our power historically goes out on a cloudy day. I'm pretty sure I want to call "burying the cables" an improvement.
















































This is the construction zone where work has already begun on the new football stadium that has not yet been approved by the Flower Mound P&Z. The baseball stadium has been dismantled, and the state of the art practice field that was built 7 or 8 years ago at a cost of several million dollars has been dug up.


I'm not sure how a new football stadium is serving any educational value to the students, but if your going to spend $35 million on one, couldn't you just bury the cables while you're at it?

Don't even get me started on where the people to fill the 9500 seats are going to park within walking distance of the intersection of Waketon and Morriss...

Thoughts...

1. DD #4 is a newly minted HS grad. As such, we have agreed to send her on a long-awaited trip to Africa with Cross Cultural Solutions, a "recognized leader in the field of international volunteering". Air travel options to get from DFW to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, involve stops in either New York or Amsterdam. I suggested that the change in Amsterdam is probably better than changing in NY, the flight is half as long, and JFK is not the most user friendly airport. DD#4 responds "Yeah, I think that's better"..... "Where's Amsterdam?" (!!)

2. We now have egg-producing chickens. This item started out to be a comment about my worrying alot lately about trying to reconcile my liberal socio-political views of life in our country with my living as a christian in a right-wing, intensely conservative part of our country. My worrying, my desire to cling to what I've always felt was "right" and "just", and my understanding that my feelings about these things are in direct conflict with what most christians I associate with feel about these things - have all led me to question my christianity, and then back to questioning my need to cling to these views (pride?! again?!). But then, I chickened out about commenting on this at all, and wrote about my chickens instead.

3. VBS rocks. I've really enjoyed getting to know everyone involved in making it happen this year. We have a Children's Ministries director who is leaving that I will miss working with more often. She gave me gold stars. We have a new Children's Ministries Director that I look forward to working with more often. He asks me for feedback, and for what I think. I've had several opportunities this week to be a good listener - something I'm notoriously bad at. I hope that I have been of some comfort to these people. One final observation about this: The kids/teens/young adults that serve at VBS are incredible. Each and every one of them.

4. Pine Cove is a little slice of heaven on earth. I love that they love my kid so dearly each summer for a week full of guy-bonding, and seeking God. DS#1 always comes back with a renewed understanding of God's love, his power, and of what his purpose is here. He would just say he had a great time, but his attitude and renewed faith from this week never fail to lift me up and renew my own faith. One final observation about this: The young adults that serve at Pine Cove are incredible. Each and every one of them.

5. In writing this, I realize that just when I find myself the farthest away from God (see item 2), he finds the most indirect ways to bring me back to him (see item 3 and 4). I have loved serving Him through his church this week at VBS, and I have loved being served by Him through other believers. I realize that the key to all of these things - VBS, Pine Cove, Cross Cultural Solutions - is the joyful, active, optimistic idealism of kids/teens/young adults - the pure love of one person for another person - without guilt or baggage or judgement or condemnation or agendas or the need to be right or for someone else to be wrong that seems to be so prevalent in our "tribe" lately - more specifically - since January 20, 2009.

6. I realize that times like these - the great VBS experience, or the perfect summer camp experience, and shiny, happy, joyful, optimistic (!!), idealistic teens/twenties, or the times when (to quote some great teens I know) "God Shows Up" - are rare. So, today, I am thoroughly grateful and blessed.

7. My drier is buzzing. I'm off to fold clothes, with joy and optimism.

Chickens happened sooner than we thought!

Nugget, and Chirpy.

Planted some peas and lettuce in planter outside. Today is supposed to be a high of 58 deg. and a low of 39. Forecast is between 38 and 68 degrees for the next 5 days. The planter box soil is not as fine as the seed soil I use inside, so I really just barely put the seeds below the surface and covered them with wet paper towels. The challenges will be to keep them moist enough outside, and to see if they get enough light under the tarp.

We will be bringing home some of Mrs. Hicks baby chicks on Friday. They are still small, so they will come home to an indoor dog crate, set up in the master bath. Soon, I'll have to start getting serious about a coop. After my playing around with lashing together the tripods for the peas, I'm wondering if I can lash together a chicken coop out of photinia branches!! Now THAT would be a feat.

Growth

Peas, 2/8/09. Just sprouting.

Peas, 2/14/o9.
Carrots in the middle, lettuce in the front.
Mystery crop from Jamie's sunday school class in the tiny pot in the middle.

Rather than buy cages or a trellis, I just lashed together some photinia and crepe myrtle branches with twine to create trellises for the peas to climb. I stuck the trellises in the planter soil under the "greenhouse" tarp.

Tomorrow, I will sow some pea seeds and lettuce seeds directly into the planter to see how they compare to the seeds started almost 2 weeks ago indoors....

The New Pound

Like coffee, a pound of chocolate now weighs 12 oz. Someone needs to alert the NIST.

Enrollment vs. Persuasion

The husband of a dear friend came to speak during the high school assembly today. He's a corporate mover and shaker with a major pharmaceutical company. He also sees himself as a "Corporate Evangelist". His message : Enrollment vs. Persuasion, or How to get people to buy into your ideas .

The important slide (I know it was the important one because he told us it was!) was titled "Elements of Effective Enrollment". These elements are (1) provide compelling positions and evidence, (2) Find common ground, (3) connect emotionally, and (4) build credibility. After the study on law and grace, and having that swirling around my brain, I realized that this man was giving the same message, wrapped up in corporate language.

Persuasion is a tactic of legalism. It's trying to get people to do what you want because it's right, it's the law, these are the rules, and because I said so. If you don't do things this way, bad things will happen to you. The results of persuasion are temporary, and the person's heart hasn't really changed.

Enrollment is the way of grace. It's becoming partners with people to achieve a common goal because there are benefits to be enjoyed by all. It's exhibiting that what you know is true, through your actions, and the results of your life. The results of enrollment are lasting, and you have become partners in a common purpose. The motive is love and fellowship.

I've probably emasculated his message of Enrollment by calling out a motive of love, and if so I apologize. Underneath the suit and tie however, I see grace at the heart of his message.

Grace

Discipleship class was really a good one last night. Discussion and readings about grace and law have helped me look again at my motives, and more importantly, my attitude in my teaching. I love being at school, and I love the kids - yet I easily get caught up in the "you need to ...", "we need to...", "this is the way we are going to do this...". You get the picture. I'm a big box checker - need to chart measureable progress. Legalism in a nutshell. Real growth that is motivated by love, is rarely measureable. Don't get me wrong, rules serve a purpose, and especially with teens, can't just be thrown out the window. But if my motive isn't love, and if I haven't put my students, and their needs first, then no learning will follow.

The question was asked: looking back, when and what contributed most to your spiritual growth, when have you experienced times of growth? I'm thinking this class is going to be one of those times....


On a different note - Ken Burns' Baseball series is on the MLB channel (I didn't know we had this channel!). Spring must be getting close.

Sproutings are coming along : Peas are going like gangbusters. Lettuce making a good showing. Carrots are prettye whimpy overall. I reseeded the carrots - just wet the soil and put a pinch of the (TINY) seeds on top. Keeping them watered. Planted some token basil as well, but no sign of life yet there. I did add a grow light - clamp on shop light with a single 65 w bulb. That in addition to the window exposure seems to have helped. I leave it on from about 7 am until about 9 pm...

In other news - the washer hot water line is clogged somewhere between the inlet to the washer and the weir into the tub... Tried cleaning out the filter on the inlet and even puncturing the filter. No water coming through on the hot setting... I can clean with cold - but it's another situation like the oven. Do I really want to spend another $500 on a washer? Can I even get a top load old fashioned washer any more of are the only options the $1500 luxury front load models??? I'll take another stab at clearing the inlet line. Wish me luck! If it doesn't work, it's cold water washing for us for a while... Slowly working my way back to a wood fire stove and a scrub board. The chickens will be the crowning touch!

sprouts

Lettuce and peas have begun to sprout. Carrots, not yet. Germination is 8-12 days on all of them, and we are at day 5.

I think I need more light. I had two big shop lights that were filling space in my already tightly packed garage, so I freecycled 'em. Dang. Wish I had one of these bad boys back right now.

Toolshed and chicken coop (my woodworking projects that are in the wings) are on hold for a couple of weeks while the finances recover from DD#4's brake job... I haven't made up my mind about the coop yet either. I have plans for one that looks pretty nice, and is light, if I can pull it off. Then there's a dog house at the home improvement store with a hinged roof and is insulated and probably costs less than I can build a coop for... I may just go with that surrounded by chicken wire.

Planted.

Lettuce, carrots, peas planted. Check. Put them in peat pots in absent daughters south facing bedroom. We'll see what develops!

So far, the potentially deadly PVC pipe has stayed in place. There has been little wind these past couple of days though, so I'm not convinced yet.

Today, I'm in a funk. I don't know what this means except that it's probably there's many little chores that need to be done - boy is behind in schoolwork because he's been sick - that's usually my number one panic inducer. If he's behind, I have the that-means-I'm-behind panic. Tutoring today, assignments to enter into the teacher-assignment program, planning for classes...DD#4's new used car is already in the shop - probably needs new brakes. Every day, news of friends and family loosing jobs... panic. What a former pastor referred to as "living in the gap" and "downward spiralling". Worrying about things that haven't happened or that I have no power to control anyway. Letting these worries feed others and my panic feeding my anger... So, enough. Time to "put it in the dumpster", plant my own feet and get on with the day.

I got the cover on the planter yesterday, but it didn't stay put during the night. I cut one of the pipes too short, so now it's a giant highly tensioned spring that will probably hit me in the head and quite possibly put my eye out until I get another pipe. The cover is clear plastic sheeting, stitched together with staples...


Today, I'll plant some seeds - these are seed packages that I bought last year - in like June. HA! I realized pretty soon after getting them home that with a 70 day til harvest window, that would be August before I saw a carrot, and that no carrot, pea or lettuce leaf is going to make it through July in Texas - much less August - no matter HOW much I watered them. So, instead of going all crazy and buying a bunch of new seeds, I will start with these. And I will keep them in the house to start. It's going to be hard to keep them wet enought if I put them outside now, and I'm sure we've got one or two more days of seriously cold weather ahead.


Peas. No one in my family likes regular peas, but these are sugar snaps, and everyone seems to like those fairly well. I'm not sure how they get pollinated this time of year - not many bugs that I see flying/crawling around.

Step One...Plant some seeds...

This is the year for experiments in self-sufficiency.

In the past, I've dabbled at growing food - with little success except for one or two AMAZING canteloups. My biggest problem seems to be waiting too late in the year to get started! A friend pointed out to me last year that our growing season(s)! are in the spring and fall - not in the summer! My other problems seem to involve tree roots and bermuda grass....

I've created a "real" contained compost pile full of browns and greens - even carted a couple of buckets of the neighbor's horse manure to fuel it. I plan to make another one and end with a third. When the weather warms up, I hope to have them cooking properly!

I've also created a raised bed for vegetables. It will have a greenhouse top to help make it through whatever freezes we have coming - the average last freeze around here is in March... can't decide whether to start seeds outside under the cover, perhaps with a light for warmth if need be - or just start them inside! Hoping to start off with sugar snap peas, carrots and lettuce varieties. I'm still reading and trying to learn - saw something today that said many seed companies hybrid seeds have some type of genetic "timebomb" built in that makes sure the fruit that is produced will not create seeds that can be grown - ensuring that every year you will buy more seeds! So, I'll start looking at heirloom seed companies...


Other experiments will follow, but these two are all I've got for now...