Give Said the Little Stream

Because of my calling I sit on the stand at church.  We have been instructed to be in our place, ready to go, five minutes before church starts. Unless its my turn to conduct, I’m usually seated 10 and even 15 minutes early every week. As a result, I usually get to watch as most people come into the chapel, find a seat and sit down. I have to admit that this is an interesting procession. Families and individuals both. Today, as I was watching, I saw my favorite person come into the chapel. That was nice in and of itself. 

Have you ever watched a little trickle of water work its way down a row of some kind of vegetable or flowers in a garden? It works its way here and there, finding its way around the row, to each plant growing along the way. The water doesn’t follow a straight course down the row. Rather, it moves this way and that, from this side to that side, pausing here, waiting there, passing this, moving around that as it works its way to the end of the row. That’s what I thought of as I watched her come into the room, stopping to talk to this person, greeting that person, moving further and further into the chapel. She sat by this person for a minute to talk, then moved some where else to speak to that person a minute, moving into the room. Each time bringing a smile to someone’s face.  Countenances would light up. Hugs here. A pat on the shoulder there. She sat by one person, gave her a hug and leaned her head on her shoulder a minute. She makes me smile. So like a little trickle of water, bringing refreshment wherever she goes. Like the little stream, “do as the streams and blossoms do; for God and others live.” 

Always giving. This is the wonderful person I am blessed to get to share forever with.

Sunday Thoughts

When I was growing up we used to go help my grandpa who had lived on a farm all his life.  My Dad was raised on that farm and we would go help all the time, whenever it was needed.  So in the spring we would go up to help with the sheep.  That would be shearing time and my grandpa would hire in a couple of people to shear his sheep.  My job would be to tie the fleeces into bundles and throw them on a nearby wagon.  I was to gather all the loose wool into the center of the bundle and tie it, making sure it was as clean as possible.

When all the sheep were sheared it was time to get the wool ready to take to market.  We took the wagon to another part of the barnyard, over by the milk shed.  Up high on the side of the milk shed, at the roof line, was a hoop, like a basketball hoop but without a basketball net hanging from it.  Like a basketball hoop only bigger around.  Then they would take a very large burlap bag and fasten it to the hoop by the mouth of the bag so the bag was then hanging from the hoop.  The bag was about eight or ten feet long and the hoop was high enough up the side of the barn that it didn’t touch the ground. 

The first time we did this, after getting the bag all fastened to the hoop, my uncle turned to me and told me to climb up on the barn and lower myself into the bag.  This was my uncle who was a great one for playing jokes and kidding around.  Actually I had a couple of uncles like that.  Anyway, he was one of them so it took him and everyone else there a little while to convince me that I really should do it and that it would be okay.  Even at my best it would have been quite a challenge to get myself back out of a 10 foot bag that was hanging like that, so that there was nothing solid touching the bag.

So there I was, down in the bag and everyone else had the job of taking all the bundles of wool I had tied and tossing them into the bag, like shooting basketball.  I would tamp the bundles into the bottom of the bag, getting it as tight and full as I could, gradually filling the bag until getting out was no problem at all.  The end result was a big bag of tightly packed wool that we would then take to market and sell.

There have been times in my life when I’ve felt I was in situations like those bags, where I had to trust others to help me get out.  Not always the easiest thing to do.  Getting out was still work, in the case of stuffing those bags with wool it was very dirty, smelly work because every fleece was oily and dirty and I had to catch them as they came into the bag above me, pull them down past me, push them below my feet and then tamp them tight so the bag would fill until I could get out.  It was tight work, working in a cramped, confined space, without a lot a fresh air. So here we are, trusting the Lord and those who do his work, to help us get out of situations we keep finding ourselves in.  And at the end of the day we’ve worked hard and are tired and dirty.  But we’re out.  Deliverance.

“But behold, I, Nephi, will show unto you that the tender mercies of the Lord are over all those whom he hath chosen, because of their faith, to make them mighty even unto the power of deliverance.”  (I Nephi 1:20)

That Great American Past-Time

Its been quite hot and humid for the last while. That means we hide in the house in the air conditioning as much as possible. Then yesterday early in the day a storm came through, rained on everything and brought some much cooler air behind it.  Since there was a baseball tournament going on here in town we decided to get out in the cooler air and take in a game. We had no idea when who was playing or who anyone was playing so we decided to just take our chances and show up at one of the bigger fields in the area.

So as it turned out we got to see about a game and a half, including the home team.  The home team was the second game so we got to see it all.  Pretty good, eh?  So we got there around 7:00 and two teams from out of the area were battling it out.  Actually, one was beating the other quite badly, though they were not shutting them out.  That game ended ten to three.

We got to see lots of action and these teams were at a level that a lot of the playing was pretty good.

Lots of pitching.  Didn't see any batters get hit. I guess that was good.  Did see a pitcher get hit once.  Another near miss.

Lots of balls.

A good number of strikes.

I thought the umps were pretty good.  Personally, I like to watch the umps as  much as anything else in the game.  A dramatic ump can be real fun to watch.

Lots of style in the pitchers.  They each have their own little "dance" they do to get the ball to the plate.  I find it amazing their arms don't just fall off by the end of the time they're pitching.  I guess they do get pretty sore and beat up.  There was one that kept losing his balance at the end of his pitch and a couple of times nearly fell down.

Saw some hits, they are the exciting parts of the game - how far will the runner get? Saw plenty of good plays out at the bases.

Saw some good plays at first base.

And quite a few home runs.  In the end, the home team did skunk the team they played seven to zero. At the last play of the game the ump mercifully called a catch at first out and ended the game.  But you know how umps are; they're blind.  It looked safe to me. 

It was a good time. The tournament is going all weekend.  We will probably go back tonight and take in another game.

Time Flies When You're Having Fun

Four years ago we sent Stachelbeere off on a mission to the Marshal Islands.  Two years we didn't see him.  Then he came home and within just a few weeks he took off to go to school out west. Those few weeks went by so quickly it seemed like he was just barely here and then suddenly he was gone again. Then the school year ended and instead of coming home for the summer he stayed with his brother and got a job for the summer out west. Can't say that I blame him, summer jobs at the time were pretty hard to come by here where we live. So he rode his bike every day and worked, saving money for school.  Then summer was over and he was back in school.  Even though he transferred to a different school, or at least a different campus of the same school, it wasn't around here so he was back in school and off again. This time so far away that he wasn't able to come home for any of the holidays. So when summer came this year we decided we needed to have the boy come home for a visit.  And he cooperated and came home. It was so good to see him.

So while he was here we played and those of his siblings that were close enough came to visit.  We went out to the lake a couple of times. He got to get reacquainted with the oldest of his nephews.

Got to meet one that was born while he was in the Marshal Islands that he really hadn't seen much at all before heading off to school.

And got to meet some that he had never met before, they were born while he was off to school.

And we got to celebrate his birthday while he was here. He took a bit of ribbing when he managed to blow out all the candles on his birthday cake (cheese cake, actually). That meant no girlfriends, or so the tradition goes. Maybe the shirt he got was appropriate even if less than helpful.

All too soon it was time to go back to school. He's finishing a semester and then working again so we're not sure when the next time we'll get to see him will be. But it was such a good visit. He has matured so much in these last four years while he's been away. He's a totally different person than when he graduated from high school five years ago.  Still quiet and reserved but much more able to see what needs to be done and step up and do it.  As parents its our job to worry about all our kids, and we do.  But seeing the change in him over these last few years we worry a lot less about him, or at least about different things. That will probably always be the case for all the kids.

And then, all too soon, we were at the airport dropping him off for the long flight back to school. 

Next time we must make sure we don't wait four years before we see him again.

Pizza on the Grill

We had a house full tonight because, in addition to Stachelbeere being here from school, Blaubeere and her kids came over and Erdbeere and her son came up to visit.  So its been hot here the last few days, hot and humid, and we didn't want to run the stove because that would heat up the house.  So Blaubeere had the excellent idea of trying to make pizza on the grill.  Excellent idea!  So she started from scratch and made dough.  Home-made pizza is so much better than anything you can buy and Blaubeere is such a good cook!

So once the dough was all ready it was out to the grill.  She spread it out on a cookie sheet to carry it out and then carefully slid it onto the grill.

After the dough had cooked long enough she slid it back off, turned it over and stated putting toppings on.

 

After all the toppings were on she slid it back onto the grill to melt the cheese and let it all blend it all together.  After it had been on long enough to melt the cheese it came off and it was time to eat.  She made two, one that was just cheese and the other that was chicken, peppers and cheese.  Soooo good you can't imagine!

An Afternoon at the Lake

Being a summer holiday and all we decided to go to the lake and do some kayaking and swimming.  It was a real nice afternoon, not too hot, and the bug didn't come out until after the sun got down so it was a very nice time.



Only one kayak in our family so we had to take turns.  After some discussion, it was decided and Schwarzbeere got to be first.  I know, youngest, etc.  All that stuff.  Actually it was an easy decision and off he went.

This was not a big lake we were on, maybe 30 acres. So they paddle out and back and its a good ride. Nobody went clear to the other side but they all did go way out there.

Stachelbeere went next. He probably went farther out than anyone else. 

 



 

Brombeere went last, with lots of help.  I like how these boys are so helpful with their mother, even if its questionable at the time exactly how much help they are. 



We only stayed about an hour; the bugs got bad, especially near the shore.  But it was a very good time.  A peaceful, restful time (as paddeling the kayak is).  It was a good way to spend a day of the holiday.



On a Warm Afternoon



A few weeks ago Heidlebeere and her family came to visit for a few days. It was wonderful. She has two of my grandbabies and they live quite a ways away so we don't get to see them near as often as we'd like to. So it was really nice to have them here for a few days.

 

So we have a big window in our front room and one afternoon that little blur that is my oldest granddaughter sat on her mother's lap on the couch in from of the window. In the sunshine. So she snuggled in under a blanket (my blanket, I might add. Cool!) and settled in on her mother's lap in the warm sunshine.



So there in the warm sunshine she leaned her head on her mother's shoulder and held still. You could see it coming.



Pretty soon the eyes got heavy and began to droop.

And gone. Not many things sweeter than a sleeping child.

Spring Has Sprung!

Today it seemed like a very nice day for working in the yard so we consulted with Mr Hobbs, our weather pig, who concurred.  So Brombeere did a little bit of weed work in the flower bed and then it was on to the serious stuff.

The plan this year was to take out the landscaping fabric that has been lurking under our garden space since we bought the place a few years ago.  The people we bought the house from had used this space as a play area so they had the landscaping fabric under some bark.  Then we bought the place and decided we wanted to use the space for a garden.  We left the fabric in place for a few years and kind of gardened and composted on top of it.  That worked pretty well and kept the weeds down for a few years.  But this year it was time for the fabric to go.  Mossbeere and his family have been here visiting for a few days and he was getting restless so we put him to work.  First, survey the battle field and plan the attack. 

Then to work.  We actually haven't ever planted the whole space into garden before so some of the area had gone to sod as the grass crept under the timbers marking the space.  So that had to come out too. Lots of sod.

So shaking the dirt out of the sod, pulling up the long strips of fabric. Hauling it off.  Good thing it was still fairly early in the day.  Wasn't a real hot day but the sun was out and shining on the two of them.  Lots of work getting done   It was cool.  The compost pile that has been out there got thoroughly turned over, the fabric is all gone and the neighbor volunteered to let us use his tiller so its looking very good.

And all that work was supervised by le Mutt.  Pretty fine. 

The Food of Heaven

 So we were sitting there having dinner and I was putting some onions on my salad, little scallion onions, yummy stuff. And I said to Maulbeere, "You want some onions on your salad?"

She said no.

I said, They're yummy, you should try some.

She said no.

I said, You should get used to them, they will be in heaven.

She said she would just leave them alone there.

I said But they are a perfect food, you'll like them.

She said no.

I said, You'll be perfect then.  You'll like them.

She still said no.

I decided not to press the matter.  She'll get there and see I was right.

 

And . . . . the Last One

So last summer all my kids who are married and having children got pregnant.  Except one. Three of them were, one was not.  Don't get me wrong, that's perfectly okay and not a problem at all. Moosberre and his wife weren't.  But yesterday he sent me a picture of his little girl with a new shirt.  It was on my phone and the picture was pretty small so I saved it, which enabled me to enlarge it.  So after doing all that I was able to zoom in and read it: "World's Best Sister".  And I thought, waaaaaait a minute, she doesn't have a sibling.  So I asked and sure enough, they're due on Halloween.   Waaaaay cool!!  I'd  love to post the picture 'cuz the little girl is as cute as can be but her parents have asked not to have her pictures on the Internet.  But in any case, that is fantastic news!  That will bring the grandbaby count to eight!

Sunday Thoughts

We were singing the closing hymn at church today and it was one I really like.  Its based on the 23rd Psalms.

The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want.

He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadth me beside the still waters.

He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name’s sake.

Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me.

Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointests my head with oil; my cup runneth over.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever.

James Montgomery expanded on the scriptures a bit when he penned the lyrics of the hymn. He did well.

The Lord is my Shepherd; no want shall I know.
I feed in green pastures; safe-folded I rest.
He leadeth my soul where the still waters flow,
Restores me when wand'ring, redeems when oppressed,
Restores me when wand'ring, redeems when oppressed.

Thru the valley and shadow of death though I stray,
Since thou art my Guardian, no evil I fear.
Thy rod shall defend me, thy staff be my stay.
No harm can befall with my Comforter near.
No harm can befall with my Comforter near.

In the midst of affliction my table is spread.
With blessings unmeasured my cup runneth o'er.
With perfume and oil thou anointest my head.
Oh, what shall I ask of thy providence more?
Oh, what shall I ask of thy providence more?

That struck me particularly today. There are some questions I've been wrestling with recently and the words of this hymn seem to speak to me particularly strong. As if to say it will be okay, just trust the Lord.  In the hymn book, at the end of each hymn, are a couple of relevent verses. This hymn lists a passage from Isaiah.

Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee: because he trusteth in thee. Trust ye in the Lord for ever: for in the Lord Jehovah is everlasting strength (Isaiah 26:3,4). 

The better you get to know the Lord the easier it is to trust in his care.  That is not to say there will be no problems.  But it will be okay, in spite of the problems.  "In the midst of affliction my table is spread."

Three for Three!

So back in July things were looking pretty exciting.  Three of my daughters were expecting all at the same time.  Yep, pretty exciting.  And now they have all delivered.  Things went really well, no problems for all three in the delivery room.  Its been an eventful winter.  

Heildebeere was first with a little boy.  That's her second.  And he's a handsome little feller at that.  This little boy has a big sister that is a bundle of mischief.  But she likes her little brother and that's cool.

Erdbeere was second, about a month later.  A little boy.  Her first.  Baby, that is.  And her first little boy. They call him baby "Townsend", since they're fans of The Who.  I like The Who, too. 

Blaubeere brought up the rear with a little girl.  Her first.  Girl, that is.  She has two little boys already.  So this little girl has two big brothers.  Cool.  This little girl got off to a shaky start and spent several days in NICU but she's home now and doing much better.

 

So the grandbaby count is now up to seven.  That's fun.  Once it got started it hasn't taken a real long time to get to that point.  I guess there will be a lull now for a while.  This is turning out pretty darn okay!

My Daughter who is the Daughter of my Daughter

Blaubeere had her baby a few days ago but the little girl sure has been having a hard time getting started. She weighed just under six pounds when born, the smallest baby on my side of the family in recent memory. She seemed to do fine the first day but then she began to have difficulty breathing and they found she had air in the sack around her lungs, where it didn't belong. That made it difficult for her lungs to inflate when she tried to breath. So into the NICU she went and a tube was inserted to remove the air. And an IV to hydrate her. And a tube went in to feed her. And on top of all that were various wires attached here and there to monitor her all over the place. They made her mom leave the room each time they had to put a new tube or monitor in. No fun. And then she got a little jaundiced so they put her under a lamp and put some cool shades on to protect her eyes. Plus her Mom put on a mitten because she kept hooking her hand on this tube or that line and pulling on them. 

So there she was, laying all small and tiny in her warming crib, surrounded by machinery, nurses and a Mom who desperatly wanted to hold her but couldn't. She wasn't the smallest, most serious baby in NICU (there was a set of twins there that were under two pounds) but to her parents, brothers and grandparents, she was the most significant child in the hospital.

In all of that, though, it was cool that in all the limiting of visitors the hospital did, they allowed grandparents free access, as much and whenever they wanted. So we did. We've been able to go a couple of times and provide her mother with an opportunity to get some much needed rest and still have her little girl have someone with her. Also gave her grandma some time with her.  Grandmas like that kind of thing. This one sure does, anyway.

We are also happy to report that she is doing much better now.  The errant air is gone, tubes have begun to come out. She's eating like a healthy baby more, though not yet getting all her milk that way. She's well on the road to recovery. And the best part?  Her momma is getting to hold her more and more each day. What a little angel.

Christmas Vacation

This Christmas holiday has been good, for the most part. Well, if you overlook the fact that nearly all of us got sick during the vacation its been good. Schwartzbeere was sick just before the school vacation started but swears it wasn't what the rest of us got. I guess he doesn't want to get blamed for bringing it into the house. Can't say as I blame him. But if it wasn't him then it was me. Anyway, wherever it came from, we got sick. Be that as it may, it was still a good holiday. I had to go in one day because I ran out of vacation time but that wasn't bad. Its usually very quiet between Christmas and New Years. And by the time I went in I was feeling better enough that it wasn't so bad. 

So Christmas morning we got to sleep in later than the kids used to let us. This year it was just the kids who still live at home that were here. The rest were off doing their own thing or visiting the other side of their families for Christmas. Got to share, I guess. So we got up around 7:30 am and opened presents. With just the few of us it didn't take all morning like it has some Christmas mornings.

Everyone got stuff that made them smile.  Then there was goodies the rest of the day.  Food on Christmas at our house is "do-it-yourself".  Plenty of stuff, healthy and otherwise, to choose from but you're on your own.

 

Because we were all sick at one time or the other we really didn't go out and "do" anything.  Just stayed around the house.  We got a few new movies for Christmas so we watched a bunch of those, played games and just talked.  Actually, it was all kind of nice.

 

And Mr Hobbs nailed it again.  Snow; a white Christmas.  You just can't beat a good, reliable weather pig. He is in this picture, just kind of hard to see.