We skipped the Independence Day parade to partake in another activity that makes us grateful for the bounty we have in our country. Blackberry Picking!
As you can see, the best is yet to be. But we grabbed nine quarts yesterday. Stan threw together a cobbler (as only he could) to enjoy while watching fireworks with his sister and fam last night. Lyd and I are about to make scones or muffins.
Next batch. Jam.
Posted in: on Thursday, July 05, 2007 at at 9:56 AM 0 comments
Robert. We first met him at Cross & Crown Mission. It's where he came for food. Meds. It's where he picked up his laundry once a week. He would stop by, get his bin that is marked ROBERT that would hold a fresh clean set of clothes. He'd change and leave the dirty clothes there that would be fresh and clean the next time he came by. It's where he came to check in with his family.
I interviewed him on video once at winter time. He said or rather slurred that he was just there for a blanket. "A blanket. Just need a blanket." And then he bowed his head in prayer with a volunteer.
We saw Robert walking around downtown lots of times. Sometimes in our neighborhood. He got around. I once saw him in Bricktown with a "to go" box of food. We surmised he had charmed someone at the fancy restaurants! Each time we would spot his tall, lanky figure walking while we drove - I would feel guilty and inspired at the same time. Should we give him a ride? Or, man, that guy gets around. He owns these streets!
He worked. He would sweep the parking lots of liquor stores. He would be paid in product.
I don't know where he lived, or rather, didn't live - either the homeless camps or a storefront somewhere, maybe the shelters once in a while. The folks who work at the mission full-time know his story much better. Know his heart. Know his struggles. Know that his answer would be NO each of the thousand times they asked him if he was ready to make a change, to go into recovery. Know that he believed somewhere in his tormented soul that Jesus loved him.
Robert died last week. He's home. And his streets will be paved with gold.
Posted in: on Monday, July 02, 2007 at at 8:09 AM 0 comments
it falls mainly on the plain, and that is devastating for the wheat farmers. Mostly the rain to us is annnoying. Well, there is the ceiling leak, and the buckets of water to pour out and place precisely in the right place to catch the next deluge.
What's God up to? What about the folks who work in the weather. Not the postal professionals who have to work in the outside misery (sorry) AND GET PAID, but those who don't get paid if they don't work. Construction workers. Roofers. Landscapers. Lots more probably if you think about it.
Still, I love taking pictures of raindrops on faces and letting kids squeal in delight in the non-lightning showers.
Some summer.
Posted in: on Tuesday, June 26, 2007 at at 3:58 PM 0 comments
Giles points out there are many more pictures that could go in this post. Indeed. These are just frog finds from last week at his grandparents' house and today in the yard. Actual tears when his Dad had to say NO to hauling out the aquarium to house this latest find. Giles is worried our cat will find it if frog (toad) is left outside in the wild now that his habitat has been mowed. So he wants to cage it up to lead a confined life in a fishbowl and be hand fed with crickets until it croaks. What is this a zoo?
Posted in: on Monday, June 25, 2007 at at 2:30 PM 2 comments
the beach, the dunes, grandma's calf (!), grandpa's tractor with cousins and friends, lovie!
Posted in: on Sunday, June 24, 2007 at at 10:27 PM 0 comments
I try not to spend too much time writing this blog - which is bad for the readers. I do enough obsessing over words and my limited grasp of them for the writing that I do that I get paid for. (And I'm just going to let go of that ending the sentence a preposition with). This writing is just leisure, honing and I don't know what else. I've seen a lot of typos and misspellings slip through. Gasp. While scrambling eggs a minute ago, I thought about Ma's "sensibility, submissiveness and strength" that slipped out while writing the last post. Then I admonished myself for not carrying that to the rest of the sentence, although I see I almost accidentally did except for the "hard work."
here's the original sentence:
I've tried to grasp at the sensibility, submissiveness and strength of Ma and have prayed my children will appreciate the hard work, honor and simplicity of those amazing times.
here's the edit:
I've tried to grasp the sensibility, submissiveness and strength of Ma and have prayed my children will appreciate the hard work, honor and habits of those amazing times.
I cheated and used my desktop thesaurus for another h word. It doesn't really fit, but I must move on with the day.
Posted in: on Thursday, June 14, 2007 at at 10:22 AM 0 comments
it may not come again, and I want to remember!
No, we haven't watched Ice Castles. BUT we are coming to the end of something very sweet. The Little House books. We are slow, so this has taken us a couple of years. I read the first two and Farmer Boy but then we found the audio books at the library, so we then started listening in the van on the way to fencing, or play practice, swimming and other errands. We've had to wait for the next book to become available, or we'd listen to something else for while.
It took me a while to grow to love the actress's (Cherry Jones) interpretation of Pa, Caroline, Laura and even Nellie Olsen's voice. But now she is perfect, and she's almost like part of our family. She has ridden with us many miles. One awesome thing about listening to unabridged books on tape is that the usual reader (mom) gets to enjoy also without performing. So I can laugh when I want, tear up or back up the disc if we need to catch something again. And it stretches the theater of our minds.
Then there's the fiddle playing.
We are on the last chapter of the Happy Golden Years. Laura and Almanzo were just married by the Rev. Brown and are on their way to the new house he built for them on his claim. Ma has just made a white wedding cake. There are only a few minutes (pages) left of the book. I'm not ready for it to end. (Not that there's a shortage of additional information about Laura and fam., or field trips to their farm in "nearby" Missouri!)
Lydia and I squealed a few chapters back when Almanzo asked Laura if they might become engaged. And we both caught our breath when the chapter announced "Haste to the Wedding."
We remember when that Wilder boy first drove his beautiful team into town and the horses, not the boy, took Laura's breath away.
We remember the long hard winter when they ground wheat in their coffee grinder (non-electric). I've tried to grasp at the sensibility, submissiveness and strength of Ma and have prayed my children will appreciate the hard work, honor and simplicity of those amazing times.
Such a marvel that when Almanzo and Laura were courting, they would see each other once a week, during a Sunday buggy drive. They did not text, email or call each other every night. She never pined away for him and forgot her chores or studies because work had to be done.
When the family sacrificed to send Mary to the College for the Blind, she didn't come home all year. She didn't catch a plane or a train home for the weekend, Thanksgiving break or Spring Break.
Laura felt spoiled with more than two dresses.
A delightful evening included a dinner of fresh potatoes and peas from the garden, maybe some salt pork or a spring chicken, and a pie for dessert ... and it was capped off with Pa playing his fiddle. They didn't even think about turning on the TV.
And Ma would never sit at the computer like this, so I guess I'll get up and get my hands busy because as she says "busy hands make cheerfulness."
Posted in: on at at 9:16 AM 1 comments
For our year end school party, we had a History Mystery Theater party with two other families with whom we've studied early American History this year. We started with the Vikings and were supposed to end with the Civil War for the year. But we had so much fun, that we really only got to Lewis & Clark, so we'll keep going after a little summer break.
All of the children made snacks. Giles and Lydia made "Mary Todd Lincoln's Vanilla Almond Cake" (with cooked frosting which was a first for all of us to make), Crispus Attucks' Okra Salad (Grant), George Washington's Roast Beef (Grant) and Johnny Cake (Lydia, featuring fresh ground wheat - ground in the coffee grinder). We marveled at being able to use the Kitchen Aid, crock-pot and electric stove and "wheat" grinder. Poor Mary Todd's arms must have hurt after beating all those egg whites!
We all invited family members (Thanks Aunt Cindy and Uncle Rick) to the party. We had our theater, then a slide show and then all of the Dads blessed their children with speeches, praise and certificates (while all of the moms sniffled and shot video).
Any guesses on our characters?
Let's see if I remember highlights of their speeches ...
Giles: "My name is blankety-blank-blank and I was born in 1838 in Maryland. I was an actor. I had a plan to kidnap someone I hated but the plan was foiled. That made me mad, so I deciced to kill the man I hated, and when I did, I shouted "The south is avenged."
Lydia: "I am a Shoshone Indian and I was born in the Northern Rocky Mountains. When I was about 12, I was gathering food with my family when the Hidatsa Indians came and kidnapped me. I married a man named Toussaint and I had a baby boy named Jean Baptiste. I was one of the first Native Americans to see the Pacific Ocean. When I was 25, I caught a fever and died (while dying dramatically on the floor)."
Grant: "I was called the Father of our country. I was a major (?!) in the Revolutionary War. I never told a lie."
Great time.
Posted in: on Saturday, June 09, 2007 at at 2:28 PM 0 comments
Do you answer the phone?
I won't answer an "unavailable call," a political call or calls from certain family members (kidding), but I couldn't resist answering the call from the jail.
When I picked up and heard that the call was from "LaMonte" (made up name), I then had to listen to two minutes worth of instructions about how much I would be charged for taking the call. While doing the calculations and canvassing my brain to figure out whether we really knew any "LaMontes" who could be at the jail, I decided to take the call.
Of course he had the wrong number.
I asked if there was someone I could call for him.
He was extremely friendly and gracious, "oh yes ma'am, that would help so much. thank you."
So I took down the number of his sister. "La Monte" had already called all his cribs and couldn't reach anyone ... one of those numbers was close to ours, we figured out.
He wanted me to tell his sister he was "caught" and if she could bail him out.
I was dying to ask what he was in for, and how long he'd been there. I didn't.
I should have prayed with him right then, I realize NOW. But I just told him I'd call the sis.
After we hung up, I reported the news to the family. Stan immediately suspected scam, and Giles freaked out.
So we made light of it all to Giles and told him it was a wrong number and the dude can't hurt us cuz HE'S IN JAIL.
Stan called on his cell the sister's number. We can't get through. Busy.
I probably wrote down the number incorrectly and La Monte will rot in the county poke forever because his ONE phone call was to our number.
Posted in: on Tuesday, June 05, 2007 at at 10:23 PM 1 comments
I love my Old Schoolhouse Magazine for homeschool families. I had some quiet time recently to really read most of the articles and I underlined lots of things and dog-eared lots of pages. One nugget I want to share is from an article from Ken Ham.
"The Bible makes it clear that every human being will live forever in heaven or hell. What a responsibility we have as parents to be entrusted with this heritage from the Lord. The Lord has entrusted us to train our children for eternity. In addition to training them in their earthly ministry, we have to provide them with eternal training - to love the Lord. Yes, it is nice to have successful children in college and getting good grades, but it would be better to have ditch diggers who love the Lord than successful kids who don't love the Lord. He's the bottom line: the most important thing in the world is that we know Christ."
During our summer break from "school," I will be praying about more ways to incorporate the Word into our schooling. And really asking the Lord to show us how to love him and how to love each other.
(As I type this, the kids are fighting quite hatefully. Just two minutes ago they were lovingly cooperating in play while they staged a military parade with Barbies and GI Joes for Memorial Day... their idea. We do have our work cut out for us.)
Posted in: on Friday, June 01, 2007 at at 1:02 PM 0 comments
We're yet to have the romantic getaway where we sit gazing at each other for hours and reflect on the first 15 years. Preferably we'd do this in a resort in Mexico with a swimup bar. But we're hoping for at least candlelight and sushi, and perhaps a local bed & breakfast stay somewhere close in the next couple of weeks.
We'll no doubt crack up when we consider what we thought our married life might look like when we had our wedding way back in 1992. Three kids. Home schooling. And still having the same phone number I've since college. And, now grinding wheat! That will all crack us up, but we will get teary when we consider God's amazing grace and mercy he has shown us as we have danced, clinging to each and to Him as silly married kids. God's plans are amazing and with each year our trust in Him grows and he patiently waits for us.
We'll save the trip for 16! No sense waiting for 25, right? Maybe we won't replace furnaces, water heaters and transmissions next year!
We are very blessed and very happy.
The icing on the cake to our wedding anniversary was the kids' surprises!
Giles made this card. And took the picture from our photo library of our recent trip on a tankful to Gloss Mountain in NW OK. And, Stan being silly with one of Lydia's bows.
Then, he created an "anaversery playlist" for us. Among the titles ...
"One's on the Way" by Loretta Lynn
"Marvelous Light" by Charlie Hall
"Mighty to Save" by Hillsong
"Feliz Navidad" by David Crowder Band
"Mayberry" by Rascal Flatts
"Would You Go With Me" by Josh Turner
"Can't Help Falling in Love" by Elvis Presley
He also put Keith Urban's "You'll think of me." (Take my cat and take my sweater, cuz we have nothing left to weather.) Scary. NOT foreshadowing!
Anyway, the kid can find his way around a Mac.
And then Grant made us a stunning mural with foamie fish and blue chalk.
Lydia drew a lovely picture and performed a dance for us.
Amazing and creative gifts from our best gifts of all!
Stan also sent me flowers and an awesome gushy card.
Me. I did nothing. Bad. Bad. I'm saving a surprise for the date!
I'm in awe. Thanks God for the gifts, and most of all for my husband who is strong, discerning, patient, joyful, kind, handsome, funny, wise, humble, and loves YOU, me and his children. Thanks for giving me my best friend.
I must cry now!
Posted in: on Thursday, May 31, 2007 at at 7:49 PM 2 comments
There have not been very many nice Thursdays this spring, the day we generally reserve for Martin Park Nature Center outings. Today dawned bright, sunny, warm.
Payload. Though we took only memories, and left our other catches there. (wew)
Posted in: on at at 7:36 PM 1 comments
Not quite 99, but I went with that headline anyway. How about 60?
That's the number of cans in the gallon and spray variety, tubes and mixers, glazers and primers we hauled out of the basement this week.
Talk about a great cardio workout.
And talk about taking "If you give a homeschool mom a cookie" to a new level.
This impromptu clean out was to accommodate a city inspector who gave an edict during his first visit that we had to raise our new water heater 18-inches off the floor. The installer and the homeowner "respectfully disobeyed" this edict and thought the paint removal might work in our favor in case he was worried about flammables. Anyway.
We never dreamed we had that much paint down there. Outa control. However it has provided a great trip down memory lane, exercise and math lessons, a little biology and also gave us lots of inspiration.
Some of the paint pre-dated our arrival to this house. The front door paint. The living room paint. The bright green paint that we quickly painted over when we moved in. We eventually added lots of partially full (and mostly empty) cans with each new baby as we also created new ways for our house to accommodate our growing family.
All of the paint is on the kitchen table. That's where it provided a great guessing and counting game for us. And color identifying for Grant. And sorting big cans and little cans, empties and fulls.
I hadn't noticed all of that paint because a lot of it was under the stairwell and behind our spare refrigerator. Once we looked back at the dark cave, we were so excited. I was excited about the new storage possibilities. They were excited about a new hideout ... one of the kids even suggested it as a READING spot.
Forget storage then! Let's do it!
Pause here to say how very grateful to God that my daughter has brothers. Had I been seven and looking at a very dirty, buggy and dark spot in a scary basement, I would have been petrified. I don't think she considered being scared. Wew.
While they were counting cans upstairs, I started sweeping out the new hideout. Lots of sediment from the floor. Bugs. Coins! Even lego parts. Then a little dark blob. I looked at it a little closer, gasped, and yelled GILES YOU HAVE TO COME SEE THIS.
They all raced down to observe the decomposing mouse! Those who know the former me know this might have sent me over the edge and this blog entry would be way different. Instead we marveled and wondered how long it had been there. (Again, praise God for giving ME boys). We were sure it was pre-Keisha the stray cat. No mouse has dared come in the house since she adopted us, even though she stays outside about 85% of the time!
Then to the Internet. How long does it take a little mouse to "return to the earth."
So that was the biology lesson! (We don't know yet, but in our search, I did learn about composting).
The paint is staying in my view until the front door is repainted which will determine whether 11 year old paint is still usable! We'll do some other touchups. We've already painted some outside chairs with colors of Giles' room. The other chair will be green and a bench will be yellow!
We'll post some pictures when we transform the new cave.
In another post we'll do some laughing about the box we found of Stan's school memorabilia that had been keeping company with the paint behind the fridge. TREASURES!
Posted in: on Thursday, May 24, 2007 at at 8:47 AM 1 comments
Lydia and Grant had been wearing me out to have a Lemonade Stand. They did one last fall and made $15 that Lydia had promised to give to Cross & Crown. But she wanted to add to it. I was a bit ashamed that the $15 had been sitting in a jar on top of the piano all of these months.
So they opened for business last Thursday. We opened in time to get the after school crowd from the Catholic school across the street, and the public school a few blocks away.
I did a quick teach on marketing. She was making signs to sell her lemonade for 50 cents. I suggested that if she gave it for free, like she did last time, she might make more. So she offered "free" lemonade and popsicles. I suggested she just tell her customers that she would take donations, and to always smile!
Sure enough, no one who didn't receive a complimentary drink gave less than a dollar ... including the guy driving the fancy car who gave her $20. We told him he could have lifetime free refills when he whizzed back by in his smokin' hot convertible.
When he held out his empty cup for the refill, he asked her what the money was for. She told him it was for the mission and to send some kids to camp this summer.
Then he asked why she didn't tell him that in the first place and he gave her $40 more!
Cha-ching!
Thrill. Be still our palpitating hearts!
They (including Lydia's friend) sold some more, and offered some to our neighborhood homeless guy ... who has asked us for work a dozen times, sifts through our recycle bin and once stole a rake.
When they closed down and came inside to count the bills and coins, they came up with
$100.20!
(this also included her math for the day!)
She's going to take it to Cross & Crown on Monday and maybe it'll pay for camp or a little fun for the kids at Rock Island and Underground (www.crossandcrown.com).
Meantime, we are counting the days til school's out, and doing a little more math. Roughly ten days left of school multiplied by $100 a day (har har)! Cha-ching!
Our neighbor joked we should haul the grill out to the curb and really open for business.
Might as well dream big!
Posted in: on Friday, May 18, 2007 at at 9:42 AM
I regret that my last post is so vitriolic, so until there's more time, here's something to kick it out of the top post spot.
Yep, it's an email forward. But it's funny and though our family can't completely identify with it all, we aspire! I actually read an article this morning about growing your own chickens! And I was intrigued. I'm sure the city won't let us, and neither would my neighbor, until I give her fresh eggs! :-)
And Giles just finished grinding some wheat berries in the coffee grinder. We had to stop though - to let the tiny motor cool!
I'm attempting Matzo this morning. No yeast or rising required. I think I can handle it!
IF YOU GIVE A HOMESCHOOLING MOM A COOKIE
If you give a Homeschooling Mom a cookie, she'll want the recipe. (well, Dad will want it!)
She will plan a complete unit study on the History of Cookies. (Yes, I might do that.)
The family will take field trip to a farm and see where we get eggs, milk
and grain. (Great idea. Where's a good one!)
At home they will make butter out of milk. (on the list to do)
The children will want to start grinding their own grain. (doing it)
Mom will purchase a Bosch Universal Kitchen System. (currently shopping for such)
She will remember she will need a new list of cookbooks. (well, maybe she'll rely on online resources)
So, she will order "An Introduction To Whole Grain Baking w/ CD,
"The Cooking With Children CD," and "Whole Foods for Kids to Cook." (probably on amazon)
Mom orders a 100 lb bag of wheat berries. (Dad actually bought 25 lbs.)
The children remember the farm field trip and knowing they can't possibly
get a cow so they beg for a few chickens. (please!)
So, to a trip to the library to research how to build a chicken coop and to
how to care for chickens. (sending us back a couple of generations)
On the way out the door Mom sees the book, "Chicken Tractor" (is it a living book? is it at the library?)
They stop by the Feed and Seed to pick up materials and ask where to
purchase the chicks. (Only after convincing Dad)
There the clerk tells them about egg that can be incubated. (grandpa could also do this)
He sells them a book on hatching eggs, eggs, and incubator. (grandpa has this stuff)
At home Mom and the younger children set up the incubator while Dad and the
older children build the chicken tractor.
Back to the library to pick up gardening books and more books on chickens. (yep)
The oldest daughter now starts a business grinding flour for the her
friend's families. (!!!!!)
While her younger sisters are selling homemade cookies to their neighbors. (planning a sale this afternoon - lemonade though)
The boys have started building a new chicken tractor because they want more
eggs for breakfast. (giles ate three this morning)
That cookie that started this all? The homeschooling mom's three year old
ate it. (that would be classic grant behavior)
Posted in: on Thursday, May 17, 2007 at at 11:10 AM 0 comments
UPDATE: The Email bounced back. Here's the message:
User mailbox exceeds allowed size: okgop@okgop.com
Nice.
I've been writing letters lately. And sending them. Scary territory. When I was a journalist (and young), I simply refused to allow myself to form opinions (or think - so much easier) and reported on what happened. It's taken a while and growing up some to just get sick of what I read, hear and see. And now I thinking ... and live more wholly in our world.
Here's something I sent to the Oklahoma County Republican Party today in reaction to a email newsletter I received yesterday. No idea how I got on that list. But I tell you, I'm reconsidering having any affiliation - for any party.
First, here's the part of the email that I received from the party ...
Message from Chairman Jones
Bipartisan immigration reform legislation authored by Rep. Randy Terrill (R-Moore) , HB 1804, was signed into law last week in Oklahoma and is called the most meaningful immigration reform measure in the nation. Speaker Cargill praised the legislation, and said that "It's about time we started looking out for the interests of millions of Oklahoma taxpayers."
Not only are we ahead of the curve at the state level, but our senior Senator Jim Inhofe is leading the fight for reform at the federal level. Just recently, Senator Inhofe introduced immigration reform legislation in the Senate and also called for English to be America's official language.
The debate on immigration is far from over, as opposition groups are set to take legal action against HB1804. As things heat up, I have a question: what happened to the melting pot?
The "melting pot" term was first used in the early 20th century as thousands of legal immigrants were coming to America. These early immigrants came to America to be American. They learned our language and assimilated into our society. In the process, they brought something new and valubale to America, just as America had much that was new and valuable to offer them. This concept seems to be lost on most illegal immigrants today, who show very little interest in our culture or becoming American.
As President Theodore Roosevelt put in: "There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag."
America is clear, we don't oppose legal immigrants who come and assimilate into our society, but instead illegal immigrants who have no interest in becoming American and who represent a hidden tax on American citizens. So as we continue to debate this issue and find ways to address it, let's not forget---or give up---on the melting pot concept in America. It has worked for this country in the past, and can again.
Here's my email:
Mr. Jones,
I received your Oklahoma Republican Party email this week. I just wanted to share with you, as a registered Republican in this county (for the moment), that I was offended about your comments about HB 1804.
Your flippant remarks and insinuation that our neighbors do not want to be American sounds racist and ignorant. If you are going to compare our country in the early 20th century when immigrants came to become part of the "melting pot" you describe, it is only fair to go back another 200 or 300 years and recall that white European settlers murdered, plundered, raped and annihilated Native American and Mexicans who first "settled" this land before we proclaimed it Our Land.
I know this issue is not easy. I am not a proponent of illegal immigration. I know the problems non-tax paying citizens create for our economy. I also see the double-standard of letting "illegal" children go to our schools, and hiring "illlegals" to do the dirty jobs involved in the back breaking work of the hog and poultry industry, or pouring concrete and hammering shingles in triple digit Oklahoma temperatures. The answers are not easy. Boasting about our reform and claiming that illegal immigrants do not want to become part of our society is wrong and hurtful - and confuses the issue.
Have you met any "illegal" families?
I do know some of them. They long to learn English, if only someone would teach them, or befriend them. They love America. They love their families. Many of them are here to scrape together any money they can to send back home. Right now, they are scared. They are making plans to move to another state that hasn't passed so-called "meaningful immigration reform" like Oklahoma or some will go back to Mexico. What they will leave behind are their American citizen children who will be left with friends and neighbors so they will have an opportunity for education and jobs. After generations of doing nothing, this reform is tearing apart very close-knit families.
Have you ever tried to learn a new language as an adult? It is very difficullt, especially when there is no one to teach you, or extra money to pay for a course. Don't tell me those Russian, Polish, German, Irish and others who made up our melting pot all learned English either. They depended on their own children and grandchildren to translate and teach them.
In addition, there are plenty of American citizens who also do not want to assimilate into our culture and couldn't pass a basic citizenship test.
There are Oklahomans very concerned about this issue, and not just because it's drains "millions of dollars from our state economy." It's because we are humans caring about other humans. Some of us are even Republicans.
I could kick myself for not paying attention to this legislation before it was passed. But that's my fault, not that I have any confidence that I would have a voice anyway. In the meantime, we are among those of us out here, trying to calm the fears and panic of Hispanic families - helping them find solutions so their families aren't ripped apart and they go back to Mexico to unsafe water, no jobs and no future.
What does our country ever do to reach out to the nation of Mexico, to help make that country more desirable for its citizens? The country of Mexico is our neighbor. Americans should be ashamed that our closest neighbor is a third world country.
I have heard enough rhetoric and hurtful headlines from both parties. None of it does any good - it doesn't lead to solutions and only intensifies stereotypes and unkindness. I can tell you that I am not alone in these viewpoints. You are going to lose us. I am not one to generally write critical letters or let my voice be heard. Rest assured, these viewpoints are out there, and they are strong.
Sincerely,
Dawn Shelton
Posted in: on Tuesday, May 15, 2007 at at 1:40 PM 2 comments
I love my peonies. I don't even feel like I'm being prideful in saying it. I did not plant them, I inherited them from the previous owners of the house. But I guess I am proud of the grace shown in that they have survived us for 11 Mays! They have survived toddlers, a short season of dog trampling, droughts, and this year, near floods. Yet every May, they bloom. And the beautiful foliage endures all summer after the fragrant blossoms fade away - hiding the ugly chainlink fence and providing a nice hiding place for balls, army guys, toy cars and other child treasures.
I love them.
Last night, while picking out the most beautiful blooms to make an arrangement for our neighbors whose daughter graduates from high school tonight, I noticed that a whole patch of them were squashed, broken. It was like something large had fallen on them. Was it the rain?
Giles, did you do this? Nope.
Lydia, did you do this? No, ma'am.
Grant, did you do this? Yep.
What?
I wanted to dive on them and swim across, he explained.
The evidence of a table, suitable for jumping/diving, was still part of the crime scene, placed at the end of the row. How did I miss that?
Lydia later confessed to being a near co-conspirator. She said it looked really fun and she wanted to try it, but she knew she'd get in trouble.
Time will tell whether our hearty peonies survive high diving.
Posted in: on at at 8:02 AM 2 comments
Azodicarbonamide. This word came up today first when Giles asked whether the "country potato" bread he was eating really had potatoes in it. So we looked at the ingredient list and in addition to high fructose corn syrup and potato flour, we find azodicarbonamide.
Here's what wikipedia says about it:
Azodicarbonamide, or azobisformamide, is an organic chemical, C2H4O2N4, with structural formula H2N-CO-N=N-CO-NH2. It is a yellow to orange red, odorless, crystalline powder. It is known as E number E927.
It is used in food industry as a food additive, a flour bleaching agent and improving agent.
It is also used in the production of foamed plastics and the manufacture of gaskets. Use of azodicarbonamide as a food additive is banned in Australia.
In the UK, the Health and Safety Executive has identified azodicarbonamide as a respiratory sensitiser (a possible cause of asthma) and determined that products should be labeled with "May cause sensitisation by inhalation."
This provided a wonderful teachable moment (or fatal where our health is concerned). Kids, did you know this bread that tastes so good can also make plastic. Or that it's banned in Australia, or that the British think it causes asthma?
It really did provide a good example of why Stan and I are trying and trying to reform our eating ways. I think the kids saw the light too, as evidenced by the mustard swathed bread bodies that remained on their lunch plates with the insides (organic egg and turkey) eaten up.
I've already noticed that it's getting harder and harder to buy anything at the grocery store. And it takes me hours to make a usual run and that's partly because I can't remember from one day to the next which brands of food have high fiber, low sodium and now, no azodicarbonamide.
We can't buy milk at the grocery anymore. So that's another stop to make to buy hormone free milk (until we give it up altogether). Meat scares me - hormones and antibiotics ... and the way the grow them up in their little feeder stalls. All processed foods contain so much sodium that Stan would be in a constant state of vertigo if we went back to our old ways, just buying the cheapest. Now bread. I have spent probably 30 minutes in the bread aisle before looking for a bread miracle, and looking in vain for any loaf that does not contain high fructose corn syrup.
Why does our bread need high fructose corn syrup in addition to other sweetening chemicals?
This all takes such a complete lifestyle change that my head spins (sorry Stan), but the evidence is piling up. And our health and the health of our extended family members who increasingly suffer from diabetes, headaches, allergies and low energy.
I know. I know. Everything in moderation. I'm not stressing about it (or should I?) but am committing to reformation, and to try harder to make bread.
Posted in: on Monday, May 14, 2007 at at 12:44 PM 0 comments
Any of this sound familiar to you?
little food, no milk and no baby formula in the house
house so cluttered with clothes or toys there was little room to walk
dirty dishes in both sinks, on the counter and on the stove
beds with no sheets
the mother was UNEMPLOYED.
Does this sound like one of those emails we get about the lives of harried moms with a houseful of little children? Or snippets we read in parenting magazines that assure us that we are not alone?
I suspect most of us can identify with not having milk in the house from time to time (oh yes, we are out right now). And the dirty dishes, well.
I know I'm treading on some thin ice here and my argument might not resonate, but I'm trying anyway. The above items were part of a laundry list that a state welfare worker found at a home that was being investigated for child neglect.
What happened to this family is horrific (and I don't mean to make light of it). The children ended up being left alone in the home and the house caught fire and the children died. The mom is in prison for a long time because she was next door smoking a cigarette (?) when the fire blazed into an inferno. It makes your heart hurt.
The list I mentioned above were discoveries of a welfare worker who investigated the home and was part of an article about whether the state welfare agency was to blame for the children's deaths.
If they are looking to see whether there's milk in the fridge, perhaps so.
Granted there were many other items in the report about the conditions of the home - (whiskey in the freezer, a bong in the bedroom) but none of it ever prompted the state to remove the children, but the state did force the mom to get "parenting skills" classes.
Subsequently, the grandparents of the dead children sued the state claiming it was the state's fault the children's mother (the father was long splitso) didn't know how to care for children amid her alcohol and drug problems. Who raised her?
I have been irritated at the media and "watchdogs" a good many times when they rush to blame the government after something terrible like this happens. A similar case was that of a young child who was murdered in our state the last couple of years. This child had been in and out of state custody and a judge put her back with her partying mother. Someone in the house, the mom or the stepdad, beat the child so badly she died.
And it was the state's fault. There was a huge public outcry with ribbons and buttons and bumper stickers asking for justice for this child.
Back to the other story. The grandparents who sued the state because their grandchildren died under their mother's care, collected $85,000. The rest of the almost $300,000 settlement went to non-profit groups to prevent child abuse.
This was a big deal copyrighted story in the Sunday paper as part of an ongoing investigation of DHS. The newspaper tells us that the agency has more than 7,500 employees and manages a $1.6 billion (with a "b") budget. It is responsible for caring for children, the elderly and underprivileged.
These are tragedies that make us cry out to God and makes God cry. Is there not something more we can do? The church? Would you say parenting classes about loving and nurturing (and not leaving the house with three kids under five) your children would be better at a church or at a state run agency? Is this what He means when He calls us to do something for the "least of these?" And we let Caesar take care of it for us.
Posted in: on at at 11:32 AM 0 comments
Giles, Lydia, Grant and Gee Jye Oh (GI JOE) discovered that four inches of rain on freshly tilled but as yet, unplanted garden makes an awesome mud run.
Other activities today:
Worm harvesting for the neighbors' rescued baby birds.
Boat racing down the rapids along our sidewalk
Mud pie making
Math
Monitoring the bucket (trashcan) full of water that dripped from the ceiling
The rain also brought over an inch of water to the theatre where the play Giles is in will be performed this weekend. The director is undaunted and says the show will go on as planned, but today's rehearsal was cancelled for water removal.
Posted in: on Tuesday, May 08, 2007 at at 4:00 PM 0 comments
Those little teachable moments that come while driving around.
When out of the blue, Giles comments: "You know, those people who write those scripts at church (his Bible class), I bet they don't tell people about Jesus."
Luckily, I already had my foot on the brake as I approached a stoplight to save us from careening off the road. Such cynicism from my sweet nine-year-old. NINE!
I honestly don't remember all of the details that transpired next, except of trying to get at exactly what he meant. He was talking about the curriculum we use in Sunday school and the drama scripts we have some weeks with kids and adults in situations emulating what might happen on the playground, at work, or in the world.
In my heart, I feared that I knew what he meant, he's wondering who exactly does he see telling people about Jesus?
But mostly, I talked too much instead of listening to him more ...
Mom: "well, we tell people about Jesus lots of times by how we act. Being a good example ... and that leads to them trusting us to tell them about our savior ..."
Then I began preaching some more.
And he busted me. "Okay. Here comes the sermon," he said.
Yes. He's NINE.
We are in for it. Does he get that cynicism naturally from me? What's he really thinking? We're not keeping it real enough for him?
God then led us to talking about some of the friends we have who we KNOW do not know the Lord. And ways of showing them about Jesus, and the point at which we'll share. Him with his friends. Me with the Mom.
Why haven't I told her more about Jesus?
Out of the mouths of babes.
Wait til his Dad hears about this.
Dad will set all of us straight!
Posted in: on Friday, May 04, 2007 at at 3:17 PM 0 comments
The dryer repair professional comes today. Hopefully to take away our new purchased dryer (lemon) that arrived last week that worked for ten minutes and bring us a new one! But I'm not going into that story of numerous calls to 800 numbers. My hero Stan took care of those calls anyway.
Meantime, to tackle the mountain of laundry, we've been washing and hanging. But it has rained a lot this week, so the mountain has been growing, even while I suggest that maybe that pair of shorts could get one more wear (ignoring the mud) or that tshirt could last another day (with only a tiny popsicle stain). I couldn't stand it yesterday though, I braved the clouds and hung three loads. It was stressful! Is that a rain cloud? So we prayed against rain all day. Isn't that selfish?
The thing about it is that I like hanging clothes to dry. It reminds me of being a kid and my summer chore of hanging clothes. The fresh smell. The cool feel of wet sheets in the hot summer air. I mostly griped about it then, no doubt. I didn't appreciate then the exercise and puzzle solving involved - hauling baskets of wet clothes outside (and up basement stairs, though I didn't have those as a kid). And figuring out how to get one more pair of jeans on the crammed line, and marveling that back in my kid days, we didn't have huge bath "sheet" towels to hang. Those are tricky.
Another bonus is that you can match socks while you are hanging up your clothes and they don't disappear in the invisible black hole in the dryer! Lydia has helped me some with the hanging. Training up the next generation!
Maybe our dryer woes will be solved today. Maybe I'll keep hanging clothes when I can and when the weather complies. Trying to be green when we can.
The saddest part about all of this is that NONE of us have run out of clothes. Pretty crazy. We haven't had our favorite jeans to wear, and only one of us has been in a serious underwear crisis (even when wearing them for an extra day inside out - just kidding). But we have not suffered.
Too many clothes. Appalling.
We also got a new hot water heater, and timed it so we went only one day without hot water, after milking the last heater for every last drop since January. Pretty good, huh?
I'm grateful and humbled that God provides us with so much, and so many conveniences for this life in America. And for jobs that we can replace this stuff, and make other adjustments to the budget (like only eating beans for the rest of the summer, or forgetting about that vacation). I'm even grateful in a way that is causes so much aggravation to replace our conveniences so we appreciate them more, and think about what we really could do without. Hot water and dryers are pretty awesome - but those we've shared the earth with since creation didn't have them, til when, 50 years ago in America? And today - probably more than half the world still doesn't have them.
It's a challenge to make better use of the time we have back by not heating water over the open fire, or beating our clothes with rocks in the river before hanging them on tree branches.
Posted in: on Monday, April 30, 2007 at at 9:37 AM 0 comments
I pledged NOT to whine on my new blog, so I'm going to tread carefully. But then again, I have a sense today of what Jesus might have felt when he walked into the synagogue and through a hissy fit at the marketers.
$25 million. and a lot of change.
That is the estimated total of new building construction of churches in the metro area, according to an article in today's paper. And it was only a handful of churches. Add to that a dozen others who are in big building campaigns.
$10,000,000 here
$2,700,00 there
$9,000.000 over there
(can you count all of those zeros?)
They call these new church buildings "front porches" with mall-sized food courts (how intimate), workout areas and full sized gyms. They are equipped with the latest (for the next six months) technology gizmos, in their "living rooms" ... where unchurched folks who would never step foot in a "church" might come ... to work-out, eat and be wowed ... and maybe find Jesus amidst their "experience."
I buy that it's an approach that has met with success. Mega-churches are everywhere.
But, more and more, while our own congregation muddles through an identity crisis that is wrenching my heart ... I ask whether there's a better way?
I have been reading about a simple way. In fact, I've been transforming my heart and mind and approach since I read Shane Claiborne's book, The Irresistible Revolution. And also have read more clearly the words of the New Testament. (I've wasted a lot of time not reading what I've been reading all of these years, if that makes sense).
Stan and I have had his (Claiborne's) thoughts for a long time, but have been too complacent, and not nearly as versed in the Word or as matter-of-fact as he is. For one thing, we have questioned whether we are supposed to be a literal Acts 2 church ... All the believers were together and had everything in common. "45 Selling their possessions and goods, they gave to anyone as he had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts,."
Commune living!
I suppose you can eat every meal at your new $10 million church building ... instead of getting folks on your own front porch and then into your kitchen to break bread.
But if you now work out and eat at the church, where do you meet new "unchurched" people?
Just confused ... I don't want to pick on anyone. It is just a bit appalling to read about $25 million spent on convenience buildings where on another page we read about one little law student here in OKC staging a protest to help those in Darfur. (How many folks will be exercising in the spacious new facilities at the new church buildings when that's going on ... she mused as she sat on her can in front of the computer screen). And when we have dear friends scraping together every penny to bring home orphans from Rwanda. Babies and toddlers who spend day after day staring at the ceilings of their crowded room. And here down the street, where kids will never have an opportunity to be "welcomed" to any of these new suburban churches because the Joy bus isn't running.
Posted in: on Saturday, April 28, 2007 at at 11:42 AM 0 comments
Below is a post I retrieved out of an old blog I had written when my aunt was dying. The other day, I remembered writing it when I was thinking about my Aunt Mary who was also dying a painful cancer death. She flew to Jesus yesterday.
Spring time for my family. My Aunt Glenda died in May four years ago. Her mother, my precious grandma, Virginia, died in April two years ago. Virginia's oldest daughter, Mary Lena, died this spring. And, my sweet Grandpa, Lester Giles, died ten years ago in March ... the spring when I was expecting our first child, Giles Christian, who was born later that year.
Spring replaced Fall as my heart's favorite season years ago. The renewal. The hope. The freshness. The blooms. The rich smell of earth and freshly cut grass. Dreams for a garden and bounty. And now, Springs brings relief and assurance that we have in our Savior who died for us to have eternal life ...
Corsage
(May 2003)
As I sit down to write this, I don't know if I can make it make sense, but the experience is worth recording.
This Mother's Day, I had the great privilege to spend it with my mom, grandma and my only two aunts. We were gathered at the deathbed of my Aunt Glenda in NE Arkansas. These four women are terrific mothers, daughters and sisters. Yes, they will tell you they weren't perfect, made plenty of mistakes, likely have some regrets. But these girls are tough and they love each other. Three of them would have given anything to trade places with my dying aunt or pull her pain out of her body to wear it themselves. Aunt Glenda is dying from cancer. Everyone had been gathering for a sort of living wake, that's been lasting over a week since the word "she won't last through the night." Her family and a few friends were keeping vigil, saying goodbyes, begging God to take her and thanking Him for the gift of her life.
What a precious time. What an excruciating experience.
So to the flowers.
My ever-thoughtful sister sent a Mother's Day corsage to Mom
Mom was staying home with Aunt Glenda
Let's have Grandma wear it to church
My sister won't mind
Grandma wouldn't wear it
Didn't want to
Her daughter was dying a painful death
Not much to celebrate
What if we placed it at Aunt Glenda's bedside?
Her last Mother's Day
No one could bring themself to put it there
Not much to celebrate
The corsage sat on a lamp table in another room
Pink and beautiful
A symbol of the love that passes through these women
For no one to bear alone this year
Posted in: on Monday, April 23, 2007 at at 10:10 AM 1 comments
We met him today! Abe Lincoln! I don't know why Giles doesn't look very thrilled in the picture but it was very thrilling to meet him today. He was actually Fritz Klein, a Lincoln reenactor who was at the Oklahoma City National Memorial Museum today as part of a Lincoln exhibit.
He spoke to a fairly large crowd of more than 100 school kids. We had front row seats thanks to our wonderful friend, Joanne, who works there! I thought it was very stirring. He teared up when he talked about his momma and how some of her last words to him were to be good to his family and be good to everyone! He also teared up when talking about losing two of his sons.
He spoke a lot about how much slavery disturbed him as a young child. How his father was against it. And how anger boiled in some to drive us to horrible acts to preserve that way of life, slavery. He also acknowledged that he stood in a place, the OKC National Memorial, to honor the victims of someone else's anger. (Someone who claimed he learned how to be an animal/terrorist in the US military during the first Gulf War ... but that's another thought for another day).
He was good natured and powerful. He ended with the Gettysburg Address. I know he was an actor, but he did it so well ... he teared up (we were on the front row) again during the speech.
I'm sure I loved it more than the kids. Since I was tearing up too! But hopefully they'll remember it, and remember those who've led ... and those who lost so much in order that - under God - our government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.
Posted in: on Friday, April 20, 2007 at at 7:27 PM 0 comments
Waiting for claim jumpers
Lydia's view of the run from inside the wagon ... (nice tank! yikes.)
What's a Land Run without a row of minivans?
Posted in: on Thursday, April 19, 2007 at at 4:26 PM 0 comments
We're homesteaders now. The run was so much fun. Grant was so excited to run that he started running as soon as he got out of the car, and failed to see a fence that met him on his right eye. But he quickly recovered.
The event organizer had put markers on the ground to signal each available homestead - some included small bottles of water to signify there was water on the land. Other land had oil.
Giles' charge was to find us one with water and he stopped at the first one ... Grant kept running! But we got him back. Lydia and Grant paid the $14 for our claim (the land was free but the paperwork wasn't) while Giles guarded the place against claim jumpers. But it was a pretty friendly crowd.
Some of the other houses and businesses were very creative. We had a church, several general mercantiles, a post office, an outhouse (charged 10 cents), a toy store, a blacksmith, a newspaper, a feed store and other farmers like us.
The kids earned snacks to feed their families by answering land run trivia questions. The prizes were sunflower seeds or Cracker jack. I thought we were going to starve when Giles answered Theodore Roosevelt on the question of who the president was in 1889 ... I couldn't believe he couldn't remember Benjamin Harrison (who?). But he came through for us when he correctly named the Redbud as our state tree.
A few of the swaps we came home with: nails from the blacksmith, a quilt square, pea shooters, home made soap, bread from the baker, a newspaper and seeds for carrots and lettuce.
Posted in: on at at 1:07 PM 0 comments
It's Land Run Day for us. These are pictures of us making our "house" (compliments of Sears and the refrigerators). Now, the house has a door, a red roof and a window.
This is a homeschool event with about 25 other families. We know no one! So that's appropriate. Giles decided we have come from Alabama (like his actual ancestors who came to homestead, but not in the 89 run). And since Lydia had a little mishap with her foot this week, she'll get to ride in our little red wagon that's been converted into a covered wagon. Lydia's name is Laura and I'm "Ma." The boys haven't settled yet. But Grant is thinking he'll be Ulysees and Giles could be Giles ... or Bill, his other great grandpa whom he never met who was part of that homesteading crowd.
We have our $14 to buy our claim, and our prairie outfits ready. I just need to make the Johnny Cake and put the beans in some sort of nineteenth century container (not plastic) for our lunch on our claim. We also have to have something to give to the other homestead children. We chose seed wheat. We bagged 100 tiny packages of wheat to help everyone start their farms.
Still have to figure out how to get the refolded box, covered wagon, three kids in a minivan. Something not right about that. It cracked me up that we'll be doing this at a park, and the moderator of our email loop made sure to let us know there is a skate park there???
It's also been interesting to "hear" the other moms on the loop wonder/worry about where to find a box, what we'll do if rains and whether they can set up early (aren't those Sooners?).
It's 1889 people. Let's run with it!
Posted in: on Tuesday, April 17, 2007 at at 7:22 PM 0 comments
We have a new friend. We met him at the mission, where he has earned the nickname John the Baptist because he brings (drags) people from the wilderness (streets) to Cross & Crown all of the time. He takes care of them. I've been teasing him about the new tattoo he has on his hand. It's basically artwork of the inside of his hand inked onto his skin - metatarsal bones, tendons, muscles. He had brought the tattoo artist to the mission one week - a nice guy who told me he has been in the biz 20 years and is part of the group suing or fighting the courts or legislature to lower the exhorbitant insurance requirement for operating tattoo parlors.
But now the artist has "boogied." Sometime over the weekend, the artist had seen John come back from the ATM, and when John went into the bathroom without his wallet or fresh pack of cigs, well, temptation overpowered the artist. When John came out, the wallet was cashless, the cigs and the artist were splitso.
After he told us that story, he commented on the necklace Lydia wore. It's one of those prayer box necklaces. (As I typed this, I am remembering that the first one that her daddy had bought her was stolen when our house was burglarized a couple years back. So we had replaced it.) But this necklace is faulty. The hinge does not keep the prayer box closed so it springs open often.
So, I popped off to John the Baptist that Lydia's prayers keep falling out and we have to keep praying them and putting them back in. (What sound theology I'm teaching my children!)
Oh No, he said. Those prayers go straight up to God. The angels carry them for you.
I'm grateful for his ready answer to my religious error.
Posted in: on at at 9:27 AM 0 comments
In Rwanda this week, children are out of school, some people are off of work, and they are remembering. Last Friday night (coinciding this year on the calendar with Good Friday), began the week's commemoration of the 1994 Genocide in Rwanda that stole nearly one million lives from the earth.
The country mourns for a week. They wear purple ribbons. They remember and they forget.
In Oklahoma, ten Rwandan students at Oklahoma Christian University asked their classmates and the community to share in this time. The kids and I attended OC's chapel on Friday morning where the Rwandan students planned and led the daily service. The song they chose to sing was "It Is Well." That evening Stan and I attended a service the students planned where the PBS Frontline documentary Ghosts of Rwanda was shown and some of the students shared and prayed. 
It was an emotionally exhausting day and weekend, but also one of hope. I just can't describe how much these students mean to us. They are Resilient. Intelligent. Faith-filled. They are the future. Since they came in August, we have gotten to know them on the surface - slowly building relationships and we knew eventually their stories would come in their time. They all have stories. They can't help but have them. And when you consider they were all the ages of my own children when the genocide happened ... well. 
This commemoration gave an entre for some of the stories to be shared, but still we will never know or grasp the full horror they experienced and what they lost.
Until God sends our family there (to visit or stay?), I am left to read books and watch videos and movies about what happened. The titles are not pretty and on their own, give a sense of the horror.
The Machete Season
We wish to inform you that tomorrow we will be killed with our families
Left To Tell
This Voice in My Heart
Ghosts of Rwanda
Sometimes in April
Justice on the Grass
One of the students briefly spoke in church Sunday (Resurrection Day!). She said that although she was asked to talk about the genocide, she would instead tell us that the genocide was in the past and so was the crucifixion. Jesus died on the cross and rose from the dead to save all of us ... and as Jesus forgave his killers, Rwandans must also forgive in the name of hope. Powerful.
Last Saturday, Alain traveled to Tulsa with us and we stopped by the praying hands at ORU. He was impressed with the statue. It is amazing. And the scripture at the base of the sculpture can be claimed by this group: Luke 2:52. And Jesus grew in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.
Posted in: on Tuesday, April 10, 2007 at at 8:03 AM 0 comments
Grant: "Mom, Instead of being the president when I grow up, I think I'll work at the zoo and take care of the Kookaburra."
Posted in: on Tuesday, April 03, 2007 at at 10:13 AM 0 comments
