Seven Random Items

Anne at Reverent Irreverence posted seven random things, which was an invitation from a blogging friend of hers. This reminds me of the old days of blogging when we used to pass around "memes" and so here it goes.

1. Flossing my teeth last night, an old gold crown on one of my bottom molars came off. I vaguely remember getting it when my first child was a baby, so it's 30+ years old. So I spun off into anxiety, thinking that all my crowns would fall off as they aged (like me). But my wonderful dentist saw me this morning and easily glued it back on! I am happily back to eating and drinking with no pain.

2. One year ago yesterday I started taking bi-weekly Humira shots for rheumatoid arthritis. It has taken about nine months for the Humira and weekly methotextrate pills to work in combination to inhibit my RA symptoms. I am pain-free most of the time! I am extremely grateful that modern medicine offers such wondrous drugs and that my insurance company pays for them. I am lucky.

3. Having "old" feet, I am burdened with having bunions. They are probably due to wearing all the narrow shoes I wore until about eight years ago, when I finally learned that those bumps above my big toes were "bunions" and hurt with pressure on them. Then friends in Seattle sent me to a shoe store dedicated to finding better shoes for a customer's feet and I bought my first pair of Wolky Jewel sandals. Over the years, I have bought three more pair online. Now I have black, blue, burnt orange, and off-white Wolky's. Lately, women around my age keep asking me what kind of shoes I am wearing. Fortunately, I live in south TX, where sandals may be worn most of the year.

4. I have had two piano lessons now. My piano teacher is a friend, who is also an excellent teacher. She was a high school English teacher and then a high school piano teacher until she retired last year. She is helping me overcome my harsh self-judgment that even strikes in my beginning pecking at the keys. I am enjoying this much more than I anticipated. Learning to relax and to slow down are difficult for me though.

5. Although I am still flummoxed by Blogger's new formats for its bloggers, I am pleased by the friends (and daughter) who left comments to help me navigate these changes. I was surprised that Mad Priest still happens by here sometimes. Thank you!

6. I am addicted to playing Words with Friends on my Ipod and/or Kindle Fire. I have two friends in California who play multiple games with me. It's a lot of fun, but I wish I'd think of  longer than one-syllable words.

7. First hints of "fall" are here in south Texas. In the summer low temperatures are at 80 degrees F., but now they are dipping below 70 degrees in the early mornings. It is not always in the 90's each day. Hope for cooler weather. . .  .soon!

Which 4 Words Are Yours?

This graphic has been making the rounds on Facebook. I was really surprised at the accuracy of its four descriptive words about me; perhaps one chooses the words that one likes internally. But the ones I found are:

• naive
• shy
• peaceful
• patient

This was fun, so why don't you quickly look and see which four words you find. List them in the comments!

Friday Five: Last Year and Next Year

Sally brings today's Friday Five for RevGalBlogPals:

A simple Friday Five for a busy part of the year; indulge me by sharing two fives:
As you look back over 2011 share 5 blessings, they can be as grand or as simple as you like,if you year has been like mine they are probably a mixture!

<--2011 Blessings (without counting family):
Three fabulous trips:
1. Spain with my youngest daughter MJ

2. U.S. National Parks on road trip with husband CB

3. Russia with friends in the Methodist Russian Initiative

4. Finally, the diagnosis of rheumatoid arthritis, with eventual relief of symptoms through the combination of methotextrate and Humira.

5. Reconnection with two seemingly "lost" people: my cousin Karen through cards and letters and former blogging friend Christina through the online game Words With Friends.

-->Looking to 2012:
1. More frequent visits to Austin to be with our granddaughter Avery, as she grows in both movement and learning. (She is walking a lot now.) Plus, see her parents there!

2. Visits to Houston to see son BJ.

3. I also hope to make visits to WA to see AE and KA plus to Calgary to see my elderly cousin Margaret.

4. Finally commit to and accomplish cleaning out excess in my house, which is too overwhelming to list. I hope to consistently work at this, and not start and stop--as I tend to do.

5. Spend one morning every other week at the church library, cleaning and organizing it.

Letter Writing MEME

I do not write letters like I used to, but all my life I loved writing letters to friends and family. I remember growing up on military bases and seeing my father type a letter to his mother every week. Without easy access to long-distance telephone calls and no concept of internet communication, the only way to communicate for the first 25-35 years of my life was through mailed letters. Through the years, my writing has degenerated to notes I write, except lately when my hands hurt too much from RA.

I was thrilled to find someone who likes letter-writing through RevGalBlogPals: Susan at Fruitful Words. In 2009, she even did a series of posts about letter-writing. In one of these, she had a letter-writing MEME. (Remember when we were all doing meme's back then?) So I decided to do that here!

Answer in the comment section, please, or take these questions and answer them on your blog. Be sure to link back here so I can read your answers.

Tag 4 people and then write one of them a real letter! Let’s inundate the postal service with some “love” mail. Be sure to tell who you sent your letter to and why.

• What was the last letter you wrote? To whom? The occasion? Was it a letter or more of a note?

The last note I wrote was to my two daughters who live in Seattle. (This won't be a surprise for them now!)

• Do you prefer writing with a pen/pencil or with a mechanical device like a Blackberry or computer?

For long letters, I prefer to use Word on the computer. When my hands are not hurting, I like to use a pen on stationery/notecards.

• Do you prefer receiving handwritten letters/notes over email? Or makes no difference, it’s all communication.

It is so rare to receive a handwritten letter that it seems almost silly to say I prefer those. Still, an actual personal note via email is nice.

• Do you save your hand-written letters? Why or why not? Describe a special letter that you’ll never toss.

I save hand-written letters from my children and from special friends. I am glad that I saved a few written by my mother: someone's handwriting brings forth their presence, even after their death.

• What kind of paper do you typically use? Envelope? Stamp? Embellishments?

I like notecards and love to find special cards to send people. I find really good ones on my visits to WA state every summer; there are much better cards sold there than I can find in south TX.

I like to buy pretty stamps, which I often learn about at Letter Writers Alliance.

• What is the most unusual letter you’ve ever sent? Received?

Probably on puzzle pieces.

• What was the last handwritten letter you received? From whom? The occasion? How did it make you feel?

I got a long handwritten letter from a 94-year-old woman who used to attend the Wisdom Class (weekly book study) at our church, but has moved to Houston. I know it is an effort for her to write, and I loved hearing about her life and thoughts. Plus, a handwritten note or letter makes me feel like someone cares enough about me to take the time to write!

• Tag 4 people and then write one of them a real letter! Let’s inundate the postal service with some “love”mail. Be sure to tell who you sent your letter to and why.
• (I think I will be sending out left-over postcards from my trip to Spain, because my hands were hurting too much back in May to write all the ones I'd bought there!)
  

Thank you, Susan, for this!!

99 Things About Me

Sarah and Cecilia put this on their blogs to "re-enter" the blogosphere. I never left, but needed something to post today.

99 Things About Me (Everything that I have accomplished is in bold)

1. Started your own blog

2. Slept under the stars

3. Played in a band

4. Visited Hawaii (I had a stop over when we returned from Japan to the USA)

5. Watched a meteor shower

6. Given more than you can afford to charity

7. Been to DisneyWorld

8. Climbed a mountain (more like a hill, but a mountain by TX standards!)

9. Held a praying mantis

10. Sang a solo

11. Bungee jumped

12. Visited Paris

13. Watched a lightning storm

14. Taught yourself an art from scratch

15. Adopted a child

16. Had food poisoning

17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (I've stood by it)

18. Grown your own vegetables

19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France

20. Slept on an overnight train

21. Had a pillow fight

22. Hitch-hiked

23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill

24. Built a snow fort

25. Held a lamb

26. Gone skinny dipping

27. Run a Marathon

28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice

29. Seen a total eclipse

30. Watched a sunrise or sunset

31. Hit a home run

32. Been on a cruise

33. Seen Niagara Falls in person--BUT I have visited and seen Victoria Falls!!

34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors-

35. Seen an Amish community

36. Taught yourself a new language

37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied

38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person

39. Gone rock climbing- kind of.

40. Seen Michelangelo’s David

41. Sung karaoke

42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt

43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant

44. Visited Africa

45. Walked on a beach by moonlight

46. Been transported in an ambulance

47. Had your portrait painted (from a photograph)

48. Gone deep sea fishing

50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris

51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling

52. Kissed in the rain

53. Played in the mud

54. Gone to a drive-in theater

55. Been in a movie

56. Visited the Great Wall of China

57. Started a business –

58. Taken a martial arts class (Does tai chi count?)

59. Visited Russia

60. Served at a soup kitchen

61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies

62. Gone whale watching

63. Got flowers for no reason

64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma

65. Gone sky diving

66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp

67. Bounced a check

68. Flown in a helicopter

69. Saved a favorite childhood toy

70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial

71. Eaten Caviar

72. Pieced a quilt

73. Stood in Times Square

74. Toured the Everglades

75. Been fired from a job

76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London

77. Broken a bone

78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle

79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person

80. Published a book

81. Visited the Vatican

82. Bought a brand new car

83. Walked in Jerusalem

84. Had your picture in the newspaper

85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve

86. Visited the White House

87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating

88. Had chickenpox

89. Saved someone’s life

90. Sat on a jury

91. Met someone famous

92. Joined a book club

93. Got a tattoo

94. Had a baby

95. Seen the Alamo in person

96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake

97. Been involved in a law suit

98. Owned a cell phone

99. Been stung by a bee

Twenty Questions

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought? I need to brush my hair. And why did my hair look so WHITE last Friday when I felt sick and doesn't so much today?

2. Do you miss anyone right now?
I do. I miss all four of my children and my two daughters-in-law. I miss friends even here in Corpus Christi, some of whom I rarely see. In the Wisdom Class, I miss Helen, who died, and Georgia, who moved away. Like Katherine, I still miss my mother at times, even though she died 18 years ago.

3. If you could move anywhere else, would you?
If I could move anywhere, I'd like to have a house on the coast of Washington State or Oregon, right on the beach. I've always wanted that, but will only get to occasionally rent places thus situated.
4.
4. If you could choose, what would your last meal be?
Hot fudge sundae, with my fudge sauce! The RECIPE is here.
5.
5. What famous person, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with?
I would hope that I would have the confidence to talk with Thomas Merton.
6.
6. What was the last book you read?
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson
7.
7.What was the last movie you watched?
In the theater, How to Train a Dragon
Via Netflix, Trade, with Kevin Kline, about sex trade across the TX-Mex border
8.
8. What was the last song you heard?
A Beatles song on the drive home.

9. What is your dream vacation?
Going to Scotland again. I've always wanted to go to Greece.
1.
10. What is the next trip you will take?
Going to Alaska on July 18 with husband CB. We'll be there for two weeks!! The third week we will visit relatives in Washington State, including daughters AE and KA.
11.
11. Did you ever go to camp?
No, I never did. My father was in the Marine Corps and did not think it was recreational.
12
12. Have you ever been in love?
Yes, I have. Still am. We've been married over 38 years now.
3.
13. What do you want to know about the future?
I would like to know that the gulf eco-system will not be ruined and will come back and thrive again.
14.
14. Where is your best friend?
Longest best friend is Nancy in California; she went to NM with me in May. Terry is in Washington State. Other good friends in Washington and in Texas.
5.
15.How is your best friend?
She's happy that school is over this week, and her son graduates from high school!

16.Who is the biggest gossiper you know?
I know some folks who gossip, but I certainly wouldn't name them here!!

17.What does your last text message say?
I do not text.

18. What are 3 things you've always wanted to do, that you still plan to accomplish?
Write my papers, clean out closets, become contemplative.

19. What is one thing you learned from your parents?
Be punctual.20.

20. What is one thing you hope to teach to your own children?
I hope they've learned to care about other people.


I got these from Katherine at Meaning and Authenticity, and I think the rules are that if you copy these from me and answer them on your blog you are supposed to let me know....

Friday Five: I Like Myself

Singing Owl over at RevGalBlogPals wrote today's Friday Five:

Lately I seem to be encountering many people who have a very difficult time finding anything good to say about themselves. They are able to extend grace and forgiveness to others but find it difficult to extend that same grace to themselves.

With that in mind, let's share some healthy affirmation today! Tell us five things you like about yourself!

1. I am a loyal friend. I really value my friends.

2. I am a good cook, especially a good baker. I like to cook from scratch.

3. I like to learn; I like to read. There is so much to learn, all our lives!

4. I like to send cards, notes, and postcards. I used to be a very good correspondent but the internet seems to have changed those long handwritten letters to shorter, more infrequent and/or typed mail.

5. I like to smile.

What kind of reader are you?

From Choral Girl:

Newsweek has published their Top 100 Books: the Meta-List, derived via “number crunching” from various top-10 books lists. The purpose of this note is to gather a bit more information about your experience with the books on their list. I’ve started the process using the following key. If you’re interested in participating, please copy the list and replace my numbers with your own, and tag me. Please note that more than one number may be used per book. More information available on each book by clicking the link at the beginning of the post.

1 = read it

2 = saw the movie

3 = in my “to read” stack at home

4 = someday I’ll read it

5 = have made at least one attempt to read it, but didn’t finish

6 = no interest in reading it

(1) War and Peace—Tolstoy

(1) 1984—Orwell

(5) Ulysses—Joyce

(6) Lolita—Nabokov

(4) The Sound and the Fury—Faulkner

(1) Invisible Man—Ellison

(6) To the Lighthouse—Woolf

(5) The Iliad and The Odyssey—Homer

(1/2) Pride and Prejudice—Austen

(1) Divine Comedy—Alighieri

(1) Canterbury Tales—Chaucer

(5) Gulliver’s Travels—Swift

(5) Middlemarch—Eliot

(4) Things Fall Apart—Achebe

(1) The Catcher in the Rye—Salinger

(1/2) Gone with the Wind—Mitchell

(3/4) One Hundred Years of Solitude—Marquez

(1/2) The Great Gatsby—Fitzgerald

(1/2) Catch-22—Heller

(4) Beloved—Morrison

(1/2) The Grapes of Wrath—Steinbeck

(6) Midnight’s Children—Rushdie

(1) Brave New World—Huxley

(6) Mrs. Dalloway—Woolf

(4) Native Son—Wright

(4) Democracy in America—de Tocqueville

(6) On the Origin of Species—Darwin

(6) The Histories—Herodotus

(6) The Social Contract—Rousseau

(6) Das Kapital—Marx

(1) The Prince—Machiavelli

(5/4) Confessions—St. Augustine

(6) Leviathan—Hobbes

(6) The History of the Peloponnesian War—Thucydides

(1/2) The Lord of the Rings—Tolkien

(1/2) Winnie-the-Pooh—Milne

(1/2) The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe—Lewis

(2) A Passage to India—Forster

(6) On the Road—Kerouac

(1/2) To Kill a Mockingbird—Lee

(1/2) The Holy Bible (RSV)

(6) A Clockwork Orange—Burgess

(4) Light in August—Faulkner

(4) The Souls of Black Folk—Du Bois

(4) Wide Sargasso Sea—Rhys

(4) Madame Bovary—Flaubert

(6) Paradise Lost—Milton

(1/2) Anna Karenina—Tolstoy

(1) Hamlet—Shakespeare

(1) King Lear—Shakespeare

(1/2) Othello—Shakespeare

(5) Sonnets—Shakespeare

(1) Leaves of Grass—Whitman

(1) The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn—Twain

(4) Kim—Kipling

(4) Frankenstein—Shelley

(5) Song of Solomon—Morrison

(1/2) One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest—Kesey

(1) For Whom the Bell Tolls—Hemingway

(1) Slaughterhouse-Five—Vonnegut

(1) Animal Farm—Orwell

(1) Lord of the Flies—Golding

(1) In Cold Blood—Capote

(6) The Golden Notebook—Lessing

(6) Remembrance of Things Past—Proust

(6) The Big Sleep—Chandler

(4) As I Lay Dying—Faulkner

(4) The Sun Also Rises—Hemingway

(5) I, Claudius—Graves

(1) The Heart is a Lonely Hunter—McCullers

(1) Sons and Lovers—Lawrence

(6) All the King’s Men—Warren

(1) Go Tell It on the Mountain—Baldwin

(1/2) Charlotte’s Web—White

(6) Heart of Darkness—Conrad

(3) Night—Wiesel

(5) Rabbit, Run—Updike

(6) The Age of Innocence—Wharton

(1) Portnoy’s Complaint—Roth

(1) An American Tragedy—Dreiser

(4) The Day of the Locust—West

(4) Tropic of Cancer—Miller

(5) The Maltese Falcon—Hammett

(1) His Dark Materials—Pullman

(3/5) Death Comes for the Archbishop—Cather

(6) The Interpretation of Dreams—Freud

(6) The Education of Henry Adams—Adams

(6) Quotations from Chairman Mao—Mao

(4) The Varieties of Religious Experience: A Study in Human Nature—James

(5) Brideshead Revisited—Waugh

(1) Silent Spring—Carson

(6) The General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money—Keynes

(2) Lord Jim—Conrad

(6) Goodbye to All That—Graves

(4) The Affluent Society—Galbraith

(1) The Wind in the Willows—Grahame

(6) The Autobiography of Malcolm X—Haley/Malcolm X

(6) Eminent Victorians—Strachey

(5) The Color Purple—Walker

(6) The Second World War (6-volume set)—Churchill

Total read: 39

Additional questions:

What would you cut from the list?

I did not like “The Great Gatsby”or "Portnoy's Complaint."

What would you add?

• "The Chosen" by Chaim Potock
• If there was a religious section, I would add "Celebration of Discipline" by Richard Foster because that made such a major impact upon my spiritual life in directing me to practices and authors to read.
• Picturebooks would have to include "Miss Rumphius" by Barbara Clooney and any of the Robert McCloskey books and "Ferdinand" by Munro Leaf.
  

When you look back at the list as a whole, do you draw any conclusions about yourself as a reader?

• I read the classics as an undergraduate English major and need to re-read them.
• I have not read classics of history, anthropology, and culture.
• 
  

Interview with MomPriest as a form of procrastination

Over at Choralgirl's I found the following questions for an "interview" from Mompriest at RevGalBlogPals:

1. Where do you blog?
Right here at Yearning for God, which is how I usually feel. Back when I was going to Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, I had a professor who was an expert on Karl Rahner and said that he (KR) wrote about any desire/yearning for God BEING the PRESENCE of God.

2. What are your favorite non-revgal blog pal blogs?
Too many to list, so you can look at my blog roll. Here are a few: The Quaker Agitator, Meditation Matters, and Zen Habits.

3. What gives you joy?
My family, babies, puppies, hugs

4. What is your favorite sound?
The ocean

5. What do you hope to hear once you enter the pearly gates?
Welcome home.

6. You have up to 15 words, what would you put on your tombstone?
Beloved

7. Write the first sentence of your own great American novel.
??

8. What color do you prefer your pen?
Black

9. What magazines do you subscribe too?
Weavings, The Christian Century, Sojourners, Newsweek

10. What is something you want to achieve in this decade?
Finally finish my scholarly papers

11. Why are you cool?
I'm not. I vividly recall my teenage daughter AE telling me when were going to move back to Corpus Christi from NJ that my TX friends Becky and Daryl were cool, but I wasn't. I remember I replied, "I know."

12. What is one of your favorite memories?
Individually, having and holding each one of my (four) babies.

13. Anything else you've always wanted to be asked?
Would you lead a retreat?

Favorite childhood books?

When I was an older elementary school student, I loved reading and re-reading Homer Price by Robert McCloskey, who also wrote and illustrated such classics as Make Way for Ducklings, Blueberries for Sal, and One Morning in Maine. My children and I loved reading those last three picture books, but they never liked Homer Price. I guess it's outdated, but I still vividly recall the malfunctioning doughnut machine:
What were your favorite books when you were young?

My favorite book of all that I read and re-read innumerable times was Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I was determined to read it in third grade, because a fourth grader in our 3-4 grades combination class told me I wasn't "old enough" to read it! I fell in love with the characters, especially Beth, whom my oldest daughter detested. In fact, AE could never understand why I had liked the book so much. It is dated, too, especially about roles of women, though Louisa May Alcott was ahead of her time in portraying Jo.

When I was reading these books around 1960, there was not the plethora of young people's books being published. (We baby boomers hadn't had all of our children yet!) We did not own too many books and used the public library much more frequently than nowadays.

Did you like any series of books?

I liked the Hardy Boys better than Nancy Drew books, which many of my friends liked. (Daughter MJ enjoyed Nancy Drew much more than I ever did. AE liked the Anne of Green Gables books.) I also liked Cherry Ames nursing stories. I remember being confused when these types of books were not allowed on library shelves!

My cousin Margaret from Canada sent me books as presents and usually they were by Enid Blyton. I especially liked the Famous Five series. My (American) friends never knew about these books, except from me, because they were British books.

So, if you have the time, why don't you blog (or comment here) about the books you liked in your youth?

Quickie Picture Meme

From Fran, who first got it from Phydeaux, here's a silly meme:

1. Grab the nearest book - no matter what it is. Textbook, novel, pop-up book, building code study guide, whatever.
2. Turn to page 25.
3. Read the 10th word on that page, or the following if that one is blank.
4. Type that word into Google Image search.
5. Post the third image.
6. Tag 4 people and tell them.
7. Link back to this post - Which I do right here.

The book is Silence on Fire: The Prayer of Awareness by William H. Shannon and the word was "conversation."
Do this if you think it would be fun! (I'd like to see what you come up with, esp. Garlic or Salt).

Friday Five: My Favorite Things

Songbird writes for RevGalBlogPals: So, let's encourage ourselves. Share with us five of your favorite things. Use words or pictures, whatever expresses it best.

1. Family (obviously)--Husband CB, Eldest son DC (29) and wife AA, daughter AE (26) and partner KA, son BJ (23), and daughter MJ (19). I'm so glad we have a big family, because I was lonely as an only child moving around too often.

2. Books--Books are really my favorite inanimate objects, as you can see if you go to my Librarything list. Of course, reading is included in this favorite thing. I have many books in piles that are waiting to be read. . . .

3. Writing to friends and family--I like cards, stationery, and various address books that I use less than I used to for keeping snail mail going. I still want to, but don't seem to have the time to write with a pen, maybe because I also enjoy blogging! I posted about writing letters here.

4. Pansies--Pansies were my mother's favorite flower; after her death in 1992, they became mine. I remember her pointing out the faces on pansies when I was a little girl. I showed the Ugandan boys the faces on the pansies planted by our front porch.

5. Trees--Probably because I spent my high school and college years in Bellingham, WA, I love trees. Liking trees is also why we choose to live in an older house in Corpus Christi, even though new and modern houses are being built on the southside in old farmlands. The trees here are 50 years old and are taller. I always like to get calendars with pictures of trees on them. I miss autumnal leaves from the northern parts of the country, as leaves do not turn color here in south TX.

Missy's Photo Meme

Sherry reminded me of Missy's Photo Meme, so here goes.

Here are the rules:

1. Go to your Picture Folder on your computer or wherever you store your pictures.

2. Go to the 6th Folder and then pick the 6th Picture.

3. Post it on your blog and tell the story that goes with it.

That picture comes from the trip that CB and I recently took to Albuquerque, NM when I went to Richard Rohr and Russ Hudson's conference on the enneagram. It was taken on January 4, 2009 on our return trip between Carlsbad, NM and Corpus Christi, TX. I was impressed with the mesa, remembering learning about them from pictures in elementary school, and was glad to see the wind turbines atop it. (Oddly, I think I already posted it here.)

Friday Five: All About Me

From RevGalBlogPals:
Whether it's new friends or new loves or new employers, what are five things people should know about you? (Built off of the song from "Rent" - "Take me for what I am..." (I think that's the title)...

Though I'm rather late on this Friday, here are five things people should know about me:

1. I consider myself a Washingtonian even though I've lived longer in Texas than anywhere else in my life. The only house my parents ever owned is in Bellingham, WA, where we moved when my dad retired from the Marine Corps and I was in high school. I still own that house and wonder if I'll ever move back there.

2. I love books; I love to buy and own them; I especially love to read them. I mainly read theology books (mostly, but not restricted to, Christian), but also like mysteries and Harry Potter!But then I have to add current events, history, parenting, almost anything, though I'm not much into science (unless we can put "cosmology" in that category).

3. I like things to be clean, but I tend to clutter and pile stuff. I need to get rid of old clothes and books, but haven't. . . .

4. Which leads into my fourth attribute--procrastination. Possibly due to my excellent outcomes (and grades) from writing papers in high school and college the night before, I continue in that vein. I am better if you give me a deadline or designated day than being on my own.

5. I am loyal to my friends. I am poor about calling, but good about writing (snail) mail letters, which have lessened to cards in the past few years. I am coming to discern that many people value phone calls more than handwritten letters and need to integrate this into my life.

Blogging Friends Award

Missy gifted me with this sweet Friends Award:


Missy quotes Barbara, of Home in France, and I can say it no better than either Missy or Barbara:

As Barbara said, "The Friends Award isn't about being the most popular blogger or having the most read blog.

It is just because you are a friend."

I have met many exceptional and friendly people through my blog. It feels oddly pioneering sometimes, and I still have those moments of head shaking wonder and awe, but blogging has become a portal to a worldwide community of individuals that I clearly would never have met otherwise.

Here's the cleverly-written text of the award: "These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

• Katherine E.
• Jennifer
• Catherine
• Mompriest
• Diane
• Kate
• Ellie
• Ruth
• Lauralew
  

2008 Retrospetive Meme

I saw this meme when I was in New Mexico and thought it looked fun. It's a good way to "waste" time, even though it is one week into 2009. Here's how it goes:
If you'd like to play, here's what you do:
Take the first sentence of the first post of each month in 2008 and see if you notice any pattern or common theme.

January:Nothing is more practical than finding God,
That is, than falling in love in quite an absolute, final way.
What you fall in love with,
what seizes your imagination will affect everything.

February:I'll be driving to San Antonio tomorrow, and somewhere around there is this spot, though I've never seen it.

March:March 1 is the 60th day of the year (61st in leap years). There are 305 days remaining until the end of the year.

April:


May:I am saddened and very disappointed, as are these people at the United Methodist General Conference in Fort Worth, TX, that the majority of delegates (55%-45%) voted to keep the exclusionary wording the same for the United Methodist Church.

June:I wish CB and I were feeling this way, with everyone, especially MJ gone.

July:First day of July: My first child's birthday is on July 6, and his dad's is three weeks later.

August:It’s easier when I am alone—listen to the radio or cd in my car.

September:I miss being at the computer, especially visiting blogging friends.

October:This is my third beautiful day in Calgary, where they are experiencing a sudden Indian Summer.

November:And I am an old, fat, (not) naked woman for peace!

December:

Christmas MEME

From Welcome to My World--a Christmas me-me-me-me!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Wrapping paper. I am trying to get rid of my collection of gift bags on Freecycle.org.
2. Real tree or Artificial?
Real
3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually by Dec. 15, which is very LATE according to Texas standards.
4. When do you take the tree down?
Usually on New Year's Day, but this year it will be on Dec. 28, because the next day we start our drive to Albuquerque, NM for Richard Rohr's New Year's conference on the enneagram.
5. Do you like eggnog?
Not really. My eldest daughter AE used to love it; I'm not sure if she still does.
6. Favorite gift received as a child?
A bride doll with high heels when I was in second grade.
7. Hardest person to buy for?
My husband.
8. Easiest person to buy for?
My youngest daughter MJ.
9. Do you have a nativity scene?
I have way too many, as I collect them.
10. Mail or email Christmas cards?
I love to mail Christmas cards. I am very pleased that my children, though three of the four are on their own, continue to contribute to our "Christmas letter," a copied two-page letter I enclose in each Christmas card. Since my mother died in 1992, each person in our family has written his/her own section--a tradition that is continuing (I hope in the future).
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A book on how-to make potpourri.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie?
"Its a Wonderful Life."
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
Usually around Thanksgiving.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Yes.
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
"Holiday Sparklers," a shortbread like cookie with three chocolate chips inside it.
16. Lights on the tree?
Of course.
17. Favorite Christmas song?
"Mary, Did You Know?" by Kathy Matea
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
Stay home. I am so lucky that my children are all coming home this Christmas!
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's?
Almost
20. Angel on the tree top or a star?
Yes: a starched, crocheted one
21. Open presents Christmas Eve or morning?
We open one each on Christmas Eve and the rest on Christmas morning.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year?
All the ads that started before Thanksgiving, just like the Christmas decorations coming out in some stores after Halloween.
23. Favorite ornament theme or color?
I love the ones that my mother and children made.
24. Favorite for Christmas dinner?
Same meal as for Thanksgiving--turkey and stuffing.
25. What do you want for Christmas this year?
I want each person in my family to appreciate the time we have together.
26. What do you like most about Christmas?
Everything--joy, tradition, family, love.

If you want to play, leave a comment here. It will be fun to read others' answers.

Blogging Awards!

Thank you to Ruth for this sweet blogging award:

As a recipient of this award, there are rules to follow. I have to answer the following questions with one word answers and one word only! Then I must pass it on to seven others!--I already blew the one-word rule, so do what you want!

The questions are as follows:

1. Where is your cell phone?
Amazingly, next to me on the desk.
2. Where is your significant other?
Gone to work on the house he's remodeling two houses down from ours.
3. Your hair color?
Brown and gray.
4. Your mother?
Deceased
5. Your father?
Deceased
6. Your favorite thing?
Books!!
7. Your dream last night?
Being in a doctor's office.
8. Your dream/goal?
Write a book.
9. The room you're in?
Sunroom, which is like a family room.
10. Your hobby?
Blogging
11. Your fear?
Insecurity
12. Where do you want to be in 6 years?
Home
13. Where were you last night?
Home
14. What you're not?
Unkind
15. One of your wish-list items?
More books. . . .
16. Where you grew up?
Everywhere
17. The last thing you did?
Read the Sunday newspaper.
18. What are you wearing?
What I wore to church: khaki linen skirt and blouse.
19. Your TV?
Off
20. Your pet(s)?
Sleeping
21. Your computer?
OK
22. Your mood?
Content.
23. Missing someone?
Always
24. Your car?
Celery green (though it's "official" name is fancier).
25. Something you're not wearing?
Socks
26. Favorite store?
Container Store
27. Your summer?
HOT!
28. Love someone?
Always
29. Your favorite color?
Green
30. When is the last time you laughed?
Today
31. Last time you cried?
At Joe's funeral.

I nominate the following bloggers:

(This is always hard to do, because so many have already received this award, and I love many, many blogs.)
1. Katherine E. at Meaning and Authenticity, who brought me into the blogging world and into connection with RevGals. She honestly shares her struggles and insights with work, church, politics, and her life. The title of her blog tells what she strives for, ever since I met her at the Spiritual Formation Academy in 2001 BB (Before Blogging).
2. Jiff at An Orientation of Heart, who doesn't blog as frequently as I wish she would. Still, I find each post worth the wait. Jiff has directed me to many books I have appreciated, both concerning spirituality and mysteries, my current craze.
3 & 4. Ellie at Does Not Wisdom Call? which features meditations, quotations, and prayers combined with beautiful art. Ellie has two other blogs, too. She collects great political cartoons, quotes, and news stories at Child of Illusion.
5. Sherry at A Feather Adrift, who brings passion and intelligence to her posts about politics. I always wish I could write as eloquently as she does. And a special bonus is that on Fridays she collects multiple pertinent posts from various blogs of interest, and not just politics--there are even some good recipes!
6. Seething Mom, who expresses the anger and frustration a mother feels about the injustices towards her gay son and the homophobia rampant in the USA. Since I have a gay daughter, I identify with how she writes and wish I could be as vocal!
7. Jaliya at Pushing fifty. . .gently. . . if I can find my glasses, who has a wonderfully eclectic blog. She refers to other blogs and websites that I would never find unless she posted. She has a sense of humor I like and an inquisitive mind!

I appreciate Missy giving me the Brilliant Brilliante award (see sidebar). Selfishly, I'm glad I already received it before, because it's too hard to choose bloggers to honor, especially "new" ones! She said if I'd already gotten it, to give it another person, so I can manage just one more:

Angry African on the Loose, who uses language elegantly to espouse the African philosophy of "UBUNTU"--"I am because you are." He talks family, politics, anything with passion!

Meme ME ME!

In a spontaneous way, I've been tagged by I am Chorus for another meme:

Here are the rules:

1. List these rules on your blog.

2. Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog.

1. My husband and I bought the house we are living in two different times--in 1987 and again in 1994.
2. I can say "This is a beautiful fish" in Japanese.
3. My husband and I were in the first graduating class of Sehome High School in Bellingham, WA.
4. I love to eat cold salmon, especially for breakfast.
5. Several friends here think this is odd, but I don't--In my entire life, the vehicles I have ridden in or driven have never run out of gas.
6. In college it took TWO female undergraduates (friend NM and me) to equal ONE weekend (MALE) manager of the student union coffee shop.
7. I am the shortest member of my nuclear family; at 5 ft. 6 1/2 in. my four children and husband are all taller than I am.

3. Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.

1. Fran of FranIAm
2. Sue of Inner Dorothy
3. Katherine E. of Meaning and Authenticity
4. Sara of Much Ado About Something
5. Presbyterian Gal
6. Ruth of Ruth's Visions and Revisions
7. EmJayDee of Set the Bird Free

It is a silly meme, but I am very interested in the new facts I'll learn about each one of you. If someone else wants to do it, comment here and go ahead!

Start of Summer Meme

Rev SS tagged me for this meme about summer. In south Texas, it has felt like summer for quite awhile, even though it is not "officially" here yet. 92 degrees F. today.

1. What first tells you that Summer is here?
In south Texas it seems like summer is here when cold fronts no longer reach this far south. That usually happens in April or May.

2. Name five of your distinctively Summer habits or customs.
Trip to Washington State
MJ goes to camp in Leakey, TX
Stop walking with friend KK on Sunday nights (until it gets cooler again)
Birthdays for husband CB and son DC
Walk in the mall in the mornings instead of outside

3. What is your favorite smell of Summer?
Barbecue

4. What is your favorite taste of Summer?
In WA, it is fresh strawberries and raspberries
In TX, this year--gelato at the new gelato and coffee store

5. Favorite Summer memory?
Going to Zambia in June 2006
Going to Gold Beach, OR for various summers
Right now, this past weekend with all my children here for MJ's graduation

6. Extreme heat or extreme cold? Which would you choose and why?
I'd rather have cooler weather, but am stuck in the extreme heat and humidity of south Texas, because that's where we live.

7. What books do you plan to read this season?
I'm going to finish Scripture as Spirituality by Richard Rohr. I have various other books that I've started that I need to finish, like The Experience of God: Icons of Mystery by Raimundo Panikkar. I ordered Celtic Christianity by Ian Bradley on May 30 due to MP's recommendation, and it's finally going to get here tomorrow. My daughter AE brought two books for me to read from Seattle: The Shock Doctrine by Naomi Klein and The End of America by Naomi Wolf. I haven't finished a book for several months, so maybe this will be the time that I will.

8. How does the Summer affect your faith? Is it a hindrance or an ally?
Both, but right now it is an ally.

I feel like I am late about getting this done, so consider yourself tagged if you feel like doing it. If you do, leave a comment so we'll find you.