Terrapin Station

Currently Rocking My World:

 

The box says:  "BARACK OBAMA: An Action Figure We Can Believe In!"

Oh, I'm so hopeful....

(he is standing next to my Starbuck's Easter Bearista Bear).  (Yes, I do have something besides toys on my desk; why do you ask?)

Grace

A busy morning at work.  Not bad, just very busy.  Lots of changes going on, lots to process.  I went home for lunch feeling very floaty, detached and weird and breathless. 

So, first thing I did was leash up the dogs and go for a little walk.  As I walked, I said, conversationally, "I'm walking my dogs on the sidewalk in America.  I'm walking my dogs in Denton, Texas.  We are taking a walk in the fall colors.  Aren't we lucky we get to live in such a pretty place, dogs?  My feet are on the ground and they are in my shoes.  I am breathing while I walk and talk...."  Just nonsense.  Just talking. 

As I walked and talked, my breathing came easier and I was able to breathe a little deeper. 

When I turned around to go back homeward, the dogs decided they had to stop for a little snifferroo.  (You know what this is about if you have dogs.)  While I was standing there waiting for them, an acorn fell down and hit me RIGHT on the head.  That seemed important. 

So I bent to pick it up, and when I looked up again, a bluejay flew right in front of me.  Then a butterfly.  Then I saw squirrels chasing on a tree.  All of a sudden, the world was exploding with nature, with life, and I was present to it. 

What a gift!  What a glory!  what grace!

Poetry Party at Abbey of the Arts

Christine Valters Paintner at Abbey of the Arts has published a wonderful book on Lectio Divina:  Contemplative Awakening and Awareness that I am just digging into.  I commend it to you! 

Christine also regularly invites us to the Poetry Party at Abbey of the Arts.  This is my first time to participate; this image really spoke to me. 

 

I perch lightly
At the edge of outside
I am lighter now than you could know
I wait for you here
May your path be smooth
May the thorns not trouble you
On your Way

Bird Church

Shh...don't tell...I ditched Church yesterday.

Well, I guess I am telling it here, so we don't have to be all quiet about it.  But it interests me that I feel this guilt about it.

I had the aforementioned too-busy week, and 2 weeks of VPOD behind me.  Somehow I developed a head cold Saturday, and Sunday woke up late, and feeling entirely flattened.  I knew I could make it to church and that I would feel better for going.  But I also would have to do things like bathe, and put on clothes, that seemed insurmountable at that time. 

So I took the dogs to Bird-Listening Park and we roamed around awhile; we watched the disc golf players and the other dogs.  We tried to stay out of the poison ivy.  Then we returned to the car in the shade, with sunroof and windows open, and drank some water, and rested. 

I read them the Daily Office.  Boudreaux sat on my shoulders, stretched out and relaxed like a heavy furry collar.  Josie sat on my lap.  Often she got up to look at the players or listen to a sound.  Then we just sat.  Soon I became aware that a mockingbird (the Texas state bird) had appeared in the thicket in front of the car and was eating red berries. 

 

We watched her for a long time.  I'd have liked to have taken a photo of my own, but my camera was in the trunk.  We read Psalms, and then we just listened.   After a while I decided it was time to go, and as I started to ready the car for leaving, I heard a hawk call.  I've never heard that before (except on Northern Exposure...).  It was  a red-tailed hawk:

just above me; I could watch it through the sunroof.  It called twice more and flew elsewhere.  I felt sure then that Bird Church was over. 

Amen.

Many Things: Dots of Saturday

I'm on my second cup of coffee and it's still pitch black dark outside.  Time for Daylight Wasting Time to be over!

5:25 p.m.:  Updating the list to show progress

• Ken is on a motorcycle campout in Oklahoma.  It's me and the doggies and cat!

• Jazzercise today: regular class and Stretch class.

• Going to VOTE VOTE VOTE!!!!!  Woohoo I am very happy to have VOTED!!!

• Blood donation appointment at noon (donated 1 platelets, 1 plasma)

• Library

• Grocery

• Mail swappage (I'm LATE, LATE, LATE!)

• MAYBE plant some pansies? (Ha, they aren't even bought!)

• Lots of laundry

• Blog about RCC meeting

• Buy black dress for Bachfest (bought velour slacks and black blouse PLUS shoes)

• Bachfest tonight, dedicated (by me, personally) to my Bigdaddy, who died on October 26 (tomorrow) in 1991.  In the hospital in his last illness, I asked him what he would have done if he could have done ANYTHING in his life.  He said he would have been a conductor of classical music.  (He was a music lover, chemist, banker, gardener extraordinaire, and fabulous teacher/grandfather.)

• LEFT OFF THE LIST and DONE:

• NAP, oh my Lord I had to have a nap after that 2 hr. appt. at blood bank!

• Get silver chain repaired so I can wear DOK cross on it

• Listen to dogs bark insanely forever - they can't figure out where Daddy is

Thinking about that Lectionary

Deuteronomy 34:1-12 - Moses gets SHOWN the Promised Land, but is never allowed to enter it.  I used to think this was God just being mean!   I've heard it explained that it was because Moses got mad at the people and broke the first set of tablets (at the Golden Calf party). 

Now I think the why doesn't matter so much.  Really, as we approach the end of our lives, we'd like to feel we've made a difference, no?  We'd like to look at our children, grandchildren, friends, work, churches, and say, "It will go on without me, even better than before."  And that's what Moses gets here. 

Then, from 1 Thess 2: 6b-8:  "As apostles of Christ we could have been a burden to you, 7but we were gentle among you, like a mother caring for her little children. 8We loved you so much that we were delighted to share with you not only the gospel of God but our lives as well, because you had become so dear to us."

I am intrigued as to what kind of burden the apostles could have been.  Financial? Physical?  Really annoyingly preachy?  This sounds like kind of a threat!  But I love that they loved the Thessalonians so much that they not only shared the Gospel, but THEIR LIVES.  To me, that is the definition of a community of Acts...that they share their lives together, know each other's joys and sorrows.  That's what the church is called to be, and often is not.  And it's individual Christians that make it happen, by allowing themselves to be known...

Last night a friend from church choir said to me, "you look better than you have.  You look much less stressed than you have been looking."  My first thought was, "Rats!  I'm not hiding it well at all!"  Driving home, I considered that maybe I am allowing myself to be and look myself at church;  it's a safe place for me.  And my friend is loving and concerned.  Why do I have to hide it at all? 

I don't. 

Phew.

Whaaaaaat!?

Heading out to rehearsal.  But just need to relate this thing I heard on NPR a minute ago:

Interviewer is talking to people about how it will be if Obama becomes President, because he is a black man.

Woman says she doesn't want to sound racist, because she isn't racist.  But she is really afraid of that happening, because then there would be "chaos."  Black people would feel entitled and would push white people off the sidewalks.  There would be riots. 

As my sister used to say,

"Uh  - UH!  That's just WRONG!"

Don't you hate it when you have to yell at the radio? 

Mom in the San Angelo Standard Times

She says it is a perfectly dreadful picture, but I don't think so.  

Mary Jane Butler (left) spins yarn with friends Peggy Tharp (right) and Darcy Maloney (not pictured) at the Eco Fair and Family Day at the San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts. The fair was held to celebrate the environment with live music, educational booths and carfts for kids.Standadrd-Times photo by Patrick Doveshot

Catching Up

It's been busy! 

I walked in the Susan Komen race on Saturday with 30,000 others...will post pictures sometime.  We had a great time with our team of 9. 

Sunday I was Vestry of the Day again, for the second week in a row...because someone subbed for me back in August when I went for my glorious visit with Songbird.  It was a great, but intense, morning.  I did a few hours at the office in the afternoon, got the Fulbright applications out; then I went to Jazzercise and made us a steak dinner.

Monday I drove to Dallas for a UNT-Dallas campus event in the evening; Tuesday night I had Vestry meeting; tonight is Choir; tomorrow night is a pizza party with some of my returned students who went to Thailand this summer.  Friday night is dress rehearsal for Bachfest, in which we are singing "Zadok the Priest," and the event is Saturday night.  I have to buy some black concert attire - don't have any. 

Work continues to be fast and furious.  I alternate between pleasure/excitement, and despair, feeling that I will never get caught up.  I am learning a lot, and I have good counsel from several fronts, which helps.  And cute cute dogs that make me smile! 

We're about to have such a rainstorm/cold front! 

What's the weather like in your neck of the woods?

To Drive Away those Campaign Blues...from Lion Brand Yarn

Hold Your Own Debate With Presidential Finger Puppets

These are serious times and we have a serious choice to make, but that doesn't mean we can't have a little fun! Who do yarn lovers choose for president? Tell us who your presidential pick is and we'll publish the results! Click here to vote!

Free Pattern: Crochet Barack Obama Free Pattern: Crochet John McCain

Make one or both of the candidates and make someone smile!

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Just think of the fun you could have with these!  The tensions you could release!  The words you could put into the mouths of some candidates! 

I receive a great weekly newsletter for knitters and crocheters from Lion Brand Yarn.  Today's included these charmers.  You can get the newsletter, too, by going here to sign up for it.  And you can vote in their straw poll, or I guess it's actually a "yarn poll," hee hee. 

Alas, This One does not know how to crochet (yet) so I will not be making them.  If you do, please let me know!  I would send a prize to anyone who made them and sent me a picture!