Last Friday night, J & I had dinner at The Olive Garden. It was great, surprisingly. Not that the Olive Garden is bad, it's just not usually so good. J had 4-cheese penne & I had some kind of balsamic-drizzled beef tenderloin with fettucine in gorgonzola cream sauce. Then, we went right home to bed.
Saturday, we had lunch at The Winds. We split a wonderful pear-based salad with blue cheese crumbles. J had the organic sandwich, packed with cheese & veggies, while I had Christmas lima beans stewed with veggies & served over rice with a wedge of cabbage & a smattering of blue cheese crumbles. They call it "Blue Christmas" & it's divine.
After lunch, we went out to the school forest festival & had a little boy (well, a high school freshman) cut our tree down for us. It was so much fun to tromp through the snowy woods looking for just the perfect tree. I get extra punches on my butch card because I got the tree to the car & loaded nearly all by myself. J did do some tugging from the other end to get it more securely into the trunk. I love having fold-down seats!
We just had a little time before we had to head out for the UCC church, so we changed from our lumberjack clothes into bling, in preparation for Rosemary & Brent's pre-wedding cocktail party. I was the liturgist for the church service & had fun doing that. Then, we headed over to Brent's folks' extremely swanky neighborhood of winding streets & gigantic houses. The party turned out to be not so swanky, which was very nice. Despite the large amount of money (both Brent's parents are surgeons & the party was basically to show Rosemary & the baby off to their friends), the people were not at all pretentious or snotty. We had a good time, especially chatting with Rosemary's parents & playing with the bambino boy.
However, since the food was light rather than heavy appetizers, we grabbed dinner (well, breakfast for me) at Frisch's on the way home. J was up & down all night cooking a turkey & a ham for her family Christmas get-together. We stopped at Borders for coffees & a tide-over snack on the way down to Hamilton. We had a nice visit with J's family, but had to leave before they started eating so that we could greet the boys when they got home. I quick whipped up some artichoke dip & we took that as our contribution to Christmas Family Night at the Presbyterian church. We munched & visited with our former pastor's wife & little boy, as well as Brendan & Laura. They brought a gorgeous pannettone for their contribution. I am not entirely sure the congregation knew what to make of it. This is the sort of carry-in dinner where there are generally at least 3 buckets of KFC. Our Sunday school class did a skit & also J & I told some childhood memories of Christmas. Then, we headed home & I worked on Hebrew while the kids went to bed & J read Artemis Fowl.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
One Semester Down...
That's right, today was the last day of my first semester of seminary. I had a ball, even learning Hebrew, which is hard and took up any spare time that might have been spent blogging. A quick recap of my classes:
Hebrew 1: Lots of hard work, but rewarding & with a great professor. He tells me that I am doing well. I guess he would know. It doesn't feel like it. But, I signed on for more Hebrew next semester. I am told that I must be a glutton for punishment. It has been suggested that I could just forget the Presbyterian denominational requirements since they won't ordain me, anyway. I can't.
Intro to Old Testament: Great class, great prof, think I did fairly well. Our team, The Hammerers (Maccabees) won the "Jeopardy" game we played the final day. Woohoo! I think this class was pretty rough on some of the literalists among us.
Ministry Formation: A necessary part of study, but I get frustrated with the lack of structure in the core group. Our facilitator is very nice, but not too organized. Really enjoy chapel, though, and getting to see different ways to worship. Also enjoy the fellowship of common meal.
Church History: Heavy reading load, but most of it very interesting. Got to write a paper on Christian syncretism of pagan holidays (& got a high pass) which was fun & interesting. Loved my prof even though she is a tough grader.
Next semester's line-up:
Hebrew 2
Hebrew Exegesis (I must be mad...Tim, the prof, assures me I can do it, though)
Ministry Formation
Reformed Theology (directed study with maybe 4 other students & my friend Laura as prof)
Intro to Theology (with a retiring prof who I hear is very good & very tough)
Church History (from the Great Schism, with a prof whose 1st semester it will be & who assigned us some readings over the holidays)
Minsterial Sexual Ethics (weekend intensive)
Now, I'm off to clean house & work on Christmas cards & wrapping!
Hebrew 1: Lots of hard work, but rewarding & with a great professor. He tells me that I am doing well. I guess he would know. It doesn't feel like it. But, I signed on for more Hebrew next semester. I am told that I must be a glutton for punishment. It has been suggested that I could just forget the Presbyterian denominational requirements since they won't ordain me, anyway. I can't.
Intro to Old Testament: Great class, great prof, think I did fairly well. Our team, The Hammerers (Maccabees) won the "Jeopardy" game we played the final day. Woohoo! I think this class was pretty rough on some of the literalists among us.
Ministry Formation: A necessary part of study, but I get frustrated with the lack of structure in the core group. Our facilitator is very nice, but not too organized. Really enjoy chapel, though, and getting to see different ways to worship. Also enjoy the fellowship of common meal.
Church History: Heavy reading load, but most of it very interesting. Got to write a paper on Christian syncretism of pagan holidays (& got a high pass) which was fun & interesting. Loved my prof even though she is a tough grader.
Next semester's line-up:
Hebrew 2
Hebrew Exegesis (I must be mad...Tim, the prof, assures me I can do it, though)
Ministry Formation
Reformed Theology (directed study with maybe 4 other students & my friend Laura as prof)
Intro to Theology (with a retiring prof who I hear is very good & very tough)
Church History (from the Great Schism, with a prof whose 1st semester it will be & who assigned us some readings over the holidays)
Minsterial Sexual Ethics (weekend intensive)
Now, I'm off to clean house & work on Christmas cards & wrapping!
Tuesday, November 15, 2005
Leaves & Books
We had a fairly quiet weekend with the boys. Friday night, J made steak & crab for dinner. The boys were delighted, particularly Pie, our crab addict. Boot said, "This is rich people food!" J also made a pot of soup for the open house of a woman from the Presbyterian Church. We all went to bed fairly early, a very good thing in Boot's case since he is coming down with a cold. Saturday morning, we took the soup over, then popped up to Dino's and the farmer's market. We got a few bars of handmade soap (my favorite is the pumpkin spice) from a young woman who was there with her baby. I picked up a pint of local honey to spice. We visited with Irish wolf hounds, who were absurdly large and furry. Then, we went home and made waffles & bacon. I went ahead & made a double recipe so I'd have some frozen for school mornings. Boot says they're much better than Eggos.
In the afternoon, I worked on organizing coupons and menu-planning while J & the boys cleaned the gutters & raked leaves. Pie, the smallest & easiest to hoist onto the roof, got all the leaves from around the stovepipe. He adored being up there & wants to be allowed to sunbathe there next summer. J snapped several pictures of his grinning face up high. In the evening, we went to church, where J was the liturgist. After church, we stopped for dinner at The Upper Krust. I was so disappointed in their matzo ball soup. It used to be much better. It's still pretty good, but not at all what it was when they were in the old location. After dinner, we stopped at Target so the kids could work on their Christmas & birthday wish lists. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week & Boot will be 13 the week after! The year has flown by!
Sunday morning, we took Pie with us to church, leaving a grumpy Boot behind to get some sleep. He had been simply evil to his brother & wasn't fit company. It was the UCC again, since J signed up to be the liturgist both days over the weekend. After church, J played a little baseball with Pie while I chit-chatted. I ran into Leif, a former co-worker at the bookstore from years back. He's a gay minister, but doing counseling now because he had a hard time finding a congregation as an out gay man. I'd better be thoroughly prepared to do the same, I expect. Oh, I also had Jane O'Brien introduce herself to me. I'm taking a class from her next semester, a weekend intensive, and she said J is welcome to attend with me. She's very nice. I got a big hug from Don Dickens, too, one of the Hogwarts professors, as I call them. I am tempted to take Grassroots Media just to have him as my prof. He has such good energy.
After church, we grabbed some lunch at Chipotle before heading to the Planned Parenthood book fair. What fun! J & Pie had never been. It was bag day ($4 a bag) and boy, did Pie love that! He got 3 bags absolutely stuffed with cookbooks. His current fancy is to try foods from all ethnic traditions. He has chosen Moroccan food for one of his December dinners and is begging to go out for Thai or Vietnamese food. This is our former adorer of all things cheeseburgerish. He has made a giant list of cusines to try. What an adorable kid he is. I will be astonished if he likes Thai or Vietnamese, since he hates even tandoori chicken at the Indian restaurant & only likes sweet & sour chicken with no sauce when we have Chinese. But, we're rolling with it. I got a bagful of mostly mysteries & light novels. I found a copy of Possession and picked that up, since Laura recommended it for book group. It's bound to be one of our choices soon & has been on my "to read" list anyway. J got a bunch of Dean Koontz books & some philosophy & poetry books. She found a number of gifts for my mom & Graham. Also, a football book for Boot & a Christmas surprise for him, too.
We stopped at Coldstone Creamery on the way home. Pie was not impressed. He chose cake batter ice cream instead of vanilla & it was too sweet with his cookie dough & chocolate chip add-ins. J had brownies, caramel, & walnuts mixed into chocolate ice cream & I had my standard coffee ice cream with Oreos, almonds, and brownies. Decadent! Once home, we gloated over our books. Then, I studied my Hebrew (which gives me absolute fits!) while J made a pot of loaded baked potato soup. We had that with biscuits for dinner, then hit the hay pretty early.
In the afternoon, I worked on organizing coupons and menu-planning while J & the boys cleaned the gutters & raked leaves. Pie, the smallest & easiest to hoist onto the roof, got all the leaves from around the stovepipe. He adored being up there & wants to be allowed to sunbathe there next summer. J snapped several pictures of his grinning face up high. In the evening, we went to church, where J was the liturgist. After church, we stopped for dinner at The Upper Krust. I was so disappointed in their matzo ball soup. It used to be much better. It's still pretty good, but not at all what it was when they were in the old location. After dinner, we stopped at Target so the kids could work on their Christmas & birthday wish lists. It's hard to believe that Thanksgiving is next week & Boot will be 13 the week after! The year has flown by!
Sunday morning, we took Pie with us to church, leaving a grumpy Boot behind to get some sleep. He had been simply evil to his brother & wasn't fit company. It was the UCC again, since J signed up to be the liturgist both days over the weekend. After church, J played a little baseball with Pie while I chit-chatted. I ran into Leif, a former co-worker at the bookstore from years back. He's a gay minister, but doing counseling now because he had a hard time finding a congregation as an out gay man. I'd better be thoroughly prepared to do the same, I expect. Oh, I also had Jane O'Brien introduce herself to me. I'm taking a class from her next semester, a weekend intensive, and she said J is welcome to attend with me. She's very nice. I got a big hug from Don Dickens, too, one of the Hogwarts professors, as I call them. I am tempted to take Grassroots Media just to have him as my prof. He has such good energy.
After church, we grabbed some lunch at Chipotle before heading to the Planned Parenthood book fair. What fun! J & Pie had never been. It was bag day ($4 a bag) and boy, did Pie love that! He got 3 bags absolutely stuffed with cookbooks. His current fancy is to try foods from all ethnic traditions. He has chosen Moroccan food for one of his December dinners and is begging to go out for Thai or Vietnamese food. This is our former adorer of all things cheeseburgerish. He has made a giant list of cusines to try. What an adorable kid he is. I will be astonished if he likes Thai or Vietnamese, since he hates even tandoori chicken at the Indian restaurant & only likes sweet & sour chicken with no sauce when we have Chinese. But, we're rolling with it. I got a bagful of mostly mysteries & light novels. I found a copy of Possession and picked that up, since Laura recommended it for book group. It's bound to be one of our choices soon & has been on my "to read" list anyway. J got a bunch of Dean Koontz books & some philosophy & poetry books. She found a number of gifts for my mom & Graham. Also, a football book for Boot & a Christmas surprise for him, too.
We stopped at Coldstone Creamery on the way home. Pie was not impressed. He chose cake batter ice cream instead of vanilla & it was too sweet with his cookie dough & chocolate chip add-ins. J had brownies, caramel, & walnuts mixed into chocolate ice cream & I had my standard coffee ice cream with Oreos, almonds, and brownies. Decadent! Once home, we gloated over our books. Then, I studied my Hebrew (which gives me absolute fits!) while J made a pot of loaded baked potato soup. We had that with biscuits for dinner, then hit the hay pretty early.
Retreat in the Woods
Weekend before last, J & I went to the annual adult retreat for the UCC church I am serving. Once we finally got there, it was fabulous. Getting there was quite the ordeal, though. The trip started innocuously enough. We stopped for dinner at a little home-cooking place outside of Columbus. I had Johnny Marzetti (how often do you find that on a menu?) and J had liver & onions. We split a piece of pecan pie, then picked up a few extras for the trip (some snack table contributions & joy workshop supplies, plus flashlights) before heading down 33 toward Hocking Hills. Unfortunately, what should have been a two-hour trip was rendered a five-hour trip by our dinner stop and by bad directions. My internet-generated map took us to a closed road & the church-provided map had both outdated and incorrect information. So, we were driving around in the dark looking for Shoop Road, with a flashing light. However, as we discovered ages later when we stopped at a gas station to find out what the hell was going on, the road's name is Sharp & the light is now a red light rather than a flashing one! Once we got that squared away, we were able to find it with ease. We arrived at, as J so precisely put it when telling our story in the morning, "12:46" in the morning. The greeting committee had folded up their tents and everyone was asleep. We roamed up & down all 4 wings of the lodge, giggling like mad, as we looked for our names next to a door. The last room on the 4th wing was ours. We met two other gals from the church who had also gotten in late and stood commiserating in the common for a few minutes before collapsing into our separate bunks & falling asleep.
In the morning, we had breakfast in the dining hall. My OT prof, Laura, & her boyfriend, Felix, came & sat with us, the other late arrivals, and one more lesbian couple. The hired guitar for the weekend joined us, as well. After breakfast, J & I joined Laura's Book of Ruth workshop. She had written a script from the Book of Ruth & we did a dramatic reading of that, with much hilarity and an equal measure of serious inquiry. Laura assigned me the role of Narrator, since I'm "good at reading hard words", as she put it. J played Boaz & Don played Ruth. There was much giggling over the references to feet. Funny that we're all adults. During the workshop, Laura referred to me as "one of my stellar students", which made me feel good.
After the workshop, we scooted upstairs to set up for my joy workshop. It was well-attended (probably about 25) and well-liked. We ran out of time quickly, so I left everything out for people to work on after lunch. I always love to see people's creations. I found out, during the workshop, that Lara and Toni are into altered books & things like that. Lara showed me a book of altered beer mats she had made. I'd love to make some. It would be fun to make little recipe books from those. Ooh, little drink recipe books would be perfect!
After lunch, it was quiet time for an hour. J napped for most of free time, catching up. But, I went out on the deck & socialized, inviting Toni & Lara to join our book group. They reciprocated by inviting us to come play in their Troy studio sometime. They also love to dine out & want us to come up to Troy for dinner at Coldwater Café sometime. I went in & cleaned up the joy space, then woke J from her doze. She joined me on the deck, to sit in Adirondack chairs & enjoy the afternoon sun. The view was just stunning, trees of all colors covered the hill across from us, with the hill reflected in the lake. People were canoeing & I wanted to join in, but my skills are rusty enough that I'd like to save it for when J & I are alone! I know enough not to drown or get stranded, but not enough to look like a good canoer. Canoeist?
The scavenger hunt was great fun, with all sorts of absurd things required of us. J's team won first prize. My team had a grand ol' time even though we won nothing. I will never forget Laura's team's song about eating cinnamon buns, complete with butt-slapping on the word "buns". We were each required to come up with a song about our retreat experience. I think Laura must have made the song up. She also had a grace for lunch that was the "Rock Around the Clock" grace. After the hunt was more free time.
Then, we had dinner, with the hoppers singing "Let Us Entertain You" and doing a kick line. Mo's comment before they started, when they were all loudly and enthusiastically greeting us & trying to entice us to their tables, was that all the extroverts must have signed up to be hoppers at the same meal. After dinner was the worship service. The lights were turned down low & a fire crackled in the great stone hearth. It was quiet & touching (except for the use of one praise song that drives J & I up a wall..."I'm desperate for you" or some such).
After worship came the night hike. We had a wonderful time doing that! The other Laura & her girlfriend, Sylvia, led it. We all had glow sticks to help us keep track of one another. We merrily tromped up the hill & into the woods, rustling leaves & gazing at stars as we went. J even saw a shooting star. The hike was ridiculously easy for us, accustomed as we are to the hard march back to my mom's. I was glad of it! When we got back, J wanted to lie in the grass & look up at the heavens. But, she settled for finding a spot by the bonfire & munching black pepper Doritos while we chatted with Lara & Toni. We were the last ones to go in. A few card games were scattered throughout the lodge & a group of people were watching a movie upstairs, but we snugged in with our books. J read Wayne Muller's Sabbath over the weekend, while I worked on our book group book. It's a really wonderful book by Jody Seay called The Second Coming of Curly Red.
Sunday morning, we had pancakes & lots of bacon for breakfast. The guest performer sat with us & she & I got into a conversation about seminary & about Nashville, which is her home for now. I got her contact info so I can interview her for the book. After breakfast, since it was looking rainish, we had the spiritual send-off on the deck instead of on a hilltop. We all gathered & read passages of spiritual import. I was given a saying of Buddha to read. There were lines from scripture, Victorian English poetry, a Sufi prayer. With everyone close together & leaves dancing down around us, it was breathtaking. J & I didn't want to leave. But, we packed up our belongings & hit the road. It had started raining hard. We chose, however, to head south toward Athens rather than north toward Columbus. The other Laura stuck her head out her car window & said, "What, are you afraid you'll get lost again?" much to our amusement. We were soon out of the rain & driving through Ohio hill country with reds, oranges, and yellows rolling upward to either side of us. It was a wonderful backroads excursion, leaving us both relaxed & happy.
Once back in our neck of the woods, we hit Town & Country for a little shopping. I got a new watch that I love. It's got a square face with rhinestones lining the edges & scattered inside so that they move when I move my arm. Best of all, it was less than $15. I picked up an angel that says "Faith" on it for my stepmom, who was just diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 40. Dammit. I haven't yet met her, but I feel awful about it. I am fixing up a care package for her, with the angel, vanilla caramel tea, Ghirardelli, lavender lotion & shower gel, and some soft purple slipper socks. I don't know if she'll feel like having chocolate or not, but it can't hurt to include that. We also poked around in the bookstore before heading out for dinner at Grindstone Charley's. We had planned on dining at Figlio, but they're closed Sundays. We had some good steaks, anyway.
In the morning, we had breakfast in the dining hall. My OT prof, Laura, & her boyfriend, Felix, came & sat with us, the other late arrivals, and one more lesbian couple. The hired guitar for the weekend joined us, as well. After breakfast, J & I joined Laura's Book of Ruth workshop. She had written a script from the Book of Ruth & we did a dramatic reading of that, with much hilarity and an equal measure of serious inquiry. Laura assigned me the role of Narrator, since I'm "good at reading hard words", as she put it. J played Boaz & Don played Ruth. There was much giggling over the references to feet. Funny that we're all adults. During the workshop, Laura referred to me as "one of my stellar students", which made me feel good.
After the workshop, we scooted upstairs to set up for my joy workshop. It was well-attended (probably about 25) and well-liked. We ran out of time quickly, so I left everything out for people to work on after lunch. I always love to see people's creations. I found out, during the workshop, that Lara and Toni are into altered books & things like that. Lara showed me a book of altered beer mats she had made. I'd love to make some. It would be fun to make little recipe books from those. Ooh, little drink recipe books would be perfect!
After lunch, it was quiet time for an hour. J napped for most of free time, catching up. But, I went out on the deck & socialized, inviting Toni & Lara to join our book group. They reciprocated by inviting us to come play in their Troy studio sometime. They also love to dine out & want us to come up to Troy for dinner at Coldwater Café sometime. I went in & cleaned up the joy space, then woke J from her doze. She joined me on the deck, to sit in Adirondack chairs & enjoy the afternoon sun. The view was just stunning, trees of all colors covered the hill across from us, with the hill reflected in the lake. People were canoeing & I wanted to join in, but my skills are rusty enough that I'd like to save it for when J & I are alone! I know enough not to drown or get stranded, but not enough to look like a good canoer. Canoeist?
The scavenger hunt was great fun, with all sorts of absurd things required of us. J's team won first prize. My team had a grand ol' time even though we won nothing. I will never forget Laura's team's song about eating cinnamon buns, complete with butt-slapping on the word "buns". We were each required to come up with a song about our retreat experience. I think Laura must have made the song up. She also had a grace for lunch that was the "Rock Around the Clock" grace. After the hunt was more free time.
Then, we had dinner, with the hoppers singing "Let Us Entertain You" and doing a kick line. Mo's comment before they started, when they were all loudly and enthusiastically greeting us & trying to entice us to their tables, was that all the extroverts must have signed up to be hoppers at the same meal. After dinner was the worship service. The lights were turned down low & a fire crackled in the great stone hearth. It was quiet & touching (except for the use of one praise song that drives J & I up a wall..."I'm desperate for you" or some such).
After worship came the night hike. We had a wonderful time doing that! The other Laura & her girlfriend, Sylvia, led it. We all had glow sticks to help us keep track of one another. We merrily tromped up the hill & into the woods, rustling leaves & gazing at stars as we went. J even saw a shooting star. The hike was ridiculously easy for us, accustomed as we are to the hard march back to my mom's. I was glad of it! When we got back, J wanted to lie in the grass & look up at the heavens. But, she settled for finding a spot by the bonfire & munching black pepper Doritos while we chatted with Lara & Toni. We were the last ones to go in. A few card games were scattered throughout the lodge & a group of people were watching a movie upstairs, but we snugged in with our books. J read Wayne Muller's Sabbath over the weekend, while I worked on our book group book. It's a really wonderful book by Jody Seay called The Second Coming of Curly Red.
Sunday morning, we had pancakes & lots of bacon for breakfast. The guest performer sat with us & she & I got into a conversation about seminary & about Nashville, which is her home for now. I got her contact info so I can interview her for the book. After breakfast, since it was looking rainish, we had the spiritual send-off on the deck instead of on a hilltop. We all gathered & read passages of spiritual import. I was given a saying of Buddha to read. There were lines from scripture, Victorian English poetry, a Sufi prayer. With everyone close together & leaves dancing down around us, it was breathtaking. J & I didn't want to leave. But, we packed up our belongings & hit the road. It had started raining hard. We chose, however, to head south toward Athens rather than north toward Columbus. The other Laura stuck her head out her car window & said, "What, are you afraid you'll get lost again?" much to our amusement. We were soon out of the rain & driving through Ohio hill country with reds, oranges, and yellows rolling upward to either side of us. It was a wonderful backroads excursion, leaving us both relaxed & happy.
Once back in our neck of the woods, we hit Town & Country for a little shopping. I got a new watch that I love. It's got a square face with rhinestones lining the edges & scattered inside so that they move when I move my arm. Best of all, it was less than $15. I picked up an angel that says "Faith" on it for my stepmom, who was just diagnosed with breast cancer at the age of 40. Dammit. I haven't yet met her, but I feel awful about it. I am fixing up a care package for her, with the angel, vanilla caramel tea, Ghirardelli, lavender lotion & shower gel, and some soft purple slipper socks. I don't know if she'll feel like having chocolate or not, but it can't hurt to include that. We also poked around in the bookstore before heading out for dinner at Grindstone Charley's. We had planned on dining at Figlio, but they're closed Sundays. We had some good steaks, anyway.
Monday, October 31, 2005
A Delightful Weekend
Without telling J, I made reservations at the Floraville Inn for Friday night. I arranged to have flowers, chocolates, and champagne in the room. Once the kids left, we packed an overnight bag "just in case" we decided to stay. We drove down to Lebanon, admiring the gorgeous leaf colors. In town, I drove to the street where the B&B properties are located. They have 4 houses on one block. We passed the first of them, all lit up & gorgeous. J said, "What a beautiful house! I love it!" I stopped at the next house, the main one. She realized it was a B&B & assumed I was just checking to see if they had rooms. But, when we went in, the owner said our room was all ready for us & led us over to the house she loved. It was a wonderful surprise. The room was lovely. We actually had a two-room suite, with private bath. No one else was staying in the house that night, so we had the whole place to ourselves. It was an 1880 Italianate & the bed had a little stool to get up on it with. The flowers were utterly lovely, all pinks and lavenders in a low arrangement. We had two little boxes of chocolates & a small bottle of chilled champagne. In addition, they greet each guest with a tiny personal cake. Ours welcomed us by name & featured a Halloween theme. Inside, it was chocolate with raspberry cream filling. Mmm. We also had a gift certificate for The Golden Lamb and reservations for a few minutes hence. We considered walking down there, but J thought it might be too cold walking back to the B&B.
As we walked around the front of The Golden Lamb, we saw a carriage, with a beautiful grey percheron in front. We stopped to visit with him. He was so soft. Unfortunately, they left for the night before we got done with dinner. I think a carriage ride around Lebanon in the evening would have been utterly romantic. Luckily, the rest of the evening was just lovely. We had a corner table by the window & a delicious dinner. I had prime rib, while J got their great fried chicken. After dinner, we poked around upstairs, looking at the open rooms. I got myself a little spooked on the 4th floor & wouldn't look into any dark rooms anymore, afraid that something might look back. We were looking out a window at the town clock when the door of a cupboard right behind us opened by itself. I was ready to go!
We smooched a little in the gazebo, then headed back to the Floraville. J had a shower while I lounged in the clawfoot tub with Wayne Muller's Sabbath. Then, we retired to the luxuriously comfortable bed. I have never been in such a lush bed in my life, and ours at home is pretty great, with a feather topper.
In the morning, we went over to the main house for breakfast. There was one other couple there, an air traffic controller & his teacher wife. We had fruit with a light glaze, French toast (Lord, deliver me from B&B owners who think sweet breakfasts are the way to go!), and sausage. Then, we climbed back in bed for awhile before check-out. It's the first time we've visited a B&B in quite awhile, a real treat. We left thoroughly relaxed.
We were able to maintain that relaxed feel for the whole weekend. We drove home on back roads, with a couple of stops. We went to Dorothy Lane Market for a ham bone (& picked up some cheeses and other things, too), then drove to Foy's. J wanted to get something for a costume, either Wolverine, a vampire, or a beat poet. We grabbed lunch at the grill, sitting at the counter to enjoy our cheeseburger & tuna melt. Then, J decided to be a beat poet & got a beret.
Once home, we commenced cooking for the book group. J made 2 pots of bean soup, one vegetarian & one with ham. She made corn muffins, as well. I made a Braeburn & cheddar pie, my first attempt at making my own crust. Luckily, it came out great. Lilith came along a little after 7 bearing a dish of collard greens, which were delicious. I never have liked them before, but Lilith's were great. They were part of the great bounty she got at the Farmer's Market. When Beth arrived dressed as her daughter in a Good Charlotte t-shirt & jacket, with a white tie & black crocheted fingerless gloves, I thought she looked great! She brought powdered doughnuts & cider. J looked adorable & perfect in her beat poet outfit, with her stack of Ginsberg & Bukowski & Corso books. I wore my black taffeta ball skirt, crimson beaded velvet bustier, & a big witch hat. Lilith just came as herself. We didn't talk much about the book, Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina. Beth hadn't finished it & Lilith & J both thought it was horribly depressing. I think so, too, but I think it's great. For next month, we're reading The Second Coming of Curly Red by Jody Seay. It was Hyacinth's recommendation. I need to get the invites out today so that people will have time to find & read the book. I think it's going to be hard to find.
Yesterday, we went to church & Sunday school at our regular church. J says she feels more connected at the UCC. But, Brendan gave a great sermon for Reformation Sunday. He talked about Martin Luther, the grumpy, beer-drinking German monk, and about his 95 theses. He told us that he'd supply the masking tape if we wanted some to tape our own theses to the front door, giving me an idea I plan to execute this week. He also talked about Rosa Parks & how she just got tired of it all & sat down. It made me think of simply going up when they get ready to serve communion next time & grabbing a tray & commencing service. Where are the sit-ins of the gay Presbyterians, where are the ordination boycotts, where gays walk out of church en masse during an ordination, where are the wedding marches?
We visited with my grands for quite awhile at coffee hour, then J took me to Yellow Springs Pottery to replace my favorite mug, which I broke the handle off of Saturday night. I found one not as favorite, but very nice. Then, we grabbed some Starbucks & had gyros before hitting Evvi's bead show. Her stuff was the nicest there. There were some other nice things, but the bulk of our money (too much of it! LOL!) was spent at her booth. J has great plans for a couple of necklaces for my mom for Christmas, while I am making some prayer beads for El Dia de los Muertos. We also got to see pictures of Garnet in her Rosie the Riveter Halloween costume. She is simply the most darling baby ever. She has the most winning smile. It was a real pleasure to see Evvi, even if only for a little while. We made plans to have them to dinner later in the week, too.
When the show started shutting down, we headed out in search of a copy of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. We hit three bookstores with no luck, although we did find a Christmas gift for Graham and a book for each boy. Boot got a copy of the new Lemony Snicket book & Pie got a Terry Pratchett for kids. I hope he'll like it.
After books, we went to a dinner party at the UCC pastor's home. Nick & his partner, Dave, live in a really pretty house in Centerville. They're raising Dave's niece & nephew. Jessie, 14, answered the door & took our coats. Gareth, almost 3, entertained us with a gourd show. There were probably about 30 people there. We had sandwiches, Ramen salad, and lemony pasta salad. Oh, and fresh fruit. With hot cider to drink. Dessert was a choice of fluffy lemon cheesecake, apple cranberry lattice-top pie, or pumpkin pie. We sat at a table with one of the worship directors, Lucy, a lesbian couple we'd not met before, and the Tiptons, whose son I worked with years ago & who are very involved in P-FLAG. We talked about kids & church & transgender issues & book group selections. We were joined by Jenny, my lesbian librarian friend. The party was a great deal of fun.
When we arrived home, we had a nice visit with my grands before we sent them home with a pot of soup. The boys were good for them. Boot retreated to his room while Pie hung out with them, building Bionicles. Once my grands were gone, we got the boys settled into bed before heading that direction ourselves. We ate some of the chocolates from the B&B in bed, then snugged in together. I read some of my Old Testament text to her as she fell asleep.
As we walked around the front of The Golden Lamb, we saw a carriage, with a beautiful grey percheron in front. We stopped to visit with him. He was so soft. Unfortunately, they left for the night before we got done with dinner. I think a carriage ride around Lebanon in the evening would have been utterly romantic. Luckily, the rest of the evening was just lovely. We had a corner table by the window & a delicious dinner. I had prime rib, while J got their great fried chicken. After dinner, we poked around upstairs, looking at the open rooms. I got myself a little spooked on the 4th floor & wouldn't look into any dark rooms anymore, afraid that something might look back. We were looking out a window at the town clock when the door of a cupboard right behind us opened by itself. I was ready to go!
We smooched a little in the gazebo, then headed back to the Floraville. J had a shower while I lounged in the clawfoot tub with Wayne Muller's Sabbath. Then, we retired to the luxuriously comfortable bed. I have never been in such a lush bed in my life, and ours at home is pretty great, with a feather topper.
In the morning, we went over to the main house for breakfast. There was one other couple there, an air traffic controller & his teacher wife. We had fruit with a light glaze, French toast (Lord, deliver me from B&B owners who think sweet breakfasts are the way to go!), and sausage. Then, we climbed back in bed for awhile before check-out. It's the first time we've visited a B&B in quite awhile, a real treat. We left thoroughly relaxed.
We were able to maintain that relaxed feel for the whole weekend. We drove home on back roads, with a couple of stops. We went to Dorothy Lane Market for a ham bone (& picked up some cheeses and other things, too), then drove to Foy's. J wanted to get something for a costume, either Wolverine, a vampire, or a beat poet. We grabbed lunch at the grill, sitting at the counter to enjoy our cheeseburger & tuna melt. Then, J decided to be a beat poet & got a beret.
Once home, we commenced cooking for the book group. J made 2 pots of bean soup, one vegetarian & one with ham. She made corn muffins, as well. I made a Braeburn & cheddar pie, my first attempt at making my own crust. Luckily, it came out great. Lilith came along a little after 7 bearing a dish of collard greens, which were delicious. I never have liked them before, but Lilith's were great. They were part of the great bounty she got at the Farmer's Market. When Beth arrived dressed as her daughter in a Good Charlotte t-shirt & jacket, with a white tie & black crocheted fingerless gloves, I thought she looked great! She brought powdered doughnuts & cider. J looked adorable & perfect in her beat poet outfit, with her stack of Ginsberg & Bukowski & Corso books. I wore my black taffeta ball skirt, crimson beaded velvet bustier, & a big witch hat. Lilith just came as herself. We didn't talk much about the book, Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina. Beth hadn't finished it & Lilith & J both thought it was horribly depressing. I think so, too, but I think it's great. For next month, we're reading The Second Coming of Curly Red by Jody Seay. It was Hyacinth's recommendation. I need to get the invites out today so that people will have time to find & read the book. I think it's going to be hard to find.
Yesterday, we went to church & Sunday school at our regular church. J says she feels more connected at the UCC. But, Brendan gave a great sermon for Reformation Sunday. He talked about Martin Luther, the grumpy, beer-drinking German monk, and about his 95 theses. He told us that he'd supply the masking tape if we wanted some to tape our own theses to the front door, giving me an idea I plan to execute this week. He also talked about Rosa Parks & how she just got tired of it all & sat down. It made me think of simply going up when they get ready to serve communion next time & grabbing a tray & commencing service. Where are the sit-ins of the gay Presbyterians, where are the ordination boycotts, where gays walk out of church en masse during an ordination, where are the wedding marches?
We visited with my grands for quite awhile at coffee hour, then J took me to Yellow Springs Pottery to replace my favorite mug, which I broke the handle off of Saturday night. I found one not as favorite, but very nice. Then, we grabbed some Starbucks & had gyros before hitting Evvi's bead show. Her stuff was the nicest there. There were some other nice things, but the bulk of our money (too much of it! LOL!) was spent at her booth. J has great plans for a couple of necklaces for my mom for Christmas, while I am making some prayer beads for El Dia de los Muertos. We also got to see pictures of Garnet in her Rosie the Riveter Halloween costume. She is simply the most darling baby ever. She has the most winning smile. It was a real pleasure to see Evvi, even if only for a little while. We made plans to have them to dinner later in the week, too.
When the show started shutting down, we headed out in search of a copy of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. We hit three bookstores with no luck, although we did find a Christmas gift for Graham and a book for each boy. Boot got a copy of the new Lemony Snicket book & Pie got a Terry Pratchett for kids. I hope he'll like it.
After books, we went to a dinner party at the UCC pastor's home. Nick & his partner, Dave, live in a really pretty house in Centerville. They're raising Dave's niece & nephew. Jessie, 14, answered the door & took our coats. Gareth, almost 3, entertained us with a gourd show. There were probably about 30 people there. We had sandwiches, Ramen salad, and lemony pasta salad. Oh, and fresh fruit. With hot cider to drink. Dessert was a choice of fluffy lemon cheesecake, apple cranberry lattice-top pie, or pumpkin pie. We sat at a table with one of the worship directors, Lucy, a lesbian couple we'd not met before, and the Tiptons, whose son I worked with years ago & who are very involved in P-FLAG. We talked about kids & church & transgender issues & book group selections. We were joined by Jenny, my lesbian librarian friend. The party was a great deal of fun.
When we arrived home, we had a nice visit with my grands before we sent them home with a pot of soup. The boys were good for them. Boot retreated to his room while Pie hung out with them, building Bionicles. Once my grands were gone, we got the boys settled into bed before heading that direction ourselves. We ate some of the chocolates from the B&B in bed, then snugged in together. I read some of my Old Testament text to her as she fell asleep.
A Delightful Weekend
Without telling J, I made reservations at the Floraville Inn for Friday night. I arranged to have flowers, chocolates, and champagne in the room. Once the kids left, we packed an overnight bag "just in case" we decided to stay. We drove down to Lebanon, admiring the gorgeous leaf colors. In town, I drove to the street where the B&B properties are located. They have 4 houses on one block. We passed the first of them, all lit up & gorgeous. J said, "What a beautiful house! I love it!" I stopped at the next house, the main one. She realized it was a B&B & assumed I was just checking to see if they had rooms. But, when we went in, the owner said our room was all ready for us & led us over to the house she loved. It was a wonderful surprise. The room was lovely. We actually had a two-room suite, with private bath. No one else was staying in the house that night, so we had the whole place to ourselves. It was an 1880 Italianate & the bed had a little stool to get up on it with. The flowers were utterly lovely, all pinks and lavenders in a low arrangement. We had two little boxes of chocolates & a small bottle of chilled champagne. In addition, they greet each guest with a tiny personal cake. Ours welcomed us by name & featured a Halloween theme. Inside, it was chocolate with raspberry cream filling. Mmm. We also had a gift certificate for The Golden Lamb and reservations for a few minutes hence. We considered walking down there, but J thought it might be too cold walking back to the B&B.
As we walked around the front of The Golden Lamb, we saw a carriage, with a beautiful grey percheron in front. We stopped to visit with him. He was so soft. Unfortunately, they left for the night before we got done with dinner. I think a carriage ride around Lebanon in the evening would have been utterly romantic. Luckily, the rest of the evening was just lovely. We had a corner table by the window & a delicious dinner. I had prime rib, while J got their great fried chicken. After dinner, we poked around upstairs, looking at the open rooms. I got myself a little spooked on the 4th floor & wouldn't look into any dark rooms anymore, afraid that something might look back. We were looking out a window at the town clock when the door of a cupboard right behind us opened by itself. I was ready to go!
We smooched a little in the gazebo, then headed back to the Floraville. J had a shower while I lounged in the clawfoot tub with Wayne Muller's Sabbath. Then, we retired to the luxuriously comfortable bed. I have never been in such a lush bed in my life, and ours at home is pretty great, with a feather topper.
In the morning, we went over to the main house for breakfast. There was one other couple there, an air traffic controller & his teacher wife. We had fruit with a light glaze, French toast (Lord, deliver me from B&B owners who think sweet breakfasts are the way to go!), and sausage. Then, we climbed back in bed for awhile before check-out. It's the first time we've visited a B&B in quite awhile, a real treat. We left thoroughly relaxed.
We were able to maintain that relaxed feel for the whole weekend. We drove home on back roads, with a couple of stops. We went to Dorothy Lane Market for a ham bone (& picked up some cheeses and other things, too), then drove to Foy's. J wanted to get something for a costume, either Wolverine, a vampire, or a beat poet. We grabbed lunch at the grill, sitting at the counter to enjoy our cheeseburger & tuna melt. Then, J decided to be a beat poet & got a beret.
Once home, we commenced cooking for the book group. J made 2 pots of bean soup, one vegetarian & one with ham. She made corn muffins, as well. I made a Braeburn & cheddar pie, my first attempt at making my own crust. Luckily, it came out great. Lilith came along a little after 7 bearing a dish of collard greens, which were delicious. I never have liked them before, but Lilith's were great. They were part of the great bounty she got at the Farmer's Market. When Beth arrived dressed as her daughter in a Good Charlotte t-shirt & jacket, with a white tie & black crocheted fingerless gloves, I thought she looked great! She brought powdered doughnuts & cider. J looked adorable & perfect in her beat poet outfit, with her stack of Ginsberg & Bukowski & Corso books. I wore my black taffeta ball skirt, crimson beaded velvet bustier, & a big witch hat. Lilith just came as herself. We didn't talk much about the book, Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina. Beth hadn't finished it & Lilith & J both thought it was horribly depressing. I think so, too, but I think it's great. For next month, we're reading The Second Coming of Curly Red by Jody Seay. It was Hyacinth's recommendation. I need to get the invites out today so that people will have time to find & read the book. I think it's going to be hard to find.
Yesterday, we went to church & Sunday school at our regular church. J says she feels more connected at the UCC. But, Brendan gave a great sermon for Reformation Sunday. He talked about Martin Luther, the grumpy, beer-drinking German monk, and about his 95 theses. He told us that he'd supply the masking tape if we wanted some to tape our own theses to the front door, giving me an idea I plan to execute this week. He also talked about Rosa Parks & how she just got tired of it all & sat down. It made me think of simply going up when they get ready to serve communion next time & grabbing a tray & commencing service. Where are the sit-ins of the gay Presbyterians, where are the ordination boycotts, where gays walk out of church en masse during an ordination, where are the wedding marches?
We visited with my grands for quite awhile at coffee hour, then J took me to Yellow Springs Pottery to replace my favorite mug, which I broke the handle off of Saturday night. I found one not as favorite, but very nice. Then, we grabbed some Starbucks & had gyros before hitting Evvi's bead show. Her stuff was the nicest there. There were some other nice things, but the bulk of our money (too much of it! LOL!) was spent at her booth. J has great plans for a couple of necklaces for my mom for Christmas, while I am making some prayer beads for El Dia de los Muertos. We also got to see pictures of Garnet in her Rosie the Riveter Halloween costume. She is simply the most darling baby ever. She has the most winning smile. It was a real pleasure to see Evvi, even if only for a little while. We made plans to have them to dinner later in the week, too.
When the show started shutting down, we headed out in search of a copy of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. We hit three bookstores with no luck, although we did find a Christmas gift for Graham and a book for each boy. Boot got a copy of the new Lemony Snicket book & Pie got a Terry Pratchett for kids. I hope he'll like it.
After books, we went to a dinner party at the UCC pastor's home. Nick & his partner, Dave, live in a really pretty house in Centerville. They're raising Dave's niece & nephew. Jessie, 14, answered the door & took our coats. Gareth, almost 3, entertained us with a gourd show. There were probably about 30 people there. We had sandwiches, Ramen salad, and lemony pasta salad. Oh, and fresh fruit. With hot cider to drink. Dessert was a choice of fluffy lemon cheesecake, apple cranberry lattice-top pie, or pumpkin pie. We sat at a table with one of the worship directors, Lucy, a lesbian couple we'd not met before, and the Tiptons, whose son I worked with years ago & who are very involved in P-FLAG. We talked about kids & church & transgender issues & book group selections. We were joined by Jenny, my lesbian librarian friend. The party was a great deal of fun.
When we arrived home, we had a nice visit with my grands before we sent them home with a pot of soup. The boys were good for them. Boot retreated to his room while Pie hung out with them, building Bionicles. Once my grands were gone, we got the boys settled into bed before heading that direction ourselves. We ate some of the chocolates from the B&B in bed, then snugged in together. I read some of my Old Testament text to her as she fell asleep.
As we walked around the front of The Golden Lamb, we saw a carriage, with a beautiful grey percheron in front. We stopped to visit with him. He was so soft. Unfortunately, they left for the night before we got done with dinner. I think a carriage ride around Lebanon in the evening would have been utterly romantic. Luckily, the rest of the evening was just lovely. We had a corner table by the window & a delicious dinner. I had prime rib, while J got their great fried chicken. After dinner, we poked around upstairs, looking at the open rooms. I got myself a little spooked on the 4th floor & wouldn't look into any dark rooms anymore, afraid that something might look back. We were looking out a window at the town clock when the door of a cupboard right behind us opened by itself. I was ready to go!
We smooched a little in the gazebo, then headed back to the Floraville. J had a shower while I lounged in the clawfoot tub with Wayne Muller's Sabbath. Then, we retired to the luxuriously comfortable bed. I have never been in such a lush bed in my life, and ours at home is pretty great, with a feather topper.
In the morning, we went over to the main house for breakfast. There was one other couple there, an air traffic controller & his teacher wife. We had fruit with a light glaze, French toast (Lord, deliver me from B&B owners who think sweet breakfasts are the way to go!), and sausage. Then, we climbed back in bed for awhile before check-out. It's the first time we've visited a B&B in quite awhile, a real treat. We left thoroughly relaxed.
We were able to maintain that relaxed feel for the whole weekend. We drove home on back roads, with a couple of stops. We went to Dorothy Lane Market for a ham bone (& picked up some cheeses and other things, too), then drove to Foy's. J wanted to get something for a costume, either Wolverine, a vampire, or a beat poet. We grabbed lunch at the grill, sitting at the counter to enjoy our cheeseburger & tuna melt. Then, J decided to be a beat poet & got a beret.
Once home, we commenced cooking for the book group. J made 2 pots of bean soup, one vegetarian & one with ham. She made corn muffins, as well. I made a Braeburn & cheddar pie, my first attempt at making my own crust. Luckily, it came out great. Lilith came along a little after 7 bearing a dish of collard greens, which were delicious. I never have liked them before, but Lilith's were great. They were part of the great bounty she got at the Farmer's Market. When Beth arrived dressed as her daughter in a Good Charlotte t-shirt & jacket, with a white tie & black crocheted fingerless gloves, I thought she looked great! She brought powdered doughnuts & cider. J looked adorable & perfect in her beat poet outfit, with her stack of Ginsberg & Bukowski & Corso books. I wore my black taffeta ball skirt, crimson beaded velvet bustier, & a big witch hat. Lilith just came as herself. We didn't talk much about the book, Storming Heaven by Denise Giardina. Beth hadn't finished it & Lilith & J both thought it was horribly depressing. I think so, too, but I think it's great. For next month, we're reading The Second Coming of Curly Red by Jody Seay. It was Hyacinth's recommendation. I need to get the invites out today so that people will have time to find & read the book. I think it's going to be hard to find.
Yesterday, we went to church & Sunday school at our regular church. J says she feels more connected at the UCC. But, Brendan gave a great sermon for Reformation Sunday. He talked about Martin Luther, the grumpy, beer-drinking German monk, and about his 95 theses. He told us that he'd supply the masking tape if we wanted some to tape our own theses to the front door, giving me an idea I plan to execute this week. He also talked about Rosa Parks & how she just got tired of it all & sat down. It made me think of simply going up when they get ready to serve communion next time & grabbing a tray & commencing service. Where are the sit-ins of the gay Presbyterians, where are the ordination boycotts, where gays walk out of church en masse during an ordination, where are the wedding marches?
We visited with my grands for quite awhile at coffee hour, then J took me to Yellow Springs Pottery to replace my favorite mug, which I broke the handle off of Saturday night. I found one not as favorite, but very nice. Then, we grabbed some Starbucks & had gyros before hitting Evvi's bead show. Her stuff was the nicest there. There were some other nice things, but the bulk of our money (too much of it! LOL!) was spent at her booth. J has great plans for a couple of necklaces for my mom for Christmas, while I am making some prayer beads for El Dia de los Muertos. We also got to see pictures of Garnet in her Rosie the Riveter Halloween costume. She is simply the most darling baby ever. She has the most winning smile. It was a real pleasure to see Evvi, even if only for a little while. We made plans to have them to dinner later in the week, too.
When the show started shutting down, we headed out in search of a copy of the Biblia Hebraica Stuttgartensia. We hit three bookstores with no luck, although we did find a Christmas gift for Graham and a book for each boy. Boot got a copy of the new Lemony Snicket book & Pie got a Terry Pratchett for kids. I hope he'll like it.
After books, we went to a dinner party at the UCC pastor's home. Nick & his partner, Dave, live in a really pretty house in Centerville. They're raising Dave's niece & nephew. Jessie, 14, answered the door & took our coats. Gareth, almost 3, entertained us with a gourd show. There were probably about 30 people there. We had sandwiches, Ramen salad, and lemony pasta salad. Oh, and fresh fruit. With hot cider to drink. Dessert was a choice of fluffy lemon cheesecake, apple cranberry lattice-top pie, or pumpkin pie. We sat at a table with one of the worship directors, Lucy, a lesbian couple we'd not met before, and the Tiptons, whose son I worked with years ago & who are very involved in P-FLAG. We talked about kids & church & transgender issues & book group selections. We were joined by Jenny, my lesbian librarian friend. The party was a great deal of fun.
When we arrived home, we had a nice visit with my grands before we sent them home with a pot of soup. The boys were good for them. Boot retreated to his room while Pie hung out with them, building Bionicles. Once my grands were gone, we got the boys settled into bed before heading that direction ourselves. We ate some of the chocolates from the B&B in bed, then snugged in together. I read some of my Old Testament text to her as she fell asleep.
Thursday, October 27, 2005
Getting Back to the Presbyterians
...and other assorted topics.
Monday, J was off work, so we spent much of the day lazing around waiting for the furnace fixer to come. It was cold! Our furnace was making a noise like a rocket ship & vibrating the floor above. Alarmed, I called the home shield folks & asked for someone to come out. They couldn't get here until Monday, so we were very excited about the prospect of heat. Unluckily, it was a fried blower motor & he had to get the repair approved, then get the part in. It's been in the 50s in here since last week, except for the main floor in the evenings when J gets a good fire roaring. Once the guy had gone, we rented some movies & watched the second X-Men one. I actually enjoyed it. My choice was a Morgan Freeman suspense film...of course, we haven't watched that one yet. After the movie, J hung out with the bitties while I finished up my review. Then, we went to the very last Strengthening Families program. We got an award for perfect attendance. I would think that would be a given, but it wasn't.
Tuesday night was committee night at the Presbyterian church. I have felt so disconnected from them that I almost didn't go. However, I did agree to be on Program and Worship & I didn't want to let them down just because I am serving another church for now. So, I went & am so glad I did. I was happy to be among familiar church folks. I took along the Wayne Muller Sabbath book to recommend & Brendan ended up basing his devotions on the idea of Sabbath. I was surprised that when people talked about taking time from work to do something to focus on God & rest, they spoke of volunteer work, caring for an aging mother-in-law, making hospital visits. Perhaps I am a selfish beast, but that still seems like work to me, not time to refill the well. After our committee meeting, Brendan asked me to stop & talk for a minute. I told him about how much I like the justice focus at the other church, but that I hate the music & miss the tradition. I told him that I really miss his sermons, too. He said he knows that I'm learning a lot, but that, selfishly, he wants me back at this church. He says he misses me. I miss it there. So, I ended up bursting into tears when I was telling J about talking to him. I am halfway convinced that I need to be either a pastoral counselor or in academia so that I don't have to give up my church. Ugh. I feel so very silly to be so attached. She soothed me & said that we'll go to the UCC on Saturdays, then, and the PCUSA Sundays, unless I am preaching. I can't bear the idea of missing Christmas Eve at my place, so I think we'll go to the 7 o'clock service there, then visit at the UCC pastor's house until the late service at the UCC. I preach my first sermon on New Year's Day and am terrified. Brendan told me to come by & he'll help me with it. Thank God. He & Laura are my true mentors. The UCC pastor is great, but his background is Baptist & he just comes from a totally different place. Oh, I also found out (from J through a gay friend at work who knows the gay niece of a member of the church...how's that for a telephone line?) that several of the older ladies at the church are worried that someone said something mean to us after the newspaper article came out about us as a couple & that that's why we haven't been back much. Frankly, I'm GLAD they're worried. Maybe it will make them think about PC USA policy.
Wednesday, I went to Bible study. We were talking about faith vs. works vs. grace, it being Reformation Sunday this weekend. I wish I could go to the church showing of Luther, but we'll be dining at the UCC pastor's home. We'll have to rent it. J wants to see Kinsey, too. Maybe we can have a biographical film festival. She also wonders if there's a film of Storming Heaven. I don't think there is, but Matewan sure would give the flavor of it. What a great film. Horrifying, but great. If any of you don't know about the West Virginia coal mine wars over unionization, I highly recommend the film (directed by John Sayles, one of the greats) or the book (by Denise Giardina). Anyway, at Bible study, I asked Brendan about the doctrine of Holy Saturday. One of the fellas, a former Assembly of God-er, was incensed at the idea that God might choose to save everyone. A woman with whom I seldom agree, and who I think is quite holier-than-thou, got all upset when Brendan said that, to him, Holy Saturday is the most important day of the year. First, she thought that he was saying that it IS the most important day of the year, totally missing the, "to me" part. Too, she thought he said that Easter doesn't matter & she was spluttering & outraged over that, when nothing even remotely like it had passed his lips. He simply said that Easter is a celebration of something already accomplished, the resurrection having already been completed when they went to the tomb on the third day. Oooh, was she hot! The part of me that the devil possesses found her outrage wicked funny. I am bad.
After church, my grands & I went out for Mexican & I got caught up on the details of their visits in New York & Michigan. I also found out that they're going to Cleveland for Thanksgiving. So much for sticking to tradition this year. J is delighted. She had just wanted a quiet celebration at home. Of course, if Jazzbo & Heather invite us up there, I may suggest we go. I will surely miss going to Vivi's. To me, Vivi's IS Thanksgiving. I guess I'll just have to make our place really nice. Sigh.
Today is a day of doing reading for pleasure (just finished Nevada Barr's High Country) & school (immersed in John of Damascus) and of waiting for the carpet cleaners & the heat guy. The cleaners have now come & gone & the heat guy is, hopefully, getting us heat as I type. We have book group Saturday & it would be good to have a warm house. Gosh, I hope some of them wear costumes. I'll have on my witch get-up. Wonder what my profs, if they come, will think of that. It's quite bosom-y. Will they think it's weird? They didn't seem to find me wearing a tiara to school too odd. I am also working out whether to stay overnight in Lebanon Friday night. We're having dinner at The Golden Lamb. If I could find a good B&B room...I'd love to do Burl Manor again, but I'm sure they're booked. I am leery of Hatfield ever since we got put in that weird back room. Also, the innkeeper there is kind of oogy. I'm not sure I want to brave the ghosts at The Golden Lamb.
Tonight, I am making spaghetti carbonara for dinner. Then, we'll carve jack o' lanterns & maybe make caramel apples. We'll drink spiced cider & have a grand time! I love this time of year!
Monday, J was off work, so we spent much of the day lazing around waiting for the furnace fixer to come. It was cold! Our furnace was making a noise like a rocket ship & vibrating the floor above. Alarmed, I called the home shield folks & asked for someone to come out. They couldn't get here until Monday, so we were very excited about the prospect of heat. Unluckily, it was a fried blower motor & he had to get the repair approved, then get the part in. It's been in the 50s in here since last week, except for the main floor in the evenings when J gets a good fire roaring. Once the guy had gone, we rented some movies & watched the second X-Men one. I actually enjoyed it. My choice was a Morgan Freeman suspense film...of course, we haven't watched that one yet. After the movie, J hung out with the bitties while I finished up my review. Then, we went to the very last Strengthening Families program. We got an award for perfect attendance. I would think that would be a given, but it wasn't.
Tuesday night was committee night at the Presbyterian church. I have felt so disconnected from them that I almost didn't go. However, I did agree to be on Program and Worship & I didn't want to let them down just because I am serving another church for now. So, I went & am so glad I did. I was happy to be among familiar church folks. I took along the Wayne Muller Sabbath book to recommend & Brendan ended up basing his devotions on the idea of Sabbath. I was surprised that when people talked about taking time from work to do something to focus on God & rest, they spoke of volunteer work, caring for an aging mother-in-law, making hospital visits. Perhaps I am a selfish beast, but that still seems like work to me, not time to refill the well. After our committee meeting, Brendan asked me to stop & talk for a minute. I told him about how much I like the justice focus at the other church, but that I hate the music & miss the tradition. I told him that I really miss his sermons, too. He said he knows that I'm learning a lot, but that, selfishly, he wants me back at this church. He says he misses me. I miss it there. So, I ended up bursting into tears when I was telling J about talking to him. I am halfway convinced that I need to be either a pastoral counselor or in academia so that I don't have to give up my church. Ugh. I feel so very silly to be so attached. She soothed me & said that we'll go to the UCC on Saturdays, then, and the PCUSA Sundays, unless I am preaching. I can't bear the idea of missing Christmas Eve at my place, so I think we'll go to the 7 o'clock service there, then visit at the UCC pastor's house until the late service at the UCC. I preach my first sermon on New Year's Day and am terrified. Brendan told me to come by & he'll help me with it. Thank God. He & Laura are my true mentors. The UCC pastor is great, but his background is Baptist & he just comes from a totally different place. Oh, I also found out (from J through a gay friend at work who knows the gay niece of a member of the church...how's that for a telephone line?) that several of the older ladies at the church are worried that someone said something mean to us after the newspaper article came out about us as a couple & that that's why we haven't been back much. Frankly, I'm GLAD they're worried. Maybe it will make them think about PC USA policy.
Wednesday, I went to Bible study. We were talking about faith vs. works vs. grace, it being Reformation Sunday this weekend. I wish I could go to the church showing of Luther, but we'll be dining at the UCC pastor's home. We'll have to rent it. J wants to see Kinsey, too. Maybe we can have a biographical film festival. She also wonders if there's a film of Storming Heaven. I don't think there is, but Matewan sure would give the flavor of it. What a great film. Horrifying, but great. If any of you don't know about the West Virginia coal mine wars over unionization, I highly recommend the film (directed by John Sayles, one of the greats) or the book (by Denise Giardina). Anyway, at Bible study, I asked Brendan about the doctrine of Holy Saturday. One of the fellas, a former Assembly of God-er, was incensed at the idea that God might choose to save everyone. A woman with whom I seldom agree, and who I think is quite holier-than-thou, got all upset when Brendan said that, to him, Holy Saturday is the most important day of the year. First, she thought that he was saying that it IS the most important day of the year, totally missing the, "to me" part. Too, she thought he said that Easter doesn't matter & she was spluttering & outraged over that, when nothing even remotely like it had passed his lips. He simply said that Easter is a celebration of something already accomplished, the resurrection having already been completed when they went to the tomb on the third day. Oooh, was she hot! The part of me that the devil possesses found her outrage wicked funny. I am bad.
After church, my grands & I went out for Mexican & I got caught up on the details of their visits in New York & Michigan. I also found out that they're going to Cleveland for Thanksgiving. So much for sticking to tradition this year. J is delighted. She had just wanted a quiet celebration at home. Of course, if Jazzbo & Heather invite us up there, I may suggest we go. I will surely miss going to Vivi's. To me, Vivi's IS Thanksgiving. I guess I'll just have to make our place really nice. Sigh.
Today is a day of doing reading for pleasure (just finished Nevada Barr's High Country) & school (immersed in John of Damascus) and of waiting for the carpet cleaners & the heat guy. The cleaners have now come & gone & the heat guy is, hopefully, getting us heat as I type. We have book group Saturday & it would be good to have a warm house. Gosh, I hope some of them wear costumes. I'll have on my witch get-up. Wonder what my profs, if they come, will think of that. It's quite bosom-y. Will they think it's weird? They didn't seem to find me wearing a tiara to school too odd. I am also working out whether to stay overnight in Lebanon Friday night. We're having dinner at The Golden Lamb. If I could find a good B&B room...I'd love to do Burl Manor again, but I'm sure they're booked. I am leery of Hatfield ever since we got put in that weird back room. Also, the innkeeper there is kind of oogy. I'm not sure I want to brave the ghosts at The Golden Lamb.
Tonight, I am making spaghetti carbonara for dinner. Then, we'll carve jack o' lanterns & maybe make caramel apples. We'll drink spiced cider & have a grand time! I love this time of year!
Barbecue and Gospel-Singin'
Yes, ma'am, I had me a real Tennessee kind of weekend last weekend. It made me miss Nashville so bad I can hardly stand it. Wonder if I could talk J into a few days down at the Opryland Hotel or Lowe's Vanderbilt at Christmas-time. We have Rosemary & Brent's wedding on New Year's Eve, but maybe for just a few days after the boys go with their father, we could hit Music City.
Anyway, about the weekend. Friday night, we took the kids out for barbecue at Rudy's. They'd not yet been there and, for some reason, Pie ordered the Brunswick stew. I guess he thought it'd be like his mama's beef stew, but he hated it & refused to order anything else. The rest of us loved our food. I had a beef brisket sandwich while Boot & J ordered a half rack of ribs each. Their sweet tea tastes like the real thing, not a Yankee interpretation of it. The barbecue is the real thing, too, and served without pretension, on wax paper & paper plates.
Saturday, we slept in a smidge, then took the kids to Foy's. We had lunch at the grill, then rounded out the Halloween costumes (at least for the kids...J still hasn't decided what she's going to be). Pie found a scary tiki mask & decided that my suggestion that they both be tiki guys was a good one. He got a spear at the kids' costume shop & a green lei at the main store. They both got lei wristlets, green for Pie & pink for Boot. My macho man choosing pink...what is the world coming to? J thinks she'll be either Zorro or a werewolf. I tried to talk her into coming as a black cat, my familiar, but she wants to be something more exciting than a cat. As if there is such a thing. Rob Brezsny says I should be a big cat for Halloween. I do like a tiger. As for my Foy's indulgence, I splurged on some of those wax bottles. I love those things. Speaking of kid candy, I wonder if Jess got her package. I hope so.
After we left Foy's, we stopped at Hornback's to get our pumpkins. I learned that this is their last year, which makes me sad. I've been getting my pumpkins there since I moved back from Tennessee. I guess I'll hit Autumn Creek next year. They do always have cute decorations. J & I independently choose very similar, smallish, round pumpkins, while Boot got a middle of the road one & Pie got the biggest one he could find, true to form. I also picked up some very small, greenish ones to write B-O-O on. They're on the hall table awaiting carving. If the rinds are too hard, I'll just leave them plain. They're very pretty as is. I nedd to get some good tools like Exacto knives & chisels.
Saturday evening, we went to church at the UCC. J was the liturgist & did great. I miss my Presbyterian church so much, though. I love the justice focus at the UCC & I think the sermons are great, but I miss my people, my traditions, and especially Brendan. After the service, there was a pizza & hors d'oeuvres dinner. I ate an inordinate amount of crudités and Chex mix! I never make Chex mix at home, but I truly love it, apparently. After we ate, there was a concert by Kenneith Perrin. He is a tiny little black man with a great big voice and an even bigger smile. The concert was wonderful, even if interrupted by a bipolar transgendered fella who got up in the middle & started crying & telling us all his woes. I felt badly for him & liked that people were respectful & handled it very diplomatically. Of course, the kids had all kinds of questions & we had to explain what he meant when he said he was bi-polar...and that he probably had not yet found, or wasn't taking, meds that would help him behave in a more socially expected manner. We also explained that he wasn't talking crazy because he was transgendered, but because there is a chemical imbalance in his brain that causes him to have a hard time thinking clearly. I sure hope I gave them the right information. I don't know enough about bi-polar, really. It was really weird to them that someone would stand up in the middle of a concert & start talking about their woes in society. In a way, I think it's good for them to see how wounded people can be. But, I would rather the lesson had come later in their lives, frankly. I hate to be discriminatory & I feel so closed-minded & wicked, but I just wanted my kids to be able to enjoy the concert without that weirdness thrust upon them. I hope the pastor can help find this guy some help getting stabilized. They handled the whole thing with such compassion that I felt proud to be there. But, also, I was really glad I'm not a pastor yet. What a delicate thing, to help a person who is obviously hurting very badly & needs attention while still allowing the planned events to go on. Kenneith responded beautifully, too, hugging him & promising him to sing spirituals at his funeral & having us all say a prayer for him after he was re-seated.
Sunday morning, instead of going to our Presbyterian church, we had planned to go to COSI. But, Boot wanted to watch the Packers game & J didn't want to be in the car for a long time. So, I got out the rubber stamps & Pie & I played with those at the kitchen table while Boot watched his team lose to the Vikings (who I think have prettier costumes, anyway) & J cooked. She spent all afternoon in the kitchen & had a blast. She made us stuffed pork chops & creamed peas for dinner. Pie made a picture of a dragon flying over a bunch of goats & ladybugs, with the moon & stars overhead, saying, "I won't eat you, my friends!" I made some Halloween, Yule, & Christmas cards. I need to get some good Hanukkah rubber stamps.
Anyway, about the weekend. Friday night, we took the kids out for barbecue at Rudy's. They'd not yet been there and, for some reason, Pie ordered the Brunswick stew. I guess he thought it'd be like his mama's beef stew, but he hated it & refused to order anything else. The rest of us loved our food. I had a beef brisket sandwich while Boot & J ordered a half rack of ribs each. Their sweet tea tastes like the real thing, not a Yankee interpretation of it. The barbecue is the real thing, too, and served without pretension, on wax paper & paper plates.
Saturday, we slept in a smidge, then took the kids to Foy's. We had lunch at the grill, then rounded out the Halloween costumes (at least for the kids...J still hasn't decided what she's going to be). Pie found a scary tiki mask & decided that my suggestion that they both be tiki guys was a good one. He got a spear at the kids' costume shop & a green lei at the main store. They both got lei wristlets, green for Pie & pink for Boot. My macho man choosing pink...what is the world coming to? J thinks she'll be either Zorro or a werewolf. I tried to talk her into coming as a black cat, my familiar, but she wants to be something more exciting than a cat. As if there is such a thing. Rob Brezsny says I should be a big cat for Halloween. I do like a tiger. As for my Foy's indulgence, I splurged on some of those wax bottles. I love those things. Speaking of kid candy, I wonder if Jess got her package. I hope so.
After we left Foy's, we stopped at Hornback's to get our pumpkins. I learned that this is their last year, which makes me sad. I've been getting my pumpkins there since I moved back from Tennessee. I guess I'll hit Autumn Creek next year. They do always have cute decorations. J & I independently choose very similar, smallish, round pumpkins, while Boot got a middle of the road one & Pie got the biggest one he could find, true to form. I also picked up some very small, greenish ones to write B-O-O on. They're on the hall table awaiting carving. If the rinds are too hard, I'll just leave them plain. They're very pretty as is. I nedd to get some good tools like Exacto knives & chisels.
Saturday evening, we went to church at the UCC. J was the liturgist & did great. I miss my Presbyterian church so much, though. I love the justice focus at the UCC & I think the sermons are great, but I miss my people, my traditions, and especially Brendan. After the service, there was a pizza & hors d'oeuvres dinner. I ate an inordinate amount of crudités and Chex mix! I never make Chex mix at home, but I truly love it, apparently. After we ate, there was a concert by Kenneith Perrin. He is a tiny little black man with a great big voice and an even bigger smile. The concert was wonderful, even if interrupted by a bipolar transgendered fella who got up in the middle & started crying & telling us all his woes. I felt badly for him & liked that people were respectful & handled it very diplomatically. Of course, the kids had all kinds of questions & we had to explain what he meant when he said he was bi-polar...and that he probably had not yet found, or wasn't taking, meds that would help him behave in a more socially expected manner. We also explained that he wasn't talking crazy because he was transgendered, but because there is a chemical imbalance in his brain that causes him to have a hard time thinking clearly. I sure hope I gave them the right information. I don't know enough about bi-polar, really. It was really weird to them that someone would stand up in the middle of a concert & start talking about their woes in society. In a way, I think it's good for them to see how wounded people can be. But, I would rather the lesson had come later in their lives, frankly. I hate to be discriminatory & I feel so closed-minded & wicked, but I just wanted my kids to be able to enjoy the concert without that weirdness thrust upon them. I hope the pastor can help find this guy some help getting stabilized. They handled the whole thing with such compassion that I felt proud to be there. But, also, I was really glad I'm not a pastor yet. What a delicate thing, to help a person who is obviously hurting very badly & needs attention while still allowing the planned events to go on. Kenneith responded beautifully, too, hugging him & promising him to sing spirituals at his funeral & having us all say a prayer for him after he was re-seated.
Sunday morning, instead of going to our Presbyterian church, we had planned to go to COSI. But, Boot wanted to watch the Packers game & J didn't want to be in the car for a long time. So, I got out the rubber stamps & Pie & I played with those at the kitchen table while Boot watched his team lose to the Vikings (who I think have prettier costumes, anyway) & J cooked. She spent all afternoon in the kitchen & had a blast. She made us stuffed pork chops & creamed peas for dinner. Pie made a picture of a dragon flying over a bunch of goats & ladybugs, with the moon & stars overhead, saying, "I won't eat you, my friends!" I made some Halloween, Yule, & Christmas cards. I need to get some good Hanukkah rubber stamps.
Saturday, October 15, 2005
Fall Bash & Afro-American Museum
Thursday, we had a really interesting church history section, got into a discussion about exclusivism in religion. We ran out of time to discuss Augustine, but I think the discussion was a good thing. After class, I invited Angela, my prof, to join my women's book group. She took down the name of the book & I need to remember to get an invite to her with the rest of the info. I had lunch at my grands' house, corn chowder & turkey sandwiches. It was nice to have lunch out there. Then, I came home & did some cleaning & some studying.
Thursday evening was the seminary's Fall Bash at the new campus. I took the boys with me & J came after she was finished with work, about 8:30. I entered my chocolate nemesis cake in the dessert contest & won second place, the prize for which was an Olive Garden gift certificate. I sat with Estelle & her husband & Martha & her family. When Cari brought her partner, Liz, over to meet me, she asked if I was having fun sitting with the classmate (Martha) of ours who is "disgusted" by our sin. Personally, I am still really mad at Martha for that. But, I also think she is simply ignorant. Maybe I can teach her. Nonetheless, it's fun to have another lesbian in the class to joke around about being a sinner with. The boys had fun running around with the other kids while the adults talked & listened to the bluegrass band that played. Angela came over & told me that I needed to sample her dessert, a chocolate mousse made with Scharffen Berger and silken tofu. Later, Estelle took us on a tour of the new campus. I can't wait until they get the pool up & running.
Friday morning, I took our silly Persian kitten in to get fixed. J had a doctor appointment, so I got a couple coffees from Dino's & met her there. Our doc has officially diagnosed her as being in early menopause. She recommends calcium, women's Bayer, and black cohosh. After J's appointment, we had a quick breakfast with the bitties, then she went to work & I headed over to the church. The women's group had a tour of the Afro-American Museum. It was fun, but I was frustrated that I had more historical knowledge than the tour guide did. All those African-American history classes must have stuck with me. After the tour, we had lunch at the Legacy Center, then rode back to the church in the Tan Van. Oh, at the museum, there was a whole flock of wild turkeys on the lawn. That was neat! Friday afternoon, I did some research for my papers, caught up on e-mail, did some cooking & cleaning, & fetched my kitty from the vet.
Thursday evening was the seminary's Fall Bash at the new campus. I took the boys with me & J came after she was finished with work, about 8:30. I entered my chocolate nemesis cake in the dessert contest & won second place, the prize for which was an Olive Garden gift certificate. I sat with Estelle & her husband & Martha & her family. When Cari brought her partner, Liz, over to meet me, she asked if I was having fun sitting with the classmate (Martha) of ours who is "disgusted" by our sin. Personally, I am still really mad at Martha for that. But, I also think she is simply ignorant. Maybe I can teach her. Nonetheless, it's fun to have another lesbian in the class to joke around about being a sinner with. The boys had fun running around with the other kids while the adults talked & listened to the bluegrass band that played. Angela came over & told me that I needed to sample her dessert, a chocolate mousse made with Scharffen Berger and silken tofu. Later, Estelle took us on a tour of the new campus. I can't wait until they get the pool up & running.
Friday morning, I took our silly Persian kitten in to get fixed. J had a doctor appointment, so I got a couple coffees from Dino's & met her there. Our doc has officially diagnosed her as being in early menopause. She recommends calcium, women's Bayer, and black cohosh. After J's appointment, we had a quick breakfast with the bitties, then she went to work & I headed over to the church. The women's group had a tour of the Afro-American Museum. It was fun, but I was frustrated that I had more historical knowledge than the tour guide did. All those African-American history classes must have stuck with me. After the tour, we had lunch at the Legacy Center, then rode back to the church in the Tan Van. Oh, at the museum, there was a whole flock of wild turkeys on the lawn. That was neat! Friday afternoon, I did some research for my papers, caught up on e-mail, did some cooking & cleaning, & fetched my kitty from the vet.
Tuesday, October 11, 2005
Fantastic Food & All Day Church
Friday night, we went to dinner at The Winds. Every October, they have their amazing squash & pumpkin lasagna on the menu & we wanted to make sure not to miss that! We split spidini with bagna cauda for our appetizer. It was served with a couple of perfect tomato slices. I ordered the lasagna & J got their terrific chicken piccata, with a side of citrus green beans. My side was wonderfully crisp cold broccoli. For dessert, we split the white chocolate eclairs with raspberry sauce drizzled over them. They were good, but I was so curious about the sweet corn & black raspberry ice cream that I wish we'd ordered that instead. Our waiter, whose judgment I trust completely, said that the corn acts sort of like the addition of malt would, giving it a rich flavor that is detectable as corn, but doesn't have the "eeewwww" factor you might expect.
Saturday, we went to a UCC membership class from 9-2. It was interesting, but was an awfully long time for J to sit still. We went ahead & joined, although we are keeping our Presbyterian membership, as well. One foot in each church...very interesting. After the class, we poked around the mall & bookstore. I picked up some nutritional yeast so I can have good popcorn again. We found some books for the boys & I got three myself (Spong's book about rescuing the Bible from fundamentalism, Peter Gomes' The Good Book, and Marcus Borg's Meeting Jesus Aagin for the First Time...this progressive Christianity stuff is quite refreshing). We saw Evvi's car parked there, but couldn't find her in any of the surrounding stores. So, we had chips & something to drink at Friday's before heading to the 5:30 UCC service. After the service, we went back to the mall & got some snuggy cardigans for the cool weather we've been having. Then, we went to El Meson for dinner. I just love it there. We split a chorizo & serrano ham sampler and some Filipino lumpia for appetizers. Then, I had grilled mahi-mahi with lime & olive oil. J had carne asada. For dessert, we split the dulce de leche con moros. Mmm...it's the only place in the area that makes real dulce de leche.
Sunday morning, we attended the Presbyterian church. Brendan was gone on retreat, so we had a guest pastor who did a great sermon on stewardship. After coffee hour, and some time spent with my grands, we ran some errands. J made herself sick reading in the car, so I made her lie down while I did some cleaning & organizing in the basement. Then, we went to a rubber stamping party at the UCC. I thought it was going to be a stamping session to make cards for he card ministry, but it turned out to be one of those dreaded selling parties. It was fun to make a couple of cards, but I greatly dislike selling parties, whether Tupperware, Pampered Chef, or whatever. I felt especially growly when the woman doing the party kept telling us, "It's all about the creativity" when we had specific patterns for the cards & specific stamps & colors we were supposed to use. I would never have dragged J there had I known. But, she got to have some great snickerdoodles & she is now all fired up to make our Christmas cards ourselves. Love the idea, but not very happy with her idea to use the family picture for them. For one, I look like a cow. For another, it just seems cheesy to me. I hate studio portraits from places like Olan Mills. I mush prefer something more creative. Maybe we can make cards for her family using the photos. A compromise.
Sunday night, I made chicken carrot chowder. We fed Pie, who was the only boy who was hungry, before putting them to bed. Then, we had our soup with some multi-grain bread in front of the t.v.
Saturday, we went to a UCC membership class from 9-2. It was interesting, but was an awfully long time for J to sit still. We went ahead & joined, although we are keeping our Presbyterian membership, as well. One foot in each church...very interesting. After the class, we poked around the mall & bookstore. I picked up some nutritional yeast so I can have good popcorn again. We found some books for the boys & I got three myself (Spong's book about rescuing the Bible from fundamentalism, Peter Gomes' The Good Book, and Marcus Borg's Meeting Jesus Aagin for the First Time...this progressive Christianity stuff is quite refreshing). We saw Evvi's car parked there, but couldn't find her in any of the surrounding stores. So, we had chips & something to drink at Friday's before heading to the 5:30 UCC service. After the service, we went back to the mall & got some snuggy cardigans for the cool weather we've been having. Then, we went to El Meson for dinner. I just love it there. We split a chorizo & serrano ham sampler and some Filipino lumpia for appetizers. Then, I had grilled mahi-mahi with lime & olive oil. J had carne asada. For dessert, we split the dulce de leche con moros. Mmm...it's the only place in the area that makes real dulce de leche.
Sunday morning, we attended the Presbyterian church. Brendan was gone on retreat, so we had a guest pastor who did a great sermon on stewardship. After coffee hour, and some time spent with my grands, we ran some errands. J made herself sick reading in the car, so I made her lie down while I did some cleaning & organizing in the basement. Then, we went to a rubber stamping party at the UCC. I thought it was going to be a stamping session to make cards for he card ministry, but it turned out to be one of those dreaded selling parties. It was fun to make a couple of cards, but I greatly dislike selling parties, whether Tupperware, Pampered Chef, or whatever. I felt especially growly when the woman doing the party kept telling us, "It's all about the creativity" when we had specific patterns for the cards & specific stamps & colors we were supposed to use. I would never have dragged J there had I known. But, she got to have some great snickerdoodles & she is now all fired up to make our Christmas cards ourselves. Love the idea, but not very happy with her idea to use the family picture for them. For one, I look like a cow. For another, it just seems cheesy to me. I hate studio portraits from places like Olan Mills. I mush prefer something more creative. Maybe we can make cards for her family using the photos. A compromise.
Sunday night, I made chicken carrot chowder. We fed Pie, who was the only boy who was hungry, before putting them to bed. Then, we had our soup with some multi-grain bread in front of the t.v.
Friday, October 07, 2005
Horrid Food & Great Church
Last Friday night, I dragged the family to Giovanni's for dinner so that I could complete the review process. I hoped that our dinner experience would be better than lunch. However, we had the same long wait, somewhat less rude staff, and atrocious food. Absolutely awful. Afterward, much disgusted with the experience, we consoled ourselves with a trip to Kohl's to get some more shirts for Boot and Foy's just for fun.
Foy's is a crazy & amazing 5 & 10 that specializes in Halloween & is creating an empire on Main Street in Fairborn. They've been featured on the Travel Channel. They now have, in addition to the main store, a grill (that's been on Food Network), an adult costume store, a kids' costume store, a second odds & ends store, a special effects store, and a haunted house. The whole street is crawling with Halloween decorations like ghosts floating above stores, hearses parked everywhere, ghouls vomiting in barrels of radioactive waste. It's a trip. The street is also crawling with people. Pie got some fireworks & sparklers & I got a bunch of candy like Pop Rocks & Razzles to send to my friend Jes.
Saturday, aside from running a few errands, we mostly just hung out at home. Saturday evening, I was the liturgist at the UCC church where I'm interning. It went well & I got to serve communion for the first time in my life. Gays can't in the PC (USA). I felt very comfortable there & J loved it, as well. People are so friendly there & they DO practice radical inclusion. We signed up for several friendship groups (I'm looking forward to the cooking one, especially), the church membership class, and I volunteered to teach my joy workshop for the adult retreat in November. We may also volunteer to be mentors for Youthquest, the GLBT youth group in Dayton, which the UCC gives funding to. Boot doesn't like the church & I can't figure out if it's homophobia or what he says it is, which is "it's not a real church". He goes on to list a litany of why it isn't: no stained glass, no organ, no pews, music that isn't "normal" (read traditional), no "Gloria Patri", Prayer of Confession, or Doxology, etc. He still wants to become a Catholic. I will have to get him to Mass one of these days & see if he likes that. It's funny that he has such a strongly-developed sense of ritual & tradition. I'm glad, frankly. But, he has the usual rigidity of 12 y.o. boys, too.
We had dinner at the restaurant of Boot's choice because he got straight As on his interim. He picked Foy's Grill. J was unhappy with the choice until we got there. She had never been, although I've taken the boys on a number of occasions. Their malts are the real thing, their burgers are great, their prices are great, and they have free pool. J, Pie, & I shot pool while Boot watched with those big, shiny, merry eyes of his. Afterward, we went back to Foy's. They went through the mini haunted house inside the store. Boot got a tiki mask for his Halloween costume, so that he can answer the door in it, a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, & a lei. It's really a cool idea & the mask is fun! Pie got more fireworks & he & J did them in the driveway when we got home. We also popped down to the book store. Pie got a Fear Street book & J got some Victorian-style paper Christmas decorations.
In the morning, I served as liturgist again. The boys were not thrilled to go to church twice in a weekend, but doughnuts from Tim Horton's made it a bit better for them. They also got to leave with the other kids before the sermon & go do Sunday school. After church, we drove down to visit J's mom, stopping at Sonic on the way. We had a nice visit, then headed home. I worked on my paper for a bit, then we took Pie to a crappy Chinese restaurant that has all you can eat crab legs. The rest of the food on the buffet, what little there was of it, was not so great, but Pie was so happy eating that crab! He made little singing noises as he ate it. When we got home, I worked on my paper some more, then we went to bed.
Foy's is a crazy & amazing 5 & 10 that specializes in Halloween & is creating an empire on Main Street in Fairborn. They've been featured on the Travel Channel. They now have, in addition to the main store, a grill (that's been on Food Network), an adult costume store, a kids' costume store, a second odds & ends store, a special effects store, and a haunted house. The whole street is crawling with Halloween decorations like ghosts floating above stores, hearses parked everywhere, ghouls vomiting in barrels of radioactive waste. It's a trip. The street is also crawling with people. Pie got some fireworks & sparklers & I got a bunch of candy like Pop Rocks & Razzles to send to my friend Jes.
Saturday, aside from running a few errands, we mostly just hung out at home. Saturday evening, I was the liturgist at the UCC church where I'm interning. It went well & I got to serve communion for the first time in my life. Gays can't in the PC (USA). I felt very comfortable there & J loved it, as well. People are so friendly there & they DO practice radical inclusion. We signed up for several friendship groups (I'm looking forward to the cooking one, especially), the church membership class, and I volunteered to teach my joy workshop for the adult retreat in November. We may also volunteer to be mentors for Youthquest, the GLBT youth group in Dayton, which the UCC gives funding to. Boot doesn't like the church & I can't figure out if it's homophobia or what he says it is, which is "it's not a real church". He goes on to list a litany of why it isn't: no stained glass, no organ, no pews, music that isn't "normal" (read traditional), no "Gloria Patri", Prayer of Confession, or Doxology, etc. He still wants to become a Catholic. I will have to get him to Mass one of these days & see if he likes that. It's funny that he has such a strongly-developed sense of ritual & tradition. I'm glad, frankly. But, he has the usual rigidity of 12 y.o. boys, too.
We had dinner at the restaurant of Boot's choice because he got straight As on his interim. He picked Foy's Grill. J was unhappy with the choice until we got there. She had never been, although I've taken the boys on a number of occasions. Their malts are the real thing, their burgers are great, their prices are great, and they have free pool. J, Pie, & I shot pool while Boot watched with those big, shiny, merry eyes of his. Afterward, we went back to Foy's. They went through the mini haunted house inside the store. Boot got a tiki mask for his Halloween costume, so that he can answer the door in it, a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, & a lei. It's really a cool idea & the mask is fun! Pie got more fireworks & he & J did them in the driveway when we got home. We also popped down to the book store. Pie got a Fear Street book & J got some Victorian-style paper Christmas decorations.
In the morning, I served as liturgist again. The boys were not thrilled to go to church twice in a weekend, but doughnuts from Tim Horton's made it a bit better for them. They also got to leave with the other kids before the sermon & go do Sunday school. After church, we drove down to visit J's mom, stopping at Sonic on the way. We had a nice visit, then headed home. I worked on my paper for a bit, then we took Pie to a crappy Chinese restaurant that has all you can eat crab legs. The rest of the food on the buffet, what little there was of it, was not so great, but Pie was so happy eating that crab! He made little singing noises as he ate it. When we got home, I worked on my paper some more, then we went to bed.
Friday, September 30, 2005
Lunch with My Mom & a Close Encounter
Yesterday, I read The Rule of Benedict & Wisdom of the Desert Fathers for my class on early Christianity while J slept in. My mom arrived at lunchtime to say goodbye before she headed back to the woods. She took us out to lunch at Oasis. I had a cheeseburger, something I've never ordered there before, and fabulous 5-cheese soup. J had a huge plate of chili & pasta & my mom had a veggie sub. We all tried their pumpkin spice cappuccino & found it wonderful. We ended up being given it free because the service took so long. Honestly, we were fine with the time, but it was a nice thing for them to do for us. We sent my mama off with a sack of goodies (Cheez-Its, Dutch Cocoa cookies, doughnuts for Graham, red pear, nectarine, etc).
Then, J went back to sleep while I continued to read. When Boot got home, I helped him with his fractions & filled out his school camp paperwork. I am sad that he says he's only going so he can get out of school & that he is unhappy because they have to do "crappy educational stuff". I hope that he feels differently when he's there. Learning can be so much fun. It makes me feel like saying he can't go & donating his fee for it to a kid who really wants to go but can't afford it. Oh, well. When Pie got home, he finished his journal entry on books (he says his favorite kind of book is poetry & his favorite author is Shel Silverstein), then practiced his sax. He is getting good...it really sounds like music. I am astounded, since he's been doing it such a short time. He is practicing "Au Claire de Lune" for Monday. I read some more desert wisdom while he played.
Boot had an orthodontist appointment yesterday & we all went along. We got good news, too! It looks as though in 2 or 3 visits, his braces will come off! Yippee! After the appointment, we stopped by Lowe's to price lumber for a clubhouse. J was shocked at how expensive things are. I suggested that we check Freecycle &, lo & behold, Lilith has some things in her garage we are welcome to! Pie is thrilled. He wants to learn to sew so that he can make curtains for the clubhouse. Boot doesn't want him to learn to sew. Unmanly, I expect. I'm glad Pie does what he wants to do, without regard to gender expectations. The good news is that curtains are within my limited set of sewing knowledge & I have even made them before. I'll have to get out the sewing machine this weekend & see if I remember how to set it up & thread it!
Last night, I made Mexican-spiced meatballs with creamy guacamole dip & spicy chili dip for dinner. J made some cheesy nachos to go with the meal & that's what the kids liked the most. Sure, they ate their meat, rice, & corn. But, their hearts were in the nachos. They are really nacho kids...adore them. I thought the nachos were great with the guac dip.
After the kiddies were in bed & J was working on something for work (she went back today, but only for a few hours...I hope!), I took the spirit plate out. It's gotten chilly & the grass was cold & wet on my sandaled feet. So, I wimped out & took it only as far as the winter spot, in the azalea bed by the screened porch. Then, I watched 10 minutes of CSI with J before hitting the books again.
When I went to get the kitties inside, they were intent on someone beyond the screen. I expected a groundhog or possum. Pixie wasn't riled up, just a little edgy, so I knew it wasn't another cat. It turned out to be a raccoon! It was a young one, and not afraid of me. It walked around the porch, snuffling as it went. It was very interested in the cats. It didn't seem aggressive, just curious. Pixie wouldn't stay by the screen when it came near, but Storm sure did & she got thoroughly sniffed. I clicked at it with my tongue, like I do to call the cats, & bent down. It stood up on its back legs until its little, pointy, masked face was level with mine. It sniffed at me & looked at me for a minute, from just about a foot away, then went on its way. What a neat experience. I am pretty sure it's used to being able to duck into the groundhog holes & go under the porch because it went to the spots we filled with gravel on Wednesday. I hope no one digs back under the porch. Pie wants to name it after me, Dario if a boy & Daria if a girl. He is thrilled to have "another pet!" I have instructed him never to try & touch it!
Anyway, I sure do feel blessed to have the life I have.
Then, J went back to sleep while I continued to read. When Boot got home, I helped him with his fractions & filled out his school camp paperwork. I am sad that he says he's only going so he can get out of school & that he is unhappy because they have to do "crappy educational stuff". I hope that he feels differently when he's there. Learning can be so much fun. It makes me feel like saying he can't go & donating his fee for it to a kid who really wants to go but can't afford it. Oh, well. When Pie got home, he finished his journal entry on books (he says his favorite kind of book is poetry & his favorite author is Shel Silverstein), then practiced his sax. He is getting good...it really sounds like music. I am astounded, since he's been doing it such a short time. He is practicing "Au Claire de Lune" for Monday. I read some more desert wisdom while he played.
Boot had an orthodontist appointment yesterday & we all went along. We got good news, too! It looks as though in 2 or 3 visits, his braces will come off! Yippee! After the appointment, we stopped by Lowe's to price lumber for a clubhouse. J was shocked at how expensive things are. I suggested that we check Freecycle &, lo & behold, Lilith has some things in her garage we are welcome to! Pie is thrilled. He wants to learn to sew so that he can make curtains for the clubhouse. Boot doesn't want him to learn to sew. Unmanly, I expect. I'm glad Pie does what he wants to do, without regard to gender expectations. The good news is that curtains are within my limited set of sewing knowledge & I have even made them before. I'll have to get out the sewing machine this weekend & see if I remember how to set it up & thread it!
Last night, I made Mexican-spiced meatballs with creamy guacamole dip & spicy chili dip for dinner. J made some cheesy nachos to go with the meal & that's what the kids liked the most. Sure, they ate their meat, rice, & corn. But, their hearts were in the nachos. They are really nacho kids...adore them. I thought the nachos were great with the guac dip.
After the kiddies were in bed & J was working on something for work (she went back today, but only for a few hours...I hope!), I took the spirit plate out. It's gotten chilly & the grass was cold & wet on my sandaled feet. So, I wimped out & took it only as far as the winter spot, in the azalea bed by the screened porch. Then, I watched 10 minutes of CSI with J before hitting the books again.
When I went to get the kitties inside, they were intent on someone beyond the screen. I expected a groundhog or possum. Pixie wasn't riled up, just a little edgy, so I knew it wasn't another cat. It turned out to be a raccoon! It was a young one, and not afraid of me. It walked around the porch, snuffling as it went. It was very interested in the cats. It didn't seem aggressive, just curious. Pixie wouldn't stay by the screen when it came near, but Storm sure did & she got thoroughly sniffed. I clicked at it with my tongue, like I do to call the cats, & bent down. It stood up on its back legs until its little, pointy, masked face was level with mine. It sniffed at me & looked at me for a minute, from just about a foot away, then went on its way. What a neat experience. I am pretty sure it's used to being able to duck into the groundhog holes & go under the porch because it went to the spots we filled with gravel on Wednesday. I hope no one digs back under the porch. Pie wants to name it after me, Dario if a boy & Daria if a girl. He is thrilled to have "another pet!" I have instructed him never to try & touch it!
Anyway, I sure do feel blessed to have the life I have.
Tuesday, September 27, 2005
How Time Does Fly
Man, have I been busy! Between school starting & hanging out with my wife as she recovers from gallbladder surgery, I haven't had a spare moment, it seems. Soon, I will start my internship/placement at the UCC church, too. Whew!
J's gallbladder was happy to come out laparoscopically & my grands had her home by 11 o'clock. I have spent most of my time either doing schoolwork or keeping her company since the 15th. This being reading week, I have just a scootch more time. I actually read a fiction book (Hard Time by Nevada Barr...great book!).
My mom is in town this week & I plan to spend a little more time with her. She arrived Friday evening shortly after the boys left. We visited for quite awhile, then hit the grocery. We had spaghetti with vodka sauce, Tuscan bread with olive oil dipping sauce, spring mix with raspberry vinaigrette, and fruit with brown sugar sour cream for dinner. Then more visiting before a late turn-in.
Saturday morning, I saw my mom off to the blacksmith gathering, then climbed back in with J for more snoozing. We roused ourselves later in the morning, picked up some coffee at Dino's, & met my mom in Troy. We poked around the fairgrounds for awhile, checking out the metalwork on display (my favorite things were a beautifully crafted toasting fork & a set of doors with gorgeous ironwork & a dragon theme). Then, we had a wonderful lunch (lemon almond chicken salad for me, curry chicken salad for J, & a grilled portabella sub for my mom) at Night Sky Coffee House. It's delightful in there. Makes me wish it was in our town. We poked around the square (book shop, bakery, gift shops) & had dessert at Night Sky before heading back to our neck of the woods. Oh, and we bought Pie a sax cleaning kit.
On the way home, we stopped at Barnes & Noble & had dinner at Chili's. I really like their boneless buffalo wings. Then, we went on home for more visiting. Sunday, my mom headed back up for blacksmith doings while we slept in. Then, when she got home, we took her to brunch at The Blueberry Café. J ordered us all mimosas. My mom & I had omelets, while J had a buffalo chicken salad. Then, J suggested we head down to Waynesville for some antiquing. We had fun & J got some old photos she really likes. Little kids, of course. I got a new sign that is sage & cream & says "Scatter Joy" on it. It looks great on the woodstove. Of course, with the cold coming (rumors of snow for the teens weekend of October!), I'll have to hang it.
We made a fairly elaborate dinner Sunday night, inspired by Ina Garten. J & I ran to the grocery while my mom played baseball & cracked geodes with Pie. My mom made an heirloom tomato salad (our grocery had no fennel for it, but it was good anyway), J made French onion soup, and I made a goat cheese tart. I also made orange chocolate mousse. We ate around midnight, due to lack of planning & too much talking during preparations, but it was good & very much worth it.
My mom went to stay with my grands yesterday morning, so we're going to go bug them today & tomorrow. I need to get cracking on my word study & other schoolwork, but I also want to hang out with my ma.
J's gallbladder was happy to come out laparoscopically & my grands had her home by 11 o'clock. I have spent most of my time either doing schoolwork or keeping her company since the 15th. This being reading week, I have just a scootch more time. I actually read a fiction book (Hard Time by Nevada Barr...great book!).
My mom is in town this week & I plan to spend a little more time with her. She arrived Friday evening shortly after the boys left. We visited for quite awhile, then hit the grocery. We had spaghetti with vodka sauce, Tuscan bread with olive oil dipping sauce, spring mix with raspberry vinaigrette, and fruit with brown sugar sour cream for dinner. Then more visiting before a late turn-in.
Saturday morning, I saw my mom off to the blacksmith gathering, then climbed back in with J for more snoozing. We roused ourselves later in the morning, picked up some coffee at Dino's, & met my mom in Troy. We poked around the fairgrounds for awhile, checking out the metalwork on display (my favorite things were a beautifully crafted toasting fork & a set of doors with gorgeous ironwork & a dragon theme). Then, we had a wonderful lunch (lemon almond chicken salad for me, curry chicken salad for J, & a grilled portabella sub for my mom) at Night Sky Coffee House. It's delightful in there. Makes me wish it was in our town. We poked around the square (book shop, bakery, gift shops) & had dessert at Night Sky before heading back to our neck of the woods. Oh, and we bought Pie a sax cleaning kit.
On the way home, we stopped at Barnes & Noble & had dinner at Chili's. I really like their boneless buffalo wings. Then, we went on home for more visiting. Sunday, my mom headed back up for blacksmith doings while we slept in. Then, when she got home, we took her to brunch at The Blueberry Café. J ordered us all mimosas. My mom & I had omelets, while J had a buffalo chicken salad. Then, J suggested we head down to Waynesville for some antiquing. We had fun & J got some old photos she really likes. Little kids, of course. I got a new sign that is sage & cream & says "Scatter Joy" on it. It looks great on the woodstove. Of course, with the cold coming (rumors of snow for the teens weekend of October!), I'll have to hang it.
We made a fairly elaborate dinner Sunday night, inspired by Ina Garten. J & I ran to the grocery while my mom played baseball & cracked geodes with Pie. My mom made an heirloom tomato salad (our grocery had no fennel for it, but it was good anyway), J made French onion soup, and I made a goat cheese tart. I also made orange chocolate mousse. We ate around midnight, due to lack of planning & too much talking during preparations, but it was good & very much worth it.
My mom went to stay with my grands yesterday morning, so we're going to go bug them today & tomorrow. I need to get cracking on my word study & other schoolwork, but I also want to hang out with my ma.
Monday, September 12, 2005
Circus Weekend
Friday night, we took the kids to dinner at The Shuckin' Shack for some seafood. You know your kids are too sheltered (and watch too much t.v.) when they get into an urban area & ask, "Mom, are we in the 'hood?" Oy vey! Must remedy that! Pie was ecstatic over his crab, Boot liked his shrimp gumbo but not his fried shrimp, J liked her scallops fine, but liked my blackened catfish much better. We went to bed fairly early since J had to work Saturday.
While she was at work, I did housework & some writing & errands. I picked up Pie's new bike & some groceries. I finished listening to Bee Season & moved on to something much lighter, a Mitford book. When J got home, we watched the third Matrix movie (me with one eye, the other being on my book) & had dinner. J made a pizza for Boot & spaghetti with vodka sauce & Italian sausage for the rest of us. It was really good. Then, the boys were allowed to go back to their much-enjoyed flopping in their bedrooms doing nothing in particular. We watched Meet The Fockers, which was a fun movie. Before bed, I whipped up some cheesecake dip for coffee hour. We had already delivered a bunch of salad to the church fridge.
Sunday morning, I got up early to cube the poundcake. We got that & the fruit trays settled in the church kitchen before going to Sunday School. In Sunday school, we watched a couple of "Hashing It Out" episodes with Tony Campolo & another guy (Steve Brown, maybe?). They talked about the Devil, about how evangelicals are trying to look outside & blame things on the "gay agenda" rather than looking at their own families, and about whether advertising is corrupting society. We had an interesting discussion. I was bold enough to bring up gay issues twice. Once was talking about how some fundies are blaming the hurricane on the gay pride festival that was coming up & the other time was about how my "gay agenda" includes things like packing the kids' lunches, meeting pastors to talk about contextual education placements, & attending my Old Testament class. Church was fine, with a sermon on wading through the mud & water. Brendan connected the exodus with the hurricane. He also suggested that we be open to change, trusting that the waters will not fall upon us. I wonder what he's up to, if anything.
The kids were hideous during church, especially Boot, who was tapping his feet & incessantly writing notes to his mother. I finally took his paper. Pie was mostly just not paying attention: getting out crayons when he should have been in prayer, sitting when we stood. I heard from their Sunday School teacher that they were fairly disruptive in class as well. Argh. So, I was relieved when we ducked out of the service just after the offertory to help with coffee hour. It being Rally Day, Program & Worship was hosting a light lunch. I hung out in the kitchen with the guys, opening buns, and by the food with the girls, trading compliments & jokes. I am so conflicted about the idea of leaving this church. I hate that I can't be ordained in the Presbyterian church. This is home. I am excited about the opportunities for growth at the UCC, but so sad that the Presby church just isn't stepping up to the plate on social justice. I don't think I can cut ties to my church altogether, even when I am pastoring another. I will have to visit.
After lunch, the kids went over to Jason & Mark's house, happy to avoid a trip to the circus. They hate the circus. So, J & I went by ourselves & had a marvelous time! I can't possibly describe everything we saw. We had good seats, right in front of the center ring. The acrobatics were fantastic, the dogs riding horses were great, the tigers were gorgeous, the elephants were delightful, the costumes were dazzling, the percussion act was exciting, and the clowns weren't at all scary. Most of the circus folks were South or Central American, so the music was stuff like Ricky Martin & Enrique Iglesias, which I enjoyed.
We walked out of the bigtop into the bright sunlight & stopped to pet goats & an Indian cow. The llamas were back farther, in the deep shade, so we didn't get to pet them. But, they were fun to look at. J didn't want to ride an elephant & the line was kind of long, so I didn't ride, either. Maybe I can talk her into it next time they come to town. Instead, we went to Nick's for a snack, nachos & soda. Then, we picked the bitties up from their friends' house & rented some videos. We let the kids get games (at $7.99 a pop!) & ice cream. J got an animated vampire movie called, I think, Vampire Hunter D, which she watched while I fixed dinner. The boys played their games & I hummed as I spread lemon curd on a tart shell. Pie adores the game he rented,Amazing Island
While she was at work, I did housework & some writing & errands. I picked up Pie's new bike & some groceries. I finished listening to Bee Season & moved on to something much lighter, a Mitford book. When J got home, we watched the third Matrix movie (me with one eye, the other being on my book) & had dinner. J made a pizza for Boot & spaghetti with vodka sauce & Italian sausage for the rest of us. It was really good. Then, the boys were allowed to go back to their much-enjoyed flopping in their bedrooms doing nothing in particular. We watched Meet The Fockers, which was a fun movie. Before bed, I whipped up some cheesecake dip for coffee hour. We had already delivered a bunch of salad to the church fridge.
Sunday morning, I got up early to cube the poundcake. We got that & the fruit trays settled in the church kitchen before going to Sunday School. In Sunday school, we watched a couple of "Hashing It Out" episodes with Tony Campolo & another guy (Steve Brown, maybe?). They talked about the Devil, about how evangelicals are trying to look outside & blame things on the "gay agenda" rather than looking at their own families, and about whether advertising is corrupting society. We had an interesting discussion. I was bold enough to bring up gay issues twice. Once was talking about how some fundies are blaming the hurricane on the gay pride festival that was coming up & the other time was about how my "gay agenda" includes things like packing the kids' lunches, meeting pastors to talk about contextual education placements, & attending my Old Testament class. Church was fine, with a sermon on wading through the mud & water. Brendan connected the exodus with the hurricane. He also suggested that we be open to change, trusting that the waters will not fall upon us. I wonder what he's up to, if anything.
The kids were hideous during church, especially Boot, who was tapping his feet & incessantly writing notes to his mother. I finally took his paper. Pie was mostly just not paying attention: getting out crayons when he should have been in prayer, sitting when we stood. I heard from their Sunday School teacher that they were fairly disruptive in class as well. Argh. So, I was relieved when we ducked out of the service just after the offertory to help with coffee hour. It being Rally Day, Program & Worship was hosting a light lunch. I hung out in the kitchen with the guys, opening buns, and by the food with the girls, trading compliments & jokes. I am so conflicted about the idea of leaving this church. I hate that I can't be ordained in the Presbyterian church. This is home. I am excited about the opportunities for growth at the UCC, but so sad that the Presby church just isn't stepping up to the plate on social justice. I don't think I can cut ties to my church altogether, even when I am pastoring another. I will have to visit.
After lunch, the kids went over to Jason & Mark's house, happy to avoid a trip to the circus. They hate the circus. So, J & I went by ourselves & had a marvelous time! I can't possibly describe everything we saw. We had good seats, right in front of the center ring. The acrobatics were fantastic, the dogs riding horses were great, the tigers were gorgeous, the elephants were delightful, the costumes were dazzling, the percussion act was exciting, and the clowns weren't at all scary. Most of the circus folks were South or Central American, so the music was stuff like Ricky Martin & Enrique Iglesias, which I enjoyed.
We walked out of the bigtop into the bright sunlight & stopped to pet goats & an Indian cow. The llamas were back farther, in the deep shade, so we didn't get to pet them. But, they were fun to look at. J didn't want to ride an elephant & the line was kind of long, so I didn't ride, either. Maybe I can talk her into it next time they come to town. Instead, we went to Nick's for a snack, nachos & soda. Then, we picked the bitties up from their friends' house & rented some videos. We let the kids get games (at $7.99 a pop!) & ice cream. J got an animated vampire movie called, I think, Vampire Hunter D, which she watched while I fixed dinner. The boys played their games & I hummed as I spread lemon curd on a tart shell. Pie adores the game he rented,
Saturday, September 10, 2005
First Week of Seminary
Tuesday was my first day of class. I had Intro to Old Testament in the afternoon. I got there a little early & sat talking with some of my classmates at a picnic table outside. Class was largely administrative stuff, going over the syllabus & such. We did get into the different kinds of translations a bit, though. After class, I talked to my prof (a UCC pastor) about possible placement at her church. She suggested I call the head pastor & tell him I'm one of her students.
Wednesday, I had Ministry Formation. We started out with the plenary session, mostly adminstrative again, but started with singing "Alleluia". My friend Laura, who is the prof, loves music. I heard some complaints about having to sing, but I thought it was a wonderful way to start. After the plenary, we met in our groups to discuss a practice we can do as a group. One fella suggested art/poetry/music together. Our group has a former band director who also does cake decorating, a violin player, a poet, me with my writing & altered art, and a photographer. Our facilitator is a sculptor. So, we may be doing some art. I suggested the practice of hospitality (which is in our book for class) & plan to cook for the group (although next week, I am taking them all bubbles). Our facilitator wants to teach us meditation. I am looking forward to that. She will be bringing a candle & a chime to class each week. She also said she's very interest in the gift God gave me, the gift of joy.
After we met in groups, I rode with Laura over to a church, in the neighborhood we'll be moving to, for the opening convocation & the installation of our new academic dean. It was a lovely service. It was kind of funny to see the faculty processing in wearing their hoods & caps & robes because three of the men look like wizards & all I could think of was Hogwarts. One of the wizards is the organist & he led us in call & response singing, with an absolutely glorious voice! After the service, the church provided us with lunch, which I thought was so kind. It was sandwiches & chips & ambrosia & all kinds of cream pies made by the Catholic ladies. Man, were they good!
I spent some time on the phone Wednesday afternoon trying to find a placement but only leaving a bunch of messages. Then, when Pie got home from school, I took him to choose a bike he likes. He found one, a red 20-incher, at Toys R Us. He said he'd rather have video games. Sigh.
Thursday was my class on the early church in the morning. Again, a great deal of administrative stuff to be dealt with. I like my prof. She seems like she's quite liberal. I met with her in the afternoon because she's also my academic adviser. She went to the University of Virginia & to Yale. She's brand-new to this area & looking forward to teaching grad students as opposed to freshman undergrads. We got talking about food & I found out that she's a vegan. She was talking about how many more vegan restaurants there are in Charlottesville & I said that the only thing I know about Charlottesville is what Rita Mae Brown writes in her books. She said, "I actually know Rita Mae Brown personally. I've been invited to hunt with her club." Amazing...not only does she know who she is, but she knows her. I didn't figure she'd even know who she is. Anyway, I think we'll get along quite well.
I spent Thursday afternoon dashing from interview to interview, all over campus. I interviewed with 3 Methodist churches (one was an interview by FIVE people...quite intimidating & I didn't feel it went at all well. The others were better), 1 UCC (very cool people, fun interview, too far from home), and the correctional facility (where I would very much like to be placed, but again, too far). I went home somewhat discouraged, but got a call back from the UCC pastor I had contacted before.
He is interested in having me come to the church & says that whatever areas I am interested in, he will get me working in. I am meeting him on Tuesday for Thai & to talk more about my placement. He had a student from the seminary last year, so he is familiar with the process. This church is a very liberal one. They also, somehow, manage to get some amazing speakers. Donna Red Wing is coming this month. Marcus Borg, John Shelby Spong, and John Dominic Crossan have all been there, too. Wow! They have a strong emphasis on social justice & there's a lot going on there. J liked it a lot when we attended service there a few weeks ago, so she's happy, too. Too bad it doesn't pay, but I think it will be much better than if I went with another place just because they do pay.
Thursday evening. we took Boot to get his dream bed, a full-size captain's bed with lots of storage space. Man, beds are not cheap! But, it will be good to use as a guest bed, too, when he has moved on to his own home. Then, we went to dinner at Los Mariachis with my grands & my great-uncle & his wife. They were visiting from Minnesota. I hadn't seen them since 1998, so it was so great to get to have dinner with them. It was funny to notice how much he & my grandmom resemble each other. He is a really nice guy & his wife is great, too. They've been together almost 10 years, but just got married last winter.
Yesterday was the first meeting of the women's circle at church since summer hiatus. Laura came & spoke about her trip to South Africa for the Truth & Reconciliation Conference last spring. It was really interesting & she played some South African music, too, which was gorgeous. I made spinach cheese squares for the lunch. I sat with my grandmom & Beth Baker, talking about gardening & food. Brendan had joined the group for lunch & was eavesdropping & injecting his own food comments. Laura had told me about the fabulous French restaurant they went to in Chicago over the weekend, but he revealed something more: he put the prawn heads on his fingers after eating the prawns...and made them dance around & sing! LOL! I told him about J popping the caviar across the plate at Maritana Grille. He has done the same. I guess he's not quite as bad of a food snob as I thought. Next month, the women's group will be going on a field trip to the National Afro-American Museum. That should be wonderful!
Wednesday, I had Ministry Formation. We started out with the plenary session, mostly adminstrative again, but started with singing "Alleluia". My friend Laura, who is the prof, loves music. I heard some complaints about having to sing, but I thought it was a wonderful way to start. After the plenary, we met in our groups to discuss a practice we can do as a group. One fella suggested art/poetry/music together. Our group has a former band director who also does cake decorating, a violin player, a poet, me with my writing & altered art, and a photographer. Our facilitator is a sculptor. So, we may be doing some art. I suggested the practice of hospitality (which is in our book for class) & plan to cook for the group (although next week, I am taking them all bubbles). Our facilitator wants to teach us meditation. I am looking forward to that. She will be bringing a candle & a chime to class each week. She also said she's very interest in the gift God gave me, the gift of joy.
After we met in groups, I rode with Laura over to a church, in the neighborhood we'll be moving to, for the opening convocation & the installation of our new academic dean. It was a lovely service. It was kind of funny to see the faculty processing in wearing their hoods & caps & robes because three of the men look like wizards & all I could think of was Hogwarts. One of the wizards is the organist & he led us in call & response singing, with an absolutely glorious voice! After the service, the church provided us with lunch, which I thought was so kind. It was sandwiches & chips & ambrosia & all kinds of cream pies made by the Catholic ladies. Man, were they good!
I spent some time on the phone Wednesday afternoon trying to find a placement but only leaving a bunch of messages. Then, when Pie got home from school, I took him to choose a bike he likes. He found one, a red 20-incher, at Toys R Us. He said he'd rather have video games. Sigh.
Thursday was my class on the early church in the morning. Again, a great deal of administrative stuff to be dealt with. I like my prof. She seems like she's quite liberal. I met with her in the afternoon because she's also my academic adviser. She went to the University of Virginia & to Yale. She's brand-new to this area & looking forward to teaching grad students as opposed to freshman undergrads. We got talking about food & I found out that she's a vegan. She was talking about how many more vegan restaurants there are in Charlottesville & I said that the only thing I know about Charlottesville is what Rita Mae Brown writes in her books. She said, "I actually know Rita Mae Brown personally. I've been invited to hunt with her club." Amazing...not only does she know who she is, but she knows her. I didn't figure she'd even know who she is. Anyway, I think we'll get along quite well.
I spent Thursday afternoon dashing from interview to interview, all over campus. I interviewed with 3 Methodist churches (one was an interview by FIVE people...quite intimidating & I didn't feel it went at all well. The others were better), 1 UCC (very cool people, fun interview, too far from home), and the correctional facility (where I would very much like to be placed, but again, too far). I went home somewhat discouraged, but got a call back from the UCC pastor I had contacted before.
He is interested in having me come to the church & says that whatever areas I am interested in, he will get me working in. I am meeting him on Tuesday for Thai & to talk more about my placement. He had a student from the seminary last year, so he is familiar with the process. This church is a very liberal one. They also, somehow, manage to get some amazing speakers. Donna Red Wing is coming this month. Marcus Borg, John Shelby Spong, and John Dominic Crossan have all been there, too. Wow! They have a strong emphasis on social justice & there's a lot going on there. J liked it a lot when we attended service there a few weeks ago, so she's happy, too. Too bad it doesn't pay, but I think it will be much better than if I went with another place just because they do pay.
Thursday evening. we took Boot to get his dream bed, a full-size captain's bed with lots of storage space. Man, beds are not cheap! But, it will be good to use as a guest bed, too, when he has moved on to his own home. Then, we went to dinner at Los Mariachis with my grands & my great-uncle & his wife. They were visiting from Minnesota. I hadn't seen them since 1998, so it was so great to get to have dinner with them. It was funny to notice how much he & my grandmom resemble each other. He is a really nice guy & his wife is great, too. They've been together almost 10 years, but just got married last winter.
Yesterday was the first meeting of the women's circle at church since summer hiatus. Laura came & spoke about her trip to South Africa for the Truth & Reconciliation Conference last spring. It was really interesting & she played some South African music, too, which was gorgeous. I made spinach cheese squares for the lunch. I sat with my grandmom & Beth Baker, talking about gardening & food. Brendan had joined the group for lunch & was eavesdropping & injecting his own food comments. Laura had told me about the fabulous French restaurant they went to in Chicago over the weekend, but he revealed something more: he put the prawn heads on his fingers after eating the prawns...and made them dance around & sing! LOL! I told him about J popping the caviar across the plate at Maritana Grille. He has done the same. I guess he's not quite as bad of a food snob as I thought. Next month, the women's group will be going on a field trip to the National Afro-American Museum. That should be wonderful!
Tuesday, September 06, 2005
Dining by Candlelight & Cricket Song
Friday night, after J & I saw the boys off, we popped up to Dino's for good coffee before hitting the grocery store. Then, we went home for a romantic evening in. I made cheese fondue & we had it out on the porch, by candlelight. I placed the candles on the blue & white Japanese tray that Nyoko gave us. With the stars shining & the crickets singing & the food fabulous, it was a perfect evening.
Saturday morning, we had breakfast at The Original Pancake House. We ran into J's cousin, Heather, who is working there. The owner had sent me an e-mail offering a "back-of-the-house" tour, so we took him up on that after we ate our scrambled eggs & apple pancake. It was very interesting. His pride in his place was very apparent & was nice to see.
In the afternoon, we each had a half hour massage, then went home & hung out until Steph came over to go eat Indian food with us. She'd never had it before & liked it. We enjoyed our chicken tikka masala & saag paneer, too. Then, we took her to Books & Co. She'd never been there before, either. Welcome to our life, Steph! I was able to find the last book I need for my OT class, Marcus Borg's Reading the Bible Again for the First Time. I started reading it that night in bed & it is really good so far. I was especially impressed by his discussion on the exclusivist nature of Christianity. He said that if we are required to accept Jesus as our savior in order to be saved, then that's putting a condition on Grace, which makes it not Grace at all.
Sunday morning, we got up & brewed coffee & made chocolate banana muffins for J's boss & his mom. They arrived right on schedule & we sat on the porch & had coffee & muffins before church. Then, we walked over to church for the service. Unfortunately, Brendan was out of town. But, we had a good guest pastor, Mike Ridgeway, who often fills in for us when Brendan is gone. They came up for coffee hour & met my grands. Then, we headed to The Winds for brunch.
Dave & his mom both really liked The Winds. We had a table by the window, which was nice. Dave's mom is so much like someone's mom from a movie, belongs to a card club & Red Hats & all kinds of stuff like that. She is a Texan now, but is from Boston, which is apparent when she speaks, even after years in Texas. She's fun to talk to, quite interesting. She & I did most of the talking. The food was wonderful! Dave & I had shrimp & grits, J had the veggie torte, & Lisa had biscuits with mushroom gravy. She also had a cinnamon peach scone, while J & I split a piece of chocolate chip cheesecake. We had planned to pick up the tab, but Dave beat us to it & wouldn't be talked out of it. I have the feeling that the only way we can beat him at this game is to cook for him, something really good. After brunch, we walked around town, showing Lisa the shops. Then, they headed home while J & I did some more poking. We each got a lingam & J pointed out a number of things I can get her for Christmas.
We went home & had a nap before heading out for our next social engagement. C.R. & Ron from our couples' group had invited us to a cocktail party, so we drove into Dayton for that. On the sidewalk across from their house, we met a hairless cat. It was really cute & extremely friendly, but badly in need of a bath & an ear cleaning. I know that if it had still been out there when we left, J would have insisted on adopting it. I think it probably has a home, though. I hope so. The party was fun. We got the grand tour of their new house, which is just gorgeous, an older home that's been renovated. Then, we sat outside with April & Becky and Tom & Dan, chit-chatting about food, parenting (Tom & Dan raised Tom's 2 daughters together), and travel. The boys just got back from a trip to the Wisconsin Dells & the girls were recently on an Olivia trip to the Dominican Republic. We sipped margaritas & chocolate Russians & laughed & enjoyed the cool evening air. J & I stopped for dinner at Friday's on the way home.
Yesterday, J actually took the day off! Her boss had told her to & she actually did it. So, we lazed in bed fairly late. Then, I got my review finished & sent it in before we headed out to shop. We wanted to comparison shop for Boot's bed & to find a bike for Pie. We got him one, a black Schwinn. The bed is going to be a little harder. Everything is so high. Boot will probably end up with a captain's bed. The extra storage would be great & it's a good-looking bed. It's more than we should really pay, but he very much wants a new bed & Pie very much wants his bed. So, we'll move Boot's new bed in, give Pie Boot's bed, & Freecycle Pie's bed. We stopped only for lunch at Max & Erma's & Starbucks on the way home.
Once home, I got started on dinner while J showed the just-returned boys Pie's bike. He doesn't like it, thinks it's too small. It sits lower to the ground than standard, so I can see where he wouldn't. We'll take it back & let him pick another. After the babies went to bed, we had breakfast sandwiches...scrambled eggs, prosciutto, & cheese on grilled ciabatta...with cheesy hash browns & kiwi fruit. I got everything ready for class today & we watched CSI in bed. I did some reading for Thursday's class before falling asleep.
Saturday morning, we had breakfast at The Original Pancake House. We ran into J's cousin, Heather, who is working there. The owner had sent me an e-mail offering a "back-of-the-house" tour, so we took him up on that after we ate our scrambled eggs & apple pancake. It was very interesting. His pride in his place was very apparent & was nice to see.
In the afternoon, we each had a half hour massage, then went home & hung out until Steph came over to go eat Indian food with us. She'd never had it before & liked it. We enjoyed our chicken tikka masala & saag paneer, too. Then, we took her to Books & Co. She'd never been there before, either. Welcome to our life, Steph! I was able to find the last book I need for my OT class, Marcus Borg's Reading the Bible Again for the First Time. I started reading it that night in bed & it is really good so far. I was especially impressed by his discussion on the exclusivist nature of Christianity. He said that if we are required to accept Jesus as our savior in order to be saved, then that's putting a condition on Grace, which makes it not Grace at all.
Sunday morning, we got up & brewed coffee & made chocolate banana muffins for J's boss & his mom. They arrived right on schedule & we sat on the porch & had coffee & muffins before church. Then, we walked over to church for the service. Unfortunately, Brendan was out of town. But, we had a good guest pastor, Mike Ridgeway, who often fills in for us when Brendan is gone. They came up for coffee hour & met my grands. Then, we headed to The Winds for brunch.
Dave & his mom both really liked The Winds. We had a table by the window, which was nice. Dave's mom is so much like someone's mom from a movie, belongs to a card club & Red Hats & all kinds of stuff like that. She is a Texan now, but is from Boston, which is apparent when she speaks, even after years in Texas. She's fun to talk to, quite interesting. She & I did most of the talking. The food was wonderful! Dave & I had shrimp & grits, J had the veggie torte, & Lisa had biscuits with mushroom gravy. She also had a cinnamon peach scone, while J & I split a piece of chocolate chip cheesecake. We had planned to pick up the tab, but Dave beat us to it & wouldn't be talked out of it. I have the feeling that the only way we can beat him at this game is to cook for him, something really good. After brunch, we walked around town, showing Lisa the shops. Then, they headed home while J & I did some more poking. We each got a lingam & J pointed out a number of things I can get her for Christmas.
We went home & had a nap before heading out for our next social engagement. C.R. & Ron from our couples' group had invited us to a cocktail party, so we drove into Dayton for that. On the sidewalk across from their house, we met a hairless cat. It was really cute & extremely friendly, but badly in need of a bath & an ear cleaning. I know that if it had still been out there when we left, J would have insisted on adopting it. I think it probably has a home, though. I hope so. The party was fun. We got the grand tour of their new house, which is just gorgeous, an older home that's been renovated. Then, we sat outside with April & Becky and Tom & Dan, chit-chatting about food, parenting (Tom & Dan raised Tom's 2 daughters together), and travel. The boys just got back from a trip to the Wisconsin Dells & the girls were recently on an Olivia trip to the Dominican Republic. We sipped margaritas & chocolate Russians & laughed & enjoyed the cool evening air. J & I stopped for dinner at Friday's on the way home.
Yesterday, J actually took the day off! Her boss had told her to & she actually did it. So, we lazed in bed fairly late. Then, I got my review finished & sent it in before we headed out to shop. We wanted to comparison shop for Boot's bed & to find a bike for Pie. We got him one, a black Schwinn. The bed is going to be a little harder. Everything is so high. Boot will probably end up with a captain's bed. The extra storage would be great & it's a good-looking bed. It's more than we should really pay, but he very much wants a new bed & Pie very much wants his bed. So, we'll move Boot's new bed in, give Pie Boot's bed, & Freecycle Pie's bed. We stopped only for lunch at Max & Erma's & Starbucks on the way home.
Once home, I got started on dinner while J showed the just-returned boys Pie's bike. He doesn't like it, thinks it's too small. It sits lower to the ground than standard, so I can see where he wouldn't. We'll take it back & let him pick another. After the babies went to bed, we had breakfast sandwiches...scrambled eggs, prosciutto, & cheese on grilled ciabatta...with cheesy hash browns & kiwi fruit. I got everything ready for class today & we watched CSI in bed. I did some reading for Thursday's class before falling asleep.
Sunday, September 04, 2005
Estelle's Questions
If money were not a factor, what would your dream job be?
Do you want more children?
What is your favorite "me time" activity?
Honestly, I believe that if money were not a factor, I would be a writer, food critic, and pastor. Two of which I am already doing. The other, I start school for next week. Lucky me!
While I would love to have a daughter, our boys are old enough & I enjoy our "just the two of us" time enough that I am happy to leave it at that. With Pie being already 10, it's hard to think of starting over with a new bambino. Every once in awhile, though, I get an attack of the "what if"s.
My favorite "me time" activity is, no question about it, reading with a nice mug of tea. Although, I am not at all averse to getting a facial every now & again, as well!
Do you want more children?
What is your favorite "me time" activity?
Honestly, I believe that if money were not a factor, I would be a writer, food critic, and pastor. Two of which I am already doing. The other, I start school for next week. Lucky me!
While I would love to have a daughter, our boys are old enough & I enjoy our "just the two of us" time enough that I am happy to leave it at that. With Pie being already 10, it's hard to think of starting over with a new bambino. Every once in awhile, though, I get an attack of the "what if"s.
My favorite "me time" activity is, no question about it, reading with a nice mug of tea. Although, I am not at all averse to getting a facial every now & again, as well!
Friday, September 02, 2005
Joining Band
No, not me, Pie! I spent much of yesterday writing, organizing the laundry room, and reading for school. But, last night, we went to the 5th Grade Band Meeting. Pie was so very excited that he could hardly sit still. After the meeting, we signed him up & made arrangements to rent-to-own an alto sax for him. I was all for getting him a good used one, but J insisted on brand-new. I hope he's serious about this music thing, with that kind of price! He is certainly thrilled with it right now, saying he's going to practice for an hour a day& that's it's better than if we bought him "THREE X-Boxes and a million gajillion video games!!!" We are thrilled. I think he really will be serious about this & will make a fine musician.
We took dinner, lemon-pepper chicken & pasta with Caesar salad, fresh pineapple, & ciabatta, out to my grands' house. Pie told them all about joining band & showed off his music book & t-shirt (the back of which says "MUSICIAN"). He told me that some people will probably call him a band geek, but he doesn't care. I told him that he shouldn't care. The grands were amused by his fervor. My granddad got out his old clarinet & showed it to Pie, who said he maybe should have picked that instead. My granddad told him he doesn't have to choose, that many musicians play several instruments. He offered use of his clarinet to Pie if Pie ever gets interested in it. He is so kind.
Today, I was so wiped out that I dozed off while reading about the Bible's English translations. I was awakened, drool soaking my pillow, by a call from J asking if I wanted to come to the plant for lunch. I took a couple of sandwiches, some chips, & a slice of turtle cheesecake from Current & she actually hung out in her office most of the time I was there. It was really nice having lunch with her. I hope my Fridays remain open so that I can do that fairly often.
This afternoon, Boot has been sequestered in his room since he got home from school. He is in good spirits & seems to have shaken the exhaustion he had going on yesterday. Pie has been without screen time due to an academic detention (already!) so he's been busy taking apart the printer my granddad gave him for just that purpose.
Tonight, we will either be having fondue by candlelight on the back porch, going to a church camp reunion & sleeping in a cabent, or going to a lesbian camp-out at a state park. Interesting range of options...we'll see what J picks.
We took dinner, lemon-pepper chicken & pasta with Caesar salad, fresh pineapple, & ciabatta, out to my grands' house. Pie told them all about joining band & showed off his music book & t-shirt (the back of which says "MUSICIAN"). He told me that some people will probably call him a band geek, but he doesn't care. I told him that he shouldn't care. The grands were amused by his fervor. My granddad got out his old clarinet & showed it to Pie, who said he maybe should have picked that instead. My granddad told him he doesn't have to choose, that many musicians play several instruments. He offered use of his clarinet to Pie if Pie ever gets interested in it. He is so kind.
Today, I was so wiped out that I dozed off while reading about the Bible's English translations. I was awakened, drool soaking my pillow, by a call from J asking if I wanted to come to the plant for lunch. I took a couple of sandwiches, some chips, & a slice of turtle cheesecake from Current & she actually hung out in her office most of the time I was there. It was really nice having lunch with her. I hope my Fridays remain open so that I can do that fairly often.
This afternoon, Boot has been sequestered in his room since he got home from school. He is in good spirits & seems to have shaken the exhaustion he had going on yesterday. Pie has been without screen time due to an academic detention (already!) so he's been busy taking apart the printer my granddad gave him for just that purpose.
Tonight, we will either be having fondue by candlelight on the back porch, going to a church camp reunion & sleeping in a cabent, or going to a lesbian camp-out at a state park. Interesting range of options...we'll see what J picks.
Thursday, September 01, 2005
3 Questions
On Rae's Ramblings, she posed this challenge:
Blog readers are invited to ask her any 3 questions & she has to answer them honestly. She only asks that they, in turn, put this same challenge on their blogs. So, you are invited to ask me 3 questions, which I will answer honestly unless they are completely inappropriate or would compromise my family's safety. Then, post this sort of thing on your blog.
Blog readers are invited to ask her any 3 questions & she has to answer them honestly. She only asks that they, in turn, put this same challenge on their blogs. So, you are invited to ask me 3 questions, which I will answer honestly unless they are completely inappropriate or would compromise my family's safety. Then, post this sort of thing on your blog.
Getting To Know You
I have a weakness for these things.
First Name: Daria
Were you named after someone? Actress Daria Halprin, who played a character named Daria in Antonioni's Zabriskie Point. Also, my mom read a lot of Russian novels while she was pregnant with me.
Do you wish on stars? Always.
When was the last time you cried? I teared up last night when a sweet old man came & did string tricks at our table.
Do you like your handwriting? Nope. Not one whit.
What is your favorite lunch meat? Hard salami, right now. I am also fond of turkey breast & of bologna.
What is your birth date? July 17, 1970.
What is your most embarrassing CD? Probably the Evita soundtrack. At least, it embarrasses my wife. Maybe the Hank Williams' greatest hits or the tribute to Tammy Wynette. Or, for certain people (my kids), the Dead Kennedys. It all depends on the audience. None of them embarrass me. Although, I am glad to have my son's Austin Powers soundtrack out of our CD player.
If you were another person, would YOU be friends with you? I think I would, actually.
Are you a daredevil? Nopie.
Have you ever told a secret you swore not to tell? Yes, but only to my mother.
How do you release anger? I usually write.
Where is your second home? I don't have a second home, but if I did, it would be in the West Virginia hills.
Do you trust others easily? Probably too easily.
What class in high school do you think was totally useless? P.E.
Do you have a journal? I have a gazillion. I do morning pages, blessings, what I did each day, a visual journal, an illustrated discovery journal, a food journal, a nature journal, a prayer journal, a kids' journal...
Do you use sarcasm a lot? Not a lot. But, some.
Your nicknames? Dar, Dar-Baby, Darb, Dar-Dar, Sugarplum Fairy, Plum, Darbuncle, Bunk, Bunkie...the list could go on endlessly.
Would you bungee jump? Absolutely not. I dreamed last night that I was watching bungee jumpers & they were hitting the ground with their feet, making big dents but not getting hurt.
Do you untie your shoes when you take them off? Nope. Although, I greatly prefer slip ons...and barefoot is even better.
Do you think that you are strong? I'm emotionally strong, but not really physically. Although, I do sometimes surprise myself by lifting something much heavier than I expect I can.
What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Ben & Jerry's Chocolate Fudge Brownie. Although, Mela's lime basil sorbet is amazing, as is Mexican hot chocolate from Jeni's Splendid.
Shoe Size? 11
What is your least favorite thing about yourself? I'm not happy with my weight. And I would love to have 20/20 vision.
Who do you miss most? I miss hearing from my friend Jess, who lives in Pittsburgh. I miss my mom & think 3 & 1/2 hours is too far to live from her. And I miss my fairy godfather, who died of AIDS a few years ago.
What color pants and shoes are you wearing? Grey yoga pants with a black waist & bare feet.
What are you listening to right now? Cicadas outside, the hum of my computer, the cat bathing.
Last thing you ate? A Big Boy & mashed potatoes at dinner last night. Oy!
What is the weather like right now? Sunny & gorgeous.
Last person you talked to on the phone? My wife.
First Concert you attended? B.B. King in 1980 or 1981.
Last Concert you attended? Jonell Mosser at Canal Street Tavern.
Celebrity Crushes? Wynonna. Ina Garten. Angelina Jolie, but that is so common it almost doesn't count.
The first thing you notice about the opposite sex? I guess I should change that to same sex...and it's probably the eyes.
Favorite Drink? Water, Lindemann's Framboise Lambic, RC or other colas. As far as cocktails, I like mojitos & amaretto sours.
Favorite Sport? I like to watch bull-riding. And figure skating.
Favorite TV show? I am a food porn & house porn junkie...you will find my t.v. tuned mostly to HGTV or Food Network if I have control of the remote. I do like CSI & Law & Order. And Great Hotels.
Favorite Movie? Right now, it's probably either Practical Magic or Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood.
Last cd purchased/burned? The Bride & Prejudice soundtrack
Hair Color? Almost black, with copper highlights when I've been out in the sun a lot.
Eye Color? Dark brown
Do you wear contacts? Nope, they slide right down my eyeballs.
Favorite Food? Good cheeses like Maytag blue & Pierre-Robert.
Last Movie You Watched? I watched part of Hope Floats last night. My wife, who would rather have been watching the Sci Fi channel said, "Why do you watch this crap? It's depressing."
Scary Movies or Happy Endings: I am inclined to romantic comedy, although I really like suspense movies like Along Came a Spider & Double Jeopardy. Angel Heart is one of my favorite scary movies.
Summer Or Winter? Both, whichever is coming up. But, I like May & October best of all.
Hugs or Kisses? Both.
What Is Your Favorite Dessert? Flourless chocolate cake, if I'm making it. Chocolate Napoleons at my favorite restaurant. Sorbet anywhere.
Living Arrangements? Married with 2 stepbabies, 3 cats, and a frog.
What Books Are You Reading? The Bible in English Translation, Jubana, Oh My Stars!, Angry Housewives Eating Bonbons, and What the Bible Really Says About Homosexuality. Oh, and a new Cuban cookbook.
How Many Candles Were On Your Last Birthday Cake? I think there were 10. My mom decided against 35 & one for luck, much to my disappointment.
What Did You Watch Last night on TV? CSI & hurricane reports.
Who Was the Last Person You Kissed? My wife, when I saw her off this morning.
Favorite Smells? Vanilla, grapefruit & orange, lily of the valley, cinnamon.
What's the furthest you've been from home? Los Angeles. Or maybe Monterey is further.
What's your biggest indulgence? Books & dining out.
If You Could Be Anywhere Right Now, Where Would You Be? Hanging out with my mom & my wife.
The Porch, Thai Food, & Bed Shopping
Monday, I spent most of the day reading for class, doing laundry, & getting the screened porch fixed up. We had moved the furniture to the basement when the porch was painted last summer & never got it back out there. So, I wiped down all the surfaces, mopped, & put all the furniture back out. It looks great out there again! I am so glad I took the time to do it. In addition to the loveseat & chairs that had been out there before, I stuck the flaking pink wooden chair I have been hanging on to for several years out there. It looks perfect in that context! J & I had fun at the grocery, then I made chorizo & cheddar breakfast burritos for our dinner, after which we had a bit of t.v. & reading, then to bed.
Tuesday morning, I had an eye exam. I hate, hate, hate having my eyes dilated! I don't mind the drops so much, but I hate the blurring & tearing. I was smart this time, though, & picked out my frames before the drops. I am back to oval frames. I hated the rectangular ones. Too harsh in terms of looks & too limiting in terms of vision. My prescription hasn't changed at all & I have no signs of glaucoma or anything like that. I aced the fields of vision test, so my peripheral vision is top notch. Has to be, when you're a parent! After the exam, I exchanged some jeans & got J a caramel pear candle & brown leaf-design saucer for our 3 year & 8 month wedding anniversary. Then, I met Brendan for Thai & theological discussion. Well, we probably talked food at least as much. The afternoon was spent helping boys with homework & grocery shopping. It was pouring rain & I was glad of my sandals. It was the kind of weather where you need either sandals or boots.
J loved her gifts (I added a dozen pink-tipped yellow roses to the candle) & card. She made flat-iron steaks & penne with vodka sauce for our dinner. While she was cooking, we played Trivial Pursuit, just like in the old days when we often got out board games while cooking. It's nice having the table so accessible from the cooking area.
Yesterday, I took Boot to his counseling appointment very early, reading a book on the Bible in English translation while I waited for him. After taking him to school, I read & had breakfast, then went to Bible study. We talked about John 21 & about how often Jesus was found nourishing his people, not just spiritually, but physically, too. My grandmom surprised me by wanting pizza for lunch. In all the time we've been having our Wednesday lunches together, pizza has never even been suggested. Her appetite has been so puny, lately, too. But, she wanted pizza & we happily went along. We had a very nice lunch & she ate almost all her personal pan pizza with ham & pineapple. It's great to see her feeling better.
I caught up on e-mail & helped bitties with homework yesterday. Pie brought a worm home from school to draw & then release. He loves stuff like that. I also spent some time in front of the t.v., which is almost never on before 6 or 7. I just had to see the news on the hurricane. New Orleans has always been very close to my heart, even though I've never been there. I have friends who live there. I know all but 1 are safe. But, I haven't heard anything from her at all. Last I heard, she was going with her daughter & daughter's fiancé to his place across the lake. Of all the times not to evacuate! I hope they changed their minds & headed into Texas after all. My other friends have all come to this area to wait it out. Jessica & Mike are staying with her mom, just down the road from my grandparents, until Slidell is inhabitable. Kyle, who lives in the French Quarter, is staying with his folks for the duration. It will be nice to see him Sunday, but what circumstances! Seeing the footage of the city was just too much. I am so heartsick for all those people who make it their home. I am also sad, selfishly, to think that the New Orleans I always planned to visit will not be there. This is just awful. I will never forget visiting my dad in Miami a year after Andrew & still seeing so much devastation everywhere. And this one looks to be much, much worse. It makes me want to vomit. Gas prices here are up to $3.09, yet it seems stupid & petty to complain when so many people have lost everything. And now, of course, one of the fundie groups is blaming New Orleans' toleration of homosexual depravity for the disaster. I can't get over the number of people who call themselves Christians & are so opposite of what Christ taught. First, Pat Robertson's call for the assassination of Chavez and Fred Phelps' God Hates Sweden website & protests at military funerals, now this crap.
When J got home from work, we took the boys shopping for a new bed (Boot, who found a couple, but both were $399 just for the frame, so we're looking other places, too, before making any final decisions) and a new bike (Pie, who wasn't in the mood to shop & decided to like nothing). We had dinner at Frisch's since it was getting too late to cook & we were all hungry. This wonderful old man, who looked like he might have been through the Holocaust when he was young, stopped by our table & did string tricks for us. We were enthralled & the magic of it (both the great tricks & the interaction with total strangers like that) made me tear up. Maybe he was an angel. I think so.
Tuesday morning, I had an eye exam. I hate, hate, hate having my eyes dilated! I don't mind the drops so much, but I hate the blurring & tearing. I was smart this time, though, & picked out my frames before the drops. I am back to oval frames. I hated the rectangular ones. Too harsh in terms of looks & too limiting in terms of vision. My prescription hasn't changed at all & I have no signs of glaucoma or anything like that. I aced the fields of vision test, so my peripheral vision is top notch. Has to be, when you're a parent! After the exam, I exchanged some jeans & got J a caramel pear candle & brown leaf-design saucer for our 3 year & 8 month wedding anniversary. Then, I met Brendan for Thai & theological discussion. Well, we probably talked food at least as much. The afternoon was spent helping boys with homework & grocery shopping. It was pouring rain & I was glad of my sandals. It was the kind of weather where you need either sandals or boots.
J loved her gifts (I added a dozen pink-tipped yellow roses to the candle) & card. She made flat-iron steaks & penne with vodka sauce for our dinner. While she was cooking, we played Trivial Pursuit, just like in the old days when we often got out board games while cooking. It's nice having the table so accessible from the cooking area.
Yesterday, I took Boot to his counseling appointment very early, reading a book on the Bible in English translation while I waited for him. After taking him to school, I read & had breakfast, then went to Bible study. We talked about John 21 & about how often Jesus was found nourishing his people, not just spiritually, but physically, too. My grandmom surprised me by wanting pizza for lunch. In all the time we've been having our Wednesday lunches together, pizza has never even been suggested. Her appetite has been so puny, lately, too. But, she wanted pizza & we happily went along. We had a very nice lunch & she ate almost all her personal pan pizza with ham & pineapple. It's great to see her feeling better.
I caught up on e-mail & helped bitties with homework yesterday. Pie brought a worm home from school to draw & then release. He loves stuff like that. I also spent some time in front of the t.v., which is almost never on before 6 or 7. I just had to see the news on the hurricane. New Orleans has always been very close to my heart, even though I've never been there. I have friends who live there. I know all but 1 are safe. But, I haven't heard anything from her at all. Last I heard, she was going with her daughter & daughter's fiancé to his place across the lake. Of all the times not to evacuate! I hope they changed their minds & headed into Texas after all. My other friends have all come to this area to wait it out. Jessica & Mike are staying with her mom, just down the road from my grandparents, until Slidell is inhabitable. Kyle, who lives in the French Quarter, is staying with his folks for the duration. It will be nice to see him Sunday, but what circumstances! Seeing the footage of the city was just too much. I am so heartsick for all those people who make it their home. I am also sad, selfishly, to think that the New Orleans I always planned to visit will not be there. This is just awful. I will never forget visiting my dad in Miami a year after Andrew & still seeing so much devastation everywhere. And this one looks to be much, much worse. It makes me want to vomit. Gas prices here are up to $3.09, yet it seems stupid & petty to complain when so many people have lost everything. And now, of course, one of the fundie groups is blaming New Orleans' toleration of homosexual depravity for the disaster. I can't get over the number of people who call themselves Christians & are so opposite of what Christ taught. First, Pat Robertson's call for the assassination of Chavez and Fred Phelps' God Hates Sweden website & protests at military funerals, now this crap.
When J got home from work, we took the boys shopping for a new bed (Boot, who found a couple, but both were $399 just for the frame, so we're looking other places, too, before making any final decisions) and a new bike (Pie, who wasn't in the mood to shop & decided to like nothing). We had dinner at Frisch's since it was getting too late to cook & we were all hungry. This wonderful old man, who looked like he might have been through the Holocaust when he was young, stopped by our table & did string tricks for us. We were enthralled & the magic of it (both the great tricks & the interaction with total strangers like that) made me tear up. Maybe he was an angel. I think so.
Orientation Weekend
Last Friday, I got everyone off to work & school, then finished watching Meet The Parents. After it was over, I got myself ready & headed to the seminary. Orientation was from noon to 9 on Friday. It started with a box lunch, moved through a bunch of introductions & meeting with our ministry formation groups, and ended with a picnic, more intros, & a vespers service. I met a lot of people, both faculty & students, and had some great conversations. The people in my ministry formation group are not people I would probably have chosen to be around, left to my own devices, & they are great. The woman who coordinates that seems to have done a really good job mixing & matching us up. My facilitator is a black woman who is a retired Methodist pastor & is also a sculptor. I was really nervous about how these people would react to my having a wife, but no one seemed appalled or even really fazed. Everyone seemed to open up right away. We are bound to confidentiality, but I will say that some of those people have been through some pretty extreme stuff. Brendan cautioned me against losing boundaries, when dealing with what he calls "the broken healers" & letting people suck me dry. I think I can handle it, though. I am so pleased at being able to be fully out at seminary.
When I got home, J had a Cinderella Boyd's bear, with a tiny tux-clad mouse, waiting for me. She said she's really proud of me. I was exhausted & we went on up to bed. Saturday's session went from 8-3, so I was up bright & early. There were more introductions, a worship service, meeting with our academic advisor, and registration. I bought most of my books, too. I am so excited! The classes I'm taking this semester are Hebrew, Intro to Old Testament, a class on the very early church, & the ministry formation. When I got home, I pulled up all my syllabi & got started on my reading. J & the kids got back from the mall shortly. J was exhausted, so she napped while I started on my reading for school. I have to have 2 books & other readings done by Tuesday.
J & I went to a great restaurant called Mela for dinner. I had a pear, roasted, drizzled with honey & olive oil, sprinkled with rosemary, & served with gorgonzola & walnuts for my appetizer. J had really good tomato bisque. We had beautiful little salads, mine with a creamy orange vinaigrette & J's with tomato vin. Then, she had a great ribeye with Yukon gold mashed potatoes & asparagus. I had sesame shrimp with a risotto cake. My dessert, chocolate lava cake, was disappointing, but J's caramel bread pudding with Bailey's sauce was fantastic. After dinner, we watched a little t.v. & went to bed.
In the morning, J didn't feel well enough to go to Sunday school, but we did go to church. She made it just past the sermon, then went home to lie down. I stayed with the boys, who were acolytes, until the end of the service, then checked on her. She was fine, so I went back to coffee hour & visited. When we got home, J suggested a video store trip. We got all 3 Matrix movies & Meet The Fockers. We'll probably never watch that last one, but I got it in the hopes that somehow, we would. We did watch The Matrix & part of the second one. I found myself extremely bored by them. Oh, well. J loved them. While she remained immersed in the second one, I made muffin tin meatloaves with boiled potatoes & lima beans for our supper. We had a quiet evening in & headed to bed early.
When I got home, J had a Cinderella Boyd's bear, with a tiny tux-clad mouse, waiting for me. She said she's really proud of me. I was exhausted & we went on up to bed. Saturday's session went from 8-3, so I was up bright & early. There were more introductions, a worship service, meeting with our academic advisor, and registration. I bought most of my books, too. I am so excited! The classes I'm taking this semester are Hebrew, Intro to Old Testament, a class on the very early church, & the ministry formation. When I got home, I pulled up all my syllabi & got started on my reading. J & the kids got back from the mall shortly. J was exhausted, so she napped while I started on my reading for school. I have to have 2 books & other readings done by Tuesday.
J & I went to a great restaurant called Mela for dinner. I had a pear, roasted, drizzled with honey & olive oil, sprinkled with rosemary, & served with gorgonzola & walnuts for my appetizer. J had really good tomato bisque. We had beautiful little salads, mine with a creamy orange vinaigrette & J's with tomato vin. Then, she had a great ribeye with Yukon gold mashed potatoes & asparagus. I had sesame shrimp with a risotto cake. My dessert, chocolate lava cake, was disappointing, but J's caramel bread pudding with Bailey's sauce was fantastic. After dinner, we watched a little t.v. & went to bed.
In the morning, J didn't feel well enough to go to Sunday school, but we did go to church. She made it just past the sermon, then went home to lie down. I stayed with the boys, who were acolytes, until the end of the service, then checked on her. She was fine, so I went back to coffee hour & visited. When we got home, J suggested a video store trip. We got all 3 Matrix movies & Meet The Fockers. We'll probably never watch that last one, but I got it in the hopes that somehow, we would. We did watch The Matrix & part of the second one. I found myself extremely bored by them. Oh, well. J loved them. While she remained immersed in the second one, I made muffin tin meatloaves with boiled potatoes & lima beans for our supper. We had a quiet evening in & headed to bed early.
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