I've Gone Over To The Dark Side...

I finally gave in and bought an e-reader.  Since it does more than just allow me to read e-books, I figured it was worth getting.  There are a few books I would like to own, but would not necessarily like to pay $25 + for the hardcover edition, or find space in the house to store said hardcover.  So, the Nook Color was Matt's big gift to me this Christmas, and I also got one for him.  (Technically, we bought them together, and today, so they were an afterthought as far as Christmas goes.)


The Nook is simple enough to use, but the touch screen keyboard drives me nuts.  I am a touch typist, and having to tap one letter at a time is MUCH too slow and painstaking a process for me to endure it for more than about five minutes.  I can post short updates to face book from the Nook, I can also download free e-books from the library, either the public domain ones I can keep, or the newer ones that I can borrow.  They check themselves back in, evidently. 
Of course, I get this new contraption, and right away I've loaded it full of Nac Mac Feegles.
Crivens!
What have I done?!  Why, I've purchased and downloaded all the Tiffany Aching stories, that's what I've done!  Books I read the first time from the library, and would like to own, but don't have room to keep.  Now I can own them, and even better, I can find them when I want to read them, and I can even search for certain passages electronically! 
(Hm, for some reason the grammar checker on this program doesn't like the previous paragraph much.  The Feegles must have frightened it!)
(There.  I broke it up.  It likes that much better!)

I shall add some photos of the Nook, and of the quiche I made this evening, and the other Christmas gifts I opened yesterday.  They consist mostly of fitness related games for the Wii.  This is a (probably) vain attempt to get my ever more flabby old body back into some semblance of shape.  If I play the fitness games regularly, and do my time on the treadmill, I may just manage to reign in the mddle aged weight gain.  (I hope!)
All in all this has been a good holiday season for me so far.  (I think Matt has found it enjoyable also.)  It has certainly involved a LOT of consecutive church services!  We more than made up this year for not being together as a congregation last Christmas!  We were at church Friday night, Saturday morning, and again this morning!  I love my church family at St. Paul's, and it was a special joy to be able to spend our Christmas with them again this year.  Every Christmas since 1995, except last year when the snowstorm prevented it.  We also got to spend time with Mike and Nancy Rogers, good friends also of long standing, and always a welcome sight.  I suspect the gift cards they gave us are going to be consumed by the wee electronic book devices. 

That is about all my still somewhat sleep deprived brain can come up with this time out.  As you can see, I was busier this season than I thought I would be, so I didn't make it with the daily gratitude posts.  But I am grateful for the people who make it worthwhile to celebrate.  For friends and coworkers and family.  All of you are treasures, and I try to keep you close in my heart.

Advent Day 14: Today I am Thankful for Books

As you can see, books are pretty important around here.  I have four that I am reading right now.  The items in the bookshelves actually belong to us.  There are LOTS more books in Matt's office.  Books provide inspiration, entertainment, escape, knowledge, guidance, and just plain fun.  All of the books I am currently reading are checked out of the library where I work.  I deal with books several hours a day.  Still, I love books.  I may eventually obtain an e-reader, simply because I fear that actual books may no longer be printed.  I LOVE the feel of books, the heft of them, the fact that they do not require batteries, the fact that my cookbooks (which collection I did not photograph), can be splashed on with little damage done, provided I clean them off promptly.  (I don't think an electronic device would fare so well.)  Besides, curling up with an electronic device is just not the same as curling up with a book I've had for years and enjoy re-reading. 
Sometimes, I find things stuck in my books that I don't remember putting in them.  They are not always bookmarks, but sometimes just something I got out of the mail the day I happened to be reading that book. 
There are sometimes things left in library books.  The most unusual one I ever came across was a car payment, all stamped and ready to mail.  We called the customer and asked if they wanted us to go ahead and mail it, and they did, so we dropped it in with our outgoing mail.  I try to not leave things in the library's books. 
I cannot believe how fast Advent is going this year, and I don't know how I'm going to get all my library books read in time.  There are still cookies to be made, packages to be mailed, and gifts to be wrapped.  Most of all, there is still the need to stop and reflect on the meaning of the season, and the things that are in my life that mean the most. 

Advent Day 13 - Today I am Grateful for Our Little Traditions

We have a few little traditions unique to our (very small) family unit.  I usually buy a holiday sweater, and retire by giving away the oldest and/or rattiest of the sweaters.  The ones pictured above are the best ones, and the Cardinal sweater is the newest.  I know, holiday sweaters are much derided, but I taught elementary school, and worked in a preschool before that, so I have a love of things like that, and that will probably never change!
Another tradition Matt and I began when we were married is to buy at least one (often two)  Hallmark ornament(s) every year.  (Some years we haven't been able to , and we bought or made an ornament those years)  This year's Hallmark ornaments are Father Christmas, shown in the last picture above, and The Eastern Bluebird, shown in the picture immediately above that.  This year, the annually purchased ornaments, 27 Christmases worth, plus a few special ones, are the only ornaments on the tree.  Among the special ones are the two made by Julia DuBreuil, a friend and coworker.  She has made ornaments and pins for some of us on the staff most years.  These are the two most recent, and they are always going to be on our tree.  Julie is very talented, and very generous to share her art with us.
As is traditional, Skye had to be chased away from the tree several times while I was working on it.  I have several soda cans with pennies inside, taped shut, and ready to throw at her if she gets too nosy about the tree.   We usually only have to put the cans on the piano, and she won't get to the tree, because the cans fall off and make noise and scare her.
I will post more photos of the tree, our stockings and the Christmas Eve dinner.  The dinner is the same every year:  Matt's brown sugar glazed ham, Betty Crocker Au Gratin potatoes, sweet potato balls, my Aunt Clara's baked beans, Mom's rolls, and for dessert, pumpkin pie and chocolate angel pie.   This is just what we started out doing every year, and it has pretty much stuck.  It makes for easy to reheat leftovers.

While decorating the tree, I could tell Pop was around because when I had my moments of the multi-focal lenses in my glasses driving me nuts, or my fingers not cooperating with the little ornament hooks, I swear I heard him say "You're as bad as I am, Katie Didder. You remember what your Mommy Mo told you about my magic words, now.  They backfire if you use them!"
Pop would be hanging around here right now for sure.  Matt is smoking a pork butt tonight.  Going to be some good eatin' around here tomorrow evening!  (We are taking  most of it to a party, so we won't be gorging on it and gaining all kinds of weight.)
Guess that's about all for this post.  I haven't had much time to think, let alone write this week. 

Advent Day 9 : Today I am Grateful For Warm Things

Today has been a very cold day.  Had to wear my thermals under the workout wear to walk the dog this morning.  The dog was limping, even though he was anxious to be out and about, because the cold got to his stiff and achy joints. 
One of the first things I did upon returning home was make a small pot of coffee.  The nice, hot coffee warmed me up and of course it helped keep me awake. 
One of the next things I did was put on a nice, soft fleece shirt.  I've been wearing it all day.  Keeps me toasty if I don't sit still too long.
My coat came in handy when I went for my voice lesson and when I went out again later.  Also, when Matt came home, he made barbecue soup, which was perfect for this very cold day.
I sat and did a little reading after dinner, and during that time, I had a nice, warm cat on my lap.  After I fed the cat and the dog, I turned on the electric mattress pad on our bed so it would be nice and toasty when we crawl in.  The cat likes to curl up between the pillows I stack on top and sleep until we get ready for bed.  She then sleeps between us, where she can best pin down the covers over both of us.  (Making it difficult to move.)
I was thinking about all these warm things I have to help me make it through a cold day, and remembering as I set up the manger that Jesus didn't have much to keep him warm, and even in that climate, nights are cold.  The animals in that stable surely provided some warmth, but to quote an old movie "Boy, that's not all!" 
Many children in the world today don't have enough to keep them warm.  Physically in some cases, emotionally in others.  I want to try to do what I can to help keep others warm.  Maybe donate to a charity that will give them something to keep their body warm, and maybe smile a bit more and be kinder to help warm their hearts. 
The pictures above are our manger that we set up every year.  We purchased  it at the Base Exchange at Rhein-Main Air Base.  It was the last one, and didn't have the right box.  We are still using the one they gave us to carry it home in. ( That was probably in 1989.  )  For those of you not from liturgical traditions, you may be wondering why Baby Jesus isn't in the manger.  Simple.  We are still waiting for him to get here.  He gets here on Christmas Eve, and that's when he goes in the manger.  (Right now, as you can see, He is resting comfortably  upside down in a shot glass in the drawer in the wine cabinet in our living room.  Yes, that is a little weird.  But hey, we never forget where he is!)

Second Week of Advent: Advent Day 8: Today I am Thankful For My Childhood Memories

As I get ready for another Christmas, I think a lot about the people who made Christmas special for me over the years.  I was very lucky, I grew up in a very traditional, very loving family.  Christmas was Pop's favorite holiday.  That first picture is my Pop in front of the fireplace mantle that he built in our house in Compton, CA.  This was the year of my first Christmas, when I was 10 months old.  (And I said my first word: "Pretty!" for the Christmas tree.)  My brother Walt made all these photos.  He was 12 the year I was born. 

The second photo is my Mom, my sister Susie holding me, and my biggest brother, Butch.  This was in our side yard in Compton, by the avocado tree.  I feel like I had extra parents more than siblings.  Let's just say I had plenty of supervision while growing up.

The third photo is Ernie, who lived next door with his wife Blanche.  Their last name was Craig.  They were some of many older neighbors who functioned kind of like extra grandparents for me.  The Oelkers, who lived down the road, owned a dairy.  They were lots of fun to visit because I got to see the cows. Ernie and Blanche sent me postcards from every place they traveled to.  I kept those for years, and I think I only parted with them when we moved to Europe in 1989.  There was Nelda McGinn who lived next door, who entertained me for hours with her stories and her zither and her songs.  She was very special to me, and I miss her still.  I would love to have been able to tell her about Germany when we lived there, and it would have been fun to tell the Oelkers about it too.  (They were German.) 
The last photo is my Pop, my Uncle Dick, and Aunt Clara.  Uncle Dick was Pop's older brother.  He also really loved Christmas, and every year we had Christmas Eve with him and Aunt Clara, and all the cousins.  Uncle Dick was one of the few people I have ever known who could really be said to be jolly, especially around little kids.  He loved me a lot, I know that.  I miss him so much, even now.  He and Pop were like little kids themselves at Christmas.  Their excitement and joy rubbed off on all of us.  The year Uncle Dick died was hard on all of us, but especially Pop.  Christmas just wasn't the same without Uncle Dick.  (I used to half suspect that he was Santa Claus.  He would have made a good one, even though he didn't have a beard.)
Of course, I miss my Pop most of all.  I was his baby girl, and I was spoiled accordingly.  One reason I haven't put the tree up yet is that I know I need time to do it right, which means waiting to feel Pop's presence around me to supervise, like he always did when I was 10 or so, and first helped him put up the tree.  Every year, even lately, I have felt Pop near, have almost heard his voice when trying to decide where to put ornaments, or adjusting the garland. 
I also remember him when I bake the pies, when Matt slices the ham, when I wrap presents, always remembering how he used to wrap extra stuff in the box to throw us off if we shook our packages. 
Of course I remember Mom when I do the baking and make the fudge every year.  Mom is still with us, but she lives far away, and so I must settle for calling her on the phone to ask about the finer points of making the infamous chocolate pie, or how to tell if the fudge has cooked enough. My rolls never do come out quite as good as hers, though.  I think I don't let them rise long enough, and perhaps our kitchen is a bit too cool for them, as we keep the heat low to compensate for all the work we are doing in there!
The musical memories of Christmas for me are many.  I've been singing in church every year since I was tiny.  These days the caliber of music I get to sing is much better than what I once sang, but I still remember all those pageants with joy.  I listen to Bing Crosby's Christmas album, and Andy Williams, because Mom always played those while we decorated cookies.  I have yet to find the Doris Day Christmas Album like Mom had.  Once I do, I will have all my childhood auditory memories of Christmas!
I never realized when I was little how very lucky I was to have such a family.  It felt normal to me, and yet, it seems it was all too rare to have a family that always gathered more or less harmoniously for holidays.  We did also go to church, on Sundays and during the holidays.  As a family.  You didn't get out of going to church until you moved out on your own.  Live in Pop's house, go to church.  Those were the rules. I suppose because of that, I feel totally lost if I am not a part of a church family.  I am also thankful to have found St Paul's here in Oklahoma.  I still have an extended family to see at Christmas, and every Sunday thanks to St.Paul's. 
I do seem to remember having to wait rather impatiently a couple of Christmases for Walt to get up before I could  open my presents or see what was in my stocking.  Well, he WAS a teenager then, and you know how hard it is for teens to wake up.
So, though it is easy to feel like a grinch this time of year with all the crass consumerism going on, I am still able to see magic and wonder and feel love and goodwill, thanks to the early training I got from my family.
Merry Christmas, Pop.  I'll be expecting your help when I get around to putting the tree up. Uncle Dick and Aunt Clara, you can drop by any time.  I wish I could give each of you a big hug for Christmas like I used to.

Butch, Susie, Walt, and especially Mom, you know I love you.  I always have.  You guys very much WERE my world for a lot of years. Thanks for putting up with me.

Advent Day 7: Today I am thankful for my friends.

A lot of today was spent in preparation for an evening with two of our good friends:  Mike and Nancy Rogers.  We get together pretty much every week during football season to watch the OU games and share good food and fellowship.  We have known Mike and Nancy since 1995, when we started singing in the choir at St. Paul's.  Over the years we have had lots of fun together going to movies and on day trips and watching football and cooking together.  (I swear, I cannot have a party without Nancy.  Not only would I miss her company, but she is always so willing to help.  She keeps me organized and helps keep the kitchen going.)
We also have some old friends on face book that are friends we met in Germany when we were stationed at Rhein-Main.  Rich and Stephanie Rosenfeld, and their son David shared many fun afternoons and evenings with us watching old Allo, Allo episodes and talking and laughing and sharing stories.  We don't see the Rosenfelds much anymore, since they live in Texas, but we do keep up on face book, and Rich shares his sense of humor regularly there. 
Friends like these are true treasures.  Mike and Nancy have been there for us when we really needed help, and we have done our best to be there for them.  Likewise, Rich and Stephanie were always there.  They are still constant in their care for us.  We also keep them in our prayers.  I truly hope that we return at least as much love and care to all these good friends as they have shared with us over the years. 
Friends are the family you choose for yourself.  I think we have chosen wisely.  I am thankful for the years of shared experiences and history and caring we have.
I am also grateful for all the new friends and the old friends I have been able to find and keep up with on face book.  I have met most of them in person, but some are friends I know from years-long email correspondence.  I lost one such friend earlier this year.  Christi Mead Nielson left this world due to complications after a surgery.  I still miss her name in my inbox, and her comments on face book.  She was witty and caring, and also a major Nebraska Cornhuskers fan.  (Since Mike and Nancy are OU alums, and Matt works for OU, we tend to have different loyalties where football is concerned!)  I thought of Chris a lot tonight during the game.  I can't help but think that she was there, and as much on pins and needles as we all were, watching that very closely matched game.  Every time Nebraska scored, even though it was bad for OU, I was happy for Chris.  I told Nancy that it wasn't fair, really.  Nebraska has an angel cheering them on.
I have a sampler on my living room wall that says "Make new friends, but keep the old.  Those are silver, these are gold.  New made friendships, like new wine, age will mellow and refine."  It is true.  The best friends are old friends, but new friends can add to the richness of life.  I hope to keep all my old friends, even if, like Chris, I someday have to keep them only in my heart.

Take good care, all of you, of yourselves.  You are important to me.
Above is a picture of my cat, and Nancy and Mike Rogers who prove that true friends will even put up with your Ubiquitous Cat.  (Madame Skye, who seemed to be everywhere and into everything today.)

Advent Journal - Day 6 : Today I Am Greatful For Music

Music has always been a part of my life.  I fell in love with singing at Sunday School.  I have been in church choirs since the age of 5.  I took piano lessons for 10 years.  I never got very good at playing because I never practiced enough.  My real motivation was to learn to read music.  (And that is easier when you have an instrument like the piano to relate to.) 
I take voice lessons now.  I have for more than eight years now.  There is always something new to learn about a voice, especially your own.  I have discovered a depth of  sound that I never thought I could produce.  The technique isn't easy when you are learning it, but the results are worth the hard work!  (And it IS work to sing well, it only LOOKS effortless.)

So many songs run through my head all the time.  When I am fretting over something, I will often hear the refrain of an old hymn running through my mind.  Usually,, it is very appropriate to what I am fretting about, and usually, it makes me feel better.  I call that phenomenon Holy Spirit Radio.  The Spirit supplies the message I need to hear by sticking a hymn in my brain. 
Whatever anthem we are working on in choir that seems to need attention, I will find that running through my head a lot, also.  There are arias I have worked on that continuously show up.  Non Mi Dir, Deh Viene Non Tardar, Les Oiseaux, , the Trees on the Mountain, to name a few.  My head seems to constantly have music playing somewhere in the back ground.  Strangely enough, I don't listen to music much at home any more.  Perhaps it is because the world at large is so full of sound that I like a bit of quiet at home, or perhaps it is just too difficult to decide what I want to listen to when there are SO many choices in my collection.
Music can set a mood, it can lift spirits, it can get people moving, or it can lull them to sleep.  Music can be a cultural identifier.  (Bagpipe music, for instance.  You know immediately that there are Scots around!) 
Singing means so much to me.  I feel I can get lost in the music, become part of the sound, my whole being is an instrument.  To sing well, it makes me feel alive!  That is why I get so testy when I have a cold and lose my voice.  I NEED to sing! (Also, I think about the progress I have made in recent lessons, and fret over the lost ground that will need to be made up when the voice is back enough to use.)  I am always praying that I don't catch a cold close to a singing occasion.  So, I better not have a cold anytime in the next two months!  I have choir every Sunday, an Evensong AND a recital on the 19th, then of course the special Christmas services, and then there is a special Evensong in January.  I really need my voice to be here and in good shape until all that is over.  If I can]t practice, I won't perform well, and I really would rather perform at my best.

I am so grateful for music, for all the composers and lyricists, for all the musicians over the centuries that have made the very air rejoice with the sound of their music!
The ladies in the photo above are from the Handbell Choir at St. Andrew's Catholic Church in Moore, OK.

Advent Day 5 - Today I am Thankful for my Husband

Today, more decorations went up around the house, and the cat snoozed through it. 

Today, in thinking about what I have to be thankful for this Advent, I thought how fortunate I am to have my husband.  Matt and I have been married for more than 26 years now, and it is still a very good thing to be married.  Matt is my best friend, the one who can always make me laugh, the one who puts up with almost ALL of my crap.  He's the one who expects the best of me, and unlike my parents, doesn't make me feel like pond scum if I miss the mark. 
Matt is a very accomplished person.  He hasn't had as much formal education as I have perhaps, but he has taught himself more than you would expect any human being to be able to master on their own.  He remembers most of whatever he reads, and can pick up new software programs faster than anyone I have ever seen.
A few years ago, Matt had a health scare.  I could have lost him then, but God was merciful, and Matt is able to function pretty much normally.  (Well, as normally as he EVER HAS functioned!)  (We met in a Star Trek fan club.  We are NOT normal!)  Since that time, Matt has had to deal with things that would drive me insane, but he handles it pretty well.  He has gained a lot of weight because he had to take steroids for awhile, and at our age, any weight that shows up almost NEVER leaves, no matter what you do.  (Doesn't help that we both love to cook and eat!)
Matt has such incredible focus when he is involved in a project.  I can never stick with something that intensely.  I wander off and do something else for awhile.  Sometimes his focus borders on obsession, but I have my own obsessive behaviors, so I really can't complain TOO much. 
We have a very nice life together, Matt and I.  We share so many interests:  music, cooking, gardening, our faith, and our friends. 
I'll tell you another reason I am so grateful to have Matt in my life.  He was fully prepared to cook dinner this evening.  I had something easy planned, and he agreed that he wanted to eat that, too, so I guess he'll get to make me a late supper tomorrow when I get back from the Gala at the library. 
Oh, yes.  He also puts up with all my Advent decorating and other projects, even the ones that make work for him.  (Like hanging up the outdoor lights.)

Day 4 - I am thankful for my church

I started to write about music today, but instead things have been bringing my thoughts back more specifically to my church.  Matt and I are in the Cathedral Choir at St. Paul's.  Have been since July of 1995.  Matt sings Baritone/Bass, and I sing first Soprano.  That's a lot of years of liturgy and song.  A lot of years with most of the same people week in and week out.  They are like family, and indeed, we spend all our major holidays with them! 
The choir is a wonderful group of people, but the whole church family is that way at St. Paul's. 

I was reminded of this again today when the Friends of the Library representative was asking the name of the man playing Santa at our Gala this year.  It is a gentleman who has been a member of St. Paul's FAR longer than we have.  He grew up in the parish.  He will make an excellent Santa, as he is kind, and usually of cheerful mien, and he is, well, round.  I called the church office to confirm the correct spelling of this gentleman's name so the Friends could get a little token of appreciation for him.  (That was our Friends lady's mission at the library today.) 
That our church, even though the parish is 10 miles away in Oklahoma City, could touch so many lives right here in Moore, is very telling.  Not only is the love in our church abundant, but the size of this metropolitan area is largely an illusion.  There are ties of friendship and kinship all over this area. 
I have written essays about St. Paul's in the aftermath of the Murrah Building Bombing.  Those can be found on my Face Book notes, if you are on my friends list.  It is still very true that love is in the very buildings there.  So many years of liturgy, song, and prayer.  Caring for one another and worshiping together, and praying for one another year after year, we and our predecessors have sanctified that place. 
Tonight we go to choir rehearsal, once more with our choir family, preparing to enrich worship for our larger church family.  Some weeks, rehearsal is difficult, because I am tired, and my voice isn't at its best, but usually the music Scott chooses makes the cares of the day go away.  The texts and settings we sing are beautiful and challenging, both musically and spiritually.  What seemed like a chore often becomes a very uplifting experience.
My Advent prayer for you is that you have a spiritual home as loving and as satisfying for you as St. Paul's is for Matt and myself.  (If you have a chance, come visit.  Corner of 7th and Robinson, downtown OKC.  Sunday services are at 9 and 11.  See our website www.stpaulsokc.org.)

Day 3 - Today I am Thankful For My Community

So many things go on behind the scenes, and often in plain sight, to keep a community going.  You may see the trash trucks going around, maybe even are annoyed if they come early enough to wake you up.  Your mail appears day after day, you turn on the faucet and there is clean water, the waste water all goes off to be treated and sent safely back into the environment.  You have streets and maybe sidewalks to use, there are traffic signals so you can be safer on the road, there are public buildings (like your library!) that you can use, and if you have an emergency, you know you can count on help from firefighters, police officers and/or ambulance crews.
There are legions of people, some visible, some not so visible that make all these things we take for granted possible.  I am very grateful to all those who work so hard so that the rest of us can have a pleasant community to live in.
Equally important are the  people who keep the whole thing running by being responsible to make the decisions on how tax dollars are spent, by voting on behalf of us to determine the best way to keep the community going.  These people are our elected officials, and in some cases, government employees.  We often forget about our city council members, our mayor, our state representatives, even our federal representatives when elections are over.  (Or unless something happens that makes us angry)  I try to let my elected officials know that I appreciate the job they are doing.  Especially our Mayor, Council, and City manager here in Moore.  They have done a LOT for this community in the last few years.
So for today, let me say thanks to a few of them I know: 
From our City Council:  Kathy McMillan,  our city manager, Steve Eddy, Our Mayor Glen Lewis, Our Building Maintenance folks:  Greg, Mark and Callie.  Our sanitation workers- We seem to have a different crew all the time lately, but they all do a good job.
From our police department:  Ted, Jerry, and Daniel. 
Thanks to our postal carriers, both the regular route person out here, and our library route person.
 Thanks to the firefighters- guys, we will miss having you hang out next door at the community center now that they are building you your own gym...
Thanks to all the city crews who keep the sewers running, the water flowing, and the traffic signals working.  Thanks to the road crews who keep an eye on street problems.
And thanks to all the store clerks, newspaper carriers, UPS and FedEx drivers who contribute to the working of the community.
I feel very fortunate to live in a major metropolitan area that still feels like a small town.  This is due in part to the professionalism and attention to detail of our city government and its employees.   It is also due to the overall kindness and good nature of most folks around here. 

If you see me out around town, and think I look familiar, smile and say hi, you've probably seen me in the library!

Advent - Day 2 Thankful for my Co-workers

Today I have been baking cookies for a couple of my co-workers.  Last year, I gave everyone at the library a card good for a batch of homemade cookies of their choice.  Some are just now getting around to cashing theirs in.  I have enjoyed making cookies for a specific co-worker each time someone has asked.  It gives me a chance to think about them and about how much they contribute to the joy I have working at the library. 
Our staff is like an extended family.  We all have to put up with each other, day in and day out.  We are fortunate that our staff functions well together.  We are a fun group, we know how to have a good time.  We also know how to jump in and get the work done when the going gets hectic.  It doesn't matter what the job is, someone will do it, whether it's technically their job or not.  We will all take our turn doing the mundane things that need doing.  Nobody gripes about it, either, it's truly amazing.
I really appreciate the attitude of my co-workers,  all of them share a desire to do the absolute best we can to have the best library ever!  We care about our customers, especially our "regulars", and I think they know that.  We will do what it takes to get the information or the book or dvd or audiobook that our customer needs.  (Sometimes this can involve a search of the work area; customers may need a little patience.  Library materials are very good at hiding in plain sight back there!)
The two I am baking for today are technically "substitutes", but they are in the building pretty regularly.  They both work in the other two departments, not in Circulation, where I work.  Still, they have been known to help people check out, to make library cards, even to help empty an overflowing book drop.  They are often the ones searching for needed materials in the back.  We do our best to take time to help, especially if we think we remember seeing the item in question recently.
Reflecting on the eleven years I have been at this job, I can honestly  say that I look forward to seeing my co-workers every day when I go in.  The building itself feels welcoming, and I think that is because of the positive spirit of the people I work with.
As we prepare for the holiday season, the library is decorated by the staff for the occasion.  (I missed out this year because we had other obligations.)  It is amazing what that group of people can do in only a couple of hours.  Here at home, Christmas trickles in a few decorations at a time.  Yesterday, the Advent wreath, today some towels  and the wreath on the door. 
Step by step.  Day by day.  Just like we get through the work day in easy times and in busy ones. 

Thanks, my fellow staffers, for being such a wonderful bunch of positive, helpful and inspiring people.

Advent 2010 - Day One

On this first day of Advent, the season of preparation for the arrival of the Christ Child, we were unable to go and worship with our church family. Matthew was ill with a sinus problem that we are afraid might be contagious, and I don't know if I might also be contagious and just not have symptoms. SO, our Advent is not starting out on a very positive note.

All that aside, my thought for the weeks leading up to Christmas was to write about something every day, if I can, that I am grateful for.
Today I am grateful for the characters in my life. These are the people who have left a big impression with their humor, their willingness to just be themselves, and their unique view of life.
The first real character that comes to mind is Nellie Holmes. This great lady was in her 90s and could still shoot a gopher across her back garden with a .22 pistol! (She NEVER missed!) She could quilt, can and cook with the best of them, but she really knew how to have fun. When I got to stay with her and her sister Maude when my folks wanted an evening out, Nellie used to make popcorn on the stovetop, and Maude would make orangeade. We would then either watch an old movie on tv, or we'd work on knitting or sewing projects and watch an old movie on tv. Nellie lived to be almost 100 years old, and stayed pretty spry almost to the end. She had many funny stories about her life, and how she learned to be such a good shot. (Her husband's job took them out of the country a lot, and into areas that were not particularly friendly to Americans.)
The second character that comes to mind is Miss Hunter, my sixth grade teacher. This lady had rheumatoid arthritis, and was often in pain. She still managed to be an excellent teacher. She had great dignity, and commanded our respect. (NOT an easy thing to get from 12 year olds!) She also had a great sense of humor and fun, and often made our lessons a great deal of fun for us. When some of us proved to be a bit slow at our basic addition facts, she came up with a sneaky way to encourage us to add faster. She told us she was going to Vegas on vacation and needed to practice her Blackjack. She taught us to play, and if you consider the game, being able to add quickly and make decisions based on what you see showing is the main skill in the game. She got us going and kept saying, "You have to add faster, girls, or you won't ever win!" Only later did my friend and I realize what she was really up to. She taught the whole class about statistics during the World Series. She brought her radio, and we listened to parts of the games, and she taught us to keep a score sheet, and she showed us how to find the scores and stats in the sports section of the newspaper to get the stats we missed because we couldn't listen to the whole game. (We could also check our work) She encouraged us to read the newspaper and to bring in stories that interested us to share. We discussed all kinds of news and sports and entertainment stories in that class. We also learned to be critical thinkers, to evaluate what we read and to compare information between news sources. (A skill sadly not taught, but even more important in this information-soaked age.)
The last character I'd like to talk about is someone I just finished writing a Christmas card to. Molly Manchester, a neighbor of ours when we were first married and lived in San Bernardino, CA. (DOWNTOWN San Bernardino!) Molly was living across the street from us where she cared for her grandma who had dementia. (Grandma used to get upset about all those people on the tv. "We don't have enough food in the house to feed all those people" she'd say, and want to take off for the store.) Molly had cats, and we had cats, and we used to sit on the front stoop and talk once in a while. Molly always got excited about the UPS truck coming up the street, and in jest, would say "Darn you, why didn't you stop here?!" when he went by without stopping. To this day, I think of Molly when the truck zooms up the street to someone else's house. Now, next door to us lived a couple that often had rather spectacular and LOUD arguments. They often "shared" them with the whole neighborhood. (Meaning you'd have to be stone deaf not to hear them!) Far as I know, they only ever hollered at each other, but they would bring it out into the front yard now and again. Molly used to pop popcorn and sit on the stoop to watch. When she thought perhaps they should be reminded that they were in public, she'd holler "Hey, you used that argument already. Think up something new!" They'd usually look surprised to realize they were outside, and would both stomp back in the house.
I am glad to report that last I heard, Molly was doing fine, living in a new neighborhood, and driving a school bus. (Grandma passed away peacefully several years ago.) She still has cats, and so do we, so Christmas card notes are often an exchange of cat hijinks.
At any rate, as we prepare for the coming of Christmas, I have lighted the first Advent candle, and I give thanks for all the characters who have enriched my life. I meet new ones all the time!

Where Is All the Time Going?

Ever have a day when you feel as old as Methuselah, and wonder how you got that way? I've been having several of those lately.
Kids who were just babies the last time I saw them are now grown adults. Doesn't feel like it was that long ago that I was watching them toddle around testing out their new mobility skills. Soon they'll be having their own babies.
My folks always told me to appreciate time while I had it, all too soon it will start slipping away, days passing so quickly that you scarcely remember them. At the time, I was just impatient for Christmas to hurry up and get here already, or for school to be out so I could sleep in and play late.
It is always hard to admit that your parents were right. These days, whole years fly by, and I wonder where they went. I still feel pretty much the same as always. but the face in the mirror looks like an old lady. (Let's not even talk about the spider veins in my legs and the skin on my arms where I have had too many farmer tans and too many mosquito bites.)
Also, I feel like I never get anything done anymore. There are always other demands on my time that keep me from getting my projects done. I never get to knit, or sew, or crochet, or do any craft projects anymore. I get to bake, but usually there is an urgent purpose behind it, and it isn't relaxing anymore. It's just one more demand on my time. I never even get to clean the house as often as I would LIKE to because I have other things I have to do. I do take time to read, but then feel guilty because things like the cleaning, or journal writing, or voice practice, or my poetry workbook are not getting done.
I have no aha! moment to share from this realization that my life is slipping away while I'm busy doing "other things". The only wisdom I can glean from it is that priorities must be set on how time is spent. My work for church is important, my job is important, because it is a vocation as much as it is a part-time job, my husband and our pets are important, perhaps most important, because they are my immediate family. My time on social media is not entirely wasted, because that is where I catch up with some of those toddlers who have grown up while I was busy elsewhere. It is also where I keep up with cherished friends near and far. Just about everyone on my "friends" list is someone I have met face to face. Exceptions are the email list friends that I have had for YEARS, and I have met a few of them in person, also.
There are also days when one just needs a little "puttering" time, time to do nothing much, time to ponder the mysteries of life and see if any new insight may be gleaned. That is what I try to do at least once in awhile. Unfortunately, today doesn't seem to have yielded anything profound, and now that my husband is up and stirring, I have to go do my Saturday chores.

How gardens get overgrown

When the first warm breath of Spring air hits, I, like many others, am drawn back into the garden to clean up, to plant and to dream of a bloom and fruit or vegetable filled summer.
All too often, the best laid plans of home gardeners go awry.
This happens for a number of reasons. Some people truly do not realize the workload they are setting themselves up for, and their enthusiasm overcomes good judgment as far as how much to plant.
Others are just too easily distracted, especially since gardening can be serious physical labor.

Myself, the heat is what gets to me here in Oklahoma. I have no problem doing the weeding and deadheading necessary to keep a garden happy if only I had time to do it when the average temperature was below 90 and the humidity at less than jungle strength. I try to break the weeding down into smaller bits, but this is our busy time at work, and I come home too worn out to want to work out in the hot, oppressive air. (And it usually works out that I have other obligations when the temperature might be less daunting.)

This year, so far, I am doing better. I remind myself that slaving away in the flower beds and vegetable beds counts as exercise on my NutriMirror diet/exercise/weightloss tracking website.
Right now, I do have a list of things that need to be done sometime in the next few days. There are the dianthus that need to be dead-headed, there are numerous weeds in the front flower beds that need to be evicted, the vegetables and roses will need to be fed and insect-sprayed again on Monday or Tuesday. There's a branch on the Pin Oak that hangs too low, it needs to be removed.
I do have some nice plants going so far.

The photo shows my metal bunny statue in the herb bed. He has parsley and thyme and oregano and a volunteer pansy to keep him company.
The best part of gardening is being able to enjoy the beauty (and the fresh veggies and herbs!) that your work creates. I often dread the work, but it is surely worth it.

Of Winter and Weight Gain

I have discovered that there is no way I will reach even my amended weight goal by my birthday. I have managed to keep at least 10 pounds off from what I was when I started.
The problem comes in that winter makes me hungry and keeps me from exercising. There have been several days already this year that we have been snowed in, and I couldn't do much of anything but sit around and eat. I also bake and cook and eat. Too icy to walk outside with the dog, and the treadmill gets really old after awhile.
Then I do things like make this fabulous chocolate cake I have in the works tonight just because I feel like it. At least I did my workout this morning!
The gray skies and unending precipitation are really getting me down . I could do with a little less ice and snow, thank you. At least dog and I can walk even if it's cold, IF the sidewalks are clear!

A Good Project for Someone, Not Me.

Since watching Julie and Julia, I have wondered if anyone ever tackled The Joy of Cooking in the same way Julie tackled Mastering the Art of French Cooking. It would be a pretty big task, to cook your way through that one. I have two editions of it, and I know there are likely a couple before and a couple between the two I have. It is a project I wouldn't have the patience for. These days my mind wanders off in search of new amusements more quickly than it used to. Some things get picked up again later, others not so much.
There is the knitting project I have been working on for more than two years now. It is a shawl, but I just can't seem to finish it. It goes on, and on, and on.
There is a cross-stitch project that is partway done, and I have taken it off the frame because it was getting dusty sitting there. There are nine or ten finished projects on the walls of the house. I CAN finish things, I just don't get there as easily the older I get.
So, cooking my way through an 849 page cookbook doesn't sound like something I could keep up with. Anybody else trying it? I'll have to Google search and find out. On the other hand, there is an entire section on cocktails. THAT might be interesting! (Most of the time the only alcohol I use for drinking is wine and the occasional dram of Scotch. The rest is for cooking with!)

If anyone reads this and has tried the challenge, let me know. I'd love to hear about it.
On other topics: I am currently reading My Stroke of Insight by Jill Bolte Taylor. It is fascinating to read her own observations of what happened, how people treated her, how she determined the best way to work her way back, and the insight she gained in the process. I am still less than halfway through the book. The other reading project I have undertaken is Secret Ingredients, a collection of writings on food from the New Yorker. Only barely started on that one.
As always, other obligations are calling me away from this blog. Hope to be a more consistent blogger in the future.