Rev Gal Blog Pals Friday Five - Muggle version

So today's F5 is a Choose Your Own Adventure: do the magical version or the Muggle one, or both:

1. Former U.S. First Lady "Lady Bird" Johnson died this week. In honor of her love of the land and the environment, share your favorite flower or wildflower.

Has to be the plain white daisy. We used to stop the car and pick big bouquets along the side of the road. They don't grow like that around where I live now. We have sunflowers here. I tried picking those once, and ended up with yellow pollen covering everything in my car and office, including my clothing.

For domesticated flowers, I love lilacs - on the bush or cut and in a vase. I love the smell.

2. A man flew almost 200 miles in a lawn chair, held aloft by helium balloons. Share something zany you'd like to try someday.
I tend to be fairly risk averse. Extreme for me is the fact that at 45 years old I ride a scooter. I've wrecked twice, but with gas at >$3/gallon I really appreciate the 80+ mpg. Anyway, I would love to do a camping road trip on my scooter. A scooter acquaintance of mine, twenty-something female, bought a scooter and rode solo from KC to Utah and back while she still had temporary tags. My husband once did a long motorcycle trip, camping on the way. I planned a bicycle trip when I was in high school, but never did it. I've never done anything so irrational and adventurous - unless you count attending seminary.

3. Do you have an iPhone? If not, would you want one?
I don't need an iPhone. I have a variety of SmartPhone that pretty much does everything that I think the iPhone is supposed to do. It's a PDA, a camera, and an MP3 player. I can surf the web and I can even make phone calls! My only real gripe is that the touch pad for dialing numbers is more difficult than real push buttons might be. It doesn't have GPS, but I don't see the need, either.

4. Speaking of which, Blendtec Blenders put an iPhone in one of their super-duper blenders as part of their "Will It Blend?" series. What would YOU like to see ground up, whizzed up or otherwise pulverized in a blender?
An aircraft black box. They are supposed to be indestructible. I read (or listened to the audiobook) a story once about a man who ate a plane. He was doing fine until he got to the black box and wasn't sure how to proceed. The book is called The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood.

5. According to News of the Weird, a jury in Weld County, Colo., declined to hold Kathleen Ensz accountable for leaving a flier containing her dog's droppings on the doorstep of U.S. Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, apparently agreeing with Ensz that she was merely exercising free speech. What do you think? Is doggy doo-doo protected by the First Amendment?
Seems it would depend on the leash and curbing laws of the area. Most places you can't leave dog feces in public places or on private property other than your own. And a flier, too. Definitely littering. It seems that one could find more culturally appropriate ways to exercise free speech, like by having the flier and dog doo delivered to the person. Much classier.

Another Saturday in Paradise

Steve is about to take the kids swimming. I have a sermon to write. Soon the house will be quiet and I will be able to think. I usually end up writing my sermons during the wee hours of the morning because it is the only time to do so without distractions. Of course, there is always the web, though, if I do need a distraction or procrastination excuse.

We should have been going to piano lessons, but the kids' teacher called last night to cancel. Aaron has a friend over anyway - he's a very nice young man. two and a half years older than Aaron, but they get along so well, he's extremely polite, and therefore, definitely someone that I want my kid to be around.

I finished knitting a shawl this morning and started another one. I also started a purse that I got the pattern for yesterday. I ordered some yarn last week that is supposed to be here Tuesday. My plan for it is a dress. I figure that if I start now, I may actually have a dress to wear for commencement next May.

I have a lot of reading that I want to do. I also have paper that I need to write - or at least rework an old one - before Friday.

I went to the farmer's market this morning and got corn and cabbage and snap peas and peppers. I'm growing peppers on the front porch, and a couple are almost big enough to pick, but I'm hoping to leave them on until they start to turn red, yellow or orange. I think I planted some of each. I think I have some pork steaks in the freezer. We can throw those on the grill with the corn and call it supper tonight. We may go to a fireworks display tonight, but it doesn't start until fairly late, so we'll just have to see. (When I was a kid, and my mother said, "We'll see." that always meant, "No.")

Well, I better get writing. I probably won't get much sleep tonight anyway.

Kim

On Writing

Nope, not the Stephen King book. (Although it is pretty good. I listened to the audiobook back in 2001, shortly after 9/11. I know when it was because I remember that I flew to a conference in Atlanta only one week after the planes were flying again, and I distinctly remember walking about Atlanta listening to that book.)

No, I've been thinking about writing because I need to be writing. I started this blog, thinking that it would encourage me to write. As the sparsity of the posts witnesses to, that hasn't exactly worked.

I've often bought lovely journals thinking that would encourage me. It just never works. I have many lovely journals with three to five pages used and then, nothing.

Of course, I write a sermon every week. That's something, but they are intended for speaking, not reading. It's just not the same (but I must admit, I'm better at talking through thoughts than sorting them on paper).

I've even talked to one of my mentors about journaling. I recognize there is that hand/mind right-brain connection when one writes longhand that just doesn't seem to exist when typing - a very left-brain activity. But then, to capture it for posterity or at least to use pieces later, it needs to be typed. What to do, what to do? Write and retype? Seems too redundant and subject to editing.

One of my parishioners has kept a journal for 50 years. She says she has never lost an argument because everything is in her journals. She can look up the exact date things occurred because she writes everything down. Even phone numbers and addresses end up in her journals.

Yesterday, I got another idea. When I was a teenager, I used to write long, detailed letters to select friends and relatives cataloguing every little thing going on. Usually these were just a method to combat boredom during the summer months, some of it was pure drivel used only to fill space, but as I think back on them, they did a nice job chronicling my life at the time.

SOOOOOO.... my next experiment is to start writing letters - never to be sent - but to keep a record of my thoughts, feelings, activities. If anything is worth keeping, maybe I'll retype it into the blog, or at least a file.

Now, if I can just find some good paper and a new pen.........

"The Cutest Thing Ever"

When I arrived at my son's best friend's house to pick him up earlier this evening, his friend's dad was standing in the driveway and he said to me, "Want to see the cutest thing ever?" As I got out of the car I noticed that he was looking up at the tree next to the driveway. I followed his gaze and this is what I saw:


He said there were four, but the next door neighbor had caught one of them. I said, "They do know that is very illegal and generally a bad idea, don't they?" He said, Yes, but they don't usually listen."

As we stood there watching them, they climbed down the tree and began looking for dogfood in the rocks below.


These pictures aren't great, they're taken with my phone, but I had to have pictures.

They were only about two feet away. I could have reached out and petted one.

Thanks, Bob, for inviting me to see them.

One of those silly blog things

Those of you who know me...This looked pretty accurate. What do you think?

You Have A Type A- Personality

You are one of the most balanced people around Motivated and focused, you are good at getting what you want You rule at success, but success doesn't rule you. When it's playtime, you really know how to kick back Whether it's hanging out with friends or doing something you love! You live life to the fullest - encorporating the best of both worlds

Do You Have a Type A Personality?

Eight Random Facts about Me

Hipchickmamma tagged me so I have to come up with eight random facts. Hmmm…this is difficult, I’m really pretty boring.

1. I play the hammered dulcimer – used to teach, too. I even made a recording back in 1995. Cassettes (what are those?) are still available. One of my first students eventually went on to take first place in the Southern Regional Hammered Dulcimer competition. She came in second at Nationals. She actually has a professionally produced CD - maybe more since I last saw her.

2. I’m very Archie Bunker about my favorite chair at home.

3. I’m addicted to NPR.

4. Everybody knows I knit – a lot. I think more people at seminary know me as “the woman who knits” than by my name.

5. I used to work for a blind nun. It was NOT a spiritual experience.

6. I quit Girl Scouts in eighth grade because one of the leaders said something about my dad that she knew nothing about (and it had to do with religion!)

7. I used to work at a place called American Bottoms in a city best-known for its strip clubs. American Bottoms is a wastewater treatment plant, not a strip club. I once got into a little trouble for giving directions to the plant using the strip clubs and all-night bar as landmarks. What did I know? They were well-known landmarks.

8. I’ve written a couple of songs, but the muse only seems to visit during times of great stress or really bad bosses, and I just haven’t gotten there in recent years.

Now I’m supposed to tag eight other bloggers. I don’t know if I know eight other bloggers that hipchick hasn’t already tagged. I tag Jeff, Mark, Tim, Vivette, Kathy, Suzy and…I’ll get back to you. It's not like any of these will play, though because most are as bad as me about keeping up posting, and the rest don't read my blog.

So there!

Speaking Spanish (parte dos)

My beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter is in Costa Rica right now, attending language school and living with a family there.

She left two weeks ago. She returns this Saturday. I miss her.

Fortunately, she has email and writes from time to time. I know she is okay. Did I mention that I miss her?

She was fighting a rash last week and wasn't feeling challenged in her studies, so she got some hydrocortisone and asked to be moved up to a higher level class. Both seem to be working.

She went hiking in the rainforest with "her family" on Sunday. She says the mountains are incredible. She's going to another rainforest later this week. She thinks she will beat her postcards home. Unless, of course, she sees more mountains and decides that she needs to stay.

I say, "Another time, Eileen. Come home. You're already signed up for driver's ed."

I think I miss her.

Speaking Spanish

I studied Spanish from 7th – 12th grade. In college, I took all of my humanities electives as Hispanic literature courses (taught in Spanish). During my first grad school stint, I hung out with the International Student Association and shared an apartment with a woman from Honduras. I’ve also studied a little bit of French, but am better at reading it than hearing or speaking.

With all this, you’d think I’d be comfortable speaking Spanish. Yet, I have so few opportunities to practice that I get intimidated easily. I recognize that it is the intimidation factor as I become fairly fluent after a couple of beers. I learned this hanging out with the International Student Association and going to their parties. The lowered inhibitions allow me to speak without worrying if I’ve used the right tenses when I speak.

One of my professors who is preparing for an immersion trip to Guatemala, together with a woman from the dean’s office who is originally from Mexico, have begun reserving a room at the seminary on Wednesdays for lunchtime conversation in Spanish. I thought this might be a great opportunity for me to practice in a less threatening venue than the real world, so I went to check it out.

When I entered the room, K. from the dean’s office was there, as were S. – one of my professors this semester, M. another of my professors this semester, and V. – a classmate.

K. spoke Spanish (Of course! She is from Mexico.); S. knew some Italian, having lived 5 years in Rome, but no Spanish; M. was dragged in by S., but had studied Spanish for 3 years in Jr. & Sr. High; and I never quite got V.’s story.

J. – another of my professors this semester and the woman who set it up came in a little late, dragging along KD who we discovered was born in Puerto Rico. I have known him for some time, but was unaware of this tidbit. He always calls me “Cuz” when he sees me, (another story for another time), so when he came in I said, “Eh, Primo.” (Primo is Spanish for cousin.)

As we tried to speak, I could understand nearly everything that K. said in Spanish. I understood most of what KD said as well, although his accent was strange to my ears. S. spoke Italian, and I often understood him (because of similarities to French & Spanish and past attempts to read Italian), and sometimes repeated what he said in Italian back to him in Spanish. M. kept saying in English that he would never again follow S. into a room at lunch, and J. thought carefully about each word before she would say it, and therefore really struggled. She tried, but it was apparent she was working hard. V. did okay speaking, but had more trouble understanding, and she had to leave early to go to another meeting.

K. commented to J. that I speak Spanish very well. I told K. (in Spanish) that I become more fluent after a couple of beers. She responded, “No. Tequila es mejor.” (Tequila is better.) J. caught that and responded, “Not at school!” I responded, “Al otro lado de la calle.” (Across the street!)

K. told (still in Spanish, then in English) how last May her mother had called the office to wish her a happy birthday. She was not in at the time, and the secretary spoke no Spanish, and her mother spoke no English. About that time, J. walked into the office, and tried to speak with her mother, but they couldn’t communicate. Next, S. walked in, and in a mixture of English, Spanish, and Italian, was finally able to let K’s mother know that she wasn’t there.

By this time, we were all laughing really hard at the story, the conversations, the struggling, and M.’s reluctance to ever follow S. to do anything again. It was a lot of fun.

I don’t know about the others, but it was a great confidence builder for me. It was equalizing. Here I was in a room with three of my four professors this semester, and I was more comfortable with the subject matter than they. Our roles were reversed; I was instructing and they were learning.

And I continue to learn about self-image and the walls we build around ourselves. I don’t see myself as a person with a lot of walls, yet just last week I declined informing some folks looking for speakers of languages other than English that I knew Spanish. I know there are better speakers than I on campus, and I lack the confidence to place myself in the role of a translator. Maybe I need to reconsider. Perhaps I need to see it as an opportunity to hone my skills further. Maybe I need to take a little journey outside of my comfort zone.

Hasta luego,
Kim

Lunch with an old friend...

A few months back, I received a phone call from a friend from college. It's silly, really, his family lives here in town; I hung out with him and his wife in college - even sang at their wedding - yet I hadn't talked to them in YEARS! They even have kids the same ages as our kids! When we were planning our barnraising, I had an old email address, so I invited them. Surprisingly, the email address was still good, and Rob called me up to decline the invitation. But in the process we discovered that we work next-door to each other. Today, we met at the deli across the street.

Rob is a full colonel in the Army Reserve. He has spent a number of tours in Bosnia, and was in Iraq for a year. When we saw him last, he had just bought an airplane kit. Turns out that he has finished the plane and began flying it this month. Here's his site: Rob's plane .

It's so nice to catch up. We've all changed a lot, but really not so much. I saw pix of his kids. His daughter looks just like his wife. I forgot to bring pix of mine, so maybe next time.

Nothing particularly profound about this. Just felt like sharing. Later....

You Are A Fig Tree

You are very independent and strong minded. A hard worker when you want to be, you play hard too. You are honest and loyal. You hate contradiction or arguments. You love life, and you live for your friends, children, and animals. A great sense of humor, artistic talent, and intelligence are all gifts you possess.

What's Your Celtic Horoscope?

Back to School Meme

1. What is your earliest memory of school?
Walking to school with my cousin Jimmy. My sister was the same age as Jimmy, but she refused to be seen with me. Jimmy actually introduced me to his friends and was very cool about his baby cousin.

2. Who was a favorite teacher in your early education?
My fourth grade teacher Mr. Hay was profound influence. He really cared about kids. I visited him every year while still in school, and many times after as an adult. I invited him to our ten year highschool reunion picnic, and when he showed up, he drew a crowd among my classmates. We all loved Mr. Hay. On the day we got lots of snow and school wasn't cancelled, we worked together as a class to build an eight-foot snowman on the playground. We had a class picnic at my best-friend's family farm. He encouraged us to write with weekly creative writing assignments. He read scary books to us in a sinister voice. He made us excited about math and science.

3. What do you remember about school “back then” that is different from what you know about schools now?
We NEVER had snow days! The first snow day we ever had was when I was a junior in high school. It just happened to be the same day as the funeral of the school board president's wife which was very well-attended. To this day, I believe that had more to do with the snow day than the snow did.

4. Did you have to memorize in school? If so, share a poem or song you learned.
2nd grade:
If Nancy Hanks came back as a ghost,
Seeking news of whom she loved most,
She'd ask first, "Where's my son?
What's happened to Abe? What's he done?"
That's all I remember. We had to memorize lots of pieces of the Courtship of Miles Standish in 7th grade, but that's all gone now.

5. Did you ever get in trouble at school? Were there any embarrassing moments you can share?
Never really got into any trouble. I was a good kid that everyone went out of their way to smooth the path for. I was very fortunate.

Once, while playing soccer with the boys at lunch, I was running along and my pants fell down. I stopped, pulled them up, and kept going, glancing around to see if anyone noticed. NO ONE DID! (Or at least nobody said anything...) One of those potentially embarassing moments from which I was saved.

Precious memories, how they linger!

Still waiting on the doors and roof, but definitely making progress!

Barn Building

Much of July and August has been spent building a barn! We had an old fashioned barn-raising on July 29, the day before Steve left for a week at Scout camp. Here's a picture from the barn raising. The guy in the pink shirt and the large white hat is my brother-in-law Daniel. My husband Steve is behind him, next to the guy in the white baseball cap.

We purchased a roast pig to serve to the 50 or so folks that came to help with the barn-raising. It was really pretty amazing. We invited people, and they showed up in droves! There were people from both of my new churches, friends from our home church, people from both mine and Steve's workplaces, and neighbors. A real community spirit prevailed. The people that we bought the timber-frame kit from didn't think that the barn could be raised without a crane, but we proved them wrong in short order. It was an exciting and joyful experience. Some people came just to watch, but they were the cheerleading section. Daniel chided them saying they should be chanting, "Rah, Rah, Team! Lift that BEAM!" More pictures from the day and before can be found at http://share.shutterfly.com/action/welcome?sid=0AasWTJm3YsmLqQ

During the next few weeks, the carpenters made great progress. Here are some before and after pictures from before and after my trip to Chicago. I've tried to get more or less the same angle on the pix.

More to come....(Blogger isn't letting me load all of them into one post.)

RevGalBlogPals Friday Five Musical edition

1. Describe the last play or musical you saw. (At least provide the what, when, where, and why). What was your opinion of it?
I went with my UMW circle from church to see "Menopause." The music was fun and the actresses were good, but my sem friend and I couldn't completely relate having not yet "gone there."
2. All time favorite play? Musical?
I absolutely adore Julie Andrews in both The Sound of Music and Mary Poppins. Dick VanDyke ain't half bad in the latter, either. But truly, I enjoy just about any musical.
3. “The Producers,” “The Philadelphia Story,” “Hairspray,” “The Wedding Singer”…all were movies before they were musicals (okay “The Philadelphia Story” was a play and then a movie, and they changed its name when it became a musical, but whatever). What non-musical movie do you think should next get the musical treatment?
Memoir of a Geisha. Has Our Town ever been turned into a musical? If not, why not? How about, "It's a Wonderful Life"? No. It could never live up to the movie.
4. Favorite song from a musical? Why?
"You'll Never Walk Alone" from Carousel. Why? The lyrics have long been a part of my personal philosophy: Walk on through the wind; walk on through the rain, though your dreams be tossed and blown. Walk on, walk on with hope in your heart and you'll never walk alone.
5. The most recent trend in Broadway musical revues is to construct a show around the oeuvre of a particular super-group or composer, where existing songs are woven together with some kind of through story. The most successful of these (“Jersey Boys” (The Four Seasons), “Mamma Mia” (ABBA), “Movin’ Out” (Billy Joel)) have made a mint, but many (“All Shook Up” (Elvis), “Hot Feet” (Earth, Wind and Fire)) have bombed. What great pop/rock singer/composer or super-group should be the next to be featured, and what might the story-line be for such a show?
Elton John, Harry Chapin, Cat Stevens all come immediately to mind. Storyline and plot? I have absolutely NO IDEA!

RevGalBlogPals also asked if I'd ever been in a musical. I've been in two in high school. Guys & Dolls and Camelot. Guys & Dolls was great fun! - I was one of the dancers (and I don't dance, but it fit the part). Years later one of the girls in my youth group was in the same musical, and I found a memento I had from 20 years earlier and passed it on to her. Camelot was a big disappointment because the new choir director chose leads for their popularity rather than for their talent and previous hard work in the choir. Bitter? Who? Me? Naaahhhh. I'm over it now.

I've done many other plays, too. Directed a production of The Curious Savage while in high school. It is a nice play with a good message, too. Basically takes a group of institutionalized people and depicts them as much saner and more caring than the "normal" people on the outside. Emphasis is on the little things we do daily that let people know that we love them...things like saying, "Take an umbrella, it's raining."

Enough nostalgia for one day. Thanks. This was fun.

A picture of "Blaze"

This is "Blaze," a modern-day circuit rider's loyal steed. No hay nor grain for this one, only a gallon of gasoline every ninety miles or so.

I tried to add this to my last post, but it just didn't happen. The cross and flame sticker has been added just below and to the left of the KimPossible sticker on the windshield.

How do you get better? Practice, practice, practice!

Alright, God sometimes has an interesting way of getting a point across.

For some time now I have been struggling with "praying out loud." Once upon a time, I didn't fear it, but in the last several years - maybe since I started seminary and hear so many people who are SO-O-O-O good at it -I've become insecure about it.

But NOW, I am responsible for pastoring two congregations, so I get to do it a lot. I especially have difficulty with the pastoral prayer and trying to incorporate the joys and concerns that have been shared. Both congregations are accustomed to these being included in the prayer.

For what it's worth, my very kind husband, who is usually quite honest, says he thinks I really do okay with the pastoral prayer.

Enter God, stage right.

In the two weeks that I have been in this appointment, four of my parishioners have been hospitalized for major health issues. I have visited, and I know they really expect a prayer before I leave. I try. I think I'm getting better at it, but I'm still fearful. Is this God's way of making sure I practice? Do the people I'm praying for/with really hear what I say, or is it enough that I'm present and attempting to pray for/with them?

Now, about those hospital visits.... All the visits this week were by scooter, and I even parked it in the clergy spot at one of the hospitals. The other two didn't have clergy spots, or I would have there, too. Sunday, I rode my scooter to both of the churches. Parked it in the pastor spot. One of the men who has only come back to church since I've been there (he didn't get along with my predecessor) came up to me before church started and said, "Is that your motorbike out there?" I said, "Yes." He said, "You are ALL right." Made me smile.

Actually, the scooter became a necessity this weekend. Steve had my van on a Scout trip, and the clutch went out on his car just before he left town as I was on my way to visit the hospital. He was able to drive it home, I had to make do with our remaining vehicles, none of which allow the transport of more than one passenger. Therefore, the kids were stuck at home. Friends picked them up to take them to church. They don't go to the same church as me, anyway. The scooter was the most convenient of the other vehicles, so I rode it to church. Now I remember why I got a couple of gaucho outfits last summer...for times such as these.

I've decided to name my scooter "Blaze." As I was riding between churches on a weekday in my first week on the job, I was thinking about the circuit riders of the old days, and how I was kind of doing the same thing in a more modern style. I thought my scooter needed a name like that you would give a horse. Someone suggested Blaze, and I do have flames on it, and added a UM Cross and Flame sticker, so Blaze it is!

Enough randomness. See you soon.

RevGalPals friday fiveZzzzzzz....

friday fiveZzzzzzz....

1. In what kind of environment do you sleep best? (e.g. amount of light and noise, temperature, number of pillows, breathe-right strip, sleeping in the buff, etc.)
Windows open, covered with sheet and quilt, but feet have to be out. Noise and light don't bother me unless I'm the only responsible adult in the house, and then I hear everything..

2. How much sleep do you need to feel consistently well-rested? Used to be seven hours, recently it seems like more. Ideally - seven hours at night and a mid afternoon nap.
How much can you get by on? Six or seven hours, but eventually have to catch up. I've done 3-4 per night for a couple of consecutive days, but then I have to crash.
What are the consequences when you don't get enough? Brain doesn't work as well. I get snippy with the family and look like hell.

3. Night owl or morning person? Definitely morning. My eyes close on their own after 10:30.

4. Favorite cure for insomnia - So far this has never been a big issue for me. Usually when I can't sleep it's because the brain is working overtime. Prayer helps for that.

5. To snooze or not to snooze? Why or why not? I do, but probably shouldn't. I always end up feeling more tired when I do get up than if I'd just gotten up the first time the alarm went off.

In the Middle of the Night

Makes me think of the Billy Joel song:

“In the middle of the night,
I go walking in my sleep.”

Nope. Not walking in my sleep. Awakened from it. Steve’s silly alarm watch went off at midnight in his dresser. He took it downstairs to see if he could disable the alarm feature. When he came back he said that he couldn’t get it shut off so he put it in the refrigerator. “The refrigerator?” “Yes, the refrigerator, not the freezer.” (Like THAT made a difference?)

As we settled back in, the dogs began barking on the back porch. Are those voices in the yard? Steve went downstairs to settle the dogs and to check on things. He was gone too long. An unusual light passed over the window…more like a spotlight than a car headlight. Were those voices? A police radio? I looked out the window. There was a man standing by the dog pen in the back yard. I spoke through the open window,

“Who’s out there?”

“Police Department.”

Yeah, I thought it was a cop.

I got dressed and went downstairs. Steve was watching the man outside. He also spoke to him through the window. Apparently the police had chased a burglary suspect through the yard and they were trying to establish a perimeter. Steve went up and got dressed in case he would need to go outside. We paced around the house for a while, leaving the lights off. I finally went back to bed about 1. Steve came to bed about 1:30. He said the policeman was still in the yard when he came upstairs. They were gone by morning. I don’t know if they caught anybody or not. I called our neighbor across the street this morning to make sure she was aware. She is always good about keeping us informed about such things. Turns out our next-door neighbor’s garage was broken into a couple of weeks ago. Had a minibike stolen. He thought it was somebody he had let into the house. He’s a single guy who tends to be really paranoid about things. He’s been broken into several times that I’m aware of. We haven’t had any problems. Neither has the neighbor I talked to. Weirdness.

I was supposed to have a dentist appointment this morning, but when I got there, they told me that the dentist had just called and he was stuck in traffic and didn’t know when he would be in. I could wait or reschedule. I rescheduled and rode my scooter on into work. A beautiful day for scootering and NO DENTAL WORK TODAY!

Later...

Dream Logic in the Real World….

“Did you want a sheep?” asked the scruffy old man seated at the table on the sidewalk outside the café/deli.

“Excuse me?” (Maybe I misunderstood what he said.)

“Did you want a sheep?”

“Uh, no, sir, I don’t think I need a sheep.”

And I went into the deli... Who was this man? He appeared to be a fixture outside the store. Perhaps he was a farmer with sheep to sell. What an odd place to be looking for livestock buyers, here in this trendy neighborhood with its small cafes.

I purchased a sandwich and drink and went back out to await the rest of our group and to eat a little lunch before we took off on the scheduled scooter ride.

As I passed him again, he said, “Now you be sure to call me if you need any help!” I replied, “Yes, sir, I’ll be sure to do that.” I lied.

I returned to stand with the folks that had already arrived and ate half of my sandwich and drank my Coke. When I finished the Coke, I looked for a trash receptacle into which I could dispose of the empty bottle. I would have to walk by him again. Not too sure I wanted to do that! Suck it up, Kim. Just walk to the trash can and throw the bottle away.

As I passed, “I know you told the manager about me!” (Nope, not me.) As I returned, “That manager’s name is Shannon.” (Good to know).

Back with my own group, I pondered what to do with the remainder of my sandwich. It was a very good sandwich, prosciutto ham with fresh mozzarella, roasted peppers, and fresh basil on good Italian bread, but with three to four hours of scootering ahead of me, the sandwich would be spoiled by the time I got home. I couldn’t throw it away – That would be such a waste. I resolved to offer the sandwich to the old man.

“Excuse me, sir, I have half a sandwich here that I just couldn’t finish. Would you be interested in it?"

“Is it Italian?” he asked accusingly.

(What was the correct answer? Is an Italian sandwich a good thing or a bad thing?) “Well, I just bought it in there, it’s the number three on their menu.”

“Then it’s Italian. Okay, I’ll take it.”

I handed him the sandwich and walked away. Later, I saw that he did eat it.
Recounting the story to some of my scootering friends later, they related some things he had said to them – things that almost reflected on their personalities in some obtuse way. Did his offer of a sheep indicate that he knew I knitted and that I had an Australian shepherd in need of a job? Steve suggested that perhaps he was some sort of oracle, like the blind man in “O Brother, Where Art Thou?” The whole thing was like experiencing dream logic while fully awake. You know dream logic…where things that make no sense whatsoever seem perfectly reasonable. You step out of a house, walk across the street and encounter another familiar place that in reality is miles and years away.

So what does this mean? Steve thinks there is a sermon in it. I haven’t found it yet. Ideas?

Sumner Singers NYDC Tour

How I spent my Memorial Day Weekend...
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My daughter's school choir went on tour to New York City and Washington, DC. Since I had never been to NY, I signed on several months ago to go along as a sponsor. We (35 kids and 8 adults) had a BLAST! I shared a room with three teenage girls (one was my own), but they were very pleasant young women. We left KC at 7:15 AM on Thursday, May 25, flying to LaGuardia. One kid missed the flight and had to catch up with us in NY. Scary, but it worked out. We had lunch Thursday at Grand Central Station, and spent a lot of time on a tour bus with a guide pointing things out to us. We stopped at Ground Zero, and spent a great deal of time at Trinity Church across the street while we waited for the lost boy to show up at the hotel across the street. We then went to Chinatown for shopping and dinner. The evening finished with a sunset visit to the Empire State Building. We checked into our hotel in New Jersey about 9:30 that night.

Friday morning, we performed at St. John the Divine Cathedral. A beautiful church, but there was a lot of construction going on as they are still cleaning up following a fire several years ago. The cathedral is 2/3 done. Construction noise and tour groups going through made it a very noisy place. The people that stopped to listen (and the sponsors who weren't singing) said we sounded wonderful, but we could not hear each other at all. I could hear the voices of my daughter on my right and a bass on my left, and that was all. After that we went to the Lincoln Center for a formal group photo while we were still dressed up, changed clothes there, and got back on the bus for more sight-seeing. We ended up in Times Square where we were turned loose in pairs to find lunch and run around. Eileen and I had a nice lunch and she bought some t-shirts. We went to the Hershey store and loaded up on chocolate. Back on the bus and on to the docks. The fleet was in that week, so we got to go on an aircraft carrier. Not really my thing, but it was okay. Dinner was pizza, then some running around in Central Park, then we went to see The Lion King on Broadway. The $60 seats were tiny. One kid from my church really didn't even fit in them, and I had to turn my boats for feet to the sides to fit. But the show was absolutely magnificent! Words cannot describe the incredible costuming and set design. It was absolutely thrilling. Back on the bus and return to hotel in Jersey.

Saturday morning we checked out and loaded the bus. Drove to Liberty park to board the ferry. Ferried by Ellis Island and the Statue of Liberty. We had to stay on the boat because of our tight time frame. Then back on the bus for the long ride to Washington DC. Barbecue dinner at 5 at a marina near the Pentagon, then on to a 7 PM performance at a retirement facility for retired military and their spouses. They were our best audience for the whole tour! Cookies and lemonade while we visited, then back to the new hotel where we had some late night pizza.

Sunday morning, we performed for two services at Christ Church Episcopal in Alexandria. A surprisingly small church, I thought. But they did have a gift shop, and I bought a pewter cross and an apron that said "Have you hugged an Episcopalian today?" which I gave to the seminary professor I work for since she is an Episcopalian priest who I thought would get a kick out of it. She was pleased. We were supposed to go to Smithsonian next, but because Rolling Thunder (100,000 Harley riding veterans) was in town, the guide feared the city would be too congested, and we went to a mall instead. I was very disappointed. I've now been to DC twice, and still haven't made it to the Smithsonian! Next was a LOT of walking in Arlington National Cemetery, where it was very hot! We participated in a wreath-laying at the tomb of the unknown at 3:15. I was somewhat disappointed in this, as well, because our wreath stayed there all of five minutes before the next ceremony. Seemed rather shallow. Dinner was at Buca di Beppo, and there was a birthday party group in the same dining room as we were. We did a lot of cheering each other on, and it got pretty silly. After dinner, many of the kids were whining so much about their feet hurting (poor shoe selections for Arlington) that we went back to the hotel, and those that wanted to see more got back on the bus and we went to the WWII Memorial, Lincoln Memorial, Vietnam War Memorial, and Korean War Memorial. I had not seen the WWII or Korean Memorials before. They are relatively new. We did find the name of one of my Uncle's friends/cousins in the wall. I had forgotten about him (I never knew him), but Eileen remembered us finding my uncle weeping in a cemetery and telling us the story, and I was able to pull up his name from the recesses of my brain. This tour was the best of the whole trip because there were only 8 kids and four adult sponsors plus the tour guide. Made it much easier to keep track of everyone.

Monday, we checked out and flew home.

Whooooo! I'm still tired!