Wanna Walk Along?

One Mystery Is Solved. Another Remains a Mystery. Probably Forever.

2012-01-31T08:07:00.015-06:00

I am not only a dreamer of bright ideas (okay...maybe not so bright) but I am ALSO a solver of mysteries.

A couple months ago I solved part of a puzzle that I had pondered for the past 50 years. It happened like this.

My siblings and I grew up on an Iowa farm within a mile of where the earliest settlers in our township lived in the 1850s. Ours was a bottomland farm. Across the Little Sioux River is a long ridge of hills that extends all the way down into Missouri. They're known as the Loess Hills of Western Iowa and are a wonderful geographical feature of the area. Hopefully, it is okay that I've borrowed a photo from this website. The photographer is Gary Hightshoe, ISU.

As children we spent many summer afternoons playing in the sandy shallows or diving in the murky deeps of the river. It's a wonder we didn't drown...our main mode of swimming was the "dog paddle" which we learned by sheer instinct for survival.

In the winter, when freezing temps had put a thick layer of ice on the river, we would cross the river with our dog, Rusty, trotting out ahead of us, snuffling his nose through the snow, finding hidden paths for us to follow.

We would climb to the topmost point of the hills and then follow the ridgeline southward. We were on an Adventure! Eventually we would wander back, cross the river towards home, and head to supper.

During one of those "Adventures" we came down a long slope towards a point that held a view of the river bottomlands to the west. One can stand on that point and see the hills of Nebraska some 20 miles westward. It's a wonderful vista and it was thrilling to us, even as children, to contemplate the history of this place.

It was at this spot that we discovered a white marble tombstone lying flat on the ground. We could read the words "Lydia E. Bullock, age 42". The "4" was so eroded that initially I thought Lydia had died at age 12. But upon closer inspection I read "42".

That was fifty years ago. This past year Lydia had been on my mind, nudging me to dig for information. I knew there was an 1890 history of Monona County available at the library but on a whim I checked online. Sure enough, it is available there to read.

Here are a few words from that history...

Elkanah T. Bullock came to Kennebec Township in the winter of 1855-56, and put up a cabin on the northeast quarter of section 18, into which he removed with bis family early in the following spring. Here be resided for several years but finally emigrated to Kansas, settling on Solomon's Fork. His sons, Lyman, William and Charles, entered the United States army during the late war, and finally located in Kansas.

I do some family genealogy at ancestry.com and began looking at the census data for this location during 1855 (Iowa) and 1860 (federal). Sure enough, Lydia was Elkanah's wife. Their home was very near the site where she is buried. She died probably in 1861 and the family buried her before their move southward, first to Council Bluffs, eventually to Kansas.

Coincidentally, less than a week after entering the Bullock family information at ancestry.com, her great-grandson found my data and emailed me with questions. The sum of it all is that I was able to provide him with aerial maps showing the location of his great-grandmother's gravesite. It is possible a great-great-granddaughter may be able to visit the site this summer. I, too, hope to visit the site one more time while I am still able to do a bit of "hill-climbing".

To my mind, a mystery has been solved. Lydia has been "reunited" with her family.

And the photo? I'll never solve the mystery of this one...the "celt" is a Native American artifact I picked up out of the sandy bed of the Little Sioux River in about 1957. We had been searching for fresh water clam shells which we thought very pretty due to their mother-of-pearl interior. On that day I had simply reached down into the water thinking I would come up with a clam shell and instead came up with the celt. As children we called it a tomahawk but I believe the proper name is "celt". I haven't a clue as to age. But I often wonder about the fellow who made it. And wonder. And wonder.

I Am the Thinker of Bright Ideas! Read Herein!

2012-01-24T14:55:00.007-06:00

I am the dreamer of dreams. I am the inventor of things. Just click here if you don't believe so! (You will need to scroll downward for this post itself will be the first on the page...just scroll downward to see all the rest of my inventions...none of which are patented...you are free to do so and make zillions of $$$).

This week I dreamed up a movie scenario for Hollywood! Some Hollywood writer needs to take this idea and run with it!

Scenario...an apocalyptic movie (as if we need more of those!) in which the entire human race except for a handful of people is destroyed...and in their frantic desire to keep humanity from becoming extinct they realize that there are 396,526 frozen embryos still safe within facilities (whose power has not shut down).

Think about it.

And remember that I said it first.

Oh! And another! Why don't they design wood decks with floor boards that can be flipped over like a venetian blind? After 6 inches of snow has accumulated, a self-monitor just flips the boards and dumps the snow underneath! If another 6 inches arrives, they flip again! Go ahead, patent it! But I want 10 percent on this one!

Deadly Advice From a Deluded Young Woman

2012-01-16T06:59:00.005-06:00

A couple years ago I joined a members-only online forum with hundreds of other ovarian cancer patients (and a few caretakers or family members).

This past week I got really angry. Really, really angry. (I don't think it is grammatically correct to use two "really" words, but you get the picture.)

A young woman posted on our board as well as eight other forums (eight other diseases) that food is the "only" remedy for our health problems. She insisted that if we all ate raw fruits and raw vegetables only (organic, of course) that we could be "cured" of our ailments.

She insisted that to remove the cancerous tumors was to remove our body's defense against the cancer...that the body had deposited the cancer into our ovaries instead of into the heart for instance. The "logic" behind this was that the heart is more vital to the life of the body and hence, the body had taken toxins that might damage the heart, so to speak, and deposited them in the ovaries without which the body can still survive.

As I mentioned already, she advocated this "raw fruit, raw veggie" diet as a "cure-all".

Regardless of the numerous replies disputing her "unscientific" or even "unsensible" idea, she is still insistent today, some two weeks after her original posting.

Generally, I limit my responses to the topic at hand...ovarian cancer...and all the subtopics involved...side-effects, surgeries, personal experiences, new ovca drugs, new trial drugs, etc. Those are the things we ovarians discuss. We sometimes digress to humor or personal anecdotes of life itself. While we mention faith (of whatever kind), we do not use the forum as a "preaching platform".

But this particular discussion was so false and had such a false concept of how we can be "cured". This deluded young woman is .... well...she's deluded. What more can I say. Today she accused us of "fearing death". And I could not let that pass.

Today I responded thusly:

She wrote this:
"May not the 'FEAR' of death guide you into short-sighted decisions to remove your organs or take dangerous drugs under the 'myth' that you will be cured and live 'happily ever after '."

I responded with the following: (I changed the name to protect the "not-so-innocent".)

First of all, SallyAnn, there is NO MYTH that we ovarian cancer patients are believing. Those of us diagnosed at stage III and IV are under NO ILLUSION that we will live, as you say, "HAPPILY EVER AFTER" if we faithfully do our chemo or any other regimen other than YOUR "food only" policy.

And, personally, SallyAnn, I do not FEAR DEATH.

You see, as a Christian, a follower of Christ, a believer of the Bible, I believe that Jesus was telling the truth when he promised eternal life to those who hear and believe. John 5:24. Here are his words....“Truly, truly, I say to you, he who hears My word, and believes Him who sent Me, has eternal life, and does not come into judgment, but has passed out of death into life."

The verb tense of "has" is present tense. Our eternal life begins "right now". And the verb tense of "has passed" is past tense. We have already passed out of death. Into eternal life. It begins right now, here and now, not at some "point of death" when our souls leave our bodies.

He also said such words as "I go to prepare a place for you" and "I will come again". And in the last two chapters of the Bible, in the book of Revelation, we hear his promise, "He will wipe away every tear from their eyes; and there will no longer be any death; there will no longer be any mourning, or crying, or pain; the first things have passed away.”

And again in verse 6 Jesus told John, "It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give to the one who thirsts from the spring of the water of life without cost."

I do not live in fear. Yes, I love this life here on earth. Life here is (can be) very, very good. We love our families, we love the beauty of nature, we love the goodness of common blessings with which God blesses the earth. But we also hate death. Death is the common enemy of all mankind. Thanks be to God, He has provided life beyond our physical death.

I seldom discuss my faith here on this forum. But I figure it is fair to do so, considering how you have shared your "non-medical advice" to those of us ovarian cancer patients who will die soon if we follow your "food only" advice.

Bottom line? We are born. We live. We die. But in Christ we have eternal life. He promises that in John 5:24. No ifs, ands, or buts. No special diet necessary. Simply believe that God is who He says He is, and that He has done what He says He has done, and that He WILL do what He says He will do. And then live what you believe.

If you want to eat raw fruits/veggies only, go for it.
If I want to, or anyone else here wants to do the same, go for it.
But don't believe the LIE that we ovarians can discontinue all medical care and that raw foods will CURE you.
It won't happen.

But eternity? Yeah. It's there. And I am not afraid to die.

End of discussion.

Disclaimer: This is not a denial on my part that a healthy diet is a good diet.

When There Are Only Two for Dinner

2012-01-01T14:28:00.008-06:00

When there are only two of you for dinner...

And when appetites are non-existent in regards to tomorrow's leftovers...

One must think "small".

Today's culinary experience is this poor tiny creature. Small enough to sit in my hand. Not much larger than a baked potato.

It's been a long time since I cooked a Cornish game hen, but it seemed it would be much easier than roasting a turkey. Smaller, ya know. It was a simple procedure to rinse it in a stainless steel bowl instead of wrestling a turkey in the kitchen sink...a sink which must be cleaned properly before and after.

When I first unwrapped this little hen I almost had second thoughts. I mean, look at the size of this poor little fowl. Surely when it still proudly wore feathers it must have been the cutest little thing! And here it was, simply a carcass, and a tiny one at that, ready to be placed in the oven.

I grew up on the farm. I know how to catch a chicken, stretch its neck over the chopping block, chop off the head, dip the fowl in boiling water (loosens the feathers), pluck, singe the pin feathers, gut, cut, soak, dip, and fry.

But looking at this poor little critter I thought once again how once upon a time I enjoyed eating vegetarian. Those days are long past. And even if we decided to go back to being vegetarians, it's simply not possible. Hubby has renal failure and one of his dietary necessities is lots and lots of protein. Meat protein.

So little Miss Cornish Game Hen was stuffed with a piece of lemon and onion, glazed with a pineapple, butter and maple syrup, and roasted to perfection.

I can tell you it took much, much less time in the kitchen than any turkey you'll ever cook.

And twice as delicious. So next time you're cooking small? Try this simple dish. Recipes abound online, so find one you like and enjoy a treat.

.

In Which I Encourage You to Celebrate a Birthday

2011-11-29T09:03:00.008-06:00

Today is Jack's birthday. That's what his family and friends called him...Jack. If he were alive, he would be 113 years old today.

Jack's real name was Clive Staples Lewis, better known to the public as C. S. Lewis. Aha! Now you recognize him, don't you!

Lewis was a writer, a Christian apologist, and was on the English faculty at Oxford University. He wrote this in regards to his coming to Christ...

"You must picture me alone in that room in Magdalen, night after night, feeling, whenever my mind lifted even for a second from my work, the steady, unrelenting approach of Him whom I so earnestly desired not to meet. That which I greatly feared had at last come upon me. In the Trinity Term of 1929 I gave in, and admitted that God was God, and knelt and prayed: perhaps, that night, the most dejected and reluctant convert in all England."

Most people do not know that Lewis was a close friend of J. R. R. Tolkien, author of the Lord of the Rings and others. G. K. Chesterton was also a close friend.

I encourage you to view the 1993 movie, "Shadowlands", wherein Lewis meets and marries his wife, Joy Gresham. Their marriage lasted a short 3 years, ending when Joy succumbed to cancer. You will weep. If you did not before, you will then, have a huge heart for C. S. Lewis, the man.

Happy Birthday, C.S. (I don't think I'm close enough to call him, Jack, although I'm sure he would beg to differ. He was that kinda guy.)

.

My Friend Debbie is Tossing Lotsa Stuff!

2011-11-10T19:48:00.004-06:00

My friend Debbie has decided to pare down the "stuff" in her house. In a simple one hundred (100) days. One hundred days of tossing out "stuff". Lotsa stuff. Weird kinds of stuff. Perfectly good stuff. Brave soul, that Debbie.

Debbie is currently on Day 23. And today's "stuff" includes linens. Lotsa linens.

Read more at her blog here. Be sure to tell her what "stuff" you are cleaning out of YOUR house these days.

And, hey! Tell her I sent ya.

.

Do Ya Suppose It Would It Be a Sin............

2011-11-09T08:03:00.006-06:00

We have lotsa trees on our street. Green ash, American linden, maples of every sort. We love our shady street.

However, there is one fly in the ointment. I mean, there is one pin oak amongst the trees. It stands tall, wide, and proud. It's a lovely tree. (The tree is much larger than it appears in the photo! Much! Larger!)

But in spite of its loveliness everyone on our street (except the owner) hates that tree with a ferocity that defies description.

This oak does not drop its leaves at the appropriate time as does every other tree. No, indeedy! It takes all winter for them to drop. They begin dropping at the top and gradually move downward. In the middle of the fiercest February blizzard the bottom third of the tree will still be in full leaf. The final release will be in the spring when the tree begins nudging out new leaf tips.

So you see....all winter long there is a steady influx of leaves from across the street. Leaves made of steel that never decompose! Never! Ever!

So I'm thinking....remember the Biblical story where Jesus cursed the fig tree and the tree died?

Do ya suppose it would be a sin to curse that tree? Do ya suppose? Because I'm praying that tree will die.

P.S. The neighbor has numerous other trees that provide summer shade. It would not be a terrible loss to lose ONE tree!

.

It's An Ill Wind That Blows No Good

2011-10-24T12:27:00.004-05:00

We've had at least two hail storms this past spring and summer that might be considered "ill winds that blow no good".

That's an old saying, "It's an ill wind that blows no good." Meaning, of course, that even bad things sometimes bring about good. In this case, eleven out of twelve homes on our two-block street have new roofs. Homeowners are happy...new roofs paid for by insurance. Insurance companies are probably not so happy. Not just on our street, but all over town, new roofs have been going up all summer. (Our own roof was only a year old and did not sustain damage.)

Life itself is like that. We see the storms of life and often fail to see the "good" that come of it. Cancer could surely be called an "ill wind". But whether it be cancer, or stroke, or heart, or simply the vagaries of old age, we are all tested with some "storm of life" before we leave this world.

This morning I was reading in Romans 5 where Paul writes that we, as Christians, "exult in hope of the glory of God." He adds something that seems confounding to us, and something that we would rather not hear. He says that we should be exulting in the the difficulties life brings, but who wants to exult in difficulties? Let's go back to Paul's words...."we also exult in our tribulations, knowing that tribulation brings about perseverance; and perseverance, proven character; and proven character, hope; and hope does not disappoint, because the love of God has been poured out within our hearts through the Holy Spirit who was given to us." (Romans 5:3-5).

Often, when reading these verses, we might think Paul, in speaking of tribulations, is speaking of those trials and persecutions experienced by Christians at the hands of unbelievers. But tribulations are tribulations, and age and ill health are part of the tribulations of this earthly life.
It is good to remember to "exult", knowing that tribulations will bring good things to us, regardless of initial appearance.

Paul continues with a third exultation in Romans 5:11, "...we also exult in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received the reconcilation (to God)." Through the work of Christ on the cross, we have been reconciled to God. We who were once alienated are brought back into right relationship to God. (You can read more about this reconciliation in 2 Cor. 5:17-19).

The storms of life hit everyone sooner or later. It is good to know that in the midst of the storm, God is working good on our behalf. Thanks be to God.

.

His Demise was at the Wheel of a Tin Lizzie

2011-10-04T09:12:00.006-05:00

This month celebrates the 103rd birthday of the Model T Ford, later to be nick-named the "Tin Lizzie".

Folks still drive them. For fun.

Unfortunately, last Sunday one fella drove his Model T into the ditch.

In South Dakota.

And died.

Sometimes in dealing with my cancer I joke around that I haven't been hit yet by that proverbial Mack truck...meaning I'll probably die of cancer. But who would ever think their demise in the Year 2011 would occur in an accident in a Tin Lizzie.

Life is strange.

.

Those Subtle Symptoms!

2011-09-01T09:02:00.008-05:00

If you've been reading my blog for some time you will recognize the following...it's a repeat from one year ago. September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month. And so I'm joining with other ovarian survivors who are helping promote an awareness...including a list of subtle (oh, ever so subtle) symptoms. (If you want to read all my posts in regards to ovca, click here.) Now follows part of my original post of one year ago....
------------------------------------------------------------------------

I've learned more than I want to know about ovarian cancer in the past ~~20 months~~ 32 months...the multiple kinds of chemo/radiation/surgery that ovarian patients may have to endure...the abysmal survival rates (for those diagnosed late stage; which most are)...the importance of having the debulking surgery done by a Gyno/Onc rather than an "ordinary" surgeon...the so-often very short times of "remission" between one series of chemo and the next.

I've learned that the difficulty of diagnosing OVCA means that most women are diagnosed when their cancer is already advanced...meaning treatment is much less likely to provide long-term survival. Early detection is difficult but it is so important!!!

I've learned that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and I'm dismayed that so many know so little about ovarian cancer, its silent symptoms and its difficulty in being diagnosed.

So on this ~~last~~ first week in September I want to remind the ladies (of all ages!) amongst my readers of the nearly silent symptoms of ovarian cancer. (I don't care how old or young you may be...Pay attention to your bodies!)

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms (from the Nat'l Ovarian Cancer Coalition, Inc.)
1. Pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort
2. Vague but persistent gastrointestinal upsets such as gas, nausea, and indigestion
3. Frequency and/or urgency of urination (day or night) in the absence of an infection
4. Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling, bloating and/or feeling of fullness
5. Ongoing unusual fatigue
6. Unexplained changes in bowel habits.

(If symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks, ask your doctor for a combination pelvic/rectal exam, a CA-125 blood test, and transvaginal ultrasound.)

It's a fine line between paranoia and persistent "listening to your body". But Ladies! Pay attention. Listen for these so-called "silent" symptoms and be aware of your body.

Bless you.

P.S. Ovarian cancer is a chronic disease. I am on my third chemo regimen. And doing well, all things considered.
.

Whereupon I Cover Over a Bad Mistake!

2011-08-29T21:28:00.007-05:00

Once upon a time I foolishly used a very heavy pot atop my glass top stove.

Oh, I was careful to not drop it on the glass top. Instead I dropped it on the corner of the stove, creating a chip in the white porcelain the size of a dime.

THEN! I read in a magazine (can't remember which) that I could repair that chip with a little bottle of white stuff...sorta like that little bottle of white-out we used to use at the office to cover typos. Only this stuff is for appliances. So I jotted down the info and headed for the hardware store.

The product is Appliance Epoxy Touchup by Rust-oleum. You can find it in the appliance department.

I put on a couple layers, letting the epoxy dry between coats.

The resulting repair is almost invisible. This little cover-up job was well worth the $5 I paid for the bottle.

I no longer covet Le Creuset ware. No, indeedy. I'll stick to my lighter weight pots and pans and leave the heavy-duty stuff to heavy-duty cooks.

P.S. White on white is difficult to photograph. The area is still visible to the naked eye if one looks closely. But the repaired area no longer catches my eye every time I look at the stovetop.

.

Waiting....In the Waiting Room...and Contemplating The Gospel

2011-08-25T07:48:00.013-05:00

Recently I read a post by Mike Pohlman whose 40-year-old wife is fighting stage-4 breast cancer. He writes his thoughts from the oncology waiting room, a place where cancer patients spend much time. And do much thinking.

I want to quote just one paragraph...

Mike writes this....

"If we have eyes to see and ears to hear, the cancer-clinic waiting room reminds us that our lives are a vapor; that our days are all numbered; that He gives us life and breath and all things, and, therefore, we are utterly dependent creatures; that sin is real and has a million tragic consequences; that pride is ridiculously ugly and meekness wonderfully beautiful; that we are called to rejoice with those who are rejoicing and weep with those who are weeping; that people are either saved or lost; that God’s grace is real, His Son all-sufficient, and through the cross, cancer will one day be no more."

You can read all of Mike's post here.

As for me? I have stage 3-C ovarian cancer, just one stage short of metastasization (invasion of other organs), and I've spent more hours than I care to count sitting in an oncology waiting room. I'm on my third chemo regimen, having had six months off the first time, and eleven months off the second time (using a maintenance drug during that time). Now I'm trying a third cocktail, carbo/gemzar (carboplatin and gemcitibine). I'm doing well, all things considered. No major side-effects on this regimen other than low blood counts and a bit of nausea the day after treatment...and a bit of arthritis aggravated by the drugs. But I'm well. I'm doing well.

It's been two and a half years since my diagnosis. I'm grateful for this time that God has given me and I hope he gives me many more years. But the truth of the matter is, my life is utterly and completely in God's hands. Just as Mike mentioned at his post, we are dependent upon God for all things...the air we breathe, the blessings we have in this life, and the promise of the life hereafter.

Mike Pohlman is senior pastor at Immanuel Bible Church in Bellingham, Washington. In addition to his post at Ligonier Ministries, his article also appeared in Tabletalk Magazine, a daily devotional publication by Ligonier that is a great resource for your daily walk.

.

Kitty Accuncture! But It Seems So Cruel !

2011-08-20T08:30:00.006-05:00

My daughter brought me this kitty pincushion while on a business trip to Taiwan. (I have a daughter flying around the world!!?? Whew! I'm so proud of her.)

While there she visited a little sewing shop. The owner, putting forth her best sales effort, advised her potential customer that her grandmother hand-made this little kitty. Maybe she did and maybe she didn't, but the sales pitch was good and Miss Kitty is cute whether made by Grandmother or not. So Miss Kitty boarded the plane with DD to Minneapolis and eventually ended up on my desk in Iowa.

Kitty sat on my desk for weeks before I could bear to stick in a pin. My friend, Laurie, suggested I think of it as "kitty accupuncture".

So there you are, Miss Kitty. You should have no aches or pains whatsoever. That is...if kitty accupuncture works.

(Update: My daughter advised me last night that the shop owner mentioned her grandmother's stitching AFTER she had purchased Miss Kitty and not as a sales pitch. So thank you, Taiwan Gramma!)

.

There are No Pearls of Wisdom in the Pearls' Book on Child Rearing

2011-08-19T05:00:00.001-05:00

This is one of the saddest stories I have mentioned.
In a sense, the story is finished. It is over. Seven-year-old Lydia Schatz is dead.

In February 2010 Lydia died at the hands of Christian parents who were using a disciplining method proposed by Michael and Debi Pearl of No Greater Joy Ministries, a Fundamentalist Christian organization. Their method is outlined in their controversial book, "How to Train Up a Child". (I ask you as a Christian parent...is this book in your library? Are you basing your discipline methods on this book?)

Lydia was adopted. By Christian parents who thought they were serving the Lord by adopting three orphans from Liberia. And they believe it their "Christian duty" to discipline their children. And to insure they did it right...bringing an obstinate child to submission and obedience...they used the methods taught by the Pearls.

They beat Lydia so severely over several hours time (because she did not or could not comply in correctly pronouncing a reading word) that massive destruction to tissues underlying her skin caused her kidneys to shut down. Lydia died.

A 911 call brought law enforcement to the house. Her older sister was hospitalized with severe kidney damage due to similar beatings given in the previous days.

In April 2011 Kevin Schatz and Elizabeth Schatz were sentenced for their crime. Kevin will serve at least 22 years of two life sentences for second-degree murder and torture. His wife, Elizabeth, will serve at least 13 years for voluntary manslaughter and corporal injury on a child.

I hope you will read Brad Hirschfield's column in yesterday's Washington Post entitled "Beating Children In the Name of God".

Especially his last paragraph which reads..."There is no way to bring Lydia Schatz back, or to undo the damage to her still living siblings, or any of the other children who are beaten in the name of God. We can however do everything in our power to put a stop to the practice. For the sake of these kids and for the sake of the traditions we hold dear, that is what we must do."

You can read more about Lydia's short life here.
You can read what one writer wrote about the Pearls' method of discipline here.
Or you can read my previous posts here.
You can view the Anderson Cooper video at CNN here.

My prayers tonight are for the little children. I hope yours are as well.
.

Whereupon I Return Home Just In the Nick of Time!

2011-08-18T22:38:00.007-05:00

As you can see by the photo we experienced a bit of sizeable hail today!

As I left the house to do a couple errands I noticed that the sky to the north of us was dark. Very dark. I gave it a good once-over, then decided to run my errands anyway.

Stopped at the farm supply store and bought a small table for the front deck. It had been on sale and I finally decided "I want it!"

Then to the grocery store and onward to my Mom's where I dropped off a couple things. It was starting to sprinkle.

On the way home I decided NOT to stop for that one last errand but instead hurry on home and get the car in the garage. I parked it safely inside, got out, grabbed a bag of groceries out of the back seat and heard a loud "THWACK" on the garage roof. Then another! And another! Looked out the window and saw very large hail.

Thankfully, it was rather sparse and it stopped within a minute or so. And I am thankful the car was parked safely in the garage.

I hope the farms around us did not experience damage to their crops! Hail can do devastating damage to a corn or bean field.
.

Three Little Ladies Find New Homes

2011-08-10T21:18:00.012-05:00

One of the side-effects of having cancer is that you realize it's time to down-size things in your life. So I'm lightening the load, downsizing, getting rid of "stuff".

In the past week three vintage sewing machines have left our house to take up residence elsewhere.

"Three?" you ask?

Yes, three. And I still have four left. Maybe five, but I can't remember what I did with that fifth one.

Once upon a time I had thirteen. Now I'm down to four (or is it five? Where IS that fifth machine???)

That teal green machine? That's a 1950-ish Viking Automatic 21. Beautiful zigzag stitches. Made in Sweden. Heavy, heavy, heavy. Manufactured before they began using those dratted plastic gears. Everything was metal on this baby. Made to last. This machine has an open arm making it extremely easy to stitch cuffs, hem pant legs, etc. It also has a small work surface that snaps into place when you don't need the open arm. Cool! This machine has been affectionately named "Ingrid" because of her Swedish heritage.

The black one? That's a Singer 201. I named it "Leona" after its original owner. Probably manufactured in 1940-1950. This was a gear-driven (versus belt-driven) machine that had plenty of power and speed. No zigzag, though. Just a straight-stitching machine that, if kept cleaned and oiled, will perform forever. Quilters love this machine because it will sew and sew and sew. And when you are not quilting, it will tackle hemming blue jeans with ease.

And the two-tone? That's a Singer 301A, manufactured probably in the 1960s. I could look up the serial numbers and be able to pinpoint the manufacture date a little closer, but I'm too lazy to do that. The 301 is a straight-stitch only machine. It's beauty lies in its light weight...approximately eleven pounds. AND it has a nifty, fold-down handle on top. This model came in three colors, black, taupe, and the two-tone you see here. Like the 201, it is a gear-driven machine...no belt. Plenty of power. Plenty of speed. Quilters love this machine because it is so handy to carry to quilting class.

So what do I have left in the house? A Singer 15-91 (my main machine), a Singer 403 (my only zigzag machine), a Singer 221 Featherweight (which I will probably never get rid of...it was a gift from Hubby), and a Singer 66 in an oak parlor cabinet (a gift from a quilting buddy in Ohio).

Oh, yeah, the fifth. I had two Singer 301s. I think I took that one to the thrift shop. But no matter...I know where there is a third Singer 301 just like it that wants to come live at my house.

Some Things in Life Make Me Grumble in Consternation!

2011-07-29T06:59:00.009-05:00

In March when a 14-year-old boy died in a Motocross race in Missouri, I thought to myself..."Aaargh! Parents who encourage their kids to participate in dangerous sports!" He was born in the city 35 miles up the road.

This morning I was saddened to read of a second death, another 14-year-old, a girl, who lived in that same city. She died in a Motocross race, too...at the Ponca City Grand Nationals in Oklahoma.

Both these kids were experienced riders, and undoubtedly wearing all safety garments.

It's a sad time for the parents of this teen. I do not post this in an accusatory manner...but it bothers me enough that I want to say this...motocross is a dangerous sport. Fun, exciting, exhilerating...but dangerous. Deadly dangerous.

That's all I'm going to say about that.

.

Upon Which I Teach My Grandson How To Use a Rotary Phone

2011-07-26T09:34:00.005-05:00

Sometimes I forget how old I am but this week my 15-year-old grandson pointed that out quite clearly. Oh, he wasn't intentional about it! He's too polite and loves his gramma too much to ever say an unkind word to her (me).

Background:: Our house was built in 1965. In terms of house age, that's not old. At least not ancient. Having lived in some "really" old houses, I consider this one "modern".

In the furnace room in the basement hangs an old rotary dial phone. It was there when we moved in. It's so old it's wired in. Even though we don't spend much time in the basement it's handy to have that phone there. So the rotary stayed.

This past weekend we had a great time with our daughter and grandson (thanks for making that 5-hour drive!!!). My daughter spotted the rotary and called DGS to come down and look at it. Then she suggested he call someone. His words???? "I don't know how!"

He's a quick learner, though, and as soon as he completed his call he announced that he wants a rotary of his own.

Then...to convince him that I belong to the age of dinosaurs I told him that when we were kids on the farm our phone was on a "party line". Our phone number (yes, I still remember it) was 45J11. Other numbers on the line were something like 45J12 or 45J21. The "45J" was the line. The last digits represented the number of rings the switchboard operator would ring up. In our case she rang one long and one short. All parties would hear the rings at their home and know that it was our house and not theirs that was being called. We picked up. They did not...at least, not until they were certain we had already picked up...then they might surreptiously pick up their phone and listen in on our conversation. It was wise not to gossip about the neighbors while on the phone!!

And THEN! I told him that in THOSE days we seldom made a long-distance phone call because it was too expensive. The cost? Ten cents.

Today, with our landline and our cell phone, we pay beaucoup bucks.

My grandson is right. I Really Am Old! *tearful smile*

.

In Which I Publish a Photo of My Glow-In-The-Dark Freckles

2011-07-23T07:38:00.006-05:00

Well, I managed to get a photo of my glow-in-the-dark freckles. (See my post of July 21 about my PET/CT scan).

You can click for a closer view. I had to darken the photo so the glowing freckles would show up better. (I do hope you know I am being completely facetious...not to be confused with infectious, of course. You'll have to get your own PET/CT scan if YOU want glow-in-the-dark freckles. You cannot be infected by mine.)

I like to think that my (imaginary) glowing freckles are a teensy slight foretaste of what our heavenly bodies will be like. What will that be? Scripture gives us these hints...our bodies will be like Jesus' resurrected body. Read on.

In the Gospel of Luke we read of three disciples seeing Jesus in his transfigured (changed) body prior to His death on the cross:

Luke 9:28-29²⁸ .... He took along Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. ²⁹ And while He was praying, the appearance of His face became different, and His clothing became white and gleaming.

The apostle John, who in his Gospel testifies that Jesus is the Son of God ( John 1:34 ) wrote the following:

1 John 3:2
Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is.

and again he writes of his vision of Jesus in his heavenly body as thus:

Revelation 1:12-18¹² Then I turned to see the voice that was speaking with me.....I saw one like a son of man (Jesus), clothed in a robe reaching to the feet, and girded across His chest with a golden sash. ¹⁴ His head and His hair were white like white wool, like snow; and His eyes were like a flame of fire. ¹⁵ His feet were like burnished bronze, when it has been made to glow in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of many waters. ¹⁶ In His right hand He held seven stars, and out of His mouth came a sharp two-edged sword; and His face was like the sun shining in its strength.¹⁷ When I saw Him, I fell at His feet like a dead man. And He placed His right hand on me, saying, “Do not be afraid; I am the first and the last, ¹⁸ and the living One; and I was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore, and I have the keys of death and of Hades.

Now we know that some language in the Book of Revelation is figurative, some is symbolic, etc. And instead of conjecturing from these verses that in heaven I will have a "glowing" body, I should just quote what Matthew Henry in regard to these verses. He's undoubtedly a much better theologian than I. Here is what Henry said:

He (the Apostle John) saw a representation of the Lord Jesus Christ in the midst of the golden candlesticks; for he (Jesus) has promised to be with his churches always to the end of the world, filling them with light, and life, and love, for he is the very animating informing soul of the church. And here we observe,
The glorious form in which Christ appeared in several particulars.

He was clothed with a garment down to the foot, a princely and priestly robe, denoting righteousness and honour.
He was girt about with a golden girdle, the breast-plate of the high priest, on which the names of his people are engraven; he was ready girt to do all the work of a Redeemer.
His head and hairs were white like wool or snow. He was the Ancient of days; his hoary head was no sign of decay, but was indeed a crown of glory.
His eyes were as a flame of fire, piercing and penetrating into the very hearts and reins of men, scattering terrors among his adversaries.
His feet were like unto fine burning brass, strong and stedfast, supporting his own interest, subduing his enemies, treading them to powder.
His voice was as the sound of many waters, of many rivers falling in together. He can and will make himself heard to those who are afar off as well as to those who are near. His gospel is a profluent and mighty stream, fed by the upper springs of infinite wisdom and knowledge.
He had in his right hand seven stars, that is, the ministers of the seven churches, who are under his direction, have all their light and influence from him, and are secured and preserved by him.

Instead of worrying about what my heavenly body will be like, I am content to look forward to seeing Jesus, remembering again John's words in 1 John 1:2.

Blessings to all of you this weekend morning. May God's light shine in YOUR life!

.

A Simple Task Often Goes Astray....

2011-07-22T17:18:00.004-05:00

This afternoon I....

Went to get a bar of soap from the bathroom to put at the kitchen sink...
While there I grabbed the towels and put them in the washer.
At the washer I noticed some bottled water that needed to be placed in the cupboard.
In the cupboard I saw some orange slices to put into jello.
Remembered I was supposed to make a phone call...took me 20 minutes to get a live person.
Checked my computer for email.
Went to the kitchen.
Remembered I needed to get a bar of soap from the bathroom.

Life often takes a detour. And the older I get, the longer the detour. *she said with a wry smile*

Upon Which I Again Glow in the Dark!

2011-07-21T09:40:00.011-05:00

Sooo! Again! I experienced Freckles that glow in the dark!

This time I took my camera along so you can see how I get my glowing freckles. (To read my previous post on this topic, go here.)

Periodically, every six months or so, I get a combined PET/CT scan to determine what my pesky ovarian cancer cells are doing. Last November the scan showed no activity whatsoever. That was good news, indeed! But for most of us, ovarian cancer is a chronic disease...it hangs in there, even when knocked down by chemo, waiting for a time when the cells will again begin growing. Some women attain remission for long periods of time. Most of us, however, will have short remissions followed by chemo and, hopefully, followed by another period of remission. Each individual is different, but one thing is certain...ovarian cancer is a nasty, deadly disease.

The PET/CT enables the oncologist to get a fairly decent assessment of progression (or lack thereof) of the disease.

So I presented myself to the clinic. No prep needed other than abstaining from food and liquids the prior evening and avoiding red meats and some other foods the prior 24 or 48 hours.

The procedure is simple. The nurse injects a small amount (doesn't look that small in the photo!) of radioactive material (tracer). As you can see the cartridge is rather large and I'm assuming the metal prevents radiation from emitting out the sides...but perhaps I'm wrong about that...after all, it still must surely radiate through the window of the cartridge.

Note the metal box at my elbow which is used to transport and store the cartridge. I can tell by how the nurse handles it that this is a heavy box...most likely, it is lined with lead which protects from radiation...I think.

The tracer travels through your blood and collects in organs and tissues, and particularly collects in actively growing cancer cells. Once you have received the injection, one must wait for about an hour for the tracer to travel throughout the body. A small waiting room is dedicated to this hour...they want you to be resting AND they don't want your radioactive body wandering around bothering other people with its radioactivity. Or at least that's my assumption. (The radioactivity dissipates in about 6 hours.)

After the hour, comes the test itself. Some people are intensely claustrophic while in this chamber but I find it to be quite relaxing, really, and usually catch a short catnap while undergoing the test. No Problemo!

When finished, I go home, turn out the lights and look in the mirror! Yep! Glowing freckles! Really! Truly! (I posted a photo later...here)

At the end of the day, the radiation is gone, and I am again a normal human being. One without glowing freckles. But still, one with cancer. This time two small lymph nodes that have previously glowed in the dark are found to be glowing again. Pesky things.

By the way, the nurse/technician who injects the tracer wears a badge that monitors and measures her exposure to radioactivity. I'm not certain I would like to have her job. Sure, I get radiated every time I do one of these tests, but if I were younger and thought I still had long life ahead of me, I'm not sure I'd be so care-free about receiving the radiation.

(My current chemo schedule is pretty easy....carbo/gemzar every other week. Pretty benign side-effects so far, for which I am grateful.)

It Is a Very Good Thing That It Does Not Depend Upon My Works

2011-07-14T21:32:00.005-05:00

Too often, as Christians, we speak of what "we" can do for "Christ". As if there were anything that we could do in and of ourselves for Christ. And we often think too little of the real work, of what Christ has done for us. Jesus is the doer. We are the recipients of his work.

I've begun reading volume 2 of The Triple Knowledge: An Exposition of the Heidelberg Catechism by Herman Hoeksema. I'm a slow reader and I'm not a deeply intellectual thinker. But I understand well enough and rejoice in the following quote (Vol 2, page 31) in reference to what Christ has done for us.

"As the mediator of our redemption He (that is, Jesus) "purchased" all things for us.
He represented us in all His suffering and death.
He took our place in the judgment of God.
Our sins He took upon Himself.
He assumed responsibility for our guilt. In that capacity, He became obedient unto death, yea, unto the death of the cross.
And by His perfect obedience, He, the Son of God in the flesh, blotted out the guilt of our sin, and merited for us eternal righteousness and life. This part of the work of salvation is finished.
All that are in Him have redemption in His blood, the forgiveness of sins, the right to eternal life, to all the blessings of salvation."

It's a very good thing that my salvation does not depend upon what I do. For if that were the case, I would be eternally lost.

.

A Couple Minutes On the Phone Will Reduce Your Unwanted Mail!

2011-07-11T17:01:00.005-05:00

Are you tired of all those catalogs and other monthly mailings that arrive on your doorstep? Well, I was, too, so I decided to do something about it.

Recently I began calling the 800 number found somewhere in the mailed item and asked to be removed from their mailing list. To date I've eliminated sixteen mailings.

Some were solicitations for funds. Some were catalogs. Some were ads for such things as the symphony in the Big City to the north of us. And, of course, all those mailings one receives when one nears retirement age.

We no longer have mail coming to our house from these sixteen sources.

So! Tired of all that mail? Take the time to call their 800 numbers and ask to be removed. Be sure to have the catalog in front of you...they will usually ask for the address as printed on your mail.

They've all been gracious to my request. (They do advise that it may take a couple months to eliminate all mail from their office...sometimes mailings are planned a month in advance...but they do eventually stop the mailing.)

I think I've saved a forest. And eliminated some aggravating mail.

.

Upon Which I Quote Calvin Coolidge

2011-07-02T07:39:00.011-05:00

Yesterday I stumbled across an editorial by Leon Kass (whom I had never read before) wherein he pointed his readers to a remarkable address by former President Calvin Coolidge. The occasion was the 150th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence in 1926.

The speech itself is quite long. I'm including only one short paragraph which follows.

"No one can examine this record (The Declaration) and escape the conclusion that in the great outline of its principles the Declaration was the result of the religious teachings of the preceding period. The profound philosophy which Jonathan Edwards applied to theology, the popular preaching of George Whitefield, had aroused the thought and stirred the people of the Colonies in preparation for this great event. No doubt the speculations which had been going on in England, and especially on the Continent, lent their influence to the general sentiment of the times. Of course, the world is always influenced by all the experience and all the thought of the past. But when we come to a contemplation of the immediate conception of the principles of human relationship which went into the Declaration of Independence we are not required to extend our search beyond our own shores. They are found in the texts, the sermons, and the writings of the early colonial clergy who were earnestly undertaking to instruct their congregations in the great mystery of how to live. They preached equality because they believed in the fatherhood of God and the brotherhood of man. They justified freedom by the text that we are all created in the divine image, all partakers of the divine spirit."

You can read the Coolidge's complete address here.

Before I conclude, and in conjunction with our Declaration of Independence, I want to recommend to you (we used Netflix) John Adams (HBO Minisiries) (2008). It's a fascinating biography of John Adams, our second President. Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Franklin and George Washington are highly featured in the movie as well. It's quite long, a seven-part miniseries on 3 disks, but well worth the watch.

In Which I Relate A Recurring Dream

2011-06-29T15:34:00.010-05:00

The other night I had one of my recurring dreams. This one had me swaying back and forth.

In the dream I am standing with me feet firmly planted on the ground. My feet never move. But my body is able to bend forward, sideways, backwards at about a 45 degree angle. It's almost as if my body has a spring-like action to it...I sway slowly forwards, backwards, sideways, enjoying the movement, stretching the bend as far as I can and then swaying in another direction. All the while my feet remain flat, firmly planted.

There is no stress to the movement. My body is in fine control and the movement is easy. I haven't a clue where this dream comes from nor why it recurs.

Please forgive the amateur drawings. I don't have a photo. *smile*

As for some of my other recurring dreams? You can read about them here.

(It is quite truthful to say you really did not learn a lot by reading today's post.)

*Heading off to read Chapter 2 of First Chronicles.*
(that may be more useful than regaling this dream)

.

Little Ms. Kitty Couldn't Care Less....

2011-06-27T17:56:00.009-05:00

Our ~~obsession~~ fascination with the rising waters of the Missouri River has caused us to make a periodic "two dollar tour" over the toll bridge at Decatur, Nebraska. It's not enough that we can access river information online. We want to do a visual inspection as well! And so we do. And so are many others. I'm thinking the toll bridge is making a bundle this summer...just from "two dollar tourists".

Our little town sits seven miles from the river and one would think that was substantial distance in terms of flood risk. But our elevation is only a few feet higher than the current river stage. So we're concerned.

Today as we headed back to Iowa little Ms. Kitty crossed the road in front of us. She did not look either way and was unafraid of our slowly approaching car. Ms. Kitty is pregnant. But by her placid pace it is easy to see that Ms. Kitty is not a worrier. (click on the photo for a better view of Ms. Kitty)

Back on the Iowa side the rising water is well over the riverbank and is flooding adjacent lowlands. The water has crept to the edge of the highway and the Iowa Department of Transportation is trying to keep this road open.

There are many who cross the bridge daily to go to work or to get health care in our small town hospital. This road is vital. If it were to be inundated folks would have to travel about 35 miles upstream or downstream to the next bridge. We're praying this barrier will keep this road open.

Since I'm trusting God through all of this I think I need to be a little less anxious about it all...like Ms. Kitty. She may be a lot smarter than I think.

UPDATE
Last night the IDOT closed this road. Read here. They report..."Severe river bank erosion caused by flooding along the east abutment of the Decatur bridge has prompted the closure.

The Iowa DOT, Burt County [Nebraska] Bridge Commission (operator of the toll bridge) and Nebraska Department of Roads will be conducting an assessment of the situation to determine what, if any, measures can be taken to prevent further erosion and make the bridge safe for travel.

The public will be informed as additional information becomes available. The duration of the closure is unknown at this time."
A seven mile trip has now become somewhere close to 85 miles.

UPDATE UPDATE
The IDOT also plans to "temporarily" close access to another bridge tomorrow (Wednesday June 29). This time it will be the bridge at Blair, Nebraska. That means there will be a 100-mile stretch of the river with no crossing (Sioux City to Omaha). I don't know how long is "temporarily".
.
.

It Ain't Over....And It Won't Be Over For a Long Time Yet!

2011-06-25T10:25:00.009-05:00

It ain't over yet, Folks. This flood is going on and on and on and on. Until who knows how long. Into August and beyond.

The five dams above us on the Missouri River are being pushed to their limits to contain flood waters that have to go somewhere. Water is being released as high as possible and as low as possible. In other words as high as possible in order to maintain the integrity of the dams...ya know...prevent them from collapsing. They can hold only so much water and the heavy rains and melting snow packs are pouring water into the system like you wouldn't believe.

And it's being released as slowly as possible in order to prevent even worse flooding than is already occurring. There are already a half million acres of farm ground flooded, not to mention homes and businesses. Evacuations. Sand bagging. Bolstering levees. It's a mess.

The release at Gavins Point Dam is at an historic high of 160,000 cfs. I believe the previous high was somewhere between 80,000 and 90,000. I'm too lazy to go look it up.

The scary thing is that Gavins Point Dam has a potential to release up to 450,000 cfs. If necessary. ( And, please God, don't let that be the case.)

It's tense here. Traffic on I-29 five miles south of our town is down to two lanes with water lapping at the edge of the shoulder. This photo is looking north. (click for a close-up view)

The Missouri River at Decatur, Nebraska, continues to rise. I've become obsessive about checking the online status of the water. As you can see it's risen considerably since June 5 (first graph) to its present stage of 39.31. The highway east of the Decatur bridge (Iowa side of the river) risks being closed...water is lapping at its edges.

Two weeks ago the U.S. Corps of Engrs was saying there were no plans to release more than 150,000 cfs. We thought that would be the worst of it.

Unfortunately, heavy rains across Montana and the Dakotas forced a new level of 160,000 cfs. Of course, the Corps is saying this is the level they will maintain "barring unforeseen storms".

Did you know that Niagara Falls releases 150,000 cfs? We have more water than Niagara Falls flowing down the Missouri River...and that flow is expected to remain at this level into mid-August and who knows how long after that?

In the meantime local drainage systems will cease to function. You can't drain water into a river that has a higher elevation than the water you wish to drain. Those ditches will back up and flood more areas.

If you haven't noticed (national news is a bit slow on the uptake of this massive Missouri River event) the entire stretch of the Missouri River from Montana to Missouri is above flood stage. This is a catastrophic event for the Heartland of America...and we pray it does not get MORE catastrophic.

This thing ain't over till the fat lady sings. And I haven't a clue where to find her.

Through a Glass Darkly

2011-06-18T09:34:00.007-05:00

In 2009 about six months after my diagnosis of cancer I found an online forum for ovarian cancer survivors. It was a God-send in terms of being a great support system. We discuss every aspect of our struggles with ovca. (One of our favorite subjects is how we deal with the ever-present battle against the constipation caused by chemo and other drugs...we have become experts in that matter...you probably don't want me to go any further with that topic. lol )

The forum is our support system and we explore and discuss many topics above and beyond treatment. Today, one of the members posed a question about dying. In essence, how is it that we who believe in Christ and heaven, struggle so hard to cling to this earthly life, enduring chemo, pain, loss, seeing death right there in front of us. How do we deal with that?

My response was that it is a natural thing of our physical bodies to cling to life. This life has been good. We want to continue living.

God intended for us to enjoy the joys of this life even while fighting the effects of the death that Adam brought into the world.

As believers in Christ, we recognize that "in Adam we die" and "in Christ we live".
1 Cor 15:22 (Amplified Bible)
"For just as [because of their union of nature] in Adam all people die, so also [by virtue of their union of nature] shall all in Christ be made alive. "

However, knowing that we live in Christ does not take away from our natural (and good) inclination to enjoy our earthly life. We have many joys here and we want to continue in the the love of family and friends, the (good) pleasures of life, the beauty of this earth. It is natural that we would have an inborn desire to continue life as we know it...although without cancer, of course.

As for our fear of death...yeah, I think of the "how" of it, and wonder at the how of it...will it be painful, etc. But I also believe when that time comes and if it is a long process, that hospice and good medical care during that time will make it as painless as possible and as peaceful as possible. But I think, too, that when we come to that state of "nearing death", that God puts it in us to be accepting of that. When our body becomes weary enough with disease or age, we won't mind laying it down for the last time.

As for the "unknownness" of what our afterlife will be like, well, we will not know fully until we get there what awaits us on the other side. Paul explained it to the Corinthians as rather like looking through a dirty window. We can see only dimly now. But then, when we arrive on the other side, we will see it all clearly and fully.

I Cor. 13:12 (Amplified Bible)
"For now we are looking in a mirror that gives only a dim (blurred) reflection [of reality as in a riddle or enigma], but then [when perfection comes] we shall see in reality and face to face! Now I know in part (imperfectly), but then I shall know and understand fully and clearly, even in the same manner as I have been fully and clearly known and understood [by God]."

Sometimes I look at this life as a grand journey...that I am part of the "story" of God and man. My part is very tiny, yet it is very important, and I need and, indeed, am obligated to God to live it well. And so, I do try to live life the way that God requires of me. I fail miserably as do we all. But I keep putting one foot forward, then the other. I keep moving forward.

The Apostle Paul likens life to a race...and nobody running a race skids to a stop at the finish line and says, "Whoa! I don't want to cross the finish line." No, instead the runner's desire is always to complete the race even if he has to crawl the last distance to the finish line. We're all running a race (walking through this life) and we all will get to the finish line. It's just that it is startling to get close and think...."Wow, the race is almost over!" Even without ovarian cancer, it is startling to become "old" and be nearing the end of our lives here on earth. Our grandparents must have been just as startled as we are. And their grandparents before them.

And while I cling to this life and love this life, I also look forward to seeing what is on the other side. I will no longer be looking through a dirty window. I will know fully.

This whole thing of "life" is fascinating, don't you think?

.

Ain't Nobody Happy About the Water Over the Dikes

2011-06-16T15:12:00.008-05:00

It took them awhile but national news is finally mentioning the flooding Missouri River. They're a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to news in the Midwest...it seemed much more important to post the latest tidbit about some Congressman who got himself into big trouble with his cell phone. (Sometimes don't you wonder at the brilliant decisions made by those who are in charge of our nation?)

We're still dry although Interstate-29 has a low spot south of town that may (or may not) cause that stretch of the highway to be closed. The small drainage ditch that runs through that area is over its banks. Will the water get higher? Only time will tell.

The photo to the side is by Larry Geiger. If you're curious about the extent of the flooding you can view more of Geiger's photos here. Incredible images. This photo shows I-29 north of the Council Bluffs/Omaha area, looking north. (That area is about 55 miles south of us but this is our primary route to Omaha.)

This is a huge event in terms of area and of time. The damage already incurred is immense. But on top of what is already done, we will be sitting in suspense for two months while the dams above us continue their unprecedented high-volume release of water.

There are two serious concerns involved with all this. Firstly, the suspense consists of "will the levees hold" in areas where they protect cities, airports, highways, residences, etc.? And secondly, will two solid months of over-the-bank flood stage cause our local drainage ditches to back up after heavy rains? This last is a serious concern...for it will mean secondary flooding above and beyond what is already forecast.

At this point, ain't nobody happy with the U.S. Corps of Engineers. Their judgment call to not release water until "too late" does not set well with folks all up and down the River. I repeat, ain't nobody happy about this mess we're in.

In other news (as they used to say on the nightly news) I'm doing well (so far) on a new chemo regimen. Of course, I've only been on it for one week. If my blood counts fall, it will happen by the end of next week. Today I had plenty of energy so I know my reds are still doing well. Carried some bricks from out front to the garden out back where they now make a walkway between two raised beds of vegetables. I was able to do that without undue huffing and puffing. And I was able to hoe a large area...a task that was much needed. Again without undue huffing and puffing. That's a good sign my red blood count is doing well.

.

The Bridge with the See-Thru Roadway

2011-06-09T20:38:00.006-05:00

Late yesterday we drove seven miles west to the bridge across the Missouri River at Decatur, Nebraska.

The bridge has been a toll bridge ever since its inauguration in 1955. This day we paid $1 to go across and $1 to come back. We wanted to see the rising Missouri. And so we did. Many others were doing the same and I think the toll booth made a bundle this week from river viewers. Perhaps next week may not be so lucrative...it is a possibility the road on the Iowa side of the river may be closed due to water covering portions of the roadway.

Yesterday we drove down underneath the bridge. The road there leads to a few cabins and a restaurant now closed for obvious reasons. A city park sits next to that road. The walkway bridge was blocked with yellow tape. Water was seeping at the edge of the road yesterday. Today it is flooded and closed.

I found this history of the bridge at this website. I'm old enough that I can remember as a small child the talk about the bridge...the dry land bridge. Here's a history as found at the site.

In 1946, the Burt County Bridge Commission asked the U.S. Army Engineers to approve a bridge site at Decatur. Construction of the Decatur Bridge was authorized in 1950.
The village of Decatur received nationwide notoriety in the 1950s because of the famous dry land bridge that was supposed to be across the Missouri River. The original plans were to build the bridge across the Missouri River to connect Decatur to Onawa, Iowa. The river, on the other hand, had different ideas and changed its course, thus leaving the proposed bridge site about a quarter of a mile distant from the river. Plans were changed and the bridge was built on dry land with the river to be rechanneled under the bridge upon completion. The bridge was completed in 1951 but, because of the Korean War, Federal funds could not be appropriated to place the water under the bridge. The $2 million bridge soon was well known as the bridge "that went nowhere, because it lost it's river." Funds finally became available to move the Missouri River under the bridge and the first traffic crossed the bridge on December 19, 1955. The bridge was officially opened May 5, 1956 during Decatur's Centennial.

The deck (roadway) of this bridge fascinates me. It's the only bridge I've ever seen whose roadbed is constructed of grated metal. No concrete. Just a grated metal floor. The grating makes for an irritating road surface, causing tires to howl-howl-howl all the way across. And they are designed such that they pull the car this way and that necessitating a careful grip on the steering wheel to keep the car in its own narrow lane. The bridge was constructed in 1951 and is did I say it is narrow?

Barn swallows love the bridge. I was careful to not stand long underneath their nests for fear of whitewash in my eyes.

By today, Thursday, June 9, the river has risen past its flood stage of 35 feet. At 9 pm tonight the water hit 36.6 feet which is 1.6 feet above flood stage. River water is flowing onto farmlands so fast that occasionally the river gauge reads an inch or so lower than the previous hour...merely because the water upstream is flowing out of its bed instead of under the bridge.

Tuesday, June 14, the water will peak at 38.2 feet (3.2 feet above flood stage. That's five days from now. There will be much more flooding. But we are not alone. Flooding is occurring along the entire stretch from Sioux City south to Missouri...the entire western border of Iowa.

Today Interstate 29 is closed in both directions between Exit 61 to Exit 71 just north of Council Bluffs due to flooding.

Sioux City will see increased train traffic due to flooded areas in Omaha. Read more here.

Several roads in our county near the River have been flooded and closed. And some homes near the river have been evacuated. Read more here.

The Sioux City Journal reports homes evacuated on the Nebraska side at Macy.

And that doesn't include the huge number of homes evacuated at Dakota Dunes, SD, Sioux City, IA and South Sioux City, NE (and other areas).

Everyone is wondering how western Iowa will be affected these next two months. Homes are already lost. More homes will be flooded. Farmers will lose their entire crops for the year. Jobs will be lost. Rumors are rampant. The Summer of 2011 will be a bad summer in western Iowa and eastern Nebraska. Not to mention all the other communities north to the headwaters and south to the Mississippi.

.

By Tomorrow Morning.......

2011-06-05T07:30:00.007-05:00

It seems very strange to awaken to sunshine and all the while knowing the Missouri River seven miles west of us at Decatur, Nebraska will reach flood stage by 6am tomorrow (Monday) morning.

Sioux City, Iowa, and South Sioux City, Nebraska (opposite sides of the Missouri) are building walls and sandbagging to protect low lying areas. Check out the Sioux City Journal here.

The River has already overflowed low-lying areas along its banks. At flood stage there will be major flooding of farmlands and towns all along the approximate 100 miles between Sioux City and Omaha. And since the Corps of Engineers will be releasing record amounts of water for the next several months (into August?) flooding will not abate all summer long.

According to forecasts, our little town will NOT be under water. But as I mentioned yesterday, we will have a rising water table that will put water in our basements. In the meantime citizens are helping those around us (within mere miles) who will be inundated. Families are packing up and moving. The town of Blencoe seven miles south of us is building (has built?) a dike around the town.

A quiet, balmy sunny morning makes all of this seem unreal and false. But it's real and true. And it's not just here. It's all along the Missouri from Montana downward. This year of 2011 will be the Year of the Flood.

God is still in control. And we are not.

.

Five Feet High and Rising...or How Johnny Cash Got It All Wrong!

2011-06-02T23:24:00.015-05:00

The river stage at the Missouri River seven miles west of us is currently 33.62 feet and rising. In three days time the River will be at 36.2 feet which is well past flood stage of 35 feet.

There are six Missouri River dams above us that stretch into several states.

The Oahe Dam at Pierre, South Dakota, is currently releasing a record 85,000 cubic feet of water per second. Flooding is already occurring on the bank areas in the Sioux City area north of us.

The volume will reach 150,000 cubic feet per second next week. When that flow reaches our county there will be major flooding. And since that record release will continue for the next couple months...well....the flooding will continue as well. This is not a happy scenario.

We're hoping our little town of Onawa will remain dry. According to the maps released by the Corps it should. But there will be flooding all around us. Lots of it.

An informational meeting was held this evening at the local school. Too bad they didn't charge a dollar per person...they could have made a bundle. The gymnasium was full. The information was not conducive to happy spirits afterwards. Many farmers attending that meeting can expect their entire farms to be inundated and remain flooded for months. Residents of Blencoe south of us are already clearing their basements and packing up their belongings to evacuate.

I do not know how this summer will turn out. This next week will give us a good idea what to expect the rest of the summer months.

To use the lyrics of Johnny Cash...."How high's the water, Mamma?" Well the answer is, it's an awful lot higher than "five feet high and risin' ".

.

Baby Girl Gets a New Quilt!

2011-05-22T08:21:00.005-05:00

My latest quilt project is finished and mailed off to its new owner. Baby Girl plans to be born in early July and I hope she likes her new quilt. Funny thing! Batik fabrics always look much brighter to the eye than they appear to the camera. I began this quilt several years ago, using batik fabrics. Each block is my own design and if you want to draw out a pattern, you're welcome to do so. Its a simple thing to do using graph paper.
The last two quilts I've finished have rounded corners...a feature that I like very well.

I began this quilt some time before January 2009. I know that because I know I began it prior to being diagnosed with ovarian cancer. My hand-quilting in those days was precise and even. If someone were to look at this quilt they might think two different quilters worked on it for my stitches today are much more uneven and not as precise. It may be due to neuropathy in my hands (which is mild) or it may have to do with the fact that I need a better pair of glasses!

May your day be blessed!

The Mystery is Solved!

2011-05-09T09:19:00.006-05:00

Mysteries! I love solving mysteries.

Friday we solved a mystery that had been bugging us for months. Our 2004 Toyota had a rough shimmy out on the highway that we experienced only for a mile or two soon after entering the freeway. Sometimes the steering wheel would shake so badly it felt as if the front end were going to fall to pieces. After a mile or so it would smooth out and be just fine.

We rotated and balanced tires. Inspected suspension and CV joints. I visited an online auto forum where the moderators had given me good advice before. The circumstances did not seem to fit any of their suggested problems.

I planned to make a 600-mile round trip to visit our daughter (Yay! Had a Great visit!) this past weekend so we took the car one more time to the garage. This time I had the mechanic go for a ride with me and I showed him exactly what was happening. His guess? A brake caliper hanging up. Yep. When it hung up and did not disconnect it caused the brake drum to heat up and warp a bit and perform a growly rhum-rhum-rhum shimmy. After a mile or so the caliper would release and the wheel would run just fine.

The mystery is solved! The brake was fixed! The car drives smoothly! You can't imagine how much I enjoyed that 600-mile shimmy-free drive.

Life is full of mysteries. This one was minor. There are mysteries much more profound than this...like the time we discovered the binoculars in the dishwasher! We never did solve that mystery nor know who to blame. (I think I was the culprit but I'm not taking credit if I don't have to!)

Speaking spiritually, I like it that the Apostle Paul uses the word "mystery" in describing the salvation that God makes available to man through the work of Christ.

Paul says in Ephesians 3:8-12 ...
"To me, the very least of all saints,
this grace was given,
to preach to the Gentiles
the unfathomable riches of Christ,
and to bring to light
what is the administration of the mystery
which for ages has been hidden in God who created all things;
so that the manifold wisdom of God
might now be made known through the church
to the rulers and the authorities
in the heavenly places.
This was in accordance
with the eternal purpose
which He carried out
in Christ Jesus our Lord,
in whom we have boldness and confident access
through faith in Him.

What Paul is saying is that the mystery of salvation through the work of the Son was eternally purposed by the Father. It was a mystery until it was presented into our time/history. The work of Christ now stands revealed...it is effectual to all those who believe...both Jew and Gentile (all the world).

God has purposed, planned, carried out, and made effective all that He proposed to do on behalf of His people. And the work He has begun He will carry out to completion. Phil. 1:6

.

Paul Did Not Use Google

2011-04-24T07:11:00.014-05:00

Paul and his cohorts had no recourse to Google (nor Wikipedia for that matter). If he wanted to prove a point he had to produce eye-witnesses. Couldn't just look it up on the net. And so, when he wants to prove a point about the risen Christ, he reminds his readers that he is backed by well over 500 eye-witnesses.

Here's a short version of what he wrote to believers residing at Corinth.

He states that the risen Christ appeared (walked with, talked with) to:

Peter
the twelve disciples
more than 500 brethren at one time (some who were still alive when Paul wrote this chapter and quite able and willing to testify of the same)
James
all the apostles
to Paul himself

Paul is concerned that some of the believers do not believe in a bodily resurrection from the dead (for themselves, that is). Paul points out that if Christ has not risen from the dead then the following points are valid:

there is no resurrection from the dead for us...when we die, we die. The End.
it is pointless to preach Christ
our faith in Christ is pointless
what we proclaim as "truth" is mere "lie"
those who have died have perished...there is no heaven

But Paul is saying that Christ Is Risen. And he has 500+ witnesses to that event. Then he points out the order and meaning of the fact of the risen Christ:

Christ...the first to rise from the dead.
In Adam (as descendants of Adam) we all die. None of us gets out of here alive.
In Christ (joined to him by faith) we will be made alive.
We get our resurrected bodies at his second advent (his second coming)

But we are not yet there. Death still takes each one of us. But the emphasis here is that Death itself will someday be done away with. There will come a time when there will be no more death! Verse 26 says it like this..."The last enemy that will be abolished is death."

You can read Paul's more plainly here. I Corinthians 15:3-28

And Paul's concluding thoughts here. I Cor. 15:54-55

Jesus came to undo the work of the devil. He came to undo the death that Adam's sin brought to all of us. He came to put an end to death. An end to death? How can there be better news than that? And, hey! That thing about Jesus undoing the work of the devil? You can hover your cursor over the following verses to read about that.
Hebrews 2:14
1 John 3:8

On Easter we celebrate Christ's victory over death on our behalf. In Adam we die. In Christ we live. The latter only because Christ Himself lives and has conquered death.

J.C. Ryle (a much better writer than I) put it this way....We need not wonder that so much importance is attached to our Lord’s resurrection. It is the seal and memorial stone of the great work of redemption, which He came to do. It is the crowning proof that He has paid the debt He undertook to pay on our behalf, won the battle He fought to deliver us from hell, and is accepted as our guarantee and our substitute by our Father in heaven. Had He never come forth from the prison of the grave, how could we ever have been sure that our ransom had been fully paid (1 Corinthians 15:17)? Had He never risen from His conflict with the last enemy, how could we have felt confident that He has overcome death – and him that had the power of death, that is the devil (Hebrews 2:14)? But thanks be unto God, we are not left in doubt. The Lord Jesus really rose again for our justification.

And so we live by faith.
.
.

If You Want to Hit The News Bigtime, Host a Tornado!

2011-04-11T16:34:00.006-05:00

The storm itself is in the news everywhere. If you've been watching news of any kind you know that a tornado ripped through the small Iowa town of Mapleton a mere 20 miles northeast of where we live. You can click here to see photos of the destruction.

But before the storm devastated Mapleton it first passed over our small town. The warning sirens sounded and, being the ~~witless~~ curious folk that we are, most of us zoomed out the patio door to see "what was the matter". We had company and the men of the bunch were the most ~~witless~~ curious. The overhead sky was definitely full of threatening clouds but it didn't seem any more than the usual dark blustery clouds of spring.

But to the north of us, a mere two blocks away, we could see a large and incohesive mass of air that had whipped dirt into the mix, turning it a dark gray. Even though it seemed only "breezy" on our deck, we could see that two blocks north, there were patches and masses of dark roiling air. We knew that boiling mass could quickly evolve into a funnel.

Still...we stood there watching. We knew the air was moving eastward and not towards our deck.

In the meanwhile we had ordered pizza. Our daughter, who had gone to pick it up, was standing in Pizza Hut wondering whether to drive home or to hide in the bathroom with the rest of the pizza crowd. She was bummed that she missed the stormy view from our deck. I was worried about her! But she returned safely.

Our other daughter works in an assisted care facility on the north edge of town....exactly in the path of the pre-funnel cloud. The routine is to round up all residents and move them into the hallway. When they realized one male resident was missing, they found him standing outdoors with his binoculars watching the storm.

Residents of Mapleton, Iowa, did not fare so well. One online source stated that about 120 homes out of the town's 600 were destroyed. Thankfully, no lives were lost. The Sheriff and his crew had tracked the storm and requested warning sirens be sounded early. Those extra few minutes gave residents time to head for their basements or other protected areas. Major damage. But, I repeat, no lost lives. We are grateful for that.

There are numerous videos of this tornado on news sites and on youtube so I will not include a link...you can easily google and find them.

After the storm passed, our guests departed in several directions. But only after checking radar on iPad and iPhones. Pretty handy devices!
.

Today I Am Serious --- Again!

2011-04-06T21:57:00.006-05:00

The following is a reposting of my blog entry of July 28, 2008. Lest you think my seemingly fascination with death is due to my having cancer, this post was written six months prior to my diagnosis. I labeled it, "Today I Am Serious." Here is the entry as I wrote it then.

I didn't wake up this morning thinking about today's topic. But someone emailed me this quote by Martin Luther King: "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter."

I know what he means, of course. He's not talking about the end of life; he's not talking about death. He's talking about moral cowardice and failure.

Death, real Death, is deeper than that...deeper than moral failure on our part. More insidious. More deadly (if I can use "death" to define "death").

Biologically, our lives begin their trek toward death the moment we are conceived. Yes, I recognize that at conception rapid growth occurs. Our cells multiply and divide more prolifically at that point than ever again. It would hardly seem to be a time of dying. But if I consider life as a "time" thing, that we live in "time", that each moment in time is a moment closer to our physical death, then I recognize that my "march toward death" began the moment I began life...at conception.

The moment of death comes to us in many ways. Some live a "natural" lifespan and die of old age. Some die premature, violent deaths. Some linger long and painfully as some disease or bodily dysfunction ends their living days. Somehow we see natural death (old age) as "better" than dying prematurely by accident or disease. We see painless death as "better" than a death that comes painfully. We see certain deaths as tragic and senseless while we view other deaths as normal or natural.

But it is really not the manner of death that is so terrible. The tragedy, the human tragedy, is that we die at all! That death exists! That death awaits all!

It behooves us, then, to take into consideration where and when death entered into the world.

The Bible tell us "The wages of sin is death...", Romans 6:23.

If that is so, then which of my sins causes my death? The one I committed yesterday? The day before? The first time I deliberately chose wrong over right? Which Sin? And if it is sinful action on the part of the individual that brings that individual's death, then what about that newborn infant? The one who took two breaths and died. What sin did that infant commit that was worthy of death?

In regards to myself, some might answer that it is all my sins that bring about my death. That I am guilty of all. And that is true. I am guilty of all my sins. So in a sense I could say that all my sins cause my death. (Remember...as a Christian, I also am completely aware of and thankful for the forgiveness that Christ gives at the Cross.)

Death entered into the world long before I was conceived and born. I'm talking about the death that we are born into. Read Genesis, Chapter 3. My death comes about because of Adam's sin (and ultimately my own sin). It is Adam's sin that brought death into the world...to himself, to his posterity, and to all the animal kingdom. Death reigned in Adam. When he sinned he entered into a condition of death. And as his children we are conceived already entering into death.

The Bible speaks more about death, though, and gives us promise. It tells us that while in Adam we die, in Christ we live. (Romans 5:12-20). It also says that death will someday be destroyed (Rev. 20:14) and that death will not have the victory (1 Corinthians 15:55). (click on the texts to read the verses)

As Christians we can have confidence that death is not the end, that death will not have the victory, that we have life in Christ.

Dennis Ngien, in Christianity Today, puts it this way... "While we should be aware daily of the inevitable reality of death, we can live as those who have been freed from the curse and sting of death. Luther wisely reminds us to ponder "the heavenly picture of Christ," for in Christ, we have passed from death to life. Death is no death to the believers whose lives are hidden with Christ in God."

Today I am serious.

A Consultation Indicates a Pleasant Summer Ahead

2011-04-03T07:17:00.007-05:00

I am happy to remedy (make a slight change) to my previous post wherein I mentioned Hubby having been diagnosed last year with Light Chain Deposition Disease.

This week Hubby's oncologist discussed a consultation he made with specialists at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. The summary of that discussion is basically that his LCDD will NOT affect the other organs. This means "no more chemo".

This is good news! Dialysis itself is wearing on the body. Adding chemo to the mix was a nasty way to bring on perpetual fatigue and other side-effects.

We are looking forward to enjoying the oncoming spring and summer. This has been our prayer...a good summer...and no chemo! This prayer has been answered and we are grateful.

.

Upon which I Talk About Crossing the River

2011-03-23T20:31:00.009-05:00

When we were young (half a century ago!!!) we thought our life paths would go straight forward to job, marriage, children, and someday...so far down the road it was almost invisible...to old age and death. In fact, according to our youthful ~~thinking~~ non-thinking, old age and death would never arrive. It was simply too far away. Eons, centuries, and eras so far forward that effectively the day simply would never arrive. When we were young we were so busy thinking of "living" that we just knew we would never arrive at the "dying".

I hope you do not think I am being morbid. But, frankly, when you have been living with ovarian cancer for two years, unless you live in intense denial, you are quite naturally going to think about the end result of your nasty disease. At first with weeping. And prayers. And questioning. And googling. (Please note the order here...to my way of thinking, prayers naturally have prior place to googling.)

All of this to simply mention (for those of my readers who have cancer) a blog I ran across a couple months ago. You see, cancer patients have much to offer other cancer patients. And so, today, I point you to a blog by Joe Hendricks and his wife, Heidi. When You Both Have Cancer is their story. They write with grace, strength, love, and courage.

And now I'm jumping back to my own blog. At our house we, too, both have cancer. Oh, Hubby's disease isn't specifically labeled "cancer". But the doctors tell us it is "like cancer". His "light chain deposition disease" has knocked his kidneys out...perhaps for the duration...so he's on dialysis three times a week as well as trying various chemo drugs to slow the damage to other organs in his body. Needless to say, his body is not happy about these medical events. Frankly, he struggles daily with the fatigue and pain and other effects of disease and drugs.

Hubby and I find ourselves in a strange place. We find ourselves residing in the land of the enemy (death) as we approach the River Jordan and the Land of the Promise. We take new joy in the words of that old hymn, "Shall We Gather At The River" for it reminds us of the words in the last chapter of the Bible.

Revelation 22:1-4 "Then the angel showed me the river of the water of life, bright as crystal,
flowing from the throne of God and of the Lamb...."
and again in the previous chapter, Rev. 21:4
"He (God) will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death (our old enemy) will be no more,
neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore,
for the former things have passed away."

This is our hope. We rejoice in this promise. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, has taken our sins to the Cross where He died for us. In return He gives us His Righteousness. When we stand before God we are seen by Him as "clean, forgiven, justified, made holy" by the work of our Redeemer in giving us His Robe of Righteousness. This is a precious promise that we take "by faith" while we reside here but which we will experience in full on that final day.

P.S. You can read how Joshua led the people of Israel across the River Jordan into the Promised Land in Joshua Ch. 3.

.

The Story Behind the Party

2011-03-17T14:54:00.003-05:00

Oh, I have a wee bit o' Irish in me. Just a wee bit of Irish blood mixed in with half a dozen others.

Many love to party on St. Patrick's Day, guzzling green beer, thinking they are "celebrating" when in deed they are denigrating a great man of Christian faith by their foolish "party-hearty" attitude.

I hope you are a bit more serious minded, and if such, I hope you will take a look at the real story of the real St. Patrick as mentioned at this website and I hope this will inspire you to google a bit further into the biography of the man who brought Christianity to Ireland some 1600 years ago.

(The photo is of the Saint Patrick stained-glass window from Cathedral of Christ the Light in Oakland, California. Borrowed from the web...I do not know who to credit as I've seen it at multiple sites.)

.

Aspiring (Fiction) Writers Need to Know This!

2011-02-28T13:01:00.007-06:00

Aspiring writers have a great desire to know how to write the snorkly, snerkly, snuckly sound of a good healthy snore. Authors know you can't simply type in the words "snore, snore" and win a Pulitzer! A good writer has to convey fullness of meaning. The reader wants to feel as if he is right there in the room! Hearing the Snore!

Numerous writers have struggled with this problem! They google such phrases as "how to write a snore"! I know, because when they google that phrase, the Google people point them to my blog. And Google does that because I once explained exactly how to "write a snore". I am the source of this little known information. And Google recognizes that fact.

If you, an aspiring writer, have been lying awake at night wondering how you were going to convey to your readers the sound of heavy snoring, please click to read my earlier entry in that regard.

You'll be glad you did. And perhaps you'll have a best-seller. And perhaps you will share with me the royalties of such best-seller. We'll both be famous! And rich!

(If this has been a helpful post to you personally, please leave a comment with the title of your latest novel within which you will be using this highly useful information. My readers will be ever grateful.)

.

Upon Which I Put Dangerous Things in the Proper Place

2011-02-22T08:51:00.007-06:00

Disorder annoys my spirit. Except for my computer desk...which doesn't count. But in the rest of the house I like order. I like knowing where something can be found first time. I like knowing where something should be put away. It just makes life easy when things are in order.

Some time back I became disenchanted with my knife drawer. My daughter had gifted me with a wood knife holder and I had placed it in the drawer to safely hold my Sudoku knives which have very, very, very sharp blades. (Sudoku knives are not to be confused with Sudoku puzzles. Just thought I'd mention that.) Please read my post script at the bottom of the page.

Here are the contents of my knife drawer, laid out on the countertop. Who needs so many knives?

It took me all of ten minutes to toss some of the clutter, rearrange the rest, and put it all back together again.

Did I say I dislike disorder? I love "order"! (And now the wood knife holder does its intended job well!)

P.S. No household with accident-prone children should ever have a Sudoku knife.

(Major confession added later...a kind reader very gently pointed out that the knife is a SANtoku. The puzzle is SUdoku. I had googled but google pointed me to a website where the writer also ERRED in calling the knife by its wrong name. I am embarrassed. *silly grin on my face*)

Mouse the Original and Mouse the New.

2011-02-18T20:52:00.008-06:00

Once upon a time we had a mouse. In the house. Mouse was a gray kitten when she arrived. Her previous owners had named her "Mouse" and even though we tried to find a more suitable name, none could be had. Mouse she was and Mouse she remained.

Mouse had one talent. She was very good at retrieving marbles tossed down the hallway. Her tiny paws sounded like horses' hooves as she ran fast as can be. The neighbors downstairs were not supposed to know we had a cat. Perhaps they thought we had a small pony!?

That was nearly 25 years ago and Mouse died long ago. But this morning, when I looked out the patio door, there was a friendly kitty who could have been a double for our Mouse.

"Mouse the New" was well fed and had a collar around her (his?) neck so I knew she was simply checking out the neighborhood. She was quite curious and desired to come indoors but, no, that wouldn't do. She might come indoors and become frightened in a strange place, hide under the sofa, and never come out again. So, no, Mouse the New had to remain outdoors.

Mouse the New needed and received a good scratch behind the ears. She was very appreciative and would have stayed longer. But soon I sent her on her way.

I do hope she comes to visit this summer when I am out digging in the flowers. I would very much like that.

Lennie Takes His Medicine and We Have Photo Proof!

2011-02-09T15:08:00.004-06:00

This year I've undertaken a project to post a diary belonging to my husband's grandfather, Charles Leonard Davis, when "Lennie", as he was called, was sixteen years old and living in Wakefield, Nebraska.

Here's one small pic attached to today's entry on that blog. As you can see, Lennie is "taking his medicine"!

I hope you will click here and follow along as we read about Lennie all year long. Next week historic events are recorded in Lennie's Diary. So keep tuned.

In Regards to My Previous Spitting of Nails And In Which I Give you More Advice in a More Lucid Manner

2011-02-03T00:54:00.008-06:00

In regards to yesterday's post, I want to say that there is ample room in the world of cancer treatment for alternative methods in addition to the medical treatment we might be receiving.

With my stage III-C ovarian cancer, the routine (for most) is debulking surgery followed by chemotherapy. Chemo brings its own problems but hopefully the benefits outweigh the problems.

Statistics with ovarian cancer are not good, so you will bear with me when I say that ovarian patients get a teensy bit anxious about their future. I'm one of the fortunate 4 out of 10 that has made it to the two-year mark. And in their anxiousness they desire to have the best chance possible for not only long life but also quality life. And so many of us do a certain amount of research about established medical treatments as well as alternative methods.

But enough of that. This post is about alternative treatments...the world of supplements, special teas, special diets, and the sale of a multitudinous number of books with titles similar to "How I Cured My Cancer and How You Can Too!" (This is a title I made up...but similar to those on the market.) Many of these books are written by people with no medical background and who have a financial stake in selling their book, so excuse me if I get a bit skeptical about their personal recommendations for my life (and or death).

Basically, I try to eat well. I take calcium, Vit D3, and magnesium (which is doctor ordered) in addition to my meds. I do not use other vitamins/supplements/teas/yada. That's my personal preference after doing much reading.

Others use supplements after their own period of study in hopes that their use may be beneficial. And it may. That is each one's personal decision. (I hope they run those past their Oncologist for while some supplements can be of benefit, other supplements may actually work against the effectiveness of chemo/radiation/yada.)

Having said all of the above it concerns me when cancer patients swallow the idea that "doctors are in this for the money".

To refute that, I will say that I doubt there is an Oncologist out there who, if his most beloved came down with cancer, would tell them to NOT use the established medical treatments. I'm betting he would advocate good medical care because he thinks that is the very best option. He might or might not include supplements/dietary changes, etc. But he would NOT advise his beloved wife/child/parent to EXCLUDE medical care IN LIEU of relying solely on an alternative treatment.

I've browsed the internet in regards to Essiac tea, the Budwig protocal, various cancer gurus, and now in regards to a book by Kelley Eidem, "The Doctor Who Cures Cancer". His book is apparently a biography of a Dr. Emanuel Revici who researched diet in regards to cancer during the 1940s-1990s.

Those enticed to try Eidem's method should check Eidem's personal claims carefully. First of all, he claims (according to his words) to have discovered, almost overnight, blotches on his skin that he apparently self-diagnosed to be cancer stage IV. And he claims to have cured his Stage IV cancer in two weeks with use of garlic/hot peppers/oils etc. I'll leave it to you to check out his exact methods. He desires to sell you his book about Dr. Revici wherein this method is supposedly laid out...I haven't read it myself so I'm just guessing this by his website. The book sells for approximately $27 for softcover or $21 download.

Cancer patients should be aware that many of the websites that "recommend" Eidem's book are somehow tied to him and/or his book sales. I have not found an established medical website that recommends this method as a cancer cure.

Those interested in reading Eidem's book can buy it and decide for themselves. However, I would ask them to FIRST read what the following medical websites have to say about the man that Eidem wrote about, Dr. Emanuel Revici.

The Univ. of California, San Diego, Moores Cancer Center writes here:
http://tinyurl.com/6hla693

The MD Anderson Cancer Center mentions Revici here:
http://tinyurl.com/6jahx2z

The American Cancer Society mentions Revici here:
http://tinyurl.com/65hocua

AFTER you have read these three reviews, THEN if you are still interested, you can google Eidem to find where you can buy his book.

At least the medical establishment (and your Oncologist) will tell you the truth about the statistics. Alternative practitioners who have not followed appropriate research methods cannot give you accurate statistics. They can only say things such as "a 23-year-old woman was cured" or "a 55 year old man with brain tumor was cured". They will not tell you of the large number who died while under their care. Nor how soon they died.

I hope my words do not sound harsh. It is extremely important, that if one wishes to make an educated decision, that they carefully research BOTH what the medical people can do and what the alternative caretakers can provide.

Many alternatives are beneficial. For instance, if acupuncture was available close by, I might consider it for my neuropathy. I wouldn't mind doing some juicing of veggies/fruits to enhance my diet. There are probably supplements I could take for neuropathy but if I take them, I will first run them by my Oncologist.

But while many alternatives might be beneficial, you should also use some skepticism when reading claims by those out "to sell something". "Something" being their book or their personal brand of vitamins, teas, supplements.

This is my opinion only. And I hope you won't think I'm being harsh in my words.

I wish all my fellow ovarian cancer patients (and other cancers, too!) well and pray that each might have a full, long life instead of dealing with this disease.

Now. It's past my bedtime. And this is long enough. Bless you all. And may you seek God in the midst of your affliction, asking him for peace of mind, wisdom, reassurance. Remember that even Job, that righteous man of God, was not spared affliction.

.

I'm Spitting Nails Today!

2011-02-01T11:58:00.006-06:00

I'll be the first to admit that current medical experts do not know EveryThing! Not about cancer! Not about a lot of ailments. But they do know Something! And they know an awful lot more than I know.

So I go to the doctor. And I have an Oncologist. And I get my scans/bloodtests/exams.

And so far, my Onc is keeping me stable.

I visit an online forum for cancer patients. Members ask questions, provide answers, share information, and encourage one another. I've learned a lot from that website.

However, today my blood boiled. Someone shared a link to a fellow that I adamantly believe is a Quack (with a capital "Q"). This guy (Kelley Eidem) self-diagnosed stage IV cancer from splotches on his skin, without ever seeing a doctor, and claims to have "cured" his (supposedly) stage-IV cancer with two weeks (or less) of eating garlic and jabanero peppers and oil or something like that. Of course, since he is altruistic and wants YOU to be cured of your cancer, he wants you to BUY his BOOK!

Well, do tell! He sells a book! I wonder how many people he has convinced to forego medical treatment in lieu of garlic/peppers/oil. Get in line, Mr. Quack, with all those other Quacks who sell false hope and call it a cure.

I'm mad enough to be spitting nails.

P.S. The photo is NOT an advertisement by this particular Mr. Quack. But it may as well be...in my humble but not stupid opinion.

.

We Should Be Weeping

2011-01-22T11:44:00.002-06:00

Lori in Rhode Island writes about weeping. What she wrote is the saddest and truest thing I've read all week. I hope you will go to her blog and read her precious words of today.

.

We Are Cultural Schizophrenics

2011-01-10T06:42:00.009-06:00

We have become cultural schizophrenics. On one hand we decry the violence that occurred Saturday in Arizona. On the other hand we love "violence" as entertainment. We love it, I say! We pay big bucks to watch violence at the theaters and in our living rooms.

Our heroes punch each other, beat each other to a pulp. stab, shoot, kill and nobody gets arrested. Nobody goes to jail. No consequences.

Isn't that a bit unrealistic?

If I slap my neighbor in the face I can be charged with assault. If I slap my toddler, I can lose my kid to the system. (I'm too old for that...my toddler is in her 30s, but you get the picture.)

But not in Hollywood. No, Sirree. In the movies there is no consequence to breaking someone's nose. Nor killing in the most vile way. If the killing is done by the "hero", the "hero" goes away unbothered by the consequences of his action. If the violence is done by the "bad guy", well, then the solution is that the "good guy" kills the "bad guy". And the "good guy" doesn't even come under investigation for his action!

Folks! That is not Reality!

I'm wondering...when is Hollywood going to step up to the plate and recognize the great impression they have on young, impressionable minds who are sitting in front of the TV without parental supervision.

You say, "But...the parents are supposed to supervise and explain and discuss and blah, blah, blah."

I say, "Where is the village in this scenario?" Where is our society teaching our children the ramifications of using violence against one another? Parents and teachers tell them one thing (don't hit!) and television tells them another (hitting and killing solves problems). You figure out which will have the stronger message.

We have accepted into our midst the glorification of violence. We've let Hollywood teach our children as to what is acceptable behavior towards one another. We sit passively by and say, "It's only a movie."

And, lest we be accused of that dirty word "censorship", we swallow it all...hook, line and sinker. We have a knee-jerk reaction to a false concept of "censorship". God forbid that we censor. We have a right, after all, to say/write/portray anything we want. It's in the First Amendment, right? Isn't that right?

And yet we do censor. We censor anyone who threatens the President or a Member of Congress. We censor anyone who says the word "bomb" in an airport. (Try that one and see how much freedom of speech you have.) We censor calling each other certain names. We censor the words coming out of a first-grade teacher's mouth. If that teacher uses profanity (especially repeated profanity) that teacher will be out of a job. We censor a loud filthy mouth in a family restaurant. We stop the ruckus by calling the police and charging him with disturbing the peace.

Even Mark Twain is being censored! We Do Censor!

And while we condemn children calling each other names (bullying) in the school setting, we don't dare "censor" the television programs where insults, name-calling, hitting, killing are all done in the name of "entertainment". After all, if we were to do that, we'd be limiting someone's "free speech rights", someone's "creativity".

Don't you think it odd that "censorship" has become as holy as the Holy Grail?

And isn't it odd that "morality" has become a dirty word?

Am I crazy, or has the entire society turned itself upside down?

P.S. When a bookstore refuses to sell the crummy book you wrote last week...well, that is NOT censorship. NOT!

Today's Verse is Isaiah 5:20. Click on the reference to read the verse...unless you consider the Bible worthy of censorship, that is.

.

Lennie Joins the Band and the Band Becomes "Art"

2011-01-08T08:58:00.005-06:00

Debby of "Life's Funny Like That" commented yesterday about the strangeness of "time" and how we are each, every one of us, wrapped up in time, living out our lives, connected one with another.

Time takes us forward, one step, two steps, three. There is no going backward. We can "look" back, but we can't "go" back.

Debby was kind enough to mention my new blog, "Lennie's Diary" wherein we read the sparse words of a 16-year-old (soon to be 17) boy from Wakefield, Nebraska, in the year 1898.

If you, Dear Reader, have not yet visited Lennie, please click here to read the latest in his 1898 diary and how the Wakefield Cornet Band became "art" nearly a century later.

.

A Two-Year Pie Out On the Deck

2010-12-31T13:02:00.005-06:00

I betcha thought this cold and snowy weather was good for nothng, didn't you? You Were Wrong!

As you can see, the snowy deck (actually, it's a combo of sleet and snow) makes a good cooling pad for the apple pie I baked this morning. It's 13 degrees and I figure that'll cool this pie down right fast.

Oh, I could place the pie on the countertop to cool, but that would slow down consumption considerably. This late in the year it's pointless to begin practicing patience.

(Don't worry, Mom! I baked a small one for you as well.)

On the the New Year.

Last week, as I printed out my 2011 calendar, I hand-printed at the top of each monthly page the following statement. I read it on someone's blog (yours?) but I can't remember where and I liked it. Here it is, as printed in red on my calendar.

"We will prayerfully await the unfolding of God's ordained will."

The statement is a reminder that regardless of what 2011 brings, whether ease or discomfort, we are always and still and forever in the providential hands of our Lord. God is our provider, both for things physical and spiritual. He causes us to lean faithfully upon Him. And in that leaning, He gives us peace.

May your New Year be filled with the Peace that only He can provide.

Now...heading for apple pie! Even though it's early in the day I think we can extend this pie out into the next year. A two year pie! How about them apples!

P.S. Don't forget to check in on Lennie tomorrow.

.

Upon Which I Tell You About Lennie's Diary in Year 1898

2010-12-29T22:51:00.005-06:00

These days nobody writes anything on paper. It's email or twitter or blogs or whatever. And little of it is printed out for posterity. (Sure, you think just because it's on the Net that it is forever! But that's what you thought about your VCR movies, too!)

We have in our possession a shoe box full of letters that Hubby's mother wrote home to her mother. A huge lot of them. But this post is not about those letters.

Instead, I am writing about Hubby's grandfather's diary. It was a simple little pocket-size book with a couple lines set apart for each day. Each day in 1898 Lennie (his name was Charles Leonard) wrote succinct notes about his day. He was seventeen. He was in high school and worked on the neighbor's farm. He played in the town band and liked girls. His transportation was either a horse or a bicycle. There were no cars yet.

I have a fondness for Lennie. My hubby very much resembles him physically, and although I never met Lennie, I'm thinking their personalities were similar as well.

I hope you will click over to Lennie's diary and follow along as I post his daily notes nearly 113 years later.

And, maybe, perhaps, it will inspire you to begin a diary of your own.

Happy New Year, Everybody! Happy New Year!
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Today's Word: succinct [səkˈsɪŋkt] adjective
Definition

1. marked by brevity and clarity; concise

2. compressed into a small area

My Brother is Always Good for a Snirkle!

2010-12-21T05:00:00.001-06:00

I make up new words. Today's word? "Snirkle!" It's sort of a cross between a giggle, a smirk, and snarky laughter. Today I snirkled!

Earlier today....a phone conversation with my brother. In regards to our family gathering for Christmas. And food thereof.

Me: "The fruitcake is almost gone.

Me again: "But I'm going to make another."

Brother: "Oh, No!"

Brother again: Oh! I mean "Wonderful!"

My brother is always good for a snirkle.

P.S. I am not always good a making up new words. I googled "snirkle" and guess what! It's already taken. It's a candy bar, of all things, that originated in 1920. Man! Am I behind the times! Snirkle, snirkle!
.

How Can We Not Celebrate!!!

2010-12-20T09:13:00.007-06:00

One of the blogs that I follow is J.C. Ryle Quotes. You might ask, "Who is J.C. Ryle?"

A partial answer is that J.C. Ryle (1816-1900) was a prolific writer, preacher, pastor, husband of three wives (widowed three times) and the father to five children.

After being in Pastoral ministry in England for 38 years, in 1880 (at age 64) Ryle became the first bishop of Liverpool, England and remained there for 20 years. He retired in 1900 (at age 83) and died later that same year at age 84. (You can read a longer, albeit short, biography at this website.)

I'm appreciative of the J.C. Ryle Quotes blog because I can daily read clear, convicting words by Ryle. Today's quote is as follows (emphasis mine):

Christianity is a religion built upon facts. Let us never lose sight of this. The first preachers did not go up and down the world, proclaiming an elaborate, artificial system of abstruse doctrines and deep principles. They made it their first business to tell men great plain facts. They went about telling a sin-laden world, that the Son of God had come down to earth, and lived for us, died for us, and risen again. The Gospel, at its first publication, was far more simple than many make it now. It was neither more nor less than the history of Christ. ~ J.C. Ryle

And so it is, that at Christmastime, we are celebrating exactly that! The Son of God, has come to save us from our sins. The Jesus of history now sits at the right hand of the Father and intercedes on behalf of His people.

How can we not celebrate!

Merry Christmas! And Hallelujah!

..

Don't Eat the Cookie Dough!

2010-12-16T09:09:00.006-06:00

Just a friendly seasonal reminder...you don't want to spend Christmas Eve as I did last year.

What happened last year, you ask? Well...I baked cookies the morning of Christmas Eve. And, as I always do, I ate cookie dough! Who doesn't!

At this point I want you to think "food poisoning"!

That night we had a raging blizzard. Wind and snow howled through our area. We couldn't have gotten out on the road in any kind of emergency. And I was lying awake deep into the night with a nauseous pain in my tummy...thanks to eating cookie dough. I envisioned all kinds of horrible scenarios on this Christmas Eve...one of them being a trip to the emergency room a mere two blocks away in a snow plow. You can read about that evening here.

So! No more cookie dough for me! And I advise the same for you.

I wonder if the chocolate companies make a cookie dough truffle! I betcha!!!

.

The Beginning of the End...a Reversal

2010-12-13T14:17:00.005-06:00

Last week I posted on what I call the "Grand Exchange". In line with that thought, today I'm encouraging you to click on over to this post to read what Tullian Tchividjian has to say about what he calls the "Great Reversal".

Tchividjian (pronounced cha-vi-jin) comments on C.S.Lewis' classic tale for children, "The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe".

Early in the story the land of Narnia is under the spell of the White Witch so that it is "always winter and never Christmas". I was thinking yesterday about Lewis' book...about winter and snow and cold. And how, when winter hits in its full fierceness, it fills us with dread.

To live unprotected in dark dead winter is to live in danger. Sometimes I think about that...when I am lying abed in the dark of the night and the wind is howling like a freight train running down the middle of the street. Thinking about how we take for granted the blessings of central heat and insulated walls. About electricity that seldom (in our part of the country) goes out.

We get lulled into thinking we are always "safe". We forget about those who, due to time or circumstance, have no such safe place. Winter can be deadly. And in its deadliness it gives no joy. Perhaps that is why Lewis described the spell of the White Witch as leaving the land "always winter and never Christmas". Always deadly. Never joy.

Click on the link in my first paragraph to read Tullian's comments about what he calls the "Great Reversal". The beginning of the end of winter.

And count a warm home as one of your blessings today.

Breakfast After the Blizzard

2010-12-12T09:40:00.004-06:00

Are not two sparrows sold for a cent? And yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from your Father.

Matthew 10:29

It's a White-Out Blizzard and We're Home Safe and Snug

2010-12-11T17:22:00.012-06:00

It's Saturday night. And there's a blizzard. A white-out blizzard. And you thought nothing exciting was happening in America tonight! Read on!

There ain't no sunshine in Iowa today. Nor in Minnesota. As you can see by the weather map the entire State of Iowa is under a blizzard warning. And has been since early this morning.

Roads in northwest Iowa and the southern half of Minnesota are closed according to their respective highway websites. I-29 in Iowa is closed from Missouri Valley all the way north to Sioux Falls, South Dakota. That's a 162 mile stretch! Closed!

Right now the wind is whistling along at somewhere between 30 to 50 miles an hour. Our windows are covered with a fine-powdered snow that has whisked its way right through the screens to the double-pane windows inside.

And our birds! Last year the feeder hung under the tree out back. This year we moved it out front by the picture window and the little feathered critters had only just recently found it again. This mornng it was cold! Bitterly cold! The birds arrived early and stayed late. Finally, at dusk, I brought the now-snow-filled feeder inside, emptied it of its snowy birdseed and set it in the tub to let it thaw. I'll refill it in the morning with dry seed and hang it out again. I'm sure our friends will be ready for breakfast.

Meanwhile, my daughter in Minnesota spent the day baking cookies (except for the short time she tried driving to the quick shop for coffee and ended up backing all the way home in deep snow). She plans to bring cookies down for Christmas and they sound very yummy and I hope my grandson does not eat them all in the meantime, because as a friend told me, he has hollow legs and he needs lots and lotsa cookies! But I'm hoping!

And here? We're snug inside. We've no place we need to go. And I'll share a pic of our little Christmas tree.

Stay safe!

People Really Wanna Know! Now You, Too, Can Know!

2010-12-10T09:14:00.011-06:00

Occasionally I check to see how people land on my blog. And one of the things I check are the google search phrases that sometimes cause them to find me. One of the strangest and most common searches that lands them here is "how to write a snore?"

You may wonder, "WHO wants to know how to write a snore!!??"

The answer, I suppose, is "writers". Writers write. And if their hero/heroine is sleeping I suppose they want him/her to snore as well. If he/she is snoring, he/she is definitely sound asleep. Whatever....

In October 2008 I learned how to write "snore" in snore language. Read on if you, too, need to know how to "write a snore!" Here's my post from that year.

I confess. I snore. Up until now only Hubby knows that. (Now you ALL know!!!) Snoring does not seem like something a lady should confess to, but there it is.

Recently, in the middle of the night, Hubby tapped me on the shoulder which is his signal to me to "Roll over, you're snoring." In that small moment between the "tap" and "awake", my mind had a mental picture of how "snore" would look if it were written in snore language (not to be confused with plain English).

Here's a pic of that written sound. Just in case you ever need to write it out yourself. (You never know when this bit of info will come in handy!)

I'm an inventor of a new written language. But so far it only has one word.
And now you, too, can write a "snore".
*giggle*

A Seasonal Word and a Grand Exchange!

2010-12-07T20:33:00.009-06:00

It's an old word, one that comes down to us from the 14th Century but which has its meaning in an event that happened about 2000 years ago. If you are unfamiliar with the word "Nativity" as used by Christians, I hope that you will kindly read on. Take just a moment to read a very simple explanation of what Christians believe at Christmas. If nothing else, you will obtain a closer understanding of what it is that we are celebrating.

From the online Miriam-Webster dictionary we find this definition of "Nativity":

1: the process or circumstances of being born: birth; especially capitalized: the birth of Jesus
(emphasize mine)

And, then, as dictionaries do, we read the origin of the word.
Middle English nativite, from Anglo-French nativité, from Medieval Latin nativitat-, nativitas, from Late Latin, birth, from Latin nativus

Over the years (my years, that is) my Christmas decorating has varied. But regardless of what other decorations I put up, I always love setting out a Nativity scene. One set is pictured at the top of my blog. The other is a small music box that I hope little visitors will pick up, turn the handle, and listen to the simple tune as they contemplate the figures that represent Mary, Joseph and Baby Jesus.

For us the word "Christmas" comes from Middle English Christemasse, and from Old English Cristes mæsse, literally, Christ's mass.

I suppose that is partly why non-believers sometimes prefer "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas". Be that as it may...Christmas is a celebration of Christ.

I want to emphasize that the celebration is not simply the birth of a new baby for this is no ordinary baby. What we are celebrating is the arrival of the promised Savior, Emmanuel (God with us). The long-awaited Promised Messiah arrived on that not-so-quiet night in Bethlehem.

Why was it a not-so-quiet night? Luke 2:13-14 tells us that after the birth there was a host, a huge number, a large crowd, a Sky Full of Holy Angels shouting the good news and proclaiming, ""Glory to God in the highest, And on earth peace among men with whom He is pleased."

God Himself (John 1:1-3) had come down into mankind to take on flesh to become one of us (John 1:14) and to live the righteous and perfectly sin-free life than we cannot.

And then! At the Cross, He carried out what I call the Grand Exchange. Our sins placed on Him. All of them. Imputed to Him as if they were His own! He died our penalty as if He had committed every one of those rotten, filthy, foul sins! (2 Corinthians 5:21) (Another useful word here is "propitiation" or "sacrifice". See 1 John 4:10)

But this is only half the exchange! The other half is that His Righteousness is put on (imputed) to those who are His. His Righteousness covers us! It covers us so thoroughly that when we stand before God on Judgment Day our Heavenly Father sees us Clean! Because we are clothed with Christ's Righteousness! (Even though we still live out our natural lifetime struggling against our old sin nature.)

Therefore, if you belong to Christ, consider yourself a New Creature. Our old "self" is done away with. We are new! (2 Cor 5:17).

This Christmas, when you see a Nativity set, stop and take a look. That little baby in a manger came purposely, with a plan from Eternity Past to reconcile God's people to Himself. (2 Cor 5:18)

And That's why Christmas is Merry! We have received Life! (John 5:24 and I John 5:20)
..

Him and Me? He and I? It's Easy As Pie!

2010-12-04T00:28:00.006-06:00

It's been decades since I studied grade school grammar and I'll admit that my own grammar is not always correct. However, the misuse of pronouns when talking about "him and me" is rampant. There is a simple rule that makes it easy to determine whether to use "I" or "me".

First of all, when speaking of another person and yourself always mention the other person first, i.e., "him and me", or "he and I". Never "I and he", or "me and him". It is proper (and polite) to refer to the other person first just as it is polite to allow the other person to walk through a door first. It is simple courtesy as well as grammatically correct.

Secondly, when speaking of yourself and another person, there are times to use "me" (the objective pronoun) and times to use "I" (the subjective pronoun).

Here's an easy test to determine when to use "I" and when to use "me". Simply remove "he and" or "him and" from your sentence and you will automatically know whether to use "I" or "me". It's easy as pie.

Examples:
My mother gave him and me a sandwich. (My mother gave ... ... me a sandwich.) objective of the verb "gave"
He and I drove down to the beach. (... ... I drove down to the beach.) subject to the verb "drove"
Look at this photo of him and me. (Look at this photo of ... ... me.) object of the preposition "of"
We ate lunch and then he and I left. (We ate lunch and then .. ... I left.) subject to the verb "left"

Please don't get me started on the verbs "lie" and "lay". For the proper use of "lie, lay, lain" or "lay, laid, laid" go to this website. It's easier to give you a link than to try to explain it myself. (Said with a wink and a smile).

It's bedtime. My hubby and I (subject) should be in bed. He (subject) is already asleep. I'm not.

P.S. Only my most faithful followers will realize that this is a reprint from early 2008 but it is still valid today. Grammar has not changed. He and I (subject to the verb) should always recognize that it's good to know that grammar rules also apply to him and me. (object of the preposition "to")

Funny what a good high school English teacher can drum into your head. All that underlining and sentence diagramming paid off. Thank you, Mrs. Vanderlinden. You patiently put up with a lot of flack from our small class of 20.

Dancing in the Night and Doing a 180

2010-11-27T10:13:00.004-06:00

I dunno what was up with the blankets last night. I had a difficult time maintaining control. Somehow during the night they did a complete 180. All three of them. I'm thinking they had a fine time, dancing and twisting, flying up in the air and rotating before landing again atop my semi-sleeping self. It must have been quite a sight!

Tossing and turning myself, I continue to struggle with a rash that is a side-effect of the drug Avastin. Sometimes the rash is quiet. I do not notice it. Other times one area of my body will begin an intense burning/itching. The palms of my hands insist on a repeat performance of heavy itching every morning.

The Avastin is a relatively new drug in terms of treating ovarian cancer. When I experienced recurrence in January my new oncologist (Dr. W) put me right back on carboplatin and paclitaxel which were the drugs used the first time round. And he added avastin to the mix. I finished the six rounds of carbo/taxol in July and have continued with the avastin every 3rd week since.

Dr. W (should I call him Dr. Who?) would like me to stay on the avastin. But I dunno how long I can continue with the rash symptom. Neither antihistamines nor steroid creams seem to help.

On the other hand, with a clean PET/CT scan in August and again in November I'm reluctant to give up on the drug. The current statistics show longer remissions for those who continue on the drug. It's not a cure-all. But it does extend the time of non-recurrence.

So I'm hanging in there. And I'll tuck my blankets in a bit more securely when I make the bed today.

As for Thanksgiving? I'm thankful for today's medical profession. And I'm thankful for family. Most of all I'm thankful that I can trust all to a loving God...one who provides for His people all that they need here and in the hereafter.

Disclaimer: For any readers who may be using the drug Avastin, my rash is an unusual side-effect of the drug. Don't let my experience cause you apprehension about treatment with Avastin.
.

About Avastin, Quilts and John Owen

2010-11-12T07:42:00.013-06:00

None of the items in today's title are related. Not in any way. Except that they are part of my experience today.

Even though I don't really consider today's treatment "chemo", that's where I'm headed. Chemo. Actually I'm getting an infusion of avastin into my Power Port. I'll be in the chair for at least three hours while the drugs trickle into my veins.

The avastin doesn't really affect me except I am highly suspicious that the drug is causing the light rash that began slowly in March and is a continual aggravation. There are little pin dots of single hives here and there. All over. Except for my face! Oh, I am thankful for no rash on my face! What's the biggy, you ask? They itch, Folks! They itch!

Along with the avastin I get pre-meds...decadron, aloxi, benedryl, and zantac. None of this five-drug cocktail seems to bother me (other than the aforementioned rash) except the decadron. Oh, Man! That Decadron! It has me in a whirl for the next couple of days, boosting my energy level, AND my vocabulary level. UNTIL! Until I CRASH somewhere around mid-Sunday.

But chemo is not what I meant to write about. I'm writing about my just completed quilt. You can see it in its pre-completed form by clicking here.

I make quilts. I make quilts from recycled cotton shirts and blouses. I was making them before Bonnie Hunter (a woman who makes lovely shirt quilts and writes books about them!) began making them and I have several in the closet. And another waiting to be quilted.

(If you like vintage sewing machines, you can click on the photo of this 1940s Singer 201 which is much beloved by quilters for its reliability and power...and perhaps because of the aura of being "old-fashioned". Oil this baby and keep the bobbin area free of lint and dust and it will run forever! Well...perhaps not into Eternity itself, but you get the picture. The Queen Anne cabinet is pretty nifty itself.) Ooops...edit here. This is a Singer 15-91, not a 201. My error! I do have a 201...it sits on a shelf in the basement.

This double 4-Patch is the shirt quilt I finished last night. I especially like the striped binding. Actually I would have preferred a plaid fabric for the binding but didn't have a plaid shirt in a color suitable. So stripes it is. (The corner of the quilt is folded back over the backing which is a Calvin Klein cotton sheet - 80 percent off sale - that works great with the masculine shirt fabs.)

Hope your day is great. I'll be reading in the chemo chair...I'm taking John Owen's work on the Holy Spirit with me and will enjoy digging into his thoughts...until the benadryl kicks in...at which time I will have a good nap.
.
.

The Smile That Keeps on Smiling!

2010-11-11T08:20:00.003-06:00

I thought today, being Veteran's Day 2010, you might like to see a pic of my favorite Vet.

This photo was taken a few decades ago. And he's looking a mite older today. But his smile today is just as wide as it was then.

One of the things I first saw in my Vet was his ability to laugh at himself. That's a rare gift. And it still endears him to me.

My salute to all Veterans of our beloved United States of America.

"Censorship" Gets Called on a Lot These Days and It Makes Me Puke!

2010-11-10T18:57:00.006-06:00

I'm using my First Amendment rights! I'm sick and tired of people yelling "censorship" everytime something like today's upheaval at Amazon comes along. (Read the news, folks!) According to today's news, the "amazing" big online seller is "selling a self-published guide that offers advice" to a certain segment of the population that abuses children.

Regardless of Amazon's claim to the contrary, their reason for keeping the book on their online shelf is NOT a "censorship" issue. Any commercial business is free to sell or not to sell and can select to stock whatever items they wish. Nobody is beating Amazon over the head with the First Amendment and forcing them to sell this book (which, by the way, will make you puke!). Their decision to keep selling the book is their own choice, free and simple. Theirs is a choice of "profit" and not one of avoiding "censorship".

The First Amendment guarantees a right to "free speech". Any author is free to write whatever he wants (within guidelines...he can't, for instance, threaten to kill a member of our government...if he does, he goes to jail).

The First Amendment does NOT guarantee any writer that stores are "required" to sell his book. The market makes that decision. If there is potential for profit, the book gets placed on the shelf. This is a $$$ decision, plain and simple, and has absolutely nothing to do with the First Amendment or censorship.

So let's drop this Censorship BS and begin looking at the real issue here. Money! Profit! $$$$$!

In regards to $$$, the people speak! By buying or not buying. We are free to spend our money wherever we wish and I'm betting Amazon is going to lose big time on this issue.

As for "your" rights in regards to the supposed "censorship" of this book? If Amazon takes this book off the shelf, you are Constitutionally protected in your right to track down the author and buy a copy of his esteemed contribution to literature. If, however, you use the guidelines therein to commit a crime, you are subject to the law and the First Amendment won't protect you.

My Take on Voting Early and Avoiding the Political Axe Grinding

2010-11-02T12:41:00.002-05:00

I haven't paid the least bit attention this past three weeks to any political ad on TV, radio, or in the mail. Not the slightest bit.

You see, we voted absentee ballot about three weeks ago. No need to worry about the polls, the TV diatribes (did I use that word correctly?), the signs lining the neighborhood streets. Nope. Haven't paid them one iota of attention.

Wouldn't it be funny if everyone voted absentee? Think of the campaigns that could just shut down completely three weeks prior. Whoa! That would be pretty doggone cool. Three weeks of political quiet until the ballots are counted the first Tuesday of November.

I say we start a movement! Vote Absentee and Vote Early!

(Where's my smiley face icons...can't find 'em!)

Hot Off the Presses - And You Can Win a Copy

2010-11-01T10:48:00.003-05:00

Hot off the press in October was a book that Greg Lucas wrote from a compilation of his blog posts. Somehow I ran across Greg's blog this past year and began following as he talked about his son Jake.

Wrestling with an Angel: A Story of Love, Disability and the Lessons of Grace is the product of Greg's blog. The book is now in print and available in many stores, including Westminster Bookstore. You will be humbled in your reading.

So!....you can acquire the book by buying it. OR you can leave a comment over at Connie's blog and perhaps win a copy. She purchased 3 copies...one for herself, one for a friend, and one for a giveaway. Thanks, Connie!

By and By

2010-10-24T23:12:00.002-05:00

Taking a short break from blogging.
Too many irons in the fire right now.
I'll keep reading those of you whose blogs I follow.
Thank you for all your kind comments...I haven't disappeared forever...just a break!
Bless you!

Of How I Admire Some Real-Life Heroines

2010-10-20T19:09:00.007-05:00

My friend, Daria, lives in Canada. I don't even know where in Canada... locations up in the north country are about as indistinguishable to me as are "Ohio and Iowa" to my California friends. However, if I ever decide to drive there I could easily check a map and then I'd have it! Once I see it on a map it's in my brain...except chemo brain sometimes does a short-circuit routine on me. Sigh!

But I digress.

I met Daria in the early days of my ovarian cancer. I met her by way of the internet. When I was diagnosed in January 2009 I began roving the net, looking for information about the disease, about my statistical chances of remission (slim), cure (none), long life (pretty iffy). And I began looking for others who are also dealing with cancer. Even when our cancers are different we share experiences. We become friends.

So I've been following Daria's blog for quite a while now. She's one of my Heroines. I sure would enjoy sitting over a cuppa coffee with her in person. But instead, I visit her daily at her blog Living With Cancer.

Today Daria posted that she was asked by womansday.com to write a short article to promote breast cancer awareness. You can read about Daria Maluta and four other women who have blogged about their walk with breast cancer along with links to their particular blogs at the Woman's Day website here.

Did you know 1 in every 8 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer?
Did you know 1 in every 71 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer?
Not to mention all the other cancers out there.
Cancer is no respecter of age.
And ain't any of it fun.

These women are gritty and courageous and the ones who reach out and help others are my Heroines for certain!

Now...go read what Daria had to say.

.

A Motley Assortment Of Decks, Squirrels, and Hair

2010-10-19T21:29:00.019-05:00

The new cedar deck is done. And stained (sealed). Once John finished the construction we thought it would be an easy thing to select deck stain. But after several hours of googling, I recognized that there is not a consensus of opinion by AnyOne. All sealers have one disadvantage or another. We ended up using Cabot Semi-Solid Deck and Siding Stain in the color "New Cedar" This is an oil based sealer and we believe it will perform better than the "wash brushes in water" products. All is done except for the lattice. (Disclaimer: we do not sell and are not related to businesses that do sell this product...ours is observation only...and we hope to observe this sealer doing its job well over time.)

Hubby and I sat out on the deck this afternoon. The autumn sun was bright and warm. While sitting there I played with my camera.

We spotted a squirrel hovering near. Last winter Hubby fed the birds AND the squirrels from across the street. And guess what! We now have SIX squirrel nests in the two ash trees on OUR side of the street. The tree rodents abound. (But how in the world do they call that pile of leaves a home? Do they actually live amongst those leaves in the midst of winter storms?)

Today was a visit to my Oncologist. The usual twenty questions...any rashes? nausea? dizziness? pain? neuropathy in hands or feet? energy level? I scored well on all of those tests in terms of well-being. And appetite! Oh, Yah, I have a great appetite! Can't he tell from my weight chart???

However, there is one area that I am not pleased. My new "do" is slow-growing. And its a bit thin. And there is no curl. Yet. I am not pleased with my "Anderson Cooper" hair. Actually, Cooper's hair is a LOT thicker than mine. Plus he gets to travel to a lot of exotic places in search of news. My 'do travels about as far as the grocery store and now and then to the City.

(Please remember that Cooper's photo has been photo-shopped...I assure you that's the only reason he looks much younger than I.)

At least I no longer look like Henry. (You can read about that here!)

But, hey! I feel good. Autumn has been lovely. And we are enjoying every day.

Today's Verse reminds us to not get too far ahead of ourselves in terms of worrying about tomorrow. It is sufficient to take care of what needs to be taken care of. Then we rest in God's good will and recognize that He will watch over us tomorrow just as He does today.

Matt. 6:34 "So do not worry about tomorrow; for tomorrow will care for itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

That Whiner! He's Become a Deck Inspector!

2010-10-10T21:25:00.008-05:00

Remember last year when I mentioned our neighbor cat, Whiner? The three-legged cat? (You can read about his last year's visit here.) Well, it appears Whiner has become a deck inspector. Even though our front deck is not yet completed, he's checking out the construction.

Even though he has only 3 legs and hence, weighs less than the average kitty, he figures these steps are sturdy enough to bear up under the weight of multiple cats. You'll notice that he's also checking the street to make certain no cars are going to run over him while he's away from home.

Ooops. Gotta stop and leave a few cat hairs on clean pant legs. Whiner does not neglect his catly duties. He's faithful that way.

Checkin' for safety...Purrrr, just the right width to keep any kitty from falling through the rails.
Another look towards the street. Those dratted cars! (Here you can see that Whiner is missing his left hind leg...thanks to a nap under the hood of one of those dratted cars when he was a wee kitty. Whiner hates cars!)

Passed Inspection. Yep! Even though this deck is not finished, Whiner has given it full approval. He'll be back often, you can bet on it. And he's welcome, anytime.
.
By the way! I hope you'll take a look at my other blog, "Those Three Guys". They have kitties visiting them, too.

.

A Fine Mess At Our Front Door!

2010-10-04T16:32:00.008-05:00

This afternoon there was a huge pile of rubble on our front lawn. And I don't envy the guy who put it there. It was dirty, heavy work.

I don't even want to think how many pounds (tons?) of rubble had to be demolished, loaded up to a trailer, hauled across town, and dumped. Huge investment of time and muscle!

The small concrete stoop and brick-faced steps at our front door had been in poor condition last fall. The winter added a final bit of deterioration to the brick facing the edges of the steps.

I suppose we could have repaired them but that would have been more than we wanted to do ourselves...and the resultant repair probably wouldn't last anyway. (Or so we told ourselves.) We decided to replace them with a small deck...one just large enough to hold a couple chairs and perhaps a small table...a place where we can sit of an evening...a place that will function as a front porch.

Our friend John has a reputation for being skilled at his carpentry craft and for the past nine years his work took him to distant states. Sadly, the economic downturn caused his employer to crash and burn, so to speak. When we heard that John is now in business for himself we asked if he'd be willing to tackle our proposed project.

So early this morning John came over to begin the demolition process. The dirtiest part of the work is done and I'm thinking John went home tired.

Tomorrow he will set posts into the ground, digging down below the frost line to insure they sit steady and stable. And he'll begin building. Oh, that's the fun part...the building! That's where the creative aspect of the work produces satisfaction!

I know John will enjoy every bit of that part of the work...and I'll enjoy watching the progress. I promise not to hover but I do enjoy watching a project come together...seeing how this fits there...and how that is done here...I just enjoy seeing how things work.

We're looking forward to sitting on our front deck.

I can hardly wait!

They Wanted Her Dead. But She Lives.

2010-10-03T17:06:00.006-05:00

Nearly twenty years ago Hubby and I sat at table in a large conference room in the City. We listened attentively as Gianna Jessen related to us her journey...a journey that began with herself being the product of a saline abortion. In spite of the attempt to abort her, Gianna was born live.

It is possible that some of my readers may have aborted a child themselves. I risk stepping on toes, but I do not want you to see this post as a condemnation. God knows, we have all sinned in one way or another, and most of us have sins of our own that we do not reveal, sins that we hate.

So on this Sunday, this day when many are standing on streets, speaking out for Life...take just a few moments to listen to Gianna as she speaks of abortion from her perspective as "one of the aborted".

Thank you. God bless you.
(Thanks to Karin for the pointing me to this video.)

Teach! It's a Tough Name to Live Up To!

2010-10-02T14:50:00.008-05:00

Last evening I watched the first episode of the new series, "Teach: Tony Danza". You see, Danza taught tenth grade English at Northeast in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania for the 2009-2010 school year. Actor turned teacher. His classroom time had a dual purpose...teaching!...and acting! A "responsible reality" show, as he called it.

That show premiered October 1. And I'm looking forward to watching each week's episode.

Along with watching Danza to see if he managed to have the fortitude, wisdom, smarts, and resilience for his new role, it was also interesting to make first acquaintance with the students in his class.

But you know what? I seemed to focus in on Danza's hair. More than once. You see...Danza has more hair than I do. It's been eleven weeks since my last carbo/taxol treatment and my hair is still only 1/4 inch long (more like 3/16ths, but you get the visual).

However...I've been down this road once before...almost exactly a year ago...and I know what to expect. I'm figuring my hair will soon begin a slow spiral, a spiral that will turn curlicue as time goes by.

And then, Tony Danza, you will have hair envy. I know you will. Remember what the Bible says? "Thou shalt not covet."

And kind man that you are, I'm certain you will be just fine.

Definitely lookin' forward to seeing you in the classroom. I hope you do your job well.
.
.

This Ain't No Party! Please Skip the Balloons!

2010-09-29T14:34:00.005-05:00

I can remember only one part of my prayer that day in early 2009. It was my daughter's birthday. I remember asking God, "Please! Don't let me die on my daughter's birthday!"

She and my hubby and my other daughter and family members stood beside me as the hospital staff prepared to wheel me into surgery. This was to be a debulking surgery, as they call it, for ovarian cancer. My cancer was not contained in a solid tumor...instead, it was spread throughout my abdominal cavity in little nodules covering the surface of nearly everything. When the surgery was over I would have a long line of 43 metal staples top to bottom, zipping my abdomen back together.

My Gyno/Onc had removed numerous parts of my internal apparatus. Then he carefully removed my intestines and stripped their surface, looking for and removing cancer residue. He scraped the surface of my liver, removing more of the same. When he had removed every particle he could reach (95 percent of the cancer tissue) he carefully replaced my intestines and closed. (I'm still not certain he didn't tie my intestines like so many balloons into some outlandish party display for the nurses! It surely felt that way for months afterward!)

I've learned more than I want to know about ovarian cancer in the past 20 months...the multiple kinds of chemo/radiation/surgery that ovarian patients may have to endure...the abysmal survival rates (especially for those diagnosed late stage; which most are)...the importance of having the debulking done by a Gyno/Onc rather than an "ordinary" surgeon...the so-often very short times of "remission" between one series of chemo and the next.

I've learned that the difficulty of diagnosing OVCA means that most women are diagnosed when their cancer is already advanced...meaning treatment is much less likely to provide long-term survival. Early detection is difficult but it is so important!!!

I've learned that September is Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month and I'm dismayed that so many know so little about ovarian cancer, its silent symptoms and its difficulty in being diagnosed.

So on this last week in September I want to remind the ladies amongst my readers of the nearly silent symptoms of ovarian cancer. (I don't care how old or young you may be...Pay attention to your bodies!)

Ovarian Cancer Symptoms (from the Nat'l Ovarian Cancer Coalition, Inc.)
1. Pelvic or abdominal pain or discomfort
2. Vague but persistent gastrointestinal upsets such as gas, nausea, and indigestion
3. Frequency and/or urgency of urination (day or night) in the absence of an infection
4. Pelvic and/or abdominal swelling, bloating and/or feeling of fullness
5. Ongoing unusual fatigue
6. Unexplained changes in bowel habits.

(If symptoms persist for more than 2 weeks, ask your doctor for a combination pelvic/rectal exam, a CA-125 blood test, and transvaginal ultrasound.)

It's a fine line between paranoia and persistent "listening to your body". But Ladies! Pay attention. Listen for these so-called "silent" symptoms and be aware of your body.

Bless you.

.

Jeans. Plain Jeans. Dirty Jeans!

2010-09-28T08:31:00.006-05:00

Ummm, dirty denim? Raw? What's with that, anyway?

It seems that a current "fashion" fad is to buy a pair of unwashed denim jeans and wear them six months WITHOUT washing them. The hoped-for end-product is a pair of jeans that fits Your body only. Molded. Shaped. Yours!

Ummmm, Stinky!

I'm laughing, Man! I'm laughing.

You see, I've already been there. Well, maybe not with NEW jeans. But I remember, as a teen, working in the fields, hoeing corn, rogueing milo, detasseling corn, and finally (before the end of summer and return to the classroom), hoeing beans. We wore the same clothes day after day. We did that because we didn't have an automatic washing machine and the wringer washer got brought out to the porch from its closet only once a week.

When we were working in the field we didn't fuss about having clean jeans each morning. Those old Levi's took on a shape and smell of their own. Mud. Green stains. Ragweed pollen. Not to mention blood, sweat, and sometimes tears. Those jeans learned to stand on their own, so to speak.

So...will I be buying a new pair of raw denims and wearing them six months?

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

NOT!

P.S. Excuse me while I go pull my clean jeans out of the dryer and dress clean for the day.

Just Call Us the PowerPort Twins!

2010-09-24T22:15:00.011-05:00

Hubby and I shared a unique experience today. An experience that you probably would not wish to share. We sat in chairs side by side.

You may well ask, "Why is sitting in chairs side-by-side a unique experience?"

My reply? The uniqueness is that we sat side-by-side at the clinic receiving our respective chemos for our respective diseases. We each have PowerPorts implanted just under the skin below our collar bones and I call us the PowerPort Twins!

Our ports allow the nurse to simply plug the chemo line right into the port, much like you might plug a phone charger into a wall outlet. There is therefore no need for multiple needle sticks trying to find veins for access. (I LUV my PowerPort!)

Fortunately for Hubby, his chemo (decadron and velcade) takes minutes, not hours. I, on the other hand, spend nearly four hours receiving my chemo cocktail of benedryl, zantac, aloxi, and decadron, (all to prevent allergic reaction and nausea) and the chemo drug Avastin which was recently shown by clinical trial to be beneficial in extending remission time for ovarian cancer patients. Right now I'm in remission. For how long? Only God knows.

Hubby has an extremely rare disease labeled "Light Chain Deposition Disease". It is an auto-immune disease that drops stuff ("light chains"; I can't explain it to you) into the kidneys, effectively plugging the kidneys which then go into failure. He began dialysis about two weeks ago. Dialysis takes four hours, three times weekly.

LCDD has a nasty side-effect of also depositing "light chains" in other body organs...the heart, lungs and liver. This is not good! So far, we see no evidence of that having happened. Dialysis will work to replace the function of the non-working kidneys. But it cannot work in place of heart, liver lungs. The hope is that his chemo protects those organs by halting the deposits. Only time will tell if the chemo works. It seems to be...but we will not know for certain for some months.

Wouldn't it be nice to not have to deal with the waiting and wondering?

Will Hubby's treatments work for him?

Will my remission be two months? six months? two years? Do I dare even type "five years?". Wouldn't it be nice to have a definite timetable for the remaining part of our lives? It's so difficult to plan your life as if you have ten years when you don't know if you have six months. My mind goes back and forth with both scenarios for both of us. It's rather dizzying!

I do know this...life is uncertain for all of us. You need not have cancer or some rare disease to meet Death. Let me tell you about my 92-year-old friend R.

I knew R through our interest in quilting although I hadn't seen her for quite some time. She resided in a senior assisted apartment in the small town north of us. My friend R often drove her electric scooter several blocks to a little quick shop for a few groceries. Each trip meant crossing a set of train tracks both coming and going. I don't know the whys or the whereofs but last week something dreadful happened. Somehow R's scooter tipped and she fell onto the tracks. Witnesses who saw her fall were unable to reach her in time to save her from the oncoming train.

I'm still stunned by it all. The scenario goes through my mind...what were her final moments like?....and what about the train engineer...how is he dealing with this?...and the witnesses...how are they dealing with having witnessed this tragic scene. This woman was a good Christian woman and well loved in her community.

So I repeat my words above. Life is Uncertain...for all of us. We will each face death one way or another. It may come with cancer. It may be a train wreck. It may be any one of a thousand scenarios. It can happen at any age in any manner due to any circumstance. Life is Uncertain.

Living with two serious diseases in the household has caused us to do some serious thinking about death. We're quite open with each other and we talk about it. And that's a good thing.

We want to face death (whenever that may be) with grace and peace and no fear. It is so easy to fall into doubt and fear of the unknown things ahead of us. And so I (and Hubby) cling to the words of the Bible...the promise...the promise of Life in Christ. We trust God's provision for us, even in these present circumstances.

Today I leave you with I Corinthians 15:1-58 and particularly verses 51-57 where Paul writes the following regarding the earthly and eternal...our bodies subject to death and our eternal bodies.

⁵¹Behold! I tell you a mystery. We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, ⁵²in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trumpet. For the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised imperishable, and we shall be changed. ⁵³For this perishable body (earthly body subject to death) must put on the imperishable (eternal body), and this mortal body (body of death) must put on immortality (eternal life). ⁵⁴When the perishable (our earthly body) puts on the imperishable (our eternal body), and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written:
"Death is swallowed up in victory." ⁵⁵ "O death, where is your victory?
O death, where is your sting?" ⁵⁶The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law. ⁵⁷But thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.

I hang onto those words and I treasure them. This is a promise. From the One Who Never Lies (God Himself!).

.

Grace and Elegance on a Grand Scale

2010-09-24T04:00:00.001-05:00

During their spring and fall migrations we are quite used to seeing large numbers of the American White Pelican at the lake west of town. But it is highly unusual to find a lone bird visiting town.

This morning Hubby was uptown and spotted this fellow on the awning of one of the businesses. He was busy cleaning his feathers and seemed quite nonplussed about being on his own. (photo credits go to Hubby)

I'm guessing his cohorts are settled in safely at the lake. They'll spend a week or three before continuing on their journey south. And while they are here, locals will enjoy driving by the lake to view these huge but elegant birds.
We once lived on the lake and each spring and fall enjoyed watching the huge numbers of American White Pelican in the spring and fall.

This is a bird which easily lives up to its name as one of the largest in North America. Its wing spread can easily reach 8 or 9 feet, making this bird impressively larger than the Canadian goose.

The birds are simply gorgeous and it is a wonderful thing to watch them in flight or as they fish the lake. When the flock comes in for a landing they spiral in a slow float until they reach the surface of the water. And when they fish, they fish together in sync, "herding" the fish before them.

They are a most graceful bird. And a beautiful example of God's glorious creation.

Sioux Falls Woman in the News

2010-09-23T12:54:00.003-05:00

Remember my recent post about the possible dangers of talcum powder in terms of cancer?

Today's news features a Sioux Falls, SD woman who is filing suit against Johnson & Johnson, manufacturers of powder that contains talc.

To quote the news article (printed here), "The lawsuit says independent studies have shown an increased risk of ovarian cancer with the frequent use of talcum products in the genital area, and that the defendants failed to warn consumers about the risk."

Another, and perhaps more frequent, use of the baby powder that contains talc (read the label!) is in powdering baby's bottom after a diaper change. Please, please remember that the powder is so fine that particles could float in the air long enough for your baby to breathe some of that powder in baby lungs! Not a good idea in my estimation.

.

They're Into Nothing But Mischief!

2010-09-20T12:53:00.006-05:00

I'm sharing my series of "Those Three Guys".

These three knuckleheads don't have a lot of wisdom, have no purpose in life, have contributed nothing of import to civilization in general. But they have been appearing (at the tip of my pen) almost daily in a small black journal. Their current viewership of one (me!) needs to be expanded. I think.

So if you're curious about them, bookmark their blog and follow Those Three Guys. You can find them here.

Drool. Go Ahead and Drool!

2010-09-19T09:30:00.007-05:00

Men's inventions. They're wonderful. This particular item may be pretty simplistic in its design but it is one cool kitchen tool. The apple peeler. (click) If you're a gramma and don't have one of these in the house you need one...it'll impress your smaller grandkids! And inspire them to help next time you make apple crisp or pie.This handy gizmo both peels AND slices! How cool is that! You can prepare a dozen apples in no time flat. There is an older version that clamps to the edge of a table but I like this one with its suction cup bottom...just turn the lever and it sits anywhere on your countertop.
Here's a close-up of the peeling/slicing.

I like Jonathans for apple crisp or pie. This particular bunch have a sharp, tangy, apple taste. There's nothing worse than digging in for that first bite and finding a bland apple with practically no taste to it except sugar.
Apple crisp...a fall treat. Sometimes I search for a recipe online. This time I used the recipe in my vintage Betty Crocker cookbook which is practically falling to pieces...I've referred to it many times over that past 47 years! (Click on photo for a closer view) You'll notice the recipe is for an 8-inch square pan. I doubled it for the 9x13 pan.

Go ahead. Drool! It's permitted.

I want to leave you with a quote:
“There are but two lessons for Christians to learn: one is, to enjoy God in everything; the other is, to enjoy everything in God.” - Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

I think that means you can enjoy apple crisp most thoroughly...acknowledging God as the giver of all good things...including a sweet apple treat.

P.S. I have no association with the website for the apple peeler...it's simply the first one that popped up when I googled.
.

Good Night! Sleep Tight! Don't Let the Bedbugs Bite!

2010-09-16T20:25:00.005-05:00

Yes, we're all still alive at our house. And, no, we have not died. (You may be wondering what this has to do with bedbugs. The answer is "Nothing". Just keep reading!)

If you've been wondering about my absence I will tell you that we've been dealing with serious health issues at our house. In regards to my cancer I can happily tell you that I am in remission. Only God knows how long that will last but I'm grateful that this is where I am at the moment. For one thing, that means the short little stubble atop my head will grow longer and longer! Once again I will have hair! Yayyyy!

As for Hubby? Well, he's dealing with his own health issues but I'm happy to say that current treatment has him feeling better each day. We are grateful and thank God for that. (Let me add that getting "older" is for us a real education in things of the medical realm!)

Soooo....perhaps I will get back to blogging.

But for tonight...I'm off to bed. Tired. But feeling good. And happy that Hubby is feeling decent, too.

I will leave you with what we kids used to tell each other as we headed off to bed, "Good night. Sleep Tight. Don't let the bedbugs bite!" We knew a lot of useful sayings like that.

.

Sin in the Small Town or How I Recognize An Old Enemy

2010-09-03T21:31:00.010-05:00

Tonight I thought to myself, "Sin in the Small Town!". You see, tonight I met an old enemy...one with whom we had a hearty fight about four years ago. We won that battle, but not without suffering a few scars during the fight.

You see, I found this in our flower bed tonight. Green Misery masquerading as Green Beauty. Trying to fool me. Trying to cause me misery.

I figure the nasty things that came into this world through Adam's sin include not only sin and death, but also chaos of the created world. I figure before the Fall all plant life was benign and useful and just plain lovely. Sin changed all that.

To quote the writer of Genesis 1:31, "God saw everything that He had made, and it was very good." When, because of Adam's sin, death and chaos entered into this world, I figure plant life, too, left its originally perfect state and entered into misery.

Right now, there's plenty in Creation that is not "good". I don't need to draw you a long list. But I will show you this nasty plant, masquerading as green loveliness in my flower beds. Isn't it Green with a capital G? Who would think by its outward appearance that it could be such an enemy?

Our previous battle with Poison Ivy included numerous plants on a rental property. This is a Single Plant in my flower bed. Perhaps some bird dropped a seed. Who knows. But there it was, in the midst of my flowers, trying to fool me, hoping I would come close and touch and be contaminated by its poisonous oil. Isn't that how sin works in our lives? It looks lovely. It entices us with its beauty to come closer. Just coming close to it is the first step in being contaminated with its nasty consequence.

But I've battled this one before. I know better than to touch, no matter how casually. I grabbed a plastic grocery bag and used it as a "second glove" over my gardening gloves and yanked that baby Ivy out by the roots. Then I enclosed it in the bag and put that in a larger garbage bag for disposal.

And then I rinsed my clippers, gloves and shoes under cold water from the outdoor faucet. You see the plant secretes a nasty oil that can contaminate everything you touch and which does not deteriorate. Put those contaminated gloves in the garage all winter and the poisonous oil is still there next spring, ready to produce rash and pain if you simply touch it.

And since I was not certain that I had not brushed up against those lovely green leaves in even the slightest way, I tossed all my clothing and the gloves into the wash the moment I entered the house. I wanted to be extra careful (to the point of paranoia perhaps!!!) so I stripped in front of the washing machine (please do not be too visually minded here!!!), tossed the clothes in for a cold rinse, then a second wash with soap. And I jumped into the shower to rinse myself with cold water, then with soap, hoping to remove any possible ivy oil from my skin before it could produce painful rash.

My last big gun against this plant attack was to use a topical prescription cream on a mosquito bite that I had scratched...just in case! Thank you, Mr. Dermatologist of previous experience. The next few days will determine whether or not I used sufficient precaution!

Someday, sin and death will be done away with. Jesus came to destroy the works of the Devil and that means there will be an end to sin and death. I John 3:7 ".....The Son of God appeared for this purpose, to destroy the works of the devil."

And creation itself, all of creation...the plant world, the animal kingdom, all will be set free from the after-effects of the Fall.

Romans 8:21-24 "....the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. ²²For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. ²³And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in this hope we were saved. ..."

In the meantime...when you encounter this plant...recognize it for what it is...a nasty plant that will cause you nasty rash and pain. Read more here about how to successfully deal with exposure to Poison Ivy.

.

Toss the Talc

2010-08-31T19:48:00.005-05:00

Talcum Powder. Toss it. That's my thought after reading this article . The article mentions several studies that suggest talcum powder (or talc) increases the risk of some kinds of gynecological cancers, including ovarian, endometrial, and uterine cancer.

Seems to me I've read about this before. But this time I'm tossing the one container of talc that is in our house. Guess where I got it? Brought it home from the hospital...it was in the "bathroom kit" given to me a year ago when I had debulking surgery for ovarian cancer.

Many women use talc on their genital area after showering or bathing. And young moms use it in the form of baby powder on their babies.

Please! Please read the above-mentioned article if you are using talc in any form.

According to the article, "Talc is made from a magnesium silicate mineral that is similar in its properties to asbestos. Both asbestos and talc form tiny shards and can break off and imbed into parts of the body. If it is inhaled, these tiny particles can imbed into the lungs and cause respiratory difficulties. In animal tests it was shown to cause tumors after the animals had been forced to inhale it."

How in the world can you avoid inhaling particles that are so tiny they float in the air? Get rid of the stuff. Toss it in the garbage.

In my estimation this stuff should not be used on babies and it should not be used by adults.

Just my humble opinion...based on the above mentioned article and the studies mentioned therein.

Toss the Talc!
.

A Short Sunday Scripture

2010-08-29T17:52:00.002-05:00

John 6:35-40
³⁵Jesus said to them, "I am the bread of life; whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst. ³⁶But I said to you that you have seen me and yet do not believe.
³⁷ All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out. ³⁸For I have come down from heaven, not to do my own will but the will of him who sent me. ³⁹And this is the will of him who sent me, that I should lose nothing of all that he has given me, but raise it up on the last day. ⁴⁰For this is the will of my Father, that everyone who looks on the Son and believes in him should have eternal life, and I will raise him up on the last day."

The Match is now a Has-Been

2010-08-27T16:34:00.003-05:00

Yesterday's post had some good guesses to yesterday's Question of the Day. Melissa's correct answer was "the match".

The question was prompted by my reading an 1898 book by D H Montgomery that dealt with the flow of English history from pre-historic times to the year 1898. Montgomery had made the statement (in regard to matches) that the match was the "commonest, and perhaps at the same time the most useful domestic article in existence".

Folks, I want to emphasize that 1898 was a mere 112 years ago. That is not a great deal of time. Imagine! The match being the most common and useful item in the home in 1898!

Compare that with today's home with its TV, DVR, internet, game room, iPods, cell phones, microwave, dishwasher, automobiles, yada, yada, yada.

.

.

Most Useful Domestic Article in Existence in 1898

2010-08-26T16:38:00.012-05:00

I pick this book up at odd moments and read a page or two at a time. It's a slow way to read a book...a couple pages at a time...but there it is. The Leading Facts of English History by D. H. Montgomery. Second Edition, Revised. Ginn & Company, Publishers, 1898.

I am on page 357 with only 46 pages to go. The book begins with "Britain before History begins" and continues through Roman occupation, the Danes, Saxons, Normans, Feudalism, Reformation, the Stuarts, the American Revolution, yada yada. To compress that much history into 403 pages is a feat in itself! To read it through, page by page, is another feat, if I do say so myself.

A lot of kings died at the hands of others in this book. As did the next king. And the next. Sometimes their whole families were killed by succeeding kings. The English fought the French, then the Germans/Austrians, then the Spanish, then the French again, then the Spanish again, on and on and on. The Irish and Scots come into the picture now and then. Suffice it to say, ain't nobody happy with anybody. Everybody's killing everybody.

If you've never before been convinced of the depravity of man's sinful nature, you should read an abbreviated history such as this. You will see that it is not just in this generation that nation wars against nation, and people against people, and person against person. The human race continues with an ongoing, disgusting, continuous self-murder that rolls from one generation to the next. I'm surprised we haven't gone extinct for we are super efficient at the killing of ourselves.

But that is not what I proposed to blog today. No, I was going to type some very short chit-chatty Question of the Day for you to ponder. I'm sorry about straying from my original thought.

I read of this item on page 356, at the end of the second paragraph (in case you have a copy of this book on your bookshelf, which I doubt...the only possible possessors of this book being my friends Paul and Laurie in Chico. They like books. A lot.)

But I digress...so onward to the Question of the Day!

Can you guess what Montgomery named as the "commonest, and perhaps at the same time the most useful domestic article in existence" in England in 1898 when this book was printed? (Clue...it was invented in 1834 and, no, it wasn't toilet paper.)

(Oops, I have to edit the date of this invention...Montgomery says it this way: "..between the years 1829 and 1834, a humble invention was perfected of which little was said at the time, but which contributed in no small degree to the comfort and convenience of every one.)

Leave your answer in the comments.

P.S. The year 1898 was a mere 112 years ago. A lot has happened since then. Life is totally amazing!
.
.

PET/CT and Glowing Freckles and Reports and Hope

2010-08-24T16:55:00.017-05:00

Living in a small town, population 2700, has its limitations. But in our small town the available health care is not one of those limitations.

Our small town hospital has working arrangements with Big Hospitals in the City north of us and the Bigger City south of us. That means they are able to provide clinics/treatments/specialists that are otherwise available only in the City and the Bigger City. As a result our small town hospital provides excellent service to a large rural area. And since we sit close to the state border, it serves patients in two states.

To provide indepth PET, CT and MRI scans the hospital works with two mobile units that come to town every other week. One of those big trucks has the letters "MRI" marked on its side and it sits beside the hospital every other Friday. Every other Saturday the PET/CT truck will be sitting there.

The local radiologist reads those scans and can have his written report ready sometimes within the hour. And certainly within 24-48 hours, depending on whether this is a weekend and if it is or isn't an emergency. That may not be too amazing to you but it is to me. I belong to an online ovarian cancer forum and some of the ladies,who get their cancer treatment at very large hospitals in very large cities, complain about waiting 2 or 3 weeks for the results of their scans. Perhaps they do not know that they have the right to copies of those reports themselves. Perhaps they do not ask, as I do, "May I have a copy of the written report as soon as it is completed?" The doctors/nurses/technicians are always happy to comply with my request and I have never seen any reluctance on their part to provide those results.

My early scans in 2009 were CTs. In January 2010 the oncologist ordered a combination PET/CT. That same week we watched the movie Avatar in 3-D! Since prep for the PET/CT included injection of a radioactive substance I figured I had glow-in-the-dark freckles just like the Na'vi people in the movie. At least for a few hours...the stuff dissipates within 6 hours, during which time they advise you to stay away from babies and pregnant ladies and don't go around hugging people. (Moral...don't hug anyone with glowing freckles!)

You may be asking, "What's the difference between a CT and a PET? And why combine the two?"

Basically, it is this...."In one continuous full-body scan (usually about 30 minutes), PET captures images of miniscule changes in the body's metabolism caused by the growth of abnormal cells, while CT images simultaneously allow physicians to pinpoint the exact location, size and shape of the diseased tissue or tumor.Essentially, small lesions or tumors are detected with PET and then precisely located with CT.." You can read more here.

Last Saturday I had another PET/CT. Monday I was soooo apprehensive, worrying about negative results, that I just couldn't make myself travel the two blocks to the hospital to pick up the report. Instead I waited until this morning to go to the front desk and ask for the report. The lady there handed me a sealed envelope and even as I held it in my hand my mind sputtered with "what if".

But I opened the envelope and began reading, slowly and carefully. Medical reports are written in medicalese but since I had read previous reports (and googled key words) I knew what to look for. I knew which words might be "good" or "bad". I read it carefully once. Then I read it carefully a second time. And even though I have not yet reviewed this with my oncologist, I know he will be very happy with it. And with his choice of chemo.

My Onc Rocks!

Those few exclamatory words do not negate my recognition that God is in all of this...that He has chosen this path for me to walk...that He is working in my life every step of the way, using this to test and refine me and cause me to trust Him more deeply every step of the way. This earthly life is temporary and we must not put all our hope in this life only. We must remember that. And in our hopes for good health, we must not lose sight of the eternal hope we have in Christ Jesus. When all is said and done, our only comfort, our bottomline comfort, must be that we are not our own...that if we belong to Christ we belong to him body and soul, in life and in death. That is where our true comfort lies. We are safe in His hands in life. And we are safe in His hands in death.

For you see...while the scan results today were good...there will come a day when they are no longer good...or I will succumb to some other disease of old age. I'm in my 60s. That means in a few short years (or at the most, decades) my life will be over. That is the way of this world and of this life. That's where we end up. But as Christians we are comforted by the words of Scripture...the promises that Christ has died our death and now gives us His life...that He will not lose one of those that are His. (John 6:39)

So in regards to "aging" and moving towards physical death, I think of these verses: 2 Cor. 4:16-18 "So we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, our inner self is being renewed day by day. ¹⁷For this light momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison, ¹⁸ as we look not to the things that are seen but to the things that are unseen. For the things that are seen are transient, but the things that are unseen are eternal.
.

Long Braids and Kind Deeds

2010-08-20T22:50:00.004-05:00

I can't help it. I'm noticing it everywhere! On every head! Every head except mine, that is. I figure it will be about three weeks before any hair returns to the top of my head. That is, unless the hair follicles have been so badly damaged during this second series of chemo (six months!) that hair will never grow again. My mind jumps between the two possibilities. Thick curly hair! Sparse stubbly hair! Which will it be?

So this morning I was reaching to grab a couple donuts for Hubby and self at the local quick shop when I noticed the long hair of the young man standing next to me. It was shiny brown and plaited into a long braid that hung well below his shoulder blades. I caught his eye as he turned and smilingly joked, "I don't suppose you want to give me some of that hair, do you?"

He saw the scarf covering my bare head and laughed a friendly laugh and then responded, "Well, I've already given to Locks of Love once!" I gave him a warm smile for that, for that is surely a kind thing to do...to donate your hair to an organization that provides hairpieces for financially disadvantaged children who have lost their own hair due to some illness. Then we both became engrossed with paying for our items and we were out the door before we could visit further.

I'm thinking he may mull over this brief meeting and perhaps, just perhaps, he'll donate to Locks of Love once again. I think that would be a nice thing for him to do.

Maybe I'll see him again. He and his wife left in a vehicle with a local license plate. If I see him again and his braided hair is clipped to collar-length I think I just might give him a hug.

.

I Think I May Have Proposed This Law Once Before

2010-08-11T07:39:00.003-05:00

There should be a law. How many times have you heard that expressed? We see some problem, something we think should be changed, and we instantly react with, "There should be a law!" Well, I'm proposing this one.

I'm a bit older that most of my readers. Hubby and I have kids, grandkids and greats! We love each and every one of them and pray that life will go well for them in all respects.

But we miss our kids. Not that we don't see them, because we do, often. But we miss our kids...when they were little...when they were toddlers or babies. We miss the days of their first sweetness.

So here is my suggestion. Mothers (and dads) should join together to petition Congress to pass a law (as if we need any more laws on the books!!!) that once a year, for 24 hours, on the day of our choosing, we can have our children back as their sweet toddler self. Oh, how lovely they were to us then. Oh, for another glimpse and another hug! But, no, that is not how God designed time and so we must move on. Time does not reverse nor can we cut, copy and paste time. Nope. Can't be done.

For those of you who are young(er), don't forget to relish the time you have with your children during their young days. They are precious.
.

The Rumble-Dumble-Dum of Thunder

2010-08-08T22:24:00.010-05:00

As I type I hear the rumble-dumble-dum of thunder outside my office window. The sound is long and rolling and somehow slightly comforting in that it is NOT acute crashing thunder.

I love rolling thunder. Especially in the middle of the night when it awakens me long enough to notice the storm outside. That kind of thunder allows me to roll over and snuggle deeper into the blankets because I know we are safe from the distant lightning. To my way of thinking low rumbly thunder is merely pleasant background noise to rain.

The crashing kind of thunder indicates ground strikes of lightning close at hand. Light travels faster than sound. The time delay between the lightning flash and the resulting thunder tells us the approximate distance of the lightning. When we were kids we counted the seconds between lightning and the resultant thunder. If I remember correctly, five seconds meant the lightning was approximately 1 mile away from us. If we could count "one-chimpanzee" five times we knew we were safe. It's when you see the flash and instantly hear a gigantic "BOOM" that you know the strike is close...dangerously close.

About an hour ago we watched the local weatherman on Channel 9 as he pointed out the path of the storm on a radar map. He indicated a tornado touchdown about 7 miles NNW of us and traveling in a direction away from us.

I took these two photos at the height of the storm. The first photo was taken out our back door with the camera pointed NNW in the direction of the tornado at about the time it was sighted. The orange of the sky was fascinating.

The second photo was taken only moments later. The camera is pointed out the front door and shows the sky to the SSW. The color of the sky was totally different. It merely looked like dark storm clouds.

To the north of us, in the direction of the tornado, we had this peculiar orange sky. To the south of us the sky was merely stormy dark.

Weird. Awesomely weird.
.

A Sentimental Story on Stage!

2010-08-05T07:15:00.003-05:00

Everyone likes a story with a good ending and this one fits the bill. This is one of the sweetest headlines I've read in a long time. Click here to see how Cleo, with the help of Annie, found his way home again to Isabelle, Celeste, Opal and Iris!

I Begin the Day With a Dragon and a Great Mystery

2010-08-03T00:03:00.004-05:00

I'm thinking the fellow who invented the helicopter must surely have been fascinated with Dragonflies. In flight they know how to hover, fly forward and sideways, and then hover some more.

They're plentiful near wet areas out in the country but I don't see too many of them here in town. So I was pleased and delighted to see this critter peering in at me this morning through the kitchen window.I headed out doors to get a little closer glimpse. Isn't he cool?
And while I was out on the deck I took photos of our Great Mystery! This phenomenon has been puzzling me for three summers.
Here's what we see (but we do not understand). Every morning one leg of each of the four metal chairs on the deck has water at its base. The leg itself is dry to the touch. There is no hole in the top of the hollow leg. There is no rain water inside the legs. It simply has to be condensation....but why just one leg? It is never two legs of the same chair. I suppose you think some neighborhood dog visits our deck each morning. But I assure you that is not so! We never see a dog in our backyard.
I do not like to leave mysteries unsolved. Everything has its explanation. But this is truly a puzzle. Got any ideas???

How High's the Water, Mama?

2010-07-30T22:22:00.011-05:00

The Cash family had first-hand experience with farm and flood. Johnny turned that experience into a song. Whatta voice he had!

I'm not a song writer. But I'm here to say that it's green all around us. Some of you might ask, "Isn't Iowa always green? At least during mid-summer?"And my answer is, "It depends!" It depends on whether we're in a wet cycle or a dry cycle.

I really don't know how farmers deal with the vagaries of weather. Some years we have drought. Some years we have too much rain. These days we're getting more than enough moisture and we've ended June and July with well above average rainfall. (Don't forget...you can click on the photos for closeups.)

There have been flood warnings all around us this spring and summer. We had our own flood warning this past couple days for the little river just east of us. But I'm thinking the water could have gotten a bit higher before any actual flooding would have occured. I say that because the water is still below the berms. And the dike itself is higher than the berms. This river could still hold more water...water that would cover the berms and extend from dike to dike. Unless, of course, water in side ditches could back up onto cropland.

You might wonder about all those hay bales strung out the length of the berm. Local farmers contract to cut the grass for hay. I'm thinking...hmmm, what a mess that would be if the water were to rise high enough to move those bales downstream. But perhaps they are too heavy to float? Are there any farmers out there with an answer as to the floatability of heavy hay bales?

In the above photo you can see that the water level in the ditch is actually higher than the adjacent field. Water flows downhill, folks. If, due to drainage from upstream, the water level in the drainage ditch is already higher than the pipes that empty into it...well, the fields and ditches just don't drain.

Look carefully at the above photo. What you see is a tube draining into this larger ditch from the smaller field or road ditches. If the main ditch is already higher than the water in the field...well... that means no drainage for the field.

This year many fields have low spots. These are areas where beans or corn have simply drowned in standing water. But for the most part the fields in this part of the country are lush and green and farmers will have bumper crops. (That doesn't console the poor farmer whose entire field has drowned out.)

One aspect of this weather that affects us personally is that mosquitoes love (as in LUV) wet weather. Our city sprays for mosquitoes and still, those mean critters are fiercely seeking whom to devour.

Hmmm, "seeking to devour" reminds me of 1 Peter 5:8 wherein the devil is described as an adversary who "prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour". Like the mosquitoes, he knows his time is limited and he stalks us fiercely.

Thankfully, Scripture tells us that the reason Christ came into the world was "to destroy the works of the devil" 1 John 3:8. That's good news, for the work of the devil has brought death to mankind. But Jesus came to destroy the devil's work, to destroy death, and to give us life. That's really, really good news.

And, Oh! That word "vagaries" ? According to Miriam-Webster, the word "vagary" (its singular form), is probably from Latin vagari to wander, from vagus wandering. From about 1579. Definition: An erratic, unpredictable, or extravagant manifestation, action, or notion. Aren't old words fun?
.

Oh, How We Do Love to Hate!

2010-07-21T10:17:00.012-05:00

It seems everyone believes everything in today's news world. Or, perhaps I should say, it seems everyone believes anything. The media tosses us bits and pieces, quotes and semi-quotes, accusations and inferences...and all without accurate documention and without indepth review and investigation. And we gobble it up with self-righteous indignation. Pointing our fingers. Accusing. Killing with words, if you please.

Take for instance the recent "out of context" video of USDA employee Shirley Sherrod as she spoke of her dealings with a farmer that happened some 24 years ago! The words as posted on the recent video sound so blatantly rascist! Ah, toss these few rascist sounding crumbs to the masses! They'll believe it and Ms. Sherrod will get her rascist come-uppance. And while that is happening, the incident can be used to slam the NAACP as well, for the words were spoken this past spring at an NAACP convention in Georgia. How dare she! How dare they! (That was the intent of the poster of the video...to accuse! And all the while to happily not mention the full context of the speech nor her resulting conclusion at the end of her speech.)

Everyone jumped with knee-jerk reaction to become "accuser". No need to investigate the entirety of the speech. Simply jump quickly to "accuser" lest oneself be implicated by association!

Included in that "everyone" is her boss, USDA Secretary Tom Vilsack. And included was probably your favorite news network. And included is the NAACP, who of all those concerned, should have been aware of her remarks in their entire context.

Didn't ANYONE think to themselves..."Wait a minute, we should view the entire speech to ensure these few brief words are not out of context! Perhaps there is more than meets the eye (or ear)!"

But that's how we Americans like our news. Bits and pieces. Sound bites. You tube. Just give us a brief few words and we'll condemn anyone about anything. No need to consider the full evidence. We're self-righteous enough ourselves to be able to determine "guilt" when we see (hear) it. No matter that we destroy someone's career or livelihood or assassinate their character every ten minutes on national news networks by repeating the words over and over and over again. Repetition makes it true. Doesn't it?

What kind of hate is it in this country that we must continually find reasons to accuse someone else of "hatred"? Isn't our own evidence-lacking accusation in and of itself "hatred"?

Thank you, Associated Press, for today's article explaining the full context of Sherrod's speech...and taking the time to find the wife of that 1986 farmer. She spoke these words in defense of Sherrod...""We probably wouldn't have (our farm) today if it hadn't been for her leading us in the right direction. I wish she could get her job back because she was good to us, I tell you."

.

Off the Horizon

2010-07-19T07:25:00.004-05:00

Nudges in the ribs...that's what I've been getting...kindly nudges in the ribs. Both by email and by comments left here on my blog. A couple of you are wondering if I've succumbed or fallen off the edge of the earth. And so, in your kindness, you nudge and say, "Hey, what's up with you? Haven't heard from you lately. Hope you're okay!"

I know. I've been a bit slack this past couple weeks. And in prior posts I had mentioned health problems. So now I need to assure you that, yes, we are well at our house, in spite of multiple medical appointments, chemo, etc.

It's just that...well...it's just that my "blog brain" has been slack lately. And I'm reluctant to blog about every little health concern. It's bad enough that I have been dealing with cancer for a year and a half now. I dislike intensely that it has become the center of conversation in our lives and so I avoid talking "health". I'm tired of the chemo, of being bald, of wondering what the next blood test will reveal. And so, I try to forget about it.

So...what else is new in life? Ah, the yard! Yesterday I brought home two large potted plants that were 90 percent off at the local hardware store that sells nursery stock every spring. They looked a bit bedraggled but I gave them a haircut and a trim with my kitchen shears and they will recuperate fully and be blooming within two weeks. I'm certain of it. (You can't see them here...this is simply a photo of our back yard after last night's thunderstorm.)

Last night! At 3:00 AM! A doozy of a thunderstorm rolled through town, popping thunder loud enough that I turned off the computer and unplugged everything to do with it, including the phone line. I have a surge protector but my skeptical nature tells me even those sometimes fail to do their job.

It's still kinda gray and wet outside...and even though Hubby tells me we're in for rain all day, I'm hanging my bet on the old saying, "Rain before seven, over by eleven." I'll fudge a bit and say, "Over by 1 PM."

We'll see who's right...me or the radar. *smile*

.

A String of Thoughts and a Concluding Rant

2010-07-10T15:28:00.013-05:00

Friday in the chemo chair I visited with a breast cancer patient who lives up the road aways. My trip is a blessed two blocks. She has to drive 26 miles. But even so, she was grateful that we have a clinic so close by. And that they pamper us like crazy! Coffee and cookies! Lunch of choice! Cozy, home-town environment!

Ms. D and I had met a couple times before while we were doing blood draws, but this was our first "long" visit in the chair...although I did sleep much of the time and perhaps she did as well. (I hope I didn't snore!)

Ms. D, as I mentioned, is a breast cancer patient. She had both breasts removed simultaneously. Many BC patients choose to have reconstruction surgery. Remove 'em. Replace 'em. Sometimes one at a time. And sometimes with not one, but multiple surgeries. And Ms. D confided that, initially, this is what she thought she would do. And then she decided, "Nah, she didn't need 'em." Any surgery has its risks and potential complications. Any surgery is a blow to the body. And so she decided not. She's happily married. Her hubby is happy she's alive. She says a padded bra functions easily and nicely in regards to making her clothing fit well and look nice. (This is not meant as an argument against such surgery...I'm just stating Ms. D's decision and her reasons. And it seems perfectly reasonable to reconstruct when only one breast has been removed or even for emotional well-being! Having cancer is bad enough...it's nice to look and feel "normal", although "normal" never seems to arrive for most cancer patients...it's always on the mind. Always!)

Hers seemed like a sensible decision to me. Because I had thought about that...what if my cancer were BC instead of ovarian cancer? Would I choose reconstruction. And I reasoned, "Nah, I don't need 'em." In fact, I thought it might be a little freeing. (Oh, My, on my first try I typed freezing! Had to giggle about that one!)

You may wonder why I am mentioning all this.

It's like this. I was at the grocery store this morning, standing in the checkout line. There was the usual assortment of glitzy girly magazines. Photos of bikini girls on the cover. Every Cover!!!

And I thought to myself how sad it is that so many young women do not feel "womanly" unless they can blatantly display their womanly wares. And how sad it is that so many women feel they need breast augmentation in order to do so (display perfect womanly wares, that is). And how sad it is that at least 200,000 women feel the need to "perfect" their wares Every Year in this country. (This figure does not include those who have surgical reconstruction after cancer or accident.)

And I thought to myself...wow...what every photo here reveals is that every women has TWO. Count them! One! Two! And they all look alike (except for a couple really purposely oversized examples).

And then I thought about Mel Gibson's taped words wherein he accused his woman of being a rather slatternly woman. Wait a minute! Didn't he google her before moving her in? Didn't he know that she posed in scanty lingerie (and whatever other poses there may be out there...I was afraid to google beyond the lingerie photos!) Surely he didn't pick her out of a lineup of women whose daily attire consisted of denim jumpers, long skirts, long hair tied back into buns. He knew who she was before they got together! What's his complaint now!

And then I think about young mothers who insist on treating their young daughters as "little princess". A princess of inestimable physical beauty who is deserving of adulation from every family member...and then from every person outside the family, including every male within sight. Don't they know they're grooming her, setting her up to this un-idealistic idea of womanhood?

Whatever happened to teaching modesty and covering our children for their own protection from those who would like to do them harm? Don't we realize by now, after countless headlines, that there are perverts everywhere! Our daughters should not be taught to parade themselves in today's version of "body-baring-beauty" at such young age.

Okay. My mind is rambling here...from one topic to another. But I hope you will go to read my earlier post about protecting your children. Read it here.

(If I seem a bit rambly today...it's because this is my brain on chemo drugs. Tomorrow will be a different matter...I'll have crashed flat.)

It's Pretty Green at our House

2010-07-08T07:16:00.009-05:00

Today's color is "green". Not that I choose any particular color but simply because a batch of photos yesterday included some cool examples...all unplanned...I was simply snapping away with the new digital camera Hubby bought for me, checking this feature and that. And look what happened! (you can click on the photos for close-ups)
Mr. Robin was happy to pose beside the church near the vineyard. The vineyard consists of a single grapeless vine...but it is still lovely to look at as it climbs a small lattice divider on the back property line.

This glimpse of the redbud tree happened quite by accident. I was playing with the zoom and these leaves got in the way of another photo plan. But aren't they lovely!

Mr. Ant insisted upon traveling across this photo. I would have included his portrait in more than one photo but he was traveling so fast the camera couldn't keep up. Portraiture was not his aim for the day. No matter...I snapped a nice photo regardless of his lack of cooperation.

The potted plant near the deck offered up this green leaf.

This one appears to be an "ant" highway or byway, but I saw no critters traveling hereon.

By the way! Today's Tip for the Day for all you bloggers? If you inadvertently delete a photo you had uploaded, you can simply right-click and select "undo". Oh, Man, am I happy to have discovered that!

Have a Green Day!
.
.

What I Learned Yesterday In the Chemo Chair

2010-07-03T06:28:00.012-05:00

Since February I've been doing chemo three weeks out of four. (It's an easy chemo...only minor side effects. That is, if you can call hair loss minor to a woman's way of thinking! That plus a certain lethargy.) It's a matter of 3-4 hours but yesterday's time in the chemo chair was nearly 6 hours long! My bloods had been faxed to the City the day before so that the Onc could sign the order and fax it back to our local clinic.

Somehow no order was available until I had been in the recliner nearly two hours. No matter, I had taken a book to read.

I've mentioned Kevin DeYoung's book, The Good News We Almost Forgot: Rediscovering the Gospel in a 16th Century Catechism. DeYoung presents the 129 questions/answers of the Heidelberg Confession in a 52 week format, providing a summary narrative each week.

Since I've never been through the Heidelberg Catechism (something is remiss in my theological training...I'm in my 60s and this is the FIRST time I've studied this catechism) I was pleased when Hubby bought me a copy. I'm reading it slowly. The book includes the questions/answers and DeYoung's narratives, but does not list the scriptures associated with each Q/A and which are greatly instructional to the reader.

And so I have downloaded the Catechism Q/As AND the scriptures. It is helpful to me to read the scriptures that support each answer.

So yesterday I'm in the chemo chair and I have a good solid two hours to read. I was blessed with the delay in getting doctor's orders because one of the first drugs to be infused is benedryl and, you guessed it, it puts me to sleep for nearly the duration. Nurse Diana brings me lunch and I eat in what feels like a drug-induced haze but other than that, I spend my time sleeping.

So here are some (not all) of my thoughts on yesterday's reading.

Question 12 asks, "According to God's righteous judgment we deserve punishment both in this world and forever after: How then can we escape punishment and return to God's favor?"

Answer 12: God requires that His justice be satisfied. Therefore the claims of His justice must be paid in full, either by ourselves or another.

Let me interject a thought here. It is disconcerting that many in contemporary Christianity (and in the secular world as well) like to believe "God is Love". They distort that to "God loves everyone" and worse to "God is not a God of wrath".

That is the view I get from the women I teach in jail (Sadly, I've had to again take hiatus from teaching although I still fill in on an emergency basis)! For the most part the religious background of these women is nil, and their most common concept of God, if they have one, is that "God is love". So, then, how do I introduce them to the concept that God is also a "God of wrath" and that we need a Savior who will save us from that wrath, and that God Himself makes the provision for that salvation in His Son Jesus?

Sadly, many today do not teach that God hates (yes, I said "hates!!") sin. And He hates it to the extent that except for His redemptive work through Christ on our behalf we would all perish. And we would perish because in and of ourselves we are unable, totally unable to redeem ourselves.

We can not ourselves undo what we inherited from Adam...his sin nature. Nor can we undo the fact that Adam's sin is our sin...that we are guilty of sin because we are in Adam...we are born (conceived) into Adam's sin and are subject to Adam's sin AND Adam's death. (Add to that the fact that we ourselves sin and there seems no end to the extent of our sins).

Romans 5:12 Therefore, just as sin came into the world through one man (that's Adam) and death through sin, and so death spread to all men because all sinned-- (in Adam we all sinned).

But, you ask, how can we be held accountable for Adam's sin? How can we be deemed guilty of the "sin nature" he acquired when he first sinned? We were not there! Or were we? Let's look at that.

This may seem like a difficult concept. We believe in fairness and in fairness we would suffer condemnation only for what WE do, and not what our common ancestor Adam did so long ago before death entered the world.

But you see, we WERE there WITH Adam. We were IN Adam.

God had instructed Adam that in the day that he sinned he would "surely die". But in Genesis 3 we do not see Adam being struck by lightning (which was God's righteous perogative) and death does not come instantly. No. In God's great mercy He moves Adam and Eve out of Eden and allows them to live for a long while. During this time we begin to be born. We are their children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, to a thousand and more "greats". We are the descendants of Adam and Eve, all of us, every race, every color, every people, every tribe. We are all their descendants. (This post is long...but stay with me. Keep reading!)

If God had chosen to eliminate Adam and Eve, to have them die instantly on the spot, we would never have come to be born. We were THERE, all of us, in Adam's (and Eve's) loins. We were in their DNA, their genes. Without them we would never be. And if God had carried out the penalty of death right then and there...we would be DEAD before we were ever BORN. It is in great mercy that He did not do that.

God, in His mercy, allowed them to live...and in that mercy allowed US to live. We are each one of us alive today because of God's great mercy extended to Adam and his descendants. While we live we are still children of Adam and hence, still participate in his penalty of death. In Adam we die as we read in Romans 5:12.

That's bad news for all of us. We all die in Adam. That is the sorrow of life...that we are subject to death. We, our loved ones, our babies, our young ones, our middle-aged ones, our old ones. We All Die. Some easily, some painfully, some acceptingly, some resistingly. But death belongs to all. There is no escaping. (I hope you do not find this morbid...if you do, it is only because you have not already accepted this fact. We understand it more as we age.)

But the Good News is that Paul explains further in Romans 5:18-19 "Therefore as one trespass (Adam's sin) led to condemnation for all men (that's us), so one act of righteousness (the righteous life of Christ and His complete obedience unto death on the cross on our behalf) leads to justification and life for all men (to those whom the Father has given Him, those to whom God gives new life, to those who are in Christ).

And the "wrath" of God? His anger towards sin? Paul mentions that, too. Romans 5:9 "Much more then, having now been justified by His blood (the blood of Christ), we shall be saved from the wrath of God (God's righteous anger towards sin) through Him (through Christ)."

Not only are we justified by Christ's blood on our behalf and made right before the throne of judgment, we are also saved from the wrath of God's righteous judgment against our sin. We stand before God clean and right because He has made us clean and right through Christ. That, friend, is Good News.

The easy summation is this:

Bad news: In Adam we die.
Good News: In Christ we live.

Yesterday I saw it this way:

1. Adam, prior to sin, had access to the Creator and to life provided by the Creator. He had life.

2. Adam, after his sin, lost that access to "life" for himself and for his descendants. He now had death. And in Adam WE have death. (Except for what God would provide for him and us through the promised Savior).

3.Adam and his descendants, those who are of the elect, those who will receive new life through God's work on man's behalf, regain access to "eternal life" through the intercessory work of the Christ, the Savior, the one who is fully God and fully Man. Jesus, the God-Man, stands as mediator between fallen man and God the Father. He is our sacrifice, our advocate, our savior. It is in Christ that we have life and that life begins in the Here and Now and continues in the Hereafter. John 5:24

Thanks be to God who created us and who redeems us. The work of creation AND of redemption is His work. On our behalf. In His great mercy. And that is how we can say truely that "God is love." Sin was a costly sin. His love is a costly love, a cost that He Himself provided through His Son on the cross on our behalf.

(You can read the catechism with scriptures here. And if you get bogged down on the first question, do not stop there. Go deeper. Keep reading. Study it out for yourself. Where you have questions, write them down, but keep reading!!)

.