Posts Categorized: Patience

What is an Apostille?

| Patience, Peace

Good question

An Apostille (pronounced “ah-po-steel”) is a French word meaning certification.

An Apostille is simply the name for a specialized certificate, issued by the Secretary of State. The Apostille is attached to your original document to verify it is legitimate and authentic so it will be accepted in one of the other countries who are members of the Hague Apostille Convention.

In the United States, all 50 states and the Federal Government (US Department of State – Office of Authentication) can issue an Apostille.

Variants: also apostil \ ə-​ˈpäs-​təl, a-​pə-​ˈstēl \
Legal Definition of apostille:
1 archaic : a marginal note
2 : a document used in international law that is issued by a government in accordance with the Hague Convention and that certifies that another document has been signed by a notary public

History and Etymology for apostille:

Middle French, from apostiller to add notes, ultimately from Medieval Latin postilla note, probably from post illa (verba textus) after those (words of the text)

It’s always fun and interesting to learn something new. Right?

My sister needed to get apostilles for my niece’s birth certificate and college diploma. She’ll be teaching this year in Nicaragua. (I was thinking that we had to get documents apostilled. But, no, it’s not a verb.) From the information above, you can see that those things are issued by the Secretary of State, and that all 50 states can issue an apostille. The Secretary of State in Texas is, of course, in the state capital, Austin.

We went to Austin, which is only 100 miles away, and not a difficult trip. Interstate all the way.

First, we needed to get a copy of the the birth certificate, which was not exactly hard to get. Just time consuming. Some of the time consumed was trying to follow Siri’s instructions, and she was reasonably patient as I maneuvered around construction, many official buildings, and several parking lots, which did not have entrances and exits that meshed with Siri’s plan. She did keep saying, “There are construction areas, but you are going the fastest way.”

We eventually got to the building where the birth certificates are, went in, and took a number. Number 42. We looked at the illuminated number on the wall.

Two. Yes, number 2. Two. II. Forty numbers away from our number. Frankly, it went better than it might have. Nobody complained (at least not out loud). Folks waited their turns. Kids didn’t act up. Babies weren’t too fussy. But it did take two whole hours. At last, they called number 42, and JoAnne took her papers to a clerk.

When JoAnne was done, I got up and walked the few steps to the end of row where we’d been sitting. The man on the end of the row turned his whole body sideways so I could easily get past.

“Thank you,” I said. “The man who was sitting here when we arrived had his computer in his lap, and he stretched his legs all the way out, under the chair in front of him. No one could get by. We had to walk around him from the back, and scoot chairs out of the way. Thank you for being kind.” He grinned when I wished him a short stay.

Then we had to make our way to downtown Austin to the Secretary of State’s office. We drove around for a few minutes, trying to find a place to park. The parking garages were for tenants and employees of the buildings. There was on-the-street parking, but we drove around a few blocks without success. JoAnne said to let her out and try to find a place. As we pulled up to the door, TA-DAH, there was an empty spot.

We parked and got out and I put three quarters into the meter. Who knew how long it might take to get the apostilles for the documents.

Twelve minutes.

I hope someone, or a couple of someones, enjoyed having a pre-paid parking meter.

We got back in the car, and, before we pulled away, JoAnne put a request for the nearest In-And-Out Burger. Great trip.

 

 

Friends Add to the Fun!

| Joy, Love, Patience

I went to the post from two years ago, where that year’s Fun with Friends photos are. And, I have to say, they’re much like the photos from this year. Different kids. Same sorts of messes. Same sorts of FUN!!!

A number of years ago, I was wanting to have some more time, beyond the hour of Sunday School on Sundays, and beyond what we did in Bible School, to be able to provide some creative, interesting things for preschoolers to do. Music Camp was happening for school-age children, and I proposed to have some creative activities for preschool kids who had finished Pre-K and Kindergarten. I followed the Music Camp schedule and called the event Fun with Friends. The first group of kids who came to Fun with Friends are eighth or ninth graders now. We do Science one year and Art the next. This year was Art year.

We usually follow the Music Camp schedule, which is five days, sometimes mornings, sometimes evenings, in late June. Music Camp has been put on hold for a while, so I could plan a schedule that worked for more preschool families. We went with a four-Saturday schedule, 9-to-noon. It worked really well. Peter was able to come for the last two.

Saturday I-Collage

 

Saturday II-Drawing

 

Saturday III-Painting and Printing

Saturday IV-Sculpture

 

Jesus called a small child over to him and set the little fellow down among them, and said, “Unless you turn to God from your sins and become as little children, you will never get into the Kingdom of Heaven. Therefore anyone who humbles himself as this little child is the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven. And any of you who welcomes a little child like this because you are mine is welcoming me and caring for me.

Matthew 18:2-5 (The Living Bible)

It’s interesting to me that, when Jesus’ disciples came to him to ask the question about which of them would be the greatest in the Kingdom of Heaven, He calls over a small child. This means that there just happened to be a little kid nearby. I hadn’t really thought about the day-to-dayness of Jesus, and how there must have been people around Him and them, wherever He happened to be staying, visiting, walking by. I certainly feel better when there’s a little kid nearby. And ready for some fun.

 

BAKE!

| Love, Patience

I’ve mentioned before that Peter really enjoys the Great British Baking Show. When he was here, a year or so ago, I was watching it while I was walking on my treadmill. He got interested, and now we watch together when he’s visiting.

This past week, he’s been a little under the weather, and we’ve spent several mornings watching the Brits bake and also some Mr. Rogers episodes.

After the first morning’s baking encouragement, he thought we should make an apple pie. With chocolate chips. If Peter had his way, all fruit would come with mini chocolate chips already inside themselves, so when you peeled, chopped, opened them, there the chips would be! Maybe scientists are working on that right now!

I’d gotten a few different kinds of apples when I went to the grocery store a few days earlier. It looked to him like a good mix, and I began to peel them and chop them up. Peter had been a little under the weather, and in the middle of my peeling and chopping, he went to lie down. Then he went to sleep. I doused the apple pieces in lemon juice, and started on the crust. We’d gotten out cookbooks and he decided on a two-crust pie with a lattice top (instead of a plain, easy-to-do top crust). I followed the recipe until the addition of shortening, and I searched my cabinets for Crisco. No Crisco. I just don’t cook/bake very much at all these days. So, now what?

Since several cookbooks were out and opened to the Pastry/Pie sections, I looked and found a pie crust recipe that uses oil instead of shortening. I had oil, and it went together well. The instructions said to cut two pieces of waxed paper into 12-inch squares, and to put half the dough between them and roll out the dough. When the circle of dough reached the edges of the paper, then the crust would be the proper depth. Okay. That was easy. I rolled out two circles, and waited a while for Peter to wake up, which he didn’t do. So I finally put the pie together, adding the requested chocolate chips.

Even the aroma of baking apples and chocolate chips wasn’t enough to rouse him. Peter slept on.

Quite some time later, he woke. I said, “Smell that delicious aroma? That’s your pie.”

The sleepy, feverish boy had a bite and said, “Maybe I’ll have some later.”

The next day, after the pie had sat around for many hours, I sliced it up and froze the pieces. A couple of days after that, Peter said, “Why did you cut up the pie?”

“Because,” I said, “you weren’t eating any of it, and if it sat around for a few days, it wouldn’t be any good. So I cut it into slices and put them in the freezer. Now, anyone who’s hungry for pie can get a piece of your tasty apple and chocolate chip pie, and warm it up, and enjoy it.”

“Oh,” he said. And it seemed like a good idea to him. I don’t think he’s eaten any of it, and maybe he never will. Sort of the thrill of the hunt, I guess.

 

 

 

 

Every day they devoted themselves to meeting together in the temple, and broke bread from house to house. They ate their food with joyful and sincere hearts

Acts 2:46 (Christian Standard Bible)

 

I’m grateful that I never have had to go hungry. I’m grateful for family with whom to break bread with a joyful and sincere heart. I’m grateful that I get to make apple and chocolate chip pie with a grandchild. I have a sincerely joyful heart.

Maybe It’s Just a LITTLE Bit Too Early

| Joy, Love, Patience

When David would complain about the huge holiday (Christmas) merchandise displays at the local craft/hobby store, in July, I went to bat for them.

“If someone’s going to create their own holiday decorations and/or gifts, they can’t wait until November to start working on them. Needlepoint stockings take a while to complete. Hand-crafted angel ornaments are not a week-before-tree-decorating-time project.”

One of the *several* aisles of Christmas stuff.

I still feel that way, but what I’m seeing now are full-blown trees, swags, boxed ornaments, lights, tree-top stars (all ready to plug in), ready-made wrapping paper and reels of ribbons, along with co-ordinated bows and to/from labels.

I don’t know that I saw any holiday kits or areas that had supplies for creating special Christmas stuff. Of course, there’s always supplies for drawing and painting and tee-shirts to decorate and yarn and fabric. So, of course, people who want to create special, one-of-a-kind gifts can find what they need. And then they can wrap the gift in matching paper, ribbon, and bow. It might look prettier in the box than it does after the box is opened.

But, you  know, “crafted with love for . . . ”

 

 

 

 

A few years ago, I needed a picture frame for a gift I was making for David’s mom. I went to the craft/hobby store and was delighted to find that all the frames were 50% off. Yay, yay, hooray! I found the perfect thing to take to her for Mother’s Day.

Then, I began to notice, when I would go there, that the frames were always 50% off. ALWAYS.

Hmmmmm. That made me feel rather fooled. And used. If the frames are always 50% off, does that maybe mean that they’d been priced at twice the price they should be? I guess I could go to Wal-Mart and Target and Michael’s and other places to compare the prices of frames at those places, also keeping in mind the quality and diversity of all those other frames. I’m not going to, but someone might should go. Why don’t you go and compare prices and tell me about it.

I should have gotten closer to this sign on the door to take the picture. A little hard to read, it says, “Furniture, always 30% off Market Price.”

Really. Always? Maybe the store chain always does so very well, financially, that they actually can always take 30, or 40, or 50 % off their items. Or maybe the manufacturer inflates the market price so that stores that purchase their stock can say always 30, or, 40, or 50% cheaper that the market price.

Anyway, I purchased the colored DuckTape in colors I didn’t already have, and I bought extra paintbrushes so kid can make Painted Toast  for Fun with Friends snack. It’s art this year, and this session is “Painting and Printing.”

 

 

 

In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.
The earth was barren, with no form of life;
it was under a roaring ocean covered with darkness.
But the Spirit of God was moving over the water.

God said, “I command light to shine!” And light started shining.

God looked at the light and saw that it was good. He separated light from darkness.

Genesis 1:1-4 (Contemporary English Version)

 

When it’s Science Fun with Friends, I start every day saying, “God made a wonderful world for us, and science is how we learn to understand that world.”

When It’s Art Fun with Friends, I start every session by reading Genesis 1:1. And I say, “God created our world. God creates. And you can create. You create different kinds of things, but you have good ideas and you can plan and work. You are creative, too.”

 

And speaking of God’s wonderful world, here’s what I saw a couple of days ago, while I was sitting on the porch, reading. A very active butterfly, it flitted all around the yellow flowers. I’m happy to have created such a pleasant, attractive space for it.

 

And, I keep forgetting to give the kitten report. A couple of days after I had first seen it (and hadn’t seen it since), I went next door to say goodbye to neighbors who were moving out of state. While I was talking to the mom, I was watching her toddler daughter, who was enjoying a chocolate doughnut. Then, all of a sudden, I saw a kitten scamper past, into the flowers.

I turned to my neighbor. “You took the kitten!” Yes, she said, and they had felt the same things I had, that I couldn’t touch it, I would have to take it to a shelter. But then, she said, she thought that a new, tiny pet might be the thing that would help the daughter and 5-year-old son adjust to the big change in their lives. So they had taken the kitten to the vet, had shots and medications to get her all well. And, she now had a bow around her neck, and was jumping and playing and trying to get a bite of that delicious doughnut. Turned out well.

 

 

I Was Chuffed

| Patience, Peace

“Chuffed” is a fairly new word in my vocabulary. I heard it, several times, when Peter and I were watching an episode of “The Great British Baking Show.” Baking contestants said it when they got good comments on what they had made, so I imagined that it must be something really great. Their faces looked pretty happy.

I looked it up on Dictionary.com, where it said “delighted, pleased, satisfied.”

I was chuffed last Saturday, while I was out getting some picture books. I went to all four Waco libraries (fortunately, Waco’s not all that big, and it’s not a difficult thing to get to all of them).

I was looking for preschool books about art. At the library closest to me, I went through the computer’s list of books and wrote down the call numbers and library locations. Of course, I could have gotten the books from the library where I was, and requested the other books from other libraries, and they would have been sent over, and I could have gotten them in a couple of days. But, not every book was going to be something that I could use, and then I’d have to bring back the ones I didn’t want, and it just seemed simpler to go to the libraries, look at the books, and then only check out the ones I wanted.

I was chuffed at the downtown library because there was a plethora of babies being strolled in and out of the library, and strolled around the tables and shelves in the library. I’m sure that animated programs displayed on a computer screen do enthrall babies. But they are not the same as a baby sitting in a lap and having an adult turn the pages and read the words and talk about the pictures in a book. I found the books I was looking for, decided which ones to take, along with an interesting book for myself (completely un-art-related), checked them out and carried them to the car.

Next I went to the East Waco library. A family was walking up to the library at the same time as I was. Mom had a tiny baby strapped to herself. “I’ve been to a couple of libraries today,” I said. “I think you win the prize for youngest library patron.” Mom smiled, which I took as an invitation to keep talking (but not touching). “How old?” I asked.

“She’s one week old.”

“Sounds about right for a trip to the library,” I said, and I went in to get some more books.

At the next library, I walked in, looked around, and said to the librarian, “Where are the babies? Every other library I’ve been to today had babies.”

“If you’d been here five minutes ago,” she said. “There was a baby.” Too late.

But the best baby-and-me interaction happened at the first library. I had walked down the aisle where there are audio books. I’m driving up to Ft. Worth in a few days and want something to listen to. As I walked out from that aisle, I saw a mom with a round, happy baby strapped to her chest. I made eye contact and we smiled at each other. “Yes,” I said. “Everybody should have a baby with them at the library.” Mom agreed.

And I went on along to the bank of computers, signed in, and began to look for art books for kids. Then I wrote down all those books and the libraries, and went off to look for the ones that were at this particular library. I found them, looked through them, and decided which ones I would take with me. When I walked from between the stacks on my way to the self-check-out counter, whom should I encounter but my friends, the mom with the baby. We looked our surprise at each other, and I leaned down to look the baby in the face and said, “Are you still here?”

And then I think I asked some baby-related question, like how old was he, or did they have a busy week ahead of them.

“Well,” she said, “we have to go to the doctor.”

“Oh,” I said. “Is he all right.?”

“We have to go to the hospital. For a brain scan. To be sure he’s okay.”

And she told me he’d been really premature, and they were having to keep a close eye on him.

“One of his kidneys is smaller than the other,” she said.

“Are both kidneys working,” I asked.

“For now,” she said.

Ordinarily, because I don’t want to be the scary-lady-at-the-library (or grocery store, or Target), I try to keep a couple of feet between me and any kid I’m talking to. And I certainly don’t touch a kid. But, mom was right there … and I touched his head. And he smiled his happy smile. And we said good-bye, and maybe we’d see each other another day at the library.

I’ve read a lot of library books. Not all of them have happy endings. Then again, quite of few of them do.

 

If you are tired from carrying heavy burdens, come to me and I will give you rest.  Take the yoke I give you. Put it on your shoulders and learn from me. I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest.

Mathew 11:28-29 (Contemporary English Version)

 

A second definition of “chuffed” means “great displeasure.” I guess people have to look at your face to see what sort of “chuffed” you are.

I Had an Idea. And Then I Had a Better One.

| Joy, Patience

I had a idea, but it wasn’t a particularly good one. (Alas, my life has consistently been made up of: “Oh, yeah, that’s a good idea. I could so do that;” when the reality is more like: “That will never work!”)

This is a section from a photo album from July 4, 2009. We had this small grill, but I hadn’t actually used it myself. I had asked Kevin to put it on that bench and put the charcoal in it and light it so we could cook some hamburgers. Because I’d never used it, I didn’t realize that it had little legs that you were supposed to pull down, to raise the grill up a little bit. Kevin did indeed prepare the grill, just as I’d said to, and he came in a little while later and said, “The bench is on fire.”

That little illustration of a grill with legs is a cute sticker that I’d attached to the page, to make the whole thing look a little more attractive.

I kept that bench for many more years, but I just put plants on it and no one ever tried to sit on it.

 

Lately, I’ve been trying to straighten up and improve the appearance on the patio, and I had this good idea. I’ve made a shelving arrangement with some concrete pieces and cedar planks, where plants stay during the spring and summer and fall. I went to the lumber department of a local home store, chose some cedar planks, and had them cut to the right sizes. Then, I put weather sealer on them. This was a leftover piece.

I hated that the bench was unusable. I had an idea. What if I attached that extra shelf piece to the underside of the bench, underneath that burned spot. Then, folks could safely sit on it. Right?

I went and got clamps and a hand drill and some screws. I’m not real handy, but I’m sort of handy. I clamped the extra shelf piece underneath the blackened spot, then I turned the bench upside-down, to decide where I might think about drilling some holes.

This bench is, I think, leftover from a picnic table and bench set that had been on the patio since my childhood. The bench was all that was left. And, apparently, over the years, my dad, I guess, had spent time shoring up its aging self. There were screws and nails, and the whole thing was decidedly shaky. It seemed that, even if I did make the burned part sturdier, there were still going to be some security issues. I gave up. I got out a hammer, saw, screwdriver, and pliers, and took the whole thing apart. I sawed it into pieces and bagged the pieces up and put it all into the trash. And was a little sad.

I still wanted some place for folks to sit. I visited the garden departments in a few stores, looking for seats that might work. What I had in mind were smaller versions of picnic-table-type benches. I didn’t have luck finding the regular, old-fashioned-type picnic table sets, much less only benches. How disappointing!

Then I wondered if I could find something online. Well, of course I could find something online. It’s the “2 in 1 Outdoor Interchangeable Picnic Table/Garden Bench.” It comes partially assembled.

 

It came in a box about five feet tall and two feet wide and, oh, a couple of inches deep. It was pretty heavy. I shoved it off the porch after it got delivered; then I just turned it end over end over end, all the way to the back yard and the patio. There were all sorts of pieces (see left) and a handy tightener-thing, for bolts (see right). I had to use my own Phillips screwdriver.

There was an easy-to-understand diagram, with all the pieces illustrated and identified by number. The screws and bolts were identified by letter. That tightener was item “D.”

 

 

All put together, it can be a table with benches. Or, it can be a nice place to sit and read.

 

Nifty, huh.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May God do what you want most and let all go well for you.

Psalm 20:4 (Contemporary English Version)

 

There are many, many, many things I can’t do. And it seems like I’ve needed lots and lots of disasters to help me understand what I can easily do, what I might can get done, and what I should never, ever, ever even think of trying to do. However, the “2 in 1 Outdoor Interchangeable Picnic Table/Garden Bench,” oh, I’ve got that one!

 

The Fauna

| Love, Patience, Peace

The plants in the yard are looking quite nice and healthy. We’ll see how things go, now the the rain’s slacked off and temperatures will be rising. I’m being more diligent with the bug spray, but the more recent animal interactions have been a little startling.

Really. When you just glance at it, don’t you think it really LOOKS LIKE A COW!

 

 

 

I was taking a little bit different route home last week, and was seriously startled when I drove by this house, which is not one I usually pass. I just noticed the animal from the corner of my eye, and was breathlessly startled. Seriously. At first glance, I really and truly thought it was a calf. I’m not sure calves are allowed in the city limits. Of course, upon sensibly looking at the animal, I realized it was a dog. A LARGE dog. That looked very much like a young cow. I did go around the corner and drive by a second time, to snap a picture.

 

 

 

 

 

I didn’t take this photo, but it looks exactly like what I saw a few days ago, as I walked across the yard. I was seriously startled because the squirrel was standing up, watching me approach, not moving, and a little bit confrontive, and not scampering away, as most squirrels do. I stopped and then took a few tentative steps ahead, and then he turned and ran off.  When the squirrels begin to stand their ground, I’m feeling pretty anxious.

 

 

 

The frightened kitten, huddled up by the porch.

And the most touching fauna encounter happened a couple of days ago. There’s a small flower bed at the front of the house that doesn’t get watered from the sprinkler system, so I always have to hand water that space. I’d planted some new plants, and, on Tuesday, I was watering there. I watered the new shrimp plants I’d put in and the Tuneria, an annual flower that I plant each year (both of those are heat tolerant). I watered the existing Yarrow plants and then moved the hose to a lantana plant that’s been in place for several years. To my great astonishment, something alive leapt from the center of that plant and scampered around the edge of the porch. I inched over to look and saw a huddled-up little furry animal that seemed to be a kitten. I moved back away and watered some more. I looked around the corner again, and the kitten looked at me and began to mewl. And mewl and mewl and mewl. I was very reluctant to interact because I didn’t know from where and from whom the kitten had originated. I didn’t want to make friends, just to need to take it to a shelter. And, if there was an owner nearby, I thought the kitten might be rescued by somebody who’d lost it. By time David came home from work, the kitten was gone.

Whew, I was relieved, but David said it was on the sidewalk by the porch the next morning. As of now, Thursday evening, we’ve not seen it again. I hope it has made its was to a safe place.

 

I should have saved the worm photos until today, I guess, to complete the invertebrate/vertebrate arc.

 

All creatures on earth, you obey his commands, so come praise the Lord!  Sea monsters and the deep sea, fire and hail, snow and frost, and every stormy wind, come praise the Lord!

All mountains and hills, fruit trees and cedars, every wild and tame animal, all reptiles and birds, come praise the Lord!

Psalm 148:7-10 (Contemporary English Version)

 

I don’t hear much from the worms and ladybugs, or the butterflies and the moths, but the birds in my backyard are certainly doing their part!

AND–It’s a Wrap!

| Joy, Love, Patience

October seems like quite a while ago. In reality, I might be looking at only twenty-five or so Tuesday lunchtimes when I went to the elementary school near my church, and sat with three second-graders to listen to them read. There were intervening holidays, testing dates, and the time I said I couldn’t come on Tuesday the next week and a clever girl said, “You could come on Friday, instead, like you did that other time.” And I had, indeed, done that, and I ended up doing it again, because she asked.

School is out. Reading Club is over for another school year.

We read a lot of Mo Willem’s Elephant and Piggy books. One kid was a pretty good reader, maybe not compared to others of the same age, but stellar when compared to the other two. One of those improved over the weeks. The other one was still struggling with “and” and “the,” at year’s end.

These are the books that we read together on our last Reading Club day.

I chose this book because the entire vocabulary of the book is “Mine,” and “Yours,” on each page, with an “Ours” added in twice. I was thinking that, with the limited vocabulary of two of my three readers, they should get the hang of it pretty quickly. The story is of a small Panda who comes across the lair of a larger Panda. The smaller Panda asks “Ours?” and the larger Panda picks up the small Panda and deposits him outside, saying: “Yours!” as he walks back inside, indicating that the lair is “Mine.” The small Panda hangs around until the large Panda gives him a kite and says “Yours,” sending him on his way. As the little Panda comes across other woodland creatures, he consistently gets the “Mine” response when he shows interest in other playthings, and a redirection of “Yours,” in regard to the kite. So, we are moving along, page by page, and I am describing the action: others are protective of their belongings. At one point, the kite begins to become enmeshed in leaves and trees and playthings of others. When the other forest folk realize the problem, they join forces and rescue the small Panda, pulling him to safety. The next page shows all those forest folk, along with all their playthings, all together in the lair of the large Panda. The boy reader looks at me and says, “This is a GOOD story!” “Yes, it is a good story,” I say. “Everyone is getting along and sharing and working together.” I hadn’t realized he was beginning to feel anxious.

 

 

This is the other book we read. We are fond of the author Mo Willems, writer of the Elephant and Piggy books. I also had a reason for choosing this book, too. The first couple of pages have illustrations of the fox and the duck. The story’s words are the fox inviting the duck home for dinner. My best reader read two two-page spreads. My next best reader read the pages that included the duck’s responses, which were things such as, “Oh, that’s a good idea,” and “Yes, I’d like that.” Then, my struggling reader read the chick’s input, which was “That’s not a good idea.” Those three sections repeat, with similar responses. The chick continues with the not-such-a-good-idea comments, adding, “really,” and “really, really,” and “really, really, really.”

As we read through the sections, whenever we got to the chick’s page, she eagerly “read” what the page said, with sometimes some help. At one point, she said, with great joy and eagerness, “I am SO reading this book!”

So, we know she’s “reading” what she knows the page says. But, she’s enjoying being part of the ensemble. She’s excited about following the plot line of the story. And, maybe next time someone picks up a book, she’ll get close and want to know what the story says. Wanting to read is the beginning of reading.

 

As Reading Club volunteers, we can give small books as end-of-school gifts. Here’s what I give:

 

White boards. A couple of years ago, I bought a box of two dozen inexpensive white boards that came with small erasers (that blue square thing on the table). I bring dry erase markers in a variety of colors, and they can choose two to keep. You can probably figure out that I’m not allowed to show the kids’ faces. And, you can probably figure out who’s my best reader (the kid who can spell). The board in the center isn’t erasing well, so I got a new one for her, one that doesn’t get all smeary.

So long sweet friends. Maybe I’ll see you in the fall.

 

Children are God’s love-gift; they are heaven’s generous reward.

Psalm 127:3 (The Passion Translation)

 

 

 

Doesn’t seem like there’s anything else to say.

Moving from This-Is-Pretty-I-Think-I-Can-Grow-This to Can-I-Keep-This-Alive-for-the-Next-Three-Months

| Joy, Love, Patience, Peace

I’m working a lot these days, trying to get things done outside, before the really bad, hot, vicious, summer weather drops in. The temps have, and will be, in the eighties, the next few days, inching up and up, until maybe Tuesday, when the forecast is for 90°. I’ve moved some plants, repotted some plants, pruned some plants, dug up lots of weeds, picked up quite a few limbs and twigs, and reworked a little paved pathway that leads to the compost bins. I’ve had to start hand watering the patio plants; alas, all that nice rain we were having constantly, has abated.

I was working, in the late, late afternoon, last week. I had dug up some liriope, to transplant around a tree. The wind had picked up, and I was working as quickly as I could, to get done before the sun went down. Suddenly, out of the corner of my eye, I saw movement, and I thought I saw a bicycle tire, rolling right towards me! I did need a few seconds to realize that it was not at all a bicycle.

 

It was very late afternoon, almost dark, and David wasn’t at home. And, apparently, I was a little on edge. While I work in the yard, and in the house, too, I listen to podcasts on my phone. They entertain and inform me, and make mundane work go faster. I find true-crime casts interesting. Possibly, if I’m anxious about yardwaste bins rolling by me, unexpectedly, I might possibly look for other kinds of podcasts.

 

Meanwhile, every time I go outside, there are branches and twigs in the yard. And I don’t mean just everyday, I mean when I go out in the morning (at which time I pick them up and put them in the yardwaste bin), but also in the early afternoon, and the late afternoon, and the early evening, and between the time that I go in the house to get and drink of water and come back. We’ve had a LOT of serious wind, and I don’t understand why they don’t just ALL drop on down at the same time. They’re all dead!

I’ve looked up into the pecan tree, and there seem to be several leafless limbs and twigs up there. Why don’t they just fall down? Maybe they’re next year’s leaf-drop crop.

 

 

You will keep the mind that is dependent on you in perfect peace, for it is trusting in you.

Isaiah 26:3 (Christian Standard Bible)

 

I’ve gone to the “search” spot on my phone to find more podcasts to enjoy. I’ve found several from Rachel Held Evans which I know I’ll enjoy. And, they’ll be ‘way more enriching than “Crime Junkie,” and “Murder Minute.”

I Apologize

| Faithfulness, Joy, Patience

A couple of weeks ago, I was working in the backyard, when I began to hear “Hello? Hello? Hello?” The words seemed to be coming from the back pocket of my overalls. I took off one of my gardening gloves and reached back to pull out my phone. April was Face-Timing me.

“Hi!” I said.

“Hi,” she said back. “I really can’t talk right now,” she continued.

I was confused, and must have looked like it. Turns out, I had Face-Timed her. Inadvertently. By sitting down on my gardening cart and then getting up. I guess. I apologized and we hung up.

A few minutes later, I felt a buzz from my back pocket. When I looked at the phone, there was a message, from a phone number instead of a name, and the message said, “I can’t talk right now.” I had, apparently, pocket-dialed someone else. I don’t actually know who it was, because I never went back through my contacts to find the number. It can’t have been someone I know well, because they would have, or might have, called back.

Anyway, I’m just bringing it up in case you’ve received some random call or request from me. If so, I’m sorry. I’m trying to be more responsible, by making sure that, when the phone goes into my pocket, the screen isn’t on the contact list.

Here’s today’s weather information from Thursday’s paper. We’ve had an unusual spring. Rain, rain, rain, and then some more rain. There are parts of the yard where I squish and squish when I walk over the grass. Last Sunday morning, I checked the back yard and, for the first time in several days, there was no standing water. On Monday, it rained some more. And Tuesday. And Wednesday. I’ve been going outside, between rain showers, every day. Thursday, the rain came in really early, and then the sun shone for hours! But still, my shoes were heavy from all the mud that accumulated as I walked around the yard. And, by mid-afternoon, the clouds had come rolling back in.

The rain is supposed to begin again in the wee hours Friday morning, and continue until noon or so. But the high temperature is only supposed to be 62.

And, I’m really not complaining. Every drop of water that falls from the sky is a drop of water that I’m not having to pay for when I need to use the sprinkler system. Every pleasant day is a day we’re not having to run the air conditioner.

 

 

Speaking of the neighbors, they were all busy Thursday, the first really sunny, warm day in ages. The yard right behind me got mowed. The guy next door to me mowed their yard, too. And, there’s a little piece of yard that’s next to the one behind me, that backs up to a back corner of my yard. That guy did a lot of weed-eating. I guess they’re feeling like they should get lots of yard work done because the rain is supposed to be rolling back in. Imminently.

 

A few days ago, I was happy to see the little dark lizard was still on the premises.

 

But instead be kind and affectionate toward one another. Has God graciously forgiven you? Then graciously forgive one another in the depths of Christ’s love.

Ephesians 4:32 (The Passion Translation)

 

Okay, pocket-dialing somebody isn’t exactly a huge mistake, but, I don’t want to bother folks, especially by mistake. Meanwhile, our being kind and affectionate toward each other (and graciously forgiving), seems like the way to go.