For the guy that has everything

So just what DO you get the guy that has everything and is picky? Grill stuff of course. And just how do you wrap it? Like a parade float of course. I can't take full credit for the idea. My m-i-l Betty mentioned that I could wrap up this chicken/turkey stand like a Christmas tree. Looking at its metal grid structure, the idea came to me to push my many sheets of green tissue paper through and voila. So, you ask, how can I post this blog before Christmas and get away with it? Dear, dear reader ... my husband does not read blogs. But just in case, I won't go into detail about the much larger (and heavier) Christmas gift that sort of goes with this. :D There's a bit of a funny story to that I may share later. I considered putting out the "tree" as a decoration, but I won't push my luck. Meanwhile, Ri was getting ready to decorate the tree with me--donning her "gay apparel" that she put together herself. Complete with red hose, green plaid skirt and red shoes. Even did her hair.


Hope the Christmas plans are merry as well. :) Here's some fun stuff from our home to yours:
Our Elf Yourself for the year
(the horse is a friendly one that came up to us from our recent trip to Cumberland)


Well, now it's time to decorate. Can't keep my little elf waiting.

Fall recital

It's been a very musical week. Thursday, Nov. 13 was Ri's recital at a local nursing home. When we left to go to it, I realized I had forgotten the camera and turned around to come back (I wasn't very far) ... only to realize, after all that, that the battery was dead. Father-in-law to the rescue with his camera, although I missed the first song: Scales and Arpeggios from Aristocats, as well as the group performance of Boogie, Woogie Bugle Boy, which was fun. This picture is while she sang "Scales," taken by grandpa. The camo headband and plastic bugle around her neck were props for "Boogie, Woogie."

Using my in-laws' camera, and not quite knowing how to work it as well as my own, I shot this for the last piece: You'll Never Walk Alone.


In other musical news, the church concert went well on Sunday (I sang in the choir and played flute), and Ri and I may do a duet for Christmas.

Well, Thanksgiving is coming up and I get the bird. :) I've only done a turkey 1 or 2 times before, so I'll be praying for things to go smoothly next week, between having the house clean and cooking a bunch of stuff I'm not used to. But, then again, I like doing different things. E.g. made soymilk and tofu today. Hmm, if my vegan niece shows up, maybe I can make her a Tofurkey. :D Ok, I'm not feeling that creative.

Of Ribbons and Rodents

It's been a rough month for our pets ... and our pocketbook. Sad to report that our guinea pig, Angel, is no longer with us. I think she had a pretty long life for a gp, dying, we presume, of old age. Rog found her "asleep" and buried her in the back yard while Ri and I were visiting family. It was sad to come home to and is a notable absence, although we're glad to be "down" to 3 pets at the moment.


Even worse, our beloved cat, Bob, nearly met with his end a couple weeks ago. A ribbon, no kidding, nearly killed him. He "ate" part of it, and his intestines got "scrunched up" on it, blocking him up and damaging his intestinal lining. He had to have surgery and about 4 days of intensive care, racking up quite a bill. He's still not quite back to his old self, but he's definitely making progress. I must say that the vet we use was very kind to us in the followup care after the surgery--even taking Bob to his own home to give him round the clock care. I understand that Bob wouldn't be left alone at his guest's home, but "insisted" on getting in bed with the vet by trying to open the door all night. Good thing he's so sweet! Well, sweet and sassy. That's him in the image above eying Angel (look for the eyes and their reflection on the table in the background!).

Stormy must've been a little worried to have lost Angel, then Bob, then the dog went to a friend's while we left for a weekend trip. Alone for the first time in years! A friend stopped by and checked on her, noting how starved for attention she was.

Well, I'm happy to report that all are well at this house at the moment. In fact, other than being crazier-than-usual busy, things are pretty good. Mariah got a lead part in her school play and has a recital from her voice lessons tomorrow night. I may post some pics/vids of that soon.

At this point, I'm just glad to have most of the dr. and vet appts. over with for a while! Too bad the bills are still "out there lurking"! Upcoming holidays, birthdays, and going to music practices and recitals is a welcome change to all of that! Speaking of which, here's a shout out to all my friends and family with late October and early November birthdays--a ton of ya--not to mention all the new babies!! Hope your November is going well.

Are you a good citizen?

Being a good citizen requires more than showing up at the voting booth. It means carefully considering the options before you. I've shown up in the past only to find confusing names and issues and felt ashamed for going in unprepared. Not anymore. I've learned and admonished myself enough over that to always prepare by checking out the issues and candidates ahead of time. Not that this is giving any readers much notice for this election, but a website I've found to be handy is "smarvoter.org." About to go there myself to do a bit more research on the issues after spending about an hour or so last night reviewing the candidates. It doesn't take that long to find out what you need to know to feel informed, but ultimately, you can't really know the candidate entirely from any information you can find at this or other sites. The next thing to do, then, is to leave it in God's hands after prayer. Really, unless we've done both, we're not being good citizens, nor good Christians.

One last pertinent comment regarding Obama's statement about him not being socialistic because he shared his cookies in Kindergarten. Roger pointed out, deftly: "But did your teacher make you share them." Aye, there's the rub, now, isn't it. Let's see it for what it is. Democrats, I'm all for many of the programs that you want to support, but let me choose when and how much to give, and it might surprise you how much you get. Christians are supposed to work hard to obtain excess--yes, that's right, excess. But what is the excess for? Ephesians 4:28 tells us. Sadly, I bet that I give more to multiple charities personally than many of the Democrats in office with much more affluence, and I'm not "giving until it hurts," by any means. When Dems put their money where their mouth is (not mine), I might consider their social work policies more seriously. Not that there aren't other glaring problems with their policies otherwise, namely abortion on demand.

Now, go do your part ... THEN vote. Let's not encourage ignorance or popularity polls. And let's continue to set the example for how to care for others without compulsion. That, my friend, is charity. Government is something else, entirely.

Addendum (11/4/08):
I meant to add this earlier. Reading with 'Ri last night brought us to Isaiah 37. Verse 14 is particularly appropriate today. Let's lay our ballots--and the nation--before God today.

Who won?

I'm not the most patient person. I never liked politics. Never liked much of what's on TV. Never really liked debates in general. So maybe I'm not the best person to comment. But has anyone considered that the words "who won" and a discussion concerning presidential (or vice-presidential) candidates really don't belong together, at least until November? If the debate serves any useful purpose--whatever that is supposed to be--it seems like it should be more than winning a battle of words. When the country is horribly divided, the economy is in shambles, and the war isn't over, I don't care who won a silly debate.

I know who's losing. We are. The entire political system is much like that debate. Pointless and much like a popularity contest. Who's the best speaker? Why does that really matter. What we need is an intelligent person surrounded by other intelligent people knowledgeable in several different fields that can make good decisions.

I heard talk of how people felt differently about the outcome depending upon the medium--e.g. Nixon was said to have won the radio version of the debate with Kennedy, but Kennedy won on TV. This just proves my point. It's all about perception. Not about who's right for the job. And, y'know, if the job were something non-important, I guess it wouldn't matter so much, but this is perhaps the most-important job on the planet right now.

All this to say, I'm in a state of despair over our nation. I've heard sensible people say the debate came out a "tie," yet I hear that support is continuing to swell behind Obama. Not that McCain is my favorite person in the world, but if the nation supports Obama, that, for me, is just the last nail in the coffin of common sense---in fact the survivability of our nation---for many reasons I won't go into here. Suffice it to say, I see him and his campaign much like Herod who didn't quiet the cries of those who said "the voice of a God and not of a man," except the worms are eating our nation.

Ike, day 3

A friend sent some photos of shingles flying off houses (below), and Ken Ham posted some pictures of damage at the Creation Museum on his blog. These are, perhaps, the most telling, apart from some reports coming in of deaths caused by falling tree limbs. Still many without power, including my musician friend and in-laws. Got another friend coming over to do laundry. A friend in Boston had no idea--they just got winds. BTW, those in Hamilton Co., there is a boil water advisory--1st time I've ever heard of a county-wide one. Still hearing distant chainsaws through my open window (the weather's gorgeous today) and amazed at the widespread and longlasting effect. I actually waited in a line to get into a gas station yesterday. That's another first.

We had no idea ...

Got up this morning, went to church, began to carry out my plan of 1 week ago to visit the Celtic festival with my daughter and a musician friend. Noticing it was cloudy and windy, I checked the weather. No big deal ... chance of rain 40%, high 88, windy--gusts up to 40 mph, remnants of Hurricane Ike. No problem. I've been through hurricane remnants before. They're pretty much nothin' by the time they get to Ohio. The wind will keep it from feeling so hot. But as the wind continued to increase, we gave the plans a second thought, going, rather, to a nearby restaurant to see how things were panning out before heading across town. Ri and I even walked partway to the restaurant (got picked up by our friend en route, when she saw us). We were beginning to get the feeling that this was not the run-of-the-mill (lol, like u could say that in Ohio) hurricane remnant when on our walk, we saw several tree branches---I mean big limbs---down.

Well, to our surprise, the winds continued to increase further, and the poor little restaurant was getting battered (pardon the pun). The awning in the back tore half away, the awning on the front was picking up and ramming into the ground, the ceiling tiles were lifting, the tent in back totally collapsed, the windows were whistling and groaning, patio tables overturned. The power went off. They had to lock the door to keep it from blowing open and slamming shut. While we never really felt imminent danger, it was entertaining in a slightly worrisome manner.

I took my friends offer to drive us home. Good thing. On the way home, there was tree debris covering the sidewalk--even the road. There was flying or skidding debris that did look dangerous, such as metal chimney tops, street signs. Craziness. Obviously, we decided to forgo the festival.

Once we were home, things looked ok for the most part. We don't have many trees in the yard or much in the way of lawn furniture. The power was out at home, too. The winds continued to increase for another 2 hours. Not knowing what was going on and why the forecast was off by apparently so much (winds were waaaaaay more than 40 mph), we called a few others. Roger's parents had a telephone pole (not just the lines) down in their yard--with a transformer, no less. I called Roger, who was coming back from Dayton, and he said they were playing "dodge the moving barrels" on I-75 and on an exit ramp.

Rog noticed a shingle loosening on our roof and had me hold a ladder while he put some rocks over loosening tiles. Down below, a gust nearly wrenched the ladder from my hand, meanwhile wrenching my back a little. Not too bad.

Just when we were wondering how to "do" dinner, had all the candles and flashlights ready, and opened the windows around 6, the power came back on. From what I understand, we're pretty blessed as both our parents are still out late this evening. Went over and checked on neighbor and mom to make sure she had candles and to get food from her for us to keep in the freezer/refrigerator. Can't get to in-laws with power line still down across their yard. We'll see what the morning brings. No school, that much we know ...

Anyway, seems like we had the "perfect storm," of sorts, as Ike and a cold front merged over our area making things worse than they expected. We had gusts up to about 75 mph and sustained winds at around 40 mph. Who knew? At any rate, the whole 5-hour ordeal gave me a new appreciation of hurricanes and the power God has given mother nature. :) All-in-all, kinda exciting. I love storms. Our elderly neighbor said she hadn't seen anything like this since 1974 when a tornado hit just a few houses down the road and took out a corner of her house.

How has everyone else fared? If you have any pics, I'd be happy to post them. I may try to get a few tomorrow.

Since I don't have any pics of the storm, thought I'd share this one from the Yellowstone trip and a quick funny story:

This pic was a dare: I dared Rog to take it. It's not what you think .... it's a guy. :) And with that I leave you. You're welcome. :D

Adventures Out West

As we are wont to do every 5 years, we tend to have a bigger celebration for our anniversary. September will mark our 20th, so we wanted to do something kinda big. I've never been to Yellowstone, and Ri hadn't been much west, so we decided to "do the west," although another trip will be required for southwest for Grand Canyon, Zion, etc. I may recount aspects of our adventure in future blogs, but for now, I think it will suffice to post some pictures--most are from Yellowstone. Some will make lovely desktop pictures. Be my guest.


Badlands


Wall Drug


Ri blocking the recent Obama addition ;)


Needles at dusk


Devil's Tower


Beautiful flowers at 10,000 ft. in Bighorn Mt. range


Yellowstone Lake


Colorful (& HOT!) thermal pools in Yellowstone


Old Faithful (of course)


Lillypad stream on one of the surprisingly many continental divides in Yellowstone


Forest fire that lasted 3 days in Yellowstone while we were there


One particularly dangerous-feeling area of Yellowstone--taken from a walkway that ran right next to the spurting, steaming pool


Another dangerous-feeling area: our campsite. A grizzly had been spotted in this campground just 3 days prior!


Buffalo traffic jam--sheesh, we went out west to avoid this sorta thing!


One of the more impressive falls and canyon in Yellowstone


Snow at 12,000 ft. near Estes Park


Note the lake


Note the color of the water on the snow

Hope you enjoyed the fast, sequential tour. So many pictures to choose from and videos too, it was hard to pick. More may pop up later. :) Missed everyone while we were away!

One of "those" moms

Well, it's official.  I'm one of "those" moms.  Yesterday, I chose to say the word that children (at least nowadays) all too infrequently hear (trying not to get onto too much of a tangent with that! ;)), i.e., “no." Afterward, I overheard a discussion about my decision amongst the children through my window.  When asked about why the decision was no, I couldn't hear what my daughter said, but I did hear the reply: "Oh, one of those 'because I'm the parent' things." I had to laugh. At least they'd heard it before!

But y'know what?  I'm really fine with that.  I'm fine with being a "no" and a "because I'm the parent" parent.  And y'know what else?  I think the world would be a better place if we had more. Did I have a really good reason to say no?  Actually, I didn't.  I had reasons, but none were show-stoppers.  And I told my daughter that. When she began to verbalize that she felt my reasons were unsatisfactory, I stopped offering them, countering with the (can you hear it coming) "I don't answer to you; I don't owe you an explanation."  And whether or not I had good reasons--or none at all--doesn't matter.  I'm the parent, and I said no.  Can I be talked out of it? Maybe. But if the "talking" is not respectful and reasonable, my resolve will solidify further. So that must make me a "when I say no, I mean no" kinda mom, too.  Yeah.  I like that one, too. :)

Before I go any further with this, though, it's important to realize that this "I'm the boss" attitude (if you want to call it that) does not come out of thin air.  It's not about control, really, it's about roles and responsibility: God-given ones. And it's about Him and us wanting what is right for our children, even when it means forcing them to put away the cupcakes to eat spinach. This is not a new concept in our house.  It's one that's been instilled since day 1. If it has not been, the pill is going to be a whole lot bigger the older they get. Think of a young horse learning its reins at a walk, as opposed to a wild stallion at a full gallop.  Pulling the reins on the latter is not going to be nearly as effective--if at all. Now back to our story.

After the emotions settled down a bit, we had a great talk.  We discussed anger and we discussed sinful anger.  We discussed respect. We discussed love and how most decisions were hopefully made with that as the driving force.  Good stuff. I must commend 'Ri for admitting and wanting to atone for her sinful words and anger at my decision, of her own initiative.  How satisfying it is as a parent to see fruit such as this.

It is a tough world sometimes for a Christian tween with a "no" mom. Would you pray for her with me?  Even though it's love that drives the "no," and reliance on both the truth of the Proverb that "the way of the transgressor is hard" and the commandment with a promise (Ex. 20:12). Hard for now, perhaps (for me, too--it's really easier sometimes to say "yes"), but the payoff is well worth it.  And praise the Lord, sometimes we get a little payout early.

There may be an ironic parallel to this story.  I found out just hours after this incident that a cousin, about 8 years older than me (that's 40's, people), had died.  She'd had quite a rough life, sadly, due to some poor decisions made for her and by her when she was younger as I am to hear. Tragic, really. She was almost raised as my half-sister in a near-perfect, loving Christian family. How blessed I was. One can only wonder how much of a difference that would have made for her. What a precious responsibility we have as parents.  Sobering, but wonderful.

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Dance Recital

Well, it's been a busier month than normal, apparently for almost everyone else too, so not much blogging going on. Need to catch up a bit. Ri had a recital in May. Didn't get any video, but got a few cute pictures of her in her garb.

One reason we didn't get video was because I worked backstage one of the two performance nights. Incredible that there were so few parent volunteers. Sad. I was in a hallway with about 40 girls (some only in 1st grade!) and only 1 other parent. It was chaos. The tensions were high and the tears flowed, and I kept wondering how it could be that not more parents would offer to help, especially when there's 2 nights--one to see it yourself and one to help. Needless to say, my faith in American parenthood wasn't really shaken--because I didn't have much to begin with, sadly. But I digress. Anyhoo, Ri had a great time. Here's some pics:

The second picture is with one of her best friends. She was so dedicated to come and watch the performance that she came a second day after her attempt the first night was foiled by her swelling finger (injured just before the performance, but she still came and tried to stay, only to have to go to the emergency room to find that it was broken!).

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Mother's little helper

Now, it's not what you think. And sadly, I'm probably too late to give you this tip for the mother who has a lot of bare floors and a lot of pets (like me). What can I say? I love my iRobot Scooba. So, if it's too late for this year's Mother's day, consider it for next year. Seriously. :) Here's a video of it in action.

Isn't it cute and smart? It can sense edges and cut corners pretty closely. Just think of all the time I save. It'd be even more if I could get myself to stop watching it and do something else while it cleans for me. ;) Too bad for my mom and mother-in-law as they don't have much non-carpeted area nor pets (but good for my wallet!). Anyway, I'm sure there is some other nice thing you can find for your mother this week.

I just have to say that I'm thankful to still have my mother and mother-in-law, and also very thankful to be a mom, myself. Now what to get them ... and where to take them. I have an uncanny way of picking restaurants that have recently closed, so I'm still reservationless. Sad. I'm open to ideas. :)

And here's a shout out to my mom-to-be (and mom) friends. Enjoy your day!

Spring recital

Time for some new vids and pics.
Verbose, aren't I? What more can I say, tho? :)

Easter



Recital (4/25/08)


End of Haydn "Surprise" Symphony No. 94

Mariah's song "Phases of Matter" (yes, she wrote it--didn't quite get to composing a new tune for it, though)
A solid keeps its shape. Its parts do not escape. Look at me, I'm plain to see, a solid keeps its shape.
A liquid fills a cup. A liquid fills it up. Look at me, I'm liquidy, a liquid fills a cup.
Gases fill the air. They fill it here and there. Look at me, I'm hard to see, gasses fill the air.
Solid, liquid, gas: each of them have mass. Look there's 3, it's plain to see: solid, liquid, gas.

Pets

Note how Honey keeps her distance from the cats! Bob is on the left (you can see his nub tail if you look closely). He and Stormy obviously get along well. Actually, Honey gets along pretty well with them both, but Bob is boss, unless Stormy decides to put him in his place.

Neandertals and Gene Wilder

I just can't resist. A recent news article on New Scientist presents (and they're serious) a "reproduction" of how a Neandertal would pronounce "e." Click here to hear it and not have to read their article. :)

Now, I can't help but notice a distinct parallel to this and an arguably hilarious clip from a famous Mel Brooks movie, Young Frankenstein. Indulge me and watch this clip, mentally substituting "Neandertal" for "creature. " Perhaps we have a new animatronic paleoanthropology exhibit in the making? Enjoy.

Weariness, repetition, and revelation

As I cleaned part of the bathroom for the thousandth time (I rarely do it all at once), I looked at the rest of the bathroom, knowing that it was coming due for needing cleaning--showing its yuck--and I felt momentarily overwhelmed. Vacuuming, laundry, taxes all still needed to be done. The yard will begin to need maintenance very soon. Pet things needed tending. It's endless. Even doing bits at a time. On a bad day, this could get very depressing. I remember thinking, I just wish this were like other things I like to do--things that are done when they're done and you never have to do them again. Like a puzzle, logic problem, or sudoku. Even a video game. But no, that toilet is going to need to be scrubbed again in a few days, but I'll probably let it go a week or so. As I pondered my "plight," the Lord spoke to me. No, I didn't hear a voice, but like so many other times, a thought was planted.

What must it be like for the Lord to forgive us? Over and over we do the same thing--sometimes not even asking for forgiveness or being oblivious. Yet--and this is the really cool part--He doesn't get weary! He knows our frame, and He pities us as His children. And there's another cool part to this. God is done. In our temporal prison, we don't see the end, but He does. He's done! Christ said on the Cross, "It is finished!" And what He accomplished there was so much more important than any of the most-fulfilling tasks I have been able to say that about.

This led me to yet another thought. How awesome is it that He lets us have any idea of what it's like to be Him? To be able to experience love, fulfillment, completion, beauty--even music and art. He Who is the Great Musician and Who gave us these abilities created us in His image to be able to experience these albeit temporary, imperfect pleasures. What a foretaste of Glory Divine! In the most mundane things, we can see things of God. My yucky bathroom: a reminder of our fallen world--a sinful state of never being perfect. Yet God is done. He has already given John a vision of the New Heavens and New Earth--restored and perfect!

As I continued to clean my bathroom, I thanked God for His gift that moment in sharing these thoughts with me--and then for his tireless patience with me. I remembered that whatever I do, I should do it heartily as unto Him--even if it's cleaning a bathroom. I thought that cleaning the bathroom gave a comfortable place to my family whom I love--in a way, I was loving and blessing them by cleaning the bathroom (although I'm sure they'll probably never see it that way--but that's ok). And I was most happy with the thought that I can look forward to a time of rest--a completion--and the continual decay will be forever put away, leaving only the blessings and wonderful things to enjoy forever. Unfathomable. But ... He has blessed us with an inkling, and I'm grateful for it.

License to be silly

Not that I restrict myself to silliness on 4/1, but it's fun to have a day when others cut loose too in this often–unnecessarily serious life. After all, laughter is the best medicine so they say. So, with no further ado, here are some samples of silliness for your amusement:

http://improveverywhere.com/2008/03/09/food-court-musical/

A medicine man prescribed a long, thin strip of rawhide to his patient. The instructions were to eat one measure of it daily. After a few weeks, the patient returned to say he was done with the treatment. When asked how things were going, the patient replied, "The thong is ended, but the malady lingers on."

Three construction workers ate their lunch on a high I-beam. The Chinese one, sick of rice, complained: "If I have rice for lunch tomorrow, I'm going to jump." The Mexican one, sick of tortillas, chimed in: "If I have tortillas again, I'll jump too." The American one, thoroughly displeased with his bologna sandwich said, "If I have another bologna sandwich, I'll jump as well."
The following day, the Chinese worker opened his lunch, let out a disgusted grunt, and jumped. The Mexican worker, opening his lunch, sighed and jumped. The American opened his lunch, threw the sandwich and leaped off in fury.
At the funeral, the Mexican and Chinese worker's wives were crying softly into their tissues. Surprised, they noticed the American wife was chuckling. Appalled, they asked her how she could laugh at such a tragedy, to which the American woman replied, "He packed his own lunch."

'Government is like a baby: An alimentary canal with a big appetite at one end and no sense of responsibility at the other.' - Ronald Reagan

Last, and least:
"My friends, we live in the greatest nation in the history of the world.
I hope you'll join with me as we try to change it." -- Barack Obama

Got any funnies to share? :)

Blizzard in March

Yep, that's right. And it's all thanks to Global Warming. No, really. You see, global warming is responsible for erratic weather, so whether it's hot or cold, rainy or dry, normal or unusual, it's all global warming. Genius, eh? Reminds me of some other scientific theories.

Anyhoo, the main reason for this post is not to fulminate. I've been doing a lot of that, so I'll take a break. Rather, here are some pics (one of Ri's new bunk beds), and a movie of the blizzard of 2008 (note that the "graininess" is actually snowfall--and this was taken only about 1.5 hour after it started). Enjoy!

Politicians just need to grow up ...

... seriously folks—and so do many Americans. So it's primary day in Ohio. I've been offered rides to the voting polls (by Obama's "people"), called, mailed, harassed for days. It's over, thankfully, but I still have the clamor in my head. And it reached fever pitch today, so I just have to fulminate a bit to purge. On the way to the polls this morning, I heard an ad for Hillary where a woman was saying that Hillary understood the "plight" of such-and-such major demographic (parents I think). WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT??! There is no major demographic in the United States in plight. I think, arguably, there is no person in the United States truly in plight--at least the kind a government entity can fix. We have it so good. We really do. It's just ridiculous to think of using the word "plight" to describe the common, everyday situation of Americans.

In other news, some ignorant people in VT did this ludicrous thing:
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSN0454699420080305
Hmm. As an American, I'm torn between patriotism and buying maple syrup only from Canada now. Not really. I'm headin' north, eh?

Then there's the weird thing about Barack Hussein Obama. His frenzied following and apparent distaste for his own middle name ... and a wife that is ashamed to be American. My mom, who has lived through a few wars, just had a birthday (I won't say how old, but something I'm going to publish for her here will give you a clue), and was, well, "outraged" at her comments. She put it into words and I helped her send it to some appropriate places. Hmm, and I always thought I took more after Dad. Well, she can fulminate with the best of us--maybe I'm rubbing off on her?

Upon hearing Michelle Obama speak the other night, I couldn't sleep until I wrote this down and sent it to her at her husband's campaign website. I thought you might agree with my thoughts and be willing to pass them on. Let's get the word out before the primaries are over!

--------------------------
Outrage

Outrage is not pithy! After being bombarded by the press, by millions of "Americans," by commentators extolling the rare qualities of Obama's speeches, what I've heard is "we ought to be ashamed of ourselves for liberating a people whose leader was a horrible tyrant! Let us just mind our own business and cower in our huge corner of the world."

Democracy is not for the faint of heart.

Outrage is for those of us who have seen a proud, God-fearing nation fall to its knees and quaver at the thought of protecting the weak and hopeless. Who said you're not your brother's keeper??

And as long as we were the keeper, all was well with America. I know. Yes, we had hardships; we had our men bloodied & killed. And we, the families, endured, trusted, sacrificed, and prayed. Mrs. Obama, do you know what the word sacrifice means?

Have you ever cut out cardboard to put into your shoes to walk to school? Have you ever eaten hollihocks, roses, clover, and hullapples because you were so hungry?
Born between '35 & '40 to parents who had 9 children; the 4th of four girls with four younger brothers and a baby sister, I know something of sacrifice. But I never, ever wanted to be in another country. This is my country, and I'm proud of it. But I was not proud when I heard you speak and even worse, when the people of this country cheered!

That, Mrs. Obama, is outrage--that no one stood up. Outrage that it was swept under the closest carpet you could find. And with outrage and deep, deep sadness that MY nation has come to this pitiful, stooped, quavering state. Where would you and your husband be today if we had not rallied when FDR gave the call to WAR? I was in 1st grade and all our teachers were crying and sent us home.

Even then, we knew something dreadful had happened--our world had changed. We didn't just have higher prices on gas--we were rationed! On food, sugar, chocolate, shoes--without a stamp, you couldn't buy. Yet instead of marching and denouncing our leaders, we put cardboard in our shoes, we walked, and we prayed. I don't want to see someone in the "people's White House" that wasn't proud to be an American, with all that this country had given to you and your husband. And if you are only proud when you are being given everything from this country, that is an outrage.

BTW, Happy Birthday, Mom! Love ya!
Since you know I don't "do" cards, will this do? :D

A fair comparison?

Continuing from last blog, let's look at Genesis 4:6-7:

6 And the LORD said unto Cain, Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, sin lieth at the door. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him.

Remember as I said in my last blog post that this is many times compared to Gen. 3:16, which I'll quote again here:

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Granted, there's a similarity. Let's look at it more closely:
Gen. 3: "and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee."
אל־האשה אמר הרבה ארבה עצבונך והרנך בעצב תלדי בנים ואל־אישך תשוקתך והוא ימשל־בך׃ ס
Gen. 4: "And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him."
הלוא אם־תיטיב שאת ואם לא תיטיב לפתח חטאת רבץ ואליך תשוקתו ואתה תמשל־בו׃

Looking at the lexicon for the Hebrew for Gen 3:
and thy desire
תְּשׁוּקָה tshuwqah (tesh-oo-kaw')
a longing -- desire.

---

and he shall rule
מָשַׁל mashal (maw-shal')
to rule -- (have, make to have) dominion, governor, indeed, reign, (bear, cause to, have) rule(-ing, -r), have power.

And for chapter 4
And unto thee shall be his desire
tshuwqah

---

and thou shalt rule
mashal

But reading the English, they really are not all that similar. The subject and objects are reversed, and it appears that the thing being subordinated is a "him," not an "it," which sin would be.

Note Wesley's commentary on the passage:

Unto thee shall be his desire - He shall continue in respect to thee as an elder brother, and thou, as the first - born, shall rule over him as much as ever. God's acceptance of Abel's offering did not transfer the birth - right to him ...

Note that the meaning of the word sin can also mean sacrifice (again from the lexicon below).

sin
chatta'ah (khat-taw-aw')
an offence (sometimes habitual sinfulness), and its penalty, occasion, sacrifice, or expiation; also (concretely) an offender

---

Scoffield:

Or, sin-offering. In Hebrew the same word is used for "sin," and "sin- offering," thus emphasizing in a remarkable way the complete identification of the believer's sin with his sin offering (cf) Jn 3:14 2Cor 5:21.

Here both meanings are brought together. "Sin lieth at the door," but Song also "a sin-offering croucheth at the [tent] door." It is "where sin abounded" that "grace did much more abound" Rom 5:20.

Abel's offering implies a previous instruction (cf) Gen 3:21 for it was "by faith" Heb 11:4 and faith is taking God at His word; Song that Cain's unbloody offering was a refusal of the divine way. But Jehovah made a last appeal to Cain Gen 4:7 even yet to bring the required offering.

Matthew Henry matches this thought about the sin referring to sacrifice:

The Lord reasoned with this rebellious man; if he came in the right way, he should be accepted. Some understand this as an intimation of mercy. If thou doest not well, sin, that is, the sin-offering, lies at the door, and thou mayest take the benefit of it. The same word signifies sin, and a sacrifice for sin. Though thou hast not done well, yet do not despair; the remedy is at hand. Christ, the great sin-offering, is said to stand at the door, Re 3:20. And those well deserve to perish in their sins, that will not go to the door to ask for the benefit of this sin-offering. God's acceptance of Abel's offering did not change the birthright, and make it his; why then should Cain be so angry?

Really, again, we don't even need the commentaries. A straightforward reading does not indicate that it's sin that desires to rule him and he will have mastery over it. It really makes no sense to refer to sin as being his and him. Sin is referred to elsewhere in the Scripture as an "it" (e.g., Jer. 17:1; 1 Cor. 15:56).

Yes, there's some parallelism, but that doesn't mean that the passages should be compared so directly--especially when there are notable differences. A reversal of subject and object is pretty significant. And the the fact that it doesn't make sense to refer the his and him to sin is another pretty big obstacle. In reading other commentaries, however, it is essential to twist this meaning to bolster the Gen. 3:16 "battle of the sexes" argument. Note this comment on Gen. 3:16 from Bible.NET: The Bible Studies Foundation (and I've seen this elsewhere):

Many interpreters conclude that it refers to sexual desire here, because the subject of the passage is the relationship between a wife and her husband, and because the word is used in a romantic sense in Song 7:11 HT (7:10 ET). However, this interpretation makes little sense in Gen 3:16. First, it does not fit well with the assertion “he will dominate you.”[Ed note: their translation--this is certainly not the standard translation of Gen. 3:16] Second, it implies that sexual desire was not part of the original creation, even though the man and the woman were told to multiply. And third, it ignores the usage of the word in Gen 4:7 where it refers to sin’s desire to control and dominate Cain.

Is it just me, or are we seeing circular reasoning? At least it's called an interpretation here, though! I've not seen the "second" reason before--but if you take my interpretation from last week's blog about desire not being entirely sexual, per se, then we're good (although, I think this argument is patently silly). ;)

And I just have to mention the sexism, again, of this sort of harmful interpretation. Woman is being directly equated to sin! I'm a sinner, no doubt, but that's a little harsh. And another harsh implication is revealed in the lexicon about sin "lieth" at the door:

lieth
rabats (raw-bats')
to crouch (on all four legs folded, like a recumbent animal); be implication, to recline, repose, brood, lurk, imbed

Note my emphasis on the word "lurk." If you look at my post on Gen. 3:16, you'll see that I threw in some "catty" imagery:

Does a husband who's been taught this from the pulpit see his wife as eager to usurp him: prowling for the first chance to pounce upon any opportunity to rule?

No kidding, having read these commentaries for so long and "brooding" about them (since that apparently is my curse ;)), the "lieth at the door" supposed link to Gen 4:7 had laid that imagery in even my head. Lying in wait--ready to pounce. Yeah, that's a healthy way for a man to think of his wife.

I just have to say, to cover myself, that anyone reading this that thinks I am some feminist trying to get out from being ruled by "the man" just doesn't know me. I'm not a doormat by any means, but I know that the Lord has given me a role to play--and it's a privilege! In being submissive to my husband, I am imaging the Church in beautiful white marriage clothes, being readied for the marriage feast of the Lamb--betrothed to Christ Himself!

God has placed on us (women in particular) some limitations. He's our Creator. I'm OK with that. To honor them is the least I can do--after all, he died to purchase me. The Scriptures are pretty clear that God doesn't want women to pursue becoming pastors or church leaders, so I won't. Doesn't mean I can't (as in women are inherently not capable); it means I shouldn't. It's an obedience issue--and it glorifies God when we honor His requests. And in the bigger picture, it glorifies Him and it symbolizes the wonderful culmination of our very purpose and existence. To be forever with Him as His collective betrothed where there is neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female. In a place He's specially prepared, where there will be no more death, and where God Himself will wipe away every tear from our eyes. Now THAT's a perfect marriage!

A harmful interpretation?

I think it's time someone challenged some prominent, old notions about Genesis 3:16. Most of my readers will agree that a straightforward reading of Scripture is the best way--it avoids reading things into it and taking presuppositions to it. So let's do that:

Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

Ok, this is obviously after sin. Keep that in mind. This is Eve's punishment for disobedience. First part is pretty clear. It's gonna hurt--a lot (I'm told ;))--to have children, and it even has cost many women their lives. Pretty clear. Let's move on.

“And thy desire shall be to rule over your husband, but he will rule over you instead." That's what is says, isn't it? That's what many commentaries would have you believe--and sadly many sermons I've heard. Let's look at that statement again: “And thy desire shall be to rule over your husband, but he will rule over you instead."

Note the changes/additions? Now read it again as it really reads: "and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee." If you have a desire "to" something, does that mean you want to take it over? Could it not be that her desire has to do with her husband himself--as a person, lover, attention-giver, companion, provider. I've read that the word for "desire" can also be translated as "longing." I have a desire for my husband's attention, companionship, love. I also have a desire to love and help him. Always? No. I'm not perfect. But does this other interpretation of "desire=rule" set up a harmful expectation from both husband and wife? Does a husband who's been taught this from the pulpit see his wife as eager to usurp him: prowling for the first chance to pounce upon any opportunity to rule? I would hope not, but I'm sad to say that I do think that is the case for some. I would also hope the wife would not use this as an excuse for her sinful desire to usurp her husband when the temptation strikes: "Well, I was cursed with this desire to usurp my husband." And what harmful sexist implications are there if women were inherently subordinate in a "perfect" world, created in God's image just as Adam was. Sexism and alleged misogyny of the Scriptures are negated by the fact that sin caused the problem and that the role of woman as subordinate is in actuality a punishment and an obedience issue. How could it be an indication of more-limited potential if she can also be a joint heir with Christ?

Note also the "and he shall rule over thee." There's no contrariness here. Shouldn't there be a "but" if she's being rebuffed?

Now to the punishment part. The husband ruling---either way, whether she's trying to usurp or not---is considered a punishment. Who wants a ruler, raise your hand? Male or female, the fact is we don't want ANYONE to rule over us--we want to be the boss. It's called pride, and it's called sin, and guess what? Women don't have the market on those---more like half of it.

Additionally, some commentaries go so far as to say that the woman was punished with subordination because of her "going off on her own" and doing something without Adam's approval. Well (1) Gen 3:6 says Eve gave to her husband "with her." In other words, it's pretty clear (again from a straightforward reading) that he was right there--she wasn't "off on her own." (2) If subordination was a punishment for her sin, just how was she being insubordinate before sin? For the life of me, I can't see how some commentaries, including Matthew Henry's (which I highly respect) put this pre-Fall heirarchy in place. The only Scriptural support I can see for that is in 1 Tim. 2:13, but this is followed by an "and" in v. 14 referring to Eve's being deceived. Certainly Adam being created first has some role in his headship, but I can't see a reason to think this would imply pre-Fall headship. And how could it, with the subordination being part of the post-Fall curse?

Now it gets a bit trickier, how is this desiring a punishment? Well, I must admit that's a little harder to explain perhaps to everyone's satisfaction, although it makes perfect sense to me. If you have a desire to please someone and to have the sole affections of someone--a perfect companion, a perfect relationship (some may see this as romantic--and that's the point: most would agree that women are inherently a bit more romantic/idealistic about relationships than men), this "ruling" thing can really get in the way. Especially if the husband is being sinful. And, remember, this curse came after sin. Man's leading of his wife is, because of sin, far from ideal. A curse for someone who's at times striving for and often unrealistically hoping for a perfect relationship. I'll admit this an interpretation, but is it a harmful one? Does it make sense of the straightforward reading?

Question is, will anyone admit to the "usurping" as an interpretation (which I'd be willing to entertain if someone can explain away these problems adequately), or will it continue to be preached unchallenged from the pulpit, sit not-so-quietly in our Bible commentary (and perhaps our psyche) continuing to cause damage and likening the meaning of Gen 4:7 to this passage? By the way, I'll tackle Gen. 4:7 and its (dis)similarities to Gen 3:16 in another blog soon.

I would encourage you to be a Berean and read up and think on these things. I welcome your comments---and corrections even---as I continue prayerfully studying this issue.

Zero Tolerance

Rog & Ri went down to the cabin this weekend, but I opted to stay home--not enough room with several other visitors this weekend. Apart from those short weekend getaways, I don't travel a lot, but when I do, I usually see a bumper sticker or two that amuse me. My last trip down to Cumberland had a doozy. Actually, it wasn't even a bumper sticker. It was a window sticker that took up the entire rear window. "No Tolerance for Intolerance." Complete with a swastika and a crossout "o." Roger asked what it meant (not that he didn't "get" it, but that he thought it was self-defeating in that it was not at all clear what the "political" affiliation was from what was given, but, in reality, it was clear enough). Playing on the ridiculous nature of the sticker, I said "Nothing at all. It's self-refuting." Ya just gotta wonder what these kinda people are thinking.

I think I need to get a bumper sticker that says "Zero tolerance for vehicle statements that make no sense" or "No tolerance for whatever I want to have no tolerance about. You got a problem with that?" Or "Everyone is intolerant of something. For most it's something totally misperceived and likely inconsequential."

Anyway, thought some of you might have some "doozies" to share, too. After all, there is a blog for crummy church signs. I'm sure there's probably another one for bad bumper stickers, but we can post 'em here too. Of course, if you have ideas for bumper stickers that SHOULD exist, do tell. Enjoy your weekend!

Disgusting jobs & the Superbowls

It was an interesting week last week. After having a few people over for the Superbowl, many of us got sick the next day, but not a consistent enough pattern to call it food poisoning--we think it was a highly contagious virus. We sure know how to throw a party. If it's not a fire that makes my guests evacuate, it's a horrible illness resulting in a Superbowl party that just keeps going throughout the week (a different bowl though). And Mariah's getting bunk beds this week! Anyone care to sleep over? :)

Which brings me to a show on cable about a guy that goes around doing disgusting jobs for a day called "Dirty Jobs" that I've seen a couple times. As most people know it takes a lot to disgust me, being a biologist of sorts. I would submit that this guy has never done anything worse than I have as a mom (and biologist for that matter). My entire family having had stomach flu last week (including myself), I think I can say, you just can't top that. Then there's maybe cleaning out the guinea pig cage or the cat box or the yard (dog). As a friend of mine with 4 children that seem to always be sick--particularly with GI ailments--says “it would be nice to get through a few days without having to deal with one of the many 'p'’s that accompany pets and children” (I'll be "delicate" and not spell them out for you). Wonder if anyone's submitted "mom" for a job for this show?

But I wouldn't trade it for anything. At the end of the day, I can at least take a shower and say, "It's all worth it," count my many blessings, and get ready for whatever gets thrown (or dropped, overflowed, spilled, etc.) at me the next day.

The effects of the Curse on our tongues, apparently

While reading through 1 Chronicles with Ri, I've noticed that both parents and place-namers didn't have much of a qualm in naming something in a totally unpronouncable way. Ri enjoys me—a normally smooth, quick reader—stumbling over the words, I think.

But how could this possibly relate to the Curse of Gen. 3? Is it possible our tongues just don't work as well as they used to? A lot has been lost in the time since the Fall, y'know. Seriously, nowadays, who would name their child Azmaveth or Aliahba--especially when they're gonna be an "-ite" from Baharum or Shaalbon? Then there's Dodo. Easy enough to pronounce, but for a mighty man, I bet people didn't take him as seriously. Hmm. Maybe there was another reason. ;)

On a funny note, when explaining the "-ite" phenomenon with Ri, I spoke of how we have mostly "-an" in the States: Bostonians, Cincinnatians; how Germans have "-er," e.g. Berliner, Frankfurter, Hamburger (at which she busted out). Then I told her how our past-President Kennedy told the people of Berlin he was a jelly donut for improper use of an indefinite article. Now that's some incentive for good grammar, folks! Not sure we learned as much from the Bible tonight as we should have, but it was certainly interesting by the time we were done.

Inspiration regarding perspiration

A fellow blogger has inspired me to create a new blog entry. She challenged her readers to come up with alternate ways to say the same short sentence. It was a fun mental excercise. I've been wanting to post a similar thing about some funny names we use at work to describe our work as editors, e.g., as we sometimes slave over a piece that really wasn't quite ready for the publication but needed to go anyway. Here are some of the "red-pen names" we've come up with over the years (and a few new ones just for fun). Feel free to suggest more (or is that Moore?):

Edita Lott
Edita Little
Edita Moore
O. Mita Lott
Eddy T. Moore
Eddy T. Nunn
Ed E. Tonnes
Max
Minnie
Cookie T. Moore
Erasmus Tofit
Ned S. Werk
Ima Dunn

Like mother, like daughter

Just got back from the spelling bee. Mariah didn't win; nerves got the best of her. Ironically we all thought she had it, too. Republic. R-e-p-u-b-l-i-k. And I'd breathed a sigh of relief after the "l." But there is a purpose in everything, as there was a purpose in my spelling bee of 6th grade. My word was "cheese." I have always been nervous in front of people; in fact, only now is it getting somewhat manageable. Well, in my nervousness, I did the exact same thing: reverted to phonics. I will never forget that cheese (the kind humans should eat anyway) is most definitely NOT spelled with a "z," even though I knew it at the time. And I will also never forget the word that would have won the bee had I still been in it. Vacuum (2 u's). But if I would have won, would I have been able to console my daughter as well? At least some pressure was off her knowing this going in. And when she came out, she said, "Well, like mother, like daughter." I guess that could be considered a Mariahism. :) (She's fine, by the way, and she's got a good shot at it next year--it is 4th and 5th grade together.) We joked that the blog title could be “The Republik of Cheeze." Hmm. Sounds like a foreign B movie.

Speaking of B, on the bright side, her report card is great. All As and Bs--B+ avg. overall, and up from B avg. last quarter. So, no complaints there. Yep, we're proud of her.

Weekend getaways

Most of you know by now that Roger's parents have a nice little cabin that they've built on Lake Cumberland. It's very remote (and because it is, there're some good stories there that I may post at a later date). Well, we went there this past weekend. No phone, no internet (so no work for me--altho no blogging ;)), no laundry. Boy, is it relaxing. Although, Roger usually relaxes by working outside clearing brush, or helping build the barn. The dog relaxes by running as fast as possible, descending and ascending the rough terrain to the lake in incredibly fast jaunts, and ultimately finding some nasty remnant of a dead animal. Ri and I relax doing puzzles, games, videogames, hiking, and cooking. During the summer, we can swim in the lake--and yes, the dog joins us.


If the canoe hadn't been stolen, we'd have done a bit more of that and visited our "pet" goat, Lila. Lila lives 2 coves over, apparently, and no one knows where she came from. But if you call her, she comes down the rocky, near cliff-like terrain to indulge in any non-healthy treat you offer her. Apparently, she gets enough veggies and fruit on her own. Here's a pic detailing an adventure with Lila. Yes, that's a cookie. Didn't get many pictures this weekend, but you get the idea. Hope you had a nice weekend, too. :)

Stupid parents and Disney (cough) gets something right

So, what do you find most annoying about TV (in particular children's) programs? The mile-a-second, loud, idiotic inanity? Well, while those are up there on my list, the thing that most bothers me is the stupid parents. Most of the time, it's the dad (or he's the stupidest of the 2--if there are 2). This is also compounded by the "peer"ing of the adults with the children, or, in fact, the reversal of roles. The parent is behaving childishly, or wrongs the child, and the child has the "right" to punish the parent until they get it right. Now, don't get me wrong: my parenting style (as my friends--and daughter--will attest) is very candid. I admit when I'm wrong and ask forgiveness if necessary. I acknowledge that I am somewhat inadequate as just a human that battles with sin and selfishness, yet have this important and sometimes seemingly monumental task. But do I give up my God-given role of benevolent authority, guide, and discipline administrator? Not on your life. I love my daughter too much to let her have her own way when it's not in her best interest, and, thank God, I have His help. :) I want her to be a child that others want to be around, and I want her to have a good, long life, but I digress.

Why is the stupid parent thing such a big deal, anyway, you may wonder? Well, think about the established roles God has laid out for a happy family. Who is the head? Who does this represent? Is the Head "qualified"? Does He deserve respect and obedience? Are His decisions wise? Who's the judge? Who administers discipline? Who wrongs whom? Do you see a problem? The marriage/family is under subtle attack, and, in the process, God's plans for us as Creator, and even God Himself.

What's all this got to do with Disney, you say? Well, surprisingly, there is a program that I can find little wrong with. And it has a smart, loving, disciplining, and protective father. Believe it or not, Hannah Montana has a lot going for it (at least so far). For a program dealing with teenagers, it's also pretty family friendly. Are there better things your child could watch? Of course. But I have to give credit where credit is due. And of all places, Disney! Hard to figure out, when seemingly half of their other shows (and other networks for that matter) involve "powers," witchcraft, eastern elemental magic, etc. With so little to choose from, it's refreshing to have a choice that doesn't give you too much to worry about.

Better late than never

Well, since Christmas was spread out over 3 days this year, that gives me a little license to be this late posting, right? Actually, it's not totally over yet ... we still have one segment of family to get together with and we're not sure yet when that's going to happen. So ... here are the festivies so far. :)
Dec. 24 after the Christmas Eve candlelight service (at which she and I sang “Still, Still, Still,” but sorry, no video this time, although she did a great job. We were asked to sing again the following Sunday, and I asked for an mp3 of the song, if they recorded it. I'll post it later if they did.) She gets to open one present. Choose wisely ...
Christmas morning.
At Gramma and Grampa's--showin' off new duds
Dec. 26 at Gramma L.'s with cousins