Just got off Skype with Kara, John and the two kids. SO good to talk with them! It's been way over a week and I was having 'grandkid withdrawal' big time.
Well, the boat ride went very well yesterday. We enjoyed it a lot. About 23 or 24 kids from the orphanage came and about that number from the church. Since it was on a week day we weren't sure how many people would be able to come. It turned out that several mothers and their kids came. That's good. Very good.
It's almost midnight and I really need to get to bed. I only got about 6 hours of sleep last night and I'm really feeling it now. I hope I can get more written tomorrow. Busy day ahead of me, but that's good.
I'm feeling so much better today. Thank you, Father in Heaven. Still concerned about the pain, but it's not been there at all today. So, we'll see. God has numbered my days - I rest in that.
Showing posts with label bits n pieces. Show all posts
Showing posts with label bits n pieces. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 07, 2011
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Part 2 and Bit's n Pieces
Wow. I tried to post Part 1 about a dozen times, but nothing would work. Finally found a help page that actually worked for me - had to change 1 setting in blogger.
Got updates from Internet Explorer yesterday and do not like them at all. Everything at the top of the page has been switched around, changed and messed up. WHY do they do this? Why can't they leave things alone? sigh
Grumpy old lady feelings again.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yes, it is colder in Ukraine this spring than is usual. It's in the 50's again today, same as yesterday. Breezy, but not too bad. We do have the door open and it's 71.2* in here beside the computer. Not bad. Not bad at all.
However, I'm a little disturbed over the news report I posted in Part 1. Everything seems a bit behind schedule here. Again, some people disagree with me, but I have photos from previous years that prove the trees and flowers are at least 2 weeks behind schedule for blooming. If they are that far behind, is the winter wheat behind, too? I don't know. I only know what I read in that report - Russia and Ukraine are behind in their planting of spring wheat and other crops.
It has been fairly dry, too. There was a big rain storm while we were in Kiev, but not much snow or rain at all before that, and none after (except a few sprinkles here and there - no real Rain). Only time will tell what summer is going to bring. God knows and God has a plan. That I must rest in.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I have had the strangest dreams the past two nights. Yesterday I woke up saying over and over again in my mind: "In the name of Jesus Christ - go away! Repent and be baptized!" Those words lingered in my mind, over and over, for at least an hour after I was up and busy reading and doing things.
The dream started with me at the home I grew up in, watering the lawn and forgetting that the water was running. Caused a huge muddy mess in the front yard. Then a milk truck showed up - tanker kind, with two guys on top of it playing like they were fighting. Then the one with a cow head looked at me, laughed and spit toward me, later I realized he had actually spit on me so he could follow me. Scene change to someone's house, a knock on the door, Stirling opening it before I could get there, me pushing him back out of the way and completely filling the doorway so he couldn't see or be seen (kind of a Ukrainian sized doorway!;) ), seeing the guys from the milk truck and then others - all with wide open glazed-over eyes trying to push their way into the house. I tried to protect Stirling, shouting at them and pushing back at them, "In the name of Jesus Christ - go away! Repent and be baptized!!" over and over and over again.
I told Mel later that I really think that whole dream was demonic.
Last night/early this morning the dream was much more complicated, but I awoke with a real feeling of unease. It was totally bizarre, like some science fiction book gone crazy. Captivity/being a slave, weird angle buildings, strangely colored sky and light, tunnels, laser beams cutting through dimensions, people living alternative lives in those different dimensions, and so on and so forth. The only part I liked about the whole dream was the collection of cobalt blue items I collected during one small part of it. They were all quite pretty and quite expensive. haha!
Whew. If I could only take these dreams and turn them into books - I'd make a million dollars! :-) :-)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I have a lot of things I want to write about. I have a lot of things I want to read. I have a scarf on the loom almost finished and I want to finish it.
I think I'll read for a bit - and then go finish the scarf. I'll get back to this blog later this evening, if all works out correctly. :-) :-)
Got updates from Internet Explorer yesterday and do not like them at all. Everything at the top of the page has been switched around, changed and messed up. WHY do they do this? Why can't they leave things alone? sigh
Grumpy old lady feelings again.
Yes, it is colder in Ukraine this spring than is usual. It's in the 50's again today, same as yesterday. Breezy, but not too bad. We do have the door open and it's 71.2* in here beside the computer. Not bad. Not bad at all.
However, I'm a little disturbed over the news report I posted in Part 1. Everything seems a bit behind schedule here. Again, some people disagree with me, but I have photos from previous years that prove the trees and flowers are at least 2 weeks behind schedule for blooming. If they are that far behind, is the winter wheat behind, too? I don't know. I only know what I read in that report - Russia and Ukraine are behind in their planting of spring wheat and other crops.
It has been fairly dry, too. There was a big rain storm while we were in Kiev, but not much snow or rain at all before that, and none after (except a few sprinkles here and there - no real Rain). Only time will tell what summer is going to bring. God knows and God has a plan. That I must rest in.
I have had the strangest dreams the past two nights. Yesterday I woke up saying over and over again in my mind: "In the name of Jesus Christ - go away! Repent and be baptized!" Those words lingered in my mind, over and over, for at least an hour after I was up and busy reading and doing things.
The dream started with me at the home I grew up in, watering the lawn and forgetting that the water was running. Caused a huge muddy mess in the front yard. Then a milk truck showed up - tanker kind, with two guys on top of it playing like they were fighting. Then the one with a cow head looked at me, laughed and spit toward me, later I realized he had actually spit on me so he could follow me. Scene change to someone's house, a knock on the door, Stirling opening it before I could get there, me pushing him back out of the way and completely filling the doorway so he couldn't see or be seen (kind of a Ukrainian sized doorway!;) ), seeing the guys from the milk truck and then others - all with wide open glazed-over eyes trying to push their way into the house. I tried to protect Stirling, shouting at them and pushing back at them, "In the name of Jesus Christ - go away! Repent and be baptized!!" over and over and over again.
I told Mel later that I really think that whole dream was demonic.
Last night/early this morning the dream was much more complicated, but I awoke with a real feeling of unease. It was totally bizarre, like some science fiction book gone crazy. Captivity/being a slave, weird angle buildings, strangely colored sky and light, tunnels, laser beams cutting through dimensions, people living alternative lives in those different dimensions, and so on and so forth. The only part I liked about the whole dream was the collection of cobalt blue items I collected during one small part of it. They were all quite pretty and quite expensive. haha!
Whew. If I could only take these dreams and turn them into books - I'd make a million dollars! :-) :-)
I have a lot of things I want to write about. I have a lot of things I want to read. I have a scarf on the loom almost finished and I want to finish it.
I think I'll read for a bit - and then go finish the scarf. I'll get back to this blog later this evening, if all works out correctly. :-) :-)
Monday, May 02, 2011
Bits n Pieces
As I posted on facebook earlier this evening: "while washing dishes a bit ago, I was thinking about the lack of leeks and celery at the supermarket over the past 2 or 3 weeks, and then it dawned on me: where do they most likely come from? Imported from ... Egypt? Turkey? And what is going on there??? Duh. I wonder if we'll get them here again this year? Maybe from Israel?"
I miss them a lot. I grew accustomed to going to the supermarket and finding them there. I felt more than a bit down after going out to "the big Oskar" today and not finding any special veggies. They usually have a better selection there than at our closer Oskar - but not today. Not good. Not good at all. This bothers me, somewhere deep inside.
Maybe because of this second facebook comment I posted just before starting this blog post: "Why do I feel so cynical over the news about Osama bin Laden? Maybe because I think this may be the end of the beginning, not the end of the end that everyone thinks it is?"
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Hmmm - got a little carried away up there with the ~*~*~'s. :-)
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
My meloncholy feelings this afternoon/evening may be partially due to the fact that as long as there is unrest in the Middle East, then we will probably never get leeks here again.
Somehow I feel like I belong in the book of Exodus, complaining at Moses.
At least we still have our garlic and onions!!!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
After we got home from the supermarket, I watched a Hal Lindsay program from yesterday. Very interesting stuff. Wonder how much of it is true.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I found out yesterday that the church picnic will be held over across the Dniper River with 3 other churches joining us next Monday.
And that a couple hired buses will pick us up at the church and take us to the picnic area. And that it will be out in "the forest" (which is wonderful) and will last 7.5 hours (which sounds like purgatory to me), and that there are no tables, or chairs (yikes! gotta bring your own) and no toilets - you go find a bush (ok, change that from purgatory, to hell).
I do not think I'm going. No - I am definitely not going. Sorry Charlie, etc. etc.
I can handle the forest. I can handle the lack of tables and chairs. I can even handle the lack of toilet and using the area behind a bush if needed. What I cannot handle is SEVEN AND ONE HALF HOURS of this. In the sun (yes, it's a "forest" - a man-made forest with the trees neatly spaced so many meters apart). With mosquitoes. And flies. And lots of people. The bus will drop us off and then 7 1/2 hours later, return to pick us back up.
Picnics in forests should abide by certain rules: lots and lots of shade, cool breezes, a minimum of bugs and no more the 6-10 people, preferably family members that you love to be around, and also preferably - a beautiful view to look at (lake, stream, mountain, valley, sequoias, Grand Canyon, something along these lines).
Oh - and hot dogs and roasted marshmallows and s'mores. Not hunks of meat stuck on a wire and partially cooked.
Ei yi yi.
I feel like a grouchy old lady.
I feel like a grouchy old lady with arthritis.
I feel like a grouch old lady with arthritis and bad breath.
That's what I feel like right now. :P
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
So, the "tennis shoes in a dryer" are at it again, boomba, boomba boomba - electric drum machine. Tear my hair out. I hope it's not going to be like this all summer....... I think they live next door to my office room. It's not so horrible in the livingroom as it is in here.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
There is something going on in Chihauhau, Mexico. Well, actually under Chihauhau, Mexico. I wonder what it is?
Four (count them - 4) earthquakes in the past week. In a place that has never had a recorded earthquake.
Plus there was a 2.5 in Minnesota this past week. Minnesota?? Weird.
Magnitude 2.5
Date-Time Friday, April 29, 2011 at 07:20:13 UTC
Friday, April 29, 2011 at 02:20:13 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 45.884°N, 95.465°W
Depth 5 km (3.1 miles) set by location program
Region MINNESOTA
Distances 64 km (39 miles) SE of Fergus Falls, Minnesota
90 km (55 miles) NNW of Willmar, Minnesota
97 km (60 miles) ESE of Wahpeton, North Dakota
205 km (127 miles) WNW of ST. PAUL, Minnesota
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 15 km (9.3 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST= 6, Nph= 6, Dmin=220.7 km, Rmss=1.17 sec, Gp=151°,
M-type="Nuttli" surface wave magnitude (mbLg), Version=1
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2011kha1
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Yes, I'm feeling down tonight. Beautiful day, though - warm enough to be really hot while waiting in the check-out line at Oskar, but cooler breezes on the street. Beautiful sunshine, green leaves and blue sky. And the lilacs are blooming. Had to charge the battery on my camera or I'd post a photo of some today. Why I'm feeling blah, I don't know for sure. Lots of little things. But lots more little things to feel good over - so I don't know.
Guess I should go read or work on my weaving. I almost wrote "and/or work on my weaving" but I'm not sure I can read and weave at the same time.....
I miss them a lot. I grew accustomed to going to the supermarket and finding them there. I felt more than a bit down after going out to "the big Oskar" today and not finding any special veggies. They usually have a better selection there than at our closer Oskar - but not today. Not good. Not good at all. This bothers me, somewhere deep inside.
Maybe because of this second facebook comment I posted just before starting this blog post: "Why do I feel so cynical over the news about Osama bin Laden? Maybe because I think this may be the end of the beginning, not the end of the end that everyone thinks it is?"
Hmmm - got a little carried away up there with the ~*~*~'s. :-)
My meloncholy feelings this afternoon/evening may be partially due to the fact that as long as there is unrest in the Middle East, then we will probably never get leeks here again.
Somehow I feel like I belong in the book of Exodus, complaining at Moses.
At least we still have our garlic and onions!!!
After we got home from the supermarket, I watched a Hal Lindsay program from yesterday. Very interesting stuff. Wonder how much of it is true.
I found out yesterday that the church picnic will be held over across the Dniper River with 3 other churches joining us next Monday.
And that a couple hired buses will pick us up at the church and take us to the picnic area. And that it will be out in "the forest" (which is wonderful) and will last 7.5 hours (which sounds like purgatory to me), and that there are no tables, or chairs (yikes! gotta bring your own) and no toilets - you go find a bush (ok, change that from purgatory, to hell).
I do not think I'm going. No - I am definitely not going. Sorry Charlie, etc. etc.
I can handle the forest. I can handle the lack of tables and chairs. I can even handle the lack of toilet and using the area behind a bush if needed. What I cannot handle is SEVEN AND ONE HALF HOURS of this. In the sun (yes, it's a "forest" - a man-made forest with the trees neatly spaced so many meters apart). With mosquitoes. And flies. And lots of people. The bus will drop us off and then 7 1/2 hours later, return to pick us back up.
Picnics in forests should abide by certain rules: lots and lots of shade, cool breezes, a minimum of bugs and no more the 6-10 people, preferably family members that you love to be around, and also preferably - a beautiful view to look at (lake, stream, mountain, valley, sequoias, Grand Canyon, something along these lines).
Oh - and hot dogs and roasted marshmallows and s'mores. Not hunks of meat stuck on a wire and partially cooked.
Ei yi yi.
I feel like a grouchy old lady.
I feel like a grouchy old lady with arthritis.
I feel like a grouch old lady with arthritis and bad breath.
That's what I feel like right now. :P
So, the "tennis shoes in a dryer" are at it again, boomba, boomba boomba - electric drum machine. Tear my hair out. I hope it's not going to be like this all summer....... I think they live next door to my office room. It's not so horrible in the livingroom as it is in here.
There is something going on in Chihauhau, Mexico. Well, actually under Chihauhau, Mexico. I wonder what it is?
Four (count them - 4) earthquakes in the past week. In a place that has never had a recorded earthquake. Plus there was a 2.5 in Minnesota this past week. Minnesota?? Weird.
Magnitude 2.5
Date-Time Friday, April 29, 2011 at 07:20:13 UTC
Friday, April 29, 2011 at 02:20:13 AM at epicenter
Time of Earthquake in other Time Zones
Location 45.884°N, 95.465°W
Depth 5 km (3.1 miles) set by location program
Region MINNESOTA
Distances 64 km (39 miles) SE of Fergus Falls, Minnesota
90 km (55 miles) NNW of Willmar, Minnesota
97 km (60 miles) ESE of Wahpeton, North Dakota
205 km (127 miles) WNW of ST. PAUL, Minnesota
Location Uncertainty horizontal +/- 15 km (9.3 miles); depth fixed by location program
Parameters NST= 6, Nph= 6, Dmin=220.7 km, Rmss=1.17 sec, Gp=151°,
M-type="Nuttli" surface wave magnitude (mbLg), Version=1
Source USGS NEIC (WDCS-D)
Event ID us2011kha1
Yes, I'm feeling down tonight. Beautiful day, though - warm enough to be really hot while waiting in the check-out line at Oskar, but cooler breezes on the street. Beautiful sunshine, green leaves and blue sky. And the lilacs are blooming. Had to charge the battery on my camera or I'd post a photo of some today. Why I'm feeling blah, I don't know for sure. Lots of little things. But lots more little things to feel good over - so I don't know.
Guess I should go read or work on my weaving. I almost wrote "and/or work on my weaving" but I'm not sure I can read and weave at the same time.....
Monday, April 25, 2011
A Few Thoughts
Wow! I think it's been a week since I last posted. Life has been happening at what seems like an accelerated pace. :-)
Last week was really busy - home from Kiev on Saturday, Church w/teaching Sunday school on Sunday, general life stuff on Monday and Tuesday, Seder service at church on Wednesday, more general life stuff on Thursday, Good Friday service on Friday, dinner with Melinda and Irina on Saturday, Easter yesterday morning with team Easter dinner in the evening. We stayed way later than we should have - didn't get home until after 11pm! First time for that.
Got a lot of embroidery done on the blanket with many thoughts and prayers for the recipient while working on it. I had a goal of a certain section being finished and I'll reach that goal later today. Then - I'll rewarp the little loom and make another scarf. It's taken me a while to decide what I want to try next - yarn combination and pattern.
I read a blog, Crazy As A Loom (Sue introduced me to it!) and the writer is happy weaving rugs all day long for weeks. She also does placemats, shawls and tote bags, but mostly rugs. She has a little shop she sells them in, over the internet, and apparently she does pretty well with it.
I don't think I could do that. It's one of my flaws - I will do something over and over until I'm heartily sick of it - and then, I need something NEW! Which is why I'm trying to space out the weaving with embroidery - that way I won't get "heartily sick" of either one! :) haha. But it's true - once I start on something, I could work on it for hours - days, even - and then, I'm DONE with it. At least for awhile. That's part of the reason it took me almost 10 years to do one cross-stitch project. Would have taken my sister 3 or 4 weeks, I'm sure, but after working on it for a week or so, it went into the "I don't want to look at this again!" pile/stack/bag of similar items and disappeared. Disappeared until I was looking through my stash of UFO's and there it was! I have 3 other projects right now that are waiting until the blanket is finished, and then I'm going to finish one of them. So, I'm pacing myself - trying to pace myself! - so the blanket doesn't end up in that stack, too. I think it's going to be a long while before I get tired of weaving, tho, simply because there are so many different things I can do with even this little loom. Each scarf right now is a whole new adventure!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I read the news today and am filled with an incredible sense of sadness. I don't think the American public is taking this disaster in Japan seriously enough. I know talking with people here it's all just kind of "ho, hum, another earthquake, another nuclear disaster, the media tells us it's not that bad, yawn". And all the while tons of radioactive water and air is spewing out of those reactors with no end in sight.
It's dangerous to walk in the rain now.
It's dangerous to drink milk now.
It's dangerous to eat certain foods now.
It's dangerous to breathe now.
It's dangerous to simply be alive and live now.
A new kind of danger - one we can't see, taste, feel or smell. Yet it falls all around us, in individual rain drops, in that bite of cheese you just ate, in that deep breath of fresh mountain air you drew deep into your lungs.
My grandchildren will never know the pleasure of being safe from the world around them. Not because they are afraid of war or a "bad guy", but because the actual physical earth is poisoned.
No, I don't think people are taking this seriously enough. The knowledge is too difficult to live with. It's easier to ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist.
I am so thankful that I believe God is sovereign, that none of this is an accident. If I truly believed that other way - what reason would there be for even trying to go on living? Maybe that is why we read so often over the past few years about a father or mother killing all of their children and then themselves. They have no hope in the incredibly horrible world.
But I have hope - in Jesus Christ. And He promised never to leave me, never to foresake me. He promised that He would provide for my every need. And more than that, He promised me that when I die I will go to heaven, that He is preparing a place for me there, and that He will give me, and all Believers, a new heaven and a new earth, totally free from sin and it's effect.
I long more and more for heaven. I'm hungry to be with my Savior! I don't want to die, but I am not afraid to die. Strange, but it can be said this way: I'm not afraid to live, I am not afraid to die.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Well, I guess I'll go get dressed for the day (finally!), which means I need to stop writing.
Last week was really busy - home from Kiev on Saturday, Church w/teaching Sunday school on Sunday, general life stuff on Monday and Tuesday, Seder service at church on Wednesday, more general life stuff on Thursday, Good Friday service on Friday, dinner with Melinda and Irina on Saturday, Easter yesterday morning with team Easter dinner in the evening. We stayed way later than we should have - didn't get home until after 11pm! First time for that.
Got a lot of embroidery done on the blanket with many thoughts and prayers for the recipient while working on it. I had a goal of a certain section being finished and I'll reach that goal later today. Then - I'll rewarp the little loom and make another scarf. It's taken me a while to decide what I want to try next - yarn combination and pattern.
I read a blog, Crazy As A Loom (Sue introduced me to it!) and the writer is happy weaving rugs all day long for weeks. She also does placemats, shawls and tote bags, but mostly rugs. She has a little shop she sells them in, over the internet, and apparently she does pretty well with it.
I don't think I could do that. It's one of my flaws - I will do something over and over until I'm heartily sick of it - and then, I need something NEW! Which is why I'm trying to space out the weaving with embroidery - that way I won't get "heartily sick" of either one! :) haha. But it's true - once I start on something, I could work on it for hours - days, even - and then, I'm DONE with it. At least for awhile. That's part of the reason it took me almost 10 years to do one cross-stitch project. Would have taken my sister 3 or 4 weeks, I'm sure, but after working on it for a week or so, it went into the "I don't want to look at this again!" pile/stack/bag of similar items and disappeared. Disappeared until I was looking through my stash of UFO's and there it was! I have 3 other projects right now that are waiting until the blanket is finished, and then I'm going to finish one of them. So, I'm pacing myself - trying to pace myself! - so the blanket doesn't end up in that stack, too. I think it's going to be a long while before I get tired of weaving, tho, simply because there are so many different things I can do with even this little loom. Each scarf right now is a whole new adventure!
I read the news today and am filled with an incredible sense of sadness. I don't think the American public is taking this disaster in Japan seriously enough. I know talking with people here it's all just kind of "ho, hum, another earthquake, another nuclear disaster, the media tells us it's not that bad, yawn". And all the while tons of radioactive water and air is spewing out of those reactors with no end in sight.
It's dangerous to walk in the rain now.
It's dangerous to drink milk now.
It's dangerous to eat certain foods now.
It's dangerous to breathe now.
It's dangerous to simply be alive and live now.
A new kind of danger - one we can't see, taste, feel or smell. Yet it falls all around us, in individual rain drops, in that bite of cheese you just ate, in that deep breath of fresh mountain air you drew deep into your lungs.
My grandchildren will never know the pleasure of being safe from the world around them. Not because they are afraid of war or a "bad guy", but because the actual physical earth is poisoned.
No, I don't think people are taking this seriously enough. The knowledge is too difficult to live with. It's easier to ignore it, pretend it doesn't exist.
I am so thankful that I believe God is sovereign, that none of this is an accident. If I truly believed that other way - what reason would there be for even trying to go on living? Maybe that is why we read so often over the past few years about a father or mother killing all of their children and then themselves. They have no hope in the incredibly horrible world.
But I have hope - in Jesus Christ. And He promised never to leave me, never to foresake me. He promised that He would provide for my every need. And more than that, He promised me that when I die I will go to heaven, that He is preparing a place for me there, and that He will give me, and all Believers, a new heaven and a new earth, totally free from sin and it's effect.
I long more and more for heaven. I'm hungry to be with my Savior! I don't want to die, but I am not afraid to die. Strange, but it can be said this way: I'm not afraid to live, I am not afraid to die.
Well, I guess I'll go get dressed for the day (finally!), which means I need to stop writing.
Wednesday, April 13, 2011
Bits n Pieces
Travel is ahead of us - just a quick trip to Kiev and back. But my stomach is acting like we are traveling half-way around the world again. The stress of travel of any kind does not get easier here - it seems to only intensify.
I am concerned for Cheyenne. She was left totally alone so much the last 6 months we were in the States last year. Sometimes I'm afraid she'll just go bonkers if we leave her for any length of time now.
Which reminds me - I need to buy her more cat food today so I can fill her bowl completely before we leave.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
New rumors about visas are flying around. Who will get one, who will not. No one knows the truth yet - maybe that is why they are flying around like this. haha Latest rumor: religious visas will only be given to one person in the family. Therefore - if the husband gets one, what does the wife get? Does she get a visa at all? If not, what are the ramifications of that - 90 days in country, 90 days out? Or ... what?? Rumors ... ya gotta love 'em.
Not.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
We have a heretic in our church. New information is coming out about this person because this person has actually put it in writing, signed their name to it as a direct word from god. The elders will have to deal with it now. Not going to be an easy time, but it has to be done.
This person sits and stares at me during the service sometimes. Gives me the creeps, but I think I know why the person does it. The person does not know this, unless it has been told to the person by 'unclean spirits', but I have stated to the elders that I believe the person is demon possessed. The person has approached everyone on our team with negative comments about them and their work, or given them their own 'directly revealed word of god' - except me. The person stares at me, but othewise has not approached me at all after our first introduction to each other.
I don't know why, well, actually I do - I was going to say I don't know why this happens to me, but - well, I have known for years that I have the spiritual gift of discernment. God, through the Holy Spirit has warned me about people and situations on a number of times and in those instances, I have never been wrong. When I have my own opinions about people or happenings, yes, I have been wrong then. But this is different. I can't explain it, how it works exactly. There are times when I just know things about people. Most of the time, if not all of the time, it has been in regard to Mel and people around him. The first time happened when he was managing a restaurant. I met his assistant and immediately the alarm bells started ringing in my mind. I was proved correct about the person a couple months later. It has happened within the church setting several times. When I met certain people and those alarm bells went off, eventually those people proved themselves to be directly negative against the church and/or Mel as pastor of the church. I've thought many times that the first time, in the business world, was God showing me that He'd given me this gift. We had no idea then that Mel would go into the ministry and eventually we'd be here, doing what we are doing now.
There are at least 2 other people I am concerned about in the church. One appears to be apostate in the correct definition of the word. This person has attended classes and services since the very beginning but has never made a profession of faith. They are just always there, at almost every meeting. At times this person has made negative comments or tried to take over the class being taught. Recently there appears to be a softening of this person's heart. Much prayer is needed for this person. I still do not trust this person at all.
The 3rd person approached me not long ago to tell me how God could heal my weight problem because God healed third person from all of third person's health issues when third person became a believer. Third person and I had a long discussion after service one day, me using an interpreter so I KNEW I was understanding what third person was saying, and that I was responding correctly. The conversation devolved into third person saying, "I don't want to sound greater than the Apostle Paul, but..." That told me about all I needed to know about third person and pride issues in their life. Third person has not been very friendly toward me since I refused to be corrected and taught by them. I think it bothered third person greatly that instead of taking away a health issue, God gave me one after I'd been a Believer for many years (thus the Apostle Paul/thorn in the flesh discussion). Good thing third person does not understand my arthritis and my deteriorating eye sight issues!! Boy, I would have been slammed then, let me tell you! God either hates me or I'm not a real Believer or maybe it's both of those in third person's opinion. From the first time I met third person I have been leery of them. This conversation just sealed it for me. I don't doubt third person's salvation, but I truly believe third person is going to cause big problems within the church.
So, on it goes, church planting here. I am quite concerned about the first person I mentioned here. First person has insinuated themself into several aspects of church life. I know God has a purpose for this - actually in purifying the Church, and maybe in freeing first person from their demon(s) and giving them true life in Christ Jesus. First person has, however, been kicked out of every other church in town, so the elders have discovered, so first person makes a habit of this.
So very sad.
What also bothers me is that when I make comments about these things, someone always jumps on me about it. I can't know that is true! Someone has learned from experience that things are much more complicated than they appear (oh yes! I agree with that) and on it goes. It becomes my opinion against their opinion. I do not want that to happen! This is not an opinion contest. (the old example of who can pee higher on the wall kind of thing, which is rather rude, but there is a reason the example exists!) Fortunately, other people listen, and for that I thank God.
God gives gifts to people in the church as He sees fit and as the church needs them. I wish I had the gift for every single person who walks in the door, but that is not the case. Actually, I do NOT want that - how horrible it would be to know everything like that. As it is now, I've wondered - what will I say or do if first person finally decides to approach me? The third person, when talking to me, told me that they regard me as the "mother of the church" and used the example from Psalms about the hen gathering the chicks under her feathers (actually, that is God who does that....). I had a sort of cynical "I don't believe that for a moment" moment - the way to my heart and to my ear is NOT through flattery. Sigh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
It's kind of rainy and yucky today outside. Only 63 degrees in the livingroom when we got up, 65 here in the office room. Now it's up to 67 because the thermometer sits near the laptop. :) I'm cold. Think I'll go make some tea.
Mel brought home a box of Scottish Breakfast Tea for me. There is no better tea in the world than tea in Great Britian. Smooth, not bitter. I could drink gallons of it. Think I'll go make a cup and try and get warm again. Cheyenne is on my shoulder, cuddling as close as she can get to my neck. :-)
I am concerned for Cheyenne. She was left totally alone so much the last 6 months we were in the States last year. Sometimes I'm afraid she'll just go bonkers if we leave her for any length of time now.
Which reminds me - I need to buy her more cat food today so I can fill her bowl completely before we leave.
New rumors about visas are flying around. Who will get one, who will not. No one knows the truth yet - maybe that is why they are flying around like this. haha Latest rumor: religious visas will only be given to one person in the family. Therefore - if the husband gets one, what does the wife get? Does she get a visa at all? If not, what are the ramifications of that - 90 days in country, 90 days out? Or ... what?? Rumors ... ya gotta love 'em.
Not.
We have a heretic in our church. New information is coming out about this person because this person has actually put it in writing, signed their name to it as a direct word from god. The elders will have to deal with it now. Not going to be an easy time, but it has to be done.
This person sits and stares at me during the service sometimes. Gives me the creeps, but I think I know why the person does it. The person does not know this, unless it has been told to the person by 'unclean spirits', but I have stated to the elders that I believe the person is demon possessed. The person has approached everyone on our team with negative comments about them and their work, or given them their own 'directly revealed word of god' - except me. The person stares at me, but othewise has not approached me at all after our first introduction to each other.
I don't know why, well, actually I do - I was going to say I don't know why this happens to me, but - well, I have known for years that I have the spiritual gift of discernment. God, through the Holy Spirit has warned me about people and situations on a number of times and in those instances, I have never been wrong. When I have my own opinions about people or happenings, yes, I have been wrong then. But this is different. I can't explain it, how it works exactly. There are times when I just know things about people. Most of the time, if not all of the time, it has been in regard to Mel and people around him. The first time happened when he was managing a restaurant. I met his assistant and immediately the alarm bells started ringing in my mind. I was proved correct about the person a couple months later. It has happened within the church setting several times. When I met certain people and those alarm bells went off, eventually those people proved themselves to be directly negative against the church and/or Mel as pastor of the church. I've thought many times that the first time, in the business world, was God showing me that He'd given me this gift. We had no idea then that Mel would go into the ministry and eventually we'd be here, doing what we are doing now.
There are at least 2 other people I am concerned about in the church. One appears to be apostate in the correct definition of the word. This person has attended classes and services since the very beginning but has never made a profession of faith. They are just always there, at almost every meeting. At times this person has made negative comments or tried to take over the class being taught. Recently there appears to be a softening of this person's heart. Much prayer is needed for this person. I still do not trust this person at all.
The 3rd person approached me not long ago to tell me how God could heal my weight problem because God healed third person from all of third person's health issues when third person became a believer. Third person and I had a long discussion after service one day, me using an interpreter so I KNEW I was understanding what third person was saying, and that I was responding correctly. The conversation devolved into third person saying, "I don't want to sound greater than the Apostle Paul, but..." That told me about all I needed to know about third person and pride issues in their life. Third person has not been very friendly toward me since I refused to be corrected and taught by them. I think it bothered third person greatly that instead of taking away a health issue, God gave me one after I'd been a Believer for many years (thus the Apostle Paul/thorn in the flesh discussion). Good thing third person does not understand my arthritis and my deteriorating eye sight issues!! Boy, I would have been slammed then, let me tell you! God either hates me or I'm not a real Believer or maybe it's both of those in third person's opinion. From the first time I met third person I have been leery of them. This conversation just sealed it for me. I don't doubt third person's salvation, but I truly believe third person is going to cause big problems within the church.
So, on it goes, church planting here. I am quite concerned about the first person I mentioned here. First person has insinuated themself into several aspects of church life. I know God has a purpose for this - actually in purifying the Church, and maybe in freeing first person from their demon(s) and giving them true life in Christ Jesus. First person has, however, been kicked out of every other church in town, so the elders have discovered, so first person makes a habit of this.
So very sad.
What also bothers me is that when I make comments about these things, someone always jumps on me about it. I can't know that is true! Someone has learned from experience that things are much more complicated than they appear (oh yes! I agree with that) and on it goes. It becomes my opinion against their opinion. I do not want that to happen! This is not an opinion contest. (the old example of who can pee higher on the wall kind of thing, which is rather rude, but there is a reason the example exists!) Fortunately, other people listen, and for that I thank God.
God gives gifts to people in the church as He sees fit and as the church needs them. I wish I had the gift for every single person who walks in the door, but that is not the case. Actually, I do NOT want that - how horrible it would be to know everything like that. As it is now, I've wondered - what will I say or do if first person finally decides to approach me? The third person, when talking to me, told me that they regard me as the "mother of the church" and used the example from Psalms about the hen gathering the chicks under her feathers (actually, that is God who does that....). I had a sort of cynical "I don't believe that for a moment" moment - the way to my heart and to my ear is NOT through flattery. Sigh.
It's kind of rainy and yucky today outside. Only 63 degrees in the livingroom when we got up, 65 here in the office room. Now it's up to 67 because the thermometer sits near the laptop. :) I'm cold. Think I'll go make some tea.
Mel brought home a box of Scottish Breakfast Tea for me. There is no better tea in the world than tea in Great Britian. Smooth, not bitter. I could drink gallons of it. Think I'll go make a cup and try and get warm again. Cheyenne is on my shoulder, cuddling as close as she can get to my neck. :-)
Saturday, April 09, 2011
Bits n Pieces
The wind is howling again today. The very tall poplar just outside the office window is swaying back and forth, back and forth. The wind sounds as if it is roaring in anger at being forced to sweep between the 9 story building and our building once again. This continues to be the windiest January through April (now) that I've experienced here in Kherson. That doesn't mean it's never happened before, it just means it's not happened while we've been here.
After all the wind we had in Colorado from late last summer until the day we left at the end of December... There were times when I prayed that God would keep the aspens from falling on us in the middle of the night. The wind blows in Colorado all the time. I'm just not used to it blowing that hard for days and days on end.
We had rain here yesterday and last night, off and on, but in the early evening it cleared off enough for the the sun to shine brightly on the western faces of the buildings across the way from us. Usually they are just kind of gray 'over there' and I don't pay a whole lot of attention to them.
Yesterday evening, however, as we were watching one of the original Star Trek Generations tv programs on the VCR, I glanced out the window and was entranced by what I saw. Such a different aspect of the same ol' same ol' view. 
I grabbed my camera and missed the end of the program, standing out on the balcony, looking here and there, seeing things I don't usually notice. Sometimes Kherson can be beautiful. 
I read an article this morning, and then watched a youtube video that came with it, about something that is happening in Malaysia. There is a temple there with many gold Buddha idols. While close to 100 people were recently waiting to meet with one of the head men at the temple, the idols began to move. Some moved their mouths (the YouTube video showed this clearly), others began to move hands/fingers, open their eyes or even to speak. Some emitted bright light.
I was skeptical, so I watched the first video and thought it was just a trick of moving the camera's angle to cause the idol to appear bright and then normal. I only watched a couple minutes of the second video where the idol's mouth began to move. The video is from a cell phone or something and is not good quality, plus other people keep getting in the way with their arms and hands holding up cameras as well. However, there is no doubt - the idols' mouth did begin to move, as if speaking. I watched a few seconds of it, and then refreshed the page to stop the rest of the download.
Several missionary biographies that I have read came to mind. Missionaries reporting that strange things like this did happen in areas where they went, and continued to happen until people became Believers in Jesus Christ. Their reports of the spiritual battles that went on are often poo-pooed by modern conservative Evangelical Americans especially. Yet - it happened by witness of those missionaries and it is still happening today.
The spiritual battle we are in is very real. Of that I have no doubt. None.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I really need to get busy and finish my Sunday School lesson prep for tomorrow. I know the story from Luke 11 and I have a picture from the internet I'm going to use. The story Jesus told about prayer and borrowing bread from a neighbor late at night.
The book I am supposed to be using has me more than a bit dismayed, however. I do not like this book, but it's the one I was given to teach from. I actually ordered an English copy so that I could really understand what the author was trying to communicate. It's written for very young children.
This last paragraph from tomorrow's lesson illustrates what I do not like about it:
"God will give us all these things if we ask Him, because He has promised to give us whatever is good for us. But we must really, really want to be good." (emphasis in the original)
WHAT????? God will give us what he has promised to give us if we are really, really good??????? AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH. No way am I going to teach that! NO WAY. I don't care if it's at the end of the book and there are other chapters that talk about sin and repentence and Jesus. I will not teach that God will give us whatever we need if we are really, really good. Ei yi yi. I will teach what Jesus taught and not a thought more.
Luke 11:5-13 Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
This is part of what I'm trying to teach anyone in the Sunday School to watch out for. We need to be very, very careful what materials we use in addition to the Bible. Not all that goes by the name "Christian" is healthy and good. And sometimes heresy is mixed in when we least expect it.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
I'm thrilled to say that my tutor has taken 3 of my scarves. She wears the yellow and black one all the time and it looks really good on her, around her neck and under the v-front of her black coat. I am surprised that she wanted it, but it caughter her attention immediately and she wanted it. :) 
Yesterday she took 2 more, one of which I had thought seriously about keeping for myself - the Lipstick one. The other was the multi-colored one where I used a white warp and a single verigated bright colored yarn. She was taking them to her cousin who is in the hospital with pancreas problems. It doesn't sound good to me at all, like maybe this cousin has pancreatic cancer or something. Lyudmilla mentioned very, very briefly yesterday that she was concerned, but didn't go any farther than that. Her cousin saw Lyudmilla's yellow and black scarf and commented on how much she liked it. So, Lyudmilla wanted to take her one. I told her she could have which ever one she wanted, in fact, she can give them both away! 
She also saw the new one I have on the loom and fell in love with the colors. I told her I'd thought of her when I warped the loom and that she can have this one for herself, too, if it looks good when I'm finished. :) I'll post photos of it later. I have barely worked on it at all this week - too busy with that pillow and company!
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
All for now. I need to put together a word game of some sort for my lesson!
After all the wind we had in Colorado from late last summer until the day we left at the end of December... There were times when I prayed that God would keep the aspens from falling on us in the middle of the night. The wind blows in Colorado all the time. I'm just not used to it blowing that hard for days and days on end.
We had rain here yesterday and last night, off and on, but in the early evening it cleared off enough for the the sun to shine brightly on the western faces of the buildings across the way from us. Usually they are just kind of gray 'over there' and I don't pay a whole lot of attention to them.
Yesterday evening, however, as we were watching one of the original Star Trek Generations tv programs on the VCR, I glanced out the window and was entranced by what I saw. Such a different aspect of the same ol' same ol' view. 
I grabbed my camera and missed the end of the program, standing out on the balcony, looking here and there, seeing things I don't usually notice. Sometimes Kherson can be beautiful. 
I read an article this morning, and then watched a youtube video that came with it, about something that is happening in Malaysia. There is a temple there with many gold Buddha idols. While close to 100 people were recently waiting to meet with one of the head men at the temple, the idols began to move. Some moved their mouths (the YouTube video showed this clearly), others began to move hands/fingers, open their eyes or even to speak. Some emitted bright light. I was skeptical, so I watched the first video and thought it was just a trick of moving the camera's angle to cause the idol to appear bright and then normal. I only watched a couple minutes of the second video where the idol's mouth began to move. The video is from a cell phone or something and is not good quality, plus other people keep getting in the way with their arms and hands holding up cameras as well. However, there is no doubt - the idols' mouth did begin to move, as if speaking. I watched a few seconds of it, and then refreshed the page to stop the rest of the download.
Several missionary biographies that I have read came to mind. Missionaries reporting that strange things like this did happen in areas where they went, and continued to happen until people became Believers in Jesus Christ. Their reports of the spiritual battles that went on are often poo-pooed by modern conservative Evangelical Americans especially. Yet - it happened by witness of those missionaries and it is still happening today.
The spiritual battle we are in is very real. Of that I have no doubt. None.
I really need to get busy and finish my Sunday School lesson prep for tomorrow. I know the story from Luke 11 and I have a picture from the internet I'm going to use. The story Jesus told about prayer and borrowing bread from a neighbor late at night. The book I am supposed to be using has me more than a bit dismayed, however. I do not like this book, but it's the one I was given to teach from. I actually ordered an English copy so that I could really understand what the author was trying to communicate. It's written for very young children.
This last paragraph from tomorrow's lesson illustrates what I do not like about it:
"God will give us all these things if we ask Him, because He has promised to give us whatever is good for us. But we must really, really want to be good." (emphasis in the original)
WHAT????? God will give us what he has promised to give us if we are really, really good??????? AAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHHHH. No way am I going to teach that! NO WAY. I don't care if it's at the end of the book and there are other chapters that talk about sin and repentence and Jesus. I will not teach that God will give us whatever we need if we are really, really good. Ei yi yi. I will teach what Jesus taught and not a thought more.
Luke 11:5-13 Then he said to them, “Suppose one of you has a friend, and he goes to him at midnight and says, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread, because a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have nothing to set before him.’
“Then the one inside answers, ‘Don’t bother me. The door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed. I can’t get up and give you anything.’ I tell you, though he will not get up and give him the bread because he is his friend, yet because of the man’s boldness he will get up and give him as much as he needs.
“So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.
“Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”
This is part of what I'm trying to teach anyone in the Sunday School to watch out for. We need to be very, very careful what materials we use in addition to the Bible. Not all that goes by the name "Christian" is healthy and good. And sometimes heresy is mixed in when we least expect it.
I'm thrilled to say that my tutor has taken 3 of my scarves. She wears the yellow and black one all the time and it looks really good on her, around her neck and under the v-front of her black coat. I am surprised that she wanted it, but it caughter her attention immediately and she wanted it. :) 
Yesterday she took 2 more, one of which I had thought seriously about keeping for myself - the Lipstick one. The other was the multi-colored one where I used a white warp and a single verigated bright colored yarn. She was taking them to her cousin who is in the hospital with pancreas problems. It doesn't sound good to me at all, like maybe this cousin has pancreatic cancer or something. Lyudmilla mentioned very, very briefly yesterday that she was concerned, but didn't go any farther than that. Her cousin saw Lyudmilla's yellow and black scarf and commented on how much she liked it. So, Lyudmilla wanted to take her one. I told her she could have which ever one she wanted, in fact, she can give them both away! 
She also saw the new one I have on the loom and fell in love with the colors. I told her I'd thought of her when I warped the loom and that she can have this one for herself, too, if it looks good when I'm finished. :) I'll post photos of it later. I have barely worked on it at all this week - too busy with that pillow and company!All for now. I need to put together a word game of some sort for my lesson!
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
My Week
Yep, I'm all alone right now. Mel is at a leadership training conference of some kind in a different country (wish I was there with him!). He left Sunday night. I stayed home. 
My dear husband takes such good care of me! He made sure the fridge was mostly stocked and that there was plenty of coffee in the house. :-) He paid all the bills (I think haha). Basically all I have to do is live for the next 3 days. He'll be home on Saturday. 
Team mates visited over the weekend. Adeline came up from Belgorad to Odessa, met Darlene and they came over together. They stayed with Melinda, woshipped with us on Sunday and then had dinner here, with me, last night. It was wonderful to have them here. It was also wonderful to be hosting someone again, even if only for a meal. Since we have an added family now for the past 3+ years, we have harly had anyone in our home - they stay with Jamie and Julia because their house is huge. Or, as in the case this weekend, women quite often stay with Melinda. So it was really, really nice to at least have them all over for dinner last night. Just the 4 of us, sitting around the table, a little quiet music in the background (until I forgot to restart it after the first CD finished), chatting about this and that and the other things. Pork roast seasoned with garlic cloves, cabbage and ramen noodle salad, rice pilaf with yellow peppers, green onions and orange carrots. And Darlene brought an apple pie for dessert, which Melinda topped off with some very good ice cream. Cheyenne behaved herself and didn't scratch anyone. Very nice indeed. ;-) 
I spent today weaving and embroidering, reading and listening to a couple sermons and some more quiet music, plus a short trip over to the post office. The day has flown by, and I even got up before 9 a.m.! 
Tomorrow I have invited Irina to come over with her little guy, Sasha, for dinner. I'm looking forward to spending time with her. And then on Thursday I've invited another young woman, Nina, to come over. I think she wants me to teach her some embroidery stitches, which I am very willing to do. I would love to teach a whole class what little I know, and love, about real embroidery - not just cross stitch. I'm no expert, but I have been embroidering for around 50 years, maybe closer to 52. That is a scary thought.... wow. Anyway, I hope we can communicate well. I'm not sure of her English, and I know how bad my Russian is - but you know what, I think we'll do fine. And develop a wonderful friendship.
Friday I'll have my Russian lesson when Lyudmilla comes over. So, see? I'm really not alone this week at all - except for today. And today was very nice. 
I even managed to get the whole flat cleaned yesterday before everyone came over. I always do things a lot better and faster when I'm under pressure. I've always been like that. Now, if I can just keep it clean like this until Mel gets home.... It would be better if I just don't move, but sit like a statue whenever no one is here. For some reason, I tend to make little messes wherever I go, like a certain cartoon character. ha ha!
My dear husband takes such good care of me! He made sure the fridge was mostly stocked and that there was plenty of coffee in the house. :-) He paid all the bills (I think haha). Basically all I have to do is live for the next 3 days. He'll be home on Saturday. 
Team mates visited over the weekend. Adeline came up from Belgorad to Odessa, met Darlene and they came over together. They stayed with Melinda, woshipped with us on Sunday and then had dinner here, with me, last night. It was wonderful to have them here. It was also wonderful to be hosting someone again, even if only for a meal. Since we have an added family now for the past 3+ years, we have harly had anyone in our home - they stay with Jamie and Julia because their house is huge. Or, as in the case this weekend, women quite often stay with Melinda. So it was really, really nice to at least have them all over for dinner last night. Just the 4 of us, sitting around the table, a little quiet music in the background (until I forgot to restart it after the first CD finished), chatting about this and that and the other things. Pork roast seasoned with garlic cloves, cabbage and ramen noodle salad, rice pilaf with yellow peppers, green onions and orange carrots. And Darlene brought an apple pie for dessert, which Melinda topped off with some very good ice cream. Cheyenne behaved herself and didn't scratch anyone. Very nice indeed. ;-) 
I spent today weaving and embroidering, reading and listening to a couple sermons and some more quiet music, plus a short trip over to the post office. The day has flown by, and I even got up before 9 a.m.! 
Tomorrow I have invited Irina to come over with her little guy, Sasha, for dinner. I'm looking forward to spending time with her. And then on Thursday I've invited another young woman, Nina, to come over. I think she wants me to teach her some embroidery stitches, which I am very willing to do. I would love to teach a whole class what little I know, and love, about real embroidery - not just cross stitch. I'm no expert, but I have been embroidering for around 50 years, maybe closer to 52. That is a scary thought.... wow. Anyway, I hope we can communicate well. I'm not sure of her English, and I know how bad my Russian is - but you know what, I think we'll do fine. And develop a wonderful friendship.
Friday I'll have my Russian lesson when Lyudmilla comes over. So, see? I'm really not alone this week at all - except for today. And today was very nice. 
I even managed to get the whole flat cleaned yesterday before everyone came over. I always do things a lot better and faster when I'm under pressure. I've always been like that. Now, if I can just keep it clean like this until Mel gets home.... It would be better if I just don't move, but sit like a statue whenever no one is here. For some reason, I tend to make little messes wherever I go, like a certain cartoon character. ha ha!
Tuesday, March 22, 2011
Bits n Pieces
Mel would like for me to weave a scarf for him out of blues, black and white, similar to the one I made and posted about earlier today. I only have a solid blue, so I think I'll look through the patterns and see which one might look really masculin and pretty and start it in a couple days. Tonight I'm going to work on the cross stitch blanket. Tomorrow I'll spend time with a new friend.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Alys brought 2 Peace Corps friends to the Sunday English worship service Sunday evening. I'm not sure how she met them, but . They are an older couple, a few years older than Mel and me, and they are working at one of the universities in town. I invited them to dinner tomorrow night, but that is not going to work out. So, Barb and I, and probably Mel, too, will go explore part of the city and have some late lunch together. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. She and her husband are not Christians, although she was raised Catholic. Her husband is Jewish. So, we will see how the day unfolds. If you think about it, pray for us.
~*~*~*~*~*~
I've been reading the news on Japan and the reactors, reading a blogs by missionaries there, reading the volcano blog, the earthquake page and another page on a regular basis. This other page has been very interesting, but I realized a couple nights ago that I need, no I must not read everything that is on it. It is a news gathering site that posts dozens of articles from all over the world, placing short blubs and links to the full articles into specific categories on the page. Now the one where they put all the UFO stuff is interesting, as is the one where they have all the natural stuff (dead dolphines washing ashore, wildfires, earthquakes, etc). A couple of the categories are evil. It is the political and psychological pages that are evil. And I do mean evil. There is also at least one other section that is sometimes evil.
Evil. What do I mean by that?? I looked up the definition and there were none on the first page that had anything to do with anything spiritual at all. Wow. That is really not good. I had to look for "Bible definition of evil" to find what I was looking for: link "The word "Evil" has a distinct technical and categorical meaning in the Word of God. It is not simply a generic word referring to anything that is bad or sinful.
The word "Evil" refers specifically to the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world. Evil is the modus operandi of Satan from the time of his fall throughout the angelic revolution and down to the point when be became the ruler of the world.
Satan is directly opposed to anything involving the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan's is devoted to distorting or obscuring any truth related to Christ."
I realized very quickly that this site promotes some very evil things, although they are presented differently, nicely and very attractively (think 'angel of light' kind of attractive). I was somewhat amused, in a ironic/cynical kind of way, to see that they promote knowledge - of unknown things, of secret things (some things Satan uses just keep on working over the centuries with mankind).
One day I explored it further and discovered that the co-founder communes with demons. Now she would insist that that is not true, that she is in communication with other beings on some comet or in some other dimension or something. But there is no getting around it - she is definitely influenced, if not possessed, by demons. Some of this comes through in the comments or editorializing that is attached to some articles. These comments are easy to ignore because they are always highlighted in blue.
The site is also very anti-Jewish, anti-government (especially conservative government but at heart it is anarchist), anti-religion, and so forth. I quickly realized that there were some articles I was not going to read, including most of the comments included with some of the articles.
Why do I continue to read this site? Well, again, I skim the headlines and pick and chose, that's it. And I don't read the comments any more, either at the end of the blurb, or those written by other people.
I wish there was another place to find the interesting and "not dangerous" articles like these. I need to keep searching and see if I can find a place that does not have such an evil agenda.
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ok, Mel is home and it's time to get supper on the table. So, I'm off for now. Hopefully I'll have a bunch of photos tomorrow to post! :-)
Alys brought 2 Peace Corps friends to the Sunday English worship service Sunday evening. I'm not sure how she met them, but . They are an older couple, a few years older than Mel and me, and they are working at one of the universities in town. I invited them to dinner tomorrow night, but that is not going to work out. So, Barb and I, and probably Mel, too, will go explore part of the city and have some late lunch together. I'm looking forward to getting to know her better. She and her husband are not Christians, although she was raised Catholic. Her husband is Jewish. So, we will see how the day unfolds. If you think about it, pray for us.
I've been reading the news on Japan and the reactors, reading a blogs by missionaries there, reading the volcano blog, the earthquake page and another page on a regular basis. This other page has been very interesting, but I realized a couple nights ago that I need, no I must not read everything that is on it. It is a news gathering site that posts dozens of articles from all over the world, placing short blubs and links to the full articles into specific categories on the page. Now the one where they put all the UFO stuff is interesting, as is the one where they have all the natural stuff (dead dolphines washing ashore, wildfires, earthquakes, etc). A couple of the categories are evil. It is the political and psychological pages that are evil. And I do mean evil. There is also at least one other section that is sometimes evil.
Evil. What do I mean by that?? I looked up the definition and there were none on the first page that had anything to do with anything spiritual at all. Wow. That is really not good. I had to look for "Bible definition of evil" to find what I was looking for: link "The word "Evil" has a distinct technical and categorical meaning in the Word of God. It is not simply a generic word referring to anything that is bad or sinful.
The word "Evil" refers specifically to the policy of Satan as the ruler of this world. Evil is the modus operandi of Satan from the time of his fall throughout the angelic revolution and down to the point when be became the ruler of the world.
Satan is directly opposed to anything involving the Lord Jesus Christ. Satan's is devoted to distorting or obscuring any truth related to Christ."
I realized very quickly that this site promotes some very evil things, although they are presented differently, nicely and very attractively (think 'angel of light' kind of attractive). I was somewhat amused, in a ironic/cynical kind of way, to see that they promote knowledge - of unknown things, of secret things (some things Satan uses just keep on working over the centuries with mankind).
One day I explored it further and discovered that the co-founder communes with demons. Now she would insist that that is not true, that she is in communication with other beings on some comet or in some other dimension or something. But there is no getting around it - she is definitely influenced, if not possessed, by demons. Some of this comes through in the comments or editorializing that is attached to some articles. These comments are easy to ignore because they are always highlighted in blue.
The site is also very anti-Jewish, anti-government (especially conservative government but at heart it is anarchist), anti-religion, and so forth. I quickly realized that there were some articles I was not going to read, including most of the comments included with some of the articles.
Why do I continue to read this site? Well, again, I skim the headlines and pick and chose, that's it. And I don't read the comments any more, either at the end of the blurb, or those written by other people.
I wish there was another place to find the interesting and "not dangerous" articles like these. I need to keep searching and see if I can find a place that does not have such an evil agenda.
Ok, Mel is home and it's time to get supper on the table. So, I'm off for now. Hopefully I'll have a bunch of photos tomorrow to post! :-)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Bits 'n Pieces
Last night Lyena and Valentina came over again. I made chicken noodle soup and pineapple upside down cake. We talked Sunday School, life in general and then Lyena had several questions for Mel. I think she likes to come over specifically because she can ask Mel some of the many, many questions she has from her scripture reading. :-) The food is nice, and the conversation about Sunday School (she's what I grew up calling the "Sunday School Superintendent" at church) is good - but really, what she wants is to ask questions. weigh the answers a bit and then talk some more. She has some of the deepest questions! It's wonderful. And it's also wonderful that Valentina - our translator - has the background now and understanding of Biblical things to really be able translate well.
Lyena has made a profession of faith and is a member of the church. Valentina never has. She translates for Melinda weekly in the Women's Bible Study, has for many years. Now she is also translating for me in Sunday School and on Thursday nights. Oh, how I pray that Valentina will make a profession, a public profession of faith!! My biggest concern for her is Hebrews 6 and apostasy. If you pray - pray for Valentina. Please.
~*~*~*~*~
I'm getting sick again. I can't believe this. My nose has been running like crazy all day. In fact, I woke up around 5 am this morning, and knew then that I might be getting sick. Bummer. That's not woke me up, tho. No, what woke me up was Cheyenne.
~*~*~*~*~
Cheyenne decided that the last cookie in the cookie container on the table was hers and she was going to have it, come loud noises, earthquakes or high water! :-) I woke up to the sound of her dropping the hard plastic container onto the floor and then hitting it around and probably gnawing on the corners, trying to get it open. I knew immediately what was happening and jumped out of bed, came into the livingroom and rescued the cookie.
Ok, ok. Let's tell that story correctly, shall we? ! ?
I woke up to the sound of her dropping the hard plastic container onto the floor and then hitting it around and probably gnawing on the corners, trying to get it open. (so far so good) I knew immediately what was happening (also true - why can I awake and know immediately where I am and what is going on around me, but when I get up, a dense fog descends upon my brain???) and I tossed back the covers, groaned as I put my legs over the side of the bed, creaked my way into a standing position, and then blindly (no contacts) hobbled out into the livingroom where I searched in vain in the very early morning light for the elusive cookie container. Not finding the container, I stated to the room in general, because I couldn't see Cheyenne either, "I know what you are doing, rotten little cat!!" And then I hobbled my way back into the bedroom, gently laid myself onto the bed, pulled the covers back up and went immediately back to sleep.
Mel rescued the cookie, in the container, out from under the table this morning (our diningroom is also our livingroom). Cookie was fine and is now put away where it belongs, like I should have done to it last night. :-) I know Cheyenne loves cookies - and bread - and they are not safe unless high up and behind doors. I just didn't want to walk 5 yards into the kitchen again. Lazy last night me!
~*~*~*~*~
My Russian tutor will be here in about 15 minutes. I should go. It may not be a long lesson today, we'll see.
Lyena has made a profession of faith and is a member of the church. Valentina never has. She translates for Melinda weekly in the Women's Bible Study, has for many years. Now she is also translating for me in Sunday School and on Thursday nights. Oh, how I pray that Valentina will make a profession, a public profession of faith!! My biggest concern for her is Hebrews 6 and apostasy. If you pray - pray for Valentina. Please.
I'm getting sick again. I can't believe this. My nose has been running like crazy all day. In fact, I woke up around 5 am this morning, and knew then that I might be getting sick. Bummer. That's not woke me up, tho. No, what woke me up was Cheyenne.
Cheyenne decided that the last cookie in the cookie container on the table was hers and she was going to have it, come loud noises, earthquakes or high water! :-) I woke up to the sound of her dropping the hard plastic container onto the floor and then hitting it around and probably gnawing on the corners, trying to get it open. I knew immediately what was happening and jumped out of bed, came into the livingroom and rescued the cookie.
Ok, ok. Let's tell that story correctly, shall we? ! ?
I woke up to the sound of her dropping the hard plastic container onto the floor and then hitting it around and probably gnawing on the corners, trying to get it open. (so far so good) I knew immediately what was happening (also true - why can I awake and know immediately where I am and what is going on around me, but when I get up, a dense fog descends upon my brain???) and I tossed back the covers, groaned as I put my legs over the side of the bed, creaked my way into a standing position, and then blindly (no contacts) hobbled out into the livingroom where I searched in vain in the very early morning light for the elusive cookie container. Not finding the container, I stated to the room in general, because I couldn't see Cheyenne either, "I know what you are doing, rotten little cat!!" And then I hobbled my way back into the bedroom, gently laid myself onto the bed, pulled the covers back up and went immediately back to sleep.
Mel rescued the cookie, in the container, out from under the table this morning (our diningroom is also our livingroom). Cookie was fine and is now put away where it belongs, like I should have done to it last night. :-) I know Cheyenne loves cookies - and bread - and they are not safe unless high up and behind doors. I just didn't want to walk 5 yards into the kitchen again. Lazy last night me!
My Russian tutor will be here in about 15 minutes. I should go. It may not be a long lesson today, we'll see.
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
Bit's n Pieces
The photo in my current blog title is of Iridescent Clouds and was taken while we visited Mel's dad and step-mother in November, down south of Pueblo. Mel's dad noticed the clouds while he was doing something at the kitchen sink and looked out. He is a sky watcher, too. In fact, I had a blast with him, sitting out on the back deck one night, watching a thunderstorm out east along the Kansas border. Absolutely beautiful lightning display. The iridescent clouds were beautiful and more than a little bit freaky. I'd never seen them like that before. Then, a week or so later, we had another display, only this time up in Woodland Park. Wow.
Ei yi yi. I MISS sky watching here in Ukraine. I cannot express how much I miss it. And because of that, I'd better get off that subject right now before I fall into a (what word am I looking for? I had it there in my mind 10 second ago!! I know "lump" is not the word I am desperately searching for! hahahahaha!) slump? Is that it? Add another ei yi yi to this paragraph, but also a lot of internal laughing, cuz I think it's funny that my brain does this now. Ah - menopause, ya gotta love it, or you'll go insane.
Mel put on Rocky Mountain Solitude
I could listen to this music all day long. My heart sings with it. I want to close my eyes and lose myself for awhile in the music - therefore, I'll be back in a little while.
~*~*~*~*~
Ah, that was nice, really, really nice. I needed that.
While we were at the Georgian National Dance Company performance the other night, I watched and listened and thought about what marvelous bodies God has given us. And I thought about how wonderful it will be when we get to heaven and dancing like that will be done totally and completely to the glory of God, and God alone. I thought about how it will sound with all of the different kinds of music that each culture will bring. And how instruments and voices will be played and lifted up in song completely to the glory of God. It's difficult to imagine that because so much of what we do now is filled with pride in ourselves and comparrisons to others - did I do better than so-n-so, are they better than I am and so forth and so on. In heaven it all will be for God, gifts to Him, and I am sure we will rejoice in what we can give and what others give as well - no envy or jealousy at all. How wonderful!
~*~*~*~*~
Once again my mind is turned to nature and what is happening in our world. The earthquake in New Zealand, all of the damage and destruction and death. Oh my. Yet, it is just one more. One more quake. And more will come, are coming, all over the world. There have been many earthquakes in Turkey over the past 36 hours, ranging from 1's to 4.8. Nothing is heard about these on the news, and so far I have not seen any of them reported on the USGS earthquake page. I wonder why? They are reported here on theEuropean-Mediterranian Seismological Centre page. I wonder, if a big one hits Istanbul, will we feel it? Turkey is not that far away, and we did feel the 6. pointer that happened in Romania, but then, there is a Sea inbetween us and Turkey. And thinking of that - Kherson is located just a few km in from the Black Sea, right on the Dnipro - so if there is a quake, would it, could it cause a tsunami in the Black Sea that could actually make it's way up to us? Due to the geography of the area, I'm not sure it would round the corner and come up the delta to us or not. But it's on my mind - as are the HUGE dams to the north of us on the river. Good thing our lives are in God's hands and not mother nature's!!
~*~*~*~*~
There was a report of mass bird deaths down in the Crimea. Many blackbirds found dead in Ukraine
I wonder what that is all about. We sure have a large amount of birds flying around here, now, way more than we used to have. Ravens and other black birds, and then there are the pigeons that are new to our part of town. Saw a woman the other day, out in the area across from our building, feeding the pigeons. Couldn't help but think of Mary Poppins and Feed the Birds. Also couldn't help but think what a nuisance they all are, pooping everywhere. Ah well, I love feeding wild birds in Colorado, and I used to feed them here (sparrows and chickadee type birds), too, until Galena Downstairs complained about all the bird poo on her balcony from them.
~*~*~*~*~
Well, I started this post several hours ago and it's just not getting done. Therefore, I will post what I've got written now, and maybe later, if I want to, I'll write some more. We'll see.
Ei yi yi. I MISS sky watching here in Ukraine. I cannot express how much I miss it. And because of that, I'd better get off that subject right now before I fall into a (what word am I looking for? I had it there in my mind 10 second ago!! I know "lump" is not the word I am desperately searching for! hahahahaha!) slump? Is that it? Add another ei yi yi to this paragraph, but also a lot of internal laughing, cuz I think it's funny that my brain does this now. Ah - menopause, ya gotta love it, or you'll go insane.
Mel put on Rocky Mountain Solitude
I could listen to this music all day long. My heart sings with it. I want to close my eyes and lose myself for awhile in the music - therefore, I'll be back in a little while.Ah, that was nice, really, really nice. I needed that.
While we were at the Georgian National Dance Company performance the other night, I watched and listened and thought about what marvelous bodies God has given us. And I thought about how wonderful it will be when we get to heaven and dancing like that will be done totally and completely to the glory of God, and God alone. I thought about how it will sound with all of the different kinds of music that each culture will bring. And how instruments and voices will be played and lifted up in song completely to the glory of God. It's difficult to imagine that because so much of what we do now is filled with pride in ourselves and comparrisons to others - did I do better than so-n-so, are they better than I am and so forth and so on. In heaven it all will be for God, gifts to Him, and I am sure we will rejoice in what we can give and what others give as well - no envy or jealousy at all. How wonderful!
Once again my mind is turned to nature and what is happening in our world. The earthquake in New Zealand, all of the damage and destruction and death. Oh my. Yet, it is just one more. One more quake. And more will come, are coming, all over the world. There have been many earthquakes in Turkey over the past 36 hours, ranging from 1's to 4.8. Nothing is heard about these on the news, and so far I have not seen any of them reported on the USGS earthquake page. I wonder why? They are reported here on theEuropean-Mediterranian Seismological Centre page. I wonder, if a big one hits Istanbul, will we feel it? Turkey is not that far away, and we did feel the 6. pointer that happened in Romania, but then, there is a Sea inbetween us and Turkey. And thinking of that - Kherson is located just a few km in from the Black Sea, right on the Dnipro - so if there is a quake, would it, could it cause a tsunami in the Black Sea that could actually make it's way up to us? Due to the geography of the area, I'm not sure it would round the corner and come up the delta to us or not. But it's on my mind - as are the HUGE dams to the north of us on the river. Good thing our lives are in God's hands and not mother nature's!!
There was a report of mass bird deaths down in the Crimea. Many blackbirds found dead in Ukraine
I wonder what that is all about. We sure have a large amount of birds flying around here, now, way more than we used to have. Ravens and other black birds, and then there are the pigeons that are new to our part of town. Saw a woman the other day, out in the area across from our building, feeding the pigeons. Couldn't help but think of Mary Poppins and Feed the Birds. Also couldn't help but think what a nuisance they all are, pooping everywhere. Ah well, I love feeding wild birds in Colorado, and I used to feed them here (sparrows and chickadee type birds), too, until Galena Downstairs complained about all the bird poo on her balcony from them.
Well, I started this post several hours ago and it's just not getting done. Therefore, I will post what I've got written now, and maybe later, if I want to, I'll write some more. We'll see.
Monday, February 14, 2011
Bits 'n Pieces
I was making myself some lunch a little bit ago. A nice, hot cup of what we'd call in the States Raman Noodle Soup. I added enough water to let the noodles rehydrate, then cut up about an ounce of cheese, added it and the seasoning packet to the noodles, and stirred. Makes a nice change from a cheese sandwich. I don't care for the balik (ham) or hard sausage open face sandwiches that Mel makes for himself and usually just have cheese ones, with a tomato slice or pickle. Sometimes we can find 'lunch meat' but it is very expensive and not good for you anyway. Like hard sausage, ham and cheese are! haha. I'll go get a little orange after a bit and have that, too. Which reminds me, Mel bought some peanuts for me the other day. I need to roast them and make some peanut butter again. Later. Not right now.
I still haven't decided what pattern to use next on the loom. Alys said she'd sell me 4 skeins of white acrylic her mother sent her instead of the 4 skeins of white wool she'd asked for. So, I think I'll do a red and white scarf again, or maybe add a third color and make it another plaid. Hmmm - looking at this yarn - should I add purple (red, white and purple) or a bit of yellow (red, white and yellow) or a bit of pink (red, white and pink)? Well, it is Valentine's Day - maybe I'll go after the red, white and pink. Of course, I could change my mind on that one whenever I actually start to warp the loom! hehe That's one of the advantages of being a high P on the Meyer's-Brigg Temperment scale. I do like variety and I don't like a lot of rules and regulations. Maybe I should look at that red, white and purple after all.....
Meanwhile, I'll work on my embroidery project for at least another day and let the loom rest.
I've also got a project going on the computer. I need to put together a whole bunch of pictures for the Sunday School. I love doing this, which is good, since what they decided to do while I was gone has absolutely NO pictures, word games, coloring pages, etc. at all. I am very much a visual learner, then a hands on learner - so for me, the more pictures and things to do with my hands, the better. I've found it to be true with most kids, too. Therefore - part of what I'll be teaching during the little seminar I hope to have in a few weeks for teachers or want-to-be teachers is a review of different learning styles and how to use a bit of each while you teach. Hmmm - I have quite a bit of stuff to get ready and here I am, writing on my blog. But it's my lunch time - and I don't kick into high gear for getting things done until sometime around 3pm anyway. So!
The washer is emptying the wash water. That means, hopefully, that I won't have to go bump the dial again for this load. One of these days I'm going to have to buy a new washer. And we need a new fridge. And we need a new vacuum. Seems to me that appliances wear out here a whole lot faster than they do in the States. Maybe due to all of the power fluctuations? Our poor fridge is on it's last 'legs' - every time it shuts off, the whole thing bounces around and makes a really loud noise. Now picture what that must sound like for our neighbor lady below us and beside us, on the other side of the wall from the fridge. Makes me want to laugh right out loud. Bet they wonder what the heck we do up/over here that causes that horrible noise several times a day and through the night. At least the fridge doesn't fall over, and so far it hasn't moved out of it's assigned spot. Can't you see it? Oh dear - my imagination is going wild. I need to tell Stirling a story about our fridge. I can just 'see' it in my mind - I get up to go to the little room in the middle of the night - and there is The Fridge, standing between me and the little room, light shining out from the partially opened door. Kind of like a horror movie - Night of the Walking Fridge.
I actually did make Sergei laugh a couple weeks ago. We were at lunch at Pan Pizza after church and Melinda was talking about how she and Valentina had cleaned our flat just before we got back to Ukraine, and how useless our vacuum is. I reminded her of the very first vacuum our Team had - an old Soviet one. When cleaning the 'office flat', I had to sweep the rug first and then hold the tube next to the pile of dirt and sweep it into the tube - there was hardly any suction at all. I made the appropriate hand motions as I talked. Sergei actually laughed out loud. Made my day. (By the way, Mel unplugged the big plug of hair, cat hair, dust and dirt that was in the crook of the tube where it meets the floor head and it does work better now than when Melinda tried to use it. We still need a new vacuum, but at least it's actually picking up the little stuff now out of the carpet.)
Oh dear - there goes the washer spinning out. Sounds like it's going to join the fridge and it will be "Night of the Walking Large Appliances".
Ok, back again. Washer is now filling for the next to final rinse. I do NOT like these front load washers. So sorry the US and AlGore insist that they must be used there now, too - these silly 'water saver' things. I add more water to my washer everytime I use it. I've got a hose with a funnel that I just hold under the faucet and let the water run until it's at least 1/3 full of water. I've written before how I cannot figure out how slightly wet clothes flopping around in a machine could actually get clean (they don't - they come out smelling like they went in - sweaty and used, with the added perfume of the detergent). And then there are the 3 or 4 rinse cycles. A little bit of water each time. Ridiculous. Give me a tub full of water!!! Anyway, rant over. It was just a little rant.
Mel just called and his objective was successful with just a one-time visit to the bank. The rent can now be paid. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 visits to the bank. I'm glad that's almost over for him (he isn't home yet).
So, this is not at all what I thought I'd write about when I sat down here to eat my lunch and take a break from all of those dirty dishes from last night. Since it's almost 2pm and the water will go off in just a few minutes, the rest of the dirty dishes (the pots and pans and now the lunch dishes, too) will just have to wait till this evening when the water comes back on. I'll hang up the clean clothes in the bedroom, put away the dry ones from the last load of laundry, and then - then - I'll get busy on some pictures for Sunday School.
I still haven't decided what pattern to use next on the loom. Alys said she'd sell me 4 skeins of white acrylic her mother sent her instead of the 4 skeins of white wool she'd asked for. So, I think I'll do a red and white scarf again, or maybe add a third color and make it another plaid. Hmmm - looking at this yarn - should I add purple (red, white and purple) or a bit of yellow (red, white and yellow) or a bit of pink (red, white and pink)? Well, it is Valentine's Day - maybe I'll go after the red, white and pink. Of course, I could change my mind on that one whenever I actually start to warp the loom! hehe That's one of the advantages of being a high P on the Meyer's-Brigg Temperment scale. I do like variety and I don't like a lot of rules and regulations. Maybe I should look at that red, white and purple after all.....
Meanwhile, I'll work on my embroidery project for at least another day and let the loom rest.
I've also got a project going on the computer. I need to put together a whole bunch of pictures for the Sunday School. I love doing this, which is good, since what they decided to do while I was gone has absolutely NO pictures, word games, coloring pages, etc. at all. I am very much a visual learner, then a hands on learner - so for me, the more pictures and things to do with my hands, the better. I've found it to be true with most kids, too. Therefore - part of what I'll be teaching during the little seminar I hope to have in a few weeks for teachers or want-to-be teachers is a review of different learning styles and how to use a bit of each while you teach. Hmmm - I have quite a bit of stuff to get ready and here I am, writing on my blog. But it's my lunch time - and I don't kick into high gear for getting things done until sometime around 3pm anyway. So!
The washer is emptying the wash water. That means, hopefully, that I won't have to go bump the dial again for this load. One of these days I'm going to have to buy a new washer. And we need a new fridge. And we need a new vacuum. Seems to me that appliances wear out here a whole lot faster than they do in the States. Maybe due to all of the power fluctuations? Our poor fridge is on it's last 'legs' - every time it shuts off, the whole thing bounces around and makes a really loud noise. Now picture what that must sound like for our neighbor lady below us and beside us, on the other side of the wall from the fridge. Makes me want to laugh right out loud. Bet they wonder what the heck we do up/over here that causes that horrible noise several times a day and through the night. At least the fridge doesn't fall over, and so far it hasn't moved out of it's assigned spot. Can't you see it? Oh dear - my imagination is going wild. I need to tell Stirling a story about our fridge. I can just 'see' it in my mind - I get up to go to the little room in the middle of the night - and there is The Fridge, standing between me and the little room, light shining out from the partially opened door. Kind of like a horror movie - Night of the Walking Fridge.
I actually did make Sergei laugh a couple weeks ago. We were at lunch at Pan Pizza after church and Melinda was talking about how she and Valentina had cleaned our flat just before we got back to Ukraine, and how useless our vacuum is. I reminded her of the very first vacuum our Team had - an old Soviet one. When cleaning the 'office flat', I had to sweep the rug first and then hold the tube next to the pile of dirt and sweep it into the tube - there was hardly any suction at all. I made the appropriate hand motions as I talked. Sergei actually laughed out loud. Made my day. (By the way, Mel unplugged the big plug of hair, cat hair, dust and dirt that was in the crook of the tube where it meets the floor head and it does work better now than when Melinda tried to use it. We still need a new vacuum, but at least it's actually picking up the little stuff now out of the carpet.)
Oh dear - there goes the washer spinning out. Sounds like it's going to join the fridge and it will be "Night of the Walking Large Appliances".
Ok, back again. Washer is now filling for the next to final rinse. I do NOT like these front load washers. So sorry the US and AlGore insist that they must be used there now, too - these silly 'water saver' things. I add more water to my washer everytime I use it. I've got a hose with a funnel that I just hold under the faucet and let the water run until it's at least 1/3 full of water. I've written before how I cannot figure out how slightly wet clothes flopping around in a machine could actually get clean (they don't - they come out smelling like they went in - sweaty and used, with the added perfume of the detergent). And then there are the 3 or 4 rinse cycles. A little bit of water each time. Ridiculous. Give me a tub full of water!!! Anyway, rant over. It was just a little rant.
Mel just called and his objective was successful with just a one-time visit to the bank. The rent can now be paid. Sometimes it takes 2 or 3 visits to the bank. I'm glad that's almost over for him (he isn't home yet).
So, this is not at all what I thought I'd write about when I sat down here to eat my lunch and take a break from all of those dirty dishes from last night. Since it's almost 2pm and the water will go off in just a few minutes, the rest of the dirty dishes (the pots and pans and now the lunch dishes, too) will just have to wait till this evening when the water comes back on. I'll hang up the clean clothes in the bedroom, put away the dry ones from the last load of laundry, and then - then - I'll get busy on some pictures for Sunday School.
Tuesday, February 08, 2011
Morning Bits 'n Pieces
Good morning, world!
Ok, it's 11:00am - I just felt like saying that right now.
I braved the kalunka this morning and took a very short shower without Mel in the flat to protect me should the water pressure drop or the kalunka decide to explode. I feel so brave! And clean. Ha! I do not like taking showers when Mel is gone.
Have I mentioned here that Mel is gone? I'm not sure. He's in L'viv right now but will be back sometime tomorrow. City Team Leaders meeting. He left Sunday afternoon.
It was 75 degrees in the bedroom this morning when I woke up. Yuck. I had the fan going all night, as usual. I can't believe people like sleeping in their own sweat. One night it's 65 in there because it's almost zero outside. A couple nights later it's 75. How many blankets should there be on our bed? I have one right now, but mostly it was kicked off last night. Cheyenne loves the heat. She is not real happy that I have the bedroom fortichka open as well as the balcony door right now. It's 75 here at the computer, in the mid-40's outside. Of course, everyone is bundled up like it's -25 out on the street. I only have my heavy winter coat here right now, so when I go out I'm going to be drenched in sweat again. Hmmm - maybe I do have a windbreaker over there somewhere. Will have to dig around and see if I can find it.
Stream of conscience writing this morning.
Listening to Keith and Krystin Getty Awaken the Dawn again.
Am in the mood to embroider today, so I think the blanket will be on the menu for this afternoon or evening.
Last night I talked with Kara, John and Eithnee (yes, Eithnee and I had a conversation - I talked and she made interesting sounds and stared at the computer screen and waved at me off and on). Mel and I bought her a little pink horse to rock on before we left for her birthday (that is not an easy sentence to understand, I'm sure. haha) Kara said she loves it. When she opened it she wouldn't let anyone get it out of the box, started yelling and crying until she had it back. Last night she'd just tumbled off it again before they came on-line. Good thing it's not very big and the floor is carpeted. :-) She played with her mylar balloon about half the time we talked. In fact, it really sounded like she said "balloon" when John gave it to her. She's not saying a whole lot yet, and she's not walking yet, which is probably a good thing at this point. Well, I say she's not saying a whole lot, but that's not true. She talks all the time! She just doesn't say words.
Kara said that Stirling was thrilled about her birthday - wanted to decorate everything and buy her lots of presents. I'm so glad to hear that. I was quite concerned about jealousy issues since his birthday is not for several more months. However, he really does love his baby sister and tries to take good care of her. Oh, there are times, for sure, when the sibling rivalry shines forth in all it's ugliness, but most of the time he really is careful of her and for her. This is very good.
The arthritis in my thumbs is really acting up the past couple of days. Mom gave me some emu oil creame that has MSM and glucosomine in it and it works very well. I also take a new pain pill for the arthritis I have all over my body. For some reason it is only mildly effective on my thumbs. The emu oil creame helps a lot. Just one more thing that makes me long for my new body and heaven.
Ok, all for now. Off to the store to buy my poor starving cat some cat food (or so she thinks - she still has a few crumbs in her bowl, but she is insisting that I put more food in it. The big pieces. Not those little crumbs. sheesh. What a demanding cat.) I do not like shopping while Mel is gone. Actually, I do not like Mel being gone at all. :) But shopping - that means I have to carry everything home by myself. I'm such a wimp.
Oh! Oh! I'd better hurry! The SUN IS SHINING!!!!!. I don't want to miss it!! I can even see some blue sky out there right now. Wow!!!!!!!!!
Ok, it's 11:00am - I just felt like saying that right now.
I braved the kalunka this morning and took a very short shower without Mel in the flat to protect me should the water pressure drop or the kalunka decide to explode. I feel so brave! And clean. Ha! I do not like taking showers when Mel is gone.
Have I mentioned here that Mel is gone? I'm not sure. He's in L'viv right now but will be back sometime tomorrow. City Team Leaders meeting. He left Sunday afternoon.
It was 75 degrees in the bedroom this morning when I woke up. Yuck. I had the fan going all night, as usual. I can't believe people like sleeping in their own sweat. One night it's 65 in there because it's almost zero outside. A couple nights later it's 75. How many blankets should there be on our bed? I have one right now, but mostly it was kicked off last night. Cheyenne loves the heat. She is not real happy that I have the bedroom fortichka open as well as the balcony door right now. It's 75 here at the computer, in the mid-40's outside. Of course, everyone is bundled up like it's -25 out on the street. I only have my heavy winter coat here right now, so when I go out I'm going to be drenched in sweat again. Hmmm - maybe I do have a windbreaker over there somewhere. Will have to dig around and see if I can find it.
Stream of conscience writing this morning.
Listening to Keith and Krystin Getty Awaken the Dawn again.
Am in the mood to embroider today, so I think the blanket will be on the menu for this afternoon or evening.
Last night I talked with Kara, John and Eithnee (yes, Eithnee and I had a conversation - I talked and she made interesting sounds and stared at the computer screen and waved at me off and on). Mel and I bought her a little pink horse to rock on before we left for her birthday (that is not an easy sentence to understand, I'm sure. haha) Kara said she loves it. When she opened it she wouldn't let anyone get it out of the box, started yelling and crying until she had it back. Last night she'd just tumbled off it again before they came on-line. Good thing it's not very big and the floor is carpeted. :-) She played with her mylar balloon about half the time we talked. In fact, it really sounded like she said "balloon" when John gave it to her. She's not saying a whole lot yet, and she's not walking yet, which is probably a good thing at this point. Well, I say she's not saying a whole lot, but that's not true. She talks all the time! She just doesn't say words.
Kara said that Stirling was thrilled about her birthday - wanted to decorate everything and buy her lots of presents. I'm so glad to hear that. I was quite concerned about jealousy issues since his birthday is not for several more months. However, he really does love his baby sister and tries to take good care of her. Oh, there are times, for sure, when the sibling rivalry shines forth in all it's ugliness, but most of the time he really is careful of her and for her. This is very good.
The arthritis in my thumbs is really acting up the past couple of days. Mom gave me some emu oil creame that has MSM and glucosomine in it and it works very well. I also take a new pain pill for the arthritis I have all over my body. For some reason it is only mildly effective on my thumbs. The emu oil creame helps a lot. Just one more thing that makes me long for my new body and heaven.
Ok, all for now. Off to the store to buy my poor starving cat some cat food (or so she thinks - she still has a few crumbs in her bowl, but she is insisting that I put more food in it. The big pieces. Not those little crumbs. sheesh. What a demanding cat.) I do not like shopping while Mel is gone. Actually, I do not like Mel being gone at all. :) But shopping - that means I have to carry everything home by myself. I'm such a wimp.
Oh! Oh! I'd better hurry! The SUN IS SHINING!!!!!. I don't want to miss it!! I can even see some blue sky out there right now. Wow!!!!!!!!!
Sunday, January 23, 2011
Bits 'n Pieces
It's snowing quite heavily here in Kherson tonight. Wonder what it will be like in the morning. We have guests arriving on the morning train from Kiev. Mel will be in meetings most of the day and I'm supposed to meet with the women on our team and Tracy, the woman on the train, sometime in the afternoon. Could be an interesting day. I do NOT like to walk in the snow here because I have no idea what is under the snow - ground, a crack or a hole. Sigh. We'll see. I would rather stay inside and work on my embroidery and weaving! (Still have to warp the loom again. That sounds so cool to me - "I still have to warp the loom." heh heh)
~#~#~#~#~
In my reading around the net tonight I came across some articles about "loud booms" that people are hearing. Most are reported in the States, but they've been heard all over the world.
A few months ago, while I was sitting at the dining room table in the evening up at my parents place, working on Eithnee's baby blanket, I heard a boom. No one else heard it. The television was off or I would never have heard it myself. I actually thought there had been a gas explosion down in Woodland Park or even in Green Mountain Falls. It sounded far away and "deep". I even wondered if it wasn't deep in the earth beneath the house.
Years ago my dad was digging under the main part of the house, thinking about making an area to store some home canned fruits or something (he likes to dig, says it's his Welsh heritage) and he came across a crack in the earth. He shined a flashlight down it and dropped a couple rocks but never saw nor heard the bottom. He stopped digging. I figured it is just a space between a couple boulders - their house is on the side of a mountain after all! When I heard that boom, I wondered if something had dropped down there somewhere, way down. The house didn't shake, the dogs didn't react, I didn't see the cats so I have no idea if they reacted or not. I asked Mom later if she'd heard it, but no, she hadn't. Considering she is almost deaf, that did not surprise me. I watched for the newspaper when it came out (a weekly) and there was no news about an explosion in it. Nor was there on any of the television stations the next day.
Now I wonder. Is the boom I heard similar to the booms other people are hearing? If so - what are they??????? No one seems to know what is causing them, according to the articles I read tonight.
Strange.
I've not forgotten that boom, nope I have not. In fact, that's part of the reason the first article caught my eye. I thought it was really weird then, I think it's really weird now. {shivers} ha ha!
Most people have music playing all the time, or the television blaring away, or kids yelling and playing around. Very few people listen to silence any more. But I love silence. When you listen to silence you hear things - like unexplained loud booms far away!
~#~#~#~#~
Mel reminded someone today that we are in a spiritual battle. I needed to hear that. Several things have been said or have happened since we got back to Ukraine that I am really struggling with. Because I already struggle with depression in the winter, and because I'm convinced that we are on the verge of some very, very difficult times in our world and possibly even the Great Tribulation (which I think the Church will go through), I am always processing things in my mind through those glasses. I needed to hear again that it is a spiritual battle, not a physical battle, that causes me so much struggle. I need to keep in the Word more, I need to pray more. It's not "I should", it's I NEED to do these things.
I listened to a sermon tonight and I listened to 10 chapters of John from a free audio download I found on Biblegateway.com. While I work on the embroidery or weaving I try to remember to pray. I pray for the person the item is for, and I pray for family and friends here and at home and anything else that comes to mind. I do my level best not to just sit and think. When I just sit and think I often end up going over and over and over and over in my mind things that were said, things that were done, hurts, angers, and so forth. Why is it I can't sit and think of lovely, peaceful, calm, holy things naturally?? Sigh. But that's the way I am. So, I'm going to try and download some more of the free Books of the Bible and find a way to listen to them as I work. I found it very interesting to listen to John as I played a simple game that didn't require paying attention to.
~#~#~#~#~
I should get ready and go to bed. I don't think I'm going to go to sleep very soon (too much coffee too late in the day), but I am tired and I just need to think. Of course, I need to remember what I wrote in the previous section about "just thinking"!
~#~#~#~#~
Last night I dreamed a dream. Someday I'll start a book with that as the first sentence.
Last night I dreamed a dream. It started out with me being John Wayne, driving a herd of cattle and one lone buffalo to market. It morphed into me, the me me, not the John Wayne me, teaching a bunch of kids all about buffalo at a Visitor's Center at some National Park somewhere, but there were no buffalo in the Center, altho I went from exhibit to exhibit explaining in detail what everything was to those very interested kids. Poor kids! Then I suddenly was trying to find a gift of a buffalo to Mel, but ended up giving him one of those bobble-headed dolls - a penguin bobble-head doll. Little gray penguin body, great big very round bobble-y head. Looked a lot like this guy, but without the blue hat:
I have strange dreams sometimes.
(I'd never seen this photo before I went searching for a picture of a bobble-head penguin, so I didn't dream about it! ha ha ha)
~#~#~#~#~
I would love to dream about a new house tonight. Wonder if I can convince my mind to do that. I have some of the most wonderful dreams about exploring new houses. Houses that have long corridors with lots of rooms opening up and windows to look out of and staircases to climb, and warmth. I've had several dreams of houses like that over the years. The houses go on and on and on and I'm going to live in it and make it my own and I love them. Strange since when I'm in a big house I rarely use more than two or three rooms on a regular basis. Shoot - even in this tiny flat we live in now I only go in the bedroom whenever I need to get clothes to wash or put away and at night to go to bed. Maybe if there was better light/bigger window and more room I'd go in there more often, but as it is, I spend 90% of my time in this office room or the livingroom. The rest in the kitchen with a bit in the two "little rooms".
Someday I would love a big house like that, tho. One that never needed cleaning, of course!
~#~#~#~#~
I love this music, especially the piece, Ancient Spirits. I could listen to it over and over again.
In my reading around the net tonight I came across some articles about "loud booms" that people are hearing. Most are reported in the States, but they've been heard all over the world.
A few months ago, while I was sitting at the dining room table in the evening up at my parents place, working on Eithnee's baby blanket, I heard a boom. No one else heard it. The television was off or I would never have heard it myself. I actually thought there had been a gas explosion down in Woodland Park or even in Green Mountain Falls. It sounded far away and "deep". I even wondered if it wasn't deep in the earth beneath the house.
Years ago my dad was digging under the main part of the house, thinking about making an area to store some home canned fruits or something (he likes to dig, says it's his Welsh heritage) and he came across a crack in the earth. He shined a flashlight down it and dropped a couple rocks but never saw nor heard the bottom. He stopped digging. I figured it is just a space between a couple boulders - their house is on the side of a mountain after all! When I heard that boom, I wondered if something had dropped down there somewhere, way down. The house didn't shake, the dogs didn't react, I didn't see the cats so I have no idea if they reacted or not. I asked Mom later if she'd heard it, but no, she hadn't. Considering she is almost deaf, that did not surprise me. I watched for the newspaper when it came out (a weekly) and there was no news about an explosion in it. Nor was there on any of the television stations the next day.
Now I wonder. Is the boom I heard similar to the booms other people are hearing? If so - what are they??????? No one seems to know what is causing them, according to the articles I read tonight.
Strange.
I've not forgotten that boom, nope I have not. In fact, that's part of the reason the first article caught my eye. I thought it was really weird then, I think it's really weird now. {shivers} ha ha!
Most people have music playing all the time, or the television blaring away, or kids yelling and playing around. Very few people listen to silence any more. But I love silence. When you listen to silence you hear things - like unexplained loud booms far away!
Mel reminded someone today that we are in a spiritual battle. I needed to hear that. Several things have been said or have happened since we got back to Ukraine that I am really struggling with. Because I already struggle with depression in the winter, and because I'm convinced that we are on the verge of some very, very difficult times in our world and possibly even the Great Tribulation (which I think the Church will go through), I am always processing things in my mind through those glasses. I needed to hear again that it is a spiritual battle, not a physical battle, that causes me so much struggle. I need to keep in the Word more, I need to pray more. It's not "I should", it's I NEED to do these things.
I listened to a sermon tonight and I listened to 10 chapters of John from a free audio download I found on Biblegateway.com. While I work on the embroidery or weaving I try to remember to pray. I pray for the person the item is for, and I pray for family and friends here and at home and anything else that comes to mind. I do my level best not to just sit and think. When I just sit and think I often end up going over and over and over and over in my mind things that were said, things that were done, hurts, angers, and so forth. Why is it I can't sit and think of lovely, peaceful, calm, holy things naturally?? Sigh. But that's the way I am. So, I'm going to try and download some more of the free Books of the Bible and find a way to listen to them as I work. I found it very interesting to listen to John as I played a simple game that didn't require paying attention to.
I should get ready and go to bed. I don't think I'm going to go to sleep very soon (too much coffee too late in the day), but I am tired and I just need to think. Of course, I need to remember what I wrote in the previous section about "just thinking"!
Last night I dreamed a dream. Someday I'll start a book with that as the first sentence.
Last night I dreamed a dream. It started out with me being John Wayne, driving a herd of cattle and one lone buffalo to market. It morphed into me, the me me, not the John Wayne me, teaching a bunch of kids all about buffalo at a Visitor's Center at some National Park somewhere, but there were no buffalo in the Center, altho I went from exhibit to exhibit explaining in detail what everything was to those very interested kids. Poor kids! Then I suddenly was trying to find a gift of a buffalo to Mel, but ended up giving him one of those bobble-headed dolls - a penguin bobble-head doll. Little gray penguin body, great big very round bobble-y head. Looked a lot like this guy, but without the blue hat:
I have strange dreams sometimes.(I'd never seen this photo before I went searching for a picture of a bobble-head penguin, so I didn't dream about it! ha ha ha)
I would love to dream about a new house tonight. Wonder if I can convince my mind to do that. I have some of the most wonderful dreams about exploring new houses. Houses that have long corridors with lots of rooms opening up and windows to look out of and staircases to climb, and warmth. I've had several dreams of houses like that over the years. The houses go on and on and on and I'm going to live in it and make it my own and I love them. Strange since when I'm in a big house I rarely use more than two or three rooms on a regular basis. Shoot - even in this tiny flat we live in now I only go in the bedroom whenever I need to get clothes to wash or put away and at night to go to bed. Maybe if there was better light/bigger window and more room I'd go in there more often, but as it is, I spend 90% of my time in this office room or the livingroom. The rest in the kitchen with a bit in the two "little rooms".
Someday I would love a big house like that, tho. One that never needed cleaning, of course!
I love this music, especially the piece, Ancient Spirits. I could listen to it over and over again.
Sunday, December 20, 2009
Post 900 - Bits n Pieces
I'm sure that if I go in to the edit section I will find a few posts that need to be deleted because they were never actually posted after I started writing them. But, after saying that, blogger is letting me know that this is post number 900. Wow. That is a lot of posts over the years. Just think, if I had better internet access and more free time right now, #900 would have arrived a couple weeks ago at least. :-)
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Church today was really good. We picked up Peter and took him with us to Village Seven PCA. What a wonderful surprise to meet a woman there that we met at Russian language school who has been living in Moscow for the past 11+ years. She has now moved to Colorado Springs and will be working from here to help develope the ministry she was doing in Russia to be used in other countries. It was great to see her - and what an unexpected surprise.
This is the last Sunday of Advent and the pastor preached a very good sermon from Matthew 1. The church was decorated beautifully, using a lot of candles and poinsettias in pastel colors. I'm looking forward to the Christmas Eve service on Thursday night.
~*~*~*~*~
Had a really good time yesterday baking cookies with Stirling. We started out with Toll House Chocolate Chip and then ended with butter cookies. I had wanted to make some sugar cookies that we could frost, but my mother all but outright asked me to make the butter cookies and they really don't need to be frosted since they are more like the Scottish Shortbread cookies. I'm hoping we can make some more this week and actually frost them because for me, this is a Christmas tradition. Even in Ukraine I always ask women over each Christmas to frost cookies with me at Christmas. We'll see how it goes this week.
I also got some popcorn from my dad that he had left over from making popcorn balls, bought some cranberries, borrowed some thread and a needle from my mother and Stirling, Kara and I made two short garlands for the birds. Stirling and I took them outside and hung them on a young aspen that is fairly close to the window. Then I filled a pinecone with peanut butter and he helped me roll it in birdseed my dad provided. I hung it out later off the bird feeder. Will be interesting to see if the birds and squirrels actually eat any of the popcorn, cranberries and seeds off the cone. :-)
~*~*~*~*~
We spent most of Friday in the Denver area in meetings. One of the guys at the church did a video interview of us (yikes!) for their upcoming missions conference. It was great to talk with the members of the missions committee and see the pastor again (we've known him for about 15 years or more). It looks like we will have a two week team from that church come to Kherson this summer - if all works out well. That will be the 2nd team from Colorado who has come over the years! Yea!
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Last Sunday we were in Rapid City. It was so good to see our old friends, Ron and Sue, and spend time with them catching up just a little. So much has changed in their lives since we last spent time with them. Their son is in Afghanistan now - I still have a hard time not thinking of him as a little boy about 12 years old or so! Oh my. They are working with a Lakota Sioux church (I hope I've got that correct!) now. I really wish we could have gone to a service with them, but time did not allow.
We also spent time with another family, Mark and Olya and their 3 children. It was really nice to see their home, to meet the kids again (the youngest for the first time) and to catch up a bit.
~*~*~*~*~
One of the best things in the world is all the travel we do. I am an introvert, so sometimes meeting people gets to be "too much" for me, especially when I have no time to be alone and process. That is why traveling across the western states is so wonderful. Miles and miles, hours and hours of time alone with Mel, silent or conversing, sometimes reading or sleeping while Mel drives, sometimes even working on a handcraft. But always spending time looking at what is around me.
Driving through Wyoming last week was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Long views, miles without another vehicle in sight, antelope, cattle, horses, deer and even a pheasant in the pastures. On the way back we even went past a corral where a group of cowboys were working cattle (I wondered what they were doing having a round-up of some kind in December??).
I so wanted to just park the car, go over the fence and walk off into the distance. Walk over the hills toward the bigger hills and buttes and even a real mountain in eastern Wyoming. Walk in the snow and grasses and sagebrush. Walk and feel the fresh cold wind in my face. Walk and walk and walk with the sun shining down, long views in sight, no people, no traffic, no human made noise pollution, visual pollution - only Wyoming.
The eastern Wyoming we saw last weekend is very much like the eastern Colorado I grew up in. And I miss it. Oh, I do not have the words to illustrate how much I miss that. The eastern Colorado I knew growing up is now subdivided into 35 acre ranchettes and driving at night it is yard lights everywhere you look. I remember driving for miles and only seeing a few when I was a kid coming home from Gramma and Grampa's farm. Oh my - all gone. So much has been lost.
~*~*~*~*~
I was reminded of that this morning when we stopped on the way to church at a McD's for breakfast. Mel went in while I waited in the car. There were a couple of older kids in the car next to me and they were goofing off. I remembered when we lived in Westcliffe and the girls in the trailer next to us had a rip-roaring fight one summer evening when their mom and dad were gone. We knew the whole family very well, so I went over and knocked on their door. Immediate silence - no more yelling and screaming and taunting each other. :-) One of the girls carefully opened the door, looked out and saw it was me, and opened the door completely. I said, "Hey, I can hear you guys fighting all the way over in our trailer. Come out here and look at the moon with me."
So, the two girls came out and we stood by/sat on the hood of our car and I got out a pair of binoculars and told them to look at the moon (it was full). It wasn't dark yet - just that beautiful turqoise evening sky quickly turning orange. They took turns looking at the moon, and then the youngest girl turned toward me and said, "Cindie, you are wierd." Weird because I thought it was better to look at the moon and enjoy the evening rather than listen to them fight. :-) hahahahahahah. I often wonder if those two girls ever look at the moon and remember that evening.....
~*~*~*~*~
Well, we are at Borders, having a nice cup of coffee (do you call these paper glasses 'cups'??). Mel just bought a Christmas present for someone and one for himself. I'm writing away. And now I'm going to close and go look at a couple books for myself!!
A nice Sunday afternoon.
Church today was really good. We picked up Peter and took him with us to Village Seven PCA. What a wonderful surprise to meet a woman there that we met at Russian language school who has been living in Moscow for the past 11+ years. She has now moved to Colorado Springs and will be working from here to help develope the ministry she was doing in Russia to be used in other countries. It was great to see her - and what an unexpected surprise.
This is the last Sunday of Advent and the pastor preached a very good sermon from Matthew 1. The church was decorated beautifully, using a lot of candles and poinsettias in pastel colors. I'm looking forward to the Christmas Eve service on Thursday night.
Had a really good time yesterday baking cookies with Stirling. We started out with Toll House Chocolate Chip and then ended with butter cookies. I had wanted to make some sugar cookies that we could frost, but my mother all but outright asked me to make the butter cookies and they really don't need to be frosted since they are more like the Scottish Shortbread cookies. I'm hoping we can make some more this week and actually frost them because for me, this is a Christmas tradition. Even in Ukraine I always ask women over each Christmas to frost cookies with me at Christmas. We'll see how it goes this week.
I also got some popcorn from my dad that he had left over from making popcorn balls, bought some cranberries, borrowed some thread and a needle from my mother and Stirling, Kara and I made two short garlands for the birds. Stirling and I took them outside and hung them on a young aspen that is fairly close to the window. Then I filled a pinecone with peanut butter and he helped me roll it in birdseed my dad provided. I hung it out later off the bird feeder. Will be interesting to see if the birds and squirrels actually eat any of the popcorn, cranberries and seeds off the cone. :-)
We spent most of Friday in the Denver area in meetings. One of the guys at the church did a video interview of us (yikes!) for their upcoming missions conference. It was great to talk with the members of the missions committee and see the pastor again (we've known him for about 15 years or more). It looks like we will have a two week team from that church come to Kherson this summer - if all works out well. That will be the 2nd team from Colorado who has come over the years! Yea!
Last Sunday we were in Rapid City. It was so good to see our old friends, Ron and Sue, and spend time with them catching up just a little. So much has changed in their lives since we last spent time with them. Their son is in Afghanistan now - I still have a hard time not thinking of him as a little boy about 12 years old or so! Oh my. They are working with a Lakota Sioux church (I hope I've got that correct!) now. I really wish we could have gone to a service with them, but time did not allow.
We also spent time with another family, Mark and Olya and their 3 children. It was really nice to see their home, to meet the kids again (the youngest for the first time) and to catch up a bit.
One of the best things in the world is all the travel we do. I am an introvert, so sometimes meeting people gets to be "too much" for me, especially when I have no time to be alone and process. That is why traveling across the western states is so wonderful. Miles and miles, hours and hours of time alone with Mel, silent or conversing, sometimes reading or sleeping while Mel drives, sometimes even working on a handcraft. But always spending time looking at what is around me.
Driving through Wyoming last week was wonderful. Absolutely wonderful. Long views, miles without another vehicle in sight, antelope, cattle, horses, deer and even a pheasant in the pastures. On the way back we even went past a corral where a group of cowboys were working cattle (I wondered what they were doing having a round-up of some kind in December??).
I so wanted to just park the car, go over the fence and walk off into the distance. Walk over the hills toward the bigger hills and buttes and even a real mountain in eastern Wyoming. Walk in the snow and grasses and sagebrush. Walk and feel the fresh cold wind in my face. Walk and walk and walk with the sun shining down, long views in sight, no people, no traffic, no human made noise pollution, visual pollution - only Wyoming.
The eastern Wyoming we saw last weekend is very much like the eastern Colorado I grew up in. And I miss it. Oh, I do not have the words to illustrate how much I miss that. The eastern Colorado I knew growing up is now subdivided into 35 acre ranchettes and driving at night it is yard lights everywhere you look. I remember driving for miles and only seeing a few when I was a kid coming home from Gramma and Grampa's farm. Oh my - all gone. So much has been lost.
I was reminded of that this morning when we stopped on the way to church at a McD's for breakfast. Mel went in while I waited in the car. There were a couple of older kids in the car next to me and they were goofing off. I remembered when we lived in Westcliffe and the girls in the trailer next to us had a rip-roaring fight one summer evening when their mom and dad were gone. We knew the whole family very well, so I went over and knocked on their door. Immediate silence - no more yelling and screaming and taunting each other. :-) One of the girls carefully opened the door, looked out and saw it was me, and opened the door completely. I said, "Hey, I can hear you guys fighting all the way over in our trailer. Come out here and look at the moon with me."
So, the two girls came out and we stood by/sat on the hood of our car and I got out a pair of binoculars and told them to look at the moon (it was full). It wasn't dark yet - just that beautiful turqoise evening sky quickly turning orange. They took turns looking at the moon, and then the youngest girl turned toward me and said, "Cindie, you are wierd." Weird because I thought it was better to look at the moon and enjoy the evening rather than listen to them fight. :-) hahahahahahah. I often wonder if those two girls ever look at the moon and remember that evening.....
Well, we are at Borders, having a nice cup of coffee (do you call these paper glasses 'cups'??). Mel just bought a Christmas present for someone and one for himself. I'm writing away. And now I'm going to close and go look at a couple books for myself!!
A nice Sunday afternoon.
Friday, December 18, 2009
Bits n Pieces
I got to go to Stirling's school today and meet his teacher. He has mostly boys in his class. What a busy group of little people interacting with each other. There was a time when I thought I would like to be a kindergarten teacher.... Today I watched them all for about 3 minutes and thought to myself "I am exhausted just watching!" :-) :-) I told Kara on the way home that it was interesting to see such a group of little people all of different heights and sizes and interesting faces. Stirling's teacher seems really nice. She has a lot of patience. ha ha
~*~*~*~*~
Yesterday when we got home Stirling was already home. I came in the livingroom and he was talking to Grammy. I asked him something about his day and he responded that he didn't know because he was in the office.
Aha. And why were you in the office? Because I yelled at my teacher. And why did you yell at your teacher? Because I didn't want to change my card (we have no idea what that was about). So I asked him, What other option could you have done? (A look of "What???" so I rephrased the question.) What other choice or thing could you have done other than yell at her? And then we talked about choices a bit and how we can do good choices or bad choices and that yelling at his teacher was a bad choice. Grammy told him he should apologize to his teacher today.
When we got home, he informed us all that he apologized to his teacher today. I hope he really did. And I hope he can hold his temper enough to remember that he can make a choice - a good choice, or a bad choice that gets him into trouble.
Oh my. He is a character. He fits the old nursery rhymn very well, changing the gender of the child:
There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good
She was very, very good,
And when she was bad
She was horrid.
~*~*~*~*~
John had a good test for one of the job's he's applied and tested for. They have called him in for a second interview in January. If he's hired, he'll start in early January. We are praying and praying that God will provide a good job for him.
Kara is on bedrest now for the next 1.5 weeks. When we went in l.5 weeks ago the baby measured only 4% of average, so they put her on bedrest. I can see that she looks better. She was so exhausted when we first got home... I was really worried about her. The baby is a lot more active right now, too. I think the baby is happy that she's not working nights and is getting more rest!
~*~*~*~*~
Mel and I took her to her hospital ultrasound/doppler test and no-stress test today. Mel went shopping while I stayed with her. It was very interesting to see the doppler again and then to see how they did the no-stress test. Baby's heartbeat is strong and regular, was averaging between 155 to 160 and sounded a lot like running horses with the occasional drum beat thrown in. :-) The tech who did the test said everything sounded great and the graph produced by 20 minutes of monotoring was very good, too. Kara won't know if Baby has grown until the in-depth ultrasound in a couple weeks.
~*~*~*~*~
Mel just told me a few minutes ago that he would take me up to the top of the hill, or maybe some place a bit farther away, where it's dark enough to really see the stars. I tried to go out last night and look, but there are so many houses here now, plus my parents yard light, and all the Christmas lights the neighbors have shining that I really couldn't see much. Except for a bright red "star" to the east.
Andrew commented on it, too, when he got home. We think that it might have been Mars. I'm hoping it will be clear enough tonight to be able to see it again. It was as bright as Jupiter has been recently.
~*~*~*~*~
It's warmed up quite a bit. Not enough to melt all the snow by any means, but a lot of it is evaporating. Mom said earlier today that this is the longest there has been snow on the ground since the late '70's.
~*~*~*~*~
All for tonight. It is SO GOOD to have internet connection again!!
Yesterday when we got home Stirling was already home. I came in the livingroom and he was talking to Grammy. I asked him something about his day and he responded that he didn't know because he was in the office.
Aha. And why were you in the office? Because I yelled at my teacher. And why did you yell at your teacher? Because I didn't want to change my card (we have no idea what that was about). So I asked him, What other option could you have done? (A look of "What???" so I rephrased the question.) What other choice or thing could you have done other than yell at her? And then we talked about choices a bit and how we can do good choices or bad choices and that yelling at his teacher was a bad choice. Grammy told him he should apologize to his teacher today.
When we got home, he informed us all that he apologized to his teacher today. I hope he really did. And I hope he can hold his temper enough to remember that he can make a choice - a good choice, or a bad choice that gets him into trouble.
Oh my. He is a character. He fits the old nursery rhymn very well, changing the gender of the child:
There was a little girl
Who had a little curl
Right in the middle of her forehead.
And when she was good
She was very, very good,
And when she was bad
She was horrid.
John had a good test for one of the job's he's applied and tested for. They have called him in for a second interview in January. If he's hired, he'll start in early January. We are praying and praying that God will provide a good job for him.
Kara is on bedrest now for the next 1.5 weeks. When we went in l.5 weeks ago the baby measured only 4% of average, so they put her on bedrest. I can see that she looks better. She was so exhausted when we first got home... I was really worried about her. The baby is a lot more active right now, too. I think the baby is happy that she's not working nights and is getting more rest!
Mel and I took her to her hospital ultrasound/doppler test and no-stress test today. Mel went shopping while I stayed with her. It was very interesting to see the doppler again and then to see how they did the no-stress test. Baby's heartbeat is strong and regular, was averaging between 155 to 160 and sounded a lot like running horses with the occasional drum beat thrown in. :-) The tech who did the test said everything sounded great and the graph produced by 20 minutes of monotoring was very good, too. Kara won't know if Baby has grown until the in-depth ultrasound in a couple weeks.
Mel just told me a few minutes ago that he would take me up to the top of the hill, or maybe some place a bit farther away, where it's dark enough to really see the stars. I tried to go out last night and look, but there are so many houses here now, plus my parents yard light, and all the Christmas lights the neighbors have shining that I really couldn't see much. Except for a bright red "star" to the east.
Andrew commented on it, too, when he got home. We think that it might have been Mars. I'm hoping it will be clear enough tonight to be able to see it again. It was as bright as Jupiter has been recently.
It's warmed up quite a bit. Not enough to melt all the snow by any means, but a lot of it is evaporating. Mom said earlier today that this is the longest there has been snow on the ground since the late '70's.
All for tonight. It is SO GOOD to have internet connection again!!
Saturday, November 07, 2009
Bits n Pieces
A very interesting article: Geothermal drilling taps violent geyser in Wiesbaden city centre
, dated November 6. 2009. I've wondered before why this doesn't happen more often. One of the comments at the bottom of the article may give an explanation why it doesn't, yet - why doesn't the water just follow the outside of the casing right up out of the ground? I don't understand what "plugs" the water (or oil or gas, as the case may be in drilling) and keeps it in the ground - but I'm not an expert in any of this, in any way, shape or form. :-) :-) I do find the article interesting and wonder what Wiesbaden is going to do.
~*~*~*~*~
I do not like to argue. I have a different way of looking at many things, this I know. In fact, while in counseling for my depression I was told that the counselor liked talking to me because I DO look at many things from very different angles than other people. I don't know why this is, but I'm glad. However, it does put me in the postion of having to defend myself (views, opinions, attitudes) sometimes. Often I don't give a rip what the other person thinks or what their opinion is and consider that it isn't worth my time to argue about it. Other times, it is worth it. I like thinking 'outside the box' and I don't like having to do or be or think a specific way because that's the way it's been done for x number of years by y people, or because a group of people (church leaders, government, etc) have decided that's the way it needs to be. It's not that I want to be obstreperous, it's just that some people can't see beyond their own nose or beyond what has always been. I just really don't like arguing about it - and it stresses me a LOT when I get into arguments, or even heated disagreements.
I am, at heart, a peace loving person.
ha ha ha ha
I am often so quiet (yes, it is true - mostly because I have a quiet voice and people don't even hear me when I DO speak up - it's amazing to me how many times that happens...) that people don't realize this about me until they've known me for awhile. And some people are just offended by it. It's interesting to watch and see who does get offended by my different way of thinking about things. I also watch people closely and have become pretty good at reading facial and body expressions, as well as tone of voice and even specific words used. I'm not a "Lie To Me" person - but that show is really interesting (have seen 3 whole episodes!). I also like to dig deeper and find out what makes people tick - we are who we are because of what has happened to us, how we were raised, who we know, what we read, and so forth. I know too many people who don't bother to dig deeper and look for reasons. It's sad, really. Do we care about the person - the REAL person with all their hurts and bumps and joys and griefs - or do we just want to deal with the surface person, the person they show us, the person we assume they are, the person WE want them to be - not the person they really are?? (Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.)
Funny thing is, it's people who look at problems from different angles who are the ones who often find the solution to the problem. This happens in science (and they are haled as amazing scientists), it happens in general life.
So, often I won't argue because I do not like to argue (I'm an introvert, after all) - but that doesn't mean I agree with you. I'll just think about it for awhile, gather the info I need to prove my case, then when you are least expecting it because you have totally forgotten all about it - I'll dump it on you.
Nothing in particular in mind right now -
I'm just saying.
~*~*~*~*~
Looked up that word, obstreperous, just to make sure I was using it correctly:
Adj. 1. obstreperous - noisily and stubbornly defiant; " 2. obstreperous - boisterously and noisily aggressive; "kept up an obstreperous clamor"
obstreperous
adjective: (synonyms)unruly, disorderly, wild, rough, loud, noisy, out of control, turbulent, rampaging, out of hand, wayward, rowdy, raucous, uncontrollable, uncontrolled, boisterous, wilful, lawless, vociferous, fractious, riotous, tempestuous, unmanageable, undisciplined, stroppy (Brit. slang), rip-roaring (informal), mutinous, ungovernable, uproarious, clamorous, rambunctious (informal), rackety, insubordinate, roistering, roisterous an awkward and obstreperous customer
(antonyms) controlled, quiet, calm, disciplined, gentle, peaceful, orderly, placid, docile
Oh my. ROTFL! I do not define myself as 'controlled, disciplined, orderly, placid or docile' - can I just be quiet, calm, gentle (?) and peaceful???
~*~*~*~*~
Ok, the laundry is ready to hang out on the balcony now, and then I'm headed for a shower while we still have water. So, I'll write more later!
, dated November 6. 2009. I've wondered before why this doesn't happen more often. One of the comments at the bottom of the article may give an explanation why it doesn't, yet - why doesn't the water just follow the outside of the casing right up out of the ground? I don't understand what "plugs" the water (or oil or gas, as the case may be in drilling) and keeps it in the ground - but I'm not an expert in any of this, in any way, shape or form. :-) :-) I do find the article interesting and wonder what Wiesbaden is going to do.
I do not like to argue. I have a different way of looking at many things, this I know. In fact, while in counseling for my depression I was told that the counselor liked talking to me because I DO look at many things from very different angles than other people. I don't know why this is, but I'm glad. However, it does put me in the postion of having to defend myself (views, opinions, attitudes) sometimes. Often I don't give a rip what the other person thinks or what their opinion is and consider that it isn't worth my time to argue about it. Other times, it is worth it. I like thinking 'outside the box' and I don't like having to do or be or think a specific way because that's the way it's been done for x number of years by y people, or because a group of people (church leaders, government, etc) have decided that's the way it needs to be. It's not that I want to be obstreperous, it's just that some people can't see beyond their own nose or beyond what has always been. I just really don't like arguing about it - and it stresses me a LOT when I get into arguments, or even heated disagreements.
I am, at heart, a peace loving person.
ha ha ha ha
I am often so quiet (yes, it is true - mostly because I have a quiet voice and people don't even hear me when I DO speak up - it's amazing to me how many times that happens...) that people don't realize this about me until they've known me for awhile. And some people are just offended by it. It's interesting to watch and see who does get offended by my different way of thinking about things. I also watch people closely and have become pretty good at reading facial and body expressions, as well as tone of voice and even specific words used. I'm not a "Lie To Me" person - but that show is really interesting (have seen 3 whole episodes!). I also like to dig deeper and find out what makes people tick - we are who we are because of what has happened to us, how we were raised, who we know, what we read, and so forth. I know too many people who don't bother to dig deeper and look for reasons. It's sad, really. Do we care about the person - the REAL person with all their hurts and bumps and joys and griefs - or do we just want to deal with the surface person, the person they show us, the person we assume they are, the person WE want them to be - not the person they really are?? (Proverbs 22:6 Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.)
Funny thing is, it's people who look at problems from different angles who are the ones who often find the solution to the problem. This happens in science (and they are haled as amazing scientists), it happens in general life.
So, often I won't argue because I do not like to argue (I'm an introvert, after all) - but that doesn't mean I agree with you. I'll just think about it for awhile, gather the info I need to prove my case, then when you are least expecting it because you have totally forgotten all about it - I'll dump it on you.
Nothing in particular in mind right now -
I'm just saying.
Looked up that word, obstreperous, just to make sure I was using it correctly:
Adj. 1. obstreperous - noisily and stubbornly defiant; " 2. obstreperous - boisterously and noisily aggressive; "kept up an obstreperous clamor"
obstreperous
adjective: (synonyms)unruly, disorderly, wild, rough, loud, noisy, out of control, turbulent, rampaging, out of hand, wayward, rowdy, raucous, uncontrollable, uncontrolled, boisterous, wilful, lawless, vociferous, fractious, riotous, tempestuous, unmanageable, undisciplined, stroppy (Brit. slang), rip-roaring (informal), mutinous, ungovernable, uproarious, clamorous, rambunctious (informal), rackety, insubordinate, roistering, roisterous an awkward and obstreperous customer
(antonyms) controlled, quiet, calm, disciplined, gentle, peaceful, orderly, placid, docile
Oh my. ROTFL! I do not define myself as 'controlled, disciplined, orderly, placid or docile' - can I just be quiet, calm, gentle (?) and peaceful???
Ok, the laundry is ready to hang out on the balcony now, and then I'm headed for a shower while we still have water. So, I'll write more later!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Bits n Pieces - Living in the Land of Rumors
Yesterday the Ukrainian government declared an emergency and put the whole country under quarantine. All public meetings are cancelled (altho I hear that church does not count as a "public meeting"), all schools are cancelled, private or public (but the Kherson kindergartens are still working because the parents have to work and there would be no one home to watch the kids), and there are travel restrictions in place. For 3 weeks. I heard tonight that the border with Poland has been closed. There is a question now as to whether or not we will be able to fly out to London from Kiev in 2 weeks (we may not be able to travel to the airport from here). It's all up in the air.
Fortunately - God is sovereign and He is in control of this whole situation. If we are supposed to fly out of Ukraine on Nov. 17, then we will fly out. If we are not supposed to - then we won't. And if we get to London and we are stuck there - well, we are stuck there until we can leave. Such is life. Living in the knowledge that God is in control is wonderful. Sometimes it's a little breathless, but it's wonderful. :-)
~*~*~*~*~
Busy day cooking up a storm.
- Made cupcakes for church tomorrow. We are celebrating "Thanksgiving".
= Made a grape dessert for team meeting tomorrow afternoon.
- Roasted peanuts and made peanut butter again.
= Peeled half a tikva (squash with flesh the same color as pumpkin) and made Pumpkin Peanut Soup for dinner.
Which reminds me, I need to look for my Thanksgiving tablecloth to take to church to cover the boards we are currently using for a table. I think it's in that box under the bed. Which is good, because after last year's Thanksgiving I decided I would just take it home to the States and let my daughter use it since I can't use it here. Sad. Sigh. But now I'm going to use it! Yea! This makes me feel inordinately happy.
~*~*~*~*~
Talked to my mother earlier this evening. She chatted away like a house on fire. It's halloween in the States. They don't go out at night any more, so instead to help with the Fall Festival at the church, they are going this afternoon (their time) to string donuts for some kind of game the kids will play. I'm so thankful my parents are still as active as they are and as involved in the church as they are. I think they are much busier now than when they both worked full-time!
~*~*~*~*~
Thinking of working full time - my mother worked at the Young Life International Service Center for 33 years. I worked there for at least 6 full years, possibly a bit more (I worked there 3 different times). Recently I've dreamed about different Young Life things several times. I loved working at the Service Center - both the work I did and the mission of Young Life.
Mom told me a week or so ago that now when you go there as a visitor, there is a guard and that you can't just go and see different people. This is since the shootings at the church in Colorado Springs and the Denver area a couple years ago. So very sad. A Christian organization has to protect it's employees this way.
I know our home church also has guards and/or people trained to look for problems and deal with them quickly. These are needed due to an incident that happened several years ago when a group of gays and lesbians unknowingly stationed themselves in several different places in the congregation, then during the worship service they stood up, took off their coats/jackets and had obscene t-shirts on, and threw condoms all over the place. They were quickly escorted out, but it was the beginning (for our church) of having some kind of protective services in place during worship service.
This greatly saddens me. The world is very, very sick. And we are supposed to admire these people? We are supposed to think of them as normal? Gag.
~*~*~*~*~
I like playing FarmTown and FarmVille on facebook. I like it. I like to play games and I don't know anyone here who wants to play games with me. Adult. Not adult games! An adult who likes to play games. Whew! Anyway, I play FarmTown with several other people, Americans and Ukrainians both. Often we chat as we work on each other's farms. I like that.
~*~*~*~*~
I painted the little tiny hallway inbetween the livingroom and the bedroom. I forgot to take photos of it in the very beginning, but that's ok. First I stripped off the wallpaper and just let it be naked walls for probably 3 weeks because I was busy with other stuff.
Lucky me - I don't mind living in the middle of things partly finished. I think my stash of UFO's (unfinished objects) attests to that! I'm not sure Mel likes living in the middle of it, but he's been married to me for over 33 years....
I had a ladder in there and Mel moved it to get into the little pantry closet. In the process he broke the wall lamp glass shade. I cleaned it up. He moved the ladder again - and broke the bulb. I cleaned it up. Shattered glass everywhere. And if I get some strange mental deterioration everyone will know to blame AlGore and the environmentalists because I got mercury poisoned from the bulb. Lay that blame right where it belongs - at the feet of the head of the new world wide religion - Green!
A day or so later, I put the "primer" on that I bought a long time ago to do the hallway and then later the bedroom. Oh yes, the lovely clear liquid stuff that does absolutely nothing at all that I can see, but they tell me is needed before I paint the oil painted cement wall (actually, the paint under the wallpaper was flaking off, as it did in the bedroom, but not nearly as badly so I didn't scrape and scrape the wall - just brushed it down a couple times. Oh - lead poisoning, too - my brain has had it, I'm sure!)
So, the primer dried and I couldn't tell that there was anything on the wall - felt the same, looked the same, smelled different, tho, that is true.
We went to Nova Linea and bought a couple new rollers, a couple of the new handle things you put the rollers on, a bucket of colored paint, and a new lamp for the wall.
A day or two later, I put a coat of white latex on. Used a roller for the high stuff. A roller on a pole. That was very nice! I love Nova Linea - the new store that is like Home Depot! I can actually go in and TOUCH what I want to buy, hold it, look at it, decide with some kind of knowledge rather than looking at what is behind the counter and trying to guess what the teeny little tag says so I can ask for it. But I'm going off on a rant...
I was sad. The wall looked minty green after that first coat. So I knew I needed to put a second coat of the white on before I put a coat of the colored paint on. I let it dry overnight and painted that second coat of white.
After finishing, I almost came in here and started crying. The wall was still minty green in large sections. Primer and two coats of white latex later, it was still minty green.
Not one to give up in defeat - I said to myself - "oh what the heck - it's not our flat anyway! I'll just put the colored paint on and if it clashes with the minty green - so be it. We're leaving for 6 months anyway!!"
And I did. last night I put the pinkish tannish colored paint on. Well - it was supposed to be pinkish tannish but it's more like milked down pepto bismal. Again, not the color I wanted, but I like it none the less. In the morning light the reflection off the wooden floor makes it look a bit more tannish. :-)
If we are still in this flat when we come back next May/June - and if I don't like the color then, I'll repaint it. Maybe then ALL the minty green will be gone, gone, gone! (If you look really close, you can still kind of see it showing through the pink!)
I will also think of painting the door and door jambs when we come back. Right now it's too cold out to have the balcony door and windows open to get rid of oil paint paint fumes!
~*~*~*~*~
Bed time! All for now!
Fortunately - God is sovereign and He is in control of this whole situation. If we are supposed to fly out of Ukraine on Nov. 17, then we will fly out. If we are not supposed to - then we won't. And if we get to London and we are stuck there - well, we are stuck there until we can leave. Such is life. Living in the knowledge that God is in control is wonderful. Sometimes it's a little breathless, but it's wonderful. :-)
Busy day cooking up a storm.
- Made cupcakes for church tomorrow. We are celebrating "Thanksgiving".
= Made a grape dessert for team meeting tomorrow afternoon.
- Roasted peanuts and made peanut butter again.
= Peeled half a tikva (squash with flesh the same color as pumpkin) and made Pumpkin Peanut Soup for dinner.
Which reminds me, I need to look for my Thanksgiving tablecloth to take to church to cover the boards we are currently using for a table. I think it's in that box under the bed. Which is good, because after last year's Thanksgiving I decided I would just take it home to the States and let my daughter use it since I can't use it here. Sad. Sigh. But now I'm going to use it! Yea! This makes me feel inordinately happy.
Talked to my mother earlier this evening. She chatted away like a house on fire. It's halloween in the States. They don't go out at night any more, so instead to help with the Fall Festival at the church, they are going this afternoon (their time) to string donuts for some kind of game the kids will play. I'm so thankful my parents are still as active as they are and as involved in the church as they are. I think they are much busier now than when they both worked full-time!
Thinking of working full time - my mother worked at the Young Life International Service Center for 33 years. I worked there for at least 6 full years, possibly a bit more (I worked there 3 different times). Recently I've dreamed about different Young Life things several times. I loved working at the Service Center - both the work I did and the mission of Young Life.
Mom told me a week or so ago that now when you go there as a visitor, there is a guard and that you can't just go and see different people. This is since the shootings at the church in Colorado Springs and the Denver area a couple years ago. So very sad. A Christian organization has to protect it's employees this way.
I know our home church also has guards and/or people trained to look for problems and deal with them quickly. These are needed due to an incident that happened several years ago when a group of gays and lesbians unknowingly stationed themselves in several different places in the congregation, then during the worship service they stood up, took off their coats/jackets and had obscene t-shirts on, and threw condoms all over the place. They were quickly escorted out, but it was the beginning (for our church) of having some kind of protective services in place during worship service.
This greatly saddens me. The world is very, very sick. And we are supposed to admire these people? We are supposed to think of them as normal? Gag.
I like playing FarmTown and FarmVille on facebook. I like it. I like to play games and I don't know anyone here who wants to play games with me. Adult. Not adult games! An adult who likes to play games. Whew! Anyway, I play FarmTown with several other people, Americans and Ukrainians both. Often we chat as we work on each other's farms. I like that.
I painted the little tiny hallway inbetween the livingroom and the bedroom. I forgot to take photos of it in the very beginning, but that's ok. First I stripped off the wallpaper and just let it be naked walls for probably 3 weeks because I was busy with other stuff.
Lucky me - I don't mind living in the middle of things partly finished. I think my stash of UFO's (unfinished objects) attests to that! I'm not sure Mel likes living in the middle of it, but he's been married to me for over 33 years....
I had a ladder in there and Mel moved it to get into the little pantry closet. In the process he broke the wall lamp glass shade. I cleaned it up. He moved the ladder again - and broke the bulb. I cleaned it up. Shattered glass everywhere. And if I get some strange mental deterioration everyone will know to blame AlGore and the environmentalists because I got mercury poisoned from the bulb. Lay that blame right where it belongs - at the feet of the head of the new world wide religion - Green!
A day or so later, I put the "primer" on that I bought a long time ago to do the hallway and then later the bedroom. Oh yes, the lovely clear liquid stuff that does absolutely nothing at all that I can see, but they tell me is needed before I paint the oil painted cement wall (actually, the paint under the wallpaper was flaking off, as it did in the bedroom, but not nearly as badly so I didn't scrape and scrape the wall - just brushed it down a couple times. Oh - lead poisoning, too - my brain has had it, I'm sure!)
So, the primer dried and I couldn't tell that there was anything on the wall - felt the same, looked the same, smelled different, tho, that is true.
We went to Nova Linea and bought a couple new rollers, a couple of the new handle things you put the rollers on, a bucket of colored paint, and a new lamp for the wall.
A day or two later, I put a coat of white latex on. Used a roller for the high stuff. A roller on a pole. That was very nice! I love Nova Linea - the new store that is like Home Depot! I can actually go in and TOUCH what I want to buy, hold it, look at it, decide with some kind of knowledge rather than looking at what is behind the counter and trying to guess what the teeny little tag says so I can ask for it. But I'm going off on a rant...
I was sad. The wall looked minty green after that first coat. So I knew I needed to put a second coat of the white on before I put a coat of the colored paint on. I let it dry overnight and painted that second coat of white.
After finishing, I almost came in here and started crying. The wall was still minty green in large sections. Primer and two coats of white latex later, it was still minty green.
Not one to give up in defeat - I said to myself - "oh what the heck - it's not our flat anyway! I'll just put the colored paint on and if it clashes with the minty green - so be it. We're leaving for 6 months anyway!!"
And I did. last night I put the pinkish tannish colored paint on. Well - it was supposed to be pinkish tannish but it's more like milked down pepto bismal. Again, not the color I wanted, but I like it none the less. In the morning light the reflection off the wooden floor makes it look a bit more tannish. :-)
If we are still in this flat when we come back next May/June - and if I don't like the color then, I'll repaint it. Maybe then ALL the minty green will be gone, gone, gone! (If you look really close, you can still kind of see it showing through the pink!)
I will also think of painting the door and door jambs when we come back. Right now it's too cold out to have the balcony door and windows open to get rid of oil paint paint fumes!
Bed time! All for now!
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