Wednesday Hodgepodge

1. The Hodgepodge falls on the last day of February this year, a leap year. How will you spend that extra day?

Since this is an extra day, I think I will devote the whole day to art.  I will work on a Tim Holtz tag project, paint, maybe make an ATC card or two, and make some cards for springtime giving.

2. What has recently required a leap of faith on your part?

A year and a half ago, my then 19 year old grandson asked to come live with me.  He was living on the street, by his choice,  in a town about 100 miles from me.  His health was poor, he had bad habits, and was an emotional wreck.  I knew that it would be a very difficult job to accept him into my home and try to help him heal.  After prayer and a feeling of peace, with a leap of faith I took him in.  There have been trying days, and the job of seeing him become a mature responsible adult isn't finished yet, but it has been a blessing for me.

3. We're one week into the season of Lent...are you marking these 40 days in some way? Giving something up or adding something extra to normal life? How's it going so far?

I have given up sweets, so far so good.

4. When was the last time you sat beside a fire?

Camping in the northern Arizona wilderness area on a memorial day a couple of years ago

5. Surf and Turf is on the menu. Do you order as is or do you ask for just the surf (lobster), just the turf (steak), or a menu so you can select another option?

I'm not crazy about lobster or steak (I seldom eat red meat), so I would ask for a seafood platter.

Tony Shalhoub as Adrian Monk-compulsive obsessive  private  detective  with a  brilliant  mind

Kyra Sedgwick as Deputy Chief Brenda Johnson-crime solver extraordinaire with a  penchant for sweets

6. If you could have any television program back, not in reruns but in new episodes, what 

program would you choose?

Monk or the Closer.  Both were excellent crime solving shows.

7. They say an elephant never forgets. These days would you say your memory is more like an elephant or a gnat?

I would have to go with the elephant.  I remember way too much stuff.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

We had a sprinkle of rain last night, the first in a long time. It wasn't measurable.  The last rain was on Dec. 14th,  We have only had 1.87" since September 1st, 2011--a very dry winter.

Roasting Marshmallows

Our ranch was perched on the side of Logan Mountain.  Far below at the waters edge was the highway that ran from Cody to Yellowstone Park.  Just on the other side of our lawn was a little knoll where we built a small fire pit. Some clear evenings, Mom would build a fire and we would sit around on the boulders and talk or sing.  

We would roast marshmallows--each of us had our favorite method, one of my brothers liked them just barely brown, but I liked mine to catch on fire, then I'd blow out the flames, take off the char and recook it.  It was a game to see who could get the most roastings off one marshmallow.





The sky was so clear that you felt you could reach out and touch the stars. Often we would try to find the constellations that Mom would name, or take turns telling stories born in our imagination. Occasionally we would see the glow of headlights from a car on the highway far below us.  These were special evenings that now live in my book of memories.

Meet Me on Monday

1. What was the first live concert you ever attended?

I was just a kid, when Youth for Christ visited our town, and George Beverly Shea gave a wonderful concert.  Since that time I have attended many Christian music concerts and several Country/Western ones.

2. What colors look best on you?

Years ago, I worked for a high end cosmetic company and part of our training was to learn color analysis for our clients.  Using their guidelines, I am a spring.

The Light Spring

My Best Colors: Peach, Peachy Pink, Aqua, Periwinkle, Warm Turquoise, Teal Blue, Warm Gray, Navy, Ivory.  And personally I look best in periwinkle or turquoise.

3. What is one thing about you that most people wouldn't know?

I was married in France to a US Air Force Senior Airman. In order for the marriage to be legal we had to be married by a French judge in a civil ceremony in Evereux and then the base chaplain in a military ceremony at the base chapel. Both ceremonies were legal.

4. Who would you call to be bailed out of jail?

Who you gonna call?

Ghostbusters!

They would have to do, cause I ain't got no money! ( And neither do any of my kin)

5. What do you think is the greatest invention of your lifetime and why?

I have seen a lot of inventions in my lifetime--

The Z3 computer is developed, the first machine to be controlled by software

Polyester invented

Silly Putty and the Slinky

First vaccine for influenza

Edwin Land invents instant photography

Tupperware

George de Mestral invents Velcro

Color television pictures are first transmitted

1952 First vaccine for polio discovered by Salk

1953 Microwave ovens first produced by the Raytheon Corporation

1954 First non-stick pans developed, using Teflon

1959 The Du Pont company develops Lycra

1962 First computer game devised; Spacewar

Acrylic paint developed

1967 First vaccine for mumps -1970 First vaccine for rubella -1974 First vaccine for chicken pox

1972 First email message sent

1977 The Apple II personal computer is launched

1983 Internet was formed

2005 U-Tube

2008 Camera Pill

2009 microelectronic retinal implant 

New inventions of 2011 include the light field camera, the world's smallest printer, fabric made from milk, and an electronic blood hound.

Now some of them I certainly could live without--say polyester suit--but where would we be without silly putty, Tupperware and the microwave oven.  

I am amazed at the progress medicine has made in my lifetime.  When I was born there were no vaccines. That is the most important invention for me, followed by the technology of communications.

Sunday's Meditation--Got Patience?

Every one has heard the saying that "Patience is a Virtue". What does this mean? I'm sure you have been behind this truck, running late for an appointment, how do you react?

Patience is not only about enduring a long wait, it is also about enduring insults, provocation, and mistreatment without resentment, anger, or bitterness. Why put up with abuse? Because patience is also an expression of compassion. Because we are compassionate, we tolerate the faults of others. Because we are strong and they are weak, we accept their abuse with a smile and wish them well.

Buddhists commonly refer to patience as armor that protects the compassionate person from the barbs and verbal attacks of others. 

Interestingly, Leonardo Da Vinci had a similar idea, he wrote, "Patience serves as a protection against wrongs as clothes do against cold. For if you put on more clothes as the cold increases, it will have no power to hurt you. So in like manner you must grow in patience when you meet with great wrongs, and they will be powerless to vex your mind."

Almost all violence stems from anger, and patience often has the power to neutralize it. So, patience is a tool of the peacemaker.

Hebrews 12:1: “Therefore since we also are surrounded with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight and the sin which so easily besets us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us” (NKJV). Does one run a race by passively waiting for slow-pokes or gently tolerating cheaters? No! Patience here means “endurance.” A Christian runs the race patiently by persevering through difficulties. 

Patience does not develop overnight. Colossians 1:11 tells us that we are strengthened by Him to “great endurance and patience,” while James 1:3-4 encourages us to know that trials are His way of perfecting our patience. Our patience is further developed and strengthened by resting in God’s perfect will and timing, even in the face of evil men who “succeed in their ways, when they carry out their wicked schemes” (Psalm 37:7). “The Lord is good to those whose hope is in him, to the one who seeks him” (Lamentations 3:25).  Patience

The Idiot

This month's book selection sponsored by One Silent Winter was the Idiot, a classic Russian novel. As with many Russian novels it is a dark look into 19th century Russia.
Fyodor Dostoyevsky is best known for his novels Crime and Punishment, The Idiot and The Brothers Karamazov. His literary works explore human psychology in the troubled political, social and spiritual context of 19th-century Russian society. He is often acknowledged by critics as one of the greatest and most prominent psychologists in world literature.  The Idiot looks into the life of a troubled prince.

Twenty-six-year-old Prince Lev Nikolayevich Myshkin returns to Russia after spending several years at a Swiss sanatorium. Scorned by the society of St. Petersburg for his trusting nature and naivete, he finds himself at the center of a struggle between a beautiful kept woman-- Nastassya Filippovna--and a virtuous and pretty young girl--Aglaya Yepanchin, both of whom win his affection. Myshkin is torn between his romantic love for Aglaya Yepanchin and his compassionate love for Nastassya Filippovna, but in the end he loses both of them. Unfortunately, Myshkin's very goodness precipitates disaster, leaving the impression that, in a world obsessed with money, power, and sexual conquest, a sanatorium may be the only place for a person such as he.

This was a very well written novel, characteristically Russian in its somber timbre.  Within the first few pages, the author had set your view of the characters.  You felt that you knew them well.  Like a symphony, the action rose and fell, sweeping you along until the bitter conclusion.
Throughout the book many of the conversations revolved around tea. Tea was taken with all meals and pretty much any other time of the day. Samovars were present in all the homes, Tea was appealing to the Russian life-style because it was a warm and hearty brew. They preferred a strong, dark brew which was sweetened with sugar, jam or honey. 

Friday Favorite Things

These are a few of my favorite things this week

Sunrise--brilliant skies of gold

Breakfast treat--Latte and cranberry scone

A vicious game of Candyland with Granddaughter

No school, but still wanted to do morning exercises--that's want Grandmas are for

Each week, Hilary at Feeling Beachie lists four statements with a blank for you to fill in on your own blogs. If you want to join the fun and come up with four fill in’s of your own, please email them to her at feelingbeachie@gmail.com. If she uses them, she will add you as co-host to the hop!This week’s co-host is Jen from Just another Day.  She came up with the last two statements…

I would LOVE it if you could please help her spread the word about this hop…. So, please tweet, FaceBook share, and add the linky to your post…

This week’s statements:

1.       I never _go to bed__ on a _full stomach___

2.       _Christmas__ is my favorite holiday.  I love the pageantry, spirit of giving, and love. 

3.       I think my _summer vacation__ is_going to be exciting__. I love road trips.

4.       When there is a _sports game on TV__ I _retire to my studio__.

Pondering with a Purpose

This Week's prompt is: CollectionsI am so glad that this weeks prompt was plural.  Not that I am a hoarder, by any means, but I certainly am a collector.  If I like one of anything, well then, two or more has got to be better. I love plurals! I have some serious collection that make me happy. I enjoy making scale miniatures, so of course I have a collection of miniatures.  In this display are a few of the things that I have made. On the top shelf is a Victorian bassinet in 1/12 scale (One inch equals one foot).  The second shelf has a couple of houses in 1/144 scale.

Another thing that I love to collect are chickens.  I have a lot of chickens in my kitchen.  Above my cupboards I have several basket and ceramic hens. Elsewhere, I have chicken paintings and plates. 

Another collection that I have in my kitchen are my cream pitchers, with a couple of unusual cups and saucers thrown in for good measure.  I love so many of the old china patterns, and collecting sets would have been just too expensive and cumbersome. Most everyone collects salt and pepper shakers, so I decided that I would remind myself of those great old patterns with cream pitchers. One of my most treasured pitchers is on the middle shelf, second from the left.  It is a paper thin while porcelain pitcher made in Ireland that my mother-in-law gave me over 30 years ago.

I collect other things, such as Santas, and ethnic textiles, but the collection that brings me the most joy is my collection of angels.  Some years, I decorate my Christmas tree exclusively with angels, and I always display a lot of them at the holiday season.  But a few of them are out year round.  The picture below is of a few of the angel magnets on my refrigerator.  The angel with the most meaning to me is the one made of mirrors.  In 1994 my mother was in the intensive care unit of OHSU hospital  in Portland Oregon.  The intensive care waiting room was furnished with benches, and those waiting relatives were welcome to spend the night, sleeping there.  I spent about a week living in the waiting room while my mom recovered from a brown recluse spider bite.  One of the other ladies waiting had a husband who was to receive the first lung transplant that OHSU had performed.  This woman was from Alaska where she had a radio ministry program.  She was such a comfort to all the families waiting there, offering words of encouragement, and prayers.  When someone's loved one didn't make it, she comforted them. Even though her husband was in critical condition, she took the time to minister to others.  She gave me this mirror angel that she had made as a reminder that God has angels watching over us.

So, you have been able to share with me some of my collections and the stories behind a couple of them.  I collect what brings a smile to my face.  I smile a lot.

Washington--The Actions Make the Man

"I hold the maxim no less applicable to public than to private affairs, that honesty is the best policy."

– George Washington

"The bosom of America is open to receive not only the opulent and respectable stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all nations and religions."
– George Washington

While we are contending for our own liberty, we should be very cautious not to violate the rights of conscience in others, ever considering that God alone is the judge of the hearts of men, and to him only in this case they are answerable.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, letter to Benedict Arnold, Sep. 14, 1775

Remember that it is the actions, and not the commission, that make the officer, and that there is more expected from him, than the title.
GEORGE WASHINGTON, Address to the Officers of the Virginia Regiment, Jan. 8, 1756

(Born February 22, 1732, Westmoreland County, Virginia [U.S.]—died December 14, 1799, Mount Vernon, Virginia, U.S.) American general and commander in chief of the colonial armies in the American Revolution (1775–83) and subsequently first president of the United States (1789–97).

1. February 22nd is National Be Humble Day...what makes you proud? What keeps you humble?

My children make me proud. Although they had many problems financially, emotionally, and with family they have all turned out to be honest, productive citizens. I am humbled by the constant reminder that I fall short and fail so many times in my quest to be more Christ like.

2. Where is the catch-all (aka dumping ground) in your house?

Unfortunately the kitchen table.  Since I don't eat at the table, it just is so convenient to put the mail, clothes to be folded, and magazines that I need to review on it.

3. Do you make it a point to visit State/National Parks when you travel or even in your own hometown? What's your favorite?

I love visiting parks.  I have visited many in the state, and a lot of national ones.  My favorite--Yellowstone.  Even though I grew up just 25 miles from the east gate, I never tire of the natural wonders there.

4. How would you define honor?

Honesty, fairness, and integrity in one's beliefs and actions, a person who does not take advantage of others and a person who does not only what is expected but more.

5. Angel's food or Devil's food-which cake do you prefer?

Devil's food, I mean after all it's chocolate, do I need to say more?

6. What's the most recent road trip you've taken? Where did you go and how many hours did you spend in the car? Do you like to zoom to your destination without stopping or leisurely wind your way there with stops along the way? What is your car snack of choice?

I love road trips, and I love to drive. I meander to my destination, stopping along the way to check out whatever interest me.  For snacks trail mix with no M&M's are my favorite--they don't get your hands dirty and hold off hunger.until dinner time.  I took a small road trip a couple of weeks ago. The last major one was in the summer of 2010 when I drove 5,000 miles all over the west to visit my brothers and sisters.

On the road again--Border between Oregon and California

7. Recent headlines told how a preschool child in NC had their packed lunch from home taken away and a school lunch substituted by a school inspector who deemed the homemade lunch unhealthy. Reportedly the parent was then billed for the school lunch (chicken nugget meal) although an update to the story says the parent was not billed. The inspector was conducting a routine inspection of the classroom-he/she was not there solely to peek in the lunchboxes. The packed lunch contained a turkey and cheese sandwich, an apple juice box, a bag of chips, and a banana. You can read the story here. Your thoughts?

I think that the government has gone way too far, now they are the lunch police.  I agree that if a child has no lunch then it's fine to give them one. My first thought, this mom packed a healthy lunch.  What if the child was allergic to peanuts and the healthy lunch with fried nuggets was made with peanut oil?

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I just made my flight reservations for this summer's vacation, I'm flying to Portland, Oregon then renting a car and driving for two weeks touring Olympic National Park and Victoria, British Columbia, with visits to daughter and brothers and sister.  It still is five months away, but I have prices locked in before they go up for the summer.  And besides, I love to plan, organize, dream.

Of High School and Nannies

When I graduated from eighth grade at Wapiti, I had to attend school in Cody.  Going from a close-knit country school with less than a dozen students in all grades, to a BIG high school with 85 freshman students was a traumatic experience.  No one can be more cruel than teenagers, and I and  the other country girls, were the brunt of their cruel teasing and harassment.  Being a straight “A” student didn’t make me very well liked either. But I loved school and learning about the world, and soon learned to shut out the meanness.

Because of the distance and poor winter road conditions, I worked as a nanny for room and board. When I was a freshman, I worked for a couple with two children out on the east side of town.  Since both parents worked, I helped the boy and girl with their homework, made supper for the family, cleaned the house, and then spent the evening doing homework. I shared a bed with the little girl.  In the mornings I made sure the kids were ready to catch the school bus.  And for this I was paid $2. per week plus my room and board. This was the first money that I had ever made, and I felt rich.

The Garden

Below our house, carved into the side of a mountain and separated by a dry laid rock wall was our garden. It was a large plot.  It was about 100 feet long not including the corn patch, and up to 50 feet wide. Corn was planted up near the house.  All the ground was hoed, then straight rows with little irrigation ditches on either side were planted with all kinds of vegetables--peas, beans, beets, carrots, and others, and all kinds of salad fixings, each with little stakes telling what was planted there.



When the seeds were all planted, we would run to the garden every morning to see if we could see any little sprouts pushing their way up through the soil.

But among all these necessities were planted a row of zinnias here, a row of cosmos there, and a rows of marigolds and calendulas. When they bloomed they would make bouquets for our table or to give to friends.  Their happy spots of color brought joy and made the hard work of gardening a little easier.

***********

1. What is your favorite kind of soup?

Rustic Mushroom Soup

2. What was the last movie you saw in a theater?
One For the Money--A funny, adventure, a good matinee chick flick

3. What is your least favorite TV program?
Reality shows, like Housewives of..., Pregnant & 16, Jersey Girls, etc.  Most of them are so fake or exploit people.
4. If you were to write a book about yourself, what would you name it?
From Logan Mountain Trail--This is actually in process.

5. What 3 places that are on your bucket list to visit?

Louisiana--with its Cajun country, Mardi Gras, and swamps

Scandinavian Countries--Explore the fiord's, culture

Amish Country--Arts and crafts, quilts, simple culture.

Is there a do over?

This picture is of a Chihulie glass sculpture shown at an exhibit in the Desert Botanical Garden. His work reflects the original subject, as seen through the eyes of an artist. The subject is changed, transformed. The ordinary becomes extraordinary.

Dale Chihuly, who was born in Tacoma, Washington in 1941, has become an internationally celebrated personality in contemporary art and design whose prominence in the field of contemporary studio glass is unmatched. Chihuly’s most recent installations have focused on the idea of the garden, which stems from his first outdoor works at Pilchuck and his later, monumental Persians installations. The garden is a place of physical and spiritual delight that represents the perfect world, or paradise,

I was amazed at how the sculptures blended in with the landscape. The marrying of beautiful glass and spiny cactus made it seem as though his work had grown there.

This quote was on a friends post--On this day, God wants you to know...
that change is the very nature of life, welcome it. No glass ever became sand again; No bread ever became wheat; No ripened fruit ever became a flower. Welcome change, and choose what kind of glass you create, what kind of bread you bake, what kind of fruit you harvest.
We can't erase the past, but we can mold our future.  We can learn from the past, and be wiser in the future.  It is a daily process.  We shouldn't dwell on the past, but push on to a more excellent future.
Philippians 3:13  No, dear brothers and sisters, I have not achieved it, but I focus on this one thing: Forgetting the past and looking forward to what lies ahead, ¹⁴ I press on to reach the end of the race and receive the heavenly prize for which God, through Christ Jesus, is calling us. NLT