It's Cold

With the great privilege of having access to high speed internet here at work,
comes
great suffering because we don't run the heater so as to save gas money.

We've had a busy weekend! On Friday we three girls went to the Nutcracker ballet in Omaha. It was good; there were some new effects and costumes. Of course Jen is a better ballerina than any of those dancers! We also went to the Durham Western Heritage museum's Ethnic festival. Durham is always a fun place to go, and they have great Christmas festivals- beautiful decorations, good music, entertainment, and food. Jen got her picture taken with a man in a kilt.

Saturday morning we woke up to a thick coat of ice outside. We were fine with that until we lost our electricity. We were without power for more than twenty-four hours. It made for a long day! It's amazing the things you can't do without electricity. It was too dark to read much; I couldn't bake; there was no computer, no light, no music, no running water, etc. We got on eachother's nerves a little bit since we were all mostly in the same three rooms with little to do. All of us are so glad we have a wood stove for heat- we kept nice and warm, at least. The drive to Church was a bit tense, but we did get there alright, even though the roads weren't cleared yet. After Church we all went to listen to Handal's "Messiah" at the Holland Performing arts Center. It got a little long for the little boys, but we all enjoyed it. There's a lot wrong with America, but being able to listen to people singing the praise of God in a public place is wonderful to hear, and very reassuring.
Sunday was also my birthday. Eeek.
By the time we got home on Sunday, the power was back on. I spent Monday doing all the things I was supposed to do on Saturday, and today I'm at work, and book club and Legion Auxiliary meetings are today.

We sometimes have a Sunday afternoon treat of brownies- soft, gooey brownies, not completely baked. We love them. Jonny wanted to "help" me make them the last time we had them. You know that all the helper really wants to do is sample the dough before it gets into the oven. So after we had mixed up the black goo, we tasted it. While we were doing that, the fork we had used to stir it up with kept sinking deeper and deeper into the dough. Then Jonny said casually: "The fork is drowning." And then he burst out laughing at himself for saying such a silly thing. It was so cute how he said it. He is so cute!

There's not much news on this front; we had a great Thanksgiving, but NE lost the football game. Now we are all trying to avoid the seasonal sicknesses. Tonight is our political discussion group and I still haven't gotten around to researching Fred Thompson! Horrors.

My time away

Does anyone want to know what it was really like at Ft. Bragg?

I went to Ft. Bragg, NC to work as a nanny for a Army family with four young children. My job there only lasted two and a half months, from August until the end of October, when the father of the family returned home from Iraq. I didn't do the work for pay, but as a ministry. I got room and board and the experience of being a servant. Frankly, it was tough, and it was tough because the mother had totally different expectations as to what I would be like and what I would be doing, than I did. I was so lonely. On my last night there she told me details of how she had been dissatisfied with me, and in emails since she has told even more details. How depressing! She has such a totally bad opinion of me, and was so dissatisfied with my work, I think she felt like I did more harm than good in my time there.

So, it was hard- it was good in that it was a learning experience. It's still on-going, too. I never want to see her again! I never want to speak to her again! I never want to email her again! But I know that attitude is wrong, and I know I was at fault too, and I need to forgive her for how she has hurt me. That's where things stand right now.

The night after I got home we went to hear McCain and Huckabee speak in Sioux City. Right now, I think I favor Huckabee over any of the other candidates, but I have not done a great deal of research, and there's still a whole year left before we vote, so we'll see.

I am very glad to be home! Have I said that before? I am glad to be home. It's twenty degrees cooler here, and the boys are all getting over a cold, we are talking about moving this spring to who knows where, and Dad needs a raise, there's so much to do, but I am so glad to be home. I had two job offers before I even got home; Jen and I are working on raising money to send Christmas boxes to soldiers overseas; there's political work to be done, and our house needs to be packed. Thinking about moving can be overwhelming. But I am so glad to be home! That emotional stress and need for companionship, at least, has been taken away. So, I am glad to be home.

There is no place like Nebraska

I am home! I arrived home at about 7pm Wednesday after a whole day of travel. We left the O. house at 6:45 am for the Raleigh airport. It was rush hour by the time we got there, so it took longer than expected and we said a quick goodbye because by the time my bags were checked it was boarding time, but my flight was delayed half an hour because of storms. On the plane to Chicago I sat next to Rick Boyer, a homeschool author (The Socialization Trap, etc.), and father of fourteen(www.thelearningparent.com). That was pretty neat!

I sat in Chicago for four hours, my flight was delayed there about two hours, but that seems normal for flights nowadays. My family met me at the airport and my life has been a whirl of activity ever since. My family made the decision to move while I was gone, so our whole outlook on the future has changed. My sister has also done some traveling while I was gone, and it’s so wonderful to see how mature she is. My brothers have all grown several inches, I’m sure, and Caleb is now officially and obviously taller than me. They are all so handsome!

I am not even unpacked yet; there is so much to do. Housework, and our drive to raise donations to send packages to NE soldiers overseas needs to get going soon. We are off to a late start. Lots of other things too! Last night we went to Sioux City to hear Presidential candidates McCain and Huckabee debate. I was glad I got to hear them both speak.

As to my emotional state, which I am sure you are all yearning to hear about: I am struggling not to be disappointed and bitter towards Mrs. O. The last night I was in NC we sat down and had a talk. I from that I know that Mrs. O was not satisfied with my work, though of course she did thank me. She told me that there had been things she wanted me to do while I was there, but she didn’t tell me to do them, at least not directly, because she thought she would speak too harshly to me. For my part, I was struggling with loneliness the whole time I was there, but I didn’t feel like I could ask Mrs. O for anything, since I was there to serve. Basically, there was poor communication between Mrs. O and me. So, optimistically speaking, I am still benefiting from my time there in that I am learning what it is to be a complete servant, I need to initiate more, etc.

In closing, there was no need for any of you to worry about me getting engaged while at Ft. Bragg- in my time there I am sure I met only half a dozen soldiers, and probably even less single men than that!

I'm still here, on the blogosphere

I am in my last week here at Ft. Bragg. In some ways it’s hard to believe, since I haven’t seen much of North Carolina or Fort Bragg, or gotten to know anyone here really well. I’ve been somewhat isolated here on base at the O. house, since I never drove myself anywhere. If I go this sort of ministry again, I will be sure to find out driving conditions beforehand. It wasn’t Mrs. O’s fault. You thought I was isolated in Nebraska? That’s nothing! Try Ft. Bragg. Honestly, my time here was one of the loneliest times of my life, and again, that really wasn’t Mrs. O’s fault, but if I do this again, I’m going to do it differently. Now that I have less than a week left, I’m feeling good, but when I was at the ten day mark I thought the days couldn’t go quick enough! I will be so glad to get home, see my family again, and relax. I can’t wait to catch up with my sister on all the news. I will be so glad to get back to my social life, however pitiable some people may think it to be, where I can volunteer and visit friends and have freedom!

So, that is what is on my mind right now. This morning we all got up early to go to a library book sale and we stopped at Krispy Kreme to grab “breakfast”. I had never been in a Krispy Kreme before, and it was neat to look through the glass window and see the doughnuts being made. We each got two doughnuts and they were so sweet it almost made us sick. They were also “Hot now”, straight from the oven. Wow. I bought twenty books at the library sale, and while I am excited for all the bargains I got, I don’t know how on earth I am going to get them all home! Maybe I’ll have to leave my extra clothes here, or wear several layers of clothes on the way home to save room in my suitcase. Leaving books behind is not an option!

There is but one straight course, and that is to seek truth and pursue it

-George Washington

Yes, I did it again. I copied a quote from The Patriot Post so as to spare you another one of my meaningless titles. Here's another good one: "The man who knows the truth and has the opportunity to tell it, but who nonetheless refuses to, is among the most shameful of all creatures. God forbid that we should ever become so lax as that." -Theodore Roosevelt

I had a two day vacation, so to speak, at the lady's house. I would have loved to go sightseeing, or even to a park for a walk, but I can't ask people to take me places. Everybody is so busy as it is. So I stayed in my room, read books, wrote letters, and watched movies, and thus comfortably passed the time. One of the movies I watched was "The Island" and enjoyed it- it was pretty exciting!

John Paul Jones

An honorable Peace is and always was my first wish! I can take no delight in the effusion of human Blood; but, if this War should continue, I wish to have the most active part in it.
-John Paul Jones, 1782, letter to Gouverneur Morris

Less than a month now before I go home. Today I am going over to another lady's house to stay for a few days because of the rule that I can't stay on base for more than thirty days. Not much else going on here!

International Folk Festival

Panama

Today we have school and tonight is movie night. We will be watching "The Wizard of Oz" while eating, as we do every Friday, popcorn and having hot chocolate. I just wanted to let you all know that I am doing well, even though I still have not been able to meet anyone I could call a friend. I have a little less than a month left here; I hope I am truly helping this family.

Anyway, I am just peachy, even though I have not been able to post as much as I would like to!

KP

I will never again voluntarily serve anyone spaghetti.

Singing "I'll fly away" was never before sung with so much emotion as it was during after dinner clean-up while one is picking spaghetti noodles off the floor!

I'm so spoiled

But first a bit of history:

"The Cape Fear River is a 202-mile (325 km) long blackwater river in east central North Carolina in the United States. It is the longest river entirely within North Carolina, and it flows into the Atlantic Ocean near Cape Fear, from which it takes its name. It is formed at Haywood, near the county line between Lee and Chatham counties, by the confluence of the Deep and Haw rivers just below Jordan Lake. It flows southeast past Lillington, Fayetteville, and Elizabethtown, then receives the Black River approximately 10 miles (16 km) northwest of Wilmington. At Wilmington, it receives the Northeast Cape Fear River and turns south, widening as an estuary and entering the Atlantic approximately 3 miles (5 km) west of Cape Fear. During the colonial era, the river provided a principal transportation route to the interior of North Carolina. Today the river is navigable as far as Fayetteville through a series of locks and dams. The estuary of the river furnishes a segment of the route of the Intracoastal Waterway."

Anyway, about being spoiled- here I am eating chocolate, perfectly healthy(until I finish this chocolate, anyway) having lived a comfortable life. I have never had to sacrifice anything great, never been hurt worse than a broken toe, never lacked food or a comfortable life.
But it's still so hard to give up my time, comfort and belongings to serve others!

What are some good sacrifice-related Bible verses to memorize?

The Fair

It was sunny and 95 degrees out. We went because if you brought a Church bulletin you got in free!

I only regret that I have but one life to lose for my country

Nathan Hale (before being hanged by the British, 22 September 1776)

From the Patriot Post:


Nebraska State Senator Ernie Chambers, a Democrat, has just taken the frivolous lawsuit to a new level: He is suing God. Chambers' suit seeks an injunction against God for causing "fearsome floods, egregious earthquakes, horrendous hurricanes, terrifying tornadoes, pestilential plagues, ferocious famines,devastating droughts, genocidal wars, birth defects and the like." How about charging Chambers with asinine alliteration? His real reason for filing the suit, he says, is to prevent the state senate from passing bills aimed at limiting laughable lawsuits. "The Constitution requires that the courthouse doors be open, so you cannot prohibit the filing of suits,"chimes Chambers. "Anyone can sue anyone they choose, even God." Somehow,we don't think this proves him right. As The Wall Street Journal's James Taranto teased, "The good thing about suing God, too, is that you're unlikely to lose at trial. Eventually He always settles out of court."

This man is a thorn in Nebraska's side. He's been in the NE Senate since before I was born and is the reason that our politicians have just created term limits. Thankfully we won't have to put up with him much longer.

Joshua 1:6-9

6 Be strong and courageous, for you shall give this people possession of the land which I swore to their fathers to give them.
7 Only be strong and very courageous; be careful to do according to all the law which Moses My servant commanded you; do not turn from it to the right or to the left, so that you may have success wherever you go.
8 This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.
9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous! Do not tremble or be dismayed, for the LORD your God is with you wherever you go.

This post was a little bit of everything, I guess. I really can't post too much about what's going on here because if I do I will be invading Mrs. O's privacy. Everything else that happens here is just normal stuff, like laundry and making lunch and babysitting! Ugh, I did at least five loads of laundry yesterday- all the dirty stuff that piled up from our little vacation to the beach.

Wa ha ha ha ha

Such a pretty flower. And so useful, too. How? you ask. Read on.

From Wikipedia:
Oleander is one of the most poisonous plants and contains numerous toxic compounds, many of which can be deadly to people, especially young children. The toxicity of Oleander is considered extremely high and it has been reported that in some cases only a small amount had lethal or near lethal effects. The poison is "present in all parts of the plant, but are most concentrated in the sap." The entire plant including the milky white sap is toxic and any part can cause an adverse reaction. Oleander is also known to hold its toxicity even after drying. It is thought that a handful or 10-20 leaves consumed by an adult can cause an adverse reaction, and a single leaf could be lethal to an infant or child. There are innumerable reported suicidal cases of consuming mashed oleander seeds in South India.

Let's invite Hillary Clinton up for tea!

I'm back

And I have seen the ocean.

Here I am

Here we are, at the beach. We are staying in a beach house at Myrtle beach, not even one minute walking distance from the ocean. We have five bedrooms and two balconies. It's a nice house but a bit hotel-like. I really enjoyed my first ocean wading. That much water and power is just so cool, an awesome part of God's creation. I called Jen as soon as I saw the ocean and I wish she was here with me!

Babysitting duty continues

Today it's Batman; yesterday it was Spiderman. Who knows what it will be tomorrow!

These are the times that try men's souls

The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it NOW, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman."

-Thomas Paine




How are YOU ALL doing? I may not be a full fledged Yankee, but I will not turn Confederate!

I made it through Church again- every Sunday I feel like I am running the gauntlet when I meet people and they ask me questions. I am trying to remember people's names and recognize people, and they are asking me questions like "Where in NE are you from?" when the only city they know of in NE is Lincoln anyway so it does no good to explain that we live in the country outside of a town of 1300! The whole situation makes me so flustered that I leave in mortal terror of next week's torture session!

But I am doing well. I had baklava for the first time ever- that stuff sure is sweet. Yum!

My Book Pile

I went to the library today, so it increased considerably. Anybody read any of these?

I took a walk yesterday

We don't have red dirt where I come from.

The young pine trees look really pretty.

The weather was perfect for a walk- cloudy and slightly breezy, so it wasn't too hot. Mrs. O took the kids out so I did a little cleaning and then wandered out on my own, onto one of the trails in the woods here on base. I enjoyed being away from houses, and seeing all the different plants, and just the peace and quiet, though I did see several people out walking and running.

The Dog

My hostess for the weekend had two dogs- they like socks. That sock you see there in the picture is MINE!

Shrimp

I had shrimp over the weekend, which is cheaper here than in NE- two pounds for a bit less than eight dollars- and so I also learned how to cook it and pull off the skins. Eeeeeeeew!

Hey all!

Sorry, I haven't been posting.
I am back at my new home after being away for the weekend. My hostess was very accommodating and I had a very relaxing time away from children, and just a relaxing time in general.

On Sunday I went with my hostess to a Chapel here on base that markets itself as "Contemporary and Casual". It wasn't as bad as it sounds! I am glad that I can listen to the Church sermons from home on the Internet. My Church options here are Church A, which puts you to sleep with its songs and sermons, but has good Sunday school, or Church B, which has more joy in worship but is theologically incorrect! Maybe I should alternate?

Last night I called home and we had a sort of family conference about some big decisions in our lives right now. I'm not sure if Mom and Dad want to make it public news right now but some of you will all learn soon enough. It was good to talk, but it made me homesick.

This morning Mrs. O told me that two soldiers had been killed; she didn't tell me exactly but I believe they were from her husband's area. I can see how stressful it is for her to deal with the news. Please pray for her, and the other wives, that they could have peace and grace at this time.

Also, the children are not obeying me and I am hoping to talk to Mrs. O about it at the right moment sometime soon. You could pray that we would be able to work this issue out so that things would work more smoothly!

So all that is kind of what is on my mind today; or at least it was, until the youngest of my charges got hit in the lip with a water gun which left him with an open gash that bled as head wounds so often do, and now there is blood on the carpet, the chair, and my dress, and Mrs. O is at the emergency room getting a stitch or two put in. The little boy will be fine, and I'm too used to this sort of thing to get upset, so all is well.

Exciting times

We went to the library yesterday. You never know who you will meet at the library. It actually turned out that there was a Star Wars costume contest. I got my picture taken with Darth Vader! This is one of the kids I am helping with, not me, in the photo.

Back online

Our Internet service was out for awhile there. Thankfully we are now back online, connected with the outside world. And life goes on.

Other than Church on Sunday, I haven't been out of the house so far this week. I've been babysitting the kids as their mother shops and arranges various upcoming activities, now that school is starting up again, such as ballet and violin.

Church was intimidating because I had to meet so many new people. You don't need to tell me that it's good for me, my family tells me that often enough. I survived, though I really can't remember many of the names of the people I met.

I also had grits for the first time ever, and I guess I liked them alright. It's basically like oatmeal or rice, only different texture and less flavoring!

Correction:

The guinea pig's name is "Guinea."
The collie's name is "Bucky"
The fish's name is "Stanley".

My venture

Here I am, finally getting the time to post while sitting next to a fat guinea pig in the laundry room. The guinea pig's name is Bucky, and I am going to stay away from him as much as possible in the next two months! I don't much like pets. This family also has a energetic collie and a fish.

I have been here at Ft. Bragg for four days and am still learning the rhythm of the family routine and what I can do to help. I caught a cold yesterday so that slowed me down a bit. I have not seen much of Ft. Bragg or met many other military families so far. Mostly I've been taking over some of the housework and distracting the younger kids so Mom can do school with the older ones.

I have read two books:
Reforming Marriage by Douglas Wilson, which was very thoughtful and good, except it made me want to get married right away,
And:
Operation Homecoming edited by Andrew Carroll, which was also good but I don't think I'll put it on my list of favorite books, simply because the stories can be so depressing, foul, and strange when not written from a Christian viewpoint. Most of the stories were fine as far as content , though. I don't mean to give this book a harsh review.

Here I am

Guests and hosts

As I mentioned, we had twenty-five people over for lunch yesterday. Twenty of those were students, three were American guides, and two were just guests. These students were from France, England, Germany, Denmark, Spain, and the Netherlands. We had lunch and dinner with them.

These students were arrogant, self-centered, demanding, spoiled, and not open to discussion.

Granted, not all of them were so rude; some of them were friendly and nicer than the others. And I know that all humans are selfish and sinful. We are not used to such a high concentration of obvious arrogance, I think. So after spending more than five hours with these students, we were all a bit frustrated. And Dad puts up with them every day! If these are the future leaders of Europe, we are in trouble.

Sorry to be so negative! That's the way it was. I really hope we were good witnesses.

Students visit

We had twenty-six people over for lunch today. I know you are all passionately interested in domestic things, so here's the menu of our meal which we spent several hours slaving over:

• 6 pounds of Spaghetti noodles
• I'm guessing somewhere around two gallons of spaghetti sauce(That's just a rough guess), divided into two crock-pots, one pot being meatless and the other with hamburger.
• eleven loaves of garlic bread, no we did not make the bread, we just bought frozen garlic bread.
• Four packages of store-bought cookies, eighteen homemade cupcakes, and one cake that didn't bake in the middle and I don't know why so we didn't eat it. I feel ashamed that with all my years experience in baking that this cake didn't turn out, but we all need to be humbled now and then, right?
• Several ice cream buckets of lettuce salad and two jars of home-made ranch dressing
• A gallon of lemonade and a gallon of mint tea

Everything went well, the toilet didn't overflow, and we had some good discussions. Now we need to rest up and get ready for the potluck tonight!

I'm still here

My trip to Ft. Bragg is rapidly approaching. I am getting nervous about leaving my family; I know I will really miss them all. Here's a happy thought for you: to make my airplane flight, I will have to leave home at 3:30 in the morning.

We are having twenty-six people over for lunch this weekend. Most of them are University students from Europe who are in the U.S. for five weeks, studying English and having fun sightseeing. It should be interesting to talk with people from so many different countries, such as England, France, the Netherlands, etc. Many of these students parents immigrated to Europe from muslim countries such as Morocco, and even Iran. Muslims want to benefit from western technology and opportunities that they can't have in their own oppressed lands. The students in the group that are muslims are not strict muslims, and the only religious rule that they seem to follow is the one about not eating pork. We aren't too fond of pork ourselves, just now. The last group of muslims we had over for lunch were also very worldly, but they were very touchy about "discrimination" and "prejudice", towards a religion that they hardly understand. Anyway, it will be interesting.

You will never guess what we girls saw last night: a praying mantis. It was big, about as long as my hand, and it looked mean. All I remember about praying mantis's from elementary grade science is that the females eat their husbands. And I've never seen a praying mantis in Nebraska before. We were out late last night because we went to Iowa to hear Presidential Candidate Ron Paul speak. I've posted a little about him before, and if I have time before I leave I'll post my thoughts about his speech. It seems like every sentence I say nowadays ends with the words "before I leave". Scary!

Another. Hog. Update.

Are you guys getting tired of these updates?
I sure am.

Anyway, I said I would try to post after the last meeting and I didn't. Sorry.
The board of Supervisors, after having a public hearing where we all said our thing, went into executive session so they could privately discuss the matter. This time at the public hearing the cattleman's association, the chamber of commerce, the zoning commission, the county lawyers, a spokesman for Harry Kenobe, and a privately hired lawyer all spoke on behalf of Mr. -------. Those are the big guns here in NE. They are richer than we'll ever be. They are worried that if the board votes against this one hog barn that it will set a precedent against agriculture here in NE. Which is really quite extreme, and not true.

The board voted to basically erase the last decision they made to deny the hog barn, and to table the discussion for two weeks so the lawyers could issue statements. At this point they are, to my understanding, just trying to avoid a lawsuit. The farmers from all over NE are supporting Mr. ------- , and they have money; they are really pressuring the board to approve the barn.

So, it seems like we are going to lose, but that isn't a done deal. Our options appear to be:

• Sue
  
• Move
• or just put up with it.

Our four year old thinks we should take the house apart, put it and the pool in the truck, drive to Africa, and live there. None of the options before us are particularly desirable. I will not be here for the next meeting(s?) since I am leaving in about two weeks for Ft. Bragg. There is no way to know how long this will go on or what will happen next. I probably won't be posting much about it while gone since I won't have access to the information, but I'll let you know if anything big happens.

Summer heat

Weather flash: It's 94 in the shade here, and very humid. Granted, it's not as hot as Iraq. But it's still hot. We would very much appreciate some rain very soon. Mom's garden is suffering.

Our water pump broke.
We have no drinking water, no hot water, and worst of all, no running water. We can get cold water from the basement, but that's it. We've been washing our hair in buckets; at least, those of us who care about cleanliness have, and have been carrying and heating water on the stove to wash dishes. I would tell you what we are doing with the toilet situation, but I don't think it would be proper to say in such a public spot. The whole situation is annoying, but not too terrible. It looks like it will be fixed by the time I get home from work tomorrow.

hog update and other news

Tonight is our hog meeting before the planning commission. I'm exhausted, but I really want to go. This meeting is going to be big and we'll have a few new tactics going on, and I want to blog about it. Aren't I a dedicated blogger? We are expecting Mr. ------- to maybe have a lawyer there, and have a much much stronger voice about the issue this time around. Everyone is saying he's going to "bring out the big guns." So another late night for me. Just to be clear, this is not our last hog meeting by far. We have no idea how long this will go on. They will probably still be having meetings while I am gone, and maybe when I get back even, if nothing decisive happens, like a court case. Even then, who can say? I know it might sound a little overdone, but this issue has brought a lot of stress int our lives. It can be hard not to get discouraged when thinking about the affects of CAFOs on people, and the subsequent changes we would have to make in our lives if it goes up, for example- moving. So I guess I shouldn't think about it!

On the subject of leaving- I now have less than a month left before I leave for Ft. Bragg. That doesn't seem like a very long time to me! It is scary and exciting to think about leaving home. I know I will really miss my family. It turns out I will be gone for more like three and a half months, rather than two and a half. The return date is still not clear.

On a more lighthearted note, Mom was telling us the other day about the investments she had made and how they were doing (Mom is the family financial dealer) and one of her investments is doing real well- Smith and Wesson. That's good, of course, but we thought it was funny; she only invested in that stock because she thought she was investing in Wesson cooking oil.

More random tidbits

I cut my finger today. I was cutting up a watermelon in a very stupid way. As I was remarking how it pained me, oh the blood, etc., my loving brothers said, "don't you want to be like a lean, mean, Marine?"
No!
Now I wonder where they learned that expression?

I made reese's today- peanut butter and chocolate were made to be together! They have to be kept in the freezer because they melt so rapidly otherwise. And they were calling my name... I could not escape them... in the end I managed to take them out of the freezer, put them all in a plastic bag, and eat two without the boys in the next room even noticing. That's what you have to be careful of- if one boy sees you eat a sweet, they all want to eat one too.

Various topics of conversation

Jeremy keeps us all either laughing or frustrated. Today he asked me a Theological question: can God turn me into food? I am not sure even Seminary would prepare you for that question. Jeremy still has a small bruise where the toilet lid shut on him- another story we laugh at. He spent a lot of the day outside spraying water all over with a plastic spray bottle. So cute!

So the 4th of July is almost here. We are going to the State Capitol for a Christian celebration of our Country's heritage. The ceremony should be wonderful, but I am a little apprehensive about afterwards. Having Jenni gone might be good for me, as far as gaining confidence by being alone in certain situations, but it's sure not fun. It was very depressing to me to be alone on Sunday, especially after various disagreements with friends.

Speaking of Jen, she called yesterday and she is having an awesome time dancing and making new friends. She said pointe class is painful, jazz and modern are easy, praise dance is God-honoring, combinations are good for her, and conditioning class is like ballet boot camp. She said they do lots of push-ups, sit-ups, etc, and they work her so hard her arms shake and she sweats a ton. But she is really having fun being with so many Christian girls who all love ballet.
I miss her!

Hog update

Here is a newspaper article about our last hog meeting:

”One of the most livestock-friendly counties in Nebraska rejected a proposed hog-confinement operation on Tuesday. After hearing complaints from neighbors about potential odor and health problems and damage to property values, the County Board voted 5-2 to reject a proposed 2,496 head wean-to-finish hog barn. Mr. -------, who lives (in a different county), said that he was surprised by the rejection of his hog operations after the first County Planning Board earlier had approved his plan on a 5-1 vote.
"I think they got a little bit scared," ------- said of the County Board. "It's a live stock operation, so it does smell some. But I don't think it would be as bad as what they think."
------- said that shortly after the negative vote, he reapplied for a county conditional use permit to build the hog barn, which would be the first one he owns.
While (our) County is not an officially designated "livestock friendly" county it has been in practice. It ranked No.1 in cattle on feed, 229,321 head, and No.4 in total hogs, 150358, according to the state's most recent agricultural census in 2002.”

The next meeting is two weeks from now, so we’re looking at getting a lawyer and some more support, because we know he will be a whole lot stronger in his denial of our concerns this time around. I guess I am very easily discouraged about this whole issue right now, because a) our county leadership doesn’t seem to care about the issues we brought up last time, b) we live in such an agricultural state that some of our friends and most of our leadership support big hog operations, in all their filth, and especially when it’s your friends opposing, it’s discouraging, and c) I’m missing Jen an whole lot more this week. The longest we’ve been apart before is a week, and it’s been two. I’m starting to feel very lonely. Today was especially bad. But our “We don’t want hogs for neighbors” group met tonight and everyone is still going strong on opposing this thing, so that is a plus. And besides that, God is in charge. Whew!

It's not over until the fat lady sings

I looked up the meaning and history behind the saying "It's not over until the fat lady sings" and I couldn't find too much to clarify the story. As far as I could figure, it was meant to be a sort of threat, meaning it's not over yet and we still have a chance, it's not over until it's over, etc. I didn't want to post it if it's meaning was meant to be rude and insulting, but the only thing I found rude about it and in it's history is that you shouldn't call people fat and doing that in this sentence is a prejudice against Opera singers. I haven't heard much opera, certainly not live opera, and of what I've heard I mostly don't like except for what I've heard of "Carmen". But that is a whole different subject from what I am going to talk about in this post. Here's an interesting article about opera.

This post could also be titled "Hog update number three".

Mr. ------ apparently re-applied for his building permit immediately after the meeting. We knew there was a strong possibility he would fight the decision made last Wednesday. We found out the day after the meeting that he had re-applied by reading the Omaha World Herald. We have not been contacted by any officials as far as another meeting, and we don't know what will happen next. So this is still hanging over our heads, with an uncertain future decision. That can be so depressing. I was so hoping that Mr. ------ would consider how many people live in the immediate area, and our position on the proposed CAFO, and decide to just farm the land instead. But men are naturally sinful and want their way, and Mr. ------ wants no less!

So, it's not over until the fat lady sings.

Hog update

I meant to post this last night, but the internet wasn't working. Sorry to keep you all waiting.

This morning was the meeting of the board of Supervisors, to discuss and vote on the hog confinement planned for next door. Dad and Mom both took off from work and the whole family went, except, of course, for our dearly departed sister(dancing in MS) and our brother (independent working man). So we got the boys all dressed in clean clothes and went down to the county court house.

The meeting only lasted about an hour and fifteen minutes, and most of that was made up of us on the opposing side giving our arguments, again. And again, Mr. ------ said very little. His building contractor spoke for him, and one other person, but they didn't have much to say. It was pretty tense- the two speakers were not rude as they were last time, but more forceful. It was implied by the opposing side that we would go to court if the board approved the CAFO. The board members again didn't seem to care about health issues; the reason that seemed to most motivate them to vote against the CAFO was mainly the force and size of the opposition, -us. We were told that on average, in our county there is a livestock operation for every square mile, but this is the first time that there have been so many people living near the proposed site, and that those people have been so strongly against it.

It has been such a weird day!

There were maybe thirty people at the meeting on the opposing side, and only about seven on the other side. The board is made up of seven people, and so we needed four votes against the CAFO to win.


We got five!



We won round two, and we really(really, really, really, really) hope there will not be a round three. There is a strong possibility that Mr. ------ will go to court. So I'm not sure how much we should celebrate, but I am very glad that we won. It was a surprise to us that we actually got five votes. We are all very happy with our district supervisor, who said strait out, "These people are in my district and I'm voting against it." We are all for voting him back in next election day! So now some of the pressure is off. Our neighborhood is having a "celebrate fresh air" party some time next week, and for now we just have to keep our eyes on Mr. ------ and watch for a lawsuit.



I went outside today and I breathed fresh air! Hallelujah! The skies were blue and there was no smell! Thank you, Lord! There is still a plain cornfield next door- I love you, cornfield! I'll never complain about the view again! I love our house, our land, our neighbors, and our God!

Summer

We set the pool up last Saturday, and the boys have spent every minute possible out in it. Andrew has been wearing his swimming shorts all day, and he keeps asking if he can go out now. Chores and school get harder to do every day, with the swing and the pool both beckoning.
It's 91 today, and it will be in the 90's all week, so it is good weather for swimming.

We are painting the upstairs hallway. Whew! Caleb and I just did the coat of primer and it almost took us all day. Why do people build such high ceilings? We both got covered with paint, and so did the stairs and woodwork even though they were covered with sheets and newspaper, so we ended up spending the last forty-five minutes scrubbing white spots off the woodwork. It was exhausting and I wish we didn't have to do another coat.

Painting the stairway is just one of the projects on my to-do-before-I-leave list. Even though I have roughly a month and a half before I actually do leave, I feel like time is swiftly fleeting and I won't have time to do all that I need too. I am going to be starting a email list to use for updates on my ministry and learning experience in NC, so if you want to get email updates from me, just let me know. I figure if you don't already have my email address, I don't want to you to know more than I will be posting on my blog, so that shouldn't be a problem. I am planning on putting more personal information in these emails than I will be putting on this blog. Also, I am going to get a new email address soon(before I leave!) so I will be sure to send that out to you close friends as soon as I get it.

Health

The boys caught the flu today, the end result of hanging around too many cute girls. So we are all trying to keep taking medicine to stay healthy. I want to be in good health when I leave for Ft. Bragg, so I've been taking some steps to improve my health, which is alright overall but could be a lot better.
I've changed my morning routine so that I am now taking(daily):

• One spoonful cod liver oil- it's really not that bad.
• One acidophilus pill-supposed to be swallowed whole but I just can't do that.
• One tablespoon chlorophyll in my water- chlorophyll is actually almost tasteless, and therefore easy to take.
• One tablespoon apple cider vinegar in my water- not very tasty, but I can take it.
• About half a cup unsweetened healthy yogurt- it's really pretty sour, but you can get used to it.

And that's my breakfast. It is very filling and takes awhile for me to finish. In the next few weeks I'm hoping to a regular doses of Vitamin C, per the chiropractor's orders, and bowel cleanser, along with a parasite cleanse. That all sounds pretty disgusting, I guess. The one thing I ought to do but just really don't want to, is exercise.

The Adams family

I have been reading a book of selected letters of John and Abagail Adams that were written from 1762-1784. Because of his duties, John Adams was away from home for very long amounts of time. These letters are written in the good kind of romantic way, with Mr. and Mrs. Adams calling each other "my dearest best friend" etc. I really have enjoyed it, but as I am so rushed I only have time to post this quote from a certain letter:

"This wandering, intinerating life grows more and more disagreeable to me. I want to see my wife and children every day, I want to see my grass and blossoms and corn every day. I want to see my workmen, nay, I almost want to go and see the boss calves as often as Charles does. But above all except the wife and children, I want to see my books."
John Adams to his wife Abagail in 1772

It's recital season

Some of you may know that my sister is nearly the best ballerina in the Mid-west. Her ballet recital was last week, and we have more ballet activities next week. Her ballet is very beautiful, very inspiring, and very expensive. So running off to ballet events is what's keeping me busy these days. This photo is of her group's pointe dance.

An update on my cactus

Some of you may remember I brought a plain old cactus(plucked at a great physical price from the dusty earth) home from Texas a year ago. It flourished and then we thought it had died; but now it is growing again. I tell you, I am not touching that thing again. It can do whatever it wants, I am going to leave it alone now. The thrill of owning a Texas cactus has vanished. But here it is in it's current state, with its newest branches.

It's a beautiful day

Every morning I wake up to the sound of birds outside my window- almost right next to my head. Sometimes, when the loud, ugly-sounding birds are in residence, this can be annoying. Some birds really sound like monkeys. But most mornings I hear birds chirp and sing- this considerably helps my mood when getting up in the morning. Sometimes at night I hear owls, raccoons, cat-fights, and other strange rustling noises. I am so thankful that we live where we can enjoy God's nature so easily.
While we are on the subject of birds, the other day on the way to work I nearly hit three vultures that were eating a dead animal on the road. We don't often see vultures. Then a little ways further a pheasant ran across the road. I am proud to say that the only creatures I have ever run over and killed are a squirrel, a cat, and a snake. No deers or skunks yet.


Last week we had Dad's students up for lunch, and this week we are having more guests as well. So in the course of two weeks I will have met people from Korea, Japan, Lithuania, Tajikistan, Columbia, and Afghanistan. Of course we can't serve pork, because the Tajikis and Afghans are Muslims. At one pot-luck we had a while ago, we cautioned everyone not to bring pork, just in case they didn't already know that Muslims don't eat pork. And guess what one lady brought- a nice, big, ham.
And then when we had students from Korea stay with us, a lot of innocent and apparently uninformed people would ask us, "So are they from North or South Korea?"
It was hard not to laugh at that.

Random bits of info

It was 91 degrees on Monday, and breezy. I did two loads of laundry and the first load dried in just an hour because of the hot weather and wind. Today it got up to around 70. Fluctuating weather!

I rubbed my hands raw yesterday trying to hack up a piece of cardboard for my younger brother- he is making a raised map of the USA using cardboard and salt-dough for our upcoming home school fair. We always seem to wait until the last minute to finish our displays.

From the ever talkative Jeremy, while discussing what to become when he grows up:
"Who's the person who brings us mail?
Oh yeah, the mailman."

And on the way home from a dinner after observing the sky:
"Look, the moon followed us home!"

Ahhh, so cute. I did remember to do his reading lesson with him today, and he wiggled all the while. For some reason, it wears me out to watch him use so much energy; maybe it's just wearing to have to exercise so much patience on my part! Today we read about the "the dog will eat his small car." It's definitely better then "See Jane run" right?

Ordinary life

This morning while I was doing up my hair, my youngest brother stayed with me in the bathroom making "owl noises" all the while. After that he followed me to the dining room and demonstrated how he shoots his plastic pistol.... people don't realize what it means when we say, "Yes, he is cute, but he talks constantly." What we mean is, he talks ALL THE TIME(24/7/365), and not in a whisper, in a YELL. I love my brothers, but it is nice to get away to the office for a whole day of quiet. What kind of mother would I make, I wonder?

So today the boys are supposed to clean house for our guests; I hope they remember to mop, because Caleb got honey on the floor and Andrew spilled bubbles yesterday.

Here's a video for you to watch from Wednesday. It is of Congressman Geoff Davis of Kentucky, and it is only one minute long.

Laconic

I just love the story of this word.

A laconic man is a person of few words;he is blunt and brief in what he has to say.

We get this word from the Laconians of Greece:
An Athenian herald told them: "If we come to your city, we will raze it to the ground". The Laconians merely answered, "If."

Wikipedia has a few more examples:

• Herodotus wrote that when before the Battle of Thermopylae, Dienekes the Spartan was told the Persian arrows would be so numerous as to blot out the sun. He responded with "So much the better, we shall fight in the shade." Today Dienekes's phrase is the motto of the Greek 20th Armored Division.
• On the morning of the third and final day of the battle, Leonidas, knowing they were being surrounded, exhorted his men, "Eat well, for tonight we dine in Hades."(They were obviously pagans!)
• When asked by a woman from Attica, "Why are you Spartan women the only ones who can rule men?" Gorgo replied, "Because we are also the only ones who give birth to men."
• Spartan mothers or wives gave a departing warrior his shield with the words: "With it or on it!", implying that he should return (victoriously) with his shield, or (his cremated body in an urn) upon it, but by no means after saving himself by throwing away his heavy shield and fleeing.
• When a Spartan complained to his mother that his sword was too short, she replied, "It would be long enough if you took a step forward."

Some of you may recognize these Spartan sayings from the movie "300" , which I have not seen and I don't plan to- the level of violence is a bit more than I want to see. And it has all those great special effects and graphics- what a waste!

Birthdays and books.

Yesterday we had an elderly lady over for dinner because her 80th birthday was last week. Mom gave her a birthday gift of Kidney/bladder tincture treatment. Kind of an odd birthday gift, but I guess if it made her happy.... and at that age most people probably could use that kind of gift, anyway!

I had a dentist appointment today, and I am glad to report that I have no cavities. I celebrated by eating a piece of chocolate. Ha ha! I am grateful for my healthy teeth, but I have a premonition that my love of chocolate will someday, perhaps, catch up to them.... but until then, vive la chocolate!

Today's book list:
Nathan J. Stone's "Names of God", I've really been enjoying it, and I highly recommend it. I just finished the chapter about "Adonai".
"Beginning German", copyright 1906. For some reason, the German language just really turned me off, so I decided not to finish it. Maybe I will learn enough to translate tombstone inscriptions, but that can wait until the summer.
"How I know God answers prayer", by Rosalind Goforth. I believe the story of the Goforths is still fairly well known- they were missionaries to China during the boxer rebellion. This book by Mrs. Goforth is all about answered prayers in her life.
"Words you thought you knew." by Jenna Glatzer. Kind of like a dictionary to help people better understand the words they use, and to explain how those words are often mis-used.
"Word origins and their romantic stories." So far I've only read the first two chapters, and I haven't gotten to any romantic stories yet. I did learn about how our alphabet was formed- very interesting.

Laughing is good for you

Mom laughed until she cried tonight because Jonny showed up for storytime wearing only sweatpants and huge underwater goggles, making him the envy of his brothers. He really looked hilarious, and so nonchalant. Just before this he spent five minutes banging a strange kind of Morse code on the kitchen floor with a yardstick trying to get Caleb to come upstairs.

Boys!

Caleb and I also had a good laugh about Tai Chi- besides the exercise class named "Tai Chi", we were so sure there was a kind of tea called Tai Chi, and it took us awhile to remember that it's actually Chai Tea.

So we've had a few good laughs this evening.

Today I...

Boiled chicken, cut it off the bone, put it back in the pot with vegetables, made noodles for the soup, then bagged it up to give away. Even used leeks this time, which gave it a good flavor. Made cookie dough, froze it in rolls, also to give away. Made chocolate sauce for Easter. Started the ham for tomorrow's lunch. Made cinnamon rolls for tomorrow's breakfast(Mom says we have to get up early for our very own Easter Sunrise service). Check everyone's hair for cleanliness, clean up from dinner, set out utensils for tomorrow, dole out medicine for colds, pacify, instruct and reprimand the boys.

A very productive day.

Home schoolers and Civic involvement

You can buy the whole study by Brian Ray about home schoolers here. My sister and I did political work in the last election and loved it. We plan to do it again.

Why do people ask this question?

It's a LILY-TROD!

I caught a slight cold, which is why I haven't been posting- I missed a day at work, so no high speed internet and no capacity to think. Our four year old came up to me today and said, "let's Alaska kiss!" Meaning, an Eskimo kiss. A very rare and tempting offer, and if my nose wasn't running I'd accept. He also violently insists that flamingos are really named "Lilytrods" and I have no idea why. He is such a hyper boy, but then again, aren't all boys hyper?

Today's reading

Life is never boring when you have brothers

Broken swords are apparently more fun than unbroken swords.

Mom and the boys at the zoo

Andrew and Jonny in the desert dome














Jonny climbing on the fence














Jeremy and Andrew with the gorillas














Inspecting the map














Taking a water break














So much walking!














The boys














On the lions at the zoo exit

Domestic pursuits

This morning I wrote letters and did school with the boys; both worthy and time consuming projects that occupied most of the morning.

This afternoon I cooked and baked. I started off with fruit salad, because we had a squishy cantaloupe and some grapes in the fridge that needed to be eaten. Then, at Jen's suggestion, we three older kids made two lime meringue pies for the first time ever. That took awhile, but they turned out nicely. I made the filling, Caleb beat and stirred, and Jenni just checked the meringue. After that, because I knew that since we are all going to be gone tomorrow, I made a cake mix for the bag lunches(Dad to work, us girls to the business, and Mom and the boys to the zoo) along with broccoli soup for tomorrow's dinner. I had to boil and puree the broccoli, then put it in the fridge to keep. Then I moved on to tonight's dinner, layered bean dip, making sure that there was enough for Mom to take tomorrow to the zoo. Us girls are having chicken sandwiches for lunch, and Dad will probably take dip too.

Whew! Sometimes my life seems to revolve around food, endlessly eating and preparing and cleaning up, but I really do enjoy cooking. Good thing, I guess, since I'm the cook. Behind every good man is a good cook, you know, and I have five good men in my life.

Other than that, the garbage has been emptied, the dishes are being done, an easter tree picked, our play practiced, and as soon as I get Caleb to set the table I'm going to go catch the news. Hopefully, I will be able to get back into the debate about the Constitution tomorrow. Jen has ballet tonight or I would get started on the good old "Pride and Prejudice" series we checked out from the library.

It is a principle incorporated into the settled policy of America, that as peace is better than war, war is better than tribute." -James Madison

We are stuck at home because of another snowstorm. It seemed like a bummer this morning, because I had to stay home again, after being alone with the boys all day yesterday and missing Church and various other social activities in the past few weeks, but I'm over it now. I spent the day being very lazy- I read the books "Fourth Dawn" and "Fifth Seal" by Brock and Bodie Thoene, the fourth and fifth installments of their A.D. Chronicles series. It is a extremely well written and inspirational series and I encourage you all to read it. I also ate chocolate, cut material for a skirt, and made dinner. It was also nice to see Dad again- he's been so busy he hasn't been home much- and Mom told us all about her trip to the dinner theater yesterday. It took about two hours for her to tell us about the trip, her companions on the bus, describe the theater decor and the meal, tell the entire story of the play, and the trip back home. Mom is a good story teller and we girls like to hear every little detail. It's a family tradition to sit and talk in the morning after Bible study, even if we can only talk for fifteen minutes, about what we did the day before and what our plans are for the day ahead.

We probably didn't get more than a few inches here, but the wind is so strong and there are big snowdrifts all over. Schools are all closed tomorrow and the roads will still be perilous so we will probably stay home tomorrow too unless we go in to shovel snow at the business. I know we have nothing to complain about compared to New York- Jen says that they are being punished for having Hillary as a Senator.

In heavenly love abiding

In heavenly love abiding, no change my heart shall fear.
And safe in such confiding, for nothing changes here.
The storm may roar without me, my heart may low be laid,
But God is round about me, and can I be dismayed?

Wherever He may guide me, no want shall turn me back.
My Shepherd is beside me, and nothing can I lack.
His wisdom ever waking, His sight is never dim.
He knows the way He’s taking, and I will walk with Him.

Green pastures are before me, which yet I have not seen.
Bright skies will soon be over me, where darkest clouds have been.
My hope I cannot measure, my path to life is free.
My Savior has my treasure, and He will walk with me.

-Anna Waring

Enough of this weather!

When I got up this morning(not on time, by the way) everything outside was covered with a thin but crusty layer of ice. Various members of our family are sick right now, the house smells like garlic, bleh, and I really don't want to get sick, so I agreed to go in to the business today until 3pm when I have a babysitting job(twin girls, really cute). So off I drove. As I began to slowly descend down a hill into town, guess what happened.
Brake swish brake skid swish brake plunk.

Down I slid towards the ditch, thankfully missing a nearby truck and thankfully not going into the steep ditch because it was full of snow that stopped me. If I had come a minute later, I would have crashed into the (very new looking)truck.
Thankfully, we don't have airbags in our (very old) car, so there was no possibility of them going off, and I was going slow so there was no whiplash or anything.
Thankfully, the driver of the truck gave me a ride to the business so I didn't have to walk. (I know, don't ride with strangers. But this is in Oakland! He turned out to be the husband of one of our customers)
Bill and Larry(yes, those are their real names) pulled the car out for me a few hours later and overall no damage was done. I'm very thankful to God for keeping me safe. With five drivers in the family we have had hardly any car accidents. And I will be even more thankful if I don't get the flu from my family!

Neutrality Loathsome

God will have all, or none; serve Him, or fall
Down before Baal, Bel, or Belial.
Either be hot, or cold: God doth despise,
Abhor, and spew out all neutralities.

-By Robert Herrick

I'm not going to college and you can't make me!

So I'm back. Actually I've been home since Sunday, and I've just been lazy about posting. The week of babysitting went well- the children are very well disciplined and respectful. I caught a cold from one of the kids, as I always seem to do when I babysit. There were five kids under the age of eight, and they kept me busy, but all went well.

It snowed again last Saturday and the boys have been enjoying sledding and hot chocolate. I have been getting back into my routine and trying to get some work done before our home school co-op starts up again. On the topic of waiting at home- just the other day while I was at work one of our members came in to exercise. We chatted a bit; she asked me if I had found a job yet, then all of a sudden she said seriously,
"You know honey, you DO have to go to college."
(I do not like to be called "honey" by people who are not in my family.)
I laughed, somewhat incredulously, (What? Are you serious? Who are you to tell me what to do?) And said:
Why?
And she basically said:
"Well, you may have to support yourself if you husband is unable to, or if you need extra money someday, I mean, getting married and having kids is ok, but you should be able to get a good job."
Me:
I agree that I should have a way to support myself (in case my husband dies, or if I never get married) but I don't think college is the best way to gain a secondary education.
She just repeated what she said before. I probably shocked her terribly; she is a public school teacher and she seems to be against home schooling. But the arrogance! Telling me that I have to go to college. College is not the only way to learn a trade, to assure a good job and earn a living; and as far as art goes, it is not the most efficient or the best quality way to learn. People don't think outside the box.
So frustrating!

Oh Boy!

The boys are so excited because, as they put it, "Alaska is coming here!" Snow, freezing rain, and below freezing temperatures-ah yes, a bit of Colorado heading for our very own backyard. The boys are thrilled. I don't mind so long as the roads are cleared by Sunday morning. I have a babysitting job next week in the capitol city that I can't miss. I promise to post something good before I leave; I doubt I will have internet access where I'm going. By the way, I had Lithuanian chocolate for breakfast today and it was tasty!

He's a Pirate.