Home again, home again

So here are a few of our adventures:
seeing wild turkeys and flying squirrels and a beautiful buck (deer) within feet of the home we stayed in...
going to the Lees-McRae College Wildlife Rehab center to see all kinds of animals needing care, including a possum that was raised as a pet (giant rat, cuter than I thought, and soft!), an owl with one wing who nibbled on Ben's finger and put her toys away very precisely, a partial albino red-winged hawk (so pretty), a turtle named tripod, a peregrine falcon, a variety of songbirds, and a student catching mice who had escaped from a shipment meant for feeding the animals, and made a home some of the enclosures. So far 4 of the mice they'd caught were pregnant...which I suspect means a winter of catching mice. If the pictures come out at all, doubtful since I used neither flash nor tripod, I'll try to post some...
many hours spent at Mountain Grounds, our second home of the trip...they were our source both for internet access and for Ben to watch football. Their hospitality was amazing. Thanks, Dale, Michael, Ally, and Jessica, and all the rest of the crew!...
visited the Penland Craft School. I'm dying to go back and take a class on bookmaking or printmaking or maybe glass...or all of them...
rested in a wonderful hospitable home, with a comfy bed and everything we could need...
cooked great meals, and ate great meals out...
had a really nice, relaxing time together...
took naps on the loveseat with a thick fleeceblanket. Who knew that would be the most comfortable way to sleep? My back loved it!...
held a mouse funeral...
finished the first chapter of my dissertation (two days after the chapter 2 deadline, but I finished!!!)...
missed my puppy...
celebrated Ben's birthday...

Guess it was pretty busy for a vacay, huh? But a good time was had by all.
All except for Lamont the mouse, anyway.

Happy and brave

I regret to say that one of our mice passed away sometime today. He was taken from us suddenly in the living room. Funeral services were held this afternoon, with the Revs. Anne and Ben Sims co-presiding. The text was from the pilot of "The Cosby Show" and included the words, "Lamont was a good mouse, happy and brave. Our rodent friend will be interred in the Avery County landfill early next week.
No flowers, please. Condolences may be left in the comments.

On another wildlife note, we've seen flying squirrels and wild turkeys today. They live outdoors, as we really prefer our wildlife do. Although we are fond of the mice.

Vacation, all I ever wanted

Its true, I'm away, and won't be blogging for a few days. We're staying in the mountains in a borrowed home and sharing it with a couple of mice. Call me crazy, but we think they are kind of charming...they come out to visit in the evenings and see if we've dropped any crumbs, which we are careful not to do.

Friday Five Livesaver Edition

From KathrynZJ:

In honor of BE Three I thought I'd offer up a Friday Five of lifesavers. I'm going on our cruise (are you?) because I am excited about meeting up with my blogging buddies again, I am interested in the speaker and because when I went on the first one my life was saved (okay, that may be a little over-dramatized but if you saw me getting on the boat and then the difference when getting off the boat you would know of what I speak).

I don't expect - or need - another life saving moment but I want to support the conference.

Of course lifesavers can come in all sizes and with far less drama. I would readily admit that I have considered a person (children's sermon substitute), the location of a bathroom, and a beverage (the last diet coke in the back of the fridge - score!) all to be lifesavers at one point or another.

And so today I ask you - dramatic or fairly common - what have been/are your lifesavers:

1) Your lifesaving food/beverage.

In the past it was Dr. Pepper. I haven't had any in over two years, but like any soda addict, I still crave it. Chocolate, though, is my real life-saver. As my senior pastor commented (again) yesterday, even though I'm off caffeine as much as possible, if I were to give up both coffee and chocolate, no one would want to be near me.

2) Your lifesaving article of clothing.

Depends on the moment. Chilly morning: my new hooded toggle sweater jacket. Warm morning: sandals and t-shirts. When my back's bad, as it has been this week: Crocs.

3) Your lifesaving movie/book/tv show/music.

Oh, there are many of these. The Lord of the Rings and the Wheel of Tim let me lose myself when I need to (book 12 is on my desk...W00T!). The Message, when I need God to speak to me in simple words and phrases. Chris Rice and Rich Mullins, as always, for music. Movies: too many to count. I find wisdom in a lot of them. "About a Boy" and "The Dark Crystal" come to mind.

4) Your lifesaving friend.

This is easy: Tonya. Even when the distance between us is measured in thousands of miles, as it has been for the last 5 years, one phone call is all it takes to remember how close we are. She was here last week--lots of fun, lots of playtime, and lots of shopping! Just the therapy I needed.

5) Your lifesaving moment.

My classmates threw me a lifeline last night. I am way behind on my dissertation and planning to use part of my vacation (starting Monday, yay!) as a writing retreat. There's no real reason for me to be struggling except it's been a very stressful summer and fall. So last night, via email, we started to plan a get-together in January. It may fall through, but I was so happy that they were willing to come to Beaufort. It was just the morale boost I needed! And I hope we can work it out. I didn't realize how isolated I was feeling (and yes, I did it to myself, but still...) and they made it all better with just a few emails. If you read this (TW, for example), know I love you guys, and you really did save me last night.

F5: Footwear edition

Jan over at the RevGals poses this F5:

Too often the Friday Fives I offer up seem extremely introspective, so here's something that could be fun. I notice as I finish my sixth decade that my taste in footwear is much different than when I was younger, as comfort wins out over fashion. So look at your feet and think about what you put on them!

1. What is your favorite footwear at this time in your life?

Sandals and Crocs...I've always preferred comfort over style.

2. What was the craziest shoe, boot, or sandal you ever wore?

Crocs, probably. When I was in high school I had a pair of blue, green and yellow keds...they were cute.

3. What kind of shoes did you wear in your childhood?

I remember a couple of pairs of sturdy school shoes, but I've always had a thing for white keds.

4. How do you feel most comfortable? Barefoot, flip-flops, boots, or what?

Barefoot...which I suspect is why my feet keep getting just a little wider.

5. What kind of socks do you like, if any?

Cute ones! I have several pairs with cats and dogs, lots of polka dots and argyles, and some stripes. Also, fuzzy chenille ones for winter evenings.

Bonus: Anything you want to share about feet or footwear.

I can't think of anything anyone would want to hear, except that I think New Balance in general and the Glenwood Ave store in Raleigh NC in particular, are wonderful. Ben's physical therapist and orthotics people have recommended the shoes to him because they are very stable and have models with a wide toe box. NB also has fit specialists in the stores who never look at us funny when we say his feet are two different sizes (Some shoe store employees have been dismissive, saying, "Oh, that's more common than you think" or "Almost everyone does." Maybe so, but the vast majority of the general population only hqs to buy one pair. We inevitably buy two...one foot is an 8EEEE and the other is a 10 1/2 EE. New Balance has always been great to us, even giving us a discount to help offset the cost of buying 2 pairs to get one useful one.

Wish I had a picture...

The dog was pitching a hissy fit in the yard, using most of his peke-vocabulary: yips, barks, squeaks, and some noises that are simply undescribable--and so I went outside to see what his issue was.
There were kittens born under my house a couple of years ago. Most of them, along with their mother, were adopted by someone in the neighborhood. One in particular likes to come back and visit, and torment the dog. Sometimes he sits in the kayak and just stares at the WonderMutt to make him wig out. So that, of course, is what I was expecting the problem to be.
I looked out into the yard and didn't see anything. It being after 10 pm and the cat being black, I didn't think anything of it, until I saw movement close to the kayak (under the eaves to the right of the door). I said "kitty kitty" and saw a funny looking critter trundling away.
Not a cat.
A possum.
Glad it didn't come when I called it.

Stuff and nonsense, mostly

I'm starting to feel guilty for not blogging more often, but I really haven't had much to say. My senior pastor was out sick last week and on Monday, so I've been "stepping and fetching," as Ben would say. And now we're away from home, and I'm trying to write and not feeling much like it. There is, however, the small matter of a deadline in 2 days.
We're in the Triangle area for a couple of days. Ben's participating in a clinical study of adults with cerebral palsy, and I'm driving and keeping him company and planning to spend the time he's being tested (3 hours, they say) writing. Since my laptop, which is my primary work and home computer, is on its way back to HP for a little work, I'm using the netbook. This is what I bought it for: travel and emergencies, because the laptop's been acting up for a while. But I am finding the keyboard occasionally a little cramped.
It's not as bad as the ipod, though. I'm learning to type a little on the touchscreen, and that makes me grateful for the netbook...
So here I am. Nothing interesting is happening, except that this week I really miss my cat. The one that died 3 years ago. I keep thinking I'll get over it; there will be no new pets for us for a while, according to an agreement Ben and I made several years ago. At that point we had 3, which was too many for us. Now I feel sometimes like two is not enough...it's not that I don't love the WonderMutt, and even spooky Boo. But it's not the same somehow.
Sigh.
But other than that, all's well. I've picked up some new teas, since I'm supposed to be avoiding caffeine, and I'm curious to try the rooibos-blood-orange-chocolate one. And there are 2 new bars of dark chocolate waiting for me...probably enough to keep me going for a month or two. And yes, I'm aware that chocolate is a source of caffeine, but no one wants me to do without it. I think of it more as a required supplement than junk food. And it's all dark chocolate, so there are flavonoids and antioxidants, so that's good. I don't entirely understand what those things are, but I know they are important.
I'm going to try to work on my dissertation now...perhaps my thoughts will be a little more organized there than here!

A very good day!

Today:
church was good. I love communion Sundays, and I love the liturgy.
MYF (youth group) was great--we have such a terrific group of kids and adult leaders!
I saw Slagline this morning; he's home from the AT, very thin, but looks happy and at peace.
I worked on my dissertation; writer's block is hopefully a thing of the past!
And this post comes from my new iPod touch...a seriously fun and useful toy...I mean, labor saving device that will help me work more effectively. Yeah, that's it! ;)

H1N1 Communion Liturgy

Sacrilegious, but funny!

F5: Touching holiness

Sally at the RevGals poses this Friday Five:

Yesterday I was privileged to join the thousands of pilgrims who had flocked to York Minster to see the casket containing the bones of St Therese of Lisieux. People came from miles around, some with deep faith came to venerate the Saint, others with none came out of curiosity. The Christians who came represented a mix of denominations, I went because I have read her writings and out of sheer curiosity having never been to anything like this before.

To put it in crude terms I was blown away by the by the deep sense of God's presence, of gentleness, of holiness and purity. Today as I reflect upon the experience I recognise that there have been other places and other times when I have experienced a tangible touch of God. I wonder if it was because the message that Therese had is so much needed today, she experienced God as a God of love, and encouraged others to draw closer...

How about you, where do you find God's peace and presence, is there:

1. A place that holds a special memory?

Many...the vesper dell at Lake Junaluska, where I struggled with an overwhelming and frightening encounter with the love of God. A certain overlook on the Blue Ridge Parkway. Low tide in the mouth of Deep Creek, with me in my kayak and no other people around.

2. A song that seems to usher you into the Holy of Holies?

Again, many. I refer you to:
Rich Mullins almost any of the slower stuff, and especially his last album.

Listening to "Peace" right now.
3.A book/ poem/ prayer that says what you cannot?
St. Patrick's Breastplate, Much of Brian Wren's work and this one from

The Book of Uncommon Prayer

:

Eternal God,
it is hard to believe
that you want what I have to give,
that you take me as I am,
where I am.
I find it difficult to trust you,
else I would not be so uptight and tense,
so anxious and uncomfortable.
Yet the Lord Jesus taught us to come to you
in the naturalness of our undressed lives,
and in the disorder of our chaotic spirits.
So I come.
...
I come, O Lord,
moving in the right direction, I hope.
I come, O Lord,
turned toward the light that you offer.
And if in my coming, my moving, my turning,
I am strengthened,
That is enough.
It is more than I can manage alone.

But then, there is little I can manage alone.
I need other people,
and above all,
I need you, O God. Amen.

4. How do you remind yourself of these things at times when God seems far away?

The hypnotherapy I took last year reminded me how important meditation is. Those are good times to get quiet, center myself, and remember the promise, "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

5.Post a picture/ poem or song that speaks of where you are right now in your relationship with God...
Chris Rice, "So Much for My Sad Song"