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Our Daily Thread 12-20-14

Good Morning!

5 Days!!!! 🙂

Today’s header photo is from Kare.

*It’s now Sunday the 21st, so I believe someone has a birthday today.

Happy Birthday Linda. 🙂

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On this day in 1790 the first successful cotton mill in the United States began operating at Pawtucket, RI.

In 1860 South Carolina became the first state to secede from the American Union. 

In 1879 Thomas A. Edison privately demonstrated his incandescent light at Menlo Park, NJ. 

And in 1968 author John Steinbeck died at the age of 66.

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Quote of the Day

“Christmas, my child, is love in action. Every time we love, every time we give, it’s Christmas.”

Dale Evans

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 This one is a request.

And this one is because I like it. From King’s College Choir

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Anyone have a QoD?

7,368 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 12-20-14”

  8. I don’t think I’m going to make it to midnight Eastern, even though it would only by 11:00 Central. Who will start this party?

    Maybe Jo at the end of her December 20. 🙂

    Night-night, wanderers.

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  9. Oh, hey, one more thing. That reminds me:

    When I visited my parents today for my dad’s birthday, they told about meeting a new person somewhere — a pastor — whose last name was Wanderer!

    Thought of y’all right then. 🙂

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  14. Oh, here are the brownies I promised. I froze them so they’d be less sticky as they make their way through cyberspace.

    And if you don’t get here fast enough to get any, don’t blame me.
    . . .
    . .. . . .

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  15. Mmmm, don’t mind if I do.

    Here’s some cider for y’all to drink. It might be spiked, I mean, flavored — merely, flavored, you know — with a secret ingredient.

    For the secret room.

    O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

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  16. My comment just got lost in cyberspace. I tried resubmitting it after it didn’t show up, and the “Duplicate entry detected” warning appeared. So let me try this again, and if my first (and maybe even second) tries show up, we will have 40 or 60 mugs of hot cider — spiked, I mean, flavored, yes, merely flavored — with a secret ingredient.

    For the secret room, you know.

    O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

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  18. I think I just figured out the mystery of why comment #2601 did not open up this newest room, and it was #2607 that did.

    I was enjoying a little stroll down memory lane for this secret room anniversary, skimming some posts here and there on the many pages opened on this thread, and starting about halfway through, the numbers people were posting in their comments did not match up with the endings or beginnings of old or new pages.

    Looks like some comments about halfway through this thread got deleted fairly recently, perhaps?

    That is my guess.

    AJ might know just what I’m talking about, perchance? 🙂

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  26. One of my lost comments just showed up. Now there are 40 mugs of cider instead of 20! Woohoo! We gotta get more people over here now! 🙂

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  27. Except there’s a race to 100 going on over at this weekend’s thread. Maybe I should carry some of those cups of cider over to the other thread, encourage people to slow down and l-i-n-g-e-r a bit.

    Then zip, off I go and grab 100!

    *rubs hands together with wicked intensity*

    😀

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  32. And so is this. 🙂

    Regarding my 8:12, I was thinking, though, about how we all have freedom of choice as to whether we keep posting here to keep the thread going.

    I know — real profound thought. 😉

    I was thinking about two possible dates, either of which will probably be my last post date on this thread. Either today, finishing up on the thread’s first anniversary, or at the end of this year.

    (December 30 or 31.) The 31st being the last day of the year, but the 30th probably being my last day online for the year, as 2015 ends on a Thursday, which has traditionally (though I’ve fallen off the wagon several times) been our media fast day.

    I might be back as 6 arrows on this thread another time this week, or I might end my run right now as Anonymous.

    But for sure I’ll see you guys on the other thread this week.

    Good night, wanderers.

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  34. In my lightly skimming this thread yesterday, I noticed that way back (on the first or second page of it, I think), Mumsee was claiming to be last. That, of course, wouldn’t do, so one or more of us worked at foiling her devious plot.

    This thread might never end…

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  37. So is the consensus that we will take this up just to the 21st, but no further, and let whoever was last on the 21st be last on the thread?

    Ooooooops.

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  39. I sat in my chair in the living room last night, looking out at the moonlight and thinking of this “secret room” that I’m leaving behind now. I was reminded of Margaret Wise Brown’s Goodnight Moon. This secret room, especially now, with its green walls, is like the “great green room.”

    We even have a mouse — AJ’s “Mouse.” 🙂

    Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, fellow wanderers who see this.

    …Goodnight stars
    Goodnight air
    Goodnight noises everywhere.

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  47. Later we went to Auckland to have a picnic with her granddaughters
    While walking in the park I had a hard time remembering whether I was in Portland or Auckland, the park was hilly and had cattle and sheep grazing

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  58. This year is almost over. Again. Wasn’t it just a day or two ago we were still saying, “By the year 2000”? Now it’s “Way back in the twentieth century . . . “

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  59. What? I think God knew what He was doing when He put me here. I thought they might be on New Zealand also. Seems close enough. From here. And I thought hedgehogs were in Europe.

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  60. It’s much too cold to go wading in the ocean here.

    We’re swathed in long, winter scarves, our dogs still dressed in their Christmas sweaters (although there is a group of dogs at one dog park who come wearing bomber jackets, it’s like a little-dog gang).

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  83. such a nice, quiet secret room.
    got lots of things at market today because I forgot to decide ahead of time what I would cook this week. So now I have lots of choices. none of the avocados were close to ripe and most of the broccoli was very poor quality. Now that we have had a lot of rain, things should improve

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  85. Thanks Karen. It was interesting sharing with folks in NZ. They were a little shocked when I said that I had only been out of this one square mile for two hours since July. I began to realize how restrictive my life is here. I am content, but it was so blessed to have time to just drive and explore, to feel the freedom that everyone else has. It was such a gift to me to have freedom.

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  86. Doesn’t everyone have bars and arc mesh on their windows and three deadbolts to get into their bedroom. Feels normal to me. It was so sweet that my friend understood my need for security and having the doors locked. I even bought two deadbolts in NZ that she will take home on her next visit that are for the house I own in California. They don’t sell this kind in the US.

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  87. aaarrrrgggghhhhh…… I went out and walked and walked this evening for close to one and a half hours. I was so proud of myself to be over 5 miles for the day.
    Then I synched my fitbit and it all showed up as zero.
    I put in a new battery yesterday and I knew that the time was off. Well, now the time is correct but it says I haven’t taken a step!!!

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  88. I don’t expect the school year to be exactly a breeze. I will have 19 students and we now have kinder until 2:45 with the rest of the school. So grateful to have this time to prepare.

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  90. Interesting to hear how safe Phos felt in Africa compared to how you feel where you are. A lot of meshed and barred windows and doors in Greece and Italy. The doors locked automatically in Okinawa and German, so we were always needing to prop them open.

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  91. And here? Well, never mind.

    I find I hibernate more and more as I get older. Except for church and getting firewood, I am content to stay indoors. Odd.

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  92. The temperature is so nice here that I want to get out and walk. Last night I felt strong as I walked.
    I do see folks and visit a little as I walk, but have no desire for a walking partner. I am content to be quietly alone.

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  93. I don’t drive anymore, but, being a homebody at heart, it doesn’t bother me. I can go weeks with the only place I go being church on Sunday morning.

    I do like, though, the times when Lee & I get out together for a bit.

    Speaking of Lee, I am so thankful for how he takes care of the errands, such as shopping, even though he works long hours. He usually stops on his way home from work. When possible, I do online shopping.

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  94. had a peaceful time of walking three and half miles today. It was harder as I walked up and down the steep hill to school. Just spent an hour and got a few more things organized.

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  95. Karen, where my house is in the states there is a golf course and I could use a golf cart to get around, even to the grocery store which is directly across from the main gate. If I find a cheap one, I may try it as a way to preserve whatever vehicle I purchase.

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  97. Good morning,. A lovely day here, of course, but I am probably staying home with the sickos while husband takes the others. He gets more out of it than I do. It works.

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  98. I went to the Meeting house, our church, last night for a report on a village trip to a remote area, sort of like a crusade. I should have known it would be in tok pisin. I got almost nothing out of it as really only know a few words. 😦

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  107. A beautiful day for oatmeal. Son is in from the chores and is enjoying his oatmeal and zucchini banana bread before running up to the bus and off to school.

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  109. I do have a chocolate horde here. I even have my favorites. I have set myself a weight goal for when I am allowed to open the bag. However the dark chocolate blackcurrants from New Zealand are fair game.

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  110. My sister put some family photos on Facebook as this is the anniversary of the day my Mom died 38 years ago. There is even a happy photo of when I was the baby.(or maybe I found that on my other sister’s wall?) Anyway I saved them to my computer and ipad and am now happy to have more family photos. I have no idea what is stored in my boxes somewhere.

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  114. Actually two new neighbors. One has bought the flat on one side of me, the other was temporarily assigned to the flat that I share an outside door with. The temporary one is quite the extrovert and we have had lots of talks. The other gal is very quiet.

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  116. I am glad to hear you have a couple of more people to talk with. Is the quiet one quiet because she is new, nervous, normally so? I did not know you had to buy your own flats.

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  117. Everyone here can choose to buy or rent. Used to be it took up to ten years to be able to buy as there were so few for sale. Now the market is such that several places have been on the market for 2 years. It is only our market to us, so it depends on how many new folks there are. The centre owns lots of duplexes that they put folks in. The place next to me that is a rental, the owner gave away knowing it wouldn’t sell and she would be stuck paying security fees forever. I chose to buy a it has saved me a lot of money.
    The new gal is just a quiet person with a very soft voice.

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  118. Sounds like an interesting option. Are the new folk experienced or is this a first time for them, are they looking at spending some years there, or just a year and we will see?

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  119. Everyone is different. Usually they have experience in their field, but may not have been on the mission field previously. My neighbor spent 7 years in Haiti and brought and shipped most of her things. She is here long term. A lot of folks come for one or two years. One gal just arrived who will be here running the Guest House for three months. Lots of turnover.

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  120. Sounds like lots of opportunities for people to serve. That is neat. And you get the opportunity to meet lots of interesting people from all over the world. I have found it a good way to open up one’s view of God. Not in a negative way, but enlarging our view of God. We tend to have Him in a little box and with years and experience, that opens up. Getting viewpoints from other views in other cultures can be very enriching.

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  121. yes, and my students come from all over the world. Some of the families have had me over for dinner and I have asked them for their stories of how God brought them here. One gal is the daughter of the first believer in a village in the Philippines and now she is a translator.

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  124. Jo – There is a man who used to be a regular on the World blog, Kyle Ambrose, who is now a Facebook friend of mine. He is also a missionary-teacher, teaching English at a high school in Wamena, Papua, Indonesia. He is with Mission Aviation Fellowship.

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  128. Right now, he & Papa are playing a game on the floor.

    I’m hoping he will be tired enough to go to sleep quickly this evening, as Emily is working.

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  133. I must admit that I have been coming home and taking a nap. Then I go out walking. However last night there was rain, thunder and lightning at my walking time so I spent 20 minutes walking around my place instead. I don’t mind rain, but won’t walk when I hear the thunder.
    It’s Friday! Besides me, I can see that my students are really tired too. Just fading at the end of the day.

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  134. Had a good lesson at the end of the day yesterday. They were with a partner and had cards with pictures of animals and had to decide how to put them in groups. I let them choose partners, but first I told them how to ask and respond. Then I called the person who then got to choose their partner. I did it with the shyest and quietest children going first, so they could find a partner that they liked. It went very well and we got great discussion between partners. Except for the one little girl that was falling asleep.

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  136. I don’t go out in lightning. Husband and the children like to. I tell them there are actually quite a few people who get hit by lightning, it is not a joke. They have not been hit yet. I love to watch lightning from inside the house, though.

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  138. So this is still going, huh?

    I’m having a hard time getting motivated to finish the project I’m working on, even though it’s actually a good book and I only have a few more hours left on it. But I was sick last weekend and I’m not sure I have all my energy back yet (nor have I been sleeping well), I have distractions of several other things I want to be doing (or that I need to be doing), AND January is usually a month off of editing and with the unusually busy fall I kept thinking, “January is coming, January is coming.” And then here comes January (which usually has literally no editing work) and I have three books to edit!

    Plus my husband is mentally worn out, too many things that he is responsible for and they’re wearing him out. So he badly wants a break, and I try to encourage him. And someone else in our household is in a season that isn’t as happy as it should be, and that’s hard on all of us to watch. (I don’t want to say more than that.) We could use prayer for stamina and endurance, as well as wisdom. The good news is we do have peace; it’s a peaceful household. But we need endurance and energy.

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  139. So nice to have a quiet Saturday morning. Neighbor is moving, the one whom I share a wall with and especially hear if she opens a bedroom drawer, so it will be even quieter.
    Praying for stamina, Cheryl. I am praying that for myself too as kinder is now all day. I just left after school yesterday as I knew I could come back today.

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  140. Well, here it is 13 months since we started this. And today my family finally celebrates Christmas 2015 🎄 . Okay, so we already celebrated separately, but haven’t had opportunity to get together to exchange gifts until today 🎁. Everyone will be there, including future son-in-law.

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  152. We are inquiring about two more children, ages fifteen and sixteen. I think we would do them well. They like working with animals, being outside, working on machinery. They are old enough that we would just be helping them fine tune their skills before heading off into the big world. But only God knows if they belong here. Thanks for praying with us on that.

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  153. Almost the end of January 29 and no posts today?

    I got the editing project done and some work on the next one. Some stressful things seem to be moving toward resolution (not close to the end yet, but moving forward). I’m glad for a mild winter so far–my husband and I may even get to go for a walk tomorrow in our local state park. We went to the store today and got some really good deals, so we walked out with a lot of food for under $70. It feels like a little bit of a break after some rough weeks–thanks for anyone who has prayed.

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  154. Praying for wisdom, Mumsee and Mike. God has a place for those children.

    Just blessed by my neighbor, the head of security who is from Nepal, Krishna is his name.
    He is having folks trim the hedge between us. I was thinking that I would have to do it myself. We turned our yard maintenance over to the construction department and they quit doing the hedge. For safety we like them to be around 3 feet and this has gotten to 7 feet or more.

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  155. My gophers ate my hedge. Well, it was not yet a hedge, it was going to be a hedge. I decided I did not need a hedge around my garden after all.

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  159. so they sent me a link to look at pictures of their trip. Do I really need 4 or 5 of the same picture. Must not have realized that it costs here. Oh, well
    Sorry for the silly posts. Just trying to get us back on the list.

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  164. I woke in the night thinking I heard a message come in, but remembered that I turn all of that off at night.
    I was distressed by one skiing video that showed the 2 year old and she kept saying, “I can’t see mama.” over and over. she was very worried. maybe I will Skype them today, I need to see her happy face and know that she is no longer worried. It was that little, fearful voice that got me.

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  165. I did, briefly facetime my daughter and get to see the grands. But the good news is that my son and his three children are coming to visit her this weekend. I did not know that. I haven’t seen those kids on facetime since last August. Not sure why, but they are never available, facetime tells me. I told my daughter that I would be calling for sure to visit. And this weekend is double birthdays as my son was born the day before mine.
    when I am here, our birthdays are on the same day.

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  166. Sounds like fun times! I don’t do well with Skype so I don’t . It is too frustrating and too mind disturbing with all of the motion and stopping of motion.

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  169. Well, close to 30 years ago now, a youth group I was in went skiing. I chose to stay home, because that didn’t sound fun, and it actually sounded rather dangerous. I was vindicated in my sense that the trip was dangerous when one of the girls came home with a broken collarbone.

    (Of course, she broke it by shaving her legs, but that’s another story. Wait! Why does anyone need to shave her legs on a ski trip? Exactly! And in case you’re wondering how anyone can break her collarbone shaving her legs, it’s the old leg-on-the-sink routine.)

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  172. Tomorrow is the 100th day of school. Should be exciting.
    I found a big book that I had in the classroom that was really on a first grade level so after school I took it over to that teacher. She did not know tomorrow is the 100th day and was delighted to have the book. A God thing….

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  173. Nine year old was reading one of his beginner books to eight year old, last night! Of course, she can read books like the Mandie series, Nancy Drew, etc. She is very patient with him and did not give him any “help” on the words.

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  176. We sat in a circle this morning and counted to 100 going around the circle so everyone had to pay attention, then we continued and counted back down to one. They needed a little help counting down, but we made it.

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  178. I went to the store today. I only needed a few things, but the power went out. The registers worked so you could continue shopping. But there were no lights so it was very difficult to find what you might be looking for. Remind me to keep a flashlight in my bag.

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  179. It always seems to take me a bit longer each time to remember to take a flashlight out for chores and a pocketknife. It seems it would take less time each year but it does not seem to work that way for me…

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  180. Not that I only do chores once a year, but that it gets dark earlier and earlier and longer and longer in the Fall and one needs a bit of help at times.

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  182. Wait. Jo, kindergartners are expected to be able to count to 100 and then back down? I’m pretty sure that’s well above what was expected when I was in school. In fact, my little brother didn’t attend kindergarten, and I remember his struggle to learn to count to 20. I suspect he was in first grade, though it’s possible Mom was preparing him for first grade in lieu of kindergarten . . .

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  183. We did it all together in a circle. You would be surprised that most can do it. No, it is not a requirement. We have a chart that I made where we count the days of school and use straws to help.

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  184. Well, I got that you did it all together, but 100 is a high number for someone who’s five or six–and counting down from 10 I can see. But from 100 seems like a much higher math skill.

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  185. Well, my nine year old can count consistently all the way to five. With great concentration he can count to one with a zero. But on paper…… He can count as far as you want, backwards, too. He does adding, subtracting, multiplying, and division. Just can’t say them. It is a communication thing.

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  186. listening and doing it together was great. If someone didn’t know, we all helped, or waited patiently while Wendy pointed to the number to give them help.
    Yes, it would have been way too difficult for any of them to do on their own.

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  191. My next post did not post…
    As I was saying. every week I have Friday lunch duty and that is family lunch when everyone comes to eat at school. They gave me that duty term 1 and I asked to keep it since I enjoy getting to know the families and the younger children.

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  193. Well today it rained. and I mean it really rained. I saw it coming and had time to go get my umbrella. I stood under our covered play area or basketball court and whistled kids out of the rain, especially my kinder boys, who seemed to think it was cool to get soaked.

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  194. The funny part was a high school teacher, older fellow, had come over to play soccer with 5th or 6th grade during recess. He just kept playing with them. I decided that he was a teacher and I would not whistle them out of the rain. They were so totally soaked.

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  195. The not so funny part was a home school family that came for lunch. The mom was under cover with a stroller with her two younger children. Meanwhile her other two boys who were either 4, 5, or 6 took off their shirts and went running around in the rain. Exactly what I was not letting the school children do! Her kids could go home, but ours would be wet for the rest of the afternoon.

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  197. Welcome to the new room! It has a lovely view down the valley of the cloud and fog covered mountains.
    Almost time for Teen Centre, our one chance to go out to eat. Let’s hope they have more salads this week and don’t run out.

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  198. Fourteen year old tells me when he gets home from school, whether or not they went outside for PE. Often they watch a movie so the poor little fellows won’t get cold or wet. Meantime, back at the house, almost every day the three home schoolers are outside at least two hours each day. Usually more. The hour in the morning doing chores with me, a bit after school to run off energy, and then again in the afternoon for fun. They play in the snow, in the mud puddles, in the creek, in the sunshine, in the hail, in the rain, it matters not.

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  200. We never keep them inside here. Even in a torrential downpour, out they go. Of course we have covered walkways and they can get to the library. It isn’t cold, so they like being in the rain. Just gets cold when you have to sit in wet clothes all afternoon.

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