87 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 8-1-15”

  2. “Morning Jo”.
    There’s a TV program by that name, but I haven’t watched it.
    Re the thread abut names yesterday.
    I’m sure Jo has another name. 🙂
    It isn’t the length of the name, but the ease of saying it. As someone said, Charles was lengthened to Charlie because it rolls off the tongue easier.
    Oldest GD is named Rebecca, but nobody knows that. She was Becky the day she was born.
    Elvera has always been “Elvera”. She tried to shorten her name to “Vera” in Virginia, but people noticed that I called her Elvera and only the people at work called her Vera. I could always reckon the source of a phone call by whom they asked for.

    An interesting incident WRT names. Some time ago, I got a call from “Brian” , Becky’s husband. He was in trouble in Mexico and needed some money quickly. But when he called, he said “Grandpa”. I knew immediately that it wasn’t my Brian because Becky named me as a child and they still call me by that name. I won’t say what it is because there may be a troll out there who could use it. . They call Elvera “Nana” which is a very common grandmother name.

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  4. Now that is a pediatric check up question. The doctor asks what’s Daddy’s name? What’s Mommy’s name? I knew it was coming up so I taught BG. It is also a good thing in case a child is lost in a store and they need to know who to tell the “nice lady” who to call, Can you imagine the confusion if the store page just called “Mama, we need you in the manager’s office”?
    All evidence is pointing to my little boy dog having an accident in the house just a bit ago. I let him and Lulabelle out as usual. I don’t think he ever left the patio. He just sat and looked at the door. I let him back in, got my coffee and came to sit down and there was a huge wet spot on the chaise end of the sofa. I have cleaned it up and dragged the cushion out to bake in the sun. It makes me sad. He is only 7. He knows better, and he isn’t old enough to blame it on his age.

    It’s funny what you said about the shortening of names. I have an uncle named Charles Edmund. The family has always called him Charles-Ed. Charles just seems to be one of those names that needs a little extra kick to the end of it. His first wife called him Chuck. He second wife calls him Charlie. His sisters, brothers, nieces, nephews still call him Charles Ed. He is the oldest in the family. He is my godfather. My father was the second oldest. There were 12 in all. All of them made it past 45.

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  5. Chas, when I was a child I had one doll named Rebecca and one named Becky. Mom told me they were the same name, and that didn’t make sense to me. But I decided I’d name a daughter Rebecca. I ended up with a niece named Rebecca (who went by Becca for a little while, but usually Rebecca), and Mom made fun of her name so much (not to her face) that it ruined it for me.

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  6. I have stewed and pondered where to take Peter and Mrs L. for lunch on Monday. The no brainer choice would have been to have seafood. Mrs. L doesn’t like seafood. I can understand that. My maternal grandmother grew up inland of Alabama and never ate seafood. And if I am truly honest I am very picky about the seafood I do eat. Shrimp can taste very “off” to me and I prefer it either boiled with plenty of sauce or in a pasta dish like shrimp scampi or something similar, although I do like my friend’s “pickled shrimp”. There are to restaurants that do breakfast and lunch only and both have “home cooking-Southern Style”. One I worry that we won’t be able to get a table and the other I worry that we will be too rushed and not able to visit. Do you see what all goes into being a Southern Hostess? I certainly don’t want to take them to a chain restaurant. They could get that at home. I had thought of a “landmark” restaurant—there is a table where Elvis sat. It overlooks the Delta;. I was recently there and it wasn’t very good. So this is where I think I am taking them. It is where I like to go to get veggies like I would cook. This is Monday’s menu and I am sure there will be a couple of additions by then. Perhaps it will tempt more of you to come visit me. 😉

    http://sugarkettlecafe.com/menus/daphne/monday-lunch

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  7. Kim, if you want to take them for real Southern cooking, the only place I know of is Marrices in Columbia.
    😆

    Like I said before. Nobody is neutral about Maruices. You love it or hate it.

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  8. The butterflies: the one at the top and also at the right of the second “row” is a great spangled fritillary: a fancy name for a butterfly that isn’t large enough, or fancy enough, to carry such a moniker, but is pretty. Click on any of the photos and you can see it bigger and with more details.

    The left one is of course a Monarch. The flower it is on is common milkweed, which is a very lovely wildflower. Many or most of the flowers around here grow in almost perfect balls (these are less so), a ball with maybe a few dozen flower heads, all of which open at the same time or within a day or two, while balls on nearby stalks are in different stages of development. There are multiple varieties of milkweed (at least three species, probably more, grow around here), but this one grows wild all over this area, with lots of it on my street. Milkweed is the only thing Monarch caterpillars eat, so its presence during Monarch migration, as they move north generation by generation and lay their eggs, is absolutely crucial. Their numbers have declined sharply in recent years, to just a small fraction of their former numbers. As much milkweed as we have here, I hardly ever see a Monarch, and this is the first time I’ve seen one on milkweed. This one is a female, so hopefully she found a mate and was able to lay some eggs. She was feeding, not laying eggs, when I saw her. I have seen quick glimpses of either a monarch or a viceroy twice since seeing this one, but this is the only one that settled on a plant so that I could take its photo; the others were flying on through.

    The dragonfly on the bottom was one of two species I photographed one day; the other one was blue. This one has a body that shimmers bright gold in the sunlight. My husband wasn’t with me when I visited the wildflowers on which I found this fellow, but he was absolutely enchanted by photos of a shiny gold dragonfly.

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  9. Women, what are your thoughts on social-pressure “parties” to sell products (Pampered Chef and the like)? Do you like them? attend them because you feel you have to? attend some but turn down as many as you feel like you socially can? or outright refuse? This is a serious question. (Men, you can comment on what your wife/daughters do if you like.)

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  10. I see in World, and I heard of this before.
    A 16 year old girl was involved in a plane crash where her step grandparents were killed. She survived and followed a stream until she found a bridge.

    They taught us in the Boy Scouts. If lost, always follow the drainage downstream. You will always have water and eventually come to civilization.

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  11. Cheryl I used to go to those parties and I would usually buy something even if it was small. I also used to have them. Now they have them on Facebook and they are easier to ignore.
    I think it is a leftover from when women stayed at home and had coffee and luncheons. Working women don’t have time for all that and if you want something like pampered chef you can go online enter your zip code and order. For you or anyone else who works from home I would view it as a way to get out of the hous e and socialize with other women.

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  12. Cheryl,

    My Cheryl always says “no thank you that’s not in my budget right now” and refuses to be pressured into anything. And she ain’t lyin’. 😦

    The only way she would go is if it’s something she already wanted and was prepared to spend on.

    What I say….

    Social pressure to make a sale is not a method that works on me/us. I find it annoying. And it doesn’t make the balance on our checking account improve, in fact buying something would have quite the opposite effect, so there’s zero chance anyone will change my mind. Charities are a different story and I at least would consider it.

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  13. Robert was Bobby until Jr. High then Bob. My parents friend from Texas called me Bobby Tom. My wife will call me Robert T, I think. I was Mr. Buckles at school. Just don’t call me “Late for dinner.”

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  14. I want more answers on the social party question, but here’s my problem. . . .

    A month or two ago we got an invitation to a “party” at my sister-in-law’s house. Well, in Chicago I suffered through quite a few of those parties, because I would tell people I don’t need any (candles, dishes, earwax-removal products, whatever) and they would tell me I don’t have to buy anything, but they’ll get credit for me coming and it will be fun. So I’d go, not because I wanted to, but because I felt like I “had to.” And then there would be pressure to buy, but I was able to resist that pressure. I may be the only woman in America who has been to eight or more such parties and never spent a dime at one. But it finally got to the point where I decided if I wasn’t interested, then I wouldn’t go. In Nashville I went to one Pampered Chef party (cuz I’d heard good things about them) and one costume jewelry party (cuz I thought there was a chance they’d have something I liked), but didn’t buy anything at those, either.

    Well, none of us wanted to go to the party at my sister-in-law’s, and none of us did. We recently got an invitation for another party for the same company, also at her house, but “hosted” by her daughter-in-law, and the invitation told us this will be A’s first party as a consultant, and that sis-in-law is “counting on us” to attend for A’s sake–that was printed as part of the invitation, not a handwritten note. Sorry, I’m not interested in the product, and I actually think it is morally reprehensible to have a business model that consists of having women manipulate their friends and family into buying overpriced products. This time, the outside of the envelope said to make sure the girls see it (they saw it last time) and that older daughter in particular would be very interested. Well, older daughter and I talked about it, and not only is she definitely not interested, she too hates that sort of manipulative pressure.

    Well, Mom called this morning, and she asked me if I got the invitation, and said she knows younger daughter will be out of town, but she is sure older daughter and I will want to come, especially older daughter, and she’s going to call her too. She went on and on about how wonderful the product is. I told her we really can’t afford it (it’s $30 for a cleaning rag, stuff like that), and I don’t like parties like that. She told me it will be a lot of fun, just a social gathering with no pressure to buy. (Sure.) And she said she usually doesn’t go to such parties either, but for a granddaughter she will, and she’s going to host one herself. (Oh no, a third one?!) But see, A isn’t my granddaughter; she’s my niece by marriage two ways (the wife of my husband’s nephew). If it were my granddaughter hosting such a party, I’d probably go too. Though if I got a chance to talk to her ahead of time, I would tell her why I think that way of selling stuff is morally questionable. But if I were to attend every event hosted by a niece? I counted, and I think I have 15 nieces (by birth, adoption, or marriage, including grandnieces) on my side of the family . . . so far. Boys outnumber girls greatly in my family, so a good number of those are nieces-by-marriage. Considering my nephews and nieces have really only started having children (half aren’t married yet, and about half of the married ones haven’t had children yet), I could easily have twice that in a decade. And then there is my husband’s side of the family and that of his first wife (also nieces by marriage). If I went to everything hosted by a niece, I’d be flying all over the country. Hey, I have a very big family, and I don’t even send my nieces and nephews cards when they graduate high school. (When they marry, they get a gift.) My sister’s kids get calls for their birthdays, but I can’t keep up with the whole family’s special events and don’t try.

    Anyway, after all that, my husband thinks I should go, for the sake of peace in the family, and I will go to honor him. (He did tell me not to buy anything, which backs up my own inclination.) But I’ll tell you, I really detest people getting their own way by manipulation. If you host a party, people should attend because it’s fun, or at least because the love someone being honored, not because some company has found a way to take advantage of the feminine talent for manipulation. Sigh.

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  15. Re the butterflies: with the monarch, it would be interesting to know how many insects are in that photo. I know of at least ten, plus a couple more that might or might not be insects.

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  16. Cheryl’s QoD:

    I don’t get many invitations to these types of parties (maybe one every two or three years), and because I don’t have a lot of face-to-face social connections with women, I view an invitation from a friend as a nice gesture, and so it is natural for me (i.e. I don’t feel pressured) to say yes to attending the parties. I don’t feel like I’m being used or anything like that.

    If a party is scheduled at a time when I’ve already made plans (for instance, if I’m teaching piano during that time, which has happened before), then I give the hostess my regrets. (I don’t change my schedule so I can attend a party.) Otherwise, I go gladly, and enjoy myself in the company of the friend who invited me, and any other ladies there whom I already know (which oftentimes I do know some of the attendees as well).

    As far as purchasing, yes, the items at those types of parties are ridiculously overpriced, and I don’t like that aspect of them. However, from a budget standpoint, because I don’t often go to these parties, and often only buy one item when I do, it puts hardly any dent in the budget at all, spending, say, $25 once every two or three years.

    I could certainly choose to not buy anything, but, for me, a woman who makes her living at home, I enjoy trying to make a home a place of beauty and functionality, and one can find items of both types at these parties. Yes, you can find similar items at a much lower cost online (but my husband doesn’t want me making any purchases online) or in a store, but I would much rather buy one item of beauty or function at a friend’s home than traipse through a store and find three things for the same amount.

    It’s the aesthetics of the experience — hard to describe, but something I enjoy.

    If I worked outside the home and/or had a large circle of friends who invited me to parties like these often, I think I would view it much differently, and would decline a lot of the invitations. But with my social connections small and close-knit as they are, I enjoy these (infrequent) parties I get invited to.

    (And none of my relatives, as far as I know, have these types of parties. Although none of them live in the same state I do, so maybe I’m just not getting invited because of that, and that’s fine with me.)

    Having said all that, though, Cheryl, that pre-printed “We’re counting on you to attend,” or however it was worded, is tacky, to say the least, and downright manipulative. What a turn-off. That would be just the thing that would make me reject an invitation. Sheesh.

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  18. Good Morning! Beautiful photos Cheryl….! And happy belated birthday blessings to AJ’s “Elizabeth” ❤

    A few years ago I had become overwhelmed with the manipulations of "home parties"….I put out the notice to my friends and family that I was now a "party free zone" (this was after being invited to my umpteenth Mary Kay party!)….so don't ask….no one has….must have worked! 🙂

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  19. Yep, 6 Arrows, the “we’re counting on you” said this isn’t a party, but a social obligation. And I know from experience that there is pressure to buy, and we Scottish people just don’t like to spend three times what something is worth.

    Kim, is it possible Amos has a bladder infection? That would be my guess at his age, and might be worth taking him to the vet to find out. Misten has always been extremely reliable with control (except for one season when her sleeping mat was damp, not wet, several times and I guessed that she had an infection). She never had an accident in my house between the age of six months (and only three up till that point) and nine years old, except for diarrhea a couple of times. But then she had several overnight accidents in a few months, and a couple of things that looked like leakage during the day (small puddles next to her sleeping mat–leakage when she stood to her feet), and the vet has given me a weekly pill that has totally resolved the problem for now, several months later. But she’s ten and female, and that’s not at all uncommon for an older, spayed bitch. I hope she never has serious problems with continence; so far she has been very easy in that regard, from her puppy days on.

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  20. Lovely music and scenery in that video, Chas. Thanks for sharing it.

    I like that, NancyJill: “I [am] now a ‘party free zone.'” LOL! I will have to think of some applicable “_____-free zone” announcements I can make relevant to my life. 🙂

    That reminds me of my husband joking several years ago that if we named our homeschool, he would call it “Leave Me Alone U.” 😛

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  22. To Cheryl’s QoD: I was going to say I’ve never been asked to such parties, and wouldn’t go if I were asked, as I don’t have a home of my own, and I don’t have the money. I remember my mother attending a few such events; but she found herself embarrassed by them because of our ever precarious financial position. However, I remembered that one of my acquaintances is getting married, and I’ve been invited to their Jack and Jill. I’ve been debating if I should go and pay the door fee just so I can socialize with people. It is a bit difficult for me to wrap my head around the idea. The thought of hosting events in the hope of financial gain runs very contrary to how I was raised, and reminds me of what the Bible says about hospitality.

    He said also to the man who had invited him, “When you give a dinner or a banquet, do not invite your friends or your brothers or your relatives or rich neighbors, lest they also invite you in return and you be repaid. But when you give a feast, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed, because they cannot repay you. For you will be repaid at the resurrection of the just.” (Luke 14:12-14, ESV)

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  23. Roscuro, I don’t think it’s wrong to sell something out of one’s home, even to host an event to do so. But I think it would be more like this: “I am hosting a Pampered Chef party. If you like parties or like Pampered Chef products, I’d love to have you. No obligation is intended.” I mean, if someone had a party selling theology books, my husband would be first in line to sign up. But if they cost double what they cost anywhere else, no thanks.

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  24. I learned early on about those parties. My roommate and I (we were in our 20s) got caught on the cycle of Tupperware parties when a good friend hosted one and then we wound up hosting one (to provide points or money for our friend, is how it worked, I think).

    We had Tupperware for years, following each of us as we moved apart to our separate lives and homes. 🙂 My favorite was the lunch box that came with cute little cups and even a sandwich container that all fit inside neatly.

    Anyway, after that I haven’t accepted any of those invitations (Pampered Chef is one of the more recent invites). Just can’t afford to spend money on things I didn’t realize before I saw them that I “needed.” 🙂

    Kim, I was going to suggest the same thing as Cheryl — it may just be a bladder infection.

    Tess actually has been on daily incontinence (anti-leaking) prevention meds ever since I adopted her, the vet said it was probably connected to her early spay operation. She’d leave a wet spot wherever she slept. The meds (PPA for short) are inexpensive and effective, I give her 1/2 a tab twice a day in her food. Easy, cheap. I’d guess they’d work for animals who develop the problem in their later years as well.

    Looks like a good choice of restaurant for y’all. 🙂 See? I’m talking southern!

    We went to Rock & Brews in Redondo Beach Friday for a long good-bye lunch for one of our reporters.

    http://www.rockandbrews.com

    They have them in other cities across the country, good food, cool music & videos running in the background as you ate. 🙂

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  26. Kim, I thought we agreed you would either bring them to the Nezperce restaurant or fix them something here at the house. I was just waiting to hear which you had decided.

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  28. Chas, I posted this last night, but my new gravatar is last night’s blue moon. I wasn’t able to get the photo I really wanted, with the shadowed trees around it, but I was able to zoom in for a close-up.

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  29. Cheryl I think you go to the party because they are counting on you, but you don’t buy anything because it is just a social gathering. They have essentially backed you into a corner.

    Mumsee, I would love to bring them to your house and cook. They could see some well behaved children and have some really good pie.

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  30. For years I’ve had a blanket policy to not attend home parties–which were very popular in the military as a job a wife could move with her.

    We have a woman in our church selling 31 bags. Homeschool mother of 7. I thought I’d buy one bag to help out, so I contacted her and bought one away from a party. Way too expensive and she clutters my FB feed with ads. Maybe I’ll unlike her FB product page.

    I appreciate she’s trying to earn money while staying home, but . . . Not for me.

    Yes, go, do not buy, do not agree to host another party and if asked say you’re happy to have seen what she’s selling and will contact her if you want to purchase something in the future.

    Now that I junk about it, I bought the Pamperd Chef timer I love for that same church woman ten years ago. Hmmm.

    I could use another one, but she doesn’t sell it anymore.

    I wonder if that was before or after the Tupperware? Yikes!

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  32. Parties: no. Been there done that, not falling into the trap again. Though, while in Greece, I did purchase a PC flyswatter from a friend, though I did not attend the party.

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  33. Cheryl,.
    l, have pictures of the moon larger than that.
    Actually, I have been thinking about that. I’m going to ask Chuck about that when he cones over next month. Does he want that stuff?
    If he doesn’t want to mess with it, I think I will take it down to USC and ask the Astronomy Dept. if they want it. It’s probably unique stuff now. I know a couple of other people who likely have lunar maps and pictures. It would be a shame to turn it into trash.

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  34. Thinking back through the years, I have been to Tupperware, Home Interiors, Alloette (skin products), Discovery Toys, Usbourne Books parties, and Juice Plus events. I bought into the Usbourne Books beginning sales package and wanted to sell not by having parties as suggested, but just by telling and showing people who had children or grandchildren the books. I felt the product should sell itself without the necessity of the social event which does add cost to selling. I sold only a few books, but did not feel I had lost anything since son got a good selection of their bestsellers.

    Most of the items sold at the parties were very high quality and had distinctions from what you could get in a store. But they were pricey. I loved Discovery Toys but bought just a few. Someone from my husband’s office (when he worked for state government) had quit her job to stay home with her children so I bought a little to help her.

    I have mostly found enjoyment in going to the events and parties. I personally don’t like the pressure put on people to buy. The most recent and only invite I have had in years was to a costume jewelry party. I don’t wear a lot of jewelry so I did not attend. It does tend to make a person feel used when you realize that the people inviting to a sales event would not invite you to any other social event they might have.

    Because of the family connection, Cheryl, I would feel the need to attend. If your daughter has never been to such a “party” let her put it in her bucket of life experiences. I would in some way try to turn it into a positive experience. You might meet a new friend, have a chance to talk to someone about Jesus, or even find a new client to work with. If you go with a begrudging attitude it won’t be a good example for your daughter. It is an opportunity to practice gracious and diplomatic behavior. Teach daughter how to say no thanks in the best of manners when the final sales pitch and pounce is upon you. IMHO

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  36. Janice, I agree with this: It does tend to make a person feel used when you realize that the people inviting to a sales event would not invite you to any other social event they might have.

    Or, rather, I think I would have felt the same way if that had ever happened to me. The only times I’ve been invited to parties like these, the invitations have come from friends who had already invited me to their homes on other occasions that had nothing to do with business, purely friend-to-friend hospitality. I probably would not accept an invitation from an acquaintance who never went to the effort to be friendly in an “I’d like to know you better; would you like to come to my home for [name any non-business reason — dinner, dessert, whatever]?”

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  39. I have found in the past that the key to those event was just enough alcohol. Just enough that they would buy something but not enough that they would have too good of a time and not purchase anything.
    I haven’t been to anything like that in quite a few years. Recently a friend from church is doing initials on everything so I bought a set of glassware from her with my initials on it since I didn’t have anything with KBH on it. I have lots of things with KBC or KLB but had nothing with an H. It served two purposes. I needed the glasses and Mr P liked seeing something with my new initials

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  40. Chas, last night we were watching a show about Werner Von Braun and I thought of you. He really was the catalyst to getting to the moon. It is amazing to me that Robert Oppenheimer, Werner Von Braun, and Albert Einstein all lived at the same time. Within 70 or so years we went from horse and carriage to landing on the moon. How amazing is that?

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  41. It is amazing, we talk about that quite a bit around here. My children make fun of me and call me Amish. I try to explain to them that I am not but the Amish lifestyle is nothing to scoff at. But we do enjoy our amenities.

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  42. Janice, my daughter is an adult and can make her own decision on whether to attend. And no, I wouldn’t think of being rude to people. I’m fairly sure I’ll know most people present, because many of them will be family and others will be family friends, and I’ve been to many events at their houses through the years. It’s just that now the pressure has been “come to the party” and I’m nearly positive the next pressure will be, “Well, you can at least buy something.” With anybody else, my “no thank you, I don’t want to come to the party” would have been adequate, so I find it kinda hard to believe there will be no manipulative pressure at the party, too. If it had been my family, I would have said, “No, and that means no,” and stuck to it. But we aren’t dealing with my family, so oh well.

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  43. I have been to Pampered Chef parties here. Any social event is fun and this included a cooking demonstration and yummy samples. Of course if you ordered anything you would have to wait 3 to 6 months for your order. They did have a one dollar item, which I chose.

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  44. Kim, I’ve never been to any such event where any alcohol was served.

    Jo, when I went to the Pampered Chef party, I was considering some inexpensive item, but it was going to cost more in shipping than the item cost, and I just didn’t order anything.

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  45. And you know what, I might have gone to the Pampered Chef party partly for the cooking demo and samples, and they either didn’t give any or I wasn’t impressed, because it seems I was disappointed in that aspect.

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  46. Cheryl – It is hard to attend & enjoy a party or gathering that you feel pressured into attending. If they do put any pressure on you to buy, you can always fall back on your husband’s not wanting you to buy anything.

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  47. You can always buy something small, a gift for someone for Christmas maybe? Something short of a full set of iron-clad pots and pans or high-end cleaning rags? 🙂

    I received Russell Moore’s new book (“Onward”) today, the Introduction alone is pretty amazing. He makes the point that the current drift of society may be bad for America but good for the church.

    “We ought to approach the future without the clenching of our fists or the wringing of our hands. We ought to see the ongoing cultural shake-up in America as a liberation of sorts form a captivity we never even knew we were in. The closeness of American culture with the church caused many sectors of the American church to read the Bible as though the Bible were pointing us to America itself. That’s why endless recitations of 2 Chronicles 7:14 focused on revival in the nation as a means to national blessing, without ever seeming to ask who the ‘my people’ of this text actually are, and what it means, in light of the gospel, to be ‘blessed.’

    “The strangeness of Christianity will force the evaporation of those who identify with the almost-gospel of Jesus as means to American normality and it can force the church to articulate, explicitly, the otherness of the gospel. …

    “The shaking of American culture is no sign that God has given up on American Christianity. In fact, it may be a sign that God is rescuing American Christianity from itself. …

    “The church now has the opportunity to bear witness in a culture that often does not even pretend to share our ‘values.’ That is not a tragedy since we were never given a mission to promote ‘values’ in the first place, but to speak instead of sin and of righteousness and judgement, of Christ and his kingdom. …”

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  51. Karen, don’t worry, I’m pretty good at refusing to spend money. And yes, if I need to bring in my husband I will, and if they don’t respect that, that’s their problem. It’s not like I’m “free-loading” by going to the party without spending money; I made it pretty clear I’m not interested in the product.

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  52. Cheryl, I was not thinking it would be up to you to tell your daughter to go. I was thinking she probably would go because of her dad’s desires and grandmother’s desires. Since you would be the older women then you might plan ahead to try and make the best of a less than desirable situation. You have sounded pretty negative about having to go to keep the peace. And you asked for opinions. People have to decide what they are willing to compromise on to keep the peace. My brother has not been to visit us for a year and a half because we choose to keep Miss Bosley indoors. He is not willing to compromise. I could choose to be angry that he wants to force his choices on us, but I choose to get along and meet on his terms. In his mind he probably thinks we are choosing a cat over him. There will always be these dumb kinds of people problems this side of heaven.

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  53. Argh, my battery light came on in the Jeep and there’s a whining sound. Could nix church plans for tomorrow morning — and I just bought a ton of fruit for the picnic.

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  55. I agree with your thought on getting new ideas about what is avaiable, Donna.

    Sorry to hear of your Jeep problems. My indicator light came on yesterday, but I decided to go ahead and make the drive to my writer’s group this a.m. I think it just needs an oil change. Bad timing when things like that hit on the weekend.

    The moon was beautiful tonight as we drove home from dinner at Outback. They seem to have consistently good meals. I played a Susan Boyle CD that son gave me while driving. It has the song Lilac Wine which I had not heard before. I thought husband would know it, but he did not. I was really wanting to know the backgound about the song. It sounds like it portrays an alcoholic. It’s really sad and atmospheric.

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  56. Looks like the place I take it for service might be open tomorrow — if the car starts, I’ll head over there early in the morning … if they’re not open, I’ll continue on to Sears (though I’d better check online to see when they open, they might open late on Sundays).

    If the car doesn’t start, I’ll have to call AAA to get it towed or jumped at least.

    Could either be the battery or alternator.

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  57. nice, restful Sunday. This evening we had a service to hear the testimonies of folks who just arrived from the Pacific Orientation Course, POC. It is always a blessing to hear what God has done in lives to bring them here.

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  58. Hi Jo. So, your Sunday is over. We, of course, are just getting started.
    I’m just glad I’m not teaching Revelation 4 in SS today.
    I don’t know what it means and I don’t agree with what any of the commentators say about it.
    What kind of teacher would that make me?
    Except Rev. 4 is the transition point in the vision. From here on, it’s prophesy.

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  59. Once long ago I had a combo party with Pampered Chef, Southern Living at Home, and something else. I intended for the women to have A as in ONE glass of wine to sip on before the party started. It turned in to a real party and no one bought anything. The last thing I had like that was about 6 years ago. I had another combo party. It was for the women in my BNI group. One was a massage therapist so she did mini massages, one sold Mary Kay, and two were home “redecorators”. They would come into your home and rearrange your stuff to make it look new again–quite talented ladies. There really was nothing to buy at that party. If you wanted to make an appointment for a massage you could. The redecorator ladies rearranged my living room and were available to be hired. The Mary Kay lady had some emergency and wasn’t able to be there.

    So Cheryl, tell how it went?

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  60. Maybe cheryl will surprise us and buy a bunch of stuff? 🙂

    Dropped the Jeep off (thankfully it started; no battery light this morning but it still has that annoying, odd whine in the engine and the turn signals weirdly flickered on and off as I started it, so something’s definitely wrong, probably the alternator 😦 which I know is one of the “biggies” expense-wise — car is at about 92,000 miles now, so stuff like this starts to go, I know).

    They won’t be able to work on the Jeep until tomorrow. But they did have a loaner, an older Honda SUV, so it’s similar to driving the Jeep available (hate it when I get a low-to-the-ground sedan), so I decided to take it. If I didn’t have the church visit & picnic all set for this morning, I would have just skipped it for today, stayed home, and then picked the loaner up tomorrow morning to save some $ on the bill. But at least now I can make the service & picnic (with all the fruit I’d already bought).

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  61. We had an education team meeting before Sunday School and an older man fell face down so his nose got bloody. I felt so upset being nearby when his wife said someone get help. Thankfully the pastor to seniors was out in the hallway so he got the man to his feet. I was really afraid it was worse than it was. Not a good way to start Sunday morning. I heard he had grabbed onto a chair but it gave way and down he went.

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  62. We are going through the book of Luke so today the pastor was preaching about the prodigal son. Very familiar passage, but always woth being reminded of how much the Father loves his children even when they get off course.

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  63. Re: home parties. I liked to go when my friends were all going – I would only purchase something if it was something I had actually been looking for (for a long time). I could never eat any of the foods prepared for Pampered Chef because they usually had nuts or some other allergen in them 🙂 But I was with my friends and we had a good time.

    I would not want to be “counted on” to be at a party, however, that’s just manipulation.

    Maybe if you and your daughter do end up going, you can stop somewhere on the way there or back for a treat just for the two of you and make it into more than just the party.

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  64. My husband’s brother remarried yesterday which made for a long day on my one day off. A marriage ceremony without God anywhere is depressing, even though we’re happy for M & M.

    Now I’m off to work – Junior Teens again this week – please pray for me not to be grumpy when dealing with pushy parents.

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  65. Janice,

    I truly hope my mother-in-law doesn’t exert any pressure on our girl; my husband will not, I’m sure. If I go, I’ll be representing the family and no one else will need to go (unless she wants to). “You have sounded pretty negative about having to go to keep the peace.” Well, I’m pretty “negative” that they would somehow think that a sales party creates a moral obligation. If I choose not to go to some family member’s 50th birthday party, then I’m probably being selfish. But this is a party to sell stuff, and hardly a socially mandatory function. If anyone in my family were to host such a thing, they would accept “No thanks, I don’t have money to spend, and I don’t like parties like that.” And I cannot begin to imagine anyone in my family putting social pressure on my husband (an in-law) to attend a family event. I don’t mind compromising on something, but when the other person say “Do it my way or you’ll be breaking the peace,” that is manipulative and selfish, and no, I don’t have patience with that. In other words, I wouldn’t be the one “breaking the peace” if I chose not to go and they didn’t accept that; they would be. But to honor my husband, I’ll willing to go, and do so with a kind attitude. But if it were my own sister instead of his, I’d have no problem telling her I don’t go to such parties, and I just can’t get excited about cleaning rags, sorry. ( http://www.norwex.biz/pws/home2999999/tabs/home.aspx )

    As to pets in the house, in a dog-loving family I have two siblings who don’t like dogs, one of them a quite intense dislike, and both of them think that dogs in the house are gross and stinky. (Misten has little doggie odor unless she is wet, which friends who don’t have dogs will confirm. I’m picky about having dirty hands and usually wash them after petting a dog, but I don’t smell like dog after I pet her.) Well, when one of these siblings is coming over, I put Misten outside and then vacuum, and she stays outside while they’re at my house–unless they’re staying overnight, in which case they simply have to accept that Misten sleeps in the house, and it’s her house too. If they can’t handle stepping foot in a house that sometimes has a (clean) dog in it, or sleeping in the same house in which a dog is sleeping, then we can meet for a meal somewhere else in town or they can stay in a hotel. Being a bit allergic to cats, I have sympathy for people who have issues with a pet, but the reality is I have a dog and one that spends a lot of time inside (more in summer, less in winter).

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  66. Some exciting news we heard today at church. A fine young man from a delightful family in our congregation had qualified for the National Junior Olympic Track and Field Championship (which I didn’t know until today), and the championship is finishing up today in Jacksonville, Florida.

    This boy competed in the Boys’ 1500-meter run, ages 13-14 division this week. Preliminaries were on Thursday, I think, and finals today.

    I went hunting around the internet for any official results I could find, not knowing in which event(s) he was competing, or where he placed.

    I was thrilled when I opened up the page for the race I mentioned above, and on a list of 56 young men competing in the preliminary round, this boy topped the whole field! His preliminary time was 4:15.73, and he edged out the 2nd place finisher by 4/100 of a second!

    That, of course, qualified him for the final round, with eleven other runners, and with a final time of 4:13.82, about two seconds faster than his preliminary time, he finished in 3rd place in the nation for that race and age group! About one second behind the 2nd place finisher, and approximately 2.5 seconds behind the one who got first.

    I knew this kid could really run, but it was so exciting to know he had the opportunity to compete in the Junior Olympics, and to see how well he did!!

    And such a down-to-earth young man, simply doing his best with the ability God has given him. What a blessing!

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  67. I have had a few of those parties. The only ones I really wanted to do were Christian book sellers. I have done a couple of others to help someone out.

    The parties can be a good chance to socialize. I usually bought something I could really use or a gift for someone else. If I realized I would be invited to more than one, I only purchased one thing and waited to purchase whatever else I wanted for another party.

    When I realized there were some people who constantly sold something or had parties constantly, I stopped going. These were never people who needed the money. Nor did they ever feel obligated to reciprocate.

    I appreciated some of the gifts (earrings, my little 31 bag, for example) I have gotten from parties that others had attended. Some of these products are ones that are nice for a gift, but not something I would necessarily by for myself.

    If you cannot sell something without ‘shaming’ or forcing someone to attend, you will never be good at the ‘job.’ I would find something else to do. The motto, “Do unto others..” is a good one to consider. I do not want to be forced and therefore do not do it to others.

    I would probably attend once for family peace. I would not let it be a habit.

    Oh, and I do not believe that I have ever been to one with alcohol.

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  68. Just wondering if anyone here has read or knows anything about Making Sense of the Bible by Adam Hamilton? It was recommended, but I am unfamiliar with the book and author.

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  69. Cheryl, I would attend just once to keep the peace. I understand how wrong you feel it is. Different family groups put different priorities on what they do. Without knowing these people, I suspect they have the good intent of helping someone get established in a new business. They will, by trial and error, learn what works and what doesn’t. If it really seems unenjoyable, you could probably leave part way through and just take home literature about the product with a promise to look through it and see if you might need anything they have to offer. That way you get counted in their number of attendees and you don’t feel you wasted too much time. Just a compromising idea if you feel like you don’t want to be there.

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  72. I don’t think alcohol was served at most of the parties I have attended, but I believe that wine was probably served at a Juice Plus event. It was at a wealthy person’s home on the River. No one was getting drunk. Some doctors were in attendance and they are probably use to being wined and dined.

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  74. I’m going back to the weight room for the first time today. I don’t expect to do much.
    Newsletter done and sent out. Someone was having company today so checked it for me yesterday. Now that everyone knows where I am, I can move on to other things.
    Let me know if you are on my list and did not get it.

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  75. Cheryl it looks like another flash in the pan product. I wouldn’t buy it either.
    If you really want no chemicals in your home but want a clean home you will clean with vinegar and baking soda.

    I learned my lesson not to serve wine at those parties. Everyone got to socializing and no one bought anything.

    I have bought some things from Pampered Chef and have liked the quality of what I got.

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  76. Remember Creative Circle? Those had lots of cool stuff. Then Tupperware, then Pampered Chef, then some sort of home decorating deal. I probably bought an item or two at each of them. Still have some of them. But I did not much enjoy them, just trying to help a friend or two. Now, I have a number of children and nobody to babysit.

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  78. Third daughter came down from Moscow yesterday. She was supposed to be visiting but she trimmed the hooves on all twelve goats, cleaned the feed shed, and took the two youngest swimming. That is her. I am grateful. God has blessed me in my children, all of them, bio and adopted.

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  79. Long day for me at our sister church where my former pastor preached on Jeremiah 24 (and his wife was at the pipe organ — they’re such a great team). Met a longtime FB friend there (her husband is one of the elders). As of last night they were at their mountain home so when we were private messaging on FB I assumed (but didn’t ask) they wouldn’t be there this morning, but they drove down before the service so I got to sit with them.

    Afterward, about 15 of us, counting a few kids, went to a local park where we’d reserved the covered picnic area. After eating we lingered for a long time just talking. Nice day.

    Meanwhile, there’s now a cat tree in my driveway.

    After losing their cat Dewey, my neighbors were looking for a new home for the cat tree and a co-worker of mine said she wanted it, she was supposed to pick it up Friday but didn’t. So now she said she’ll pick it up Monday, but since my neighbors really wanted it out of their house as they were expecting company, so it’s in my driveway. I’m sure Annie will adopt it as soon as she sees it on her next trip outdoors.

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  81. I actually remember the Tupperware parties to be fun, but we were young and silly and liked social gatherings. And Tupperware seemed like magic to us, we were easy sells. 🙂 And once we’d done a round of them, we were finished.

    While I can see looking at these things as being manipulative, I don’t think that’s the intent of our friends or relatives who host them. I suspect their motives are basically that this is a fun thing to do, people might be interested in buying some of the items, if not for themselves then as gifts.

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  82. I have a cat tree! Actually, I have several, but none of them are in the driveway. If they were, they would become firewood. Barney sent one of the cats up its tree just a couple of days ago.

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  83. Janice, on the book you were asking about — No, never heard of it or the author, but a quick look at the glowing reviews on Amazon seems to indicate it’s written from a very liberal viewpoint (Tony Campolo, Brian McClaren).

    And I found this post on The Gospel Coalition — sounds like my Methodist FB friend who seems to be what’s called a “red letter Christian” who doesn’t grant authority to all of Scripture, but only to some passages. As a result, she’s at odds not only with the Christian sexual ethic but with the pro-life position.

    http://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/making-sense-of-the-bible-rediscovering-the-power-of-scripture-today

    “… Hamilton has equated human reason and experience ensconced in the tradition of the church with Jesus, the infallible word who stands over all other words from God. It is little wonder Hamilton feels justified in determining which parts of Scripture are consistent with the will and character of God and which are not.”

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  85. Pine sol was what I used here to clean my musty shoes.
    and must have bleach for the vegetables.
    No chocolate ice cream for me, Mumsee, but thank you for offering.
    I like chocolate chip or vanilla with nuts and whipped cream, just to let you know. 🙂

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