69 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 5-26-17”

  2. Been a long time since I got that. 🙂

    Good evening, Jo. Good morning AJ and the rest.

    Former piano student — the one I had the longest (9 years) — gets married today. Looking forward to her wedding. I’m taking the two youngest kids with me. She’s never met them.

    Have a beautiful and blessed day.

    And, oh, pretty header!

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  3. Good morning Six and Aj.
    The week’s over for Jo.
    It’s FRIDAY!
    You know what that means?

    Two weeks from now will be our 60th anniversary. Our diamond. I have a small diamond necklace I’m going to give her.
    I may send Aj a picture of her on our honeymoon and tell you again how this wedding was arranged.
    Yes! It was an arranged marriage.

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  5. Michelle, on yesterday’s prayer thread, in a discussion about how to get liquids into someone who doesn’t like to drink much, you suggested “soup, catalogs, anything watery . . .”

    We were all wondering what kind of catalogs you had in mind. inquiring minds want to know.

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  6. Morning all. I stayed up to do a long overdue backup on my computer and then downloaded some more school files.
    The Banquet entry was nice. These were my kids. The Seniors I had taught for only a term, but the Juniors I taught for two years. And some had come back just to attend Banquet. Very special

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  7. Lol. IPad typing.

    I spent the day at Fuller Theological Seminary Library. As I’m having nothing but technology problems (surprise!) which I finally recognized as spiritual warfare, I wasn’t surprised when 15 minutes after I arrived, the active shooter drill began . . .

    I was in the basement stacks when it was announced, totally alone, so I took my time, plucked a 600 page tome off the shelf and found a cell behind 2 locked doors.

    But the didn’t sound the all cleR so I could hear it . . .

    100 minutes later, just in time for my appointment with the archivist, I crept out . . .

    Feisty abortion discussion after dinner with my brilliant family member college sophomore.

    God is good; my life is always interesting.

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  9. I thought I would share this. The highest award at my company is the Eric Jones Award, the main conference room hold his photo and copies of his awards. He was the best friend of the CEO of the company. They served together. Eric is mentioned in this article.

    (And a personal observation from watching my husband’s reaction. “Thank you for your service” has become trite and meaningless. I have watched about a dozen Veterans cringe and search for a response when this happens.)
    http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/memorial-day-musings-from-an-iraq-war-vet_us_591fa16de4b07617ae4cbc2b?utm_hp_ref=memorial-day

    It’s not just a reason to barbecue. For those who have sworn the oath, this can be one of the toughest days of the year.

    Before deploying to Iraq in 2006, as a young Lieutenant I was paired with a senior pilot through our squadron’s mentoring program. My instructor, Captain Kevin Kryst, was an intelligent and accomplished aviator from the University of Wisconsin who had already completed a combat tour. As we sailed from San Diego to the Middle East on the USS Boxer, we regularly discussed enemy tactics, went over the mechanical systems of our attack-helicopter (the AH-1W Cobra), and we flew together many times. Kevin taught me how to land on an aircraft carrier, and I flew my first mission in Iraq with him. Although Kevin was a demanding critic, his experience and friendship helped assuage my initial fear of battle.

    That all changed on December 18, 2006. I was eating lunch with several pilots at our small airbase in Al Anbar Province (near the Syrian and Jordanian borders) when we suddenly heard explosions go off. The foil-thin walls began to shake.

    Our base was under attack….

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  10. χαίρετε. A couple of weeks ago, we were discussing whether ancient Greeks would have used “kali mera” as a greeting. Well, the answer is that they wouldn’t have. Instead, they said “χαίρετε” (kay-re-te) to a group of people or “χαίρε” (kay-re) if only speaking to one person. It is the imperative form of the verb χαίρειν, which means ” to rejoice, to be joyful”.

    Yesterday, I encountered my Greek professor on the way to class, and we walked the rest of the way discussing languages. When I told him I was taking Latin at the same as Greek, he made the very same statement I did, that the two had different alphabets which would prevent me from getting them confused. It was nice to know that I was on the right track linguistically.

    So far, most of the readings we do in class are from Aesop’s Fables, in both Greek and Latin, since Aesop was a Greek whose fabula the Romans liked to use for educational purposes. However, the Greek professor has said that in a few lessons, we will be able to read an excerpt from the New Testament, specifically the Gospel of John. This is a purely secular course, by the way, with a purely secular professor – there is a school of Divinity attached to the campus, but they offer different Greek courses. Last night, after our weekly Latin test, we were set to translating an incident from Livy’s history of Rome, namely the Rape of Lucretia, which Shakespeare later set into English poetry. One may inquire as to why we had to translate that particular passage, but the professors are historians as well as linguists and constantly expound on the culture behind the language they are teaching. That story demonstrates how strong the honour culture was in ancient Rome, as Lucretia committed suicide after the incident, calling on her husband and father to avenge her, which they did by deposing the last king of Rome. The Latin nouns for character qualities are nearly all in the feminine, including, fascinatingly, virtus, which means what it looks like, even though the word is derived from the root vir, which means ‘man, male person’ (we get ‘virile’ from the word). The Romans idealized their women, though practically the Roman woman was a second class citizen with far less rights than their male counterparts, not so very different than the cultures of the Middle East and Central Asia today. Europeans too, had the honour culture at one point.

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  11. From the story I related at the end of yesterday’s thread, about the parents (who were of European origin) who resorted to an illegal act of violence to hide what they felt to be their daughter’s disgrace, the honour culture still isn’t defunct in the West. I’ve mentioned this before, but the honour culture is the default social system for humanity, a form of rough justice in the absence of other systems. It is how human efforts to be righteous end up, and as such, stands in opposition to the forgiveness and grace of real Christianity. A Christianity that uses the system of shame vs. honour of the honour culture to uphold moral behaviour is no Christianity at all.

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  12. Roscuro, it is in Christ’s righteousness and not our own that we stand. Those who attempt to put others down as “less righteous” have no idea of their own dirty rags. That doesn’t mean there isn’t a place for discipline, esp. church discipline, but that Christ does tell us to use caution in how we judge, how we seek to restore, etc.

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  13. Cheryl, exactly, because we stand in the righteousness of Christ, we have no need to protect our honour. When you read the parable of the Prodigal Son in the light of the fact that Christ was speaking to an honour culture, you realize just how much he was teaching his listeners. To forgive a son who had disgraced himself, and thus by extension his family which is paramount in honour cultures, and not only forgive him, but shower him with gifts and openly celebrate his return – well, honour cultures are known to kill family members who disgrace the good name of the family. The elder brother would have seemed justified to the hearers in his outrage. Yet the elder brother is reproved for his lack of grace. To forgive a wrong done, that is unprecedented in honour systems, where everything is avenged. In that parable lies the answer to the story of the girl who was not allowed to graduate. The secular world is correct to reprove the Christian world for forgetting its earliest lessons.

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  14. Catching up from yesterday’s thread: I think it is sad that someone’s father did not want to attend his graduation. I did not have a celebration for mine for somewhat the same reason.

    My grandson graduated in December and walked to please his parents. He did not want a celebration either, but went along with his family. We could tell, however, that it was far more a blessing than he realized it would be. Some things should be celebrated. With all the funerals we attend these days, the celebrations of joy are all the more precious.

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  15. This was a situation that could have and should have been taken care of in a school assemble such as chapel. It wasn’t something to make a stand about at graduation in front of parents and grandparents.

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  16. Yesterday I wrote that Nightingale has a new puppy named Janie. She had been thinking of getting a puppy, & her desire for one was kindled more when her best friend (NBF = Nightingale’s Best Friend) got one from some people she knows. Then she learned that all the puppies in that litter were spoken for, so she put that thought on the back burner.

    However, NBF turned out to be allergic to her new puppy (although she is not allergic to the dog she already has). So. . .Nightingale agreed to take Janie.

    I kind of helped refine her name. NBF’s older dog is named Jake, & she named the puppy Jane, because she likes matching names. Nightingale pointed out that the dogs wouldn’t be able to tell which one they were calling, but NBF (who sometimes has odd ideas) insisted that they would be able to tell the difference between the k & n sounds in their names. (I think that’s doubtful.)

    Nightingale thought Jane was too close to Kane, the name of the sweet American Bulldog she/we used to have. So I suggested adding the ie to make it Janie. She liked that idea, so now Jane is Janie. (I tend to like pet names that end with the ee sound – like Heidi & Rudy, & now Janie.)

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  17. Heidi is good when playing with her. We thought she might be a little too rough, since she is still a very enthusiastic dog, but she seems to know not to be too rough with Janie. I think being able to play with Janie will be good for Heidi. She used to often play with the McK’s dog, & somewhat with Kane (he wasn’t as interested in playing with her).
    ************
    Here’s an interesting article some of us history lovers may enjoy. . .

    https://www.firstthings.com/web-exclusives/2010/06/the-perniciously-persistent-myths-of-hypatia-and-the-great-library

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  18. I read a training book that once suggested dog names should be 2 syllables that end in an “ee” sound, apparently that works best for training dogs to respond readily to their names, maybe just more natural to hear (and to say for us).

    I’m done in and I’ve only been up for 2 hours — walked the dogs, hauled a lot of trash and recycles out (had a few boxes to break down), emptied the dead washer of all that water still in the drum from the other night (stink-o), hauled the empty trash cans back up (some still to go), watered the little tree, took a really quick shower, out just in time for the plumber who said yep, it’s the washer …

    So now it’s back to washer/dryer shopping, I need to find something tomorrow.

    The neighbor from over the back was supposed to come meet me after I got home from work yesterday but she emailed & called, saying her daughter was home sick so she’d come Friday instead. I’m getting the impressing of a bit of flakiness, unfortunately. I called my fence guy last night (they’d been here again yesterday while I was gone and dropped off the posts and bags of cement) to ask about the white picket fence and how we handle all that but he never called back. Maybe it’s not a big deal but it looks unworkable to me without getting that white fence out of the way somehow.

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  19. Roscuro,

    When the repentant son returns, restoration and forgiveness are appropriate. However, the consequences he suffered while away were the appropriate result of his actions. He didn’t get to avoid the results of his actions. It seems those consequences are what led him to the appropriate repentant response. He got there because he suffered the consequences.

    And one other thing…..

    A repentant person doesn’t try to excuse their sin by pointing out that others have sinned too. That’s what this young lady and her parents did. Part of repentance is acknowledging your sin, and accepting the consequences. She still graduates, but doesn’t get to walk the ceremony. That’s the appropriate response, even if the school head didn’t articulate that point well.

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  20. Kizzie, I’m not sure what that writer is trying to say. Socrates Scholasticus (not to be confused with the early pagan philosopher), who was a Christian historian contemporary to that event (so that he had access to eye witnesses to confirm it) does not spare in his criticism of the church regarding the death of Hypatia. Here is a translation of his account:

    There was a woman at Alexandria named Hypatia, daughter of the philosopher Theon, who made such attainments in literature and science, as to far surpass all the philosophers of her own time. Having succeeded to the school of Plato and Plotinus, she explained the principles of philosophy to her auditors, many of whom came from a distance to receive her instructions. On account of the self-possession and ease of manner, which she had acquired in consequence of the cultivation of her mind, she not unfrequently appeared in public in presence of the magistrates. Neither did she feel abashed in coming to an assembly of men. For all men on account of her extraordinary dignity and virtue admired her the more. Yet even she fell a victim to the political jealousy which at that time prevailed. For as she had frequent interviews with Orestes, it was calumniously reported among the Christian populace, that it was she who prevented Orestes from being reconciled to the bishop. Some of them therefore, hurried away by a fierce and bigoted zeal, whose ringleader was a reader named Peter, waylaid her returning home, and dragging her from her carriage, they took her to the church called Cæsareum, where they completely stripped her, and then murdered her with tiles. After tearing her body in pieces, they took her mangled limbs to a place called Cinaron, and there burnt them. This affair brought not the least opprobrium, not only upon Cyril, but also upon the whole Alexandrian church. And surely nothing can be farther from the spirit of Christianity than the allowance of massacres, fights, and transactions of that sort. This happened in the month of March during Lent, in the fourth year of Cyril’s episcopate, under the tenth consulate of Honorius, and the sixth of Theodosius. [Link:https://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/npnf202.ii.x.xv.html%5D

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  21. Fence guy called back, he seems to think they can work it out but will have to chop off some more of the neighbor’s dead vegetation that’s pushed way over over my fence line.

    So I’m going to do a last bit of research on washers/dryers, Speedqueen is still in the running, but it’s all about the dimensions right now and what will or won’t possibly fit (everything’s 1-3 inches too big in one way or another). Plumber suggested moving washer and dryer out onto the patio and just expanding my kitchen space but not sure how I’d feel about that. Seems sort of like the toilet in the backyard look unless I could block them into a structure out there of some kind.

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  22. I also need something with a large enough tub to handle bedding. My current 30-year-old washer just doesn’t do that very well. That is the appealing part of those new-fangled top loaders with no agitator, all that tub space …

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  23. The Real, the consequences of our actions is ultimately eternal damnation, but in Christ, we do not have to go through purgatory to get to heaven. The forgiveness of our Lord is not contingent on our reparation or penance.

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  25. DG, Have you looked at the new stackables? They are a whole lot better than they used to be. They are often made to go in small spaces but still have the larger capacity.
    I thought we solved the size problem the other day when we all liked the sliding barn doors. 😉

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  26. Looked at stackable, but more expensive and requires plumbing adjustments to boot — and requires a different kind of re-configuration of the laundry alcove.

    Hoping taking off the doors will be enough to provide needed wiggle room. But not entirely sure there might now be more adaptation involved.

    Walked the dogs again, dragged in more of my and my neighbors’ trash cans (only one left now, I’ll get that one tomorrow — they haven’t picked up for the yard trimmings yet).

    I’m pretty much beyond tired right now. And it’s time to go to work.

    I’m beyond tired. And now I get to go to work.

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  27. Oh, and the one stackable with the top-loader was way deeper than the singular machines — 30 inches deep (I need whatever is closest to 25 inches that I can find). Most of the machines I’m looking at are 27-28 inches deep, there’s nothing less than 27 that I can find anywhere.

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  29. I know a young woman who was dragged before her congregation for that reason. I was not there, nor privy to any information on the man. I am not sure she ever recovered. She died recently from an overdose after trying to get clean. Her brother is a minister.

    That was the place we challenged the school board and took all our children out of. Half the school, including some teachers also left.

    Turns out the pastor was having an affair with a married woman he was counseling. It was, apparently his 3rd affair and was swept under the rug. Even his father (who was the school principal) did not know. One of the teachers told me that several years later, when she found out.

    There are lots of ways to teach fornication is wrong without shaming an individual.

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  30. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck…it’s a duck.
    This situation has all the earmarks of bullying so in my mind that is what it is. Plain and simple bullying. As for the pastor and anyone else they need to remember “But for the grace of God, go I”. Or to be more harsh, I sure would hate “Live by the sword, die by the sword” to come true in anyone’s life.
    My own daughter isn’t married. I don’t want her to be married at this point in her life and in her health. I certainly won’t sit in judgement on an unwed mother who chooses life before my own daughter is married and decides to have a child.
    Oh, and one more trite little saying…people who live in glass houses should not throw rocks.
    I have had to eat enough words spoken without thought in my life, I certainly don’t want to have to eat anymore.

    Have I used enough idioms in my post yet? I can go try to think of some more.

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  31. Coming up for air, here. Not caught up on the blog yet.

    Belated happy birthday to Peter L. Have you made your vacation plans yet?

    We are trying to schedule 5 families of grandchildren to visit at various times this summer. It is not helpful that I don’t have a work schedule past mid June.

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  33. The last I heard, about a year ago, was that the Christian school I attended before public high school now refuses to allow students from divorced families to enroll. A divorced friend of my brother and sister-in-law’s tried to enroll her child, and was told they refuse to deal with people of that status.

    It is tragic that people professing Christ, and who should be at the forefront modeling love and grace, sometimes seem to be the most judgmental of all. Who of them in positions of leadership within Christian institutions are thinking of the children, and showing the character of Christ to hurting young ones who may very well be questioning God’s love for them?

    On another note, maybe I should have boycotted the wedding I’m attending today, since the bride had a son out of wedlock, never married the father, and now is marrying a different man. You know, “send her a message.”

    /sarcasm off. Such a travesty, the persistently punitive stances of some who profess Christ. Where is the mercy? How are they living out “mercy triumphs over judgment”?

    Rant over. Time to get ready for the wedding.

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  34. I think part of the problem here is that some think people have been shamed just because the “shamed” person’s own conscience makes them feel ashamed. One is external, the other isn’t. You can’t escape your conscience. Just because you feel ashamed, doesn’t mean anyone shamed you. And just because your sin was found out and exposed, doesn’t mean you’ve been shamed.

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  35. I don’t agree with their policy but it is their policy. I did not agree with all of the policies at Pensacola Christian College and told my children, if they chose to go there, they needed to submit to the rules for the duration. They did whatever they did. When I send a boy off to Idaho State University, I expect him to comply with their rules, though I don’t necessarily agree with them. If you don’t like the rules, don’t take what is offered. Work to change the rules outside of that. Seems simple enough to me.

    In this country we have, supposedly, freedom of association. The schools can decide. We choose whether or not to put our money there. It may not appear like a Christian attitude. I don’t know. They may well love the people they are excluding from the school or from graduation but they are under obligation to do what they think is correct to protect the other students as well.

    Our local school, in our old church, had some standards. They did not allow people who were vociferously opposed to standard Christianity as they did not want that discussion forced on the other children. They did accept divorced families, but in some cases they required at least one parent to attend church. They often accepted students who were kicked out of the public school but often those children were not placed there as the parents or students were aware they would not have the freedoms of public school. They do get quite a few of them.

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  36. How is this girl being “shamed”? She knew the rules, she took positions of responsibility, and she chose to not abide by the rules. Why should they be forced to graduate her in a ceremony? Are they giving her a diploma? They set the criteria for graduation, she chose to not follow that. Does anybody who wants to get to graduate from their program without doing the work? What if they are mentally not able to do the work, is the school required to let them graduate?

    We don’t know enough on this story to make judgements.

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  37. All right, so say you take a hard line on this and feel the school is justified in not allowing this student to walk with her class. One never knows the ramifications of this. As far as society is concerned this is still a high school or college age student who doesn’t have the emotional maturity for such shaming and as far as we know the father isn’t facing any of the consequences this girl is.
    So she is shamed and punished. How does this emotional oh, I don’t know, let’s call it trauma effect her going forward.
    Does she take it out on the child?
    Does she turn to promiscuity? Because, hey, what else can they do to me?
    Does she turn to drugs or alcohol to numb the pain?
    Does she turn her back on God and think if that’s Christianity, I want no part of it?

    Let’s face it. Without a DNA test the male in this situation can just walk away. Who is to know his involvement at all. He can claim she was a slut and get any number of his guy friends to say, “Oh, yeah. Been there done that. She gave it away all the time”. No doctor or nurse will ever be able to examine him and know that he has had a child. A woman’s body is changed forever.
    No matter what she does now whether raising the baby or giving it up for adoption she will always be changed.
    OR She could have had an abortion. Who would have known? She wouldn’t have even had to tell the father. He has no rights to her body.
    Let’s suppose he is a good Christian guy. How do you think he might feel later on if he finds out he was a sperm donor and had no say in whether his child was born or not.

    I REALLY am biting my tongue here because the story I know isn’t mine to tell but let’s just say I have first hand experience of how this could all end up. Emotional scars do happen and those scars are handed down to the next generation.
    I’ve known 4 women who had abortions.
    1. Raging alcoholic and promiscuity
    2. Promiscuity and no self worth
    3. Suffered from infertility before having her two children
    4. Became a missionary to a Muslim country.

    AJ. You are in a battle against a bunch of women on this. Admit defeat.
    I didn’t suffer this kind of thing at a Christian school, but I did suffer and it turned me against Christianity for a number of years. I empathize with this young woman. I don’t know how else to say this, but you have a lovely daughter and before you take too hard of a line on this you need to stop and think about how you would feel if this were being done to Liz.

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  38. HELP Cheryl, where are you when I need you. I just found a baby bird. It looks like some plastic string got caught up on one of its legs in the nest and the leg died. It was fly-hopping on the patio. I brought it inside and Mr. P cut the string off but now we don’t know what to do with it. It is in a box with a towel over it and I put a little bird seed and some water in the box with it.
    Tiny little thing. 😦

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  39. Kim, look up a wildlife rescue organization for your area. Assuming there is one, someone will come get the bird, and they’ll know how to raise it. Baby birds take special care, and an injured one especially. Depending on the species, it may even be illegal for you to “put it out of its misery” or even to raise it. (If it’s a house sparrow or starling or other non-native bird, such laws don’t apply, but most birds species have huge federal protections attached, and you need a license to care for them or hunt them or do anything but watch them or release it from somewhere it was trapped.)

    If it has some ability to fly, its parents might be nearby and it might be safer released, now that you have removed what was hurting it. Maybe put it back where you found it while you seek to locate wildlife rescue.

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  40. So is this high school girl allowed to receive her diploma (credit for the work done) but just not to walk with her class? If so, it doesn’t seem like the horrendous consequences I’d imagined, that she isn’t receiving credit for her work. If I were the parent, I’d be approaching it from the angle of “It is their school and their choice. You had your own choices to make, and you made them. You’ll be OK; we forgive you, and we still love you, and you’ll be OK.” But I would be curious about what their by-laws say about just what circumstances allow them to forbid graduation, and if they were refusing academic credit I might be inclined to press that a little (not taking them to court, because I don’t believe that is proper). If it’s a matter of just not allowing her to walk with her class, that’s a disappointment for her, but yes, someone in a leadership position is–and should be–held to the same standard as others, or more so.

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  41. Question: Do you have a Pampered Chef pizza stone? If so . . . how much do you use it, how practical is it, and what do you use it for (other than pizza, which I’m unlikely to make)?

    I ask because it turns out we have two Pampered Chef ones, a deep dish one and a regular one, and our younger daughter is asking for various kitchen things, including those. But I remember being at a Pampered Chef party and thinking those sounded really cool, but not worth the money. I’m not inclined to buy one, but already owning one, neither am I inclined to part with both of them without at least considering whether they are something I could make good use of. (We are letting her have some other things, in addition to the kitchen tools that have been gifts to her through the years.)

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  42. I am late today! I have had a pretty busy day with lots of little things, and calls with more people than usual.

    The photo of the pink spiky flower was taken near where Karen lives in an upscale apartment complex. The second photo was made outside a high rise building. I hardly have anything blooming in my yard right now, so I am looking at other places for flowers.

    Art and I have been watching the Broadchurch series I found at the library. It is so well done and was filmed differently than most series. It was done in sequence instead of filming all scenes that pertained to a particular location at the same time to save on costs. None of the actors were given the whole script so they did not know who was guilty of the crime of murder. I am enjoying the Brittish coastal scenery along with the storyline, characters, and presentation. Has anyone else seen it?

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  43. I have two pizza stones, don’t know how pampered they are, that I use quite a bit. Mostly for bread making. Dinner rolls, artisan bread, loaves, etc. but mostly for pizza.

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  47. Another interesting house in Winchester ID.

    The bathroom has gotta go. I like the TV satellite dish on such a rustic, log-cabin structure and the log stair railings are kind of cool. Told ya. I’m about ready to run away from home …

    23645 Easy Ln

    End of Road Forest Setting on West Fork of Deer Creek this Log House has a large covered deck. Covered Back porch includes a large walk-in storage unit. Large generator, diesel tank, propane tank. Off-electric grid. Well with great water. Beautiful wooded acreage border DOL land. Seasonal creek runs through property.

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  51. Ooh, it’s on 19 acres.

    That’s a really big fence I’d have to build.

    Are there Mexican gardeners there to help mow? I doubt it.

    OK, maybe not such an “easy” lane after all.

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  52. Oh, I see we cross posted. DJ, are you sure the old ones aren’t fixable? In general, the older they are, the more likely they were made well in the first place.

    (Re your Easy Street. My first full-time job was working for a drugstore, with me reporting ultimately to the pharmacist, whose last name was Wright. I told my sister, “I think I’ve met Mr. Wright!” and she was really excited. 🙂 We were around 20 at the time.)

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  57. Old washer dryer — have fixed several times, but they each now have only 1 setting each left that is usable (was told by repair guy that fixing that required more money than I have been willing to put into it). Now a seal or *something* has broken. So no, they’ve done a valiant job for 27 years.

    Also, even though newer appliances aren’t considered as good, I’m a very “light” appliance user as a single person — I do 1 (maybe 2 sometimes) loads of wash a week. They get pretty light use with me.

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  58. Sometimes I even go 2 weeks without doing a load of laundry.

    My current dryer also takes several cycles to get anything dry anymore — and the washer isn’t big enough for anything but the lightest bedding (sheets).

    So I’m ready to swap these out. It’s time.

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  62. At least, not for long. Most folk don’t want them eating their pets so they generally have a healthy respect for people and their places. The occasional mountain lion, well, you saw how they just hang out on the walls….

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  63. DJ, if you need larger appliances, that is definitely relevant (though I’ve been known to take a comforter to a laundromat to use the extra-large machines). But if it would take, say, $200 to fix the old one and $500 to buy a new one, and the older one would work another 20 years but the newer one would only work five years (as is, unfortunately, likely to be the case), then the older one might be worth fixing. We ourselves have 30-year-old washer and dryer (though my husband, then a bachelor, knew he was likely to have a family someday and he bought a bit larger for that reason), and the girls have already both told him they want them someday, as they’ve seen how much cheaper it is to repair reliable old than to buy unreliable new. Personally, I’d be willing to pay up to the price of a new one to fix the old–I did choose to buy a new a.c. unit when the parts to fix it cost $1,800 and I found a place that would sell me a new one for that–just because it’s quite likely the old one would give more “future” years than the new one would.

    I say that as someone who has had one new stove, two new fridges, and no new washers or dryers since our marriage 5 1/2 years ago, because the washer and dryer are 30 years old and thus good ones. And the “new” stove has had to be repaired at least twice and is made of shockingly thin metal. (It pushes down easily under your hand; it feels thinner than a foil pie plate.)

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  64. I apologize for my blustering up there at 2:33. Pain is an excuse, not a reason.

    The afternoon and evening, with the wedding and reception, turned out lovely. But I just wrote some about it on the prayer thread, so I’ll not repeat myself.

    Blessings on your evening, fellow wanderers.

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  65. I don’t “need” larger appliances, but all of them are simply larger than the old ones were and, yes, I will appreciate being able to do heavy bedding at home. I’ve also carted them off-site. I love these trusty old Ropers, they’ve been great, I’ve kept them limping along for the past few years, repaired them several times. But I’m done. And so are they. 🙂

    So … back neighbor came over to discuss situation with me & workers who were still here until it got dark today. Stressful initially, but things finally relaxed and I think we’re on the same page. Her personality is different, she talks a lot and I like to cut to the chase sometimes, especially in this sort of situation.

    On the other hand, I told her I fully admit that I’ve foisted all of this on her with no warning and I apologized for that. She thanked me, said it was forcing them to deal with “their” side. Her husband came over after that, he’s a former editor and publisher of a photo magazine and they both are Christians — so, overall, we have a better relationship already.

    Worker said they’ll be back after noon tomorrow and early Sunday.

    Onward.

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  66. Love the workers, they smile and say nothing’s really a problem — but maybe they just don’t understand that much English. 🙂 I was silently pleading with them with hand signals at times today when the neighbor was going on about shorten up the hillside between our properties with a big cement pour … Yikes.

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  67. Meant to say earlier (but I was too caught up in the haze of fences and neighbors and snarky editors and my own weariness) — those flowers are gorgeous.

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