63 thoughts on “Our Daily Thread 7-11-18”

  1. first time I’ve seen a birds nest with a street address.
    Good morning everyone but Jo.
    Sweet dreams Jo.
    Off to fix breakfast.
    After I check yesterday’s “daily”.

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  3. He does have a nice fence as a part of his residence.
    I enjoyed yesterdays hospitality discussion.
    Nancyjill, please don’t be offended, but you may want to read the book “Boundaries”
    I think Kim spoke about it a while ago, a year or so. Company can be lots of fun, but you are not running a B and B.

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  5. Good morning!

    I took Donna’s advice and bought a bag of rice, bananas, applesauce, an soda crackers (standin for toast). The rice is boiling, and I already had a banana.

    Art has a conference downtown. He drove yesterday but parking is different this year and involved a lot of walking. I offered to drive him in. We left at 6:30 a.m. so traffic was not too bad. It sure seemed odd to be driving home from downtown during morning rush hour. The way the sun was shining in my face, it made me think that in all my years here I don’t think I have driven toward home at that hour. A good portion of my drive involved one of those reversible lane streets. I hardly recognized the familiar roads. It almost felt like being in the twilight zone. I just hope I can remember the route to pick him up. I know the majority except for the end of the maze in the downtown skyscraper area.

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  9. Unless husband wants to go and I am willing. Too much pressure on my already fragile mind..

    Finger foods are anything you can pick up easily and eat without making a huge mess. From tiny sandwiches, to sliced veggies, to breads and cheeses, etc.

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  10. What Mumsee said. More like appetizers. Fruit and cheese trays, dips and spreads. Anything you can pick up with a toothpick to eat. Swedish meatballs.

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  12. NancyJill – Did you say anything to the person who left the wet towel on the bed frame? I think that definitely deserved a word. I think some people don’t seem to realize that wet things should not be put on wood.

    Around here, with Nightingale and The Boy, I have finally discovered the real purpose of coasters. All these years, I thought they were meant for drink glasses or cups to be placed on. But apparently, they are actually markers for where to place the glass or cup, meaning the glass or cup should be placed on the end-table or coffee-table within a few inches of a coaster. 😉

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  13. I went back and read yesterday’s thread. NancyJill you either need to read Boundaries or have me come the next time you open you B & B.
    This is YOUR HOME not their B & B. I am disgusted with your neighbor who brought her dogs to stay during a fire but did not return the same hospitality.
    You may say, “Now isn’t a good time for guests”. No further explanation is needed. There is a difference between inviting someone to your home and having someone invite themselves.

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  14. Or you could look around at local B and B’s and then charge double what they charge.

    For me, as long as husband is around to provide the food for the masses (or Kim!) I am fine. I love having people over but I know that what I eat and serve the children is not what other people consider normal. I don’t mind being abnormal, but, like you, I feel when the masses are in, I need to feed them up to their expectations.

    So, I don’t. Here is the kitchen, Jo, want to make yourself an egg?

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  15. So, then, tell me, why did I sign up to host the Bible Study when husband will likely be gone trucking? Stepping out of the comfort zone once again…..pray for me.

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  16. But for the past ten plus years, I have had many children to help with the prep and clean up so that was easy hosting folk. We could easily have thirty or more over for the Fourth of July barbecue. I have to wait until ten year old is a bit more solid before trying that again. Wait. We are trying that next Tuesday. Never mind.

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  19. Another use for soda crackers: When empty, the empty wax-paper wrappings can be rolled up and tossed as cat toys. Alas, Annie tires of those in about 30 seconds, so they make it to the trash can quickly anyway.

    Ah, coasters. My first roommate wasn’t raised with antique wood furniture like I was. She would always just plunk her glass down on the table or other wood surfaces. And I was always slipping coasters under them, which probably made her crazy. There was just something wrong (to me) about seeing a wet glass, soda can or dish with hot food on unprotected wood!

    When I go to her house now, I notice they still don’t use coasters, but the kinds of wood furniture they have is all veneer on top or something, so I guess it doesn’t matter. It still bothers me when I’m there to set my glass or soda can down on the coffee table without something underneath it, but there are no coasters in sight and she never uses them, so … when in Rome

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  21. On churches offering different worship services according to style:

    http://www.patheos.com/blogs/geneveith/2018/07/the-problem-with-offering-multiple-worship-styles/
    _________________________________

    … When the church caters to everyone’s preferences, it creates the impression that the church and thus Christianity cater to everyone’s preference. That is, that Christianity is all about you and what you want. …

    … churches need to recover the liturgy. And to put a new emphasis on the Sacrament: “Holy Communion is the great antidote to the emotional manipulation the modern church loves to employ. It sets the body of Christ like a burning coal on our lips and in our stomachs, and we begin to see things just a little bit differently.” …
    ___________________________________

    Which is pretty much what our church discovered after years of being independent (before I was there) and deciding to join with a conservative Presbyterian denomination.

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  24. Love the bird waiting for his mail.

    At our staff meeting yesterday, it was said that our newsrooms now are what’s called in the corporate world “right-sized.” I’d never heard that term and we, of course, wouldn’t agree at all with that conclusion from a news gathering capability standpoint.

    We’re also getting more security installed at our buildings. It was noted that just 10 years ago the push was for open newsrooms with invitations to community groups to come in, discuss issues, hosting open houses. The world has changed I guess. Now key cards and buzzers and intercoms are becoming the norm (we’ve had key cards for the building space we lease for years already, though).

    It’s kind of sad, though, as I’ve always liked the idea of newspapers being physically in the midst of the communities they cover and, to some extent, open to the public. In the ‘old’ days (1980s, 1990s), people would wander in all the time to drop off news releases, weekly sermon notices to go into the religion column, you name it. One woman felt so comfortable that one day she shuffled into the newsroom still wearing her bedroom slippers and what looked like a robe. Now we’d call security, but back then we all knew her as just the local historical society lady.

    Another Pentecostal pastor in town, sweet man who always wore a full suit and tie, would come in every week, run off his own copy of his sermon item on our copy machine, and turn it in to the editor (who then would always politely argue with him that his items were too wordy and long; the pastor was trying to essentially preach the gospel with run-on sentence sermon titles each week, with the goal of getting as much of it as possible published in the newspaper).

    Looks like I’m covering the local Croatians today — big soccer match at 11 a.m. and they’ll all be gathering at Croatian Hall.

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  25. I don’t believe that is an issue at our local paper yet. With just the one guy working there, he keeps the door open a lot of the time. But he is rather harried at times.

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  27. Ah, coasters. I, too, grew up with them used. So did my children, but now that they are adults it seem to have become lost learning. They find it terrible to have furniture that is not nondestructible. I sometimes wonder if we will have any of the niceties of life left in a few decades. If God provides nice things, one should take care of them. Sometimes that means coasters. All things in moderation. I am not a fanatic, but this just seems a no-brainer.

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  28. Fun ‘palm tree’ story. I knew they weren’t native but it was fun to read about how their popularity for image purposes caught on. Loved the old photos, too. And the trees are easy to move, several ‘historic’ palm trees were moved from one part of town to another some years ago.

    The new stand of towering palm trees that now graces our town’s entryway median light up with LEDs, programmed for various holidays and other colorful celebrations and seasons.

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  30. We had a few older (now antique) wood pieces from my mom’s Iowa home (which I also still have) — but even the newer wood pieces were always to be respected and protected. The pine kitchen table (now my dining table) has quite a few ‘writing’ scars and markings on it, it probably could use refinishing, but it’s still very good looking and it actually is kind of nice to see how it’s been so well used through it’s 100-year(?) history.

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  32. I didn’t grow up with coasters. We didn’t have any need of them, first because we didn’t have any expensive furniture (and I think we did all our drinking in the kitchen unless we had company), but second because I don’t think glasses sweat all that much in Phoenix–I really don’t remember, but I don’t think they do. Anyway, I’ve gotten used to the idea of coasters on a coffee table (though to be honest I still don’t like coffee tables much, since to me they are a place to put books and it makes me nervous to think of putting beverages on the same table with expensive books)–but I don’t like the idea of coasters on a dining room or kitchen table. Pot holders, sure. But if a table can’t handle a glass of water, it should resign.

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  33. Coasters, my grandparents had them but at home we never ate or drank in the living room, only at the table so there was no need. I had them but did notice a lot of people did not know what they were for and it is probably because they are not used on modern furniture so much.

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  34. Antique furniture is more ‘bare’ so needs to protection. Modern furniture probably has more water-resistant coatings built into it, but I don’t really know.

    As I said, we just had a lot of things from Iowa and my mom loved the look of old wood (a taste that I’ve inherited). Trivets and pot-holders and tablecloths or runners and placemats work well as dining table substitutes for coasters, though.

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  35. If I knew how to post a photo to my comment, I’d let you guys weigh in on potential covers for A Poppy in Remembrance. I’ll be self-publishing in the fall and we’re considering ideas.

    Liked by 1 person

  38. Michelle – you could email the photos to AJ and he could post them. Or put them in a Google photo album and post a link to it here. Or you could email them to those of us for whom you have an address. Just a few ideas.

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  40. Hey ya’ll! I did check with my phone earlier but was on the run and have just now gotten home to my iPad. I do thank you all for your love and guidance concerning my travails 😊 Kizzie I did not discover the towel until they were gone…I try to only sneak in the bathroom to grab trash and towels…I don’t go into the bedrooms for the most part. The bed is solid walnut East Lake…high headboard and footboard..I have a deep penetrating oil that will restore the finish thankfully. It will not happen twice if they return…I will be discussing “rules of the house” 😊
    I will be reading Boundaries…it has been suggested to me by a therapist friend and I have even recommended it to my daughter who happens to have difficulty with saying “no” to her friends!
    The mister and I talked long and hard about future situations and have agreed that this cannot continue to happen. The past couple of years of vacationing family and friends has become overwhelming and not so enjoyable as it should be. Again I thank you all so much 💕

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  41. Cheryl ! 4:42. That is heavy stuff, but it’s too much to deal with right now.
    I can only say that the “standing and clapping service” is not a worship experience for me.
    Nor is standing while the “praise learner” strums his guitar dressed in his uniform (jeans with shirttail hanging out) and we can’t sing until he says the first line of the song.
    But the young folks seem to like it.

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  42. NancyJill, may I ask what the deep penetrating oil is that you use to restore the finish on the bed? The top of my piano sadly has a ring on it from one of the kids parking a water bottle on it overnight. (And yes, we have coasters, and they know what they’re for, just didn’t use one that time.) Anyway, next morning I found the sweat ring under the bottle. 😦 Probably damaged the piano finish beyond repair, but I’m just curious, anyway, if what you plan to use / have used might work in my situation?

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  44. 6…it is Howard’s brand Restore a Finish…I use the dark walnut. We used it on all the more dried out wood furniture that would come into the antique shoppe and it works beautifully. Living in this dry climate I use it on my antiques when the wood appears to be drying…good as new…or old! 😊 I like all of the Howards line of products. Their bees wax penetrating wax is fantastic too…hmm…they should hire me as their ad man!

    Liked by 3 people

  45. I am finished with my summer project! (Or what became Summer Project, Plan B.) I planned to catalog my music by various pedagogical groupings, but it started to become a big, unwieldy job that I didn’t have 100% laid out ahead of time exactly how I was going to do it. I had several ideas going into it, and thought I’d try to “go with the flow,” if you will, and see where it took me.

    Well, it took me toward a more specific plan for 6th Arrow as she winds down with her beginning-level method and enters the home stretch toward what I call intermediate music — a definition that varies, depending on whom you talk to. Intermediate to me being the music post-method series and pre-big stuff by Bach, Beethoven, Chopin, Rachmaninoff… etc.

    I searched through all my music that is roughly intermediate level, and have come up with a plan to utilize quite a bit of it during her middle school years. (She starts 5th grade — school grade, not a music grade — in the fall, and will finish her beginning method in the spring.) We won’t get to all of it, by any means, but I will use a lot of what she doesn’t study in the next couple, three years as sightreading during her high school years.

    It was fun to rediscover old treasures that her older siblings and other piano students of mine had used years ago. I’ve picked out the best of those pieces and have a rough idea of when I’m going to introduce them to her.

    Of course, there’s a definite possibility that we’ll tweak the plan along the way, but I now feel like I’ve got a good plan for coordinating appropriate materials, and utilizing my resources well, rather than having them sitting in a closet with lots of other music, forgotten.

    I’m glad I got this done now, because tomorrow is the official kick-off of the passing-the-baton year, so to speak, with a meeting led by the outgoing District Auditions chairperson. She and I and the two other ladies who will be on the new team (there will be three of us, rather than one replacing the one stepping down) are meeting at a coffee shop tomorrow morning to discuss the files the outgoing DA chair sent us. There is lots of information on how to prepare for the auditions in March, lots of examples of forms to be filled out, etc.

    It’s an exciting time, and all these women are wonderful — I know them through our local independent music teachers group.

    So, one project done, another starting! I just love it. 🙂

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  48. NancyJill I will be planning my visit for next Spring. I will require a vegan gluten free meal plan. I like thick white towels although I tend to use the wash cloths to remove make up. I only drink organic free trade coffee and tea. Oh and I have a down allergy.

    Love ya

    Liked by 4 people

  51. Oh, perhaps more information is wanted? A reversible lane is a lane that can be used in either direction. It might refer to a center turn lane which traffic in either direction can use to make a left turn onto or off of the street. Or it might be a lane for through traffic that can be switched to go in either direction depending on the time of day and volume of traffic needing the extra lane. I’m not sure which kind Janice means. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reversible_lane

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  53. I’m coming with her. I’ll be house-sitting my neighbr’s cocker spaniel and its litter of puppies. The puppies won’t be housebroken, of course, but the mama only wets the rug if she gets excited or scared. Nothing vegan for me, though–I eat a lot of meat. The dogs will be used to a raw, freshly prepared menu too. Each day their menu is a little different, but that doesn’t matter since it needs to have been bought within the last six hours anyway.

    And we will need to have use of your car, and I need quiet for four or five hours in the afternoon, so I’ll need everyone to be gone and for someone to take responsibility for the dogs.

    We’re looking forward to it!

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  54. 10:27, LOL. 🙂 But interesting link at 10:30. I’ve seen left-turn lanes that can be approached from either direction, but had never heard the term “reversible lane,” so didn’t picture those left-turn lanes I just described when I read Janice’s comment. Funny, because we have those in our town — I just didn’t know they had a name. 😉

    Oh, BTW, Kevin, congratulations to Flyboy on getting his pilot license! I was late in seeing that announcement, but how neat!

    And I think it was the same day Ricky’s grandson was born. (Or around then.) Belated congratulations, Ricky, if you see this!

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  58. Thank you, Janice.

    6 Arrows: In some cities the middle lane us used one direction in the morning and the other in the afternoon for rush hour traffic. I haven’t seen one in a while, but St. Louis had a 5 lane bridge across the Missouri River. There were lights overhead indicating whether the lane was open for you. If the lane had a green arrow, you could use it. A red X meant the other direction could use it. That bridge has since been replaced by two four lane bridges.

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  59. The reversible lane has a lane in the middle that changes direction for the needs of morning and afternoon rush hours. So when I drove in for morning rush hour my side had two lanes open. After I dropped Art off and headed home, my side of the road only had the one lane open. For that center lane there are signs at the top similar to stop lights that have a red x for when the lane is not available. It is very tricky for anyone unfamiliar with that type of road.

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  60. Ask a question here and you get several good answers!

    I need to get to sleep so I can be challenged by reversible lanes four times tomorrow. Who knows, maybe I am getting practice to be an Uber driver. But I am probably over the age range to do that.

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  61. It’s great all the new things one can learn here! 🙂

    There’s a rural area in a neighboring state that has a 3-lane highway up/down a very steep, winding hill. Sometimes the middle lane is for those going up, and sometimes for those going down. It switches about three times: the extra lane is first for the ups, then the downs, then the ups, then the downs. It’s four lanes before and after that. I suppose because of where the road was built, they couldn’t get any more than three lanes in parts of it. (Or I guess if you started at the top of the hill, going down, you’d also be first.)

    I think…

    It’s getting late here. Probably should head to bed now, and not go driving any 3- or 5-lane highways at this moment. 😉

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  63. Isn’t there a lane like that going to Coronado Island. It has a concrete barrier that is changed to accommodate rush hours.

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