Forty Pounds of Chicken

This week my new computer and I are trying to get along.  I downloaded drop box and security programs. Word and I are having words.  It doesn’t like my old program so I have Word “lite” with ads and it doesn’t give me a word count without begging for it.  But I love the large screen and the ability to have two documents open side-by-side.

It was fun to be busy with lots of projects.  I got them all done and a few more assigned articles.  Now it’s: Hello!  What’s down the pipeline?  Time to be marketing again.

I have been assigned publicity for the three stake Especially for Seminary that will be held August 10^th.  I was called as Teacher Development teacher for our ward.  But there is really no course to teach from.  I need to take parts of the new teaching curriculum for youth and adapt that.  Suggestions anyone?  The Stake Relief Society is creating a cookbook for their stake RS meeting and I think I will be on that committee as well.  One of our ward members has a machine to punch the holes and insert the comb bindings.  So if we decide to do a family cookbook.  He is happy to help with that, too.

Wednesday afternoon I drove to Springfield with the Stake Relief Society President.  We had fun chatting up and back. It was Stake Council meeting that night.  It started at 7:30 and we got out just a little before 11pm.  I was glad I only had to drive 2 hours by myself.  I’d connected with the RS president in Ava—about an hour from home.  It’s a great meeting, though.  You feel like you know the mind of the stake president and you hear all the things the stake is doing. I go in my capacity as Stake Seminary and Institute Supervisor.

Thursday we had the missionaries over and a mom and her two children.  The daughter, a 12 year old, was scheduled for a Saturday baptism.  We had a good dinner and a nice conversation. I love the Mom.  She’s doing a great job. I hope she will be baptized soon and the son.  I tries a new recipe—Classic Chicken Tetrazinni.  It’s not lo-cal, but it was mighty tasty!

Tom has been working on cleaning up the downfall in the north pasture.  He’s been burning piles and piles of wood. He’s so excited.  He’s about done out there.  He does have job security.  The pond pasture has much work to be done.  Also, we need to clear the fence line a bit.  We want to replace the old broken down fencing along that north boundary.  Then we can think about getting cows or goats or something to munch the grass down. The problem seems to be getting fencing that is good for both goats and cows and doesn’t bankrupt the piggybank.

Friday when I went shopping a 10 pound bag of chicken leg quarters was on sale for $6.59.  I was so excited, I bought a bag and came home and cooked it for meals that called for cooked chicken.  I wanted to buy more, but didn’t want to cook it then.

Saturday we went to K.’s baptism.  Tom baptized her. I had been asked to give a talk and spent time preparing a talk on baptism.  We get to church and I read the program. I’m giving a talk on the Holy Ghost!  Dang.  I do need to listen better.  Good thing we got there a few minutes early and I had some notes on the Holy Ghost written in the back of my Bible.  I think it went okay. 

After the baptism we stopped and bought three more bags of chicken leg quarters.  I think two would have been sufficient. After deboning 30 pounds of chicken in 24 hours, I was done.  So there’s a bag in the frig for Monday.  Maybe we’ll just have A LOT of fried chicken!

Today was Ward Conference.  We had the stake president here and other stake leaders.  Our theme for this year is becoming truly converted.  It builds on Elder Bednar’s talk about the difference between having a testimony (knowing) and being converted (doing).  Brother and Sister Darracq received their mission call to the Birmingham, England mission and leave in April.  We are so excited for them!

OWL

We've seen this owl a few times.  This time Tom drove the truck up and stopped within a few feet of the owl.  We were so suprprised.  We went out to take pictures and got very close to it.

Dan even flailed hands to get it to fly off so we could see the wing span.  But it just looked  bored.  It was about 18 inches tall.  And all fluffy.

 See how close Dan and Camden got?

The good, the bad, the ugly

Sometimes I have lists of things to do that are so long, I wonder if I will ever get them all done.  Often they don’t take that much time, but still, they need to be done.  Sometimes, getting one thing done, just leads to another follow-up thing that needs to be added to the list.  Still, I persevere.

Monday I finished most of the work from last week… which resulted in more work.  I believe that’s a good thing.  The financial newsletter likes some of my headlines and leads, and chose one.  It was not, however: “Stop the Zombie Apocalypse with ETF’s!”  (Exchange Traded Funds) I had written it because I’d read one needed to think outside the box and be outrageous, but humor is not typically used for money matters.  I liked the slant they chose and will have a good time with that.   Got another job from the accountant.  Have another possible big assignment.  Need to think if I want to work full time.

Monday I decided to buy a computer.  I’ve been working off the laptop.  And I find more and more I need two screens up to move data between.  It’s a little cramped.  So I spent time researching and looking and finally pulled the trigger on a 23” all in one.  Not the fastest, but the biggest.

Tuesday I went visiting teaching and worked on the AWAI articles.  Wednesday more of the same. 

Thursday I worked a bit and then had a clay day.  I so enjoy that.  This time we made vases by wrapping clay around a piece of wood (A 4x4 in my case.)  Then I added a bottom.  And I took darker clay, made a motif, and wrapped it around the white clay.  It was an interesting exercise—trying not to get any of the deep red clay on the white.  It came out well, except for I didn’t measure the height of the wrapped piece and so it sags a little on one side.  I will practice this more.  My goal is to cut the vase 2/3 of the way up, separate the pieces and insert cutwork into the opening.  If the clay is too damp, it won’t work.

I had our evening Relief Society meeting that night and had volunteered to take some food.  So I made chocolate covered mints and potato soup.   Tom actually finished the potato soup for me and brought both over to the church.  I just went directly from my clay day. After I got home—about 10pm, Miranda arrived with the little ones.  That was nice.

Friday was a difficult day.  The nice news was that the computer arrived and I got it partly set up.  The bad news was that I got a call from our property manager in St. Louis.  The house we were in the process of selling got broken into.  The heaters, air conditioners, wiring in the basement (for the copper) and refrigerators and stoves were all stolen.  The deadbeat tenant had vanished, too.  Very disappointing. Had a police report.  Called the insurance company.  We’ll see how it all turns out.

The shed in the back yard (our “attic”) was sinking.   I think the termites were gnashing on the skids.  So Tom wanted to lift the shed and put new skids in.  He’s been digging around it and jacking it up.  Monday he hopes to put skids under it. 

Saturday Tom and Dan worked on the shed.  Tom helped to adjust my computer stand to adapt to the larger computer.  It was emptied off and moved out… so it seemed like a good time to rearrange the office.  And if I was rearranging, it was time to clean things up.  So I emptied out file cabinets and organized new files.  I still have some stacks of things to put away, but the room is more functional.   Alas, the new computer is still not.  It needs Word uploaded and my files from one computer to the other.

Today Miranda spoke at church.  She did a great job.  After church was Bishop’s Youth Discussion.  It sounded like Tom did a great job, but he wondered if the message was totally absorbed.  The goal was to recognize that church standards were to be a part of one’s life—not just something put on for Sundays or for going to the temple.  You shouldn’t have a residence in Zion with a summer home in Babylon.

Work Week

For me, this has been a week of work.  My accountant client wanted three letters to go to doctors inviting them to use his tax preparation services.  I needed to write three to four headlines and leads (about 1-2 pages) showing a big idea and promise why people should invest in this financial newsletter.  And then midweek, I got a response back on two article ideas I’d submitted to The Barefoot Writer.  It’s exciting to see the bank balance go up and it’s welcoming to see that people like my work and want to work with me.  I really feel like I’m moving ahead. Occasionally it’s panic inducing to wonder if I can accomplish what they want.

I do feel blessed by the Lord with inspiration and guidance.  I know if I will fulfill my responsibilities to Him, He will bless me and help me accomplish this writing stuff.  Monday morning I wrote a letter to our sweet little chorister in the hopes that she will find the desire to improve.  Tuesday I was visit taught and Thursday I went visiting teaching.  I spent time working to create a lesson series for my new calling of Teacher Development.  As part of that process I looked at the new material for teaching the youth.  Great stuff there!  It really applies to anyone teaching anything.

I also prepared for Saturday’s Institute and Seminary training.  It was an all-day affair.  Tom was kind enough to go with me, and did all the driving.  We had to leave by 6:30 am to get there by 9am. As always, it’s such a fantastic experience to go.  I learn new things. I become a better teacher and I feel empowered to go forth and do better.  We were finished by about 3pm and stopped for dinner at our favorite restaurant.  So we got home by about 6pm.  Today I need to transcribe my notes for those who could not be in attendance.

We had pretty warm weather midweek, and Tom and I walked the fence line and talked about replacing the old fencing along the back line.  We stacked up more wood for burn piles.  I think Tom must have half a dozen ready to burn when he’s ready.  We had a foggy day and a drizzly day.  Then Saturday afternoon we had a stormy day—heavy steady rain and lightning flashes.  We got just over 2 inches of rain in about 8 hours.  This morning the thermometer hovered around freezing and it drizzled.  But it’s been warm enough, little froze.  It’s nice to be snuggly warm inside the house as the temperature drops.

I’ve been pondering this week about the story in Acts 3.  Peter is going to the temple and he passes by a man whose been crippled for 40 years.  The man asks for money. Peter has none.  How often are we asked for something we don’t have?  Do we typically say, “Sorry,” and move on?  But Peter didn’t.  He offered a spiritual gift.   He said, “Arise and walk.”  And the man did.

Do we have spiritual gifts we can use to bless others?  Kindness, prayer, listening, a glad heart, the peace of the gospel of Jesus Christ.  My goal is to be aware of the requests of others and see if I can answer those with a spiritual gift when I can’t answer them in another way. (Or in addition to the other answer.)

The other interesting parts of that story are the ramifications of that act.  It all started with one small question of the beggar.  But it resulted in 5000 people joining the church, a miraculous escape from prison, and Peter having a chance to preach to the Jewish leaders.  Could Peter have imagined all this from his answering one question?  I think of our own family where Steve Fox’s one question to Cal led to his baptism and that of likely hundreds more.  Perhaps there are no “small acts.”  Each has repercussions beyond what we can see.  Makes me want to be very careful what I do.

Cacophony to Quiet

It’s always interesting when family comes to stay.  The house begins empty and quiet with beds folded out, made and prepared.  Then the door slams.  Suitcases get lugged in and plopped on floors or desktops.  We get the patter of little feet.  Giggles and laughter… and cries and howls. Then the next set erupts into the house with blankets, and pillows and toys and clothes.  The surfaces of the house gather stuff—sundries all over the bathroom countertops. Food and cups—empty and too full—cover the kitchen counters… and tables.  Papers, drawings, paper plates, napkins, dishes, games and puzzles cover the tables.  The floor fills with toys and balls and abandoned clothing until every surface of the house is covered.

The walls ring with shouts and running and doors slamming and brisk breezes whisking through.  Mittens and jackets come on and off.  Kids shed pond dampened shoes.  Sticky faces filled with s’more leftovers sometimes make it to the bathroom to be cleaned… sometimes not.  Babies cry because they’re tired, or bonked, or sick, or teething, or for no discernible reason at all.

The fireplace warms the downstairs and the oven and baking warm the kitchen. People talk and visit, and shout, and play.  Toy guns Voop! Voop!  The piano klinks, kids and adults munch and great fun is had by all.

Then, one by one the families leave.  With each departure, some surface space is reclaimed.  Loads of laundry make it through the washer and dryer.  Beds are remade, towels put away.  The cacophony diminishes.  The joyful laughter of shared stories and conversation quiets.

Finally the last suitcase rumbles out the door.  The final sweep-through collects bits of treasures too precious to be left behind.  The last of the plastic cups are tossed from the counter tops. The house is once again quiet… and empty.

Miranda and Dan left on Monday.  We took down the Christmas decorations on Wednesday.  Callie and Marian did a great job denuding the tree.  Tom tackled the outdoor lights. Marian and Callie learned to hand sew some bags.  Aaron worked on a clay project the last day.  Rebecca left on Thursday and by Thursday afternoon the house was back to its quiet, empty stage. It felt a little bleak.

But it was time to head back to work. I have several copywriting jobs I’m doing. My accountant has come up with more letters and seminar invites and follow-ups to write. I was behind on writing articles for my coach.  And I have an invitation to submit some leads for a financial newsletter that could net some good money.  So I dove into that Friday and Saturday.

Tom snoozed.  I think the “hibernation” kicked in.  The fire was warm.  It was quiet… and a bit cloudy and dark.  And he slept.  He might tell you it was the edge of a cold he was fighting.

Saturday Tom went to a funeral and presided at that.  In the afternoon we went to a baptism.  It was very nice.

Today I was called to be Teacher Development—that is I teach the teachers how to teach.  I also substituted in teaching Gospel Principles. I like doing that.  We had a good fast and testimony meeting.

Life is good.  I guess it’s good there’s a mix of excitement and quiet.  We are blessed.

Grandpa the Jungle Gym

In the evenings Tom wrestled with the kids.  You'd think it was a bit uneven... but he managed to come out on top...eventually.

Marian and the exercise ball.

I'm not sure who took these pictures, but I found them on my camera.  Clearly some fun was had with my exercise ball!