QuidNunc/QuidTunc?

Due to the rush of responses to yesterday’s helpful hint. I thought I would write another! Instead of using lots of water to presoak or rinse old, hard, caked-on food on dishes (I know, some of you never experience that), skip running all that water down the sewer drain! Load up the dishwasher with your absolutely filthy dishes and throw in a cup or glass of water. Let it sit a while… a half hour, overnight, something like that. The moisture will do its work and when you actually run the DW, it will come off smoothly and sparkly.

Okay , I have dome my duty for the week. Now you do yours… or try the real Heloise at www.heloise.com

Actually one of my first ever early married H.Hints was to first put all the dishes in dish water and let them soak while you do a few other chores. This is a take-off. Fasten your seat belt.

See you there!

I am being the laundress today. I have made a semi-nouveau discovery. I have been getting store brand fabric softener sheets, and lately they just haven’t been working so good. Back in the day, when we used Amway, I would spray liquid fabric softener on a rag and put that in the dryer. I discontinued that long ago, I don’t know why. Well, I thought I’d give it another swing and bought a bottle of liquid Downy. I watered it down a little and put it ina spray bottle. It works great! The clothes are soft like velvet.. and pretty much wrinkle free, and nary a hint a snap of static! I remember when I used Amway, it took a few runs with the rag to get ti to work good, but this worked great the first time. The first time I did it, my rag totally disappeared. I thought it pretty wierd, but my thinking so didn’t bring it back. Today when I put on my shirt that buttons down the front, I found it hanging on to a button! Well, we’re awaiting winter storm. I’m not looking forward to the paper route in the morning. I can’t remember a winter when we have had so much ice.

Last night at supper Joel said something like this to me. “There is a new kind of persicaria called polymorphus” just put of the blue. I told him he was so lucky I was a Latin teacher, I understand him.

I think I spelled it right! I just heard a ‘paper blog’ being discussed on my favorite radio station. One person’s opinion was that there was too much “puerile” stuff in blogs to bother it with paper and ink! Well, the Amish are way ahead of us. They print a paper once a week called Die Botshaft and it is just that! There is an assigned scribe for each district and they write in whatever goes on that week. The first time I read one I was impressed at when they told who was sick and needed encouragement, they would provide an address so you could ‘card shower’ them! A lot of times they discuss the weather, crops, marriage and babies like any of us and sometimes there are pretty good stories like the sighting of a wild cat, or wild cows that no one could catch and they couldn’t figure out whose they were. It was eventually solved. My favorite was about the guy whose milk tank generator (run by gas) went bust so he bought a new one. The installer came to the house as they were finishing a meal and said his work was done, but he couldn’t check it out without any gas! The scribe left a tasty comment like there must’ve been a few loose bricks somewhere! i think we would say .

‘marbles’. Tomorrow is Sammy-boy’s 23rd Birthday! Buono compleanos, or something like that!

I’m wearing glasses today, folks… hope it helps with the typos!

A couple weeks ago when we were at Trade Show One in Baltimore it was with the Horticultures. There is a distinct feeling in the January Air, that this is the beginning of a new season and anything is possible. When I listen to the news I often think of these people who are now planting seeds, looking and often finding fresh blushes of green/ new life, and I know the hopeful feeling that surges inside, in spite of bad news everywhere. It goes with the feeling that you feel when you go from outside frigidity to humidity and the smell of warm soil in the greenhouses. When we were first married it was our privilege and my education to live across the driveway from the greenhouses where Joel worked. I never got tired of it. Today it is warm outside and I feel the Horticultural Attitude, which I could call HA(!). I put out of my mind that it is still January and cold days  -and early mornings-  lie ahead. I just want to go for a good brisk walk!

I am making a shopping bag that I think I want every time I go downtown, but never think of till I am shopping. I made one years ago for Joel’s mother and one day I spruced it up a bit for her and then used it and it was the perfect thing, so I got material for me. It’s got a pocket for my keys, phone, camera, chequebook and pen, and mail that I need to put in a mailbox….. at leat it will when I get it made. If you’re lucky, I’ll take a picture of it for you. The fabric is pretty cute. It’s more of an errand bag than a shopping bag. I have gone a little hat and bag crazy this year, but all for the right price!

I am sorry I can’t make my font larger. I’ve spent a lot of time browsing around trying to figure it out.

One if th early things I heard said this morning by a black author, “Blacks ain’t used to being The Man!”

We always spend an evening with out friends, the Mortons, on MLK day and Stan usually comes up with something to watch ot read. Last night we watched Tom Brokaw’s documentary on MLK, and you can see the progression of the Civil Rights movement. It is interesting to watch this day wiht that juxtaposed in my mind. I liked the guy who had the benediction of the inaugural ceremonies, "God of the weary…." because we could see MLK wearing out, yet go forward. There was a real strain after the little girls that were killed in the bombing of the church in Selma, AL. C. rice was on saying that one of them was her classmate at school. The documentary also showed MLK giving his speech on Independence Mall, saying ‘the day will come, I amy not get there with you bu the day will come!" and the day came! Mrs. Belz used to ask us, “;Is ‘Came the great day’ a sentence?”

I appreciated BO’s quote of George Washington that he made in the dead of winter. I wish I could re-quote it. I just remember that GW’s encouragement came when it was cold and people were suffering.I thought that Obama’s speech was pretty good, too. But that is his strong point. And I liked Joseph Lowerey’s benedictory prayer that ended with a poem! I loved this whole Inaugural ceremony. It was a great mix. I don’t remember seeing every former president on the podium platform before. and the prayers were great. I remember hearing some pretty soppy prayers at Inaugurals of presidents I voted for. What surprised me was how few people joined in on the lord’s Prayer. I remember seeing part of Princess Diana’s funeral thousands of people saying it in the streets where they could hear the service on loudspeakers.

I’m watching the parade and you can see the SS men searching the crowd. You have ot admit, the Obamas are beautiful people!  This parade can get pretty late! I am so glad went to the Capitol last spring when Mom was here, because I can picture these places. I was wondering who got a table at the luncheon over ‘the spot’ where you can hear whatever is spoken there around the room.

I haven’t seen Will yet! I hope he is having as good a time as people appear to be having.

I better go start supper.

‘Twas Thou who gave to the dawn its hues and to the sunset magic;

’twas thou who composed the song and scent

of springtime in the hedgerow

Oh! save us from losing that magic

which this day meanders throughout the world.

T’was thou who composed a song for the stream and a murmur for the verdant wood;

’twas thou who gave melody to the breeze and to the lark its song.

Oh! save us from the dawning of a day

when our hearts are no longer driven to song.

‘Twas thou who heard the footsteps once

on the way to Calvary;

’twas thou who saw the shedding of blood

of the man on an unfamiliar quest.

Oh! save us from the dawning of an age

bereft of crown of thorns,and pain, and cross.

Amen.

Might not be the best English poetry, because it is the translation from the Welsh. Bryn Terfel has a wonderful rendition. I am sorry I can’t find it for you. Don’t listen to the Steve Jones. It’s the wrong tune and he sings like like a has-been.

G’night

P.s. I did pretty good on the cleaning. I am at peace……oh no! The Flyers are losing, how did that happen??!!

It gets worse before it gets better, huh? You really don’t need a picture. I figured the things that gather on my desk gather there for lack of a Place to Go! So now I am cleaning out stuff (AGAIN!) to give it That Place. When I saw the snow this morning I decided it was a good time to let Joel take the car to work and oen myself in the study until I can at least begin to figure out a system here. I have the big trash can in here. Pandora.com is keeping me company.

Val and I have been passing piano videos. This one has a little story. When I first started teaching at Dayspring, I had a rowdy 6th grade class. they got worse as they got older. By the time they got to 8th grade there was one boy who never did his ho,ework, didn’t pay attention, and ws always blowing his nose! I am sure he had allergies, but he spent most of his time in class getting up to get a kleenex and blowing his nose. He wouldn’t have thought to bring a box! One day it was the end of the day class and they had finished. I shared a classroom with the music teacher , and this pathetic kid went and sat down to the piano and played this. It was the only time they were all quiet and focused on the same thing! It was a wonderful moment. I was glad I got to see this side of him.

I’ve got the timer going at 10 minutes. Sometimes I sit here and read and then I am too tired to write. I did happen to read Sperlonga’s and this could be the title of hers!  I hate this tiny font! When we were living at Cono, Mrs. Belz wrote an article for the bulletin titled ‘January Purge’. we went around grinning at each other because we knew exactly what she was talking about! No more Frivolity! November and December were full of it and now Pristine sounds Romantic!

I was picking up stuff put of a corner (I have my suspicions about how it got there!) and found a folder containing lessons I did for my Sunday School class on part of the book of Acts. I never finished. partly because I began to have computer crashes and didn’t get the programs I was using restored and it would take so much work to get it all back together  we went back to the pre-packaged stuff. But I really liked doing that and often thought I would finish. Lately I have been thinking that I need some goals for some creativity inside me before I make somebody mad! After all, “Life is more than housework’ is in the Bible somewhere! After teaching I was pretty drained and moving didn’t help, but I am at the point that I can move on. Another goal is to develop 10 new solos and have them at the ready! That is probably the hardest. I am not going to use the hymnal! That doesn’t mean I am not going to use those wonderful texts, but it is not very stretching to open a hymnal and sing and I want something that stretches me a bit.

Okay there goes my ten minutes!

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t’s been so long since I have written that WordPress has forgotten who I am!! So here goes…

Last Saturday we squeezed in a trip to Longwood Gardens. I have a ‘new’ camera in tow, which I am still learning how to use and still need a memory card for, but I am clicking away again! The lights were, of course, awesome, and the smell of warm soil in the greenhouses you can tour always makes us feel ‘at home’.

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It was a little chilly and there were more people than have been there the same time as me in a very long time, all wandering around in the dark! We checked out the Conservatory , listened to a little organ concert, the first I have heard since before we moved to Iowa, they have been doing some renovations. Then we went to the restaurant and had a bite to eat. The highlight of the evening was a skating exhibition done by the chimes tower. If you have ever been, there is a pond at the foot of the waterfall that comes from the ‘eye of water’. They set up bleachers there to see the show, which lasted about 20 minutes or so. Just before it started Emily, Jonathan and Jacob popped in right behind us!

After the show we did the Conservatory again, with considerably less crowd. There were several small trees that elementary students had made thematic decorations for … inspiring! Someday I am not going to get the C-decorations out and just have fun with what is at hand!

I made several wreaths this year using willow twigs for a base. I don’t have grapevines anymore, but I thought the willow ought to do the trick. It was really easy to work with and the base is a nice bright yellow, so you don’t feel like you have to cover it all up.

This week I got to go to the trade show in Baltimore with Joel. We had a lovely hotel troom downtown with a bed that went “kapooosh!” when you laid on it, but not saggy soft! I got in a swim for the first time in ages. I had the pool and the hot tub all to myself! I knew there was a B&N down town that could keep me from boredom, but I was reading The Shack, which a novel about someone dealing with pain, grief, and God, to put it in a few short words. I foud it extremely interesting and not a word skipper. I told Joel I felt like I need to read it over again. He said he felt the same way. I made sure Joel and his co-worker got lunch and drinks when they needed them and wandered about the show room floor looking for interesting things to see and relatives to visit! We had supper at a favorite place on the Inner Harbor with some friends and then drove home. I got up Friday and headed to school to substitute for 3^rd grade. That class and I are getting to know each other. I had made them some refrigerator sweet rolls, which tasted really good after reading and discussing The Little Red Hen. I didn’t even know I was going to! Plus I got in a really great discussion with my ancient languages friend over ‘Veni, Veni, Emmanuel’ and French literature. He was showing ‘Phantom of the Opera’ to his senior worldviews class. I am sorry I can’t repeat the whole conversation, but ‘Phantom’ and Les Mis..’ are in a series of 4 French stories that have a Christian worldview expressed with excessiveness…. I think. Then when I got home, Jeannette had brought Luisa home again and Ellis and I did this 100piece puzzle together for the second time. He amazes me with his speed of seeing  how something is going to fit and gets it in there. Every now and then I have to help him, but he can get right in there and stick with it till he figures it out.

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After the show we did the Conservatory again, with considerably less crowd. There were several small trees that elementary students had made thematic decorations for … inspiring! Someday I am not going to get the C-decorations out and just have fun with what is at hand!

I made several wreaths this year using willow twigs for a base. I don’t have grapevines anymore, but I thought the willow ought to do the trick. It was really easy to work with and the base is a nice bright yellow, so you don’t feel like you have to cover it all up.

This week I got to go to the trade show in Baltimore with Joel. We had a lovely hotel troom downtown with a bed that went “kapooosh!” when you laid on it, but not saggy soft! I got in a swim for the first time in ages. I had the pool and the hot tub all to myself! I knew there was a B&N down town that could keep me from boredom, but I was reading The Shack, which a novel about someone dealing with pain, grief, and God, to put it in a few short words. I foud it extremely interesting and not a word skipper. I told Joel I felt like I need to read it over again. He said he felt the same way. I made sure Joel and his co-worker got lunch and drinks when they needed them and wandered about the show room floor looking for interesting things to see and relatives to visit! We had supper at a favorite place on the Inner Harbor with some friends and then drove home. I got up Friday and headed to school to substitute for 3^rd grade. That class and I are getting to know each other. I had made them some refrigerator sweet rolls, which tasted really good after reading and discussing The Little Red Hen. I didn’t even know I was going to! Plus I got in a really great discussion with my ancient languages friend over ‘Veni, Veni, Emmanuel’ and French literature. He was showing ‘Phantom of the Opera’ to his senior worldviews class. I am sorry I can’t repeat the whole conversation, but ‘Phantom’ and Les Mis..’ are in a series of 4 French stories that have a Christian worldview expressed with excessiveness…. I think. Then when I got home, Jeannette had brought Luisa home again and Ellis and I did this 100 piece puzzle together for the second time. He amazes me with his speed of seeing how something is going to fit and gets it in there. Every now and then I have to help him, but he can get right in there and stick with it till he figures it out. This is the 3rd puzzle I have gotten him. The other two were 30 pieces.

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This morning it was back to the old newspaper delivery grind…..

And before I forget and you wonder why I haven’t told you, Our Nick is engaged to be married on January 30^th…. to Nicky! She’s a neighbor of his, and she is a perfect fit for Nick. We like her a lot.

Well, I hope this blog is gratifingly informative and entertaining! I gettin’ tahrred…zzz