"New" Chair

I got a small wooden rocking chair out of the free furniture co-op for David when he was furnishing his new condo, but he rejected it because it was too ugly. It was pretty ugly, pink and green with ivy painted across the top. But Rachel could see beyond the ugly, and claimed it for her own, insisting all it needed was some paint.


Last night at 9pm I decided to sew a cushion for this chair. 23 hours later I had finished it (no, not 23 continuous hours of work. I did sleep, go shopping, do three loads of laundry, make lunch and a few other things too). The fabric came from the free boutique and the stuffing for the cushion came from recycling some old throw pillows also from the boutique.

So now Rachel has a new chair, only for the price of a quart of paint.

Voting on Marriage

I went out to lunch to day at Olive Garden with a number of ladies from my office--eating and talking, and not having to cook--now's that's the life! I got a rather large item, just so I could bring a bunch home to feed to Gary tonight. Then I don't have to cook twice!

On the way home I stopped by the public library to vote. They've upgraded the voting machines to these handy-dandy touch screen things, easy to use with nice bright colors (although I expect the print was too small for some folks). Most of the propositions I couldn't make heads nor tails of, though I did do my homework and read an online ballot before voting.

I voted to define marriage in Texas as between one man and one woman. Like, duh! I don't consider that an act of social conservative protest. I just consider it a way to say that I don't like people redefining perfectly good words like marriage. If homosexual unions need some kind of legal protection (and I'm not saying they do), then they need to call them something other than marriage. As a linguist, I certainly know that the meanings of words do change over time, but the gradual, natural evoution of semantics does not happen because a minority group legislates it to be so.

Is There Just One Right Person to Marry?

After the wedding reception we hosted for my son and his new beautiful bride last August, an old friend asked me, "Do you still think there is just one right person for everyone?" I paused, then said, "I used to think so, and I'd still like to think so, but that position isn't logically defensible."

My husband never did think this way, and it used to kind of make me mad. I wanted him to think I was the one and only person for him. After 20+ years of marriage, he wrote me a song, "You're The Only One For Me." How can I be mad at someone who sings to me??

Sometimes I read blogs of random people, and I found this post on the site of a young man who at one time attended LeTourneau University. He's a decent writer, but I don't even know if he is a believer. He wrote:

For a long time I labored under the idea that there were dozens, perhaps hundreds of women that I could end up with and live my life with and be happy with. I'm starting to change my mind. As my marriage enters its third month, I'm constantly reminded how wonderful a person my wife is. She seems to be the perfect choice for me. Beautiful, fun, smart and a great cook. I don't see how there could ever be anyone else this perfect for me. She's the one and only. And I'm hers. How awesome is that?

(Freakin' awesome, that's what it is!)

My daughter recently asked me the same question. She said, "I guess there could be more than one person, but somehow it just doesn't feel that way." I still think logically there must be more than one person you could marry, but emotionally, we all want to think we are a unique shape that fits into someone else's unique shape.

More Humble Pie

I don't usually post twice in one day--I mean, don't I have anything else to do??

But now I just have to say that since I wrote the previous post, someone came to my house and gave me $xxx.xx with a note saying, "Because God told me to, and because I want to."

Thank you, Lord.

You Can't Talk About Money, It Isn't Polite

I'm feeling humbled today.

When Gary and I were newlyweds, we were dirt poor. We lived on a stipend that he was getting from Cornell University and my babysitting job. I had not quite finished college when we got married, so I was attempting to complete my last semester by correspondence classes. One day in the spring I had just completed a paper for one of my classes and we wanted to go celebrate. So we did. We had just enough money for one hamburger and one coke at McDonald's, which we shared. We knew that the next day was payday, so we would have $0 to our name for less than 24 hours. We look back at that time as "the poorest we ever were" and laugh about it, and sometimes repeat the story to struggling newlyweds.

Well, I was remembering that story this last week, because we were totally out of money. Our income, like many missionaries, fluctuates each month according to what our donors happen to have sent in during the previous month. (Sometimes, we have "extra" money because Gary moonlights as a computer/linguistics consultant, but he hasn't had any of those jobs in many months.) Anyway, without going into any more of the gory details,** we found that the month was longer than the money and I was kind of fretting about having a negative bank balance. I reminded myself, as I often do, that God will supply our needs, as He has done for the 30+ years we've been doing this. But still I was fretting, sad to say.

Then today I got an email saying "So-and-so has sent you a gift of $xxxx.xx from the sale of stocks. Look for this on your October 2005 statement" (as if we wouldn't notice a gift of that size). So, while it is entirely possible that my bank account will be overdrawn before next Monday when this gift is deposited (depending on the timing of certain direct debit bills), it looks like we'll have the funds to cover it. :-)

Thanks be to God. I'm writing this story to give testimony to the fact that God does, in fact, meet our needs.

**I know it isn't acceptable to discuss one's personal finances in public. In our society it is more acceptable to discuss one's sex life than one's finances. But I don't view my financial situation as a reflection of my worth as a person, or my worth as a worker, so I'm less concerned about that "rule" than other people. I hope this story doesn't embarrass you.

Labiodental Flap

Just in case there are any linguists reading this blog, I'd like to point out that one of my colleagues has gotten the International Phonetic Association to adopt a new phonetic symbol, named the labiodental flap, into the International Phonetic Alphabet. This special alphabet is used by linguists around the world to represent all the exotic sounds that the human mouth can make. Ken didn't invent this sound nor did he discover it. But he did research this sound and found it exists in 70 languages, most of which are in central Africa. A new phonetic symbol is kind of like having a baby, and everyone in the Linguistics department is proudly showing off this new addition.

BBQ

As you can see from the jackets, it was chilly, but it was nice to have one last BBQ of the season.

Updates from Africa

I got some new photos from Andrew and Laura this morning. Always nice to hear from them. Looks like they have found some furniture for their living room. Last time I saw a photo, it was a big bare room with nice floors.

I got emails from two African countries this morning--three from Ethiopia, and one from Uganda. David's girlfriend is living in Uganda for a year, teaching school under the auspices of the Mennonite Central Committee. Her email said she had gotten two proposals of marriage last week. I'd say David better get on the stick before it is too late!

Speaking of David, he's two-thirds through his first semester of medical school. But his challenge for today is repairing his broken washing machine. He called last night to say he had torn it apart (using the info I sent him a blog or two ago) and had to go buy a multitester to check the solenoids. When I offered to mail him an old voltmeter we have, he replied, "But I have to have a digital one." He always was the snooty kid in the family.

Self-paid Missionaries

Tonight at our weekly Bible study I met and interesting couple and learned a bit about them. They are part-time missionaries, in a very specific way. The husband is a CPA, and he works for some company in Ohio that prepares tax returns. He works for them 4 months of the year, during tax season. Then for 8 months of the year, he and his wife do financial work (internal audits, installing new financial software and training people to use it, etc.) for a mission board. Sometimes they go to Africa, sometimes to Dallas. They don't have any children, so that makes this lifestyle possible.

We know another couple who live in Dallas who does similar work. He is a police officer, she is a clothing designer. He uses his 4 weeks or more of vacation and go to various places to do financial work (he was an accountant before he decided to become a policeman) for missions. His wife goes a long and gives haircuts and perms while shopping for exotic fabrics for her clothing business. (She also makes custom wedding gowns and lets missionary girls wear them for only a $50 cleaning fee.)

It is Fall and Love is in the Air

Today we got an email from someone who is, shall we say, in the autumn of his life. Over a year ago his wife of around 50 years died. He has fallen in love again, and reports that, with his children's support, he is thinking of marrying a single (never married) lady who lives down the hall in the retirement center. It was just too cute.

He's not the only one--a couple months ago two 70 year olds, recently widowed, have married and are acting like 18-year olds.

These gentlemen know what is good for them.

Broken Washing Machine

I'm awaiting word from David to hear how his big test went today. This is the end of block 2, so his first semester of medical school is two-thirds finished.

In the break before block 3 begins, he needs to try to repair his broken washing machine. He called me for advice the other day, but the best I could do was scan eight pages from the indispensable homeowner's bible and email them to him. Oh, I and told him that no, it wouldn't be a good idea to leave his wet clothes in the washer from Friday until he had time to do something about the washer on Tuesday. Ah, the joys of homeownership. I may need to buy a copy of this book for David for Christmas.

The leaves are starting to fall from our trees, making a mess on the deck I just worked so hard to refinish. I remembered that my mom had bought Gary a leaf blower last year for Christmas, so I got that puppy out and tried it. Wow! I had that deck spottless in no time. After that rousing success, I just couldn't resist the temptation to try it on my kitchen floor. Luckily, no one was home to observe how that went.

Finished

It took a full two weeks, but today we finished the deck refinishing project. I spent most of the afternoon working on it, and Gary joined me to do the second picnic table while I cleaned up the mess. It took two gallons of stuff--not paint, but Behr Premium Weatherproofing, Natural Clear color. The weather has remained pleasant, so maybe we can barbecue on the new deck before it gets cold.

We watched the first game of the World Series tonight with a couple of Rachel's friends. She made Puppy Chow for us to munch on. But you can't eat much of that at once, or at least you shouldn't.

I called David just as the game was getting started. He was too busy studying for a big test on Monday to watch.

How Many Coincidences Does It Take

...to make a miracle?

Miss Rachel, the Texas Teacher

Rachel's one-year Texas teacher certificate arrived today, squashed into the mailbox along the "Do Not Bend" stamp. It was signed by a familiar name: Anette Griffen was the principal at Duncanville HS when Rachel was in 9th grade. Rachel has collected the information she needs to start preparing for the two tests she needs to take and pass over the next year to get her permanent certificate. Your prayers along that line would be appreciated.

I also went to the Boutique mircowave "sale" this morning, only to learn it was yesterday morning. They still had one that fit my specifications: small, working, and free. So now I have a "new" microwave to replace my other used one, one that fits onto my countertop a bit better.

Gary's Back

Gary got home tonight in time to watch the last inning of the baseball game, Houston beating St. Louis. So David now gets to be in a World Series town.

I painted a few more boards on the deck today, while fixing a nice dinner for a couple of Rachel's hungry friends. I've run out of stuff, so I'll visit Home Depot tomorrow. Someday I'm going to finish this project.

Today I got bit by a mosquito on my arm, about one centimeter from where I got my flu shot yesterday. I bet that mosquito is either dead or well-immunized.

Snoopy Bandaid

Today I had my fall flu shot. $15, including a Snoopy bandaid. I made Rachel come and get one too. By the time we walked there she was white and saying she was seeing "black and white spots." She got the shot, then said she wanted to throw up, and the nurse sweetly asked her to lie down on the floor. After a few minutes her color came back and she was OK. On our way back to the office she said she now understood what it meant when people say, "It's all in your head" and how fear can make you sick.

Other activities for the day: grocery shopping, more work on the deck, and going to a birthday party. I should clean my kitchen, but I'm tired. No doubt if I leave it, it will still be a mess in the morning.

Deck Refinishing

The weather has finally cooled down to the high 80s, so I decided to start my fall project--refinishing the deck. We have a very nice deck that Gary's parents built for us several years ago, but we've been too lazy to refinish it every year. It is a lot of work to scrub 2-3 years' worth of dirt and algae off the deck, so our friends lent us their pressure washer to try. It doesn't do a perfect job, but probably good enough, so we're cleaning it that way.


After a couple years of wear, the nails start working themselves out too, so they all have to be pounded back in. I convinced Gary to help with this chore.

The deck is too big to do all at once, so we're cleaning then painting a section at a time. And the job is too big for me alone, so I've talked Rachel into helping. When I went to Home Depot to buy the sealer, this time I bought the most expensive kind that is supposed to last for four years. We'll see.

Speaking of Rachel, this week she finally heard from the Texas Board of Education about her status as a Texas teacher. The good news: they have granted her a one-year temporary certificate. The bad news: she has to take two more standardized tests to qualify for permanent certification. Ugh. So I guess she'll order the study guides and start studying again. In the mean time, she still has a temporary job that is bringing in some money, and she is hoping to save enough to buy a used car.

Another Reception

I was very happy to receive a few photos from Andrew and Laura in Ethiopia yesterday. I remember them saying their coworkers had had a reception for them, but I missed other details about it. Apparently, as you can see in this photo, they had some kind of special white wedding garb. Another photo had a couple of cute flower girls with them. I'm hoping to hear more details.

The weather has blessed us with a few drops of rain, but not nearly enough. So today I'm planning on refinishing another layer of the deck. It is too big to do all at once, so I'll work at it little by little. I did just borrow a friend's pressure washer, so I'll see if that will take the place of scrubbing, but I doubt it.

Not much else for news. Gary is working way too hard. He is staying up so late and getting up so early that when he lies down to watch the baseball playoff games, he is asleep before the third pitch. He's home this week, but off to Richmond next week and Boston the week after that.

Too Good

Sometimes I think my life is too good. Why do others suffer and my life is easy? It isn't fair.

How Do You Like Your Eggs?

I decided to be ambitious today and prepare my breakfast for the next week. I like to make a bunch of breakfast burritos at one time, then freeze them so I have a quick breakfast ready for the coming days. So I got 10 tortillas ready, cracked 10 eggs into a bowl, sauted some onions and green peppers. Then I somehow managed to tip the bowl of eggs--not yet scrambled--over onto the stove, one of those smooth glass cooktops.

I started cleaning up the mess. Do you know how hard it is to pick up spilled eggs? While doing this, some of the eggs spread over the hot burner. Voila! Cooked eggs with no pan to clean up! Nice smell, too.

I broke out into hysterical laugher--all by myself with no one around to listen.