Visuals

Sharing a couple of things today. First, an accomplishment:

Sunday night we hung up some stuff in the kitchen. Appropriately, it's a "Dog and God" motif -- three dog portraits, two religious items (the plaque, if you haven't seen one before, is in Latin... "Bidden or unbidden, God is present").

Oh, I meant to crop that image tighter so it would show up better. Eh. It's already uploaded now. You get what you get.

And the second image, from our usual dog-walk route around our new neighborhood:

Yes, that's a mailbox. With a little patch of grass on top. With an angel sitting there. If this doesn't look like a teeny little cemetery, I don't know what does. (Because of the positioning of the mailbox, though, we don't think it's deep enough to actually bury any complete creature carcass. Perhaps the ashes of the last mail carrier are in there?) SpookyRach, because of this scene, we think of you on every walk.

Because it's been too long...

...I'm resorting to a random-highlights kind of blog entry.

- The real estate sign is in our yard. We're almost to the one-week mark, and we have only had one official showing. Didn't realize how much I had my hopes up until we got absolutely no action over the weekend.

- Our across-the-street neighbor died yesterday after a long decline. I'll most definitely be attending his service later this week.

- My last day at the office was Friday. It was lovely. I got all kinds of cool stuff, including my very own custom cover of our publication, framed and ready to hang in my new office. I'd try to explain the jokes, but most people wouldn't get 'em. The one that readers of this blog most definitely will understand: The article "Rescue ministry expands" mentions that I have to move out of state because I've already placed dogs with all of my friends in Texas, and I need a fresh crop of potential homes for more. (I suppose there's some truth to that.)

- Here's one of the other gifts I received. I think I'll carry it at Annual Conference -- and definitely at General Conference, if I wind up attending.

- Took the dogs to Arkansas on July 4. Left them there on July 5 so our new carpet could be installed and remain dander-free for potential new owners. Had to arrange a spur-of-the-moment relocation for them after The Jacuzzi Incident of 2010. Will blog that one later. Wish I had pictures.

- Saw the dogs Sunday and Monday during a trip to look at houses. Miss them. Will be moving in with them in less than 2 weeks, while The Alpha stays behind until the house sells or until we just can't take it anymore.

- Met our new niece in the same trip. Longest pinky toes I've ever seen.

- Regarding the other side of the family (mine), I'm having second thoughts about moving to Arkansas. Family Systems Theory suggests that proximity to family members really doesn't matter that much, but I'm starting to wonder.

- A very dear college friend is expecting. Being closer to her during this time will be a definite plus.

- Goals for today: Train new church secretary on website updates. Pack at least 4 boxes. Attend my last practice with the band. A few other things thrown in there, too. Maybe I'll find a moment to blog about The Jacuzzi Incident.

Last Song

This morning was hard, even though we'd seen the day approaching for years.

Today was the day that the band had to say goodbye to Mid-Life Rookie's husband, G&T.

When MLR started the ordination process, we all knew it would eventually take them both away from us. We are United Methodist; preachers move. Because of her appointment to the Conference office, they were able to stay longer than we'd even dared to imagine... but next Sunday, she preaches her first sermon in her own pulpit. It's really happened. She's ordained, and they're moving on. It's a wonderful thing. I'm elated for them, and fiercely proud of her, my dear friend.

Yet it's okay for me to be crying as I type these words. And if it weren't okay, that wouldn't matter; I'd still be letting these tears fall. Our two families' lives have become intertwined over the past decade, and change is hard.

For the band, after denial came acceptance, and after acceptance came planning. Because of that planning by this group of really generous and creative people, we were able to present G&T with four things today: an art-guitar with our signatures on the back, decoupaged on the front with photos of all of us, mixed in with several of his favorite more-famous musicians; a gift card to a store where we know he's spent thousands of dollars on music equipment over the years; our love; and our music.

Wednesday at practice, we put together the anthem G&T chose. It related to the scripture our guest preacher was using, of course. He's good at paying attention to that stuff. And it also happened to be a totally bad-ass song that we do rather well. (Can church be bad-ass? Why yes, yes it can.)

And Thursday night the band convened, minus G&T, for a super-secret rehearsal to prepare our farewell song to him, which we played in place of our usual benediction response.

Last Song
by Bill Mallonee and Julie Miller
May your peace be an anchor in stormy times;
May your hope run like a river that'll never run dry;
May your burdens grow light, may your worries subside:
This is our prayer for you.
May your soul grow deep; may your joy run wild;
May your heart know the face of Mercy has smiled;
May your faith come to let you believe like a child:
This is our prayer for you.

We divided the lyrics line by line between the two of us girls -- otherwise, we probably couldn't have gotten through it without crying. It wasn't my best vocal work, but I did sing every note and word I was supposed to sing, and I even managed to look at MLR and G&T for part of it.

Lots of other important and good things happened today: our annual conference lay member gave her report to the congregation; our Conference Lay Leader, a good friend of mine and an excellent preacher, delivered the (also bad-ass) message so our pastor could leave with the youth after the first service; and the youth, with The Alpha and our pastor among their leaders, left for their week-long mission trip.

I came in from the parking lot just before the mission trip vans left. It was time to robe up and sing in the choir for second service. It wasn't until the end of the service that I got teary-eyed again. Because here's what I finally noticed when we stood to sing the closing hymn:

You may not be able to tell what it is. The table is our church's altar, seen from the rear, where the band sets up and the choir is seated. In this photo you can see part of the green altar cloth, the open Bible, one of the candles, the foot of the wrought-iron cross...

...and a guitar pick.

After the first service, G&T left it upon the altar as an offering.

(It only hit me in the car afterward that of course, it was the appropriate liturgical color, too. This man has Jerry Garcia ties in all the colors of the church year. He is totally ready to be a "preacher's wife.")

Thank you, G&T, for your offering. For all the years of dedication, the outpouring of your giftedness in service to God in this place. We love you.

Technical difficulties stream of consciousness

Hmmmm.

- I set up a new email address. I thought I changed everything over, but Blogger didn't want to start sending my comments to the new address. I finally got it to quit sending to my old address... but now I think they're going out into the ether somewhere instead of landing in any inbox of mine.

- The reason I set up a new email address is because we are moving.

- Holy crap, we are moving back to our home state.

- Seriously. Damn.

- I like it here. The Alpha likes it here. We like the life we've built here. The dogs like freeloading off the life we've built here. Why couldn't the incredible job opportunity like it here, too?

- The BAND, Elwood! ... the BAND!!!

- My KITCHEN!

- We still have one foster dog who needs adopting. Our home state allows BSLs (breed-specific laws) restricting where dogs who look like Crystal can live. We could take her with us if it comes to that--which is why we aren't looking in the suburb that has the outright ban on three breeds--but I don't think it would be a friendly environment for her.

- I am really digging this CD lately.

- Oh, great. My last two blog comments just arrived via the old address. No progress there.

- It's bedtime.

Let's start a post and see what flows forth.

I just came upon Cheesehead's post from Thursday, and she has a point. Lots of us are blogging less frequently. It's not all for the same reasons, as you can see from her comments, but as the social media landscape continues to blow about like so much sand, it's true that different demands on our time, online or offline, play into it.

I haven't blogged in a week, and though for a while I had been much more consistent, I realize that consistency had a lot to do with the remodeling our kitchen, and not much about life in general.

One factor of holding back on blogging is that I'm not anonymous. So there's lots of stuff I could write, but won't.

Another one: My schedule has been packed. Have had to pay attention to other things on Friday mornings lately, which means skipping the RevGals' Friday Five. And yesterday was my first obligation-free Saturday in weeks. I spent it walking dogs, hanging out on the couch finishing up The Vicar of Dibley on DVD, taking supper to some friends, playing a round of Scrabble with The Alpha. Doing laundry in between all of those things, too. And yes, intentionally staying a little less connected to the Intarwebs than is typical.

I feel a list coming on. Category? Who needs one? I don't.

- Actually cooked a meal on Friday and had a friend over for lunch. She ate everything I put before her: salad, apricot chicken (a recipe shared by a neighbor just before I got married, which was a great help in my newlywedhood), even the brownie that turned out to be a bit under-done, despite my having checked it according to the instructions on the box. Such a gracious woman! (It helps if you really do like brownie batter, as we both do...)

- Introduced my friend's four-year-old to Alice Cooper and Vincent Price, via a DVD of The Muppet Show (really, she picked that disk herself... no kidding).

- Getting excited about going to visit Zorra and The Scientist soon.

- As instructed by my sweet niece, bugged said niece about getting an engagement photo made. Hasn't worked yet. My powers may be weakening.

- I get my temporary crown replaced with the real one in 2 days, and look forward to being able to once again chew on the right side of my mouth.

- Halloween decorations go up this Thursday. I'm trying to convince The Alpha to wait until someone else is here to help him before he hauls out the sections of wrought-iron fence. This is no prop. It's a real fence, given to us upon a friend's backyard reconfiguration last fall. It's freakishly heavy. I'll take more pics of the setup than I did last year.

- How are you?

A "because I'm twelve" moment

It wasn't a very long trip for my mind to make its way to the gutter on this one.


This is not a fake church sign. I've been to Old Hickory, Tennessee. Gavin lives in the vicinity of this sign, and he took this photo. And, true to his inner adolescent, he snickered about it. And tweeted it, thus giving many more people the opportunity to snicker likewise. Thank you, friend.

Farm report and hodgepodge

- We harvested 2 ears of corn yesterday. Might eat them tomorrow.

- Gave in and planted new okra seeds.

- At last count, 13 marigolds have sprouted in cups.

Now, for the hodgepodge:

- Somebody I know got engaged, and I can't say who yet.

- Somebody else I know is planning stuff, and I can't say who yet.

- It's quite possible that another somebody else would see that last statement and think I meant him or her, when I actually mean someone completely different. There's lots happening out there, ya know.

- I'm busy on The Alpha's birthday this year, and not because it's his birthday.

- I'm hosting my small group meeting in the morning, so I'd better get to bed.

Frivolous.

I'm sure some people find it atrocious that it took me more than three decades to get a pedicure.

And I would've gone another two weeks longer, too, if it hadn't been for the open-toed shoes that really were the best option for replacing the strappy closed-toed ones that broke.

The result: For a couple of weeks this year at least, I'm being a little bit more of a girlie-girl than usual.

The polish is a discontinued OPI color that I've held onto for about a decade (Amethyst Abyss). Used it on my fingernails around the turn of the century, but hadn't given it much play in the intervening years. Great color(s), though -- it's either purple or green, depending on the angle.

As a result of this foot-centric development, I've gone a whopping 4 days without donning a pair of socks -- a highly unusual move for me. I like socks. Socks are very practical and I find them quite comfy. But between these black slides with 2-inch heels and the gold strappy flats that were on sale at The Targ on Friday, I've been able to subsist with impractical footwear.

That said, I really do think I'll go back to socks soon. And closed-toed, good-traction shoes that stay on your feet if you have to run. Because you just. never. know. when you might have to make a break for it, do you?

Mind grapes in action.

I haven't been a big TV viewer in recent years, but now and then something special comes along. So, I feel I must offer the following:

I do not want to wear a Slanket.

But I have been known to work on some Night Cheese.

And both extremely scientific quizzes I took tonight agreed that indeed, I am that particular 30 Rock character.

Blerg.

(Post title courtesy of Liz Lemon)

After a frightfully busy day at work yesterday, I skipped Disciple class (with permission from the facilitator -- yes, I'm that much of a goody-goody). But I made a list of three things to accomplish with that free time and leftover nervous energy, and I did all three!

Okay, one of the things on the list was "skip class."

And one of them was "write check for BE balance."

But the other thing, the most daunting thing, the thing I'd put off doing over the weekend -- de-clutter two areas: the table by the back door and my gigantic desk at which I almost never sit -- that got done. Yes, hello, I'm DogBlogger, and I have a clutter problem.

So, Zorra, when your trio of travelers arrives, know that what you see, though not immaculate, is far, far better than what I started with on Tuesday night.

Mystery post

Ever want to blog about something without really knowing what that something is?

Let's try a thankfulness list:
I'm thankful that I have piddly little first-world problems. I'm thankful for the glass of pinot grigio I just finished. I'm thankful for sweet husband who understands my occasional need to stay up later than he does.

New topic:
Lent is coming. I haven't decided whether I'm taking on a discipline or giving up something. For the first time in a while, I have a bit of an urge to do neither. Maybe it's like the year after we gave up caffeine for Lent -- we decided to give up Lent for Lent. Who knows... the right practice may yet strike before I get my smudge of ashes.

Okay, one more, then I give up and go to bed:
The Boy seems to be fully recovered from his upper-GI nastiness. He's acting like a normal blue heeler again. Technically, I guess he was acting like a normal blue heeler when he ate the bunny, and when he threw it up. But I'd prefer he not do that at all. Dogs will be dogs, I suppose.

Hodgepodge

My friend Tyra's husband Steve is back in the ER tonight. Brain tumors are no fun at all, but somehow he manages to keep the medical staff laughing anyway. Please pray for this whole family.

And The Boy is SO going back to the vet tomorrow morning. I'd already scheduled the appointment, then just as I was getting ready to leave work this evening The Alpha called to report some very interesting and fragrant contents that had made their way back out the front end of The Boy. ("This hassenpfeffer is raw.") So now in addition to excessive thirst and resultant output, I get to tell them that he needs to be tested for bunny-borne diseases.

So now, apropos of nothing, I leave you with something special one of my friends sent to me today: The WTF Blanket.

Waiting for a decent blog idea

Well, not really waiting. Because here I am blogging, with nothing very blogworthy. So, some random crap (as if the Tracelook meme last week wasn't enough):

• I'm one of those rare people who, even though she's been paired off with the same person for half her life, still doesn't really like Valentine's Day.
• Today is a particularly difficult day for some people in our family. I consider it the beginning of Family Death Week. I always hold my breath from the 11th until the 17th: niece, grandfather, grandmother... please, nobody else this week.
• The Boy spent the day at the vet. We still don't really know why he's been all pukey since Monday at 3:30 in the morning. But at least now we have some anti-nausea assistance, and he has kept his dinner to himself thus far.
• A friend who is an accountant is basically taking the next two months off from his life, rather than from his job, thanks to a compressed tax season. He pretty much hates everyone in Washington. I have more hope than that; but, then again, I'm younger and I don't have to deal with government crap very often.
• I should go to bed.
• Dog-related grief is very real grief. I'm just sayin'.
• New windshield wipers: check. Next: inspection and oil change.
• Sure, I may not be a big fan of Valentine's Day. But, like my new hero Liz Lemon, I'm a huge fan of food. So, either tomorrow or Friday night, we'll head to Whole Paycheck to choose our steaks, side dishes, beverages, and desserts for the dinner we'll cook at home on Saturday night.
• Example: I attended a pretty productive and interesting meeting yesterday and today, but the thing I'm remembering most clearly right now is the obscenely large brownie from lunch.

That is all.

Time Suck

I could play with this site all night, really.



Remember those double-exposure shots they used to take at the department store, where the kid looked all angelic?

Found The Alpha's.

An award from RevAnne!

RevAnne gave me this blog friend award! Ain't it purty?

Here's the explanation and the silly rules that go with it:
"These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in self-aggrandizement. Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers. Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this cleverly-written text into the body of their award."

Hm...Eight? That's a lot!
Mindy, did you get this award yet? 'Cause you're exceedingly charming!
SpookyRach, who would probably prefer the little picture have skulls on it instead of Valentiney hearts.
Zorra, the most excellent dog mama!
ElastiGirl, the only person I know who has searched for -- and found -- a vet who will neuter a guinea pig.
Okay, that's four -- the rest of y'all, please tag yourselves and let me know!

Reflections on the year

As 2008 slips on by, with me way behind on other people's blogs, I did find a minute to spot-check my Bloglines account today. One of the blogs I checked was Diane's, and it is from her that I hereby blatantly steal the idea for this post.

She put her reflections in 3 categories: Memorable, Disappointing, and Ambivalent. I'm not ambivalent about "ambivalent," but I am about the other two, so I'm changing their names.

Joyful:
1. Attending the RevGalBlogPals Big Event 1.0, and looking forward to 2.0 this spring.
2. Our church finally completing its new building and making the long, long move across the field from the building we'd already sold.
3. Being able to provide a home to Tuesday the dog, when the timing was so right it just couldn't be denied.
4. Getting opportunities to work with new people in my same job.

Sorrowful:
1. The death of my sweet girl, The Best Dog Ever, Cub. But thankful for the outpouring of sympathy, even from people I've never met.
2. The deaths of two clergy friends, one anticipated, one unexpected. Each of their absences leaves a hole.

Ambivalent:
1. United Methodist General Conference. As a rookie delegate, I'm still trying to figure out what I learned, and what kind of difference it made that I was there. I don't believe all of my time there was wasted, but I struggle with the apparent necessity of navigating tons of bureaucracy in the hopes of doing at least some good.
2. Deciding, discerning, which opportunities required a yes and which required a no.
3. Reacting to my sister's and my brother-in-law's deteriorating health. Not being sure if I've always made the right call. Trying to maintain healthy boundaries in these situations as we decide how to help.
4. Tiptoeing into other forms of social media. I got two more Facebook invitations today, both from family members, and I'm still not planning to join. On the other hand, Twitter is kinda nifty. On the other other hand, finding out through Twitter that a friend has just died is kinda odd. On the other other other hand, I got ReTweeted a couple of times yesterday, which I liked.

Time to get my new chair's slipcover out of its dye bath in the washing machine. We shall see whether the result of this experiment lands in Joyful, Sorrowful, or Ambivalent... tune in next time...

Thankfulness list

This morning, feeling thankful for:

• The Alpha. Amazing guy. SuperHusband, though many don't recognize it because he doesn't wear his cape.
• The Boy and Tuesday. Such cute dogs. Such good dogs. So darn loveable.
• People who feed the hungry and shelter the homeless. The list of helpers for Food Share in this week's church newsletter was enormous. And up north, where being homeless this time of year is life-threatening, a friend who is working her tail off being an advocate for them.
• My job, and the relationships it's brought.
• My extended family, even when I let myself become frustrated with them.
• My in-laws, who are wonderful.
• Friendships.
• A car that runs, a body that does what my brain tells it to do, a house that's safe and comfortable and that we can afford.
• Music, and the role it plays in my life.

Absentee

Yesterday, when I called my sister's hospital room to check in on her, I chatted with my brother-in-law because she was busy. She was completing her absentee ballot and putting it in the envelope so he could return it to the courthouse.

I don't think I can adequately convey how glad I am that she got to do that.

Whoohoo! Got my Goat!

This is shaping up to be a great birthdayfest. It kicked off with a dog -- who, by the way, loves The Alpha best... but he is The Alpha, after all. The Birthday Dog is the happy one, obviously. (The Dog Who Is Wondering What Happened to his Perfect World is on the right.)


Then today, I got a really nice card from my in-laws.

Guess what will fit in a birthday card?

A goat will fit in a birthday card! My wonderful husband's wonderful parents got my goat! I have wanted a goat just like this one for years. I got it! I got my goat!!!!

And tomorrow, The Actual Day, I get cake for breakfast. The Wonderful Alpha is frosting it right now. Scratch that. The Wonderful Alpha just finished frosting it, and brought me the pan to lick!

Used Dog Test-Drive...

...begins tomorrow afternoon and continues through Monday. The vet's office is giving her a bath today in preparation for her stay with us.