Ordinary Time

I have some very excited people living here right now. This afternoon was the meeting for the Guatamala trip four of them are going on. They will be near Guatamala City and then have a day in Antigua. Our church has a long-standing relationship with another church in a small town near Guatamala City and they will be doing work there (work gloves are on the packing list)as well as meeting people and hearing their stories. The church will be cooking them lunch everyday. For my adventurous eaters, the anticipation of authentic Guatamalan food is very high. What I appreciate most about our church and the adults leading this trip their focus that this is a chance to learn about a culture they are not familiar with. They are going to meet people and hear their stories, not as some do-good trip where the well off people descend to do something nice for those seen as less than, but as fellow human beings.  Next Sunday morning they need to be at the airport at 6am. We have started our to-d...

We spent the evening getting to visit with the M. Family and W. Family. We don't get to see them very often, but it is wonderful when we do. They are the types of friendships that it doesn't matter how many months it's been, you just pick up where you left off. Friends you have done life with for decades are like that. (Click the link up above if you're nee here and haven't met these friends yet.)  We talked and laughed and ate and visited the ponies. I even tried to convince them to read Lonesome Dove so I would have someone to process it with, but that was about as effective as my perpetual suggestion that they both move out here so we are all closer. I'll wear them down eventually, right? 

Yesterday L. realized that she had saved enough money to buy the PS5 that she has spent many months working towards. So I was handed a very large stack of cash and I ordered the deeply desired item. Today it arrived. So now they have the gaming system, but do not have any games. It also turns out that the type we ordered does not have a disc reader for playing physical games. Now another ~$78 needs to be saved because they all want to purchase the physical copy of the games they want to buy.  So, step one (and the most expensive ) of a functioning gaming system has been accomplished. I foresee having some very clean pastures over the summer as that is an ongoing job that I'm willing to pay cash per filled wheelbarrow. 

There is a website that "helps" families who are struggling with their adopted child find a new home. I've written about my feelings (which are not positive) before, so won't go into that here. And as much as I try not to have anything to do with it, I occasionally come across a listing which inevitably has me gnashing my teeth.  Earlier this week I had that very thing happen, but what particularly bothered me was that the child had been in their new home less than a year. I am astounded that anyone would make such a drastic move in so little amount of time. It's unethical and potentially devasting for the child involved.  I was in the kitchen while expounding to J. on my feelings about this whole thing when Y. happened to pass through. She paused a moment to listen to what set her mother of this time (and possibly to judge the entertainment value). When I mentioned the less than a year piece, Y. was incensed right along with me.  I always find it interesting to t...

I actually have some things to share with you. The first is that I (finally) have a functioning 12-shaft loom! After a year and a half, waiting three months for the parts I needed, this past weekend I spend quite a bit of time threading heddles on to the shafts. That would be 1500 heddles. I got pretty fast by the time I was done. J. helped hang the shafts back in the loom last night.  Those silver things are the heddles. It is what each end of the warp is threaded through. I'm very excited to start trying it out. But first I'm on sampling attempt number two of this potential fabric I'm supposedly making.  I also finished the winter hat I have been working on for months. (I'm the world's slowest knitter because I don't knit for very long at any one time.) Here's one side, but it is reversible, so here is the other side. It's made out of all handspun from batts I made myself. It fits and I like the way it looks, but... what I was hoping for was a hat that...

Nearly everyone was able to come for the afternoon and stay for dinner. We were just missing A. and TM who were both out of town. And when nearly everyone is home, what do you do? Take turns learning to drive Chuck the Tractor, of course. The ponies weren't entirely sure about Chuck going up and down near the dry lot. Look how good Vienna looks! I was thrilled that she was curious about the tractor because for so many months she just felt too awful to care about such things. Well, Vienna wasn't sure. Buddy, being close to 30, just can't be bothered to be concerned about much of anything. P. also went and visited the big horses. Kenzie had a wonderful day. He jumped and played and was so happy to have all his people home. He's an older dog these days, so we don't see nearly as much jumping and playing as we used to. B.'s fiancee took the Kenzie pictures while they watched a badminton game. (And, yes, I need to figure out some blog initials for her.) It was a love...

A couple of times in the last few weeks I have had to put off cleaning the barn after feeding the horses rather than do it right away and being done with it. Something that feels very easy first thing in the morning then becomes this rather overwhelming task at other times of day. Then yesterday, which had a bit of driving people around in it, I realized what was going on.  I dislike transitions and don't do them well. I made that self-discovery years ago. I still don't like to transition from one task to another, but knowing that I can take steps to make it more bearable. One thing is to not plan too many transitions into my day. This is not always feasible, depending on what life is looking like at any given moment. In trat case I try to only do tasks that are short and have a definite beginning and ending when I have just small amounts of time at home. Doing some laundry, watering plants, cleaning off a counter... those types of things. You'll also note that they are fai...