When Ignorance is NOT Bliss

I tickled, I cajoled, I pushed and shoved and succeeded in jamming my x-d picture card in my new laptop. There it stayed for a couple of days while several of us gathered round to philosophize, exchange ignorances, and talk about "how" to extricate said card from my PC. Then, EUREKA!! During the night I had a revelation: use my tweezer to gently pull said card from its dire straits. When morning dawned, I did just that, and BINGO! the x-d disappeared inside my PC. LITERALLY. There is not a sign nor sound of it. Alas! I blame it all on my husband, who though not present, was responsible for the accident. If he had been here, I wouldn't have been so rash--would not have used the tweezer because my hubby would have stopped me in time. I'm sorry, Pat, for the damages you have done.

My poor PC is in the hospital. Pray for a quick recovery. Ignorance was NOT bliss.

Dunn Brothers Done it right!

Here's a great coffee house for those who value history. Sip a steaming cup of coffee in a charming, homey alcove of the famous Smith Douglas More farmhouse in Eden Prairie with someone you love. We did.

A Grand Lady

Happy 94th Birthday, Mother!

My Space

I fell in love with North Dakota again! When one is away from this land as I have been, that ocean of sky and flat endless prairie without a blip on the screen gripped me anew with a delicious sense of freedom and, ah yes, s-p-a-c-e. I am a leave-the-doors-open kind of person and this land breeds that feeling. And, contrary to popular opinion, there are trees in North Dakota. In fact, my mother owns 40 acres of them and I had the privilege of roaming "in the scary woods". I didn't see any wild beasts and only heard the chatter of a squirrel and the occasional squawk of a bird; however, I saw many deer tracks.

To get to this oasis of wooded fairy land, I had to cross a scary bridge made by two fallen trees. It reminded me of my unfortunate experience as a kid falling off a different "tree bridge" smack into the river. This time, fortunately, I didn't fall in, thanks to my agility and physical prowess.

OUR DAILY BREAD

I am enjoying the book How to Pray When You Don't Know What to Say by Elmer L. Towns. The title caught my attention because I have had many days lately where I didn't know what to say when I prayed. Home assignment (which is the new word for furlough) is always a mix between chaos, stress and pleasure. Imagine squeezing four years of things you haven't been able to do, see, feel, smell, taste and enjoy into four tiny months. I am often torn between the "oughts" and "shoulds" of life; hence the state of mind when I try to pray. I've been scoring high on guilt, but I try to console myself that God understands, knows my heart, and isn't holding a stick over my head. That's where the "daily bread" comes in. Our daily bread isn't just physical bread, but all our needs for each day. We are to trust God to provide not only food for our bodies, but the daily emotional and mental needs as well. Towns says, "God wants us to go to Him, tug on His pocket, and ask Him for the needs on our hearts each day." That helped me a lot. I've given God my Daily Planner because it just got too overwhelming as I hear the clock tick, ticking away to D-Day on October 30th. (P.S. He's doing a bang-up job--just like I knew He would!)

THOSE GOOD OL' TRADING STAMPS

I remember yearning eagerly for the day the S & H stamp book would be filled up. There were so many cool prizes to choose from. And it wasn't just S & H, but the Super Value grocery store stamps and maybe the Red Owl, too. I loved the job of pasting in the stamps and then flipping through the book, admiring each filled page. Ah! Those were the days. And then, just the other day in a shop in Stillwater, I saw an old S & H sign where my hubby and I were devouring homemade pumpkin & apple pie à la mode and coffee for only $3.00 each. What a steal. It was almost like getting a stamp to paste in the S & H stamp book.

GOOD AND PLEASANT

The Psalmist declares in Psalm 133 that it is good and pleasant for brothers to live together in unity. A united family is good, but a united family is doubly good when that family is united "in Christ". We had such a moment tonight at Applebee's, thanks to points from Super America gasoline!

Just a Bit-O-Honey

It's been years since I've been able to eat certain candy bars, so when I come back to the USA, guess what I want to eat? You betcha! I spend time gazing at the candy bar shelf in the store, gathering courage to indulge. And I've been successful. I finally found the one I was most wanting to eat--Bit-O-Honey--way up north at Grand Portage, almost in Canada. There in the Holiday Gas Station I was thrilled to find it (even though they have changed the wrapper without asking my permission.) It tasted delicious! I also found Oh Henry! and I did eat a Nut Goodie that was given to me from my brother's cache. (You see, he can't find Nut Goodies in New York and I can't honestly say how many he bought and ate while in North Dakota!!!!) I am thinking about buying a Butterfinger, maybe an Almond Joy, a Reeses Pieces, but not Hershey's Chocolate Bar (because I have a little piece almost every day...shhh!) I see I have my work cut out for me. Look out, candy bars!!

Which system is better--Brazil's or the USA?

This year I had to renew my Brazilian and my American driver's license. It was an interesting study in cultures. Check this out.

How to renew a driver's license in Brazil (The government has privatized the process.)

1. Go to licensing station to get form for paying at the bank and to find out the other rules.

2. Take form to bank, stand in line and pay for license.

3. Go to photo studio to have picture taken.

4. Take the form and picture back to testing station to make appointment for medical exam.

5. Do medical exam on day scheduled. It consists of several questions and an eye exam with that eye chart we are all familiar with.

6. Go to testing station on Tuesday (a week after I made my first inquiries) to take written test, the only day of the week when it is done.

7. While waiting to be called for testing, I almost miss it because of misinformation.

8. Take test and hope I pass. Results can only be obtained a day or two later by calling up the testing station.

9. I passed! Whew! Now I must call again to find out when the license will be ready. (It was ready and in my hands within a week, but I had to go back to the station to pick it up.)

Cost: $73.00

Expires: June 4, 2013

Restrictions: Corrective lenses

Time required: one week + one week until receive license

This license does not give my address, my eye color, my height nor my weight, nor my sex. It does register my ID number, social security number and the names of my parents.

How to renew a driver's license in Minnesota (run by the state).

1. Go to licensing bureau where I am told I must do the driver's test as well as the written, but am not given the rule book to study. (I ask for it later after observing instructions being given to another.). I do take a form to fill out.

2. Call the Egan Testing Station and leave a message on their system to call me back. (It never happens.)

3. After many weeks, call again and wait to talk to a real person. Now I am told that I do not have to take the driver's test, but only the written and I don't need an appointment.

4. After studying the manual, I feel I must take the plunge and hope for the best.

5. At the Egan Testing Station, I stand in a long line and wait my turn.

6. At the desk, a quick eye exam is executed and I do not need corrective lenses.

7. I am directed to a computer where I take the test quickly and find out my score immediately.

I passed! Whew!

8. I wait in line again until I am called to take my picture right there and right now!

9. I pay for my license and am given a piece of paper as my legal right to drive until the real license comes.

10. I receive my license in the mail almost two months later.

Cost: $24.00

Expires: Oct. 21, 2012

Restrictions: None

This license gives my address, my sex, eye color, height & weight

Time required: 60-90 minutes + two months until receive license

It's your call--which system is better?

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, SIS!

SUPERSIZED AMERICA

Shortly after arriving in the good ol' USA I went to the store to buy a few things. My list read something like this:
l). bath soap
2). cotton balls
3). Q-tips
4). mouth wash
5). etc.

I was looking for modest portions that would be sufficient to cover my four-month stay in the USA. My eyes searched the shelves for one bar of soap (we have bins of soap packaged that way in Brazil) but I woefully discovered it would be virtually impossible to buy just ONE bar of soap or a small quantity of anything. I was forced, (coerced?), obligated or what-have-you, to buy WAY more than I wanted and I was not happy with supersized America. I went home with 1.5 liters of mouth wash, 300 cotton swabs (I call them Q-tips), 100 jumbo sized cotton balls, 3 bars of soap and 10 razor blades. I only have 35 days left in the USA and I have close to 1.2 liters of mouth wash left, approximately 291 cotton swabs, 89.5 cotton balls, 2 bars of soap, and 7 new razors. I think we should change the national anthem to read:
America, America, too supersized for me,
Let fly the cry: "We want to buy
In smaller quantities!"

CHRISTMAS IN JULY

From the airport we all converged at Michael & Cari's place for a grand reunion and Christmas in July. One of the gifts was a video in Portuguese that the kids loved. I was in my glory with my kids close to me and my grand kids dancing about. In the midst of all the hullabaloo it was clear that families were meant to be together and enjoy one another and it seemed almost wrong to have missed out on so much of their lives. For now, though, life was wonderful!

THE RIDE HOME

The cheering section!

Penélope Elizabeth

Gabriella MayLyne

Caleb Michael

Pat & I split up for the ride home from the airport: he in Michael's car and I in Michelle's. The grandkids won my heart immediately. Caleb's winsome smile makes the sun come out, and you know there's hidden mischief behind Gabriella's sparkling eyes. Penélope, prim and pensive, charmed me with her demure self. And then there was "Baby," "Monkey,"and the others who accompanied us all the way home.

A BLOOPY SPECIAL WELCOME!

Grandpa meets Penélope & Caleb for the 1st time

These two were only a month old when Grandma last saw them.

A BIG bear hug for Michael.

...and a squishy squeeze for Michelle.

Yes! This is the terminal that fouled us up.

As Flight #851 descended at the Minneapolis airport that Tuesday afternoon we could hardly contain our excitement at the anticipated reunion with our Stateside kids and grandkids. Would the little ones be shy and afraid to come to us? Pat had yet to meet two-year-old Penélope and Caleb, and three-year-old Gabriella would not remember us well either. Much to the dismay of our children, our Airtran plane landed at the Humphrey Airport instead of at the main terminal where they were waiting. Thankfully, we had just been loaned a cell phone and were able to connect with them. And here's the photos to tell the story.

KEY WEST is a key spot to visit!

From a map, the keys look more like pebbles in a vast ocean, but as our van headed south, those pebbles turned into little towns with long bridges linking one to another--imagine driving between the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic Ocean! The coral lent beautiful shades of green and rose to the water and we had to stop at one point to follow a path out into the shallow water while watching the wind surfers!

But the town of Key West was the best of all! Home to Ernest Hemmingway and the Little White House, it charmed us with its artsy look, tropical vegetation and Spanish-style homes. And the ice cream was the best!

We can now say we have been to the "bottom" of the continental United States and they say that on a clear night, one can see the lights of Havana.

Goodby, Brazil! Hello, Florida!

See those super vitamin drinks? That's the man responsible for my weight increase.

Left behind...

although I wasn't sad to leave behind our cold winter to embrace Miami's warmth. Ah, yes! How comforting the sunshine was to my Vitamin-D starved body. The humidity in Florida, though, was another subject. Thank God for air-conditioning! We wouldn't have stopped in Miami if it weren't for two special people--my sister and brother-in-law. They made our welcome so special with flowers, signs, a basket of toiletries and the use of a cell phone (for free!) plus doing lots of fun things together. Arlin got us going every morning with his super-powered vitamin drink that we enjoyed on their back porch. (More of our fun time at their house in a future blog..

Furlough and the 2nd Coming of Christ

Getting ready for furlough and the 2nd coming of Christ have a lot in common.

First of all, it will surely come to pass. I have tickets for the 24th whether I'm ready or not, and although I don't have a date for the 2nd coming of Christ I know it will happen.

Second of all, I'm trying to get everything clean before I leave on furlough. This week has been very stressful trying to get every vestige of dirt and grease out of the kitchen. Patricia and I worked ourselves to the bone (mainly Patricia) and woke up with sore arms the next morning. After that experience we don't believe the house really needs a spring cleaning, BUT... I finally quit procrastinating and threw away pieces of paper that had collected dust in my office for years, and I actually threw an old bra in the waste basket (then retrieved it) and carted two armloads of clothes to the give-away! And, I allowed Patricia to throw away some egg shells that had been sitting on the laundry shelf waiting for the right moment for crushing them up for "someone" to use for a craft moment with their children. (Let's not mention the bag of folded coffee boxes or that can of old wax). I'm feeling liberated and hope you can see the link between getting one's heart clean and all the trash thrown out of it before Christ returns.

Third of all, my body should be healthy before leaving on furlough. Pat and I have been traipsing in and out of many doctor and dentist's offices and we finished our last exam on Friday by passing the stress test with flying colors (and I did better than healthy, careful- how-he-eats-and-exercises Pat!!). Right now I can't see the link between this third point and the 2nd coming of Christ, but I'm sure you will.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PATRICIA!!!

A belated happy birthday, Patricia Joy. We had fun at the Bonna Pasta Restaurant!

Have you ever found...

a piece of elastic dangling from the freezer door of your refrigerator?

It happened to me for the first time this morning. No, I'm not kidding. This morning when I went into the kitchen I saw a short piece of elastic hanging out of the freezer door!! I laughed! and yes, I can explain.

I am engaged in a sewing project and carefully cut two pieces of elastic for said project. With elastics in hand, I left sewing area for a reason I have now forgotten (I have been very distracted these days...) When I went back to my sewing, I only had one piece of elastic in my hand. Aha! I said. I must have let it drop somewhere while I zigzagged through the house, so I began to retrace my steps to the bedroom, the kitchen, the sewing table, the sewing machine, the ironing board, the big rocking chair where I sat, the trunk next to the chair, but it had literally disappeared into thin air! Defeated, I cut another piece of elastic and sewed it into place.

So, does that explain why there was a piece of elastic hanging outside the freezer door????

MISSING: ONE LAPIS LAZULI

My husband came back from a trip to Chile last year with a present for me: earrings in lapis lazuli, a stone Chile is famous for. Pat didn't know the name of the stone, but my research on the internet convinced me it was the famous "lapis lazuli" mined in the Chilean Andes. I was thrilled to own something so fine.

The other day, however, I was preparing to take a shower, and as my nature is to do things with great vigor and little care, I pulled off my sweater (vigorously) and one of my lapis lazuli earrings came with it. I knew it had to have happened just then because the earring backing was still stuck behind my right ear lobe. Thinking it couldn't have fallen far, I shook out my clothes, searched the floor on hands and knees, thoroughly looked through the waste basket, on top of the dresser, in the open dresser drawer, combed the bathroom, but all to no avail. I slowly came to the unhappy realization that my earring had simply disappeared into thin air and wasn't coming back. I took it as a God-given opportunity to "let go" of material things.

Soon afterwards I left home for two weeks to help take care of my new granddaughter Julia and daughter Patricia while Pat traveled to Chile and Paraguay. I secretly hoped he would bring me another pair of lapis lazuli (which he didn't).

The Tuesday after I returned home I was hurriedly cleaning the bathroom--vigorously and carelessly-- to make my goal of fininshing by 5:30 p.m. so I could go walking with a neighbor lady. As I cleaned the sink I noticed something stuck in the drain. The only thing I could see was what looked like an upside-down thumb tack. Thumb tacks are rare at our house, especially in the bathroom, so I jabbed at it with the end of an old toothbrush I was using to clean the drain. Once, twice, it resisted my pokes, but on the third try I heard a clink as it fell out of sight down the drain! I thought nothing of it, finished my cleaning and went for my walk. DAYS LATER IT DAWNED ON ME THAT I HAD PROBABLY BEEN LOOKING AT THE POST TO THE LAPIS LAZULI EARRING!!!!! Of course, what a dummy I'd been. That earring had been stuck in the drain all those days waiting for me to find it, yet no one had seen it. I was crushed. To have come that close to recovering my earring, only to let it slip away was hard to bear. It was GONE now, forever. (Our bathroom pipes are made out of PVC and are ram-rod straight with no way to open them up.) I had released my earring to the Lord, but all of a sudden it seemed like it was supposed to be mine again. (Okay, so I give it to you again, Lord.)

Since then several questions have come to mind:

1) Why do I have to do things so vigorously and carelessly?

2) Why wasn't I curious enough to look calmly and carefully at the object in the drain?

3) Why did I come soooo close to finding my lapis lazuli only to lose it?

You may find this incident silly and certainly inconsequential, but is there a lesson here for me?