Life in My World--Nothing in Particular

• I left the house phone on the hood of the car last night. I was talking to one of the kids while Calvin and I were raking up grape vines and then set it down while I went to feed the chickens and gather the eggs. I didn't even notice it was on the hood until I was a mile from home this morning and it started to slide. It hit the road with a bounce then a thud so I was sure it would be shattered, but I was wrong. It landed face down and when I retrieved it and flipped it over the screen simply said: Place in charger. Oh ho. It was just a little irony, but it made me laugh anyway.
  

• Calvin called and asked me to meet him for lunch today. I do love lunch dates portions and prices. They're perfect . . . and so is the company.

• When Cali and Ray were here last weekend for Easter, Calvin had a black-powder gun shoot off with them. I thought their different methods of loading guns was funny and it reminded me of how little boys instinctively know what to do with a toy truck and the sounds to make and little girls know just how to hold a doll and talk to her. Gender seems evident in gun-loading, too.

• Ande is getting ready for her study-abroad trip to Europe in a few weeks. She calls me each day excited about the things she's learned in the classes preparing them for the trip or the things that are planned. It's simply amazing and humbling to me the opportunities that our kids have had to learn. Ande's coming home tonight and Calvin and I are so excited to see her, even if it's only for a little over 24 hours. I think we'll plant the potatoes in her honor tomorrow.

• The West Point Parent's graduation guide came in the mail today. We're definitely on the countdown. Abe's graduation announcement photos came in the mail a couple of weeks ago. They were less than stunning. Handsome, yes. Stunning, no. Calvin asked Abe if he'd mind going in for a re-shoot so we could get a better picture and he said he would. I just talked to him on the phone and asked him if he'd done the retakes yet because we're running out of time. He said that he and Nathaniel, his roommate, decided the pictures looked good enough. I said, "Abe, did you even comb your hair in them?" He said, "Nope. I never do." Thank heavens he has Grace now. She came into his life none too soon.

google image

• Ty is doing really good. He loves Taiwan. He loves the people. He loves the country. He loves missionary work. He loves it all. He recently wrote, “Our (his missionary companion’s and his) bikes are 18 months old and are always in the rain and get a lot of use, so they aren't great). My bike has not seen an oil can in over a year. The northeast coast of Taiwan is gorgeous. I mean gorgeous. We rode along, chatted and had a good time. When we had ridden about 30 miles, I decided that I should oil my chain. Little did I realize that my bike was not only used to the rust, but that it was actually a necessity. I like to ride hills in the high gears so that my legs get a good workout but this puts a lot of strain on the gears and the chain. Apparently the teeth on the gears were a lot more worn down than I thought because after I oiled my chain, the two bigger gears were no longer able to grab the chain. It just slips. That rust was the only thing that kept my bike working. Because of this, I just had to use the little tiny gear. We rode to 福隆 and decided we would take the train down to 宜蘭 because we were only half way and couldn't ride fast enough with my bike like it was (to get there in time). We found that the 福隆 train station doesn't ship bikes so we had to go buy some plastic bags and bag up our bikes. We had to take the wheels off and put them in one bag and then use two to cover up our bikes. Then carry them along with all of the stuff we carry around for exchanges on to the train. As we were bagging our bikes up, a tourist had a camera with a huge telephoto lens and she was just taking pictures like crazy. It made me feel like I was a lion in Africa.

• In the way of other little wonderful things that added up to make life so enjoyable this week:

1. The Stake production of Beauty and the Beast--it was great.


2. A plate of Susan's Lemon Bars--they are delightful.


3. Lunch with friends and an afternoon visiting--it felt so good to spend time with them.


4. Current events in the world--it is exciting . . . . and disturbing.

And that is life in my world this week.