Revisitng the Library

I remember when I was, say, 12, when the weekly trip to the Library was quite an event. "Round up the kids! Gather all the books! It's time to go to the Library!" 

It was fun roaming the isles, feasting our eyes on adventure, real life, science, nature--endless entertainment! We always had enough time for reading back then. What happened?

The "library" came up in conversation this past sabbath. Boy, I hadn't heard that word in a long time! And I hadn't literally pieced it together this way before, but you tend to use things as you need them or as you're encouraged, and eliminate them as the need or encouragement ceases. In the early years, the library was an adventure. It was a second home throughout college. But in marriage, where does it fit in?

The library seems ideal for those with children,

for the scholar,

 

                                                                          

     and for those who need Internet access.

For the past five or six years, the library has been pretty much nonexistent for me. Even reading was on it's way out. There was the occasional interesting book, and of course, church literature--but that's different. Actual trips to the library were put on the back burner because...well, because I didn't need their Internet and I had plenty of books on the shelves at home that I hadn't read, and "there are so many other important things to do! So why should I go to the library?"

And I know this sounds strange coming from an English Literature major. But life goes on, and you're no longer in school, no longer on your way to becoming an English Professor; you're no longer attending literary guilds or contributing at poetry readings. Your circle of friends has gone from scholars and intellectuals, to people living in the real world struggling with real problems, trying to find balance in their lives. No one cares about who "She" is that "Walks In Beauty" that Byron writes about.

And that's when I just had to realize, a library is what you make of it. Children and scholars may be the stereotypical users, but a library goes beyond the stereotypical uses. And is marriage a reason to stop visiting the library? Can you reach a certain age that's no longer library appropriate?

So, with recent encouragement, I've created a simple plan of action: GO TO THE LIBRARY. And looky, looky. I did just that.

My very own library card. 

Of course, I'm anticipating setbacks. As the saying goes, "expect problems before they surprise you." Okay, so I just made that up. But, I have a terrible habit of starting books and never making it to the last pages--not even close. And it would be easy to blame the author (like David Pryde) for not making the book interesting enough throughout, but excuses are never the answer.

So this morning (actually, over the weekend) I decided that regardless, I would stick to the plan instead of talk myself out of it, and soldier on from there. And sure enough, when I got set up with my card, I was roaming the isles to see what I could find. If I had any anxieties or apprehensions about not being able to find any books I was interested in, they were short lived.

For my first trip, I was only allowed to borrow 3 books. I picked out 8 and sat down to rummage through each of them in making my selections. Before I knew it, "BRRRRRRRIIIIIIIIINGGG!" Some one's cell phone went off! I've never been bothered by cell phones going off (except in services!)--usually, I just get embarrassed for them--but this time, I was strangely upset. We're in a library people!--like I'd been a devout library-goer all my life and was truly offended.
Have you ever had someone look at you like you just did something so bad that you deserved the "stink eye" for it? My eyes searched for the offender, disapprovingly. I sat up in my chair. Whether my eyes found them or not, I wanted to be sure they found my stink-eye! (No, I really don't think I was that obvious!). Admittedly, I was kind of glad their phone interrupted me because it was time to get a move on!

After making my selections, I went to "check out." Did you know that they don't use the card system anymore? Okay, so I think I knew that. But they have "self check outs," too! All I had to do was scan my card, put in my digits, pile the books on the scale, and out came a receipt that said, your books are due in three weeks.

I'm so proud of myself. I found that not only can I still read, but I still have an interest in it.

"A person who won't read has no advantage over one who can't read."--Mark Twain

A Prettier Side of Allergies

Living in Kansas, I never understood allergies. For people who did suffer from them, I couldn't sympathize because I didn't know. You have allergies? That's too bad. I had no clue what I was talking about. Subconciously, I used to associate allergies with being unhealthy. What we don't know, we just don't know and life goes on.

But life in Tennessee has been an eye opener (and nose drainer!). My first year here, I thought it was strange that I had a cold all summer. I couldn't understand it. The second year, I decided to investigate this year-long cold. After internet searches on my symptoms, it was obvious.

Enter: Allergies.

Though the older I get, the more I realize how much I don't know. So just in case I was wrong, perhaps I didn't have a case of allergies, I went to seek "professional" knowledge from a doctor.



Just what I'm allergic to, they couldn't say. But for sure, it was allergies--which could lead to a sinus infection, bronchitis, and some other labels. Yes, I paid to have a man with some important initials after his name tell me what I'd already discovered on the internet for free. I had allergies. And all these other illnesses that I didn't have, "watch out because you could get them. And if you do, come back to see me!" Right. I'm sure I'll do just that.

Growing up, a stuffy nose, sore throat or fever was not only the symptom, but was the illness too. There was no guessing about it; none of this "it could be..." No, no. It was simple. However, throw allergies into the mix, and there's no telling! With allergies, your eyes and nose itch, you're sneezing uncontrollably, the inside of your nose begins swelling so you can't breathe, your nose has suddenly become a factory for producing a nonstop supply of mucus, and if that's not bad enough, all of that often leads to infections.

In the beginning, this allergy thing was so unusual that I literally felt sick all the time. I'd never been so acutely aware that my nose was playing any significant part in my life. It used to be just a nose--one that was a little too short and piggy for my liking. But all of a sudden, it felt like that's all that was there! I was one big stuffy nose. However, going on four years now, I hardly notice that I can't breathe through it. What at first felt like, "I'll never be able to sing again!" now feels like, "What wheezy noise? That's just how I sound."


I was talking with my brother-in-law and he suggested one reason Tennessee has so many people with allergies is because of it's landscaping. Just about everything grows here. That's pollen on top of pollen! We have SO MANY flowering trees, shrubs, weeds, flowers, etc. And I think he's right. Though, it does make me wonder why some people (like my healthy husband) don't have allergies or just make it look easy....

Despite how my nose and other parts react to the pollen, there is a prettier side to this. And that is being able to enjoy the buddings and flowers of Spring! Here are a few pictures from around the house.

 The regular roses (as in, not "knock out roses") have opened up.

I've got some marigolds and petunias started at the end of the driveway.

The lone Iris. My neighbor had dug up all her iris to get rid of them and last minute, she thought of me. After transplanting iris, you're supposed to cut them back--which I did. That means you most likely won't get any flowers till the following year. Surprise, surprise, we had ONE pop up. What a nice treat!

More marigolds in our windowboxes. They've always turned out nice before--and their clour is so vibrant! 

Last year, we planted a clematis at our mailbox. It comes back every year. This year, it's grown twice as large with double the buds on it! For about 4 weeks the plant had buds on it. The first week we noticed the buds, I told Sam, "they'll probably open next week." Nope. The week after I said, "surely they'll open in the next few days." Nope. Finally I said, "They may never open!" And two weeks later, they've burst open, decorating our mail box very nicely!
I've decided that I agree with the common belief: the more you watch your flowers grow, the slower they grow.

I bought these petunias last year in the middle of summer for 25 cents. Petunias are annuals, so they look pretty for one season and then, you have to buy more the next year. Well, these ones came back! And they're already twice as large as they were last year. For 25 cents, what a deal!

As you may know (or guessed), we enjoy working on our home (inside and out). We find it very rewarding!

So I don't know that I would go as far to say that "allergies are worth it"--that's pushing it. But to my fellow allergy sufferers, here's a post to help you look at the prettier side to allergies. And to those of you with dust allergies...I got nothing for ya.

A Night To Be Remembered!

This year, for the Night to Be Much Observed, we celebrated at JP's and Anna's home. And what a celebration!

Sam was able to drop me off Friday around 11:00 in the morning so I was able to help prepare for the night--although, I must say, I don't think I was much help. For the 6 course meal, I made the bread.

And the boys helped. 

Little JP cut the circles, Luc placed them on Retti's head, and Retti ate them.

 

Meanwhile, Grandma G. dressed the lamb with rosemary and garlic. It was delicious!

Later, Uncle Sam surprised the kiddies with presents. A bike (with safety buckets) for each of the boys.

And a pillow for Amorette. Her pillow matches the ones we got for the boys a couple years ago.

 Once the bikes were put together, the boys gave it a go.

The boys are still learning how a bike works. I think Luc was surprised to learn that the bike doesn't "go" by itself. After a short while, I could tell he was ready to call it quits, but he kept on!

Meanwhile, Retti flashed a smile for me!

 As the evening approached, the lights were turned on. The boys contributed to the decorations too. Notice the stuffed animals in the trees.... :)

As guests arrived, they made themselves at home, enjoying some fellowship before dinner began.

Dinner began and we were merry.

It was a very enjoyable evening. Many thanks to JP and Anna for the invitation and for all the hard work that went into planning and preparing for this. You both made us feel so welcome and so comfortable! Thank you!

For the first day of Unleavened Bread, we were able to snap a picture of Anna and me. We don't have too many of those, and so here's one to share!

To see more pictures, click here.

Happy Spring Holy Day Wishes!

Dear family and friends,
Sam and I are sending our love to each and every one of you during the upcoming Spring Holy days via a blog. Though many miles away, we are thinking of each and every one of you and hope that you will enjoy and embrace the time you are able to spend with those around you. May God bless you all and keep you safe in His loving care and protection.

Let's all flee Egypt with a "high hand," faithfully run across our parted Red Seas, and see the beautiful Promised Land that awaits us! We pray that we all stay faithful and steadfast in our committment to Him; and soon, we will soar outside the limits of "time" and have eternity to know real Life as God and His Son know it.

Here's to the most inspiring Spring Holy Day Season ever!

Lovingly,

Sam and Sarah

Diet, Exercise and History

It's been three or four weeks since Sam's started this new diet--I mentioned it in an earlier post. And I mentioned that I would give an update about it. Well......

Sam is making progress. He set some goals for what he wanted out of the diet, and so far, he's been really pleased with it! So much that he's decided to stick with it for a good while longer. My favourite part of it (for him) is that he never goes hungry--6 meals a day! It consists of high protein (mostly chicken, salmon, and tilapia), moderate fats (mostly cashews, walnuts, and peanut butter), and almost no carbs (mostly spinach, green beans, and asparagus), coupled with exercise--low intensity cardio 5 days a week, and weight work outs 3 days a week.

It's pretty funny how similar diets are. Again, it's all based on your goals--what you want to get out of your "diet." But they all (or most all) incorporate exercise, encourage eating lots of vegetables, no pasta dishes or starches, and salmon seems to be a major protein source. A few things are tweaked here and there (comparing meal plans), but overall, they're all alike.  

What about me? you ask.
                                                 

I don't diet. My goal is to have a proper balance of the right foods in the right amounts (*chuckle* How do you like THAT goal that just about everyone has?). Considering that a "diet" is just what you eat--whether you don't care and eat whatever you want, or follow some strict schedule limited to certain foods--yes, I'm on a diet, but I don't diet.

For me, there's no list of foods that I can or can't eat...though mushy broccoli is certainly out of the question. And cabbage, split peas, collard greens, cooked spinach---I really should avoid all those because they seem to fight with my taste buds every time (not to mention, my insides)! Because of Sam's interest, I have done my own research on the subject, and the more I learn, the more I narrow my discoveries down to fit my lifestyle. So I don't really have a literal list, rather a subconcious one. Side note: it does include chocolate! With chocolate in my diet, I can control my impulses a little better...

And then of course, exercising is important.

My first experience in a gym was at WSU. After I met Sam, I very quickly learned that he was "all about health." He encouraged me, emphasizing the importance of exercise, while I reasoned, "well I guess there IS a free gym on campus..." Mix the two ingredients, and I was hitting the gym at least twice a week. I started out running on the treadmill. After a while, my brother joined me, and soon, we were playing around with the weight machines, making fun of ourselves, joking, laughing, even competing--we were crazy buffoons, and it was FUN!

A couple years later, Sam and I shared our first experience in the gym together. In marriage, there are several things you do by yourselves (laundry, sewing, etc), and then there are things you do together (reading, watching AFV, etc). We both anticipated the gym would be one of these "together" moments for us--real bonding time. However, I was a little surprised to find out there was no room for cracking jokes or goofing off. From his point of view, I suppose I can understand how you wouldn't want to laugh holding 250lbs over your head. 

But if we couldn't laugh, if we couldn't make fun of ourselves....what were we to do? "Oh...you mean I actually have to work out?"

To start out, there's a specific posture to hold when using weights: Back straight, butt out, chest out, legs shoulder-width apart. I've always prided myself on being flexible and athletic, but this was hard! When you have poor posture already--standing or sitting up straight is hard enough--you mean your butt, chest and legs have to do more than just be there? It's a lot to concentrate on.

"My back is straight."
"No, push it in a little more."
"There."
"Don't go crazy. A little less."
"There."
"Okay, now plant one foot here, and one foot there."
"Like that?"
"Yeah, that's good. Now, hold your head so your ears are level with your shoulders."
"Is there any other way to hold it?"
"Seriously. Like this."
"Okay, how's that?"
"A little better. Now, take hold of the 20lb dumbells and lift straight up."
"Okay............well, my arms don't want to move."
"Try 15lbs."
"Yes, let me go smaller....c'mon baby!....Well, they still don't want to move."
"10lbs."
"Much better...a little swinging motion is good, right? Like this...?"
"No. You're not building muscle that way. You're relying on momentum."
"Are we done yet?"

And after my first REAL work out, I discovered I had more muscles I'd never realized were muscles before! You mean that's not just skin and bone? There's a muscle in there?

I was exhausted. Most of all, I think my brain got the biggest work out...

I'll play softball, volleyball, soccer....I'd mow the lawn all day--with a PUSHmower!--and yes, even pull weeds! But don't make me go to a gym!

Our first experience at the gym together was insightful. But as you may have guessed, our dates at the gym were short-lived. We did give it about a year though--because as is the case with most things, you grow into them, but there are several other ways we spend time together. Exercise just isn't one of them. 


These days, we've built our own gym in the basement that includes a treadmill, free weights, and a few machines I don't know the names of. For a while, I had a bad reaction to work out programs. Trying to follow one--even at the home gym--had become too much of a chore. Somehow, it got to be more about following the program rather than the reason for it in the first place! And skipping a few days left me feeling guilty--then came excuses for why I'd skipped and why I needed to skip another day or so.

Balance....such a simple concept in life. So hard to accomplish, but when done, what harmony! 

Lesson in the Rock-beds

I certainly have my parents to thank for my hard work ethic. At times, when I don't stop to consider it (as if I were born with it or something), I've settled with "it's just the way I am"--like this is ever an answer...puh-lease! But when you come across those who have NO work ethic, those who would actually work to make excuses why they can't work, it really makes me appreciate "the way I am" and realize that I wasn't born with this. Rather it was instilled within me. So here's a big shout out to Dad and Mom: Thank you for teaching me how to WORK!

But I've gotta say, when it comes to pulling weeds, I wonder what went wrong. It's almost like it's programmed in me: "Pull weeds?" "Find something else to do."

On Sundays, I will oftentimes find Sam outside in the rock-beds pulling weeds. To enjoy his company, I'll go out there and pretend to help. Occasionally, most likely out of guilt, I manage to give a little extra umph and pull a weed or two, but it is a rarity. However, this past Sunday was such an occasion. And when I finally talked myself into the "good deed," and reached for the nearest weed, it turned out to be stubborn and committed to staying put! Let's just say, it wasn't motivation to reach for another weed.

As Sam and I talked, our conversation turned to "pulling weeds." I confessed my obvious neglect and began to ponder out loud why I am so allergic to it. I decided it's because it's such tedious work.

Then came the lesson in the rock beds.

"If you don't get the weeds out of your spiritual life, you are going to have a rock-bed full of problems that take away from any fruits being produced. And it will be so overwhelming it'll be easier to let the weeds take over than attack them.

But if you attack while the weed is fresh and be ready to attack every weed that pops up, every week, every day, here a little there a little, you will not be overwhelmed by it, and you will have a clean rock-bed allowing all it's fruit and beauty to shine." -Sam

And really, how fitting for the Spring Holy days! With this in mind, I'll be sure to put more effort into the tedious task of weeding. 

The Highways of Literature

I was indirectly referred to a book written by David Pryde called "What to Read and How to Read." It took me a while to find, as it was listed under the title, "The Highways of Literature." So, I ordered it, not really knowing what to expect--not even knowing if it was the right book (over time, books get edited, and re-edited, and it soon becomes a different book altogether). But for 90 cents, why not?



Today, I found it stuffed in our mailbox.
This book is so old, there is no copyright date. The pages are yellow and dingy, darker around the edges. They are so crisp, I'm afraid to make a crease at the binding, turning from page to page, for fear they will break off. It seems so fragile that I was a little anxious as I did my first initial "flip-thru" to search for pictures. (You do it too! Pick up a book, flip through, pretending to get an idea of what it's about--we all know you're looking for pictures!) :) So I was relieved that it was actually published--typed--not an earlier edition of scribbled drafts of a book-in-the-making.

In the beginning, I heavily debated on even getting the book because in the past four years, I just haven't had TIME for reading. Why spend money on another book that I'm just going to put on the shelf; an addition to an already unread collection? Who has time for reading?

I recalled one day at services (several weeks prior), I heard a young boy make the excuse why he doesn't read. "I don't have time" he said. To give food-for-thought, I replied, "you have the same 24 hours that anyone else has." And then it hit me, as I was debating about the book, that I have those same 24 hours that anyone else has.

How is it that problems are so easily seen and solved when it comes to others, but in my case, they are ligitimate, unsolvable issues with justifiable excuses?

 I've concluded that everyone has the same complaints, just disguised a little differently.

Upon this realization (that everyone has the same 24 hours), I decided to budget my time more wisely. And part of that budget is devoted to reading. So with my new budget and "the book is only 90 cents" factor, I justified purchasing the book.

Like I said, I wasn't quite sure what to expect. Was this an old text book? Casual reading?

As soon as I opened the package and marveled at it's antiquated appearance, I began reading.

The title reads just like this:
"The Highways of Literature; or, What to Read and How to Read."

Semicolon, "or," comma, and period all included. Made me laugh. Back then, if you couldn't decide on a title, just throw them all in and leave it to the reader to decide which one he likes best!

Despite it's age, I am pleasantly surprised with the reading. It is quite refreshing and full of thought provoking tid-bits.

Chapter one, second paragraph: "Every intelligent person in the present day is impressed with the great advantages to be derived from reading. ...One man, very unsophisticated, buys all the new works that are recommended to him, arranges them on the shelves of what he calls his 'library,' does not cut them up, for fear, apparently, lest the knowledge in them should all run out; sits down in the midst of them and fancies that by looking at their outsides he is acutally becoming learned."

Yes, "very unsophisticated," indeed.

In referring to how to select the "right" books and make good use of them, he says, "Men have a natural tendency to imitate each other in their opinions as well as in other peculiarities. Besides, they are lazy by nature, and would rather appropriate an idea ready-made than have the trouble of forming one for themselves. Hence we often hear one opinion echoed from one hollow skull to another....They look at a subject from the same point of view, read each other's works, and, willingly or unwillingly, borrow from each other."

I love it. He very clearly points the finger at authors and readers alike by showing that there is such a thing as wasting time by reading.

"Do not care although you are taunted with not knowing many books. When old Hobbles was asked why he had not read more: 'Read more!' he exclaimed, 'if I had read as many books as other men, I would have been as ignorant as other men.'"

Thus, he resolves that it's quality over quantity.

I think this is giong to be a fun adventure on the highways of literature!