We Heard It's Your Birthday!

The RevGalBlogPals blog ring is 8 years old.  Over at the blog, Teri posed the questions for this week's "Carnival Ride."

Because eight year olds love things that are slightly complicated but not really, and because 8 year olds are some of the most imaginative people I know, we'll be doing a two-part carnival this week!

1. What's your birthday tradition?
2. If you were blowing out the RevGal birthday candles, what would you wish for us? What's your dream for RevGalBlogPals?

In the land of my childhood, the tradition that was probably the most significant was standing on your chair.  After dinner or at your party, you got up and stood on the chair.  The dining room chair!  The lights would be dimmed and the lit cake would be brought in as everyone sang "Happy Birthday."  My mother was brought up in a family where the motto was "Don't make a scene." So I suspect the chair thing was my father's idea. 

The only time I have ever willingly stood on a chair was on my birthday.    For someone who has always had a fear of falling, this would not have been my first choice for an established tradition.  And yet, I have this clear memory of the feelings it created within me.  A sense of delight combined with a certain shyness and a feeling of danger blended with joy.  I remember wondering what I should do with my hands.  

My wish for the RevGalBlogPals is that we would stand on our chair.  This group includes brilliant minds, published authors, funny, caring, compassionate pastors and lay people.  The generosity of spirit. The transparency within relationships.  I wonder if we always claim all that we are. Are our dreams big enough? It's time to stand on our chair.

Reverb10: Note to Future Self

Future self. Imagine yourself five years from now. What advice would you give your current self for the year ahead?

Dear You-

You really need to get a haircut, either that or a new blow dryer.  It's okay to have gray hair but for goodness sake!  Do something with it! 

Your daughter has applied to colleges and at least one of them is some distance away.  Try not to get too weepy but do make sure to spend some quality time with the Chicky before she leaves the nest. 

Clean your room.  Since you don't have a traditional closet it might be a good idea to clean out some of the stuff you're not wearing.  You are not going to start wearing it this year so enough already.  You have too much stuff on the rod collecting dust.  (And by the way, so does the Bug Man.  Nobody needs to be saving embroidered shirts from a job they had more than ten years ago.)

Get a physical and a mammogram and all that other stuff you keep putting off.  It's important.

Go to chapel more often.

Take a vacation.

Read for fun.

Take a walk.

Call your parents!

Friday Five - Fireworks Edition

On the RevGalBlogPals Friday Five, Sally has this to say:

I have to admit that I am chuckling to myself a little; how strange it seems for me a Brit to be posting the Friday Five on 4th July! I realise that most of our revgals will be celebrating in some way today, but I hope that you can make a little room for Friday Five! From my short stay in Texas my memories of the celebrations are of fireworks and picnics, one year we went in to central Houston to watch the fireworks and hear the Symphony Orchestra play, we were welcomed and included, and that meant a lot!

So lets have a bit of fun:

1. Barbeque's or picnics ( or are they essentially the same thing?) Barbeque to me always means staying put- our house or someone else's. Picnics are for the park or in a family twist- a blanket on the living room floor eating pizza. The only exception is when we were kids. My parents would take us to the community pool and send us off to swim. While we were in the pool they would heat up the little hibachi grill they had brought along. Then it was hot dogs or burgers after our swim.

2. The park/ the lake/ the beach or staying at home simply being? The Bug Man and Soda Chicky feel that if it's a summer holiday then we need to have ribs. Ribs means babysitting them for four to six hours while they slow roast in the oven before grilling them outside. A spice rub, basting with pineapple juice and a great sauce at the end. Yummy, messy, good eating!

3. Fireworks- love 'em or hate 'em? Love the fireworks. Hate the crowds, the sweaty heat and the bugs. There are enough local fireworks that we frequently sit in the yard and watch from afar.

4. Parades- have you ever taken part- share a memory... In my first parish in little town Missouri, our church took part in the local Memorial Day parade. We decorated a hay wagon with a large red bow and huge gift tag. On the float were our Sunday School kids in the Christmas program outfits. The gift of Jesus and his love were our entry in the parade.

5. Time for a musical interlude- if you could sum up holidays in a piece of music what would it be? No specifics but it is always fun to hear a brass band- often a military one- playing great marches for the holidays.

When I was a kid we weren't allowed to set off fireworks at home. Papa Joe saw a friend get seriously hurt when he was a kid, so he made sure his own kids were kept at a distance from such things. As an adult I visited friends in Southern California who had to stay home over the fourth in case their homes were hit by stray sparks. With wood shingles, there was a great risk of fire. I love the fireworks show, but here is hoping you and yours have a Fourth that's safe as well as fun!

A Bad, Bad Blogger

I have been a bad, bad blogger. Haven't written. Haven't read. It's sad and it's computer related. First the desk top pc did some funky smoky thing. We've turned it off permanently. This means the Chick became attached to my laptop. While I was gone on a business trip, something bad happened to the hinge on my pretty little laptop. Soda Chicky says she doesn't know how it happened. I have not fumed or cried, but it does mean that the laptop is now functioning more like a desktop computer. It's sitting quietly upstairs until I take it to have it's hinge fixed. We still have my old laptop which is very persnickety about going online. It thinks. It ponders. It whirrs and then after about twenty minutes you can get online. But will you stay online? This is the question and the frustration.

Since last blogging, I have been to Chicago and spent time with Baby Sister and Adventure Girl. (This is a three year old picture of me and AG at the Shore.) Other things have also happened.

• The boss of my boss came to visit for 36 hours. It went well but it was a little nervous making.
• The big boss took us to a swanky restaurant. Very good.
• Bug Man continues to recover from his surgery. Workers' Comp is saying this surgery is not related to his injury from two years ago. The doctor says "Oh, yes it is!" Now the lawyers get to fight it out. We hope they give us some money soon. Sigh...
• Baby Sister insisted I get a Facebook account. Did you know you can play Scrabulous all day long? Every hour or so you check on it... Can be distracting....
• The Chick's friends sometimes send me notes on Facebook. It's a very interesting thing.
• Mountain Mama and Papa Joe arrive today to celebrate the Chick's Confirmation on Sunday. How did she get so old? When was the last time I dusted? Why can't the Bug Man run the vacuum one handed?
• I saw JVZ on Saturday. I got lost on my way to the cute little university town north of here. She patiently waited and gave me directions via cell phone. I think I broke the law talking on my cell phone in the little state next to ours. I don't care. I blame their passive aggressive turnpike for my getting lost to begin with!
• The MIL arrives on Friday. The Chick still needs to clean her room some more before then. Should be fun. Hah!

That's all for now. Dorothy graduates on Sunday. Yeah for her!! She is so smart and clever and now she will be the "Master" of all she surveys.

We're almost outta here!

In an hour and a half, the Bug Man will come home from his bug job to take me to the airport. I am LEAVING for vacation with the RevGals on the Big Event cruise. I have tried to get all my work done before I left. I have prepaid bills so that the Bug Man has no worries. I have confirmed the Chick's doctor's appointment for Friday. And I think I am all packed.

As I have been getting ready to leave, I have found less time to even consider blogging. But here are a few of the things that have been true of my life:

• I was unable for many weeks to remember what part of Mexico we were docking at for our daylong excursion. I really didn't care. I just want to eat some Mexican food and they have that everywhere in Mexico. I can now say with confidence that we are docking in Cozumel.
• I have had insomnia. This even happened last night when I crashed at about 1:30am. All of my usual tricks have been only moderately successful. I want to take a nap on my vacation.
• I am really not worried about leaving my staff for a week. They are way too competent for me to worry. I love this!
• We had a lovely Easter meal with Dorothy and her hubby. Ham and asparagus and cheesy potatoes and a fabulous rendition of a "poke cake" that Dorothy made with strawberries and fresh whipped cream. Think strawberry shortcake and then kick it up a notch!
• I wonder if I can take a ham sandwich on the plane. Probably not. We have a lot of leftove ham.
• I have a major project at work that is 90% done. It is due a few days after we get home. It involves writing and powerpointing. My eyes got bleary and I decided to stop at 4:00 yesterday. It will just have to wait.
• My folks are almost home after spending Holy Week at Spring Training in Arizona. They continue to make retirement look like a really fun deal! I hope to try it when I'm their age.

Well, that's all I can think to say for now. I am not taking my laptop on the ship. It's heavier than it looks and I also think I need a little "radio silence" in my life. I'm going to give every effort not to go to the computer lounge to check my email. Or at least not more than once a day....

Prayers for Rusty

A very dear friend of my parents died last night. Her name was Alta. The day after she retired from her job in November, they found that she was seriously ill. Almost three months to the day, she died in hospice care. My heart aches tonight for those who love her.

At Christmas time we visited my folks. My mother asked me to make a prayer shawl for Alta. I was honored to be asked and we quickly went to the Ben Franklin store to pick up the supplies. For two days I prayed and crocheted while football games, BBC reruns and other goofiness went by on the television. I prayed for Alta and her husband Rusty. I prayed for my parents whose lives have been so warmly touched by these dear friends. I prayed for their small mountain congregation and their priest who serves them.

After we left, Mom and Dad delivered the shawl to Alta at the hospital. She was due to have her second major surgery in a month. In the movement from room to room, the shawl was misplaced. But last weekend, Rusty found it packed in with some things. He tried to give it back to my mother. But she said no, it was his and it was packed with prayers for him to hold onto.

I sit tonight hundreds and hundreds of miles away from my parents, wishing I could do something to help them in their grief. I can't fix a meal or stay up late for a long chat. I can't help with practical matters. I can't do much of anything. But I will keep praying. And my mother has reminded me again, what a precious gift that can be. And so Mom and Dad, please know I am praying for Rusty and his family and for the two of you. Praying for comfort and love and strength.

It's Almost Christmas Friday Five!

As I told the RevGals, I have debated with myself for weeks about today's Friday Five.

• Self 1: It should be deep and theological.
• Self 2: But it's almost Christmas, it should be fun and warm and sweet.
• Self 1: But your last Friday Five was sort of silly. You should show your more serious side.
• Self 2: You worry WAY too much!

So after consulting with Soda Chicky, I went playful, pals o' mine! I love stories, so I hope you'll tell some about your favorite Christmas memories.

1. What was one of your favorite childhood gifts that you gave? It wasn't really a childhood gift, more of a young adulthood gift. I made some water color note cards for my mom. I knew it was a good gift when she rationed them out for only very special notes.


2. What is one of your favorite Christmas recipes? Bonus points if you share the recipe with us. One of my favorite Christmas recipes is something Mountain Mama makes called, "Sandwich Cookies." I think it came from some really basic cookbook. You make dough the consistancy of pie crust with flour, butter and cream. After rolling the dough out, you cut little circles, flip them in granulated sugar and prick with a fork so they don't puff up too much. Mountain Mama uses an old teaball to cut out the circles. It works best. After baking the cookies you make sandwiches with great frosting: butter, powedered sugar, a little cream and a tiny drop of color. When they're all done, you find that they are best eaten in one bite. If you try to bite them they crumble all over your clothes. They are the best. Papa Joe once left them as a "tip" for the housekeeper when we were having Christmas on the road. They're that good.


3. What is a tradition that your family can't do without? (And by family, I mean family of origin, family of adulthood, or that bunch of cool people that just feel like family.) Many years ago, Mountain Mama got tired of writing "Love from Mom and Dad" on the gift tags of presents given to me and my sibs. (We didn't do Santa Clause at our house.) Instead she would put down the names of fairy tale characters, tv people, movie stars, book characters... Some times the names were clues: Miss Goody gave a pair of two shoes; Pele gave a soccer ball; Julie Andrews gave the soundtrack to "The Sound of Music." Sometimes the names were just silliness. The Chick is adament that the tradition continue. And really, I hope I get at least one gift from Billy the Brownie!
   
4. Pastors and other church folk often have very strange traditions dictated by the "work" of the holidays. What happens at your place? When we were still a parish pastor's family, the tradition was that all three of us went to church on Christmas morning. (It is still my favorite service.) Bug Man would always vacuum. Soda Chicky would help with ushering or acolyting. I found that this quieter, smaller service was the time when I could most tune in to the joy that really is Christmas.
   
5. If you could just ditch all the traditions and do something unexpected... what would it be? I think it would be truly glorious to go to another country and experience the week around Christmas. What's it like in Paris on Christmas Eve? Or Jerusalem on Christmas Day? Or London on Boxing Day?

Blog Pals, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!

The Delinquent Blogger

So when your blogging friends ask where you've been... it's clearly time to get back on the keyboard! I have been busy with work stuff, home stuff, holiday stuff.... blah, blah, blah. No real excuse. Perhaps I've had nothing to say. This is also a possibility.

Next week I am going on an actual vacation. BugMan, Soda Chicky and I are flying to see Mountain Mama and Papa Joe. We leave on Christmas Eve Day and come back on the 30th. This is the first vacation I have taken since starting my latest gig. I have five weeks of vacation time due me and I will manage to eat up three days of it. This is silly! And the vacation is so overdue. I can feel myself yearning for the wonders of laziness. Days of it in a row! I have no need to see sights or be entertained. I just want to hang with the family and enjoy the thrill of NO WORK!

So, one more day of work and then a couple days off to do last minute shopping and packing. Hopefully we won't get trapped at Midway Airport on our way west. Papa Joe is sure we'll get trapped on the way back. But hey! It's all part of the holiday!

The Friday Five: Celebrating Halloween

This week the Friday Five is about celebrating Halloween.

1. How did you celebrate this time of year when you were a child? When I was a little girl we weren't home for a lot of Halloweens. My dad managed the LA branch of what was then the Lutheran Church Supply Store. Later it became Fortress and now Augsburg Fortress. Every year for eight years we went to the Lutheran Church Women's annual convention held near Monterey at the Asilomar Retreat Center. It was much better than trick or treating! We got off from school for the week. Hundreds of "ladies" watched my sisters and I grow up. They brought us treats, took our picture and generally fussed over us. One memorable year Papa Joe asked us to each read a book. Then he put us on stools on a stage (see below) in front of hundreds of women and interviewed us. We gave our book reviews and of course, Dad sold out of those three books in a flash.


I think if you asked my sisters we would gladly trade a big bag of candy for a week at Asilomar any time.

2. Do you and/or your family “celebrate” Halloween? Why or why not? And if you do, has it changed from what you used to do? We don't overly fuss. There's way too much candy and decorations are usually to a minimum. Soda Chicky still wants to dress up. "It's free candy, Mom!"

When I was in the parish there was always a night of youth ministry that required dressing up. I kind of miss it.

2 again... Candy apples: Do you prefer red cinnamon or caramel covered? Or something else? I would rather not eat it if it's red cinnamon. Caramel by all means and if it has salted nuts and chocolate- even better!

3. Do you do Jack O'Lanterns? Any other ideas what to do with them? Sometimes... One year when I was in seminary and feeling very "Less is More" I cut up the pumpkin after Halloween and froze the pulp. We had pumpkin soup and later a fresh frozen pumpkin pie. I prefer the canned to the real stuff.

4. Do you decorate your home for fall or Halloween? If so, what do you do? Bonus points for pictures. Nothing worth taking pictures of.

5. Do you like pretending to be something different? Does a costume bring out an alternate personality? I love dress up! Always have. Dressing up tends to bring out the comic actress that lies somewhere beneath the skin.

Bonus: Share your favorite recipe for an autumn food, particularly apple or pumpkin ones. I love your basic Betty Crocker apple crisp with some pecans thrown in for fun. Then serve it with really expensive vanilla ice cream and the richest caramel sauce you can come up with.