The year's at the spring,
And day's at the morn;
Morning's at seven;
The hillside's dew-pearled;
The lark's on the wing;
The snail's on the thorn;
God's in His heaven -
All's right with the world!
25 April 2011
21 April 2011
neglect.
i feel like my blog has become "that person" that i don't especially want to talk to. i stop by occasionally to check on it [as it is, after all, the work of my own hands], but rarely do i sit down to think something out and post it anymore. i've also been bad at replying to emails. in the current battle of my conscience, Blog v. Emails, blog wins.
it's raining, and 41 degrees. i knew about the temperature, but had hoped to go for a walk. i probably still will. it'll feel like siegen, without the hills. springtime is taking a very long time to warm up this year. it kind of feels like a broken record stuck on a dreary march day.
i can't believe i wrote so much while i was sick in feb/march. something must have given my mind a little boost in productivity. it's hard to stay motivated these days, to tell the truth. i know i can't blame it entirely on lack of sunshine, but i know that's a factor in my plight.
i've been reading a series of fiction on the days leading up to WWII. it's been interesting, but i'm considering ditching the whole thing after i finish the last 75 pages of this third book. i admire prolificacy to some degree, but i think i'll stick to the opinion that a great book is well-written for many reasons, not the least of which being a good, solid ending. let's not drag this along too far, shall we?
i found a record player at the thrift shop a couple days ago. it's an Arvin, and lacks a needle and presumably a belt. but it has built-in speakers that hum when i turn it on, so i think it's fixable. i'm not much of a project girl, so i'm working up the nerve and determination to tear it apart, in hopes of putting it back together again and enjoying it. i thought it looked small, but next to my computer it's a giant. it's in a blue and beige carry-case, and came with some old jazz records inside. hoping hoping.
my health is stable, it seems! platelets are behaving. i am thankful. i am blessed.
i applied for a new passport last week. now i am waiting to receive that fresh little blue book of empty pages, full of promise of much international adventure. i "overnighted" it, actually, to try to add some speed to the renewal process. it got there two and a half days/nights later, and i was reimbursed my eighteen original dollars. kind of a nice ending to a hectic story. no time was saved, but i got free shipping.
after i receive my passport, i can work on applying for my visa to england. 2011 has been a year thus far of waiting, and waiting, and waiting. it takes patience to learn patience. "let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." [james 1] i want to be trained by this time of waiting- that it may "yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness" [hebrews 12]. so i'll wait to get my passport, and then i'll see if my sponsorship can be used, and if it has expired, i'll apply for it again, and wait for it to be processed, and eventually apply for a visa, and afterwards wait to receive approval or rejection. my times are in God's hands. praying that His will is done, and that my heart remains teachable and movable. many question marks lie above my horizons these days! i'd love to move on but for now the only directive i've received is "Wait."
i can't believe it's almost the end of april, or that Resurrection Sunday is in a few days. it is good to remember what Jesus has done on our behalf- and most importantly, that He is alive! my grandma is coming to visit; the sun is rumored to appear; i'm hoping to make challah bread.
days form weeks and weeks form months and slowly and surely this year keeps turning round. i've always thought of the calendar year as a circle in my mind; sometimes a vertical loop, other times a horizontal ring. kind of like a really high-tech early-90's computer illustration. i avoid at all costs updating my computer, so i'm fairly certain my loop will look this old and simple when i'm 80. but it always keeps on moving.
it's raining, and 41 degrees. i knew about the temperature, but had hoped to go for a walk. i probably still will. it'll feel like siegen, without the hills. springtime is taking a very long time to warm up this year. it kind of feels like a broken record stuck on a dreary march day.
i can't believe i wrote so much while i was sick in feb/march. something must have given my mind a little boost in productivity. it's hard to stay motivated these days, to tell the truth. i know i can't blame it entirely on lack of sunshine, but i know that's a factor in my plight.
i've been reading a series of fiction on the days leading up to WWII. it's been interesting, but i'm considering ditching the whole thing after i finish the last 75 pages of this third book. i admire prolificacy to some degree, but i think i'll stick to the opinion that a great book is well-written for many reasons, not the least of which being a good, solid ending. let's not drag this along too far, shall we?
i found a record player at the thrift shop a couple days ago. it's an Arvin, and lacks a needle and presumably a belt. but it has built-in speakers that hum when i turn it on, so i think it's fixable. i'm not much of a project girl, so i'm working up the nerve and determination to tear it apart, in hopes of putting it back together again and enjoying it. i thought it looked small, but next to my computer it's a giant. it's in a blue and beige carry-case, and came with some old jazz records inside. hoping hoping.
my health is stable, it seems! platelets are behaving. i am thankful. i am blessed.
i applied for a new passport last week. now i am waiting to receive that fresh little blue book of empty pages, full of promise of much international adventure. i "overnighted" it, actually, to try to add some speed to the renewal process. it got there two and a half days/nights later, and i was reimbursed my eighteen original dollars. kind of a nice ending to a hectic story. no time was saved, but i got free shipping.
after i receive my passport, i can work on applying for my visa to england. 2011 has been a year thus far of waiting, and waiting, and waiting. it takes patience to learn patience. "let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing." [james 1] i want to be trained by this time of waiting- that it may "yield the peaceable fruit of righteousness" [hebrews 12]. so i'll wait to get my passport, and then i'll see if my sponsorship can be used, and if it has expired, i'll apply for it again, and wait for it to be processed, and eventually apply for a visa, and afterwards wait to receive approval or rejection. my times are in God's hands. praying that His will is done, and that my heart remains teachable and movable. many question marks lie above my horizons these days! i'd love to move on but for now the only directive i've received is "Wait."
i can't believe it's almost the end of april, or that Resurrection Sunday is in a few days. it is good to remember what Jesus has done on our behalf- and most importantly, that He is alive! my grandma is coming to visit; the sun is rumored to appear; i'm hoping to make challah bread.
days form weeks and weeks form months and slowly and surely this year keeps turning round. i've always thought of the calendar year as a circle in my mind; sometimes a vertical loop, other times a horizontal ring. kind of like a really high-tech early-90's computer illustration. i avoid at all costs updating my computer, so i'm fairly certain my loop will look this old and simple when i'm 80. but it always keeps on moving.
so teach us to number our days, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. [ps 90:12]
11 April 2011
"interrupted plans"
We like things to go smoothly and as planned. Very often unexpected things intervene, and our plans go awry.
We think we've got problems. There is another level at which everything that happens is being engineered.
"God has no problems," Corrie ten Boom said, "only plans."
When ours are interrupted, His are not. His plans are proceeding exactly as scheduled, moving us always
[including those minutes or hours or years that seem most useless or wasted or unendurable] toward the goal of full maturity.
Believe God. Turn the interruptions over to Him. He is at the controls.
-Elisabeth Elliot
06 April 2011
process.
for every thing there is a season, writes king solomon, the wisest man to ever have lived.
sometimes seasons make me sad: if they seem to be too short, or perhaps even too long.
for example, this reasoning could be applied to a "very long winter" or a "very short summer".
but a calendar season is by no means too short nor too long. the equinoxes enable each season to begin and end precisely when it should.
it may not feel like the season it's supposed to be.
but it is what it is.
and if you wait, it'll really look and feel like the right season.
i'd say the same principle applies to daily life.
i admit that some seasons in life seem to be too long or too short, too good or too bad, too exciting or too dull, too full or too empty.
i think the reason for this is simply human discontent. it's hard to make us happy, and harder still to keep us happy.
we like to complain.
we complain about the weather, at least in regions where the weather is a great variable and always somewhat unpredictable. [perhaps if you don't talk much about the weather, you're living in a place where the weather just isn't extreme enough to merit excess attention.]
we complain about seasons in our lives too.
but i see the wisdom in seasons.
they are contained. they are recognizable. they are, in general, to be expected, if not roughly predicted. they are common to mankind.
it seems like a lot of people come down with "a bug" or some other allergenic attack at the change of seasons.
as much as we love the newness of each season, our bodies need time to adjust to temperature, humidity, pressure, pollen, and precipitation changes, and we still usually get sick. what would happen if seasons drastically and completely changed on the 21st of every third month of the year? windows might shatter, for one.
might the same principle apply to life here as well?
do you see what i'm getting at?
to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. [ecclesiastes 3:1]
there is a natural process of life that must of necessity run its course.
so do not fret, o my soul, when the seasons seem not to change quickly enough for my tastes.
things take time. life takes time. friendship takes time. thought takes time. rest takes time. waiting patiently takes time.
a season begun suddenly, out of place, without a gradual change, will only create unwanted pressure, storms, natural disasters, etc.
don't rush the process of things.
God has you and me in His hands. and His timing is never too early or too late.
trust the providence and process of seasons.
i am glad there are seasons.
sometimes seasons make me sad: if they seem to be too short, or perhaps even too long.
for example, this reasoning could be applied to a "very long winter" or a "very short summer".
but a calendar season is by no means too short nor too long. the equinoxes enable each season to begin and end precisely when it should.
it may not feel like the season it's supposed to be.
but it is what it is.
and if you wait, it'll really look and feel like the right season.
i'd say the same principle applies to daily life.
i admit that some seasons in life seem to be too long or too short, too good or too bad, too exciting or too dull, too full or too empty.
i think the reason for this is simply human discontent. it's hard to make us happy, and harder still to keep us happy.
we like to complain.
we complain about the weather, at least in regions where the weather is a great variable and always somewhat unpredictable. [perhaps if you don't talk much about the weather, you're living in a place where the weather just isn't extreme enough to merit excess attention.]
we complain about seasons in our lives too.
but i see the wisdom in seasons.
they are contained. they are recognizable. they are, in general, to be expected, if not roughly predicted. they are common to mankind.
it seems like a lot of people come down with "a bug" or some other allergenic attack at the change of seasons.
as much as we love the newness of each season, our bodies need time to adjust to temperature, humidity, pressure, pollen, and precipitation changes, and we still usually get sick. what would happen if seasons drastically and completely changed on the 21st of every third month of the year? windows might shatter, for one.
might the same principle apply to life here as well?
do you see what i'm getting at?
to everything there is a season, a time for every purpose under heaven. [ecclesiastes 3:1]
there is a natural process of life that must of necessity run its course.
so do not fret, o my soul, when the seasons seem not to change quickly enough for my tastes.
things take time. life takes time. friendship takes time. thought takes time. rest takes time. waiting patiently takes time.
a season begun suddenly, out of place, without a gradual change, will only create unwanted pressure, storms, natural disasters, etc.
don't rush the process of things.
God has you and me in His hands. and His timing is never too early or too late.
trust the providence and process of seasons.
commit your way to the Lord, trust also in Him, and He shall bring it to pass. [psalm 37:5]
wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart. wait, i say, on the Lord! [psalm 27:14]
02 April 2011
avril.
january was spent tired, and wondering about february.
february was spent at the doctor's office, and not wondering about much.
march is gone already? i wonder where it went.
february was spent at the doctor's office, and not wondering about much.
march is gone already? i wonder where it went.
26 March 2011
17 March 2011
advent.
it is the advent of spring.
the reasons for this are: warm temperatures, melting snow, visible grass, growing flowers, muddy puddles, longer days.
i am a fan of all of the above.
visible proof/pictorial evidence:
look! grass!! two days ago this was not available for viewing.
[even more exciting]: tuuuuulips!!
it is also [roughly] the advent of "i have pictures on my blog again."
the reasons for this are:
I Took Some,
I Deleted A Lot Of Files So My Computer Lets Me Upload Things Again,
and I Conquered The Great Pictureless Dilemma Even Though I Cannot Get My New Hard Drive To Cooperate.
this morning i arose early, early [almost] as the sun, to bake some ciabatta. remember last time's adventure? the speckles? sad day.
no worrisome specks this time, thankfully. although the recipe for small ciabatta suggested an overly aggressive temperature, in my opinion.
here they are! baby ciabattas, baby baguettes, and a couple of bubbly, well, toad-breads.
here they are! baby ciabattas, baby baguettes, and a couple of bubbly, well, toad-breads.
check out the bubble on that thing! it's enormous! it's as big as the bread itself. too bad it burnt.
doesn't this bread look like a toad?
baguettes looked pretty good. i'm going to eat these with brie.
the first-devoured ciabatta. it was smothered in nutella and happily munched posthaste.
munched is kind of a strange word.
the healthy-breads-in-five-minutes-a-day loaf #2, from a couple weeks ago, which i remembered to score.
it wasn't bad for whole wheat.
and the best for last:
my new italian polyphonic keyboard. it sounds like an accordian.
happy thursday! i'm working all day, but i hope you get to enjoy the advent of spring.
xo.
ps. platelets are at 229k! ptl.
15 March 2011
treasures in the snow.
there were feathers and cockles.
and an empty nest.
and a dead raccoon in a tree!
we checked the sap in our maple trees- none yet.
there were buds peeping out of the snow!
there were bird tracks and silhouettes of little twigs.
there was lovely, wonderful bark of poplar and maple.
there were muddy roads and rubber boots.
and fields across which to trudge.
the beauty of anne.
this post is dedicated to dear friends who, like me, have long enjoyed the anne of green gables/avonlea movies, but have never gotten around to reading the books. my answer to you is:
yes! read anne!
i'm stuck right now on anne of ingleside [it's just hard to think of anne as a mother], and i have a few other library books to finish by a certain date, but i'll get back in the groove someday soon. because that's just what you do. and i want to finish. anne is positively lovely.
some advice on reading anne
think of it as a different story from the movies. the sequence of events is almost entirely off. for a long time i avoided the anne books because i felt like i already knew everything that happened, and, frankly, i was bored whenever i picked up a book and began reading. this took a bit of perseverance [you might even say perspicacity, because it is a positively wonderful synonym], but at a certain point i no longer felt dutiful when reading anne. it became delightful.
don't expect a hugely exciting plot. lm montgomery writes beautifully, but not exactly "plotfully." her power of description is magnificent. it's worthy of a good slowed-down read and a cup of something really delicious. it is not a good idea for a speed read, for when speed reading, the overall beauty of the books is overlooked. revel in the vocabulary, in anne's wonder and delight found in the simple things of life, in the sweet but lovely lives of simple people in a simpler time. there is certainly an amount of humor and lightheartedness in the books, and as anne grows older and you move on to later points in her life, you find you're growing up with her as well.
there are more characters! the movies combined a wider variety of characters and events and even towns into a smaller group. i suppose this makes sense, and they did it well, for the movies are lovely. but read the books to get the real story. and to get to know people like Mrs Allan, Dora and Davy, Phil and Priscilla, Gog and Magog, Captain Jim, Leslie, etc, etc.
i find that reading "old" or "classic" literature such as anne is a wonderful supplement to my ever-writing mind. the ideas, the personalities, the beauty found in nature, the words, the sentence structure [albeit sometimes a little over the top!], all of it lends itself to creativity. read well to be able to think well and write well and, dare i say?, live well.
so don't delay! put anne on your spring or summer reading list. you'll love her.
anne books:
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of the Island - my favorite!
Anne of Windy Poplars - second half is delightful.
Anne's House of Dreams - loved this one too.
Anne of Ingleside
Rainbow Valley
Rilla of Ingleside
yes! read anne!
i'm stuck right now on anne of ingleside [it's just hard to think of anne as a mother], and i have a few other library books to finish by a certain date, but i'll get back in the groove someday soon. because that's just what you do. and i want to finish. anne is positively lovely.
some advice on reading anne
think of it as a different story from the movies. the sequence of events is almost entirely off. for a long time i avoided the anne books because i felt like i already knew everything that happened, and, frankly, i was bored whenever i picked up a book and began reading. this took a bit of perseverance [you might even say perspicacity, because it is a positively wonderful synonym], but at a certain point i no longer felt dutiful when reading anne. it became delightful.
don't expect a hugely exciting plot. lm montgomery writes beautifully, but not exactly "plotfully." her power of description is magnificent. it's worthy of a good slowed-down read and a cup of something really delicious. it is not a good idea for a speed read, for when speed reading, the overall beauty of the books is overlooked. revel in the vocabulary, in anne's wonder and delight found in the simple things of life, in the sweet but lovely lives of simple people in a simpler time. there is certainly an amount of humor and lightheartedness in the books, and as anne grows older and you move on to later points in her life, you find you're growing up with her as well.
there are more characters! the movies combined a wider variety of characters and events and even towns into a smaller group. i suppose this makes sense, and they did it well, for the movies are lovely. but read the books to get the real story. and to get to know people like Mrs Allan, Dora and Davy, Phil and Priscilla, Gog and Magog, Captain Jim, Leslie, etc, etc.
i find that reading "old" or "classic" literature such as anne is a wonderful supplement to my ever-writing mind. the ideas, the personalities, the beauty found in nature, the words, the sentence structure [albeit sometimes a little over the top!], all of it lends itself to creativity. read well to be able to think well and write well and, dare i say?, live well.
so don't delay! put anne on your spring or summer reading list. you'll love her.
anne books:
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of the Island - my favorite!
Anne of Windy Poplars - second half is delightful.
Anne's House of Dreams - loved this one too.
Anne of Ingleside
Rainbow Valley
Rilla of Ingleside
14 March 2011
have/n't.
i haven't really been blogging much lately.
but i have:
been anxiously awaiting spring's arrival, due this week.
spent three days in the company of two very fun young men [nephews had a sleepover].
listened to records: haydn's london symphony and bert kaempfert's wonderland by night.
perused the daily design blogs and been inspired.
mixed up a new batch of wonderfully smooth ciabatta, which i shall bake in perhaps two or three days, if i can wait that long.
enjoyed brie cheese and store-bought ciabatta for two lunches in the past three days.
scored a polyphonic keyboard [analog fan-powered "organ"] at the aux.
finished a few books and returned half of my stack to the library.
been thinking about starting a succulent garden.
been wishing i could remember more french.
been reading about france [victor hugo's hunchback of notre dame, and a modern book on the french girl mindset].
put considerable daydreaming into a certain east coast destination with a particular friend.
been dying to get a haircut.
been sipping palais royale tea; i've got pellegrino for tomorrow.
been considering a new bottle of nail polish, in a general sort of way.
been reading through the oxford book of victorian verse. i'll post a nice poem soon.
i am really ready for winter to be over, to go on a bike ride, and to get out of town.
wouldn't weekends be fun if they were filled with all sorts of new adventures?
even weeks would suffice.
but i have:
been anxiously awaiting spring's arrival, due this week.
spent three days in the company of two very fun young men [nephews had a sleepover].
listened to records: haydn's london symphony and bert kaempfert's wonderland by night.
perused the daily design blogs and been inspired.
mixed up a new batch of wonderfully smooth ciabatta, which i shall bake in perhaps two or three days, if i can wait that long.
enjoyed brie cheese and store-bought ciabatta for two lunches in the past three days.
scored a polyphonic keyboard [analog fan-powered "organ"] at the aux.
finished a few books and returned half of my stack to the library.
been thinking about starting a succulent garden.
been wishing i could remember more french.
been reading about france [victor hugo's hunchback of notre dame, and a modern book on the french girl mindset].
put considerable daydreaming into a certain east coast destination with a particular friend.
been dying to get a haircut.
been sipping palais royale tea; i've got pellegrino for tomorrow.
been considering a new bottle of nail polish, in a general sort of way.
been reading through the oxford book of victorian verse. i'll post a nice poem soon.
i am really ready for winter to be over, to go on a bike ride, and to get out of town.
wouldn't weekends be fun if they were filled with all sorts of new adventures?
even weeks would suffice.
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