Brain Waves

On our way home from Wilmington on Monday I found myself thinking about my college roommate, Melissa. I hadn't heard from her in several months and was missing her, wondering what she's been doing. When I checked my email that night, I found I had an email from her and also a comment on our blog. Do you think that's coincidence or telepathy? I called her the next day and we had a long talk and laughed about catching each other's 'brain waves'. It's nice to know that someone else was thinking about you just as you were thinking about them. It seems to happen to me alot though.

The other thing that often happens is the desire to write a letter. Sometimes it's just wanting to put pen to paper, sometimes I get a feeling that someone needs a letter. I usually don't know the result of these promptings, but it always makes ME feel better to put an envelope in the mail.

But today the brain waves are short and far between. We're still unpacking from Wilmington and Rob leaves early tomorrow morning for a conference in Ohio. Eloise has been home sick for two days. Potty training continues. End of term projects are due and leaves are beginning to fall. The house is a wreck and I'm hosting book group here tomorrow night.

I was wondering why on earth I volunteered for that and then I remembered that with Rob out of town, the only way I can go is if it's at my house. We're discussing "The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society"--a book about books, told through letters--and therefore a great favorite of mine. In fact, my roommate Melissa had just discussed this in her book group and thought of me when they talked about writing letters. So it all comes together at last.

All this to deal with and the only thing I can think about it is what to make for the book group treat. I love planning what to serve. Potato Peel Pie didn't cut it, so I think I'm going to try an apple pie with a cheddar crust and vanilla ice cream. Brain wave me if you want to come over and try some :)

Items of Use in My Daily Life

Specimen #1

Useful: I present to you the amazing, faithful, hard-working yellow tupperware colander(circa 1970's). It was given to me by one of Rob's college roommates after I expressed enthusiastic nostalgia for it. We must have had one like it growing up. I don't remember it exactly, but I remembered this when I saw it again and it was like meeting an old friend. "Oh, the yellow colander! I've missed you!" I've used this thing for all the years of our marriage for MANY purposes--food, crafts, and household projects. It might be the very most useful thing I own. Rob thinks he washes it in every sink of dirty dishes and has been known to ask, "Isn't the yellow colander in here somewhere?" We share a macabre joke that if I die an untimely death, this will be the thing that brings him to tears of remembrance each time he sees it. I will certainly stop to grab it if there's a fire.

Specimen #2

NOT Useful: I now present you with the vintage Snoopy alarm clock (also circa 1970's) we purchased at DI this summer. We thought it was so cute and retro and who doesn't need an alarm clock? Well once we put batteries in it, we discovered why it had been sent to DI. This clock has a heart-attack inducing alarm--one loud shrill ring (think Fire Station 5-alarm fire ring). Bea was playing with the clock in my bathroom yesterday and apparently set it to conveniently go off at 4:30 this morning. Scared me half to death! And sad to say this isn't the first time that has happened. In fact, my heart was beating so hard I couldn't fall back asleep and I lay there thinking what a worthless clock it is, since I've been truly "alarmed" by it at least half a dozen times and have NEVER purposely set it for its intended use. Back to Goodwill with you, little Snoopy. Run along now.

Specimen #3

Undecided: What do you think, friends? Are pull-ups a good thing or do they just prolong the agony? We have entered this swampy middle ground of potty-training and I'm not sure if these are useful or not. We're definitely out of the diapers. (There are 6 left in the house and I'm refusing to buy more--will I regret that?) But Bea is not completely (or even mostly) reliable in underwear. I clean up at least 2 accidents a day, but we are making progress. Just not enough to go out in public or to friends' houses without padded protection. Give me advice please. It seems like my last potty-training episode was a long time ago and SJ practically did it herself, overnight.

Anyway, these are three things I've used today. Two of these things will be used again and one no longer belongs in the family. Anyone need an alarm clock?

It's a beautiful day in the Neighborhood

One neighbor(Shan) just called to say she took our other neighbor (Kathryn) to the ER with a migraine. Shan picked up Kathryn's son from preschool and called me to see if the two of us could pull together dinner for Kathryn's family. I'm supplying a few ingredients and making cornbread for 3 families and Shan is making Jambalaya for the rest of us. Nice. This is how our neighbors roll and we love it.

Our retired neighbor, Bill, has been teaching Rob jazz piano for the last several months and shares his bumper crop of tomatoes with us. MaryAnne next door gives us yard advice and her son helps us with mechanical repairs. Kim gets me out running in the early mornings and trades babysitting with me. Kathryn is comic relief at the bus stop in the mornings and Shan always knows what to do in a crisis. I keep tabs on everyone and try to get us together once in a while. We know everyone in 8 of the 10 houses we can see from ours (and a few neighbor/friends we can't see from our house).

Bill (piano neighbor) and his wife Gwen came for dinner last weekend and told us they are moving soon to be closer to family. Still in Charlotte, but not in our cozy little neighborhood. Rob doesn't get sentimental about much, but he was very sad about this news. It feels good to have neighbors you know and trust and it stinks when you have to break it up. Viva Cheshunt!

Thinking about this reminds me of all the neighbors we've loved before--the Tongan family, the sweet Jewish lady, and the eldery childless couple who raised turtles and chihuahuas (neighbors from my childhood). A fun neighbor named Megan who traded recipes with me while our girls played on the steps in front of our student apartments. The Wenglers, Bradshaws, Waltons, Hansons--dear friends in our Indiana Mormon Ghetto apartments :) Such happy memories from all those homes and neighbors. I often tell my far away sisters and sisters-in-law that I wish we could be neighbors--to share jobs, recipes, ideas & companionship.

To all of you, I sing:

I have always wanted to have a neighbor just like you,
I've always wanted to live in a neighborhood with you.

So let's make the most of this beautiful day,
Since we're together, we might as well say,
Would you be mine?
Could you be mine?
Won't you be my neighbor?

Won't you please,
Won't you please,
Please won't you be my neighbor?

Praise the Lord on Wednesday

We had a super awesome Southern experience last night when we attended a Gospel Shout at the United House of Prayer for All People. We didn't make it to the Soul food dinner beforehand, but you can be sure we'll be there next year, because this is going to be an annual tradition for our family. It was everything I imagined and more--all the clapping, shouting, call and response singing, a capella choirs, and hands raised to heaven. The only thing I wasn't prepared for were the tambourines. Wow. I didn't even know the possibilities of this instrument. People in the audience even brought their own tambourines so they could bang along with the band. (Sorry for the horrible video--Bea was hanging on my arm--but you have to see this guy.)






For a better sound than I could capture, listen here. Loved the trumpets. Loved the swaying and clapping. It was loud and wild and so different from anything I've ever heard before. The girls (especially Bea) were a little weirded out at first, but soon we were all clapping and dancing too. You just can't sit still with this kind of worship going on. And it is worship, though very different from ours. It felt joyful, welcoming, and inspiring and called to mind a long heritage of beautiful song and dance in worship. Let all the people cry Amen!

Nourishment

Part I.
Saturday was a Western North Carolina regional women's conference held in the mountains near Asheville. We had a special guest speaker from Salt Lake City: Julie Beck, General Relief Society President! I left home in the early hours of the morning to attend a training meeting for RS presidencies. We grabbed some lunch, held an impromptu presidency meeting, then returned for a second session with sisters from all over the state. It was really interesting, since Sister Beck did both sessions question and answer style. After a brief introduction, she took questions from the audience and then gave an answer, usually illustrated with a personal story and scriptures. By the time Rob picked me up at 3pm, I felt full to the brim, overstuffed with goodness, hope, sisterhood and strength. I learned so much, but here are my 3 favorites.

1) Spend time in the scriptures every day.
2) Poor visiting teaching numbers often reflect a reporting problem rather than a ministering problem, because sisters do care for each other in so many ways. Practice 'ministering' rather than asking, 'Does this count?' in regards to VT.
3) The most important skill you can have is to seek, feel, and obey personal revelation.

Part II.
Rob drove the girls to Asheville and picked me up. We met his sisters Susan and Megan at our special place, SkyTop Orchard. We picked a bushel of apples to eat (about 40 lbs.) and also bought a bushel of peaches when the highway dipped down into South Carolina (SC has yummy peaches too, cousins of the more famous Georgia Peach). It was a hot afternoon and a long day for all the little children, but we still had a great time. I spent Monday canning peaches (14 quarts!) and I'm proud of my efforts. I think even my mother-in-law Cecile would be impressed. I consider her the patron saint of food preservation, so if you can impress her, that's pretty good :)

Canning (when I do it) makes me think about my mother and grandmothers and helps me feel a connection to them. I hardly remember my mom canning, but I know she did it because we ate home-canned fruit and vegetables all through the year. I can picture her in my mind, staying up late, exhausted as she must have been, to finish yet another job for her large, hungry family. (Why, oh WHY, did I not pay more attention? Why was I not a more helpful daughter? I could just slap my teenage self for being so obtuse.)

My great grandma, Effie Adams, taught me how to can peaches when I was a young, new mom with a 5 month old Maddie. I remember that day in her sunny kitchen and how surely she worked. She told me how much she enjoyed teaching me because she had never had a daughter with whom she could share those skills. I felt nourished that day. Now it is my turn to nourish others and my bushel basket is full to overflowing.