"Nothing but net"

I'm Grandma this weekend. We got to Greensboro, NC, where my grandchildren live (incidentally with their parents, Paul and Kaylene). We were told to be here by 10 AM which meant leaving home by 6:15 AM. And of course we were here by 9:55!! It was value added hugging time as Brummett was still here to be held. After lunch, he left with his Mommy and Meemaw for the women's retreat Kaylene was speaking at this weekend. Six months, and he is itching to be on the floor and to run and be like his big brother.
And that left us with .... ABRAM!! He is an OUTSTANDING two and a third year old. All the angst his parents had when he was 18 months and not as verbal as the doctor wanted is gone in a profusion of dinosaur names, counting to three, and repeating EVERYTHING that is said to him. I told him he was obstreperous. "Obstreperous," he repeated. I dropped the knife - "Oh, Rats!!" "Oh, Rats!" came the reply. Every once in a while his parents are caught up short by a phrase he is using only to realize they know exactly where he learned it!
The mental wheels in that little mind are always turning. "Read another story!" when it's time to put off bedtime. "I don't want to wear that!" which always brings chuckles in me because he sounds just like his Daddy used to sound. The body stiffening to prevent putting him in the high chair, the gripping of a treasured forbidden items, and the "No, I don't like that!" all bespeak the strong will he got from his Dad and Grandpa. The apple really doesn't fall far from the tree.
I was having a lot of fun with him, and I aimed a piece of paper at the trash can. "Nothing but net!", I exclaimed and then I realized. I'm the grandma. And that's what grandmas are... Nothing but net. Over and over I have prayed with other women who were concerned about their grandsons. I have listened to how they show their love and support for the grandchildren. Nothing but net. No matter what their grandchildren do or how they get in trouble, grandma is always there for them. Nothing but net. Toddlers fall down, and grandparents pick them up. Nothing but net. Parents need extra help or kids need some time away... where do they go? To the net. Parents have to be the tough guys. Parents have to set the limits and grandparents should follow them, but when push comes to shove, it's 'nothing but net'.
I'm so happy to be ... Nothing but net!
I'm so glad to be.... Nothing but net!

Age is a state of mind.....

WOW! I saw a note on someone's face book page..."You have a lot of old people friends." And it was to one of my friends. WHAT?!?!? And then I thought about it. So the premise of today's blog is "Age is a state of mind... And it's not the years, its the fears" (For those of you collecting, as far as I know that is a Swenson original. Alas if it's already claimed.)

Have you ever known a young person that with a good gray wig, spectacles and a cane could pass easily for an "OLD person"? There are some people who are so afraid of energy, or new ideas, or taking a chance that they add years and years to their chronological status by their fears. And there are some more chronologically blessed who give the appearance of many years younger, not because of their cosmetologist or plastic surgeon, but by their energetic and enthusiastic approach to life.

Now I am not promoting disrespect for the safety of your body, but I am promoting real freedom of spirit. I am telling you that it is okay to bounce with the beat of the music; it's fine to give a stranger a grin or a coward a sense of courage; and you will not go to hell by trying out a different way to do something. I am saying that we need to always be trying new things, and let go of the 'safe' to reach out to new knowledge and new loves. I am not saying leave your husband or wife, or try the half pipe. I am saying try some new places, touch the animal being held out to you, be the Santa Claus at the Christmas party, wear the silly hat. Every once in a while yell, "Let's have some fun!!" Then don't be afraid to have it. A good belly laugh massages your liver.. It's good for your health. Train your face into new, happy wrinkles. You needn't look like you are eating pickles all the time to be respected.

(Look for the praying mantis on the hat. She crawled up my arm to the top... they catch more bugs up high, so look for them first on the tops of the bushes.)

And now a word from our sponsors...

So, I've been checking out the ads I let them put on my blog. I was thrilled to see a bunch of Christian ads on one of my early posts. Now if I could just get them to count my hits like I asked. sigh

Sunny day. Hope all you readers are enjoying some sunshine, too.

Ida

Be Strong And Courageous!

I was a little girl- - small in stature and inches behind - or below- my classmates until I was in High School. We moved a lot, and I was constantly forced to look for new friends which added to the timidity. And there was a time in my childhood when my Dad crossed the wrong people and there was a huge atmosphere of fear in our house.. where perhaps my friendship with the mafia's child across the street saved us. All of these things contributed to make me a timid child.

I can see many of my friends laughing out loud, unbelieving, because today timidity is NOT one of my characteristics. I have taken on giants, sometimes to be knocked on my can but sometimes to defeat them. When asked where I get my gumption (thanks, Mom, for that word) I usually say with pride, "I'm a middle school teacher", but that's not the truth. No, the truth is that I have a very special relationship.

You see, in seventh grade, I was so timid I would not take my coat off until the teacher yelled at me. It was a way to hide .. just in case something was unbuttoned when I did take it off. Or to hide my very slow development which was all too obvious to those with or looking at 'bumps'. And in eighth grade, I would slink down in my seat and bury myself in a book if the teacher let me get away with it. I would be the one in the bathroom all through the eighth grade dances. In ninth grade, I signed up for drama class and found I could pretend to be someone else and it wasn't so bad. Unfortunately, we moved again in the middle of ninth grade, to the only house in town with a swimming pool, so I was more of the center of the wrong kind of attention. Still very quiet and very shy. In tenth grade I found that relationship. And that's where all the difference in the world began.

I found Jesus.. rather I should say He found me. And slowly, like a very tight bud opening up, I became more brave. I was still rather shy at school, but I got very active in church activities. Youth group in the middle of the nearby city was my place to shine. Jesus loved me there, and the other kids welcomed me. And church camp was my real debut. At church camp I was the star reporter on the newspaper. I led songs and pranks. And I made lots more friends. I was elected to the youth council of the whole district.. actually became president. By the time I got to college, I was definitely majoring in organizing and manning the chaplain's activities. And the old, timid Ida, was made new with the new found faith that my Saviour gave me.

The neat thing about it is that courage is something that is encouraged over and over in the Bible. Three times in Deuteronomy 31, Moses and God tells those timid, hard-hearted slaves being led into the wilderness toward the promised land, "Be Strong and Courageous! For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." At least six times, Joshua encourages the Israelites with the same words as they kill the tribes that are occupying their promised land. When David hands the reigns over to Solomon (II Chronicles 32:7) he speaks those words. Hezekiah, when faced with a huge angry army, is told, "Be Strong and Courageous! For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you."

My favorite story about my Saviour? It's been a busy day feeding thousands on the shores of the Sea of Galilee. He sends the disciples across the water in a boat so he can go pray, promising to meet them on the other side. In the middle of trip, a violent storm rises up. It is night, the waves are swamping their small craft, they know they are about to lose their lives. And a light shines in the mist and someone or something is approaching the boat. Can it be? It IS! And what does He say in the midst of their huge fear? "I am. Fear not." (Mark 6) And immediately the waves and the fear die down as he walks toward them across the water.

My amazement never ends. When my children are suffering, and I fear for them, the Lord speaks, "Be Strong and Courageous! For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." When my friends die and I contemplate life without them or perhaps without my husband, the Lord speaks, "Be Strong and Courageous! For the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you." When the right thing to do means possibly losing relationships, He is with me. I like that God never says it will be easy. He only promises to be with me.

And so He is.

Going Commercial!

So, as I am blogging away, I thinks to myself, "Just how many people read this?" I send the link to friends and family, I post it on Facebook to my 400+ nearest and dearest, but I can't tell if anyone is paying any attention. I start looking around in my account and elsewhere and there is nothing to tell me how many 'hits' I have. I want to be like Julie as she blogs away about Julia Childs and her readership goes up. No counter. And then I see the offer to put ads onto my website. And if I put ads on my website, they will pay me on occasion (ha, ha) depending on how many hits I get. And once I sign up for allowing ads on my website, I can sign up for the free analytics program from Google to count the number of hits I get.

Hooray! Soooo, we'll see how this small experiment works out. Hard telling what kinds of spam it sets me up for. We'll see how long it takes me to disengage if I need to. And I sincerely hope they put the right kinds of ads up. That too remains to be seen.

BUT you know I love to experiment, so here goes. At least I won't have to eat it..... I hope.

Six Word Memoir and Meetings

Recently NPR ran a story about writing your six word memoir. What a great idea! And the question was not "Would I write one?" But "What would I write?"

Now you should know that I wrote my epitaph a number of years ago. I have been carrying it around in my calendar or wallet just to remind my husband and son of what I requested. Likewise, my husband has informed me to forget it! He didn't want it on the headstone we may share. But here, for your information, is what I requested! And who knows, perhaps one of them will pay to put it in my newspaper obituary:

Here lies Ida Baumgarth Swenson.
Her hands are folded and her eyes are shut.
It hasn't been often she's stayed put,
But if she now could send you greeting,
She'd say, "I'm only asleep at another meeting!"

I thought it was really appropriate and I think I wrote it way back when I was on the Greene School Board... even though I only slept at ONE board meeting... and several outside meetings as Mike D'Angelo will tell you. And they were brief nods with no snoring... more than I can say for Bible study now on occasion. HEY! I have an excuse!! I have sleep apnea. I do remember once telling friends visiting at my apartment in 1972 to turn out the lights and lock up as they left. lol. They were great sports about it. All I'm saying is, if the meeting is after 7 PM, don't turn down the lights our I'm gone. Some people think I'm very constructive doing my embroidery during the local Board of Directors' meetings, but that's the best way to avoid snoring during them. All I'm saying is that it's a good thing I'm retired now and many of my meetings are in the daytime.

Now that we establish that I still go to a lot of meetings, back to the memoir. Hmmm. Of course my memoir will include teaching! That's the love of my life (along with Jesus and my family). Are you ready?

STILL TEACHING WITH JESUS' LOVE

Apologies to all for only using five words. I have often told my students/friends/acquaintances that the day I stop teaching or making mistakes, you should be watching the papers for my obituary. If you are wondering about the strange picture that came with this, it is me teaching pre-schoolers at the discovery center here before Christmas.

WINTER WEATHER 2010 “ONCE IN A LIFETIME?”

>This has been such an auspicious fall and winter for meteorological mayhem, I thought I would record some of the goings on. And where better to get a snapshot of how things have been going, than to go on facebook and see what I have put on my wall there. As I type this, we are bracing for another 1-6 inches of snow tomorrow that just might put the Charlottesville area over the all time record snowfall for a winter. As I remember, mid fall seems to be the place to start. I have put the dates after each entry and most are quoted from facebook. They are the ones in italics. And with at least a few months of ‘winter’ left, who knows what I’ll be writing? All I know is that the azaleas, dogwoods and rhododendrons may be very sparse this spring. Here are my “El Nina” recollections. Enjoy.

After Hurricane Ida went through in November, I wrote “SUNSHINE!! Did you like my storm?? Still folks with no power near coast. We're supposed to have great weater for next few days, no rain all week. “ 2009-11-14

"outside the snow is falling and friends are calling, 'yoo, hoo'..... Rare for here. Snow supper tonight. 2009-12-05

Bracing for tonight's whatever! Forecast goes back and forth. John getting better after Dr and two prescriptions. I'm still dizzy, but that's nothing new. 2009-12-08

In a fog - inside and outside. Great time yesterday! Sunday School party, delicious dinner with international friends, then Lessons and Carols at church... beautiful music. Looking for my house today ... somewhere under the mess. 2009-12-14

Still snowing like crazy - my homemade ruler on the back porch is over 17 inches. Made it home from delivering Angel Tree 6:30 last evening- three inches. Ten at bedtime. All time records going down in drifts here. 2009-12-19

Gorgeous sunny morning - 21 inches total, and won't be above freezing much for the next week, so Virginians will have some white for Christmas. Praising the Lord we have heat! 2009-12-20

Brrrr. Baby, it's cold outside! Won't be much melting before the Christmas day rain. Roads look almost clear to Lynchburg, so off to love on some grandkids today. Cookies even got baked this year. Some sewing done, too. Cards after we get good pics of the babies! 2009-12-22

Ahh. Friday night. Even retired people can be thankful for Friday. Wish it were warmer... Brrr. No azaleas this year at this rate. 2010-01-08

Enjoying sunshine! Wishing it were warm. Even the computer is cold - - typing very slow. Reminded in church about the importance of honesty so I won't lie... sometimes I wish I were teaching full time again... and then I'm glad I'm not! 2010-01-10

My thermometer said 8 when I got up. Maybe no azaleas this year and dogwoods are shivering, too. John to doctor today. Has to get over this so he can go to NC this weekend to catch something else from grandkids. :) 2010-01-11

Woke up to a stunning orange glow in the sky. A brief glimpse of heaven's glory. How kind of God to share it! 2010-01-19

Just a note about the above… I had friends who thought it was the second coming or the end of the world as we know it. They were really freaked out!

Flooding in Charlottesville. Hope we can still go to the movies today! 2010-01-25

The above entry was after an inch or more of rain that melted much of the remaining snow pack from before Christmas.

Sunny but cold, but this is the day the LORD has made. Good time last night eating fondue with friends. 2010-01-27

Snow coming - around 6 inches. Weatherman said "moderate" last night, but last year it would have been a "five alarm fire" snow..... difference a 22" snowfall a month ago makes. 2010-01-29

Beautiful day... snow gently falling, quiet, nothing planned but dinner with the neighbor. Let's hope I get something done today! 2010-01-30

Just under a foot of snow yesterday, temps in single digits, and of course the power went off from 11 AM to 6 PM. Lots of solar gain, gas fireplace and gas stove so we really didn't suffer. And of course the sweat worked up shoveling! 2010-02-01

Busy day. Snow tonight... 'only 2-4 inches'. But this weekend's forecast if for maybe more snow than the 22" we had December 20. Aaaaaacccckkkkk! 2010-02-02

An inch of snow with ice on top. Brrr. Bracing for the weekend. Grocery store, here I come. 2010-02-03

Braced for the storm. May set the all time winter recorded snowfall record with this one- and then another Tuesday. Plans for the house guest and snow shovel!! Gotta love the Covenant Players!! 2010-02-05

Woo Hoo!! Power back on... and off.. and on... and off.. at least 6 times since 7:50 AM. Off over 11 hours. Freezing rain and sleet from 6PM last night to 7 AM. 2 inches worth. Have 2 more inches of snow since and going up. 9 inches of snow/ice/etc so far. Charging up everything I can in the house to save propane. 2010-02-06

Snow has stopped at 13 inches of accumulation... not counting the freezing rain that soaked into the rest of it. Power off again this afternoon for a couple hours. Fought the chill by shoveling. 2010-02-06

Brrr. Really cold (10) when I got up. High will be 35 today. Makes it hard to remove more ice. Happy folks here at the lake who had no power got it last night around 11 PM. More snow - 1-6 inches - tomorrow. Maybe we'll get our record broken yet! 2010-02-08

If you are wondering why I didn’t put anything up on Sunday the seventh, when we got done with the morning shoveling ALL the phones and cell phones AND internet went down for about nine hours. We were among the fortunate to have power and cable TV, so we could cook, watch the super bowl and be warm (but I can’t even imagine the electric bill this month!!) But we were into face to face communication.. No choice! This has certainly brought neighbors closer together. We went around in the afternoon to check on elderly friends who did not have power. Neighbors were together, some had fled to family homes, others were camping out in front of their propane fireplaces and no one wanted to move in with us. We Americans are not altogether the wimps we are cracked up to be. There were those who welcomed the adventure, and I do confess to enjoying a spurt of creativity trying to figure out what had to be done first, second and third to keep us warm and do any necessary cooking. When the power went back on Saturday morning, there was a scurry of plugging in chargers again, starting the crockpot, revving up the electric griddle all to be prepared and spare the propane tank just in case. John assures me we have plenty, but our last delivery was in June and I did the thanksgiving and Christmas baking since then as well as run the propane fireplace when we lost power in December. Hopefully the tank will be topped off by the end of the week.

For now, this is the ‘friz’ signing off to plug the chargers in again, and be sure we are still ready for the snow coming tomorrow!! Hope our rescheduled meetings are rescheduled far enough in advance!

SAVING WATER

The story is told of the woman visiting in Las Vegas who gushed to her hostess that she couldn’t wait to fill the tub and just soak. Aghast, her hostess exclaimed, “Oh, no, my dear!! Out here you can’t spend water like money!!”

My students might remember learning ways to save water when we studied conservation of the environment. Now I teach a Master Gardener class on Water and Soil Conservation. And then, this winter, they raised our local water rates AGAIN! Today in our Lake Health Education meeting, we decided it was a relevant topic to communicate to our residents. So… to remind those who have heard this before and educate those who have not, here are some tips!

Being an RV camper, saving water (and sewer) has become an art. We have all heard that we should get low flow toilets and water saving showerheads and faucet aerators. Here are some more water saving tips to go with them:

* Put a clean bucket in the shower to collect the initial wait for hot water as well as happenstance water that goes in it. I put it in the washer for the next load. (Or use it for a flush! It works at the kitchen sink, too.)

* Get a rain barrel or cistern hooked up to your gutters. We've had several workshops here at the lake to build and install them for use watering plants and washing cars. My husband got an inexpensive pump to put into ours (2 hooked together) for better pressure.

* Use a dishpan when washing fruits and vegetables and use that water to water plants (or to flush).

* Wash the "by hand" dishes first starting with just a little water and soap on a rag or sponge. Rinse them over that same sink adding to the wash water. THEN put the dishwasher dishes in that water instead of rinsing them in running water. It will save a lot of water (and in winter, that heat stays in the house longer instead of running down the drain).

* Don't forget, when buying plants look for varieties that are
drought resistant so you don't HAVE to water them. Plants native to Virginia typically require less watering and tend to be more deer resistant.

* Only wash full loads in the dishwasher or washing machine. It takes the same amount of water, but you get more done.

*When buying plants look for varieties that are
drought resistant so you don't HAVE to water them. Plants native to Virinia
typically require less watering and tend to be more deer resistant.

For more ideas, these websites might be helpful:
"Simple Steps for Saving Water" from the EPA http://www.epa.gov/watersense/pubs/simplesteps.ht

Many useful water saving tips for indoor and outdoor from the city of
Charlottesville.
http://www.charlottesville.org/Index.aspx?page=640


Every drop counts!!!

MORTALITY

A dear friend is dying. It is sudden. One minute she's playing golf as she did 95% of the year, and the next she is dizzy, confused, and very ill. Too quick. Another friend dies after two days of illness. And Dad wakes up with a cold, coughs hard, says "That feels better." and is gone. I know with my family history I am a cardiovascular incident waiting to happen. This brings real urgency to bear on a number of things.

Today I made a new album on facebook - - "Nieces and Nephews". It revved up more communications with them, and I realized that there is a lot about family history they may not know. Someday I want them to share in the family treasures (Paul and Kaylene really don't want all of them), but those treasures need to be identified for them, and the memories associated with them recorded. So, another big item on my "to do" list. I am glad that I made hand embroidered (by me) pillowcases for each of them a goal, and I have 13 of the 18 finished. And it is a highlight of my life to communicate with them. I confess to having favorites... in fact my favorites happen to be whichever ones have communicated most recently. I hope they will always know and remember that I love them.

All of this comes back to the New Year Resolutions. Now if I could just do the blogging, and recording the memories instead of playing those dumb computer games!

New Year's Resolutions

Once again, we look at ourselves as the old year passes and new year begins. "How fat am I?" "How lazy" "Where is God in my life?" And so, as it is my habit, I made my New Year's Resolutions. I have copied them below and you will notice that one of them is to write more on my blog. I began it thinking that it would be a good way to leave some of me for my grandchildren and hopefully great-grandchildren (Hello to you! I hope I had a chance to meet you.) And I realize that one of God's good gifts to me is my writing ability. It may not be much, but as His gift, I know that I should use it and I have neglected it. So, later into the year than I had planned, but here nevertheless, is my first of the New Year blogs: My New Year Resolutions. Enjoy.

Oh- - - and feel free to ask me on occasion how my resolutions are going this year.

IDA

PS. #1 is going great!
#2 was delayed by the vertigo treatment I had last week, but is okay otherwise.
#3 the kiss is out - John is sick - so I am substituting good hugs.
#4 It's Jan. 11 and this is my first entry.. you judge.
#5 I am doing really crummy on this one.


NEW YEAR RESOLUTIONS 2009

1. For spiritual health, I will read the Bible through this year.
2. For physical health, I will go to the gym or walk at least 3 times a week.
3. For emotional health, I will kiss and hug John every day.
4. For mental health, I will write in my blog at least once a week.
5. Because it is a complete waste of time, I will avoid playing computer games.