Following the Leader

I was feeling left out, so I made myself a map, too. This one includes most of Canada, a bit of Mexico, and no Hawii. Green I've visited or driven through, and yellow I've been to the airport there. 23 States, 6 provinces, and one state in Mexico. My goal is to one day go to all the Canadian provinces and territories.

Good Bones

I have 2 dogs. Both are mutts - one's half chow, the other is half collie. Great dogs - a little daft some days, but still good dogs. The collie likes to lay under the car. She had a rash on her back that they say isn't to be blamed on the whole car thing, but car grease can't have helped much. Anywho, the rash. It needs medicine sprayed on it (not the most pleasant thing in the world to be sure, it stings!) So I call her over, and start spritsing like crazy in hopes to finish before she's realized what's going on. Unfortunately, she's not that daft, so she just walks past me (like I'm some sort of car wash she's going through with my little squirt bottle) leaving me to chase after, heading for a conveniant table to hide under. Fortunately for me, she has a rather long tail. The perfect handle. I grab on and finish the job, and let her scramble under the car, tuck-tailed, to lick her wounds. In the mean time, I walk to the other side of car and start opening the treat box. Before it's fully opened, I have a new best friend. The medicine thing, well, that's behind us now, and that tail is the going full-tilt.

I took them for a walk this evening - a little Sabbath treat for us both. The catch was, they had to agree before hand to, well, walk. It worked out better than expected. The chow choked a bit as her collar dug into her throat whenever she tried to run (stupid leash kept stopping her), but after a bit we fell into a nice rhythm. The weather is beautiful, and the new street lights down our lane aren't so bad. They add a yellowish glow to a small section of the road, but there are still some nice dark patches to walk in.

The 7 Lampstands

There are 7 churches on a mail route; 7 letters each containing a different promise. Oh, I know, they mean the same thing, but they are different. It would have been just as easy to say "and to him who overcomes, I will give eternal life, and he will be in my kingdom." But that isn't what it says. Which leads me to my question: Which promise appeals the most to you? Or which combination of promises? Personally, Ephesus (to eat from the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God. Rev 2:7) and the last bit of Thyatira (and I will give to him the morning star. Rev 2:28) appeal the most to me.

Ant Races

When I was little, I must admit, I was one of those mean children that took pleasure in kicking over ant hills. There was something satisfying in watching the little specks scurry across their mound in a terrifying swarm. If you aren't into ant cruelty, you can watch a TV with its wires crossed. The effects are the same. Or, you can come watch the skies in the evenings with me. We have a startling number of birds performing aerials as the sun disappears behind the buildings. It's actually rather intimidating watching these masses of fowls float through the air in their semi-separated flocks (do you still call it a flock if they are little birds?). Hundreds of them coat the trees and power lines while groups fly back and forth, weaving together and then separate again, darkening the sky with their imitation of TV ant races. Didn't Hitchcock make a movie about this?

Fairy Dust

Last week, I walked across a lonely asphalt parking lot on the way "home" from dinner. It was windy, and frost crackled underfoot. The trees were amazing, coated in a thin layer of ice, catching and playing with the light from the street lamps. Then I saw something. White smoke danced its way across the pavement, twirling in the wind, and then disapated. I looked around in wonder trying to figure out where the steam had come from. Standing in the middle of the parking lot, I watched patches of this white smoke wisp in and out across the entire lot. Finally, one of the patches caught the light...and sparkled like the finest white glitter. Snow. I was walking through tiny whirlwinds of snow. It was amazing. It makes the rest of the weather worth it.

Rejoice!

Julie got married Sunday. It was a crazy rush of emotions through the entire weekend. I was amazed at how many people showed up and wanted to help set up and celebrate. It was encouraging seeing so many people from all the different areas all gathered together, working together, and remembering how to be a family again. I came across a verse that I think fits and ties it all up in a bow rather nicely: I Cor 12:26 "And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it." So here is to honoring my sister (and brother-in-law) and rejoicing!

On a different note that is slightly connected: somebody mentioned how much time and effort we spend critisizing the different splinter groups, pointing out all of their faults instead of seeing what we can learn from their strenghts. They are our family, too. I'm as guilty as the next person (and probably a great deal more so) and so this is less a critisizm than a statement of trying to change an attitude and fault of my own.

Anywho, that's all for now...first post yay! I've been crushed by the overwhelming peer pressure and finally gotten my own blog...*I feel special now!*