Green Ache-rs

Southern Hospitality doesn't extend to the highways

2011-06-21T18:05:00.000-05:00

Bless their hearts, but Tennesseans just can't seem to get their turn signals to work! I have seen people turn corners, change lanes at high speeds, exit the highway, and attempt to merge without so much as a blink from their blinkers. This is not an occasional incident, but daily and even mile-ly (as in, I see it once a mile), and I have seen a police car as the culprit.
As I understand it, hospitality is all about intentionally making someone feel welcome and comfortable. Unfortunately, it seems that Southern Hospitality doesn't extend to the highways-- I personally feel much more welcome and comfortable when the person who is pulling in front of me has at least warned me that he or she may be about to do so.

Why do Nashville drivers, bless their hearts, come to an almost-complete stop when they're turning right? I don't mean at a red light-- I mean into a driveway, a side street, any time. Of course, with no turn signal, the person behind these drivers have no idea what they're doing and just assume they're stopping in the middle of the road for no apparent reason. It can appear to be sudden, causing the person behind the right-turning driver to slam brakes, not to mention the person behind him/her. Then they turn. Slowly. It is not hospitable to the entire lane of traffic behind them to have held them up for a simple thing as a right turn.

Nashville drivers, bless their hearts, are also not good at merging. FYI, the on-ramp is for gaining speed so that you can be going about the same rate as the traffic that is already on the highway. On the other hand, if you're driving on the highway already, and an on-ramp is about to merge into the highway, it is very polite to move into the lane on the left of you to let that person merge without fear for his or her life. It is about making that person feel welcome traveling the same highway as you, comfortable blending into the speed and direction of traffic. It is about hospitality.

Changes

2010-10-20T16:47:00.000-05:00

It's fall, which means that the trees are changing where we live. The hay is baled in these big round wheels that line the fields I drive by as I head to and from work. And I see what must be giant tillers, but they look like big razors taking down the stubble of what's left on the cornfields. The season change means I can bear being outside again-- it had been way too hot for yard work! But Rob and I have planted some new stuff, hoping it will take root before the winter, mulching, and hoping for better luck in some of the flower beds where stuff died this summer because of the dryness and heat.

We have a new interim minister at work. He brings a lot of energy and a fresh pair of eyes to the church, which has been helpful. It's a different atmosphere in the office, and a positive change.

And, I'm pregnant. My body is changing in different ways, some expected and some surprising. I knew I'd get a bigger belly and that my back would ache, but I had no idea about the swollen sinuses and consequent runny nose. The pregnancy means we're changing things around the house, too. We're cleaning out closets and bathroom cabinets to make room for baby stuff. We're picking paint colors for a nursery and trying to finish all those little projects that live in the garage right now, waiting for us to finish them.

Mostly all these changes are good. But work and the baby are overwhelming sometimes (especially when you mix in the extra hormones), and so I'm glad I have the beautiful trees to calm my spirit, work in the yard to exercise my body, and cooler temperatures to keep me more comfortable.

And let's be honest, there are more accessory options in the fall-- gotta love that.

Farmer Tan

2010-06-23T17:17:00.001-05:00

so apparently growing veggies (aka being outside in the sun) means i get a farmer tan.
note to self: sunscreen!

Coupons help...

2010-04-26T11:41:00.000-05:00

I want to a local nursery for which I had a coupon the other day. I got some new berry bushes to replace my blueberries that weren't surviving the transplant, 2 raspberry bushes, and two blackberry bushes! We now have an area of the garden that will be a berry patch. I just hope the birds stay away.

Because I seem to be addicted to buying seeds, I bought some chive and oregano seeds and sprinkled them on the ground. If they grow, they grow. If not, it was $1.79.

I also got some cherry tomatoes, some strawberries (to replace the ones I killed), and some peppermint. I am pretty sure my garden is complete. I do have one area that still doesn't have anything growing in it, so... any ideas?

Tulips

2010-04-23T17:36:00.000-05:00

I went to Longwood Gardens w/ my mom over the weekend. Holy tulips!!

My garden

2010-04-14T15:00:00.000-05:00

Hmmm... I think I wrote about this before, but I don't see it on here. Perhaps that was the time my browser crashed?

Anyways, about a month ago now, one of Rob's church peeps came over with his tiller. I knew he was coming, but I thought he would bring a push-mower-looking thing. No. It was an all-out tractor.

He tilled down the side of Shiloh's fenced-in part of the yard, and across the front. So this new garden is about 3 or four feet wide and... I'm not good at guessing distances... 30 yards long? It's way bigger than I expected! Rob and our friend Ben lifted so gigantic rocks out of the way of the tiller. They are so strong.

In this newly-tilled area, I am planting the veggies. And also marigolds, because marigolds are supposed to keep bugs away. I get it, I don't love their smell either. Their roots apparently do good things to the soil for tomatoes, too.

So far I have planted:
spinach
beans (might not make it)
strawberries (not lookin' too good)
tomatoes
marigolds
jalepenos
bell peppers
onions
red onions
garlic
corn
pumpkins
watermelons
blueberries (also not looking good)
cabbage
chives
oregano
basil
mint
nasturtium (edible flower)

The transition from inside to outside wasn't easy on a lot of them (beans, berries), but the ones I bought as actual plants and not seeds (tomatoes, peppers, cabbage) are doing great!

The pumpkin seeds are going nuts, I am a bit afraid we will have a whole pumpkin patch come October!

OOoh, I just had an idea! Maybe I should make a scarecrow with my sewing machine!

Oh deer, just when I thought I'd seen it all...

2010-04-14T11:46:00.000-05:00

Just when I thought I'd run out of city mouse, country mouse tales to tell, I saw a special sight today. I was driving to work and was passing a pick-up truck when I saw what the driver (who had a full sleeve of tattoos on the right arm, which he had basically hanging out the rear window of the truck) had picked up. First I saw a bunch of antlers. And then I saw the faces. This guy had a truck-load of stuffed deer!

I don't know if you can see it, but those little brown bumps over the tailgate are deer antlers and noses. It was the best picture I could take:
-with my iphone,
-while driving,
-without getting so close as to arouse suspicion, because, honestly, this guy was probably packin'.

Oh, deer.

Farmer Jean

2010-03-03T23:21:00.000-06:00

One night, after yet another cloudy day and when Rob was at a bachelor party in the ATL, I went to Lowe's and spent a Christmas gift card on some gardening things. I bought two raspberry bushes, two blueberry bushes, two honeysuckle bushes (?), two blackberry bushes, two hydrangeas, and a bunch of veggie seeds, soil, and some Jiffy pots.

This was mid February, an I think I was trying to force spring. I learned that while I CAN force green beans, I can't make spring come any earlier. I saw snow again today.

Blurry, sorry.
I kind of feel like an elementary school science class is in my dining room every day, but I'm having fun.

And the growing green things do make me feel a little better in these nasty grey days.

Film versions

2010-02-16T17:52:00.000-06:00

For some reason today I have thought about My Cousin Vinny several times today. Joes Peschi plays a New York lawyer who is attempting to bail his younger cousin (Karate Kid) out of jail in the south. Hilarity ensues, of course, when Vinny is introduced to grits and the judge is introduced to "yootz." I remember when I visited Nashville the first time, claiming I didn't speak the language. Shoot, I still have moments when the language barrier reappears. And I still don't love grits.

I was thinking about other movies that exemplify the city/country life I'm living, though of course the movies use hyperbole to add to the comedic factor.

Here are a few I thought of:
Doc Hollywood
Footloose
Baby Boom
Groundhog Day (subplot, kind of?)
Sweet Home Alabama (returning, not moving there for the first time)
Cars
And, I haven't seen this one yet: Did You Hear About the Morgans?

Which ones am I forgetting?

Snow day!

2010-01-29T14:42:00.003-06:00

Big fat Griffie cat checking out the snow...

Hammock and tiki torches: ironic?

I "edited" these curtains so they'd work for this window.
Now I can see the snow without the ugly blinds that were here.

Sewing machine

2010-01-28T23:53:00.002-06:00

I got a craigslist $75 1960s sewing machine and I LOVE it!
My first projects, just to get the feel of the thing and learn to make button holes (!!!) were these gift bags. I made them from old jeans, remnants, ribbon I had on hand, and buttons I had in my grandmother's sewing basket. The theory is to stop wasting paper every year, make wrapping a little more stress-free, and maybe even save the planet a little bit. Hubs is modeling the big one (tee hee).

It's fleece, ribbon, and some buttons.

This one is the old jeans:

And this is Shiloh telling me what she thought of it all:

Something stinks

2010-01-28T11:12:00.001-06:00

On the way to work the other day, I drove past three dead skunks. And you know that each one stank up the car. Just as I could breathe again, there's another skunk. I have seen roadkill before. I have even seen LOTS of roadkill in a relatively short distance before. And of course I have smelled the dead-skunk funk before. But seriously, it must have been a skunk parade that got run over or something. It was nasty.

Speaking of dead animals, we used to have as many as 15 wild turkeys go through our backyard, a few bigger ones and a bunch of smaller ones. Sometimes they'd hang out, but usually, they'd just meander their way through. (If Shiloh was out, there was no meandering, just running.) Apparently the fun thing to do around here is to gather by the gas station/pizza place/video rental/cafe/ mini-mart and have a "Turkey shoot." (They manage to spell this sign right, but inside the store, there's a sign near the counter that says, "Smoking parafenalia not sold to people under the age...") So in between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day, this is the activity of choice. And sadly, we have seen no more turkeys.

The grapevine

2010-01-14T14:02:00.000-06:00

One of Rob's churches is basically on large extended family. Many of the members are related by blood or marriage. When someone is sick, the whole place knows. Pastors, of course, also hear when someone is sick. And in this particular family, everyone wants the pastor to know, and everyone thinks no one else called. The other night Rob got about a dozen phone calls, some of which were legit updates, but most of which were, "Did you hear about...?" (All after 10pm I might add)

Rob's grandfather is very ill, and he is taking a week off to go visit him down in Florida. Rob mentioned this in an e-mail to the few members of his congregations who have e-mail. He started getting calls from members offering best wishes and prayers, but by the next morning, he got one call from someone who thought he was in Florida already! The fish tales around here are crazy!

Speaking of grapevines, there's a vineyard nearby that we have visited. It's called Arrington Vineyards, and it's owned by Kix Brooks of Brooks & Dunn. It's a beautiful setting, and they allow folks to come picnic on the hills, as long as you bring your food and buy a bottle. It is one of the closer things to our home in the country... it's probably quicker to go there than any grocery stores!
Here's a link in case you live nearby:
http://www.arringtonvineyards.com/

This is where I live.

2009-12-30T15:15:00.002-06:00

http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,579641,00.html

Wow.

Getting POUNDED

2009-12-18T11:43:00.000-06:00

When we first moved out here, a few of the families kept saying, "can't wait till the pounding!" Or, "we're trying to schedule the pounding soon." I just nodded and smiled. That is what I do when someone is talking to me and I don't understand. I do not speak Southern.

I asked Rob. He had no idea what they were talking about either. That made me feel somewhat better, since he lived in this area for a long time. But now we knew one of us had to ask.

Next time someone mentioned the pounding, I tried to make a joke out of it: "So, you're gonna give us a pounding, eh?" punching my fist into my open palm, the universal sign for "I'm gonna beat you up." Arlen said, "Oh, yeah we're gonna git you real good." But he did not clarify. Nod and smile.

It got mentioned again by another church member, and this time when I made my "joke," she realized it wasn't entirely in jest. Billie told me, "No, we don't beat you up. We give you a pound of this, a pound of that. It's to help you stock the pantry!"

Wow! Now here is the Southern Hospitality I have been looking for! The night of the pounding the church had a huge potluck (a whole 'nother story), and on another table was a giant pile of groceries. Some of it was in gift bags, some in grocery bags... after dinner, they helped us carry it over to the house. (Our garage and the church's fellowship hall are maybe 25 yards from each other?) Rob and I unpacked bag after bag of sugar and flour, boxes of tea bags (southern sweet tea), about three boxes of pancake mix and bottles of syrup, some chocolates (!!), some canned veggies of various types and varying degrees of being appetizing, canned fruit, some gift cards, and a million boxes of Kraft mac and cheese. Ok, maybe not a million, but there were probs three or four on their own, and someone thought it a good idea to just go ahead and buy us a twelve-pack!

We took some pictures of folks "pounding" Rob with a sledge hammer and folding chair just for good measure.

I think I'm gonna fix me some mac and cheese.

Actually

2009-12-11T16:36:00.002-06:00

I prefer these cuties.

Rain boots

2009-12-11T16:32:00.003-06:00

So we have to let the dog in and out on a regular basis (duh). I like to be barefoot as much as possible. This combo has led to the desire for rain boots that I can slip on really quickly in the AM to let Shiloh out.

So, are these super-tacky, or super-fabulous?

Colorado wildlife

2009-12-07T18:35:00.001-06:00

I'm in Colorado today. My best friend's dad died, and his funeral was in Dever on Saturday. I'm lucky to have such a flexible schedule, understanding coworkers, and some extra miles on US Air. I flew out with about six other friends to celebrate the life and new life of Uncle Ricky.
Two of us arrived Friday night in time to visit with my friend at her uncle's house. Her uncle and aunt have a special hobby of hunting large game. To commemorate the lives of the animals, or perhaps to show off their hunting prowess, they stuff and mount many of their kills. As a sometimes vegetarian, I have to tell ya, this was a bit hard to bear. Speaking of bears, they have on stuffed black bear in a an attack position and two black bear rugs. They have a mounted zebra head, a zebra rug, and to add insult to injury, they made a gun case out of the hide of the first one. There are a male and female lion, a water buffalo, a wildebeest, and numerous deer or elk- like heads looking down from the wall. Like a dozen.
So we saw some wildlife there.

The day of the funeral, we saw a different kind of wildlife. Uncle Ricky lived an amazing life. He had fun friends who worked with him, sailed with him, and pulled all kinds of pranks on each other. The climax of the evening came when about eight of his guy friends went up to the balcony and showed us their full moons. I think once men get to a certain age, they shouldn't bend over when they moon. This was discovery channel style, people. I have seen Rob's future and it isn't pretty.

Last night we went and spent time with another aunt and uncle. This one reminded me a bit of an octopus. As my friend's mom said, he's got a lot of hands.

Today was the climax of our wildlife experience. We started with a great view of the ducks and geese on the lake. While looking at the rabbit tracks, we saw a coyote. Then we went for a drive in the mountains, where we saw a huge herd of elk. My friend said, now you just need to see a big horned sheep and you'll have seen everything! Don't you know, we rounded the next curve and one was standing there just as she asked. On our way back home, about a half dozen mule deer ran right through the parking lot.
I head home tomorrow, with lots of prayers for the family of a man who knew how to live, laugh, and love.

Sadness & rain

2009-12-02T13:11:00.000-06:00

My best friend's dad diesd yesterday.
It sucks. He was too young and too kind, a real joy to all the people in his life.

And today is rainy. It fits my state of mind.

Please pray for Amanda and her family.

Saying thanks

2009-11-30T22:38:00.000-06:00

http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1024.html

Question.

2009-11-17T15:50:00.000-06:00

So, We're going to see Rob's parents this weekend. They really want us to come down so we can visit their church and meet their minister (a lady pastor). Rob's parents have done this, and my mom has done this.
Here's the question: If Rob and I were doctors, would they take us to visit their doctors' offices and meet their doctors?

Sunday's Sermon-- the Song of Hannah

2009-11-16T18:03:00.000-06:00

I am excited to preach on this text of Hannah’s this morning, because it’s not often we get to hear from the women of the Bible. And I’m excited because it’s a song of praise that she sings, a prayer of joy and hope and faith and justice. And I love it.
We have lots of the songs in the Bible—in various people’s lives, God reaches in and touches them in some way. And then they sing a song!
After crossing the Red Sea, Moses sings to God. Hezekiah, in the book of Isaiah, sings a song praising God and recounting God’s glory. Jonah and Habakkuk also join these ranks of Hebrew Bible song-singers.
The Gospel of Luke has a few of them, the one that I’m guessing is most familiar is Mary’s song, often called the Magnificat. Mary spends a minute or two praising God, and then starts in on how the world will change because of what God is doing in her life.
That’s just what Hannah is doing here. She knows that there’s something special about this little boy, Samuel.
Samuel goes on to change the story for the Israelites. He is the first of the major prophets for the Israelites, and he goes on to make a big impact in their history. He anoints the first kings, basically does a lot of work for God, calling out to God’s people to return to God and God’s ways.
Hannah is singing a song of praise in thanks and excitement about the changes that will come and about the good work Samuel will do. She praises God, and then claims God’s justice as she declares:

1 Samuel 2:4-10 4 The bows of the mighty are broken, but the feeble gird on strength.
This is one of those passages that informs the Psalms, that informs the other prophets, that goes on to inform the Gospels. God is stopping the violence of the powerful, and raising up the weak.

And again: 5 Those who were full have hired themselves out for bread, but those who were hungry are fat with spoil. Anyone remember “Blessed are the hungry?”

Hannah brings up an injustice that she knows all too well and describes what would be justice for her: The barren has borne seven, but she who has many children is forlorn.
Her story includes painful dealing with the inability to have children, and it is no surprise that she remembers that here. There are so many women of the Bible that have struggled with that; and what an injustice it is. It seems so random which of my friends have been able to conceive, able to give birth to healthy children, or have preemies who have struggled to survive. Some of the women I know, who long the most to be mothers, who I think would be the best moms ever, cry out to God because of the injustice of it.

There’s another layer to this text. In that day, having no children then meant no future. No children meant no one to watch over you in your old age, and it may have meant less love and affection from your husband. It was painful emotionally, but it also made a woman powerless and poor. This line is not just about emotions, or about her husband’s other wife; it’s about justice.

6 The LORD kills and brings to life; he brings down to Sheol and raises up.
This line was in our assurance of pardon today. It’s hard to think that God kills, I am seriously uncomfortable that the line is in the Bible. God the Creator gave us life, and Christ gives us eternal life. Our God is a life-giving God, and I think the best way I can think about this is to say that we die but then we live eternally. In the world, things die and from that comes new life. I’ll be honest; I don’t know if the passage is really talking about resurrection, but that’s where it takes me.

7 The LORD makes poor and makes rich; he brings low, he also exalts. 8 He raises up the poor from the dust; he lifts the needy from the ash heap, to make them sit with princes and inherit a seat of honor.
More justice for the oppressed, the poor and needy.

And why?
Because the pillars of the earth are the LORD's, and on them he has set the world.
YHVH is in charge, people, she says, and things are about to be made right in God’s eyes.

This new beginning, the re-entry of justice because of the proclamation of God’s word, this is something to sing about.
-----

One thousand years later:
The disciples are walking along, excited about some fancy architecture. Maybe Jesus was trying to tell them about some other important stuff, because he’s like, “Guys, that is so impermanent, those will crumble.”
I can just imagine the disciples rolling their eyes and being all, “Dude, we were just looking at the buildings.”
But something made an impression, because later on, a few of them come up to Jesus privately. They’re kinda nervous… “So, uh, when’s this all gonna happen?” Maybe they don’t want to be inside looking at the fancy columns when it comes tumbling down. Maybe they want to take a side trip over to the place tomorrow to check it out, so they’re like, “We have, what, a week?”
“What will be the sign?” they ask.
Jesus doesn’t tell them a sign. Jesus says, “Listen, there are people who are going to tell you they’re God and they know the answers. They’re false. You’re gonna hear about war: it’s not a sign, it will all take place, don’t be afraid. Countries are gonna fight each other, there will be earthquakes and famines; don’t panic.”

When I was in Boston with Rob this past September, we saw a few graveyards. Rob really likes graveyards; he’s a history buff and feels like graveyards are places where people’s stories can be, if not remembered, at least acknowledged. Boston has really old graveyards. And some of the tombstones have seen so much wind and rain and ice and snow that they have become really thin. On a lot of them, the writing is gone. And we talked about how people put up these stones, because that’s permanent, right? We say, “Written in stone,” when we mean something is not going to change. But they’re not. They’re not permanent. They wear away too. And you see the giant statues and obelisks and stuff, and wonder how long they’ll last, and what hopes of immortality made someone build them for their loved one or themselves.

So I wonder if Jesus was being apocalyptic here, or if he was just saying, "Hey, that stuff’s not forever; God is. Stop worrying about that stuff."

Because those big fancy buildings, they’re a sign of power and wealth. But like Hannah reminds us, those aren’t in God’s plan. Jesus says they’ll crumble.

And in warning us against the false ones, the ones who claim to be God, I wonder if Jesus isn’t talking, not just about the literal people who claim to be the second coming or whatever, but also about the other things we’ve learned to treat as gods. Things like power. And money. Safety, security, control… Those aren’t real. Hannah says God is gonna break the bows of the strong, that the people who have had plenty to eat are gonna go hungry. Power and money, security, control. They’re all imaginary. God is real.

Hannah has just given birth to and weaned this baby boy Samuel, and he is going to speak God’s word in Israel. He’s going to call people to be part of God’s kingdom.

Jesus said, “This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.” This new beginning is constantly being born. Every new moment is an opportunity for the kingdom of Heaven, for God’s will to be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Right now, in every choice we make, we can bring God’s justice just a little bit closer. And it is painful; just like birth is painful. For many of us who want to see God’s love manifest itself in all God’s children, it hurts so bad to look at the news and see the way God’s children treat each other. Birth hurts. But it brings new life. A new opportunity, a new beginning.

May we, as God’s children, celebrate that daily. Let us exalt the Lord our God, celebrating God who is real, who is permanent. And let us live remembering that which doesn’t crumble; love, grace, goodness, peace. Thanks be to God.

a grave matter

2009-11-16T17:39:00.004-06:00

Rob and some church members have been doing some research on the history of the little church next yo which we live. They discovered that, while there was never a graveyard, there have been at least two burials on the property. No big deal, I think. He used to own like a gazillion acres. Well, turns out one of the pastors had a child who died. The baby was buried next to the parsonage. Back then, luckily, the parsonage is what we would now call "next door." And there is a stone marker for said grave.
Mr Lock, the man who owned the property nearly 200 years ago, is also buried somewhere on said property. Rob said his grave is unmarked, and next to a cedar. "Maybe that one," he said, pointing to a tree in our yard.
"No way," I said. "That's not a cedar, it's some other kind of pine." Besides, that tree is in the middle of all my gardening, which means I would be tromping all over Mr. Lock's grave.
So the other day I looked more closely at the tree. Its lowest limbs are over my head, so I've never really checked it out before. But, surprise, it is in fact a cedar! So 1) I had to apologize to Rob and say I was wrong (!!!), and 2) I am probably pulling weeds and whacking weeds, and digging holes for bushes and stuff all over this guy's grave.
I just hope Mr. Lock sees my gardening as beautifying his resting place, rather than tromping around all over it.

also

2009-11-11T21:34:00.002-06:00

After. Or during, anyway...

2009-11-11T21:12:00.011-06:00

So here's my crazy weed pile now. Please note the lovely flower beds/rock walls. And the gorgeous fall colors (yes, I did amp up the saturation a bit, but they're still pretty.) The straw is there to save the azaleas from a dreaded early frost. It'll turn into mulch, right?

Here's the path entryway...
And here's a stump I used as a planter:

This is not a stick. It is a bug. I heard about these in science class in second grade but I thought they were fictitious.