A Straightforward Summation

Claude Monet 1840

Much has been popping in the news these last couple of weeks, a lot  of it mentally fatiguing. Composed, tranquil scenes nurse my battered spirit, so when somebody posted this artwork by Claude Monet on FaceBook, I lingered on it.

Skipping past politics, I'm scripting my frank thoughts about the Olympics opening ceremonies. Some of my readers may be taken aback with what I will say here. But every once in a while I feel the need to stand up and speak in a stronger voice.

We live in a good time zone (USA's Eastern Daylight) and in a favorable season of life (retirement) for watching events live, as they unfold.  With our relaxed lifestyle we are sometimes spared the time-delayed, edited versions of current events that are often broadcast at our bedtime.

The display of smoke from a bridge in the colors of the French flag was an impressive start, and the high-in-the-sky views of the city of Paris were fascinating to this one who has never been to Europe. Having the teams parade before the world via boats on the River Seine was clever, resourceful, and a refreshing change from the hours of endless marching on the tract of a gigantic stadium. I liked that.

Athlete interviews gave us a glimpse into the excitement of goals achieved and prizes yet to be won. Without a doubt, determination, endurance, and persistence got them to a place of deserved respect on this world stage. The coming days will uncover to themselves and the audience more traits of character as victory or defeat are achieved.

The music, dancing, and much of what followed in the name of entertainment was at times shocking to my conservative sensibilities. While I have lived a rather sheltered life in many respects, even if I were more widely-traveled and had more education, I would have been put off by some of the displays of the opening ceremonies. 

Required reading from my school days educated me somewhat about the characters that apparently represented French literature. I understand how the host country works to acquaint the world with their history, beauty, talent, and individuality through music, dance, and art.  

There was a most irreverent display of what much of the world has historically defined as sacred, the Last Supper with Jesus Christ with His disciples (which took place just hours before his arrest and crucifixion).  It was a disrespectful snub to Christ-followers, all in the name of culture, I guess. But surely not all of the country hosting the Olympics is that insensitive to what is holy. I hope not, anyway.

The performance by Celine Dion was powerful and surely a victory for her in the light of the debilitating illness that has changed her life in recent years. That was an illustration and a tribute of what can result with the same determination, endurance, and persistence that got the competing athletes to this event. 

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The entire event that evening ran very long, and most especially the running of the Olympic torch to its final destination at the very end. It was the very end that strongly conjured strange thoughts in my imagination, almost comical. 

movie trailer

Did you ever see the 1990 movie with Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, Joe Versus the Volcano? Natives on a faraway south Pacific island, a volcano, a not-so-smart fella with an even more naive blond gal, thoughts of throwing somebody into the erupting mountain to achieve [something]. 

The massive display of fire at the end of the Olympic ceremonies reminded me of that. By that point in the program, I would not have been too surprised if the spectators surrounding the huge ring of fire rising into the night sky had bowed down on their knees in some act of worship submission. 

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Did you know I could be so candid? This is a side of me I don't often allow my public to see.

We have, since that show, watched some of the competitions, enjoying the skill and wholesomeness of good sport. What a refreshing relief! 

While I'm thinking we may skip entirely the closing ceremony in a couple of weeks, I expect what we see until then will be much more inspiring and within my definition of wholesome entertainment.

And now, dear brothers and sisters,

one final thing.

Fix your thoughts on what is true,

and honorable, and right, and pure,

and lovely, and admirable.

Think about things that are 

excellent and worthy of praise.

Philippians 4:8 New Living Translation

Until next time, grace and peace.

Making Each Day Better

 

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Wow. What a week this has been in our nation! It was within an hour after I published my last post, Documenting Real Life,  that life issued some hard knocks with the attempted assassination of Donald Trump, the serious injuries to some innocent bystanders, the shocking death of another bystander, and the quick fatal shooting of the sniper who caused it all. 

A few short days later the announcement was made that our current President was diagnosed with COVID, adding more fuel to the conversations regarding his suitability to run for re-election. 

I assure you, my readers, that I won't get into political talk here. It's not that I don't have strong opinions but rather, I just don't want to get into the varied rhetoric that would inevitably follow. 

framed photo in hospital room

But I will share with you something the Lord has been telling me recently and how the location of that bullet was another confirmation to me of how God is in control of all that happens.

A few weeks ago we had to make another unplanned trip to the hospital some 90 miles away, spent the night, and came home with questions about why this was happening and what could be done to improve the situation. 

During the long hours of waiting for doctors, enduring tests, and waiting for treatment, I sat leaning against a wall staring at the picture straight ahead of me. The ocean waves reminded me of a conversation God and Old Testament Job were having where God said the following:

Who kept the sea inside its boundaries

as it burst from the womb, 

and as I clothed it with clouds 

and wrapped it in thick dark?

For I locked it behind barred gates,

limiting its shores.

I said, 'This far and no farther will you come.

Here you proud waves must stop!'

Job 38:8-11 (NLT)

It is God who tells the ocean waves just how far they can swiftly roll up the sandy beach. 

It is God who tells our troubles how much they can attack us. 

Therefore we know it was God who told that bullet how close it could get to Donald Trump's skull. To apply this thought to each of us, it is God who is in control of the damage our troubles give to us. 

So as we turn over in our minds the issues that challenge us, we do well to remember the God who loves us is in absolute control of our lives in every detail. Whatever He allows, good or bad, is for a purpose for our good. We can trust that He is in control. I love the illustration of God-ordained boundaries for ocean waves and our troubles. 

bench in my neighbor's yard

Now I'll move on to more pleasant topics, starting with some of the questions posed by Joyce at her weekly Hodgepodge blog earlier this week. I won't respond to all of her questions because I have other things to share and need to keep this from getting too long.

Question #1: What is an adult problem nobody prepared you for?

I have been mulling this over for several days and have to admit that just about anything that has given me a disturbing challenge as an adult, I had actually seen in some ways illustrated to me in my growing up years. Had I paid more attention at the time, perhaps the upsets would have been less. 

But with that said, the relatively sudden death of my husband of 50 years did hit me with a distinct feeling of being unprepared. 

Conclusions I have reached about that are to accept what cannot be changed and to "live in the moment" now. It also helps to not borrow trouble from the future nor to get stuck in sadness regarding the past. 

2. Without mentioning any tech, what's your most prized possession? 

Photographs

4. (skipping question 3 for the sake of brevity) What makes a friendship successful? 

A good friend knows how to handle words and listens without judging. When advice is given, it is with kindness and gentleness. Harsh words, belittling, guilt-inducing accusations cannot be taken back, hurt the listener like the dickens and are hard to forget. Words can kill or heal. They flow from wisdom or foolishness.  

Facebook wisdom

Leaving the Hodgepodge questions, I've got more to share from this past week:

new couches, new rug

The new area rug arrived earlier than expected. (how often does that happen?!!!) Neighbors who are younger than us helped lift the heavy furniture so we could tuck the rug under. We plan to order another rug just like this one, only in a smaller size, to put under the dining room table and chairs. Then we expect to be done with home improvements. 👍🏻

movie poster

On another day, Gary took me on a movie matinee date, which is a good idea for people our age. Nighttime movies can turn into an expensive nap when viewed other than at home! Fly Me to the Moon was enjoyable, clean, and had a good moral ending. Yes, it was a 'chick flick' but with science and space, so Gary was okay with it. (and it was his idea to go!)

I've seen Scarlett Johansen in a lot of movies but this one was my favorite. Set in 1969, the costuming was a sweet memory, when fashions were definite all-girl or all-boy (with the exception of one eccentric character in the story). I was 19 the year this story took place, so it brought back fun memories.

Mary and me

Since marrying Gary my (already large) family has grown to a blended multitude. I have a couple more sons, two more daughters-in-law, at least 4 more grands and their spouses, and I'm even a step great-grandmother to three little ones!! I lose count every time I try to add them all up. 

This week Mary drove up to see us for a few hours. Leaving Gary at home, I took her to our golf club grill for a lunch of French Dip sandwiches with coleslaw. We had a wonderful time getting better acquainted. She knows how to bring out the best in people and I am blessed to have her in my life.

one of my current hobbies

Now that the Republican National Convention is over, I spent a couple of hours catching up on some of the speeches we recorded this week. Living in the Eastern Time Zone, much of the activity we wanted to see happened at our bedtime. But just sitting to watch one speech after another can be boring, so I gathered my pencils and one of my coloring books. That made the time more pleasant.

I close with this graphic that has helped me deal with some of the "stuff of life." Maybe it will be an encouragement to you as well.

The Lord be with your spirit. 

Grace (blessing) be with you. 

II Timothy 4:22

Documenting Real Life

 

celebrating with ice cream

This hot summer weather justifies our ice cream treats. It's usually vanilla ice cream sandwiches, or bars coated with a chocolate shell, or those cute little single-serving size cones, especially if it's BOGO (buy one get one free). One afternoon, we celebrated with ice cream on our way home after choosing a contractor to replace our floors.

a Sand Hill Crane atop our neighbor's  house
overlooking the lake

Looking back, it's been an eventful week here, but then most of them are by the time I finish embellishing them here on this blog. 😏

a Yucca plant in the yard of another neighbor

Due to the humidity, heat, and some early-morning appointments, we have not been outside walking much. Gary's still not clear to ride his bicycle as issues from his surgery have led to an extended period of caution. But I did log 4 miles on my bike in the sticky heat one day this week, finding that the air moving over my skin actually felt refreshing. 

Junior

Let's see; moving past the weather report, what else have I to document from this past week? Junior's birthday was on Tuesday. This photo was taken in about 2016?? when he was only 40-something. Now he is on a fast roll for the half-century mark. As you can tell from the snapshot, he's a fun kinda guy! We live about 1700 miles from each other, so a monthly FaceTime convo is working well to keep our relationship thriving. 

the old tile in our kitchen

The aforementioned transition from ceramic tile to luxury vinyl tile throughout our house finally came to an end early in the week. I use the word, "finally" because over last weekend one of our two very dependable workers caught a nasty bug (the kind that requires a commode commitment), which in turn extended the job by an additional day with only one man to do everything.

new Luxury Vinyl Tile in master bathroom
(with temporary, but non-operational, seating)

We have two bathrooms in our house. With the reduction in labor force, we were limited to only one of the toilets for 4 nights. (I know, I know. That's a "first world problem." Not complaining here; just stating fact.) Gary warned me at bedtime to be oh-so-careful when getting up in the night. Don't walk into furniture and walls, and be sure to head to the room that had the working facility! I kept a small flashlight on my night table and no injuries were incurred.

Gary takes the drapes down

We are very pleased with the outcome but as so often is the case, one change necessitates another. Since the new tiles were installed on top of the old, the drapes on the sliding glass doors were brushing the floor as we opened and closed them each day. That was not good, so we talked about our options, all of them time-consuming and costly. 

Then Harriet Homemaker (yours truly) said she could machine-hem the drapes, although she was not sure she liked the idea. But with all things considered, we settled on that option. My Singer sewing machine and I camped out on the kitchen table for about 30 minutes while turning under the fabric about half an inch. 

my temporary sewing room

After it was all done, I used the nose-to-arm-length method to determine that the hemming job was between 8 and 9 yards of fabric. Relieved to have that done and the drapes hung, I moved on to other tasks related to putting our house back in order.

Putting the pretties back into the china cabinet was a little unnerving due to the fragility of the items in hand and because much of it belonged to Gary's late wife.  With each item arranged, I was dealing with memories of Edith as well as some of my own.

"Charming Barbara" Bavarian china
soup tureen and platter
from my mother's collection

My thoughts wandered to the brief encounters I had with Edith, when we sat beside each other a couple of times in a very large women's Bible study group five years ago. We were not well-acquainted and we certainly did not imagine that in a few years, both of our lives would dramatically change. She would slip into Heaven, as did my Tom. 

completed china cabinet

As you can imagine, it was an  interesting journey of thoughts as I lined up Edith's extensive bell collection, her lead crystal wedding gifts, and some delicate hand-blown figures created by Gary's cousin. 

Christmas stem ware from Arby's
holiday promotion in 1990

Interspersed with Edith's things are treasures from my life: my grandmother's antique china cup as a reward for perfect Sunday School attendance, pieces of my mother's Bavarian china ("Charming Barbara"), and Christmas stem ware one of my (then teen-aged) sons collected for me while driving through Arby's for lunch eight days in a row! There is also a glass globe of sand and tiny sea shells, one of two I bought years ago (one for me and one for my daughter).

old (dark) and new (silver) frames

With the flooring project behind us and the house put back in order, other matters of life have needed attention. My cataract surgeries are behind me and now I'm waiting on my new glasses. 

A very pleasant young woman prepared the order for my new specs. At the end of the appointment, I paid her a sincere compliment when I told her she looks a lot like the actress, Joely Richardson, who got (spoiler alert) killed in the first few minutes of the movie, Return to Me. (one of my favorite chick flicks, by the way) She was delighted and planned to look up the trailer that evening. 

On Wednesday Jersey Girl and I were able to enjoy a "just us girls" lunch at a new Chick-fil-a here in Ocala. We are not able to get together as often as we would like but we always maximize the time with updates on our families and just listening to what's going on in our hearts. Everybody needs a friend like that: kind, non-judgmental, with good ears.

Hamilton Beach Egg Cooker
Kohl's $27.99 (sale price)

We did some shopping and I came home with an egg cooker. People have told me this is a great appliance to have and since I no longer have my Instant Pots, this egg cooker is an essential for me. That evening I used it to make 2 hard-boiled eggs which Gary requested be made into egg salad sandwiches. It was a hit!

entry sign at new WEC hotel

We had not been to the World Equestrian Center in some time, so yesterday we drove over to walk inside the lobby of the newest lodging, The Riding Academy Hotel. Located just shy of 9 miles north of our home, the WEC is an interesting place to take our out-of-town guests. 

I've taken many of my visitors over the past 3 years, to the large 5-star hotel on that property, which is grand with exquisite decor and a provides good exercise as we walk from one end to the other.

lobby of The Riding Academy Hotel
World Equestrian Center, Ocala, Florida

This venue is also decorated lavishly but on a smaller scale. As to be expected there is a heavy emphasis on horses and dogs.

snack bar

There is no restaurant, presumably because an imposing event center is under construction just across the way, which we were told will have several eateries. But this hotel did have a large grab-n-go kind of snack area.

me with My Lil' Pony

The building encircles a large courtyard where the resort-style swimming pool can be viewed from all of the hotel rooms (4 stories high). We ventured outside for a closer look.

Gary at the fire place

Everything was WHITE. It was beautiful but in the dazzling heat of the day, it was a near blinding sight. With lots of seating arranged for both the solitary and gregarious guests, a huge outdoor fire place commanded attention. Gary was going to light the fire for them, but then thought better of that idea since the outside temperature was a solid 97 degrees.

guest pool

The swimming pool was beautiful, what we could see of it through the tropical plantings. One had to have a room key to get in the gate, so this was the best shot I could get with my camera.

children's area

There was, of course, an area for the children, splash-pads, a purple octopus, a turtle, and a bright yellow duck. (I stood in the bushes and raised my camera over the top of the fence to get this photo.)

wall paper

This was about all that non-paying guests could see, and the weather was so hot (I believe I've already made that point); it was time to head back home. While walking back through the hotel lobby, I stopped to take one more shot of the wall paper. Appropriate for the place; VERY busy.

To summarize the above, I've addressed topics on food, home renovation and home decor, exercise, sewing, a little bit of health, cooking, a touristy place, and dabbled very briefly on thoughts related to grief. 

Often grief shows up in my blog posts. One of the many things I've learned with my experience of the grief that began in 2020, it does not go away entirely. The loss to death of a very personal person is a deep, deep emotional event (for lack of a better word), a trauma even, that changes us profoundly. One man in my Bible study who recently lost his wife said that even though he knows he will see her again, right now, the loss is so "final." (his word) The person is gone, simply not here in body any more. Yes, we will see them again in Heaven if they are Believers, but for now, they are just. not. here.

And in my experience, not only is that person gone, but my life as I knew it for half a century has changed, too. I have come to realize that my sadness has been in large part caused by the absence of this person but my living space, my habits, my routines, some goals, and what is required of me has also changed. That is huge and worthy of grief, too.

But to conclude, I will say that documenting my life now on my blog serves to illustrate that although I've lost some people and a lifestyle I once knew and loved, my life now is a joy. I celebrate the fact that God has continued to give me life, health, a new place to live, and (so blessedly) new people. 

I also have an understanding of relationships, things, and even God Himself that, before, were oblivious to me in many respects. Truly, in God's economy, nothing is wasted and when submitted to Him, He brings good out of it. 

In all things work together for the good

of those who love Him,

who have been called according to His purpose.

Romans 8:28

Until next time, grace and peace.

Whups!

Mary Engelbreit

Something troubling has been pointed out to me, an issue about which I did not know there was a problem. Becki, of Field Lilies blog fame, sent me an email regarding her comments on my blog. They were not showing up. She suggested I check my blog's SPAM folder.

I did not know I had a SPAM folder for my blog.

Mary Engelbreit

In my response to her, I asked for instructions so I could locate that folder. To my utter shock I saw there were 304 comments awaiting moderation and 44 comments in the SPAM folder.

WHAT??!!!!

I've been posting with Blogger/Blogspot since 2009 but I did not know these things. I've been using Comment Moderation for most of that time with my blogs over the years, and since I usually get an email notification when a comment has been submitted, I thought all was good.

Apparently not. Hmmmm.

Mary Engelbreit

Over the years I've seen changes with Blogger/Blogspot and have done pretty well (patting myself on the back) in adapting and/or forbearing with this platform's sometimes irritating idiosyncrasies. 

But (repeating myself), apparently not.

Mary Engelbreit

For those who need to know, here is how to find Comment Moderation and SPAM:

~ go to your blog page

~ at the top right hand corner of the blog, click on Design

~ then in the left hand column, click on Comments 

~ there you will see the comments awaiting moderation

~ at the top of that page where the comments are listed, click on the down arrow and a pop-up window should open

~ there you will see the box with SPAM

To approve comments awaiting moderation, move your cursor into the box for each comment. A check mark will appear. Click on that to approve the comment.

Mary Engelbreit

So with this said, I apologize to all of you who have tried unsuccessfully to leave a comment. I am in the process of approving the comments now..... 304.... this will take me a while.

Oh by the way .... thus far, all the comments I'm moderating are quite nice, very complimentary, and are making my day!!! Thanks, everybody!

I have been aware for years that some people cannot comment on my blog due to issues with Google, among other things. I cannot help with those problems. For myself, I get hung up trying to comment on Word Press blogs and so I just send the author of those blogs an email with my comments. 

Mary Engelbreit

Today I intend to finish with this matter, write the weekly letter to my mother, and help Gary oversee the continuing upgrade to our flooring.  We will probably finish up yesterday's desserts .... 😋

Grace and peace to you.

Mary Engelbreit