Good Advice

Live in such a way 

that you would not be ashamed
to sell your parrot to the town gossip.

Will Rogers

There's Always Monday

It's Saturday morning.  I get up, check my mail, and start breakfast.  I straighten up the dining room and put on a fresh table cloth and a centerpiece.  After some gardening we plan a trip to Bellingham via Chuckanut Drive.  We'll spend a little time at Larabee State Park, one of my very favorite places in the world, and then just see where we end up.

As for the piles of projects that cluttered the dining room table for several days this past week, some finished, some not, but too much stuff to deal with on a gorgeous Saturday morning -- I scoop them up and put them in a box out of the way.  They can wait.  After all, there's always Monday.

Samuel Has a Question

Curious Sam

It's pretty cool having quirky kids.  They are imaginative and funny, often adding a totally unexpected dimension to the conversation.  They also love information and Samuel, in particular, has a lot of questions.

"How long would it take to count to one million?" he asked.  So we figured it out.  First we estimated how long it would take to say each number.  We figured three seconds each (considering how long it takes to say 277,349, for example), and determined the entire experience would take 3,000,000 seconds.  There are 86,400 seconds per day.  It would take 3.47 days to count to 1,000,000.  That's three and a half days, assuming you don't need to eat, drink, sleep, sneeze, or (pardon me) use the bathroom.

Samuel's questions come out of the blue.  One day, with the whole family in the car, Samuel asked, "Is there any boy, that you know of, that has bypassed the 'girls are icky' phase of life?"

We recently heard someone say, "I came, I saw, I conquered!"  So Tom repeated it in Latin, vidi, vini, vinci, and wrote it down for us.  Only thing, the v sounds like a w, so you actually say weedy, weanie, winkie.  Samuel thought for a moment then said, "Was the artist actually named Leonardo da Winkie?"

A Good (Duck) Egg

My eyes
on chicken eggs

In an allergy test, I tested sensitive to chicken eggs.  Too many of 'em and my eyes get dizzy and out of focus.  My doctor told me that some people do better with duck eggs, so I tried it.  Yahoo!  I can eat duck eggs and my eyes don't do any crazy tricks.  As for why, all I can find out is that water fowl eggs have an enzyme that does not exist in chicken eggs, making them easier for some people to digest.  If you know more, let me know.

Getting duck eggs is a bit of a problem.  I've been fortunate to find local sources of eggs (I get mine from Adam and Joscelyn, friends with a mini-farm in Silvana), but generally I've found that you have to know someone who knows someone who has ducks.  In the winter, when duck eggs are harder to come by locally, I get them from Whole Foods or PCC in Seattle.  They are pricey, but worth the trip and the price to me.  I've heard that you can get them at Asian markets as well, though I haven't checked that out myself.

One of the girls who provides my eggs!

Duck eggs are bigger than chicken eggs and have a tougher shell.  The yolk is deep orange and the eggs are richer than chicken eggs.  They also have a higher nutrient count than chicken eggs, as well as being higher in fat and cholesterol (uh-oh).

Chicken egg on left, duck egg on right

Duck egg on top, chicken egg below

A one-egg omlette is all I need on a Saturday morning.  Some sautéed vegetables, maybe a bit of ham, one duck egg and Tom's wrist action and I've got a very satisfying breakfast (especially with a muffin and a slice of melon on the side).

Hymn of the Month -- Praise You in This Storm

This is my favorite song from Casting Crowns.  Mark Hall was so impressed with 10-year-old Erin Browning when she was in her final stage of cancer -- with her confidence in God, and with her mother's faith -- that he was inspired to write I'll Praise You in This Storm.  You can read the story here, and in Mark's book, Lifestories.


In the midst of some of the most difficult storms of our lives, I first heard this song.  It spoke to the deepest part of my heart.  I am learning to rely on the utter faithfulness of God, rain or shine, and learning to praise Him in the storms.

Everett's Street Tunes

Downtown Everett is offering a creative, interactive art form this month -- several pianos, brightly painted, set in front of businesses around town.  Inspired by a similar project in New York City -- Play Me, I'm Yours -- where 60 colorful pianos are scattered around NYC, Everett commissioned local artists to paint the pianos which are now available for anyone to play!

I had my camera and a few minutes when I was downtown the other day, so I checked out a couple of pianos.  On the corner of Colby and California I found this young mother with her son on her lap sitting at the Music Leopard Lounge.  As she played scales with her right hand, he concentrated on the bass notes, his eyes darting around as they played.  A father and his two young daughters waited their turn to play.

Down the street, in front of Pave on Colby sat New Life.  The happy pianist was about 20, playing chords and runs with no particular tune in mind, making his own music.

On my way to my car I passed the Music Leopard Lounge again.  At the piano sat a boy, probably 12-years-old; his big sister stood near their bicycles.  While he played a dissonant, jazzy version of The Adams Family she provided the accompanying finger snaps.  I suspect it was a recent piano recital piece.  When they finished their number they headed for their bikes.

Later we took Tommy to the Everett Station where he played the Sun in Raven in Whale piano.  He did some amazing improvisation and drew a bit of a crowd.  One young woman stood just inside the door of the Station, where she could activate the automatic door just by moving her foot, getting it to open each time it closed.  After a while she came out onto the sidewalk to listen to him play.  I was quite impressed with his music!

The pianos will be on display in eight locations until August 25.  I wonder, if I come across one of those pianos and no one else is sitting there, will I have the courage to make a little music of my own?

Glad to Be Back

Nice to be blogging again, after a week off.  I got some much needed rest and cared for a few matters of business that I'd been putting off.

Bruce and Glenda

My cousin Glenda and her husband Bruce, from Washington DC, were here for a family reunion and we had dinner with them.  They fell in love and got engaged when the three of us were teaching English and Bible in Japan.  We reminisced about one particular December evening when we were trying to keep up with Bruce's long strides on the way to a Christmas party, but I was winded and made Bruce slow down.  I had trouble getting a good breath all that night.  The next morning, at the hospital, I learned that keeping up with Bruce had not been my problem -- a collapsed lung had!

Last Friday we had a party with my family to celebrate Samuel's completion of his high school academics.  He just has a math test to take this Thursday, and a couple more credits to earn through the 18-21 Transition program.  He has wanted a job for yeas, and now he'll be getting job training and other preparation for moving toward greater independence.  We are so proud of his accomplishment!

Gram, Gramps, Auntie Peach and Samuel

Deanne

My friends Deanne and Sue invited me to go camping with them on the Olympic Peninsula.  I haven't been there for years and it sounded wonderful -- thee days in the mountains.  The trip would include two nights in a tent, a hike ("Oh, no, not a strenuous hike," said Deanne, who walks you straight up the steepest hill in town before she feeds you lunch!) and seasons of silence, just time to be alone with God.

Sue

I had to decline the invitation.  I wasn't sure I could handle sleeping on the ground and being quiet all in the same trip, not to mention Deanne's idea of a hike.  Maybe next year...

If the weather permits, they will be leaving tomorrow and returning on Thursday.  I wish you gals a wonderful time.