Seven Degrees of Otis

Been a while, friends~ It's swim team season again. . .

And also, I spent a week working with writer & teacher, Pat Schneider; a wonderful teacher of creative writing. Terrific!

Two days ago, my Dad & Otis were on a play-date - fishing. No kidding ~ Dad texts me & says, "Can Otis go out to play?" This is not unusual. See, my Dad is a dog magnet, & Otis has this steel plate. . .

Here's a poem I wrote while working with Pat Schneider. It says it all:

Seven Degrees of Otis
after Wallace Stevens (& Kevin Bacon)

I
He is the small, bobbling tail,
short-legged-Russell-doggie
love of my life.

II
Most pointedly, the only one: bobbling tail,
that has ever really connected with the true me.

III
Sounds ridiculous, and makes me feel a bit neurotic,
but I truly, surely
love his little spirit.

IV

And he understands me.
I can see it in his
supple brown eyes, fringed with furnishings and knowing.

V
And then there’s Daddy!
Ah! They are just best friends, fishing buddies, snack hounds,
those two.

VI
What does it say about a man,
whose best friend, almost literally,
is his daughter’s dog? Ha!

VII
Funny! So joyful and happy and sweet a soul is my Otis!
God knows what He’s doing, indeed, (and Cesar Millan is right)
matching him with me.

~~
Seven degrees of Otis,

indeed.

~~~

Macro-Photography: All in the Family

Just returned from a family reunion, where our family spent a marvelous time in the mountains of North Carolina. Kids, babies, Aunts, Uncles, my 96 year old Grandmother...

While getting back in touch with each other, I learned that my cousin Richard has gotten into Macro-photography. He has a terrific website to display his photography.

Because he sees things that the ordinary eye may not -- and has begun to capture it -- I wanted to share. Here's just an example: several years ago he found a rock while walking on the beach. He called it his "heini-rock" because - well, it looks like a 'heini'.

What do you see?







Take a minute, go by & see Richard's photos.

You'll be glad you did!

~~~

Sunday heart warmer~

Now, this will warm your heart from the inside out~

Did I tell ya?

~~~

Glorious Craft...

From the ends of the earth -- to my back porch, we all know what this is...

Could it be a message to the world, spoken in the universal?

"The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands.

"Day after day they pour forth speech;
night after night they display knowledge.



"There is no speech or language
where their voice is not heard.

Their voice goes out into all the earth,
Their words to the end of the world."
~Psalm 19:1-4

The heavens declare the glory of God;
the skies proclaim the work of His hands...

~~

indeed

~~~

Happy Thanksgiving -- Fun day!

If for no other myriad of reasons to be thankful today,

we can be thankful for dogs!!












(Otis is almost ready for Christmas...)






(He also likes to play dress-up...)










And if by chance you don't have a canine friend, you can enjoy this video
that a sweet friend sent me...
Laughter - we can ALL be thankful for that!!



Enjoy, & Have a Happy, Blessed Thanksgiving!!
~~~

Derek Paravicini: beautiful mind, big questions.

Yesterday my 7 y/o daughter & I had a chat about giftedness. After much discussion, we concluded that God has given each & every one of us gifts. It's our job to find out what ours are, & use them to the best of our ability. She ponders, then asks quietly, "If you do use your gift, does it ever run out?"

"Hmm...Does God ever run out?" I ask.

Do the mysteries of God ever, really, 'run out?' Then today, I meet Derek.

"Derek is 26. He doesn't know his left from right, & can barely count to 10. Like many people who cannot see, Derek has developed an acute sense of hearing...it has allowed him to flourish in ways that most of us could never imagine..."



"He's got extraordinarily developed analytic hearing, which I don't know of any parallels for."
"We know very little about what's inside Derek's head..."
"There are some pianists who can play a million notes a second & it doesn't mean anything, because it doesn't have any feeling in it. And there are other people who play the simplest thing & just sort of get you 'there,' you know, & Derek I think, has, importantly, has the ability to do both."

"Derek's talent is clear, but it raises questions. Where does genius like this come from? And how can it possibly coexist with such severe disabilities??"

Excellent questions; but wait, there's more:

"Derek possesses an extremely rare gift of Universal Absolute Pitch, which means he is able to discriminate every note he hears, much as we recognize different colors..."

~~

As for my 7 year old daughter, & her 2nd grade gifts, I feel fairly neat, rather tidy. But here's something I just can't answer,

"What does it means to be a musical genius in the wake of such a profound disability?"


I don't have much of an answer yet. Do you?

~~~

The Cove, BGEA & the great shalom...

Hi friends~

'Been away for several days; my husband & I were out of town.

See, my brother & his wife gave us this gift certificate, like 2 years ago, for The Cove -- the BGEA Retreat Center in Asheville, NC. We tried to go last February, and had to cancel. But in August, we got an email about a "marriage retreat" featuring Chip Ingram , so we jumped on it! It was a weekend focusing on our age group (people under 45), so we would have lots in common with everyone there.

We'd never heard of The Cove prior to my brother's gift, & didn't know Chip Ingram either. But man-o-man do we know now!! 330 people were in attendance from 19 different states, & Canada.

It was a wonderful weekend, with a deeply refreshing spiritual message from the speaker. Also though, the fellowship with other Believers - some struggling in their marriages, some not - was priceless.

Mostly, what I'll 'take away' from the experience is how much I appreciate my husband, the blessing of knowing others are out there striving to live a Godly life - that we're not alone in the fight against our culture, & that God's design for marriage/family is part of His 'great shalom' :

“I will bring health and healing to it: I will heal My people and will let them enjoy abundant Shalom and safety...I will cleanse them from all the sins they have committed against me…Then this city will bring Me renown, joy, praise and honor before all nations of the earth that hear of all the good things I do for it; and they will be in awe and will tremble at the abundant prosperity and Shalom I provide it,” -- Jeremiah 33: 6-9

And so, we're thankful to my brother & his wife for affording us the opportunity. But even more, thanks belongs to God for His ministry among His people, & His hand at work in our lives - leading us toward His Great Shalom.

Wow.

~~~

An afternoon with Otis

Ok.

My kids are back in school. I'm working part time, but not today...

I'm on the Board of Directors for a group that needs a head/shoulders picture of all their Directors for a website. (Formal pose not necessary, you see...) So, I spend the large part of my morning on tasks related to the Board's needs, then I decide to have a little fun, & get them their picture at the same time -- maybe.

Otis is a funny animal. Squeezable, playful, funny, very happy; and, well, quirky. See, he licks things -- carpets, hardwoods, sofa cushions, piano bench legs; people's legs, toes, cabinets, cups, toothbrushes, suitcases. He's always licking at things too, if nothing but air. So, why I thought this (Otis, a camera timer, & a BoD picture) was going to work, I'm not really sure...

Eventually we got it, I think. It may not work for the BoD & their site, but it was a lot of fun!

Would that the whole world could have an afternoon with Otis every once in a while...

~~~

North is Southeast of Due West...?

While my family & I are on vacation, here's a little humor to tide me over...

South Carolina is the only place in the world where North is southeast of Due West.



...and since "my people" are all originally South Carolinians, I know about what I speak...

Enjoy summer!

~~
Curtsy to "Nancynotes" !

Swimming: It's what we do in Summer!!

We dive...

We fly... We soar...

...and we win City League championships!!

Oh yeah!

~~~

Love, love, love summer!

Though we've endured the hottest, most humid June ON RECORD...

I have some friends who love, love, love summer & all it has to offer. Allow me to share:

"Mary's Gold" & "Tuscawilla Tigress"

"Wynnson"

"Wynnson" & "Priscilla's Rainbow"

Pink Glads!

"White Perfection"

"Priscilla's Rainbow"

"El Despero"

Oh, & these are raspberries. It's my first year w/ them.

The big surprise is that they're already producing!

~~

Happy Independence Day, everyone!!

~~~

Picture this!

It's my favorite time in the garden again!

Allow me to introduce my newest darling, a Mother's Day gift from last year:

...tinkering w/ the soil pH; these may get bluer before all is said/done.

And then there's this one, blooming for the first time ever!

Amazing what cutting away crowding branches

& adding a little sunshine will do for a soul...



...and the first day lily bloom of the season: Oh yeah, I love this time of year!

~~~

Tiptoe through the tulips...

Hmmm friends...looks like Spring outside!

Think I'll go out & look...

azalea, scilla, & hosta peeping through...

and a closer look...

Wow! Hollyhocks.

are these even real?

one of my favorites - Old Fashioned garden phlox.

...a beautiful purple variety from my Grandmother's garden.

Stunning in real life, friends!

And everybody's favorite - peonies!

Take a few minutes friends, & go tiptoe through your own "tulips."

If you don't have any, your Lowe's or Home Depot is probably just around the corner...

I couldn't live without mine!

~~~

In which Peggy Noonan Speaks Truth.

Some of you know I've been writing for years, but never really knew I was a writer. Here's a handwritten piece I found from May 2001, though I could have penned it yesterday. Humor me?

5-30-2001:

"So I'm reading this book by Peggy Noonan. Those who know me well, know that I'm a real fan. Only this book - Simply Speaking - is relatively mundane, or so I'm thinking. After all, it's a book about speech writing...

So, I'm reading along, enjoying her easy style, underlining points that I find interesting & smart. And then I am deeply touched & moved...Here's why I'm such a fan (Simply Speaking, p. 53):

'I think that to achieve true adulthood is to understand the simplicity of things. We're locked in a funny arc, most of us, in terms of what we know. When you're goony and fourteen years old you think the most important thing in life is love. Then you mature, become more sober & thoughtful, and realize the most important thing in life is achieving, leaving your mark - making breakthroughs in the field of science, or winning an Academy Award in recognition of a serious body of work, or creating security for yourself and your family through having a good house and sending your kids to good schools. And then you get old and realize...that most important thing in life is love. Giving love to others and receiving it from God. All the rest, the sober thoughtful things, are good and constructive...but love is the thing. The rest is just more or less what you were doing between fourteen and wisdom.'

And that out of a book about speech writing."

~~

...in which Peggy Noonan speaks the truth.

~~~

Snow Ride!

For those who may not know, we in the South have just had one of the biggest 'snow events' of the past decade. It started last Friday, & yielded 3 days off from school.

As I sit & type, we're having another 'winter weather event,' but this time it's rain/sleet/snow. Not nearly as much fun; keeping fingers crossed that we keep power.

And for those wondering (as my husband's Facebook friends did) this adorable child's mother is not crushing her. We're riding like this to protect her from on-coming mailboxes!

Note the tagalong, Otis. Unfortunately for him, this sled doesn't stop for hitch-hikers!

If you're having snow, stay warm. Be safe. Have FUN!

~~~

Desperation in Coakley Camp?

Oh where, oh where did Ted Kennedy's seat go? Oh where, oh where can it be??

You can explain it away, or try to rationalize, or say it was Martha's fault, or BHObama's fault...but Scott Brown even being CLOSE to Martha Coakley is the clear voice of the People to Washington DC: STOP DESTROYING OUR COUNTRY!!!!!

We desperately need Scott Brown. Massachusetts, help us!

Heaven help us.

~~~

Docker's GETS IT!!

I. Love. This. Ad campaign.

Congratulations, Docker's ~ You DO get it! We need Heroes.

Once you 'get' what the problem is, you're well on your way to solving it. I, for one, am terribly gratified. (And all my men are getting Docker's for Christmas.)

Since their website wouldn't let me copy the pic. (see link above), here's the message:

"ONCE UPON A TIME, MEN WORE THE PANTS, AND WORE THEM WELL. WOMEN RARELY HAD TO OPEN DOORS AND LITTLE OLD LADIES NEVER CROSSED THE STREET ALONE. MEN TOOK CHARGE BECAUSE THAT'S WHAT THEY DID. BUT SOMEWHERE ALONG THE WAY, THE WORLD DECIDED IT NO LONGER NEEDED MEN. DISCO BY DISCO, LATTE BY FOAMY NON-FAT LATTE, MEN WERE STRIPPED OF THEIR KHAKIS AND LEFT STRANDED ON THE ROAD BETWEEN BOYHOOD AND ANDROGYNY. BUT TODAY, THERE ARE QUESTIONS OUR GENDERLESS SOCIETY HAS TO ANSWER FOR. THE WORLD SITS IDLY BY AS CITIES CRUMBLE, CHILDREN MISBEHAVE AND THOSE LITTLE OLD LADIES REMAIN ON ONE SIDE OF THE STREET. FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE BAD GUYS, WE NEED HEROES. WE NEED GROWN-UPS. WE NEED MEN TO PUT DOWN THE PLASTIC FORK, STEP AWAY FROM THE SALAD BAR AND UNTIE THE WORLD FROM THE TRACKS OF COMPLACENCY. IT'S TIME TO GET YOUR HANDS DIRTY. IT'S TIME TO ANSWER THE CALL OF MANHOOD. IT'S TIME TO WEAR THE PANTS."

~~~

From tedious adulthood to the faith of a child...

Lately, a blogger that I've just discovered & I have been having a discussion (he's young & fancies himself athiest, but even he says he's not quite sure). In a recent post he asks,

"Who is God, who made God? Can such a complex and all powerful being just come into creation? How was God made? Who decided God should be the Alpha and the Omega? Why not me? Please don't say God just is...Because I can easily say the universe just is & then we're back to square one..."

I like this new blog friend. He has an openness to conversation & a gentleness to his young spirit. But one can see the tedium with which he approaches the Almighty.

Then just today I was hearing all about my first grader's day at school. She is quite a talker, & one might think she's rambling-on until you stop to listen to what she's "rambling"...which is almost always something that makes good sense. (It's mentally exhausting sometimes, let me tell ya!)

So it went like this,

her: "...learned about the solar system...the line that goes around the earth...God gave us all the languages so we can talk to each other...we live above the equator...God gave us all the names so we can name our children something different...days to get around the sun..." and then...

her: "I've always wondered why God doesn't have a wife."

(Do you see why I always have to be listening?)

me: "Baby, God doesn't have a wife, because God isn't human. God is God."

her: "God has to be part boy & part girl, because boys talk to God about boy stuff & girls talk to God about girl stuff."

me: "Very wise & observant thing to say. A lot of adults don't even understand that about God, baby. Good thinking..."

It was so simple to her. No worry about the origin of God, the gender of God, sexism superimposed on images of God, etc., etc. To my precious 6 year old daughter, God just is. And you know what? She's right.

And this new blog friend? He would be right too...so is the universe.

~~~

"I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." Mark 10:15

~~~

RIU: Ocho Rios, Jamaica

We've been back several days now & have hit the ground running: getting school supplies-school starts Tues., wading through mounds of laundry, catching up on snail mail, email, bills...

But this pic. shows where my mind is still...(yes, these are our feet)

Somehow, I've managed to get to a few of your blogs to catch up on reading/commenting, but this is my first shake @ writing something new here.

As my title describes, we were in Jamaica. Wow. This vacation was all my husband's idea, all his research/booking, & all his planning. (He even secretly arranged for the resort to deliver a cake to our room on my birthday!) We left with new, matching luggage, & arrived with hearts full of hope for what the week would hold... I don't mean to prattle on, but when you've got a man like this, it's hard not to!! ;)

There's now enough fuel in our tanks to last us until next time - which, with 3 kids, may be a while...

Here are a few of our pics...

View of the water @ 5:45 am - taken by Mr. Susannah, while I was still in dreamland.

View off our room's ocean front balcony.

...when I sneaked up behind Mr. Susannah; looking off our balcony, out on the Caribbean Sea.

The rainbow which appeared on Monday or Tues., after a stiff storm blew through. I don't know if I've ever been as struck by the closeness of God's hand in a rainbow!


Wonderful...fabulous trip! One could write forever about the beauty of the place, the richness of its people, the relaxation, fun, etc.

But if there's one phrase which captures my experience there? It's something I saw on a young woman's t-shirt @ our resort. I'd love to have a shirt just like it, but for now, I'll just enjoy the phrase:

"My Husband Rocks!"

~~~