Turn With Me, If You Will, To Page Five Hundred Sixty-Five

Word of the Post
Today's word is: quicken
/quick"en/ verb
To come to life; to make alive, resuscitate; to stimulate or revive; to show signs of life; to move, as in a fetus in the womb. I remember a song in church about being "quickened from the dead", referring to Jesus. I also was influenced by the "quickening", which seemed to be the transference of life-force from one Immortal to another in the Highlander movies and series. There can be only one, after all.
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I am my Father's child. It drives me nuts when someone asks me to turn to the Page, instead of what they really mean: the Number. The songs are often placed more than one to a page, so a book with 900 songs can have a mere 750 pages. Yep, I am that crotchety old woman who insists that the English language be used correctly. How sad for me. One of the guys who leads singing sometimes says "Notice with me number..." That is cute. Different than anyone else, and probably more accurate.

Music is a strong signal of memory. For me it is second only to smell, and the two are very close. A tune can bring me back to a time in my childhood long forgotten. In our songbook at church, called "Praise for the LORD", there is a song that I have known pretty much all my life. The title is listed "Savior, Thy Dying Love", and is also more commonly known (in previous editions of the books?) by the title "Something For Thee".

Those of you who have not grown up knowing this piece from church would probably recognize the music if I could play it for you. Elvis Presley used a very similar tune for his hit, Love Me Tender. Now I know that I probably heard Elvis use this tune first, which is really funny to me. The tune was written in 1871, and the song lyrics we use in church were written in 1862. I know Elvis isn't near that old. He's 72, living out his life in some rural part of the country. Just makes it hard to concentrate on church services, when you have Elvis running around in your mind, singing Love Me Tender, and Blue Suede Shoes.

Mom is an Elvis fan. DH is a Beatles fan. I have found that people who like the music from the decade of the 60's are fans of either one or the other. It is very rare to find anyone who likes both equally. It becomes almost an argument about serving two masters... fans often love one, and despise the other.

I don't know why that really struck me today, it just did. Many times I find myself thinking farther back than music in my memory. A simple thumbtack, and I am thinking of watching my friend jump up off the staircase we were sitting on to talk, because she sat on one. I was about 5. Which leads me to think of the Vacation Bible School song about the Devil sitting on a tack if he didn't like us praising Jesus. (OUCH!) A cheap kid's perfume reminds me of the Christmas my cousin and I got matching presents. I can still see the perfumed spongy dabber, the silly comb that was shaped like a fudge Popsicle, and the matching dolls in different colored dresses. I don't remember liking that year, because we both wanted trucks, (neither of us was a girlie girl, we were both very tomboy at the time) and we didn't like the colors we were given. I think we even tried to switch before the day was over. We talked about it years later, and decided that the parents didn't want us feeling jealous of each other, but we felt we both lost out on the specialness of thought toward our gifts.

There is a group of people at church who are learning new songs written by a man who lives in St. Petersburg. He has written whole symphonies to God in Russian, and many of the songs he has allowed to be translated into English. He visited here about a year ago, and he had a group of his music students with him, to sing for us. His music is phenomenal. There are not words to describe it, truly, until you hear it. He spoke in Chapel at Oklahoma Christian, and said (in complete honesty, and with all frustration) that when our groups went to his school in Russia, that it was neat to have us there, but our music was terrible. Knowing the Contemporary Christian stuff they are promoting these days, I would agree with him. I sing whatever I don't hear, so I am learning these in Soprano for now. I will move to Alto (more my comfort zone) when we get more Sopranos learning, or we get the whole congregation singing them correctly. I really love being in a group again. I would even be willing to perform, given the right situation.

On a totally unrelated topic, I never had indoor pets as a kid. Mom was allergic to the cats I wanted. We always had outdoor cats, because mom would let us feed them dry food sometimes, and of course, they would just stick around for the free lunch. I feel lucky to have indoor cats now, I love having something to purr next to me when I am feeling lonely, or to make me laugh when I am feeling depressed.

The rescue, Marvel, is my sweet boy. He is very happy with his schedule (not pronounced with the K sound in it, but like shed-ule, imagining Rush Limbaugh and his fake British accent) around here. Eat, drink water dripping from the bathroom faucets, run like mad all over the place, beat up the sister, and nap. (Lather, rinse, repeat.) He is always so clean and soft, it is amazing. Here he is being a 12-pack of Dublin Dr. Pepper cans.
Little Girl, Mystic, is just the cutie pie, who makes you want to pick her up. Which she doesn't like, so she squirms to be released. She does a push-twist-stretch that would be perfect for Cirque du Soleil. We fondly call her "Princess Touch-Me-Not". She is very good at knowing just how far away she can step, so that you can no longer reach her, then turning and looking at you. It is as if she is challenging you to try it again. This is Mystic, from the comfort of being in my way.
This is their mutual favorite spot, on top of the thing I am looking for or the thing I am using. This bag is permanently their property, so I guess I can't ever throw it away. Not that I want to, it is a good bag.

Look for your memory triggers. Is it music, smells in a kitchen, or the sounds of traffic rushing by? Is it something that you do the same way as someone taught you? Is it the thing that you once said you would Never do? Take some time today to remember more innocent times, and see if you can learn something new from your past.

Cleanliness Is Next To Impossible

Word of the Post
Today's word is: circumlocution
/cir'cum*lo*cu"tion/ noun
An indirect style of speech; a roundabout way of getting to the point; filibustering.
Politicians have this down to an art form. Wait, I miss-spoke. Politicians have this UP to an art form.
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I have been terribly busy. So busy that, without realizing it, I have done virtually nothing.

That is the part of my life that I don't like to project. I am a procrastinator. I put things off until the last moment possible, and then rush to get done what could have been done well, and long ago. I am also a perfectionist. What cannot be done right, cannot be started at all. The two work closely to make my house a mess and my life a misery.

Monkey's Momma and her family have decided that this is to be a summer of Habits. They are learning how to get up every morning, and do specific things. They are learning to make the bed every day. I wonder why, really. This is silly to me. I am just going to get back into it tonight and muss it up again. But, they think it is necessary. I should learn from this. They are also learning to wash the dinner dishes when dinner is over. When you are excused, you get up, and clean your dishes. This prevents large pile-ups of dishes for Momma to clean. I need to learn this too. I hate doing dishes, mostly because I do large piles of them at a time. If I would do a little at a time, I would not have to worry about the big backache from lots of dishes.

Actually, I have decided that I will take a hint from my mom, and from Monkey's Momma. I am writing down what I want to do each day, but I am also writing down what I have done each day. This way, I see my goals in a tangible form, and I see my accomplishments as well. Then, I determine to do at least one hour of work every day, as habit. I can do it all at once, or 10 minutes at a time, but I must prove one whole hour each day. This is to keep myself busy, and not bogged down in the office trash pile for days at a time. I am also looking at Flylady.net. If you have ever had a dirty home, this is your rescue. She has simple, tested patterns of working through your house to get it all sparkling and neat, in case surprise guests show up on your doorstep... like me.

I want to know how you keep your house clean. Do you have an army of children doing chores? Do you hire a service to help you? What is your secret to a clean home? I want to get my home cleaner, and ready for company. I want to organize and streamline the clutter I have allowed to build in my house. Flylady calls it C.H.A.O.S. ~~ Can't Have Anyone Over Syndrome. Believe me, clutter is truly chaotic.

Have you seen the movie "Office Space"? This is the view of the intro to that movie. The main character is stopped in heavy traffic, and angry that the guy with a walker on the sidewalk is going faster than he is. The city they used for the skyline view was Dallas. DH thought this would be a good picture to have. If you look closely in the movie, you can see the sign for the exit to Preston Road. I have a better picture of that sign, but this is the whole view captured here. This area has exploded in the 8 or so years since filming "Office Space", but it is still impressive. If you have not seen the movie, word of warning here, it has a lot of cussing. Not something you want small children seeing, because they will repeat all of the words you just mentally edited. As an adult, the premise is still funny, mostly because it is so true.

The Dallas Vacation, Or There And Back Again

Word of the Post
Today's word is: peregrination
/per'e*gri*na"tion/ noun
Travel, especially by foot, from one country to another; wandering, sojourn, pilgrimage.
We went to Texas on our vacation, I think that can count as a peregrination. Texas is "a whole other country", after all.
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I got back from St. Louis, and had two days to do laundry and sleep in my own bed before taking off again for Dallas. We spent our time going to various destinations. We determined that we could spend a whole week (twice the time we had) and still not do all the things that we wanted to do in and around Dallas. This "whole other country" has a lot of things to do.

We first went to see the Body Worlds exhibit, on its last weekend at the Dallas Museum of Nature and Science. This is the same kind of display featured in the newest James Bond film, Casino Royale. I first heard about Body Worlds on another blog, where the girl's hubby went to see it in Chicago, and she wanted to know if anyone else was grossed out or offended by the displays. I have to admit I wanted to go for the simple reason of morbid curiosity. I wanted so very much to ogle the inner workings of the human body. I would be happy to show you pictures, but they wouldn't let me take any. I did buy a book, and I can send you to their site and you can look at the displays for yourself. If you get a chance, definitely check it out. They are actual bodies, and they are not clothed, many even do not have skin. The muscles in the genitals are not hidden, nor are they vulgar...but it may not be something you want children to see. It may not be something you want to see, either.

We next went to the Dublin Dr. Pepper Bottling Co. in Dublin, Texas. This is the only company that uses Pure Cane Sugar, instead of Corn Syrup to sweeten the drink. We took a tour, and learned all about the history of Dr. Pepper.

This is a can that is on the property of the Bottling Co. It is at least 13 ft. high, and if you click on it, you can see that can hold, by their estimations, around 3,306 gallons of Dr. Pepper. Talk about a caffeine addiction!

This is the light test, to see which bottle is properly filled and mixed. They test about one out of every 100 bottles this way. The one on the left is without much syrup at all, and mostly soda water. Way salty, and no flavor... not a good drink. The one on the right has way too much syrup in it... I can imagine that it would taste pretty good, but if a bug or something was hiding in there, you would get that, too. Obviously, not a good drink, either. The two in the middle are the proper color range, but the right of these two is filled too high in the bottle, and won't have the proper fizz when opened. The second from the left is the proper proportions, the right color, and a near-perfect mix. These large bottles are actually refills. They are older bottles that are accepted for cleaning. The machinery that you see in the left of the picture is where the full and properly mixed bottles come out of the machine, and get picked up and put in crates, like the one below the light box.

The main reason to visit Dallas is friends. We have many friends and a few family members who live in the MetroPlex. We stopped at Reaper, and bought a few miniatures. We tried to lynch the Ded King, but he was on the clock, so we let him live. (That joke was for Teh Club, and if you get it, good. If not... sorry. Take too long to 'splain.) We did get a mini tour of his workspace, and met the resident shop kitty. If you don't know what Reaper is.... you must not play D&D. I don't play, either. I only know about it because I know a guy who works there. But hey, you can go and take a tour sometime. You will probably meet our friend.

We spent our nights with friends who used to live here in OKC. They now live near Dallas. Sandman, his wife, Monkey's Momma, and three Sugar babies. The first kiddo (11) is Sugar Bear, my buddy. He was very small when we all met, and he has grown up to be quite a special little man. The second kiddo (8) is DH's girlfriend, Sugar Bunny. For some reason, my hubby attracts the attentions of little girls at church under 2. They think he is fun to play with, and they flirt like crazy with him. This one we met when she was born (the Black Hole of Babydom sucked him in!). Their third kiddo (2), Sugar Monkey, is the miracle child.

Sugar Monkey has cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus and other issues. Sandman and Monkey's Mamma were told that he would be nothing more than a vegetable. Those doctors were wrong. Totally wrong. This little boy is learning. He needed help to get on his knees and hands, but he did the pushing up, he held his head up, and he balanced this way long enough for Sandman and me to get several pictures.

I called this picture "Concentration". He was tired of being up on all fours, but he pushed back up on his elbows. He was listening to that little toy train with very concentrated enthusiasm. Clarity in those little eyes, can you see it?

This tired boy had been up on all fours for roughly five minutes, and was resting. He put his head down, and rested for a bit, and then picked up and turned his head and looked again at the train. Twice, at least. This kid is strong, and getting stronger every day.

Finally, we see why he is Sugar Monkey. This is Monkey's Momma tickling and smooching the Sugar Monkey. He was smiling a bit before, but this is a picture of a full-on giggle. He has such a sweet spirit. He can say Hi, and DaDa, and he gives verbal and touch cues to show that he is understanding things like singing and clapping. He is legally blind, but that doesn't stop him from showing me the face of God.