Back in the day

Then God blessed Noah and his sons, saying to them, "Be fruitful and increase in number and fill the earth.  The fear and dread of you will fall on all the beasts of the earth, and on all the birds in the sky, on every creature that moves along the ground, and on all the fish in the sea; they are given into your hands.  Everything that lives and moves about will be food for you.  Just as I gave you the green plants, I now give you everything.    Genesis 9:1-4 (NIV)

This weekend was spent running here and there with our kiddos and their friends.  It's exhausting, but we wouldn't have it any other way.  It was great family/friend time.  As we were dropping one of the extras off and near the area where the old slaughter house used to be, a conversation started.

Jay and I told the kids that when we were in 8th grade and taking the Intro to Ag class, we did a unit on the various cuts of meat and took a field trip to the local slaughter house, where we experienced the entire process.  From start to finish.

Like, everything.

Live cow.  Dead cow.  Skinned cow.  Cuts of meat.

I think back on that now and can't even believe that was a school-approved activity...but I'm thinking of it in terms of present day.

Back in the day, it's what we did.  There wasn't much discussion about it because, after all, that is the natural process of what goes on between the cow standing in the field and the hamburger or steak we eat.  Plain and simple.

We are meat eaters and accept that that is the process.

We are also Christians and believe that animals like a cow, for instance, were created by God to nourish our bodies.

I can only imagine what kind of chaos would ensue if this field trip were suggested today.  We must protect our kids from these horrific images - you know, the blood, the guts, the gore.  It could cause real psychological damage.

But it's okay if they watch gory movies and play bloody video games because they're only pretend.

Oh, how I wish sometimes we were back in the day...

The Dynamic Mouser Duo

Sunday afternoon the kids were in the living room playing a game and I heard Lane scream (he screams like a girl - it's pitiful).  I ran out there and he was standing over a very small gray thing on the floor in front of the television.  It was so small that I had to bend down to make out what it was. It was a deceased baby mouse that looked like it had been through the wringer (might I suggest repeatedly) at some point in the past few days.  It was not a fresh kill.  Ugh.

I scooped up the carcass and threw it out the back door.  We carried on as usual.  And by "usual" I mean, it is not necessarily unusual for us to have dead (or live) creatures brought into the house by the felines.

The weather has been so glorious.  It was super silly to be running the air conditioner, so Jay got the screens out and put them in the living room windows.  In the past, we have ignored the fact that our windows came with screens and opened them anyway...hence the dead (or live) varmints brought into the house by our vicious kitties.

The screens solved the problem of the kitties and the windows, however, now that we have Moxie and she is in the early stages of potty-training, leaving the sliding patio door open is a must when she's inside.  If you miss her split-second stare at the back door to go out, she pees right there.  (And I do mean she has a bladder control problem because it's mere seconds.)  I've found it's much easier to keep the door open a little.

I can only assume that the nasty, baby mouse carcass was carried in through the back door by one of the sweet kittens.

Sunday evening, Jay, Madolyn & I are sitting on our bed chatting (I know, amazing, but my 14-year-old likes to do that every now and then).  All of a sudden, as calm as could be, Madolyn looks down at the floor by our bedroom door and says, "There is a big fat mouse."  Her expression was pretty flat, she wasn't overly excited, screaming and carrying on (unlike her brother earlier).  Jay and I didn't take her serious at all.  She repeated herself and we waited for her to make a joke about it...

And then we both leaned forward and discovered there was a very fat mouse just inside our bedroom door, with a drip of blood coming out of its ear.  Jay quickly hopped off the bed, got a dirty sock and threw the wounded mouse outside.

Neither one of us could believe how Madolyn, who is terrified of the tiniest of spiders, was not freaking out over the bloodied mouse staring up at her.  She remained surprisingly calm and then started laughing at us.  (We weren't quite as calm.)  

I know what you're thinking, oh my gosh, what is wrong with you people?  I can't say as though I have a decent answer.  I guess my personal thoughts are, I'd rather pick up a bloody mouse and toss it outside than clean up a pee puddle.

Here's to hoping Moxie's potty training and patience progress quickly...so we can shut that back door to keep the wounded prey out of our house.

the Dynamic Mouser Duo on break

As for the Dynamic Duo there, they need to kill whatever they attack and keep it outside.

Bunny fun

After the 4H fair, our neighbor boys gave their 4H rabbits to our kids.  As we have been around this block before, Jay told the kids the only way the bunnies were coming home with us if we did not have to cage and take care of them.  Sounds perfect, huh?  The kids agreed and Marshmallow & Midnight came to live at our farm.  Marshmallow was completely white and Midnight was completely black.  Go figure.

The rabbits stayed near the barn and occasionally we would see them zipping around through the woods, around the barn, near the pool, darting here and there.  Then all of a sudden, Midnight went AWOL.  We can only assume he was eaten by a bear...or something.

Early on it was discovered that the rabbits were living in the loft of the barn.  Funny imagining them hopping up and down the barn stairs!  The kids found the area they would snuggle up in the insulation (sounds cozy, huh?) in the 90+ degree weather.  UGH.  And then the kitties spotted them.

Look close, see Boots by the tire, the all-white rabbit and Josie right next to it.

The daily ritual began.  Early in the morning when the kitties went outside to explore, they would meet up with their friend, the white rabbit, and play.  No joke.  They played together.  One morning we saw Moxie, Boo and Marshmallow out there circling one another.  It was hysterical. Who would've thought a Bloodhound puppy, kitten and rabbit could play together safely?!

Marshmallow, the all-white rabbit, who simply cannot hide or camouflage itself had not been seen since the Quackdaddy's surprise party and we feared it, too, had succumbed to nature's fury.  Alas, Jay texted this morning and said Marshmallow has been spotted!

Now I'm starting to wonder...did this little hiatus involve a litter of baby bunnies?  The kids tell me both rabbits were males, but I still wonder why Marshmallow was gone so long.  I'm curious to know if our backyard will soon be a bunny-play zone...or perhaps a bunny prey-zone.

Two mice have been slain by our ravenous kitties this week...this could get interesting.  Hunger Games, take 2.

Paying it forward

A new command I give you:  Love one another.  As I have loved you, so you must love one another. John 13:34  (NIV)

Be devoted to one another in love.  Honor one another above yourselves. Romans 12:10 (NIV)

I saw on the news there was a pay-it-forward marathon so-to-speak at a Starbucks somewhere in Florida.  Around 7:00 a.m. one morning a lady ordering herself a specialty drink paid for hers and the person's behind her, setting off a chain reaction at that Starbucks which lasted until around 6:00 p.m. that evening.  378 people in a row kept paying it forward.  (Don't you wonder if the 379th person understood what was going on?)

A friend of mine on FB posted a few days ago something in regards to the Starbucks story, paraphrasing, don't people realize if they want to pay it forward there are people who need more essential things like formula, diapers, food, etc., not a high-dollar latte.  I understand where he is coming from sort of.  I so wanted to post a reply and decided not to cause a debate on his page, or make him feel bad.

So here goes my thoughts on the subject...

Paying it forward is an act of kindness, hopefully stemming from a loving heart.  Whether you're paying it forward through a monetary gift or doing a good deed, the idea behind it is doing something for someone else without expecting anything in return.  No strings attached.  Here is a gift...just because.

I love the idea of the randomness of paying for someone's order behind you in the drive-thru.  In the moment, you make a decision without deep thought, no judgments.  Does the person really need it? Are they deserving?  It's not about whether the person you're paying it forward to can afford it or deserves it.  If that's why you're doing it, then you're missing the point.

Jesus commands us to love one another and put others before us.  He doesn't leave much room for interpretation or set out a list of qualification guidelines.  I have no doubt Jesus delights in donations made to those in serious need...just as he would if you bought a stranger a cup of coffee.  It's all about love.

And you never know when you're entertaining angels...  Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some have unwittingly entertained angels. Hebrews 13:2 (NKJV)

What were you doing...

thirteen years ago, about 7:45 a.m.?  I remember it clearly.  I was doing what I always did Monday through Friday, I was driving down Route 1 on my way to work.  My mother called me, which was a little unusual because I had just dropped Madolyn off at her house.  I was passing through an area where I didn't have great reception, but I was able to answer her call.  I heard every word she said, but was perplexed by it.  It didn't really click with me the enormity of the situation until I got to work and turned on my computer.

I remained glued to that computer almost all day.  Watching the coverage, reading the latest updates, waiting for what was to happen next.  Wondering how it would affect me...I mean, really affect me on a personal level.  Because isn't that what we are all really worried about when it comes down to a situation like that.  How will my life change?

I didn't know anyone that was murdered by the terrorists.  I live miles and miles away from New York, Pennsylvania and the Pentagon, it doesn't really affect me.  Oh, but it did, and still does.

It's one of those life-changing events.  We all have them, whether on a personal level or something like this.  You hear the elder generation talking about where they were when they got the news that President Kennedy had been assassinated,when John Lennon was killed, about the attack on Pearl Harbor, when Elvis died, etc. Unfortunately, I'm compiling my own list like that, the Challenger disaster, Princess Diana's death, 9/11, Hurricane Katrina, etc.

On the evening of  9/11 when I left work, I tried to get gas and it was a nightmare.  There were lines at every gas station, causing traffic jams (even in little Lawrenceville), the gas prices had been jacked way up, but everyone was still in a panic and determined to get what they could right then..before it wasn't available at all.  Because that was the fear, that afternoon for me at least...not knowing what the future would hold, scared the gasoline supply would be shut off.  My plan that evening was to top off the tank, no matter what the cost, and get home to watch and wait...wondering if it the attacks were over.

Hearing amazing stories that would come out of the tragedy later brought some sense of light to the darkness caused that day.  There were many who became heroes, some lived to tell about it, others did not.  I cannot even begin to understand what it would've been like to have received a telephone call from a loved one, who moments later, would be crushed to death.  It seems surreal.

I wonder what our kids will think of this history lesson.  Will they understand how scary it was that day, waiting to see if there would be more attacks, wondering if there were terrorists planted throughout the United States waiting to set off a chain reaction of destruction and despair?  My guess is they will not get it, unfortunately, until they have their own life-changing event like I mentioned before.  I know I sure didn't.

The Quackdaddy is 70!

Twenty years ago, I thought seventy was old.  Now, I'm thinking it doesn't seem so bad.  Today, The Quackdaddy is turning 70 years.

Yesterday we surprised him with a birthday party.  Mom came up with the idea and had been planning it for weeks.  Our rouse was a family photo session, and because it would've been pretty tricky to prepare for a party at his house, the party was thrown at our house.  We live back off the road and unless the Quack is checking cows (which does happen daily), he wouldn't notice the party prep going on.  (It's always good to have an excuse to get things done around the place, you know.)

It has been so funny trying to sneak around to make the preparations for this party.  Last week, after a morning of dove hunting, the Quack was dropping Jay off at our house when my brother pulls up with his gas grill.  He unloads it and tells Jay that I said Jay could fix it.  Jay is perplexed.  He looks the grill over and says he'll see what he can do...dad walks to his truck and my brother says, "That's all I could think of!" Ah-ha, it took a while, but Jay finally caught on.

Saturday mom bought some supplies at Walmart while we were at a volleyball tournament because dad had to do something else and couldn't go.  On her way home, she was going to drop the stuff off at our house.  Jay & I were just pulling out of our driveway to go to Lane's football game when dad pulled up on the mule (no, not the four-legged type) and asked where mom was, she wasn't answering her phone.  I assured him that she was on her way home from the tournament, she had stayed a little longer than I did.

I roll the window up and tell Jay that I hope he turns around and goes home (and not back to our house like normal) because mom is on her way with the supplies.  Thankfully, dad did turn around to go home.  We turn the opposite direction of my parent's house and meet my mom, who had driven the long way around to avoid driving past her house on her way to my house.  She stayed down in the dip in the road at the neighbor's until she could see dad pull into their driveway and then proceeded to our house to unload.

We met at the pond over on the family farm for pictures at 3:30.  Our guests were to arrive at our house by 4:30 and we hoped to be there by 5.  I guess no one had communicated to my brother the timeline and it was hilarious that he kept making comments like, well, I have an appointment with my couch soon, I think that's enough pictures, etc.  All the while mom and I are saying, oh, we should probably go somewhere else and get some different pictures.   My dad then starts rushing everything because he thinks Mark really needs to be somewhere.  Finally, I whisper to Mark the timing situation.  It was so funny because suddenly he was wanting more pictures.  Our photographer knew what was up so she went with it.

Mom made signs and had them up and down the driveway greeting our guests and the birthday boy.   Mom said dad noticed the first one, flew past the second one too quick to read and by the time he reached the third one, he was picking up on something.  He said he thought it was a church party until he saw "Phil's" truck.  Somehow he had no idea.  We pulled off a big surprise.

The Quack parked way down at the end of the line of cars parked along the driveway so this was the best picture my friend could capture.  I'm hoping our photographer grabbed a couple too.  (I'm so bummed I didn't walk around and take pictures during the party!)

Lucky for our guests, we were pig-free as of last Tuesday, and no stinky odors were looming.   And as of Saturday mid-afternoon we were bee-free, thanks in part to Jay being stung 18 times and torching a couple nests.  (Thankfully, he is not allergic to them.)  Jay set up the camper television for the football junkies and everyone positioned their chairs around that.  Heaven forbid, we sacrifice Sunday NFL.  We had a new fire ring to try out and it proved to be functioning.  By sunset, the fire felt pretty good.

There were 55 people there (if my calculation is accurate) and the weather was perfect.  A big thanks to my aunt, uncle and the Spank for grilling and getting everything set up and ready while we were taking pictures.

I think a good time was had by all.  And hopefully we got one decent family photo out of it :)

About a year...

It's quickly approaching - the one-year mark of the passing of Grandma Great.  Some days it feels like she has been gone forever and other days it seems like I was just talking to her as we enjoyed a block of Kraft sharp cheese and saltines.   It seems like it took about six months for it to really bother me that she was gone.  There have been moments this summer where I really, really missed being able to tell her something.   Here are a few examples...

When I learned that Lane won Grand Champion Barrow Overall at the Martinsville fair, and had done so, almost entirely on his own because Jay and I were both at work, without thinking, my first thought was, I have to tell Grandma Great...and then it dawned on me that I couldn't.  I was just going into court and when it hit me, that I could not go tell her after work, I got that lump in my throat.  Ugh.  Then, as Jay and I always do, we try to imagine what she would say and mimic her saying it.  I'm guessing she would have probably said something like, "Oh, that sweet thang, bless his little heart."

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, Madolyn played in her very first piano recital this summer having practiced for the last ten months on Grandma's prized piano.  Again, the lump in the throat...Grandma Great would've beamed with pride.

Now a fifth grader, Lane was given the opportunity to pick an instrument to learn and join band.  Of course, I was thinking one of two things, 1) there is no way the Bud is going to play in the band; and 2)  I bet he picks the drums.  And of course, I was wrong on both counts.  The Bud did want to play in the band and the Bud chose the Trumpet as his instrument of choice.  Heaven help us, he loves that thing.  I cracked up on the inside because I think it's hilarious and instantly thought, oh my, Grandma Great would get a kick out of this for sure.  She would cackle and slap her knee...and probably ask me how in the world he got hooked on the trumpet.  Who knows - would most certainly be my response.

Last week in the local newspaper there was a picture of Lane playing football.  She was notorious for cutting out newspaper clippings, making a notation on them and storing them away in the dresser drawer located in the west bedroom.  Again, it hit me that she won't be saving that newspaper clipping...

Jay is training for an Ultra running race in November.  It's insane.  We all agree.  (Sometimes I think he does too.)  I can just see her leaning down with her hands on her thigh, looking me in the eye and asking, "What is wrong with him?" and then laughing because even she loved Jay and his crazy ideas.

We had our annual Kannmacher reunion a couple weeks ago.  Last year Grandma attended and we had some family pictures taken.  I'm so thankful that we got that picture with her before she got real bad.  We were few in numbers at the reunion and I missed not filling her plate and taking her picture as she visited with her nieces.

Madolyn and my two nieces, Liz and Caitlin, are playing volleyball together this year and will be on the court all at once.  She would've been very proud of her great-granddaughters playing for the Bluestreaks and would've asked me for the low-down on every game.

I could go on and on...

I sure miss that spunky 'ole gal.

Contentment & Attitude

I'm not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.  I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty.  I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want.  I can do all this through Him who gives me strength.  Philippians 4:11-13 (NIV)

I've always been a big believer in having a glass-is-half-full type of attitude.  If you focus on the negative, you will become consumed with the negative.  If you focus on the positive, you're always hopeful.  I still believe it.

All of us need an attitude adjustment every now and then.  This Spring I was forced to give myself one.  I was becoming consumed with negative thoughts of my job.  I was bored to tears and very frustrated with the fact that it suddenly occurred to me I was about 25% court reporter/75% secretary, and more importantly 85% bored.  I have nothing against secretaries or if I was one 100% of the time, but I went to school to be a court reporter.  I went to school to type really fast on my shorthand machine...not to answer the telephone, with a majority of the phone calls intended for another office within the courthouse, and not just to sit here and look busy.  I was drowning in this revelation.  And it was really getting me down.

We had our annual court reporting seminar in April and I got to hang out with my former circuit girls.  I literally puked out my frustrations with them and others.  And I don't know if it was that exercise, spewing from my lips to people that understood how frustrated I was, that finally did it or what, but on the way home, it clicked that I had two choices.  I could either accept my current position, the good and the bad, and change my attitude about it, or consume myself with pity and dread coming to work every single day.

I'd also been struggling with painful arms, shoulders, neck, wrists and hands.  For some reason, I suddenly made the connection.  If I was doing more of my actual court reporting work, I am not sure my upper body could take it.  For real.  Could I even handle being 75% court reporter?   If I get what I want, I may not be able to handle it physically.  Duh.

It was like God was telling me:  Sarah, shut up and do your job, the one I have given you.  I put you there, I know what is best for you.  Just be content with the situation and find the good.

So, here I am, content with the situation as best I can be.  I have a very good job with stability.  I am fortunate to at least being doing a little of what I enjoy and went to school for.  Some are never blessed with such an opportunity.

None of us know what tomorrow holds.  I don't know if my body could take the physical demands of being a full-time court reporter anymore.  But I can do the job I have right now.  After the change in attitude and outlook on the situation, I'm fully content (well, almost) with the situation at work.  (There's always room for improvement: see glass half-full rationale.)

And my goodness, when I look around outside my own little box, I can see many folks who have a lot to be depressed about.  Wouldn't they love to trade me for just one day of my 'frustrations'?

The definition of contentment is: the state of being happy and satisfied.  Our outlook on life and attitude has such a powerful hold over the joy in life.  It is mostly within our control.  Today, I choose to see the good.  Today, I choose contentment.