lighting the advent candles

When the pastor called Tuesday and asked if the girls and I would mind lighting the advent candle today, my first question was, "What does that involve?"

I was raised in the Church of Christ, attended Baptist churches later on, and am still a member of the Assembly of God.  The Church of Christ didn't believe in celebrating Christmas at all, and as far as I know, the other two don't do the Advent thing. 

I really don't like getting up in front of a group, but the early services at St. Luke are casual, and not that many folks attend it.  So I agreed.

The girls and I practiced our reading all week, and I must say they did great.  The only fly in the ointment was that Natalie couldn't figure out how to work this particular lighter; she insisted on trying again and again, but I finally took over.  This was no big deal to any of us; perhaps some members of the congregation got a smile from it.

Patrick's Saturday Six

 
1. Is it a "Christmas Tree" or a "Holiday Tree?"  A Christmas tree, of course. 

2. When you purchase a DVD, what of the following are you most interested in watching first: the movie itself, the director's commentary, the deleted scenes, the bloopers or the behind-the-scenes documentary, and why?  the movie itself 

3. What would you most like to accomplish before the year is over?  As always... lose weight.  (I know, it's a boring answer) 

4. Take this quiz: After you enter your birthday, you'll be given a lot of facts about your age and astrology: How old are you in dog years?    Your age is the equivalent of a dog that is 8.77886497064579 years old. (You old hound dog, you!)
 

5. From the same quiz, what does it say your "Life Path Number" is, and do you agree with its description?

5

A Life Path 5 person is usually very versatile, adventurous, and progressive. With a 5 life path, you are one of those people who is always striving to find answers to the many questions that life poses. You want to be totally unrestrained, as this is the sign of freedom and independence. You abhor routine and boring work, and you are not very good at staying with everyday tasks that must be finished on time. You are, however, a good communicator, and you know how to motivate people around you, perhaps inclining you to be a teacher of some sort. A love of adventure may dominate your life. This may take the form of mental or physical manifestation, but in either case, you thrill to the chance for exploration and blazing new trails. You are apt to be multi-talented, but just as likely to suffer from some lack of direction, and there is often some confusion surrounding your ambition.

By george, a lot of that fits me.  "Lack of direction" especially, and "not good at staying with everyday tasks...".

6. Do you have a piece of jewelry with your birthstone in it? If so, how often do you wear it?  Not jewelry (because I seldom wear jewelry) but my friend Joanna gave me a lovely rosary with my birthstone.   I'm not Catholic, but I so enjoy going to sleep listening to Mother Angelica and the nuns saying the rosary on TV; I mentioned to Joanna I wanted a rosary and, like a true friend, she obliged me.  I'm so spoiled. 

If you want to do the Six, be sure and leave your link at Patrick's Weekender.

You thought Thanksgiving was over?

I'm fixing Thanksgiving dinner today.  Even though I had a perfectly nice turkey dinner in Wisconsin last week.

See, the problem with eating Thanksgiving dinner away from home is that there are no leftovers.  Oh, and everyone else makes the stuffing in a seperate pan; I like mine in the bird, and around it in the roasting pan, soaking up all that lovely grease.  (Have I mentioned I'm gaining weight since I quit work?) 

Besides, I wanted a holiday meal with my daughter, who spent Thanksgiving Day with Kevin;  her kids AND her parents were out of town.  I'd love to have my son's family with us too, but it's a long way here from Georgia.

So the turkey and dressing will soon go in the oven.  I have deviled eggs made, and two pumpkin pies, and five-cup salad.  Normally I'd have several desserts, but it's only pumpkin pie this time.  Unless I want to slice into the fruitcake I made last night, but it really needs to be left alone for a week or so.  This may be the last home-made fruitcake ever; the ingredients cost around $25. 

I'll make mashed potatoes and giblet gravy and rolls and green beans and possibly some glazed carrots.

Cliff's sister and her husband will join us for the meal.  It'll be a great day.

The most miserable Thanksgivings and Christmases in my past were the ones when my son and his family were in Germany and Rachel and her family were in Carthage having dinner with Kevin's parents.  A couple of those years we went to the nursing home where my mom spent her last years and took her out to eat, but it wasn't a festive time.

I'm thankful that now there are people who live close enough that I can feed them any time I feel like cooking.

                                                                                      FIVE-CUP SALAD

1 cup marshmellows, 1 cup sour cream, 1 cup coconut, 1 cup chunk pineapple, and one can of mandarin oranges.  Stir gently, cover, and let sit in the refrigerator several hours or overnight.  Good stuff.

Robin's 5er

                                            

1.  Where is the furthest you have traveled for Christmas and will you be traveling this year?  We traveled to Georgia one year to visit our son and his family, four or five years ago... our first visit there, I think.  No traveling this year.

2.  Do you celebrate any other holiday this month? Kwanza? Chanukah? Festivus?  None unless you count New Year's Eve, when we stay up with the granddaughters and throw confetti.

3. Who is the hardest person to shop for on your Christmas list and why do you think they are so hard to buy for?  We no longer buy for anyone but grandchildren.  The teenagers are hard to buy for, so they get gift cards.  Now that I'm not working, it won't be very pricey gift cards, either.

4. How old were you when you stopped believing in Santa?  Probably 8  Extra credit if you have a picture of you with Santa!  This is me and my nephew, Larry with Santa

5. Fill in the blank;   For me Christmas just wouldn't be the same without _____?     Children!

Want to play along?  Find the quiz HERE and leave your link there.

Weekend assignment

John Scalzi's Weekend Assignment #88: The Good New Days

Taking a page off my long ramble about technology yesterday, a Weekend Assignment to make you glad you're alive right this moment:

Weekend Assignment #88: Talk about something people have today that you wished you had when you were a kid. Note this doesn't have to be a piece of technology -- it can be anything that's around now that wasn't around when you were a kid. Clearly, this assignment favors the older folks in the audience, but even the younger AOL Journalers can look around and find something that they wish they had back when they could try to convince their parents to buy it for them.

Computers, of course!  I'll bet lots of people give the same answer.

Extra Credit: Rocket car to the moon or robot butler: Which do you want more?

A robot butler.  I've no desire to visit the moon, but it would be great to have any kind of butler to do my housework while I play on the computer.

Want to play along?  Complete the assignment in your journal and leave the link to your entry at By The Way.

Shopping for a mower for our hay

Cliff has been using a sickle-bar mower to cut our hay for a long time now.  It's a simple implement, easy to maintain, and dependable.  It didn't cost much.  However, when we have a really heavy hay crop, it just can't handle it.  The mower gets clogged, and Cliff has to climb off the tractor and clean it off, then go again.  With a new alfalfa crop planted, that could get mighty tedious.

Cliff's been looking for a disk-mower for a long time, but he couldn't find one under $2,000 anywhere.  And he'd resolved not to pay over $1,500 for one. 

His brother, Phil, knew about this one and went with us to see it.  While there, I found plenty of interesting things to photograph; I'm glad I had my Carhart coveralls on, because it was COLD! 

There was a friendly horse there, but since she wasn't especially photogenic, I didn't take any shots of her; I just petted her.

Our timing was perfect; we were in Lexington at straight-up noon, so I got to eat at my favorite Mexican place.

                                               

Folk music

I am SO enjoying AOL radio's folk channel.  Unpretentious, crystal-clear songs that actually SAY something.  Of course, what the lyrics say doesn't seem to jive with my own political preferences, but that's OK.  It's all honest, and easily understood.  Like this one I discovered yesterday:

CHRISTMASTIME IN WASHINGTON.... Steve Earle

It's christmastime in washington
The democrats rehearsed
Getting into gear for four more years
Things not getting worse
The republicans drink whiskey neat
And thanked their lucky stars
They said, "he cannot seek another term
There'll be no more FDR's."

I sat home in tennessee
Staring at the screen
With an uneasy feeling in my chest
And I'm wonderin' what it means

Chorus:
So come back woody guthrie
Come back to us now
Tear your eyes from paradise
And rise again somehow
If you run into jesus
Maybe he can help you out
Come back woody guthrie to us now

I followed in your footsteps once
Back in my travelin' days
Somewhere I failed to find your trail
Now I'm stumblin' through the haze
But there's killers on the highway now
And a man can't get around
So I sold my soul for wheels that roll
Now I'm stuck here in this town

Chorus

There's foxes in the hen house
Cows out in the corn
The unions have been busted
Their proud red banners torn
To listen to the radio
You'd think that all was well
But you and me and cisco know
It's going straight to hell

So come back, emma goldman
Rise up, old joe hill
The barracades are goin' up
They cannot break our will
Come back to us, malcolm x
And martin luther king
We're marching into selma
As the bells of freedom ring

Chorus

  Or this one, by the man who wrote the M.A.S.H. theme (thanks Kevin):

WHITE WINOS          Loudan Wainwright III

Mother liked her white wine when she was alive
She was desperate to live but her limit was five
Carefully I'd kiss her and send her off to bed
We always stuck with white wine we stayed away from red
Always stick with white wine stay away from...

Mother liked her white wine she'd have a glass or two
Almost every single night after her day was through
Sancerre Chardonnay Chablis Pinot Grigio
Just to take the edge off just to get the glow
You've got to take the edge off if you want to get the...

Mother liked her white wine, she'd have a glass or three
And we'd sit out on the screen porch white winos mom and me
We'd talk about her childhood and recap my career
When we got to my father that was when I'd switch to beer
We got to the old man and I'd always switch to...

Mother liked her white wine she'd have a glass or four
Each empty bottle a dead soldier the marriage was the war
When we blurred the edges when we drank a lot
That's when I got nervous when the glow got hot
I always get nervous when the glow gets...

I still like my white wine and I'll have a glass or two
And when I'm down I'll drink some whiskey it's something I shouldn't do
Every now and then I'll take a drop of red
When I'm with a woman that I want to take to bed
When I'm with a woman that I want to take to...

Mother liked her white wine when she was alive
And she was desperate to live but her limit was five
Carefully I'd kiss her send her off to bed
Thank god we stuck with white wine and we stayed away from...
Mother liked her white wine

Not to mention the old songs you'd expect, from Bob Dylan and Peter, Paul, and Mary, and the Carter Family, and anyone else you associate with "folk". 

AOL, you've got me.  Again.