Over the holidays, we will be traveling across the country to see our daughter and her husband in Utah.  Yep, it’s a 20 hour car ride.  So, I’m thinking about what I need to bring along to make the time fly (since I can’t).   I’d appreciate your suggestions.  Keep in mind we are packing 18 years worth of our daughter’s memorabilia and special-somethings in the van, so space is limited.  Also take into consideration that 5 adults will be enjoying close-knit family time, so we all need to be as annoying-free as possible.  That reminds me, I’ll bring my knitting.

Here’s my list so far:

1. Knitting needles and yarn.  I shouldn’t need much yarn since I usually make a mistake about halfway through a scarf and have to unravel it all anyway.  (I don’t know how to pick up dropped stitches yet.)   I’ll knit through Iowa, unravel through Nebraska, knit through Wyoming, unravel through Utah.

2.  Ipod.  I need to remember to download some free podcasts and put all my Christmas music back on.  Thank you, Lord, for ipods.  I couldn’t stand to listen to my kids’ music.  What?  They feel the same about mine?  No way.

3.  Books:  I’m bringing “Radical” by David Platt.  (I had to wait 4 months on inter-library loan for this book.  Gonna be good.)  Oh, and my favorite, “Diary of Private Prayer” by John Baillie.  (See Oct. 6 post)  It’s always good to have some prayers handy in case we hit a blizzard in Cheyenne.  Magazines: Country Sampler, Shop Smart, Real Simple, Bible Study (yes, there is a magazine called Bible Study).  

4.  Videos:  Two sweet friends gave me the PBS presentation of “Emma” for my birthday.  My daughter and I will torture the boys with Jane Austin.  And talk in High English accents for miles and miles.  That shouldn’t be too annoying.

5.  Snacks: Granola bars, string cheese, apples.  Licorice. 

6.  Idea notebook.  You never know when inspiration will hit.  Plus, it’s always fun to record quotes from grouchy people in the backseat, unless I’m the grouchy person in the backseat.

7.  Computer.  Blogging on the road might be fun.  Solitaire will come in handy during hours 16-20.

8.  Camera.  Expect to see lots of pics of people sleeping in awkward positions in reclined car seats.  There will be numerous photos of treeless landscapes and a long ribbon of highway, I have a feeling. 

9. Crossword puzzles:  I’ve been stashing the daily newspaper crossword away for a few weeks.  I’ll try not to cheat by looking at the answers in the next day’s issue.

So, what else should be on my list?

Walking the dog is my job most of the time, which is really okay with me.  Before the sun rises, Bo and I walk around the neighborhood; she sniffs for rabbits, I listen to praise music on my ipod and talk to God.  If we didn’t have a dog, I’d be less likely to get up and go every morning, so I guess you could say Bo has contributed significantly to my spiritual life.  I’ve found I like getting up early to greet the day with a breath of fresh air on nice spring, summer and fall mornings.  Winter, though….not so much.  So my husband and I have worked out a system.  When Daylight Savings Time ends in the fall, he takes over the morning dog routine on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, while I have Friday through Monday.  Not quite even, but then again, there are an odd number of days in the week.   

Imagine my delight this morning, as we were discussing the coming transfer of dog duties, when he made a remarkable suggestion.  “How about a duet walk on Saturdays?  We could walk Bo together and go get a coffee.”  A duet walk.  Never in my life have I heard anything so sweet come from my man.  A duet walk.  I was astonished and amazed.  Instead of suggesting we take turns on Saturday, letting the other sleep in, he proposed a duet.

I guess that’s what we have been these past thirty-one years: a duet.  Each one playing a melody, but harmonizing with each other to create a life that neither could produce on our own.  There have been some dissonant times, probably when we just weren’t listening very well to each other; but, oh, when we’re on the same page and in sync with each other…..

From now on I am going to introduce him as my duet partner.

While my husband and I were on our first real vacation ever (I’m still dreaming about it), we ventured into town to take a look around.  I was intriuged by a sign adveritsing “Buck Snort Coffeehouse”.  I told my man I just HAD to get a coffee at Buck Snort.  Imagine my disappointment when we found the front door locked and building empty.  Evidently Buck Snort Coffeehouse was no longer in business, so I had to settle for a picture by the front sign.

And a picture by the sign on the side of the building. 

We went next door to the gift shop and asked the owner about the empty building.  And the sign.  She dialed up the owner, Inga, and handed the phone to my hubby.  He was a little startled, but talked to Inga about the sign, expressing interest in buying it.  Inga was perplexed, but said she’d get back to us.  Two days later, we checked back with the gift shop owner and once again, was handed the phone with Inga on the line.    “Okay,”  she said, “would $25 be too much?” 

So we hopped on over to the empty coffeehouse and unscrewed the sign (after borrowing a screw driver from a guy with tools in the back of his pick-up truck.  I love small towns!  He and his buddy and the gift shop lady all came out to watch us take down the sign.)  Then we left $25 in an envelope with Inga’s name on it at the gift shop.  We smiled all the way back to our cabin on the lake.  We smiled every time we got in the car and looked at the sign. 

 I smile every time I walk in my back door and see the “Buck Snort Coffeehouse” sign hanging in my ktichen.

There’s nothing prettier than the morning sun shining through jars of freshly canned grape juice.

In fact, I woke up my husband this morning and made him come out to the kitchen to view the breath-taking sight. He appreciates things like this. It’s one of the things I love most about him.

In the bleak midwinter, this grape juice will taste heavenly. Right now, it’s probably a little weak, but given time, this is grape juice at its finest. It needs to set awhile, soak awhile, sleep awhile. One raw, bitterly cold and snowy January evening, my hubby will pop some popcorn, I’ll get out the cribbage board, and we’ll pop open one of these jars. We’ll strain out the grapes and have a taste of late summer goodness.

Those wrinkly old grapes will have turned water into wine (well, juice, really). Miraculous!

As I get older and wrinklier (is that a word?) I hope I seep out enough flavor to leave a little beauty and sweetness in the world. As God steeps us in the ordinary, may we create something extra-ordinary. Perhaps even miraculous.

Vacation.  I highly recommend it.  I’ve never been on a real vacation before.  Oh, sure, we did some trips with the kids when they were young.  But traveling with little ones is not truly relaxing.  Memorable, but not relaxing.  And we’ve taken some time off to attend weddings, family gatherings and conferences.  Spending time with large groups of people is fun, but not necessarily relaxing.  I’ve always been anxious to return home and get back to a regular routine, and try to rest up from vacation.

We actually did it up right last week.  And for the first time, I wasn’t itching to get back home.  I experienced relaxation, refreshment and a restoring of my soul.  Here’s how to do it:

1.  Wait until the kids are old enough to fend for themselves, and responsible enough to take care of the dog.  ( It took us 31 years….)

2.  Pack a few clothes, a lot of books and fishing poles. 

3.  Drive north for about 4 hours.

4.  Find a cabin on a lake and move in.  Walk out onto the dock and drink in the sights, sounds, and smells.  Be amazed. 

5.  Take a deep breath and let all the knots, worries, concerns, problems and frets go.  Just let it all go.

6.  Repeat several times a day, every day, for as long as you possibly can.

Now, that’s a vacation.  You’ve got to try it.

I’m running away today.  With my husband.  Without my cell phone or computer.  No TV, no internet, no texting.  Only a bagful of books and journals, a boat, and a cribbage board.  I am beside myself with giddiness!

TTFN  (Ta-Ta For Now)

This is why I love baseball.

        I love baseball because I love these two baseball players.       

  One son starts the game ….

and the other son closes the game.

Some days are glorious, some are painful.

Losing hurts worse than winning feels good.

But even in the painful times, they have each other. 

I don’t really love baseball.  I like baseball.

I really love them.

I just found my great-great-grandmother last week.  I didn’t know she was  in the same town in which I reside.  In fact, she’s only two blocks down the street!  Imagine my surprise when I found her!  We had a rather one-sided conversation, however, because unfortunately, she died in 1862.  How I would have loved to ask her a hundred questions. 

What was it like being the wife of a large plantation owner in Virginia?  Did you lose the plantation when your husband died?  Why did you and your three married children and their families all move to the midwest in 1851?  Did you have a say in this adventure or did your children insist you come along?  What was it like traveling across the country with five grandchildren, ages 9, 6, 2 and two infants?  What was our town like in the mid 1800s?  Why did you settle in this town?  So many questions I’d like to ask.

Moving is not easy for me.  But when we came to this town six years ago, I didn’t have to pack up a wagon and ride hundreds of miles across rough terrain.  I didn’t have to say goodbye to a childhood home I would never see again.  Somehow, it’s comforting to know that my great-great-grandmother came before me and that for some reason, we have both been destined to leave our marks on this place. 

Thank you for being brave, Sarah Roe Newbill Powell, and venturing out to the new state of Wisconsin.  I don’t know what brought you here and I don’t know if you were happy here, but I’m glad you were here.   I’ll stop by every once in a while to say hi.

This is Bo, our Boggle (Boston Terrier/Beagle combo).  She is usually camera-shy, but gave me this sweet look before running from the camera.  Bo is pretty much scared of everything.  If the big blue exercise ball is in the room, she won’t come through the door.  When the vacuum cleaner starts up, she high-tails it to the farthest corner of the house.  When the camera is pointed in her direction, she turns away and tiptoes out of the room.  She won’t play fetch because she’s afraid of the tennis ball.  It’s a sad way to live.

When she goes to bed at night, we put up a flimsy piece of cardboard to keep her in her corner.  If she wanted to, she could knock it over with the tip of her nose, but for some reason she thinks the cardboard is impenetrable.  Bo is convinced that she is powerless.  This dog is fed, bathed, petted, walked, given treats, talked to, and loved.  But something is holding her back from her true dog-ly-ness and we’ll probably never know what it is. 

Know anybody like that?

You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the undogly… I mean, ungodly.  Romans 5:6  (Sorry.)

It’s been a glorious few days, with all the little birdies back in the nest.  That means all the kids were home at the same time for a stretch.  For the life of me, I can’t remember how I ever managed to cope when they were all under the roof all the time.  I must have had more energy.  I must have been younger.  I must have never slept.  Add in a son-in-law, and a few girlfriend/boyfriends and kapowie – we don’t even all fit around the dinner table. 

The prospect of all four children going forth and multiplying someday is mind-boggling.  If all four of them get married and have four kids, that will mean…. um……  hold on, I’m getting out the calculator…. that will mean I will need to cook for 26 people.  And if I am blessed to live long enough to see great-grandchildren and they keep procreating at the same rate, I could wind up with…. just a minute…. 64 great-grandchildren.  How will I remember all their birthdays?  How many batches of chocolate chip cookies will I need to make?  I don’t have enough silverware.  Or chairs.

I’m getting a little ahead of myself I suppose. 

It’s been a glorious few days.  But it’s been a little like a Tilt-O-Whirl ride.  Time to get back in the swing.