Monday, March 29, 2010

Today

I think I can finally breathe - between bouts of coughing. I am going to be ok, but this is the worst it's ever been. Back to pulmonologist, asap!

Monday, March 22, 2010

Ahem! Borrowed

from Ross McSwain's column "Out Yonder"

Thought for the week:

Never buy anything with a handle on it - it means work.

Friday, March 19, 2010

Friday Five

The Friday five this week has to do with movie going. I am having a very hard time copying and pasting just now, so just decided to muse about movies without the format.

Movies - Ummmmm. Well, we talk a lot about going, but somehow we never do it. This may sound nuts to you, but it takes a lot of effort to get your body up and dressed and find the (large amount!) of money required. Then drive to the movies, get a ticket and - aggggh! climb up the ramp and hope there will be something to hold on to as you climb in the dark and try to find a seat without falling all over the place. Plus I can't go without ear plugs, because the decibel level is insane. And deafening. It's just easier to stay home. So we do.

There are exceptions, though. We succumbed to the advertisements and my love of science fiction and went to see Avatar. Not sci-fi, but really good fantasy. It goes without saying that we go to all of the Harry Potter movies. I could live in that world, but we would have to have church. Somehow that wouldn't fit, so I just look on from afar. There are others we really want to see but it is just - as I said - easier to stay home and wait for it to come out on TV. While I was away this last weekend at Spinners Camp, Dad ordered HBO. Apparently he has been wanting this as he explained to me that it really was worth the extra cost. Whatever makes him happy --- maybe some of these movies will be on that.

We could go and rent a movie, but the player doesn't work. In fact we lost one of the controls and have to turn it on and off at the site. We can change channels, however. Did you guess that we are pathetically ill adapted to this technological world in which we live? You would be right. , if I rent movies I will surely forget where I put them, and they get tetchy about these things - they want late money. We remember what life was like before all of these new technologies. They are all wonderful, and would be better if they would work for us. However, there are always books. We are the favorites of the library. We keep their circulation numbers way up. And I usually find the books I have lost sooner or later. They wait, not always patiently, but they wait.

So --- this is how it is with movies and the Butlers. We read, we nap and we watch what we can get on TV. And we are happy with it. That's all that really matters.

Thursday, March 18, 2010

Long time, no blog...

Sorry about that.

Recent news, my former husband has just died. He had been very ill for quite some time, and this is the natural consequence of that. Our daughter Sarah and my grandson Marshall have gone to Jacksonville for the funeral. Sarah had just needed to have one of her beloved dogs put down, also, so this is really a hard time for her. Everybody hold her in your prayers, please. They will be home late Saturday night. Her two half brothers will stay with their mom for awhile, as is right and proper.

Mary Beth and I have just returned from Wildflower Spinners camp, at Lake Tyler in east Texas. We go every year and it just gets better and better. This year I returned with new toys, some fleece and many new skills. I am so pleased that Mary Beth is enjoying spinning. I gave her one of the wheels to live at her house. She is really quite good at this spinning. It took me much longer to learn. The food was typical of Earth Mother people (which is most spinners). A great deal of raw food and yogurt and tabbouleh and things for vegetarians and non vegetarians. And then, for some reason, after being super healthy, the desserts are sinfully delicious. Typical. Earth mothers do things their own way.

Many of these women raise their own sheep. goats and camelids ( llamas, guanacos, etc.) and we were given samples of all these fibers. We carded those that needed it and MB is going to spin and make a sampler scarf. Maybe. I hope. Next post I hope to have a photo of a huge room full of women with spinning wheels. It's a sight to see.

Dad has been ill, but seems to be getting better. With better weather, I think we all will feel more alive. The pecan trees in Denton are budding, which always means no more freezes. I have not found one here to check as yet, but a freeze is forecast for the weekend. Gotta go find that tree and check.

Nancy and co. are returning this weekend from their annual skiing vacation. The photos are great and I look forward to having the kids tell me all about it. I only got as far as water skiing - no snow in Florida. It seems to me that water skiing is safer. If you get in trouble, just let go the rope and you are safe in the water till the boat comes around for you. We learned to ski in the Gulf of Mexico and the best is jumping the waves and the wake from the boat.

I plan to start going to Mertzon once a week to tutor some of the kids in Nancy's class who are having reading problems. Then, I will stay and start teaching a Bible class, with the ultimate hope of either bringing people in to church, and/or starting a mission there.

Later......

Monday, March 1, 2010

Oops

Mally's field at the science fair was micro biology. FYI