Chicken butt!
If you would have told me at any point in my life that there would come a time when I brought a chicken into my house to wash and blow-dry her tush, I'd have looked at you like you had lobsters crawling out of your ears. Sure, I've washed a lot of chickens in my time, but never the live veriety..and I've never blow-dried one, live or otherwise. Well, this afternoon, I did just that!
Poor Esther had made a mess of herself. If it were a chicken like Pearl, I'd have just waited until she cleaned herself up during one of the million and two dust (mud) baths she gives herself everyday. She's a pretty white chicken when she's all cleaned up but she prefers the bad girl biker look. Esther, however, is sort of like Miss Prissy on Foghorn Leghorn and I was sure she must have been horrified having other chickens looking at her in that condition. Kind of like when we went to DeWitte's snobby aunts house and she hadn't done the dishes yet so she wouldn't let us in the house.
So, this afternoon, I let the other girls out into their portable run and brought Miss Esther into the house. I put a warm wet rag on her nether regions, while Nathan held her and said "Gross!" a lot..I can't wait till he's a parent, that kid doesn't know from gross, and put her in a cage on the kitchen floor to give the gunk time to loosen up. We enjoyed the interaction between Esther and the cat. Esther acted like the cat must have been a ferocious chicken eating tiger, even though she's now twice the size of the cat and would surely win in a head to head match. Don't tell her, though, she thinks she's dainty. We evenutally locked the cat in the bathroom because it seemed like she was starting to believe the ferocious chicken eating tiger hype.
After that, it was time to really get in there and clean her up. I was kind of worried..the last time we tried to give an animal a bath that doesn't usually receive baths with the warmest of welcomes, was Cleo. DeWitte put a leash on her and attached it to the faucet, so she couldn't jump out, and she ended up flying around the tub in mid air like a cartoon cat and we had to replace the shower curtain. Esther didn't seem to mind, though. Throughout her back-end bath she seemed to kind of purr. I thought the blow drier would be a fight, too. My chickens are so chicken that they're eremikophobic, which means that if you put new sand in their run, they think it's gonna eat their face off. But, no, Esther just sat there and let me blow dry her like it was a five star feather salon. She even offered me a tip but I didn't take it, I just cleaned it up with a paper towel and washed my hands.
After she was dry, I took her back out and put her back with the other hens, who were all fighting over a three inch plot of mud. She just looked down her nose at them, turned around and shook her clean, fluffy butt.
Finished The Christmas Lamp by Lori Copeland.
I think this is another example of "books I like because I am completely exhausted and they are easy and sweet." And also, in this case, seasonally appropriate. :)
Roni lives and works in Nativity, Missouri. The little town isn't doing so well (not many tourists; businesses are closing) and someone's just arrived to help cut expenditures, a guy named Jake.
It's a sweet story and it ends happily. :) It's a little less than realistic, but it's Christmas, so who cares, right? :)
Finished The Sweet By and By by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck for Thomas Nelson.
Jade is about to get married but there's a sticking point--she has to decide whether to invite her mother to the wedding. She's been estranged from her mother (Beryl) for years, and she isn't sure whether it's worth the drama to have her there. Beryl used to be a hippie and spent much of her three kids' childhoods on the road with one musician boyfriend (or husband) or another.
You should know that this is Christian fiction, although that wasn't too noticeable until the end. So if that would bug you, this probably isn't a book you'd enjoy. (Although you'd probably like it until the end.)
I liked the pacing of the book a great deal. The details of Jade and Beryl's relationship was revealed in a timely fashion and there was a decent twist that kept changing everything.
I read the book yesterday, after I was exhausted from being at work for 30 hours. Would I have liked it this much if it weren't essentially the literary equivalent of comfort food? I'm not sure. But I read this book at the perfect time, and I really enjoyed it.
It's probably also good that I read it right before Christmas, since the book's main themes are about love and forgiveness.
The Austere Academy is the fifth book in the series. At this point I've completely given up reading them to my son and am just enjoying them on my own. I liked this book because the poor kids finally find some friends. Of course, there's no happy ending, but it was nice while it lasted.
See you later people.
We leave soon to go to Sydney for the night then fly away in the morning.
Fun will be had, cocktails will be had, massages will also be had. And by the look of my glowing white legs I'd say a dose of sunburn may be had.
And I'm thinking by the look of my crazy hair I might come back with dreadlocks. Because I'm not taking a hair straightener and I'm not even going to dry it with the dryer. It can just go wild for the next week or so. Will pack plenty of hair elastics.
So I wish all my friends and neighbours here on vox a very merry christmas. I'l think of you lot over there in the snow and sleet while I'm lying on my sun lounge soaking up some rays. And to all my aussie neighbours I hope the weather gods treat you well and you don't get a real scorcher for christmas day.
I think this is the first christmas, or even December, of my life that I haven't eaten ham. Can't say I'm missing it either.
Catch you on the flip side guys.
Yesterday, I spoke to our church's Friday MOPS group. Their theme this year centers around the book, Make Today Count by Maxwell. I was asked to choose one of the chapters, which consist of values that one should incorporate into daily life. Since it was their final meeting before Christmas, I chose Generosity.
Here are some thoughts from the talk:
Most know that today's Santa Claus originates with St. Nicholas, who lived during the third century in what is now Turkey. After his parents death, he devoted his life to the Church and gave away his entire fortune to those in need. "St. Nick" lived his life in such a way that he became known as a gift-giver.
But, I am not sure Nicholas was just - POOF - a giver.
Do we have to teach children to share? If you've ever been a room with a couple of 2-year-olds, you know the answer to that!
I once watched a recording of Donald Miller (author of Blue Like Jazz), and he talked about how we all believe this life is our own movie. "I am the star! The rest of you are just supporting players."
The reality is, we have to be purposeful in our giving – it doesn't come naturally to most of us.
So, what does it mean to be generous?
First, it's not just about money. Give of yourself: your time, your attention, your talent...to name a few not-for-sale gifts.
Proverbs 11:25 says, “The generous will prosper; those who refresh others will themselves be refreshed.” (NIV)
But sometimes we are called to share our money/wealth.
Jesus said, “Give to those who ask, and don’t turn away from those who want to borrow.” (Matthew 5:42)
A caveat: don't lend money. But Nicole, you just quoted a verse that says don't turn away someone asking to borrow.
I know of a family that if they agree to give someone money, they never look at it as a loan. They make a conscious decision to never expect to get it back. If they can't give it away, they don't give it.
Anyone every loaned a friend or family member a bit of cash and you're still waiting for that payback? Makes holiday get-togethers a bit awkward, eh? If they even come around you any more.
Just give it - expecting nothing in return.
Okay - I get it. I need to be generous. But how?
1) Value Others
Treat everyone with respect. Yes, even that annoying woman in the grocery store line!
A week or two ago I was at our local Kroger. The lines were four and five people deep. A manager opened the register next to my line and directed me over. As I loaded my purchases on to the belt, a woman checking out to the right of us loudly vied for the mangers attention:
"EXCUSE ME! I need to tell you that if you don't get some baggers in this store, I am never shopping here again! The cashiers don't know how to bag my groceries, and I am tired of doing it myself. Are you listening!? Are you going to get some baggers over here..."
On and on went the diatribe, as the manager, softly and graciously, called over some department managers to bag the woman's purchases as her sheepish husband looked at the floor.
My first thought was, "Wow, I didn't know it was my constitutional right to demand a bagger at the grocery store." I had a few other thoughts that weren't as "nice".
But as I left the store, a still small voice whispered, "What if that woman just lost someone close to her? What if she just got word that someone she loves is facing a terminal illness?"
Bottom line: we have no idea what someone might be going through that would cause them to spring a leak - a rather loud one at that! - in a grocery store while dozens of bystanders gawk. Sure, some people are just rude, but God loves even them, doesn't He?
God calls me to a lot of things, but one of them is certainly not judging (and thank goodness too).
2) Know what people value
This will mean giving of your time – getting to know them. If you are like me, the last thing you have is time! But the dividends of taking time to get to know those you say you love: unmeasurable.
3) Make yourself more valuable
Work
on you! What are you doing to cultivate character and personal growth
in your own life? A few ways to do that include time with God (prayer,
Bible reading), being a part of a church, developing relationships
there via small groups or discipleship classes, and finding that friend
who knows and loves you enough to tell you when you are crazy.
(Seriously. If you don't have one of those, you need one. Pronto.)
4) Love people unconditionally
It doesn't get more specific than this: “The command we have from Christ is blunt: Loving God includes loving people. You've got to love both.” (1 John 4:21, MSG)
5) Find a reason to give every day – and then DO IT!
It could be as simple as letting that guy with just a gallon of milk jump in front of you in line at the wholesale club. It doesn't have to cost a lot of money or involve a lot of fanfare - it's simply looking for those small moments when you can be an encouragement to someone else.
6) Don't wait for “better times” to be generous
Let's be real. If you are saying, "I'll give more when the economy rebounds or I get a raise at work or my retirement fund is at a respectable level again," you're really just kidding yourself. There will always be something - braces for the kids, a blown tire, leaky faucets. As the old Nike ads said, "Just do it."
As I finished up this little talk, I handed out tea bags with a small note attached: Generosi-tea.
I asked those moms to do something generous - big or small - before
they enjoyed that herbal brew. I hope each one will look at that small
gift and be encouraged to embrace a new mantra: I will live to give.
That's exactly what God's Son did for each one of us. He chose life here on earth, and then He gave it away that we ALL might live.
Of all the gifts you give this Christmas, may Generosi-tea be at the top of the list.
(*I can't take complete credit for the big ideas represented here - Maxwell's chapter on Generosity was vital as a jumping off place.)
Some places have had a lot of snow, we just had a little sprinkling, just enough to make the garden look pretty (and my nose very cold!)
Finished The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon. This is a prequel to my favorite book ever, The Shadow of the Wind.
This is very different from Shadow of the Wind but it's still great.
Here's the synopsis from the back of the book--I don't want to spoil anything, because this is really good.
"In an abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, a young man, David Martin, makes his living by writing sensationalist novels under a pseudonym. The survivor of a troubled childhood, he spends his nights spinning baroque tales about the city's underworld. But perhaps his dark imaginings are not as strange as they seem, for in a locked room deep within the house lie photographs and letters hinting at an unsolved mystery.
Like a slow poison, the history of the place and an impossible love bring David close to despair. But then he receives a letter from a reclusive French editor, Andreas Corelli, who makes him the offer of a lifetime. He is to write a book unlike any other - a book with the power to change hearts and minds. In return, he will receive a fortune, perhaps more. But as David begins the work, he realzies that there is a connection between this haunting book and the shadows that surround his home.
Set in the turbulent 1920s, The Angel's Game takes us back to the gothic universe of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop, in a masterful tale about the magic of books and the darkest corners of the human soul."
Read because: I'm listening to all the HP books on CD
Borrowed from: the Sacramento Library
Rating: 8 out of 10
Synopsis: Harry is back and in fine form in the third installment of his adventures at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. His summer with the hideous Dursley family is cut short when, during a fit of quite understandable rage, he turns his Aunt Marge into an enormous balloon and then runs away. Soon, it becomes quite apparent that someone is trying to kill him; even after Harry is ensconed in the safety of fall term at Hogwarts, the attacks continue. Myriad subplots involving a new teacher with a secret, Hermione's strangely heavy class schedule, and enmity between Ron's old rat, Scabbers, and Hermione's new cat, Crookshanks, all mesh to create a stunning climax. The pace is nonstop, with thrilling games of Quidditch, terrifying Omens of Death, some skillful time travel, and lots of slimy Slytherins sneaking about causing trouble.
My review: I really like book 3 of the series. Things get really dark, with omens of death for Harry, a mass murderer on the loose, and some really close calls for the three wizards. I also love the introduction of Sirius Black (played by Gary Oldman in my head), who is one of my favorite characters in the entire series. He's extra crazy in this book, and it's really fun to watch Rowling develop his character, not to mention the characters of other adults in the book -- Snape, James Potter, Pettigrew, and Lupin. I also really like Lupin in this book, and how he gives support to Harry when most others write him off. And once again, Jim Dale is the best audio book reader out there. (Finished 11/23/09)
