Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Humility and the Screwtape Letters by C. S. Lewis

Last Sunday we had the privilege to go Max McClean perform the Screwtape Letters at the Lansburgh theater in DC. We had front seats where we could see everything up close and personal, including the increasing perspiration on McClean's brow and the explosive spit as Wormwood's failure became clearer and clearer.

As you may have guessed from my last entry, I was fighting the pride of humility BIG TIME.

Uncle Screwtape covered the subject quite well [section XIV].

I see only one thing to do at the moment. Your patient has become humble; have you drawn his attention to the fact? All virtues are less formidable to us once the man is aware that he has them, but this is specially true of humility. Catch him at the moment when he is really poor in spirit and smuggle into his mind the gratifying reflection, "By jove! I'm being humble", and almost immediately pride—pride at his own humility—will appear. If he awakes to the danger and tries to smother this new form of pride, make him proud of his attempt—and so on, through as many stages as you please. But don't try this too long, for fear you awake his sense of humour and proportion, in which case he will merely laugh at you and go to bed.

I so needed to hear that letter. I urge you to go to
http://members.fortunecity.com/phantom1/books2/c._s._lewis_-_the_screwtape_letters.htm
and read the entire section XIV.
I should probably memorize it.

Friday, December 25, 2009

Ponderings about presents and giving

My mind is spinning around several serious thoughts at the moment.

Worldliness, "stuff", need, generosity, compassion, humility

the list can go on and on. The thoughts go on and on.

It all starts when the "Christmas lists" start coming out; I have to fight my personal inclination to see them as "gimme" lists. To me, gift giving should come from the heart of the giver and should not be directed by lists of wants. There is nothing wrong with asking someone what she would like for Christmas, but when lists spontaneously appear shortly after Thanksgiving, I get irritated.

It has been my tradition to ask for donations to be made in my name. It started many years ago when I asked for scholarships to be donated to a mission in South Africa. In subsequent years, the donations have gone for cancer research and to hospice.

This year we learned of a family in our church who were about to lose their home to foreclosure. God immediately put a figure in my head and I gave that with no questions asked. I wrote to the three kids who make donations in my name each year and asked them to send a donation to the church for this family. I know that the house has been saved for now, but I do not know what kind of Christmas the three young sons had. No doubt the biggest present of all this year is their home; but I doubt they had much "under the tree".

Today at a family gathering, tens of presents were taken into the house, most for a 22-month old little girl. When I saw the stacks of packages, I had to go into the bathroom and cry, because to my eyes and my heart, it is so unnecessary. My sister also told me that her grands had had a huge Christmas.

So now I am at home fighting a bad case of righteous indignation [Many, many years ago, I learned that I felt I had a just case for righteous indignation, I was completely wrong, and in fact I was sinning big time.]

It is time for a heavy dose of St. Matthew.
"Be careful not to do your 'acts of righteousness' before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.

"So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets to be honored by men. ... But when you give to the needy, so not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you." ---Matthew 6: 1--4.

Actually, it doesn't take a big dose of Matthew to remind one to beware of showiness and "holier than thou" garbage.

I did what was right for me. I honored God's command to give, and I creatively asked others to also give. Here endeth the lesson. I am only in charge of my own life; I would hope that my standards of giving might be shared by others, but I have no right whatsoever to be angry when they do what is their habit of doing.

Although my giving was not done in secret, I think I handled it graciously. And that is where it must end.

today's lesson: The Lord loves a humble compassionate giver.


Thursday, December 24, 2009

A Christmas salutation



This greeting is one that we have learned over the years at the Christmas Revels. It offers our gifts for each and everyone this Christmas season.

I Salute You
There is nothing I can give you which you have not; but there is much that I, while I cannot give, you can take.

No heaven can come to us unless our hearts find rest in it today.
Take Heaven.

No peace lies in the future which is not hidden in this present instant.
Take Peace.

The gloom of the world is but a shadow; behind it, yet within our reach is joy.
Take Joy.

And so, at this Christmas time, I greet you with the prayer that for you, now and forever, the day breaks and the shadows flee away.

—Fra Giovanni

Thursday, October 22, 2009

Standing on a Hill

The last time I stood on the hill in Bridgeport was for Grandad's funeral in December of 1988. It was VERY cold and snowy. My cousin Randy had forgotten to bring a coat, I walked up behind him and wrapped my coat around us in an attempt to help him get warm.

Randy is now gone; the first of the first cousins to die. He died of a quick, nasty Viet Nam induced cancer. Man's inhumanity to man continues throughout the generations.

Two and a half years ago, the same company of folks gathered in Parkersburg for Dad's memorial service. He was the second of Guy and Jessie's offspring to go.

A week ago Monday we stood next to Guy and Jessie's graves beside Loretta's casket, the opening of another Ashby plot on the hill. I stood with my arm around Rodney next to the grave of his son Christopher.

I looked across at the uncles and aunt and thought of the families represented there. Somewhere in the same cemetery, Mom and Preacher Idleman are buried. The Ashby/Idleman roots are deep and widespreading. We have done a reasonably good job of staying close, although now we typically gather only for funerals.

As Dawn and I drove through Bridgeport over that weekend, I realized how much a part of my life was tied to the little town. Because Mom and Dad moved so often, the farm in Bridgeport was always a solid tie for us. Just yesterday I was telling someone a farm story. At Loretta's funeral, several people told "Egg" stories about Guy and his eggs.

Someday [when Debi is ready to let them go ;0 ], we will take June and Hugh to the same hill in Bridgeport, WV, and their lives will also be noted with a marker.

Standing on a hill in West Virginia remembering a strong, wonderful family helps the roots continue to grow deeper.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

A Life of One's Own

Dawn and I are in Bridgeport, WV, for my Aunt Loretta Ashby's funeral tomorrow. Visitation at the funeral home today was from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8. People started lining up at the funeral home at 1:45 and the lines continued through 4 pm. Life under Jessie Ashby had to be difficult; no woman was ever good enough for an Ashby man. Lil and Bill escaped to Indiana in the 1950s; but when Tom and Loretta married they moved in at the farm. Loretta was under Jessie's constant scrutiny, and was expected to be a full-fledged farmer's wife.

Loretta worked incredibly hard in the barns and chicken coops. As Guy and Jessie aged, Tom and Loretta became increasingly responsible for them. And indeed moved to Corbin Branch Road to care for them. It was not an easy existence.

Loretta was able to create her own identity away from the farm. The stories I heard today were of a woman who would spend the night with a dying neighbor so she wouldn't be alone, who worked diligently with the 4-Hers in Bridgeport, who became a well-respected member of the Farm Women's group of West Virginia. A compassionate neighbor who all but adopted a neighbor girl who disparately needed to be loved and cared for.

Jessie accused my mother of tricking Dad into marrying her by getting pregnant. Mom and Dad had a short courtship and married in Texas away from the scrutiny of the family. When Mom had a miscarriage 5 months into the marriage, Jessie felt vindicated that this stranger from Ohio had tricked her son. Only 40 years later could Jessie tell my mother that she had been a good influence on Dad.

I will never know what actually went on between Jessie and Loretta, but today I learned that despite all odds, Loretta was able to become her own woman outside the confines of the farm.

Since I was able to do the same thing in my own first marriage, through my church and through my college, I have the utmost respect for Loretta Sayres Ashby.

Loretta was trapped by a very angry kind of Alzheimers. With her death at merely 72, she is freed from her earthly body and I know she is soaring with Eagle's wings for now and forever.

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

Lose-A-Palooza or Lose for Good

Today September 15, Weight Watchers is contributing $1 for each mention of the Lose for Good program. See Lose-A-Palooza for more information.
Beth

Monday, July 27, 2009

National Parks--National Treasures

This morning I was listening to a discussion about our National Parks on the Diane Rehm Show.

As usual on our travels, we hit several National Parks on our recent vacation: the Great Smoky Mountains, Cumberland Gap, Mammoth Cave, and the Stones River Civil War Battlefield in Tennessee. Over the years, we have hit several of the biggies--Yellowstone, the Grand Tetons, the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde, Canyonlands, and Arches. We have also hit several of the lesser known parks, such as the Black Canyon in Colorado, Theodore Roosevelt in North Dakota, Cumberland Gap, and Bandoleer in New Mexico.

No matter where we are, we are in awe of the majesty and variety of the United States. And we appreciate the work that is done in the National Parks. The knowledge and courtesy of the Park personnel. The facilities. The variety of opportunities in each park.


My very favoritest on this trip was Cumberland Gap. For one thing, it was quiet, very quiet. I don't recall hearing a single airplane while we were there. Tucked into the corners of Kentucky, Tennessee, and Virginia, the gap is nestled among tallish, soft Eastern-style mountains. This mountain girl felt protected and very much at home.

On Sunday when we went to the visitor center, we learned of a ranger-led trip up to the Hensley settlement, an early 20th century settlement that is much more like the 19th century. It was a slow day at the park, and it turned into a private tour for Dick and me.


The settlement consisted of one large extended family. It sits on the absolute top of the mountain, in Viriginia. It would have been a cold, wind-blown desolate place to live in the winter. But on this July day, it shone under the bright blue sky; the fields were green and lush.

We visited several of the remaining cabins and outbuildings on the property. The ranger pointed out lots of flora to us, including a few chestnut saplings, which unfortunately will not reach maturity because of the blight. I could have spent several hours hanging around taking photos and just being.

Friday, July 24, 2009

On the Road, 2009--Part 1

A short update on our travels, 2009
This is a copy of an email sent earlier. But it covers several highlights from the trip.

We are currently off-line in central Kentucky, but we do have some time to relax, so I thought I would start an update from the road. Tomorrow we start north and east toward home, and we will be visiting various family members along the way.

Our travels have been varied and in some cases unexpected. The short week in Madison County, NC with Dream Builders was a good experience for us. It has been a very long time since we have hung out with teenagers, and we were with a good bunch of kids from Howard County. A couple of perks along the way included a cook-out along the French Broad River with live Blue Grass music and an evening at Fun Depot in Asheville, where Dick got to try out go-karts. The young folks also introduced us to Sonic drive-in restaurants. Sonic, like Dairy Queen, seems to be a part of small-town America.

Following the week in NC, we headed west to Tennessee. We got to share the 4th of July with our friends, the Dales, who are now living in Knoxville. From there we headed south toward the Smokies for a couple of nights at a KOA. One day in the Smokies is never enough--why we didn't even get to see a bear!!

On Monday we headed to Lynchburg, TN, home of Jack Daniels. As we were checking in, Monday evening, we got word from Fred that his stepson, Cyp, had committed suicide. As we waited for news of a memorial, we took a look at our itinerary so that we could head back to Winston-Salem as soon as we knew something. It was clear that Shiloh Battlefield [and my first visit to Mississippi] was going to be reserved for another time. When we learned that the celebration of Cyp's life was to be on Friday, we decided to visit the Stones River Battlefield and Franklin, TN. Franklin, TN, is also on our list for another trip. We enjoyed the little town.

We discovered real southern hospitality, when we had to take the car to a Dodge dealer the morning we had to leave for Winston. One of those little lights on the dash that can't be ignored had come on, and we had to see it taken care of almost ASAP. The Dodge shop in Franklin took us in bright and early on Thursday morning, and while they worked on the car, the various folks in the sales room made us feel welcome as we waited.

Once on the road, we hightailed it back to NC. For us a 450-mile day is not usual, but we spelled each other driving and got in about 7 pm. Friday we got to have lunch with Fred and Barbara. Heather and Samantha had driven down from Md; and of course, Susan and Lee were there, as were Phil and Carol. Cyp's friends did a lovely job of honoring him at a park in Winston, then Barbara's sister had everyone back to her home for food.

Saturday morning we headed west again. Dick had suggested that we resume our trip at Mammoth Cave where we had several reservations as of Tuesday. We added the Cumberland Gap to our itinerary. We stayed in the town of Cumberland Gap, TN, for three evenings. The Cumberland Gap Nat'l Park may not be the first NP to come to mind, but we found it to be a wonderful place.

Saturday evening we had dinner at a local restaurant--one of two in town, where we sat on the lower level, once the town livery stable, and listened to home-grown blue grass music on the stage one level up. I was in heaven and it wasn't even West Virginia.

Sunday afternoon we had our own private tour of the Hensley settlement on top of the mountain in the eastern end of the park. A ranger drove us up in a four-wheel drive Blazer. We had a couple of hours up on top, and I got some wonderful "Beth" photos.

Monday morning, was a tour of the Gap Cave, up above the town. We then drove up to the Pinnacle where you can look down into the Gap itself. Monday evening after supper we walked the saddle of the Cumberland Gap. Even though my direct forebears did not travel the Gap, Ashbys did and they settled in Kentucky. [Check with Missie for further details on the Kentucky Ashbys].

I fell in love with the Cumberland Gap area. The mountains there are intimate; they aren't as high as the Smokies or the mountains around Asheville. They are higher than the WV mountains. But they felt unspoiled--that is not the case, but I did not feel any of the bustle of the touristy Smokies or the metropolitan-area feel of WV. One contributor was definitely the absence of air traffic. You couldn't hear traffic in most places, and you never heard an airplane on its way in or out of the Baltimore-Washington corridor.

The decision to visit the Gap was a very good one.

Tuesday morning, we had a leisurely breakfast back at the restaurant in the Gap and once again headed west toward Mammoth Cave. We stopped briefly to see the Cumberland Falls, nice, but not Ohiopyle. Not on the return to list.

We arrived at Mammoth in time to visit the Visitor Center and pick up our tickets for three tours. A ranger suggested a small country eatery called "Porky Pig's Diner" in Pig, KY. Not our best experience, but authentic.

We make it a point to check out local restaurants as we travel. Four weeks of chain-restaurant food gets really awful. We have visited several unique places and had a couple of unique experiences.

The tours at Mammoth were wonderful. The lantern tour got me thinking about my own caving days. The New Entrance tour is one to repeat. Just the entrance is something to experience again. It makes some of the various cathedral tower climbs seem downright spacious. We got to see a lot of the cave we hadn't seen before. As with the River Styx tour. It focused on the geology of the cave and again I was back in my own spelunking days. We even did one section called Fat Man's misery that came somewhat close to the wildcave experience.

While in the Mammoth area, we had some encounters with local culture. First of all, the counties in the area are all DRY. Bowling Green--30 miles away--was the closest place to buy any kind of alcohol. So we drank a lot of sweet tea, until the last evening, when the ranger told us about a couple of restaurants that served drinks [I can't begin to fathom the logic on this one]. We had a Mexican dinner complete with sangria and Negro Modelo.

Just down from our KOA "Kabin" was a simple restaurant that was under new ownership, so we tried it out our first morning. The owner was quite friendly and when we asked about an Amish buggy road sign just down the road, she told us there was a fairly large Amish community in the area. In fact, her husband who is a CPA goes out to the Amish families with his laptop to do their taxes. They won't come to him, but with a battery-operated laptop he can go to them. We saw lots of Amish families at Mammoth and assumed they were from the area.

Yesterday we went back down to the restaurant, and several Amish folk were there. They had just finished breakfast and some of them were in the process of buying antiques from the owner. We spoke with a couple from Iowa who said they were in the area for a "Carriage Meeting". It is a carriage makers convention that meets once again in various places across the country. Later in talking with the owner, she confirmed that these folks are old-order Amish. They had come to Kentucky via car with a hired driver. They also took the opportunity to pick up Eastern antiques. one gentleman sells them back home.

Thursday morning, we had breakfast at a restaurant in Horse Cave. It is in an old gas station. The owner there was in conversation with someone about buying advertising. He was a big burly guy wearing a very handsome leather vest that read "Bikers for Christ". Dick talked to him about that--it's an organization of about 400 bikers. In Newport, TN, we had seen the local "Bikers' Church" 'and their thrift shop.

It is great fun to see different parts of the country and meet folk who would find Howard County to be a foreign country.

We are actually on the home stretch of the trip. We arrived in Batesville, IN, last night for a weekend visit with Dick's cousin Lydia and her family. It is always a pleasure for me to see a part of the world where large farms still flourish, where developers haven't started carving up the countryside for McMansions. Our American breadbasket still exists, although I couldn't help but wonder if we were actually looking at the American ethanol basket.

Love to all,
You are in our thoughts and we are looking forward to getting back home.
Beth

Thursday, May 28, 2009

Going up Cripple Creek

On the road again--spring is almost over so we are deep into vacation planning. The first trip will be at the end of June. We will spend 5 days in Madison County, NC, with Habitat for Humanity, and then head "West" into to Tennessee and Kentucky. More to come on that trip.

But we have also scheduled a trip out to Cripple Creek to see Missie and Jeff and add some more Colorado country to our list of places we have seen before we died.

This time we are heading up to see more mining country and taking in Leadville, Aspen, and Glenwood. We just finished our reservations for lodgings, and this trip will be a mix of unique places.

In the Creek, we will be staying at the Hospitality House, the former county hospital. At the moment, Missie has us slated for the Operating Room. I hope the ghosts of patients lost don't keep us up. In Leadville, we will be at a small chain hotel for variety. In Aspen we will be in the downtown, near the ski lift, where we got Summer rates. Then it is on to Glenwood Springs. We will be staying at a B&B outside town: http://www.fourmilecreek.com/

Then it is back to "The Creek" to celebrate my birthday and head home in time to start teaming for Md. 98.

In the meantime we'll just go around whistling Going up Cripple Creek.

Friday, May 15, 2009

Reaching Back

May 1st is the date I use for marking my cancer survival. The doctor uses Dec. 20, but for those of us who have been through the journey. Surgery is the marker.

When I was diagnosed with BC, numerous women reached back to help me make the journey. MaryAnn Romano, Blanch LaCroix, and Betty Tussing were stalwarts. They taught much about questioning, living, and laughing.

When I was past my treatments, I too reached back to help others starting the journey. One of the most special women was Arleen Bryan. We wrote to each other as sisters, because indeed her sister Jo is my sister. I only met Arleen once in person. We had a fabulous day on a NC mountain top. The last thing Arleen said to me was "We're going to make it." Unfortunately Arleen did not make it. But we shared a bond that goes deeper than just fellow travelers; we were sisters and we strengthened each other.

Over the years, I have reached back to numerous women; most without names. We could share our fears, our frustrations, our tears, and our unflagging hope.

I am now 17 years out, and my reaching back has changed. I did not have the same treatments that women today are getting. My treatment almost killed me and it has left my immune system impaired [not debilitatingly so, just annoyingly so].

But cancer patients still lose their hair, they still throw up, and they still get treatments canceled. So not all our ties are gone. They still fear, question, and hope.

I have discovered that I am now an "inspiration", not because I am a super hero, but because I am 17 years out. And to someone who is worrying if she will make it one year or five years out, 17 years is a beacon. Although I never take a day for granted, I have become a bit blase about being a long-termer. God has given me a new way to reach back.

I hate welcoming women to the sisterhood of BC, but it is a strong sisterhood filled with many women who reach back. I am honored to be part of that long chain of love.

Older Generation

">Reflections on Leaving Burbank, CA, April 8, 2009

In the past week, I have had a wonderful visit with Jack, Amy, and Andy. There has been lots of time for reminiscing. On one of my walks with Jack, I was telling him a bit about my/his family, and I realized my position among the generations. With Mom and Dad’s deaths, Debi and I are now the older generation. Dad was born in 1921 and Mom was born in 1923. Their parents were born in 1896, 1898, and 1900. I do not know when my great grandparents were born. But it had to be in mid-1800s.

On further reflection, this older generation thing has lots of consequences.

I regularly find myself wanting to ask Mom and Dad questions that only they could answer. If I don't make an effort to tell more stories and record more stories, Jack's generation will not know them and will not have a way to ask about them.

Andrew made a point to ask me lots of questions about my growing up. I am his connection to the 50s and 60s, and stuff that I took for granted [and still do] is history for him.

What kind of wisdom do I want to pass on to my children and grandchildren? For I have realized that I am wise in many ways.

How can I pass my faith on to my children and grandchildren? How can I help them to understand and choose to walk in faith and love depending on our saviour Jesus Christ? Just taking them to church and Sunday School is/was not enough.

Much to pray and think about. For I am the older generation now.

Monday, March 23, 2009

Praying with the Book of Common Prayer

Lenten Program March 18, 2009
Praying with the Book of Common Prayer

Our inheritance of common prayer
When the disciples came to Jesus begging him that he would teach them to pray, he gave them not twelve several forms, though James’s special needs differed from John’s and Simon’s from Jude’s—he gave them not twelve but one. “When ye pray” was his answer, “say Our Father.” That was the beginning of Christian Common Prayer. Because we are men, we worship; because we are fellow-men, our worship must have form.
—William Reed Huntington
A Short History of the Book of Common Prayer 1549–1892

Various renditions over the years:
From the beginning, the Book of Common Prayer has begun with Morning and Evening Prayer. These were intended for daily use.

I think that this is a statement of the place of prayer in people’s day to day lives. These prayers were to be in the common language, i.e., accessible to all.

In the earliest versions of the prayer book, prayers were imbedded in the various services and rites and most of the collects appeared as part of the “INTROITES, COLLECTS, EPISTLES, AND GOSPELS…”. The first American Book of 1789 listed prayers and thanksgivings in the table of contents. This tradition continued as part of the American prayer books. In the 1928 Prayer book, a section of Prayers and Thanksgivings followed Evening Prayer, and prayers for families followed the Catechism near the end of the book. The 1979 Book of Common Prayer included additional prayers for use in the services and by individuals and put them in one place—following the Psalms on page 810—with references to other prayers in the book.

A couple of my favorite prayers—found through wonderful serendipity


A General Thanksgiving
Accept, O Lord, our thanks and praise for all that you have done for us. We thank you for the splendor of the whole creation, for the beauty of this world, for the wonder of life and for the mystery of love.
We thank you for the blessing of family and friends, and for the loving care that surrounds us on every side.
We thank you for setting us at tasks that demand our best efforts, and for leading us to accomplishments that satisfy and delight us.
We thank you also for those disappointments and failures that lead us to acknowledge our dependence on you alone.
Above all, we thank you for your Son Jesus Christ; for the truth of his word and the example of his life; for his steadfast obedience, by which he overcame temptation; for his dying, through which he overcame death; and for his rising to life again, in which we are raised to the life of your kingdom.
Grant us the gift of your Spirit, that we may know Christ and make him known; and through him, at all times and in all places, may give thanks to you in all things. Amen.

p. 836, BCP
The Rev. Dr. Charles P. Price

Prayers for use by a sick person
In the Morning
This is another day, O Lord, I know not what it will bring forth, but make me ready, Lord, for whatever it may be. If I am to stand up, help me to stand bravely. If I am to sit still, help me to sit quietly. If I am to lie low, help me to do it patiently. And if I am to do nothing, let me do it gallantly. Make these words more than words, and give me the Spirit of Jesus. Amen
p. 461, BCP
The Reverend Dr. Theodore Parker Ferris

From Evening Prayer and Compline

A Collect for the Presence of Christ
Lord Jesus, stay with us, for evening is at hand and the day is past; be our companion in the way, kindle our hearts, and awaken hope, that we may know you as you are revealed in Scripture and the breaking of bread. Grant this for the sake of your love. Amen
Pp. 70 and 123, BCP
From Roman breviary of Paul VI


Keep watch, dear Lord, with those who work, or watch, or weep this night, and give your angels charge over those who sleep. Tend the sick, Lord Christ; give rest to the weary, bless the dying, soothe the suffering, pity the afflicted, shield the joyous; and all for your love’s sake. Amen.
Pp. 124 and 134, BCP
From the writings of Saint Augustine of Hippo
63. In the Evening

O Lord, support us all the day long, until the shadows lengthen, and the evening comes, and the busy world is hushed, and the fever of life is over, and our work is done. Then in thy mercy, grant us a safe lodging, and a holy rest, and peace at the last. Amen.
p. 833
Based on a passage of a sermon by John Henry Newman; found or composed by the Rev. George W. Douglas, c.1876

Thursday, March 12, 2009

New Age Music by Any Other Name

Who would not be intrigued by
Rockabye Baby! Lullaby renditions of Metallica

This must be a CD for my favorite grandson. More acceptable than ABBA ??

Now perchance I didn't test out enough tracks, but the first two were an insult to Enya et al. I couldn't bear to go on. No melody, just soft chords, on and on and on.

Saturday, March 7, 2009

First Sandal Day of 2009


One of the best days of the year is the day I get to wear sandals for the first time in the spring. Even though spring is officially two weeks away, it is warm enough today to bring out the sandals. Denim skirt, french blue shirt, and my blue Tevas. Wheee!

Friday, February 13, 2009

Life in the Creek



View of Cripple Creek from Tenderfoot



Missie and Jeff's Home

The Name Cripple Creek Traveler reflects our regular visits to see my Daughter and Son-in-Law. We found my daughter Missie [Melissa Sue Thomas] in 2000. I had given Missie up for adoption in May 1967 shortly after her birth.

My mother always knew that we would see her again sometime, somehow. I'll save the story of finding Missie for another time.

The point is that we have been traveling to Cripple Creek, CO, almost annually since 2000. We have come to know and love the Creek. In 2003 the family traveled to Cripple Creek for Missie and Jeff's wedding on March 17. That is yet another great story.

This past week, Missie sent me photos of her and Jeff from last weekend's Victorian Ball. Missie made her dress and Jeff's vest and waistcoat. It seemed like a good opportunity to bring a bit of the Creek to the Cripple Creek Traveler.

Enjoy

Monday, February 9, 2009

A Generation Ends


I got word today that the last of my mother's siblings died Jan 12.

Uncle Ben was quite estranged from the family. I don't know if he and mother ever really made up. I know she wanted to.

He was almost 88, so it was indeed a long-lived generation. He and Aunt Dolores lived in Chicago and had three adopted children. I only met one of them when she was a toddler. One of them lives in No. Virginia and is with the Pentagon.

It is very sad that we do not know each other.

If I am correct, I am the oldest living member in my generation.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Cold Rainy Day, aka Catch Up Day

Happy Epiphany [aka 12th Night]
The Baltimore area is getting a yucky cold drizzle; at 5:30 this morning it was sleet. We postponed our trip to Eldersburg till Thursday. Dick has been fighting a miserable cold, so neither of us was really ready to brave the elements at that ridiculous hour.

I did my weekly editing this morning, then did a couple of errands. Now it feels good to just sit and catch up with some things I've been wanting to do.

One of which is to post a note about the B&B we stayed at over Christmas in NC. The River Landing Inn is located about 12 miles south of Graham in the old mill town Saxapahaw [http://www.riverlandinginn.com/], along the Haw River. We discovered the inn last year when we were down for the holidays and wanted to return.

It is a quiet place, definitely off the main road. Because we have only been there in December while visiting family, we haven't had a chance to take advantage of all the inn has to offer: wine tastings, art shows, canoe trips, etc.





However, we have taken advantage of the warm fire, comfortable sofas, and the soft light of the 10-ft Christmas tree.




More catch up later. It's been a pleasant afternoon.