Elephants and Mayhem

So, today I was reading a couple of news articles regarding the violence in Sinaloa. Very little was said in the article about what really happened in the village. Only the villagers know the whole story, and we all know how stories grow and change in the telling, depending on the bias of the storyteller. The facts reported in the news were in agreement with the rumors circulating.  It's interesting to read internationally published news articles about events which happen in your own "backyard", so to speak.  Sometimes a bit disconcerting, but interesting.   

Links to other newsy tidbits from around the world were attached to the articles I was reading.  Some intriguing, some not so much.

A music video was banned from YouTube. I'm not going to waste my bandwidth to watch it. I'm sure the world won't miss hearing my opinion on it.  I know I won't suffer for not having seen it.

There was a riot in Seattle. Having visited Seattle and seen some of the protest marches which seem to make Seattle what it is, I was curious to see what the riot was about. The media even gave it a catchy title: May Day Mayhem.  (To be honest, I was trying to figure out how a bunch of little girls in white dresses and daisy-chain necklaces started a riot.  I decided I must be missing something, so I had to read the article.  I mean, really?  What do you think of when you hear the phrase "May Day Mayhem"?  Uh-huh.)

So I clicked over and read the Fox news report.  My somewhat cynical and slightly conspiracy-theory-warped brain began to ponder the irony of the violence in Guasave, Sinaloa, compared to the violence in Seattle, Washington.  Interesting comparisons, actually.

As nearly as I can tell, riots broke out during a protest march and things began to get out of hand.  Basically everyone involved picked up whatever weapon they could get their hands on and started to defend what they thought was the correct side of the conflict.  Then police arrived and began trying to restore order.  People were hurt.  People were jailed.  Lots of windows were broken.  That's over-simplified, I know. 

My thought was that the Seattle incident stands in sharp contrast to the Bamoa conflict.  In Bamoa, two warring drug factions began shooting at each other.  The police showed up and tried to stop the violence.  Seeing that they were outnumbered, they called for reinforcements.  No one came.  Five hundred villagers with access to machetes, shovels, metal bars and et cetera, and the municipal police headquarters only 10 minutes away but no one was willing to stand up against a bunch of thugs with guns.  Back-up did arrive, but not before two soldiers were killed.

I'm really not fiercely political.

But I wonder what would have happened if the residents of the village of Bamoa had had the passion of the protestors in Seattle.  Obviously the protestors were willing to sacrifice their freedom and maybe their lives for what they thought was a just cause.  I imagine that they thought they could affect change through their blatant disregard for propriety, otherwise why would they get involved in such a violent display?  The villagers in Bamoa were afraid to get involved because even though they outnumbered the bad guys 10 to 1, they felt powerless.

The mayor of Seattle has apparently issued a decree which gives police the authority to confiscate any item "which could be used as a weapon."  Hmm.

I once heard a story about the training of an elephant.  An adult elephant can be tethered using a small rope with little to no risk of escape.  Why?  Because as a baby, the elephant is tethered with a huge, heavy chain which he can't possibly break.  By the time the animal is large enough and strong enough to actually break the chain, he has already resigned himself to the fact that there is no way he can possibly break the tether -- no matter how strong the tether.  He never even tries.

I find the comparisons and contrasts interesting.

This is just me on my philosophical soapbox.  I don't do this very often, so bear with me.  I'll be back to normal tomorrow -- with happy posts about homemade laundry detergent or lizards in my garden or newly-hatched baby chicks.

It's a crazy world in which we're living.  I'm quite glad that it's not my final destination!

 

Feasts and Floods

The past two weeks have been...intense.

Understatement.

I can honestly say, though, that during the course of Master's Bible School, I only had two mini-meltdowns, one temper tantrum and one crying fit. I think I did very well, all things considered.

To be honest, the event was not more intense than I expected. I even got to bed before midnight most nights, which is different from most youth events we host! Ten days, though, is a long time. My flesh and I had a few disagreements (most of them happened around 4:30 a.m.).

One thousand, eight hundred plates of food.

Praise God that I didn't have to do it all alone.

One night we served re-fried beans with flour tortillas. (A regional favorite and a personal favorite, too.) Joaquin and Luz prepared 8 kilos (about 20 pounds) of flour. That's a lot of tortillas.

Here are Joaquin, Oneida, Brisa and I. We were the outside team cooking on a disc. Luz had another team inside the house cooking on the stovetop.

Me and my tortilla. I'm at the point now in my tortilla-making that they generally turn out round. Luz still says they're too thick, but...que será, será.

On Wednesday (which happened to be another day when the power was out), classes came to an end. The morning dawned gray and overcast with a sharp, cool breeze off the ocean. It reminded me of Oregon.

It rained intermittently all day -- never very hard, but enough to keep the day rather dark and dreary-looking. The mood in the conference center, though, was anything but dreary!

As teams made their final presentations for the Oral Bible class, the rest of the students listened, encouraged, and critiqued (and in some cases, heckled).

The mood stayed pretty light, though, as everyone was excited to be so close to finishing the course.

After the final class, Tito prepared a fritanga (fish fry) for all the students.

And then...

...everyone left.

Poof!

And I cried.

Yes, I cried. The house was absolutely silent without even the hum of the refrigerator to keep me company. (Remember, the power was out.) Doug and a couple of kids had run to Boca to return tables and chairs. Other kids were upstairs finishing their Inductive Bible Study final.

Everyone else was...gone.

It was just too quiet.

So I cried.

Then I made a cup of coffee, curled up with Tozer, and I was better.

Andrew came in, then Luis came over, then Doug came home and the noise in the house got back to an acceptable level.

And then, God sent this...

Gen 9:12-16 And God said, "This is the sign of the covenant that I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for all future generations: I have set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth. When I bring clouds over the earth and the bow is seen in the clouds, I will remember my covenant that is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh. And the waters shall never again become a flood to destroy all flesh. When the bow is in the clouds, I will see it and remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of all flesh that is on the earth."


Thanks for reminding me, God, that You're there in the flood of noise and in the flood of silence, too. Don't ever let me forget that!!!

Reflections on a Compost Pile

Compost is, by definition, gross.

According to Wikipedia, compost "is organic matter that has been decomposed and recycled as a fertilizer and soil amendment". It's garbage. Really old garbage.

Yesterday my menfolk took off for the day to help prepare to put a roof on the church building in Tecomate, Guasave. Sarah, Evie and I took the opportunity to finish a few "pendientes" (that's the "to do" list, in Spanish!). Sarah scrubbed the staircase and put on a fresh coat of varnish. Evie cleaned her room and helped do all the boys' chores.

I went outside and cleaned up my compost pile.

I've been putting this task off for quite some time because, frankly, I was dreading it. My biggest problem is that I didn't do it right the first time, and the wrong-ness of it just grew and grew until I really no longer had a "compost pile", but rather I had a huge area where people have been throwing their garbage for a couple of months. Gross.

Not to mention the fact that I planted a beautiful nopal cactus border on that side of the yard and it really loves the compost area. Note to self: Don't plant cactus as a hedge to any area you ever intend to work in. Even the flowers have spines!!!

Another little pest also is very happy with my compost area.

The huachapoti. I have no idea how to spell that. You pronounce it "watch a POH tee". Evil little products of the curse they are. Very difficult to remove from fuzzy socks.

So while I was shoveling half-rotted kitchen debris and fighting with cactus and cockleburrs, my mind wandered to deeper waters.

I found myself thinking that my life sometimes feels a lot like my compost pile: Spread out and sprawling in every direction, lacking focus. Full of stickers and spines. I wonder if I'm really accomplishing anything. Will I ever see changes? Progress? Growth?

As I dug deeper, though, I saw that nature had been doing its thing in spite of me. Under the surface, away from view, rich soil was beginning to form.

Isn't that just like God? It seems that He does His most beautiful work out of sight -- down deep, where no one can see. And we won't notice until we dig in and really start removing layers of garbage.

So, I built actual walls to contain the compost and will be caring for it as I should now. I'm excited to see my garden growing (frustrated when the duck returned from exile and began eating it again, but that's a different post). I'm anxious for the day when we get to harvest.

And I think of the spiritual parallels and thank God that He does His work in secret, and I don't have to stress about it.

And I am sure of this: that He who began a good work in you will bring it about to completion at the day of Jesus Christ! -- Philippians 1:6

Alive and Kicking

To prove that I really haven't fallen off the face of the earth, I am posting today. Hurrah!!!

Today is Saturday and it just happens to be the second Saturday of January. Therefore, tonight is youth night at our house. Very exciting. This will be our second youth event since we finished the conference center behind our house. Caleb is downstairs fixing something on his drum and preparing the games. In an hour or so, he'll start firing up the brick oven so we can burn a few pizzas.

Tonight Sarah will be sharing from the book of Luke about the cost of discipleship. She mentioned to me the other day that so often God puts a topic on her heart, and she just can't get away from it. I know what she means. It seems that when I am really seeking God and digging in to hear from Him, He says the same things to me, over and over.

Could be because I'm so hard-headed that it takes me hearing the same lesson a dozen times before it sinks in.

I prefer to think that it's because He's constant and unchanging and truly desires me to give everything over to Him, so He doesn't quit telling me the same thing until He finally gets me where He wants me.

I like that.

But I am pretty hard-headed.

So, as the topic for Sarah at this time is "The Cost of Discipleship", my topic seems to be "In Everything, Glorify God". I'm finding that if I can just keep reminding myself that all glory and praise belong to God, I don't struggle (as much) with my own selfishness and pride. I say "as much" because, as I mentioned -- I'm very hard-headed. I do catch myself now, when I'm being a jerk, instead of just reveling in my own foolishness, thinking I'm wise. I think that there's hope.

I've started reading Tozer's "Pursuit of God" and have found it very encouraging -- and challenging! Monday I start an online Bible study on Ephesians, which will probably make its way onto this blog in some form or other.

God isn't finished with me yet! Praise HIM!!! So glad that He's not content to leave me where I am.

I'm also glad that I'm not content to stay where I am!!!

Have a blessed weekend everyone!!!

Time Flies Like an Arrow...

...Fruit flies like a banana.

Today marks 4 years of banging my head against a wall blogging. To celebrate, I baked a cake!

In years past, I've hosted a "Round TUIT round-up" to commemorate my blogoversary, but this year...I didn't get around to it. Such is life on the beach!

We've been building a fellowship center, going on mission trips, planning a Bible school and getting ready for mission teams -- in addition to schoolwork, housework and laundry. A cake seemed much more accessible than a blog carnival!

I used the basic recipe for THE Chocoflan and crossed it with an amazing Crimson and Cream cake I saw somewhere -- memory fails. I had something in mind when I started this project.

I must say, this wasn't it.From the very moment that the pristine, white cream cheese mixture touched the creamy red cake mixture, I knew I had a problem. Note to self : Red food coloring is very invasive!!!

The kids' #1 comment: "Wow. That's red." #2: "Mom, why is it red?" #3: "Is it supposed to be that red."

It's a Red Velvet cake. Yes, it's supposed to be red.

So, I wiped ideas of "Crimson and Cream" from my mind and replaced them with thoughts of "Burgundy and Rose".

Everything baked according to plan.

But when it came out of the oven, I got ahead of myself.
I was a bit over-anxious when lifting the pan off the top and...sigh. Some days are cake-baking days. Some days are just NOT.

You can tell by the photo, though, that the top of the cake wasn't wasted. In the time it took me to grab my camera and shoot a couple of rounds, the mistake was eaten. Verdict: Red is good.

I put the cake in the fridge to chill for 24 hours.

Now here we are, all chilled and ready to turn onto the very-beautiful-cake-stand.
And here we are...

Happy blog-o-versary to me! Whipped cream covers a multitude of faults!!!

Old Dogs and New Tricks and All That

We've been in Mexico now for almost six years. Time has flown! I was just thinking about how much the kids have grown!

Funny how Doug and I haven't changed a bit! (Don't laugh.)

So in six years, we've experienced 12 "Daylight Savings" changes.

And I've missed every single one. Without exception.

Why is it so difficult? It really shouldn't be. In Mexico, the time changes on the first Sunday of April and the last Sunday of October. Always.

Sunday morning arrived and we were frantically trying to get out the door by 8:30 so that I have time to set up the piano, check the sound and all of that. Evie was scrambling to print out something for the kids' class, when she suddenly called out, "Mom! Something's messed up with your computer clock. It says it's only 7:30."

Once again, I had missed the time change.

So we all relaxed. I got to take a little walk in my garden, Evie finished printing her lesson, Andrew got to eat breakfast. lol

The bummer thing is that my body is still on the "old hour". My trusty inner alarm went off this morning at 5am. Ugh.

However, I won't complain -- I got a lot of tweaking done on our blogs. I've pretty much changed everything. I hope I've made it easier to navigate between blogs, easier to find articles, etc. I still haven't fixed my header photo. Sigh. I guess we can't have it all!!!!

Have a happy Monday, everybody!!!

Winter is Coming and Other Randomness

Yesterday morning, while driving to Boca to buy some water and pick up some lumber at Julio and Lupita’s house, I saw our friend Ramon driving his cows to Las Glorias.

This made me think of several things.

My first thought was, “Now I know that the weather has changed for good.” It’s a sure sign of winter’s approach when Ramon moves his milk cows from his home in Rosales, about 2 miles away, to Las Glorias.

At almost the same moment, I remembered that I’m out of coffee. That’s a very important fact and is related to Ramon and his cows in that just about every morning while the cattle are in Las Glorias, the cowboys stop in for coffee…and bread.

That thought led to my next thought: I need to make some bread today. Or maybe some cookies.

Speaking of cookies, won’t it be wonderful to have fresh milk again, now that the cows have come home?

One of my kids’ favorite stories is entitled “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie”. I really relate to the characters in that book; such is my life.

Shesa Goin' Home!

At the end of our last furlough, in March, we said goodbye to Sarah. Our eldest daughter has been in the U.S. for the past six months. It's been a difficult but wonderful time for everyone. I can't even begin to describe the experience, but I will say that the wonderful did balance the difficult and the difficult even turned out to be wonderful.

Caleb, for example, has stepped up and proven that he can write a curriculum for a kids' class and run the class smoothly -- even when there's a bit of mutiny amongst the younger siblings. Evie proved that she was not the sole contributor to the messy room which she and Sarah shared.

Meanwhile, back in Oregon, Sarah got to experience the joys of American culture: youth group, public library, Dutch Brothers, zumba, financial aid and car insurance.

The original plan was a six-month stint in the U.S. and, "Then we'll see where God leads." During that time, she was working to save money for college and pay her expenses. She also applied for financial aid to be able to attend the local community college this fall. However, none of us really had much peace about college.

All summer we prayed, "Give us peace, God. Your will be done."

So, September came with no financial aid in sight. Our response: Relief. Our daughter is coming home. I'm a bit excited. Maybe my motives are a bit selfish; I love having a partner in the kitchen, I miss her guitar-playing, She's my favorite Spanish dictionary.

Yesterday, I was reading an article in Reader's Digest. [Sidenote: I used to love that magazine, but this issue has more advertisements than the Superbowl, all the depth of a kiddie pool and the journalistic value of a first grader's book report.] The article, ("They're Baaaak!" October 2011, p. 37) began by stating that 85% of the college class of 2011 was moving back home. Intrigued, I continued reading.

By the time I finished the half-page article, I was ready to throw the whole magazine in the trashcan. Reader's Digest's recommendation for parents whose college-age kids are returning home: "Remember, when kids leave high school or even college, they are not adults. Between 18 and 23, they're entering the last and most difficult stage of adolescence: trial independence."

*Pause here to re-read that quote.*

What a crock of over-ripe fertilizer! Reader's Digest just lost a reader.

Reader's Digest, the company which popularized the word "teenager" in a 1941 issue, has now extended teenagerhood into the mid-twenties.

I'm sorry, but in our house an 18 year old is not an adolescent. "Adolescent behavior", in fact, is discouraged after the age of 10 or 12. Of course, the kids are all still growing and learning and making choices and sometimes mistakes, but as a general rule we try to move our kids from childhood to adulthood with very little time in that adolescent limbo which the American culture calls "the teen years".

With that said, let me tell you about Sarah's decision to move to Mexico in December. She's not coming home because of "failure to launch". Nor is she returning because of a lack of funds and inability to enroll in college or pay for car insurance. Although both of those were issues, they really had no bearing on her decision, other than as confirmation of God's plan for her at this point. Sarah is moving to Mexico because it's where God is calling her. And we are very excited.

Sarah's future is wide open. She left our home-nest to test her wings and found them strong. In fact, to borrow a phrase from Isaiah, she has trusted in the Lord and has risen on wings like an eagle.

School is still in the plans, as are mission trips, a journey to Europe and only God knows what else. We're all trusting God for His timing and direction.

And did I mention that we're excited?

Isaiah 40:28-31 Have you not known? Have you not heard? The LORD is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth. He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.

This n That

I got up this morning with great plans to cross everything off my list by noon and be ready for the steady stream of well-wishers which should begin arriving after lunch sometime. It's the culture here: if someone's going on a trip, you stop in to say goodbye the day before they leave. It used to bug me, since I always have a ton of stuff to do the day before a big trip. I like it now. I feel like "part of the family". ;^)

I'm not doing very well on my list, though. Ugh, it's hot. I think the humidity rose about 5% overnight. Can't do laundry, because it won't dry before we have to leave. Oh, well. I'll deal with it and move on! Did I mention that it's hot?

Anyway, we're tying up loose ends and packing (and sweating) furiously to leave early in the a.m.

I am just amazed at how quickly the past 6 months has passed! With all the youth events, conferences, music classes, parenting classes, teaching at various churches, writing a book and going on a mission trip, the time has just flown.

To be honest, we're all looking forward to this trip. Foremost in everyone's mind is the visit to Oregon to see Sarah (YEAH!!!!!). A close second, though, is a month in a dry climate. Have you ever experienced your laundry souring from being left in the washer too long? How long is too long where you live? Over night? Two days? Here, I get about 3 hours and then I have to re-rinse. Ugh.

I hate that moist, sour smell.

So, we're packing and cleaning, cleaning and packing. And I...I need to get back to work! This "No checking Facebook till I post on my blog" thing is working well. I just hope no one gets tired of reading my pointless ramblings here and decides to abandon me! ;^) Facebook is so much better-suited for mindless chatter!

Have a blessed day! If you think about us today or tomorrow, pray for safe travels!!!

Yucky Jobs

Why is cleaning out the fridge such a yucky job?

I mean, really. I store my family's food there. We eat that food. I throw stuff away (usually) before it becomes a science project. (Except for the the stuff that actually IS a science project, such as the snake skins I found on the bottom shelf in a little baggie.) When I spill stuff, I wipe it up.

A HA!!!

Found the problem. I am not the only person moving stuff around in my fridge, and while I am careful to not spill stuff (usually) and wipe up my messes (most of the time) others are not.

So, cleaning out my fridge is a rather yucky job.

But, I did it!!! In a couple of hours, the ice in the drainage hose should be melted and I'll be able to plug it back in and start making ice again. Woot! Woot! (My fridge is quirky. I won't elaborate.)

I'm crossing items off my list right and left. With only 5 days left before we leave for a month-long trip to the US, everyone in the house is scampering around, getting ready to leave. Well, maybe "scampering" is a bit of a strong word. In this heat, the only one doing any scampering is the cat when I catch him trying to grab stuff off my counter. He'd better scamper.

What I have left to do:
Defrost the deep freeze
Clean out the pantry cupboard
Sort through two big boxes of books (of course, I have to clean out the closet so I can get to them first)
Make a multi-media presentation for the churches we'll be visiting
Send out an update letter
And about 5 other things I probably won't have time to do

It's OK, though. I got the yuckiest job done.

I was tempted to do the other jobs first. I would honestly rather sit up in my air-conditioned bedroom and type on my 'puter than mop sludge up off the kitchen floor. Go figure.

But this had to be done -- more for the sake of my friend, Luz, who'll be staying in my house while we're gone than for me. It's not that I'm worried that she'd be offended at my gross fridge which drips constantly. I just want to bless her. I don't want her to have to deal with a big puddle of water in front of the fridge every morning.

And so, in the midst of mucking out the fridge, I began to consider the things that I'd really rather not do, but I do them anyway -- for my husband, for my kids, for my neighbors, for my friends. Then God brought a passage of scripture to mind...

Philippians 2:1-11 So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from rivalry or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others. Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

I added the italics to emphasize the part that really stuck in my brain. My prayer today: God, help me to consider others more significant than myself. Even when it's hot and I'm cranky and I've a ton to do and people just won't stop interrupting me. Help me, God, to humble myself and look out for the interests of others!

Divided Attentions

Yesterday, I had a bit of an epiphany: Facebook is not helping be become a better blogger. In fact, I think that since I began my "Facebook Journey", my blogging has become next to non-existent. I have become...

The Lousy Blogger.

Therefore, I have decided that for the next week or two, I'm not going to post anything on Facebook except links to posts I have written on my blogs. That should help.

Hey, it couldn't hurt!!! How can I post less than nothing???

So, today's "Status" is: HOT.

Doug shared this morning at the Guasave church, and I took this shot. It really doesn't capture all that is summer in Sinaloa, but you can see a glimpse.

Note the slightly lighter-colored part of his shirt near the waistband of his slacks. That's the dry part.

No, I did NOT throw a water balloon at him during worship and no, we did not do a baptism. It's sweat. Thankfully, his sweat don't stink. Seriously, it doesn't. But it's still...um...sweaty.

Church in Guasave is held in open air, partly because the building hasn't been built yet, but partly because holding service inside a brick building is similar to holding it inside a brick oven. We sometime have cows or goats wander through, and if it rains there's a mad scramble to pack up equipment, but the breeze...ah...que bonito!

The Gap Theory of Blogging

Well, I'm seeing a bit of a pattern in my blogging over the past 5 years: I go "gangbusters", blogging every day or at least several times a week and then fizzle and have a big gap of a month or two with little-to-nothing posted. All I can say is, at least I'm consistent!!!

So, with no fanfare or lame attempts at trying to fill in the gap -- which would be impossible at this point: I live my life too quickly to try to catch up 3 or 4 months of blogging while trying to stay current -- I'm picking up where I am now, and we'll just pretend that the past few months didn't really happen...

...after all, they're just a blur anyway!

Highlights...

March

Our furlough in the States: Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington, Oregon, California, Arizona and Home. All summed up in 3 photos...

Our Family: Cold in Seattle

Saying Goodbye to Sarah in Oregon

Back in Mexico
(Read more about that federale here.)

April

Semana santa -- Holy Week -- the boys spent the week baking and selling breads, rolls and muffins.

They earned enough during the weekend to pay for their mission trip which is planned for mid-July. We'll talk more about that later!

May

Kids' Day!!!

Youth Retreat in Los Mochis

Lunch with friends.

Clam Season!!!

Finally getting around to gardening. WaHOOO!!!

Now I just pray that my internet keeps working!!! Man-o-man, have we been struggling for the past 3 months!!! Suffice to say that Telcel is NOT my favorite internet company, but since we have a one-year contract with them, I'll try to not grumble too much. I'm getting pretty comfortable calling the customer service center, though! I managed to be "firm but polite" last time I called, and we haven't been disconnected since. Hurrah!

I'll be back soon, Lord willing!

Always Apologizing

It seems that a vast number of my posts contain the phrase, "I haven't written in a while". Sigh.

I think that I'm dealing with two major challenges. 1.) I'm "doing" a lot. As I said to Doug recently, I'm too busy living life to write about it. I take tons of pictures of all our outreaches, church events, crazy things the kids do and all the strange animals which venture across our property. While I'm doing dishes or prepping lunch I plan out my posts and think about which photos I would use for which layout. When I finally have a few minutes free to blog, I settle my self into my sort-of-comfy chair. Then I encounter challenge 2.) My internet is stinkin' slow. On a good day with no wind I connect at a whopping 50.9kbps. oooOOOooo I click on my login page...wait for it to load...enter my password...wait for it to load...my page opens...I wait for it to load...and I wait...and I wait. By the time my blog and my photo host are open and ready to go -- it's time to run to the next event.

But here I am now -- in the land of unlimited high-speed access. Although I am battling keeping possession of the laptop, since I have a few others vying for their online time, I have a few moments of peace to upload photos and write this rather drab, apologetic post.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow I will post. And it will be significantly more interesting than today's post. I hope. Couldn't be much worse. :^)