Archive | August, 2012

soap opera drama.

15 Aug
That cheesy australian soap drama I always talk about?  McLeod’s Daughters?
Netflix has decided to no longer stream it.
Just pull the rug out from under me, Netflix.  I was 133 episodes into a series with a total of over 200 episodes.  Am I supposed to just forget like I’ll never know when Tess and Nick come back from Argentina?  Or pretend like I don’t want to know the alluded-to tragic and sketchy back story of the new farm hand at the neighboring farm?  Or say I don’t care about the potential Kate-and-Dave-the-veterinarian relationship or whether Jodi’s father is Jack?  And – she scoffs – never know what kind of drama will happen around sheep shearing season this year?  [Sh*t always goes down at sheep shearing time on Drover’s Run.]
Guess I’ll be signing up for a discs-in-the-mail kind of subscription.  I can’t just leave it like this.  Thanks a lot, Netflix.  You piss me off and get a customer all at the same time.  You win.  

#panic.

14 Aug
Panic is planning a day camp at Red Oak Grove kinda last minute but not really planning any of it because as of Sunday, only three kids had signed up.  [Five was the magic number to go forward with the camp.  I wasn’t going to plan it if it wasn’t going to even happen, and for a church that doesn’t participate in VBS – though invited – I doubted it would even go forward.]
Panic is having sixteen kids on the signup sheet by Monday evening.
Panic is having to find adult help, go shopping, and schedule the day [which is tomorrow] of games, snacks, and crafts all today.
As I read what I’ve written, perhaps panic is instead irresponsibility.  My bad.
But the first annual day of camp at Red Oak Grove tomorrow will be awesome even if I have to work through the night to get everything together!

boring.

13 Aug
Sometimes I worry I’m boring.
I used to be fun but the pastor has taken all the excitement out of me.
Case in point: yesterday, Mabel and I drove to see gal pal, Sara in Chaska.  Sara and I first got to know each other working at Trinity in Stillwater and then we actually lived together for a summer in Stilly.  We would have laugh riots together.  We would do crazy things and have complicated awesome inside jokes.  Yesterday, there was a lack of laugh riots.  Not so much crazy except when a dog and a puppy get to playing.  Things were pretty subdued over dinner and Diet Coke.  I don’t blame Sara.  I blame me.  
In fact, sometimes I bore myself.
Bore, bore, bore.
[she says as she watches her cheesy australian soap, figures the mathematics of quilt tops in her head, and plans on being in bed by 11.]

neglect.

12 Aug
Neglect is what I’ve done to this blog.

I’m still here.  I haven’t been around much because I’ve been off with friends.  [a very good reason to neglect the blog in my world.]  Thursday night was dinner and catching up with my local family.*  Friday was dinner out with Paige and a little antiquing.  Saturday night was attending a wedding at ROG [which I did not officiate] and having Dawson penpal, Carter, stay the night with his family.
Lots of friend time.  Lots of busy socializing time.  Lots of this-makes-Lindsay-happy time.
And now today, I think Mabel and I are going for a ride to friend, Sara’s, house to meet her new puppy.    I’m taking a little post-liturgical breather and we’ll load up and head for the south-west edge of the Cities shortly.  Life is crazy but good crazy.  
* We laughed a ridiculous amount on Thursday night.  What did we laugh at?  This website [specifically attractive to my fellow pastors] and this video [potentially offensive in language to some].  There were tears.  It was wonderful.

saturday soliloquy.

4 Aug
Windows are open.  Breeze is blowing.  Life is good.
I wish I could bottle the feeling one gets after exercise.  I feel one-hundred-million-twenty-seven-thousand-and-seventy times better afterwards.  [If you’re keeping track, that’s a lot.]
I finished a quilt top this morning.  Onto a second matchy-matchy one later tonight.  Subtly and not so subtly, one could say they will be like twins … perhaps like their future babies …
This is my absolute current favorite.  Zucchini squash oven roasted.  It’s nearly an every night staple for me.  Throw in some sweet potatoes or some broccoli and I am set for dinner.
I spread grass seed and filled my water softener with salt this afternoon.  I cleaned a clogged shower drain yesterday.  It was gross but I feel very domesticated and home-owner-like.  
Have you checked out Steeples and Stilettos lately?  I’ve been a terribly horrible blog partner but Megan has been posting some really great stuff.  
I’m almost done with my sermon and it’s not even 6pm.  [Who am I?]
I have three weeks of vacation to take before the year is done.  Where should I go and what should I do?  Maybe visit you?  I welcome suggestions.
Mabel and her large mouth says hello.

To Linsay. From Gpa.

3 Aug
I don’t want to be that person but I would just like to say that if my Grandpa Sid were to enter a cute grandpa contest – is there such a thing? – he would probably win.  Or at least medal.  For example –
He came to visit me in Austin with my Aunt Peggy at the end of June.  He met Marilyn in the office and after he left, she told me, “What a cute grandpa.  You tell him that.”  I told this story to Aunt Peggy and she reminded me of a story from years ago.  Grandpa had been in the hospital for many weeks with pneumonia and the day he was released, a nurse came to say goodbye.  She was off-duty.  And she brought her family.  To meet Geeps before he left because he is so cute.  He woos his nurses and not intentionally; he’s just that cute and smiley and soft-spoken.  I met his hospice nurse while I was home this past week; she left and said, “I just love coming to visit you, Sid.  You are so sweet.”  Bottom line: he’s cute.
Cuteness amplified is how he has always spelled my name wrong.  For as long as I remember, birthday cards, Christmas mail, and anything I received from Geeps that he has made [a spice rack lazy susan, a coat rack, a toolbox] has my name written as Linsay.  It’s cool.  The d is kinda silent when you say it.  He has phonetics on his side.  [Even if you disagree, don’t argue.  It’s cute.]
When I was home to see him this past week, I was instructed to pick out a birdhouse.  Grandpa is handy and always creating, whether something from scratch in the work space in his garage or refurbishing a gas pump.  In the last years, he has made numerous bird houses with all sorts of widgets and gadgets on them.  They’re really quite funky and awesome.  I chose one made from barn board, and one with things like a pocket watch, a toy tractor, and pocket knives attached to the sides.  I will treasure it.
Before I left with the birdhouse, I asked Geeps to write on the bottom of it.  His signature “To Linsay.  From Gpa Sid.” with the date in his scripted cursive writing.  He’s so dang cute.  Overalls and all.

On a day like this – part two.

2 Aug
Today was a pretty awesome day.
Honestly, likely the best work day I’ve had in weeks.  Maybe months.
I feel a little guilty that this best-day-ever wasn’t spent visiting the elders of the congregations.  It wasn’t spent in worship with the members of Red Oak Grove.  It wasn’t even spent in conversation with anyone in the congregation.  But it was a necessary ministry day of big picture thinking.
It was a confirmation planning day with my imaginary coworkers, jD and Laura.  [Imaginary in that they are not technically my coworkers, wish as I may.  Not imaginary as in I made them up and talked to the wall all day.]  jD and I met at Red Oak Grove and skyped with Laura, a pastor in Hutchinson.  In a morning, we planned confirmation for the 2012 – 2013 school year and it will be super great.  I even ordered the curriculum today.  [A season of Freaks and Geeks.  That’s right –  you’re curious.  Too bad I can take absolutely no credit for the idea.]
Laura had to depart after the noon hour [I hear she was off to a meeting with you, Pastor Lori!] but jD and I continued our staff meeting over lunch at Applebee’s.  Another goal of ours is a joint confirmation retreat to kick off the year.  Schedule planned.  Details on paper.  Calendars filled out.  Super productive.
This isn’t the first time a day of planning has been a highlight.  Check out this post, a blast from the past of over two years ago.  I just get giddy with excitement about long-term planning with other people who are also excited about ministry possibilities. 
Right.  So let’s think about why this call might not be a great fit in the long run for Pastor Lindsay … but for now, here’s to continuing big picture thinking and making time for visioning with adjunct staff.  PL needs that.

cousin connor.

1 Aug
I went to my Wisconsin home.

And now I’ve come back.
I said goodbye to cousin Connor as he departs this coming weekend for a semester [or perhaps even a year] in Ghana.  Connor, my birthday cousin, loves chocolate cakepops.  In honor of his awesomeness, I made him a set of cakepops meant to resemble the flag of Ghana.  
I walk up the driveway with the pan of cakepops and show Connor.  Look, it’s the flag of Ghana!
Is it? asks Connor.
Seems he would have been happy with just a bunch of pops in a bag.
It will be so strange for him to be gone for so many months, or even potentially a year.  He’s my Thanksgiving bake-off buddy and the one with whom I share my December 8th birthday.  He’s pretty fun too.  We went to a movie together while I was home [along with two more cousins and a sister] and I just enjoy him.
He’s a pretty great kid.  He’s one who was freaked beyond belief that I was going to spend three weeks in Tanzania, only to follow me to Africa for three summers in Kenya.  He’s made some great connections in Kenya and has actually started an organization to help people in Africa.  Check it out and if you have any old cell phones to donate, let me know and I can get them to the right place.
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