thumbergia2001

 - It felt like summer! It was not only hot but also humid. Hooray! Maybe one of these nights I'll be able to put away my fleece pajama pants. 

- My body is tired because it actually worked today. I got to help put the mums out on the field. My job was to put in the watering thingies, so it was a pretty good leg workout, all that bending over and squatting down. Oh, there's nothing like enjoying a hot and humid day by working really hard in the full sun while standing on black plastic...I might even have a tan to show for it :)

- Zucchini Fest 2009 was a success! I'm left with much less food than last year, everyone seemed to have a good time, the evening was beautiful, and the kitchen is clean. Mom and I even managed to not get mad at one another, I think. Our neighbors, Jonathan & Petula, joined us for the evening too. And they were smart enough to attempt to give away a bunch of kale and lettuce that's overrunning their garden while lots of people were there. And now that I've done my advertising, I think the zucchini crop is about to descend. Next year, let's plan for the end of July to do this event!

 - I got to be part of the "Irrigation Brigade" today...instead of working in the office, I helped move about 18 300-foot-long irrigation pipes back onto the Mum field/parking lot. We figure we walked about 2 miles, which is the equivalent of walking from the greenhouse to the covered bridge, eight of us in a row with our hands held high. It was something to see - wish I had a picture!

- ZUCCHINI...pie, bake, crab cakes, parmesan. After 5 hours of cooking, it's all in the fridge. The worst part of it is that one of my zucchini bake dishes turned out very close to Avocado Green from the 70s. Harvest Gold may have been preferable. I guess that's what I get for substituting carrots for celery. I forgot to check to see if I had all my ingredients.

- Tonight was such a beautiful evening, and I couldn't find anyone to hang out with, so I took advantage of feeling good and having a bunch of Albuterol in my system...I went for a run. And I survived it too! I may have averaged 11 minute miles, but I ran 1 1/2 of them and only walked 1/2 a mile. AND, that muscle in my inner thigh seems to have healed, because it's not letting me know it exists anymore. Hooray!

 When I was back in high school/beginning of college, there was a time where every day I tried to write down three good things that happened every day in a notebook. I thought I'd try it again in an attempt to get out of that whole negative/complaining mode. Here goes. 

- I got to visit my friend Melissa at the Reading Library, because that's where she works in the summer. She loaded me up with a prequel to Anne of Green Gables and some Greek textbooks.

- I got to help my Mom pick string beans this morning. I'm amazed that a task that I hated so much as a child can be so relaxing and rewarding as an adult. It probably helps that I no longer think they're awful-tasting.

- I got to see Jacob and Maggie, which included Jacob singing a rendition of "Maggie is a Donkey-boy" to the tune of "Here we go round the Mulberry Bush". I predict that he'll have is father's knack for pinning awful nicknames on his sister. 

I just realized that I'm missing the church picnic again this year. Not because I'm playing for a friend's wedding this time, but because I decided to go to the WorshipGod conference. I'm probably weighing a general session by John Piper against people I love from my church family. Surely this is a win-win situation, but I'm still a bit disappointed. And I seem to be in a rut of complaining lately, which you'll probably have noticed if you asked me how I'm really doing lately. I don't like being here (in a not generally joyful disposition), and yet it seems like it would take so much effort to be otherwise.

In case you hadn't figured this out about me, I'm a follower. In general, I'd be really happy to have you tell me what to do. Lay it all out before me and let me get to work. As a child, I followed my parents. As I got older, I followed my friends. Eventually, teachers were added to the mix with more and more authority. My job kind of has this element, but it's been less and less over the past year. So I find myself today as an "adult" whose parents no longer tell her what to do with her life (doing the dishes doesn't quite qualify), whose teachers were left behind at graduation, whose friends no longer fill that position, and whose boss is mainly herself. I'm a follower without a leader.

And so God is teaching me that just because I don't see a person ahead of me doesn't mean that I can't follow the path He has created for me. It might mean I have to work harder, but He's made it clear. When I need to change direction, it will be apparent. But in the meantime it's a little lonely, and I'm not quite up to running on this path yet. Here are some verses that have been sticking with me the past few days:

Psalm 86:4-5:

Gladden the soul of your servant, for to you, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.
For you, O Lord, are good and forgiving, abounding in steadfast love to all who call upon you. 

Have you ever pondered what it means for the only One who is good to also be forgiving? And if He is truly good, as He is, then His forgiveness can not be partial but only complete.

Lord, teach me to call upon You, to lift my soul up to You, the only One who is able to - and who delights to - make it glad. 

 I watered flowers last weekend for the family whose daughter I babysat when they adopted her from China 12 years ago and whose piano teacher I later became but who I now only see by appointment because she's so incredibly busy with dance and school and life in general. Her mom always tries to pay me and usually succeeds. But this time a 12, almost 13-year-old voice piped up to say, "Just give her a big box of oatmeal pies". And so they did. And I've discovered that not only are there more in the box but they're also bigger. And scrumptious. I've just poured myself a glass of milk and plan to enjoy another one while they're still around. 

 I was lent the key to my mom's church for a day to practice for a funeral I'm playing on Thursday. I finished practicing for the funeral tonight (after eating a Pina Colada and Chunky Peanut Butter ice cream cone at Longacre's with Dawn) and then worked on some wedding music because I have to play for one in August. I already met with the bride once, but she couldn't decide on anything, so I have to meet with her again. So at 11:00 at night I finally gave into the thought, "If I would just run home and get my computer, I could record the songs and not have to meet with her again. And I'd have a wedding music audio portfolio." So here it is, after midnight, and I've also discovered that I have unlocked internet access here too. What more could  a girl ask for? I'm off to play the piece I just played on the organ on the piano, the instrument my book intended it to played on. Want to hear what the pipe organ at Salem UCC sounds like? Drop me a line, and let me know if you prefer a prelude, postlude, or other piece of service music, and I'll send you an mp3 :)

My task for the evening? Driving to Bally to pick up two boxes of ice cream cones at Longacre's Dairy for our weekend festivities. I might just have to order a cone first to make sure they taste okay :) 

 So I didn't get very far in learning Greek a few months back. I got sidetracked or lost interest or had to start working to learn it or something that made me stop. But last night I pulled out two of the three volumes I rescued from Lisa's yard sale pile back in June. Two of the volumes are word studies in the Greek New Testament, and the third volume is an expanded translation of the Greek New Testament. Basically, this last volume is a really-close-to-direct translation of the Greek into English...which provides a nice shortcut for someone who wants to understand but doesn't yet know the language. Here are some examples from the preface of how it's different:

Using Greek word order and placing emphasis where the writer originally put it (1 John 1:8):

"If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves"

becomes

"If we say that we do not have a sinful nature, ourselves we are deceiving."



Bringing out the full meaning of the words (Ephesians 3:17):

"that Christ may dwell in your hearts"   

becomes

"in order that Christ might finally settle down and feel completely at home in your hearts."


(Colossians 1:19):

"For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell."

becomes

"...because in Him [God] was well pleased that all the fullness be permanently at home"


Pretty amazing to think about old truths in a new way, isn't it? Words in scripture are kind of like notes in music...you can play the same notes on the page again and again, but they'll sound totally different when you begin to understand why the composer put those specific notes in those specific places and what he meant by it. 

 Someone obviously likes zucchini more than me...or at least was paid to compile recipes for it more thoroughly than I have. If you're in need of a recipe for Zucchini Fest 2009, you might check here:

http://basic-recipes.com/veget/zucchini.htm

 My aunt and cousin told me at the family reunion that they love when I post pictures. They don't really care what I post pictures of, they just like looking at them on Facebook. And Dad keeps asking me to take pictures of things like his new baby chicks and his crop-damaged corn, so here's a new album of randomness. Enjoy!

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2149944&id=31703022&l=5d359edfdd

Getting squeezed by Katie multiple times...drinking homemade meadow tea from the cooler...getting 9 strikes but still being allowed on base when you finally make a hit...playing with little kids who just don't understand why they can't bat for both teams...finishing the game when Matt hits the ball in a mud puddle...getting smiled at by an adorable one-year-old...relighting the birthday candles three times so all the great-grandchildren get a chance to blow them out...talking Dutch with Poppy...seeing a beautiful sunset sky...playing with sparklers...spreading blankets and dragging chairs to Meemee's driveway to watch the guys set off fireworks...seeing all the pretty fireflies dance across the fields...watching grown men run because one of the fireworks went sideways...doing math to figure out our nation is 233 years old...enjoying some fireworks as impressive as the ones at the ball game...having a Joshie in your lap who jumps every time the fireworks expode and a Katie who hugs your arm...seeing and hearing fireworks set off by other people all around...spinning around in the yard with Katie and Josh until you fall down all on top of each other...enjoying a beautiful summer evening. 

 I am officially free from 2008 taxes and any documents relating to them. They are shoved together (neatly, I might add) and placed in the back of a filing cabinet, no longer to be taking over my book bag or my room. Hooray!

 Exodus 29:1a; 42-46:

"Now this is what you shall do to them to consecrate them, that they may serve me as priests...It shall be a regular burnt offering throughout your generations at the entrance of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak to you there. There I will meet with the people of Israel, and it shall be sanctified by my glory. I will consecrate the tent of meeting and the altar. Aaron also and his sons I will consecrate to serve me as priests. I will dwell among the people of Israel and will be their God. And they shall know that I am the LORD their God, who brought them out of the land of Egypt that I might dwell among them. I am the LORD their God." 

Forty-two to four. God spends forty-two verses reviewing in specific detail all that should be done by human hands to consecrate and ordain Aaron and his sons as priests. But lest we should boast in verse 42 that God meets us because of something done by our own hands, He clearly states that 1) the tent of meeting 2) the altar 3) Aaron and 4) Aaron's sons will all be consecrated not by these rituals but by Himself. God chooses to dwell among the people of Israel and be their God. This is what redemption comes down to.

A few more days of warm weather and the zucchinis will be arriving in abundance...it's time to start finding good recipes to try! I tried googling "Mennonite Zucchini Recipes" because I figure Mennonites know how to cook and bake really well. I came across a blog titled "Mennonite Girls Can Cook". Though I've only discovered two zucchini recipes so far, I already like this person...she substituted zucchini for eggplant in one of the recipes, something called Zucchini Mousaka. Why buy a Mennonite cookbook when there's a Mennonite cooking blog? Check it out here:

http://mennonitegirlscancook.blogspot.com ;

Oh, and I've just realized that I need to add a new tag...Zucchini!

Also, if you're looking for a really easy pie to make, put some chopped up rhubarb in a pie crust and cover it with a packet of red Jell-O and a crumb streudel topping. It's delicious! It also requires refrigeration to set after baking, an important point to note. (No, that red spot on my car mat isn't blood...it's rhubarb pie juice!)

 Psalm 77:17-18

The clouds poured out water;
the skies gave forth thunder;
your arrows flashed on every side.

The crash of your thunder was in the whirlwind;
your lightnings lighted up the world;
the earth trembled and shook.

It occurred to me this morning as I read this and thought about the whole earth proclaiming God's existence, that the contrast of lightning and sunrise could be a picture of God's wrath and God's grace. Lightning does make the darkness run, but it also strikes fear into those who see by it. Sunrise, on the other hand, comes slowly and allows us to see the beauty of the world God has created. It allows what once was hidden to be appreciated in awe and reverence. One comes as by the hand of an enemy, the other as if by the hand of a gracious and loving Father. How grateful I am that God has allowed my eyes to gradually see His light in this life rather than suddenly and terrifyingly in the next. 

So many days I go to work with an umbrella and come home without...but today was a day I went to work without an umbrella and was especially grateful to come home with one!

 It also pays to be helpful. I finally opened up an envelope that had been floating around my desk at work today to read this note: "Please give Kerry a tip." After a few questions and some memory searching, I remembered who the customer was. He needed sweet potato plants to take with him to his dad's home the following day but wasn't able to come during our business hours. So I talked to Dave and we left them for him in a box on the counter with his bill and an envelope to put his money into. His tip was more than he paid for the plants!

Now that the storm seems to be over, I think I'll go take my shower. I asked Dad earlier if he thought it was safe to take a shower. He thought about it a bit and said, "That's a question you can't answer until after you've done it." 

A very old, very out of tune upright piano arrived at the greenhouse today, and the musical employees (we've got a lot of them) just had some fun playing around on it and grimacing at how awful it sounds. It's staying with us for a few weeks until its new home is ready for it...could be worth taking some ragtime music to work. Perhaps something that doesn't involve F-sharp in the key signature would be ideal, as that note is particularly offensive. Glick's isn't quite on par with Longwood Gardens and its organ yet...but we're getting closer!

I just got a very exciting voice mail from Charlie. He says that "my" cow, Natali, is indeed pregnant, which means she won't be turned into hamburger yet. Hooray! I love my 12 1/2 year-old cow :) 

I'm pretty sure I killed a possum on the way home tonight. I think it was just waiting for my car to come by so it could unavoidably run out in front of me. If it's not dead, it's surely stunned. 

Did you know that Listerine keeps bugs away when sprayed on your skin? And did you further know that the company who makes Listerine invented the term halitosis? These important things I learned at the Mione's house tonight. Oh, and I also learned today that if you don't leave enough time for your pie to bake over your lunch break, you can turn the oven off before you return to work but leave the pies in for them to finish baking while the oven cools. Perhaps another perk of a convection oven? Either that, or Mom baked them more before taking them out upon returning home. I haven't seen her to ask. There were lots of desserts, so if you come visit me tomorrow I'll give you a piece of pumpkin custard :)

 It sounds like something is dying outside our house. Maybe a chicken? Or a wild animal? Not the dogs - they're barking and can do nothing else from inside their cage. Oh, now other dogs in the neighborhood have started barking too. It must be dead now, because it's quiet again. I'm sure you didn't want to know that, but there's no one else to tell right now. And don't tell Linda...she'll never want to sleep outside in a tent with me if she's reminded things like this happen!

Off to make a pie crust and go to bed.