We left our cat Elsie by herself while Connie went to St.Louis, and Linda and I to the other side of Lake Michigan for a week end Retreat. The fall leaves were gorgeous, and the sand dunes always impress us--such an unusual landscape. Of course
Elsie was glad to see us return.
I haven't had cats in my home but this Elsie is very affectionate. She befriends any stranger who comes to our house; she's always on my lap whenever I sit down. I'm going to write an essay about her thoughts. What is going on behind those eyes as she stares at us?
We saw Michael Moore's latest film, about Capitalism. He very bold to expose the unethical things == like selling mortgages to families who can't keep up with them.
Next you know they are foreclosed and lose their homes. Or buying life insurance on their employees, and making the company the beneficiary. Oh how devious human beings can be.
Time to go. Love to all. Ensign
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Sunday, October 11, 2009
What a full summer we've had, and now the day of the dead approaches, and the frost is on the pumpkins and the flowers are dying.
I went on a crop walk around Lake Cornelia today with Jon and Karl in the group, but I talked mostly with others. We rushed back from a game in Iowa City (against Michigan - it was very close) - we did stay the night in Andrea's home, but we left right after church without talking to sleeping Liz or doing any shopping in order to be in time for the walk.
Ahh the lake was like glass and it was a nice day to be out. Tonight I helped Karl memorize lines for the Musical he's in - I'll let him tell about that.
So, our summer started out with a bang of buying a house. Andrea and her friends from college needed a place to stay and a couple weekends were spent searching earlier in the year and it was decided that no apartments fit the bill and this house at 1505 West Benton in Iowa city would be the best solution. Connie and Trale have had a chance to visit. And since our Library has finished its construction we've been able to get some furniture from there for their use.
I got to go along with the Spanish trip to Costa Rica in June. It was action packed. Swimming at a state park beach was interesting. it was the summer solstice and the tide came up especially high- driving us off the beach. Add to that the hermit crabs, monkey, Raccoon and large lizard that were curious about us. I do NOT have fond memories of monkeys.
This one didn't jump and growl at me like the one in an Australian zoo did, tho. There were lots of Sloth there to gaze at, too. Zip line, and white water rafting were fun there. And Mt. Arenal has taken over the perfect cone award from Mt Mayon. .
We stayed overnight at a resort that gave a view of it in the morning without any clouds.
In July, Jon and I and Karl went to the Lutheran National Youth Conference in New Orleans. It was called "Jesus, Justice, Jazz". There were 36,000 youth that were there. They divided us into 3 - the conference lasted 3 days - so 12,000 did service on each day. The other 2 days were divided between learning sessions and experiential - hands on interactive time.
I'm so glad to get first hand connection with the Katrina issue, because hearing the news is not the same as being there. We stayed in an old "French Market Inn" . Each hotel had a leader that helped us feel welcome and led us in worship in the mornings. In the evening the was a "final 15" devotion time of reading scripture, sharing and prayer that our own groups did. We were supposed to stop wherever we were at 10:45 p.m. and have these devotions. Some did that. it was a good witness to us, but we just made the effort to meet together in the boys' room even tho we were all tired.
In August, Jon had a meeting and invited me along to visit New York City. That was fun to stay by Central park (as Michael had suggested at the House of the Redeemer retreat center) we got bus passes and hopped on and off easily to get to see ground zero, ride the staten island fairy, see the art museum, and the sex museum. There is so much more we both want to do. We loved seeing the puppetry of the Lion King live on Broadway. we checked out Grand Central station and all the libraries i could find.
I enjoyed working at the farm with 2 graduates of Grinnell College - A german and anthropology major. And a third graduate of a Missouri College. We eat together, and they took turns cooking. One had gluten allergy and another had allergy to beans so we learned ways to meet both needs, and survive without wheat or beans.
I went on a crop walk around Lake Cornelia today with Jon and Karl in the group, but I talked mostly with others. We rushed back from a game in Iowa City (against Michigan - it was very close) - we did stay the night in Andrea's home, but we left right after church without talking to sleeping Liz or doing any shopping in order to be in time for the walk.
Ahh the lake was like glass and it was a nice day to be out. Tonight I helped Karl memorize lines for the Musical he's in - I'll let him tell about that.
So, our summer started out with a bang of buying a house. Andrea and her friends from college needed a place to stay and a couple weekends were spent searching earlier in the year and it was decided that no apartments fit the bill and this house at 1505 West Benton in Iowa city would be the best solution. Connie and Trale have had a chance to visit. And since our Library has finished its construction we've been able to get some furniture from there for their use.
I got to go along with the Spanish trip to Costa Rica in June. It was action packed. Swimming at a state park beach was interesting. it was the summer solstice and the tide came up especially high- driving us off the beach. Add to that the hermit crabs, monkey, Raccoon and large lizard that were curious about us. I do NOT have fond memories of monkeys.
This one didn't jump and growl at me like the one in an Australian zoo did, tho. There were lots of Sloth there to gaze at, too. Zip line, and white water rafting were fun there. And Mt. Arenal has taken over the perfect cone award from Mt Mayon. .
We stayed overnight at a resort that gave a view of it in the morning without any clouds. In July, Jon and I and Karl went to the Lutheran National Youth Conference in New Orleans. It was called "Jesus, Justice, Jazz". There were 36,000 youth that were there. They divided us into 3 - the conference lasted 3 days - so 12,000 did service on each day. The other 2 days were divided between learning sessions and experiential - hands on interactive time.
I'm so glad to get first hand connection with the Katrina issue, because hearing the news is not the same as being there. We stayed in an old "French Market Inn" . Each hotel had a leader that helped us feel welcome and led us in worship in the mornings. In the evening the was a "final 15" devotion time of reading scripture, sharing and prayer that our own groups did. We were supposed to stop wherever we were at 10:45 p.m. and have these devotions. Some did that. it was a good witness to us, but we just made the effort to meet together in the boys' room even tho we were all tired.
In August, Jon had a meeting and invited me along to visit New York City. That was fun to stay by Central park (as Michael had suggested at the House of the Redeemer retreat center) we got bus passes and hopped on and off easily to get to see ground zero, ride the staten island fairy, see the art museum, and the sex museum. There is so much more we both want to do. We loved seeing the puppetry of the Lion King live on Broadway. we checked out Grand Central station and all the libraries i could find.
I enjoyed working at the farm with 2 graduates of Grinnell College - A german and anthropology major. And a third graduate of a Missouri College. We eat together, and they took turns cooking. One had gluten allergy and another had allergy to beans so we learned ways to meet both needs, and survive without wheat or beans.
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