Precious Gifts

 
Today Lorrie Davis Netzley & Craig Netzley dropped in to spend a few precious hours with Keith & me:)
Our third contingency of former UMC youth kids from upstate NY coming here!:)
Could we have asked for better gifts, than to have at least 4 of our friends/youth from our 'honeymoon days' in NY come to see us this fall, our 40th year of marriage?!

I have yearned to see our kids throughout the years, dreaming of a reunion, but have lost touch with many. I prayed for them, wondering how each was faring, especially our last group of young ones that we knew the shortest amount of time--left behind....

Today, if I had not been in the midst of Christmas mayhem in the center of Hallmark when Lorrie & Craig walked in, I would have wept buckets....of joy! I must admit a few tears were shed:)
Lorrie & Craig, after spending most of the years married to other spouses or divorced from a spouse, were married this August, so are newlyweds:)

Craig's sister 'Dia' & her son Brett brought Craig & Lorrie to us:) (They live about 40 minutes away). Bless you Dia:)

At first I couldn't connect with Keith; his new Droid battery had run down:( But Skye found him to tell him the news. Then I needed to track down my manager Yvonne (who was at the bank) to plead for a lunch hour in the midst of the busiest day of the season:(
But, all worked out. Keith appeared in no time, and Yvonne sent me off to enjoy lunch if I promised to bring back potato soup for her.

We ate outside at Panera's (no room inside). It must have been 50 degrees today, but we didn't care. We talked & talked & listened & grinned & laughed & loved it all:)!
Sadly, at some point I had to return to reality & report back to work, so hugged all with great reluctance, then dashed back to Hallmark. But Keith took everybody home where the reunion continued for another couple of hours:) Everybody got to meet Skye as well:)

Craig & Lorrie's group ate & dreamed the folk music of the late 60's & early 70's. We spent hours practicing music & presenting folk services:) They were a talented bunch of kids!
Our church sponsored a coffeehouse (mentioned here before) the youth group participated in, volunteered in recycling at the town dump before it was politically correct, were always part of the Community Easter Sunrise Service----basically we simply liked doing things together!
The youth group was our family.

Lorrie was our next door neighbor while we lived in Olive Bridge:) Her mom & dad made us feel right at home from the start. We even helped Mr. Davis cement a swimming area for his newly laid out campground. A wonderful family:)

Beth, Janie (& Louise), Craig & Lorrie, the LORD sent you to us & we needed to see you! Each visit has been a precious gift to Keith & me:)

It melts my heart that you cared enough to stay in touch. It makes me weep to think how sweet our time together was 35-40 year ago, & continues today when the rare opportunity arises:)
Bless y'all.
Praying we'll all be united one day singing "Cum Bah Yah" & "Michael Row The Boat" & "Sloop John B", "Blowing In The Wind", etc.:)

Exmas by C.S. Lewis

... and beyond this there lies in the ocean, turned towards the west and the north, the island of Niatirb which Hecataeus indeed declares to be the same size and shape as Sicily, but it is larger, and though in calling it triangular a man would not miss the mark. It is densely inhabited by men who wear clothes not very different from other barbarians who occupy the north- western parts of Europe though they do not agree with them in language. These islanders, surpassing all the men of whom we know in patience and endurance, use the following customs.

In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound they have a great festival which they call Exmas , and for fifty days they prepare for it in the fashion I shall describe. First of all, every citizen is obliged to send to each of his friends and relations a square piece of hard paper stamped with a picture, which in their speech is called an Exmas-card . But the pictures represent birds sitting on branches, or trees with a dark green prickly leaf, or else men in such garments as the Niatirbians believe that their ancestors wore two hundred years ago riding in coaches such as their ancestors used, or houses with snow on their roofs. And the Niatirbians are unwilling to say what these pictures have to do with the festival, guarding (as I suppose) some sacred mystery. And because all men must send these cards the market-place is filled with the crowd of those buying them, so that there is great labour and weariness.

But having bought as many as they suppose to be sufficient, they return to their houses and find there the like cards which others have sent to them. And when they find cards from any to whom they also have sent cards, they throw them away and give thanks to the gods that this labour at least is over for another year. But when they find cards from any to whom they have not sent, then they beat their breasts and wail and utter curses against the sender; and, having sufficiently lamented their misfortune, they put on their boots again and go out into the fog and rain and buy a card for him also. And let this account suffice about Exmas-cards.

They also send gifts to one another, suffering the same things about the gifts as about the cards, or even worse. For every citizen has to guess the value of the gift which every friend will send to him so that he may send one of equal value, whether he can afford it or not. And they buy as gifts for one another such things as no man ever bought for himself. For the sellers, understanding the custom, put forth all kinds of trumpery, and whatever, being useless and ridiculous, sell as an Exmas gift. And though the Niatirbians profess themselves to lack sufficient necessary things, such as metal, leather, wood and paper, yet an incredible quantity of these things is wasted every year, being made into the gifts.

But during these fifty days the oldest, poorest and the most miserable of citizens put on false beards and red robes and walk in the market-place; being disguised (in my opinion) as Cronos. And the sellers of gifts no less than the purchasers become pale and weary, because of the crowds and the fog, so that any man who came into a Niatirbian city at this season would think that some great calamity had fallen on Niatirb. This fifty days of preparation is called in their barbarian speech the Exmas Rush .

But when the day of the festival comes, then most of the citizens, being exhausted with the Rush , lie in bed till noon. But in the evening they eat five times as much supper as on other days and, crowning themselves with crowns of paper, they become intoxicated. And on the day after Exmas they are very grave, being internally disordered by the supper and the drinking and reckoning how much they have spent on gifts and on the wine. For wine is so dear among the Niatirbians that a man must swallow the worth of a talent before he is well intoxicated.

Such, then, are their customs about the Exmas. But the few among the Niatirbians have also a festival, separate and to themselves, called Crissmas , which is on the same day as Exmas. And those who keep Crissmas, doing the opposite to the majority of the Niatirbians, rise early on that day with shining faces and go before sunrise to certain temples where they partake of a sacred feast. And in most of the temples they set out images of a fair woman with a new-born Child on her knees and certain animals and shepherds adoring the Child. (The reason of these images is given in a certain sacred story which I know but do not repeat.)

But I myself conversed with a priest in one of these temples and asked him why they kept Crissmas on the same day as Exmas; for it appeared to me inconvenient. But the priest replied, “It is not lawful, O Stranger, for us to change the date of Crissmas, but would that Zeus would put it into the minds of the Niatirbians to keep Exmas at some other time or not to keep it at all. For Exmas and the Rush distract the minds even of the few from sacred things. And we indeed are glad that men should make merry at Crissmas; but in Exmas there is no merriment left.”

And when I asked him why they endured the Rush, he replied, “It is, O Stranger, a racket, using (as I suppose) the words of some oracle and speaking unintelligibly to me (for a racket is an instrument which the barbarians use in a game called tennis ).

But what Hecataeus says, that Exmas and Crissmas are the same, is not credible. For the first, the pictures which are stamped on the Exmas-cards have nothing to do with the sacred story which the priests tell about Crissmas. And secondly, the most part of the Niatirbians, not believing the religion of the few, nevertheless send the gifts and cards and participate in the Rush and drink, wearing paper caps. But it is not likely that men, even being barbarians, should suffer so many and great things in honour of a god they do not believe in. And now, enough about Niatirb.

C.S. Lewis, God in the Dock,
"Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus"
(1st published in Time and Tide, 1954)

Christmas Russian Tea Mix

This is the recipe I mentioned in my last blog.
Wonderful on a chilly winter day, especially during the Christmas holidays.
Makes a nice gift:)

RUSSIAN HOT TEA MIX
2 c. Tang
1 c. instant tea
1 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. cloves
1 tub Crystal lemonade (can substitute sugar free)
1 pkg. Wyler's lemonade (can substitute sugar free)
1/2 c. sugar ( or Splenda may be substituted)
Combine ingredients and store in jar until needed. Add mix per individual taste with hot water and serve.

Merry Christmas to one & all.

A Yummy Quick Recipe for Christmas

I have always loved pecans!
If they are in any dessert, or salad, or dressing, the more the better:) Even a handful of fresh plain ones are tasty:)
So tonight I looked online & found a microwave rendition of a favorite of mine. It turned out so well, I made two batches:)

GLAZED ORANGE PECANS

1/4 c. orange juice
1 c. sugar
2 c. pecan halves

Combine orange juice and sugar in a 7x12 glass baking dish; mix well. Stir in pecans. Microwave on ROAST for 6 minutes. Stir and continue cooking on ROAST for 8-10 minutes or until syrup crystallizes. Spread and separate glazed nuts on buttered cookie sheet to cool. Yield 2 cups glazed pecans.

Store in a pretty jar or tin & give as a gift, or, serve at your next party, or--take time this December to visit with a friend & sip Russian tea & nibble glazed orange pecans:)
A Christmas treat!
Edna, do you remember?
Merry, Merry:)!

A Wild & Crazy Time In December---a 36 hr. adventure for Janie & Louise, and Keith!

 

Photo is of Seth, Janie, & Louise at The Lucky 32:)

Tuesday, December 8th:
1. Regular routine of walking Wyatt about 7pm.
2. Last minute cleaning before friend Janie (part of our youth group in NY) comes. We haven't seen her in 34 years! She's bringing a neighbor/friend. They found a special deal on Jet Blue for a round trip ticket for $99 (cheap)!
3. Nancy's mom's Memorial Service at 2pm at Jordon Oaks.
4. After work Keith has a Dr.'s appt./consultation at 3:30pm.
5. Meet Keith at Dr. Jordon's office after Memorial Service. He complains of feeling terrible, a pain in his upper abdomen. The wait is so long, I leave after 45 minutes since Janie & friend Louise are arriving at the house about 5pm.
6. Keith arrives home at 5pm. Says Dr. Jordon sent him for x-rays & is trying to admit him to the hospital---she suspects gallstones.
7. About 5:30 Janie & Louise arrive. Oh happy day to see Janie again!! And meet Louise:)
8. Then Seth & Cameron arrive to meet the girls & go to dinner with us (Kelley wasn't feeling well).
9. About 6:30 I drive Keith to the hospital (right across the street from The Lucky 32) & the boys take our guests on to the restaurant.
10. It's raining & chilly.
11. I meet our dear friend Janie & friend Louise at dinner, being entertained by Seth & Cameron:) We had a delicious "Southern" dinner:)
12. Afterward we visit Keith, now situated in the Short Term Care unit, being given an antibiotic & pain-killer intravenously---and feeling much better:)
13. About 10pm we leave the hospital, Seth going on home & the girls & Cameron & I visit while I mix up an egg, cheese, sausage casserole for breakfast. Cameron's day at work sounded pretty dicey. Four of his team have been laid off & he is worried:(
14. Bed at 11:30. The girls have been up since 4am! I've been up since 6:30am. We all sleep soundly as the rain pours.
15. Wake up at 6:30am to walk Wyatt but it's still raining hard.
16. Enjoy casserole, coffee, biscotti together, then head to Western Wake to check on Keith.
17. Visit for 2 hrs. Pastor Andy drops by for a while.
18. Nurse thinks the surgery won't be till evening since Keith is considered an "add on", so I decide to go on to Southern Seasons in Chapel Hill with Janie, Louise.
19. We spend 2 hrs. at Southern Seasons, one hr. shopping, the other hr. having lunch at the Weathervane--the food was wonderful but the best part for Janie & Louise was eating outside on Dec 9th (the sun had come out & the weather was mild)!
20. Have to say goodbye to Janie & Louise--they are going on to see Duke Chapel & Duke Gardens & fly home, while I drive back to sit & wait for gall bladder surgery with Keith. Must admit it was hard to leave them.
21. Cameron, Seth, & Kelley come to the hospital after work. Seth & Kelley bring supper.
22. Keith is finally taken to surgery at 7:30.
23. By 10pm Keith is out of surgery, then in recovery for about 1/2 hr. All went well, & Keith is alert enough to talk, but fades in & out of consciousness.
24. We all head home about 11pm. I spend the first night alone in our house of 22 years. I sleep on & off.
25. Wake up Thursday morning, walk Wyatt, shower, then drop the deposit keys off at work (Yvonne is hoping not to come in). Toni has graciously offered to work for me if I will come in at noon for an hour or two. She has a hair appt. she'd like to keep.
26. When I get to Western Wake the surgeon has told Keith he can be released as soon as the paperwork is finished. I find the nurse Wendy to speed things along.
27. At 11am we head out the door & go across the street to our Harris Teeter pharmacy to pick up Vicodin for Keith's pain management. He's joking about being "House":)
28. I drop Keith off at home, get him settled into his recliner, then dash to work.....
29. By 3:30, I am napping on the couch, Keith's sleeping in his chair, & Wyatt is snoring away between us:)
30. Whew!!! Worked 9-5 today, tomorrow 12-7pm. While Keith's recuperating, I need to figure out when I can recuperate:)!
31. But, above all, what a blessing to see Janie again, to meet Louise, & for Keith to be so well cared for throughout his attack & surgery.