"Be Still, My Soul!"

The Hamptons are unexpectedly in another waiting period for some potentially good news (Can't share it publically yet--it may not work out). However, the waiting is stretching out more than we had anticipated a couple of days ago and was preceeded by various deep disappointments during this last school year. That's why, when I was in tears this morning while running some of the Friday errands, our public radio's playing of Sibelius' "Finlandia" was just what I needed (surely, the Lord knew...). When I got home, I pulled out a hymnal and refreshed my memory of the words to "Be Still, My Soul." I could even still play it on the piano.

Be still, my soul! the Lord is on thy side;
Bear patiently the cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change He faithful will remain.
Be still, my soul! thy best, thy heav'nly Friend
Thro' torny ways leads to a joyful end.


P.S. On a much lighter note, no further evidence around here of any mice of any size. We're closing the book on this episode of home-owning.

She's moved but we're still in the battle

We got Jenny moved into her new apartment, which no doubt will be a much better living space than the old despite being much older (the old one was new) and having a teeny-tiny kitchen. But the solid construction, the large sliding doors looking out to a deck (on which she has several pots of colorful flowers and a birdfeeder) that overlooks a woods, the hot water that drains out of the bathtub in a normal amount of time, and the four-block walk to her office make it seem homey. She will be able to entertain, participate more in campus events, etc. It took two days of hard work in record heat, but even the pictures are hung on the walls. We're glad for her.

On the home front, I discovered a baby mouse cowering in a corner yesterday, so it seems our battle is not over. Where there is one baby mouse, there are likely to be several more. I (all by myself, I might add) won the skirmish with this scared mouse but the traps we set again produced nothing....we might have to find out from Ruberad where to get those better mousetrap traps.

We're off...

..after our church small group in a few hours to move Jenny to an apartment within walking distance of her lab/office. This should improve her living situation a lot even though it is a much older apartment complex. Her current place, while brand new, is not well managed and it is so far off the beaten track in the next town up the freeway that you need a special map to get there. Of course, after weeks and weeks of cool rainy weather in the midwest and northeast, it is supposed to be 95 degrees tomorrow. That's what always happens when she moves. She said that last night at 9:00 p.m. as she brought down a few boxes to take with her into Washington as she went to church this morning, she ended up drenched with sweat. What will it be like at 5:30 when her two hired students and a couple of church friends show up to help? Good thing she has bottled water and soda in both fridges, old and new! Back on Wednesday!

Comparative (potential) diasaters and on-going "battle"

Two consecutive Tuesdays brought potential disasters to 912. On the 4th, C was painting in the kitchen. Most of it is above the sophets (sp?) and so is very awkward. In the process, he spilled a gallon of beautiful light blue/gray paint on the kitchen floor. An hour and lots of elbow grease later, we got that cleaned up and he finished the kitchen. This Tuesday, I was working away, getting within shooting distance of finishing a first draft of my second chapter, when I inadvertently deleted 13 of the 14 pages. This one took $80.00 of salvage software and four hours of tedious work, but we did recover it. I finished that draft the next day and today will do a good editing (still first draft though) and put in all the footnotes. C is busy painting the hallway (same color), also tedious because he has to trim around three bedroom doors, two bathroom doors, one closet door and a mirror that has been glued to the wall (we discovered). He wants to finish it up before we go to help J move Sunday night--Tuesday. He still has the two-story hallway and the living room (also the same color) before we (that's a royal we) can call it quits with painting. He will have painted every surface already painted or wallpapered!

And in the meantime, we have been battling a very savvy mouse, who got in (we think) when the door to the garage had to come off to get shaved down to fit over the new basement carpeting. The humane trap was ridiculous. He got cheese out of the old-fashioned spring loaded ones two nights in a row, but last night (after C positioned four of them in a square next to wall) he met his demise. Because I thought I heard skittering noises in the kitchen after the strong snap of the trap noise, we will set them again tonight. But maybe we are beginning to see the end of this battle, and without Ruberad's fancy traps (which dont' seem to be in any store in our area).

Curves

One month and one day after I joined Curves, a women-only exercise franchise, I have lost 6 pounds and 6 inches (total for all parts measured). I'd say that this represents some initial success! So here are my participant observations: Curves works for people like me--older, not athletic, not happy in a gym atmosphere, yet aware that they need to exercise if not for aesthetic reasons, then health ones. It was the doctor's caution about my ancient feet that finally propelled me to join though a friend has been urging it for a couple of years now. I am by no means the oldest person there, nor the heaviest (the same can be said about youngest or skinniest!). One woman looked to be about my mom's age just before her last precipitous decline, complete with oesteoporosis hump. We don't have to get into fancy exercise outfits; we don't have to sweat up a storm. We just have to keep moving around the circle of about 15 strength/resistance machines that target (by the time we've finished) all the muscles and the 15 intervening recovery pads, which are for jogging/dancing/marching/shuffling/twisting in place (i.e., aerobics). 30 seconds at each station, twice around the room. In the 30 minutes it takes to complete the routine, the tape that speaks over the up-beat music to tell us to move to the next location also has us take our pulse three times. I have gotten my pulse consistently up one notch, still in the middle of their recommended number for my age (not 89). We must stretch out (12 various poses) afterwards. That is the hardest for me given my lack of flexibility.

Curves is also, for those who want it to be (and for some, like me, who would rather it not be), a social destination. It's like going to Buehlers (our local grocery store)--I always see someone I know. If I am not mistaken, Curves is a small town phenomenon though it is in cities as well. My friend, G, has done evangelism there among the women she meets. I, however, like getting in and getting out and zoning away from all the sociability (not always possible). The teeny-boppers who staff it are chatty on the order of hair stylists (with whom I also don't like to carry on conversations). Nonetheless, that's how it is there, and it seems that is how most of the women like it. They also have silly little games to win tickets for prizes, this past week for a red/white/blue picnic basket. (No, it didn't look like a flag). They encourage you to bring in dog/cat food for the animal shelter and treats for the troops. Those are the only two so far, but I can only imagine that they have the calendar year covered.

It remains to be seen how faithful I can be to the 3 times a week routine they recommend once school starts up again. Not that I have to drive that far--2 1/2 miles in a small town. I asked if it would be ok to come twice and go around three times, but they frowned seriously. They don't even recommend coming more than 3 times unless you just do the aerobic part on the extra days. It obviously will be important to continue. We'll see how much I lose in the second month.

A-M-R-E and R-E-U and O-L-O spell SUMMER

AMRE is a summer math research effort of our department and REU's happen all over the country, including (in physics) Wooster. The students are not fed by the college, and for several years now another faculty and we have hosted deck picnics for them. Thankfully this year the other math faculty and we swapped our times and we did the latter one because their deck fell (literally) to the toppled trees in last week's huge storm. One day this week the AMRE gang went over there to help with the cleanup (including the football player/shot-putter grandson of a COW former president and all around great guy who thinks he is a bulldozer). So last night, on a perfect summer evening, we had 36 on our deck for three hours. It was so nice, no one wanted to leave. Oh, the physics folk joined the math ones--good pairing, don't you think. On the 4th we will have a much smaller group of faculty friends for a salad supper on the deck before heading off to the patriotic concert on the square given by the cast and orchestra of OLO (Ohio Light Opera), Wooster's summer residence light opera company that has given us so many hours of enjoyment over the years. Then on Wed. we have cheap tickets to see "H.M.S. Pinafore." The happy music is already running through my head. "Give three cheers and one cheer more...." for summer.
P.S. Ellen, thanks for the title idea.