Shushan's Shore

I am happy to announce that Rebecca has finished and uploaded her 2011 digital card to our Christmas site, www.santapenguin.com

She has done a very nice job with it! I really like how you have to look for the creatures a bit - and yet they are right there in front of you. If the snow-pack seems a little light, that's the way it really is around here (when we get any snow at all. Its supposed to be in the 50's this weekend), and she thought it would be nice to make a snowy, winter scene the way she really sees them here. She's made the lovely banded sky, the bare trees and all. Can you tell I am proud of her?

No, the image isn't on this post. The pics you see here are just cheery bounty from the internet's largess. For some reason, images on this blog have tended to expand or otherwise distort since I had the blog template changed. They look all right in the 'compose' function but do weirdness when I preview/publish. Even the smileys won't sit right unless I move them next to text. *shrugs* Anyway, I would rather you saw DD's work on our Christmas site where it is properly formatted.


As for us, we are having a simpler Christmas than ever. We are mostly better, but that bad bug stuck around long enough that we didn't visit as many friends or family as usual or even do much decorating, mailing, baking etc. Even finishing my usual Christmas story has been delayed. This was the year I finally tried elderberry extract along with vitamin C, echinacea, and  the other usual immune supplements I grew up with. It was a worthwhile recommendation and really did seem to help. (We needed it all this time!) Even so, William still ended up at the doctor's office last week. He's on antibiotics and resting well. He says he's pretty sure he's up to eating Christmas dinner with us now.

What energy we had in November/December was prioritized towards for finishing our studies for the semester. I have finished the classes for that Arts & Sciences Associates Degree at our local CC.
All A's again too.

Becka and Tom  also did well. Their research papers ate up a lot of December too, come to that,, but they got A's and B' s so I am happy for them. I didn't have as many big papers, though my math requirement made sure I studied just as hard.


Of necessity, this year's theme is peaceful simplicity and gratitude for God's provision. Which doesn't mean we can't enjoy the Grace in what we've been given. We are looking forward to enjoying the prezzies and snacks planned for tomorrow  (We've already started on the snacks. :) Then we'll have a nice meal and a long nap.  I'm looking forward to it already.


Wishing you a

Louis' sit-down protest over the lack of attention that results when I stare at the math book too long.

heh

      Well, at least briefly. I am still very busy and will be until the end of the semester. Its not that I couldn't get online since July, but the family's happy comfy desktop died and that made blogging and email discussions a LOT more awkward. I made myself write on the family lappy for school when necessary, but tended to avoid the process otherwise. Its keys are stiff  and the position is awkward :-P

What happened?

      We cleaned the somewhat unstable family desktop system on a very hot day and the can of air malfunctioned, frosting the board. There was a very small, unpleasant snap/crackle....and voila!...time for a new computer. In hindsight, it was sssooo obvious we shouldn't have used cold compressed air on an already overheated system - even after letting it 'cool' in hundred degree weather for half an hour (the usual time). *sigh*

Yeah, I pretty much felt I should turn in my computer nerd badge after that one, but then we had to build  from a New Egg kit (all the budget allowed) and its running great, so I guess we're not completely hopeless.

     Yes, its been several months. It was awhile before we had a replacement budget at all, and by that time the semester was underway. Since I need to excel in one of my toughest subjects to finish, I've been a little distracted by that alone. Then too, the first MOBO was DOA and had to be RMA'd (adding several more weeks to the process.)  After the system finally posted, the real work of saving the last work on the previous one and setting up the new OS, drivers, fave programs, etc began. (One of  Mom's collection of Everett Kaser's licensed logic puzzle puzzles is still MIA, but hopefully it will surface soon.)  The new compy is great! Its great when something turns out to be worth the wait, yes? One of these days I'd love to upgrade this old CRT monitor, but right now I am grateful it still works so well :)

     So, I 've pretty much been doing schoolwork for several months. I didn't even read to relax for awhile. Just felt I had to concentrate, you know? Now that my BIG papers are off to be graded and DS is settled into his routine, I have relaxed a little. It probably helps that I could see this machine coming together as well. I even indulged in some light reading, starting with a published web-comic already very much loved by my daughter and husband. My husband is tickled that I used to look like Agatha (the heroine) and was that spicy too, he says. :) That's okay, I long saw him as being a lot like my favorite adventure game hero (DH looks more like him everyday.)

     This fall my husband realized Mom had put online one of the few surviving** pictures of me from that time period that he feels proves the point and shared it. I did like to dress like her - skirts & vest, long hair, and big glasses. Actually, I still do *ahem*  The old picture was from my High School Anatomy & Physiology class so there I am dissecting (something I generally avoided like the plague but my partner, who took the photo, was provably unable to cope.)  Mad Science!

** (My step-father ruined or 'lost' a lot of stuff before she divorced him. Pictures were a favored target.)

      Anyway, I'm glad I finally got around to reading the Girl Genius series. Its fun! Graphic novels sure are quick reads though. I got through the series in a few days, in addition to homework. I finally finished another fun loaner too. I expect I will dig out the paperback cozy I left off reading this summer - sometime this week. Its sitting right on top of the sewing I suddenly quit doing this summer. I can't honestly tell you why I froze up like that. I guess I was worrying about DH's health. He hasn't had to go back to the hospital since the issues we had to address this late spring/summer. I wasn't sure how well he was really doing afterward. The problem could easily recur.  I'm still not sure, but as time progresses, I guess I am getting more hopeful again.  I could have been reading some casual fare during the several days of power outage we had following Hurricane Irene. I didn't. I just read textbooks and my Bible and played card games - hanging out with the family. Which reminds me-

     I said this on Facebook (briefly) and called some folks directly, but never got around to posting it here. Yes, we felt that earthquake that was on the news in August. It was surprising, but  as far as we can tell, it did us no harm. At the time. I was on DH foam mattress, sorting things, and didn't even realize how big it was until I put my feet back on the floor.  A few things shook on the walls, a perfume bottle fell, but landed softly....and then it was over.  Since we have had 'little' quakes in the past years that barely got mentioned but were also strong enough to shake the house, we were surprised it got so high a number and so much coverage!

      Hurricane Irene, about a week later, was a much bigger deal, but did us no direct damage either. The dangerous trees were removed awhile ago. So basically, it was very rainy, it was incredibly windy (about as noisy as Hurricane Isabel years ago), and then the power went out. Actually the power stayed out around the area for most of a week. Even the college was closed! This time we were able to use a generator regularly after the storm passed by, so our food stayed usable until we were able to eat it (aside from some ice cream.) We were able to keep some fun stuff charged, and live almost normally. It was a little too warm for oil lamps, but the battery ones did fine.  Very likely the strain of the experience helped finish off our very elderly refrigerator, as we had to replace that too this fall, but the new (to us)  fridge is a marvel of consistency by comparison. We're loving it!

      We haven't participated in any other major news events. We spent Halloween doing schoolwork. We weren't that interested in this year's local candidates, aside from a pharmacist fella we always liked. He won, which was happy. We're not that big into sports. The closest Occupy group is way off in Norfolk, and pretty much off our radar, aside from News Updates. I am still curious as to what, specifically, they hope to accomplish? Anybody know what legislation they hope to pass or how they want Wall Street to police itself? I read some of their pages online but they seem kinda vague to me, and now there are rumors it's all astroturf anyway. hmmm

      The weather seems pretty extreme this year. Those tornadoes last spring, quick turn to a hot summer, quick turn to cold temps this fall. A lot of days have been nice enough, but its been the kind of year where the good weather forecasters become extremely familiar faces. It was over 80 F today and in two days the high will be slightly over 50 F - cocoa weather again.

Anyway, that's the recent news here.

Good to 'see' you. ;)
Susan M

Back in the 70's there were many Christians who felt that looking to the way the first churches did things (apostolic and just barely post-apostolic) was the cure for all of the current denominations worldly ways, would set the church back on fire etc.

It was a useful perspective, as otherwise average churchgoers tended to assume that traditional arrangements were set in concrete, anyone who wasn't blessed by them was a heretic etc. The mainline denominations HAD lost a lot of their fire, and while the architecture, hierarchical organizations weren't necessarily responsible for all of it, looking at them again critically as to whether they added or detracted from a true fellowship experience was a good, if not very popular idea.

I haven't heard anyone bring up these issues in person since the 70's - and its kind of a blast from the past to read the arguments again in this book (plus quite a few more!)

I personally agree that spectator church services do not create a sense of responsibility, personal involvement, or family connection among its members. I do not agree that designating bishops for the different churches was necessarily a negative development in the body of Christ. An ability to designate spokespersons and have community arbitrators necessitated the post. The fact that these positions became 'clergy' - considered much more priestly than the average members - is where it became a problem. The posts got reinvented over time.

I am very glad this book is becoming something of an underground classic (as many 'regular' churches are still opposed to its precepts.)

Frankly your 'average' Christian usually means someone who poses as respectable for a couple hours on Sunday, lets the sermon go in one ear and out the other and lives as they please all week.

[Sometimes they don't even behave in the short weekly visits! I know one church that personally persecutes, judges, and slanders their literal neighbors even while they are still attending as a group. The gospel clearly means nothing to them. Apparently they have had just enough exposure to the gospel in there to vaccinate them from ever catching the Holy Ghost!]

'Fellowship' in these setups is limited to the few friends they chose and is indistinguishable from carnal friendships - outside of any Bible studies they have together. Anyone not in these networks, or downed on by them is not treated as a brother or sister in Christ. Believers in other denominations are not acknowledged as family. To my mind this isn't fellowship at all - and so I do not forsake it by not attending these hypocrisy fests.


This is not to say that 'regular' churches can't be real fellowships or attendees are all fakers, but the setup makes it easy for fakers to slide and for the fires of those seeking to the serve the Lord to be somewhat quenched with no one they can definitely share the passion of their lives with. The Catholic Chrurch talks about the 'church within the church' - which has become a code phrase for the wheat among the tares in their fields. You can still get blessed even at a high mass, but you can't guarantee that you will easily find the other real believers in the cathedral just by showing up one day.

This is true in protestant churches as well. Knots of real believers may gather around the official services, and may be fed a bit by the teaching, but the real work and life of such churches tends to be 'on the side' - in the outreach ministries done by the layfolk, in the discussions of the enthused outside the 'led' Bible studies, in impromptu worship services that began as the prayer before the potluck or party. I think this book brings out very well why this is so.

I strongly recommend every believer read this book with an open mind. You don't have to agree with everything the authors believe to be blessed by a greater understanding of how Christian gatherings, relationships, and worship have changed over time.

Christians need to learn from the past too. We have nothing to lose from it but falsely based guilt trips! (Loved the section on tithing!)

My summer is a bit busy at present. DH had another visit to the hospital last week due to some complications. I think they are still from the last surgery, but nobody really knows. DS is finally getting over his complications from the oral surgery this spring. He's been through 3 rounds of antibiotic, and still had notable swelling, but the vitamin C (and time) we went to afterward seem to be working at last. Thanks to the early heat wave, I have had to replace our old gauze caftans recently for the ladies of the house. Gauze cotton is the absolute best for beating the heat, but, like many good things, it doesn't last.

I have fit in a few mysteries, and since I promised to list and review at least 12 for that reading resolution thingy (note the sidebar button), here are the reviews I have written since the last time. :)

Crewel World by Monica Ferris (reading now)

[from Amazon] When Betsy's sister is murdered in her own needlecraft store, Betsy takes over the shop and the investigation. But to find the murderer, she'll have to put together a list of motives and suspects to figure out this killer's pattern of crime -

Pick Your Poison by Leean Sweeney ~ 4/5 stars ~ finished May 24, 2011
(Yellow Rose Mystery 1)
Some things I really, really liked about this mystery and its main characters, and some I didn't -  like the way the heroine betrays the trust of her brother-in-law, reflexively fibs, and the way she responds to her sleazy ex.  Crazy number of coincidences too, but it all works out in the end.

A Wedding to Die For by Leean Sweeney ~ 4/5 stars ~ finished May 25, 2011
(Yellow Rose Mystery 2)
Our heroine from Pick Your Poison decides to start a specialized PI business, helping adopted kids find their original parents. Her client invites her to help with the wedding, and claims to be keeping her work a secret - but several of the family already know about it. Its hardly surprising that the adoptive family has some issues after learning of the effort, given the skeletons in their corporate closet, but which of them killed the father of the bride?

The heroine behaves far better in this edition, but the family members she investigates are a pretty big downer. Well written, but not entirely a favorite.

A Deadly Cliche by Ellery Adams  ~ 5/5 stars ~ finished May 23, 2011
(Books by the Bay 2)
Pretty heavy emotional baggage for a cozy mystery, but very well written :)


Olivia is still in a state of personal transition since the last book. She is unsure of her current relationship with the gregarious bookseller, unsure of her feelings for the police chief, and how to handle her increasing closeness with her fellow writers/friends. Into all of this personal questing comes a tropical system, a suspicious letter saying her long lost father is still alive but declining quickly- please send money- and a serial killer/burglar that threatens one of her friends. In a way, Olivia welcomes the challenges these mysteries present (she's not especially worried about the storm.) They allow her room to breathe and stay involved while she tries to decide which way she will move on with her life.

Trouble in Spades by Heather Webber ~ 5/5 stars ~ finished May 5, 2011
(Nina Quinn 2)
Very hectic, but definitely amusing. The main villains of the piece were fairly obvious, but how the story would play out was anything but! Nina's entire clan prepares for her sister's wedding, while trying to solve the fishy disappearance of the groom. Meantime, Nina and her son assist the effort to find the granny panty bandit at loose in their neighborhood.

Busybody by M.C. Beaton ~ 5/5 stars ~ finished April 28, 2011
(Agatha Raisin 21)
Brilliant! Agatha attends a Ladies function for the parish that ends with the murder of an overly officious bureaucrat who has been ruining everyone's traditional plans for Christmas. Several other attempted and successful murders (including - possibly- an elderly beagle) may or may not be related, but with Agatha's talented crew of detectives and friends around, nothing can go unsolved for long.

Glazed Murder by Jessica Beck ~2/5 stars ~ finished April 18, 2011
(Donut Shop 1)
This mystery didn't mesh for me. I never really believed in the characters' interactions or the situation. The heroine didn't seem real. Her actions didn't seem to make sense if you took the situation at face value. It didn't seem badly written exactly, but I just couldn't get into it!


I seriously disliked some of this book's vibes, but as I am unsure as to whether they were intended, I won't go into those undertones here. Besides, any book that paints a 'vicious gossip' as a reliable source of information loses points with me right off.

The Plot That Thickened by P.G. Wodehouse ~ 3/5 stars ~ finished May 12, 2011
 Not one of Wodehouse's best, but good fun just the same. If you ignore when the book is supposed to be taking place (supposed to be the late 60's, but reads like the 20/30's), and the cultural mistakes (the Americans aren't very American at all), it reads just fine. ;)

Night of the Living Deed by E.J. Copperman ~ 5/5 stars ~ finished April 4, 2011
(Haunted Guesthouse 1)
Surprisingly good paranormal mystery. Alison buys a house to fix up and use as a guesthouse but the previous owner (Maxie) and the PI she hired have other plans. They want her to solve their murder, which was passed off as suicide. The killer wants Alison to find the historic deed to the place, which was allegedly signed by George Washington. & Alison just wants her life to be sane again. lol  Its a fun romp of a mystery. Well worth your time!

An Uninvited Ghost by E.J. Copperman ~ 5/5 stars ~ finished April 17, 2011
(Haunted Guesthouse 2)
Improbably busy, ghost-filled fun! Alison is now trying to get her inn off the ground with the help of two unexpected offers. One from a tour group catering to ghost-hunting seniors fills most of her hours and rooms with certified eccentrics. The second offer is from the producer handling four foul-mouthed 'youths' from a cable 'reality' show (plus crew, makeup, extra lights, and emotional baggage.) During a televised seance, a last minute guest is murdered and Alison has her hands full trying to juggle her regular duties and solve the crime. Thank goodness she has help from beyond...

A Crafty Killing by Lorraine Bartlett ~ 5/5 stars ~ March 25, 2011
A definite page-turner! I didn't guess the killer or the reason. Honestly, the bigger mystery was what was going to happen with the Artisans group, Katie Bonner etc. It will be interesting to see where events lead for these characters.

Carbs and Cadavers by J.B Stanley ~ 5/5 stars ~ finished March 24, 2011
1st book in the supper club series. Surprisingly deep! I picked out the villain early on but not entirely the motive. Well worth your time :) Its great to see these everyday people working toward their personal goals while inspiring those around them. :D

No, not talking about the latest Pirates of the Caribbean film. (We haven't even seen it yet, though we intend to!)

This is a devotional thought inspired by our little dog, Jack.

      Jack has turned into a decent pet, though we still have to watch him around strangers. I don't think I mentioned that Jack was the alpha puppy in a less socialized setting. He was actually brought to us a little early because he tried to challenge his father and they had to break up the scene when they realized that more than correction was going to follow. Every so often Jack still kids himself that he can be dominant pet (that position is firmly held by our biggest cat, Louis) or even higher... We read the pet books while training him, and watched a lot of Cesar Milan, and we are doing fine now, but only because we make sure that he has to ask to come sit with us, check his obedience levels often - even over his dinner bowl, get him lots of exercise, and make him earn goodies by doing what tricks he can.

We had a ham roast last month, and Tom wanted to give him the meaty bone, as it looked thick enough to be safe for his size to chew on (not easy for him to fracture.) It took us hours of working with him before we were confident about letting him have the last of the leftovers and the big ole bone.  Even then we had to work him afterward when he started jump up on the couch uninvited....

      Another dog would simply have gotten the scraps, but you do that with Jack and he gets stupid within hours, sometimes within minutes. He takes it as tribute to his awesomeness if not made to beg and recognize his dependence OFTEN.

     People are like that too, with God. We complain about our trials, but they make us ask God for things we too easily take for granted, or somehow think we are entitled to have. Reversals drive us back to our knees to check what is really okay with the Almighty, and not just equate what we are physically able to manage with heavenly permission. We haven't always offended God when trials come. Many trials happen just because we live in a fallen world, but from God's point of view. it does us good to come before Him often, even if its only because we are continually asking Him for what we need and want. Many years of dependence on God builds a healthy habit of talking to God continually, seeking His company, wisdom, grace, and reassurance. We need God ALWAYS, everyday. Everything good about us comes from walking with and before Him, but we are not often able to internalize this wisdom until we have survived a lot of trials and pains, and seen God's calm descend on the storms of our lives. If we persevere, we learn gratitude and appreciation of the awesome power of God, and one day we will know what a generous gift has been given through our current circumstances.

In the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, God complains many times about how people seek Him earnestly in their need; but once they are full of food and well off, they forget to stay close to the One who gave them everything. In fact, He warns Israel prior to entering the Promised Land that they will be tempted to this behavior, but that disaster will follow if they allow themselves to forget His warning. The following history then shows Israel fighting to become established and talking to God often, but then falling away from God toward other idols and carnal appetites during the good times. Eventually invaders come or plagues strike and they beseech God's mercy and help again. He relents ~ and within some years, they start falling away again. wash. rinse. repeat.

Read any of the Old Testament prophets for very long and you will see this problem attitude of humanity discussed. See Jeremiah 3, Ezekial 16-24, Hosea, Isaiah, even Micah!

The New Testament doesn't discuss this inbuilt failing of human nature as explicitly, but it is mentioned as a carnal attitude to avoid...

¹ But mark this: There will be terrible times in the last days. ² People will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, boastful, proud, abusive, disobedient to their parents, ungrateful, unholy, ³ without love, unforgiving, slanderous, without self-control, brutal, not lovers of the good, ⁴ treacherous, rash, conceited, lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God— ⁵ having a form of godliness but denying its power. Have nothing to do with such people. 2 Timothy 3:1-5

"He said, 'In a certain city there was a judge who neither feared God nor had respect for people. In that city there was a widow who kept coming to him and saying, “Grant me justice against my opponent.” For a while he refused; but later he said to himself, “Though I have no fear of God and no respect for anyone, yet because this widow keeps bothering me, I will grant her justice, so that she may not wear me out by continually coming.” ’ And the Lord said, ‘Listen to what the unjust judge says. And will not God grant justice to his chosen ones who cry to him day and night? Will he delay long in helping them? I tell you, he will quickly grant justice to them. And yet, when the Son of Man comes, will he find faith on earth?"

Jesus - Luke 18:1-8

Will He find faith on the Earth when God is always Faithful? What a question! Why would He not, unless we have already forgotten His benefits, chosen to believe we gained whatever we have by luck or skill, or taken a daily sufficiency (or even larger blessings) for proof we are a superior bunch who don't need to check back with the author and source of goodness to remain good? People aren't that daft are they? Are we all like Jack? One decent hambone and we think we rule our world again?

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