Meandering Moments by Elsi

Today we went to the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Society’s site—”we” being Diane and me, Annelle (Diane’s mother), Susan Bauer (Diane’s childhood friend), and Susan’s parents, Ruth and Duke Cornell.

We walked around a while, until Annelle’s knees and my hip were screaming in complaint. Then we hopped on the DABS tram and rode the rest of the way. Our guide was Tina, who pointed out that she is a tram driver, not a botanist. But she told us all sorts of fascinating facts.

The staff planted 500,000 bulbs this year, of which 350,000 were tulips. The enormous stone gate is made of fossil limestone, and was installed as a surprise for the original property owner; it was there when he got home from a trip.

Our tram tour was diverted and stalled for a while, because a gentleman taking blood pressure medicine became dizzy, so they called 911. We had two fire trucks  and an ambulance, blocking the tram’s way. So we chatted and took pictures until he went to the hospital. We were glad it wasn’t a heart attack, or a broken limb.

After lunch—in the shade, because it was too hot in the sun (I’m rubbing this in for my readers in Colorado, where there’s another blizzard coming ;-p)—we headed back to Annelle’s house, where some friends capably loaded into the RV all the stuff Diane is taking back to Colorado. Where she’ll put it there is another question, of course … 

The puddles were frozen in Amarillo this morning, but roads were still pretty clear as we headed across the Texas panhandle and then south toward Dallas. One of Diane’s heart-goals for the trip has been to see bluebonnets—Texas’s state flower that blooms in the early spring.

 Well, we were  driving along the interstate when I spotted some flowers along the roadside … blue flowers … small flowers … um … “hey, Diane, what are those flowers?”

“Bluebonnets!” And, by God’s grace, we were at the exit for a rest area! Off we pulled, parked, and trotted down the hill for a closer look. Indeed, they were bluebonnets, not fully grown, but in beautiful bloom!

Funny thing, though … Diane hadn’t mentioned that exciting critters live under fields of bluebonnets. Sallie was certain this was fact, and burrowed along, sniffing wildly. I now have several pictures of the back end of a beagle, surrounded by bluebonnets! 

My friend Diane’s mother moved to assisted living last year. Diane spent most of Christmas in Dallas, going through her old home, boxing and sorting. And now, in Diane’s spring break (she’s a kindergarten teacher), we are driving to Dallas to bring boxes back. Complicating all this was last Thursday’s blizzard, which left feet of snow, closing even fast food restaurants.

Friday I discovered the RV (my Meandering Moose) had been blocked in by a tired snowplow driver, who had dumped his load behind the rig, which was in his way on a side street.  Nonetheless, I got my stuff into the RV, and a kindly neighbor shoved the piles of ice onto the sidewalk so I could back out. And Saturday morning Diane and I, plus Dolphin (the saber-toothed tiger) and Sallie (a novice RVer),  headed south on the interstate.

The snow actually wasn’t a major hindrance by then, though we had calving-glacier action from the several inches of ice on the roof! Other drivers were giving us wide berth as chunks of ice and drifts of snow swept down on the highway.

Sallie, who barks at anything dangerous (bikes, dogs, squirrels, snowplows, schoolbuses, …), has added small, boxy, black vehicles to her list, going crazy in the front seat (with Diane as her seat cushion) when we were passed by one. Horses and cattle also warrant wild barking, as did a field full of what looked to me like archery targets (don’t ask; I have no idea!). 

We pulled into the Amarillo, Texas, KOA well after dark last night. Also well after the office had closed (we lost an hour of clock time when we crossed the Texas border). Diane guided me as I backed into our soggy site, and we set up the beds and collapsed happily into them.

Sallie insisted on going outdoors at that point, and found lovely smells to check out.  Just behind the Moose, hopping lazily around the puddles, were three of the biggest rabbits I’ve ever seen! Jackrabbits, Diane informed me, the kind that metamorphize into jackalopes for tourists. And we slept happily all night; Sallie even allowed Dolphin to cuddle with me in bed, a first.  

That was our closing activity in youth group this evening. We had the whole complement of kids, 13 in all, all our regulars. The hormone, energy, and volume level were high, and there was some good thinking going on.

So, who do you relate to in the Bible, and why?

the Israelites, who were always complaining
Esther, who took responsibility, as I often have to
the child who shared his lunch, because I like to share
Adam, because I sin, too
Job, because he lost everything, and there’s a lot of disappointment in my life
Eve, because I’m easily distracted by food
Solomon, because he was wise
Moses, who took a long journey
Mary, because there’s something good in me that’s going to come out
Samson, because he was strong and destroyed the building
Jairus’ daughter, because Jesus loved her and helped her

What about you? Who do you choose, and why?

I’ve got a nasty cold and have spent most of the past several days in bed. Sallie thinks this is a waste of time. Surely, she implies, you could take me for a walkie, if you’re going to be home so much!

But I snuggle deeper under the covers and ignore her.

A couple of times Dolphin has come in to offer some saber-toothed tiger comfort. He walks across me, meowing some feline incantation, then curls up on my stomach and goes to sleep.

And Sallie allows him to do this, pushing her head under my hand for petting but not chasing him away!

It’s far from Isaiah’s vision of the redeemed earth, of course. In fact, Isaiah didn’t write about the lion and the lamb at all. He spoke of the wolf and the lamb, and the lion and the yearling (Isaiah 11:6 and 65:25).

Nonetheless, I enjoy the peace and comfort my beasties bring me as I fight off this nasty bug.

Back and forth, through the fences and across the trees, goes the daily barking—headlines, messages, warnings, passed from dog to dog across the city for the defense of us all.

A few highlights from today’s news:

Warning! Two boys on skateboards!

It’s trash day! Here comes the truck!

I saw a squirrel!

Watch out for the white cat!

Jogger with stroller—beware!

A dog! A dog! Get off my sidewalk, strange dog!

Bicycles! Beware the bicycles!

Rabbit on the east!

And on they go, telling one another the news, keeping alert to protect us from danger.

The youth group worked with Esther this week, partly in honor of Purim (which starts March 10) and partly because we’re studying young people in the Bible who faced situations parallel to modern life.

We started with a walk-through skit—by which I mean I assigned parts, handed out scripts, and the kids read through it without rehearsal or preview. It featured Miss Yang, a brilliant mathematician and programmer (played by Wanqing), who was drafted by President Xerxes (Alex) to help save the government from terrorist attacks. Her uncle (Zheng), who worked for IBM, which made him privy to hacker threats, was hated by the head of Homeland Security (LeHao) because of a missed promotion and, therefore, hated all Asians. Samuel shone as the FBI/CIA/Secret Service agent.

Then we talked about the real Esther, and from there moved to parallels in our lives: If the principal makes a bad rule, you could confront him. If other kids want you to do drugs or sex, you can say no.

Courage … cleverness … loyalty——the lessons of Esther.

A group of about 50 women from Boulder Valley Christian Church went to Allen’s Park this weekend. There we focused on Acts 2:42, which tells us the first Christian believers “devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching, to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread, and to prayer.”

We studied the Bible, played games, sang praise songs and hymns, and shared Communion. We chose from workshops on assessing our communication style, writing for the Lord, prayer, and line dancing. We walked in God’s glorious creation, napped, visited, and prayed together.

And I’m sure I’ll catch up on my sleep in another couple of days … ;-p

{comment from Elsi: Morgan is our obedience trainer; we’re almost done with the current class, which is “remedial beginner”—this is Sallie’s view of our Monday evenings …}

My friend Morgan plays the organ—
That won’t work: too hard to rhyme!
She’s my teacher, loves each creature.
We all think she’s mighty fine!

She says, “Leave it!” I believe it!
She says stay … I hold my pose!
When we’re working, there’s no shirking,
‘Cause what she says always goes!

She’s so patient! Stands adjacent,
Telling Elsi what to do.
I’ve been learning “Heel!” with turning—
Don’t you think you’d like this, too?

Soon we’re finished—work diminished—
Confident I’ll pass the test!
End of story? I’ll have glory:
Morgan clearly loves me best!

Just got a contract from the Cup of Comfort people—they’ve accepted a story for Cup of Comfort Book of Christmas Prayer!

I’m assuming it will be out for next Christmas; the contract didn’t say. I’ve got a story in their Book of Bible Promises coming out next spring, and three out this spring: Women of the Bible, Mothers and Daughters, and a Bethany House release called Love Is a Verb (based on Gary Chapman’s love languages).

Such fun, and a privilege, too!