Winter Reprieve

*1*
School: All the usual stuff. Cub and Flower got to Hitler on SOTW. Cub was spitting mad about bedtime and it all boils down to he's worried if maybe God knows he hates Hitler and that's a sin. Vocab & theological discussions ensued with an emphasis on differentiating between fury, anger, bitterness, hate and evil. And how God loves all of His children, but sometimes they commit themselves to evil instead of The Way and God allows people to choose. And he weeps over evil but doesn't despair. I love the line in the PBS version of Anne of Green Gables, "To despair is to turn your back on God." Delivered by Marilla, played by consummate actress Colleen Dewhurst, who sounds and acts like Gram.

*2*
I watchedThe Bank Job. A recommendation from aJean Tennant of Shapato Publishing. She said it was the best movie she could recommend to distinguish between plot and story. She defined plot as the physical location of a place and the story as the emotional landscape. It was a very intriguing story but I rarely watch "R" rated flicks. OMWord. Even the mild mannered, middle aged librarian said it was a good movie and it would be "just fine" for my teens to watch. I really don't want my teens watching S and M scenes, torture or  prostitutes in action, thankyouverymuch.Jean had a good point about the plot/story issue but I am glad I watched it sans kids.
*3*
It thawed this week. We can see the ground. I always feel like I've been released from a teeny, tiny, very small closet about this time of year. Winter can be so claustrophobic. Snow again on Saturday but at least there is hope of SPRING!

*4*
Small World Story of the Week. My new irl friend, Mary and I were talking last Friday. She used to live in our small town. In fact, she used to live in our house!! The house is 80+ years old so a lot of folks have lived here but still. . She had her laptop with her so I was able to show her the kitchen remodel (she agree with me that the old kitchen was the kitchen from the pit of despair. It really was awful. And now its not. She was so sad to hear about the fire at first and thought the house had burned down. And then was thrilled that it hadn't. It's an evil enchanted house I tell you. People love it and it's totally counter intuitive to do so because it's in the middle of nowhere and old and dated unique. It's just one of those places where people feel that sense of "home." I just wish I could pick it up (and our valley, with adjoining river) and move it closer to civilization.

*5*
Also watched, "The Book of Eli" on KB's recommendation. I am a visual person. Visual images of violence, gore and degradation deeply bother me. Seriously, I'm up at night over it. This movie reminded me, from Scene I,  of The Road. I have voted The Road as the worst book I've ever read. It is trash, pure and simple, nihilistic and full of despair and evil. (Going against the truism I quoted from Marilla- see above). All under the guise of, well I'm not sure what, but Viggo is off my list of most loved actors for having the bad taste of acting it in, too! The end of the Book of Eli, where the Bible is being slid into the bookshelf, just ruined whatever redemption I might have found in it, though KB stands by her opinion of GOOD MOVIE.  For one, it went, oh so smoothly right into the bookshelf next the the Koran. And, secondly, it was just filed; catalogued. Supposedly the Warrior Goddess of Despair- seriously, who is gonna look that good after the end of the world as we know it?  Sunblock is obsolete, c'mon, and I doubt lipgloss was available - is supposed to carry on Eli's legacy but still, the visual I was left with was that the living, active, breathing Word of God gets put up on display, neatly sharing office space with other Great Books of Wisdom. To be differentiated from Truth.
Not worth the stomach ache. Or waking up in the middle of the night.

*6*
Went on a walk. Startled a herd of deer- maybe 12- 10-15 feet away from us. We live in nature valley, I tell you, and had just crested nature hill.  If you need a fix of the great outdoors, come visit. We'll dose ya right up.
My knee did great. Till that night when I was going up the stairs. Then it rebelled. It started out screaming at me and then I think it actually swore.  Until our insurance changes, surgery is out, so if you think of me and my gutter mouthed knee, I'll take any prayers you care to say on our behalf.

*7*
My husband and I celebrate our 27th dating anniversary today. Our first date consisted of an hour long drive to Indianapolis, an afternoon at the Art Museum and then pizza. My husband was an hour late for the date. He did call. He also consumed 7/8th of the pizza. I was young at the time or I would have taken greater note of these significant details. He has gone through his entire adult life (most of which Ive been married to him for) believing that he can fit in one more thing despite the hour and  he has also gone through his entire adult life eating vast amounts of food. You would never know it by looking at him.  This should have also clued me in to the type of offspring we would share. Skinny, lithe, strong, hale and hearty food consuming machines.

Despite all of that, I am still  in love with him. Even though he drives me nuts, sings in the morning before 10 a.m., cracks puns day and night, continually asks people where there daytimer is and insists that I'd be happier if I went to bed by 9:30 every night and got up at 5 A.M. (which I do at times, but then regress.). Thank the good Lord for all of his other redeeming qualities.
And it was the kind of first date where we just knew.  We went jogging together the next night (back when the ligaments in my knee were where they were supposed to be) and then studied together the next night and talked on the phone the next night and within a week  we just knew. He still jogs (I limp along), we still eat pizza (but rarely) and we talk (or text) on the phone almost every day. We still study and talk about what we've read and written and listened too and  now have the fun of having our kids join in. We've gone to museum's all over the country. And we still know. 

As always Jen hosts Quick Takes.