Glimpses of Life – Page 63

Easter Sunday

The Friday before Easter Sunday, I went to the local grocery store for some weekend groceries and read a sign that they had posted which read “Closed Easter Sunday.” That seemed a little odd to me but since I normally do my groceries during the week it wasn’t going to impact my life so I didn’t worry about it.

Sunday morning arrived and we decided we would go out for breakfast braving the mass crowds who would be there since we had a late start to our day. Arriving at the Woodbury Cafe, we expected long lines of people waiting since we arrived around 10 a.m. Â Much to our delight we walked in and were seated right away. Looking around, the waiters & waitresses weren’t busy but were relaxed having casual conversations.

Service was good as usual and when we were ready to leave we noticed that there still weren’t many people here. Where were the mass of people exiting the Sunday Easter services, I wondered, as normal Sundays here are quite busy.

Our goal for the day was to buy curtain rods as we are hanging curtain panels in our living room. Heading to Bed, Bath and Beyond we took notice that the parking lot looked quite empty but since we saw a couple entering the store we decided it must be open and it was. But the store had very few customers.

Not having any luck finding what we were looking for, we headed to Home Depot and were disappointed that they didn’t have much of a selection of curtain rods. Oh well, we have all day, I thought.

On to J C Penney. The parking lot was empty here, lights were out and the door was locked. Hmmm … okay then — we’ll go to Pier One I determined. Nope. They had a visible sign that they were closed.

Onto Target! Nope. And this was the Super Target that we went to …

It appears that Easter Sunday in the Twin Cities means that many stores allow their employees to have the day off. A trip to the local Menard’s (similar to Lowe’s) and WalMart later in the day did reward us with stores that were open but not with the curtain rods we were looking for.

I don’t recall having this many stores closed on Easter Sunday in Seattle. Have I just forgotten or was I just more prepared?

It’s interesting to me because recently, when we were looking for a second car, we found out that car dealerships are closed on Sunday.

Oh well — I’ll adapt and next year I won’t plan on shopping on Easter Sunday.

Trust

Sometimes I feel I don’t have enough trust in what God can do for me and for those around me. Even with the celebration of Easter tomorrow by millions of Christians, the sense of trust in a Creator that is invisible (at least as we view visibility) seems absurd. And yet, we have so much creation, not including prophecies that have come true, around us that give us reason to believe and trust.

The story of a man named Elijah came to mind today as I read an article about him written by someone else. The story goes as follows:

“Then the word of the LORD came to Elijah:Â â€œLeave here, turn eastward and hide in the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan.Â You will drink from the brook, and I have directed the ravens to supply you with food there.â€

Let’s stop right here. First, if I were to hear a voice telling me to go somewhere, drink from a brook and then wait for ravens to feed me, I would think I’d gone mad. But such is the life of a believer as even stranger things have happened. Continuing with the story:

“So he did what the LORD had told him. He went to the Kerith Ravine, east of the Jordan, and stayed there.The ravens brought him bread and meat in the morning and bread and meat in the evening, and he drank from the brook.”

This story tells me that what the LORD promised He would do He actually did. But Elijah had to do what the LORD had asked him to do or else the result would not have been the same.

There have been many times in my life when I have experienced events in my life that were similar to Elijah’s. Times when impossibilities became possibilities. Times when I was told to step out in faith — what some would call blind faith — and do things that I thought were incredulously stupid.

I mean, really, would you wait around for ravens to feed you? Most people would say no and scrounge around for something to eat on their own. Trust though tells me the answer should be yes. Yet sometimes all we have is a very thin string to hang onto and it has to be enough.

The craziness of living as a Christian means that we learn to expect the unexpected, behave opposite of what our brains say is “normal,” think outside the box — wait, there is no box. (laughing)

But it doesn’t mean that trust in God always comes easy. When He says to “turn the other cheek” we think retaliation. When He says to “forgive” we think ignore. When He says “go” we think it best and more comfortable to stay. Nope, not easy walking this Christian life and yet I would have no other. I would rather have the slap on the face ….

After all, if Jesus could hang on a cross with a crown of thorns on His head while being mocked for me, this is a piece of cake.

“They stripped Him and put a scarlet robe on Him,Â and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on His head. They put a staff in His right hand. Then they knelt in front of Him and mocked Him. â€œHail, king of the Jews!â€ they said.Â They spit on Him and took the staff and struck Him on the head again and again.Â After they had mocked Him, they took off the robe and put His own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify Him.” Matthew 27:28-31

Today

It’s rather gloomy outside today — rainy, cloudy and windy. Despite that, I managed to make it to church and attend the Easter program that they had which was a narration interspersed with solo songs and congregational singing. Â The soloists all did a great job and the last song “He Is Risen” received applause for its climactic ending.

A family was sitting next to me who had five (5) children. Unfortunately, one of the girls had a really bad cough so I offered her a cough drop which she gladly took. Her mother came prepared with water for her to drink and later I found out that the girl’s cough started this morning. Poor thing.

After church, my husband and I drove around in search of a park that said they had blooming wildflowers but with the continual raindrops we decided not to venture out for a walk or we would have been sopping wet. So homeward we went.

Minnesota is not known for dreary days as most days have blue skies overhead as far as the eye can see.

A cup of hot chocolate, small pieces of edam cheese, crackers and a roaring fireplace have enhanced the otherwise dreariness of today.

Gentleness

Recently, I heard a preacher, Colin Smith, re-tell a story that he had heard many years ago.

There was a Pastor who had a deacon in his congregation who had become rather difficult to be around and became a burden to the leadership of the church.

A short time later, the deacon passed away. An autopsy was performed and a large tumor was found in his brain. Because of the size of the tumor, the coroner was able to determine when it had started to grow and it was around the same time that the man’s personality had changed. The Pastor said “If I had known one fact more, it would have changed my whole relationship with this man.”

A lot of times, we don’t know what is happening in people’s lives. Health changes, divorce, job loss, financial problems — the list goes on and on as to what can affect people’s lives and cause them to behave differently than what we are used to.

Colin Smith continued saying how we must be gentle with people. And it’s true. It is easier to lash out than to refrain from saying or doing something.

May the Holy Spirit help me to live exuding gentleness.

“Spirituality must never be used as a kind of cloak or cover for shoddy attitudes towards other people.” Colin SmithÂ

[amazon_link id=”1845506391″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Jonah: Navigating a God-Centered Life [/amazon_link]

Ginsu Knives

Growing up, I was always told not to play with knives. But being grown and spending more time in the kitchen means that I have to work with knives when cooking.

These Ginsu knives were given to me as a gift and I have found them to be easy to handle and sharp.

I hadn’t realized how dull the knife I was using was until I started using these. Now slicing and chopping are much easier.

Are there any other nice knife sets out there?

[amazon_link id=”B0006TJ7HM” target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Ginsu 04817 International Traditions 14-Piece Knife Set with Block, Natural [/amazon_link]

The Auto Show

It had been many years since I went to an auto show but this year my husband and I decided to head into Minneapolis and see what the show had to offer. The ooh-ing and ahh-ing on my part had more to do with the colors of the cars than the cars themselves. Whereas (it seemed) the men were looking at engines, tires and everything mechanical, I looked at whether the cars were comfortable, if I could reach all the parts inside and if I felt claustrophobic while sitting in them. The colors were an added bonus even if I wouldn’t buy anything outlandishly colorful.

Here are some of the ones I saw (click on each one to see them in a larger size):

My favorite was the Acura TSX as it reminded me of the Volvo that we bought back in 1984 that died around 20 years later (which was quite odd for a Volvo as they normally last for ages).

We do need a second car in our house although we have been able to manage with one car for the last year and a half. We’ll see where life leads us.

A New Camera

Since myÂ fall (literally)Â in the ocean back in January, I have been looking to replace the camera that fell in the water with me and it has not been an easy task although I basically had 3 requirements for purchasing a new one:

A point-and-shoot
Better zoom than my old one which was 10x (for taking pictures of wildlife)
Quick picture taking

I went to Best Buy and tried out some of the cameras they had which were okay but with so many options I still found it a little overwhelming as some cameras have a longer battery life, some have better picture quality and on and on so I didn’t purchase one at that time.

Later, on a recent trip to Costco, I saw a camera that was a newer model of the one that was recently damaged. It’s a Panasonic ZS10 Lumix and has 16x optical zoom and 14.1 megapixels. When I tried it at the store, it had the 3 things that I was looking for.

Appearance-wise, the camera doesn’t look very pretty as it’s basic black. If “pretty” were important to me then this camera would not be on the top of my list but I’m more practical than that. Â The camera is lightweight and sits comfortably in my hand, pocket or purse.

So I purchased it, started taking pictures almost immediately and was pleasantly surprised that they were coming out very clear. The next test was in taking pictures of food since I like trying new recipes and taking pictures of my work. The camera has a Food setting specifically for this which does not use a flash and actually has a note that recommends you NOT use a flash when taking pictures of food. A food blogger that I follow had once said that she didn’t use a flash when taking pictures of food so I didn’t find that too unusual. However, I assumed that if the lighting was too dark that the flash would automatically be enabled but that was not the case.

When I made my quinoa salad, I decided to use the Food setting and follow the directions — no messing with a flash, just shoot the picture with the setting as stated.

Boy, was I disappointed as my pictures started coming out dark and fuzzy. Here’s an example of what I mean:

Here’s another picture using the same Food setting:

Quinoa in Water — Soaking Quinoa - using the Food setting as recommended with no flash

That was NOT going to work for me so I decided to take the same picture on the Auto setting which automatically adjusts for the lighting and, in this case, used the flash:

Quinoa Clear — Quinoa Soaking - Auto setting that used the flash

Quite a difference, eh? I was getting more frustrated as I assumed the Food setting should know what it’s doing. (Okay, I know that I’m assuming a camera can think but really, all I’m assuming is that whoever set up the camera should know that the Food setting should adjust for whether a flash is needed).

As the days rolled by I kept trying the Food setting and every time I set it as instructed, I kept getting fuzzy pictures. Finally I decided to try something different (yes, I decided to think for myself) by turning on the flash when using the Food setting and guess what? It worked! The pictures came out pretty similar to if I was using the Auto setting.

I was on the verge of returning the camera to the store as I have a 90 day trial period but instead I’m thinking I’ll keep it. I did experience a little stress in figuring out how to turn the flash on while using the “Food” setting but things have settled down now.

I wonder why little things seem to stress me more often than not these days. Age? I hope not or I’m going to be a really cranky old lady.

[amazon_link id=”B004KKZ0I8″ target=”_blank” container=”” container_class=”” ] Panasonic Lumix DMC-ZS10 14.1 MP Digital Camera with 16x Wide Angle Optical Image Stabilized Zoom and Built-In GPS Function (Brown) [/amazon_link]

Spring Bulbs

The hyacinths are peeking out of the ground already since the weather has been in the 60’s and 70’s the past couple of weeks. We are still waiting for the daffodils and the tulips to come up but the weather has turned a wee bit colder at night — in the lower 40’s.

These bulbs are supposed to be deer resistant so I am hoping that the deer don’t decide to make their abode in my front yard to eat my autumn-planted bulbs.

An unfortunate event has happened though — I spotted the first mosquito of the season. Grrrrrr … Â And, according to an article in the New York TimesÂ the tick season has already started due to the warm winter we’ve had.

My favorite seasons in Minnesota are still autumn and winter as there are no bugs.

I guess I’d better prepare myself mentally for working alongside the bugs that will be making an appearance shortly.

Energetic Grandchildren

A recent visit to see our grandchildren left me in awe of the ways they come up with to entertain themselves. I had to take a video. I just had to! It makes me laugh every time I watch it.

I hope this makes you as happy and giddy as it made me.

Removing Wallpaper

The removal of the wallpaperÂ project is going quite well so far although I’m only working 2-3 hours at a time so as not to upset my injured hand and only 2-3 days a week.

It is a slow process though. One thing I had not anticipated was paper cuts. I noticed small cuts on my hand that were bleeding. I’m almost done — well, once I remove the mirrors and the toilet — but I hadn’t even considered wearing plastic gloves. Oh well …

I think removing the toilet is not going to be a big deal. I say this with a bit of humor as I’ve never removed a toilet before in my life. But, there is a first time for everything, isn’t there? Well, there doesn’t have to be I guess but there will be for me. For some unknown reason, I would like to say that I’ve removed a toilet. Â (laughing)Â What a goal to have in life! hehe

I’ll have to do some research on it and see how it goes. I think it’s a “next week” project though. Hmmm … maybe I should just replace the toilet. It is 19 years old after all. My fear is that I may have parts that I don’t know what to do with a new toilet. I can pretty much document what I do to remove it but putting a new one back in? I’ll have to see how much courage I can summon next week.

The large mirrors also have to come out as there is wallpaper behind them and we’re planning on replacing the countertop also which means removing the tiled backsplash. The real trick will be how to take them down and not break them in case we want to reuse them.

I’ve been reading on the internet that a lot of contractors glue these large mirrors on but in our case they have large bolts behind the mirrors so I’m hoping it will be easier to remove. Looks like I can slide them off so if I put tape on the mirror so it doesn’t shatter perhaps that will work.

Thinking out loud here …

These mirrors might be a bit much for me as I’m only 5’1″ tall and I don’t want to be splattered with glass. The “experts” say I’d have to wear gloves, long sleeves and safety goggles. I’ll tackle this after the toilet, I believe. One step at a time.