Sweat

the past week has seen me drenched with sweat from crown to toe all day every day, until today. today a brisk breeze and minimal physical exersion reduced the wetness of my briny bath, while instead, my exposure adjusted the shade of my skin to something closer to a certain crustacean found in the seafood department of your local grocery store. monday through thursday i hauled brush from dale's allied lot. when i say "hauled brush" i mean used a machete, small loppers and a weedeater to clear enough brush (including everything from waste-high grass to 6 inch dogwoods, sweet-gums, etc.) to fill up your house. if you have a relatively small house... was there poison ivy? oh yes. i have a rash from my wrists to my elbows, and from my ankles to half-way up my shins. i was alarmed this morning to note a small blister forming on my left ring finger. i thought i was going to get away without any on my hands!!! robert says i should put vinegar on it and salt it thoroughly. sounds like a good way to kill a slug. crazy. so crazy... it just might work. this morning i experimentally tried it (in a furtive, self-conscious sort of way) on a patch on my wrist. i don't think it's my imagination that it's improving. i'll let you know how things turn out.

that about sums up the first four days of my week. i was rather too tired to make myself exercise after spending my days doing that. i only ran 4 miles on tues. that's it. i'm not ashamed.

today i went to crocket with robert to put up a sign. i got to operate the crane/bucket. with robert in it. heh. heh heh heh. ahem. we put up two sign faces for SHOE SHOW. their sign looks exactly like that, "SHOE SHOW." in red letters. how boring can you get?? they didn't even have a logo or anything. so, long bumpy ride to crocket, lobster roasting till noon, lunch at subway, more lobster roasting till 2, then another bumpy ride. the second ride seemed shorter. napping with a paper-towel roll pillow helps out like that.

y'all have a great weekend!


littoral \LIH-tuh-rul\, adjective:1. Of, relating to, or on a coastal or shore region, especially a seashore.2. A coastal region, especially the zone between the limits of high and low tides.

"Professor Henslow tells me, he believes that nearly all the plants which I brought from these islands, are common littoral species in the East Indian archipelago."-- Charles Darwin, The Voyage of the Beagle

Cloud Burst

the cloud's dark lips have kissed the earth,
and streaked her coarse, dry cheek.
tears of joy spew forth from heaven,
her gravid soil gives birth.
her parched gray tongue tastes the wine from the sky,
her skin regains its ruddy hue.
her moist red mouth resounds with praise,
her flesh unburdens itself of fruit.
her clear green eyes look up, and behold,
the faithful arch from the artisan's brush,
curving from a distant palette,
painting the deep blue dusk.


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it rained today.

Tao Who?

today was an ordinary day of ordinaryness. i no longer have to place my order at chicken express. i just smile, and the girl says, "a number one with an extra biscuit?"

"for here," i reply. "let me guess, $5.40?"

"of course. but not for long. soon it's going to go up to $5.39, before tax. i think we're going to lose business."

which made me wonder... would i keep coming if i knew i would have to pay 40 extra cents? i suspect so, though perhaps i'd be more conscious of the already present fact that i can hardly justify either price when i could have a lovely pb&j, basically for free. i could have one every day, and save tons of money. or i could just keep going to chicken express 2 or 3 times a week.

not only do we now have a very prominent noose hanging from the center of the main bay of the shop, but a sales man came and tried to sell me knives and little monkeys that scream when you throw them or hit them. he threw one accross the room and i thought he was torturing a small cat. "just $4 a piece for 3, or 4 for $3 each! [and you can take them home for your little siblings and give mother the gift of misery and insanity]." now that's a deal if i ever heard of one. then we showed him the noose, and he showed himself out.

after work i got very philosophical over my java shake (they can do that you know) and read the "tao of pooh", by benjamin hoff. though it is not a source of spiritual enlightenment, a good humored perusal of this short book will certainly offer the pooh fan a few laughs and memories, not to mention a deeper understanding of the tao master's fuzzy, stuffy brain and his outlook on life.

as of today, i have run morethan 100 miles since school let out. i will not deny it... i'm... somewhat tired.

comity \KOM-uh-tee\, noun:1. A state of mutual harmony, friendship, and respect, especially between or among nations or people; civility.2. The courteous recognition by one nation of the laws and institutions of another.3. The group of nations observing international comity.

an overdue shave and a vigorous, sudzy facial scrub brings most exquisite pleasure (in spite of its mundane nature) after a long day frolicking in the heat, chasing small children, reading and listening to splendid music. and what could make it more special than spending last night on a strange couch? which, in after thought, was actually quite comparable to the familiar couch on which i have reclined and contorted for the past month. minus the ants.

yesterday my grandparent's were here. we had a fine hot time at the blueberry festival, at which i caught only a brief glimpse of a blueberry as it passed by me on a platter. the air was 104 degrees. i suspect the pavement was hotter. mine was the privilege of hearing "darcy" for the first, and possibly last time. darcy is a boy band, consisting of a few of my friends, especially nathan. i was deafened and impressed (which one most, i don't know). after visiting for the beginning of the weekend we decided it was best to pass our sickness from earlier in the week on to our dear relatives, who vomitted through the night, packed their belongings, and departed, laden with pans and barf bags.

after spending a couple of hours reading i went to victor and nathaniel and andreas' apartment. we watched a movie, played pool and video games, played guitars and sang, talked and drank orange juice. i never laid eyes on andreas the whole evening, even though he was there the whole time. i crashed on the couch, unconsciously precluding myself from participation in the family fun that started at about 3 a.m.

after church this morning, i finished my second book in four days. i will hesitantly throw out the titles "neverwhere" and "stardust", by neil gaiman. i say "hesitantly", because i do not recommend all the books by this english author, especially to those of you with more sensitive inclinations. i did rather like both of these books. if you enjoy a good story combining science fiction, fairy tales and humor, you might be interested.

phil keaggy was amazing. seriously. when i first found out he was coming to perform at fredonia hill, i didn't really pay much attention. a few of my friends were going. today i finally decided to go. boy am i glad i did. most of my readers won't remember the old fredonia hill days with ravenhill, brother and mrs dodson, and plenty of others. to tell the truth, i don't either, other than the stories i've heard. anyway, keaggy is from that generation (of the four-thirty prayer group i believe) with phenomenal guitar skills, and a voice i wouldn't wink at. i wish you'd been there. just get a cd, ok? this is my area of supposed expertise, right? maybe that's why i feel like not writing a review, because i won't feel that i gave the performance justice.

to all my friends and aquantainces and family and enemies and whoever else may happen by, have a great monday, and an even better week, followed by a superlative weekend. may the lord bless and keep you.

emolument \ih-MOL-yuh-muhnt\, noun:The wages or perquisites arising from office, employment, or labor; gain; compensation.

The Love of God, How Rich and Pure

i feel a little bit bad about abandoning my blog this week. but there are other things in life. no? well, a few other things.

i've been thinking of something jeff said (last sunday i believe). he said he had sinned - something in particular. it wasn't because he didn't have the will power not to sin (triple negative? i think it came out right...). it wasn't because it was just "too much" and he couldn't handle it. "the love of christ was not in me to the fulness that it should have been." it grates me like a rusty file the way that happens so often with me. or maybe it doesn't so much, and it should. sometimes i fool myself by using my will power and physical strength to overcome things for christ, but it never lasts. the more i fight and the longer i wage war with the lusts of my flesh, the harder it gets until i give up. every time i crawl back to the cross i feel like a cowardly traitor to my lord. why is he always waiting with arms outstretched? how can he prepare a feast and a robe for a disgusting wretch who rejected him? i can't come close to understanding it, but i know his mercies are new every morning. his servants will stand, for he is able to make them stand. he raises the traitor from the muck to stand boldy before his throne to claim his promises in jesus' blood. oh god, make me love you the way i ought to love you.

Balling

the party last night was mmmm-mmmmmm good. we honored three of our homeschool graduates with an antibellum celebration of costume and dance reenactment. what can i say? we had plenty of fine suits and dresses. of course there were some impressive hair do's among the ladies. one not-so-authentic person came as the phantom. he was quite dashing though. certainly our ranks were replete with the handsome and beautiful. after the dance a troop of us went to ihop. joking with friends, grasshopper spit-balls, good food, laughter, fun times... some of the looks you get in civil war attire from "normal people" in a public place are priceless. to those of you who came, i enjoyed dancing and chatting with you.

this afternoon i had a tasty lunch and scrabble game with thomas and katie. i spelled oh and of at the same time for the cheapest 10 points. i also lost the game. anyway, it was fun. ooo, i just got some lovely cream for the dry blisters on my hands. ahhh!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETHANY!!!

it's that wonderful time of year... when my sister turns 15!!! congratulations!!! WOOoooWOOOOO!!! now that you're all pumped and the candles are blown out, let me take this opportunity to say... i'm really tired. that is so not what i was supposed to say. i blame it on the ice cream. or somebody.

the ball is tomorrow folks. be there or be square and all that. you know the drill. no backtalk.

i have this song about druids turning into stone and for some reason i'm thinking about it. just take a moment to think about that with me... while i finish my milk. now that you've taken a moment, you can just take another moment. or, better yet, go to sleep like me. if you're going to the ball, then SEE YOU THERE!!! if you not, then CALL ME AND I'LL GIVE YOU DIRECTIONS!!! g'night.

oh, and happy birthday once again to bethany. here's a bovine product toast to her success as the next driver in the family.