Janet's Blog

The election is looming near--at last.  I'm tired of negative ads and frequent recorded phone messages.  I'm tired of hearing otherwise reasonable people rant about all that's wrong with our country and our candidates.  I'm tired of hearing the candidates themselves bash each other instead of speaking up to present real, workable solutions for our nation's problems.  I'm tired of feeling like I have to choose between the lesser of two (or more) evils. I'm really rather apolitical.  That doesn't mean I'm not aware of the issues, because I am.  It doesn't mean I don't care what happens, because I do.  Like most people I know, I want what is best for our country.  It's just that the large variety of people, in this melting pot that we call America, have an equally large number of opinions about what is right and wrong, and many of them are not shy about presenting their viewpoints as if their own opinions trump those of anyone else. It s...

  It was a gorgeous day for a parade!  Ten different bands, wearing their school colors proudly, competed for trophies.  Following in her older sisters' footsteps, Victoria marched in the Old West Band competition today for the first time. She has marched in a parade before, but this was the first time she marched in her full band uniform.  T-shirts and shorts are the accepted attire for the hot, July Oregon Trail Days parade.  Warm, wool uniforms are best worn for fall parades. Heads were held high, plumes adorning each marcher's hat.  Instruments were held steady as band members marched to the steady drum cadence.  Drum majors blew their whistles; instruments were up, and the band played together loudly, proudly, as they marched in front of the judges' stand. Spectators clapped politely as each band marched by.  People cheered enthusiastically for their hometown bands.  Marchers didn't miss a beat.  Staring straight ahead...

Wooden wagons were pulled by horses, mules, or oxen, and boats were propelled by oars or sails.  Fish were caught with nets; fresh game was trapped or shot with bows and arrows or slingshots.  Houses and other buildings were constructed using rather crude hand tools, and were built of natural materials--mud blocks or clay bricks, thatched roofs, or caves dug into the side of a hill.  It was not unusual for mothers and their babies to die in childbirth.  Most women were grandmothers by the time they were thirty-five; women who lived into their forties were old.  Sanitation was nearly non-existent; indoor plumbing was unheard of for most people.  Medical care was basic at best.  People all over the world arose with the sun and went to bed soon after the sun set at night.  Most people lived and died within a few miles of the places where they were born.  That's the way life was, for thousands of years. Then, in the fifteenth century, Johannes ...

Meagan was nearly nine years old when we got our first cat.  I remember that, because it happened at the beginning of our first summer in this house, right after she broke her arm while vaulting over the pommel horse in gymnastics.  That injury effectively ended Meagan's gymnastics career, and nearly ruined her summer--no more gymnastics, no softball, no skating or biking, no swimming.  It was only a couple of days after the injury when I took the girls out to look at Erin's friend's kittens.  Bill and I had talked about getting a kitten, but he was out of town when we found out about those kittens, so he was a little surprised when he came home to meet our beautiful new calico kitten, named Libby.  The kitten officially belonged to Erin, since Meagan had already reserved a puppy from another friend's litter.  However, Meagan spent many days that summer just cuddling with the kitten on the couch while her arm slowly healed.  Bill always said that he ...

First snow of the season, right on schedule.  I think we get more snow in October, here in western Nebraska, than in December.  Some winters, it seems like most of our snow falls in October and March.  This year, we'll take moisture any time, in any form.  Perhaps the .35 of an inch of precipitation that came with this storm will boost our yearly total above the six inch mark.  That's still well below normal, but we'll take it. The rain and snow we've had in the past week or two will water in the winter wheat for the farmers.  It should also prevent some range fires.  It was a bit of a shock to have below freezing temperatures so early in October, after so many months of scorching heat, but I think that the cooler weather is a relief for many of us.  This week's frost will kill most outdoor allergens, and the moisture has washed the air nice and clean, so asthma sufferers like me should be able to breathe easier.  ...

There are a significant number of people who would say that my trust in God is a crutch, a kind of dependence, or even weakness, that they can do without.  How my heart aches for them!  I can no more do without God than I can live without air to breathe or pure water to drink. I'll admit that there have been some difficult times in my life when I've tried to live without God.  I was miserable.  I had no peace.  I had no real help for my troubles.  Life lost its flavor.  My joy was gone.  I had no choice--I surrendered myself to God again because, with him, life is good. I don't know how people survive in this world without God's grace.  In the last week alone, I've seen several examples of God's loving care for the people I know.  He heard his people's pleas, and provided rain for the parched earth.  He melded together the music of new and veteran musicians, gently nudging them to lead his people in praise.  He provided saf...