Consider Traditions

Actually many traditions are worthwhile. Sure there a few that are silly or hold a lesser rank, and a few are plain foolish (especially the "First Annual Traditional Anything"). There is also a lot of energy spent trashing anything that sounds traditional, especially if the tradition has not been adopted or understood by the younger or newer folk. These situations we will not consider here.

Traditions which are meaningful, however, are useful in providing timely reminders of heroic causes, important national, community or family values, or of keeping a continuity of knowledge, methodology, institutional memory, or inspiration going forward as a legacy to an oncoming generation. These are the traditions we hold dear, and about which this modest blog will focus.

Memorial Day is for me a dual tradition. Each year I am more emotionally touched and appreciative of the sacrifices made for me (and all other living Americans) by the soldiers of past and present wars for the cause of freedom. All year long I quickly form tears at the sound of the national anthem or at seeing a flag proudly waving in a prominent place or before any crowd which pauses to notice it. I even get that feeling watching my own new flag grandly flying over the garage door (previous flags having all worn out). One of my most treasured possessions - and I actually have very few heirlooms from my four grandparents - is Grandma Gail Martin's American flag. It is too precious to display, but I take it out now and them just to touch and caress. The point is, for me Memorial day is a major Flag Day. Memorial Day may be my favorite holiday, and I am glad that in this era of belittling the meaning of so many historic national touchstones including the truth of our being originally a "Nation Under God" based on Christian principles, this day remains important to almost everyone. Besides, a lot of other holidays have lost their jazz, because they have been pre-empted by commercialism. Not so Memorial Day. It is still appropriate to remember memorial sacrifices and deeds on this special day,and I do.

The other reason Memorial Day is important to me as a tradition is that my chosen congregation has held a picnic on that Monday for as long as I have been in this area, now nearly nineteen years. Actually, church folk have been holding that special picnic in the same central shelter of the same park for at least forty years, and maybe longer. That makes it a tradition of two or three generations. Neat, Huh? There is always a miracle of pot-luck foods for the mid-day meal, and hosts of desserts, fruits, treats, beverages, and now and then a clown or other entertainment. There are always multiple relationships to enjoy and encourage and renew. Much more that picnic food is exchanged.

This year was especially nice as the sister congregation from the northwest side of town joined us and there being no planned programs or conflicting children's games, and because someone writing this blog did not take several pairs of horseshoes as usual, there was a lot of time to sit and visit and remember and share and consider and reflect and listen to stories and meditate on lives being lived and plans being made for the future. Picnickers of the past were recalled in memory, new children, and older children were matched to families - there is great promise in the upcoming generation - babies admired, seniors honored, young lovers identified, new relationships acknowledged, occasional and rarely seen friends found and recent experiences compared, guests welcomed, prayers prayed, walks taken, nature admired, the weather discussed (both at picnics over the decades and about the current day being appreciated as it steadily improved and the air warmed) chairs were circled, Bible discussed, and games enjoyed... It was a wonderful picnic, and perhaps a hundred and fifty christians and friends were refreshed, fed, feted, fantastically fellowshipped. (Sorry about that festive fun with "f"s, fine friends!)

It is important to look forward to the time and continuation of good traditions. Plan now to be a part of Picnic 2007 on Memorial Day next year. Come and be my guest; you'll feel right at home with this church family.

A Whirl of Beaches and Bistros

Whee! The world is just spinning by and I'm having a grand time. Last Friday morning Betty and I headed for the Oregon Coast to spend retreat and recreational time with our home Bible study group at Oceanside. It is a lovely residential hamlet a few miles west of Tillamook and far enough off of Highway 101 that the insanity of tourist shops has not yet arrived.

We toured the area, did lunch in a neat little cafe, walked the beaches searching for agates, visited a lighthouse and the cheese factory, shared meal preparations, played card games, visited and relaxed, and ended the three days Sunday morning at the local Church of Christ. We have come to love and value these annual getaways for their refreshing and relaxing effect.

Tuesday I joined Patty and the twins on a railroad day trip. We were part of a large home school entourage on a "School-on-Trains" activity, and we rode a slick European-style Amtrak coach from Vancouver USA to Union Station in downtown Seattle. Then the greater crowd split up for several hours. Our bunch of eight walked to the ferry terminal and met up with Patty's friend arriving from Port Townsend and soon we were all at Pike Place Market. This unique collection of funky stores and artisan crafts booths and street vendors and entertainers, and specialty shoppes is a famous and fun place to stroll about searching for gifts, new experiences, enjoyable sights and sounds and smells, and special food treats, and memories. The kids always enjoy the huge fish stand where each purchase is hurled about from one monger to another until it sails over the display counter into the hands of the wrapper. When this is a fifteen pound salmon and there is a large number of closely packed onlookers, it is street theater at its best.

We split up for the last ninety minutes or so and Patty and Lori's bunch went to the amazing new Seattle Public Library. It is a ten story, block wide assending spiral of levels which is cantilevered away from the steep hill under it until it seems to float over the ground without support. Inside it is cavernous with halls and ramps and assenders/descenders that never appear quite vertical or horizontal. Public Art is everywhere.

I hopped a bus through the fareless zone and spent my last hour in the amazing Uwajimaya Emporium. It is a huge, multi-department Japanese complex. (Think Ikea from Tokyo.) Much of the central area is grocery of every oriental variety imaginable, including a wonderful food court and every possible type of food stuffs. I spent several minutes in the seafoods and produce sections, studying the veggies and fish I read about in my Japanese cookbooks. The rest of the time I cruised the aisles of household items with emphasis on the dishware and cookware counters. Such beautiful things.

After picking up a few items from the "ready to eat"counter, I rejoined the rest at the train station. We were quickly boarded in our own coach and soon rolling south again and snacking on Japanese fast-foods. This was a comfortable train with huge windows for viewing the passing scenery. Washington, outside of its cities, is truly a beautiful state. I had forgotten how much fun train travel is; quiet, restful, nicely paced, and there is so much to see.

I'm glad I was a kid again for this event. And it is always charming to catch a glimpse of new sights through the eyes of one's grandddaughters. I had a grand time and hope to be invited to "chaperone" again next year.

PS I am ready to begin shopping for a digital camera so I can post pretty pictures too. Can anyone recommend a good source for checking out pocketable cameras suitable to my casual use?

Whence Comes Renewal?

I have a son-in-law who writes a blog dedicated to a unique and whimsical look at entropy. The subject is intriguing, and quite complex and Edwin's take is an intellectual giggle for me. I am not going to attempt an explanation of classic entrropy here. Suffice it to say that things break or wear out or run down or erode or rust or otherwise age and diminish in condition. Unless new energy is introduced the end result is a state of total inertness.

That's why you have to eat now and then. The energy in food is used or lost after a short while. The car won't keep going endlessly; it requires periodic applications of new energy. If fact no matter how new and apparently perfect it seemed on the showroom floor, it gets dirty, collects dings and dents and damage, ages, wears out, corrodes (think Juneau Body), comes apart, and in too few years becomes a mere hulk trying to look like a rusty stain in a wrecking yard. This state of declining available energy is entropy - sorta.

It means the mechanism in the water reservior above the commode that refills the tank with water after each flush had to be replaced today because it failed last night (as soon as Bible class began) and fountained water all over the floor. It means a trip to Home Depot was necessary this afternoon because the shop lights declined into junk at a critical moment and had to be replaced before the job could be completed. The compressor was required today because the mower tire did not retain all the air put in it last month. A new well pump next door stresses the old wiring so much that a new pump fails and new wiring must be installed so an even newer pump can function. The trend of having to fix or replace something first as a prelude to almost any task is a familiar routine to most of us.

Stuff gets old. It breaks, it deteriorates in sunlight, so all the plastic outdoors has to be replaced - visqueen over the lumber, tarps over the woodpile, water-filled mild bottles used as weights holding things down against the too naughty wind... Last year's new water hose this year looks a little feeble and weary. The power tool that worked fine last time, is balky this time. The pruners have to sharpened again and reoiled. The perfectly good extension cord has a loose end. Both of the weed pluckers had to be repaired. I'm wearing out too.

Now I take pretty good care of things. I keep them (mostly) repaired, repainted, resharpened, properly stored when not in use, and when something breaks or goes awry I try to get at it right away. I'm prone to some impatience in the process, but I enjoy the tinkering.

Here's an application: In my life when I get bent, and damaged, and out of sorts, I sure am glad my Heavenly father is more patient in healing or mending or straightening me out than I am with my own tools and toys. God is especially good at pointing out my weak spots, indicating my shortcomings, and drawing attention to my failures. Sometimes He does this through someone else with a glance, a tone of voice, a pertinent question or a gentle word. Sometimes it becomes obvious when a Bible verse takes on a brand new meaning or when all I've ever been taught confronts me. Even my persistent, nagging conscience can be a godly accuser.

I am in love with both of the LIFE groups of which I am a part. Their examples and even their expectations are a guide and a light to my path. I am encouraged is many little ways by each one. Individually, every precious person in each group holds me to a high standard. When I mess up, they are forgiving, even tender enough to not mention my faux pas or wordy blunders. With such love they constantly fix me and keep me in functional repair. I'm not in new condition any more, but they keep me useful, and surely they can be considered God's instruments of encouragement and restoration.

Entropy is not to be feared when new energy can be added to the system. Faith, Hope, and Love are divine fuels which God provides to keep us going. Christian friends are the means of delivery. To answer my own question put to those classes: Yes, I saw God yesterday about 2:00 in the afternoon and again between 6:00 and 9:00 in the evening. I saw Him in the faces and hands and lives of many dear friends. So "Thanks, Folks," for your refreshing renewal of my spirit yesterday.

My Name is John; I'm a Garage Saler.

I still think of it as recreation, this seeking a thrill at garage and estate sales. It's fun to browse a good sale (and we found a doozy this morning) and catch a deal or negotiate a sharp price on some interesting or useful item. Now don't be alarmed. I am keeping to the spirit of my reformation, but I still like the "hunt" on a sunny morning.

Friday is best around here, but the ratio of "young mommy sales" with kiddie stuff and plastic baby goods and massive plastic toys in primary colors is large compared to the more interesting "estate type sales" with the complete accumulations of years - sometimes decades - of living in the same location. These are sometimes family affairs, sometimes run by the professionals, sometimes are triggered by downsizing, sometimes relocation to assisted living situations, and sometimes by death. They are the best kind of sale to locate. In the process of withdrawal, I have totally stopped stopping at moving sales, and I no longer drool at the words "books" or "tools" on a garage sale sign. Saturday is the main day as all the work-a-weekers are trying to get their sales in on the same sunny spring weekends. That is also the best day for concentrated sales in compact neighborhoods. Yeah, I'm still going, but I told someone today I was in recovery in respect to stocking up on everything at such sales. And I am.

I admit, I will still buy items I know I use, expecially consumables. It is fun to find something clever for the grandgirls. And I am still interested in finding items in certain select categories. But I no longer come home with the whole back seat loaded with treasures. I almost never buy books anymore (unless they are on a deeply reduced search list), only the most urgent of tools, nothing a duplicate of anything I already have, and I never buy glassware/dishes/ceramics/clothing/etc. Finally I can pass by many sales and sale signs with little or no regret or even a sideways glance. Really!

Today Patty and I spent late morning/early afternoon doing a garage sale neighborhood and lunch and I barely spent six bucks. Time with the super-daughter was reason enough for the time spent. As to my little bagful of trinkets... I have a clear and definite use for all I snagged. Some of the loot will be given away. And I feel good about that. So OK, I'm not cured, but I am better than I used to be, and I'm not cluttering up the garage anymore. And GS-lite is still fun.

Modern Alchemy: Turning Treasures into Cash and Why.

My daily adventures continue. This week began with a wonderful overnight in a four star hotel with an awesome evening meal included. Betty is enrolled in a medical research project, and the sponsors, wanting her to be available very early in the dawnlight of morning, housed her just a short cab ride from the facility. I was just supercargo again, but shared all the benefits of elegant living for a few hours. Even a malfunctioning door entry system could not dampen the experience.

I want to briefly mention my continuing experience with a major (THE major?) on-line auction service where folk can peddle to others any conceivable goods in a variety of ways. Learning the ropes and rules and hints and kinks of the ebay world has been like butting my head repeatedly against a brick wall. Daughter PKS held my hand initially, as I established accounts and passwords and enrolled in a funds handling adjunct called PayPal and had to open a local account and obtain a separate credit card for back-up of future dealings. Mostly through that maze and into the quagmire of individual sales, I am just now beginning to get the hang and flow of the process.

I have pack-ratted stuff for years. All of it either good, valuable, or of personal interest. But most of these attic and garage treasures get little actual use. The stuff just sets in boxes and is buried deeper by more boxes of stuff. Until recently that is, when I think I started to turn a personal corner in my addiction to garage sales and the accumulation of more whatchamacallits. I am sort of in the process of becoming a minimalist in spirit, if not yet in fact. Visiting third world countries has also altered my outlook on personal materialism. And I discover that fascinating finds and other "junque" has a limited time of appeal before it becomes just ordinary in-the-way junk again.

As part of my personal reformation, I have started using on-line sites like craig'slist to offer my wonders to a hungry world. This is an amazing system. I list an item which I no longer want to keep and someone from the local area jumps in their car and drives for miles to my driveway, hands me cash money, and takes away my unwanted surplus. What a deal. Ebay is a little more time consuming. Decide what to offer for sale, take a digital picture, wrap the item for mailing, post it on the sale site, manage the listing for a week, collect payment and eventually send it away to someone else. The outcome, however, is cash and recovered space in attic and garage. Wonderful. Especially should we actually move to smaller quarters in the fordreamable future.

For example, yesterday I sold four items for more than $50 and later today as much more will come in on two of the four items still being offered. Recently I have sold out of my driveway more than $300 worth of goodies to three buyers. At a recycling location, I recently unloaded my scrap metals from the yard for $67 in cash. Let's see, there is still some ham radio gear, a ton of books, a lot of duplicate tools, some building blocks, spy cameras, and other trinkets that have only claimed closet or drawer space for years (sometimes decades of years). Most of the "I-might-need-that-someday" stuff is possible fodder for this purging.

I am really trying to put it all away in that "dream on account". Maybe a big purchase need will come along, or a trip to some tropical beach paradise, or another mission related travel opportunity will arise. It is possible all this conversion of things might be needed just to purchase gasoline when it is $7.00 a gallon.

Thoreau was right on when he explained how quickly our possessions come to possess us. It is hard to travel if you have a garden (or bonsai) or pets or are caring for someone else or someone elses place. The barn needs maintenance, the horse has to be fed and shod and curried, the chickens need water, the fences need mending ............. My house need painting, the deck wants attention, there are major trees and limbs which should be tended to soon. Stuff is living my life for me. So some of it at least is for sale. Some of it I will give away. Until a lot of it moves on, I can't move on. What do I have that you need?

It's kind of fun. And seeing the bank balance grow is rewarding in itself. Most of all, I am feeling a little better about my own attitudes about "having" and "holding" and "wanting" and "it's mine" Some are already hinting that they don't need to carry something away every time they come to visit. True, but could't you use the bag of planting mix or this roll of wire? How about some canning jars? or this wooden ice cream maker? Hmmmm?

About That Revolving Door..

OK, Natasha came late Thursday. She and I dashed to the market for a few dinner items and I got a nice one-on-one visit with her , catching up on the end of school, and looking forward to her LST (Let's Start Talking) experience in Germany. That trip begins this week. Have a good time, Tasha, and May God use you fully in sharing scripture with someone over there. Come on back when you get home, for we are eager to hear about your experiences, impressions, and successes.

Jim came a day early, also on Thursday, and he and I have been a-goin' since. Jim is a great buddy since he and his family lived with us for a time (and in Vancouver for some months afterward) during Carol's cancer treatments. We have had many adventures together, including a rocket ride to Florida in his big truck and trailer, virtually non-stop round trip, to pick up some of Carol's inherited items. He is Super Ranger of a Forestry District southeast of Anchorage, and he often stops in on his trips south for various job related reasons. Good times!

I'm going to replace our front door with a revolving model, as folk seem to continue coming one one anothers heels, and sometimes at the same time.

I love my extended family, especially ones like Natasha and Jim whom we have taken to our hearts. They are two of many who enrich our lives. (One problem: we seem to eat too much and too well when "family" like this is in the building. We need to adopt some dieters.) Maybe Mike will stop by this week on his way north.

Thank you Lord for a host of friends who are Your children first. We do enjoy loving on them and being loved by them.

Thank Heavens for Really Good Buddies

When friends are really more like family, their visits can not be too long nor too often. This weekend my daughter Patty had her pal Shelly (from P.T.) in town. Betty and I had Mike (from Juneau) for a couple of days (nights). With such folk there is little formal posturing; they can take us as we are. They already know the routines of the house, where the clean towels are shelved, feel free to peek in the refrigerator, and remember who likes which chair for the hours of lounging. They are willing to pitch in, enjoy mutual pursuits, and bring refreshment to the day. It is always comfortable to have friends of this degree present and the time they have to spend with us is deeply appreciated.

Conversations which were suspended from the last visit or phone call are picked up as though there had been no interruption, threads of several discussions continue to weave along as new thoughts and recent observations are worked into the fabric, and common interests are further explored, all of which add further links to our lives and bind us ever closer together.

Especially precious are those friendships which are built on a common faith and hope. When we can discuss God and his blessings, His people and His churches without fear of being misunderstood or judged, and without having to guard every thought and word, it is truly a wonderful feeling of companionship.

Saturday I taxied Shelly and Patty around east Portland to shopping stops, tourist surveys, errands and lunch in a favorite Thai restaurant (as a sort of friendship Thank You). It was a cheerful time as these Moms-Off-Duty faintly reminded me at times of giggly teenagers. Grandma Betty was keeping the little girls at home for herself, and these two were enjoying the freedom from monitoring their daughters. Even the late afternoon storm front which darkened and drenched the roadways failed to dampen or dim their spirits. (And thanks for letting me be one of the girls for a few hours.)

Sunday morning Mike followed us to the new building for a look around. He sampled an adult class and observed us in our settling-in transition. Because he is a close friend, it was not completely necessary to "host" him or even introduce him to everyone in the crowd. I was able to accomplish my usual duties and contacts without worrying about abandoning him in strange surroundings. He connected easily with a few he knows from previous trips and briefly visited. He was able to have a few minutes with Edwin and Patty and observe their girls. I always appreciate Mike's visits and was interested in watching his survey of our new quarters. Next visit I suppose we will find time to talk it all over. He is off to the Pepperdine Lectureship now, and we will share about that someday too.

Thanks for friends. Thanks to friends. Y'all keep droppin' by, 'heah?

Oh yes, Next Friday Jim is coming from Anchorage. I'm looking forward to seeing him too.