Be Not Idle

A little survey brought to you by Laura at Catholic Teacher Musings (see sidebar). As summer draws to a close, it’s a time to reflect and renew. Instead of a lengthy essay, like the ones you did back in school, fill in a short answer to each question.

A book that I read and would recommend to others
Man’s Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl.

A project you completed
Watersealing the deck AND refinishing the diningroom table.

A project you intended to complete but you did not
Repainting bathroom.

A great outing you had with friends
Lunch and errand-running with Michele, my former college roomie! It was a completely feminine day, with visits to a shoeshop and fabric store.

A song that you found yourself frequently singing
“Come-onna My House” An advertisement featured this catchy Rosemary Clooney number and it got stuck into my head… all summer.

A new food/drink discovery
Sugar dill pickles, a wonderful treat at the Lake Huron Retreat House, which the cooks shared. What you do is get a gallon of store-bought dills, cut them into quarters, put them back in the jar, and add 2 cups sugar. Shake and flip the jar end-over-end every day for about 7 days. They end up sweet but still crisp.

A new purchase
A dining table with a hidden leaf and two drop-leaves. It opens to 6 feet, but folds down to a chair’s width. And it cost $71, including tax – which meant I could afford to re-upholster two chairs.

A new attitude you adopted about something or someone
When someone asks me a personal question, I’m going to ask, “Why do you want to know?”

A favorite trip you took
The weekend with cousin Jill. On one day we attended a family reunion, then took a ride to Roger City to see the largest limestone quarry in operation – Grand Canyon of quarries! The next day we toured the Grand Traverse Lighthouse, rambled through historic Fishtown, and relaxed with other relatives in Frankfort. Vineyards to beaches, sun to storm.

A favorite movie, show, or concert you attended
I watched Avatar: The Last Airbender when my nieces and nephews visited for a little over a week. I’d forgotten just how good it was.

A favor or act of kindness someone did for you
My friend/art teacher/professional landscaper Carolyn brought over “leftovers” from her recent garden purge. She planted a brand-new garden for me, plus transplanted some of my plants in a way that made more sense. I now have daylilies, different hostas, and OREGANO!!

An accomplishment of any kind
I went through ever single closet, drawer, and cupboard in the house on a two-month “Big Purge” of stuff and memories.

What will you miss most about summer?
Waking with birdsong and morning light, not the alarm clock.

What are three things you are looking forward to this fall?
1) Finishing the requirements to renew my teaching certificate.
2) Teaching only my favorite subject, not English for Burned-Out Seniors
3) Having a new back door with A KEY! (Much more convenient than going to the front door.)

The Anchoress has a 2008 round-up of end-of-year reviews. Plus she calls for predictions from the readers. Here are mine: 

1. Local newspapers will survive while the big dailies continue their decline. Today Tim Dowd, publisher of the Port Huron Times Herald, explained how the local economy has led to changes in the paper. It’s a good paper, attentive to its readers and willing to go the long haul in investigative reporting (a rarity nowadays).  I hope it survives.

2.  There will be increased calls (perhaps even successful) to regulate Internet news sources.

3. Trusted newsbloggers will have egg on their faces when they’re taken in by a hot Internet story that turns out to be a hoax – or sophisticated propaganda by a political group.

4. Across the nation, liberals who revel in the decline of big businesses will be shocked and dismayed to discover how much their area’s arts, education, and recreation programs were underwritten by big businesses.

5. The black squirrel population will make a comeback across the Thumb of Michigan. 

Organized Home, the website of organizer Cynthia Townley Ewer,  has many helpful checklists. One of her most popular features is the Christmas Countdown. It helps families finish holiday chores earlier so they can enjoy the actual event. 

She’s running a ”Christmas in July” poll, asking when people begin to prepare for Christmas.

http://organizedchristmas.com/poll-when-do-you-prepare-for-c hristmas

I thought I’d be among the earlybirds since I start getting ready after Halloween. I take out my Advent books and dig out the Advent wreath.

But more than half of the respondents start earlier, including 19% in the summer!

At first I thought, That’s crazy. Why start preparing so many months ahead?  I wondered if the respondents were thinking about Christ or just the hoopla and packaging that’s surrounding the holy day.

 Then, of course, I got one of those Holy Ghost smacks in the head. The thought came to me: How many months ahead should one be preparing for the Second Coming of Christ? 

I spend most days caught up in daily chores. There are a myriad of trivial activities and enthusiasms to distract me from my mortality.  How much do I prepare?