Monday Meanderings - July 27

I got the special tool for adjusting the sprinkler, so I'm no longer watering the back patio. However, I'm only back to where I was. Even looking at the Internet video I still can't figure out how to adjust the spray on the right side. It looks so easy in the video, but thus far I'm flummoxed.

The big adventure for the weekend was a trip to Costco; same sort of deal as Sam's. We sure did spend a lot of money saving a few dollars! However, the carts are better at Costco than at Sam's, so that cinched the deal.

FWIW, here's my official cart score card:

1. Central market - by far the best carts in town. Never a shimmy or thump-thump. They also have mini-carts. Four casters out of four.
   
2. Costco. Okay, I only have experience with one cart, but it was a good one. Three tentative casters.
3. Randall's. Smooth floors and smooth wheels. Too bad we don't shop there. Three casters.
   
4. Sam's. An okay cart, but we've marked it off the list.
5. Walmart carts are horrible. I have taken back as many as 3 carts in a single trip trying to get one that doesn't go thump-thump, and I have abandoned more than 1 cart mid store! The greeter hates to see me coming. Negative casters.

You got to love free food. We had a "two can eat for $13.95" coupon from Black-Eyed Pea - good after 4pm - so we wandered over there the other evening. Much to our surprise, our BEP has become a BEP Express and completely revamped their deal. You now order at a counter, pay and get a number, go to the self-service drink section and then find a table. Same food - different ordering process. However the guy at the order counter couldn't figure out how to deal with our coupon, so he went and got the manager. Mom taught the manager's kids, so he just rang up our order and comped the whole deal. Sweet. Jury is still out on the order thingy, though. I can just see the Sunday crowd of older church folks (you know - like us) when they hit the new deal.

About 60 from Westover have gone to Peru to hold a VBS at the Community outside Lima. Mom and I chose not to go. Okay, the truth is, our friend the director wouldn't let us go had we wanted. Her experience with VBS trips is that it takes more flexibility than we possess (she knows us well). She's right. Their plane spent 7 hours on the tarmac in Houston (without air conditioning), for one reason or another, before departing on a 6-7 hour flight to Peru! I would have gnawed a hole in the side of the plane to get out. Mid-air, if necessary. More likely, others would have gnawed holes and shoved us out!

This weeks videos: For a really impressive look at an extraordinary event in the natural kingdom, go over to Mike Cope's blog here.

And just in case you're fresh from a week in the Antarctic and haven't yet seen this on Facebook, CNN, YouTube or the evening news... go to Rob's blog And no, I must say of the hundreds of weddings I've done, none were this much fun.

Monday Meanderings

Feasted on tomatoes from the garden this past week. Well, okay, there were only 2 ripe enough to feast on. And they were small. Tiny actually. Think Yahoo marble-size. But it's early, yet!

New bird at the feeder; I had seen it before but thought it was a sparrow. Finally realized it was not and added Black-capped Chickadee to my list. Ah, yes.

Had a fund-raising dinner at the church for upcoming youth trips to the Communidad de Ninos in Peru. They served "Peruvian Pile-on." We told them gringos would never eat lettuce or tomatoes in Peru. But we weren't in Peru, were we?

We watched much of the Women's Softball World Series last week and into this (getting ourselves in shape for the UT men when they get to the College World Series in Omaha). Softball is a fun game to watch; slower paced, lot's of exciting plays - or errors. The only problem is the constant - and I do mean constant - cheering from the players themselves and their young fans. Mom pointed out an article in the paper about a local high school team that had set three goals for themselves this year: batting .325 as a team, making no more than 7 errors throughout district play and "yelling cheesy cheers." Hmmm. So it's intentional. Reminds me of a girl's soccer team I was once familiar with.

Haven't seen the little Vietnamese protester woman for a week or so. Either her demands were met or, most likely, she grew weary of the vigil. This was a protest that could have used a translator.

I may have to start calling this feature "Monday Memory Lapse." I think of things during the week that need to go in here, but unless I write them down right then I can't recall them. For instance, at breakfast the other day we mentioned two things to go in MMs, but here it is 1 1/2 hours later and I can't think of either of them. Fortunately, what's-her-name wrote them down.

From the Overheard Conversation Department: "Hello, Judy? This is Emily. Ya'll do acupuncture don't you? Great! I really need to get my dog in; can I come today? Oh, really? No, she can't wait that long. Thanks."

A few follow ups...

I mentioned here how delighted we were to have Finches at our feeder. Who knew the little buggers ate multiple times their weight daily? We've refilled the sock twice and swept a big pile of thistle seed hulls off the patio. If they keep inviting their friends (I've seen as many as six clinging to the feeder) we may have to raise the price of lunch!

And in the same Finch article I mentioned the Albert the Adequate church. Noticed a blurb in the paper that Sunday they "staged a medieval Boar's Head Pageant, which is a traditional English performance marking the end of the Christmas season and the Epiphany." They even had a dude dressed up like the knight guarding the chalice in "Indiana Jones and the Quest for the Holy Grail" who "guided people into the church."

And we thought a Christmas Eve candlelight service was edgy.

Oh, the teen-aged director that kept texting instead of keeping up with me? Won't be back. It seems that after he completed his 4oth hour of volunteer service he whipped out his letter from the judge and asked the studio director to sign off on his volunteer hours. The director says that happens fairly often; they used to have people assigned from the courts but the School for the Blind (on whose property the RFB&D studio sits) put a stop to that. Now they just get "stealth" volunteers.

And here I talked about the "community" of children in Peru. This past week two of our Shepherds were in Peru visiting with Miguel and touring the community compound, seeking ways to establish regular and on-going support from Westover! Now that's good news!

Comunidad de Niños Sagrada Familia

Or, simply, "the community."

A number of years ago, this man - Miguel Rodriguez - was a successful journalist for a Lima newspaper. He had a good job, a family, a house in the suburbs, a car - all the trappings of success -until a young son became ill and died. Leaving the hospital the night of his son's death, he came across a couple of boys living in the streets of Lima, and on impulse, took them home with him. He fed them, cleaned them up and gave them a place to sleep. The next morning they were gone, so Miguel did the sensible thing and counted the silverware. That night, the boys were back - with two of their friends from the streets. Miguel took them in, and also the new children that showed up the next night. And the ones after that. It wasn't long before he lost his job for spending so much time away, taking care of homeless kids. The car was the first thing sold, and before long, the neighbors were so unhappy with the parade of unsavory kids through the neighborhood that they took up a collection and bought Miguel's house!

He found a parcel of land about an hour's drive from Lima and moved the kids out there, establishing the Comunidad de Niños Sagrada Familia - the Sacred Family Community of Children. And when we were there, his collection of street urchins had grown to more than 680 children - ranging in age from a few months to older teens! Where does he get the money to care for them? He begs. He cajoles, he wheedles, he promotes, he scavenges, he makes do. Whenever a new kid shows up, he says he has two choices; he can take them in, or he can take them in. No one is refused, but once there they live by the community rules or else.

There are fewer than a dozen adults living at the community. The kids raise themselves; older kids help the younger, younger kids help the babies. Everyone works, everyone helps. They go to school half a day and they work the other half. And they live in a safe environment. They are polite, orderly and greet you with hugs and kisses.








We visited the dining hall during lunch one day (they eat in shifts); all the kids present were waiting quietly for the blessing before eating. It was not a blessing in a form that you or I would be familiar with, but rather a "blessing rap" in which the kids in a very lively way expressed thanks and emphasized to each other that they were community. They had meat that day. Someone had given Miguel money and he had purchased chickens. They cut the chickens into 30 pieces each to have enough for everyone to have one small piece of meat. While they generally have enough to eat - oatmeal, lentils, vegetables and melons - this was the first meat in 6 months!







And this is where they cooked it.


Our clinic was held in their new clinic building, a surprisingly good facility for that area, even if it lacked some things - like a roof over the front of the building. We saw children from the community and others from the surrounding area. And when we were done, they held a ceremony and gave us each ribbons and certificates. I consider them treasures.