Ear Trumpets

One of my family members mentioned the tediousness of my constant "Pardon-ing?" as we were out doing errands. Yep. This person was tired of having to repeat.

(I did ask if I should say "Huh" or "What" instead......)

To make life easier for those around me, I've decided to invest in some technology.

Requiring no batteries, these handy devices direct energy into a working ear. Of which I do have one.

They've been used by some pretty advanced, creative people (such as Beethoven- not that I am creative in that fashion). Some people think I'm creative, others just know I'm annoying, some think I am creatively annoying. At any rate, this device will definitely help with communication. And it will add a "golly-gee" factor at the circ desk, just what the trendy librarian of today needs.

Peruse their online catalog, and e-mail (or post your comment) with the model you think most suits my personality.

Three of my favorites are the:
Silk Lined Mourning Ear Trumpet

















Or the Celluloid Collapsible Ear Trumpet















Or the one made of a shell:


















Feel free to peruse the website and let me know of your favorite before I place my order. Lots of changes in our life the last year, and your opinions to help guide us along are always appreciated!

Secret to a long marriage, or one reason I love my husband.

He has a great sense of humor. Witness the email he just sent me:

"The following joke is from the Lift Your Spirits Daily Calendar that you gave me:

A man was telling his neighbor, “I just bought a new hearing aid. It cost me four thousand dollars, but it’s state of the art.”

“Really,” answered the neighbor. “What kind is it?”

“Twelve thirty.”

Have a fun day... XXXOOO Jeff"

Yeppers. Fun times in our home these days. Lots of laughing with the changes.

(He is the good looking fellow in the middle of the picture- the older couple are his parents, our youngest son is beside me. This was one photo we took last week at the memorial service for Jeff's 84 year old Aunt - his mother's sister.)

Hiding from college wimmin?

I don't see Jacob or Charles in any of the pictures.....

Sam the ghetto hanukkah king

Sam stopped by to drop off a "little" video editing project for Jacob.
We gave him a lesson on how to spin a dreidel.
We love Sam.
And his lovely wife!
They have great kids, too.

Friends are fun!

We used to have people over frequently to have food and play games. It was fun. I would make good food from scratch. Jamaican Jerked Beef with Homemade Confetti Salsa. Roasts and potatoes cooked just right. Salmon and rice. Quiche. Spaghetti with my special cheese topped bread golden brown from the broiler. (I can still manage the bread, but not the coordination of the whole meal on time....) And the desserts. Yummy.....
Over the years this has slowed down..... until now there is nothing much going on.
I think we need some impromptu-stop-on-in-like-folks-used-to-do in the way olden days before phone calls. And then when you stop by, don't be horrified at the level of clutter that you see. Or anything else about our home. I probably won't cook anything (and I might be in my jammies and (may even be asleep) but I would still love to see you!)
We'll just love each other up. We might even have some fun.

Headline: Drunken Librarian Staggers Home Between Sober College Daughter and Friends

Ha. I am sure that is what the neighbors thought yesterday evening.
I had a wonderful evening with Abby- had a manicure and pedicure together, then dinner at PF Chang's.

Talked about life, liberty, and the pursuit of seeking God's will.

Had a lovely time, and drank not a bit of alcohol.

Dropped beautiful Abby off at Lancer Arms apartments, and was driving through Cal Baptist (which you all know is not all that large). Realized that things were not quite right in my head. Pulled into a spot in front of the cottages, called for Rachel and her friends to drive my car home and follow in another car to take themselves back to CBU.

When we got to my house, Rachel and Jillian propped me between them. It was all laughter as I was just like a drunken sailor weaving my way up the walkway and barely staying upright. Had a real fun spin cycle all night... and a slow recovery this afternoon. I'm typing like crazy, thinnking it might me coming on again.

Seriously, though, this is getting a little inconvenient. And that episode came on a little abruptly. Thanks goodness for friends to help. And for laughter to make things more cheerful.

Finally, A quilt for my daughter's bed.

It started when we are in Cambodia in July; Jordan and Hailey vacated their bed and slept next door on the floor (totally wrong, but don't let me get started on a rant about the "me-centeredness" of the trip....... -Groveites- this is something that needs to change big-time for any future trips..... broke my heart.... )

Anyway, Jordan and Hailey had a lovely quilt on their bed- made by Kim, the mom of this amazing family. I may not have mentioned that the Lewis family of 8 lives so far from large towns that they must hike in to their lovely home during non rainy seasons, or take canoes if it is raining. Or just wait if it the weather is bad. Electricity by generator.

Beautiful fabrics were everywhere in this poor country - the women wore them for skirts, and we had then at every meal as table cloths and napkins. The bed was covered with a lovely quilt, so I suggested to Rachel that she might like a similar one for her bed at CBU to remind her of our trip. Kim gave me the general directions, and we purchased the fabric in Phnom Penh on the way back home. It really should not have taken me so long to complete...... boo for Meniere's!
But Yay for friends like Susan Miller. Encouraged me and saw me through many a dizzy evening when I had double vision and insecurity. Rachel texted me to say that she was warm and cozy. All is well.

Why I Love Power Outages

No electricity means that kids emerge from their electronic music and/or gaming sessions to climb Pachappa Hill. If the outage lasts long enough, they raid the cupboard and play board games. They enjoyed themselves.
Hooray for simpler times.

(The puzzled expressions on some faces were in response to my statement "I want to take a picture for my blog" .... seems that not everyone in the younger generation knows what a blog is.)

Inside Joke....

Spied some candy at the checkout counter - it fit into the theme of our lives. I couldn't resist buying a couple.

Won't eat them because of the flavor (hey candy manufacturer- we love chocolate, but it can bring on an attack, or so they say. Mine are random.)

Jacob and Jeff also rented one of Alfred Hitchcock's classic movies for us recently. Trying to keep to the theme. My silly supportive guys. Gotta love them!


The movie was interesting, but did no justice to the title. Come on, Jimmy Stewart's attacks lasted only 10 seconds. Where's the fun in that?

Now I am expecting Jeff to find some old music to have on an endless loop..... something about "I'm so dizzy, my head is spinning...." I'm sure he just hasn't thought about it yet. We'll see what other clever things they cook up. Pinwheels? Hmm. My family can be creative.....
I'm waiting....