Keeping things running smoothly behind the scenes is their job. Mom and Dad are on the board at Martindale Mennonite Fellowship Center, which is a venue used for church services, hymnsings, meetings, funerals, and of course, weddings. Last Saturday morning, like most Saturdays, there was a wedding at the center. There's always a board member present to take care of the air conditioning and the sound system, etc. It was my parents' turn to be there, and in the late morning, Dad was … [Read more...] about An Unwelcome Guest
To Catch a Tabby Cat
A furry orange kitten glares at me from the corner of the live animal trap. He's clearly a toughie, with a lean body and a red scratch next to his eye, probably a scar from fighting one of the other cats that roam our neighborhood. I'm careful to keep my fingers away from him. I call my sister immediately. "Are you at home? Because I have a kitten for Patrick!" My sister Joanne and her husband Lamar and their seven children live some twenty miles north, on a small hobby farm in Berks … [Read more...] about To Catch a Tabby Cat
Blood, Sweat, and Tears
"What a week!" The week that spanned the end of July and beginning of August is a week I won't soon forget. It was a week that included blood, sweat, and tears. Blood On Thursday I went to donate blood at a local fire company. Blood banks are hurting for donors since COVID started. Naturally, donating blood doesn't seem like a desirable thing to do during a pandemic, but sick people still need blood, COVID or no COVID. I hadn't donated blood in years since my iron count is often too … [Read more...] about Blood, Sweat, and Tears
Three Book Reviews: God’s Hostage; A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War; and My Name is Tani
Lately I've been listening to audio books a lot. There were several I really enjoyed, so I decided to write a review about each of these three books: God's Hostage; A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War; and My Name is Tani. All are non-fiction and published by Christian publishers. Writing about an audio book is trickier than writing about a book when you have a paper copy in your hands. I don't have a quick way to look up details or get quotes from the book. So these will be short reviews, … [Read more...] about Three Book Reviews: God’s Hostage; A Hobbit, A Wardrobe, and a Great War; and My Name is Tani
Macrame Party: A Classic Craft
Macrame plant hangers— like lacy doilies— linger in their webbed glory year after year in our home. Growing up, I never gave macrame hangers much thought. They were just part of the fixtures, like lamps or windowsills. Certainly I never considered making a plant hanger. That is, until my friend Becky announced she was having a macrame plant hanger party. "It's easy," she promised. "I can get all the supplies, you come to my house, and you can make one in an evening." So last evening, … [Read more...] about Macrame Party: A Classic Craft