Saturday Night TV Show

My family thinks I'm so weird. I like to watch a TV show that comes on every Saturday night, on the all-flavors-included religious station in our area. There are always three people on it: a man bass guitar player, a woman pianist, and a woman preacher. The introduction is always the same, and the format is always the same: prayer, songs, sermon. I could probably quote the prayer as it never varies. The two women sing duets, and the man never says a word, just plays the bass guitar. The women's voices have seen better days (if voices can see). The pianist knows only one style - repetitious. Three chords repeated. Then the other woman preaches. Actually, I only watch a little of it; it's too much to take for very long.

But it reminds me of when I was a kid. The preaching-singing-lady sounds just like an old lady who used to sing in home meetings in rural places we held week after week. The songs are what we often sang at those home meetings. The whole set-up reminds me of the people who came to hold a service in the radio station immediately after my dad's Sunday morning fifteen minutes. The whole thing transports me, however briefly, to early 1970's rural north Alabama. I'm not weird; I'm just being carried to my past.

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was a beautiful day. Perfect weather, a great meal, skeet-shooting in a big field, talking and laughing and singing with family and friends. It was a great memory-maker and something to be thankful for in itself.

Cousins ~

Andrew playing along with a young banjo player (family from the other side)

Sitting and listening -

Two brothers and their sons making music -

Senior

It kind of shakes a mother up when she puts her last child's last picture in the frame that holds all twelve (plus kindergarten) school pictures. It also kind of shakes a mother up when her last child's senior portraits arrive in the mail. Where have the years gone?

From my Chinese friend

I've meant to post this for awhile. I don't hear much from my Chinese friend any more and actually have some concerns that her email may have been watched (she has talked about the Father to some other people). But when our mutual friend from here in town, who teaches at her school, was home, I sent a bag of cookie mix back with her for the two of them to make together (this was her idea for a good gift). And I did get an email saying that they had a great time together making the cookies. I hope and "think" often that I will someday see this young girl again. She has become very precious to me.

Why my husband is a happy man

No other commentary needed . . .

Big Success

The play was a wonderful success. The students never acted the script better; they never had any more emotion or put themselves into it any more. It was a joy to sit and watch them do such a great job, after all the work we had put into it.

Mr. Morgan's drugstore - "I guess this is an important talk we're having."

"I don't want to get married! Papa! Papa!"

"Wasn't it a lovely wedding?"

Curtain calls

Dr. Wilkins closes his last play.

Impromptu Church

This morning in Spanish Church, Pastor Martinez came over at one point and asked if I could play #174. He sometimes decides to teach the people a new song, and so I figured that's what it was. When I told him yes, I could play that, he walked to the podium, and it immediately became clear that he was doing it as a special number! So I changed gears and accompanied him. After the first verse I realized there was a note he was hitting that was different from how it was written in the book, so the last two verses I tried to figure out how to hit enough notes, keep it in the right chord structure, but not hit that one note so that it would not sound sour. And it worked out fine. I believe the people were blessed by it.

I like impromptu church! In some ways it's much better than when everything has to be properly rehearsed, written out ahead of time, and done according to a certain order. It also reminds me of my teen years, when Dad would start singing a song, and I would be expected to figure out the song, what key he was singing it in, and start playing. It was the best training I could have ever gotten. And it sure came in handy this morning.

Saturday Morning

I'm home alone today - everyone is at work or college - and so left home at 7:10 a.m. and went yard saling, grocery shopping, and even clothes shopping (not my favorite thing to do). This fall has been very productive for me for finding costumes and hats for our play at school. It's set in 1900, and though we'll not be exactly accurate (can't be with the budget I've got!) we will be close with all the yard sale finds I've gotten. Have also found some silk flower bouquets, which the girls in my speech class have been rapidly dismantling and using to dress up the yard sale hats.

One thing that yard saling does is give me a peek into average American culture today. I grew up in a conservative home, and have maintained a conservative home myself, so much of what America reads and watches is foreign to me and my family. It is distressing to see the number of unworthwhile books, some of which are simply mindless but many are downright trashy, that are often out at yard sales. And the videos and DVDs. I cannot imagine exposing young people to the absolutely awful fare, of many types of objectionable elements, that people are apparently paying good money to buy and watch in their homes.

I also meet many interesting people. There's a certain group of people that go out many Saturday mornings who soon grow to recognize each other and say hello each week. Sellers come in every stripe, but most are very friendly. I enjoy doing this and find it to be a very relaxing and fun thing to do each week - especially now that I no longer seem to be able to sleep past 7 a.m.!