Sunday Wrapup--7/13/2014
I think a Polar Vortex in July is a wonderful thing to look forward to. Three days of highs in the 70's are predicted for this week. I hope to take advantage of this cooler weather to plant some fall crops in the garden.
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There's a new baby at Cedar Crest: Dominic Roman Miller, born to Marvin and Jackie. He is their first child. The baby's middle name is the same as that of his grandfather.
*******************
Who knew that the conflict in Israel and Gaza could affect what Hiromi and I did today? Hiromi had arranged ahead of time to do a Skype call today with the teacher of an internet class he just finished on the Jewish roots of the New Testament. The teacher lives in Israel, near Tel Aviv.
When Hiromi made contact today, his teacher told him he can't talk after all today because he hears bombing noises all around. That sounds like a good enough reason to cancel a non-urgent phone conversation.
Instead we went to the prayer meeting at church for the building project we're contemplating.
Many lethal warheads have been launched between Israel and Gaza over the past days. Thanks to American military technology, most of those headed toward Israel have been intercepted and rendered harmless. Not so for the ones flying in the opposite direction. Gaza has had many casualties and much destruction of property. I'm not sure what triggered this recent escalation of conflicts between them.
******************
Most of the Marvin Mast family has returned from their wanderings over the Middle East and Asia. I missed Hans, but saw the rest in church today.
******************
Next weekend is the Beachy reunion in Iowa for the descendants of my grandparents. I don't expect that I will be there, but I've been doing some agitating in hopes that someone will make the effort to gather and compile information about Ananias and Ella Mae, our common ancestors. Cousin Don gets the credit for poking me several times to see if something like this could happen.
My sister Linda has uncovered a stash of letters from my grandma. We're amazed at how well she wrote and how insightful she was. I never "knew" this side of her. I knew her as calm and sweet and knowledgeable about many things in the natural world, about health, gardening, and living simply all around, but not as being particularly articulate. But she was--about the benefits of raising children on the farm, about not wishing to grow old in a nursing home, etc.
My grandfather was scholarly and methodical, but surprisingly adventuresome in many ways. Contour plowing, raising turkeys commercially (outdoors, with range shelters for protection), and traveling overseas were some of the things he did that others eventually copied. My grandparents were born 1890-ish and lived all their married life in the Kalona, Iowa area.
*******************
Jana N. and her sister Melody are traveling in Ireland right now, expecting to meet up with their brother Wendell and his wife eventually. Wendell is directing and touring there with the Oasis Chorale. It sounds like a wonderful way for the doctor from El Salvador to relax before returning to the rigors of her job/ministry.
*******************
We're all set for the beginning of September in the "election of church offices" department. The names of those elected were read off today.
*******************
My dad showed me several paragraphs today from an article in an Anabaptist publication that I was unfamiliar with--Anabaptist Journal? It contained the script of a letter of appreciation written to the newly elected Adolph Hitler, whose election the German Mennonites had enthusiastically supported. He was the conservative candidate. Hitler responded by thanking them for their support.
From this perspective those Mennonites' actions seem preposterous. What could they have been thinking? The sobering question, of course, is whether politically active American Mennonites today will one day look like this.
********************
The aunt of two of my in-laws, Judy and Marvin, died today. Gatherings on the Miller side of Judy and Marvin's families have seen a steep spike in the mirth department when tales of Aunt Ruth's escapades were recounted. She looked staid enough, but such hilarious drama--all in the course of a day's work . . . I'm sure there is much sadness at this parting, but I can't quite imagine that her funeral will be devoid of humor--if it only surfaces inside people's heads, where the memories reside.
One of stories I recall left me with this image: She kindly took a drink or something to the person who was speaking at the front of the church. On her way up the steps to the platform, she tripped and fell forward, with most of her prostrate self mercifully hidden behind the low wall at the front--except for her feet--clad in high heels, and sticking out behind her in view of the audience. (Feel free to correct or enlarge on this story if you remember it better than I do.) It's a testimony to her ability to laugh at herself that she enjoyed the telling of the story as much as anyone.
Some of her descendants live in Cambodia. Marvin and Lois' family visited them a few weeks ago.
*********************
I learned tonight by a very circuitous route from my first cousin in Bangladesh, who posted on Facebook, that Germany won the World Cup (soccer). As you can tell, I have not been holding my breath in anticipation of the big announcement.
**********************
Gary and Rosanna are en route to visit their family and ours in BD. They plan to be gone for several weeks.
**********************
K61 is getting a new topcoat. I'm sure there's a more accurate term than that, but you get the idea . . .
**********************
Crystal K. planted some very colorful flowers around the NW corner of the church building at Center, and they look lovely. Two shrubs on the north side of the building had bird nests. I looked into one and saw babies. The other was too high in the Vibrunum bush to look into. One was a Brown Thrasher nest, and I didn't see the adults at the other nest. The pink Rose of Sharon is in full bloom at the southwest corner.
***********************
The unexplained dizziness that Hiromi has been experiencing may finally have an explanation. Apparently crystals occasionally form in the fluid of the inner ear, and when they knock about inside there, a dizzy sensation results. He's to do a succession of exercises that look pretty funny--flinging his head this way and that way, holding still in between, tilting his head to one side, etc. The whole idea is to get those crystals moved out. What the "moving out" mechanism involves is a mystery to both of us, but I hope it works.
************************
This is Firefly season, and Supermoon season--both of which light up the summer nights most charmingly.
*******************
There's a new baby at Cedar Crest: Dominic Roman Miller, born to Marvin and Jackie. He is their first child. The baby's middle name is the same as that of his grandfather.
*******************
Who knew that the conflict in Israel and Gaza could affect what Hiromi and I did today? Hiromi had arranged ahead of time to do a Skype call today with the teacher of an internet class he just finished on the Jewish roots of the New Testament. The teacher lives in Israel, near Tel Aviv.
When Hiromi made contact today, his teacher told him he can't talk after all today because he hears bombing noises all around. That sounds like a good enough reason to cancel a non-urgent phone conversation.
Instead we went to the prayer meeting at church for the building project we're contemplating.
Many lethal warheads have been launched between Israel and Gaza over the past days. Thanks to American military technology, most of those headed toward Israel have been intercepted and rendered harmless. Not so for the ones flying in the opposite direction. Gaza has had many casualties and much destruction of property. I'm not sure what triggered this recent escalation of conflicts between them.
******************
Most of the Marvin Mast family has returned from their wanderings over the Middle East and Asia. I missed Hans, but saw the rest in church today.
******************
Next weekend is the Beachy reunion in Iowa for the descendants of my grandparents. I don't expect that I will be there, but I've been doing some agitating in hopes that someone will make the effort to gather and compile information about Ananias and Ella Mae, our common ancestors. Cousin Don gets the credit for poking me several times to see if something like this could happen.
My sister Linda has uncovered a stash of letters from my grandma. We're amazed at how well she wrote and how insightful she was. I never "knew" this side of her. I knew her as calm and sweet and knowledgeable about many things in the natural world, about health, gardening, and living simply all around, but not as being particularly articulate. But she was--about the benefits of raising children on the farm, about not wishing to grow old in a nursing home, etc.
My grandfather was scholarly and methodical, but surprisingly adventuresome in many ways. Contour plowing, raising turkeys commercially (outdoors, with range shelters for protection), and traveling overseas were some of the things he did that others eventually copied. My grandparents were born 1890-ish and lived all their married life in the Kalona, Iowa area.
*******************
Jana N. and her sister Melody are traveling in Ireland right now, expecting to meet up with their brother Wendell and his wife eventually. Wendell is directing and touring there with the Oasis Chorale. It sounds like a wonderful way for the doctor from El Salvador to relax before returning to the rigors of her job/ministry.
*******************
We're all set for the beginning of September in the "election of church offices" department. The names of those elected were read off today.
*******************
My dad showed me several paragraphs today from an article in an Anabaptist publication that I was unfamiliar with--Anabaptist Journal? It contained the script of a letter of appreciation written to the newly elected Adolph Hitler, whose election the German Mennonites had enthusiastically supported. He was the conservative candidate. Hitler responded by thanking them for their support.
From this perspective those Mennonites' actions seem preposterous. What could they have been thinking? The sobering question, of course, is whether politically active American Mennonites today will one day look like this.
********************
The aunt of two of my in-laws, Judy and Marvin, died today. Gatherings on the Miller side of Judy and Marvin's families have seen a steep spike in the mirth department when tales of Aunt Ruth's escapades were recounted. She looked staid enough, but such hilarious drama--all in the course of a day's work . . . I'm sure there is much sadness at this parting, but I can't quite imagine that her funeral will be devoid of humor--if it only surfaces inside people's heads, where the memories reside.
One of stories I recall left me with this image: She kindly took a drink or something to the person who was speaking at the front of the church. On her way up the steps to the platform, she tripped and fell forward, with most of her prostrate self mercifully hidden behind the low wall at the front--except for her feet--clad in high heels, and sticking out behind her in view of the audience. (Feel free to correct or enlarge on this story if you remember it better than I do.) It's a testimony to her ability to laugh at herself that she enjoyed the telling of the story as much as anyone.
Some of her descendants live in Cambodia. Marvin and Lois' family visited them a few weeks ago.
*********************
I learned tonight by a very circuitous route from my first cousin in Bangladesh, who posted on Facebook, that Germany won the World Cup (soccer). As you can tell, I have not been holding my breath in anticipation of the big announcement.
**********************
Gary and Rosanna are en route to visit their family and ours in BD. They plan to be gone for several weeks.
**********************
K61 is getting a new topcoat. I'm sure there's a more accurate term than that, but you get the idea . . .
**********************
Crystal K. planted some very colorful flowers around the NW corner of the church building at Center, and they look lovely. Two shrubs on the north side of the building had bird nests. I looked into one and saw babies. The other was too high in the Vibrunum bush to look into. One was a Brown Thrasher nest, and I didn't see the adults at the other nest. The pink Rose of Sharon is in full bloom at the southwest corner.
***********************
The unexplained dizziness that Hiromi has been experiencing may finally have an explanation. Apparently crystals occasionally form in the fluid of the inner ear, and when they knock about inside there, a dizzy sensation results. He's to do a succession of exercises that look pretty funny--flinging his head this way and that way, holding still in between, tilting his head to one side, etc. The whole idea is to get those crystals moved out. What the "moving out" mechanism involves is a mystery to both of us, but I hope it works.
************************
This is Firefly season, and Supermoon season--both of which light up the summer nights most charmingly.
posted by Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige) at
9:35 PM
2 Comments:
My sympathies to Hiromi for the dizziness and trying to get the "rocks back on the shelf." Somehow a ride to Tangier Island threw mine off and it was the crazy exercises, medication,and being pulled off of CNA duty until my head no longer swam when I bent over or stood up.
By
Linda L., at 7/14/2014
Linda, I'm curious how long it took to get back to normal. I didn't know you had this problem. In Hiromi's case, this diagnosis was actually a relief--so much better than it might have been. I conveyed your sympathies.
By
Mrs. I (Miriam Iwashige), at 7/14/2014
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