weeding out

My Memorial Day weekend plans are to whip my yard into shape. Or at least get a good start on it. I spent the better part of today pulling weeds and trimming trees and bushes. I’ve neglected it far too long, and the weeds are out of control. Some of them are a bit more steadfast than they should be. That’s not what I had in mind when I chose steadfast as my Word of the Year for 2007.

Basically I have two kinds of weeds. Some of them are hardy dandelion weeds. You’ve gotta get them from the root to keep them from regenerating.

Aside: Not that I am going to try it, but did you know that you can cook dandelion greens, just like you would mustard or turnip greens?

The other weeds are creepy vines. I think one is called Creeping Charlie, and I don’t know the name of the other one, but it is evil. Left unattended it gets out of control, and quick. Creeps along masquerading as a ground cover, winds its way around the plants and chokes the life out of them. There may be a spiritual parallel here, don’t you think?

which action hero would you be?

Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0
created with QuizFarm.com

You scored as Neo, the "One",Neo is the computer hacker-turned-Messiah of the Matrix. He leads a small group of human rebels against the technology that controls them. Neo doubts his ability to lead but doesn't want to disappoint his friends. His goal is for a world where all men know the Truth and are free from the bonds of the Matrix. Neo, the "One" 71% James Bond, Agent 007 67% Captain Jack Sparrow 67% Batman, the Dark Knight 63% Indiana Jones 54% William Wallace 54% Maximus 50% El Zorro 38% Lara Croft 38% The Amazing Spider-Man 33% The Terminator 25% Which Action Hero Would You Be? v. 2.0 created with QuizFarm.com

one helluva hog

Check out this ginormous hog killed earlier this month by a sixth grader in Alabama. With a pistol.

grace, and great writing to boot

Easter Everywhere: A Memoir, by Darcey Steinke

Read this on my vacation. Memoir is one of my favorite genres, so it comes as no surprise that I enjoyed this book. Yet this one was a little different. I was pulled in from the very first pages. Steinke grew up in a very religious family - her father was a Lutheran minister, yet a personal faith eluded her for much of her life. I was drawn to her unending search for grace. Not to mention that the writing is wonderful.

While this was my introduction to Steinke's work, it will definitely not be the only book of hers I read.

serenity now

all fun things must come to an end. tomorrow i go back to work. had a glorious time away from the funhouse. sat on the beach for 8 straight days. read a ton. laughed a lot. enjoyed the company of good friends. ate boatloads of shrimp. caught up on my sleep. detoxed from sugar-free red bull. totally de-stressed.

would that i could prolong this serene state.

ahh.....

corn on the cob

Somehow I have managed to wrangle 8 days away from the funhouse, and have therefore gone away to rest my weary brain and body. The Gulf Coast is always a no-fail elixir for what ails me.

Tonight I picked up shrimp for dinner at a local hole-in-the-wall that advertised the Mother's Day Special as "All You Can Eat Corn-on-the-Cob for $4.95." Only in The South.

vacation planning

Compiling my booklist for my upcoming holiday:

What is the What, Dave Eggers
Easter Everywhere: A Memoir Darcy Steinke
Through a Screen Darkly, Jeffrey Overstreet
They Like Jesus But Not the Church: Insights from Emerging Generations, Dan Kimball
Boomsday, Christopher Buckley
The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and Life, Laurie Beth Jones
Eat This Book: A Conversation in the Art of Spiritual Reading, Eugene Peterson

Yes, this is optimistic. But I need choices, ya know?

happy birthday

Happy Birthday to my favorite little person.

word of the year - steadfast

Posting this here for my own benefit.

Word of the year. I think mine is steadfast. Webster defines steadfast as fixed in direction, or firm in purpose, resolution, faith, attachment, etc.; firmly established, firmly fixed in place or position.

I think there are two sides to this for me. First, growing in my belief/trust of God's character and who He is. Which in turn will grow my faith.

Thinking more like a mile deep and an inch wide, instead of a mile wide and an inch deep.