why don't lutherans have this kind of fun

If you move to Superior WI, you might want to consider joining this church. It looks like it has the potential to be a congregation that knows how to mix a little fun in with their theology.

The rent-a-sign says at Holy Assumption Catholic Church says--

BEER RAFFLE

TICKETS HERE

Now, if it had been vodka they were raffling off, I would have stopped to take the picture AND bought some tickets.

Tourist Traps

In an earlier posting, I mentioned that there are two types of people in the world (those that like watching the weather reports and those that don't). Now as I get ready to write this posting, I want to divide the people in the world into two groups again. I have a feeling this dividing of people in two groups is going to be happening a lot in the future.

There are two kinds of people; those who love tourist traps and those who hate them. I love them. If you build it and make the sign big enough and flashy enough, I'll find it eventually.

Just a partial list:


the world's largest ball of twine-now there's a hobby

a real marshmallow factory-my mom and sisters were less than thrilled

the Liberace Museum-loved it

Gatorland-saw death with every misstep

the Mark Twain Cave -spelunking without risk, perfect

Bear Country USA-they mean it when they tell you to keep your windows closed

Rubber Rainbow Condom Company-you'll have to ask for details

Storybook Island-kind of odd but...

Ripley's Believe It or Not--oh yes, I believe

and Wall Drug--for us lovers of tourist traps, this is our Taj Mahal

Sometimes I need a quiet, maybe even a lonely, place to restore my equanimity and to bring my social skills up to an acceptable level but most of the time I'm ready to follow the directions on the sign to the next, "not to be missed, fun for all, come and see" roadside attraction. And when I'm there, I'll invariably decide that I have to buy something (except, ironically, not at the Rubber Rainbow Condom Company) and that always adds to my fun. So now, the tourist trap people are happy and I'm happy--how great is that.

Beautiful Day

It was a beautiful day in Duluth and I had some fun practicing with my new camera, at least until the battery died. Now I know what that little flashing light means.

Making me Smile

Occasionally people will say something--and for years after, their choice of words will make me chuckle when I remember it. One of my supervisors, a man I really liked and respected, once said "I'm verbalizing what I'm saying". I can't tell you how many times in the past twenty years that has made me laugh. My good friend Susie once pointed out a "dark light" and I don't recall why she said it but only that we laughed hysterically--so it still makes me chuckle. Little darling #3 has, in all his young seriousness, said enough hilarious things to make me wonder if he was some kind of comedic idiot savant.

Now, some of the things that people say that make no sense, but make me chuckle, also worry me. There was a bit on Jon Stewart's, "The Daily Show"--I only saw the clip on You Tube, because we don't have cable (don't get me started on that) and I don't know the name of the woman who does comedy sketches for his show----but anyway, she was talking to people at the Republican National Convention about Sarah Palin's daughter, Bristol, being pregnant, and trying to get them to say the word "choice"--and finally one woman very reluctantly said "...freedom of choice--but that's different than being pro choice." I know I'm going to remember that one for a long time.

Today I was reading a blog about the Catholic Church allowing dissension among "good" Catholics about some issues, specifically, in this article, the death penalty and no dissension regarding the Catholic church's teachings on other topics, such as abortion. In response to the blog, a man named Dudley Sharp, wrote, in the comments section, "Furthermore, you can, rightly, argue that the death penalty is pro life." I just want to shake my head and say, "Dudley, Dudley, Dudley." If he was one of my kids, I'd probably say something wise like, "Hey, now, no more stupid talk" and try to make sure he didn't catch me laughing at him.

Sidelines

The youngest of our little darlings went to her first school dance the other night. Knowing her personality, we knew she would never be one of the kids that would actually get out and dance or jump around or do whatever they do in the middle of the floor that passes for dancing these days. She's a cautious girl who has a strong need to know what she's getting into and if there's any chance at all that she'll look silly, she won't be taking part, only observing.

Sometimes, it makes me a little sad for her. I want to be able to help her see that living life on the sidelines isn't near as much fun as jumping in and letting loose,whatever the activity may be (except rock climbing, duh!). Its taken a lot of years--and self-talk, sometimes downright sarcastic rude self-talk, but I think I've finally learned the lesson and am applying it to my own life.

So here's my mid-life mini-manifesto (if I was really clever, I would insert a You Tube clip of a drumroll): If I want to do it, I'm going to do it. I'm not going to live on the sidelines worrying about what other people might think or say. You should all be thankful I'm not interested in ballet--because with this body it could get ugly.

Now comes the more difficult task of gently continuing to teach/coax/reassure my little darling that life is more fun lived than watched.

I figured out how to add a picture tonight--and I've got to say I'm pretty darned impressed with myself. Just like the I-pod thing, even though I'm late to the party, I'm going to have a good time.

When we moved into our current house, I was kindly invited to join, what had originally started as, a neighborhood book club. People have moved so its no longer defined as tightly along neighborhood lines but is kept to about the number 12-13 so there will someone to host each month.

Now this is no ordinary book club. The major discrepancy--we don't really read books--at least not as in "what book should we read and discuss next month". I believe the charter members did the book thing the first year and maybe the second but the last 8 or 9 years --no books. That's not to say that a lot of reading isn't done. But its not really a team sport with this book club. We might mention what we read but don't discuss it.

But, what we do do (I know there are two dos there)is have a helluva lot of fun together. What a wild variety of women we are and what an amazing gift of friends. We are married, divorced, living with significant others, mothers, not mothers, grandmothers, we have a wide range of spiritual beliefs, a wide range of educational and work backgrounds, short, tall, thin, thick, quiet and not so quiet.

We went to a cabin this summer and had a rip-roaring good time (and in the way that late nights can make things happen, came back calling ourselves Daisies-and that's all I'm going to say about that-although its really not so sinister as it sounds) and came back with these tattoos.

To the daisies--you're the best, thanks for the invitation.

women in church

I was sitting in the balcony at church today during the worship service with two of the little darlings. I think it was during the sermon when it hit me that all the "up front" participants in worship today were women. All three pastors-our regular one (though sadly for us, she's leaving in a week), the interim pastor, and a visiting preaching pastor were all women, the music leader was a woman and the lector was a woman. Even the acolyte was a girl.

Now, I'm not bringing this up to say that this service was any better or different just because it was run by women. I'm only noting it because I think its the first time in my life I've ever experienced an all-woman-run service (of course, I'm counting on the members of the trinity being asexual). And it made me thankful that my children are living in a time when such an event isn't even noticed by them or if I pointed it out, they'd probably say, "yeah, so?". I think the LCA, one of the groups that joined to form the ELCA, started ordaining women in 1970 and sadly there are still a lot of denominations that don't ordain women.

Even with all those women up front, teaching and preaching, and leading men and women alike and doing it with their heads brazenly uncovered, (1st Corinthians 11:1-16) God was present and His work was being done. It was remarkable only because it was unremarkable to all those at that service this morning.

Rewriting my resume to include hockey mom

I'm wishing I had thought to put "Hockey Mom" on my last resume--look where its taken Sarah Palin. One of the benefits of having a lot of kids is that I'm going to get to put a lot of things on my new resume--Gymnastics Mom, Soccer Mom, Basketball Mom, Chess Club Mom, Girls on the Run Mom, Cub Scout Mom, Softball Mom, Tennis Mom, Garage Band Mom, Webkinz Mom, Illegal Consumption Mom, Christmas Pageant Mom, School Band Mom, Detention Again Mom---the list is endless. Even though I'm not looking for a new job, I'm sure my beefed up resume will so impress my supervisor that I'll be looking at a big raise soon.

Now, I'm not claiming that I was any good at being any of these kind of "mom's" but I tried to show up (well, not really all the time and I often brought a book, but that's another story), I made sure, with a whole lot of help from Mr. Wonderful, that the paperwork was done, the kids had rides, and the uniforms were clean. Mostly its been great for the kids and fun for us--but its a bit of hassle and work too. I'm not complaining--its part of the job of parenting--and I don't think you should get extra credit for it when running for political office--especially since I doubt the governor spent much time outside the hockey arena late at night, waiting for practice to get over to pick up her child or was constantly searching for ways to diminish the "hockey aroma" from the trunk of the car.

I know a lot of hockey moms and Sarah Palin wouldn't make the team around here.

I've been watching just a little bit of the news coverage of the Republican National Convention--well, actually, none of the convention, just the protester and police stuff, so far. It disturbs me.

In theory, I support protesting because I think its necessary. Obviously different levels of protesting have more or less effective and appropriate uses --letter writing, speaking out loud in public and private forums, directing money to groups that can protest on a larger more effective scale, art of any medium, and getting involved in processes to change whatever you're protesting. Where it gets a bit murkier for me is in the physical action phase---not so much marching or standing, carrying signs that respectfully but pointedly state a position, marching, or sitting down and refusing to move---but the dressing up, throwing things, dumping things, and destroying things just because they're in the way or belong to someone on the other side of the issue. And trying to hurt people is way beyond protesting and moving into vengeance, or some deeper issues.

The newscasts, I'm sure, are showing the more sensational of the protesting action--at least so far. They've shown the wild protesters being advanced upon by law enforcement and dragged off to presumable arrest. Unfortunately, the news has been so distracted by all that drama that the message of their protest was lost. And even more unfortunate is that the credible, thoughtful and mature --maybe not the right words (but I hope you know what I mean)--protest groups aren't getting the attention that would probably be more meaningful.

Maybe you should have to show you've been protesting for a certain length of time before your protest organization lets you show up for the big events. Put in your time so to speak.

In Red Wing, there have been a group of people protesting the war in Iraq since the start. They have protested in the park, by the highway every single Friday for the duration---and they are at the RNC to continue their protest---and it irks me that some protesters who haven't really thought it out are acting like idiots and diverting attention from the serious work some serious people have done to protest this war.

Back to that crabby middle-age again...