Ten-Finger Exercises

just so you'll know

Maybe I'll write more later, but I'll take a minute now just to let you know I'm still around. I had meetings every night last week until Friday, and that afternoon we took off for Portland to see my son and his family. We went with them to the Rotary blueberry pancake breakfast and the Newberg parade, then swimming at a friend's house. It was fun to see and hear the cuteness of little girls, and Lucy's wonderful acrobatics including a back roll into a headstand. I helped make cookies Friday night, some dark chocolate yummies I have to get the recipe for. Best of all, it was nice just to have time to talk with my son.

We got back home Saturday night, to get to church on Sunday. Although I'd been sneezing my head off all morning, the antihistamines took effect in time for me to do my deacon duties. That was Fr. Newpriest's second service here, and he did well, especially with the children's sermon, although some thought he should have stopped there. Altogether the service was a little long. We also need to work on the choreography at the altar. With seven of us in the sanctuary trying to get the chalices and patens filled and one of each delivered to the impatient priest in the side chapel, a clear plan and maybe diagram of who -does-what-and-when would be a big help.

The new housekeeper does not speak a lot of English, and even if she did, it's easier to see how she does things than try to tell her everything first. Sylvia is a neatener, and I desperately need that. Bill and I are messy people. (The newspaper is in at least three piles by the time dinner is over, with a couple of pencils from the crosswords on the table too, plus whatever we're reading. Etc. Actually, I picked all those things up before she got here. Those are the easy ones. I have a lot of shoes to match up and line up-- Bill's and mine both, and a variety of other things that just don't get put away.)

Well, now there's a tabletop in our bedroom that I haven't seen in a long time, and four paper sacks filled with folded things from various places. It's interesting, and curious, to see what she decided to "decorate" with, and what she put away for me to find places for later. Or leave in the bags maybe. She probably doesn't care.

Anyway, tomorrow is her day again already. We've stayed pretty tidy since we were gone every evening and most of the weekend, but I do intend to empty out those paper bags tonight and go do some laundry. I'll try to read blogs later if I can. Hope you all are enjoying your summer. It's going fast.