Want Some Bread with that Jam?

When I was a kid my very best friend in the whole world was Angela. I think we met very soon after she was born and we grew up knowing that we were friends forever. She was so funny--and so brave. She would always do the things that I was too afraid to try. She'd even pick up worms--and didn't chase me around with them because she knew I was scared. So, there's a story from when we were really young, and I don't remember the details at all--just a sense of what everybody was talking about at the time. I guess Angela used to suck her toe. Not her thumb--but her toe. And it could be that she only did it a couple times but the adults around us talked about it a lot because, let's face it--what adult wouldn't want to be flexible enough to suck their toe? Anyway, poor Angela got sick and maybe for comfort or maybe for entertainment while she was stuck in bed, she sucked on her toe--and gave herself strep toe! When we were on a road trip the other day, Michael seemed to think this was normal behavior--I decided to put this picture here in honor of Angela--in case she ever finds her way to my blog :)

WIP Tag

For anybody in manufacturing the term WIP is a necessary head's up that the product on the shelf isn't completed yet--it's a "work in progress." I feel like I've been using that term a lot lately. I get something started and have to move on to something more urgent before I get anything finished. It's kind of a frustrating way to work. Set this aside, come back to it later, work on this a while, set it aside, come back to it later. (In the football business later is October...) So tonight I took a look at poor Pepper and realized that I'd been intending to take him in to get a hair cut for a long time. And it's hot in Michigan this week. So I said to myself--what's the easiest way to save 40 bucks on a dog groomer? Well, getting out my handy clippers. So I started with his head because he was having a hard time seeing. Then, the back is supposed to be easy so I moved to that. Next, I started on his front legs, but that's when he got a little antsy. I only have one blade for my clippers (which means "one length fits all") so at that point I decided to let them cool off before I continued. On my best days I'm not very good at clipping, but when Pepper is a WIP, the temporary result can be downright scary. He made me promise not to take his picture, so I won't show you what he looks like right now.
But thinking about a work in progress reminds me of the cute children's song--"Kids under construction" that the Gaither sing (Darcy--am I right? Is it the Gaithers?). And about all the times people say, Oh--I'm not finished yet, God is still working on me. And while that's a huge relief--that God finishes the good work that he's started--let me just throw out a word of caution. I have a friend that I've been thinking for years, "if God gets his attention, he's going to be a great man of God" but instead he avoids taking his Christian life seriously. He avoids letting God work on his heart and avoids any situation where he might actually get moved along towards maturity. Let's not get complacent on the journey, thinking that where we are is good enough. WIP's only redeeming quality is that they will be completed eventually. And just ask Pepper--stopping 1/2 way there isn't pretty.

Tractor Sales

Don't you think Michael should be on some Farmall Tractor Dealership's home page? I think seeing a kid this young that's already sold on his "H" tractor would make sales sky rocket. I'm pretty sure Michael just wanted to let Grandpa know that he's ready to help on the big tractor. He gets to ride the yellow tractor and the lawn mower all the time, but it's harder for Grandpa to steer the big tractor with a little boy trying to help. Michael parks his tractor in his barn at night just like Grandpa (even though he puts his ambulance upstairs and I'm pretty sure Grandpa wouldn't do that even if the barn had an upstairs) to make sure he's got the process down for that great day when Grandpa says, "Michael--go grab the big red tractor and let's get to work!"

Trimming the Fat

I post a lot of pictures, and I hate to let any of them go. Can a mother really delete a picture of her child? It's not easy. But I was thinking of my poor family members that have a less than speedy internet connection and I wondered if it was worth the wait every time to see the same huge picture of Michael pop up. So I decided to keep the pictures strictly in the posts and when they age out of the front page, it will make your life even easier. But please feel free to track them down when you need your Michael fix.

The Bird Whisperer

My niece Katie is a sweetie. Apparently even the birds think so. From what I hear, this one perched on her head for quite a while. I knew she wouldn't mind if I posted it here so her cousins can see her new friend.

Phones

I know I'm pretty attached to my cell phone. I don't think I realized the extent until my new phone broke. The depth of panic I felt as I considered shipping it in for repair and going who knows how long without a phone can only be compared to the relief I felt when the customer service rep told me I could take my phone in and exchange it on the spot at any Alltel store. Wow. Let's not even joke about that. No phone? I'd go crazy.