God's Power To Guide Me

I arise today 

Through a mighty strength:

God's power to guide me, 

God's might to uphold me, 

God's wisdom to teach me, 

God's eye to watch over me, 

God's ear to hear me, 
God's word to give me speech, 

God's hand to guide me

God's way to lie before me

God's shield to shelter me

God's host to secure me

Against the snares of devils

Against the seductions of vices,

Against the lusts of nature,

Against everyone who shall wish me ill,

Whether far or near, many or few

~~~~St. Patrick of Ireland~~~~

Character Counts

A while back I heard about the Via Institute on Character, an organization founded to advance the science and practice of character development.  They've produced several assessments that help people figure out their positive strengths. Yesterday I took their Survey of Character and learned what my Signature Strengths are.

Via's Survey of Character test measures 24 characteristics that define what’s best about people in the broad categories of Wisdom and Knowledge, Courage, Humanity,  Justice, Temperance, and Transcendence. The easy assessment had 240 questions, and took about a half hour.  I had to figure out how each statement described what I was like on a five point scale, from Very Much Like Me to Very Much Unlike Me, and the directions reminded me that the results would only be useful if I answered the questions truthfully.  It seemed like some of the questions showed up more than once, restated in a slightly different way each time.

When I was finished with the test, I received a report that described my character strengths in order from strongest to weakest.  The top five strengths are characterized as Signature Strengths, the ones that are most dominant in my life, but the report noted that my lower strengths were only lesser in comparison. Each strength was accompanied by a brief sketch of the meaning of each strength. For example:

Appreciation of beauty and excellence--You notice and appreciate beauty, excellence, and/or skilled performance in all domains of life, from nature to art to mathematics to science to everyday experience.

I was a bit surprised (but pleased) by the results. They helped me understand why I feel certain ways and do certain things.  Tony also took the test, and it was interesting to see the similarities and differences in our reports.

Amazing Orange

A couple of weeks ago I was reading an article about surprising things you can use around the house, one of which was orange peels.  I learned that the peels contain oil which can be turned into a natural cleaning product. After finishing the article,  I decided to try making my own cleanser with orange peels and vinegar.

We eat a lot of oranges at this time of year, so coming up with the peels was easy.  I crammed as many as I could into an empty peanut butter jar, added vinegar, and let it sit on the counter for a couple of weeks, shaking it a couple of times every day. The jar looked quite colorful setting next to the sink.

This morning I decided to test out my orange oil cleaner on the vinyl kitchen floor. I usually sponge mop it with vinegar and water, but today I grabbed the orange oil-laced brew. After I removed the peels, I was left with half a jar of beautiful orange-colored liquid with a faint citrus smell.  I have a big kitchen floor, though, and there wasn't enough to do the job, so I added plain vinegar from the jug in the pantry to fill the jar, then poured it into the bucket of water and got to work.

The floor was quite dirty, and when I was in the middle of the job I wasn't sure that the orange oil was doing anything, but when the floor dried it was clean and had a nice shine.  It also passed the "walk barefoot across the room" cleanliness test, so I'd say my experiment was a success.

Purr-forming

Last month Tony and I were looking forward to attending a show by the Amazing Acro-Cats, but it got snowed out.  Tonight the cats returned, and we were there.

We arrived early, and got a seat in the front row on the left side of the stage, where we watched the final setup for the show.  There were nine cat carriers-some on each side of the stage.  We were able to see the faces of the cats on the far side, and occasionally a paw would poke out.  By the time the show started at 7:00 it was standing-room only.

The Acro-Cats are trained by Samantha Martin.   She and her assistant really knew their stuff.  The cats performed a wide variety of tricks on cue.  However, being cats, they didn't always perform as planned, which was funny.  They jumped through hoops and over fences, rode on skateboards, and walked on a tightrope.  At times they were joined by performing rats and a chicken.

At the end of the show the Rock Cats band performed.  The kitties "played" guitars, drums, keyboards, and cowbell.  The only problem was that their stage was at ground level on the far right side, so it was hard for me to see what was going on.  However, I have no doubt that it was cute.  The evening ended with the house lights coming up so the audience could take pictures of the band.

Here's a compilation of some of what we saw:

Too Much!

This is quite a busy week for me.  In addition to my work commitments, I have an activity every night (and sometimes more than one).  Tonight I'm attending a Fat Tuesday dinner with a group of women from church. In the spirit of eating to excess before the beginning of Lent tomorrow, we're dining at a Chinese buffet.  Not exactly traditional, but good!

For your Fat Tuesday listening pleasure, here's one of my favorite Mardi Gras songs:

Resume For Parents

POSITION: Parent

JOB DESCRIPTION: Long-term team players needed for challenging permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work various hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES: This is for the rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated at least temporarily, until someone needs $5 to go skating. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT AND PROMOTION: Virtually none. Your objective is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills so those in your charge can ultimately surpass you.

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE: None required, unfortunately. On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION: You pay them, offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS: While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered, job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth and free hugs for life if you play your cards right.

Author unknown

Matting

One of the things that's been on my List of Things To Do for quite some time is to make felt.  According to a friend, it's quite easy-all it takes is an old wool sweater.  I don't have any old wool sweaters, so I figured I'd get one from the thrift store.  However, the project never rose to the top of my list at quite the right time...I'd usually think about it in the middle of the summer, when cool weather clothes were non-existent.  Last week when I went into the local St. Vincent de Paul store, where they were clearancing all their cold-weather clothes. I did a bit of digging through the racks, and found a black 100% wool sweater and an argyle wool blend for two dollars each.

When you felt an animal-fiber knit garment, the fibers mesh together until the weave of the sweater disappears. The felting occurs when hot water and agitation shrink the fibers,. and the resulting fabric will not unravel when cut.  Only animal fibers will felt, but sometimes garments with a bit of synthetics will work; sometimes they won't.

Here's a BEFORE picture of my two sweaters.  They're both extra large-the one on the left is a men's, and the other is a women's:

Because all of the information I'd gathered on the project was oral, my first step was to do a Google search for felting wool. I was excited to start the project, so I took my information from the first result.  According to that Website, I needed to run the sweater through my washer with soap and hot water, and then dry it on the hottest setting of the dryer.  I started the process, then browsed through some other Websites on the topic. I learned that it could take multiple passes through the washer to have an effect, and that wool sheds off quite a bit of fiber while it's felting (which could mess up the washer), so it was a good idea to put the sweaters in an old pillowcase.  Whoops!

Sure enough, the process wasn't done after the first round, so I put each sweater in an old pillowcase and closed them with a knot for a second cycle.   When the washer stopped again, I opened the cases to see how things stood.  There was a lot of fuzz clinging to the inside of the pillowcase.  The black sweater looked like one solid piece of material, but the stitches of the argyle one were only partially fused.  Thinking that the heat of the dryer might help, I put both back in their pillowcases and threw them in on a long cycle with high heat.

When they came out of the dryer, they looked like this:

I made felt. Now what?  I'm not sure, but stay tuned and I'll let you know as soon as I figure it out!

The Other Way Around

You may know that the birthday of Theodor Seuss Geisel--aka Dr. Seuss--was yesterday (March 2).  Every classroom in the preschool commemorated the day in some way.  Our class actually spread out the celebration over two days, because quite a few of our students don't come on Wednesday.  The theme for the days was "backwards and upside down".  When the lead teacher emailed out the lesson plan to the parents, she encouraged everyone to dress backwards so we could talk about it.

Yesterday I tried to wear one of my logoed work shirts turned around, but it didn't fit correctly and was extremely uncomfortable. I ended up not doing anything, which turned out to be OK. Our classroom had several students out sick and I moved to one of the other rooms, where they weren't observing backwards day.

However, today I was determined to find some way to go along with the lesson plan.  The solution turned out to be folded up in my work bag.  At Christmas one of my coworkers gave me an apron appliquéd with the school logo.  I put the apron on like a cape and tied the strings around my waist in front.  To keep the neck strings from riding up on my neck, I wore a collared shirt and tucked the strings underneath the collar.

My backwards apron was surprising comfortable.  It didn't do a whole lot to keep the front of my shirt clean, but when I sat on the floor, my jeans were protected!

Offer Without Obligation

We've donated money to our local food pantry for many years.  They do a great job; in addition to food, families serviced by the pantry can take advantage of programs during the holiday season and at back-to-school time. They can also receive financial assistance, college scholarships, and summertime camperships.  I've been thinking about volunteering there for some time, and tonight I went to a volunteer orientation.

There were six other people in tonight's session.  Some of them looked old enough to be retired, but I suspect the younger ones might be between jobs and have extra time on their hands.  The volunteer coordinator did a great job of explaining things.

I learned the pantry only has three paid employees, but 200 volunteers that do most of the day to day work.  It surprised me to hear that the pantry area has all the help it can use, and actually has a waiting list for potential volunteers!  However, they need help in the office area with receptionist chores and taking data from clients.

Sadly, the open shifts won't fit around my work schedule, so I can't sign up for a regular time slot.  I will add my name to the Special Events list, and wait for them to call me.

March 1, 2011

February, with its nasty weather, had overstayed its welcome; it was wonderful to turn over the calendar to a new month today.  The official start of spring is still a few weeks away (and I suspect there'll be a few more snowflakes before it's all said and done), but I'm looking forward to the nice weather.

 While I'm waiting, I'm trying to appreciate all the signs of the season.  The days are getting longer.  In the morning I can find my clothes without turning on a light, and I don't have to use one in the kitchen when I cook dinner.  When I opened up the March tickler file, I saw articles about organic lawn care and gardening, and my calendar had reminders about buying plant seeds and sunscreen, and starting the herb grow kits I got for Christmas.  It also informed me I need to take the lawn mower in for a tuneup and see to the flat wheel on the wheelbarrow before the growing season starts.

All the prompts put me in a great mood, and the weather today didn't hurt.  When I left work all I needed was a jacket, so I bagged my plan to go to the gym. It was much too nice to be inside on a treadmill.  Time to get out into the real world!  First, though, I had to pick up the sunscreen I'll  need to start using.  It took me a while to figure out exactly where to find it in the store, but I enjoyed walking by the signs of nicer days to come; in the ladies department a collection of pastel-colored shirts were displayed on an end cap, and lightweight pants hung next to them.  I made my purchase, then started thinking about a place to walk.

We've had a lot of rain recently, so using an unpaved trail wasn't an option.  I decided to stop at a municipal park that's on my way home.  The park itself is small, but its trail connects with the adjoining subdivisions. There were a handful of cars in the parking lot when I pulled in, and a few children on the playground.  I made my way towards the pond at the bottom of the hill, where I saw ducks and geese enjoying the nice weather. They didn't seem to mind when I took a seat on a bench near them for a few minutes.

I walked halfway around the pond, then followed the trail toward the street.  There weren't many people out in the middle of the afternoon, but I did pass a pair of joggers and a woman walking her dog.  I heard birds chirping, and saw quite a few squirrels scampering around.  I walked for about 30 minutes before I realized I needed to use the restroom, so I headed back towards the park.  Unfortunately, their facilities were still closed up for the winter, so I got back in my car to drive home.

That didn't bother me, though, because I'm looking forward to taking advantage of many more nice March days.