Sandra Heska King

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Squirrel Thoughts – 2

July 1, 2010 By Sandra Heska King

It’s Thursday again. Time for Duane Scott’s Pleasantly Disturbed Blog Carnival. He says it’s a regular feature until October 23, 2013. I don’t know how he chose that date, but . . . SQUIRREL!

“I am a bad wife. I handed my husband a stack of TV dinners and said, “Choose one.” That’s what I posted on Facebook and Twitter pages yesterday. I love some of the responses.

Jody: Hey! I like the TV dinner idea! You were very thoughtful to provide . . . well, something!
Susan: At least you didn’t hand him a bunch of women and say, “Choose one.”
Duane: That’s so wrong. I have only eaten one TV dinner in my life.
Stephanie: Hey, if you’re the one who put it in the microwave, it counts as cooking.
Amy: You’re my hero!
Keiki: No worse than the rest of us, my friend.
Chad: The fact that you did not throw them at his head makes you at least a semi-decent wife.

For the record, he choose a Lean Cuisine of “wild salmon, whole wheat orzo pasta, spinach &carrots in a basil sauce.” And I did throw a bowl of raspberries, blackberries, and blueberries at him. Can you picture that?

I had butternut squash ravioli. One of my favorites.


Then he (DH–Lainie, is DH okay?) went out and got me some DQ. He loves me.

How is it possible that Duane in all his almost 21 years has only eaten ONE TV dinner?

Speaking of Duane, I’m reminded of his beloved dog, Pokito, who has his own Facebook fan page but hasn’t posted since the end of April when he tried to eat the gerbil. Or did the gerbil eat him?

And that makes me wonder how many robbers carry Bark Off?

I love birch trees. I remember how we used to peel the bark off to fashion and sew little canoes.

I love canoeing. I went white water rafting once down the Chattooga River, section 3 and part of section 4, with Wildwater Ltd in North Carolina. But that was in a raft, not a canoe. And I lived to tell about it. Barely.

We never owned a gerbil. But we had rabbits. Lots of rabbits. On purpose. Show rabbits. Pets. 4H.

Speaking of rabbits, here’s a brave one.

Oh for that kind of courage! To tackle a writing project. To tackle life.

Copyright © 2010 by Sandra Heska King

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Comments

  1. Duane Scott says

    July 1, 2010 at 1:21 am

    Haha! I don't like TV dinners. My mother also doesn't believe in fixing them. (Not to make you feel guilty or anything)

    And Pokito has been chilling a lot lately. Living a dog's life. I'll remind him to update his fan page once in a while. I promise.

    This was great fun. Thanks for joining!

  2. Lainie Gallagher says

    July 1, 2010 at 1:42 am

    DH is acceptable. Thanks for checking.

    Making little canoes? What on earth? I've never heard of this, but I'm also not entirely sure what a birch tree is, either. (Don't hate; I'm not an arborist.)

    Duane is lucky. His future wife, in regards to culinary expectations, is not.

  3. Sandra Heska King says

    July 1, 2010 at 9:44 am

    @Duane: I remember my mom fixing homemade TV dinners for nights when I got home late from work. Some TV dinners these days are actually better than eating out when one is lazy, I mean busy.

    @Lainie: Whew! I think about you every time I start to say/write a blacklisted abbreviation!

    Birch trees have nifty white bark that peels off. Not good for the tree, but we didn't know that back then.

  4. Bun Bun says

    July 1, 2010 at 9:45 am

    I am proud to call the rabbit in that video my sister!

  5. Helen says

    July 1, 2010 at 9:47 am

    Don't feel guilty. You are not a bad wife. When I am tired, my Hubs (NOT sorry, Lainie 😉 gets a choice of hot dogs or bologna and cheese. It's a good thing for me he considers either to be a treat!

  6. Dusty Rayburn says

    July 1, 2010 at 9:52 am

    I avoid TV dinners at all costs.

    White water rafting is fun, but white water kayaking is the life…unless you die in the process.

  7. Sandra Heska King says

    July 1, 2010 at 2:15 pm

    @Bun Bun: No. Look again. It's YOU!

    @Helen: It's a good thing for me that my hubs (I mean DH) considers anything he puts in his mouth a treat!

    @Dusty: We saw a kayaker flip under a waterfall. They came back up again, but still . . .

  8. JC Dude says

    July 1, 2010 at 2:36 pm

    So funny…BTW if you made a TV dinner out Cheetos maybe Duane Scott would eat it!

    Thanks for the chuckles…

  9. katdish says

    July 1, 2010 at 4:26 pm

    Well, my husband usually cooks. Otherwise he'd be eating tv dinners.

  10. Sandra Heska King says

    July 1, 2010 at 7:09 pm

    @Jay: Oh, great idea. Cheetos with a side of Laffy Taffy.

    @katdish: My husband doesn't cook–except maybe for toast that is nothing but warmed bread and maybe a fried egg. He'd been making boxed mac and cheese for my kids for months when I went back to school–until I discovered he wasn't adding any milk.

  11. Karen Lange says

    July 1, 2010 at 7:09 pm

    Haven't had a TV dinner in a while, but they do come in handy sometimes. Frozen pizza is a good thing to keep on hand too:) Thanks for the links!
    Blessings,
    Karen 🙂

  12. Susan J. Reinhardt says

    July 2, 2010 at 7:57 pm

    Hi Sandy –

    I like to have a couple of TV dinners in the house for an emergency. When we had the blizzards last winter, I used my supply. I suppose I should re-stock.

    Blessings,
    Susan 🙂

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No way could anyone ever convince me that this world in all its beauty and creativity and mysteries is here by accident.
Food truck night with a newcomer—@crepstick. So Food truck night with a newcomer—@crepstick. So yummy! I hope they come back.  But maybe not too often or I’ll have to do double time on the exercise.
“Embrace this day knowing and showing the world “Embrace this day knowing and showing the world that your God is more than enough for you.”
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@tamiheim @tonibirdsong 
In @stickyJesus: How to Live Out Your Faith Online
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the str My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion.” Psalm 73:26 (ESV)
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I’d almost forgotten what quiet mornings on the patio were like. (Quiet except for the birds and the sound of the neighbor’s AC.)
So yesterday I saw my cardiologist. It was the fir So yesterday I saw my cardiologist. It was the first time he wanted to see me in 6 months instead of a year. He said my aortic stenosis had gotten worse. Like on the cusp of moderate to severe. 😬

So the first thing he asks me is, "How's you daughter?" Wait. Isn't this supposed to be about ME?

Then he asks if I've had any symptoms. "Well, I don't know. Maybe. I felt a little dizzy out of the blue a couple times. And felt like I couldn't catch my breath. I wouldn't have paid any attention if I didn't know I was supposed to be watching for symptoms. I DID walk all over Israel and up a bunch of steep hills, even all the way up to the Golan Heights--against the wind--without anything but normal fatigue.

He laughs. "I created a monster." Ummm, yeah.

"Have you been exercising?" 

"Well, yeah. We walk a couple miles a day. I'm back on my Nordictrack Strider." I didn't tell him I'd been lifting some light weights and some very heavy boxes and other items during this renovation, though I was told in December not to.

So he listens to the beating of my heart. Then he says, "Well, I don't think the valve is ripe yet. I don't expect you to have symptoms for three or four years. You don't need to come back for a year."

Wait! So you ask if I have symptoms. But you don't expect symptoms--yet. And when I do have symptoms, someone is gonna do something. And then I'll be older and maybe weaker. Or what if I have some sudden and silent symptom and boom! And now I have to worry about that. 

(In other news, my oldest grand texts me the other day, and our conversation runs like this...
Last weekend we were in northern Michigan. And the Last weekend we were in northern Michigan. And there were lilacs. They even shook their heads over tornado-induced devastation. Look for the beauty and sweet scents in the midst of the mess. I miss the lilacs.
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When the folks in my hometown of Gaylord, Michigan When the folks in my hometown of Gaylord, Michigan ate their breakfast Friday morning, they had no idea what terror and devastation they'd face before dinner. Everyone has a story. You've probably seen pictures.

If not, take a peek at @mlivenews .

My great-nephew, not quite 12, had just gotten home from school when the EF-3 came down the street and left its mark on every home. My niece frantically tried to find her way from work through debris and blocked roads. My sister was 30 miles away visiting my dad in rehab. I don't want to know how fast my brother-in-law drove. 

The house and yard took a hit, worse than some, not as bad as others. A mobile home park was demolished--two deaths there. I heard one person is still missing. So many injured. So much awful. But the town is coming together for each other. Pray for them.

We plan to fly up Thursday--already planned to celebrate my dad's 95th birthday. 

Also, if anyone feels led to help, the Otsego Community Foundation and Otsego County United Way are accepting donations. Note “Tornado Relief.” Beware of any other fundraising requests.
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My shirt says “Walk in love. But I’m not feeling very loving. And if it WAS my Mom AKA Mother Mary Esther of the Order of Perpetual Birdwatchers, I’ll bet she’s having a good laugh. A passerby said she heard it was good luck and I should buy a lottery ticket tonight. In other news, I also banged my hip bone against our bed’s footboard and gave myself a mighty bruise. Then I burned my arm on the top of the grill. I did manage to wash all the knives without cutting myself and didn’t start any fires. So how was your day?
And now… “From the rising of the sun to the pl And now… “From the rising of the sun to the place where it sets, the name of the Lord is to be praised.”
The world’s a mess, but His mercies are new. The world’s a mess, but His mercies are new.
When we were in Israel last month, we visited @yad When we were in Israel last month, we visited @yadvashem - the World Holocaust Center in Jerusalem. There wasn't enough time to spend nearly enough time. 

The Valley of the Communities was very moving. It's a labyrinth of stone from which there seems no way out. Our guide said It gives an idea of the endlessness of the horror. His parents emigrated from Vilna (the Jerusalem of Lithuania), before the Holocaust. In 1935, thirteen of his family members still remained there. By 1945 only one--an uncle--had survived. He wrote a book about them from a bundle of old letters. "One story out of millions."

"This memorial commemorates the Jewish communities destroyed by Nazi Germany and its collaborators, and the few which suffered but survived in the shadow of the Holocaust."
#Israel2022 #HolocaustRemembranceDay
“From my favorite spot on the floor, I look up a “From my favorite spot on the floor, I look up at the blue sky and the bare chestnut tree on whose branches little raindrops shine, appearing like silver, ” Anne Frank wrote in the Diary of a Young Girl. Watching the tree change through the seasons her family spent in hiding in an attic gave her hope. The Holocaust Memorial Center is one of only eleven sites in the United States to receive a sapling from that tree. I stand at “her” window and imagine hanging hope on a tree.

"It happened, therefore it can happen again: this is the core of what we have to say. It can happen, and it can happen everywhere.” ~ Primo Levi

From a post I wrote for @tspoetry after a visit to the @holocaustcenter.

https://www.tweetspeakpoetry.com/2016/07/27/regional-tour-holocaust-memorial-center-farmington-hills-michigan/
Stunning tree I parked near at Bible study yesterd Stunning tree I parked near at Bible study yesterday. I was in a rush and failed to snap the whole tree. I need to run back before the flowers fall. I think it’s a jacaranda? I want one.
Speaking of birds... bluejay in my backyard this a Speaking of birds... bluejay in my backyard this afternoon. I thought he was hurt, but I think he was just trying to cool off. (Maybe it's a young one.... unless it's the light?)
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“Now in the place where he was crucified there w “Now in the place where he was crucified there was a new tomb in which no one had yet been laid.” ~ John 19:41

“But the angel said to the women, ‘Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay…’”~ Matthew 28:5-6

Many wonder if this tomb, which lies just a few yards west of Golgotha could be the place where Jesus lay and rose. I wish we could have lingered longer here in this garden and in the tomb itself. It was easier for me to imagine the events of that weekend happening here than in the heavily incensed, decorated, dark and crowded Church of the Holy Sepulchre… though my hairdresser said her old boyfriend “got chills”’when he entered that tomb. We did not go inside that one because the line was way too long. 

At any rate, the most important thing is that he tomb is EMPTY and HE IS RISEN!

HAPPY EASTER!
#Israel2022 #GardenTomb #Easter
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“And he withdrew from them about a stone’s throw, and knelt down and prayed, ‘Father, if you are willing, remove this cup from me. Nevertheless, not my will, but yours, be done.’ And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, strengthening him. And being in agony he prayed more earnestly; and his sweat became like great drops of blood falling down to the ground.” ~ Luke 22:41-44

Garden of Gethsemane and Church of the Nations

#Israel2022
A "blue preacher" right outside my door, nearly as A "blue preacher" right outside my door, nearly as tall as I am. I wonder what he's wondering. Is he finding the answer blowing in the wind?

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in happiness, in kindness." ~ Mary Oliver in "Why I Wake Early"
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