Christmas Church Service

 Yes, we played handbells today at church, but it was also a service with a lot of Christmas content. We played 2 songs, and the kids bell choir also did two. I also have some still shots. I'll do two videos today and two tomorrow.

The adult bell choir played "What Child is This?"



John and Bruce sang "Jesus, What a Wonderful Child." My camera audio isn't good enough to record voice.

The bigger kids narrated the Christmas story. The one is dressed as the "mouse." Yes, the one that wasn't stirring. Except it was... and providing some snarky commentary about Christmas being the season of "gimme, gimme, gimme." Which the others convinced him was not true.

This is the kid's bell choir. This is like basic training in a church that promotes bell choirs. The director holds up a card with colors on it, and the kids ring when their bell matches the color on the card. I missed the very beginning of the song, but I didn't want to cut any out. It's "Away in a Manger." You'll catch the tune in a few seconds.



But this is the very best. No disrespect meant, but I think it's adorable.

Yes, that is Mary and Joseph. Please note that Baby Jesus is Pikachu!

I've managed to do some editing today, but this was enough.

See November Handbells

Last Vendor Event of 2024

 The vendor event at Mason County Central was huge. I wasn't sure the attendance would be very good but it was all right. Some people had good sales, some had almost none. Mine were middle of the road.

I did get to try something new. I get really jaded about the "stuff" that is being sold. After a while, it all looks alike to me. But one cookie maker was selling cinnamon roll cookies. Had to try that. Sorry, I took a nibble before I remembered a picture. It was really good. A brown sugar dough rolled up with cinnamon like a bun. Glaze on top. Yummy.

The MCC athletes are Spartans. Their mascot visited. The event was put on by the Band Boosters. I give them A+ for having students around to be helpful to the vendors. It was their first event. I'm sure they learned from today to not put so many vendors in the hallway. It was too packed. Hopefully, enough people had good enough sales that they can get vendors to come again. I did well enough I would do it again since it's so close to home. The "problem" is that there are a lot of December events, and I'll never do more than two in one year. I waited too long to get into a couple that I wanted to this year, so I tried this one.

There were only three authors selling books. I was one, of course.

Chris Cornell was there with her crafts and her memoir, Moments in Time.

I just met Jessica Smith at the Fruitport event last month. She was there selling an anthology of short stories called As the Snow Drifts.

Other friends who were vending are Shirley and Bill Mitchell. She knits various scarves and accessories (we are in bell choir together). Bill has cards made from his pen and ink drawings.

I believe there were over 50 vendors. Some people thought that was too many- that the event was overwhelming. Not sure about that. I've been at huge events and done well. If they solve the crowded hallway problem I think everything will be fine.

I'm tired. I was trying to figure out why, but I just remembered that I woke up at 4:30 this morning. I think I've tracked down the reason, eh?

Bell choir tomorrow.

See Fruitport Library

Snow Shots

 I had to do a few outside chores and took a little walk out back. the snow is still sticking to the plants.

Branches.

Jackpine cones

Thistle heads

Scots pine.

And my favorite- on motherwort.

In other news: I edited a lot. I'm trying to get a book finished up for a client. I did the little outdoor tasks. I did laundry. It is enough. I'm surprisingly tired.

See Snow 2019

Adventurous Women 4 - Robyn Davidson

 This adventure has always seemed more outrageous and foreign to me than most of the others I've read about, including skiing to the North Pole. That, I can imagine. Riding a camel across Australia just boggles my mind. The name of the book is Tracks. It was also made into a movie, but I haven't seen that. Edited: I have now seen the movie. It's free on YouTube with ads. It's very good.


In 1977, Robyn Davidson decided to cross the Australian Outback by camel. She managed to convince National Geographic to sponsor the event in return for a story. The trek was photographed by NatGeo.

Of course, camels are not indiginous to Australia. She thought they would be perfectly suited to the climate and the task, so she finally procured four of them that had been brought to Australia by other explorers who had also thought the same. A dog also accompanied her expedition. Except for the occasional appearances of the photographer, she trekked 1700 miles with only the camels and a dog.

A great deal of the tale is the preparations. There is a fair amount of Australian cultural tension. She dealt with Aborigines at Alice Springs where she staged the expedition, and learned quite a lot about the treatment of those native peoples.

The trip was hot, lonely, at times desperate. To be honest, I don't know if I could have done something like this. The heat doesn't appeal. The bleakness of the landscape doesn't call me. OK... ice is bleak too. Must just be me.

Taking care of four camels and trying to make miles sounds more like a job than an adventure. But I loved the book.

It's mind-blowing that Robyn is only a couple of years younger than I am. She has also written a recent memoir called Unfinished Woman. I might want to read this.

In other news: I managed to edit a fair amount. We got out of the driveway without too much trouble. I got a (rare for me) migraine after lunch and had to lie down for a while. All better now.

See Ordinary Women

I've Got (Half) a Ticket to Ride

 The big local news is snow.

We are socked in. But that's not the focus of my day. This is one of those stories that goes on so long it becomes ridiculous. I've been trying to get a train ticket East to go to the 2025 Flower Show.

I started trying to get a ticket yesterday. I already knew the Amtrak web site is bad, but how bad? I could get the round-trip ticket and the correct dates etc in my cart, but could not pay for it. I also could not see the return trip times. That seemed worrisome, but I used their live chat and it was explained to me how to see that, which I then could do.

Kept trying to pay for the ticket. Of course, after 5 minutes the site times out. Tried to log in, but it said I don't have an account. Well, I did... so I wonder how long that lasts before they dump a customer out of their database. Ran out of time before Monica picked me up yesterday.

Started trying again today. Created a new account Tried in two different browsers. Still no way to actually pay for the ticket, and every time you have to start over because it times out. Tried to get help through the chat. Explained it all. They bumped me up to a supervisor. Explained it all again. No go. That person told me to call the 800 number to make my reservation.

Ten minutes on hold. Their voice activated system could not understand me saying the word "reservation." Last I knew, I speak standard English. Lady with thick Spanish accent finally came on. She said I sounded like I was talking under water, and she could not understand me. She hung up.

I installed the Amtrak app on my phone, loaded in all the info for the trip yet again. It would not take a payment.

Called the 800 number again. Got a robot named Julie! This is possibly good. It speaks English. It took the reservation and quoted me a price that was double the online price. I hung up.

Tried the web site again in both browsers. No. Tried the phone app again. I got it to take my payment!

The e-ticket arrived and it is one way.

Well, I'm going East at the end of February. We'll see if I am returning. I really can't tolerate working on this any more today. I've already spent over two hours.

This is the kind of thing that makes me absolutely NUTS.

Now, here's what I really wanted to share today. I had posted this picture once long ago on Facebook, but then I couldn't find it. Well, the original slide is somewhere, but I knew I had it digitally. It just wasn't filed where it belonged. Anyway, here it is!

This is from a Girl Scout campout either my junior or senior year in high school. I actually don't know most of the girls because it was some kind of council exchange thing where our troop went and camped with another troop.

I have no idea who owned the truck. It was borrowed for the occasion, but my mother agreed to drive it. My mom had spirit! She is sitting on the running board.

The woman standing on her right (picture left) is Delores Bush, the school librarian who was our assistant scout leader. She was rigid and severe at school, but had a fun sense of humor and spunk when one got to know her.

I am sitting top left in the picture with my hands on the head of Vienna Louma (nickname Vanilla. I was Chocolate, and another girl with red hair- not in the picture- was Strawberry) whom I met at Camp Comstock. She was from Ithaca. Sitting next to me is Faith Hiltbrand, a friend from school. She died a couple of years ago. The only other person I recognize is Lexi King of Trumansburg who has her head sticking out of the cab window (or maybe she's standing on the running board).

The truck makes this look like it's a scene from about two centuries ago instead of only one! We didn't care. It was a truck to haul our tents and gear, and we had a blast. Thanks to whomever trusted the ladies to borrow it. I'm wearing my standard out-of-school uniform. Jeans and t-shirt. See My Natural Habitat

I am pretty much in a snit about the ticket. Edited a little, but I'm busy snitting. See you tomorrow.

See Sunrise from the Train