First Sunday of Advent

Happy first Sunday of Advent! I was tired of our old advent wreath, which was full of wax, and poorly decorated by myself a few years ago. I looked at the prices of advent wreaths at the St. Cloud Bookshop, and thought, no way we could spend money on a new one. I removed all of the old decorations from the old one, flicked off all of the wax, spent $8 on a roll of ribbon from JoAnn's (I told you I had spent an arm and a leg for just a few items the other day!), and here it is. The best I could do were four small bows. I like this much better than it had been. I know that I will have to replace the decorations next year after the candles drip all over. I did freeze the candles in the hopes that they will burn longer. Not sure if that is an old wives' tale or not. I was out of Candle Stick 'em, but with the help of a clerk at Crafts Direct, I was able to find a new product, Tacky Wax, to hold the tapers in place for safety.

I have the fabric cut for five projects downstairs. The Christmas letter will have to wait. I am heading downstairs to sew.

Hand Made with Love

I stopped at Joann Fabrics today to pick up some odds and ends for some gifts I am making. I was in sticker shock when I left. I spent the entire $40 which I had taken out of the credit union "just in case". All I purchased were spools of ribbon, rick-rack, a couple of zippers, a yard of fabric, and a new plastic bobbin box. I was not able to get twill tape or even the grosgrain ribbon substitute in the sizes that I needed. I also did not find a hook for my newly painted crucifix, or stained glass paint. I sure hope you appreciate hand-made gifts when you receive them. They are far from cheap.

That said, I finally made it to the basement last night to do some cutting for said projects. I discovered that I had fewer fun fat quarters on hand than I thought. I must have given most of them away when I purged fabric last year. I have mostly solids on hand, not exactly the bright and cheerful prints which I saw at my class on Monday. I know I had been collecting solids to go with some of the weird second-hand fabrics which I have cut into quilt squares over the years. One thing at a time. I can buy matching prints as I complete projects.

I had a victory of sorts last night as I did vision therapy exercises. For a flash I saw in 3D while doing the Life Saver exercise. That gives me hope that I will continue to improve.

We had another sunny day, so I spent part of the afternoon cutting back perennials in my flower beds at home. I like to keep a few things up for landscape interest in the winter, and experts recommend leaving plant die-back for animal and insect habitat over winter. I do not like spring clean-up, however. 

I finished the second book of Rebecca Caudill's Fairchild series last night. The main character is Bonnie, the youngest of the Fairchild children. Every incident in the book includes the reactions of each of Bonnie's siblings in order of age from oldest to the youngest. In doing so, the author captures the feelings of a youngest child. I am sure many youngest children would empathize! Iwish that I knew the melodies for the many songs included in the story. My guess is that a first or second grader would enjoy the books.

Cyber Monday Class

I spent the afternoon at Just Sew Studio, formerly Associated Sewing. We learned how to make infinity scarves out of a woven fabric and out of a knit, and then a faux bias scarf. It was good to get out and do something creative and meet new people. The store has changed a bit since the last class I took several years ago. They now have a more extensive line of fabrics. The sample projects scattered around the store were made of warm and cheerful colors. I did buy a Terri Atkinson pattern for clutch/cosmetic bags, and the fusible fleece needed to complete three of them. It will be a start at using up some of my fabric collection. We had company on Saturday, so the house is clean. We are having leftovers for dinner, and I made cookies for my husband's lunches this evening. That means I can spend tomorrow sewing. I can throw some wash in at the same time, as long as I use only the washer or the dryer while my iron is plugged in. I am ready to go.

I took a short walk when I got home from class, and then another with Arthur after dinner. I like our evening walks, perhaps even  better in the dark of winter. I do not always get to go, depending on how many dishes I have to clean up after supper, and what other chores must be done. I am starting to have pain in my knees, which cause I do not know. It could be weight, lack of exercise, or arthritis. Time will tell. I may be able to tell in a few days after doing some of my physical therapy exercises again. I may start on Shaklee Joint Health Complex to rule out arthritis.

I am transitioning Gracie over to a dry food meant for cats susceptible to UTI's. Of course, she loves her dry food. Right now I am using it as "treats" until the canned food is gone.

I have about three hours of eye therapy to complete each evening if I do my syntonics with both sets of colors, as my therapist wanted. I notice that I can only do polorized reading after syntonics. Otherwise I cannot make out the printing.                   

Purgatory and Hungry Souls

I just finished this book from Tan Books (2009). It was a good read. I purchased it while I was working at Archangel Books and Gifts, and Arthur of course had it read sometime way back when. It caught my attention because of the many photographs it contained  of burn marks left by souls who had visited the living in hopes of obtaining spiritual relief from their sufferings. The author also caught my eye. I had met Gerard van den Aardweg several years earlier at a Human Life International conference held in Bloomington, Minnesota. Our meeting was memorable first because he was an excellent speaker on matters relating to homosexuality, and second, because after the talk we asked him a personal question. I wrote down his name, which he had to spell for me. As I wrote he said, "W", not "V". I had to explain that my very narrow "W" was in fact a "W". So much for my illegible handwriting! As a Vandeberg, I also felt a kinsman ship for this man who is from the Netherlands.

In addition to photographs from the Museum of Purgatory, the book also has some beautiful pictures of the Church of the Sacred Heart of the Suffering Souls in Rome. The church is dwarfed by the two buildings on either side, and yet it is a substantial structure replete with Gothic spires. The fiery paintings inside led me to believe that it would be a quiet, somewhat subdued, dark and yet warm place to pray. I would love to visit that church.

Mr. van den Aarweg made an interesting speculation in the book, namely that we may be surrounded by the souls of those who have died without knowing it due to our lack of holiness.

My emotions changed as I read the book. At first I felt very grateful for the gift of purgatory. I could see how much I would want to be purified before entering into the Beatific Vision, because God is so good, and I am not. As I completed it I hoped that the book would give me some impetus to live a holier, sacrificial life in order to avoid the horrible pains of purgatory.

I had prayed the Divine Mercy chaplet so much with my mom when she died, that after she died, it felt as if she was still present. We also had Gregorian masses offered for her, as Arthur had done for his dad. I shall continue to pray for my parents, grandparents and other relatives and friends. We never know how long a soul has to remain in purgatory. We do know from some of these apparitions and from Lucia at Fatima, that some souls will remain there until the end of time.

We hope that there is someone who will remember to pray for us and have masses said for us when we are gone. When the first of us dies, it will be time to set aside money to be used for masses for the repose of the soul of the second. Even better is our continuation of masses offered as we are yet alive.

I continue to battle a bad cough or bronchitis. I had been taking Mucinex to loosen the cough. However, I am developing a rash on my chest just like the one I had last Christmas. I am thinking guaifenesin is the culprit. I had had bronchitis prior to last year's rash, and had been using Mucinex then, too. Another reason to stick to my Shaklee.

Geri and I have spread my vision therapy to three week intervals. Meanwhile I have tons of exercises to do, with syntonics twice a day. Makes me wonder what I would do were I working full time. Not that I would ever be able to take that much time off for therapy sessions, unless I were on disability.

I bought a bunch more cookie cutters at Accent yesterday. My favorite is the doe. I love the ugly sweater cookie decorating idea that our friends the Pedersons do every year at Christmas, but the sweater cutter is huge, too much cookie for little grandchildren. I will wait until they are older.

Stamping Fun

I have been having fun stamping again.It all started because I have to send out a few cards and letters, and have to have the appropriate sentiments, and the necessary space to write what needs to be written. I have had the Stampin' Up Thankful for You set for a couple of years, but have barely used it. Now I can say that I have gotten my money's worth. I am really enjoying monochromatic designs since I got the Bold Brights DSP collection. I am ready to start stamping gifts for Christmas.

This afternoon I cleaned flower beds at St. John Cantius. I should have known better than to expect that the ground would not be frozen. I could not pull out a single annual. Still, I filled up an entire  contractor's bag full of compost. The Russian Sage is the bulkiest, and my highest priority in fall chores. It is the one plant I want cut back before new growth begins in the spring. The cat nip sent me into a coughing fit. It is quite the irritant for me. While fall or spring clean-up is the least favorite of my garden duties, it does have its rewards. I was in heaven with the scent of the rosemary from the Mary Garden. I cut several of the frozen stems to bring home. My hands smelled wonderful afterwards. Also very fragrant was the cranes bill geranium. Interesting to see that the stems on that plant grow exactly the way annual geraniums grow. I thought the dianthus which I planted this summer was an annual, but they are still as green as other perennials, so I let them be. It will be very cool if they come back next spring.  I am sure the four o'clocks did a good job of seeding themselves, and that I will see them again next spring.

The building inspector from the city was out this morning to measure our deck. I am sure that means that our taxes will increase. The deck and the new flooring sure increased our home insurance.

My goal between now and Christmas is to get a handle on some of my long in the works sewing projects, and to make a substantial dent in my rosary bead supply. It just requires some discipline to not make any new purchases until the old purchases are used up. Not only will it help to de-junk the house, but it will also feel good to know that I have exercised good stewardship over our household income.

More on Books

It has been so long since I have posted that I got a bit long-winded the other day. At the same time, I realized I did not get to write about Hilda van Stockum or Graham Greene.

At any rate, this past summer I read through the three Mitchells books from Hilda van Stockum; The Mitchells: Five for Victory, Canadian Summer, and Friendly Gables. I had a great time. Nothing makes for relaxation better than a good children's novel or two. The first was written at a time when most American families had servants or hired hands of some sort. My grandmother was a hired hand with my grandfather's family within a decade of when the story takes place. I liked the Mitchell children because they reflected both the naughtiness and goodness of children everywhere. The Mitchell family started with four children and grew by three more by the time the books ended. Other families in the books were larger, reflecting the time when children were perceived as a good, and not a burden. At one point Joan remarked that she wished she came from a family of 16! Her parents and the parents of neighbors were loving, confident and competent. I was reading a book on St. Marguerite Bourgeoys at the same time that I read Friendly Gables, which was very cool because they talked about her in Friendly Gables. I learned just a tad more about Canadian history and custom, and got an insight into the influence of Catholic culture in Quebec. Hilda van Stockum had some lovely descriptions of seasons and landscapes in her work. I am not accustomed to marking books, but I may go back and copy a few parts into my old nature journal. Those portions would be perfect for dictation or copy assignments for penmanship.

I also did not get to mention another book which elicited great sensual response when I read it, Grahame Greene's The Wind in the Willows. It has been many years, but shortly after reading it a group to which I belonged was writing a cook-book, and I submitted quotes from the book for inclusion, so strong were my reactions. The two parts I still remember were the places where Mole is talking about hot buttered toast, and then when he reminisces about his own home with the smell of sausages and onions hanging from the ceiling. Oh, but did I ever feel like eating when I read those passages! No television commercial or adulterated junk food needed. What a way with words.

Arthur and I took an hour's  walk around Quarry Park Nature Reserve today. The sun refused to come out, but it was still pleasant. We were alone except for in the parking lot. We came very close to a young, white tailed deer. The smell of leaf mold was heavy in the air. Not a good place for people with allergies!

From Mitford to Father Tim, and the Influence of Books

Having read the last of the Mitford books, I delved into the last Jan Karon book which I had at home, In the Company of Others. This book is the second of the Father Tim novels. I 'fess that I tossed it into the fireplace after finishing it. I did not like the way the Catholic Church and the sacrament of confession were presented in the story. First, instead of confiding in their own priest, the Catholics in the story turned to Father Tim for counsel and solace. Second, at the end of the story when a Catholic character was on her deathbed, the sacramental confession which she made was done in  public and in a very vague and incomplete fashion. Last I heard, confessions have not been public for almost 2,000 years, never mind the seal of confession for which a priest is excommunicated if he breaks it. The seal extends to anyone who accidentally overhears a confession. The character had not gone to church for years, and the only thing she could think of confessing was how she had hurt people with her anger. Nothing about the offenses she committed against God by refusing to attend mass or make her annual Easter duty of confession and reception of Holy Communion. I get that it is just a book, but I doubt that anyone who really believes what the Church teaches would describe a confession in such a manner. As a Protestant, Jan Karon showed her ignorance as to what confession really is.

That off  my chest, later in the summer I found a second hand copy of the first Father Tim novel, Home to Holly Springs. This was a quick and easy read, but not nearly as enjoyable as the Mitford books. It did have a few twists  and turns unveiling Father Tim's past and his relationship with his father, but as I read the story was so incredible that I felt like I was watching episodes of 24 or NCIS. It got tiresome.

Of both series of books, I must say that I liked the Mitford books the best. The Mitford characters have a certain warmth and realness about them, and I like the way that faith and prayer are presented in their lives. They have been good examples of what a prayer life can be.

The Karon books have also piqued my interest in certain foods. I can do without Cynthia's lemon bars, and my husband would not like Fr. Tim's baked ham because of the sauce on top, but Esther's Orange Marmalade Cake sounds interesting. I also had to clip a recipe for pimento cheese out of the St. Cloud Times when I saw it last week. It'll surely add pounds to my hips, but  I have to try it. It will be my lunch today.

My little reader and I started the complete Winnie the Pooh book this summer. I have never read the book before, only seen parts of it on television. Rabbit is a gentler, kinder character in the book when Pooh gets stuck in Rabbit's hole.

My little listener and I have been reading Beatrix Potter, which I like far better than Pooh. I love the personifications, from Hunca Munca's feeling the need to make restitution, to the foxy gentleman, and to Mrs. Tiggy-Winkle's complaining about not being able to get the smell of onions out of   Mrs. Rabbit's "handkersniff". Lucie's "pocket handkins" and "pinny" remind me so much of Miss Maria and her "mantis". Delightful.

Vsion Therapy continues. I am suddenly not feeling dizzy anymore. I am feeling eye twitches which seem to mimic the alternate wink muscles. No more "Drunk Lady" exercies, a.k.a. Doll's Eye Finger Touches this week. We had loads of fun with those last week.     

Vision Therapy

Once again trying to chug my wonderful Shaklee Energizing Tea so that I can go to Communion at noon mass. That sure hit the spot.

I am still battling vertigo whenever I tip my head back, or when I move ever so slightly in bed. After months of physical therapy my doctor and I are guessing that it is visual in root. Time will tell. I have been patching my right, crossed eye for an hour a day since my last eye appointment. The vision therapist says the patching will increase acuity in that eye, but patching alone without any additional therapy will have no lasting effect. As soon as the patching stops, the acuity reverts back to a lower level. I am looking forward to the therapy. I am particularly hoping it will make driving more comfortable.

We had a second estimate for a deck yesterday. Minnesota Home Improvement is much more in line with what we had planned on spending. He will do a computer model of our plan so that we  can tweak the details, and then go from there. We plan on going with maintenance-free decking materials. I had hoped to have a company from Glenwood come and give estimates for a concrete border for my flower bed, but that will probably be put on hold until next summer.

I was planning on going outside to do some weeding in my flower bed after mass this afternoon, but the sun has dipped behind the clouds. I can still go out. It just will not be as pleasant.

I am on a mission to get in half an hour of exercise daily, not only for weight control, but also for overall health. The heart doctor had recommended a sleep apnea test. My primary care doctor affirmed the need, saying that sleep apnea is a trigger for both stroke and heart attack. If I do indeed have sleep apnea, resolving it may also improve my depression.

I finished two easy-to-read books in the last two weeks, a book on Fatima from Tradition, Family and Property, and another on Mother Gabrielle Bitterlich, the mother of Opus Sanctorum Angelorum. While I have heard a great deal about Fatima, this book gave me an accurate time-line of the various visions of the children, and then Lucia. Timely for the 100th anniversary of the apparitions. Arthur had had a large collection of books on Fatima, so when the Catholic Singles were here for the movie, we put many of them out for people to take. Those that no one took we put out at church. So nice to have a little  bit of extra room on our book shelves. Not to mention that books do no good if no one is reading them. The book on Mother Gabrielle was a good overview of the origins of Opus Sanctorum Angelorum. Now I can put that aside and work on my reading for Schoenstatt. I am very excited that our Schoenstatt Mothers group is starting again, and with a few new members. I hope my fervor will continue with renewed prayer and striving. Books must not only be read, but applied, in order for them to do any good!

Next major project is to get the basement de-junked. That will involve some ironing, and some sewing projects.

Of Books and Things

Half of my cup of chamomile and lavender tea is gone, and I am just beginning to type. The tea was supposed to be my excuse to sit down at the computer, meaning that I have other chores which also need to be done.

I have finished four books since my last post. I started out by reading Big John's Secret by Eleanore Jewett, an Ignatius Press Bethlehem Books reprint. I am not a ten year old, but I did not care for this book. It did express tender emotions in John's love for Marm, his friend Reynold, and the Lady Alicia. The book ended with John's fictitious encounter with St. Francis of Assissi in the Holy Land. Over all, however, the plot was far-fetched. I followed this with The Hidden Treasure of Glaston, also by Eleanore Jewett. I liked this book much better. The Hidden Treasure was an adventure story with an interesting mix of truth and fiction. It also showed a tender relationship between friends Hugh and Dickon. The young oblate Dickon took the abandoned Hugh under his wing. Dickon reveals to Hugh a secret cavern on the monastery grounds, which eventually leads them to the discovery of King Arthur and Guinevere's tomb. This was an exciting read which was hard to put down. Tales of King Arthur logically led me to another book which has been on our shelf for years, Hugh Ross Williamson's The Flowering Hawthorn, a Neumann Press reprint. A quick read, the historical references already alluded to in The Hidden Treasure of Glaston. After that I had to do an internet search of Glastonbury Abbey. Here is a neat link with gorgeous pictures:

 http://www.glastonburyabbey.com/

After Glastonbury I picked up Barbara Willard's Augustine Goes to Kent, another Ignatius Press Bethlehem Books volume from our home school days. When Anne did a book report on this book years ago, I was confused because I thought it would be about Augustine of Canturbury, and she did not even make reference to him. The title really is a misnomer since Augustine is a minor character in the book. This book gave some insight into what post-Roman occupation, pre-Christianized England might have looked like. It also had romance, and strong female characters.

All of this reading came on the heels of a severe allergic reaction at Christmas time. I made the mistake of going to the doctor for a rash to make sure it was not contagious. The PA put me on Prednisone and Benadryl. After almost a week in bed with no improvement, I decided to dump the Prednisone. Within a day the rash had changed to a lighter shade of dark beet red. I must have been allergic to the Prednisone. I decided to swallow the cost and go for the Shaklee cure, which is what I should have done in the first place. I headed to my up-line and loaded up on Shaklee Healthy Cleanse, Nutriferon, Enfuselle Calming Complex and Enfuselle Shower Gel. I am happy to say that although I am not following the Healthy Cleanse regimen as Shaklee now recommends, I am healing very well. After a Basic H bath the rash turned into peeling skin, as though it had been a mass of minny pustules which had broken open. It looked very much like the second stage of a sunburn. Besides my torso, back and thighs, the skin around my eyes and later my face had also burned, and then peeled. For a few days it looked as if I had been the victim of domestic abuse. Between the Calming Complex and Enfuselle Hand and Body lotion, the peeling subsided, and the redness began to fade.

Meanwhile, I went to the heart center for my tilt table test. It was a bigger ordeal than I thought it would be. First, my appointment sheet said that I was to be there at 8:00 AM. After I was changed and hooked up to the monitor, the nurse informed me that my test was actually scheduled for 9:30. That time came and went. Next we were told that the previous test had taken longer than expected, so we would have to wait. Husband and I were  sure glad that we each had books with us. I had finshed my book before they finally came to get me at noon. The purpose of the tilt table is to make the patient faint. I was not conscious of the fact that I had fainted, In my mind I only thought I felt like I was going to faint. But I actually did. (Test aced! I have orthostatic hypotension.). I cried when I got back to my room to recover because I felt so weak. The PA told me that my blood pressure had dipped to the 50's. My heart also raced more than was expected during the test. The PA also told me that my heart monitor had shown an increase in heart rate during my dizzy episodes. The upswing is that I went home with a prescription for two medications, and the recommendation for compression socks, a.k.a. old lady socks.

A week later I dumped the prescription meds because I was having almost every side effect listed on the pharmacy insert. My compression socks came in the mail yesterday, and I wore them for the first time today.  My legs hurt for the greater part of the day, but now they seem to be adjusting.

What an adventure!