A Slow Life

Interesting post from I'll take a Slow Life Please.

April 1917, excerpted from Little House in the Ozarks: The Rediscovered Writings (ed. by Stephen W. Hines) Laura Ingalls Wilder comments:

"A few days ago, with several others, I attended the meeting of a woman's club in a neighboring town. We went in a motor car, taking less than an hour for the trip on which we used to spend three hours before the days of motor cars; but we did not arrive at the time appointed nor were we the latest comers by any means. Nearly everyone was late, and all seemed in a hurry. We hurried through the proceedings; we hurried in our friendly exchanges of conversation; we hurried away; we hurried all the way home where we arrived late as usual."

What became of the time the motor car saved us? Why was everyone late and in a hurry? I used to drive leisurely over to this town with a team, spend a pleasant afternoon, and reach home not much later than I did this time, and all with a sense of there being time enough, instead of a feeling of rush and hurry. We have so many machines and so many helps, in one way or another, to save time; and yet I wonder what we do with the time we save. Nobody seems to have any!"

Neighbors and friends go less often to spend the day. Instead, they say, 'We have been planning for so long to come and see you, but we haven't had the time,' and the answer will be: 'Everyone makes the same complaint. People don't go visiting like they used to. There seems to be no time for anything!' I have heard this conversation, with only slight variations, so many times that I should feel perfectly safe to wager that I should hear it anytime the subject might be started. We must have all the time there is, the same as always. We should have more, considering the timesaving, modern conveniences. What becomes of the time we saved?"

The Gift of Music

(Sophie at age 3 and her toy violin):

Sophie and I are excited because we are just beginning Book 2 in violin. One year ago, when Sophie was just beginning, I was trying to understand how the instrument worked along with her. I enjoyed it so much I began taking lessons too. We have had so much fun together. Her daddy, who has always been very musical, has introduced music to the kids at a very young age.

I discovered being 30 wasn't too old to learn a new instrument! I've so enjoyed being able to participate in this way.

Mmm... maybe the cello next?

What instrument will you choose?

The best, most beautiful, and most perfect way that we have of expressing a sweet concord of mind to each other is by music.

Jonathan Edwards

Drawing Goals

I have a bad habit with my drawing in that I have started many pieces, feeling like I get what I wanted captured well enough, then move on to another. Thus resulting in several unfinished pieces. This month of January I'm going to try to finish these three:

I have been wanting to do a beach series. This is the first one of the series. I love rocks. They are wonderful to draw too. I need to finish the smaller rocks and add much more contrast overall in order to finish them.

What can be more fun to use color with than fall leaves? The ginkgo particularly have always been one of my favorites. Prismacolors are a dream. You can work them in a way the end result looks more like a painting than a colored pencil piece. You can get the colors to run together and they are so smooth. I need to move on and finish the less vibrant leaves.

I have started this portrait of Josh holding Samantha. In this case I've stopped because I'm afraid to mess it up. Sometimes I work too long on a piece and then undo all that I've done. I need to be brave and finish it. It needs more contrast and more work on Josh's hair (one of my least favorite features to work on).

I better get busy.

Bathtime on a Rainy Day

To the Deeps

I would go to the deeps a hundred times to cheer a downcast spirit. It is good for me to have been afflicted, that I might know how to speak a word in season to one that is weary.

Charles Spurgeon

10 years ago...

On January 2, 1999, my dear husband and I got married here in our college town. Soon after the family and friends arrived the day before the wedding, a very large snowstorm occurred. It's recorded:


JANUARY 1999 WAS ONE OF THE SNOWIEST JANUARYS AND SNOWIEST MONTHS ON RECORD IN SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN.
A THIRD OF THIS SNOW OCCURRED ON JANUARY 2ND AND 3RD WHEN A STRONG WINTER STORM MOVED THROUGH MID MISSISSIPPI VALLEY AND WESTERN GREAT LAKES. WIDESPREAD HEAVY SNOW BEGAN IN SOUTHEAST LOWER MICHIGAN LATE DURING THE MORNING OF JANUARY 2ND AND CONTINUED INTO THE EARLY MORNING HOURS OF JANUARY 3RD. 10.6 " FELL THAT DAY.



One of our college professors who lived in the country, began shoveling early morning to be able to get out of his driveway so he could make it for the 3 o'clock wedding.

Being the bride, I wasn't told many of these stories until much later. Here are some of the occurrences that had happened that day:

~My husband's tux didn't make it in time. The truck transporting the tuxes got stuck in the blizzard. So that morning, the tux shop was frantically trying to piece some clothes together for him to wear. (I never noticed, though, so they did a great job!).

~Our photographer never made it to the wedding. She was caught in the 30-40 car pile up that occurred that day on the freeway. Thankfully she was not hurt. There were some people who had their cameras with them at the wedding. So we were able to get some photographs. Notice our better-than-nothing double exposed photograph below (Not quite the digital age yet...).

~We were just thankful that Pastor Henry had made it through the storm so he could marry us. I thought it was simply wonderful with the swirling snow all around us while the candles were glowing warmly inside.

~The church and the reception hall (which had been my college dorm), were only one block apart from each other. However, there was so much snow, people had to be shuttled back and forth.

~After the reception, it was impossible to get back to the church to change. So we jumped in the car with the wedding dress and all and headed out of town. When we arrived to the bed and breakfast we were staying that evening, my husband threw me over his shoulder to carry me through the snow banks to get to the door.

~Needing to leave for the airport at 4:30 a.m. the next morning, we slept on the airport floor along with the many other people whose flights were delayed. 12 hours later, our flight was only one of two who left that day. Later we found out that the people we sat next to in the airport leaving for Las Vegas were delayed one week! It was quite an experience to leave a blizzardy Detroit and arrive in the tropics of St. Kitts.

~Meanwhile, our friend from college and best man was trying to deliver the wedding gifts to the house we were renting in the country. He slid into the ditch and got stuck so the gifts were loaded to a different car. We had to smile when we opened up the frozen wedding cake a year later looking like it had been dropped a few times!

~One month later, we received a call from the tux headquarters saying they found our wedding certificate in one of the tuxes pockets! That's where that was! Too many responsibilities for the best man in the middle of a blizzard.

Although we were oblivious to the world on that particular day, looking back I realize how much of a sacrifice it was for all our dear family and friends to be a part of that special day with us.

This was just the beginning of our many adventures life would bring to us as a couple.

Happy 10th Anniversary, My Love.