Here Comes the Bride and Her Dad

Last Saturday our youngest, Andy, married his Laura. The bride was lovely. This is her entrance on the arm of her proud dad. More pictures to follow. We are all taking a deep breath and relaxing that all went well and it didn't rain on their outdoor ceremony.

Let My People Go..... The Plague of Frogs Continues

The past few years we have seen a resurgence of tiny frogs and tree toads in our yard. It was amusing initially. The inch long amphibians could be viewed clinging to the siding or stuck on windows. They hopped away from approaching lawnmowers. They clung to potted plants on the deck.
I was fine with the little fellows until they started hitchhiking indoors. A summer or two ago I found one in the kitchen sink. He was promptly relocated outside. Later I saw one on the living room floor and caught him up with a stern warning not to come back.
Three weeks ago as I stumbled into the bathroom in the early am I noticed a leaf on the floor and bent to pick it up. Before I could grab it, it hopped away. Not funny. I caught him too.
They giving me the creeps.
They habituate our deck, clinging to the umbrella over the table and deck furniture.
My husband, now wheelchairing (broken kneecap is healing) in and out to smoke on the deck. undergoes a security check not unlike the US / Mexican border crossing by me. I am certain they will hop on in with him or hitch a ride on the back of his wheelchair.
Yesterday I picked a pail of ripe tomatoes and took them to the sink to wash. Out hopped another frog.
Today when I stooped to pick up the newspaper by the front door a frog was perched on it. I am getting paranoid. Jon says we need to "defrog".
Our former pastor used to question why Pharoah asked Moses to take away the plague of frogs tomorrow. Tomorrow? Why not now? today? No wonder the Israelites triumphed over the Egyptians. What sane person wouldn't want the frogs gone today. That is my prayer. Lord keep those jumpers away from my dwelling. Please. Now... if it is convenient.

Mary, Queen of the Gypsies

This isn't a shrine, or a novena or a new name for Jesus mother. This isn't about
pampered EU royalty or a new pop music princess. This is about my dear friend Mary.
Mary is spending the summer as a servant-evangelist under the Christian ministry "Light for the Nations". She is living in a gypsy village in Szekelyhid, Romania among the people she loves teaching English to youngsters. Speaking English will give these young people a better future and employment.
She loves the people in the camp and they return the love. She says they treat her like a queen. If you knew Mary you would smile. She is unassuming and humble but lights up a room with her smile. Her red hair sets her apart and her taste for colorful clothes and jewelry gives her a regal flair. She is one of the most lovely people I know and we all look forward to her return in late September to hear more of her stories and see all the pictures.
Enjoy the rest of the summer, Mary. I think you are going to miss those loving people when you return home.
This is not her first trip to Romania but is her longest. I believe she has gone on eleven mission trips to eastern European countries. The picture on the blog is from a previous trip. Of course, Mary is the one in the torquoise coat holding the bright pink umbrella. The same wagon is her chariot this summer. Most of the time they walk and occasionally slog through the swamp for access to a computer.
Minnesota is going to seem dull after this experience.

Are They Going to Get Mooned

I am gullible and believe too many of the circulating stories on the net. I check some stories with Snopes, but wonder why I trust Snopes. Reportedly Snopes verification is done by a husband and wife sitting at a computer somewhere in the US.
It enjoys a good reputation but who verifies them. My next level of trust is in Wikipedia. Do you realize anyone can edit a wiki? With that in mind, here is one of the latest rumors on the web. Snopes says it is a rumor.

On August 27th, there will be two moons in the nightsky. This is not the same as a "blue moon" when a full moon occurs twice in the same calendar month twenty-eight days apart. The two-moon show is predicted because Mars will preportedly be closer to the earth than it has in the last 5,000 yrs. Mars will appear as large and bright as the full moon.

http://bl141w.blu141.mail.live.com/default.aspx?wa=wsignin1.0

Our son is getting married Aug. 28th. I don't believe in astrology or horoscopes or follow signs in the sky, but even Jesus had a star that shone when he was born.

Andy will be all eyes on Laura on August 27, the light of his life the night before the wedding. No predicted display in the sky will distract from her.

Stillwater Woman Wrestles with the WWE

I was left scratching my head after hearing an interview on "The Today Show" this morning. A reporter asked Vince McMahon who heads World Wrestling Entertainment Inc., if negative ads about his wife Linda, former WWE Ceo and now reppppublican candidate for senate from Connecticut, would damage their companies' "brand". We have sunk to new lows when professional wrestling may be concerned about an association with politics. Reminds me of jokes about the pig going into the bar and the pig being worried about his reputation.

Minnesota has once again been a trend setter. We elected a wrestler to the governor's office ten years ago. I don't think Linda McMahon was ever seen in a pink boa so she may be a less objectionable candidate than our former head of state.
It is primary election day in Minnesota and as a good citizen we should vote. I wonder if I could write in Hulk Hogan.

Jon has been coping pretty well with confinement due to his kneecap fracture. He scoots around the house, hopping between w/chair and bed or recliner. Much of his time is spent programming his new netbook computer. I (dutifully/ naggingingly) remind him to put is swollen leg up. He is supposed to wear an immobilizer on the knee but rejected it after two days. Today I quipped, "What if your knee heals but your leg is stuck at a 90 degree angle?" He answered, "Give me a break". Thought he already had one.