Babies!

There's a nest of barn swallows around our place that I've been keeping my eye on. 

 

This week, the babies hatched!

See 'em?  So cute. I think there's 3 in there.

It's interesting that they built the nest with chicken feathers.  (Well, and mud and hay, too.)  But see that orange feather in the back of the nest?  And all that fluff on the left side of the nest?  Those are chicken feathers from our chickens! 

See, we have those vent holes blocked off with screens to prevent the birds from nesting.  But it obviously didn't do a bit of good. 

Ch-ch-ch-Changes

It's been over a month since we found out that my husband was losing his job.  And so far?  No interviews or promising leads for either of us.  :( 

For me, I think it hurts tremendously that I've been out of Microbiology for 10 years.  (TEN YEARS?! Really??  Wow.)  I took time off to be home my kids.  I wouldn't trade that time for ANYTHING.  So I certainly do not have regrets.  But it sure doesn't help matters now.

And, It's like everyone around here is running scared.  There's been some major companies here that have announced layoffs.  So for now, employers seem to be holding off hiring or even looking for new people for fear that they will just need to be layed off. 

That's not such good news. 

So, we've decided to expand the search nationally.  My husband is now applying to jobs all over.  As much as we DO NOT have to move, we may have to.  A firm in Anchorage was very interested in him. (Alaska?  Nooooooo thank you.  I was born and lived there for 17 years.  It's a beautiful and it was a wonderful place to grow up, but I have no desire to move back.)  Things seem to be hopping (at least they're hiring Civil Engineers) in Texas, California and Colorado.  So we'll see.  We could be on the verge of many more changes.  I am trying to think of it as us on the verge of an adventure!

But, this is HARD for me.  It's difficult to have everything still up in the air.  I find myself still clinging to one of my favorite verses:

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jer. 29:11

I am THANKFUL, so very thankful that there is a plan for us.  I don't know what this is yet, but God does.  And I thank Him everyday for that.

The Shack

There is so much hoop-lah about the book, The Shack.  It seems everyone I know was reading it and several kept asking me if I had read it and what I thought.  I was reluctant to read it at first, passing it off as a fleeting "Christian fad."  But eventually I jumped on the bandwagon and decided to give it a read.

I picked it up, and oh my.  I couldn't put it down.  I read this book cover to cover in one evening.  Wow.  I am grateful to the author, William P. Young for writing this unique, inspiring and heart penetrating book.

I know there is controversy swirling around The Shack.  Many respected Christian leaders have written reviews citing that The Shack is 'new-agey' and is not scripturally or theologically correct.  I don't disagree.  I also had theological issues with this book. I think we do need to be careful. We need to remember that this is a NOVEL. We need to treat it as such. This is not meant to be a substitute for God's Word.  This book is fiction. It is not the gospel truth.

But that being said, I do think this book has value beyond just entertainment.  Once I pushed through the “Great Sadness” and the unusual portrayal of God and The Trinity, this book began to open my mind and my thinking and I feel like it has helped me with a higher understanding and relationship with God in many new ways.

But I think the main thing this book gave me was a renewed understanding of God’s immense love for me, as well as help understanding as to why unexpected and bad things have happened.

So I say go ahead!  Take off your cynic cap and take a chance with The Shack.  It might frighten you, warm your heart, make you feel uncomfortable, but that's ok.  Let yourself be enveloped by the true purpose of this work of fiction.  Maybe this book might teach you a thing or two about the power of forgiveness and that maybe forgiving is the greatest human emotion of all.

Breakfast, anyone?

As I was leaving for work this morning, I walked out on the patio to find that 2 of our kitties were having breakfast...

That's Lexi's fat cat, Hamburger Joe, above. And yes, that's a snake. Ugh! Just a garter snake, but still! Ick.

That's Raven and her kill. See that poor little mouse?

She never eats her prey anymore for some reason. She just hangs out next to it until one of the other cats comes up and indulges on her conquest.

This is why we have cats on the farm... They sure do earn their keep! (Well, that, and we love cats.)

At least I got a good haircut out of the deal.

I don't know about you, but I have a terrible time trying to find a good hairdresser.  Is this something all women go through?  Is it just me?

I decided last week that I needed a haircut. It had been waaaaaay too long.  So I called up the salon I always go to, and asked for an appointment with Karen, the lady I have been going to for years.

"OKAY!  You're all SET!  You have an appointment with Karen on Frideee at noon!!!"  Chirped Kandi the receptionist.  (Yes, her name was Kandi with a 'K' and an 'i'.  I saw her nametag when I went in.)

"Ummm.  Ok.  How much will that be?"  Cringing....afraid to ask...(The fees for the hairdressers at this place increase as they gain more experience.)

"For a haircut with Karen?!!!  Just $90!!"  Kandi with a K and an i is waaaaaay too enthusiastic for my liking. 

Ok, $90?  There's no freakin' way.  For trimming a few split ends?  Nope. I just can't justify it.  Especially when my husband LOST HIS JOB.  Remember?  No way.

So Kandi and I go around and around trying to find a hairdresser that I can go to in which I don't have to mortgage my house to pay for.  We finally settle on Michelle who charges $50.  Still ridiculous, but ok.  It's better than $90.

So I get there on 'Frideee' and check in with Kandi, who, incidentally, is much less animated in person.  She gives me my 'smock' and shows me to the dressing room.  This part always makes me feel uncomfortable.  I would rather just stay in my own clothes, but I don't like confrontations, so I always give in and put on the dumb little shirt.  Anyway, so I'm in this tiny room with the curtain door getting undressed, and my worst nightmare happens. 

Another customer comes up and just WHIPS open my dressing room curtain!  No warning.  No 'hello? anyone in there?'  She just whisks the curtain open.  Holy crap.  Who does this?  When you see a dressing room with the curtain closed, do you ever just open it?  Do you not say something or at the very least look under the curtain scanning for feet? 

So I'm standing there scrambling, trying to cover up my naked-from-the-waist-up self...in all my glory and all my total humiliation, and staring at this woman in horror.  Does she apologize profusely and quickly close the curtain?  Oooooh no.  She wants to CHIT-CHAT.  "Oh!!!  Hi!!!  Are you here for a haircut?  Or the full spa treatment?!  I'm here for a wax and a pedicure!"  Well, goooooood for you.  Now, CLOSE THE DANG CURTAIN.

Anyway. Moving on.

I finally see Michelle.  She brings me back to her station, and ummm...guess what??  HER station is RIGHT NEXT to Karen, my $90 hairdresser's station.  Oh man.  Totally awkward.  What are the chances of this?  I mean there's like 100 stylists in this place.  And I pick the one RIGHT NEXT to Karen?  I smiled at her and mumbled something about my husband losing his job and our lack of money for an expensive haircut.  But she kept GLARING at me.  Like I was cheating on her or something, by going to Michelle.  I wanted to scream, "HELLO?  You charge NINETY BIG ONES for a HAIRCUT.  You HAVE to see how ridiculous that is!"  But I don't.  Remember? The confrontation thing.

Anyway, Michelle seems fine.  Except she's very quiet.  That's ok, I guess.  It would be nice to have a little conversation, but nothing is better than too much I suppose.  The things she did say were a little...irritating though.

For example, when we were at the hair washing basin, she asked me how often I wash my hair.  "Ummm, every day?"  Apparently this was TOTALLY unacceptable.  "You need to cut waaaay back.  Your hair is dry. I would wash it once a week.  That will allow your natural oils to rehydrate the hair shaft"  ONCE A WEEK?  Are you OUT OF YOUR MIND?  My NATURAL OILS?  My hair would totally look like a greasy drippy nasty MESS if I only washed it once a week.  Seriously.  And?  I would probably lose my job.  And?  I would have no friends.  ONCE A WEEK?  Puh-leeaaaze.

And then?  When she was cutting my hair, I asked, "So, ummmm, do you see any gray hair?  Cuz I was thinking it might be time to start foiling."  And she says, "No, I sure don't." 

Ooooooh yeah.  I was thinking of something boastful yet tasteful to say about the fact that I'm in my mid-thirties (yes, 39 IS mid-thirties, thankyouverymuch)  and not graying yet, but she adds, "Although your hair is dull."

DULL??

"Yes, the color is dull."  So, I respond, "But,uuuuh, it's my natural hair.  I don't put color it."

"Your color is still dull.  You may want to foil it anyway."

Okaaaay, then. 

We pretty much sat in silence after that little gem of a comment.  The good part though?  When she was all done?  I LOVED my hair!  Seriously.  She did an AWESOME job.  Whenever I get my hair done, I always hate it when they're done.  I always have to go home and re-do it to decide if I like it or not.  But with Michelle, I LOVED it!  Right away!

So I guess the question is this:  can put up with the humiliation of public near-nudity, glares from Karen, and weird comments from Michelle, all for a $50 haircut?  As awesome as it was? 

Orrrrr, do I take my freakishly dry DULL head of hair elsewhere?

Hmmmm...