Day In Court

     I had jury duty this week, thus the Blog title.  I had deferred the week of Dec. 17-21 because who wants to be in court before the holidays?  And Britney was home and I wanted to have time with her.  So I chose this week, knowing court would not be in session Monday, Martin Luther King Day.  That meant one less day in court (or to report to court) for jury duty, which I'll tell you about later.

     This Blog title immediately brought to mind the simple worship song "Better Is One Day" by Matt Redman.  The chorus is taken from Psalm 84:10. "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere".
Now, this initially caused me some
confusion because the English language is always doing this to me... using one word, spelled the same way, to mean various things.  "Court"... court of law? courtyard of a house? home court advantage? or even the verb, to court.  My first reaction to "Better is one day in your courts than a thousand elsewhere" was, why do I want to be in God's "court of law", being judged by Him for all my transgressions?  But upon further study, with the use of biblestudytools.com, I realized it meant the court (yard) to his house.   The complete Psalm 84:10: "For a day in thy courts is better than a thousand spent elsewhere; I had rather be a doorkeeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness."  God's worst is better
                                         than the devil's best.  Under the most favorable
circumstances in which earth's pleasures can be enjoyed, they are not comparable by so much as one in a thousand to the delights of the presence of God. To feel his love, to rejoice in Christ, to survey the promises and feel the power of the Holy Spirit in applying precious truth to the soul, is a joy which people of this world cannot understand, but which true believers are overjoyed with. Even a glimpse at the love of God is better than ages spent in the pleasures of this world.

     This cross, from Guatemala, was one of my Christmas gifts.

    Last Friday concluded in the same fashion as the whole week had gone, which was not much different than the week before.  I didn't go anywhere or do anything other than finish my Blog, read, look for boarding stables and property in Tennessee, and feel lazy and useless. I did make a rather tasty pot of barley, beef vegetable soup from the left over roast I had and I picked up sticks from the yard blown down from the 30 mph winds we were having.  Daniel dropped Charlie off in the evening before leaving for Chicago.

     Saturday morning Britney was packed and out the door before 9:00 for her trip back to her home in Guatemala.  We watched the status of the 4 different flights she took as the day progressed and we were glad that they were all on time.   

     Joe cleaned stalls for me and also did the corn crib for the cows.  I was a homebody as usual until going out in the afternoon and taking a walk through the pasture to pick up trash that had blown in.  I also had to run out to rescue a chicken Hercules was attacking.  This is the second time this has happened.  I don't know what provoked it, but the hen's wing was damaged and much of her comb bloody.  I brought her in and cleaned her up.  Hercules will not get a day in court, but may be sentenced to time locked in the coop.

     Charlie kept me company and entertained while I worked (and played) here at my desk throughout the day.  He likes to snuggle, but also kept me busy with occasional discipline issues ...walking on my key board, chewing on my plant, knocking things off my desk, and trying to drink my tea. 

     Joe worked from midnight till 9am Sunday and then went back to bed till almost noon.  With Joe's schedule and my lack of motivation, I failed to make it to Church again.  The jury is still out on my "problem."  Is it poor health, depression, or just laziness?  Are my feelings of fatigue and lack of energy physiological or psychological?

     I was able to finish my novel and then rest while Charlie napped.  I cleaned stalls and did all the feeding chores late in the afternoon.  The temperature had dropped and it was spitting snow part of the time.

     After 5pm, I called to get my reporting instructions for Jury service.  I was to report at 8:30 Tuesday morning.   I also read a little pamphlet explaining court procedures and my duty and role in the judicial system. 

     Joe and I continued to look into places to retire in Tennessee.  We have over a year to gather information and weigh the pros and cons of different scenarios, and go visit more places, but there is a lot to consider.  Joe made a chart and we have categorized and prioritized our wishes.  We also have started a spread sheet to rate and compare each place we are interested in.  We still need to do a lot more research and of course affordability and availability will be some of the main determining factors.

     I have been struggling with keeping my little 10 gallon fish tank clean.  I have 2 platies, 2 catfish, and a snail.  Anyway, this white slimy stuff will appear over night.  I treated for ick the first two times it happened, but it did not clear up.  I finally completely drained and cleaned the tank.

     But, it has occurred again, over night.  Click on the photo above to see the white stuff on the aquarium plant.  At this point, I now suspect it is the snail's doing (seen to right).  Have any of you experienced this?

     I discovered this busted diet 7up can in the refrigerator in the garage, along with frozen sticky soda everywhere.  It must have been quite an explosion to rip the whole side of the can open and blow the top off.  Another mess to clean up.

      I finally got dressed (in my swim suit) and went to Water Lilies Monday morning.  I also got food supplies in LeRoy needed for the night's Growth Group potluck.  My fingers and toes got very cold while cleaning stalls and moving hay in the 10 degree weather with 21 mph winds making it feel like -7.  I had kept the poultry in the coop and checked on them to make sure there was no fowl play going on with Hercules and the hens.  All was well.

     Charlie continues to entertain and amuse me.  Here he thought he was sneaking up on me.   I accomplished several household chores Monday, and put together a big toss salad to take for dinner.  My day's activities and our group fellowship made me feel like I was finally getting out of the slump I have been in.

     Charlie helping me load the dishwasher.  Did I mention that he is cute but obnoxious?  There are times, though, like when he is napping on my desk (below), that he is just so sweet and precious.

     Tuesday was day 1 (as it turns out, my one and only day) for me at the Law and Justice Center.  The radio said 2 degrees out when I was driving into town at 8am.  I had to chip some ice off the 100 gallon stock tank during morning chores because the heater couldn't keep up... so I knew it was really cold out... not to mention that the moisture in my nose was freezing.

    The barn kitties spend more time in the tack room on these really cold days.

     I made it downtown on time, but had gotten confused about where to enter the parking ramp and had to circle around the block... but everything else went smoothly.  The first court case was settled out of court and half the prospective jurors were dismissed at 9:20.  With the second case, a witness failed to show up, so the rest of us prospective jurors were dismissed about 10:15.  On the way home I went to Farm and Fleet, getting a little lost trying to get  across I-74.  I bought these (25% off)
new snuggley warm slippers that Charlie decided to attack before I could get them on.  But once I was wearing them, my toes were nice and toasty.

     Late afternoon I went to the Replex with Joe and walked for 30 minutes on the indoor track while he was working out.  It felt so good to walk, just wearing light weight sweat pants and a t-shirt.  There were a lot of people walking and jogging, and the weight machines and aerobic equipment were also very busy.  It was a refreshing change in pace.  Once home, my muscles were tingling from the exertion.  Boy, am I out of shape.

    I did not have to report for jury duty Wednesday (they were taking panel #s over 100), so I went to Water Lilies.  I enjoyed the lively conversations and exercise.  I decided to walk 30 min on the indoor track while my hair dried. 

     Back home, I didn't do much all day, other than chores.  Before going out to the barn, I got my new riding helmet (that was a Christmas gift) fitted and then took it out.  Well, it didn't take Abbey long to find the empty box.  Nor did it take Charlie long to wreck her fun.  She ran away after he jumped in on top of her.

     I give hay to the cows twice a day.  The horses (Roni in this photo) always come to get the pieces that fall from the flakes I carry out to the cows.  Each night, after 5pm, I call the recorded message to see if my jury panel # needs to report for possible duty.



     It turned out that no jurors were needed Thursday (or Friday).

     Hercules gets
a birds-eye view of Abbey.  Then Charlie considers going out on the deck to play with the hens.

     After dinner Wednesday, Joe and I played a quick game of chess.  It didn't take him long to "check mate" my King.  We also watched TV together most of the evening.

 
     I had planned to workout Thursday evening, so did not go to the Replex that morning.  I found this wounded sparrow in the tack room during morning chores.  It tried biting me when I picked it up, so I thought it might be strong enough to live.



     I fixed up this cage for it and put it in the furnace room.  Unfortunately, the bird did not survive it's injuries, but at least it felt warm and secure as it died.

    I did some extra cleaning, sorting and organizing, having a fairly productive day.  Charlie has been very interested in Kaysha's squeeky, fuzzy, red bone.



     He finally decided to move in for the "kill"... 







...stealing it away from Kaysha after she looked too tired to care.



He then had it all to himself.







But like a kid who steals the toy from another because it looks so appealing, Charlie quickly lost interest and moved on... probably to go bother Abbey.

     Joe and I went to the Replex together.  I had decided to sign up for the winter classes pass, so tried "Jammin' w/ Julee."  It was a combination of aerobics, strength training with weights and stretching.  It was an hour workout, all done to up-beat music, that made it go by really fast.  I kept the dance moves low impact and had to stop and rest during both the abdominal and hamstring work.  We grabbed Subway on the way home.

     It was snowing when I got up earlier than normal Friday.  I knew it was, even before I got out of bed, because the night sky was brighter than usual and I heard the snow plow go down Route 150. 

   
     I was surprised and disappointed to see it was just a dusting of snow, and it had stopped by 6am.  The drive and roads had more snow than the fields. 



     I went to Water Lilies and then walked for 30 minutes on the indoor track.  I made a quick stop at the post office and IGA and then came home.  I did more cleaning and worked on this Blog during the day.


Joe and I went to LeRoy to see the movie "Parental Guidance" with Billy Crystal and Bette Midler.  We had popcorn and pop for dinner.  The movie was silly and cute.

     Charlie has become quite comfortable living with us, but Daniel should be coming home from Chicago tonight and will take Charlie back to his home.

     Okay, I am going to end this blog with a "praise and worship" song that  Britney sent me today.  It is is sung acapello, however it is not performed by your conventional singers.  It kind of ties back to the Blog theme, in that we should always praise God and seek to be in His court (presence) rather
                                                     than anywhere else. This is such
a precious video of two parrots singing this church song in spanish. They start out saying "hola, como estas?" Then "alabare a mi senor" which means "I will praise my lord". They work together with the lyrics and the bird in front keeps saying "amen". So, so cute.  I love God's creatures!

New Resolve

     I am guessing many of you have made a New Year's resolution or two.  The start of a new year always seems like a good time to start a new goal... or more seriously tackle an old goal not yet achieved.  There are things I want to accomplish in 2013, but have not actually listed as resolutions.  But, it is with new resolve that I plan to start working on some of these goals.  I got this image from Good Housekeeping, and think it reflects my philosophy.  We are all going to loose sight of a resolution from time to time, but instead of completely giving up on it, if we get back on track and continue to try, we can reach our goals or at least get closer to achieving them.

      The cows enjoying some seldom seen sunshine.  I started out the year being fairly sick with the flu, that hung on for too many days and still has me weakened.  I immediately made a resolution to get a flu shot next fall, which I hadn't done this fall.  Another one of my resolutions, to cut back on sweets, automatically happened.  Both sweet food and fatty food made me nauseous.  So, as I started feeling better this week, instead of digging right back in to the cookies and candy, I decided to hit them with great moderation.  They still didn't appeal that much anyway.  As far as upping my walking and exercise time... that was an impossibility to begin with because I had no energy and got light-headed easily.   I spent over a week on the couch or in bed much of the time... and still have little get-up-and-go.

     It was a slow trip to recovery, but when I woke up last Thursday morning, I could tell I had made a turn for the better, and was going to survive the nasty flu that plagued me the week before.  It was a cloudy day with a drizzle that came and went throughout the day, until turning to serious rain by late afternoon.  I felt bad for the poor horses who just stood with their butts to the wind and rain.

     I got a little light-headed doing chores again, so took a break and sat and rested on a bale of hay.  I had to really exert myself  when pushing the heavy wheelbarrow through the muddy paddock.  Then later, during my shower, I got really tired again.  Britney, who had been on the go all day, came home and took a nap by the fire with Abbey.

     I was going to cook for our family Christmas dinner, so ran into LeRoy to grab a few items at the store.  Once home I started dinner, a simple meal of spaghetti, toss salad and garlic bread.  I made brownies and bought ice cream for desert. 

     We opened gifts after our meal and then had desert.  Just after everyone left, I got a call from the neighbors, that they thought they had Brother.  So I jumped in the car to go see.  And low and behold.... there he was.  He wasn't quite sure he wanted to leave the warmth of the house and go with me out into the dark, foggy night of mist and wind.

    Once home, I locked Brother in the barn with Missy for the night, cause I didn't want him wandering off. 




     Missy wasn't so sure about Brother at first, but by Friday morning, she was glad to have him back.  It was another dreary day, but was much warmer.  Chores went a little easier, except for the wheelbarrow through the muddy paddock.  It had rained all night.  It was good to have Brother following me around once again... and Missy kept near too.

     Joe, Britney and I drove to Iowa Friday afternoon.  More fun and holiday celebrating occurred.  We played Redneck Life after dinner.  Britney was the biggest loser, with no teeth, house, car, money or job by the end of the game.  She was a good sport though.

     We went out to lunch Saturday and then us girls rode home together, going eagle watching on the way.

     We spotted many eagles along the Iowa River, perched high in the trees.

     After some more fun and games, we hit the road for home at four in the afternoon.  We had about 40 minutes of driving in freezing rain before getting to Peoria, and then it was just rain the rest of the way home.  The horses were so glad to come into the barn just before 8pm.

     I was still too sick to go to Church Sunday morning.  I was supposed to work in the nursery, but decided that was not a good idea, so sent them an e-mail.  Abbey and Kaysha watched out the windows, at Britney, who left before 8am to go back to Greenville to visit more people.  We had gotten freezing rain over night, so she took the Expedition this time... which would be much safer for her on bad roads. 

     The sun never came out and the temperatures never got above freezing, so the paddock mud remained frozen hard, but rutted by horse hooves.  Zorro came to see what I was doing when I went out to dump the manure wheelbarrow. 



     I stuck to the house all day and worked on taking down and putting away Christmas decorations as energy and boredom permitted.  I mixed "work" with naps and TV.  By bedtime the place was in shambles and no longer at all festive.
   
     Monday morning I still didn't feel up to going to my 8am Water Lilies class. Somehow, coming home with wet hair in 14 degree temperatures didn't seem like a good idea.  I actually had a very productive day, taking down all the rest of the Christmas decorations and putting all of them away.  I did more dusting and cleaning as I put back out all the regular
                                                     decorations and knick knacks.  By the
time I went out to do stalls and chores, I was tired, so I was glad to see Joe show up out in the barn to help me.  Still congested and coughing, I decided to stay home from Growth Group again, so I wouldn't get anyone sick... especially Dean, whose weak immune system is still recovering from cancer treatment.   
    
     I finally made it to Water Lilies Tuesday morning.  I only worked out for 45 minutes, which was enough to make me pretty tired.  Britney came along and lifted weights and ran on the treadmill. 

     It was kind of a do-nothing day.  Britney went out with me while I did chores, and got some farm yard photos.


     We were pretty much bums all day... reading, watching TV, and messing on our computers.  I did cook a beef roast for dinner and did more research on retirement places.  But I can't say I was an asset to society or the good of mankind or even my family.

    
     Look how big Stew is getting compared to Babe.  He may be her size by the time we take her to market in the spring.


     Wednesday was an equally unproductive day, although I did a lot of reading of a Clive Cussler novel that was getting exciting.  We also met Courtney at the movies and enjoyed Les Miserables (and popcorn) together.

     I am so glad to have Brother home, coming to greet me when I go out to the barn.  Missy is also glad to have her playmate back, and his warm body to snuggle with on cold winter nights.  Below, Abbey sits in the sun under my holiday tree, ready for Valentine's Day.




     Unmotivated, unenergetic, uninspired, unproductive, and under the weather still when I got up today.   I stayed home from Water Lilies again, and was a bum all day.  My big task for the day (other than chores) was grocery shopping.  It took a lot of time and energy to pick out $150.00 worth of stuff, load it in the car, drag it home and put it all away. 

     I am tired of being tired.  I feel useless and lethargic.  I need to gain new resolve (and energy) to start being a productive member of society and this household.  Being in my mid-winter slump, and still kind of sick, I guess I just need to be patient and wait this out.  Warmer, healthier, more gratifying days are soon to come.

     I like this video of the ten most common New Year's resolutions as illustrated by cats.  I have many of the same resolutions.  But, rather than aiming to reach a goal and then be done with it, I hope to make life changes that become the new norm... and, it is my resolve to keep working at resolutions year round.  There is always room for improvement, growth and change, as there will also probably be set-backs, hurdles, and times of weakness.