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www.thefiberbug.blogspot.com

Is That Really A Word?

It all started with the word “pertinacious.” Mommy and I were pulling ivy in the front yard the other day when somehow the subject of words came up. I mentioned that I had always wanted to use the word “pertinacious” in a sentence, and Mommy asked somewhat incredulously, “Is that really a word?” I got to thinking about that, and I realized that I actually didn’t know. We then started thinking about all the funny words and phrases our family had come up with over the years.

For example, there’s “spiky bombs,” the seed balls from a Sweetgum tree with which my brother and I used to pelt each other while we waited for my sister’s piano lesson to be over. They have barbed prickles all over them, making them extremely difficult to get out of tangled hair, but they do make excellent ammunition if you happen to be playing war with your big brother. : )

From my sister, we have “flufflebugs,” which was what she called dandelion seed heads, and I think it was my brother who first coined the name “exploding grass” for a prolific weed in our backyard that would “explode” at the slightest provocation, spreading a multitude of seeds everywhere, to ensure that we would always have weeds to pull up the next year.

My nephew and nieces have come up with many good words and phrases over the years as well. When my nephew was just learning how to talk, he couldn’t quite manage to say “Aunt Gwennie”, so I was dubbed “Aunt Gooey”. (Although thankfully not for long!) He also called horses “cowies”, and the first time he saw a real deer he exclaimed “Reindeer horses!” : ) My older niece has a charming way of reversing the words in certain phrases, such as string cheese. One day, we were trying to get her to say it right, and she responded by saying, “You can say it cheese-string, or cheese-string…either way!” : ) My personal favorite from them is my younger niece’s variation on “Uncle Tris”. I tried to teach her to say it last time we were visiting, but she couldn’t quite manage, and ended up with “Uncle Sis”. : )

So, when we had finished outside I pulled out my dictionary and looked up the word pertinacious. It really is a word after all! It means obstinate, holding firmly, or stubborn. So there!

An Afternoon of Adventure

My brother just bought a convertible.

It needs some work, (well, actually, a lot of work) but the very fact that it is a convertible turns it in our eyes from a piece of junk to a very fun toy. : )

The other day, my brother, (Tristan) Mommy, and I set out to drive around a bit.

Our trip took us along winding country roads and past picturesque mansion-like farmhouses…

And ended at a park on the river.

When we got out, Tris checked to make sure nothing was leaking.

Then we walked out onto a dock, where I almost fell in the river when a boat came in and the dock rocked unexpectedly.

When we started back, Tristan was just talking about how well the car started and ran, when the car suddenly died, and wouldn’t start again.

He took a look at the engine, but couldn’t figure out what was wrong…

So he pushed it into a nearby parking space and called a tow truck.

While we waited for the tow truck, Mommy and I went exploring …

After a while a very nice sheriff came up and asked us if we were all right. We explained what had happened and that we had a tow truck coming, and then he left.

When the tow truck came, the driver took one look at the car and knew exactly what was wrong, and fixed it in a manner of seconds! (a connection was loose somewhere.) Tris was not looking forward to paying $40 for something so simple, but when he asked the driver how much we owed him, he told us that he wouldn’t charge us! It was such a blessing!

So then we had a lovely ride home, and returned just in time to keep from getting rained on, which is important at the moment because the convertible has no fabric on the frame for the top!

In all, it was a very fun adventure. : )

Never Too Big...

Yesterday, we went to my sister’s house for our Christmas visit with her family. I always have a delightful time with my nephew and nieces, and yesterday was no exception. My younger niece amazed us all with her newfound ambulatory abilities, while my older niece flitted from one activity to the next, chattering all the while. She is a very good hostess, and very kindly shared her “cheese-string” and “dumgrops” (aka string cheese and gumdrops) with us. : )

At one point, my nephew, who is now seven years old, went over to where his Granddad was standing and asked to be lifted up. Granddad halfheartedly protested, and my sister told my pleading nephew that he was getting too big for Granddad to lift. My nephew then exclaimed, “I’ll never be too big for Granddad!” whereupon Granddad did pick him up, after all. : )

Now, as my nephew grows up, there will be a time when he is too heavy for his Granddad, but right now that seems inconceivable to him. His confidence in his Granddad is seemingly boundless, and in his eyes Granddad can do anything.

What a good reminder of what faith in God is to look like lived out! Our faith is supposed to be like the simple confidence of a child. There will never be a time when we find that our burdens are too heavy for God, and when others doubt that God can do what we ask of Him, we can respond similarly, “There won’t ever be anything too big for God!”

Thanksgiving

I was reminded today of how thankful I am for my family. This year, we only had my two grandmas over for Thanksgiving dinner. I usually love to have a full house for any holiday, but it was good to have some time with my grandmas.

My day began with good smells from the kitchen and the sound of pots and pans being quietly moved about. It was a half an hour before I was to get up, but as much as I wanted to sleep longer, or just enjoy listening to Mommy working in the kitchen, I decided that it would be better to get up and help than to sleep in and feel guilty for not helping. : )

By the time I got to the kitchen, Mommy was about to start working on the turkey. It was still partially frozen, and we had quite a time trying to get the neck and giblets out. Due to much experience with frozen chickens, (Every time I try to get a chicken in the oven on a Sunday morning, it's always partially frozen.) we were able to get it thawed in time.

Thanksgiving Day in my family is very much centered around food, specifically pie. Mommy and I usually make at least five kinds of pie, but because there were less to feed today, we only made three. After everyone leaves, we all watch Charlie Brown and eat more pie, then have pie for breakfast the next morning. -my family likes pie just a little bit. : )

Mommy and I spend nearly the whole day cooking. I think that is my favorite part of Thanksgiving. I enjoy cooking to begin with, but cooking for a holiday with Mommy is especially nice because it gives us extra time to spend together. Since I started school, I have not had very much time to spend helping Mommy, so today was really a treat.

Daddy and Tristan usually spend the day cleaning and fixing things. Invariably, Daddy decides to fix something in the kitchen, and we all run into each other and get in each other's way. The kitchen in the new house is bigger than our old one, so that wasn't a problem today.

One thing I missed this year was my aunt and uncle. They usually come for every holiday, but they had somewhere else to be this year. My uncle is always bright and cheerful, and makes everyone smile. My aunt was especially missed at the end of the meal tonight, because she always washes the dishes for us. I think every family should have an "Aunt Carol". : ) I suspect that I might end up being the next dishwashing aunt in my family, because I usually end up doing the dishes when my aunt is not there. I am very thankful this year for our dishwasher, which did much of the work for me!

I am so thankful for my wonderful family, and the blessing it is (usually) : ) to spend time with them!

I hope you all have had as wonderful a thanksgiving as I have!