Ya Know What I Did Last Summer?

I RODE THE WHOLE, ENTIRE (as in, ALL of it!) TREK ACROSS MAINE! That was 180 miles from the mountains to the sea.

Fortunately, they gave all of us (over 2,000 of us) 3 days to do it all in.

See that pic up above? I was pretty much sobbing with joy there. You see, this was my FIFTH Trek, but my first finish. All the other times something happened to put me out of the ride.

But now that I've finished it once, I am ready to do it again.

I can't do it without YOU, though. In order to ride, the BHE and I must raise $500 each for the American Lung Association. If you'd like to help, just click one of the donation links in my side bar.

I and my asthmatic lungs thank you!!!!!

By The Grace of God...

(I don't know why part of this post is underlined. I can't figure out how I did it or how to undo it - so please bear with me!)


Pffffffffffffff. Tap*Tap Pffffffffffffff.

Is this thing on?

Good Day, Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to my Groovy blog!

I guess I can extend that welcome to myself as well, since I haven't been here in so long.

Much has happened in the past few months. Since I do plan to begin writing regularly again, I shall give you a brief overview in photos and exclamation marks.

Hmmm, now where should I start?

OK...first of all, God has given me so many hugs lately that I am overwhelmed with thankfulness. I don't know why He is so good to me, but I do know that He is worthy of all my praise - in good times (like now) and in bad. He is my rock and my King forever! Lately, He has graciously chosen to bless me with several desires of my heart.

First, and most importantly, Funsocksgirl called us with some very exciting news. She and J-Man are expecting a baby! Our first grandchild from them! (I have 3 other grandchildren that are my son's precious kiddos)

See, here's the proof!







Naturally we are VERY excited!!!!!!

Secondly, those of you who have been faithfully reading my blog for many millennia know that I love dairy goats. The girls and I have been involved with dairy goats in 4-H for 6 years now - other people's dairy goats. I have wanted my own for a very long time, but The Best Hubby Ever was opposed. Farm animals take too much time, cost too much, are too much trouble, yadda, yadda, yadda.

But over the past few years, as our passion has continued and as I've gained experience as a farm sitter and as the BHE has fallen in love with goat milk cheese, God has been slowly changing his heart. The final result being that we now have a small barn and pen and TWO goats of our very own!

Here's the new barn and pen that the BHE and our dear friend Pastor Jon built together.
And this is Miss Mindy with Silly-Head and Girly-Girl. Mindy is an older Nubian. She is supposed to be pregnant, but, unlike Funsocksgirl, she does not seem to be showing any signs thereof. We are leasing her for the summer. In exchange, we were supposed to get to keep her kids. But sadly, there are no kids.
So for a few days, she was here all alone and oh so stressed! Goats are herd animals and do NOT like being alone. She called and called and called and wouldn't eat. It was so sad! Fortunately, my friend EarlyBird has a goat farm. She said she lease us a companion for Mindy. See her in the back of the pen?

Her name is Annika (We call her Annie). She's a miniature dairy goat - a Nigerian. They didn't like each other much at first, but now they get along fine. We have the option to buy Annie in the fall after she has been bred. That way we can have her and some kids and finally get some goat milk.


By the way - and this is very hush-hush - so don't tell anyone: The BHE is totally smitten with this little goat. He-who-hates-animals LOVES her! He even likes our Mindy who is not pregnant and will not give us milk!

Isn't God good?

Here they are together. The picture is a little blurry, but I wanted you to see the size difference. They are both full grown.

And thirdly, I finally did it. I rode my bicycle 180 miles in the Trek Across Maine to raise money for the American Lung Association. I've been TRYING to do this for 5 years now.

Year 1: I tried to ride, but I hadn't trained adequately. I was absolutely miserable and totally exhausted. I quit after Day 2 and ended up working as a volunteer instead.

Year 2: I jumped into training too quickly and strained my achilles tendon. I couldn't train for over a month, so I decided to volunteer for the whole weekend instead while the BHE rode.

Year 3: I did a super job a training and was in GREAT shape for the Trek. However, 2 weeks before the Trek I noticed some discomfort in my left leg after a lengthy ride. It went away and I thought all was well. On Day 1 I rode. It was pouring and many folks were hypothermic, but I love riding in cool weather. I was so excited at how easy it all seemed. Sadly, in the last 20 miles of the ride, the leg pain returned and got worse and worse and worse. By the time crossed the finish line it hurt so bad I had trouble walking and stairs were murder. We had a dorm room on the third floor... I took a boatload of ibuprofen and iced my leg and hoped for the best.

I only made it 12 miles on Day 2. By then I was in so much pain I had to flag a medic. A SAG van took me to the finish. I volunteered for the rest of the Trek. I was depressed for weeks after the Trek. I felt like such a failure!

It gets very disheartening to see folks who are grossly overweight or who never train who ride the whole stupid event like it's nothing. I kick my butt trying to be ready and just can't do it. I was in a depressed funk for weeks and weeks.

Year 4 (Last Year): I had a severe allergic reaction in March and ended up on prednisone. Prednisone completely wastes me, so training was out of the question for well over a month. I didn't even try to ride. The BHE rode and I volunteered. Again.

Year 5 (THIS year): I started training in the middle of winter by running on the treadmill and lifting weights. I increased my distance and speed little by little in an effort to avoid injuries. I started riding when there was still snow on the ground. Unfortunately, we had alot of rain. So I tried to fill in the gaps with walking, running, and weight lifting. When I did finally get to ride, I felt great aerobically, so I increased my riding distance too quickly and, guess what? I started feeling that leg pain again.

I immediately backed off and did some research. The Lord led me to a fabulous website that helped me figure out that pain was patellar tendonitis. The website also gave me some wonderful info on how to treat it myself and how to alter my riding style to prevent it.

I was just starting to get a handle on the tendonitis when I had a bad reaction to the sun. Which meant that now I could not ride in sunny weather. Which we now had alot of. Yee-haw. I was able to treat it with a prescription steroid cream instead of prednisone, but now I was becoming seriously concerned about the weather during the event. I knew I could cover pretty much all of me except my face and neck. Sunblock helps, but does not provide complete protection. After much MORE research I found the answer: Take mega doses of beta carotene and buy a UV Buff. I ordered one from the UK and it didn't get here until 2 days before the Trek!

AND my period was due JUST before the Trek. I am perimenopausal and my periods are ugly affairs that make me pretty much worthless for a couple of days a month. I literally cannot exercise during those couple of days...

Needless to say, I was on an emotional roller coaster. Could I actually do it this year or was I going to "fail" again. One minute I'd cry and want to throw in the towel and the next minute I'd have a calm assurance that God really was making a way for me. After all, I was already in great physical condition. He had helped me find the info I needed to work on the tendonitis. He had helped me find the Buff and the info on beta carotene. He actually put me in a position of forced rest from biking (hello! Sunny Days!) so my tendon could heal. He worked in my body so that my period started a full week early. He helped me raise over $1,000 so I could be in the "Winner's Circle". Many, MANY people prayed for me. And He gave me a Scripture - Psalm 20:
¹ May the LORD answer you in the day of trouble! May the name of the God of Jacob set you securely on high! ² May He send you help from the sanctuary And support you from Zion! ³ May He remember all your meal offerings And find your burnt offering acceptable! ⁴ May He grant you your heart’s desire And fulfill all your counsel! ⁵ We will sing for joy over your victory, And in the name of our God we will set up our banners. May the LORD fulfill all your petitions
⁶ Now I know that the LORD saves His anointed; He will answer him from His holy heaven With the saving strength of His right hand.
⁷ Some boast in chariots and some in horses,

But we will boast in the name of the LORD, our God.
⁸ They have bowed down and fallen,
But we have risen and stood upright.
⁹Save, O LORD;
May the King answer us in the day we call.

Wow...It still makes me cry to read this. I truly felt He was speaking to me and yet I felt guilty and unworthy. There are people going through cancer and earthquakes and floods and tornadoes and dead loved ones. Why should He care about my insignificant desire to ride a bicycle.

And yet, He did. Not only did I ride the whole Trek, but I never had any trouble at all with my leg. My hands never went numb. My feet never hurt. I had one minor reaction to the sun and one application of the cream stopped it completely. My muscles did get tired, but they never got sore. Even today, after riding 180 miles over some incredible hills, I feel terrific! In fact, if I wasn't just a tad saddle sore (some chaffing, you know!) I'd be thrilled to ride a few more miles.

God. Is. So. GOOD!!!!!

The Trek went right past our house on Day 2. See what the girlies made for us? Take special notice of the balloon bicycle. Silly-head is getting quite talented with her balloon work!


And here I am. At the FINISH. With my MEDAL.
Because, by the grace and goodness of God, I DID IT!!!!!!!!


WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

A Random Explosion of Groovy Thought

Ah, my friends, it has been much too long since I posted here. I've been busy, but not that busy. It's more that I've been in a writing funk. I've not even had any wandering thoughts that begged to be pinned down.

In other words, I've been more boring than groovy.

Fortunately, that's about to change! In fact, this post will probably be so chock full of flying thoughts that you'll need a butterfly net so you can catch and examine them. Maybe TWO butterfly nets!

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First of all, The BHE and I are trying raise money for the American Lung Association again. We're both planning to ride in the 180 mile Trek Across Maine - and this time I. AM. GOING. TO. FINSH. THE. RIDE!!!!!!!!

You can make your tax deductable (USA) donation with a credit card by clicking one of the donation links in my sidebar. You can also read more about our Trek preparations on my other blog: Groovy Trekkers: Suffering Pain for Others Gain

Training thus far has been limited to weight lifting, the treadmill, and snowshoing due to the copious layer of snow that is still on the ground here. But we'll get the bikes out soon. I promise you!

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I suppose, since I've started off by mentioning a hugely athletic event, this would be a good place to talk about dieting.

I hate dieting.

I love food. I hate limiting food and living by rules that say, "Don't eat this, Don't eat that, yadda, yadda, yadda..." I've eaten low fat, low carb, vegetarian, Mediterranean, "Flat Belly", no sugar, no processed, and all organic. I've counted carbs, counted calories, counted MUFAs, and counted fat. I'm "good" for about 3-6 days and then BAM, I'm back to me - eating what I want, when I want it (and too much of it). Twice I have lost 11 or 12 pounds (on low carb and Flat Belly) and been oh-so-proud, then....You guessed it. I got sick of eating by the "rules" and gained the weight back.

I know, I know, it's not about a "diet" it's about a "permanent lifestyle change". The problem is WHICH lifestyle? If the science keeps changing and the rules keep changing as to what's the healthiest way to eat, then how am I supposed to keep up?

They have told us that fat was evil. Now they tell us that fat is good, though there is some debate over which types of fat are beneficial. Some of them say, "Mono-unsaturated fats from nuts and olives ONLY". Others say animal fat is best. Now grains are evil (I've even recently read that corn is gonna kill us all) and sugar is worse. But I found this awesome ad in a 1968 edition of Woman's Day magazine:

I'm told that I should count calories -spend more than I take in and voila, I'll be lythe and lovely. Then moments later I'm told to NEVER count calories.

It's all starting to get to me!

I am working out quite regularly now, but the eating - OY! Truth is I'm only 15-20 pounds overweight. That's not bad, really. But those extra pounds DO weigh me down in long distance biking and in hiking with heavy gear for Search & Rescue. I'd really like to see them go. Permanently.

Sooooooo. I made donuts this morning. And they were yummy.

;-)

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And now, on to puberty. Not me, I've already been there. But both my very young girlies are there now. Silly-Head, at 9 and 1/2, seems unphased thus far - except that she has quit wetting the bed AND quit sucking her thumb. We are all doing the dance of joy on her behalf! (And fear not, she will not be embarassed if I write about this here. She does not read my blog.)

But Girly-Girl is 11 and she is in turmoil. She is asking questions of deep, emotional amd spiritual import pretty much every day. She struggles constantly with a HUGE sensitivity to sin - real or imagined. ie. She is constantly "confessing" to us. Little things, "I touched the kitchen counter, but I'm not sure if I washed my hands first." (???) and big things, "I was rude to so-and-so at my birthday party last August." or "I'm sorry, I wasn't listening to anything you or Dad just said."

I'm glad she has a tender heart, but she worries WAAAY too much. We've tried to reassure her and redirect her. We've looked up Scriptures on sin and confession and repentance. After all, when there IS sin, it needs to be dealt with. But most of her issues are with false guilt and mistakes and imperfections, not sin. We've prayed with her and remind her constantly that she's loved just the way she is and that we are proud of her. Nonetheless, she struggles.

She reads her Bible VERY faithfully and makes sure we all read ours as well. The BHE and I don't mind being reminded - we want to read the Word every day, but Silly-Head was starting to balk at her sister's well-meaning legalism and we had to tell Girly-Girl to back off.

Girly-Girl and I did go away for 24 hours or so. We stayed in a Bed & Breakfast and listened to Dr. Dobson's tape series Preparing for Adolescence. We also shopped and ate out and watched all 3 of the original Star Wars movies - though now she wants to know why we watched them when we believe young ladies should dress modestly and Leah was NOT dressed modestly in the scenes with Jabba.

I still have to deal with that one. But, the tapes and our ensuing discussions about thoughts and crushes and feeling insecure, etc. did help alleviate some of her thought tornadoes.

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Man, those donuts were GOOD!

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It's raining today. It rained most of yesterday and all night long as well. The trees and powerlines are covered with ice. I am praying we don't lose power. Without power we have no heat or water. We've looked at generators, but it seems like a lot of mony to spend for insurance against a possible power loss...

The ice is so beautiful and yet, so treacherous!

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OK, enough fluttering thoughts for one day. I need to work out and get the girls rolling with some schoolwork. I'm reviewing an educational site called Time4Learning. I need to plug the girls in so my review will be more thorough. I should be writing that quite soon, so stay tuned.

Oh, and before you leave, Have a donut. They're really yummy!

In Which Groovy Fails in the Finish-What-You-Start Battle of Life

HiHo My Internutty Friends,

This is my groovy blog where I am supposed to sound interesting and clever and witty and intelligent. Will you settle for hormonal?

;-)

Bleh.

I am on the tail end of a cold and dealing with my "time", both of which have drained the power right out of my inner transformer. My brain comes up with this great to-do list and my body says, "Naaaah."

Oh well. I sealed the seams on the tent yesterday and just got it all rolled and packed. So there's 1 to-do that I can completely check off! Huzzah!

Today I tried to do some yard work. I had lofty plans, but only managed to water the garden and transplant some sad, waterlogged bachelor buttons. The slug-eaten marigolds and limp sunflowers will just have to wait.

I squirted cleaner in the toilet and kind of swished it around, but still need to finish the bathroom.

I thought about making pizza for supper, but I don't feel like making dough.

I did get our clothes packed for the Trek and noticed some things Mulletman may have forgotten (Did you want underwear and socks, Darling? Tee-hee. No, I'm NOT kidding!), so I can't zip the bag shut yet.

I wrote checks to pay some bills, but haven't transferred the money to cover the payments yet.

I got the girls to write letters to the child we support through Compassion International, but haven't written my note yet.

Ah well, the evening is not yet over. I have 2 hours before we leave for a family worship service. Surely I can accomplish something before then.

Maybe.

Gee, I love to see the birds at my birdfeeder..... Huh? Oh. Yeah. I can hear ya, "Hey Groovy, get off your duff and FINISH WHAT YOU STARTED!"

Ok, Ok, I'm going!

I guess I'll catch up with you all again after the Trek Across Maine. We'll be leaving around noon tomorrow for 4 days of fun and work and adventure - assuming I actually get some of this stuff done.

Bye!

In Which Groovy Presents You With a Clear, Concise, Focused Post

April Fools!

Oh...It's May.

Sorry.

I am in a tornado of activity today. This evening I set off on another Search and Rescue adventure. This training is at a Naval training camp in Rangeley, Maine and the focus is on survival.

And it's supposed to be cold and rainy.

And it is primitive - lean-to and outhouse primitive.

And I don't own any raingear (yet).

Hope I survive!

(A moment of silence for Groovy who may or may not survive...)

(Thank you!)

Before I leave I need to bake a dessert for the SAR gang, make cookies for our 4-H fundraiser sale (which, thankfully, Mulletman is attending with the girlies, so I can pull myself together and not have a nervous breakdown), finish packing my backpack and sleeping gear, make a packing list for vacation, and NOT worry that Mulletman hasn't yet gotten his mother a Mother's Day gift.

Actually, I'm sure I have no reason to worry. After all, the man has stepped right up to the plate and done almost $100 of his own fundraising for the Trek Across Maine this year. This is a first! Usually I do all the letter writing and blog plugging and begging and pleading for folks to support him and the work of the American Lung Association, but this year he has been passing the hat himself. I am so proud of him!

Speaking of which, if you haven't sent in your support pledge, please, Please, PLEASE do so before the end of this month. Even $5 would be a tremendous help! Just click HERE to make your U.S. tax deductable contribution.

My hope is that the ALA will push drug companies to make asthma inhalors that are affordable (my current one is $30 a pop AFTER the insurance!) and that have counters on them so I don't still think I have medicine left when I don't.

The middle of an asthma attack is a very, very bad time to realize that your inhalor is empty!

Eeeeeek! I just looked at the clock... So this afternoon I'm singing at a graveside funeral service. I've never been to one of those before. Should be interesting. I hope they don't mind if I smell like a serious dose of insect repellent!

After that I'm off to the survival training until late Saturday. Assuming I live through that, Sunday will NOT be a day of rest. It will be day of attending church (which will be refreshing, if not restful) and celebrating our Moms and more PACKING because Monday we're hopping in the car for a road trip to New York to visit Funsocksgirl and then to Indiana to visit some close friends. On the way back to Funsocksgirl's we'll stop at the Creation Museum in Ohio.

It'll be a fun and busy two weeks.

And no, I won't be blogging.

Unless, of course, Funsocksgirl and J-Man are boring. In which case I can be counted upon to commandeer her computer and give you an update. Sadly for you, they are NEVER boring! ;-)

And this is where I'd love to tell you about my weird day yesterday, but will have to settle for summarizing. You know, due to the time and all:

- Accidentally took home another 4-H er's sweatshirt after club and left her family in a flurry this morning trying to locate it.

- Left my garden shoes and Silly-Head's windbreaker at the same meeting.

- Witnessed a just-barely-missed accident that left me revved up for hours!

- Bought a spice at the store and then realized the bottle was completely empty.

- Bought a treat for Funsocksgirl and realized the package was ripped open.

- Had a monkey wrench thrown into my schedule (a NICE monkey wrench that culminated in new tires and dinner out at Longhorn's .)

- Missed seeing a curb and twisted my ankle. (not badly - Whew!)

- Didn't accomplish ten+ different planned agenda items

OK, enough about me...

I'm outta here and moving on to baking and working out and packing and more groovy insanity and adventures. See ya on the other side!

A Groovy BlogMania Giveaway - TODAY ONLY!!!

Welcome to Groovy blog 92 of 123 in the incredible Blogmania giveaway craziness.

I'll keep it short so you can get to all those other amazing Bloggy Giveaways.

What Groovy prizes am I giving away?

'Tis a wonderful Writer's Fun Package of Goodness!

The package includes:

-A 4 pack of fun, colorful pens

-6 fabulous highlighters

-A pack of sugarless gum to keep you from noshing while you write

-A bar of delicious dark chocolate in case you decide to nosh anyway ;-)

-2 emory boards so your nails don't go click, click, click when you type (I HATE that!)

-some hand lotion so those hardworking hands can be pampered

-A pretty notepad for your poetic inspirations or notes to your mother/sweetheart/child/friend/coworker/enemy/self/dog/cat/doctor/lawyer/mailman

AND, my favorite..........

-A totally groovy RECYCLED notebook with dividers and pockets and lots of blank pages that are begging to be filled with your writing genius. It's small enough to carry along on outings and big enough to hold a novella.

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How can you win it?

Well, if you're a U.S. resident (Sorry, I'm cheap and international postage is expensive!):

Just leave a comment by midnight EST tonight (April 30) using all the following words used in a creative sentence or paragraph:

1. laptop

2. hamster

3. groovy

4. toilet paper

That's it - oh, and leave a way for me to contact you if you win!

And if you want more chances to win, leave more, separate comments using the words in a different sentence/paragraph. You can write as much as you want and enter as many times as you'd like. HAVE FUN! After you leave your creative comment(s), then move on to the other blogs for more chances to win fancy stuff! You might want to try these blogs next:

Blog #1 – HOST OF BLOGMANIA: Between The Pages

Blog #2 - CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA The Black Sheep Dances

Blog #43 - CO-HOST OF BLOGMANIA: Books, Books Everywhere

Blog #21 - Amundsen House of Chaos

Blog #38 - Parajunkee's View

Blog #58 - A Journey of Books

Blog #98 - Bertram's Blog

Blog #16 - Coupon Clippin’ Mommy

Blog #116 - Chrissy’s World of Books

Blog #23 - Enjoy Life, Enjoy Now

Tomorrow, being the mediocre blogger that I am, I will literally put your comments in a bowl and then literally have one of my daughters pull out the comment. I'll post the winner by NOON.

Good Luck!

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And, before you run off, don't forget to support the American Lung Association of Maine by making a pledge to Mulletman's ride for the Trek Across Maine. His fundraising link is in my sidebar - your contributions are tax deductable and MUCH appreciated by this asthmatic blogger!

And So It Begins...

It took Mulletman a while to make up his mind this time 'round, but YES, he is going to ride his bicycle in this year's 180 mile Trek Across Maine. The Trek is an annual event on Father's Day weekend to raise money for the American Lung Association of Maine.

As someone with asthma, their work is very near and dear to my heart. The ALA has helped lower the numbers of smokers in the state, has helped make all of Maine's public buildings smoke free, has helped research treatments and prevention for every lung disease you can imagine, and has helped lower air pollution rates in a factory/mill heavy state.

Ken has to raise at least $500 in order to ride: Every penny of that money goes to the ALA. How can you help? Easy: DONATE!!!

See my sidebar? Right under the Blogmania banner is a link to Mulletman's fundraising page. You can just click over there and you can use your credit card to donate directly to the ALA. If you'd rather give via a check or PayPal, just email me (my groovy address is also in the sidebar) and I'll tell you how.

And whether you give $5 or $500, we (and the ALA) will be profoundly thankful! (and if you give $500 we may have to express our thanks with a gift!!)

Am I riding? Well, maybe. I am trying to train, but that bout with the poison ivy and the prednisone really set me back. If I am feeling strong by the end of May, then I'll enter at the last minute. And if I'm not ready to ride then I will still show my support by being one of the smiling volunteers.

Thanks for your time (and your MONEY!!)

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Make sure you come back on April 30 for the Blogmania Giveaway Extravaganza. You can see what I'm giving away HERE. :-D

We're Back!

Mulletman and I got home safely last evening. Photos and a full report are coming soon...

Until We Meet Again...

I am leaving tomorrow morning for a day of volunteering before the BIG RIDE. Keep Mulletman and I in your prayers. Catch you on the other side!

(And many, MANY thanks to all of you who supported us!)

Ack! Preventative Prayer Needed!

Well, well, well.

Who'da thunk that just one week before the Big Bike Ride, my girlies would be exposed to Scarlet Fever. It's a strep infection with a - you guessed it - 7 day incubation period!

This means that IF they contract the disease, it will most likely be right after we leave them with GrammaJ (who has no car!) and head across the State.

Heh-heh-heh.

Very Funny.

Not.

Please pray that they DON'T get it. And also pray that if they DO get it that all systems will operate at full efficiency - ie. My mom WILL be able to track us down to find us, etc.

Thanks...

And please pray for my 'tude: There's just something not right about a mom who's more concerned about her plans being changed than about her babies possibly getting ill.

Thanks again!

Saturday Soliloquy

I need more coffee this morning. Is there more coffee? Never mind. I'll make tea. Then, after I suck down two cups I can put the tea bags on my weary eyes.

So, after 22 miles on Wednesday, 54 on Thursday, and 65.75 yesterday I feel surprisingly good - a bit weary with some sore spots, but quite functional. The biggest surprise is my eyes. I rode through several construction zones and I think the dust and exhaust fumes irritated them. At any rate, some eye drops and tea bags should do the trick.

As of this morning, ALL our fundraising is done - unless, of course, YOU still want to give to the American Lung Association; We're still more than happy to receive pledges. It's just that we have finally passed the minimum and don't HAVE to raise any more. :-D

Halleluiah!!!!!



I'll let them dance for me...I'm resting today!

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Got the quilts done and turned in. Please don't look too closely - I put a great deal of stock in the saying, "Done is better then Perfect"!

I made 2 like this with different backings:



Then I did these two from materials the girls picked out:



Considering the fact that quilting is not my forte, I think they came out pretty good. :-D

Soon (as in the beginning of next week) the quilts will be in Swaziland warming some adorable little orphans. We have friends (the Qs) who are missionaries there and other friends (GoatLady and Sarah) who are flying to spend a month with them to help them get a goat herd started. Wish I could ride along with them!

Sarah just graduated from homeschool and already has her CNA license. I was privileged to make her graduation cake:



It was French vanilla with raspberry filling. Quite tasty if I say so myself!

I also had the honor of making a birthday treat for one of the gals on our worship team. Usually the birthday goodies are made by our sweet and talented Mary, but she had hurt her neck. So she passed on the request for strawberry shortcake to me.

I spent the whole morning in a quandry; Should I make shortcake biscuits? or cake? I prefer cake, but maybe the birthday gal grew up with biscuits. Which one should I do? Aaaack!!!

So I pulled out the cookbooks and hemmed and hawed and wasted time on Facebook and prayed and pondered and finally settled on making a homemade spongecake.

It. was. incredible.

Happily, birthday gal LOVED it. :-D So did Mulletman. So did my girlies.

Looks like I'll be making that spongecake again!

Here's the recipe from one of my favorite cookbooks in the whole wide world, Joy of Cooking by Rombauer and Becker. I have the 1975 edition. There are variations to the recipe, but I'm only writing out the one I actually made. Remember to have your eggs at room temperature for maximum volume:

Sponge Cake

Preheat oven to 350ºF.

Grate 1 tsp lemon rind into one cup sifted sugar. (Yes, I sifted mine.)

In a large bowl beat 5 egg yolks until VERY light.

Gradually beat in the sugar.

Beat in 1/4 cup of boiling water.

When cool (it won't take long), add 1 Tbl lemon juice.

In another bowl: Sift before measuring: 1 cup flour

Resift flour with 1 and 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/4 tsp salt

Add the sifted ingredients slowly to the yold mixture. Stir until well blended.

In a separate bowl, whip 5 egg whites until stiff but not dry.

Gently fold the whites into the yolk mixture.

Scrape batter into an UNgreased tube pan.

Bake about 45 minutes.

Hang pan upside down until cool, then gently remove cake.

Bon Appetite!

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Ok...I guess that's all I have to say for the moment. However, I am also posting on my Trekker blog. You may want to pop over there to read how I almost killed a fellow cyclist yesterday... (That post probably won't be up until 9-ish am EST )

Whoa...Who Am I? Have I Been Here Before?

*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*WHEEZE*

*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*pant*WHEEZE*

*GASP!*

Oh hi! *pant*pant*

Groovy here. *pant*pant*

I'm still alive. But I've been busy, Busy, BUSY! *pant*pant*

Here's the short list (heh-heh) of recent goings-on. Afterward, I'll regale you with tales of our recent camping adventure:

Biking, more biking, fundraising, MORE fundsraising (Hey YOU, it's your turn to send in $5+ for the American Lung Association. See HERE for details!), yard sale, barn dance, Silly-Head's birthday, Mother's Day, gardening, gardening for GrammaJ, loads of 4H-ing, goat milking for a friend, visiting the nursing home, quilting (gotta have 'em all done before June 7!!), shopping for bike accessories, fighting asthma and horrific allergies, homeschooling, camping, alternately freezing or sweltering according to the crazy Maine weather patterns, tracking down the source of evil itty-bitty ants in the cupboard, watching the robin's nest outside our door, talking to the birds at our feeder (UPDATE: Mr. Nutty has finally chilled out.), hitting wild turkeys with our van, swatting at black flies (curse them!), doing housework (sort of), cooking, planning some "event" cakes, and occasionally combing my hair (three cheers for hats and bandanas!)

Obviously I have NOT been blogging! I think up ideas and then sit down at the computer and my brain just turns to mush. I post a quick update on Facebook -usually along with a plea for money for the Trek and then I just stare into space.

Into spaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaace.

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Huh? What? Oh sorry, I was drooling.

Life is good right now, but it's very tiring!

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We finally have gotten a few emails from Scout in Iraq. In his last one he said:

happy mothers day!! i know it is late but i remembered. thank you for being there for me through the good times and the bad. And being patient with me through all the rough times i put you through.
i would tell you what i do here but i would have to kill you. it's classified. i have always wanted to say that. hahahaha.
love, scout

:-D

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Silly-Head is a Mother's Day baby. This year we had a surprise party for her on (surprise!) Mother's Day. It was a great success! After our Mother's day meal etc., Girly-Girl took her down into the basement to play while we decorated and snuck in the party guests. Then Mulletman called them both up and...






My baby is EIGHT now!
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One of Silly-Head's favorite things to do is camp. So Mulletman asked for time off and had last week free and clear. We packed up all our gear and bikes and headed for a private campground near Sebago Lake. Problem was, it's NOT camping season here yet and the campground was closed!

No sweat, we turned the car toward the Sebago Lake State Park. There was absolutely NO ONE there except the camp "hosts", so we had our pick of the campsites! We got one near the sand beach and the playground.

Advantages to camping out of season:

- Rates are lower
- NO noise from late night karaoke campers! (or vehicles driving in and out, or other folks' kids)
- We get the run of the whole place.
- Clean bathrooms. :-D
- It was cold out, so the mosquitoes and black flies were practically non-existant.
- There was a veritable plethora of easily accessible downed wood for tinder and kindling.
- No security fears; the girls could run hither and yon without one of us with them all the time.
- The girls had the entire beach to themselves. They could sing, dance, build, play without disturbing anyone, without fear of someone laughing at them, or destroying their creations.





Disadvantages to camping out of season:

-It was COLD!!!!!!!!!! Cold, as in shivering and wearing winter coats!


Ironically, it is supposed to be almost 90ºF today!

-No swimming, boating, or fishing (too cold and no rentals available).

-No local restaurants were open. We usually just eat our own food at camp, but it was so chilly that we ate our warm supper for lunch on Day 2 and then had nothing but cold food left. We hoped for a local diner, but ended up at Applebees!

-No park rangers to give your money to or buy firewood from or ask questions of. We had to calculate our own fees and then go find an atm so we could pay in cash. The Mulletman had to hunt up some firewood. Lots of firewood...because it was COLD!

Highlights of the camping trip:

-We were on the way south on the interstate when a wild turkey hen ran out right in front of our van. SPLAT! She broke the front grille, the headlight mount, and one of the brackets on the bug shield. We praised God that it was a turkey and not a deer or moose!

-We saw a whole flock of turkeys AND a flock of goldfinches right next to our campsite.

-A bold crow gang tried to make off with our dirty dishes!

-We saw and heard several loons. Never heard a loon? It is the weirdest, creepiest sound you can imagine - especially in the middle of the night. The first time I ever heard them, I thought it was some strange, hungry wild animal coming to eat us. I hardly slept at all that night!

Now I find the sound soothing and lovely. :-)

-Mulletman did, indeed, almost hit a deer while on his atm and firewood trek.

-I got off track while traipsing in the woods and my 30 minute hike ended up being an hour and a half hike.

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Ok folks, believe it or not, I have many things I'm s'posed to be doing today. I'm going to try to get in a blog post at least once a week. So hang in there, I haven't deserted you! At least, not completely! Hopefully, I'll be able to get around and visit a few of you before the next 3 days are over.

Have a lovely Memorial Day!

A Fluffy Post That Requires No Brain Power

Remember this post? I was just being silly, but this morning I came THAT CLOSE to putting yeast in my soymilk smoothie. Methinks that would have made for one very miserable day. Thanks be to God for helping me realize my faux pas before I actually dumped it into the shaker!

Seriously.

I see that other bloggers are posting photos of their awesome flowers. Though I strive for a nice blend of mediocrity in my blog, I thought I'd be remiss if I did not join the trend. Here are my tulips.



Wait, those were my TWO LIPS (and some teeth). Sorry 'bout that. Here are the flowers:





Pretty, eh? And here's a bird we've been seeing alot lately:



He's a male white-breasted nuthatch. Like spring flowers, nuthatches are very pretty. Pretty ANNOYING, that is!

Alow me to introduce you to Mr. Nutty. He came to our feeder yesterday and has, apparently, decided to STAY. Every 15 to 30 minutes, he does this:




It was cute yesterday. It was not cute at 5-sinkin'-30 this morning. It is also not cute when it happens over and over and over and over and over.

I have shooed him away. He comes back immediately and peeks at me over the windowsill. I have opened the windows on either side of him and talked to him, but to no avail. All I can figure is he sees his reflection in the glass and is involved in a very egocentric territory battle. I don't have anything useful to stick on the glass to deter him...except maybe the site of a bebe gun.

JUST KIDDING!!!

You know how dogs kind of whine and twitch in their sleep? Hamsters do too. Just thought you needed to know that.

You're welcome.

Ok...gotta go. My wrists are sore from biking. I'm doing therapy exercises and using ice and ibuprofen to heal them up. Typing is NOT one of the recommended exercises!

However, I'm SURE that receiving a donation from YOU for the American Lung Association (for my Trek Across Maine ride) would make me feel better - much, MUCH better! Just click the donation link(s) in my sidebar. It's tax deductible!!

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And Then I Woke Up...

Whoa. Where did April go?

I'm sitting here trying to think of a brilliant post that will wow you with humor and insight, but all I can think about is sore legs, oatmeal, rain, bike mileage, asthma, nutrition, and the fact that I still *need to raise $300 for the American Lung Association this month.



So I think I'll talk about swine flu.

We talked about it in 4-H yesterday, encouraging the kids to wash their hands, cover their coughs, and not pick their noses. We also informed the children, in no uncertain terms, that calling others "Swine!" was not very nice and would not be tolerated in our club...even if certain, non specific pirates reportedly used to say, "Aarrrrrrr, ya swine!"



Every newspaper is writing about it - swine flu, that is, not pirate name-calling - every tv channel and radio station is reporting on it. Every blog is blathering on about it. ie. 'Tis everywhere, even here on Groovy's blog.




Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back when I was a dorky groovyyounglady, I had a job in a catalog showroom, (ie. smallish department store). I worked there through my junior and senior years of high school. At one point, a memo was given to all the employees stating that no one would be excused for calling in sick with influenza unless they had an official note from their doctor.



This puzzled me greatly. My dad left us when I was 8 years old. In the years that followed my mom worked 2 and sometimes 3 minimum wage jobs to keep us from sinking. We didn't get any governmental aid (my mom was too proud!) and we certainly didn't have any medical or dental benefits. Therefore, we only went to the doctor if there was an emergency. I couldn't fathom going to the doctor for the flu. It's just virus. You drink fluids, take vitamin C and some cold medicine and then get on with life. Right?

I shared these wise 17 year-old insights with the store manager. He looked alarmed, "Groovy, if you have the flu you NEED to see a doctor. People DIE from the flu."

Die? From the flu?

I thought he was nuts!

Frankly, I STILL think he's nuts. Of course, that's because I have a fairly good immune system and I'm not a baby or an elderly lady with a walker and lipstick on my eyebrows (yet). I'd hate for Grampy or GrammaJ to get this swine thing and I'd hate for my grandkids to get it. But - and here's the kicker - IT'S JUST THE FLU, FOLKS. SO GET A GRIP!

Unless you live in a third world nation, in which case I am seriously praying for you.

Thank you. I feel much better now.

Except for this sore throat.

JUST KIDDING!!

And so ends that little episode except for one thing, if there are "third world nations", where are the "second world" nations? And do I, as an American, live in a "first world" nation?

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Life has been excessively busy and I'm feeling it today. I'm WAY over tired. I did some stuff with GrammaJ and I'm speding the rest of this day just chillin' because, frankly, that's all my brain and body can handle.

*Fundraising for the Trek Across Maine is going... well, it's going. I've got $213 in my account and Mulletman has raised $198.



Next weekend, on the ninth, I'll be raffling off an original piece of artwork by my real-life friend Pat of My Meandering Mind. Pat makes some lovely and unusual artwork; I am honored that she's willing to help me raise money this way! I'll also be raffling off an LLBean jacket and a gift certificate for an 8" round cake, made to order. I'll be doing all this raffling at Earlybird's Barn Sale next Saturday.

Guess who has a big pile of yard sale stuff to sort through? And signs to make? And cupcakes to bake for the 4-H club fundraising that the girls will be running at the same time?

Guess who's also aiming for 100-120 miles of biking next week (I got in 70+ this week)? And who has a couple more quilts in the works? And has 30 official days of "school" left?

So if I'm not here much, please understand.

And please take the time to click those fundraising links in my sidebar. Even $5 will get me that much closer to my goal of $750!!!

My asthmatic lungs and I thank you!

Meanwhile, I'm looking for a quiet day of rest. July 30 looks clear...

No Mistake About it, Some Things Can Confuse Even the Grooviest of Brains!

Sometimes, a person needs to be very careful. This is especially true in the home kitchen, a place that houses both food products and, in Groovy's case, many nutritional supplements:

See these 2 bags of bulk product from my favorite health food store? (You can double click on the images to enlarge them...)

Same sized bag:


Same color contents:


Yet mixing them up could spell real disaster!


Ever swallowed yeast? Oh the agony!

Ever tried to get light, fluffy rolls by adding a tablespoon of fiber? Let's eat ROCKS!

Here's another one.

Very similar bottles:


VERY different contents!


In case ya don't know, Ginko Biloba increases peripheral circulation and helps your memory (or so they say...), Kava Kava relaxes your muscles and helps you sleep.

Uh-Oh...

You Probably Thought Groovy Was on Vacation, But She Wasn't...

Only my typing was on vacation. The rest of me has just been caught up in a whirlwind of spring craziness.

Let's see if I can make a random list in no particular order of all that we've been doing so that you'll be impressed and will say, "Oh my! You are SO busy!", which is what folks usually say when I make posts like this which kinda makes me think so what's the point ? but I'll do it anyway because it gives me something to say and my, oh my, isn't this an intolerably long sentence?

Whew.

- Rode my bike somewhere between 52-55 miles in 7 days. That's a good start, but I'd like to get in 70 miles this week and 80-100 miles every week thereafter. You can read more about my progress, roadblocks, and a special blessing from God HERE. You can donate to the American Lung Association there as well, or in my sidebar on this blog. Thanks for all your moral and financial support!

- Mulletman and I led worship and gave a concert yesterday at a small local church. We have an old Dylan song called "Satisfied Mind" that always gets a tremendous response.

No, I DON'T sing it like Dylan! Our style is old time, hard core blues - 'cause that's what you get when you put your trust in your bank account instead of in the God of the universe!

- We practiced and PRACTICED for the afore mentioned concert/worship service.

- We had 4-H:

Girly-Girl is working on her leadership skills, so she made a poster of how to prepare for a 4-H goat show. Then she and Silly-Head and another friend taught the info to the other children.



Here are the girls with their new goatlings. These little buggers are Nigerian Dwarfs - not my favorite breed, but they are, of course, adorable when they're kids.

Silly-Head with Zoe.


Girly-Girl with Zemmaline.


-We had the requisite Easter family gathering. After a lovely Easter church service where Girly-Girl sang in the kids' choir (sorry no pics, stupid camera!), I baked a ham and some awesome herb rolls and coleslaw and GrammaJ made dessert and Grammy cooked up lots of veggies. The guest list included the four of us (duh!), all 3 folks, Uncle Grumpy-Pants, Pretty Mom and my 3 adorable and never annoying grandchildren.

It was wonderful day!

Here's Ji-Ji. He looks a maniacal, but it's the best picture I mananged to get of him during the playing-in-Gramma's-basement chaos.

This is Cookie trying out the disgustingly dusty school desk that will be refurbished for her in a year or two.


And here's Fireball in one of her quieter moods.


Oh...and Easter? That's usually when the girlies beg me to make them Easter dresses and I wimp out, BUY them shirts, and sew them skirts instead.


-This week we also went to the nursing home and had a fabulous time leading walker aerobics.

Just kidding!

We sang to the residents and doled out numerous hugs. To tell the truth, I don't think the folks there give a rat's whisker whether Early-Bird and I come, but OH how they love all the little girls we bring; my two, Early-Bird's Peanut, and two other little homeschooled sweeties. The girls make cards and tissue paper flowers. They sing and talk childish talk and hug the residents. My girl always bring a doll or stuffed animal to show off. It's great fun! I'm starting to think of it as one of my favorite activities!

-We worked on quilts for the orphans in Swaziland. We have dear friends there who run an orphanage and work with a local church. Two other friends are planning an excursion there in June, so the rush is on to get quilts made before they leave so they can take them in their luggage. This quilt is almost finished:


-This week I also did a slew of chored for GrammaJ and took her on a marathon shopping trip and had her over here to visit on both Easter and yesterday.

-I manage to contract a stupid cold. I am fighting said cold for all I am worth with vitamin C, elderberry syrup, and zinc gluconate!

-I cleaned my house.

- I had school with the girlies.

- I wrote a song.

- I prayed for North Africa.

- I researched language programs; Mulletman and I are considering studying Arabic. Anybody have any recommendations?

- Somewhere in there I cooked and planned and talked to people, bathed, brushed my teeth, lifted weights, greeted "Aunt Flo", delivered Pampered Chef from that party I may or may not have had, and slept. Happily for me, Mulletman did all the laundry!

-I noticed that Girly-Girl had a harvest to reap! (We shall eat that WHOLE green bean for lunch today!)





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Things that I did not do this past week but hope to do soon:

- I did NOT hear from Scout. I miss him!


-I did not spruce up and refine the song I wrote.

-I did not write to Misti in China or Pinky in India.

-I did not write on either of my novels.

-I didn't take a day to just "goof off".

-I didn't dig up the veggie garden.

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OK...enough about my groovy self. In between today's to-do list I'll be by to see what YOU've been doing!
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Lastly - a take away from yesterday's sermon at the church we sang at:

Every morning when you get up, ask the Lord W. H. A. T. He wants you to do that day; ask Him to be Lord of your Words, your Heart, your Actions, and your Thoughts.