The Talens' Tales

We just wrapped up a wonderful weekend with family. Denise's parents came out from Michigan and brought along both of Denise's grandma's. We had fun showing the grandma's around and trying to convince them that we live in a nice place, even if it is far away from Michigan. Wilbert and Denise's dad took in some pheasant hunting. The ladies made applesauce. Here are the grandma's peeling apples. We also played some great games of Sequence and, of course, ate a lot of food. We also learned or were reminded of some strange words in Denise's family vocabulary. Here is a sample: Muffy - (mäf -fee) adj. Both stuffy and musty. This car sure is muffy. Finky - (fin-kee) adj. A person who is a bit strange, unusual or eccentric. He looks a little finky. Mooky - (moo-kee) adj. A substance that is both goopy and mushy. Oatmeal can be described as mooky. Fub - (f ŭ b) v. To make a mistake, usually a silly error. I fubbed up and forgot to pick up another ...

Yuck! I hate the weather today. It has been raining all day and the temperature has not broken 40 degrees Fahrenheit (or about 5 degrees Celsius). Part of me wants it to just snow and get it over with, but the other part of me screams "It's only October!" It is interesting to me how the weather can have such an impact on peoples moods. On days like today I feel pretty down. But, a smile will break across my face as the sun breaks through the clouds. It seems on days like today students complain about everything and they do dumb things in class that are just disruptive. But on days with nice weather everyone is just a little more pleasant. But it could all be me too. Maybe on sunny days I am in a better mood to deal with the antics of students and on days like today I just don't want to deal with it at all. Some of my friends in college used to call me "Pollyanna" after the main character on the Disney film of the same name. Pollyanna enjoyed playing "T...

Little things in life make me happy. New friends on Facebook. People who comment on my blog. Not having to cook supper. One student asking a good question that tells me they actually read the assignment. Getting to watch a favorite TV show while working out. Having time to read. Sunshine. Chocolate. Making some students laugh. Being caught up in grading. My wonderful husband. The flowers that are still blooming on the front porch. One more coat of paint on our newly dry walled ceiling. Getting a new issue of a magazine in the mail. Hearing a great song on the radio. Finding people who want to speak in chapel. Smiles. The quiet of home after a loud day at school. Call me easy to please. I don't think it is a bad thing.

Even though it makes me feel old, I enjoy listening to NPR. Well, let me qualify that. I enjoy listening to NPR on Saturdays. The rest of the week I find a bit repetitive about the news items of the day and the economy. But on Saturday, I can listen to NPR from noon to 7 pm. When Wilbert is home, the radio is tuned to NPR at 11 am for Car Talk. I plan my day around NPR. I do all loud chores (like vacuuming) and anything that I need to do out of the house in the morning, so I am in the house and able to listen without interruption. I enjoy the unique stories of Weekend America , learn more about cooking well on The Splendid Table and laugh with Garrison Keillor on A Prairie Home Companion . I may make me sound old, but I never fail to have something interesting to talk about later on that has nothing to with school or students. Today is no exception. On Weekend America , which sometimes is quite anti-Christianity, had this wonderful essay read by author Lindsay O'Connor on the impo...

I have a song running through my head continuously. The latest one has some powerful, challenging and comforting words. "Unfailing Love " by Chris Tomlin You have my heart And I am Yours forever You are my strength God of grand and power You are my rock The One I hold on to You are my song And I sing for You And everything You hold in Your hand Still You make time for me I can't understand Praise You God of earth and sky How beautiful is Your unfailing love, unfailing love And you never change God You remain The Holy One and my unfailing love, unfailing love I hope and pray you rest in His love today.

The phone rings. Denise: Hello. This is Denise. Man at the other end: Can I speak to your mom or dad? (Pause) Denise: They live in Michigan. I guess it could be considered a good thing that I still sound young enough to live with my parents.

I have a confession to make. I am blog addict. I read blogs of people I went to college with who probably wouldn't remember who I am, even if they would play the bod book game. I have Google Reader set up on our home page so I don't waste an hour of the day just clicking through all of the blogs I read. Now I can use that time to post on our own blog. Since I read many blogs, I thought it would only be fair for me to post my own. Now time will tell if I become a blogger addict. Quite frankly I have no clue what I am going to deem "blog worthy." Who wants to read about the life of a high school teacher?And there always is the possibility that a student may stumble across this blog, so I have to keep that in mind too. Well, here is the first one. Happy Canadian Thanksgiving!