Beware, Ye Voles!

So we've sunk to a new low (as Nathan so aptly puts it). Neither of us being feline-friendly, we've adopted a kitten to keep the yard free of voles, moles, and chipmunks. Meet Kitty. She/he has no official name; all suggestions will be considered. Thankfully, it's very good natured, doesn't scratch, and even gets along with Chips, our miniature dachshund. It's even alleviating my fear of cats. The last cat I was around was owned by a lady in Tequesta, FL whose house I cleaned. It would hide when I let myself in the house, usually under the bed or a couch pillow. Then it would leap on my legs when I made the bed or on my back when I bent over to dust the gazillion photo frames in the living room. Many battles later, I learned to find HER first and sweep her into the back room with a broom. The rest of the four hours were punctuated by sounds of a cat leaping from the bed and flinging her body against the door. Gives me the willies just remembering that evil creature. Then there was the one my parents had who was perfectly civil until someone turned off the lights, whereupon she would leap in full attack mode onto the nearest unsuspecting victim. Such is my cat history. This had better be worth it!!

For Those Curious Few

This post is specifically for those friends of mine who have been begging to see pictures of my pregnant self. It is not for those of you who are rolling your eyes. This photo was taken under coercion. It was taken on the same day I was arrested for beating two Pizza Hut employees to death with my diaper bag after they made remarks about my size. I am not due until August 11th and yes, there is only one.

On a serious note, I have thoroughly enjoyed and found helpful all the posts you gals made on 'teachableness.' Wow- what interesting thoughts and great ideas! A brief anecdote from home: In talking to Nathan about the subject, we found ourselves talking about his dad. *Alert, Alert! The secret lives of the Browns that you've all been wondering about is hereby revealed* As you've probably guessed, home life / vacation time is often filled with discussions about the Bible. I've been blessed to sit in on many of these. And inevitably, someone's theory is discussed and picked apart and analyzed. I can't tell you the number of times I've heard Dad Brown say something along the lines of, "We are interested in the truth. Even if we have to change something we've been saying for years, we want the truth of the Word!" Nathan says that this attitude toward learning is and was the model that taught him 'teachableness.' Thank God for the teachable people in our lives.

A Teachable Spirit

I'd like to open a little discussion for those interested. I've been thinking a good bit about the emphasis in Proverbs on having a teachable spirit. I've seen lots of lists of qualities we're to instill in our children, but this rarely makes the list. How do we inculcate a teachable spirit in our children? Is it the same thing as humility? Is it all in a response to correction? Why is it that the "I don't want to be told what to do" attitude is so prevalent in us in late adolescence when our decisions are so crucial? (I know I wasn't very teachable at that point in my life). Any thoughts out there?

The Attack of the Voles

Perhaps you're lucky enough to never have experienced a summer attack of the voles. No, there's been no little army of rats banging down my front door. In fact, I've not seen a one. These little guys work undercover. Translation: Our landscaping is falling over- literally. To date, we've lost four flame bushes in a row. One morning I'm convinced that we'll wake up to see all vertical plants in our front flower beds just lying flat on the grass. The roots are chewed out from under them. It's been a case of misdiagnosis up until this point. We were sure we had an armadillo rooting around and knocking over the plants. When I found out it would cost $500!!! to rid us professionally of said armadillo, I spent $100 buying my own trap and bait. We loaded it and hid it behind some bushes. I've been worried that we'll catch a neighborhood cat instead. Well, the bushes we hid it behind have fallen over, and we've been exposed. These little guys are going down! And did I mention we have an armadillo trap for sale?!

Things Are Looking Up... and Baby Has A Name!

Thanks to all my dear and wonderful friends who posted such encouraging thoughts in the last few days. I must have posted that blog entry at my lowest point, because I've been doing so much better since then. We went to see the OB today, and that made a world of difference in how I'm feeling. (Kathryn was born 5 weeks early, so they begin monitoring me early). So I'm 30 weeks along, and thankfully, baby is 2 weeks bigger than that. Also, although there is some change (or 'ripening' as they call it) occurring, it's not as drastic as it was with Kathryn. Hopefully, that means he'll stay put a little longer than she did. And he now has a name- Alex Kenton Brown (And if for some odd reason, "he" is actually a "she," then Natalie Faith). Nathan and I struggle with the naming process. He's so very traditional, and I believe variety is the spice of life. So I'm proud to announce we have arrived at this decision- and no marital counseling was necessary ;o)

"You Don't Have a Soul"

Shocking statement, isn't it? I haven't put a lot of my thoughts on my blog recently. Unlike my friend Sonja's recent (and brilliant) excuse of having a monkey on her head, I have no such excuse. The truth is I've been living in what I assume is the pregnancy hormone-induced world of depression. No thoughts that any of you would want to read, I can assure you. As the rest of C.S. Lewis' quote says, "You don't have a soul. You are a soul. You have a body." Some days I feel like the true ME is a caboose, linked up to a train of hormones, chemicals, and 'body.' I rattle along behind, not wanting to travel down into THAT valley, or across THAT river, or through THOSE mountains. I truly, truly, truly am a control freak, and so these days leave me quite discombobulated. It's on these days that my wonderful husband advises me to come to no conclusions, and to not think too hard about anything. Anyone else find that it's easiest to jump to weird conclusions when you're least lucid? ;o) So... on today, I'm just trying not to derail somewhere in some conclusion about my life in general. I'm just praying for enough balance to stay sane, enough clarity of thought to parent 'decently,' and enough sense to allow myself and others some grace and mercy. "Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow..." He is faithful!