Bandana Dreams - The Soundtrack

I had previously posted the video for another song, but that one didn't really belong on the soundtrack (long on pathos, short on merit). I'm not sure where this one belongs, exactly. Perhaps during the depiction of the life-changing porcupine affair of 2008.
Besides, this is one of my favorite songs and videos by an underrated treasure of the Irish music scene, the now-defunct Hothouse Flowers.

Thank You Jobie!

Job gave Obadiah a digital camera for his birthday. I am very thankful! It takes black & white pictures! I'm having fun playing with it today and can't wait to go get a memory card tomorrow. Here is Grace with her rockstar uncle.

This is my first attempt at making a video with my ummmmmmmmmmm I mean Obadiah's camera.

Daffodils . . .

Can you name these wildflowers?

We came across these early signs of spring on our walk today. We live in a beautiful part of God's creation.

Obadiah's 2nd Birthday Party!

We had a family party with Grandma & Grandpa Tate and Uncle Job after church today. It was a fun party experience filled with hot dogs, tater tots, ice cream cake, tears, whining, laughter, some debate and lots of joyful noise.

How many dirty stinky kids can you fit into the back of a station wagon?

Obadiah's First Date

Stacey took Obie & Zoe out for ice cream today to celebrate his 2nd Birthday.

Happy Birthday Obadiah!

Bandana Dreams - The Job Tate Story

I sometimes amuse myself by writing the script for a biopic based on the life and adventures of my little brother. Occassionally I will hear a song and think to myself "That belongs on the Bandana Dreams soundtrack." This is one such song. I think it would get used in the segment covering the first few years after Job left college.

National Geographic - Houghton College Edition

Can you name the couple who are kissing in the gazebo (at the end of the video)?

Happy Birthday John!

The sign says, "Happy Birthday Uncle John!" We love you, John!

Signs of Spring . . .

daffodils

little girls in trees

sun-kissed little boys

farm fresh cow manure

mud pies

Movie Night

Last week, we had the Wood's and Elliott's over for dinner and a movie. We hooked up the laptop to a projector and turned our living room into a movie theater. It was a lot of fun! We watched Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium and ate pizza & chicken wings.

Thank you, Job!

It is a beautiful day here in the Green Mountains. Job came over to help prepare the garden and clean up the yard.

This is not an advertisement for Gordon.

This is an advertisement for Houghton.

Household Tip #1

If you find yourself at the dinner hour and have no clue what to make, or if you are just running late, here is a trick I've learned . . .

set the table first.

It gives the appearance that dinner will be served soon. As hungry family members linger about they will see that the table is set and they will feel reassured that their bellies will be filled soon.

Feeling Some Better

It's been almost a week now and I'm sleeping much better at night and walking more normally, but I still have to sit a lot and I do everything very slowly.
But I want to let you know some of the things that have been impressed on me since my hernia surgery.

1. Women who go through c-sections (especially when they nurse) must be among the strongest people on the planet.
2. If it weren't for modern medicine I would be much more than uncomfortable right now.
3. The traditional family (husband, wife, and children) is the most perfectly designed social institution in the world.
4. My particular family is the most precious social institution in the world.
5. I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

Fifth Day in Pajama Bottoms

I do not like pajama bottoms. They make me feel like Joey Buttafuoco. But that is not the worst thing about recovering from hernia surgery, as bad as it is.

The worst thing I think might be the pain associated with laughter.

Last night Christine almost injured me without meaning to when I happened to catch her working on the fire. She's been splitting wood for kindling, which had always been my job when I was in a position to lift an axe. And she's getting good at splitting the dry pieces of wood in the cellar which gives her an exhilarating sense of accomplishment.

Yesterday, in addition to the firewood, we had pieces of our old futon in the cellar and I happened to glance down the stairs as Christine picked up a piece and considered it. It was clearly too long to fit in the woodstove as it was, being two long pieces glued together in an "L."

I saw her look from that nice, dry piece of futon debris to the axe and back again. Then she looked at the chopping block and set the piece down across the block. She had probably seen something like this work in cartoons she'd watched as a child. I tried to say something about a saw, but the last few days had taught Christine something about the power of an axe.

Seeing what was coming I should have thought to hold my hands across the incisions, or even look away. But I couldn't look away as she hefted that axe and, with a lot of help from gravity, brought it down on the impervious board. As it bounced off, not even leaving a mark that I could see, I paid a steep price for my amusement. The pain brought tears to my eyes but not even that could keep me from laughing.

But let me tell you this about my wife: she is strong. She's not strong enough to chop a board to splinters, but, more importantly, she is strong enough to keep the house warm while her husband is laid up. She is strong enough to pick up all my slack without ever betraying any resentment or impatience. And she is strong enough to look cute while being strong, and that's saying something.

I've just got to praise her in the gates, even while I look forward to changing out of pajama bottoms and taking the axe back.

Happy Birthday Sarah!

Happy Birthday Grandma!

Happy Birthday Dave!

Spring is here!

I've been fixed

But not that way.
My hernias are repaired and I am in bed gazing wistfully out the window. The weather so long hoped for now now torments me. But I'll be better soon.
God is good. He heals me and I am fearfully and wonderfully made.

I won't really be nervous until three days from now.

Today I'm going to be operated on for bilateral inguinal hernias. And it's really not that big a deal, except that it's going to slow me down for a bit. I hate to slow down.
But I have some videos to watch and an awful lot of course work to do. And I can talk on the phone. So it might be for the best, because with the snow melting it's been hard for me to concentrate on things that don't involve vegetables.
Still, I'm sick at heart about not being able to hold Obadiah for a little while, and about being less of a help to Christine around the house. Please pray for her.
And since I have been dreading my convalescence I reread Genesis 34 to cheer me up. That's a much worse operation and the worst imaginable recovery. But the chapter raises a question, doesn't it? Does Jacob disapprove of what his sons do on a moral basis or just on a tactical/political basis?
And how should we, as New Testament believers, feel about it?

A visit from the Brown's

Dave & Caroline came to visit us on a whim. We had a surprise birthday party for them (they both have birthdays this month). It was lots of fun.