Random picture of Miriam in American Fork canyon as it begins to snow on our camping trip a few years ago. Notice Doug in the background taking down the tent as fast as he can?
First today is teeth. I am so grateful that I have my teeth. My daughter is having pain because she is losing a tooth, and says she can't wait until this is all done. She just wants to have them removed and have all the permanent ones finally in. She always seems to have problems with her teeth coming in, most likely because of her "past life issues" according to her dentist. She was allergic to milk as a baby, and then had some injuries to her mouth that moved things around a bit. I always feel bad when this happens to her. Tonight as we consoled her and told her that this too shall pass, I was reminded of an experience that happened to me when I was young, probably 7 or 8. (Don't ask how long ago that was.) I had a loose tooth in front. Not very loose, just barely. One night we were having corn on the cob, and I bit into something hard. It kinda grossed me out, like biting into a piece of bone in a hamburger. Wondering what could possibly be in my mouth that shouldn't be, I decided to spit out the contents of my mouth. As I leaned over my plate, I looked down at my corn. There was blood all over. I was immediately sick to my stomach, and thought that the food in my mouth might come out all on it's own. Oh, the horror. As I tried to settle down, I spit out the hard little object to find it was one of my front teeth. I couldn't eat corn on the cob for years after that. I must admit, I still have a certain aprehension about it. It just never seems appetizing to me.
Second comes waffles. I love mornings when we have waffles. I don't make them that often because they take so long, but if you are ever in the mood for the best waffles ever, find the recipe for Martha Stewart's waffles. They are wonderful. Being from scratch, I only make them maybe once a year, but it is worth it. The recipe makes such a large quantity for a family of 3, that I can freeze the extra's and we can have them anytime we want. (Hmmm, maybe that's not such a good thing.) I have always heard that waffles were created when some guy in his suit of armor sat on his bread, or something like that. What kind of moron sits on bread while wearing armor? You can barely walk in it, let alone sit. What about all those stories of lifting the knights on their horses by wooden cranes? And who put the bread there, anyway? If you had lunch for a guy covered in metal, wouldn't you make sure you handed it to him? How on earth is he supposed to pick it up while wearing chain mail gloves? It would be like trying to eat a sandwich while swimming with sharks. I actually did a bit of research, and the word waffle comes from the word wafer, referring to a batter cooked in a patterned iron. (I like a nice floral pattern, myself.) To make this an even better story, would you believe that they were first served in the US in 1620 by pilgrims fron Holland? How appropriate for this week. I swear that I had decided to talk about waffles before I looked them up. Thomas Jefferson actually made them a popular party food when he brought over a waffle iron from France. Suddenly, my own waffle iron that I thought was ready to be replaced seems like a family heirloom. I did recieve it on our first married Christmas from my mother-in-law, after all.
Third would be eyeliner. I know that most women would just categorize this as makeup, but I want to be specific in this case. Eyeliner can be a wonderful thing. It has the amazing ability to make me look like I am actually awake, as opposed to looking like I just woke up. I have tried to go without it, but always regret it. The first time Doug ever saw me without makeup, he was completely stunned. (This was about 1989, I wore very heavy eyeshadow back then.) He just couldn't stop staring. When I finally got up the nerve to ask him and a friend of ours (Travis) to please stop staring, they both replied, "Sorry, but you just don't have any eyes. It's so weird." I went to work at Cabela's a couple of times without it, (I had to open the store at 5:30. The eyeshadow and mascara made it, just no eyeliner.) and people asked me all day long if I felt ok. Over and over, I would get the same question. One of the store managers even asked me if I needed to go home once. I should have taken him up on it. Nobody ever believes me when I say, "I'm fine, I'm just not wearing eyeliner." "Whatever. If you don't want to talk about it, that's ok." is usually the reply. Now I just take advantage of it. When I need a day off, I just show up au-naturale, and even Doug will give me sympathy. Not as much as he used to, though. I guess I just always look tired now. Age and parenthood both do that to a girl. A double whammy.
Fourth is british comedies. Doug and I have been watching british comedies on KUED ever since we were married. I thoroughly enjoy them. Some are not so great, and being british, you have to be choosy about which ones you watch. Their morals are a bit different when it comes to acceptable viewing material, but I still find a few that are great. We can watch them over and over. I think it is because you have to learn the british vernacular. They have many words that are different than us, and if you don't understand it, I guess it would seem like the most boring thing ever created. Or maybe you just have to have a warped sense of humor like Doug and I do. Currently, there is one called "Good Neighbors" from the 1970's that I just love. A couple decide to live entirely self sufficient, so they dig up their grass and start planting gardens, raising goats and chickens (see yesterday's posting), weaving their own clothes, and making their own pea pod wine. How on earth would you ever undertake that in English suburbia? Their properties aren't big enough for that sort of thing, and it bothers me every time I see it, but the show is a riot. It also makes me grateful for what I have, because they are always so broke. I feel like a Rockefeller or Vanderbuilt when it is over. Miriam and I have also come to love "Rosemary and Thyme". That is a murder mystery now on KBYU, in case you are unfamiliar. Ironically, the same woman stars in both shows. Just a few decades apart. She plays a botanist/landscape architect that always seems to find a murder in her work. Gardening must be dangerous work. Glad I don't do much of it. Yet.
Lastly, bring on the mirrors. I remember the first time Miriam saw herself in a mirror. Her birth mom is blind, so she had never seen her reflection. She was fascinated with herself. How often do you use a mirror? We can't even drive our cars without a few. We have them in our bathrooms, even in churches, where looks are supposed to be unimportant. We carry them in our purses, sometimes in wallets, they are used in emergency kits, and to decorate our homes and buildings. We use plate glass windows as mirrors as we walk by a store. We even have mirrors that have 3 sections so you can use the outside two to see the back of your hair. This brings up the question: What did they do before that? How did people know what they looked like in bible times? If someone put up a wanted poster, how did you know it was you? It's not like water gives that good of a reflection all the time, all the ripples and waves...... How long did you have to sit by the shoreline to get a good look at yourself? I know why the woman at the well was there. She was looking for still water. Did you go through life thinking that your nose was bigger than you head from the distortion of the waves on the surface? How did they know the back of their hair looked ok? I mean, they just wandered around with ugly hair. That must be the reason for having your head covered at all times.
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