A Day Off

I'm taking the day off.  It's been 5 days that I have slaved over the cooking, cleaning, shopping, running, playing with the dogs and other items that I do because I'm currently on "sabbatical", so I thought I needed a day off to rest my feet and cool the jets.  I've started by picking some of our tomatoes we've been growing.  The wifey has been laboring over the fact that I have not been tieing them up properly...but Heh! I'm busy.

We also planted the cotton we have had in pots for awhile, and hopefully it will stay alive, grow and we can get enough cotton in order to use for spinning.

And Speaking of Spinning!!!
This Thursday I started on the White stuff I have been talking about.  I did go back and forth a lot on choosing between the Merino/Silk blend, or the BFL/Angora.  The Angora blend is about 75% angora, and it's a blend that I have not spun yet.  OH Yeah, I chose the The angora blend.  It spins fast and I need to focus more so I don't over spin it.  It's wonderful.......And I look forward to the finished product.  I'm thinking at this time that I may ply it with the Silk blend...but more on that later.

Tomorrow we, wifey and I, will be donating platelets down at the local blood bank so I may not be on my best game.
If you currently don't donate please do, contact--unitedbloodservices.org

Vaya Con Dios...Rich

Results of Augratin and Bacon Dinner

I'll make this  quick... It was delicious.
The sauce was;
sauteed  onions, peppers, and garlic
I added one big can of creamy mushroom soup
1-1/2 packages of shredded cheese (I didn't have a full two)
2 dollops mayonnaise (with olive oil--you buy it that way)
1 stick of real butter.
I layered it three times--potatoes (about 5 before slicing), sauce,  fried bacon (not to crisp).
And put some strips on top for looks.
Baked at 350 for 35 minutes and then another 25 minutes at 425.
Men---don't forget to grease the 9 x 13 glass dish, or let it sit when finished.
The smell is outrageous!!!!!

A Place for Plants

The Plumerias needed a resting spot and over the last few days I have finished up two tier sections for them to sit.

I made them from standard framing 2 x 4 that were straighter than the norm.  I didn't use screws or bolts so in time as they dry they will pull apart a little.  The design is such that 8" long wood screws could be added and that will hold them for ever.  I should add that the design fully utilized (8) sticks of 8 foot long material.
I burnt the wood with a torch to add some finish to them.  I also added two coats of a clear decking finish.  It did color them up a little, but they aren't shiny.  All in all I think they came out real nice.
Later this week the Wify will go ahead and adjust the location along with putting on the plants.

? ? What to Spin Next ? ?

I currently have nothing on the spinning wheel.  I finished the Silk/Merino fiber that I did for demo at the county fair, and now I'm contemplating my next fiber project.
My office looks like an explosion of fiber...everywhere I look there is some fiber that has been pulled out and judged to spin next for my enjoyment and next project.  I have been focused on a lot of silk blends recently from Red Fish Dye Works redfishdyeworks.com 
I even have some plain white of the 50/50 blend to use for a scarf similar to the one shown on this page.  But I need some change, yet a purpose for the yarn that I will be spinning (sorta like my life).  My Wife, Ginny, has a shawl that could use some plain white angora mix, I have the fiber, so if I was a good husband I would go and prepare this for her.  It just seems really weird to clean, cook, AND spin for the wify, so I might not just on principle's sake.  But I think it will be white and will give a good hand when woven properly.
Most of my done yarn is colored, and I have a ton of un-spun fiber that is white.  SO!  White it is, now I can choose, pack up the stash, and put this stressful decision behind me.
Vaya Con Dios---Rich

Dinner Time along with announcements

So here it is at the end of the day again...sorta my favorite time.

The time that I have been planning all day.  Dinner Time.

I like Au-Gratin potatoes.

I like Bacon.

I like Cream of Mushroom Soup.

I have never done this before, but I'm going to mix the soup with the cheese, add some onion and pepper...scratch the pepper.  Spread it around the potatoes, add the bacon strips on top....

Think of Lasagna with Potatoes and Bacon...

I'll be sure to let everyone know if this works and if it's good enough to eat.  Time to start!!
Announcement---
Now everyone should know that I've started running in my off time again, I haven't posted anything because my times and dogs have been a little slow, but starting later in the week I'll keep you all posted on a separate feed how I'm doing.

Vaya Con Dios ------ Rich

Back on LINE and After the Fair

Thank Goodness the folks at A+ Computer (located in Oxnard on Rose) did a most excellent job cleaning my computer and re-loading all that tech stuff so I can return to all my readers out there.
The Fair is now over.  And although I've already spewed multiple posts about my entries here's one last entry for all of those I said good-by to on Saturday.
There were three of the nicest kids I ever met that spent time with me.  I taught them to operate a drop spindle, and they taught me a little about what happens when you show animals at the fair.  They also sold me some jam they made and soap that their grandmother made.  I will think about them and be happy that there are still kids like this in the world.  No slang, hoodies, no games that distracted...they were like little adults without the stress. 
I also meant some other nice folk that were walking by the Guild booth, and I wanted to make sure that they knew I remembered them.  A lot of thingys happen at the fair, and I hope that our exhibit and demo has inspired you, I have added our link as a reminder venturaweavespin.com
Thanks Again for the Encouragement....
Don't forget that everyone needs a "Paul", "Barnabas", and a "Timothy".

Ventura County Fair

The Ventura County Fair has been in progress for about 1 week.  I LOVE THE FAIR.  The Ventura fair is still a place where people bring Animals, Vegetables and Home Arts that they have worked on to be judged and considered the best in the area.  Me, I bring the home arts.
Besides the fair entries shown below I also demonstrate.
Because of my extra time, this year I spent two days in the Guild booth (Hand-weavers and Spinners Guild) and one day demonstrating knitting in the home arts building.
I also was able to spend time with the "Sheep to Shawl" demo.
This is where you start with a Sheep, and turn it into a shawl in one day.  We actually start with the fleece from the sheep and then we Spin it, Ply it, and Weave the shawl.
I'm thinking how weird this must sound to anyone not familiar with where cloth comes from....

Brags-----
This year I entered 5 items;
Hand-spun hand-knit, hat - second place
Hand-spun hand-woven, scarf - first place (see the scarf on this page)
Hand-spun banana fiver-first place, and two additional skeins (wool) - third place
AND
I took first in the spinning competition along with high in trial.

Everything is Colored

It's been almost a month, and the initial joy has left... a little.  I continually try and compare my life today to what it was, and the stress of the job to the stress of no pay check.  I still think I'm in a better place, I just need to convince myself more.
Today I applied for nearly every job on the CalJob board :-) that includes, a Park Aide (administration at a state park facility), a tutor for K through 12th, a customer service rep, and some other funny ones that I just couldn't resist signing up for.  Also on this front I edited my resume to more of a service position.
I ran this morning and did the 4 mile loop in my best time ever.  I'm still not running at the pace I would like, but...I have no pace to go but faster (get it? that was funny)
On the housekeeping front; we're having vegetable soup this evening with beans and lentils, the bed is made, and the laundry is almost finished.
Everything is Colored--- My Laundry sorting is getting much better! originally I wanted to put most everything in the Colored bin, but she showed me how there are many dark (DARK) Colors that would mess up the kit and ka boodle.  The expression she used was (you got it) "Everything is Colored".  This has been a lifesaver to my laundry exploits, and speaking of exploits---I now have taken it upon myself to file her clothing after it's folded,  all you mothers please don't pooh-pooh me and laugh.
And did you hear about the fair?

The Unemployed---ME!

So, here I am again.  Typing away knowing that nobody's listening, but...after reading some of my posts from 2008 I think that this is all good and humbling.
It all started on July 12, 2013...NOT!  It all started when I was getting myself so wrapped into work that I forgot the importance of what's important.  AS A RESULT...my self inflected work load drove me closer and closer into the ground, and wanting to do things that I wouldn't have done in 2008.  AND, my work performance decreased as a result ending in a leave of absence (sabbatical) for 6 weeks starting on July 12th.

So, here I am again.  But for a different reason this time.  Through out the past couple of weeks, I have learned a lot about being unemployed with a female working spouse.

Please note I am over 60 and ready for retirement, but none of us want to be told that is the case.

Sorting Laundry--
There are three categories; white, colored, and dark.  After much coaching I came to the realization that "all things are colored, some are less colored" and the less colored items are really the "colored" items while the darker colored items are considered dark.  As an example, a red shirt is dark, not colored.

Although I have learned more important items such as navigating the social service offices, applying on line I think the home survival skills are what are most important.

Vaya Con Dios, Rich

Today I do What?

It's Sunday afternoon and after spending a few hours on my other blog getting ready for my Bible study on Monday I decide it's time to start whining about all the things that I have to do.
HAVE to do? LUCKY to do!
I have a job!! and I get paid.. regularly.
I judge dog shows, travel to, meet people...AND get paid for that also.
I serve my God, benefits beyond comprehension (I guess you could consider that pay).
I bowl, if I'm in town and not traveling to dog shows.
I play racquetball, not well, but well it makes me.
And just maybe I will go to Africa for Lifewater next year.

Enough said.

Get Involved...Buy a Tee-Shirt???

At all turning points in my life I find myself cynical to what I actually support, and today is no different.

The Job...

While looking at details on what field trips (if any) I should go on for Lifewater my eyes were drawn to a Sanitation (latrines) trip in Laos. I hate Laos. I want to go to Africa... NOT Laos, but God pulled the same stunt on Jonah and we all know what happened to him...

So I talk to the wife, and she reminds me we have no money. So I look at the trip detail some more... it's a three week trip. Last month I was gone from work (my normal work) for 3 days and I received over 120 e-mails.

Well, I wonder if God would have gone easier on Jonah if he had a day to day job?? Or if Moses would have used that e-mail excuse in addition to the ones about him not being a good speaker if God would have left him alone??

The Rub...

What if I don't go? Will the information regarding correct latrine construction still be passed along? of course it will.
So what am I being asked to do here? Test my faith? Dominate the world with how I believe?
NO!!!

The Reality...

I have no clue.
I sit here eating cold pizza with my dog Silver and can only assume that in Laos they aren't doing the same.
I know that by going the follow things will occur-

• I'll be showing God that I have faith in where he leads me.
• I'll be helping to empower people to do for themselves.
• I'll be sharing with others my love for Christ in a "Closed Country".
• I'll save lives by reducing the amount of bacteria that will contaminant their food.
• I'll be increasing the level of my training, so that I can contribute more later.

The Boss...

So what do I tell "The Boss"? He's a Christian man so he will be able to understand the desire, but will he understand the need? and more importantly will he understand being gone for 4 weeks while we are trying to make money.

Oh? the Title of this post???

While searching around for information regarding this trip I ran across the website for Blood Water Missions. A notable organization, that does similar work as Lifewater. On the website for Blood Water Missions was the statement

Get Involved.. Buy a Tee-Shirt

I wish that was all God expected from me.........

In his name...rich

LIfewater Conference

I have been back from the Lifewater conference and ETM training for less than 48 hours and I feel the need to outline some of the more important aspects of what I learned and how it effects the world today. Lifewater is more than just a Christian organization that helps bring water to the world. Hopefully these following paragraphs will help clarify this.

Mission Statement:Compelled by God’s call and the global water and sanitation crisis, Lifewater International equips partner organizations and works with them to empower communities in developing countries to gain safe water, adequate sanitation, effective hygiene, and the knowledge of Jesus’ love.

Our Vision:Our vision is a world where every person has access to safe water, improved health, and the knowledge of Jesus’ love.

http://www.lifewater.org/

The details and plans around this mission statement are multi-faceted. As with many of us who were there for the first time, I was exposed to the concept of WASH (WAter, Sanitation, & Hygiene), as a union of needs as opposed to the misconceived mindset of "I'm going to help drill a well in Africa for water".

The weekend (and following week of ETM training) was spent in worship, encouragement, education, and breaking much bread together. The staff of Lifewater along with partners from the various countries were always close by to answer questions that ranged from the technical advantage of a "VIP" latrine, or how to spiritually transform the world.

These are the four workshops that I attended on Saturday;

Hearing From Lifewater Partners-

A Lifewater Partner can be defined as-
A church, mission organization, or non-governmental organization working in a developing country that has been selected through an application process by Lifewater in order to build their capacity in water, sanitation and hygiene.

This hour long workshop provided a platform so that four of the partners could explain in detail what they were currently doing in their country regarding their church, mission and help to bring WASH to the communities. The partners that took part and explained their position in this workshop were from the countries of Laos, Ecuador, Uganda, and Ethiopia. Each partner spoke of the WASH programs in that area, along with the impact of their church. One partner said that the people were now listening to what was being said and a chant they were using is----

"to reduce death we must listen"

Lifewater currently has partners in the following countries-

• Afghanistan
• Ecuador
• Laos
• Mozambique
• Ethiopia
• Uganda
• Kenya
• Zambia

Appropriate WASH Technologies-

This was one of my favorite workshops. It dealt specifically with what are acceptable technologies (sorta like the name implies).

Acceptable WASH Technologies can be defined as-

• Culturally Acceptable
• Locally Available
• Locally Reproducible
• Affordable
• Sustainable
  

Many points surrounding technologies and current conditions in the countries were addressed in this workshop, the most important item I learned in this hour was the requirement for SUSTAINABILITY. This is one word that kept rearing it's head more than others throughout the entire five days.

The equipment and technologies that are supported by Lifewater must be oriented to being operated by, repaired by, trained for further use by, and most important supported by the people that will be using these methods to maintain a minimum level of WASH. Lifewater will not give objects, but rather empowers the poverty stricken and sick with training.

In this same Workshop information regarding Sanitation and Hygiene was addressed with the same focus toward sustainability.

This workshop also gave some broad brush stokes regarding technologies that are employed by Lifewater.

WASH- Transforming Communities- The Big Picture

In this workshop we explored the the traditional definition of "development" as opposed to the need to "Transform" a community. We learned the importance of community mapping and how that information can be used to access the requirements of a proposed project.

The Fine Line of Sustainability

This was one of my favorite workshops, however it was one of the "headier" ones also. It dealt primarily with trying to understand and relate to poverty in any given country and how it in turn correlates to the need of Sustainability. It examined how poverty is perceived and the impact of poverty on people.

I walked away from this with the understanding that poverty is not a financial situation that can be remedied with money or technologies thrown at the problem. Poverty is the lack of empowerment by a people and that in itself continually keeps them from achieving goals as simple as their daily needs.

With any project that needs to take place where common western goals are set, the process of achieving those goals needs to be taken into as much consideration as the goal itself.

On Saturday evening there was a social connection gathering that included everyone at the conference. This gave me more opportunity to hear from the staff of Lifewater along with those guest speakers that were in some of the workshops.

It is hard to describe the fellowship and camaraderie that grew throughout the week. One of the men I grew close to said it was the most important and unexpected gem that he took home with him.

After Sunday Morning Worship and brunch there was an international faire, and it gave everyone more time to ask questions about the countries where Lifewater is active. Either country partners or country coordinators were at each booth representing the eight countries that Lifewater is currently active in.

We started our training in ETM on Sunday night-

ETM stands for Exploring Transformational Missions. When I first signed up for the conference the title was very confusing, but as the week continued the meaning became clearer.

Transformational Development can be defined as---A holistic approach to personal and communal change based on humanity's need for spiritual and physical health and well being. Jesus Christ is the author and model for transformational development as one who restores relationships with God, self, others and the rest of creation.

The entire training class is taught in the same method that is used in training the partners and their associates oversees. Because of communication barriers; pictures, skits, and even play dough sculptures are used to communicate information.

The three sections that were covered in the ETM training can be summarized;

• Compelled by God's call and the global water and sanitation crisis.....
• Lifewater International equips partner organizations and works with them to....
• Empower communities in developing countries to gain safe water, adequate sanitation. effective hygiene, and the knowledge of Jesus's love.
  

I sit here reviewing the information and come to the realization that I can't provide any summary that would give justice to the 3-1/2 days of class time. Some of the highlights involved are listed below. Although most will need some explanations, they will be memory sticks for me;

• Poverty and the Poor
• Merging the Great Commission and the the Great Commandment
• Importance of the WASH framework
• Lifewater Project Cycles
• Effective Learning Principles
• Exploring Teaching Methods
• Cultural Sensitivity
• Servant Attitudes
• Understanding Change
• The process and Steps to Change

I don't know where GOD will lead me next. I will sign up for additional training and trips abroad. And the HS will lead by giving me opportunities to serve.

In His Name.....rich