Call me, again

It’s a good thing I don’t get that many calls on my cell phone. I only lost it once this trip. (We’re on our way home from Colorado today, and made it to Lincoln, NE.) I’m forever misplacing it and asking Denis to call me so I can trace the ring. I panicked thinking I’d dropped it in one of the many restrooms I visit along the way. Denis called me three times and I could hear it, but couldn’t find it even though I was frantically tearing the car apart. My ringtone is a canyon wren birdcall and after dumping my purse twice, feeling under the seat, and checking my computer bag, the bird was also frantic. Turned out I was sitting on it the whole time.

This was a wonderful trip. Celebratory, restful, reflective. Together we recalled many times throughout the years when God spared us, shed grace on us, despite our bumbling around as husband, wife, parents, in our ministry, with friends, you name it. There are many reasons why it will be good to be back at Toad Hall. One is that I’ll be able to call my cell on our land line and not mention to Denis that I’ve lost it, once again.

Farmers of Granby, CO

Last Friday Denis and I wandered into Granby to see if the farmer’s market had fresh vegetables for our supper. It was rainy – unusual for Colorado. The market was small, but there were some vendors with some good-looking produce, a pie maker, an organic baker, and a booth selling homemade tamales and bbq beef brisket. Tucked among them, I was astonished to find a couple of earthy-looking guys selling fresh, roasted green chile. Poblanos. Anaheims. Mild, medium, hot. I reached in the cooler and they weren’t cool at all. They were still warm from having been roasted to a fine charred condition! Unable to believe our good luck. Reminding me of our New Mexico days, I bought a half bushel for twenty dollars. Half a bushel isn’t so much, you know. We took them back to the condo where we are staying and divided them up into zip-lock bags, froze them, and we’ll take them back to Minnesota with us where all you can ever, ever get are little cans of tastless, chopped green chile from Bueno.

All we had for supper each was a huge poblano chile stuffed with farmer’s cheese, laid between two corn tortillas and lightly grilled in olive oil. Oh, and a beer and a fresh pear.

I coulda miscounted

----- Original Message -----
From: Margie Haack
To: Leslie V.

What do you do when you come home from a trip and you still have a bag full, I mean a truckload, of vitamins you were supposed take while gone?
mlh

----- Reply -----
From: Leslie V.
To: Margie Haack


Margie, Margie, Margie.

Vitamins are a really good idea but they are not Lifemaking or Lifebreaking. Then again--how MANY? Did you take ANY? John says, either take them all at once (sounds like diarrhea to me) or HIDE THEM.

There. Feel better?

Of course you don't. Because you didn't take your vitamins.
lv

Report on things lost to the TSA

Sunday evening after Denis’ final session in Birmingham, (You know. Speaking about being faithful in our postmodern culture, as Ransom Fellowship has a habit of doing) a little boy ran up and handed him a bag. Denis had a second to peek in and see a pound of Starbucks coffee and what looked like a card. This little guy was too young to drink coffee, so it had to be from his parents, right? Before Denis could follow up, we got in a shute and were spit out at our hotel room late that night. Who gave this? Where’d they go? Did we thank them? The bag spent the night in the car. Next morning as we headed to Chattanooga, I opened it to find not a card tucked in next to the coffee, but a Swiss army knife! With every cool little thing I like about them. And a little bonus: a 1 (ONE) ounce tube of hand cream.

Yesterday I made it safely through airport security in Nashville and home to Toad Hall. They didn’t find my lovely new knife hidden under my skirt (in the suitcase, for heavens sake). When we got home I was only a little bitter that whoever did inspect the luggage dumped all my vitamins. Purposely. (Does calcium look like anything illegal?)

Thank you, Faith Pres, Birmingham. It was an honor be among you, and I owe someone for touching my heart so unexpectedly with this gift.