Victory is Declared in Weeklong Mouse War

Several breaches in the security perimeter were discovered on Saturday morning. A trip was made to the local Katz Ace Hardware Store to consult with professionals about the possible ways to secure the breach. The professionals recommended some great stuff to block the holes where wires were coming into the building and allowing the enemy access. After a brief demonstration by the professional on how to use the great stuff, I confidently went home and secured the perimeter. I am happy to say there have been no new casualties or indication of the enemy’s presence for the last 2 days. Is the declaration of victory too premature? Only time will tell.

Here’s a brief summary of the war:

Duration:
7 days

Casualties:
Mice = 5
Humans = 0

Captured & Released:
Mice = 2
Humans = 0

*Cost:
Reusable Trap: 4.99
Clip Trap: 3.97
Decon Trap: 4.99
Great Stuff: 7.99

Total: $21.97

*Costs are exclusive of sales tax

Scarves are not just Accessories

Scarves have not been a part of my primary winter wardrobe since before I moved out west in the early 1980’s. Now, I’m proud to say that after 2 months of cool New England temperatures, my body is slowly acclimating to the weather, however my mind still associates sunshine with warm temperatures. Hence, I don’t think to wear certain items of clothing because my brain does not identify a need for it yet.

Two days ago it was a balmy 45 degrees outside and the sun was shining. For the first time in several days, I did not wear a turtleneck. The lack of neck protection was fine until the sun went down and the temperatures dropped. It just so happened as I was heading out for the evening I noticed a cold chill on my neck. My first reaction was to head inside and put on a turtleneck, but then it occurred to me that I could actually wear a scarf. After all, isn’t that the real purpose of owning a scarf aside from making a fashion statement?

I quickly ran inside and selected a cute scarf that complimented the outfit I was wearing that evening. I proceeded to wrap the scarf around my neck two times and then tie it in a couple of knots. Something didn’t quite feel right about my scarf tying technique, but hey, I looked cute and besides, I was in a hurry.

It wasn’t until I arrived at my destination and attempted to remove the scarf that my problems began. I wasn’t able to untie the knots let alone unwrap my neck. It seemed the harder I tried, the more circulation I was cutting off to my head. I must have looked quite pathetic because a sweet elderly lady named Hannah came to my rescue. She happened to be celebrating her 91st birthday that day and obviously had many more years of experience in these matters. She was only too happy to untangle me from my self-inflicted chokehold. She then graciously proceeded to give me a detailed demonstration on how to properly tie a scarf the “trendy way” and made sure that I was able to replicate her example.

Here are two techniques I learned this week on how to tie a scarf. The first example is the trendy way as demonstrated to me by Hannah and later confirmed by 3 independent sources, as in fact, being the cool way to tie a scarf. The second way is the old school way as shown to me by my friend, Tina. Tina recommends the old school technique for really cold days.

Technique 1 – Trendy

1. Fold scarf in half.



2. Drape folded scarf around neck.



3. Take loose ends and pull through loop on opposite end of scarf.




Technique 2 – Old School

1. Wrap scarf once completely around neck (only once) and leave ends hanging in front.




2. Take both ends and tie a loose knot. You now should have an inner layer and outer layer of scarf wrapped around your neck.



3. If it’s really cold outside, you can pull up the inside portion as a face warmer.




Thank you Tina for modeling the various techniques for me.

10 Things God Spoke to Me Through My Pet Bunny, Sammy

1. God’s love is unconditional – no matter how I act, look or feel God loves me just the same. Nothing I do can take away or lessen His love for me. Even if Sammy would misbehave or bite me, I’d still love him just the same. I might not love some of the things he would do, but I always continued to love him. God may be displeased with some of the things I do, but he’s never displeased with me.

2. God disciplines me to keep me from harm - when God tells me not to do something I’ve learned that it’s usually for my own good. I might participate in an activity, eat something, or say something that seems perfectly harmless, but will eventually hurt me. Sammy used to like to chew on electrical cords. It was a perfectly natural instinct for him to do it and he didn’t know it would kill him. I’d have to put him in his cage until he’d forget about the electrical cords. The cage wasn’t to punish him, but protect him. So when God tells me no, it’s usually for my protection, because He sees the harm in my action when I don’t.

3. God is faithful - God is responsible for keeping me safe and providing for me. Just like it was my responsibility to provide food, shelter, love and look after Sammy’s health, God is faithful to do the same for me. He doesn’t forget about me or leave me without taking care of my needs.

4. God calms my fears – God is the one who can make me feel safe. Occasionally one of my roommates would let a dog in the house and it would terrify Sammy. Sammy would run to me for protection. Likewise, I need to run to God when I’m feeling afraid, whether the fear is physical, relational, financial or emotional.


5. God wants to spend time with me – it blows my mind to think that the Creator of the Universe actually desires to spend time with me more than I do with Him. I often wondered what Sammy was doing all day while I was at work. I looked forward to coming home and seeing him. The same way I thought about Sammy, God thinks about me. Only God thinks about me all the time. In fact his thoughts towards me are too numerous to count, like the grains of sand in the sea.

6. God is gentle – I loved sit quietly on the floor with Sammy in my lap and quietly stroke his fur. God likes to spend quiet time with me. He loves it when I sit in His presence and receive His gentle strokes. He never yells at me or tells me bad things about myself. In fact, He does the exact opposite. He encourages me, and believes in me more than I believe in myself.

7. God is patient - I’d often call Sammy and he would ignore me. When he was ready he’d eventually come to me. Likewise, God calls me to Him and sometimes I ignore Him. Thankfully God is patient and waits for me to come to Him. He never forces me to do anything. He gives me the freedom to choose.


8. God has a great sense of humor – when I’d leave town for the weekend and leave Sammy in the care of friends, Sammy would get upset. He always let me know that he was upset by pooping right in front of his cage rather than in his cage. Thankfully, once I was home, he’d use his cage properly. It was hilarious to me that he would do this every time I wasn’t home. There were several times I was complaining to God about something that He asked me to do that I didn’t want to do. Most of the time I’d do it, but with a bad attitude. I’d sulk and complain. God reminded me that my attitude was a lot like Sammy’s pooping when I didn’t get my way. God has a great way of showing us our true selves in a humorous way.

9. God does not condemn me – Sammy’s natural instinct was to run away when I caught him doing something that he wasn’t supposed to do (like chewing the walls). My natural instinct is to run away from God when I know I’ve done something wrong for fear of punishment. Thankfully, God doesn’t expect me to be perfect; in fact He knows I’ll mess up. Since He’s all knowing, He already knows all the mistakes I’ll ever make in my lifetime and He still does not condemn me because the blood of Jesus justifies me. I never held it against Sammy when he’d do something bad. I’d deal with his action and then forget about it as if it never happened. In the same way, God forgets about my mistakes when I ask for His forgiveness. He doesn’t bring up all the stuff I’ve ever done wrong and hold it over me. His mercies are fresh and new every day.

10. God is gracious – I’d love to give Sammy little treats, whether it was a little chew toy or a little piece of fruit. Sammy didn’t do anything to deserve or earn those treats. I just wanted to give them to him because I loved him. In the same way, God longs to bless me. Not because I deserve the blessings, but because of how wonderful God is. He delights in giving me good things.

New Developments on the Home Front

I hoped to have no significant news to report aside from a declaration of victory, but after completing my morning inspection routine, I noticed one of the WMDs had come up missing. I immediately conducted a thorough search of the premises. The would-be-thief traveled quite a distance before succumbing to the ill effects of the powerful weapon. In its escape attempt it almost rendered the weapon inoperable, but also may have led me to a possible location of the enemy’s base camp. It still however hasn’t been determined if new recruits are arriving on the battle ground daily or if the rebels are from the original squadron. I may have underestimated the strength and determination of my opponent.



After taking a mental inventory of the casualties to date I am optimistic that the enemy has not recruited youngsters in this mice war. The plan now is to procure additional WMDs and strategically place them near the suspected campsite.