It's raining...

I'm soo excited about the rain! It's been pouring since this morning, and the air feels so cool and fresh. We've been in a drought for so long... all our grass in the front yard died. A plus to that was that David had to mow it, oh, about once a month. But it's still sad looking. My poor hanging plants couldn't take the heat, so until recently, they looked like they were clinging to life by a thread. Since the weather's gotten cooler, they've bloomed! I was this close to sending them to that great garden in the sky.

An observation on television... Ever since Seth has been born, I've stopped watching much tv. I don't know; something about the content kind of assaulted my senses in those early days and made an impression. I felt protective of my tiny wee one, and his tiny ears, and things that I didn't notice before offended the Mama Bear in me. So I stopped watching the occasional show or the news during lunch. Gradually, I stopped watching any tv at all during the day. Once we moved here, it was even easier to ignore for some reason. Our tv is behind closed doors in a corner wood cabinet, and since it's out of sight, it's really been out of mind. When Seth naps, sometimes I read, once I've gotten things done. I'm glad that I really can do without tv. I think it's a blessing that God has given me that it's been relatively easy to give up lately. Now, my internet addiction is another story...

But this morning, Seth and I went to get the Honda seatbelt fixed. We were sitting in the waiting room, and the tv in the corner was on. At first, it was on a morning news show. No biggy. Then Dr. Phall came on, and he was talking about s**u*al deviency. It was disgusting. And the longer he talked, the more stressed out I got. I was offended, and I can't remember being really offended by tv programming in awhile. I have gotten sensitized to it. Eventually, I had the guts to ask if anyone was watching, and when they said they weren't, I cut it off! I thought this was really interesting. Today I noticed the desensitizing nature of tv for the first time in a long time, and it was eye opening. I want to be more careful about what I watch, and I'm thankful that God is convicting my heart and making me feel cruddy when I see or hear something that I really shouldn't. I don't know if anyone else out there has noticed this same thing after a tv fast of any kind, but I'd be curious to see if your experience was similar...

Now that Seth is older, and he's napping more regularly, I've had a little more time to read. And I'm really enjoying being able to take advantage of this time. I know that it's fleeting, and I'm sure it will end all too soon once my baby boy starts getting more active. At the moment, I'm rediscovering some of my favorite authors. One of them is Willa Cather. I have read many of her works. My favorite has to be My Antonia. Her writing style is simple and strong. It reminds me a little of Ernest Hemingway. You can tell that she loves the wildness of nature, especially that of the Midwest. Her descriptive powers are amazing. When she talks about the harsh, proud, unyielding soil of the prairie, and how it breaks a man down and builds him back up, I feel something unnameable rise up in me. For years, it can break a man's heart and steal his blood and sweat, but then one day, it will open it's heart to him, and it will burst forth with hard won bounty to bless his days. I can't do her writing justice, but I recommend that you pick up My Antonia to start and then move on to O Pioneers. Happy rainy day reading!