Lights Out

Jay and I have no E-Mail at home right now. In Ruralville where we live we have only Internet option A and Internet option B and I have almost lost what is left of my mind trying to deal with A. Hopefully on to B in October. I'm posting from Jay's school this morning in hopes I can buy myself some time and that my 2 remaining readers won't give up entirely.

We had a tremendous rainstorm yesterday. No thunder or lightning, just steady rain all day long. In the evening we invited some friends over for chowder and cornbread. The Garcia family from our branch are good friends with whom Jay and I can practice our Spanish with no fear of scorn or mortification (I'm the only one who need worry about scorn and mort - Jay can still hold his own quite nicely). Also in attendance was out good friend, Francis Lizotte, who is a mentally challenged fellow about Jay's age whom our family has adopted. We had a nice dinner and later Jay and Fernando (Garcia father) left to take Francis back home. While they were gone the electricity went out and we were plunged into pitch blackness. Because this is not a terribly rare occasion I knew exactly where the flashlight was and we all cozied up in the family room. Cozying up anywhere in our house is easy because we don't have a single room in our entire house as big as JeNeale's master bathroom not including shower and closet. I brought out a fairy tale book that my mom used to read from when I was a child and we read in the dark The Six Travelers, Thick-Headed Jack, and The Twelve Dancing Princesses. When the daddies returned Fernando threatened to do what they do in Ecuador. They tell the children scary stories so that they are afraid to get out of bed. Hmm...I like it. Lacey Grace was downright terrified at the very mention of such an idea and may never trust Fernando, one of the nicest men I know, again. When it was time to go, Ryan, one of their teenagers asked to stay a little longer. The ultimate compliment - a teenager wanting to spend more time with a middle-aged couple and their young family. All of our children said as we were getting ready for bed that night by lantern light, "That was so much fun!" I couldn't agree more.

Favorite quote from Francis Lizotte, a devout Catholic on the issue of me not having developed film with pictures of him that he was eager to see, spoken with deep disappointment and with courage, "That's alright. I'm gracious, generous and merciful." Thank goodness because I still have some mission film I need to develope.