http://edgren.com/weblogs/ http://www.edgren.com/wordpress.]]> en-us 2006-05-25T15:53:14-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2006_05.html#000149 In April, we moved to a new blog format, using Wordpress instead of Moveable Type. You can find the new blog site at http://www.edgren.com/wordpress or link to it from our home page (http://www.edgren.com).... Events tedgren 2006-05-25T15:53:14-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2006_02.html#000148 We’ve had what seems to be a run of mechanical failures in our home lately. This is the kind of thing that holds a special terror for someone like me, who can count successful machine repair projects in my lifetime on one hand. First the hot tub developed a leak. Next, the last reliable burner on our stove stopped being, er, reliable. Then the fireplace stopped working. The garage door opener disengaged from the ceiling. The power on one side... Philosophy tedgren 2006-02-05T18:49:01-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2006_01.html#000146 Christmas is come and gone, and it is January in Seattle. We had a long spell of rain – 26 days in a row, or so they say at the airport. Apparently the record for this area is 33 days, set in 1953. In a surprising twist, we had two days of sunshine (or what passes for sunshine in the Northwest); even more remarkably, the two days fell on a weekend. We hardly knew what to do with our good... Musings tedgren 2006-01-29T20:58:25-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_12.html#000142 Here are a few quotes that may tell you something about our Christmas (or not): Christmas Eve: Tim: "Kathy, after careful consideration, I've decided to generously let you have the beloved Green Stocking." (Much laughter as we looked to see Tim's NEW stocking (three times the size of all the rest)! Sarah: "Purple pajamas! JUST what I wanted!" Sarah: "Mommy, do you see my purple pajamas? They are JUST what I wanted!" Joshua:"Look, my new pajamas are camouflage. No, wait,... Events tedgren 2005-12-25T16:10:41-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_12.html#000141 Of great holiday relaxation! It was delightful. I'm trying to think what made it such a nice day. The weather is lousy here in western WA--has been raining for days--so it's not the bright sunshine that is making me cheerful. We didn't do anything elaborate or exotic. We didn't bake Christmas cookies or make gingerbread (although we have a beautifully decorated gingerbread). It was just one of those peaceful, 'holiday spirit' days. We don't get many of the peaceful type... Musings kedgren 2005-12-23T23:54:05-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_12.html#000140 Now that I no longer ride the train, I find that I do not write very many blog entries. Tonight I posted two blogs from November that had never quite made it past my editor, and was dismayed to see the empty home page of our blog. I guess after 30 days or so of silence, the blog software stops trying to cover for me. How we've fallen from those heady early days when I posted two and even three... Musings tedgren 2005-12-22T23:20:26-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_11.html#000139 Now it is a Monday, and I’m writing from my desk during my lunch break. Over the weekend I had the opportunity to go to Pennsylvania to visit my Grandma (and sundry other relatives) in celebration of her 91st birthday. My Uncle wrote a general invitation for the party, and when I saw it I couldn’t resist the impulse to go. I found a cheap flight and flew out on Friday night to Dulles. Arriving Saturday morning I rented a... Events tedgren 2005-11-07T20:14:10-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_11.html#000138 This is a blog that I wrote in early November, but never posted. I've found that once you get out of the habit of writing, it is hard to get started again. I'm trying for a fresh start. It is a Thursday morning, and I’m riding in a carpool up I-5 a few minutes before 7 am. I’ve been working at my new job in Factoria for six weeks or so, now – I seem to be settling in to... Musings tedgren 2005-11-03T20:03:21-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_10.html#000137 Near the beginning of October (around the 10th) I reached the goal of having lost 50 pounds! It has been a long journey. I began on April 9th and have remained true to the course ever since. A dear friend recommended two books to me by Kay Sheppard, From the First Bite and The Body Knows; both deal with the subject of food addictions. I found myself fitting many of the descriptions profiled in the book and was intrigued by... Musings kedgren 2005-10-27T16:03:28-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_10.html#000136 It has been easily a month since I have written anything for this blog. A couple of weeks ago, I attended a men’s Bible study that was just starting up, and each of the men was saying something about their hobby. One man spoke up: “I write.” It piqued my interest – what kind of things does he write? And then I sadly remembered … I used to write! One day about two months ago, Kathy called me at work.... Musings tedgren 2005-10-24T18:04:42-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_09.html#000135 Recently I was asked to come in to work to help with a project that hoped to launch on the following day. Ordinarily, I am off on Mondays, working longer days the remainder of the week to compensate. But on this particular occasion the need is great, and so I rode the train with an unusually tired and grumpy crowd, no doubt exhausted from the festivities. I must admit, the weekend seemed awfully short to me, accustomed as I am... Philosophy tedgren 2005-09-17T20:14:41-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_08.html#000133 Once again, a blog entry has languished on my laptop without being posted. This one refers to events that happened a few weeks ago. Summer has arrived with a vengeance here in Western Washington. As usual, the weather during camp week was spectacular, with only one brief rainshower on Friday morning. We tore ourselves away from the Duckabush late Saturday and arrived home after midnight. I had consumed a liter of Diet Coke late in the evening and so had... Bible Study tedgren 2005-08-24T08:21:31-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_08.html#000132 I wrote this a few weeks ago … for some reason, I’m just not willing to go back and remove all the time-sensitive wording. I guess I’ll just publish it with a postscript at the end. Yesterday was the first day of camp at Wilderness Northwest. We drove out to the Olympic Peninsula on Sunday afternoon and settled into our faithful “Duckabush House” with two carloads of stuff. Sometimes I think that we take more luggage on a one-week vacation... tedgren 2005-08-22T18:23:20-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_07.html#000127 Several Sundays ago I had the opportunity to work as a teacher in the 3rd and 4th grade Sunday School class at our church. Now that Summer has begun, the teachers who work year-round are off, and they must make do with substitutes like me from week to week. Kathy and I both signed up for two weeks, thinking we would work together – instead they split us up and, when the dust settled, I was only assigned to work... Bible Study tedgren 2005-07-27T21:41:07-08:00 http://edgren.com/weblogs/archives/2005_07.html#000125 Yesterday was Fathers’ Day. Oh, I admit that for most people this ‘Hallmark Holiday’ was celebrated on Sunday, but I have always felt that if something is worth doing, it is worth doing right. Saturday evening, Kathy asked me, “What do you want for Fathers’ Day?” It reminded me of a scene in the movie Joe Somebody in which the main character (who has just suffered a humiliating physical encounter at his workplace) is asked, “What do you want?” This... Parenting tedgren 2005-07-01T16:46:09-08:00