“The RoseBouquet”

Last week Friday Snowflake had his little surgery, and I thought that would be my main news item out of my personal life today, but then late Sunday night, (or early Monday if you consider it was 12:35 am), my water heater burst, and I quickly turned off the main valve into my house, so I have been without running water all day yesterday and so far today.

Unless, that is, I run over to the neighbours and get myself another bucket full from their kitchen sink. Then yes, I have running water.

Fortunately, God has been very much involved in all of this, and so it sounds worse than it has been for me. Let me backtrack to give you the full scoop.

When I bought this house last year and got possession on June 1 (which is exactly a year ago this coming Sunday) I knew that the water heater in the basement had a back seam that looked like it had burst open. Everyone who knows about such things and saw it, told me that it should be a top priority to replace it, as suddenly the inner container would burst too, and I’d have water gushing everywhere. But you know I live on a very tight shoestring budget, so I just prayed often for it to hold, and waited for this RRAP plan to kick in and for it to get replaced. Well, it was on the list of items the inspector said should be replaced, and just this last weekend I got the last of the quotes in that I was to gather and turn into the inspector. - I delivered them to his office in person yesterday morning - but that could still take weeks, so he said to go ahead and get it done, and he’ll see if I can get reimbursed later.

Well, that water heater could have burst any time. If it had happened Sunday morning after I left for NGM church at 9 am, and if it had continued to run until I got home at 2:30 or 3 pm in the afternoon - whew, that basement would be one deep pool of MESS! Everything I have in storage there on 4 storage units and more, would be wasted! (I dropped in on my friend Kathy, and was invited to stay for lunch).

Even so, if it had happened when I was home and busy working on the computer, with my favourite online radio, BBN, on, I might not have heard it right away. As it was, it happened when I was in bed, reading a couple of devotional pages, and was about to turn off the light in a moment or two. I heard a whoosh, like you hear in some homes when their furnace fan kicks in. Except my furnace doesn’t make any sound. Then I thought I heard running water. I paused in case that was something passing on the street. No, it was still rushing.

So I padded downstairs in my bare feet to check out that water heater. Sure enough! A pool was forming around the unit, and the water was running towards the drain hole in the floor. Dave, an electrician friend who had dropped by last fall, had told me that if I ever heard rushing water down here, then to grab this lever and pull it up. it would shut off all the water to the house. Otherwise, all the city water would try to come into my basement via the water heater. It took me a moment or two to locate that lever, but as soon as I pulled it, the rush of water in the pipes stopped.

I picked up an electrical fan from the floor and placed it higher, but then it looked like that was about all I could do. The puddle on the floor would have to dry on its own. I went back to bed. I had trouble falling asleep; half an hour later I went down again - just to make sure.

Yesterday morning I started making phone calls. To shorten a long story, the plumber with the lowest quote agreed to come install a new water heater this afternoon. Meantime, Penny next door said I could come over any time for water or to use the bathroom. Which I’ve done. I try to be frugal with that water, and am skipping baths. I bring in water from the rain barrel however, to flush the toilet.

By supper time, everything should be fine again.

First off, I need to share some corrections my friend Shirley sent me to what I wrote last week. What I had called a de-clawer tool is a special toenail clipper for cats. Furthermore, cats should be spayed (female) or neutered (male) at 6 to 7 months, not 7-8 months as I wrote. Thanks, Shirley.

Well, I did get that taken care of last week. I found an animal hospital in the next block west on 22nd St., and a very nice lady vet. Not only was Snowflake confirmed to be a male, but he got his surgery on Friday, and they also took care of his ear mites. So he has now stopped scratching at his ears too.

When I brought him home on Friday, he was still rather groggy, but his head bobbing and his eyes crossed, he struggled to get to his feet, and in about an hour and half was leaping up to his favourite haunts, except that his rear end was hanging a little low. He appreciated extra cuddle time. By Saturday he was doing everything he usually does, including eating more often, and racing like he’s on fire from one end of the house to the other. (They told me that his hormones would slow down some in a month).

I’m trying to change from the nickname, Buschji, meaning cute girl charmer, to Busy Bengel, meaning cute boy who runs around barefoot mostly.

Business? Well, I’m still trying to juggle my office and at home working hours. I have a feeling with these home renovational projects interrupting my life throughout this summer, it is going to be hard to get a regular pattern going. But already, I can see God’s wisdom in my not having students/interns at the office yet over these months.

I have been reading more on out-sourcing and hiring others to do some of my work so that I can grow my business. I see how smart that is, and realize that my plan to train students and use them as interns during that training process fits in wonderfully with this new trend and advice from those further ahead with their businesses.

Just think, if you do all the work for your web business yourself, you will hit a wall when you are working all the waking hours you can spare, and can’t do any more. You can raise your hourly wage only so high - then you run into a ceiling there. The only way out of that box is to delegate if you can, or hire others to do some of the work. If you use your workers well your business can expand in many new directions.

Makes sense, right? Even for creative types and writers like you and me!

Do you hesitate to go shopping online? It’s getting easier all the time, but perhaps you need some simple how-to steps. Try these;

Generic Steps:
1. Go to a search engine, such as Google, and put in the keywords of the item you’d like to research and buy. Open the various links in separate tabs in your browser window.

2. Visit 3 to 10 of those sites and make notes of the prices and features. Read up on their shipping methods, and if need be, the exchange rate in currencies if you are willing to order from a web store in another country. Before long you’ll have an idea of where the best deal is to be found.

3. Make your decision. Get out your credit/debit card, or your PayPal account email.

4. Click the “Buy” button beside the item, or items, you want to purchase and fill out the form in the “Shopping cart.” Do it slowly and carefully to make sure you have no typos, especially in the credit card info and your email address. Read it over again to make sure. Click the last button at the bottom of the form, and you are done.

5. Look for a link to click on that will give you a printable receipt. Print that out on your printer and file it.

6. In a few days, or weeks, your purchase parcel will be at the door, depending on whether that web store ships by mail, or FedEx, or UPS, or whatever. Check it over and marvel at the advantages of shopping online.

Specific PowerMall Shopping:
1. Go to your MyPowerMall link. Search for the stores that carry the item(s) you have in mind.

2. Visit those stores, and note what percentage of rebate they will give you. Some may be as high as 50%! Make your comparison notes.

3. Make your decision. Get out your credit/debit card, or your PayPal account email.

4. Click the “Buy” button and fill out the shopping cart form. Do it carefully, and read it again. Click the last button.

5. Look for the receipt link, and print it out and file it.

6. Watch for your purchase to be delivered to your door or postal mail box.

7. Go check your PowerMall back office to see how much of a rebate is credited to you. When that reaches more than $25, you’ll get that money credited to your PowerMall account. Rejoice that you can make money from shopping online!

What? You don’t have your own PowerMall yet? Let me give you one!

About the summer of 1976, a mystery was solved. It now seems a small incident but stands out in my memory as a very unique answer to prayer, and proof that God watches over us - and our stuff.

A few days after I was back in London from a two week holiday to my parents in Saskatchewan, I noticed I was not getting any mail. It puzzled me, for it was it was rare not to find something in my mailbox at the foot of my private entrance staircase every day when I got home from my office job as a switchboard operator and receptionist. Nor was it always junk mail.

As a week passed, my disappointment and concern grew.

A second and third week quickly rolled by with my box empty whenever I lifted the lid, peering and feeling around inside. I got anxious; what was happening?

This was an older downtown area, and I kept aloof from most of my neighbours; could an unsavory character be helping himself to my mail? But why do it regularly for so long, never leaving even the junk behind?

I had asked the deaf mute woman in the lower unit to take in my mail while I was on holidays. I checked with her once more and she indicated by note that there really had only been the two pieces she had given me. They had come the first day I was away. She was sympathetic, so I didn’t blame her.

What if, I pondered, it was that long-haired young man on the other side who kept irregular hours and often played his guitar for his dog? I plotted a confrontation.

Go to My Mailbox Mystery to read the rest of this article from my Sharing Library.

As I just said, working from home has it’s distinct advantages. With multi-tasking I can get a lot of personal house and yard related work done too. I see the wisdom of not starting my training courses at the office until September. I think I’ll be glad of this arrangement many times yet over the next three months.

However, I do need to find time to go over to the office. I received another used computer on Saturday, and though I worked Saturday and Sunday on exploring it and trying to install a linux operating system on it, it does not allow me to boot from the CD drive, so it makes more sense to take it to the office and do an online net install where I can have another computer online at the same time to troubleshoot and solve problems. My laptop needs that kind of help too. So now I’m pondering my schedule. When can I best spare to set time aside to spend most of a day at the office. Actually there are some other computers there that need that kind of focused attention too.

I don’t have the answer yet, but I’m sure I will sooner or later. Maybe all day tomorrow?

By the way, the friends who brought the used computer, also went to bring me a special de-clawing tool, and a bag of toys for Snowflake. On top of that, the woman who has four cats and much more experience, informed me that Snowflake is a he instead of a she!

I still can’t get my head around that! (giggle!) That tiger tail with the feathers and bell entertains her..er, him so much!

Oh, there’s more. Apparently at 7-8 months it is high time to get the cat spayed. So I’ve just made appointments for that this Friday.

My garden plot was all sown up by Friday afternoon. I still want to dig up some flower beds and extend them, and sow something in the old fridge that I’ve turned into a container garden. Yesterday I started cleaning the fence in preparation for painting it. Working at home has it’s advantage, as I can dash out for half an hour’s yard work after lunch and supper, and on a small place like mine, these work spells do get things moving forward.

I even had a wee yard sale on Saturday, hoping to clear up some stuff I’d brought out of the basement. I only sold $3.75 worth, and still had to carry most of it back inside the porch. However, a young woman from up the street stopped by on her bike to chat, and we were both thrilled to find the other was a Christian. Bev went home to get her husband, and we visited for, oh, it must have been well over an hour. They have been praying for more Christians on this block, and I was happy to inform them that the couple living beside me are also good Christian friends of mine.

The neighours on the east side are having a double car garage built so Snowflake and I have been spending time watching them.

–Whew! That was fast. I was expecting two contractors this morning to give me quotes on the plumbing projects. They arrived at 9:30 on the dot, and were both done in 15 minutes! The one just took photos and measured square footage with a laser gizmo.

I’m praying that one more of the eight eavestroughers I have called will also show up soon, and then I will have all the quotes I need to send this bundle to the inspector. Hopefully then it will only take him a week or two to decide which ones I should hire for the work to be done. Then it can begin!

If you’ve been to my websites you will have noticed a lot of hints and tips on getting the e-book “Make Your WORDS Sell,” for if you want your website to succeed, you will accomplish it with your words. It is vital to learn to use just the right words to persuade your visitors to your goals, whatever they might be.

Well, that book, Make Your WORDS Sell, (MYWS)! has been selling for $29.95 for 8 years. And now… it’s FREE for all! If you want it - just download it, and make sure you take time to read it. MYWS!

We all recall the praise or cruel put-downs we received as children. Often one instance stands out as representative of how others saw us and therefore, how we saw ourselves. You and I know in our hearts, that such words can make or break a child.

In my own case, I remember that people would admire my middle sister, Elsie, and comment on her cute curls. Then they would turn to me, pat me on the head, and say, “And you are mommy’s little helper, aren’t you?”

It seems to me all my life long, I’ve been a little helper to mommy and daddy, and to teachers and bosses, and most of my friends. It is as a helper that I feel fulfilled and accepted. Since my parents were not very demonstrative with verbal approval, I’ve learned to get along without compliments; just give me a chance to be helpful and I’ll be all right.

Just recently I found an article in Readers Digest, which reported a study done by Carol Dweck, a professor of psychology at Stanford University in California. She published her findings in a book called, “Mindset: the New Psychology of Success.” In it she shows parents how to influence their children by praising them effectively.

Praise is good, but there are many kinds of praise, and not all types have the same effect. This researcher’s study proved that if parents praise children for their efforts, it has a better effect than if they praise them for their intelligence.

For example, if you tell your child, “Oh, you are so smart!” or, “I’m proud of you for being so clever,” the child will begin to think that everything is going to come easy to them, - because they are so intelligent. Life doesn’t always work out that way. Sometimes intelligence doesn’t solve a problem.

On the other hand, if you tell your child, “You really put forth a good effort. Thank you for trying so hard.” Or, “You can solve that if you stay at it. You’ll learn that yet!” and comments of that nature, you raise your child to be always looking for solutions to everything that they must learn or become skilled in doing. They keep applying themselves to make a strong effort. Naturally, the more they exert themselves, the better they get at whatever they try.

Think back again over the crucial comments made to you when you were young. How have those words affected you all your life to date? Do you see a lesson in that to copy, or something to avoid?

Perhaps we can extend this to how we compliment our friends that we have right now. Do you compliment them on what they are wearing? How smart or intelligent they are? Or do you watch for and zero in on good character traits and for the persistence at learning and doing what is right and good?

I am thankful that from my parents’ examples I have learned to also be resourceful and work at solving problems as they come up. I know this has given me a mindset prepped and ready for success. I see it in little ways, and I know I will succeed in larger ways yet too.

This is a new and different morning for me. Helen called from our Western Tract Mission office to say that her husband is sick and needs to be taken the doctor. Joe and Penny, who would normally be at the office and able to cover for her (Helen is the Administrative Assistant, bookkeeper, and receptionist) are away in the USA and only arriving back tomorrow afternoon. She needed someone to cover for her so the office could be open to the public. She wondered if I might help out.

Well, I covered for her a few weeks ago when they needed to go to a funeral, so it didn’t take me long to think and to conclude that I could write my RoseBouquet from Helen’s computer. It just took me a bit to pack up my backpack and 25 minutes to walk over.

Now I’ve spent about half an hour installing Firefox on this computer, as I just seem to need a tabbed browser - and it is free. Then I also need a plain text editor, so I’ve downloaded and installed Textpad for Helen too.

Fortunately I grabbed my password book as I left home, and so I was able to go online get a copy of last week’s RoseBouquet for the outline’s sake, and presto, I’m ready to work from this computer.

My own Azaleas office just upstairs, so I dashed up at the beginning and brought down my cordless phone, so in a sense, I’m even available if I get any business calls of my own.

There’s something sweet about being able to pick up my work and do it from another location on such short notice.

I’m even able to listen to my favourite background radio while I work, I love my BBN! Especially when Lynn Brooks reads the Christian Classics.

Incidentally, yesterday I got my dahlias and 6 short rows of potatoes planted! I hope to sow the other veggies sometime this week too.

Hmm… well, I have got some smaller projects done and off my desk, for which I’m glad. I’m making progress on the Aloe-vera-and-handy-herbs site and I’ve even done some reno work on this Ruthes-SecretRoses.com site.

I have not got to checking STATs on all the sites as I like to do at the beginning of the month for the previous month. When I did that for this site last week I discovered to my chargrin, that I had a bunch of bad links on my sub-domain on prayer, http://intimacy.Ruthes-SecretRoses.com as well as on the site proper, so I went at it, hoping to fix at least a few main pages. Before long I found a couple of hours had passed, but I had updated that whole sub-domain, and most of the other errors too. Another day I got the rest done. That sure feels good, even if it doesn’t seem so big to someone else.

In fact, two afternoons I decided to try to jot down everything that I did during the block of time I usually refer to as my “email time.” I was astonished at how many “little repairs jobs” and more detailed mentoring I squeeze into those afternoons. Once client needed a domain transferred so I initiated that, and started brainstorming with a new client for how we’ll name and present her site. I chatted with a couple of friends on the topics fresh in their minds. I don’t know that these lists would impress anyone else, but they reminded me that I don’t JUST read and answer emails in the afternoon, I get a lot of public relations and work done with/for clients.

I thought I had an idea for an article on the right kind of praise for children, triggered by an article I read in the Reader’s Digest, but on Saturday I went to a birthday party for Arnold Stobbe, our Director at Western Tract Mission. I was so impressed at the things his children and others said about him, that I think I’d like to take you to this birthday party today in my Ruthe’s Roses (inspirational) article. See that below.