Update
It's been about 48 hours since I posted Jonathan's photo on the Van Gogh look-alike website. He has currently received 81 votes, which places him in 219th place among 1090 entrants. Wow!
I read the website information quite carefully, and the artist reserves the right to choose the winner, no matter how many votes are cast. So . . . even if Jonathan doesn't get the highest vote count, the closer he gets to the top, the more likely the artist will look carefully at his facial features.
So, if you want to help out, keep on voting! The website allows you to cast a vote every 24 hours. I'll keep you posted on how it's going.
Trigger
The items in this photo look quite normal. But there's a story behind them . . .
Ever since Kentucky joined our household six years ago, he has been very frightened of his harness. When we bring it to leash him up, he runs away, trembles, or otherwise shows his unwillingness. While he's wearing it, he'll often walk very stiffly, as if frozen in place. He exhibits the same behaviors when the kids dress him up. All of this is at odds with his normal personality, which is quite sunny and (as is usual for dachsunds) courageous in the face of danger.
I've learned in counseling that unusual behaviors (like Kentucky's reaction to his harness) often originate from trauma earlier in life. So it was interesting to see Kentucky try to hide his harness from us, not once but twice in the last few days. His leash and harness had been placed on the floor together, and Kentucky very diligently rooted the leash up over the harness to cover it. He's done the same motions when he buries something he doesn't want us to see.
Of course, Kentucky doesn't realize that the harness is still quite visible. But he's doing the best he can under the circumstances.
Please Vote!
When Jonathan and I lived in Europe, we visited the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam. As we perused the galleries, more than one visitor approached Jonathan about his role impersonating Van Gogh. They thought he was a hired actor working for the museum!
So a few days ago, when I learned about a Van Gogh look-alike contest, it was a no-brainer to enter Joanthan. You can help by voting for him. One vote is allowed per day at the following website:
http://iamvincent.com/#vote
Jonathan's photo is near the top, since I just entered him this morning. Click on his photo and then the word "Vote."
If you want more information about the contest, you can check out the rest of the website. I found it from the following two articles in an English-language website about Swedish news:
http://www.thelocal.se/20160627/is-this-swede-vincent-van-gogh-reincarnated
http://www.thelocal.se/20160725/which-of-these-swedes-is-vincent-van-goghs-lost-twin
On a Billboard
Turn signals
The original instant message
Time to Celebrate
Jonathan just finished composing a piece. It's his first completion in a long time, because his composing work the last few years has been a gigantic project (Song of Solomon) that is still in process.
The piece he finished today is a collaborative effort with David Rogner, chair of the English department at Concordia. Dave wrote the poem, which Jonathan set as a choral work with string accompaniment. This morning, Jon wrote out the clean copy and distributed it to the conductors who will consider performing it. Time to celebrate!
Prayer
Today during worship, our pastor prayed for the seven teenagers and four chaperones from our congregation who are a attending a national youth gathering. Sarah and David are among the attendees. The pastor prayed for the chaperones as they "try to lead the high school students." He knows what he's talking about!
Summer Job
Peter is mowing a neighbor's lawn this summer as his first ever regular job. Right now, I'm supervising by watching him work. Brings back memories. When I was just a little older than Peter, I mowed lawns for a summer as my job, too. I love mowing, which gives time outdoors, immediate satisfaction of a job well-done, and the great smell of fresh grass. Memory lane for me.
Bon Voyage
Yesterday, Sarah and David left for the National Youth Gathering (NYG) of the LC-MS. They first boarded a local train to travel to Chicago's Union Station, where they eventually caught the Amtrak to New Orleans.
As the train pulled away, our church's youth director caught a photo of some parents. We were oblivious to the weather behind us, which fortunately didn't develop into anything serious.
Speed of Time
Cell phones are the bane of my existence. It's not possible to detail why, but my world would be a lot better without them.
I was struck today, however, in witnessing a situation where life is greatly improved by mobile phones. While driving, I came across the scene of an accident just moments after it happened. I pulled to the curb and called 911. Even though less than a minute had transpired, the dispatcher had already heard what had happened and sent an ambulance.
In the old days, notification would have waited much longer until someone found a pay phone.
Howling Poodle
At the local 4th of July parade near our church, we satbehi,d a woman holding a small poodle. He was quite agitated at the sirens, which were loud enough to hurt my ears, let alone a dog. He finally handled the problem by lifting his chin and letting out a very long howl. I tried to capture it on my camera--didn't get get the howl but at least you can see the scene:
Welcome Home!
Last weekend, I traveled to Philadelphia to attend a conference with my mother, sister, and niece. We celebrated the last reunion of the Augustana Heritage Association, which celebrates the Swedish-Lutheran church body (the Augustana Lutheran Church) that existed from 1860-1962. Our time in Philadephia was educational, family-centered, and poignant. The highlight was worshiping with my mother, as she sang the old liturgy with great feeling.
When I returned to Chicago, Peter welcomed me home with a wonderful dessert--a Harry Potter "trifle." It is scrumptious, with layers of cake, pudding, nuts, and other delicious ingredients. He and my friend Cindy followed a recipe from a Harry Potter cookbook to create this incredible dessert. And here is Peter's own (artistic) photo to show you:
