Lincoln this, Lincoln that

It's Memorial Day -- and raining. Not to fret. Jeff and I just got back from a fun two days in Springfield, IL. (Did you know there is a Springfield in every state?) We stayed at a bed and breakfast which used to be broken up into apartments. It was built over 100 years ago. I tell you, I felt like I had entered a Humphrey Bogart or Jimmy Stewart movie. There was the woodwork - everywhere. Stairs, winding. A front desk with a small closet where each room's key was on a nail. The amenities were great although i did not partake in all. Each day at 5 pm there is free wine and cheese in a central location. Every evening, after we had been out and returned, there on our door knob was a basket with 4 homemade chocolate chip cookies. Marriott, beat that!

We had a whirlpool bathtub, a remodeled bathroom with a pedestal sink and clean tile, etc. One day, after many people had checked out, I walked on 2nd and 3rd floor and snooped in all the rooms. There were some stunning options.

This was a Lincoln weekend. I'd say there were 3 favorites for me: 1. Lincoln's home; 2. a Frank Lloyd Wright home to tour with original furniture, light fixtures, wallpaper; and 3. (the best) was the new Abraham Lincoln museum. After touring the museum, you feel like you were a fly on the wall and watched him grow up, marry and die. Go see it.

Frankie's home was dark, but the layout and feel of the place was very appealing. It would be a great place to live if only the lighting was better (they had all light fixtures set at 1904 wattage (15) for historical accuracy), and if those darn mission chairs had a curve for the spine. The furniture is great, except the chairs have perfectly vertical backs. Once, when the owner's tried to get rid of the house and the furniture inside, no one wanted the straight-back chairs. This turned out for the benefit of the home - now museum. The chairs did not have to be found and bought back. Go see it too!

Lincoln's home was a two story colonial of sorts. The wallpaper was garish, but in style then. We also toured one of Lincoln's law offices and learned that on occasion, Lincoln came to work after having argued with his wife. His law partner would notice a tear in Lincoln's eye, and disappear for an hour. When he returned, all was well with poor Abe. Did you know his wife was admitted to a mental hospital by her one surviving son? She really was a bit off. Everyone has their own suffering, don't they.

Well, all for now.

An Iris in the Spring

Today is beautiful. Warm. Sunny. Dry. Irises have bloomed in our front yard. They have without doubt the most lovely smell. Next comes Lilacs. Today I walked past a lilac bush which had almost a spicy aroma with the sweetness. Curious. It's amazing to me how God can make such a luscious smell that is not too heavy, or too sweet, like some perfumes can be. People have tried to duplicate God's perfumes and put them in bottles. Have you ever smelled a bottled perfume that smells remotely as fresh, light, intoxicating as an aromatic flower in the sunshine?

We humans can make some wonderful smells - usually associated with food. For example, homemade bread, coffee, bacon, apple pie, Thanksgiving turkey, all produce in us a deep breath with a smile as we enter their vicinity . But even these, with their comforting smells, cannot compare with an iris in the spring.

Traditionally, consistently, without fail, I have had extreme nausea when pregnant. Ask my relatives. It is so bad, even the smell of water can make me up-chuck. One day during my pregnancy with Ashley, God gave me a reprieve. For one day (and this had never happened before), the nausea was gone. One day only. Our neighbors in Red Wing, Minnesota, had a back yard completely filled up with flowers and plants. There was a path through the garden, so I left in-house prison for a walk among irises. Oh, the smell! I believe I got teary eyed, so appreciative of the break I was experiencing. God had given me a gift of flowers with irises. I don't recall if the nausea came back that afternoon, or the next morning, but it did. Just as bad as always. I don't know why. But even today, irises make me think of that day - a present from my Father above. I absolutely LOVE the smell of Irises in the spring.

Gross Factor: 4 out of 10

What do you call it when you have a duty to do in the bathroom? Did you use the number system as a child? One for liquids, two for solids? It was used in the home I grew up in. And I used it with my children. It was a code to be used in lieu of vocalizing in public the gross alternatives such as "poop". I had not realized it was such a part of our culture, although probably not spelled out anywhere -- until recently. Where did I discover this? In the bathroom of course. It's always educational to travel, don't you think? Well, along the route between Wenham, Massachusetts and Geneva, Illinois, I was educated on the fact that the whole world must use the number system. In a rest area, doing my own business, was a new kind of toilet. I warned you this has a gross factor. Instead of the normal handle to flush, this toilet had a special orange colored handle with instructions for the uninitiated (me). It told me to push the handle up for number 1 (liquids) and push it down for solids (number 2). Apparently this will conserve clean water as one requires more water than the other. I had to chuckle; all the moms in the world have had their private language published. It's offical.