2006 with the Truffins

So it’s been a long year
Every new day brings one more tear
Till there’s nothing left to cry

One benefit of a year-end review is that it allows us to notice the objective blessings of the year even when difficulties seem to overwhelm the good. 2006 started out strong and limped to the finish for us. Midway through the year we suffered a dear loss, and autumn brought disappointment and frustration on various fronts. However, in the midst of that tension, God was still good in providing us encouragement and release to enjoy His works. Christ never promises to save us from trial, but He does walk with us.

My, my how time flies
Like little children hiding their eyes
We’ll make it disappear
Let’s start a brand new year

January

We drove down to Florida with Ted and Nancy to join Todd's family for New Year's. Since Todd's dad was hunting for a new job, we didn't know when we'd get back to Disney World as a group. So, we all (8 adults and one very young child) spent a day at Disney. We had a splendid lunch in England, went Soarin' over California, and bought a teapot in Japan without leaving the state. Little Mercy loved the Japanese drummers, and Joy got a picture of the two of them strolling into the Magic Kingdom for the first time. It was a wonderful way to kick off the new year.

Upon returning to Ohio, Todd and Ted took off on a trek to Big Bend National Park in Texas. On the drive down we stopped at the Laumeier Sculpture Park and played disc golf in Missouri, Oklahoma, and Texas. We spent six days in the park and barely scratched the surface of what's to see. However, we did do a nice variety of activities: 12-mile scenic hike to the South Rim, backcountry camping in the desert, 4-wheeling on old mine roads, and cruising the border. Todd heard the news via radio that his Steelers were headed to the Super Bowl and was able to barely make out the NFC game. Even though it was Texas, we nearly froze at night, and the strong winds forced us into the Jeep more than once to play cards. Much like our trip to Alaska, when it came time to go home, we really wanted to motor. We drove long days, stopping only to play some disc golf in Kentucky, to shave off some time and get back home.

February

While Todd was recuperating from the trip, Sherry used his ticket to take a student with her to see Aimee Mann in concert. It was a lovely show, with the band and singer showing great wit and diversity in style. Later in the year, Todd would name Mann's One More Drifter in the Snow one of his favorite new Christmas albums. Around Valentine's Day, we joined our friends Dan and Mathilda at the Masque of Courtly Love in the Marche of Alderford (North Canton, OH). Dan and Mathilda are active members of Castell Gwent in the Society for Creative Anachronism, and we like the fact that they let us come along and play with them.

March

In honor of Sherry's birthday, we held our 4th (or 5th) Irregular Monty Python Party. In addition to viewing Monty Python and the Holy Grail as well as assorted shorts, we had a SPAM molding competition, a heraldic reading of the house rules, and an attack by mallow rabbits. The evening began with the lighting of the Grail Shaped Beacon, and ended when everyone grew disgusted by the feel of potted meat on their hands. A good time was had by all, except perhaps for the poor bloke who got lost in the upstairs bathroom.

April

Todd had the privilege early in the month to hear Anne Lamott speak at Case Western Reserve. We've been fans of Lamott ever since we read Travelling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith. Todd wrote about the experience here.

We celebrated Easter with Ted and Nancy in Strongsville. After noticing how nice the weather was, Ted, Nancy, and Todd decided to drive to Detroit the next day to watch the Indians play the Tigers. Sherry had to work. We had a delightful day watching what was to be the last quality Indians game of the season. Todd and Sherry joined a group of people who went in together to acquire season tickets. Sadly, by the time our games came up, the Indians were well out of the running. We did enjoy the nights out however.

May

As the semester came to a close, we lept at the chance to see Arlo Guthrie perform right here in Tiffin. The show was almost sold out, and the aging folk singer did not disappoint. While he, of course, sang "Alice's Restaurant" and "The Motorcycle Song," the highlights of the evening were his stories and the old folk tunes he shared.

With the school year ended, we piled in the car and headed to Holden Beach, NC where we spent a glorious week with the BLT's (Burchams, Langleys, and Truffins). The beach house that the Burcham's friends own was going up for sale, so we were thinking this might be the last time we get the chance to stay there. We did all the favorite things--shrimp feast, sand castles, long walks, card games--and some new ones--fresh fish from Cap'n Pete's, introducing Mercy to the ocean, the new ice cream parlor with wi-fi access.

After a week of serene relaxation, we headed to Raleigh to visit the Morefields' new house. It was great seeing them. Todd, Ken, and Cindy went disc golfing, and Todd hit his first hole-in-one on the first hole! He was very grateful that he had not one but two witnesses and a digital camera to document the occasion. We also got to see Ken's latest employer, Campbell University. The Morefields introduced us to a new favorite game: Kill Dr. Lucky.

With all of this happiness and light, you may well be wondering what all the dark forboding was about earlier. Well, it was in May that the storm clouds were gathering. Before we left on our North Carolina trip, our big orange tabby, Tigger, started acting strange. A trip to the vet confirmed that something was wrong. The initial diagnosis was "mega-colon." We left Tigger in the care of our friend Pat, who did a yeoman's job caring for our ailing feline, and under his care, Tigger showed great improvement while we were gone.

June

On our arrival home, Tigger took a turn for the worse. For the next four weeks we would make several trips to the vet. It appeared that the mega-colon was a symptom of a larger issue. Because Tigger couldn't stay hydrated, we learned to give him fluids sub-cutaneously. Even that was to no avail. In the end, with his kidneys failing, our beloved Tigger died on June 27. From our announcement:

We chose to be with Tigger when the drugs were administered and were able to comfort him in his last moments. We took advantage of a service offered by the hospital, and Tigger will be cremated and his ashes scattered in an apple orchard outside of Columbus.

Tigger came into our home on Dec. 18, 1995 and has been with us through every single move we've made since we were married. He was always a comfort during our difficult times and a source of joy always. God used Tigger to teach Sherry many lessons in contemplation while she read Dallas Willard's books, and we worked through Renovare's Spiritual Formation Workbook. Since we've been in Tiffin, Tigger has passed on all his feline knowledge to little Emma, who will miss being chased up and down the stairs.

In the midst of the sorrow, Todd had an interesting conversation with Brad Rees, a colleague from TU and leader of our church choir. The short story is that by the end of the month Todd was over at Brad's, and Brad was showing him the very interesting hobby of homebrewing one's own ale. The effort, something called Outcomes Assessment Ale, was such a hit, that Todd went out and acquired his own brewing setup. He's done two batches, the second of which--12 Night Bitter--will be unveiled Jan. 6.

July

You may remember that last year, the Truffins joined a Community Supported Agriculture farm run by the nuns out at St. Francis convent here in Tiffin. We've come to call the produce "hippie vegetables" and love the organic, fresh-grown produce. This year, the farm got crazy and got a bunch of chickens to produce eggs. So, in July, we began receiving "hippie eggs," cage-free, organic eggs. Not only are they brown, but the yolks are an intense golden yellow that makes me wonder what horrible things get done to the chickens who lay our regular eggs.

After a month of mourning Tigger, our other cat, Emma seemed to come back to herself, but she was definitely lonely. We left her alone for a few nights while we went to Chicago, and she was rather distraught. So, we decided it was time to get her a new friend. After an odd ordeal at the Humane Society, we welcomed Knightley into our home.

August

Shortly after Knightley was settled in, Todd left town for his fourth Glen Workshop. This year he attended the Spiritual Writing track instead of fiction writing. Each year speaks in a different way; this year was more about the social support of fellow Christians making well-made things than the technical support, but it was a much-needed blessing nonetheless. For the first time since his first Glenn, Todd returned to Chimayo. Whatever one may think about miraculous healing, places like Chimayo are infused with meaning by the intense faith of those who pilgrimage there. Todd was moved by the powerful faith of those who physically believe in that which they cannot see.

Once back in Ohio, Todd and Sherry were delighted by a show put on by Guster at the Toledo Zoo. Something wonderful about a rock band performing right along with the zoo animals.

Although tempered by our grief still, we were excited for Sherry's essay "'Terrors of the Night’: Salvation, Gender, and the Gothic in Go Tell It on the Mountain" to be published in a collection of essays on James Baldwin's masterpiece. The book itself is outrageously expensive, but you can see it at the publisher.

We also returned to Bucyrus for the ever so popular Bratwurst Festival. What can you say about a town gather together to celebrate ground meat stuffed in intestine casing? Probably about as much as what you can say about a culture that not only creates the Twinkie, but then dares to deep fry it. You can read a full description and see Ohio's Festival Queens respond to our royal waving here.

September

Towards the end of August, Sherry started having trouble sleeping, which made the beginning of school rather rough. An oddly troublesome crop of freshmen didn't help. Reports from all over campus were that this semester was weird; it was like there was a full-moon for 4 months. Added to this, two scholars in Texas dropped the ball on a publishing deal causing Sherry to lose a great deal of time she had spent working on an essay for them. Between the insomnia, misbehaving students, and missing our favorite orange cat, the month seems to go on forever.

The one piece of good news is that Todd's dad, Terry, after a long and tumultuous search, was called to pastor a church in Oil City, PA. He accepted. His first Sunday was September 11. While the transition from Florida back up north is sure to be a challenge, it has been good to see God make a way for Terry and Judi.

October

In a fit of silliness, we headed into Cleveland to see the travelling production of Spamalot, the Broadway musical based on Monty Python sketches. Todd dressed in medieval garb, and t-shirts were purchased. Obviously, we had a great time!

Over Fall Break, we rented a cabin in West Virginia with the Morefields. It was just a few days, but we all needed the rest that a cabin with a well-stocked fire-place can offer. Sherry got to have some more time with the Morefields later in the month as she and they attended the Mid-Atlantic Popular/American Culture Association conference in Baltimore. It was a great trip for Sherry, who not only presented her paper "A Stomach Full: Consumption, Gender, & Violence in Rock & Roll & Contemporary American Fiction," but she got to visit the nation's capitol for the first time. Our friends the Bates acted as tour guides, and Sherry got to catch up with their daughter, one of Sherry's former students, who is now working at the National Gallery.

November

The big event of November was the Roy Orbison Tribute put on by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland. Oh, yeah, Todd's birthday was also celebrated.

December

As we limped to the end of the semester and the year, we had ourselves a very musical December. Todd sang in the Nine Lessons and Carols at church and once again joined the Heidleberg Community Chorus to present Handel's Messiah. Todd was reminded of the power of music to cut through the clutter of everyday life and remind us of the glories we have forgotten.

The day after Messiah we drove down to Columbus. The main act on the bill was The Who--and they did put on a rather good show despite the lead singer's voice being almost totally gone--but the real reason we went was to see Akron favorite and R&R HOF inductee, The Pretenders. Sherry was rather excited, and they were superb.

Many of you know that for the last several years, Sherry's older sister's children have been in foster care, and their permanent situation has been up in the air. On the 15th, that situation solidified substantially when the four children were permanently adopted by Sherry's youngest sister. We now pray for direction in how we can support this rather young woman who has taken on this awesome task while also raising her own son.

The weekend before Christmas we hauled ourselves to Cincinnnati, to see Over the Rhine in their annual Christmas show at the Taft Theater. We splurged and got ourselves a room at the Vernon Manor Hotel, which was so nice we wondered why we were leaving our room at all. However, the show was full of Christmas wonder and playfullness. A perfect antidote to the Grinch that had been shadowing the last half of our year.

The Truffins closed out their year celebrating Christmas in Cleveland. The Florida and PA contingents all converged on Ted and Nancy's house where we spent some much desired time together. Now we rest and look forward to 2007.

Darlin’ Christmas is coming
Salvation army bells are ringing
Darlin’ Christmas is coming
Do you believe in angels singing
Darlin’ the snow is falling
Falling like forgiveness from the sky

Lyrics througout are from "Darlin" by Over the Rhine, Snow Angels