I got my braces off yesterday, after wearing them for four years. Now I have a retainer. Still getting used to that.

Yay! Congratulations! I had braces for five years, so I know how that goes. Do you have to wear the retainer all the time, or just at night? I don't remember how long I had to wear mine during the day...

Thanks! I have to wear it all the time for now, except when I eat. After a few months, it'll switch to only at night. It's one of those invisible ones that are teeth shaped, and click onto your teeth, instead of one of those metal ones. I'm getting a new one too, so I don't know what that one will be like. The one I'm wearing now is just a temp retainer.

...By the way, "Shade of the Poplar Trees" looks very interesting. I'm thinking about joining but I haven't decided yet.

Thank you again! I hope you join! Let me know if you decide it's something you want to do.

~Riella

*pokes head in uncertainly* Hello?
Um, well, I remember my older sister (Narnia Girl) coming in here every now and then (I think it was on the older forums, so if you don't remember her that's fine ) and she told me to start coming in here...so, here I am!!
As I mentioned, my older sister is Narnia Girl, and for those of you who knew her, she wants me to explain why she doesn't get on very much anymore. She loves writing, and she types her stories on the computer. So, long story short, her wrists often hurt, and clicking around on the computer hurts them more, so that is why she doesn't get on anymore. She wants me to say "hi" to everyone
Hmm...what else to talk about...well, I just had a piano recital last night I am actually quite pleased with myself, because I got through the tricky part in my song without making any mistakes. What song did I play? "Fireflies" by Owl City!! I have a major obsession with Owl City, so if I talk about it alot, you must forgive me
For those of you who don't know me, please call me GG, Gigi (or GiGi), or Gabi.
Well, I suppose that's all for now! I'll be coming in here often, so see ya around!!

-Gigi

Hello again everyone!! I just had to come in here and do a dance because I am DONE WITH SCHOOL!!! And choir. And dance. And piano lessons. Sigh.

Homework, I can live without...but I have to confess I'm going to miss choir and dance.

Ah, well. Life is good. God is good. And I hope all of my lovely friends on the Square are doing well! With more free time, hopefully I can make it here more often.

My little brother is still in the hospital, but he's doing much better. I talked to him on the phone last night and he sounds so chipper and energetic! More so than I've heard him sound in a long time!

He's still not eating food. They have him on liquids and jello. But the doctors are anticipating a rapid recovery and we're all praying for one.

That's all for now. I'll probably stop here again sometime later today or tomorrow.

God bless!

*timidly walks in, eyes glued to the floor, nervously fiddling with her braid*
hi everyone.....(thinks of someting to say)........I uh wanted to come here for a while.....and now I think I have enough courage to do so (as they say the first step is the hardest one).........I um...don't really have anything to say except that I got caught in a small thunderstorm today and it was abselutely lovely (now I don't have to wash my hair )

RubyGamgee I'm glad your little brother is feeling better

well I uh....guess that's all for now.....will try to come back at some time or another though
ttfn (ta-ta for now)

Mortereve, all!
This is me, popping in for my occasional "yes, I'm still alive" visit.

I'm not gonna try and read/catch-up on all that's happened since last time. But I've been skimming now and then. So, here's a few things...

Ruby, I hope your brother continues to have a speedy recovery! I'll be praying for you all!

wild rose and Gigi, welcome to the Square! I know it's a little scary at first, but you get used to it fast, with the help of everyone else.

Oh, and Gigi, tell your sister we say hello!

Ok, I know you'll ask, so I'll beat you all to it:

I'm not quite sure how I am. In some respects I'm doing very well and feel quite accomplished lately. (I'm getting more and more chores done around here, and I've been getting a little writing done) However, there are also things stressing me out. But that's life, eh?

I'll try and stop back in again soon, but we'll see. Hope you all are doing well! Love ya!

Welcome to the Square, wild rose! We're a welcoming bunch and I'm sure you'll fit right in.

Thunderstorms, eh? My brother-in-law and I were helping my parents prepare for moving today, which mostly consisted of hauling stuff from the basement outside to the dumpster. The weather couldn't decide whether to rain on us, or be hot and humid. It seemed to change every 10 minutes.

But my, my legs are tired now. We hauled up an awful lot of stuff.

Nice to see you about the Square, PA and RubyGamgee (hope your brother is home soon, Ruby!)

Sorry for the brief post; a late dinner is about to be served...adios, SquareOnions!

The song "The Reckoning" by Andrew Peterson comes to mind as I sit by the window and watch the thunder clouds gather in the sky. I love the lyrics to that song so much, I shall post them here...

I can see the storm descending on the hill tonight
Tall trees are bending to Your will tonight
Let the mighty bow down
At the thundering sound of Your voice

How long? How long until this curtain is lifted?
How long? How long is this the song that we sing?
How long until the reckoning?

We've already received one tornado watch today and that was while it was still sunny. Thus far the tornadoes have pretty much bypassed our area. We'll see how it turns out...

I for one am hoping that a tornado does not come charging toward our home. Because if it does, we will all have to run to our basement. And our basement is currently...well...inhabitable. Mildew infested. So bad you do not breathe down there under any circumstances! Okay, it's not that bad. But it is pretty bad. I'm still indecisive as to whether I would rather suffer a tornado or a damp dank dark stinking storm shelter.

I'll probably choose the latter.

So the good news is that my brother is coming home from the hospital today!! After two and a half weeks in the hospital, he's been released. He's still recovering. He's been officially diagnosed with Crohn's Disease. The doctors are thinking that this is what caused his Juvenile Arthritis several years ago, because arthritis is sometimes how Crohn's manifests itself. So he may have had Crohn's for a while and he's always had digestive problems.

We know now what it is and that is a comfort. He's not fully recovered, but he's well on his way there. Thank you all so much for your prayers and support!!

Well, that is all I have for now. My brothers are eager to get on and watch the weather statuses. Good bye!

God bless!

I've let too much time go by without remembering old friends. The days have expanded out, nose and tail, until twilight means 8pm instead of 5pm. I have a new job now that's exciting or boring depending on the weather and the people. I try to convince people to buy trees. "Drops cotton... but but but, such a massive thing with a beautiful sound in the leaves. The kind of sound that inspires Kansan Poets." Etcetera. Or on days like today, smalltalk with coworkers and tie tags and watch the grey rain and lack of cars.

I uh wanted to come here for a while.....and now I think I have enough courage to do so

Certainly looks like you possess the courage to me. Welcome to the Square. (When I first joined Ditto Town, I remember I wavered for a while as well before diving in with my first post.)

(I'm getting more and more chores done around here, and I've been getting a little writing done) However, there are also things stressing me out. But that's life, eh?

PA! *Tacklehu….* I mean, greetings your highness. *polite curtsy* Is this the novel you started a while ago? Good for you! I haven’t done much* writing lately.

*That is to say, none at all.

I hope the things stressing you out turn out to be the kinds of things that make you stronger and lovelier! If you ever have more time to chat, I’d like to listen to you.

But my, my legs are tired now. We hauled up an awful lot of stuff.

Greetings old friend. Sorry I haven’t been around more. I don’t have an excuse really. I’ve just been choosing brainless activities and books over human interaction. Online at least.

About that quote above, we spend our lives accumulating a lot of things that turn out to be trash, don’t we?

Where is your brother moving to? I hope not far away.

So the good news is that my brother is coming home from the hospital today!!

Glad to hear it! Although of course, I just found out that he was in the hospital. Is Crohn’s Disease very treatable? I’m be praying for your family.

On a lighter topic, have you read Andrew Peterson’s novels? They’re a lot of fun! He’s a very versatile artist and one that seems to have a direct link to the kind of creativity the points to the Creator.

I will leave you with a video Digs posted on Facebook. It's about ducks and terror:

... dded#at=34

Aravanna! Wonderful to see you!

In answer to your question, we were actually helping my parents get ready to move, to a senior citizen apartment nearby. They've been in that house over 55 years, so you can imagine how much stuff they've accumulated.

Any tornado action down near you lately? They've been incredibly active this month. And though it's nothing like the twisters down south, one of the Twin Cities ones came close enough to deposit debris in our yard. No telling how many miles those garbage can covers and pieces of shingles have traveled.

My younger brother got sick as a teenager, and it was first diagnosed as Crohn's. Later we learned it was ulcerative colitis. The good news is that was almost 40 years ago now and he's doing fine.

You too 'gazer! How have you been?

(I've been corrupted... now I always want to add "I've been really busy being dead, you know because you MURDERED me," whenever I ask how someone's been. Ask Ryadian about it.)

Yes, 55 years of living in one place would probably collect a lot of stuff and things and knickknacks and paraphernalia .

I'm glad you weren't directly affected by any tornadoes 'gazer! We actually didn't get much of anything in my part of the state. Just warnings and rain. Oklahoma got pummeled light night though! We just got rain, which we needed badly.

Hello all!!
I'm glad to see that apparently no one was touched by the recent Tornado scare; it looked horrible. A big tornado and storm passed very near me, and looked like it was heading exactly towards my house (I wasn't there at the time) but thank God, it passed over it. But I was really scared for a few minutes.
Tomorrow I'm auditioning for the musical, Annie. I'm really excited and nervous; I'm still somewhat recovering from a cold, so my voice doesn't seem to be quite back to normal. Hopefully I'll do alright.

I am definitely praying for all that is going on in your family, Ruby. I hope your brother's recovery is complete!

I got my braces off yesterday, after wearing them for four years.

Congrats, Ithie!! That's so great, you must be so happy to have a free mouth again. Oh wait; you still have a retainer.

That got my attention! (No, I didn't read the spoilered area).

Thank you very much!
*waves to dotk*
Welcome to the square, GG! I'm so glad you've joined the ranks of square onions! I for one, will not object to constant talking about Owl City; I tend to do that myself!

I just had to come in here and do a dance because I am DONE WITH SCHOOL!!! And choir. And dance. And piano lessons. Sigh.

Congrats!!! That's wonderful!
*waves to Wild* Another newcomer to join us; maybe the square will get going again now! I'm so glad you're here with us; don't be shy. We don't bit; not even Vern.
*waves to PA and Aravanna*

It's a beautiful sunshiny day!! I'm excited because...I have finished memorizing the entire first chapter of the book of Hebrews! It's not very long, but still it's an achievement. It's a small step to my goal of memorizing the whole book.

Elanor, I'm glad your house was safe from the tornado. A tornado came very near us as well, though it didn't touch down until it was at least several miles from us. I have friends though that we're much closer to its damage and I know a lot of people in our area have suffered and lost loved ones.

Thank you so much for praying for my family! My brother can eat now, but he's on a somewhat restrictive diet. He's not allowed to eat too much fiber, because that tears up his intestines and he's also not allowed to eat too much sugar.

Last night a bunch of people from our church came over after dinner to surprise my brother with a welcome home ice cream party! It was awesome and so fun!!

Aravanna, I'm not sure but I don't believe you can ever completely cure Crohn's Disease. So long as my brother watches what he eats and sticks to his new medications, he should be fine. After a while, he probably won't even need all of the new medications he's been on. Thank you for your prayers.

wild rose, are you new to the Square? I can't remember if I've seen you on here before. Perhaps I've seen you on other forums? Ah, well. If you're new, welcome!! And thanks for praying for my brother, he's doing much, much better!

Well, I think I shall get back to playing the piano...or reading...or something.

Farewell for now! God bless!

Good mortereve, all! I haven't been around since mid-April(ish), but, since summer is officially here, I'll hopefully be posting more regularly.

Only three pages have passed? Psh. Pathetic. The Square can do better then that.

How have you all been? I guess the majority of you are finished with school for the summer. I "technically" got out last Thursday -- the seniors graduate tomorrow. I say "technically" because I was gone a ton last semester, so I'll be finishing up some work during the summer. Yup, I know: fun, fun, fuuuun.

As for the weather, it's been wet and stormy this week. I love the sound of raindrops pattering on the roof in the evenings, especially when a crackling fire and cup of hot tea/chocolate is on the menu. Rain does has the tendency to increase my depression, however, which is the one downfall. But I do love thunderstorms (as long as tornadoes aren't involved)! And, of course, the crispness of the air after a good rain is always refreshing.

Oh! A bit of exciting news here.... For any fellow Square Violinists, I may be going to an Itzhak Perlman concert this summer! *squeeeeal* I saw Joshua Bell last summer (AMAZING experience), and I've wanted to hear Perlman for awhile now. Hopefully it will work out.

*going back to page 72...*

Your sister had a boy, QS? How exciting! Do you have any other nephews or nieces?

*waves [belatedly] back to Elanor* I'm doing well, thank you! I was actually in the hospital earlier this week, but I'm out now and trying to get back into the swing of things. What about you? Have you been up to anything interesting lately?

*waves to MissRosario* It's always nice to see you!

And the same to you! How has life been for you lately? Have you read any good books? (Sorry....I ask that question commonly.) Now that I'm out of school and into the summer, I'm trying to build up my To-Read list. I'm actually working on The Hobbit at the moment, and am quite proud of myself. I've been procrastinating on starting LotR way too long.

If I'm remembering correctly, you also enjoy sewing. Yes? I've been, uh, attempting to sew several skirts and things lately. Hasn't turned out to be my greatest talent, but hey.... I'm improving!

*waves to Ben* Aw man, sorry to hear that the England plans didn't work out for you. What a bummer! Hope you're able to make the trip there someday though. (And when you do, take me with you! I've always wanted to visit England. --Actually, pretty much anywhere in Europe. I especially want to see Switzerland and Ireland. And New Zealand, even though it isn't in Europe.) Anyway. Minor ramble.

*sends {HUGS} to Anna --- to steal Jo's phrase*

Ah, you're working on a book, Riella? What's the plotline (if I may ask)?

Hey Lucy! Good to see you. And I AM going to reply to your PM. If I can still find it. Oh dear, I'm a terribly accomplished procrastinator.

*waves to outlier, Melian_Maia (neat that you got to go to Mexico over spring break!), Silver, 'gazer, Fireflower, Dot, and Stardf*

Dear miss Rose reminded me a few days ago that we have not been in the Square for a long while, so here we are. Hopefully Rose will see this....

I just saw that. And I feel honored. *sigh* The Square really has turned into a ghost town. The chocolate tree badly needs tending, methinks. Something tells me that Vern is the man -- er, dragon -- for the job. But. Another member of the Royal Family comes to mind who practically ran off with the thing, uh, seemed to enjoy the chocolates immensely. (But hey, Narnian chocolate is like no other.)

Haaaaalllllllllllllllooooooooooooooooo! Lady A?

Oh - and I'm considering starting a club for the 05 Pride and Prejudice - are there enough people who think it's the best one for me to do it?

Ah, I like the 2005 Pride and Prejudice best too! ...As for a club, I've never been into them much. *shrug* But I definitely do agree with you - the 05 version is spectacular.

@ Rose. Well, twas thanks to your prodding that got me in here. Anyway, lovely to see you around here as well. Yeah, we both need to come by more often... Hopefully we can with summer coming up.

Ha, yeah. This merely shows how poorly I stay up to date with the Square.
Anyway. Many 's in return!!

*waves to Ly* (!!)

No posts in 5 days? What is happening to this place?

Yeaaah. It's a problem. My face nearly fell off when I noticed that only three pages have passed in over a month.

Yay! It's Ruby! Good to see several of your posts again.
And that's really neat that your choir director accepted your mom's arrangement of Scarborough Fair. (That song always reminds me of Simon and Garfunkel [sp?] -- a pair of several-generation-old singers, so don't feel bad if you don't recognize the names. )

Glad to hear that your brother is doing better! I was in the hospital earlier this week as well, and.... wow. You never realize how much you love being home until you're gone. That's fantastic that he's coming home, though! I bet your family is super excited.

Well, summer has officially started for me. Finals week was last week and I graduated with my Associates degree. I'm taking classes this summer (macro and microeconomics), but I have three weeks to sleep in so I'm happy. And then I'll be transferring to a university this fall. I'm excited.

Wow, congrats! You must feel relieved. Hurray for summer!

By the way, I love your avatar. I just watched Tangled for the first time several weeks ago. Cute movie!

And a HUGE conga-rats to you, Riella on getting your braces off! Four years is a long time. I had braces and appliances on and off for a five/six years. Ugh. Not fun. I remember the day I got them off -- I went out and ate everything I hadn't been allowed to eat before (though I had, it just hadn't been "legal").

A warm greeting to both Gods Girl Gabi and wild rose! New faces are always fun, and you two seem to be getting the hang of things. I remember when I first came -- I lurked awhile before posting, but the first post was nerve-wracking all the same. No worries, though. We don't bite! (or.... most of us don't.) Hope you can stick around. And, as for nicknames, feel free to call me anything that strikes your fancy (my most common ones are Rose, Rosa, Miss Rosa, Miss R....etc etc).

Eek. Ara?! *tacklehug* Lovely to see you!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, concludes tonight's catchup post. I'm going to get back to reading....or drawing....or something-rather. But before I go, I'll leave you all with the words of a very wise man:

‎"People travel to wonder at the height of mountains,
at the huge waves of the sea,
at the long courses of rivers,
at the vast compass of the ocean,
at the circular motion of the stars;
and yet they pass by themselves without wondering."
--St. Augustine

I’m glad you didn’t get hit by a tornado either Elanor! We’d had some storms come through Kansas, although they thankfully didn't drop tornadoes in my area. If I’m not mistaken, this is one of the worse springs on record for tornado causalities. Oy!

Anyhoo, did you find out the casting for Annie? How did you think the audition went?

We don't bit

Not a bit.

It's a beautiful sunshiny day!! I'm excited because...I have finished memorizing the entire first chapter of the book of Hebrews!

Congratulations! That’s quite epic, hiding God’s word in your heart and all that.

And I’m glad your brother can at least control the disease by watching what he eats. I think most people in America should cut down on starch and sugar anyhow.

Miss Rosario! It’s been a while! How have you been?

(Dog-gone-it! Same Portal 2 quote going through my head again.) And you’re reading the Hobbit! I did like that book, although I know some people don’t appreciate the tone of it and thought it was inferior. It is for younger children, but still very enjoyable. I remember my mom reading it to us and we all started giggling incessantly at the “Struck by lightening! Struck by Lightening!” part.

Simon and Garfunkel! I love their version of “Scarborough Fair!” Even the political undertones they add to it randomly. The “Sound of Silence” is still my favorite of theirs though.

And you were in the hospital! What happened?

Eek. Ara?! *tacklehug* Lovely to see you!

A hearty Ditto to that!

Hello all!
I caught a nasty flu thing last night, so that's not very enjoyable; but I'm feeling better now. Trying to drink some water.

Elanor, I'm glad your house was safe from the tornado. A tornado came very near us as well, though it didn't touch down until it was at least several miles from us. I have friends though that we're much closer to its damage and I know a lot of people in our area have suffered and lost loved ones.

Thank you; so am I! I'll be praying for your friends, and everyone who suffered great losses through the storms.

I'm doing well, thank you! I was actually in the hospital earlier this week, but I'm out now and trying to get back into the swing of things. What about you? Have you been up to anything interesting lately?

Oh dear! What happened? Whatever it was, I'm glad you're getting better! I'm doing okay; like I said, trying to recover from this sickness, and manage life.

Ah, I like the 2005 Pride and Prejudice best too! ...As for a club, I've never been into them much. *shrug* But I definitely do agree with you - the 05 version is spectacular.

Oh, yay!! What others have you seen? Well, looks like the club isn't getting much enthusiasm. But at least I know that we have some intelligent people here. *coughCorDjaqandotherscough*

Anyhoo, did you find out the casting for Annie? How did you think the audition went?

It went well!! The auditions were really fun, and went really well too. I got called back the next morning after auditions, to compete with 6 girls to get the part of Annie. I didn't. But I'm very glad that I came close, and as I'm one of the orphans, I'm excited! It was really fun singing Tomorrow for everyone.

Not a bit.

I have the funny feeling that I'm being made fun of . . oops.