Ramblings for July.
The remarkable thing this month was my income tax rebate. I could not believe it! The ward clerk told me last year, when he gave me my tithing statement and saw that I accepted it with lack of any real enthusiasm, that I could get a tax rebate on all charitable donations these days. Ray and I have not filed income tax returns since he retired, because our income is too low to necessitate it. I did not want to start that all over again. Then by chance I heard that one could request a rebate without filing a tax return. So I enquired at our local community services place and got a phone number. This I called, and a lady said she would send me rebate requests for the last five years! Just like that! I got the forms pronto and scrambled to find receipts for the last five years. For the earlier years I did not have many, because I used not to keep them. That did not matter, because in those years there was a cap on the amount of rebate one could receive. But for the last two years, they refunded in full all taxes on charitable donations. I got over $4000! Wow! It was timely. I had been living like a scrooge all June to pay off my credit card after my Australian holiday before the interest set in. Suddenly I had enough money to pay as well for my big South Island holiday that is coming up in November. Windows of heaven! Ray and I went to Matamata and splurged at the Op Shop, the Warehouse, and Posties in celebration!
I have read, or re-read a good few interesting books lately. One was "Seven Years in Tibet". The author got a first-hand account from a Lama who had been there, of the time the fourteenth (the present) Dalai Lama was 'recognized'. While in no way could I accept that he is an Incarnation, I have no doubt at all that the Lord selected him for the position he holds. Who could possibly be better? The miraculous way in which it was revealed where he would be found, and his unerring recognition, at four years old, of the disguised Lama who found him, whom he had never before met, leave me convinced. He also passed every prescribed test. The latter could be ascribed to luck and coincidence, but with so many items, I do not think it was. Another memorable book was "Eight Feet in the Andes". I think Margaret would like to read that one. The author and her nine-year-old daughter travelled with a mule over 1300 miles, (which is over 2000 kilometres) the length of Peru, crossing and recrossing vast mountain ranges. Even the daughter walked most of the way. A book Ray picked up at the library was "Life is So Good" by a black man who did not learn to read until he was 98! Then he discovered adult education classes! He collaborated with a journalist on the book. He lived until 103, despite a rough life of hard work and a shudderingly unhealthy diet!
Between the rain there have been a few fine days, and I have got the garden in order, or at least in as much order as I ever get my garden. Roses pruned, flower beds weeded. The vegetable beds have a lovely crop of weeds that I shall later dig in as – what do they call it – green cover? Also prepared a new bed for asparagus, which is a vegetable Ray enjoys. Our old asparagus is as good as dead.
It will come as no surprise that we looked at an Open House at Tokoroa one Sunday after Church. Six bedrooms yet! Enough even even for Ray! The house does not look that enormous because it has two storeys, the bottom one a semi-basement. We also went haring out to see a house for sale in the country between Matamata and Morrinsville. It had looked great in the photo in the paper, but did not appeal to us all in the reality. Of course we could not buy either house, but for some reason Ray thinks each month he might win the bonus bonds. The country house was in an area we had never been, and as we drove from there through Scotmans Valley towards Cambridge, we were favorably impressed with the mellow countryside.
The last week of July was our Temple Week. As usual, Ray took me to Temple View on Monday and fetched me back on Saturday. On each occasion we walked around 'the lake', Ngaroto, near Te Awamutu. It is a flat walk such as Ray likes, and must be 5-6 km. It takes us 1 hour and 20 minutes.
The highlight of that week was seeing Dylan and giving him a big surprise! This year I decided 4 sessions a day was enough, and so came out of the temple at 4.30 pm. That gave me time to go for a walk in the 'real' outside air before it got dark. On Tuesday I walked by the MTC around 5 o'clock in case that was the time the missionaries came out from the classes for tea. Not so.
On Wednesday I ensured I was passing the MTC at 5.30. A group of missionaries was emerging. I was so struck by them. They emanated youth and beauty and spirituality and love. They told me Elder Petty had gone ahead. I had actually seen him walking up the path, but had not been sure it was him and anyway he was too far away to call, even had I been irreverent enough to do so, and had my voice been capable of carrying that far. One is not supposed to visit missionaries at MTC, but if one is casually walking through the College grounds and accidentally sees them, who can complain?
I hurried on up the walk ahead of the main group of missionaries. Dylan turned and saw me. He stopped in surprise. We both held out our arms and I walked into his. He was amazed I was there. He did not even know there were apartments for temple patrons. He looked so good, dignified and positively handsome with his missionary clothes and haircut, and his glasses that become him so well. He companion was a Samoan. In my quick overview of the group, they had all seemed to be very dark Polynesians, but there must have been pale-skins amongst them. Dylan's cousin Elder Abel, though Maori on both sides, is not that dark. I did not notice him, but then I was only looking for one missionary! I walked with Dylan and his companion to the cafeteria, then said goodbye.
That is it this month from The Rambler.
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