与有荣焉 - 農委會輔導處副處長 - 周若男!

若男 is the classmate I referred to as popular and charming. Her voice sounds just like the days we were at NTU. I believe her success comes from both great IQ and EQ. By the way, she just became a grandma not very long ago.

How I love 大麗花!!!

大麗花 slide show offered by my visiting scholar friend of China, Chengke Bai: https://picasaweb.google.com/106275382537645214912/OeOjDH?authkey=Gv1sRgCKXekv6LkfvnbA&feat=email#slideshow/5647198384372810946

This was my second year there with about ten of my gangs vs only three of us in 2010; it is more than three times in terms of growth. Wow! What a lovely invitation. The beauty of the show is that we can get all the 大麗花 home after the show. Want some August of next year?  Just let me know.

Shere-Ling

02,

Please help me to add this article under  1976 台大農推系.

Thanks,

Shere-Ling

農家樂                                    12/10/2011

( 對不起，我又成了多產「老」（年紀而這」作家，實在是覺得生活中有許多美好的事物可回憶、要記下。您看，信手拈來又是一篇，完全不費功夫的啊。

能和老中交集的好處「巧」多，不但動頭腦算又算，且能操練在中文字檔案中思尋幾十年沒寫過的字，幸好這個 brain processor 雖是老舊了些，但還管用，頓時讓我覺得年輕幾歲，真美妙！這是合了薇薇夫人常保年輕秘訣的那一條呢？且慢，讓我再想一想，阿丙，姚雪玲。

Okay, 文字有了，照片也有了，但還不知怎麼 make them fit into the article。 有那位前輩可以指點一下嗎？「阿丙，這點小事還要問人家，真是太大小姐了一點吧？Don't you know how to look it up yourself? 」Alright, alright, I will give it a try. Just remember that I am slow and need more time, please, even though my IQ is 126 tested in NTU. )

自從 1998 年搬到麥城新屋後，我就開始種菜，享受田園生活。老公說我得到的比投入的少，但我不理他，個中樂趣自己體會。一開始種的是 tomato, green bean, chive, green pepper 等，次年還嚐試了 watermelon。 有一年加種 pea 和 beet 等，又有一年專種做香料用 herb 的 basil, lavendar, sage, and chive。 從整地、施化肥、播種、插苗、澆水、除雜草到摘取果實，我都樂無窮。後面的鄰居 Joseph 看我很像一回事地努力當菜農，還問為什麽從台北都市長大的我會這些？我興高彩烈地告訴他：「我大學的時候就種過四季豆和白磨菇，現在是溫故知新。」其實那會兒我在家是大小姐，到了台大後側的農地也沒興奮感，只覺得天太熱，老流汗，倒是記得我為 mash room 上農車加化學藥品到稻草堆裡翻動時，因為手腳長的關係，特別賣力，果然時候到了有好收成。 前幾年我太忙，又加上興頭過了，就錯過了種菜的季節。接下來的兩、三年，好幾種不知名的威州 tall grass prairie 種子， 自動飛到我那兩塊地來安身立命，增添新彩。靜極思動，終於在去年的五月初，我這「老」骨頭請了三位年青力壯的中國學者、學生、博士後及好友 Mary 來幫忙整地，順便在我家和附近的 Lake Mendota 玩一玩。

這三年休耕真是 「有機栽培作物」的前奏；因為拜原有的本地高草原稙物根部之賜，不加任何化學肥料，田地裡已經滿是 nitrogen 了， 比加添什麼化學肥料都好！又加上不施農藥，這「有機」的意義不但是無毒，更是讓我有幸地參與了整個生態環境的維護。真高興在離開農推學子生涯 的 30 多年之後，在威州麥城有機會做個自家小小的 organic farmer, 體驗些許的 sustainability - 吃自種的香甜大紅番茄、美式黃瓜和大茄子。其中黃瓜 （cucumber） 才七天便有 28 公分長，笳子有 24 公分長 ，番茄直徑 10 公分長。（見照片）哈哈，我這回鐵定是拿了個不折不扣的 A。您說呢？

番茄直徑 10 公分長

笳子24 公分長

三位年青力壯的中國學者、學生、博士後及好友 Mary

Lake Mendota (夢到她)

Beautiful MAY of 2010

後記：

拜讀商業周刊有關回歸天然有機耕種一文，激發我寫這篇，好向台大農推老同學及四年級部落格新朋友們報告、分享一點 my life's application in the area of ecology and sustainability as a person with cultural mandate. 希望能拋磚引玉，欣賞您的大作。明年有機會再介紹我的一顆有機蘋果樹吧。

姚雪玲，寫於威州麥城

Psalm 30 (NVSR)

30:4 Sing praises to the LORD, O you his faithful ones, and give thanks to his holy name.
30:5 For his anger is but for a moment; his favor is for a lifetime. Weeping may linger for the night, but joy comes with the morning.

30:10 Hear, O LORD, and be gracious to me! O LORD, be my helper!"
30:11 You have turned my mourning into dancing; you have taken off my sackcloth and clothed me with joy,
30:12 so that my soul may praise you and not be silent. O LORD my God, I will give thanks to you forever.

前兩天收到 02 更多轉系老同學的電郵地址，於是在她的熱情感染下，轉發1976 台大農推系的訊息並問其是否願意加入通訊名單。沒想到很快地便收到張憶家的回覆：

What a sweet surprise to get an e-mail from you Shere-Ling. Thanks for the slides/pictures. I guess we are at the age that it is so much fun to be reminiscent about our past.

I spent 17 years in a psychiatric hospital and then the last four I have been in prisons. I possibly and probably will be paroled next Feb. Life will be super good

Blessings,

Yih-Jia

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

吃驚之餘,雙眼落淚。急忙回覆：

Yih-Jia,

Wait! I thought we had a great meal hosted and paid for by you in your city for receiving Grace and her husband while I was in my first year of attending Fuller in 1993, right? And you had always contacted Pastor Tong Liu, right? As one of his good friends as I remembered in the old days of mid 90s. Hong, Yin told me about your professional practice in our mini gathering near NTU! I thought you two have always kept in touch.

Do you have bipolar?++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

(只把起頭的 "Are you kidding! How did that all happened?" 改成 "Wait!". 結尾改成 "Do you have bipolar?" I then sent it.)

又和美國老公分享心境，並邀他一讀以了解情況。沒料憶家這樣回覆：

Shere-Ling,

What do you mean that I have bipolar? Are you taking my statements about being in a psychiatric hospital and prisons as I have been locked up? I probably have something that is not diagnosed yet; otherwise, how could I tolerate working with the most severely disturbed and dangerous populations.

Sorry, I guess I did not express my humor well. I worked in a psychiatric hospital as a psychologist for 17 years, now a senior psychologist at an adult prison (so that I could retire with better pension). I used to work in a juvenile correctional facility but it was closed at the end of Feb 2010, I then went to an adult prison to work. We talk about retirement as being paroled. If I were really locked up, then I would not be able to get to internet... or I am really criminally sophisticated.

Blessings,

Yih-Jia

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

我匆匆這樣辯應：

Good grief, I am too serious, am't I? No offense.

You never know, one lady who has bipolar and works at a psych hospital or university for years. She wrote her life story and I am sure you know who she is. :>) She is lucky enough to have good friends as not been locked up.

I guess I don't really know parole system well. A friend of mine killed his wife in Canada and was out and about shortly from the prison. He then met his current girl friend at a Christian fellowship.

Bye, my bed time

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

數小時之後，我聽到這聲音：「雪玲，妳是真的善良、率直。妳雖沒有＂豊功偉業＂，但妳這樣的品質是我喜悅的。」

又一次流下淚來，為自己也是為許多和我一般的同學們加油、打氣。

於是我鼓起勇氣，submit 了。（Sorry, Yih-Jia, I copied and pasted your email messages without your permission!)

Dear 02,

Thanks for the tip. I will try it some other time, maybe in a different place.  

Would you be so nice as to delete at least two of my replies? I don't think people need to see the same texts from me over and over again. Plus by deleting, some storage space will be saved.

Once again, thank you so much for all your help! It has been a pleasure working with you. 

Love,

S. L.

2011/12/3 Grade4 Moderator <4thgrader@gmail.com>

因為要插入照片，在回應欄中要先點左上角的「原始碼」放入內容，點update，回到回應欄，再edit空行，不適合的地方，再填回應碼，submit，get it？

Grade4 Moderator <4thgrader@gmail.com> 於 2011年12月4日上午9:46 寫道:

http://blog.sina.com.tw/grade4/article.php?pbgid=15096&entryid=635065&comopen=1#comment_1189897

這是您要的嗎？主文中也已經加上了。

迷你聚會

洪茵 and I came back from the United States of American at the end of October, 2011. We both contacted popular and charming 周若男, resulting in her organizing this lovely Pondarosa Night on Oct. 28th. 程博仁 looks exactly like the way he was at NTY in 1976, so I asked him the secret of keeping young. 洪茵 shared the whereabouts of our classmates in USA and a photo of her gorgeous daughter. 吳美莉 has fun teaching exercises as you can see from her own physical slimness. Her husband and her both became Christians in 1980 when they had their second child in complication. 陳麗如 retired a few years back and is an artist now who just published a Chinese traditional brush painting book with her mom earlier this year. She also does release work in China for her Catholic parish (church). Professor 余漢儀's dad at age 90+ still visited China lately. Wow! 周若男 is very busy with her work at 行政院農委會輔導處, who came more than one hour late after two meetings. Gee, at Friday night? This is unheard of in the governmental enviornment in USA. (Oops, my husband said that is not true!) 詹宏洋, who just returned from USA and was transferred to another department after refreshman, loves to hangout with 農推 gangs. As for me, 姚雪玲, I talked about the beauty of having my iPad and how it has been widely used in schools nowadays. Russia is looking into that for elementary school children. I enjoy my time serving visiting scholars of China and their kids by providing English Bible study and Kids ESL classes in UW-Madison, besides picking up photography as a hobby. Below are two of my spirituality works: Wind, Holy Spirit, Follow the Lead Light Shines in the Dark Wood