Just a Courtesy

I wanted to let you few, you blessed few, regular readers know that I might not be posting for a while. Everything's o.k. I'm in simplify mode, probably much overdue from a misspent Lent, and I will see you around the cyber place. If you're a relative or friend-in-person, you know I have a phone that works. There's also an email available if you click on my profile. Thank you.

Superstitious Silence

I've been tweeting up a storm and this little piece of cyberspace has gotten a little quiet. There are things to report but they all seem so mundane and unexceptional. Part of the reason I even began this blog was to mark the mundane for my children. There were moments of high drama and sadness and a commemoration of the NICU battlefield. But we're just being lately.

We are doing this thing called Catholic homeschooling and I don't say much about it because we're still doing it. I cannot report a finished product or great fruit because I'm still planting, pruning and praying. I don't want to 'jinx' it. It's humbling and satisfying. It torments me and uplifts me. It calls me to be so much more than I expected. It is a cross I took on before I knew I would need some kind Veronica to wipe my face and some conscripted Simon to help me carry it.

One new thing we took on in January is a homeschool cooperative. It meets on Mondays and is a place for several Catholic homeschooling families to gather to create for our kids an opportunity to be among other seriously weird and radically square kids...kids who call me 'Mrs. Adams' and 'Ma'am,' kids who are still innocent, kids who are just kids who happen to be Catholic. Academically, they took on some subjects that are more fun in a group: Science, Geography and Latin. We pray a Rosary at the beginning of the school morning and pause at lunch for The Angelus. We play and pray and it is good.

And the journey continues.

The Happiest Days are When Babies are Born

This blogosphere thing is the darndest place. In my first year of blogging, I was found by Kevin, because of a pun I wrote and he commented. Shortly thereafter, he and Maria were married and I added her blog to the blogroll. A couple deployments, a new job and a move to DC later and they created a new joint blog. They had their first child yesterday. Welcome to the world, Mia!

She's a beauty and known only to me via blog.

Daughter of Retweet Theatre.

The first line is my most recent Tweet. I bow to the master of Retweet theatre: James Lileks.

Althouse & Meade

The intra-blog love story I've been following in real time, Althouse and Meade, went public in a big way this weekend with a feature story in the New York Times. From personal experience, I knew that Althouse was a teacher. Until the Times article, however, I didn't know Meade's occupation. So, after learning he's a 'garden designer and estate caretaker', this image sprang to mind.

Congratulations Mrs. Krabappel and Groundskeeper Willie! May you have a long run and a good life in Springfield.

The Power of Blog

Earlier today, I emailed my BlogFather, Hugh Hewitt, about the inside-Althouse news that she is engaged to be married. I wrote to Hugh:

Another feature of blogs: find true love. Uber-bloggress Ann Althouse teased, teased, teased her readers but announced today on her blog [natch!] that she and long-time commenter, Meade, are engaged to be married. Tentative date: August 1, 2009. First date was only a couple months ago. My theory, which I twittered a long time go: reading and commenting on someone's blog eliminates the need for the first 48 dates. Anyway, I thought you'd find peculiar delight in that bit o' news.

He encouraged me to post and I am happy to oblige.

Personal to A &M: As Wisconsin is a marital property state, I urge you in the strongest terms possible from one who received a law degree from one of Wisconsin's most venerable law schools to consult, hire and use separate counsel to draft a pre-nuptial agreement. It is nothing whatsoever to do with the sincerity of the love, but has everything to do with making sure the offspring's portions are kept unentangled. And best wishes.

ADDED: And, since I saw the shamelss plug for a dress from Trooper's Lee Lee's Valise, I'm gonna' put the plug in now for the best wedding photographer in the world, my brother. You could do much worse than a Pulitzer-nominated former photojournalist who wrote the book on wedding photography. Oh, and he's also a blogger. And if you have the wedding in early August, that should be well before his next baby arrives in mid-September.

New Feature

I updated my blogroll in the right sidebar yesterday. I had been a pretty happy and loyal 'customer' [it's a free service] of Blogrolling.com until they went dormant for several months to create an update version of their product. The update was promised for months before they delivered. Then, when they rolled it out, they installed an ad with every click of my blogroll. This changed the URL on the link and made many web pages difficult/impossible to open. It's the worst innovation since New Coke. In Althousian lingo, it's 'dustless black pepper'--an unnecessary fix to a problem that never existed. So, I created the blogroll anew from within the Blogger.com program. The added feature is that there's a time on screen for when that link was last updated. It saves me the wasted time/effort/frustration of going around the horn and not seeing new blog content. I hope you like it as much as I already do.

R.I.P. Everyday Hero

Dear friend of this blog, Sippican Cottage, reposted a lovely tribute to his father, a ball gunner from World War II. His father, an everyday hero, passed away on March 1, 2009 after 80+ years doing what he was supposed to do. We mourn with our friends in the Swamp and know that the dignity, the daily heroism and the honor of the father was definitely inherited by the son.

Stumbled Upon

I was checking my SiteMeter and looked at the Google search that lead a reader to my blog. In that search, I stumbled upon an online article which quoted me. I puzzled over my name, lit up in cache highlighting, wondering how did this author got a quote from someone exactly like me without me knowing it? [Long pause for synapses to fire...] Several months ago, my blogger friend Rachel Balducci of Testosterhome conducted a telephone interview of me which I had forgotten. I never got a copy of the article in the mail and so I never saw the finished product.

Must be old age.

Four Years

A few days ago, this blog turned four years old. I completely missed the anniversary. One of my first posts was about President Bush's first press conference of his second term. Now we have a new guy. In the 48 months since I began, I've met a goodly handful of really wonderful people who blog or comment elsewhere. I've supported their businesses by buying things from their stores that are hundreds of miles from me. I chronicled my kids' days in a way that I hope they'll enjoy when I'm dust. I'd say my blog experience has been half-full.

Beloved Furniture Maker

The wonderful fellow who made my kids a table and four beautiful chairs was featured on TV recently. He's the one wearing a vest ['to hold in all the awesome'] and distressing his freshly-made antiques.

In addition to the custom 5-piece set, we also own the 10 Fingers Stepper. I believe we own the first one he made in South Portland Straw and ours has no finger holes, because it was not available until he made our kids' chairs with finger holes like the four card suits. His work is superb and sturdy and charming. He hits all three requirements of good furniture and we are pleased to be his happy customers.

So go over and spend a few minutes to get acquainted with Mr. Sullivan of Sippican Cottage Furniture. Then buy something.

Inside the White House

One of my longtime blog friend is a military officer, assigned to the White House. Want to know what happened the other day when a certain Senator paid a visit to the Bushes? It's a nice story. But even more important for this lovely gentleman is that he and his wife are expecting their first child and they are about half-way through the pregnancy.

Veep Debate

I have a small blog with little traffic. Much of my traffic in the past several days is coming from google hits for the Clinton-Lazio debate. You think people are interested in how a male politician debates a female politician? My sources say 'yes'.

And I saw that Gwen Ifill, moderator for the Veep debate, recently broke her ankle but still will moderate. It's also all over the 'net that she's got a political book coming out in January 2009 mostly about Obama. I think it's probably too late to replace her, even if it were desireable to do so. However, I do think that a disclosure from her at the top of the debate might be in order. This side of judgment day, there's no one who's completely impartial. Just put the info out there and let the voters decide. I suspect she'll ask all the questions that need to be asked. She'll work very hard to appear fair in her questions. I don't think she wanted to become the story.

I had a softball coach who reminded me that there were three teams on the field: the home team, the visitors and the umpires. The goal was to beat the other team so soundly that it didn't matter if the umpires came from the other team's home town.

New to the Blogroll

If you ever wonder what I might be reading, just take a look at the blogroll on the right. I updated the list today, adding Real Clear Politics because I'm officially a poll junkie now and these are my pushers, and also adding National Review Online because it's a good clearinghouse for conservative column-y. But here's one that's really worth a look: From Both Sides of the White Picket Fence. It's a new blog and a joint effort by two other bloggers, Navy Bride and her husband, By the Sea. I've been watching these young bloggers for a few years now and, while I've never met them in person, I do consider them blogfriends. By the Sea, back from a Navy assignment in the Gulf, is now stationed at the White House as a Navy liason. His wife, Navy Bride, is an elementary schoolteacher, now transplanted to their DC area home and studying to become a librarian. Their new joint effort follows their biggest project to date: their first child. Gestation yourself on this blog for all the baby news and watch as life unfolds.

How Cool Is That?

I've had a little bit of John Adams on the brain because of the HBO mini-series and the David McCulloch book which I'm reading. [Adams died on July 4, 1826, the same day as Thomas Jefferson, 50 years to the day after the signing of the Declaration of Independence.] Over at Pastor Jeff's place, he posted a little snippet from the musical "1776" which I had seen too long ago to remember much. I also have a friend, Tar Heel Mom, who write me notes that begin: Oh, Mrs. Adams! Dear Mrs. Adams! in reference to a song where the drafting committee talks to John that way.

But the 'how cool is that?' comes from the fact that I could have an idea from a friend-I've-never-met and go to our family's NetFlix account and call up the movie and view it instantly on my laptop and spend over two hours being delighted by it. Truly: how cool is that?

Sevens

Milestones big and little to note today. The littlest: my site meter clicked over 77,777 today. I think I know the pal in Minnesota who was the lucky visitor.

Another: on advice from a couple people, I gave Dave the HBO mini-series "John Adams" for Father's Day. That was the best 7 hours of television I've spent in about 10 years. It was excellent from start to finish. I'm now enjoying the book.

The biggest, at least for me: tomorrow marks the second year since my dad died. A little over 700 days of a world without my father has passed swiftly because of my day-to-day duties with little ones. But there have been many times where his memory burbles up unbidden. Tears sometimes well up, but mostly warm memories envelope me.

Overcoming Blechhhh

I haven't posted in a little while for no real reason except that I really didn't have much to report and I liked the graphic of the flag waving atop my blog. I almost posted something on Friday about birds. Zeke had a small injury on his middle finger and he kept trying to show me his band-aid. I had to carefully explain that his gesture was impolite. The kids know the 'we-don't-say-shut-up-in-this-family' rule [we say 'be quiet' or 'hush up'] and I made an analogy to that. We sat at the table and I went to a good first place: wikipedia, where we learned that the gesture originated in ancient Rome and the middle finger is called the digitus impudicus. The article referred to a Warner Brothers' cartoon, so we hopped onto YouTube and checked out "A Tale of Two Kitties," which is the first ever appearance of Tweetie Bird and it had two cats in the likeness of Abbott and Costello. It was made in 1942 and is chock-full of World War II references. Well, see for yourself. The 'bird' reference is at the 2:05 mark.



I got engrossed in a couple comment threads elsewhere and I realized I probably needed to go on a blog diet. When one has a challenge with overeating, there's no long-term abstinence solution; one must learn moderation. I think my blogging [or more especially, my commenting elsewhere] needed a little moderation or else I'd be overtaken with apathy or antipathy.

Dave and I had a date night on Saturday and the kids did well with a new sitter. Dave's taken to being Catholic like a duck to water. He's already a Third Degree Knight of Columbus and was just selected to serve as a member of the Parish Pastoral Council. He's been so supportive of me and all my churchy things for so many years that I am just trying to reciprocate in any way he wishes. I marvel often at the work of the Holy Spirit in my man's life. He really is a great and good man and he's destined for sainthood.

Which brings me to today and the ongoing case of the blechhs. I made a decision today to get up and walk while Dave was doing his workout at the YMCA. The whole day started earlier and went much better. We even accomplished a couple math lessons and had a really good day. There's an adage 'action cures fear' but it also helps in cases of blechhh.

Six Word Memoirs

It's a meme running through blogworld: write your memoir in six words or less.

Over at Annie's, I left this punny one: Adams' Eve. Ably raised redheaded Cains.

But I have since come up with another: Daily living out 'Happily Ever After.'

And, now that I think of it, our family motto also has six words: We love and forgive each other.

It's almost a shame I don't have a shield to emblazen a family crest. I'm glad, however, that there's not a slab o' granite upon which to engrave it yet. Yet.

Lent Me Your Ears

I think that, as part of a Lenten quieting, I'll slow down on the blogging for awhile. For over three years, I have posted something almost every day. I'm ready for a little respite from that blogligation.

Valentines Worth Scrawling

Dear blogfriend Sippican writes a cyber-Valentine to his marvelous wife. If you don't know him, you won't remember the time last summer when he was in a fever-addled, perilously ill state because of Lyme's disease. But now you know all you must to understand his note.

There is nothing in this world but to love, and be loved in return.