Shakin' The Tree

If

2006-12-07T18:51:00.000Z

No, I'm not talking about the old Bread song: if a picture paints a thousand words/then why can't I paint you? Eeek...did I used to listen to that stuff?

If you had the opportunity to create a scholarship fund, what type of person would be the recipient? Who would you name the fund after? What kind of qualifications would you require? Would you decide it could only be used for a certain school or age group? How would you choose the recipient?

Consider, of course, that everyone you know and love already has been given the gift of education.

Shopper Madness

2006-12-06T00:29:00.000Z

Tony wanted to buy a Christmas present today at a Berks County store that shall not be named. I didn't really want to go with him because he was buying a digital camera which is always a long ordeal.

After forty-five minutes, I finished my shopping at three other stores and went back to retrieve him. He still did not have his desired camera in his hands.

Finally, a reluctant young salesperson found the camera Tony wanted. Then, without a word, he high-tailed it back to a counter to sort some papers. We had to wait in a long cash register line....

We got to the payment point and encountered reluctant young salesperson number two. No, he couldn't look up my teacher discount card, no he couldn't put a rebate check for his store towards the camera, no the camera was not eligible for the sale because it cost forty dollars less than the required amount, no our 10% off coupon could not be applied to our camera because it was considered a "technology item" and technology items were excluded...

I told Tony that maybe if he bought fifty bucks worth of ink pens he might be able to use his coupon if, and only if, he was a good boy all year. The cashier didn't even look up or offer a grin. He rigidly handed Tony yet another coupon for five dollars off his next item...with a credit card sized bit of print listing the exclusions on the back that even young eyes can't read. Maybe next time they'll give him an invisible coupon to save time!

As we left the store I recalled that earlier this month a man was arrested at the store because he was complaining into his cell phone that he wanted to blow the place up or use a gun or something. Wow...somebody got their attention that day...The salespeople probably got the rest of the day off...oh wait...I mean they must have took the rest of the day off while they were at work. Sheesh. I really felt a lot of sympathy for that arrested guy after my experience. I wondered who would hire salespeople with zero personality and work ethic.

You couldn't drag me back into that store. I predict its early demise.

Grandma's Tablecloths

2006-12-04T20:29:00.000Z

December is when I often finds "gifts" for myself put away in boxes that I forgot about. Today, I forgot that I put the garland in with the artificial tree in its box. After tearing through several boxes of Christmas stuff and miscellaneous what-the-heck-is-in-there boxes, I finally remembered where the garland beads were...During my garland search, I found a box with some stuff in it from when we cleaned out Grandma's apartment.

I had to smile as I went through the stuff in that box. There were the napkins that matched the daisy tablecloth. There were some cool, but simple embroidered pieces. There, too, was the old-fashioned knife sharpener that is now put away in my kitchen. Somehow, one of those TV cook and drain pasta pots that Tony got for me got in this particular box too.

Then I came across them. Two cloth Christmas tablecloths from many Christmases.... and many Christmases ago....not a spot on them. I distinctly remember spilling gravy on one of them. Somehow Grandma got it out and put it away sparklin' clean, ready for a next Christmas that hasn't come yet. These two tablecloths would be easily labeled "vintage' on ebay with no problem.

These tablecloths are not stylish or trendy or made of something special from Somewhere Special. They're simple, heartwarming, and clean. They're salt of the earth Wyoming Valley Christmas through and through.

We used these tablecloths the holiday season after our house burnt down, and after Michael died. We brought out these tablecloths the first time Ann brought Jimmy home for Christmas and when Auntie Helen helped "watch the store." Those tablecloths were present when Grandma wrapped up the ham bone and put it in the freezer, and threw the ham bone from the previous Christmas away: a bizarre ritual that Grandpa joked about. Those tablecloths were probably there when I was brought "home" after we came back from New Mexico. The tablecloths were there when Carol lived there, and they were there when she brought Jan to visit. Tally and Bootsie ate crumbs under the table under those tablecloths.

Gosh, if only tablecloths could talk, could whisper the times past into my ears, to repeat the sounds of loved ones' voices, to remember the happy and sad times.

Oh, wait.

These tablecloths do that.

Well, Now

2006-12-02T13:51:00.000Z

I promised a few months ago to tell you of a possible reunion story and now have an update.

I found Colin's daughter one day while surfin' the net. After contact and fact-checking between Joan and Sammie (the daughter), we confirmed the actual relationship. This was enough to wow us over and over again. As Joan and I got to know Sammie, we became emotionally involved in that we didn't want her to be hurt by a second fatherly rejection.

Urged on by Sammie, Joan contacted Colin with the only e-mail address we knew. There was no certainty that he would see the message, let alone respond. As usual with a Colin Contact Effort, he did not answer for a few weeks, or was it more than a month? Both Joan and I expected a wrathful angry "HOW DARE YOU?" kind of response, if any were given.

Luckily, we did get a response, and even luckier, it was a positive one. Now the ball is in Sammie's court. She lives in Kent, and, with any luck, Colin is somewhere in the UK. I am daring to breathe some hope that there will be contact.

Perhaps Colin will glory in the fact that he has grandchildren and a beautiful daughter. Perhaps he will finally understand that he truly is a person worth loving, despite his fears and his past. Perhaps this little family will bring out the best in him. I know it's in there.

Some things are just meant to be. Some things are affected by our choices. Sometimes, God puts His muscle into our lives through grace. Guess what?

Joan's mom's name is Grace. This can be her miracle.

If you remember, before you go to sleep tonight, say a little prayer for a miracle for Sammie and Colin.

Places

2006-11-28T15:22:00.001Z

Some places just feel different. Many people don't like to visit hospitals or people in them. I can understand how funeral homes and cemetaries feel different than other places. Chuckie Cheese can be paradise or hell depending on how the consumer feels entering this wonderland.

When I say that some places feel different, I am referencing something a bit out of the ordinary. The place gives you a strong and unusual feeling that you don't really expect. For example, I got a strong sensation of sadness the moment I entered Graceland's foyer. I haven't been able to explain the meaning behind it, but it was as if a blanket of someone else's feelings wrapped itself around me. I got a similar, but not as strong feeling, one time when we were looking to buy a house. Again, it happened the moment I entered the door. Later, I learned that the couple who lived there were splitting up, but I don't think that was the reason for the sad feeling. It seemed to come from something else. What? I dunno.

Walking around Stonehenge one January day gave me a feeling that some important type of ceremonial happened there. Well, duh...you might say. But it gave me a regal, but scary sensation. It felt like I was walking on some kind of revered place and it was okay that I was there. Strange, though. When I visited Cancun I climbed INSIDE a Mayan pyramid to see a treasured jaguar statue. We made our way up a crowded tiny stairway in the dark. I'm sure my claustrophobia was working that day because I could hardly breathe. As soon as I got to the tiny spot where the statue was, I had to run away. The overwhelming feeling of some kind of violence or hatred broke through my claustrophobia and sent me flying back down the crowded stairs. You can bet I won't go there again.

Am I weird or what? Has this kind of thing ever happened to you?

I remember talking with someone who visited the Holy Land and spoke of how he felt he was walking inches off the ground at some of the holy places. I'm sure this is why people go on pilgimages, but that seems to be centered on their faith, not some gut feeling when you walk into a room.

As my husband complains of every so often, I enjoy visiting writers' homes. After I drag him through a few, he has enough. I can't get enough, especially if the place has period furnishings. Perhaps I like the feeling of kinship, or maybe I'm just hoping that something will rub off on me.

Strange, isn't it?

Monday Musings

2006-11-27T16:34:00.000Z

Well, I knew that my emotions were in for a rough ride this holiday break. I am thankful for everyone's thoughts and prayers.

Our Emma perhaps put it best after her Nana's Anniversary Mass: "I wasn't ready for Nana to go."

Neither was I, Emma. Neither was I.

I want to especially thank Cindy, Tom, Marilyn, Stan, Joe, my husband and children for supporting my sister and I, and of course, my Dad, through this emotional experience of a one year anniversary. I am so blessed that they are in my life.

Love never ends, you know. It might change a bit, but it never ends.

We all went to Norm's to eat after Mass. They have great Sicilian pizza if you are interested.
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I want to write a story about the Mintz/Calderoni Mary Statue. John, if you are reading this, we have to get together at your sister's place soon.

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I also have been wrestling with an idea about "Time-Turners" right before I go to sleep. I'm writing this idea down here so I don't forget about it.

Gotta get back to grading papers. Over and out.....

Flushing

2006-11-21T13:06:00.000Z

Well, it's officially Thanksgiving Break. Dreams of Macy's balloons, drumsticks, and a ride on I78 are floating about our heads. Thank you for Thanksgiving.

The girls and I went to see Flushed Away and enjoyed the film quite a bit. Emma makes a sound exactly like the cutie-wootie slugs in the film. She entertained us all the way home. If you get a chance to catch this fun movie, please do. I haven't enjoyed a CG movie more than this one.

Many movie critics are complaining that there are too many animations on the screens now. The movie profits are up, and they are complaining? Interesting. I like to read reviews, but I often take them with a grain of salt.

Dare I say that I despise many of the story lines in many popular movies? If I can guess what's going to happen next, why should I pay to see it? If I retch from the gruesomeness, I refuse to pay. If the piece is just a bunch of car chases and bedroom scenes...heck, I live in Reading, man. I don't need to pay to see that 'cause I can just turn on the TV or go to the mall and see it!

Sometimes I like movies that make me think, or transport me to another time or place, or make me laugh...really laugh. Make some more of those. Make some more movies that my kids and I will both enjoy.

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Please keep Tony's cousin George in your prayers. He suffered injuries in a car accident and may take several months to recover. Also please pray for Adam's friend's fifteen year old son who has life-threatening cancer.

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Thank you, Lord, for all the good things around us. Protect us from the bad ones.

Is It Thanksgiving Break Yet?

2006-11-18T18:28:00.000Z

After Monday, I'll have a little time off for Thanksgiving. THANK YOU!!!!!

I have so many things to do right now, I find myself forgetting all sorts of mundane things that I don't normally forget. I told my 8 am class I must've left their corrected papers somewhere else, and guess what? I HAD THEM WITH ME! I tried to call my in-laws and I called Stan. I guess I'm just off my groove a bit. Some yummy roast turkey and a day or two without driving to school sounds like the antidote.

Yesterday, we went to a Boy Scout Pack Meeting. Sorry, but I don't really enjoy Boy Scouting. The leader needed to speak to "the parents" while the boys watched a movie. He lectured us about all the things he wanted the pack to participate in. He handed out a list that included activities at least two weekends a month for several hours at a shot. He lamented about how no one was interested in skiing. Then...here's the kicker, folks. The leader said that we all needed to volunteer more, and that he needed us to take over the running of one of these many activities. Hello? This guy just announced that he'd like the boys to sing Christmas Carols on BCTV on Dec. 20! Nobody wanted to do it, but he cajoled the kids and parents. Now he wants somebody who doesn't want to do this activity to "step up" and run it.

My eyes involuntarily rolled during this evening. I've been trying to stop that because it is so rude. Why do control people feel the need to tell me what family activities I "need" to choose to do? My son likes to "hang out" with his Boy Scout buddies. Does this mean that B.S.A. runs my life? Sorry, pal, but the answer is a loud, resounding, eye-rolling NO!

Whew, that felt good. Thanks for listening to my rant. I have three kids in different activities, so I needed to vent.

Elena marched in the Reading Holiday parade today. Emma and I enjoyed watching it. Tony and Tony are...you guessed it...with the Boy Scouts at the Jesuit Novitiate marching around. Now the girls and I are hanging out at home, getting ready to go see "Flushed Away" for some comedy relief.

Keep smilin'. Five more days to Turkey Day. Yahoo!

Hot Anger and Cold Anger

2006-11-14T18:20:00.000Z

Hey, Angry People. Did you know that anger can be bad for you? No surprise, I suppose. A recent study has shown that one is more at risk for a heart attack or stroke or any other number of serious health problems for up to two hours after an angry outburst. I'm guessing that this doesn't mean when you raise your voice a little. I'm talking about a flat-out "I'm mad as hell and I'm not going to take it anymore" rampage of at least a few minutes or more.

Some people are more predisposed to anger than others. These are the people who really need to watch it, as the more outbursts you have the greater risk to your health...seventeen times greater, as a matter of fact. Wow.

Yeah, we should be angry about injustices in our time, but having a fit about it doesn't help anybody. Auntie Helen always used to remind us that "you'll catch more flies with honey than with vinegar." She was right.

These kind of outbursts are called hot anger. Cold anger is another thing altogether.

All anger comes out of not being able to control a situation or be in control of a situation. Cold anger is more of a passive-aggressive form of an angry outburst. Cold anger is when you refuse to speak to anyone for a day or even the rest of a lifetime. Cold anger is all about your inability to forgive.

Cold anger probably eats away at your soul or mind for a much longer period than hot anger. It can be just as damaging to your physical and mental health. The only thing we really can choose to do in this life is to forgive others and hope for forgiveness from others.

How many families won't have a relaxing holiday because of both of these types of anger? How many people will be subjected to hot and cold anger just today....or just this hour or minute?

A wise person told me that when you make a mistake or discover what you did got someone upset, apologize. Apologize once. You don't have to spend the rest of your life apologizing. Sometimes people are not willing to forgive. Forgetting is another matter than forgiving, too.

Learning how to deal with anger, both yours and another's, might be a great area to explore. Think about it.

Cruisin' For A Bruisin'

2006-11-13T18:42:00.000Z

Okay, Okay...I admit it. I read The National Enquirer now and again as a guilty pleasure. I grew up reading copies hanging around my house or relatives' houses, so maybe I'm trying to recapture my youth...I dunno. Do I truly truly care about celebrities more than other people? No. I just like to think they deserve the harassment in some cases.

It would be great to use fame to inspire or teach, to do some good in the world. Unfortunately, not too many famous people believe that is part of the agenda they call their lives. I know many un-famous people who inspire me greatly. You probably don't know them, but these people could be sitting next to you.

That brings me to poor, mixed-up Tom Cruise. I won't even harp on the fact that he left a seminary and ended up believing in some kind of science fiction movie as a higher power. I think it would be petty to mention the lifts he wore in his shoes. Couch-jumping isn't one of my favorite spectator sports, so we won't touch on that.

I enjoyed Top Gun and despised his version of War of the Worlds. His need to control everything within his reach puzzles me. I hope that his children will be able to cope with this aspect of his personality.

Now...onto the wedding...I can't help but wonder if it's all real. A fairy tale Italian castle notwithstanding, I have to point out that a wedding needs to be between two EQUALS. I'm afraid Cruise's intended is a bit too brainwashed right now to make a healthy choice. I want to be like that robot in Lost in Space that runs around yelling "Danger, Danger, Will Robinson!" Oh, wait...her parents have already done that. Sheesh.

I'm sure that we will be entertained with wedding details soon by the ever-alert media. (Psssst! Wanna know a secret? We don't care anymore. We're sick of the antics and gimmicks and gimmes.)

Now, excuse me. There's an inspirational story outside the window. Gotta go.

When Was the Last Time You.....

2006-11-12T23:44:00.000Z

When was the last time you

danced just for the heck of it?

smiled at the red sky at morning?

waved at a baby in a shopping cart?

read a good book?

jumped in a pile of leaves or snow?

stepped in a pile of ....you know....?

ate with your fingers?

thanked a doctor, nurse, teacher, priest, rabbi, soldier, policeman?

sang without the car radio?

made an animal friend?

helped someone across the street?

held your tongue when you really really really wanted to say something?

gave a gift to somebody you didn't know?

left a coupon in the store?

enjoyed a cuppa (tea, coffee, hot chocolate) in front of a fire?

played with your kids?

hoped for the best?

If you didn't do any of these things in the past week, what HAVE you been doing?

Just curious....

Grandmother's Gift

2006-11-11T13:06:00.000Z

Before I was born, my father's mother died at the age of 28. He was an only child and undoubtedly close to his mom. He obviously was the apple of her eye--she even entered him in a beautiful baby contest! (I know this because of a copy of the application was found not too long ago.)

My grandmother's beauty is remarkable and quite clear in the many photos of her. From what I've heard over the years about her personality, that was quite beautiful, too. I know that my life would have been very different if she was alive when I was born, but that was not meant to be.

I share my first name with my grandmother. What's interesting is that she CHOSE her name. She was born with the name Mary or Marianne, with the middle name of Branislawa, which I think is quite striking. I guess this wasn't American enough for her, so she became known as Mamie or Marie. Her vibrancy comes through in her name choices and the stories left behind.

By the time she met my grandfather, both of her parents were deceased and one of her older sisters was named as her guardian. I know this because of the copy of my grandparents' marriage application I found at the Luzerne County Courthouse. If you think life seems short now, think about how it was early in the twentieth century...much much shorter.

My grandfather's sisters, Helen and Josephine, adored Marie and they were fast and true friends. Her generous spirit, ready laugh, and passion for life charmed them all. Marie's sister soon became ill with the scourge of the time: tuberculosis. Marie cared for her through her illness, and sadly contracted the disease herself. My father, although he didn't totally "catch" it, still tests positive for tuberculosis. Her love for him probably saved his life; I can't imagine why he didn't succumb from the illness, other than she protected him.

The journey of Marie's illness will be left for another time. My grandfather's grief over her death will also be left for another time.

Marie gave what little jewelry she had to Helen and Josephine, with a promise to pass on to her grandchildren, if she had any. These two sweet women kept that promise...and more. They passed on her memory, her spirit, her story, her legend. All of these I hold in my heart, and pass on daily to many others, especially my children.

According to my definition of a saint, my grandmother is a saint. She lives on through my children. There is no greater tribute than that. There is nothing sweeter than that.

Do You Hear That?

2006-11-09T14:25:00.000Z

I can feel my ears relaxing...do you hear that? That's right! My phone isn't ringing, my TV isn't yelling, my mailperson's load is lighter, the newspaper is a bit thinner, the signs are disappearing. Could it be? Yes, it is...the end of the election.

It's interesting to observe elections year to year. This year was more annoying than interesting. Who knows? Maybe I'm just getting older and less patient.

I'm always glad when different parties have little pieces of the power to govern. That kind of situation makes the economy better for the middle class because sheer numbers of opinions need to be considered.
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Helicopter Parents

I read an article in the Reading Eagle yesterday that once again bemoans Baby Boomer parents. It seems that some parents are contacting children's employers during the interview or performance review process. EGADS!! I'd be SOO embarassed if that happened to me. My theory here is that these parents are the "children" of the sixties, where shouting loud was considered a good thing. Now these same people feel the need to carry on this grand tradition by taking over their children's lives.

This kind of action is training kids to be passive. That is not a good option.

At the same time, though, I have to say that maybe my theory is wrong. Maybe these parents are simply "enablers" and there are such people in every generation. I know people in their thirties and forties who have mom do the shopping for them, or buy all the food/drinks for parties at the kid's house. Other people financially drain their parents or grandparents and that's still not enough for their dreams.

That's not good, either. Children do need support from their parents throughout their lives. Don't create a monster that always yells "Feed me" at every turn...whether that feeding is emotional, financial, material or whatever.

Emma puts it best....she must have heard it somewhere in her six year old travels...."Be nice to your kids. They'll choose your nursing home." She picks up the darndest sayings. Six going on thirty....

Enjoy your piece of the silence today.

Thinking About Thanks

2006-11-08T18:51:00.000Z

On November 23, Thanksgiving Day, I'll be one year without my mom. It's hard to believe that the time has passed so quickly. I am still working through the grieving process.

Every year at the anniversary of my brother's death, I donate a book he would have liked to the library at St. Ignatius Loyola, where my kids go to school. It keeps him alive for me, when I worry that I can't remember how his voice sounds. Sometimes I donate books in the name of other folks who have passed on, too. These donations are joyous ones...What I mean is that to be able to do this brings me great joy. Kids (and sometimes adults) get to read a cool book, and I get to remember the people I love who are no longer here with me.

I haven't done that yet for Mom. Why? I don't think I can do it without still grieving. I don't think I can hand the book to the librarian with a smile on my face instead of tears in my eyes.

My kids have come up with a different, but time-revered way to remember their beloved Nana. They light a candle for her almost every Sunday at church. Sometimes they'll add a small request to their prayer before meals (God, please keep Nana safe with you in heaven. Tell her I said hi and I miss her.)

I know a family who keeps a lit candle on the table at every holiday, signalling a loved one who has passed on. Another family participates in special "walks" to raise money in a loved one's name. Almost every day, I see memorial notices in the newspaper. Someone in my neighborhood planted a memorial tree, another a rose bush. Somebody else cut a tree down and saved the wood to burn in the fireplace.

People leave items in caskets or on tombstones. Cups of coffee, cigarettes, balloons, chess sets, leather jackets...you name it, it's probably been used as a memorial somewhere.

Right now, I pray for Mom, but mostly I still miss her...a lot. Maybe at Thanksgiving I'll set an extra place and put one of the drumsticks on the plate...or I'll pass out CowTales Candies or burn a scented candle. That'll be one step in the right direction of grief.

Grief is no stranger to me, as I've been through more than enough traumas and dramas. I'll find a joyous place within this grief someday, but not real soon. I can't seem to say good-bye or even see ya later.

We're having a memorial Mass for Mom the Saturday after Thanksgiving at Holy Trinity in Wilkes-Barre. Mass starts at four. I'd love to see some familiar, friendly faces there. Wherever you are celebrating your Thanksgiving holiday this year, try to remember Mom in a prayer, and I'll be grateful.

Robocalls and Other Such Nonsense

2006-11-07T16:43:00.000Z

Am I the only person who despises these taped announcements from candidates? I think not.

I don't like stopping what I'm doing and running for a phone when I am helping the kids with homework, grading papers, watching a TV program I haven't TIVOed, or taking a shower. The past few days I know that when my Caller ID says the call is from Wyoming, that I don't need to answer it in a hurry. Problem is, that call is then transferred to my answering machine, which I must erase.

Awful convenient that these calls are considered exempt from the do-not-call provisions...

How about those well-meaning folks who volunteer their time to support candidates outside of polling places? They hand me more campaign advertisements, as if I haven't seen or heard enough already, as I walk in the door. I just throw the things in the convenient trash can inside the door, along with everybody else's discarded advertisements. Tony approaches this differently. The candidates that he supports get their cards handed back to them, and the candidates he doesn't support get their cards trashed. Yikes...what a waste of time and effort.

If I were a candidate and I could afford it, I'd print my stuff on packets of oatmeal. At least I could lower some cholesterol or feed some birds that way. Yeah, I know some candidates use emory boards, pencils, pads or balloons, but oatmeal is so practical! If you are really concerned about your constituents, why not consider their overall health?

Maybe robocalls could be used to help folks too. For example, the phone could ring when a pollster comes to the door. Or maybe some tape machine in Wyoming could remind me to lock the door or fill the car with gas or get apples at the Giant. The calls could keep my animals from feeling lonely without human voices when I am at work. "Hello, Eliot, Lucky, and D.V. This is Blah Blah and I'm running for PA Governor. Are you good boys? The kids'll be home soon, so enjoy your peace and quiet...Oh, and have a nice day."

Ah, yes, it's election day.

Happy Birthday to my sister! Don't work too hard today, dear....and keep smilin'.

Jury Duty

2006-11-06T20:43:00.000Z

I fulfilled my civic duty today and reported for jury duty. Luckily, we were dismissed before lunch, as the defendant opted for a bench trial rather than a jury trial...thanks, whoever you are.

While waiting in the Jury Assembly Room we were subjected to a few hours of Fox News...most about the upcoming election tomorrow. One man actually said something like, "No wonder he said his party is ahead in the polls...if I were in his position, I would say the same thing the day before an election." Ugh...I guess we've sunk this low. This guy (who shall remain nameless and partyless) actually admits not only that he thinks somebody else is lying (no news flash there), but that he would lie if he were in that position.

I'm glad that some of the other potential jurors persuaded the staff to hit the off button on the TVs. We were all so sick of it after a while.

I got home in time to take Emma out to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch. By now, her class should have received their report cards via the parental conferences. Emma also got to take a trip to the post office to mail her Aunt Helen's birthday presents. She dutifully told the postclerk that it was going to the Poconos and described Aunt Helen's birthday gifts and card. What a cutie! She even wished the package a good trip to Aunt Helen's house.

Don't forget to vote tomorrow...and be an informed voter. It's our only chance. Reports from Fox News this morning indicate that although the economy is good, and unemployment percentages are low, the middle class is being squeezed by rising costs and inflation...DUH! The report continued that the economy is good if you are a major corporation or among the top 1% of wage earners. It reminded me of the situation before the Great Depression. The greedy ones at the top refused to allow a penny out of their tight grasps...then BOOM! Sigh. Doesn't anybody pay attention in history class?

I usually enjoy election night coverage. I'm not so sure I'll watch this year. Too much blathering for me.....

Well, enough for Civic Duty...I've got essays to grade, dinner to cook, and wrestling practice for two hours this evening. Ciao.

Watching Fulton Sheen

2006-11-04T12:55:00.000Z

Somehow, I ended up watching a segment of Sheen's show last night on TV. This black and white clip from the early fifties intrigued me. I wanted to see how much the world changed in fifty years. Sheen talked about building character. Two of his "rules" were to believe in the best in others and the worst in yourself. Interesting.

I try to look for the best in others...I think we all do. Is this applicable today? For the saintly, yes. It is an admirable goal. Most of us are highly distrustful of "others" and often look for flaws that could easily rationalize our writing that person out of our lives. It's a self-defense mechanism in a world full of chaos. What Sheen had to say is applicable to our lives today in that we could use his character building rules in reference to people we know well. That seems safer somehow, doesn't it? For example, how about that cousin with the alcohol or drug problem....that person has good in him or her and you have a past relationship, possibly a good past relationship. You can't "write off" this person because of the problem, but you can enhance the good of the person in that person's presence and to other people.

Looking for the worst in yourself is something all of us do every day. Many people can only see the worst in themselves. We are important in helping all of those around us to build character. Think of that the next time you hear some gossip about somebody. I don't want to hurt anyone who already hurts enough.

Overall, I enjoyed the minutes spent with the earnest possible saint last night. He gave me a picture of how the world was and how the world is...Sure, I have to admit I snickered a bit as he lectured with his blackboard and his fancy vestments, but he won over my heart. He truly tried to help his audience and was/is an effective communicator.

God bless Fulton J. Sheen. I am sure I witnessed a future saint in action.

Saints and Souls

2006-11-02T18:39:00.000Z

Today is my fifteenth wedding anniversary! I am grateful to have a partner in marriage like Tony. God sure blessed me the day I met him.
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Yesterday was All Saints Day and today is All Souls Day. I want to know if anybody up in heaven has seen a St. Catherine running about...or a St. Jack...or a Saint Michael or...well, you get the picture. Pray for All the souls and ask the saints to help!

I wonder how one becames a saint...in heaven, I mean. I know there's very strict rules here and the process is a lengthy one. Do you think it's the same way in heaven? How many miracles are necessary and/or are miracles necessary?

I remember reading somewhere about a woman who prayed for her deceased mother every day for seven years. She stopped praying after seven years because she figured her mother was now in heaven. How did she come to that number? Where did that idea come from? What happens to the prayers if the mother, say, gets to heaven after only four years?

I dunno. I don't think anybody knows for sure, so I'll just keep praying and hoping that those prayers get applied properly. I'm sure there's an angel assigned to that very task. Just don't ask me which choir the angel is in....I'm confused enough about that as it is.

****************
Emma is looking forward to Friday and Monday off from school. The first-graders' parents get report cards handed to them personally at pre-arranged conferences. Sheesh. I'm sending Tony to Emma's...I'll let you know how he does, as I'm sure Emma will have a stellar report card. Elena is participating in Decade Day at Holy Name today. She went to school wearing a poodle skirt. Tony Mickey is a tad disgruntled about the switch to the winter uniform this week. He doesn't like having to wear a tie. I'm hoping that someday the polo shirts would be allowed year round, especially with the trend toward casual dress in workplaces. Oh well, he looks cutie-wootie either way.
***********

"Millions" of Complications

2006-10-31T19:24:00.000Z

Once again, I used the film "Millions" in one of my classes. Although I've seen this film numerous times, today it had a strong personal effect.

During the ending of this fabulous film, there is a scene between a young boy and his deceased mother. (Don't ask...just view the movie!) The mother tells him that she's okay and not to worry about her. He wants to know if she's a saint...and she tells him that she is because he is her miracle. (Again, view the movie...) She also tells him not to worry about her, but that it's okay to miss her. Then she talks about the boy's father's new girlfriend. She says something like..."You know how complicated the money is? Sometimes people are even more complicated than that." The little boy understands. Amazing. She also tells him to be kind to his brother, and that although it seems that he's okay with her death, he probably isn't. He's hiding it.

(Those of you who know me will understand when I mention that the new girlfriend's name in the film is ironic to me personally. Funny, that.)

This scene made me cry today. I mean it....I bawled in my car on the way home because it'll soon be one year since my mom's gone onward on her journey and I don't think I've grieved properly. Somehow it seems as if she's on vacation and she'll be back sometime soon.

After my crying-in-the-car routine, I felt better. I made some progress in my grief dilemma. I also raided the trick or treat bowl and learned more about myself.

****************

Happy Halloween! For those who want to know...Elena is a witch with the coolest witch hat of purple and black with black feathers. The hat also has a veil with spiders embroidered on it. Her friends are meeting at our house this evening to begin their trick or treating gig. Tony is Darth Vader...again...but with a new costume that has lights on his chest that blink. Emma is a forest fairy and cute as can be. Her father told her that forest fairies skip and off she skipped to school. The crossing guard was quite amused. Yes, I'll be trooping around with the younger two this evening. I'll leave the bowl of Tootsie Rolls on the step, so stop by if you want any. BOO!

Mischief Night

2006-10-30T19:09:00.000Z

Mischief Night, the night before Halloween Night, is an important adolescent rite of passage in coal country. First, not everybody participates in the actual mischief, so don't get all righteously indignant on me just yet. Kids used to soap car windows, mostly. Some of the tougher kids smashed pumpkins or pelted empty buildings with rocks. I didn't see an actual toilet-papered tree until I attended college in the Lehigh Valley. I did hear of some kids putting potatoes in exhaust pipes or sugar in gas tanks....maybe it was more legend than fact at the time. In the old days, I've heard that many outhouses got tipped or moved to weird places.

Here in Berks County, I've noted that some kids smash car windshields, drive on lawns, throw eggs or corn, and of course, smash pumpkins. At times, tires are slashed or guns shot in the air. Spray paint is used often...along with vulgar language.Once in a while, somebody will take a for sale sign from a house for sale and put it in front of a house not for sale.

Many of these acts do come under my definition of vandalism. I'm hoping that this year's pranksters don't do any damage or hurt anyone. I'd like to see some kind of new tradition started on Mishchief Night....maybe we could call it Do-gooders Night. Round up the Merry Pranksters and have them help at the soup kitchen or food pantry, or visit lonely people or animal shelters.

Sounds too corny for you? Sounds too "safe" for our little rebels? Too Goody Two Shoes? Maybe...but what is more dangerous than a desperate soul? What is more dangerous than a person who doesn't care about others? What is more dangerous than a person who thinks somebody else will take care of "it"?

I dunno.

Launch

2006-10-29T17:56:00.000Z

Yesterday, Tony and I hooked up a DSL and created an e-mail account for Tony's parents. I'm thrilled for them and hope that they jump right in there and have some fun.
They have taken baby steps by getting a computer and printer and learning how to use them. Now the whole world is out there for them to explore. I am proud of them for learning something new.

Everybody needs to learn something new. It keeps you sharp. It makes you less afraid.

We are watching a new show on TLC. Well, actually, we're Tivoing it. It's called "The Monastery" and airs on Sunday nights at 10 p.m. After watching the premier episode, we are highly interested in seeing what happens next.

It's kind of like a reality show, and kind of not....Five guys go to a Benedictine Monastery in the desert of Northern New Mexico to live with thirty monks for forty days. These guys are interesting...one is a recovering alcoholic addict, one an Iraq veteran with a prosthesis and an attitude, another a paramedic, fourth one a former Satanist now an Episcopalian, and finally, an ex-con turned counselor. I might have this wrong, but of the five it seems that three were Catholic at one time or another, one has no religious background, and another wants to become an Episcopalian priest.

The premise of the show is to see who influences whom more. The monks are NOT there to convert these guys, but to help them find a way in their lives.

It's not easy...They pray seven or eight times a day, getting up at 3:40 a.m. Silence is required in the refectory, the halls, and the chapel. Their rooms are really "cells" which means no visitors. Work is part of their daily routines as well. All of this occurs in a place with breathtaking scenery.

I admire the men...all of them. The thirty monks who live this way, not for a week or forty days or even a year or two, but for their lifetimes. I admire the five guys who are attempting to explore their reason for existence, too. Their courage at leaving their lives behind for more than a month astounds me. This incredible journey is not like the usual reality show trainwreck-waiting-to-happen that we have come to expect. I'm waiting for God to work in their lives...or not. I'm watching to see a positive outcome, not who will be voted off next.

Wow....no wonder it's on at 10 p.m. on a cable network. The public is not ready for it, I guess. I wish the participants well...and commend them for attempting to be better people.

Amen.

Changes and Challenges

2006-10-28T13:15:00.000+01:00

I am facing a difficult crossroads at the moment. I've been wrestling with my MFA idea and wondering which path to take. Now it seems as if that whole idea is blown out of the water.
An advisor has filled me in on some realistic facts that I have to face. Creative Writing spots in universities are coveted positions, carefully guarded. One must have MANY published pieces in addition to the degree. The positions are not readily available, even with the number of people interested in such writing. Hmmmm....If I do get an MFA, I should work on it with the notion that I'm doing it for myself.
Deep breath.
Okay.
I don't leap anymore unless I commit, so this is very big information to me. Today, I am feeling my days as Professor Calderoni are numbered. Why? I am spinning my wheels, with no desire for a PhD. I tire of a system that won't give me a pension or advancement or the comfort of knowing I have a job next year. I told myself all these years that I'm doing it until the youngest child is old enough to go to school all day...well, that time is here.
I have contracts for next semester in my pocket. That's the extent of my obligation now. I'm going to explore my options and continue my writing.
**************
I wrote an acrostic set of poems around the stages of grief. (See Denial in an earlier post.) Tony and Joanie say that it is dark. I really don't see myself as a poet, but it sure is an effective way of creating a mood or working out strong emotions.
**************
Football cheerleading is ending, and wrestling is beginning. Tony Mickey had a takedown at his first practice. WAHOO! He weighs the same as last season, but he's much stronger and more flexible...must have been those swim practices. Best of all, he loves to wrestle, and his coach is outstanding. Coach Mike teaches the boys how to wrestle, be a gentleman, win, and lose...all with grace. He's a phenomenal role model of a Catholic man.
**************
Jar Jar, our Beta fish, went to the big aquarium in the sky last night. Tony and Tony had an official burial in the backyard. Tony3 put blue aquarium stones on the burial site. "Jar Jar was a good fish. He never gave anybody any trouble and he didn't smell." was Tony's eulogy. He even said an Our Father. Oh my.
Tony Mickey and I are thinking about getting Lucky a girl chinchilla to hang out with. Another oh my.
*************
Lots of thinkin' to do. I hope the Lord guides me to the right path.

Raingutter Regatta Royalty

2006-10-21T21:19:00.000+01:00

We had a much needed boost for two of our Tonys last night...well, I guess this story involves all three Tonys! Tonys 2 and 3 worked on a Cub Scout Derby boat for a few evenings this week. They painted and decorated and painted some more and came up with a pirate ship design. Last night, Tonys 1 and 3 attended the Pack meeting and were ready to roll...or should I say float?
Tony's boat's first test came against the members of his den...There was a tricky moment when Gage's boat fell to the side and blocked Tony's boat. Tony simply stopped his portable fan so that Gage's boat wouldn't go over the finish line first. Good thinking, Tony! Tony's happy little pirate boat sailed to first place for his den. Tony 1 said the excitement was great and so much fun. When Tony was winning the races, his Pop-Pop was right there, cheering him on.
Then Tony had to race against the other dens' winners. He progressed to the last race...and he won! He came in first place for the entire pack. Tony 1 said he was thrilled, especially when everybody was yelling "Tony! Tony! Tony!" Come to think of it, I don't think I ever saw the two of them so excited.
I told them that it must have been Green Pepper's Viking ancestry that had an influence on the win. I reasoned this because our Pinewood Derby cars and rockets always seem to lose parts in the midst of the action. Well, I guess the boat followed through a bit because some of its paint came off in the water!
Way to go, Tony, Tony and Tony!

Things Happen

2006-10-16T16:23:00.000+01:00

Some years ago, I had a wonderful friend named David. Tall, thin, blond, wildly intelligent, musical, serious. I met him in grad school; we became fast friends after I moved a couple blocks from him in Allentown. He was from a coal region town, called, appropriately enough, Coaldale. He drove an old VW bug.

Things happen. His dad killed himself in their garage with a hose hooked up to a running car. Something about somebody else's money or other such nonsense. David was never the same.

Soon he was living in Wildwood and teaching at Cape May Courthouse. He lived alone for a little while, keeping a bunch of finches in cages in his apartment. Sometimes he kept fish, too, and once showed me dried up seahorse that he retrieved from its tank after its demise.

Things happen. David gave away many of his possessions, some to me. He talked about killing himself. I don't know if my words had any effect on him, living with his little creatures and dangerous thoughts. Afraid for him, I called again a few days later. No answer.

Finally, I got through to a man who David had shared an apartment with and got the bad news that David drove past Reading into Lebanon, where he used to teach, and hanged himself in a friend's garage. The apartment I was living in on Oley Street had old windows that were almost impossible to move. At the exact moment the news came over the phone line, the window I stood nearest to came crashing down with a huge thunk. That's how my heart felt too.

Things happen. Yesterday, my husband's uncle decided to also go this route. 84 years old and despondent, he also hanged himself. This man had everything money could buy and a terrific family who loved him dearly. Last week, at another funeral, he mentioned to his brother that he would be next. Nobody thought he would take his own life.

I watched one of this man's brothers cry last night and heard of another taking it just as badly. My heart is broken again.

Things happen. My cousin, a Vietnam Vet, a multiple Purple Heart winner, chose this route but put a gun to his mouth. A high school aquaintance did the same. A college friend drove into a tree on purpose.

They leave the rest of us behind with survivors' guilt, with broken hearts, with stubborn "whys?" ringing in our heads. I have no answers but observe that sometimes we don't think properly because of stress, medication, illness, despair. I just ask that my friends who read this pray for these folks, and for all who suffer in this manner.

Things happen.

Denial

2006-10-12T19:59:00.000+01:00

Damn this twisted pattern of
Endings
Neither here nor there
Isolating my feelings in the
Attic of my heart,
Listless and shaken.

Aunt Agnes

2006-10-11T13:48:00.000+01:00

Please keep Tony's Aunt Agnes in your prayers. She went to her heavenly reward on October 4, 2006 after a courageous battle with pancreas cancer.

She is an excellent role model for all of us in that she cared deeply about her family....including her extended family. Her many Christmas ornaments I could expect every Christmas grace our tree. They remind me of her...large personality, shiny, bold, beautiful. Let's just say she was not the wallflower type....

I always looked forward to seeing her, being greeted with a warm smile.

St. Pio looked after her in the days leading up to her death. I have to write about St. Pio's impact on the Calderoni family soon.

God bless us.

What I Learned Growing Up in Wilkes-Barre

2006-09-22T13:56:00.000+01:00

1. Don't leave your prized violin outside the band room of the high school.

2. Don't count on the river always staying in its banks.

3. Wear warm clothing to football games.

4. Hot chocolate can burn your tongue.

5. Drive as if you are in slow motion on icy roads.

6. Mountaintop used to be one word.

7. Football is not the most important happening in life.

8. The ethnic groups are tight.

9. Everybody isn't your friend all the time.

10. If you live across the street from a baseball field, your car will be dented and your windows will be broken.

11. School is not cancelled for a snow day unless the bus can't make it down Bear Creek Hill.

12. Let the Major Domo pull your chair out for you.

13. Algebra teachers can be drunk in school.

14. The basketball coach can rough kids up in the classroom and get away with it.

15. Students can make student teachers cry.

16. Friends can make your life miserable. True friends are hard to find.

17. It's not what you know, it's who you know.

18. Culm banks smell bad and real spring water tastes good.

19. It's cooler in the mountains.

20. To get a job in the school district, you need to pay off somebody.

21. Sometimes people you don't like can care about you more than you know.

22. You're allowed to change your mind.

There Are No Coincidences

2006-09-16T22:59:00.000+01:00

Wow! I am in the midst of something interesting and amazing.

My faithful friend, Joan, used to be married to a man from the UK.

So what, you say?

Well, I have stumbled across his daughter in cyberspace who is looking for her dad. It seems that the parents parted when the baby was six months old. Now the baby is grown up and has children of her own. I contacted her and gave her some info. I hope she can find him in the UK.

Move over, Maury, Oprah and Montel...I'm comin' through!

Seriously, this event gladdens my heart because I can now prove to Joan that no matter what she did, the relationship just would not work. She can put the blame and guilt away...it wasn't hers to begin with. I can't imagine how his daughter feels...or her mother. I can only hope that the children can meet their grandfather, even for an hour. It may help him sort out some hidden feelings.

Funny how these things happen, isn't it?

I'll keep you posted.

Baptismal Journey Home

2006-09-14T23:19:00.000+01:00

I can recall a bit about my sister's baptism, and I think it's appropriate that I share that here today. She has made the journey home to the church and I admire her courage and clear-mindedness.

I couldn't see the actual baptism, but I remember the preparations clearly. Auntie Helen was the proud godmother, and as the new big sister, I got to go shopping with her for a baptismal gown for the baby. We went to Pomeroy's downtown Wilkes-Barre store, and rode the escalator downstairs to the baby section. Auntie Helen was SO excited. She picked out a pretty dress and bonnet, and got a little white sweater to go with it because "it was cold, after all...the baby will need it!" She also bought a white blanket and an egg-shaped plastic bank with some baby kind of decoration on it. We passed some silly themed bibs, too....she got one with a skunk on it that said "I'm a little stinker"...and I remember my sister wearing it when she got old enough to sit up.

Then we rode on the up escalator, which Auntie Helen didn't like too much because it made her a little dizzy. Dad picked us up and brought us home.

Our next-door neighbor, Pete Kuderski, was Helen's godfather. I don't remember too much about him being there, though. I remember it all as an exciting time...after all, I was just-turned-five and everything was pretty exciting.

Unfortunately, soon after, my sister became very sick and had to have surgery. I remember Auntie Helen praying mightily, as only Auntie Helen could, while my parents and sister were at the hospital. My brother and I listened quietly and prayed in our own way. Everything turned out well, and I thought (and still think) that Auntie Helen had something to do with the successful surgery and the quick recovery.

I think there's some dancing in heaven tonight.

God Bless You, Steve Irwin

2006-09-05T15:14:00.000+01:00

All the Calderoni kids are quite upset about the death of one of their favorite TV personalities, Steve Irwin, the Crocodile Hunter.

This man was bigger than life to them: brave, strong, smart, loving. One of the books we donated to the St. Ignatius School library was about him.

I think the comment that tugged at my heart the most came from Emma. She said, "Nana must be so happy, Mom." I was confused and asked her why. "Because she is going to meet Steve Irwin in heaven now."
Wow.

The kids will be sending a sympathy card to Steve's family. I am putting the address below if anybody else wants to offer their condolences.

The Steve Irwin Family
Australia Zoo
Glasshouse Mountain Tourist Rte
Beerwah QLD 4519
Australia

God, please bless this man who helped nurture my kids' love of all living creatures. His teaching ability touched many children. He wasn't perfect, but who is? Console his children and wife, and all the children who loved him. Amen.

Crikey.

Dear College Freshman

2006-09-02T13:29:00.000+01:00

Dear College Freshman,

I have dealt with about 2000 of you, more or less, over the years, from the other side of the classroom. I've enjoyed the experience and appreciated each and every one of you. That's why I want to tell you some information that might make your life easier.

Put your name and phone number or e-mail address on everything you carry around with you. Just yesterday, I found a notebook with vital first day instructions in it. No name, no number to call...that student is frantically digging around in a backpack or desk around now. I found a laptop once, and at least a hundred umbrellas. Purses, lunches, hoodies, textbooks, money, cellphones, palm pilots, well, you get the idea....They end up stolen or in lost and found or placed on the blackboard for you to find later. If a name and contact info. was placed on these items, a quick connection would relieve some anxiety.

Read the syllabus I give you. It will help answer many of your questions. If you don't understand something that's on the syllabus, ask as soon as possible.

Take notes. Don't ask me, "should I write this down?" That's your job. Do your homework. Pull your weight in group projects. Read your assignments. Don't ask "will there be a pop quiz tomorrow?" The "pop" part of "pop quiz" means surprise.

Don't be afraid to approach me, either in person or via e-mail. I'm here to help you. I want all my students to succeed.

Understand that I have many students. Help me to remember your name. Don't send me an e-mail that asks what we did in class today. Don't send me an e-mail with your paper attached unless I ask you for it. Don't send me an e-mail asking what the assignment was when it is on the syllabus. Don't send me an e-mail asking for a good lawyer or bail.

Eat breakfast. Sleep eight hours. I know that this can be difficult, but it will help you to learn. When it's raining, take an uncool umbrella or wear a raincoat. When it's cold, wear a coat. When it snows, wear boots and warm socks. Take your hats off in class and put your hoods down. Don't put earphones in your ears anytime during class. Try to pay attention the best you can. Wear enough clothing so that I don't have to see your lime green thong. Thank you.

Keep in touch with your family and friends. You are not alone and they truly want to hear from you. Don't work too many hours if you can help it. Care for your spirituality; go to church or temple or mosque, join an appropriate campus group and spend time with that group. It's good for you. Trust me on that one.

Just because professors went to school a long time doesn't mean they know everything. Don't swallow somebody else's political or moral or social views whole. Analyze. Decide what is right according to how you view the world and how you were raised. There's a very thin line here, so be careful, like you are careful with all media.

Respect the opposite sex. Don't take advantage or abuse anyone. Don't let anyone take advantage or abuse you. Don't leave any drink unattended at any time.

Don't drink or do drugs unless those drugs are prescribed by your doctor. Sure, it's cool and sometimes fun, but most times it's a disaster. Don't come to class drunk or high...certainly don't drive or walk around town, either. Try not to be in a hurry to move out of the dorms. Sometimes that brings a whole set of problems and failures. Find a roommate you can get along with, even if it's only for a semester. Find a dorm floor that allows you to sleep and study. Respect others' sleep and study times.

If you are sick, go to the health center or doctor RIGHT AWAY. Don't come to class if you have a fever or feel as if you will vomit. If you are stressed or nervous, talk to our campus counselors. That's what they are there for...you are in transition if you are a first year freshman. That's not easy.

Try to leave your car at home if possible. Again, it's a whole set of problems. If you don't need to commute or drive to work, leave it at home.

Turn your cell phones off during classes or lectures. Look both ways when you cross the street! I've seen numerous students with near misses on Main Street and am amazed at the number who simply think those white lines in the crosswalk will protect them from a moving vehicle.

Don't give me an attitude because I'm trying to teach you to be a better writer or reader. I'm glad you got all A grades in high school. Good for you, but this paper is a C. Do you want to know how to get it to be an A? Then listen to what I'm telling you, and stop grousing. Get tutors or visit writing centers or math labs for help as soon as you have a problem. Make an appointment to see me during my office hours so that I can help you.

Use black ink and have an extra ink cartridge on hand. Print out your paper the night before. Use Times Roman, not some fancy script I can't read. Use white paper with nothing written on the other side of it. Staple your papers together before class.

I care about your success as a student and a person, but I cannot replace the people who raised you and love you the most. Those are the folks who will hopefully help you with any problem you run into. Trust them. I wish you a good semester.

Company House

2006-08-25T23:13:00.000+01:00

I grew up in half of a double block in the Mayflower section of Wilkes-Barre. Our home, originally a house built by a coal company was a far cry from the McMansions people are building today. I remember that house fondly, and often walk its floors in my memory.

My dad totally renovated the home after a number of years. It originally belonged to my grandmother, who passed it down to my mother. When he first moved in, my dad said that it was so drafty, he could feel a breeze, especially in the winter.

Upstairs had three bedrooms. No hallway, no bathroom, no laundry room, no balcony...just three interconnected rooms. There was one bathroom in the house, downstairs...added on. I heard that there used to be an outhouse until Uncle Pete added an inside bathroom.

The kitchen was really a great room...had a pantry (later removed) and the entrance to the cellar. The coal furnace in the cellar looked like some kind of primitive robot. The coal cellar, kind of a closet with a tiny window for the coal truck's chute, rested in a corner near the front of the cellar.

This house had a great front porch, too, protected by a huge chestnut tree for many years. As long as I could remember, a dark green rocking chair sat on that porch.

One irony about this house is that my husband, while driving the bus here in Reading, met someone else who lived in that house! What happened was my grandmother and grandfather moved the family to Baltimore for a few years and they rented it out. What a small world!

Just say you grew up in Wilkes-Barre sometime (or that your wife did) and it's amazing that you can make a connection. But the exact same house? That's serendipity, that's cool, that's family history.

"Dat's Da Saddest Ding I Ever Saw"

2006-08-24T13:48:00.000+01:00

I promised you more yesterday, and hope that I am able to deliver it in an appropriate manner today.

Sharon was driving home from her boyfriend's house in her Acura Integra. Right near the Half-Circle Barbeque, her life ended with a horrific smash. She attempted to get home that night so her mom wouldn't worry about her. There are so many ironies here.

Sharon was killed fifty years TO THE DAY that her grandfather was killed fighting in the Phillipines at the end of World War II. He gave his life so that Americans could be free...to have the freedom to do many things, including, you guessed it, the right to drive home in the early morning hours without fear.

Sharon drove an Acura Integra...so did I. The Integras are fabulous vehicles; they look good, and they drive even better. Unfortunately, they are not what I would call roomy cars. The driver fits in snugly but easily. I traded mine in when I had kids and needed more room.

She was planning a wedding. Her boyfriend asked her to get married in Las Vegas, but Sharon said no. Why? She wanted her dad to give her away. Her parents were so important to this only child, who gave them every consideration. While compiling our family history, I corresponded with her and found her a delightful person ready to give me the information I needed. Her personality came through in her handwriting: circular, almost bubbly, clear, careful.

My godfather, my dear Uncle George, was with me at the funeral. I remember the quiet of the funeral visiting hours and the enormous amount of people. Most of all, I remember our time at the gravesite.

Uncle George was not what you would call a "polished" man, but he was okay. Short, a little squat even, and loud, it didn't seem possible that he had a soft side, but he did. He worked with stone, a mason, and perhaps some of that hard substance infused into his skin. I sat in the car with him while our other relatives bunched around the grave.

We had a perfect view of everyone, especially Sharon's parents. After the services were over, nobody wanted to leave. Sharon's mom hugged her only child's casket and sobbed as Frank bent over to shield her. "My baby, my baby," she wept. I sobbed, thinking of my own brother. Uncle George, silent as his stones, had tears rolling down his cheeks. My strong godfather looked at me and said "Dat's da saddest ding I ever saw." Alone in the car on that August day, we cried.

Earlier, I had been amazed at my cousin's viewing. Sharon was a beautiful woman with blue eyes, blonde hair and a gorgeous smile. At the viewing, it was her hands that had me riveted. Her hands are my hands, the ones I see every day, the too-big peasant looking hands, indicating my farming ancestry. Our nails were shaped the same, the size almost identical, even the skin tone. You see, her father and my father are first cousins which can account for the physical similarities of our hands. Our loving Auntie Helen had those same hands, too.

God bless our family on both sides of Heaven.

Jason Politz Back In The Can

2006-08-23T13:43:00.000+01:00

Jason Politz killed my cousin Sharon through a drunken driving accident. It's a shame all around. If that wasn't enough to get him to fight his demon of alcoholism, I don't know what is....Yesterday, he was sentenced to jail...again. The following article comes from Wilkes-Barre's Times Leader. The reporter's name is David Weiss. The sub-title says "Jason Politz gets 18 to 36 months after second drunken-driving arrest after 1995 deadly wreck."

"Jason Politz will be back in state prison for 18 to 36 months on drunken driving charges. This is the second time he's faced such charges after killing a woman in a drunken wreck in 1995.

Politz, 35, of Lyndwood Avenue in Hanover Township, pleaded guilty earlier this month to two counts of DUI and a tampering charge in connection with a Feb. 17 traffic stop.

State trooper Bernard Kizis saw Politz traveling 65 mph in a 35 mph zone on Blackman Street. Kizis said Politz crossed the center line at least twice before coming to a red light at state Route 309 in Wilkes-Barre Township.

Kizis stopped Politz, who had a blood-alcohol level of 0.22 percent. An adult driver in Pennsylvania is considered intoxicated at o.o8 percent.

Politz was also charged with tampering with an ignition interlock device that was installed on his vehicle after a 2003 drunken driving conviction in Wyoming County.

That arrest came after he was released from prison in 2000 after serving more than three years for killing Sharon Yanulevius in a 1995 Hanover Township crash.

Politz had a blood-alcohol level of 0.14 percent in that wreck, which played a factor in his new case.

The DUI charges in Politz's latest case carried a mandatory minimum sentence on one year in prison because it was his third offense and his blood-alcohol level was so high.

But Assistant District Attorney Gene Molino asked Court of Common Pleas Judge Joseph Augello to sentence Politz to two and a half to five years in prison, the maximum sentence allowed on the charge.

Augello didn't level that sentence, but went beyond the mandatory sentence of one year in prison based, in part, on the severity of Politz's past incident and his failure to control his drinking.

The prison sentence came as a relief to Yanulevius' parents.

"They won't be serving Coors Light in there," said Yanulevius' father, Frank.

Frank and his wife, also named Sharon, attended Tuesday's sentencing. They said they doubt the sentence will change Politz's attitude.

"He's had 11 years since he's killed our daughter," Sharon said. "Nothing's stopped him."

Politz on Tuesday told Augello he struggles daily with his actions in the Yanulevius death.

His attorney, Vincent Cappellini, hoped his client would be sentenced to probation and house arrest. He said Politz is in Alcoholics Anonymous and works full time.

Politz must report to prison Friday. Upon serving his jail sentence, he must also serve two years probation. Augello also ordered Politz to pay more than $3,000 in fines."

Gee, maybe he'll have to sell his car. Too bad, huh?

I have a lot more to say about this. Tune in tomorrow.

One Down

2006-08-22T21:04:00.000+01:00

One syllabus down...the one for three comp. classes. Happy, happy, happy...

Busy day tomorrow, what else is new?
*************

Top Ten Excuses Not to Write in My Blog.

10. The dishes are higher than the sink.
9. The laundry is higher than the washing machine.
8. Big Brother/Survivor/Who Wants To Be a Superhero or a British Comedy is playing on TV.
7. I'm busy reading Tom's blog, Things at Kings.
6. My eyes are tired.
5. My tea is not ready or too cold.
4. I'm pretending to be Hyacinth Bucket.
3. The chinchilla is squeaking.
2. I have to cook something for dinner.
1. My kids come first.

Boo Hoo

2006-08-21T14:11:00.000+01:00

I am cherishing this last week before my kids go back to school. I miss them terribly in the first weeks...they miss me too. I am home when they come home from school, and I am grateful for that. I know that others are not so lucky. As I said before, I enjoy my time with them. I hope we always enjoy being together.

Getting ready for school is always such a flurry of activity. By the way, I am also grateful for school uniforms. I really like how we don't have to think about what is appropriate or comfortable to wear to school. Which reminds me, I have to stop at Holy Name and get Elena her official gym uniform....

We also discovered a macadam path that Elena can use to walk back and forth to her bus. It seems that she has to walk pretty far, uphill, too, but then I recall my walks to schools. Walking is good, but you can bet that I'll be giving her a ride when it's really cold or slippery. She is so lucky to be able to go to a great school like Holy Name. I am impressed with their curriculum choices and not only their theology and music classes, but their retreats and music activities. These are great choices for Elena. She is interested in the Liturgical Choir and the school musical, which will be Fiddler on the Roof. The ninth graders will have a retreat the SECOND day of school...this also impresses me. She is joining the folk choir at church, too. Her experience in the children's choir was a good one, so there's no doubt she'll enjoy this one, too. We'll see if she can still fit in Handbell Choir, too...which she also loves. My grandmother, a person who liked to sing and dance, according to my father...would be so proud of our Elena.

And yes, it's back to cheering tonight...(we got the power to, we got the power to, we got the power to whoop you)...I keep hearing that one in my head! Emma can't wait for those pom-poms. Her confidence inspires me.

Tony is taking it easy for the time being. We are working on finding a venue for his wrestling team at one of the area colleges. I'm hoping that we'll be at PSU because it is so close to our home...but we'd drive anywhere for wrestling.

Our schedule today includes a trip to Chocolateworld in Hershey and a Jaws marathon.

Hold on tight, Marie.

Italian Festival

2006-08-20T17:27:00.000+01:00

We are heading over to Cacoosing for the Italian Festival this afternoon. Emma is scheduled to participate in the Little Miss Italy contest. I'll let ya know how we do...

It actually rained here last night for a few minutes around midnight. It's been pretty humid, although right now it's 81 degrees.

Lots of news at church today...Father Rich is going to St. Ann's in Emmaus, we got our parish picture directory...very nice, CYO wrestlers need a venue, and our next door neighbor's surgery is scheduled for Tuesday...please pray for her.

Dangerous Mouth

2006-08-18T15:17:00.000+01:00

I recently discovered a father who is telling his son that women should be subservient to men. This man's ego has got him into trouble before because he has served time in a federal prison.

The boy must have been somewhat troubled by this information because he shared it with his grandmother (his mother's mother). I'm sure she was horrified, but not shocked, considering the source. She told him that piece of information was false. I don't think she told him why, though. I wish I could have talked to the boy instead.

Unfortunately, the boy took this information back to his father. Now (you guessed it) he does not see his grandmother. The boy's mother is an emotional wreck and incapable of standing up to Mr. Ego. Mr. Ego's girlfriend, if she has a lick of sense, would not stand for this. After all, she's the money in their relationship. Gee, I wonder who is subservient there?

********************

Dear *****,

Women and men are here on earth to help each other, to bless each other, to continue the human race together. God wants you to honor both of your parents equally. One parent is not "better" than another parent, just different. There is a Chinese symbol called ying and yang...you've probably seen it. It shows how two unlike parts make a unified whole.

Look at all the wonderful women in your life: your mother, your grandmothers, your aunts, your cousins, your teachers, your nurses and other medical personnel. How about the woman who is the U.S. Secretary of State? How about all the great women in our past, like Marie Curie? What about the holy women of the church, like St. Therese of Lisieux? The strong women mentioned in the Bible are inspiring: Ruth and Naomi, Esther, Leah, Rachel, Mary Magdalene, Elizabeth, Sarah...Of course, then, there is the greatest woman of all, our Blessed Mother.

Please remember that, no matter what your father says, nobody is "better than" anybody else regardless of gender, race, ethnicity, financial status or disposition. I am praying that you will follow the right path.

************************

Hmmmm....

2006-08-16T20:29:00.000+01:00

Don't think of literary form. Let it get out as it wants to. Overtell it in the matter of detail--cutting comes later. --John Steinbeck

This quotation jumped out at me from a book called A Writer's Book of Days by Judy Reeves.

My writing sometimes seems very spare. Sure, there's description. It reflects my personality in some ways. I don't suffer fools gladly, but I am patient most of the time. I generate the important (to me) details. I consider the rest of what I could say "fluff." I urge my students to push the envelope with description, to surround readers with the moment. At the same time, I don't want to bulldoze through details that are not relevant.

John Steinbeck is saying that a writer should write it down first and cut later. Yes, but some writers edit before the words flow out of the pen. Look how clean Hemingway's writing is, for example. Nothing superfluous...I guess the middle of the road is the best.

*****

I volunteered to be on the "Literary Magazine" Committee at KU today. I'll let you know how it goes.

*****

I am reflecting on Father Larry Richards' Mission at our church this year. He's filled with enthusiasm and truth. He told all of us to read our Bibles every day. "Bible before breakfast; bible before bed." I've never read the bible cover to cover, have you? I read the Book of Judith the other night and was enthralled. I'd love to visit Father Larry's church in Erie sometime. Going to confession with someone like him on the other side must be awesome. He is also selling some great t-shirts that say "I love my German Shepherd" on the front, with a picture of Pope Benedict on the back.
******

Promise...No Laughing

2006-08-15T20:57:00.000+01:00

Okay...for those of you who know me...you are NOT allowed to laugh, snigger or roll your eyes for the next two minutes.

I have been recruited to be the assistant coach for Emma's Flag Football Cheerleading Squad.

Hey! You are NOT allowed to do that...see the first lines of this entry!

Emma is having a great time with it, so I am happy to help out. The Holy Name program is in its first year and many children have moved from the football programs at the public schools to be involved with the CYO. This is so great for the kids. It's important to be proud of who you are and where you come from as a person.

We are in the process of learning chants this week. The girls are going into kindergarten, first and second grades. The head coach is a former cheerleader and went to King's College where she cheered for the basketball team. She seems to be great with the kids so far...lots of patience!

I'll keep you posted on our progress. A-W-E/S-O-M-E- Awesome, Awesome, Awesome are we!

Busy in the Beehive

2006-08-14T17:21:00.000+01:00

The town I grew up in has a great town symbol...a beehive. When I moved away I think I took that beehive with me.

We always seem to be running somewhere or doing something. For example, on Sunday, the Boy Scout pack is having a picnic at our pool, and the Italian Festival is staging their Little Miss Italy contest. Normally, it would be very simple to navigate this...one parent to the pool, one parent to the contest...BUT what if our contestant wins with one parent and sibling at the pool? I have a feeling we'll be driving back and forth a bit that day.

I would hate to miss anything in my kids' lives right now. I know that many parents feel that it is the best thing to have date nights or vacations without the kids. I dunno...maybe I got married too late for that. When I go somewhere without them, I miss them. We enjoy being together and just hanging out or discovering something or someone new. I'm hesitating signing up for continuing my own education because I might be without them for a week or two or three or more.

Our home is our beehive...All of us go out and do our various activities and return to share the day...and many days we go out in the evening for other activities. It's holy chaos...a nice kind of chaos.

Emma is learning how to read with a Dick and Jane book from my library. She is making progress by leaps and bounds. It's amazing. She is busy as a little bee with her drawing, too. Tony is busy gathering his school supplies together and taking care of his chinchilla and his new Siamese Fighting Fish. Elena is the busiest bee, floating from one flower of friendship to another and getting ready for high school.

Tony and I seem to be always moving...moving...moving....and loving it.
God Bless our little beehive.

Frazzled

2006-08-11T21:09:00.000+01:00

Well, the beginning of the school year is fast approaching. Supply lists and backpack choices need to purchased, syllabi need to be created, uniforms and clothing and shoes need to be purchased or ordered or dusted off or whatever. Lunchboxes? Folders? Contact paper? Summer Reading Books?

Then we need the cash...lunch emergency money...school stationary money...party money...field trip money...teacher appreciation money...I could keep going, but I might get depressed.

I teach at two schools...Elena goes to a high school now, and Emma and Tony go to their elementary school. I am very relieved that both schools I teach at have their Spring Breaks the same week this year. WAHOO! I am very grateful that I have a schedule that allows me to be home when the kids are home. I am distraught about my husband's scheduled work runs. I am ecstatic that I've been excused from jury duty on the first day of school...Thank you Berks County Courts! You do have a heart. I'm not looking forward to meetings of various kinds, either...Back to School Night, Freshman Picnic, Meet the Teacher Night, First Grade Open House, English Department Meeting, College of Liberal Arts Meeting, Cheerleading Parent Meeting, Wrestlers Meeting, How to Meetings, Where Is My Brain Meetings.

Two women I know don't even have their kids properly registered at their schools yet. Somebody else is still deciding which college to attend, and another which courses to take. Students and parents are wrestling with the torrent of financial aid paperwork. AND...Eliot is overdue for his Senior Feline Checkup.

Was it T.S. Eliot who said "Hold on tight, Marie," or was that somebody else?

Peachy

2006-08-09T14:06:00.000+01:00

It is 67.1 degrees as I write this morning at 9 a.m. What a blessed relief...now we need some rain.

Emma and I shared our peaches from Esther's market stand in the neighborhood today. It seems as if you either love 'em or hate 'em. Most people hate the fuzz. Some people are even allergic to the fuzz.

These peaches are especially good, so if you want directions to Esther's stand, lemme know.
***********
I am sad to report that another of Reading's finest has been gunned down, and his funeral is today. God bless all of our police and fire personnel.

I am also sad to report that my cousin's father-in-law died yesterday, with a funeral on Friday. Please keep them in your prayers.

************

Still working on my story...I feel like I can do this.

Maniac Madonna

2006-08-08T13:35:00.000+01:00

Well, she's done it...again.

Madonna staged a mock crucifixion in Rome...of herself. She is a lapsed Catholic of Italian heritage who now talks with a fake Brit accent. I feel sorry for her because she doesn't even know who she really is anymore.

Do I like her music? I used to...It's bland and pop-like, very danceable, but her voice is not her talent. Her chutzpah is her talent. Now that she is 47 years old I guess that she is reluctant to take off her clothes on stage as often as she used to...

She is obviously searching for a spiritual connection. Why she is gunning for excommunication is unexplainable. This latest stunt is in poor taste at the very least.

Our Blessed Mother stood at the foot of the cross, dear, and it wasn't a publicity stunt. Some people will do anything for money.

Judi, Judi, Judi

2006-08-07T23:41:00.000+01:00

I got a letter from London today. About a week or so ago, I sent an e-mail to Judi Dench through her publicist. I know that autograph seekers usually have to send a SASE and IRCs to get autographed pictures, but when I saw the e-mail address I figured I'd give it a try.
Back to my letter....I got an autographed photo...personalized to me...Can you see the stars in my eyes?

Thank you Judi! I'm putting the picture in a frame next to the TV.

What a class act....who loves her fans.

By the way, the main character in my Agnes story is named...Judith....

Greetings

2006-08-06T16:15:00.000+01:00

Our family is invited to a baptism today...nothing unusual in that except that this child is our friends' ninth child.
On one of my usual trips to Shady Maple, I thought I'd quickly pick up a baptism card to save myself some trouble. WRONG.....After digesting the slim pickins of baptism cards, I chose one and got a huge sticker shock. FOUR DOLLARS for a card...I remember when the four dollars would be considered a good-sized gift in a birthday card.

Forget it.

Put the card back, figuring I'd head to Target or the Hallmark store anyhow.

Then I remembered my Hallmark Card Studio software from 2003. Funny, but I must have gone through a printer or two since I used this software last. I had to print out the card two or three times until I got it exactly right. So there. PHTTTTTT!!! to grocery store card prices.

Makes me crazy.

I know people who only send e-cards. This is fun, but I don't feel right attending an event and saying...check your e-mail. E-cards are great, but sometimes not appropos.

It is 75.8 degrees as I write this at 11:19 a.m. I am grateful for the weather change.

Still workin' on my Agnes story.

I'm On a Mission

2006-08-03T18:47:00.000+01:00

Vacation Bible School at St. Ignatius Loyola is always a great time for most of the kids. Crafts, games, snacks, air conditioning, songs...what more could you ask for?

Today I ran the craft table, making Holy Heroes Books...basically decorated photo albums that the kids could put prayer cards or saint cards or pictures of special people all in one place. As far as crafts go, it is quite an easy one.

The children raised money to help defray the costs of a seminarian from our parish.

I love to watch when the entire group of kids, captains, and guides get together. (The captains are older kids like Tony and Elena, and the guides are parents.) They sing cool songs like the one I used for my title, with choreographed movements. The spirit of JPII is there for me when they sing and dance to peppy tunes about their faith. I honestly could cry when I see the young people at these times...they don't know how lucky they are.

The high school kids or recent graduates who help out are phenomenal, too. It's usually at this age when we lose their interest, so I am very happy to see them participating. There were 135 kids who registered for VBS this year (this doesn't count the captains)...The largest group is 39 kids in Emma's age group. Wow.

They all wear special t-shirts with the theme of "Circus of the Stars" emblazoned on them. The captains and guides wear slightly different shirts...what a sense of belonging to something important.

************
Football Musing
I'm hearing rumblings that T.O. is not really getting along with his new QB, Bledsoe. So soon, T.O.? I'd love to see him on a reality show...oh, wait...he is on a reality show called the NFL.

Go Eagles!

SOAP

2006-08-02T17:47:00.000+01:00

My son has been looking forward to seeing a movie called Snakes on a Plane...

When we first discovered this movie, it looked campy and fun...and about snakes...right up Tony's alley. I knew immediately that it was not for me!

My son's love affair with learning about snakes inspired Joan to invite a friend to her house who lives with pet snakes. This friend brought along her husband and his (gulp) yellow Burmese Python. I dutifully took Tony over to visit with said reptile, and waited while he visited. Being this close to a snake this large, in a house...well...my nerves were shot pretty quickly. Joan had the snake wrapped around her...Tony took pictures and touched the snake. I observed its muscles moving under its skin...which is what I think bothers me the most about snakes. Fascinating and repelling. After this close encounter I drove home and had to rest.

Back to the movie. Joan and Tony decided that they would go to see this movie that created such a stir on the Internet. They have been looking forward to the release date for months. However, a small problem has arisen...New Line Cinema requested that the movie have more gore and violence and sex scenes, to appeal to the horror movie crowd. The filmakers dutifully complied and now the campy fun of watching what happens with 400 snakes on a plane has turned into Something Else. It's now rated R, rightfully. Tony is worried that it might be too much for him, although he would leap at the chance to go if I let him.

He and Joan are probably going to keep their movie date...maybe even go tomorrow...to see Johnny Depp's Pirates of the Caribbean Part 2.

Unfortunately, I will have to preview SOAP when it comes on HBO to see if it is okay...I doubt it will be, but wish me luck.

**************

Pray for Mel Gibson's successful recovery. Alcoholism is a huge demon to have to dance with.

Serenity

2006-08-01T19:25:00.000+01:00

Last night, I went to a Mass and a lecture featuring Bob and Penny Lord. They do not know it, but they helped set me back on a proper spiritual road a while back when I had strayed away. I took Emma with me, and joined neighbors for the drive into town last night.

I am amazed at the people who embrace being Catholic. Why? I envy their peace, their inner and outer glow the others might envy a red BMW or a McMansion. I admit it. I'm inspired by it. These people are way ahead of me in their spiritual relationships...I learn from them with every contact and delight in their company, simplicity, and humbleness.

Bob and Penny stated that they visited Holy Rosary, not at the pastor's request, but at their own request because he "feeds" them so well. Now, you and I both know that Berks County has many great places to eat...but they were talking about their spirits. I was impressed that this globe-trotting couple who research Catholic topics and run pilgrimages came to a little Italian church downtown.

Afterwards, both of them took time to talk with every person who wanted to meet them. Of course, Emma was one of the first people they spoke with...surprisingly, she became a little scared at meeting someone who she knew only through the television. They soon made her feel at ease, and before I knew it, Emma was ready for a big piece of cake and some pizza!

A friend of mine since I was a young girl happened to be there last night, too! She is the grandmother of a future seminarian. I am always happy to visit with her. She helped me out when Elena was little and I had to work. My parents lived out of town and Tony's parents were overcome with caring for his sister's children, and I had no one to turn to....until Agnes showed up at the door with a smile and a hug. I don't think she knows how much I will always love and appreciate her selfless effort. Anyway she told me a really funny story...and it's short so I'll repeat it here.

I told her about my son, Tony, who claims that he wants to be a priest because "they don't get married"...which is funny enough. She told me that her grandson, about to be married next month, used to say the same thing at Tony's age, but took it one step further. He wanted to become a Trappist monk because not only do monks not marry, but they are not required to talk to women, either. We all chuckled about that.

If you think of it, please say a prayer for Peter, who wants to be a priest for the proper reasons.

*************

Zoo update:

Elena brought home not one, but two hermit crabs. They are ensconced in a purple hermit crab home with bright green sand. Elena's name is also painted in purple on the side of the home. Sam and Dotty are a welcome addition to our happy animal group.

My in the shade of the carport thermometer is now reading 92.2 degrees with changeable weather coming. Sheesh...I sure hope the change is COOLER and SOON.

My House and a Zoo

2006-07-31T16:37:00.000+01:00

Elena called from the beach asking if it was okay to bring a hermit crab home. I'm waiting for her return today, wondering if another little creature will be living in the house.

Of course, you know of all the antics of Eliot, Lucky and Darth Vader. The two goldfish that we caught at the swim team party died...I was not surprised. Tony decided he wanted a Beta..a Siamese Fighting Fish..to replace Wanda and Cosmo. His new fish is named Jar Jar.

Animals teach children a lot. They are also a comfort to them. I don't mind having them around as long as the animals behave themselves.

The kids are at Vacation Bible School this morning, the van is at the Ford dealer, and I am hoping that the weather will somehow change into a bearable summer.

I'm working on some writing about the Agnes hurricane.

Stay cool.

Superhero Competition

2006-07-31T00:31:00.000+01:00

Well, it's been awhile. No excuses on this end, just a comment.
****************

Has anyone seen the latest reality type show on TV this season? Who Wants to be a Superhero? is a riot, although the first episode used some words I'd rather not have the kids hear. I think the editors could have edited that out. However, that being said, this show judges people by their values, not their sneakiness or ability to lie or even their athleticism.

The music is just right and Stan Lee's drawings add a great element to the show. I just told my sister and her boyfriend about the show this evening...(BTW Joe, how was that tomato sandwich?). It's on Thursday nights at 9 on the Sci-Fi Channel. Check it out on www.whowantstobeasuperhero.tv/ ....

I know most folks think reality shows are junk, but I find some redeeming merits in most of them. For example, on a recent Big Brother All Stars episode, I learned the lesson not to give up from a guy called Chicken George. He was up to be voted out of the house and thus out of the game, but had one chance to stay in the house through something called a veto competition. Anyway, during this competition, I thought at first that BBAS had crossed the line with the humiliation portion of their competitions. Chicken George showed me that you could do anything if you want to stay in the game badly enough. During the competition, he had all his hair shaved off his head, his skin dyed blue, obscenities written on his body, his normal food for 60 days taken away (he has to eat some foul food called slop), and give up his next veto competition.

I find lots of similarities in my life from these shows. Many of the people that participate in these endeavors remind me of many folks in my life. Maybe that's why I watch them.

I know that much of the behaviors I watch are examples of what NOT to do, and it brings up some great discussions with my eldest child. I'm using a broad brush here, so please don't get the idea I watch every reality show out there...I don't...

***********
Keep in mind that tomorrow is the 450th birthday of our parish's namesake...Saint Ignatius Loyola...if you can, send him a spiritual happy birthday.

Let It Go

2006-07-28T11:56:00.000+01:00

There are so many times that we really need to release ourselves from the emotion we feel about a situation. I can say for sure that this is not an easy task. Sometimes I obsess over a situation until it drives me nuts....usually it's something I can't do anything about. The emotions involved in this arduous roller coaster ride are often strong, so the stress one puts on oneself is HUGE.

For example, if you are still quite angry over a serious situation that happened years ago, you should let it go. Grudges are the proverbial monkey on the back or the chip on the shoulder. It makes YOU miserable; most other people have forgotten about it or dealt with it.

If faced with a situation where you have done everything you can do to deal with your problem, and a fix has still not happened, let it go. If you make a mistake, own up to it, apologize, and let it go. If a situation at work puts you in a bad spot, do what you can, or talk to a person close to you for advice. If it's something you can't do anything about, let it go.

Sometimes you have to let people go out of your life...for a little while or a long while. It might be the healthiest action to take in many cases. This is most difficult and "tough love" kinda falls in this category. People you love who are addicts can fall in this category, too. Not easy.

I can see why people during Biblical Times would offer small unblemished doves at the Temple for sins. They could imagine the birds flying away, taking the problem/sin out of their lives. It's an image that everyone could understand.(Yeah, yeah, I know they slit their throats, but the image of them winging away is the one I prefer.)

If something is buggin' you today...let it go.
*************
Today is the last day of Little Tony's Boy Scout day camp week. He only went three of the days this week because of other commitments (one being a stomach sickness...I won't get into that). One of the days he broke a camp record for archery! Great job, Tony! He did pretty well on the BB guns, too. On Monday night he won the BIG SPLASH event for his age group at the Swim Team Party and brought home a water gun and two goldfish. What a fun week!
Elena is heading off for a mini vacation with a friend's family. Emma is recovering from a fall on a slippery diving board...I told her that she'd be healed before her Little Miss Italy contest, which satisfied her. I am looking forward to seeing Bob and Penny Lord from EWTN on Monday night at Holy Rosary Church. (If you haven't seen their show about saints, check it out.) I'm also looking forward to spending a little time with Marilyn and Stan, who are going to stop by on their way to Regina's in MD. Dad will be off to AC next month for three days. It seems as if everyone is on the move.
***********
If I were In Charge of Everything, everybody who works would get three or four months of vacation a year. Maybe we just need to work in Europe. See the smiley above.
*************

Good Results

2006-07-25T17:17:00.000+01:00

I am happy to report that Creative Writing Camp at St. Ignatius School earned the library over $200 for new books. Thank you to all the students who participated and their parents who contributed to the library.

There is also a small display of unusual sea shells in the St. Ignatius Library. We loaned them from our collection. In turn, a wonderful woman named Nancy Taylor is the original owner of our collection. She spent many happy hours during her vacations, collecting, identifying, and buying some interesting shells. She died earlier this month, and it makes me feel great that she is still teaching visitors to the library about nature. Thanks, Nancy, and say hi to Mom for me.

North to the Southern Tier

2006-07-24T14:04:00.000+01:00

This past weekend I discovered and hoped to take a Mark Twain trolley tour of Elmira, NY. Unfortunately, it rained...hard...and we made alternate plans. I have to thank Mother Nature for my choice to visit the Roberson on a rainy day.
It's a delightful museum with a planetarium in Binghamton, NY. Perhaps the most interesting aspect of this fine institution is the fact that part of it is a beautiful mansion. Check it out at www.roberson.org ....If you are interested in Lithuanian Americans, look closely at the section regarding Joseph Mender, a self-trained artist.

We traveled up to the Southern Tier of New York "the back way"...which means we drove to Wilkes-Barre, caught the Cross Valley Expressway to the Back Mountain, drove through Tunkhannock and Meshoppen and continued on 26 up to Vestal. I've always enjoyed this ride quite a bit, not only because we get off I-81, but because of the bucolic roadside, especially the rural areas.

Some of the folks along our route did not weather the recent floods well. We saw many signs of damage: shoulders of roads caved in, trees down, a complete ballfield turned into a mud pit, piles of debris.

The area around our friends' home in Endwell suffered quite a bit of damage, too. We were sad to see that Christ the King Church had flood damage to its community area in the basement. Earlier in the year, I attended a wedding shower in that basement and thought it was a lovely place for friendly gatherings. We realized that this church is becoming our spiritual home when we visit our friends in Endwell. The people and pastor are welcoming and pleasant. They sing and smile a lot....our kind of place. Their website is listed on the Parish Bulletin as http://ctkendwell.catholicweb.com.

We also visited a place called The Broadway Diner in Endwell. If you ever get the chance, you gotta eat here...you won't be upset with the choice.

Well, it's back to Situation Normal here in Whitfield. Both Tonys are at Boy Scout Camp, I have another appointment at the eye doctor for a special test, and Emma is going to swim practice. Elena is on the phone, planning to go with a friend's family for a long weekend in Rehoboth. We'll be rooting for Wyomissing Hills at their away swim meet this evening at Wodenschiere Pool.

Go Hills! Please keep the people from the recent flooding in your prayers, especially the good folk at Christ the King.

Remote Feed

2006-07-22T21:36:00.000+01:00

I'm typing this on Stan's laptop while visiting in Endwell. Very cool.

I am looking forward to borrowing my dad's book about the Agnes flood for some historical background for a story idea. He doesn't seem too happy about it, but I promised him I'd be careful...right after I dropped the book on the floor by accident.

My kids are having a great time ...especially with Jake and Bear...two great dogs.

Well, that's enough for today....I drove up here to visit, not type.

Ciao 'til Monday.

Perhaps a Dog

2006-07-21T15:10:00.000+01:00

My son wants a dog in the worst possible way. I remember feeling that way.

We are investigating many possibilities, and taking our time with the choices. Right now he is imagining a West Highland Terrier...not picky about the color. My husband is imagining bites out of our new furniture, recently saved from Eliot. I am imagining who is going to be taking the dog for a walk and reserving kennels. I am wondering if Emma is imagining dressing the dog in doll clothes. (I bet she is...my sister and I used to do that to our cat, Snooky.) Elena is imagining the dog bringing all kind of terror to the other animals of the household.

However, Tony has already picked out a name for the dog if it is a girl. He wants to call her..."Mrs. Doyle" after a minor character on the BBC sitcom "Father Ted." Can you hear us? "Mrs. Doyle needs a walk. We have to take Mrs. Doyle to the vet. Does Mrs. Doyle want a puppy treat?"

Stop it. I can hear you laughing from here. At least we won't be calling the dog "Father Ted." "Father Ted, roll over. Father Ted, don't chew on my shoe. Father Ted needs more dog food."

Woof.

In Defense of Star Jones

2006-07-20T14:37:00.000+01:00

According to that bastion of celebrity reporting, The National Enquirer, Star Jones in under seige from her former employers at The View.

First, Star Jones' weight or lack of it should have NOTHING to do with her continued employment. Why should she have to admit to the world that she had gastric bypass surgery or anything else? The paper showed a great timeline of photos illustrating her weight loss over the last three years. I applaud her for her great success over the last three years. It seems as if she's working on attaining a healthy weight, whether she has had surgery or not. Gastric bypass surgery does not work for everyone. In fact, there is no magic bullet for weight control; those of us who have problems in this area are bombarded with all kinds of supposed solutions. The only REAL solution is to monitor the diet and exercise...all the time. This is difficult and unending. The public carrying on about Ms. Jones makes it all the more horrendous.

Second, I am no fan of The View because of their very public dissing of the wonderful Judi Dench. The spin on her un-invitation to their show was that she was too OLD...Shame on them. They should be so lucky that this highly talented woman would even WATCH their show.

Finally, even though women are too OLD or too FAT to be on the ridiculous show, apparently Rosie O'Donnell is okay. I don't get it. To ostracize some women and laud others is kind of ridiculous. I predict that most women who consider just these few cases will not spend one minute of their days watching this lame TV show.

That's why my TV has an off button...and I use it.

Good luck, Star. I hope that your career will recover from this carrying on. I think it will.

Wyomissing Hills Swim Team

2006-07-18T16:41:00.000+01:00

Congratulations to the Wyomissing Hills Swim Team. Tony and Emma and their team competed against Fleetwood in an exciting and close match-up. Tony, who just turned ten, swam in two events with the thirteen and fourteen year olds so that the team would get more points. Great job, Tony! I was amazed and delighted that the older boys thanked Tony for going up against those experienced and older kids. He gained a lot of respect yesterday...and I am proud of him. He is dropping weight so much that I think his swimsuit is getting too big at this point. Emma swam two exhibitions and was part of the freestyle relay to also help her team get points...Emma is in the six to eight year old group, and is going to be a formidable competitor someday. Way to go Emma.

I am proud of their entire team. They work hard, and I can see improvement every meet. They are supportive and kind to each other and are lucky to have a great coach during this year of building up the team. We lost by nineteen points, which is very very close for a swim meet.

Go Hills!

Parents of Adult Children

2006-07-17T16:15:00.000+01:00

My husband told me that a friend of ours has a father that does not speak to him...and hasn't spoken to him in years. This man is a pillar of the community and highly regarded for his graciousness and goodness. His father does not speak to him because...are you ready for this?...he got married. His dad did not object to the woman herself. He objected because he wanted his son to be a priest. Our friend is the father of three great kids and the husband of a generous and beautiful woman, as well as being a successful professional. Right now he is considering becoming a deacon in his church. I am proud of him and glad to be his friend.

Another friend of ours has a brother who went through a messy divorce. Unfortunately, or maybe fortunately, the couple had no children. In my opinion this was a big part of the problem. Anyhow, his parents and some of his siblings refuse to speak to him. (After all, they have the perfect lives, right?) The good news is that both parties in the divorce have remarried, and my friend's brother has one son and another due in the fall. His new wife is charming and hasn't had an easy time of it, either. The most important thing I want to note here is that I never really saw my friend's brother smile before. He smiles all the time now.

I know of a woman who is separated from her husband for at least five or six years now, with no divorce in sight. Two kids, too. She allows Mr. Husband to pull all the strings because she's afraid of him. He won't give her money, and even got his girlfriend's cousin to "babysit" his kids because he's reluctant to pay daycare. He has control of two empty houses, and lives in his girlfriend's house, and she lives in a really not so nice rental. Sigh. The point here is that this woman requested that her mother go to work with her when she had to work out of town. And....mom went. This same woman used to ask her mom to go to the bank with her, too. She's over forty years old. Her parents need to speak up and tell her to file for that divorce so she can become more self-sufficient and get some self-esteem back. I'm afraid they won't.

I'm watching carefully and wishing all of these folks the best. Considering that I have three children, I need to learn what NOT to do when they become adults. Children still need their parents, no matter how old those children are...It's just a difficult line to discern...when are you meddling, and when are you needed, and when are you being silly, and when are you not tough enough?

*****

Prayer lines: for all the people mentioned above and for some neighbors with health issues and a baby of our parish who had a heart attack this week.

JPII Funeral

2006-07-15T17:39:00.000+01:00

Google news is shouting the latest...John Paul II's funeral cost $9 million.

This is news? Thanks for sharing. I believe that it was appropriate spending. Yes, we could have spent that money doing a lot of "good" in the world. This was good, too. It continued to spread JPII's message and spirituality after his death. The ceremony was one of those moments where I am proud to be Catholic.

This is the pope included in the Fatima messages. This is the pope who reached out to young people. This is the pope who stood fast against the evil tide of our culture that forgets much of what is good. This is the pope that an evil faction tried to murder...and couldn't. This is the pope from Poland! This is the pope who touched many hearts.

I say we got off cheap.

Now let's hear him declared a saint.

Camp Ends

2006-07-14T19:31:00.001+01:00

Today was the last day of my creative writing camp. Whew....It's the first time that I did it five days in a row. I enjoy getting kids to write and read more. Many of them have quite some talent.

I'm thinking of using Harry Potter as a theme for next year's camp. Unfortunately, many adults don't think these books are appropriate. Sorry, folks...Harry Potter is cool and belongs in school. I want people to read books before they just jump on the bandwagon and bash them....especially children's books. Heck, I censor my choices, we all do when we pick one book over another.

I've heard of a woman calling all the local Catholic school libraries. (Sheesh, she didn't even bother to make a personal appearance to ask her questions.) Her inquiry simply was if Harry Potter books were in the library. She did not want them in our libraries. When asked if she read them, you know what her answer was...no. EGADS! I'm sure she had no objections to The Scarlet Letter, for example...or maybe some of the new "chick lit" for teens. Perhaps she even accepted the Star Wars novellas or Animal Farm. I just wonder if she even LIKES to read. Ah, yes...I feel the soapbox under my feet here....

*****

Darth Vader is still in his home. Elena has decorated the aquarium with signs that include a picture of Darth Vader. One says..."CAUTION Very smart hamster lives here." Another has a picture of the real Darth Vader and says "Darth Vader lives here. The Sith is strong in him!"

Cracks me up.

*****

Please include the following people in your prayers. All have health issues today: Aunt Agnes, who is getting chemo right now. My cousin Dawn's dad, who's not eating and suffering from some kind of dementia. Marilyn's dad, who had a bad fall & may have had a stroke. Adam's cousin in Poland, who is suffering from a bad case of Crohn's.
*****

Remember, it's a great day to read a book. What are you reading? Let me know by leaving a title in a comment.

Garden Drive In

2006-07-13T17:37:00.000+01:00

I just got an e-mail from the Garden Drive-in that they are back open for business after the June flooding out.

We had loads of fun at the Garden growing up and into our teenage years. I planned on making a visit with my kids this summer. We also would visit the Moonlight drive in or I think it was called the West Side drive-in.

All three of us would put our jammies on and gather snacks for the show. Dad and Mom always insisted on parking in a certain spot close to the rest room and snack bar...just in case. We got a good speaker, propped it on the window and got as comfortable as you can get in the back seat of a Chevy with your siblings.

I think we might have been viewing one of the Herbie movies, or maybe some other movie with Dean Jones in it, when my sister stated that she needed to use the rest room...now. We exited the white Chevy with the red interior, and went to the snack bar on our left. After using the facilities and adjusting our jammies appropriately, we headed back to the car.

All three of us jumped into the back seat of the Chevy. Unfortunately, it wasn't our Chevy with the red interior. There was a young couple making out in the front seat. Oops...wrong car, wrong side of the snack bar. We bolted out of that Chevy faster than we exited our own! (So much for my sense of direction!) I don't even think we apologized....

Ah, yes...the follies of our youth (snicker...)

Aunt Joanie to the Rescue

2006-07-12T19:11:00.000+01:00

I am happy to report that Darth Vader has been recaptured. Little Tony yelled "there he is" while I was in the kitchen. I captured him next to the pots and pans earlier this afternoon. The first thing I did was to call in our animal expert, Joan.

"Help! I have Darth Vader in my hands...and he's twice the size he used to be."

Joan immediately roared into action. She advised us to put him in a shoebox with holes in it and put something heavy on top. We did. Ten minutes later, D.V. began chewing that box. We put him and the box into a tall laundry hamper. Two minutes later, he worked himself out of the box.

Two minutes or so after that, Joan rode to the rescue. She brought an aquarium, an aquarium stand and screening. We set everything up and D.V. was still making escape attempts. I duct taped the screening, but that doesn't seem to be stopping our fair hero hamster. He is hanging on it and trying to bite through it.

Right now, Joan and Elena are at the pet store to get a more satisfactory lid, watering bottle and maybe a wheel. Sheesh.

Tony and Emma and I are keeping a strict watch. D.V. is SO big and strong that as I type this, he is moving around his house (the former Skechers sneaker box that was his emergency confinement) about in one corner of the aquarium. Clever boy.

"Freedom's just another word for nothin' left to lose."

Egads.

Describe the Nothing

2006-07-11T18:40:00.000+01:00

When my students have difficulties dealing with writer's block, I ask them to freewrite. What do they write about? Sometimes they describe the back of the head of the person in front of them. Many times, a student will write "I don't know what to write" a few times until he/she has the light bulb go off over his/her head. I usually ask them to describe nothing. What is nothing?

Nothing can be the amount in your bank account. You're good as long as the amount is not minus nothing. Nothing can be the amount of gray matter in the brain of certain "heir-heads." Nothing can stop a mother from helping her child. Nothing is what was here before God created the universe...no apologies to the evolutionists necessary.

Nothing can be how you feel about a relative forgetting your child's birthday...or you could feel a lot of something. Nothing can be the effect of gamma rays...or they could be something. Nothing would the same without certain people in our lives. Nothing could be the amount of trouble you get into.

Nothing could be the answer to many questions. "What's buggin' you? What did you do in school today? What did he/she do to you? What did you do to him/her? What's that in your hand/mouth/ear/nose?" Or the saddest of all..."What do you believe in?"

Nothing is kind of useful, in a way...

"Nothin' from nothin' leaves nothin'..."

Creative Writing Camp

2006-07-11T02:45:00.000+01:00

I am having a great time with the kids at my Creative Writing Camp. This year we are working with a Wizard of Oz theme, although the boys always find a way to work Star Wars characters in their writing! The girls like to write princesses and animals into their stories. Anyhow, today we selected a Wizard of Oz character to write about. We did a walk down the Yellow Brick Road as if we were our chosen character. (I noticed some Michael Jackson/Tin Man hybrids.) Does anybody see Gregory Maguire's influence here? We are having a blast....Tommorrow we will be working on setting or place.

Minnie On The Loose

2006-07-10T18:49:00.000+01:00

Every time my Auntie Helen would see a dog scratching, she would always say, "Oh dear, Minnie's on the loose." Minnie was her name for a possible flea on a dog. As we got older, my brother liked to go to flea markets to wheel and deal. We immediately made the connection between the Minnie flea and the flea market. Soon, we'd say things like "he went to see Minnie" to indicate my brother's flea market visit.

On Saturday, we got a space at a flea market sponsored by a Lions Club. I can see now how some people really enjoy the atmosphere and the search for bargains. I just wanted to get rid of some stuff and thought it might be fun to offer it at the sale instead of just running to Goodwill...again.

I had to get up WAY too early....and haul all the stuff over to the market. People were there looking before I even had the van unloaded. I did notice that if something was over one dollar, there had to be a very good reason, or most folks wouldn't buy it. I did sell a Harry Potter brand new item for $5.00, but I guess I just got lucky. I sold lots of kids clothing for .50 each, which people thought was fair. Somebody thought $3.00 was too much for a kid's chair. I felt bad for this particular family, so I said...okay, I'd sell it for $2.00. THAT was still too expensive, but I guess the little boy really wanted it, so the mom sprang for $1.25...I caved. If it's for a kid or a teacher, forget it....I'm a sucker.

My friend was selling some beautiful beaded jewelry. She's quite good at it, and very organized. Her pieces were $5.00 and up...most seemed to be earrings for $8.00 or $9.00. She had lots of lookers because the pieces were pretty, but no takers. We came to the conclusion that she was at the wrong market for her beaded creations. If her stuff was at a rock bottom price, she would have plenty of takers; however, it wouldn't be worth it, considering the materials and her time. She'd make a killing on e-bay, I bet.

I took almost everything I didn't sell to the Goodwill anyhow. I can look at the space these items occupied and smile. Minnie was on the loose.

Thanks, Minnie.

Texas Callin'

2006-07-06T02:30:00.000+01:00

A good friend lives in Fort Worth, TX...Edna Lou, a lovely good-hearted woman. She calls us frequently and doesn't visit enough. Right now, we are planning to see her either in the fall, or at Christmas.

Anyway, Edna Lou called me on my cell phone at the pool on Independence Day. I was hoping the storm would hold off until our games were played. The sky was looking threatening, and the winds were picking up. The optimistic side of me wanted to hang on because, after all there was no thunder. Well, that phone rang and Edna Lou was reporting that the Weather Channel was reporting that "Readin' was gonna git it." She ordered all of us to get inside immediately. We skeedaddeled because everybody in our family knows that you don't mess with a Texan.

Lucky we did. The thunder and lightening put on a great show for us. It was all over in a short time and we did get to see a great fireworks display in West Reading that evening.

I noticed two things about this Fourth of July....

There must have been a clearance special on purple and green fireworks...

Steve Tyler performed with the Boston Pops. It was quite amusing to watch the violins trying to keep up with "Walk This Way"...

Thanks to Edna Lou for her weather warning. Maybe I'll return the favor someday. "Thanks y'all!"

Let Freedom Ring

2006-07-04T17:30:00.000+01:00

Happy Independence Day!

I'm off to the pool for fun and games, so this entry will be really short. Can't miss the diving contest or the candy scramble or the greased watermelon, ya know!

Darth Vader Update

We caught D.V. at 3 am and placed him in his fortified cage. He escaped the cage before I got up around 7:00 am. Sheesh. I better get that aquarium and toss out his very expensive and cool hamster cage. Anybody need a hamster cage?

Tomato Plant Update

The tomato plant is suffering from its attack, and appears to have some stunted growth. No yellow flowers yet, but I am convinced that we will get a tomato out of this plant. Little Tony's cucumber plant is growing well, too. The beans and peas he planted have created a cool tepee of leaves.

God Bless America.

Part of Everyone's Family Tree

2006-07-03T15:51:00.000+01:00

In the July 2, 2006 Sunday edition of the Reading Eagle (p B7) an article by the Associated Press appeared entitled "Researchers close in on ancestor of every living person." The subtitle says "Scholars are amazed to discover that someone who lived as recently as 2,000 years ago is part of everyone's family tree."

Here's another quote from late in the article: "It means when Muslims, Jews or Christians claim to be children of Abraham, they are all bound to be right."

No kidding. I loved this article because it explains the math that proves this to a math simpleton like me, and also explains how these researchers figured it all out with science and math.

This is great news because it proves what we have believed all along. Remember Noah and that flood? Dan Brown in his duh novel, The DaVinci Code repeats the claim that Noah was an albino and that is how albinism is passed through the generations. That can kind of correlate to this information a tiny bit, although I still think of this information as a startling Old Testament urban legend.

How about all those great Biblical stories about Abraham? Could it be true that we are all descended from him? You're darn-tootin'. Genealogists can trace people back for many generations, but unrecorded history becomes a problem, unless your ancestor had some kind of pedigree, royal, criminal (sometimes royal AND criminal), landowner, inventor, conqueror and so on and so forth. This new research seems to take care of that little genealogical quirk.

Our faith is just that, faith. It's nice when science and math bolster our views of our faith. Here's another part of the article:

"It also means that all of us have ancestors of every color and creed. Every Palestinian suicide bomber has Jews in his past. Every Sunni Muslim in Iraq is descended from at least one Shiite. And every Klansman's family has African roots.
How can this be?
It's simple math. Every person has two parents, four grandparents and eight great-grandparents. Keep doubling back through the generations -- 16, 32, 64, 128--and within a few hundred years you have thousands of ancestors.
It's nothing more than exponential growth combined with the facts of life. By the 15th century you've got a million ancestors. By the 13th you've got a billion. Sometime around the 9th century--just 40 generations ago--the number tops a trillion.
But how could anybody--much less everybody--alive today have had a trillion ancestors living during the ninth century?
The answer is, they didn't.
Imagine there was a man living 1,200 years ago whose daughter was your mother's 36th great grandmother, and whose son was your father's 36th great grandfather. That would put him on two branches on your family tree, one on your mother's side and one on your father's."

If you want to read the complete article, check out the Reading Eagle archives or contact me and I'll forward it to you.)

Interesting material....Now you can mathematically prove that a Bible story is real. Now you can honestly say that all men are brothers (okay, sorry about the sexist language, but I'm thinking of a hymn...). Wow.

That Time Thing

2006-07-02T20:05:00.000+01:00

Didja ever notice that time thing?

After the 9/11 terrorist attack, it seemed that I looked at the clock, unconsciously, every morning and evening at exactly...you guessed it...9:11. It wasn't like I was sitting there, watching the clock waiting for it to appear....I just looked and that was the time. Weird, huh?

I am normally a fairly light sleeper. Sometimes I wake up in the middle of the night. Could be a child rooting around in the kitchen, or Tony coming home from work, or even an animal prowling for peanut butter. For a while, though, I would wake up exactly at 4:13 am. Every night. It wasn't a noise or a scheduled train going by...it was just...weird.

In high school, we were dismissed at 2:40 pm. I ALWAYS looked at the clock at 2:30, anticipating getting out of the hellhole or going to practice. That isn't weird, though.

7:11 is another time that I notice more than disregard. Maybe I just have a weird sense of humor.

In case you were wondering, I was born just in time for dinner.

**************

Darth Vader is still on the loose. Sigh.

***************

Celebrity News....source: Little Tony's actor friend, J.J., who is also 10.

J.J. landed a "background" (?) part in the Spiderman III movie. He says that the guy who plays Spiderman is "not very nice" because he rolls his eyes at people a lot. The J.J. report also says that Rose (?) an actress in the film is also "not very nice." She makes ugly faces at lesser-known actors, too. Alright, J.J.! Keep those celebrity tips coming! I wish J.J. a long and successful career.

The Dark Side

2006-07-01T20:26:00.000+01:00

"Curse you Anakin Skywalker! I loved you..." written on a chalkboard on the first floor of Lytle Hall, Kutztown University during the Spring 2006 semester....

Darth Vader has been on the loose again. We thought we captured him with a bucket trap, but he escaped the trap because he was more awake than Elena at 4 am. Joanie has a have a heart mouse trap that I think we will have to borrow to capture the wily rodent. After capture, we probably will have to borrow an aquarium from her as Darth's new residence. I am considering an alarm system as well.

Emma has come to the conclusion that she does not want any more hamsters in the house. She worries that Eliot is going to get to Darth before we do. I told her that he probably has a hamster sized light saber ( of course it is RED....) that can protect him from Jedi cats.

Our little artist was delighted by this, and immediately began drawing a pictorial of The Adventures of Darth Vader Hamster. One of the best pictures looked like Darth Vader being rescued by a helicopter from the top of a very pointy building. There is also another where Eliot appears to have a sun surrounding him as he chases Darth Vader....

If you have any of your own adventures for Darth Vader, please record on the blog, and Emma will have fun drawing them. Please remember that Darth Vader must SURVIVE all his adventures!

Meanwhile, Lucky is being a very good boy, wondering why the washroom seems to be always torn apart.

"Hamtaro, little hamsters, big adventures..."

Reflection

2006-06-30T15:37:00.000+01:00

"I would not tell you everything even if I could, for there are certain things which lose their fragrance in the open air; certain thoughts so intimate that they cannot be translated into earthly language without losing at once their deep and heavenly meaning." St. Therese of Lisieux The Story of a Soul, page 64.

The Little Flower is so right about so many things.

She is not talking about writing here; she is discussing her spirituality, her connection with God. However, this comment could easily be about writing, too. Many authors say that once they discuss their ideas out loud, for some reason the idea loses steam or disappears. I'm not simply talking about mentioning an idea or plot in a general way; I'm referring to the details of the creative piece being worked on.

It's important to remember to work it out on paper or screen before talking about it. That creation, that birth of words, needs to be held close in your heart or in your brain before you bluster it into the open air. It won't survive a premature exposition.

I took the name Therese as my confirmation name because I loved the idea of sending roses from heaven. There is a beautiful statue of this saint in Holy Trinity Church in Wilkes-Barre. My dad is still a parishoner there, and it is the church I grew up in. I know that many religious artists created to inspire faith in simple people...that's what the depictions in stained glass windows are all about. I must be one of those simple people in a way because St. Therese always inspires me. If you have not read The Story of a Soul, I would urge you to try it out. Then don't be surprised if you find roses in your life.

I have.

Agnes?

2006-06-29T14:02:00.000+01:00

The flooding around the East Coast is just terrible. The speed at which the water rises from the streams and rivers in PA would astonish Superman.

All the inevitable comparisons to Agnes are warranted, but a bit annoying in that the devastation is not NEARLY as awful as that horrible flood of 1972. I guess my annoyance is mainly directed at my fellow Berks Countians who keep recounting "Well, Agnes made it to Fourth Street, and this water only made it to Third Street," or "Agnes came up to our front porch stoop, and the water here is only to the sidewalk."

Dear Ones, Agnes took away not only the WHOLE TOWN that I lived in, but all of WYOMING VALLEY. Those whose homes were not affected were affected in that they had no water, no electricity, had to take in relatives, had to help clean up the stinkin' mud, had to get shots to avoid illness spawned by the mud, had to live through much of the trauma. The poor people who became homeless or lost loved ones suffered all the more.

I don't think this even comes close, sorry. I know the situation was different here, so most Readingites don't have that sore spot on their psyche. I was 11 and 1/2 when my hometown was destroyed and that little girl will never forget the river pushing powerful water through its banks and the mountains of sandbags. That little girl will never forget the looters that came in waves almost like the floodwaters. That little girl will never forget the horror of caskets bobbing about in the flooded streets. That little girl will never forget the smell of the mud. That little girl will never forget taking in an estranged homeless grandfather.

I wish all those affected by the floodwaters the best. I am thankful that it was not the worst it could have been.

Lollipop Land

2006-06-28T17:20:00.000+01:00

Some of my favorite stories are those made up by my dear Auntie Helen. She did everything in her power to amuse us when we were small. I remember all the love and treats she handed out. She left me with a fabulous legacy, and I think that some of my child-rearing tactics were learned from her. She sang and rubbed our backs, she shared a mix she made from Tang that she called "Russian Tea," she gave us pencils from the factory, and she gave us kisses and hugs.

She helped my grandparents with whatever they needed: watching the store, handling the fire and ambulance calls, caring for her sister-in-law's mother...whatever they needed, she helped. It was quite a convenience to have her live next door! I used to wish she lived next door to us.

I like to remember how everything in her house gleamed and her sunny smile. Her stories about Lollipop Land were the absolute best. She would make up a story, in a sing-song voice, about me and my brother and sister. Lollipop Land had a big tree where lollipops grew all the time. Our adventures there were always different and reflected what was actually happening in our lives. Lollipop Land adventures ALWAYS had happy endings.

Sometimes I feel her gentle hand on my shoulder and her soft voice in my ear, telling me to put that down now and go play with the children. I always heed that voice.

I miss you Auntie Helen. I know we'll meet again in Lollipop Land.

The Tooth Fairy

2006-06-27T14:22:00.000+01:00

I have a six year old who obsesses over every loose tooth. My other children were not like this. A tooth came out and we put it under the pillow and the tooth fairy left a little something. That was the end of the story, except for the time the oldest lost her tooth during swimming lessons at the Ken Grill Pool. (The tooth fairy left something and told her she found the errant tooth in the pool.)

For the past two weeks, my tooth obsessor has bugged my dentist neighbor over one particular tooth. Once she found that my neighbor was a dentist, that was it. Every time she sees Mrs. Dentist, Emma alerts her to the wiggle capacity of that tooth. Mrs. Dentist has gone on her two week vacation, driven to the seashore with visions of that tooth.

Yesterday was Emma's six-month cleaning. She dutifully showed our super dentist her wiggily tooth. He jokingly asked her if she wanted him to pull it out. Emma told him that she WANTED him to pull it out right then and there. He was surprised, but thought correctly that this particular loose tooth was really bothering her. So, he did what dentists do. He gave her something to "put her tooth to sleep" and pulled it out. She brought it home in a surgical, hermetically sealed tooth envelope.

Emma now has her gold dollar coin and an empty spot upper right. The dentist told me there are three other loose ones. Oh dear.

Time Flies When You Have Fun

2006-06-26T13:53:00.000+01:00

What were you doing ten years ago this morning? I was busy giving birth to my baby boy. I am amazed that he is ten already. Today he has swim practice and a meet, if the thunder holds off. He loves Star Wars and army men. Wrestling is his favorite participation sport and he wants to be a priest so that he won't have to get married. He's brilliant at science, according to his IOWA test scores, as well as reading maps. Jackie Chan is his favorite actor and he thinks snakes are the coolest creatures on this earth. He says his favorite girls besides his mom are his aunts, Marilyn and Helen. (That's cool because Helen is his real aunt and Marilyn is his godmother.) His favorite girl in heaven is his Nana. Right now, he tolerates his sisters, but would do anything for them, so I guess they are on his favorite girl list, too. He wants to learn how to play the acoustic guitar. He watches Britcoms with his mom...sometimes.

Best of all, he's a great hugger and he is always willing to try something new.

That's my wonderful boy.

One Banana Two Banana Three Banana Four

2006-06-25T22:44:00.000+01:00

Saturday morning cartoons...do you remember the Banana Splits? What a hoot! These crazy guys enlivened many Saturday mornings for me. Along the same lines, I liked H.R. Pufnstuff too. And, who could forget Underdog?

It seems that my kids can have any cartoon they want any day of the week...heck, any HOUR of the week. It's cool that we can watch Tom and Jerry after supper. This is a minor reflection of American life today.

My perception is that with this change of freedom of cartoons of any hour comes at a price. My kids don't look forward to those delicious Saturday morning hours like I did. If the cartoons were only on during those hours, I bet I'd get to sleep in Saturday mornings, too. It's almost as if the general schedule, the general pace of life has blown up from the center or something.

Remember the blue laws? No stores were open on Sundays in Pennsylvania. None. No grocery stores or drug stores or gas stations or department stores would think of intruding on their employees day of rest. It was expected and it was polite. People planned their shopping for other days of the week, even those who worked different shifts. Now we have everything available 24/7 in some form. I cringe when I see folks working on holidays, especially Christmas and Easter...and Thanksgiving. This is freedom, though. Hmmmm...I wonder who is getting the freedom...certainly not those cashiers or retail sales clerks.

Doctors and nurses are on call...sickness doesn't take a break for holidays. (Do you remember when doctors made house calls?) Crime continues, too, so the police work long hours. As a professor, I usually can't take a vacation in September or October and that's okay. I love what I do and it comes with the territory. I hope others feel like that.

The schedule of our current cultural climate is everything all the time. I'm not sure I like that. I do like being able to choose when I can shop, but my freedom is imposing on somebody else's Sunday. I guess I like the cartoons available anytime, but that freedom is depriving my kids of learning that good things come to those who wait.

"H.R. Pufnstuff...ya can't get a little and ya can't get enough."

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister

2006-06-24T11:58:00.000+01:00

I have turned to one of my favorite authors for some summer reading, and have been delighted by the above book. It's a Cinderella story turned on its ear and the setting is wonderful to escape to on a hot day by the pool.

I haven't finished it yet, but I might even like it better than Wicked (gasp), although I love Elphaba more than any of the characters in this book. I guess that means it's a tie.

The setting is seventeenth century Holland. Wait a minute before you go yawning off into the sunset on me....Even though we deal with such an unusual milieu, I can relate to it from our time. That's part of the point...that relationships are relationships throughout history.

Anyway, give it a try.

*******

I got my new contacts this week. I CAN SEE! Yay!

Other updates:

The tomato plant is growing great! Darth Vader has escaped again. He has a five dollar bounty on his head. Tony Mickey turns ten on Monday. Emma and Tony are getting so much exercise from practicing from the swim team that it seems I can SEE them building muscle daily. It's amazing. Mr. and Mrs. Bagel are returning from their vacation today and all their fish are intact.

Please add Anthony's Aunt Agnes to your prayer list. She begins chemotherapy very soon. We have been saying the rosary in the car with a cassette tape from The Mary Foundation, available at www.catholicity.com for a $1.00 donation. For anybody filled with anxiety, it is a great stress buster. Try it.

Two Friends?

2006-06-23T16:03:00.000+01:00

In today's Reading Eagle, there is an article by Knight Ridder Newspapers that points to a recent study about Americans and their friendships. It shocked me to discover that Americans say they have just two close friends. In 1985, Americans stated that they had three close friends. This question was added by a Duke University research team to the General Social Survey, conducted by the University of Chicago's National Opinion Research Center.

Maybe I'm just lucky that I have so many people around me that I consider a friend...a person who shares this journey with me. True, I don't talk to each of them every day or even every week, but they are THERE if I need them. I have a friend who lives in Shillington who would watch my back in any situation. She has my complete trust. I have two friends in Allentown who I've turned to many times over the years in many ways. I have two friends in Endwell who are my oldest close friends...more like family, who have helped me more than they'll ever know. I have two friends in/around Wilkes-Barre who would be anywhere in a New York minute if I needed them....and have been gracious about the lack of time I have to spend with them. I'd have to say that these people are my closest friends, the ones I could call in the middle of the night who wouldn't care what time it was.

I have other friends too that come to mind immediately. One is in Poland visiting his mother right now. I call him "my brother"... Another is a biomedical engineer with a heart of gold. Another is a friend from high school, another is from college.

Then there are the people from my kid's school, and the ones who go to my church, and the kind folks in my neighborhood.

I can't forget my relatives who care about what's going on in my heart, either. I know relatives have a bad reputation, but it's not true in many cases. My husband's relatives have also become my own. Many of them are very dear to me.

I am truly blessed. God must have known that I would need all these people to walk my path. He is wiser than all of us put together.

Shady Maple Surprises

2006-06-21T00:56:00.000+01:00

Shady Maple is a great IGA associated market in Blue Ball...Lancaster County. Getting there is half the fun because all roads that lead to Shady Maple are picturesque. I also like to stop at a stand called Wayside Produce, run by an Amish family.

Anyway, after our shopping for the freshest meats and vegetables in PA, we noticed that an anniversary celebration was going on. A petting zoo had landed in the parking lot of Good's, a store right next to Shady Maple. Amazingly, huge stakes were pounded into the macadam to hold down some tents.

The great surprise is that the tents contained all kinds of animals, and admission was (gasp) free. Of course this called for a Calderoni expedition, so off we went. We saw a python, llamas, goats, sheep, emus, anteaters, kangaroos, a zebu, zebra, camels ( one and two humps), macaws, parrots, two big turtles, a big lizard and who knows what else!

Elena happily tried to hold a conversation with the macaws and parrots..and was successful.

Afterwards, we used the requisite hand sanitizers and read the posted note that stated that the animals were well cared for in Massachusetts. I have to say that they really did look good. Somebody loves them, which is not the case with some petting zoo exhibitions.

What a great excursion!

**********************

Emma and Tony have joined the swim team, and are adjusting to the rigorous requirements. I am very proud of them. This morning, Emma asked me if she couldn't go fast, would I still love her? Oh, my....We had our discussion then...no matter what, her mama will still love her. She was happy to hear that.
This activity really is helping with their sleeping and eating habits, too.

They are also requesting to visit our library real soon...wow...

***********************

Fish Update

There have been 0 attempted escapes from Mr. Bagel's fishtank. So far, so good.

TTFN

Tomato Plant Update

2006-06-19T20:08:00.000+01:00

Tony's Tomato Plant is growing! It actually looks like a tomato plant again. I'll continue my updates. My only hope right now is that whatever ate it in the first place won't notice.

Darth Vader's Vacation

2006-06-19T15:25:00.000+01:00

Darth Vader is a black hamster with a white spot on his chin, and he is usually sleeping in his cage right behind my desk chair as I type away here. He is unusually nimble and smart. He can climb up and into anything, and has figured out a way to get out of his cage a time or two, without any problems. Usually I catch him in the act, and his vacation plans are cancelled.

While we are away on vacation, Mrs. Bagle takes extremely good care of Eliot, Lucky and Darth Vader. She is a great pet sitter, and her son is Her Assistant. They both like animals and our pets are used to their visits. This vacation was a tiny bit different.

On Tuesday, Mrs. Bagle did her usual fine job of filling up bowls and water dispensers. Her Assistant hand-fed Lucky his raisins, which is his special job. After giving Darth Vader his hamster chow and a nudge or two, Mrs. Bagel closed the cage door. AHA! Darth Vader noticed that it was not completely latched, and bided his own sweet hamster time until Mrs. Bagel and Her Assistant exited the building. You would think that Darth Vader would be cautious because of a cat's presence, but like all of us, even that would not keep him from his adventure.

Like Elvis, he left the (hamster) building. He went on an adventure into the wash room and investigated Emma's toys. I heard rumours that he did the backstroke in the powder room toilet. He gorged himself on the peanut butter and sunflower seeds Mrs. Bagel left to try to lure him into his cage. Darth Vader visited the esteemed Area Behind The Washer And Dryer. And this was only the first day.

Mrs. Bagel was not happy. She worried that Emma would cry about the hamster like she did when her previous hamsters went to their great reward. She tried to catch Darth Vader for two days, after hearing his rumblings in the storage closet. Finally, she placed the emergency call that interrupted The DaVinci Code Movie.

While all humanity was fussing about his unplanned vacation, Darth Vader happily explored his world. Since he's nocturnal and Eliot sleeps all the time, his adventures avoided a grand mishap.

We returned on Saturday, and a sad Mrs. Bagel had already left on her own vacation. (We take care of Mr. Bagel's saltwater fishtank and their cat while they go on vacation. I am hoping that the fish don't have any excursions planned for us!) Saturday night, Tony set up the hamster watch network. He got his motion detector from the Spy Museum set up in the storage closet. We pulled some of the "stuff" out of the closet. Tony set up camp in the den and waited for Darth Vader.

The hamster appeared, setting off the alarm. With amazing speed, Tony ran to intercept the target. As he clasped his hands around him, Darth Vader took action to save his vacation. He bit him. That was the end of the clandestine operation for that night. We gave a report to Mrs. Bagel in Long Beach Island of the unsuccessful mission.

Sunday night we called in the experts. Elena and Eliot took their posts in the den and watched T.V. until 12:30. Around that time, Elena noticed that the Eliot alarm system was zeroing in on the target. She leaped into action and successfully nabbed the errant rodent. There was joy in Mudville!

Mrs. Bagel has been informed, and is now happily on her vacation.

The DaVinci Code Movie

2006-06-18T00:16:00.000+01:00

Well, I did it. I vacillated upon if I should see this movie or not. The reviews were pretty bad, but having invested so much time into sharing the great plot of the book with my students and having fun pointing out the many inaccuracies, I felt almost obligated to view the film in a timely fashion. I promised Padre that we'd have to watch it when it came out on HBO, but guess what? There is NO WAY I am going to suffer through that miserable piece of filmaking again. I got a call on my cell during the movie, and answered it, which should give you an idea of how lame it was. (I've never done that before, BTW.)

First of all, Tom Hanks, who I think is a good actor, is NOT Robert Langdon. He tried his best, but it just didn't work for me. He appeared as if he were forcing himself into the role, like when I try to get into a too-small bathing suit.

Second of all, the movie bashed Christians/Roman Catholics even more than the book did! Why? Is that really necessary? I think here the director is pandering to the Academy...eewwwww.....

The special effects were kind of cool...even if they portrayed historical lies. I wonder if a documentary about how The Priory of Sion was basically a prank would get as much press. I doubt it.

The weaving of the story was so weak it fell apart. It worked much better in the book.

I would like to suggest that the people who made money from the book and the movie to donate some of the proceeds to the Catholic Charities working to aid the victims of Hurricane Katrina, or to toss some bucks into Bill Gates' work in Africa. Maybe then, when they get their assigned pew, Mary Magdalene won't lobby for a lesser seat for them. I don't think she would have appreciated the "fiction" that was created.

Ah, but I guess that's for a different entry, isn't it?

What a Week

2006-06-10T15:19:00.000+01:00

We had quite a rough week this week...very emotional on many fronts.

I'll be shakin' the tree later. See you then and keep smiling.

Headin' Into Golden Summer

2006-06-09T13:16:00.000+01:00

Tony is sooooo happy today. It is the last day of school. Mass starts at 9, and awards are handed out. School is dismissed at 11. He expects a Safety Patrol participation award...alright, Tony!!

That big smile today made up for all the grouchy Monday mornings all year.

Remember that feeling? Who can blame him for smiling?

WoooooHoooooo!!!!!

Eighth Grade Graduation

2006-06-08T13:52:00.000+01:00

I'll admit a bias here that St. Ignatius Loyola School knows how to put on an impressive and moving graduation service. I have sat through way too many ineffective and poorly delivered speeches. There were none here. Each speaker was brief and moving...not easy to do. The graduates were lovely and handsome and appropriately attired. These young graduates were graceful, proud, sad and happy. The Mass was everything it was supposed to be, and more. Most of the graduates are moving on to Holy Name, while others will go to Wyomissing, Wilson, Conrad Weiser or elsewhere. All have a bond with each other that will be fondly remembered. This group truly loved and respected their teachers. The faculty was absolutely beaming. Most of the parents shed a few tears.

Elena wore a beautiful periwinkle blue dress with a sparkly design. She wore her pearl necklace and earrings from her godfathers. Her new haircut makes her look so much older, which is important to her. She got her diploma! YAY! She also won two awards...another safety patrol award...(this one from the school) and a surprise...she got the Citizenship Award from Senator Michael O'Pake for the second year in a row!!!! (Hear those buttons busting?)

The spiritual element was so evident during the graduation. Our church was dressed up for her Pentecost birthday, streamers from the crucifix in front to the pillars in the back...banners decorated with the gifts of the Holy Spirit...you get the magnificent picture. The music was well planned and performed, and moving as always. I am so blessed to be here in this parish with its people and its holy monsignor. I truly believe God brought me here because it's exactly what I need.

The reception was great, too...as always, the women of our parish know how to put out a beautiful and tasty spread. Pictures of all kinds were taken, thanks and congratulations were shared. We got home so late that little Tony was allowed to sleep an extra hour and arrive at school at 9 instead of at 8.

I suppose I could spend money on lots of things: a new or newer car, a Disney or European vacation, clothing, electronic gadgets, investments for the future. I'd rather spend my money on fabulous educations for my kids where they are spiritually guided to the right path; where they are truly loved and appreciated for the little wonders that they are...

Thank you, St. Ignatius Loyola School. God bless all the children who pass through its halls.

Kindergarten Graduation

2006-06-06T16:00:00.000+01:00

Emma Rose is now an official graduate of St. Ignatius Loyola School Kindergarten. I sat on the bleachers with the parents and grandparents, and the kindergarteners sat on little blue school chairs. The entire faculty and Msgr. Treston were on hand to celebrate. The kids sang and had two individual parts each. Mr. John sang and made me cry and Mrs. L. was on the keyboard.

One of the highlights for me was when they stood in a circle holding hands and sang The Circle of Love. Each teacher was named during the song and entered the circle with the kids. The new principal joined in, along with our beloved monsignor. The best part is that when Msgr. joined the Circle of Love, he chose to join the circle right next to Emma Rose. Wow...we were pleased.

Emma Rose was excited to wear her "real pearls" from her godfathers. Her friend, Molly, was also wearing an add-a-pearl necklace, so they compared.

God bless the Kindergarten Class of 2006 all around the world.

The Bug

2006-06-05T14:16:00.000+01:00

School is winding down for the kids. Everyone is a bit excited and a lot hyperactive.

This morning, we had a bug alert. Emma advised Tony that there was a bug on his uniform collar. Like most siblings, he didn't believe her. He came in the house where Elena confirmed Emma's report. He still didn't believe it. So, he came to his mom, who does not like bugs.

I didn't see a bug on his collar because by then, it had crept onto his neck. He felt it way before I saw it...and swatted the earwhig thing...right onto my leg. Of course, I screamed and hopped about, much to the satisfaction of the children.

The offending insect was terminated.

This is the start of my day? Don't bug me.

Learned Lessons

2006-06-05T02:09:00.000+01:00

I must apologize beforehand. I don't mean to offend any of my family or friends with anything I write here. I am truly sorry because life has offered enough grief and/or bad feelings to all of us.

I view my writing seriously, and I don't want to give anybody a false impression that I have all the answers or know the only version of the truth. I don't.

I love my family...all of it...I hope they love me for who I am, too....someone who must write.

Answered Prayers

2006-06-03T17:55:00.000+01:00

Wow, did it rain yesterday. As my Texan mother-in-law would say, "it was a toad-strangler!" Niagra Falls moved south to Whitfield....for about an hour. This rain event happened while we were sitting down to dinner, at the rush hour for most folks.

Unfortunately, Route 12 (the bypass, in local jargon...as opposed to Route 222, the Road to Nowhere, which now goes somewhere) flooded. According to the Reading Eagle, this has never happened before. One of the major arteries of Berks County, an impassable Route 12 created quite a difficulty for many people. Another road very close to my home, State Hill Road, was also closed due to flooding. So much for going to the Berkshire Mall!

Having observed daily jungle torrents in the Amazon, and 1972's Hurricane Agnes in Wyoming Valley, I have to say that the precipitation yesterday was among the heaviest I have seen. It wasn't the longest, though. We can be thankful for that small miracle yesterday.

Not to be too picky, but what we really need is a long lasting, soft rain for our gardens. I hope the heavy humidity and heat holds off, too. That's for me, though, not the garden....

Tomato Plant Update

It appears as if there is one tiny shoot coming out of the tomato stump. Let's pray for His Plant! I'll keep you posted. Tony also brought home a cucumber yesterday that he also grew. I planted it yesterday after school. Sheesh, I hope it didn't drown.

"All good things around us are sent by Heaven above."

Tony's Tomato Plant

2006-06-02T13:17:00.000+01:00

My son started a tomato plant from a seed at school earlier this spring. It grew into a strong young tomato plant. He brought it home a little before Mother's Day and kept it in his bedroom window, babying it along carefully. It was about eight or nine inches high and Tony was quite proud of his success. He decided it was time to put it outside, complete with a popsicle stick inscribed with "Tony" to indicate that this was His Plant.

When he first put it outside, he stuck it in a mulched area, too close to the lawn. I explained that this wasn't a choice spot, and pointed out the garden spot for the tomatoes. We moved His Plant to the better spot and waited to watch it grow even bigger. I got two more tomato plants and planted them nearby. I planted marigolds on the edge of the garden, too, because they keep the bunnies away from the tomatoes.

I looked at the plants the other day, and decided that they didn't need their tomato cages yet. I think tomato cages are a great invention, but they look so ugly to me. Using poles and tying the tomatoes up is more work, though, so I guess I'll stick with the cages for a bit.

Two days ago, I went out to check on the weed to plant ratio. Proudly, I looked at His Plant, hoping it grew an inch or two. His Plant had been vandalized! Where His Plant had stood, there was only a tomato stump and a slightly bewildered popsicle stick. The other two smaller tomato plants were fine. I don't think I've ever been so upset about the demise of a tomato plant. The bunnies probably had nothing to do with it. I figure that maybe it was a thirsty bird.

We'll be replacing the tomato plant this weekend, but it won't be His Plant. It'll probably be the Greenhouse Plant.

I'm happy to report that the peas and beans that Tony also planted are still intact, but there's no popsicle stick planted there that says "Tony."

Divorce Season

2006-06-01T12:47:00.000+01:00

Well, it appears as if the divorce season has arrived upon us once again. I am in no way belittling the process, or the folks who must endure it. I'm simply commenting on how divorces seem to happen in bunches every year.

I've discussed the neighborhood here before, and I'm not about to divulge too much of anybody's personal information, so don't worry.

I saw these divorces coming from a long way away. Some marriages are both long term ones...one of them is twenty years long. People divulge the most private pieces of information to their friends and neighbors, so it's pretty easy to ascertain parts of the future if you listen carefully.

Some divorces are loud. One couple has two children and works opposite shifts, not an uncommon situation. In the morning, mom stands outside the house, almost in the street, YELLING ...not at the man she is angry with, but at their children. It's embarrassing. The poor kids. The dad is pretty much bumbling along. They live next to the dad's parents. I wonder how much their location had to do with the outcome of their marriage. Sometimes Everybody Loves Raymond doesn't work out so well in real life.

Another lady, her children grown, hired 1-800-Got-Junk to come and take all of His Things away. What bugs me about this is that the guy is blind...sometimes he retreats to his parents local home when things get rough. I wonder if he knows his stuff has been taken away? It's not like you can call the dump and say, oops...can I have that stuff back? This couple screams a lot and drinks a lot and fools around on each other a lot. They must think they are in Hollywood, when, in actuality, they are in Holly-Woe.

Some marriages dissolve more quietly, with ennui and desperation and fear. These are the ones that you are truly sad about when you hear about the problem. These are the folks who try to work it out, sometimes seeing counselors and actually trying to work on the relationship. Usually, these people respect each other a little too late. When children are involved, they come together civilly in the child's interest. Family and God play a role in the dissolution of this marriage because both of these concerns are considered carefully.

Some divorces just hang there and never happen. Strange. I find it odd to watch a married couple live apart...with live-in boyfriends and girlfriends who can be married to yet other people. How can you trust people like that? What kind of message is being sent to kids and society? Why get married in the first place if you don't honor your word? Maybe I just prefer the order of knowing what somebody's status is...get divorced, then engaged, then married...straighten out the mess you've created. Fear must rule these folks' lives...fear of the spouse, fear of the new relationship, fear of the finances, fear of who knows what else.

For better, for worse...

Library Day

2006-05-31T13:20:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was a fun fun day. On Tuesdays, I usually supervise lunch for Emma Rose's class. The usual suspects are six years old and full of energy. Some are well-behaved, and a certain few are not. All are adorable and wonderful.

Sometimes I help during their library hour on Tuesdays, too. The librarian is always there, and I get to read a book to half the class, and then read the same book to the other half a little later. I get to check out the books, and this is great because I really get to know the kindergarteners and what they like. Yesterday, the librarian was away, so another mom and I took over library. AHHHHHHHH!!!!

Some kind soul donated a big box, decorated as a treehouse/book club. Two flashlights waited inside for the lucky readers. Kids were allowed to go in by twos and look at books in there. Egads. In theory, this is a nice, fun, cool idea. In practice, it's not. I turned around to see one of the young energetic girls whack another little angel in the head with a hardcover book. Sister Pat came in from the computer classroom next door with some stern looks for the children. Poor Emma Rose and her group had to walk around the building in the heat prior to the start of computer class because of that group's behavior during library. Sigh. I guess I should stick with young adults.

Here's to nap time.

Pilates Proud

2006-05-24T14:00:00.000+01:00

I try to do Pilates once a week. I know, I know, I should exercise more. Still, my once a week sessions have made a great improvement in my life. I am stronger, more flexible, and hope to get even better. Anyone can buy Pilates tapes or DVDs and try the workout at home with little or no equipment. I prefer to see Gerri, my Pilates instructor, and have her work me through a session of an hour or so a week. She is great...nonjudgemental, encouraging, optimistic...a lovely person.

Pilates is named after its creator, Joseph Pilates. He was born in Germany in 1880, a sickly child. He worked on his physical gifts, and became stronger, and eventually could be called a self-made athlete. Talk about gumption! He developed a way to help people get stronger, even from a hospital bed. Pilates modified his contraptions until they became the equipment I use today. Unfortunately, there are many Pilates "knock-off" or pseudo studios around that use equipment not true to the Joseph Pilates origin. Every good Pilates instructor should be able to trace his/her training background back to Joseph Pilates himself. Note, too, that there is a West Coast/East Coast distinction.

If you do nothing else, try the hundreds. It's better and more effective than sit-ups, and you need no equipment. How do you do the hundreds? Any Pilates book or video will show you. This exercise takes little to no time, and builds up your abdominal area. Strengthening this area helps you with any physical activity. It helps people with bad backs walk without as much discomfort as before. The form is so simple, that my kids can do it. Hmmmmm....I should be doing the hundreds on my own more. Gotta work on that.

For example, I was diagnosed with scoliosis as a kid. I went to several chiropractors over the years, about once a week. I'm sure that helped somewhat, but I can honestly say that I made no great strides in standing up straighter. After my Pilates experience started, I could stand straighter. People think I am taller! Marilyn told me that I looked more firm, more athletic...wow!

Joseph Pilates...one of my heroes.

Silver? Already?

2006-05-22T13:29:00.000+01:00

I've just returned from the Southern Tier of New York. Stan and Marilyn celebrated their 25th wedding anniversary this weekend, and both of their fine sons were there to celebrate with them. Stan's sister and her family attended, too.

I realized that I don't spend enough time with these people who are so close to my heart. I spend so much of my free time fussing about getting together with relatives who probably would truly rather do something else than see me. I know, that sounds sad, but it's an unfortunate fact of life. I'm not throwing the blanket over all the relatives, though; a lot of them I consider as friends, and they are always happy to see me. Others, some local ones, always make it a chore to get together.

Stan and Marilyn have a lot to be proud of...and it hasn't been easy for them. They are earning a great seat, as my husband would say. These beautiful people spoke heartfelt words to each other, and there wasn't a dry eye in the place. I don't want to intrude on their privacy, so I am going to stop here, but remember it forever.

I'm looking forward to spending time with my friends at the beach in three weeks or so. It keeps all of us sane.

Happy Anniversary with many more good years to Marilyn and Stan! Keep smilin'....

Won't You Be My Neighbor? Part 2

2006-05-19T18:27:00.000+01:00

Mr. Rogers would be proud of our neighborhood. We even can hear passing trains, especially at night. There are rare Pennsylvania earthquakes, too.

Casey is another esteemed neighborhood resident. She lives in a family where everyone's names begin with a C or a K...and the cul de sac street name also begins with a K. She was the first to welcome us to the neighborhood when we looked at the house. She has beautiful blond hair and goes for walks every day. Yep, Casey is a Yellow Lab. My husband says we don't need a dog because we have Casey. She visits lots, and seems to always greet me when I come home. We played frisbee the other day and had a super time, but the frisbee, unfortunately, didn't survive the afternoon. When Eliot was younger, he would sit in Tony's bedroom window and watch the neighbors grill fish. . . and torment Casey with a swish of his tail.

Jesse is another fun neighbor dog. He lives a few blocks away, but his owner loves to walk. He often stops by for a visit. He's a King Charles Spaniel...and cute as a button. His favorite activity besides walking seems to be choking on mulch and trying to eat grass. I like him because his fur is soooo soft.

We have a span across the generations in our neighborhood. Mr. and Mrs. K... are in their 80's and are quite spry. Hey, they are transplanted coal crackers, too! Yesterday, Mr. K....brought us a bunch of bottles of extra orange juice that he came across. They both always think of my kids...When we first moved in, Emma was born two weeks later, and the K...s used to walk Tony and Elena to school every day. After the kids got in school, they went to Daily Mass. It was a great help to me. A few years ago, Mrs. K... had a nasty fall down a set of steps in her home. After she was taken to the hospital, Mr. K... was quite distraught, as you can imagine. Mr. Private Detective sat with him in our den and calmed him down, while I tried to get him to eat something. It's good to have neighbors you can count on counting on you right back.

We are also lucky to have our backyard touching the backyard of Oliver, Elliott, and Elizabeth and their parents. The kids get along so well and play in the yards. They also go to the same pool. Oliver is special because he deals with autism. The kids and I really enjoy his company, especially in the evenings. He is well versed in playing fair and identifying insects. He shares his amazement with bubbles floating through the sky with us. He likes to swing, and his mom says it's good for his development. Swing away, Oliver. He keeps to his own personal schedule too. I can almost set the clock by when he is up, dressed, and in the backyard singing or playing. They are a very special family that I keep close to my heart.

A special family lives on the corner...two moms and their twins. The twins are beautiful and strong and courageous. They'll be two years old soon. I like to watch them take off in two different directions! They also have an old dog...I forget his name. Their other dog, Elvis, was put down last year. I liked Elvis because he always let you know where you stood with him. This family somewhat keeps to themselves, but when they are out and about they are friendly and neighborly.

Our new neighbors I don't know very well other than they put an above ground pool in their backyard and have two large German Shepherds that I have christened Bow and Wow. I'll let you guess why.

Mr. Jack and his wife have a tragic story to tell in that their daughter died three years ago. This young woman had diabetes and then developed a childhood cancer that killed her. Mr. and Mrs. Jack kept their daughter's cat, Milo. Milo must be part human...he listens and seems to understand. When Mr. Jack's daughter was dying, Milo kept watch and did not leave her side, even to eat. They are New England Yankees, and Mr. Jack and Mr. Bagel have a healthy baseball rivalry between the Red Sox and the Yankees.

If you like good neighbors, come to Whitfield.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

2006-05-19T01:17:00.000+01:00

I know that you either loved Mr. Rogers or disliked him, but he taught all of us what a neighborhood could be.

Instead of Mr. McFeeley, I have Dominic the mailman. He rubberbands our mail before he slips it through the slot, and when the door is open, I am certain to hear a cheery "Hey!" from him. I bet some people on his route don't know that he's a great gardener or that he is allergic to that "stuff" people put on their lawns to kill the weeds. Everybody does know that he does a great job, gives every dog on his route a treat almost every day, and knows all the kids and what time they come home from school. He knows who everybody works for, and I swear, who's naughty or nice.

Speaking of naughty or nice, there's a private detective who lives across the street from me. He's Air Force Retired, and has his share of stories and medals. The kids love him, too. We've been calling him Hawkeye because he stations himself in his driveway with a telescope and a lawn chair to watch the baby hawks hatch, grow and fledge in the pine tree next to my house. His wife loves animals, too, and she puts out water for the birds every day. She used to feed the squirrels, too, until they got too destructive and numerous. Now the hawk takes care of the squirrel population...and the bunnies, too.

Mr. and Mrs. E..... live next door to us, on the other side of the hawk's pine tree. They are neighborly enough to let my kids run around in our adjacent back yards. Sometimes they'll babysit in a pinch, and they have their own grandchildren to worry about! Mr. E..... just got a heart valve replaced at the Cleveland Clinic. Yesterday he mowed his own lawn for the first time in three years. I stood up and applauded when I saw him. He looks so much healthier and his wife is so much less worried. He's another one of my witnessed miracles.

The guy who makes the bagels and his family live across the street next to the private detective. They are from Long Island and are always working hard. One day Mrs. Bagel went out and returned home to find ... no Mr. Bagel. When she left, he was working on turning their attic into a playroom. Mr. Bagel can survive for hours on no sleep; he's just amazing. Anyway, Mrs. Bagel was frantic to return home and not hear construction noises from the upper floor. She ran up the steps and discovered Mr. Bagel on his back. Frightened, she ran towards his prone body..."MR. BAGEL! MR. BAGEL"...no response. She shook him...and...woke him up...He had fallen asleep on the floor amidst all his tools and lumber. Happily, he was just at the outer limits of his lack of sleep meter. Sure scared her, though.

Bye Bye Big Boy

2006-05-17T16:03:00.000+01:00

Politics is a hot subject. I love the day after an election. The silly taped phone calls from "Out of Area" stop bothering me. The even sillier glossy campaign flyers stop ending in my garbage can. The nice ladies and men and the poll booth sit back and relax. The reporters sleep in after a night of doing their duty.

I hooted this morning at the breakfast table. Actually hooted. In a desperate bid to keep his seat that he managed to hold on to for twenty four or so years, Chip Brightbill went nuts in his campaign. He got dirty. He dug up an old girlfriend of his opposition. He claimed that he himself was a family man. Interesting...one night in July, he voted himself a pay raise, too. Too bad, Chip. Bad move. One of his campaign workers called me, a real live person. Well, for those of you who know me, you can guess what I did. Yep, that's right...I gave her a hard time. I am appalled at the arrogance and self-centeredness of many Pennsylvania politicians. Many statements from them claimed that voters wouldn't come out to vote them out or they would understand or forget about the pay raise or the lack of property tax reform. Hey Chip, howcum you never called me in the past 24 years for anything other than my vote? Ask me what I think on some of the issues. Send me a glossy question filled survey and ask me what's important in my world.

Chip took the day off today. The "apathetic" voters who wouldn't turn out forced him to concede at 10p.m. the evening of the election. The polls closed at eight. Now these guys are saying that they hope we're happy to vote in inexperienced folks and that it will bite us in the butt. Awwwww.....now they care. I say term limits of four years.

That's enough time.

Kindergarten Butterflies

2006-05-16T20:54:00.000+01:00

Emma Rose had a happy day today. Her Kindergarten class went on a field trip to Hands On Museum in Lancaster. I went along as a last minute substitute for a parent who couldn't make it.

I know many adults who would have loved this place. You could pretend to work in a widget factory, get your face painted, work on a farm, catch fish, visit a grocery store, dress up, milk a cow, gather eggs, play in a treehouse, and so on. It is a place where the imagination is king. Emma really liked fishing for trout, and checking to see if they were "keepers" or had to be thrown back.

Emma also has been busy helping me pull weeds out of the garden, with a special interest in milkweed. She took many milkweed leaves to school...for butterflies! The class has been watching caterpillars and then chrysalises(?)...I call them cocoons, which I'm sure is incorrect...and then butterflies. The butterflies will be released in a few days, and the kindergarten class will be released in a few weeks. Emma wants to stay in kindergarten, and I'm not sure that I disagree with her. Kindergarten is great. With a heavy sigh, though, we must go onward and upward like the butterflies, to first grade and wearing a uniform and learning to read and adding and subtracting. We will miss the days of kindergarten and the butterflies and the children's rainbows hanging from the ceiling.

Oh, by the way...riding in a yellow school bus all the way to Lancaster is definitely an experience, especially when you fill the bus with vibrating six year olds...one of whom has a nosebleed and another who is nauseous.

Count your blessings today, and say a prayer for your kindergarten teacher.

Dance Then, Wherever You May Be

2006-05-15T17:34:00.000+01:00

I did it. I survived Mother's Day with Mom in heaven. Praise God that I have three children of my own to keep me occupied. Matt, a special young man, also visited me to help distract me from the day. (Matt is the younger son of Marilyn and Stan, friends, confidants, and companions on my journey.) My son, Tony, had a terrible asthma attack during church and I had to leave. Then we tried to watch Mass on EWTN after we got home( and he took his rescue medication). What a mistake...

A priest gave a long winded (about 40 minutes or so) homily about Mother's Day. Unfortunately, he belonged to the Priests for Life organization. His political agenda roared over his message. It got so bad that little Tony was asking me questions that were beyond his years and understanding level. I was furious that this...priestly person....did not enlighten us about ANYTHING except his rant. He reminded me of why I fell away from the Catholic Church as a young adult. WHY DO THEY DO THAT??????? I shut off the Mass on TV. Sorry Lord...it wasn't You.

My ever-suffering husband shared the homily that Father Rich gave at our church. Ironically enough, it was about people who had fallen away from the faith. He compared them to embers that fall out of the fire. Alone, an ember will burn out pretty fast. Together, the fire endures. Thanks, Father Rich, for being a priest and not a politician.

I've learned that to survive I must endure. I've also learned to dance wherever I may be. The Lord wants me to...and I willingly oblige. The joy that my faith gives me is incredible. I focus on that. Why? I dunno...because I can? There's enough suffering in the world already, I guess. Father Priest for Life talked about how people can't come up for Holy Communion and break off a piece of the Host and hand it back, saying "I don't want this part." Sorry, the analogy is crazy...how could you want only a piece of Jesus? The Eucharist isn't the Church; the Eucharist is God. The church is wedded to Jesus...I guess the theology escapes me.

Luckily, I am still dancing and sharing love the best I can. I guess Father Priest for Life was trying to do that, too...but it didn't work.