Are We There Yet?
Thursday, January 21, 2021
Tuesday, January 19, 2021
Unless You Become As Little Children...
You're Going to Miss a Lot of Funny Stuff
LOL!
Never underestimate a child's point of view, my friends.
It's a good guarantee that you won't take yourself too seriously.
The world is here. Not on CNN.
Monday, January 18, 2021
Update
Added January 14th, 2021
The first child of our seventh child, third daughter, Catherine, and her husband Louis. Our newest grandbaby, we now have more grandchildren than children; Chloe is number eleven, and she is just simply precious. Baptism this afternoon! Welcome to the world, Chloe! Can't wait to welcome you into God's family later!
Friday, January 15, 2021
Sepia Saturday: "U" is for Uniforms
Doesn't everyone love a man in uniform? For most red-blooded Americans, there's a visceral response of admiration and respect for the military bearing and spit-spot gear and regalia -- especially in full dress! A man in uniform implies a certain commitment and command, and for some of us that proof of virtuous masculinity, unapologetically displayed in public, is a beautiful thing. We can at least hope that the man lives up to the uniform! But if the symbolic factor doesn't appeal to some, I think most would have to admit at least an aesthetic appreciation. It's all in a range of perspectives that has probably varied over the centuries and from place to place, but I do think that just for pure grandness and attention to detail in a world that is stubbornly casual, a man or woman in uniform garners respect -- even if it's grudging.
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My Uncle John, early '50s? |
branches of the armed forces. You can't miss them! They jump right out at you, our men in blue -- and khaki -- and olive drab -- and camo. They make su proud. And like almost nothing else, a military career implies stories -- history, general and personal. Most military folks participated, in one way or another, in world-shaping events. If the pure handsomeness of a military mugshot doesn't stop you in your tracks, curiosity ought to. I know almost nothing, for instance, about my Uncle John's military career, but coming across his photo, I can't help but wonder! He was so handsome! But where was he stationed? What was his specialty? How long was he in the Army? Knowing his basic bio, I'm thinking he was active in late WWII or maybe the Korean War, and doing a quick research on the patch on his arm, it looks like he was 101st airborne (correct me if I'm wrong, please!) If he was a pilot, though, I never knew about it. I know the basics and the outcome of that conflict; I wish I knew our family's part in it, too!
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My grandfather, mid '40s? |
US ships, including merchant ships and tankers, were sunk off of US shores and in the Gulf of Mexico, most in American waters in the Atlantic. As recently as 2019, the US Department of Environmental Conservation was working to extract the remaining oil from a British Tanker (The Coimbra) from its wreck at the bottom of New York Harbor. Over 2 million gallons of oil were lost, and 36 men died in the German U boat attack. The explosion rocked nearby buildings and the resulting wall of flame was visible for miles -- so this is one German attack that the government couldn't hide from the people! At any rate, the lesson here: don't ever get too comfortable, thinking the enemy cannot approach our shores. My grandfather could have told you something about that!
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My Dad, with his Dad, right around 1950 |
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Enlisted Dress Blues Dad aboard an aircraft carrier he served aboard in the mid '50s. |
* The saber that is a mandatory feature of the dress blues, is the oldest weapon still in use by the U.S.
Wednesday, January 13, 2021
Sunshine
I’ll Tell You How the Sun Rose
Tuesday, January 12, 2021
Those Moments
When you try to impress the girls...
And it doesn't work.
Monday, January 11, 2021
Poetry Corner
Filed under: Poems that you read twice. Or three times.
The Convert
Simple Woman Monday
What I'm hearing... The house is perfectly quiet right now, except for Dawsey snoring on my knee here --- and Dan's desk chair occasionally rolling on the wood floor in the library. I just finished listening to a Catholic Family Podcast about Rock and Roll. Our son Kevin's venture, you can find these on YouTube (at least for the time being -- I think he's phasing out of that platform and moving over to Podbean). Really good stuff, though, and I don't say that just because he's my son. Good, informative stuff and great to listen to while I go around doing my chores. Conversations about some of the most practical points of interest of our day, interviewing priests and topic experts from all walks of life. He's just getting it started, so do please run over and give him some support! You can find him here.
What I'm wearing... Grey middy skirt; striped olive green, mustard yellow, and rust orange knit shirt; grey sweater.
What I'm thinking... Goodness gracious. I don't know what to think these days! The international rumor mill is whirling like crazy! Remember the windmill in the old cartoon, caught in the gale of a storm, flying and flying around -- until, with a violent last swing and crash, it just *busts* -- and then the wind blows out, the storm fades away, the sun comes out -- the bats go back to roost and the birds begin to refeather their nests. (I had to go find it, now that I'm thinking about that old cartoon; Here it is if you want to watch it, too!) Anyway. Things seem kind of bleak right now, I'm thinking, but rumor mill is bound to bust and the sun will come back out. Maybe not the way we expect or when we expect it, but it will.What I'm learning... Duolingo. Deutsch. Bet you can guess why. Also pondering getting a ham radio license...
What I'm hoping... That I can get my roots "touched up" at our neighborhood salon this week -- and not have to deal with mask wearing. (Ptooey) Last time my girl was definitely in the masks-are-ludicrous camp, but if it endangers her license now that Iowa laws have changed, she might have to insist, regardless of her personal beliefs. In which case (sigh), I may have to suck it up for her sake... But I don't like it one bit.
What I'm working on... Getting my house back in order after the busy Christmas/New Year's extravaganzas! It's amazing how organization disintegrates when everyone's busy partying and playing and eating and half the people, even when they clean up, don't know where things go. (sigh) It's all worth it, though. And I'm used to chaos.
What I'm planning... I have a statue hospital full of projects I hope to get working on this week -- as well as the pedestal that we're renovating for the new statue of Our Lady of Lourdes that I got for Christmas. And the boys finished the first step (the flat black first coat of paint) on the faux-tin ceiling panels that will go over the "bar" area in the pub. I get to do the next step (the copper color). At some point I will do this. Probably not this week.