I Gave Birth to My Husband’s Brain

Several days ago, my 16-year-old daughter and I drove to her piano lesson in Gales Ferry, a town approximately 15 minutes north of our house. When we arrived, the teacher’s home was dark with a closed garage and a shuttered front entry. Usually the home is well lit with an open garage and a front entry that stands ajar, through which the scheduled students quietly enter to await their turn at the piano.

“Do you have lessons today?” I asked.

This inquiry was followed by a look of what could only be called profound thoughtfulness, accompanied by that rapid eye movement indicative of a brain being searched for any shred of information that may help in answering the posed question.

“The teacher may have mentioned something about not having lessons today, but I’m not sure,” she answered sheepishly.

At this point, I requested that my daughter knock on the front door to see if anyone was home, which she did. No answer. I encouraged her to check the garage to see if the teacher’s car was gone. No car. Clearly, no one was home, so we left…sans piano lesson.

What ensued was a conversation about being more responsible to communicate schedule information, with me suggesting she get a Palm Pilot in which to record her events. She explained how that wasn’t necessary, that a small notepad would suffice. As the conversation continued with her explaining how she remembers information (or doesn’t remember it, as the case may be), suddenly it dawned on me that she thinks like her father. Aarrgghh!

Now, because my daughter does well in music, math, and literature (as I do), and has a tremendous memory for facts and figures (as I do), I assumed she had more characteristics of my brain and my way of processing information…apparently not. Apparently, this lack of ability to retain schedule information is a characteristic she inherited from my husband, along with an inability to recall names and faces after only one meeting. Having grown up with a father who worked as a meatcutter and had almost perfect recall of customers’ names, faces, and regular orders, I find her lack of recall disturbing, especially since this same child can tell me the conjugation of almost every Latin verb ever created and the classification of almost every animal known to man. Nope, personally, I think it is a matter of selective amnesia. If remembering and communicating schedule information was important to her, or more interesting, it would be filed away somewhere in that magnificent teenage brain.

So, how do we solve this problem? That is an issue we are still working on. I will let you know what we arrive at in the way of a solution.

Freaky Friday

Yesterday, I awoke somewhat tired, the result of several recent late nights due to my own inability to go to bed. I’ve always been somewhat of a night owl, generally requiring much less sleep than the average person (a personal trait that irritates my euthyroid husband who needs 8-10 hours of sleep per night). My original plan for the day was to go on a homeschool field trip to Plimoth Plantation, but some early morning rain nixed that idea. Instead, I dealt with the unexpected.

First on the list: my water heater. At 6:30 am, my honey-a-tankless-water-heater-is-so-much-more-economical (but only when it actually functions) water heater began indicating a diagnostic code, that happy little number that references a master list of malfunctions that the manufacturer decides could possibly go wrong with your appliances. I’m not quite certain what happens if the code number is absent from the list, but I digress… As I was putting laundered clothes in the dryer, I noticed that the water heater was flashing a red light, Morse code style, in a 137 combination. Having dealt with this phenomenon before (don’t even ask how many times before), I called my husband to inquire as to the significance of “137.” After indicating his pleasure at yet another water heater challenge, he referred me to the master list. Under “137” I found the words, “bad element/circuit #4.” Apparently, this is neither an insurmountable problem, nor one that will cause the water heater to fail (praise the Lord, I will not be out of hot water and, once again, playing the real-life version of Frontier House!). My hubby reassured me that he would deal with the problem very soon. OK. I believe that. :-)

Second on the list: I stepped on my cat. Yep, I stepped on the front paws of my I-just-returned-from-the-vet-after-having-my-front-paws-declawed cat and opened three of his incisions. After calming down from my total panic at injuring (or rather re-injuring) this lovable baby, I rushed him to the vet (sans shower) to have the damage repaired. Thankfully, they put him back together with some tissue glue and instructed me to keep him confined for the rest of the day. OK. I can do that. :-)

Third on the list: the attitude attack of my middle cat. Kit, the anything but clay litter is just too gauche for my superior stature feline, otherwise known as “the escapee,” decided that the substitute litter, required in our household while the youngest cat heals from declaw surgery, was completely unacceptable. No self-respecting cat of his obvious class and breeding could possibly lower himself to use a litter box that contained such filth. No, instead, he decided that relieving himself on the floor under the television shelf was more dignified. I found this little gift after I returned home from the vet. Thank God for Petastic Stain & Odor Remover, guaranteed to work or my money back. OK. I trust that. :-)

So, how was your day?

Are You Ready for Some Football?

Fall has arrived, at least in my neck of the woods, and that means football. To keep up on the news of my favorite teams and those of my close friends, I’ve added a “Sports Center” to the sidebar menu. There you will find the Minnesota Vikings (my team), the New England Patriots (locals), and the Pittsburgh Steelers (in honor of my friend Sandi). You will find a link to the Discovery Channel cycling team as well, even though cycling season is winding down, but I digress…

So why only these three franchises? Well, in reverse order, the Pittsburgh Steelers are the only team to watch, at least according to Sandi. A few years back her husband subscribed to NFL Sunday Ticket as a Christmas gift for his lovely mate because she is so into both college and professional football; and being a native of Pittsburgh, the Steelers are and always will be HER team.

Being a transplant to southern New England from the Midwest, I have to follow the Patriots in order to be even remotely conversational with my neighbors this time of year. It seems that people around here are either Yankees fans, Red Sox fans, or Patriots fans. A girl has to fit in somehow. **Sigh**

And then we come to the Vikings. Ah, the Vikings. After the last couple of years, what with the antics of Randy Moss and the whole “sex boat scandal” of last season, I should have written them off as a lost cause. I guess I have too many fond memories of their former years when Bud Grant was coach and Fran Tarkenton had just retired as quarterback, making way for the likes of Tommy Kramer and Wade Wilson. I also have fond memories of watching the team practice at Blakeslee Field and dine in the cafeteria of Gage Towers, the campus residence hall reserved for the Vikings players and staff on the grounds of my alma mater, Minnesota State University, during their summer training camp.

Whatever the reason for including the team in my sidebar menu, the Vikings are off to a good start this year --- two wins and one loss so far --- and, like most Minnesotans, I’m praying for that elusive Super Bowl win.

Words of Wisdom from Russell’s Ribs

One of the restaurants that we frequent is a barbeque place known for their award-winning ribs. On the wall of this establishment is a collection of signs that often bring a smile, or a nod of agreement. While eating dinner this evening, I wrote some of them down on my napkin to share with you here.
----------------------------
Hard work must have killed someone.

It is what it is.

You can fool some of the people all of the time. And you can fool all of the people some of the time. But you can’t fool Mom.

Friends welcome, relatives by appointment.

Unattended and unruly children will be arrested and sold as slaves.

When pigs fly!

I like hugs and I love kisses, but what I really need…is help with the dishes.

Quityerbellyaching.

Dinner choices:
1) Take it.
2) Leave it.

House rules: No fussin’. No whinin’. No back talkin’.

Be nice or go away.

There will be a $5.00 charge for whining.

NOTICE: If you are grouchy, irritable, or just plain mean, there will be a $10.00 charge for putting up with you.

Sidebar Additions

Inspired by Smart Mom, I added some new links to the sidebar here on Gooseberry Lane. Actually, I added two entire categories of links: MyTunes and Plush Duck Entertainment. The former is a list of music that I am listening to in my car. The latter is a list of theaters and concert halls that I frequent for various events.

I also added two new cartoons to the Giggle Garden: Frank & Ernest and Mother Goose and Grimm. These have been favorites for many years, though not always available in my local paper. Now that I discovered them online, I can enjoy them every day, and share them with you as well. Happy reading!

Shopping Frustration

Recently, I went clothes shopping in a brick-and-mortar store for the first time in longer than I care to admit and came to the conclusion that I am either old or not a fashionista. Since I am a late baby boomer (born in 1961), I certainly cannot admit to the former, so my status must be the latter. This certainly comes as no surprise to my middle-aged women friends who routinely see me wearing jeans, a white polo shirt (or turtleneck, depending on the season), and white tennis shoes (the Keds kind); a pretty blah wardrobe, to be sure, which is why I went shopping --- quite unsuccessfully, I might add.

How is it that in this age of choice and the no-fashion-rules, wear-whatever-you-feel-comfortable-in attitude, can I not find a single pair of pants cut for a “normal” person? Apparently, regardless of size or weight restrictions, I am supposed to strut my stuff in a pair of below-the-waist, slim cut chinos with a rise shorter than the length of daughter’s geometry protractor. Here’s a news flash for the designers, once some woman have children, a 34-inch hip measurement is physically impossible, thank you very much. What would these fonts of fashion wisdom suggest I do, have my skeleton altered to wear their latest creations? Liposuction to reduce my hips would be one thing, but having my hip bones physically narrowed is a surgical procedure I’m not certain even exists yet (not that I would undergo such an operation were it actually available).

And when did the only colors available land in that part of the spectrum between fecal brown, bile yellow, and Halloween orange? Having worked in retail for a number of years before birthing children, I understand that the so-called fashionable colors come and go, but I don’t recall an almost complete absence of the basics. Whatever happened to the tried and true classics of navy, black, gray, and hunter green? Ok, to be fair, I did find one navy blue zip cardigan that was flecked with multicolored yarn to create a tweed effect, but the fabric content was such that it left a trail of lint on my shirt that, if it were cheese, a mouse could use it to find his way back to my pantry.

That brings me to another bone of contention: when did manufacturers stop using natural fibers in their clothing? If I find one more “cotton” blouse that is laced with Tencel or some other man-made substance touted to end wrinkles, I am going to scream. This synthetic fiber is supposed to eliminate my need for ironing? What a joke!!! I own a Tencel dress that requires ironing every time I wear it. Somehow, somewhere, sometime, it got wrinkled and instead of eliminating the wrinkles, the Tencel managed to set every crinkle in the universe into my outfit as though the creases needed to be preserved for eternity. Also, why do all the knit shirts require Spandex as an ingredient? At this point in my life, the last feature I want in my clothing is a tighter fit. Big clue for the fashion district: “form fitting” or “figure hugging” are not selling points, or at least shouldn’t be selling points, for clothes in a society where 62% of the population is classified as overweight and, of that group, 34% are obese.

I wasn’t always so averse to incorporating the latest fashion trends into my wardrobe (after all, I used to be a manager at The Gap), but since becoming a parent, I really have much more important tasks on my mind, and on my to-do list, than trolling the fashion magazines and websites for the hottest new look (do they even market something “hot” for women over forty? I’m guessing not.). All I want is a classic look with clean styling. Does that even exist anymore and, if so, where? I certainly hope it exists; otherwise, I may be living in jeans and a white turtleneck for a very, very long time.



Shopping suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Please leave them in the comments section.

Weekly Table Talk with Martin Luther

The Table Talk reading for this week is taken from the section of Luther’s writing entitled Of the Holy Ghost. All quotes are from an early 20th century edition, translated by William Hazlitt, Esquire. The original was written in 1566.

CCXLI
The Holy Ghost has two offices: first, he is a Spirit of grace, that makes God gracious unto us, and receive us as his acceptable children, for Christ’s sake. Secondly, he is a Spirit of prayer, that prays for us, and for the whole world, to the end that all evil may be turned from us, and that all good may happen to us. The spirit of grace teaches people; the spirit of prayer prays. It is a wonder how one thing is accomplished various ways. It is one thing to have the Holy Spirit as a spirit of prophecy, and another to have the revealing of the same; for many have had the Holy Spirit before the birth of Christ, and yet he was not revealed unto them.

We do not separate the Holy Ghost from faith; neither do we teach that he is against faith; for he is the certainty itself in the world, that makes us sure and certain of the Word; so that, without all wavering or doubting, we certainly believe that it is even so and no otherwise than as God’s Word says and is delivered unto us. But the Holy Ghost is given to none without the Word.

… but I believe in Jesus Christ, who is both holy and worthy; and whether I be holy or unholy, yet I am sure and certain, that Christ gives himself, with all his holiness, worthiness, and what he is and has, to be mine own. For my part, I am a poor sinner, and that I am sure of out of God’s Word. Therefore, the Holy Ghost only and alone is able to say: Jesus Christ is the Lord; the Holy Ghost teaches, preaches, and declares Christ.

The Holy Ghost goes first and before in what pertains to teaching; but in what concerns hearing, the Word goes first and before, and then the Holy Ghost follows after. For we must first hear the Word, and then afterwards the Holy Ghost works in our hearts; he works in the hearts of whom he will, and how he will, but never without the Word.

A Drinking Problem

Check out this food for thought at Janet’s Planet. I couldn’t help but chuckle.

There’s simply nothing worse: you awaken with the dawn and stagger down the hall, zig-zagging your way to the usual starting point --- the bathroom. You’re too bleary-eyed to notice the sprinkles left all over the seat, so you sit. Ugh! Now you are wet and grossed out and mad.

We all know who the culprit is, right? I mean it wasn’t me or any of my three daughters who so rudely left a splattery mess around the toilet, so it must have been…

Weekly Table Talk with Martin Luther

The Table Talk readings for this week are taken from the section entitled Of Jesus Christ. All quotes are from an early 20th century edition, translated by William Hazlitt, Esquire. The original was written in 1566.

CXCII
“There is but one God,” says St. Paul, “and one mediator between God and man; namely, the man Jesus Christ, who gave himself a ransom for all.” Therefore, let no man think to draw near unto God, or obtain grace of him, without this mediator, high-priest, and advocate.

It follows that we cannot through our good works, honesty of life, virtues, deserts, sanctity, or through the works of the law, appease God’s wrath, or obtain forgiveness of sins; and that all deserts of saints are quite rejected and condemned, so that through them no human creature can be justified before God. Moreover, we see how fierce God’s anger is against sins, seeing that by none other sacrifice or offering could they be appeased and stilled, but by the precious blood of the Son of God.

CLCVIII
The conversation of Christ with his disciples, when he took his leave of them at his last supper, was most sweet, loving, and friendly, talking with them lovingly, as a father with his children, when he must depart from them. He took their weakness in good part, and bore with them, though now and then their discourse was very full of simplicity; as when Philip said; “Show us the Father.” And Thomas: “We know not the way.” And Peter: “I will go with thee into death.” Each freely showing the thoughts of his heart. Never, since the world began, was a more precious, sweet, and amiable conversation.

CXCIX
Christ had neither, money, nor riches, nor earthly kingdom, for he gave the same to kings and princes. But he reserved one thing peculiarly to himself, which no human creature or angel could do --- namely, to conquer sin and death, the devil and hell, and in the midst of death to deliver and save those that through his Word believe in him.

CCI
Nothing is more sure than this: he that does not take hold on Christ by faith, and comfort himself herein, that Christ is made a curse for him, remains under the curse. The more we labor by works to obtain grace, the less we know how to take hold on Christ; for where he is not known and comprehended by faith, there is not to be expected either advice, help, or comfort, though we torment ourselves to death.

CCXXXIX
We should consider the histories of Christ three manner of ways; first as a history of acts or legends; secondly, as a gift or a present; thirdly, as an example, which we should believe and follow.

The New Arrival

Yesterday, my daughter and I picked up our new kitten at the local pet store (as if two felines in the household were not enough). His name is Chopin and he looks quite a bit like our oldest cat, Fermata (see Meet My Alarm Clock). Because of this similarity in appearance and because the latter has a name that refers to a musical notation symbol, we chose a musical name for the new guy as well. He seems to be acclimating appropriately, although the other cats are reserving judgment on his arrival at the moment. Fortunately most of the hissing and posturing has passed. The humans in the home, including some of our friends, have pronounced him “a keeper” and are enjoying his rambunctious behavior and toddler-like curiosity, though I’m not sure I appreciate his penchant for drinking from my mug of green tea, or his burning desire to hang from the bird cage. Oh, well. I brought him into the house so I will just have to stay on my toes for a while! Enchanté, minou.

Accountability Update AUGUST 2006

I began this blog on August 7, 2006 for two basic reasons: first, as a way to motivate myself to finish some home improvement projects and, second, as a way to hold myself accountable for excessive restaurant expenditures. Now that I am one month into this adventure, it is time to take stock of my progress (even though I am terrified to look at the evaluation).

The rating scale for this project is as follows:

1: Failed miserably. No progress whatsoever.
2: Tried, but couldn’t do it. No significant progress.
3: Making progress. Halfway there.
4: Came close. More effort needed.
5: Did it! All goals met.

SCHOOL ORGANIZATION
Overall rating: 2

Rather than working on a home improvement project during August, instead I focused on an organizational task --- getting ready for school. This job consisted of decluttering four separate areas of the house: the living room desk, the kitchen table, the family computer desk, and the family room bookshelves. While I did work in these areas during the month, I must admit they are now worse than they were when I began, hopefully because I am in that space defined by the statement, “It always gets worse before it gets better.”

The biggest problem I encountered in organizing these areas was a lack of storage space. My husband and I discussed this need and came to the conclusion that new bookcases/cabinets in the living room would be a wise purchase, even though he would prefer to build these items himself. After some online shopping and a visit to our local IKEA store, we chose a suitable short-term bookcase arrangement that will be ordered as soon as enough funds have been saved for the effort.

Because I did some work on the assigned task, even though I made no obvious significant progress, I awarded myself a two on the rating scale. The plan for September: focus on only one area at a time. The area of choice: the kitchen table. The implementation of the plan: clear the table and establish a routine to keep it clear. After that, refinish the chalkboard before the school year gets too busy.

Our new slogan: Can we fix it? Yes, we can. --- Bob the Builder

RESTAURANT EXPENDITURES
Overall rating: 1

The total amount of moolah spent for dining out during the month of August was $1305.26, a figure that is not only embarrassing to publish but monumentally ridiculous in an absolute sense. Being $81.96 more than the average for both June and July, I clearly made no progress whatsoever toward this goal, thereby earning the lowest rating on my scale. The plan for September: eat at home and make only preplanned restaurant visits. The implementation of the plan: sit down with my family to determine which days would be best for crock pot meals due to busy schedules, which days would be best for a meal on the town, and which restaurants should be included in our September list. What is that old saying, “Plan the work and work the plan.” Good advice. Now let’s see if I can heed it!

Commit your works to the Lord and your plans will be established. --- Proverbs 16:3 NASB

Weekly Table Talk with Martin Luther

The Table Talk readings for this week are taken from the section entitled Of Idolatry. All quotes are from an early 20th century edition, translated by William Hazlitt, Esquire. The original was written in 1566.

CLXXX
In all creatures are a declaration and a signification of the Holy Trinity. First the substance signifies the almighty power of God the Father. Secondly, the form and shape declare the wisdom of God the Son; and, thirdly, the power and strength is a sign of the Holy Ghost. So that God is present in all creatures.

CLXXXI
In the gospel of St. John, chap. iii, is plainly and directly shown the difference of the persons, in the highest and greatest work that God accomplished for us poor human creatures, in justifying and saving us; for there it is plainly written of the Father, that he loved the world, and gave to the world his only begotten Son. These are two several persons --- Father, and Son. The Father loves the world; and gives unto it his Son. The Son suffers himself to be given to the world, and “to be lifted up on the cross, as the serpent was lifted up in the wilderness, that whosoever believed in him shall not perish, but have everlasting life.” To this work comes afterwards the third person, the Holy Ghost, who kindles faith in the heart through the Word, and so regenerates us, and makes us the children of God.

But let us stick to God’s Word in the Holy Scripture, namely, that Christ is true God with God the Father, and that the Holy Ghost is true God, and yet there are not three Gods, nor three substances, as three men, three angels, three sons, three windows, etc. No: God is not separated or divided in such manner in his substance, but there is only and alone one divine essence, and no more.

Therefore, although there be three persons, God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Ghost, yet notwithstanding, we must not divide nor separate the substance, for there is but only one God in one only undivided substance, as St. Paul clearly speaks of Christ, Colossians i, that he is the express image of the invisible God, the first born of all creatures; for through him all things are created that are in heaven and on earth, visible, etc., and all is through and in him created, and he is before all, and all things consist in him.

Now what the third person is, the holy evangelist, St. John, teaches, chap. xv, where he says: “But when the Comforter is come, which I will send unto you from the Father, the Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father, he shall testify of me.” Here Christ speaks not only of the office and work of the Holy Ghost, but also of his substance and faith; he goes out or proceeds from the Father, that is, his going out, or his proceeding, is without all beginning, and everlasting. Therefore the holy prophet Joel gives him the name, and calls him, “the Spirit of the Lord.”

Gooseberry Word Cloud

A while back, my friend posted a word cloud on her blog (see Smart Mom Blog, Word Clouds in My Coffee). I thought it was the coolest thing and wanted to know how she had done it. Apparently, Smart Mom received the same request from several people because she eventually posted the how-to on her site. Today, I finally made my own word cloud. Check it out!

Changes in the Giggle Garden

After a week or so with the original Giggle Garden blossoms, I feel a change is in order. Get Fuzzy is being replaced by Soup to Nutz. Even though the former strip is a consistent source of discussion for my daughter and her friend in California, I just don’t find it that amusing. On the other hand, I think Soup to Nutz is hilarious. Maybe I like the perspective of the children in the latter comic. Maybe I relate to it more because I am a parent. I can’t really put my finger on the reason. I just find the new strip more appealing. I hope you enjoy it as well. LOL! :)

Praise the Lord, Our Cat is Home

Yesterday morning (9/5/2006) at ~8:00 AM, just as I was preparing for a chiropractic appointment and my daughter was starting her school day, Kit, our youngest cat, decided to leap from the bathroom window for what was, I can only surmise, an adventure in curiosity. Almost 20 hours later, he has returned from his excursion none the worse for wear but extremely frightened. In fact, judging by his demeanor after a night outside in the pouring rain with no food, his extrahouse experience was a total bummer.

I plan to write more about Kit’s adventure at a later date when my thoughts are more collected. For now, however, I would like to thank everyone who prayed for my family while Kit was away. We are so thankful that he is home and are heartily grateful for God’s grace and provision in keeping us calm and in keeping Kit safe. God is certainly great, and greatly to be praised! Amen.

Prayer of the Clan MacKenzie

With a daughter whose hobby is genealogical research, some interesting historical tidbits cross my path occasionally. One such morsel is this prayer of the Clan MacKenzie. My daughter found it (and the crest at right) a few months back on the website of the Clan MacKenzie Society in the Americas. Apparently the prayer was found in the genealogical records of the late Father Ewan MacDonald of Glengarry, Canada. The original is printed first, followed by a “plain English” translation. Interesting that a MacKenzie prayer was rediscovered in the hands of a MacDonald. :)

Original
Bless a’ the MacKenzies an’ a’ the MacKenzie childer; their sons an’ son’s childer and their dochiter’s for a thousan’ years to come. Be ye gracious an’ send doon mountains o’ snuff, an’ rivers of whiskey. An’ oh Lord send doon swords an’ pistels an’ daggers as monie as the sands on the seashore to kill the MacDonalds, the Clan Ranalds, and the Campbells. An’ oh Lord, bless the wee coo, an’ make it a big coo. An’ oh Lord bless the sucklin’ and make it a grand board. An’ oh Lord, bless the wee bairns, yon Angus, Alex an’ Bessie an’ Maggie an’ Florrie. An’ oh Lord, build up a great wall between us an’ the Irish, an’ put broken bottles on the top, so they cannae come over. An’ oh Lord, if ye hae anything gude to gie, dunna gie it to the Irish, but gie it to your chosen people, the Scots, especially to the Clan MacKenzie an’ a’ their friends. Glorious ye are for ever more.

Translation
Bless all the MacKenzies and all the MacKenzie children; their sons and son’s children and their daughter’s for a thousand years to come. Be ye gracious and send down mountains of snuff, and rivers of whiskey. And oh lord, send down swords and pistols and daggers as many as the sands on the seashore to kill the MacDonalds, the Clan Ronalds, and the Campbells. And oh Lord, bless the small cow and make it a big cow. And oh Lord, bless the suckling and make it a grand board. And oh Lord, bless the small children, yon Angus, Alex and Bessie and Maggie and Florrie. And oh Lord, build up a great wall between us and the Irish, and put broken bottles on the top, so they cannot come over. And oh Lord, if you have anything good to give, don’t give it to the Irish, but give it to your chosen people, the Scots, especially to the Clan MacKenzie and all their friends. Glorious you are for ever more.

Another Table Talk with Martin Luther

Welcome back for another installment of postings from Table Talk, a book of conversations by Martin Luther, where he commented on life, the church, and the Bible. The readings for this week are taken from the section entitled Of the Nature of the World. All quotes are from an early 20th century edition, translated by William Hazlitt, Esquire. The original was written in 1566.

CXXXVIII
The world will neither hold God for God, nor the devil for the devil. And if a man were left to himself, to do after his own kind and nature, he would willingly throw our Lord God out at the window; for the world regards God nothing at all, as the Psalm says: The wicked man saith in his heart, there is no God.

CXLIV
There are three sorts of people: the first, the common sort, who live secure without remorse of conscience, acknowledging not their corrupt manners and natures, insensible of God’s wrath against their sins, and careless thereof. The second, those who through the law are scared, feel God’s anger, and strive and wrestle with despair. The third, those that acknowledge their sins and God’s merited wrath, feel themselves conceived and born in sin, and therefore deserving of perdition, but, notwithstanding, attentively hearken to the gospel, and believe that God, out of grace for the sake of Jesus Christ, forgives sins, and so are justified before God, and afterwards show the fruits of their faith by all manner of good works.

CLIV
Abraham was held in no honor among the Canaanites, for all the wells he had dug the neighbors filled up, or took away by force, and said to him: “Wilt thou not suffer it? Then pack thee hence and be gone, for thou art with us a stranger and a new comer.” In like manner Isaac was despised. The faith possessed by the beloved patriarchs, I am not able sufficiently to admire. How firmly and constantly did they believe that God was gracious unto them, though they suffered such exceeding trouble and adversity.

CLXIV
A man that depends on the riches and honors of this world, forgetting God and the welfare of his soul, is like a little child that holds a fair apple in the hand, of agreeable exterior, promising goodness, but within ‘tis rotten and full of worms.

CLXV
Where great wealth is, there are also all manner of sins; for through wealth comes pride, through pride dissension, through dissension, wars, poverty; through poverty, great distress and misery. Therefore, they that are rich, must yield a strict and great account; for to whom much is given, of him much will be required.

Flowers in the Giggle Garden

I thought I would provide a summary of each comic strip in the Gooseberry Giggle Garden for those who may not be familiar with them. These informational tidbits were obtained from two sources: www.creators.com and www.comics.com. Both sites are chock full of funnies that will keep you laughing for hours should the Gooseberry Giggles fail in that regard. Believe me when I say that these summaries do not do justice to the humor and artistry of the strips they describe. Read them for yourself and keep on smiling!

B.C.
Inspired by the caveman gags of the day and the suggestion of a friend, Johnny Hart created the prehistoric characters in this beloved comic strip to poke fun at the shortcomings of modern man. First published in 1958, B.C. has delighted readers ever since.

Committed
First appearing in 1991, this strip comments on the realities of modern life: the pitfalls of being a working parent, the child as ruler of the home, and the disaster that is housekeeping. Not necessarily applicable to homeschoolers, but the perspective on children is priceless. Written and drawn by Michael Fry, the main characters are Liz the mother, Joe the father, Tracy the eldest child, and Zelda the baby (who reminds me a bit of Jack-Jack, the superhero baby from Pixar's The Incredibles).

Get Fuzzy
A glimpse of single life with pets, this panel tells the story of Rob Wilco, an ad executive who lives with Bucky the cat and Satchel the dog. Together, this madcap trio copes with the ups and downs of modern life and all that it entails. Written and drawn by Darby Conley. This strip is a favorite of my daughter and her friend who lives in CA.

Kit ‘n’ Carlyle
The brainchild of Larry Wright, this comic panel is about an adorable cat named Carlyle who lives with Kit, a single working woman (not to worry, the strip is about the cat, not the woman). Carlyle is a conglomeration of many cats that Mr. Wright has owned over the years, and his understanding of the feline mind is clearly present in each drawing. My husband and I began reading this strip when we lived in San Diego, CA. We like it so much that we named our first cat Carlyle and our newest cat Kit.

Wizard of Id
In 1950, Johnny Hart, the creator of BC (mentioned above), entered a high school art contest that was being judged by artist Brant Parker. Mr. Parker was so impressed with Hart’s work that he requested a meeting with him. That was the beginning of the wonderful partnership behind this comic strip about a short monarch who rules his kingdom with the help of an often-inept magician.

School is in Session!

This morning we started school, even though it was the Friday before Labor Day and the beginning of the first holiday weekend of the fall season. Why start on a Friday, you ask? Unfortunately, I have no better answer than this: when I scheduled “opening day” several weeks ago, I didn’t really think about the actual day of the week. Instead, I chose the date because my transcript service defines the academic year as September 1st- August 31st. Granted, not a great reason, but the truth nonetheless.

The first task of the day was to finish reading the introductory comments for the bible study and American government coursework that we will be using. Due to more pressing issues yesterday evening (like watching Pillow Talk and eating orange sherbet), I failed to complete my “homework” in preparation for today, so I needed to catch up before class began at 7:30 AM. Granted, not a great excuse, but the truth nonetheless.

The second task of the day was an attempt to debug my laptop computer so I could print the annual notice of intent that we submit to our local school district. My husband needed to sign it before leaving for work and he was already running late. We finally saved a copy of the document to his memory stick and printed the form using the main computer. I guess I will be learning more about my print utility software this afternoon. No worries, another problem solved. On with the show.

The third task of the day was breakfast. As we often eat breakfast out (see Restaurant Addiction), the temptation was to consider the first day of class “a special occasion” and treat ourselves to a morning meal on the town. Fortunately, my student (aka my daughter) suggested that chicken sausages, yogurt, and scones at home were perfectly serviceable, so we ate in (praise the Lord for wise children). During breakfast, we began reading The History of Plimoth Plantation by William Bradford (yep, you guessed it, the same one who landed with the Pilgrims at Plymouth Rock). After breakfast, at which point we prayed for guidance in our homeschooling journey, we began the 2006-2007 academic year. It sounds so ominous, doesn’t it? Challenging, maybe, but hardly ominous, especially remembering Philippians 4:13 NASB: I can do all things through Him who strengthens me.

The schedule for the day looked like this:

AM
Music Theory
Geometry
Bible Study
American Government

PM
French
Science
Language Arts/Literature
Health
Piano practice

Not bad for an inaugural class day. It is now dinnertime. My daughter is still practicing her piano; I am writing this article; and my husband is mowing the lawn so I don’t have to. Yippee! We have survived our first day of school for the year and all is well with the world (at least with our little corner of it, anyway). Time to celebrate!*

*It is, after all, a new month with a new budget for restaurant dining (see Restaurant Addiction). Hmm. Where should we have dinner?