Yippee....

Yes, it is true. Dad and I have stepped out of the confines of dial up internet service and into the new world of wireless!!! We finally broke down out of frustration and using the principle of time and eternity (well...sort of...the time lost waiting can never be regained) got a satellite internet service and then upped it another notch to wireless. This way, if we ever get a laptop...or when Joe comes with his laptop, or when John and Kate come with their laptops...we can e-mail each other across the room!! We did not sign up for the FASTEST connection, but what we have is definately an improvement and the opportunity exists, for a few(?) dollars more, to go even faster!! I am actually asking for a laptop for Christmas...why stop now?
It is a grey, cold, and wet day here. Snow is forcast for tonight and tomorrow. As you know, we decided to cancel our trip to Dallas in expectation of Elizabeth's delivery. We are very sad that we missed Luke's birthday party and the chance to spend time with the rest of the family. It was a tough call. Since Elizabeth has not delivered yet....she is scheduled to be induced tomorrow morning at 7am. Hopefully by tomorrow evening, we will be celebrating the birth of the long awaited "macaroni" (remember Elizabeth's description after her first ultrasound?).
Today is a good day, however, to welcome the Advent season, to begin the waiting and watching. Pope Benedict wrote that "Advent invites us to undertake the risk of stepping forward toward God's mysterious presence, which alone can make us free." Something to ponder.....
Dad is outside just now with his shotgun...ready to take on a squirrel that has been munching on the house. On thanksgiving day, he got a mouse that was WAAAY too casual in his comings and goings....with a broom! Forget the mousetraps! Ahhh, life in the country! It is good to commune with nature.
Well, I really do not have anything else to report...Our new e-mail addresses are:
hustedd(at)dishmail(dot)net
hustedl(at)dishmail(dot)net
Hope to hear from you soon!

R.I.P. Cluny

Today our pet population declined by one. Cluny the rat quietly passed on in Ben's loving arms, a small grace after a long dying process. He didn't eat for 4 days. The cause of death, as best as I can diagnose based on internet research, was either a tumor or a piece of food/plastic stuck in his throat that didn't hinder breathing but prevented him from eating or drinking. I tried the rat heimleich maneuver, but it didn't dislodge the blockage. His remains were respectfully interred near our statue of St. Fiacre in the back garden this afternoon and have been marked by a couple of daffodil bulbs. I'm sure all of you will join us in a moment of silence in his memory as you read this. Cluny was a good and faithful friend.

Who needs weed killer

When you have six kids to dig up the lawn?

Now, since I've told my joke, here are some more photos for those who couldn't attend the induction ceremony. Here's Dad receiving his award:

And here he is making his perfectly timed speech:

And here are his famous photos:
Dad, the most handsome of the inductees:

Some people might of wished this was an inducing ceremony. (Just so we don't forget how miserable our sister is):

Dad in fine form in front of his fraternity:

Everyone enjoyed Seth and Joe's birthday cake. Happy birthday to them!

Got wit?

Why am I lacking the gene that gives you wit-on-the-fly? Mine only shows up in the bathroom, days later. Or worse, four or five seconds past the time that a quip is allowable, forcing me to bite my tongue to avoid shouting a no longer welcome comeback at the departing person.

Yesterday I was leaving the grocery store with a bag of bread and creamer, and two jugs of milk. I had switched it all to one side so I could unlock the car, and a man passing me said, "That's impressive! Two gallons of milk in one hand, wow!" to which I very wittily replied, "hahaha, yeah, thanks!" I turned and plopped the milk down in the trunk, and the sound coincided with the mental forehead-slap I gave myself when I realized what I should have said: "Yeah, it does a body good!" I hope that man is a Husted blog fan so he can read this and see how clever I am... when given a few seconds to come up with something, that is.

Ran out of time!

My plan was to write a long and meaningful blog post, but it took so long to upload this picture of North Dakota, I have run out of time. The good news is that it worked!! We have remarked several times how happy we are that Dad took his trip up north when he did since they have had blizzards this week.
Dad and I just finnished putting some straw up in the loft of the barn using his new(old and rusted) piece of machinery that works like a conveyer. I stand below and load the bales, he stands in the loft and takes them off and stacks them. It really is a good system, but I am increasingly aware of the dangers of farm work. No wonder so many farmers are walking around with missing fingers, hands, arms.
I have spent about 5 minutes watching TV since the election. It is good to have this respite. I am considering asking our priest if we can chaperone a group of our highschool youth to D.C. for the pro life rally in January (a neighboring parish is sponsoring a trip). It would involve sleeping on the bus two nights and most likely on the floor of a convent another night. What do you think?
We are looking forward to the weekend in Crawfordsville!

how to write a smash hit

Here is a lesson on the creative process:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-M30g3In8ao&NR=1

(the hyperlink is fixed now.)

Optimism

Well, the election is finally over, and life can move on. The TV can be turned off. Oh wait, the kids are watching it right now, so that I could look something up... but I got tempted into checking the blog. Since no one else has made any comments, I'll leave a quick post. It was inspiring to see the happiness in Grant Park on TV. The normal tone of doom and gloom has been missing from the editorials in the paper this morning and yesterday. There would have been a sense of not just disappointment, but disenfranchisement had the outcome been different. I thought there might be some gloating at my writing class last night, but the tone was very optimistic, as well as reflective on the changes in the last 40 years (from the older members of the class.) The graciousness of McCain's concession speech was recognized, as well as the poignancy of the speeches from Chicago. Even though it's cloudy and rainy here, there does seem to be a lightness in the air, maybe from the collective sigh of relief that people can let go of some of their bitterness about the last election. Hopefully, the optimism will spill over into the economy.

Now the kids and I had better get back to learning about history, so we can continue to recognize it when it's being made!

Sugar Babies

This year's celebration of All Hallow's Eve has lasted an entire week, beginning with the CECOSC fall party last Sunday (Dan's chili won second prize), then the Cub Scout party on Monday night (James as the Sugar bag won for his den a gift card to Blockbuster), a little party at a friend's on Friday afternoon, trick or treating Friday night and ending today with the Harvest Party for our co-op (Joe won a prize for his Invisible Man get-up, and Dan again took 2nd for his chili). We have gotten full value for our costumes, on which we spent about $3 for James' Sandeman cup and Ben's rope. I threw away all Mary Janes, Sugar Babies, Dots, Now and Laters, Laffy Taffy, and most of the Tootsie Rolls. Sorry, neighbors, but I just spent over $200 on sealants, fillings, and a crown at the dentists' office last week. Each kid has authority over a generous 60 pieces of candy, and the rest I dumped into one of those canvas shopping bags, which is filled to the top, to be redistributed (Obama would approve) to Dan's office, co-op, CCD, and anyone else I can pawn it off on before I eat it all up myself. The dark chocolate Dove squares and Special Darks are in my vitamin stash since they prevent cancer and mothering meltdowns when consumed at 3pm.

At the soccer games Saturday, we relived the anti-Halloween argument, when one little girl told Annie and her fellow Catholic trick or treater, who were comparing the size of their haul, that "Jesus doesn't like Halloween." As I mentioned earlier, I considered the idea of opting out of Halloween; it's not hard to find articles written from a Puritan perspective pointing out its pagan origins and its current popularity with cults. However, considering the many pagan traditions our faith has baptized - Christmas trees, candles, sunrise Easter services - and since a lot of what Halloween is about comes from celebrations of All Saints and All Souls Day (begging for cakes, remembering the dead, scaring away evil spirits), and because I really enjoyed sitting out in the driveway sharing a bottle of blood red wine with a couple of neighbors while the dads followed the kids around, I have given up feeling guilty for the moment.
Some Photos:
Prizewinners:
Joe and friend James and friend:
I only carved one pumpkin this year. The rest are kid carved. Part of the trick or treating group (a couple other neighbors and the mermaid's little sister also joined in):
Claire as a princess instead of a Tart (but with lipstick):
Ralph Kramden and Jed Clampett ready for some fun:
An attempt to post video. The dangers of excess sugar consumption: