Hello Again

The surgery was successful, and I'm starting to feel more like myself. Being in the hospital, and out of the normal stream of life, I felt almost like I was a different person once I came home and started feeling stronger. I'm paying attention to what's going on in the wider world, but I still need quite a bit of rest. I'm making positive progress, so I'm hoping to be writing more soon.

The Road Ahead

I've been sick all week, which means survival mode. It's also meant I've been unusually depressed. It also means I've been at the computer a lot, which has made me even more depressed. It may not be the best idea for me to be reading so many current event blogs, but I have an insatiable need to know what it is going on. The worst part is feeling like I can't do anything but what I am already doing, which is my vocation of bringing up my daughters, with the help of their father. And maybe that's all that I'm supposed to be doing. I certainly haven't been called to do anything else as of right now, and my motherly duties are expanding. The Dancer is spending more and more of her time at... the dance studio, now that she has started pointe on top of her other classes. The Musician hangs out with friends a great deal and is starting her important senior year in high school this fall. Yikes! I may also have to try my hand at organizing fundraising efforts for my daughters' school activities if a levy does not go through this spring. It's actually very freeing to think about just following my vocation....

Work, School, Family

I care a great deal about children and how they are brought up. Yes, it's important to our future, but children can also be so very vulnerable, and a great deal of their future health and habits and outlooks on life can come from their upbringing. Children need people who care about them, love them, look after them.

It's bad enough that the state of California may need to cut some weeks out of its school year, although not surprising given the long record of financial mismanagement. What made me sad was that the first thought seemed to be not, "What about our childrens' education?", but "Who will watch our kids?" Why is this a bigger issue? I just don't understand it, perhaps because I know so many moms who do manage to stay home with their children, and so many families where when both parents work, they also blow a lot of money. Many of the dual-income parents at my daughter's dance school, for example, have two cars, take a lot of vacations, and pick up pizza or fast food for dinner on their way home from a late afternoon crammed with activities. If more moms stayed home, or worked from home, or worked part-time, etc., day-care slots would not be so "scarce." Of course, sometimes both parents do have to work, or sometimes there is only one parent. But the people who really needed help might find it easier if everybody else, who maybe didn't have to, wasn't going to work also.

For that matter, what do these parents do with children over the summer? This question is never answered. Of course a lot of day-care centers, churches, etc. offer "summer camp" which is basically a glorified day-care for older children. I'm sure they'd love the chance to make more money by extending this service. I also find it odd that the one mother quoted solved the problem of a week off in October by taking her children on vacation. She protests however, that she can't take the kids on vacation for five weeks. Strangely, she is not quoted as saying she can't afford it, or she doesn't have that much vacation time, but "How many times can I go to Happy Hollow?" Is this really her biggest concern, or is she poorly quoted? I have, sadly, seen parents who don't really like being around their children. Is this the case here, where they have to be kept busy on vacation or she gets unhappy being at home with them?

The other thing that stands out to me as making this article poorly written, is the quote at the end by a high school sophomore that points out that there is not much work done at the end of a school year anyway. I won't argue that point. My youngest daughter is taking several field trips, having fun days, and spending some extra time in school practicing for end-of-the-year concerts. But if you shorten the school year, you won't really get rid of "that end-of-the-year mentality." You'll just move it up a bit.

There are lots of things to discuss when deciding to shorten the time our children spend on education. I just think this article didn't emphasize the right ones very well, and made me sad about how we look on watching out for our children.

Feelin' the Love

Staring at a blank screen is about as bad as staring at a blank sheet of paper. :) There is a lot going on, but not much of it is good. Oddly enough, though, when I think about all the things that are going wrong, I then somehow realize how much good is out there. Lots of prayers and support for friends who are facing illness and other difficulties. Economics forcing us to look at what is really important, both in our family life and in our church life. The ability to reach out to friends online, and have a dozen friends answer back with support within minutes. The ability to be aware easily of what's going on in the world that might effect us. As Red Green says, "We're all in this together." Or as my pastor says, "This is why we keep our eye on the goal, it soothes the pain of the present. St. Paul says: I consider the present sufferings not worthy to be compared to the glory that will be revealed in us."

I'm Still Out Here

I'd like to thank you all for your prayers and concern. I've really been struggling lately, and it helps to know there's people out there who care about how I am doing. I'm still not back to 100%, but I'm getting there. There's been several people IRL who have helped, especially the Presbytera, the Chaplain, and the members of Homestead Lutheran Academy. I wouldn't be able to make it through this without all of you.

The Latest

I haven't been feeling so well lately. I'd appreciate all of your prayers.

Forget a Dog, We Need an Owl

Addy the owl is recovering from a dislocated leg after biting and scratching the thief that tried to steal her so that he threw her from the getaway car, then crashed it. The thief has been caught.

Women and Work

I was not surprised to see the results of a new study that shows most women would prefer to work part-time. Personally, I prefer to work full-time... from home! :) Teaching my daughters, doing housework, sewing, cooking, are plenty of work for me! But this study goes along with the idea offered by people like the women at the Independent Women's Forum, who also noticed this study, that any discrepancies between the pay of women and men can for the most part be attributed to the fact that women generally prefer to not push as hard on the career fast-track as men. I'm not going to offer any anecdotal evidence about others here; I'm just going to say that I have found my talents and abilities best suited to managing my home, and if I ever do work outside my home, I hope it's not more than part-time.

Monday Ramble

It's hilarious that Cindy Sheehan is threatening to run against Nancy Pelosi for Pelosi's House seat next year. I want a stadium seat next to Dr. Luther for this entertainment, and a large supply of Sno-Caps.

Do you think if *you* slapped a co-worker, that you'd still have a job by the end of the day? More likely to be escorted out via security in about five minutes, I should think. Via Ace.

Anyone else ever get stuck hanging around the mall when your husband strikes up an impromptu Pirates game at the game store? Just me? At least I did get a new pair of shoes...

He may be a good pitcher, but I didn't think Dan Haren a likely start for the AL in the All-Star game. I would have thought Verlander more likely. But then again, Leyland seems to be going out of his way to avoid favoritism charges. By the way, is the All-Star commercial stupid, or what? It starts out cute, but by the end when the cable cars run into the bay, it's just dumb. What's the point of that? And my husband also complains that it's poorly rendered.

Now Is the Time When We Dance

Maybe we can at last stick a fork in this immigration bill. I find Bush's comments in the article to be annoying. Legal immigration *is* important to me. I'd like anybody to lives and works in this country to come here *legally*. Not sneak in. Get it?

My grandmother, great-aunt and great-grandmother were left behind when my great-grandfather first came to this country in the early 'teens of last century to try to make a better life for his family. I'm not sure if this was because of immigration laws of the time, of my great-grandfather having to prove he could support them before they could come over, or a simple matter of getting the boat fare together. However, World War I intervened when these three family members were still in the old country, and they ended up becoming war refugees in Russia, along with a great-great-grandfather, who died there. My family could have just stowed away on a boat and sneaked into the country, but they didn't, and they suffered a lot in pursuit of their dream. Yes, the living conditions in Mexico are horrible for many. Perhaps Bush should be putting pressure on his big-wig buddies down there to clean up the problems with their government and economy instead of just sending all the poor people they don't want up here. There's no reason why Mexico can't do better as a country.

Another happy thing, I've discovered via Ace of Spades that those good folks at Despair, Inc. have come up with a DIY parody motivator generator, good for laughs in all kinds of situations. In (dis)honor of Voinovich being one of the Senators from Ohio, and having the absolute last vote, probably the cause of his pulling a 180 at the last minute, here's one I lifted from Dave in Texas.

And this one is just too good not to share as well. Done by this guy. Yeah, I could just point you to the appropriate thread at Ace's place, but the last time I sent anyone there, Ace had just unloaded on a bunch of nasty people who were emailing him nasty things, and the person I sent there ended up needing to bleach his brain. So, you know.

And I'm just not feeling clever enough today to come up with my own. Sorry. I enjoyed being a recliner potato and watching the Indians win the series over the A's. And Jason Michaels is one of my favorite players, too!

Hey You Guys

If I start acting like a drunken and/or drugged idiot, do you think I can get my own documentary on cable television too?

Life As We Know It?

So we may have found a planet outside our solar system capable of sustaining life. Is this news? To me, it only seems that it would be important from a humanistic, materialistic point of view. That is, that any life on another planet might have something from which we could learn in terms of science. But when we're busy eradicating life on this planet, why care if life exists on other planets? Do we really think there's some "magic bullet" planet there that holds the answers to life, the universe and everything?

Drink Up!

I know Lutherans are supposed to prefer beer, but here's a reason to drink fruity, "girlie" alcoholic beverages: they're good for you! I quote: "Any colored fruit might be made even more healthful with the addition of a splash of alcohol." Yippee! I'd like a screwdriver with a splash of cranberry juice, please.

h/t Betsy.

We Need Heroes

After reading this at Misha's AND Betsy's places, I am compelled to also share the story of Virginia Tech Professor Liviu Librescu, who sacrificed his life yesterday but saved the lives of his students, by blocking the doorway of his classroom with his body and giving his students time to escape the classroom. He was a Holocaust survivor. Greater love hath no man indeed.

Furry Friends

I'm saddened by the loss of pet animals, and the almost absolute certainty that more will be lost. I'm very disturbed by the fact that the pet food that is killing animals appears to have had rat poison in it. I'd like to make my animals' own pet food, but I don't always have the time or energy to make home-cooked meals from scratch for my own human family. Still, does anyone know a good recipe for home-made cat food?

In memory of my dear Hobbes, who we euthanized at age 7 due to kidney failure, seven years ago.

Pet Food Recall

This pet food recall in the U.S, with over 90 brands of cat and dog food listed, concerns me. Thank God, our cats are not affected. It still makes me wonder. Will we be told the source of the contaminated product when all is said and done? Why will the FDA not identify the supplier of the wheat gluten? Is it paranoid to wonder exactly how this contamination occurred? In the meantime, I feel sad for all the people who have lost beloved pets due to this.

Article above via Lucianne.

In the News

Okay, this is why I don't want to send my children to a public high school. And this isn't even taking place in, like, San Francisco, or Lakewood or anything. Yeah, who am I kidding. They're just trying to keep the students and teachers alive in Lakewood. And yes, I was less popular in high school than the one boy in high school that I now know is/was gay. But then, playing Nathan Detroit in "Guys and Dolls" is a sure ticket to popularity, yes?

And for you 2nd Amendment people out there, what may be a positive step in our right to keep and bear arms.