Over the weekend the Wall Street Journal weekend edition had as its headline, "Putin Calls Obama as Crisis Escalates."   Read the entire article here.

Here is an excerpt:

     Defying Western warnings, Russia has continued to reposition and augment its forces on the border of eastern Ukraine, according to U.S. officials, raising fears of a wider confrontation.
     Russia's Foreign Ministry on Friday dismissed the allegations as invented, saying that Western officials should "take a pain reliever."

Excuse me.  "Take a pain reliever?"  No one.  NO ONE!  would have ever said that to Ronald Reagan.  Ever.  Nor do I think it would have ever been said of George W. Bush.  Certainly, no one would have ever talked to Ronald Reagan like that.  Why?  Because of his personal strength, his stature as a leader, and his courage.  The world knew that Reagan would act militarily if necessary.

On the day of Reagan's inauguration, 52 Americans who had been held hostage for 444 days in Iran were released.  The left is fond of saying that this release had nothing to do with Reagan's inauguration because it was in the works under Jimmy Carter.  Some on the left are quite fond of jumping to conclusions that are not well thought out.  No one knows whether or not the Iranians went ahead with plans for the release because they were afraid of Ronald Reagan coming into office, and the Iranians would certainly never reveal such a fear.  In my mind, there was no doubt.  Ronald Reagan was an unknown commodity and he was widely recognized as a hawk.  If the Iranians were not afraid of what he might do, they certainly should have been.

I might add that Ronald Reagan also brought down the Soviet Union without firing a shot.  Bullies don't pick on the strong.  They pick on the weak.  Ronald Reagan's strength brought a gravitas to U.S. foreign policy that is sadly and conspicuously missing now.

Today's Wall Street Journal headlines..."U.S., Russia Talks Fail to Ease Crisis."  Read the entire article here.  For me, the telling paragraph was this:

     The question of Crimea's future also appeared to be largely drowned out during the diplomacy Sunday.  U.S. officials had only a few weeks ago been demanding Putin reverse his annexation of the territory and pull back his troops.  Mr. Kerry didn't mention Crimea during his remarks-- giving the impression that the U.S. has largely given up reversing the region's absorption into Russia.

It appears that our demand that Putin reverse his annexation was just talk.  A handful of Russian officials got a slap on the wrist-- some passport restrictions to the U.S. and monetary restrictions on U.S. accounts, actions that were mocked on twitter by several of the officials themselves.  Then Russia was kicked out of the G-8, an action Putin said he did not care about.  And Kerry has not not even made the annexation of Crimea part of the negotiations?  Not even part of the discussion?   The Russians are running diplomatic circles around us.  It appears that they got away with the annexation of Crimea.  If they want more territory, why should they stop there?  It's no wonder Russia's Foreign Ministry feels free to mock us.

Presidential Subterfuge?

There seems to be some discrepancy between what our president is saying was discussed in his meeting with Pope Francis and what the Vatican is saying. 

What follows is the complete text in English of the statement the Holy See press office released on Thursday, the day of the Holy Father's meeting with President Obama.

This morning, 27 March 2014, the Hon. Barack H. Obama, President of the United States of America, was received in audience by His Holiness Pope Francis, after which he met with His Eminence Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Secretary of State, and Archbishop Dominique Mamberti, Secretary for Relations with States.During the cordial meetings, views were exchanged on some current international themes and it was hoped that, in areas of conflict, there would be respect for humanitarian and international law and a negotiated solution between the parties involved. In the context of bilateral relations and cooperation between Church and State, there was a discussion on questions of particular relevance for the Church in that country, such as the exercise of the rights to religious freedom, life and conscientious objection, as well as the issue of immigration reform. Finally, the common commitment to the eradication of trafficking of human persons in the world was stated.

In contrast, the White House has issued this text of President Obama answering questions about the meeting.

Mr. President, I just want to follow up on Jim’s question on your meeting with the Pope today.  Do you think some of the schisms that he referenced on social issues would stand in the way of you and Pope Francis collaborating or forming a strategic alliance to tackle income inequality? 

PRESIDENT OBAMA:  First of all, I just want to make clear -- maybe it wasn’t clear from my answer to Jim -- that we actually didn’t talk a whole lot about social schisms in my conversations with His Holiness.  In fact, that really was not a topic of conversation. 

Here is my question to the president.   Mr. President, did you not talk a whole lot about the social issues or was it not a topic of conversation at all.  If you talked a little bit, then it was a topic of conversation.  If it was not a topic at all, then why did you say you didn't talk a whole lot about it.  It seems to me that your two sentences contradict each other.  And your second sentence claiming that it was not a topic of conversation directly contradicts the Vatican's statement.

I'm betting that the Vatican statement is the accurate one.  Your words, Mr. President, seem to me to be subterfuge.

What I love about the Wall Street Journal is its well researched and well written articles.  On the opinion page today is a piece called "ObamaCare Delay Number 38."  I knew there had been delays.  I did not know there had been THIRTY-EIGHT delays!!  It starts out...

Amid one more last-minute regulatory delay, number 38 at last count, the mandate forcing nuns to sponsor birth control is more or less the only part of ObamaCare that is still intact.

 It seems that the deadline to buy insurance has been extended indefinitely, as long as the individual buying it deems the purchase a "hardship."  One is not required to prove the hardship.

Has the administration not argued repeatedly that the entire law would fall apart without the requirement that everyone have insurance?

And has not the administration repeatedly insisted that it would not extend the deadline for enrollment?

If individuals are not required to buy insurance, there is no reason to buy it until you're sick.  After all, you can't be denied insurance because of a pre-existing condition.  This system simply will not work.

Read the whole article and see what you think.  You can find it here.

It concludes:

This pattern of dishonesty and political improvisation has come to define ObamaCare, which is the law for some people, sometimes, except when it isn't.  Nothing HHS claims can be trusted, and little that the President of the United States promised about his signature law has turned out to be true.

Well. Those are tough words.  But I'm afraid they are absolutely true.

Another great article from today's Wall Street Journal, "ObamaCare v. Religious Liberty."

From the opinion page, this article does a good job of explaining just what legal issues are being looked
at in the combined cases of Sebelius v. Hobby Lobby Stores and Conestoga Wood Specialties v. 
Sebelius.  If you want to know what the case is all about (besides simply a terrible threat to our religious liberty), this is a good summary.  Here is a sample:

Contraception is cheap, plentiful and covered by most health plans. Most corporations are run for profit, not piety. Mr. Verrilli claimed the mandate is necessary to promote public health and gender equality, but HHS could have aided those goals without forcing a minority of business owners with moral aims to implicate themselves in what they consider to be grave moral wrongs.
HHS itself recognized religious sensitivity to the mandate by exempting some businesses but not others, and it could have extended the same conscience accommodations to for-profits as it did to nonprofits. Congress also could have created a free birth-control program for the poor or employees of religious institutions, or increased subsidies for Planned Parenthood.

Good news (we hope, because you never know) is that most commentators seem to think that a majority of the judges were leaning toward the preservation of religious liberty.  And by that I mean ruling in favor of Hobby Lobby and Conestoga.  May the Lord guide the decision!

Putin's Takeover of Crimea, part of Ukraine's Sovereign Territory

For those who follow current events there is a lot happening in the world right now.   May I recommend a couple of great articles from today's Wall Street Journal?  The first is by Robert Gates who served as secretary of defense under Presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama.  The article is called "Putin's Challenge to the West."  You can read the entire article (and I recommend that you do) here.

For me, here a couple of his key points:

Mr. Putin aspires to restore Russia's global power and influence and to bring the now-independent states that were once part of the Soviet Union back into Moscow's orbit. While he has no apparent desire to recreate the Soviet Union (which would include responsibility for a number of economic basket cases), he is determined to create a Russian sphere of influence—political, economic and security—and dominance. There is no grand plan or strategy to do this, just opportunistic and ruthless aspiration. And patience.

Gates goes on to say....

He also has a dramatically different worldview than the leaders of Europe and the U.S. He does not share Western leaders' reverence for international law, the sanctity of borders, which Westerners' believe should only be changed through negotiation, due process and rule of law. He has no concern for human and political rights. Above all, Mr. Putin clings to a zero-sum worldview.

Gates concludes with a strong opinion.

Therefore, the burden of explaining the need to act forcefully falls, as always, on our leaders. As President Franklin D. Roosevelt said, "Government includes the act of formulating a policy" and "persuading, leading, sacrificing, teaching always, because the greatest duty of a statesman is to educate." The aggressive, arrogant actions of Vladimir Putin require from Western leaders strategic thinking, bold leadership and steely resolve—now.

Russia's taking over Crimea, part of Ukraine, is no small thing.

In 1994 Russia signed the Budapest Memorandum together with the United States and the United Kingdom.

The Radio Free Europe Radio Liberty website has a concise explanation of what that memorandum means.

In the "Budapest Memorandum," Russia, the United Kingdom, and the United States promised that none of them would ever threaten or use force against the territorial integrity or political independence of Ukraine. They also pledged that none of them would ever use economic coercion to subordinate Ukraine to their own interest.
They specifically pledged they would refrain from making each other's territory the object of military occupation or engage in other uses of force in violation of international law.

Russia has violated the Budapest Memorandum as well as many international laws.

As a result, several government officials have had travel restrictions imposed on them by the United States, a move that was mocked on Twitter by a couple of the officials themselves.

Then Russia was kicked out of the G-8.  Putin himself belittled this move making it clear he is not at all troubled by that decision.

I don't pretend to know what the United States should do about this.  But I think it's safe to say that as the leader of the most powerful nation in the free world, Mr. Obama needs to show some strong leadership.  I don't think we're seeing that yet.

On "Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter More Thoughts....

Interesting quotes from Grain Brain Part 1...

In this part, we're going to explore what happens when the brain is bombarded by carbohydrates, many of which are packed with inflammatory ingredients like gluten that can irritate your nervous system.  The damage can begin with daily nuisances like headaches and unexplained anxiety and progress to more sinister disorders such as depression and dementia.

Wow.  Gluten can irritate your nervous system.  I believe it.  Perlmutter is not the only one saying this.  And you know what?  Irritating the nervous system is not a small thing.

He goes on to say:

The origin of brain disease is in many cases predominantly dietary.  Although several factors play into the genesis and progression of brain disorders, to a large extent numerous neurological afflictions often reflect the mistake of consuming too many carbs and too few healthy fats.

Too FEW healthy fats!!  What does he consider to be a healthy fat?  Extra virgin olive oil, sesame oil, coconut oil, butter, avocados, hut and nut butters, and seeds.  Proteins?  Whole eggs, wild fish, shellfish and mollusks, grass-fed beef, fowl, poultry and pork, and wild game.  I love these foods!

The rate of Alzheimer's disease increases in sync with type 2 diabetes.  Type 2 diabetes has tripled in the past forty years.  Tripled!!

Again, from Dr. Perlmutter:

What we're beginning to understand is that insulin resistance, as it relates to Alzheimer's Disease, sparks the formation of those infamous plaques that are present in diseased brains.....And the fact that we can associate low levels of insulin with brain disease is why talk of "type 3 diabetes" is starting to circulate among researchers....those with diabetes are at least twice as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease.

He goes on to say:

Researchers have known for some time now that the cornerstone of all degenerative conditions, including brain disorders, is inflammation.....And what they are finding is that gluten, and a high carbohydrate diet for that matter, are among the most prominent stimulators of inflammatory pathways that reach the brain.

I find this astonishing.   Did I mention that since I've stopped eating gluten my skin and hair look healthier (I'm told) and I've lost 10 pounds without effort?  Yeah.  This is feeling like a much healthier me.

"Grain Brain" by David Perlmutter

Yes, I'm eating gluten-free, as I said in my previous post.

Since my realization that gluten is definitely not good for me, I have read two books that very much reinforced my decision.  In fact, had I not already determined that I am VERY gluten intolerant I might still give up gluten on the basis of the information in these two books.  They are Grain Brain by David Perlmutter, M.D. and Wheat Belly by William Davis, M.D.

From the dust jacket of Grain Brain one learns the following information.  Dr. Perlmutter is a board certified neurologist and president of the Perlmutter Health Center in Naples, Florida.  He is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and the recipient of numerous awards including the Humanitarian of the Year Award and the Linus Pauling Award.  He is also the author of three other books.

OK.  Dr. Perlmutter has credentials in the mainstream medicine community.  He is not an alternative practitioner.  This is important because he asserts some things that directly contradict what most doctors are telling their patients.  I don't believe one can assume he is wrong because he is in the minority.  Medical advice changes slowly and many a doctor's directions in various time periods have turned out to be directly contradicted by later research.

In the introduction on p. 4  of Grain Brain Dr. Perlmutter makes the following shocking statement.

Modern grains are silently destroying your brain.  By "modern," I'm not just referring to the refined flours, pastas, and rice that have been demonized by the anti-obesity folks;  I'm referring to all the grains that so many of us have embraced as being healthful-- whole wheat, whole grain, multigrain, seven-grain, live grain, stone-ground, and so on.  Basically, I am calling what is arguably our most beloved dietary staple a terrorist group that bullies our most precious organ, the brain.  I will demonstrate how fruit and other carbohydrates could be health hazards with far reaching consequences that not only will wreak havoc on your brain, but also will accelerate your body's aging process from the inside out.  This  isn't fiction;  it's now documented fact.

He goes on to say that "Brain disease can be largely prevented through the choices you make in life."  My mother died of Alzheimer's Disease.  I sure hope he's right.

What is really striking in this book is the direct contradictions to the commonly held beliefs about what is healthy to eat.   On p. 6, again this is just the introduction, Dr. Perlmutter says:

I believe that the shift in our diet that has occurred over the past century-- from high-fat, low carb to today's low-fat, high carb diet, fundamentally consisting of grains and other damaging carbohydrates-- is the origin of many of our modern scourges linked to the brain, including chronic headaches, insomnia, anxiety, depression, epilepsy, movement disorders, schizophrenia, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and those senior moments that quite likely herald serious cognitive decline and full blown, irreversible, untreatable, and incurable brain disease.  

Now that's a lot of conditions to be affected by diet alone.  But, then again, they are all conditions that involve the brain and Perlmutter the neurologist does know a lot about the brain.

More of this to come....

Eating Gluten Free!

For a number of decades I have struggled with digestive challenges.  I was taking immodium 2 or 3 times a week just to keep things under control and had come to assume that I must just have a very sensitive system, nervous stomach, IBS, or something I would just have to live with.

My daughter, who is a nurse and the wife of a soon-to-be chiropractor, suggested I try giving up gluten because it inflames the bowels.  I thought, wheat?  Seriously?  I eat wheat all the time!  But as my symptoms seemed to be very gradually worsening I decided to give it a try.

After about 5 or 6 days my irritable system went normal.  It was so obvious.  I should not be eating wheat.  There have been some ups and downs since then but it is still very clear that gluten and I do not get along.  I have always loved pastas and breads.  Now, after not intentionally eating gluten for over 6 months, I do not desire those foods.  I know what they will do to me and my body has shut down any desire, I guess.  Who wants cramps and diarrhea?  For sometimes days at a time after even a single small gluten exposure?

I'm going to write more about this.  After reading Wheat Belly by William Davis and Grain Brain by David Perlmutter I am completely convinced that wheat (and all gluten) is not good for me, and not only just because of its effects on my digestion.  Dr. William Davis is a cardiologist and Dr. David Perlmutter is a neurologist.

I know that what they recommend is contrary to mainstream medicine.  But for me, the proof is in how I feel and my overall improved health.  More later!

Home Alone!

These are five of my children.  We were missing Anne and her husband Zach.  On this past Friday my daughter Liz left for a weekend Lifeteen Retreat.  On Saturday night my daughter Mary left for Atlanta to spend Spring Break with her sister.  That meant.....none of the offspring were home on Saturday night.  I don't recall when the last time was that that happened.  I'm not sure it has ever happened since the birth of my first born 29 years ago.

Although my husband was home, the house seemed very quiet.  (Well, he is a quiet man.)  It was terribly quiet.  I read....with no interruptions...at all.  The lack of interruptions was itself almost a distraction.  The quiet was so unfamiliar.  It was disquieting, if you will excuse the pun.

As my regular readers know, I have six children.  Five are now adults and the sixth is almost there.  Still, I have two teenagers who still live here.  Next year we may be back to just my husband and me.  Or...there may be four adult children living here, depending on the educational/work plans of each one. But even if next year there are four, it is clear that in a relatively short time they will all be off on their own.

It's a strange feeling realizing that is the case.  Somewhat sorrowful, somewhat gratifying.  After all, that has been the goal these past three decades, to raise children who will then go off to live their lives independently and with virtue, I hope.

Still, the quiet may seem strange for a while.  Perhaps my concentration and attention span will improve, since I will then have the opportunity to focus on a project uninterrupted for a long period of time, something that for the most part I have not done much of for several decades.

I think I will enjoy the time to read and write and pray.  That will be the best part.  And, who knows, perhaps before too long these walls may be hearing the pleasant sound of more little people---- grandchildren, I hope.

Matthew McConaughey wins oscars 2014 - Acceptance Speech

Kudos to Matthew McConaughey for thanking God in his acceptance speech for the award for best actor.  It was a heartfelt thank you, describing God as who he looks up to and as the one who has given him his opportunities.  I was surprised and pleased that this part of his speech was interrupted with applause.  It was not a big applause but applause, nonetheless.  This was not a crowd usually inclined to mention God.  That there were some there applauding was very pleasant.  I thought, "Wow, sisters and brothers in the Lord, even in this audience."

Matthew McConaughey appears to be a man of faith and courage.  God bless him.

Substitute Teaching

I spent four days this past week substitute teaching second graders at my favorite Catholic grade school.  They were adorable.  And a class with only 11 students is never really all that hard.

But the time spent in that classroom gave me reason to reflect on how substitute teaching can sometimes be uniquely difficult.

First off, you don't know the kids' names.  Thankfully, this teacher did give me a class list and each student's desk had the name written in large letters on the front.  Occasionally, I have subbed for teachers who did not provide a class list.  After realizing what an enormous handicap that situation is for the teacher, as soon as I realize I don't have it, I now just go right to the office and ask for the list.  It's next to impossible to control a class without knowing those names and extremely difficult to learn them without a sheet to reference.

Secondly, the substitute teacher does not know all of the teacher's rules.  Good sub instructions will list the most important ones like whether or not the students are allowed to talk while doing their work, or must they sit in their assigned seats, and who is allowed to leave the classroom and when and how.  But no teacher can tell you every little rule they have nor should they.  Nine or ten pages of instructions are just too many for the sub to read in the 10 or 15 minutes she has before the students come in.  When I require something or forbid something that the teacher does not, the students look at me as though I have just legislated something without having been elected.  They don't like it.  They're not even sure they really have to do as I say.  It feels illegitimate to them and sometimes they even resent it.  So usually I ask a student who seems to be reliable, or who the teacher has actually designated in her instructions as reliable (a really helpful tip) what the teacher says about the such-and-such situation.  Then there is usually a disagreement because another student thinks they can nuance the answer in such a way as to get the response they want.  Example:  No, Mrs. V. does not let us go out for recess if we finish our work.  But the student nuancer will say indignantly, "YES! She does!"  Original reliable student insists, "No, she doesn't."  Student nuancer, "Well, she did that one time!!"  I then turn to the reliable student and confirm, "But she doesn't usually let you do it, right?"  The conniver then mutters something about "that one time."

The younger the students the more they get off track if I change the routine at all.  The teacher has given me a rough outline of how things go.  But I might not know, for instance, if the homework is turned into a box, put on the teacher's desk, or if the student keeps it until the teacher gets back.  There are always multiple opinions among the students.  I make my best guess, trying to stick with what seems like the teacher's most likely routine.

And what to do to maintain or regain control of the class?  After quite a few years of substitute teaching I have some of my own techniques.  But, especially with the younger students, it helps to know what the teacher does to get them quiet.  Once in exasperation I asked a student in the front row what his teacher does to get the class quiet.  He said, "She yells at us."  Oh.  I thought well at least if I really lose it and do start yelling no one is going to be shocked.  Sometimes the better students will volunteer suggestions even without my asking:  Ring the bell.  Turn the lights on and off.  Miss B. does such and such.  I don't know if these suggestions are offered out of compassion for my plight or if these students just really want things under control so they can learn. Probably a bit of both.

One thing I've learned is that the more confident I appear the better things will go.  I walk into the classroom like I mean business, standing as tall as I can, which isn't very tall as my height is only five feet.  It doesn't matter how tall it actually makes me.  It's how I'm carrying myself that makes the difference.  Sometimes, with the older kids I give them a little pep talk to start with.  Something like this:   Look, let's start this day out right.  If I tell you to do something I want you to do it.  If I tell you to stop something I expect you to stop it.  If you don't do what you're told I'm going to give your name to Mr. V. as someone who did not cooperate when he was gone.  In other words, I expect you to treat me with the same respect that you treat Mr. V.  Once after such a talk a kid in the back raised his hand and completely straight faced asked, "Are you sure you don't want to be treated with MORE respect than Mr. V?"  I burst out laughing.

Anyway, subbing is fun.  I can do it when I want to and turn down days that don't work.  I earn a little extra money and I get to spend time with some of the nicest kids and most thoughtful staff of any school around.  Despite the challenges it's an occasional job that I do truly enjoy.

I read with interest and sadness the Wall Street Journal article "As World's Kids Get Fatter,  Doctors Turn to the Knife" on the rise in bariatric surgery on children.  Subtitle:  "Obesity rates are soaring in Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Gulf states, leading to a boom in bariatric surgery on children."  Read the entire article here.

A boom.  On children.  Really?



I have no doubt that lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyles, and access to unhealthy foods are all contributing factors.  Forgive me if the know-it-all me is coming through here, but I have to wonder if child rearing is not also playing a part.

Caveat:  This article is about a particular child in Saudi Arabia and I know nothing, nothing, about child rearing in Saudi Arabia.

That being said, there is a problem with childhood obesity in this country too and I do have quite a bit of experience and knowledge of child rearing here.  Maybe there are extenuating factors.  Maybe a metabolism problem.  Maybe some other unique feature of the digestive system which is fearsomely complex.  Maybe it has to do with medications or the fact that we humans have been eating for a long time things that aren't really food.  Maybe.

But as a mother I have to wonder where obedience factors in here.  My children always needed permission to eat, particularly if the food was in the category of sweets or treats.  The only foods my children could eat without permission were fruits and vegetables.  Those they could eat at any time, even right before dinner.  Was this dictatorial?  I don't think so.  As the adult I'm responsible for making sure my children make good choices.

I also have the responsibility to require obedience from my children.  I realize this viewpoint is rather out of favor right now.  But there is a reason children are put under their parents' authority.  They don't have the maturity to make good judgements!  Some children will eat an entire package of cookies.  Parents need to prevent that from happening for the child's sake!

Children must be required to obey their parents.  It's Biblical.  It's true.

Saturday was the "Snowcoming" dance at my daughter's high school.

Below:  Mary helping Liz to get ready.

While Liz and her date went to the dance Mike, Mary, and I went out to dinner with his parents (who just happen to be very good friend of ours. :-)  So nice.

I love when my children's realtionships overlap with my husband's and mine.  It feels very comfortable.  

I love sunny weather in the winter.  This year it is particularly welcome because the sidewalks have been snow and ice covered for so long.  Even when the temperature stays well below freezing the sun can melt the snow on the sidewalks.

Yesterday, they looked like this picture.  Today, there is mostly concrete!  Why does this matter?  There is ice under most of the snow and I don't want to fall when walking our dog.  Ice with a little bit of snow covering can be really treacherous. Dry pavement?  Love it.  Even if it's cold, the dry pavement is wonderful.

It may even go up into the 40s this week!!  I can't wait!  If, and it's a big if, the streets are dry I may even go out for a bike ride with my daughter!  Spring can't be far away!  (OK, I've got a calendar.  It IS far away but what a taste of Spring to be able to go for a bike ride.0

This winter is making us all weary here in Michigan.

We've had record breaking amounts of snow-- nearly 6 feet.  And since my husband hurt his back pretty badly this Fall I'm doing most of the shoveling.  The girls help when they're home.  Today I hurt MY back a little.  Wasn't really the fault of the snow though.  There was only a little dusting.  I was just moving too fast.   It feels OK now.  (after Motrin)

I actually love the snow.  It's so beautiful.  But this winter it has come so quickly and in such amounts.  The sidewalks will usually clear if they're salted and the sun is out.  But salt doesn't work lower than about 15 degrees.  And we have had many, many (most?) days with temperatures lower than that.  So many sidewalks are snow and ice covered.  That together with the dangerously cold temperatures make it hard to even take the poor dog for a walk.

It makes a person want to complain!

OK.  How about a positive statement.  This morning I left with my daughter to drop her off at school.  In our kitchen we have a thermometer with a sensor outside.  This year the sensor got wet from all the snow and now it doesn't work.  So Mary and I were discussing what we thought the outdoor temp was.  We guessed somewhere in the teens.  We agreed that there was too much of a bite in the air for it to be in the twenties, which is just normal cold.  Probably the teens because it didn't seem TOO terribly cold. As we passed the Arborland thermometer we saw that it was in the single digits!!  So what is the positive statement?  We are getting tough.  Blood must be thickening.  Single digits temperatures don't seem all that bad!!  Really, it was noticeably different from the bone chilling sub zero temperatures we have had!  LOL

Well, Spring will be all that more delightful for the severity of this winter.  I can't wait to see the first snowdrops.  (That's a flower :-)  We've already seen plenty of the other kind of drops!

Grandma's Macaroni and Cheese

This recipe is being posted as part of a Meatless Friday Link Party at CatholicMom.com

As Lent approaches CatholicMom.com is gathering meatless recipes for all those upcoming Fridays!

My family loves this macaroni and cheese.  All six of my children love it and that makes it a rare recipe indeed.  What I love about it is its simplicity!!  It's SO easy.  We dubbed it "Grandma's Macaroni and Cheese" because it is a recipe of my mother-in-law's, no doubt one of those oldie but goodie ones, no muss, no fuss.

So, here it is.     Grandma's Macaroni and Cheese

1 # ziti or Ready Cut Pasta (That's how Grandma wrote it.  I use Rigate or Mostaccioli

1 cup Tomato soup

1 cup Tomato Sauce

1 cup water

1/2 # Shredded Sharp Cheese (I use Cheddar.)

1/4 cup minced onion

Boil pasta according to directions.
In saucepan, saute onions in whatever (butter, Smart Balance, etc.  as much as you want).  Then add tomato soup, tomato sauce, and water.  It mixes easily with a whisk.  Then add half the cheese and stir until it melts.  Put pasta in any kind of casserole dish.  (I usually use 9x13 glass) Add the sauce and cheese mixture.  Then sprinkle remaining cheese on top.  Bake for 30 minutes at 400 degrees.

Here is the original recipe written out by my mother-in-law.  (Obviously, used many times.)

Enjoy!!!  And try it anytime, not just during Lent!

From this morning's Magnicat reading:

Psalm 119
.....At the end of a long night of sleeplessness or suffering, sunrise brings joy and hope for the day to come.  At the end of the long night of death and sin, the rising of Christ, the Sun of Justice, brings joy and hope for the life to come.  In the light of the Resurrection, we see and live anew, knowing that all is in and from God's hand, returning all to him with thanks and praise. 

The heavens proclaim the glory of God
and the firmament shows forth the work of his hands.
Day unto day takes up the story
and night unto night make known the message.

The glory of God is all over the world.  May we begin each day acknowledging this fact and giving him thanks and praise.  God is good.  All the time.

Weather here in Michigan had reminded me of the following Thomas Hardy Poem from Your Daily Poem.

Snow in the Suburbs by Thomas Hardy

Every branch big with it, Bent every twig with it; Every fork like a white web-foot; Every street and pavement mute: Some flakes have lost their way, and grope back upward when Meeting those meandering down they turn and descend again. The palings are glued together like a wall, And there is no waft of wind with the fleecy fall. A sparrow enters the tree, Whereon immediately A snow-lump thrice his own slight size Descends on him and showers his head and eye And overturns him, And near inurns him, And lights on a nether twig, when its brush Starts off a volley of other lodging lumps with a rush. The steps are a blanched slope, Up which, with feeble hope, A black cat comes, wide-eyed and thin; And we take him in.

The snow has just kept coming.  We are getting several more inches today, combined with freezing rain.  I'm trying to be positive.  The more arduous the winter the more glorious the arrival of Spring.  How's that?  And this winter is not without its beautiful moments.

The little finches are coming to the finch feeder.  So sweet.

Views of cold, crisp sunrises from my bedroom window.

A cardinal feeding in my back yard bird feeder.  See the little red spot?  So beautiful against the black and white backdrop.

And the snow itself has a beauty all its own.  (Not to mention the satisfaction of seeing one's sidewalk all shoveled!!

God is good.  All the time.  And I will praise him for the glorious beauty of winter (and ignore the grumblings in my heart.  :-)

My daughter Anne moved to Atlanta three and a half years ago while her husband attended chiropractic school.  (From which he will graduate with his doctorate this year!!)

The weather, in contrast to their native Michigan, is wonderful there.  Most of the time.  The last few days have been the exception.  We've had a lot of snow here in Ann Arbor this year.  But then again, a lot of snow is not all that uncommon for us.

Liz, who is in high school, has had 7 snow days already.  That is quite a few, even for here.

We scarcely have enough room to put the snow when we shovel because it just keeps coming.  But in Michigan  we know this can happen and we're prepared.  (Otherwise the state would be uninhabitable in the winter. :-)  After a bad snowstorm it's about 12 hours, often less, before the streets are just fine.  Even my own residential street is usually plowed within 24 hours.  And when a lot of snow is predicted our salt trucks are out sometimes before the snow even begins to fall.  They know what they are about.

Not so in Atlanta where my daughter Anne lives.  She left work Tuesday afternoon and just got home a few hours ago, some 36 hours after she had left.   There were some thousand accidents all over the freeways.  Nearly all the major streets were closed because of accidents.  The cars already out were gridlocked.  The salt trucks had not been out early and when the roads were bad they could not get down them because it was like a parking lot.  All snow and ice.  Even my daughter and son-in-law, very experienced snowy weather drivers, both got stuck on the ice.  My daughter had been on a hill and she had the momentum to make it up if someone in front of her had not stopped.  Then she could only spin her wheels.  A friend about a mile away came and picked her up and she spent the night with them.

As Anne ventured out today to make her way home she started to count the number of stranded cars on the highway.  She stopped when she got to two hundred.  Reports were that about a million cars were stranded in Atlanta.  In short, it was a disaster!!  A very dangerous situation for many, many people.

So...I've concluded that in bad winter weather it's much safer to live in Michigan.  Yes, we get a lot more bad weather.  But we are never in a situation where it can't be handled.  Yesterday as I drove my younger daughter Mary to the University of Michigan we saw a tiny plow clearing the walkway/bike path along Washtenaw Avenue, a major thoroughfare.  Nice, I thought.  This is why we can live here.

And God bless those road crews who are out there, day and night, in frigid temperatures clearing our way so we can travel safely.  May the Lord always keep them safe as they do the work that ensures that we are.

It's SO cold here!!  This morning it was 5 below zero.  Now, that's just too cold.  I like living in Michigan.  I enjoy the four seasons.  I even enjoy winter and I love snow.  The photo below was taken a few weeks ago.  We have quite a bit more snow now.

But sub zero temperatures are just hard to endure.  I have warm clothes.  We know how to dress and be comfortable here in the North.   But it gets to a point where the cold just penetrates whatever you're wearing.

Last night I took our dog for a walk, even though it was several degrees below zero.  She hadn't been out enough because of the weather.  I thought as long as I keep moving quickly and bundle up well, I'll be OK.  Well.  I have a knee length down coat.  But as soon as I shut the door behind me I could feel the cold starting to penetrate that coat.  It wasn't cutting yet.  But there was a coolness next to my skin that I never feel with that coat on.  From the knees down, the parts not covered by the coat, my legs immediately started to sting.  I had my collar pulled up over my nose which fogged my glasses.   Within minutes the cold had penetrated my best insulated mittens and my hands started to sting.

Needless to say we walked very quickly.  We did get in about a ten minute walk and the twilight was very, very beautiful and quiet.  (Who else in their right mind would be out in those temperatures. :-)

I do love Michigan but I"m longing for those balmy temperatures in the high twenties.  teehee

March for Life 2014

My daughter went to the March for Life this year on one of three buses from her high school.

What weather they had!  I believe it was 10 degrees with a wind chill of below zero.  While I have not seen an official count no doubt the number was in the hundreds of thousands.  THAT many people show up in THAT kind of weather and, as usual, there was very little media coverage.

I was pleasantly surprised, however, that CNN gave it some three minutes of a broadcast.  I'm hoping the link below will work.

http://www.cnn.com/video/data/2.0/video/us/2014/01/22/lead-tapper-march-for-life-abortion-rally.cnn.html

A lot of very positive, pro-life messages were given.  For CNN, it was not half bad!

Teresa Tomeo from Ave Maria Radio also made a very interesting point this morning on her show "Catholic Connection.  She said this is the first time she has heard the media use the term "March for Life," rather than "anti-abortion protest" or some such thing.  She felt the using of the real title was very significant and I agree.  Words matter.  Using the actual title allows the true meaning of the March to be conveyed and I was happy to hear it.

Perhaps, after 41years, the tide of public opinion is finally starting to swing.  Our Lady of Guadalupe, please pray for our country and for our unborn.

From this morning's reading in Magnificat.

Pride sets subtle snares.  Whenever we imagine that we are in control of life-- our own or someone else's-- we have fallen prey to the ancient whisper in the Garden:  "You shall be like gods."  Mortality is the enduring reminder that we become like God not by our own power but by the power of the cross.

I love this quote.  I have seen it in Magnificat before and every time I read it it hits me.  Not only are we not in control of others' lives, we are not in control of our own.  Yes, we have choices.  We have lots of choices.  We can choose to love.  We can choose to let go.  But there is an awful lot that we must just accept because it is beyond us.  To do otherwise, to fret and wring our hands, to get angry and emotionally flail about, all these reactions do is destroy our peace.  Yes, there is a time to speak up, a time to fight, a time to try to bring about some kinds of change.  But, for the most part, our everyday life requires acceptance if we are to know peace.

Hope you are having a blessed Advent.  Come, Lord Jesus.

Today is a cold gray day, the kind of day that builds character.  And there will be worse days to come this winter.  It gives one the opportunity to learn endurance and to pull peace and joy from within.

Thanksgiving!  Hope yours was wonderful.  We had only 6 people at our Thanksgiving table, the smallest number in a very long time.  Four family members could not come.  One son in London.  One son in Dallas.  And one daughter and son-in-law in Atlanta.  So we missed all of them but look forward to Christmas when everyone will be home.

It was a fun day, nevertheless, with Mary and Liz, and Mike in from Indiana, and his girlfriend Katie who flew in from New York.  I still bought a 20 pound turkey.  Force of habit.  And everyone enjoys the leftovers.

And now here Advent is upon us!!  Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel!  We were able to celebrate the First Sunday of Advent before Mike and Katie left.

Mike loves to sing, and since his girlfriend Katie is a vocal performance major in grad. school, I did not have to twist any arms to get our little group to sing.  Oh come, oh come, Emmanuel!!

"Let us go rejoicing to the house of the Lord."  Psalm 122

The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases,

      his mercies never come to an end;

they are new every morning;

Lamentations 3:22-23

     

This was the view from my bedroom window this morning.  The glory of God all over everything.  How often he gives us these spectacular color displays as we start a new day!  And when we end our day as well!

The Lord is good all the time.  It is so easy to take his ongoing and lavish gifts for granted.  May we always be grateful!

When I wrote the previous post I had not realized that today is the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, may he rest in peace.

When the assassination happened I was in third grade, in Sister Joseph Therese's classroom at St. John the Baptist School in Fort Wayne, Indiana.  If my memory serves me correctly, Sister was called into the hallway by someone who spoke to her.  When she came back into the classroom, she had a look on  her face very similar to when we were about to get into very big trouble.  She then quietly said that President Kennedy had been shot and killed.  I believe we were all dismissed then to go home.

Even as young as we were, we all knew that something very, very horrible had just happened.  The adults were all crying.  I remember my family watching television as the president's body arrived back in Washington.  Jackie came off the plane with the president's blood still splattered on her outfit.  I remember my mother's gasp.  Later, I hear her talking to a friend and marveling that no one had gotten Jackie another outfit to wear.  Only recently I learned that the First Lady had not changed clothes intentionally, so that the country could truly see the horror of what had happened.

It was a terrible tragedy and one of my earliest memories of a public event.  God rest the souls of the Kennedy family who have passed on.  And may the Lord console Caroline Kennedy in a special way today as she recalls this terrible loss as the only one left of the immediate Kennedy family.

Lord have mercy.

Fall is coming to an end in Michigan, at least the spectacularly beautiful part.  The colors are mostly gone except for the brown of the dead leaves still hanging on.  Frost is becoming more common.  Scraping the windows in the morning has once again become something to keep in mind when planning how to arrive at destinations on time.  The glory of Michigan Autumn is transitioning to the character building adversity of our beautiful winter.  Time to religiously apply hand cream if I don't want my thumbs to crack.  Time to be sure heavy coats are worn, or at least are in the car, in the case of a breakdown.  Time to get out ALL the gloves and mittens.

That being the case, why I am I writing about something that is quintessentially associated with Autumn?  Because I never got around to writing about it when it was happening!! OK?

Liz with her friend Jonathan at the starting point of pumpkin carving.

Our family has enjoyed pumpkin carving for many years.  We've done simple patterns and complicated patterns, patterns with personal significance (like university logos), scary patterns, and darling patterns.
I've only recently realized that not everyone knows how very easy this is to do.

Patterns are available everywhere...Meijers, online, etc.

You take your paper pattern and tape or pin it to the pumpkin, folding the paper over the folds of the pumpkin.  Then, using a push pin, you push little holes into the pumpkin along the lines of the pattern.  When the paper is removed you have the pattern to cut outlined on the pumpkin.  Then all you have to do is cut it out!

Special pumpkin cutting tools are probably essential.  They usually come with the patterns if you buy them at a drugstore or Meijers, etc.  They're little, cheap serrated saws and knives.  Sometimes you can find just the tools, separate from the patterns too.  Once we even found a little battery powered electric saw.  Of course, my husband had to have that. :-)

Sometimes advice from the old pro is helpful.

The cat was Mary's, a pattern she's done before.  Always impressive, it's not that difficult because there are no odd angles and all the lines are pretty easy to cut.

 Jonathan did "the joker."  This was difficult and an impressive first project.  You can see the many little lines.  It took a long time.  In fact, he and Liz just barely finished theirs before the trick-or-treaters started to arrive.

Liz did this "Tinkerbell."  It was also difficult, with very small lines and several parts, like the wings, where you only cut partway through so the light is a little diffused.

Fun family projects!  What I love about pattern pumpkin carving is that all ages can enjoy it, with the possible exception of the very young, and even they can do simple patterns with some help.

And everyone enjoys the results!!

Ann Arbor Pedestrian Traffic

Ann Arbor is an interesting place to live in a lot of ways.  Opportunities to hear magnificent music, great restaurants, lots of art (some interesting, some beautiful, some just stupid, in my humble opinion :-)...the community has a lot to offer.

Pedestrian traffic, however, is not one of its advantages.  Around the university driving is a nightmare.  It really is.  I have been dropping my daughter off at campus each morning and it terrifies me.  As soon as you get to the streets around campus, State Street in particular, the pedestrians seem to be unable to see cars.  I feel like I'm driving under an invisibility cloak.  Students cross wherever they want.  They cross diagonally.  They come out from between parked cars. They literally will walk right in front of your car without even looking up.  They're like toddlers who have not been taught that streets are dangerous.

I'm an attentive driver.  I focus on my driving.  But what I'm used to doing is watching very closely all the cars around me, the traffic signs, etc.  I associate driving with these actions.  I think everyone does.  But on State Street it's equally important, if you don't want to kill someone and I don't, to watch all the pedestrians anywhere near you, the ones on the sidewalks as well as those who may pop out from between two cars.  You never know when they're going to appear on the street in front of you.  And there are hundreds of them.  Sometimes they run out ....without even looking.  It's as though you must assume that every student at U of M has no knowledge of cars and what they can do.

There is about a four block stretch where I am literally turning my head 90 degrees, back and forth, all the time.  First the sidewalk on my left, then the street, then the sidewalk on my right.  And I have to keep doing this, rather rapidly, over and over again.  I go quite slowly because if a car stops suddenly in front of me I may not notice it for a second or two, so focused am I on the pedestrians about to walk out in front of me.

It's like one of those computer games or hand held games where you have to keep rapidly dodging the bombs or whatever they are that are coming at you.  I hate those games too.

Anyway, God bless these pedestrians.  May they stay safe.  And may the Lord keep my eyes wherever they need to be, to see whatever I need to see.

One more piece of advice to give to our college bound students.  Wherever you go to school, regardless of the tone of the community you will be living in, don't forget that cars are big and heavy and dangerous.  Having the legal right of way as a pedestrian does not in any way guarantee your safety if you walk in front of a car.  Use good judgement.  Don't walk in front of a car unless it is stopped and the driver has made eye contact with you.  You'll still get where you're going plenty fast enough.

Thought for the Day:  If you're raising a large family and you are also trying to have a clean, neat, and organized house you can kiss your mind good-bye.  Just sayin'.

Facebook....

Facebook...I love it.  I hate it.  OK, I love it.

I hate the time it seems to devour.  You start to read your feed and before you know it 20 minutes have passed.  Or more.

The superficiality of the posts can also be annoying.  Pictures of your dinner, complete with alcoholic beverage?  Really?  I like to hear little bits of news from my friends.  Photos are always nice.  New baby pictures are wonderful...

Truth be told, I really like the political posts.  I like the links to interesting articles.  I hate it when people complain about political posting.  Is thinking not allowed on Facebook?  Is there some reason why people think the expression of political opinions is offensive?  Do they not want to be bothered with news of anything significant happening in our country or world?  It's as though they're saying, "Please, only shallow, meaningless communication here.  Leave our apathy alone."  Hmmm.  I don't understand that.  We are called to think.  We are called to discern.  We are called to be informed citizens.

So what do I love about Facebook?  I love keeping up with friends I have not seen in a long time, especially through photos of what they are doing.  I love the occasional Scrabble game.  I think it's wonderful to share prayer requests and to get updates about prayers answered and requests for continued prayers.  And it's very convenient to send someone a quick message using Facebook.  For people who are on FB often, this is quite likely the fastest way to get a message to them.  

I like the birthday reminders.  I like receiving birthday wishes from people who would not otherwise know my birthday.  And I like sharing photos.  (And I like seeing what my adult children are doing....)

Facebook is often getting a bad rap.  I think it really enhances social connections....(as long as you don't let it pull away too much of your valuable time.)