Will Anything Survive the Tearing Up of the Yard? Yes!

In addition to the excavation of the new room, more excavating was done to bury the electrical cable, pretty much right along the line of some old daffodils. I moved a few things in the garden before construction began, but not all that much. Mainly sentimental items and a few plants I really love.

Blaise, construction supervisor

After the digging was over and the trench refilled this was about all that was left-- one little piece of a mangled bulb. I thought, Oh well, I'll plant some more.

When, lo and behold, a few weeks later these started appearing-- daffodil stems!! All the ends were cut off, but they kept growing. I don't know where they were in the previous picture, but somehow they found their way back to light.

Now a few are even starting to bloom. Amazing. Mind you, these are old bulb that have seen many a Michigan winter. Very hardy stock. First we saw this....

And then..... their little smiling faces!!

And more good news. Among the sentimental plants I "transplanted" were peonies I had brought from my parents garden at my family home. I have transplanted in quotes because I had very little time and I really just yanked them out of the ground with a shovel, breaking many roots and then threw them back in the ground in a relatively safe place, buried them again and wished them luck.

But here they are coming back up. Living things always push forcefully toward life.

Thank you, Lord. Thank you for the peonies. Thank you for life.

Finally We Have Space!!!

This is what holidays used to look like at our house. People everywhere. All people who loved each other, don't get me wrong. But there were always a lot of people in a pretty confined space.

 We used every chair in the house and some people would still sit on the floor.

 We would turn our Amish table sideways in order to extend it as far as possible. We still had two leaves we could never use because we never had space enough to extend it all the way.

And, no, you could not open the refrigerator with the table like this unless the person sitting in front of it got up. (which they were always quite willing to do.)

It was tight!! Now that the new room is finished we have two different locations where the table can be extended all the way.

We can put it in the new room.

 Or we can extend it from the dining area into the living room/ (Because we removed a half wall here and moved the piano to the new room.)

And, yes, those are just random chairs in the new room. Still trying to make decisions about furniture.

Finally, we can spread out. God is good. All the time. Thank you, Lord.

Barbara Bush--The Excellent Homemaker

On this the day of Barbara Bush's funeral I am reminded of the year 1990 when as First Lady she was invited to be the commencement speaker at Wellesley College. There was much controversy over this invitation. Some 150 students at Wellesley protested her speech claiming it did not uphold the school's feminist beliefs.

Their petition said, "To honor Barbara Bush as a commencement speaker is to honor a woman who has gained recognition through the achievements of her husband, which contravenes what we have been taught over the last four years at Wellesley."

Oh, please. So recognition through achievement was the standard for honor? I wrote a letter to the editor at the time of this protest. I argued that Barbara Bush could probably be credited as much with having achieved the position of First Lady as her husband could be with having been elected president. How would George H.W. Bush have fared raising six children on his own? Barbara maintained the family. Is there any more important job?

Barbara Bush advised the class of 1990 to do three things: Believe in something larger than yourself....get involved in the big ideas of your time. Find the joy in life. Cherish your human connections.  "...you are a human being first and those human connections--- with spouses, with children, with friends-- are the most important investments you will ever make.

Read the entire speech HERE.

Psychologist Phyllis Chesler said at the time (according to the New York Times), that the number of students who voted for Mrs. Bush suggests that "many women still want to live in the castle, still believe in the myth of rescue by marriage and still believe in Prince Charming."

Such a characterization of those who value children and family life is as profoundly offensive today as it was then.

As Barbara Bush once said, "At the end of your life, you will never regret hot having passed one more test, not winning one more verdict or not closing one more deal. You will regret time not spent with a husband, a child, a friend or a parent." (www.goodhousekeeping.com)

Indeed. What really matters is not what your paycheck is, not what your title is and not how much status your work accords. As Barbara Bush said in her speech, "Our success as a society depends not on what happens in the White House, but on what happens in your house."

What matters in life is how much you have loved. Barbara Bush's life it would seem was a life well lived.

All in Black and White Again

Here we are all in black and white again.

It's only March 1st. No Michigan resident could have seriously believed the winter was over. And yet I think we all were hoping.

I enjoy winter. I love a good blizzard, as long as my loved ones aren't driving in it. But come the end of February we are all getting a little weary. Shoveling snow is hard work.

Today the temp is hovering a little above freezing, meaning the snow will be wet and heavy, the hardest kind to remove.

And yet it is as beautiful as ever in its monochromatic starkness. The big, heavy wet flakes are descending on us. They would probably melt right away if it weren't for their sheer volume. Hour after hour they will come, until a number of inches have accumulated.

Well, time to enjoy it yet again, and even this may not be the last snowfall of the season. We could have another, even two, even three. Or it may be the last. We never know in Michigan. Every year is different.

Perhaps that is why some say living in a cold climate helps produce character. We have to accept. We have to endure. And realizing that we never know what tomorrow may bring helps us place ourselves in the hands of God. It's true not just for weather but for our very lives.

Construction Update....

So, moving right along..., They have completed the exterior siding. Best view of siding going up was from my kitchen window.

 So, naturally, that is the view we arranged for Blaise... The workman pictured above would occasionally turn and wave.  So kind.

And, yes, I did, with his mother's permission, let him sit on the counter with his feet in the sink. He thoroughly enjoyed watching the siding progress and then, naturally could not resist a little water play in the process.

Half the flooring complete...

And, now, all the flooring is installed and one coat of finish has been applied. It may be completely finished by the end of the week.

All I can think of is dance floor!!

Word On Fire Classics: Orthodoxy

I have had G.K. Chesterton's Orthodoxy on my book shelf for some time. Now I must read it. You have to love Bishop Robert Barron's ability to succinctly summarize a truth.

The Federal Holiday is Still Called Washington's Birthday!

Did you know that the name of the holiday we celebrate on the third Monday in February is George Washington's Birthday?  This in spite of the fact that George Washington's actual birthday is February 22.  In 1971, Congress, always acting in the people's best interest (tongue in cheek), passed the Uniform Monday Holiday Act to give workers more three day weekends.  Yes, they really did that.  This act effected George Washington's Birthday, Memorial Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, and Veteran's Day.

 I enjoy a three day weekend as much as anyone else.  But when you have a holiday named George Washington's Birthday and we know that George Washington's birthday is February 22, does it really make sense to change it to the third Monday?  Almost seems dishonest.  Anyway, that's Congress.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that Abraham Lincoln's birthday is February 12 and the third Monday in February is usually between February 12 and February 22.  Thus the holiday, George Washington's birthday, has morphed into something called President's day. But, let it be known, the federal holiday is still officially called George Washington's birthday.

There.  Got that off my chest. :-)

George Washington is rightly called the Father of Our Country as indeed he is.  I just finished reading his first inaugural address and I'm all teary eyed.  What an amazing man.  What an incredible leader.

 Mount Vernon, George Washington's home

View from Mount Vernon

Views from Mount Vernon, George Washington's home

Much of what I am about to write about George Washington is from the Mount Vernon website and www.history. com. Mount Vernon is, of course, the home of George Washington and is a fascinating place to visit.  The Mount Vernon website provides a wealth of information about our first president.

Washington was a Virginia gentleman and a successful farmer and businessman.  He was one of the largest land holders in the U.S. at that time owning 8,000 acres at Mount Vernon and 50,000 acres elsewhere. He knew first hand the effect of British taxes on the colonists and supported independence from Great Britain very early on.  As a Virginia delegate to the First Continental Congress, Washington was elected Commander in Chief of the Continental Army and eventually led it to victory.

Washington was a valiant commander in chief.  Mountvernon.org states "George Washington exhibited great steadiness and courage in battle and was frequently near the front lines during his many battles.  At the Battle of Monongahela in 1755, Washington had two horses shot out from underneath him and his coat was pierced by four musket balls.  At Kip's Bay and the Battle of Princeton, Washington risked his own life when rushing to the front lines to rally his flagging troops."

In 1787 he was asked to attend the Constitutional Convention and was elected its president.  He was the first to sign the Constitution.

Washington did not want to be president.  He wanted to return to Mt. Vernon to his family and farming but instead bowed to public pressure.  He won the election very easily.  John Adams, who came in second, became vice president.  At that time there wasn't a popular vote for president.  Only the Electoral College voted for president.  George Washington was elected unanimously twice, the only U.S. president to ever have this distinction.  At the time the United States consisted of 11 states with a population of 4 million people. (Today the U.S. population is 318 million.)

Washington D.C. had not been built so Washington never lived in the White House, although he was very involved in its design as well as in the design of the U.S. Capital.  As president Washington lived in New York and Philadelphia.

According to the Mount Vernon website, at the age of 28, George Washington was 6 ft. 2 inches tall, weighed 174 pounds, and was known as energetic and an excellent dancer. "Dancing was an important part of the social fabric of 18th century life.  And as Washington's social stature began to rise, the number of balls, cotillions, parties, and dances he was invited to also rose considerably. Young Washington, blessed with an athletic frame, quickly came to love dancing and there are many accounts of his dancing throughout the night with an array of female guests."

Did he have wooden false teeth as some have said?  He did not, but he was plagued with many teeth problems and he did have dentures eventually.  Mountvernon.org has some very interesting information about George Washington's teeth problems.  You will feel great sympathy for Washington and deep gratitude for modern dentistry.

Yes, he owned slaves, a topic the New York Times today, as we celebrate Washington's birthday, so tastelessly decided to detail in an op-ed piece.  But he did have some reservations about slavery and ultimately was the only slave owning president to provide for freedom for all of his slaves in his will.

Under President Washington, the United States became a country, not only by winning independence from England, but also by instituting many of the structures that are a part of the fabric of our country even today.  He signed the Judiciary Act of 1789, establishing a six member Supreme Court and the position of Attorney General, and authorizing the creation of a Department of Foreign Affairs (later to be called the State Department), and a Secretary of State.

He signed the Coinage Act of 1792 that established the dollar as our currency.

He authorized the construction of six frigates, the start of the U.S. Navy, with the Naval Act of 1794.

And Washington is said to have read the Bible and prayed every day, on his knees.  From Washington's first inaugural address:

No People can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible hand, which conducts the Affairs of men more than the People of the United States. Every step, by which they have advanced to the character of an independent nation, seems to have been distinguished by some token of providential agency. And in the important revolution just accomplished in the system of their United Government, the tranquil deliberations and voluntary consent of so many distinct communities, from which the event has resulted, cannot be compared with the means by which most Governments have been established, without some return of pious gratitude along with an humble anticipation of the future blessings which the past seem to presage. 

Read the entire address HERE.

 May God continue to provide for and bless these United States of America.

Recent Sights That Have Made Me Smile

Here is the new room, sheetrock up, opened to the old family room. I'm loving the light.

And then this thank you message from my daughter for the valentine I sent her...so sweet.

And yet another gorgeous sunrise out my eastern bedroom window. The glory of God every morning. I don't know how anyone can see the magnificent beauty of a sunrise or a sunset and still question the existence of God. His glory is all over everything.

Ash Wednesday

Remember man that you are dust....yes.

Ash Wednesday as a day of fast and abstinence allows those of us who have led privileged lives to experience something unfamiliar-- hunger. For many people, this is an every day occurrence. For us it is jarringly unfamiliar and even a little distressing. Perhaps, because of our weakness, we are thus given a special opportunity to offer something to the Lord.

But Lent is much deeper than hunger. From the Catechism of the Catholic Church paragraph 540:

Jesus' temptation reveals the way in which the Son of God is Messiah, contrary to the way Satan proposes to him and the way men wish to attribute to him. This is why Christ vanquished the Tempter for us: "For we have not a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sinning." (Heb 4:15) By the solemn forty days of Lent the Church unites herself each year to the mystery of Jesus in the desert.

Surely, Jesus experienced temptation to a degree unlike anything we can imagine.

Lent is a time of great grace. May we not miss the opportunities we are offered to receive more of what the Lord longs to give us. From CCC 1438:

The seasons and days of penance in the course of the liturgical year (Lent, and each Friday in memory of the death of the Lord) are intense moments of the Church's penitential practice. These times are particularly appropriate for spiritual exercises, penitential liturgies, pilgrimages as signs of penance, voluntary self-denial such as fasting and almsgiving, and fraternal sharing (charitable and missionary works).

And from In Conversation with God, the meditation for Ash Wednesday: "God wants to detach ourselves from the things of the earth and return to him. He wants us to abandon sin, which makes us grow old and die, and for us to return to the fount of life and joy." Jesus Christ himself is the most sublime grace of the whole of Lent. (From an Ash Wednesday homily 2/28/1979 Pope Saint John Paul, II)

May each of us experience a holy Lent.

Blaise Learning to Talk-- "Come ON!!"

Blaise looks very much like his mother did as a baby. The only people who don't think he resembles his mother are those who didn't know her as a baby. But Blaise's budding ability to communicate very much resembles his dad.

His father, my son-in-law, is a very engaging person who is hilariously funny. I see the beginnings of these traits in Blaise.

As Blaise learns to talk he has added some emphatic, and rather funny, expressions. Shortly after learning the word no, Blaise started saying no way, only he emphasized the way as though it were an emphatic suffix. He would say no oo-way. And this in answer to simple yes/no questions such as Would you like some juice? No oo-way! I'm sure he wondered why everyone would chuckle at his responses. He was just expressing his own personal intensity.

More recently he has added the expression Okay, fine. And this again in answer to a yes/no question. Would you like some oatmeal? Okay, fine. It is as though he has learned another way to add an intensifier to his answers. I find it linguistically interesting as well as humorous.

I think my favorite example was when Blaise learned the expression Come on! In various situations he will say Come on! It's hilarious. Once there was a repairman in his kitchen trying to fill out a receipt. The pen wasn't working. He shook it, scribbled, shook it again, and quietly said under his breath (to the pen) "Come on." Blaise echoed him with a forceful, "Come on!"

This child is just so funny. Grandchildren are such a gift.

"Every branch big with it...."

We've had a lot of snow and more to come.... 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. This poem was copied from http://www.yourdailypoem.com/listpoem.jsp?poem_id=239

Baby Jude Is Two Months Old!

 This is my grandson Jude, immediately after his birth two months ago. Look how alert he is. Yes, I'm quite sure he is a genius.  ;-)

Saint Jude has always been one of my favorite saints. I can't tell you how many prayers he has answered for me in quite remarkable ways. My Aunt June, who introduced me to Saint Jude, always said, "When you ask Saint Jude for something you better be sure you really want it, because he will answer the prayer, one way or another."

When I found out my third grandson's name was to be Jude I was beside myself. I LOVE that his name is Jude. And his middle name is my maiden name-- after my father! So excited!!

Look how peaceful he is. Jude, not my husband. Well, they were both pretty peaceful. :-) Jude rarely cries. He is a very content baby.

And here he is now. Such a delightful, "easy" baby.

God is good. All the time.

Sunny Winter Day

 I took my dog Nala for a walk today through the neighborhood. It's quite cold out but the sun is shining. In states like Michigan where the winters are long and cold and often not that sunny, days like this are quite lovely. Glistening snow, Sounds muted, and the sun hints at adding just a touch of warmth.

It's quite beautiful.

I love these plants that look like this all winter long. So delicate looking and yet they must be so hardy to have not fallen apart in this weather.

And for the days that are not so sunny? Tulips on the table turn our hearts toward Spring which is really not that far away...

Blaise and the Construction Project

One of the most enjoyable aspects of adding on to our house is watching Blaise's reaction. He was over on the day excavation began, sitting at his little table and chair right in front of the sliding glass door with his own little excavator truck. I'm sorry. I know he's my grandson but I have to say this was just adorable. (Hope the video works. )

From the above point on, Blaise referred to the construction as Nana- big hole-big truck. Hilarious.

After the framing was finished, I took Blaise into the new room and explained, "This is what happened to the big hole!" I think he understood completely and responded by running around the room, captured on video above. I have to admit I did some running around the room too!

God is good. All the time.

We Needed More Room!!

For years I have longed for more room in my house, especially on holidays. As a family of eight we always just made do. There was no other choice.

We have an Amish table that we expand for family gatherings as pictured above. The table is turned sideways from it's normal orientation. But we can't expand it to its full length because there was no room long enough to accommodate it. And we have to still be able to open the oven. :-)

When the table is turned sideways (the only way we can seat 18 or so people on holidays) the person sitting in front of the refrigerator has to get up when we need something from the fridge. And the people sitting in front of the buffet table have to scoot in or get up when someone goes back for seconds, after we're all seated. Let's just say we are really crammed in on holidays.

I think the final straw for me was a few years ago on Christmas. My nephew Mitch wanted to lie down after dinner, without being separated from all the fun and activities. There was no room. He crawled under a coffee table. That was the only space. I remember navigating around the legs of the table to pull an afghan over him. In my mind I thought that's enough. We need more space.

So....good news. We are building a big new room on the back of our house. I can't believe it. It's so exciting.

God has been very good to us. May this extra space be used for His glory. More pictures to come.

The Joy of Grandchildren...

My oldest grandson has turned two. Since he loves choochoos his godmother and I made him this train shaped cake (courtesy of Wilton cake pans), complete with his own photo in the engineer's window.

But the cutest scene of all was Blaise trying to blow out his birthday candle. Sometimes we forget that the first couple years of life are full of entirely new experiences. Babies and toddlers are processing new information and learning new things all the time!

Even at two Blaise knew that he was to blow out his birthday candle. I love his attempts here. He knew that forcefully expelling air had something to do with inhaling and something to do with the configuration of his mouth. You can see him experimenting. Then, to his own surprise, he blew it out.

I love the look of sudden realization as he sees the extinguished candle and then enjoys the applause of the people who love him.

Then he kind of repeats what he did with his mouth as if to say without words-- this is what I did!

Just too cute. What a joy grandchildren are! God is good. All the time!

"Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?"---"What shall I do, sir?"

Happy Feast of Saint Paul!

Paul was given three miraculous and amazing signs that God was speaking to him.

First, "...a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me." Then, the voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" And the response, "I am Jesus the Nazorean whom you are persecuting."

Finally, the blindness. Saul was so moved he didn't eat or drink for three days!

Since Saul immediately said, "What shall I do, sir?" we can assume that his conversion was immediate. Yet the Lord still left him blind for three days.

Perhaps the continued blindness was less for Paul's sake than for Ananias and the other Christians who were terrified of Paul. Even when the Lord spoke directly to Ananias and asked him to find Saul that Ananias might lay his hands on him and heal him, Ananius replied, "Lord I have heard from many sources about this man, what evil things he has done to your holy ones in Jerusalem. And here he has authority from the chief priests to imprison all who call upon your name."

The Lord then explained, "Go, for this man is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before Gentiles, kings, and children of Israel..."

So Ananias found Saul blind, just as the Lord had said. He prayed over him and Saul received his sight, after which he was baptized. Perhaps Ananias himself baptized Saul.

When the early Christians heard the story of Paul's conversion and miracle of his sight returning, surely it was then that their fear of Paul dissolved. What a convincing sign that Paul had indeed been chosen by God for the spread of the Gospel.

May we all turn to God and say with Paul, "What shall I do, sir?" And then follow his instructions that his most perfect will might be done in each of our lives.

Learn more about Saint Paul from Bishop Robert Barron.

Other inspiring videos from Bishop Barron can be found at https://www.wordonfire.org/

Saint Francis de Sales-- Today's Memorial

A bishop and Doctor of the Church, Saint Francis de Sales lived from 1567-1622. He was canonized a saint just 33 years after his death.

Saint Francis de Sales was known to be a kind and wise spiritual director. He gave spiritual direction to Saint Jane de Chantal. More than 2,000 of his letters still exist, some of the best of which are published in the book Thy Will Be Done: Letters to Persons in the World. He is the patron saint of journalist and other writers. (I would say bloggers would come under other writers.)

From his classic work Introduction to the Devout Life Saint Francis De Sales writes, "...meekness, temperance, integrity and humility are virtues that must mark all our actions in life...We must always have on hand a good supply of these general virtues since we must use them almost constantly." Later he goes on, "Those who appear in public as angels but are devils in their own homes greatly fail in this regard. (These quotes are found in In Conversation with God, Daily Meditations Volume Six: Special Feasts: January-June, a series I highly recommend, by the way.)

Find out more about Saint Francis de Sales from the following video from Catholic.org.

More Than 58 Million Have Died. We Will Never Know Who They Were.

More than 58 million babies have died since January 22, 1973, the infamous Roe v. Wade ruling by the Supreme Court. 58 million. Let that sink in. The above video conveys the enormity of this tragedy.

Before 1973 most states had laws against abortion. A referendum attempting to legalize abortion had recently failed in Michigan. The people of Michigan had spoken. Then, the Supreme Court of the United States invented a "right to abortion." It was not in the Constitution. They made it up with all kinds of legalese about privacy, etc. Never mind. They made it up. Let's call it as it was. It was an outrageous ruling that entirely usurped the authority of the people. I remember my parents were furious.

All the scientific knowledge we have of the unborn confirms their personhood. They are alive. They have beating hearts. They feel pain. We were all once unborn.

The arguments in favor of legal abortion just don't make sense any more. On Twitter someone argued with me about whether or not a fetus has a beating heart at 21 days. I told her to look it up. She came back and said, well, something is beating but it's not really a heart. I did not argue with her, assuming she was a woman wounded by abortion. Turned out she eventually acknowledged she had indeed had an abortion.

If it's beating, and will eventually be a heart, why is it not a heart when it starts beating? So....it's what will become a heart, it's beating, ....but it isn't a real heart until when? It isn't a real heart, in their minds, until they decide it is. That doesn't make any scientific sense. What it is at 21 days is what it is at 40 weeks.

But those who argue in favor of abortion don't use facts. That's because there are no facts on their side. They assert vague, nonsensical things about choice, rights, personhood, whatever.

The fetus is not part of the woman's body. It has its own body. Period. To assert otherwise is nonsense. To kill a human being in any stage of existence is barbaric. It's immoral.

To assert that abortion is wrong but still something a person should be legally allowed to do is to abdicate one's responsibility as a citizen of a moral, civilized society. The unborn are human beings. They must be protected by law. There is no other ethical choice on the matter.

Grandsons!

In the past two years God has blessed us with three grandsons. Three! In two different families.

All three were born in December about a year apart.  Thus we celebrated Joey's first birthday this year!

Complete with Little Blue Truck cupcakes.

And Baby Jude was brought into the world, making Blaise a big brother...

Look at this face!

And Blaise turned two! Choo-choo cake compliments of me and daughter Mary. Yes, that is Blaise in the engineer's window.

To his own and everyone else's surprise, Blaise blew out his candle. Cheers all around.

What an incredible delight all three grandsons are. I can hardly keep from smiling any time I'm around them, or even think about them.

Blaise coming up with new words and word combinations every day...  Joey smiling constantly and just starting to walk....and Baby Jude, the most peaceful baby around, seldom crying, already smiling and making eye contact.

How I have been blessed. Six children and now three grandchildren. God is good. All the time.