Home stretch

• We now have our Family Christmas pictures in. We'll be mailing a bunch out in the next couple of days to all our scattered family.


• Grinnygranny and I did nine holes yesterday, we were just a little tired the rest of the day. Really out of shape, but the weather was nice if just a little nippy.


• Just talked to Mom. Penni's hoping to go home Thursday, but the blood clot they've been giving her blood thinners for isn't going away. Mom's sore from the rehab, but it's not as painful as before the surgery. She's going to start working on getting up and down stairs tomorrow and the doctors will discuss when she can go home on Thursday.


• Last couple of nights we've been playing Scipbo and Uno. E joined us Saturday night. It was nice having all of us together.

Saturday

Talked with Mom this morning. She had surgery Thursday and sounded much better than the last few times we talked. She sore and in some pain, but nothing like she had before the surgery. Now with some rehab she'll be able to go home and return to normal.

Penni is still in the hospital with another bowel blockage. She's scheduled for more chemo next week.

Melissa begins working at Wendy's tomorrow. She's excited right now, we'll see how much enthusiasm she still has after six months.

Last week of the semester. Finals on Wed & Thurs. Don't have to go back until Jan 8. Hope the weather holds and I can get some quality time on the golf course. This time of year I tend to put on weight and it doesn't come off.

Son's ex-wife

If there is anything my ex-DIL is capable of doing it is turning everything upside down on a moments notice and then saying, "Never Mind!"
She called E yesterday and wanted him to come and get Ritchie (this is her Christmas with him) as she and her husband (I think they're married, that's why she divorced E?) were having problems and she didn't want Ritchie caught in the middle. E looked into taking the weekend off so he could go, but this time of year that is a near impossibility at the last moment. Yesterday and today are his regular days off, and as it was too late to drive out last night that would mean a 14 to 16 hour drive today. Auntypesty doesn't have orientation for her job until Friday, so she volunteered to drive down with E to share the driving. They were set to leave and 0500 for the all day trip. Grinnygranny and I were looking into someone to watch our Grandson until Christmas break. Then at midnight ex-DIL calls and said that things have been worked out and E doesn't have to come get him. A bit of a relief, a bit of a let down (it would be nice to spend more time with him at this age), and more running around at the last minute for absolutely nothing.

Called and talked to Mom. Needed to let her know that the on-again/off-again trip with the three guys is off-again. She's in rehab with a crumbling vertibra, and can't get the doctor to come in and talk about surgery. She has to have rehab three hours a day in order to stay in the facility, but it is extremely painful. There's also concern that her heart wouldn't be strong enough for the surgery. What a wonderful medical system we have, Medicare will pay for your care financially, but you'll have to endure three hours of torture every day.

ps. Mom called today and she is scheduled for surgery tomorrow. Bruce is down there, which means he got through all the ice in Oklahoma. Penni is back in the hospital with an infection.

Some Good News

Auntypesty starts her first real job Friday. She's through the interview process and finally has a job. For some reason I didn't think this day would ever come, not all her fault, she has been tied up with family concerns.

Had to laugh at this one.

Update

What I know that's going on in Texas is that Mom is in rehab. The back doctors that were to determine if she needs surgery didn't show up today.
Penni is home and having good days and bad days.
The trip with E, S & M is off as S couldn't get off work.
They're working on trying to get out there, but I'm not sure if it's in the cards.

One regular week and then finals. This semester is finally going to be over, it's already felt like an entire year. I'm needing some rest.

For a laugh

Which Historical Lunatic Are You?
From the fecund loins of Rum and Monkey.

You are Joshua Abraham Norton, first and only Emperor of the United States of America!

Born in England sometime in the second decade of the nineteenth century, you carved a notable business career, in South Africa and later San Francisco, until an entry into the rice market wiped out your fortune in 1854. After this, you became quite different. The first sign of this came on September 17, 1859, when you expressed your dissatisfaction with the political situation in America by declaring yourself Norton I, Emperor of the USA. You remained as such, unchallenged, for twenty-one years.

Within a month you had decreed the dissolution of Congress. When this was largely ignored, you summoned all interested parties to discuss the matter in a music hall, and then summoned the army to quell the rebellious leaders in Washington. This did not work. Magnanimously, you decreed (eventually) that Congress could remain for the time being. However, you disbanded both major political parties in 1869, as well as instituting a fine of $25 for using the abominable nickname "Frisco" for your home city.

Your days consisted of parading around your domain - the San Francisco streets - in a uniform of royal blue with gold epaulettes. This was set off by a beaver hat and umbrella. You dispensed philosophy and inspected the state of sidewalks and the police with equal aplomb. You were a great ally of the maligned Chinese of the city, and once dispersed a riot by standing between the Chinese and their would-be assailants and reciting the Lord's Prayer quietly, head bowed.

Once arrested, you were swiftly pardoned by the Police Chief with all apologies, after which all policemen were ordered to salute you on the street. Your renown grew. Proprietors of respectable establishments fixed brass plaques to their walls proclaiming your patronage; musical and theatrical performances invariably reserved seats for you and your two dogs. (As an aside, you were a good friend of Mark Twain, who wrote an epitaph for one of your faithful hounds, Bummer.) The Census of 1870 listed your occupation as "Emperor".

The Board of Supervisors of San Francisco, upon noticing the slightly delapidated state of your attire, replaced it at their own expense. You responded graciously by granting a patent of nobility to each member. Your death, collapsing on the street on January 8, 1880, made front page news under the headline "Le Roi est Mort". Aside from what you had on your person, your possessions amounted to a single sovereign, a collection of walking sticks, an old sabre, your correspondence with Queen Victoria and 1,098,235 shares of stock in a worthless gold mine. Your funeral cortege was of 30,000 people and over two miles long.

The burial was marked by a total eclipse of the sun.

Dust is settling

Mom called Tuesday, they've diagnosed her with a crushed verteba in the upper back. They're going to try rehab before doing any surgery. It's always a relief knowing the problem over the guessing game that seems to take forever. That will keep her in the hospital for some time, but it's the same hospital that Penni goes to for tests and treatment. I tried to call Mom last night, but only get her voicemail, I'll try again tonight.

Auntypesty put in job applications yesterday, and then we went golfing before picking Grinnygranny up from work. It was overcast and cool. The news said it was going to be sunshiny and warm and that the storm wasn't supposed to come in till the weekend. Wish they would get it right!

E is planning on taking a trip out to Canton week after next with S and BIL's brother M. They couldn't go with us at Thanksgiving and all want to spend time with Mom and Penni.

I've been fooled.

First things first. When I called Bruce this morning he's back in Oklahoma, but had made arrangements for Mom to be transferred to the hospital in Dallas. Which is as much as I know right now.

We bought the latest DVD package of The Princess Bride by William Goldman. Yesterday in the afternoon we watched the movie for the millionth time and auntypesty played some of the games in special features. The rest of the evening we listened to Christmas music on Satelite and I started reading the book that came with the DVD. It starts off with a lengthy set of introductions by Goldman explaining how he spent a long time recovering from Pneumonia as a child and his father reading the story to him and it had changed his life. How when his own son turned ten he wanted to get a copy of the book as his birthday present and there is an intersting story in tracking down a copy and how his son hadn't liked it so he read it himself and decided it needed to be abridged from the original by S. Mortgenstern. He gives a detailed account of all the problems in getting a studio to make the movie, his failed marriage and then taking his ten year old grandson to Florin City for a visit. They walk through the Mortgenstern Museum looking at the sword made for a six fingered man, a mold of Fezzik's hand twice the size of Andre the Giant's, going into the study and looking through Mortgenstern's diaries and going on and on about how these people actually lived and that the story was true. He even places Florin and Guilder as two small countries between Sweeden and Germany. I read the first hundred and fifty pages of the story, where he talks about deleting an entire chapter because it was just about the argument of Humperdink and his cabinet about marrying a commoner and him making her the Princess of a small area of the Kingdom, what it took to teach her court etiquette. There are chapters on Inigo Montoya and his father, the life of Fezzik and so on and so forth.
Now I knew a Florin was the money of Florence durring the Renaissance, and a Guilder was the Dutch currency which created Capitalism during the Reformation. But the way Goldman intersperced such personal detail in his introduction he had me believing that there actually were countries called Florin and Guilder, that there actually was a S. Mortgenstern and that Goldman had only abridged the original story.
So having pricked my curiosity I Googled Florin. No surprise most of the entries were about the currency, and a number of cities in the United States with this name, but I did come across a link to Florin City. I followed that link anc came across some critiques of the novel. LOW AND BEHOLD the introduction and abridgement were all make up! I think Goldman must be getting a perverse pleasure as people for the last thirty-five years have fallen for his hoax and he laughs his head off at the gullibility of the reading public.
The critique then went on to explain the allegory hidden in the story (It's about economics). I found it fascinating and read it to Grinnygranny.
She was not impressed. "It's just a story, don't try to make so much out of it."
I argued back, "You could say the same thing about Jonah. It's a story most children can relate to and understand, but at that level it's little more than a just a story, but when you look at it as allegory with Jonah representing the Hebrew nation, Nineveh the Gentiles and how Jonah refused to deliver God's message to the Gentiles he flees and is swallowd by a big fish, with the big fish being the Babylonian Captivity. That Nineveh repenting representing Christianity and salvation being open to Gentiles. The story makes much more sense. There's no need to try and find a fish big enough to swallow a man -- that wasn't the point of the story!
Grinnygranny just moaned and said,(referring to Princess Bride) "It's just a story, don't make so much out of it."

Quandry

Yesterday brother-in-law called, Mom is in the hospital (small town in Texas) as she cannot move without great pain. Penni is also in the hospital (in Dallas) having a bad reaction to the chemo. Bruce drove down and I talked to him for a few minutes. They think it's Mom's Siatic Nerve that's the problem, but it would be ten days before that hospital could do the test. He will most likely have her transported to Dallas to be in the same hospital as Penni. So far today he hasn't called back to let me know what's happening. Something needs to be done about the situation out there, but I don't know what it is right now.

Took auntypesty to Southwest writers today. She seemed impressed with the meeting and the speaker today talked about journal writing. I bought the speaker's book entitled Journal Writing for Women. Maybe she'll start doing some writing now she's home.

Grinnygranny has finally blogged again and has an interesting letter that eveyone should read.

Home again

Actually had nice weather for the drive out to Canton. Our usual route was clogged because of a fire in the Manzano mountains and the town we pass through was the staging area for fighting it. We avoid I-40 at all costs. So we went further south on I-25 and drove throught Carizozo and Capitan, past the turn off to Trinity site (where they dropped the first atomic bomb), through Roswell and into Texas. It is a nice drive especially from Carizoz, Capitan and Lincoln; really pretty country.
We made it into Canton on Thursday, and relaxed the rest of the day. We took Auntypesty to the Seiko outlet for her belated birthday present Friday morning and did a little more shopping. The Factory outlet stores at Tangers (Terrell, TX) were not very busy for Black Friday, guess everyone was in Tyler or Dallas at the Malls. Had a nice dinner in the afternoon with Penni, her husband and MIL, Bruce came down from Oklahoma, Mom and us. There wasn't much Turkey left over. Took lots of pictures.
Penni seemed to be in good spirits, but Mom's having a lot of trouble moving around. She has a number of doctor's appointments next week to figure out the problem. Neither Mom or Penni are happy with Auntypesty's attitude the last couple of months so all were kind of at the parting of the ways stage.
We were worried about the weather on the way home, but only ran into a light rain for most of the way. We could see the snow on the ground by the side of the road and on rooftops, but the roads were in good condition.
It's nice to be home, and I've been catching up on all my e-mails and blogging for the last five days. Nice to see a good number of my fellow bloggers also dormant for the holiday, and I'm not alone in taking time off.

Nice surprise

Started making out lessons for this week and discovered that we (aps) have Wednesday off. Called grinnygranny and she took a day of vacation so we are heading out a day early. Makes it a lot nicer. Not looking forward to two days driving out there spend a night and two days driving back, this way we get a full day.
Talked to Mom again, Penni will be home, but with the feeding tube. She'll have chemo again next week, its the radiation that she no longer needs. She said Penni has through this whole ordeal has maintained an upbeat and positive attitude, which is essential in fighting the disease; but it's starting to sink in that her time is short and she's having bouts of depression.
It will be good to spend time with her before bringing auntypest home.

Penni needs prayer

Just got off the phone with Mom, They're running tests today on Penni because they think she has another bowel blockage. She's been in the hospital since Tuesday with Pnuemonia, which from what I gather has cleared up. It looks like they'll be sending her home tomorrow, but using the feeding tube again. We'll find out more when we get there later this week. I told Mom we could leave tomorrow if needed, but she didn't think that was necessary. It seems like every time you think the treatment has this cancer cleared up it comes back.

Missing Mistress

Mistress was our little predator. She loved bringing in birds, squirrels, mice, rabbits, lizards as little presents. And it was nearly impossible to pen her up in the house. In the twelve years we've lived here numerous cats have disappeared in the mesa behind our house. Mistress went out yesterday and didn't come back this morning. When our son got home (she's actually his cat and brought her here from Oklahoma) we told him that she still wasn't back. I'd just posted the pictures of all our pets. He went out looking and found her on the mesa then had to take a shovel an bury her. A coyote wouldn't have left anything behind so our best guess is either a prairie owl or this time of year falcons and hawks are migrating. We're sitting around remembering her. Of all the cats we've had she was the one we felt would be safest out there, and for over two years that's been the case. She'll be missed.

Four legged family members

Lucy our Black Labrador



Watson our Cocker Spaniel



Pippin our Cream Cycle Cat



Mistress our little predator

Anne sent me a picture of her latest painting, sold while still on the easel. I really like it.

I've been under the weather the last two days and didn't feel like getting out of bed much less looking at the computer. Got im himmel do the e-mails pile up if you lay off for a couple of days. I don't even want to think about the tests that need to be graded that my subs gave.
Next week a flying trip to Texas. Looks like we'll be bringing aunty pesty home possibly Mom too. Penni is in the hospital with pnuemonia, but they are both physically and emotionally so drained from the last twelve weeks they can't make the drive to Dallas and back anymore. They need to come here for some rest.

Raven

Anne Littlewolf, aka Raven1, sent me some pictures of her wolfpup. So as not to make my own four legged children jealous I'll be posting pictures of them later.

Novel news

Danny Andrews was here a couple of weeks ago hosting an alumni dinner for Wayland (Baptist University). He's replaced the long time Public Relations and Alumni coordinator, Joe Province. I gave him one of my fliers on Optimus. He recently e-mailed me wanting particulars on the novel so it can go into the Alumni magazine they send out every four months. It's about bloody time! I've sent them e-post cards, and e-mails announcing it, and they've ignored them. Maybe during the transition I fell between the cracks, but finally it should be out there.
I've also created a new blog optimuspg.blogspot.com -- even though the other blog was devoted to Optimus it started out as my Captain's Log blog and had that URL address which made it confusing. I'm shutting down the other blog site and letting this one take over the novel. It will be much easier to put on business cards and fliers for advertizing.

Fireworks Day

Interesting that Len Goodman mentioned to Jane Seymour on Dancing With The Stars that today (Nov. 5) is Fireworks day in England. I think that most of the American audience went "Huh?" And I would have been right with them if I had not read earlier today's post by Scott Horton at his No Comment blog. A real tip of the hat to him for explaining this day of celebration, how it fits into today's world.

To sum up this day, it commemorates the foiling of a plot to blow up King James I and Parliament. England then used this day to burn the Pope in effigy and persecute all Catholics who were blamed for this attempt at destroying the government.
Horton then gives this quote to explain why the U.S. has never observed this celebration:

Order in Quarters issued by General George Washington, November 5, 1775:

As the Commander in Chief has been apprized of a design form’d for the observance of that ridiculous and childish custom of burning the Effigy of the pope–He cannot help expressing his surprise that there should be Officers and Soldiers in this army so void of common sense, as not to see the impropriety of such a step at this Juncture; at a Time when we are solliciting, and have really obtain’d, the friendship and alliance of the people of Canada, whom we ought to consider as Brethren embarked in the same Cause. The defence of the general Liberty of America: At such a juncture, and in such Circumstances, to be insulting their Religion, is so monstrous, as not to be suffered or excused; indeed instead of offering the most remote insult, it is our duty to address public thanks to these our Brethren, as to them we are so much indebted for every late happy Success over the common Enemy in Canada.

29 years

Anniversay time again. Twenty nine years ago Grinnygranny made me the happiest man on Earth. The road has had its bumps and dips and hills and valleys. She married a divorced defrocked preacher working as a security guard and wound up with a teacher and writer. Time sure does fly when you're trying to make ends meet and rasie a family.

Soap Box

I got this e-mail from a well meaning friend. It's been circulating in the ethernet for years. It's time to parse it and see if it makes the grade.

Now I sit me down in school
Where praying is against the rule
For this great nation under God
Finds mention of Him very odd.
If Scripture now the class recites,
It violates the Bill of Rights.
And anytime my head I bow
Becomes a Federal matter now.
Our hair can be purple, orange or green,
That's no offense; it's a freedom scene.
The law is specific, the law is precise.
Prayers spoken aloud are a serious vice.
For praying in a public hall
Might offend someone with no faith at all.
In silence alone we must meditate,
God's name is prohibited by the state.
We're allowed to cuss and dress like freaks,
And pierce our noses, tongues and cheeks.
They've outlawed guns, but FIRST the Bible.
To quote the Good Book makes me liable.

There is no rule that keeps a student from offering a personal prayer. Every year there is a "Meet at the Pole" event countrywide where students meet and VOLUNTARILY pray. English departments offer a course on the Bible as literature. Numerous poems with religious themes are analyzed and discussed. In World History class Ancient Judah, and life of Jesus are taught as well as the rise of early Christianity. During the Renaissance and Reformation Christianity is mentioned in great detail. It is against the establishment clause of the first ammendment for a government, school, or teacher to tell a student they must pray, or tell them to say an officially sanctioned prayer. If a student wants to express their religious beliefs and it pertains to the discussion at hand they are perfectly free to speak up. If they want to preach when I haven't called on them or it has nothing to do with the subject being taught, or if they want to pass judgement on my faith or teaching style they're out of line, and actually in violation of the commandment to honor thy Father and Mother: teachers legally act in loco parentis to their students. Faith in school is the same as it is everywhere subject to Timing, Approach and Appropriateness.
In grading this paper as a teacher I would tell the student to check their facts and get them right.
If students want to use colored hairspray or pierce themselves what does that have to do with prayer or God. It does show the author as someone who has a problem with non-conformists and expect the schools and teachers to enforce their own personal ideas of conformity. As a teacher I would grade this part down as being off topic.
I'm pretty sure that all schools, public or private, secuar or religious, outlaw students from bringing guns to school, especially after Columbine. All School libraries have copies of the Bible usually both Protestant and Catholic. Not all have Q'urans (I do hope that the accepted spelling at this time) Vedas, Talmuds or other religious writings. As a teacher I'd say this is an extreme exaggeration devoid of any truth. I'm not sure, but isn't telling the truth a Christian virtue? "You shall know the truth, and the truth shall set you free."



We can elect a pregnant Senior Queen,
And the 'unwed daddy,' our Senior King.
It's 'inappropriate' to teach right from wrong,
We're taught that such 'judgments' do not belong.
We can get our condoms and birth controls,
Study witchcraft, vampires and totem poles.
But the Ten Commandments are not allowed,
No word of God must reach this crowd
It's scary here I must confess,
When chaos reigns the school's a mess.
So, Lord, this silent plea I make:
Should I be shot; My soul please take!
Amen

I'm curious about the objection to a pregnant Senior Queen and unwed Daddy, would the writer rather she got an abortion? And then it's wrong to pass out contraception. Talk about wanting your cake and eating it too.
As a parent I taught my children right and wrong. How good a job I did is between God, me and them. I expected their schools to instruct the subjects they are required by law to teach, proper respect and manners that are required to function in a society. I did not want anyone else intruding into my parental responsibilties. Nor as a teacher should I pass judgement on the personal lives of my students. Jesus after all said "Judge not, lest ye be judged likewise." Notice how judgemental the writer regarding the electoral process at the school, but holding elections is a proper function of our schools in teaching them the democratic process, as well as living with the outcome of an election even if your candidate loses.
I'm not aware of any witchcraft classes in high schools, but they might be mentioned in literature or history the same as vampires and totempoles, or maybe the students dress this way on Halloween, but schools do not force or "establish" this belief on the students.
The only passage I can agree with is the statement that when chaos reign school's a mess. 80% of teaching is discipline, but I prefer to use behavior modification techniques and the school's discipline policy over preaching and trying to "save their souls."
For the last remark, didn't the writer fuss about gun control?

To quote Jesus once again, "Oh ye scribes and Pharasees, hypocrites..."