family essay
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A real snow day
Tractor Supply was mentioned on the radio recently as a strong company to invest in and it was described as a company catering to “recreational farmers.” Is that what we are–recreational farmers? Wow, that sounds so la-dee-dah, like we are landed gentry who can just play around at farming while real farmers go bankrupt trying Continue reading
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Motivation…complete lack of motivation
Another snow day. And the big deal doesn’t hit until tonight. Oh, I don’t mind. I still live for snow days, even though I have given all my exams except for period seven. If we had gone in today, I could call it a wrap on first semester. Alas, that is still hanging over my Continue reading
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Little children…
“Why do you love God so much?” “Because He takes care of us.” I don’t know if that was the best answer to an off-the-cuff four year old question, but it seemed appropriate to the situation. Theology degrees give a nice grounding, but it’s life that prepares you to deal with the punches. Grown-ups can Continue reading
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Sloppy Joe
Did we jinx the Ravens by serving Sloppy Joe’s at our play-off party? Or was it because I did not buy that Flaco red wine that I saw at Calvert? (I didn’t buy it because it wasn’t spelled Flacco and because it said it was a good sangria red. Well, that told me that I Continue reading
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Snow day!
Baltimore County two hour delay. Schools in the Hereford Zone are closed. Sorry, Julie, that you are teaching at the other end of the county, but as you know, the roads are tricky out here–hilly and windy with guardrails lacking in critical drop off areas, like the sharp bend on Miller Lane! Ok, so it’s Continue reading
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Hershey (1995-2010)
Alas, poor Hershey is no more. Her seventeen year old feline companion scampers in the yard, but Hershey now sleeps in it. It was quite clear that John needed to put Hershey down after Hershey experienced a stroke or seizure of some sort yesterday morning which left her blind and unable to walk. She had already lost most of her Continue reading
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Boomerang
‘Tis the day after Christmas and all through the cabin Are boxes of stuff from daughter moving back in… In theory I should be organizing something right now, but I’m not sure which corner to tackle. I already organized the grandkiddo’s room and cleaned it. His book shelves and toy box are full of Continue reading
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Eating Crow (another adventure in living with John)
It’s Saturday morning and we are enjoying the luxury of drinking our coffee in bed post-sunrise. Out of the blue, John says, “In Lithuania they have an annual crow eating festival.” “What are you talking about???” “In Lithuania, they hunt crow. Then Lithuanian women pluck out the feathers and boil the crow in oil. And Continue reading
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Christmas is a time…
This morning I had the weirdest tune stuck in my head. It was from Psalty’s Christmas Calamity, a record (yes, record!) that we had when the girls were little. The amazingly creative chorus went like this: Christmas is a time, Christmas is a time, Christmas is a time to love. (repeat) I don’t remember the Continue reading
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Holiday Traditions
Thanksgiving to Christmas is just crazy busy. What makes the busy-ness tolerable is the fun stuff that we do every year. Last Saturday, after hosting 42 people here for Thanksgiving, we girls had our fifth annual Christmas cookie bake. Ok, let me re-phrase that…Kristin and Shelley came over and baked all day. Julie’s sorry excuse Continue reading
Slightly Off the Grid 