Deogratias

My Grandfather

Springtime always brings many things that remind me of my grandfather Howard who was an important part of my childhood.  Since last Friday marked the 19th anniversary of his death, I've decided to write a little about him.   And for all those who read this, please pray for the repose of his soul.

I remember about my grandfather...

watching  him work in his garden.  I can see him tilling the soil, planting the vegetables and reeping the harvest. 

holding the sling shot he made and threatening to shoot tresspassing rabbts.  On summer evenings, we would sit in lawn chairs under a nearby tree and enjoy God's beautiful creation and  he was always on the lookout for rabbits.  He had built a little fence around the garden in an attempt to keep them out.

sitting in lawn chairs in the front yard and talking with Dewey, the old man across the street. 

calling me to the TV one day in 1972 and telling me to watch history in the making.  The president of the United States was telling the nation that he was resigning.  My grandfather told me that I would always want to remember that day.

showing me the beautiful red roses growing on a vine in the back of his house.

complaining about the kids ridiing motorcycles on the vacant property bordering his yard.  I wonder what he things about my husband and sons riding dirt bikes.

attending Mass every Sunday and always being early.

having a bowed leg and a limp because as a police officer in 1933, he was shot in the line of duty..  He always told me that one of the bullets barely missed his spinal cord.

the day he played his favorite song for me on his new stereo.  It was a Marty Robbins song.

and my grandmother talking about the little "red bird" who visited their bird feeder everyday.  They always enjoyed his visit.

seeing his health go downhill fast until he was very week and near death.  Once I came into his room and he confused me with one of my cousins, and I was very sad.  He was in a nursing home for the last months of his life and he took many emergency trips to the hospital.

being carried out of the church after his funeral mass and watching my grandmother cry.

I loved my grandfather very much and the things we did together were a big influence in my life today. 

If it weren't for him, I wouldn't ...

call my kids into the room to watch important events on TV. 

have a garden.

enjoy watching birds come to my feeder.

be so committed to encouraging my kids to be close to their grandparents.

Dear God, please take care of my grandfather Howard and allow he and his wife Mary to spend eternity with you in heaven.  Amen

 

What is it about...

a sleeping dog or a sleeping boy or a sleeping husband that just warms the heart?  You can get close to them and say their name and they may wag their tail, wiggle or grunt, but you know that they are not waking up.  I especially find joy when I know that they have worked or played hard and that the sleep is much needed and well deserved. 

So what is it?

I must brag a little!

Today I was on my own with the boys at the ballpark because Dad  had to work, so of course I decided to take the dog.  It really was a good decision because it provided a little distraction for us all.  Darth Vader had a 1:45 game and Luke1 had a 4:15 game followed by concession stand duty.

Well, DV was 12 when he first played baseball on a team, so it has been quite a struggle for him.  A few games ago we thought it would be best if he never played again because he was always striking out and allowing runs to score because he missed throws to third.  It was frustrating to say the least.   He has gotten a few hits throughout the season but they were sporatic and not nearly as many as he has allowed to score.  His coaches have been very encouraging and helpful and have never made him feel bad.  They just kept on teaching him, and he kept on plugging along and enjoying himself.

Then beginning last Monday night, Darth Vader has been on fire at the ballpark.  He gets a hit every time he goes to bat and they even moved him up in the batting order.  His hits are often way out into the outfield and usually they involve an RBI.   He's always been a good athlete and I think he has finally let go of his nerves and relaxed.  Today he even got to pitch an inning and struck out one, caused a pop-up out and then caught a bounced ball and threw it to first for an out.  His final hit of the game was when the score was 10 to 11 with two outs at the bottom of the last inning.  He got a single and RBI to result in a tie.  The game ended with a tie, but if not for his hit it would have been a loss.  I was so proud of him.

Luke1 didn't have quite as much success at the plate this time.  Normally he gets about 4 hits a game, but this time I think there was only one or two.  He played first base though and got lots of outs that way, including the last out of the game.

I wish I had taken my video camera of course, but whenever I do that nothing happens.  Maybe I'll try to bring it next time.  Each boy has only one more game before going into tournaments. 

You know, I have delayed signing up the boys for baseball for many years because I just didn't think I would like it.  I had heard that Spring ball was very competative and that some of the  parents get especially out of hand.  I have been pleasantly surprised, however, and everyone we have met has been super nice.  All the parents cheer for all the kids and the coaches and parents  even praise opposing players when they do well.  I think it is a great place to learn sportsmanship and teamwork and to meet lots of really nice people.  Everybody out there is a volunteer and they are giving of themself.  And it's fun to have the whole family cheering each other on and helping out with the team.  A day at the ballpark is not something to dread as I had previously thought, but rather something to look forward to.

A big bonus is that it makes the kids happy and allows them to feel proud of themselves.  After the game today we all sat around and talked about the games for a while and gave Dad the highlights.  It was a great opportunity for narration.

Rambles of a busy mom

When we started thinking about selling our house, I realized that it was time to pull out my copy of Confessions of an Organized Homemaker and put some of the suggestions to work in my disorganized home.   If you're not familiar with the book, it's by Deniece Schoefield, and I'm putting it on favorite book list. 

I've decided that I need to begin with Chapter 4, Calendars, To Do LIsts and Schedules.  I use a calendar and it helps me alot, but I've decided that I need to schedule more than just extra-curricular activities and doctor's appointments.  I need to schedule cleaning and laundry and other general things.

I did schedule laundry for aabout 6 months a while back, and it really helped alot.  I assigned everyone a day and that relieved lots of pressure.  However, laziness took over and I started waiting until things got desperate to get started - big mistake.  Then I started doing laundry constantly but leaving it clean and unfolded in the laundry room - another big mistake.  So the schedule at this time is:  Darth Vader Monday, Mom and Dad Tuesday,  Han Solo Wednesday,  Mom and Dad Thursday and Luke 1 and 2 on Friday. 

I've also decided to put together a home management manual so that I can put all of my lists and such inside it.  I'll have my grocery list, my to-do lists, my schedules and my meal menues.   When I finish my housekeeping schedule and my paperwork schedule, I'll also put that in there too.  Hopefully, this will allow me to keep the house in good enough shape to show it to potential buyers. Ha! Ha!

Aside from basicl living and  homeschooling, the THINGS WE DID THIS WEEK are:

Sunday: Mass, One make-up baseball game and all star tryouts.

Monday:  Took the dog to the vet $419.00!! , two baseball games

Tuesday: ah! break day after 6 ball games in 4 days.

Wednesday: put finishing touches on history project for Book of Centuries Night

Thursday: Dentist appointment, nature wallk, book of Centuries Night (forgotten Shakespeare practice - oops) See photos below.

Regarding the vet, Jabba the Hut had some kind of cough, perhaps kennel cough but I don't know where he would have gotten that because he hasn't been around any other dogs.  He also got his shots and yearly checkup and flea and heartworm treatments. I guess it's worth $400, but I don't think we'll be able to afford any more pets at that price.

Regarding the dental visits, YEA, no cavities among 4 boys.  It's unbelievable.   But DV has to have a tooth repaired.  On his 9th birthday he broke one of his permenant teeth and the repair that was done then needs to be re-done.  Luke1 needs sealant, and of course Han Solo needs to go to the orthodontist.  And lots of X-rays were taken.  Even though the dentists office said that I could pay after insurance paid their part, I went ahead and wrote a check for $50 to lessen the pain later.  Our insurance is pretty lousy.

About 6 months ago, yoda had to have a tooth repaired and the dentist estimated an $800 bill.  The office called the insurance company, who said that the procedure would be covered.  So the procedure was done and afterward we got a note saying that insurance wouldn't cover it.  Of course, we thought it was a mistake because we had verified coverage beforehand, but NO!  The insurance company said that they won't pay for any procedure until insurance is in place for one year.  Who knew?  Why did they keep it a such a secret? 

OK, I guess that's enough rambling and  complaining for one day.  I hope any future entries this weekend are full of fun and joviality.

   

Happy St. Mark the Evangelist Day

Today is the feast day of St. Mark the Evangelist, author of the Gospel According to Mark and disciple of St. Peter, the first pope.   Celebrate by going on a lion hunt or by visiting the city of which he is the patron saint - Venice, Italy.

Happy Birthday William Shakespeare

How much knowledge did you gain in high school?  What do you remember from history or lilterature class?    Well one of the few direct facts that I remember is that April 23 is the birthday of William Shakespeare.  I will likely remember this date for the rest of my life, including the fact that he was born in 1564 and he died in 1616.

Happy birthday to Krista too.  We forgot to call today, and now it is too late.  I hope you had a fun day.

The only other bit of high school knowledge I can think of is 1066 - the Battle of Hastings - William the Conquerer defeated Harold.

Other than these two items, my memory from high school consists purely of the actions of my fellow classmates.  I hope my boys are able to remember much more because they won't be distracted by that.

Our Garden Revisited

Nearly one month from the day we first planted our garden and over two weeks after the frost took some of the plants, we finally got out there again and put in some replacements.  This time it wasn't a  mom and dad job, but rather a mom and boy job, and the boys did superbly.  I'm especially proud of Luke2 who actually dug two holes and planted a squash and a pepper all by himself.  Everyone helped with the weeding and the planting and it went very well.    While we were out there we did a little nature observing, including several earthworms and a snail.

The losses were about 3 tomatoes, two zucchinis, two crooknecked squashes, a cucumber and all the beans.  So now our garden consists of:

Tomatoes:

Bush Early Girl (2): medium fruit, 54 days until maturity

Roma (2) small, 73-80 days to maturity

Better Boy (5) large 70-75 days to maturity

Peppers:

Bonnie Bell (2) 4.5" x 4" 75 days to maturity

Banana Pepper (2) unknown

Sweet Red Bell (1) 4-6 oz 70-80 days to maturity

Squash:

Straightneck (1) 4-10" 46-52 days to maturity

Zucchini 6-8" 52 days

Other

Broccoli (4) unknown

Cucumber (1) 10" 70 days

Eggplant (1) 8" 80 days

The first thing I expect to eat is the broccoli, followed by squash and then Early girls.  The last thing to mature will probably be the eggplant.

I added a citronella plant to the herb garden today as well, and included some yellow marigolds too. 

OK - Maybe Swim Team Only

Today I took Luke1 to tryouts for allstar baseball with every intention that he would make the team and we would participate.  Tryouts went very well and he performed at least as well as the other boys in attendance and better than many.   He did a super job and had a great time.  However, when I was leaving I learned that during the season there would be practice 5 days a week and a game every Friday, Saturday and Sunday, and that it would end up costing about $500.  Needless to say, we decided against it.  That is just too much for a 7 year old.  Tryouts were fun, but no thank you.   

Let's Jack Up the House

Negligence on the part of our homebuilder left our house sinking and our driveway cracking.  Our next door neighbor's garage floor actually collapsed.  Bids from waterproofing companies were in the range of $10,000.00 - way above our budget for household repairs.  So being the inventor that he is, Yoda developed his own method for fixiing the problem.  I don't quite understand it all, but in a nutshell it involves installing jacks under the garage and jacking up the house.  It has been about 4 months in the making, and tonight it is culiminating in the actual jacking up.  Things are going well, and everyone is pleased.

Piano Recital

Han Solo played Christmas Day Secrets today at his piano recital, and he did an excellent job.  He was the first performer to play, and his teacher said he stepped up to the job.  Grandma and Grandpa came and took us out to lunch at Han's favorite restaurant afterward.  That was quite a treat.  Unfortunately, the rest of the family couldn't make it due to baseball games.