With Pop
Auditioning for Wall-E
May 25, 2009
Nature Study--Something Fishy's Going on Here...
Early this morning the twins and Maria went down to the river with some of their friends and went fishing.
We caught three of the biggest fish, and I (Anthony, by the way) caught five total. I caught a bass and a bullhead.
I caught only a catfish, and I named her Hurt because when I caught her, her lip was bleeding and there was a red spot down on her bottom.
My fish's name was Tone. Big Mouth Bass/Musical Bass. See?
Maria was enamored of Blue Angel and wanted to keep him as a pet, however, the Kenkels said he would be good eatin' so he's going to be dinner instead.
We learned how to gut the fish in "outdoor science class." First we gutted up Tone. We thought she was a boy a first, but Mr. Kenkel showed us where the eggs were. Then we gutted up Hurt, and I got to carry her head around for a little while. Then we gutted up Leo, the 6 lb/23" catfish Mr. Kenkel caught. And I got to keep her skin. Then we gutted up Blue Angel. We found he was a boy. We found out that all the boys had caught girl fish, and the girl had caught a boy fish. The Kenkels are cooking them and are probably having them for dinner today.
We caught three of the biggest fish, and I (Anthony, by the way) caught five total. I caught a bass and a bullhead.
I caught only a catfish, and I named her Hurt because when I caught her, her lip was bleeding and there was a red spot down on her bottom.
My fish's name was Tone. Big Mouth Bass/Musical Bass. See?
Maria was enamored of Blue Angel and wanted to keep him as a pet, however, the Kenkels said he would be good eatin' so he's going to be dinner instead.
We learned how to gut the fish in "outdoor science class." First we gutted up Tone. We thought she was a boy a first, but Mr. Kenkel showed us where the eggs were. Then we gutted up Hurt, and I got to carry her head around for a little while. Then we gutted up Leo, the 6 lb/23" catfish Mr. Kenkel caught. And I got to keep her skin. Then we gutted up Blue Angel. We found he was a boy. We found out that all the boys had caught girl fish, and the girl had caught a boy fish. The Kenkels are cooking them and are probably having them for dinner today.Maria almost caught a carp. It broke away, but it sort of didn't matter because a carp has lots and lots of little tiny bones. Maria was very unhappy that Blue Angel had to be gutted. She was the first one to catch a big enough fish. Hopefully, the fish will be really great to eat.
Narrated by: Anthony, Thomas
Ascension Day/Memorial Day
Until yesterday, I had never thought about the relationship between Ascension Day, when Jesus ascended into Heaven, and Memorial Day, when remember all those who died in war or military action (at which point, we pray, their souls ascended to Heaven). Here is my brother's homily which I enjoyed very much, especially as I thought of what must go through the mind of a soldier in his last moments:
Sometimes it can only be when a loved one is suddenly taken from us that we realize how little time we had—never enough, no matter how much it was. Whether an aging parent slowly fades away, or a sibling succumbs to a long bout with cancer, or a child is brought to a tragic end, our love is what makes time begin when they arrive, pass in a flash when they are present, and drag interminably when they are gone.
The Apostles were no different. It is easy to imagine the first Holy Saturday, with the eleven shut up tightly in the upper room, occasionally looking out the window, starting when footsteps fell on the stairs…but for the most part just running through their memories of the Master Who had just been so cruelly slain. Turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, was that three whole years ago? It passed by so quickly. The miracle of loaves and fish, was that really a year ago? Was it just this week that He entered so triumphantly into Jerusalem? The public ministry that at the time seemed almost dreamlike as it passed day by day, now in memory was bitterly short. So much they could have learned—and didn’t; so much they wanted to do with Him, say to Him—and now they couldn’t.
Even the period from the Resurrection to the Ascension would have had this flavor to it. It’s not as if Jesus, having risen from the dead, remained day in and day out among His disciples. St. Paul says that Christ appeared to Peter, then all the Apostles together, then to five hundred all at once. In the Gospel of John, the four resurrection appearances all convey the impression that He showed up mysteriously, and just as mysteriously vanished again. So, most of those forty days, the disciples were overjoyed that Christ was alive again, but what appearances they did receive were too short, too few and far between. Never enough time. And then He was taken from them definitively.
And who were these Apostles that Jesus left in charge of His Church and the mission of spreading it to all the nations on the globe? Fishermen, for the most part, and not always very good ones. And although fishermen are notorious for their impressive vocabulary, it’s not a language skill that could have been used to evangelize the world. Simon the Zealot was a terrorist waiting to happen. Thomas could have been a university professor for all his professional skepticism. Not exactly the A-team for missionary activity. Their talents, if they had any, lay in completely different directions.
But this very fact brings to mind two seemingly contrary attitudes which must have overwhelmed the Apostles when Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit to empower them as they took over the world. On the one hand, there can only be humility when we look to our own deficiency and weakness. St. Benedict says in his monastic rule that some of the stages of humility are to confess one’s sin, to believe and acknowledge oneself viler than all, and to think oneself worthless and unprofitable for all purposes. Surely the Twelve must have had these in spades. All of them sinned by denying Christ and fleeing in the Garden of Gethsemane on Holy Thursday night. After each one of them professed undying love—even to the death of the body—earlier that same evening, they must later have all thought themselves worthless. And looking at their pooled talents, skills, and resources, they must have been tempted to doubt the wisdom of God’s providence, seeing how unprofitable they knew themselves to be.
Nevertheless, when they thought of Who it was Who was commissioning them, when they finally felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, and through Him called to mind all the things Jesus taught them, they would have been utterly confident that bringing the whole world unto subjection to Christ was the one thing they could do. Their hearts were on fire as never before, and that one asset was their greatest and most necessary. This noble expansion of the heart to do heroic deeds that changed the course of history is predicated only on the power of God working within; the virtuous fear of being unequal to the task is a sober judgment made in the light—or darkness, rather—of one’s own capabilities.
Each of us here has this same combination of weakness and greatness that plagued the Apostles and drove them on. Not one of us here will come to the end of our lives with confidence that we made a sufficient return on the talents God invested in us. Everyone sucks in the last breath wondering how well we used our time. Truly at our judgment we will realize just how our salvation was dependent upon the grace of Christ, and no one will have the temerity to try to boast of his accomplishments, which will in our own minds be riddled with mixed motives. But what a consolation it will be when we are forced to look into the eyes of Christ Jesus our judge, and as we have not a word to answer for ourselves, our guardian angel, whose judgment is true, opens the scroll and pleads our cause from the good we have done!
This is the second week that Fr. Jim and St. Kilian parish have decided to focus our attention on our duty as Catholics to be good stewards. Nothing is more valuable—and less reliable—than time, and this alone should inspire us to rededicate ourselves to the concrete acts of love for our church and the people in it. If we have greatness to be placed at the service of others, then not to do so would be hiding our talent in the ground…generally not a good idea. But if we desire to ascend with Jesus and join Him where He is, at the right hand of God the Father, then He has told us what we must do: “As often as you did this for the least of My brethren, you did it for Me.”
Given 5/24/09 at St. Kilian
The Apostles were no different. It is easy to imagine the first Holy Saturday, with the eleven shut up tightly in the upper room, occasionally looking out the window, starting when footsteps fell on the stairs…but for the most part just running through their memories of the Master Who had just been so cruelly slain. Turning water into wine at the wedding in Cana, was that three whole years ago? It passed by so quickly. The miracle of loaves and fish, was that really a year ago? Was it just this week that He entered so triumphantly into Jerusalem? The public ministry that at the time seemed almost dreamlike as it passed day by day, now in memory was bitterly short. So much they could have learned—and didn’t; so much they wanted to do with Him, say to Him—and now they couldn’t.
Even the period from the Resurrection to the Ascension would have had this flavor to it. It’s not as if Jesus, having risen from the dead, remained day in and day out among His disciples. St. Paul says that Christ appeared to Peter, then all the Apostles together, then to five hundred all at once. In the Gospel of John, the four resurrection appearances all convey the impression that He showed up mysteriously, and just as mysteriously vanished again. So, most of those forty days, the disciples were overjoyed that Christ was alive again, but what appearances they did receive were too short, too few and far between. Never enough time. And then He was taken from them definitively.
And who were these Apostles that Jesus left in charge of His Church and the mission of spreading it to all the nations on the globe? Fishermen, for the most part, and not always very good ones. And although fishermen are notorious for their impressive vocabulary, it’s not a language skill that could have been used to evangelize the world. Simon the Zealot was a terrorist waiting to happen. Thomas could have been a university professor for all his professional skepticism. Not exactly the A-team for missionary activity. Their talents, if they had any, lay in completely different directions.
But this very fact brings to mind two seemingly contrary attitudes which must have overwhelmed the Apostles when Jesus promised to send them the Holy Spirit to empower them as they took over the world. On the one hand, there can only be humility when we look to our own deficiency and weakness. St. Benedict says in his monastic rule that some of the stages of humility are to confess one’s sin, to believe and acknowledge oneself viler than all, and to think oneself worthless and unprofitable for all purposes. Surely the Twelve must have had these in spades. All of them sinned by denying Christ and fleeing in the Garden of Gethsemane on Holy Thursday night. After each one of them professed undying love—even to the death of the body—earlier that same evening, they must later have all thought themselves worthless. And looking at their pooled talents, skills, and resources, they must have been tempted to doubt the wisdom of God’s providence, seeing how unprofitable they knew themselves to be.
Nevertheless, when they thought of Who it was Who was commissioning them, when they finally felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, and through Him called to mind all the things Jesus taught them, they would have been utterly confident that bringing the whole world unto subjection to Christ was the one thing they could do. Their hearts were on fire as never before, and that one asset was their greatest and most necessary. This noble expansion of the heart to do heroic deeds that changed the course of history is predicated only on the power of God working within; the virtuous fear of being unequal to the task is a sober judgment made in the light—or darkness, rather—of one’s own capabilities.
Each of us here has this same combination of weakness and greatness that plagued the Apostles and drove them on. Not one of us here will come to the end of our lives with confidence that we made a sufficient return on the talents God invested in us. Everyone sucks in the last breath wondering how well we used our time. Truly at our judgment we will realize just how our salvation was dependent upon the grace of Christ, and no one will have the temerity to try to boast of his accomplishments, which will in our own minds be riddled with mixed motives. But what a consolation it will be when we are forced to look into the eyes of Christ Jesus our judge, and as we have not a word to answer for ourselves, our guardian angel, whose judgment is true, opens the scroll and pleads our cause from the good we have done!
This is the second week that Fr. Jim and St. Kilian parish have decided to focus our attention on our duty as Catholics to be good stewards. Nothing is more valuable—and less reliable—than time, and this alone should inspire us to rededicate ourselves to the concrete acts of love for our church and the people in it. If we have greatness to be placed at the service of others, then not to do so would be hiding our talent in the ground…generally not a good idea. But if we desire to ascend with Jesus and join Him where He is, at the right hand of God the Father, then He has told us what we must do: “As often as you did this for the least of My brethren, you did it for Me.”
Given 5/24/09 at St. Kilian
Image from the holy card of Fr. Vincent Capodanno
May 21, 2009
Declutter--March (?!)
I'm behind but not discouraged. The flylady says housework poorly done still blesses your house--or something to that effect. I bit off more than I could chew in my March decluttering plan, and that was before adding in Girl Scout cookies and sick kids. Here's where I am:
Hand-me-down closet--absolute nightmare. I have a new plan though. Once the GS cookie stuff is out of the office, I will move all the hand-me-downs in there so I have room to work.
Master bedroom--pretty much done. I have several hundred dollars in dimes which I need to take to the bank, but otherwise, it looks good.
Kitchen--Oh my. It's discouraging to go through the kitchen and see that everything there is useful. It's so much stuff! To do: have KitchenAid mixer fixed. I overworked it, apparently.
Charles helped me make this custom spice rack for my spice cupboard:
(OK, I'm not sure where this picture is. I'm looking for it)
Kids' & downstairs bath--later today I'll take 15 minutes and do these. There is nothing in the kids' bath really, and downstairs has a changing table.
Repair chest--To do: Need to get the phone number for the guy.
Looking ahead to April:
Living room
M, J, JD's room
Ch and Cec's room
A&T's room
One Saturday morning and a big garbage bag should get me through the kids' rooms. The living room needs some culling of books/videos from shelves.
My friend Maryan just pointed out to me that our move is only about 13 weeks away. YIKES!
**********
This was 5 weeks ago. The move is now only 8 weeks away, and I'm working down my final list.
Done:
Main Living Room
2 Bathrooms
Cecilia and Charles' room
Laundry Room
Maria and the little boys' room
Front entry
Left (some of these are getting a second pass):
Dining room
Kitchen
Art closet
master bedroom and bath
twins' room
blue room
office (the hand me downs are there now, but I'd like to do a quick reorganize)
My closet which has become a staging area for anything without a home
Fix mixer and cedar chest
I'm putting in the hours this week and weekend. It has been such a blessing to see bag after bag of things we don't need get donated to the thrift shop. Also, I've decided that summer is a generally cleaner season with all the bulky clothes put away. One more reason to live in Hawaii!
Hand-me-down closet--absolute nightmare. I have a new plan though. Once the GS cookie stuff is out of the office, I will move all the hand-me-downs in there so I have room to work.
Master bedroom--pretty much done. I have several hundred dollars in dimes which I need to take to the bank, but otherwise, it looks good.
Kitchen--Oh my. It's discouraging to go through the kitchen and see that everything there is useful. It's so much stuff! To do: have KitchenAid mixer fixed. I overworked it, apparently.
Charles helped me make this custom spice rack for my spice cupboard:
(OK, I'm not sure where this picture is. I'm looking for it)
Kids' & downstairs bath--later today I'll take 15 minutes and do these. There is nothing in the kids' bath really, and downstairs has a changing table.
Repair chest--To do: Need to get the phone number for the guy.
Looking ahead to April:
Living room
M, J, JD's room
Ch and Cec's room
A&T's room
One Saturday morning and a big garbage bag should get me through the kids' rooms. The living room needs some culling of books/videos from shelves.
My friend Maryan just pointed out to me that our move is only about 13 weeks away. YIKES!
**********
This was 5 weeks ago. The move is now only 8 weeks away, and I'm working down my final list.
Done:
Main Living Room
2 Bathrooms
Cecilia and Charles' room
Laundry Room
Maria and the little boys' room
Front entry
Left (some of these are getting a second pass):
Dining room
Kitchen
Art closet
master bedroom and bath
twins' room
blue room
office (the hand me downs are there now, but I'd like to do a quick reorganize)
My closet which has become a staging area for anything without a home
Fix mixer and cedar chest
I'm putting in the hours this week and weekend. It has been such a blessing to see bag after bag of things we don't need get donated to the thrift shop. Also, I've decided that summer is a generally cleaner season with all the bulky clothes put away. One more reason to live in Hawaii!
May 12, 2009
Nature Study--Photosynthesis
Last week it was rainy, so we did an experiment inside. During a break in the rain, we dashed out and picked a variety of leaves. Then we ripped and mashed them up and covered them in rubbing alcohol to extract the chlorophyll.
Nature Study
Yesterday we met with some friends at the Nature Center to study flowers. Before we left, the kids and I gathered some different kinds of flowers from the neighborhood. Once we were all gathered and fed, I did an impromptu presentation on the parts of the flower (that's me in the pink hat), and then moms and kids dissected the flowers to see if we could identify the parts inside. One mom handed me a dissected day lily which was really exciting since the stamen and pistil were so easy to identify, and an iris bulb yielded the best view of the ovules inside the ovary of the flower. The weather was cool and overcast but stayed dry so when the kids were done playing, a few of us (3 moms and 13 kids) decided to go on a hike down to pond. As soon as we got back to the center, Charles and Cecilia went to a class on Salamanders which works in perfectly with what we'll be studying next week.
May 6, 2009
BASEBALL not softball
Even though she had the option, Maria chose to play co-ed baseball instead of girls' softball this year. She plays on the Texas Rangers in the machine pitch league and has been very enthusiastic and focused. Bill has seen more of her games, but when I've been there, she has made some really nice hits.
May 1, 2009
Take me out to the ballgame
Please excuse my not blogging 4 birthdays, family visits, and growing babies. It's baseball season. Go Dodgers!
Charles is in the back row on the far right.
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