The big one...

Well, we did it.

Two weeks... two parents... one car.. five kids... fourteen states...

I, having work in New England, dragged (ha!) family to skiing, and site-seeing across the country. Visited many friends and family, too.

All I can say is wow... what a trip!

Nothin' say Love like a Warm Blanket

I am ever amazed by my friend, the LQ.

Last week, she sent my eldest a beautiful crocheted blanket. Pink in the middle with a wide swath of purple edging. B absolutely adores it.

What the LQ probably doesn't know is that the blankets she crocheted for #1 and #2 are now the favorite night time snuggles of #4 and #5. :)

I'll tell you what, I really, really want to learn how to make those blankets. Nothing, nothing says "I love you" more than a homemade blanket.

Thanks, Lady. You are the sweetest!!

Not even remotely convivial

Muslims protest in London

Is anyone else concerned about this? I am.

How to support the Pope

This is what one of the results you get when you look up "Bad Ass Catholic" on Google... truly funny.

... I don’t care if he just broke into your house yesterday and stole all your DVD’s; you somehow deserved it. If the pope is currently robbing a liquor store, you can be sure I’m outside keeping the engine running in the getaway car. Hey, I have a religion I ain’t going to half-ass it...

Source: http://www.imao.us/

Sparks a'flyin' at the Border

This Dallas Morning News article requires subscription, but it may be worth it in this case.

Our border with Mexico is porous, folks. Has been forever. But suddenly, well... Suffice it to say, I don't like the steady upbeat tempo of the war drums being pounded. Talk of tightening the border has infuriated Vincente Fox, I hear...

I recall back in my teenage years working with a guy who was Iranian-American. He said people often confused him as a Mexican. Which baffled me.

However, whenever people talk about the possibility of Muslims easily crossing over through Mexico, I am reminded of the conversation.

Read the article if you can, and tell me what you think.

Also read today that Bush is calling his immigration reform a "Guest Worker Program." Puh-leeze! Can't he see how well that's served Europe? It's insulting to intelligent Americans. Guess it sounds good to somebody.

The latest goings on are about drugs coming in, but they have prompted calls such as this:

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a frequent critic of the administration's border security efforts, called Tuesday for the federal government and the governments of southern border states to immediately deploy troops to the U.S.-Mexico border in light of what he termed "recent armed assistance Mexico's military has given to drug smugglers."

"Our border has literally turned into a war zone with foreign military personnel challenging our laws and our sovereignty," Mr. Tancredo said.

"The only way to deal with this dangerous situation is to tap the resources of our own military," Mr. Tancredo said. "I call on President Bush and the governors of border states to immediately deploy military personnel to defend our borders against the Mexican military."

U.S. Sen. Jon Kyl, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Terrorism and Homeland Security, called on Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice to initiate a formal investigation on the reported border crossings and to begin a dialogue with Mexican officials to prevent further occurrences.

"These illegal incursions are a violation of our sovereignty and pose a significant danger to U.S. law enforcement officials and citizens near the border – especially if all parties involved are armed. The potential for violence is significant.

Mr. Kyl noted that the Department of Homeland Security released figures that indicate that there have been 231 documented incursions along the 2,000-mile border with Mexico since 1996.

Whither Traditions??

A post at the LQ's place got me going, and rather than post this lengthy query there, here it shall reside:

You know there are a couple of things I'm interested in from a fellow mutt perspective. Perhaps you, or someone reading this, can direct me to some resources on these subjects.

The first thing I am somewhat concerned about it diet. Every culture seems to have fine tuned its diet based on several factors. There was a lot of healing wisdom throw in with the day to day task of preparing meals. In our "culture" there is little such wisdom passed down with the Betty Crocker Cookbook. This is one reason I *love* the bunny's blog :)

The second thing I find interesting is that child birth and rearing was a much more communal undertaking than our present system of 3 days in the hospital, you're on your own. (caveat, if you're really lucky, Grandma can come help or friends bring meals and help with babysitting for a while, which is *lovely*.)

In Japan, I think it is, mothers are given quiet solitude to bond with their bambinos for many weeks. Hebrews had fascinating rituals that allowed for bonding and healing.

In any case, I am very interested in learning more about traditional cultural practices in the kitchen and during the early childbearing years.

One of the problems with being a mutt is, what is the best thing to do? How do we accomplish that in this day and age?

Many of us come from families that were separated from a traditional approach, and just muddled through. I thought this was a recent phenomenon until I found a book by Better Homes and Gardens from the 1930s on how to handle babies.

Enough... just curious and looking for info.

Talk about convivial

There's just something about a farmhouse table that says comfort. It's convivial in the truest sense. It looks lovely, solid, warm, charming.

Mr. D. gave me one for my birthday. Seats 8 comfortably, 10 snuggly. What a wonderful gift! I look forward to years of meals and morning coffees around our new table.

Thank you!!!