Some things about Meghan

1. Meghan, talking on her cell phone (Tommy's old one minus the battery), "Hi, Joshie, how's it doin'? pause "That's great. It's Meghan and Mommy and Matthew in the kitchen." pause "Silver bells and cockle shells and warm and toasties warm..." repeat, repeat, repeat.... so funny.

2. Katie and I went shopping today. Katie came home with a swirly pink skirt. I came home with some new summer clothes for the girl who is too tall for a lot of her big sister's hand-me-downs. She exclaimed over each item, "Look, a dress, so cute!" "Oh, shirt, cute!" "Look, Daddy, cute!"


3. I tried one of the play dresses on her, along with her new straw hat. She did the "I Have a New Dress" dance.

We weeded the flower beds,

and I finally planted flowers in the pots on the front porch. So now I will give you a tour.

impatiens and a tenacious chrysanthemum that has come back for the third year

blue iris and a pot of annuals

When we moved in with our large family, there was a vacant, weedy lot next door. Our landlord very kindly expanded the back yard for us. They also made a gravel parking area that we call the driveway, and, at my request, left a strip of earth for a garden along the fence. Everything growing in the driveway garden has been planted in the past 3 years.

the driveway garden

The blue iris was really overgrown in the front garden last fall, and the driveway garden was (is still) too bare, so we moved three clumps of iris to the driveway garden. This is one; it is blooming even better in this sunnier spot.

another clump of iris that we moved and some columbine trying to recover from its battle with the weeds

the third clump of iris that we moved,
a tree that we moved from the back flower bed because it was blocking the kitchen door,
and some annuals

yellow iris by the driveway gate--this and the tiger lilies were planted by previous tenants

I'm embarrassed to show you this overgrown mix of wisteria and tiger lily volunteers from the gate area. Does anyone know how to take care of wisteria properly? It is one of my favorite shrubs, but I don't have any experience in caring for it. It looked very nice when we moved in and for the next two summers, but this year, it is an overgrown mess. I tucked a potted impatien in there to try to make it look more civilized.

Update: I found this site http://ohioline.osu.edu/hyg-fact/1000/1246.html that is very helpful. I think I'm going to need John's help on this one.

nasturtiums under the camellia tree, which is looking a little bedraggled after its first winter without the shelter of the woods.

And finally, a newly-planted ornamental cherry tree. (Thanks to my dear husband.) I have wanted one since we moved in and only last week found the right garden center to buy one. I am hoping against hope for a few blossoms next year, since it will be our last spring in Misawa.

All in all, and except for the wisteria, we will be leaving the yard in better shape than we found it (my yearly excuse for gardening--an activity that I cannot resist, even on rental property). It must be that famed Irish love for the land. :)

Fort rehabilitation

Better weather means more time outdoors. Which brought the sad state of the backyard fort to the children's attention.

Katie and John went to one of the local home improvement stores, Sundays, to look for a solution.


When in Japan, use Japanese materials :)

They found new stakes and some screens


to replace the spider-webby, dry and scratchy, pine branches that had formerly sheltered the fort.

These marsh-reed screens are called yoshizu.




Traditionally, yoshizu are used to shade windows and open doors from the harsh summer sun.

.


They are still used outside homes, traditional soba (noodle) restaurants, and even dessert shops in summertime.



They should help keep the fort shady and cool.




Finished! Just as it started to rain...

The dried pine branches that used to cover the fort are now in a wood pile behind the house. There is hope of making a bonfire during the July 4th weekend. If the good weather holds.

Baby Pictures

Surprise!  Here are some pictures of Tommy and his siblings...

Tommy (with John) - May 12, 1989

Tommy (with John) - May 12, 1989

Tommy - May 12, 1989

Tommy (with John) - May 15, 1989

Tommy, August 1989

Patrick - December 22, 1991

Patrick (with Tommy) - December 24, 1991

Patrick - December 25, 1991

Patrick (with Judy), February 1992

Katie, July 1997

Joseph, June 2001

Matthew (with Patrick) - January 4, 2005

Matthew (with Tommy) - January 4, 2005

Matthew (with Judy) - January 6, 2005

Matthew (with Katie) - January 7, 2005

Meghan - June 4, 2008

Meghan - June 8, 2008

So little time

I have so many blog posts in my head. Things keep happening that I want to write about, and I can't seem to find the time.

Here I go again with 8 things about us, just to keep you up to date:

1. Tommy and Tara have survived their exams and are back at her parents' home in Philadelphia for the summer.

2. Congratulations to Patrick, who scored a goal in the final soccer game of his senior year. He is with the Edgren Eagles at Iwakuni for the Far East soccer tournament. Go Eagles! 5th place at Far East. It was a mighty struggle, and we are proud that you never gave up!

3. Katie went with us to see Othello last night at the Mokuteki Theater on base. And I had thought Hamlet was a lesson in "the wages of sin is death." Katie and I have lots to talk about, but I am happy that the program notes included excerpts from Dr. Faustus and commentary from the director about Shakespeare's demonstration of the effects of sin on the characters. Context is everything.

4. Joseph continues to plug away at his schoolwork in the hope of finishing the year by July 4. That would give him a month of summer break before we leave for Philadelphia for Tommy and Tara's wedding. Swimming and soccer fill his free time, and he has asked to play baseball when the soccer season ends, so there is no end to my taxi service until at least mid-July.

5. Matthew is learning to read!

6. Meghan has successfully used the potty chair twice this week. But she is now back in diapers. So I am not sure whether her insistence that I retrieve the potty chair from the garage was a passing fancy or not. Next week will tell.

7. John has finished his term as the Troop Committee Chair of Boy Scout Troop 14 on base. He is now merely an Assistant Scoutmaster and the Misawa OA Chair. I think he will stay active in scouting in one way or another while we're here, at least as long as Patrick remains in the Venture Crew, which he joined after turning 18 this winter.

9. I took a walk by myself this morning. Thirty minutes of silence broken only by an occasional "ohio gozaimas" exchange of greeting with passing neighbors. It was foggy and cool as I passed their dewey gardens, paused to watch rushing streams of irrigation flooding the rice fields, and peeked into ghostly greenhouses now partially open to harden the tiny rice shoots for planting. The sun was fairly high at 6:45, but it didn't burn off the fog that rolled in waves over garden and field and road from the Pacific 2 km away. Our sunrise is now around 4 a.m.

I guess I should be grateful that Meghan is still sleeping until 5.

Blessings all.

Suffering...and Mercy...and Truth

Fr. Z has posted a homily given at the Basilica of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C. on the occasion of the 5th anniversary of the pontificate of His Holiness Benedict XVI:

For those in the world, obedience is a burden and an imposition. It is the way by which the powerful force the powerless to do obeisance. Simply juridical and always external, obedience is the bending that breaks, but a breaking which is still less painful than the punishment meted out for disobedience. Thus for those in the world obedience is a punishment which must be avoided; but for Christians, obedience is always personal, because it is centered on Christ. It is a surrender to Jesus Whom we love.

For those whose lives are centered in Christ, obedience is that movement which the heart makes when it leaps in joy having once discovered the truth.

--Most Reverend Edward J. Slattery, Bishop of Tulsa, OK

Read the entire homily here.

Listen to a podcast here.

You know you've lived in Japan a little while when...

...you have the following conversation with your 22-month-old.

"What doin', Mommy?"

"I'm cooking dinner."

"Curry, Mommy?"

"No, it's yaki soba."

"Yaki soba, Mommy?"

"Yes. Yaki soba."

"Oh. I like it, yaki soba, Mommy."

Apology and an update

I am sorry I haven't posted anything since Holy Saturday. Here's a quick update in words only because for some reason, I can't work with the photos on the laptop right now. Not sure what's going on there, but I will have to wait until my network administrator John can take a look at it this evening.

John: getting called in to work after hours a bit, but enjoying his work; at home: clearing out our garage We can park both vans in there again. (woo hoo!!!)

Judy: filled 30 bags during Lent with Katie, Patrick and John's help, working on 10 more in the Easter season. John's garage cleaning will be the biggest contributor there. :); co-directing 4 scenes (plus a little more) of Hamlet for the homeschool drama club; dealing with cold after cold in various family members since mid-March; working on getting the little ones truly healthy again; keeping my head above water--barely--with teaching, grading, turning in grades, for our homeschool; a couple of Japanese grocery-shopping successes to relate soon

Patrick: enjoying senior year; soccer season--playing mostly mid-field; prom coming up this weekend; finished his last scholarship application; waiting for Notre Dame to send him their financial aid offer; college decision d eadline is May 1

Katie: is 13!--photos of the party forthcoming; mother's help for a neighbor with a new baby and babysitting; soccer: first game was Saturday, they lost but she played well; playing Claudius in Hamlet; having fun with friends

Joseph: swim lessons continue; first soccer game was this weekend, he was playing forward when I saw him after giving the half-time treats to Katie's team and arranging with her coach to give out the after-game treats so I could see a little of Joseph's game before it ended and we hurried back to pick up Katie; playing Osric in Hamlet; honored to be chosen to serve Mass for Archbishop Broglio when he is at St. Jude's (the on-base chapel) for Confirmation in a few weeks

Matthew: has double pneumonia, if that's what they call it when it's in both lungs; it set off an asthma reaction--his first since November, and typical of his version of asthma that appears when he contracts another respiratory illness in the spring or fall; playing a guard in Hamlet; making up plays every day and begging others to be in them, today it is something about pirates--he made a flag for a prop a little earlier and is wearing a large white shirt, rolled up pants with a sword tucked into the belt, and a purple head scarf; Meghan is involved somehow, too.

Meghan: also has pneumonia, but only in one lung; we are grateful to God for the invention of antibiotics, which are resolving these health issues quickly; the pneumonia battle has only been a week for Meghan and 5 days for Matthew; both are much improved; enough to be working on a pirate play, anyway ;)

Tommy: UDallas production of P layboy of the Western World, in which he played one of the main characters: the father of Pegeen (the female character who gets engaged to the p layboy), went very well: awesome set, authentic, period top-hat for his costume; I'm hoping to post photos if we can have permission; classes are going well, he is especially enjoying Chinese history; wedding plans are progressing--hard to believe that is only three and a half months away now.

Tara: tired, but classes are going okay, Tommy tells us; in set-design class, they are working together on the design for someone's senior studio play, which sounds like a fun thing to do; I love that they share a passion for the arts.

Meghan is calling "Yunch-time. I hear it: bell. Yunch-time!!" I am needed in the kitchen.

I promise to write more regularly and get the photo problem fixed so I can add in some pictures.

Hope all is well in your parts of the world. :) Please comment and let us know.

40 Bags in 40 Days

Final Tally for 2010

Bags of Donations: 12
Bags of Trash/Recycling: 18
Repurposed Items: 4

Total Bags Filled: 30
Total Left to Fill: 10

Little prayer for today

Come, Lord, and tarry not.

From A Lenten Calendar 2010

Little prayer for today

We adore Thee, O Christ, and we bless Thee, because by Thy Holy Cross Thou hast redeemed the world.

From A Lenten Calendar 2010