Sundry Thoughts

The DHM has been regaling us with descriptions of the whimsical and loving lunches she sometimes fixes for her honey, the HM. Mr. Honey and I enjoyed reading them. They remind me of the lunch descriptions in _Bread and Jam for Frances_. Mr. Honey works from his van all day, and so has cold lunches. When he can get me out of bed to fix them. I am sorry to say that I no longer cheerfully jump out of bed before the sun each new morning, but hit the snooze until he quietly says, "I could sure use some sandwiches this morning." And he does not receive dried pineapple stars or heart shaped salsa, but considers himself blessed if I shun the boring bologna and lunch meat for chicken, tuna or egg salad with relish. On whole wheat sandwich bread. He even eats the crusts.

The point, of course, is not whether your husband or my husband has the more lovey lunch. It is whether you are thinking to do the little lovey things to show your honey that you love him. Mr. Honey assures me that I do that. I think I still fall short, but tonight I found out that I am his favorite local barista.

Hmm. Guess I'd better stock up on some holiday blends and whipped cream. The real stuff, of course.

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I studied 20th Century History in high school. So why did it take me until now to realize that so much of what is confusing about the latter 20th century becomes easier to understand when one reads about the end of World War I and the Treaty of Versailles? Even the events of today become a little clearer. Ah, history. A noble study. A wise man once told me that the only thing you can say about history is that it is interesting. I respectfully add that there is one other thing: it is good for a little more clarity on why all these people, leaders and otherwise, feel justified in acting the way they do. The Bible is even better for this, but (the rest of) history provides clues as well.

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"We didn't get to see the lawyer today, Daddy. They were closed." So said Mariel and Triss this evening as they played legos comfortably on the floor. These lawyers sent us a letter threatening foreclosure for repeated errors made by our mortgage company in trying to pay last year's tax bills. Two tax bills, which must be sent to two different addresses in two different cities, a complication that has proven too involved for the payment process of the mortgage company. I have been on the phone with the mortgage company several times in the past year trying to get this situation resolved. When I received the alarming notice from the tax lawyers (I guess that's what you call'em) this afternoon, I tried calling and got voicemail. Which was full. And advised me to call back later. So, not wanting the grass to grow under my feet with this awful pink piece of paper in my hand, I piled the kids in the car and drove to town to talk face to face. Of course, they were closed for Veteran's Day. No information about this on the voicemail.

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Go read Melissa's adventure with the dogs. Highly diverting. And we are glad everyone is safe.

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Tiger Tails: We have been playing this the past couple of days. You need a sock for each player and a nice place to chase each other. We use our front yard. Each person tucks an end of her sock into her waistband and finds a place to stand. The leader counts, "1-2-3-go!" and on the word "go" the players attempt to take each other's socks without having their own socks taken. If a person's sock gets taken she can still try to take others' socks. The last person left with sock in place is the winner. It doesn't sound like much of a game, but I get an aerobic workout from it. Triss recommends that you avoid areas where people might trip over obstacles or fall in holes and hurt themselves. This is experience talking. Cornflower advises you not to be disappointed if you lose because everyone loses sometimes, and sometimes little people do win. Mariel suggests that if you want to make it more exciting, allow your pet bunny to roam the grass and require everyone to keep an eye on her during the game so she doesn't go out of the yard. Today the girls attempted to corner and overwhelm me with their superior numbers, but I used my wits and was able to take each of their tails singlehandedly without losing mine. He he he. We found this game in Homeschool Family Fitness.

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We watched "The Princess Bride" tonight. That is such a good movie. The bad guys are just so evil and cowardly, and the good guys are so brave. And witty. And laid back. And resourceful. I think Inigo and Fezzik are my favorite characters, though they are on the wrong side in the beginning. But my favorite line tonight was when Inigo said, "Who are you?" and Westley said, "No one of consequence." Inigo insists, "I must know," and Westley smiles and doesn't miss a beat: "Get used to disappointment." (Of course, my all-time favorite line in The Princess Bride is "You keep using that word..." But I have all-time favorites and this-time favorites. I think that's allowed.)

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Spunky is spreading the word about a new record-breaking effort that involves Charlotte's Web. It sounds fun.