There’s an ugly rumor going around.  (no, he’s not the ugly rumor…….)

You know, when he was born he was quite cute.  (I’m going to really hear about that comment)

Some one is on his way home from the other side of the world and he has plans to smoke his youngest brother. 

Even as we speak he is on a plane and with his free time he is coming up with a plan of attack.

Push-ups, supine bicycles, running miles, ruck marches.  You name it he has it planned for you.

Head for the hills Matthew.  Run, Hide.  Get out of town.  I hear he’s tough on young privates. 

Maybe we can feed him up so much that he will be too full to do any PT.  Nail his size 14 army boots to the floor that might help.

I just came home from going to the movies with Matthew and Mary-Kate.  As you can tell from the title we went to see Prince Caspian.  It has been more years than I wish to admit since I read the books so I am not going to make a judgment about whether it followed the book and that is neither here nor there.  I have taught my children from a very young age to never expect a movie made from a book to expect any strict adherance to the book.  Today don’t expect any adherance to the book.  Usually I would make them read the book first before I let them see any movie that came from a book.  But, anyway that is not what this post is about.

The movie is well made as today’s movies go and of course since it is about saving a country and the conflicts that go with it there is violence.  So if one is expecting to be spared violence, don’t go to see the movie.  I don’t mind violence in a movie as long as it is appropriate to the story line and as long as it is not over done or gratuitous.  This was neither.  Although the battle scenes seemed to go on longer than I liked but that is because I am a girl I guess.  (that is how my boys used to explain it to me when they were young).  There was some magic in the movie so if that bothers you don’t go for that reason also.  That too doesn’t bother me if it is not overdone and is magic and not evil and bringing about the powers of the devil.  There is one questionable scene in there where they do have the evil white witch called back but she is seem for who she is and Edmund dispatches her quickly.  Anyway, again this is not a movie review.

My one major objection is not to this movie alone.  Why must movie makers in general bring in the inappropriate?  The movie is going along just fine but they must interject little bits of tension between Susan and Prince Caspian throughout the whole film.  That little bit of sexual awareness and tension is so inappropriate and not necessary.  During the picture my daughter turned and looked at me and grimaced when she noticed that the Prince was noticing Susan in a certain way.  Why do they have to have the Prince have a crush on Susan?  Good question.  Then at the end when they leave instead of just saying good-bye and maybe shaking hands or just hugging if they have to do something more, no they have to kiss.  Not a quick kiss or a kiss on the cheek, but a long romantic kiss.  One that doesn’t belong. 

This is not a movie about teenage love or anything like that.  This movie contains purity and nobility and honor.  The brothers of the female characters in the movie do a lovely job of protecting their sisters honor and physical selves.  Why must the makers of this movie allow the older of the two girls give up a little of her honor by giving that kiss to that boy that she hardly knows, there in public? 

Am I getting old and maybe old-fashioned?  It is a shame that the values that CS Lewis knew and taught both overtly and subtly in his books were not kept to in this movie.

After having put together the trampoline, finished planting the garden, getting out the rest of the lawn furniture and other pre-summer activities like that.  And since it was clouding up and threatening to rain and thunder and lightning.  I decided to let the troops take showers and have the rest of the afternoon off.  Besides the drill sergeant was tired from working so hard herself.

First, Matthew decided to try out the trampoline.  I had to hide behind the fence on the deck and to take these pictures.  He’s camera shy don’t you know. (NOT!!!!)

Mary-Kate opted for the more restful posture of sitting on the hammock and reading her book. 

Finally, Matthew tired of exerting himself and found a comfortable place and burried himself in his book.  Again I had to hide in order to be able to take his picture. 

I have never been able to grow Climatis vines.  I have always wanted to but every one that I have ever planted has died.  Then I found the secret, at least for me.  I always buy the sickly ones now.  I go to the garden store and find the ones that look like they are on their last legs and get them, literally. 

This happened quite by accident but it has worked and why argue with success.  A few years ago I had to have surgery on my elbows and and while I was in the hospital a friend brought me a climatis in a pot.  Well, not only was it too early to put it in the ground but I was physically unable to plant it.  So it sat in the pot in the house until my cast off.  By the time it could go in the ground it was pittiful looking.  But I planted it anyway.  This is what it looks like today.  Since then I have purchased five others like it and they are all thriving and flowering and looking as beautiful as this.  So my secret is to get the nasty ones.  Oh, also, cliamtis like full sun but like their feet to stay cool so I have a hosta plant planted at the base of each one.  That may help too. 

June fourth of this year is my 25th wedding anniversary.  My husband has already given me my gift.  I have been trying for awhile to think of something to get for him that he would enjoy but I was having a difficult time.  My husband is easy and difficult to please all at the same time.  Then on Wednesday when Matthew and I were out shopping we came across this statue of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and I knew that is was just the thing to get for Douglas.                                                                                                                                                                                                

I also knew just where to put it and how to make things look.  So we bought it and went to the garden store and then got home and set to work.  Next to our pool deck is the lovely fountain that the children got me for mother’s day.  There is a beautiful walk that Adam started for me and Matthew has continued building this spring.  There is also a stone wall that Adam built by my vegetable garden and the hedge of Rose of Sharon that Jason has put in that goes along the side of the ravine that runs along the side of our yard.

We put in rose bushes and some lovely annuals.  Beside the deck is a new Climatis vine that I put in this spring which already has some blossoms on it and a new Hydrangea.  Today being the Feast of the Sacred Heart, Matthew and I took the statue to morning Mass and had Father Castronovo bless it.

Now Doug will be able to sit on the bench that Ian built by the garden on a Sunday afternoon and enjoy the fountain that the children gave to us.  He can listen to and look at the birds at Mary-Kate’s feeders and enjoy the gardens.  He can think of Adam and Matthew when he looks at the walk and the lovely stone wall.  He will remember Jason when he smells the roses on the Rose of Sharon and think of Ryan when he is appreciating the beauty of the pool and the deck that he and Adam built.  What a perfect spot for their father to sit and relax.

Last week I asked for prayers for my cousin Kay.  She has been very sick this week and the dr.’s think that it is bronchitis.  However she is not getting any better inspite of antibiotics and excellent care rendered by yours truly.  So today I am taking her back to the dr. and we are going to see if they cannot do a little more investigating to find out what is going on with our girl.  This is all very much unlike our Kay.  She is usually as healthy as a horse (to quote her).  Not even the nice sunny days that we have had have not tempted her outside.  So I will take her and demand that the dr. make my Kay better.  Maybe if a throw a tantrum?

Yesterday we celebrated a little bit of little town Memorial Day.  After we got out of morning Mass we had a call from Ian saying that because he was in the volunteer fire department he would be marching in three parades.  We decided to ride our bikes up to town to watch the parade and to see Ian.  Why is this so spacial you may ask?  All the time that my father-in-law was alive we had to work on Memorial Day so we never really went to the parades or celebrated the day much.  We remembered it and prayed for our beloved dead and all who had sacrificed to keep our freedoms free, but we had always worked on this day in the past.

At the parade we saw soldiers marching with flags. 

We saw our favorite and most handsome fire fighter.

Every parade needs a marching band.  This one belongs to our local public high school.

Of course in a small town in which farming is the major business there has to be tractors.

Here is one of the many fire trucks.  Too bad you can’t hear the sirens and the horns honking.

Best of all you see babys in strollers.  No parade would be complete without a street lined with moms and dads with their young cildren and their babys in strollers.  This is why our young men have gone and go to fight.  They fight to protect our freedom to line the streets and celebrate days like Memorial Day and other days like the Fourth of July.  They fight so that we can have picnics and cook hot dogs and hamburgers.  They fight so that we can sleep in our beds at night and rest easy knowing that tomorrow we will still be free.  They fight so that our young cildren can ride their bikes and can blow bubbles and do all that young kids do to help them grow up big and strong. 

Direct, O Lord, all our actions and further us by thy holy inspirations. That every prayer and work may begin from thee and by thee be happily ended.  Amen.

God bless America.

This was the big weekend at Holy Cross Academy.  The cast and crew of Seussical the Musical performed Friday, Saturday, and Sunday evenings.  As we speak our Who Mrs. Charmichael Knox is at the cast party having a good time.  

It was a rare treat to see my daughter on stage.  Her brother called from Afghanistan and she got to pour out her excitement to him which was special to her.  He sailor brother called during the show this evening and I spoke to him after the show.  He is, of course, very proud of his sister.  And her oldest brother was able to attend. 

Our very own who, Mrs. Carmichael Knox performed beautifully.

 Our good friend Nick Williams played Horton the elephant.  Brilliantly I might add. 

 Gertrude McFuzz was played by the sister of one of my former students Joy Droz.

Two of the Wickersham Brothers, Joshua Vanderhoof and Cody Watson.  They were great also.

Now everyone needs to figure out what they are going to do in their spare time?

This is my cousin Kay.  She is like a classic car.  A beauty to look at, full of old storys and nostalgia.  But don’t kick her tires or drive her too fast lest something happen to her engine.  You have to baby it a little. 

This morning I came home from Mass and Kay had called.  When I called her back I just caught her going out the door.  A friend was taking her to the ER.  She was not feeling the best and when she had coughed a big cough she had coughed up a quantity of blood.  Now Kay is no shrinking violet.  She is the last of five sisters and a brother.  She just burried her last sister in 2005.  In this area we are the only blood relative that we have so we kind of like to stick together.  She sounded shook up when I talked to her but she forbad me to come to the hospital with her and promised that her friend would call to let me know what was going on. 

So I am asking all of you to pray for my Kay ’cause I love her dearly and I cannot imagine the world without her quirky sense of humor and her love so freely given.  Thanks.