Guest blog by Oob: Say happy 7th birthday to this amazing catfish

He is 7 (equivalently 156) years old. He was supposed to live to 3 years, which would be about 72.

He is ridiculous, how did he live this long?


He is 1 inch and a half!


His species we do not know.

We don't know how he lived this long, but he is still breathing, and he is very alive.


Happy birthday, unnamed catfish.





(DISCLAIMER: We do not actually know if it is his birthday...)

Lent Video Retreat: The Triune God

Lent Video Retreat: Predestination

Poem of the Week: Death, Be Not Proud

Holy Sonnets: Death, be not proud

By John Donne

Death, be not proud, though some have called thee

Mighty and dreadful, for thou art not so;

For those whom thou think'st thou dost overthrow

Die not, poor Death, nor yet canst thou kill me.

From rest and sleep, which but thy pictures be,

Much pleasure; then from thee much more must flow,

And soonest our best men with thee do go,

Rest of their bones, and soul's delivery.

Thou art slave to fate, chance, kings, and desperate men,

And dost with poison, war, and sickness dwell,

And poppy or charms can make us sleep as well

And better than thy stroke; why swell'st thou then?

One short sleep past, we wake eternally

And death shall be no more; Death, thou shalt die.

HT: Poetry Foundation

Fun Stuff for Kids to Do

A while back I was talking with friends about what to do with kids when you are low energy or not feeling well. I mentioned that I kept a list of activities for the kids just for such situations, since I invariably couldn't think of anything on the spot since, you know, I was low energy or not feeling well.  Funny how that works!

They asked me to share the list, so here goes.  Your mileage will vary based on what's fun for you and your kids, and what you have around your house. Some of the activities work for all ages.

Back in the Day!

Little Kids' Activities
Read to the kids
Sandbox (hide small objects in the sand for extra fun)
Bubbles (pretty easy to make a giant bubble wand if you're up for it)
Sidewalk chalk (free draw, draw train tracks or mazes for them, or teach skip counting with lily pads)
Play dough (also edible play dough and textured play dough)
Jello in bathtub (no water, just toddler or older baby with jello - bath time when they are done!)
Bubble bath with shaving cream
Wooden train sets
Blocks
Hammering toys
Finger plays or silly songs (lots of books available)
Crazy Bug Hats
Dress up
"Cooking" with cornmeal, dry beans, ice cubes (as long as you're up for clean up, or outside)
Walks
Backyard scavenger hunts
Finger paint (make sure to save hand prints when they are little!)
Sorting games
Sense games (trying to identify things by touch or smell)
Cardboard box building
Balls
Trucks/cars
Sheet forts
Hide and seek (can hide a plush toy)
Tell me a story

Bigger Kids' Activities
Make puppets (socks, paper bags, popsicle sticks)
Create a play or skit to show you
Make masks
Balloons (balloon rockets, balloon sculptures, objects in balloons)
Pillow fights
Simon says/Statues (everyone freeze looking surprised/angry/sad etc.)
Number playground
Watercolor paint
Drawing/coloring
Paper airplanes/helicopters
Chores (I always liked: Pick up 10 things)
Frisbees
Rube Goldberg contraptions
Snap circuits
Reading time
Legos
Fun Jar
Magnets
Simple sewing (also doing simple mazes with an unthreaded sewing machine was fun)
Random science experiments (I have a lot of random science experiment books)
Board/card games
Plant seeds
Marbles or jacks
Jump rope or hula hoop
Knock knock jokes
Press flowers
Microscope/magnifying glasses

Another thing I did was have themed weeks which helped guide the activities, but I'll do that in another post. I may do yet another post with my favorite random science experiments if anyone is interested (comment if you are).

Lent Video Retreat: Freedom

Lent Video Retreat: Providence

Down the Garden Path

 It's an ill wind that blows no good, as my mother and grandmother used to say.

With a bit more time on our hands at home, we decided to do some household and garden projects.  So far, inside, we've cleaned the dreaded back basement, the office, the fridge, and the deep freeze. 

Outside, we've been doing a lot of weeding and pruning, but, by far, the biggest project to date was terracing the hill in the side garden so that the path and sitting area are level.



Fortunately, Zorg had some experience building paths on hillsides!  He spent a few weeks at Philmont with the Order of the Arrow building hiking trails for scouts.


 Basically, we used installed landscape timbers on the downhill side, then used the mattock to cut the uphill side down to be level with those timbers.  Then we installed more timber on the uphill side as a retaining wall.



Then we tamped everything down and covered the bath with bark.

It looks fantastic, and I am so happy to have that job done!

I still need to do a bit a of weeding in that garden because I have a number of plants coming in that I want to put there.

Lent Video Retreat: God's Will

Happy Feast of the Annuciation!

Annunciation

‘Hail, space for the uncontained God’
From the Agathistos Hymn,

Greece, VIc

We know the scene: the room, variously furnished,
almost always a lectern, a book; always
the tall lily.

       Arrived on solemn grandeur of great wings,
the angelic ambassador, standing or hovering,
whom she acknowledges, a guest.

But we are told of meek obedience. No one mentions
courage.

       The engendering Spirit
did not enter her without consent.

         God waited.

She was free
to accept or to refuse, choice
integral to humanness.

                  ____________________

Aren’t there annunciations
of one sort or another
in most lives?

         Some unwillingly
undertake great destinies,
enact them in sullen pride,
uncomprehending.

More often
those moments
      when roads of light and storm
      open from darkness in a man or woman,
are turned away from

in dread, in a wave of weakness, in despair
and with relief.
Ordinary lives continue.
                                 God does not smite them.
But the gates close, the pathway vanishes.

                  ____________________

She had been a child who played, ate, slept
like any other child–but unlike others,
wept only for pity, laughed
in joy not triumph.
Compassion and intelligence
fused in her, indivisible.

Called to a destiny more momentous
than any in all of Time,
she did not quail,

  only asked

a simple, ‘How can this be?’
and gravely, courteously,
took to heart the angel’s reply,
the astounding ministry she was offered:

to bear in her womb
Infinite weight and lightness; to carry
in hidden, finite inwardness,
nine months of Eternity; to contain
in slender vase of being,
the sum of power–
in narrow flesh,
the sum of light.

                     Then bring to birth,
push out into air, a Man-child
needing, like any other,
milk and love–

but who was God.

This was the moment no one speaks of,

when she could still refuse.

A breath unbreathed,

                                Spirit,

                                          suspended,

                                                            waiting.

                  ____________________

She did not cry, ‘I cannot. I am not worthy,’

Nor, ‘I have not the strength.’

She did not submit with gritted teeth,

                                                       raging, coerced.

Bravest of all humans,

                                  consent illumined her.

The room filled with its light,

the lily glowed in it,

                               and the iridescent wings.

Consent,

              courage unparalleled,

opened her utterly.

By Denise Levertov

HT Ignatian Spirituality

Lent Video Retreat: God's Knowledge

Lent Video Retreat: Naming God

Gospel Dessert Laetare Sunday

This week was Laetare Sunday with it's reminder to "Rejoice always!" and that "Rejoicing in the Lord must be our strength!"

I made some Laetare punch (watermelon Kool Aid with some "bold" ginger ale).


The gospel this week was the one where Jesus cures a man born blind by putting mud on his eyes.

When I drew the Walking with Jesus poster, I planned to have the kids color it in.  I realized that the mud puddle didn't look recognizable, so I decided to color it in myself, lest it be colored something non muddy.

Unfortunately, the kids interpreted it to be a campfire, so they drew it on fire.

Flaming mud puddles of doom!?!

At any rate, the dessert was chocolate pudding to look like mud, and the kids put whipped cream on it to symbolize flames.

Lent Video Retreat: The Divine Attributes

Poem of the Week: Brier

Brier: Good Friday

Because, dear Christ, your tender, wounded arm
      Bends back the brier that edges life's long way,
  That no hurt comes to heart, to soul no harm,
    I do not feel the thorns so much to-day.
  Because I never knew your care to tire,
    Your hand to weary guiding me aright,
  Because you walk before and crush the brier,
    It does not pierce my feet so much to-night.
  Because so often you have hearkened to
     My selfish prayers, I ask but one thing now,
 That these harsh hands of mine add not unto
     The crown of thorns upon your bleeding brow.

 

By EmilyPauline Johnson (Tekahionwake)

HT: All Poetry

Lent Video Retreat: The Five Ways

The Virus Post

I haven't been blogging about this, partly because things have been busy, and partly because... I'm tired of hearing and thinking about it.  But this blog is also a record of our family life, and it's made some dramatic (mostly nice) changes for us.

Everyone is home!  There are ten of us home pretty much all the time!  I'm loving having everyone around: isolation with the 9 people you are closest to is not so bad for me!

A lot of our life is going on as usual: Klenda is home, but she's painting a lot of the time, Zorg and Leena are doing their college work online.Choclo, Oob, and Leena are still getting home schooled.  Mxyl is doing freelance work from home.

And some things are different: the Emperor is home!  He's working on all sorts of small projects.

My mom is doing great, and my dad is doing much better, and the weather has been beautiful.

We're using the extra time to do fun family stuff and also working on a fair number of projects: garden rejuvenation, back basement sorting, and so forth.

On the down side, we are keeping ourselves pretty strictly quarantined.  Most of us would probably weather an infection pretty easily, but my dad is about as high risk as you can get: 82, recovering from pneumonia, Parkinson's, bone marrow cancer (with a suppressed immune system), the residual problems of having had prostate cancer, and now a touch of congestive heart failure.

Trying to make sure that he isn't exposed has been somewhat stressful.  I'm actually less worried since they've shut everything down, but we are only having a minimal number of us out to do essential shopping, and we are all maniacs with hand sanitizer when we are out.

But we've been going on lots of walks and spending lots of time outside, so it doesn't feel too constraining so far.

Lent Video Retreat: Habits

Happy Feast of St. Joseph!

Limbo
By Sr. Mary Ada

The ancient greyness shifted
Suddenly and thinned
Like mist upon the moors
Before a wind.
An old, old prophet lifted
A shining face and said :
“He will be coming soon.
The Son of God is dead;
He died this afternoon.”

A murmurous excitement stirred
All souls.
They wondered if they dreamed ---
Save one old man who seemed
Not even to have heard.

And Moses standing,
Hushed them all to ask
If any had a welcome song prepared.
If not, would David take the task?
And if they cared
Could not the three young children sing
The Benedicite, the canticle of praise
They made when God kept them from perishing
In the fiery blaze?

A breath of spring surprised them,
Stilling Moses’ words.
No one could speak, remembering
The first fresh flowers,
The little singing birds.
Still others thought of fields new ploughed
Or apple trees
All blossom-boughed.
Or some, the way a dried bed fills
With water
Laughing down green hills.
The fisherfolk dreamed of the foam
On bright blue seas.
The one old man who had not stirred
Remembered home.

And there He was
Splendid as the morning sun and fair
As only God is fair.
And they, confused with joy,
Knelt to adore
Seeing that he wore
Five crimson stars
He never had before.

No canticle at all was sung.
None toned a psalm, or raised a greeting song.
A silent man alone
Of all that throng
Found tongue ----
Not any other.
Close to His heart
When the embrace was done,
Old Joseph said,
“How is Your Mother,
How is Your Mother, Son?”

Lent Video Retreat: Powers of the Soul

Wordless Wednesday: Signs of Spring

Lent Video Retreat: Good and Evil

St. Patrick's Day

As you probably know, I love St. Patrick!  But would it really be St. Patrick's Day without this?


or this?

Lent Video Retreat: Moderate Realism

Gospel Desserts Week 2 and 3

 Lenten Sunday 2 had the gospel of the Transfiguration, in which Jesus was transfigured on Mount Tabor, showing His disciples His Divinity.

So I made divinity (the candy).  It went great until I accidentally added an oil based flavoring...  The candy is made to be fluffy and uses beaten egg whites, so that tiny bit of oil turned it from fluffy nougat to... something a bit denser but still tasty.

So I failed in my quest for divinity, I'm sure there's a lesson in there somewhere. Probably.

Week 3's gospel was the woman at the well, a favorite gospel and a favorite dessert!

I didn't have any blue jello on hand so I made it with unflavored gelatin (I joked about making water flavored jello).  I actually used 4teaspoons of powdered gelatin, 1.5 cups of sugar, 3 cups of water and a cup of ginger ale (mixed in after it had started to gel).

It tasted great and was enough to make water for two wells.  The wells are made of rice crispy treats with some chocolate chips swirled into the melted marshmallow mixture.

Lent Video Retreat: Opinion, Doubt, Knowledge

Poem of the Week: Lenten Prayers, Week 3

Lenten Prayers, Week 3
From Thomas Hopko,  
The Lenten Spring (Crestwood, NY: St. Vladimir's Press, 1983), p. 75:

O my gracious Savior,
be my Healer and Redeemer,
and cast me not away.
Raise me up when you see me fallen,
     lying in sin,
since You are all-powerful,
that I may know your deeds and cry out to You:
"Before I perish completely,
     save me, O Lord."


HT: Journey With Jesus

Lent Video Retreat: Three Acts of the Mind

Guest post by Mike: Bird facts 101

Ah, Zoom Times! The place where I get to be famous! I puff, I photo, I fame.
As you can probably tell, A bird's gotta eat, so I has nutriberry sometimes.

Sometimes.



But, I can also scream which attracts their attention! Wonder why I am always put back afterward...


Puffing: Not to be confused with fluffing
The action or doing of ruffling feathers to a warm and calm position. Can be done to symbolize comfort or content.

Fluffing: Not to be confused with puffing
Shaking all excess dust and loose feathers off.
Can also symbolize feeling safe.

Scruffiness: Appears on feathers after being 'Instantly neutralized.' meaning holding said birds neck lightly. almost never done now.

Good to know all that, yes? So let's try for some warnings.

Hissing:  A sign that the bird wants t be left alone, or that you are mistreating it.
See also: Raging.

Raging: Angrily scraping beak across subject and making broken stereo noises.
Only used when you are actively hurting the bird. watch out for excess biting.
See also: Hissing.

Flapping wings: Very angry. Usually followed by hissing or raging.
Can also be a sign of fear.

That was also nice to know. Call all those warnings No-ing. as in no.
DO NOT SPELL AS 'NOING'.

Let's go happy.

Heart wings: Followed by singing or jabbering, Means your bird likes it.
Usually via tissue power. See also: Singing, Jabbering.

Singing: Usually done while having heart shaped wings,
Can be taught via whistling a tune enough. Usually preluded by jabbering.
See also: Heart wings.

Jabbering: Usually preludes singing, What the bird hears when you talk.
Can be taught by having conversations near your bird.
See also: Singing.


Thank you, one and all! thank you very much!

Lent Video Retreat: Analogy

Cells at Work

We have binge watched this immunology anime twice over the last few weeks - it's amazing!  It's only 13 episodes of about 20 minutes each and we would do 2-3 episodes a day.

As someone who worked on killer T cells, helper T cells, immunological approaches to cancer, and B cells, all I can say is: WOW!  It's so fun and so incredibly accurate!  Not only are they showing and telling you how the immune system and blood cells work, there is just so much real stuff going on in the background!

My favorite example is when they show the red blood cells "graduating" from the bone marrow.  They lose the pompom on their cute little red hats to show they are "mature."  Well, guess what?  That's the point in their life cycle where the immature red cells lose the ball shaped nucleus and take on their usual shape- the shape of the hat all the working red blood cells wear!

It's just phenomenally clever like that, while also being fantastically entertaining.  I will say, they play up the violence on the death of bacteria, so I'd recommend it to kids 12 and up if they're sensitive.  The first episode is a good guide to what it's like.

It is currently on Netflix and Crunchy Roll.  We watched it subtitled, but it's available with English dubs also.

Lent Video Retreat: Primary and Secondary Causes

Wordless Wednesday Early Spring in the Arboetum

Lent Video Retreat: Teleology

Lent Video Retreat: The Four Causes

Lent Video Retreat: Substance and Accidents

Poem of the Week: Batter My Heart...

Holy Sonnets: Batter my heart, three-person'd God

By John Donne

Batter my heart, three-person'd God, for you

As yet but knock, breathe, shine, and seek to mend;

That I may rise and stand, o'erthrow me, and bend

Your force to break, blow, burn, and make me new.

I, like an usurp'd town to another due,

Labor to admit you, but oh, to no end;

Reason, your viceroy in me, me should defend,

But is captiv'd, and proves weak or untrue.

Yet dearly I love you, and would be lov'd fain,

But am betroth'd unto your enemy;

Divorce me, untie or break that knot again,

Take me to you, imprison me, for I,

Except you enthrall me, never shall be free,

Nor ever chaste, except you ravish me.

HT: Poetry Foundation

Image  of Lenten Roses from my garden

Lent Video Retreat: Nature and Natures

Lent Video Retreat: Universals and Particulars

Lent Video Retreat: The Real Distinction

Wordless Wednesday: Pautuxent Wildlife Refuge

Lent Video Retreat: Essence and Existence

Lent Video Retreat: Form and Matter

Gospel Dessert: Temptation in the Dessert and More Lent

This Sunday's Gospel was the temptation of Jesus in the desert, after which he was cared for by angels.

Angel food cake!

Just angel food cake this time, unlike previous years when I gave the kids the choice between angel's food cake and devil's food cake...

In other news, we got our vine and branches up, as well as our Walking With Jesus poster.

And we've started the scripture cross over our lenten altar.

Because Choclo is preparing for his Confirmation, we're also trying
to focus on the gifts of the Holy Spirit this Lent.

He "opens" one gift each week and we try to find how Jesus uses it in the Gospel and how we can use it in our lives