Dress code

Last week my son went on the school band trip.  They went to a beach town, so you know the trip was full of scholarly and serious musical activities.  One of the activities on the band trip was a cruise.  A very scholarly cruise, no doubt.

Before the trip, Son got an e-mail with instructions about the cruise.  He said, “Mom, it says here that appropriate dress for the cruise is ‘slacks and a polo shirt.’  What is that?”

I said, “Slacks are pants that are nicer than cargo pants or jeans.  They don’t have to be as nice as the pants that go with your suit, but if you don’t have anything besides cargo pants you’ll have to take your suit pants.  A polo shirt is a shirt with a collar and three buttons going down.  If you don’t have one, find a shirt with a collar and without words on it.”

Son:  “Why are they called ‘slacks’?”  

I did not have an answer for that, but I said, “Maybe if you washed and ironed a pair of cargo pants that is not all raggedy, they would be sufficient.  Barely.”   This is an unfair request for me to make, because I never iron anything.  It is my 11^th commandment.

I was about to say he should call Dad and ask to borrow a polo shirt, but Son’s next utterance took us in a different direction.  “Can I use the car?”

Me:  “Where will you be going?”

Son: “Around.  Here and there.” 

Me:  “Be back by 5:30 so I can take Youngest Daughter to Hebrew School on time.”

Reader, he went shopping for clothes.  Progress is being made.  Perhaps soon we will be ready to dine with the queen.  Or even take a cruise with the queen!

Why I am embarrassed

I am embarrassed to have to say this, but I am the citizen of a nation which could not pass watered down, basic, namby-pamby legislation to require background checks for gun purchases.  

Come on, Senators. You can do better than this.

Back in February I wrote to the Distinguished Gentleman from Pennsylvania, my senator, asking for more extensive legislation on gun control, and expected nothing to come of it, because the few times I have written to politicians, that’s what I have gotten.  I was pleasantly surprised (shocked is more like it, actually) when he and Sen. Manchin from our neighboring state put together at least something.

I am not against citizens lawfully owning guns. My son is eager to go to a shooting range next weekend with his Scout troop, and I am fine with that, even pleased with that.   In many areas a gun is necessary for self-protection, because law enforcement is too far away or too understaffed to respond in a timely manner – I understand that.  But I do know that allowing people to buy a gun without checking out whether they have a criminal record is just lunacy.  For God’s sake, I practically have to fill out a police report just to buy certain over-the-counter medicine.  Yes, it’s true that rigamarole to buy pseudoephedrine doesn’t prevent every single meth head from getting his hands on the stuff, but it makes it a whole lot harder.  Same thing goes for background checks on gun purchasers.

The reason we have come to this ludicrous situation is because gun manufacturers and their money have a stranglehold on our legislators.  Fifty-four senators had the guts to vote against that power.  Forty-six were cowards who voted based on fear-mongering and lies.

My thoughts are not primarily in response to the “crazed-guy-with-gun” events that get so much newsplay.  People are being gunned down every day in cities around our country, with very little outcry.  I sadly suspect our citizenry’s apathy is because both the perpetrators and victims of those crimes often have dark skin.  It’s true that I live far away from that scene, so I don’t speak of it with personal experience, but over time those crimes kill far more people than the events that spark news fury.  Then there are gun suicides.  Yeah, there are other ways to accomplish that, but a gun in the house makes it more likely to happen if the inclination is there. 

For the citizens of our cities and the citizens with suicidal depression, we need to make background checks the law of the nation.  To do less is embarrassing.

Here’s a link and an address for those who are interested….

Mayors Against Illegal Guns

909 Third Avenue, 15th Floor

New York, NY 10022

Buds and Branches

Now this is more like it.

Almost!  Almost!   (azalea bud)

So many buds!  A big improvement over two years ago.

Bare branches.  I just love fractalization.

Hmm.  Dead tomato plant branches are not so pretty.

Forsythia hedge!

Slightly blurry lilac buds.  

The red bush whose name I don't know.

Rabbit refectory.  Sorry, we're all out of crocuses.  Maybe next year.

Today Youngest Daughter said to me, "I hate spring!"

I said, "Why?"

She said, "Because you always take photos.  And you make me go outside and look at flowers."

I am such a terrible beast of a mother.

Things that happen in the night

You would think the world is asleep at 4 a.m., but it is bustling with activity.  This morning, the Common Household Son and I were up at that hour.  I took him (and the neighbor) to the high school, whence they left for their annual band trip.  The band directors claim the bands will be in a competition, but they are really just going to hang out at the beach. 

At 4:15, before we left for the high school, I checked our flowers.  My husband planted some bulbs yesterday, expertly timing the planting to get them in before the evening thunderstorm.  

Crocuses, by the mailbox (near the street)

Tulips, planted near the house

This includes a self-portrait of the Common Household Mom.

I have not planted tulips for years, because the last time I did, they were eaten overnight.  Astute readers will note that these tulips are just to the left of the spot where my hydrangea stick (of blessed memory) was put in the ground last year.  

At 4:15 this morning, the tulips were still there.   There is no sign of any hydrangea, but I remain hopeful.

Flower check at 4:15 a.m.  Still intact.

On the way to the high school, we saw a conglomeration of bright but small lights, about 6 feet off the ground, bobbing up and down along the road.  Invasion by aliens?  No – closer scrutiny revealed it to be the running team, out for practice.  They were wearing headlamps such as one might wear for caving.  I revised my idea about suggesting to Youngest Daughter that she try track and field.  She would be happy to go running in the dark at, say 1 a.m., but I think 4 a.m. gets into her grumpy time.  By 7 a.m. it’s full-fledged grumpiness for her.

The high school was a beehive.  Many parents go on these band trips as chaperones, and they have my utmost respect and thanks for doing a job that I could never do.  I was grateful to be able to go back home and crawl in bed.

When I finally got up for breakfast, my husband said, “Did you see what happened to our flowers last night?  They've been eaten.” 

I doubted.  I told him how I had proof that the tulips were still there. “Maybe some of the flower petals fell off because the rain pelted them.”

He said, “Well, we might as well have had a sign in the garden that said ‘The Cafeteria is Open’ because somebody ate the flowers.  You go out and look for yourself.”

I did, and this is what I saw. 

"Delectable Desserts for Furry Night Critters"
Only one left!

The tulips are still intact, but the crocuses, which we planted by the mailbox, were last night’s dessert.  It might have been Bambi, but we suspect this guy: 

  

R.I.P., pretty crocuses.

Proof of Spring, Inside

And now photographs of spring indoors.

- Still life of Apple Pie with Milk -

Maybe this is not strictly related to spring but it is a sign
of joy anyway because my Mom felt active enough to
make this pie with Youngest Daughter.

Setting up to dye Easter eggs.

Not a happy bunny. That's YD giving me her best evil eye.

We dyed 30 eggs in all.

A ritual of spring: serving gefilte fish.  Extra points for
having the nerve to serve it right next to the ham salad.

See, it was intentional!

Proof of Spring, Outside

Here is photographic proof that spring is occurring at least somewhere.  That somewhere is Maryland, to be exact.

- The sign reads:  CONTAINS NUTS -
We begin with the sign my son felt compelled to put on
 the back of our car, as we were packing to leave
 Western PA to head to Maryland.
That white stuff is called SNOW. 

Upon our arrival, first we noticed these.
Every day that we were there, more of these opened up.

About to burst forth.

Last time I was there, these looked miserable with cold.

I do like bare branches against the sky.  But I am
willing to give that up for some warmer days.

One of the individuals living in the body of water my mom
 calls "Lake Maybe" which is really a drainage pond.

The spouse of the above bird?

Not a forsythia.  A truffula tree, maybe?

Sun! Flowing water! Green grass!  Teens outside!

Tiny white flowers.  Beauty itself.

These buds are pointing to the sky, asking for just a bit more warmth.

Check back tomorrow for proof of spring, the Inside Edition.

Books Lying Around

In lieu of an actual post, I bring you a list of what I’ve been reading/ plan to read. 

From the library:

Quiet : the power of introverts in a world that can't stop talking, by Susan Cain.  Everything you wanted to know about introverts but were afraid to ask.  The human personality is a complicated thing.  Is it possible to reduce it to these categories?  I am not sure about the generalizations of whole nations being introverted or extraverted.  But it is good to read a book which validates the way I operate in the world.  I actually finished this book.

Deception On His Mind by Elizabeth George.   This author was recommended by Cassi on her blog.  I’m just starting it.  I like the writing and the characters so far.  My main difficulty is that the actual book is heavy and partly falling apart, so it’s hard to read in bed.  I have such a tough life.

Murder Carries A Torch : a Southern sisters mystery, by Anne George.   I haven’t started this one yet.  It was on the shelf near the books by Elizabeth George.  I tend to like books that have “Southern” in the description.  There are little old ladies on the cover.  We'll see.

How to Read the Bible For All Its Worth by Gordon D. Fee and Douglas Stuart.  The Bible is full of word play, so the word play in this book’s title is well-placed.  I’m reading this in preparation for a Bible study we’re starting. Pretty soon it’s going to be all Exodus all the time for me.  I love it.

From Dad’s Library:

Reversed Thunder: The Revelation of John and the Praying Imagination by Eugene H. Peterson.  A very helpful explanation of one of the most enigmatic and upsetting books in the Bible.

On the Kindle:

Things Fall Apart, by Chinua Achebe.  The most famous author I had never heard of, until he died and NPR published an obituary.  It’s kind of a falsehood to lump all of Africa together, but supposedly he was one of Africa’s most famous and beloved authors.  I read the first chapter last week, and am intrigued.

The United States Constitution, by a bunch of Dead White Males.  Great bedtime reading. 

This reading list is brought to you by Vertigo. It’s back and I’m on antibiotics.  I plan to lie around reading a lot.