7 Quick Takes, Volume 48

--1--

I've gotten hooked on a new TV show.

Well, not new, exactly; it's One Tree Hill, and it ran for nine seasons: the first episode aired in 2003, and the show ended (at least I'm pretty sure it isn't coming back) just this past spring.  It tells the story of a group of teenagers (and the adults in their lives) in a small fictional North Carolina town.  My family teases me, because they know the reason I started watching the show in the first place is because I learned that Gavin DeGraw's song "I Don't Wanna Be" is the theme song; and if you listen carefully you just might on occasion hear strains from some of his tunes.  (And you may even get a rare glimpse of Gavin himself; more on that later.) 

I've only seen the first season and a few episodes from Season Two, and I will say that so far, even though there are some things that bug me about it (like, it seems to be a given that teenagers are going to drink and have sex; plus everyone is thin and glamorous and no one has acne), there are--so far--a lot of good things about the show, too.  It seems to be geared mostly toward the teenage crowd, and it could spark some great conversations between parents and kids (although my boys aren't the least bit interested in watching it with me--and it might be more suited for older teens anyway).   Some of the positive messages I've seen are:  


1. Sex isn't something to be taken lightly.  There are consequences, and it's important to be aware of them and to be prepared to deal with them.  And it's perfectly okay NOT to have sex.  
2.  Listen to your parents.  They're not perfect; adults make mistakes too, but there is much to learn from their knowledge and experience.  I really like the fact that the kids on the show treat the adults with respect.  3.  A main plot line on the show is a man who fathered two children as a teenager and is struggling to figure out how to be a dad to both of them.  In one episode it's revealed that he wanted one of the mothers to have an abortion, and the young man is devastated when he learns he might never have been born.  When the boy learns that his girlfriend might be pregnant, he agonizes over what might happen and it's clear that abortion would not necessarily be a good choice.  


Plus the actors are good, and the coastal North Carolina setting gives it a nice A Walk To Remember kind of feel.

I still have nearly eight more seasons left to watch (THANK YOU, NETFLIX!!) and it's possible that my thoughts and opinions about the show will change as I go; but I'm looking forward to losing myself even further in the lives of the residents of Tree Hill.  And if you've seen the show and want to share your feelings about it with me, I'd love to hear them! (Just try to keep spoilers to a minimum, please!)

--2--

Of course the DeGraw Factor is a fun bonus; when Gavin first shows up in Tree Hill he's like, twenty-six, but he probably could pass for one of the teens on the show...

Methinks I'll be seeing more of Gavin, and hearing lots more of his music, too. 

--3--

Changing the subject...can I ask for your prayers for a difficult family situation?  I won't reveal details here but some people who I love very much are going through some really tough times right now.  And it's breaking my heart because they live so far away.  Could you please pray for this special intention?  Thanks so much!

--4--

Speaking of people I love very much, my brother and his wife are expecting their first baby!  We are all very excited.  My sister-in-law is due in late December, and they couldn't be happier.  If you could keep them and their unborn child in your prayers, I (and they) would be grateful!

--5--

-

Between the 100-plus degree heat and the crazy storms we've had around here lately, it's been an interesting few weeks, weather wise.  I actually was on the verge of taking Larry to the emergency room a couple of weeks ago when he got dehydrated and overheated at his outdoor adventure camp; fortunately once I got him home into the air conditioning and he rested with a Gatorade in one hand and the TV remote in the other, he was fine.  Then, that very night, came the infamous DERECHO OF DOOM that knocked out our power for a good part of the weekend.  We were fortunate;  no trees came down on our house, and the only evidence of damage we found was one roof shingle that was lying on the deck the next morning.  Lots of people in our area lost power for a week or more, had trees smash into their living rooms, and all kinds of horrible stuff.  (Check out Ginny's blog for an account of their ordeal.  Ginny amazes me sometimes the way she can make the best of a bad situation.)  This week? The weather (except for one bizarre thunderstorm that knocked down a couple of buildings not too far from here) has been BEAUTIFUL.

--6--

It hasn't been too hot and stormy for the critters!

(I snapped this one right before I chased them off.  I did NOT want to witness a cat fight right next to my house, thank you very much.)

(A much more mellow kitty)

(An even more mellow doggy)

...And, of course, the heat didn't stop the Joe and boys from putting on a private fireworks show in the driveway for the Fourth!

--7--

Finally I have a few links to share with you:

--I've been busy on my other blog, Cooking Nick's Books.  Check out these Brazilian Chicken Cutlets I made last week, and the bacon pancakes I cooked just the other night. 

--If you missed it, you can read this post, in which I reminisce about a Buddy Guy concert we attended 20 years ago.  The best concert EVER. 

(Buddy had a show last night at Wolf Trap.  Sadly we had to skip it.  There was a swim meet.)

--And are you on Goodreads?  I joined that networking site for book lovers several years ago when I was part of an online book discussion group.  Recently I've started using the site again to log and rate the books I'm reading, and I've even written the occasional review.  Last week I reviewed a memoir by the racing legend Alex Zanardi, who lost both of his legs in a racing accident in 2001.  You can read that review here; and while you're at it, why not become my Goodreads Friend?  That way we can each see what the other is reading.

--Finally, Jenn Fulwiler, our 7 Quick Takes hostess with the Mostest, published a GREAT piece earlier this week recalling the way she explained the Catholic Church's teachings regarding marriage to a friend who is gay.  I bookmarked it on my computer and I've got a good mind to memorize it. 

Larry has been with Joe's parents in Williamsburg for the last few days.  It's amazing how much more quiet our house has been with just Curly and Moe here.  We get him back this weekend.  I miss him.  (Good grief, what am I going to do when the boy goes off to COLLEGE?)

For more Quick Takes, visit Jenn's Conversion Diary blog.  Have a wonderful weekend!

7 Quickish Takes, Volume 47

ONE

We spent a wonderful Father's Day at my in-laws' in Williamsburg.  Did you know that my mother-in-law is the gardening queen?  When Joe was growing up they ate fresh vegetables from their garden every summer.  (This is why he won't touch beets today.  He had too many of them when he was a kid).  When Joe and I met, Queen MIL (aka "Grandma B") had a pretty extensive herb garden, which is somewhat scaled back these days.  But her flowers--wow.  Recently her housing development hosted its own Garden Week tours, and hers was one of the featured gardens.  Here's why:

And we played several rounds of Cornhole, (Otherwise known as Beanbag Toss.  Did you know there is an official Cornhole Association, and that they have an annual tournament in Nashville?) and I ended up beating the pants off everybody most of the time.  I declared myself the Cornhole Queen. Hmm, I haven't been to Nashville in a long time...

(For more photos of Grandma B's garden, click here.)


TWO

I'm still figuring out how to use my new DROID 4 phone, and a few of things I discovered this past week about the camera feature are 1. There is a forward-facing option.  Sweet!  I did not know this when I bought it. 2.  There are different settings on it, like for taking black-and white photos and giving them a negative effect (I haven't tried these yet). 3.  I had my flash turned off for the first two weeks that I had my new phone.  DOH!!  Had I known, well, THIS...

...could have been an AWESOME picture of Gavin DeGraw.  SIGH... Ah, well.  Next time, Gavin... next time.

(For more blurry pictures of Gavin, click here.)

THREE

Not long ago I made Gavin DeGraw's song "Chariot" my phone's ringtone (for my old phone AND my new one), and I even set it to be my alarm when I wake up in the morning.  Well, after seeing Gavin in concert I had such a case of Gavin Fever that I even put up a photo of his Sweeter album cover as my wallpaper.  

On a recent morning when I went to check my messages and such, I heard myself say, "Good morning, Gavin."  That was when I decided it was time for new wallpaper.  Now I have this:

And guess what?  I like it better.  I think I'm slowly returning to normal.   (I still have my "Chariot" ringtone.  I think I'll keep that one for a while.)

(YouTube must randomly pick stills from videos when you embed them in your post.  This shot of Gavin is even worse than my too-dark one from Take #2.)


FOUR

In an earlier post, I posted this photo of a mama bird sitting on her nest, right above our front door.  

Last week, here's what we found:

I haven't seen any activity since I climbed up on a stepladder to take that photo; I hope I didn't scare the mother away from her babies.  Other critters I've seen recently in my yard:

(This cat was trying real hard to get me to like it.)

(I know some of you don't like spiders; I think they're fascinating, as long as they're OUTSIDE.)

FIVE

Today is the feast day of St. John Fisher and St. Thomas More, and that means...Let the Fortnight for Freedom Begin!!  Hooray for the United States bishops for speaking out for religious liberty.  I honestly don't think many people realize that our rights as Americans to practice our faith in our daily lives is threatened, and that if we don't do something about it, it's only going to get worse.  When President Obama and Secretary Sebelius stuck their fingers in our faces and told us that EVERYONE would have to pay for other people's birth control pills and morning-after pills because THEY SAID SO, to hell with your Church's teaching, that woke a lot of people up, I think.  Now Catholic institutions are in danger of either providing something that violates Church teaching or be forced to shut down (or only hire and serve practicing Catholics--which ALSO goes against Church principles).  The government thinks it knows right for us better than we do.  If people want to use contraceptives, fine, but don't make us pay for them.  Next they will be forcing Catholic institutions to recognize and endorse same-sex marriage, or to provide and pay for abortions (we're already paying for them anyway, as long as we keep throwing money at Planned Parenthood).  Who is to say America won't go the way of China and enforce a one- or two-child policy?  Freedom of religion means the freedom to follow the teachings of our religion.  This is what we must fight for.

Last night our parish kicked off Fortnight for Freedom with a holy hour and prayed the Liturgy of the Hours.  There was a Mass at the Basilica of the Assumption in Baltimore (which I forgot to record, dang it), and at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington DC, there will be a concluding Mass on July 4.  (I want to go to this.  Joe wants to go to the Nationals game.  Or we might just stay home and relax with friends and family like we usually do on the Fourth of July.  I'll let you know where we end up.)  Our parish will pray a novena for religious liberty starting next week.  As for me I'm going to try to attend at least some daily Masses (missed it today), pray the Rosary and read scripture every day; and I hope to check out lots of resources online about life issues and religious freedom and Church teaching, and maybe share some of them with you and with my Facebook friends and Twitter followers.  I want to try and be more Christ-like, to look for opportunities to serve others and to love my neighbor.  This is a good opportunity for us to fast and pray for our country and for each other, and to give ourselves for the good of others.

If you want to know how your parish and your diocese is participating in the Fortnight for Freedom, and for lots of prayer and study resources, click here.

SIX

You know I have another blog, right?  It's called Cooking Nick's Books.  Hardly anyone reads it.  That's all right, because I have a lot of fun preparing dishes from Nicholas Sparks' bestselling novels; plus it gives me an excuse to read his books over and over.  I've posted some fabulous recipes there: most recently, a DELICIOUS molasses oatmeal bread that Joe's mom used to make for him, and when we married it was REQUIRED that I learned to make it; plus a yummy custard-style ice cream that I've never tried before but turned out amazing.  Inspired by Nicholas' book The Lucky One; I'm sure you've heard of it since it's a movie and all...you know, the one with Zac Efron... Head on over and check it out, you won't regret it. *SMILE*

Oh, and last week, I published a "7 Quick Takes" there that involves mussels, ribs, and Dancing With the Stars.  (Yes, Gavin too, but only slightly;  AND, a certain race car driver who can dance the quickstep like nobody's business.)  You can take a peek at that one too, if you want... *wink-wink*

SEVEN

Because I seem to have a knack for remembering dates, especially birthdays (Gavin's is February 4, in case you were wondering...You weren't?  Oh.), I can't leave without mentioning that the racing legend Dan Wheldon would have turned thirty-four today.  Dan will forever be thirty-three; he was tragically killed in a horrible racing accident in Las Vegas last October 16 (John Mayer's birthday; and ironically, the day I published this silly birthday post, and the day we cooked these shrimp kebobs).  I can't imagine what his family must be feeling right now; instead of celebrating his birthday, they're mourning his death.  I posted some photos and thoughts and memories about racing and about Dan the night after he died; you can find that post here.

Dan smiled at me once...sort of.

We miss you, Dan.  Happy Birthday.

Have a wonderful weekend, and be sure to visit Jen's Conversion Diary blog for more Quick Takes!

7 Quick Takes, Volume 46

--1--

When Joe read my most recent blog post, he told me it was the strangest one ever.   He found the reference to geocaching especially bizarre, and, well, kinda icky.  I got a couple of very nice comments (Thank you Gardenia and Therese!  You ladies rock!) but now I'm wondering if other people found it a little wacko and just didn't say anything.  Joe teased me about it a little bit--in a nice way, of course--and the fact that he finds my love of certain chores pleasurable just a wee bit crazy doesn't bother me.  In fact, he and the boys are perfectly happy to let me do it so they won't have to.  So take a gander at this and be honest:  Am I weird?  (You won't hurt my feelings, I promise.  As long as you keep reading my blog, you can think whatever you want about me! Hah! *smiley face*)

--2--

Behold the final picture I took with my old Droid phone:

I had my windshield replaced last week, and on Friday when we had a hard rain, it leaked something awful.  Water was pouring into my car.  I don't know what possessed me to take my phone out of its safe dry spot in my center console, snap a picture, and post it on Facebook; but shortly thereafter I stuck my phone into its usual spot under the dash.  Where unbeknownst to me, there was a pool of water hiding.  (No, I was NOT driving while snapping or uploading the picture.)  On Sunday, after having spent the weekend giving my poor soggy phone rice baths and sauna treatments in the oven, I finally had to admit it was toast.  Now I have a new phone, a way cooler one (DROID 4), and it has an 8 megapixel camera.  This would mean it should take even better photos than my last one, which had 5, although I haven't taken many pictures with it yet and the ones I have aren't really any better than the old ones to tell you the truth...

Old phone

New phone

Meh.  I'm sure I'll be snapping lots of pictures with it, and perhaps I'll discover that the camera really is better.

BUT it's 4G, which means it has much faster Internet connection, and I can watch Netflix from anywhere as long as there is coverage.  Plus it has a bigger screen and better resolution and better apps for Facebook and Twitter.  And I didn't lose any of my contacts OR my photos!  

--3--

Since I was phone-less for several days, I had to rely on other means of communication, like *gasp* talking to people face-to-face.  The other day when I needed to be home to greet the auto glass company so they could fix my windshield AGAIN, I wanted to ask my neighbor who I carpool with if she could pick up the kids from school the next afternoon.  I didn't know her cell number, and she's hard to reach on her land-line phone (mainly because her kids usually answer the phone, and you know how reliable kids are about relaying phone messages to their parents...).  I had sent her a message on Facebook, and when I dropped Larry off at swim practice I decided to wander around the pool deck to see if she happened to be there since her kids are on the swim team too.  I found her, we worked out a carpool plan, and I had a chance to shoot the breeze with her about other things as well, and she introduced me to a couple of friends she was with.  I will say that while I'm happy to have a (NEW!!) phone again, and I appreciate the value of a quick text message, I enjoyed those fifteen or so minutes just chatting with my friend.

--4--

 On Sunday we returned from church to find this:

Someone had run off the road, destroyed our mailbox, gotten his car stuck in the grass, and after much cursing and wheel-spinning, drove off.  Fortunately a neighbor saw the whole thing, and reported it to the police.  They have a description of the vehicle but not a tag number.  On Monday Joe put in a new (cheap) mailbox and stand; hopefully one of these days we'll get one made out of bricks.   They may or may not catch the guy, but it's wonderful to have neighbors who look after one another!

--5--

The other day while I performed the activity described in this post, I spotted these things:

Tadpoles in our perpetual puddle.  I hope they'll eat all the mosquito larvae...

Do you still think I'm nuts?  I might need to make it a habit to carry my camera with me while I'm scooping poop.  I don't care what the neighbors might think; after almost fifteen years they ought to know I can be a little batty sometimes.

--6--

Over the weekend Moe asked to borrow my camera and telephoto lens.  He spent the better part of an hour walking around snapping photos.  Here are some of the great shots he took (mind you, these are unedited):

He's eleven.  I think I have a budding photographer in my house.

--7--

I am OFFICIALLY on my summer vacation now, and to celebrate I'm having a GIRLS NIGHT OUT on Saturday with my sister-in-law and two other friends.  We're heading to Wolf Trap Performing ArtsCenter to see GAVIN DEGRAW LIVE IN CONCERT!!   I'm super-excited.  Thanks to Dancing With the Stars (which Gavin didn't last very long on because...well...he sings much better than he dances) I'm now a super-crazy Gavin fan.  I bought all of the CDs I could get my hands on and when I saw this concert opportunity I jumped at the chance.  Mostly I'm looking forward to spending the evening with some of my BFF's! 

I won't be taking my clunky "fancy" camera with me, but maybe I'll try to sneak a few photos with my new phone...maybe.  Meanwhile here's a taste of what I'm hoping will be a fabulous night:

He can't dance, but he sure can ROCK!!   Have a wonderful weekend!

The Marvelous Gift of...well...

Do you know what household chore is my favorite?  The one I actually enjoy doing?

You're going to think I'm crazy.

Poop patrol.  Yes, you read that right.  Walking around my yard, plastic bags in hand, looking for dog turds and scooping them up.  When I was a kid, I HATED that chore.  Ick!  Well, after becoming a mom and changing I don't know how many thousands of dirty diapers and potty accidents, I got over that real quick.  OK, it's not the actual picking up of the turds that I enjoy; and if I miss one and it ends up on the bottom of my shoe, I am VERY annoyed.  It's the quiet solitude I love, the slow stroll around the yard; guilt-free because I'm actually doing something useful.  I have to move slowly so as not to miss any (of course, I always do; if I were smart I would scoop it up as soon as it leaves my dog's butt and I wouldn't have that problem) and look carefully at the ground around me.  I notice things I might not see otherwise.

The time of year doesn't matter all that much (although on really cold days the poop has a tendency to freeze to the ground, in which case I'm forced to abandon my task until a later time).  In the winter I admire the frost on the ground and the way the dirt crystallizes into tiny little stalactites (or would that be stalagmites?  I can never remember the difference).  If I'm lucky I might see or hear a bird or two flitting around in the bare branches. Most likely there will be crows cawing to each other from the tops of the trees.  

In the spring and summer I listen to the birds twittering and the wind whispering through the leaves, and admire the blooms on trees and shrubs. 

The fall is trickier; if I don't stay on top of it the leaves tend to hide the "treasures" I'm supposed to be finding. 

And I think when I'm searching for turds. (Sometimes I call it poop-caching--like geocaching for poop.)  Joggers say they think best and work out their problems when they're running.  I get into that zone when I'm making my way back and forth across my yard, eyes on the ground.  Sometimes I pray.  Occasionally I'll plug in my earbuds and listen to music, but usually I prefer to hear the nature sounds-- albeit against the constant buzz of traffic noise.

Yesterday there was a wood thrush singing right above my head.  I don't know if you've ever heardthe song of a wood thrush; it's a beautiful melodic sound.  Wood thrushes like to sit high up in the trees among the foliage, and they are difficult to spot; and when one is singing near you its song surrounds you and it's sometimes hard to pinpoint exactly where it's coming from.  It seems to be coming from everywhere.  

Even when one is singing off in the distance you can't help but stop and listen.  No wonder it's my dad's favorite bird.  When I worked at a summer camp I would wake up in the morning to their beautiful song, and go to sleep at night to the rhythmicsound of katydids.  Ever since then, those have been my two favorite sounds of summer.  (And ocean waves.  That makes three.  Oh, and when we were in Bermuda a few years back we were treated at night to the call of a tree frog that sounds like bells ringing.  I would move to Bermuda just to get to hear that every night.)

I remember one friend telling me how much she enjoyed the walk around her yard, picking up her dog's poop, and how relaxing it was.  When I realized that she wasn't joking, I felt...relieved.  I must not be so crazy after all.  So yesterday, as I scooped up droppings and deposited them into my plastic grocery bag, with the soft moss underneath my feet and the song of the thrush in my ears, I couldn't help but thank God for the gift of poop patrol.