Easter Week Thoughts

Purple sky courtesy of my cellphone/PDA/camera

Here is where I left the tractor when it was time for the Divine Mercy Novena

Every day of Easter Week has a special significance to the Dadwithnoisykids family.

Monday is typically 'Hypoglycemic Monday,' as the children's glucose levels plummet after gorging on candy for 24 hours.

Tuesday is the designated 'Repair Day,' with repairmen coming to work on one of the refrigerators, one of the dishwashers, and one of the washers. Going along with the tradition, only one of the repairs was completed, and pieces needed to complete the other jobs will be delivered before the repair can be rescheduled.

Tuesday and Wednesday were also 'Agricultural Days' as I put the boys to work on the property. After mowing yesterday, the boys dethatched the back property and collected the grass for the compost pile. Meanwhile, I dug out part of the garden and mixed in some of the old compost to make some raised beds for vegetable gardening. Some of the quinoa we seeded in the garden(on a whim) appears to be sprouting. Carrots, lettuce, tomatoes, cilantro, peppers, poblano peppers(there goes that word again) are all sprouting in the little peat pots. We shall see what survives the summer. This spring has been cool and rainy, so maybe this year won't be another drought season....

Today we had visitors to celebrate early Histor the Wise's turning 17. We had a family come over, and as the kids played and the wives talked about their husbands, the heads of the households went for a walk. We talked about our respective jobs, about our children approaching adulthood, and other things that occupy our days. When I mentioned that I have had a premonition of 'seven lean years' approaching, he roared with laughter and said, "that's called kids going to college!" He has two children who have already passed through that phase of life.

Mr. Horse checks out my RWS Diana 300R .177 cal.(4.5 mm) repeating pellet gun. 900 fps, underlever, holds 7 pellets in a cylinder. Very little recoil and fun to shoot!

After dinner, we went to the back part of the property and shot airguns at paper targets or plastic toys. It was so wonderful to be sitting on the warm grass, breathing in the fresh smell of wild flowers in bloom, while concentrating on blowing plastic toys to bits. After a while, I just sat there, watching my friend and a couple of our children shoot as the last bit of daylight faded away. It was enough to be a spectator in this part of my life.

Here is one of the plastic men who lost his head:

Next came cigars on the back porch. This was my 4th cigar in my life, and it was wonderful. Below you can see our cigars, with my favorite Justin ropers in the background. We came inside to sing 'Happy Birthday' to Histor, and the night ended soon after with the Rosary and night prayers.

I am so blessed to have a good friend like the one mentioned above. It is good to be able to bounce thoughts and ideas off of someone who has or will be experiencing the same challenges I face as a Dadwithnoisykids. These kinds of friendship are priceless, and as I think more about this subject, I realize that God has blessed me with many good men whom I can number among my friends.

I would wager that such friendships are less frequent these days, as more time is robbed away from most people by that dreadful device called the television.

I can't mention friendship without discussing my closest friend, my wife. The past 18 years have been the greatest of my life, and all because of being married to her. It is wonderful to marvel at the way our love has grown, and how blessed we are because God gave us to each other. I was reminded of this last night, when the children found our wedding album and started looking through the pictures. I couldn't help noticing how happy I looked in all the pictures, yet I realize now that I had NO idea just how blessed I was to be marrying my wife.

Check out these cute chicks!

Noisykid Kitchen - Gnocchi

Gnocchi with Tomato Sauce

See the recipe from Williams-Sonoma Kitchen here.

Never mind about the ricer; use a cheese grater.

Gnocchi ridgers are for sissies.

While preparing gnocchi, read this strange e-mail a nun sent us:

"Just a short reflection for you on this blessed day.

"You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has risen, he is not here."

With these words, the angel spoke to the women who were looking for the body of Jesus in the tomb.

The tomb was a liminal place. ("Limina" is the Latin word for threshold, the space betwixt and between, on the edge, on the cusp, pregnant with possibilities.)
Pregnant with possibilities. Hmm.

Like the women we too are often frightened and bewildered about that space between yesterday and tomorrow, between death and life.

But we are uniquely people of God, people of hope.
I should HOPE so....

Liminal space is a spiritual position where we struggle, but where all significant transformation happens. It is when we have left the familiar, but have not yet arrived at the new. It is when we are between our old comfort zone and any possible new way of being. Let us not be persons of the past. let us be informed by the past, but inspired into the future. Jesus goes ahead of us!

I am not comfortable with a nun discussing my liminal space, even if it is pregnant with possibilities

Let's follow!
Yay!

PRAYER
"So we are called not only to believe that Christ once rose from the dead, thereby proving that He was God: we are called to EXPERIENCE that Resurrection in our own lives by entering into this dynamic movement, by following Christ who lives in us." (Thomas Merton)

PERSONAL CHALLENGE

Where is Jesus leading you?"

Reflection and Challenge by Joann Heinritz, CSJ, Berkeley, CA

Berkely says it all....I don't think they wear any habit.

Thoughts on the Tridium

Holy Week began with my wife conducting such a thorough cleaning of our house that I had to pinch her to make sure she was not 9 months pregnant.

With each pregnancy, shortly before going into labor, Wifeofdadwithnoisykids will suddenly get the strength to clean and rearrange the house to her satisfaction and to my amazement. I will come home to find that large objects have moved from one side of the house to the other. Once I came home to find that the house had been rotated 180 degrees on its foundation so that "the changing table gets more light." In all these instances, I have walked into the house to find her rubbing her back, leaning on a broom, eager to show me all that she has done.

Seeing all this, and being the sensitive, caring type of man, my concerns are easily summed up in one question to my beautiful and pregnant bride: "So, what's for dinner?"

Sadly, she is not pregnant, but we are praying for more children.

Book Review: Lord of the World

Holy Thursday always reminds me of Lord of the World by Msgr. Robert Hugh Benson. This book was written by a Catholic priest in 1906, and describes the appearance of the Antichrist at the end of the world. While the Antichrist has a prominent role in the book, the actions of the other main characters, in this case, the Pope and his Cardinals, priests, etc. are far more interesting. The world has become extremely hostile to the Church, and there are many who have fallen away from the Faith. Even some of the priests have joined the Antichrist's movement.

Did I mention that this book, written in 1906, takes place around the year 2000?

Bear with me, and hold that thought, as this Ritalin-deprived brain leaps to yet another book which I recently showed to our Pastor. This book, which will remain nameless, was written to commemorate the 150th year of the parish that I belonged to when I was growing up. I was showing it so that Fr. X could see what the church looked like before it was 'wreckovated.' As I thumbed through the book, I came across the picture of the pastor who had been there during the 60's and 70's. He, like Robert Hugh Benson, had the title Monsignor. Unfortunately, he, along with every other priest in the city, had published a letter in 1968 to the effect that they disagreed with the Pope's teaching on Humane Vitae. That is all I could think of after seeing the Monsignor's portrait. May God have mercy on his soul, and on all the others who signed that letter. I thought of how this priest had not stood with the Pope, just as some of the priests in Lord of the World also left the side of the fictitious Pope.

No one in Lord of the World fares well in the temporal realm. How they do in the spiritual realm is far more important, and is what makes me think of this book every Holy Thursday. At the end of Holy Thursday Mass, the Precious Body is moved to the Altar of Repose, a side altar, while the main altar is stripped. As Our Lord is brought to the Altar of Repose, with incense and candles and an escort befitting The King, we would sing Pange Lingua. The first four verses would be sung until the Precious Body was placed on the Altar, at which time the final two verses would be sung.

These final verses play a significant role in the end of Lord of the World.

Genitori, Genitoque

laus et jubilatio,

salus, honor, virtus quoque

sit et benedictio:

procedenti ab utroque

compar sit laudatio. Amen

Here are some thorns from some trees on our property. I think they are mesquite trees. They puncture tractor tires a lot, and occupy most of my tractor maintenance time. They hurt when they penetrate one's flesh. I can't imagine what a crown of these would feel like.

I put them on Christ.

We do not subject our children, the parishioners, the priest, or ourselves to undue suffering by taking our children to the vigil Mass. We take them to Mass on Easter Sunday after getting them hopped up on chocolate. Watch out for that hypoglycemic swing!

I wish you all a Blessed Easter Week

Please read my review of...

...The Von Trapp Family Singers after you watch this trailer for the movie that was inspired by it:

Deep Thoughts from a Shallow Mind

We(Roman Sacristan, Fr. X, my wife, another couple, and I) were tossing around this idea after Mass tonight. I think it could be improved upon by someone who knows how to make posters.

If You Love

Liturgical Diversity,

Let the Indult Mass Free.

If It Gains Popularity,

It was Meant To Be.

If Not, It Never Was.

From the 11th Day Meditation:

There is one thng that keeps many back from spiritual progress, and from fervor in amendment namely: the labor that is necessary for the struggle.

from Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 25.

Reason For His Absence, Reposted

from March 18, 2007, for your reading pleasure(?):

Reason For His Absence

"In God's Providence it makes no sense
why some of us live and some must die."


He never said a word to us as he went through his life.
He left that to the other folks, especially his wife.

His actions, a model for the married man's vocation:
keep still, work hard, love the wife, silence is your salvation.

His role in this life was to guard the greatest things on earth:
his beloved wife and Child - Jesus of the Virgin Birth.

He cared so well for his loved ones without a hint of pride,
perhaps that's why he died before his son was crucified.

For no father would just stand by and watch his son in pain,
no man could stand the sight of a beloved being slain.

For sure he would have been old and gray, wrinkled face and hand,
but years of toil and sacrifice still edified the man.

For him the thought of flight was wrong unless he had his son.
Then all Gethsemane could get to see an old man run.

The hands that once wielded wood and hammer, saw, plane and ax,
Would have not hung limp, as the soldiers scourged his child's back.

His voice would ring out loud and clear as one above the din,
while all the world ungratefully thundered "crucify him!"

The path He took to Golgotha, to Calvary, the skull,
would have been blocked by his father, although the road was full.

At the cross the carpenter would not have remained so calm
to see his precious child take a nail in every palm.

None of these things ever happened, I dare to venture why:
Heavenly Father knew Joseph would not let Jesus die

For no father would just stand by and watch his son in pain,
No man could stand the sight of a beloved being slain.

But this Man was the Son of God, and died on Calvary,
through His Passion and His Death sent here to set us all free.

SMD
3.18.2007

Tonight's Meditation...

...has been cancelled while we decorate eggs as our favorite Star Wars character. Can you spot Jabba the Hut?

Noisykid Kitchen - Cornbread

More like cake than I wanted, but you can see the Noisykids enjoyed it...recipe to follow later.

Ingredients

Granulated sugar: ½ cup
Honey: 1 cup
Salt: pinch - just a pinch.
Baking Powder: 2T
Bread flour: 3 ¾ cup
Corn meal: 1 cup
Eggs, large: 4
Milk: 1 ½ cup
Salad oil: 1/3 cup

Directions:

1. Combine first seven ingredients and 1 cup of the milk.
2. Mix on low speed until moist.
3. Add remainder of milk and salad oil.
4. Mix until combined.
5. Spoon into well-greased muffin tins or into one 9” x 13” pan
6. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
7. If baking in the pan, bake for longer and test center for ‘doneness’
8. Yields 24 muffins.

Adapted from Family Favorites Cookbook, by Ana Maria Boza

from the Opus Dei retreat House in Pembroke, MA

I am very unhappy that our Priest did not allow an Easter Egg Hunt on Saturday. I shall write him a letter of complaint.

Holy week Meditation, Tuesday

Three Men

Three men went upon the hillside
Whence from Pilate they had been tried
To the place of Golgotha

Who will you be, gentle reader?
Penitent thief or blasphemer?
Or the one who turned away?

One man looked upon our Savior
Saw His face and his demeanor
Cursing Him from his own cross

So the first to carry the cross
Threw it back to become his loss
Sadly for eternity

When we hold our cross and suffer
Will we have the strength to offer
All we have to Christ Our Lord

One man cried to Him for mercy
Knowing that his death was justly
Punishment for his own sins

Humble words of his confession
Lead to such a sweet profession
You will be with me today

When we face our final moment
Will He find our souls penitent
Begging for His forgiveness

One man forced to carry the wood
Dropping it as soon as he could
Then upon his way he went

Did he look upon this victim
Realizing that he helped to kill him
Bringing Him to Calvary

Will we lose rewards and graces
Not to see in others faces
Christ’s eyes looking back at us

Can we march the via crucis
Matching all our footfalls with His
Bearing our cross joyfully

Pray that when we walk beside Him
That we will not curse, deride Him
Staying with Him to the end

Who will you be, gentle reader
Penitent thief or blasphemer?
Or the one who turned away?

SMD

4.3.2007

Time to get serious about Lent

On Palm Sunday, after Mass and spending a Holy 2-Hour or so in church after lunch, my eldest son, Histor the Wise, drove us home. It was an hour full of fun and excitement. Wifeofdadwithnoisykids spent all of the time praying, with short breaks to tell me that she loves me and to loosen her grip on my shoulders. We made it home fine; Histor even got a great opportunity to deal with couches which were blocking the center two lanes of I-20. I didn't get that kind of experience until I was a lot older. I am jealous....

Somehow this prayer, on a holy card on my desk, seemed to be an appropriate one to think of at this time:

Offering of Holy Communion As Viaticum

MY GOD!

If I am to die today, or suddenly at any time,

I wish to receive this Communion as my Viaticum.

I desire that my last food may be the Body and Blood

of my Saviour and Redeemer;

my last words, Jesus, Mary, and Joseph;

my last affection, an act of pure love of God and

of perfect contrition for my sins;

my last consolation,

to die in Thy holy grace and

in Thy holy love. Amen.

This issue has been on my mind, starting with this rather prophetic post in February, and in several posts during the month of February. I am beginning to see what a tremendous grace, blessing I received by spending some time as a patient. I have not given adequate thought to preparing for the day I die.

FYI:

New stuff happening behind the scenes at Scorpion Stalking Duck will be announced after Easter.

Stuffed Poblano Pepper Alert:

On Saturday night, I got some takeout Mexican food for my wife and I. She had wanted to go on a 'date' before Holy Week began, and I was too busy to take her out last week. Anyways, I ordered Chili Rellenos, also known as 'Stuffed Poblano Peppers.' It was great, with ground beef inside and an allegedly 'hot' green sauce on the outside(I must be adapting finally to hot sauces), but it made me wonder something. Any time I mention 'stuffed poblano peppers' I get at least one hit from someone who is 'Googling' that term. Why? They are so easy to make; just hollow out a pepper, stuff it and cook it - or more likely just warm it up.

So why the need to look up a recipe for stuffed poblano peppers?

From Preparation for Total Consecration

The Seventh Day(The Imitation of Christ, Book 1, Chapter 18):

Oh how great was the fervor of all religious in the beginning of their holy institute! Oh how great was their devotion in prayer, how great was their zeal for virtue! How vigorous the discipline that was kept up, what reverence and obedience, under the rule of the superior, flourished in all! [snip] Now, he is thought great who is not a transgressor; and who can, with patience, endure what he has undertaken.

That last line sums up the world so well, where someone who just obeys the law is seen as a pillar of virtue. God calls us to do so much more than just drive a large van between the lines on the freeway. Sometimes we have to look out for stumbling blocks(or couches) and get away from them. Sometimes we need to apply the brakes before we collide with a yacht or go literally overboard.

It Is Time!

Welcome to the Kitchen.

Christmas Present

Only 3 months and 6 days late!

New Blog Linked

Please check out the B-Movie Catechism. Interesting connections made between bad, really bad movies and our faith.

Preparation for Total Consecration: Day 6

If only the pursuit of virtue were as easy as this:

Nos Insisto Tempestas - our family motto.

Last night we drove through rain so severe that I had to slow down to less than 45 mph. That has never happened before, even though my beloved wife said there were other times when I should have slowed down....My wife prayed, unlike this woman:





Storms have covered North Texas for the past several days. I can't complain, for in several months the precipitation will be thought of as a cherished memory. The grass, which is now a robust green color, will fade to brown and turn dry and crackly. It will be a fire hazard.

On Thursday, I had been working late at the hospital and during an operation the lights had flickered several times. Thankfully the case was done, but we still had to transport the patient to the 11th floor ICU. That went without a hitch, but I decided to take the stairs instead of risking getting stuck in an elevator.

I was afraid of this happening to me:



For now, the grass is growing like crazy, requiring several cuttings to keep it at bay.

There is more than grass growing around here. Our garden project, consisting of tomatoes, carrots, squash, cilantro, peppers, and some things where the label blew off are sprouting on our back porch table. After a few more days they will go into the ground. I need to check on the quinoa. One day I looked out and saw one of the cats sitting on top of the makeshift planters. We used the all-natural biodegradeable egg holders to start growing some of the plants, and so it looked odd to see a cat sitting on top of the rather bumpy and spikey egg-holders. It was especially strange because that cat was very pregnant.

Until last night. When we got home from Stations of the Cross, we discovered that our cat had given birth to 5 kittens. I am happy that she did not sneak into the garage to set up a nest, because I have been working diligently to make the garage cat-free. After I get her consent, I will put up some pictures of the proud mother and her kittens.

The Preparation for Total Consecration has been proceeding well. After 5 days, I have only fallen asleep ONCE while sating the prayers! The readings are from one of my favorite spiritual readings, My Imitation of Christ:

from Book 3, Chapter 7 or 40:

"He who would be too secure in time of peace will often be found too much dejected on time of war. If you could always continue to be humble and little in your own eyes, and keep your spirit in due order and subjection, you would not fall so easily into danger and offense. It is good counsel that, when you have conceived the spirit of fervor, you should meditate how it will be when that light shall be withdrawn."

Yup! That's me! Here is a good aspiration from Book 3, Chapter 40:

"Let Thy Name be praised, not mine; let Thy work be magnified, not mine; let Thy Holy Name bel blessed, but let nothing be attributed to me of the praise of men. Thou art my glory; Thou art the exultation of my heart; in Thee, I will glory and rejoice all the day; but for myself, I will glory in nothing but my infirmities."

I have been trying to live up to this aspiration, with limited success. Right now I am concentrationg on keeping my mouth shut unless speech is necessary. Practicing this has shown me that most of what I say is rather cynical, derisive, derogatory and cetrtainly unnecessary. The next step is to work on my thoughts; you know, the ones that I have to struggle to keep from saying. I have to keep these things in mind as well.

Recommended reading:

My Imitation of Christ, by Thomas a Kempis. This is the copy I have, with nice little pictures in it.

anything by St. Louis-Marie De Montfort.

OFFICIAL REPORT OF A MULTIPLE FROG STRIKE

THIS IS AN OFFICIAL REPORT OF A MULTIPLE FROG STRIKE

APPROXIMATELY 2135 ON MARCH 29 2007

SOUTHBOUND ON JOE WILSON ROAD SOUTH OF BELTLINE ROAD IN CEDAR HILL DALLAS COUNTY AND SOUTHBOUND ON JOE WILSON ROAD SOUTH OF COUNTY LINE ROAD ELLIS COUNTY TEXAS USA

WEATHER CLOUDY WITH SOMETIME SEVERE PRECIPITATION VISBILITY CEILING UNKNOWN AND 65 DEGREES FAHRENHEIT TEMPERATURE

VEHICLE NOVEMBER VICTOR DELTA ALSO KNOWN AS THE AARDVARK SPORT UTILITY VEHICLE WITH V6 ENGINE

OWNER OPERATED

ONE PASSENGER ON BOARD. ALL PASSENGERS WERE WEARING SAFETY RESTRAINTS

SPEED 35 MILES PER HOUR

DRIVER NOTED FROGS ON ROAD WITH COURSE OF TRAVEL PERPENDICULAR WESTBOUND INTERSECTING WITH RIGHT FRONT TIRE OF NOVEMBER VICTOR DELTA

FROG TYPES WERE NOT IDENTIFIED

NO EVASIVE ACTION TAKEN DUE TO ROAD LIMITATIONS AND CLOSE PROXIMITY OF FROG

DRIVER INDICATES THAT NOVEMBER VICTOR DELTA DESTROYED FROGS IN PATH OF VEHICLE

NO APPARENT HARM TO OPERATOR

NO LOSS OF CONTROL OF VEHICLE

UPON COMPLETION OF MISSION NOTED NO DAMAGE TO VEHICLE

THIS REPORT HAS BEEN GENERATED AS A SAFETY MESSAGE TO ALL WHO MAY BE DRIVING SUVS

THIS IS THE SECOND FROG STRIKE FOR THE AARDVARK

THERE WERE NO REPORTED FROG STRIKES WITH THE VAN GREAT WHITE

THERE WERE NO REPORTED FROG STRIKES WITH THE VAN THE BIG BLUE MIRACLE

WE WILL CONTINUE MONITORING THESE INCIDENTS

DAD WITH NOISY KIDS

A Blog Is Born:

No! Not another one by me!

Watch with me as Seeking Humility starts from its humble beginnings....kinda like watching tadpole shrimp grow:

Photo courtesy of Roger Key from this website.

Preparation for Consecration: Day 3

There is nothing like taking a tractor out and cutting grass after a few weeks of Springtime rain has nourished our land.

The grass itself has a sweet perfume when it is newly cut, and it wafts up to my nose as I walk along, watching my sons run the tractors over the South half of our property.

The grass lies like hay in the North Texas sun, drying for use in the compost heap or for mulch.

The tractor forms a kind of isolation booth, as the engine (along with the mower blades) form a wall of sound which cuts the rest of the world from ones reverie. Some of my best thoughts have come while riding on a tractor.

It is a good time to pray, too.

All you have to do is stay along the border of the uncut grass, following the contours of the field, shooting the cut grass out onto the area where the grass has already been cut.

I invite anyone to come and ride one of our tractors. Come and enjoy mowing my property on one of these mild Texas Spring days. We will provide all the Gatorade or water you like. You pay for the gas, though.

Today's meditation is from Matthew 7:1-14:

1. "Stop judging, that you may not be judged.

2. For as you judge, so will you be judged, and the measure with which you measure will be measured out to you.

3. Why do you notice the splinter in your brother's eye, but do not perceive the wooden beam in your own eye?

4. How can you say to your brother, 'Let me remove that splinter from your eye,' while the wooden beam is in your eye?

5. You hypocrite, remove the wooden beam from your eye first; then you will see clearly to remove the splinter from your brother's eye.

6. "Do not give what is holy to dogs, or throw your pearls before swine, lest they trample them underfoot, and turn and tear you to pieces.

7. "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.

8. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.

9. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asks for a loaf of bread,

10. or a snake when he asks for a fish?

11. If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him.

12. "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.

13. "Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the road broad that leads to destruction, and those who enter through it are many.

14. How narrow the gate and constricted the road that leads to life. And those who find it are few."

- from the USCCB website

The Seventeen Evidences of a Lack of Humility

Blessed Miguel Pro praying before his execution.

Stolen from a good priest's website:

1. To think that what one says or does is better than what others say or do.

2. To always to want to get your own way.

3. To argue with stubbornness and bad manners whether you are right or wrong.

4. To give your opinion when it has not been requested or when charity does not demand it.

5. To look down on another's point of view.

6. Not to look on your gifts and abilities as lent.

7. Not to recognize that you are unworthy of all honors and esteem, not even of the earth you walk on and things you possess.

8. To use yourself as an example in conversations.

9. To speak badly of yourself so that others will think well of you or contradict you.

10. To excuse yourself when you are corrected.

11. To hide humiliating faults from your spiritual director, so that he will not change the impression he has of you.

12. To take pleasure in praise and compliments.

13. To be saddened because others are held in higher esteem.

14. To refuse to perform inferior tasks.

15. To seek to stand out.

16. To refer in conversation to your honesty, genius, dexterity, or professional prestige.

17. To be ashamed because you lack certain goods.

- From the Writings of St. Josemaria Escriva

I scored 100% when I took this test!! Woooo hooooo!

Preparation for Consecration: Day 2

Yesterday was day 1 of the Preparation for Consecration according to St.
Louis De Montfort; therefore, today is day 2.

The first 12 days are spent in ridding oneself of the world "which is
contrary to that of Jesus Christ."

The tasks for this twelve week period are:

1. Examination of Conscience
2. Prayer
3. Mortification
4. Purity of Heart

"This purity is the indispensible condition for contemplating God in heaven,
to see Him on earth and to know Him by the light of faith."

- all quotes from St. Louis De Montfort

What kind of Blogger am I?

I have to disagree with this assessment of my blog. I answered some of the questions when I knew that none of the answers were applicable. When in doubt, I selected the answer that sounded most intelligent. It is hard to see, but I am a Pundit Blogger!

You Are a Pundit Blogger!

Your blog is smart, insightful, and always a quality read. Truly appreciated by many, surpassed by only a few

What Kind of Blogger Are You?

Not always, not always and not always.

Truly appreciated by a select cadre,

surpassed by anyone with the ability to compose complete sentences.

"Now put a video on your blog!"

- a quote from one of my daughters:

Every day, I get at least one hit from someone looking for a recipe for STUFFED POBLANO PEPPERS. I think I have discovered a trend.

Book Review: Somewhere in my....

worthless, miserable blog, I must have done something good - NOT!

This evening we look at The Story of the Trapp Family Singers which inspired the movie The Sound of Music.

At least once a day, I have to stop and marvel at being married to such a wonderful woman. I really am incredibly blessed, and the more I think about my wife, the more reasons I have to thank God for her. Thoughts like these tend to wander, and occasionally I find myself humming the words to that song from the movie The Sound of Music, where the Captain and Fraulein Maria sing about how they 'must have done something good' to deserve something - I think each other's love. This song is objectionable on several levels, one being that it sounds so much like a sappy song about 'Catholic guilt' for receiving such a blessing. "I am not worthy" and all that nonsense.

The other objection is that I know in my heart that I never, ever did anything good enough to deserve my wife. I don't think any man could say that if he is married to a good woman.

As a priest said to me once, I really married up.

The real story of the von Trapp family is far more interesting than the movie.

To begin with, there was no proposal under a canopy in the backyard, followed by a little singing and snuggling. Instead, Maria went back to the convent, since she still was under obedience to the superior of her order, and asked the nuns to tell her what to do. After prayer and reflection, they gave her the answer I suspect she did not want to hear: they told her to marry the man. There was no dramatic song about mountain climbing, sung by the mother superior while looking out the wrong window. The most dramatic moments in real life are usually made up of less exciting stuff, and are more beautiful for that reason.

In our own life, I proposed to my wife in the midst of an argument.

Another part of the book which I found inspiring is the death of the Captain. I really got the sense that these folks were Catholic by the way they prepared for the Captain's death. Maria and the Captain had agreed that if one of them were on his deathbed that the other would ask him a special question. The question, paraphrased, was:

"Do you accept death willingly from the hand of God?"

My wife and I have said this to each other now; once before she had her gallbladder removed, and again when I thought I was having a heart attack. Thankfully, neither one of us died, but it is a good thing to meditate on one's death, and how disposed one is at the moment of death.

What is a Flibbertigibbet?

I found this word(from the song 'How Do You Solve a Problem Like Maria?) in Shakespeare's King Lear. It is the name of a devil which was featured in 1603 in a book by Samuel Harsnett. The book was called Declaration of Egregious Popish Impostures. This does not seem like the kind of word a nun(at least not an orthodox one) would ever use.

There are some reviews of the book that mention some stresses of touring and singing, and how things weren't as rosy as they were described in the book. Overall, I still recommend the book as a change from watching Julie Andrews singing her way around Austria.

Tomorrow, I begin the Preparation for Total Consecration according to Saint Louis De Montfort. This is something I have done three or four times over the past twenty years.

The last day, when I pray the Consecration, something weird always seems to happen. It is as if God throws a curve ball at my head to see if I will duck, or just accept it as one who has given all to Jesus through Mary.

Friday Night Announcement

The Noisykid Kitchen Management Team at last year's Christmas Party

Things have changed a bit at Scorpion Stalking Duck.

Noisykid Kitchen has completed the transfer of blog entries to Scorpion Stalking Duck, and Noisykid Kitchen has ceased to exist as an entity. Enjoy our menu! As the Swiss said, in 1972, En guete!

The management team from Noisykid Kitchen has been moving this last week to the new high-rise office building. They are promising a kinder, gentler blog from now on.

Duck Stalking Scorpion has been transferred to another blog server - one which can be read on the hospital computers(for now). If that fails, I may have to start my own website. Duck Stalking Scorpion has ceased to exist as an entity. The DSS Project(from Duck Stalking Scorpion) will not have any kind of commentary on it.

This last week I have been on vacation, and I got a lot of stuff done around the house. Doctor visits, glasses repaired, gate repair, gardening, constructing a swingset, pumping the septic tank were just a few of the things I did - it has been a rewarding week! If this Lent is showing me anything, it is that I really could be busy enough with my wife and children to never blog again. On the other hand, I think that my writing is a good exercise for strectching my brain, and that is good for those of us on the 'B' side of life.

Somewhere I must strike a balance. I have to say that my #1 fan - not of my blog, but of me - loves it when I write thoughtful essays, poems that don't rhyme with Nantucket, and blogs that are not centered on stuffed animals.

I think if I were to blog less, but blog better, I could satisfy both my obligations and my enjoyment in writing about whatever I want to write about.

This is the third or fourth time I have said this, and each time I seem to let loose with a torrent of blogs shortly after making this 'quality, not quantity' speech.

Now, I still have boots to polish, a desk to clean, taxes to send the accountant, night prayers, treadmill walking, concrete to mix, a garage to clean, three tractors to repair, and more vegetables to plant.

Book Review: The Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature

Here we see the lifeguard at the Inn of St. Catherine of Siena standing by a Statue of St. Catherine(Hanceville, Alabama, January, 2007)

Why you should read this book:

To Read Better, To Write Better.

Nothing just ‘happens’ to dadwithnoisykids. Shortly after reading Dr. Elizabeth Kantor’s book, The Politically Incorrect Guide to English and American Literature, I received my newsletter from my alma mater. In there I read about the recent death of an English professor whom I had for a freshman composition course back in 1982. May he rest in peace. His death, and reading Kantor’s book, got me to thinking about my own education. I went to a state school where the tuition was affordable and where the science program was strong. Granted, there were no Nobel laureates on the faculty, but the majority of the classes were taught by professors rather than graduate students. When comparing my education with those of friends who went to the Ivy League schools, I always joked that I was getting a degree at ‘bargain basement’ prices while they were paying an enormous amount to get the same thing. I also argued that my inexpensive degree prepared me well for life.

Now I am not so sure. I took one composition class, and a course in Shakespeare, and after that my greatest literary works were technical reports for various chemistry and physics laboratory assignments. Granted, the career track I selected has blessed me with the means to provide for my family – the highest purpose for an occupation is to finance the vocation one has chosen. It also has blessed me with a job that I really, REALLY enjoy:

“IwanttobeadoctorsoIcanusemyinterestinthesciencestohelppeople”
- Dadwithnoisykids, on multiple applications and interview for medical school

But in so many ways, I am still the socially awkward guy with very little to say and so ill-equipped to say it. My wife is far more interesting to talk to, and she didn’t spend nearly so much time in a classroom. And worst of all, whenever some quote or comment comes to mind as I go through my life, invariably it is from some television show or movie. This is from a man who got rid of the television from our house 12 years ago. May God forgive me for remembering so much garbage. If I quote poetry it is more often some line from some rock song, such as:

“Run, rabbit run.

Dig that hole, forget the sun,

and when at last the work is done

don't sit down it's time to dig another one.”

(This is what I say whenever someone passes me on the freeway; they become the ‘rabbit’ which will flush out any police on the road ahead of me.)

So here I am, a forty-something man trying to fix what I see as a glaring deficiency in my development as a man striving to be a good example to his children and less boring to those around me. Reading, writing, blogging, and encouraging my children to do the same are all things that I have taken as ways to improve myself.

I read Dr. Kantor’s book to read better and to write better. I picked her book, partly because it was given to me at a time when I needed something to distract me, but also because of the label ‘politically incorrect.’ I live and breathe politically incorrectness, so the book had instant appeal to me. I also suspected that what she said in the Introduction is true: that English or American literature is one of the last things one will study in an English department. A central theme to this book is that reading English and American literature will teach one about our culture, and show how the writings of a century ago (or more) can be relevant in this day and age. The politically incorrect zinger is that most of the literature was written by white males, or ‘dead white males,’ as the cover boasts.

The book is divided into three parts.

The first, titled ‘What They Don’t Want You to Learn from English Literature,’ covers writings from Beowulf(in old English), Medieval Literature(Malory), the Renaissance(Shakespeare), the 17th Century(Milton), 18th Century(Pope, Swift), 19th Century(Coleridge) and the 20th Century. There is also a section on American Literature (Twain, O’Conner). This brief overview of literature piqued my curiosity and gave me some ideas on where to start reading first.

The second part of the book, ‘Why They Don’t Want You to Learn about English and American Literature,’ discusses some of the reasons for not teaching literature in English departments. While I am not in a position to validate Dr. Kantor’s thesis, I have to say that my recollections of the English department at my alma mater are similar to those in the book. Even my class in Shakespeare was filled with watching movies (King Lear, Romeo and Juliet) rather than reading more Shakespeare. Higher level English classes were on more strange topics and seemed to be pushing the liberal agenda.

This section also included a chapter on what literature is for; namely, to ‘teach and delight.’ This section adds another reason for studying literature to my rather simplistic statement at the beginning of this review. Here I quote Dr. Kantor:

“Once you begin to know really good literature, you’ll want to fill your mind with it. You’ll find yourself measuring the objects you pursue, the satisfactions you achieve, and the kind of person your actions are making you against the standards you find in our classic novels and plays. You’ll want to store poetry up for your old age, so you‘ll have something of real value to turn over in your mind in the nursing home: you’ll be able to close your eyes, put your head back during the perpetually running soap operas and quiz shows (or whatever fresh humiliation they’ve dreamed up for “seniors” by then), and see Shakespeare’s sonnets, or Jane Austen’s marvelous characters, instead.”
(Page 210)

I would rather spend my waning years recalling the good, true, and beautiful than rehashing episodes of Gilligan’s Island.

The third, ‘How You Can Teach Yourself English and American Literature – Because Nobody Is Going to Do It for You,’ gives practical suggestions for a life-long study of literature. One of the best suggestions is to follow what Dr. Kantor calls Reed’s Rule, (after a professor at Chapel Hill, NC): For every piece of literature, ask, Why is this word, and no other word, in this place and other place? This suggestion is a bit much for someone who can’t spend so much time reading, but it does teach one about the English language.

More practical suggestions for those who have passed beyond the undergraduate years are to: 1. Learn poetry by heart, 2. Go see plays(better yet, act in a play), and 3. Talk with others about literature. This last one could be done by starting a book club.

When I mentioned these three suggestions to my wife, she asked that I memorize this poem first.

I recommend this book without reservation. I plan on starting with something from the ‘Old English’ period to read, and then go from there.

Noisykid Kitchen - Grilled Mahi-Mahi with Rice

File photo of Capt. Stewbean with a plate of grilled Mahi-Mahi.

Wednesdays are meatless days in Lent. If I had my way they would be meatless all year round.

Then we would have to give up meat on another day. Repeat the process until we are vegetarians.

March 21, 2007 consisted of:

Grilled and seasoned Mahi-Mahi filets

Basmati rice pilaf

Garden Salad

Tuna fish sandwiches for those who refused to eat Mahi-Mahi. Please don't ask me to explain this.

Water

Please note that the Noisykids have a serious shellfish allergy, and so the only kind of seafood featured here will be fish. If I want to eat shellfish, I have to get it at a restaurant.

The Spiritual Exercises of Dadwithnoisykids

A day in the life of the Noisykids:

Morning prayers - time varies. During Lent, we pray the Sorrowful Mysteries of the Most Holy Rosary along with Morning Prayers.

Angelus at Noon, along with the 'God the Father' prayer found at the St. William the Confessor website - it is down at the moment. Here it is from our computer:

This is A Prayer to God the Father Inspired by the Writings of St.Therese

+ In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Jesus says in Saint John’s Gospel: “Whatever you ask the Father in My Name, it will be granted to you.”(Jn 16:23). With full confidence in the Truth of Jesus, I turn in Prayer to You, God my Father.
God the Father, in the Name of Jesus, send me the Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, come into my Life - from the tips of my toes to the top of my head.
Holy Spirit come into my very being. Holy Spirit come into every part of me.

Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my thoughts, my mind, my will, and my imagination.
Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my emotions, my feelings, my senses, and my appetites.
Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my desires, my inclinations, my actions, and my reflexes.

Holy Spirit I ask You to come into every part of my memory.

Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my habits, my attractions, my tendencies, and my convictions.
Holy Spirit I ask You to come into my impulses, my dispositions, my moods, & my outlook on life.
Holy Spirit I ask You to come into every part of me and “whatever” You find in me that is not in complete accord with Your Divine Plan for me, then I totally surrender it all to You, Holy Spirit.
Holy Spirit, please take it all away and in its place, fill me with Your Divine Presence.

AREAS OF PERSONAL DEVELOPMENT
Holy Spirit, come into ALL of the areas concerning my personal development.
Holy Spirit, come into my physical development.
Holy Spirit, come into my spiritual development.
Holy Spirit, come into my emotional development.
Holy Spirit, come into my social development.
Holy Spirit, come into my intellectual development.
Holy Spirit, come into my moral development.
Holy Spirit come into every aspect of my personal development and should You find me in any of these areas at a level of development “lower” than where it is proper that I should be, then
Holy Spirit, in Your Great Charity, by tomorrow, please raise me up to the next level.

DOUBLES
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my hunger and thirst for Holiness.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my hunger and thirst for Prayer.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my Faith, Hope and Charity.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my patience.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my confidence and trust in Divine Providence.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my love and appreciation for the Blessed Virgin Mary and for
her beautiful Prayer which is the Most Holy Rosary.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my desire to live the 10 Commandments
and renew this desire in me with every beat of my heart.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my spirit of generosity and self-sacrifice
so that I may more perfectly imitate Our Lord Jesus Christ.

Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my ability to look at other people O-N-L-Y as you see them.
Allow lust to have no part of me.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my desire and my ability to forgive my enemies and persecutors.
Each day urge me to pray that these people will be blessed abundantly by being led to the Truth.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, allow me to pray this Prayer twice as well tomorrow as I am praying it today.

Holy Spirit, come into my Prayer Life and by tomorrow, double my sensitivity to Your
Divine Guidance.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my love for Jesus’ Presence in the 7 Sacraments.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my desire to know You and to love You and to serve You until I draw
my last breath.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my ability to examine my conscience so that I may always recognize my own, personal sins. Each day double my ability to forgive others out of love for You.
Holy Spirit, give me the desire to receive often the Divine Mercy of Jesus. Help me and my family
to go to the Sacrament of Confession regularly – every week or two weeks or three weeks or as often as necessary.
Holy Spirit, guard me from ever displeasing You through mortal sin. Each day double my
distaste even for venial sin.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my ability to center my life on Jesus Christ.
Holy Spirit, by tomorrow, double my love for our Lord in the Eucharist - in Holy Communion.
Holy Spirit, grant me daily progress in meditation on the Life, Death and Resurrection of Christ
In order to prepare the spiritual foundation for the Prayer of contemplation.
Holy Spirit, come into my Prayer life and by tomorrow, double my desire for the Prayer “at the
Feet of Jesus”- which is the Prayer of Contemplation.
Holy Spirit, come into my many distractions in personal Prayer. Give me the confidence and self-assurance to know that You will always guide me through every distraction in Prayer back to You and back to my Prayer. Do not allow me to give in to the many distractions in Prayer
but allow me to see them now as opportunities for a deeper Faith in You.
Holy Spirit, strengthen my resolve. Each day double my resolve to do Your Will - ALWAYS above my own will.

Add personal intentions

And finally, Holy Spirit, I ask You to be a guard for me - a sentinel to watch over me today while I am awake or semi-conscious, even when I am asleep.
Holy Spirit I know with Faith that these requests have already been granted because Jesus has
said: “Whatever you ask the Father in My Name it will be granted to you.”
I have asked all of these things of You, God my Father, in the Name of Jesus, through the intercession of the Holy Spirit.+In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.



Rev. Paul L. Weinberger, Pastor, St. William Church/Our Lady of Fatima
Greenville, TX 75401, May 13, 2004, Feast of Our Lady of Fatima

3 p.m.: Chaplet of Divine Mercy, Prayer to the Holy Spirit, Memorare.

6 p.m.: Angelus

After Dinner: Stations of the Cross - in the interest of surviving the prayers, we omit the 'Our Father,' 'Hail Mary,' and 'Glory be.'

Bedtime: Night prayers, in the Divine Office.

Of course, this is ideal. Not all of these prayers are said according to this schedule, but we try.

On work days, I pray the Rosary and the Angelus on my drive to work. I pray the Chaplet of Divine Mercy on the drive home.