UPDATE: If you're interested in seeing the commercial I blogged about last week, it's here, under "piano".

Labels: Devotional, Health

Labels: Devotional, Health

It was quite nice today to have an appointment with my orthopedic surgeon at which there were no unpleasant surprises. So many of my troubles in the past ten years have been completely unexpected results shared at what I thought was to be a routine appointment, so I'm a little spooked now every time I go. With spring and summer vacations coming up I did not want any bad news and was even tempted to cancel today's appointment, sort of playing ostrich for a while. But the only bad news was what I already know: I have chronic pain. The good news is that I'm no worse than I was last fall, and the x-rays show that all my hardware is in place with no loosening of anything. And really, that's all I can hope for at this point. After all, I can still walk. 


And someday, I will run.


(My daughter wanted me to post the x-ray to show why I set off metal detectors.)

Labels: Health

I complain about the weather all too often. I know that. But seriously, having to have the A/C on in the week of Thanksgiving? It oughta be a crime to get as little use as we do from our winter wardrobes...

I want this for Christmas. Should work well for our small family!

I have such mixed feelings about our new writing program. It's been wildly successful this semester, both with teacher and student. But I'm sad that we didn't find it much sooner so that more of my kids could have taken advantage of it. Writing is not easy to teach, even for a writer. And I still believe that the best ways to grow writers are to grow readers of good literature and to encourage your kids to express themselves in healthy, vigorous debate in the context of the family and with trusted friends. But teaching the mechanics of good writing is difficult, and I've never found anything else that does it as thoroughly and winsomely as Classical Writing. If you're willing and able to invest a lot of one-on-one time with your student(s), give it a look. 

In this week of Thanksgiving, I'm thankful to be living inside my dream. Or rather, inside a dream I never thought to dream. I can't imagine any life I'd rather live than the one my Father blessed me with. Never mind the pesky health issues and the disappointing climate in our part of the world...I have all I really want and more. And that's a very, very nice place to live.

Labels: Books, Family, Food, Health, Holidays, Weddings

Entering this 26th year of homeschooling, I'm having some of the most fun ever getting ready for the new semester. Events in my life made planning for last year totally impossible, and we relied on the help of others and the seat of our pants to get through the year. While I'm grateful for all the ways God provided through my crisis, I'm so ready to get back into the role of planning and teaching. With only four years left in this journey, I am going to savor each moment...

As far as reading, I'm deep into The Histories of Herodotus, marveling at how human nature never changes, and how human idiosyncrasies get passed down through the millennia so that traits of certain peoples are recognizable even now. I'm also reading an interesting little volume that we'll be studying in history this fall, Faith in the Age of Reason: The Enlightenment from Galileo to Kant, by Jonathan Hill. And I'm listening to the audio version of Charles Dickens' Nicholas Nickleby, mostly while I ride the bike at physical therapy.

All right, I try not to complain about the weather here. When I hear people fussing about the heat I always think, "Okay, what did you think you were going to get in south Texas?" But today the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak and can I just say, I HATE THIS!

But I might be willing to forget it for a few hours if I had some Oatmeal-Raisin Cookies. And milk.

If you see me on Facebook you might already know about my big accomplishment of the year: climbing an entire flight of stairs and coming back down again, ALONE! This is something I've rarely done in the past decade, and only when absolutely necessary. Today, though, I did it so that I could pay a surprise visit to Aubrey, who is still upstairs-bound in her house following her recent surgery. (My kids are going to be shaking in their boots flip-flops when they realize I might actually see the state of things on our second floor in the next few days...)

And speaking of flip-flops (slippers, for our Hawaii family), can you wear them to church and still go to heaven? Is that in one of the creeds? Just askin'.

Be watching and listening in the next few months as the Obamadministration starts replacing "Freedom of Religion" with the substantively different "Freedom of Worship." It might sound like an innocuous change, but words matter. And this change will definitely matter.

And just in case the whole idea of religion offends you and you're ready to take action to get rid of the nasty feel of the baptismal waters on your head (or your whole body, if you're Baptist), a spokesman for the American Atheists is available to perform the sacrament (or sacrilege, depending on your own personal convictions, because it might be right for you and wrong for me) of de-baptism. With a hairdryer. Bring your own conditioner and mousse.

Wedding plans are proceeding with vigor at Granny's House. CJ and Tony have finished registering for home furnishings, doing it pretty much all online, as 21st century couples are tending to do more and more. At least if they disagree about colors they don't have to do it with an audience :-)

And tomorrow, we'll meet with our friend Garfield to talk about landscaping our front yard and deck area for the wedding. We won't get started on the actual work until September, but we want to have a great plan in place way before then!

From this morning's worship at Covenant of Grace...

May His beauty rest upon me
as I seek the lost to win,
and may they forget the channel,
seeing only Him.

(from "May the Mind of Christ My Savior", Kate B. Wilkinson, 1925)

Snip, snip, that's all for this week!

Labels: Health, Homemaking, Homeschooling, ObamaNation, Sundays, Theater of the Absurd, Weather, Weddings

It was a good, if out-of-the-ordinary week at Granny's House. We've loved having the Slaughters with us, even though Dave was gone most of the week and Kristen spent much of the week getting their house ready to vacate. (Hey, does that mean it's a "vacation"?) Now things should settle down a little for the rest of the summer...

Even though we don't remember giving our permission, some stray cat had four kittens under our deck a few weeks ago, and we've had to figure out what to do with them. We've cleaned them up, fed them, medicated them, and are hoping to have them ready for adoption soon through the Human Society. Of course my kids are begging to keep one, or two, or three, or...

Is it November yet? No, not for the cool weather, not for Thanksgiving....for the ELECTION. PLEASE, look ahead now, and if you're not going to be in your regular voting location on November 2, make a note to request an absentee ballot or to take part in your state's early voting days. Some of the damage done in the past year and a half may be irreversible (Read: Elena Kagan), but some of it can be undone now if we act quickly. Remember November!

Aubrey is home from the hospital after her surgery. Thank you to those of you who are praying for her and ministering to her in other ways. She is still in some pain and having trouble sleeping, but so far no complications. I'm hoping she recovers quickly so I can see her...she can't come down stairs and I can't go up!

Five-year-old Sam doesn't want to drink after his mom, because he doesn't want to "catch your surgery".

We had a great wedding planning meeting this week, and thanks to our friend Cori we think we might actually be able to pull this off. She has that rare ability to hear a few sentences of what you want and be able to visualize the whole scene and be off and running. CJ is very relieved to have someone telling us what to do :-)

Last night we celebrated the birthdays of Molly (12) and Carrie (6). Since our youngest daughter just turned 18, it's fun to have some younger girls to share parties with. But I think we all agree that the best part of the party was Kristen's renditions of Pioneer Woman's Strawberry Shortcake Cake. Oh man, you have got to try this. And make sure it doesn't all get eaten the first day, because it really is better the second day. It might be better yet on the third day, but alas, we'll never know.

Trusting that soon I'm going to be able to travel without being in a wheelchair or stretcher, I've made some plans and some plane reservations. I'm going to Virginia at the end of this month to meet little Savannah Welty for the first time. She will, of course, be waiting with baited breath to see me so I'm doing my best. Then in August I'm going to fly to southern California for a week of relaxing with Lyric, and then up to northern California where I'll meet John (not for the first time, of course). We're going to speak to a group of homeschooling couples outside Modesto and then have a couple of days to just enjoy friends and enjoy being away together!

With the help of two excellent books that I've had for a long time, I made myself a list (on a Google Spreadsheet, of course!) of all the classics that I want to read before I die. No, I'm not in some morbid phase...quite the opposite. But I am taking seriously the Psalmist's plea, "So teach us to number our days, that we may present to You a heart of wisdom." (Ps. 90:12) Proverbs tells us that "The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom" (Proverbs 9:10), and so I've made a renewed commitment to be in the Word to a greater extent. But I also believe that God has buried treasures of wisdom for us in many places and would rather have me reading great literature than playing a game on Facebook (which I haven't done, by the way, but in a vacuum I'm liable to succumb to things that are complete wastes of time). And I know myself well enough to know that without a plan, a lot of what I want to read will go unopened. So...armed with my literary "bucket list", here I go!

Al Mohler has a valuable blog post this week on why today's men and women are finding so little happiness in being parents. Here's a taste, but you should definitely read the whole thing:

Christians must see children as gifts from God, not as projects. We should see marriage and parenthood as a stewardship and privilege, not as a mere lifestyle choice. We must resist the cultural seductions and raise children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, and understand family life as a crucible for holiness, not an experiment in happiness. [Emphasis mine]

I continue to make good progress in my tenth week of physical therapy and look forward to the day when I don't need it any more. I can still say this has been my quickest recovery ever from a major leg or hip surgery and for that I am grateful. I'm enjoying cooking, light housework, and even driving myself to the grocery store, and now looking forward to travel!

Bethany has now been in Virginia with Annie for ten days and I am SO missing her! John Caleb will get his turn tomorrow as he will fly out with The Papa, who is going out for business as well as to see the kids.

And that's all, folks...may God give you a wonderful week!

Labels: Family, Food, Grandkids, Health, Political Action, Sundays, The Papa, Weddings

More milestones for Granny in the past week: I drove several times, after not having driven at all since before Christmas. I shopped for groceries. I cooked a couple of meals. And I took Shelley to buy summer clothes, coming home with an armful of new things for myself as well. This week I'll have my new shoes "corrected" to even out my leg length and that will make walking a lot easier (and safer!). And I'm beginning to think about some summer travel....getting outside of my bedroom has made me want to spread my wings even farther!

At Granny's House we're getting ready to welcome Kristen, Molly, Wes, Henry, Carrie, and Liam (and Dave on the weekends!) to our home for the next couple of months. Dave is in training for a new job in the DFW area, and the family is preparing for a move soon. But in the meantime they will share the summer with us and give us a little more closeup time with the kids before they leave San Antonio. We're looking forward to the controlled chaos once more :-)

There was sad news from the northwest corner of the homeschooling world this week...Sono Harris, wife of Greg Harris and mother of Josh Harris and Alex and Brett Harris, is nearing the end of her life on this earth. Sad for us, but a time of rejoicing for her as she is anxious to meet her Savior.

I've made a tremendous amount of progress on school planning in the past week. All books and software are either here or ordered; most lessons are entered into Edu-track; my list of biology supplies is about complete and I'm getting ready to order those; I've read through my teacher materials in most subjects to get familiar with them; and I've completed a tentative weekly schedule. Yep, we could start next week if we wanted to. (I use the word "we" only in the royal sense.) I'm way ahead of where I usually am at the end of June...of course, I will admit that our school here has a rather low enrollment this year.

On my wish list for next year is this contraption that might make it possible for me to garden! I can't be on the ground, of course, and I can't even lean over too far, but with something like this I could grow a few herbs and vegetables and get the satisfaction of a garden without endangering my fragile joints. Of course, we'd have to place it so that it doesn't get fried by the south Texas sun since we have very little shade on our lot. But I think I'd just stick with the hardiest plants and hope for the best.

On Friday I finished Weapons of Mass Instruction: A Schoolteacher's Journey Through the Dark World of Compulsory Schooling. If you can overlook atrocious writing and editing and Gatto's occasionally irritating cantankerousness, this former New York Teacher of the Year has some sobering and disturbing thoughts about compulsory (and not just public) education.

All around me are unfinished projects, so I'm going to snip this off right here and get busy. I hope you have an exhilarating week!

Labels: Books, Family, Food, Health, Homeschooling

Recovery is coming along very nicely. The Papa commented a few minutes ago that he's still amazed at how different this one's been compared to all the other surgeries when it took so much longer to bounce back. I appreciate the thousands of prayers that have been prayed for me in the past six months and I believe that THIS is the reason behind the positive outcome. Because there's no other explanation for it. (And even if there were, I'd still believe that God was listening to the prayers of his people!)

Despite the smooth sailing the past couple of weeks, I became aware during the first few days of walking that the difference in the length of my legs is significant enough that I will not be able to walk without shoe lifts. And I don't mean inserts...it's more of a difference than I can compensate for with anything inside the shoe. While I'm not happy about this, I will certainly accept the inconvenience in trade for the pain I've been in for so many years. It won't be easy to give up flip-flops and bare feet, though...

Years ago I played the cello. And I would still rather hear it played than any other instrument except the piano.

I'm deep in books at the moment, getting school all planned for the fall and ordering supplies. I've said before how much I LOVE this part of homeschooling and will have to find a way to get this "fix" even after my kids have all graduated. Maybe I'll hire myself out for school planning, or maybe I'll just force my way into my grandkids' education. The job already takes me a lot less time than it used to: our last remaining students are 9th and 11th grade boys this year. Honey, we shrunk the school!

So as if we didn't already KNOW Tiger was a mere mortal....

While it's been a given for several months that the Democrats will lose a lot of seats in Congress in November, this week it seemed there was a tipping point where an avalanche of observers believe they could lose both houses. I believe this is so important that every voter should be planning now to make sure his/her voice is heard, not only by voting but by writing letters, volunteering, and praying. I'll be using my voice in a variety of ways to install a Senate and House that has the muscle and the guts to repeal every tenet of Obamacism passed in 2009-10.

I'm enjoying the new Next Food Network Star and HGTV's Design Star seasons.

Wedding plans here continue. This week we ordered bridesmaids' dresses and made some other decisions. What a joyful time!

Last night we shared a neat experience with all of our kids and grandkids who are 10 years old and up. We went to a Brasilian "churrascaria," Chama Gaucha, and had one of the most wonderful dinners I've ever eaten. We used this opportunity for an early celebration of Father's Day and my birthday, both falling on the same day this year. This night out was a gift from our dear friend Steph K., via gift cards that we received for Christmas but because of certain unfortunate circumstances was delayed for six months. The waiting only made it sweeter and it was better than we could have imagined. Thank you, Steph!



It's the longest day of the year...Carpe diem!

Labels: Food, Health, Holidays, Music, ObamaNation, Political Action, TV, Weddings

Even though Ann Reynar will continue to wait for chemotherapy at the Cross Cancer Institute to treat her stage four colon cancer; she says she feels a little better now that Alberta Health Services finally apologized for the situation.

Ann's husband Wave Reynar says Alberta Health Services called the couple this weekend apologizing for the fact that she likely won't receive chemotherapy. A staff shortage at the Cross Cancer Institute has left doctors only giving treatment to priority patients and Ann's three month prognosis puts her low on the priority list.

Apologies are not known to be as effective as chemotherapy, however, and some are demanding change:

Alberta MLA Hugh MacDonald says the situation should not be tolerated.

"We are now forcing doctors to pick and choose who received cancer treatment and that's totally wrong," said MacDonald.

Why is the situation so critical that Alberta is rationing care?

Officials with Alberta Health Services say the situation could get worse. Five out of 20 oncologists in Alberta are expected to retire shortly and only 15 oncologists are trained in Canada every year.

Dr. Tony Field with Alberta Health Serices says this pinch will be felt across North America, not just in Alberta. He says staff will work to connect with patients on the waiting list this week.

Hmmm...North America. Especially when Canada's neighbor to the south is ready to accept a system leading straight to the catastrophe of the north.

AHS apologizes to cancer patient waiting for treatment

hat tip: The Papa

Labels: Health, Political Observation

These last weeks of spring have been beautifully busy. With all the major activities of the school year finished, I'm making lists and tentative schedules and planning some travel for the summer. I always love the looseness of the summer as a break from the school year routines...and then, come late August/September, I'm ready to tighten up again and "fall" back into the routines that hold us together for most of the year.

My partial summer list: Get started on my Rosetta Stone course. Be available to work on wedding plans with CJ. Fine tune school plans for the fall. Finish reading How Long, O Lord? Reflections on Suffering and Evil (it's slow reading, but oh-so-worth it). Declutter our room (it's become the victim of my inability to walk and use my hands at the same time!).

Our attempt to get AT&T U-verse installed this week fell through when the installer was unable to get the expected signal at our house. So we settled for upgrading our cable package to one where we can DVR and order movies from more than one TV, and get more channels (including FOX Business!) than we've had before. We're still anxious to get U-verse, but it could be another year according to them.

I know I keep saying this, but I need a new computer. And a new phone. But I'm going to try and make the ones I have limp along until the end of the year. I finally got everything from my laptop backed up on a hard drive, something I should have done long ago, so at least I'm not living in fear of an unrecoverable crash. And I've freed up some space on this old not-so-faithful.

Last weekend we celebrated Shelley's graduation from high school and her senior piano recital. About 200 friends and family joined us for the big occasion and were treated to a 90 minute concert of Shelley's best. Later we presented her with her high school diploma and lots of roses and finished the evening with a nice reception. Shelley will now take a European-style "gap year" to work on material for college auditions and to breathe a little while she decides exactly what to do about college choices. Here are a few photos from her recital...




Thursday was a big day for me! I went for my routine appointment with my surgeon, expecting him to clear me to move from 25 to 50% weight on my right leg. After seeing the xrays, he was confident enough to tell me that I could put 100% weight on the leg "as tolerated", making sure that I didn't do too much too soon. My "surprises" at doctor's appointments of late have not been good ones, so I left walking on clouds instead of tile! At that point my plans for the summer changed a little, as I was expecting a very slow summer adding weight very gradually and needing a walker for a few more months. But it appears I may be free of that unwelcome companion sooner than I thought!

Just five months until the election when we may begin to retake our stolen government and return it to a group of men (and increasingly, women!) who respect the Constitution and will stop the madness that could soon have us modeling Greece.

All year long, while sitting here in my chair or lying in the bed, I have been craving some giant sea scallops, perfectly seared and sitting on a bed of couscous. Random, I know, but I'm going to find them.

Our freshly remodeled deck was the site of a Hawaiian luau last night, meticulously planned and executed by our church deacons and their wives. Yes, it was complete with a kalua pig, roasted in a pit in the ground in our back yard, which is being filled in by The Papa and Sons as I write this. It was a delightful evening, blessed by unseasonably mild and breezy weather. Here's a taste of our luau:




For the next couple of weeks, we'll be getting ready for Kristen and the elves to move in with us for a month or two. Dave is still in training for his new insurance job, and soon they'll need to relocate to the DFW area. In the meantime they'll keep us company as they wait for the big move. We're delighted...Kristen is a big help to me and a wonderful companion, and it's a joy to have the children here. Last time they lived with us there were four of them, and now there are five!

I hope you enjoy your last week of spring, 2010. I, for one, am more than ready for a new season!

Labels: Books, Church, Family, Food, Health, Political Observation, Summer, Sundays, Technology

Aren't you shocked?

Scientists who advised the World Health Organization on its influenza policies and recommendations—including the decision to proclaim the so-called swine flu "pandemic" had close ties to companies that manufacture vaccines and antiviral medicines like Tamiflu, a fact that WHO did not publicly disclose.

The links between the advisors and the companies that make money from vaccines and flu treatments were detailed in a report published online by the British medical journal BMJ, which investigated the advisors' role in WHO's policy.

The report by Deborah Cohen, features editor of BMJ, and Philip Carter, a journalist with the Bureau of Investigative Journalism in London, acknowledged that flu experts do "need to work with industry to develop the best possible drugs for illnesses," but said that allowing industry experts to have a role in the formulation of public health policy was a slippery slope.

And worse, Cohen and Carter said, was the failure of WHO officials to disclose the conflicts of interest or even identify the members of its advisory committee.

Those of us who suspected all along that this very real virus was being hyped into a very real and very expensive non-event are being vindicated. Of course, this isn't the only arena in which those with a financial interest are allowed to shape public policy, but right now it's the one most visible.

World Health Organization Scientists Linked to Swine Flu Vaccine Makers

Labels: Health, Political Observation, Social Observation

Yes, it was indeed a good day.

I woke up this morning and put some weight on my right leg for the first time in five months, and did it ever feel good. A little scary, but delicious nevertheless. I'll be taking it very slowly as I add the weight back, of course. And I'll still need the assistance of a walker or a very strong man for a while :-)

This was also to have been my first day off the antibiotics. Unfortunately, I didn't make it that far. I'll spare you the details, but by Sunday night I had reached my limit, and so with the prior permission of my doctors to stop when I couldn't take it any more, I cried, "Uncle". And instantly I felt like my old self again....I think Kristen was actually a little worried about me on Monday, thinking I might have slipped into some kind of drug-induced euphoria. No drugs...just feeling like a human being again!

The other first this week was my outpatient physical therapy session. By the appointment on Tuesday I already felt so much better that I could hardly wait to get there and start working. Turned out to be more of a measuring and testing and medical history session, but now I'm ready to start regaining all the muscle that I lost while waiting for my new hip.

And The Papa returned home from another work trip to Hawaii this morning. How wonderful it is to see his face when he's been gone for ten days! My goal is to be able to make his next trip to the islands with him and have it be much more of a success than the trip in November of last year. I didn't realize I was walking around on a broken leg and didn't understand why I was in so much pain. Next time I'll listen to my body when it's screaming to me.

Some of you have asked me what God has taught me during the past few months...I'll write about that soon. The most important is that He is faithful, worthy to be trusted with all I am and have. I hope that you've learned the same lessons through whatever He's brought you through so far this year...

Labels: Health, The Papa

It's going to be a great week! This week I get to discontinue the antibiotics that have been the bane of my existence since New Year's Eve. And on the same day (Thursday) I have clearance to begin putting weight on my operated hip/leg. Just 25% at first, but it's a start and I'll be on the road to some independence again. And Tuesday I will begin outpatient physical therapy, having exhausted my in-home therapist's ability to keep up with me. I'm on the move!

Yesterday was not a good day for me physically, still feeling the debilitating effects of the antibiotics. I didn't really accomplish anything all day other than going through a six-inch stack of old magazines, culling a few gems and throwing the rest out. As I tackled the first few, I realized it was an interesting visual for me of where my life stopped last December. Most of the mags were holiday issues that I hadn't yet read and then they accumulated in a corner since I didn't want to get rid of them until I'd gone through them. Well now, my bedroom is several pounds lighter and my shelves have several inches of space to breathe that they didn't have before.

I realize I've been really spoiled in the months since December...hardly a week has gone by without someone either bringing me flowers or having some delivered, and sometimes I've had three different bouquets at once. I think when I'm on my feet again I'm going to have to buy my own and keep at least one bunch in my room all the time!

"To take from one, because it is thought that his own industry and that of his fathers has acquired too much, in order to spare to others, who, or whose fathers, have not exercised equal industry and skill, is to violate arbitrarily the first principle of association, the guarantee to every one of a free exercise of his industry and the fruits acquired by it." [Thomas Jefferson, via a must-read article, America's new culture war: Free enterprise vs. government control, by Arthur C. Brooks in today's Washington Post (!).]

Anyone have a recommendation for a really, really good santoku kitchen knife? Pioneer Woman swears by her Wusthof, but I'm also looking at Shun and a couple others....

We have just completed our 25th straight year of homeschooling. This year, because of many unforeseen circumstances, the year didn't look like most others; and yet, when I look back over the past quarter-century, not too many years looked like most of the others. Nevertheless, I'm glad to see this one go and glad to be in the planning stages of year 26, one in which I have only two students, a freshman and a junior in high school. It's impossible to explain to new homeschoolers how different things are now than when we started in 1985. And although most of those differences are good ones, the opportunities available now make the process of choosing and planning mind-boggling!

Other summer plans include working with CJ on her wedding arrangements and getting our photos into digital format via the new photo scanner I bought on sale months ago. It's still sitting in the box, but not for long!

But first, we have Shelley's senior recital and graduation at the end of next week. We're so proud of how hard she's worked in many different areas this year, completing several college courses, achieving some real competence in French, and continuing to hone her piano skills in both performance and teaching...all while finishing up her regular high school studies. Next weekend we'll celebrate all those things, hearing her concert on the piano and then presenting her with her diploma (and eating some good food afterward!)

Reading this week: Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (via Kindle), and back to reading The Reason for God by Timothy Keller.

Okay, I'm having trouble figuring this one out. I've mentioned before that during the past couple of years my taste for chocolate has pretty much evaporated. Since I was never a dark chocolate lover and can't therefore claim those health benefits, I've been okay with losing my craving for oozy milk chocolate desserts. But now I find I'm losing my taste for sweets altogether. I know this can't be a bad thing, especially for a diabetic, but it's a mystery to me how it's happened in such a short time. I may find that it's been a side effect of some of the dozen or so meds I've been on and that my taste will return when some of them are discontinued...but then again, I almost hope not :-)

And snip, snip, that's all folks...hope you have a week as good as I expect mine to be!

Labels: Books, Food, Health, Homeschooling, Kids, Political Observation

This scares the bejeebees out of me. Parents, please note: this is not a program administered by public schools. This will go through your pediatrician or family doctor, or even any provider who vaccinates your children:

If Representative Ron Kind (D-Wis.) has his way, the federal government will soon mandate that state agencies maintain a database of how fat the kids in their jurisdiction are getting. Too fat or too skinny, the government needs to know.

If enacted, every state receiving grant-in-aid funds under the provisions of the bill would be required to under Title 1, Section 101 of the bill to annually track the Body Mass Index of all children ages two through 18. Additionally, the same section obliges all healthcare providers in the state to determine the Body Mass Index of all their minor patients and then forward that data to the appropriate state clearinghouse or agency. Then, the state government must pass on the information collected to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services for further analysis.

The Healthy Communities Through Helping to Offer Incentives and Choices to Everyone in Society Act of 2010, introduced by Representative Kind, a member of the House Ways and Means Committee, funds a dizzying roster of programs and regulations aimed at reducing obesity rates by such means as putting nutritional labels on the front of food products, subsidizing businesses that provide fresh fruits and vegetables, and offering taxpayer-funded counseling to overweight children and their enabling parents.

The aforementioned Section 101 of the bill amends the Public Health Services Act. The relevant portion of the bill alters current law and mandates that healthcare providers record "the age, gender, height, and weight of each person vaccinated to calculate the body mass index of such person." Further on the law instructs doctors to "report to the relevant department of the State in which such health care provider practices the data collected."

When asked about the requirement that such data not only be collected, but reported to the states and federal government, a spokesman for Representative Kind remarked, "However, it is important to note that no one is forced to come in for a doctor’s visit to get their BMI tested. BMI will be taken at times when the child makes an otherwise scheduled doctor’s visit." That response was apparently intended to quell the fears of parents concerned that by taking their children to the doctor they will open themselves to monitoring by state and federal agencies regarding the manner in which they raise their children. So, according to the Congressman's office, there is a simple way around getting caught in that trap: don't take your kids to the doctor.

Please finish reading here:

Bill Turns Doctors Into Federal Fat Police

And you can read the text of the bill, HR 5209, here.

(I love the title of the bill: Healthy Communities through Helping to Offer Incentives and Choices to Everyone in Society Act)

Labels: Health, Political Observation, Social Observation

On balance it's been a great week for me. There are always ups and downs in a recovery this major, but this is the first week with WAY more ups than downs. Yesterday I spent about 4 hours outside, and I don't remember the last time I did that. The weather was lovely and my Kindle and I had a lovely afternoon together on the swing. Then I took my coffee out there at 7 and stayed until 9 since I wanted to see all our new solar lighting come on as it got dark. Unfortunately, one of the "downs" was that I ended up with a dozen mosquito bites all on the foot that I can't reach and that made my night miserable, but I wouldn't trade the wonderful fresh air and breeze and exercise for a few hours of sleep.

What a tragedy to watch the oil slick approaching the Gulf Coast...it breaks my heart to think of the small businesses and family fisherman who will be ruined if that oil does indeed (as seems inevitable) ooze onto the shore. The Papa was doing some research on the Exxon Valdez oil spill twenty years ago in Alaska, and so many species of animals, birds and fish never recovered. And that wasn't even an area where there was a major effect on the economy. The Gulf Coast could be devastated, both in a biological and an economic sense.

We're just a week and a half from school's end here at Granny's House. This is a year I'll be glad to see go, as I don't even remember a lot of it. I'm looking forward to being much more vigorously involved in teaching and coordinating (and driving!) next year as I continue to get my strength and my wits back. We'll have only two, TWO, students--a freshman and a junior in high school. Think I should finally break down and give away my phonics cards?

Most of you will have heard the town hall clip this week of the president saying, "I do think at some point you've made enough money..." I love it when he gives us these off-the-cuff peeks at what he truly believes. Raise your hand if you think you've made enough now and should start giving most of it back to him so he can decide who needs it more?

We've finally started mowing our property this week. We've had such a gorgeous sea of bluebonnets, black-eyed Susans, and other wildflowers this year that it's hard to watch them go. They made our house look like a postcard for a month or so...

And, the House is abuzz with wedding plans (see Monday's post). There's nothing like planning a wedding when you've got five sisters...it's a gigantic party all the time!

This week my reading includes Little Women. Yes, the real Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. Haven't read it since I was a kid, and it's very interesting to compare my recollections of it with my current thoughts. Having raised a houseful of girls I see so much that we dealt with, both good and bad, but I'm still amused by the "stiltedness" of the conversations and the moralizing of the author, both elements which would eliminate it from consideration by a publisher today. Nevertheless, this classic still has much to commend it, and even the "preachiness" is refreshing when compared to what passes for young people's literature today.

Some dear friends of ours have been led to adopt a brother and sister from Ethiopia. This sweet family has five children and are now opening their hearts and home to an 8 year old boy and 5 year old girl who are waiting for someone to love them. The process of adopting internationally is terribly expensive, not to mention stressful, so if God brings them to your mind, would you pray that He would provide all that Charles and Stacey need as they follow His will down this challenging road? And pray that God will use this family to bring Dawit and Mushera to Himself.

Congratulations to my brother Danny who just landed his dream job with GEICO Insurance, and to my son-in-law Dave who starts his new job with Farmer's Insurance tomorrow. May God give both of you success and favor with your employers and show you many opportunities each day to serve Him!

Have a happy first week of May!

Labels: Books, Health, Homeschooling, News, ObamaNation, Weddings

It's nice to know, via several email inquiries, that my presence has been missed, but I do have a really good excuse that doesn't involve a dog eating my blog posts. Three weeks ago in the Snippets I looked forward to having my hip replaced, and that seemed to go "without a hitch"--I had the surgery on the 7th and was home by the 12th, sitting here thinking about updating and thanking everyone for their prayers. But alas, before the next Sunday rolled around, I developed a fairly serious complication that provided me with yet another setback. My 72-hour wound check uncovered a "seroma" deep below the surface, and after it literally exploded in the exam room (I'm not kidding...we had to throw part of my clothes away right there!) I was taken upstairs to surgery once again. Another five hours in the OR and another five days in the hospital was added to my recent adventures, but I'm now home again, in the beginning stages of therapy and glad to be allowed out of my room!

This week, Dave's been working on the latest phase of our deck construction, a triangular pergola in one corner. It's been great to be able to walk out there (with my walker, of course) to check on progress. Hopefully, by next week I'll be able to post pictures!

As we approach the end of another academic year, one I've not had nearly the hand in that I've had in other years, I have been contemplating what our lives will be like in the fall. We could have three fewer kids in the house by then due to a variety of reasons, and only two students, both in high school. Of course there's a joyful procession of grandkids in and out, but even those will be fewer due to Dave and Kris' upcoming move to north Texas. This house, that has at times held 15 or more inhabitants, will be down to a mere five! Yes, there have been times when I've looked forward to not having so many shoes to pick up or dishes to load, but deep down I've always known that there would be a lot of melancholy to go along with the reduced workload and messiness. I thank God that I've had the privilege of "enduring" these for so long!

This week I read a fun and valuable book, The Little Book of Bulletproof Investing: Do's and Don'ts to Protect Your Financial Life by Ben Stein. Not only did I gain some insight into long-term finances, but I am always amused that the same man who can write a serious book on finances and economics is the same one who pretty much played himself in the 1986 teen coming-of-age comedy, Ferris Bueller's Day Off. It's a wild world.

It'll be interesting to watch what happens with the newly-signed legislation on illegal immigrants in Arizona. While I firmly believe states must have the right to address their own problems, I don't think that in the current "progressive" legal climate the legislation will stand. And it appears that it may also cause some violence in the state, further complicating the underlying issues. No good answers, at least not while so many Americans think that "illegal" just means "undocumented" or some other euphemism for being here in violation of our sovereign laws.

Looks like this will be the week we'll trade in one of our two gas-guzzling Suburbans for a more moderate used Pontiac Montana. We still need vehicles that hold several people, but we no longer have to have one that seats eight, and we REALLY don't need anything that has such a drinking problem! Gas prices, even before the $.15 (or more) a gallon tax that will probably be tacked on with the new energy bill, are downright scary!

One of my projects for this summer: use my new scanner to get 37 years' worth of old and fading photos stored in digital format. Then I will get rid of about 9/10 of the hard copies and just save the gems. Sometimes I wonder what I would have thought in 1973 if someone had told me how we'd be storing and editing and transmitting photos within the next thirty years. I'm sure I'd have given them a blank stare :-)

Enjoy your last week of April!

Labels: Books, Health, Homemaking, Money

Get ready for the new healthcare....

The Doctor Will See ALL of You Now.

hat tip: Pam Y.

Labels: Health, ObamaNation, Social Observation, Theater of the Absurd

He is Risen! Were there ever words that proclaimed so much hope to humanity?

"...if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile; you are still in your sins. Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ are lost. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are to be pitied more than all men. But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep!" (1 Cor. 15:17-20)

I love winter and I'm sorry to see it go, but I must admit that it's sweet to taste the strawberries and asparagus and see the tiny, spring green leaves on the trees outside my window. Sad that we've already had to close the house and turn the air on...early April seems just too...well, early.

My talented son-in-law Dave has spent the past week enclosing our deck with rails and balusters and solar lighting. For several years it's been just a flat 1400 sq. ft. expanse of deck with no adornments. No longer...it's becoming the Cinderella I always wanted. Next phase, later this month: a lovely pergola in one corner, ten feet on each side. It will be a great place to sit and eat and enjoy our few nice days in the summer...or to highlight special occasions ;-) [If you live in San Antonio or the Hill Country and need a great remodeler/renovator/carpenter, you need to get in touch with Dave!]

Despite the MSM's attempts to marginalize and demonize the Tea Party movement, they are going to have trouble explaining the increasing number of independents and Dems who are, shall we say, dipping their bread in the tea.... Disgruntled Dems Join Tea Party

I think it's about time they rename it and make it official: FOX News is now CNN. Cleavage News Network. I simply cannot take the news seriously when it's delivered by a girl in a prom dress or a negligee. There are just some things I don't need to see. I'm wondering if when FOX says they're "fair and balanced" they mean they're balancing their conservative viewpoint with a licentious and many times silly atmosphere. And please...don't even get me started on Shepard Smith.

PLEASE read Son of Hamas. I finished it this week and highly recommend it, even for your kids, say, 12 and up. Especially boys. It's a quick read, a very inspirational true story about the son of the co-founder of Hamas who is convinced to work for Shin Bet (Israeli intelligence) and then becomes a Christian. His account of all sides is very balanced and compassionate, but he doesn't hesitate to show the darker side of all sides in the Middle East.

Well, it's totally appropriate in my mind that my next surgery, the one that I'm praying will give me a new life, will fall on Easter week. I will go in early Wednesday morning for what's expected to be nearly an all-day surgery, followed by a week in the hospital and perhaps a couple of weeks of inpatient rehab after that. It will be a difficult road, perhaps more so than any of my other hip replacements and revisions, but I am looking forward to this one like no other. By Wednesday I will have been sitting/reclining for three full months, and I haven't walked since December 22. So this is really going to be a new beginning, very fitting for the week of Easter! Praise God for His faithfulness!

"Love so amazing, so divine, demands my soul, my life, my all..."

Labels: Books, Health, Holidays, Political Observation, TV