Peony Moss: October 2004 Archives

Dylan Thomas

If Target does not get some Thomas the Tank Engine underpants(size 4) in SOON, I think my household is going to fall apart.

Please pray for the soul of James Cardinal Hickey, archbishop emeritus of the Archdiocese of Washington, who died this morning at the age of 84.

Cardinal Hickey once did me a great kindness. One year, we were invited to write down our prayer requests on our pledge cards for the Cardinal's Stewardship Appeal. So I wrote mine in -- and, a few weeks later, received a personal note from the Cardinal assuring me of his prayers for my intention. And my prayer was answered a couple of years later when Hambet was born.

Archdiocese of Washington news release

His coat of arms and episcopal motto

Washington Post story(registration)

Episcopal Lineage

Come on, let's name that baby! I'll start:

Stanislaus
Pio
Rex
David
Joseph
Hayden

...but for someone who doesn't have a "real job", I have found myself to be quite busy the past couple of weeks. I also have been extremely tired -- almost narcoleptic -- and I don't know why. I haven't been this sleepy since Hambet was a wee nursling.

Speaking of "real jobs," I wonder what "real jobs" has Mrs Heinz-Kerry held? Managing charitable donations is a worthy occupation, I suppose, but does it count as a "real job?" What does the pay stub of a Lady Bountiful look like? Does she get docked if she burns through her sick leave too quickly?

I thought that being poised, pulled together, and on point were good things. So why are women with these qualities mocked as "Stepford Wives"?

I did make Mrs Bush's cookie recipe and it's a keeper. The cookie part is really good, a nice oatmeal cookie that smells just scrumptious in the oven. The recipe as written has lots and lots of stuff in it. I used chocolate chips and dried cherries (from Trader Joe's) but omitted the walnuts; if I had left the walnuts in I'm not sure where they would have fit -- the cookies were almost all stir-ins with a little bit of cookie holding them together.

by Gail White

I'm driving through New Mexico, let's say,
facing the glories of the setting sun.
But just before I get to Santa Fe
there you are, stranger, with your ganglion
sized brain and SUV that weighs a ton,
paying no mind to sunset's golden crown,
but nitter-nattering ninety-nine to one...
so would you kindly put your cell phone down?

I'm dining out, which is the perfect way
to make the brain cells sing in unison,
relaxing with my Merlot and filet,
when there you are with that damn cell phone on
your ear, discussing how some game's been won
and whether stocks are up or upside-down.
You're sharing all your life with everyone,
so would you kindly put your cell phone down?

Haven't you noticed it's a lovely day?
The kind that makes you want to jump and run?
But even jogging you can't throw away
that cell phone, can you? Why, you've just begun
to give your boss a sales plan that will stun
competitors and make your rivals drown.
Look out, you fool, you're running down a nun,
so would you kindly put your cell phone down?

L'Envoi
Friend, I'm no longer saying this for fun.
Road rage has made me rampage through the town.
I'm out of Prozac and I have a gun.
So would you kindly put your cell phone down?

Oatmeal Chocolate-Chunk Cookies v. Pumpkin Spice Cookies

I want to like Mrs Bush's recipe, but I can make Mrs Heinz Kerry's without making a special trip to the store. The quick oats are no problem, and I can easily find the chocolate chunks (or just substitute chocolate chips), but where in the world am I going to get two cups of dried sour cherries?

I suppose if I were a highly paid journalist like Maureen Dowd, I could spin this into some ludicrous analogy about how the Bushes Are Out Of Touch With Ordinary America. (Like Dowd has any connection besides disdain to the unwashed rubes of flyover country.) But you could also spin this the other way: Mrs Bush's cookies represent what's great about America. They celebrate cherished American cookie traditions while updating them with new ingredients, inviting us to try something new. How long does a batch of chocolate chip cookies last when you have teenagers in the house?

The pumpkin spice cookies, though they sound tasty enough... well, they're pumpkin. I love pumpkin, and I especially love it in the fall. But once November rolls around, I've usually had enough of it.

Funny how ABCnews.com titles this crucial contest Bush v. Heinz instead of Bush v. Heinz Kerry.

Thanks to Victor for this quiz

As I was typing, I saw an NBC breaking news report out of the corner of my eye. My first thought was, why do they make the turning globe all red? It looks like the planet Jupiter?

Well, anyway, Brokaw was interrupting to announce that Mount St Helens is starting to vent some steam. Hambet was napping and I thought about waking him up to see it -- he is crazy about volcanoes -- but then I came to my senses.

That black hole in my house has eaten my travel mug -- the second one consumed this year. I'm really fond of this one and I wish the anomaly would give it back. I wonder if I need to come up with something to trade?

St Anthony, please help!

UPDATE: My husband found it that night -- I woke up this morning (Saturday) to find it on my nightstand. Thanks dh and intercessors!