Thursday, November 27, 2008

Been Jammin'

Janet and I have a baby boy named Benjamin. He was born July 26th this year.
He is absolutely perfect.
We're going to be dedicating him at church this Sunday in a brief ceremony followed by a big celebration at a local Italian restaurant's function hall.
Whooops... in fact... I have to go feed the little guy right now. He's calling for his bottle.

Blog Spot


I like blogspot.com. It's clean, easy to manage, and it's not riddled with extraneous tools, advertising, and distractions.


I hate Facebook. I've tried it twice. I think it only exists to annoy the person trying to view the pages. I can't make heads or tails of half of what it pretends to be able to do. So, for those who want to stay in touch with me electronically, this is it. I'll be here.

Thanksgiving

Today is Thanksgiving.

I'm celebrating the day with Janet's family at their home here in Hanover. In fact, we spent last Night here so as to make it easier to do much of the cooking and caring for those in need.

Janet's mom had a stroke a week ago.

You can imagine the impact that has on a family during the holidays. But the worse part of it is that the stroke seems to be at least partially caused by cancer. Yes, she has cancer. One of the more serious forms that is highly resistant to treatment. One that carries with it an inevitable conclusion. Perhaps I'll address this further in another web log. But for now, let us stay with the matter at hand.

I think Thanksgiving has a special feel to it here in Massachusetts, being so close to the site of the first such event as celebrated by the colonists in this New World. It's more than just the history though. It's partially the foliage and the landscape itself. Maybe it's that the foods they ate are indigenous to the area and can readily be grown? Squashes, corn, beans, and the like.

I wanted to make traditional succatash this year. I doubt anyone would have liked it, frankly. I doubt even that I would have had more than a few bites myself. But it would have been fun to do it in the spirit of historical Thanksgivings.

I think the weather contributes also to the spirit of Thanksgiving here in Massachusetts. There is something in the air. To quote Agent Smith, "It's the smell." There is something about New England air that tells you quite accurately what time of year it is. Halloween has a smell, so does Thanksgiving. No, not the smell of food cooking. It's an outdoor smell. You know it when you sense it; in fact, you know it from childhood. That is the better part of any holiday, I think. The smell.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

Intermittent Arcana

OK. Fine. I'm here.

I've started a blog. And yes, it is as painful as I said it would be. However, it seems that there has finally come a point where I need (or at least am compelled to) connect to friends and family in an online manner that addresses my life in general sense, rather than in the various nitches (with aliases and pseudonyms) as I've done thus far.

So here it is. My life, in a sort of high level play by play, complete with rants, thoughts, musings, blessings, and events. Whether it will be read by anyone remains to be seen; nevertheless, here it is.