The Meaning and Purpose of Life

The other night, one child asked, "Dad, how do they make Canadian bacon? Or is it just from pigs in Canada?" That was an easy one to answer. But we deal with many more difficult questions every day.

What is the meaning and purpose of life?

Productive Day

Today I weeded the center section of my garden. Got all the new herbs into position and relocated the oregano to a better spot. I planted stevia, catnip, sweet basil and parsley. My produce bill shall be cut for the summer. The next chores will be to remulch the garden paths and purchase, or make, a new birdbath. Then we will need to paint some fancy garden labels so we don't accidently put catnip in the iced tea...although it says you can...

I carried all of the furniture I had stored in the shed for open house purposes back into the house (including and armchair, helping me to produce more muscle)to make room for the new riding lawnmower. The mower was purchased from our neighbor with the money earned at our garage sale on Saturday. It is used and has a few imperfections, such as a slight gas leak that makes it unthinkable to store in the garage. Having experienced only one night of allowing the mower to be in the garage and the subsequent smell it produced that entered the living quarters, I feared that l'eau de lawnmower would penetrate the soft furnishings if left in an enclosed space.

Troy then used that new mower when he came home because it is suppposed to rain for the next four days and he is having his knee surgery in only three days. After he mowed, I went out to prune some bushes and discovered an unpleasantry. The new mower threw a stone up at our bedroom window. It produced a hole in the screen and broke two panes of the triple pane glass. Another expense. Wonder if we can apply for a stimulus package grant for that...

Offended

Living in the our small village of Bradner has gotten more dangerous recently. We received a postcard in the mail from the sheriff's office notifying us of a sexual predator living nearby. It has already cost us a sale of our house. It has also cost me in concern for the safety of my children and the others in the neighborhood. This man was convicted of sexual assault of a young male child. I have two such young people in my household. Strangely enough, we were the only home with children in the neighborhood to receive this notice, so I have been spreading the word and the picture of this man.

On Friday, I took the opportunity to check out a garage sale two houses down from ours. As I chatted with the neighbor, he asked me to guess who had just been shopping there. Some celebrity? NO! The predator. And to make matters worse, this man told the neighbor that he was interested in purchasing "jewelry and toys for young children who don't have any." He either did not expect that he would be recognized or just did not care. Needless to say, I was alarmed. My kids had been playing outside during the time he was there. I have to wonder if he was there to look for children he could "befriend."

I have warned the kids to be aware of who is around and not talk to any strangers. I have tried to make them have a healthy fear of what could happen to them without making them paranoid. This is especially hard for the boys to understand. This evening, one son pulled me aside to ask a question. "If this sexual predator is a man, how can he can offend boys? I thought one sex could only offend another sex." How do you answer such a question? He certainly offends me!

I realize that there is no safe place in our world from this kind of person. One could move in next door any day. I thank God, He is watching over our family, and I have to trust Him to keep them safe.

Poets in Training

Here are some limericks composed by our family for our relatives.

Dirk’s Cold
by Trevor Lacey
(Based upon a true story.)

On the day Dirk became four years old,
He came down with a terrible cold.
His mom said, “Stay inside.”
So he jumped up and cried,
“You are not the boss of my cold!”

Dane’s Train
by Heather Lacey
(Based upon our deep understanding of Dane.)

I have a young cousin named Dane,
Who wanted to play with his train.
He went down the stair,
But the train wasn’t there,
So he went up to play with his plane.

Teel and the Moose
by Aunt Ruth
(Based upon the cousins' assertions that Teel loves moose.)

One day Teel went to hunt for a moose.
He positioned himself in a spruce.
His hunt was in vain,
All he saw was a train,
As the moose snickered from the caboose.

The Song of the Singer

I promised when I began this blogging business to include bits from various family members. Here is a "sound poem" written by Heather.











“The Song of the Singer”
By Heather Lacey

Silently the Singer
Sits upon the stage.
I lower the presser foot,
The needle to engage.

I push down on the pedal.
The singer starts to hum.
I guide the fabric carefully,
And watch out for my thumb!

Swish goes the fabric,
As the needle keeps the beat.
Snip! Snip! I cut the thread.
My song is now complete.