I'm Back

The Fall has proven only slightly less busy than the Summer and, thus, I have been more than lax when it comes to swimming upstream. As Dave wryly remarked, "Blogging doesn't pay the bills." Yes. But supply teaching helps and I've already completed my September and October quota. My two days in October were perhaps the easiest I have ever or will ever have. Dave's school hired me for two consecutive days to cull their library in order to make way for new texts. At the end of the day, I was allowed to bring home my choice of discarded books. My choice amounted to 7 cardboard boxes filled with texts. As one friend commented, "Do you know how many mothers around here would have paid to have that job?"
Apart from the normal rhythm of our days, we now have three members of the NET team staying with us for the week. Although this requires extra cooking, talking and later bedtimes for the wee ones, the NET team is always a blessing. And, since Dave, I and our marriage are rooted in NET, we feel more than obliged to host some Netters each year.
The kids were electrically charged as they waited for the NET arrival. Benjamin kept running around yelling, "I am so happy." Jacob immediately had to record their names on a piece of paper and then draw them a map of all the significant venues in our town (candy store was the first stop). Hannah remained quiet but absorbed their fashion choices with a studied eye. Joseph slept as we had put him to bed before the mayhem started.
That was Monday. Sunday was also busy with an open house at our local Catholic college and the annual Life Chain in the afternoon. Dave stayed at home with a napping Joseph and a reading Jacob and I took Hannah and Benjamin to stand for an hour on our main street while silently praying and witnessing for an end to abortion. Except, when surrounded by people that I know, I find it very hard to remain silent for an hour. So, I held a rosary in one hand (that turned out to be one of those rosaries that has no clear demarcation between the decades resulting in twenty plus Hail Marys per decade); and, between these decades, I updated my neighbours on family happenings and listened to their latest news. Grandpa Mike happened to be standing across the street so Benjamin spent some time staring at me from the other side of the street until a quivering lip and teary eyes brought him back to Mama.
We live in a very Catholic town so we received absolutely no opposition from passing motorists. Most locals were either taking part or beeping their horns as they went by. The rest of the motorists making their way to the provincial park either looked slightly confused or sunk a little lower in their seats. In the last ten minutes of the Life Chain, two cars of young men with hats turned backwards came barreling around the corner yelling:
"Get a job!!!" (Apparently they approve of working on a Sunday...)
"Pro Choice, Pro Choice, Pro Choice!!!!" while thumping their hands on their arm rests.
And the best was, "You're all going to Hell!!!" Oh, thanks.
The new president of the local Catholic college who also happens to be a very prominent historian and scholar of the pro-life movement (yes, they exist) dryly remarked, "I wish these protesters wouldn't be so ambiguous; I really find it hard to tell where they stand." Apparently prominent historians can also be quite humorous. Enjoy the pictures.