You Think You Know Somebody.....

I don't know what to say about this.

This man is (was?) my friend. We had a lot of fun in "The Miserable Few" & later in "Twice Daily", the Irish bands that we played in together. He amazed me with his talent on guitar, bazooki, mandolin, banjo & anything else he played.

And then I hear a news story on the radio & later, in order to prove that this isn't the guy I know, that it's somebody else, I went to the original newspaper article & read this:

A Lindenhurst man has been charged with possession of child pornography found on his computer by a Kansas technology firm.

Peter Macdonald, 57, was arrested Monday by Lake County sheriff's police.

Lou Archbold, an investigator for the Lake County state's attorney's office, said Macdonald sent his laptop computer to Resq System in Olathe, Kan., to have a new hard drive installed March 16.

Technicians at the firm could not start the computer, Archbold said, so they called Macdonald for his user name and password.

Macdonald supplied the company with the information, Archbold said, and technicians found a pornographic picture of a young boy as the desktop background of the device.

Technicians also located several files they suspected contained child pornography, Archbold said, so they contacted local police.

Kansas police sent the computer to the FBI for analysis, Archbold said, and the FBI alerted Lake County authorities.

Macdonald was taken into custody at his home at 839 Colony Court. He was released after posting $10,000 cash for bond.

He faces up to seven years in prison if convicted and is scheduled to appear July 7 in court.

When I saw the photo at the top of the page, it was like getting hit in the gut. Denial kinda stops at that point.

I want to give my friend the benefit of the doubt, you know?

But as a father, I don't want to hear excuses, I don't want to hear lies, I don't want to hear rationalizations. Pedophiles make me puke. There's not a pit in Hell hot enough for those who get off on the victimization of children.

Even if one of them was my friend.

I still pray that this is some mistake. We all know people who've taken pictures of their little kids in the tub, running around nekked and what not, without one iota of a sexual thought - the kid's cute, & that's it.

Of course, nowadays that could be seen as kiddie pr0n even when it's plainly not....

I just don't want to believe that my friend is a pervert is all.

Their Intent

I was happy to see that the Supreme Court upheld the constitutionality of the 2nd Amendment.

That's partly sarcastic: imagine the Supreme Court having to "uphold" an actual amendment -- not a court ruling, BUT AN ACTUAL, ALREADY EXISTING AMENDMENT to our Constitution!

It disturbs me greatly that 4 judges voted to just toss out one of our most important freedoms, that of being able to defend ourselves from harm, with firearms, & that this already clearly defined Constitutional right wasn't held up BY ALL NINE JUDGES!

Those four liberal hacks claimed that they "didn't know the intent" of what our Founding Fathers meant when they wrote the 2nd Amendment...... Fuck, they didn't look too goddamned hard, did they, because my incompetent ass found various comments from several of the Founders on just exactly what they meant when they wrote:

"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed."

• To preserve liberty it is essential that the whole body of the people always posses arms... -Richard Henry Lee, Additional Letters From The Federal Farmer, 1788

• The Constitution [shall] be never construed to ... prevent the people of the United States, who are peaceable citizens from keeping their own arms. - Samuel Adams, Massachusetts' U.S. Constitution ratification convention, 1788

• Let us remember that if we suffer tamely a lawless attack upon our liberty, we encourage it. - Samuel Adams

• The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword, because the whole body of the people are armed, and constitute a force far superior to any band of regular troops... - Noah Webster, An Examination of The Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution, Philadelphia, 1787

• No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms. -Thomas Jefferson, Proposed Virginia Constitution, 1776

• Arms in the hands of individual citizens [may] be used at individual discretion ... in private self-defense... - John Adams, A Defense of the Constitution of Government of the United States of America, 1788

• ...[A]rms discourage and keep the invader and plunderer in awe, and preserve order in the world as property... Horrid mischief would ensue were the law-abiding deprived of the use of them. -Thomas Paine, Thoughts On Defensive War, 1775

• Guard with jealous attention the public liberty. Suspect everyone who approaches that jewel. Unfortunately, nothing will preserve it but downright force. When you give up that force you are ruined. - Patrick Henry, Virginia's U.S. Constitution ratification convention

• If I were an American, as I am an Englishman, while a foreign troop was landed in my country, I would never lay down my arms - never - never - never! You cannot conquer America. - William Pitt, Speech, November 18, 1777

• Necessity is the plea for infringement of human freedom. It is the argument of tyrants; it is the creed of slaves. -William Pitt

• (The Constitution preserves) the advantage of being armed which Americans posses over the people of almost every other nation ... (where) the governments are afraid to trust the people with arms. - James Madison, The Federalist, No.46

• A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species of exercise I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball, and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore be your constant companion on your walks. -Thomas Jefferson, August 19, 1785

"...on your walks." Unless you're just walking around your house, I'm pretty sure he meant when you're not home!!!

• "The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government." - Thomas Jefferson

• "Government is not reason, it is not eloquence, it is force; like fire, a troublesome servant and a fearful master. Never for a moment should it be left to irresponsible action." - George Washington

(The above quotations were found here.)

That's just a few, but you get my point. THEIR INTENT & MEANING WAS CLEAR & JUST AS RELEVANT NOW AS THEN.

And if you still can't understand it, then piss off, 'cause I have no time for someone who can't read what's in front of them.

With Love (I'm sure) From Petey

That sonofa..... I mean, my good friend Petey smacked me with this meme, & nice guy that I am...... aww Hell, here it is:

The rules:

1. Post the rules of the game at the beginning.
2. Each player answers the questions about themselves.
3. At the end of the post, the player then tags five people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read the player’s blog.
4. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

====================================================================

What were you doing five years ago?

I was working as a temp making rotary brakes. Exciting, eh?

What are five things on your to-do list for today?

1) Go to work
2) Come home to work (dishes, laundry, kids' baths, etc...)
3) Go down to Contagion's to fill out the online registration for Theatiki (seeing as how my 'puter's a piece of shit & barely able to handle this blog). I should probably ask him first, of course.....
4) Fill out this freakin' thing
5) Go to bed, so I can repeat steps 1 & 2.... into perpetuity.....

What are five snacks you enjoy?

1) Those Reese's Granola bars with the peanut butter on 'em
2) The Wife's cookies. Doesn't matter which ones; peanut butter, chocolate chip, peanut butter- chocolate chip, etc...
3) Peanut butter & honey sandwiches (are you seeing a pattern)
4) Cheese, the stinkier the better!
5) corn chips with salsa

What are five things you would do if you were a billionaire?

1) Get one or two off-shore accounts
2) Pay off my & my family's debts
3) Donate a goodly portion to Catholic Charities, the Boy Scouts, the Red Cross & whatever other worthy charities I can think of, all anonymously. I have ALWAYS wanted to do that -- drop a couple thou in a small church's collection plate, & walk away.... That'd be the BEST!
4) Get the fuck out of Rockford!!!
5) Take The Wife & kids to Scotland, Ireland, & England for a year... maybe longer

What are five of your bad habits?

1) Smoking cigarettes... a pack & a half a day now...
2) I drink a lot -- A LOT -- of Coke. I'm working on sticking to Diet Coke as of today
3) I get pissed easily, especially at fucking morons who don't know how to fucking drive!
4) I have a slight tendency to curse.... &
5) Sometimes I understate facts

What are five places where you have lived?

1) Roodhouse, IL. Born there, left there at the soonest opportunity
2) Ft. Benning, GA. All too briefly.. Long story & I'll not repeat it
3) Jacksonville, IL. For the one year I went to MacMurray College & thereby met The Wife
4) Champaign-Urbana, IL. Where The Wife & I lived after we married
5) Rockford, IL. God help me...

What are five jobs you’ve had? (a short list)

1) Security guard (briefly)
2) Fork truck driver in a warehouse
3) Machine set-up/operator in a paint/colorant factory
4) Machine operator for a brake manufacturer (very briefly)
5) Truck driver

Now I know I'm supposed to pass this on to five other people, but I know from experience that by the time I get these meme things, all my close friends have already gotten 'em, so what'd be the point?

This one was one the better ones: nothing nasty &/or nothing that was nobody's goddamned business....

There's that cursing problem....

Memorial Day

I've always had trouble wishing anyone a "Happy" Memorial Day. It's a day of contemplation, a day for showing our pride in our service men & women, & a day for giving thanks to those who've sacrificed their all for their - our - country.

My dad, a veteran himself of the 1st Infantry Division - The Big Red One - sent this to me & I thought this would be best time to share it. Thanks dad, for this article and for serving your - our - country in the jungles of Viet Nam.

Hopefully, someday, I'll learn more from Dad about his experiences & with his permission, share them. I'm extremely proud of him.

"This picture was taken in 1918. It is 18,000 soldiers preparing for war in a training camp at Camp Dodge in Iowa. A gift from our grandfathers. ..




















As the web site of the Iowa National Guard explains, the above-displayed photograph of a "human Statue of Liberty," formed by 18,000 posed soldiers, was taken in July 1918 at Camp Dodge, Iowa, as part of a planned promotional campaign to sell war bonds during World War I:

On a stifling July day in 1918, 18,000 officers and soldiers posed as Lady Liberty on the parade drill grounds at Camp Dodge. According to a July 3, 1986, story in the Fort Dodge Messenger, many men fainted; they were dressed in woolen uniforms as the temperature neared 105 degrees F. The photo, taken from the top of a specially constructed tower by a Chicago photography studio, Mole & Thomas, was intended to help promote the sale of war bonds but was never used.

A reader whose great-grandfather appeared in this picture passed along to us some contemporaneous information about the photograph prepared by the Committee on Public Information.

The design for the living picture was laid out at the drill ground at Camp Dodge, situated in the beautiful valley of the Des Moines River. Thousands of yards of white tape were fastened to the ground and formed the outlines on which 18,000 officers and men marched to their respective positions. In this body of soldiers are any hundreds of men of foreign birth, born of parents whose first impression of the Land of Freedom and Promise was of the world's greatest colossus standing with beacon light at the portal of a nation of free people, holding aloft a torch symbolic of the light of liberty which the statue represents. Side by side with native sons these men, with unstinted patriotism, now offer to sacrifice not only their liberty, but even life itself for our beloved country.

The day on which the photograph was taken was extremely hot and the heat was intensified by the mass formation of men. The dimensions of the plotting for the picture seem astonishing. The camera was placed on a high tower. From the position nearest the camera occupied by Colonel Newman and his staff, to the last man at the top of the torch as plotted on the ground was 1,235 feet, or approximately a quarter of a mile. The appended figures will give an adequate idea of the distorted proportions of the actual ground measurements for this photograph:

Base to shoulder: 150 feet.

Right arm: 340 feet.

Widest part of arm holding torch: 12-1/2 feet.

Right thumb: 35 feet.

Thickest part of body: 29 feet.

Left hand (length): 30 feet.

Tablet in left hand: 27 feet.

Face: 60 feet.

Nose: 21 feet.

Longest spike of head piece: 70 feet.

Flame on torch.: 600 feet.

Torch and flame combined: 980 feet.

Number of men in flame of torch: 12,000

Number of men in torch: 2,800

Number of men in right arm: 1,200

Number of men in body, head and balance of figure only: 2,000

Total: 18,000

Incredible as it may seem there are twice the number of men in the flame of the torch as in the whole remaining design, while there are eight times as many men in the arm, torch and flame as in all the rest of the figure. It will be noted that the right thumb is five feet longer than the left hand, while the right arm, torch and flame is eight times the length of the body.

Arthur S. Mole was a British-born commercial photographer who worked in Zion, Illinois. During and shortly after World War I, Mole traveled with his partner John D. Thomas from one military camp to another, posing thousands of soldiers to form gigantic patriotic symbols that they photographed from above. The formations depicted such images as the Liberty Bell, the Statue of Liberty, the Marine Corps emblem and a portrait of President Woodrow Wilson. The Wilson portrait, for example, was formed using 21,000 officers and men at Camp Sherman in Ohio and stretched over 700 feet. H is "Human Liberty Bell " was composed from over 25,000 soldiers, arranged with Mole's characteristic attention to detail to even depict the crack in the bell. Mole and Thomas spent a week or more preparing for these immense works, which were taken from a 70 or 80 foot tower with an 11 by 14 inch view camera. When the demand for these photographs dropped in the 1920s, Mole returned to his photography business in Zion .

This picture, as well as additional photographs produced in the same style by Mole & Thomas and other photographers (and featuring the patriotic themes mentioned in the preceding paragraph), can be viewed at the web site of Chicago's Carl Hammer Gallery."

(all emphasis is mine.)

To all vets out there, Thank you, Thank you, Thank you.

Where Was I....

Over the last little while

(since St. Pat's Day),

I flat haven't had the energy or the time to post anything. Politically, things are in the shitter

(I don't need to tell you that!),

Personally, not much has been going on to write about. I think part of my problem is that I have never, ever liked repeating myself & that's what a lot of blogging is about. You all know what I think politically, religiously, and personally

(Unless I really need to rehash something)

and I've always thought that if I have to say the same things over and over, then either (or both) of two things is true:

1. The intelligence of the reader/listener is sorely lacking
(not true in the case of those I call friends)

or

2. I S.U.C.K. as a communicator.
(the most likely of the two).

Well either way. let me try to catch up in what's been going on in the Bodhran Clan.

Firstly, Squeaks has been rechristened. Since he breaks wind with the resounding thunder of his old man, he is henceforth called Boomer. He's almost 3 months old now. I'll have some new photos soon.

Secondly, I was informed last week that my work day has been shortened from 9 am - 7(ish) pm, to 11:30 am - 7(ish) pm. The volume of freight over the last few months just hasn't been there.

For example, if I had more than two deliveries & more than 2 pick-ups, (granted I cover a large area), I was a busy man. Lately, I leave the dock with one delivery, drop it off around 10 am or so, and find a place to park until 4:15 when I go to my first of two daily pickups, unless I'm lucky enough to get called for an unscheduled pickup.

If it wasn't for the fact that I'm a voracious reader (and sometimes napper) I'd be bored off my ass! Hell, face it, I'm both of those things and I'm still bored off my ass with my job. I became a truck driver to see a whole helluva lot more of the country than the northeastern part of The Sheoples Republic of Illinois!

Damned familial responsibilities....

Anywhoo...

Thirdly, living history. Now, I know the history and origins of the bodhran, & to be honest although it is an ancient instrument it just plain wasn't in this part of the country during the time I reenact -- early French & Indian War.

It. Wasn't. Here!

Usually, I don't care (I seriously couldn't care less) of what most people think of me. However, I do have friends who are living historians (Seamus, Petey, Wil & others) & I'm not ashamed to say that I DO care what these fella's think in the context of historical accuracy.

While discussing the issue of the bodhran in the Northwest Territories in the middle part of the18th century, I challenged my very good friend and confidant Seamus to find information on the subject, knowing all the while what he'd find but hoping he'd find something I'd missed.

He searched, he cursed, he searched some more, he drank, he searched some more, drank more, tried to deny the evidence before him.... and finally came to terms with the fact:

There is no documentation that we could find of there ever having been bodhrans in this part of the country before the early 20th century!

Needless to say this sucks for me! It's what I do, I play the bodhran and sing Jacobite songs! What the hell do I do now?!

I strive for historical accuracy. For fooksake, I shaved off my facial hair after a discussion with Seamus and Wil about how improper beards were considered for "civilized" men in polite company.

How can one put a limit on historical accuracy? If I continue playing my bodhran at events, would I be perpetuating a lie upon those who come to reenactments to be educated in the life-ways of our ancestors?

I don't think I could LIE to people like that!

Oh, CRAP!

This past Saturday a very good friend of mine got married.

I wasn't there.

I overslept.

Sorry Virtue.

*hanging head in shame*

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Yeah, it's early but it's on a freakin' Monday this year.....

The first Monday of Holy Week?! The last week of Lent, when we're not supposed to have any fun at all?!

Sorry, but that's just wrong.

Here's my obligatory Irish Music contribution: The Chieftains & The Corrs; great music and hot Irish chicks!




And if you like that..... or not ;-)

Planxty, in 1979, singing one of my all-time favorite songs, "The Frost Is All Over"




For my friend Petey, who loves to sing sea chanties, more Planxty singing, "Sally Brown".



And for some kick-ass uillean pipe & bodhran playin', yet more Planxty from 1980.

(I wish I'd known about this stuff back in 1980!)



Here's one I just found, one of my most favorites to sing at rendezvous, "The Little Drummer", by, you guessed it, Planxty.

Christy Moore is singing..... when he had the hair of an oompa loompa.... ;-)

Ya gotta love the voice, though.



Well, I 'spose I should call it quits for now, but before I do, having recently learned of the death of one of Irish music's greatest singers, Tommy Makem, on August 2nd of last year, I found a song that he sang with The Clancy Brothers, and one that I want sung at my wake, "Isn't it Grand Boys". God bless ya, Tommy.



I obviously can't end on a sad note, so here's The Chieftains with Earl Scruggs, the best banjo picker I've ever heard.

(And who can be sad with a well plucked banjo around?)



And finally....

Well, almost....

The Chieftains & Altan.



Now for the last tune,

(No, really...)

I have got to end with a bodhran solo.

The incomparable Joe John Kelly!



Have a grand St. Paddy's Day!

I Blame Snoofy!

When Snoofy was younger, she liked unicorns. As lots of girls do.

Now she's older, & it seems she's developed my sense of humor.

So.... My sense of humor + a young girl's love of unicorns = what Snoofy found on you-tube.



Blame who you will. *grin!*

I Hope This Is For Real...

Long time friend of mine from Jacksonville, IL, whom I'll call "J-Mac", emailed this little gem to me. I hope to God it's for real! :^)

Most Syrians struggle to even read Arabic, much less have a clue about English.

So, how do a group of Syrian protest leaders create the most impact with their signs by having the standard 'Death To America' (etc.) slogans printed in English?

Answer: They simply hire an English-speaking civilian to translate and write their statements into English.

Unfortunately, in this case, they were unaware that the 'civilian' insurance company employee hired for the job was a retired US Army Sergeant!

Obviously, pictures of this protest rally never made their way to Arab TV networks, but the results were PRICELESS!

And Now....

Heeeere's Sqeaks! Fresh out of the box....

So to speak....

Nurse Sarah (a fantastic nurse, BTW) took this picture not 30 seconds after he was born, at 5:39 pm, on the 22nd of February.















This picture was taken roughly an hour before Squeak's blessed arrival, just before The Wife was taken to surgery, after more than 24 hours of hell.

(We're smiling in anticipation of this crap being OVER!) Note the funny blue hat. ;-) I wanted to keep the scrubs shirt, but the nurses wouldn't let me.















"Oh man, I can finally stretch out!"

Not ten minutes after he was born, Sqeaks was taken to the nursery where they put him the baby warmer, put a teddy bear-shaped sensor on his belly, an ID bracelet on his arm, & a security monitor on his ankle.














"Done and done!"

The Wife with Squeaks. I think she looks pretty good considering what she went through.

She tends to disagree, but then, she would.

Love you, Honey! :-x














Here's Snoofy, Big Sister x3. She's especially protective of Squeaks. She growled at me.... growled at me.... when I went to take him away from her!














This is Magoo with her new baby brother. She's so proud of herself when she's able to calm Sqeaks when he starts fussin'.

Magoo? Calming?! Strange but true. I'm proud of her, too.














And this is Smooth (formerly "Baby Boy"). I think he's the most excited of all the younglings, 'cause he's not just a younger brother anymore; he's a BIG brother now!














The proud Da with his youngest (and last) youngling.

I was a cute kid, too..... wtf happened, I don't know. All I know is, I look like my dad

(minus the hair: hair's over-rated!)

and if I showed you a picture of me when I was two years old, and a picture of Smooth at the same age, you'd have a hard time telling which is which. I did!
















The whole Bodhran Family.


God bless, ya'll!

And There Was Much Rejoicing....

YAAAY!!!

The Wife & Squeaks are home!

Finally!

I don't think The Wife really wants me to go into any more detail about "the experience" other than neither she (nor I) had any real idea about how she'd feel after a C-section and for how long she'd feel like her insides were trying to fall out.

But she's home, he's home & that's all that matters right now.

Thanks to all for the positive thoughts, good vibes and prayers. We couldn't've gotten through this without you. :-)

Thanks too to Ms. H, one of the best next door neighbors anyone could ever have, for picking the younglings up after school & for fixing supper for a couple of nights. I couldn't've gotten a fraction of the things done that we needed without her. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

I'll get pictures up the next time I post.

Peace to all.

This Sucks.

The Wife and Squeaks were due to come today. That was changed to tomorrow.

Now they're not due to come home until WEDNESDAY...

...MAYBE...

Let me back up...

Since we couldn't bring 'em home today, the plan was to take the kids to see Mommy & baby brother when Snoofy, Magoo, & Smooth all got home from school.

(For those who don't know, Snoofy is our oldest girl, age 10, Magoo is second oldest girl, age 6, & Smooth (formerly known as "Baby Boy") is 5. I'll explain the "Smooth" thing later.)

While picking up Magoo and Smooth from their bus stop, I get a call from The Wife. She's crying.

Crap!

It's hard to understand someone when she's sobbing, so I asked her to calm down, we're on our way over.

We get to her room & there's a nurse in there. She asks us to go downstairs until she's done giving The Wife a "test".

A "Test" my pasty white ass.

We come back after getting snacks in the cafeteria, and there are FOUR nurses hooking The Wife up to an IV & doing various other things to her. The Wife is inconsolable at this point. She had finally been able to get up, eat solid food, walk around, feed Squeaks & go to the bathroom by herself & here they were putting an IV -- a medical ball & chain -- back in her arm!

I was starting to get pissed! That happens when someone causes pain to the one I love, as you may understand.

Me: "What the hell is going on here?! You said she was getting a 'TEST'. This isn't a 'test'! WHY IS MY WIFE CRYING!!??"

She said that they had tested The Wife already and found some "abnormalities" in her blood that showed that she has preeclampsia , & if they don't give her more magnesium sulfate for a 24 hour period she could suffer seizures!

Me: (relatively quietly) "Why the hell wasn't I told this at the desk!? I wouldn't have brought my freakin' kids if I had known you were doing this! They sure as shit don't need to see their mother like this! Why didn't you warn me!?"

You see, my problem wasn't that she needed magnesium sulfate, it was that I was told she was getting a simple test that would last for a few minutes & I could bring the kids back after that was done, no big deal.

It was a HUGE deal!

No child should have to see their mother in that kind of pain. Yeah, magnesium sulfate isn't gentle. The Wife was on it throughout her 26 hour ordeal of giving birth & it was a major factor in causing a lot of the pain she suffered.

Anyway, The Wife was crying, the kids were crying, & I was trying to appear calm and calm everyone down. At one point, Snoofy left the room without telling me where she was going. One minute she was rocking Squeaks, the next she was gone & Squeaks was back in his bassinet. So I go to the nurses station and ask, "Did you see a 10 year-old girl with long, dark hair go past?"

Nurse: (a little too laid back for my liking) "Oh yeah, she went out those doors a few seconds ago..."

Me: (a little too pissy for her liking) "You let young girls just walk out of here without their parents? Reeaal smart."

I found her quickly. She was curled up in a chair, crying. I held her and smoothed her hair and explained to her what was going on, that things really would be alright. She calmed down & we went back to get Magoo and Smooth, both of whom had started watching Hannah Montana on the TV.

Things finally wound down -- The Wife resigned herself to her condition (what else could she do), the younglings understood that Mommy needs to stay where she's safest, with the doctors and the medicine, for just a little while longer, & another nurse came to take Squeaks away to be circumcised.

The day pretty much sucked for all involved. At least Squeaks won't remember it...

Now, the "Smooth" thing: He likes to pat down his cereal before he puts milk on it, a habit he picked up from Magoo. Unlike Magoo, however, every single time he does it, he says, "Daddy, I made it shmoooth." He also touches the top of my head after I shave and says, "Ooo, shmoooth!"

I don't call him "Shmooth" 'cause I'm at least trying to get him to say it right.

I'm going back to see The Wife and Squeaks tomorrow morning, but I'm sure as hell not going in blind again, especially with the younglings.

More later.

Well....

The Wife was going to bring Squeaks home today, but there's a little issue of her blood pressure being 114/95, so it'll be another day.

Hopefully.

Oh yeah, we're calling him Squeaks 'cause when he's nursing or just checking out his new blurry world he.... squeaks! I don't have to squeeze him or anything! Even though he is squeezable...

I'm waiting for The Wife to come home before I run down the timeline of that great, yet excrutiating day.... I wouldn't want to leave anything out.

Pictures to come soon.

He's Here!!!

When I'm more semi-conscious I'll be more detailed with the goings-on of the day, but for now I'll say that my newest youngling, D.W., was born by C-section, at 5:39pm on this day after more than 24 hours of hard labor.
He weighs 8lbs., 12oz. , (the heaviest of our babies) & is 19" long (the shortest of our babies).

He's built like a little bulldog. Too cute, if I may say so....

The Wife is doing well, considering the special hell she went thru, but I'll get into that when I'm not falling asleep at the keyboard.

She's good, he's good, it's ALL good!

Good night, ya'll.

Today's The Day!!!

Now's a good time to post after a loooong hiatus, because

(THANK GOD!)

in a couple hours The Wife's going to be induced,

(THANK GOD!)

because of her elevated blood pressure.

(THANK GOD!)

We're BOTH happy that the time's come at last!

I want to thank you, my friends, for your kind thoughts and prayers & know that I'll be posting more in the very near future.

Hooray!

Week 18...... The Pregnancy Continues......

Thank God!

And to everyone who sent their thoughts and prayers for The Wife's well-being, thank you, thank you, THANK YOU!

The Wife is off bed-rest! That pesky placenta is back where it belongs, and The Wife and the youngling are doing well; both are healthy and the little bugger's growing like a weed. In two weeks we'll find out for sure if he's a boy or not....

The Wife knows. She was right about all our kids, so when she says she knows, she KNOWS.

Just thought I'd let you who care know what's going on.

Peace be with you all, my friends.

"I'm Thirty - Seven, I'm Not *Old*!"

I've waited.... well..... 37 years to say that!

If you don't get the reference, watch this:




Happy Birthday to me....

I've had a good couple of days. The Wife was doing some research of her own on her condition. She found that, since she was diagnosed this early in her pregnancy, there is a good chance that her placenta will "migrate" away from her cervix


(Pack your bags, you pesky membrane & move along!)

within the next few weeks, taking her off bed-rest.... which she's awful at anyway: she sucks at "bed-rest". Not that I blame her -- when you have no choice in the matter, (being told you can't move or something bad will happen) is COMPLETELY DIFFERENT from choosing to veg-out on the couch for days at a time...

So that's good news! Possibly.... We hope.....

Yesterday, Contagion came over bearing a gift, a product of hours of leather working that I found quite touching: He took a binder (such as I use to hold song lyrics for re-enactments) and hand stitched a cover for it!

NOT an easy thing to do!

He sewed it with a soft, dark brown deerskin covering the outside and thick cowhide leather on the inside. It's held together with sinew and has a deer antler button on the front, to be held closed with a braided sinew cord. On the inside cover is stamped:

"For Sengo...
...Because we forgive the Irish

Seamus"

On top of that, he spent a load of time hunting on-line for songs to go into the folder!

That in itself can be a pain in the arse, especially if your not sure of the name of the song you're looking for.

Thank you Seamus! :-)

Then, tonight I got home from work about 8pm. I noticed the garage door was open, so rather than go into the house by the front door, I went to the back, closed the garage, and went in the back door.

THAT threw a wrench into "The Surprise"...

The Wife, her Mom, our neighbor "Ms. H", & all my childerbeasts were lying in wait for me to come in the front door.... in the dark.

I hear "Ms. H" say, "Crap! He's coming in the back door!"

I'm laughing by now & stepping into the dining room from the kitchen I hear,

"Surprise!!!"

I'm swarmed by Snoofy, Magoo, and Li'l Man (he's not a "Baby Boy" anymore! *sniff*) yelling, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY!!!"

Whatever bad stuff happened that day... just kinda disappeared from memory.

The Wife baked me a chocolate cake...

I TOLD you, she SUCKS at the whole bed-rest thing!

... and on it printed in frosting, "You're 37, you're not old!"

The kids made me cards (which I always love getting!), & The Wife got me a gift card for Barnes & Noble's.

I sometimes wonder how I of all people got such a great family.

Lastly, but not leastly (?)....

Thank you all for your prayers & kind thoughts and words!

I have had a true education in friendship these last few days/weeks. Some of you I've met briefly, some a few times, and some of you not at all. Hopefully someday we'll all have a chance to get together so's I can thank you all in person for all of your emotional support and prayers. I truly can't find the words to express my gratitude to all of you, as anything I might say would sound..... so..... inadequate... compared to the outpouring of good will toward me and mine.

Thank you all again, and again, and again......

Love,
Wes

Year Two....... Yippee.

This last month has been full of ups and downs.

Three weeks ago, I took the family to the Bristol Ren Faire. We all had a good time. I met with a good friend of mine, Jesse (a.k.a, Jock Stewart) who was playing/singing on various stages. He actually called for a bodhran from one of his musician buddies and had me play with him, after "making me" sing a song while playing said borrowed bodhran!

Yeah, he REALLY had to twist my arm....... NOT!

It'd been such a looooong time since I'd last played and sang in front of an audience like that. I'd almost forgotten how good it felt!

The weekend after that was the Heritage Days Festival at Galesburg. After a two year absence, it was so good to go back, seeing good friends and meeting new ones.

Those were some of the high lights for the month.

Now the lows:

As I posted earlier, The Wife and I are expecting number 4.

That in itself is definately NOT a "low"....

The weekend after Galesburg, The Wife told me that she was bleeding a little bit. Well, that caused some concern, so we went to her OB/GYN. They monitored the baby's heartbeat and checked The Wife "down there" & everything came up roses: heartbeat was strong and the blood wasn't bright red (arterial), so they said just to keep an eye on it and if it gets worse, come back. Ie, they couldn't tell us what was wrong, but hey, Mom and Baby are fine.

Last Friday AM, I'm awakened by The Wife shaking me, telling me that when she went to the bathroom, there was blood everywhere.

THAT woke me up!

I don't remember who was watching the kids, or even the drive to the hospital. I remember calling work, telling them "I'm not coming in today, I'm taking my wife to the hospital, she's bleeding.", and hanging up.

I drop her off at the Emergency Room Entrance and go park the car. On the walk to the ER, I tried to pray: for my wife, my unborn, et al. Now, I believe in the power of prayer; I've seen evidence of said Power. I also have a feeling that my prayers don't seem to carry much weight with my loving God. I thought of begging, pleading, bargaining, everything, and you know what came out of my mouth?

"I'm sick of begging, I'm sick of bargaining. Just do what You're going to do anyway and be done with it. If You want this one too, just take him quick".

Well, the short version is, Baby's heartbeat was 160 - strong and healthy. I asked the doc, "Then what the hell's wrong with my wife?! She shouldn't be bleeding!"

His answer? "We don't know. We do know that she's healthy & the baby's healthy, but we don't know what's causing the bleeding. Some women just bleed." He actually said, "We do know that she's not NOT having a miscarriage."

What. The. Fuck!!

Apparently he's never heard of double negatives.

He told her to make a follow up appointment with her (new) OB/GYN. Said appointment was Tuesday afternoon. I got home from work at 7:30 pm to find The Wife on the couch with ultrasound pictures, and got the good news and the bad news. The good news is, the baby is healthy, and from what they can tell at 13 weeks, IS A BOY!!! At the rate he's growing, doc says he could be born around Feb. 28 (it'd be so cool to have a Leap Year baby!). The original due date was March 4th, which means he's growing like a weed!

Whew!

The other good news is also the bad news. He knows why The Wife's been bleeding. She has placenta previa. If she over-exerts herself in any way, she could miscarry.

The Wife is on COMPLETE BED REST. She is not to work (she's a 1st Grade teacher), cook, clean, grocery shop NOTHING. She can only get up to use the bathroom and shower. ANY movement could cause the pregnancy to go completely and irrevocably pear-shaped.

This doesn't make The Wife happy, no sir, not at all. Or me either. Most nights, I'm lucky to be home by 8:00 pm. I can't cook supper for the kids after 8 o'- friggin'- clock!

Let's just say that The Wife is frustrated and worried and bored, and I'm going to be frustrated and worried and exausted for the next 6 months.

Nothing ever, EVER comes to this family easily.

Good thoughts and prayers are welcome.

And oh yeah, happy Blog day to me.....

Barbie - Rockford Style.

I wish I could claim credit for this. Hell, I don't know who to give the credit to, except for whoever put a copy of it in the break room at work last week. Anyway, I'd thought I'd share it.

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Mattel recently announced the release of the improved limited-edition Barbie Dolls for the Rockford, Illinois market:

“Northeast Barbie”
This princess Barbie is sold only at Cherryvale Mall. She comes with an assortment of Coach Handbags, a Lexus SUV, a long-haired foreign dog named Princess and a cookie-cutter house. Available with or without tummy tuck and face lift. Workaholic Ken sold only in conjunction with the augmented version.

“Roscoe Barbie”
The modern day homemaker Barbie is available with Ford Windstar Minivan and matching gym outfit. She gets lost easily and has no full-time occupation. Traffic jamming cell phone sold separately.

“West side Barbie”
This recently paroled Barbie comes with a 9mm handgun, a Ray Lewis knife, a Chevy with dark tinted windows, and a Meth Lab Kit. This model is only available after dark and must be paid for in cash, preferably small, untraceable bills. Unless you are a cop, then we don’t know what you are talking about.

“Rockton Barbie”
This yuppie Barbie comes with your choice of BMW convertible or Hummer H2. Included are her own Starbuck’s cup, credit card and country club membership. She is a “fund raiser queen.” Also available for this set are Shallow Ken and Private School Skipper. You won’t be able to afford any of them.

“Machesney Park Barbie”
This pale model comes dressed in her own Wrangler jeans two sizes too small, a NASCAR t-shirt and tweety bird tattoo on her shoulder. She has a six-pack of Bud light and a Hank Williams Jr. CD set. She can spit over 5 feet and kick mullet-haired Ken’s ass when she is drunk. Purchase her Chevy pickup truck separately and get a Confederate flag bumper sticker absolutely free.

“South Beloit Barbie”
This tobacco-chewing, brassy-haired Barbie has a pair of her own high-heeled sandals with one broken heel from the time she chased beer-gutted Ken out of Bowling Green Barbie’s house. Her ensemble includes low-rise acid-washed jeans, fake fingernails, and a see-through halter-top and multiple tattoos. Also available with a mobile home.

“River District Barbie”
This doll is made of actual tofu! She has long straight brown hair, arch-less feet, hairy armpits, no makeup and Birkenstocks with white socks. She prefers that you call her Willow. She does not want or need a Ken doll, but if you purchase two Downtown Barbies and the optional Subaru wagon, you get a rainbow flag bumper sticker for free.

“Loves Park Barbie”
This Barbie now comes with a stroller and infant doll. Optional accessories include a GED and bus pass. Gangsta Ken and his 1979 Caddy were available, but are now very difficult to find since the addition of the infant.

“Seventh Street Barbie/Ken”
This versatile doll can be easily converted from Barbie to Ken by simply adding or subtracting the multiple snap-on parts.

Un-freakin'-canny....

Wes -- [noun]: A lewd street performer 'How will you be defined in the dictionary?' at QuizGalaxy.com

I can't argue with that! Thanks Ktreva. :^)