This is a catch up post.

I really am having trouble blogging anymore. I can't seem to work up an enthusiasm for it. But I have a few minutes here so I thought I'd try to put forth a little effort and see what happens. Hope I don't bore myself too much (or the one or two readers that might mosey over.)

Lots has been going on:

• Rick and I went to an opera! La Traviata! And it was wonderful. Rick had never been to one before and I think he was pleasantly surprised. Elizabeth Futral was the soprano and she was spectacular. Rick bought season tickets so we are going to a lot of operas this year. Next one is this Saturday: The Pearl Fishers. Last night Rick was youtubing the duet with Andrea Bocelli and another guy (who was excellent). So that's exciting! That must mean that he actually is interested in attending these with me, I think. . . . .
• I have been reading a lot, though I am behind on my Autobiography of Ben Franklin, which I started a couple weeks ago, but then put down and haven't picked up again. Must do that soon. Right now though I am reading Washington Irving short stories and they are delightful. I also recently read a really engaging book entitled I'm the Teacher; You're the Student, by Patrick Allit, a British professor at Emory University. He basically walks the reader through a semester of a survery course of American History and along the way, he expounds on his philosophy of life, the art of teaching, the reason for apostrophes, and many other sundry points. Along the way, you learn an awful lot about history and you get to take his students' final exam (he includes the answers.) It's a great book.
• The Friday co-op that I had so many misgivings about went really, really well in Sept. Now I'm in charge of Nature studies for the month of October. We'll see how stressful that becomes!
• Hannah continues to work at Starbucks, go to Spanish class at the community college, teach the littles on Tuesday mornings, attend her Thursday Econ/History/Lit class, run errands, sing in the church choir (she had a little solo on Sunday and sang very well), teach RE (I helped her this last Sunday). She is rather down in the dumps about her weight, her lack of self-discipline and the fact that she never gets to see her boyfriend because boyfriend's mother thinks she's too much of a distraction and therefore discourages them ever going out. However, I think she's still looking forward to Homecoming, if they are still an item by then!
• Will just played his Beatles White Album concert this past weekend (two shows) at a local Irish Pub. Unbeknowst to me until this weekend, he apparently has acquired a girlfriend. She seems nice enough. He and Sean absolutely love the Music Theory class they are taking at a music school near here.
• Josh dropped Odyssey of the Mind. He also just announced he doesn't want to take piano lessons anymore. Sigh . . . . On the other hand, he is really enjoying the Kolbe curriculum this year. He has already gotten through the first 3rd of Saxon Alg I. He loves his composition book this year. Today, he was diagramming sentences and he told me that he was going to diagram them himself and then have me check them to test himself. We are really enjoying our Latin class and teaching ourselves Greek. He's been rereading the Life, The Universe and Everything series. He takes good care of Tillie, the puppy. He still spends way too much time on Youtube watching Pokemon stuff.
• Sean continues to obsess on Super Smash Brothers. However, he is warming up to his new piano teacher and announced yesterday that he plans to be a pianist and composer when he grows up. He just went to his best friend's birthday party this weekend and had a good time but then had an upset stomach during the night. Fully recovered the next day though. He wants to join the church choir.
• Becky loves piano lessons and practices all the time. She just rearranged her room. We finally got rid of the crib in there (hey, she's only 7 now!). Hannah gave her her old pink, spangled, sheer canopy that used to hang over Hannah's bed. Rick hung it up in the corner where the crib used to be and then took both Becky and Sean out to Target and bought Becky a bean bag to put under the tent/canopy for a reading nook. He also got Sean his promised comfy chair. (Sean got to pick a prize for reading 10 books this summer and he decided he wanted a nice chair in his room.) Sean loves his new chair and can be seen sitting in when he is not in front of the Wii doing his SSB thing. Wait, this bullet is supposed to be about Becky. Becky has been waking up every morning between 3 and 5 a.m. and crawling into bed with me and Rick, thereby waking me up. This means I lie awake every morning from about 3 to 5 until about 6 or 7 and then wearily get up to sit in front of a hot cup of tea and try to feel human.
• Bad stuff - I havn't been saying the Rosary hardly at all. Boo hoo. I really must get back in that groove. It really makes me maintain a better outlook on life, if I can just get over my initial inertia. Also, my house is a cluttered mess. I spent all summer it seems really working at decluttering things. Yet here it is on the eve of October and it is a depressing mess. I can't seem to get up any energy to actually get surfaces cleared for any length of time.
• Mostly importantly - this Sunday is Rick's birthday and I don't have a clue about what to do. I know his family is coming over and we are going to celebrate Rosh Hashanah. Oh Happy Rosh Hashanah! But what to get/do for Rick??????
• Boy, long wandering post . . . . okay I"m off to move laundry and read The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.