Today Laura is thirteen years old.  In some ways it seems so long ago, but in other ways it’s been just the blink of an eye.  When I look at Amelia and Lillian, I see what Laura used to look like.  But when I look at Laura now, I can’t remember her any other way.  She is a special girl and a special child, since she is our firstborn.  She is helpful and capable in so many ways.  I can’t imagine life without Laura!

I rely on Laura to be my second set of eyes.  I rely on Laura to be my fashion advisor and my house decorating consultant.  She takes good care of her baby sister, she is adored by her middle sister, and she tolerates her brothers more than I even understand.

Since I know Laura will read this, I’ll say it here in the presence of witnesses…

I LOVE YOU, LAURA!

This is the third year we’ve held our Autumn Birthday Glow Party. Despite rainy weather, I think our party was a smashing success.

Our little house was full of people, but amazingly we all fit. My sister commented that having all of these people in our house would make our house feel bigger after they all left. She said that our party was “stretching the walls” a bit so we’d enjoy a more spacious house later on.

The children seemed to really enjoy all of the glow bracelets and necklaces, as well as the “Wiggle Wands” they got to wave and shake around.

There was plenty of food for all, and we have lots of leftovers tucked into the fridge.

Thank you to friends and family who joined us to make our Glow Party a fun time!

I’ve sent two e-mails to Michael so far this morning.  Perhaps you will enjoy reading over his shoulder…

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Yesterday I mentioned to you about needing firewood for our party tomorrow night.  I decided to pray about it and ask God to provide some firewood for us.

Isn’t that cool?

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Third mouse, dead.  :-)  The trap by the fridge was licked clean this morning, so I reloaded it.  Took  me forever to get it to stay set.  After I got it done, a short time later it snapped shut with an accompanying YIPE by Mac. :-)  So I re-set it, and less than an hour later the mouse is dead.  It’s a smaller one than the others.  Very soft and cute.

This morning several of us spotted our newest mouse friend again, and the trap was sprung. So I set it again and waited to see if the mouse would go for the bit of pepperoni still stuck in the trap from last time.

After impatiently waiting for a bit, Miguel went and checked the trap to see if the mouse was in it. After examining it closely, Miguel came and found me.

“Mama, I think the trap would work good if you would put some food IN it and then the mouse might take it and get caught.”

I smiled as I explained that there was a little bit of pepperoni still in the trap, and that would probably be sufficient, but I would be happy to make the bait more attractive if Miguel thought it was a good idea. He said that since the mice were attracted to birdseed, perhaps we could put some of that in the trap. I told him that I would come help put some peanut butter and birdseed in the trap soon.

Before too much longer, we had a very attractive pile of bait on the trap. There was a glob of peanut butter, and on top of that rested a kernel of corn and a bird food pellet. We slid the trap back under the sink, and Miguel pulled a stool up to the sink doors to watch and wait. I insisted that he close the cabinet door, telling him the mouse would never come out if the doors were open.

A short time later Miguel checked the trap, and the food was gone! Of course, the trap was still set. But the hungry mouse had cleaned off the whole peanut butter-corn-pellet combo. So I again set the trap, this time with a sunflower seed and another seed stuck into the grip of the trap, and a little peanut butter on top to lure the mouse in. As you have probably already guessed, the mouse again licked off the peanut butter and left the trap set.  For our next tactic, Miguel and I decided we would tie a bit of thread onto the claw of the trap, and maybe that would make the mouse tug a little more on the bait. We got it all set up, and then left it alone.

Amazingly, we forgot about the trap for a while. Then after lunch I suddenly remembered it. I peered under the sink and was astonished to see that we had indeed caught the mouse! I hollered for Miguel and all the kids came running. Miguel reached into the cabinet and picked up the trap gingerly. The little mouse hung limply there, so perfect and somehow beautiful despite being dead. We admired her whiskers, her tiny feet, her very soft fur and her funny tail. Isaac bemoaned the fact that he hadn’t been allowed to catch her alive, and he begged me to let him set a different trap that would catch the animal alive next time.

Eventually we released the mouse out of the trap and dropped it into the trash can. I probably should set the trap again, just in case any more mouse friends have come for a visit. But for now I’m basking in the satisfaction that it only took me four tries to catch the mouse this time around.

This morning I saw a flash of something in the kitchen.  Could have been nothing, but I’m afraid perhaps it was another mouse.  How could that be?  I don’t know.  But the trap is re-set, with fresh pepperoni, and the game has begun anew.

The thing about mouse hunting is this: no matter how many points the mouse gets in the game, as soon as the people get a point, the mouse loses.

After hearing a program where a guy said that hunting mice is the easiest thing in the world, I was encouraged to try again to catch our kitchen mouse. I decided to use pepperoni as the bait this time. I carefully adjusted the trap and tested it to make sure it would work properly. It snapped perfectly and beheaded the poor drinking straw that I used as the pretend mouse. So I stuck a nice piece of pepperoni in the little holder, set the trap, and ever-so-carefully slid it under the sink. The next morning I checked the trap, and there it was, still set, but minus the pepperoni. The mouse had stripped it clean and left it set, too! Argh! So I tried again, this time smooshing the pepperoni firmly into the holder, so that the mouse couldn’t lift it out quite so easily next time. But the mouse ignored my trap, and instead Isaac knocked into it twice and finally I lost hope in my mouse-trapping abilities yet again. The next night I decided to try one more time, since it doesn’t hurt anything other than my pride to try again. The next morning, I was totally amazed to see that the mouse was dead in the trap. It had worked! I pulled it out from under the sink and admired my catch. The mouse’s fur was beautiful. It’s little ears were so thin, and it’s feet were so tiny! I regretted having to kill the mouse (a boy mouse, I could see), but there didn’t seem to be any other way to get him out of my kitchen.

Now, the kitchen feels strangely silent. No more chance of a mouse scurrying along the baseboard. No more wondering where all those little feet have scampered around my dishes. And now I finally get one point in the mouse versus human game.

On Sunday evening Michael informed me that my computer hard drive was having problems.  So I gladly allowed it to be carried off to the special computer hospital in the basement.  Michael has been working on backing up the data and doing whatever else needs to be done.  But meanwhile, I am reduced to using my iPod Touch as my e-mail and internet source.  That means my e-mails are much more concise, and my time on the internet is much reduced.  In order to write this post, I have commandeered the kids’ computer for a bit.

In squirrel news, he died sometime in the night Saturday night, so when we checked on him Sunday morning, we were relieved to see that his suffering was over.  I vetoed Isaac’s desire to keep the squirrel tail.  Maybe another time I’ll be more willing for him to do that.

In mouse news, we are still trying to outwit the mouse in the kitchen.  And while we’re playing it’s little mousie games, we are getting more and more fond of it. We see it every day, and it’s so cute!  Yesterday Isaac made a box trap, hoping to catch the mouse live so we can observe it.  He also tried to set up the vacuum in a strategic spot to suck up the mouse, but that idea quickly failed.  Stay tuned for more mouse tales!

Now, I must run and make lunch for the children.  Thanks for reading!

A few days ago a squirrel became disabled here in our front yard. We don’t know exactly what happened to the little critter, but he is paralyzed from the waist down (if squirrels have waists…). He managed to climb a tree and get out of our reach that evening, but by the next morning he was down at the bottom of a tree again, so Isaac caught him. We put the squirrel in a bin on the front porch and made sure he had food, water and some bedding. I thought for sure the squirrel would die soon, but he has lived for a couple of days now. I don’t know what we’re going to do with him.

A couple of weeks ago we had a toad and two garden snakes on our front porch, so I called it our Reptile Room. Now that the toad and snakes are gone and we have a squirrel on the porch, I’ve renamed it our Rodent Rescue Room.

Michael’s mother made an interesting comment yesterday when Isaac was showing off “his” squirrel. She wondered aloud if Isaac would be a veterinarian someday. I had never thought of that! If anyone could handle obnoxious animals, it would be Isaac. (I think it’s because he is a kindred spirit…)

Yesterday after Isaac’s guitar lesson we went to see my grandmother again.  We jumped right into our routine of singing to her, and as usual she seemed to really enjoy it.  I noticed that when I sing to her, I see the words of the hymns in a whole new way.  One hymn in particular was very meaningful to me as I sang the last verse:

While I draw this fleeting breath,
When mine eyes shall close in death,
When I soar to worlds unknown,
See Thee on Thy judgment throne,
Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee.

Grandma seemed to soak in the words, and she repeatedly said “Yes….yes!”  It seemed clear to me that we are holding her hand and comforting her as she is on this final journey.  No one is pretending that Grandma is going to get better, and no one is ignoring the fact that she is dying.  Instead, we are doing our best to keep her comfortable and to enjoy these last days with her.  When I think of the phrase “dying with dignity”, I think of a negative slant.  However, when I go to visit my grandmother and see her resting comfortably on a soft bed, surrounded by loving, gentle caregivers, I am so impressed with the honor being given to her and the dignity she shows.  Someone quoted Mother Teresa as saying, “Death with dignity is to die with grace, in the knowledge that [you] are loved.”  That pretty much sums it up, don’t you think?

Isaac was quickly putting away dishes, and in the process knocking things over.

I said to him, “Isaac, you’re like a bull in a china shop!”

“What?”, he said.

“I said, you’re like a bull in a china shop.”

“Isn’t that where they belong?”

????

After a bit more discussion he exclaimed, “Oh! I thought you said ‘a bowl in a china shop’!”

*Sigh*