cloudy with a chance of...

meatballs.   Yesterday was Meatball Day.  A random chilly Wednesday, 35 degrees on the drive to the pool, full white-out snow on the way home, a good day for meatballs.  Grace was coming over with Grant and Ruth, because Sam had Wednesday night class.  Kathryn and Darius were coming over with Achilles and Rhys, and little Jamison, then Margaret came over with Wulf and Tennyson because Adrian was in class.  Then of course Paul and I, and Sonja, Charlotte Claire, and Camille were here.  

Meatballs:  one giant package of 88% beef from Costco, almost seven pounds.  I always use bread crumbs, old-fashioned oats, crumbled crackers...a finely minced onion, lots of garlic powder, coarse pepper, salt, onion powder, onion flakes, four eggs.  It made 90 meatballs, I sent some home with Grace and Kathryn, there are still some for us too.  I cooked 2 pounds of pasta, and made a big pot of sauce, with jarred tomato /basil sauce, and crushed tomatoes, and a can of petite diced tomatoes, with some Italian seasoning.  

And, there were brownies...boxed brownies are pretty good, I used one box of Ghiardelli and one box of Duncan Hines, in a 13x9 pan, so they were really thick.  I didn't have any, but they were well-enjoyed.  (I didn't have enough canola oil (that stuff is vile anyway), so I used butter, that may have made them good.

Anyway.  We had a warm cozy dinner, lots of noise and running around, and lots of lively conversation.

Tennyson, bless his heart, thought these were real.  He really liked them, thought they were from outside.

I think it's because he went on a long walk with Grandpa and brought back some other wild flowers.  (Isn't he so cute?)

I got to rock Jamison a bit, and Ruth wanted to sit with me too.  She loves her baby cousin!

Auntie Sonja holding Jamison, with Rhys...

I never take enough pictures, but I also don't want to be so intrusive.  

This fine morning, this rainy dark chilly morning, Sonja, Camille, and I are going to Target. Sonja needs a few things, and we need to drop off our library books.  I don't mind getting out and about.  Tomorrow is supposed to be 80 something again, wow, I love it.  

Okay, did I miss something, or what?!  I read that in some western state, the debate is ongoing about whether to stock the boys' bathroom with feminine hygiene products. Is the world upside down?  I do have a few thoughts about the whole trans thing:

1.  I would still be nice to you, as a person, and respectful, your choices are not my business.

2.  I would hope that the people who love you and are close to you would counsel you, and suggest that you are what you are, and you need to work from there to find happiness...

It seems like in this world, nothing is taboo anymore and behavior has to be more and more outrageous, nothing is even scandalous anymore, except to old prudes like me.  When I was young, even people living together before marriage was an eyebrow raiser.  

Again, I don't want to judge anyone personally.  We each have enough of our own battles to fight, our own ducks to line up, our own sin to say no to.  But when young people think that everything's okay...not so wrong...that is rather alarming.  Just because everyone is doing something nowadays doesn't make it right. My mother used to say, "Lady Jane, if your friends stuck their heads into their toilets, are you going to do it too?"  

It seems to me that what the world is lacking is hope...hope in a better future, hope in a peaceful eternity, hope in God.  (Another South Korean pop-star has died, no foul play suspected, another suicide.  My girls are really really saddened by this. What a mess! )

Ah well, the girls are getting ready to go and here I sit, digressing on topics no one wants to think about.  Some things really are like The Emperor's New Clothes though...but enough for now...this old stick-in-the-mud has to go change into bye-bye clothes.