Back into it.....

Went to church with Dad on Sunday -- at the UU church I grew up in. I still find it strange to be there, as I'm at such a different place them most of the people who attend there are spiritually, yet much of who I am and where I am now stems from what I learned there and the people I knew as a child. Tolerance, being honest with oneself, being active when you've committed to a congregation, helping out when someone needs help, doing the right thing even when it isn't popular, and so on. For several years, in my hyper-Anabaptist/neo-Wilburite-Quaker phase, I refused to attend church with my parents when I visited, like Dad refused to attend the fundamentalist Baptist church he had grown up in and that my grandmother attended until she died. But now I go, to connect with my childhood and remind myself of the values I learned there, and to 'show the flag' -- to let people see that we are taking care of Dad.

Dad had arranged for the choir to sing a version of Burns's Red, Red Rose in Mum's memory; I definitely got a bit weepy-eyed at that. (The anniversary {first, in this case} of Mum's death -- yahrzeit in Yiddish -- isn't until 12/9 on the English calendar or 12/28 {this year; the third day of Chanukah every year} on the Jewish calendar, but next week is the music Sunday, with an hour of Bach cantatas, so Burns wouldn't have fit. Dad is getting the flowers then, as it has been in many ways his favorite Sunday of the year..........don't know if falling so near Mum's yahrzeit will change that.)

Drove back Sunday afternoon; the only delay we ran into was a 13+ mile back-up for what turned out to be a very short section of interstate highway that was only one lane ----- for about 50 yards (!!!!) at the most. Why someone didn't plan better to open up that short stretch for the holiday weekend is beyond me.......

Got home to a very demanding cat; she was quite affronted at being abandoned for 4 days, and protested quite loudly about such neglectful treatment.

Extra cat stuff (dog lovers can skip to the next paragraph): Most mornings, while Seth is using our one washroom, I stretch out on the sofa in the den after I've checked my email, and Jezebel comes and sits on my hip; it is the one time in the day when she prefers me, as Seth is all wet (literally.....) Later, while I'm doing the final running around getting ready for work, she sits on her perch (or her flounder as Seth calls it) in the hall, on top of a pile of books on the top shelf of the bookcase. When I wander (rush is usually more like it) by, she chats with me, usually trying to tell me that Seth hasn't fed her (although he has) and therefore she needs treats NOW. If I have time, she and I exchange 'Eskimo kisses' (a phrase that I expect is now politically incorrect on so many levels that I don't want to contemplate them.....but I don't know of another terms for quick and easy term for rubbing noses.)

We went and looked at laptops yesterday evening; didn't get one -- too many decisions, plus too many questions about what we actually need. Plus, the price may come down over the next few weeks.

Got another new book today; looks like to will be a real riot to read. Went to several of the 'debates' as an undergrad, and they were great fun.

I've figured out how to add an RSS feed to my blog, and how to use a feedreader for myself. Much nicer than tracking pages manually.... and lets me read even more ;-)