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| The World TravelerKatherine's packing! She's leaving for France on Wednesday. Check out her blog at web.mac.com/KatherineRhoades (no www in front of that). | | |
| The Perfect Gift Mark and Becky celebrated wedding anniversary #29 last week. Guess what the kids gave us? THE NPR Map! There couldn't be a more fitting gift. We drive to NPR and do find it frustrating when we can't find a station. Let us know when you're traveling, and we'll look up your route on our handy dandy map that looks like a regular road map. We will let you know the "Tune to" directions for your trip.
Last month when we made a quick trip to Alabama, we heard unusual NPR programming. Evidently when smaller stations can't afford the national programs, they ask for local volunteers to come into the studio and read aloud. We heard five or six chapters of Truman Capote's In Cold Blood (read with a Memphis, Tennessee accent), several chapters from the biography of the author of the Nancy Drew mysteries, and a fascinating new book about Lincoln's assassination. We also heard a man reading excerpts from a recent "Business Week." That was not as interesting as it was entertaining because the reader couldn't pronounce "philanthropy" and he read a lengthy article about the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
So our kids know us well . . . we love the map! Can't wait to use it. Our next road trip is on the 23rd to take Katherine to St. Louis to catch a plane to Chicago/Zurich/Luxembourg so she can begin her year in France. Bet we don't listen to NPR on the way up, but we'll play it LOUD on the way back! | | |
| Mama's crazy!Oh my goodness! I've died and gone to heaven!
It's not a well known fact . . . but one of my (Becky's) hobbies is reading obituaries. I love 'em! I just regret that I haven't clipped the best ones I've read over the past 25 years. Some of the choice ones: several years ago, a local vet committed suicide. There were two obituaries. The first one was routine, fairly normal. The second one in the following day's paper began "Joe Smith was born in Centerville, Illinois, after 28 hours of long, hard labor." Now who do you think wrote the second one? Yep, I'll bet it was the mother. And she evidently didn't like her son's wife because the widow's name was replaced with the vet's dog's name in the list of survivors. A couple of years ago, a Springfield obituary read "Barbara Jones was born Michael Smith Jones in Midland, Texas, on July 19, 1962." We studied the picture with that one for awhile.
In the Ozarks, you can imagine the colorful language in the "homemade" obits. You can't count all the syrupy ways people describe a relative's death . . . "He went to sleep in the arms of Jesus." "Jesus took him to his resting place." "He's singing in the heavenly choir." "She's playing Bingo in the sky." This is followed a couple of paragraphs later by what the deceased loved. #1 of course is grandchildren followed by quilting, NASCAR, bingo, going to Vegas, milking cows, cooking, showing livestock at the fair, etc.
See I've been entertained for years! And now to find a book describing the annual conference for obit collectors and writers. I'm thrilled to death!
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| The Rhoades go to MizzouMany things may come to your mind when someone says, "The Rhoades Legacy." If you know Mark, you are probably thinking we shouldn't be proud of any legacy. However, we are very proud of the Rhoades legacy at Missouri Scholars Academy. Anne Marie attended MSA in 2002 and loved it. Katherine attended in 2004 and loved it. John Mark is attending in 2006 and is loving it. In fact, we love it so much that Mark and Becky were actually able to convince us to wear matching, yes I said MATCHING, T-shirts. Enjoy the only picture you will ever see of the Rhoades children in MATCHING outfits.
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| The Day of Bitterness and Not SailingFrom Anne Marie's most recent Xangan diatribe...
"Lo and behold...the Day of Bitterness and Not Sailing has been remedied, dear readers!
The Day Of Bitterness and Not Sailing was a few days ago, before John Mark left-- when John Mark and I spent 2 agonizing hours on Fellow's Lake before I had to Sacajawea my way back to the shore with the paddle you keep in a boat for just such an "emergency."
But today, my friends, today more than made up for it, as Horatio Hornblower (dad) and I made our way against the choppy, wind-blown waters of the lake...full tilt ahead! and singing piratical songs as we flew back and forth. There were many times that we were more than half out, but we pulled in just fine after 2 hours of blissful regata-age.
Not REALLY. Seriously. But a regata on Fellow's...can you imagine?
The Day of Bitterness and Not Sailing is a day that will live in infamy as the worstest day on the lake ever, of all time, bar none. But the Day of Speed and Pirate Songs will live on!
Also, dad wrote a song about Andrea Bocelli....which I will share at a later time.
And dad and I have rewritten the "take me fishing" commercials, and our imaginations have these staged with the same sepia-toned glow of the sacharine-laced real things...
"Take me sailing...because my wedding will be sooner than you think."
"Take me sailing...because I'm still your baby girl."
"Take me sailing...because I'd never forgive you if you took me fishing." | | |
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