Maundy Thursday 2019
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Spring Break 2019 Day 3
Spring Break 2019 Day 2
Spring Break 2019 Day 1
The first day of spring break, and I spent the morning in the attic, putting additional insulation to compensate for the fact that the insulation we blew in eleven years ago has settled significantly: all the rafters, once hidden beneath several inches of insulation were once again visible.
This time, though, I decided simply to buy some R19 batts and hope for a little longer break than eleven years before I need to do it again. Part of this is due to the fact that to get to the attic above the upper part of the house, we have to take everything —Â absolutely everything — out of L’s closet. That in itself will be a task. Today, though, I just focused on the lower part of the house.
While all that went on, our regular construction guys worked on our new windows in the basement and the siding for the closed-in bedroom/bathroom we’re building for Nana and Papa.
Additionally, two other fellows came in to start putting up the drywall and eventually finish the bathroom.
During all of this, the kids took care of themselves. The Boy spent the day playing with neighborhood kids, an activity that included me at least once saying, “Where’s E?” and having to go look for him. He was right where I thought he would be, but we’ll to establish some new protocols with him now that his independence is steadily increasing.
Palm Sunday 2019
The day started with Mass — sort of. I went to Mass at our usual church in order to photograph the Palm Sunday liturgy, the procession and all that. It’s a lovely liturgy, and to be honest, I just enjoy photographing the Mass more than simply sitting through it.
I was alone because the rest of the family was planning on going to Polish Mass in the afternoon. Palm Sunday is always a Polish Mass day, and there’s always a potluck and small get-together afterward. There’s always a contests for the best babka, a contest for the most beautifully-decorated palm, and some performance or another.
Then again, get more than a couple of Poles together and you’ll end up having one of two things: speeches or songs. Or perhaps you’ll have both.
When the call went out for anyone who wanted to perform, it didn’t take too much asking to get the Girl up to sing. She sang a verse from “Stabat Mater” — in Latin. From memory.
Back at home, we had some fun with Clover and bubbles.
Thursday Exporing
Playing in the Backyard
Boosterthon 2019
Stoned
Sunday’s gospel left me troubled.
and Jesus went to the Mount of Olives. At daybreak he appeared in the Temple again; and as all the people came to him, he sat down and began to teach them. The scribes and Pharisees brought a woman along who had been caught committing adultery; and making her stand there in the middle they said to Jesus, ‘Master, this woman was caught in the very act of committing adultery, and in the Law Moses has ordered us to stone women of this kind. What have you got to say?’ They asked him this as a test, looking for an accusation to use against him. But Jesus bent down and started writing on the ground with his finger. As they persisted with their question, he straightened up and said, ‘Let the one among you who is guiltless be the first to throw a stone at her.’ Then he bent down and continued writing on the ground. When they heard this they went away one by one, beginning with the eldest, until the last one had gone and Jesus was left alone with the woman, who remained in the middle. Jesus again straightened up and said, ‘Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?’ No one, sir,’ she replied. ‘Neither do I condemn you,’ said Jesus. ‘Go away, and from this moment sin no more.’
A number of things trouble me about this, ways in which it seems Jesus failed to act morally.
To begin with, here he has an opportunity to condemn the unspeakably barbaric act of stoning, undoubtedly one of the brutal ways to kill another human being, and he says nothing. “What have you got to say?” ask the scribes and Pharisees, and Jesus should have answered with a clear, unequivocal condemnation of the act itself.
The obvious answer is that, if Jesus was God, he was responsible for the Old Testament, which prescribes stoning for a number of offenses. It was his idea to begin with, in other words. It’s littered throughout the Old Testament and is always commanded or condoned:
- Achan … took of the accursed thing. … And all Israel stoned him with stones, and burned them with fire, after they had stoned them with stones. … So the LORD turned from the fierceness of his anger. Joshua 7:1-26
- And he that blasphemeth the name of the LORD, he shall surely be put to death, and all the congregation shall certainly stone him. Leviticus 24:16
- If a damsel that is a virgin be betrothed unto an husband, and a man find her in the city, and lie with her; Then ye shall bring them both out unto the gate of that city, and ye shall stone them with stones that they die; the damsel, because she cried not, being in the city. Deuteronomy 22:23-24
- If any man take a wife, and go in unto her, and hate her … and say, I took this woman, and when I came to her, I found her not a maid: Then shall the father of the damsel, and her mother, take and bring forth the tokens of the damsel’s virginity unto the elders of the city in the gate: And the damsel’s father shall say … these are the tokens of my daughter’s virginity. And they shall spread the cloth before the elders of the city. … But if this thing be true, and the tokens of virginity be not found for the damsel: Then they shall bring out the damsel to the door of her father’s house, and the men of her city shall stone her with stones that she die. Deuteronomy 22:13-21
- If there be found among you … that … hath gone and served other gods, and worshipped them … Then shalt thou … tone them with stones, till they die. Deuteronomy 17:2-5
If thy brother, the son of thy mother, or thy son, or thy daughter, or the wife of thy bosom, or thy friend, which is as thine own soul, entice thee secretly, saying, Let us go and serve other gods, which thou hast not known, thou, nor thy fathers … thou shalt stone him with stones, that he die. Deuteronomy 13:5-10 - If a man have a stubborn and rebellious son, which will not obey the voice of his father, or the voice of his mother … Then shall his father and his mother lay hold on him, and bring him out unto the elders of his city … And they shall say unto the elders of his city, This our son is stubborn and rebellious, he will not obey our voice; he is a glutton, and a drunkard. And all the men of his city shall stone him with stones, that he die. Deuteronomy 21:18-21
- A man also or woman that hath a familiar spirit, or that is a wizard, shall surely be put to death: they shall stone them with stones: their blood shall be upon them. Leviticus 20:27
- Whosoever … giveth any of his seed unto Molech; he shall surely be put to death: the people of the land shall stone him with stones. Leviticus 20:2
- They found a man that gathered sticks upon the sabbath day. … And the LORD said unto Moses, The man shall be surely put to death: all the congregation shall stone him with stones…. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and stoned him with stones, and he died; as the LORD commanded Moses. Numbers 15:32-56
- Thou didst blaspheme God and the king. And then carry him out, and stone him, that he may die. 1 Kings 21:10
Another issue: this is the story of “the woman taken in adultery” — where’s the man? (I’m presuming it was a man because were it a lesbian encounter, I’m certain the scribes and Pharisees would have eagerly pointed that out.) Why did Jesus not bring them to task for their blatant misogyny?
Questions without answers. Well, without answers that most believers would find palatable, I think.
Frog and Toad
The Boy performed with all the other first graders this evening. They put on a small musical about Frog and Toad, about whom we’ve read in countless books.
All the parents were thrilled to watch their kids; we were thrilled to have an opportunity to watch so many parents.
Walking the Dog
The Girl went to Asheville to spend the weekend with T and C, cousins for all intents and purposes. While K went to retrieve her this afternoon, the Boy and I headed to a scout meeting and then to our favorite park to walk Clover. With all the upheaval in our lives lately, we really neglected the dog. Our nightly jogs/walks have all but ceased: with K taking care of Nana and Papa until the renovation is done, and we move them in, I’m reticent to leave the kids in the house alone. They’d do fine, I’m sure: L stays alone regularly without any problem, but if the Boy were to wake while I were out, it might be problematic. Plus, I’ve been going to bed at 9:30 on a regular basis. So today we decided that we had to get Clover out and about.
We met a few dogs along the way. It’s always a little stressful for me when that happens while the Boy is leading the dog. Clover gets so very excited so very quickly, and her excitement becomes manic and borderline aggressive, so I always tell him “Choke up” as we approach.
Today we also encountered a group out for a photo shoot. The photographer sat on one railing of the bridge, with two cameras worth somewhere in the neighborhood of $5000 I would guess based on the peek I took as we passed; the subject sat on the other; we walked in between them, at their behest.
“That’s not smart, sitting like that,” I said to the Boy.
“I know,” he said in utmost seriousness.
Monday Afternoon with the Kids and Dog Down at the Trampoline
Cool Spring Sunday
From Ten Years Ago
Friday Exploring
Flip
0-0 Tie
Three Photos from School
The Books
I am fortunate to teach three honors classes. This means I work with kids who, by and large, do everything I ask of them. So when I said, “As you read the chapter on Tom Robinson’s testimony, you need to note passages of importance,” this young lady took it seriously. Plus, she has her own personal reading she’s keeping up with.
Spring
The cherry trees outside my classroom are starting to blossom. Everyone is taking note.
Notes
Once we’re done with To Kill a Mockingbird, I have a special lesson for the kids: a local trial lawyer comes in and discusses the case from the point of view of an attorney who has himself defended individuals against rape and murder charges. How would an actual lawyer with such experience view the case? It’s always eye-opening to the kids.
To prepare for it, I have the kids make detailed notes about the case from the testimony of Heck Tate, Bob Ewell, Mayella Ewell, and Tom Robinson. “Make schematics of all the movements,” I say. “Make sketches of anything described in detail. Make sure you note what you know explicitly from the text and what is inference. Also make sure you note what things are less than clear.”
Where We Do Our Adventuring
Story
His homework: write a realistic story.
“What does that mean?”
“No dragons and such.”
He wrote a story about a little boy who eats cereal for breakfast and watches Tom and Jerry as he eats.
Where do you think he got that idea?