I will have to write to Bill Watterson one day and thank him for creating Calvin and Hobbes and for sharing elements of his life, beliefs and values with such humorous candor!!  I find it curious that when I read many of the cartoons, I can totally relate with Calvin’s sentiments, and yet at other times I can totally see the Calvin character come alive in Crick.  For instance, I once explained to Crick that I would probably be most content alone on a desert island because then there would be no one around to disagree with my philosophical view of the world.  I am imagining many of my family are vigorously shaking your heads in agreement, in which case I should presume that some of you are remembering this picture of the mug that Christine gave to me.

Apparently, as this mug reveals, there has always been some consensus among my family that I bear a resemblance to the Calvin in the above cartoon!  However, the Calvin of the next comic strip reminds me so much more of Crick’s philosophy of life:

As has been well showcased in this blog, Crick’s reality always, always, always focused on the positive, sometimes so much so, that TGW (The Good Wife/a.k.a Hobbes) often had to shoot (oops, are there any PC police around??) down DH’s (Dear Husband/a.ka. Calvin) “glass half-full” optimism with her own “glass half-empty” opinion on the perceived consequences of his idealistic thinking.  Having spent the better part of forty-seven years pondering and analyzing our sometimes complicated relationship, I still find myself reflecting on certain events……the King’s Island Main Street incident comes quickly to mind where we had a verbal face off witnessed by a few embarrassed family members (Jo…please accept my belated apologies!), and who knows how many amused onlookers!   It is conceivable that because I held onto such a stubborn streak of pessimism (oh, how I can picture Crick calling over all of the angels and saints to read that stunning admission of mine!!!) and he held on to his equally stubborn streak of optimism, that we inevitably spent a good bit of our married life “hashing” out our own reality of the moment.  Fortunately for us,  we were always committed to the very same values so that in the “hashing” out of these two very different perspectives we were always able to keep our eye on the prize which was our mutual trust and love for each other, the values we wanted to instill in our children and our Catholic faith.  Now why on earth did I ever get off on this subject???  I suppose it had something to do with the fact that these comic strips continually illuminate for me just how eerily similar, and yet how unlike, we all are in our own view of the world around us and how we must merge those philosophies and perspectives when we forge our relationships with one another.

As I have now brought the Catholic faith into this post, this would seem to be the opportune time to showcase another short video I took one day while watching three of the grandchildren.  Just one little note before viewing – I did not prompt Tommy, Mayce or Josh – they chose this activity completely on their own.  I simply had my camera ready and decided early on that it was worthy of archiving LOL!!!!

Of course, after all of my “careful” editing of this video, I realize now that I spelled Tommy with an extra “m”, but as I am trying to tamp down my “OCDness”, I am not going to re-edit, save and upload it again.  See Christine……..I really am working on myself :).  Just last week as Christine and I were walking out of church after morning Mass, I was explaining (or maybe I was actually confessing!) what had delayed me once again from arriving on time.  I rationalized that my perpetual tardiness stems from all of those things that a little voice inside my head says to me “make the bed, straighten those pillows/pictures, organize one last item on the dresser, open/close the blinds, make sure all of the doors are locked, etc. and ad nauseam; coupled with a repetitiously bad habit of hitting the snooze on the alarm, more often than not, causing me to hurriedly “put two feet on the floor”so that my habitual “ten minutes late routine” will not become……”Mass over”!!  So anyway, (sorry……unfortunately, I write exactly as I speak – tortuously long and meandering!!!!!!) as Christine and I were walking to our respective cars and I was bemoaning the status of my OCD as it related to my lateness, I pointed to a weed popping out of the shrubbery and admitted to her that I had to make a supremely conscious effort to resist reaching down to pull it out.  Now, don’t anyone reach for their phone to call the men in the white coats as I really am quite harmless, I assure you, and besides, my “OCDness” makes me an excellent Cinderella (before she met Prince Charming)!! LOL

I wonder if Cinderella ever found any notes, such as the one inserted above, in the bedrooms of her wicked step-sisters??  Cleaning houses can be quite an interesting experience as one can certainly learn a lot about the occupants, even when they happen to be family!!!  As I was at Stephanie’s last week, I came across this strangely worded note in Luke’s room.  Curious, and wanting to toss it out if it was just some type of scrap paper, I called for Luke and asked him if he wanted to save it.  He explained to me that he had had a friend over and they decided to try their hand at song writing………this note was the outcome of their endeavor!!!  What do you think, should I send it on to Taylor Swift or Blake Sheldon??  They would only have to fix some of the spelling………oh……..and find some more words to rhyme with coal and know LOL!!!

As we have now moved past the magical summer marker of the 4th of July, the Ohio weather seems to be suffering from a bad case of amnesia.  With the temperature being the one exception, every day of the past two weeks has seemed like an Ohio fall/winter/spring, the weather has simply forgotten that summer is supposed to mean sunshine and longer days.  Lately, the cloudy, grey skies have even made the evening darkness seem to appear sooner than is normal for early July.  Oh woe is us!!!  Of course that hasn’t stopped us from engaging in the usual plethora of summer activities (we just have to work them in around the pop-up thunderstorms!) and goodness knows that with seven grandchildren playing summer baseball there are always ball fields calling out my name (if only their games could be played in a climate controlled dome somewhere, away from the gnats and mosquitoes and the humidity!!!).  On those days and evenings when the weather has been uncooperative, the grand-kids have found other ways to pass the time, such as a cousin-friendly game of Black Jack (what in the world ever happened to Crazy-Eights??).   And just where in the world did my grandchildren learn how to play Black Jack?? (Jim/Joe/Christopher?)  At least the almost 3 year-olds found something innocent to occupy their time (well, except for the “kicking”, to which Josh took a great liking!!)

I have one more picture I found of Tommy that I took one day while Stephanie and I  were out talking with one of her neighbors.  I happened to look over to my left and saw Tommy sitting under a tree and so I walked over and asked him what was he doing sitting cross-legged under the tree all by himself.  Barely bothering to look up at me, he simply replied, “I am meditating.”  I was too afraid to ask him any more questions, so I just took out my phone and snapped the picture.  This is the very same grandchild who wanted to call down his Papa’s spirit to instruct us as to how to operate Crick’s ham radio because I, mere mortal that I am, was unable to get any clear signals.  He is, coincidentally, the same child who was recently observed telling Mayce that if she would just fold her hands and pray to Papa, she would receive anything she asked for!!  I am thinking that one of us will be having a little talk with Tommy…………and sooner rather than later.  I believe he may have gotten a bit confused by my video which I gave to the grandchildren titled “Papa’s Father’s Day Message from Heaven”.  It appears that Tommy has completely embraced this concept. :)

As it was a rather tongue-in-cheek statement from Calvin regarding being at peace with the world that initiated this blog, I will turn now to the Author and Lover of  true peace in order to bring the post to a more fitting close.  This particular message seems to speak directly to my OCD mind…………….perhaps I should tape it to my forehead!!  ha, ha, ha, ha!

The Peace that I give to you transcends your intellect.  When most of your mental energy goes into efforts to figure things out, you are unable to receive this glorious gift.  I look into your mind and see thoughts spinning round and round: going nowhere, accomplishing nothing.  All the while, My Peace hovers over you, searching for a place to land.

Be still in My Presence, inviting Me to control your thoughts.  Let My Light soak into your mind and heart, until you are aglow with My very Being.  This is the most effective way to receive My Peace.               Jesus Calling 

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God.  And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.                         Phillippians 4:6-7

TNT

TGW

P.S.  I had a scary dream not too long ago, actually, it was more like a nightmare!  I dreamt that there was a drone hovering outside my bedroom window and I woke up in a panic thinking it must be the government and wondering how I would ever survive in a re-education camp!  And then just the other night, the news was showing what the different types of drones looked like, and I drew in my breath as I noticed that one of the smaller versions they displayed was uncannily similar to the one that was in my dream!!!  Do you think I should remove the “I don’t believe the liberal media” bumper sticker from my car????  Is it too late?????  Perhaps it wasn’t a dream??????  Ohhhhhhhhhh noooooooooooooo………………………. my thoughts are spinning round and round!!!!!  Come to think of it, maybe someone should call the men in the white coats!!!!!  LOL

P.P.S.  That. Is. All.