A brief thought on tragedy

Last week's school shooting in Connecticut was horrific - no sane person could think otherwise - and I can't even begin to imagine the pain the families of the dead are feeling. And yet, every time there is a school shooting or other mass tragedy in this country, every time the death of one celebrity or beautiful person obsesses the nation, I can't help but wonder why we do not feel the same pain for all the hundreds of people - many of them children - who die every day of wars, starvation and disease around the world. The media has spent countless hours discussing the shooting and what can be done to prevent such horrors in the future; every single NPR show I listen to (well, not Car Talk) has had stories on the victims, or gun control, or mental illness. I hope that all this attention makes a difference this time, that changes to the national consciousness regarding guns and violence are permanent. But what would happen if we spent that energy and compassion on improving society without a tragedy? If we tried to make the world better before we go through so much pain?

Mr. Kicky

We could all use a laugh, or at least a smile, so here is a video of Malcolm, aka Mr. Kicky, abusing his three men in a boat.

Thanksgiving recap

Malcolm wasn't thrilled with the overalls, but they are just so darn cute!

Here are some pictures from our busy Thanksgiving weekend. On Thanksgiving we headed to a friend's house for authentic homemade Louisiana gumbo and other deliciousness. No, no turkey this year. I think in the 11 years we've been married, Benjamin and I have had turkey 4 times for Thanksgiving, and two of those were when my parents came to visit and my mother did the cooking. Usually, if it is just going to be us, we make enchiladas.  This year, I was happy to not have to do any of the cooking, since I would have had to do it around Malcolm. I did bake a pumpkin pie, using store-bought pumpkin for the first time in probably 13 years, and it was a complete failure. The pumpkin puree tasted like the container it came in - musty cardboard - and was pretty much inedible. Major bummer! And it was a reputable organic brand too. I guess that will teach me not to cut so many corners again! Anyway, on Saturday we roasted a chicken and I made an apple pie to make up for the lack of pie leftovers.

Benjamin and his helper elf.

Since it is fall here in Arkansas, we took some time to rake leaves. We got 10 or 12 giant bags, and didn't even finish the backyard, not to mention the front. There are still plenty for my dad to rake in a few weeks when my parents arrive for Christmas.

And we took Malcolm on his first of what we hope will be many post-Thanksgiving hikes. We figured he wouldn't have the stamina (or patience) for a long hike, so we chose Woolly Hollow State Park. The hike there is only about 3 miles, and the drive is about an hour from Maumelle. We've done it before and have enjoyed it. This time, the weather was almost perfect, just a little windy and cold up on the exposed ridge side.

If you look closely at this picture, you will see the death grip Malcolm had on my finger. He sucked on that finger for much of the hike, so much so that I had drool running down my palm and dripping as I hiked. Ah, babies!

 

 I did convince him to suck his own fingers at some point.

In the end, we didn't make it the entire 3 miles - he was getting too hungry and tired - but he did pretty darn well. He definitely enjoyed facing forward in his new carrier that I got from our neighbors - so much easier to see out that way.  I just bought a backpack style carrier that we will be using once he is able to sit up on his own. Then he will be able to play with our hair while we hike!