Mixed Moss

A few words about Ophelia and Cathy

Bleh, here I haven't posted in months and now I'm back just to write another pointless literary observation that's too long for FaceBook and GoodReads. But there's another purpose to this post: it's for my fellow tragic Shakespeare heroine, my friend Hannah. (Pay her blog a visit now, it's awesome and it updates way more frequently than mine.) Hannah is playing Ophelia in Hamlet, and of course, the best speech in the whole play is the one where Ophelia walks in with flowers in her hands, insane and beautiful:

OPHELIA: There's rosemary, that's for remembrance, pray, love, remember: and there is pansies, that's for thoughts...There's fennel for you, and columbines: there's rue for you; and here's some for me: we may call it herb-grace o' Sundays: O you must wear your rue with a difference. There's a daisy; I would give you some violets, but they withered all when my father died: they say he made a good end...

The other day I was reading Wuthering Heights, and after Cathy, who grew up on the moor, goes similarly mad (for similar reasons), she starts pulling the feathers out of a pillow:

"That's a turkey's," she murmured to herself; "and this is a wild duck's, and this is a pigeon's. Ah, they put pigeons' feathers in the pillows--no wonder I couldn't die! Let me take care to throw it on the floor when I lie down. And here is a moor-cock's; and this--I should know it among a thousand--it's a lapwing's. Bonny bird; wheeling over our heads in the middle of the moor. It wanted to get to its nest, for the clouds had touched the swells, and it felt rain coming. This feather was picked up from the heath, the bird was not shot; we saw its nest in the winter, full of little skeletons. Heathcliff set a trap over it, and the old ones dare not come. I made him promise he'd never shoot a lapwing after that, and he didn't..."

Insane minds think alike, methinks. Either that or Cathy is a total Ophelia wannabe. ^_^ (Seriously, there's no way that the feather speech wasn't inspired by the flower speech. Back when Wuthering Heights was written, everybody read Shakespeare.)

Do you still remember me?

Probably not. So, let me introduce myself.

My name is Alice. My middle name is Agnes. You may also know me as Electra. But now I have a Confirmation name. If you want to, you may call me Judith.

If it wasn't for a girl named Monica, I wouldn't be here typing this right now. You see, I dropped Mixed Moss a year ago. You can only do so many things at once, unless you're Padre Pio. :-) And I had diary entries to write, a story to work on (I'm almost done with it, although the ending is giving me toothache), and, generally, a lot of things to think about. Once you drop a blog, getting back into the swing of things is hard. So I never did. I just lived my life, while my poor old posts rotted in the digital archives, with no one to read them. Or so I thought...

"Hey, Allie," said my mom a few days ago, checking the comments on TypePad. "Remember Monica? She just commented on your blog. She said, 'Please post more, you haven't posted in a year.'"

My eyes widened. "She's still checking?"

"Apparently, yes. Maybe you should start your blog up again. It'd be nice to see some more posts."

So, here I am, armed with a resolution. I'm going to give Mixed Moss another go. I might never post as often as I used to, but I'm going to post, at any rate.

Thank you, Monica!

Monica Tagged Me!

Reading or computer? I love to read! I don't think I could survive without books! But, on the other hand, can't keep this blog up without a computer, can I? :-)

Morning bird or night owl? Morning Bird. I stay up late anyhow, though.

Teddy or Doll? Doll.

Eragon or Lord Of The Rings? Definitely LOTR.

Pink or red finger nail polish? Pink.

I tag: Anne-with-an-E, MaryBeth, MG (Mary Grace)

Irish Quiz

You're 55% Irish

You're very Irish, and most likely from Ireland. (And if you're not, you should be!)

How Irish Are You?

HT: Over the Rainbow

Scorcher: a SuperKids comic

Remember Scorcher from our old SuperKids Comics Vote? Well, here it is at last! Note: This is kind of an old comic, so many of the extra characters will not be in it. Even Elektra wasn't really fleshed out by this comic, so she isn't here. Click here to read the updated cast list. There's another think you'll need to know--Teenage Girl #1 has blonde hair, and Teenage Girl #2 has brown hair.

Historical Note: This is Speedlight's unofficial debut. His official debut was in the comic "Brotherhood Clash," which Owl and I began but have not yet finished. Elektra's unofficial debut was in "Jailbreak."

[Torch and Owl are standing in Owl's room. Owl's pet tarantula is sitting on Torch's head.]
Owl: So, you've never held a tarantula?
Torch: (rolling his eyes to look at the tarantula) AHH! It's in my hair!
Owl: I'll take THAT as a no. O.K, back in your cage, Taran-Chula.
[She puts Taran-Chula into his cage.]
Torch: So, how was school?
Owl: Mostly boring. No cries for help. The only thing interesting that happened was, Laser tripped with her lunch tray and splatted ravioli in Nightshade's face!
[Torch laughs. Shadow is watching them on a hidden camera.]
Shadow: No, no cries for help, my friends. Not yet. (He cackles evilly.)
[The next day, Owl is doing jujitsu for phys-ed at SuperSchool. She is in a uniform and is standing in a very uncomfortable-looking position with one leg off the ground, with the teacher, Ms. Won Mi-nit, watching her.]
Ms. Won Mi-nit: Okay, so now we hold this pose for one more minute...
Owl: (thinking) Hold this pose for one more minute and I'll fall over and freeze like this. Sheesh!
[Later. Owl hops awkwardly toward Jett, with her hands in the same position and one leg in the air.]
Help me get out of my costume, Jett.
[Later, when Owl is back in her costume, she hears a bell ring.]
Oh no! Not Etiquette!*
[In Etiquette class. Owl is drinking tea, glad of a break.]
(thinking) This has been one heck of a day...I sure hope Torch is having a better time then me.
[Meanwhile, Torch is in Shadow's lair, gagged and bound to a post with impenetrable rope.]
Torch: (voice muffled by gag, but still angry) MMP!!!
Shadow: I've got a surprise in store for you, my little human bonfire!
[Later, in Owl's room.]
Owl: Am I gad to see you, Melon! I've had a horrible day!
Melon: Woof!
[Owl tries to dial Torch on her communicator.]
Owl: Torch! TORCH!
Communicator: (mechanical voice) Signal not found. Signal not found.
[Owl hangs up.]
Owl: I lost Torch's signal! What does it mean?
Melon: That your rotten day just got a lot worse?
Owl: Looks like it! I've got to contact Speedlight, fast!
[Later, after Owl has contacted Speedlight.]
I've got him! And he's still got that homing beacon thingy that we planted in Torch's suit! Woo-hoo!
[Later. Speedlight is at the SuperKids main computer, tracking the signal.]
Speedlight: Bad news, Owl. Torch seems to be awfully far from home...
[Meanwhile, in Shadow's lair. The homing beacon on Torch's shoulder starts flashing.]
Shadow: Oh! What have we here? A tracking device? How very clever...
[He rips it off Torch's suit, crushing it in his black-gloved hand.]
...But cleverness cannot save you now! HAHAHA!
[Meanwhile, at the base.]
Owl: Oh my gosh! The tracking light just went out!
[Back in Shadow's lair, Torch manages to free one hand and has pulled off his gag.]
Torch: You will not get away with this!
Shadow: (dropping pieces of the crushed homing beacon onto the floor) Oh yes I will! Soon the earth will be a miniature SUN!
Torch: Umm, what do I have to do with it?
[Shadow sighs.]
Shadow: How can you be so smart and yet so DENSE!? Do I have to explain it to you?
Torch: Yeah, whatever.
[Meanwhile, at the base.]
Owl: (yelling to Speedlight) The signal's gone!
Speedlight: Quick! Get the Batmobile!
[Later. Speedlight and Owl are driving out down the freeway in the Batmobile.]
Owl: Speedlight, pull over! There's someone in the road!
[The Batmobile stops, and its headlights flash on the figure in the road.]
Owl: Torch?
Speedlight: (sarcastically) Okay, this isn't weird.
Melon: Where were you?
Torch: Well, I was going for a walk, until you nearly ran me over with the Batmobile.
[Next day, at SuperSchool. Owl is lifting rocks for Phys-Ed.]
Owl: Ms. Won Mi-nit, can't I stop now?
Ms. Won Mi-nit: One minute.
[All of a sudden, the room is alight with flame.]
Owl: Oh my gosh! Ms. Won, you evacuate the students. I'll see what's up!
[As Ms. Won leaves, Owl forges her way through the engulfing smoke and flame, until she sees a scarily familiar figure at the center of it all.]
Owl: Torch!
[Torch steps toward her.]
I don't want to fight you, Torch.
Torch: I want to fight you!
Owl: This is gonna hurt.
[Torch throws a blast of fire power at Owl, who lifts her telekinetic shield. Too late, she realizes that whatever happened to Torch, he has gotten a lot stronger.]
(thinking) My powers won't hold up much longer! Think fast...
[Suddenly Melon arrives out of nowhere and pounces on Torch, knocking him down. Owl scoops up the mutant and tears out of the burning school just in time. Melon sits on her head and licks her hair.]
Melon: Owl's faithful pet has saved the day!
Owl: Is this sanitary?
[She sees Speedlight's house. The door is open, and she runs in.]
Speedlight? SPEEDLIGHT!
Speedlight: What?
Owl: No time to explain. Let's just say we'd better hurry up, 'cause TORCH IS GONNA BURN THE WORLD!!!!
Speedlight: (angrily) I KNEW something was up! Ever since...
Owl: Ever since he disappeared and then 'mysteriously' appeared on the freeway?
Speedlight: No, ever since he ate everything in my fridge. Who knew the guy had such an appetite?
Owl: Trust me, you have NEVER seen Melon eat.
[She turns around and sees Melon setting up a little table and tying a napkin around his chin. Later, Owl and Speedlight prepare for battle...]
Owl: You evacuate the city! I'll tackle Torch!
Speedlight: If you're sure you can handle him alone...
Owl: I can! Just MOVE!
[Speedlight thinks for a moment, then sees a deep pit leading underground and gets an idea.]
Speedlight: (calling) Okay, everyone into the hole in the ground!
Teenage Girl #1: This is sooo unfair! I was so shopping!
Teenage Girl #2: Totally!
[Meanwhile. Owl has found Torch burning up everything in his path.]
Owl: YOU are going down!
Torch: Oh yeah?
[He shoots a fire blast at Owl.]
Owl: HA! You SO missed!
Torch: Oh yeah?
[Owl turns around and gasps.]
Owl: Oh my gosh! My house!
[She pulls out her communicator and talks into it.]
Speedlight! Evacuate my family and pets FAST!
[She turns to Torch.]
(grinning) Oh, you are so goin' down for that!
[Just then, the area is engulfed by the smoke from Owl's house, trapping her.]
Okay, where did he...(she starts coughing)
[Meanwhile. Speedlight has taken everyone to an underground cavern.]
Speedlight: Alright, everyone, stay calm! If the core of the earth explodes, follow this simple rule.
[He lifts a large boulder over his head.]
Duck under a rock, like so.
[Suddenly, there comes a distant rumbling sound. The walls begin to crumble.]
Evacuate! FOLLOW ME!
[Everyone picks up a boulder and runs for it. When they try to stop, they are brought down by the weight of the boulders and fall on their heads.]
Teenage Girl #2: Running with rocks is an official bad idea.
Teenage Girl #1: Like, ditto.
[Meanwhile, Torch has escaped Owl and gone back to Shadow.]
Shadow: So, have you gotten rid of her?
Torch: Temporarily. My smoke attack won't last forever.
Shadow: Fine, then. Go.
[Torch heads for the door.]
Ha ha ha! This plan is sheer genius! Infallible! Simply foolproof! Astounding! Astonishing! A--
Torch: Can't we just get on with it without the speech?
Shadow: Whatever. I'm just glad I bought that mind-control ray. Imagine! A 50% discount from the smugglers at the evil Mobil station--and I short-changed that dark-haired guy in charge of the whole operation.** What a deal!
[Meanwhile, Melon has tried to go into the smoke to rescue Owl, but has become trapped as well, while Owl tries to find an end to the smoke. Finally, she come to the edge of the clearing and blows the last of the smoke away with her ice breath.]
Owl: Well, my hair is kind of messed, but the smoke's go--(she gasps to see Melon lying on his side, coughing and wheezing) MELON!
[Later, Owl has sent Melon underground with Speedlight and the refugees.]
Melon: (thinking) I hate staying home sick.
Speedlight: Okay, stay calm everyone...
[Meanwhile, Owl has found Torch again, in a broken-down building. She prepares for the attack.]
Owl: Traitor!
Torch: Sissy!
Owl: Chowder-head!
Torch: Witch!
Owl: Wait a minute. Who are we kidding? Name-calling won't solve anything. We need to get down to business!
Torch: Good point!
[He sends another fire ball hurtling towards Owl.]
Owl: Me and my big mouth.
[She retaliates with a blast of telekinesis, but the fire ball disappears and Owl realizes that Torch formed it around a large rock, which is now hurtling towards her at great speed. She tries to avoid it, but it succeeds in hitting her forcefully in the side of the head, knocking her out. Meanwhile, Speedlight and company have come to another underground cavern.]
Speedlight: Alright, we're out of that danger...
[Teenage Girl #1 is standing with her arms in the air. She has let go of her rock, but her arms are now so stiff that she can't pull them down.]
Teenage Girl #1: Like, how about the danger of explaining this to my boyfriend? I still can't move my arms?
Teenage Girl #2: Trust me, girl, you've got it good.
[She is standing calmly with her arms at her sides, but Melon has perked up and is now hopping around next to her.]
Melon: It's a bird...It's a plane...It's Melon the Mini-Mutant!
[Meanwhile, in Shadow's lair. Torch has reported back.]
Shadow: Did you get her this time?
Torch: Yep!
[Back in the crumbling building, Owl wakes up to find that Torch has doused the place with flames, and that it is fast burning down.]
Owl: (thinking) Oh my gosh! How will I get out of this one? (shouting) Um, help?!
[She picks up her communicator.]
Speedlight? SPEEDLIGHT!
Speedlight: You needn't shout! I heard you QUITE well the first time!
Owl: I'm trapped in a burning building.
Speedlight: What?
Melon: Woof! Meow! Moo! Moo! Bark! Roar! Toot!
Speedlight: (to Melon) What are you saying?
Owl: Let me talk to him. I understand mutants, Speedlight. Speedlight? Speedlight? Help!
[Torch and Shadow are watching a screen in Shadow's lair, which reveals that Speedlight and Melon lost the connection and are locked in a vicious struggle with Shadow's robots.]
Shadow: Ha!
[But there is one thing that stands in the way of this evil plot...eight-year-olds. Jett and Rain burst into the burning building.]
Rain and Jett: GIRL POWER!!!
[Rain uses her weather powers to put out the fire, while Jet helps out.]
Owl: (shaking Rain's hand) Thanks, Rain! And now to go beat up my friend!
Rain and Jett: Huh?
[Later. Owl has managed to sneak into Shadow's lair and is spying on him.]
Shadow: Now that I have sent my robots out to distract the superheroes, I shall complete my master plan without any nasty interruptions.
[Owl sneaks into the hall and tries again to contact Speedlight.]
Owl: Speedlight! Look ou...
Mechanical Voice: Intruder alert! Intruder alert!
[Three doors open at the end of the hall, and a robot pops out of each one.]
Owl: HA! I'll have you down fast, you old bucket of bolts. Why, I'll...
[The robots chase her out of the hall.]
WHEEE!!!!!!!
[Later, when Owl finally manages to lose the robot's trail, she peeks around the side of Shadow's hideout. She sees Shadow and Torch standing there, next to what looks like a small rocket, and inches in to hear them talking.]
Shadow: Now at last the world shall know the full extent of our abilities! We ourselves shall take this escape pod to Neptune to terrorize the peoples of other planets!
[Owl gasps as Torch begins to pull fire from the earth. Then she throws a blast of telekinesis at him. It hits him in the side of the head, and he turns around.]
Owl: Can't catch me!
Torch: We'll see about that!
[But, apparently, the most powerful force in the world has sided with Owl...]
Melon: MELON POWER!
[Melon pounces on Torch's head.]
Torch: (rolling his eyes to look at Melon) What is it with mutants and getting into people's hair?
Owl: Fell for the distraction, huh, Torch?
[She sends a huge blast of telekinesis in the direction of Torch. It slams into him and knocks him out against the wall. Owl grins evilly.]
I have always wanted to do that.
[Later. Speedlight and Owl have tied Torch up with the impenetrable rope.]
Owl: But how do we un-mind-control Torch?
Speedlight: Leave it to me!
[Speedlight dumps a bucket of water on Torch's head.]
Torch: Okay, WHY is everyone staring at me?
[Later, after Owl has told Torch the whole story.]
Torch: Well, that comes as a surprise.
Owl: It always is a bit perplexing to wake up after being mind-controlled.
Torch: No, I mean that I can pull fire from the center of the earth. Who knew?...Sorry I burned down your house.
Owl: Well, you did do something good.
Torch: What?
Owl: Well, let's just say we won't have to go back to school...for a very long time.
Fin

*It is an oft-repeated joke in the early comics that Owl and Torch have a separate "etiquette" and "manners" class at their school, for which they get in big trouble if they are late.
**The "Evil Mobil Station" was our name for a Mobil station that Mom boycotted because of the rudeness of the "dark-haired guy" who worked there.

Another Meme

MaryBeth tagged me again! Incidentally, I think you people should all go on her blog and read her post about St. Therese--it's a good one!

1. Who's your favorite Historical doll? Well, I'm so attached to Kit now, having had her for so many years, that I have to say she's my favorite. Don't tell Nellie that I said that! :-)

2. Do you like the American girl books or magazines? Both! But I don't get the magazines. My favorite books are the Felicitys, the Addys, the Josephinas and the Samanthas.

3. Historical characters , Just like you, or Girl of the Year? Historical characters. They're all great, though. I do have a Just Like You, but she isn't really like me at all!

4. What's your favorite Girl of the year? Jess. She's homeschooled, and loves adventures, so she's a good choice!

5. How many American Girl dolls do you have? Three. Kit, Emily (a Just Like You), and Nellie.

6. Coconut or Licorice? I have a Coconut, but Licorice is so cute!

7. Have you been to the American Girl Place? No. Maybe sometime.

8. Have you seen any of the American Girl movies? Two out of three. I missed Molly because we lost Disney Channel. :-(

9. What's your favorite American girl outfit that you have? Kit has the cutest green party dress. The outfit that she came in is missing a lot of pieces, so she wears that a lot. Oh, and her coat! I think Loretta gave me that coat. It's so cool!

I tag Jane and Chelsea!

10. Bonus: Have you every had a American girl birthday party? No. But we've done a lot of fun things with them!

A Meme

This is my first meme! Yeah! Thanks for tagging me, MaryBeth!

Coffee, tea or other beverage? Tea. Decaffinated, and prefferably in nice flavors like Blackcurrent or Cherry Vanilla.

Do you have a favorite verse of Scripture? I do love scripture, and it's hard to decide!
I love The Beatitudes, though:

"Blessed are the poor in spirit,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are they who mourn,
for they shall be comforted.
Blessed are the meek,
for they shall inherit the earth.
Blessed are they who hunger and thirst for righteousness,
for they shall be satisfied.
Blessed are the merciful,
for they shall obtain mercy.
Blessed are the pure of heart,
for they shall see God.
Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they shall be called children of God.
Blessed are they who are persecuted for the sake of righteousness,
for theirs is the kingdom of heaven."

--Gospel of Matthew 5:3-10

What is your favorite book of the Bible? I love the Gospel of Luke, the Acts of the Apostles, the book of Ruth and the Letters of St. Paul.

Which do you prefer, pen or pencil? I love mechanical pencils for diary writing and gel pens in nice colors.

Laptop or desktop? I have a desktop, but a laptop would be nice.

When you write do you print or use cursive? I print mostly, but if it's something fancy, I try to use cursive. (i.e, signatures, important letters...)

Do you plan your menus or do you just wing it? My mother plans the menus, but if I have my choice I pick things that are sweet (I have a major sweet tooth) but healthy (so I won't have a heart attack.) ;-) I like breads and cereal (but not pasta), and I drink a lot of water and juice. And I love chocolate!

Favorite color? Red, purple, pink. Girly colors. :-)

Favorite form of exercise? Going outside and playing sports, or just running around.

How do you wear your hair most days? In a headband or a ponytail.

Which do you prefer, baking or cooking? Baking. (I can't cook, unless you count frozen waffles.) :D

In the house are you barefoot, in slippers or in shoes? I'm usually in shoes or socks.

Do you wash dishes by hand or have a dishwasher? Dishwasher.

Do you have pets? Not really. In the summer we have praying mantises.

What do you eat for breakfast? Cereal or waffles. On the weekend we have eggs and toast.

What is your favorite magazine? I don't get it, but I love American Girl. The magazines we do get are Highlights and National Geographic Kids.

I tag: Anyone reading this post who hasn't been tagged yet.

St. Jude

MaryBeth at Here in the Beehive recently requested that we write posts about our favorite saint. It did not take me long to decide who my saint would be--nay, barely a second. I would write about St. Jude, of course.

When I was about seven or eight, some dear friends of ours were expecting a new baby. Their mother, however, was in danger of a miscarriage, and we all prayed that the baby might live. One day, I was with my father, walking out of Mass, when I saw some fliers at the doors. Printed upon them was the novena at the top of this page. The words "HAS NEVER BEEN KNOWN TO FAIL" caught my eye, and I snatched at the flier eagerly, meaning to start the novena for the Early baby as soon as I got home. However, it was a windy day, and as we walked back to the car, the flier blew away. A little afterwards, we found that the baby had died. Crying, I explained to Mom about the flier.

"It said it would never fail," I sobbed. "If it hadn't blown away, the baby wouldn't have died."

My mother made me feel a lot better when she explained to me what that meant. "Even if you had prayed the novena, sometimes St. Jude uses prayers to help different people," she explained. "They never go to waste."

Around that time, McDonald's began offering "Madame Alexander" dolls in happy meals. Of course, we begged our mother to take us there, as an excuse to get the dolls. Of course, she took us all too willingly. As those who are familiar with happy meals may know, it is often the case that everyone gets the same toy. But one day, I opened up my bag and realized that the doll I had was different from the others. "Cool Cathy," as she was called, had brown skin and curly black hair. She wore a purple hat, clogs, blue jeans and a pink shirt with a star on the front. I loved her in an instant.

By this time, the little Madame Alexander dolls at home had collected themselves into groups. Everyone was taking permanent markers and writing their initials on the doll's shoes so that their would be no confusion. A fight broke out over an "unfair" trade of a Peter Pan doll and a Little Red Riding Hood doll. Clair now wanted hers back. (The fight was quickly resolved, of course.) Madame Alexanders were the next big--excuse me, small--thing at our house. Of course, it wouldn't have been the same had we not been playing with them as well as collecting them, often taking them out in the garden to hang out on the rosebush, tossing them into bicycle baskets or positioning them precariously on our bed posts.

The minute we got home, we took out our dolls and ceremoniously introduced them to the latest members of their families. At the time, we had a Poland Spring dispenser in our dining room, and we loved to play with the empty bottles that were waiting to be sent back, acting out scenes from The Hobbit (when Bilbo is attempting to ride a barrel down a rushing river) and rolling them from place to place. As we sat among the bottles now, I gleefully stuffed Cool Cathy down the neck of one of them, then tipped it upside-down to retrieve my wayward "daughter." Much was my surprise and horror to find that she would not come out!

My siblings and mother all helped me, reaching their fingers in for the doll, but to no avail--it seemed that Cathy had lost her cool. The little purple hat, which had added so much to her charm five minutes ago, would go in easily enough, but its stiff plastic brim prevented the doll from ever coming out.

In an effort to comfort me, my mother said she would take me to McDonald's and ask them for a new one, but I was already at an age in which I imagined personalities for inanimate objects, and I was certain that it wouldn't be the same and that poor Cathy was in tears (invisible doll tears, or course) at the prospect of lifetime inprisonment. Mom suggested prayer and Theresa, in an attempt to lighten the mood, asked me, "What's the patron saint of getting dolls out of bottles?"

"That would be St. Jude," called my mother from the other room. "He's the patron saint of hopeless causes."

Glad of any chance of freeing Cathy, I began to pray hard, and so did Mom and Theresa. Within a few minutes we had jammed the hat brim free of he bottle's neck, and seconds later I held Cathy in my arms again.

My grandmother (who is also very wise) once said that if you do something nice for a small child, they will never forget. She can still relate stories of how her "Uncle Ed" used to give her money to buy sodas at the ice-cream shop. In the same spirit, I never forgot the kind benefactor who had freed my doll from a bottle. Whenever I needed something, I thought of him, and like a kind father, he never refused me. I always remembered to thank him.

Ever since I was eight years old, I had wanted to write books. St. Jude wrote a canonical letter. When my mother read me Sixty Saints for Girls, I was spellbound by the bravery of the martyrs. St. Jude was beaten to death with a club. There are a thousand different reasons why Saint Jude is an ideal patron saint for me.

But, of course, I would have hardly known any of these things had it not been for St. Jude's rescue of my little doll, so long ago.

I'm Back!

I am so sorry about the longest hiatus in Mixed Moss history. I'm sure I will be back in the swing of things soon. :-) My birthday is coming up! More later.

Happy New Year

Now, unlike my mother, I didn't write a beautiful, heartwarming, touching, so-moving-it-makes-you-cry "end of 2006" post on my blog. (I was too busy typing up SuperKids and cutting out paper dolls.) So, this is a "beginning of 2007" post. In a handful of days, Mixed Moss will be a year old.

Does anyone have any New Year's traditions that they would like to share with me? Two New Year's traditions that have always served us well here are paper dolls on New Year's Eve (yes, I have my own set!) and, in the morning on New Year's Day, Dad's bacon and eggs, carefully arranged to spell out the name of the new year (2007). I can hear him making them in the kitchen right now--the sink running, Dad humming, pots and pans clanking together (wow, that's what they did on New Year's when my mom was a kid!) and, in the air, the unmistakable smell of bacon cooking in the oven.

This year, we obtained a new tradition. Normally, we would have gone into the den and watched the ball drop, but we pretty much dropped the ball with that this year (sorry). Instead, we sat in the living room, gazing into the fire, Yes, there was a real fire. (Catherine and Patrick were in bed.) At midnight, we all shook hands, and I forgot to tear up my calendar. It's probably still crouched up in my room on the wall, happy to have cheated death, at least temporarily. Never mind. We were all so happy to be staying up late that none of us really cared. (After midnight, we sat up and played Conga by the fireside until Dad sent us up to bed.)

Here's to another great year at the Cottage! Oh, and don't forget, it's still Christmas. I will have that comic up A.S.A.P. I won't spoil too much, but it involves a wild party at the fort, an unexpected visitor, and Dove and Lake taking on an unanticipated new job.

Thanks to my cousin Maggie for the 20 Q Game), it's so ridiculously cool!
:-D