I’m really awful about keeping up with the blog, here. It has occurred to me that blogging, fun as it is, and useful as it can be, is not only a place where we can share good things and participate in the great Warfare waging all around us –

It’s also, sadly, one more, much larger place where one can make a complete and utter ass of oneself.

A quick update before I tackle some housekeeping chores, then go to work:

In November I was installed as a Benedictine oblate novice. An oblate is a lay person who seeks to live a fuller, more balanced life for Christ in the world, using Benedictine spirituality, particularly the Rule of Benedict, as a guide. I’m also serving as Lay Leader for our newly-formed local deanery.

In October, I gave the program for the oblate group. I shared some ideas I’ve been developing for the past couple of years – I don’t even know where they came from … oh, yes I do! I just remembered! (the joys of middle age!) … ANYWAY, the talk was about the multi-dimensional life of the Church, and how we’re called to live it as a microcosm of the Church, or “Living epistles written on the hearts of men.” The talk went over far better than I had any reason to expect it to, and now I’m writing up the talk in hopes of having it published. – Please pray for me, because I’ve hit quite a snag of a block. I procrastinated on writing it, then decided the only way to get it written was to pretend I was informally showing someone, conversationally, as I’ve done several times with a variety of people. Problem is, now it’s time to edit, and changing all that conversational informality into proper writing is more daunting than it ought to be for me.

Several other projects are presenting themselves, also, and I’m making notes and putting them on a back burner to simmer and take shape while I work on the first, pressing project. One, a friend recommended/urged a year ago; it’s taking this long to get my mind around it and gather up my strength to look at it. It’s needful, I agree with him, but hard to anticipate.

In home news, a new cat has joined the family in residence at the Funny Farm. Sugar’s former person died on December 23 of cancer, and a mutual friend took it on herself to catch Sugar (she had to obtain a humane trap in order to do it, in the end) and to bring him to me from Raleigh, just before the New Year. Sugar still doesn’t trust Simon, but there has been no “Mexican standoff” and after almost two weeks probably won’t be. Simon is surprisingly disinterested in the newcomer – did he understand what I told him about why Sugar was coming to live with us?

The latest interlude of the Mouse Saga is a simple one: two mice have been caught in my new and sturdier humane traps. I was alerted to their capture by Simon, who seemed to think they’d gotten there for him to play with. Both have been carried to the far side of Drowning Creek, where they were released, and last seen scurrying off into the woods for cover.

I’m not promising, but I may post snippets of the working manuscript here in order to get some sort of feedback. Don’t hold your breath.

It’s quite precious, really, how loyal and devoted blog friends can be. I appreciate you all so very much.