Prayer Request...

Further Update: Thanks for the all the prayers. Here is an update to the story. This one mentions Uncle Joe's name. At the time of my first post, not all of his grandchildren had been notified.

I hadn't seen Uncle Joe in some 11 years. Aunt Clara (his wife) is my Mom's oldest sister. Uncle Joe was boxer in college, (you don't hear that often anymore.) Aunt Clara and Uncle Joe gave us our Nativity Set as a wedding present. Most of my kids don't remember ever meeting them, but know them because I mention their names every year when we are setting up the figures.

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My aunt was diagnosed with cancer a couple weeks ago after a routine surgery discovered widespread cancer. While the exact diagnosis of the spread of the disease is unclear at this point, it is very serious and may be very well be shortly terminal. She is still in the hospital or rehab center recovering.

Late last night her husband, my uncle, was dropped off at his apartment after spending the day with his wife. The lady in the apartment below left a pot on the stove and fire resulted. Everyone escaped from the building except my uncle who died in the fire.

I have five cousins in this family. They are a close family but I know this unexpected death of their father on top of the upset and concerns of their mom's sickness must be very difficult.

Please remember them and soul of my uncle in your prayers tonight.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen. — Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

Update: Link to the fire story here

CMQ...

Just was corresponding with the editor over at Catholic Men's Quarterly (CMQ). You may recall about a year ago I asked if anyone was familiar with CMQ. I am now. They graciously published an article of mine in their Spring/Summer 2005 issue. CMQ would be a great present for the man of the household. (But don't limit it to fathers and husbands. Any adult man will enjoy the topics and articles.)

There are few if any Catholic publications out there directed exclusively towards men. Yet the forces of darkness target men with almost innumerable magazines and with unstoppable eagerness. This alone makes CMQ a particularly worthy endeavor to support. Starting something like CMQ is a challenge and a financial risk-but a risk taken for love of God and the desire to evangelize and support men in their vocation. (Believe me, you don't get rich in Catholic publishing). Without men turning towards God, families won't turn towards God. (Need to blog more about this sometime.)

Men-ask for a subscription to Catholic Men's Quarterly for Christmas. Get a subscription for your brothers and friends. Women-get one for all the men in your life. Great gift-great cause. You really can't go wrong with this one....

Catholics in America or American Catholics?

Here's a reminder (I will post this also on my other blog, but more people read this one, so...): John Meehan will be signing his newest book, "Two Towers: the de-Christianization of America and a Plan for Renewal" on December 6th at 7:00 PM (refreshments are at 6:30, followed by talk and booksigning) in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church parish hall (Louden Road, Concord, NH). If you are in that area, stop by.

I know there continues to be mixed feelings about the 2nd Vatican Council. Both John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI played key roles in the council-both felt (as I gather from their writings) it hasn't been implemented properly. John Meehan shares the view that the council was good-but never implemented.

However, even if you don't share that view on the council, and won't be convinced, John Meehan still has something important to say. He spends the first part of the "Two Towers" discussing how the Catholics in America became "American Catholics"-or how Protestant and secular values infiltrated the hearts of Catholics in America including bishops and clergy.

Think about this: Catholics hold the most seats of any demonination in our legislatures in Washington and in most States around the country (except deep South etc.), are prominent (soon to be majority) on the Supreme Court and run major corporations. Yet these Catholics as a group are indistinguishable from their Protestant counterparts in these institutions. I am not talking exclusively about Catholic politicians who are pro-abortion. Even Catholic Republicans/Democrats who claim to be pro-life are Republicans/Democrats (for the most part) before they are Catholic. And certainly I think, if not in words, then by belief and action, most would consider themselves Americans before they are Catholics. How many Catholics in government (and who write political op-ed for that matter) have an understanding of Catholic social teaching, history, or philosophy?

Just look at the discussion that has been continuing over at Caelum et Terra on the salvation of souls in our Enlightenment-based society. If Catholics have such influence, how can we have arrived at this state of affairs? It is interesting to note that throughout history there have been many bad Catholics who held political power. These 'bad' Catholics may have lived immoral lives, but for the most part did not promulgate an immoral society or secularity. (They are many reasons for this-but it is interesting to note the difference here.)

I am not sure how to end this (but must because we are going to First Friday Mass this morning). I guess I will just say, if you are interested, buy "Two Towers" here [it is also available at www.Amazon.com, or try a Catholic online bookstore, say for example www.allcatholicbooks.com; or physical bookstore near you-if they don't have it, ask.

Some of you who may have read it out there - chime in as regards to this topic...

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!

Ruminations...

I went to Mass this morning. I hadn't been to daily Mass in a week or so. In fact in the last month, my usual daily attendence has been down to a couple times a week. St. Catherine's is 35 miles away and essentially we only have the big Chevy Beauville van in good enough working order to make the trip consistently-of course the Chevy only gets 10-12 miles to the gallon. Even with the price of gas back to pre-Katrina levels, it is expensive. I hate to say that daily Mass isn't in the budget. The Eucharist has truly sustained me in this past 18 months. I am conflicted as I think of St. Isadore who made daily Mass the priority in his life-even at the threat of losing his job in the fields. His faith and devotion made it possible for God to send angels to help him complete his work every day. My faith isn't that strong. God has provided for us every step of the way-sometimes in surprising ways. Yet my practical, human, and weak side makes me budget-cut the Mass instead of having the faith that God will provide for us. In fact He has provided even with my weakness.

(By the way, this isn't a plea for more book sales so I can assist at daily Mass-although don't let me hold you back... It is merely my thoughts as I drove home and gave thanksgiving for the Eucharist this morning.)

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!

A short note: Russell Shaw was interviewed by ZENIT on "Why Vatican II Emphasized Lay Apostolate". The whole interview is well worth reading, (11/28/05 daily dispatch). I excerpted a couple paragraphs on my other blog Catholic Laity. Of course Mr. Shaw managed to mention his new book from us - for which we are thankful.

Some days...

Some days just throw you a curve. I am beginning to wonder if chickens are worth the trouble and heartache-yes, heartache. First we had Slaughter I. More recently we had Slaughter II. Of course in between these two "events" we ate a dozen chickens and many dozen eggs from our flock.

Last night we were ahead of schedule for once. Prayers were said, the kids were brushing their teeth-when I heard the dogs barking. This is not unusual. They bark every night. But some reason, this time I decided to check....

I took our spotlight and pointed it towards the chicken tractor....Three black dogs, the biggest is inside the chicken tractor-but just walking around. One (liberated) chicken is walking towards me. One small black dog takes off. The second freezes with a chicken in his mouth and then takes off. The big dog inside the tractor is just sitting there. It isn't threatening the chickens, it just sits. We catch the liberated chicken and lure the 4 chickens remaining in the tractor out and secure these five in the abandoned coop. One chicken has been carried off and the last is laying behind the tractor, still alive but with a broken leg. Meanwhile the big dog sits in the tractor-calmly. It appears to have a collar, but is mangy-missing fur around the face.

It is unclear exactly how this dog managed to squeeze into the tractor. It is not a fortress, but the one obvious (new) breach does not seem nearly big enough for this dog-yet it must have been. Come morning, I may see if there is a tag on that collar ...

We kill the wounded chicken. For the first time I use my hatchet instead of breaking the neck. (Yes Jeff, I recall your experience and made sure mine was sharpened-a sharpened hatchet does the trick.) Once again, I forego the plucking and dressing and simply cut away the skin and take the meat directly off the bird. I think this will be my method from now on. No messing with the vent, plucking etc. It doesn't take nearly the time.

My chickens have not been so profitable....

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!

Fr. John O'Holohan S.J. reminded us yesterday morning that we are on a pilgrimage. Pilgrims know their destination, prepare for the journey, and embark-and then they can and do enjoy the journey (telling stories and singing songs with their traveling companions). In the same way, we (as Catholics) should know our destination and should be prepared-have our bags packed as it were (even if we know not the day or the hour); then we can enjoy the journey with our companions....

Turkey Day

Krystle always made the apple pie for Thanksgiving. Of course this year we either had to make it ourselves or do without. We took the team approach. Nicholas made the filling under Mrs. Curley's step by step direction. Someone else (I really don't know who) made the crust. Yours truly rolled the crust and postioned it on pie plate and then over the filling. It was tremendous effort.

Thanksgiving day we started off with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. (Fr. John talked about Thanksgiving being a wonderful tradition, but pointed out some interesting facts: 1. The Indian women ate the feast with everyone else, but the Pilgrim women were not allowed to eat with the men and the guests; and 2. The Pilgrims originally left England for Holland due to persecution. Why were they persecuted? Because they accused the Anglicans of being too popish in their liturgy and practices.)

At 11:30 we played our annual Turkey Bowl. It is the only timed game of the year (1 hour with a 10 minute half-time/Angelus break included). The teams have been the same some years. The older boys, Nicholas (12) and Connor (11) take on Matthew (9) and myself. Matthew and I had been winning the Turkey bowl for several years in a row-until last year. Last year we fought to a tie-even with 2 overtime periods. This year I thought we would regain dominence because Matthew can now pretty consistently catch the ball, which adds a new dimension to our offense. (We usually run the ball about 80% of the time-while Nick and Connor throw the ball about 90% of the time). We had a secret play (a flea-flicker variation) too. However, Nick and Connor had been practicing, and Connor especially has put on some real speed. They had a couple tricks up their sleeve too. They had added a couple running plays and a fake running play-pass. Nick has the accurate arm. In the first half Connor out ran me for touchdowns twice. At halftime Matthew and I were down by 1 touchdown. Our secret play had been a bust both times we tried it. I had let down on defense twice and Matthew had dropped 2 TD passes. While we were only down by a single TD, it still looked ominous....

With thirteen minutes left in the game we had the ball, but were down by 3 touchdowns. I told Matthew, "It looks like we may not win this year, so let's start having some fun.". We scored and then switched defensive assignments. I intercepted the ball and returned it for a TD, and suddenly we are right back in the game. We traded a few scores, and then finally stopped them and scored ourselves to tie the game on the last play.

For overtime, we decided each team would get two plays from the "20-yard line" (about 15 feet from the TD). If both scored or both missed we would continue. If one scored and the other didn't, then the scoring team wins. On the first try both teams came up short. But on the second round, Matthew tossed the ball to get us on the goal line, and I ran it off tackle the next play for the final score.

My sister Rita came for the weekend (from VA) and together we had a wonderful Turkey dinner. We (actually the boys) cleaned up dinner. Then we had a talent show (poems, songs, etc.). We followed this by gathering together with each of us publically thanked God for the gifts of the past year. Finally we had desert (the apple pie was delicious); then rosary and bed

A wonderful day.

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!

Light blogging today and maybe the rest of the week - we'll see. Am cleaning (or trying to clean) the office today. Tomorrow I will be trying to get the outside of Bethany in order. Wednesday my sister flies in from Virginia to spend the weekend.

My sound card or something hasn't been working properly for months, and I wanted to get it working today so I could hear the interview with Russell Shaw tonight over the internet (see details in the post below). Looks like it is a lost cause. This happened before and I fixed it, but I can't remember how I did it. Oh well.

Upcoming Events....

More people read this blog than Catholic Laity so I thought I would make a couple notes here about some upcoming events pertaining to Requiem Press.

Russell Shaw will be discussing this and his new book "Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church" on Monday (11/21) evening with Al Kresta (Ave Maria Radio). Check it out. (Local radio affiliates carrying the show are listed in the link - or I think you can listen over the internet.)

Russell Shaw will be signing his new book "Catholic Laity in the Mission of the Church" at the Catholic Information Center in Washington DC (1501 K Street NW) at 6:00 PM on Tuesday 22 November. If you are in the area, stop by.

John Meehan will be signing his newest book, "Two Towers: the de-Christianization of America and a Plan for Renewal" on December 6th at 7:00 PM (refreshments are at 6:30, followed by talk and booksigning) in the Immaculate Heart of Mary Church parish hall (Louden Road, Concord, NH). If you are in that area, stop by.

(Alicia of Fructus Ventris comments in my comment box below somwhere: "anyone who is coming to Mr. Meehan's booksigning, please let me know. I would love to meet you! I'll even buy you a tea or coffee. ahuntley@interserv.com." ).

Of course if you can't make either signing, you can still get either of these important books here!

Just missed it....

Big news in Bethune today, and I just missed seeing it for myself! Here it is from the Columbia TV Station:

(Bethune) November 17, 2005 - The Sandhills Bank in Bethune was robbed shortly after 12:00pm Thursday, and authorities are still searching for the suspect.

According to Kershaw County Sheriff Steve McCaskill, a man approximately 5'10" tall, weighing about 180 pounds and wearing a black mask and black coat entered the bank armed with a revolver and demanded money.

He fled in a white Blazer that was registered as stolen from West Columbia. A citizen followed the Blazer, and as the suspect was changing vehicles, he fired shots at the citizen. The person was not hit, but his truck was. No one was injured in the robbery or shooting.

The suspect then fled in a new model blue extended cab Chevy Silverado. Authorities are still looking for him.

I drove by the bank on my way to the post office at about 11:45 AM. I almost stopped in at the bank on the way back because we have discussed switching to Sandhills Bank, as our bank is 20 miles away-but I decided to put it off as there was much to do at home and Mrs. Curley promised lunch at noontime. Mrs. Curley went by the bank at 2:00 and the police were still everywhere.

Route 1 (for those readers on the East Coast) runs right through Bethune. (For those not on the East Coast, Route 1 used to be the main route from the Northeast to Florida and saw lots of traffic in former days.) I'm sure in those days before Interstate 95 was built, Bethune was one of those Southern speed traps on the way to Florida. Speeding tickets provided the economy for the town government, but there was other income too... The building of I-95 really killed these small towns as the traffic no longer exists to support motels, restaurants, gas stations, etc. I am surprised we even have a bank in town-(I think it has 3 branches, each in one of these small towns along Route 1).

I guess it is not surprising the bank got hit. We only have one policemen in town (County Sheriff helps with these types of crimes) and the bank is on a major road.

From Bethany, the small holding outside Bethune....Oremus pro invicem!

Jury Duty Questionaire-just one more time....

A friend of mine sent me the link to this article article which appeared this morning on CatholicExchange. While the article is about the Supreme Court and Mr. Alito, it does address, in a way, "Question 45" on my jury questionaire. Here's the excerpt:

Everyone — everyone — agrees that there are times that the established law should not be respected, times when strict constructionism and a respect for legal precedent are misguided, when principle and a concern for basic human rights should trump the debate over judicial process. For example, every high school student in the country is taught that it was shameful for the Supreme Court to decide as it did in the Dred Scott decision; that returning Scott to his slave-master because he was “property” was an unforgivable adherence to the letter of the law. Similarly, we do not teach our children that the Nazi defendants at the Nuremberg trials should have been held blameless because they were abiding by the established law of the land in Germany at the time.

Let’s cut to the chase: It is not an admirable trait for a judge to state proudly that there may be times when his duty to uphold the law and respect legal precedent will make it necessary for him to decide a case in a manner that will result in the death of more unborn children. I am not saying that Samuel Alito will say anything like this in his confirmation hearings. I am confident that he will put a fine edge on this question. But many of his conservative defenders are making exactly that point.

Funny this article appeared in The Wanderer first and I missed it....

Time to sharpen the tools...

It is getting to be that time again. I posted about how we tried make many of the our Christmas presents for each other last year. Again this year....

I have always wanted to make a lap desk, like this. But we thought number 1 daughter wouldn't get too much use out of it. However, I think now there are one or two of the kids who would enjoy and really use one now. So I am planning to make a couple of them. (If they turn out okay, maybe I'll take orders...)

I can't talk about what I will doing for Mrs. Curley as she reads this blog pretty regularly. She has suggested a number of projects, but most are more expensive (lumber is pretty high right now) or will take longer to make than present time allows.

As a kid I always pictured myself making a living working with wood. I'm sure I could-but my skill set does need some work. I think I was at my peak some 11-13 years ago when I was spending a lot of time in the shop. I would also need to upgrade some of my tools if I were going to being using them everyday. Fun to think about, but I have other work to do.

Speaking of which, over at my 'other' blog Catholic Laity we have listed a couple of booksignings for Requiem Press books which are coming up. If you are in the area (DC & NH), be sure to stop by.

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune....Oremus pro invicem!

Random Notes

Have decided to answer question 45 (see post below) with the 'most cases' language suggested by Mr. Luse. I knew there were problems with our justice system as practiced-now I understand a little more why. It is very disheartening. It seems almost impossible to participate in a meaningful way in our justice system and in our political structures unless you compromise your conscience.

A few weeks ago I started receiving The Wanderer in my mailbox. I have not suscribed and there was no letter telling me about a trial period. (Perhaps it will come later?). I remember we got The Wanderer when I was growing up. One of the reasons why some were not surprised by either "the scandal" or the causes of the scancal is that The Wanderer has been reporting on this for years. I used to suscribe myself some years ago-but as with other periodicals, I just didn't have time to read everything coming in. James J. Drummey has a column "Catholic Replies" each week. Mr. Drummey's children went to school with my brothers and sisters in Norwood, MA. None of his kids were in my class. He has several books (CR Publications), especially his Catholicism and Ethics series with Fr. Paul Hayes are highly recommended (by me). So it is interesting to pick it up again after these years.

An article in the 3 November issue particularly caught my eye. "Whatever He Achieves on High Court...Bush Has Failed to Educate Nation on Pro-Life" by Dexter Duggan, reflects much of my thought on the matter. The President has the bully pulpit. He can lead and change hearts and minds as he does on other issues when he choses to do so-if he believes it is important. Most of his pro-life statements have been to the pro-lifers, not to the general public. ...

Finally today, here is a picture of Bethany, taken by my sister this summer. Wish I had an areil view to show off the whole property. Not too big and not too fancy, but it is home. (Requiem Press offices are on the 2nd floor to the left, as you face the house. )

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!

Jury Duty

UPDATE (or further study): In the comment(s) on this post, TS makes the point that only question 45 should be asked. I share his disbelief and dismay about the other questions I have to answer. But back to question 45, I wonder about this too-and would appreciate the opinions of others. Mrs. Curley and I have been batting this back and forth all day.

Scenario: You are doctor (or a nurse) in a hospital. You walk by a room where a doctor is just about to perform an abortion. You clock him to prevent the abortion at that instant. You are arrested and charged with assault and battery. I am on the jury. The judge, in his instructions, says that no matter how you feel about abortion, the jury's job is to determine simply if the You, the defendant, is guilty of assault and battery. (Or would he instruct us to dermine simply whether YOU clocked the doctor or not-two different determinations). I, on the jury, say no criminal assault and battery took place as YOU were defending the unborn baby. The law says otherwise. Yet can I send someone to prison for doing what I think is right? And if I am predisposed to find YOU innocent in this case than my answer to Question 45 would be no and therefore am theoretically excluded from any jury service.

I note that judges themselves are not bound by this as they can be activisit in making law rather than interpreting law. So why can't juries do the same when unjust laws are being challenged?

****************************************************************

I received summons for jury service on Friday in the mail. I have served on a traffic court jury once, but this is for the United States District Court of South Carolina-that is Federal Court. They ask you to fill out a questionaire and apologize in advance for its invasiveness. Not only are they invasive (what's that about a right to privacy???????-Ah Ha! only when it suits the forces of death....) Let's see what you all think of some of these questions:

17. What are your hobbies, special interests, recreational pastimes and other spare-time activities, including sports?

18. What magazines and newspapers do you regularly read?

20. What social, political, civic, religious, and other organizations do you belong to or are you assoicated with?

22. Have you displayed any bumper stickers on you automobile in the last twelve months? If yes, please list each bumper sticker.

There are also many questions about the kinds of jobs you, your spouse and your family members (father, mother, brothers, and sisters) have held, and about any criminal offenses committed by any family members. There are also several questions on whether you could be unbiased against different in numerous situations.

Question 45 is very interesting: Regardless of any opinion you may have concerning a particular law, would you be able to set aside your feelings and follow the law as stated by the judge?

This last questions brings up many thoughts. I seem to remember reading somewhere in the last 2 years or so a lengthy article or debate about how juries should be able to nullify unjust laws. This purpose of question 45 would seem to be asked in order to disqualify anyone who had this notion. Haven't decided exactly how to answer Question 45 yet-honestly, yes-but the exact wording....

How about the others? Is it just my imagination or do these questions have nothing to do with impartiality and everything to do with trying to predetermine a verdict by ruling out certain members of the public for jury duty? I mean really, how would raising chickens or making wooden cabinets, or playing football with my kids bear on my suitability for jury service? Would like to hear the thoughts of others. Perhaps someone from Southern Appeal would weigh in?

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!

Land, Debt, etc.

My father (may his soul rest in peace) paid off the house mortgage in about 8 years. I remember I was in first or second grade at the time. He always paid cash for a new car. He had a credit card in later years only as modern travel dictated its necessity for car rentals, hotels, etc. We didn't have all the new gadgets. (I recall we didn't get a color TV until the mid-to-late eighties-after I was up and grown. The first time I watched the Wizard of Oz with my wife, she chuckled with amusement as I watched it for first time on a color TV. I had never known that half of it was in color, or how the reference to the "horse of a different color" played out.) But we were happy and comfortable.

Now Mrs. Curley and I can't claim the frugality that my parents had. We spent some years with a mortgage, two car payments, multiple credit card balances-the American Dream right? With all that, we still didn't rival our neighbors for material goods or new gadgets. With a large, growing family in this society, you either need a very high salary or extremely deep debt to have all those things. Yet bills always hung over our head, and caused anxiety and at times, discord in our marriage.

After hearing a friend with 11 children comment one day about his trust in God and tithing, Mrs. Curley and I decided to get out of debt, cut expenses, and increase our giving once and for all. We certainly did not do it all by ourselves, but I think (at least in this instance) we did a fairly good job of cooperating with the blessings God sent in those next 7-8 years that we worked on getting rid of our debt. By the time I lost my job 18 months ago, we still had a mortgage, but no other debt at all, plus some savings, and this with a daughter in college at the time. We didn't have everything which was 'expected' of us by friends and neighbors. (The very first expense to hit the cutting block had been cable TV. It was more symbolic at the time then substantial.)

Getting rid of the debt (even having the mortgage) gave us a real sense of freedom. Sometimes things were tight by our standards then (little did we know how tight things can really get....), but we were never happier.

When I lost my job, 18 months ago, we had little anxiety. The modest severence package seemed more of a Godsend than the loss of the job, a tragedy.

Mrs. Curley and I had been discussing moving to a small place in the country very seriously for 2-3 years. I had looked at a beautiful 18-acre farm and house (remnant of a 100+ acre dairy and potato farm) in northern (very North, 10 miles from Canada) NH several times. But we couldn't see our way to buying it. Now, with a little extra money in our pocket, and finally a plan (Requiem Press) we decided to look for a country place.

The small farm I had seen in NH was a little out of our reach, and by the way, I didn't know what I could really do with 18 acres and a still work a full-time job at Requiem Press. Personally I wouldn't mind being a small-scale farmer full-time, but here were the problems: 1. My learning curve, and thus fruits of my labor, would probably be too slow for the nutritional needs of the family (some would say this about Requiem Press too...); 2. I really do think that my God-given talents would not be best utilized as a farmer; and 3. I tend to believe you should not purchase more than you know what to do with. (this sometimes saves you some $$ too).

Thus we were looking for a place with 2-5 acres. 5 acres would allow us to have a cow or two. 2 acres would be too small for a cow, but chickens, rabbits, (maybe some goats) and a large garden would be acceptable for our needs. And this is what we eventually found. The house is more modest than we were used to. We had to part with many things to fit into the new house, [we still need to get rid of more-the "yard sale", (see below somewhere), didn't quite work out].

I guess my point is that greatly limitting or eliminating debt opens the door not only to financial freedom, but also being more open to God (The more stuff we have, the more time we spend taking care of that stuff-as opposed to taking care of our soul.) Having little or no debt of course doesn't necessarily mean financial troubles are over. You still have to pay taxes, electricity, heating fuel, etc every month-and thus you need an income to do so. But these expenses are more easily met. You can also better discern and follow you vocation if you are not hampered by the burden (both real-the necessity of paying, and psychological-anxiety) of much debt.

Agrarianism? I think there are benefits, listed on Bethune Catholic before and other places, to growing some (or all) of your own food, raising animals, and in general learning how to do things for yourself. Although I do not mean to say you should be "self-sufficient" and rely on no one else. Man is a social being. We need community and the help of others. (It is good for developing own humility and charity). But that is just the point. Our community should be smallish, so it can be very real-along the lines of Distributism and the principle of subsidiary.

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!

117

117 was the number on the house I grew up in. It is also the number of unique visitors who stopped by Bethune Catholic yesterday-prompted no doubt by my article on CatholicExchange.com (here in case you missed it). Unfortunately I didn't have any profound thoughts posted here, so most won't be back.

I promise profound thoughts tomorrow....

I want to comment fully on this post - but won't do it in Jeff's comment box as it may prove lengthy. My thoughts should appear here tomorrow. They are already in my head-I just need to transfer them to the screen.

Have been blogging very lightly at Catholic Laity also. Hopefully we can find something relevant to say over there also in the morning.

**************************************************************************

This is the 6th anniversary of my father's death. I prayed at his side holding his hand as he passed from this life. He was a good man and passed the Faith to me - and thus also to my children. He grew up without a father, yet was model of what a father should be. I thank God for the tremendous gift He gave my family in my Dad.

DEUS, qui nos patrem et matrem honorare praecepisti: miserere clementer animae patris mei eiusque peccata dimitte : meque eum in aeternae claritatis gaudio fac videre. Per Christum Dominum nostrum. Amen.

[O God, who hast commanded us to honor our father and mother: in Thy mercy have pity on the soul of my father and forgive him his trespasses; and make me to see him again in the joy of everlasting brightness. Amen.]

May he in rest in peace! Amen.

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune...Oremus pro invicem!

Tuesday Morning Notes...

Mrs. Curley arrived home safely last night. We are whole again at Bethany...

My latest article is appearing on CatholicExchange this morning, (originally published in Heart and Mind). It can be found here. (Interestingly enough, Russell Shaw (who's latest book is from Requiem Press) has an article on Catholic Exchange too this morning also.)

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune... Oremus pro invicem!

The Slaughter .... Part II

I can't believe I am writing this...but I am compelled. Last year we had the Slaughter...

Sunday we attended the 11:30 Mass at St. Catherines (good news-starting on the feast of Christ the King Mass will be at 10:00 AM) . After Mass we changed into hiking gear in the parish hall. We then stopped at the local cemetary to pray the souls in purgatory. Then off to Anderew Jackson State Park as predicted in my last post. While the Crawford trail was ho-hum (1 mile of forest, no challenges, but then again I had the young ones along), the museum and tour was well done. It was obvious the tour guide loves her work, especially with children. They tried on revolutionary war uniforms, shredded cinnamon, watched an authentic 200 year-old loom do its thing, etc. The primitive group campsite was the nicest I have seen. You can fish there (we didn't) too. All in all, a great outing.

We come home, and as I am asking where dogs are (they usually run to the pen gate as soon as we pull up, number 1 son exclaims that Sheba and Lady are out of the pen. I am asking how did they get out, and getting the reply, "The gate is wide open!". [Challenger of the Slaughter fame and Bunny (don't ask) are nowhere to be seen]

Then comes the shout, "The chickens!" I look over to the coop and the door is also wide open, and chicken carcusses are strewn everywhere. Eighteen dead, one alive but barely, and one missing. (Our older 6 chickens and rooster are secure in their coop as are the six chickens in the Chicken Tractor).

While I am sure all 4 dogs participated, I am even more certain that Challenger was the instigator. It was lucky he was absent just then.

The carcusses are stiff and not warm. They are mostly intact, just dead. I am angry, but this is partially my fault (as I will explain later), as well as a general breakdown in cooperation. Since the dog pen gate was wide open and carcusses are stiff and cold, I assume that this happend soon after we left this morning (also, the dogs tend to be very lazy once mid-day heat, it was 80 degrees today, sets in). So the chickens are a total loss-except the one still breathing. It is already getting dark and I have very hungry (soon to be cranky) little children. Immediately a plan suggests itself. I kill the wounded chicken and set two boys to plucking. I start digging graves. Third son puts a movie on for the youngest three. Plucking is not going well and darkness is fast approaching. Change of plans. Two plucking sons removed for grave digging. I get my knife and slit the skin on the chicken and start taking meat off the bird directly.

Meanwhile the missing chicken emerges from the woods. It is skittish, but otherwise seems fine. We lure the chicken with feed and grab her. She has lost a few feathers, but otherwise seems intact. Put her in the pen and we resume our respective chores. Finally chickens are buried (Deep enough to keep away the coyotes? Not sure. Two six feet deep holes each housing 10 or so chickens means they aren't really buried six feet deep. Will find out in the morning), and as much meat as I can salvage off the bird in the now near complete darkness. Make and eat dinner. Finally the two wayward dogs come home. Challenger looks away when I ask him about the chickens. (I didn't even mention the upset boys. They are upset at the dead chickens, missing dogs, and no doubt my anger over it all-especially my threats on Challenger and the others.)

Now what happened? First my blame. The door to the chicken coop in question was originally well-designed and secure. However in recent weeks some sagging had set in so that the latch didn't line up. I was aware of the problem, but we were simply propping a board against the gate to keep it shut-in other words, it would keep the chickens in, but wouldn't keep a determined dog out. I should have fixed the sagging door weeks ago. My fault.

The other blame. I originally assumed that whoever was the last out of the dog pen (the feed house is in the dog pen, so all three boys had gone in and out that morning to fill their respective chores of feeding the dogs, chickens and rabbits.) simply failed to latch the gate. In part this is true; but it appears that sometime in the last day or so the latch was slightly bent so that it did not latch securely. In the morning rush to feed the animals and get ready for Mass, the defect was not noticed. If the dogs, as they are wont to do, tried to shake the gate, it is likely the latch simply released. (We do have a secondary latch and I have been admonishing the boys that I often find it undone. But by itself, it would not have held the dogs anyway.) Thus the dogs got out. Challenger, who is the defacto leader, naturally went to the chicken coop, with I'm sure the others following closely, and was able to get the coop gate open. After that it was party time for the dogs.

I'm afraid my initial reactions did not reflect a good control of temper, but I have calmed down and we have discussed the situation. There clearly was enough blame to go around-it was a general breakdown of carrying out responsibility carefully with attention to details.

I am very upset by the loss. Our plan was to depend heavily on our own chicken and rabbit for meat this winter as well as getting eggs and hatching eggs to perpetuate our flock. When Mrs. Curley returns tonight we will have some things to discuss...I don't think it would be sacriligeous to say: the Lord giveth, the dogs taketh away-blessed be the name of the Lord!

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune... Oremus pro invicem!

Plumbing, Lady Bugs and Camping...

Spent a good part of the day doing plumbing and plumbing related work which was long overdue. Plumbing is not my specialty. I am generally handy but plumbing and I have never got along. With plumbing, I am usually satisfied if it works in the end-no matter how it looks. Mrs. Curley is always sceptical of my pipe, faucet, toilet repairs (although I have become quite an expert on toilets)-but she wasn't around today to critique my work. It will all be covered up by the time she returns on Monday.

After an exhausting day looking up from my back under cabinets, I stopped up in my office to check my email and found that I am infested with lady bugs. Son Connor told me, as he brought up the vacuum cleaner, that it is their migratory season. It may be, but why migrate to my office? Last year they did the same. Now every day or so for the next few weeks I will be vacuuming them up.

Tomorrow after Mass at St. Catherine's we will visit the nearby cemetary, (it is still in the octave of All Souls Day) and say some prayers. Then we will head up the road 8 miles or so to Andrew Jackson State Park for a picnic and a hike. The two trails are only a mile or so-perfect for the young ones and a warm-up for the older ones. I think there is also an old log cabin there and some other sites. We will check out the primitive "group" campsite also for a future trip. (At dinner young Thomas said that we were big enough to be a group all by ourselves. But I told him that we would get the 'Blue Knights' together for a reunion camping trip (we haven't had a meeting since we moved to Bethany.) I dislike the 'drive-up' campsites. I go camping for the quiet and solitude, (although the quiet part is hard with my crew. But I tell Mrs. Curley that their noise keeps the bears away), and also because some things just cannot be seen unless you spend a day or so hiking to them. The drive-up sites can be extremely noisy (people driving around honking horns at 9:00 at night looking for a campsite) and are often overrun with racoons. So usually we wouldn't go to a place like Andrew Jackson State Park. But we haven't gone camping in the longest time and we are all getting a little itchy for a campfire. And, the primitive group sites are usually more remote. Most of the best places in SC to go hiking an camping are 4 or 5 hours away now, and with gas prices as they are....

There is something special about saying the rosary around the campfire followed by some good songs and stories, (and a Guiness or two.) So we will check out their primitive site to see if it meets our minimum criteria.

The last two times we went camping was at Kings Mountain National Military Park (not the state park of the same name close by). The primitive site is a good 3+ mile hike if I recall correctly. But the forest there is ho-hum. Jones Gap is much better. The trail runs along the Middle Saluda River. There are a couple of spurs which have great waterfalls. The campsites are along the trail and right near the river. (Great for keeping Guiness cold and for falling asleep with the sound of running water.) From Jones Gap, you can hike across to Ceasar's Head State Park and see Raven Cliff Falls (photo in the previous link) from above the falls or across a ravine. Either way, it is the most scenic waterfall (and most photographed in SC. The trail to Raven Cliff is moderate, but can be a little long (especially on the way back) for younger ones. Table Rock is a strenuous hike, but the view from the top is spectacular and worth the trip. Here is a picture of the boys about 3/4 of the way up from a few years ago.

We have camped at the primitive group site at Congaree Swamp a number of times, but I really want to go farther in and camp near the river. The old cypress trees there are spectacular. You can camp anywhere at Congaree Swamp, but no open fires except at the group site, which is about a mile from the parking lot. The other place I want to go again (I went in college) is up near the Chattooga River. This is very quiet country. My favorite spot though is Mount Washington State Forest in Massachusetts (just on the border between MA, CT, and NY) It is also very quiet because the sites are along the trail, but several miles in. A cold river runs near the trail. I will never forget the night many years ago, my friend Tom and I hiked in after a rainy week and for the life of us couldn't start a fire with the wet wood (this would never happen now-my backwood skills are much better). We were cold and hungry. So I took our roll of toilet paper and placed a can of B&M beans on top of the roll and lit it. Those beans were the best I ever had. And, this was just enough to get our wood to light. I would love to take my boys up there some day...

(I remember our first "hike-in" camping trips when I carried all the food, and supplies and tents, and half the sleeping bags for three or four of us. Now I am a bit older (and heavier), but my boys can carry more of the load now.

We used to do just hot dogs and beans on these trips. But in recent years, we have added much to the menu: chicken (usually pre-cooked), barley, and corn (sub fish for the chicken on Fridays) mix; cornish hens, etc. We usually have oat meal for breakfast, (very hardy and doesn't take much time to cook or clean up when you want to break camp quickly.) We have started roaring fires in the pouring rain. We have learned a new skill or new way to cook in the backwoods on virtually every trip.

We've gone camping as a family twice. Once we hiked in the mile to the site at Congaree Swamp, (See picture-we are about to hike out in the morning. Most of those sleeping bags ended up on the top of my pack!) We even brought an old wind-up phonograph and one 78rpm record, (Don't Tell Me Your Worries When You're Lonesome by the Carlisle Brothers) with us. Mrs. Curley was up half the night listening for wild boar (no bears at Congaree). The other time was at Davy Crockett Birthplace State Park in Tennessee. This was a drive-up site and now Mrs. Curley knows why (noise, drunken neighbors wandering thru your site at 2:00 AM) I prefer remote, hike-in areas. People can be worse than wild boar and bears when you're camping.

Of course now at Bethany we can have our 'campfire' in the back yard. We have an area where we have have been developing a sort of firepit. It is over grown now, but it is time to get it back into shape for fires as the colder weather is here.

Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

Eternal rest grant to them O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.

From Bethany, the small holding in Bethune... Oremus pro invicem!