Cats and Basketball

The last couple of weeks have been very routine. We we did get our first snow day a week ago Friday. Not that we got much snow with it--there was just enough to barely cover the ground--but the roads were a bit slick. The nice thing was that it made for a relaxing four day weekend with Martin Luther King Day that Monday.

Of course, the most consistent thing about our weather is that it always changes. One day last week we enjoyed a near 70° high, but by that night the temp dropped below freezing. We had a similar temperature swing yesterday.

CATS. I wrote back in the summer that we found three cats out in the corn field behind Aunt Mar's house. I think I wrote later that I found the friendliest of the three dead on the side of the road. Well, Mom and Aunt Mar have been feeding the remaining two cats and they are now two fat felines. Aunt Mar worries that the cats don't have enough to eat. She's even thought one of them was lonely outside and let it in the house on several occasions, much to Mom's chagrin as she has to get them back out.

The cats have been showing their appreciation for the care they've been getting. We frequently find dead mice on the patio. They are pretty good hunters. We've also seen a bird or two and a mole that they've caught.

Speaking of cats, we had the prettiest white cate show up at our house one morning the other week. The cat was very friendly, letting me walk right up to it. We found out later that it belongs to our neighbor but her dog keeps running it off. Since the cat keeps coming back to our house we're hoping she will earn her keep around here as much as Mom and Aunt Mar's cats do for them.

A CORRECTION. Last time I wrote I reported on the snake Mom found in the house. Mom tells me that the snake was longer that I reported it to be--more like 18 inches. Now that I've got that straightened out...

BASKETBALL. Our Saturday afternoons have brought lots of fun with basketball season under way. Jenna's team has a 1-2 record, but they have made their opponents work hard for their wins. The boys' team is undefeated so far. Last weekend they played a team that has several of their friends from school on it. I think there was a bit of good natured trash talking at school so the boys were really eager to meet their friends on the court.

I want to take some time to comment on Nate here. He has never been as naturally athletic as Ben, and I even said to Vicki after their first practice that watching him run made me think of a machine that was about to fly apart.

Nate was very anxious going into their first game, but we've seen him bloom over the last three weeks. He moves with more grace and fluidity than I've ever seen before. He is thinking about the game and putting himself in the right places during play. And he is doing his best to rebound and make shots (even putting some points on the board). It has been a pleasure to watch him grow in this way.

USHERING. We were at the 8:00 service at church the other week when Will Ed Osborne picked Ben to help him take up the offering. Ben had never done this before so this took him off guard, but he caught on quickly. It was neat to watch him pass the plate and then go with Will Ed to put the offering away. It made me proud.

Joe