It was the best of week-ends...
It was the weirdest of week-ends. A young man from our parish, I think he was a class ahead of Embot, was ordained on Saturday. We attended his first Mass yesterday afternoon. What a beautiful experience! (Eddie’s allergy attack, intensified by incense, notwithstanding. So I forgot the pre-emptive drugs. Sue me.) Before Mass began, one of our associates tapped Chuck and Eddie on the back and said, “You could be next!” It’s nice that they hear these things from others. ‘Cause the folks only count for so much.

I drifted off for a moment after Mass when the young priest was thanking his parents. They are such lovely people and I was so pleased that we could share in their happiness yesterday. But my mind drifted momentarily to imagining one of my own boys standing in the sanctuary and thanking us. That turned into a moment like that in the movie Parenthood, in which Gil Buckman goes from a fantasy of young Kevin as college valedictorian to Kevin in the bell tower with a rifle. Best to “stay in the moment.”

Our bilocation powers being weak to non-existent, we were unable to attend another first Mass, but are hoping to celebrate with that young man next week-end. Chuck and Eddie were too antsy to stay for the reception, so we came straight home. Where we found that our two runaway dogs had returned home covered in burrs and ticks and were being shaved on the front porch. With the good - i.e. for people! - hair clippers. At this point I developed a sick headache, took some meds and went to bed.

By mid-evening things appeared to be back to normal. I decided to indulge in one last episode of Desperate Housewives. For the last half of the show I had the strangest feeling that something was tickling my arm. When I finally swatted the presumed gnat, it failed to die and fell to the carpet and walked began to walk away. It was - horrors - ‘cause we’re living in the burbs of a great American metropolis - not the UP - a TICK! I wrapped it in a tissue and yelled for Rick to come and verify my fears. It was indeed. So Rick flushed it. Oh, the humanity... A TICK.