Fall So Far (or Fall THUS Far, if you prefer)

We're at about the mid-point of fall and it's time

I shared some of our adventures with the grandkids.

Brianna is playing basketball for the Fire in the
Upward Church League.

Hunter is playing for the Dragons in his first
organized team sport.  Did I say organized?

They practice sometimes while they're at our house.
They also get to practice counting by twos.

There's more to life than basketball.  How's this for cheap thrills?

Then there's always the 3:00 freight train.

Evan is back to building his dream castle and manning it
with bold knights of old.

Claire uses a few of Evan's left-over pieces, but she's more
interested in her characters than the building.

Note her army of deadly snakes!

Evan adds a pair of watchful guardian eagles.

Looks like both fortresses are secure.

Nice going, Claire!

Now that Evan has lost his first tooth, all four grandchildren
have had that experience.  Many more on the way.

We spent an afternoon back at the old property and Bri
brushed up on some gymnastics she hadn't done for a while.

We soon headed down to the stream and waterfalls,
where the kids hadn't been for months.

While we were at the stream, we heard approaching voices.
Suddenly, Claire and Evan appeared.  Oh, what fun!

We were all happy to see that our unusual fungus from last
year had reappeared and even multiplied.

Here we are at the new footbridge across our frog habitat.

I may not be putting miles on this '73 Mercury these days, but that's
not to say it's not getting any wear and tear.  Evan's the driver,
while the others climb-- at a safe speed, no doubt.

It seems this would make for some distracted driving,
but Evan is very focused.

Next we were off to our trapeze swing that crosses a ditch.
Everyone got in many, many turns.

Off to the treehouse, where everybody found something to do.

Besides cooking and climbing, there was our outdoor "Little Library."

The same week, we all headed up to Morrow Mountain State Park
for a picnic lunch and a nice, long hike.  The kids were enthralled
with their natural "finds."

It was nice to have Jennifer and Amanda along--
especially since my camera wasn't charged.

Back around home, we attended one of Evan's Saturday morning
 soccer sessions.  Here he's sneaking up on the ball for a back kick.

Evan's age group practices drills together, then divides up for
a short scrimmage game each week.  He is a prolific scorer
and has a real knack for both offense and defense.

You can see the killer instinct in his eyes.

Six Cubes is our new favorite game.  Of course it came from a
yard sale, and that was many years ago.  It may be for ages 10
and up, but that didn't prevent Bri and Hunter from trying it with us.

You roll six dice at a time, then remove any dice that score
winning combinations.  You can continue or quit.  But if you
roll and score no points, you lose all points from that turn.

Her very first time playing, Bri scored a "straight" on a single roll.
This is worth 1,500 points.  If you've played Yahtzee, you'll
appreciate what the odds against this are.  Even a straight with
five dice is a rarity.

Here's the unique game board, with a few special spaces leading
up to 10,000 points.  You could easily create your own board and
use six ordinary dice to play this game without buying it.

Not satisfied with her "straight," Bri soon rolled the elusive
SIX OF A KIND!  The 6,000 points put her WAY over the
top to win the game.  To put it in perspective, the six dice are
one degree past Yahtzee's "five of a kind," plus this has to be
achieved in ONE roll.  Amazing!

I'm happy to say that Judy and I can top that 

Six of a Kind.

We have Four of a Kind Grandchildren that are

totally unsurpassed.

What are the odds of that?!

Our Boys and Girls of Late Summer

In case you haven't noticed, it's waning.

Summer, that is.  Our grandkids have been back in 

school since the first week of August, but that hasn't

dampened enthusiasm in our weekly get-togethers.

Bri and Hunter love to play a board game called 

Pound Puppies.  I devised an outdoor version that we

really enjoy now.  One player is the dogcatcher, the

other attempts to rescue the pets.

This game has already evolved in the two weeks

we've been playing it, and next week it will have

a different layout.  Plus, because of annoying ants,

I've placed a tarp underneath the 25 stones.

Hot Wheels racing is a great indoor event for hot 

weather.  All four of the kids have tried their hand

at race track design, daring loops and leaps, and

general mayhem on four wheels.

The longer the track, the better.

At the old house we used this piece of vinyl siding as

a "side-by-side" racetrack.  They really zoom on this

sturdy dragstrip.

It is our accepted practice to leave each car exactly

where it comes to a halt.  More collisions that way.

Grandma makes sure the kids replenish their energy

with a snack that is heavy on fruit and light on other sweets.

You'll hear no complaints from these eager eaters.

Grandma Judy likes to tease that they're going

through growth spurts, but it's a fact!

Hunter is now a reader and wanted to share this book

with me because of my name.

Here is Hunter reading the last couple of pages.

Judy asked him how he figured out the word "odd"

and we got a detailed explanation.

Claire and Bri arrange our mini-pets to be the 

on-lookers for more Hot Wheels races.

Then the girls add to the drama by forming a human

bridge for the cars to race under.

If these cars only had motors!

But Evan demonstrates what pure gravity can do.

I'll be posting one last Hot Wheels video on

 Facebook for you enthusiasts out there. 

 As much as anything, it shows Hunter's 

legendary perseverance, as he follows a track 

 he constructed that traverses three rooms.

Of course, there's always endless variety in our

activities.  Hunter and Grandma try out a new

Bible version of Old Maid.

The "Old Man" is Methuselah, Noah's grandfather.

It's usually Claire and Evan who pull out the horses

and build farms, but this time it was Bri and Hunter

Heigh-o, Silver!

Happily, there's still a little of summer remaining, even

if school has begun.  And even more happily, if there's 

anything we like better than summer fun, it's FALL FUN!

Praying for Moore Schools

I was recently privileged to participate in a prayer event

directed at building up and supporting every school in 

Moore County.  Christians gathered at every campus on

a Sunday afternoon to pray for every aspect of the coming

school year.  The prayer guide below states the mission

of Praying Moore Schools.  Note their website, which I

encourage you to visit.

Did you realize we have this many schools in our

community? They sought to be inclusive of public schools,

Christian schools, and other private schools.  I would like

to add the numerous home schools to our prayer list.

I was impressed with the thoughtful manner

in which prayer needs were suggested, including items

 that adults, teens, and younger children might pray for.

As someone who has been a student, a parent,

and a teacher, I can vouch for the fact that prayer

is needed not only at the beginning of the school

year, but on a daily basis.  It is a myth that God is

not in our schools.  In fact, most teachers I know are

professing Christians.  It is also not widely known 

that our county has a written policy mandating a 

moment of silence in every classroom each morning.

While prayer cannot be dictated as the purpose,

parents should provide guidance to their children

in the use of that time, also bearing in mind that

children are in no way restricted from private prayer

during the school day.

I have no doubt that the efforts to educate, grow, 

and nurture thousands of children will prosper if

we all commit to undergirding them with prayer.

Frere Jacques: The True Story

It's time for my Eclectic Blog to veer off into the

obscure once again.  This time I want to examine

and expose the perils of mis-translation by dissecting

Frere Jacques, the well-known children's song.

This traditional French folksong has been translated

into English for more than 100 years.  The rhyme and

rhythm are pleasing to the ears.

But there is a problem.  The English translation is WRONG!

Pictured below is Brother John (Frere Jacques), sleeping

soundly, while the morning bells are ringing outside.

In English, we are all accustomed to the line

"morning bells are ringing . . . ."

But the French words don't mean that at all!

"Sonnez les matines" actually means

RING THE MORNING BELLS.

Or more precisely, 

"Ring the bells to signal morning prayer time."

You can see why the translators didn't try to

fit all that into the song.

The French verb "sonner" is a regular verb.

If the songwriter intended to say "Morning bells

are ringing" he would have said

"Les matines sonnent." (3rd person plural).

But the verb sonnez that is used is the second person

form, as in "YOU sound the bells" (a command).

The French, like Americans, often use the verb

without the subject (which is understood) when 

giving a command.  The command is "ring or sound

the bells."

If the writer had said "Vous sonnez les matines"

it would have meant "You ARE RINGING the bells."

But that is not the intent of the song.

So a prosaic way to state the meaning of the song

would be:

"Brother John!  Are you still asleep?!

Get up and ring those morning bells

or no one will know it's time for prayer!"

(This admonition would have to be spoken

by an omniscient unseen character, but not by

 a second monk, priest, or friar as is pictured).

In conclusion, I'm not offering these thoughts

to be critical of the translator (RIP) or the artist, 

who mistakenly shows a second monk, priest, or

friar ringing the bells.

Rather, I want to point out the pitfalls of translation.

In a children's song there's no harm done.

But in weightier matters, such as international 

treaties, speech translations, or Biblical translations,

great care needs to be taken for accuracy.

Now, for old time's sake,

sing "Frere Jacques" from memory

in both French AND English and reward yourself

suitable later today.  And if you really want a challenge,

try to persuade two or more friends to join you in

singing the venerable old song as a round!

Let me know if you take the challenge.

Judy and Ken Discover "Soup and More"

Our friends all know that when we travel we like to sniff out those special local places that have delicious food, welcoming atmosphere, and nothing remotely akin to the big chain fast food places.

Today we weren't traveling.  In fact, we were less than 4 miles from home, right on West Pennsylvania Avenue in Southern Pines, NC. WHAT A WONDERFUL MEAL!

The place is called Soup and More, but as we found it's MUCH more. 

 Their website on YELP will fill you in a little.

http://www.yelp.com/biz/soup-and-more-southern-pines

It's cozy but not crowded, clean, well-lit, and comfortable.

Some diners ate on the porch.  The wait staff is attentive

and superb, making a point to know each guest's name.

Special kudos to J.P. (as in J.P. Morgan)!

Yep, this sign is 100% accurate.  You'll see the menu

a little further along.

The restaurant is owned by two couples. One of the

owners is Sheldon Mooney (check out the Mooney

Burger on the menu).  I think I'm accurate in saying

that Sheldon returned to this area to head up the

cuisine at Little River Country Club in 2009.

Now, he and his partners are living the dream 

of having their own restaurant.

Judy had the toughest time selecting her favorite,

but settled on the three-salad plate.  It was no big

deal to sub a double portion of the chicken salad

and omit the egg salad. (This plate is huge!)

A saw a bunch of menu items that tempted me,

but the club sandwich won me over. It was as good as

it looks.  Some of my Atlanta readers will understand

when I say it's every bit as good as the famed

Stone Mountain Club at the Blue Ribbon Grill.

That's a high compliment.

This is not the full menu, but some of the most

poplular items.  I could eat here many times without

repeating.

Here is the full menu.

Judy and I had strolled to our stream this morning

so I had my camera with me.  When I heard J.P. refer

to our "eclectic crowd" today, my light bulb lit up.

Where better to share this find than on my Eclectic Blog.

We give "Soup and More" Five Stars.

 Drop in soon and get acquainted.

Believe me, you'll find something you love.

Family Night Frolics

A monthly Family Night has been a wonderful "new"

tradition for the Loyd/Kirby/Talbert families the past

few years.  Each gathering is sure to create instant memories.

Let's pray.

"Okay, how about me first, you second, then him, then her.

No, how about YOU first, then left to right.  Or maybe

boys first, then girls.  Or . . ."

Eating may come first, but the evening is just as much

about play, and that means ANYTHING GOES!

 "What does it LOOK like we're doing?  We're COOKING!"

There's a fine line between

"Many hands make light work"

and 

"Too many cooks spoil the broth."

Stephen is honored to be the first to try the

Mississippi Mud Pie.  Or whatever it is known as locally.

Matt takes one for the team in giving up his body for

SOCCER!!

Note:  they had to drag Matt in, kicking and screaming.

This little highlight clip is full of action.  Matt starts

out with the advantage, but is later overwhelmed by

sheer numbers.  Something akin to the strategy of

African Army Ants, I believe.  And did anyone hear

a whistle on that nifty tackle by Hunter?  I didn't think so.

One of the kids suggested we pull out an old box they

had played with a few weeks ago.  Somehow, the box

didn't have a lot of life left in it.  That didn't keep them

from inventing games with it.  But now we have a new box.

Claire, and later all four kids, enjoy trying to walk on cans,

a simple but challenging task.  It requires balance,

coordination, and perseverance.  Which is why I only 

took pictures.

 This may never succeed as a new way to play tag,

but it's very motivating to see how far you can walk

without falling.  And as the girls noted, it's tougher

on rough terrain than on pavement.  Though assuredly

easier on the knees.  

I'm exaggerating about the falls.  In fact, the girls

demonstrate astonishing mastery of this new mode 

of transportation.  I don't think it will replace the

Segway, but it cost zero cents to make.  8 cans from a

 recycling bin and a few feet of handy unused macrame cord.

Maybe your family would enjoy a family night.

If you try it, be sure to let me know how it turns out.

Happy trails!

Mockingbird Calls Before Dawn

Disclaimer:  This is a mockingbird, but not one of ours.  It was DARK!

This morning I was up before dawn, and with our

windows open, the clear melodies of our resident

mockingbirds were striking.  It was dark, so I covered

the camera lens and just recorded the songs, one

after another.  The prolific repertoire of some mock-

ingbirds is legendary, and I think this one (plus some

backups) is auditioning for Songbirds Got Talent.

I taped for two minutes, then, smiling, went back to bed.