tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-100259592011-11-27T15:21:27.758-08:00Essays by, for, and about Dads. Despite what you may have heard, it's OK to be a Dad. Really.Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.comBlogger2341100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-63768890204238684652009-08-07T00:58:00.000-07:002009-08-07T01:16:25.630-07:00

A few years ago I created The Inner Dad out of a desire to separate my familial writings from the cynical and sarcastic posts I've been writing over at Woody's Woundup for over five years now.At the time it seemed like the thing to do. The Inner Dad became the yin to the Woundup's yang (or vice versa - I never really have understood that concept, to be honest). But as both blogs have matured, as,

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-10396349681413602482009-06-22T09:44:00.000-07:002009-06-22T09:48:46.934-07:00

As Father's Days go, it was a nice one. I received breakfast from the Woodyettes and took calls from both of my grown children later in the day. Church was fun, with the Woodyettes both participating with the Primary kids in the traditional singing of two or three Daddy's Day songs. Jelly participated because she's still got one foot in both camps. She's officially in Young Women now, but still

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-92164849352283234572009-06-17T23:16:00.000-07:002009-06-17T23:30:32.284-07:00

It's easy to forget those experiences that make family life the joy that it is. We get so busy with our day to day activities that we get distracted from the larger picture. We (by which I mean "I") need to step back a pace or two from time to time and scan the spiritual horizon on which my family is perched; ready to go forward, but simply waiting for Daddy to catch up so he can go with

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-2169177762404360792009-05-22T11:31:00.001-07:002009-05-22T11:54:37.427-07:00

It's not often that Woody has one of those blindingly wonderful spiritual experiences that just seem to radiate through one's entire being. I wrote briefly about one such experience last year.Having just returned from a lovely three week vacation, I need to write about another such experience.The impetus for this trip was my granddaughter. She had decided to get baptized, and wanted her Grandpa

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-81366367633639769362009-01-31T23:02:00.000-08:002009-01-31T23:12:05.899-08:00

I mentioned a few months ago that the entire Woody clan had auditioned for our Stake's production of "Savior of the World." Thought it might be a chuckle to see what ol' Woody looks like with a few months' worth of growth on his face:CAPTION CONTEST!Is this:a) Zacharias praying in the Temple?b) Woody reminding someone in authority that the request was NO kids with personality? Orc) Make up your

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-68097242220016804732009-01-04T10:55:00.000-08:002009-01-04T10:56:12.091-08:00

One of the innumerable reasons why I married Mrs. Woody is that she reminds me a lot of my own Mom. She has many of the same wonderful qualities that Mom possesses, along with not a few of her own. This combination of qualities means that Woody is a happy man indeed.Take, for instance, food. I'm big (har!) on comfort foods. There are certain foods that always work for me, no matter what my mood.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-4532494679437540142009-01-01T02:07:00.000-08:002009-01-01T02:26:06.257-08:00

...my daughters age as well. Fortunately for them, the aging is still graceful. As in, "she is aging gracefully." Whereas Woody just ages. Even Mrs. Woody ages more like a savings account: she just gets more and more valuable as the years progress. Woody, on the other hand, begins to look more like an "after" photo from a Thompson's Wood Sealer® commercial. Or maybe that's just the beard.Anyway,

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-53442994952312194582008-10-16T00:11:00.000-07:002008-10-16T00:23:33.658-07:00

I have never fully appreciated life's milestones. From birth through adolescence and on through adulthood I have hit many milestones of one kind or another. Some, like turning sixteen and getting my driver's license, felt significant. Others, like my twenty-first birthday, blew by with hardly any notice.My "decade" birthdays, in particular, seem to pass with very little fanfare. There was one

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-510871120955110942008-10-04T00:10:00.000-07:002008-10-04T00:40:11.272-07:00

One of the greatest blessings of homeschool is the flexibility built into the schedule. If our academy decides that a field trip is in order, we hop in our trusty minivan and take a field trip. There are no permission slips or extra insurance liability to worry over; we just go.Today was a "just go" kind of day. A month ago or so when we took advantage of Homeschool Days at the Aquarium of the

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-30080727561846028612008-09-28T21:12:00.000-07:002008-09-28T21:23:51.161-07:00

I have mentioned over the years our triumphs in getting the Woodyettes to sing in church. Every year for the Primary presentation Mrs. Woody and I sit and watch our girls struggle with the concept of singing (or even appearing to sing) in public. The first few years were downright painful. In fact, Jelly actually had a pained expression on her face (when we could see it through the crowd of kids

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-46107877626609756722008-09-18T15:10:00.000-07:002008-09-18T15:15:03.736-07:00

There are risks involved with being a homeschool Dad. My situation is especially risky since I happen to work from home quite a lot of late. My job is one of those that can literally be called in most days, so I find myself sitting at our dining room table in a sort of mini-cubicle (albeit with a better view) whilst the girls take up the nice, comfy seats on our couches in the living room. But,

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-71620109861452589942008-07-23T19:00:00.000-07:002008-07-23T19:02:04.511-07:00

So we have a double-header today. I failed to upload last week's lesson last week (as my sainted mother pointed out), so by way of repentance you get both lessons today.Lesson 5 begins our discussion of the events immediately subsequent to the resurrection of the Savior. We cover that very busy first Sunday where He appears to several women in the morning, the faithful disciples on the road to

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-48321619434403877382008-07-11T00:54:00.001-07:002008-07-11T01:21:06.098-07:00

With two sessions remaining of this assignment I wanted to point out a couple of things that I've really enjoyed.Firstly, there's been the tremendous personal boost that comes from a concentrated and detailed study of any gospel topic, but particularly when that topic is the Savior Himself. What an opportunity! My always steady, firm testimony has grown exponentially throughout this cycle of

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-79458133120968673322008-07-10T23:23:00.000-07:002008-07-10T23:31:17.992-07:00

Sorry it took a couple of days to process. This was my first week back to work after vacation and things always pile up while you're gone. So, what with putting out numerous virtual fires and fighting a bad case of the doldrums (except for Wednesday's Institute class!), I think I'm lucky to be posting this at all.Good news: the recorder worked for the entire run this time!That 20 or so minutes I

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-75893316067082118272008-06-29T19:51:00.000-07:002008-06-29T20:11:53.863-07:00

Two interesting items from church this morning, both of which relate to the family:Bishop read the latest letter from the First Presidency this morning that dealt with California's struggles to keep marriage defined as being between a man and a woman. Given the overwhelming majority that passed Proposition 22 in 2000, it is an especially grave thing to have a majority of the California Supreme

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-14517496911685355862008-06-26T09:27:00.000-07:002008-06-26T09:33:10.475-07:00

Oh, boy, this is embarrasing. The recorder stopped for some reason with about 20-25 minutes of lesson to go. Fortunately it saved the first 42 minutes, so I'm grateful for that. For those of you who happen to be my mother, I'll send my notes along under separate cover.This lesson attempts to discuss the events of the births of John the Baptist and the Savior, including those which occurred in

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-48593039127909798642008-06-21T00:25:00.001-07:002008-06-21T00:27:42.253-07:00

This lesson moves into the historical backdrop in the 600 years immediately preceding the Savior's birth, including the annunciations of the angel Gabriel. Mini history lesson for the first half, then a discussion of why the Jews seemed to be so confused with the scriptures that foretold the coming of the Messiah.Lesson 2

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-46925277356515861042008-06-13T23:45:00.000-07:002008-06-13T23:54:05.691-07:00

This past Wednesday we had our first Summer Institute session and I'm pleased with the result. For those who happen to be related to me and may therefore find this of some interest, I recorded the session. Unfortunately I move around a lot when teaching, so I'm not always at the best position to be picked up by the mic. You may need good volume control when listening.The lesson ran just a hair

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-33126571670846759032008-06-03T01:37:00.000-07:002008-06-03T01:44:39.358-07:00

Mrs. Woody documented Jelly's first official Family Home Evening that she planned and executed all by herself a couple of weeks ago. Tonight was Doodle's turn.Not unreasonably, she used the same sort of template that Jelly had created when planning her lesson. She created a basic agenda which included the songs, prayers, and a brief outline of the activities we would have. She taped this agenda

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-54834023369522656602008-05-29T23:03:00.000-07:002008-05-29T23:35:59.731-07:00

Two significant events transpired in the last week. My mother became both a missionary and a blogger.Mom and Official Woody Step-Dad® ZeeMeister report for their one year mission in the Family History Center on June 5. They've been looking forward to this for months now, or years if you follow their own history. Practically since they were courting they've been discussing missions (note: plural)

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-273521793304009942008-05-14T01:57:00.000-07:002008-05-14T14:34:22.368-07:00

I think I finally figured out part of my patriarchal blessing.I received my patriarchal blessing thirty-five years ago. It's fortunate that my mother was the patriarch's transcriptionist at the time, because her off-the-tape transcript is the only copy I have of that blessing. I'm told there's a way to get an "official" copy, but I've never really had the time or inclination to pursue it. I kind

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-46424482576479963022008-04-27T21:36:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:53:49.256-08:00

I'm sure there's a Gospel lesson in here somewhere. Probably there's a story buried deep in my scriptures; we'll call it "the Allegory of the Electronic Gaming Device." It tells the spiritually informed that the House of Israel was scattered because they failed to heed the Lord's repeated warnings that if they didn't cast out their Nintendo DS's, they would be cut off from the presence of the

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-88491624948083004962008-04-27T00:50:00.000-07:002008-04-27T00:56:53.483-07:00

Recent writings aside, I'm not the most spiritually sensitive character around. I believe myself to be one of those souls for whom the Spirit carries a really, really big hammer in case he needs to get in touch with me. "Hello? Woody? You listening?..." CLANG! "Ah. Finally got your attention." He then fills me in on something that was probably obvious to everyone else in my life, and figured I

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-6027197840586484522008-04-16T12:40:00.000-07:002008-04-16T12:57:03.151-07:00

I fear my daughter's Nintendo®. It's one of those next-generation Game Boy replacements called the "DS." It was her major Christmas gift last year and I have developed an uneasy relationship with it.It resembles a PDA on steroids. It has two screens. I don't get this concept. Being a simplex thinker, the dual-screen aspect of the machine bothers me. When I play my games on my computer, I have a

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-9545981748890405042008-04-06T20:55:00.000-07:002008-04-07T06:14:06.622-07:00

This is more by way of a journal entry. I need to keep this one in mind over time to remind myself that miraculous things can and do still happen in these cynical days of earth's history. Doubtless many others will write about this experience, probably more eloquently that I possibly could. This, then, is for my family and posterity.Today was an amazing day. This has been the weekend of our

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-6840091565642903262008-04-02T12:37:00.000-07:002008-04-02T12:52:21.622-07:00

Apparently I have a Backingnese. I have no idea what it is, or even what it looks like, but in my imagination it looks similar to a Pekingnese, only not as annoying. The reason I know I have one is because my younger daughter, Doodle, blesses it in almost every prayer:"Please bless Daddy's Backingnese..."Astonishingly, my mother has one, too."Please bless Grandma NanZ's Backingnese..."Every

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-24771238854540575772008-03-17T17:03:00.000-07:002008-03-17T17:22:45.177-07:00

Dave Barry's blog (this time posted by his so-called "stealth bloggerette" Judi) occasionally points in the direction of some pretty fun, funny, and downright outrageous gadgets and/or technological wonders.Add to this growing list something called the "MediaCart" being developed by a company of the same name, and in conjunction with (cue evil Darth Vader theme) Microsoft.It sounds great. But

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-46639950365594215182008-03-05T10:15:00.001-08:002008-03-06T18:45:02.825-08:00

(Hat Tip: MomZee, who stays tuned to these items better than I do.)Bro. Craig Jessop has resigned from the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. This news comes as a shock to all of us who have appreciated his contributions to the choir over the years. I especially have appreciated his ability to coax ever-increasing musical proficiency from such a large group of singers. Many of us struggle to pull good

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-66126485322685937352008-02-21T23:14:00.000-08:002008-02-21T23:25:37.108-08:00

I've said before that I am not a critic. Not a proper one, anyway. I just can't muster up enough nastiness to sound like a professional critic, because one has to couch their language in professional-sounding tones: "The author's use of tired plot devices and 17th century colloquialisms leads one to believe that there is no redemption of the soul unless the zodiac is in proper alignment, which,

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-21180355315604408222008-02-20T10:41:00.000-08:002008-02-20T11:07:50.083-08:00

It's not that having daughters is a bad thing. I love my girls. They love me. Everything is good with the world.They are, however, both sub-teens.Someday they will have grown to a point where boys actually get over their fear of cooties and realize that my girls are stunning creatures. When that happens, I need a plan. Fortunately, my friends up north have dropped one in my virtual lap. It's one

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-2730569878032948302008-02-15T14:24:00.000-08:002008-02-15T14:43:08.434-08:00

I'm still serving as 2nd counselor in our Stake Sunday School presidency, and I still have no idea what it is we do for a living. I'm not trying to be ironic about it. I'm merely pointing out that after nearly two years, the face of the Sunday School has changed to where our positions seem to matter less than perhaps they once did. We had been a presidency only for about six months when the

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-56901678424139851642008-02-02T01:03:00.000-08:002008-02-02T01:16:35.510-08:00

I've debated with this for awhile, which is one of the reasons I haven't posted for a few days. Well, that, plus being sicker than the proverbial dog during this wonderful cold and flu season.Here's the deal: The reasons why so many people choose to homeschool are typically legion. If you tried to pin down any one of us on the single biggest reason why we chose to shield our children from public

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-28292247802369502082008-01-28T12:57:00.001-08:002008-01-28T12:59:29.748-08:00

My wonderful family has been a rich source of material today. Mrs. Woody blogs about the Doodle here. Doodle has also recently posted, and that can be seen here. Give 'em a read!

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-44587408213148748922008-01-28T10:44:00.000-08:002008-01-28T10:53:01.845-08:00

The following conversation, more or less, took place not 10 minutes ago:Jelly Woodyette: Mommy? What date was it yesterday?Mrs. Woody: January 27th.Woody: Hey! That's my anniversary for going to the temple for the first time! So, let's see, that was 1977... no, 1978. Wow. That's been 30 years.[Impact of previous statement hits Woody]Woody [weeping]: That means I went on my mission 30 years ago...

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-17114216054420308852008-01-28T09:23:00.000-08:002008-01-28T09:33:47.214-08:00

The death of a living prophet is always a time of both mourning and excitement. Members of the Church may understand this feeling; we mourn the loss of an old, dear friend, yet look forward with great anticipation to a new administration and the changes that inevitably follow.President Gordon B. Hinckley passed away last night. We were privileged in Southern California to hear from this

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-27504714642394771692008-01-26T22:54:00.000-08:002008-01-26T22:58:13.950-08:00

As I look back over posts from the past, I notice that many of my family-related posts seem to deal with disease and pestilence. I blame the kids, of course. No, really. Kids and disease just seem to go together, and parents have to accept that. We know, for instance, that the moment our kids go outside (and, even though we homeschool, we do occasionally send them outside) they will probably glom

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-33086186023713360182007-12-19T23:02:00.000-08:002007-12-19T23:04:38.225-08:00

As a choir boy, I have performed Christmas concerts in all but a handful of years since I hit junior high school. I mean I could probably count the number of years in which I've not performed an actual Christmas concert of some kind (not counting ward choirs) on one hand and have fingers left over. That's a lot of Christmas music performed over the course of, what, thirty-five years, give or

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-16824661706435898802007-12-01T10:30:00.000-08:002007-12-01T10:37:59.350-08:00

I have joked for years — since I returned from my mission, really — about being an ancient Mayan ruin. I came home from Guatemala with dysentery and appear to have been crumbling structurally ever since. Moderately, to be sure, but I have more creaks and groans in my bones than you might find in the Haunted Mansion®.I say this because yesterday was a big Field Trip Day for Wonderwood Academy,

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-18816059469021984572007-11-26T13:07:00.000-08:002007-11-26T13:12:21.362-08:00

Every family has their holiday traditions. Heck, even atheists have a tradition of alternately ignoring Christmas, or berating it. But it's still a tradition. In La Casa de Woody, however, we have rich family traditions. Some date back to when Woody and Mrs. Woody were young whippersnappers themselves and enjoying our own families' traditions. Others have evolved since Mrs. Woody and I got

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-27925016869485719322007-11-23T09:22:00.000-08:002007-11-23T09:38:27.359-08:00

Expressing thanks at this time of year can be a dual-edged sword. It's nearly impossible to enumerate every single blessing for which we should be grateful. Many of our blessings are, sadly, overlooked — taken for granted, even. We quickly forget, for example, just how blessed we are to have a brand-spankin' new bed to sleep on. I do, anyway. It's just so nice to lay down at night and not fear

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-42651730130664440132007-11-20T13:14:00.000-08:002007-11-20T13:33:27.039-08:00

When your parents are good at something, it probably tends to put unfair pressure on you as their offspring to live up to their potential. This was certainly the case when I was growing up and lived under the same roof as two of the most musically inclined members of the church in Simi Valley. Mom and Dad were at the center of pretty much everything music-related in the church in those days. It

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-5333907418746896162007-11-18T01:32:00.000-08:002007-11-18T01:33:40.623-08:00

Mrs. Woody made mention a couple of days ago of the "Interfaith Council Choral Festival" that was held here in Orange County last Sunday. It's time I added my observations to hers.This is something that they've been doing for about four years that I know of. Since I joined the Anaheim Mormon Chorale a year ago, this was my second Interfaith concert. I must say that it's an intriguing blend of

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-6613117862558372902007-11-16T11:32:00.000-08:002007-11-16T11:39:49.069-08:00

The Woodyettes, although the name is vaguely redolent of a 50's pop group, have never so much as seen a fashion show. Trend-wise, in fact, the Woodyettes are probably styling mostly 90's era clothing at the moment because of the hand-me-down network to which we currently belong. This won't last forever, due primarily to the fact that the other major player in this network has a teenage daughter

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-90324127291620961092007-11-16T09:35:00.000-08:002007-11-16T09:45:02.375-08:00

Mrs. Woody has really been trying to keep up with her blog this year. There's been so much that's happened in her life since last holiday season. We spent most of that holiday with her Mom, watching her steady decline from cancer until her (very) untimely death on New Year's Eve. Then there was her own brush with illness that put her in the hospital for the better part of two weeks this summer.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-74739270107427297882007-11-10T10:43:00.000-08:002007-11-10T10:45:11.167-08:00

Last night we took the Woodyettes to see a local PTA production of "The Wiz." Like "Annie" last year, it was a chance for the Woodyettes to see a couple of their friends from church perform in a theatrical production, and they enjoyed it. So did I, but probably for different reasons."The Wiz" was created as a Broadway musical during the middle of the 70's and the "blaxploitation" craze of that

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-60796733846643205522007-11-08T20:29:00.000-08:002007-11-08T20:45:08.761-08:00

I have expounded the virtues of the "Veggie Tales®" animated shows before. In the mold of Davey and Goliath (now there's a blast from my past!) they teach good fundamental Christian principles and stories. But there the similarities end. "Veggie Tales" are smartly written, artistically rendered, and consistently funny. Their creators have always admitted that they write with a healthy (if one can

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-83405341920255223522007-11-05T07:37:00.000-08:002007-11-05T07:46:32.518-08:00

The women in my life have started blogging again after extended absences. We had quite a weekend together, being our first since Mrs. Woody took so ill over the summer. Now that she's healed, we can start doing our longish weekends up to visit family every so often.Mrs. Woody blogs at Mrs. Woody's WondersJelly blogs at Jelly WoodyetteDoodle blogs at Doodle WoodyetteIt's a wonderful object lesson

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-11280174928778439122007-11-04T08:45:00.000-08:002007-11-04T08:50:37.835-08:00

Here's my problem: We're on a long weekend visit with family in another county. During this visit, the Woodyettes, being consumate performers, do something cute and/or precocious, and Woody says to himself, "I gotta blog that." Then I remember that we're visiting a beach. There is no wireless hotspot at the beach, and even if there were, Woody left the doggoned computer back in the hotel room.I

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-63363198453344859342007-10-31T09:54:00.000-07:002007-10-31T09:56:33.264-07:00

This morning's breakfast prayer began:"Dear Heavenly Father, Happy Halloween!"I'll bet He wins every costume competition.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-55560160522437859772007-10-12T14:39:00.000-07:002007-10-12T14:47:07.632-07:00

Woody's Annual Birthday EssayI turn 49 this year. Seems improbable, given my generally youthful demeanor (translation: I refuse to grow up!), but it's true, nonetheless. I'm definitely in my "middle age." I am actually quite comfortable with this thought; I have realized for years now that I'm not getting any younger. Various body parts, like Congress, have either taken up complaining as an art

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-46735640754320879122007-09-20T00:00:00.000-07:002007-09-20T00:10:36.075-07:00

The Voice is not happy tonight.The Voice has been with me for many, many years now. It has been my companion through every stage of life — the good, the bad, and the severely depressing — and we have survived. The Voice has been shaped and molded over several decades. It is nowhere near as elastic as it used to be; but then, neither am I.The Voice even survived puberty with me. In fact, in many

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-16419808919846323352007-09-17T02:10:00.000-07:002007-09-17T02:17:02.500-07:00

Of course I love my girls. They've had me wrapped around their dainty fingers from the time they were grainy images on an ultrasound monitor. But you have to understand that, love them though I do, I'm still in a part of life where I can honestly say I've never had to deal with certain things before.This is my second (or "new") life. I was married previously, and that union gave me two children.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-10139732059403370792007-09-11T02:31:00.000-07:002007-09-11T02:44:05.310-07:00

I'm just certain I've mentioned before that, while I do have a modicum of musical talent, I have never undertaken any real formal musical education in my life.Ever.Oh, yeah, okay, I did take a couple of semesters' worth of theory and such on the off chance that I might parlay that into a career as a music teacher. It only took a few months, however, to realize that I could never get serious about

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-87766018234335795082007-09-08T10:05:00.000-07:002007-09-08T10:08:55.768-07:00

A new schoolyear grips the Woody household. Mrs. Woody is still convalescing, but she's been determined to not have the kids miss any more school than they already have. (Our school is not exactly year-round, but we usually only take a month off during the summer. This year they got two, and it shows.)There is, of course, the need to get the Woodyettes' minds back into the swing of school things.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-7705945491734060482007-09-04T12:14:00.000-07:002007-09-04T12:17:07.367-07:00

It dawns on me that, like many a bad writer before me, I've been leaving huge chunks of plot threads largely unresolved. I am primarily guilty of failing to provide an online update on Mrs. Woody's condition as she recovers from her horrific infection that had her hospitalized for twelve days after our vacation.Mrs. Woody is doing extremely well considering what she's had to overcome. The

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-21098070816841155002007-09-03T01:18:00.000-07:002007-09-11T01:53:48.565-07:00

If you've followed this blog for any length of time, you'll remember Woody's steadfast opposition to reunions of any kind relating to my wayward school years. My stated reason to this point has been the idea that kids in my class were either stoned, about to get stoned, or recovering from having been stoned. I just didn't want to see all those train wrecks.So explain to me, please, why I found

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-10212217075037193982007-08-01T10:45:00.000-07:002007-08-01T10:46:58.492-07:00

There are advantages to being a curmudgeon, if only a half-hearted one.Got a phone call last evening. Bear in mind that any call that comes to the house now is usually either my hospitalized Sweetheart or someone desiring an update on her condition (generally fair, with patchy low clouds in the morning). This call was different."Hello? Mr. [garbled]?"Any mispronunciation of my name, even given

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-44160849914695881362007-07-29T01:07:00.001-07:002007-07-29T01:07:38.846-07:00

Being a successful Inner Dad is all about having the love, companionship, and support of a loving Inner Mom. If I have become any sort of good father to my children, it's only because I have married the greatest Mom on earth that I know of, next to my own.Mrs. Woody is ill. We were on the last leg of our Inner Vacation a couple of weeks ago when Mrs. Woody got a smallish wound that ultimately

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-87293672652071067782007-07-19T12:11:00.000-07:002007-07-19T12:31:58.391-07:00

There is a window, albeit a relatively small one, during which kids seem to blossom into the concept of a family vacation. We're at a point in time where family vacations can be more about the kids and having them relish the experience.We've just returned from two weeks of fireworks and lighthouses along the Pacific coast. Every other year (give or take) we spend the July 4th holiday with our

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-36406880711289829842007-06-13T23:34:00.000-07:002007-06-16T23:19:42.360-07:00

Woody was a merman today.It pains me to admit this. I'm not the merman type, for one thing. Not since I was the Woodyettes' age at least. I normally wouldn't even blog something like this, but it demonstrates a similarity between myself and my older Woodyette that I find refreshing.As a kid in summer, I could make any pool a complete fantasyland all my own. Irregular shapes were best. If a pool

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-22778134832131616332007-06-01T11:02:00.000-07:002007-06-01T11:07:36.787-07:00

Every man has them. Tall(ish) tales of fierce combat with unseen enemies, generally of the variety that "got away." I actually have two; one involving a halibut (we think) that was large enough to pull Grandpa's boat before we had to cut the line, and the other involving my having caught a fish large enough to have won the boat pool, had we bothered to join it.But this is not about fish. This is

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-17554900330266107242007-06-01T09:49:00.000-07:002007-06-01T09:50:49.846-07:00

So we checked our timeframe and it turns out that the last time we visited Disneyland was about three and a half years ago. Jelly would have been six-plus and the Doodle would have been nearly four. Three and a half years is a decent interval between D-Land visits because it takes about that long to save up the money required to go. (Of course, we didn't pay to actually get in. What you do, when

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-26612611425818959742007-05-26T22:52:00.000-07:002007-05-26T22:56:59.513-07:00

It wasn't that many years ago that the Woodyettes were into Blue's Clues, but big time. They watched every show. They were scandalized when Steve left the show and Joe took over. They were a little bummed that Blue's Room never really went anywhere. They kind of liked the notion that Blue could turn into a puppet and talk.Mommy and Daddy were fond of the notion that the girls were learning

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-78865720791561724742007-05-22T12:33:00.000-07:002007-05-22T12:38:37.252-07:00

Via my mostly-saintly mother, who got it from a former conductor:My co-workers now think I have completely lost it.I think I very nearly did. Enjoy.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-51860320843179171212007-05-21T12:56:00.000-07:002007-05-21T13:08:39.956-07:00

We were married eleven years ago over the Memorial Day weekend, and every year Mrs. Woody and I like to spend a quiet weekend together to celebrate that anniversary. Well, obviously the word "quiet" most certainly does not apply to Memorial Day weekend. Serious vacationers and weekend travellers seem to be sitting on tenterhooks on Thursday evening, just waiting for the crack of dawn on Friday to

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-59939335295890929572007-05-10T13:22:00.000-07:002007-05-10T13:28:46.351-07:00

Wonderwood Academy, like so many other prestigious campuses across the country, has its share of challenges. Our admission standards, for example, are so restrictive that we have only a total of two (count 'em!) students. This may have something to do with the fact that they were the only ones who'd ever applied, but we prefer to think of it as maintaining high standards for our student body.We

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-28022273956295083172007-05-08T21:23:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:53:50.078-08:00

[Cross-posted over at Woody's Woundup]I have mentioned before that my late Grandpa was one of my boyhood heroes. Grandpa had a boat — the Seagull III — and we would go out on that wonderful boat several times a year when I was younger. I loved going up on the fly deck (Grandpa hated calling it a "fly deck," and insisted that we call it the "bridge") to help Grandpa pilot the boat through the

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-78878667646629472982007-05-07T23:37:00.000-07:002007-05-07T23:48:01.037-07:00

It's Quiet Time™ at Wonderwood Academy (11:00 PM) which means the girls are reading. I think the older one is re-reading The Wizard of Oz. Not terribly certain just what the younger is reading, because she chose to go read in Mommy and Daddy's bedroom the Teachers Lounge. The Lounge has nice reading lamps on the night stands tables, and she can snuggle relax in the blankets padded comfort of the

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-84799930895551966052007-04-26T12:29:00.000-07:002007-04-26T12:49:19.183-07:00

I'm nearly 50 years old. I shouldn't be getting this excited about a movie coming out. However...I can't wait for Harry Potter 5.It's interesting to me that I've gotten so into this whole Harry Potter thing. Ironically, the only reason I even checked into the books these many years ago was all the fuss being made by certain factions over the allegedly evil purposes of the series. J. K. Rowling,

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-12437507515909927622007-04-16T22:51:00.000-07:002008-12-10T00:53:51.004-08:00

Every 10 years or so, we Woodys feel a sudden urge to go out and buy another car, just for the heck of it. Mrs. Woody started it with her '84 Honda Accord that has alternately frozen in the snows of Utah, and baked in the desert of Arizona before settling in the more moderate climes of Southern Cal.The Accord was our main courtin' car. We went everywhere together in that car that had faux

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-43074427424703642552007-04-12T22:43:00.000-07:002007-04-12T23:59:51.058-07:00

Step 1. Have your son, whom you have not seen much in the last couple of years, invite you to be one of his "friends" on Facebook.com.Step 2. Register, with much trepidation, at Facebook.com. Have fears about getting sucked into a "MySpace" with a different interface.Step 3. Have fears somewhat ameliorated by the fact that Mitt Romney, LDS Stud Presidential Candidate, also has a Facebook.com

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-88729542419346638212007-04-12T08:52:00.000-07:002007-04-12T09:39:01.811-07:00

I completely missed Easter, blog-wise. That's actually pretty shameful for a guy who loves to write as much as I do. My only excuse is that our lives have not quite fully recovered from the events of last year, and we're still trying to attain a sense of balance here at home.On the plus side, we had a pretty nice Easter, all things considered. I've mentioned before about our Easter practices.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-75590413783596435192007-03-20T00:57:00.000-07:002007-03-20T01:06:34.956-07:00

(Children have a wonderful appreciation for the absurd. The more fantastic the story, the more they enjoy it. Even in the case of a story where the moral clearly applies to their own situation they just eat it up. If the hero - or, in this case, heroine - can be assumed to be one of my listeners, they will be truly enthralled. This Magic Story was created during a time when the Woodyettes shared

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-69908471962495755192007-03-06T11:12:00.000-08:002007-03-06T11:15:21.231-08:00

Wandering the halls of Wonderwood Academy at night can be an interesting experience. One never knows what evidence of the day's teachings may be lurking in some hallway, or on one of our many display boards. Last night, while traversing the path to our restroom, I noticed the following hand-written sign tacked up on a table leaf bulletin board:School rules:no hittingno bad wordssharetell the

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-81908593608978642902007-01-29T21:20:00.000-08:002007-01-30T11:01:01.251-08:00

Jelly slept on the couch last night. She's been fighting nasty allergies since Saturday, and began running a fever around about bed time last night. So we let her sleep on the couch. This way she can be relatively close to Mommy and Daddy without actually invading Mom and Dad's turf.I was actually up until nearly dawn myself because I'm under another nasty deadline. I'm always under some nasty

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-8569092626364675112007-01-11T09:17:00.000-08:002007-01-11T09:18:30.303-08:00

I've been meaning to address this for some time now, but events have overtaken us here in Woodyland and I can only claim extreme distraction as my defense.Mark Hansen, who blogs over at "Mo' Boy Blog," wrote a piece back in November that discussed the evolution of Richard Dutcher, the one-time "king" of Mormon cinema. The piece talks about Dutcher's apparent journey into spiritual confusion after

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1168230236765916612007-01-07T20:17:00.000-08:002007-01-07T20:23:56.783-08:00

I've been putting this day off for about six years now. It was just over six years ago that my wife's mother, RoboMom, was diagnosed with a very rare but mighty nasty form of melanoma in her sinus. I've put this off because there are no feelings quite as tender as those related to the passing of a loved one. I've also put it off because RoboMom has always been a fighter and we chose to believe at

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1166171699132103562006-12-15T00:26:00.000-08:002006-12-15T00:37:59.033-08:00

It's been a busy season. I'm singing with a group again, which means having concerts to deal with during a very busy time of the year. It would be reasonable to assume that I am quite insane, but I can't help myself. Gotta sing.In fact, I've been in one concert or another every weekend since mid-November, and I am tired. The group I sing with is a busy one: they do gigs all around Orange County.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1164394699375925082006-11-24T10:52:00.000-08:002006-11-24T11:14:43.450-08:00

The kitchen at Hacienda Woody is a nice-sized kitchen. Its primary charm is that it is nearly twice as large as was our kitchen in our old townhouse, which really isn't saying much. The townhouse kitchen was about the size of a large bathroom which meant if you turned around quickly you were likely to bump into something, like the fridge. So relatively speaking, our current kitchen is actually

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1164138815675156552006-11-21T11:50:00.000-08:002006-11-21T11:53:35.696-08:00

The Woodyettes both achieved milestones this past Sunday. It was the day of our annual Primary Sacrament program. As I have documented before, these programs have become edge-of-the-seat tension builders for me and the Missus over the past few years. This is because our lovely daughters are both painfully shy. It's not their fault; both Woody's and Mrs. Woody's family lineages are replete with

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1163441741975153852006-11-13T10:11:00.000-08:002006-11-13T10:15:42.036-08:00

So I'm in the market for a few recordings. I either need to replace some old recordings that have gotten banged up over the years, or find some that I've never had and always wanted.This morning I drove to work listening to an old cassette of Borodin's "Polovtsian Dances." I think it's an old Naxos recording of, I don't know, probably the Azerbaijan National Symphony or some such entity. The

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1161548331463703552006-10-22T13:14:00.000-07:002006-10-22T13:18:51.470-07:00

(Author's Note: Magic Stories had their beginning in the Woody household when Jelly was a toddler. Daddy would tuck her into bed and offer to tell her a "magic story." Magic Stories were stories that seemingly appeared out of thin air. Of course, when Jelly was a toddler, Daddy could whip out any old story at the drop of a hat and have it be the first time she'd ever heard it. Later she would

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1161548039634697052006-10-22T13:10:00.000-07:002006-10-22T13:13:59.646-07:00

Most of our family lives in Ventura County. Ventura County sits on the opposite side of Los Angeles County from us and, depending on traffic, may take anywhere from a little over an hour to nearly two and a half hours' drive time. Most of the time we average about an hour and a half.We made this trip this weekend so we could make sure that the Woodyettes' sick grandmother was home resting

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1161290364811570992006-10-19T13:31:00.000-07:002006-10-19T13:41:27.896-07:00

Another birthday has come and (just yesterday) gone. This is not one of those birthdays that one would consider a milestone, and I don't. 48 is just 48. It's middle age. It's not one year before 50. And I'm not one of those who gets morbid about my personal aging. Why worry? The fact that I'm developing many of the same creaks and groans that my parents have or had just confirms that I am indeed

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1161153875639350832006-10-17T23:40:00.000-07:002006-10-17T23:44:35.656-07:00

Tonight was Library Night for Wonderwood Academy. We do this for a couple of reasons. It's a service that we utilize heavily as homeschoolers. It's an invaluable resource when you have limited budget for materials. Tonight, for instance, I found a couple of videos that support Mrs. Woody's current lesson plan. One dollar for the DVD, and the tapes were free. Can't beat that.The other reason we

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1160945804277098262006-10-15T13:49:00.000-07:002006-10-15T13:56:44.343-07:00

My girls are living proof of how homeschooling can work. For instance, we went on a field trip this last Wednesday to the Bowers Museum in Santa Ana. It happens to be the only active Egyptian exhibit with mummies in the greater Los Angeles area right now, and we really wanted the girls to see it. So, Mrs. Woody organized the field trip on behalf of our homeschool group (this gives us a pretty

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1160943097468914982006-10-15T13:01:00.000-07:002006-10-15T13:11:37.490-07:00

(HINT: Chicken is not meat!)A few months ago, I wrote a piece describing my new religion. I mentioned that, as a result of my recent heart, um, irregularities, I had probably become a vegetarian whether I wanted to or not. But the truth of the matter is that while I have been eating a lot more rabbit food in the weeks since my test results were discussed, I have hardly become the rabid sort of

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1160678149107901652006-10-12T11:34:00.000-07:002006-10-12T11:35:49.123-07:00

You just never know what homeschool resources you may find out there.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1159944800529543362006-10-03T23:43:00.000-07:002006-10-04T19:25:07.426-07:00

We've been in Utah the past several days. Mrs. Woody's brother married his long-time girlfriend up near Sundance, and the whole family gathered for the event. Even though I'm up to my neck in corporate alligators at work, I decided to take two days on the return trip so I won't be such a zombie when I finally (if virtually) show up at work tomorrow.We always use St. George at the southwest corner

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1156094828084360092006-08-20T10:23:00.000-07:002006-08-20T10:27:08.106-07:00

The Woody household has become Woody - The Road Trip.We are on day three of our vacation, and loving every minute of it. Well, except for those aches and pains that more and more seem to accompany such trips. Truth is, we haven't had a driving vacation in nearly a couple of years now. We've taken the train a couple of times, and quite frankly we are spoiled. At least Daddy is. The closer I get to

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1154836336257870612006-08-05T20:49:00.000-07:002006-08-05T20:52:16.276-07:00

This will make more sense if a) you happen to be a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, and b) you're familiar with the series of books titled "The Work and the Glory" by Gerald N. Lund.I've just started re-reading the books. There are 9 volumes altogether, and I'm sure it's going to take me awhile, particularly because I now have this Family History Syndrome that has

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1153417442295646082006-07-20T10:37:00.000-07:002006-07-20T12:17:24.883-07:00

If you've ever read Dave Barry, you're probably familiar with the story he told (as published in his "Greatest Hits" collection) about undergoing a thallium stress test. I've laughed every time I read it, except for once. That one time was about two weeks before I was supposed to take my own stress test, and having read Dave's account I was understandably nervous. Not so much about getting

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1152906724981387372006-07-14T12:51:00.000-07:002006-07-14T12:52:04.993-07:00

...never knowing quite where you are at any given moment.Example: I just went in for a late shower and to get dressed. (I'm working "virtual office" today, so I can get away with slovenly attire up to a point.) Now, I did take a leisurely shower. No doubt about it. But when I finally got dressed and exited my room, I stepped directly onto the set of a puppet show in progress.Seriously. There was

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1152774297446766642006-07-13T00:00:00.000-07:002006-07-13T00:04:57.456-07:00

"Bilious Fever: When a continual, remitting, or intermitting fever is accompanied with a frequent or copious evacuation of bile, either by vomit or stool, the fever is denominated bilious. [Buchan1785].The common remittent fever of summer and autumn; generally supposed to be owing to, or connected with, derangement of the biliary system. [Dunglison1855]Typhoid fever, Remittent fever or simple

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1152518772693726362006-07-10T01:01:00.000-07:002006-07-10T01:06:12.713-07:00

Since yesterday was the 2nd Sunday, Mrs. Woody (or, actually, Sister Woody) taught the Relief Society lesson. Since this is a Relief Society lesson, you can imagine that quite a lot of thought and preparation went into it for a few weeks before the actual event. In fact, if you were to break Mrs. Woody's lesson preparations down to a chronology, it would look something like this:3 weeks before

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1152120793447921332006-07-05T10:26:00.000-07:002006-07-05T10:35:40.826-07:00

I don't think they even appreciated why they should be excited. I just know that they were.The Fourth of July has come and gone here at Hacienda Woody, and the Woodyettes gave the celebration their best effort. Daddy, unfortunately, was required to work for a goodly portion of the day in order to meet looming deadlines, but that didn't dampen the spirit of the occasion at all.First, we rolled out

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1150337197510763952006-06-14T18:59:00.000-07:002006-06-14T19:06:37.530-07:00

One rarely gets to see his family get this excited about laundry. Come to think of it, one rarely gets to feel this excited about laundry.I blame our dryer.The appliance repair guy visited our house again today. I must state, for the record, that this is not the same twit who darkened our laundry room two weeks ago. No, that turkey came, diagnosed a faulty door switch, said it would take about a

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1150140147317344872006-06-12T12:13:00.000-07:002006-06-12T12:22:27.333-07:00

A yacht under sail cuts across the open ocean. The seas are a bit choppy, but she slices through each swell like a hot knife through butter. The skies are cloudy, meaning a good breeze to keep the sails full. The sleek hull bobs lightly up and down, yet remains pointed in a direction pre-determined by a wizened skipper.To the north, the skies are darker. In fact, a squall is brewing, sending

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1149907624770587992006-06-09T19:40:00.000-07:002006-06-09T19:47:04.790-07:00

Ever wondered what, exactly, a Stake Sunday School presidency does?Me, too.Back in the day, Dad was the Stake Sunday School president. This was in the days before the 3 hour bloc, and Stake Conferences generally had a Sunday School session to keep the kids busy while the parents sat and listened to about 25 gazillion speakers. We all had our favorite speakers, by the way. "Oh, good. Bro.

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10025959.post-1149369381576252902006-06-03T14:12:00.000-07:002006-06-03T14:16:21.596-07:00

One joyful aspect of the Move From Hades© is the fact that toys will now be divided equally between the girls, and stored in their individual rooms. (You may believe that Mommy and Daddy take especial pleasure in the idea of individual rooms. You would be correct.)One not-nearly-so-joyful aspect of the MFH™ is the equal dividing of toys.Turns out that this is a pretty big emotional/political (

Woodyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01653505613576331635noreply@blogger.com0