Greetings from the black hole.

I still have no pictures, but I do have a brand new camera that should have been here a few days ago...my birthday present after our previous camera was stolen. And I'm lazy and not very good at getting pictures off my other one, which is constantly in my car or somewhere not at hand when I have time to write.

Here are highlights of the past two weeks:

* Great run of Little Prince. Life changing. Most exciting thing in all her 8 years. A very proud mother.

* An E.R. visit for a possible gallbladder problem, but ultrasound still showed a gallstone, but no blockage, inflammation, thickening, or other indications of an acute issue. Could have been just a serious gluten reaction, though I'm not sure what I might have had. The last thing I had before 8 hours of a gripping, dull pain started was a drinkable yogurt, so that couldn't have been it. And prior to that, I had a salad, but the dressing seemed safe, and I don't usually react to gluten, even when I accidentally get it, this strongly. Whatever it was did end by the time I was at the E.R. I sincerely pray it doesn't return.

* All-nighter of abdominal pain and morning E.R. visit canceled my training for Classical Conversations. Sigh....

* Found a fabulous gf bread that is already made and that can sit on the counter a few days and is edible with sandwiches without being toasted. And it tastes mighty fine toasted, too! Yeah, it's expensive, but it tastes okay and it costs less than me making bread myself, though I suppose the package has less of it. And it takes a drive across town to buy. But yummy gf bread is a cause for celebration.

* Rutledge's birthday party at the pool. He's five! It was a super party. I had been worried since many kids his age don't swim, and it's winter and adults often don't want to wear a bathing suit and get in with a pile of kids. But it all worked out just fine, and he had the time of his life.

* Bad Mom alert...I am the total, carefree loser of the Most Healthy and Organic Lunch contest. Rutledge's weekly tradition is to bring a Lunchable to preschool lunch bunch. This week, he announced he no longer wants Lunchables. He wants a "sandwich that looks like a pie" like his friend Tim brings. I asked and found out it's an Uncrustable. I think they are frozen and come in multi-packs, which might be more convenient than a Lunchable, which I always end up running out for on Wednesday mornings. I'm so glad I don't live in Berkeley, Seattle, or anywhere else where there is competitive lunch-packing.

* New hamster has lived for two weeks! Two new fish from the other fish store have lived for 3 weeks! No problems that I can tell. Our anemone has flaky days, but nothing has died...knock on wood...in about a month. I don't know if it was better quarantined fish, introducing the two at once, or the fascinating relationship with the buddy-buddy yellow tang and the coral beauty. But it's working, and the four fish get along famously.

* Wretched runny nose cold I picked up from Ollie. Colloidal silver has not eradicated it yet.

* Awesome trip to Great Wolf Lodge. Very nice room, tons of fun, great rides, and something for everyone. Rutledge was in 7th heaven. We will definitely be going back, hopefully sooner, rather than later. I'd like to go to the Classical Conversations training and "camps" there this spring.

* Kerry's Grandmother died on Sunday. She was 98, but it was still unexpected. She appears to have had a stroke or other catastrophic blood pressure event, and it happened very quickly. She was the very best of our family and had the kind of constantly confident, loving attitude that I wish the rest of our family could spread. I feel terrible since I hadn't seen her in over a year, but I had not gone down to Norfolk on most of the furniture-getting trips, since we needed the van to be empty, and the last time we went we only saw Kerry's parents, who have moved into one of those inclusive retirement communities. I wish we could have spent more time with her, but I know that she is much happier now, since her hearing and eyesight were so poor that she couldn't read or watch TV and could barely listen to the radio, and she has been bedridden for 2.5 years. We will miss her so much.

* Dive meet where Ollie won 2nd place.

* Getting ready for VaHomeschoolers conference next weekend.

* Being sued for a big amount, but can't talk about it.

* Got hit by a truck in a parking lot, so have had to get several estimates for fixing it, which is not what I needed in these busy weeks.

* Ollie loses metal "grill" crown at Rutledge's birthday party, leaving a decaying stump of a tooth behind. Hopefully it will get pulled Monday.

* Still looking for the right, cheap desk for Ollie. Found an incredible wooden bookcase for Walter's Legos to be displayed on his room. $25.50--you can't argue with that!

* Just finished reading "Anne of Green Gables" to the older 3 kids. Read "The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle" with the boys. Am giving them a jump start on reading "Scat" for the library book club, whose date I have forgotten. About to start "A Little Princess" with the older three.

* Woefully unprepared for 10k, so am dropping out. I would like to run when the weather gets slightly nicer, but since I have other obligations that weekend anyway, I think I'll pass rather than walk.

* Next dance performance: "Mujeres," a celebration of the lives of nine influential and renowned Hispanic women.

* Mastered countries of South America, Europe, and most of Asia, as well as the Canadian provinces and the capitals of South America. I'm shamefully awful at identifying African countries, and there are so many of them! Ollie is currently beating me at those, and he has me crushed, hands down, on Asia. Walter has South America mastered and is working on Europe.

* Broke my Ticket to Ride addiction.

* Really want to do some serious spring cleaning.