Jean Ford Murphy, 82, Civic Activist and Navy Wife

My grandmother, Jee Jee, died Saturday, February 16, at 9:35 pm. She was surrounded by my mom, my uncle, my brother, and myself as she left our loving embrace to enter God's embrace. Jee Jee was a Christian, and she was a tremendous, quiet example of dignity, lady-likeness, generosity to those less fortunate, hard work, loyalty, and duty...not to mention beauty and a good fashion sense! A loving wife and mother, and a feisty Republican, she died with her family around her and CNN on the hospital TV -- I don't think she could have planned it better. Obituary follows:

Jean Ford Murphy, 82; Virginia Civic Activist and Navy Wife

Jean Ford Murphy, 82, died Saturday, February 16, 2008.

Jean was born in Tiger, Georgia, the daughter of Harold and Ora Arrendale. She was a descendent of Dr. Pierre Chastain, a French Huguenot who emigrated to Virginia in the 1680's. This quiet, pretty Georgia farm girl grew up to become a community activist and a world traveler.

While attending the University of Georgia, Jean met her first husband John Ellsworth Ford, a dashing young naval aviator on his way to the Pacific in WWII. They were a great team and Jean was an active Navy wife through three decades of Naval service, culminating in Captain Ford’s Command of Naval Air Station Oceana in the early 1970’s. They were married for 54 years until his death in 1998, and were blessed with three children. Jean married Captain Joseph J. Murphy USN (Ret.), in 2003. They shared a full life of travel, community service, and a love of the arts and theater. In recent years she divided her time between her long-time home in Virginia Beach, Va., and The Villages, Fl.

Jean was known for her devotion to diverse causes and was active in numerous local and national organizations. She represented Virginia as a delegate at the 2004 Republican National Convention and had served as President of the Virginia Beach Republican Women's Club and the Princess Anne Republican Women’s Club. She was active in the Military Officers' Wives Association, the Association of Naval Aviators, Galilee Episcopal Church, and the Virginia Federation of Republican Women. She was also a talented businesswoman and one of the owners of Braeford's Ltd., a successful Virginia Beach ladies clothing store operated for almost 20 years.

Most importantly, she was “Jee Jee” to four generations of family, a wonderful homemaker and beloved wife, mother, grandmother and great grandmother who shared the joys and events of their lives to her last day. She was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.

In addition to her husband, Jean Ford Murphy is survived by her sister Irma Howell, of Alpharetta Ga., her daughter, Donna Redd of McLean, Va., her sons Anthony Ford of Louisville, Ky. and John Ford of Chevy Chase, Md., eight grandchildren, and eight great-grandchildren.

Services will be held at 2 p.m., Friday, February 22, at Galilee Episcopal Church.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Galilee Episcopal Church, 3928 Pacific Ave., Virginia Beach, Va. 23451 and Lee's Friends, 618 Stockley Gardens, Norfolk, Va. 23507.

Homeschooling

Homeschooling and History: link

The link below should take you to a series of transcripts (which I have only scanned but which look interesting) provided by the Homeschool Legal Defense Association. The transcripts are a discussion about the history of dissent in American Education, and the interview starts at the earliest colonial times and moves forward in history.

The speaker is: "James C. Carper, a professor of Social Foundations of Education in the Department of Educational Studies at The University of South Carolina, where is has been a faculty member since 1989."

He has also written several books.
http://www.hslda.org/docs/hshb/79/hshbwk5.asp.

Preparing for Sunday

Book of Common Prayer (page 352)
If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the
truth is not in us. But if we confess our sins, God, who is
faithful and just, will forgive our sins and cleanse us from all
unrighteousness. 1 John 1:8,9
Since we have a great high priest who has passed through the
heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us with confidence draw
near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and
find grace to help in time of need. Hebrews 4:14,16 ...
Most Merciful God,
We confess that we have sinned against you in thought, word, and deed;
By what we have done and by what we have left undone.
We have not loved you with our whole heart.
We have not loved our neighbors as ourselves.
We are truly sorry and we humbly repent.
For the sake of your Son, Jesus Christ,
have mercy on us, and forgive us,
that we may delight in Your will, and walk in Your ways, to the glory of Your Name.
Amen

A Winner. A Recipe. Or Two.

Word Escapees

The winner of "our" (the royal we) Word Escapees submission contest is Sara Turner. Here is her submission, very certainly one apropos to motherhood.

Dehelping (verb) To actively NOT help, or, to do the opposite of helping.

"Rather than help mommy wrap Christmas gifts, Jacob was 'dehelping' by jumping on the bed, wrinkling the paper and unraveling the ribbon."

See also dishelping or unhelping, also used regionally.

Congratulations, Sara!

A Recipe. Or Two. Or Three.

In response to my appetizer blog, a few people submitted recipes for munchies, dips, and such. However, most did it via e-mail, so I will re-print some of these delectable-sounding recipes below! Thank you for your ideas! (More FONT funniness going on in this blog. As one Redd says, "Don't blame me, I just work here.")

By the way, the table is still open for more recipes, so hit Post Comment below if you want to share any more recipes!

Wanda's Biscuit Snacks

1 tube Grand biscuits
4 ounces or more of crumbled blue cheese
1/2 stick of melted butter
"Cut each biscuit into four parts. Place all in a pan. Sprinkle with blue cheese. Pour melted butter over all. Bake 350 for 20 minutes. Sprinkle paprika and parsley over top."

Wanda's Onion Appetizer

Wanda Assures me that though this recipe sounds strange, it is very tasty.

3 cups of chopped SWEET onion
3 cups Swiss cheese
2 cups Hellman's mayonnaise
"Combine and bake in 8 inch square dish at 350 for 30 minutes or until golden brown."

Inspi (red Salsa)
Brittany's 7 Layer Dip for U2 Fanatics*

10.5 oz can bean dip (spicy)

16 oz can refried beans (can use black or brown beans)

2 T jalepeno peppers, chopped (can use fresh - can add lots more!)

10 oz shredded sharp cheddar

10 oz shredded Mont Jack

1 pack of McCormick's original taco seasoning

2 c sour cream

8 oz picante sauce (medium)

2 ripe avacados, chopped, mixed with juice of one lemon

6 roma tomatoes, chopped

1 bunch green onions, don't have to use them all

1 small can sliced ripe black olives

"Spread bean dip and refried beans in bottom of 9 by 12 inch dish. Top with chopped jalepenos and sprinkle both cheeses on top. Combine taco seasoning and sour cream and spread on top. Seal layers with picante sauce (can stop and refrigerate now if trying to make ahead and do last layers right before serving). Then top picante sauce with avocados, romas, onions and black olives. Seal with Saran Wrap and foil if you need to wait a little while or transport. Serve with chips."

*I gave it that name to tease the lovely Brittany.

Family News: Lucy Speaks Up

The Indignities of the Season

by Lucy Chamberlin
Canine in Residence

A time of joy and merrymaking. A time of wassail and wine. A time of love and family.

But for me, a time of woe.

My story begins a few short weeks ago, when Daddy and That Woman put up, in the center of our family area, a large tree, and hung lights and dog toys all over it. Jingling toys, balls hanging from string, little merry figures clearly made for chewing. A veritable monolith of dog delights, and some edible candy canes thrown in. Then under the tree they lay more toys: colorful, rattling boxes covered in crinkly paper and ribbon.

Oh, what a joy!

And then they told me not to touch it.

But I knew they were joking, so I ate a few of the jolly toys hanging down for me and one of the presents, just a small one in a little velvet box.

Did that garner a zealous response! I was, in a manner of speaking, in the dog house. I heard Sarah say -- referring to Santa's well-known catalog of nomenclature -- "Lucy is not on the Good List."

This is only the latest in the Sad Chapter of Indignities suffered by Yours Truly in this House of Melancholy. All of the other puppies, bipeds, get to sit at the table and eat such foods as the beef, the pork, and the turkey, the eggs and b. (to steal a phrase), and the bread and fine cheeses. I eat dry kibble from a tin bowl on the floor in the corner. When I seek to join the family and contribute to the domestic communion, by resting my front paws on the kitchen table and burrowing my snout in the nearest soup bowl, I am roundly scolded and sent to the garage. I even have heard That Woman referring to me as "a maniac." A person of my careful breeding and woolly beauty!

I love dearly to eat the delicious snacks Mother Nature has provided off of the wild Southern Pecan tree in the back yard, I so enjoy the dark and moldy shells and bitter innards. (No matter that I later leave the contents of my stomach on the cream-colored shag carpet in the master bedroom, you and I know that small discomfort is well worth the crunchy delight of such dainties.) That Woman apparently doesn't agree or share my passion for pecans or my sanguine view of those gastronomic leavings, and has been keeping me from eating the pecans, going so far as to sweep them right out of my mouth. Oh, I hear her talking about it being "for your own good," but I know better. Where is the love?

Ah, my friends. I know that my lot is not a lonely one, for when we go to the dog park, we all reference the same sad story... the favoritism for the two-legged puppies, the torturous trees of untouchable delight erected in the homes at Christmas, the lack of beef.

Stay strong, Canine Companions. It is a hard lot, but....a walk?

Did she say "walk?"

Yes, yes, yes!...I love walks!...happy happy happy happy...

Poem of the Week (about Autumn)

Going for Water
Robert Frost

The well was dry beside the door,
And so we went with pail and can
Across the fields behind the house
To seek the brook if it still ran;

Not loth to have excuse to go,
Because the autumn eve was fair
(Though chill), because the fields were ours,
And by the brook our woods were there.

We ran as if to meet the moon
That slowly danced behind the trees,
The barren boughs without the leaves,
Without the birds, without the breeze.

But once within the wood, we paused
Like gnomes that hid us from the moon,
Ready to run to hiding new,
With laughter when she found us soon.

Each on the other a staying hand
To listen ere we dared to look,
And in the hush we joined to make
We heard, we knew we heard the brook

A note as from a single place,
A slender tinkling fall that made
Now drops that floated on the pool
Like pearls and now a silver blade.

This is why Frost is so good, lines like these:

...And in the hush we joined to make
We heard, we knew we heard the brook

Grace and Peace: Poems and Songs for Mothers

Sweet Afton
Robert Burns

Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes!
Flow gently, I'll sing thee a song in thy praise
My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream --
Flow gently, sweet Afton, disturb not her dream

Thou stock dove whose echo resounds thro' the glen,
Ye wild whisting blackbirds in yon thorny den,
Thou green-crested lapwing, thy screaming forbear --
I charge you, disturb not my slumbering fair!...

Thy crystal stream, Afton, how lovely it glides,
And winds by the cot where my Mary resides!
How wanton thy waters her snowy feet lave,
As gathering sweet flowerets, she stems thy clear wave!

Flow gently, sweet Afton, among thy green braes!
Flow gently, sweet river, the theme of my lays!
My Mary's asleep by thy murmuring stream --
Flow gently sweet Afton, disturb not her dream.

Friday Night Lights

Texas is a lot of things, and one of those things is Football.

The Frisco High School Raccoons played the North McKinney Bulldogs last night at Pizza Hut stadium, and we were there! A Friday night football game is a community event in Texas, attended by grandparents, parents, yuppies, toddlers, and various and assorted locals who have nothing to do, otherwise, with football. You get your tickets early. You put on makeup, your best jeans, and you curl your hair. You bring a wad of cash for the concessions, and you sit down for the show.

Our next door neighbor is a defensive teams coach for Frisco High School. (They have multiple coaches for their high school football team, and headsets, and a booth up high for the Head Coach!) My sweet friend, his pretty blond wife, graciously offered to take us on their guest passes. I think she just took one look at us -- pasty, bland-looking people, no lipstick or sparkle to speak of -- and knew what we needed: an introduction to the Wide World of Texas High School football.

Folks, these people know how to do football! The jumbotron registered the general delight of the crowd; the cheerleaders were sunny and spirited and did towers and jumps; the half-time show was impressive; and the Raccoons won! The marching bands were big, had amazing uniforms and marched and played excellently, accompanied by elaborate color guard routines and twirlers, and followed by the drill team, dressed up as star-spangled cowgirls in red, white, and blue. I was impressed at the wholesome show-tune routines and cute but appropriate outfits of the drill team. We had such a fun time cheering for the Raccoons and just absorbing the fun into our drab, boring un-Texan souls.

Sarah and I feel we came home with a little more sparkle and pizazz in our hearts. Maybe we'll pick up some of this good Texas spirit after all!

Surrounded by the Good Stuff

I have found a good way to introduce younger children to skilled musicians and complex music is through Bluegrass. My kids love to hear the sad tale of sweet Molly Ban as sung by Allison Krauss, or that famous Fox [who] Went Out One Chilly Night as sung by the talented and young band, Nickel Creek. Along the way they are slyly introduced to skilled guitar, fiddle, mandolin, and banjo playing, among other instruments.

Nickel Creek is a great band for beautiful, complex instrumentals and songs that tell stories or recite poetry: fun and lively music, rollicking melodies and mournful, poignant ones as well -- great depth opens doors in the minds of little children. The Hand Song is a story of a young hero who goes to war for the love of his country. They sing a beautiful ballad with the words entirely composed of the Burns poem above.

It takes a little time and getting used to, and you do need to stay away from or downplay the despair fare that sometimes creeps into a Bluegrass song. But explain the story a bit, and you'll be surprised what the kids might pick up. Allison Krauss and Union Station's story of The Boy Who Wouldn't Hoe His Corn is another favorite in our house -- a fancy way also to discuss not procrastinating. (He does and loses his crop and his girl.) These songs are full of jokes and lessons. Bob Dylan even has a great version of Froggy Went A-Courtin' out there that I have on a mix tape (CD mix from Starbucks).

I think, at least I hope, good music is like anything else...introduce them early and you sow the seeds of love for beauty and appreciation for creativity and skill.

ARC