If there be nothing new ...

In trying to think of the perfect title for my first blog post, I stumbled across Shakespeare's sonnet no. 59:

If there be nothing new, but that which is
Hath been before, how are our brains beguil'd,
Which labouring for invention bear amiss
The second burthen of a former child!
O! that record could with a backward look,
Even of five hundred courses of the sun,
Show me your image in some antique book,
Since mind at first in character was done!
That I might see what the old world could say
To this composed wonder of your frame;
Wh'r we are mended, or wh'r better they,
Or whether revolution be the same.
O! sure I am the wits of former days,
To subjects worse have given admiring praise.

I’ve debated for a while about whether to jump on the blog wagon because I wondered if I did have anything new, fresh or interesting to say, and whether it was worth committing to print. In the end I succumbed to peer pressure; when two friends in as many weeks sent me links to their new blogs, I decided it was time for me to carve out my own little cybersphere, even at the risk that I "labouring for invention bear amiss."

As I live far away from most of my friends and family, I thought this could be a good way to keep in touch. Please don’t expect anything brilliant or even deeply meaningful from me—that would be so out of character. All I can hope to provide is a creative outlet for myself, combined with selected random thoughts and maybe occasional news about what’s going on with my little family.

On that note, here’s a brief report about the past week. Jimmy continues to make progress with using the toilet, much to his parents’ everlasting relief. We’re in the eighth month of potty training, and are finally seeing the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel. This week he got through a couple of nights keeping his diaper dry, as well as keeping training pants dry during the daytime. We’re still trying to figure out what bribe will tempt him to go “poop” in the toilet, because so far he’s only been willing to “pee”. The “poopy treats” we’ve offered (M&M’s, chocolate covered raisins, and a few others) have not been sufficiently enticing, but knowing Jimmy, that’s most likely because he just hasn’t made up his mind that it’s worth his trouble.

Yesterday we drove down to the Costco in Yakima, and Jim and I got eye exams. This may not seem like a big deal, but it is to me because I’ve gone almost three years without getting new glasses and contacts while Jim was self-employed. It’s so wonderful to be blessed with good insurance again!

We’re gearing up for Halloween. While in Yakima, I stopped at the fabric store and picked up the necessary supplies to sew Jimmy’s costume. It took some time but I finally got him to commit to what he wanted to be for Halloween: “a grey stripy kitty like Guido” (Guido is Grampy Trout and Grammy Lo’s cat, who stayed with us for a month during the summer). Today after church, Jimmy went over to Grandma Gail and Grandpa Jim’s house and picked a pumpkin from their garden for Halloween. It’s on the small side, so I’ll probably pick up a couple larger ones to carve as jack-o-lanterns for our front porch. I’m looking forward to that, since we didn’t do any jack-o-lanterns last year, and that’s one of my favorite things to do at Halloween.