It's Grinnell and I've been on ratemyprofessors.com looking at the professors there as well as some of the ones at MU, especially those few who are there now and were 20 years ago.

Grinnell students definitely put a lot more thought than other colleges into rating their professors' classes and what they think they have learned.

In other news: Dave was baptised at Crossroads- SO awesome. He feels like he is waking up out of a long sleep. When you become a Christian you begin to see things clearly...it's like wiping the frost from a windshield.

After changing his mind 20 times, we have finally arrived at a decision:

GRINNELL.

This was arduous and nerve-wracking. I am sending the deposit check TODAY so it is now final. I will be dropping my son off in a cornfield in Iowa instead of a cornfield in Ohio.

Tentative decision #2: Miami.

I have said get everything together for each and when you really decide, we will have the paperwork. I need it postmarked by Tuesday.

Tentative decision: Grinnell.

He came home from prom at about 12:30, slept on it, thought he might decide Miami earlier today because Oxford has more trees, then thought of some other things, then thought Grinnell would be good because they have a good outdoor club. He wants trees. I figure he will study abroad...somewhere with lots of trees someday.

I have officially decommissioned my thighs.

I used to have good legs. I looked good in shorts and miniskirts. I got whistles and piropos. Even ten years ago my legs were hot.

Trying on shorts today I realized it was a losing endeavor. Even if I get super skinny again there is a point of no return and I have passed it.

My thighs are no longer an active entity. They were posing a danger to the community and the world at large. In the best interests of all of society, they will never be seen and hopefully never heard (think two huge barges passing in the Panama Canal)from again.

Prom pictures and decision forthcoming.

To all: Please don't be disappointed whichever way he goes. If he picks Miami please remember he's in the Honors Program so that is sort of a community within Miami and Miami has more specific course offerings in several things as well as better job placement assistance.

Grinnell has prestige and good relationships with faculty, a low student:teacher ratio, a great reputation.

I think right now he's more concerned about "what is there to do outdoors?"

Mom: So can I come in your room?
Nathanael: OK.
Mom (picking up discarded dirty clothes): any closer to a decision?
Nathanael: I'm going to talk to some Grinnell people tonight and then I will.
Mom: OK.
Nathanael: By the way, here's this.(Hands Mom a ticket to prom).
Mom: You're going to Prom! You're going to prom! (does the happy dance) With which girl?
Nathanael: Tara Banks.
Mom: (struggles to think of which girl is Tara)Hmmm, I can't picture her.
Nathanael: We were in the play toether. She was the judge.
Mom slowly pictures Tara. Spends 5 minutes talking with Nathanael about prom.
Nathanael: Tara and Katie and everyone asked if I were going to prom. They sort of urged me to buy a ticket. Tara asked me to buy a ticket and so I said to her, "I guess that means I'm going with you." And Tara said Yeah.
Mom: Well we have to make arrangements- the limo, the corsage, the tux, all of that. So, when is it?

Nathanael: Tomorrow.

Still no decision.

I worry about Grinnell being too one-sided. I worry about Miami being too big. Then I am reassured Miami has the Honors program to get him more mentoring. I remember that Grinnell is getting Hillary but they're also getting Newt to speak. Now at Grinnell certainly Hillary's shrill shout will meet with more supporters than old Newt, but Newt has one thing in his favor over Hillary's pasty-thighed squeeze...

At least he MARRIED his!

forgot 2 mention that as soon as we got home the first thing we saw were 2 pods in the driveway. Steve is finally serious about selling!

Taking a break from the piles of stuff I have after missing 1 day of work. Wow! Stacks and stacks but I'm making progress.

Iowa was lots of fun. Visiting Grinnell was pleasant! Nathanael really likes Grinnell and needs to make a decision within the next few days so he's going to schedule 1 more visit to Miami. Someone- I know Alice is there now- can you take him up to it? Mom? It will be Tuesday, Wed., or Thursday. He would like to see a class.

Advantages to MU: More specific courses. Advantages to Grinnell: More prestigious.

MU: big. Grinnell: Small.
MU: Balanace of liberal and conservative. Grinnell: Afraid of no balance though that seems to be changing within the last couple of years. No university is truly balanced and no one is learning if students are not taught to examine things to arrive at truth, only indoctrinated. I have to take it a step further than most people who say "let's hear all sides," and say: "Let's hear everything and ARRIVE at truth and DISCARD what is not, no matter who or how many or how much money is thrown either way."

One needs to know WHY they know what they know.

MU: close. Grinnell: not as close. This is not a problem for me either way though I will cry because I'm a mom. I will cry when he goes to live somewhere else. Period.

MU and Grinnell: Both areas of the country are home turfs of my family. Going to Grinnell is like going home for me in a way though that area hasn't been home to me since I was a child. It's so close to the former old Troxel farm. I miss the farm! Even though we moved to Ohio and Miami when I was little, we went back a couple of times a year.

Stopped in Davenport and saw Alice and Jerry and their enormous dog, and drove around Davenport and the old house there. The Blaser house is now owned by people with lots of kids because there are toys all over the yard. The back porch is still there. The side porch, too. Whoever lives there has a very little kitchen. The wishing well is gone, though. :( And the trees very much trimmed. I don't think that old nut tree is still there, just all the pines. Those kind of nuts were yummy and we always used to make cookies with them.

The Spencers live near the big park now, do you all remember that, how they had such awesome gardens?

I digress.

Part of Iowa is hilly and part is flat like IN and IL. They have a great prairie studies program at Grinnell and maybe they have studied all the glaciation.

Miami and Grinnell, after going over everything last night, are close to par financially. IT's going to still be a huge payment, either way! Without the scholarships we'd never be able to do it. MU is about 38.5K and Grinnell is 42K. NO, I'm not kidding.

Did the MU tour yesterday. I was his tour guide to start and then Travis (Nathanael & Micah's cousin) showed us around a few places. Not an official tour but we will eventually take one.

Thursday we leave to tour Grinnell again.

Given today's events, maybe he would be safer in Iraq; at least he has something to defend himself with. How safe did those parents think their kids were at Virginia Tech.?

Spent a while in Oxford. Dad had an emergency operation last night. Diverticulitis. He is still very sick and to be honest this whole thing almost cost him his life. They don't know yet if the C word is involved but the biopsy results should be back Tuesday. Now he is going to be there a while so send him a card. He is in and out of consciousness and on lots of painkillers. After he's home it's a high-fiber, low-sugar diet for the rest of his life. The spike in his blood sugar didn't help things and aggravated it all. Oh, he doesn't admit he has the D word but he does and has. He's been careful but slipping now and then and now there will be no more slipups!

Micah: "Hey, Mom! Watch this!"

Mom to self:(This can't be good, but I'll bite), "OK".

Micah: Puts spaghetti noodle in mouth and pulls it out nostril. Laughs hysterically while Mom turns a ghostly shade of winter.

Grrr...I can't find the big letters. But suffice it to say Grinnell accepted Nathanael and offered a substantial sum of money, too. So I will say the decision is up to him and I think he'll be happy in either place... if he goes to Grinnell I will miss him and enjoy visiting him in my native state. If he goes to Miami I will miss him but will see him much more often and enjoy visiting him in my own alma mater.

Wow, and Grinnell is as selective as the ones he didn't get into!

And if that's what he picks he can finally see a REAL tornado, not just a wannabe little swirl. LOL Ah, trips to, well, sort of near my native city and the old farm (at one time in the family for 100+ years but not any longer) and you know I think my dad will get some peace of mind out of going to the old state, too, to visit. Iowa is so nice!!!

Grinnell accepted Nathanael!

The temperature today plummeted from 80 to 45F. The kids and I watched a twist of mammatocumulus try to become a tornado, but for lack of energy and unevenness the chunks of air and clouds broke apart and the swirl disintigrated, like bits of wet clay breaking off because the potter's wheel is too slow. Still, it was a formidable storm which took the power out for a while.

Micah has been having some drama and I would appreciate everyone praying for him. He is worrying me in ways that, well, a mom worries about a young teenaged boy. I worry about the things I know he does, and I worry about the things he won't tell me he does but I know he does anyway. I worry when he lies about something and says "so-and-so did it, it's HIS fault," and I worry about when he's in denial or angry with himself. I worry about his grades but that's a consequence of the angst within him and it may be time for some more therapy. We are discussing it...usually he's a pretty well-adjusted and engaged kid but he has his moments. How much of this drama is normal? After praying, I felt God was leading me to find something Micah can do which is not about himself- caring for an elderly person or a disabled child or volunteering in some capacity- that is when he shines.

Now, for my dad. My dad has some serious health concerns. I ask that you let Mom contact you, and she will. Right now she is overwhelmed and can't take a lot of phone calls- just let her get her breath- and asked me not to post the details about my dad, but since he is my dad, I thought you all may want to know my dad is at McCullough-Hyde and right now he is being stabilized and will be there for the next few days. Keep him in your thoughts and prayers.

Dad's pretty stabilized right now. Mom took him to McHyde after he became extremely ill. No one knew the cause and it's still unclear though we are getting ideas. He doesn't like me to discuss his health so I will just update on his condition- right now, okay, and they will test more tomorrow. Needs to leave that hospital and go to Christ. My faith in McHyde erodes after every mistake they make and I'm afraid they'll make one with him, too. Anyhoo, Dad is OK for the moment though he's been in a lot of discomfort.

Read "The Road" by Cormack MacArthey. His imagery is astounding. It's quite a read about a post-nuclear world devoid of all life except a few scattered survivors. A jaded widower and his angelic, emaciated son (reminded me of the Little Prince) pushing a shopping cart full of worldly possessions to a southern U.S. beach, for some Godot-like purpose. Nuclear (or post-meteor, since there really is no specific description of the cause of the global destruction save that it happened at 1:17 p.m.)winter, the remaining zombie-like people surviving on canned rations scavenged from pillaged homes and stores, endless cold, the sun occluded by ash and a shroud-like haze, unthinkable atrocities. Two disturbingly horrific incidents, the second even more so than the first. The insistent faith and innocence of a small boy.

Since there have been incidents in humanity that have reduced humankind to its most depraved form, and still people don't resort to some of the deeds mentioned, indeed preferring to band together, and some preferring death over survival such as theirs, I don't think it describes perfectly well the human condition were such an event to happen. The imagery used, though, will posit this author among this generation's best.