Memorial Day: Praying for all those who gave their lives for us -- and remembering my dad.

RADM R.J. Schneider, USN
1917 - 1985

He survived World War II or I would not be here -- nor would eight of my ten brothers and sisters. Daddy was a Pearl Harbor survivor on the USS Detroit, one of only two ships to get out of the harbor that day. As an ensign, he was the ranking officer on board because all of the other officers were on shore that Sunday morning.

My oldest brother was among the youngest of the Pearl Harbor survivors since he was in my mom's womb during the attack. Many of Daddy's classmates (USNA 1940) lost their lives that morning. I'm sure that influenced his decision to stay in the Navy after the war. He went on to devote his life to the defense of the country. One of his first acts of defending his family was to escort the ship evacuating my mom and brother from Hawaii back to the west coast where they remained for the duration of the war.

The Messy Mat Generation

That was fun,

now when's dinner?

     If you do an internet search for this item, a messy mat, you'll come across a site that sells them both for dogs and small children.  That should tell you something.  The ones for the animal  - the four legged animal - that is, is about the size of a placemat and is obviously to catch the spills of water and bits of dry food that a hungry pup is likely to miss.  One such mat for the "little eater" in the high chair boasted a dimension of 39 x 39 inches for the low low price of $50, which was a better deal than the one made in Europe sold in mm dimensions for $99.

            I understand the practice of putting down drop cloths when you plan to paint the ceiling, but it strikes me odd that parents would go at feeding a child as if they expected a disaster from the get go.  When I was pregnant with my first, the faculty of the school where I was a teacher gave me a sterling silver infant spoon with a long handle that matched my silver pattern.  There used to be an expectation that a mother would spoon feed a child until he was able to manage utensils on his own, at which time he'd be given a different silver spoon suitable for little hands.  These were actually passed down in some families from one generation to the next.  Some sets include a fork  for solid food that can be stuck with the tines and delivered to the mouth.