Mín Englisc Blog

Tomorrow will be the 212th anniversary of the Glorious First of June, a naval battle in which a British fleet routed a French fleet during the wars of the French Revolution.
Lately, not much has been going on. Today was (overall) rather similar to the past few days: mowing, schoolwork for Isaac, some stuff on the computer, and Isaac watching extended, digitally redone editions of the original Star Wars movies.
Today's only important event for me involved a trip to the Ewing H. Crafis Imaging Center in Bellefontaine, where I had to have an EEG exam, or an electroencephalography exam. Try pronouncing that name! Anyway, for the exam, I had to have twenty-six electrodes attached to my head and two attached to my chest near the collarbone. Most of the test, about half an hour, required me to lie still with my eyes closed while brain waves were monitored. During this period of time, a light was flashed in my face in different ways — rather brighter than I expected! However, the experience overall was quiet enough and dark enough (all the lights were turned out and the doors closed) that I slept for most of the test time.
While I was being prepared for testing, I asked the technician if there were any camera with which I could be photographed with all of those electrodes attached. After the testing was completed, she took a picture with her cameraphone and emailed it to me. Here it is:


Ireland
This morning a man came to fix the oven. He charged over £50 for the repairs.
Isaac & I put together a 48-piece puzzle today. Later in the day Mama & I did a 500-piece puzzle. It was a picture of a beautiful castle in Germany.
We watched a couple rugby games on TV again. England beat Italy and Ireland beat Japan, but New Zealand beat Wales.
After supper, all of us except Mama went for a walk into the village. We stopped at a local fish & chips restaurant to find when it is open.

Note: 1995 was a year of the once-every-four-years Rugby World Cup.

Today has been rather subdued. Besides mowing, the only significant event today was the troop meeting, which was also rather uneventful. I'm tired, and I need to go to bed, so I'll wrap this up right now.

Ireland
After breakfast we all "jumped" into the car and drove to the Ballymoney train station again. We went there to find out the price of a train ticket to Belfast & Portrush. Someday we want to take the train to Belfast so Daddy won’t have to drive there.
This afternoon we went to Dr. & Mrs. Blair's house, in Ballymoney, for lunch. Then we went to the McCauleys' house, which was nearby. We thought we would only stay a few minutes, but we were there for more than an hour. Isaac & I had fun playing with the McCauley boys. They loaned us some books, cars, and puzzles.

Notes
• Dr Blair is a retired RPCI minister.
• Before her marriage (and subsequent widowing), Mrs McCauley was a member of the New Castle congregation, my father's first pastorate. Despite his efforts, New Castle closed five years after he was ordained and installed.

Today has not been a remarkably productive day, even though I've had plenty of time in which to do things. We marched in the village Memorial Day parade this morning, as usual. Somehow, despite the express wishes of the marshal, the 11:00 parade began at 10:45. I'm definitely not sure how that happened! Anyway, the parade was followed by the usual ceremony at the township cemetery. "Usual" I say for good reason. As always, the Church of Christ pastor had a part at the beginning; as always, Dad pronounced the benediction; as always, the local middle school's band performed a mediocre rendition of the national anthem; as always, the same woman read an unmetrical poem. Two things only were distinctive: (1) Isaac and Matthew Bump were asked to hold the flags before the gazebo, and (2) the combination of 85º weather and a long-sleeved uniform shirt made me uncomfortably warm. In case you wonder, I plan to keep the short-sleeved shirt as it was for my Eagle Scout ceremony, with Eagle rank patch and other items of youth recognition, none of which am I permitted to wear as an adult leader.

Ireland
We didn’t do much today or go outside because it was too rainy. Tonight we went for a drive. While we were going Daddy stopped the car so Mama could drive a little. We went into Ballymoney and saw the train station there.

BLOGS
1. : 3 posts in 3 days.
2. : 2 posts in 2 days. Great video!
3. : 2 posts in 2 days.
4. : 3 posts in 3 days.
5. : 3 posts in 3 days.
6. : 2 posts in 1 day.
7. : 1 post in 1 day.
8. : 0 posts in 0 days. Last post 20 May.
9. Rebekah: 0 posts in 0 days. Last post 14 May.
10. Maggie: 0 posts in 0 days. Last post 21 April.
11. : 0 posts in 0 days. Last post 17 April.

I know that this post is very long, but I'd ask that you devote several minutes and read all of it. Blog ratings, again, will be tomorrow.

Nearly one year ago, I was officially awarded the rank of Eagle Scout at a ceremony about which all of you heard. Some of you I invited to come, but most of you were providentially hindered, such as Nathan working for the school newspaper, or Luke helping to move his brother into college. Eventually, only Kevin, Johanna, and the Bussells were able to come, besides Mr Hanson, who agreed to be my main speaker for the night. During the ceremony, I gave a short (two-page) speech, a part of which I here reproduce.

Furthermore, I've never been able to attend ceremonies for friends in Indiana: I've not gone to any of my ECHO reunions, I don't expect to be at graduations for Southport and North Central High Schools, and I certainly haven't been able to attend any other events. Yet, some of you have been here in the last couple of years! Thanks so much for helping me celebrate.

As a homeschooler with virtually no friends around here, I never saw the point of having a graduation ceremony. Who hears of a ceremony with one graduate, or a ceremony where a graduate has never even heard of any of the other graduates? For me, therefore, my Eagle Scout court of honor was my graduation.
Several months ago, I had an idea: could I go to Indiana to attend graduations? I well remembered that line that I spoke, and it had always saddened me that it was true. As spring approached, I spoke with my parents, and after a while they told me that the idea itself was fine. The time came closer and closer, and arrangements all were falling into place. Dad drove me out to Indianapolis on the afternoon of Friday the 19th. I stayed with Fulks' until Monday the 22nd, whereupon I moved to church.
Kevin's graduation on Saturday was very good: obviously not as impressive as Southport's, of course, but still very well done. I'm sure that the attendance-per-student ratio was much better with the Branch ceremony :-) I would have posted about it then, but I wanted to keep my presence in Indianapolis a surprise until I went to church and saw many of you.

Overall, the week was wonderful. As I consider my brief life so far, I cannot think of a single week that I enjoyed more. Better than ECHO. Better than Calvin (although not much). Better than anything at college. Although with most friends I had just a short time, it's far better to have a little bit of time with lots of people than a little bit of time with a few people. Between worshipping at two congregations, attending the Bible study at the Faris house, and visiting occasional other people, there were very few people whom I wanted to see but didn't.
In some ways, I can see this week as my last "highschool" event. Of course, I've been finished with highschool for two years now, but now most of my closest friends are graduated. Last year, I could see many friends at the highschool Winter Conference, but this year's conference will be very different. Part of the reason that this week was so great, I believe, is that, for the first time, I was able to live with friends in Indiana in their daily lives. Living with friends is probably the biggest reason that I love being at college, but I always miss my closest friends, all of whom are in Indiana. Except for the Cerbuses and Katie none of my Indiana friends were able to come. Nothing against any of you! Nevertheless, I loved seeing friends like this. College has been a way for me to see friends on an everyday basis, but a week like this past week has been my dream for several years.
One of the best parts of the week was to see how everything worked out. Virtually everything worked as I hoped, even the events I despaired of happening. What a blessing from God to work things out in such a fashion! I'm quite aware that this is not usually God's way of working, so I'm even more grateful. Such a potentially important week, and God threw down virtually every barrier! Praise be to the LORD!
Furthermore, so many people were helpful in so many ways. Mr and Mrs Fulk allowed me to stay at their house for approximately three full days. Mr Johnston ensured that I would be able to attend the Southport graduation. Mr and Mrs Ray hosted me overnight with virtually no warning. Mr and Mrs Bussell invited me to dinner three times (once including Dad!), including to a sit-down restaurant on Friday after the ceremony! Many other people helped in other ways. Thanks so much to all of you!
Even more helpful was my family. They allowed me to go, even though the trip caused somewhat of hardship for the rest of them. Mom and Isaac had more mowing to do, since I was unable to help. Isaac had less help at the troop meeting with my being unable to be there. Mom could not have me helping with anything around the house. And Dad? I don't really know of much that Dad had to do extra because of my absence. However, he probably invested the most time in my trip, for he used two entire days to drive me to Indianapolis and back. Days in which he could have been working, or relaxing, or helping people here, or anything else. Days he gave to me.
Through this week, I have experienced so much. Obviously, I have had much joy in attending milestone events for two of my closest friends and been able to see both of them and many other friends. I have experienced overwhelmingly generous hospitality from multiple families. My parents have devoted time to helping me in somewhat of a new way, such as I have not really experienced before. God has given me a wonderful pathway to glorify him for his goodness. Most important, however, are two things. First, as I look back at this week, I will be able to view it as the most wonderful and joyous week in my life so far. This week will always be a memorial of what God does for those to whom he wishes to give joy. In my distress, I will be able to remember this week and know that God truly does love his children. Secondly, for the first time, a visit to my Indiana friends seemed realistic. Always before, my trips have seemed like dreams: as I leave, I feel as if I'm awaking from a joyous dream and returning to the lonely world of real life. God has prevented me from feeling this way. I have finally experienced somewhat of the daily lives of my friends, in a way not really before seen, and I have felt at home in Indiana as I could never feel when just attending a youth event. To visit friends simply because I want to go and because God allows me to go is far better than visiting them only because other people scheduled a way.
While I could be wrong, this past week was likely a once-in-a-lifetime event. Such a trip may never be possible for me to undertake again. If somehow I could do it, I would enjoy it, but the experience of this week will always be unique. At college, I experience my friends living with me, but this was my first time living with my friends.

God has proven my speech wrong! Praise be to the LORD!

Ireland Sorry for no Irish diary yesterday. The first of the two diary entries is today's, and the second is yesterday's.
Daddy preached again today. This time he didn’t get mixed up. Tonight’s worship service was at the village hall. We walked there. When we came home we saw a beautiful rainbow and remembered the promise God made to Noah.

We all went to Ballymoney today to do some shopping. One special thing we bought was corn meal. Now Mama will be able to make cornbread for us.
After lunch, children from the Sabbath School came over to the clubhouse to play games. Isaac joined them for a little while before he went to his nap. I stayed and played with them until it was time for them to go.
Before the Bleakly boys left, they gave us some presents. The one for me was a LEGO set of a jeep, boat, & trailer. Isaac got a toy projector and film strips about Thomas the Tank Engine.

Note: the clubhouse was a building on the property of our house that was filled mostly with games and other articles of entertainment, including a pool table.

Last night, I slept very poorly — not because of noise or poor accommodations, but because I tried to sleep on a couch that is not as long as I am. My time at the Rays' was quite enjoyable, and they were very helpful and willing to help. Thanks very much!
Just as we were about to leave the Rays', Mr Bussell called with an invitation to lunch. Not expected, I must say, but quite welcome! We ended up being at their house for perhaps two hours, eating lunch on their deck in the beautiful weather.
Dad and I had a safe trip home: not exciting (good), but not boring (also good), because we were able to talk for most of the trip. Conversation topics ranged from graduations to a dairy farm, from news in Belle Center to faith in Christ, from a newspaper article to life advice from others. Although I can't speak for Dad, I had a very beneficial time in these discussions, which began before we had gone one mile and ended as we reached our driveway.

Yesterday capped a wonderful week in Indianapolis. Although Pastor Johnston had planned to drive me, I instead rode with Cindy Mangan, who was driving to work not far from Rays', where I left most of my things (bicycle, food, etc.) that I wouldn't really need at a graduation. Around 5:00, Mrs Ray drove me over to the highschool, where I met the Bussells and entered the fieldhouse. Impressive! The basketball gym, one of the largest in the state, is much larger than the gym at Metheny Fieldhouse at Geneva. I suppose that's fitting, however, since the student body at Geneva is also smaller than the student body at Southport. We ended up sitting just above the band (in which Maggie played), allowing us to hear their music very well. Just after 6:00, the graduates entered, and I'll allow the graduate to tell what happened during the ceremony.

Afterward, we drove to dinner at a Chinese restaurant, where I attempted (but failed) to get Maggie to order her dinner in Chinese. Finally, we returned to Mr and Mrs Bussell's house, where we relaxed somewhat, looked at pictures, and made origami or watched said making. Mr Bussell dropped me off at Rays' at perhaps 11:20.

Tonight, I'm staying at Rays' house. Dad is to pick me up tomorrow morning.
This morning, I finished work on the academic journals, after which I packed my things and got ready to leave 2nd RPC's building. Before leaving, I had enough time to take a bike ride, so I rode out Grandview to Kessler, which I took until a little bit east of Meridian before turning around. The ride was good, and one hill was very nice (at least going down), but the heavy traffic persuaded me that I was rather foolish in riding there. I don't think we ever had such heavy traffic anywhere on the bike trip.
This evening, I went to the Southport HS graduation. I'll post more tomorrow, but all I'll say is that there were four, not three, graduates from Southside RPC. Besides the Darts and Katie, Amy Hovee (whom I really don't know at all) graduated.

Ireland
Mama went with 16 other pastors’ wives to the Newtownards RP Church today. After lunch they toured Mt Stewart - a mountain with large gardens nearby.
While Mama was gone, Daddy, Isaac & I went to Ballymoney. We saw a huge painted mural done by schoolchildren last year. It was their drawing of Ballymoney. We also went to Walkers Toy Store to buy some model glue so we could fix Samuel Wilson’s petrol station that I accidentally broke.

Nathan has just put up a wonderful post. Since it's his, not mine, I'll just ask you to look at his. It's really funny, and it should bring back some great memories.

Today has mostly been a day of working on these academic journals once again and listening to great music while I do so. Since I'm on a computer to do this work, I've also done a bit of instant messaging, especially having longer conversations with Katie and Tricia. I'm finally about done with the journals (I've now indexed sixteen volumes), which is good, because I'm finally becoming tired of them. Just one volume to go! On the other hand, I've had lots of time for that music. Today, I listened to three CDs worth of music: the full Russian Orthodox liturgy (celebrated by a bishop), some other Orthodox music, and Messiah.
This week at church, Pastor and Mrs Johnston invited me for dinner on Thursday night. Mrs Johnston made a cassarole (spelling?) of taco meat, taco cheese, and cornbread — much better than anything I've been making! As we ate, the tornado siren sounded, which was followed by strong (but short) rains. After dinner, they had to go shopping, so they invited me to come along. Next door to the Sam's Club where we were heading is a Walmart Supercenter, which appeared closed, with several Marion County Sheriff's deputies' cars around. By asking the crowd of people outside the Sam's Club, we found that it was open, but the Walmart was closed — because of a bomb threat! As we were inside the store, the storm arose again, making hearing somewhat difficult. Winds were audibly very powerful, the rain was pounding, and at one point I heard a sound I believe to be that of hail. Even many of the store's lights went out for a few seconds!
Tomorrow is important, as I go to attend the Southport HS graduation. I'm really looking forward to both the graduation and time with friends otherwise. It looks like tonight will be my last night here, as I'll probably be staying at the Harts' house tomorrow night, and I go home on Saturday morning. Yes, I'm staying at a Perry Meridian house so that I can go to the Southport graduation — don't be angry with me :-)

Ireland
Today Daddy & I took a long walk on the same route Mama & I took yesterday. [ Note: This entry should be on the 24th.]

Because it's time for bed, I'll not post much tonight.
Today, overall, was quieter than yesterday. Only once did I go and see anyone: I biked over to Pulliams', just a few blocks away, and spent rather more than an hour there.
This evening, since I had run out of toothpaste, I decided to go to the local Wallgreens to get some. It took half an hour! First, the trip took longer than I realized; secondly, because the store was on the other side of Michigan Road, getting to it was harder; thirdly, I couldn't figure out how to lock my bike lock (borrowed from Fulks); and worst of all, I forgot money and had to go back! Ridiculously annoying, not to mention the embarrassment of having to leave because of having no money.
This evening, I made some phone calls to try to work out plans for Friday evening. Mr. Johnston, it turns out, has decided to drive me down himself! I had no idea that he was going to do this. What a gracious offer! Furthermore, it looks like I will probably be staying at someone's house on the south side on Friday night, despite the confusion between several different people I called. And not to say it's their fault: even the weather is a major factor, not to mention other variables. Thanks to all!
As I type, I'm hearing another language — one of the actual residents here at church is a man from Korea, whose father is an RP minister that teaches in Seoul. I feel like I'm back in my dorm room, and I'm glad that I'm accustomed to someone speaking in a different language — it's not a distraction at all.

Ireland
Today Mama & I walked clear out to the Presbyterian Church building, outside of town. It was a nice, long walk. [Note: This entry should be on the 23rd.]

Sorry for such a late post!
Today, Mr Filson had me working in the library, indexing some volumes of a theological journal. I hope to continue over the next few days and finish the work before I go home on Saturday.
Tonight, I went to a CYA Bible study at James and Elizabeth Faris' house, although James was unable to attend. Overall, it was very similar to Dessert & Devotions at Filberts': Bible study, prayer, snacks, and a lot of fun conversation with friends. Except for Brian Fulk, I'd not seen anyone who was present since the CYA Winter Conference, and with many it had been longer than that. I've not had a chance to talk with Rebekah Nelson or any of the Filsons (except for Mr Filson) in a very long time, so tonight was welcome, although Eric and Carrie were the only representatives of their family. I had planned to leave at 9:30, but I ended up staying until midnight. Oh, well; I had feared that this part of the trip would involve seeing almost no friends until Friday's graduation, and I heartily welcomed the chance to repeat a Tuesday night Bible study with good friends.

Ireland
Today we drove up to Ballycastle. It’s a town on the Atlantic Ocean. I liked seeing the ocean, the beach, and some lawn bowling. There was also a small playground near the beach.

Well, as I've noted yesterday, I'm busy with being here in Indianapolis. I've now moved over to the church property at 2nd RPC, where I should be until the end of the week. With no more significant events certain for the next few days, I'm now looking forward to Friday night's graduation ceremony at Southport. Nine months ago I stated that I would never be able to visit graduation ceremonies for Katie or Kevin; I have been proven wrong on one, and I expect to be proven wrong on the other. Thanks be to God for enabling this!
Until Friday night, as I say, I'm staying at the church, where I also expect to be overnight after the graduation. I'm to do some work here (I was rather busy this afternoon), as well as being away for dinner on Thursday night. Speak to your parents for me, please; I wouldn't mind more invitations, whether for dinner or visits (daytime, evening, or overnight) or both! :-)

BLOGS What is wrong with blogging lately? Eleven of you created just 23 posts last week, and even Ellie posted only about six different times. Let's have some more posting this week!

1. : 12 posts in 4 days. This includes two strings of pictures.
2. : 2 posts in 2 days. Graduation is this week!
3. : 2 posts in 2 days.
4. : 1 post in 1 day.
5. Rebekah: 1 post in 1 day.
6. : 1 post in 1 day.
7. : 1 post in 1 day.
8. : 1 post in 1 day. Graduation is this week!
9. : 1 post in 1 day.
10. Maggie: 0 posts in 0 days. Last post 21 April.
11. : 0 posts in 0 days. Last post 17 April.


Ireland
Today we didn’t do much except sit around the house because Isaac was sick.

Finally, after several weeks of planning, I can reveal to you what I'd wanted to post about for a much longer time than that.
Early on Friday morning, my father and I strapped my bicycle onto the car and left Belle Center for the west. Since early Friday afternoon, I've been in Indianapolis :-D I've been looking forward to several different times at which I hoped to see friends — specifically graduation ceremonies and church.
From Friday until tomorrow, I will have been staying at the house of Mr and Mrs Bruce Fulk, in northeastern Indianapolis. Tomorrow, I'm to go down to 2nd RPC, where I will be staying, God willing, until whenever on Saturday that Dad can come and pick me up.
Yesterday, I attended Kevin Fulk's second graduation (a week beforehand was his graduation ceremony at 2nd RPC), where I saw very few people I knew. I actually met his girlfriend, Hannah, for the first time; however, I knew virtually noöne at the ceremony, which was sponsored by his homeschool group. After the ceremony, Kevin took me to Hannah's house for the evening, where I met her parents, brothers, and one grandmother.
While yesterday was quite enjoyable, today was far better. This morning, I worshipped at Second congregation, unexpected by (almost) everyone. The only persons I had told of my coming were Mr Filson (to make lodging arrangements) and the Fulks, and as far as I know only Becca and Luke Long knew of my presence from yesterday. As a result, I got many surprised questions of "why are you here?" from many different people, including some elders :-) I was able to speak with several people I know, but it was amazing how few people I knew there. I guess it's because they've grown much since I last was there, and since many of the members there I knew are now in the new Avon group.
Tonight, however, was the best part. Kevin drove me down to worship at Southside, where I took the Sacrament (a welcome surprise) and was able to hear Mr Keddie's preaching. Of course, I saw many people whom I know (a far higher proportion than at Second) and spoke with many of those, although inevitably several left before I might speak with them. Afterward, I continue to surprise people :-) Among other people, I saw Mr Bussell and addressed him from behind, which address led to a nice conversation. After perhaps ten minutes' conversation, I was surprised to be invited to dinner! Eventually, I did eat with the five Bussells, but nine, not six, of us ate there. Of course, Kevin had to go (quite willingly), since he was driving me, and (due to transportation concerns) Allen and Zachary Blackwood came along. While there, I was able to see somewhat of the house and read some things. Most importantly, Mrs Bussell showed me a copy of the Southport HS school newspaper that featured Katie and her amazingly high GPA, along with the rest of the top eleven in her class. To place third among four hundred people is not easy, and thus is something that deserves honor — and praise to her Maker.
Blog ratings will be tomorrow.

Ireland
I liked my Sabbath School class this morning. There were 4 other kids in my class.
Today was the first time Daddy preached here in Dervock. He got a little mixed up about the way Mr. Wilson does things.
Afterwards we had a lunch at church. We were served sausages, buns, soup, and dessert.
Isaac woke up with a fever after his nap. He was up to about 102°. We called Mrs. McConaghie to ask about a doctor for Isaac. She called Dr. Sterne who came to the manse about 8:00. Isaac had an ear infection.

There were enough McConaghies at Dervock that I have no idea which one this was, let alone the doctor.

Random history note: Yesterday was the 470th anniversary of the execution of Anne Bolyne, the second wife of King Henry VIII of England. On the Wikipedia article I cited above, I found an interesting statement: apparently, last year, someone appealed for her to be pardoned, just 468 years and 10½ months after her death! However, the British government refused to grant the pardon, because most evidence had perished in the fulness of time — and because the living witnesses were dead :-)

Ireland
Tonight we went to the Young Peoples' "It's A Knockout" competition at the Ballymoney RP Church building. Each of the congregations in the Presbytery sent their youth group to take part in different games. Isaac & I had fun running on the course where the young people had a speed race.

Ballymoney is the nearest city to Dervock.

I'll be busy much of today, so I may be unable to post further.

Ireland Note: Last day of posting this; I'll put up a more normal entry tomorrow.
Again, we didn’t do much except get more settled in. I helped Mama clean out the freezer one day. Another time I helped clear the ashes out of the fireplace. Thursday night we went to the Hunters' house for supper. Mrs. Hunter let Isaac & me play with some toys while we were there and also gave us two coloring books to take home.

Ireland Note: I'm posting this journal entry again today, and I'll post it again tomorrow.
Again, we didn’t do much except get more settled in. I helped Mama clean out the freezer one day. Another time I helped clear the ashes out of the fireplace. Thursday night we went to the Hunters' house for supper. Mrs. Hunter let Isaac & me play with some toys while we were there and also gave us two coloring books to take home.

Weather today has seemed very much like it did in Ireland. In Ireland, we would frequently experience several small rains during the day, alternating with periods of sunlight, and the temperature during high summer would frequently reach only the 60ºF range. Just the same today. We mowed a lawn this morning, finished as the rain was coming, saw it pass us to the north without raining on us, mowed another lawn, finished as the storm was approaching, got pounded, had more sunlight, more clouds, etc., and then the sun set. Why can't we have more normal weather?
While the storm was passing, I was in the office of a neurologist here in Belle Center. After the seizures, the neurosurgeon advised me to find a local neurologist with whom to set up appointments. Imagine our surprise to find a neurologist, of all people, in our village of 750 people! Paperwork took a long time today, as it was my first time at this doctor's, and overall I was at the office for almost two hours. It was odd having an appointment at that office, for at the same building did our old family practitioner hold his hours. He passed away several years ago.

Most of today involved a trip to Cincinnati, visiting my grandparents. Grandmother had a doctor's appointment late this morning, which went quite well, after which the five of us went to lunch before returning to her apartment building. We saw relatively little of her, however, because she went on a bus tour in the afternoon. However, that allowed us to see more of my grandfather, who was his normal self. Two interesting things happened (besides speaking with him) while we were visiting him: (1) We spoke with a man who knew some people with whom Dad worked while he was in college, and (2) we saw most of my uncle on CNBC. Today, President Bush signed a bill cutting taxes on investments, and my uncle (a stockbroker) was selected by his company to have one of its spots at the signing ceremony. I say most of him because he was enough distance from the President that he was only visible up to his upper torso.

Ireland Note: this journal entry covered three days, 17-19 May, all together.
Again, we didn’t do much except get more settled in. I helped Mama clean out the freezer one day. Another time I helped clear the ashes out of the fireplace. Thursday night we went to the Hunters' house for supper. Mrs. Hunter let Isaac & me play with some toys while we were there and also gave us two coloring books to take home.

Mr. Hunter was a retired elder at Dervock.

Today has seen more mowing; although we mowed but one lawn, we are finally done with last week's mowing! Besides that, I have continued to read much, both online and in print. I've finished the first chapter of Mansfield Park: not much text, but it's a beginning. After reading Sense and Sensibility and Northanger Abbey, I've given up with trying to memorize the dozens of characters: I'm going to try to list all of the different characters. I wonder if I have enough paper?
This evening, Dad and I went to the bike shop to pick up the finished bicycle. The Amish man who runs the shop had to straighten and recalibrate the derailleur and replace the derailleur cable. However, the price was still quite acceptable; between the repairs and the cost of a new rearview mirror, the price was still less than $40. My parents bought me a mirror two summers ago, but it was broken on the trip to Calvin when my bicycle fell over.
Tonight's troop meeting was tiny, with just five boys present. Most of the boys, apparently, were attending a major choir concert at the local middle school, which choir includes several of the absent members. It felt like when we joined: attendance at a normal meeting probably hadn't been this small since our earliest days when we had just joined, in the fall of 2003.

Ireland
This morning Daddy took the Wilsons to the airport in Belfast. After he got back we went to Walkers Toy Store in Ballymoney. We bought some new Thomas friends and a big bucket of LEGOs.
After that we went to a grocery store called Stewarts. It is a bigger store than the Texaco station here in Dervock.

"Thomas friends" refers to toy-sized versions of characters from the "Thomas the Tank-Engine" videos.

For the first time since Wednesday of last week, I mowed today. We mowed for Mr. and Mrs. Thompson (a block away) and at church (three blocks away), two of the three lawns we could not finish last week. With more rain predicted for the next several days, we're likely not to mow any more until late in the week.
Tonight, I went with Isaac and Dad to the house of a local Amish man, who runs a bicycle shop. Isaac needed to go there to pick up his new bicycle, for which he has great expectations. My bicycle, which was damaged at Geneva, should be finished by tomorrow — if it's not finished by the time I post this.

Ireland
Today was somewhat like last Friday. Mostly we watched the Wilsons get ready for their trip. Isaac & I helped keep Charis happy.

Charis was their daughter, then less than a year old.

BLOGS
1. : 7 posts on 6 days.
2. : 3 posts on 3 days.
3. : 2 posts on 2 days.
4. : 2 posts on 2 days.
5. : 1 post on 1 day.
6. : 1 post on 1 day.
7. : 2 posts on 2 days.
8. : 1 post on 1 day.
9. Maggie: 0 posts on 0 days. Last post 21 April.
10. : 0 posts on 0 days. Last post 17 April.
11. Rebekah: 0 posts on 0 days. Last post 16 April.

Sorry for no greater post and no blog ratings. I've been busy today (the Morton family from church visited throughout the afternoon), and I'm tired. I hope to have a blog ratings list posted tomorrow.

Ireland
Today was communion for the Dervock congregation. It was interesting that nobody went to the front of the auditorium for communion.
After church we went to the Millars' for dinner. I talked with Granny Millar (Mr. Millar’s mother) a lot.

Notes:
• At Belle Center, during the Lord's Supper, the communicants all sit together in the front pews.
• Mr. Millar was (and probably yet is) an elder at Dervock.

Today has been more active for me than have many previous days. Thanks to our ever-present rain, I might not mow any grass for the third straight day, so once again I stayed in the house. However, not for long: today was our quarterly congregational meeting. I'm not sure why we had one today or when it was decided that we would have one today — in my life it has always been an annual meeting in late winter, yet I know there was one then as well this year — but it doesn't matter. At any rate, our main topic was the maintenance and condition of the church. Overall, I believe it went well: not as good as possible (when is anything as good as possible?), but yet quite good.

After the meeting, we went home for a short while before leaving for the townlands about Alexandria, Ohio, to attend an college-graduation-openhouse for Amity Chaulk, my father's sister-daughter. My aunt and uncle have lived at this house in the countryside for almost two years, and until today we had never been able to visit them there, although it is less than two hours' drive away from here. At any rate, the afternoon was quite nice — not to mention the chance for a free dinner :-)

Ireland
This afternoon Mrs. Wilson drove us into Ballymoney. While we were in town, we drove around looking at different places. We visited Mr. Wilson’s mother, too. When we got to her road, Mrs. Wilson & Daddy changed places so Daddy could try driving. He drove into the ditch a little and turned on the wipers when he meant to turn on the turn signal.

Notes:
• Ballymoney is the city nearest to Dervock.
• In case you don't remember, drivers in the United Kingdom drive on the left side of the road.

If anyone didn't realize: the highest Modern English paragraph of yesterday's post was the translation of the Old English passage at the top. You may remember (if you've been reading my blog long enough) that I once posted much more Old English (usually with translations immediately following), but I've been seriously delinquent in that way. Recently, my father has remarked about this lack of Old English and suggested that I put some in. As a result, I enjoyed myself last night, although (sorry) perhaps at your expence.
Today, I have been rather inactive, as yesterday's rain has continued all day long. I've been reading a bit, doing a little on cleaning my room, and downloading some small books from the Internet (mostly Old Testament Apocrypha), and that's about it. Along with that, I played some of Isaac's rather unrealistic "Battlefield 1942" computer game, in which I played British fighting Germans at the Battle of El Alamein. This battle, by the way, was a real battle in Egypt, at which the British stopped the advance of a powerful German force in North Africa and took the initiative, leading to the total defeat of the Axis in Africa. At any rate, the game is rather unrealistic. Among other things: to reduce the strain on the computer, there are only forty or fifty soldiers for each side during the battle, but they are resurrected after their deaths; the soldiers (being computer-run) are rather stupid; the map is small; and, above all else, a cheat (actually the only reason I was playing the game) can be used to make the player and player's vehicle invincible. As a result, my usual method of fighting is not to get in a tank and blow up enemy tanks from cover or while moving. Instead, I find a jeep and drive it full speed into enemies; the impact is great enough to blow up even the strongest tanks!

Ireland
We just sat around most of today. Mr. Gray left this morning. Tonight we went to the preparatory service for communion. Afterwards, Mrs. Wilson invited the elders and their wives over to the manse. They had a lot of things to eat and drink.

In case you're not familiar with two terms here:
• Preparatory service is an old RP tradition: during the week before Communion (as a rule, held very infrequently during the year), one or more special services would be held to prepare the congregation for the Sacrament.
• Manse is the traditional term for a church-owned house for the minister. We live in a manse here in Belle Center.

Hér on þissum nihte wendon fæder mín and mín selfe geongwídfaranmótum, þǽm Eorlesrícelandes Begeongiscbord. Sóþlíce hit wæs nyttnes mé, bútan ic wolde hit langere wesan. Ær nihtes Begeongiscbord, ic lucade ánlig ánne þissum gelíc gemót.

Tonight my father and I went to a Boy Scout meeting, the County (District) Roundtable. Without a doubt, it was useful for me, but I wished for it to have gone on longer. Before tonight's Roundtable, I'd attended just one such meeting.

Again I include a note from my Irish diary, the entry for 11 May 1995. After you read it, please check my notes at the bottom of the post. I may well attempt to make this a permanent feature through the summer.

I woke up about 6:30 their time. We landed at Shannon 30 minutes later. Daddy & I got off the plane to look at the duty-free shop, but it was closed. When we tried to get back on the plane, the man who had given us reboarding passes told us to wait. All of a sudden a lot of people started coming off the plane. Daddy & I wondered why. Finally, Mama & Isaac came off the plane, too. Mama told us there was a communications problem so we would have to change planes.
We flew on an Airbus 330 to Dublin. It only took us 25 minutes to get to Dublin. First we went through a passport checkpoint. Then we had to wait a while for our baggage. Lastly, we met Mr. Wilson.
We drove to Dervock in 3 hours. At the border between the Republic and Northern Ireland there were still guardposts, but not any guards.
Once we got to the manse we didn’t do very much. Mr. Gray, a friend of Mrs. Wilson & a former missionary to Spain, came to say goodbye to the Wilsons. Mama, Isaac, & I slept almost 12 hours tonight. Daddy slept for 10 hours.

Notes:
• Due to the time difference, I slept just four hours.
• One of the most impressive parts of the flight, for me, was seeing the bright morning sun upon the clouds beneath us.
• Mom had a good deal of trouble getting off the airplane at Shannon: she was sleepy (nearby loud drunks had kept my parents from sleeping), she had to carry all of our carryons, she had sat on gum all the way from Boston, and she had to deal with a sleepy four-year-old.

Eleven years ago, my family and I began our three-month Irish trip. In the late morning, people from church drove us down to the airport at Columbus, where we met with family before what was my first flight. Our trip took us from Columbus to Washington, from Washington to Boston, from Boston to the airport by the Shannon River, and from the Shannon to Dublin. There, we were picked up by the Rev. W. Norris S. Wilson, the minister of the Dervock RPC, with whom Dad was exchanging pulpits. Following is my diary account of the day.

This morning I woke up at my normal time (6:30). When I woke up I was a little afraid of flying. At 8:30 we were "twiddling our thumbs" because we were impatient to go. We left for the Bumps' house at 10:30. Mrs. Bump went with us to Port Columbus.
When we got to the airport we had trouble finding a parking spot close to the terminal entrance. Uncle Charlie was waiting near the U. S. Air ticket counter for us. At the waiting area for gate 33, Aunt Sarah met us.
A little before it was time to leave, we walked on the air bridge and got on the DC 9. Our seats were right by the wings, in rows 16 & 17. Isaac & I sat by the windows. We left about 1:30 PM.
It was fun going about 100 mph down the runway and still not taking off. We flew over I-270, including part of it where we had driven to get to the airport.
Isaac & I got certificates for our first flight from a flight attendant. Then we were served a snack of peanuts & juice.
We couldn't see many things when we were ready to land at National Airport in Washington DC, because it was too cloudy. I think we were the only people who didn't get off the plane there. Even the crew was different.
Caspar Weinberger, the Secretary of Defense when I was born, was one of the first-class passengers when we left DC. There weren't many empty seats on this flight.
When we flew into Boston's Logan Airport, we flew over the Atlantic Ocean. We saw a lighthouse, a big ship, and a few other small boats. I almost thought we were going to land in the water before we touched down. After we stopped, I saw a couple propeller planes. When we got off the plane, we went down one level of stairs and then rode a shuttle to Terminal E for international airlines.
Daddy checked in at the Aer Lingus ticket counter to get our boarding passes. Then we rode up 2 escalators to the departure area. We put our carryons in a locker and then bought a pizza for supper.
After supper we looked around a gift shop and bought some postcards. We went through the metal detectors again and then got our bags out of the locker. Daddy & I watched some other planes including an Olympic Airlines plane from Greece. We talked to a British man and his wife who had been visiting friends in the States.
It was almost 8:45 when we left for Ireland. By that time it was very dark. As we took off, we could see the runway lights all lit up. The flight crew served us a meal about 9:30. Mama had most of the meal and then shared the rest with Daddy & me. I had some cherry tomatoes. Soon after that I fell asleep. Isaac had already been sleeping for a while.

I rose e'er the dawn of the morning and cried,
My hope by Thy promises stirred.
And e'er the night watchmen had passed, I awoke
To meditate still on Thy word.
Psalm 119: ק

Not for me this morning! I woke up at 9AM (by Dad knocking on my door), the latest I've slept at home in years, except for when I've been ill. After breakfast etc., I went with Dad to the insurance adjustor's office. This was for her to check the damage from the hit-and-run when Dad was meeting someone inside the local library a couple of weeks ago.
After we returned, I ate lunch before going out to mow. Since all of my lawns are yet rather short, I helped Isaac to finish work on his lawns: this way, he'll have to help with mine :-)
Tonight was the weekly troop meeting for my home troop. There was one disturbance, but (overall) the meeting went well. This month's theme is Camping, Isaac says, so the night's event was tent pitching. Each patrol attempted to assemble and disassemble the same tent, with judging being based upon teamwork, leadership, and speed. I was impressed :-)

Today has been relatively uneventful: I mowed two lawns, helped a little with mowing the lawn here at home, and worked on some other matters (such as room cleaning). Besides that, not much. My parents and I had an important and helpful discussion tonight of various matters related to the next few weeks, including mowing and Isaac's schedule for Tomahawk training. Tomahawk, for your information, is somewhat advanced junior leader training for Boy Scouts, which he will be having in a couple of weeks.

Dad preached today from II Kings 20, in which Hezekiah's illness, sundial, and Babylonian visitors occur.

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Today has been rather similar to yesterday: I've done some work around the house and mowed two lawns. As well, I began to clean up my room. Imagine what would happen if you took enough possessions to stock a dorm room for a semester, including all the clothes, and put them in an already-mostly-full bedroom. Well, that's what I have, and I need to set it to rights.
Dad and the others have yet to return from the camporee. I hope to have them get in tonight: Dad must preach tomorrow!

Today has seen less mowing. We only did two, instead of the five we did yesterday.
Dad and Isaac left this afternoon for Camp Birch, our local BSA council camp, for the annual Spring Camporee. This year's is a major event, with troops from all over the Council (last year's was only the northern regions, including us), including many large troops from the suburbs of Dayton. I would have gone if I felt up to it, but I needed to relax and to earn money (a few hours of mowing is more relaxing than camping in cold weather and working all day!), and Mom wanted to have someone home for once on a camping weekend. I may well attend the annual troop trip to Hocking Hills State Park, however.

Today, I've gotten back into the swing of things as I'm used to having them before going to college. Mowing took a bit of the afternoon (we mowed five lawns, altogether), and most of the rest of the day has been relaxation, so far. I've really not much more to post, since the day has been so uneventful :-)

Finals are done!

One of my finals (SCS 110) is done. The other, HUM 203, will be from 3:10 until 5:00. My father and uncle plan to be here in an hour, so I will be eating with them, and (hopefully) will be almost all packed ere they arrive.

Today at lunch, a squirrel somehow entered the dining hall, resulting in chaos. Eventually, the squirrel left through a pair of (normally closed) glass doors on the opposite end of the building from the normal entryway. A guy was holding open one door, but we ended up propping both doors open with a pair of chairs; this idea came from seeing the cross-country team occasionally keeping these doors open to allow better airflow. Several minutes after the other guy and I did this, the staff finally chased it out through them.
Many people walked around attempting to see it, and some (mostly dining hall staff) tried to catch it by throwing a blanket over it. Meanwhile, since its movements were totally unpredictable, other staff were forced to close all doors to the food lines lest the squirrel go in there and contaminate the food.
How did the squirrel get in? I really am unsure. At the main entrance, there is a table where a woman sits to swipe the meal cards. She said that the squirrel did not pass her; it came in from an adjoining room (with independent access to the main hallway), and it failed to present its meal card! But how would it have gone there from the main hallway — and how would it have gotten in the building in the first place? And why would it run up the concrete steps, far from any trees and rather far from any grass? I actually wonder if someone in the adjoining room caught it and let it loose in the dining hall.

Today has been relatively uneventful. My final classes were today (the remaining two class periods are the final exams), and I have nothing until Wednesday morning. My finals are SCS 110 (lab science), held 0800-1000 on Wednesday, and HUM 203 (second-level humanities), held 1510-1700 on Wednesday. God willing, my father and one of his brothers will be here to pick me up (my uncle wants to tour the college) and ready to go as soon as my HUM test is done. Hopefully that will go well :-)
In the mail today I received back the final exam from my PED 103 physical education class. I was (overall) satisfied with the grade, although one short-answer question surprised me. This test asks, "What are three factors that influence metabolism?" I put down genetics (what don't they affect?), body mass (the more you have, the more you must eat to avoid losing weight), and exercise (being more active requires more energy intake). Can you believe that I lost points for the exercise and the body mass points? I can't understand why I lost a point for saying that exercise is a wrong answer to that question.
I would ask prayer for myself, as well as for everyone else here, for us as we endure Finals Week. AP highschool tests are the next two weeks, as well; please pray for those taking them, too!