People who say they sleep like a baby usually don't have one. ~Leo J. Burke

Tomorrow, Leo Joseph is three months old!

I have struck a city - a real city - and they call it Chicago... I urgently desire never to see it again. It is inhabited by savages. Rudyard Kipling

Well, actually the savages invaded Chicago!

The first day in Chicago meant that we were to be greeted at the airport. When we arrived, Theresa was promply on the phone and told us that she would be right there at curbside to pick us up. There were five us us, and Theresa pulled up in her sedan and confused us by asking if that was all the luggage that we had with us. We said that it was - one bag per person, right? Kathleen assured Theresa that even though it was a sedan, Mag could sit on a lap and off we could go. Theresa looked somewhat chagrined as Al swooped in the standing lane with another sedan. MORE than enough room. Theresa looked a bit embarassed, for at that moment up pulled Colyn in a van! It was looking like each of us would get a private ride to the Flynn residence!

This was just the start of a lot of great generosity coming from the Flynns.

"Oak Park: One Tree -- Many Nuts."

“Don't grow up too quickly, lest you forget how much you love the beach.” - Michelle Held

As the Stock Market was going up 500 here and down 400 there all week, we decided to hit the waves on Lake Michigan near New Buffalo. The New Buffalo area where Paul and Chris Flynn rented a great house right near a great beach, was our Tuesday escape from everything. Paul, Chris, Theresa, Al and Colyn invited us to swim, swim, swim. It was a great day because the sun was beatiful, the water was warm and the waves were wild!

Here a Mag, There a Mag, Everywhere a Mag Mag!

We planted some Mags this year and had a great crop!

Fresh cut grass, dragged dirt, ring of a bat, a diving catch, a blocked ball, sweating, bleeding, diving into home. Not a bad way to spend a day!

So says Veronica. She and her S&S Sanitation Team -- yes, it's coming -- cleaned up this season which is coming to a close.

With Coach Corey King at the helm, the King and his princesses have amassed quite a record. Veronica is now known as "The Fox". Last night, after a tipped hit that landed -- fair --the catcher for the other team picked the ball right up and stood next to home plate. Veronica, undaunted, quietly snuck from third to home plate for the score, a confused catcher waking up only when V's foot was on the bag!

These two movie stars were spotted in Rome during the Beatification Week of Pope John Paul II.

“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” - Aristotle

Thank me later. This is how Kathleen and I raise our kids. Its who we are. All you others should take notes.

The Illinois Department of Agriculture has a page on the web,
http://www.agr.state.il.us/programs/consumer/egg/eggconsguide.html that guides citizens in Illinois about the usage of eggs. It gives a lot of helpful hints:

"What should I do if I think a store is mishandling eggs?
People who suspect an Illinois grocery store or other egg outlet is not upholding the law should talk to the facility manager. If the problem persists, they should call the Illinois Department of Agriculture at 1.800.582.0468, TDD 217.524.6858, FAX 217.524.7801. "

And:
"Storage Tips:Leave eggs in their original carton to help prevent them from drying out.
Store eggs at 41 degrees with the small end of the shell pointed down in the carton.
Keep eggs away from foods with strong odors, such as onions and garlic, which can affect their flavor. Do not store eggs for an extended period of time."

There are no penalties for going against an individual "mishandling eggs" in Illinois. However, Cindy and Kathleen and Mom were astonished to find that Theresa has turned eccentric at an early age. While unpacking at the hotel, Theresa pulled out of her suitcase eggs, because she wanted to make cookies on her recent visit to Buffalo.

There is no question in my mind that Theresa's storage of eggs did not take place in the original carton, nor at 41 degrees. But more to the point, all found it striking that Theresa has such disdain for eggs from Western New York! Frankly, most of us throughout the country feel that Illinois has a "Bad Egg" problem!

I always thought eggs were eggs. But Theresa swears by Illinois-produced-sold-and-bought eggs, so much so, that she placed some in her suitcase flew them to Chicago and brought with her Illinois-purchased Brown Sugar.

These two beautiful girls have always reminded me of each other, though the older she gets the more she looks like herself. But one thing I do recall without fail is that when Kathleen was younger, I never saw her with a pair of socks that did not have a hole in the toes. Her toenails were razor sharp. Without exageration, some times her toe nail would slice right through the top of her sneakers. It is a family trait:

Kathleen, Veronica and Magdalene all came back refreshed and happy to have seen everyone, but the premise behind the whole extended weekend was for the girls to get together.