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THIS ISSUE:
*NEW ENGLAND WEEKEND (Nancy Murdock)
*REPORT FROM LIVERPOOL, NY (Barb DiStefano)
*STALKING THE WILD INTERNET (Ian Murdock)
*HI FROM CHRISTIE (Christel M. Murdock)
*NEWS FROM FITZWILLIAM (Margery Aukstikalnis)
*A MOST UNUSUAL WEDDING (Bob Murdock)
*SOPHIE'S SECRET VICE (Nancy Murdock)
*MAINE HAPPENINGS (Orrel Frost)
*A FEW NOTES (Gene Murdock)
*Hello Friends of the Muse! (The Lynx)







Welcome to the online version of the Murdock Muse
for November and December, 2001!

The Muse editors are Bob and Nancy Murdock of Baltimore, MD.

Our son Darrel of St. Paul, MN designed the web pages
to our specifications.

If you have any questions, or have some news for the Muse,
contact us at

murmuse@erols.com.



NEW ENGLAND WEEKEND
By Nancy Murdock

The wedding reception was lovely. Sarah and Gary looked very happy and excited about the fruition of their plans and dreams. The food was excellent and plentiful. Everyone appeared to be having a really good time. The children had a blast with all the fun planned for them. And the fire was a nice ending to the day, with the evening coolness descending. Cathy and John invited us to take home food, so we ate the egg sandwiches, fruit slices, and cheese for breakfast the next day before taking off for MA.

Steve and Terry gave us a fine tour of their cute new love nest. We liked what they've done to it, and it was interesting to see their album of before and after. The red and white exterior definitely puts the former green and white in the shade. And Terry's stenciling looks very professional and pricey.

We enjoyed a good visit with Dotty and were pleased that Art could make it for an hour. We had an interesting meal that Dotty selected from old family favorites (mac and cheese and cottage pudding) and new items that would attract anyone to a restaurant, such as a fine cream of spinach and carrot soup. Dotty was in fine Scrabble form and beat us handily.

Polly and Carl were wonderful hosts to us, with Carl cooking exotic vegetarian dishes that were both delicious and nutritious. Ask him about his roasted red pepper and olive salad! Polly kindly took me around to a farm to buy several kinds of squash. Bob is VERY pleased to have those squash on hand. We haven't developed our pictures yet, but we did get and enjoy Sarah and Gary's pictures online.

Tom and Marcia, with very little notice, gave us a fine meal Sunday night, when we were expecting to share just whatever potatoes and vegetables they had with their meat. Marcia fixed macaroni and cheese and some very tasty stuffed tomatoes and peppers that have inspired me to plan them at home. We had a good chance to touch base with Hubbardston and get updated re their extended family. It was good to see our old friend, Donald Lytle, for the evening, too.

We hope Lorraine's young grandson is doing well after his surgery. It's been a little hectic for her and Art lately, we know, and we were sorry not to see Lorraine. But the news appeared good on that front, too.

We brought home some gorgeous leaves that I picked up at a CT rest stop on the way home, and Bob pressed them in a book of quilt shops that we carry in the car. Now we have them ringed around the small pumpkin from the farm, on a green place mat. They remind us of a really good family time.



REPORT FROM LIVERPOOL, NY
By Barb DiStefano

I took a week off and we did fun things. We went to Niagara Falls, NY to visit Pete's relatives, and stayed over and took his mom to lunch the next day. Then the following day we went to Abbot Apple Farm and had a lunch at their picnic table, of apple pie and yummy cheese. Another day we went to Ithaca, saw Wendy and David and families, and went to one of the biggest library used book sales in the US. Then we took Annie and Jill to dinner at the Bistro Q, my favorite restaurant. By the way, they have many veg. choices. The day I enjoyed the most was when we went downtown and just roamed around, and looked at all the new storefronts and off-beat shops and sidewalk cafes.

For once we did not do any house projects, and I treated myself to hiring a teenager to clean my car inside and out for the winter.

Mary Anne and Ben are living here now, and we enjoy them very much; also they help considerably around the house. Ben is now the official neighborhood handyman, and has re-roofed two houses and pulled out a tree, and has several more jobs lined up. Mary Anne is saving money and is hoping to go to law school next fall.



STALKING THE WILD INTERNET
By Ian Murdock

The more I stalk the wild Internet, the more awestruck I become at its sheer vastness. Of late I have begun availing myself of the many genealogical resources found there, mainly following the Howlett/Mawhinnie trail of my mother's (Muse editor Nancy, if you're keeping score) side of the family, as Uncle Gene's invaluable "Days of Yore" Murdock histories are plopped directly in my eager lap at regular intervals. I would be remiss if I did not mention at this point that truly serious genealogy buffs use commercial software applications and brick-and-mortar library resources, not just the 'Net, to achieve the most complete results. Still, it's a helluva bang to find the things that I have uncovered. I would be remister still if I didn't recommend all of Uncle Gene's richly fascinating e-mail based writings to everyone. I believe that he will add anyone who requests it to his mailing list. Keep it comin', Unc!

The other subject that currently heats up my cockles is the USS Panamint, on which Muse editor Bob (a favorite father of mine) served in the treacherous Pacific theater of operations after VOLUNTEERING for WWII service. I cannot describe how it felt to discover the confirmation of many fascinating and often hair-raising bedtime stories about a young man and his ship that were recited to me as a small child. To me, everyone who has fought for our freedom, whether flying a fighter plane or collecting scrap metal from the garage, is a hero.

The sheer volume of online information available on nearly any topic is quite astounding, if one knows how to go about finding it. I'm learning...



HI FROM CHRISTIE
By Christel M. Murdock

It's one o'clock in the morning, and what could I possibly be doing online?
I just got back from a friend's room, and I'm totally bored. I happened to check my email, and realized I haven't written in quite a while, so I thought you might like a little update on the life of Christie.

I started school in Orange in September, and I have to say that although I am 100% stir crazy to get out of school. I couldn't think of a better school in which to be stuck for two more years. I am majoring in Communications with an emphasis in Public Relations and am taking Interpersonal Communications, Theory of Persuasion, Tap I, Cultural Anthropology, Visual Storytelling (Film), and History of Political Philosophy. The only class I am struggling with in any way is HIstory of Political Philosophy. mainly because I'm struggling to remain awake during class, AND while I'm doing the reading. It is the most boring class I've ever had. If I survive this one, I'm good to go.

So far, my grades are good. I got an A- on my film, an A- on my dancing midterm, and A+ on my written midterm for Tap, A (97%) on my Cultural Anthropology midterm, and I just took my Persuasion midterm and feel pretty confident about it. However, my greatest test is yet to come and I don't think I will do quite as well in that. That test is of course HIstory of Political Philosophy. I have the midterm Tuesday, and a paper due for it on Thursday. I'm pretty sure I'm going to bomb those, but it's hard to do well in a class when you're always falling asleep.

In addition to regular classes, I am also part of the Chapman University Radio Station. (I have my own show from 4-5pm on Wednesdays); I'm a semi-active member of GLBA and PRSSA (Public Relations Students' Society of America); and I just joined a sorority - Phi Sigma Sigma, which I totally LOVE! It's getting hard to balance all that, and friends, and family, and I try to curb my homesickness by going home every weekend... but it's great for me because as you know I like to stay active a lot during the school year, so that I can crash with confidence during interterm and summer breaks.

Not much else going on in my life other than school. I went to a taping of The Ellen Show this weekend, which was totally cool. I saw Ellen up close, along with the other cast members, which I will not mention due to the fact that I know I would totally butcher their names, but Ellen's mother on the show is my complete and utter favorite.. she reminds me of me!

So, life is good, and busy. I can't wait for Thanksgiving, not only for the break, but I also hear that family may be coming down to visit.. family that I haven't seen in forever and a year.. so.. I'm all excited!

Guess that's all.. not the most exciting update in the world, but that's my life in a nutshell. Hope everything is going well with everyone else, and your Thanksgiving is happy and memorable all at the same time.



NEWS FROM FITZWILLIAM
By Margery Aukstikalnis

Jack, with his faithful tractor, decided to improve my vegetable garden by digging up and pulling out the last six big rocks. He dug and pulled and dug and pulled, and for every boulder he pulled out he found three more. What a lot of rocks. He also found the hard pan was only about 8-12 inches deep, and after that was a mix of sand and soil. So he decided to take the back-hoe to the whole garden. He dug down three to four feet, turning up ---guess what --- more huge rocks. While he was at it he decided to level off the garden which sloped north (not optimal for sun coverage.) So he built a retaining wall on the south side, dropped the garden down about a foot, and another wall on the north side will raise the garden up about a foot. Should be nice.

But MORE rocks came up in the process. Then he tilled the whole thing, and we were now down to football size rocks. We have a huge pile of them! Then he added 400 pounds of composted manure, about 15 cubic yards of composted leaves, and tilled all that into the top 6 - 8 inches of soil. Still we are pulling out rocks, but we are down to baseball size, now. The "golf balls" we left to help aerate. If, after all this we don't get a healthy crop of vegetables, it will be lawn in 2003! But a rock-free lawn, at least!

In the meantime, when I wasn't looking, I was elected president of the garden club for the upcoming year. I'll have my hands full there!

The kittens and puppy all get along well, now, and are such a source of joy in our lives. The kittens and puppy get into a lot of mischief and are such a source of frustration in our lives.

Congrats on finally getting your own website up and going. I can hardly wait to visit it!!!



A MOST UNUSUAL WEDDING
By Bob Murdock

Sarah Howlett, daughter of John and Cathy, exchanged vows with Gary Bergeron on Saturday, Oct. 13 at Beach Hill Farm, not far from Concord, NH. They were wed at 7:30 AM on the ground, and then stepped into a tethered hot air balloon. The balloon was released, and Sarah and Gary contemplated their marriage for an hour and a half as they floated toward the destination at Contoocook under the guidance of a skilled operator.

John told me that he and one of the wedding party had a chance to go up in the balloon on a tethered flight. "It was great!" he said. "I think Cathy and I will hire the balloon for our next anniversary!"
Maybe, but he also said that Cathy declined to go aloft on the tethered flight.

An impressive reception was held in the afternoon at John and Cathy's house in Chichester. They have an amazingly big back yard next to the woods, thanks to John's landscaping this spring and summer. A delicious catered meal was served under a large canopy, where at least 66 people were accommodated comfortably. (To see a list of the guests, click here ) At first the weather appeared to be a bit cool and breezy, but it mellowed and stayed pleasant until late afternoon. Then an outdoor fireplace provided a cozy place for a little warmth.

The hosts thought of everything, including two comfort stations off to the side; and in the front yard, a bubble-jump tent for the kids. Little cameras were provided at the tables so the guests could record more mementoes.



SOPHIE'S SECRET VICE
By Nancy Murdock

Sophie, Polly and Carl Soberg's calico cat, is very much a lady. One of her most noticeable characteristics is that she never begs, not even for a tidbit at the table. She is a great friend of cousin Clyde, who is fond of having a cup of coffee with a fresh, plain Dunkin Donut in the morning. Carl often brings him one in a paper bag. He puts it on the table - and Sophie comes racing at the sound of that bag. She sits in a chair at the table with Clyde, waiting for her share of the donut. After Clyde feeds her a few nibbles, she jumps down from the table - until the next time Carl brings in that wonderful smelling freshly fried plain Dunkin Donut in a crisp paper bag.



MAINE HAPPENINGS
By Orrel Frost

Our lives after our 50th anniversary celebration continue to be full of interesting activities. The latest event here actually, has been the moving of our granddaughter Chelsea from the Garn apartment(the little apartment above and besides the garage) that she occupied the last couple years, to her own apartment near Danny's work.

Charlie is just a wonderful hit as substitute teacher at the local High School. Since he can teach any subject they have there, he is in great demand. My job at the Christian Science Reading Room continues to be an interesting and worthwhile project. I love helping people pick out the exact Bible or other religious book they think they would like. Answering questions about the praying we were doing during the current world crisis has also been stimulating, to say the least.

We pray that the world situation does become more stable. We pray to know that no one anywhere wants what we have, except where we are ready to help out in any unstable situation needing praying and active helping. I admire the Red Cross personnel, and their constant readiness to help the needy anywhere in the world.



A FEW NOTES
By Gene Murdock

So there I was on Sunday watching TV with my two sets, one hooked to satellite the other to local network channels on the antenna. With two remotes I was watching two football games, a baseball game and a war. Flipping around like that it was difficult sometimes to tell the ball games apart and at other times to tell the games from the war - they have similar rules and terminology. Later I watched back to back movies, High Anxiety and Young Frankenstein, two Mel Brooks classics. Who says TV is a vast wasteland? I love the Mel Brooks movies and have a copy of one of his earliest, The Producers which I get out and watch again every few years. It recently was redone as a Braodway musical, but I could never bring myself to go see it, because to me Zero Mostel will always be Max Byalystock and Gene Wilder will always be the mild-mannered accountant - anyone else in the roles would be unbelievable.So there I was on Sunday watching TV with my two sets, one hooked to satellite the other to local network channels on the antenna. With two remotes I was watching two football games, a baseball game and a war. Flipping around like that it was difficult sometimes to tell the ball games apart and at other times to tell the games from the war - they have similar rules and terminology. Later I watched back to back movies, High Anxiety and Young Frankenstein, two Mel Brooks classics. Who says TV is a vast wasteland? I love the Mel Brooks movies and have a copy of one of his earliest, The Producers which I get out and watch again every few years. It recently was redone as a Braodway musical, but I could never bring myself to go see it, because to me Zero Mostel will always be Max Byalystock and Gene Wilder will always be the mild-mannered accountant - anyone else in the roles would be unbelievable.

Being on Coumadin as a blood thinner I have to have the daoage level in my system checked regularly. The level is a reflection of how much is in my blood system and is affected by Vitamin K, found in green vegetables from lettuce to spinach. Lately it had been running low for a period of several months and we couldn't figure out why. Then yesterday it dawned on me - I have been having a daily glass of V8 juice at breakfast (I love the stuff) and upon reading the label I find that V8 contains celery, lettuce, watercress, parsley and spinach, all carriers of Vitamin K. It looks like tomato juice and tastes like tomato juice but it ain't tomato juice. But my nurse Coumadin monitor says to keep on drinking it and they can balance the effects by manipulating the dosage.

The place where I get my blood checks is 40 miles, and is on the far side of Omaha - I go there because they use the finger prick device instead of the arm jab to draw the blood - so I plan my book hunts around these visits. Today I stopped in a used-book store and found a copy of a textbook on, essentially, how to be a historian. For $2.50 it was a bargain. I thought that I ought to legitimize myself and improve my techniques now that Scott is taking graduate courses in History. (And doesn't that make the old man proud!)

Then off to the Borders Book Store where I find the best selection of magazines in the area. I am currently buying monthly copies of Popular Science, Popular Mechanics, Scientific American, National Geographic, Discover, Natural History, Audubon, Smithsonian, The Futurist and Nebraska Life. After a few months I will review them to see which ones I get the most out of and decide which ones to subscribe to for reduced prices and which ones to just monitor at the library.

But right now I have to break and go monitor a fourth grade soccer game that Ashley is playing in.



Hello Friends of the Muse!

I'm Darrel, the second son of the Murdock Muse Editors. I'm excited about the MM going online. I hope you enjoy it too. The format was designed to be multi-browser and multi-user friendly. Everything from the printed version is here, and now you will be able to access previous versions, download the photos and click on e-mail addresses and websites of friends of the Murdock Muse.



Working the recession

A recession is defined as two quarters in a row with negative earnings. Businesses lose 10 to 30 percent of their sales, and they lay off a proportionate amount of workers.

But how does that translate to the average American working stiff? Let's see.... I got tax rebates in the mail, my airline tickets were half-price, hotels are listing deep discounts, beef is getting cheaper, and refinancing a house at rock-bottom interest rates lowered my payment and gave me money to spend on all these good deals.

All that and I'm following a directive of the President and helping the economy. It's ironic to think how much harder life was when we were not in a recession. All those high prices and long lines. (and idiotic tv shows)

The Lynx




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