Murdock Muse
Sept-Oct 2004, Part 2

WISCONSIN: A WONDERFUL PLACE TO LIVE
Lori Turner-Bajczyk

My husband and I are enjoying the wonderful state of Wisconsin and all its beauty. We are enjoying our new house that we recently built, enjoying our jobs, etc. We have lots of property and a huge garden with lots of beautiful color with many different kinds of flowers. I did remember some "gardening flower" tips from Darrel.

We went for a visit to see friends and family in California in July. The saddest part was the passing away of my wonderful grandma on July 11th; she had just turned 89 years old. She was an awesome grandma and her memories will forever live on in our hearts.

Getting ready once again for our football season; of course it's GREEN BAY PACKERS all the way. :-)



PRACTICE RUN 2
Margery Aukstikalnis

One more "practice run" before our major trek across country in November, brought us to Liverpool and Jordan NY. One of the cats refused to go, so after a panic phone call to a friend, both cats stayed home, but delayed our start by over an hour.

We arrived at Barb's just in time for a wonderful supper of oven roasted vegetables and pulled pork. Pete, unfortunately, couldn't join us as he was on a brief stay at the hospital. (Home the next day, though, so we did have a couple of very good visits with him.) Our Chihuahua, Buttons, met Pete's beagle, Dotty, and they became immediate and fast friends.

That evening we landed at Ernie and Sally Bacon's and set up camp in their yard. Hooked up to the garden hose and electricity from the barn, which gave us all the comforts of home without being intrusive into the daily routine of our hosts. It worked out well for us all. (Even Jack stays clear mornings until I have had my wake-up coffee.) I had such a wonderful time walking Buttons and their dog, "Socks" around the long perimeter of their yard, as there are dozens of varieties of trees, shrubs, and wildflowers, some of which I had never seen before, but most of which Ernie could identify for me.

A fine Italian restaurant Friday, breakfast and Farmer's Market Saturday morning, a steak cookout at Sally's Saturday night, and pizza at Barb's Sunday night all led to a most unneeded four pound weight gain. But BOY, was it fun.

The gorges at Ithaca are awesome! I could live there! We hiked down several levels, until Sally and I felt we were approaching the point of no return and headed back Jack and Ernie kept going though, and then it began to sprinkle, then rain, then pour! Sally and I, soaked to the skin, laughed and played like we were kids again, as both of us loved to play in the rain, finally finding shelter a short ways from Ernie's car. When the rain let up we found the men, barely damp around the edges - they had found a cliff overhang that kept them quite dry the whole time!

We arrived home Monday afternoon, happy and tired, and both agreeing ~ we must do that trip again!!



BUSY AND HEALTHY
Roy Murdock

We're enjoying our summer bowling league and have signed up for the fall league. One of the benefits of being in a league here is that they offer two free games every day to league bowlers!

I'm still golfing a lot, but the weather is getting into the 100+ degree heat index range, which is a lot better for indoor bowling. Tami was golfing every week with me, but is taking the hottest part of summer off and will resume sometime in September.

We're also keeping up with our workouts at the YMCA three times a week, so we're definitely staying busy and healthy.



READY FOR THE VISIT
Pauline Soberg

August 23: Carl's cousins from Norway will arrive in Boston on Tuesday, tomorrow at 6:30 pm. It will be a long ride up to Lincoln NH and we expect to arrive up there after 9pm. I don't like to drive at night, as my night vision is poor, but I guess I'll be ok following Carl. We are renting a van to go to the airport but it's too expensive to keep it thereafter. We will spend the first week at Loon Mountain Village and the second week at a cottage in Gloucester. It should be interesting with twelve people!

We spruced up our house, as we have them coming for the last three nights here in Webster. Just the cousins. The sisters are heading out before that weekend, as Caroline is flying to Macedonia to her son's wedding. He and his wife were married in NH by the JP but her family wants a real wedding for their daughter. Elaine and Al will be driving back to FL so will leave before the holiday weekend to get a head start on the traffic.

We had the inside of our house painted, all rooms and ceilings, and bought some new living room furniture. These are things that we really needed to have done but might have put off if they were not coming here. I just love my new furniture as I finally got my leather - real, soft leather - couch in spruce green, and a "stressless" chair in cream or ivory.

Clyde has a new chair in maroon leather. We donated his big arky chair to the nursing/retirement home down the street. It hurt his neck because it pushed his head forward so this is a good move, although it's a little more struggle to stand up now.

We also bought a new tv for the den and put the entertainment center with old tv downstairs. We bought a Samsung, LCD tv which is like the slim line monitors on our computers. We also bought a nice slim long table to put it on. The furniture is all made in Norway and the table was made in NH of NH oak. I feel so lucky and ever so fortunate to be able to have nice stuff again. (This is all thanks to selling the land next door.)

Well, will close for now as it's a busy day ahead with hair appointment and doctor's appointment along with packing for two weeks away. We have to take Sophie to the pet resort tomorrow and have already taken Clyde to Eunice's for two weeks.

Our tomatoes are just starting to ripen so we've asked Rennie to pick some of them so they won't rot on the vines. Everything is very late this year and it already feels like fall, with really cool nights and warm days.

Take care, I'll tell you all about the visit later.



MN STATE PARKS #1
Darrel Murdock

I have begun a series of State Park pages. This is the first of many; I can add one to each Muse issue. This one is not from the Duluth/Superior trips, it is SE of the Twin Cities but does have waterfalls. This one has a mini-clip added; others will have animations as well. (Here is the html code)
Nerstrand State Park Pics



MY KIDS
Nicholaus (Rickey) Murdock

I have repaired my relationships with my kids I have been apart from for a while and have recently been spending quality time with them with the exception of Xacara, whom I rarely get to see, although we do talk now more frequently.

The boys have really grown up and gotten to see a lot of the world from travels we have taken. They are currently enrolled in New Horizon Daycare here in Minnesota and are interacting well with their peers. Daniel is riding his bike unassisted now and talks up a storm and is always helpful and smiles constantly. Jack-Rabbit is walking and always trying to say new words, but is more of a bashful kid. Both boys are very protective of their momma and sisters.

Ciera, although a recent addition to the Murdock tribe has been over and hanging out with her brothers and going to the local parks and having a great time. Ciera is more of a dare-devil and is tough in her ways. She is very smart and a fiery little red head and follows me everywhere, constantly trying to show me things that pique her interests.

Tanaya has been having some hard time lately and needed me badly to be more involved in her life. So I have been talking to her daily and helping work things out so her emotions are more stable. She is recovering from a depression a lot more rapidly after my and Deanna's encouragements. We plan to visit her sometime this upcoming week and have her meet her new sister Ciera and develop a bond. Both Daniel and Jack-rabbit talk to her and are getting excited to spend more time with her.

Jakaza has been enrolled in a special preschool for the hearing and sight impaired and is now fitted with this new tech ear piece that is actually internal. Although she cannot talk clearly, she has slowly been improving her communication skills and is fond of her brothers. She and I are repairing the relationship we have, and I am going to be a lot more involved in her life - something both of us have been wanting to do for a length of time now. Progression is slow but apparently improving.

Xacara I rarely hear from (her Mom is unwilling to improve relationships), but when we do talk she expresses her love and seems to be doing well in her life, considering the circumstances. She does have a little communication with some of her siblings and does seem to enjoy them. I really miss spending time with her though, and I am hurt that I haven't been apart of her life in the ways that I really want to be, but I am not slacking...I am determined to improve our relationship. Deanna and I are doing great and she remains very supportive about all aspects of our life. She is a great step-mother and a very good mother to her own. Her parents and I get along wonderfully and Deanna and my Dad get along wonderfully as well.

My Dad and I have been talking, and my Dad as always has some very encouraging ideas and thoughts to share. He has always had an interest in his grandchildren's well being and has helped me greatly improve and understand my ailments. The boys and Tanaya are very fond of their Grandpa Lynx. I have grown up and became a better Husband, Father ,Son ,Brother, and person since I had a reality check that really allowed me to put things in perspective. I really want to give Ian some credit too, because he as well really taught me some wisdom and allowed me to have a new sight about the way I was carrying on with myself. I have got to say California was very enlightening and quite different from the way I had expected it to be. Although I had been to California on prior "adventures" so to speak, this time was really enduring - yet somehow very profound.

I am really wanting to do better and although I detest Minnesota, I am willing to stay here until I get things together for a consistent amount of time. One thing I do have in my favor in regards to travel is that my CDL job allows me to constantly travel the U.S. (I can't wait to get back to the Bronx though.)

Well there you are, a good update from me finally and it is all true. Feel free to Email me back at rikeyfrombronx@yahoo.com. Love you lots and feel free to post this letter on the Murdock Muse as I would be proud if you do. Although much of it is personal type, I feel it is important to be open about my life for those that may be able to relate or even learn or gain perspective from my experiences.

MY KIDS: Tanaya Marie Murdock (oldest Daughter)- Dec 9th 1997
Xacara Sky Murdock (2nd oldest Daughter)-June 4th-1998
Jakaza Marie Murdock (3rd oldest Daughter)-Sept 16th 1999
Daniel "The Bear" Murdock (oldest son)-April 3rd 2001
Jack-Rabbit August Murdock (2nd oldest son)-Oct 25th 2002
Ciera Marie Pierce-Murdock (4th oldest daughter)March 18th 2003



BBQ GET TOGETHER
Nicholaus (Rickey) Murdock

Hi there, have a bit more news to share. On Saturday my Dad and his girlfriend Kathy came to my place and enjoyed a day in the sun for a BBQ and get together and got to see Daniel the Bear and Jack-Rabbit, and meet Ciera and her Mother Kristina. Dad of course was instantly nominated head cook and grilled a very tasteful selection of meats for the event.

Deanna prepared a very good and complete salad with just about every veggie known. I of course played the role of M.C. but shared the spotlight so to speak with Dad, who is always very entertaining. Kathy was very nice and great with the children, was not at all shy, and was very much a fun person to be around. She seems to fit in nicely in the mix.

Deanna's Mom showed up halfway through because she had to cover somebody's shift at work. She also said my Dad and Kathy-to quote her-"were very polite and nice people". Deanna's Dad was late showing up with her younger brother because they were stuck at a truck and tractor show that was longer than expected.

All in all the day was a success, and I for one had a great time. I hadn't seen my Dad in almost two years because I was living in Portland, Oregon, and the L.A. area of California, and I was very excited about seeing him and getting to meet Kathy. And the boys were anxious to see their "PaPa," that is Grandpa Lynx.



CHICHESTER UPDATE
Cathy Howeltt

Hope you had a comfortable trip home. We enjoyed your visit, and look forward to your next tour through the area. Johnny's new medication and cortisone injection seem to have his hip on the mend (finally!). We had the first summer squash from the garden tonight, and will have green beans tomorrow - yummy!

Remember the frisky red squirrel we told you about, the one who tore his way into the kitchen through the screens on both of our brand new windows? Well, he made himself even more unpopular by breaking into the sun porch (via the window to the carport ) and heckling Riley; Johnny finally had to dispatch him, before the poor dog forgot there was a door between the two of them. The remaining rodent crew, red squirrels and chipmunks alike, are now wisely observing the Riley-Idi enforced perimeter.

You'll note we have a new email address, cjhowlett@earthlink.net. The minor computer problems we were experiencing during your visit escalated to the point where I couldn't even play a game of solitaire without the system stalling. We asked Sean to make a house call, and he discovered the full range of computer illness nestled in our CPU: spy ware, viruses, worms, Trojan horses, you name it, we had it!

The initial treatment of disconnecting us from the web and installing spy ware killer helped a bit until he returned in a couple days to run Norton Utilities to clean out the rest of the bad stuff, and he hooked us up to Earthlink. Johnny installed a new fire wall and virus defense system, and now, a week later, I finally feel I can contact people without endangering their systems. To you belongs the honor of receiving our first, guaranteed pristine, email. Please pass our new address along via the Muse (I hope we haven't missed another deadline!). We hope you enjoy the rest of the summer, and the next time we go to the Siam Orchid we'll think of you.



WEDDING
Carol Murdock

August 24, Msg 1: Robert and his fiancee Caroline are getting married on September 12, 2004, at 5:00pm in Centennial Park in Coronado. A Reception will follow at Mc P's Irish Bar and Grill. I just wanted to send you the information in advance in case you want to attend. They are late in sending invitations.

August 24, Msg 2: I am glad to hear that you are both well. My mom had cataract surgery and it significantly improved her vision. Hope all goes well for Slim.

Do you think you will be able to attend Robert and Caroline's wedding? They finally decided on a date, and now they are trying to do everything last minute.

Riley is now approx. 4 months old and I am now grandma sitting the three boys while they go to a parenting class and then the movies. Anthony and Dee Roberts sons say hello.zz I guess Ill go for now. Riley's trying to help me type...GGZZ



FISH THEME
Valerie Davidson

July 16: I recently got new glasses, my first pair of "progressives." I don't use them for reading, but I needed them so that I could see the students and still glance down and make little secret marks on my clipboard. My distance vision, once at a 20/375 high, has improved (over many years) in both eyes to 20/70. When I had my eyes tested I asked about the difficulty I had getting my eyes to focus when I wanted to read, after I had watched television, for instance (without needing glasses). I was told that I was making my little eyes work way too hard and that's what the glasses are for [dummy...]. They were right!

I also bought a cheap second pair of single-vision lenses for back-up, so I could drive home, for instance, if I accidentally fell on my glasses and crushed them. Well, I figured they must have used someone else's prescription, because not only could I not see through them, but my eyeballs instantly ached for trying. It turned out that the only reason they were truly worthless to me was because they were cheap plastic lenses. Wow! Penny-wise/pound foolish -- I ended up forking over the big bucks for another pair of the deluxe lenses, and now I have two pairs of glasses and feel very secure.

I think about you two every time I eat rice cakes with tahini butter, and wish we didn't have so many miles between us. (I recently suffered 2 weeks of jet lag and never even left home!) I ran out of quilted wall hangings to place around my home (having hung all my stockpile, I mean), so if you eever want to do another fish one, keep me in mind, Mom. It seems like a theme highly conducive to the medium, and you know how I love my little darlin's.

In fact, anecdotally: I recently realized that one of my 2 large goldfish has developed cataracts or something and can no longer find food. I realized this when I saw her moping sadly at the bottom of the tank while the bigger one nuzzled her and tried to console her, even though he grabs all kinds of food for himself, count on it. The disabled one knows when the food is dropped into the water, and makes a big production of going after it, but in her frustration and splashing about, scatters it hither and thither and gets none of it after all.

Well, it took me two weeks of first trying an alternative kind of food but finding out that it is no longer available, then trying another kind of food and turning the tank murky and messing with the pH, and finally I devised a little feeding device that works perfectly for both fish. I stuck a piece of tall plastic paraphernalia for cleaning the tank in the corner and anchored it with a bungee cord. It has a tube going down to an inverted cup and I can use a funnel to drop floating pellets down the hatch to float in the inverted cup, and my little cuties can stick their snouts up inside and suck down the pellets. They're not the brightest of creatures, so I'm very proud of them for mastering this little process. Now they look fatter than ever.

The whole business brings to mind my semesters at the U of Minn as a behavioral psychology major -- you know, the ones who train pigeons to peck for pellets? This feeder relies on their food-finding instinct because they know instantly when I've put food down the hatch for them, and they don't keep trying to work it once all the pellets are gone. But they tend to poke at it from the outside multiple times before they have the big Aha! The biggest benefit of the feeder, aside of course from the obvious one that the blind fish can now eat, is that goldfish are extremely messy creatures, and this improves their table manners very much. So, a little equal time for the creatures of the deep, since cats get more than their share in our family... :-)

Actually, I do have a lot of free time right now, but now that my jet lag has cleared up, I've read 5 novels/plays (for teaching) and spring-cleaned my home (24 years here next month), and I took a technology class for two weeks. Next week I'll start collaborating with a fellow teacher so we can put our heads together and devise ways to lure students into learning. I'm optimistic, but not cocky, no, sir. Jerod and Larry are both well; and now that I've fed the rosebushes they have rallied and may someday resemble their old selves. (I got that idea from my fishes, who also like to eat.)



HOWLETT REUNION 2004
Bob Murdock

For the second year in a row, John and Cathy Howlett hosted the reunion at their home in Chichester, NH. The weather was perfect. There were 33 attendees, and you can see the list as a
2004 Roster.

Early on, John showed us their totally remodeled kitchen, done to their specifications. Soon he got busy at the grill, where his feature was Ribs! But for vegetarians he also provided delicious veggie burgers and marinated Portabellas.

As usual, there was plenty of good food on hand. I went back to the serving table five or six times.

We were pleased to meet Rennie Leary's friend, Dianna Quimby. They both work at St. John's, a private school in Concord, and she is in charge of security there. Rennie's daughter Shannon has been going to summer school at St. John's.

Over near the grill, Amanda Rogers discovered a small snake, which she proudly held up for everyone to see. "Don't bring it here!" said all the ladies. "Just put it in the garden," said John.

A fireworks exhibition was done by guess who - Sean Howlett. He gave a tutorial to the rapt spectators who went up close to watch, both adults and kids.

Eight members of Cathy's family were there, the same ones as last year. Most of them live in Massachusetts, but Tom Mackesy is in Ringe, NH.



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