Of Manlings

"I'll try to keep this as succinct as possible..."
"......"
"Well that's pretty succinct."
 (Jack O'Neill and John Sheppard, Rising, Stargate Atlantis, first episode)

If you know me at all, you'll know that I am very rarely succinct once you get me started.  Give me your ears, and I'll talk them off if you let me.
  
At least on paper/screen.  

To be honest, I hate talking.  My brain and mouth don't co-exist peacefully in the same body, my brain being faster and much less prone to sipping coffee than my mouth usually is.  I also live in a house full of Men (of varying shapes and sizes), and you'd be surprised at how much they all TALK.  At last count 4 of the 5 talk to think (in other words, they figure it out by letting it stream out of their mouths), while my Eldest Manling and I are both the "think first, talk later" type.  Makes it very hard to get a word in edge-wise around here!

But give me 15 minutes and a notebook, and I'll give you a 6-page paper, bullets and footnotes, etc.  What does this have to do with anything?  Be forewarned--explanations and articles might get long-winded around here!

Who are we?
Me--stay-at-home mom, after a long sojourn as a medical secretary in a nephrology office (look it up...there will be a quiz later!).  I had several work lives before that too but mostly just some part time positions to fill in the gaps around our budget when the boys were very little.  I like scrapbooking, canning, freezer cooking, genealogy, and reading.  I will read ANYTHING, including the back of the cereal box--which was when I stopped eating cereal.  

DH--The Hubby, leadman in his department (one step down from "management", poor soul) at a local company.  He's been on third shift for a thousand years or so.  (Actually he swears it's only been 16 or so.  I'm sure his math is wrong.)  

Manling #1--the Eldest, almost out of my house but not quite, now trying to think for himself (ACK!), first homeschool grad, now working at his job of choice for The Railroad as a mechanic.  The only thing he'd rather be doing more is actually becoming an engineer.  He loves his model trains and science fiction (yes, that's my fault too) and just hanging out with his family.  I am very proud of this young man!

Manling #2--the favored Secondborn, barely-made-it-to-graduation, thinks he knows everything (as I told him, now he must suffer the indignation of realizing he will lose it all by the time he has reached the ripe old age of 25), had to put his plans of full time firefighting on hold due to medical issues, but found employment with the company his dad works for (not ideal, but he's making more than most kids his age!).  This is where most of my white hairs came from.  He does apologize from time to time, but I doubt his sincerity. He is currently dating a lovely young lady who is finishing up her architecture degree.  We like her very much!

Manling #3--my Favorite Child, typical teenage boy, with any luck will live to reach manhood--he's not quite as bad as the Favored Secondborn was at this age, so I keep hope alive.  Has inherited his brother and his great-grandfather's tendency to run into fires. Trying to find his footing on the slippery slope of growing up in a house of Radical Individuals.  Sweet tempered and just a generally lovable young man who makes me crazy when he tries to be something he's not.

Manling #4--the Munchkin.  My oldest sister once told me that this was my punishment for being the child I was; a son just like me.  In a perfect world, my Baby is going to have twin girls some day...just. like. him.  This is my force of nature, a tornado in the package of a small boy.  I'm sure God gave him to me to test my mettle....every single day for the rest of my life.  

We are in the suburbs of the suburbs of a small-ish city in East Central PA.  I deal with living in a development by being the "weird neighbor".  I garden and can and raise bunnies and kids on a tiny little plot of land which is fenced to keep out all the "native wildlife" (ie, the horrid children who live next to and near us).  The Manlings are hoping to zombie-proof the place as thoroughly as possible, in the hopes that Mom won't have to enlist the help of Daryl Dixon when the Apocalypse hits.  (Watch The Walking Dead if you don't know.)  

Yes, I'm kidding...sort of.  We do some emergency prep too, but more due to DH's medical issues and repeat hospitalizations than in anticipation of zombies.

As I said, trouble being succinct.  Pour some coffee, pull up a chair, and I hope you enjoy getting to know us!

(Nephrology--study of the kidney)   

           

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