Am I this annoying in real life? This pompous and over-bearing? Probably more so, just ask my kids. I was accused yesterday of bugging the crap out of one of them, but also he can never say that I gave up on him, because I know that I never will do so. He just doesn’t realize it yet.

I’m so much a part of the nerd herd that I was listening to a podcast this morning while I worked outside in the garden, reaching into my grubby pocket for the index card I keep there, and I was taking muddy notes about what I was listening to at the moment. I can hear my 39 children groaning in unison right now.

In 1757 Benjamin Franklin wrote astute words of clear wisdom in Poor Richard’s Almanac that are never as true as they are right now. I was listening to those words and nodding my head in agreement, sweat flying everywhere as we’re expecting our second day of 105 degree temps. By 10:30 this morning I’d weeded and picked my lunch as opposed to yesterday when I apparently wasn’t smart enough to do so until noon, resulting in a fried salad, fresh and organic though.

“They that will not be counseled cannot be helped.”

350 years later I’m going, “Duh. No kidding?” The Bible states there is wisdom in counsel yet I was told by an unemployed young’un, “this isn’t the sixties anymore, Mom.” Oh, yeah, that makes sense.

Another unemployed one told me that there’s no work in August, to which I’m still befuddled as I swear I saw a ton of people going to work this morning all over town. Do they think I’m stupid or what? I’ve figured out a way, no I planned a way to retire at age 48 and to raise 39 children, putting as many as possible through college.

My blogs, ostensibly about the adoption of older children, may seem all over the place, wide open and opinionated, but when one is raising this many children with this many challenges, each hour brings an inordinate amount of things to consider resulting in a rather varied subject expanse.

My emails tell me I’m hitting nerves, the parents agreeing like crazy, shaking their heads in bewilderment over all our shared experiences. I’ve gleaned a great deal of information from what people have shared with me.

I’ll close with a thought I’ve often expressed to my children: “What? No one gave you any opportunities? Then create your opportunities.”