"Im in the Circle of Trust"
from: LOST
season 5
from: LOST
season 5
Times are tough!!
Boy dont I know it.
But I thought I'd throw this out to you anyway.
Maybe I can catch ya at a good moment, or during a generous ???, or philanthropic ????
Just know that Zion National Park is always looking for love, help and support. (who isnt right?)
The love is easy.
So easy.
Visit once and you'll be in love.
Help and support sometimes doesnt come as easily.
Now that I've been 'elected' to be on the ZNHA board for the Park-my eyes have been opened.
Zion Park needs help.
All national parks need help. The government cant fund them all at a level that is necessary to keep parks operating as they should. Not all needs can be met with the budget the government sets.
Thus most all national parks have an Association; formed to promote, educate and fund raise for their park.
So we have Z.N.H.A.
ZION
NATURAL
HISTORY
ASSOCIATION
You can become a member!!
You can feel warm and fuzzy for doing so.
There are different levels of commitment.
There are varied 'perks' for doing so.
There are discounts at the store, on oline and for informative workshops.
There are pins and bags and books and the BEAUTIFUL publication of the Sojourn magazine!!
What will your money help to do you ask??
You know that lovely newspaper with a guide and map that you receive when you enter the park? We do that!!!
There's the Junior Ranger Program and the Field Institute. We do that too!!! Last year we renovated the pioneer home at the Grotto for an 'Artist in Residence' program. We help and support Pipe Springs and Cedar Breaks too!!! There's the satisfaction of helping out the Big Horn sheep herd in the Park for a small donation. And there's so much more!!!
If you're interested and want to learn more...please go here and see what else your valuable contribution can do!! Or go here and sign up!! You wont be sorry!!!
Tell 'em Cindy sent you!!!
FRUITS OF WINTER'S LABOR
You know that place; where there
is just you alone- and maybe God,
if you believe in Him. Of course,
God might be there even if you dont
believe in Him. That would be just
like Him. He hasnt been called the
Grand Interferer for nothing.
from: The Shack
by: Paul Young
is just you alone- and maybe God,
if you believe in Him. Of course,
God might be there even if you dont
believe in Him. That would be just
like Him. He hasnt been called the
Grand Interferer for nothing.
from: The Shack
by: Paul Young
HOW ABOUT A BOOK FEATURE?
It was no time for good men to
be lying about, after all. Not
with black retrievers to retrieve
and black-hearted Nazis and evil
pirates lurking about.
from:Nick of Time
by: Ted Bell
be lying about, after all. Not
with black retrievers to retrieve
and black-hearted Nazis and evil
pirates lurking about.
from:Nick of Time
by: Ted Bell
dont you just LOVE this cover!!!Nike of Time
by Ted Bell
Believe it or not, wildly passionate Glenn Beck turned me on to this rollicking sea-fairing adventure !!!
Glenn is into hero worship;REAL hero worship, not cracked out sport figures or twisted politician worship.
This is a book written for the youth of the world. But I, a certified adult, was thoroughly swept away by its adventure too!! It's a page turner. There are pirates, high seas, time travel and sea fairing battles galore. There is a bit of history and evil Nazi's, submarines and frigates too; all weaved into a story of courage, integrity and honor!! We dont find this combination of good verses evil as readily as we used to.
I can hardly wait until the grandbaby boys (and girls) are old enough to have me read them this as we cuddle on the couch together!!
I think I'm now going to try a Ted Bell spy thriller- for grown-ups next!!
Go ahead and give Nick of Time a try!! Slipping back to childhood (young adulthood) isnt a bad thing!!! And its FUN!!!
SMILE FOR THE DAY
I use the word "fat." I use that word because that's what people are: they're fat.
They're not bulky; they're not large, chunky, hefty or plump. And they're not
big-boned. Dinosaurs were big-boned. These people are not overweight:
this term somehow implies there is some correct weight. There is no correct
weight. Heavy is also a misleading term. An aircraft carrier is heavy; it's not fat.
Only people are fat, and that's what fat people are! They're fat!
~George Carlin
Sigmund Freud was quoted as saying,
"When making a decision of minor
importance, I have always found it
advantageous to consider all the pros
and cons. In vital matters, however,
such as the choice of a mate or a
profession, the decision should come
from the unconscious, from somewhere
within ourselves. In the important
decisions of personal life, we should be
governed, I think, by the deep inner
needs of our nature."
from: Blink
by: Malcolm Gladwell
"When making a decision of minor
importance, I have always found it
advantageous to consider all the pros
and cons. In vital matters, however,
such as the choice of a mate or a
profession, the decision should come
from the unconscious, from somewhere
within ourselves. In the important
decisions of personal life, we should be
governed, I think, by the deep inner
needs of our nature."
from: Blink
by: Malcolm Gladwell
Its strange.
I find myself in a spot that I wouldn't have imagined a year ago.
(Remember not too ago I mentioned some of my inner disquiet?)
Well, I've decided to make a change.
It hasn't been an easy decision to make. (I suppose change never is)
But it's something that has been percolating for a while now.
As you are well aware by now, I've been so blessed to tread the beautiful trails of So. Utah for a local spa and resort for many years now. (6 to be exact) During this time hundreds of guests have come and gone and many choose to return for more. Many wonderful guides have also come and gone. Im the old timer at the Ridge. There are few guides left that have been hiking for the Ridge as long as I. Due to the marvelous Paige (our boss) who has whipped us into shape, we have had the finest batch of guide ever to grace the trails.
I have be WELL treated.
There just hasn't been a down side-ever-until recently.
But it has now become obvious that a 'switch' needs to be made in order for me to be happy and content and for me to be true to my instincts.
Its been an amazing progression to watch the success and growth that the Ridge has been experiencing in the last 6 yrs. But such growth brings many changes. MAJOR changes!!!
Priorities change-both for the establishment and for this ole hiking guide.
BIGGEST LOSSER (the nbc tv show) is steppin in at Fitness Ridge!! Come Oct 6th, we will become 'attached' to the show and be promoted by it with commercials and media spreads.
And obviously with this new development, there will be CRAZY expansion and growth. Suddenly I find myself out of my league and comfort zone. Such growth and stardom doesn't appeal to me in the least.
So it seems that my trails are no longer their 'trails.' Im changing trajectory and feeling so VERY blessed that I can and that I have choices.
I leave F.R. with the deepest feelings of gratitude. I leave the company of the greatest bunch of guides and the amazing, wise Program Director who I have grown to love and admire. Im grateful to the owners who gave this ole grandma a chance many years ago to do something different and daring, and who were always so kind and supportive of me.
Again, you can probably well imagine how hard a decision this was for me.... But...now that the decision has been made, I am at peace. I know I'll be happier in a 'smaller pond.'
Im looking forward to once again being a part of a young, new venture with a brand new gig in town!!!
So stay tuned for the continued adventures of my gathering coral dust between my toes!!!
Symbiotic Relations In the Desert
There is no more lovely, friendly and
charming relationship, communion or
company than a good marriage.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
charming relationship, communion or
company than a good marriage.
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Now that Im finally back to hiking in complete comfort,with my beloved Keens snugly strapped to my feet....(oh how I missed them while they lay on the mud room floor in Salt Lake for a week!!)I am once again completely enjoying plowing through our red sandy washes.
When my piggies are happy, Im free to enjoy the scenery again. Instead of worrying so much about all the sand that can and does accumulate in regular hiking shoes, I can kick the sand free with one quick wiggle and move on to answering some of the more fascinating questions that fellow hikers ask.
One common inquiry we hear, "What's that green stuff on the rocks?" And before I even look in the direction they are pointing, I know exactly what they are referring to.
What they are seeing is our beautiful crustose or fruticose lichens which grow so well in this area. Not only do these lichen come in a wide variety of greens, but lichen can also be oranges and yellows and tans.
I've learned that a lichen is not a single plant or life form, but a union between a fungus and an algae, or an occasional bacteria. The fungus aspect of the 'plant' give it its shape and helps it reproduce. And at the risk of getting a little technical, the fungus doesnt have chlorophyll, so it cant 'eat,' so the algae feeds
it through photosynthesis. (I remember that word from high school!!) The fungus finds and stores water and food for the algae. The algae processes sunlight for the both of them. The two inhabit a tiny world made better because they have each other!! Together these two can survive almost anything. It survives and thrives in the HOT, dry, and barren places that no other life might be found. The pretty lichen we have around here grow on hot rocks of all places. And while they reside on a rock they work hard at breaking down their home, and gradually turn the into....sand!! The sand I gather between my toes!! Of course this doesnt happen overnight. It takes eons of time for even a little soil to form around a lichen. And when the timing is right and the circumstance are perfect, maybe a small flower will grow there in that shared speck of soil.
Doesnt the desert look just a little bit different to you now? I know I appreciate this beautiful little organism so much more than before!!
And arent you inspired to make your little bitty corner of the world a little more comforting and inviting for the good life!!??
thanks Sojourns for this fun information!!
The reason death sticks so closely to life isn't
biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful
that death has fallen in love with it; a jealous,
possessive love that grabs at what it can. But
life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a
thing or two of no importance, and gloom is
the passing shadow of a cloud.
from: Life of Pi
by: Yann Martell
biological necessity- its envy. Life is so beautiful
that death has fallen in love with it; a jealous,
possessive love that grabs at what it can. But
life leaps over oblivion lightly, losing only a
thing or two of no importance, and gloom is
the passing shadow of a cloud.
from: Life of Pi
by: Yann Martell
About that coral dust i collect between my toes....
(it gathers there whether i wear my favorite hiking sandles or whether i hike in shoes)
i guess it could be argued that it really isnt dust.
i suppose that a vast majority of it is indeed just plain ol glorious red sand. Sand that has been eroding away from the magnificent red rocks through all generations of time.
But there is dust too!!!
Today, i have learned from the newest edition of the SOJOURN magazine, that our 'dust' can come from the most unlikely places.
Did you know....
"The earth is still gathering more than a hundred tons of space dust every day-to the delight of scientists. Each speck, broken from an asteroid or shed by a comet, might hold a hundred thousand smaller specks. And among those sub-specks are the diamonds and sapphires, the inky-black carbon and rich organic molecules that date to the days of our planet's creation-and even earlier....Even the manner in which the tiniest grains cling together holds clues about how the dust grew as the Sun and planet took shape. Since every atom in our bodies came from inside of stars, explains astrophysicist Don Brownlee, by studying these interstellar dust particles, we can learn about our cosmic roots....."
Happily scientists receive a steady supply of clues. The earth grows fatter every day, snowed under by a continuous microscopic flurry of space specks. Rare as they are, on average, every square yard of the planet should nonetheless receive one speck each day.
Statistically, its a good bet that there's a fresh piece of space dust on the hood of your car daily-and a dozen fresh specks on your roof. Lie on your lawn for a day and you stand a shot at being pelted by a glassy mini-marble or a delicate crumb of comet dust.
"They're everywhere, " Brownlee says. " You eat them all the time. Any carpet would have'em. "
(Exerted from the The Secret Life of Dust by Hannah Holmes)
Space dust, coral dust, sand....its all GOOD!!!
im just so grateful that i can be out 'gathering' whenever i choose!!!
(image from deviantart.com)
Friends In the "Subway"
To enter wilderness is to court risk, and
risk favors the senses, enabling one to live
well. The landscapes we know and return to
become places of solace. We are drawn to
them because of the stories they tell,
because of the memories they hold, or simply
because of the sheer beauty that calls us
back again and again.
from: Refuge
by: Terry Tempst Williams
The Subway hike’s scenery combines the mountains of
California’s Yosemite National Park with the series of smooth mini
waterfalls seen in Guatemala’s Semuc Champey and adds the Utah
twist of slot canyons, wavy layered sandstone landscape, and the sandy
desert environment. It requires a permit, basic repelling equipment,
and wetsuits are recommended. It can be accomplished by mildly
experienced climbers or even beginners with experienced climbers. It is
an all day hike requiring about seven hours. Just remember, you and
everything you take will get soaked!
The hike begins with a gradual descent through scenery of
large grey cliffs and sandstone hills. Although this is a less popular
portion of the hike, the views of these diverse mountains create
amazing contrasts that are certainly picture worthy. As the hike
progresses, you suddenly find yourself in a slowly narrowing slot
canyon. There is no wonder where the name “The Subway” comes
from; throughout the canyon, the cliffs on the canyon’s sides drop
vertically until rounding outward giving the feeling of hiking through an underground cave or a natural
subway track. The cool water that flows down the center constitutes the train and you as the passenge walking/swimming down. No words can describe how astonishing these rock formations really are. The water is slow and safe, but cold enough to make you shiver if you stay in too long. All the while, one can look up to see green trees and mountains towering above. At times, ropes are required and harnesses are strongly recommended to work down some of the steeper areas which
include small cliffs and even waterfalls. A famous obstacle is “The Bowling Ball” which is a spherical rock stuck between the narrowing of two slot cliffs which forces
hikers to either hold their breath and swim under it, or use their strength to
climb over it. Either way, given the environment and circumstances, it feels
like living an Indiana Jones movie (only the large round rock doesn’t chase
you down the canyon).
Just when you think this hike can’t get more diverse and interesting,
it does! Now comes the Semuc Champey‐like portion of the trail. It is
composed of a series of small waterfalls, streams, and pools that trickle into
each other. And it doesn’t stop there; you can find mossy patches on
the waterfalls and slide down them! Don’t be a wuss, you gotta do it!
It’ll be the slimiest, slickest natural
waterslide you ever ride.
California’s Yosemite National Park with the series of smooth mini
waterfalls seen in Guatemala’s Semuc Champey and adds the Utah
twist of slot canyons, wavy layered sandstone landscape, and the sandy
desert environment. It requires a permit, basic repelling equipment,
and wetsuits are recommended. It can be accomplished by mildly
experienced climbers or even beginners with experienced climbers. It is
an all day hike requiring about seven hours. Just remember, you and
everything you take will get soaked!
The hike begins with a gradual descent through scenery of
large grey cliffs and sandstone hills. Although this is a less popular
portion of the hike, the views of these diverse mountains create
amazing contrasts that are certainly picture worthy. As the hike
progresses, you suddenly find yourself in a slowly narrowing slot
canyon. There is no wonder where the name “The Subway” comes
from; throughout the canyon, the cliffs on the canyon’s sides drop
vertically until rounding outward giving the feeling of hiking through an underground cave or a natural
subway track. The cool water that flows down the center constitutes the train and you as the passenge walking/swimming down. No words can describe how astonishing these rock formations really are. The water is slow and safe, but cold enough to make you shiver if you stay in too long. All the while, one can look up to see green trees and mountains towering above. At times, ropes are required and harnesses are strongly recommended to work down some of the steeper areas which
include small cliffs and even waterfalls. A famous obstacle is “The Bowling Ball” which is a spherical rock stuck between the narrowing of two slot cliffs which forces
hikers to either hold their breath and swim under it, or use their strength to
climb over it. Either way, given the environment and circumstances, it feels
like living an Indiana Jones movie (only the large round rock doesn’t chase
you down the canyon).
Just when you think this hike can’t get more diverse and interesting,
it does! Now comes the Semuc Champey‐like portion of the trail. It is
composed of a series of small waterfalls, streams, and pools that trickle into
each other. And it doesn’t stop there; you can find mossy patches on
the waterfalls and slide down them! Don’t be a wuss, you gotta do it!
It’ll be the slimiest, slickest natural
waterslide you ever ride.
At this point, the slot canyon begins to widen and you find yourself following a river between two very large cliffs. For the next couple hours, trails lead through
boulders, trees, and bushes alongside the river. This may get a little
repetitive but fear not, for yet another unique feature is thrown in just
before the end of the hike: dinosaur tracks. Yep, that’s right. A couple
very large rock slabs completely covered in dinosaur tracks that are
just as well preserved as ones you pay to see in St. George. They are on
the right side of the river and can easily be missed without marking
them on a GPS system. To end the hike, several rock pile markers
indicate where to follow a trail up and out of the canyon. This is
probably the most difficult part of the hike, but just remember that
you’re done once you reach the top. This is a beautiful hike that will require some planning and experience to accomplish, but it is well worth all the time and
effort. People do large hikes just to observe one of the many
features this hike has to offer. Enjoy!
by-Creighton Petty
boulders, trees, and bushes alongside the river. This may get a little
repetitive but fear not, for yet another unique feature is thrown in just
before the end of the hike: dinosaur tracks. Yep, that’s right. A couple
very large rock slabs completely covered in dinosaur tracks that are
just as well preserved as ones you pay to see in St. George. They are on
the right side of the river and can easily be missed without marking
them on a GPS system. To end the hike, several rock pile markers
indicate where to follow a trail up and out of the canyon. This is
probably the most difficult part of the hike, but just remember that
you’re done once you reach the top. This is a beautiful hike that will require some planning and experience to accomplish, but it is well worth all the time and
effort. People do large hikes just to observe one of the many
features this hike has to offer. Enjoy!
by-Creighton Petty
"And how are you?" said Winnie the Pooh.
Eeyore shook his head from side to side.
"Not very how," he said. "I dont seem to
have felt at all how for a long time."
"Dear, dear," said Pooh, "Im sorry about
that. Lets have a look at you."
from: Winnie the Pooh
by: A.A. Milne
Eeyore shook his head from side to side.
"Not very how," he said. "I dont seem to
have felt at all how for a long time."
"Dear, dear," said Pooh, "Im sorry about
that. Lets have a look at you."
from: Winnie the Pooh
by: A.A. Milne
I realize Im a freak of nature.
I realize Im outspoken and 'gifted' in my ability to gauge temperature shifts, especially when the shift is heading downward!!
I realize that Im hypersensitive.
And I realize that denial only works for so long.
The signs are rack'in up against me!!!
Hiking with my jacket on this morning isnt a good sign!!!
Hearing the wind whisper through the pinon pines in an achingly lonesome tone isnt a good sign!!
Seeing the Christmas decorations out in the isles of dept. stores isnt a good sign!!
Watching our grass start thinking about going dormant isnt a good sign!!!
Football on tv and at the local high schools isnt a good sign!!
But the last straw came last night. The thing that broke this ole warm-blooded camels' back.....???
Spotting the definitive V formation of a dozen or more Canada geese winging their way south!!!
How dare they leave!!!
How dare they give up on summer!!!
I realize winter is just around the corner.
DRAT!!!!
(image from flickr.com)
Like the pine trees lining the winding road
I've got a name
I've got a name
like the singing bird and the croaking toad
I've got a name
I've got a name
by:Jim Croce
I've got a name
I've got a name
like the singing bird and the croaking toad
I've got a name
I've got a name
by:Jim Croce
Im not sure why blogging leads to the spilling forth of ones inner-most twisted, repressed thoughts and confessions-really I dont. But sometimes I find it irresistible to open the floodgates and let the frightening, egotistical thoughts rush out.
I suppose its cheap therapy.
It has the most bang for the buck.
So....
ready or not, here is yet another glimpse into the recesses of my strange mind.
My sweet Builder resisted the idea of being thought of as a grandpa. He didnt relish the 'title' of grandpa. It really had nothing to do with the 'name' grandpa, but just being old enough to BE a grandpa. But be reassured and know that he has fully recovered from this blow to his ego. He LOVES being PopPa!! Loves it!!! And now that L has named him thus, he will forever go down in history as PopPa!! For all generations of time!!
'L's' grandparents on his maternal side also have lovely, endearing names. There is Granny, and Nana and PopPa.
All these familial names are now said with complete clarity and distinction too!!
He can call Brian to attention when he says, "hey Bri!!" and Anna is an easy name for him as well. He joyfully greets his aunt and uncle with a salutation that goes like this, "Hey Joe, Hey Nat!!!"
And so....who am I you might inquire? (Thankfully I do know my rightful place in the universe, which of course is critically important to know.)
But Im still left with the echoing question of my name to be known by to all the blessed grandchildren that will come our way??
My beloved 'L,' has been not so affectionately naming me "Hey!!!" or 'Hey you."
So will you now empathize with silly little me for my lack of an official name?!??! Can you see how I've been rejected and neglected by a two year old!!!?? Dont you agree that I've needed a real name? (cause it is all about me ya know.) I've been grumbling under my breath, I've cried in my pillow at night-sort of, and have been shouting quietly to the cosmos that I didnt have a name. I tried bribing him with sweets, and all other brainwashing tactics I knew. I tried reverse physiology, and indifference. All to no avail. I seemed destined to always be called, "hey you."
Nobody knew the hurt I knew.
tehetehe
Oh the rejection I felt.
(silly ego)
But now I'll have you know that Heavens does listen!!
(heaven always does, one way or another.)
The very day that L's little sister arrived, I received my name!!!
I am now happily, gleefully, joyfully answering to the name of MeME!!!
I will now go down in the annuals of Grandmadom as MeMe!!
I've got a name!!!!
Prayers have been answered.
Sweet!!!
...be gentle with yourself. You are a
child of the universe no less than the
trees and the stars; you have a right
to be here. And whether or not it is
clear to you, no doubt the universe is
unfolding as it should. Therefore be at
peace with God...and whatever your labors
and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of
life, keep peace in your soul. With all
its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it
is still a beautiful world. Lift up your
hearts- be not afraid!!
by: Max Ehrmann
child of the universe no less than the
trees and the stars; you have a right
to be here. And whether or not it is
clear to you, no doubt the universe is
unfolding as it should. Therefore be at
peace with God...and whatever your labors
and aspirations, in the noisy confusion of
life, keep peace in your soul. With all
its sham, drudgery, and broken dreams, it
is still a beautiful world. Lift up your
hearts- be not afraid!!
by: Max Ehrmann
FAVORITE THINGS OF SUMMER
"Not so much wonderful as perfect," she replied,
"kind of flawless. More or less magnificent.
Without blemish. Rather on the ideal side."
from: Princess Bride
by: William Goldman
"kind of flawless. More or less magnificent.
Without blemish. Rather on the ideal side."
from: Princess Bride
by: William Goldman
There is a slight hint of fall in the air lately.
But I plan on living in a happy state of denial for a long as possible.
So I made of list.
A list of a few more things I love about summer.
Feel free to join me in creating any sort of cosmic appeal in hopes of slowing down the onslaught of winter.
Here it goes.
1. the smell of suntan lotion
2. listening to frogs ribbit
3. sleeping with the windows open (when its not too hot)
4. peaches and vanilla ice cream
5. farmers markets
6. apricots
7. its NOT winter!!
8. bare toes at all times
9. bare legs
10. long days full of warmth and sunshine
11. thunder and lightening storms
12. road trips with the windows down
13. 'L' slurp'in on otter pops
photo from nobiggie
....love is a great beautifier.
from: Little Women
by: Louisa May Alcot
from: Little Women
by: Louisa May Alcot
Olive Lillie Stephenson has arrived!!
She punched in at 5:o5 this evening!!
She came into the world at a VERY respectable weight of 8lbs 9oz!!
And at the lithe length of 20 1/2 inches long!!
We all think she's the spitt'in image of her big brother.
She has the same dimpled chin and button nose- ie: a face of an angel!!!
She has rose petal lips and that glorious smell of heaven about her!!
Mother and daughter and dazed dad are all doing well!!
We are all so grateful for Olive and her good health and beautiful frame!!
We are thanking heaven above once again for so many rich blessing!!!
KNIT TOGETHER
Every child begins the world again.
Henry David Thoreau
Henry David Thoreau
A baby girl is arriving on the scene tomorrow.
Our arms are anxious to snuggle and hug.
I attempted to wax poetic,reflective and profoundly on new life, parenthood and grandparenthood. ya da yada yada
But its not working.
My emotions and my writing synapses are all tangled up in a wad of pink and blue, robust and thin strands of yarn mush. Im all warm and fuzzy, but completely discombobulated!!! There is potential for a beautiful work of 'art' laying just under my emotional, philosophical surface...but for now, sufficeth it to say...
Im just full of joy and gratitude.
The continuation of an eternal family is a remarkable, blessed thing. To watch your children become good, even amazing parents is the ultimate high; the ultimate creation of that which is good and dearly needed in the world today. Kids weaving and knitting together families of their own is a glorious thing indeed. Each family is unique, and that is the joy of it all.
Knowing that this sweet little girl who is arriving so soon from the heights of heaven, will be taught the comforting, directing principles of the gospel of our Savior, and knowing from experience how much this light and knowledge brings a person, makes ALL THE DIFFERENCE!!
It makes all the difference in how I view the birth of another bright soul like our new granddaughter, in to this 'light' starved world. Being knit together as one is strengthening and comforting to all that embrace the joyful message of the Gospel.
I feel sure that our new little angel girl will be a bright spot for all the world to see!!!
I can hardly wait to meet her tomorrow!!!
SUNDAY MUSINGS
Be still my soul: The Lord is on thy side;
With patience bear thy cross of grief or pain.
Leave to thy God to order and provide;
In every change he faithful will remain.
Be still my soul: Thy best, thy heavenly Friend
Thru thorny ways leads to a joyful end.
Be still my soul: Thy God doth undertake
to guide the future as he has the past.
Thy hope, thy confidence let nothing shake;
All now mysterious shall be bright at last.
Be still my soul: The waves and winds still know
His voice who ruled them while he dwelt below.
Be still my soul: Thy hour is hastening on
When we shall be forever with the Lord,
When disappointment, grief, and fear are gone,
Sorrow forgot, love's purest joys restored.
Be still my soul; When change and tears are past,
All safe and blessed we shall meet at last.
text: Katharina von Schegel music: Jean Sibelius
HIKING WITH MY PEEPOS!!
Its strange how deserts turn us into believers.
I believe in walking in a landscape of mirages,
because you learn humility. I believe in living
in a land of little water because life is
drawn together.
from: Refuge
by: Terry Tempst Williams
I believe in walking in a landscape of mirages,
because you learn humility. I believe in living
in a land of little water because life is
drawn together.
from: Refuge
by: Terry Tempst Williams
I have a confession...
Im not sure I ever saw this day coming...
This morning-before the sun even began to peek its bright, smiling self over the edges of the red rock....And realizing that it is a Saturday....
Plus know that the time clock at his 'real job' wasnt calling his name until well after lunch time...
And knowing that staying home with his lovely wife and warm bed is the normal pattern for this child of mine...
I kinda had low expectations.
But low and behold!!!I found myself meeting up with Joe for an early morning hike!!!
And to make the whole experience ever BETTER...Logan joined us too!!!
Joe strapped on on the handest, dandiest, new fangled baby back-pack there is, and off we went.It was a delightful couple of hours.
Who knows, I may be well on my way now to converting my 2nd born to the joy of hiking!!
And I think it may be even easier to imprint the desert glories on sweet Logan!!!
Watch out Joe, gathering coral dust between your toes is addicting!!!
(early morning hiking is an adjustment for one and all!!)Vanity working on a weak head,
produces every sort of mischief.
from: Emma
by: Jane Austen
produces every sort of mischief.
from: Emma
by: Jane Austen
I actually have one up on Martha Stewart!!
How 'bout that??!!
Recently she suggested this helpful hint for pampering your feet.
Well I'll have you know, due to my extreme foot fetish, I have been snipping the toes off old cotton socks for years now. I have found no better way than this to keep lotions and creams on my heels, especially while sleeping!
Try it, you'll like it!!!
image from no biggie
TIME TRAVELERS WIFE
I tried reading this book 2-3 times. Grrrr...just couldnt make it work in my mind.
But Im pleased to say that I think it made a very entertaining movie.
Just be warned...the nature of time travel leaves one glaringly naked!! Which results in a few bare bum scenes.
This movie prompts one to run home and kiss your hubby and to tell your kids how wonderful they are!! A movie that does that can be bad!!??
(thanks Scott, for the recommend)
By the way...anyone know when the NEXT Star Trek movie is coming out??
I fear it may be a long wait. Sigh
White Tenny Runners and True Love!!!!
I dont know these adorable people. Oh but I wish I did!!I guess they are as close to being celebrities in the blog world and in the wedding blog world as one can become though. I surfed one day and found them and fell in love.
You know by now that anything with a dancing theme will catch my attention.
And great weddings should have dancing!!
Who knew a choreographer should be added to the wedding expenses? I think you'll agree that it was well worth it in this case!!!
If I had a 'do-over' button, that is the one thing I would do differently at our wedding those many eons ago.
DANCE, DANCE, DANCE!! (truthfully there are several things I might have done differently....had I known better.)
So click here, sit back and enjoy!!
(be sure to click on all three thumbnails to enjoy all aspects of the wedding!!)
Also, you may enjoy this blog where you'll find fun pictures of couples and their marriage advice. Its a sweet site.
WAKE UP AMERICA WEDNESDAY!!!
Take the three minutes to read this.
Maybe he is wrong.
What if he is right?
David Kaiser is a respected historian whose published works have covered a broad range of topics, from European Warfare to American League Baseball. Born in 1947, the son of a diplomat, Kaiser spent his childhood in three capital cities: Washington D.C. , Albany , New York , and Dakar , Senegal . He attended Harvard University , graduating there in 1969 with a B.A. in history. He then spent several years more at Harvard, gaining a PhD in history, which he obtained in 1976. He served in the Army Reserve from 1970 to 1976.
He is a professor in the Strategy and Policy Department of the United States Naval War College. He has previously taught at Carnegie Mellon, Williams College and Harvard University . Kaiser's latest book, The Road to Dallas, about the Kennedy assassination, was just published by Harvard University Press.
Dr. David Kaiser
History Unfolding
I am a student of history. Professionally, I have written 15 books on history that have been published in six languages, and I have studied history all my life. I have come to think there is something monumentally large afoot, and I do not believe it is simply a banking crisis, or a mortgage crisis, or a credit crisis. Yes these exist, but they are merely single facets on a very large gemstone that is only now coming into a sharper focus.
Something of historic proportions is happening. I can sense it because I know how it feels, smells, what it looks like, and how people react to it. Yes, a perfect storm may be brewing, but there is something happening within our country that has been evolving for about ten to fifteen years. The pace has dramatically quickened in the past two.
We demand and then codify into law therequirement that our banks make massive loans to
people we know they can never pay back? Why?
We learned just days ago that the Federal Reserve, which has little or no real oversight by anyone, has "loaned" two trillion dollars (that is $2,000,000,000,000) over the past few months, but will not tell us to whom or why or disclose the terms. That is our money. Yours and mine. And that is three times the $700 billion we all argued about so strenuously just this past September. Who has this money? Why do they have it? Why are the terms unavailable to us? Who asked for it? Who authorized it? I thought this was a government of "we the people," who loaned our powers to our elected leaders. Apparently not.
We have spent two or more decades intentionally de-industrializing our economy.. Why?
We have intentionally dumbed down our schools, ignored our history, and no longer teach our founding documents, why we are exceptional, and why we are worth preserving. Students by and large cannot write, think critically, read, or articulate. Parents are not revolting, teachers are not picketing, school boards continue to back mediocrity.. Why?
We have now established the precedent of protesting every close election (violently in California over a proposition that is so controversial that it simply wants marriage to remain defined as between one man and one woman. Did you ever think such a thing possible just a decade ago?) We have corrupted our sacred political process by allowing unelected judges to write laws that radically change our way of life, and then mainstream Marxist groups like ACORN and others to turn our voting system into a banana republic. To what purpose?
Now our mortgage industry is collapsing, housing prices are in free fall, major industries are failing, our banking system is on the verge of collapse, social security is nearly bankrupt, as is Medicare and our entire government. Our education system is worse than a joke (I teach college and I know precisely what I am talking about) - the list is staggering in its length, breadth, and depth. It is potentially 1929 x ten...and we are at war with an enemy we cannot even name for fear of offending people of the same religion, who, in turn, cannot wait to slit the throats of your children if they have the opportunity to do so.
And finally, we have elected a man that no one really knows anything about, who has never run so much as a Dairy Queen, let alone a town as big as Wasilla , Alaska . All of his associations and alliances are with real radicals in their chosen fields of employment, and everything we learn about him, drip by drip, is unsettling if not downright scary (Surely you have heard him speak about his idea to create and fund a mandatory civilian defense force stronger than our military for use inside our borders? No? Oh, of course. The media would never play that for you over and over and then demand he answer it. Sarah Palin's pregnant daughter and $150,000 wardrobe are more important.)
Mr. Obama's winning platform can be boiled down to one word: Change. Why?
I have never been so afraid for my country and for my children as I am now.
This man campaigned on bringing people together, something he has never, ever done in his professional life. In my assessment, Obama will divide us along philosophical lines, push us apart, and then try to realign the pieces into a new and different power structure. Change is indeed coming. And when it comes, you will never see the same nation again
And that is only the beginning..
As a serious student of history, I thought I would never come to experience what the ordinary, moral German must have felt in the mid-1930s. In those times, the "savior" was a former smooth-talking rabble-rouser from the streets, about whom the average German knew next to nothing. What they should have known was that he was associated with groups that shouted, shoved, and pushed around people with whom they disagreed; he edged his way onto the political stage through great oratory. Conservative "losers" read it right now.
And there were the promises. Economic times were tough, people were losing jobs, and he was a great speaker. And he smiled and frowned and waved a lot. And people, even newspapers, were afraid to speak out for fear that his "brown shirts" would bully and beat them into submission. Which they did - regularly. And then, he was duly elected to office, while a full-throttled economic crisis bloomed at hand - the Great Depression. Slowly, but surely he seized the controls of government power, person by person, department by department, bureaucracy by bureaucracy. The children of German citizens were at first, encouraged to join a Youth Movement in his name where they were taught exactly what to think. Later, they were required to do so. No Jews of course,
How did he get people on his side? He did it by promising jobs to the jobless, money to the money-less, and rewards for the military-industrial complex. He did it by indoctrinating the children, advocating gun control, health care for all, better wages, better jobs, and promising to re-instill pride once again in the country, across Europe , and across the world. He did it with a compliant media - did you know that? And he did this all in the name of justice and .... . .. change. And the people surely got what they voted for.
If you think I am exaggerating, look it up. It's all there in the history books.
So read your history books. Many people of conscience objected in 1933 and were shouted down, called names, laughed at, and ridiculed. When Winston Churchill pointed out the obvious in the late 1930s while seated in the House of Lords in England (he was not yet Prime Minister), he was booed into his seat and called a crazy troublemaker. He was right, though. And the world came to regret that he was not listened to.
Do not forget that Germany was the most educated, the most cultured country in Europe . It was full of music, art, museums, hospitals, laboratories, and universities. And yet, in less than six years (a shorter time span than just two terms of the U. S. presidency) it was rounding up its own citizens, killing others, abrogating its laws, turning children against parents, and neighbors against neighbors.. All with the best of intentions, of course. The road to Hell is paved with them.
As a practical thinker, one not overly prone to emotional decisions, I have a choice: I can either believe what the objective pieces of evidence tell me (even if they make me cringe with disgust); I can believe what history is shouting to me from across the chasm of seven decades; or I can hope I am wrong by closing my eyes, having another latte, and ignoring what is transpiring around me..
I choose to believe the evidence. No doubt some people will scoff at me, others laugh, or think I am foolish, naive, or both. To some degree, perhaps I am. But I have never been afraid to look people in the eye and tell them exactly what I believe-and why I believe it.
I pray I am wrong. I do not think I am. Perhaps the only hope is our vote in the next elections.
David Kaiser
Jamestown , Rhode Island
United States
thanks dad!!!
D'you call life a bad job? Never!! We've
had our ups and downs, we've had our
struggles, we've always been poor, but
its been worth it, ay, worth it a hundred
times I say when I look round at my children.
from: Of Human Bondage
by: Somerset Maugham
had our ups and downs, we've had our
struggles, we've always been poor, but
its been worth it, ay, worth it a hundred
times I say when I look round at my children.
from: Of Human Bondage
by: Somerset Maugham
Its suddenly occurred to me that I haven't made the "official" joyous announcement
that Joe and Natalie are going to have another baby!!!
YaHOOOOOO!!!!!
Grandbaby #4 is on its way!!! (Due in February!!!)
So in honor of all the sweet babies in all of our lives...
please enjoy this darling video!!!
GOOD FRIENDS KEEPING ME IN STITCHES
WARNING TO WOMEN!!
Some of you may have already been warned of this.....
You've heard about people who have been abducted and had their kidneys removed by black-market organ thieves.
My thighs were stolen from me during the night a few years ago.. I went to
sleep and woke up with someone else's thighs. It was just that quick. The
replacements had the texture of cooked oatmeal. Whose thighs were these and what happened to mine?
I spent the entire summer looking for my thighs.
Finally, hurt and angry, I resigned myself to living out my life in jeans.
And then the thieves struck again.
My bum was next. I knew it was the same gang, because they took pains to
match my new rear-end to the thighs they had stuck me with earlier. But my new bum was attached at least three inches lower than my original! I realized I'd have to give up my jeans in favour of long skirts.
Two years ago I realized my arms had been switched. One morning I was drying my hair and was horrified to see the flesh of my upper arm swing to and fro with the motion of the hairbrush.
This was really getting scary - my body was being replaced one section at a time. What could they do to me next?
When my poor neck suddenly disappeared and was replaced with a turkey
neck, I decided to tell my story.
Women of the world wake up and smell the coffee!
Those 'plastic ' surgeons are using REAL replacement body parts -stolen
from you and me! The next time someone you know has something 'lifted',
look again - was it lifted from you?
THIS IS NOT A HOAX. This is happening to women everywhere every night.
WARN YOUR FRIENDS!
P.S. Last year I thought some one had stolen my Boobs. I was lying in bed
and they were gone! But when I jumped out of bed, I was relieved to see
that they had just been hiding in my armpits as I slept. Now I keep them
hidden in my waistband.
Thought this was too 'important' not to pass on. Have a wonderful day -
with a joy filled heart.
P.P.S. - These same thieves came into my closet and shrank my clothes!
How do they do it????
(thanks dear tami!!!)
Faith defies logic and propels us
beyond hope because it is not attached
to our desires. Faith is the centerpiece
of a connected life. It allows us to live
by the grace of invisible strands. It is
a belief in a wisdom superior to our own.
Faith becomes a teacher in the absence of fact.
from: Refuge
by Terry Tempest Williams
beyond hope because it is not attached
to our desires. Faith is the centerpiece
of a connected life. It allows us to live
by the grace of invisible strands. It is
a belief in a wisdom superior to our own.
Faith becomes a teacher in the absence of fact.
from: Refuge
by Terry Tempest Williams
WAKE UP AMERICA WEDNESDAY!!!
"Many promoters of health-care reform believe that people have an intrinsic ethical right to health care—to equal access to doctors, medicines and hospitals. While all of us empathize with those who are sick, how can we say that all people have more of an intrinsic right to health care than they have to food or shelter?
Health care is a service that we all need, but just like food and shelter it is best provided through voluntary and mutually beneficial market exchanges. A careful reading of both the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution will not reveal any intrinsic right to health care, food or shelter. That's because there isn't any. This "right" has never existed in America."
Please go HERE to read the whole article. It really is a articulate, good read.There are VALID ideas here, for those of us feeling helpless!! Please give it a try.
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