Fun with a black light

Trevor

Holly

And Holly's foot


Robert

Me


Black light: noun. Black light causes fluorescent materials to emit visible light and is used to take pictures in the dark. Can provide hours of endless entertainment.

Concerts I remember

My best friend in high school and I went to many concerts over the years. Here are some that I can remember 25 years later.

Van Halen, 4/6 or 7/79, San Jose Center for the Performing Arts. I was 15, and it was shocking at the time to have guys walking around muttering, "Acid for sale. LSD. Acid." The auditorium had a balcony that swayed, and this was the last rock concert there.

Day on the Green,  5/6/79, Oakland Coliseum. Boston, Sammy Hagar, Eddie Money.

Another Day on the Green, 1979. Can't remember bands. Had to be DotG#2 with Journey. We camped overnight in line for fun. (Mom, what were you thinking?)

Pat Benatar, 8/17/80, San Jose Civic Auditorium. (Happy birthday to me!)

Styx, with The Babys, 1/6/80, Cow Palace/San Francisco.

The Babys, San Jose Civic Auditorium.

I'm sure I've seen The Babys one more time, and Styx one more time too.

Marshall Tucker Band, New Years Eve at The Cow Palace, San Francisco.

unknown band, San Jose Civic Auditorium. I fell asleep at this one. Really.

Greg Kihn Band and Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, 9/18/81, Concord Pavilion.

Billy Squire, 10/10/81, Warfield Theater, San Francisco.

Greg Kihn Band, 4/21/82, Old Waldorf, San Francisco.

John Mayall or John Fogarty? 1984 or 1985?, Rainbow Music Hall, Denver. This was probably the first one I didn't go to with Debbie.

Bob Dylan and Tom Petty, 7/26 or 27/86, Red Rocks.

* * *

I was in the hospital recovering from an appendectomy and missed Bob Seger. Good thing too. :)

Okay, what am I forgetting?


And no, I'm not counting Tony Orlando & Dawn, The DeFranco Family, and Bucko Sisters (who were my cousins!) in 1974.

Super Sunny Saturday

It was pretty much a regular day around here, and cold but very pretty! The sun was so bright and warm that it didn't seem like single digits. The snow was melting quite a bit, the roads were steaming, literally, all day, and I think that's why the mountains seemed so hazy.

Trevor started Buddy Basketball this morning, and so far he's not impressed. They were broken up into very small groups, and he didn't like being the biggest kid in his group. Next week, I'll ask if he can be with at least one taller kid. He's tall, but not unusually so. Many of his friends are exactly the same height. But the kids today were up to two years younger, so he was quite a bit taller than some. I think he'll enjoy it but was just a little nervous.

I shoveled the driveway and sidewalk when we got home. I wore gloves, but I didn't even zip up my coat, and I didn't have to work too hard at shoveling. Between the sunshine and the very dry air, the rest of the snow evaporated off the driveway by the end of the day. (I should have taken that "after" picture!)


Robert came home from work early (yippee!). I ran a few more errands by myself. Holly chatted with a couple of friends on the computer (Kathleen, how WAS your camera class? VBG), and Trevor went down the street to play at a friend's house.

Some people have asked if Vader the watchcat is still on guard at Jen's cage. Oh yes, he's quite obsessed. I feel bad for Robert actually. Vader is--was anyway--very much like his old cat O'Mally, so much so that Robert and I will often call Vader by O'Mally's name. Vader was at his usual post tonight, and I could hear Robert talking rather sternly to him, "Go be a normal cat, DO something!" So how do I go about finding a kitty counselor?

Fabulous Friday

Okay, so it wasn't really THIS fabulous. This picture was from yesterday. We woke up to snow this morning. It hovered around 10 degrees all day. When it's this cold, there's not much moisture in the air, so it usually doesn't snow much.

Our happy little birds were out. Robert noticed this girl yesterday. She's blind in that left eye, so she can't see me coming to the window to take pictures. Her other eye doesn't look so well either--but for now, she has plenty of food and other bird friends.


I'd already planned for a cold and maybe snowy day, so we weren't going anywhere. It was perfect for a PAJAMA DAY! Trevor doesn't care so much, but Holly really likes days like this.


Our newspaper just started a children's daily serial by Katherine Paterson. I think Holly will enjoy it.


This is Trevor candling an egg yesterday. Both kids will be checking these out over the next few weeks. The yolk was not as easy to see as I'd expected, but the air sac was clearly visible. I'd assigned Holly an experiment to determine if eggs absorb water (they do absorb air). Trevor was interested, so he's doing one of those too. Hopefully I'll remember to get pictures.

We wrapped up our week as usual, and Holly wrote a few paragraphs for history. She took minimal notes at the beginning of the week. I can't believe the things she remembers several days later. She much prefers to write fiction, but she typed this up in about 20 minutes. Because I have nothing else to post, here's Holly's writing:

* * * *

Nebuchadnezzar was one of the most famous kings in Babylon. He rebuilt his city so it was beautiful again and made a very tall and wide gate named after the Babylonian goddess Ishtar. Because of this, the people called Nebuchadnezzar, Nebuchadnezzar the great. One day, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, a dream about a giant statue of himself, built of gold, silver and bronze. When he woke up the next morning, he ordered the statue built. After a long time the statue was finished. He ordered every Babylonian to bow down to it and worship like a god. Soon Nebuchadnezzar thought himself as God himself. God became angry at this and sent an angel to visit him.

"Nebuchadnezzar," the angel said, "because you think yourself to be better and stronger then God, you will live as a wild animal in the forest, until you admit that God is better and stronger." So at once Nebuchadnezzar lost his mind and ran into the forest, where he lived like a wild animal. His hair became long and tangled and he walked on his hands and knees, which made his knees as tough as hooves. People gathered around and asked each other what was wrong with their king, Nebuchadnezzar the great. Soon Nebuchadnezzar lifted his face to the sky and yelled; "God! You are better and stronger then I ever will be!" And just like that, he became sane again.

Later, Nebuchadnezzar was sitting on his throne, worrying about being attacked by Persia. Then he had an idea. "I know!" He thought to himself, "I'll marry the Persian princess, Amytis. The king of Persia would never attack his own son-in-law!". At once the king of Persia agreed, for he too was worried about being attacked by Babylon. Nebuchadnezzar made Princess Amytis beautiful rooms to live in, but Amytis wasn't happy. She was used to beautiful Persia, not dry ugly Babylon. So Nebuchadnezzar made her a huge garden called the Hanging Gardens. Now over 2500 years later, the Hanging Gardens is one of the seven great wonders of the ancient world.

* * * *

Book Review - Praying God's Will for Your Life by Stormie Omartian

I've checked out Praying God's Will for Your Life several times over the past few months, but I've never finished it. I wanted to; but other things came up, I couldn't renew, etc. I finally bought this copy for myself. It didn't get as much personally as her Power of a Praying ________ series, but there's a lot to glean from this book.

Recommended.

From the book:

Fifteen Reasons to Pray

1. To seek the face of the Lord and know Him better (Ps 27:8)

2. To get your eyes off your problems and onto the Lord (Ps 121:1)

3. To speak to God (1 Peter 3:12)

4. To unburden your heart (Ps 142:1-2)

5. To make your requests known to God (Matt 21:22)

6. To hear God (Prov 8:34)

7. To be free of suffering (James 5:13)

8. To resist temptation (Matt 26:41)

9. To be rescued from distress (Ps 107:19)

10. To receive God's reward (Matt 6:6)

11. To withstand evil (Eph 6:13)

12. To have joy (Jhn 16:24)

13. To get close to God (Isa 64:7)

14. To be healed emotionally (James 5:13)

15. To have peace (Phil 4:6-7)

The cat and the reptile

About a year ago, we acquired a white line gecko. It was sort of for Trevor, something to live in his room. I've always had a bit of an attachment to it. It stays in its cage ALL the time; I am grateful that it bit someone the very first day, because no one's ever wanted to hold it. Trevor, for whatever reason, chose the name Tom for the gecko.


Several months ago, Tom began laying eggs. Yes, geckos will lay unfertilized eggs, right on the side of the cage, which deteriorate within a few days. Since this was not any type of miracle, Tom was immediately renamed Jen.

Once I found Jen was a girl, I began liking her even more. I feel a little sorry for this thing that will forever lay eggs for no reason. Jen happily lives on crickets and has a heat lamp to keep warm.

When the weather's really warm, Jen will run around the sides of her glass cage. It began bothering Trevor at night when he was trying to go to sleep. THUMP! as Jen would jump on the side. thumpthumpthumpthump! as she'd run around the glass. She ended up being banished to the basement. I didn't like this at all. It's cold down there, and it's not like I would frequently check in on her. (She wasn't forgotten; Robert checked on her daily to make sure she had water.)

I was very happy last month when Jen was moved into my bedroom, right beneath our fish tank. Unfortunately, it's not been a good move for our cat, Vader. Vader used to be a normal cat. He and his sister Pumpkin are almost two years old. For fun, Vader used to hang out with Pumpkin.


He used to come to us when he wanted attention.


If he was up early in the morning, he would play before we got up.

When Jen lived in Trevor's room, Vader totally ignored her, although Pumpkin was very interested. I don't know what's changed, but Vader spends his days sitting or laying in front of Jen's tank, always on the alert. I'm not totally sure if he wants Jen or the crickets that roam her cage. He sits there all day long. He stays on the watch at night, even when Jen's light and our bedroom light is off. At first it seemed like a joke, but I'm starting to worry that he'll never be like a normal cat again. He's totally obsessed.


If I think about it too much, it's rather like me on the computer. Poor cat.

Book Review - The Unusual Suspect by Stephen Baldwin

Someone on my hs list mentioned Stephen Baldwin's The Unusual Suspect, an autobiography detailing his conversion to Christianity. At the same time, I saw him featured on Nightline and was intrigued by the reviews on amazon, so I checked the book out from my library. It's in high demand, and I had to wait a few months to finally get it.

I don't know what the hype is about. (Maybe I'm spoiled by reading well written books?) Apparently, the Baldwin brothers are big in Hollywood, really big. Bigger than I'd guessed. I know this now because Stephen reminded me every couple of pages in his book. But I am sure he's a better actor than a writer. He has a horribly annoying habit of referring to himself in the third person as "Stevie B" and posing fake questions to himself, which he then answers. I got the impression that he was paid to write a certain number of pages and would write anything to meet the original goal. His book would have been much better read if he'd stopped at 100. Instead, he filled 300. I did like the beginning, but the more I read, the more bored I became.

Not recommended, unless you are a Stevie B fan. On second thought, if you want to remain a fan, you might skip the book.

Heat wave!

Well, "heat wave" for us it seems. We were in the 50s today, more melting snow, and all that stuff. Unfortunately, we didn't have a chance to enjoy it. We had co-op registration this morning. The classes fill up fast, and I was able to get two great classes for each of the kids. They've only each had one before at a time, and these will be spread out over two afternoons. It will be a bit of a change, but it's only for a couple of months. It should be FUN! In the afternoon, I volunteered. It was just proofreading, a little tedious, but the company makes it rather pleasant. Holly and Trevor were the ones who suffered. They stayed in the main room where all the action was swirling nearby. They sat at a table on nasty folding chairs for THREE hours. The only time they got up was to get something out of the car. They were ANGELS. Here's a view on our way home, yes, all real colors. We made dinner plans without knowing how nice it would be, and it was the perfect choice. Robert bbq'ed bratwurst and vegetables--green and yellow peppers, and red onion. My sister made this suggestion a dozen years ago, and it's been a favorite of ours ever since. I'm wondering how she came up with the combination. She does NOT cook, I can't imagine her eating at restaurants that serve this sort of food, and she probably only has Evian, diet soda, soy milk, one food item from Whole Foods, and a bottle of fancy mustard in her fridge. (Okay, Lori, how close am I?) I also fixed our favorite--Dijon Pasta Salad--it's easy and doesn't need to chill before eating. DIJON PASTA SALAD

1 lb. rotini, tricolor (I use plain elbows or shells)
2/3 cup oil
2 Tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons mustard, Dijon
2/3 cup mayonnaise
2 large celery stalks, chopped
6 slices bacon, cooked and chopped
2 hard cooked eggs, chopped
2 scallions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
Paprika

Cook pasta in boiling water just until done, usually 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and rinse thoroughly under cold running water to stop the cooking process. 

In a large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, mustard and mayonnaise. Add the pasta, celery, bacon, eggs, scallion, salt, and paprika to the dressing and mix carefully.

That's it!

It was one of several recipes I've found in Diane Mott Davidson's Goldy Bear's Culinary Mysteries series. While I'm not a mystery fan, these books are very light and put an equal emphasis on food--definitely a winner for me! The stories take place in a fictional mountain town west of Denver, and it's always fun for me to recognize places in the books. It's a fun series, one I've followed from the beginning, about ten years ago. As I was doing the last minute rush to get the salad made and the house at least vacuumed before Robert came home, the volunteer coordinator called to tell me everything will finish early and I'm FREE tomorrow afternoon. Yippee, I am pretty happy about that! Robert's off tomorrow. We have a light school day planned. Another storm coming Friday. No comment on that yet!

Quick Tuesday

Another school day flew by, we are already back in our routine. Trevor was thrilled that he had three drawing activities today--he illustrated and then labeled each of his spelling words; he drew his own version of The Hanging Gardens of Babylon as he learned more about Nebuchadnezzar and The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World; and his science assignment was to draw a comic strip about the life of a bird.

He had his allergy testing today. Ugh, poor kid. He was nervous to begin with, and the testing was not pleasant. The allergens are on little needles attached to strips, six needles to a strip. Each strip has a handle on it, and the nurse does two at a time, ZIP, ZIP, into his back, until she did all six strips. It took about three seconds. While he was still dazed from that, the itching began. He was a trooper through it all, and I'm glad we don't have to do that again any time soon. His allergies were indicated by itchy welts on his back. He's allergic to several trees, pollen and weeds--things present in the spring, summer and fall. On the plus side, he's not allergic to molds or foods (surprising), and there's no indication of asthma. He's also allergic to cats--we have two. If he were a baby, we might consider getting rid of the cats, but I don't think it's necessary at this point now.

By the time I left the dr.'s office, I was loaded down with two prescriptions, an inhaler in case of emergency, a blower to measure his breathing abilities, several free samples, and a folder full of information. I'm overwhelmed with medical garbage right now. Ugh. Our choices at this point are: 90 allergy shots over the next three years; daily meds; nothing. Right now, the meds are looking good. I think he'll be amazed at what it really feels like to be able to breathe like most people.

This was the perfect excuse to head to Chili's for dinner. It's a long time favorite place (except for Robert), and we haven't been there in awhile!

The next few days are going to be crazy, as we have co-op registration, and I'll also be putting in much volunteer time. But the week's been good so far, and I'm sure it will continue!

Book Review - Creation in Time by Dr. Hugh Ross

I've read Dr. Hugh Ross's Creation in Time before. I re-read it because of an ongoing discussion between Robert and a friend on the topic. In general, I find books on young earth/old earth very interesting, and this is one of the few old earth Creationism books that I've read. Personally, I like this book, although I'm very biased. It fits with everything I believe. We use Apologia's elementary science at home, and this would be a great book for me to have on hand when the young earth/old earth discussions come up in science.

But no matter what you believe, if you like reading on this subject, this book is recommended.

Back to school

I was a little worried about starting back to school today, but it went just fine! For starters, we woke up to warm weather. The high yesterday was 28, and the wind blew all night. When I woke up this a.m., it was already 38 degrees outside.


Nice for melting some of the snow too. :)

Holly and Trevor had no problem getting back into the routine. Poor Holly had a very long math review to start off her day. Math isn't her favorite subject, and we recently switched her from Saxon to Singapore a few months ago. I have been very pleased with the way the new math curriculum is making her think. It's like night and day, she's much more engaged, and she understands what she's doing. Her attitude about it has also improved considerably.


Trevor chose to read Charlotte's Web on his own instead of me reading it out loud. We'll see if his motivation lasts. I'd prefer he read easier and shorter books on his own, plus I was kind of looking forward to reading this book. On the other hand, if he reads it himself, *I* won't cry at the end.

The kids were so "on" today that they even were disappointed when I stopped after one of the Seven Wonders. Hey, that was all that was on my schedule. They can wait for tomorrow to learn about two more. I'd rather keep them guessing anyway.

Every time I pulled out my camera, Trevor protested. He thought this was a protest face. Hah, that'll teach him that I'll post any picture of him that I can!


I spent some time tonight adding some links and photos of our curriculum on the sidebar. I think I still have to figure out a few details.

Trevor had a friend stay for dinner, and it was a hit. Of course, it helps when everyone is really hungry, but tonight they were all quiet when eating, and I think all of dinner took nine minutes. I made Pork Chops with Lemon Caper Sauce. The recipe calls for sliced pork tenderloin, but I had boneless chops on hand and Holly requested this recipe. Clearly, it's a favorite.

PORK MEDALLIONS WITH LEMON CAPER SAUCE

1 T. coarse ground pepper (use less)
1-1/2 lbs. pork tenderloin, cut to 1: thick medallions
4 T. butter
1 c. chicken broth
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 T. capers, drained

Press pepper in both sides of pork pieces. Heat 1 T. butter in large skillet or medium heat. Cook until just done, 4 mins. per side. Transfer to plate and keep warm. Add broth and lemon juice to skillet. Boil until only ½ c. left, about 7 mins. Whisk in remaining butter. Add capers, salt and pepper to taste. Pour over medallions. Serves 4.

* * * *

It was an overall great day, and it was the day I was expecting to be the toughest this week. Life is great!

My loopy friends

I've been part of my "big hs list" for 5-1/2 years. These ladies have been an amazing source of encouragement and support. It's a giant list but I'm guessing only about 100 members post regularly. We discuss anything: kids and family, politics, pets, food and diets, books, you name it. Sometimes we even talk about homeschooling. (Haha.) Our international group is pretty diverse but we share two common bonds: We are Christians who educate our children at home. (Or did educate children at home--a few of the women no longer hs but continue to bless the rest of us with their knowledge and experience.)

I've had the privilege of meeting a handful of my online friends. Vikki and I have gotten together a couple of times. Here's a picture from when we took our kids to see the traveling Ten Commandments monument that Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore refused to remove from his courthouse.


Several years ago, Dody was living in Cheyenne, and we met each other for lunch. We were both attending the CHEC conference in Denver. Meeting her gives me a different perspective when I see her amazing Alaska blog photos.

Kathleen and family were vacationing nearby 2-1/2 years ago and came to our house for lunch. I thought she was brave committing her whole family to eat at my house. For all she knew, we lived in a stick shack with no running water, and who knows what I could have tried to feed them. I loved meeting her in person. Our girls have kept in contact, and Kathleen remains a close e-mail friend of mine offlist too.


On this same trip, Kathleen and her family met Laura. A few months later, I met Laura too. Robert and I took the kids to Glenwood Springs for a few days, near where Laura's family was living at the time. They drove into town and met us for ice cream one afternoon. I think it was the only time during our stay that it wasn't raining! I really enjoyed meeting her in person, especially since she moved out of state shortly afterwards.

Two summers ago, I had a chance to meet Diann. Her husband was in town attending a conference, and she came along with him.


Cynthia was in town a few weeks later. On a field trip. From Montana. Really. Cynthia's the kind of person who does things BIG. She came to town with several of her local hs group buddies. They're planning something similar this summer. Her older kids were busy with other activities, but she came by with her baby.


This group is amazing. To say that I'm a better person because of it is woefully inadequate, a giant understatement. For the group's five year anniversary, Liz organized a giant scrapbook undertaking as a complete surprise to our list owners, Cynthia and De'Etta. As usual, Liz found a verse that said it all. Encourage one another and build each other up. 1 Thess 5:11. I can't say it any better than that.

Book Review - Genesis: Finding Our Roots by Ruth Beechick

I don't buy a lot of books. For several years, I've wanted to get my hands on Ruth Beechick's Genesis: Finding Our Roots, and I finally bought it. I was not expecting a young earth Bible study. Say what you will about coincidence (g), but at the same time I am also reading Dr. Hugh Ross's Creation and Time on old earth Creationism.

I remain a Beechick fan, but this is not a book that interests me. I skimmed through the narrative. I'm glad I have a copy; I no longer need to wonder about this book. I like some of the artwork. But for me personally there are too many young earth issues I cannot resolve, and any books I do seriously read on this topic would be authored by someone with significantly more credentials pertaining to the topics. I don't believe this book is written for children, but it could be more appropriate for that age group. I wouldn't recommend this book.

(I still haven't read my copy of Adam and His Kin yet though, and I continue to look forward to that.)

Sunny Saturday!

Yes, the sky is really this color! We had more snow yesterday, and just seeing blue sky this morning makes me feel more alive. I don't suffer from SAD, I'm just so sick of the snow and feeling trapped! Robert knows my head starts to spin, and he took us out for most of the morning yesterday. It was slick, but we were able to run a lot of errands and you can bet there weren't many people out on the roads.

Later in the afternoon, someone completely blessed us by clearing our driveway! We still can't figure out who it was, but they even swept it clean. What's really funny is that we were all in the house and never saw or heard whoever did this. It snowed a little more after the driveway was cleared, and I didn't take this pic until this morning.

My street is still a mess. I called the city the other day to request my street be plowed. I told the poor woman that I didn't even care WHEN it would be done, but I'd just be happy to know which WEEK I could expect it. She thought it might be done yesterday. Yeah. Right. It looks pretty, but it's thawed, frozen, and been snowed on several times.

It will still be cold today, but I can deal with that. I have house cleaning to look forward to (haha), and I can plan out our school schedule for the upcoming week. We have a zillion outside things going on, various appts., so it won't be super-productive, but at least we can start getting back into our routine.

Three teachers who made a difference

Yesterday reminded me once again of the three teachers who made lasting, positive impressions on me during my school years.

Two of those were high school teachers. I had Miss Cochran for several different classes in high school, several typing classes, an office machines class, and sophomore English. She was a favorite teacher. Her office classes were challenging; her English class was not. In fact, the period before English, I would often go to a friend's house and drink screwdrivers. IF I made it back to school in time for English, I would often sleep right through the class. By the middle of the semester, I was failing. Our final test that semester was on The Taming of the Shrew. I never did read the book, but by skipping drinks in the morning, I was able to catch enough of the class discussion to get an A on the final. I ended up with a B in that class. Even at the time, I found it pretty pathetic, but that was the kind of high school I went to. What I got away with wasn't unusual. I probably just liked that she never woke me up. But that's not why I liked her.

Her office classes were good. She enjoyed teaching these. Miss Cochran had a very pleasant personality and never seemed bothered by my attempts to annoy her. I took the many skills I learned in her class and really used them in my life. I was a legal secretary for 15 years. I was good at it, it came easily to me, and I worked for a very well known local attorney, and later for a large, prestigious law firm in Denver. I give a lot of credit for that to Miss Cochran, one of the few teachers who was able to keep me engaged and interested in school (just not in Shakespeare).

Miss Long was my junior English teacher. It was the only "advanced" class I ever made an effort to get into. I started out in the "regular" English class for two weeks, dying of boredom as the class practiced reading out loud--seriously--with a teacher who purportedly would get high with kids outside of school. I considered "boring" classes to be a good thing, but I knew I could never sit through this for any length of time. It was a huge change for me to be in Miss Long's class. All the other kids were pretty nerdy, and I knew they didn't think I fit in.

In Miss Long's class, we studied slightly more interesting things like Latin word origins. She kept me accountable--something that no other teacher ever did in four years of high school. The few times I tried to cut her class, she sent me to the office with a "referral." This wasn't "good" at all in my opinion. All of my other teachers never did a thing if I didn't show up. No one cared. Miss Long did, in her own way. Even then, it was good to have a teacher be at least a little demanding. I didn't actually like *her,* but I definitely had a lot of respect for her, and I still appreciate that to this day. I wish more teachers had been like her.

Mrs. Ciletti was my very favorite teacher. I had her for 3rd, 4th and 5th grade. It was a different sort of class than the rest of our school. It was a split class, i.e., half 3rd grade, half 4th grade, and we did that for three years. For the most part, the kids in the class remained the same. They were the kids that could work better in a situation like that, kids who didn't need so much hand holding, kids who could work well on their own when necessary. For the most part, she taught us two totally different curriculums. As I teach my own kids now, I'm amazed at how she did this. I remember the oodles of "fun" things we did--spelling bees, timed times tables, a couple of plays. I remember taking the monthly Morrison-McCall spelling assessments that *I* currently use with my own kids. We went on some really cool field trips: a migrant farm worker camp, stopping to see the San Andreas Fault; a couple of old California Missions; an overnight field trip to Gold Country, including a stop at the state capitol. I remember the hushed reverence of viewing then-Governor Reagan's famous Jelly Belly jar on his desk--although he was out that day. Looking back now, I find it interesting that Mrs. Ciletti's two kids attended private school. They came in our classroom often enough it seemed; they were our ages and fit right in. I took it all for granted at the time, but how amazing to have one teacher for three consecutive years. Not only did we know her and feel right at home in her class, but she knew US.

A couple of years ago, I was able to track her down and tell her how much I appreciated her. Isn't that one of the goals of a teacher, to make a difference? She absolutely made a difference for me, and I KNOW she made a difference for so many other kids. I can't even imagine the true impact that being in her class for three years has made upon my life.

Book Review - America Alone by Mark Steyn

I just finished Mark Steyn's America Alone, recommended by Chris on our hs list. It required more concentration and thought than I am used to giving when reading, but it was well worth my effort. My knowledge of world politics is definitely lacking, but I was pretty much able to keep up with this TERRIFIC book.

One of the main premises of the book is that almost every developed nation is aging faster than it is reproducing. The U.S. is the exception, barely breaking even with a 2.1 fertility rate. Muslim nations, however, are growing much, much more rapidly and 50% of their population is 15 years old or younger.

"What does it mean when the fastest-growing population on the planet is a group that, to put it at its mildest, has a somewhat fractious relationship with the characteristics of a free society?"

"Children of the future will come from people who are at odds with the modern world." "They're the kids you couldn't be bothered to have."

Highly recommend this book, which I found (of course) at my library.

So sick of snow!!!

Robert was off today, but we didn't see much of each other. We were both running errands, it seemed, all day. He took his car to the dealer early this morning, so one of us was always gone with my car, off doing something.

I'm getting grumpy about the conditions of the roads. It's been a week since our last snow and the roads are awful. I'm still having major troubles getting up and down my street. When I drove to the library today, I got STUCK in a parking space. Grrr. Of course, my knight-in-shining-armor's horse wasn't available. Surprising myself, I managed to finally get my car out on my own. I would much prefer to just be rescued, though.

It was in the 50s, woohoo!, and Holly was able to get in a riding lesson. As I was driving out to nowhere (or so it seems to me), I noticed that there was barely any snow at all. Clearly, God's plan for blowing the snow off the plains/having it melt in the sun is working better than our city snowplows!

And we're expecting light snow tomorrow. All of this makes me very glad I don't live in Michigan . . . Ohio . . . New York . . . anywhere that this would seem normal!

On the plus side, Robert fixed is famous chile rellanos for dinner, along with cheese enchiladas. YUM!!! He's off tomorrow too. And I think he's planning to fix dinner again. :)

Already Wednesday

Yesterday was the last day of Christmas vacation for the public schools here, and today those kids were back in the classroom. Not us. Holly was up at her friend's house. Trevor had asked to go swimming. He didn't mind going by himself, in fact he never gave it a second thought. There were about two dozen kids there, maybe all of the schools didn't go back yet, or maybe some were hsers too. (I really love it when we are among the few that are out and about.) Trevor swam for an hour and practiced some handstands.


We picked up Holly late in the afternoon. The snow was piled high at our "meeting spot." Trevor was standing on a thin crust of snow, and I kept wondering if he'd come out with both shoes still on. (He did!)

It was a really warm day, for us anyway, in the mid 50s. There's still a LOT of snow around, and it crossed my mind that it will be here for at least another week. Yuck. It was overcast most of the day, but I still didn't really need a jacket.

We had bbqed steak for dinner, and I fixed a salad. I don't know if it was the cucumber or tomato, but Robert came in the house and said it smelled like spring.

He also brought home crickets for our white line gecko to eat. I have some affection for that lizard. I think it's because I know she's secure in her cage. She bit someone before we even got her home a year or so ago, and no one's tried touching her since. Ever. She lived in Trevor's room for awhile, but when she'd jump on the sides of her glass tank at night, it bothered him. Robert moved her down to the basement, which bothered me. Now she's in my bedroom. The crickets are chirping like mad in the dark, so it really DOES seem like summer. :)

About the pictures yesterday. Okay, I can call the colors "Picasa blue." Yes, all of them were altered at least in some way, but some of the blues remained true. I'm repeating that I'm not changing my Pikes Peak pictures at all.

No, I wasn't driving as I was taking the photos! Holly took some, Trevor took some, and I was the dork taking pictures from a few parking lots and from a scenic turnoff. I know, you don't have to say it. I even embarrassed myself. You can imagine how my kids felt. I only hope that no one I know spotted me.

And NO, I wasn't using my cell phone, at least not at the same time. ::snort:: (D, I've never used "your" snort before, and I'm finding this particularly funny!!!!)

Easy to see why I love it here

Trevor and I took Holly up to spend the night with a friend, a former neighbor. These are the kinds of friends you wish you had. Holly and her friend have been best friends for over ten years--and they are only 10-1/2 and 12 years old!

It was gorgeous out, the usual kind of day around here, even in winter. Sure, it was cool, maybe 40. But the sky is clear and blue, the sun is bright and warm. It never seems like it's cold.

These are the sights we take for granted just driving up the highway.

There are some funky hills.

Snow covered gullies.

At the range waaay in the back of this pic is Pikes Peak. Trevor took this one above, and this one below, from inside his car window. Didn't he do a great job?!




Trevor snapped this too. The two tall "trees"? They are really camouflaged cell phone antennas. They've been there for a couple of years, and I still crack up whenever I see them. I don't even know how we spotted them in the first place. I don't usually notice things like this, no matter how weird or out of place they are!

The Air Force Academy backdrop is stunning.

Pikes Peak.

I liked how the shadows and melted snow played on the steps here.

The first day of winter passed by with me barely noticing. I think it was in the middle of that first blizzard. Usually this is a day I look forward to each fall--it means that the days will begin staying lighter longer again. While the majority of our snow comes in January, our weather gets warmer then too. Our average high temp this month is 40 degrees, but it's not really that bad--look at all that blue sky! My dad in Phoenix might not agree, but I think we have some of the greatest weather in the world!

***
Special note to my very dear friend who is considering moving here, and you know who you are: C'mon in, the water's warm, er, the weather's warm . . . uh, something like that. But it's really, really beautiful!!!! Can't you just imagine your house in this scenery?!

Today's Verse

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.
Josh. 1:9

This is one of my favorite verses. I love the story behind it.

(It's interesting to note that Joshua is the Greek form of Jesus, meaning "God is salvation." In so many ways, Joshua was a precursor to Jesus, Joshua saving the nation, Jesus saving the world.)

One can only imagine how Joshua felt. Following the death of Moses, God is preparing Joshua to lead the Israelites across the Jordan, into Canaan, the land of milk and honey, the land promised to Abraham. It wasn't land that would be given up easily by the Canaanites.

Although God gives Joshua this reassurance long before the taking of Jericho, I think of Jericho when I see the verse. It's a verse my kids have memorized too. They tie it in with the old Veggie Tales song, Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. I remember Holly and Trevor, many years ago, acting out the song, shouting out the words. That's just one more reason that it's special to me. :)

Christmas leftovers

It was a nice day, it didn't seem like anything too special. This is neither bad nor good, just an observation.

The mail remains backlogged after our two big storms a week apart. We'd given up hope that my bil/sil's package would arrive--but it did on Saturday! It's always fun to have Christmas, any gift opening, spread out over a few days. Holly and Trevor opened up their gifts as soon as Robert got home.

Holly making sure Trevor's present isn't "better." (grin)


Catch the look on Holly's face.


Like I said: It's always fun to open presents!


Uncle Mike and Aunt Valerie sent the kids gift debit cards. As an adult, I think of it as being just like cash. But I'm not thinking like a kid! Robert and I explained to Trevor that it was like a credit card. Obviously, we've taught him well. He was very puzzled and asked, "You mean I have to pay it all at the end of the month?" My darling boy--all this time I thought he wasn't listening! He brightened up considerably when we told him that the card already has money on it.

Of course, they want to go USE their cards, so first they need to be signed on the back. Trevor (who is 8) has been working on cursive this school year. He has nice writing when he wants to, but it's not always his favorite thing to do. He started to write his name, and I reminded him to use cursive. He is pleased after writing "Trevor." I have to tell him to write write his entire name. Concentrating hard, he begins but worries when he can't fit in the last two letters of his last name. It's okay, I tell him, no one will pay that much attention.

Off we go to Best Buy, and Trevor has no problem finding things to buy. We wait in a looong line, and when we check out, he's trying to hide his excitement at using his card. WOW, he gets to sign on the little screen! I think it took him a full minute and a half just to write his name, but it looked PERFECT! The checker was so very nice and patient, just let Trev take his time. I KNOW I'm his mom, but it was too cute.

Don't think that Holly wasn't excited. She went with Robert to Walmart yesterday to buy a notebook JUST so she could sign her name on the screen too.

The whole episode was a fun reminder for me. Sure, the cards were a good idea and put a unique twist on cash. But to see the kids' excitement at the signature parts of it gave the cards a whole new spin--and me a whole new perspective.

* * *

We put away all the rest of the Christmas decorations today. I used to be sick of them by this time of year, but I no longer feel that way. Time flies way too fast, and I'm not ready for 2006 to be over.

Holly will be spending the next two days with a friend, so it will be just me and Trevor. We have some other activities planned, but I'm looking forward to having some time with just him. I think he's looking forward to it also.

With Holly gone, it means we won't be having much (any?) school this week. Oh well, not a problem. We've only taken one week off so far for Christmas anyway, and we'll get it done one way or another--I'm ready!

H*A*P*P*Y N*E*W Y*E*A*R !

It's very early 1/1/07, shortly after midnight.
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We had a nice, relaxing day to end the year. It doesn't start off any better than this!

Although I've been having fun with Picasa, playing around with my photos, I'm reluctant to post any altered pics of the Peak. For now at least, they'll stay as I take them, no enhancements.

With lots of help from Trevor, we got most of the Christmas decorations down--literally. Robert and I put them all on the kitchen counter and table as Trevor made a couple of dozen trips to the basement with everything. Robert will take care of it later. We didn't get the tree down, but I'm looking forward to putting all the ornaments away tomorrow. Some people might find this horribly boring, but I don't mind this part of it. I LIKE order, knowing that everything will be back to "normal" and putting each ornament in its proper place/box to spend the next 11 months.

We went out and ran a few errands. At Kohl's, there was NO one in line for returns. The library closed early Friday due to the weather, never opened yesterday, closed Sunday and Monday for New Year's, and I'm assuming will be closed Tuesday, since it's been declared a National Day of Mourning for President Ford. I'm very happy for all the library employees, but it is inconvenient for me!

The sunshine today was warm, but it cooled off quickly as soon as the sun went down.

The kids ate McDonald's as a celebratory sort of dinner. Robert and I? We had 3.5 lbs. of crab legs. Really. There was enough to share with Trevor too. (grin) Instead of placing them in boiling water for a few minutes like we usually do, we baked them at 400 degrees for 5-10 mins. The taste difference was noticeable, and I definitely prefer them baked. The shells were also crisper, easier to break. The crab was a little salty tasting, neither better nor worse, but I could tell.

Shortly after 9:00, Holly and Trevor went out back to do their usual poppers. Robert and I couldn't last out there very long because it was COLD!


Holly and I stayed up, racing each other on PS2 Off Road Fury and then watching several episodes of The Brady Bunch. (I guessed right last night!) At midnight, we caught the fireworks from Pikes Peak out of her bedroom window. It's not the greatest pic, but hey, the mountain is about 20 miles away (as the crow flies, as best I can tell from my map), and my camera's not the greatest either. I was surprised how many of our neighbors were out in their yards, blowing horns and watching the fireworks.

HAPPY 2007!!!