An Irish Blessing

May the blessing of Light be on you -
light without and light within,
May the blessed sunlight shine on you
and warm your heart till it glows like
a great peat fire, so that the stranger
may come and warm himself at it, and
also a friend.
And may the light shine out of the two
eyes of you, like a candle set in two
windows of a house, bidding the wanderer
to come in out of the storm.

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for.

Epicurus

Greek philosopher, BC 341-270

Not By the Hair of My Chinny Chin Chin

When I was in my twenties I used to have these long, thick eyelashes.  I was always really proud of them.  I fussed with various shades of eyeshadows and different types of mascara to show them off to their full potential.  Sometimes they would leave marks on my glasses because they were so long and in some perverse way that pleased me.  A sign that I had nice lashes.

Then I married my husband who had such long ones he would complain about them getting "tangled up" or "poking" him in the eye.  I found it difficult to feel sympathy since I had to work for mine.  My youngest son inherited his fathers lashes and he too makes the same complaints.

During this time my lashes have migrated.  What used to be long thick lashes surrounding my eyes are now fluttering off my chin.  What made them move?  Did my eyes and I not appreciate them where they were?  Is there something about my chin that calls to them?  Maybe the scenery is better there?  I have no idea. 

There are a lot of things about getting older that I find annoying: aches and pains, more pills to take, having trouble remembering things.  But this ... this traitorous act drives me out of my mind.  I've plucked, creamed, and waxed.  I found a little wand that "shaves" the beastly things off, and now I've discovered a little pad you rub around your chin that removes the culprits. 

*sigh*

Who knew the bearded lady at the carnival was just some poor woman who'd gone through menopause?  Ain't life a kick?

One of My Favorite Things

Ice Dancing starts tonight at the Olympics, and I wanted to share my favorite ice dancers of all time -- Jayyne Torvill and Christopher Dean from England. They won the gold in the 1984 Olympics, and I believe they are the qunitessential ice dancers ... the ones everyone else wants to emulate. Dean went on to choreograph for other dancers. [Note: Christopher Dean currently lives in my home town, which makes me very happy!] This is not their gold winning performance, but it is my favorite of their routines set to Simon and Garfunkle's "Cecilia". Enjoy!

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

The gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.

Chinese Proverb

A Fun Evening

Last night we went out to see the Olympic Flame at the Olympic Training Center here in town.  Since the Winter Olympics are going on right now in Vancouver, we thought it would be a fun outing to go see the flame lit.  Before we did we made a stop at one of our favorite places ... BJ's Velvet Freez here in town, which is a cute little drive-in that's been around since 1954! 

Here are a couple of shots I got.  One of BJ's giant ice cream cone, and one of the flame.  It was very dark, and I don't have that great of a camera, but you can still see a bit of the Olympic Flame.  Pretty cool.  If you live near the OTC, go check it out.  It's pretty exciting!

The Winter Olympics

As you can see from my new blog layout, I am a big fan of the Winter Olympics.  Will be watching and cheering our team on.

Tonight we're going out to see the flame lit at the Olympic Training Center here in town and I'll try and get a picture or two to post.

But for now -- GO TEAM USA!!!

A Good Laugh

I saw this on another blog last month, and it's too funny not to share .....

Why Men do not Write Advice Columns

Dear Mike,

I hope you can help me here. The other day, I set off for work leaving my husband Allan in the house watching the Raiders game as usual. I hadn't driven more than a mile down the road when the engine conked out and the car shuddered to a halt. I walked back home to get Allan’s help.

When I got home I couldn't believe my eyes. He was in our bedroom with the neighbor’s daughter. I am 45, my husband is 68, and the neighbor's daughter is 22. We have been married for ten years. When I confronted him, he broke down and admitted that they had been having an affair for the past six months. I told him to stop or I would leave him. He retired 14 years ago and he says he has been feeling increasingly depressed and worthless. I love him very much, but ever since I gave him the ultimatum he has become increasingly distant. He won't go to counseling and I'm afraid I can't get through to him anymore.

Can you please help?

Sincerely,
Sheila

-----------------

Dear Sheila:

A car stalling after being driven a short distance can be caused by a variety of faults with the engine. Start by checking that there is no debris in the fuel line. If it is clear, check the vacuum pipes and hoses on the intake manifold and also check all grounding wires. If none of these approaches solves the problem, it could be that the fuel pump itself is faulty, causing low delivery pressure to the injectors.

I hope this helps,
Mike

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

Happy Valentine's Day!

“I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person, love is trusting them enough to tell them everything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of, love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.”

Anonymous

Friends are Valentines Too!

Happy Birthday Baby!

We just spent the past two days celebrating Stan's birthday, and boy did we have fun!  Thursday night we went out for hamburgers then over to the movie theaters for the live broadcast of Prairie Home Companion.  It's one of Stan's favorite shows on NPR.  It's usually on Saturday nights (6:00pm here in Colorado) but they did a special Thursday evening broadcast and we got tickets to see it live.  It was a blast watching the sound effects guys, listening to the music, Guy Noir, Lives of the Cowboys, and of course Garrison Keillor telling us all the News from Lake Woebegon.  We decided our family was just like that---the woman is strong (me), the man is good looking (Stan), and the children are above average.  You betcha!

Friday night we went to the smokehouse in Woodland Park and partook of the best danged BBQ Beef Ribs anywhere!  They smoke them for days, then grill them up and .... YUMMO!  Kevin had BBQ Buffolo/Beef sandwich, which he pronounced amazing as well.

By the time we got back home down the mountain we were full and happy and singing.  We had a key lime pie waiting for us (Stan's birthday "cake") and cards and presents.  Stan had a wonderful time and we got to go along with him.  Birthdays are GREAT!

A THOUGHT FOR THE WEEKEND

I'm thinking about fate.  Today, in lieu of a famous quotation, my thoughts are on my husband Stan.  Today is his birthday, and I have a mixture of feelings. 

First and foremost, I am grateful that he is in my life.  I didn't get married until I was 32, and it seemed a long wait to me.  I prayed for many years that the Lord would bless my future husband with patience, and to let his heart know I was looking for him.  And ... just when I had about convinced myself that marriage and a family were not in my future, Stan showed up! 

To me he is the perfect husband.  He supports me, encourages me and spurs me on.  I remember we had a lot of problems in the beginning because of things that happened to me when I was young.  He was patient, and gentle and helped me through it all.  He still does.

Now I don't know if I believe in fate, or predestiny or those sorts of things.  But this I do believe: that he was meant for me and me for him.  And today as we celebrate his birth, I want to post this telling the world that I love him and wish him the Happiest Birthday of all time!

Book Review: No Place Safe

Generally speaking, memoirs are not my cup of tea.  Recently, when checking out a literary agent's blog, she mentioned this book and posted an excerpt.  I was hooked and had to go out and get it. 

Kim Reid's memoir No Place Safe reads like a novel, and an intriguing one at that.  It's easy to see why she won the Colorado Book Award in Creative Nonfiction.  It's amazing.

Set in Atlanta from 1979 through 1981, it tracks her family's life during the Atlanta Child Murders, which I remember well.  Her mother, a single mother and one of the most inspiring and incredible women I've ever read on the printed page, is an investigator for the DA's office and is assigned to the case.  This leaves young Kim, who is 14 the summer of the first killing, in charge of her younger sister.  As her mother becomes more and more enmeshed in the investigation, Kim soon finds herself running the household as well as trying to emotionally support and care for her mother.

In the midst of this she begins high school, tranferring to an all-white school in an affluent part of the city.  She struggles to find her way, trying to fit in with the rich white kids while remaining true to her roots.  The pain, confusion and anger the young girl deals with feels like a heat rising off the printed page.  You cannot help but be pulled into her world, and see how her life--and the life of her family--is being changed forever.

This book, while nonfiction and a personal memoir, reads like a thriller on one hand, and a poignant coming-of-age story on the other.  Her writing is honest, fresh and lively.  I absolutely could not put it down.

I am dismayed after having read No Place Safe, to see on the agent's blog (click here to read the excerpt: http://pubrants.blogspot.com/2010/01/publishing-is-not-color-blind.html) that this book is erroneously placed in African-American studies. I fear it won't get the attention it deserves there. It should be with the other memoirs and autobiographies where it belongs. Don't let the opportunity pass you by to read this heartfelt, well written book.  I'm so glad I didn't.

Big Day for Kevin!!

Today was a big day for Kevin.  His dad took him down to take his driving test.  It took about ten minutes, and he passed with a score of 93%.  He's been wanting his license forever, and now he finally has it!  When he came home from school, his dad and I had a key made and waiting for him on his own keychain.  As you can see, big smiles all around.

What we, as his parents, are most excited for is that tomorrow morning he'll drive himself to seminary at 5:30 in the morning.  Big day for Mom and Dad too!